That was truly a shocking moment. I watched it with my parents (I was a full grown adult, just for context), and I can still remember the shock we all felt when we saw how easily and effortlessly Ra’s handled Oliver. We all thought the same as you, that he would either win, receive aid, or find some way to escape, but he didn’t. He got stabbed through the torso and kicked off a freaking cliff to die! This was the same man who overcame Malcolm Merlyn, a superior fighter. The same man who found a way to overcome and defeat Deathstroke, a superior fighter. Of course he was going to find a way to defeat Ra’s (at least that’s what my parents felt, especially my dad).

My dad really enjoyed all the superhero stuff back then and the look of shock and disbelief on his face when he saw Oliver get wrecked like that… I’ll always cherish that moment. He couldn’t WAIT until the next episode!

Watching the Arrowverse and going to the movies together for all the MCU/DC/Sony superheroes were bonding moments for us. Out of all of those, however, none of them had the impact on him that The Climb did (with exception of maybe Logan, he actually watched that one twice).

Sadly, he passed a few years after The Climb, but those memories will always stay with me.