It’s time for Arrow to end after this season. It bring me no pleasure to say that given how much I’ve enjoyed the show over the years. But Oliver’s storyline is over, and without him, the show can’t realistically continue.

He started as a former playboy turned violent vigilante killing people to save his city. For almost two seasons, he was a mayor before getting impeached. He ended season six as…a violent vigilante killing people to save his city before turning himself in. He had come full circle. So, I don’t see how his storyline can advance. He can’t go back to politics. Staying in prison for several seasons would make for a boring show. And it’s hard to see how he could do anything new as a vigilante after confronting Damien Darkh, Malcolm Merlyn, or the League of Assassins. His storyline is exhausted.

That’s not to say that season 7 couldn’t be good. We could see what becomes of Starling city and Team Arrow in Oliver’s absence. Maybe the FBI and a new city government can get things under control. Or maybe the city descends into chaos. Either outcome would help answer the show’s long-running question of whether vigilantism is justified. If the city goes down in flames, the Green Arrow will have turned out to be necessary.

And we could see how Oliver copes with prison. Does he grapple with the fact that he’s lied and murdered? Or does he stay defiant and insist that he did what he had to to save his city? Season 7 can be the season where we see Oliver finally reckon with what all of his years on Lian Yu, working for the Bratva, and being the Arrow have cost him.

And after that, as much as I love it, it’s time for Arrow to end.