Arrow Season 8 Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs From 'Purgatory'

5. The Family Bonding

As problematic as Mia Smoak's behavior was, there was promise in the fact that underneath all of it, she just didn't want to lose her father. And no matter how annoying she ultimately became, those solid foundations couldn't be faulted.

This made for a compelling tale of how a heartbroken daughter must come to terms with the fact that she might lose her father all over again and, in the process, confront how she really feels about it. Similarly, it forced a son (William) to open up about why he was at peace with the fact that he was abandoned all those years ago. And finally, it gave a father in denial the opportunity to deal with his own feelings by opening up to his children.

The emotional heart of the Queen family saga was something that really shined in this episode, as it paved the way for some heartbreaking, and heartwarming moments between Oliver and his children, while also giving William more to do that churn out (some admittedly hilarious) one-liners.

On that note, Stephen Amell, Ben Lewis and Katherine McNamara all did a great job here with the heavy-hitting stuff and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn't reaching for their tissues during the episode's multiple heart-to-hearts.