Arrow: Unthinkable
May 15, 2014 7:18 AM - Season 2, Episode 23 - Subscribe
Slade moves forward with his plan to kill one more person in Oliver’s life. While Oliver has fought all year to be more than the killer he once was, when Slade kidnaps someone close to Oliver’s heart, Oliver is pushed to the edge and realizes sometimes it takes doing the unthinkable to stop the monster. Meanwhile, Diggle takes on Amanda Waller with a little help from some friends, and Thea turns to Roy in her time of need.
I am not sure I will ever forgive the writers for taking my heart and stomping upon it in gleeful sadistic storytelling.
I am not sure I will ever forgive the writers for taking my heart and stomping upon it in gleeful sadistic storytelling.
I know! I screamed "Arrow!!!!" when he was like "I love you" and then I quickly realized it was some kind of plan and was SO disappointed. And I don't even really ship Oliver and Felicity (I am way into Caity Lotz as Black Canary).
Also, why are they just leaving Slade in an unguarded prison hole in the ground? Does Mirakuru mean he doesn't need to eat/pee?
posted by leesh at 8:36 AM on May 15, 2014
Also, why are they just leaving Slade in an unguarded prison hole in the ground? Does Mirakuru mean he doesn't need to eat/pee?
posted by leesh at 8:36 AM on May 15, 2014
I am also kind of sad that literally every character except Thea knows Oliver's secret. Poor Thea! Now she's gonna get trained to be all evil, when she'd be happy just running a bar and having honest relatives. What are the odds on her finding out next season?? High, I hope.
posted by leesh at 8:38 AM on May 15, 2014
posted by leesh at 8:38 AM on May 15, 2014
I ship the hell out of Olicity. Felicity is sometimes the reason I watch this show.
and I wondered how Slade was going to get food and relief too Leesh. air lift in food on occasion?
posted by royalsong at 8:56 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
and I wondered how Slade was going to get food and relief too Leesh. air lift in food on occasion?
posted by royalsong at 8:56 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh, I LOVE Felicity. She and Black Canary are my favorite characters by far. I just know that canonically, Oliver and Laurel are endgame. So I try not to get too invested in the will they/won't they involving other characters.
posted by leesh at 9:00 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by leesh at 9:00 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oliver and Laurel are endgame
*stuffs fingers in ears* lalalala I can't hear you~ Olivier and Felicity forever~
I sometimes love Laruel and sometimes hate her. Kind of like Thea. I started off thinking she was a brat, really grew to love her, and now I think she's a brat again.
posted by royalsong at 9:06 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
*stuffs fingers in ears* lalalala I can't hear you~ Olivier and Felicity forever~
I sometimes love Laruel and sometimes hate her. Kind of like Thea. I started off thinking she was a brat, really grew to love her, and now I think she's a brat again.
posted by royalsong at 9:06 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
I like Thea a lot and think the actress who plays her brings a lot to sometimes dumb material. I feel like they're artificially causing rifts b/w her and the other characters so that they don't have to reveal anything to her yet, which is kind of frustrating. And making her evil really doesn't seem like it fits. But hey, if it means Captain Jack is gonna be hanging out, I'm excited to see where her plotlines go.
Laurel has been THE WORST for much of the show, but I actually liked her the last couple episodes (and was glad she got to punch someone after the show damsel-in-distressed her).
posted by leesh at 9:14 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
Laurel has been THE WORST for much of the show, but I actually liked her the last couple episodes (and was glad she got to punch someone after the show damsel-in-distressed her).
posted by leesh at 9:14 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
Crap. I missed it because I was enthralled with the beavers. They did have better dialogue than Arrow usually does, though. Can anyone recommend a particularly good recap?
posted by homunculus at 11:09 AM on May 15, 2014
posted by homunculus at 11:09 AM on May 15, 2014
io9: Arrow Serves Us Up a Finale Full of Fascinating Mistakes
This 5-Minute Extended Flash Trailer Is The Justice League We Want
posted by homunculus at 11:56 AM on May 15, 2014
This 5-Minute Extended Flash Trailer Is The Justice League We Want
posted by homunculus at 11:56 AM on May 15, 2014
(Note that the trailer has spoilers for the upcoming Flash pilot episode.)
posted by homunculus at 12:04 PM on May 15, 2014
posted by homunculus at 12:04 PM on May 15, 2014
I felt so bad for Felicity when Ollie was presenting his spiel for Slade's cameras. I knew what was going on immediately. Felicity deserves better than Ollie, though. Let him have Laurel. They can be idiots together.
