"Unthinkable" - Arrow Season 2 Finale Reaction/Season 2 Wrap-up

Well it finally happened. After an absolutely killer second season, Arrow wrapped up last night on a rather high note with "Unthinkable". Simply put, it wasn't up to the same quality as the recent string of episodes which packed so much emotional punch and character development into them. "Unthinkable" is more fast-paced, cutting out the character interactions in favor of absolutely epic moments. Overall, it was a good final episode, rehashing several of the best themes from this season and bringing a satisfying end to the Slade/Oliver storyline...for now at least. So here's a few notes from last night's episode.

1.) Several plot points just sort of drop dead

The writing in the second season has been much improved from the first, most notably with the ability to bring up plot points and character arcs and close them off nicely. However, the finale fails to bring several plot points to satisfactory ends. For example, Isabel Rochev tormented Oliver all season and had only just been resurrected with the Mirakuru. About 15 minutes into the episode she's quickly dispatched by Nyssa, not even getting to finish her last sentence. Seemed rather anticlimactic for her character. It also surprised me that they didn't keep her around as Ravager or a loose end to set up a possible return for Slade. Secondly, can Arrow really drop a bombshell like Detective Lance's medical emergency in the dying moments of the show and then not resolve it? What about when Amanda Waller just announces Leila's pregnancy in the middle of a heated Mexican stand-off? Those two moments just felt like rather unnecessary swerves that got squeezed into what was already a pretty packed finale. Either way, the fact that these events happened sets up some rather interesting things for the third season.

2.) However, Oliver and Slade seem to get a fitting end

This entire season has been a battle between Oliver and Slade, which is actually what turned out to be Slade's downfall. Not being able to notice that Oliver was actually on to his placing cameras all around the Queen estate was a rather big mistake. This allowed Oliver to finally inject Slade with the cure and fight him on even footing. Dovetailing the present battle and their one in the past on the Amazo was a brilliant cinematic decision. It shows not only how Oliver is still reliving the mistakes of his past but also how much he has learned from them. When Slade is at his mercy, instead of choosing to kill him like he did in the past, Oliver takes the second option. The fight also showed that Oliver's skills have improved a great deal over the past two years, disproving Slade's notion that it was him who made Oliver. On that same point, the scene where Oliver thanks Slade for helping him was not only a great twisting of the knife to Slade but also a slight call back to when the two were the best of friends. It still remains heartbreaking to see what Slade had become, even if he claims it wasn't the Mirakuru that made him hate Oliver. The fight also was a little bittersweet as it also reminded me of how little we actually got to see of Slade as Deathstroke this season. Lastly, Slade ends up locked up on the island which either means we'll never see him again or the fact that he's locked up with A.R.G.U.S. could imply a future team up with the Suicide Squad. Deathstroke is a recurring member of Suicide Squad in the comics but given Amanda Waller's reaction to Slade's action it is more likely he remains locked up.

3.) Thea's running away with Malcolm Merlyn looks like one of the best storylines of Season 3

During the season Malcolm Merlyn inexplicably showed up, dropped the bombshell that Thea was his daughter, got told off by Moira, and then promptly dropped off the face of the earth. All while no real reason was given as to how exactly he survived being stabbed through the heart. That was until he came back to Starling City to rescue Thea in the final two episodes. Through some rather manipulative words he seems to have convinced Thea to come with him. Where to exactly is another question. Perhaps he's going to train Thea as an archer and launch another plan on Starling City? Thea has been called Speedy frequently during the show, a name which is typically given to Roy instead as Green Arrow's sidekick. John Barrowman has also now been added as a series regular for the next season which means we can expect Merlyn to be a prominent character. Even so, that is really all we know. Of the several parts of the open ended ending, the twist of Thea leaving Roy to go with Merlyn was definitely the best, mostly because it's extremely ambiguous as to what exactly is going to happen.

4.) So who's wearing the masks in Season 3?

Towards the end of the finale it looked like the superteam was going to be a one-hit wonder as Sara pledged to return to the League of Assassins after the fight and Roy promised to leave with Thea. However, several interesting developments at the end seem to have changed that. Sara gives her jacket to Laurel when she leaves which definitely opens the door for Laurel to take up the mantle of Black Canary, even if Detective Lance doesn't seem to be fond of the idea. Doesn't seem like Starling is exactly done with the League of Assassins either. Given Nyssa's dissatisfaction with Oliver's methods it is likely they come back to Starling City to clean it up their way. Roy looks set up to become Speedy, Red Arrow, or Arsenal (one of the three) in the next season though its hard to imagine that he's not going to be a pain in Oliver's ass given Thea's departure. At the same time, Roy grew up a lot this season but given his past characterizations in other DC media it wouldn't be surprising to see him full of angst next season. Finally there's the matter of The Flash, the new spin-off. The teaser trailer aired right after the finale and the full trailer finally came out today. Finally seeing Barry in the Flash suit was definitely a treat. The series itself looks really cool though the question is how well Grant Gustin does as a main character. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was very successful with it's spin-off Angel however the main difference there is that Buffy has three season's to develop Angel as a protagonist before he got his own show. The character of Barry Allen got a two episode guest appearance in Arrow so there's still a lot we have yet to know about him. However, the trailer definitely shows that he has weight as a main character and only made me more excited to see how Arrow and The Flash will work together.

5.) Oliver and Felicity shippers get what they want...sort of...

The fanbase seems very big on the Oliver/Felicity relationship so it seemed like a big deal when Oliver took her into his house to protect her from Slade. Oliver's declaration of that Felicity is the one he loves instead of Laurel seemed like a big moment that for the most part the season had been building towards. There were several moments during the season that hinted towards a future relationship so the moment felt right. However, we later learn that Oliver used that to trick Slade, giving Felicity the Mirakuru cure so that she could get close enough to Slade to use it. Afterwards, Oliver and Felicity seem to acknowledge that it was a trick, a convincing one, but a trick nonetheless. Ambiguity thy name is Oliver Queen. Hard not to feel sad for Felicity in that moment especially when the trailer for The Flash also gives us a look at Barry's love interest. That and Oliver seemed very intent on stating that Laurel wasn't the one he loved in front of Slade's cameras implying that she actually is the one he loves. The scene was either perfect or completely out of place. Either way, Oliver's plan was actually brilliant (minus the whole toying with Felicity's feelings thing), so props to the writers for that.

6.) We're done with the island...for now...

Oliver's interactions with Amanda Waller this season have hinted at some sort of relationship in the past. Turns out that A.R.G.U.S. are the ones who rescued Oliver from the Amazo and in the process took him off the island to Hong Kong. This should be a nice change from the last two seasons in which the flashback villains have simply been run of the mill "use the island for it's resources" kind of people. Also, anything involving Amanda Waller and A.R.G.U.S. should bring Oliver into contact with some interesting easter eggs from the comics. At the same time, we also know that Oliver somehow gets back to island which makes his leaving it in the third season all the more intriguing.