The annual spikes in popularity that films likeDie HardandHome Aloneenjoy at this time of year show that there is a sizable group of viewers who love stories that blend holiday themes with violent action. Many action-adventure television series attempt to appeal to this taste by producing holiday-themed episodes, but few have done so as effectively asArrowhas. The first mid-season finale of the influentialDC Comics adaptation, which was released shortly before the winter holidays in 2012, managed to deliver both a relatable Christmas story and spectacular superhero action, while also revealing several key plot twists that made the series’ narrative more complex and compelling.
What Happens in ‘Arrow’ Season 1, Episode 9?
In “Year’s End” (ArrowSeason 1, Episode 9),Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell)realizes that he has been so preoccupied with his activities as the vigilante archer known as the Hood and his recent break-up with fellow vigilante Helena Bertinelli/the Huntress (Jessica De Gouw) that he didn’t notice the Christmas season beginning. He is eager to resume his family’s holiday traditions after five years as a castaway on the island ofLian Yu, but his sister Thea (Willa Holland) tells him that she and their mother Moira (Susanna Thompson) were so heartbroken the first Christmas after Oliver and his father were presumed dead that they didn’t celebrate the holiday, and didn’t resume doing so in the intervening years. This just makes Oliver more determined, andhe decides to take up his father’s tradition of throwing a lavish Christmas party at his family’s mansion, despite Thea’s obvious distaste for the idea. Meanwhile, another archer begins a killing spree throughout Starling City, assassinating many of the wealthy criminals Oliver had previously defeated as the Hood, but let live.
‘Arrow’s “Year’s End” Episode Complicates Oliver’s Flashback Journey
In the flashbacks depicting his time on the island, Oliver is put in greater danger than everwhen his mentor and protector Yao Fei Gulong (Byron Mann) is capturedby mercenary Edward Fyers (Sebastian Dunn) and an assassin dressed likeDC Comics supervillain Deathstroke. Although Oliver escapes, this sets him up to endure the next portion of his exile on his own — before he finds a new ally in Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett), the most famous iteration of Deathstroke — a few episodes later. This isolated period is crucial in transitioning Oliver from the spoiled child he was when he arrived at the island to being the seasoned, often ruthless warrior shown in the present-day scenes, and includes the first instance of him being forced to kill an enemy in self-defense.
Oliver’s Party Doesn’t Go As Planned in ‘Arrow’s “Year’s End”
Back in the present, Oliver’s bodyguard and crime-fighting partnerJohn Diggle (David Ramsey)asks Oliver if he really thinks the party is a good idea given everything he is currently dealing with — both as a vigilante and in his civilian life. But Oliver remains convinced that it will be good for his family, and by extension, good for him. Although it’s understandable why he would be so set on celebrating the holiday after such a horrific five years,it’s obvious to the viewer that Oliver is asking too much of both himself and his family. His obsessive dedication to spreading holiday cheer is the latest example of how he bottles up and hides the long-term mental and emotional effects of his time on the island. It’s bad enough that his belief that he needs to keep his secret identity from his family means that he can’t tell them significant portions of what he experienced while he was away, but attempting to pretend that everything is fine in order to have the “perfect” Christmas on top of that sets completely unrealistic expectations for himself, the holiday, and the family.
Predictably, the party does not turn out to be the uplifting experience he had hoped for. Olivernotices tension between Moira and his stepfather, Walter (Colin Salmon). The two have secretly been arguing about Walter’s discovery of suspicious, possibly illegal activity on Moira’s part. Although he tells Oliver not to worry, Walter and Moira have another argument in private. In one of the strongest scenes the series had yet delivered,Moira reveals that she is part of a dangerous conspiracy, confessing her worries that Walter continuing to investigate will get either him and/or Oliver and Thea hurt, but promising to explain everything after the party.
’The Flash’s Best Villain Changed the Show for the Better
No, it’s not Eobard Thawne.
Thompson and Salmon had been tasked with a lot of the most interesting dramatic material inArrow’s early episodes, and they do predictably excellent work playing the scenes between the couple in “Year’s End,” highlighting that the characters are ultimately still deeply in love with and concerned for one another, no matter how frustrated they are. HavingSchuyler Fisk’s rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” playing in the background is a genius choice, as the usually comforting song contrasts sharply with the tense content of the scene. The lyrics about reuniting with friends and family in the future emphasize how many ofArrow’s characters, especially Walter and Moira, long for a return to normalcy in their lives — before the devastating events later in the episode show why that is no longer possible for them.
The Tension Between Oliver and Thea Comes to a Head
After another awkward moment, this time with his ex-girlfriendLaurel Lance (Katie Cassidy)and best friend Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell), who are themselves now dating, Oliver finds Thea starting to have sex with her boyfriend. Oliver kicks the latter out, and then he and Thea get into an argument. Oliver is upset that Thea doesn’t appreciate the party he threw for her,but she argues that throwing the party was selfish and hypocritical of him.She explains that the event forces her to relive memories she wants to forget, even though Oliver himself continues to resist her attempts to talk to him honestly about what happened on the island. Thea then states that things will never return to the way they had been before the shipwreck.
This is one of many examples of howArrowshows people reacting to trauma in different ways. Thea’s practice of pushing away the memories of her family troubles doesn’t seem like the most healthy approach in the long run, and the character only really starts to make serious progress in healing when she confronts her challenges more directly after her substance abuse story later in the season. ButOliver also shouldn’t have forced her to try to recapture the past with him just because doing so is his preferred approach.
