Arrow Season 3 Review

Season 3 of Arrow has come to an end and there have certainly been mixed reviews of what fans thought about it. While it wasn't my favorite season, there definitely were a number of episodes that I absolutely loved for a number of reasons. I didn't necessarily find it to be as bad as some were saying, either. So, the following is my full review of the season in its entirety, as well as what I'd like to see in the future. (Warning: This post contains spoilers for Arrow Season 3.)

The season was first introduced as one in which Oliver would be struggling between his identity as the Arrow and his life as Oliver Queen. We've seen Oliver struggle each season with something different, so this was his next obstacle in his journey as a vigilante. I liked seeing this inner conflict. It brought about changes in relationships, some good and some not so great, but it allowed the fans to see the changes he's been through over the course of the last two seasons come to impact decisions, as well. There's one quality about him that hasn't changed at all and that's the fact that he puts himself in the position of possible harm in order to protect his family and friends. This was put to the test this season in a way that he would have to seemingly defy them first in order to guarantee they would be safe in the end.

Not only was Oliver's own inner conflict tested, but there was also the conflict within the Team itself. Season 3 begins with the Team very unified, but that begins to change over the course of the season. Team Arrow loses members, is brought back together only to be torn apart again with rising tension, gains members, and is ultimately no longer the same unified unit it was at the start of the season, at least for now. Sara's death is the first major event and shocker the Team must deal with as they lose her as a part of the Team, while it also set up for an important subplot for the Black Canary as we see Laurel grow into this character (also for Sara as she will be the White Canary in Legends of Tomorrow). Oliver's "death" allowed viewers to see the Team function without Oliver for some time. These episodes were important as they helped the Team to realize that whether Oliver is there or not, they're still fighting for the same justice they were with him, allowing him to leave at the end of the season for a trip with Felicity since the rest of the Team now has the confidence to handle things in Starling City on their own. Roy's "death" turned departure was a heartbreaking moment for fans as Arsenal has become such a loved character. However, he will be making appearances in the future, which is good to note. I do wish he would have been kept as a regular, but it wasn't in their plans. Thea learns the truth of Oliver's identity, a moment that people have waited to see for a decent amount of time. She also grows into a superhero throughout the season, ending it with getting her secret identity as Speedy. Ra's made the offer that would cause the most tension for Team Arrow as Oliver had to lie to his friends and cross certain lines to prove his loyalty as Al-Sahim. This led to split in the Team that is still unresolved, especially between Diggle and Oliver. Their friendship and brotherhood has been something so strongly noted throughout the show, but now it is damaged, though it is presumed that it will be fixed in the future. The introduction of Ray's character, as well as the viewer getting to know more about him throughout the season, helps to set up for his role in Legends of Tomorrow. (More on Ray as a character a bit later.) Of course, you also have the Flash and Arrow crossover episode that was absolutely fantastic. Team Flash and Team Arrow working together is something we'll definitely get to see more of in the future. The Team went through some very big events, and those are to only name a few.

What divided thoughts the most regarding this season seemed to be the Oliver and Felicity dynamic. To some, it seemed forced and unnecessary, but to others they liked seeing Oliver in a relationship where he was actually in love with someone for once. It's been known throughout Season 2 that Oliver has a deeper connection to Felicity than anyone else he's been with. It just took him so long to finally say it to her. While I'm a big fan of this storyline and I don't feel as though it overshadowed the rest of the plot, I do understand where people are coming from. When you're watching a show about a superhero, it can be annoying for their to be a 'love triangle' or a couple in general. Personally, I never felt that it went out of the standards set by the show. It never turned to be a cliché or too 'lovey dovey'. It was a normal relationship. Oliver and Felicity balance each other out. Oliver can get in over his head sometimes and Felicity pulls him out of that. He may be a jerk and she's the one who calls him out on it. Felicity has never taken any of Oliver's behavior that she felt was wrong and just let him do it. She let's him know when he's wrong. They have their arguments, but they're a real relationship and that's what a like about it. While Felicity is the one to call him out on things, she's also the one to never stop believing in him. She's always supporting him as long as she feels what he's doing is what's best. From Oliver's standpoint, he never forces himself on her. He lets her decide when she's ready for a relationship with him. He understands that maybe Ray was the best person for her to be with for a period of time because he wouldn't be able to be with her the way he should be. Ultimately, he just wants her to be happy. He never asks for her to say "I love, you" in return when he tells her. He waits for her to say it when she's ready. The moments weren't always great between the two of them, they argued, they disagreed, but it's Felicity who balances things out. Even if Olicity never were to come into being, Felicity is such an important character because of her ability to hold a different viewpoint that disagrees with Oliver's, amongst a ton of other reasons.

