Arrow 6x23 : Life Sentence review

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it

Arrow's sixth season comes to a close with a heart pounding thrill ride of an episode. We're thrown right into the action from the get-go as the Green Arrow and his team now with the FBI infiltrate the SCPD building looking for Diaz. They get control of the building but Diaz is nowhere to be seen. Outside Anatoli talks to Oliver over the phone before Diaz gets in the back seat and tells him to meet him at a specified location in an hour's time. He also name drops The Longbow Hunters (season 7's big bad perhaps?) before leaving Anatoli who actually goes and turns himself into the SCPD. At the Mayor's office Quentin gets a call from Diaz who threatens to kill Laurel if he doesn't do a press conference and tell the FBI to leave the city as they are getting too close to Diaz and his operation. He disagrees as we see Laurel held captive who now has a strong connection to Quentin. 

Team Arrow get another tip off on Diaz and rush to another location where they are greeted by trip wires and an armed bomb. With no real outcome of the situation Rene along with 2 other FBI agent's rings his daughter thinking it's the last time he'll be doing so. With Felicity in his ear she manages to trick the wires to thinking they aren't moving when they actually are and they get out just in time. Back at the SCPD which is now being used as a type of bunker, Felicity notices Oliver going around to each member of the team shaking their hands and talking to them. He tells Rene that he's proud of how far he's come since they met and he tells Dinah more of the same but she tells him of her infinite respect for him. Why's Oliver doing this? well it turns out that in return for everyone getting immunity from jail time Oliver put himself in the fore front and agreed with Agent Watson to serve time for being the Green Arrow. Much to the dismay of Felicity and William as they just thought he had gotten off with this. More on this whole situation later.

Quentin meets up with Diaz and he brings him to see Laurel who he still has held captive. Before Quentin went with Diaz however he mentioned getting a pacemaker after the whole Deathstroke situation at the end of season 2. The pacemaker is the key as it can be traced and Felicity is on the job as they trace the location but they arrive too late as Diaz interrogates both Laurel and Quentin he goes to shoot Laurel but Quentin jumps in front of the bullet taking it right in the gut for his daughter (Earth 2 version) I did like how Laurel now has to mourn for him as he did for her Earth 1 version as everyone is at the hospital later the doctor announces Quentin's death during surgery..a really emotional farewell to one of this show's best ever characters. Even Sara turns up but she never actually gets to greet her father as he dies before she gets to see him. But that's not the only thing the team get hit with as Agent Watson shows up and places Oliver under arrest. Oliver without hesitating accepts his 'life sentence' and gets taken away in handcuffs. Outside the hospital the press surround Oliver and he tells them everything. He tells them that he is the Green Arrow, that Roy Harper and Tommy Merlyn are not the Green Arrow and he had a lot of people sacrifice for his cause and now finally he is going to accept his sentence in prison. And that's how the episode ends as Oliver is escorted to his jail cell while prisoners try to get to him given that he has put most of them there. But before it cuts to black we see Diaz who is still very much alive after falling from the top of the same building where Laurel was being held captive earlier. He appears in a room watching Oliver on a screen surrounded by some people. The Longbow Hunters perhaps? either way it ends as the jail cell closes and Oliver has to serve time for just trying to save his city. This show really has come full circle. 

And that's a wrap on season 6. While not perfect it's not as good as last season but it's nowhere near as bad as season 4 was. That being said it did have some lackluster episodes especially in the beginning. But the back half of the season featured some really good episodes and for that I have to say it was a good if not mixed season. Until season 7 Team Arrow!

★★★★

Season overall :

★★★