Final Thoughts from the Arrow Episode "Dark Waters"

OK, to be fair, it sure does look that way. And, I even predicted something bad was going to happen to her at the end of the episode (though I thought the Christmas tree would explode when he flipped the switch). But, there's just something that makes me think she's going to survive.

I think a big part of this is the way the show keeps alluding to him standing over a grave. The easy assumption, especially after last night's attack, is Felicity is the one in the grave. But, if that were the case, I think the show writers would be a bit more subtle about it rather than ruining the surprise twist. As a result, I think she survives but another one of his friends dies.

For the record, I think it'll be Laurel (Katie Cassidy). Felicity may be his fiancee but Laurel seems to be the one that understands him better and I could see how her death could change him back into a killer. Plus, let's face it, since she's no longer his girlfiend/love interest, she really seems to have overstayed her usefulness to the series.

It's possible she has Oliver listed in her will as her primary beneficiary. But, that's not a given and it's not like the board has been overly warm to the idea of Oliver taking over his family's company.

Also, the company's namesake, Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), is still alive, something that would complicate things if people found out. And, of course, we know he's not about to come back since he is set to have his own spin off series.

What happened to him? Last update we had was he was hiding out but was still in Star City. Yet, we haven't seen him recently. 

One thing is for certain, presumed dead or not, he (or at least his super suit) would have come in very handy in this episode, especially when Oliver and crew were fighting Damien Darhk in the H.I.V.E. layer and were seriously short handed.

This was definitely a surprise for me, especially given what we know about him. And, I have to admit, I'm definitely intrigued. Does his wife know what he does for a living? How about his daughter?

One thing that also comes to mind after learning about this is whether or not a mourning Oliver/Green Arrow will learn about his enemy's wife and kid and use that against him. It seems like something that would be taking things a bit too far. But, he's done some bad things in his lifetime too and it wouldn't surprise me to see him cross that line.

Sadly, the ending wasn't that much of a surprise since the series (and this episode in particular) seemed to be setting it up from the start. Overall though, I thought this was a decent episode to watch and am definitely interested in seeing what happens when the show returns in January.

My Grade: A