'Arrow' Recap: We Haven't Even Made It to 'Til Death Do Us Part' Yet
Warning: This recap for the “Dark Waters” episode of Arrow contains spoilers.
So, the big question: Is this the end of Felicity Smoak? The producers promised they would be taking death seriously this year, and that whoever was under the tombstone that appeared in the season premiere won’t be coming back. It seems unthinkable, but the Arrowverse is getting pretty crowded these days. Has Arrow decided to go big or go home?
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The Plot
A campaign event for Oliver at Star City Bay is attacked by a drone, so he responds by publicly outing Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E. That leads to Darhk abducting Felicity, Diggle, and Thea and putting them into a gas chamber to die. He forces Oliver to watch, but Black Canary and Merlyn (dressed as Green Arrow) drop in for the rescue. Later, back at the Bay, Oliver proposes to Felicity in public, and she says yes. As they leave, H.I.V.E. surrounds their car and shoots it up, leaving Felicity bleeding and near death.
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Schrödinger’s Cat
Well, it’ll be more than a month before Arrow comes back and we find out if Felicity lives or dies. In truth, Emily Bett Rickards would have to have absolutely the worst lawyer if her contract doesn’t guarantee her employment for the length of the show.
But also, this show doesn’t have the sunniness in its heart that, say, The Flash or Supergirl does. It would be a bold statement for a superhero series — a genre with an almost cliché unwillingness to let characters die and not return — to kill a major character and just let it be. In one fell swoop, Arrow would go from very good comic book show to the Breaking Bad of comic book shows. Would you still watch if they took a leap like that?
#Smoaknlance
Donna Smoak (Charlotte Ross) is a small presence, but adds an enormous amount to this episode. Comedically, the revelation of her relationship to Captain Lance is pure gold. (Quoth Felicity, “I am never going to be able to unsee this.”) Emotionally, her presence at the event Darhk crashes adds another concern to Felicity’s plate, and when Oliver proposes, her joy outshines even the happy couple. Basically, she should be a cast regular.
H.I.V.E. Been a Bad Boy
Last year, the city was menaced by the League of Assassins, an appropriately scary group. This season, it’s… a league of bankers? The H.I.V.E. bigwigs are in town, and they are a pocket protector away from being confused for accountants at your local Best Buy corporate office.
To make matters worse, Damien Darhk’s plan appears to be composed of that miniaturized circuit plan from a couple weeks ago and algae providing oxygen for what appears to be evil corn. Undoubtedly, this will all come together, and the last episode of the season will be suitably awe-inspiring, but — excepting Damien Darhk — couldn’t they have done a little more to add some menace to the Big Bad’s plan this season?
Quiverful of Thoughts
* They should bring back the little girl who played “Mini-Felicity,” right? To start setting up for the Arrow Babies spinoff?
* Are you buying that that’s the man that Diggle’s brother has always been? You’d think there’d be some cracks in his armor if he was somehow mind-controlled by now. And how do you resolve it if it turns out he’s just an unredeemable bastard?
Arrow returns Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. on The CW.e
