Arrow - Season 4 -

However, Season 4 is the season where Arrow forgot its identity. It tried to be a romantic comedy, a fantasy epic, and a dark vigilante thriller all at once. It succeeded at none of them. It set the show back years, forcing Season 5 to do a massive course correction (which thankfully worked).

Killing the Black Canary—a character who is Oliver’s soulmate in the comics—to further the "Olicity" angst was a narrative betrayal. It wasn't heroic; it was cynical. Worse, her death felt like an afterthought, a plot device to make Felicity sad rather than a meaningful end for a character who had fought her way back from alcoholism and despair. Grade: C-

Let’s be honest: being an Arrow fan is a rollercoaster. Season 1 was a gritty, grounded revolution. Season 2 was a masterpiece of tragic villainy (thanks, Slade Wilson). Season 3... well, we tried to forget the League of Assassins soap opera. Arrow - Season 4

They killed (Katie Cassidy).

The season’s entire gimmick was a flash-forward to Oliver standing over a grave, crying. For months, fans speculated. Was it Diggle? Thea? Lance? The suspense was actually fantastic. However, Season 4 is the season where Arrow

And then the reveal happened.

When it worked, it was sweet. When it didn't, it derailed the entire narrative. Season 4 is infamous for turning the Team Arrow headquarters into a melodramatic love nest. The lowest point? Felicity literally walking out on Oliver after a major life-changing secret... while she was in a wheelchair. It was a moment so tone-deaf and emotionally manipulative that it broke a huge segment of the fanbase. It set the show back years, forcing Season

And then came .