Post — Aaron Ngo

We're one episode away from the finale. This episode is the one that will set up how the season finale will play out, and for the most part, I did not enjoy it. Everyone puts their differences aside for the sake of defeating Ricardo Diaz. This guy is trying too hard to establish himself as Oliver's biggest challenge, but he isn't. We know he isn't.

Where is Black Siren and Quentin Lance? I did not like their absence.

I saw a promo tagline read: "He has never faced an army" and I wanted to hit whoever wrote that because:

Slade's Siege on the City
League of Assassins
HIVE

Do those not count? I have given up on trying to make sense of this show. Arrow has a lot of work to do if they're going to attempt a season seven.

Spoilers ahead for my episode review:

After the botched trial in the last episode, Diaz attacks everyone Oliver cares about. The team survives, but Curtis' forgettable boyfriend gets injured. I won't even bother looking up his name.

The team unites and plan an attack. They meet at NTA's hideout because the other one got bombed by Diaz. This is a good thing because Team Arrow needs a better hideout once this is all over and we head into season seven.

Let's have the future hideout not get discovered immediately. It was fun when Malcolm poked fun at the lack of security, but when all the other villains started doing it, it became ridiculous.

New Team Arrow is pushed to the side when Curtis is injured and the other two have nothing better to do but simply help.

The focus of the episode is put on John/Lyla, Oliver/Felicity, and Oliver/John.

The dynamics explored here prove how ineffective Oliver and Felicity truly work as a couple when they are out in the field, especially when they are compared to John and Lyla.

Let's discuss the positives because there are only a handful here.

John and Lyla know what they are doing and play the power-couple contrasting the fractured couple known as Olicity.

The soldiers have each other's backs, they shoot bad guys, make sweet talk, steal kisses, and even trade "honeys" along the way. I thought saying honey to each other held some significant earlier in the show, but I forgot what it was.

Oliver and Felicity readdressed the whole "you need to not be in the field" problem. I believe they had this discussion in the past, but Oliver brings it up because he does not want William to lose his parents. John and Lyla are parents too, but Oliver brushes that off.

Whatever, macho man. You endanger yourself all the time, but you want Felicity to step back because...? She split his focus is Oliver's excuse. I don't buy it. While I did like how Felicity ended up becoming a parent to William, that doesn't mean she has to leave the hero work behind.

I don't want to call gender roles, but I think I have to on this. Oliver, you cannot subjugate Felicity to being a stay-at-home mother while you're out there playing superhero. That's not a trope we enjoy.

Felicity did somehow prove herself again in this episode. She put Oliver in his place AGAIN regarding his solo approach and hopefully this does not get addressed again as another problem for them. I'm not a fan of their relationship anymore, but I think we're stuck with it.

John and Oliver get to talking about leadership and touch on their feud that occurred a few episodes back. He clarifies what he meant about Oliver's "split focus" because Oliver misunderstood and dropped all his character development the following episode.

I have issues with Diaz taking out the Quadrant and claiming it for himself. It's lazy writing and I will not stand for it. In his centric episode that we were forced to endure, the Quadrant was established (sort-of) as a powerful organization with criminal connection across the country.

Well, Diaz has taken out two members in this episode. Three out of the four are dead, and he forces the last member to relinquish the Quadrant's leadership over. I don't know where they are going with this, but it's lazy and unrealistic.

I liked the female Quadrant member, not going to even bother to learn her name, and watching her get killed was not okay. I understand kind of what they were going for with that. Anatoli is now the mole for Team Arrow and he needed someone to throw under the bus.

Agent Watson returns to help Oliver defeat Diaz. She only requests two things in exchange for her assistance: Oliver's confession and... the credits roll.

I'm assuming Oliver has to serve jail time after the city is saved. I can't see this ending any other way for him. Hopefully his identity as the Green Arrow is exposed to the public too.

Sound off in the comments. What are your thoughts? Discuss with me. I love to talk!

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