First Thoughts on 'Arrow' (Episodes 13-23)


The final episodes of 'Arrow' were just as surprising as the rest of the series so far. There was this big build-up to the finale, with the promise that Oliver no longer had to be the vigilante and could move on with his life, as he was completing his father's dying wish. However, not all went to plan...
***CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE EPISODES***
The big shock for me was Tommy's arc. Knowing Oliver was the vigilante and he still loved Laurel pushed him closer to his father, and the resemblance between him and John Barrowman in the offices was scary. However, instead of going on an Osborn-style arc, he ended up becoming a hero, trying to stop Malcolm's plans and saving Laurel. When he died in the last episode it was genuinely upsetting, as he wasn't a bad guy and was trying to do good, and didn't agree with Oliver being the vigilante, making it more tragic (and from the trailer for Season 2, it looks like that will have a big impact). It's also clear he won't be resurrected anytime soon, although as for Malcolm...
Malcolm Merlyn was a brilliant character perfectly played by John Barrowman, and the scene where he played his wife's last words simply showed the true tragedy and vengeful nature of this character, making his death seem more impactful. Again, he was trying to do the right thing and fix Starling City, instead of just taking over the world or causing anarchy. It's also interesting to see what happens after his plan succeeded, even with his death but I'm sure there will be focus on that in Season 2.
In all honesty, the one thing that has bugged me is that Oliver seems to have gone through two love interests in this season for no reason whatsoever. His "psychopath ex" (thank you Diggle!) could be forgiven as she became the Huntress and it expanded her character more, but the police officer was just boring, and she didn't even die in the end! If you're going to write a character out of a super hero series, you might as well kill them! Or maybe I'm just bitter because Joss Whedon killed off Wash. Nevermind.
Overall, Arrow is a series that I really have enjoyed. It has its flaws, but it would! As a 23 episode season, I felt it well-made and I'm intrigued to see where they go in the future. It's a shame the producers of this brilliance went on to make The Tomorrow People...

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