[WARNING: Spoilers ahead from Wednesday's season finale of Arrow, "Unthinkable"]
Let's talk about the finale of Arrow, shall we?
True to form, The CW comic-book drama paid off a season's worth of build-up with the "biggest fight" to date between Oliver Queen and Slade Wilson. With the help of some friends, Oliver and Co. left no stone unturned in their face-off, culminating in a life-altering moment for the Arrow. Would Oliver kill Slade, or would he cure him of the Mirakuru? Oliver chose the high road, a decision he would not have been able to make in season one.
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Wednesday's finale, "Unthinkable" (which could refer to a few of the episode's developments), also set up a drastically different world for season three. Oliver may or may not have declared his love to Felicity, Thea abandons ship, Laurel may be on the road to becoming Black Canary and Roy may be embracing his superhero abilities. The Hollywood Reporter highlights the biggest revelations and cliffhangers from the season closer.
1. Oliver says “I love you” to...
Felicity. The last piece in Slade’s puzzle is to kill the woman Oliver loves most. After capturing Laurel, leading the audience to believe she's the one, Oliver tells Felicity she must not join the fight. Always the stubborn one, Felicity doesn't connect the dots until Oliver tells her straight up that Slade "has the wrong woman." It’s shocking that Oliver declared his love for Felicity this soon, considering the two have established a professional, sometimes flirty, rapport that sometimes felt one-sided. Even the final minutes of the finale leave much to be desired. "When you told me you loved me, you had me fooled. For a second, I thought you meant it...," Felicity says in awe. "We both did," Oliver says. Was the fake-out real? Any bets that was some truth to Oliver's declaration?
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2. Slade is...
Not dead. Turns out, Oliver's grown a tremendous amount since viewers first met him two seasons ago. No longer with the need to kill, Oliver sends his former mentor/friend to "purgatory" a.k.a. ARGUS' most secure prison on the island, after winning the fight once and for all. The speech Oliver gives Slade shows just how much he's evolved as his quest to become hero continues. "I have the strength to let you live," he says at one point. "I got to go home because of you. I got to see my family again. But over the past year, I needed to be more and I faltered. Then I stopped you without killing... You helped me become a hero Slade."
3. Laurel becomes...
Black Canary? It sure seems that way after Sara gives her sister the black leather jacket, that just so happens to fit perfectly. It's no secret Sara was always supposed to be the first Canary. Was that the passing of the torch? But Laurel has a more pressing matter to deal with: Her father suddenly collapses after coughing up blood. Will he survive?
4. Oliver first met Amanda Waller...
Remember that episode where Oliver went to Waller for help? The finale sheds light on exactly when he and Waller first met. After leaving the island following a beatdown with Slade, Oliver wakes up in Hong Kong, of all places. "We have a lot to discuss," Waller tells Oliver in the flashback. (That's also presumably how he learned how to fly a helicopter.)
5. Thea abandons Roy and Starling City to...
Be with her biological father, Malcolm Merlyn, whom she shoots twice at the start of the episode but fails to kill (Kevlar and all). At first, Roy and Thea seem to have set their differences aside, with trust not a factor. (That'll change.) Their plan is set: They'll leave town and start a new life. But while Roy is assisting Oliver in the epic battle, Thea discovers a stash of arrows. Trust demolished. Instead, she takes Malcolm's offer, because at the moment, he's the only one who hasn't lied to her or isn't dead. (R.I.P. Moira.) She also abandons her "Thea Queen" identity and it's clear she will be a formidable force. "Even I don't know where I'm going. I only know one thing: I am never coming back."
6. Roy Harper becomes...
Arsenal? Well, he at least dons a red mask. After waking up from his Mirakuru-induced coma via the S.T.A.R. Labs-created cure and not remembering a thing (including killing that police officer), he helps Oliver and the Superhero All-Stars fight Slade and his Mirakuru army. After Thea breaks all ties with him (again), Roy looks at the red fabric, a hint that there's more to come.
7. Sara leaves town and...
Joins up with Nyssa to go back to the League. This time, she's deciding "her own fate." Nyssa reaffirms to Quentin that his daughter's safety is her top priority. Sara promises to Laurel that she'll see her again and tells her "Oliver needs you" -- just probably not in the way Laurel must be thinking.
8. Diggle and Lyla are...
Expecting a baby. Waller drops the bombshell to Diggle that he's going to be a father. Oliver's right-hand man doesn't tell his fellow Team Arrow members the good news. (Oliver, too, has a child, he just doesn't know it.) Will that come back to bite him?
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
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