Fadeout

"Of course, life will go on. It always does. But how? What twists and turns it will take, I can't say. I don't know what the future holds...except to say expect the unexpected. Oliver may be gone, but his mission endures. That mission lives on, Oliver lives on, in the people he inspired. Some will take that mission to the rest of the world...maybe even beyond that. Because if the past eight years has shown us anything...it's that this universe is far bigger than any of us could have dared imagine. Even if it is a little less bright, without him in it."

—John Diggle's eulogy at Oliver Queen's funeral

"Fadeout"
Information
Season 8 » Episode 10
Episode number	170 of 170
Original airdate	January 28, 2020
Written by	Marc Guggenheim Beth Schwartz
Directed by	James Bamford
Chronology
Preceded by	"Green Arrow & The Canaries"

"Fadeout" is the tenth and final episode of the eighth season of Arrow, and the one-hundred-seventieth and final episode overall. It aired on January 28, 2020.

Synopsis

After eight seasons, and the launch of countless superheroes, Arrow wraps up the story of the Green Arrow. Emily Bett Rickards returns as Felicity.[src]

Plot

The scene opens with a voiceover montage with Oliver Queen giving a general recap of his excursion, bringing the crowd up to his demise and the resurrection of the universe because of his penance. Toward the end, he pronounces that some piece of him will consistently be the Green Arrow.

Starling City 2014. The night Deathstroke killed Moira Queen, however this time, the truth is unique. Oliver liberates himself and brings down Deathstroke, sparing his mom. In the present, Moira converses with the Emerald Archer narrative team about thinking about that elective reality. She likewise clarifies that Oliver's companions have disclosed to her that he's the explanation "everything changed" and that their reality is a blessing from him.

Dinah is straightaway, looking at preparing everything, as does Rene, addressing Oliver's inheritance. Diggle likewise talks, battling a piece with the loss of Oliver. When the cameras stop, Rene comes to talk with him. Turns out Oliver simply fixed things. He disposed of all wrongdoing in Star City and it's an ideal opportunity to respect him. At the dugout, the group - including Roy - toasts to Oliver. They visit about their future. Quentin Lance is alive and still civic chairman. He's supporting Rene as his substitution. Dinah is head of police. Diggle feels like things aren't finished.

Flashback, Starling City 2012. Diggle needs to help Oliver in the field. Oliver opposes and explores his next objective: John Byrne, a human dealer. Diggle needs to realize what number of names are on the rundown. Oliver discloses to him the mission is rarely finished. Flashback: the pontoon after the sinking of the Queen's Gambit. Robert Queen despite everything takes his own life. We at that point move to Star City 2040. Mia awakens in her bed and Sara is in her room, having opportunity portaled to arrive get her for Oliver's burial service.

At the fortification, Laurel is battling. Roy gives Dinah her "Sign of 4" tattoo and uncovers that he's anxious to converse with Thea. It's uncovered Emiko is alive, as well. Another flashback. Diggle keeps on conflicting with Oliver about going along with him in the field, with Diggle attempting to persuade Oliver that there are different approaches to get equity than slaughtering individuals and losing himself isn't justified, despite any potential benefits. In the present, Mia utilizes the PC in the dugout and reveals to Dinah that something occurs later on - William's capturing - and she at present feels defenseless. The news at that point breaks that in the present, William is abducted from Central City.

The group has a strategic: William. Felicity appears. Ragman is likewise there, as is Curtis and Lyla. Felicity uncovers she embedded a tracker in William, however it's not useful at this point. She gets a rundown of potential areas and now the whole gathered group embarks to look at them to spare William. Thea and Roy check one area and he's not there. Before they go to the following, Roy opens up to Thea and says he needs to wed her. Another area, Ragman and Rene clear it. His clothes work finally and he's been battling for equity to respect Oliver. Ragman reveals to Rene he is the individual from the group most like their killed pioneer. Diggle and Lyla clear another. William's seizing has her shaken as she feels obligated to Oliver for giving them back their girl. Green Arrow Mia then terrains on a housetop and discovers William. John Byrne has him.

