*Oh yeah, there's definitely SPOILERS in here. Go away and don't come back until you've watched the episode!*
"Why does this keep happening to me?"
Well, Sara's killer is finally revealed and, even if you saw it coming several episodes ago, it's still handled in a way that's going to have a tight grip on your attention. First and foremost, I'm guessing a lot of people are going to rip on Oliver Queen for the way he acted in this episode. Once all signs pointed to Thea as the murderer, he refused to accept it. He was beyond stubborn as he blatantly ignored evidence and what his closest allies had to say. It's easy for us, the viewers, to watch him and say something like, "Dude, you're being ridiculous right now. Stop it and accept the truth." However, think about how much of an emotional blow this must have been for Ollie. After all that he's been through and all of the loss he has suffered, Thea's the one shred of his older life that he can hold onto -- she's a close connection to Oliver Queen, not Arrow. He now lives in a Starling City where even Laurel's wanting to put on a mask, run out and beat up some criminals. And his little sister is now a key player in such a tragedy? Well, he just can't imagine her being a part of this death at all. You know, aside from her father being Malcolm Merlyn, but he shrugs that off since he believes Merlyn's not involving her in their scene. It's foolish, but like John Diggle bluntly put it, Oliver has his blinders on and it's easy to get why.
To find out that his one close family member left has killed his ex-girlfriend -- a member of the League of Assassins -- seems completely absurd. How could Thea get the better of someone as skilled as Sara? Why would she get the better of her? Even when he's presented with a piece of evidence that makes it crystal clear to us, he needs more before letting this harsh reality sink in. I may be an only child and I may think Oliver was being frustrating as hell, but I get it and I'm glad they didn't just have him accept this right away. It felt like a natural response to the development for him -- he can be awfully stubborn at times, and this is a situation that definitely called for it. He needed to see for himself just how much she has changed and I think they handled that well. Besides, how cool was it seeing Thea take on Arrow? Yeah, he was holding back as much as he possibly can and it's clear she's no match for him, but watching her try was a fun way to show us Thea 2.0.
Who else is willing to admit the club scene between Ray Palmer and Felicity really tugged at their heartstrings? These two are often the uplifting characters and give the show some much-needed comedic banter, but this scene did a great job delivering some powerful emotion. The way Brandon Routh told the story really impacted me and Emily Bett Rickards' reactions sold it. Not only was this a compelling scene, but it seriously complicated things. Having Oliver tell Felicity "I love you" and Ray opening up to her like that in the same episode? Yeesh, this is going to have to be handled delicately as we move forward. In order to proceed with Raylicity (please tell me no one has called it that yet! If so, how about... Palmicity?), they should really give Felicity some time to deal with this episode's cliffhanger before getting serious with Ray. Otherwise, it would seem pretty uncool, wouldn't it? Yeah, Oliver's been difficult and then some when it comes to Felicity (okay, that's putting it lightly), but after what he said and that extended kiss on her forehead? Well, this big development in the end shouldn't be taken lightly.
When we first saw Matt Nable as Ra's al Ghul, I wasn't completely sold. To be fair, the guy barely had any lines and when you're being compared to Liam Neeson and the animated version of the villain, it's tough to make a strong first impression. However, Nable made for a great villain in this episode. We saw his viciousness and swift nature in a "training" sequence and his demeanor was always calm, collected and wise; exactly what you'd expect from a leader who's lived as long as he has. The confident and skillful way he handled his fight with Oliver? Awesome, especially the way it began. It was a little surprising to see Oliver was fighting with such rage and not skill, though. He was way sloppier than usual. They could have had him showing technique and still made Ra's look really good. Anyway, I really love how the reveal that Ra's knew about the Sara/Nyssa relationship was just casually mentioned and they move on like it's insignificant -- there's more important matters at hand. Good luck having any secrets when your father is the head of the demon, Nyssa.
