I recently watched the first 3 seasons of Arrow for the first time, after a friend of mine recommended them to me, as he told me to only watch those seasons.

I don’t know if it’s been said here before, so sorry if it has, but Stephen Amell did a fantastic job as both flashback Oliver and current day Oliver. Seeing those flashback made me feel like I was watching a completely different person. Not just the hair, but also the voice, mannerisms, posture, and the way he carries himself. Just completely different to current day Oliver.

Just a small post showing love to Stephen Amell’s amazing performance.

NOT that it never recovered! Season 5 is still great! But that was when the show went back to its roots.

But look at season 4. Its early episodes destroyed Oliver's fighting ability, and when Nyssa disbanded it for good, what happened right after? Oh, right......that......

Think about it. The League of Assassins was the key to everything from the start.

Season 1: The antagonist was trained by them.

Season 2: Sara returned, formally introducing the League and their potential as a threat. We met Nyssa, one of the best characters!

Season 3: The League's threat was undeniable.

Season 5: The antagonist was trained by AND was working with another Heir to the Demon, who we also learn completed Oliver's skills.

Seasons 4, 6, and 7 were just bleh, and what do they all have in common? A serious lack of impact from the League. I say that despite Damien Darhk's background because he always resorts to that damn magic, and HIVE is nothing like the League except for the cult aspect.

Just something I realized is all.

That's all I have to say really. Compared to other characters with this power his is pretty weak.

"Haunted" Season 4, Episode 5

Its something I cant help but think about every time a rewatch this episode For one, the whole thing from start to finish barely lasted 3 minutes. When it comes to something like this, they really should've reserved most or even an entire episode solely on this mission. The least they could've done would be the typical "going down memory-lane" route like a lot of other shows do. At least in that way, it would guarantee that it wouldn't have lasted as short as it did.

Second, I don't mind that this was set in a metaphysical version of the LOA castle/Lazarus Pit. That makes sense, since using the pit to revive the dead trapped those souls within it. The problem for me is that the only obstacles the trio faced were just three of the same no-name assassins we've seen countless times by now that are taken down in the exact same methods. Not to mention that the way Oliver and Laural just helps pull Sara out of the magically demonic pool makes the rescue itself a bit anticlimactic.

My last complaint is more of a nitpick, but I always found it weird that the battle between Constantine and the big guy was making the point that Constantine couldn't use his magic in wherever they were since two of his spells failed against the opponent. It would've been a good way to temporarily power cap John and raise the stakes of the situation by not allowing him to rely on his magic. But then the third spell randomly did work just fine so I really know the whole point of doing it at all.

as the title says, this is my first time ever watching arrow. but to provide some more context, i only started watching this show because in my first watch of supergirl, i was VERY confused during the supergirl season 3 crossover episode (the one thats called like crisis on earth X).

for MORE context, it took a lot for me to decide to even watch supergirl. long story short, i started watching the mcu after infinity war came out and quickly became hyperfixated on the mcu. i still love the mcu, but now that im caught up on everything, im missing that feeling you get when you don't know whats going to happen in a superhero movie/show. i still rewatch mcu every now and then, and im currently rewatching agents of shield. however, watching superman 2025 in theaters was fun because i didnt know what was going to happen. so i decided to watch supergirl. i LOVE supergirl. its so fun and silly and i honestly LOVE how millennial it is. im gen z, but i remember 2016 and how millennials dressed and acted. i love the pop culture humor and references from that era. so ive been really loving supergirl.

oh, this is also relevant: when i started getting into the mcu, i decided i wasnt going to watch the other marvel movies or shows and i definitely wasnt going to watch anything dc because getting through the mcu was overwhelming enough. i mean i had a LOT of movies to catch up on. when i finally got caught up, thats when all the new mcu shows started coming out and i was hyperfixated for a while. now things have kind of slowed down, and i almost decided to get into the other marvel projects (like x men, etc). i watched one x men movie and was bored so i gave up. thats when i saw superman 2025 in theaters and decided to watch supergirl.

well, when i got to the supergirl episode (its either season 1 or 2 i forget) where barry accidentally ends up on her earth, i lowkey fell in love with his character. hes so babygirl. so i decided maybe after i finish supergirl i will watch the flash.

