S07.E22: You Have Saved This City

[Lantern7]

Okay, so basically this whole season, with the stuff from the future . . . was basically a lead-in to the abbreviated final season? That's what it feels like for me. If someone were to abridge this season, a lot of stuff would be cut out. Few bits were worth it . . . like Diaz burning to death like the punk that he was. The whole Emiko thing was basically about Oliver realizing that some people could never be saved, which seems like a waste of a character that's become entrenched in the Green Arrow story these last few years.

Seriously, how does S8 work? With Gotham, they basically did "No Man's Land For Non-Geeks" for ten episodes. Oliver is gone. Felicity is gone . . . or at least that's the case for Futurelicity. We basically had the happy ending, trumped with the Monitor pouring cold water all over the Queens. I'm not mad . . . but as someone who's been here since the beginning, I am perplexed.

I was amused by how Emiko went out. All the battles with Oliver, and it never occurred to him to throw a knife at her. That was her one weakness.

Hi, Curtis!! I could see him in some capacity on an Arrowverse show. For me, the stumbling block isn't the neuroses, but the giant T. It just looks so stupid . . . in any medium. I'm great with the jacket, "FAIR PLAY" and the T-Spheres. With the T, I keep wanting people to ask him how much he pities fools.

Hi, Laurel-2! We can't miss you unless you leave!! Please tell me that's it for Katie with this series. Every iteration of Laurel was a drag. All versions got outshined by the younger sister who seemingly died in the very first episode.

Better ending . . . Monitor greets the Older Felicity. She calmly walks with him. Suddenly, he catches fire and disintegrates. Cut to Mick Rory with his heat gun. "Awright," he growls. "This is where things get complicated."

[JamieLynn832002]

One thing that bothers me, if Oliver dies in a few months, why was William on about Olicity abandoning him? Yes, there's still months where them not contacting him makes zero sense but unless Felicity adopted him and we were never told, she wouldn't really have a lot of standing against his grandparents and Oliver is dead. Also, why is Mia's last name Smoak? Oliver apparently died a hero and she was raised completely in hiding, why couldn't she be a Queen?

[jay741982]

UGH I'm Verklempt! A mess those last 15 minutes were beautiful. I lost it seeing Oliver holding Adorable Baby Mia, Olicitys Parting Words to each other, The Final OTA Scene, Felicity meeting up with Monitor to go see her Man with the sadness that she wont return to Earth. When Felicity told Mia and William how Proud their Father would be and how much she loved them 😢😢😢😢. 

On a Brighter Note Loved seeing Mia ascend more into being a Hero complete with the Parallel of her and her Daddy swinging down away from Explosins. I'm so down for a Possible 2040 Arrow: Legacies that they set up tonight. That was literally like a Series finale for me. Goodbye EBR. Really hope you come back to wrap up the series. Love My OTP and the ending so far for them was beautiful 

[tennisgurl]

Kara and Barry better really fucking appreciate Oliver after this. No more stupid lectures about his "darkness" or whatever and how Barry and Kara are just such better heroes because they smile more, and I dont want any more visions from his past coming back to yell at him about how much he sucks or random people telling him how much he sucks, or his city he has literally died for telling him he sucks, or his own stupid team telling him how much he sucks, Oliver is a big damn hero, and its about time people other than Diggle and Felicity acknowledged that!

[apinknightmare]

4 minutes ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

One thing that bothers me, if Oliver dies in a few months, why was William on about Olicity abandoning him? Yes, there's still months where them not contacting him makes zero sense but unless Felicity adopted him and we were never told, she wouldn't really have a lot of standing against his grandparents and Oliver is dead. Also, why is Mia's last name Smoak? Oliver apparently died a hero and she was raised completely in hiding, why couldn't she be a Queen?

Yeah, neither one of these things make sense. Unless someone else starts hooding up as Green Arrow next season and the idiots of Star City can't tell the difference again, Oliver disappeared when they were still on relatively good terms and was never seen again after Crisis? 

And as for William...I can't even attempt to explain that one. 

