Arrow: 10 Ways That Season 3 Went Wrong

One of the early criticisms of Arrow is that it was basically a small screen adaptation of Batman Begins, complete with a Bruce Wayne in Oliver, a Rachel Dawes in Laurel, and an Alfred in Diggle.

Then, something happened. Diggle grew out of his role as Oliver's Alfred to become an equal partner, and the duo found an invaluable - if unwitting - ally in Felicity Smoak. Halfway through the season, Felicity was in on the secret and Team Arrow was born. Felicity brought fun into the lair, and Diggle was a guiding influence for Oliver when he strayed too far from the straight and narrow. With friends at his side to humanize him even as they challenged him, Oliver became a hero truly worth rooting for. Team Arrow was the heart of the show.

Which is why it was awful that the show chose to split the team for most of Season 3. Oliver insisting on pushing his closest friends away sent Felicity into the arms of Ray Palmer, Diggle onto a seat on the bench, and himself  back into a glum brooder reminiscent of early Season 1. Team Arrow as a stabilizing force could have helped to sell many of the radical changes to the show in Season 3; their absence and separation just made the landscape of the series unpleasantly bleak.