Arrow Season 7 Premiere: 6 Ups & 2 Downs From ‘Inmate 4587’

Downs...

2. Convenient Storytelling

Throughout the premiere, we were constantly teased with the possibility that Diaz may get his hands on Felicity and William at some point during the season. We never actually thought it was going to happen. Then it did.

Diaz attempted to kill Felicity, until the incredibly resourceful tech-genius threw everything but the kitchen sink at him (you go, girl!). However, it only managed to stall him as he once again prepared to kill her. That is, until... until what, exactly?

As this sequence was intercut with scenes of Oliver's prison fight, the whole thing was designed to make it seem like Diaz had killed Felicity (due to what one of his men on the inside told Oliver), only to reveal that she was fine moments later. How, though? Well, she told her imprisoned husband that A.R.G.U.S. just arrived in the nick of time to save her. Therein lies the problem, she told us. We were being told, not shown.

If A.R.G.U.S. had busted into that cramped apartment to save Felicity, there would have been absolutely no way for Diaz to escape. So, it was easier for the writers to stick in the seemingly-simple solution in a throwaway line of dialogue, rather than trying to show us the logistics of this impossible situation play out on screen. It just seemed rather convenient, which is unfortunate because conveniences are something that The CW's shows rely on far too much.