Hello Team Arrow! It’s Richard from Zeus Comics!
Arrow bids farewell to original cast member Thea Queen aka Speedy in this week’s episode, “Thanatos Guild.” It’s a solid farewell with Roy Harper coming back to give the characters closure.
But truthfully, Thea was in a coma for the entire first half of Season six so…. Bye? Producer Marc Guggenheim revealed to Entertainment Weekly that actor Willa Holland had already begun minimizing her role last season and that she was only contracted into Season 6.
When Nyssa Al Ghul returns with a warning that an Al Ghul acolyte Athena had formed her own league – a guild, a Thanatos guild, it sends Thea and Team Arrow on a mission to obtain a map hidden by Thea’s father Malcolm Merlin.
The rub? The map can only be revealed with Thea’s blood. And, in our final showdown between Thea and Athena, that very thing happens. This episode was heavy on the kick ass ninja fighting scenes and in particular a clever moment when Thea threatens burning the map to bring Athena close only as a ruse to stab Athena.
Back at the Arrowcave, a study of the map reveals not one but three formerly unknown Lazarus pits. Originally intending on leaving Star City with Roy and putting her Speedy persona behind her, Thea has a change of heart instead taking on the mission with Nyssa and Roy to prevent the Lazarus pits from being exploited by their enemies. To right her dad’s wrongs as it were, a message Oliver delivered earlier to her when expressing why he continues to wear the mask. And with that, Arrow says goodbye to Thea Queen.
Meanwhile our subplot follows Curtis and Dinah in their quest to uncover the cops loyal to Ricardo Diaz. The discovery that Diaz is selling season one’s street drug of choice, Vertigo, leads them to Captain Hill who’s been covering it up. We also shuffle Curtis’ personal life back into play with cute cop officer Nick Anastas who Curtis ask out on a date.
While Arrow is likely renewed for season seven, season six has been a mess of dropped characters like Wilddog, Cayden James, Thea and Samanda Watson (remember her?) and directions like the FBI, Black Siren, Olivers secret identity, a wedding and Team Outsiders. Can the show find a common theme or purpose? We’re coming into the final stretch and a lot of the plots have felt dropped or concluded.
Our next new Arrow pits Green Arrow versus Green Arrow as Oliver is unwilling to give up the moniker he so willingly gave to John Diggle at the beginning of the season.
Plus date night with Curtis! It’s a brand new Arrow, “Brothers in Arms.”