[Mellowyellow]

4 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Kara and Barry better really fucking appreciate Oliver after this. No more stupid lectures about his "darkness" or whatever and how Barry and Kara are just such better heroes because they smile more, and I dont want any more visions from his past coming back to yell at him about how much he sucks or random people telling him how much he sucks, or his city he has literally died for telling him he sucks, or his own stupid team telling him how much he sucks, Oliver is a big damn hero, and its about time people other than Diggle and Felicity acknowledged that!

Lol you know they can't help themselves

Someone will say:

Oliver you may have saved us but Felicity raised your badass daughter for you and then you got to spend years in that void making out with the love of your life while Barry had to deal with his awful teenage daughter. Shame on you!!!!

Oliver (looking like a kicked puppy): But...but...I love and wanted to raise Mia. 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Mellowyellow

[Chaser]

I became so checked out after the initial sadness of EBR’s announcement that I really wasn’t expecting to be affected this much. Damn it, they got me. 😭

I was worried Olicity’s goodbye wouldn’t be enough for me but Oliver/SA was legit losing it. And Felicity  crumbling to the ground. And that song and the beautiful hope at the end. 

[Featherhat]

With William I guess he fell victim to the need to have everything so vague for 22 episodes. Maybe they also did change some stuff around from earlier ideas. I wonder if there was originally a different idea for Emiko as well since, meh. Not to mention Roy.

The ending? After all my room and gloom predictions I'm happy to say I'll take it. 🙂 S8 really seems just for the crossover and possible spin off purposes. Not that they can't find a way to muck that up. I wouldn't be at all surprised if EBR had filmed something for 8x10 already. Can't say I'll be watching anything to do with Rene or Dinah portions of it though. 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Featherhat

[jay741982]

I'm a need them to change the Future so Oliver and Felicity end the series together Raising William, Mia and for @Mellowyellow Lucas as well. Man that really couldve been a Series finale 

[apinknightmare]

6 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

With William I guess he fell victim to the need to have everything so vague for 22 episodes. Maybe they also did change some stuff around from earlier ideas.

Maybe he used Ouija every day and Oliver never answered back. 

[Soulfire]

Here we go... will continue updating this instead of making several posts. 

 

 

 

 

 

Most from here.

Bonus:

Edited May 14, 2019 by Soulfire

[quarks]

21 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Seriously, how does S8 work?

It looks to me as if the idea was to have S8 focus on the new team - Team Kiddie Arrows - with occasional flashbacks to past Star City. Right up until someone* decided that 15-22 episodes of that wouldn't work for whatever reason, and cut that down to ten episodes - or 8 episodes of Team Kiddie Arrows, one crossover episode featuring Old Favorites, and the series finale, unless the series finale ends up also being the crossover episode.

But that someone* didn't make that decision before the finale script was finalized, so they went ahead and did the full set up for a mini-series finale/handover to a new team: getting the whole gang together for one final battle, taking us to that QC/PT/Mayor's office set in the present timeline one last time so that Oliver could have one last spectacular fall out of those windows, a nice final group hug looking at the costumes, the Dramatic Turning Off the Arrow Cave Lights, and then having Our Surviving Heroes With the Bad Hair Jobs hand off Hero Duties to Team Kiddie Arrows.

So basically, same plan, just shorter timeline and no plans for continued seasons of Team Kiddie Arrows.

I do like your Mick Rory suggestion, though.

* Hi, AT&T!

[statsgirl]

I have to give Beth credit for pulling it off -- she was presented the job of losing Felicity, SA probably asking for reduced time, setting up the crossover next season and a possibly a new spin-off, as well as writing something that would bring the audience back next season -- and I think she pulled it off.

The last 10 minutes really were a tribute to OTA and then to Olicity, in the best way.  I especially liked the way that although there were so many tears as Oliver and Felicity said goodbye, it ended with hope as Felicity goes on her quest to find Oliver.

How did she know how to get in touch with the Monitor? Did he leave her a special buzzer to call him across universes when she could finally let William and Mia on their own?

1 hour ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I think a 3 way split. 2019 TA, 2040 NTA and Oliver/Monitor setting up the crossover. 

I don't get why people think Oliver died. Felicity isn't dead she's going to whatever universe is chilling in. Oliver is probably the Alex Author and Olicity is getting the Kal-El/E2 Lois ending from COIE. So they're in that pocket universe together and happy....20 years late but, still.

