The second season of the American television series ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

'' premiered on

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

on October 9, 2013, and concluded on May 14, 2014, with a total of 23 episodes. The series is based on the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

character

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

, a costumed crime-fighter created by

Mort Weisinger Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features ...

and

George Papp George Edward Papp (January 20, 1916 – August 8, 1989) was an American comics artist best known as one of the principal artists on the long-running DC Comics series ''Superboy''. Papp also co-created Green Arrow with Mort Weisinger and Congo B ...

, and is set in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...

, sharing continuity with other Arrowverse television series. The showrunners for this season were

Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series), Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', ''Political ...

Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), and ''Lege ...

and

Andrew Kreisberg Andrew Kreisberg (born April 23, 1971) is an American former television writer, producer and comic book writer. He is best known as the co-creator of the television series ''The Flash'', ''Arrow'', ''Supergirl'' and ''Legends of Tomorrow''. Pers ...

Stephen Amell Stephen Adam Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on the CW superhero series ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), based on DC Comics. Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franc ...

stars as

Oliver Queen Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

, with principal cast members

Katie Cassidy Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...

as Laurel Lance,

David Ramsey David Paul Ramsey (born November 17, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in The CW Arrowverse series ''Arrow'', ''The Flash'', ''Supergirl'', and ''Batwoman'' as John Diggle / Spartan, portraying Diggle and Bass Reeves i ...

as John Diggle,

Willa Holland Willa Joanna Chance Holland (born June 18, 1991) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama '' The O.C.'', Aqua in '' Kingdom Hearts,'' and Thea Queen in The CW series ''Arrow'' ...

Thea Queen Thea Dearden Queen, also known as Speedy, is a fictional character portrayed by Willa Holland on The CW television series ''Arrow'', created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. She is the maternal half-sister of series prot ...

Susanna Thompson Susanna Thompson (born January 27, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films ''Little Giants'' (1994), ''Ghosts of Mississippi'' (1996), ''Random Hearts'' (1999) and ''Dragonfly (2002 film), Dragonfly'' (2002). On televisi ...

as Moira Queen, and

Paul Blackthorne Paul Blackthorne (born 5 March 1969) is an English actor. Although born in Shropshire, he spent his early childhood on UK military bases in Britain and Germany. Blackthorne broke into acting via television advertisements in England. His breakth ...

Quentin Lance ''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 ...

returning from the previous season. They are joined by

Emily Bett Rickards Emily Bett Rickards (born July 24, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Felicity Smoak (Arrowverse), Felicity Smoak on The CW series ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', her first television credit. She reprised the role in the Ar ...

Felicity Smoak Felicity Smoak is a fictional character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. Her first appearance was in ''The Fury of Firestorm'' #23 (May 1984), created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Rafael Kayanan. She was originally the manager of ...

Colton Haynes Colton Lee Haynes (born July 13, 1988) is an American actor and model. He is known for his starring role as Jackson Whittemore in the MTV supernatural drama series ''Teen Wolf (2011 TV series), Teen Wolf'' and as Roy Harper (Arrowverse), Roy Har ...

as Roy Harper and Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson, who were promoted to series regulars from their recurring status in the previous season. The series follows billionaire playboy

(

), who claimed to have spent five years shipwrecked on

Lian Yu Lian Yu (; 1886 - 13 August 1972), art name Liqing ().was a diplomat, politician, judicial officer and lawyer in the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China. He was an important politician during the Reformed Government of the Republi ...

, a mysterious island in the North China Sea, before returning home to

Starling City This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial grou ...

(later renamed "Star City") to fight crime and corruption as a secret vigilante whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrow. In the second season, Oliver has vowed to stop crime without killing criminals, using "The Arrow" as his new name to represent that, and is aided with by allies, John and Felicity. Oliver's vow is tested when he comes under attack from Slade Wilson ( Manu Bennett), a man from Oliver's time on Lian Yu who resurfaces with a vendetta against him. Oliver grows to accept aspiring vigilante Roy Harper as his protégé, and begins to receive assistance from Quentin. Oliver also gains another ally in

Sara Lance Sara Lance, also known by her alter-ego White Canary, is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, first introduced in the 2012 pilot episode of the television series ''Arrow'', and later starring in '' Legends of Tomorrow''. The ...

