Arrow season 7: Three major things that must happen

3. Dinah, Curtis and Rene get a chance to shine

One of Season 6’s most notorious mistakes was the forced conflict between three of Team Arrow’s longest members and the latest arrivals. After Oliver predictably reverted back to his old mistrusting ways and decided to spy on his team members at a time when the narrative conveniently allowed his suspicions to be right, a war was waged that broke the team apart. With Dinah, Curtis and Rene rightfully outraged by the horrid behavior from the sanctimonious trio, they set out to save Star City on their own.

However, the writers managed to destroy any ounce of their credibility by having them behave in the most ludicrous fashion, going out of their way to hurt their former friends. The whole thing was so forced and as a result, did not succeed.

Moreover, the sad thing about this storyline is that it was simply concocted to give all of the characters something to do. In the past, characters have suffered because they were nothing more than members of Team Arrow — leaving their true identities completely underdeveloped. So this was the writers’ way of avoiding that same mistake by giving everyone the same storyline — but it proved to be an abject failure.

In order for the writers to truly make up for last season’s mistakes, we need to care more about the three new characters. So this time, they shouldn’t be forced into a single storyline where everyone has the same needs and goals. With Oliver being in prison, the writers have a real chance to finally allow Dinah, Curtis and Rene a real chance to shine.

Without the pressures of Team Arrow, we can finally see more of Dinah’s activities as a detective along with her personal life, Rene’s loving moments with his daughter Zoe and Curtis’ relationship with new boyfriend Nick Anastas — who was simply used a plot device last season.

If the new members of Team Arrow are sticking around as series regulars, the writers need to treat them like main characters. Without the sanctimonious trio breathing down their neck, the “newbies” can gain some real redemption for their misguided behavior last season. And in giving them that, the writers can also achieve that same redemption.