Arrow brought to life the enigmatic Oliver Queen, the emerald archer who wanted to rid Starling city of all crime.
Arrow is also a monumental show for the DC universe as it created a whole mini-franchise that would dominate the small screen for almost a decade — I’m sure many of you are already familiar with or are huge fans of the Arrowverse.
Arrow came to an end in 2020 after an 8-year run. But if you’re feeling nostalgic and wish to revisit some episodes, I have the perfect list for you. Here are the top 10 Arrow episodes, the best of the best from the entire series that you simply must rewatch!
10The Promise | Season 2 Ep 15
The Promise is one of Arrow’s best episodes because it is set entirely in the past, focusing on flashbacks that reveal how the rivalry between Deathstroke and Arrow started.
This episode was quite intense, as Oliver had to maintain his calm and not blow up his cover around Slade, lest they get into an impromptu fatal battle. As this kept fans on the edge, it made for one of the show’s top episodes.
9The Climb | Season 3 Ep 9
The Climb is one of Arrow’s top-tier episodes as it depicts the epic fight between Oliver and Ra’as Al Ghul, which ultimately resulted in Oliver dying.
Season 3 was off the rails to begin with and highlighted how The League of Assassins and their leader were truly villains to be afraid of. It was super scary how Oliver was challenged to find Sara’s killer within 48 hours, lest Starling City suffers the consequences.
8Starling City | Season 8 Ep 1
As the premiere episode of Arrow’s final season, Starling City is one of Arrow’s top episodes. But the bigger driving point is the story itself, wherein The Think puts Oliver into an alternate Earth to deal with problems he had already faced before.
We all knew the last season would go out with a bang, so to start off on such a unique note was amazing. Plus, since this episode was an “alternate version” of S1 Ep 1, it was ripe with Easter eggs and even brought back beloved characters Katie Cassidy, Colin Donnell and Josh Segarra. Whoever says nostalgia doesn’t win hasn’t watched this episode!
7 Kapiushon | Season 5 Ep 17
Kapiushon is one Arrow’s top episodes because it depicts Adrian Chase’s confrontation with Oliver, accusing the former of enjoying violence and killing “bad” guys. This forces Oliver to have a reckoning and examine his behavior.
After looking at Oliver as the moralistic superhero, fans are forced to view his Arrow persona from a new angle. This certainly adds a lot of depth to his character, as we see him struggling to resist his sadistic tendencies.
Season 5 was probably the show’s best season which is why it has produced some really amazing episodes — most of which make it to this list as well.
6Three Ghosts | Season 2 Ep 9
Three Ghost’s is an Arrow version of The Christmas Carol which was an incredibly innovative and fresh idea. This easily makes it one of the show’s top episodes!
This is one of my favorite episodes as it explores what Oliver would become had his life events been different. This is shown through the “ghosts” of Tommy, Shado and Slade, slowly revealing how these threats are bleeding into the present timeline. Fans definitely loved how out of the box this was!
5What We Leave Behind | Season 5 Ep 9
By the time season 5 rolls by, Oliver beings to think that his days of crimefighting may have reduced, only to get plowed down by Prometheus — making What we Leave Behind one of Arrow’s top-notch episodes. Bonus: This was Arrow’s 101st episode!
The star in this episode is definitely Prometheus who defines himself as a dangerous enemy to have. After finding out each of Team Arrow’s secret identities, Prometheus has made it his mission to take them down. There are quite a few gruesome deaths, so here’s your warning!
4Sacrifice | Season 1 Ep 23
As the first Arrow season finale, Sacrifice makes it to one of the show’s best episodes. Here we saw the season come full circle as Oliver’s face off with Malcolm Merlyn ends up in his son, Tommy Merlyn, dying.
Not only does this make the list by virtue of simply being the first-ever finale that fans witness, but the story itself is so bittersweet and well-written that it deserves high praise.
3Seeing Red | Season 2 Ep 20
Seeing Red is one of Arrow’s best episodes because it pushes the envelope of just exactly how dark the show can get by depicting Moira’s (Oliver’s mom) death at the hands of Slade Wilson.
This was by far one of the most shocking episodes that established how Slade was willing to cross any and all lines to get what he wants. Fans were definitely not prepared to see Arrow take such a gory turn, despite being familiar with how dark the show can get. It also made them emphasize more with all the suffering that Oliver constantly goes through.
2Lian Yu | Season 5 Ep 23
Serving as S5’s finale, Lian Yu is one of Arrow’s best episodes as it depicts the showdown between Oliver and Lian Yu, his most formidable adversary. This episode also left fans with the cliffhanger of Prometheus shooting himself, denotating a bomb and killing Oliver’s loved ones.
While we now know that all of these tragic events will be soon undone in S6, it was still a truly heartbreaking note to end on — especially for fans who were reeling from the shock of the events and did not know what to expect next.
1Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 4 | Season 8 Ep 8
Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 4 is Arrow’s best episode as it depicts Arrowverse’s largest crossover that Team Arrow is part of. This is also the arc where Oliver sacrifices himself for the sake of the multiverse.
All Arrowverse fans know that this crossover is literally the biggest event of the franchise — where the whole superhero team faces off Anti-monitor, who wanted to rewrite the fate of the whole multiverse.
In the end, the entire universe also gets a “reset” due to the events of the crossover, which included Oliver’s sad demise. But rumor has it that he will make a final appearance in The Flash’s swansong season this February — Don’t miss out!
About Arrow
Arrow is an American superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is set in the Arrowverse with other related television series. The series premiered in the United States on The CW on October 10, 2012, and was primarily filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Arrow follows billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), who claimed to have spent five years shipwrecked on Lian Yu, a mysterious island in the North China Sea, before returning home to Starling City (later renamed “Star City”) to fight crime and corruption as a secret vigilante whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrow.
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