Arrow Season 4 Episode 9 Recap: A Dahrk Christmas

Here is how you know that Arrow Season 4 Episode 9 was a seriously eventful winter finale of this CW smash hit:

Because Oliver and Felicity got engaged… and yet that was scarcely even a significant part of the hour.

Watch Arrow Season 4 Episode 9 Online

Yes, you may go ahead and celebrate, Olicity fans.

But that celebration may be very short-lived. Because Felicity may be dead,

Viewers will be left wondering whether or not she’s the corpse in the much-ballyhooed grave after Oliver outed Damien Darhk’s identity after the villain used a drone to kill innocent civilians during a “clean up the bay” event.

He responded by taking Felicity, Thea and Diggle captive and then by giving Oliver a demonstration of “Genesis” when Oliver attempts to save his teammates. 

This evil plot involved using algae from the aforementioned clean-up for his gas chamber and referencing the Nazis when talking about how humanity occasionally needs a reset

Ummmm… GULP?!?

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To show Oliver he means business, Dahrk drags Felicity, Diggle and Thea into a gas chamber and starts to fill it, making it appear as if Team Arrow is about to lose some rather integral members.

But then Laurel’s Canary shriek breaks the glass and the building gets blown up.

Damien, however, being the cockroach that he is, manages to survive. Moreover, Phase 4 of his plan is all set to begin now that the air in what appears to be an underground bunker is breathable.

However, Dahrk’s superiors (NOTE: Dahrk has superiors?!?) are worried that Oliver will still get in the way of Genesis coming to fruition.

So Damien takes aim at the newly-engaged couple as they share a happy moment in a limo.

Oliver manages to maneuver the vehicle away from the ghosts… but it’s too late.

We conclude the episode with a bullet-ridden Felicity lies bleeding in his arms.

Go back and watch Arrow online to see this tragic event unfold and then sound off: Do you really think Felicity is the person in that grave?

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Arrow Season 4 Episode 8 Recap: Daddy Issue

The CW concluded its latest Arrow-The Flash crossover by dropping a major bombshell on viewers.

Indeed, Oliver Queen has one major daddy issue: he is one!

Watch Arrow Season 4 Episode 8 Online

On Arrow Season 4 Episode 8, Oliver confronted an ex-girlfriend after running a DNA test to confirm that her child really is.

As some have speculated, however, this mother-son tandem are not comic book characters Sandra and Connor Hawke.

They are simply two relative unknowns named Samantha and William Clayton.

This way, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg told reporters after a screening of the installment, Connor can still be introduced at a different point down the line.

Thanks to Barry going back and erasing the timeline in which Felicity learned of Oliver’s secret, resulting in a major blowout, Oliver now has no plans on revealing the truth to his girlfriend.

As you might expect, according to producer Wendy Mericle, this is “definitely going to come to a head in the middle of the season.”

She adds:

“True to what we’ve done on the show, if there’s a secret somewhere, it’s going to come out, and it’s going to have some serious consequences, [which will] raise the stakes [for Olicity] and throw some wrenches into the works of their relationship.”

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Also having consequences? Barry trip back in time after Vandal Savage actually destroyed both Team Arrow and Team Flash.

“When Sara was brought back, when Thea was brought back, last year when Barry changed the timeline, this year when Barry changes the timeline… any of these things that feel like the right thing to do, there is always, always a price to be paid,” Kreisberg previews. 

Finally, as seen in the concluding minutes (when Malcolm gathered Savage’s ashes) the villain’s story is not over. Not by a long shot. Look for details of how he’ll resurface to play a major role on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which premieres in January.

So there you have it. Crossover complete.

Visit TV Fanatic to watch Arrow online in case you need to catch up and then sound off: What did you think?!?

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Arrow Season 4 Episode 7 Recap: Politics Not as Usual

Talk about the perfect combination of intense fight sequences and important character moments on Arrow Season 4 Episode 7.

This installment of The CW hit had it all.

Watch Arrow Season 4 Episode 7 Online

Including a family reunion? Sort of, as Diggle learned that one of the “ghosts” the team went up against when trying to steal something from a biotech company was his supposedly dead brother Andy. Hooray, right?

Not exactly, seeing as Diggle was disturbed by the shady stuff he read about Andy in a file from Dahrk.

