Romance authors on latest 'Arrow': Can't wait!

USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling romantic thriller author Allison Brennan and bestselling historical romance author Lavinia Kent are back dishing about ARROW ... and anxious to see what comes next!

LK: I hardly know where to begin. The Fallen gave us everything I've been waiting for and I still want more. I am personally a little confused by my reaction to this episode. The Fallen had almost everything I thought I wanted and yet I am not completely satisfied. It certainly hit all the marks, and yet somehow I still feel incomplete. Why? The best answer that I can come up with is that for every conclusion and piece of closure it offered, it left something open — and I wasn't quite ready.

The only real surprise for me in this episode was that it all happened so quickly. I thought some of this would wait until the season finale: Thea's quick resurrection, the breakup of Felicity and Ray, the beautiful coming together of Olicity, and, of course, Oliver's decision to follow through on becoming the new Ra's. I knew some of it would happen this week, but I didn't think it all would.

I know the writers have left openings for some big further questions this season, but I wasn't quite ready for so much of it to be over.

What about you, Allison?

AB: I'm with you, except I did expect this episode to resurrect Thea and to force Oliver's hand. What I DIDN'T expect was Felicity drugging Oliver and trying to get him out of Nanda Parbat! You go, girl!

The reason it was placed well was because we still have three more episodes that will all be coming to the pinnacle: Is Oliver the Arrow or Oliver Queen? (The title of the last episode this season — I am Oliver Queen — sort of gives it away.) But my problem was it felt like a placeholder episode.

It was a no-brainer that we'd see the Lazarus Pit. DC fans have been dying (pun intended!) to see someone resurrected in the Pit. I'm still angry at Malcolm for setting everyone on this path — I still think he's up to something. There were too many things left to chance in his stated plan of setting Thea up to kill Sarah so Oliver would take the blame and fulfill the prophesy of surviving Ra's al Ghul's sword. But ... we'll see. Still, Malcolm was truly the catalyst for everything that has happened this season.

And Olicity! Yes, the writers definitely led us down this path with Felicity being unable to tell Ray that she loved him, with Ray being such an understanding guy, and then after she admits she loves Oliver, he still gives her his jet.

LK: Ray is one of the best guys ever. I want her to love him. I want to love him. But, you were right last week, Allison, when you talked about Ray not needing Felicity the way Oliver does. He was sad to let her go. I do think he truly loved her. But, it didn't break him. Ray will survive this and survive it with kindness and style. He really does want her life "to stop being awful," but he will not pine away wishing that it was him that she loved.

I do have to say that as the scene moved to Nanda Parbat, it became one of the most beautifully visual episodes we've had in a long, long time. (And that was even before shirtless Oliver.) From the moment they approached Nanda and the League all lined up in greeting, through the Lazarus Pit scene, and into Felicity and Oliver's love scene, the cinematography was wonderful.

My favorite scene visually (and not just because we've all been waiting for it) was the love scene between Felicity and Oliver. I'd been a little bit scared (after seeing the trailer), that it was going to be a dream sequence because it was all just so perfect. And it was perfect, the way he took off her glasses, the way their eyes met and said more than words, the beautiful torsos, the firelight glowing on skin, the sumptuous bedding. Perfect.

And made even more perfect by their response afterward — both the casual, "so ... that happened" and then Felicity's deceptive actions.

Allison, did the scene provide the payoff you've been waiting for?

AB: Well, I was watching the scene with my 14- and 11-year-old sons, so I was thinking more about what THEY were thinking about! LOL. I think the love scene was organic to the characters and the show, so it worked for me.

It's clear that Oliver is willing to do anything to save the people he loves, and Felicity clearly understands him better than anyone. He's a hero to her, but also a man and in some ways a lost little boy still trying to figure out his place in the world. As Felicity says, "You have done so much, you have saved so many people's lives and you have changed so many for the better."

Now Oliver needs to believe it.

