Ranking Every Season Of Arrow From Worst To Best

In an attempt to capitalize on the momentum of Season 6's much-improved second half, Arrow's seventh offering saw Oliver's imprisonment take center stage while his old nemesis Ricardo Diaz threatened to destroy his family on the outside. That was a dynamic that ultimately benefited the first half of the season, as it heightened the stakes and genuinely made viewers worry for their favourite characters in a vigilante-free city.

Unfortunately, all of that suspense escaped like air from a deflating balloon in the second half. Though not bad by many means, Oliver's evolution into a duly-deputized agent of the law (and subsequent clashes with the SCPD) certainly hindered the plot progression, while the decision to swap Ricardo Diaz out with Emiko Adachi as the season's Big Bad turned out to be a major disappointment - as the arc between Oliver and his sister was never given the stakes that it needed.

Much like Season 3, this one suffered from rushed storytelling, underdeveloped characters and a half-baked finale that undermined the season-long story by wrapping it up in 15 minutes while proceeding to waste far too much time setting up Season 8. That being said, there were a number of highlights such as Oliver's imprisonment, the unexpected friendship between Laurel and Felicity, the 'Confessions' episode and the Birds of Prey-inspired offering.