On the political side of things, Oliver decided on the restoration of Starling Bay as a major part of his mayoral platform.

This prompted Damien Darhk to appear at a PBA benefit to kind of offer Oliver support… but to really strongly warn the aspiring mayor to steer clear of the bay – otherwise, he may suddenly find himself “opposed.”

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Elsewhere, Felicity turned to Ray (who watched his own funeral; saw that no one really cared; and later decided to leave town) to assistance in examining a ghost’s tooth.

It eventually gets traced to a former psychiatric hospital, which they figure was a home base for H.I.V.E.

Diggle has no interest in it, but Oliver, Thea and Laurel break in and Thea ends up knocking Andy out.

When she gets confronted by Dahrk and he goes in for the Death Grip… it backfires?!? Huh?

While this is taking place, Oliver is fighting outside and he gets a hand from The Atom and also from Diggle, who jumps in at the last moment.

Back at the lair, Oliver ends up agreeing with Diggle’s idea to take on Darhk in broad daylight, as opposed to from the “inside.”

John then goes to talk to his locked-up brother, who isn’t exactly in a bonding mood and who also confirms that every dirty detail in his file is “true.”

Finally, Oliver meets the media to talk up his bay restoration project, throwing it in Darhk’s face and vowing to “fight for Star City in the light of day, and never stop fighting.”

The speech was so on point, it led us to wonder: Was Oliver outing himself as the Green Arrow?

Go watch Arrow online for yourself and see if you end up with the same question.

Arrow Season 4 Episode 6 Recap: What is Normal?

Everyone tried to get back to normal on Arrow Season 4 Episode 6.

But what now constitutes normal for Felicity? That was a significant question at the center of this interesting hour.

Watch Arrow Season 4 Episode 6 Online

The beloved computer genius feels as if she’s “lost” herself in Oliver, as if her identity has been wrapped up in her boyfriend.

This was especially upsetting to her because Felicity lamented early on that she missed Ray’s original distress calls due to the relationship of her dreams.

“I was never that girl,” she said to Oliver at one point “That is not who I am.”

Inspired to come to her ex-boyfriend’s rescue, Felicity led the team in a break-in of Kord Industries.

The mission? To nab the mathematics for a machine that would enable Ray to return to normal himself; i.e. about six foot, two inches tall.

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Eventually, upon realizing that Damien Darhk was holding Tiny Ray captive, everyone (and we mean EVERYone!) infiltrated his lair.

Ray was discovered and “grown” again, while Sara snapped a goon’s neck (uh-oh! and Oliver scarcely escaped another mystical showdown with Darhk.

As a result of this (mostly) successful caper, the following developments took place:

• Felicity told Oliver that they were going to be “fine,” largely due to words of wisdom from her mother than included how she’s “supposed’ to feel lost in the man she loves because they will find themselves in each other; and also that she’ll never find anyone else “that hot who cooks.”


• Sarah peaced out, telling Laurel and Thea that she felt a need to “start over,” perhaps visit “a couple of somewheres” as a way of dealing with her post-Pit issues. Might we recommend a CW spinoff as a helpful destination?


• Darhk tasked one of his scientists with using some of Ray’s “dwarf star” power source to do… something. Something nefarious, we’re sure.

What did you make of this Felicity-based episode?

Go watch Arrow online if you need to catch up and sound off in the Comments below!

Arrow Season 4 Episode 4 Recap: A Lot of Lance

Poor Quentin Lance.

He suffered through a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week on Arrow Season 4 Episode 4.

Watch Arrow Season 4 Episode 4 Online

With actor Paul Blackthorne at the top of his game, this installment of The CW hit found Laurel taking her dad to where she had hidden the newly-resurrected Sara (to whom Lance has already said goodbye twice, remember).

Was Lance happy to have his child back? No, because “this isn’t back,” he said. “This isn’t mu daughter.”

And it was hard to blame him when we saw Sara shackled to the wall, acting like some kind of feral beast.

Already shadily involved with Damien Dahrk, Lance asked the former League member how to handle the situation, to which Darhk replied:

“Father to father, if it was my daughter, I’d put her down.

So Darhk is a father? Noted.

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Toward the end of the hour, Lance went to follow this advice, only for Laurel to stop him and for Lance to break down in tears.

