Welcome back one more week to Arrow! “Present tense” is one of the best episodes of the entire show, and one of my favorites. The emotional background they have shown us in this episode has been deep, real, raw, and they have gotten us to empathize with the characters in a way that only Arrow can achieve.
Let’s comment everything. Here we go!
The episode begins exactly where the previous one ended. William, with tears in his eyes, doesn’t hesitate to hug his father, he, despite the shock, returns the hug, and when he recognizes his son he only closes his eyes and clings to him. He clings so much to him, it means so much to have him in his arms … then, he opens his eyes, William moves away, and Oliver looks at Mia. He can only look at her and remember the last time he saw her. She was a baby and now she is a woman: a strong, beautiful woman, as precious as her mother, and she looks into his eyes with a mixture of fear, confusion, pain and hope.
And with a broken voice, torn with emotion, he just wants to confirm that she is real, just wants to hold on to her and check that she is there. Oliver just wants to touch her to convince himself that his daughter is right in front of him. He needs that contact, desperately … he needs it as much as he needs to breathe. Mia can only nod, but denies the contact. Oliver shows all the pain that comes from feeling his daughter’s rejection for only a second. But he forces himself to recover and explain to the others, with his voice still full of disbelief, suffering, emotion and happiness, everything that’s going on.
Mia … she can only stare at her father. She hasn’t let him touch her or hug her, despite needing it as desperately as he does. But it was too much. Zoe’s murder, the departure to that strange world, meeting face to face with her father. Is everything real? Everything may be a trick of her mind, and she feels vulnerable. She doesn’t want to feel like that. She cannot be vulnerable in front of anyone.
But she, deep down, knows that it’s real, it’s just … too painful to contemplate. She’s face to face with her father. A father who she feels abandoned her. Yes, she understands why he did it, a part of her admires him, but that doesn’t mean it hurts less. That doesn’t mean that the pain of abandonment doesn’t tear her insides and isn’t small pins that constantly pierce her heart. She cannot simply … act as if nothing happened.
She needs her father, she wants to hug him, she wants to forgive him but … she can’t. Something prevents her. It’s a fierce battle between head and heart.
Mia’s head tells her that her father did everything to protect his family and that he had his reasons, that he loved her and leaving them was the most painful thing he did, but her heart … her heart can only focus on the pain of not having had her father by her side, of not having known him. Her heart only yells at her that this man is a stranger to her, because she didn’t have the opportunity to meet him and now she is afraid to do so, afraid to open her heart and let him in, because if he disappears again, if he slips back between her fingers, that would destroy her. So she prefers not to take risks and put a physical and emotional barrier between her and her father. Although that destroys them both. It’s so similar to Oliver …
Oliver’s explanation is addressed to everyone, but especially to Mia. Oliver wants to make it clear that he did what he did to protect them, her mother and her, and that it is the most difficult thing he has done. When he says “those are my kids,” I almost died of emotion. He says it with such pride and emotion that I couldn’t stop screaming.
Of course, Dinah, of everything that is going on, only cares that she was not told anything about Felicity’s pregnancy (blank eyes), and pay attention to Diggle’s reaction when Dinah says that. However, much more interesting is the exchange between Connor and Diggle.
Connor doesn’t hesitate to call him “dad” and he does it with emotion, with tears in his eyes, as if he can’t believe he’s seeing him there, alive. As if he finally had the opportunity to tell him everything he could not say. As if he now had the chance to say goodbye. Of course, Diggle doesn’t recognize him and that kills Connor a little, it hurts that his father doesn’t recognize him, that they are not yet all that they will be.
What does this mean? Will Diggle die? Well, I don’t rule that out, in the future we know now he’s dead. That would explain Connor’s reaction. But don’t worry. I think that the crossover is going to change absolutely everything and Oliver is going to remain alive, and Diggle too. So, in short, I think that although Diggle is now dead in the future, the series will not end like this. Soon we will talk in a post about the possible end of the series, and I will further develop this idea. But, as I anticipate, I think the ending will be happy and with the central characters of the show alive.
