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The Dark Knight Ri -- I mean, Arrow’s “My Name is Oliver Queen” review

Oh c’mon. YOU NOTICED THAT, RIGHT?

But I digress – there’s a lot to go through and not enough time. Season 3 is officially over and it’s been a long and perilous journey, filled with MANY ups and downs, and an occasional nice job. Overall 3x23 felt like series finale, and it felt good. It was supposed to happen.

The dust hasn’t settled yet, and there’s a lot to say about Oliver’s journey this season. Oliver’s a complicated man. He’s been through a lot. Now, that doesn’t mean he gets a free pass, but he’s certainly grown. But where does this leave us? Where does this leave Arrow?

Way back before the season started I believed Oliver wasn’t *just* Oliver, nor was he *just* Arrow. He was still Oliver, and he was still the Arrow because the Arrow was an extension of Oliver Queen. When you grow mature you don’t have a name for it; it just is. So while people believed there were two halves of Oliver – Arrow and Oliver Queen – I didn’t think it was possible because that would mean Oliver Queen AND Arrow had to be a symbol.

Which the Arrow is most certainly not.

See, in order for Batman to create a symbol that was elemental and everlasting, he had to be stripped of flesh and blood. Bruce was right – as a man he can be torn down, but as as symbol? Great things can happen. As a symbol, it can stand in for justice and hope. Over the course of The Dark Knight trilogy, Bruce slowly lost himself to Batman – the symbol – before reclaiming Bruce Wayne for himself and giving Batman up to Gotham. And, in order to allow a new successor take over Batman, it had to be a symbol. There was no other way.

But the main difference between Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne is Oliver’s capacity to love. I’ve said this several times before and I’ll say it again: love is Oliver’s strength. It’s what pushes him side to side and to make decisions. Look at the flashbacks – his love for Akio, as well as being angry at the general, drove him to torture the man until he passed out. Sometimes, love pushes him to become the next Ra’s in order to save his sister. And other times, love pushes him to drive off into the sunset.

With that in mind, Oliver couldn’t possibly become the next Ra’s. No way. Ra’s al Ghul is a symbol: he stands in for justice. Extreme justice (hell, they’re practically a terrorist organization), but a symbol nonetheless. There can’t be a new Ra’s if he’s a different man every single time, so each Ra’s has to strip himself of humanity. And Oliver knew that.

In the end, Oliver didn’t choose Arrow or Oliver Queen, he chose to just be. And I think it is so incredibly important because he’s not constraining himself to be anyone in particular. He’s not forcing himself to be a lifeless symbol, nor is he forcing himself to become what the media and society expects of Oliver Queen. He’s taking what’s happened to him and moving on. He’s grabbed bits and pieces of Ollie, Oliver, and Arrow to become this reformed and happy guy.

Marc Guggenheim wasn’t kidding when he said this felt like a series finale. And it really did feel like it. Oliver’s started a new chapter in his life – it’s taken him eight years to do it, but he’s here nonetheless. It takes strength to admit what you truly want in life, and payoffs can be bountiful. When Oliver decides to come back, he won’t feel the need to be any particular thing. So, as Oliver and Felicity drive off into the sunset, we know our hero is someplace safe. Somewhere good. And until Season 4, we’ll just have to imagine him sipping on margaritas, sitting next to Felicity, and feeling weightless for the first time in years.

Hold up, my contacts are bothering me. *sniff*

While Oliver’s journey ended on a high note, I also think it’s important to talk about Oliver’s actions and the consequences that came from it. Oliver still has to grow, and his main issue is making decisions for everyone else because it’s just easier to not have to deal with potential problems. He’s had it tough, no doubt about it, and he does this because almost everyone he touches gets burned. Except it’s not always true. Look at Digg and Felicity – according to Lyla, Digg became an empty shell after Andy’s death, but it wasn’t until he joined the crusade that things started looking up. Felicity found purpose in the crusade. Barry took Oliver’s example and became Flash. Roy got out of crime and became Arsenal, and ultimately giving Oliver the biggest gift he could give. Thea has found purpose in her life, too. Starling City is in a much different place now.

