Let's start with that ending, because I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it's an admittedly ambitious turn to have Ra's Al Ghul basically offer Oliver the keys to his kingdom. With Ollie gradually losing control of Team Arrow, it certainly feels like a viable option for him to accept this bizarre offer. But I wonder, does Arrow have the guts to make its protagonist the season's Big Bad? That storyline could essentially make the entire season worthwhile as the gang struggles to make their leader sane again. However, I seriously doubt the writers will take this risky route. 

On the other hand, Ra's offer highlights a noticeable flaw this year: our villain just isn't menacing enough. Slade literally made me fear for our characters' lives at every turn last season, but Ra's hasn't been afforded the slightest development (oh look, he's immortal). Hopefully that will change as the year progresses, because the villain's legacy is too iconic for this to end up being an underwhelming season.



On another note, can we please make Nyssa Al Ghul a regular already? I absolutely adore Katrina Law, and her dynamic with Laurel is brimming with potential. Watching them bond over Sara's "laugh" was extremely moving, and I for one can not wait for Nyssa to become Laurel's trainer (hopefully). Speaking of Laurel, I loved how mature her reaction was to finding out that Thea murdered Sara. She didn't hold Ollie's sister accountable, and simply focused on punishing the man responsible. This behaviour wonderfully coincided with the team standing up to Ollie and his methods (capturing Nyssa and committing to saving Malcolm).

"Nanda Parbat" also proved to be a surprisingly effective episode for Diggle. Although the character hasn't always been my favourite, he's been relegated to the sidelines over the past season or so. Thus it was refreshing to see his brotherly dynamic with Oliver resurface as the ex-bodyguard asked Mr. Queen to be his best man. In addition, Diggle helped Ollie reach the conclusion that the reason he had returned to Parbat was because he couldn't handle the fact that Ra's beat him in battle.




Finally, Ray and Felicity's romantic journey has been an absolute flop in my opinion. Both Emily and Brandon deserve better, and I just didn't find myself rooting for the two to finally get together. And Ray's much-hyped Atom suit? I can't say it doesn't feel like a cheap Iron Man rip-off.  After so much buildup, surely they could have shown us something better?