Team GATV Roundtable: Looking Back At Arrow Season 6 & Forward To Season 7

How do you think Arrow Season 6 turned out, ultimately?

MATT: It was fair season with some strong episodes and some solid runs. By the same turn, it was a bit dry and unremarkable. It suffered from some of the same issues that have stung the last few seasons of the show. At times, it felt like it was covering ground that’s already been explored. It also felt like it was circling back on itself at points. How many more times could they have hit on the “Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow” reveal with it being quickly repealed?

CRAIG: I think the season started off with a lot of promise but I didn’t feel as invested in the villains as I might and the inter-team conflict really grated on my nerves at a certain point. I will say, though, that I left the season with a greater appreciation of the show’s core cast and anticipation to find out what’s happening next. I also may have had an issue with the big conflict of Season 6, with the FBI investigating Oliver – for one thing, can’t ARGUS call someone up and get them to back off? And if that doesn’t do the trick, didn’t Oliver Queen, WITHOUT HIS MASK ON, meet the President of the United States just two years ago? If yes, the FBI already very well knew Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow, so what was Watson investigating?

STEPHANIE: I was really impressed with the acting this season from everybody involved, so it’s a shame that the story left me disappointed. There were too many overlapping bad guy groups happening, and they were all doing normal bad guy things. Nothing about Diaz’s character or his agenda stands out amongst a sea of superhero shows or even crime dramas.

MELISSA: I think the villain plot on Arrow this season was an abject failure as was the conflict from the B team’s side. Season six worked when it focused on Oliver’s relationships. That’s not to say there weren’t stumbles or disappointments, but what brought me satisfaction and pleasure in season six all centered on Oliver opening his heart, acting maturely and pulling his loved ones closer. In my opinion, this was Oliver at his best.

William’s addition to the show, even with the occasional clunky scene, expanded Oliver’s story in a new and pleasant manner. Felicity’s as well. The monologue Felicity gave to William about faith and love while they watched Oliver fight in the field was a highlight not just for the season, but for all seasons. Oliver and Felicity tying the knot only strengthened their charm. If anything, I’d complain I didn’t get as much time spent on them as I would have liked but what I got was lovely. Well, until Oliver fell back on old bad habits there at the end.

Dinah, Curtis, and Rene (NTA) striking off on their own could have been interesting but instead, it went off the rails and turned them into characters I despised. I adored seeing in contrast Oliver, Diggle and Felicity (OTA) being the rational, mature, and self-sacrificing unit they’d become…right until Diggle left because out of nowhere he suddenly decided that a happy, mature Oliver made for a terrible leader, a viewpoint that just wasn’t supported by what was shown onscreen. Diggle’s arc was indicative of season six’s other failures.

Season six really was about squandered potential.

Black Siren started the season pretty much a stone cold killer, entertaining in her own twisted manner but ended being the catalyst in nearly destroying Quentin as a character for me. Vigilante’s reveal was incredibly disappointing and the impact of his relationship with Dinah did her no favors. And then there were the season’s leading villains.

Even our ever delightful Anatoly couldn’t save us.

Cayden James could have been a formidable enemy; instead, he served mostly as a placeholder until Diaz took over. The switch between villains still could have worked had the writers avoided saddling James with a tired revenge plot. The cabal of villains seemed at first to come with a master plan that hinted at greatness. But ultimately, it ended on the farcical premise that Diaz killed James’ son and framed the Green Arrow all as part of a master plan to take over Star City. This from a guy who at that point had been presented as nothing more than a low level, drug dealer whose biggest claim to fame was stealing a 3D printer and being back up goon number four behind Black Siren, Vigilante, and nameless thug number three. With Diaz, we were told we should quake in our boots but were never convincingly shown why.