'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 3 'Leap of Faith' is a beautiful tribute to Oliver and Thea's unbreakable sibling bond
After the high-octane spy story of Episode 2, 'Arrow' Season 8 slows things down a little with Episode 3 'Leap of Faith'. However, that doesn't mean it's a bad episode and in fact, it's one of the most emotionally charged stories we've seen in the series in quite some time.
'Leap of Faith' shows Oliver Queen / Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) taking a break from his mission to prepare for the coming 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' and seek out answers about the mysterious Monitor (LaMonica Garret).
With the help of his sister Thea Queen / Speedy (Willa Holland) and his old frenemy Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig), Oliver sets off on an Indiana Jones-style adventure seeking the tomb of the very first Ra's al Ghul.
Oliver hopes to find a journal with information on the Monitor while Talia and her rival Athena (Kyra Zagorsky) are trying to beat each other to the tomb because it is the resting place of the sword of the first Ra's al Ghul.
The sacred relic would allow whoever possesses it to take control of the splintered League of Assassins. Thea mostly just wants to help her brother out but she ends up being the one to win the sword, embracing her role as the Daughter of the Demon.
The episode had plenty of action and adventure but it's the quiet moments between Oliver and Thea that really make this a good story. The Queen siblings have come a long way since season one and the episode beautifully pays tribute to that long, hard journey.
Their unbreakable bond is brought into the spotlight in two particularly emotional scenes, the first of which happens when Oliver and Thea take a break while climbing a mountain.
"You know I've been thinking about Mom and Dad lately," Thea tells Oliver. "Wondering what they would think about the lives we've chosen. All the mistakes they made, all the lies they told in their own very, very messed up way, they thought they were protecting us."
Oliver points out that their parents' attempts at protecting them failed spectacularly but Thea argues that all of those hardships shaped them into the heroes they are now. "You can't change the future Ollie," Thea says. "The past teaches us you might as well not bother trying to."
"When did you stop being my baby sister?" Oliver asks, only half-joking. "No, I never did," Thea replies. "I just grew up a little bit. Now can we please get off this mountain?"
As if that wasn't touching enough, the episode ends with Oliver bidding farewell to Thea for what might just be the last time. Since he already told her about his impending death earlier in the episode, Thea is aware of just how significant this moment is.
And even though Thea is confident her brother will find a way to beat fate and come back to her again, seeing these two share one last tender moment together is one of the most heartbreaking things any 'Arrow' fan will ever have to go through.
"I'm gonna miss you," Thea says. "Every day, I miss you." With tears flowing freely, Oliver chokes out "Good-bye, Speedy," and Thea replies with a smile and a "Bye, Ollie". And at that moment, we can almost see their entire history flash before our own tear-filled eyes.
The episode does set up a potential spin-off series featuring Thea and the new League of Heroes that she plans on starting along with Talia al Ghul. However, if this is to be the end of Thea's story, we couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye.
'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 4 'Present Tense' will air on The CW on November 5.