Join us each week as we review the latest episode of ARROW. Warning: the following review contains major spoilers for the newest episode of the show.
Episode 4: "The Magician"
Synopsis: Oliver and Nyssa join forces and go after the Dark Archer, intent on bringing Sara’s killer to justice. Meanwhile, Oliver and Roy work on repairing their respective relationships with Thea, who has returned home. Nyssa discusses Oliver with her father, Ra’s al Ghul.
In Starling City: After a brief respite i Corto Maltese to retrieve Thea, the action this week switches back to Starling City as Oliver is confronted by Nyssa Al Ghul. Realizing that Sara is dead, it seems this is more of a foreshadow to the arrival of Ra's Al Ghul. But, why get right into that when there is more pressing business to deal with like Thea talking about buying Verdant back over dinner and drinks with her big brother. Why should we worry about the arrival of one of the biggest villains in the DC Universe when Thea's mysterious benefactor requires more episode time?
Nyssa and Laurel meet at Sara's grave and come to harsh words as they discuss who is truly to blame for her grisly fate. As Nyssa retraces her late lover's steps, Roy tracks her and Oliver follows so the can discuss ways to find Sara's killer. Nyssa says she doesn't need Oliver but begrudginly shares information as to why Sara returned. Oliver believes she came on League business to kill someone but it turns out she was on the hunt for an enemy of the League: Malcolm Merlyn.
We now know that Ra's Al Ghul released Malcolm Merlyn from the League under the strict instruction to abide by the laws of the League. Obviously, The Undertaking went against what The League believes and intel from the late Moira Queen and photos on Sara's camera show he faked his death. A hidden note in Sara's boot gives the leads "Jansen" and "Dad Help" from her search. Laurel asks her father and he knew she was in town and asked not to reveal it to her sister. The continued ruse that Sara is not dead to protect her father since he has a heart condition is running it's course and we need to just break the news so everyone can get on the same page.
Turns out that Jansen is a Buddhist Monk that Malcolm Merlyn helped when he was facing deportation, so the assumption is that Merlyn is living at the monastery. Nyssa and Oliver continue to not follow the same guidelines in their investigation, much to Oliver's chagrin. They soon find Merlyn who easily dodges the arrows from both Nyssa and Oliver before escaping via smoke bomb. But, thanks to Felicity (conveniently visiting Barry Allen this week), the arrow that Oliver grazed Merlyn with was laced with nanotechnology to enable them to find their foe.
Roy approaches Thea at Verdant under the guise of being a friend but truly to see if she has connections to Merlyn. Diggle helps Oliver track Merlyn to an old air-conditioning factory. What is it with old factories on this show? Alas, it is vacant and Merlyn was aware of the nanotech and demands Oliver meet him in a public square alone so they can talk. Merlyn adamantly denies he killed Sara, saying he is trying to lift the blood bounty on his head. Merlyn claims he came back for Thea only and says he actually saved her during Slade Wilson's rampage.
Oliver confronts Thea and tells her Merlyn is still alive and she plays innocent, not letting on how she has been trained by him. Oliver tells Nyssa why Merlyn is innocent but she does not believe him and demands justice for Sara. Surprisingly, Roy and Diggle both are okay with Merlyn dying at the hands of Nyssa, which shocks Oliver. Leaving Verdant, Nyssa drugs Roy and takes Thea and signals to Merlyn to meet for an exchange. With Roy out of commission, Laurel gives Oliver the intel and he goes into action with Diggle on the perimeter.
Nyssa reveals Merlyn's League name is The Magician and awaits his arrival, but Oliver cuts Thea free and battles Nyssa. Merlyn arrives in his Dark Archer attire and the three fight in most kickass fashion. Merlyn traps Nyssa and Oliver gets the upper hand on Merlyn. But, despite pleas from Nyssa, Oliver does not kill Merlyn. Merlyn indicates that it was actually Ra's Al Ghul who didn't trust Sara and ordered her death. Merlyn tells Oliver to kill him if he doesn't believe him. As Merlyn turns to leave, Oliver says he is still a murderer and can take him to jail, but still refuses to kill him.
Oliver says Sara's killer is stiil out there but Nyssa no longer considers him an ally. But, Oliver seems adamant to stick to his vows of not killing as well as avenging Sara. Whether he can do both still remains to be seen. At her boxing gym, Nyssa comes to say goodbye to Laurel and says she now believes she has the strength to take after her sister, a clear reference to Laurel becoming the next Canary. Oliver and Roy both check on Thea who gets a call from her father, thanking him for protecting her.
At the close of the episode, we see Nyssa entering the hall of a temple, approaching a throne and revealing that Malcolm Merlyn is still alive. Behind the throne, a man emerges from a pool of water and a voice asks if Sara Lance is dead, refuting that she was ever one of The League. The man, revealed to be Ra's Al Ghul, says Oliver Queen courts war with The League if he protects Malcolm Merlyn.
Flashbacks: The flashbacks also get back on track to Oliver's time in Hong Kong as Oliver tracks a terrorist for Amanda Waller. Following the man as he eats an ice cream, Oliver comes up behind and quickly stabs him to death before taking his keys. Returning to Tatsu's home, Oliver laments why he killed a man for no reason and is told he must find focus and a reason for following orders. Looking at the USB drive he took from his target, Oliver demands a meet with Waller. Waller admits she had been watching Oliver while on Lian Yu and Oliver reveals the man he killed was the handler for Edward Fiers, the man who tormented Oliver in season one, and also employed by Waller. Waller reveals that the plane Fiers was unable to shoot down actually was carrying China White, another season one villain, whom Oliver inadvertantly saved. Now in Hong Kong, Waller needs to know why.
Episode Grade: 8/10
Having binge-watched the first two seasons of ARROW, I am somewhat frustrated by being limited to one episode a week. ARROW has become adept at slow-burning a plot thread over the course of half a season or longer, which makes me believe we may not learn who killed Sara for weeks to come. Still, to keep viewers entertained for weeks on end is a feat rarely accomplished by a serial TV series these days. The brewing confrontation between The League and Oliver Queen is picking up steam and promises to be as good if not better than the face off with Slade Wilson last season. The reveal of Ra's Al Ghul felt like a bit of a letdown tonight, so hopefully next week gives us more from the newly introduced villain. And, once again, the Hong Kong flashbacks feel out of sorts and not as coherent to the plot as they have in past seasons.
Next on ARROW: "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak" – When a cyber attack brings Starling City to its knees, Oliver and Felicity are pushed to their limits to contain the destruction. Life gets even more complicated for Felicity when her mother, Donna, stops by for a surprise visit. Meanwhile, Ted Grant questions Laurel’s motives, and Thea buys an apartment with Malcolm’s "estate" money, which infuriates Oliver