Arrow: Season 5 (2016-17) - Written Review

So here we are at the fifth season of Arrow, and after two great seasons and two distinctly underwhelming seasons, the show makes some necessary course-corrections in this fifth run to bring the show back into popularity. The slightly lighter tone adopted last season is dropped in favour of a return to the dark and gritty nature of the first two seasons, and the magic and meta-humans is toned down so severely you could be tricked into thinking they'd done some kind of un-reboot on the show. Despite this though, Arrow season 5 actually manages to throw in quite a bit of humour and levity to the series, and does keep in the mystical elements of super-powers but to a lesser extent.
In fact, Oliver Queen as a character is almost reverted back to his Season 2 self, questioning his heroism and somewhat dropping his no killing rule. In terms of Oliver's potential character growth into the more traditional Green Arrow superhero, this seems like a step backwards, but in many ways its intentionally so. The writers have clearly gained that fans didn't respond well to a completely new direction in season 3 or a more comic book-esque season 4, and thus have taken inspiration from Marvel's Daredevil to create a more grounded and gritty fifth season that...ends up being basically like the first two. While this might seem like a desperate attempt by the writers to appeal to the lost fans, this actually means that they've planned out this season much better than previous ones.
Despite seemingly regressing to a previous point in his character journey, Oliver does actually have an arc this season - and it's all tied to the season's big bad Prometheus, and to the finality of this run. Arrow set itself up to be a five season show initially, and while it's got a sixth season confirmed, this season definitely sets out to conclude many key elements of the show. The flashbacks begin to build towards Oliver's return to Starling City: he gets his costume, he finishes his training with Talia al Ghul, he joins the Bratva, and he returns to Lian Yu to be rescued. Thus, Oliver's journey ends up being that of reflection, looking back over his past mistakes and trying to make peace with them, and this forms the villain Prometheus - a man whose father was murdered by Oliver in his days as a vigilante, looking to prove to him just how morally reprehensible he was, and still is. Even when the show re-treads old tropes, like Oliver hanging up the hood, the writers are aware of this and so are the characters, reminding the main character of the show that it's happened before and Oliver just needs to find a way of stopping this new threat.
In fact, part of me wonders that the stronger character growth for Oliver this season is helped by his double-life as both the Green Arrow and the Mayor of Star City, giving him both super-hero and normal person roles throughout the season, and facing challenges from both sides. Oliver now does need to actually keep his alter ego a secret, while also being a much more public hero as the Mayor. This actually works really well, and allows some episodes to explore some complex stories and themes that otherwise wouldn't have been included. Oliver proves himself as a hero with and without the hood on, and this is a key element in season 5, and a key part in his attempts to try and defeat his latest nemesis.
Now, Prometheus as a character is actually a little bland. Adrian Chase as his alter ego turns out to be is just a psychopathic murderer seeking revenge and dressing up like the Arrow, but I think that the interesting aspects to Prometheus are more so the metaphorical aspects. Prometheus is Oliver's dark side, the epitome of his past regrets that threatens his present, and that's actually a great idea for a villain. He might not work too well as a character in his own right, but as a metaphor for the evil in Oliver's life, he actually works really well.
We also get some new characters joining the team, with Rene AKA Wild Dog being a key new member whose arc over the course of the season becomes clear as he struggles to go from vigilante to hero, very much like Oliver in some respects. His dynamic with Lance ends up being a key part of the latter half of the season, and provides some really great character moments in the show. There's also Dinah Drake, who becomes the new Black Canary, who's arc is basically covered in her first two or three episodes, meaning that while she has little growth later on, she's all set up ready for the rest of the episodes to be more Oliver-centric, and works well as a key member of the team. It's probably not worth mentioning Evelyne Sharpe, who joins the team as Artemis at the start of the season, as she turns out to be an accomplice of Prometheus, but we do finally get to see Kurtis join the team properly as Mr Terrific - in full, kinda bizarre costume. Kurtis is very much this season's MVP, filling in as both the heart of the team and the much-needed comic relief, while never distracting from the drama. Meanwhile, Felicity is relegated to a supporting role, and while she is given her own character arc, she doesn't take centre-stage as she had in seasons 3 and 4. Diggle also returns, now with a much-improved Spartan helmet, and while his super-hero status still doesn't seem quite right - I mean, the whole point of Diggle was that he wasn't a proper costumed super-hero like everyone else - he's still one of the series' best characters. Thea and Lance also get some character growth, but both come and go throughout the season, despite being consistently credited as members of the main cast.
And of course in the finale we get the return of Digger Harkness / Captain Boomerang, Malcolm Merlyn, Nyssa al Ghul and the one and only Slade Wilson - AKA Deathstroke! Having such a huge ensemble cast for the fifth season finale feels completely apt for the show, especially given how climactic an event the episode is. The flashbacks finally reach Oliver's escape from Lian Yu - albeit with one particularly notable miss-hap - and in the present everyone is on Lian Yu for the final showdown against Chase. Admittedly the huge cast gets a bit much at points, with Oliver's son William given no lines, his mother hardly many and most of the regulars sidelined throughout, but at least Deathstroke made a much more satisfactory return to the series, and given the ending, is probably coming back for at least a small appearance in Season 6. Surprisingly though, the problems with the finale didn't stop me from enjoying everything there, making for a fitting and explosive ending to a fantastic season.
Overall, Arrow: season 5 has plenty going for it, and while some elements may not be as developed as they could have been, the season has a tight focus on a main story that manages to balance complex characters with interesting themes that not only bring themselves full circle in the finale, but also the entire series. Arrow may not be over just yet, but if this season is anything to go by, Season 6 might be pretty damn awesome. 8/10