Arrow Review: You Have Saved This City (Season 7 Episode 22)
There may be one more season to go, but Arrow Season 7 Episode 22, “You Have Saved This City,” stands as a solid season finale that could have served as a series finale, thanks in large part to the big emotional moments in the final act.
This season of Arrow was not perfect, and there were some questionable story choices, from dragging the dragon’s arc on for too long to the at times frustrating story choices made. But if there’s one thing that the season (and the show in general) does so well, is the emotional moments.
OTA’s final bunker scene is the beginning of the end of any semblance emotional composure on “You Have Saved This City.”
There’s something beautiful when it’s just the 3 of them in the bunker left, staring at all the trio have accomplished over the last 7 years and how far they’ve come as vigilantes. Everything wouldn’t have been possible without Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle coming together, joining in on the mission for revenge that turned into a mission to save the city.
As a longtime OTA fan, seeing the trio’s emotional farewell to their last bunker after Digg’s words about it being the end of an era, trying to keep things light and joke around while knowing that it’s last time they’ll be down there (in some form) let alone be in the same place together is a bittersweet moment.
Seeing Emily Bett Rickards, Stephen Amell, and David Ramsey try to rein in the emotion in the scene makes the moment only hurt a bit more considering the hour also serves as a farewell to Rickards’ Felicity.
Meanwhile, in the future, we get a resolution of sorts when it comes to Galaxy One, thanks in large part to the Queen-Smoak family.
The parallel between Mia and Oliver’s action shots are wonderfully done and emphasize just how much she is her father’s daughter. It’s equally as beautiful to see that despite their short time together, William’s protective instinct and Felicity-level pep talk in a crisis skills are at their peak when Mia’s making her way out of that tower.
The future also holds the answer to Oliver’s fate, in a way. While the present brings The Monitor’s return, the future has Felicity bringing the Queen-Smoak children to where their father is “buried.”
It’s heartbreaking to think that Mia and William only got that bit of time with their mother and lost their father. The Queen-Smoak family has lost so much, and it’s in the tearful goodbyes throughout the hour, from Mia’s farewell from the tower to the goodbyes in the present and future, that highlight that.
It’s Oliver and Felicity’s final act montage and goodbye in the present, though, that are sob-inducing.
Emily Bett Rickards and Stephen Amell bring it with their heartrending performances as The Monitor makes his return and decides to cash in on Oliver’s deal at the exact moment the pair find peace and the life they’ve fought so hard for.
They’re ripped apart for twenty years for the sake of an Arrowverse Crossover plot that honestly fell incredibly flat in its introduction.
But Oliver and Felicity’s final moments and Felicity’s final scene in the future show that these two are so much more than the fates the universe have given them.
Felicity: We are the best parts of each other, and that is so much bigger than the freaking universe.
While Oliver sacrificed everything to save a city that didn’t always appreciate him (repeatedly calling him a criminal, in fact) and a pair of superheroes that malign him, Felicity’s always been right there alongside him, fighting for the city, their friends, and their family.
They didn’t deserve to have their lives together cut short for the umpteenth time, separated from each other and their children, but knowing that somewhere in another universe, 20 years later, they’re together fighting to save the universe is at least a comforting thought.
Even in the face of losing her husband, she continues to fight for her children, keeping them safe anyway she can, and it’s the clearest when looking at the 2040 arc.
Emily Bett Rickards has done a phenomenal job bringing Felicity Smoak to life for the last 7 years, which makes her final scene even more emotional. Her walking into the portal with The Monitor, eagerly going forward to reunite with her husband.
It’s going to be so strange to have a season of Arrow without Felicity’s remarkable genius, warmth, and heart. But this finale does a great job of sending her off as a hero.
Random Thoughts
- Emiko’s story showed signs of promise early on. But it got muddled along the way, with no deep dive into what brought on her need for revenge beyond what we saw. Her final warning to Oliver and her explanation that she always wanted to be a Queen offers a peek, though.
- We still don’t know what happens to John Diggle in the future, but I like to believe that he’s alive and well, trying to reach out to JJ and keeping in touch with Connor in some way. I will not be accepting any other (tragic) explanation.
- I appreciate that a Ruelle song (“Madness”) opens the season and another Ruelle song (“The Other Side”) closes out the season, serving as a neat bookend to Arrow Season 7.
What did you think of this episode of Arrow? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Arrow will return for its final season in the Fall on the CW.
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Brianna Martinez
Brianna spends her time away from briefs, legal research, and pleadings, watching TV and writing about it. She generally has a lot of feelings about TV, which you can read about here and on Twitter.