Arrow Season 8 Review: 6 Ups & 1 Down From 'Prochnost'

4. Farewell Anatoly

Oh what a history Arrow - both the show and the character - has had with Anatoly Knyazev. The leader of the Bratva first met Oliver Queen aboard the Amazo during Season 2's flashbacks to the latter's time stranded on Lian Yu, and the pair have been good friends (and bitter rivals) ever since. And as their last interactions revolved around his questionable actions regarding Ricardo Diaz, it seemed only fair that Anatoly return one more time to make things right.

The history between the pair makes their relationship a reliable source for great storytelling, but it's one that the writers often relied on too much in the past, as Anatoly's changing behaviour diluted the character somewhat. But thankfully, there was none of that here, as Oliver's long-time friend welcomed his 'Kapuishon' back to Russia with open arms. He even offered some great parental advice to Oliver and inadvertently reminded Laurel of the hero she had become.

David Nykl is arguably the most important recurring actor to ever appear on Arrow, as Anatoly quickly found his way into the hearts and minds of so many of us, and this was one of his finest performances.

We'll miss seeing Oliver's brother on our screens, that's for sure.