Good point. I wonder if Season 8 was a last minute decision, it would explain this series finale feeling finale, and the short episode count.
This episode was like a victim of the season’s pacing. It didn’t fee coherent but it felt like they rushed to the end to get to the Monitor and set up Crisis. This season was paced really weird, which was exactly what I was afraid of going into the finale. I did like the last scene in the bunker. That felt like a series finale.
Now we are talking! If this episode did what I think it did, we may see a set up for the COIE on all the shows in their respective finales. The episode itself, and the season, was very uneven for me, but the Crisis, done right, is exactly what the Arrowverse needs right now. In a perfect world, it could be very Doctor Who like, where maybe they get a new writing team all around and reset the universe so that they complete one story and start another, free from continuity. I am VERY curious about what will happen with Diggle. The future story had no real point other than to set up a new generation of heroes while Felcity goes in search of Oliver. It would be a sin if Emily Bett Richards does not do the finale. I am very interested now in where the show will go in the final season. Maybe Arrow HAS run its course in terms of an ordinary season, and maybe they will do something amazing and somehow connect the entire first arc to the Crisis, across the shows. That would be both different and unprecedented.
^ I don't much care what Arrow and Flash do, but I'm hopeful Supergirl doesn't have to sacrifice too much of its next season to CoIE shenanigans. Crossovers are fun as a brief diversion, but I don't need an enforced "event" taking over my favorite show and distracting from its own characters and narrative for more than a week or two -- especially considering how successful and cohesive most of this season of Sg has been.
Well, the ratings for Supergirl are down year to year about 33%. That's a pretty big drop, so maybe the audience in general has not been so thrilled at this season. Meanwhile, the highest rated episode of the year was the crossover, and it wasn't even close. In fact, not only was it highest rated, but with the exception of the season premiere, the crossover DOUBLED the ratings of every other episode. The number of viewers dropped from 1.835 million to 1.213 million people. If you are losing 1/3 of your audience, a new direction would help. I don't know if all three shows should be connected in every episode until the big event, but I love the idea of it lasting a little longer. COIE is an epic story. 3 hours or 4 hours isn't enough, and with 4 shows, they have the chance to do it right. It could work very well like they do it in the comics. Usually these big events have a big story that sets it up and is connected, but then they branch off into their individual titles and tell related stories. All the shows could do that. If last night's Arrow is an indication, yes, they are taking this very seriously. Both Arrow and Supergirl got very dark this year. Maybe an epic event will help them go into a new direction and lighten up a bit. You absolutely do NOT have to take away from the main characters of each show, if done right.
^ Oh, I know crossovers are popular. Most fans seem to feel that the more costumed heroes in a story, the better. It's just not my personal preference. In general, I prefer something like the classic Superman formula: one superhero and an interesting and colorful, but "ordinary," supporting cast. But again, I recognize that's a minority view.
I don't mind that either. I like crossovers to be occasional, at least the big one. In my opinion, I would like to see special episodes sprinkled throughout the year where we get various people popping up on other shows. One gigantic one. If you think about it--it makes sense. These people all know each other, and all have villains that the other could help with, so they would work together more often than they do. Yet they wouldn't be together all the time because they each have things keeping them busy. I think a multishow arc is just what the Arrowverse needs. I am curious how this ends. Others have suggested, and I think it does make sense, that Ollie will end up in the Earth 2 Superman role, and end up in a paradise dimension with Felicity. But here's the problem with that. There was a logic behind what they did with Earth 2 Superman. He was the first hero--and yes, so is Ollie in this universe. However, the writers held a tremendous respect for the character, and didn't want him fading away. They wanted him to have a happy ending and let the audience know he was ok. It was a great idea at the time, ruined 20 years later by the newer writers, but still great at the time. Yet the new Earth had its own Superman. What they did with Earth 2 Superman wouldn't have worked quite as well if not for that fact. True, I think the Arrowverse can be ok this way, and Ollie isn't as vital to it as Superman is to DC as a whole, but I don't know if this is the right fate for Ollie. I wouldn't rubber stamp it. I'd like to see them do better than simply make certain characters in the Arrowverse take the place of certain characters in COIE. I don't want to see say, Superman die like Supergirl did in COIE, or Diggle die like Barry did. The general concept of COIE is terrific, but I think the writers should depart and formulate the story to fit their characters, rather than take the characters and stick them in the story. Antimonitor can be the villain, and our heroes do what it takes to stop him, and in the end, of course they do, but reality is now altered so that a) there's one Earth and b) they have a clean slate to revamp what needs to be revamped.
Man, season 7 was all over the place wasn't it? Some amazing highs, some very deep lows. Not the worst season of the show (here's looking at you 4) but it was certainly not the greatest. Emiko, in the end, wasn't as compelling as she could be I feel. Oliver's arc was one I really enjoyed. But overall, it feels that the producers/writers weren't sure where to go with all of it. Maybe they weren't sure while making this season wether or not a season 8 was a given or not?? I don't know. I am very interested in season 8 now though.
I was never impressed by the actress. I think that assuming it was the last season would've been good for it, because then their focus would've been strictly on the needs of the season itself. It's detrimental to the story you're telling now if you treat it merely as the setup for something happening later, as we've seen with movies like Batman v Superman or the Tom Cruise The Mummy.
Agreed on both points. If they had simply seen this as the last season, it would have easier to simply add a short season to it, instead of just going on and seeing what would happen.
Stephen Amell is saying he would be willing to reprise his role as Oliver Queen, given the right circumstances - the article has spoilers for the season seven finale and speculation about season eight and The Crisis.
According to David Ramsey Season 8 is going to very different from anything we've see before. My specualtion is that there'll be three seperate strands to it; Oliver on his interdimensional missions*, former Team Arrow in the present and more of the future storyline. *Maybe they can spring Justin Hartley from 'This Is Us' for a week, so he can finally appear before it's too late.
I think they definitely need to show us a lot of Oliver's adventures with Monitor. I'm hoping they don't do separate stories where Oliver and the rest of the cast never interact. What I find disturbing is that Richards doesn't even seem to want a do a cameo for the finale. If true, it would really make her look bad. Arrow is her big break. If she doesn't do this, then it shows she didn't care about it at all, feels no obligation to the show, no gratitude toward the fans of the show, and it's just a job to her. That's her right, but it doesn't say much about who she is, and certainly doesn't endear her to a public that she kind of needs to be on her side to get more work. I love the idea of Justin Hartley showing up as another version of Arrow, done right. The problem I have though is that they could disrespect him like they did Flash 1990. So it really depends how they use the character, if they go that route. If I had my wish, considering Crisis is looming, this season will focus more on things we haven't seen Arrow encounter as much as say Barry or Kara. Things I would love to see but don't expect would be an appearance by Hal Jordan in one episode, where he gives Diggle a Green Lantern power ring. John goes off to train and maybe fights in the COIE as a Green Lantern. Either that, or when the dust settles, we have a new Earth where John was adopted by General Stewart, had a positive relationship, and in the finale, post Crisis, it is revealed he is a Green Lantern.
I'm not convinced that Oliver will spend the whole season apart from Team Arrow. All we really know is that he's said his goodbyes to Felicity, and Felicity won't be in the show next season. And it just doesn't make much sense to keep the show's lead character completely separate from the rest of the cast.
There is plenty of room to have Arrow interact with the rest of the cast. But with this being the last season, I would like to see some more of Oliver and Diggle--focusing on that. Maybe bring back Thea.
I'm finally getting around to this. I'm about halfway into the season. I wish they would get rid of the Diaz character already. I already got sick of him in season six. Kor