Arrow: 8 Ways Season 5 Has Saved The Show

5. Mayor Queen And A Renewed Focus On Star City

Arrow has never been an overtly political show, but that's something that's had to change - to a degree - with Season 5, since it finds Oliver Queen serving as Mayor of Star City.

This hasn't led to a great change in social commentary (a shame, since it's a big part of the character in the comics), but has meant a renewed focus on Star City, and the politics around cleaning up the city's problems.

As with most heroes, Arrow works best when it's focused on the ties between its hero and his home turf, and while it has been under attack in previous seasons, it's either been part of a bigger plot (i.e. a nuclear attack) or from mystical forces (or both, kinda).

This year with Oliver serving as Mayor there's a much clearer link between protagonist and city, and it's worked better in establishing the stakes and Oliver's dual role of protecting the city as both an elected official and a vigilante.

It has dipped its toes into the current political climate too, by tackling the issue of gun control. Admittedly it didn't do the best job of this - the beginning of that episode was particularly ham-fisted, and Felicity really should've had a say given she was shot and paralysed - but it did at least offer a balanced debate on the matter,