It’s difficult for him to realize the lives he’s touched because the bad shit overshadows the good. So he makes impulsive decisions – just like Ollie did. And that’s OK. You can’t be a perfect human being, but the important thing is to realize when you’ve made a mistake and not do it again.

The thing is, you don’t go to your death willingly in 3x09 and assume to die again in 3x23, but since you survived you have Plan B. You don’t push your partners away time and time again, only to be proven wrong that teamwork saves the day almost every single time. You have to learn at some point.

And that’s what Team Arrow is here for. But we didn’t get Team Arrow in the season. We got an Oliver reverting back to Season 1 antics, and it fractured the very fabric of this show. I’ve made it no secret this season has been a mess. There were definitely gems here and there, but the main issue started when Oliver came back in 3x12 and joined with Malcolm.

After the episode we were wondering why in the world would Oliver team up with that, for lack of a better word, devious fucker? This man killed 503 people, including his son. He killed Sara by drugging up Thea and using her as a bait, so why is Oliver teaming up with the Devil? Well, it turns out after Oliver “died” in the mid-season finale, he thought. A lot.

Last episode, Malcolm said Oliver came to him the moment he realized Ra’s would be coming after Thea. Technically speaking, this could’ve been way back in 3x09, but he probably didn’t formulate it until 3x12 when he decided to join Malcolm.

So, for ten full episodes, Oliver and Malcolm had this plan cooking and Team Arrow had no idea. None. His reasoning? He didn’t want them to get hurt.

Look, it’s been established long ago that Digg and Felicity made their own choice to follow Oliver into battle. I’m talking way back in Season 1. They have consistently shown him they’re willing to do what it takes to keep Starling safe, so to take that choice away from them adds insult to a major injury. This isn’t a tit for tat kind of thing. It’s honestly about respect. Respect your partners choices. Respect them enough to let them in. They deserve it.

So, with Oliver keeping his cards close, we didn’t realize he was faking it until 3x22. But to what cost? Tatsu told him in order to defeat someone, you have to sacrifice what you love most. He was getting desperate at this point, so he sacrificed Felicity’s trust and Digg’s respect.

Oliver used Lyla as a bait, to which Digg absolutely couldn’t forgive. And I applaud him for that. In the season premiere Oliver told Digg to leave Team Arrow so that he and his family could be safe, yet he yanked them right back to prove a point to Ra’s. No wonder Digg is angry. His family was supposed to be off limits. Digg getting kidnapped though? That’s fine since he made that choice. But Lyla? No way. After everything Digg has done for Oliver, he did not deserve this. #TeamDigg

And may I add, Oliver killed again. It happened in 3x21, and it happened in the finale. He broke his vow to prove a point to Ra’s, and decided to kill Ra’s even after sparing Malcolm and Slade. Once again, Oliver needed to prove a point to Ra’s, which goes to show how desperate he was to defeat him. Plus, he joined forces with Malcolm. If that doesn’t smell desperate I don’t know what does.

Not to mention, Oliver slept with Felicity and didn’t say goodbye to her knowing full well he wasn’t coming back. As much as I love Olicity that’s not romantic at all. He dangled another maybe to her – not that he was going to come back, but that he would live. Although Oliver wouldn’t be near her, Felicity believed he would be alive. To be frank I don’t like it at all. He made her another promise he couldn’t make, and it’s not fair to Felicity. Shipper me is happy they’re endgame, but critic me is scratching my head in confusion.

Likewise, Oliver’s plan reminded me a lot about his plan in the Season 2 finale, where he kept Felicity in the dark, professed his love to her, then subsequently handed the Mirakuru drug to her. The ruse worked back then, but now? It shouldn’t have happened; remember, you have to learn. Choosing to keep everyone in the dark, even after being repeatedly shown things work out when there’s a team, destroys Oliver’s character development.

