Arrow is one of the CW’s original and most popular television shows, but the season 4 finale is the lowest rated Arrow episode on IMDb not only in the season, but in the show’s history. Arrow season 4, episode 23, “Schism,” is the season finale, and one that was mostly displeasing to fans and critics of the show alike.
Season 4 is possibly the show’s weakest, as it is consistently ranked last among eight seasons of Arrow. In season 4 of Arrow, the showrunners aimed to delve into more supernatural concepts, as most of the season involves some sort of magic, time travel or meta-human abilities. This focus was a sharp departure from the more grounded and realistic tone of the first three seasons (with the exception of Ra’s Al Ghul). Season 4 sees Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) come out of retirement and return to Team Arrow in order stop a new adversary, Damien Darhk. Darhk possesses seemingly unstoppable supernatural abilities and plans to unleash nuclear chaos on the entire globe. Although the stakes seem high at first glance, the season failed to appeal to its fans, resulting in a very underwhelming and disappointing finale.
The reason “Schism” is the lowest rated episode of Arrow is a culmination of many factors. As discussed earlier, the entirety of season 4 didn’t take to fans: not only did season 4 explore many concepts that were inauthentic to the core mythology of the show, but the season saw a number of character changes that upset fans, including Oliver and Felicity break off their romance. All of these cumulative events lead to a finale that made fans understandably upset by its end.
Why Arrow’s Season 4 Finale Upset Fans
The supernatural concepts explored in Arrow season 4 drastically changed the dynamic of the show. The season featured Team Arrow interacting with other meta-humans such as The Flash, Hawkgirl, Vandal Savage, Damien Darhk and several others. While it is nice to explore new ideas, heavily involving these super powered beings in a show that has largely been grounded in realism completely changes the structure. Having Damien Darhk, a magical antagonist, be the season’s main villain meant the show had to introduce other supernatural abilities so the heroes had a chance to win.
One of the most important factors in the low rating of the Arrow season 4 finale was the death of character Black Canary earlier in the season. Although fans later in the show see the character from Earth 2 return, this universes’ Black Canary, who had become a staple of the show, died in episode 18, “Eleven-Fifty-Nine.” In the comics, Black Canary and Green Arrow go hand in hand, striking romantic relationships and working together often, so when the character was killed off in the show, fans were not pleased. Furthermore, the episode “Schism” ends with Team Arrow disbanding. The team had been disgruntled with each other throughout season 4, but ending the season with them disbanding meant viewers had to wait for the next season to see if the team regrouped — and denied fans of the series some much-needed catharsis following Black Canary’s death. These events changed the core of the show, resulting in a disappointing season of Arrow, culminating in the letdown of a finale.
