Lian Yu

Best arrow episode and best arrowverse episode ever. I saw someone give this 4 starts and I think that he or she should get their head checked!

With everything this series has gone through over the years, I'm glad to say that they've finally nailed a season finale. There hasn't been a great season finale since season 2, and not since season 1 have we gotten a true cliffhanger ending, if you call the glades exploding a cliffhanger. This finale was important for many reasons, but the most important one being that this show is officially back. They have made one cohesive season for the first time in years, and easily secured the second best overall season (right behind S2). This one feels special.

There was a lot riding on this finale, and it sure seemed like a lot was being built up. The returns of Nyssa, Malcom, and Slade were big last week but how can that all fit into one island adventure? Well, the writers managed to just about squeeze everything in. I kept finding myself checking the clock to make sure there was enough time for everything to pan out and it almost didn't. How could the writers possibly fit in an Al Ghul showdown? Or just enough screen time to suffice a proper return for Slade? I'm not sure how they did it, but they sure did it.

Slade was great for many reasons in S2, but I'm not sure any villain has truly gotten inside Ollie's psyche like Adrian Chase has. It has been such a pleasure watching Josh Segarra all season and it's a shame that tonight may have been the last time we ever see him. But in reality, shooting himself in the head in order to blow up an entire island worth of Oliver's friends was probably exactly the way for it to go down. And I love that he actually saved something big for the last episode and it wasn't just a city-wide attack. Instead, he kept the conflict at a fittingly personal level and left Oliver with an impossible choice. Kill Chase and in turn kill all of his friends, or not kill Chase and in turn allow him to kill Oliver's son. Essentially, Chase won. In his mind, he proved Oliver is a killer and all of his friends and family get hurt. At the same time, Oliver proved to Chase and finally to himself that he can rely on others to take care of themselves. Even though we know, Oliver doesn't know if his friends will make it out alive, but he's finally allowing himself to have trust in his team to get the job done.

Amidst all of the brilliantly poignant drama, there was a whole lot of fun to be had tonight. Of course, Talia & Nyssa was fun (and hopefully not the last we'll see of them together), Slade had some great dialogue & action, Malcom had a heroic moment, there was some impressively shot long-takes of action, and overall it's always fun when this many cast members are on screen at once. You'd think one of these guys would have died right? Well, I don't think we'll officially find that out until the premiere, but I don't think it really matters at this point. Chase's plan was so brilliant that I don't think I'll ever forget how well we got into each and every one of these characters' minds.

What's great about a finale like this is that once you're done salivating over the spectacle, there's a lot to dig into. Will somebody have to make a sacrifice to save a bunch of the team members? Is that someone Slade or Malcom? I don't believe the show would kill off either character (at least not yet) but I's always plausible. What kind of ramifications does this finale have next year? Does the main villain somehow spawn from this event? So many questions. So long to wait. A few other tidbits: Boy was it great to see Moira back once again. The show has missed her presence dearly and I'll always cherish screen time with Susanna Thompson; The dynamic between Oliver & Slade is impeccable, even when it isn't supposed to be; I wonder how much (if any) William will play into next season; and I just love how much this finale mirrors the ending to season 1 and all of the other minor tie-ins to flashback Oliver. This was one of the best directed episodes this show has ever had. So long Lian Yu, you won't be missed.

+SLADE

+Al Ghul fight

+Spectacle & emotional weight

+Chase still had something up his sleeve

+Moira

+Long takes

+Impeccable direction

10/10

OH. MY. GOD! Season 5 was an absolute bypass to the series. In whole season is contains only 2 empty, useless episodes. The rest of them; MUAH. And this finale man... I don't know how to praise this episode. I'm literally shocked. This isn't just the best episode of Arrow, this is the best episode of whole Arrowverse. Who did it I don't know but I want to thank the man who chose Josh Segarra for his role. He was the best villain since Deathstroke and Wells/Reverse Flash. Plus: THE REAL DEATHSTROKE MAN! I felt like I'm watching Season 2 again. 10 for Arrow, 10 for Prometheus, 10 for Deathstroke. Big 10 goes to the writers. Thank you sir. Thank you all...

This is my first review. After all of the waiting for this season finale, I have to say the wait was well worth it! An amazing ending to an amazing show. The only question I have is What happened to Rory? He said he would be back, so I assumed he would have been there for the finale. Anyway, I can't wait until season 6!

With the last two seasons blowing the finale and the episodes leading up to it, there was a concern for "Lian Yu". Thankfully, that fear can be put to rest, as Season 5 ends on quite possibly Arrow's best episode ever. It's not just the action, returning characters or the flashbacks that complete it (though all those fired on all cylinders too), it is the end of a ten year journey. Josh Segarra and Stephen Amell gave powerhouse performances and even though it was not Star City under threat, the stakes felt high and personal. A truly epic finale with real emotions and a solid cliffhanger to make fans say: "Did that just happen?"