Yes, to both.  If I'm stuck with Rene and Dinah in the present, at least I get Diggle and Bronze Tiger teaming up.  Dinah and Rene also in the future (ugh) but William, Mia and Connor as the new OTA.  No way do I buy Zoe as a leader, she has Rene's DNA and was trained by Dinah, poor girl was handicapped from the start.

I wouldn't be surprised if SA agree to come back for season 8 as long as they reduced his workload, and if he's going to be with the Monitor cross-over related stuff, that works.

42 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

::whispers:: Barry isn't worth losing all this, Oliver, let him die

X 1000

Question:  What was that with Alena's hair?  Did they just let Kacey Rohl loose in the wig room and tell her to pick whatever she wanted?

[Mellowyellow]

That baby looks like it's in love with EBR.

I almost expect it to start waxing lyrical about how she's the best (she obviously is!) 😂

[Soulfire]

[Trisha]

15 minutes ago, Soulfire said:

Here we go... will continue updating this instead of making several posts. 

Ugh - I didn’t notice when I watched it originally but in the gif of them sitting on the porch, he adjusts his hold of her hand so he can rub her wedding ring. I’m dead again.

[shantown]

I made the mistake of looking up the song from the end (“The Other Side” by Ruelle) and it’s ruining my whole life tonight. 

[calliope1975]

11 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

How did she know how to get in touch with the Monitor?

I'd like to think that either Felicity figured out how to contact the Monitor within 36 hours of him leaving with Oliver, OR she berated the Monitor for so long that by the time they left, he'd given her his direct contact info with promises to keep Oliver regularly updated on Mia (and William until he got lost in plotville) as she grew up. 

[apinknightmare]

You know before Oliver left she demanded the Monitor's cell #, his multiverse SSN, his mother's maiden name, his email address, his other email address, and two forms of government-issue ID. 

[Mellowyellow]

I can't watch the ep until tonight 😭. I went out for fried chicken thinking there was not going to be anything worthy to watch and now my kid is due home so I can't watch TV.

Serves me right for my lack of faith😂

[JenMD]

I didn't think the show still had the ability to make me teary, so I suppose I owe it a "good job, show".  I couldn't care less about most of the characters or storylines on this show but the OTA and Olicity montage at the end did it for me.  I wish Emily all the best and certainly don't blame her for getting out when the opportunity strikes, although I'll miss having her on my screen.

I will say, I couldn't wait to take this show off the series recording in my dvr.  I've still only made it through 2 of the last 3 episodes I have saved up, so my apathy is at an all time low, but I did appreciate the ending.  Olicity really was something special and I thank Emily and Stephen for that (way more than the showrunners/writers, who are terrible at their jobs). 

Oh, and baby Mia was totally adorable.

[BkWurm1]

I can't help think of how the line about their love being bigger than the universe played on several levels.  

Olicity was never supposed to happen.  The show came with its comic canon love story right from the DC universe.  But Olicity are bigger than the universe. They could not be ignored. The unthinkable became the very heart of Arrow and Oliver's reason for being.  And now not even "death" or time or space can keep them apart.  Their love is forever.    

Edited May 14, 2019 by BkWurm1

[olicityfan25]

I started tearing up at OTA in the bunker. Then I just progressively started to ugly cry after that. 😭🤧😭

[olicityfan25]

20 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

I can't help think of how the line about their love being bigger than the universe played on several levels.  

Olicity was never supposed to happen.  The show came with its comic canon love story right from the DC universe.  But Olicity are bigger than the universe. They could not be ignored. The unthinkable became the very heart of Arrow and Oliver's reason for being.  And now not even "death" or time or space can keep them apart.  Their love is forever.    

God I love this so much! 😍

[catrox14]

Not even gonna front.  I was not expecting to be so overwhelmed with emotions.  I sobbed for the final 20 minutes practically non stop.  

I feel like this was really Stephen's and not just Emily's goodbye to the show and it seems so weird for it to not be.  I might not even watch s8 and I could live with this being the end for Oliver.  And that's without the Olicity of it all.   

I have to watch it again, but right now, I am typing through tears for so many reasons. 

[mxc90]

Emily and Stephen delivered in their last scene!!!

