Arrow has proven that it’s capable of redemption, which has been the case with these last several episodes of season 5, which has felt like the season 5 we were promised. Arrow‘s penultimate episode touched on all of the things we loved: Stephen Amell and Josh Segarra’s dynamic, the rise of Olicity, and the return of some old faces that are spicing up the season finale.
Our Fangirlish writers Alyssa, Nora, Sarah, and Charles are breaking down Arrow‘s penultimate episode, which set up a thrilling season finale that has us equally excited and terrified for what’s to come.
Describe your thoughts about “Missing” using just six words.
Alyssa: Just give me the finale NOW.
Nora: How can we keep Josh Segarra?
Sarah: Arrow I’ve missed this intensity.
Charles: Exciting with a dash of suspense.
Describe your feelings about “Missing” using a gif.
Alyssa:
Nora:
Sarah:
Charles:
Oliver admitted to Chase that Team Arrow is his strength. So Chase started picking his strength off one-by-one. He thinks that he can make Oliver’s strength his weakness. Do you agree?
Alyssa: Yes and no. On the one hand, there’s no denying that Team Arrow, namely Felicity and Diggle, are Oliver’s biggest strength. They’re the ones that have stood by him throughout this crusade and have inspired him to become the hero that he is today. How do you weaken someone? Take away the people that give him an edge — the ones that inspire him to keep fighting when things seem hopeless. Come on, we’ve seen what Oliver has done whenever Felicity or Diggle are in trouble. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to save them. But at the same time, when you have those kind of people in your life — people that believe in your goodness and your ability to overcome all odds — just knowing those people and keeping them in your heart is enough to motivate you. They represent that familiar mantra, “You’re not alone.” So while Chase was right in locating Oliver’s strength and taking those people from him, he also doesn’t realize that in doing so that he’s given Oliver an even greater motivation to destroy him.
Nora: Yes and no. It’s no secret that Team Arrow is Oliver’s greatest strength, especially Diggle and Felicity. Chase knows how to hurt Oliver and that’s to hurt his family. Oliver would much rather sacrifice himself than any member of Team Arrow. Chase does make a sneaky plan by locating all of Team Arrow to Lian Yu, but what I think that Chase doesn’t realize is while his family is in danger, Oliver has always worked better under pressure. He will fight to die in order to save Team Arrow, especially Felicity, Thea and Diggle. Oliver’s strength can also be his weakness. This is the motivation Oliver needs to take down Chase once and for all.
Sarah: Yes in the sense he knew where to hone in on what or rather who Oliver cares about the most. However it’s also a strong no in that lone villains even Chase underestimate the power of a group of people who are willing to fight tooth and nail to the end for what they believe in and most of all each other. Chase has proven to a brilliant and deadly adversary but the one thing you should never underestimate about Oliver Queen is his loyalty and dedication to everyone he now has trapped on Lian Yu. Oliver is vulnerable when you try to attack him personally as is most humans but you threaten the people he loves Chase as good as signed over his defeat.
Charles: Yes but only by taking away the heart of Team Arrow — Diggle and Felicity. Oliver can survive without Curtis, Rene, Dinah. Hell, he’s done it for years! BUt if you take away Felicity or John from him and he is wounded. Oliver will take more risks without them there to bring him back from the brink. A reckless Oliver Queen plays right into Prometheus’s hands in my opinion.
Once again this episode brought us some amazing scenes with Oliver and Chase. How much do you love Stephen Amell and Josh Segarra?
Alyssa: Stephen and Josh are pure magic together. Back when it was revealed that Prometheus was Adrian Chase, I was let down by the potential of what could’ve been. But once the show finally had the time to flesh out Chase as our villain, it was one of the best things to happen to this entire season. Chase is easily my favorite Big Bad of this series, and a big part of that is Stephen and Josh’s dynamic in the latter half of this season. Not only is Oliver and Chase’s connection intriguing, but what Stephen and Josh bring to it takes it to another level. They bring out the best in each other and really capitalize on the balance of desperation and humor in their scenes. For the first time, I’m praying that our Big Bad sticks around for season 6. I don’t care what it takes. What story they have to spin to make it stick. But I want Josh Segarra next season.
Nora: Stephen and Josh are the definition of a TV bromance right now. It has been a true pleasure to watch these two build up such a bond this season and it will make it even harder to (possibly) say goodbye to Josh at the end of the season. Adrian Chase has become my favorite villain on Arrow and that’s a lot thanks to Josh Segarra and the amazing work he’s been doing. He’s sexy, charming and still the most threatening villain EVER. I’m praying he can stick around, if not just for the Stephen/Josh bromance to continue. Great work boys!
