(Hi, this post is full of spoilers. So, if you donât want to be spoiled, donât read it.)
At the end of the day, stories resolve themselves in ways that greatly depend on the cards weâre dealt. Thereâs no guarantee that things would have unfolded in a more âHappily Ever Afterâ way under different circumstances. Whether Arrow ended with 7x22 or 8x10 or whether Emily left or stayed, nothing is/was guaranteed.
For the circumstances we were given, I personally thought the resolution of 7x22 was GLORIOUS. If those last 15 minutes didnât punch you in the feels, well, I donât know.
Any question of Olicityâs importance to Arrow and their endgame status was put to rest.
Though it was imperfect and cut short, Olicity did have happiness. They did have peace.
Olicityâs affirmation of their love and importance to one another was beautiful, and it was fulfilling â not only to their love story, but to Oliverâs story overall.
The resolution to their story was also very much in keeping with the messaging of this season and the series as a whole â about the sacrifices that sometimes need to be made to protect the ones we love.
The present day resolution was full of promise that tied directly into the resolution of Felicityâs 2040 story. Though the details are still a bit unknown (because they canât give the plot of Season 8 and Crisis on Infinite Earths away), we do get some kind of an off-camera Olicity reunion, which though not exactly a fairytale Happily Ever After, is a reasonably positive result.
The finale delivered on the seasonâs overall theme, hammering home that redemption is possible for even some of the biggest bads. Because, at the end of the day, villains are humans just like our heroes. And this arc which tied directly to Oliverâs imprisonment, was a final necessary lesson for bringing his journey full circle.
I also thought Emikoâs fate was justified. It was important that she was redeemed and that by fighting for her redemption, Oliver was able to forgive her for being a major catalyst in his odyssey. But it was also important that she paid the ultimate price for her blind rage, jealousy, and hurt.
I was really glad to see that the future is not really as bleak as originally thought. Donât get me wrong, itâs a mess. And we donât really know how it got so bad, but progress was made tonight.
I was actually surprised no one died. I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Also, I love William and Mia. The Smoak-Queen children are everything.
On Where We Go From Here...
Going into tonightâs finale my biggest concern was how they were going to exit Felicity. Even though I was pretty confident they wouldnât kill her off, anything was possible. But, now that the dust has settled and Iâve reined in my Olicity emotions, Iâve started thinking about the overarching story as we barrel towards the conclusion and all the loose ends.
There are only 10 episodes to reasonably resolve Arrow, and a lot of threads were left dangling by the end of 7x22. Some of those items we can take educated guesses at, while others were mere teases that seemingly hint at things to come.
My largest question revolves around the structure of Season 8 overall. Arrow didnât just exit Felicity in the present day, but also Oliver. So, what does Season 8 look like? Does it pick up in real time? If Oliver is with the Monitor, how does that story work? Does he save the universe from Star City? Where is Team Arrow in all of this?
Also, while things arenât happy go lucky in Star City 2019, by the time Oliver and Felicity leave, the SCPD is back on the side of the vigilantes. So, where does it go wrong?
Iâm very skeptical that Oliverâs fate (and Felicityâs) is so cut and dry. Why would Arrow (and the Arrowverse by extension) build up this whole Crisis story only to reveal Oliverâs death way in advance? I think the use of the Queen âcemeteryâ is an important symbol. Felicity is going on a journey to reunite with Oliver, but âdeathâ is not really implied in the scenario. So, his grave is most likely empty (just like it was all those years before.)
I think that though she will be absent in Season 8, Felicity has been playing a long game by the time we find her in 2040. Sheâs continued Smoak Tech, been betrayed by Alena, protected Mia, made sure William was okay & supported his business, secretly resumed being a vigilante, activated a plan to bring William and Mia together, and somewhere was in contact with The Monitor to set up an eventuality where sheâs âreadyâ to leave her life behind and fulfill her promise to reunite with Oliver. Now, I could be wrong, but Felicity Smoak has always been person to find another way. And while her reunion with Oliver serves as a poignant and effective end to Olicityâs story for now, something tells me (largely depending on whether EBR returns for a series finale) that this really isnât the end.
What is the story with Roy and how he ended up on Lian Yu? Because, to me, that exchange was a promise for an eventual answer. And it seems like that answer involves more than just bloodlust.
Where are John Diggle and Lyla Michaels in the future?
When does Bronze Tiger die? (I was somewhat surprised it wasnât tonight.)
How does the Ninth Circle story evolve from here? I fdonât think theyâre going to just disappear into the wind...
