It is really hard to find an Arrow poster that is not just of Stephen, includes Felicity & Diggle, but doesn’t have eight other characters I don’t care that much about. Luckily for our fandom we have our own PR department - @klarolicityswan or OlicityDreams. I ordered this kick ass poster from her. There’s larger sizes available on Redbubble. LINK
Arrow promo department handed me a little crack today.
This poster is my jam.
But we’ll get to the light. Actually, what struck me first was the tagline “Revelation and Repentance.” It’s very biblical in nature. Beth Schwartz said the season theme was redemption. There were many guilty parties in Season 6, whose actions were anything but heroic, but I wouldn’t count Oliver among them.
In fact, Oliver came as close to being a fully realized superhero in Season 6 than he ever has before. Yet, he ends up in prison. So what does Oliver need redemption for? Why is he being punished for the actions of others?
Redemption is a broad concept. It’s not limited to an act of atonement for a fault or a mistake. While there are many characters in Arrow that require atonement for their mistakes *cough*newbies*cough* I do not believe this is the lens we should view Oliver Queen through. Redemption means something very different for his character and the Season 7 poster illuminates how (pun intended).
In the beginning, Oliver was a man in need of redemption for his sins. He was a self centered layabout who cheated and lied.
It was Oliver’s sins that put him on the Queen’s gambit and lead him to Lian Yu – aka Purgatory.
The island burned Oliver to ash and what emerged was a very different man. He was selfless, repentant, and completely committed to helping others.
Oliver was still haunted by demons, but overtime (and with the help of his loved ones) he eventually was able to conquer most of them.
Oliver’s light was on full display in Season 6.
He married the love of his life, was an amazing father to his son, and fought for Star City both as the mayor and the Green Arrow. When his team turned him, Oliver offered forgiveness and understanding, even though those betrayals resulted in great personal cost.
It wasn’t a perfect arc. Oliver made mistakes and perhaps you believe he does require redemption for his sins. He did not discuss his decision to serve a life sentence, in exchange for the FBI’s help, with Felicity.
Oliver Queen is also a murderer. Sure, they were all bad people, but murder is murder. It’s the entire reason he was being prosecuted. Damien Darhk nuked thousands, but it still didn’t give Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, the legal right to kill him. So, if this is how you view Oliver then the first definition of redemption works quite nicely.
However, I view Oliver differently. I’ve always been firm in my belief Oliver shouldn’t kill, but then again I’m not losing sleep over anyone he has killed. When I view the landscape of Season 6 as a whole, Oliver did almost everything I’ve ever asked of him. Even his mistakes were rooted in selflessness (more about that in my 6x23 review). I don’t believe Oliver Queen requires redemption anymore. He has shifted into something else entirely.
He is the redeemer.
Every superhero is essentially a Christ like figure. Look no further than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiering over Holy week and the movie culminating in the crucifixion of Superman.
Wonder Woman hovers above the sky, in a perfect cross like formation, and destroys the epitome of evil Ares, (aka the Devil).
“It’s not about deserve. It’s about what you believe. And I believe in love.” - Diana, Wonder Woman
The superhero evolves to a place where they become the beacon of light for those they fight for. They become the best example of humanity. However, this often requires sacrifice.
What did Jesus Christ require redemption for? Nothing. Jesus died for our sins. His death was our redemption. Did we deserve that kind of sacrifice? No, but it’s not about what we deserve. It’s about how much we are loved even though we are sinners.
Need a less Catholic perspective? No problem. Consider The Shawshank Redemption. As the always brilliant @callistawolf pointed out, Andy was an innocent man. He did not require redemption because he did nothing wrong.
Perhaps he was not a good husband, but the punishment far outweighed the crime. But Andy had a light that could not be distinguished. He had hope and it gave others hope. His belief made others believe. Andy was the path to redemption.
Since both Shawshank and Arrow made not so subtle nods to The Count of Monte Cristo this is another prime example of an innocent man nearly consumed by anger and revenge, but ultimately embraces love and peace.
Edmond Dantes is the path to redemption for others as well. Redemption requires punishment or forgiveness for some, while other characters never achieve it.
Side note: Maybe we’ll be able to slot in Arrow characters into corresponding Shawshank & Monte Cristo roles. That’d be nifty.
