Arrow Review: Fadeout (Season 8 Episode 10)

After 8 seasons, and 170 episodes, it is time to say goodbye to Oliver Queen on Arrow Season 8 Episode 10, “Fadeout.”

This new multiverse is partly introduced with no real answers, as we see the result of Oliver’s efforts to create this new Earth, bringing back everybody he loves, from Moira to Tommy to Lance.

These reveals and the pacing bring up so many questions about the jumps between the new reality, the future, and the past. It is very disorienting in a way that leaves me adrift in terms of grounded context, and a departure for a show that was once so very grounded.

It almost feels like there isn’t necessarily enough time to dive into it this new Earth, so it offers snapshots of it all.

Felicity Smoak’s return to Arrow feels like a grounding component for the hour, as she is the last remaining aspect of life before the Crisis happened.

Seeing her process seeing adult Mia is heartbreaking, leading to their formal introduction and conversation at Oliver’s funeral. It’s a bittersweet, emotional moment that allows Mia to share with her mother her experiences with the father that she finally got to meet and train alongside with.

Emily Bett Rickards and Katherine McNamara do an excellent job bringing the emotion and allowing for the importance of her meeting him get its moment.

Having Mia save her brother and then interact with him while he is still a teenager is a sweet moment considering we won’t be seeing teenage William and baby Mia share a scene.

Diggle and Lyla’s final outing in the field is another beautiful moment that highlights one of the best parts of the series. Much like Oliver and Felicity’s relationship through the years, we’ve gotten to see Diggle and Lyla find their way back to each other and grow together.

They became an ideal in some ways for Oliver and Felicity, in the way they deal with being together, being in the field, and dealing with danger.

So, to see them out there one more time is heartwarming. It also offers another example of what Oliver’s sacrifice meant for the Diggle-Michaels family.

Lyla: Oliver put our family back together.

I love that it comes from Lyla, as Audrey-Marie Anderson conveys the depth of gratitude and emotion those words hold as they all go searching for teenage William.

David Ramsey does a spectacular job throughout as well, conveying that emotion and the loss of his best friend, and the man who became like a brother to him. From his comments to the documentary crew to his incredibly touching eulogy, it’s heartbreaking to see Diggle work through the loss.

Diggle: Oliver lives on in the people he inspired…If the past 8 years has shown us anything is that the universe is far bigger than any of us could have dared imagine, even if it is a little less bright without him in it.

While there are moments like those with Diggle and Lyla, Diggle’s eulogy, and Felicity’s moments that hit the mark, there are a few that feel misplaced in the grand Arrow chronology and incredibly rushed through.

The Roy/Thea engagement is one of those moments. With minimal investment in these characters, it makes the story feel lackluster. Had it been a few seasons ago, the entire story probably would have elicited a different feeling watching it all play out. The closure aspect is understandable, but the emotional impact is not there.

The final big fight scene, while impressive and a final tribute to the skillful stunt crew Arrow always had, feels like it goes on for a bit too long. The entire flashback, even, feels oddly placed and leads to many questions about the purpose of the flashback itself.

Granted, the connection between Byrne in the season 1 flashback makes the motivation for William’s kidnapping a little clearer.

Though it’s nice to see Oliver Queen go out on one last mission, the early days of his relationship with Diggle, and the old lair, it just seems like something is missing.

Through it all, the bittersweet ending is as close to a perfect end for Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak’s story, considering the circumstances.

It’s fitting that the final scene of the series is Oliver and Felicity’s reunion after 20 years away.

Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards convey all of the happiness, relief, love, heartbreaking joy, and an overwhelming sense of peace of being reunited after 20 years so perfectly as Oliver and Felicity meet again, in what I can only assume is a parallel dimension or reality that Oliver creates for them.

Oliver: I wanted it to be where I first saw you.

The payoff on that one Olicity flashback on Arrow Season 3 Episode 14, “The Return,” was surprising and fantastic, especially as the realization dawns on the audience that he’s going to tell her about the very first time he actually saw her, a moment that elicits no shortage of tears.

The feelings of that moment exponentially increase as Oliver tells Felicity that he’s got time to tell her about it.

Oliver: Lucky for us, we have all the time in the world for me to tell it to you.

That final line and the last shot hit so very hard and leave you in a massive puddle of tears, not only with the acknowledgment that Oliver’s story is done, but also that he really will be at peace in this place he created for the two of them.

The pair have gone through so much in the span of 8 seasons, being torn apart by villains, circumstances, or a mission to save the multiverse, that the prospect of this time together feels so very much earned.

Oliver Queen has gone from a man convinced he must be alone and can love no one to a man wholly motivated by love and doing what’s right for those he loves. It’s been a beautiful journey to watch over the years.

The series finale isn’t perfect, and it may not be what I envision for Oliver Queen (I have many words on that), but “Fadeout” does show that Oliver saved the city (and the multiverse), honors his massive sacrifices for those he cared about, and has Oliver living out the rest of his life with the love of his life by his side.

Random Thoughts

• I appreciate Tommy’s attempt at levity at Oliver’s funeral.
• The lack of interactions between Felicity, Moira, Teenage William, Thea, and Moira is a little disappointing.
• The green light shining in Diggle’s face and the knowledge that it’s the Green Lantern ring is a great moment and payoff, in a way, from years of fan casts made, and cast and crew teasing it over the years.
• Between the memories, the present, and flashbacks, it was difficult at times to discern what’s changed in the Arrow chronology.
• Does Felicity going through the Monitor’s portal mean that the Star City we saw during the Arrow Season 7 flashforwards is canon in a way? Is it a parallel reality? It honestly feels very late in the game to introduce story changes on that level.
• If Felicity is alive and in this paradise dimension or whatever parallel reality they are in, does this mean that Oliver (or his soul) remains alive because he became Spectre?
• The lack of Original Team Arrow throughout the hour is disappointing, considering it’s our last chance to Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle together, and just how important they always were to Oliver as both the Arrow and the man himself.

What did you think of the Arrow series finale? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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