Arrow Review: This is Your Sword (Season 3 Episode 22)

I was officially tricked, and I’m so happy about it!

I’ve said it before, but Arrow is one of the only shows on television right now that can consistently surprise me with characters, plots, and overall writing. I can’t be the only one who was utterly convinced that Oliver was brainwashed and the final episodes would be all about bringing him back out from under Al Sah-Him right?

Well, wrong.

Oliver is alive and well, playing Ra’s to perfection with the help of a surprising ally — Malcolm Merlyn.

Unfortunately ,Merlyn isn’t exactly on great terms with anyone on Team Arrow, so he maybe wasn’t the best choice for a go-between, since they all think Oliver is a vicious psychopath now.

Tatsu appears to save the day and deliver Oliver’s message — even though no one on the team has even met her? Hmmm…

That part is definitely shaky. Still, Tatsu’s story comes to a close (in both the flashbacks and the present day) when both Akio and Maseo die in her arms. One from Alpha-Omega sickness and the other by her own hand. That little lullaby she sings for both of them broke my heart.

Maseo: From my prison, there is no escape.

This means good things for the finale, though, since flashbacks will most likely be minimal!

If there’s one thing that Arrow refuses to dial back when it probably should, it’s the flashbacks.

I understand that it was part of the original premise of the show, and Oliver has a lot of unaccounted for time to delve into. But it is consistently been the most unappealing aspect of the show for fans, and it’s getting harder and more absurd for them to tie past stories into present ones. This Alpha-Omega business was never a threat in the present until JUST NOW. Not great plot building.

Back with Thea, we get to see Roy one final time.

He and Thea share a mostly superfluous bit of time together, filled with sex, stuff we already know, and a pretty standard Dear Jane letter. The one positive thing to come out of this? They are really setting up Thea to be Speedy next year. I might be the only one excited about that, but I’m cool dancing to beat of my own drum on this one.

Roy: Thanks for the suit, but I always thought red was more your color, anyway.

Bring on the gender-bent sidekick! Speedy lives!

We end on Nyssa’s wedding to Oliver as Team Arrow (and Malcolm) slowly die from the Alpha-Omega virus Oliver released in their jail cell.

That’s right folks, Oliver is officially married — though, honestly, I don’t think that ceremony will hold up in a court of law. I mean, did anyone see them sign a contract? Nope! Not me! And Team Arrow might be DEAD!

Okay, not really, since we see them all alive and well in the promo for next week’s season finale:

Did anyone else catch that cameo from The Flash??

Oliver must still have some trickery planned, but I’m very curious to know just how they all survived. Was that not the real bioweapon? Did Oliver somehow inoculate them all beforehand? Time will tell!

Tell me your theories in comments below, and don’t forget to give “This is Your Sword” a rating of your own!

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Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.