Arrow Season 5: 8 Ups And 2 Downs From 'Legacy'

5. Better Flashbacks

Arrow Oliver Anatoli Flashback Russia Bratva
The CW

For the first two seasons, the Lian Yu-set flashbacks of Arrow felt just as interesting as the modern-day action, especially in Season 2 as we further explored the relationship between Oliver Queen and Slade Wilson. Season 3’s Hong Kong flashbacks were decent enough, but last year’s return to Lian Yu was the dullest part of Arrow’s run so far.

Granted, Matt Ryan’s John Constantine was awesome to briefly see during those flashbacks, but the overall arc of Baron Reiter’s search for a magic totem was a turn-off to many and a major reason why Season 4 struggled to reach the heights of its predecessors.

It’s only been one episode, but the Russia-set flashbacks of this new season have already eclipsed Season 4’s flashbacks. Obviously it was great to see the return of Anatoli Knyazev, but we also got to see the brutal, clinical side of Oliver that we were given in the show’s first season.

We’ve all been looking forward for the moment that Ollie’s adventures in Russia were explored, and this season premiere has certainly lived up to expectations. Here’s hoping that the rest of the season matches up to this explosive introduction to Russia.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.