The crisis is getting closer and closer and in this week’s Arrow, Oliver travels to Nanda Parbat to get some help and runs into family. In the future, Mia, William, Zoe, and Connor are trying to stop the Deathstrokes Gang, and things don’t go as planned.
Find out what happened on the third episode of the last season of Arrow, “Leap of Faith.”
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— Arrow (@CW_Arrow) October 30, 2019
Oliver gets to Nanda Parbat and an area with a fire that looks like it was just recently put out. An arrow almost gets him, but he catches it and starts fighting someone. That someone turns out to be Thea, who’s surprised to see her big brother. Thea and Oliver are sitting around a newly lit fire, and Thea is looking at a picture of Oliver, Felicity, and baby Mia. After giving the photo back to Oliver, he asks her how she got the scar on her face. Thea reveals that it was Athena. He tells Thea he wasn’t expecting to find her alone and asks where Nyssa is.
Thea says Thailand, but she doesn’t really know. After they destroyed the Lazarus Pits, she had some League business to take care of. Oliver wonders since she destroyed the Pits, why didn’t she come home? She says the Pits may be gone, but the Thanatos Guild isn’t. After what they did to Roy, she has to take them down. She says Roy returned to Nanda Parbat after Star City and told her what happened and how he killed those men. Oliver says Roy is dealing with his own demons; he’ll be back. Thea tells Oliver she missed him and Oliver tells her he missed her. But Thea knows that’s not the only reason why he came. Oliver tells her about the deal he made with Mar Novu and that he came to collect his debt; he asked Oliver for help. He’s not very good at sharing information with the people he works with. He needs to be 100% sure he can trust him. Oliver was hoping Nyssa could tell him what, if anything, The League knows about him.
Thea knows her brother is hiding something, so she asks what he’s not telling her. Oliver tells her that Mar Novu has seen the future, he’s seen Oliver die, and it’s soon. Thea mentions he’s cheated death more than any of them at this point, but Oliver says it’s fundamentally different than anything they’ve ever dealt with before. Thea tells him to figure out what they’re dealing with, but as she said, Nyssa’s not there. Oliver says Sara hasn’t been able to help either, but he can think of one more League member that might be able to help.
In Star City 2040, Mia, Zoe, and Connor get to the bunker, the alarms still going off, but William is nowhere in sight. Mia is calling out his name, looking everywhere for her big brother. William comes out from behind, telling her he’s okay. He remembered how Felicity hardwired the bunker’s power grid through the floor and gave the guys the shock of their lives. Connor found out JJ is targeting all the members of the Star City Unification Movement, that’s why he went after William. Zoe says it’s a city-wide assault; there are 10 confirmed dead.
Mia notes that since JJ knows who they all are, it’s only a matter of time before he wipes out the entire movement unless they trap him first. All they need is the right lure. Mia catches on that William wants to use himself as bait, but she’s not on board because it’s too dangerous. Connor says they need to gain the upper hand, which is why, Mia says, they need to bring the fight to them and take them out in one fell swoop. Zoe says that unless they waltz into their headquarters, how will they do it? But she sees the look on Mia’s face and realizes that’s exactly what she’s thinking. Connor tells her it didn’t work out too well last time. Mia says they’ve been there before and know the layout. They can use that to their advantage.
Back in Nanda Parbat, Oliver and Thea are walking when they get to an area that The League most likely uses. They get attacked by members, and Talia tells them to hold. She tells Oliver he should not have come to this place, and he tells her she owes him a debt; he’s there to collect.
Talia tells them they come in great peril and, turning to Thea, says, “especially you.” Talia tells Oliver she heard he survived prison, and Oliver tells her he did, but Dr. Parker didn’t. He received the justice he deserved. Talia says with The League gone, the region has become unstable. Oliver tells Talia he needs to know whatever The League might know about Mar Novu. Talia wonders if she helps him, can she consider her debt paid, and Oliver tells her yes. She says if The League had any information on him, it would be found underneath the Karan Shah, The League’s stronghold. But it’s been destroyed. However, Talia’s father has kept records in the catacombs, so they’re still there, waiting to be found with any luck.
In the future, the team breaks into the Deathstrokes’ headquarters. William says if he can tap into the old galaxy one cameras, they should be able to see everything, including JJ and his gang. They hear someone coming and quickly hide. William figures out there’s an office close by he can use. Once they get there, he tells them the system is going to need a minute to reboot before he can access it. Zoe tells Mia she hopes she’s doing all of this for the right reasons, saying they can’t let fear dictate their strategy. Mia tells her she’s not afraid of JJ or his goons, and Zoe says she is afraid of losing her brother. Connor tells them they should get into position, and Mia stays back with William until he’s done.