Okay, let's talk about that ending. That means if you've blatantly disregarded the spoiler warning at the very top, now is your last chance to escape! Seriously, get out of here. So, Ra's al Ghul wrecked Oliver Queen and I'm so happy about it. How many of you out there cringed when Oliver said he could beat Ra's because he now knows what he's fighting for? Yeah, you're good Oliver, but having some motivation against the Demon's Head isn't going to make up for that skill gap. I don't blame Ollie for the path he chose -- I think it's commendable -- but I would have exclaimed, "Oh, come on!" if Oliver pulled one of those "the hero wins at the last second because they're the hero!" kind of maneuvers. Now, this ending must have casual fans totally shocked and in disbelief, but we all know where this is going, right? It was done very well (Amell seems to sell being in pain a bit short at times, but it's not that distracting), but this episode pretty much confirmed Lazarus Pits (or maybe just one or something very similar) exists in this world. Ra's al Ghul stated it has been 67 years since he's been challenged, and the dude looks like he's in his 40s. So, it seems like Maseo will play a pretty big role in Oliver's future, eh? Also, with Oliver absent, the dynamic in Starling City should get really exciting. The absence of Arrow may motivate Ray Palmer to speed up the process with his suit and maybe -- just maybe -- Felicity will have him become part of team Arrow. They could definitely use the help now that Ollie's gone. Then, when Ollie finally returns, we can have an awesome team-up. Well, the quality of it depends on how the relationship drama is handled, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. So yeah, Oliver dying has a lot of potential for the characters in Starling City and even over in The Flash. Felicity would certainly tell Caitlin at some point. And will anyone tell Laurel about Thea? How will she react now that she'll be searching for Sara's killer as the new Black Canary? Even knowing it was due to mind control, Laurel seems like the kind of person who would still hold a grudge against Thea or maybe even still choose to go after her. Will she really pursue Malcolm? Even with Wildcat's help, Merlyn's way too dangerous for her. Looks like he'll be the big bad in Starling once the show returns. I'm really curious to see how everything will be handled from here.
Nyssa is convinced Malcolm Merlyn is behind Sara's death (and she's technically right...), so why isn't she going after him? I understand Oliver said he's off-limits and Nyssa's giving the emerald archer a limited window to solve the death, but once that time is up, why not seek vengeance herself instead of enforcing that rule? Unless I'm blatantly forgetting something, you'd think she'd want to avenge the death of the woman she loved and not just force Oliver into doing the work for her. I imagine being on Arrow's bad side and potentially engaging him is well worth eventually taking down the person who killed the one she loves.
Laurel's subplot was fine. It's basically there to boost her motivation even more and hit us with a reminder of just how tragic Sara's death is. I mean, we're talking about the death of someone who already "faked" their death once. These people had to accept her demise twice! I would have preferred to see other characters getting more time to react to the big twist, but this was necessary for Laurel's arc and the mother's scenes were pretty heartfelt. Not as powerful as the bit between Palmer and Felicity, but a nice way to give Sara's death -- and not just the mystery -- more attention.
Minor criticisms: Aside from one development with Chien Na Wei/Tatsu in the very end, the flashback sequences didn't add anything significant to the story. It aimed to help us accept the fact there's a mind control-ish substance and had just a bit of follow-up with Ollie's new mentality. But when we're talking about such a big episode and so much is going on, the time spent there didn't feel all that important. It'll be critical as we move forward (expanding Maseo's relationship with Ollie), but it was mostly making me wonder when we can get back to the really good stuff. Also, does anyone else find it a little odd Roy's basically like, "Oh, Thea did it? That's a bummer, dude." The guy clearly still has strong feelings for her and did love her, so you'd think they'd have him respond a little more to it. And why was Thea's voice modified when she killed Sarra? You know, aside from "to make it a mystery for the viewer." Lastly, I've never gone rock climbing and I don't plan on doing it (not the biggest fan of heights), but is there any good reason why Oliver didn't wear gloves as he climbs the cold cliff? The dude has a variety of trick arrows and what not, so I'm guessing gloves for mountain climbing wouldn't be too difficult to get? Look, it's obviously not a big deal, but it had me wondering about it. It's freezing out there and the dude had time to prepare for the climb!
Even if you knew the big twist and how the Ra's al Ghul vs. Arrow encounter would conclude, it was still handled in a very, very entertaining way. There's a ton of hype going on right now with Ray Palmer and his heart to heart with Felicity was fantastic. Yeah, the flashbacks and the material with Laurel wasn't as powerful as the rest of the episode and it took away time we could have possibly spent with other characters, but they weren't exactly bad scenes, either. The real highlight comes from the show's final minutes. After that scene, there's so much potential. Yes, we all know Oliver will come back, but this development means the next episodes have the chance to offer all new dynamics (team Atom?!) and some seriously compelling material. Now that Roy and the others know about Thea did (but she doesn't), the follow-up should be very interesting. Plus, how cool was having Arrow dodge an arrow without even looking and then have his opponent block the arrow he fired? Not a shabby way to welcome the League of Assassins to this episode, was it?
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