Arrow: Five Best Moments From 2013

There is no doubt: Arrow has been the best comics-based series on TV this year. Even with all of the love we have for The Walking Dead’s bold midseason finale, it’s hard to top the week-in, week-out way that Arrow has put it all out there–and the fact that they’ve undeniably stepped up their game considerably from last year. Parts of the show that haven’t been working have been successfully retooled or downplayed, while the fan-favorite stuff–and particularly the DC Universe stuff–has taken on a new importance to the series’ overall narrative.The series is a triumph of craft and love and great writing over preconceptions and budgets and pretty much everyone’s expectations.What were some of the biggest, coolest moments of the season? Well, we picked the ones that surprised or delighted us the most and put them together below…!

Whether or not Ra’s will actually appear onscreen this year or not is still an open question, but what’s certain is that he’s been a factor all along. How much of one? Well, we’ve had a few League of Assassins villains come along, and more promised for the second half of the season–and he’s played a role in the stories of not only Oliver and Sara, but also Malcolm Merlyn (more on that below).