This season, “Arrow” encountered many of the same problematic issues as “The Flash”. There was a lot of disjointedness and problems being cohesive. Because this season was mainly just a set-up for the final season, it seemed that the writers were more interested in setting things up for the final season, than they were in fully developing season 7, and putting any effort into deeper story plots and character development.
The flash forwards every other episode or sometimes in the same episode made it really hard to track. We were thrown into a future where Oliver is missing–its never said whether he is dead or just gone–and not only is his son William grown up, but Felicity and Oliver have a daughter in this future as well. She is more like her father and a fierce fighter, but in this dystopian future The Glades and Star City have switched place. The Glades is now the nice area while Star City has been abandoned and Vigilantes are once again out-lawed.
Flip back to the present time and the season starts with Oliver in prison, and then soon gets him released. Now Oliver is now known to be the Green Arrow, and works alongside the SCPD while Dinah is the Police Captain, Mad Dog owns a boxing gym, John works for Argus, new-Laurel is the D.A., and Thea is gone. Confused yet? A few episodes into the season and Diaz is still hanging around as a threat–really?? Why have the writers for Arrow kept a previous season’s villain for half of the season as well?? Diaz hangs around for a bit and then is murdered by Oliver’s new sister Emiko–told you this was disjointed. As quickly as Diaz is disposed of, we now learn of a new threat to Star City posed by Dante and the Ninth Circle. Except on further investigation it is actually run by Emiko, Oliver’s half-sister! Between starting the season with Oliver in Prison, and Diaz as the bad guy to finishing off the season with Oliver and the rest of his former team working with the SCPD and the Ninth Circle and his sister as the villain–there is a whole lot of messy and confusing writing and smashed together story plots throw in. Nevermind that the season brings back Roy for guest appearances–both in the present day and in the future–but doesn’t bring back Thea until almost the end? And the flash forwards don’t make much sense either or add to the current plot.
It was really just a very confusing and kind of lackluster season. The normal intensity, plot twists and Green Arrow that we have loved from early seasons just seems to be entirely missing this season. And because they tried to squeeze in so much there were many missed opportunities. William being taken very suddenly by his grandparents and pretty much forgotten was lame. Oliver was torn up about it for one episode and then it is never really mentioned again. Emiko could have been so much more intense and personal, but really her back story is very short in this season and because she is killed off, we don’t get a chance to explore things further. Again a focus to cram in too much material, left all of it feeling under-developed and rushed. After such intense early seasons where we saw amazing villains, dark plot twists and Oliver at his best, this season just kind of fell flat sadly. Really hoping and praying they are able to redeem things in the final season and go out with the a bang the way the show deserves.
