The CW’s Arrow returns to Lian Yu in a series of photos from an upcoming episode. Arrow, which is in the midst of its eighth and final season, stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/the Green Arrow. Though present-day action on the series mostly takes place in his home of Star City, the first few seasons of the show used flashbacks to Oliver’s life before season 1. Stranded after a boat disaster that took his father’s life, Oliver spent much of that time trying to survive on the island of Lian Yu.
Though recent seasons of Arrow have spent less time on flashbacks, this final season in particular has made many references to season 1. The season 8 premiere mirrored the pilot in many ways and even briefly showed Lian Yu, albeit the Earth-2 version. The first episode back also added to the nostalgia by having Oliver reunite with his mother, Moira, and best friend, Tommy, both of whom are dead in his world. Additionally, last week’s episode saw Oliver take his grown-up children, William and Mia, with him to Russia, a place he also spent a lot of time before the start of the series.
The new Arrow photos were shared by ComicBook and come from next week’s episode, appropriately titled “Purgatory.” A couple of weeks ago, The CW released a synopsis which teases an ally’s return in the form of Yao Fei, who trained Oliver on Lian Yu. The episode’s description also mentions that “a united Team Arrow faces a recognizable villain” during the hour. In the episode stills, Oliver’s entire present-day team, as well as Mia, Connor Hawke, and Yao Fei are seen preparing for battle. It seems likely they’re up against the Deathstroke gang, as they’re seen as well. Check out the “Purgatory” photos featuring Team Arrow on Lian Yu below:
In addition to the whole team’s trip to Lian Yu, this episode of Arrow is also notable for being the mid-season finale and the last to air before the highly anticipated Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Though the event will likely have a large impact on every Arrowverse show, it’s probable that it will affect Arrow the most. After all, Oliver is predicted to die in the event, just like The Flash’s Barry Allen. However, while viewers have so far only seen a headline from the future mentioning Barry’s death, they’ve seen Oliver’s actual headstone. Plus, Arrow will only air for two weeks following Crisis on Infinite Earths, making killing off its hero entirely possible.
As Arrow draws to a close, it makes sense to visit locations that were important to the show and its characters in the early years. This entire final season of Arrow has functioned as a multi-episode farewell to the series. Lian Yu had, and continues to have, a huge impact on Oliver’s progression as a hero, and it’s great that the show is paying homage to that. Plus, with only a few hours with Oliver and Team Arrow left, it’s nice to know that fans still have a few things to looking forward to.
More: Every Arrowverse Character Appearing In Crisis On Infinite Earths
Source: ComicBook
