ARROW: WINTER PREMIERE RECAP


The question of who’s grave is Oliver and Barry standing over still remains a mystery after Arrow’s return on Wednesday night from its winter hiatus. I will tell you who it isn’t. Warning, spoilers ahead…

It isn’t Felicity. Not exactly a shock but it further begs the questions of who is in that grave. I have a couple of thoughts on this that I’ll share in a moment. First, back to the episode. We start where the season began with Oliver and Barry at the cemetery then we fast forward to Oliver rushing Felicity to the hospital after being shot in the mid-season finale. We then see Oliver on a rampage hunting for Damien Darhk by taking on HIVE soldiers practically on his own.
Darhk’s secret location is unknown to all except a returning baddie, Lonnie aka Anarky. You may remember Thea set Lonnie on fire during her bloodlust rage returning from the Lazarus Pit. As Oliver continued with his one-man assault on HIVE, Thea and Laurel capture Lonnie and hand him over to the police. But Oliver has different plans and breaks Lonnie out of police custody much to the dismay of his team who feel like he has reverted back to his old vigilante ways.
The team tracks down Lonnie at Darhk’s home where he is holding Darhk’s wife and daughter hostage. Fights ensue and the team rescues Darhk’s family. Darhk and Oliver have a brief showdown but out of ‘honor’ of saving his family from Lonnie, he spares Oliver’s life. But in doing so, he does it with a warning that Oliver and his precious Star City will be destroyed. Thea and Lonnie have one last showdown that leaves Thea shaken by the connection he feels towards her.
In the end everyone seems to be doing ok. Oliver spends some much needed time with Felicity whose prognosis is that she’ll never walk again. As for Damien Darhk, his wife was not too happy he had spared the Green Arrow. It is revealed that she too is heavily involved in the Genesis plot. Talk about a twisted family.
This leads us back to where we began, the cemetery. Barry comforts Oliver and they ponder their next move? Oliver returns to his limo and there is Felicity, who seems to have full function of her legs. She tells Oliver that he needs to kill the man responsible. And that’s where it ends. Now, I have a couple of ideas. The person in the grave has to have some significance/relationship with Barry or why else would he arrive? The most obvious choice is Quentin Lance. Remember, Quentin has been “working” for Darhk and has had multiple threats against his daughters. And despite the constant back and forth between the two men, Oliver does look up to Quentin in a fatherly way.
Another choice would be Felicity’s mother who, let’s be honest, serves no real purpose to the overall story arc. A much darker yet far more personal choice would be Oliver’s new found son. Whether his death was intentional or accidental, it would send Oliver over the edge either way. I’m not sure what the show runners have in store for his son but this thought intrigues me.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB

The Dork Knight
About The Dork Knight 520 Articles
James aka “The Dork Knight” is a blogger and writer based out of Upstate New York. For James, it all started with a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… when he dragged his mom to see The Empire Strikes Back 10 weeks in a row. He lives and breathes nerd culture. James is proof that a Star Wars fanatic can be a passionate Trekkie as well. So much so James dressed up as Captain Kirk to the premiere of Star Trek VI in 1991 and still has the uniform. When it comes to Comic Books, Sci-Fi or Fantasy whether in print or digital, in the theatre or on my TV screen, I’m all about it and I love it. So bring your Phaser (set to stun), Lightsaber, Sonic Screwdriver, a Wand, Mjolnir or the Ring to rule them all, because this site is for the dork in all of us.