8 Unforgivable Mistakes Arrow Made (From Which It Never Recovered)

The purest example of how a little bit of chemistry between actors should never override simple logic, Oliver Queen's romance with Felicity Smoak quickly evolved from something that fans had been clamoring to see into something we all wished had never even been alluded to. Originally a harmless unrequited crush on Felicity's part, the pair spent the best of their time together on-screen together as teammates, because everything else that came afterwards came at the detriment of both characters.

Though fans were initially excited to see the relationship explored, the moment that they officially acknowledged their feelings for one another, Felicity changed from a lovable ray of sunshine to a self-centred spoiled brat.

This was accentuated in Season 4 as, instead of using her talents to help Oliver find his missing son, she decided to deliver sanctimonious monologues about the validity of their relationship because he never revealed his son's existence in the first place (a decision he never took lightly because he ultimately made it for William's safety). And who could forget how when her spinal chip kicked in and returned power to her legs, she decided make a statement by storming out on Oliver instead of celebrating with him?

Life-changing events came second to Olicity. Organic storytelling came second to Olicity. The whole freakin' show came second to Olicity - and it's the way in which this relationship was handled that made Season 4 such a slog to get through and ultimately resulted in a ton of fans tuning out. It did so much damage that the writers had to force the pair apart for Season 5, before naturally pulling them back together for the sixth season - which thankfully happened off-screen.

Arrow was struggling in its third season, but it was this toxic portrayal of what could have been a genuinely lovely relationship that ultimately killed it in Season 4.