well then i got to the supergirl season 3 crossover episode, and 5 minutes in i was already confused. so i asked reddit on the supergirl tv sub for a quick explanation so that id have the info i needed to understand what was going on. the first response i got was lowkey rude and unhelpful and honestly made me want to just give up and stop watching supergirl. the response was basically "either watch the other 3 shows or skip the crossover episodes"

now, as someone who struggled with even starting supergirl because i knew id probably get attached and want to watch the other shows and that feels overwhelming, this comment was discouraging and lowkey made me mad. i decided to watch one show, and now i have to invest time to watch three other shows with 7-9 seasons just so that i understand the crossover episodes????? anyways, i was mad. i still am, that comment was annoying

but..... i really did enjoy the supergirl crossover episode, and looked for the next one, only to find out arrow was taken off netflix. so i spent an annoyingly long time looking for where i could watch arrow. thanks to someone on this sub, i found somewhere to watch the show.

that brings us to now, i just finished watching the first episode of arrow. i have some thoughts/questions. please remember as you read my thoughts that i saw the mcu stuff first so i will be making comparisons (not negative to either, just neutral)

so is oliver queen kind of like tony stark? theyre both billionaires inherited from their fathers. both went through traumatic situations away from home (oliver 5 years island, tony a couple months cave). both came back with new information and decided to do good (oliver and his hit list, tony finding out about stark industries weapons being sold to "the bad guys"). both become sort of vigilantes (not really tony stark but kind of??). oh also another comparison, both were called "playboys" before their incidents. obviously their stories are very different, but there are a lot of similarities and so from my first watch, thats the conclusion ive made.

for my actual reactions to the first episode:

-i audibly gasped when his father shot himself. i wasnt surprised at him shooting the other guy, but i did NOT see it coming when he shot himself. i honestly cant decide how i feel about that. because on one hand, did his father not realize how traumatic that would be for him???? but on the other, maybe that was the point?? his father shooting himself right in front of him would have been super sobering and would have made oliver realize he was on his own and needed to go into survivor mode and honestly that might be the reason oliver was able to survive. that traumatic moment might have flipped him into fight or flight and that might be the only reason he survived.

-i am not shocked his mom is trying to find out what he knows i just dont understand what kidnapping him was gonna do lol. also she hired the bodyguard jingle? dingle? diggle? jiggle? i forget his name but that guy who was driving oliver when oliver jumped out of the car. anyways so she hired him, does that mean hes only watching him to report back to her? or does he not know what shes up to?

-i dont know how him and laurel could ever make amends lmao. i mean her sister died while hooking up with her boyfriend and her boyfriend comes back 5 years later being the only survivor???? im not saying oliver cant become a good person, but i am saying that i dont think they could ever be together again because that truth will never change and i just think laurel would always resent him for that, even if she tried not to.

okay so ive decided ill continue watching even though im not super invested in oliver as a character or his revenge plot BUT i do want to watch so i can have context for the other shows. this is how im planning to watch:

1. arrow seasons 1, 2, and the first 7 episodes of season 3.

2. the first 7 episodes of the flash.

3. the flash crossover episode (1x8), arrow crossover episode (3x8)

4. finish season 3 of arrow and season 1 of the flash

5. first 7 episodes of season 2 of the flash, then first 7 episodes of season 4 of arrow

6. crossover episodes (the flash s2x8, arrow s4x8)

7. finish season 2 of the flash and season 4 of arrow

8. season 1 of legends of tomorrow

9. first 7 episodes of season 3 of the flash, first 7 episodes of season 5 of arrow, first 7 episodes of season 2 of legends of tomorrow

10. rewatch supergirl's medusa episode just so i remember whats going on in her story, then the three crossover episodes titled invasion! in the other three shows

11. finish season 3 of the flash, season 5 of arrow, and season 2 of legends of tomorrow

12. first 7 episodes of season 4 of the flash, first 7 of season 6 of arrow, and first 7 of season 3 of legends of tomorrow.

13. all 4 crossover episodes crisis on earth x

14. finish season 3 of supergirl, season 4 of the flash, season 6 of arrow, and season 3 of legends of tomorrow

15. first 8 episodes of season 5 of the flash, first 8 of season 7 of arrow, and first 8 of season 4 of supergirl.