Connor tries to explain to Diggle who he is and why he calls him “dad.” He tries to explain that he adopted him, but Diggle denies it, he cannot wrap his head about the fact that he has adopted the boy who he has just helped with Lyla. It’s too much. That initial rejection of Diggle is a physical pain for Connor. He is desperate for Diggle to recognize him, he is desperate to meet his father again, and just thinking that in that strange world he never adopted him and he doesn’t have the right to call him father, is a lacerating pain that twists him inside.
William finds the key to what is happening and both teams, those of the future and those of the present, try to regroup.
After this, Mia, Oliver and William retire to the apartment where they lived. While for William it is a trip to all the good memories and experiences he shared with his parents, for Mia it is a strange place, a constant reminder of what could have been and was not. Mia notices the photo of Olicity that shows them smiling and hugging. She sees them happy, she sees them together … and that increases the feeling that her own father stole her childhood from her, that he took something away from her that was so precious, that she feels a hole in her chest every time she thinks of what could have been and was not.
Oliver tries to normalize the situation. He is excited to have his children by his side, but also nervous. Right now they are three strangers, although they love each other more than their own lives. He imagines a world where they both grew up together, even if he was not there, but that is far from reality. The reality is much sadder. When William explains what really happened, Oliver’s face shows tremendous desolation. He is sacrificing his own life so that his family has a better life … and has just discovered that it has not been so. That leaves him desolate, feeling as if nothing had been worth it.
But he recovers fast, he has to. Oliver has them there, next to him and he can get back the lost time, he can enjoy the time he has left, he can meet them and forge a relationship with them. But Mia is not in for that. Entering that apartment, where the last vestiges of a broken life and childhood lie, is the clearest reminder of her father’s abandonment, by choice. It hurts like hell that he didn’t choose her, their family, but he didn’t. And Mia can’t do as if nothing had happened. She cannot forgive and forget so easily.
Mia tries to convince herself that she doesn’t need her father, when in fact she does, desperately, always has. But it is too difficult, too painful. There is risk in opening up to a person,, in letting them in. It takes a great leap of faith. By opening yourself, by recognizing that you need that person desperately … you give him/her the power to destroy you. Mia knows it, and right now she can’t give that power to Oliver. She doesn’t trust in him enough. She doesn’t know what she’s living right now, but Oliver left once and she had to learn to grow without him, she had to forge her life without him. She stands there, loving him but unable to have him, unable to know him, unable to reach him.
What prevents Oliver from doing it again? What prevents Oliver from disappearing again as if he never existed? Mia could barely stand her father’s absence once. She knows she would not survive that again. If she let Oliver in, if she trusted him, if she allowed herself to know and love him as someone in real life, not like the image others have helped create, it would mean that if her father disappeared again, he would destroy her. Mia Smoak – Queen would no longer exist, only pieces of her.
Mia is afraid of forgiving her father and trusting him, because that would mean leaving her heart in his hands and giving him the opportunity to destroy it with a little squeeze. Mia felt that helpless once when she was little, and has promised herself not to feel that way again. If she lets Oliver into her heart, she knows that she would be breaking that promise. Mia is certain that Oliver will sooner or later disappear, so what will remain of her? Nothing.
That is the reason she maintains the distances and moves away. She needs her father as much as breathing … but her heart needs protection from the pain that will come when he disappears from her life, so her only way out is to protect herself under her anger and pain, under her resentment, to avoid forgiving him and betting her heart .
Oliver takes that direct hit to heart. He knows he has a whole relationship to rebuild with his children. And it will start with William. But before that, he has to tell Felicity everything. I love that they look at these details, they are the ones that give quality to the story. Felicity is his wife and the mother of his children, she has to know what is happening. The excuse for not saying anything is quite convincing. They still don’t know how that time travel works, what they could alter … and it’s better not to do anything at the moment.
It is true that Curtis later appears, and it seems a bit strange that he can know everything and Felicity doesn’t… but at least they tried to explain it, so we’ll give them that.
