The final season of Arrow will be a “love letter to the pilot”

The CW’s Arrow is joining the list of shows that I am dreading saying goodbye to over the next year. But I will say that the timing feels right and it makes sense, even if it’s breaking my heart.

Luckily, we still have a season to go. And according to showrunner Beth Schwartz, it will ring some familiar bells. Speaking to TV Guide, Schwartz said that the season 8 premiere would be a throwback/homage/”love letter” to the original Arrow pilot, which aired way back in October of 2012.

For those of you who don’t remember what happened back then, let me refresh your memory. Before Oliver Queen was the Arrow, he was a pretentious young billionaire with the world in the palm of his hands. Then he went missing after a shipwreck and is presumed dead for five years until he is found alive on a far-off remote island. Long story short, Oliver comes back and tries to assimilate back into his old life, but now has an axe to grind and plans to visit justice upon those who hurt him, his family, and the city where he lives. And so a superhero is born.

Over the course of seven seasons, fans came to love Oliver Queen and became invested in his journey, which is what makes it even harder to say goodbye. I can see why the show would want the season 8 premiere to tie things back to the pilot, because it is where Oliver truly took on the persona and mission of being The Arrow, which set the stage for all the battles and stories to come. It is also where we meet many of the O.G. characters, including Tommy Merlyn. (Don’t worry, Colin Donnell is reprising his role!)

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However, l think the toughest part about the final season is knowing that Oliver Queen won’t make it to the end, not after the big reveal from the season 7 finale.

Given that the epic crossover following the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline is the highlight of the Arrowverse this season, we can assume Oliver loses his life sometime during it (nope, not ready for it). Schwartz explained the thought process behind letting fans in on this reveal ahead of the final season:

"I think we decided to do that because it’s the story. We didn’t want that to be the shock — that he dies. And having that tease at the end of [Season] Seven, we were hoping it would bring everyone back to be like, ‘How does he die? What do you mean he dies? Does he really die?’ You know, because on our show you never really die. So we just thought that would be a great way to end the season basically… And also everyone’s theories! Because that’s the fun of watching a show and having a mystery — everyone trying to guess what’s going to happen."

We’re not sure how the final season will come to a close, but I do know that Arrow will go out with a bang. I mean, the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover is bringing literally every CW Arrowverse show together (Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Batwoman, Black Lightning) —how could it not be terrific?

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h/t Syfy Wire