| "Lian Yu" | |
|---|---|
| Arrow episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 23 |
| Directed by | Jesse Warn |
| Written by | |
| Featured music | Blake Neely |
| Production code | T27.13223 |
| Original air date | May 24, 2017 |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Lian Yu" (Chinese: 煉獄) is the twenty-third and final episode of the fifth season, and 115th episode overall of The CW series Arrow. The episode was written by showrunners Wendy Mericle and Marc Guggenheim and directed by Jesse Warn. It was first broadcast on May 24, 2017, on The CW.
The finale revolves about Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), who is now in a desperate search for his son William, who has been kidnapped by Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra). Chase has gathered an army including Laurel Lance / Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) and his mercenaries to give the final confrontation against Oliver and returns to the place where everything began: Lian Yu. In order to achieve it, Chase kidnaps Oliver's friends and holds them hostages. With no options, Oliver teams up with Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law) and releases Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) and Digger Harkness (Nick E. Tarabay) in order to help him fight against Chase. The episode is also the end of the flashbacks storyline which has been happening since the pilot episode.[1]
The episode received universal acclaim from critics, who hailed the finale as the best episode of the series, praising Amell and Segarra's performances, the action scenes, conclusion to the flashbacks, and Bennett's return.