In addition, this immediate reaction of Oliver speaks of the growth of his character. He is a man used to keeping everything to himself and hiding very important things, even from his wife. But he has learned that this is not right, and that sharing a life with someone means sharing everything, secrets and strange time travel included.
That conversation between William and Oliver in which he came out is GOLD. For many reasons. The first is the importance of such a scene. It is necessary. It is necessary to show that no one should feel ashamed to tell their parents who they are. It is normal to be afraid, that fear of whether your parents will accept you, but don’t let that fear consume everything. We must show our loved ones who we are.
The scene takes into account this detail. William starts talking with a low voice, almost afraid … but ends up talking loudly, connecting with his father’s eyes. Telling him who he is without fear or shame, because he should not feel them.
Oliver’s answer is also PERFECT. Parents love their children above all, and just want them to find themselves and be well and safe. When your child decides to share who they are, it is their decision. Only when they are comfortable. Only when they decide. Precisely this is Oliver’s answer. It is not something new for him. Oliver and Felicity already knew, they just wanted William to discover himself, and when he was prepared and felt comfortable, he would say so. Oliver and Felicity, as parents, knew their son perfectly and loved him with all their heart. They just let him be him. Because that’s what you do when you’re a father.
William was afraid … afraid that his confession would change the way his father sees or treats him. But he has realized that his father knew perfectly who he was,, and that his words have not changed anything. I’m proud of this show for bringing this theme to the forefront, and for being so sensitive and correct when it comes to dealing with it.
After this emotional moment, Oliver apologizes for not having been there to help him in what he needs, for not having seen him grow and build a relationship that would allow William to know that his father accepted him as he is. William replies that everything is forgiven and that they now have the opportunity to get back that lost time. Oliver needed to hear him say it, he needed to know that his son forgave him for having sacrificed the life as a family they could have had. Now he knows. But he also knows that Mia hasn’t done it.
That hurts his soul. Knowing that his daughter holds a grudge, and that she prefers to have nothing to do with him, knowing that his daughter doesn’t forgive him. But William comforts him by telling him that Mia will do it, she only needs time because she keeps everything she feels inside. Here Oliver makes a joke, where did she get it from? William’s answer: “Mom, maybe” melts me. For William, Felicity is his mother as much as Sam. But what melts me the most is that smile from ear to ear with which Oliver responds.
That smile is full of happiness, love, pride for the man William has become, full of light and gratitude. Gratitude and happiness for sharing such a moment with his son, for having him there, in front of him and being able to simply talk to him and share a moment from heart to heart. Happy because life and the universe has given back a little of everything it owes him. Oliver is pure light in this scene.
And Stephen. Oh Stephen. He is sublime. He is exceeded in each episode and especially in this scene. Those eyes full of tears about to spill, that emotion that tears his voice, that lump in his throat that he manages to transmit to you perfectly. Bravo!
Curtis appears again without anyone missing him. The truth that his appearance passes without sorrow or glory, and it shows that his only purpose is to say goodbye to the character. However, his appearance gives Mia the perfect excuse to disappear and try to solve what is happening on her own. She feels the need and responsibility to avenge Zoe. After all, that happened in their time and it is their responsibility to fix that disaster.
Here Mia, like Oliver, throws a heavy slab over her shoulders and prefers not to share her weight. She feels guilty for everything that has happened and wants to solve it, it must be she who avenges the death of Zoe with blood. It must be her and only her, who is responsible for the mistakes and sins she has committed. Mia prefers to work alone and not involve anyone else. Oliver learned that he doesn’t have to go anywhere alone, and that sometimes we have to share the burdens before they sink us.
As with this, Mia also wants to hide from everyone what happens in the future. It is true that it is very painful and somewhat difficult to accept but it is better that they go through the pain instead of, in addition to the pain of the truth, making it so they feel betrayed by their own children. Again, Mia’s behavior is reflected in Oliver’s. Recall all the things that Oliver decided to hide in an attempt to protect those he loved, among other things, a secret plan to infiltrate the League.