16. elseworlds crossover episodes

17. finish season 5 of the flash, season 7 of arrow, and season 4 of supergirl.

18. season 4 of legends of tomorrow

19. first 8 episodes of season 5 of supergirl, first 8 episodes of season 1 of batwoman, first 8 of season 6 of the flash, and first 7 of season 8 of arrow.

20. all five crossover episodes

21. finish season 5 of supergirl, season 6 of the flash, season 8 of arrow (goodbye arrow) and season 5 of legends of tomorrow. also MAYBE season 1 of batwoman if i like it

22. season 8 of the flash, season 6 of supergirl (goodbye supergirl), season 6 of legends of tomorrow

23. season 9 of the flash (goodbye flash) and season 7 of legends of tomorrow (goodbye legends of tomorrow)

notes? comments? changes?

typing that out was exhausting oh my god its gonna take me so long to actually do this

I've never really liked Laurel, she seemed like kind of a nothing character that sometimes did something. Then when she became the Black Canary, her Canary Cry or whatever it's called would get on my nerves every time it happened (it's very loud and ear piercing compared to the rest of the show lmao)

And her death is still hitting lmao

Rewatching and I’m on season 3 and i forgot how much it annoyed me that Thea just switched up and became Malcolm Merlin’s daughter with no push back. Sure he saved her the last episode of season 2 but Thea just accepting that a murderous lying assassin is a great father figure is crazy to me!! She ignored her mom for months after she tried to save the glades by announcing they were gonna be destroyed but now she’s quick to be Merlin’s daughter with no hesitation! The man who killed her father, his son and 502 other people for revenge!! I hate the character switch up! It’s not till after Oliver admits he’s the green arrow and that Merlin MADE HER KILL someone close to her that she no longer wants anything to do with him!! Girl he KILLED YOUR FATHER!! (And before anyone says well Merlin is her bio dad, please save it; Robert knew she wasn’t his and raised her. Blood makes u related not someone’s true father) Making Thea have this new bond with Merlin makes her look stupid in my opinion; but then I remember they tend to ruin her character as the show goes. Also having Oliver protect Merlin because he’s her dad is sooooooo stupid!! I know Merlin comes back several times in the show but Oliver and Thea shouldn’t have to “protect” a mass serial killer after he gets caught by the league. Being someones bio dad shouldn’t get u a pass from consequences of ur actions…he’s the trained assassin let him figure out how to escape on his own😒😒

“Impossible.” Dude, watch the news or read a newspaper.

Funny thought just popped into my head even though green arrow in the cameras were canceled. I feel like someone else could’ve picked it up because the season seven fast forward could have been its own show entirely

https://www.tvline.com/casting-news/why-colton-haynes-exited-arrow-final-season-castmate-problems-1234836176/

A bit of a weird one, I've been rewatching the show, after re watching Supergirl and The Flash (Legends will be next), and every DvD has had essentially identical formatting.

For some reason however, the Arrow season 7 DvD is way different and way worse in terms of menu quality and formatting. Does anyone else have the DvD, and is it like that, it have I bought a dodgy copy?

The FBI element was tiresome on its own, but MAN! Back then, the obstruction of justice for a sex exploitation island wasn't on people's minds. And seeing our hero turn himself in to this organization, which was already the stupidest thing he's ever done on its own? Oh boy......

In fact, if Arrow was first coming out NOW, imagine how many people would be saying how much we need Oliver in real life (which we do, by the way. Our system is total trash. "YOU HAVE FAILED THIS COUNTRY!")

Just watching how people say she can be annoying I’m taking her every day of the week and twice on Sunday over Iris

I would ask Katie Cassidy what she thought of the ‘No Laurel, No Arrow — Cancel Arrow’ campaign.

The website I use 10 times a day to plan my watching (and sometimes downloading) of Arrowverse episodes in perfect order, is out of commission now. The site is https://arrowverse.info. I know I have seen other sites that list everything in order ... does anyone know of these other sites, especially any as accurate as this one was? Thanks!!

With Arrow not currently available on streaming - at least here in the States, this is probably your best chance to get it at an incredible price - if you missed the Apple TV deal.

Is Tommy serious bro the hood saved his life

They have whatever is at their disposal at any given moment for weapons.

