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Old 05-14-2014, 05:56 AM
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2x23 Unthinkable: Episode Discussion

unthinkable
2x23 - episode discussion

OLIVER MUST DECIDE ONCE AND FOR ALL
IF HE’S A KILLER OR A HERO



Slade (Manu Bennett) moves forward with his plan to kill one more person in Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) life. While Oliver has fought all year to be more than the killer he once was, when Slade kidnaps someone close to Oliver’s heart, Oliver is pushed to the edge and realizes sometimes it takes doing the unthinkable to stop the monster. Meanwhile, Diggle (David Ramsey) takes on Amanda Waller (guest star Cynthia Addai-Robinson) with a little help from some friends, and Thea (Willa Holland) turns to Roy (Colton Haynes) in her time of need.

John Behring directed the episode with story by Greg Berlanti and teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg (#223).


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Old 05-14-2014, 04:46 PM
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thanks Holly for starting this
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Old 05-14-2014, 06:24 PM
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Wow what a finale.

I'll come back later once I have processed my thoughts. I've been lurking all season long I figure I would give what my likes and don't likes (not many) are. But this show didn't disappoint at all.
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Old 05-14-2014, 06:32 PM
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I enjoyed that episode a lot, action backed and an interesting ending.

I'll start with Sara Lance going back to the League of Assassins, I actually didn't have that much of a problem with that, she seems to fit more with them then with Oliver and the A-Team right now, she's a bit of a hero but she also don't mind killing, and we know true heroes are not suppose to kill, so with Nyssa al Ghul for now she might fit better there. I really enjoyed that ending scene with the Lances. Sara not being sad about leaving but instead being fulfilled, and accepting her end of the bargain and just have such a beautiful family moment...

That last moment between Sara and Laurel didn't make me that happy though, Sara passing the jacket on to Laurel was very sweet but of course it's foreshadowing for Laurel becoming
Spoiler:
But the storyline will probably be written good so I'll wait and see.

Quentin possibly dying in the end? I didn't see that one coming, but if that did happen, I can see that being extra motivation for Laurel becoming .... Dinah 'Laurel' Lance.

I gotta bring up Nyssa killing Isabel... um... thank you!!!!!!

The whole Roy/Thea stuff, I didn't really care for it... I just don't like them together much because of how poorly it was written, I felt this storyline was very predictable.
Oh wait let me go back to Malcolm, when we find out that Thea actually really did shot Malcolm Meryln, that really shocked me... I just can't believe she really did it but when he was alive... that was predictable, no way he'd die so sudden so I saw that coming.

I already love the dynamic between Thea and Malcolm, I just enjoy their scenes already... when Malcolm told Thea that when she needs him he'll be there, I knew right away how this was going to end.

Now back to Roy/Thea, during their scene... I just knew it wouldn't end well for them because Roy is also keeping secrets from her sadly, when Roy told her to wait for him to return, I was just like 'You know she won't be there when you come back right'?... so after finding Arrows in Thea's apartment, all what Malcolm said comes back to her, and her reason for leaving to begin with came back to her. I liked her slowly but eventually allying herself with Malcolm, and wanting to be a stronger person. this can be foreshadowing for Thea becoming the real "Speedy" not just by nickname, but by fighting abilities. So I can't wait for this storyline next season.

Oliver not killing Slade? I love it, but it might be something Oliver live to regret. Slade will definitely find a way out, it's just the matter of when.

The Olicity scenes tonight. ALL MY FEELS! came back tonight, when Oliver told Felicity that they got the wrong girl, she's the one that he loves, my heart was in joyful mode. AND of course we find out that scene was just a set up... even though it was a set up, I still love that scene.. and then their scene in the end. I can't wait for Olicity to really happen! I just love them and they are unquestionable the best written romantic relationship on this show... even though they aren't romantic yet, they way they are getting written makes it difficult not to root for them.

Oh unfortunately Diggle will be a father next season...



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Old 05-14-2014, 07:03 PM
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I loved the episode alot. This show just proves why right it's now it's the best comic based program on TV right now. I don't think ever been so hooked a CW show... I do watch Supernatural from time to time. But Arrow is the show I don't miss.