Sarah: Stephen and Josh are phenomenal when they are together on screen, there’s really no other word for it.They embody the path of a villain slowly working his way to a destroy hero such as the Green Arrow and waking up the hero to how hard he’s willing to fight to keep going even when he’s been taking down to a self loathing hole his loved ones worked to pull him out of. What I’ve loved most about Prometheus is he’s felt like a true adversary for Oliver scary as hell and legitimately dangerous to his cause and now the people he loves the most. Josh has that part down to a science and is match for match anytime he’s alone with Stephen. However they manage to defeat him I will miss Josh and his delicious evilness around here.
Charles: They have such great chemistry with one another. I love the moment where Adrian taunted Oliver by mocking his voice (In a pretty good impression). I really hope Josh can stay on for some of season 6 as he has been a breath of fresh air, especially once it was revealed he was Prometheus. The man mixes in such a great job of sinisterness with a dash of humor. Stephen has also been rejuvenated this back half of season 5 thanks to not only more scenes with Emily but also with Josh. When you have two actors that mix well like this, you hold onto it for as long as you can.
What was your reaction to Oliver and Felicity during their conversation at his birthday party?
Alyssa:
Nora:
Sarah:
Charles:
Olicity is rising! Felicity told Oliver that she’s ready to take things “one step at a time” in terms of getting back together, which he’s obviously for. What are your thoughts on Olicity moving forward?
Alyssa: I’m loving where Oliver and Felicity are at right now. There wasn’t an immediate reunion where they just fell back together. They acknowledged their part in their breakup, and they’re now going to have to work through that. At the right pace. Given everything that Oliver and Felicity have been through this season, I wouldn’t want a quick fix. It’s not about them ending up together so much as it’s about their journey. I don’t need it rushed. I can wait. It’s all about watching them work through their old issues and new issues that arise.
I don’t want them to be blissfully happy at season’s end. I’d like to see them poised to rebuild with a sense of optimism, ala season 3. But the difference is I actually want to see them reconciling and coming to a place where their relationship isn’t where it used to be but even stronger. With that said, they don’t need to draw it out for too long, either. But I really loved getting to see the old Olicity that I fell in love with. The Olicity with the loving looks, the small touches, and those beautiful words — everything that I’ve grown to love in them. Hopefully Arrow realizes that not only should they not fix what wasn’t broken, but that it would be detrimental to the show in general.
Nora: I am SO happy where Oliver and Felicity are at this moment in time! They’ve gotten all their issues out on the table and are willing to work on them TOGETHER. It’s such a great place to start to take the next steps in their relationship. I am beyond thrilled. Both characters have been through so much this season and I think it has only allowed them to understand each other better. Oliver realized his mistakes with lying and Felicity turned to Helix and now knows a little bit about what Oliver has gone through. While I was displeased about where Olicity was in the beginning of season five, I can kind of understand the course Arrow took with them and I’m ready for a full on Olicity romance again. While I’m enjoying that they’re taking small steps, I don’t think it needs to be drawn out to long. We’ve already lived through the slow burn phase of their relationship, so I want to see them reconcile and then be a couple. Last time they were a couple everything moved VERY fast, so I’d like to see some more small moments and watch their relationship blossom because we missed a chunk of that last time around.
Sarah: Finally I can say HELL YES I LOVE WHERE OLICITY IS AT! Pardon the caps but after a long season of watching them practically ignore their history (which I blame the writers for) it’s wonderful to see the place they’re at now. Felicity and Oliver’s experiences have shaped them to the people they’ve become and now it includes Oliver’s understanding of why he shouldn’t have chosen to lie the way he did and Felicity’s turn to her own dark side in the form of Felix. Letting them air those choices out put them back on the road of true reconciliation and it’s baby steps but frankly I’m more than good here. For now, I will admit I hope they slowly go from baby steps to normal walking next season (since we all know Chase is getting defeated) but any kind of journey at all is welcomed with open arms here. The little touches of her straightening his tie, and letting their guard down was nostalgia at its best. Olicity have had a rough ride and looking back the writing choices I still don’t agree with, but getting them to here was a good one.
Charles: I love the direction they are going. Nothing big but small steady steps in the right direction…..which makes the first half of this season even more frustrating. But back to the goodness that is Olicity. I liked the subtle glances and touches and the easiness with which they talked with each other. Felicity playing with Oliver’s tie felt like the old days. Season 6 needs to continue this upward trend of writing these two like this again and it can bring back viewers that were soured by the first half of this season.
