Written by: Kevin Berge
Are you ready for the conclusion of the five years of flashback? Oh, you forgot about them too? (Image Courtesy of: arrowverse.tv)
Quick Take: Arrow Season 5 goes back to the basics with a more dark and visceral feel that plays on the series' oldest history. Despite still struggling through flashback sequences, the main threat and villain are a return to form alongside steady building stories that made for a satisfying home stretch.
Arrow Reviews: Season 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
***This is a review of the fifth season of Arrow focusing on how its events shaped the series. Thus, there will be spoilers including for the recently aired finale, and only those who have seen the entire season should read ahead to avoid being spoiled.***
While Arrow opened up the door for The CW to welcome more superheroes to the network, he has not been the best Arrowverse show once since its spinoffs debuted. Season 3 and 4 were such messes that I almost gave up on the series, but the rest of the shows and their crossovers made it hard to avoid this show.
Luckily, season 5 is a return to form that the series needed even if it still showcases the series' faults. For whatever reason, this series cannot do comedy or lighthearted stories. Thus, the best thing to do is dive fully into the darkness and the drama with the arrival of Prometheus bringing out the worst in Oliver Queen.
Prometheus begins as a shadowy figure using similar tactics to Oliver with his own bow and arrow, but, when he begins killing and blaming Arrow for the acts, Oliver must take drastic measures to protect his growing new collection of heroes and even his young son.
As with many of the best superhero stories, the build to midseason is focused on the reveal of Prometheus followed by a steady ramp up of the action to the finale. Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) as well as Talia Al Ghul (Lexa Doig) make for a frightening pair as their master plan to ruin Oliver seems to work perfectly right up to the season finale.
This season also finally does away with the over-the-top destruction of city that has been the endgame of every season thus far with a return to the island that felt far more personal. It even led to a great return for Deathstroke (Manu Bennett) which was shocking as the actor could not even appear for episode 100.
While the main story was almost consistently effective, the flashbacks continued to be a burden on the series with episodes that went nowhere following Oliver's final year before returning to Starling. A cool performance from Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV) as Konstantin Kovar was wasted on long poorly connected stories leading back to the island.
***This is a review of the fifth season of Arrow focusing on how its events shaped the series. Thus, there will be spoilers including for the recently aired finale, and only those who have seen the entire season should read ahead to avoid being spoiled.***
While Arrow opened up the door for The CW to welcome more superheroes to the network, he has not been the best Arrowverse show once since its spinoffs debuted. Season 3 and 4 were such messes that I almost gave up on the series, but the rest of the shows and their crossovers made it hard to avoid this show.
Luckily, season 5 is a return to form that the series needed even if it still showcases the series' faults. For whatever reason, this series cannot do comedy or lighthearted stories. Thus, the best thing to do is dive fully into the darkness and the drama with the arrival of Prometheus bringing out the worst in Oliver Queen.
Prometheus begins as a shadowy figure using similar tactics to Oliver with his own bow and arrow, but, when he begins killing and blaming Arrow for the acts, Oliver must take drastic measures to protect his growing new collection of heroes and even his young son.
As with many of the best superhero stories, the build to midseason is focused on the reveal of Prometheus followed by a steady ramp up of the action to the finale. Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) as well as Talia Al Ghul (Lexa Doig) make for a frightening pair as their master plan to ruin Oliver seems to work perfectly right up to the season finale.
This season also finally does away with the over-the-top destruction of city that has been the endgame of every season thus far with a return to the island that felt far more personal. It even led to a great return for Deathstroke (Manu Bennett) which was shocking as the actor could not even appear for episode 100.
While the main story was almost consistently effective, the flashbacks continued to be a burden on the series with episodes that went nowhere following Oliver's final year before returning to Starling. A cool performance from Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV) as Konstantin Kovar was wasted on long poorly connected stories leading back to the island.
Arrow takes the cue from The Flash and decides villains with the same power as your hero are the best. (Image Courtesy of: collider.com)
Stephen Amell has always been a solid reliable lead man who can change his acting for different times in Oliver's life. The more he is asked to do, the more he impresses, but he often fades into the background during the run-of-the-mill episodes. This is honestly true of much of the Arrow cast these days.
David Ramsey and Emily Bett Rickards are quality foils for Amell to work off of with Rickards quite good when she isn't bogged down in selling melodrama. Rick Gonzalez (War of the Worlds) and Echo Kellum (Sean Saves the World) play fun sidekicks though their characters never get enough focused development. Juliana Harkavy (Last Shift) makes the best impression as a more natural fit to the Black Canary role than Katie Cassidy.
Playing the main villain of the season, Josh Segarra (Trainwreck) is compelling particularly once he drops his mask and becomes Prometheus fully. He does not quite match up to the charismatic force of many of his predecessors, but he is frightening in his own right. Lexa Doig (Andromeda) carries more authority with her than Segarra which undermines him a bit.
This season had several quality episodes that helped to shape the season. "Invasion!" could have been a better episode 100 if not also nestled into the crossover arc, but it still was a nice throwback. Meanwhile, the Prometheus arc was headlined by "Fighting Fire With Fire" that finally revealed Prometheus as well as "Kapiushon", a torture episode looking into Oliver's darkness.
This season also did a great job of focusing internally with few excess episodes. Vigilante was the main secondary character that was used in many fantastic ways over the course of the season while there were few other extra antagonists. This was all about Oliver and who he is, questioning what he can do and wants to do as a "hero".
Arrow has never been the deepest show, but it can capture intensity and action. Season 5 had issues in getting to its conclusion and connecting the flashbacks to the present naturally, but it was carried by a great central focus on an intriguing threat that made for some of the series' strongest storytelling to date.
David Ramsey and Emily Bett Rickards are quality foils for Amell to work off of with Rickards quite good when she isn't bogged down in selling melodrama. Rick Gonzalez (War of the Worlds) and Echo Kellum (Sean Saves the World) play fun sidekicks though their characters never get enough focused development. Juliana Harkavy (Last Shift) makes the best impression as a more natural fit to the Black Canary role than Katie Cassidy.
Playing the main villain of the season, Josh Segarra (Trainwreck) is compelling particularly once he drops his mask and becomes Prometheus fully. He does not quite match up to the charismatic force of many of his predecessors, but he is frightening in his own right. Lexa Doig (Andromeda) carries more authority with her than Segarra which undermines him a bit.
This season had several quality episodes that helped to shape the season. "Invasion!" could have been a better episode 100 if not also nestled into the crossover arc, but it still was a nice throwback. Meanwhile, the Prometheus arc was headlined by "Fighting Fire With Fire" that finally revealed Prometheus as well as "Kapiushon", a torture episode looking into Oliver's darkness.
This season also did a great job of focusing internally with few excess episodes. Vigilante was the main secondary character that was used in many fantastic ways over the course of the season while there were few other extra antagonists. This was all about Oliver and who he is, questioning what he can do and wants to do as a "hero".
Arrow has never been the deepest show, but it can capture intensity and action. Season 5 had issues in getting to its conclusion and connecting the flashbacks to the present naturally, but it was carried by a great central focus on an intriguing threat that made for some of the series' strongest storytelling to date.