Arrow Season 7 Finale Review: “You Have Saved This City”

How do I begin to write about an episode like “You Have Saved This City”? The  Arrow Season 7 finale is one of the best episodes the series has delivered in a long time, and it’s not just because of the hour’s final ten minutes (although we’ll get into those last few, beautiful, wonderful scenes). The installment’s emotional impact stems from its ability to seamlessly transition from the present day storylines to the 2040 scenes, ending a a major chapter, or “era” as the show itself describes it, while opening us up to a new one, the final one for DCTV’s first and, in my opinion, best superhero series.

And the reason why Arrow is able to move back and forth through these time periods so deftly, even expertly cutting back and forth between Oliver and Mia saving the day near the end of the episode, is due to the thematic connections that link these stories together. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be too much plot connection between Emiko and the Ninth Circle and Galaxy One, and that lack of a bond between the two antagonists of Season 7 has made the overly plot-focused moments of Season 7 feel a bit aimless. But what always reestablishes a relationship between these two separate stories are the themes of redemption, legacy, and, of course, family.

As I’ve mentioned countless times in other Arrow reviews and I don’t care how cheesy it sounds, this show has always been about family more than it has been supeheroics, comic book Easter eggs, or big bads. Take away Oliver’s hood and quiver, and his journey is about rediscovering oneself through the love and compassion of others, through blood relatives like Thea and Moira, but more importantly, through the family he chooses, family like John Diggle and, of course, Felicity Smoak. It’s because of the family Oliver chooses that he’s able to forge a legacy, a “cycle for good,” or in the better words of John Diggle, “a cycle of heroes,” and create his own family with William and Felicity and, for a time, Mia and Felicity.

While Oliver Queen has always had faith in his mission to save Star City, from the time that it was a murderous vendetta against a list of names to him now being willing to die in order to redeem his half-sister, he did not always believe he was worthy of love, of happiness. He only looked at himself as an instrument for good, a tool to achieve the happiness and safety and security of others, not himself. However, as he tells Felicity in their final moments together in “You Have Saved This City,” that all changed when he met her. “I didn’t think I was capable or deserving of love,” Oliver says to his wife before he is forced to leave with The Monitor. “You opened up my heart in ways I didn’t know was possible.” Felicity Smoak and her willingness to look at Oliver Queen without judgment for his past, her ability to see the very best parts of him, kick-started everything, ensuring the existence of Team Arrow. Of course, Diggle is also a founding member and integral part of not just the team but Oliver’s family. Both Felicity and Oliver tell Dig as much when he shows them their new cabin late in “You Have Failed This City.” However, the friendship and brotherhood that John provides Oliver with serves a contributing factor to Oliver’s overall journey, whereas Felicity’s capacity for inspiring hope, forgiveness, and selflessness in Oliver is what solidifies Team Arrow as a fixture and guarantees that Oliver will not just have a legacy that remains in Star City long after he’s gone but a legacy that his children will be able to admire and, ultimately, inherit.

And while Felicity’s love for Oliver can be seen as the foundation for Team Arrow, it’s Oliver’s love for his wife and family that helps to maintain that structure, ensuring that his children are safe, secure, and prepared. Of course, Felicity would have always protected Mia and William even without promising Oliver that she would; they are her children, her family, her world. However, the fact that she does promise Oliver that she will do everything in her power to keep them safe, the fact that this is one of the very last conversations she has with her husband before he leaves with The Monitor to face his death, a sacrifice that will save the entire universe, the fact that there is a verbal agreement between the two of them, imbues Felicity with an even greater sense of strength. Because of this promise to Oliver, she fights to protect Mia and William even more intensely and, as seen in a few moments throughout the finale, perhaps even a little too intensely now that they are adults. Just as Felicity motivates Oliver to be the best hero he can be, he inspires her to do the same, because they are the best parts of each other, and the love they share is powerful enough to spawn a legacy, protect a family, and break through any and all challenges the whole friggin’ universe tries to throw at it.

