Let me start this by saying I still have goosebumps from watching this episode. I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know where the story was going to go and had no clue how they would write Felicity out. The only word I can use to describe this is perfection. Everything fell into place perfectly. Everything is tied up and it really was the perfect end to a show I’ve loved from it’s beginning. It was also shot amazingly well too – there was a true Hollywood movie feel to this.
Both the present day and the future intertwine fantastically as Oliver and the team strive to stop Emiko from causing devastation throughout Star City and Felicity and the next gen race against time to corrupt the archer programme. Mia is given her father’s arrows and scenes play out showing them in combat practically side by side. Katharine McNamara really shone here, so much so that you’re left praying for a spin off just to see her in action again. Curtis and Laurel show up in the present day to help out and it was awesome to see Bronze Tiger offer his support too. It was great watching him fighting.
The Emiko storyline is wrapped up brilliantly. The Ninth Circle question her loyalties and end up turning their back on her, pushing her and Oliver to fight them off together. This doesn’t end well for Emiko who eventually dies in Oliver’s arms. She warns Oliver to get Felicity and the baby away from the city and hearing her last words that she just wanted to be a Queen really hammered at the heart. And as sad as this was to watch it’s not even a patch on what was to come.
There’s celebrations back at the bunker and an overpowering feeling of finality. Curtis and Laurel both return to where they came from and Roy decides that he needs to atone for the guards he killed. Oliver and Felicity announce that they are stepping back and leaving Star City. This is where the mark of 4 is made after Oliver describes the 4 pillars of heroism – courage, compassion, selflessness and loyalty. There’s a final moment for OTA in the bunker and the tears shed between them seemed like pure, genuine emotion. No acting. The lights go out and Oliver’s face is the last thing we see.
Diggle takes Oliver and Felicity to an ARGUS safe house and again the goodbyes here were just gut wrenching. Time speeds along and we see Felicity give birth and the beginnings of baby Mia growing up, they also decide to peruse joint custody of William. Everything is going perfect for them. A little too perfect and that’s when The Monitor shows up to make Oliver honour the promise he made during Elseworlds. We are taken back to the conversation they had and in order to save Barry and Kara, Oliver agreed to help the multiverse when the time was right. Well now is the time Oliver and he’s taken away from his family knowing that he’s going to die and not return home. Watching Felicity say goodbye to him pushes you over the edge of any type of socially acceptable emotions and again this didn’t seem like acting. Their emotions were real.
In 2040 the torch is passed to Mia, William, Connor and Zoe to continue protecting the people whilst the older folk take the blame for their actions and decide to go into hiding. Before Felicity leaves she shares one last moment with her children at Oliver’s grave. I think we all knew Oliver had died but didn’t want to admit it and say it out loud! Uncontrollable emotions now. His grave stone also reveals that he died in 2019 – so we can take a good guess at how the last 10 episodes will play out. Felicity begins her journey and is met by The Monitor. She’s fulfilled her final promise to Oliver and has protected their children for as long as they needed and now she’s taken to be reunited with him through a portal. And that’s the end of season 7. And the last time we will see Felicity Smoak.
No amount of words or descriptions can give justice to this episode. Like I said, it was perfect! Im no Olicity stan but this is the way the show should have ended. OTA are central to everything and it was so rewarding for Diggle to have a proper goodbye with Oliver and Felicity and to take them on their way to their new life. I’ve mentioned how real the emotions from Stephen, Emily and David seemed and as a fan of the show it means so much to see how invested they are with it. People have issues with Felicity but for me Emily Bett is one of the reasons I was initially drawn to Arrow. I’ve loved her character. It’s sad to see her go and it’s even sadder to know that Oliver does die but it’s sweet to see that they are reunited eventually.
I think it’s pretty clear what season 8 will be about and we will see how Oliver helps The Monitor in the multiverse. I’d be happy if Arrow ended here because I don’t feel like I want anything else from it, but knowing that we still have 10 more episodes softens the blow of an extremely emotional episode and an exceptional season.
DCs Earth-9 