Beginning in 2012, Arrow drew viewers into the saga of tortured vigilante hero Oliver Queen and raised the bar for what fans could expect of superhero drama on TV. It's since spawned an entire universe on The CW, paving the way for shows like The Flash, the animated webseries Vixen and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. And that's just in the show's first four seasons.

10 ''The Calm'' (Season 3)

Arrow is about to kick off its fifth season on Wednesday, October 5 and with the show rapidly approaching the 100 episode mark, we've got an updated look at the show's 10 best episodes so far. Whether they revolve around Ollie's feuds with villains like Slade Wilson and Malcolm Merlyn, his rocky romantic life, his troubled family relationships, or just endless scenes of a shirtless Stephen Amell working out on a salmon ladder, these are the episodes that gave Arrow its voice.

"We've already exhausted every topic that one would normally talk about on a first date, and a second date, and a third date, and every date actually. And I've already seen you shirtless. Multiple times. Shirtless all the time."

9 "The Brave and the Bold" (Season 3)

Oliver Queen faced a truly devastating series of trials in Season 2, losing his family and his company to Deathstroke's relentless onslaught. This Season 3 premiere saw Ollie trying to pick up the pieces of that shattered life and move forward. There was cause for optimism as Ollie tried to make an honest go of dating Felicity and embarked on an ambitious plan to reclaim control of Queen Consolidated. Unfortunately for him, fate seemed to intervene at every stretch as new threats to Starling City emerged and ray Palmer arrived to steal Queen Consolidated away.Two elements really worked in this episode's favor. The first was the debut of Peter Stormare as the new Count Vertigo, one far superior to the campy villain of the previous two seasons. The other was the surprise twist ending, as Sara Lance re-emerged in Starling City only to be killed by a mysterious assailant. That act made it abundantly clear that the worst wasn't over for Ollie and company. Far from it. "The Calm" started Season 3 on a strong note, and it's a shame that the overall quality didn't remain this high.

"To do what I do, Barry, takes conviction. But more often than not, it's the will to do what's ugly. Every time I do that, I'm... I'm trading away little pieces of myself."

8 "Broken Dolls" (Season 2)

The CW didn't waste much time before embarking on a full-fledged crossover between Arrow and The Flash in late 2014. Of the two shows, Arrow's half of the crossover proved to be the superior one, in part that's thanks to Nick Tarabay's guest appearance as the deadly effective Captain Boomerang. Boomerang's violent assault on A.R.G.U.S. headquarters ranks among the best action scenes of all three seasons of Arrow (hence its inclusion on our Arrow's Best Fight Scenes list).But beyond that, this episode made the most of this superhero team-up. Seeing Diggle and Roy butt heads with the far more chipper Cisco and Caitlin never fails to amuse. And whereas the first half of the crossover was more about pitting Ollie and Barry against one another, this episode celebrated their growing friendship. Ollie's character arc during this season was all about his quest to reclaim some sort of life outside the costume and avoid falling into darkness and despair. Where once he was a mentor to the rookie Barry Allen, now it fell to Barry to remind Ollie that he can still be a symbol of hope and inspiration to Starling City.

"Last year you were working with the Arrow. What a difference a few months makes."

"The Arrow?"

"Yeah. Seems more appropriate than 'The Hood.'"

7 "Unchained" (Season 4)

One area Arrow struggled with early on was its lack of complex, compelling villains. Apart from Malcolm Merlyn, Season 1 didn't have much to offer in that regard. This episode showed that the writers were learning from their mistakes and intent on focusing more attention on Starling City's darker side. Michael Eklund's Dollmaker proved to be one of the show's creepier and more unsettling villains, giving this episode a pronounced psychological horror vibe.Several other elements made this episode stand out from the early Season 2 pack, including showcasing the mysterious Canary and offering the first hint that Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins existed in the Arrow-verse. There was also the growing professional relationship between the Arrow and Detective Lance and the twist that Moira would be facing a possible death penalty for her role in Malcolm Merlyn's "undertaking." Coupled with exciting new developments in the flashback segments as Ollie and friends were brought on board the Amazo, this episode really helped get Season 2 build momentum.

"So a web nuke needs to be deployed somewhere. We need to know where the Calculator wants to install it."

"I am not calling him that on principle, because it is a lame codename."

6 "The Odyssey" (Season 1)

In general, Season 4 didn't represent Arrow at its best. The finale in particular served as a disappointing cap to a generally rocky season. But the season also had its definite high points, and none was more memorable than "Unchained."The funny thing about "Unchained" is that it wasn't one of the more noteworthy installments in terms of plot or major surprises. This is just one of those cases where the various pieces all came together to form an excellent Arrow adventure. There was the slick visual style courtesy of director Kevin Fair. There was the debut of Calculator, a scheming computer hacker villain who also happens to be Felicity's estranged father.But above all, this episode stood out because it brought Colton Haynes' Roy Harper back into the fold. Roy wasn't given the best sendoff in Season 3. This episode made up for that, allowing Roy one last adventure with the old gang and the chance to say goodbye on his own terms. That, coupled with Thea's imminently approaching death, gave this episode plenty of emotional punch.

"I'm trapped on an island, and my only friend is named Wilson."

Part of Arrow's hook is that it's constantly telling two stories at once. Oliver Queen's present-day superhero adventures are always juxtaposed with the events of five years ago, when Ollie was presumed dead and evolving from carefree playboy to hardened killer. At times the flashbacks have proven more compelling than the main storyline. This Season 1 episode finally gave viewers what they craved by focusing almost exclusively on the flashbacks.With Ollie wounded from his dramatic encounter with his mother in the previous episode, much of "The Odyssey" unfolded as a fever dream while Felicity and Diggle struggled to save his life. That alone gave the episode some oomph, but it was really the closer examination of Ollie and Slade Wilson's relationship that made this chapter stand out. It answered some burning questions and offered a strong showcase for Manu Bennett as Slade. Knowing the bitter rivalry that exists between Green Arrow and Deathstroke in the comics, it was fascinating to see the two characters portrayed as comrades-in-arms and wonder if and when they'd have a falling out. The fact that the show devoted so much time to building Ollie and Slade's relationship early on is exactly why Slade emerged as the show's best villain down the road.