What was your reaction to seeing Oliver go to Slade Wilson for help in the episode’s final scene?
Alyssa:
Nora:
Sarah:
Charles:
Oliver was forced to work with people he doesn’t necessarily like or agree with — with Malcolm Merlyn, Nyssa al Ghul, and now Slade Wilson. What do you think was the driving force behind that?
Alyssa: Oliver has been backed into a corner where he literally has no choice but to work with these people because everyone that he loves, including his son, Felicity, Diggle, and Thea, are all at the will of a violent sociopath. Chase has crafted an army at his disposal, and Oliver knows that he certainly can’t defeat an army by himself. But Oliver also realizes that with a person like Chase — who has no limit, he killed his wife, for crying out loud — he’s going to need people that are willing to do the things that he won’t give Chase the satisfaction of seeing him do. He’s going to fight fire with fire. When your loved ones are in danger, there’s no limit to what you will do to get them back.
Nora: Oliver has his back against the wall and will do anything to save Team Arrow. Diggle and Felicity aren’t there to help and he needs all the people he can to help defeat Chase and get his family back. While he may not trust Malcolm, Nyssa and Slade, he knows there’s a part of them that will always love Oliver and there is a part of Oliver that will always care for them. He’s turning to the only people he knows that will help him. I’m just glad Oliver recognized that he needs help to finish this off.
Sarah: When your back is against the wall he’s on, you make choices you never would have dreamed of in any other situation. That’s the situation Oliver is in now. These aren’t the people he trusts to have his back, these are the names he calls when he needs to get a mission done and that’s what Malcolm, Nyssa and maybe even Slade (I’m skeptical on him) can do with Oliver. Chase has kidnapped the people he loves one by one to “finish him off” and if I could call a few people who have no lines to cross no matter what happens to defeat Chase I understand his choice. It’s not about trust at this point, it’s necessity and Oliver for all his experience and frankly intelligence the lesson he sticks to even now is he cannot do this alone if he hopes to succeed. It’ll be very interesting to see how this goes.
Charles: Simply because Oliver has no choice. These are the ones left for him to call upon. Now he could call Barry but he has his own stuff to deal with at the moment. Also I think having people like Malcolm and Slade can be a positive for Oliver as they can do things and crossed lines that maybe people like Curtis or Dinah can’t. They are individuals that will do anything to accomplish what they want. Against a man like Adrian Chase,without Felicity or Diggle, Oliver must rely on them to help save the day.
For the first time in this show’s history, the season finale will find Oliver and co. outside of Star City. What are your thoughts on Arrow wrapping its fifth season on Lian Yu back where it all began?
Alyssa: It’s definitely poetic and fitting that as Arrow prepares to bid Lian Yu goodbye that it serves as our main setting in the finale. We’ve never had a finale where we haven’t been in Star City so it’s definitely something that I’m looking forward to — as well as the citizens of Star City, who are damn tired of yearly terrorist attacks. As Oliver Queen concludes his five-year journey, returning to Lian Yu in the finale is the perfect way to wrap up this story with a bow. The place he was reborn, the place he left and became a hero. One last time. Full circle.
Nora: Full circle. It’s the place where this entire journey began and it’s poetic that this is where this great battle will end. This episode concludes a five year journey and it makes sense that it would end on Lian Yu. Oliver’s going back to the place that turned him into The Hood and this time he’s returning to save everyone he holds dear. It’s poetic and perfect for this season five finale.
Sarah: Since we are finally coming round to the end of the island flashbacks and how we met Oliver in the pilot it’s really fitting the writers led the entire Arrow crew here to Lian Yu. This is the first finale that didn’t take place in Star City, which instantly makes it stand apart and I have a damn good feeling this will be a heart stopper of a finale (and for once to not take place where they are surrounded by buildings where they’ll inevitably have a last minute match up with on a random roof.) Oliver going back there gives him the chance to put his past there behind him and rescue the people he wants to spend his future fighting with to help their home and hopefully continue to rekindle his relationship ie romance with Felicity. Bring it on Arrow, we are ready for you!
Charles: I am so so glad that the season finale is set somewhere besides Star City. Lian Yu is a perfect spot to have it too. This can finally be the chance to bring Oliver’s story full circle. Lian Yu has been a big part of some important moments in Oliver Queen’s life so it makes complete sense that it would be where Oliver has his biggest fight yet.
Stay tuned for our final Arrow roundtable next Wednesday!
