Will Team Arrow ever be the same again?

That's a key question after Arrow Season 5 Episode 19. 

Below, TV Fanatics Robin Harry, Kathleen Wiedel and Jim Garner discuss Felicity going rogue, Alena's true motives and Rene meeting his daughter. 

What did you think of Felicity going rogue?

Robin: I'm not sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, I understand Felicity's point, and her wanting to get Prometheus at any cost because the man needs to go down.

On the other hand, she was so obviously out of her depth and being played, and she should have listened to the counsel of all the others who know what it's like to go down that path. 

Kathleen: I'm totally with Robin. The "ends justify the means" attitude leads all too many people down a path they have great difficulty returning. And we all know that good intentions don't always result in a happy ending.

Yes, Prometheus needs to be stopped, but Felicity's actions and behavior are opening up a new and potentially even more dangerous can of worms. 

Jim: Was honestly great to see her standing up for what she believes. Oliver has taught her very well; he shouldn't be so surprised that she took a plan from his playbook and did what she did. 

Is Alena a villain?

Robin: Like I said, I don't trust any character played by Kacey Rohl. She killed that guy on purpose.

Kathleen: Oh, yeah. No question about it, I think. 

Jim: She kept her word and left Felicity the tech she needed to find Chase, so while she may not be lawful, I wouldn't call her a villain. Her wanting to break the founder of Helix out of an ARGUS black site certainly doesn't make her a bad guy in my eyes.  

What did you think of Lance pushing Rene to get his daughter back?

Robin: I understood the sentiment, but was that the best choice? Rene may have gotten his life together, but it's now a life that he regularly puts in harm's way as a member of Team Arrow.

I'm not sure that late-night vigilantism and single parenthood are the most compatible roles, and I would have at least liked them to discuss those pros and cons before getting the little girl's hopes up. 

Kathleen: Once again, I think you summed up my opinion on this, Robin. Sure, Rene's not who he was before, and he deserves to have a relationship with his daughter, but multiple villains over the course of this show have displayed incredible willingness to harm family and friends to hurt the heroes.

Does Rene want to bring that danger to his daughter? And does Lance want to feel responsible for that, too?

Jim: I was totally expecting that to blow back into his face. But apparently, the "Dad whose daughter died" card worked for him this time. I hope Rene gets his daughter back; it makes him a much more interesting character. 

What did you think of Felicity calling out Oliver on his actions?

Robin: I think she was correct in that Oliver's made a lot of mistakes, but frankly, that didn't make her any less of a hypocrite. Last year she walked away from Oliver because he lied (which I will forever be on his side about), but this year she's willing to do all manner of questionable acts because "Oliver, you do wrong things to protect everyone so why shouldn't I."

Felicity can't be on every side of every line and then claim moral high ground and justification each time. Eventually, she needs to come to the realization that she's just as effed up as everyone else.  

Kathleen: "Hypocrite." Perfect word, right there. At least Oliver has acknowledged (multiple times, no less) that he's stumbled, made mistakes, and royally screwed up along the way. Instead of learning from Ollie's mistakes (many of which were at least understandable), Felicity has simply repeated them, made worse by her vain attempts to justify what she knows to be wrong.

Jim: There was a lot of "pot calling the kettle black" in this episode. That being said, I don't think it was wrong for her to call him out on being a bit hypocritical when it came to what she was going to do. 

What will happen with Oliver and Felicity trapped in the lair?

Robin: They'll fight about the lengths they go to and then realize how far they'll go to protect each other. They'll realize that there's no one that's as messed up as they are and that they'll always be connected. Then they'll kiss and make up and be Olicity again. And the fandom cheers and groans around the world will cancel each other out, and there will be silence.

Kathleen: As much as I dislike Robin's scenario for its vapidness, something tells me that it may indeed play out that way. One thing that *should* happen, though, is a long, honest, uninterrupted conversation about how they got to this point. (What? An honest conversation about a relationship on television? SCANDAL!)

Jim: I really hope they manage to make up along the way, I really hate seeing the two of them at each other's throats and fighting so much.

Remember you can watch Arrow online right here on TV Fanatic. Get caught up now!

Over to you, Arrow Fanatics! What did you think of the latest developments? 

Sound off below!

Be with us on Wednesday for the full review of Arrow Season 5 Episode 20. 

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.