Here we are, everyone. After 22 episodes of suspense and intensity, the Season 2 finale of Arrow is finally upon us. With both the cast and crew hyping it up as the single best episode they’ve ever done, it’s safe to say that expectations were very high, but did Unthinkable live up to the hype? In a way, the answer is yes. We were treated to some of the best action scenes the show has put together yet, with some spectacular choreography and camera work that felt like it came straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. However, all the nail-biting action came at the cost of the characters, and as exciting as Unthinkable was, it sadly lacked that guttural emotional impact that made last year’s finale so breathtaking.
I suppose this should have been an expected side-effect, but at the same time I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that some of the episode’s weight was sapped from it due to some weird plot twists at the end that just didn’t need to be there. The episode itself started out great, with Roy finally being cured of his Mirakuru-induced rage issues, and I was very glad to see him finally rejoin the team after spending so many episodes on the sidelines. I actually think his particular arc for the episode was one of the most effective, as watching him struggle to balance his feelings for Thea and his duty to Oliver and Starling City produced some of the episode’s most emotionally satisfying moments. Also, he finally got his own superhero mask. Which was, understandably, incredibly cool to see.
When it came to the action though, Unthinkable absolutely delivered. The inclusion of Nyssa al Ghul and the League of Assassins was very cool to see, especially since they teamed up with Oliver, Sarah, and Roy, and was easily one of my favorite sequences the show has put together yet. If I have any complaints about this particular plot being included is that it resulted in Isabel Rochev being killed off far too quickly. She’s been an incredibly interesting character this season, her dorky Ravager costume aside, and it was a bit frustrating to see her go out on such an unceremonious note.
However, seeing all these fully costumed heroes, or antiheroes, I suppose, fighting a small army of super soldiers in the streets of Starling City was a wonderfully nerdy sight, and the choreography and directing were so top-notch that it wouldn’t have looked out of place in a high-budget Hollywood action flick. The tension was high, and it all came together to create an absolutely thrilling showdown that perfectly led into Oliver’s final confrontation with Slade.
After so much build-up over Season 2, finally getting to see Oliver and Slade go toe-to-toe was an extremely satisfying sight that hit almost all of the right notes. Slade’s plan has always been to destroy the people Oliver cares the most about, and I liked seeing Oliver outsmart him on that note and tell Felicity, in a place he knew Slade had cameras observing, that he loved her just to get her kidnapped and thus close enough to Slade to inject him with the Mirakuru cure, stripping him of his superhuman invulnerability.
While I’m sure many fans were upset that Oliver’s confession of love was kind of a ploy, I was glad to see his relationship with Felicity left mostly vague in the end. I think it’s clear that the two of them have feelings for each other, but I was happy to not see them rush into any kind of romantic entanglement quite yet, and I’m more than content to continue to watch them build an even stronger friendship in future seasons before having it evolve into anything else.
With Slade’s super-strength gone, his fight with Oliver was made that much more exciting as, for basically the first time, the two of them were operating on an equal playing field. Having their fight in the present time juxtaposed with their first real duel shown through flashbacks was a brilliant move as well, and it was a great way to emphasize just how far each character has come. Whether or not Oliver would kill Slade in the end has been one of this season’s prevailing questions, especially since Oliver has vowed to never take another life unless absolutely necessary, and while we could argue that killing Slade was necesarry, I’m glad Oliver found another way. While it might not have had the emotional closure it could’ve, having Oliver conquer and then lock Slade up in an underground prison, on the island they used to call home, no less, was both a satisfying conclusion to their conflict and a subtle reminder that Slade is still very much alive, and could easily become a threat once again in the future.
However, as great as that was, when it came to the other characters in the show, Unthinkable missed the mark a bit. Sarah agreeing to go back with the League of Assassin’s was an expected twist, and it thankfully had the necesarry emotional impact solely because of her somber farewell to both her sister and father. It even ended in Sara bestowing her famous Canary jacket to Laurel, which might just be a tease for what future seasons might hold for Laurel and her place in Starling City. However, Detective Lance’s sudden collapse afterwards felt like a shoehorned attempt at a cliffhanger that was abrupt and mostly unnecessary. I’ve loved Detective Lance’s character development this season, and having him unceremoniously keel over like that was an uncalled for twist that left little closure.
Even Thea’s storyline this season was wrapped up without much closure involved. I did like her reunion with Roy in the beginning, and both Willa Holland and Colton Hayes gave a really strong performance there, but her entire subplot involving Malcolm Merlyn almost felt like a side-note, which was disappointing, because the thought of Merlyn teaming up with Oliver to take on Slade, or do something other than stalk his daughter, would’ve made the episode that much better. I’m definitely excited to see where Thea’s story will go in the next season now that she’s literally run off with her father to do who knows what, but I cant help but wish there had been a little more to it.
All things considered, though, Unthinkable was a very satisfying and enjoyable finale to a fantastic season of television. Arrow has come a long way this year, and while this episode might not have been the perfect conclusion some of us were hoping for, with big reveals like Diggle and Lyla having a baby together being introduced and then oddly forgotten about, overall Unthinkable hit a lot of the right notes. Above all else, however, Unthinkable brilliantly set up the next season of Arrow, and I cannot wait to see what kind of story’s we will get to see in both the present and the past. With Oliver seeming to have beaten his arch-nemesis and Thea running off with Merlyn (who I believe will be a season regular next year), and the flashbacks to Oliver’s time on the island suddenly shifting gears and bringing Oliver to Tokyo, courtesy of Amanda Waller, I fully expect plenty of thrills and jaw-dropping twists when Arrow returns with its Season 3 in the Fall.