Anyways...

Very action packed episode that delivered a fitting finale.

I am glad Nyssa killed Isabel. I hated Isabel's character.

Manu Bennett is such a gem on this show. Even though he may be out of the picture for now. (Time to move on to a new big villain). We haven't seen the last of Slade.

I liked Thea/Malcolm scenes. It will be interesting to see the dynamic between the two. Or the revelation that he's alive once it gets to Oliver and company. (Unless I missed something and Oliver is aware Malcolm isn't dead. Please correct me if I am wrong.)


Personally the whole Laurel/Sara jacket scene .
Spoiler:


My one negative is the Roy/Thea stuff. I never cared for their relationship.

I do like Sinn though and her friendship with Roy. I wouldn't mind them pairing off. If she pops up again.
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Old 05-14-2014, 07:56 PM
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^ Woah +1 The Survivor on your whole post. Especially about Isabel, Laurel/Sara and especially the Roy/Thea relationship which I wish was written better.
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Old 05-14-2014, 08:30 PM
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I thought the episode was mostly perfection and why aside from Game of Thrones is the best show on tv!

Nyssa was so badass and Katrina is perfect in the role. I hope we see more of her in the future, because she is such a fantastic character. I think she is my favourite character, even though she is rarely on And I love how she has zero qualms doing what is necessary yet still has layers and depth. And related to that...

Arrow is one of the best shows I have ever seen when it comes to writing women. The women are all strong without them having to beat us over the head with it and constantly say it. They are and it is accepted.

The Arrow/Slade showdown was awesome and I think we will eventually see Slade again.

The ending with Amanda was fantastic. What a way to end the season

I loved the stuff with Malcolm and Thea and I am excited for what they do with the character.

I am happy that they didnt kill Sara.

Oliver and Felicty were utterly fantastic in their scenes. The slow burn is the absolute right way to write their story

Always nice to see Shado <3

Loved the writing for Diggle and Lyla

Team Arrow on the island!

The less said about Laurel the better

Nyssa <3<3<3<3
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Old 05-14-2014, 09:07 PM
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Oh not exactly a flawless post. I did like the Oliver & Felicity scenes. The fake out sucked. I think that will make for good drama and angst in season 3.
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Old 05-14-2014, 11:20 PM
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yeah man the Olicity fake out sucks seriously, it was so believable, what a tease So Thea really did shoot Malcom and he was proud Thea has trust issues but then goes to be with Malcom Ohhhh shhhhht!! Diggle baby momma is badass blazing the cannon but what a crappy way to find out he will be a dad.

I actually like Isabel cause Summer Glau is so badass, I love kickass female characters like her and The Huntress, Canary etc..... Plus I wanted Isabel to know the story about Shado, she did not even know why all this was worth dying for and Slade left her behind, that's messed up. I can't believe Ollie did not kill him after all the mayhem he caused, why the hassle of keeping him alive?

It was like watching Westside Story when they entered the tunnel for battle even Det. Lance got in on it, but how the heck did he not realize he was injured? overall it was a good finale, not great cause a few things annoyed me.
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Old 05-15-2014, 06:26 AM
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Okay, overall great finale. The entire season has been fantastic and this episode did a pretty good job of tying up the storylines form this season and setting up some threads to be explored next season.

I haven't had a chance to re-watch yet, so these are mostly my immediate thoughts, in random order:

Lance:
I hope Detective Lance lives. I will be devastated if he doesn't. It took me a while to warm to him in the first season, but his journey has been such a great once over the last two years and now he is one of my favourite characters on this show. I really do think the writers have done a great job with his journey and of course Paul Blackthorne is fantastic.

Diggle and Laurel:
I felt like Diggle and Laurel kind of got pushed to the backgorund a little this episode. They both had some nice moments, but the focus definitely shifted off them a little. Not really sure I have anything lengthy to say about them, except that I love Diggle. Diggle can stay.

Sara:
Awesome to see the return of the LOA. I'm happy they didn't kill Sara (it seemd most were convinced she would die) and I understand why she made the deal to go back with them. It leaves the door open for a return for her character, and more importantly, open for a LOA storyline down the track. I really hope we get to see that thread picked up again, maybe in season four or five?

