On the Arrow series finale, the majority of Team Arrow — past and present — gathers to celebrate the life of Oliver Queen and complete one last mission: save William from his kidnapper before it’s too late.

Following the events of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and, for Mia, the Green Arrow and the Canaries pilot episode, Team Arrow is still struggling to figure out what’s next for them on the Arrow series finale. With Oliver gone, and Star City free of crime, what’s left for these would-be vigilantes?

Even though Oliver is gone, his spirit lives on in the people he left behind and the changes he helped make to this post-crisis world, but particularly in Diggle, who takes the lead, as Team Arrow is floundering without their leader. So, after a seven-year journey, was the finale satisfying enough?

‘Arrow’ series finale review

With Oliver’s death and funeral, numerous familiar faces appeared on the Arrow series finale, including brief appearances from Barry, Kara, and Sara, and the resurrection of characters like Moira Queen, Quentin Lance, and Oliver’s sister Emiko. In terms of honoring the series’ many characters that have been a part of Oliver’s journey at one point or another, the finale definitely succeeded.

It was wonderful to see almost everyone come back to life as part of Oliver’s last mission as the Green Arrow, even if it didn’t make sense… (Like Tommy’s death, which was the catalyst for Oliver changing himself from a vigilante to a hero after Arrow season 1, and you’re telling me removing that from history didn’t make a difference?)

Otherwise, I wouldn’t really say this was a great way to honor Oliver Queen’s journey or his legacy. It wasn’t a great way to end the love story of Oliver and Felicity; the season 7 finale did that better (excluding when the Monitor came into play). This felt like a series finale to end Diggle’s story, as he was the only one who felt fleshed out within the hour, but definitely not Oliver’s.

Whereas most series finales feel like the end, even if they’re left open-ended, this one didn’t, which is partially because it really only seems like the end for Oliver and Felicity. Dinah, Mia, Laurel, and William, maybe even Rene, will be on Green Arrow and the Canaries, Diggle seems likely to be either on The CW’s Superman & Lois with his move to Metropolis or HBO Max’s Green Lantern series after his final moments, a show also produced by Greg Berlanti.

Even for everyone else, including Thea and Roy, it seems probable that we could see them in the future. In a way, the series is left too open-ended, which takes all of the emotion out of it.

Oliver and Felicity’s happily ever after

I mean, since the Arrow season 7 finale, we’ve known that Felicity would go through that portal to be in another dimension — likely the paradise dimension — with Oliver, to live out the rest of their eternity together in bliss.

While it was bittersweet to watch their final reunion, it just kind of fell flat. Oliver Queen deserved a long, happy life, and the choice to kill him to “redeem” him as a hero was disappointing. Main characters don’t need to die to complete their journeys, and I wish TV writers understood that. In some cases, yes, but Oliver could have just gone off to the cabin to be with his family and been content to live happily ever after. He didn’t need to sacrifice himself and lose everyone he ever loved, just to live in some alternate dimension.

And, likewise, Felicity deserved a better life, too. She had to raise William and Mia alone, for 20 years, longing for the man who sacrificed his life to save the world. Oliver and Felicity never really had a chance to be truly happy while they were together, except for the short periods of time where they were outside of Star City, as the Green Arrow’s mission always interfered. How is only ending up happy and together in death considered a fitting ending for these two?

(It still bothers me how Felicity essentially killed herself — she went into the portal knowing that there was no way out, abandoning her children, particularly her 20-year-old daughter who grew up without a father — to go be with Oliver. I feel like, if Green Arrow and the Canaries wasn’t happening, Felicity could/should have waited longer… I get finally choosing to be selfish and going off to be with the love of your life, but just because your child is legally an adult doesn’t mean they don’t still need you. If it was later in Mia’s life, it wouldn’t bother me as much, but to do it when she’s only 20 is ridiculous. But for the sake of the spinoff, it needed to happen earlier.)

Shitting on Earth-1 Laurel Lance one final time

Honestly, I wish they hadn’t even brought up the original Laurel Lance, especially with the way they spat on her grave one last time in the Arrow series finale. The fact that literally everyone else who had died on Oliver’s journey, excluding the man who started it all, was brought back to life in this new multi-verse except for Laurel is disgusting. And then, to make matters worse, they, essentially, blame Earth-2 Laurel for it.

Throughout this entire show, it’s been clear just how much resentment those in charge, and one person in particular, has had toward the character of Laurel Lance, and it’s really not surprising that person chose this as the ending for both characters. It’s truly disappointing. If there’s any reason why I’m glad Arrow is over, it’s so the people in charge leave Laurel Lance alone.

‘Arrow’ series finale final thoughts

Honestly, the Arrow series finale didn’t leave off with much to be desired. It didn’t leave off on a note where I was too upset that it was ending, which is disappointing for a show that I spent the better part of a decade watching. For a show that almost every fan thought had run its course long ago, the series finale proved exactly that. This should have happened long before, if not only so Oliver’s death wouldn’t have been the catalyst for ending their story.

The only highlights of the episode were Thea and Roy’s engagement, Felicity’s return (though I do not like the story they told), and the return of so many once-dead, important characters, even though it feels pointless considering they won’t be part of the Green Arrow and the Canaries spinoff or the other Arrow-verse shows.

And while it was cool that the Green Lantern teases finally, kind of, pay off for Diggle, what was the point? If he’s really going to be on Superman & Lois, with his move to Metropolis, or the Green Lantern series on HBO Max, that could have been saved for then. Diggle’s story just felt so abruptly ended.

Am I going to miss Arrow? Yes. I spent so much time writing about, watching, and talking about this show, it will always have a place in my heart. Do I feel the urge to go watch it again, knowing how it ends? Definitely not. The ending alienated fans by leaving the main characters with dreary lives ahead of them, for the most part. Felicity without her husband for decades, Moira has to live now without her son, and Tommy without his wife. Why bring them back for them to lead unhappy lives?

All in all, I’m disappointed, but not surprised, that Arrow had such a lackluster ending. Dragging out Oliver’s story solely for “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and the Arrow spinoff was not worth it. Everyone was screwed over to set up those two events. We can only hope the other shows do better in the future. Maybe, with Green Arrow and the Canaries, my opinion will change if many of the stories continue on. But likely not.