Team GATV Roundtable: Looking Back At The First Half Of Arrow Season 4

Does magic belong on Arrow?

MATT: The jury’s still out yet. Things don’t necessarily seem misplaced, but it is a fundamental shift in the show. That said, The Flash was a fundamental shift. Once they decided that there was a broader world out there, and that it featured far more of a comic book influence than the original premise of Arrow, it opened up things like magic to this world. And it does feel like a progression from the skim of the mystical they did last year with the League.

CRAIG: I’m still not sure. I wouldn’t mind a return to some good old-fashioned not-magic-based crimefighting, though.

STEPHANIE: In the way it’s been used, yes, magic fits into the world of Arrow well enough to belong. Those ultra-powerful Lian Yu herbs must have had some sort of magic going for them because they fixed everything. And then Oliver managed to survive a sword to the chest and a fall from the mountaintop, so actual magic is not too far outside the realm of believable anymore. If the show were to introduce warlocks or wizards or witches in they way they’re commonly thought of, then that would feel too pop-culture and ungrounded for Arrow.

DEREK: The underground nature of Arrow fits nicely with the idea of earthy, old world magic. In the grand scheme, I actually think the steady process Arrow has taken to becoming more and more fantasy has been a major accomplishment. The approach to magic has been the same as the initial approach to superpowers in season 2 — a very slow, deliberate foray into the concept with narrative importance. Arrow was always a bit surreal with people’s fighting capabilities, and the Mirakuru arc organically extended it until we started seeing full superpowers. Similarly, we’ve had very mild experiences with the mystical via the League and the Lazarus Pit, but they were all subdued and rationalized enough that it was basically set-dressing. With it in the back of our heads, it’s wasn’t hard to extend that further into full-on magic.