Arrow Season Five Final Thoughts
What an amazing season this was! I know we had some angst in the beginning, but I felt satisfied by the ending. The showrunners gave us an incredible season with a cliffhanger ending that will make us all want to tune in in October. I thought I would go over the year looking at the low points and the high points and points in between.
The Low Points: For me, the start of the season seemed a little rocky and off kilter. I think that's because we found Felicity with Billy Malone, yet the viewer had no kind of connection to Billy. The writers didn't give us reason to care for Billy. Felicity certainly found a rebound romance to fill the void of Oliver. Yet she could never even say the word "boyfriend" in front of Oliver. We felt sympathy with Oliver, who had no idea that Billy even existed. The viewer was left thinking, "Where did this guy come from?" The viewer always had a suspicion that Billy couldn't be a "good guy" and some of us thought he might even be the Vigilante for a while. When Billy died, a lot of viewers couldn't understand Felicity's pain, partly because we never got to know Billy the way Felicity must have.
Needless to say, Susan Williams was a low point for the viewer. She too, was someone most viewers didn't care about, because there was always the sense that she up to no good. The writers pointed us in a wrong direction many times with her. Remember when the camera focused in on the bottle of Russian vodka? Viewers felt that was sign that she somehow had a connection to Russia and the flashbacks there. She seemed to use Oliver for her own ends, and Oliver seemed totally blind to this. Yet she wasn't the evil woman we thought she was, but she clearly had no spark with Oliver, and the viewers knew this as well. So when Oliver dumped her and she left, we all rather rejoiced that Oliver had seen the "light".
I wish Thea had been in this season more, or had more to do. So that falls in the low point for me, but segues into the the high point, because her coming to terms with who both her birth father, and the father who raised her was an important part of the Arrow journey. Also her talk with Felicity was important, for it showed that they are sisters at heart.
The High Points: Some of the low points also gave us a little high point. When Oliver and Susan and Billy and Felicity all show up at the same party, Felicity's little talk with Oliver gave us a smile. Felicity and Susan seemed a little jealous of each other, and then we get the cute Felicity awkward moment that we have come to love about her.
Billy's death lead to her turning to Helix, although, I always personally felt that it was seeing Oliver so very broken that she fully gave in to helping Helix in ways she might not have done if that hadn't happened. Felicity's walk with Helix, though it gave us a darker version of her, was necessary in helping Felicity to understand all Oliver went through. She one had to walk in the other person's shoes, so to speak.
Adrian Chase and Prometheus seems like an odd high point, but Josh Segarra played the psychopathic villain perfectly. He didn't overplay nor did he underplay it. He was the personification of evil. The torture of Oliver though heinous and cruel to watch helped Oliver to become the hero. He had to go through this in his walk towards the Green Arrow hero he is. I read that Stephen Amell was chained for something like 12 hours total in the making of that episode. In the scene where Oliver pulls on the chain and calls out to Chase, I read that Stephen pulled so hard on the chain that he actually pulled it out and he fell forward breaking his nose. These two actors worked so well together to make those scenes believable. Kudos to both of them.
