The Heart of Arrow

Arrow is more than a fantasy adventure show, though it is that. It is more than one man slaying the world's dragons, though it is that.  The heartbeat of Arrow, the thing that keeps the show moving forward and living, is the love story between Oliver and Felicity, though it is even more than a love story.  In  every hero's tale the hero needs something  to fight for, but the hero needs to grow and become a better person.  Every tale well told needs the characters to grow. 

Oliver and Felicity have changed each other.  Each season a new layer  of Oliver has peeled away.  In season one Oliver didn't think he needed  anyone.  He had closed himself off to any kind of feeling for others.  He was all about marking  names off a list, yet by the end of the season, he had  come to see beyond those names.  Diggle  helped Oliver to do that, but it was  Felicity's light that shined  bright.  Her ability to selflessly love.  As we've seen from Diggle's backstory, he had his share of darkness too.  Oliver began  season two by shutting himself off  from everyone, but Felicity made him see that he need to open himself up to the light.  He began to fight differently.  He wasn't out to kill, but save. In season three, Oliver realized  he didn't want to die alone. He wanted to  have more in his life.  He allowed himself to tell Felicity that he loved her, and later she opened her heart to him.
In season four Oliver had to let go of that which he loved the most, in order to become  a hero in the light.  In  season 5 both Oliver and Felicity had demons to face, and in doing so, they both knew they had been unfair to each other.  In season six, they became a family, yet Oliver had one more lesson to learn about allowing himself to fully trust.  In season seven both Oliver and Felicity had to be in a prison of their own to see how much their love could stand. 

Without them the story would not have been as compelling in the telling.  Without them, we lose the  heart and soul of what Arrow is all about. This is something  the writers failed to see, yet the fans have always known. In the end Arrow is more than a hero righting wrongs.  It's the power of love so strong that it enables you sacrifice even the thing you love.  Oliver and Felicity have sacrificed their being together to save what they love the most,  their children.  Yes, they sacrificed to  save the city, but that was to give their children a safe place to live.  Their story is a story of love, passion, and sacrifice.  That is why this viewer tuned in.