Arrow was the show that started The CW’s run of superhero shows. But what are some of the most memorable episodes from the show?
It’s been three years since the final episode of Arrow aired on The CW. Since that point, many of The CW’s superhero shows have gone downhill. Of course, that is a opinionated statement, but I mean, tell me I’m wrong.
After Arrow ended it seemed as though the showrunners were trying to fill that missing piece by trying to do too much. But it’s understandable because how can you fill that hole left? The crossover episodes between The Flash and Arrow with Barry Allen and Oliver Queen, those were some of the most enjoyable moments because of the connection they had. After all, if it weren’t for Arrow we’d probably never have the The Flash which brings me too my second point.
Arrow is considered the building block that started this DC movement we recognize today. If it weren’t for Arrow we’d never see The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman, Black Lightning or Superman and Lois. Crazy to think about, right? Stephen Amell’s portrayal of Oliver Queen gave us a decade run of shows that people all around the world could enjoy. If it weren’t for this show, who knows what could’ve happened. But, it’s over now and the Arrowverse itself is nearly at an end. And with that, I’d like to take some time to recognize the top 10 episodes.
10. “Green Arrow” (Season 4, Episode 1)
There are a lot of defining points in Arrow‘s run, but none quite feel like this one.
Oliver and Felicity were living a happy life away from Starling City and away from all the action. Oliver was no longer endangering his life on a nightly basis and was even ready to marry Felicity. Felicity on the other hand was helping the team behind his back and missed the action.
Next, there was conflict with John Diggle and Oliver. And for those of you who don’t remember, in the prior season, Oliver was being trained to take the mantle of Ra’s Al Ghul and kidnapped Lyla and their baby to prove his loyalty to Ra’s. Now, Oliver is back in Starling City working right alongside John who isn’t so sure of the arrangement. But he puts it behind him the best he can in order to help protect the city from the ghosts.
With so much conflict going on, this episode really gives Oliver a chance to reinvent himself as the Green Arrow. Using it as a signal of light, not darkness. A protector, not a murderer.
9. “Fadeout” (Season 8, Episode 10)
What? You didn’t think I would rank the top 10 episodes of Arrow and not have the very last episode on this list, did you? Of course not.
This episode is one of my personal favorites to go and re-watch because of how much this episode meant to the long-standing Arrow fans. Additionally, the last scene of the show featured John Diggle getting taken back against a van with a force unseen before. He then opens the box and all we see is his face getting covered with a luminescent green color.
That scene was a big deal for all DC fans due to the hint towards David Ramsey becoming John Stewart’s, Green Lantern. Something I think we’d all still love to see and technically, we may. With James Gunn creating a show “The Lanterns” that will reportedly feature both Hal Jordan and John Stewart. If that is the case, they could cast David Ramsey as John Stewart in order to tie the Arrowverse together. Anyways, back on the episode.
This episode allowed us the privilege of seeing a “Perfect life”. In this universe Slade Wilson never killed Oliver’s mom, and Tommy Merlyn, Captain Lance and Emiko all returned. Roy Harper proposed to Thea, it was simply put, the perfect send-off for such a cornerstone show.
8. “Present Tense” (Season 8, Episode 4)
I know, another season eight episode. Shocker, right? Well, not really. Because this episode was amazing.
This episode was something I was hoping we got to see since they started doing the flashforwards in season six.
In this episode of Arrow we got the chance to see Mia, William and Connor get tossed into the present time which gave William and Mia a chance to see their dad before he passes away in the crossover episode. Additionally, Connor got to see his adoptive step-father John Diggle. But, it wasn’t exactly the happy reunion we’re all hoping for. In fact, it went bad.
Mia wasn’t happy to see her dad because she never knew him and he sacrificed himself for the world even though it meant he’d never get the chance to see her. That didn’t sit well with Mia and so she kept her distance from him until a later episode. As for the other characters, it was interesting.
William was happy to see his dad again, but wasn’t super happy about the secret he had to keep. That secret being that things are really, really bad in 2040. J.J. was a murderer and killed Rene’s daughter, Zoe. Which, as you can infer, leads to some tension between Rene and John. Additionally, after John finds out that they had lied about 2040, he wasn’t happy with Connor who just wanted his father’s approval. Everything about this episode was just great.
