Arrow Review: Life Sentence (Season 6 Episode 23)

Arrow Season 6 Episode 23, “Life Sentence,” seemingly goes to extraordinary lengths to prove what we’ve known for a while: Oliver Queen (and his family) deserve better.

After seeing everything that Oliver has gone through, to see him sacrifice everything that he’s worked so hard for — his family, his job, his position as the Green Arrow — is maddening.

For the sake of a city that does nothing but call him a criminal and a team that deserted him when he needed them to fight the very reason, he has to reach out to Samanda for help on Arrow Season 6 Episode 22.

Oliver going to each team member and offering them apologies and final words of encouragement (that not all of them earned, by the way) adds to the resignation and hopelessness of what is bound to happen to him by hour’s end.

While moments like some of those unearned apologies add to my frustration with how some of the narratives throughout the season play out, it conveys perfectly, yet again, how much Oliver has grown.

There are a few frustrating decisions that don’t necessarily track with what we’ve seen in terms of Oliver’s growth, but they work so well because of the painfully wonderful acting.

Yes, Oliver’s moments with Digg, Dinah, and Rene are touching. They only hurt much more when the pattern emerges, and you realize what he’s doing–saying goodbye.

But it’s his moments with Quentin and Felicity and William that break my heart.

Paul Blackthorne and Stephen Amell do a great job with that gutting final moment between Oliver and Quentin. It’s their goodbye and the moment to really highlight what their relationship has grown into over the years–that of a father and son.

It was beautiful to see that dynamic grow between them over the years.

It’s even sweeter to hear Oliver admit that he’s become the father he is because he had Quentin to look to. There has been a level of support and paternal love there developed over the years that will be sorely missed between those two.

Amell and Emily Bett Rickards always do a fantastic job when it comes to Olicity moments, which have become highlights of many episodes for me this past season, and their last conversation before Oliver’s sent to Supermax is no exception.

It’s devastating seeing Felicity walk in, realizing that Oliver’s committed to doing this for the city, for the team, and for her and William. You can feel the pain of their impending separation and the realization set in as to what this prison sentence and the identity reveal means for their lives at that moment.

While Oliver feels like it was better to sacrifice himself for the good of everyone close to him and the city, Felicity’s side of the heartbreaking situation is also easy to understand given her history.

But something doesn’t quite sit right with the way it all goes down. I’m still trying to figure out what it is that doesn’t feel true to this season’s version of themselves as I write this review.

Could it be Oliver’s choice to go to Samanda and submit to this prison sentence? Could it be his choice to keep the deal from Felicity? Could it just be the overall mood of the season?

Or could it be that Oliver is forced and comes to terms with the idea of doing the very thing he told Jean he didn’t want to do back on Arrow Season 6 Episode 21?

Then there’s the continued villain issue which by the end of the hour shows no signs of ending anytime soon.

Diaz is not a Malcolm Merlyn. He’s not a Slade Wilson. There’s no energy to him that could make him an engaging villain that could sustain a story beyond a single season (not that what we saw of him this season was remotely engaging, to begin with).

It’s this lack of sustainability and ominousness that makes the decision to have him survive by the end of it so perplexing.

Not once at any point in this season did he prove himself to be a believably worthy opponent for Oliver without any assistance or cheating, shifting the odds in Diaz’s favor. It feels like he was never fully fleshed out in terms of motivation, even with that entire hour devoted to him.

So seeing Diaz escape (thanks to Siren’s terrible decisions) adds a bit of nervousness about what happens next. Could he just be a loose end that gets tied up in the first episode or so next season, or is this a sign of more of him coming?

So, that’s it. Oliver’s in Supermax, Felicity and William are heartbroken and without Oliver, Diaz is free, and Star City doesn’t deserve or understand what Oliver did to save them.

Let’s hope Season 7 treats  Oliver, Felicity, their family, and Diggle better.

A Few Stray Observations

• We can agree that if it wasn’t for Earth-2 Laurel, a good percentage of what happened could have been avoided (including Lance’s death), right?
• After all of that, redemption can’t possibly be in the cards for Siren.
• The choices in the season’s final hour really do represent the uneven season we have had.

Anyone else think that Star City doesn’t deserve Oliver or the Green Arrow? Thoughts on how everything turned out? Should Oliver have told Felicity about his deal with Samanda? Is there more to the deal?

How long before he gets out? How will he be getting out?

What did you think of this episode of Arrow? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Arrow returns for season 7 Mondays at 9/8 c this fall on The CW.

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