Oliver learned that lies and secrets lead nowhere and only cause more pain, more distrust … and that when they are discovered it is much worse. Mia will also learn that lesson because, how could it be otherwise, everything goes wrong and they must tell the truth.
Thus, with this decision, two teams are formed working in parallel, that inevitably end up converging. Oliver’s pain in knowing that Mia prefers to do things alone and away from him is evident in his face. He understands it, understands her … but he also needs her. He needs to feel her near him, he needs to feel that she has forgiven him. He needs his daughter to accept him and love him as much as he loves her. He knows he has a lot to fix in his relationship with Mia and silently begs his daughter to give him the opportunity to do so before it’s too late.
After everything explodes, the characters have to reflect on it. René has just learned that his daughter was killed by Diggle’s son. He can’t even think of his little Zoe, so full of life, dead at the hands of his friend’s son. He needs to take a breath, John goes after him and tries to apologize on behalf of his son. René knows that Diggle is not to blame, parents are not guilty of the actions and decisions of their children, but at that point René cannot listen. He sees red and behind his eyelids there is a fixed image, the image of his dead daughter and Diggle’s son stained with her blood. He needs to get out and breathe, he needs to check that Zoe is fine and erase that chilling image from his mind.
René does it by seeing Zoe safe and sound – that little girl is a delighted, she has conquered me – by seeing her grow. But he cannot take that image away from his heart. He cannot avoid the pain of knowing what is going to happen. He cannot avoid the pain of loss. Dinah comes to the rescue (in one of her best interventions as a character) and makes René understand that they can change what will happen.
Now that they know it, why not fight it? Destiny is forged by ourselves. Nothing is written in stone. The universe has given them an opportunity to change what will happen, they must take advantage of it and not be defeated. René must be strong in order to save Zoe from her future.
René reflects on it and realizes that Dinah is right. Nothing is won by lamenting and sinking in the pain of a loss that he has not yet suffered. Nothing is won by blaming his friend and one of his children for something that has not happened, and for which they are not to blame. They must be more united than ever and fight against such a horrible future and never let it happen.
After the first initial shocks, the moment of greatest suffering comes in the discussion between father and daughter.
Mia reproaches Oliver for leaving her, her and her mother. She grew up without him because of a decision Oliver himself made. He knows that it is true and can only tell Mia his reasons for doing so. He did it to protect them, so they could move on. And he knows, despite the suffering that decision has caused, that he did the right thing. Because the only thing that matters is that his family was well, that she could grow, and live and become the wonderful woman she is today. He would have died a thousand times gladly to preserve that. The love for his family is bigger than himself.
But Mia could never move on. She needed him, needed him so much … but her father was not by her side. She had to learn to accept that he had chosen not to be. Despite his reasons … she understands them, but her heart … her heart feels hurt by her father’s decision.
Mia only feels that she wasn’t enough for his father to send everything to hell and stay by her side. His abandonment stuck so deep inside her that she has never been able to understand it. Mia cannot understand why he chose the mission before his family. If he really cared so much about her well-being, he should have stayed to protect them, he should have given her the opportunity to grow by his side, to love his father and trust him.
She’s so hurt because she didn’t. Mia only needed her father, all her life she needed him and she feels so hurt. She has a wound that has not healed … and can only take refuge in her own anger. But what is underneath all this is pain and need. The most pure and desperate need to have her father by her side and feel that he loves her so much … that he decided to sacrifice his life for her.
Oliver feels just that for her, but Mia just can’t hear it. Not now, it’s too painful, she can’t trust him. Not now after all those years. No, when she knows that if she trusts, she can be hopelessly broken.
Therefore, Mia is even willing to face her father in a fight. This in itself is a really hard blow for Oliver. He doesn’t intend to fight with her like that, and that she feels the need to do so, that she treats him as a true stranger … it is like a rusty dagger stuck in his heart.