7. “Life Sentence” (Season 6, Episode 23)
What a crazy episode, am I right? This one was full of all kinds of emotion. With Oliver admitting he was the Green Arrow in order to get the FBI’s help taking down the quadrant and the corrupt police force, Anatoly having to make a decision on where his loyalty lies, and Diaz blackmailing Quentin with Laurel’s life which ultimately led to Quentin’s death, there was so much going on. And finally, we got to see a side to Oliver that we don’t often get to see- the softer side.
In this episode, Oliver personally went around apologizing to Rene, Dinah, Curtis and John for the wrong decisions and choices he’s made throughout the season. And as a bit of a refresher for those who may not remember the season, John, Felicity and Oliver spied on Rene, Curtis and Dinah after getting word that someone would be testifying against Oliver. That led to some hardships between the newbies (Dinah, Rene and Curtis) and the O.G’s (Oliver, John and Felicity).
Now, the split in teams made the show much less enjoyable, but because of the hardships that were faced throughout the season, it made the conclusion of this season so much more enjoyable. It made things feel complete and added to a strong season finale.
6. “Unthinkable” (Season 2, Episode 23)
The season 2 finale was one of the best finales of the entire show. Well, actually it was the sixth best episode of the entire show, if you ask me.
The relationship between Slade Wilson and Oliver Queen in the flashbacks was one of my personal favorites. So when we saw Deathstroke re-appear in current day, I was pumped. Not necessarily because of how well they tied things together from the past to the present, but because the Deathstroke character is one of the best in the comics. And Manu Bennett’s portrayal of the character was spectacular.
But getting more into the finale of the episode, Oliver had just lost his mother when Slade gave him the choice to save her or sister – similar to the choice he was given on the island to save Shado or save Sara. So on top of having to grieve the loss of Moira, he also has to stop an uprising in the city with super-human Mirakuru soldiers. That’s when we got to see Nyssa Al Ghul and the League of Assassins.
More than that, Slade mentioned there is one more person he had to kill and that’s when we got the first taste of the relationship between Oliver and Felicity.
This episode was phenomenal. Every turn, every part of the show, everything that happened had me on the edge of my seat.
5. “Sacrifice” (Season 1, Episode 23)
In any show, the first and last seasons are going to generally hold the best overall episodes. The first season being because you can literally create the best storylines for the characters in the show due to the fact there are no previous ideas written. The last season because you can tie them all together. In this case, we are going to put the finale of Arrow season 1 here at No. 5.
“Sacrifice” was a very gut-wrenching episode. Not really knowing what all is going to happen, we all were on the edge of our seats. The episode allowed us to see Malcolm Merlyn at his worst hour, and the type of person he’d go onto be throughout the whole of Arrow‘s run. He was a maniac who always did what he had to do (or so he says). But more than that, he mentioned where he learned to fight (Nanda Parbat), which opened up the storyline for the League of Assassins’ arrival which turned out to be a huge part of the show.
Moreover, as we all remember, there was a lot of tension between Oliver and Tommy due to their love triangle with Laurel. More so than that, when Oliver told Tommy about him being The Arrow, he resented him for his choice of life. The scene where Tommy was dying, we got to see Tommy forgive Oliver for his life and the choices he’s made. It was one of the most powerful moments of the whole series.
But the ending was the best part of the show, the destruction of the Glades. Just when we thought that they had won, we realize there were two Earthquake machines and part of the Glades were leveled.
4. “Lian Yu” (Season 5, Episode 23)
I know many of you probably don’t agree with where I have this episode ranked and I get it. But there are just so many episodes of this show that were outstanding that I couldn’t justify putting this higher than the other three. But let’s not pretend that four isn’t a good spot when the show did over 150 episodes.
In this episode, we got to see Oliver return to the place where it all started, Lian Yu. We also got to see Oliver return there to rescue his friends and more importantly, William – who, for those of you who may not gotten to this point of the show, is his son that had been kidnapped by Prometheus.
That’s when we got to see the return of Slade Wilson but this time we got to see them fight together, just like old times. But there are some problems, Merlyn wanted to tag along and Oliver didn’t trust him. And as it turns out, he should’ve because he later takes Thea’s place on a land-mine, and blows himself up.
