Arrow: "Leap of Faith" Ending Explained

Arrow's final season is in full swing but while there's a lot of the story that is already certain -- Oliver's impending death, that "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is coming -- there are still quite a few surprises in still in store. Part of that has to do with The Monitor's (LaMonica Garrett) somewhat secretive nature, telling Oliver only what he must in order to carry out his missions, but part of that is also where and how Oliver ends up in some of the places he does. Earth-2 in the season premiere was a big surprise, as was his return to Hong Kong in episode two. But tonight's ending of "Leap of Faith" may have delivered one of the biggest surprises in Arrow history, and we're breaking it down.

Spoilers for tonight's episode of Arrow, "Leap of Faith", below.

Tonight's episode, as has been the case since the flash forwards were begun in Season 7, is split between Oliver's story in the present and Mia Smoak's (Katherine McNamara) in the future. While Oliver is seeking answers about The Monitor at Nanda Parbat, Mia and her version of Team Arrow is trying to take down the Deathstrokes and prevent them from killing the figures that would help reunify The Glades and Star City. Both stories see their challenges. Oliver and Thea have to go to great lengths to find the answers Oliver seeks, answers that are ultimately perhaps not as satisfying as he would have hoped while Mia and her allies end up suffering a major loss at the hand of Deathstroke himself. J.J. kills Zoe, with the young woman dying in Mia's arms.

But the episode doesn't exactly end there. Instead, as Connor moves to kill J.J. for what he's done to Zoe, a white light envelops Mia, Connor, and William. When that white light clears, we're back in the Arrow bunker. It appears to be present day and a bewildered Diggle (David Ramsey), Dinah (Juliana Harkavy), Rene (Rick Gonzalez) greet an even more confused Oliver who isn't sure how he got there. However, that confusion multiplies when he turns around and sees Connor, Mia, and William standing behind them and a stunned Mia simply says "Dad?"

For fans, this is a huge moment as they have been clamoring for Oliver to somehow cross paths with his daughter before the end of the series but the way the episode leaves off begs the question of how and also why. While the episode doesn't offer any real answers in that regard it would seem that this is the doing of The Monitor. He would be powerful enough to bring the present and the future together and the episode synopsis for next week's "Present Tense" may offer a clue why. According to the synopsis, a new Deathstroke appears in Star City that Oliver and his team seek to take down themselves while future Team Arrow figures out a new way to try to stop J.J.

Arrow airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.