Arrow: 8 Ways Season 5 Has Saved The Show

7. Dark, But Not Depressing

One of the appealing things in the early days of Arrow was that it embraced the darkness. This was not a world of caped superheroes swooping in to save the day, but real, flawed people, with a vigilante consumed by his own inner darkness and demons. It never shied away from hard-hitting moments, but it was always fun and entertaining to watch regardless.

Over the course of Seasons 3 and 4, however, the show took a rather more depressing turn. It wasn't just that it was dark, but it was downright miserable, constantly piling things on top of each other until it became too much to stand watching. And that despite the fact Season 4 promised to be lighter, after the misery of Season 3.

Season 5 has just about got the balance right again. It's still dark, as witnessed in the personal battle between Prometheus and Green Arrow, but there are more moments of levity and lightness too. Felicity and Curtis both provide a lot of humour (the former after being terribly written for a couple of years), and even Oliver has shown he's prepared to crack a joke or at least a smile. It's never going to be The Flash or Supergirl, and nor should it be, but that doesn't mean it should be completely joyless either. Season 5 has managed to get this back on track.