Arrow, “Al Sah-him,” was directed by Thor Fredenthal with the story by Beth Schwartz and the teleplay credited to the team of Brian Ford Sullivan and Emilio Ortega Aldrich. This was not my favorite episode of the series by a long shot. There were some nice shots, good fights, and heart-warming scenes, but there were also some scenes that felt like they could have used another take. In the end, I’m with the rest of the team, thinking that Oliver (Stephen Amell) isn’t the man I thought he was.
As the episode opens, Oliver is being tortured, trained, brainwashed, and drugged as he’s prepared for his ascension. One of his tests is to fight his conscience, and it’s fitting that it comes in the form of Diggle (David Ramsey). After all, Diggle has sworn from the beginning to remind him who Oliver Queen was if he ever became something else. Unfortunately, Oliver kills him.
Ra’s (Matt Nable) tells Oliver about his own rival, Damian Dark. Nable is still impressing me as Ra's. Ra’s let his rival get away and he left with his followers and some of the water from the Lazarus pool, so he’s been a thorn in Ra’s side ever since. He even tried to by Malcolm’s (John Barrowman) earthquake machine. Is this General Shrieve (Marc Singer)? And is he being set up to be the big bad next season? This would seem likely given that that would be the only real tie in to the flashbacks this week.
In the flashbacks, we see the fallout from the release of the alpha-omega bio-weapon. Maseo (Karl Yune), Tatsu (Rila Fukushima), and Oliver see the US army giving out what they say is the antidote and realize they are really infected more people. They blow up the truck with the virus, steal a car and grab Akio (Brandon Nomura) to leave Hong Kong during the chaos. However, Akio starts bleeding from the mouth – somehow, despite being vaccinated, he’s caught the disease. The one other tie in to the flashbacks, is Oliver’s final task to complete his ascension. Ra’s tasks him with destroying Starling City with the alpha-omega bio-weapon. He’ll have to see all his family and friends die, which just felt like (pardon the expression) over kill to me.
Meanwhile, those in Starling City are trying to move on with their lives. Laurel (Katie Cassidy) has continued her training with Nyssa (Katrina Law), leading them to form an unexpected friendship. Thea (Willa Holland) had been taken in by the group, who are having “family dinners” at Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) and Diggle’s. Diggle is continuing to try to protect the city. I did love the exchange between he and Lyla when Lyla says, “especially proud that you didn’t get yourself killed” and Diggle replies, “My favorite part too.” I also loved Diggle’s continued resistance to a “costume” and Felicity’s trying to sidestep it with “identity concealment.” They toast Oliver as “Gone but never forgotten” as a fallen soldier.
Laurel brings Nyssa to the group to try to protect her once she tells Nyssa about Oliver, and Nyssa tells her he will come to kill her. This scene contained a rather unusual gaff as Ramsey calls Nyssa “Felicity” – and nobody caught it! Diggle and Felicity are steadfast in believing that nothing could turn Oliver against those he loves. Laurel is able to convince that Nyssa is good people, and their mission is to help good people.
Nyssa returns to where Sara was killed and we get a pretty good fight scene and see the debut of the new Canary Cry. It stops Oliver, but doesn’t stun him or anything super useful – and was everyone else wearing earplugs? Oliver doesn’t just slit Nyssa’s throat but just leaves. I did think the way he just hopped off the roof was pretty cool, however. Laurel is the first to see that Oliver is not himself. Diggle and Felicity take a little longer. Felicity mourns that she thought Ra’s was just taking his life, but actually took Oliver’s soul.
Thea is struggling, but not showing any real signs of ill effects from the Lazarus water. She comes to the lair, wanting to help, but Felicity refuses to put her in danger. Thea turns to Malcolm. This scene was really well acted by Holland and Barrowman – the two of them together has really grown on me. However, this scene was incredibly awkwardly shot and blocked. It really felt like the actors needed to run it at least one more time to move smoothly and naturally through the space. Kudos to them for delivering those good performances despite that. Thea tells Malcolm she knows what it’s like to kill for another when they’re in control of you, and she doesn’t want that for Oliver. Malcolm tells her that there has always been an incredible strength within her and that she is a warrior. He asks her what she wants from him. It would seem she wanted her costume back.
Oliver shocks the team by kidnapping Lyla – but doesn’t take Sara, which really would have made him a monster. Lyla tries to remind Oliver what he meant to Diggle after Andrew died. She tells him that no one could fill the void that Andrew left in John until Oliver gave him hope and a purpose again. I was quite disappointed at first that Lyla had gone from special forces to damsel in distress, but I was back on board when Diggle gave her the signal and she retrieved her guns from Felicity. I loved the fact that the guns were there because Felicity refused to let Maseo frisk her with a fierce, “Don’t you touch me!” Maseo looks to Oliver with distress and Oliver just barely nods that she’s ok. A quick shout out to Yune who has been turning in great performances as Maseo all season.
There’s another great fight scene with multiple battles going on at once. Oliver is about to kill Diggle for real, when Thea suddenly show up and puts an arrow through his arm to stop him. It’s chilling to watch Oliver slice the feathered end off and emotionlessly pull the arrow out as he leaves, taking Nyssa with him.
Nyssa is prepared to die, but Ra’s has something much worse in mind. This is perhaps my favorite episode of Katrina Law’s. Nyssa is ready to sacrifice herself for Lyla and she bravely faces her potential death at Oliver’s hand – romantically where her beloved died. Ra’s finds the alpha-omega bio-weapon hidden in Nyssa’s sword. I’m curious as to why she had it – had she meant to unleash it on Sara’s killer? She’s not from Starling, so surely even as the Heir to the Demon, she wouldn’t have had to destroy Starling.
Regardless, Ra’s takes it back and prevents Oliver from delivering the killing blow to her, opting instead to announce that Nyssa would become Bride to the Demon by marrying Oliver! Neither look happy or impressed by the prospect.
It seems that Thea and Roy (Colton Haynes), however, might have a chance at happiness. Felicity goes to Thea after losing Nyssa and seeing first hand that the Oliver she loves is gone. She maintains that she still loves him anyway. Perhaps it’s the hopelessness of her own situation or maybe she just wants to make sure that Oliver’s sacrifice isn’t in vain and that Thea lives, but Felicity tells Thea about Roy – that he’s alive and starting a new life that Thea could potentially be a part of. While I’d like to see them happy together, the fact is we wouldn’t see it, so I’m hoping that Holland isn’t also about to exit the show! Here’s another character that we’ve just seen start to come into her own as a fighter. It would seem to be a shame to squander that too.
All in all, not my favorite episode, but there were a couple of highlights. The Oliver is gone and the team must carry on without him seems like territory we’ve already covered this season. What did you think of the episode? Who are your guesses for Damian Dark? How did you like Darth Arrow? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
