BWW Recap: ARROW Season Finale Saves Starling City and Sets Up Season Four Events

Putting another arrow in my own quiver, I am jumping from my usual duties recapping GOTHAM (season is over anyway) and serving as tonight's shot for shot commentator for ARROW as its third season comes to a close. I do watch ARROW and I am a fan so I am not jumping in totally cold.

I do know that main man Oliver Queen - aka the Arrow - took the bait offered by the shady league all so he could work from the inside. Some of his allies thought he really turned on them so there are suspicions galore. We will see how tonight wraps up.

---

OPENING: Waking up on an airplane, Oliver claims he dreamed of rebirth, pointing to his new identity as Ra's al Ghul to the mentor Ghul. Back in the dungeon lair, the allies wake after thinking they would be poisoned but Malcolm still holds to the story that Oliver is pretending to be on their side. Malcolm also inoculated all of them, including Oliver, from the poison. Malcolm also arranged for the Flash to assist and he arrives on the scene to help them escape after he subdues the other assassins. Barry/Flash also believes Oliver is still good. Tatsu says she will not go with them and remembers when Oliver saved her years ago.

Up in the air, the jet carrying Oliver and the league blows an engine, andold Ghul blames Nyssa. Oliver declares "My name is Oliver Queen!" and begins to fight the league but old Ghul gets away with the threat that he will continue to come after Oliver. The plane continues to smoke as Oliver watches Ghuly-guy jump out.

---

The airplane is plunging and Oliver and Nyssa head to the cockpit to make an emergency landing. A flashback to the time in Hong Kong shows when the virus spread by the league is making things worse. Back at Palmer Technology, Malcolm takes the reins to try to get a handle on the situation. Nyssa and Oliver show up and John punches Oliver for the betrayal. The only way to defeat the League was from the inside and making sure everyone was safe, keeping the circle small. Oliver did sabotage the plane, killing Ghul - and himself - with it. Felicity is even more upset. The team is also upset because they have zero trust in Malcolm, but Oliver said he was critical to the plan.

---

Sacrificing himself to destroy Ra's - bad idea according to Felicity and John. Another flashback to Hong Kong shows that Oliver mortally wounded the military man and then his friend shot him. Back at the lab, the team works to figure out where Ghul will attack the city. They figure out the hidden agenda: Ra's wants to kill Damian Dark in Starling City. The team spreads out and secures the area with sharpshooting and skillful derring do. Oliver breaks in on - oops, not Mr. Dark. His staff member is also taken out and Ghul lets Oliver know the Alpha Omega virus will make the city suffer. Old Ra's is just stubborn, I'd say.

---

Quentin's daughter comes to him to warn him the chemical warfare will be a reality. They also have a confrontation about their alcoholism, but she really just wants her dad to help save the city. Oliver reports the Alpha Omega virus will be released from four points across the city. Felicity and Oliver talk again about Oliver's plan to sacrifice himself to protect everyone and destroy R'as. Oliver still clearly has feelings for Felicity and he says he cannot defeat Ra's. He has become something else, she says, he feels something and that can be his strength against the villain. He thanks her. Quentin sends out police to the four corners and the team spreads out too, all on the look out for the league members. Ra's sends a representative to fetch Oliver to him while everyone else is out looking. A young man takes off running presumably with a weapon, but it was an empty briefcase. Ra's is using his own weaponized henchman to spread the virus!

Ra's meets Oliver who seems trapped: either way, Oliver will become Ra's al Ghul or see his city destroyed.

---

The team tries to get the citizens to flee as the news breaks of the viral attack. Nyssa declares she will see that the wrong is undone. The team works to clean up the place. Across town at the dam, Oliver and Ra's have their grand dual.The cops see them fighting and have orders to take them out if there is a clean shot. The dual, by the way, is a classic "with dialogue" dual. Quentin warns Felicity that Oliver will be shot with Ra's if they don't get him off the dam. Oliver takes a turn and takes Ra's down, claiming that he will become Ra's al Ghul as old Ra's dies. As Oliver stands up, shots ring out from a police sniper and he goes down into the crashing waters of the dam. Almost instantly, a flying figure shoots out of the sky and scoops him out of the water. After landing, we see it is not Ray Palmer but Felicity who donned the suit to save Oliver so Ray could finish the antidote.

---

A news report shows that the antidote was successful and Oliver's body armor protected him from the shot. He admits they won and people survived due to the team working together, all of them as heroes. His Arrow identity is now gone, thanks to Ra's. Oliver wants to be with Felicity and find out who he really is, going away for a while. Starling City will have protectors. Felicity tells Ray he will need a new vice president. Oliver tells John he has been a rock and the city needs him; John has lost trust in Oliver. John also says knows he needs to protect his identity.

Malcolm says he is leaving too, saying goodbye to Willa and Oliver. Willa wants to be called the Red Arrow, she tells Oliver. Oliver and Malcolm also bid farewell, but Oliver cannot forgive his father for what he did to his sister. At Palmer Technologies, Ray tries to run a miniaturization test but things go boom

A quick switch of scene, shows Malcolm took the ring and stands in front the League as the new Ra's al Ghul.

As Oliver and Felicity drive off into presumed happiness, we will be left with what happens to Ray Palmer and how will the League of Shadows fare with Malcolm as Ra's al Ghul. That's a wrap, folks.