Arrow Arrow Season 2 Episode 23: "Unthinkable" Rate and Review Thread

[Loki882]

I think that there will probably be at least a few guards around. Especially if it's going to be the place where Oliver dumps most of the villains that he defeats (which was what was teased).

 

[Golgo-13]

So, um, is Slade going to be fed food and water in this isolated prison? lol

That was the first thing that came to mind..but Olivers dialogue to Diggle about placing more prisoners there suggests that the place will be manned..by someone.

Great finale btw.

Can't wait to see Ollie in HK next season.

A few things bothered me this ep:

That Sarah left Laurel lying on the floor after Nyssa knocked her unconscious; great sister.

Oliver seemingly unphased by the maruku-enhanced men punching on him, yet everyone else gets tossed many feet across rooms when punched/hit by them.

Love the ending with Thea.

 

[JC00]

I really hope they don't handcuff Merlyn with Thea all season.

 

[Golgo-13]

It was funny how Sara's second death was pretty much the same. Sliding out into the water through a hole in a boat. Unless that wasn't the death and Sara was also picked up by Waller, which keeps her in next season.

No, Sarah couldn't have been picked up by Waller; she doesn't see Oliver again until she returns to Starling. Remember she asks what happened to Slade, and if he made it, when they first see each other again in Starling within the first few eps of this season.

The only way your theory could work is if Oliver and Sarah are kept apart by Waller.

 

[Nathan]

As much as I liked the finale, there were a few things that felt rushed, or just felt weird in general.

Like Roy being able to fight against all these Mirakuru soldiers, even though we haven't seen him do any actual combat training, and he wasn't exactly the most patient student.

Everything with Laurel. Keep calling me a hater, there is no denying that they pretty much rushed her storyline and had all scenarios be completely pro-Laurel, in the final 3 Episodes, to finally put her on the path to become the Canary.

Sara leaving with the League, and how everyone smiles stupidly as if she's leaving for a field trip with her class. It just felt so upbeat and happy. Hello, your sister/daughter, is leaving with a bunch of assassins to resume killing people around the globe. Everyone, stop smiling like idiots.

 

[JJmelo]

As much as I liked the finale, there were a few things that felt rushed, or just felt weird in general.

Like Roy being able to fight against all these Mirakuru soldiers, even though we haven't seen him do any actual combat training, and he wasn't exactly the most patient student.

Everything with Laurel. Keep calling me a hater, there is no denying that they pretty much rushed her storyline and had all scenarios be completely pro-Laurel, in the final 3 Episodes, to finally put her on the path to become the Canary.

Sara leaving with the League, and how everyone smiles stupidly has if she's leaving for a field trip with her class. It just felt so upbeat and happy. Hello, your sister/daughter, is leaving with a bunch of assassins to resume killing people around the globe. Everyone, stop smiling like idiots.

http://otlnews.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/arrow-season-3-the-flash-updates/

Roy did show some competence in a fight when he was first introduced but I do understand where ur coming from. He went from terrible student to keeping up with the pros in seconds. Plus he woke up from the venom instantly and felt no effects. Little details but overall I thought the finale was great.

 

[Human Torch]

As much as I liked the finale, there were a few things that felt rushed, or just felt weird in general.

Like Roy being able to fight against all these Mirakuru soldiers, even though we haven't seen him do any actual combat training, and he wasn't exactly the most patient student.

Everything with Laurel. Keep calling me a hater, there is no denying that they pretty much rushed her storyline and had all scenarios be completely pro-Laurel, in the final 3 Episodes, to finally put her on the path to become the Canary.

Sara leaving with the League, and how everyone smiles stupidly as if she's leaving for a field trip with her class. It just felt so upbeat and happy. Hello, your sister/daughter, is leaving with a bunch of assassins to resume killing people around the globe. Everyone, stop smiling like idiots.

Yeah,gotta agree with all this.

