Arrow – Missing Review

Arrow has always been great at setting up their finales with a penultimate episode that raises the stakes and puts characters exactly where they need to be. “Missing” was no different. This episode served as a reminder of everything we’ve been through this season. It gave us a chance to settle into a small zone of comfort, only to get quickly yanked back into Adrian Chase’s twisted game. Plus, we got to see the return of a ton of awesome characters, specifically a special someone shown right at the end. There is a lot to dive into this week! We’re constantly reminded that Team Arrow is what keeps Oliver in check. This episode solidifies that. The surprise birthday party showed how close these friendships have become, but it’s especially important because it gives the eventual abductions of these characters a lot more weight. We saw it all throughout this season and we’ve certainly seen it in seasons past. Oliver depends on these people, but they are also his weakness. Adrian Chase is quick to mention that. I’m glad that this is ultimately what Chase’s final move consists of. It feels earned. Watching our characters get taken, including that moment with Felicity and Diggle, was devastating. It even makes me look past the fact they walked away from that explosion of a car crash with a few scratches here and there. It’s said every week but it’s worth saying each time. Watching Josh Segarra play our madman Adrian Chase is just so dang good! It's the evil look in his eyes or that crooked smile, it gets me every time. He can predict Oliver’s words before they ever leave his lips. All this talk about being ten steps ahead of Oliver is absolutely true so it’ll be very interesting to see what happens next week. Chase has been this careful so far. What will be his downfall? The Quentin and fake Laurel scenes were touching to watch and give us hope for potential story beats. There are so many different ways you can go with this story and we started to see that here. It’s been a year since the death of Laurel but we’ve seen the ramifications through Quentin all throughout the season. Seeing Black Siren show a side of humanity gave her character a needed redeeming quality, especially if we’re expected to see a redemption arc later down the line. The flashbacks this week will be the closest we’ll ever get to a clip show. Kovar has drugged Oliver and allowed him to feel all the pain he’s endured over the past five years. It was a nice trip down memory lane, albeit a little depressing, but it ultimately had a purpose. Oliver has been struggling with letting his friends be his light against allowing his past to keep him down. Seeing shots of Shado getting killed, his various murders, and other horrors from the island helped bring his journey into perspective. It’s not an easy thing to leave behind, but as Laurel the hallucination reminded us, the bonds he has with his team can get him through it. Now let’s get into all those characters that returned this episode. Evelyn is back and so is Black Siren, the Laurel Lance of Earth-2. Malcolm Merlyn made his first non-alien dream world appearance this season. Of course he immediately goes on about saving his daughter, but that’s okay since we haven’t seen the guy in a while. Nyssa also makes her season debut. By far the biggest reveal came in the last scene where Oliver meets with Deathstroke to recruit him for his final fight with Chase. What an awesome lineup for the final episode! All these characters, including Oliver and team, have found their way back to the island. The season has been all about legacy for these characters. What better way to end this than to throw them all in the one place that started it all. This is what it means to set up a final episode. Thanks to the great set up of this episode, we have an all-star lineup of characters ready for what could be one of the greatest battles in the show. We’re down to the final episode. This season has been a wild and exciting ride with no sign of stopping. One more week!