Also, if there's ever a Birds of Prey on the CW, Fels should take up the Oracle spot.
And it looks like we're stuck with the lesser version of Amanda Waller for another season, dammit.
posted by ursus_comiter at 5:20 PM on May 15, 2014
Also, if there's ever a Birds of Prey on the CW, Fels should take up the Oracle spot.
And it looks like we're stuck with the lesser version of Amanda Waller for another season, dammit.
posted by ursus_comiter at 5:20 PM on May 15, 2014
Oh man, that was pretty much what I wanted from a finale. I felt like the nods to the fandom were enough but not too much and they didn't drive the whole direction of the show. Also they set up some great stuff for next season.
And as an old school GA fan, I love Love LOVE Laurel trying on the Canary jacket.
posted by immlass at 7:54 PM on May 15, 2014
And as an old school GA fan, I love Love LOVE Laurel trying on the Canary jacket.
posted by immlass at 7:54 PM on May 15, 2014
Oh gods, why can't they just tell Thea everything?! I mean, literally everyone else in the bloody world knows Oliver's secret Arrowdentity. Except for Lance, and he's the worst detective in the world. Sheesh. Even the bad guys know. So what are they protecting her from?
Also, the Queens must have the worst accountants and estate planners. Seriously? Your hobby nightclub is a corporate asset? All your personal assets are tied to your company? Isn't there a trust fund for Thea? Morons.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:07 PM on May 15, 2014 [5 favorites]
Also, the Queens must have the worst accountants and estate planners. Seriously? Your hobby nightclub is a corporate asset? All your personal assets are tied to your company? Isn't there a trust fund for Thea? Morons.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:07 PM on May 15, 2014 [5 favorites]
I screamed GODDAMIT when they sank my OliCity battleship.
Also wtf that island should have a juice bar, Starbucks and wifi by now; they visit it like it's the Hamptons.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:21 PM on May 15, 2014 [2 favorites]
Also wtf that island should have a juice bar, Starbucks and wifi by now; they visit it like it's the Hamptons.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:21 PM on May 15, 2014 [2 favorites]
Also, standing ovation to Merlyn's tailor. All the costumes were tight to death, wish they could get their lighting on a decent level.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:23 PM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:23 PM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
As someone whose only exposure to Green Arrow was through Justice League kind of stuff, Laurel trying on the jacket had me groaning. I love Sara as The Canary, and I wish they'd just ditch the canon stuff because I can't imagine Laurel filling those shoes.
I feel the same way about Oliver/Laurel shipping. They have no chemistry together, so I don't care if they're following the comics, it's just boring to watch. I'm not invested in any other relationships, I just don't like Oliver and Laurel together.
On the finale itself. I was thinking towards the end that things worked out much better for just about everyone than last year's finale. I mean, last year, Ollie's victories were so limited. He only stopped half of the earthquake machine. He didn't save Laurel (Tommy did). He didn't save Tommy. And it turned out he didn't kill Malcolm Merlyn.
This time, Sara escaped the death they seemed to be foreshadowing for her (yay!), Slade was defeated without Ollie having to break his no-killing rule, and Sara seemed ok with the deal she struck with the League (and now I wanna write a lot of Nyssa/Sara fanfic). And then Detective Lance hits the ground and rips my heart out. Kudos to the Arrow writers for making me hurt in unexpected ways.
I loved the epic-ness of it all--the League, Ollie, Roy, Sara, ARGUS, and Slade's army. The intercutting of the Ollie/Slade fight scenes gave me chills, and I'm usually not all that invested in fight scenes.
