Arrow Season 7 Episode 8 Review: Unmasked
Brandon Vieira
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Are you freaking kidding me?
Olicity fans rejoice! After being apart for a majority of the season, Arrow Season 7 Episode 8 featured the reunion of Oliver and Felicity.
And for five sweet seconds, it was beautiful. Olicity may have a few haters, but for those of us who have ridden through the highs and lows of this 'ship, it seemed as though Olicity was finally going back to the way things used to be.
However, that tender love scene could potentially be the last time Oliver and Felicity get it on. Arrow threw a lot of curveballs on the last non-crossover episode of the Fall season, but that one had me shaking my head in utter disbelief.
Did Oliver and Felicity break up? WTF? That didn't just happen, did it? Olicity's supposed to be endgame, aren't they? Does love even exist? What did I just watch?
It wasn't going to be an easy adjustment for Oliver once he got out of Slabside, and Felicity has been slowly embracing a darker side of herself, but it seemed as though any marriage woes they'd eventually face wouldn't come until a while later.
Related: Arrow Season 7 Episode 7 Review: The Slabside Redemption
Yet, the husband and wife's relationship went from 100 to 0 real quick. First comes reunion sex then comes ... divorce? Or was Felicity merely asking for a Ross and Rachel "We were on a break" situation? Uh oh, is Oliver going to sleep with a copy girl on Arrow Season 7 Episode 9?
I might be overthinking this.
While the happiness shared between the two during their reunion tour was so quick that The Flash couldn't even keep up, it was nice while it lasted.
Max Fuller: Hey man, I know we've had some bad history...
Oliver: You had your bodyguards kick the crap out of me and Tommy at your club.
Max: Right, well you slept with my wife. Well, now my ex-wife. Dude, all of that is in the past, okay. Dude, you're the freaking Green Arrow.
Felicity: Well I'm Felicity, I'm the wife of the freaking Green Arrow. It sounded a little less strange in my head.
A dark, perhaps even villainous Felicity is an exciting prospect, but I'd hate to see her wit and awkward optimism disappear. Those characteristics are what made Felicity so special and such a breath of fresh air on Arrow Season 1 and Arrow Season 2.
At this point, especially with what was learned about her in the future on "Unmasked," Dark Felicity is a guarantee, but the sudden split from Oliver happened way too soon. The story arc of Arrow Season 7 so far has been told at a great pace, and I'm concerned they might rush Felicity's upcoming story.
Related: Arrow Season 7 Episode 5 Review: The Demon
That should not happen. Her journey to the darkness is one that needs to be told slowly and with reason.
I just hope not all is lost for Olicity.
Three-quarters of "Unmasked" felt like filler. A lot of time got spent building up to Oliver wearing the Green Arrow hood without the mask. It was a bit redundant. Everyone knows who he is, so it would be silly to wear the mask anyway.
I know it was supposed to be symbolic, but considering how intense and crazy Arrow Season 7 Episode 7 was, "Unmasked" was kind of a drag.
However, there were a few key moments that stood out, some of them good and some of them ... not so much.
The biggest twist was that Thea Queen isn't the only sister Oliver has out there. Robert Queen had another daughter who is perhaps under the Green Arrow 2.0 hood.
It was a twist I didn't see coming, which is a good thing, I guess, but hasn't the long-lost sibling story been done to death throughout the years?
Related: Get HBO via Prime Video Channels for Addictive Dramas, Hilarious Comedies & Hit Movies!
Factoring in the potential for time travel and travelers from other earths, there were many people who could have been under the hood for a number of reasons. Robert Queen's daughter that Oliver never knew about isn't the most appealing option.
Hey dad. Turns out Oliver's more like you then I thought. More like me too. But I'm giving up, not ever.
Ms. Queen
If Arrow hadn't done the Oliver finds out he has a long-lost son story a couple of seasons ago, I may be more excited for the introduction of the new Queen. Yet, it feels a tad repetitive.
There's a small chance she isn't the new Green Arrow, but it would be hard to fathom any other reason she had for wearing the hood and holding the bow and arrow at the beginning of "Unmasked."
Related: Arrow Season 7 Episode 6 Review: Due Process
Another twist that left me with a sour taste in my mouth is that Diaz is alive. I'm not surprised that he's alive; I think almost everyone knew that was going to be the case.
However, finding out he's alive so soon seems like a big mistake. Sure, he's going to be working alongside Diggle and Lyla, and hopefully staying away from Oliver for a little while, but his return would've made more of an impact if we didn't just see him get faux-killed on the prior episode.
On a more positive note, I finally (sort of) understand what's going on in the flashforwards. Felicity is dead, but before she died, she had plans to do some awful, explosive crap.
Blackstar is Ronda Rousey's future daughter who potentially wants to continue Felicity's evildoing, and Rene is perhaps the most powerful man in the glades. Things really took a turn for Team Arrow in the future, huh? I guess friendship doesn't conquer all. That's depressing.
Rene's future in politics could be starting sooner than we think.
Rene: Rich folk and politicians fronting like they actually care about prison reform. If everyone in here actually gave a crap, they'd use that money to help people in hard-up neighborhoods who end up in the system because they don't have anything else...What?
Dinah: You ever think about running for office?
Running for mayor would be such a fun way to explore the different dynamics of Rene's character. The only concern I have is how the pure, wholesome agenda he'd most likely run on in the present timeline, would turn into such a dark and sinister one.
Why does it feel like everyone on Team Arrow becomes evil in the future?
Dinah: Well there is another option, we go to the Glades.
William: I thought we weren't welcome there.
Dinah: Well we're not, but she is.
Zoe: No. No way.
Dinah: Zoe, we don't know when or where this is going to happen right? And by the time we found out, it could be too late. I don't like the idea either but we need resources.
Zoe: I guess it's time to pay my dad a visit.
The icing on this upsidedown world cake would be if Laurel ended up being Star City's biggest hero.
I mean, if you ask me, she deserves way more praise than she gets.
Oh, and if anyone was concerned about what happened to Diggle at the end of "The Slabside Redemption," don't worry. #DiggleHasBeenFound
What did you think of "Unmasked"?
How did you feel about Oliver and Felicity's sudden (potential) breakup?
Do you think Oliver's long-lost sister is the new Green Arrow?
What do you think happened to Rene in the future? Do you think he'll run for mayor?
Did they bring Diaz back too soon?
Are you happy to know that #DiggleHasBeenFound?
Let us know in the comments below and if you need to catch up, make sure to watch Arrow online right here on TV Fanatic!
Brandon Viera was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in May 2019..