Elsewhere, Lance learned that members of anti-vigilante task force he brought back during Oliver’s absence have gone rogue, stealing drug shipments for resale.

They aren’t criminals, their leader claims, they are just victims of a “dying city,” doing what they can to provide for their loved ones. (Good thing Oliver is officially now running for Mayor, huh?!?)

Eventually, Team Arrow defeats these enemies, although not before leader Liza (played by Rutina Wesley) got the drop on Oliver.

It took Quentin talking down the good-cop-turned-bad-cop with a rousing speech about believing in the city that to save the day.

Finally, Oliver caught Lance meeting with Darhk via the cop cameras. This led to a tremendously tense scene between the characters.

“You don’t get to pass judgement on me!” Lance bellowed, only for Oliver to respond: “You always held yourself up as better than me, and you were. Until tonight.”

Not even an explanation about protecting Laurel could save Lance here, with Oliver telling him to “stop hiding behind your daughters.”

In the end, Lance went to resign, only for Oliver to come up with a different idea:

Keep your badge. Be the man on the “inside” and help them take down Dahrk.

So that’s the set up we have heading into Arrow Season 4 Episode 5.

Sound off below with your take on the latest happenings and go watch Arrow online if you need to catch up.

Arrow Season 4 Episode 3 Recap: A Non-Peachy Pit

Laurel stopped by Nanda Parbat on Arrow Season 4 Episode 3, asking something very special and specific of Malcolm.

Back home, meanwhile, our favorite team of crime-fighters dealt with a new metahuman threat.

Watch Arrow Season 4 Episode 3 Online

We’ll start in Nanda Parba, where Laurel and Thea walk in while Malcolm is sparring with Nyssa and announce that have Sara’s dead body with them

But neither Malcolm not Nyssa is down with using the Lazarus Pit on her, afraid of what/who might emerge if they took this extreme step.

Malcolm, for example, can tell that Thea has “bloodlust” coursing through veins as a result of her own experience and suggests she go on the occasional killing spree to satisfy this “impulse.”

Whatever, Thea replied, asking if Malcolm has any “normal” parental advice to offer; so he talks of/lies about a “sage” who lives in the mountains and may be able to be of assistance.

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Later on, Thea does end up murdering an offering from her dad when a group of League assassins end up in her room.

After she shows no appreciation for the gesture, Malcolm agrees to lower Sara into the Pit. When she rises to the surface, Sara growls and gets chained to the wall.

In response, Nyssa destroys the Pit. When she kills Malcolm someday, she wants that death to stick.

Back home, tensions remains between Oliver and Diggle, as they pursue different agenda at first:

Diggle goes after Mina Fayad, the woman A.R.G.U.S. identified as ordering the hit on Andrew; while Oliver chases a hold-up.

Neither fares very well, most notably Oliver, who falls for a trap set by Double Down, a metahuman from Central City tasked by Damien Darhk with killing the Green Arrow.

After Felicity forces these two to talk it out, they get into issues of trust and argue over how Oliver can ever win back Diggle’s.

In the end, after Oliver mentions Fayad having a connection to Darhk, Diggle lets his friend in on the secret about his brother’s murder that he’s been keeping for two years.

After a pep talk from Darhk (and after a mention by Fayad of “Phase III”), Double Down ends up attacking Felicity and Curtis Holt. In order to save the latter, Felicity whisks Holt down an elevator that leads to the Arrowcave.

Surprise: she works for Green Arrow!

Another surprise: She’s very good with an automatic weapon and scares Double Down away.

After Diggle laments losing his only lead because Fayad ends up dead, Oliver tells him that they should work together. They promptly capture Double Down as a duo and lock him up in The Flash’s Pipeline.

To close this installment and to get us crazy excited for Arrow Season 4 Episode 4, the original Team Arrow members go out for drinks, where Oliver says he’s working in a “surprise” new lair.

Later at Palmer Tech, Felicity’s cell phone acts strangely again, a tiny message on it reading “f e l i c i t y”….

What the heck?!? Go watch Arrow online to try and make sense of this development now!

Arrow Episode Promo: Never Double Down!

Major Tension Alert!

On Arrow Season 4 Episode 3, the issues between Oliver and Diggle will put both their lives at work when they go after Damien Darhk and a H.I.V.E. deployed meta-human.

