A bit over a week ago, the third season finale of
Arrow premiered on the CW. I am sad to say that like the rest of the season, it was a huge disappointment. Season 3 started off pretty promising introducing the premise of Oliver and even some other characters like Quentin and Diggle dealing with what living a dangerous lifestyle meant for them. Oliver dealt with how being The Arrow affects his possibilities of ever being able to start a family, Diggle dealt with the fact that he might not be able to be part of Team Arrow once his baby is born, and Quentin dealt with the possibility that he may actually be in too bad shape to continue being out in the field helping Team Arrow. However, most of these ideas are almost completely dropped by the end of the season. Quentin seems in pretty good shape by the end of the season with no explanation. Diggle and Lyla's daughter is barely mentioned throughout most of the season except for a few token moments, making her birth seem rather inconsequential. And Oliver's arc is only touched upon in a few episodes at the beginning of the season and at the end of the season. Suffice it to say, this season felt like being shot with three arrows to the chest (sorry Sara). Let's look at the few pros and the many cons.
Despite how cheesy and bad the writing was this episode, the acting continues to be mostly good. The way Amell says, "My name is Oliver Queen" is admittedly well delivered and carries a lot of intensity to it. I also liked the way he delivered the speech to Ra's after he killed him. There was something poetic about the way that was done, and I actually appreciated that.
Not a lot to say. Arrow usually delivers in its sound effects, music and visual effects and this episode is no different.
CONS:
- Olicity Overload and Lots of Cheese
This entire season, the writers have tried so hard to hammer in how much Olicity is meant to be, and it's quite frankly absurd. The season literally ends with Olicity riding off into the sunset. What the heck is up with that? Plus, that's not even the worst part. Felicity saving Ollie with the ATOM suit is so stupid I don't know where to start. First, how did she fit into the suit when it's literally made for Ray's body. Second, even if she did fit, how can she fly it so well. It took Ray several episodes to get it work and Felicity flies it perfectly the first time she puts it on. Even worse, despite the fact that she can fly it, she can't get the headpiece off? How does that make sense? The entire scenario was so ridiculous I couldn't hold my laughter in. It was like I was watching an
Arrow parody. I think the most absurd Olicity scene was the one where she literally utters the opening to the show: "Someone else, something else..." Yes, because fuck subtlety.
- Oliver Doing Horrible Things and No One Reacting to it
I have a hard time buying Oliver saying, "I'm happy," at the end of the episode because this is right after he broke his vows not to kill again by murdering Ra's, and thereafter giving the League to the former terrorist who tried to destroy the Glades, killed his dad, killed Sara and killed his best friend. Yeah, I don't see how that could go wrong. Unless, of course, Oliver doesn't consider himself responsible for whatever Merlyn ends up doing. Also, I have a hard time buying the League accepting Merlyn. I mean, they accepted Oliver because there was a formal ceremony letting him join the League. Malcolm wasn't formally recognized. Heck, most of the League should probably hate him for how he betrayed them. If all you need is the ring, why didn't Merlyn just steal the damn thing. Also, again, how does Oliver justify his murder? I'd be fine if he gave a reason for why it's cool to do that, but no one questions his decision, so I guess he doesn't feel the need to explain himself. So much for honoring Tommy.
- The Way Ra's Al Ghul Dies
The way that Oliver kills Ra's is probably the most ridiculous and hilarious thing in this episode next to Felicity saving Oliver in the ATOM suit. Basically, Oliver is being held against a rail about to be killed by Ra's, when suddenly he easily takes his sword from him, stabbing and killing him instantly. The way it's choreographed, it looks like Ra's lets himself get killed, which I don't think they were going for. It's quite silly honestly; it's like, this is the part where Ra's dies, and Ra's lets Oliver win. I couldn't help but laugh.
- Arrow Finding Ways to Ruin The Flash
When I heard The Flash was coming to help on Arrow, I was like, "Finally. You should have called him for help earlier, Oliver." His appearance however is really disappointing. First of all, the way he beats League members super easily is kind of dumb. I know the League wouldn't be able to defeat the Flash, but shouldn't they at least put up a fight. It's like they turned it storm troopers all of the sudden, which is kind of the way they've been this whole season, contrary to how bad ass they were in Season 2 when they came after Sara. Second of all, why is Barry so joke-y. It seems like whenever he shows up on
Arrow he becomes overly comedic. I know he's optimistic, but he doesn't usually joke that much on Flash. It's especially out of character if you know what's happening on
The Flash, where the plot is taking a dark turn in the finale. I know they don't want to spoil the other show, but be consistent in characterization. Third and finally, why won't Barry help Team Arrow stop the bio weapon? He makes the excuse that they probably got it, and that he needs to talk to Wells. I mean, I know he really wants to learn the truth (I won't spoil
The Flash on here), but if you watch
The Flash, you know there really is no urgency to talk to Wells. Isn't saving millions of lives more important than talking to Wells right now? All this does is make Barry look selfish, meaning this season finale actually hurts
The Flash as well.
