I know I’m late, but I’m usually the kind of guy that waits until the latest season is on Netflix to watch it (something I will no longer be doing when the Fall seasons of all the Arrowverse shows premiere). I figured that since this season sets a lot up for the upcoming 8th/final season of Arrow, I should air some of my thoughts out.
Let’s start with the bad or weak. A huge chunk of this season - mainly the middle section - has just been underwhelming for me. They went through plotlines in 1 or 2 episodes that could have used to fill out an entire season, there were no twists that I didn’t already see coming, and the ultimate endgame for the season finale is basically a reversal of the plotline of season 1.
Now, the writing isn’t actually bad per say. It’s just that it felt too…average. There really wasn’t anything during this middle section that really stood out to me. That has nothing to do with the acting. Stephen is always great as Green Arrow. Even if the show has him do stuff I don’t agree with, his acting performance is always consistently strong and believable. The same can be said for most of the other characters during this season too. Even Felicity, who usually isn’t the strongest written character, I thought had an interesting story in this season. Now, I never hated the character and always thought the actress tried her best. But I thought she actually had a strong story in this season.
I want to briefly talk about the 2 big bads, starting with Diaz. I don’t know what the general consensus is from fans of the show, but back in season 6 I thought he was a fairly strong villain. Not the most interesting, granted, but appropriately intimidating and entertaining. As for season 7, that’s tricky. If they were to have gone through with letting him die in a burning prison during the 7th episode, I thought that would be a great end to his character. But then they kept him alive as part of the new “Suicide Squad” plotline that didn’t really go anywhere in the grand scheme of things. They didn’t really need him around for that plot.
Now for the other big bad. It first, it was this guy Dante, that I personally just never got invested in. He just suddenly showed up this season and now we are supposed to have him as the villain. Sure, whatever. But it turns out the real big bad is Emiko, the secret half sister of Oliver. As much as I hate the secret sibling the main character never knew about trope, I thought thematically speaking, she was an appropriate choice. They tried to surprise us with this reveal, something I saw coming a mile away, but it does tie in to a recurring theme in this season that I particularly enjoyed.
The theme of Olliber trying to break the cycle that has been set in motion by his father was really interesting. It was forcing him to realize he has to become better by not making the same choices over and over. Another theme that kept popping up was the idea of vigilantes working with law enforcement cooperatively. It’s a theme that doesn’t get explored a lot with superheroes. I’m just angry there was so much underwhelming filler in the middle of the season.
Now, I thought the beginning of this season was strong, especially Oliver’s time in prison. I thought the final few episodes were very strong.
Finally, the flashforwards to 2040. I have…mixed feelings. At first, I didn’t really care. I liked the character Mia Smoak, I thought she was pretty great. As for the future versions of other characters, they were either predictable or contradictory. The future they keep cutting back to is UNUSUALLY bleak and depressing. It works to an extent, but knowing that all their work in the past was ultimately for nothing puts a real damper on the mood.
Also, I just don’t really buy that this is the actual future. The Flash and Legends have shown us multiple similar futures for Star City that have never materialized. Also, we have no idea if THIS future is the result of the upcoming Crisis crossover or if it will wiped out of existence. But that’s something I should probably save for a future thread.
Overall, a lot of underwhelming stuff in season 7, but I did also like a lot of stuff. I actually thought the finale had some emotional stuff in it that helped me get ready for what’s to come. I have questions, but hopefully they will all be answered soon