Warning: spoiler alert! Do not read further if you have no watched the season finale yet!
“Wait… what?” said every person at the end of the last episode of the second season of Arrow.
(Well, in my case, I’m pretty sure I say “what… what?!” after every episode.)
With the help of his friends and unexpected allies, Oliver Queen hopes to save the last of Starling City by finally ending the disaster caused by Slade Wilson once and for all. This episode had plot twist after plot twist, each one escalating into something crazier.
The first one was the return of Diggle’s lover, Lyla, and how they reach out to Deadshot and the rest of A.R.G.U.S. in order to prevent Amanda from destroying Starling. The passionate (and completely badass) chemistry between Diggle and Lyla and has been missed.
Another plot twist that must have been overlooked by the rest of the craziness was the fact that Lyla is pregnant with Diggle’s child, revealed (very unnecessarily and rudely) by Amanda. She’s just mad that Diggle and Lyla went behind her back to use A.R.G.U.S. against her, whatever.
Second plot twist: Malcolm doesn’t end up dying from Thea shooting him in the last episode due to his Kevlar.
I hate to admit it, but I am pretty relieved that Malcolm didn’t die. Thea has gone through enough – knowing that he murdered her father would destroy her. Although Thea has never been my favorite character, I truly do pity her. She is the one of the youngest characters and lacks the strength and maturity her brother has, no doubt it is difficult for her to cope with everything she has dealt with.
Third plot twist: the return of Nyssa of the League of Assassins.
Of course, we all know that Nyssa is definitely not going to do all of this out of the goodness of her heart. Once the team find out about Sara asking for Nyssa and her army to help, Sara explains that joining the League again is the price she agreed to pay.
Like Thea, I never really liked Sara in the first place, but she was beginning to grow on me. But now she’s leaving! I was pretty upset, but I’m pretty sure she will come back eventually.
After Oliver encourages Roy to apply his knowledge and skills from training, Roy calls Thea (while she is with Malcolm at the train station) to make sure she is safe and asks to meet him at his house. Malcolm overhears Thea’s phone call with Roy and insists that Roy is no better at being honest as her mother and Oliver, but Thea leaves to meet up with Roy anyway.
After Roy and Thea agree to leave the city forever when Roy insists that he is done with the Arrow, she finds arrows underneath his bed. Smooth move, Roy.
She writes a letter to Roy saying that she doesn’t trust anyone, and – plot twist – ends up leaving with her father. If there is anything I do like about Thea is how strong willed she is; although it has not worked well in her favor the majority of the time, it is still an admirable trait that contributed to her character development.
The plan to defeat Slade is put into action after Nyssa says where Slade’s hideout is held – the Queen office. Although Sara, Oliver, and the League whoop some serious ass at the office, Slade still manages to escape before Oliver can inject him with the cure.
Despite how much of an evil little thing Isabel is, Oliver still tries to convince Sara to not kill her. But… wait for it… Nyssa does it anyway. I would be lying if I said I didn’t stand up from my seat and let out an obnoxious “Hell yeah!”
More is revealed through flashbacks, and everything begins to make a lot more sense. All I can say is that it’s about freaking time! Are we ever going to find out everything that happened on the island? Like, ever? I am getting pretty impatient when it comes to it, but I mean, five years is a long time. A lot can happen in half a decade, so I suppose I need to accept that we will find out about everything in the next couple season.
After Oliver vents Felicity about how Slade is constantly out-thinking him, she advises him to make Slade think he is when he actually isn’t. I definitely brushed this comment off once she said it, but little did I know that comment was a huge foreshadowing hint.
Later, Oliver takes Felicity back to his mansion to ensure her safety. She continues to tell him that she does not understand, until Oliver says, “Slade took Laurel because he wants to kill the woman I love… he took the wrong woman.”
Cue the screaming and crying and flipping tables and running around in circles.
However, we were all fooled, just as Felicity says at the end of the episode.
Biggest plot twist of this entire episode: Oliver takes Felicity’s advice and makes Slade think he is out-thinking him.
Oliver is completely aware of the hidden cameras in his home, and he purposely made Slade believe that Felicity is the woman he loves so he can abduct her. We later find out that he sneakily gives Felicity the cure in the midst of their conversation, and she ends up injecting him with it while he is distracted.
Again, cue the screaming and crying and flipping tables and running around in circles. But not so much in a fangirl type of way.
At the end of the episode, you can literally see the disappointment on Felicity’s face as she confronts Oliver about what happened. She is practically choking up as she says that he had her fooled that he loved her and that he really “sold it,” and then Oliver – being his Oliver self – maintains his poker face and simply replies with, “We both did.”
I don’t even know how to take that. His eyes definitely showed nothing but admiration, but what? Do you love Felicity or not? Stop confusing me, my tears will literally add up to the ocean around the island.
And finally, the last plot twist of the episode: in flashbacks, Oliver wakes up from knocking out after stabbing Slade in the eye in a hotel room in Hong Kong. With Amanda.
“Wait, what?” Exactly.
This episode was by far the best I have watched in the entire season. The nonstop action, comic relief, and flawless acting (particularly Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards) definitely made it for me. It gave me closure with many open ends, but still left me wanting more. All I can say is: so, when is the next season going to air?
