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Underwhelming is what I felt about the finale. That ending was the flipside of last season's ending. Does this mean Diggle and Thea are leaving the show?
If it's not affected by the Flash's season finale, it may mean that they may not do Flashpoint but rather the original timeline.
Only good thing was Oliver becoming Mayor of Star City. -
It ended opposite of how the season started. Thea, Diggle, and Laurel, and then Oliver and Felicity came back. Now Oliver and Felicity are the only two left.
Right now I'm going to guess that the Flash's finale won't affect Arrow too much. I'm sure there are people who just watch Arrow and not The Flash and that would just confuse them.Comment
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I really enjoyed it, even liked the finale more than those of Flash and Legends. But what makes it even better is the setup for season 5.
After last year's finale was kinda rushed (after they tried to put too much stuff into one season) and thus left lots of things unfinished I'm really glad they wrapped everything up this season.
I mean it took almost half of this season to deal with the problems from the final part of season 3. This combined with the setup for legend is the main reason this season was so bad in comparison, at least in my opinion.
I really like that the team is splitting up for a little while, but not on bad terms like last time, so of course they'll be back at some point. I guess this also means Curtis permanently joins the team, which for the first time brings up the ratio of fighters to hackers to 1:2. Well I guess this means more ass kicking for the main character, which is positive.
All of this in combination with the tease from several days ago, that next year's villain won't have super powers, actually makes me believe the series is going into the right directions again. Just because super powers exist, doesn't mean every villain needs to have them. Especially for street level heroes like Green Arrow.
I would have preferred for Oliver to act alone for a while though and thus Felicity leaving as well (go and be with your Dad or something) but I guess I can't have everything.
The series really started to have too many masks. When they reintroduce them, they should not try to put all of them into every single episode.
Now if they find a way to bring back Laurel everything would be perfect.
I don't care if this is done by time travel, parallel universe, reality change, magic, drug, lazarus pit/water, fake death or random other explanation, just make it happen, even if it takes a season or two.
ps. I don't think Flash will affect Arrow, because they will revert their changes after a couple of episodes next season.
I still wanna see Earth 2 (has been teased already), Earth 3 and Flashpoint versions of Green Arrow, even if they don't show it on Arrow but just Flash/Legends only.Comment
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I thought it was a good finale overall. It hit the necessary thematic beats. However, as I said in the Countdown thread, I'm bummed they didn't establish who now has custody of little Nora Darhk. After going to all the trouble to give Darhk a family, so that Neal McD could keep his real life wedding ring on, I would've liked more development of Ruve and their daughter. A flashback to their courtship and how it may or may not have tied back to his underused LoA history would have been a marked improvement over the flashbacks we got. Also, the Darhks' story could've been a mirror held up to the CW's shipping addiction.Comment
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Oh my god how could they not get Olicity back together!! Its killing me, they were as perfect for each other as perfect gets, best tv couple ever. They deserve another chance. Probably my favorite scene from the whole season was in 4x01 when they first get back to star city and Oliver says to Felicity "Felicity lets play a game"
Felicity says "What kind of game"
Oliver "The you've been helping the team the entire time behind my back game"
and then she has the cutest smile while nodding that she doesn't really wanna play that game... oh lol that was great. And some of the I didn't know the comm's were on and open bits were hilarious to like "chatty Cathy you're up" and "I want a code name and I just Know were not gonna talk about it later" and the magnetic arrow gag bit "Honey I can't fight with you doing that in my ear". Those two had some of the most hilarious moments bringing a real enjoyable light hearted tone into it. Now don't get me wrong here I generally prefer my scifis and dramas to be dark, stuff like its were doomed its hopeless, crew mates are committing suicide, mutinying, friends turning on friends, the ships about to break its back if the cylons don't blow us outta the sky and make us extinct first, dark. A shout out to you BSG and SGU.
Anyway my point is that I have no life right now and Olicity pretty much has been my love life for the last 6 months and god dam it Im gonna have to wait another 6 months to find out if they get back together you dam writers are killing me! Please get them back together. My happiness depends on it!!
I know, I need to get a life... I know...Comment
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It was a bit better than I expected, which doesn't say much. My expectations of this show have been so low in recent weeks anyway. The best thing this episode could do at this point is be predictable and boring. It certainly beats becoming the Smoaks' show. To sum it up, I'd say it was just like last year's finale, only not as good.
- The best thing about this episode was Oliver, really. He was inspirational, heroic and iconic. In a season where it was VERY easy to forget whose show this is, Oliver has gotten lost in the shuffle and has been severely underdeveloped (as a fighter, as a businessman and overall as a man). This episode made up a bit for all that. Also, I was beyond glad that the vigilante and hero part of him are finally reconciling. IMO, Oliver (this Oliver) should never have been only one or only the other. If necessary, he has to kill. Even Felicity finally understood this. Now, PLEASE stick with this, show. If I'm going to keep watching, mayor Queen is one of the reasons for it. Should be fun to see him balance that part of his life with the Green Arrow side.
