
Potential spoiler warning: Though no out-right spoilers are present, those who wish to see tonight’s season finale of “Arrow” unsullied may want to skip.
Tonight will see the third season of “Arrow” come to an end and series co-creator Marc Guggenheim opened up about the finale, noting that it feels like a series finale.
“It gives you a very definitive end,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It does feel like a series finale. At the same time, now that we’re working on season four, there are plot threads and notions from the season finale that get pulled into season four. It really does function on both levels, much more so than previous season finales. We’ve never ended a season the way we’re ending this season, where literally you are going, “How can the show go on?” At the end of season one in the wake of Tommy’s [Colin Donnell] death, there was a question of how can Oliver go on? But there was no question of how the show was going to be the show. Here, literally there is no more Arrow identity. There is no more lair. Relationships are fractured. All the things that sort of make the show the show are kind of gone. It’s an interesting conundrum the finale poses, which is, “OK, that was a really satisfying ending, but I know there is a season four, so how is there going to be a season four?” It’s a cliffhanger.”
Guggenheim also spoke about the upcoming spin-off series “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” saying that knowing it was on the horizon didn’t change their plans for tonight’s episode.
“Ray’s [Brandon Routh] last scene, which is a very definitive sendoff, was actually something we talked about way back at the beginning of the year, long before the spinoff was discussed. While Ray’s sendoff does a nice job of teeing up where he is headed in the spinoff, it was always something we were going to do. It functions both as an end to Ray’s story in season three, as well as a little tease of what people might be able to expect from the spinoff.”
Titled “My Name Is Oliver Queen,” the finale is officially described as follows:
“Everyone’s lives are in danger as Ra’s al Ghul puts forth his final plan. Oliver/Al Sah-him must decide if he’s strong enough to take on this new role and what it will mean for everyone on Team Arrow, and his soul.”
Directed by John Behring with story by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Jake Coburn, “My Name Is Oliver Queen” is set to air May 13. “Arrow” airs Wednesdays at 8 P.M. EST.
You can catch up on season three of “Arrow” by reading our recaps by clicking here.
Arrow 3.23
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0302b -- Pictured (L-R): Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer, David Ramsey as John Diggle, John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn, Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0307b -- Pictured (L-R): David Ramsey as John Diggle, Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn and Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0046b -- Pictured: John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0087b -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0116b -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0125b -- Pictured (L-R): Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, and Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0146b -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0220b -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0236b -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0268b -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0291b -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0005b -- Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen and Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0009b -- Pictured (L-R): Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn, David Ramsey as John Diggle and Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0226b -- Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen and Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0269b -- Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen and Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0282b -- Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen and Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0290b -- Pictured (L-R): Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak and Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0329b -- Pictured: Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0351b -- Pictured: John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0353b -- Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul and Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0370b -- Pictured (L-R): John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn and Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0390b -- Pictured (L-R): Willa Holland as Thea Queen and Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323B_0395b -- Pictured: Willa Holland as Thea Queen -- Photo: Liane Hentscher/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0007b -- Pictured: Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0022b -- Pictured: Rila Fukushima as Tatsu Yamashiro -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0103b -- Pictured: Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0121b -- Pictured: Matt Nable as Ra's al Ghul -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0138b -- Pictured (L-R): Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen and Matt Nable as Ra's al Ghul -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0179b -- Pictured: Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0295b -- Pictured: Matt Nable as Ra's al Ghul -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0323b -- Pictured: Matt Nable as Ra's al Ghul -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323C_0389b -- Pictured: Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. -
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Arrow -- "My Name is Oliver Queen" -- Image AR323A_0020b -- Pictured (L-R): Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, and David Ramsey as John Diggle -- Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW -- é 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.