Roy:
I am not the biggest Roy fan. I think he's okay. I actyally liked the reunion scene he shared with Thea. And for the first time, I am actually excited and intersted to see what they do with his character next year.

Thea and Merlyn:
Thea. Thea. Thea. I just don't know what to think.

Firstly, let me say that I think Oliver has been a bit of a crappy brother to her, ever since he got back from the island. They have had a few nice moments, but overall, I don't think Oliver has really let himself get close to Thea and open up to her, and she knows it. Oliver loves her, of course. He wants to protect her. I get it. But he's also been so disconnected from her to the point where I believe he will be blindsided by any future angry outbursts Thea might throw next season, when really, should he be that surprised? I am honestly shocked that he didn't tell her the truth after Moira died, or at least a version of it that would allow Thea to feel as though Oliver had some trust in her. Instead, he left her at their mother's funeral to go through that alone and agreed she should leave.

To be clear, I am an Oliver fan way before I am a Thea fan and I understand why Oliver did those things. I know he felt it was best for her to be away from Starling City, especially given how dangerous things were going to get. But I also think it's also a bit sad that Oliver did not bother to check in with her once in this episode. Even after it was over, I really wish we'd had a scene of Oliver trying to call Thea and make sure she was okay/safe (maybe have him leaving a voice message about how he hoped she had a safe trip and could she please call him back?).

So... that was my rant leading to the point that, in a weird way, I understand why Thea feels pretty alone and crappy right now, like she has no idea who she can trust. Remember, this girl just watched her mother be murdered in front of her. And she thinks Roy's a jerk.

That said, I also cannot believe she went so willingly and quickly with Merlyn. This is probably the storyline set-up for next year that I am most dubious about.
Spoiler:


Whew... turns out I had a lot more Thea feelings than I realised, and she is not even one of my top favourite characters.

Moving on...

Felicity:
Felicity. She was fantastic. Girl saved the day by injecting Slade. Once she realised what the plan was, she just went with it. Once again, showing complete faith in Oliver. I did feel badly for her in that she had that moment where she thought Oliver's confession was real, only to have it taken away. But it was too soon. And the ending highly hinted that there is definitely something beween them. I think Felicity needs to take a bit of a step-back though. Oliver know she feelings for him. So now, the next move really needs to be Oliver's. In terms of romantic relationships next season, it definitely seems they are setting up to explore Olicity and moving their relationship forward.

Slade:
I for one am glad Slade was left to live... he's too good a villian to kill off just yet, and other shows have surely regretting killing off their good villians too soon (ie. Lois & Clark killing of Lex Luthor at the end of season... then bringing him back to life when they realised they'd killed their best villian). I loved the showdown/fight between Oliver and Slade, particularly in the present and I also like the speech Oliver gave where he thanked Slade for helping him become a hero. So all in all, I am quite satisfied with the 'closure' the Slade/Oliver storyline got.

Oliver:
I guess some people might be disappointed that Oliver didn't kill Slade in the present. I was actually fairly convinced that was how it was going to play out. But I am actually quite glad it didn't. I am glad that Oliver now seems to be actively thinking about his past choices, his current ones and what kind of man/hero he wants to be. I am glad that, finally, we got to see Oliver 'win' because there was a string of episodes where Slade was just kicking his butt, so it was nice for Oliver to have his moment to do the kicking.

I have already said my pieces about the Oliver/Thea and Oliver/Felicity relationships above, so won't repeat. I am surprised to find msyelf actually really interested in seeing where the Oliver/Amanda flashbacks will be going next year. I was convinced he'd be going to Russia in the flashbacks of season three, but maybe that's being saved for season four (I really like Anatoly, so hopefully we see him again – I mean, we must right? He's got to keep his promise to teach Oliver to speak Russian!).

Other stuff:
As always, the action sequences were all amazing and it's one of the show's biggest strengths. I am always impressed by the action sequences in Arrow.

Overall, it's been quite a ride this year! I cannot wait for season three.
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Old 05-15-2014, 07:13 AM
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Spoiler:
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Old 05-15-2014, 09:47 AM
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Dude the episode was freakin' insane, I loved it!