After the conversation with René, Diggle has a first face to face with his son, he feels so guilty … and finally we find out why. Connor was suffering for his lost father when he reached for the arms of Diggle and Lyla. Because of this, he was not an easy child, and his parents had to make an effort so that he could see that they were not going to let him go, so that he knew they were there.
That caused a grudge in JJ, who was filled with jealousy at the thought that Connor had taken love from his parents. And he always felt that Connor took a place in his parents’ heart, a place he could never recover. But Connor is not to blame for any of that. He was a child and it was logical that he felt insecure and angry at the world. The heart of parents is immense and it fits all their children, no matter how many. It’s on JJ that he never understood this, even as an adult.
Despite not being guilty of anything, Connor feels tremendously guilty. He feels like a stranger who just screwed up the lives of his parents and his brother. Therefore, Connor asks his father for forgiveness with his heart in his hand, but Diggle rejects that, not because he feels that Connor should apologize for something, but because he has been lying to him.
At this moment I almost thought Diggle was going to say something like “you’re not my son” and we were going to have a problem … fortunately, he didn’t say anything like that. But rejection hurts Connor as much as if he had said so. At this moment Connor reaffirms his feeling of not belonging to his own family.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In a conversation with Dinah, we know the true reason for Diggle’s attitude. It is not something against his son, it is against himself. Feeling guilty is clearly genetic, because John feels guilty about what will happen. As a father, he thinks he could have prevented his son from becoming a murderer.
It’s … something intrinsic to parents when a child does something totally wrong, to think they have failed, what they could have changed … when the answer is nothing. Children, once they are adults, make their own decisions, good or bad, but only they are responsible.
The situation with JJ has reminded Diggle of his brother Andy. He believed so much in him … but in the end he couldn’t save him, he couldn’t help him. And now history repeats itself. He is terrified of not being able to do anything to prevent JJ from becoming such a monster. Diggle is terrified to think that he will lose his son, just as he lost his brother Andy.
But that terror has caused John to stab a dagger in the heart of his other son, Connor. It has made him feel unworthy to be part of his family, like a true stranger. And John knows that he can’t help but confront Connor and the mistake he has made. That brings us to one last conversation between them.
Connor had given up and had accepted that for Diggle, he was not his son … but John makes it clear that he is part of the family and nothing else matters. That moment is tremendously emotional, it is everything Connor wanted from the beginning … he receives that acceptance from his father, with tears in his eyes.
After this, they show us a training scene between father and son. This scene is a refelction of one of the Season 2 in which Oliver, Sara and Diggle train in the same way as father and son do in the present.
Mia, meanwhile, is blinded by revenge. She needs it like breathing, precisely because she can’t breathe. There have been too many things, Zoe’s murder, showing in the past, confronting her father … Mia feels like she is drowning and the only way out she sees is to get revenge for Zoe’s death. She can’t control everything else, but she can control this, and she needs to regain control. Mia needs to feel that she has control over something that is happening in her life.
Mia’s attitude is a mixture of Oliver and Felicity. Oliver was blinded by revenge many times. Felicity got carried away by that same feeling only once, with Díaz. That desire to feel that you have made the other pay for the suffering that they have caused you. That power to have control over the life and death of the person who has caused all your ills, who has taken everything away from you, including the control of your own life, to be able to hit back with the same forcefulness … it is easy to get carried away by that, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.
Oliver learned over time that revenge doesn’t mean justice and that revenge doesn’t make you feel better, on the contrary, it makes you sink deeper into the bottomless pit. Felicity learned the same lesson when she was about to do something she was going to regret. The problem of getting carried away by revenge is that you expect to feel something, at least relief, after culminating it, but after doing so you only feel a horrible emptiness, even deeper than before because before, at least you had a motivation to move on, but once that revenge ends, you don’t have anything. Her parents learned the lesson and now it’s up to Mia.
The one in charge of giving it to her is Laurel. She doesn’t want to get into anything, but she does see that Mia needs to clear her mind and decide what she wants to do in cold blood. Laurel recognizes in Mia the same thing that she recognized in Felicity: that if she were to do something like that, she would never forgive herself. So she tells Mia her experience with Felicity. She managed to realize it in time, the question is whether Mia will do it or not.
