The first season of Arrow was marked by a steady sense of improvement.  By the end of the first season, Arrow was seemingly at the top of its game, but there were doubts as to whether or not the second season could maintain that level of quality.  Despite a few minor stumbles along the way, Arrow not only met the challenge, but might have exceeded it.

Slade Wilson was introduced in the first season, but he was exclusive to the flashbacks to the island.  At the beginning of the second season, it felt like the same would be true; more time was spent introducing the notion that Sarah Lance was still alive and had been present on the island as well.  Black Canary’s introduction brought with it a slew of other DC Universe references, many of which were equally impressive.

But none of them were on the order of Deathstroke’s arrival in Starling City.  Slade Wilson’s madness dominated the second half of the season, as Oliver’s life spiraled out of control.  There was also the not-so-insignificant introduction, however subtle, of superpowers into the Arrow mythos.  Granted, most of them were the result of mirakuru, the drug that led to Slade’s instability and near-invulnerability, but that is far from an everyday situation.  And of course, Malcolm Merlyn’s connection to the League of Assassins essentially spoke to a form of resurrection.

Arrow was hitting its stride so well that the few missteps were more obvious in comparison.  In most cases, it was simply a matter of the vast tapestry of Deathstroke’s plan having a few weaker threads.  It provides the creators with some room for improvement in the third season, but it also means that there are instances where seemingly good ideas hit spotty execution.

WHAT WORKED

With few exceptions, the cast managed to both expand and gel at the same time.  Most prominent was the arrival of Sarah Lance, presumed dead, as Black Canary.  To say that this gradually undermined the assumptions of the Lance family doesn’t begin to describe it, especially given that Laurel was struggling with the aftermath of Tommy’s death at the time.

Deathstroke’s multi-pronged, systematic takedown of Oliver’s world was a great use of the long-form storytelling of the season arc.  In classic Whedon-esque fashion, he wasn’t even revealed as the true villain until well into the season; instead, Brother Blood appeared to be the main adversary.  And even then, in both cases, Oliver was really his own worst enemy, considering how his reactions were so easily predicted.

The producers obviously recognized that Felicity had become a fast fan favorite, and her further integration into the team was a great move.  Surprisingly, even Thea and Roy turned out to have some strong material both together and apart, and Thea’s character turn is actually driving the start of the third season.  Who could have seen that coming?

WHAT DIDN’T WORK

Not every plan is 100% perfect, and that was certainly true when it came to the inclusion of Isabel as a corporate rival for Oliver.  Things picked up a little bit at the end of the season, when Isabel was revealed to be one of Slade’s minions in the plot against Oliver, but that didn’t make up for what felt like a waste of Summer Glau.  What little time was spent with Glau as Isabel, corporate schemer, felt like miscasting, which didn’t help the situation at all.

This season was also weaker for Laurel Lance than anticipated.  While Katie Cassidy’s commitment to portraying a drunken drug addict was commendable (her weight loss at one point was palpable), the storyline seemed to derail her progress comparative to the rest of the cast.  While it’s easy enough to see in retrospect that it was designed to toughen Laurel up psychologically in preparation to follow in her sister’s footsteps at some point in the future, it just wasn’t as engaging as the writers seemed to think it would be.

THE BEST EPISODES

2.9: “Three Ghosts”

The episode that revealed Slade Wilson’s presence in Starling City, and his role as the mastermind behind Brother Blood, the bid to take control of the city, and the threat to Oliver Queen.

2.13: “Heir to the Demon”

Nyssa, daughter to Ra’s al’Ghul, high-ranking member of the League of Assassins, and former lover of Sarah Lance arrives in Starling City to force Sarah back into the fold.  Nothing was the same for the Lances after this episode.

2.20: “Seeing Red”

Not unlike the Buffy episode of the same name, what seems like a standard enough episodic plot involving Roy and his rages ends with the death of a major character, setting up the season finale event and putting events into motion for far beyond.

THE WORST EPISODES

2.6: “Keep Your Enemies Closer”

Oliver goes to Russia with Diggle to help him deal with Deadshot, and Isabel invites herself along.  This has a sexual encounter between Oliver and Isabel that only gets more awkward later in the season.

2.10: “Blast Radius”

Coming on the heels of the revelation about Slade, this episode is all too generic, to the extent that it sticks out compared to the rest of the season.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Arrow took a huge step forward in its second season, moving from a roughly average C+ to an above average B+.  Maintaining that kind of trajectory would be difficult, but the improvements that continue to be made are a solid foundation for the third season.  Having John Barrowman back in the mix as a regular, as well as so many strong supporting characters, gives the writers a lot to work with as the series progresses.