WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for "Purgatory," the most recent episode of Arrow Season 8.
"My name is Oliver Queen..."
Those are the words that have started nearly every episode of Arrow throughout the CW series' eight-season run. During the first few seasons of the show, Oliver's opening monologues were used as a framing device for the episodes, as it continuously gave potential new viewers the broad strokes they needed to know to hop aboard the series at any given time. As the series progressed, the monologues changed to reflect the series' latest developments.
For long-time viewers, these opening monologues have become a signature part of the series, and the Arrowverse itself. In fact, other series such as The Flash, Supergirl and DC's Legends of Tomorrow have followed Arrow's lead by featuring similar opening monologues that work as both recap and introduction.
Now, Arrow's final episode is almost upon us -- and it turns out it just might change how we perceive Oliver's opening monologues.
Arrow co-creator, producer and writer Marc Guggenheim recently revealed the last four words of Arrow's series finale to tease fans on social media. While Guggenheim hasn't confirmed which character is speaking, the final words are "...tell it to you." These words are obviously the second half of an incomplete thought, and fans have already theorized as to what they could mean in context.
Since this is Arrow, there's a strong possibility that the final words spoken on the series will be from Oliver himself.
If that is the case, then these specific words may mean that Oliver is telling someone a story -- or more precisely, the eight-season story that began when he was marooned on Lian Yu and learned the skills that would lead him to become the vigilante known as the Green Arrow. This would certainly add a whole new dimension to Oliver's opening monologues, as they would now become part of a story he is specifically telling someone. Whether he's talking to the audience or someone on the screen, this would imply that the series' signature opening monologues were part of something bigger.
And this, in turn, may change how we perceive the other Arrowverse shows as well. After all, if Arrow's final words reveal that Oliver's monologues have been part of a story that he's been telling someone, could that be the case for the other Arrowverse series who use the same framing device? The stars of The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow could also be speaking to the same person, like the Monitor, who could be somehow cataloging every great hero's stories.
Unfortunately, the answers to those questions may have to wait a while, considering none of these other shows are slated to conclude any time soon. However, Arrow's final moments may offer a partial answer -- if not a complete one.
Still, the revelation of Arrow's final four words is potentially huge. We have no idea yet what will happen in the finale, but if it gives new meaning to the series' opening monologues, then it could potentially rewrite the entire show.
Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Arrow's final season stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Katie Cassidy as Black Siren, Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak, Joseph David-Jones as Connor Hawke and Ben Lewis as William Clayton-Queen.