So... who saw that ending coming? Anyone? Anyone at all?
You'd think we'd be referring to some wild and crazy twist, turn or death at the conclusion of Arrow Season 1 Episode 23. But it's actually the exact opposite.
We'll get to that in a few moments, though.
To open the appropriately-titled “My Name is Oliver Queen,” Ra’s al Ghul, a captive Nyssa and Oliver were on a plan headed for Startling City, where the plan was to destroy the area via bioweapon.
(Felicity, Diggle and and company, meanwhile, survived their “poisoning,” having been secretly inoculated by Malcolm upon their imprisonment in Nanda Parbat.)
Oliver went ahead and sabotaged the plan, prepared to kill everyone on board… including himself.
But we then learned that Ra’s was lying about his intentions. His actual goal was to release the weapon in order to murder Damien Darhk, who fled town prior to the onslaught (and who we can envision causing big problems for Oliver next year alongside H.I.V.E.).
A struggle ensues. Ra's uses the only parachute to exit the plan. And Oliver and Nyssa land it sort of gently in town.
Eventually, Oliver and Ra's end up drawing swords against each other, a battle Oliver wins, finally doing away forever with his long-time nemesis.
But then the city cops shoot Oliver full of leads! And he starts to plummet to his near-death!
Fortunately, A.T.O.M. swoops in for the save. Except it isn't Ray Palmer inside that suit, it's Felicity!
Naturally, in just a handful of minute, she got strapped into the suit... learned how to take off... and navigated to the point that she could pull off a 90-degree turn up alongside the waterfall.
A bit of a stretch, Arrow writers.
We later see that later Malcolm has taken over as the new Ra’s, while Ray is playing with some new “miniaturization” technology on the A.T.O.M. suit ... when it and the upper floors of Palmer Technologies blow up!
(Not to worry, though, Ray will play a role on the new CW series, Legends of Tomorrow.)
So this is where we shocking end: Oliver gives up being Arrow and drives away into the sunset with Felicity.
Seriously, watch Arrow online and be impressed by the lack of a cliffhanger. The final concludes with Oliver uttering these words:
"I returned home with only one goal — to save my city. And I did. But now it’s time for me to be someone else. Something else.”
He then has two more words for Felicity: I'm happy.