Arrow: 10 Best Episodes So Far
9. Unthinkable (Season 2, Episode 23)
Written By: Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg
Directed By: John Behring
After so much incredible build-up to the Oliver vs. Slade fight, it culminated in Unthinkable with an all-out war for Starling City. Even the League of Assassins showed up, and the show has never felt more epic.
Amidst all of the action, there were still some great character moments. We got our first taste of Olicity and it felt great. Even if it was a fake-out it was still a moving scene between the two characters. Then there’s Oliver’s no-killing rule put into effect. It was a small thing throughout the fighting, but it marked the culmination of a year-long character arc.
But holy crap, that fight. Many of the episodes included in the list belong partly because of the strength of their action sequences, but nowhere is that more true than here. It’s hard to definitively call one fight scene the best of the series, but Oliver vs. Slade has the best claim to that title. Watching them seamlessly shift between past and present offered something thrilling, but this was only elevated by the way we see Oliver’s growth in handling the beaten Slade each time.
Following the Season 1 finale, this episode had huge shoes to fill. It delivered, and capped off the strongest run in Arrow’s history with an immensely satisfying conclusion.