Desperation makes strange bedfellows. As Oliver‘s (Stephen Amell) loved ones start going missing in a coordinated attack planned by the imprisoned Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra), our hero is forced to procure Chase’s release and put together his own team to take on the likes of Chase, Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig), Black Siren (Katie Cassidy), and Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin).
Both the main storyline and the flashbacks lead Oliver back to the island for next week’s season finale. While the flashbacks focus on Konstantin Kovar (Dolph Lundgren) torturing Oliver for his amusement, the main plot brings things full circle with Chase dumping his prisoners on the island while setting a trap for the Green Arrow. Giving our hero such a home field advantage seems like a risky move, but for all of Chase’s small victories over our hero his overconfidence has continued to be his weakness.
The team Ollie puts together certainly sets things up for an interesting final battle. We’ve got Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law), and Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett). I’m also happy to see the show shake things up and not give us another finale of Star City in danger for a change. With both the flashbacks and season storyline culminating on Lian Yu, could this finally allow Oliver to say farewell to the island and the demons it created once and for all?