Being the massive fan of Arrow that I am, even I’m willing to admit that the show hit a speed bump of sorts in its fourth season. Having said that, it was thrilling to see the cast and crew turn things around for the fifth year, serving up what had been one of their strongest offerings to date.
Still, there are probably those of you out there who could make a case for season 4 – or any of the others, for that matter. To date, each have had unique stories to tell when it comes to the journey Oliver Queen has thus far embarked on, be they in the present day or in flashbacks. Plus, it didn’t hurt that more than a few other heroes from DC’s pantheon were introduced along the way.
To my surprise, even lead actor Stephen Amell has his preference. Granted, it must be like choosing your favorite child when you have a hand in the creative process, but it stands to reason that, as an actor, he take great pride in his work.
Here’s what he had to offer when CBR asked which season he prefers over all others:
“Five. If you want to see Oliver more broken down than he was around [episode] 5.16, 5.17, then you’re into some weird shit. What Chase did to him on a psychological level, I don’t think that we can match the emotional gravity of Season 5. I think there’s Season 1, there’s Season 5, then there’s whatever the last year of the show is. That doesn’t mean that Season 6 can’t be better. I’m very proud of Season 5.”
It’s kind of hard to argue with him about seasons 5 or 1 because they both have their merits, but I can’t help but look back on season 2 with an extreme fondness. If you’ll remember, that’s the year they introduced Barry Allen and when Deathstroke became one of the more memorable villains the series has thus far produced.
But as Amell himself said, season 6 could very well surpass them all, especially with all the buzz that’s been surrounding it. I guess we’ll just have to tune in when Arrow returns on Thursday, October 12 on The CW in order to find out for ourselves.