This crisis better be epic for the sacrifices made!

The flashforwards ruined the impact of Oliver's final speech to the team.

3 headstones (Emiko, Robert, and Oliver). Where's Moira's grave?

How many henchman does the Ninth circle employ? And they all equally suck at fighting! 

95 pound Mia tackled a man, with their force knocked the door off the hinges and carried them a few feet slideing in the room. She has a shot to play in the NFL!

[Chyromaniac]

2 hours ago, statsgirl said:

Question:  What was that with Alena's hair?  Did they just let Kacey Rohl loose in the wig room and tell her to pick whatever she wanted?

Maybe it’s because I saw the DS9 documentary tonight, but it looked  like she was cosplaying present day Nana Visitor to me.

Otherwise, I agree that this basically felt like a series finale. I guess I assumed that S8 would be about tying up loose ends- but after tonight the only thing left hanging is Crisis, so...?

[SmallScreenDiva]

Soooooooo, no Oliver until Crisis/crossover next season? I'm a little confused. 

[BkWurm1]

1 hour ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

Soooooooo, no Oliver until Crisis/crossover next season? I'm a little confused. 

I'm sure Oliver will be doing stuff every week but not like in past seasons.  He'll probably be recruiting heroes or something

[thuganomics85]

Well, considering how low my expectations where tonight for this, this ended up being better than I expected.  Granted, it was mainly the last act that stood out, but I'll take it.

So, in the end, Emiko does end up finally seeing the errors of her way after Oliver pretty much gives her an ass-kicking, but doesn't finish her off, so now she finally realizes that, hey, just because her father was a bag of dicks, doesn't mean Oliver is.  But it ends up not really mattering as the Ninth Circle attacks both of them, and she is fatally wounded: completely with dying in his arms.  Yawn!  Maybe there was a version of this that could have worked if the set-up was better, but this was pretty dull arc, overall.

Oh, hey, Curtis and Black Siren are back.  Yay?  But Bronze Tiger?!  Now, that's a welcomed return right there.  He even got a ticket to the Arrow Lair!  Not bad (man, I miss the good old days when Roy joked about selling tickets for trips to the Arrow Lair.)

The flash forwards might not have been the most thrilling parts of the series, but they at least show that Mia triumphs Nora when it comes the "Children of Superheroes" battle between this and The Flash.  And adult William is cool too.

I'm glad that Oliver and Felicity at least had some moments of happiness and tranquility finally, but I should have known The Monitor was going to come back to the full-fill that bargain.  And it certainly sounds like he sees that Oliver won't be making it back.  Yeah, you better be thankful for this, Barry and Kara.

The best parts of the episode was easily the Oliver/Felicity montage and the moments with the Team Arrow 1.0. a.k.a. Best Damn Team Arrow ever!

I certainly won't pretend like I'm not going to be checking out the final episodes, but I'm really not sure how this will all play out and Felicity's absence (although, I guess she'll pop up at least once in the series finale) will be felt.  Plus, if it just ends up being more Dinah and Rene and less Oliver and Diggle, then I'll be thanking my lucky starts this show is finally ending.

[Morrigan2575]

4 hours ago, calliope1975 said:

I'd like to think that either Felicity figured out how to contact the Monitor within 36 hours of him leaving with Oliver, OR she berated the Monitor for so long that by the time they left, he'd given her his direct contact info with promises to keep Oliver regularly updated on Mia (and William until he got lost in plotville) as she grew up. 

I'm convinced it's the second, when Oliver went to say goodbye to Mia Felicity used her loud voice and the monitor was like here's my digits call me when you're ready.

[Mellowyellow]

Well I'm a mess after that!

I have pretty much berated the writing team this entire season for their run of rubbish episodes but that was a really good ending.

It was so tragic and yet tragic in the most satisfying way. 

Things that worked really well:

*Oliver telling Felicity he regrets not telling her he loved her sooner. *swoons* Will make me speculate forever when it was that he thinks he should have told her. I wanted to give him a pat and say "You were a little dim but you were young and mega angsty back then my boy so all is forgiven."

*Felicity didn't seem surprised the Monitor showed up which means I can assume Oliver told her

*The Monitor said that Oliver was mincemeat but that he could prevent the death of Felicity and Mia (and millions) so it didn't feel like Oliver was leaving his family just for the greater good. He needed to leave to save his wife and kids too.

