Arrow: 10 Most Disappointing Episodes Ever

Arrow is an extremely frustrating show.

At its core, it has a very solid premise, and a potent mixture of grit and frantic energy. Season 1 gets closest to displaying Arrow's full potential; brutal flashbacks, a focused narrative, and some brilliant character work made this season an impressive feat, considering its budget.

Season 2 maintains this level of quality, up until the very last episode. The season 2 finale was the first episode in the show that had some disappointing elements, such as its rushed pace, predictable plot points, and an overall lack of impact compared to the thrilling season that proceeded it. This was unfortunately a sign of things to come for the show. From season 3 onwards, the show's quality became incredibly uneven. For every riveting moment, there was a lazy one waiting round the corner. The tone was tamer, the cast became more bloated, and the character arcs became derivative and muddled.

However, there were still moment that harkened back to those earlier seasons, such as the excellent final ten minutes of the season 5 finale. Due to these moments of brilliance, there was still a high level of expectation for the show, which made these following episodes extremely deflating.

Whilst being very uneven, Season 7 had some exciting ideas. Seeing Oliver Queen in prison with everyone he's ever put in there is completely unnerving. This new status quo is accompanied by some of the most visceral fight choreography, and some compelling character beats. Unfortunately, where this season falters, is its portrayal of Ricardo Diaz: Season 6's main villain.

In season 6, Ricardo was a dangerous and clever man, whose plan was very unique for this show. He refreshingly didn't have a vendetta against Oliver, but only wanted him out of the way so he could take over Star City. He was essentially just a normal man, but his fiery performance and clever plan elevated him significantly. Unfortunately, season 7 dumbs down his character for the worst.

His motivation has been reduced to killing Oliver and everyone he loves, and uniqueness of the character is thrown out of the window when they give him super strength. It instantly makes his character incredibly generic. The cherry on top of all this, is his final appearance in the show, 'Brothers and Sisters'. His final conflict of the show is with Felicity, which makes his important storyline devalued. His eventual death is fitting, but is rushed, and after a few more episodes, feels like a complete afterthought.