I’m seriously torn about this whole Ra’s al Ghul plot. On the one hand, I’m optimistic, because Arrow has done such a good job this season of showing actual consequences, and it’s very successfully painted Oliver into a corner. On the other, this is the CW we’re talking about, and “Olicity” Tumblr fan fiction is going to take a serious hit if Oliver stays in Nanda Parbat. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Oliver finds Thea, who despite what I thought last week isn’t actually dead. I don’t know when Arrow got so sentimental; if this were season two Thea would be deader than disco, but the show seems oddly reluctant to kill anyone off this season, with the exception of Sara. Anyway, Ra’s makes it clear to Oliver that he’ll bring Thea back if Oliver accepts his offer. Malcolm warns Oliver that it’s not worth it – and also makes explicit reference to the Lazarus Pits, which is exciting- but Oliver goes through with it anyway. He doesn’t want more blood on his hands. (Two side notes: if Oliver didn’t want blood on his hands, he would have said yes to Ra’s about five episodes ago. And couldn’t he just say yes, take up the Ra’s al Ghul mantle, and immediately appoint a new successor? I’m sure Nyssa would say yes in a heartbeat, and Oliver wouldn’t even have to kill dozens of people. Also, how is Nyssa back in Nanda Parbat? Wasn’t she exiled?)
So Oliver goes back to Nanda Parbat, where he’s given his League of Assassins name: Al-Sahim. This is where “The Fallen” starts to get really exciting, because there’s really no way out of Oliver joining the League now. Awesome! Thea gets resurrected by the Lazarus Pit, but there are definite side effects. For one, she straight up jumps out of the pit, which is kind of goofy looking to be honest. Also, she remembers Malcolm, but not Oliver, and also thinks that Moira is still alive. That’s a REALLY weird form of amnesia! You remember your mother, but not her death, and your secret dad, but not your brother. So weird!
“The Fallen” is a good episode for Felicity, which makes up for the whole weird Thea thing. Ray breaks things off with Felicity when he realizes what we already know: she’s still in love with Oliver. Oddly enough, it’s not Ray who convinces her to tell Oliver, it’s Ra’s. He and Felicity share a surprisingly tender, human scene where for once Ra’s drops the whole Demon’s Head thing and tells her to go empty her heart to Oliver. It’s Matt Nable’s subtlest acting of the whole season, and he seems to really understand the sacrifice necessary not only by Oliver but by his loved ones. If anything, it might be his words that lead Felicity and Oliver to bed.
Felicity drugs Oliver with some kind of League roofie, and she enlists Malcolm and Diggle to help them escape. Arrow has done a remarkable job with Felicity’s evolution; two seasons ago she was a mousy IT girl (well, not that mousy, Felicity still looks like Emily Bett Rickards), and now she’s leading an escape out of a fortress filled with assassins. It fails, but the attempt is admirable. Oliver comes to and tells the League to stand down. It’s the only way they live, but the gang can’t leave without him. Oliver says his tearful goodbyes and then actually starts his League initiation!
I really didn’t expect Arrow to go this far, and to be perfectly honest, I’m still skeptical. It really looks like there’s no way out of this one, but again this is the goddamn CW, and I’m picturing thousands of fangirls squealing “Noooo Oliver can’t become Ra’s he’s supposed to marry meeeee!” My point being is I’m cautiously optimistic, as opposed to just regular optimistic. It almost feels like Arrow has lost some of its edge as its storytelling has become more and more ambitious; the Ra’s al Ghul story has taken up the bulk of season three, but I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that Oliver’s time in Nanda Parbat will be short lived. Don’t get me wrong, though, I would be ecstatic to be proven wrong.
A Few Thoughts
- If this is the last we see of Ray, then he has been massively underused. We only saw him bust out the Atom suit a few times, and he routinely got his ass kicked. This show needs his sunny disposition, especially if it’s going to keep producing grim episodes like this one
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There were some flashbacks about Oliver trying to stop General Schrieve from deploying a biological weapon. I didn’t mention them because they kinda dragged the episode down
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I have no idea how to grade this one. I want to give it 4.5 for ambition but 4 for my skepticism. I’m going with 4.5 because, fuck it, I like this show, but consider that grade to have a big ol’ asterisk next to it. EDIT: screw it, I went with 4 after all
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A lot of this Thea drama could have been avoided if Oliver had ever seen Pet Sematary. And now, ladies and gentleman, The Ramones!
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