*The way they wrote the whole Monitor/Oliver/Felicity arc made it seem like she allowed to go with the Monitor and Oliver but she couldn't because she had to say behind to raise their kids. That is so tragic. The height of tragedy I say. Separated from Oliver for 20 years because she couldn't leave their children until they were old enough to protect themselves. 

*SA and EBR were brilliant. This was angsty, tragic, fan fic Olicity brought to life. I LOVE the way EBR has played Older Felicity. This is what someone who waits 20 years to see their great love again looks and acts in my eyes. She was perfect. I always thought there was a wise, peaceful yet heartbroken air about the way the portrayed older Felicity.

My OTP are bigger than the fricken universe. Yes I would have loved a classic HEA but this was a beautiful ending in its own right. 

Greedy me is praying they have some filmed footage of Olicity reuniting on the other side that we will see one day. That would be the icing on the cake.

***

Speaking of true love Hubs went home earlier to take care of the kid so I could watch this episode sooner!!!!! It's not Olicity but SQUEEEEE anyway!

Edited May 14, 2019 by Mellowyellow

[lemotomato]

Tidbits from someone who watched a screening of the episode at the NP event and was there for a Q&A with SA afterwards:

[way2interested]

SA picked one heck of a scene to visit to take that family pic, Felicity telling William and Mia that she was leaving and then likely sticking around to watch the last scene with Felicity going to reunite with Oliver in the future

[kes0704]

My expectations for the finale were low but it was much better than I thought it would be. The final Olicity scenes with Stephen and Emily were perfect. I’m not usually a teary person for TV shows but those scenes and how they played the scenes really worked for me. 

I wish I’d cared a little more about Emiko, but I didn’t, so her flip to redemption didn’t make that much of an impact. I think they left too much to cover in the final episode. 

I will always be a little resentful that Arrow couldn’t end on its own terms because of the crossover. I’m happy that Oliver and Felicity were reunited in wherever that glowy wormhole took her, but I’ll never like that they had to sacrifice so much for with a 20 year separation and missing out on raising their kids together.

It’s not perfect ending, but it’ll be my series finale. As much as I love Oliver Queen, without Felicity, Olicity and all the things that I loved about the show a S8 isn’t that appealing. But, if they’re both back for 810 then I’ll come back.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

So, like, I can just fast forward to the last 15 minutes, yah?

And from what it sounds like (and I know some may not agree/may not be fans of the buiks or the show), but they Outlander'd Oliver and Felicity. Even down to the number of years of separation before reuniting. Of course, Claire thought Jamie was dead, and Jamie didn't think Claire could ever come back. Just watching those clips and gifs got me all misty.

That said, this storyline is the biggest bunch of bullshit that's ever been bullshitted. And I'm blaming NORA, not Barry.

[Genki]

2 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

That said, this storyline is the biggest bunch of bullshit that's ever been bullshitted. And I'm blaming NORA, not Barry.

Can't we blame both Nora and Barry?

Barry for making Crisis happen and Nora for bringing the timeline forward by 5 years (That's 5 years Oliver could have had with his family)?

[Mellowyellow]

5 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

So, like, I can just fast forward to the last 15 minutes, yah?

Some of the first bits are REALLY funny! Like I cracked up.

You're not supposed to find it funny but it is REALLY good humour I promise!

[apinknightmare]

5 minutes ago, Genki said:

Can't we blame both Nora and Barry?

Being a time fucker is baked right into that Allen DNA.

[Angel12d]

10 hours ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

One thing that bothers me, if Oliver dies in a few months, why was William on about Olicity abandoning him? Yes, there's still months where them not contacting him makes zero sense but unless Felicity adopted him and we were never told, she wouldn't really have a lot of standing against his grandparents and Oliver is dead. Also, why is Mia's last name Smoak? Oliver apparently died a hero and she was raised completely in hiding, why couldn't she be a Queen?

I have no explanation for the whole William thing but isn't Mia a Smoak because the Ninth Circle know about Oliver's baby? So it's a protection thing?