The ending with Sara just seems more ridiculous the more I think about it.If they had at least given some explanation as to what the terms of her agreement with Nyssa was.Is she expected to resume being an assassin?If not,what is she doing as a member of the LOA?

If she's only going back to be Nyssa's "pet",it's pretty disturbing as well.Imagine the outrage if Sara's former lover was male in this same situation.

 

[JC00]

Ya I am left somewhat confused by what they did with Sara.

I get logically that in order to get The League to help she had to go back. But basically all of Sara's story was for naught because she just ended up back with The League anyways and seemed happy about it. Didn't she try to kill herself to not go back? What was the point of the stuff in "Streets of Fire"?

Were the writers trying to say she did a heroic thing for the city by going back to something she tried to kill herself over so she didn't have to go back?

 

[Paradox1]

The title of the episode was unthinkable a lot of people in it were forced to do unthinkable things. Ollie to beat Slade did the unthinkable by using Felicity as bait, Sara went back to the LOA, Amanda Waller was gonna level the city. and Thea went with Merlyn. If you look back at the season most of these choices would be things that nobody could predict or see coming.

 

[Nathan]

I actually like Thea's storyline the most. I felt it made the most sense, and she had the best reason for going with Malcolm. She's one of the characters on the show, who's life got ****ed up the most. And as terrible things keep happening, every single person in her life, that means anything to her, is still lying to her face.

I loved how she didn't even want to go with Malcolm at first. She freaking shot him. Twice. But after everything that happened, with everyone still lying to her, she has had enough. And now she does what she thinks she has to do. Rely on no one, gain the strength to take care of herself. Malcolm is just a means to an end.

 

[Human Torch]

I think the original intention was probably to kill Sara off in the first Nyssa episode and establish a rivalry between Laurel/BC & Arrow against Nyssa & LOA going forward.

But,I think the positive reaction Sara got caused them to re-think things and alter the story to keep Sara alive.And the only way to write her out for a long term was to have her go back to the LOA.

Maybe I'm just making excuses for the poor writing,but I can't see it making sense any other way.

 

[Shikamaru]

It seems a constant theme in both seasons, that looks like will continue in future seasons, is Oliver's past constantly being there to haunt him regardless of how much he tries to make up for it.

Season 1 was all about him coming back as a vigilante trying to make up for his playboy days and for his family's history, but the preconceptions surrounding his pre-island character and his father's actions haunt him throughout the season.

Season 2 was all about him realizing what it means to be a hero and trying to not be a murderer so he could become that hero, but the body counts in his past - Slade being the biggest one - come back to haunt him and challenge him.

Now Green Arrow is the hero we all know, and I'm assuming the city/police will be overall cooler with him being around in Season 3. I'm also assuming he'll be more honest with everyone given the consequences of his lies this season (minus keeping his vigilante persona from the public, which he'll still do), but his constant lies throughout both seasons (and Roy's as well) have lead Thea directly to Malcolm. And that will later come back to haunt him and bite him in the butt.

Poor guy can't catch a break. Sees his mistakes, tries to do better, past comes back to haunt/challenge him, overcomes the challenge, and the cycle repeats itself over again. I actually like this a lot. It's a very interesting but also grounded way of growing a superhero on television.

 

[Nathan]

I think the original intention was probably to kill Sara off in the first Nyssa episode and establish a rivalry between Laurel/BC & Arrow against Nyssa & LOA going forward.

But,I think the positive reaction Sara got caused them to re-think things and alter the story to keep Sara alive.And the only way to write her out for a long term was to have her go back to the LOA.

Maybe I'm just making excuses for the poor writing,but I can't see it making sense any other way.

I think the problem is that they don't want to let go of their original plan. They have changed so many things before on the show, but for some reason, they can't budge from their original intent, of turning Laurel into the Canary.

