Arrow Season Finale Review: My Name Is Oliver Queen (Season 3 Episode 23)
Well, where on earth are we going to go after a finale like that?
Starting off the season finale, “My Name is Oliver Queen,” Barry shows up just in time to save Team Arrow from… boredom. Yep, these sweet little crime fighters have all been secretly inoculated by Merlyn, meaning all they need is someone to bust them out so they can get back to hero business.
Let’s just all take a moment to appreciate how much work and thought went into crossing over Arrow and The Flash this year. Over the course of eight months, we got eight different crossovers. Some were small, some were very small, and others were entire episodes! But each one was crafted with careful and precise coordination to keep both narratives in tact. That takes talent, effort, and a whole of love for your fans! Bravo, writers!
Barry’s rescue is short and sweet, but no less wonderful for its brevity. Who doesn’t love seeing our favorite speedster step in for a last minute rescue?
The rest of the episode is spent tirelessly trying to keep Ra’s from murdering an entire city out of spite. Let me tell you, I don’t think I’d ever want to visit Starling during the month May. Chances of catastrophic death kind of tend to skyrocket…
My one complaint for this finale is the somewhat random inclusion of Damian Dark into the entire bioweapon mess. It’s clear he’s only mentioned to set him up as the potential new villain for next year, but his non-presence feels a bit off regardless.
The rest of the episode? Pretty flawless.
We see the rise of Speedy — in a snazzy new red outfit no less — the death of Ra’s Al Ghul, and a return to reason for Captain Lance. Can we all just agree to blame his extremely annoying character arc on his drinking and be done with it? Yes? Awesome.
The screams of a thousand shippers flooded the Twitter-verse in excitement during the scene when Oliver finally decides to be with Felicity. Her immediate acceptance of his affection after an entire season of waffling? Not as appealing to my feminist nature, but I suppose we can let it slide since they’ve all been through so much this season. They deserve one summer of happiness before it all goes terribly wrong.
Earlier today, Marc Guggenheim sat down for an interview with E!Online, where he talked about the different ways this season finale would feel a bit like a series finale. And boy was he right!
Olicity driving off into the sunset? Malcolm as the new Ra’s? Thea taking up the vigilante mantle as Oliver sets aside the Arrow for good? It all seemed to wrap up in a perfect little bow.
If you don’t count that MAJOR explosion at Palmer Technologies that is.
It seems the rise of The Atom is upon us. But not until next fall!
What were your thoughts on “My Name is Oliver Queen?” Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to give the episode your own rating below!
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Lindsay MacDonald
Lindsay is an associate editor for Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer, viewer, and internet addict. Her obsession with TV started with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and has been going strong ever since; current favorites include Scandal, The 100, The Walking Dead, and Arrow. She considers a perfect Friday night to be a joint-cuddle-session between an adorable puppy dog and her Netflix queue. Follow @lindsayjoane