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6. A Much Anticipated Return to Form
Stephen Amell has promised the show will return to its more grounded roots. But what does this mean, exactly? One universal complaint, despite the beautiful ripple effects, is that the introduction of superpowers and mysticism caused the show to loose focus. The advent of The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, while glorious, forced Arrow in a direction its superpowerless origins weren’t equipped to handle. It’s managed well in many respects, but the core of the show has always been about Oliver’s obligation to saving his city. Thankfully, said core will once again be put on full display.
The cast has confirmed emphasis will again lie heavily on saving Star City. And boy is it in desperate need of saving. In four years it’s survived an undertaking that destroyed the Glades — the city’s slums, fought off Deathstroke’s Mirakuru army, battled whatever Ra’s al Ghul had in store, and managed to power through Damien Darhk’s wave of destruction. As the characters liked to remind us in the last half of Season 4, you have to be crazy to remain a Star City citizen. But you also have to be passionate, and that’s the platform Mayor Oliver Queen used in his speech to quell the fears of the masses.
Through his political obligations and his vigilante know-how, Oliver will have to rebuild and reassure. Gangs and drugs will likely piggy back off of the aforementioned destruction, making the rebuilding and reassuring that much more difficult. It doesn’t get more grounded than that.
Villains, vigilantes, politics, and past mistakes will all mix to hopefully return the show to what originally made it special. The flashbacks, insane action, and the expansive universe will be the icing on the celebratory “Arrow is great again” cake.
Season 5 kicks off on October 5.
