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gaminglord
Reviews
Arrow: Schism (2016)
Do not loose HOPE! - Summative S4 review
I am very aware of the irony of the title for this review. I actually chose to go back and watch this particular episode a second time before writing this. I've also given myself some time to reflect and cope a little :).
This is, without a doubt the show's worst outing in the history of the series, and I'm probably the biggest fan and defender of this series. Arrow is the grandfather of all of these popular comic series' and for a few seasons it was damn near flawless IMO. Then comes season 3 and everyone looses their minds. I actually liked the season and even its finale despite the shortcomings and errors in writing. It had some excellent moments and took risks that mostly paid off for me.
I feel similarly about this season. It was great (8/10) for me (exuding the finale and the flashbacks). I thought the season was really solid throughout and I personally felt that the much hated romance between Oliver and felicity was treated better than the past season. I found the story overall compelling, the villain was fantastic and every character had an interesting arc to explore for me. Now the flashbacks had potential and had some good moments but they were just underwhelming and honestly poor quality. I'd give the season a lower rating for them if they were super prolonged, they were short and simple which made them easier to digest.
Then came the finale. I could explain in detail why I feel this way but in a comprehensive sentence I'll say this: The finale simultaneously set the next season up for Greatness while also at the same time resolving its own conflict and arcs in a lazy and confusing fashion.
Arrow is so good IMO at creating unique, interesting and high stakes conflicts yet falters on execution and payoff. This is readily apparent in seasons 3 and 4.
One final note on the finale: I give the season an 8 because the finale to me, came out of nowhere in terms of quality, but it did set up s5 well, so I'll give it that. It was also entertaining and had some cool actions sequences. The finale is a 6 for me, but the season ranks higher because of my statement in the last paragraph.
If you've gotten this far, you've read other more detailed reviews which is why I didn't waste time with doing that.
In closing, I want to say this. Arrow is not at its best right now. The writing has gotten worse in crucial areas as time has went on, BUT it still has the potential to revive itself. GIVE SEASON 5 A CHANCE. However, if that season fails, this show has no future. Everything is riding on s5 and this season set it up well. Lets hope the execution is that the same or even better caliber.