[KenyaJ]

3 hours ago, lemotomato said:

Tidbits from someone who watched a screening of the episode at the NP event and was there for a Q&A with SA afterwards:

I love that Stephen insisted that the last scene of the episode be a solo Felicity scene. The love and generosity of spirit he's always had for Felicity and Emily has been so beautiful and him wanting to honor both of them that way has me even more in my feelings than that montage. 

[BkWurm1]

7 minutes ago, KenyaJ said:

I love that Stephen insisted that the last scene of the episode be a solo Felicity scene. The love and generosity of spirit he's always had for Felicity and Emily has been so beautiful and him wanting to honor both of them that way has me even more in my feelings than that montage. 

I also love that he wept so loudly he woke his wife up.  I mean, I get it based on the noises I was making but I won't ever get enough of how much he cares about Olicity.  He's one of us.  He's the first Olicity fan.  

On a different note, i'm very glad they didn't have time for Oliver to look at the team while listing Courage, Compassion, Selflessness and Loyalty cause once he got past Dig and Roy, I would NOT be accepting Rene and Dinah deserved any description from that list.  

Edited May 14, 2019 by BkWurm1

[JamieLynn832002]

57 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

I have no explanation for the whole William thing but isn't Mia a Smoak because the Ninth Circle know about Oliver's baby? So it's a protection thing?

Probably but I don't really see how Smoak is much better in that case. Surely the centuries old evil organization is bright enough to figure out that the skilled archer of appropriate age who shares Oliver's wife's last name might be his daughter (okay, maybe not, since overgrown, petulant teen with an obsession with hurting her dead father=A+ leader material in their world.)

[Mellowyellow]

Did we get a scene with Felicity wearing Oliver's shirt?

I cry everytime I watch those 10 mins so I'm not sure if I missed stuff but I don't think I saw it.

[KenyaJ]

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

Did we get a scene with Felicity wearing Oliver's shirt?

I cry everytime I watch those 10 mins so I'm not sure if I missed stuff but I don't think I saw it.

Sadly, no. Either it’s something they pre-taped for next season, or Emily was just wearing Stephen’s shirt because they weren’t able to foot cuddle while they were filming. Both options seem equally likely to me. 😂

[sd dude]

Quote

3 headstones (Emiko, Robert, and Oliver). Where's Moira's grave?

I had exactly the same thought.  The other thing I rewound and paused to check out was to confirm the relative ages which becomes canon with the headstone inscriptions.  Oliver was born in 1985, Emiko in 1989.  So she was 29-30 during this season and was 17-18 when she was presented with the plans to sink the Queens Gambit.  An angry adolescent as I suggested in a prior episode thread, plus an angry adolescent who had been under Dante's influence for several years at that point.  I can sort of cut her a break for the huge mess she only partially created for herself.

[tv echo]

Here's the full song and lyrics...

Ruelle's "The Other Side"

I don't want to know who we are without each other
It's just too hard
I don't want to leave here without you
I don't want to lose part of me
Will I recover?
That broken piece, let it go and unleash all the feelings

Did we ever see it coming?
Will we ever let it go?

We are buried in broken dreams
We are knee-deep without a plea
I don't want to know what it's like to live without you
Don't want to know the other side of a world without you

Is it fair, or is it fate?
No one knows
The stars choose their lovers, save my soul
It hurts just the same
And I can't tear myself away

Did we ever see it coming?
Will we ever let it go?

We are buried in broken dreams
We are knee-deep without a plea
I don't want to know what it's like to live without you
Don't want to know the other side of a world without you

I don't want to know
I don't want to know
I don't want to know
I don't want to know
I don't want to know
I don't want to know
I don't want to know
I don't want to know

We are buried in broken dreams
We are knee-deep without a plea
I don't want to know what it's like to live without you
Don't want to know the other side of a world without you

Can't live without you
(source)

Edited May 14, 2019 by tv echo

[statsgirl]

I'm still confused why William was abandoned. I can understand that the plan to go for joint custody was abandoned after Oliver left (note to Oliver: you're William's father, you don't have to ask for joint custody) but Felicity didn't even send him birthday and Christmas cards?She was in the world enough that she was running Smoak Tech and earning enough money to start William in his own company.