Oliver and Felicity’s connection, and the friendship and guidance they’ve received from so many people over the years, from Diggle and Quentin to Roy and Thea to Dinah and Rene, has prepared them for whatever comes there way, ups and downs, celebrations and difficulties. Their love for each other is why Oliver has the fortitude to leave with The Monitor when he tells him that the crisis is here, and it’s why Felicity is able to let her children go and carry on her and their father’s legacy while she says, “I’m ready” to entering the portal with The Monitor to a place she can ever return from in order to see Oliver again. Their relationship, whether you’re a fan of their romance or not, has defined this era of Arrow; it’s been the cornerstone of so many of the series’ strongest storylines and most pivotal moments. And now that the series ushers in this new era during its final season, an era without Emily Bett Rickard’s Felicity Smoak and, I would assume, very limited screentime for Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen, the soul of Oliver and Felicity lives on through William and Mia and the spirit of Team Arrow continues with the two of them, Connor, and Zoe.

And ultimately, that’s why I’m content with whatever Arrow has in store for viewers during its final ten episodes in Season 8, because I know that Oliver and Felicity, no matter how much screentime they have, will permeate whatever stories the show is telling. Because Oliver and Felicity the best parts of each other, and those best parts have helped shaped the best parts of their children. And that, my friends, as Felicity Smoak says, is a legacy and love that’s bigger than the friggin’ universe.

Other thoughts:

• Oliver actually ends up fulfilling his goal of redeeming Emiko, finally breaking through to her when he tells her she has every right to be angry, openly admitting all of Robert’s wrongdoings but telling his sister that their father’s crimes do not define them. “His worst impulses drove you away, and it led to every terrible moment in our lives,” Oliver says. “But I think together we can be better.” Unfortunately, Emiko’s face-turn is short-lived, as she dies during a battle with the Ninth Circle, using her last breaths to warn Oliver to hide with Felicity and their soon-to-be-born daughter and admitting to herself and to Oliver that she “wanted to be a Queen.”
• It’s a small moment in the much larger, grander sequence of Oliver/Felicity scenes we get near the end of the finale, but I love that Felicity challenges Oliver’s self-sacrifice, asking, “Why does it always have to be you?” Felicity knows the man she fell in love with, the man she married, and she knows that he’ll always be the one willing to give himself up if it means that everyone else will be happier and safe because of it. She understands Oliver’s choice but that doesn’t mean she should be happy about it. She never has been pleased when Oliver makes these choices without her, so her asking him “Why?” feels very much in line with the tenacity and bluntness that we’ve seen from Felicity Smoak’s character over the past seven seasons.
• All the small moments between Diggle and Ben Turner, as they discussed JJ and Connor, pack a punch given that we know Diggle will adopt Connor in the future. Each time Connor’s name was mentioned throughout “You Have Saved This City,” I definitely got a little emotional.
• I also got emotional during the fantastic sequence in which director James Bamford cuts back and forth between Oliver fighting against the Ninth Circle in the present and Mia battling against the Galaxy One agents in 2040. What a wonderful, visual way of establishing the bond between father and daughter without any form of dialogue.
• Also, speaking of Mia, The Monitor tells Oliver and Felicity that the world will “need” her someday, so it’s that setting up Arrow Season 8 or a potential Mia Smoak spin-off series? I’m not going to argue with either option.
• Lastly, I want to commend “You Have Failed This City” for being a spectacular farewell episode to both Felicity Smoak and the actress who portrays her, Emily Bett Rickards. I do hope that Emily will be back as Felicity for Arrow‘s series finale, but even if she doesn’t, how can I be upset with how Felicity’s story ended? She got to see her daughter grow into an incredible woman and reconnect with her son, all while helping to save the world yet again. And then, when she knows that Star City is in good hands and that her children are ready to care for themselves, she makes her own choice to go be with the man she loves. She ends her journey with complete and total strength, determination, and autonomy, and she goes off to rediscover what she has always displayed and deserved: love. That’s pretty damn beautiful if you ask me.
• And that’s it for Arrow Season 7! It’s been a crazy season with plenty of highs and some pretty major lows, but overall, this year was a nice bounce-back from Arrow‘s sixth season. I give Beth Schwartz and her writers a lot of credit for rejuvenating the series after it had become a little stale in recent years, and I am excited to see what they have in store for the final ten episodes of the series, which you can bet I’ll be reviewing this fall. Thank you all for coming back week in and week out read my thoughts on the show and engage with me on Twitter. I truly love interacting with all my fellow, Arrow fans, and I will see you all back here in October!

What did everyone else think about the Arrow finale and Season 7 as a whole? What are your hopes and expectations for the show’s upcoming eighth and final season? Comment below and let me know!

[Photo via The CW]