A flashback clarifies the essentialness. At the point when Oliver finds Byrne once upon a time he doens't kill him. Rather, Oliver put him in jail and demolished his life. In the present, Mia decides not to murder him either. He is returning to jail. Back at the Bunker, Felicity learns Mia is her girl. The news reports the that Oliver more likely than not propelled another Green Arrow. Another flashback. Oliver gives Diggle preparing tips and discloses to him that he didn't murder Byrne. He accepted Diggle's recommendation. At Queen Mansion, Thea says yes to Roy's proposition.

Shrub meets with Quentin. She is experiencing difficulty with her current and Earth-1 Laurel not since Oliver "fixed" everything. Quentin discloses to Laurel that Oliver didn't fix the Laurel circumstance since it didn't require fixing. At the dugout, Diggle, Dinah, and Rene have another second together before killing the lights one final time. Afterward, a sculpture of the Green Arrow is revealed in Star City.

What's more, presently, the burial service. Thea addresses why Oliver couldn't bring back their father. Moira clarifies that Oliver could just change the things that didn't transform him, which means Robert stays dead. Emiko ways to deal with meet Thea and is invited by the two ladies as family. Tommy talks with Laurel-2 and uncovers that he's mindful of the truth in which he was dead. He likewise says that Laurel-1 was his significant other. It's muddled what her destiny was, however inferred that she passed on and stays dead. Nyssa and Talia are there also with Nyssa clarifying she had her union with Oliver eradicated. Mia acquaints herself with Felicity and uncovers that she did, indeed, meet Oliver. They embrace. Barry pays his sympathies too, as does Kara. Anatoly is available, they covered a coffin of tokens. Diggle offers a tribute regarding Oliver's excursion and penance.

Everybody starts to proceed onward. Lyla heads to Metropolis with the children. Mia comes back to what's to come. Rene administers his battle. Dinah takes off into the obscure. Furthermore, at that point, something collides with the earth close Diggle and he hauls a thing out of the hole. Opening the container, he's washed in a shining green light.

We streak forward one final time, to Star City 2040 and the second where, in Season 7, The Monitor brought Felicity into the obscure. She shows up, dressed as she was back in Season 1. She's in Moira Queen's old office. This is Oliver's existence in the wake of death: he's been sitting tight for her at the time he initially observed her and it's not in the IT office. It's the point at which he saw her conversing with his photograph on his mom's work area each one of those years prior. Presently, they have constantly on the planet together ideally.

Cast

Main cast

• Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Hood/Green Arrow
• David Ramsey as John Diggle/Spartan
• Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog
• Juliana Harkavy as Dinah Drake/Black Canary
• Katherine McNamara as Mia Queen/Green Arrow
• Ben Lewis as William Clayton (archive footage)
• Joseph David-Jones (credit only)

Special appearance by

• Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance/Black Canary
• Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers
• Grant Gustin as Barry Allen

Special guest star

• Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak
• Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen
• Colton Haynes as Roy Harper/Arsenal
• Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt/Mr. Terrific
• Willa Holland as Thea Queen/Speedy
• Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance
• Caity Lotz as Sara Lance/White Canary
• Colin Donnell as Tommy Merlyn
• Sea Shimooka as Emiko Adachi

Guest starring

• Audrey Marie Anderson as Lyla Michaels
• David Nykl as Anatoly Knyazev
• Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul
• Lexa Doig as Talia al Ghul
• Joe Dinicol as Rory Regan/Ragman

Co-starring

• Keri Adams as Bethany Snow
• Tiahra Allen as Young Sara
• Johnny Cuthbert as John Byrne
• Marcello Guedes as Young JJ
• Jessica Heafey as Ms. Pedowitz
• Jack Moore as Young William Clayton