I'll admit, I didn't see Felicity drugging Oliver and trying to get him out off the mountain. I didn't expect her to confront Ra's al Ghul — wow. I love her! And Maseo ... he's always been one of my favorites, and this episode proved to me he's worthy of being a favorite. Loyal and honorable and filled with grief.

LK: Maseo has become one of the most interesting characters to me. (More so in the present than in the flashbacks. I do hope the flashbacks are truly leading somewhere. It's been a really long chase scene and even the spilling of the bioweapon doesn't have me gripping my chair.) Maseo is both such a good friend to Oliver and at the same time a good assassin in Ra's army. I've been waiting for an explanation of his dual character and we definitely got some this week. We got the confirmation that his son is dead and that he died in Maseo's arms, although we don't yet know the details of how, and we also got Ra's explanation of how his current life as the assassin, Sarab, still contains parts of Maseo and that it was Maseo who betrayed Ra's. I have the feeling that this duality of personality is going to be very important as we watch Oliver move toward becoming Ra's.

I had mixed feelings about the goodbye sequence as Oliver chooses to stay behind, while sending everyone else back to Starling City. There were some deeply touching moments, Oliver telling Diggle he was the best man he'd ever known, and his farewell to Felicity, repeating her own words back to her, "Life is precious" and that she wanted more from it than he could offer her, and that he wants that for her. On the other hand, it felt like a little bit too much after last week's farewell to Roy and the touching almost "I love you" moment between Oliver and Felicity, and because we know there are still several weeks left in the season it seemed premature, despite Ra's earlier words about finding closure. I might have felt differently if this had been a finale episode — but then, I might have felt differently about a lot of things if this had been the finale.

And, I guess that's my big problem with this episode (which I basically adored), there are so many moments that would have been more poignant if I really felt they were the end — at least for now. I don't know how to react when I know there is more coming, kind of strange for an episode that was largely about closure.

AB: I agree — we KNOW that Oliver has to come back to Starling City, or there is no show. Yet ... at what cost? Who are we going to lose? Who is Oliver going to be when he returns? Who is Thea going to be after being resurrected?

LK: I definitely think there will be a lot more to the Thea story. I don't think she's back to being who she was before. After all the hints about how the Lazarus Pit changes people, I don't think they are going to leave it at a little amnesia. My son (who played with his phone through the love scene) keeps guessing that she will be the new Ra's, but I can't quite see it. I think it much more likely that she will move into being the Speedy character, perhaps with some extra powers she gained in the pit.

And Nyssa? We didn't see her at all in this episode, but the trailer for next week certainly hints at a showdown between her and Oliver, the new heir to the demon. I definitely think there will be more to this story and wonder if Ra's actually set it up to give her a chance to redeem herself.

And of course, Oliver? What changes will there be to him after the transformation to being heir to the demon? Will he still remember enough of who he is? Will he kill Diggle as the trailer hints? (Of course not, but ...) And what does it mean for his future and the future of the show? Even after he doesn't permanently become the new Ra's (making assumptions here) will this continue to mold his character?

And what is left to be the cliffhanger at the end of the season? New villain? Felicity's dad?

Questions. Questions. Questions. And I want answers now!

AB: I don't need answers now, I love the journey. But you're right ... I've been wondering about Nyssa as well. Personally, I think that when Oliver becomes the next Ra's, he'll hand it over to Nyssa, but I don't know how that works or if it does work. She wants it, she's capable, and Oliver usually has a backup plan.

I cannot WAIT until next week!

Allison Brennan is a USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling author of romantic thrillers. Her latest release is Compulsion. Lavinia Klein is a bestselling author of sexy historical romances. Her latest is Bound by Bliss. They both watch Arrow with their sons, Allison on the West Coast and Lavinia on the East Coast. And now, they enjoy recapping their favorite show together. Find out more about Allison and Lavinia and their books at www.allisonbrennan.com and www.laviniakent.com.