Article originally written for Seat42F.
Whoa. Last night’s episode of the CW’s ARROW, entitled “The
Fallen,” is big for the series. Not that other episodes this season have not
been big; ARROW has shown no hesitation to blow up its world and core cast
repeatedly. That is welcome, as it keeps the plot exciting and moving, and this
third year has been much, much better than the first two. “The Fallen” might just
set a new high bar, though, with some big things fans might not expect to
happen, at least not now.
As “The Fallen” begins, Oliver (Stephen Amell) decides to
take Thea (Willa Holland) to Nanda Parbat because that’s her only hope at
getting her life back. Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable) knows what he’s doing when
running Thea through with a sword, leaving her alive enough for the Lazarus
Baths, which he controls, to heal her, but injured enough that Oliver will pay
the price for the use of the baths, which is becoming the next Ra’s.
Oliver has resisted becoming Ra’s for good reason. He would
have to leave his life and everyone he loves behind, giving himself fully over
to the League of Assassins, which isn’t the most heroic of organizations. Even
though the resources in the group would allow him to expand the good he does
for the world once he reformed it in the image he wants, it requires great
personal sacrifice on his part to take up that mantle.
But Oliver is nothing if not a hero. He may have had to give
up being The Arrow, but the core of who he is remains intact. He gives in to
Ra’s’ demands because it’s what’s best for Thea, her only shot at a normal
life, and Oliver loves Thea more than anyone in the world.
Thea isn’t the only one that loves Oliver. Diggle (David
Ramsey), Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), and (for Thea’s sake) Malcolm (John
Barrowman) accompany Oliver to Nanda Parbat, and Maseo (Karl Yune) risks his
own position and life to help Oliver late in the hour. This would not have
happened so readily early in the series’ run, before Oliver inspired loyalty
and respect from those surrounding him. It’s a testament to how far he has come
that people fight to save him.
Felicity takes it to another level when, prompted by Ra’s to
express her feelings, she sleeps with Oliver and then tries to kidnap him. The
sex is a great pay off for shippers, who have longed for the two to be
together, and comes at the perfect dramatic moment since they will not be
seeing each other again, as far as he knows.
Felicity tries to ensure a future for them and she fails.
Still, I think it’s awesome that “The Fallen” finds her standing up to someone
like Ra’s, which it’s hard to imagine Felicity doing even a short while ago.
Her involvement with Oliver has made her stronger, and she’s come into her own
this year. This episode pays off that character growth. And it’s satisfying
that ARROW gives her a quick break up scene with Ray (Brandon Routh) first, so
there are no questions of morality.
So what happens next? Presumably, Oliver is with Ra’s and
Maseo to stay, whereas Thea goes home with Malcolm, and Felicity and Diggle
must decide if they want to continue their heroes club sans Oliver, as they did
when they thought Oliver had died. I can’t help but think that ARROW will do
some sort of reset by the end of the year, next fall at the latest, to get
everyone back on track and restore Team Arrow, not as it was, but close enough.
At the same time, it would be pretty darn cool if they didn’t, letting someone
else become The Arrow and continuing Oliver’s story as Ra’s. ARROW is bold
enough that I can’t say for certain what will happen, but it’s likely to be
good, no matter which direction they go in.
Oh, and there is yet another flashback, this one taking
fight scenes to all new levels of non-believability. It is well past time to
ditch these. Please do so ASAP.
ARROW airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.
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