As I said, the tagline is very biblical in nature which feeds my Oliver-as-the-redeemer theory. The definition of revelation is:
a : an act of revealing or communicating divine truth
b : something that is revealed by God to humans
2 a : an act of revealing to view or making known
b : something that is revealed; especially : an enlightening or astonishing disclosure shocking revelations
c : a pleasant often enlightening surprise
However, Revelation is also one of the books of the Bible. The scary one.
This is the book, written by the apostle John, which details the way the world is going to end, but leaves it confusing enough so we have absolutely no idea when it will happen.
That’s entirely the point though. We aren’t supposed to know when the world ends, but simply understand it will happen. Maybe we will to see the end or maybe we don’t. Either way our time here on earth is finite. There is a clock ticking. Our redemption lies with Jesus Christ. We must repent our sins and look to Him for our salvation. In fact, the word apocalypse means revelation. The Book of Revelation is often called the Apocalypse of John.
What the heck does all this mean for Arrow? I’m not saying Oliver is Jesus because that’s crazy, but symbolically he is. Oliver is Star City’s salvation. He went to jail primarily to protect his wife and child, but also to save his friends from prosecution. Oliver did it to save the city from Diaz - the same city prosecuting him for being the Green Arrow. Did the newbies or Star City citizens deserve Oliver’s sacrifice? No. Not even a little bit, but Oliver sacrificed everything that mattered to him to ensure their safety. Oliver Queen is a martyr. All superheroes become one eventually.
It’s why Oliver is bathed in light. He is the light. It’s always the light. There’s no mask, suit, bow, arrows or team (because prison, duh). Oliver is alone. He doesn’t have any of the tools he uses as a conduit for either his darkness or his light. Everything is stripped away. He is battered and bruised, but the light still shines.
One thing we have yet to see Oliver do is harness his light by himself. He’s always had Felicity or Diggle as his support system. They’ve always been there to pick him up and point Oliver in the right direction. But he’s cut off in the same way he was cut off from all those he loved on Lian Yu. Slabslide is another island.
I hope is Oliver is able to pull himself out of the dark hole by himself this time. This may be one of the final pieces of Oliver Queen’s superhero puzzle. The knowledge that Oliver can lose everything and yet retain his goodness may give him an inner strength he’s never known before.
It will take time and I expect Oliver to screw it up at first, because that’s what he does. Oliver will tunnel deeper into the darkness before he finds the way out. When Oliver was on Lian Yu he had to shut down his humanity to survive, so I expect this is the route he’ll initially go. However, he must embrace his humanity to survive this island. If the poster is any clue then Oliver he will eventually set himself on this path.
Even though the other characters are not on the poster it still hints at their direction as well. The Arrow posters are always equally about the city as they are the characters, because the show never strays too far from Oliver’s mission.
The word repentance means to turn away from sin. The Hebrew roughly translates to “turn away from.” However, whenever we turn away from something we turn toward something else. We turn away from sin and turn toward Christ.
If we replace revelation with apocalypse and repentance means “turn away from” then the message of the Season 7 poster is very clear. Star City and the newbies turned their backs on Oliver Queen, yet he is their salvation. The “apocalypse” is nearing, but we don’t know when or how. (This is standard Arrow story structure because the city is always under attack from the new Big Bad). The city and team must “repent” or turn away from their “sin” (mistakes/wrong doing/betrayals/self absorption/petulant toddler like fits – slot whatever you want in for sin) and turn towards the light – Oliver Queen.
All of this points to a new understanding and acceptance of Oliver Queen from the team, the city and himself. Oliver may be in prison, but his deliverance lies within. And the city’s deliverance lies with Oliver.
If Season 6 was a rejection of the Green Arrow then Season 7 is about acceptance. The city and team will realize they need Oliver and the Green Arrow. They will atone by giving Oliver the chance to live both identities, man and mask, without lies and compartmentalization. All of this brings us closer to a fully realized superhero and the story of Oliver Queen, the repentant sinner turned redeemer, full circle.
Renewals! The CW Has Given Additional Seasons to 10 Series! Supergirl! Arrow! The Flash! Riverdale! and More!
Renewals! The CW Has Given Additional Seasons to 10 Series! Supergirl! Arrow! The Flash! Riverdale! and More!
The CW has renewed the bulk of it’s programming lineup. In all, 10 series have been picked up for additional seasons including: Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Supernatural, Riverdale, Dynasty, Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. “As The CW expands to a six-night, Sunday through Friday schedule next season, we are proud to have such a deep bench of great…