Ray is an interesting character to talk about. At first, I found myself a little annoyed by his character, mainly for the reason that his placement seemed odd. He was only in a few scenes and we didn't really get to know him. However, as time went on, I found myself enjoying his character more (particularly in the last few episodes of the season). He has a quirky awkwardness to him, but he is still likable. I'm glad we get to see more of him on Legends of Tomorrow, since I think it'll be better seeing him on his own show rather in the midst of everyone on Arrow. Presumably, everyone will think he's dead due to the explosion in his lab at the end of this season, but in reality he has actually shrunk.

One of my favorite episodes this season was 'The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak'. I loved getting to see some of her backstory. First of all, Emily Bett Rickards kills it every time, but especially killed her role in this episode since it was central to her character. Over the course of the season, she's proven to become even stronger, especially in the way she stands up for herself. She's never let anyone beat her down, but she's developed over the course of three seasons into such a strong, independent, female character on the show. She never ran to Oliver or Ray to be with them. She did things on her own time and when she was ready to take things on. She's such an important part of Team Arrow and I love that we got to see some of her backstory. Hopefully we'll get more in the future.

Another group of guest stars I enjoyed seeing besides Team Flash was the Suicide Squad. I've always enjoyed seeing Deadshot and this season, we got to know his backstory and how he suffered with PTSD after returning home from war. Getting to see this part of his life and how it impacted him not only raised the awareness of PTSD, but also helped fans understand why he was comfortable dying the way he did. He died heroically. His development as a character was great to see and Michael Rowe did an outstanding job taking on the character. While I do wish we could have seen more of his appearances along with other members of the Suicide Squad, that most likely won't be able to happen due to the Suicide Squad movie coming out in 2016. According to the crew of Arrow, they had big plans for Harley Quinn, who we did see, but only a small tease of her in an A.R.G.U.S. outfit. Arrow's done a great job with its villains, so I am disappointed we won't get to see their take on Harley due to the film. She would have made another great character to add on for a season, but it will never happen.

I rarely discuss the flashbacks in the recaps I write and if I do, it's because the moments in them were important. I think the few I discussed were when Oliver returns to Starling City for a short period of time and sees what his friends and family are up to and in turn catches a glimpse of Felicity calling him cute, Akio's death, and Oliver telling someone they "have failed this city" for the first time. Other than those, the Hong Kong flashbacks didn't do much for me. I don't know if it's because there wasn't much going on in them or whatever the reason was, but I think that in this aspect, the season lacked. Maybe it was because there wasn't a character like Slade in them or maybe it was just that part of the story in general.

Overall, I'd give it a 8/10. 'The Climb' was probably my favorite episode this season, but the last few episodes certainly picked the season up to finish on a good note. There's been a theme of light trying to push through and in this season, there finally was some in the end. Season 4 begins in the fall and according to the team of Arrow writers, it'll have a lighter tone. I'm not surprised as The Flash is now, for most, the top superhero show on television and is so successful. It's going to be nice to see Arrow take on that tone now, as well. It'll bring something fresh. Yes, you have Daredevil on Netflix that is super successful with an extremely dark tone, but it has the ability to do that since it's not restricted by television ratings.

A few other things I'm looking forward to are seeing H.I.V.E. and the introduction of Damien Darhk. Speaking of Damien Darhk, there's been a lot of discussion that he may be Felicity's father. We know that she got her brains from her father and Damien is a computer genius, so it would certainly make sense if this theory turns out to be true. We've also been told that Coast City will play a role and that Diggle will get a mask, so who knows, maybe he'll be the Green Lantern of Arrow. Nothing has been confirmed as they, of course, want to keep any plans a secret. Season 3 ended with Malcolm becoming the next Ra's, but I don't want him to take over as another Ra's villain in Season 4, and I don't really see that happening. There's a lot of opportunity for a successful Season 4. I'm looking forward to it.

If you liked this post, chances are you'll like my others. Be sure to follow/subscribe to stay updated.