I do feel like the Thea stuff felt a bit forced. Like I understand that being lied to is not great, and she's got complicated feelings about her mom, but to run off with a mass murderer (even if he is her biological father) seems like a reaction that needed more build-up than we got.
The Olicity fakeout: When Ollie started talking about needing Felicity to be safe, I turned to my husband and said, "And he thinks the mansion is safe, why, exactly?" But Ollie has made so many stupid, inexplicable decisions this year: 1) instead of discreetly investigating whether Sebastian Blood is up to no good, let's try to reinvestigate a 30-year-old murder by breaking into an office to look at a police report that might contain incriminating information; 2) Let's arrest Slade Wilson after Thea is kidnapped . . . it failed on so many levels, and there was never any clear reason for it. So I thought it was just more of the same. Not sure if that was intentional on the writers' part, though.
Things I hope to see in Season 3:
Sara/Canary guest star bits / flashbacks to her time with the League of Assassins.
Felicity getting to date someone (don't care who it is, just someone must worship her awesomeness).
Some scenes with Sin. I really liked her scenes with Sara this year.
A miraculous recovery for Detective Lance (Probably setting myself up for heartbreak on that front)
Some actual fallout for Dig and Lyla for their mutiny on Waller (I'm not holding my breath on this either).
posted by creepygirl at 9:49 PM on May 15, 2014
I feel the same way about Oliver/Laurel shipping. They have no chemistry together, so I don't care if they're following the comics, it's just boring to watch. I'm not invested in any other relationships, I just don't like Oliver and Laurel together.
On the finale itself. I was thinking towards the end that things worked out much better for just about everyone than last year's finale. I mean, last year, Ollie's victories were so limited. He only stopped half of the earthquake machine. He didn't save Laurel (Tommy did). He didn't save Tommy. And it turned out he didn't kill Malcolm Merlyn.
This time, Sara escaped the death they seemed to be foreshadowing for her (yay!), Slade was defeated without Ollie having to break his no-killing rule, and Sara seemed ok with the deal she struck with the League (and now I wanna write a lot of Nyssa/Sara fanfic). And then Detective Lance hits the ground and rips my heart out. Kudos to the Arrow writers for making me hurt in unexpected ways.
I loved the epic-ness of it all--the League, Ollie, Roy, Sara, ARGUS, and Slade's army. The intercutting of the Ollie/Slade fight scenes gave me chills, and I'm usually not all that invested in fight scenes.
I do feel like the Thea stuff felt a bit forced. Like I understand that being lied to is not great, and she's got complicated feelings about her mom, but to run off with a mass murderer (even if he is her biological father) seems like a reaction that needed more build-up than we got.
The Olicity fakeout: When Ollie started talking about needing Felicity to be safe, I turned to my husband and said, "And he thinks the mansion is safe, why, exactly?" But Ollie has made so many stupid, inexplicable decisions this year: 1) instead of discreetly investigating whether Sebastian Blood is up to no good, let's try to reinvestigate a 30-year-old murder by breaking into an office to look at a police report that might contain incriminating information; 2) Let's arrest Slade Wilson after Thea is kidnapped . . . it failed on so many levels, and there was never any clear reason for it. So I thought it was just more of the same. Not sure if that was intentional on the writers' part, though.
Things I hope to see in Season 3:
Sara/Canary guest star bits / flashbacks to her time with the League of Assassins.
Felicity getting to date someone (don't care who it is, just someone must worship her awesomeness).
Some scenes with Sin. I really liked her scenes with Sara this year.
A miraculous recovery for Detective Lance (Probably setting myself up for heartbreak on that front)
Some actual fallout for Dig and Lyla for their mutiny on Waller (I'm not holding my breath on this either).
posted by creepygirl at 9:49 PM on May 15, 2014
I do feel like the Thea stuff felt a bit forced. Like I understand that being lied to is not great, and she's got complicated feelings about her mom, but to run off with a mass murderer (even if he is her biological father) seems like a reaction that needed more build-up than we got.