- Three Terrorist Attacks in Three Years
"Must be May," says Quentin Lance, saying what every other viewer is thinking. Look, I know they want to do something big for a season finale, but does it have to be another attack on Starling City? I thought it would be more appropriate to have the season finale take place in Nanda Parbat. Do the Team Arrow vs. the League of Assassins as the season finale not the episode before the season finale. It's just takes me out of the show when I see stuff like this happen on
Arrow, and I figured this time they'd do something different, but no, because coming up with a creative finale is hard. What's worse is that I predicted this like so many others did. The moment the bio weapon was introduced, most people knew that it would play into the finale. It's literally the most predictable thing ever. By next year, Starling City needs to have the military on stand-by all throughout the month of May, or I'm going to call BS.
Not only is the actual plot for the finale predictable, but the execution of it feels very sloppy. Last season's finale had its issues, but making it a three part-er that took place over the course of one day made it feel very movie-like, especially with all the great production value. The production value for this finale was fine, but the conflict came and went way too quickly. It especially feels that way towards the end, where they try to close off the season with so many scenes that literally go several minutes over the show's running time. It's like they forgot they needed to finish the season, so they rushed the end of each plot that's been going on this season in the last few episodes. They stop the bio weapon way too quickly and the cure is created almost instantly. At least with last season's finale, the Mirakuru cure took several episodes to create, and even when they had it, it was taken from them abruptly. Furthermore, the entire threat of the bio weapon left pretty much no impact on me as it was quite clear that they were going to find and release a cure almost immediately. It made Ra's look pretty lame when his grand plan was stopped with such ease.
- Lance's Anti-Vigilante Plot Was Disappointing
I never understood why the writers felt the need to re-do the same damn plot they did in season 1. Not only do Lance's reasons for being mad at the Arrow make little sense, but the way he's suddenly on board with him again is way too quickly resolved, and honestly makes his arc feel pointless. What's worse is that repeating the season 1 plot shows exactly why season 1 is so much better than season 3. Lance's growth to being on board with the Arrow was gradual and felt natural. His progression this season is sudden and with little build up. It helps that Paul Blackthorne's performance is really good, but his arc was still super lame.
What are the odds that Oliver goes to Coast City at the same time as he did 5 years earlier? I figured after Hong Kong, he would go to Russia, since we know he was part of the Russian Mafia at one point, and that he speaks Russian fluently. Seriously, did he only spend two years on the island? That makes his adjustment to regular life in Season 1 feel pretty pointless since he's been among people for quite some time after the island. I'm guessing that they're building towards Green Lantern or something with all the Ferris Air related stuff on both
The Flash and
Arrow, but it's still really convenient, in my opinion.
Minor Nitpicks:
- What About Robert Queen and Tommy?
When Oliver tells Malcolm that he will never forgive him for what he did to his sister and Sara, it really bugs me how he doesn't mention Tommy or his dad. Malcolm is responsible for both of their deaths and the fact that Oliver doesn't bring them up feels like really sloppy writing. It just goes to show how the writers have lacked focus on what the show is about, and whenever they do remember minor details, it's stuff like the color of Felicity's pen when she and Oliver first met (again with the cheese).
Am I alone in thinking that "My Name is Oliver Queen" sounds like the series finale title? I mean, it is the way each episode starts, so I figured that is the way they would end the series. It's even stranger when Oliver seemingly retires at the end of the episode, making this feel even more like a series finale. It's not a huge issue, but it did bug me.
Reflections on Season 3:
I'm not going to get into too many specifics, but my biggest issue with this season is how it's lacked focus, pacing and competent writing. Almost every character has done things that feel out of character for them to do, and the plot contrivances used to artificially lengthen the season are laughable. The writing, again, has been incredibly cheesy, making this feel less like a gritty superhero show and more like an angst-y soap opera. I've heard that next season, the show is getting new writers and the tone will be lighter, so maybe there is some hope left. For now, however, Arrow is going to have to work pretty hard to win me over again.
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