Olicity:

I have not really shipped that much on the show because I don't have any expectations when it comes to the ships but dude the whole ILY and their moment on the island was freakin' brilliant. It's so there. I can't wait for it to develop further. I'm glad they're not rushing it.

Diggle:

He didn't have much but somehow I got the inkling that Lila was pregnant and sure enough!

The Team:

Dude they were seriously badass together! And the best part for me was seeing Oliver hand Roy the mask and Roy looking like a hero and kicking ass.

So glad Nyssa killed Isabel. Glad she didn't last that long as much as I like Summer.

Whew so glad Slade didn't kill Sara. It's gonna suck not having her around, I liked her a lot but it was very cool when Sara basically passed the torch to Laurel- now no matter what though Sara will always be my favorite Canary.

Thea:

I so can't wait for more of her storyline. She is seriously broken and for her to be taken under her father's wing- I look forward to what will result from that. Whether she'll become a villian like her father or whether she'll
embrace being a hero like her brother.

Slade/Oliver:

Damn these two- seriously the best villian/hero story arch I've seen in a long time. And the way Oliver thanked Slade for making him into that hero- ****in' A!!!

Overall:

An excellent finale!

WTF so Ollie wasn't on the island the whole time?! Gah now bring me S3 ASAP!!!!
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Old 05-15-2014, 11:14 AM
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Wow. What a finale.

Slade/Oliver

I really liked the way that Oliver thanked Slade for teaching him to be a killer but also a hero. I think Oliver's decision not to kill might come back to haunt him, but that speech in the end was amazing and Manu Bennett was fantastic in this episode.

Team Arrow

I was happy to see Roy back without the Mirakuru, and I thought the Diggle/Lyla scenes were great. I loved the archery battle in the tunnel, and I'm glad they didn't kill Sara. Having her go back to Nyssa felt right, and I hope we get a League storyline sometime in the future. I would love to go to Nanda Parbat in the show somehow!

Felicity

One of the things that I've always loved about Felicity is how much Oliver listens to her, and how she is able to appeal to him logically. Emily does such amazing things with her lines and the way she delivers them--it's not even really about the lines themselves, it's about how Emily is able to inject just the right amount of feeling into each line so that you can see her range as an actress. I think Emily has a bright future ahead of her!

Oliver

I don't understand how Oliver is going to be able to not kill and make it believable, but I'm willing to give the writers the benefit of the doubt. I always enjoy watching Stephen take on so many sides of the same character, and I can't wait to see the Hong Kong scenes in Season 3. I'm so glad we're off of the island for now, it opens up so many story possibilities.

Thea/Merlyn

I love the fact that Thea went away with Merlyn. Her character needs to be toughened up. I don't know if she'll actually become a villain, but I am curious to see what they do next with her character. And more John Barrowman is always a good thing.

Oliver/Felicity

The scenes between Stephen and Emily are always powerful, and I really believed that the "I love you" scene was real. At the same time, I'm so glad they are taking their time with this relationship and that there was no "Olicity" kiss. If they had kissed, it would have felt rushed, but now I am excited to see where this beautiful relationship goes next season and beyond.

Laurel/Detective Lance

I've always enjoyed this father/daughter relationship. I have no issues with Laurel "evolving" as a character, but if it's done in a less believable way, or if she takes away Sara's place on the show somehow, I will feel cheated. However, I like Laurel as a lawyer and I have no idea where she'll end up going next season.

Bring on Season 3!
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Old 05-15-2014, 03:41 PM
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I feel sorry for the guard who has to clean and feed Slade unless it's a whole underground prison system [the USA is rumored to have those]
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Old 05-15-2014, 10:41 PM
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great episode.

wonder what ollies gonna fo for a job.

OF were fantastic. i dont think o loves f yet but theres def some truth laced in there. i love that he came up with plan though, they did a great job working together. f was a bad ass!

tbh none of the oher ships interest me much. i hope thea goes dark, her character was irritating me.

i am glad laurel knows whats going on , well see how shes incorporated next season. i domt care if shed bc or not, but i need it to come organically.

im glad sarah left, i like her but there was too much of her this year.
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