- Felicity. The usual garbage here. It just bugs me how we see her saving the world in some fashion for the 3rd (3rd!) episode in a row. It's overkill and it constantly undermines Oliver's heroics. Why? Because no matter what Oliver does, Felicity's heroism works on a larger scale. Stop propping this character so much. Like the scene with Cooper. Malcolm, Thea and Curtis could have easily removed him from the computer. Instead, we have to get the trademark season finale Felicity pep talk. *Groans*. The ending scene seemed to surprise some people, but not me. Olicity isn't going away, folks. Guggenheim sees it as his bread and butter. Felicity even confirmed it with her meta line: "Not a chance".
- The team splintering means nothing to me. These cliffhangers have come to mean very little. Everyone will be back together by episode 5.02 or 5.03. I just hope Quentin leaves Donna behind. God what a waste of a character she is!
- Liked Curtis in this episode.
- Once again, Malcolm works with the team and no one is bothered by it. He was complicit in the Havenrock bombing for crying out loud! Why the hell does he keep getting free passes? This is a black mark on Oliver, more than anyone.
- The end of Darhk was anti climatic. If he has harnessed the power of so many dead people, it should take more than a few dozens inspiring Oliver to beat him. But then again, that's where this episode didn't connect with me: All the cheese about hope. Just like with the Supergirl finale, it became ridiculously overbearing after a while. Neal McDonough was so wasted this season.
- As much as they tried to bring up Laurel's name here and there, the fact remains: The character was killed off for nothing.
- The flashbacks were exactly what they've been all season: Boring. If they were designed to have Oliver become darker than last season's flashbacks, they failed. At least it was nice to see Waller again.
- So Barry resets the timeline yesterday on the Flash and this is has zero repercussions on Arrow? Yeah right.
Episode rating: 5/10
Season rating: 1/10. Having given season 3 a 2/10, it's only right that I give this season 1/10. Sorry, but there was almost nothing redeeming about season 4. I liked Oliver in this episode, but that came too little too late. Olicity, Felicity, Donna, Laurel's death, a generic villain plot and horrible writing blighted this season.Last edited by costas22; 05-26-2016, 01:59 AM.Comment
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It's gonna take me a couple watches, if I can even manage that, to really put my thoughts together. But initial impression:
- Of COURSE the episode couldn't be just about Oliver inspiring the city. Had to make it so there was something for Felicity to do so she could continue being the star.
- FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO WITH MALCOLM, WRITERS!
- At least the people of Star City KNOW they're a bit off in the head....
- Interesting that the damage to the Bunker was remarkably similar to the damage we saw in the LoT episode "Star City 2046".
- Guess they cut out the scenes with whoever was in the BC get-up.
- No shock that somehow, Felicity is the only one to remain with Oliver.
Questions:
- How do they plan to incorporate Dig into the story next year, seeing as a realistic tour of duty as a member of the military isn't going to be over in five months? Oh, wait, because of The Reasons.
- Why is Donna Smoak still alive? What storyline purpose does she serve?
- How is Oliver supposed to keep being GA seeing as the mayor is sure to have 24-hour protection like the DA would have?
A meh finale for a horribly-written season as far as the first pass is concerned. Hope the ratings were bad.Comment
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So, if I got this right, Diggle went back to the war? Because of darkness? Does that make any real sense for his character? It doesn't sound like it does to me. And Thea randomly threatened to kill a little girl, even though Thea would rather die than kill rapists and murders and fought the urge to long enough to be dying of LP bloodlust sickness? Is it just me or is this OOC behavior? Have a very great day everyone!
God bless everyone!Comment
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So, if I got this right, Diggle went back to the war? Because of darkness? Does that make any real sense for his character? It doesn't sound like it does to me. And Thea randomly threatened to kill a little girl, even though Thea would rather die than kill rapists and murders and fought the urge to long enough to be dying of LP bloodlust sickness? Is it just me or is this OOC behavior? Have a very great day everyone!
God bless everyone!Comment
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God bless you! God bless everyone!Comment
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So, if I got this right, Diggle went back to the war? Because of darkness? Does that make any real sense for his character? It doesn't sound like it does to me. And Thea randomly threatened to kill a little girl, even though Thea would rather die than kill rapists and murders and fought the urge to long enough to be dying of LP bloodlust sickness? Is it just me or is this OOC behavior? Have a very great day everyone!
God bless everyone!Comment
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Overall I thought it was a decent finale. The lack of a real cliffhanger moment might bother some viewers who expected it, but I saw the ep. as more of a reset button/going back its roots. And I felt that this work was more important to accomplish by end of S4, than some throwaway cliffhanger moment that gets buzz but achieves little.
They are clearing the decks of Team Arrow's bloated roster -- I've felt they did have too many masks on-deck -- and they've essentially given GA a green light to (re)adopt some of the darker aspects of his persona from S1. This might bother the hell out of viewers who enjoy a sunnier/optmistic brand of heroism that Barry or even Kara represent and wanted Ollie to represent (despite his non-sunny origins). It's a matter of taste -- I couldn't really buy into a sunnier and quippier Ollie born out of S3, considering his undeniable S1 Grell and TDK trilogy influences.
