Arrow S2 Ep23 – Unthinkable

Arrow may have had a few rough patches here and there in its second season, but overall it was pretty good and a huge improvement on its first season. The season put Ollie and his friends up against some interesting villains and predicaments before revealing their greatest enemy (so far), Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke. The ongoing war between Ollie and Slade may have been long and drawn out, but also gave us enjoyable moments as well as some tragic ones. Now the battle finally comes to a head in Arrow’s season two finale “Unthinakable”. After waiting for so long does this final battle between Ollie and Slade pay off? Let’s find out.

Nyssa al Ghul returns to Starling City

“Unthinkable” literally contains an explosive opening as Diggle’s wife Lyla saves Team Arrow from a few of Slade’s soldiers using a bazooka. I have to admit seeing Lyla hanging off a helicopter with a bazooka on her shoulder was pretty cool. Before this, Team Arrow learns that the Mirakuru cure they received during “Streets of Fire” works after testing it on Roy. After that, it’s off to the Arrow Cave to regroup and think of a game plan. There’s two issues they have to solve: defeating Slade’s army and stopping Amanda Waller from destroying the city. It might be too much for them to handle, but fortunately Sara brings along Nyssa al Ghul and the League of Assassins to assist. Of course, Ollie has his reservations against working with the League of Assassins, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I knew beforehand that Nyssa al Ghul would make an appearance so I wasn’t at all shocked, but I did enjoy seeing her and her assassins there because of the potentially amazing battle that would ensue between them and Slade’s army. It was definitely smart to bring them in, since there was probably no way Team Arrow could face Slade’s army alone even, with the cure in their possession. Sadly, the League’s arrival meant Sara had to promise Nyssa she would return to the league.

The group then splits. Ollie, Sara, and the league head off to find Slade at Queen Consolidated and Diggle and Lyla head to A.R.G.U.S. to stop Waller from launching her drone strike. Meanwhile, Roy makes a call to Thea to make sure she’s okay.

Last time we saw Thea we weren’t sure whether or not she shot and killed her father Malcolm Merlyn. In “Unthinkable” we find out she did indeed shoot Merlyn twice in the chest, but of course he was wearing a Kevlar vest, so he was fine. In fact, he was proud that his daughter stood up against him and pulled the trigger, something his son Tommy never did. I was kind of shocked Thea shot Merlyn in the first place. Thea may be a lot of things, but a killer is not one of them. Has she been pushed so far that she’s now willing to take a life? Well, Merlyn is a murdering psychopath, so I guess her actions were justified. Either way I’m happy to see Merlyn wasn’t killed off. Sometimes I get annoyed when comic book villains are killed off in TV and movies. They always end up surviving in the comics, which leads to more and more stories with them. Merlyn is definitely a villain I want to see in more stories.

Team Arrow eventually meets Slade, Rochev, and few more henchmen at Queen Consolidated. With Nyssa’s help they’re able to take them out, but unfortunately Slade escapes through a window. Nyssa does what Ollie couldn’t and actually kills Rochev, which Ollie didn’t like, especially since she was given the cure already. Still, Nyssa is an assassin. That’s what she does. This ends up being the running theme of the episode. Ollie is conflicted with whether or not he should succumb to killing Slade or find another way.

Thea eventually meets Roy at his apartment after he calls her. He apologizes for what he’s done to her, blaming it all on the drug he’s been injected with. They agree to leave Starling City together, but Roy is then called to fight alongside Team Arrow against Slade’s army gathering in a tunnel. He leaves Thea there so she can pack up some essentials, but she finds a box full of arrows under his bed.

“Mr. Diggle, you’re going to be a father.”

Meanwhile, Diggle and Lyla make their way to A.R.G.U.S. to try and stop Waller. They recruit Deadshot and a few other convicts to help them incapacitate Waller’s men. I was a little displeased to see that Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White) wasn’t in this episode to team up with Deadshot, Diggle, and Lyla. When they get to Waller they end up having a standoff with her. Waller points two guns towards them while all their guns are pointed at her. Waller uses this opportunity to reveal something that Diggle didn’t know about Lyla. Waller questions Diggle’s acts of treason, placing the country at risk by not letting her destroy Starling City. She then asks him what would his child think? Yes. Lyla is pregnant. This little revelation, while interesting, was definitely awkwardly timed.

Eventually Slade captures Laurel. Detective Lance, who has every reason to hate Nyssa, teams up with the league and fights alongside them to help get his daughter back. Before this, Ollie has a heart to heart with Felicity back at his mansion, telling her Slade took the wrong woman and that he actually loves her. He tells her to stay put in the mansion to remain safe while he goes and fights a war. Team Arrow and the League of Assassins end up defeating Slade’s army in a pretty entertaining battle scene, which ends with Slade calling Ollie and telling him he’s kidnapped Felicity. I did get a bit frustrated here. Before Slade tells Ollie about Felicity, knowing Slade has Laurel already, Ollie tells Slade he’s not going to play his games anymore and to do what he has to. Was he willing to let Laurel die? More on that later.