Is it? I thought he was someone else, something else. What a finale? Season 3 of Arrow not only went out on a high note, but brought the overarching plot of the entire season to an honorable culmination. Oliver Queen faces off with Ra’s Al Ghul, sparing Starling City demise, and passes the torch to the gang before riding off into the sunset with Felicity on Arrow: My Name Is Oliver Queen. Spoiler alert!
Crash and Burn
As it turns out, Oliver was faking out everybody with his “I’m Al Sah-Him, heir to the demon” routine and even attempting to kill off his crime fighting friends. The only problem was he was so good at convincing everybody, including Ra’s Al Ghul, that he just may have tarnished a few bridges, permanently—ahem, Diggle. In a bold move to prove that his allegiance was and always will be to the people of Starling City, Oliver Queen denounced his succession to “the demon” and attempted to crash the plane carrying the biological weapon meant to decimate Starling City in a planned suicide mission. Sidebar, although the small cameo of the Flash was explained, it still did little to fans, like me, who wanted to see him stick around for some real action.
Then, of course, when things didn’t exactly go according to plan, Oliver had only one course of action left: squaring off with Ra’s Al Ghul once again. Before doing so, however, he needed his love, Felicity, to give him a much needed pep talk about his advantages over “the demon.” With the assistance of Diggle, Black Canary, Felicity, Ray Palmer/The Atom, Malcolm Merlyn, Speedy and Captain Lance with the Starling City Police Department, Oliver Queen was able to defeat Ra’s Al Ghul and stop the dissemination of the Alpha and Omega biological weapon. Obviously, this was to be expected. What’s the point in having heroes if they can’t save the day, right?
Oliver Queen Squares off with Ra’s Al Ghul
The moment we all had been waiting for: Oliver Queen versus Ra’s Al Ghul. Ok, even I have to admit that this was a pretty good fight scene. It definitely looked like his training with “the demon” and The League of Assassins did the Arrow—I mean Oliver—some good. Oliver Queen seemed to possess a more calculated fighting strategy in comparison to before, which undoubtedly contributed to his victory over Ra’s. Despite everything, his increased skill in hand-to-hand combat was definitely something good that came from his time in Nanda Parbat. Like I said, it was indeed an honorable culmination to the season.
Riding Off Into the Sunset
In the end, much like a romantic dramedy, Oliver Queen and Felicity left Starling City by riding off into the sunset. I’m not sure what the end game is, but one could argue that this gives the show the opportunity to a reboot, if you will. Hello, DC ret-con. Come on in and have a seat, why don’t you.
Despite some aspects of this past season, Arrow is still one of the better shows on TV right now. But, if the writers were being honest, they would admit that things got a little crazy this season and they needed to wipe the slate clean. I’m not worried though, I have complete faith in the creative team that they will “bring it” next season. We just have to survive the long wait over the summer in the meantime.
Looking Ahead
We do have a couple of things to look forward to for season 4, aside from Oliver and Felicity’s inevitable return to Starling City. First of all, we may have actually seen the end of the flashbacks, and I for one couldn’t happier. I liked Maseo and Tatsu, but it’s time to move on. Wouldn’t you agree?
Also, Thea is now officially Speedy, full costume and all. While that will be exciting to watch play out, it’s also a kind of a sad reality check that Roy Harper may not come back to the show as Arsenal. If he does, then what is he supposed to wear since he gave Thea his clothes? Speaking of superhero outfits, it just wasn’t the same without Ray Palmer suiting up in his Atom costume for the finale. No worries though, from the looks of his final scene in the episode, he just may have finally worked out the kinks so that he can shrink. I guess I have to stop with my Iron Man jokes? Gladly.
Last, but certainly not least, Malcolm Merlyn is back to his old tricks. I have to say, it was a bit weird seeing him collaborate with the Arrow throughout the season, thanks large in part to the threat against their family that he caused. We all should have known that that wasn’t going to last very long and the season finale cemented that fact. Come next season, he will be back to his whole tricks, but his time on a much larger scale. He’s the new “heir to the demon,” so no one is safe. Couldn’t you just imagine him thinking “mwahaha” as he demanded that Nyssa Al Ghul kneel before him? This should be a good one.
What did you think of the season 3 finale of Arrow?