Episode 19 has to be a high point. Felicity makes a choice to do what she thinks is right to get Chase. When Oliver asks her not to do this, and she asks him to trust her and let her help, leads into perhaps the highest point of the season episode 20, where Felicity and Oliver finally have their talk. We get the flashback that explains that unexplained distance the viewer had of the two of them. It helped understand Oliver when he Skyped Diggle and Oliver wasn't sure where he was with Felicity. It was the beautiful episode that brought Oliver and Felicity on their way back to each other. For me, the most beautiful scene was not the sex scene. (I know crazy, right?) The most beautiful scene for me is when Oliver is in so much pain and he struggles to hang onto to Felicity and she falls. She begs him to let her go. She's afraid that Oliver will die if he tries to hold on. Diggle may not be able to bring them both up, and she wants Oliver to be the one who lives. Yet Oliver won't let go. He hangs on and lifts her up. When the camera focuses on their hands, you know it is metaphorical, Oliver will never again let Felicity go. I've been married for 45 years to a wonderful man, and we've been through a lot together. We've had seven children and I can say that love is more than sex. The moment in the shaft when Oliver cannot and will not let go of Felicity speaks volumes to me. I'm old-fashioned, I guess. I hope, reader, that you will bear with me. :)
My last high point has to be the finale episode. Oliver came full circle. He is now a man in his own light. In the past he walked in the reflected light of Felicity, but now, because of Felicity and Diggle and the team, he walks in his own light. The kiss Felicity and Oliver shared was so tender and sweet. Felicity confessing that she has a lot of regrets and want no more, shows us that these two will get back together at some point. Oliver's care for his son, and being the Father that his own father was not, showed his growth as a person. Oliver had to face again the choice, choose his son, or choose Felicity, and he tries to save both, but Chase, kills himself. We are left with the shocked look on Oliver's face because he has no idea if Felicity is safe or not. We also see him with Slade Wilson, who has the mirakuru gone from his system. Will Slade find his son? Will Slade appear in other seasons? I think the viewer hopes so. I love stories about character growth, and certainly Slade Wilson seems to have grown as person.
I must also add Lance and Rene to my high points. I started out not sure about Rene, but he's grown on me, and he's become a part of the Arrow Journey. The friendship Lance and Rene have seems so genuine, and they help one another so much. I look forward to how Rene's story will unfold. Also hoping Donna comes back to Lance. :)
Life brings with it many trials. I don't think any of us will escape them, they are a part of life. It is how we respond to those trials that makes us the people we are. Pericles said, "What you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments, but what is woven in the lives of others." That's what I love about this season. Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, they've all had hard trials to bear this season. Yet these trials have forged them into heroes. They've been tried in the furnace of affliction, and became stronger.
Looking forward to next season, aren't you?
The Low Points: For me, the start of the season seemed a little rocky and off kilter. I think that's because we found Felicity with Billy Malone, yet the viewer had no kind of connection to Billy. The writers didn't give us reason to care for Billy. Felicity certainly found a rebound romance to fill the void of Oliver. Yet she could never even say the word "boyfriend" in front of Oliver. We felt sympathy with Oliver, who had no idea that Billy even existed. The viewer was left thinking, "Where did this guy come from?" The viewer always had a suspicion that Billy couldn't be a "good guy" and some of us thought he might even be the Vigilante for a while. When Billy died, a lot of viewers couldn't understand Felicity's pain, partly because we never got to know Billy the way Felicity must have. Needless to say, Susan Williams was a low point for the viewer. She too, was someone most viewers didn't care about, because there was always the sense that she up to no good. The writers pointed us in a wrong direction many times with her. Remember when the camera focused in on the bottle of Russian vodka? Viewers felt that was sign that she somehow had a connection to Russia and the flashbacks there. She seemed to use Oliver for her own ends, and Oliver seemed totally blind to this. Yet she wasn't the evil woman we thought she was, but she clearly had no spark with Oliver, and the viewers knew this as well. So when Oliver dumped her and she left, we all rather rejoiced that Oliver had seen the "light".The High Points: Some of the low points also gave us a little high point. When Oliver and Susan and Billy and Felicity all show up at the same party, Felicity's little talk with Oliver gave us a smile. Felicity and Susan seemed a little jealous of each other, and then we get the cute Felicity awkward moment that we have come to love about her. Billy's death lead to her turning to Helix, although, I always personally felt that it was seeing Oliver so very broken that she fully gave in to helping Helix in ways she might not have done if that hadn't happened. Felicity's walk with Helix, though it gave us a darker version of her, was necessary in helping Felicity to understand all Oliver went through. She one had to walk in the other person's shoes, so to speak.