Once this is analyzed, I have to add that it has been somewhat forced that Mia asked Laurel for reinforcement. It’s true that they both know each other, but Mia trusts Connor more than her. Of course, both have to have scenes to forge a relationship, considering the spin-off and everything has been pretty good and natural once we enter the scene, but it has been a little out of place that Mia names Laurel as her partner and not Connor.
After what happens, William knows his father and knows that, although he tries to be calm, he is sunk by what is happening with Mia. He knows that Mia is absolutely right to demand that he leave them alone because he choose the mission over his family. He did it for a good reason, but he did it, and he understands that she is angry and hates him for it. The fact is that we can only get really mad at the people we love the most. Mia loves her father, but she is too hurt and too afraid.
Then William tells him about his own experience. He also came to hate (or, rather, to feel that rage and that pain that feeds on hate) his father for the same reason as Mia. But then he forgave him for it. He trusted enough to take that leap of faith, forgive him and trust his heart again. Mia will too, she just needs some time.
Oliver knows that, although he did it for the best possible reason, his decision resulted in his children growing up without him and regrets that they did. He wants nothing more than to have been there for them and to have shown them everything they mean to him. He wants nothing more than to have shown them that they and Felicity are absolutely ALL his world.
So he does the only thing he can do: apologize for not doing so. Oliver needs that forgiveness, he needs to feel that his children don’t hold a grudge, he needs to know that they will be able to recover and rebuild a relationship that was taken from them. Just thinking about not being able to do it, thinking that he is going to lose them both for the second time is killing him so, voice broken, he speaks his mind. It is a plea, almost silent, of forgiveness, of absolution.
William grants him that forgiveness without any doubt, and makes it clear that he is grateful for the time they spent together and for the time they have now to rebuild their relationship. This is just what Oliver needed, a tangible proof that his son loves him and needs as much as he rebuilds the relationship they once had.
Only Mia left … William tries to reassure Oliver. He knows her and knows that, even if she tries to hide it, she loves and needs his father as much as he does to her and will let him into her heart, just as she did with him.
Near the end of the episode, we can finally see father and daughter teaming up. Both dressed in leather, fighting shoulder to shoulder. It is an image that is priceless. I was touched by Oliver’s concern for Mia. When he saw her in trouble, he could not help shouting her name and trying to help her, getting distracted and putting himself in danger. Oliver lives in his flesh that anguish of knowing that in a second everything can end, and doesn’t hesitate to get in the line of fire to take all the blows that are directed at Mia.
Oliver has been in Mia’s place in every way. He knows perfectly what it is to feel that murderous rage, that poison, running through his veins that drives him to collect the damage caused with blood. And he also knows the emptiness you feel later, that renewed desire to want to achieve something that never comes … and to regret the decision to take a life. Oliver knows perfectly what it is to live with that ghost. Therefore, he prevents Mia twice from killing Grant. He doesn’t want his daughter to feel that emptiness, that guilt … that burden. She can she can get angry or kick, or scream or damage him with words or with blows, but he is her father and he will protect her from herself. That is his job.
Mia, later, understands and appreciates her father’s actions and protection. Something between them has changed out there. Oliver has shown Mia, with facts, that he is going to be there, even if she denies him, Oliver is not going to give up, he is not going to disappear. Knowing that is what Mia needed. She calms down a bit. She’s not ready to let him in yet … but her defenses go down.
Later, Oliver takes Mia to his father’s grave. The man who somehow started it all. Then he speaks of his own guilt and desire for revenge. Here Mia opens up a little more. Oliver has given her the confidence she needed. Mia finds in her father a relatble soul who can understand her without judging her, who can advise and support her.
Therefore, Mia tells him about guilt. It’s eating her alive, ever since JJ killed Zoe. She needs to know if that wound will ever heal, if she can ever look in the mirror without feeling guilty or ashamed of herself. She desperately needs Oliver to say yes and to have Oliver reassure her as a little girl, to tell her that everything will be fine in the world. But Mia is no longer a little girl, she is an adult and has to know the truth. His daughter doesn’t deserve less.
