Arrow 7x22 Thoughts
(Hi, this post is full of spoilers. So, if you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t read it.)
On Olicity...
At the end of the day, stories resolve themselves in ways that greatly depend on the cards we’re dealt. There’s no guarantee that things would have unfolded in a more “Happily Ever After” way under different circumstances. Whether Arrow ended with 7x22 or 8x10 or whether Emily left or stayed, nothing is/was guaranteed.
For the circumstances we were given, I personally thought the resolution of 7x22 was GLORIOUS. If those last 15 minutes didn’t punch you in the feels, well, I don’t know.
- Any question of Olicity’s importance to Arrow and their endgame status was put to rest.
- Though it was imperfect and cut short, Olicity did have happiness. They did have peace.
- Olicity’s affirmation of their love and importance to one another was beautiful, and it was fulfilling — not only to their love story, but to Oliver’s story overall.
- The resolution to their story was also very much in keeping with the messaging of this season and the series as a whole — about the sacrifices that sometimes need to be made to protect the ones we love.
- The present day resolution was full of promise that tied directly into the resolution of Felicity’s 2040 story. Though the details are still a bit unknown (because they can’t give the plot of Season 8 and Crisis on Infinite Earths away), we do get some kind of an off-camera Olicity reunion, which though not exactly a fairytale Happily Ever After, is a reasonably positive result.
On Redemption...
The finale delivered on the season’s overall theme, hammering home that redemption is possible for even some of the biggest bads. Because, at the end of the day, villains are humans just like our heroes. And this arc which tied directly to Oliver’s imprisonment, was a final necessary lesson for bringing his journey full circle.
I also thought Emiko’s fate was justified. It was important that she was redeemed and that by fighting for her redemption, Oliver was able to forgive her for being a major catalyst in his odyssey. But it was also important that she paid the ultimate price for her blind rage, jealousy, and hurt.
On the Flash Forwards...
I was really glad to see that the future is not really as bleak as originally thought. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a mess. And we don’t really know how it got so bad, but progress was made tonight.
I was actually surprised no one died. I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Also, I love William and Mia. The Smoak-Queen children are everything.
On Where We Go From Here...
Going into tonight’s finale my biggest concern was how they were going to exit Felicity. Even though I was pretty confident they wouldn’t kill her off, anything was possible. But, now that the dust has settled and I’ve reined in my Olicity emotions, I’ve started thinking about the overarching story as we barrel towards the conclusion and all the loose ends.
There are only 10 episodes to reasonably resolve Arrow, and a lot of threads were left dangling by the end of 7x22. Some of those items we can take educated guesses at, while others were mere teases that seemingly hint at things to come.
- My largest question revolves around the structure of Season 8 overall. Arrow didn’t just exit Felicity in the present day, but also Oliver. So, what does Season 8 look like? Does it pick up in real time? If Oliver is with the Monitor, how does that story work? Does he save the universe from Star City? Where is Team Arrow in all of this?
- Also, while things aren’t happy go lucky in Star City 2019, by the time Oliver and Felicity leave, the SCPD is back on the side of the vigilantes. So, where does it go wrong?
- I’m very skeptical that Oliver’s fate (and Felicity’s) is so cut and dry. Why would Arrow (and the Arrowverse by extension) build up this whole Crisis story only to reveal Oliver’s death way in advance? I think the use of the Queen “cemetery” is an important symbol. Felicity is going on a journey to reunite with Oliver, but “death” is not really implied in the scenario. So, his grave is most likely empty (just like it was all those years before.)
- I think that though she will be absent in Season 8, Felicity has been playing a long game by the time we find her in 2040. She’s continued Smoak Tech, been betrayed by Alena, protected Mia, made sure William was okay & supported his business, secretly resumed being a vigilante, activated a plan to bring William and Mia together, and somewhere was in contact with The Monitor to set up an eventuality where she’s “ready” to leave her life behind and fulfill her promise to reunite with Oliver. Now, I could be wrong, but Felicity Smoak has always been person to find another way. And while her reunion with Oliver serves as a poignant and effective end to Olicity’s story for now, something tells me (largely depending on whether EBR returns for a series finale) that this really isn’t the end.
- What is the story with Roy and how he ended up on Lian Yu? Because, to me, that exchange was a promise for an eventual answer. And it seems like that answer involves more than just bloodlust.
- Where are John Diggle and Lyla Michaels in the future?
- When does Bronze Tiger die? (I was somewhat surprised it wasn’t tonight.)
- How does the Ninth Circle story evolve from here? I fdon’t think they’re going to just disappear into the wind...