For those of us who welcome those influences, it may mean we'll be getting back to hopefully a glimmer of some of that next season. Like Flashback Waller said, the darkness will always be a part of him. And it seems even Felicity acknowledges that this is the case in the finale, the Ivy Town-spawned naivety proven to be unworkable in the streets of SC.
Ollie taking on the mayor's job will likely be the avenue where that sunnier, optimistic Ollie will surface -- and I'm fine with it ... for civilian Ollie and, yes, for his relationships too. It will likely be his daytime work that will bring the rest of the team back, even as confidants and not necessarily a mask in the street. GA was never a big ensemble guy, so a smaller team nucleus fits into this.
I agree: do they really know what they are doing with Malcolm now? At the very least, he's got guilt by association with Darhk and HIVE, never mind his legacy in LoA and as a former Ra's. The man's got blood on his hands, he stood to be counted with the enemy when tens of thousands died in an instant, a walking criminal granted freedom of the the city ... but it's all okay because he's Thea's dad and we love Thea now? My suspension of disbelief file is getting rather full.
Diggle. A complicated situation. His was an unwinnable situation re: Andy and Lyla's fog of war remark was appropriate. But Diggle was right too. It may be a suitable response from a soldier, but this was personal to him. It was a deed that had to be done to protect his family, but it's fratricide nonetheless, Cain and Abel stuff. Something he's not just going to brush off after a few weeks. I actually think that this would be the right time for him to have his own Ivy Town-like retreat. Re-enlisting in the Army doesn't seem like a good thing at the time, in a job where he will be expected to kill. The only explanation could be that he wants the structure and routine the Army could give him. He wants order after years of chaos in SC. This may be the show's reason, but I'm not that sold on it.
They're trying to give weight to Laurel's death and its legacy -- but like Tommy's and Moira's before, its impact could fade as the next season goes on. The biggest impact this season would be in motivating Thea to take a time-out, though I think she's had plenty of reasons (post-Pit baggage, Malcolm, general vigilante lifestyle) to take a breather even before she threatened to kill Darhk's kid.
I will say that Ollie's 'Once more unto the breaches' city-rallying speech did make a point that it takes a special sort of person to want to live in SC and remain there even after all the crises. It always amuses me that the people's first reaction once it seems clear that an apocalypse is upon them ... is to riot in the streets. Good on Ollie for knowing they like to do this and snuffing it out when he did.
Felicity wasn't in your face like she was in the S3 finale -- no buzzing around in Ray's suit this time -- but she was there in the expected role of support and sounding board. Her being okay with Ollie opting for killing is an acknowledgement/understanding from her that GA will do what is necessary. I agree that the act of killing should trouble his conscience more, esp. after S3, it shouldn't be habitual like S1's Hood. But the show as a whole doesn't do that great a job of showing the long-term weight of such acts. We can basically assume the nuked deaths of thousands is something the whole team will now process off-screen during the summer hiatus.
The flashbacks were weak but this is merely stating the obvious. In terms of getting Ollie into the headspace of someone on the verge of assuming the S1 Hood identity, this last flashback got him from point A to B. With the bonus of Flashback Waller spelling out to Ollie (and to fans, I'd say) that Ollie will always retain that darkness born out of Lian Yu. His S4 flashbacks were only marginally better than his Hong Kong ones, but neither were ever as good as S1-2 ones. Hoping this changes in S5.
Darhk was yet another villain that looked good on paper, but in execution turned out to be meh despite NM's considerable talent in selling it. Umm ... at least he didn't mope about Shado or ship Olicity. I guess that is a plus? The magical connection was also something that never really meshed with Ollie's universe.
This speaks more to how much of a shared DCTV universe should actually be shared. I'd say the adjustment was always hardest for Arrow, and will continue to be. A part of me wants Flash's potentially cataclysmic S2 actions to affect every DCTV series, but at the same time from an Arrow-centric story view I'd be totally fine that it has little to no effect on SC (which seems to be the case).
S4 as a whole suffered from the usual Berlantiverse sins of here-and-there plot and characterization issues and the frequent defaulting to melodrama (baby mama drama anyone?). But it has also -- in case anyone forgot -- did much of the heavy lifting in launching LoT. Large chunks of S4 were not even Arrow-related and were more LoT prologue episodes, culminating in the massive crossovers. Flash might have paid a bigger price in its crossover ep., but Arrow's first half was cannibalized in service to a series that, in hindsight after its S1, is merely good and not the televised greatness some fans believed it to be as it carved swaths of content out of Arrow's first half.
Arrow's committed some of the same errors it's done before, but other problems were the fallout of propping up a brand new series. For these errors, I will lay fault squarely at LoT's door. They get no pass on it.
S4 started out weak and overall seemed to get its footing, almost the reverse of S3 where it started out strong and became progressively weaker.
I'm sure I'll have more on the finale later.Comment
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