More so than that, we got to see Captain Boomerang return and create some havoc on the island when Oliver and Slade walked right into a trap. But that was just an underlying part to the episode, let’s talk about the ending.
Oliver got on the boat with Adrian Chase and William and found himself in a very bad predicament. Chase had put TNT all over the island and it was triggered to go off when he died. So, Oliver couldn’t kill him with everyone still on the island. And although he didn’t kill Chase, the villain put a gun to his head, which set the explosions on the island off.
That’s when we got the cliffhanger of a lifetime. We got to see the island from a distance blow up and we have no idea who survives and who doesn’t.
3. “The Slabside Redemption” (Season 7, Episode 7)
“The Slabside Redemption” was one of the most exciting episodes this show has ever produced. So much action and emotions the entire episode.
The episode saw Ricardo Diaz break into Slabside prison in order to officially kill Oliver. When Oliver found that out, he then broke out of his cell and worked his way through the prison in order to find Diaz before he killed everyone there.
Throughout the episode we see Brick and Sampson team up and work to try and kill Oliver. That’s when Ben Turner, also known as Bronze Tiger appears and takes down Brick and Sampson. We then get the chance to see Turner and Oliver build a relationship together. Which comes in handy later on in the season. But for now, it gives us a glimpse at how he has changed.
But let’s just jump to the most exciting part of the episode- the battle. When Oliver and Diaz finally meet face-to-face, they showdown. And for a second there it truly felt that Diaz had the edge on him. But when Diaz mentioned William and Felicity, Oliver got his second wind and ended up taking down Diaz in his cell.
Due to his efforts helping the guards along the way, the officers helped him get early release. And the episode ends with Oliver walking out of the prison a free man with John and Felicity both there waiting for him.
This is 100%, a 10/10 episode and one I find myself re-watching multiple times.
2. Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1)
Pilot episodes are always the best, there’s no disputing that. The storyline that sets up the show for many seasons starts from one point – the pilot. Therefore, the pilot episode is generally going to be one of the best episodes in the show.
In the Arrow pilot we got a chance to see Oliver come back from the dead. But he’s changed. The billionaire playboy who got away with anything and everything is back and looking to atone for the mistakes he’s made in the past. But not in the traditional way.
In the show, he decides to put on a green hood and play vigilante. Which as we all know is illegal. However, he has new tricks up his sleeve to escape the police and therefore, he goes after a hard-hitting Adam Hunt – which also happens to be the man that his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance, is engaged in a legal battle with.
As The Arrow, Oliver uses his talents to help her in the fight against Adam Hunt. But more than that, we get to get a feel for the show and what to expect from Arrow in this first season. And what a beginning it was!
1. “You Have Saved This City” (Season 7, Episode 22)
This episode’s title says it all. It’s, in my opinion, the best episode in all eight seasons of the show. The present day aspects of the show were great and the flashforwards were even better.
We got to see redemption, action and former members of the show all in one episode. I mean, this was by far and away a 10/10 episode and it’s not even close.
The show opens with Oliver and the rest of the team on the rooftop of a building cornered by the police that they are supposed to be working with. Instead they are considered public enemy number one. Which, as you can figure, makes it hard for them to stop the spreading of Cygnus-X. Which is led partially by Oliver’s sister, Emiko Queen.
Due to the threat that’s coming, we get to see Curtis Holt back as Mr. Terrific and Laurel Lance as Black Canary. Furthermore, we also got to see Roy Harper back as Arsenal which excited me the most given I’ve always been a huge Arsenal/Roy Harper fan. It was wonderful to see a bunch of former members of Team Arrow back and in action, together.
Next, we get to see redemption with Emiko, who is eventually talked down by Oliver and turns over a new leaf. Unfortunately, she ends up dying in the fight in Queen Consolidated – a tragic turn that makes a lot of people feel they need a change. One of those being Oliver and Felicity thanks to them having a daughter, which brings us to the flash-forwards in 2040.
In 2040 they are looking to shut down the archer program and Mia enter the glades with explosive results. And to end the episode we get to see Felicity say goodbye to Mia and William before walking into a portal from The Monitor that allows her to see Oliver again.
This episode honestly could not have been written any better. Everything about this one was just so, in a word, right.
What was your favorite episode of Arrow? Let us know in the comments below!