Normally, a season of Arrow consists of 23 episodes. This year, though, it’ll clock in at 22. But when it comes to the eighth and final season, expect for a much more truncated affair, as the tally for that one will come in at 10.
By now, I imagine you’ve had time to digest the news saying that the daddy of the appropriately named Arrowverse will soon be coming to an end. Granted, we did give you a heads up a few weeks back, but the confirmation still knocked the wind out of us all.
And if you do the math, the 10-episode order will allow for the series to end right around the time of “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” If it’s anything like the recent “Elseworlds” crossover, then Arrow‘s segment will be that of its ninth episode. And if indeed Oliver Queen dies a hero during that, then the tenth installment – and subsequently the series finale – could serve as a memoriam or epilogue of sorts.
If you’ll remember, it wasn’t that long ago when CW President Mark Pedowitz said that it’s “highly likely” that at least one major death will occur during “Crisis.” Furthermore, it “may be a remix of its comic book source material.”
Translation: don’t place your bets on the Flash and Supergirl biting the dust just as they did in the comic book storyline of the same name. Don’t forget, the former remains the network’s top draw, with the latter likely still having at least another season or two left in her own run.
Getting back to the structure I was discussing earlier, it may not be crazy to assume that the series finale may air in December of this year. Should Ollie die a warrior’s death during the crossover, then it’d feel kind of weird to wait until January to deliver the epilogue. Not only that, but the time slot will probably be passed on to another show waiting to premiere.
In the meantime, be sure to savor every episode of Arrow while it still airs on Monday nights on The CW.