Well, her mother is also a mass murderer. Her brother is a serial murderer. Her boyfriend choked her, tried to kill her, and did kill two cops. She tried to seduce her half brother, albeit she didn't know. She knows that all of them lied to her and kept secrets from her.
At least Meryln's misdeeds are out in the open with Thea. He's the only one who even comes close to being honest with her.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:59 PM on May 15, 2014 [2 favorites]
Well, her mother is also a mass murderer. Her brother is a serial murderer. Her boyfriend choked her, tried to kill her, and did kill two cops. She tried to seduce her half brother, albeit she didn't know. She knows that all of them lied to her and kept secrets from her.
At least Meryln's misdeeds are out in the open with Thea. He's the only one who even comes close to being honest with her.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:59 PM on May 15, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't particularly want to see Sara back for a while whether or not Laurel takes up a mask of her own. Honestly for all that Sara was a good character, she's taken up a lot of attention that I'd like to see put on other characters. The good-guy crowd got to be too big this year; I like them having allies but not fielding a whole team of operatives. And of the people hanging out, Sara is the one whose story is over, so she gets voted off the island, regardless of what Laurel does.
Also, since we saw in the finale that Oliver is committed to the whole no-kill ideal, and Sara just signed up for the League of Assassins again, I expect Sara's next appearance to be on a contract for the League that Ollie will have to stop. I look forward to THAT but I'd like it to be a ways down the road.
As for the shipping, will-they-or-won't-they is way more interesting than consummation for any particular combination of Oliver and anybody.
Was there anyone who didn't call the mansion being bugged? Or for that matter, who didn't know that the minute Roy walked out to help Ollie, he and Thea were done?
posted by immlass at 10:19 PM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, since we saw in the finale that Oliver is committed to the whole no-kill ideal, and Sara just signed up for the League of Assassins again, I expect Sara's next appearance to be on a contract for the League that Ollie will have to stop. I look forward to THAT but I'd like it to be a ways down the road.
As for the shipping, will-they-or-won't-they is way more interesting than consummation for any particular combination of Oliver and anybody.
Was there anyone who didn't call the mansion being bugged? Or for that matter, who didn't know that the minute Roy walked out to help Ollie, he and Thea were done?
posted by immlass at 10:19 PM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm anti-olicity, so I was pretty pleased when they walked that back. I'm still a fan of Diggle/Felicity, although his now pregnant, no longer ex has pretty much put the kibosh on any chance of that happening. I'm not sure if Diggle/Felicty has any fans besides myself, but they're great together.
For Oliver, I'd rather see Sara or Helena. Helena is pretty definitively sidelined now that she's in prison, which is too bad. A redemption arc for her next season sometime with possible romantic entanglements would be great, although I'm under no illusions that she'll ever be a regular. Sara is also probably off the show for a while now, but could be around a lot more. Basically I like him bouncing off other angsty hero/anti-hero types, I guess.
Olver/Laurel are terrible together, no chemistry. Felicity has chemistry with everyone, but Oliver is too obvious and too much her boss for me to like that pairing.
On a non-shipping note, so excited for villainous Thea or wherever that plotline is going.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:39 PM on May 15, 2014
For Oliver, I'd rather see Sara or Helena. Helena is pretty definitively sidelined now that she's in prison, which is too bad. A redemption arc for her next season sometime with possible romantic entanglements would be great, although I'm under no illusions that she'll ever be a regular. Sara is also probably off the show for a while now, but could be around a lot more. Basically I like him bouncing off other angsty hero/anti-hero types, I guess.
Olver/Laurel are terrible together, no chemistry. Felicity has chemistry with everyone, but Oliver is too obvious and too much her boss for me to like that pairing.
On a non-shipping note, so excited for villainous Thea or wherever that plotline is going.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:39 PM on May 15, 2014
Except for Lance, and he's the worst detective in the world.
I don't think this is fair. I feel like the show has showed him being willfully in denial, so that he can /legally/ say he doesn't know who the Arrow is and thus is not aiding and abetting him. Even though he totally does and is.