(

Caity Lotz Caity Lotz (born December 30, 1986) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She has portrayed Stephanie Horton in the AMC series ''Mad Men'', Officer Kirsten Landry in the MTV mockumentary series ''Death Valley'' (2011), Annie in '' The Pact ...

) who survived her ordeal at sea six years prior. The season features flashbacks to Oliver's second year on Lian Yu where he faces a new threat from Dr. Anthony Ivo (

Dylan Neal Dylan Jeremy Neal (born October 8, 1969"Catching up with....Dylan Neal". ''Soap Opera Digest''. July 22, 2013. p. 73.) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of the character Dylan Shaw on the soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' ...

), whilst continuing to struggle to survive alongside allies Slade and Sara, and the archer Shado (

Celina Jade Celina Jade (born Celina Horan; 10 June 1985) is a Hong Kong and American actress, singer, songwriter, model, and martial artist. She is nominated as one of four of the greatest beauties in Hong Kong besides Carol Cheng, Lydia Shum and Amy Yip. ...

). The origins of his feud with Slade is revealed. The series was renewed for its second season on February 11, 2013. The second season received critical acclaim, and averaged 3.28 million viewers each week. The season would go on to be nominated for fifteen nominations in various categories. This season introduces characters from ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'', which was being developed as a potential spin-off at the time. The season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 16, 2014. The series was renewed for a third season on February 12, 2014.

Episodes

This season was prefaced with a recap episode airing on October 2, 2013, titled "Year One". It featured highlights of the first season and a preview of the second.

Cast and characters

Main

as Oliver Queen / Arrow *

as Laurel Lance *

as John Diggle *

as Roy Harper * Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke *

as Moira Queen *

Recurring

Guest

Production

Development

On February 11, 2013, The CW renewed Arrow for a second season for the 2013–14 season. A backdoor pilot for ''The Flash'' was originally going to be the twentieth episode, but due to the positive reception of Grant Gustin's appearance in the eighth and ninth episode, executives at The CW scrapped it in favor a traditional pilot so that it gives the developers more time to flesh out the character in addition to receiving an increase in the budget.

Casting

Emily Bett Rickards, Colton Haynes and Manu Bennett were all promoted to series regulars.

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (born 17 April 1987) is a Canadian actress, musician, model and television personality. She is best known for playing the fashion executive and heiress Steffy Forrester Finnegan on the CBS soap opera ''The Bold and the ...

, who originally played Sara Lance in the

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

, did not return and was replaced by Caity Lotz.

Costume

In the second half of the second season, Oliver replaces his "paint" mask with a

domino mask A domino mask is a small and (often) rounded mask covering only the area around the eyes and the space between them. The mask has seen special prevalence since the 18th century, when it became traditional wear in particular local manifestations ...

, similar to one worn by the character in the comics. The change is addressed on-screen, with Kreisberg saying, "He doesn't just put on a mask. It's actually a big plot point in an episode, and there really is a story behind, not only the need for the mask but also who provides him with it." On adding the mask now, Kreisberg stated that, "Conceptually, it was something we wanted to do because Oliver himself is evolving as the Arrow—from vigilante to hero, sort of from Arrow to Green Arrow—and we wanted to see that progression in his costume as well. As Oliver is embracing being a hero, being a hero means stepping out of the dark and being more of a symbol, so he has to take steps to conceal his identity more." He added that it will "allow the Arrow to interact with people who don't know his identity in a much more organic way than having him constantly keep his head down." Costume designer Maya Mani put together roughly 50 mask options for the producers. Kreisberg said, "What's so wonderful about the design that Maya came up with is that it really is very simple, and it feels as if it's been part of his costume since the beginning...once we finally had this mask and put it on Stephen

mell Mell (stylized as MELL) is a female Japanese singer from Sapporo, Japan, who is signed to Geneon Universal Entertainment (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise tha ...

even Stephen was like, 'This is the right one. In the episode " Three Ghosts", Oliver receives the mask from

Barry Allen Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Flash (Jay Garrick), Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in ''Showcase (comic ...

, who is able to create a mask that will help conceal his identity, while still being functional and allowing Oliver to see clearly.

Music

Release

Broadcast

The season began airing in the United States on

on October 10, 2013, and completed its 23-episode run on May 14, 2014.

