It was recently announced that the CW’s Arrow would end after its eighth season. They will finish up the series with only ten episodes. I wasn’t one of those people that jumped right onto the show when it first premiered. Instead, I binge-watched seasons 1 through 3 in a short amount of time on Netflix to prepare for the season 4 premiere. I was hooked after the first episode, and I suddenly found myself in love with Stephen Amell’s ability to switch his character, Oliver Queen’s, persona. One moment he was all dark and twisty to save his city, and the next he was a charming, sarcastic rich boy from Starling. Arrow provides a darker take on the superhero storyline compared to what audiences normally see today. In some aspects, he was viewed as sort of like an anti-hero, especially in the beginning of the show.
For those of you that don’t know, Arrow starts off with a billionaire, play-boy named Oliver Queen who vanishes for five years after a ship wreck. He returns to his city as a master of archery with a plan—to save his city as the Green Arrow. His methods are a bit questionable on the moral scale, which leads him to being a wanted criminal for most of the show. Along the way, he finds allies to help him in his never-ending crusade to protect Starling City.
One thing I will seriously miss are these amazing characters that the show has introduced me to. I will always remember and cherish Oliver Queen’s moments of unexpected sass and humor. Even though he could be considered a stoic character, Oliver has the ability to be charismatic and down right entertaining when he wants to be.
Another character I will greatly miss is John Diggle. He started off as Oliver’s body guard, but he soon got swept up into the Green Arrow craziness. It didn’t take long for those two to develop a powerful brotherhood with each other. Diggle is a character that helps Oliver stay on the right path, but that doesn’t prevent Diggle from making a few of his own mistakes.
Arrow also has an excellent track record of portraying strong and powerful women. My personal favorite would have to be Ms. Felicity Smoak. She was only supposed to be in a few episodes in the first season, but now I couldn’t imagine the show without her. Felicity is a tech wizard and a genius. Her ability to take down a villain with just a few clicks on a key board is inspiring. She does more than hacking. Aside from inventing and utilizing her own tech, she provides crucial backup for the heroes in the field by giving them emergency exit strategies and technological enhancements.
Also, I’m really going to miss these adorable moments.
Arrow kickstarted the superhero shows that are featured now on the CW, like The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. Every year there is a spectacular crossover special between all of the shows. I’m really going to miss Oliver being out of his depth with superpowered characters like Kara from Supergirl and Felicity’s banter with Cisco from The Flash.
And the epic action sequences? Those will seriously be missed!
I am grateful for the amazing job of this cast and crew. They have put so much work into this show over the years, and I have loved every second of it. Even if, at times, they had me freaking out over what was happening. I hope that Arrow’s ending is just as amazing as it’s beginning.