Uncredited

• Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson (archive footage)
• LaMonica Garrett as Mar Novu (archive footage)
• Brandon Routh as Atom (photograph)
• Franz Drameh as Firestorm (photograph)
• Nick Zano as Steel (photograph)
• Lucia Walters as Susan Brayden (photograph)
• Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Vixen (photograph)
• Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory (photograph)
• Marc Guggenheim as a memorial visitor

Trivia

• Marc Guggenheim posted a picture to clarify viewers on where the title came from. In it, the fadeout is the area on a longbow where the grip tapers into the risers and limbs of the bow.
  • In the episode, Mia instructs William on the parts of a bow, pointing out the fadeout.
• Stephen Amell and David Ramsey got the ending they wanted for their respective characters.
• The final scene was a brand new scene Marc Guggenheim came up with after he just finished meditation class one morning at the time the ending had not been written. Guggenheim posted the script of the ending after he considered about doing it on the night of the airing in case it was cut.
  • Stephen cried when Guggenheim told him about it at the Entertainment Weekly cover shoot. But there were a lot of hurdles because Emily Bett Rickards's involvement played a crucial role in getting the scene over.
• This episode was preceded by a TV special airing prior to it, titled Arrow: Hitting the Bullseye.
• Madison McLaughlin and Jessica De Gouw were unable to make an appearance due to scheduling conflicts.
• Of the main cast, John Barrowman ("Malcolm Merlyn"), Josh Segarra ("Adrian Chase"), Kirk Acevedo ("Ricardo Diaz"), Ben Lewis (Older "William Clayton", Joseph David-Jones ("Connor Hawke") and LaMonica Garrett do not make an appearance with footage of the latter's appearance being recycled from "You Have Saved This City".
• There was talk about getting Emily to appear in the flashbacks but couldn't because she was only available to film for two days.
• Slade's appearance at the beginning of the episode makes use of unused footage from "Unthinkable" in which Oliver dreams of what would've happened if he had saved his mother.
• From Mia's perspective, it had been two weeks after the events of "Green Arrow & The Canaries", as opposed to Dinah Drake and Laurel Lance's point of view, as they were versions two months before the events of said episode.
• This is the first and only episode to feature two different title cards during and at the conclusion of the episode. Since the end title card reuses Season 1's title card, Oliver and Felicity wear the exact same wardrobe from when they first met in "Lone Gunmen".
• Marc Guggenheim made an uncredited cameo during the statue reveal. He can be seen on the left side next to Diggle, and behind Felicity and Dinah.
• Rene says to Diggle that is arms are the size of "telephone poles", a reference to the first season when Oliver says a variation of the line saying to him that his arms are "the size of bowling balls."
• This is the first episode since The Flash episode "Invincible" that Barry Allen and Laurel have been in the same episode.
  • This is also the first episode that Kara Danvers and Earth-2 Laurel have been in the same episode.
• Since Oliver Queen altered the reality when creating Earth-Prime, Tommy Merlyn is alive. However, Oliver stopped killing people because of Tommy in the original multiverse. This was explained in the flashbacks where it was John Diggle who convinced Oliver not to kill people in the new multiverse.
• James Bamford directed his third and last Arrow finale.
• This is the first (and only) time that Melissa Benoist has appeared on Arrow without the episode being part of a crossover.
• Series creator Marc Guggenheim always planned for Arrow to end with Oliver dying. However, early plans for the series finale saw Oliver die in the final episode rather than ahead of it. Furthermore, the finale was originally envisioned with Oliver inspiring Batman to begin his own crusade.

Production

Preparation ran from October 22 until October 30, 2019. Shooting ran from October 31 until November 13, 2019.

Gallery

Videos

Arrow 8x10 Promo "Fadeout" (HD) Season 8 Episode 10 Promo Series Finale

Arrow Season 8 Episode 10 Fadeout Scene The CW

Arrow Season 8 Episode 10 Suit Up Scene The CW