As we lurch towards the finale of Arrow season 3, a few big questions remain. But the show did something tonight that was truly remarkable, and answered the most important question of all: can, in the shadow of The Flash, Arrow still amaze?
Absolutely. Spoilers follow.
1. Who cares about Hong Kong?
My complaint since the beginning of this show has been about the flashbacks – they just aren’t interesting. And this season, despite doing some interesting things – introducing Ollie to Waller, bringing him back to Starling – has, by far, the most arduous flashbacks yet. Right now, there are so many layers to what is happening during the modern times, that flashing back 5 years just feels irresponsible. I mean, to cut away from Ollie destroying his life to become the new Ra’s al Ghul to show him observing marital bickering, for the umpteenth time, is the recipe to get me uninterested in the show.
I know that Maseo has been an incredibly important character this season, but if they gave us one episode, early in the season, focused totally on Hong Kong, we would have just as much affection for him as we do now, and each episode wouldn’t drag the way it does now.
2. Thea as Damian Wayne
Hat tip to commented Masked Man Issue 1 for, more or less, saying this last week, but the more I think about this, the more I believe this is what will happen. When Ollie eventually comes back (and, don’t worry, he is), Thea, as Speedy, will be his sidekick. Maybe she’ll even go by her middle name of Dearden this time, having been reborn in the Lazarus Pit, and not wanting to be a Queen or a Merlyn. In the Kevin Smith run on “Green Arrow,” Mia Dearden was introduced as the new Speedy, so don’t be surprised if we see Thea Dearden next season shooting arrows alongside her big brother.
It will be interesting to see how Thea has changed because of the Lazarus Pit as well – this episode just showed her as confused, but Malcolm seemed convinced that it would be far more serious than just confusion. Will Thea be more vicious? Will she have no moral compass? Will she start spinning records to honor the memory of DJ Dip Shit? I honestly have no idea, but I’m interested to see where it goes.
3. Oh, Felicity
Poor Ray – dude is as close to a perfect human being as you get, and Felicity still dumps him for Ollie, the man who is going to destroy his life forever. She just couldn’t miss out on that one chance to ride the Arrowcoaster (high five) I guess?
But the episode also gave her a chance to be badass in her own way, to attempt to spring Ollie, to stand up to Ra’s, and to be honest with Roy. Felicity has grown immeasurably since her introduction in season 1, and this episode continued that growth in surprising ways.
4. Reason al Ghul
Initially, I don’t think anyone thought that Matt Nable would be able to be this effective as Ra’s al Ghul, but he has brought a cold rationality to the character that really elevates the portrayal. The show has taken great lengths to show the viewers that Ra’s acts completely out of logic: he wants Ollie to take over for him, and he is going to do what he needs to do to make that happen. So, if that means killing Ollie’s sister, so be it. If that means systematically destroying everything that matters to Ollie, OK.
The wonderful thing about this is that Ollie, sometimes, listens to reason. He can often be a pragmatist, and so having him presented with these options: have his life destroyed, or be Ra’s al Ghul, the choice becomes pretty clear. However, so does my next point…
5. Couldn’t Ollie just change/eliminate the League as its boss?
The League of Assassins is not a democracy; the foot soldiers of the League seem to have, more or less, pledged total allegiance to Ra’s. So, why doesn’t Ollie go through all the steps of “becoming” Ra’s and, once he is in power, just eliminate the league? Turn them into the Peace Corps? Put them to work as the Arrow’s non-lethal crimefighting force throughout the world? Teach them circus skills and put them to work as street performers in Starling, and use their panhandling to rebuild the Queen family fortune? Pay them to hang out in Verdant and make the club seem cool again?
Let me know what your plan for rehabilitating the League is in the comments!
