The CW's Arrow - Episode 2.23 "Unthinkable"
Slade moves forward with his plan to kill one more person in Oliver's life. Oliver is pushed to the edge and realizes sometimes it takes doing the unthinkable to stop the monster. Meanwhile, Diggle takes on Amanda Waller, and Thea turns to Roy in her time of need.
Oliver Queen started this season with a new set of moral guidelines. He will protect Starling City and any threat that faces it but without having to kill people. It's a new direction for him that he has struggled with. How far is he willing to go when the stakes are this high? The city is falling and Slade has killed Oliver's mother. It's astonishing that throughout it all Oliver is able to keep a level head and decide not to let his anger force him into killing Slade. Instead he cured him and sent him back to a prison on the Island to live out the rest of his days. Yes, it keeps Slade alive in this world - and it's hard to imagine that this will be the last time we see him. But it's also a really strong thematic point to end the season on. Oliver Queen has gone through an emotional journey this season. He's been challenged in ways he never could have foreseen and yet he is still standing, watching over the city as its protector.But Oliver's journey hasn't come without cost. His mother is dead and he's pushed his sister away - and into the arms of her real father. And yet, Oliver Queen is hopeful and can have a moment of happiness at the end of "Unthinkable" because the fight is over. Work still needs to be done. But the threat facing Starling City has been eliminated and he has saved thousands of lives. And Felicity and Diggle are still right by his side. Laurel, Det. Lance, Sara, Roy and Nyssa are all allies that help him fight against Slade's army. Sure, there are ideological differences between Oliver and the League of Assassins but they all have a common enemy - Slade. Those action sequences were a ton of fun to watch - especially when the fight with Slade in Starling City was intercut with their past fight on the freighter.
More importantly though, Oliver declared his love for Felicity. Sure, it was just an elaborate plot to get the Mirakuru cure into Slade but it's the moment we've all been waiting for with that couple. By hour's end, it seems like they're back to the way they were before - with both being unable to say that they truly do love each other. But they've also taken a huge step. Their feelings are real and that connection is honest. They really care about each other and want the other to happy. As long as they are side by side fighting crime, all will be right with this world.
Some more thoughts:
- "Unthinkable" was directed by John Behring with story by Greg Berlanti & teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg.
- Lyla's also pregnant. I wonder how pending fatherhood will change how committed Diggle is to his work with Oliver. It's quite dangerous. Will that get to him next season?
- Also, Det. Lance may be dead. Who knows? That twist felt tacked on. It's good to know that these characters do have their limits when fighting against the forces of evil. But it's odd it's one of the guys who's not apart of Team Arrow whose fate is left up in the air in the finale.
- Thea's gonna return next season as a killing machine, right?
- Also next season - Oliver and Amanda's adventures in Hong Kong.
- This season has just been so great. All around it was just a really well-conceived and arced story. I can't wait for Season 3 to start in the fall. See you all then.
