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.
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.