I am soooo glad that there wasn't time to cut to Rene and Dinah during the Courage Compassion, Selflessness and Loyalty speech because those last two, no way.

I love how much SA supports Felicity and the Olicity relationship as important to the show (because it is).  It's interesting that he doesn't know what is going to happen next season because it seems like he's always the first to know.  Maybe he's already checked out of the show.

10 hours ago, mxc90 said:

3 headstones (Emiko, Robert, and Oliver). Where's Moira's grave?

Wasn't Oliver's headstone destroyed after he got back from Lian Yu? Maybe Felicity didn't want to put another one up after he went off with the Monitor because he wasn't dead.

4 hours ago, kes0704 said:

It’s not perfect ending, but it’ll be my series finale. As much as I love Oliver Queen, without Felicity, Olicity and all the things that I loved about the show a S8 isn’t that appealing. But, if they’re both back for 810 then I’ll come back.  

I'm already worrying that Felicity will be back but 8.10 will be part of the crossover and there won't be any time for her.

10 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

Maybe it’s because I saw the DS9 documentary tonight, but it looked  like she was cosplaying present day Nana Visitor to me.

LOL.  (I'm really looking forward to seeing that.)

[tv echo]

Felicity: "I will keep them safe. But wherever you go, whatever happens to you, you'll never leave me. On our wedding day, you told me that I was the best part of you, but the truth is... we are the best parts of each other. And that is so much bigger than the frickin' universe."
Oliver: "When I came back to Star City to start my mission, I didn't think that I was capable or deserving of love. But you opened up my heart in ways that I never th- thought were possible. My only regret is not telling you I loved you sooner."
Felicity: "No regrets."

If it wasn't clear before, this episode made it crystal clear that Oliver & Felicity are the OTP of Arrow. 

I'm so relieved that future Felicity wasn't killed off. However, I'm a bit confused as to what happened to future Oliver. The Monitor clearly said that Oliver died, but then future Felicity went through the portal with the Monitor presumably to reunite with Oliver somewhere. So was the Monitor lying or did things change?

In any event, I thought that the first half-hour of this episode was a tedious chore to watch, with the too-long resolution of the Emiko story arc, the repetitive fight scenes (despite some self-indulgent experimental shots by director James Bamford), and the kinda unnecessary cameos by Curtis and E2 Laurel - btw, how is she able to travel so easily back and forth between Earth-2 and Earth-1?

But the last 15-20 minutes of this episode reminded me of everything of what I love about Arrow and why I stuck with the show for seven seasons: OTA and Olicity. The amazing chemistry among these three actors, SA, EBR and DR, and their often heartbreaking histories, struggles, sacrifices and triumphs.  Thank you, Beth Schwartz, for ending this season with hope that these core characters somehow got their HEA in the future.

I also liked the flashforwards and how it was the children who rescued their parents from the Zetas.

Biggest S7 Failure: Emiko just didn't work as the Big Bad.
Biggest S7 Success: William and Mia were perfectly cast and have great sibling chemistry.
Biggest S7 Disappointment: Oliver & Felicity were separated for 20 years.
Biggest S7 Non-Surprise: Oliver dies in COIE in 2019.
Biggest S7 Surprise: Future Felicity goes with the Monitor to reunite with Oliver somewhere (I assume).

I guess I'm going to have to watch S8 now because (1) I'm curious as to what Oliver does with the Monitor next season and (2) I love the William & Mia sibling dynamic.

Regarding the three gravestones in the flashforward scene:

• "EMIKO ADACHI QUEEN  1989-2019  Beloved sister and daughter."
• Same Robert Queen gravestone as before.
• "OLIVER QUEEN  1985-2019  Beloved son, brother, husband, and father  Hero of Star City  The Green Arrow."

Felicity (to Oliver): "I will find you... again. I promise."

Edited May 19, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Most heartbreaking scenes (posted by claireice on youtube)...

Olicity 7.22 - Part 6 OTA One last time in the bunker

Olicity 7.22 - Part 8 Olicity's Happy Life Montage

Olicity 7.22 - Part 9 "Why does it always have to be you?"

Olicity 7.22 - Part 10 Felicity's Last Scene with Mia & William

Olicity 7.22 - Part 11 Olicity's Goodbye + Commence Sobfest Now