'Arrow' Recap: 'Invasion!'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

When it comes to the CW's Arrow, I do have a confession to make...it's one of the few comic book shows out there that I rarely watch. It's not because the show is awful, it's simply a matter of finding the time along with the sheer fact that if I dove in now...I'd be overwhelmed with the story thanks to my lack of knowledge of the prior four seasons of the show.

But after settling in to watch the series to continue the thrilling 'Invasion!' storyline working its way through this year's crossover event...maybe it's time I sit down and binge four or five seasons of the show and catch up on all things Arrow because last night's 100th episode was a clear indication that this series is one filled to the brim with a rich tapestry of a story to tell, one wrought with anguish and pain and a hero that is wiling to make incredible sacrifices to keep his world safe and I was able to learn all of this, from a simple tale that answered a question we all love to ask ourselves...what if?

Because this episode was able to build an entire story around the powerful conversation that Oliver had with Barry the other night on The Flash, where the Green Arrow let his good friend know that he would give anything to go back in time and change the past for a shot to spend just a little more time with those he has loved and lost and well...the Dominators decided to grant him that wish. Because shortly after seeing some of his friends pulled up into the sky, Oliver opened his eyes to find himself home...with a few changes of course. This time around mom and dad were there to celebrate his upcoming marriage to Laurel and discuss his future as the head of Queen Consildated and well...let's be honest, this was a pretty sweet life to live.

Because in essence, all of Oliver's dreams came true. He now had a stable and happy family life, a love that would no doubt last him a lifetime and a job that offered financial security, so what more could the man want? But something about this life...didn't quite seem natural and moment by moment, Oliver and the others that were kidnapped with him, began to see flashes of a different life...one filled with pain, one filled with challenges and one where they did nothing but give their all to make the world a better place and that life, that reality, called to all of them prompting Oliver to open everyone's eyes so they could fight back and return to a world that needed them and just how important the real world is to Oliver and his friends was demonstrated the instant they emerged from their slumber...and went right back to work, fighting the Dominators to save as many lives as possible.

Yet, despite the fact that this episode went light on the crossover fun, giving us but a few moments of awesome with Flash and Supergirl, and the fact it really didn't give us any solid answers on the Dominators reasons for coming to earth...outside of them developing a super weapon; this was actually one awesome episode. It was a bold stroke of storytelling to slow down this crossover event and give us such an intimate story, one filled to the brim with feels for that matter, in fact the final moment before Oliver returns to reality, where he sees those he has lost over the years one last time was an outright tear jerker. Either way, it's convinced me to find some time in my crazy television schedule to catch up on Arrow at some point and the lack of intel on the Dominators, has me curious to see if everything will be revealed on Legends of Tomorrow, as we wrap up this incredible crossover event.

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