So while they keep changing things on the fly, because they feel this or that scenario would feel more organic and natural, when it comes to Laurel, plans remain unchanged. And because of that, a number of scenes and scenarios don't mesh well together.

In the second last Episode you have Sara get a pep-talk from Laurel, then she saves a kid, the civilian mother learns her name is the Canary, the Police call her a hero. You think "Finally, her journey to become a hero starts now." Then we get to the last Episode. "I'm going back to the League, and I'm actually happy because it's my choice this time. Here's my jacket. Don't get funny ideas. LOL See ya."

Laurel is basically the Robin Scherbatsky of Arrow. Starts out as the true love, we learn that she and the main character don't work well together, better love interests get introduced. But in the end, she's still the goddamn Mother (well, step-mom). Or in this case, Canary.

 

[The Sage]

Good season finale.

Roy being as good of an archer didn't make sense since as others said he wasn't shown being that good with the bow. His hand to hand skills development was fine for me since he was shown as being a pretty good scrapper before joining Team Arrow.

Thea's story was...huh? She's upset with her family lying to her so she's going with conniving, murderous father? And when Roy lied to her about his activity with the Arrow, she was deceitful herself by not telling him about Malcolm when he asked how she was doing.

Besides that, everything else was on point. Ollie's arc was great. The Olicity swerve was awesome. I'm not down on Laurel as many are so I'm looking forward to seeing how she further develops.

I can easily see Waller approaching Slade with a new and improved Mirakuru formula that's hallucination free. He joins the Suicide Squad, but Slade's too smart for the bomb in the spine gimmick, finds a way to remove it and goes after Oliver again.

 

[antsman41]

Have they hinted at how or when Ra's might actually be in the show?

 

[BatmanBeyond]

Good season finale.

Roy being as good of an archer didn't make sense since as others said he wasn't shown being that good with the bow. His hand to hand skills development was fine for me since he was shown as being a pretty good scrapper before joining Team Arrow.

Thea's story was...huh? She's upset with her family lying to her so she's going with conniving, murderous father? And when Roy lied to her about his activity with the Arrow, she was deceitful herself by not telling him about Malcolm when he asked how she was doing.

Besides that, everything else was on point. Ollie's arc was great. The Olicity swerve was awesome. I'm not down on Laurel as many are so I'm looking forward to seeing how she further develops.

I can easily see Waller approaching Slade with a new and improved Mirakuru formula that's hallucination free. He joins the Suicide Squad, but Slade's too smart for the bomb in the spine gimmick, finds a way to remove it and goes after Oliver again.

I actually hope they have him move on from going after Oliver. I mean, I know his last line/lines to Ollie was that "he keeps his promises!!!", but I'd just like for them to do something different with the character. But yeah, it's great that they didn't just kill him off.

 

[Golgo-13]

Have they hinted at how or when Ra's might actually be in the show?

I hope he's never in the show. I like the fact that he remains ominous. Similarly i don't want flash backs of Sarah training with the loS. Not knowing/seeing these things adds to the intrigue.

 

[Human Torch]

I think the problem is that they don't want to let go of their original plan. They have changed so many things before on the show, but for some reason, they can't budge from their original intent, of turning Laurel into the Canary.

So while they keep changing things on the fly, because they feel this or that scenario would feel more organic and natural, when it comes to Laurel, plans remain unchanged. And because of that, a number of scenes and scenarios don't mesh well together.

.

I think it's clear at this point they must have some kind of contractual obligation to Katie for her to become BC.I guess she's a big enough "name" on the show that she could make those kinds of negotiations prior to signing.

 

[lit]

What I loved about this episode was that Arrow was truly a hero. He didn't leave the city to the thugs to go save Laurel, had what it takes to use Felicity as a bait, and then managed not to kill Slade!

Two little things that annoy me, but more about Oliver than Arrow: he's not a very good brother is he? And why no goodbye scene with Sara? They were together 4 episodes ago, surely that deserves a on screen goodbye.

