Final Thoughts From the Arrow Episode "Sins of the Father"

It's been a while since we've seen Oliver and company actually faced with a challenge that has them fighting several times in the same episode so it was refreshing to see that this week. Adding to the excitement was they didn't really have a side they could fight on. Both Nyssa and Malcolm had armies and, if they weren't fighting one, they were fighting the other.

Of course, I have to say the final battle between Oliver and Malcolm was a bit of a let down. For a few moments, I thought it was some sort of set up because Oliver had a little too easy of a time defeating his nemesis. I hope their next encounter (and I'm sure they'll have one) will be a little more satisfying.

Revealing Oliver's secret child to Darhk (Neal McDonough), admittedly, has some advantages as far as future episodes go. But, it also seemed like such a waste considering he could have just as easily gone to Felicity, told her the same thing, and potentially hurt Oliver just as much.

Felicity has made it pretty clear she doesn't like it when Oliver keeps secrets from her and we've also seen (via an "Arrow/The Flash" crossover episode) the potential outcome of her learning he has a secret child. I can only imagine that outcome would be worse if she heard it from Malcolm first.

OK, I admit, after seeing Nyssa work so hard to gain control of the League of Assassins, the last thing I expected her to do was disband the organization. But, while her heart was in the right place when she made that decision, I can't help but feel she made a bad mistake.

It's not like she fired an army of lawyers and accountants. She, instead, just released an army of trained killers into the world with absolutely no higher authority keeping them under control. I just know this is going to end up backfiring and will have unintended repercussions for Star City.

I don't necessarily fault Felicity for turning her dad into the police. But, I think she missed out on an opportunity to learn more about a potential new threat to Star City.

When we were first introduced to "The Calculator," I assumed he was just another villain working alone. But, her dad revealed he was working for someone else. Sure, he might be on H.I.V.E.'s payroll like everyone else. But, something tells me there's another group trying to lay claim to Star City. Either way, he's the key to getting inside information.

Am I the only one who got the feeling Donna Smoak (Charlotte Ross) isn't who we think she is? Her impassioned and sincere speech to Felicity seemed almost out of character for her and, as she was giving it, I couldn't help but feel like maybe she wasn't telling her daughter the full story.

Perhaps she is just putting on a show and is a superhero herself. Or, did she used to partner with Felicity's dad and is trying to maintain a low profile as a result?

As I said, I was kind of disappointed by the fight between Oliver and Malcolm. But, overall, I thought this was a decent episode, in part because I wasn't sure what direction it was going to take.

My Grade: B