Arrow season finale "Sacrifice"

  The series finale of Arrow aired this week and I just got around to watching it on Hulu+.  I want to talk about the episode but also the series as I've become quite a fan of it as it progressed.

  The episode itself was great.  Both the main story and the island flashback had satisfying conclusions while still leaving things wide open for season two.  We got to see a complete arc in both cases that set up future events.  At this point we know the fate of "The Undertaking", we know what happened to The Dark Archer, we're in good spots with the characters relationships (with one tragic turn creating possible friction for the next season).  We have the start of possible another vigilante or even a pair of vigilantes.  Thea goes after Roy in the Glades and when Roy saves someone from being robbed he is confronted by a gun wielding thug who is thwarted by a thrown bottle from Thea.  When Roy asks how she did it she responds "I must have wicked aim.".  Awesome.  On the B side, in the island flashback, we see a conclusion to what the mercenary group was doing there.  We see what their plan was, we seen them thwarted and we end on Ollie's first well shot arrow.  Of course the episode ends on a cliffhanger which is what this series is best at.  I can't wait for season two.

  Now for the series as a whole.  The series really matured and improved as the season went on.  I'm almost afraid to go back and watch those early episodes because I feel the series progressed SO much that those early episodes will look stupid by comparison.

  I was really happy with the character arcs, I wish I would have seen more of Laurel Lance being a badass. We get a few really great scenes throughout the series of her kicking ass and those little flashes of Black Canary really left me wanting more.  With how the season ends though I definitely see her taking more of a ass kicking role.  I liked Ollie's character arc, I liked the addition of Diggle as Ollie's counter point and Felicity has been great since her first appearance.  I had mixed feelings when they added Roy Harper into the mix.  It was awesome to see him in a red hoodie but what did it mean for my whole Thea = Speedy fan wish?  For those who don't know Roy Harper started out as the original Speedy and then eventually became Arsenal and then Red Arrow.  So I lost a bit of hope because Thea as Speedy would be awesome but with that one wicked aim scene in the finale I have some of that hope restored.  Will we see Roy become Red Arrow with Speedy as HIS sidekick?  That would be cool, then Ollie is keeping his secret from his sister and she's keeping her secret from him all the while they are competing as vigilantes.  Especially with the arrest of their mother the next season will be interesting to see how their dynamic will evolve, if the lack of a mother will enable them both to lead secret lives.  Either way I want to see Thea Queen take up a bow and Laurel put on a blonde wig.  If they can get Detective Lance to become the Question I'll just loose my shit, that would be heaven for this fanboy.  My biggest gripe with the season was with how many people learned Ollie's identity as the Vigilante.  It seemed for a good stretch of episodes every episode someone new found out who he was.  It seemed like the worst kept secret of the series and I was waiting for the next reveal.  He revealed himself so much that it stopped being a jaw dropping moment and became and eye rolling moment. At this point who DOESN'T know who he is?  But with the finale the number of people is reduced while at the same time complicating it a bit because one of them is ostensibly arrested.  What's going to keep him from just telling everyone?

  This season saw the coming and going of a ton of great side characters.  I loved what they did with Huntress.  I was lukewarm with what they did with Deathstroke but the actor who plays Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) won me over eventually.  China White made a couple of great appearance as did Deadshot and Count Vertigo.  It was a great season and definitely the highlight of my television watching year.  Few other shows ranked up there as that weekly must watch for me, shows that I missed when they went on hiatus (this and Community were really it, I dipped in and out of Parks and Recreation and The Office).  I can't wait to see what's next.  I really hope we can get a good run out of this show, three seasons at least but I'd stick with for seven to ten if it stays this good.  Why not?  Smallville got ten and after three seasons I totally forgot it existed.  When they canceled Smallville I was more amazed by the fact it was still on the air then anything else.  I dropped out of that show after, like, four episodes.  So if that piece can run for ten seasons this should get half that.  It'll make up for cancelling The Cape after half a season.  Finally I know I basically said that in my Pilot review of this show.  I only steal from the best.