“Year’s End” Delivers One of ‘Arrow’s Most Memorable Fights
When the other archer, soon to be known asthe Dark Archer,takes hostages in an abandoned warehouse and publicly challenges the Hood, Oliver leaves the party to confront him. Oliver frees the hostages, who escape to safety outside the building, but he is then attacked by the other archer. The two men engage in an elaborate duel,with the archer eventually shooting Oliver in the shoulder with multiple arrows and brutally beating him. He references the list of names Oliver’s father gave him before his death, which Oliver uses to pick the targets for his Hood investigations, stating that “the man who authored it wants you dead!” Oliver manages to stab the other archer in the leg and make a narrow escape before desperately calling Diggle for help.
Until this point,present-day Oliver had been presented as a nearly unstoppable forceof nature in combat, with the skills he learned during his time on the island far outclassing those of the criminals he fought as the Hood. He even alluded to this himself before the fight, dismissing Diggle’s concerns about the danger the archer posed by saying, “There wasn’t anything on the island that wasn’t twice as dangerous as this pretender, and I survived there for five years.” Because of this, Oliver’s defeat was a dramatic shock thatsolidified the other archer asan unbelievably dangerous antagonistmoving forward. Furthermore, the archer’s mention of the list causes Oliver to doubt his assumption that his father had also written it, and adds more intrigue to the mystery of the conspiracy threatening Starling, which is developed in both the present day scenes and the flashbacks.
“Year’s End” Is Just the Beginning of ‘Arrow’s Impressive Fight Scenes
After the fight, Oliver wakes up in a hospital. Diggle lets his family in to visit, telling them the cover story that Oliver had been in a motorcycle accident.Moira and Theaare confused about why he would leave his own party, but he acknowledges how hosting it in the beginning had been a bad idea.Walter notes that Oliver obviously wanted the party to bring them closer together,and reassures him that he has succeeded in a way. After their parents leave, Thea recognizes that she has been hard on Oliver, but also mentions that they are both different people than before the shipwreck. He asks if they can accept each other “for the people we are now,” to which she agrees. Thea then pulls out two candy canes, so they can resume their childhood Christmas tradition of seeing who can eat one faster.
Towards the end of the episode, a scene of the other archerreveals that he is really Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Tommy’s father,a family friend to the Queens and head of the conspiracy that Moira is a part of. This is a plot twist that changes the show (and what wouldbecome known as the Arrowverse) forever. Aware of Walter’s suspicions, Malcolm has him kidnapped. Moira knows that permitting him to do so is the only way to persuade Malcolm not to simply kill Walter. Elsewhere, Oliver feels he failed the city by losing to the other archer, but Diggle points out that the hostages are only home enjoying the holidays because of him. Oliver tells Diggle about the archer mentioning the list, and resolves to defeat both the true author and the other archer (not realizing that they are both Malcolm).
Oliver’s defeat and Walter’s abduction may make “Year’s End” seem likean oddly depressing episode for the holidays, but Oliver’s determination at the end and Diggle’s point about the hostages maintain a necessary amount of optimism. Plus, Oliver and Thea’s reconciliation is the heart of the episode, completing their shared arc from the first half of the season and helping the episode make its argument about the holidays. Oliver tries to suppress the emotions naturally caused by his traumatic experiences and avoid acknowledging life’s difficulties to have what he thinks will be a perfect Christmas — which is something a lot of people do at all holidays — and the drama it provokes among the Queen family showcases why it’s a bad idea. The simple joy ofthe candy cane scene reminds viewers to be flexible and appreciate the time they spend with family and friends during the holidays,even if it comes in unexpected, non-traditional forms. Likewise, Diggle’s initial point about it not being the right time for the party, and the fact that Oliver does eventually have to leave to fight Malcolm, emphasize that people can’t always put all their responsibilities and problems on hold during the holidays and shouldn’t necessarily try to or feel guilty for not doing so.
In addition to making relatable points about the holiday season,“Year’s End” was also instrumental in the series’ evolution. The battle scenes, especially those between Oliver and Malcolm and Yao Fei and the faux Deathstroke, continue to stand out amongArrow’s (and the Arrowverse’s) large assortment of impressive fights, while thevarious narrative twists alteredArrowin several crucial ways. Deepening the mystery of the list, isolating Oliver in the flashbacks, Walter being taken, and revealing Malcolm’s secret identity allowed the series to move from its largely episodic beginnings to a more heavily serialized story, while also setting the stage for an even more intense back half of the season. In regard to character development, the episode continues to emphasize that despite her flaws,Moira is ultimately a sympathetic figure forced into her illicit activities, and completes Oliver and Thea’s initial difficulties related to the former’s homecoming, allowing them to progress into different storylines (both individually and with one another) in the future. Cumulatively, these developments raised the bar for the series’ quality and ensured its continued success, which in turn allowed for the creation of the beloved franchise it started.
Arrowis available to watch on Netflix in the U.S.
Watch on Netflix
When presumed-dead billionaire playboy Oliver Queen returns home to Starling City after five years stranded on a remote island in the Pacific, he hides the changes the experience had on him, while secretly seeking reconciliation with his ex, Laurel. By day he picks up where he left off, playing the carefree philanderer he used to be, but at night he dons the alter ego of Arrow and works to right the wrongs of his family and restore the city to its former glory. Complicating his mission is Laurel’s father, Detective Quentin Lance, who is determined to put the vigilante behind bars.