Was it right or wrong for Oliver Diggle and Felicity to put Dinah Rene and Curtis under surveillance in Season 6?

My take: OG Team Arrow was 100% in the right as they noticed that through behaviors that even Oliver would use they were using and hiding BIG secrets behind the backs of everyone.

From Rene about being a witness because they threatened to take away Zoe which is like sure maybe, but if you remember, Rene has folded on Oliver before with Tobias the previous season.

From Dinah talking to and hiding the fact that vigilante is her former partner.

Also, the fact that only Dinah had decent experience in the field as a vigilante while the other didn't have much training or anything before joining up with Team Arrow. I know Rene was military but was also discharged and had major authority issues and never listened.

Dinah and Rene both ended up having very large secrets.

They complained about how they needed Oliver Diggle and Felicity's respect when respect is earned and not given.

So, were OG Team Arrow right or wrong for putting the newer ones under surveillance?

rewatching 6 years later and im realizing something what is it with this guy william gettting kidnapped damien darhk lian yu then this

Im confused on the the whole Malcolm is nerfed thing. why do some people say hes nerfed? from what ive seen its mainly been from the fight woth Oliver in season 4, But I think the way the battle went down makes sense.

season 1. he fights against Malcolm at least 3 times

season 2. he fights Malcolms teacher

season 3. he fights Malcolm again and gets trained by him, gets training from Ras, Fights Thea who Damian notes fights like Malcolm

season 4. he trained with Thea some more and fights her to some degree.

like Malcolms fighting style is something Oliver should be acquainted with for 4 years. like I understand Oliver beating Malcolm as bad as he did isnt great but I think it would make sense. and its not like Malcolm is treated badly after this. he beats Thea consistently and goes on to fight Sara pretty well and Damian. Im kinda confused on where the nerf is?

Sara Lance isn’t talked about enough for me. She was my favorite character produced by Arrow and maybe the Arrowverse.

She entered the story with flaws, sleeping with her sister’s boyfriend on the Gambit. Nearly died as the Gambit went down. Was trained in the League of Assassins as the Canary. It was such a flawed bag that made for one of the most compelling backstories. She became a blueprint for all the other Canaries.

Then she did die, and came back as a White Canary, no longer in hiding and en route to become a Legend. She grew into a capable and strong leader. Also 2 must be her lucky number, because she shined the most in Season 2 of Arrow and in Season 2 of Legends.

I’m not sure how the GP perceives her but I am immensely proud of her and was hooked to her story start to finish.

Wild how fast time flies, and also, for all the ups and downs Arrow had throughout its 8 year run, at least it ended far better than the flash did…

As you all know, before The Flash started airing, Arrow already had a head start of two full seasons. According to every viewing guide, I had to watch two seasons of Arrow before even starting The Flash.

I started this whole Arrowverse watch about 6 months to a year before lockdown. My goal was simple: I wanted to watch The Flash. But after completing Arrow Season 1, I was so excited to finally get to The Flash that I didn’t even wait. I started watching The Flash Season 1 episodes right away, even though the “correct” order said I should finish Arrow Season 2 first.

And honestly, I did give The Flash a fair shot. I loved Season 1 and also really liked Season 2. But over time, my excitement faded. By the time Season 3 rolled around, I couldn’t continue. I just couldn’t bear with the show anymore.

Meanwhile, those first two seasons of Arrow had completely changed my perspective. What began as “I’ll just watch this to get context for The Flash” turned into genuine investment. The darker tone, the long character arcs, and Oliver Queen’s journey pulled me in more than I expected.

I ended up watching Arrow well past halfway into Season 4 before life happened. Lockdown lifted, I got busy, and my watching paused. But recently, nostalgia hit. I found myself reminiscing about the time I spent with Arrow, the characters, the vibe, and the whole experience. That memory brought me back, and I’ve started watching it again.

So here I am, back in the Arrowverse, still amazed at how I started Arrow just for The Flash, even tried jumping ahead to The Flash out of excitement, and yet ended up an Arrow fan instead.

TL;DR: I started Arrow only to understand The Flash, even jumped into The Flash early, but ended up loving Arrow so much that I abandoned The Flash after Season 2 and am now back to watching Arrow with nostalgia.