 

[ushma]

I think the problem is that they don't want to let go of their original plan. They have changed so many things before on the show, but for some reason, they can't budge from their original intent, of turning Laurel into the Canary.

So while they keep changing things on the fly, because they feel this or that scenario would feel more organic and natural, when it comes to Laurel, plans remain unchanged. And because of that, a number of scenes and scenarios don't mesh well together.

In the second last Episode you have Sara get a pep-talk from Laurel, then she saves a kid, the civilian mother learns her name is the Canary, the Police call her a hero. You think "Finally, her journey to become a hero starts now." Then we get to the last Episode. "I'm going back to the League, and I'm actually happy because it's my choice this time. Here's my jacket. Don't get funny ideas. LOL See ya."

Laurel is basically the Robin Scherbatsky of Arrow. Starts out as the true love, we learn the she and the main characters don't work well together, better love interests get introduced. But in the end, she's still the goddamn Mother (well, step-mom). Or in this case, Canary.

Spot on analogy with how I met your mother! It feels like her relationship with Oliver is the same sometimes. My assumption is that they were planning on making Laurel Canary but didn't quite know how. I think in the comics it's her mother who passed it onto her, so for the show they decided to go with her sister and brought Sara on. They might have considered killing Sara so Laurel could take her place, and we have a strong push with Laurel having lost so many people. Then people started liking Sara and they didn't quite know what to do anymore. I did find it strange that there wasn't a more emotional response from Laurel about her sister leave, she seemed more excited to get the jacket .. I guess we shall see next season.

They did rush Laurel's BC story a little, she shoots Oliver's bow, and all the foreshadowing in the last 3 episodes was really strong.

 

[Boy Scout]

I think they're just done pussyfooting around it. They want her to start heading down the right path. I don't believe she's going to become the Black Canary overnight, but I do believe she'll display true progress next season.

 

[Hush]

You know I loved the finale but after meeting Manu, I wanted to have him win. Haha.

 

[iamlegend]

The Sara part made no sense, her and Ollie don't even get a goodbye?

I think the writers were planning on killing Sara but after the positive reaction she got, they came up with a patchwork exit.

Agreed. And you'd think that stubborn ol' Ollie would have made at least 1-2 more determined attempts to keep her from going. I mean, the League isn't exactly the good guys, regardless of their temporary assistance.

Sara leaving with them as part of the price for their help makes sense. That wasn't going to come without cost. But she just seemed so kind of upbeat about it... and her family just kinda smiled and waved as she left with the woman who tried to kill her mother a few months prior. Not cool, man, not cool.

We'll almost assuredly see her and the League again, so hopefully it's reviewed a little more closely in the future.

 

[iamlegend]

Yeah,gotta agree with all this.

The ending with Sara just seems more ridiculous the more I think about it.If they had at least given some explanation as to what the terms of her agreement with Nyssa was.Is she expected to resume being an assassin?If not,what is she doing as a member of the LOA?

If she's only going back to be Nyssa's "pet",it's pretty disturbing as well.Imagine the outrage if Sara's former lover was male in this same situation.

Shhh, you're making too much sense...

Even the characters on the show seemed to kind of shrug off the fact that Nyssa, ya know, drugged Sara's sister and tried to kill Sara's mother the last time she was in town.

Sara tried to kill herself to avoid going back to the League at one point, and here she just kind of smiles and climbs on the boat. Despite the whole "You ARE a hero" pep talk she'd just gotten one episode prior from Laurel.

I agree with the folks that assumed Sara was destined to die at some point, but was given a rushed reprieve by the writers due to how popular her character had become.

 

[iamlegend]

I hope he's never in the show. I like the fact that he remains ominous. Similarly i don't want flash backs of Sarah training with the loS. Not knowing/seeing these things adds to the intrigue.

I doubt he'll show up, given that the League doesn't appear to have had any particular interests in Starling City thus far.