Talia leads Oliver and Thea through the catacombs and says that assuming the Karan Shah hasn’t been plundered; they’re likely to find what they’re looking for in “The Chronicles of Al-Fatih,” he was the first Ra’s Al Guhl. Talia says her father kept a room full of prized possessions, including information on Al-Faith. Opening a secret passageway, they find the room, which has already been looted. However, they managed to find “The Chronicles of Al-Fatih.” Talia tells them the thieves don’t consider it to be of value, which is why it was left behind. After finding out what it means — your old self must die so your new one can be reborn to join The League — Oliver says they need to burn the scroll, revealing an artifact. Talia believes it leads to Al-Fatih’s tomb. Athena shows up, telling Talia to relinquish the artifact or perish. Athena orders the assassins to attack, and they fight one another. The three use the artifact to escape.
Oliver says Athena showing up right when they did can’t be an accident. Thea says neither was Talia giving her the sphere. Talia mentions Athena was likely trailing Thea, the woman who’s declared war on her. Athena would give a crap about Al-Fatih’s sword, as revered as the Ring of Ra’s; whoever wields it commands absolute devotion. Clearly, Athena wants to use it to restart the League of Assassins. Talia says the markings on the map were constellations indicating the tomb’s location, but they don’t need it. She’s memorized them. Oliver tells Thea he’s going to go with Talia and wants her to go back to Talia’s camp and wait for them there. Thea says he came to her for help, but Oliver corrects her saying he came for answers. He wasn’t counting on getting attacked by Athena. Thea can take care of herself, but Oliver tells her to let him handle this and walks off.
Oliver and Talia get to the place and set off a trap. Oliver uses one of his arrows to turn it off. They get the key to the Crypt of Ra’s. Talia injects him with something, telling him she can’t let Athena get the sword. Oliver collapses and rolls down the mountain.
Thea finds Oliver, and he wakes up, saying he thought he told her to stay at the camp. Thea says it looks like she didn’t ignore him soon enough. Oliver mentions going up the face of the mountain is faster but harder; he’s done it before, though.
In 2040, William is still working on hacking the system, and Mia is getting antsy, asking him how much longer it’s going to take. William says he’s activated the northwest quadrant cameras; he needs a few more minutes to get the rest of them up and running. He says he knows what he’s doing and to trust him. Mia says she does. If they want to have any chance of bringing Star City and the Glades back together, they have to take out the Deathstrokes for good. William tells her they could if she’d let the team use him as bait. Mia says it’s too risky … he’s the only family she has left. William appreciates her looking out for him but operating from a place of fear is not a way to protect each other; they have to trust each other. Just then, the cameras come online, and William sees a lot of Deathstrokes in the area. Mia moves into position.
Oliver and Thea get outside the crypt and realize they’re not alone. Athena and the assassins show up, and they’ve captured Talia. Athena tells them the route to Al-Fatih’s crypt will be dangerous, and she has them show them the way.
In a room, an engraving reads, “To survive death, you must embrace it.” Oliver points out the coffin, and they open the crypt. After going down, they figure the crypt must be straight ahead. They realize they need to use the phoenix tiles to get across. If they misstep, fire goes off. Oliver holds off the assassins while Thea goes with Talia. Talia gets the sword, and Thea says as heir to the demon (Malcolm), she has the right to challenge her to combat. They fight while Oliver holds off Athena and her assassins. Rocks fall, and fires go off, falling on Athena and the assassins. Thea is strangling Talia with chains, asking if she yields. Oliver walks in, and Talia says she does. Thea lets go of the chains.
At the camp, Oliver and Thea read through “The Chronicles of Al-Fatih.” Al-Fatih believed if he failed to keep the balance between good and evil, Mar Novu will bring forth the end of times, the annihilation of all things. It means Mar Novu is not trying to prevent what’s going to happen because he’s going to be what causes it.
Oliver says if Mar Novu ends up being on the wrong side of this, he’s going to stop him. Thea says if he’s going to take on a God, he’s going to need all the help he can get. He says he’s good on help — he has John and Laurel. Thea tells Oliver she’ll see him later and to please not die. Every day she misses him. They finish their goodbyes, and Thea walks off.
In the future, JJ is telling the Deathstrokes that this is the night they destroy the Unification Movement. The city will be theirs, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. Mia barges in and starts fighting them. Zoe and Connor enter and join the fight as well. Zoe saves Mia from a Deathstrokes member, but Connor stabs Zoe. Mia says she is going to tell her father she loves him herself because they are going to get her somewhere safe. But Zoe dies in Mia’s arms. Connor takes down JJ and starts punching him, nearly stabbing him before they’re all pulled into a white light.
In the present, Dinah, Rene, and John are surprised to see Oliver at the bunker. Oliver doesn’t know what’s going on, either. Oliver turns around to see … 2040 Mia, William, and Connor. Mia, tearfully, says, “Dad?” Oliver looks at her, not sure what to think.
We are starting to get more in-depth about the crisis, which is great. Seeing Thea back was refreshing. And that plot twist at the end, Mia finally seeing her dad for, really, the first time ever, and William seeing his dad for the first time in what feels like forever, is such an emotional moment. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out in next week’s episode.