Home media

''Arrow: Season 2'' was released as a 5-disc DVD set and as a 9-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo pack set on September 16, 2014 in the United States and September 15, 2014 in the United Kingdom. The DVD and Blu-ray box sets contain additional features, including making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel, and highlights from the Paley Fest.

Reception

Critical response

The second season received favorable reviews.

Jeff Jensen Jeff Jensen is an American writer and journalist. Early life Jensen is a native of Seattle, Washington, and a graduate of the School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New ...

of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave the first half of the second season a rating of B+, saying, "''Arrow'' possesses an intelligence that shines through its TV-budget production values, which aren't too shabby. The writing is adult and witty, the action is exciting, and Amell holds the center with well-cultivated ease." ''The A.V. Club''s Carrie Raisler gave the first half of the second season a rating of A−. She said, "''Arrow'' asofficially established itself as one of the most satisfying shows on television. The most satisfying thing of all is that it did so by respecting its characters... 'Arrow'' respectsthe character's comic-book roots in its overarching plotlines, all while using the network-appropriate soap-opera stories to do the heavy character lifting."

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported a 95% approval rating based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 8.15/10. The site's consensus reading: "The second season of ''Arrow'' boasts more fantastic action, as well as a widening cast of intriguing, richly written characters."

Ratings

The second season averaged 3.28 million viewers across the 23 episodes, ranking 128th among television show viewership.

Accolades

, - ! scope="row" rowspan="16" , 2014 , rowspan="2" , Constellation Awards , Best Male Performance in a 2013 Science Fiction Television Episode , data-sort-value="Amell, Stephen" ,

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

") , , , - , Best Science Fiction Television Series of 2013 , data-sort-value="Arrow" , ''

'' , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

IGN Awards ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former ed ...

, Best TV Action Series , data-sort-value="Arrow" , ''Arrow'' , , , - , Best TV Hero , data-sort-value="Amell, Stephen" ,

, , , - , rowspan="6" ,

Leo Awards The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...

, Best Cinematography Dramatic Series , data-sort-value="Verheul, Gordon" , Gordon Verheul ("

Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...

") , , , - , Best Dramatic Series ,

, Joseph P. Finn,

Wendy Mericle Wendy Mericle is an American television writer and television producer, producer. She is known for her work on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC dramedy ''Desperate Housewives'' and The CW's Superhero (genre), superhero series ''Arrow (TV se ...

, , , - , Best Lead Performance by a Male Dramatic Series , data-sort-value="Amell, Stephen" , Stephen Amell ("

Crucible A crucible is a container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. Although crucibles have historically tended to be made out of clay, they can be made from any material that withstands temperat ...

") , , , - , Best Lead Performance by a Female Dramatic Series , data-sort-value="Rickards, Emily Bett" ,

(" Three Ghosts") , , , - , Best Make-Up Dramatic Series , data-sort-value="Fowler, Danielle" , Danielle Fowler (" Keep Your Enemies Closer") , , , - , Best Stunt Coordination Dramatic Series , data-sort-value="Makaro, J. J." , J. J. Makaro (" The Scientist") , , , - ,

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...

, Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor , data-sort-value="Amell, Stephen" , Stephen Amell , , , - ,

Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

, Satellite Award for Best Television Series – Genre , data-sort-value="Arrow" , ''Arrow'' , , , - ,

Saturn Awards The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

, Best Youth-Oriented Television Series , data-sort-value="Arrow" , ''Arrow'' , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...

, Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show , data-sort-value="Arrow" , ''Arrow'' , , , - , Choice TV Female Breakout Star , data-sort-value="Rickards, Emily Bett" , Emily Bett Rickards , , , - , Young Hollywood Awards , Super Superhero , data-sort-value="Amell, Stephen" , Stephen Amell , , , - ! scope="row" , 2015 ,

PRISM Awards The Entertainment Industries Council is a United States non-profit organization founded in 1983 that promotes the depiction of accurate health and social issues in film, television, music, and comic books. The Council provides guidelines on the depi ...

, Performance in a Drama Multi-Episode Storyline , data-sort-value="Cassidy, Katie" ,

, ,

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Arrowverse Arrow (TV series) seasons 2013 American television seasons 2014 American television seasons Television series set in 2006 Television series set in 2008 Television series set in 2009