Arrow - Spoilers galore

Haven't watched it yet, but Marc Guggenheim said they were absolutely going for the feel of a series finale because of how much the show's direction is going to shift in season 4. In essence, it was supposed to be the book closing on Arrow as we've known it, even though it will continue.

As to the show's season, it was very up and down. I think one of the major things that hurt this season was the flashback scenes. They just weren't remotely interesting this time around. I'd find myself getting distracted any time they'd shift into flashback, unlike the previous two seasons where I was nearly as engaged by those storylines as I was the present day stuff.

Felicity really floundered as a character this season, too.

Will watch the finale probably tomorrow. Still like the show, but it was just completely overshadowed by The Flash this season. Every episode of The Flash was appointment viewing, whereas I let myself get behind on Arrow episodes several times.