'Arrow' Recap: Anarky's Back... and Felicity's Spine

Warning: This recap for the “Blood Debts” episode of Arrow contains spoilers.

Anarky returns with a vengeance — and it’s aimed at both Thea and Damien Darhk. Oliver’s consumed by revenge as well, but will Felicity suffer in his absence?

The Plot

Oliver’s hunting down Damien Darhk, but so is Anarky. They capture Anarky, but Laurel gives him to the cops before they find out how he tracks Darhk. Oliver breaks him back out to let him kill Darhk. Diggle beats on his brother, but Lyla convinces him to try gentler means, and he tells them how to find Darhk’s house. Anarky finds it first, and Team Arrow arrives in time to prevent him from killing Darhk’s family.

Felicity remains in the hospital, but after multiple surgeries, it looks like she’ll be paralyzed for life. On Lian Yu, Oliver is exposed, but Constantine’s tattoo glows, convincing Baron Reiter he can still be of use.

Related: Get Caught Up With Our ‘Arrow’ Recaps

Anarky and Speedy Sittin’ in a Tree, K-I-L-L-I-N-G

Oliver’s campaign manager, Alex, is turning out to be a real stand-up guy — and is probably not a H.I.V.E. mole, like he seemed to be at the beginning of the season. Now it seems like Thea may actually be becoming attracted to the Anarky, sensing the same sort of bloodlust that she’s dealing with. Are we rea-Arrow-ding too much into this? Or are they headed for one of those Batman/Catwoman, Daredevil/Elektra romances that sends the hero down a dark path?

What Is This, 24?

Beating on bad guys is standard operating procedure, but it’s just non-stop this episode. It begins with Oliver beating on Ghosts, then Diggle beats on his brother, then Thea beats on Anarky, all in the name of information-gathering. There’s even a bit of Conklin paying back Oliver with another Roots-style whipping. None of the violence achieves its objective, so it’s not like there’s a moral quandry. The point is that Oliver’s going off the deep end and losing his humanity — he even sacrifices Quentin’s cover (and his and Laurel’s safety) in his drive to find Darhk — but it’s just repetitive and awful.

The only time an interrogation goes well this episode is when Diggle actually talks to his brother like a human being. Not that that’s what we come to Arrow to see, but maybe we vary up the tactics next week, guys?

Related: John Barrowman on Bringing ‘The Dark Archer’ to Life On Screen and On the Page

The Softer Side of Darhk

“You saved my family, so I’ll give you a few weeks to spend with yours.” Is Darhk’s weakness his love for his family? Afterwards, his wife seems even more cold-blooded than he is. “You should have killed the Green Arrow tonight,” she says. A midseason trailer shows her going by the name Ruvé Adams and opposing Oliver in the mayoral election. If it came down to it, would Damien sacrifice his family to make Project Genesis succeed? A month ago, that seemed likely; now, maybe not so much.

Whose Headstone Is It?

And now, it’s time for everybody’s favorite game show! Now that we know definitively that it’s not Felicity in that tomb (though her position in the car four months from now is very suggestive that they do not find a miracle cure for her paralysis), who do we think the show is killing off?

It has to be somebody fairly important. Thea? Diggle? Quentin? Probably not. Diggle’s family? Lyla or Sara would make a certain amount of sense, but we haven’t known Andy long enough to care. Right now, Donna is looking like the most likely target. She’s already a fan favorite, and she’s had an increased presence this season. Place your bets!

Inside Comics Moment

A young lady is crippled, confined to a wheelchair. She uses surveillance technology and computer hacking to aid superheroes. In the comics, it’s Barbara Gordon, but it looks very much like that’s the route Arrow is going with Felicity. Executive producer Wendy Mericle told TVLine definitively that no, that’s not what’s happening. Oracle is “off the table.” But if not that, then what are they doing with a girl in a wheelchair using technology to help superheroes?

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.