Now that I know John Barrowman is a regular next season, I am actually really interested in where that plotline is going, too!
posted by leesh at 6:05 AM on May 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't think this is fair. I feel like the show has showed him being willfully in denial, so that he can /legally/ say he doesn't know who the Arrow is and thus is not aiding and abetting him. Even though he totally does and is.
Now that I know John Barrowman is a regular next season, I am actually really interested in where that plotline is going, too!
posted by leesh at 6:05 AM on May 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I thought when Laurel was pestering her Dad about the Arrow after she found out, Lance pretty plainly laid out that he had basically figured it out and then decided that he needed to not know, both legally and for his own mental health reasons. But I might be reading more into that conversation than he explicitly said.
posted by mstokes650 at 9:53 AM on May 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by mstokes650 at 9:53 AM on May 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
I read it the same way. There was also the hilariously awkward scene at Sara's welcome-back party where Lance cornered Oliver and said something along the lines of "I was wrong about you and I'm sorry," and they stared at each other uncomfortably for about 30 seconds and then both tripped over making excuses to get back to doing anything else. I sort of thought that was meant to confirm that Lance is about 90% sure he knows who the Vigilante/Hood/Arrow/Whatever is, and is really, really, desperately trying to turn a blind eye to anything that would confirm it.
posted by kagredon at 8:23 PM on May 16, 2014
posted by kagredon at 8:23 PM on May 16, 2014
Agreeing 100% that Detective Lance absolutely knows, but for reasons of legality/professional responsibility/self-preservation is opting to decide not to know.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:24 PM on May 17, 2014
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:24 PM on May 17, 2014
Just finally got around to watch it. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ON THE I LOVE YOU. BUGGER THAT.
On the other hand, Sara is still alive, so we're still not dealing with Laurel as the Canary.
I know "the comics said" and we can't go against the comics from decades ago, god forbid, but man, the Oliver/Laurel lack of romance is so very, very bad, very anger filled and chemistry free that how can anyone insist it's true love at this point? He cheated on her a lot, with her sister, knocked up some other chick, blah blah blah when is it enough for her to say, "Fuck this, I'm moving to Central City?" Also, she's just a wet blanket on this show.
Well, at least Felicity got some sass back in the last few episodes. So there's that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:38 PM on May 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, Sara is still alive, so we're still not dealing with Laurel as the Canary.
I know "the comics said" and we can't go against the comics from decades ago, god forbid, but man, the Oliver/Laurel lack of romance is so very, very bad, very anger filled and chemistry free that how can anyone insist it's true love at this point? He cheated on her a lot, with her sister, knocked up some other chick, blah blah blah when is it enough for her to say, "Fuck this, I'm moving to Central City?" Also, she's just a wet blanket on this show.
Well, at least Felicity got some sass back in the last few episodes. So there's that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:38 PM on May 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
One of the things I like least about fandom is the shipping stuff and the way fans of ships so frequently denigrate the other women in a source canon (show/movie/book). I really enjoy the show, but I DNGAF about which of the women Oliver is bedding or not bedding or giving his heart to at the moment. Frankly, as awesome as Amell seems to be as a guy (my husband follows him on FB and he seems to post neat stuff pretty regularly), his acting in romantic scenes has been uniformly snooze-worthy and IMO he has ZERO chemistry with any of the women, no matter how pretty he looks with his shirt off.
Felicity is awesome. I love that she's nerdy and smart and quick with the cracks and quips, and that the show doesn't hesitate to show her vulnerability. I love her bro chemistry with all the guys (particularly Diggle). I love her being the heart of the team. If they do Birds of Prey in the TV-verse, I want her for Oracle.
Sara is awesome. I love that she kicks ass, I love that she's written as a happy bisexual woman (clearly romantically involved with Nyssa and Oliver over the course of S2). I think it's great that she looks and moves like an athlete. I totally want her in the Arrow-verse Birds of Prey.