As you can see in this preview, he means serious business.

Elsewhere, Laurel convinces Thea to return to Nanda Parbat in order to to ask her dad to put Sara into the Lazarus Pit and hopefully bring her back to life.

How will a deck of cards come into play next Wednesday night? Watch Arrow online if you need to catch up and then watch this intriguing teaser.

Arrow Season 4 Episode 2 Recap: Anarky in the USA

Thea discovered the truth about her anger issues on Arrow Season 4 Episode 2.

Elsewhere, CEO Felicity made a discovery of her own, learning about the the cost of doing business; while Damien Darhk’s most recent handiwork led to a political development.

Watch Arrow Season 4 Episode 2 Online

We’ll start with Felicity, who we may not hire to ever run our business.

She now heads up Palmer Tech and she avoided some actual payroll problems this week by employing a bit of fantasy.

She and Oliver now have money, as the latter put it, yet they used a lot of it to buy a fingerprinted truck instead of covering a decent amount of a staffer’s salary.

The storyline just didn’t really work.

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Elsewhere, Oliver was tasked with keeping Jeri Ryan’s Jessica Danforth safe. She was a family friend running for Mayor in place of Moira.

Enter Anarky, Darhk’s private contractor who initially tried to kidnap Jessica and then eventually abducted her daughter.

Because he’s all about “order, discipline and precision,” Darhk actually gave Lance the girl’s location and Lance, in turn, told Oliver to go ahead and prove how things are different this time around.

So Team Arrow went out and rescued the girl.

But the major fallout here was that Thea (aka Speedy) practically roasted Anarky to death as a finishing move.

Before this scary moment, Oliver told his sister about the Lazarus Pit and how it was used to bring her back to life and how he had been warned that its side effects could leave her very different from before.

At the end of the hour, Laurel suggested that she and Thea enjoy with a spa getaway; but, in reality, she’s taking her friend to Nanda Parbat for two reasons:

1. To gather the information that might help Thea deal with these issues.


2. To see what the Pit might do for Sara, who’s not looking so hot after a year in the grave.

As we look forward to Arrow Season 4 Episode 3, these developments also went down this week:

• Diggle told Laurel about how Darhk’s “ghosts” work for H.I.V.E., the same organization that killed his brother. Laurel responded by warning him against internalizing the guilt over a sibling’s death.


• In flashbacks, Oliver afield to pass himself off as a castaway to Baron Reiter, who put him to work. During his first shift, Oliver met a young woman who complained about the conditions.


• Oliver hinted that he may run for Mayor!

Need to catch up on this installment? You can always watch Arrow online via our friends at TV Fanatic.

Arrow Season 4 Episode 1 Recap: Here Lies...

Folks, THAT is how you do a cliffhanger!

We jumped ahead many months on Arrow Season 4 Episode 1, as Oliver and Felicity were out of the crime-fighting game.. but very much in love.

So, is that it? Should the show now change its name to Diggle or something as our favorite couple enjoys a calm life out of the spotlight?

No. 

In present day, Oliver and Felicity were lured back to Star City (not a typo; that’s the new name) due to villain Damien Darhk causing some major problems there (and aligning with Captain Lance? Safe to say we’ll be learning plenty more about that in the weeks ahead).

Elsewhere, Flashback Oliver was apprehended by Amanda Waller in Coast City, as she sent him back to a familiar terrain to assess a threat:

That would be none other than … Lian Yu!

Back to present day:

Oliver was all set to propose to Felicity (EEEEK!!!!), but he was interrupted by Thea and Laurel. So Oliver packed up the ring and has it in hiding and every viewer on the planet cannot wait to see if he does pop the proverbial question on Arrow Season 4 Episode 2. 

But that is not the biggest question we have heading into next Wednesday night, far from it.

We closed the premiere with Oliver receiving a visit from The Flash‘s Barry Allen, as the former vigilante stood over a grave and we learned it was six months later.

Oliver vowed to “kill him” and we were left to wonder: WHO IS IN THE GRAVE? WHO IS DEAD?!? AHHHH! IS IT NEXT WEDNESDAY YET?!?!?

Sorry, we got a little carried away there.

Still, go watch Arrow online to see that closing scene and you’ll fully understand why.