Arrow: 13 Action Sequences That Totally Blew Our Minds

Episode: 1x09 – Year’s End

Combatants: The Hood vs. the Dark Archer

What Happened: Hastening to rescue the hostages taken by a copycat archer to get Oliver's attention, Oliver faces off against a dark mirror of himself. The archers are soon battling for their lives, firing arrows and throwing punches at every opportunity. It becomes clear quickly enough that Oliver is the faster and more athletic of the two, but the Dark Archer’s ruthless assault turns the more cautious Oliver into a human pincushion. Brutally beaten and impaled by three black arrows, it is only by playing possum and landing a lucky last-minute blow that Oliver escapes with his life.

Why It Was Great: Oliver lost. Badly. As much as he’s the hero of the show, there was no way that Oliver could continue to best all of his opponents if his journey was going to be interesting in the long run. The Dark Archer gave audiences Oliver’s first big loss as well as an introduction to the series’ first Big Bad. Arrow was no longer a series of standalones with vague hints at mythology; the antagonistic driving force of the season finally had a figure.

Winner: The Dark Archer