For a while it looked as though Arrow was going to stick to its tried and true formula for season finales: blow the shit out of Starling City. After the Undertaking and Slade Wilson’s attack, I have no idea how Starling isn’t mired in Detroit-level poverty. Thankfully though, “My Name is Oliver Queen” opted to end on a more personal note, even if the end was basically the Arrow spin-off showcase. Like most of season three, the finale was uneven, but it succeeded more than it failed.
After the killer cliffhanger from last week, Team Arrow wakes up in their dungeon cell and seems to be feeling no side effects from the Alpha and Omega. Turns out that Malcolm had somehow surreptitiously inoculated all of them; it’s a bit narratively convenient, because I think it would be obvious and weird to see Malcolm going around touching everyone, but who cares? The Flash is here! Barry Allen shows up to spring the gang from Nanda Parbat. Barry is only there for a cameo, but Grant Gustin’s energy and affability is always welcome.
Oliver, meanwhile, is on the plane with Ra’s, headed to Starling City. The engines start going out, and Ra’s immediately deduces that Nyssa is the saboteur. Why she’s on the plane to begin with, no one knows. Oliver shows his hand and tells Ra’s that he’s been playing him, which leads to a pretty kick-ass fight between Oliver, Nyssa, and a bunch of League goons who are about as good with their swords as Stormtroopers are with their blasters. The fight is ably directed by Arrow vet John Behring, and even though the plane is clearly a set, Behring makes the most of the close quarters. Ra’s peaces out with the the only parachute, leaving Oliver to land the plane, which is apparently a thing he can do.
After reuniting with Team Arrow – and getting punched by Diggle – Oliver finds out that Ra’s is really in town to kill Damien Dahrk, who I’m looking forward to meeting in season four. Look, I’m not going to give you the blow-by-blow of everything that happens in “My Name”; if you’re reading this I think it’s safe to assume that you watched the episode. What I liked most about “My Name” was its restraint. Once the Alpha and Omega was deployed, it was pretty isolated; only one of the League’s four delivery men was able to disperse the agent, and the other three were rounded up pretty quickly. Casualties in Starling were minimal, and it was around this time that I realized that “My Name” was taking a much more personal approach, culminating with Oliver’s fight with Ra’s atop a dam. Was it me, or did the fight feel weirdly anticlimactic? Maybe it’s because we’ve seen Ra’s fight Oliver – and Thea, and Malcolm – so many times by now that it’s kind of lost its “wow” factor. It was nice to see Felicity save Oliver – while wearing the Atom suit, no less – but this felt like the third or fourth fake-out this season, with Oliver assuming the mantle of Ra’s al Ghul, Hot Topic finger armor and all. Enjoy the Cradle of Filth concert, Ra’s!
But come on now, there’s no way Oliver is going to become Ra’s, no matter how cool of a show that would be. He gives the ring to Malcolm, whose supervillain status – this is the second episode in a row where someone has referred to Malcolm as such – makes him a more natural fit. With his and Oliver’s uneasy alliance, it’s going to be interesting to see how they help or hurt each other next season, whenever Damien Dahrk does whatever Damien Dahrk does. And whenever Slade Wilson inevitably returns.
Oliver decides to leave Starling with Felicity in tow. The final words of the episode, Oliver saying “I’m happy,” help to end the season on a hopeful note. For a show that’s usually so dour, the twist of Arrow‘s third season is that sometimes you do get a happy ending.
A Few Thoughts
- Tatsu giving Oliver a small urn of Akio’s ashes absolutely slayed me, especially when she followed it up with “You were his friend. He loved you.” Rila Fukushima has been quietly killing it all season
-
The pilot of the League plane attacked Oliver while the plane was crashing. That’s commitment to a job
-
Red Arrow is a way better superhero name than Speedy. Dick move, Oliver
-
Nice touch: Malcolm calling everyone on Team Arrow “Mr.” and “Ms.”
-
Overall, the League plot was mildly successful. Matt Nable did solid work as Ra’s, but I didn’t appreciate the show constantly yanking us back and forth about Oliver’s commitment to the League. The status quo is important on a show like this, especially if it’s going to be gif’d to death on Tumblr, but I enjoyed the ambiguity more than the certainty
“My Name is Oliver Queen” grade: 3.5/5 stars
Arrow season 3 grade: 4/5 stars
About Author
