Arrow Season 7: 4 Ups & 1 Down From ‘Spartan’

Contains spoilers from Arrow Season 7, Episode 19.

The seventh season of Arrow has taken a unique spin on the tired old Big Bad format, constantly shifting the narrative and pointing us in the direction of the Ninth Circle while changing the faction's leader to keep us guessing. In spite of the multitude of storylines, it has cohesively managed to tie almost all of the episodes together, successfully presenting even the sub-arcs as part of the overall story.

Following on from last week's Birds of Prey-centric episode, the show placed the focus on its main narrative this week, as Oliver and Diggle attempted to track down Dante, while once again making time to focus on a specific character. Meanwhile, Felicity found herself concerned over what type of legacy she would be leaving behind, questioning the morality of the Archer programme in the process.

All in all, 'Spartan' placed the spotlight on one of Arrow's longest-standing characters and, in doing so, highlighted that there's still life left in John Diggle. A refreshing look into the veteran character's backstory that, coupled with an enjoyable turn from Ghostbusters legend Ernie Hudson, made for a great episode.

First, the positives...