Arrow Season 7: 2 Ups & 3 Downs From 'Crossing Lines'

Downs...

3. Too Many Hoops To Jump Through

While Oliver's imprisonment has reinvigorated Arrow, the show's repetitive format is hindering it. Yes, viewers absolutely love seeing how Ollie is coping in prison and how it is affecting his loved ones out in the world, but there is one recurring problem with it as certain aspects are being dragged out just to give him a storyline.

Though he initially aimed to keep his head down, an attack on his family by Ricardo Diaz changed things significantly, and thus, he decided to track down information about the attack within the walls of Slabside. As he did so, he encountered old enemies who, of course knew something but wanted something in return. Agreeing to help them, Oliver had Officer Yorke removed from the prison, but unfortunately, last week's episode concluded without answers.

This week, Brick agreed to give him answers only to betray him and send him into a fight with Sampson. After defeating him and threatening Brick, Oliver then discovered that the source of information, The Demon, was in the more-secured Level 2 with the worst of the worst. And so, Ollie took a blade and brutally attacked every guard in sight, ultimately being sent to Level 2.

Yet again, Oliver has had to jump through another set of hoops only to discover nothing significant, highlighting that the writers are just trying to drag the storyline out for as many episodes as possible. As we have seen many times before, The CW's shows would benefit from fewer episodes.