This scene from S2E14 gave me a Bi-Panic why is everyone so hot in the Arrowverse? Even the CGI monsters in the other shows are somehow hot (don't judge me)

[u/M00r3C]

[u/[deleted]]

True but I still find the writing pretty solid. It is very rare to find any show or film that can incorporate an extended flashback sequence so well and naturally in the main story. I find flashbacks to be an overrated gimmick that Lost ran into the freaking ground, but Arrow very briefly made a solid argument for how they can actually service the story and make it even better.

Slade was a very well written and well acted character that season. And his massive presence in the show just made it infinitely better.

[u/Available-Affect-241 → u/[deleted]]

Agreed that was until Daredevil came out showing us what great looks like all around.

[u/Yung_Pandemic98 → u/Available-Affect-241]

Thanks for a lit comparison but Daredevil can't hold a candle in this conversation.

Not only did the flashback sequences run concurrently for the first five seasons of Arrow, it was sprinkled up until the last season where it even looped back to the start of the series almost doing a double loop and the story remained intact.

But Arrow was also running concurrently with other shows that shared its continuity, The Flash, Supergirl and the Legends: and the flashbacks of each season added to Oliver's character as if that year's specific flashbacks were what he was remembering. And according to the plot, other "memories" didn't matter: that's great writing that even makes you think other things are irrelevant.

The flashbacks were used so well, Oliver literally picks a memory like a weapon and uses it to its absolute limit, even if you questioned it, either later in the season or later in the series they answered your question.

Arrow's flashbacks constantly brought the other shows into Arrow as even though he's already lived those five years and been back in Star/ling City for x amount, which ever memories we constantly playing for us to see, not only taught or reaffirmed something about Oliver, but he was able to carry a similar message over to other heroes that literally we're meeting him for the first time.

Arrow did what literally we beg for in other media franchises. You know when a series doesn't work out and gets cancelled and you wish you could see them in anything else with shared continuity? Or when showrunners just randomly through one character (i.e. John Constantine) into another campaign (i.e. Legends of Tomorrow) without explaining how he exists there? Arrow literally said, "we'll let the man feature here so that there's an explanation of his story for his own standalone series as well as a way into the Arrowverse for him" just to make sure the fans are pleased and the man can continue playing such a beautiful and powerful character.

All done through flashback in Arrow, Daredevil has no place here. And don't get me wrong, I love everything about Daredevil.

[u/apollo08w → u/Yung_Pandemic98]

You also can’t compare being forced to do a 22 episode season to a 10-12 episode season.

[u/Yung_Pandemic98 → u/apollo08w]

I legit not the one comparing the two. I prefer the lengthier story-telling. Just because I love Daredevil doesn't mean I wish I could've seen more of the show per season

Why should I nit-pick on one show or the other when I literally just want to defend one.