Laurel is awesome. Her storylines have sucked this season in terms of the alcoholism stuff, but even when the plots were silly and soap opera-ish, I liked that she got out there and investigated stuff and did things without the safety of a mask. I loved her law office and hope she goes back to it when and if she can. I loved her looking after Thea in S1 and hope that plays into Thea's storyline in S3. I loved her speaking truth with love to Ollie in the last few episodes this season. And yeah, she too would make an awesome Bird, whether or not she's in a mask.
Helena is awesome. Like Sara, she's a mirror image to Oliver, but she went bad, and I loved that she made it hard for Oliver to stand up to her, but he did it anyway. I hope she comes back to complicate his life again and I would love, love, love her as a grey Bird of Prey.
(Moira was awesome, if nothing else for the way she went out. RIP. Thea is going to be an awesome villain next year.)
They are all AWESOME in their own way, and their romantic value with Oliver is the least important thing about any of them. I am pro all awesome women characters and anti-shipping-wars. No h8!
posted by immlass at 8:04 PM on May 20, 2014 [3 favorites]
Felicity is awesome. I love that she's nerdy and smart and quick with the cracks and quips, and that the show doesn't hesitate to show her vulnerability. I love her bro chemistry with all the guys (particularly Diggle). I love her being the heart of the team. If they do Birds of Prey in the TV-verse, I want her for Oracle.
Sara is awesome. I love that she kicks ass, I love that she's written as a happy bisexual woman (clearly romantically involved with Nyssa and Oliver over the course of S2). I think it's great that she looks and moves like an athlete. I totally want her in the Arrow-verse Birds of Prey.
Laurel is awesome. Her storylines have sucked this season in terms of the alcoholism stuff, but even when the plots were silly and soap opera-ish, I liked that she got out there and investigated stuff and did things without the safety of a mask. I loved her law office and hope she goes back to it when and if she can. I loved her looking after Thea in S1 and hope that plays into Thea's storyline in S3. I loved her speaking truth with love to Ollie in the last few episodes this season. And yeah, she too would make an awesome Bird, whether or not she's in a mask.
Helena is awesome. Like Sara, she's a mirror image to Oliver, but she went bad, and I loved that she made it hard for Oliver to stand up to her, but he did it anyway. I hope she comes back to complicate his life again and I would love, love, love her as a grey Bird of Prey.
(Moira was awesome, if nothing else for the way she went out. RIP. Thea is going to be an awesome villain next year.)
They are all AWESOME in their own way, and their romantic value with Oliver is the least important thing about any of them. I am pro all awesome women characters and anti-shipping-wars. No h8!
posted by immlass at 8:04 PM on May 20, 2014 [3 favorites]
Was there anyone who didn't call the mansion being bugged?*raises hand*
Mainly because Oliver appears to collect "one true loves" like bloody Pokemon.
Slade needed all those super villains just so he'd have enough manpower to kidnap Ollie's Soulmate Army.
posted by fullerine at 7:04 AM on December 8, 2014
i'm still holding out for an 11th hour twist where the next Black Canary is the actual Dinah Lance [Sara and Laurel's mother]
posted by kagredon at 12:17 AM on December 16, 2014
posted by kagredon at 12:17 AM on December 16, 2014
Two moments made me very happy in this episode. First was Oliver and Felicity in the mansion. Kinda wish it hadn't been a fakeout, because it made say, out loud, in an empty room, "HOLY SHIT OLIVER". The second was Diggle breaking Floyd Lawton out of the Suicide Squad holding pen to participate in the final battle. Third place, probably Detective Lance having his little nod-of-mutual-respect moment with Nyssa after saving her life during that same battle. This show is really great when it leans into the comic stuff, by which I don't mean continuity porn, or fidelity to the original specific comics. I mean the sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, don't blink-or-you'll-miss-it, super compressed short-attention-span storytelling where everything works by just hitting you with a barrage of awesome specific moments.
posted by Ipsifendus at 6:39 AM on September 18, 2021
posted by Ipsifendus at 6:39 AM on September 18, 2021
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posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:27 AM on May 15, 2014 [1 favorite]