Now that’s how you do a winter finale! Some of the midseason finales that I’ve reviewed of late have ranged from mildly disappointing (Agents of SHIELD) and not quite satisfying (The Walking Dead) to very good (The Flash). Wednesday nights Arrow however delivered big time. Warning, spoilers ahead…
If you’re going to call out Damien Darhk, you better prepare yourself for what comes your way. Such is the situation that Oliver and Team Arrow must deal with during the winter finale titled “Dark Water”. As you may recall, Darhk had approached Oliver and in exchange of giving him his support for Mayor, Darhk’s only request is to leave Star City Bay alone. Oliver refuses and in doing so, made an enemy out of Darhk. After a terrorist attack takes place during a clean up of Star City Bay, Oliver decides to make public both the man, Darhk and the organization he leads, H.I.V.E. responsible for these attacks. It was a bold move to say the least but one that could and does prove to be costly later on.
It doesn’t take long for Darhk to make his presence known after being publicly called out. He crashes Oliver’s holiday party at his campaign headquarters. He then takes Diggle, Thea and Felicity hostage forcing Oliver’s hand. As the Green Arrow, Oliver goes on a rampage seeking the whereabouts of his friends. With one dead end after another, it’s Malcolm Merlyn and his connections that provide Oliver with Darhk’s location. Oliver decides to make an offer of his that he believes Darhk wouldn’t refuse… his life for his friends.
Although intrigued by the thought, Darhk needs to show Oliver who’s in control and flex his power. He puts Diggle, Thea and Felicity inside a gas chamber and wants Oliver to see what happens when you cross him. Just as it looks like all is lost, Laurel and Malcolm who is dressed as the Green Arrow, arrive to save them. A wonderful one on one battle between Malcolm and Darhk takes place with both men exchanging serious blows against the other. This was first time that I could remember seeing Malcolm appear vulnerable. Malcolm does eventually gain the upper hand and leaves a defenseless Darhk with an exploding arrow.
Thinking that the explosion has finally put an end to Damien Darhk, Oliver and the team get together for a holiday celebration with his supporters. He also takes this opportunity to propose to Felicity. Everything appears to be perfect. Oliver seems like he can be happy and start a real life with Felicity by his side. But if we’ve learned anything through 3 ½ seasons, happiness is not a common theme for Oliver Queen.
From a scene straight out of The Godfather, we see a very much alive Damien Darhk with his wife and daughter as he puts the finishing touches on the family Christmas tree and while this is taking place, Oliver and Felicity are attacked. With their limo cornered, a hail of bullets rips through their vehicle. Oliver throws himself on top of Felicity to protect her. In order to escape though, Oliver has to make his way to the driver’s side and get them to safety. When he does, he checks on Felicity and discovers that she had been shot. Her fate and how Oliver will handle this won’t be answered till Arrow returns in late January. But like I said earlier, this is how you do finales.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
