Arrow Season 6: 7 Reasons Why It's Better Than You Think
6. It Returned To Its Dark Roots
There is no denying that Arrow is at its best when it delves into darkness. To this day, the show's first two seasons have remained its best outings as they portrayed a harsher, grittier and more realistic world than any of its subsequent offerings did, reminding us that, while the fantastical has benefited the Arrowverse as a whole, it did have a lot to do with Arrow's colourful downfall.
However, following on from the example that the impressive fifth season set, Season 6 saw the show capitalise on the show's later time-slot, pushing the boundaries that little bit further. Instead of relying on magic, mysticism or even the League of Assassins, the show introduced a new type of Big Bad in Ricardo Diaz and, being a physically imposing thug with an intimidating presence and unpredictable actions, it allowed things to get a lot more physical. The fight scenes were more graphic, the uneasy tone was magnified and some episodes ('The Dragon' in particular) were incredibly bloody.
Arrow has always been the moody figurehead of the Arrowverse and, quite frankly, that is when it delivers the most. Despite its flaws, Season 6 was fully aware of this fact and, as a result, wasn't afraid to use the new time-slot to its advantage. It allowed the show, for that year at least, to channel the threatening tone that it once possessed on a weekly basis - and when it successfully did so, it thrived.