Arrow Season 8 Review: 5 Ups & 2 Downs From 'Reset'

1. Acceptance Of The Inevitable

Though Oliver's part of the narrative was occasionally frustrating, it was still an important development for the Emerald Archer. Upon realising that there was no possible way of saving Quentin in this alternate reality, he recognized the parallels between it and the fact that they couldn't save Quentin in the real world either. In essence, he was forced to accept the inevitability of death.

In that moment, everything became so much clearer for him. He had been attempting to subvert, outdo and even kill the idea of death itself, but the fact of the matter is that from the moment he signed up for the Crisis, there was no cheating death. And with that, he also realized that his attempts to dispose of The Monitor were also a subconscious form of denial for, mysterious as he is, Mar Novu's intention has always been to save the multiverse - not destroy it.

The pieces are starting to come together - and are making for very interesting character journeys while they're at it - but with Oliver and Laurel now experiencing the clarity the need, it seems that the multiverse stands a chance.

Whether or not the former can actually cheat death is irrelevant right now, because the narrative needs the gravity of his complete acceptance of it. In order for us to believe it, Oliver needed to - mission accomplished.

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