Adrian Chase and Prometheus seems like an odd high point, but Josh Segarra played the psychopathic villain perfectly. He didn't overplay nor did he underplay it. He was the personification of evil. The torture of Oliver though heinous and cruel to watch helped Oliver to become the hero. He had to go through this in his walk towards the Green Arrow hero he is. I read that Stephen Amell was chained for something like 12 hours total in the making of that episode. In the scene where Oliver pulls on the chain and calls out to Chase, I read that Stephen pulled so hard on the chain that he actually pulled it out and he fell forward breaking his nose. These two actors worked so well together to make those scenes believable. Kudos to both of them. Episode 19 has to be a high point. Felicity makes a choice to do what she thinks is right to get Chase. When Oliver asks her not to do this, and she asks him to trust her and let her help, leads into perhaps the highest point of the season episode 20, where Felicity and Oliver finally have their talk. We get the flashback that explains that unexplained distance the viewer had of the two of them. It helped understand Oliver when he Skyped Diggle and Oliver wasn't sure where he was with Felicity. It was the beautiful episode that brought Oliver and Felicity on their way back to each other. For me, the most beautiful scene was not the sex scene. (I know crazy, right?) The most beautiful scene for me is when Oliver is in so much pain and he struggles to hang onto to Felicity and she falls. She begs him to let her go. She's afraid that Oliver will die if he tries to hold on. Diggle may not be able to bring them both up, and she wants Oliver to be the one who lives. Yet Oliver won't let go. He hangs on and lifts her up. When the camera focuses on their hands, you know it is metaphorical, Oliver will never again let Felicity go. I've been married for 45 years to a wonderful man, and we've been through a lot together. We've had seven children and I can say that love is more than sex. The moment in the shaft when Oliver cannot and will not let go of Felicity speaks volumes to me. I'm old-fashioned, I guess. I hope, reader, that you will bear with me. :) My last high point has to be the finale episode. Oliver came full circle. He is now a man in his own light. In the past he walked in the reflected light of Felicity, but now, because of Felicity and Diggle and the team, he walks in his own light. The kiss Felicity and Oliver shared was so tender and sweet. Felicity confessing that she has a lot of regrets and want no more, shows us that these two will get back together at some point. Oliver's care for his son, and being the Father that his own father was not, showed his growth as a person. Oliver had to face again the choice, choose his son, or choose Felicity, and he tries to save both, but Chase, kills himself. We are left with the shocked look on Oliver's face because he has no idea if Felicity is safe or not. We also see him with Slade Wilson, who has the mirakuru gone from his system. Will Slade find his son? Will Slade appear in other seasons? I think the viewer hopes so. I love stories about character growth, and certainly Slade Wilson seems to have grown as person. I must also add Lance and Rene to my high points. I started out not sure about Rene, but he's grown on me, and he's become a part of the Arrow Journey. The friendship Lance and Rene have seems so genuine, and they help one another so much. I look forward to how Rene's story will unfold. Also hoping Donna comes back to Lance. :)Life brings with it many trials. I don't think any of us will escape them, they are a part of life. It is how we respond to those trials that makes us the people we are. Pericles said, "What you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments, but what is woven in the lives of others." That's what I love about this season. Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, they've all had hard trials to bear this season. Yet these trials have forged them into heroes. They've been tried in the furnace of affliction, and became stronger.
Looking forward to next season, aren't you?
Thoughtful summary of the season. I felt you left out Curtis, though.
ReplyDeleteNonny, I should have covered Curtis. He is a fun character, but sometimes I find him a bit annoying. He does bring humor to Arrow, which is often very serious, and of course he is a big on Olicity too! I did enjoy how he really wants Oliver and Felicity back together.
DeleteI have yet to watch the fifth season , I have started and I am trying not to bingewatch too much , loved the show from day one with it's high and lows . One thing has kept me wondering , maybe you can answer this question ....how come Lila and Diggle suddenly have a son John junior , I thought they had a daughter named after Sara... what did I miss..??? Or am I mistaken? Thx , I would love if someone could explain this to me .
ReplyDeleteFirst, thanks for taking the time to read this rather lengthy summary! When Barry Allen had Flashpoint on the Flash, it altered time on Arrow, and John and Lyla didn't have a daughter but a son, John Jr. It was as if Sara had not existed. It really wasn't covered all that well in Arrow or Flash. Hope that helps.
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