Arrow: 10 Ways That Season 3 Went Wrong

Arrow is rather notorious for the pace with which it churns through plot. Certain stories that would occupy other shows for entire seasons are played out within a handful of episodes. At times, the fast pace is positively refreshing as the series manages to keep the narrative exciting even outside of finale events.

Other times, the focus on fast-paced plot is positively ruinous to other aspects of the show that are sacrificed for the sake of cramming as much material as possible into 42 minutes of airtime. In Season 3, it was characterization that suffered.

Far too many of the major arcs were facilitated by creating characters du jour rather than writing them with any consistency. Laurel wanted to be Black Canary to quench the fire within her…and to honor her sister…and because she was always destined for the mask. Oliver had to face Ra’s al Ghul because Malcolm had video of Thea killing Sara as leverage…except he knew all along that Malcolm was bluffing…and he needed to save Malcolm from Nanda Parbat… except he really just wanted to face Ra’s again. Roy saw Malcolm as a monster who needed to stay away from Thea…except when Thea liked him…or when Malcolm wanted to join forces with Team Arrow.

Bad plot can be forgiven when characterization is solid; bad characterization can ruin an entire show.