What makes this convoluted plan even more infuriating is that Oliver planned on dying… Again. Clearly falling off a cliff didn’t do anything other than usher in a three episode arc to get everyone to like Laurel (yes, I know I’m being biased). There were no payoffs here. He returned wanting to get back at Ra’s, but at the same time I can’t entirely blame Oliver here. From the get-go Ra’s made it very personal for Oliver. He killed Oliver, offered him a deal, subsequently destroyed the Arrow, killed Thea, and finally got him to join. Oh, and forced him to marry his very gay daughter. It’s natural for Oliver to want to get to Ra’s.

While Oliver’s plan was flawed from the start, in the final episode Oliver realized – with Felicity’s help – that he should fight to live. And that’s really the crux of it, isn’t it? Why is he doing this? Is it to honor his father and Tommy? Is it because he started something and he can’t end it? Who is he doing this for? Digg, Felicity, Thea, Starling and so on? It’s no longer a suicide mission for him. This journey doesn’t end with him – it lives on. Despite his sloppy plan, Oliver pulls through, and with Team Arrow, Ray, Nyssa, Malcolm and Lance’s support, he defeats Ra’s. Yay!

Even though I’m happy at the way things turned out, I think perhaps the biggest issue is timing, and I probably would’ve enjoyed the finale more. I had hoped Ra’s would make Oliver feel desperate much earlier in the season, so by the time the final episodes rolled around Oliver would’ve have enlisted Team Arrow’s help and all would be good. Oliver resorting to extreme measures and finally realizing his mistake in the season finale seemed rushed. Also, it would’ve made Oliver FIRST death wish more poignant and carried more weight. Wanting to go off on your death – twice – just seems suicidal at this point. And silly. I don’t mean to say Oliver sacrificing himself is selfish or silly, but his decisions can be. If Oliver came back in 3x12 and told everyone, including Malcolm, about the plan it would’ve made everything a bit more bittersweet and less manipulative. Most of all, his relationship with Digg wouldn’t have suffered a huge blow.

However, there’s a major gaping hole here: Malcolm becoming the next Ra’s. What absolutely frustrates me about this is the fact there’s still a League of Assassins around. Why? LoA is an ancient terrorist organization. Dismantling it would be a service to the world, yet Oliver gave the reigns to the most undeserving bastard out there. Starling City might be safe from Ra’s, but there’s another city out there with thousands of innocent civilians. Are you telling me Oliver’s all right with LoA destroying another city somewhere?

I understand why Oliver wanted to kill Ra’s, but keeping LoA intact reverses the whole thing. Although Ra’s was going to destroy Starling – and Damien Dahrk with it – going after Ra’s was still very personal because Oliver didn’t destroy what Ra’s held dear to. He kept LoA, a terrorist organization, going. Ra’s died believing his cherished League was in good hands. He didn’t deserve to know that. More importantly it shouldn’t have happened. LoA should be gone, not reborn and under Malcolm’s rule.

Thankfully, at least we know Starling is in good hands, and our hero finally knows what it’s like to live. It’s over and I’m quite proud of him. Honestly, I’m proud of everyone pulling together to save the day. I’m proud of Digg for swallowing his anger and thinking about the issue at hand. I’m proud of Felicity for consistently doing what’s right, and even saving our hero. Believe it or not, I’m proud of Laurel for helping her father in the process. I’m proud of Ray for choosing to stay and fight. I’m proud of Thea for choosing not to run. Season 4 will start a new chapter for everyone, and I’m excited to see where it’ll take us.

(This wouldn’t be a complete review without talking about the CW’s version of The Dark Knight Rises. I mean, really guys – Oliver realizes fear death again and decides to live (which Bane talked about in the first fight scene against Batman), Ra’s notes how his fighting has changed (again, something Bane noticed in the final fight against Batman), the torch is passed on, and Oliver drives off with Felicity, just like Selina and Bruce. Kinda cute, no?)

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