Arrow Season 8 Episode 10 Review: Fadeout
Sarah Little
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One last time to save the city.
The beloved Green Arrow series came to an end on Arrow Season 8 Episode 10. and, boy, was it a doozy. And I mean that in the best possible way.
There were multiple heartwarming moments, tears shed, flashbacks, an incredible fight scene, and all of the things that have defined Arrow over the years. It was the perfect ending and an oustanding tribute to Oliver Queen.
It would not be an episode of Arrow if there were at least one enemy to defeat, and that was John Byrne.
As an individual character, he did not really matter as he is not from the comics. It was more about what he stood for, which could not have been more thoughtful for the finale.
John Byrne was one of the first people on Oliver's dad's list that Oliver chose not to kill.
The Oliver that I met eight years ago is not the one we say goodbye to today. Oliver always told me that in order to save his city, he had to become someone else, he had to become something else. I always thought that meant becoming the Green Arrow, but today I realized that meant becoming a better man. The best man he knew how to be, and he took all of us with him on that journey. He changed everything. Oliver brought heroes into the world, he inspired heroes. He inspired all of us here. I was his brother. And Oliver Queen was mine. Of course, life will go on. It always does. But how, with twists and turns it will take, I can't say. I don't know what the future holds, except to say expect the unexpected. Oliver may be gone, but his mission endures. That mission lives on, Oliver lives on in the people he inspired. Some will take that mission to the rest of the world, maybe even beyond that. Because if the past eight years have shown us anything, it's that this universe is far bigger than any of us could have dared imagine, even if it is a little less bright without him in it.
Diggle
It was an amazing use of a flashback that also tied into the present when Byrne kidnapped William. It showed the juxtaposition between the Oliver who returned from Lian Yu all those years ago and the man who sacrificed himself for the universe.
And, with that, we, through Diggle, finally got an answer to what Oliver had to become when he returned. It wasn't the Green Arrow, as Diggle said, but a good man. Cue the tears.
Plus, the flashback featured a pretty epic fight scene that will definitely go down as one of the series' best.
Not only did Oliver's sacrifice save the universe, it also brought back almost every single person in Oliver's life who had died. Well, except for Laurel, and I'm still a little fuzzy on the details as to why.
And let's be honest, the only one who really matters is Tommy. Tommy is alive, I never thought those words would be spoken after Arrow Season 1 Episode 23.
I made the ultimate sacrifice, which helped birth an entirely new universe. Now my friends and family will have to go on without me, and although I have become a Spectre, there is a part of me that will always be the Green Arrow.
Oliver
Apparently Tommy and Laurel got married and then she died in this post-Crisis universe. Thankfully we did not have to witness that as it would have made Laurel's death even more tragic.
But it looks like there might be some sparks between Earth-2 Laurel and Tommy. Is that exciting or weird? It might be too early to tell, that is if we get to see him on the Green Arrow & The Canaries spinoff.
Quentin, Moira, and Emiko are also back from the dead thanks to Oliver, and they all get a second chance. It's enough to bring a tear to anyone's eyes and admire Oliver that much more.
A lot of the characters got happy endings, which is fitting given how much they have all gone through the past eight years.
Thea and Roy are getting married, Rene is running for mayor, Quentin is back with his two daughters, Diggle and Lyla are moving to Metropolis with their family, and so on.
Roy: Loving you has changed my life, Thea.
Thea: If Ollie's death has taught me anything, it's that we don't have a lot of time in this life. As long as you promise if you ever freak out on me like that again, you tell me instead of just leaving.
Roy: Yeah, yeah. I can make that promise.
Thea: Then yes.
Roy: Yes?
Thea: I will marry you, Roy Harper.
Everything is tied up in a nice little bow, isn't it?
Well, until that box crashed into the Earth and emitted a green glow when Diggle opened it. Hello, Green Lantern.
Diggle is moving to Metropolis, and it seems as if he is looking to start a mission of his own. Could he join the cast of the new spinoff series Superman and Lois? I have a feeling we have not seen the last of John Diggle.
Speaking of spinoffs, there were some questions left unanswered, which will hopefully be addressed on Green Arrow & The Canaries if it gets a season pickup.
Wasn't Arrow Season 8 Episode 9 supposed to take place after the series finale? It sure does not look like it since Mia mentioned William's kidnapping, but then why are Dinah and Laurel still in 2020 and not in 2040?
And why was Earth-2 Laurel the one that stayed after Crisis instead of Earth-1 Laurel?
Maybe everything was as Oliver planned it, and we should take it as is, but where's the fun in that?
Even though Oliver did not appear as much as the other characters on the series finale, he was definitely the star of the hour.
The people that Oliver had inspired and changed for the better were left to pick up the pieces after his death, and they did so by honoring him and paving new paths for themselves that would have made him proud.
Oliver Queen wasn't just a hero. He was a good man. He was an honorable person. The fact that he didn't start out that way makes him, in my book, even more honorable. He stands as a reminder to all of us that anyone can change.
Quentin
Oliver is an iconic character that has definied a new era of superheroes on television, and it would not be right if he was not honored in the best way possible. Thankfully he was.
Star City created a statue for him and named a street after him. The city he spent the last eight years trying to save finally paid him back. If only it didn't happen after his death.
Of course, we have to talk about the return of Felicity Smoak, who is the best accident that Arrow ever created.
Felicity was dearly missed on Arrow Season 8, but she more than made up for it on the series finale. Even though, in my opinion, she could never have too much screen time.
Mia: He trained me. He taught me to be a hero. How to be like him.
Felicity: I can tell you're a lot like him.
Mia: I can only hope.
Most of her scenes were, unfortunately, sad, as the entire hour had a dark cloud looming over it in the name of Oliver's death. Did anybody else's heart break when Felicity implied that Oliver wouldn't get to see Mia grow up?
However, the final few minutes delivered one the happiest scenes Arrow has ever produced.
We finally got our Oliver and Felicity reunion, and it did not disappoint.
The Monitor made good on his promise and took Felicity to see Oliver in the afterlife where Moira's office and a red pen were waiting for her.
The red pen. That is all that anyone needs to say for any Arrow fan to immediately think of Olicity.
Oliver soon joined her, and it was like we were in 2012 again, witnessing the beautiful beginning of an iconic relationship. It all came full circle.
Oliver and Felicity are finally at peace, and that ending could not have suited Arrow any better.
They have always been the pivotal relationship on the show, and knowing that they are finally happy could not be more gratifying.
What did you think Arrow Fanatics?
Were you happy with the series finale? Which character that returned was your favorite? And what will you miss most about Arrow?
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Sarah Little was a staff writer for TV Fanatic.She retired in September 2021.