That’s when Oliver confesses that the guilt she feels will never go away completely. It’s a burden that will always be on her back. She will learn to live with it, just as he did. She will get up and learn from her mistakes. When she looks in the mirror she will no longer feel ashamed. That’s what life is about, not how many times you fall, if not learning to get up.
He can only help with it, help her cope with her guilt, her anger and all her pain. Mia accepts that, and this is tremendously important. It is the first implicit acceptance of Mia towards his father. She has let him in a little, she is giving him a chance, she is telling him, without words, that although there are still things to resolve between them, she needs and wants him in her life.
That acceptance, that tangible opportunity that Mia is giving her father is confirmed when she accepts the breakfast that Oliver prepares (in a beautiful parallel with that scene with William). It seems like it’s only breakfast, but it is not just a breakfast. It is the unspoken agreement of trust between them. A first bridge that is built between father and daughter.
Mia is still insecure around her father, but she has taken that great leap of faith and has opened a window to her heart, with caution, still standing on tiptoe because she is fully aware of what she may suffer, with many things pending between them. ..but overcoming her own fear, giving Oliver a golden opportunity.
The final scene, as usual lately, leaves us hooked for the next episode. It seems that Monitor intends to recruit Laurel the same way he did with Lyla. He wants Laurel betray Oliver. This is a ticking bomb, since when she finds out that Monitor sacrificed her Earth and her loved ones (and make no mistake, she will find out, no matter how much we want to keep a secret, it always comes out ), she will want revenge for them and everything will explode.
In addition, it forces her to keep a great secret from everyone, which will also have its consequences when it comes to light. Also, Laurel has before her the possibility of betraying someone who believed in her in spite of everything, will she?
As for stunts, we haven’t seen too many but they are still at a good level. Although this episode doesn’t stand out much in that regard, I think the stunts of Oliver and Mia stand out.
In conclusion, this episode has been the best of what we have seen so far, because of the emotional background it has. I think that bringing the characters of the future to the present has been a good thing, because it has changed the game board and has given us the possibility to see scenes that are worth gold, with a very important emotional background, highlighting Oliver’s relationship with his children .
They have made us laugh, they have made us cry and they have moved us. We were able to connect with each character. Their motives have been well explained and, although they have broken our hearts at times, we have been able to get under their skin.
Writing is an art and, as such, I think it must have the ability to move and make us put ourselves in the shoes of others. To do that so that, even if we disagree, we understand the motives of each character. Some say that a reader lives a thousand lives before he/she dies. This is completely true, because the writing of a good book immerses you so much in the story that you live it as if you were inside it, as if you were part of it. In the shows, the same must also happen, however, they rarely get it the way Arrow has done it in this episode.
We have felt the pain of all the characters, their joy, their resentment, their suffering, their hope … and everything in between. We were not spectators of history, we were part of it. For an hour of our lives, we have been inhabitants of Star City, part of Team Arrow and the Queen family.
And this is what I will miss most. Few series today have Arrow’s ability to make us partakers, for better or worse, of all the decisions and feelings of the characters. Few shows so clearly show the lights and shadows that we are all made of. Few series are capable of being as real as life itself. In this episode, Arrow has done it once again.
That said, writing, like all art, is not without errors. The only mistake I see is that I think the relationship between Mia/Oliver has gone too unnoticed. It has been treated (and brilliantly), but I think it has remained scarce. Oliver has apologized to William and has spoken with him openly about the decisions he made.
I’ve missed such a heart to heart between Oliver and Mia and, of course, a hug. As the characters of the future are still in the present, I hope that in the next episode, they will focus on the Mia and Oliver’s relationship and that it will get the prominence it deserves; in the same way the relationship between William/Oliver has done in this episode.
Agree? Disagree? Don’t hesitate to discuss everything with us in the comments below!
Arrow airs on Tuesday on The CW at 9 pm.