Arrow: 10 Ways That Season 3 Went Wrong

10. Marginalizing Oliver

From the very beginning, Arrow was sold as one man's journey from a vengeful serial killing vigilante into a hero. Oliver Queen returned from five years of hell with a list of names and a bow as his only companions. The scope of his mission expanded early on as Oliver was forced to bring others into his secret lair and his confidence. Former soldier John Diggle became his brother-in-arms to watch his back, and computer genius Felicity Smoak brought a high tech flair to his distinctly low-tech operation. Together, they became Team Arrow.

But the show was still called Arrow, and Oliver was still the protagonist. For two seasons, all of the other characters and plots were appropriately peripheral to his journey.

In Season 3, it all changed. The show was still called Arrow, but Oliver was marginalized more and more each week as other characters were shoved into the spotlight. He was even run through with a sword and kicked off of a mountain to clear the way. Unfortunately, the attempt to use his “death” as a springboard for secondary origin stories just created a vacuum in which it became clear just how much Stephen Amell did as lead actor to elevate the material. It's no coincidence that the quality picked up after he returned to prominence toward the end of the season.