Brotherhood And A Secret Weapon Sister
Brotherhood & A Secret Weapon Sister
This week’s episode of Arrow, aptly titled “Brotherhood” was all about that; Diggle’s struggle with his blood brother, his loyalty to his hero brother, Oliver, the brotherhood of soldiers on Lian Yu and the volunteer brothers of Damien Dahrk’s “Ghosts”. At the center of all of this “bromance” is Diggle. Grappling with the knowledge that his brother Andy, is not who he thought he was, he feels betrayed and angry and throughout this episode, we see him struggle to make sense of it all. Oliver wants to give Andy the benefit of the doubt, but Diggle, is not so sure it’s worth it.
Enter Oliver and his suggestion to Diggle, for them to work together and try to save Andy. The two team up and sneak off to the docks, thanks to Quentin falling for “intel” that just happens to be laying around on Dark’s desk. (Never fall for the obvious “stick it” note, it’s exactly that, dumb-dumb, a STICK IT!). Anyways, the duo arrive in time to see Damien inducting a new group of Ghosts to his organization. They are volunteers, but they must also ingest a mysterious pill that makes them susceptible to mind control. In essence, they become empty vessels, open and suggestible to all things Dahrk…Ghosts! Now, I’m not sure what these pills are, but perhaps, this they are a solution to un-controlling the controlled H.I.V.E members!?
During this mission, Diggle and Oliver get spotted by the Ghosts, yet Andy, as a presumed leader, commands the group to kill “The Green One” and not his brother Diggle!? Is there still hope for their brotherly relationship then? This is definitely not the moment that we find out. An epic battle ensues, with Diggle and Oliver outnumbered by the Ghosts, yet the two make it out with their lives…barely. Their secret mission to save Andy, failed and worsens Diggle’s internal battle because he know also knows that Oliver wants to fight Damien on all fronts, behind the mask and in front of the world, as Mayor! Two brothers, in the hairs of Damien Dahrk; one not worth saving and one trying to save Star City!
Enter Ray and his discovery of sodium fluoride from one of the Ghost’s tooth, which leads him to a building that has shown high fluoride levels in its water: Mueller Psychiatric Center. That is where Dahrk is storing his Ghosts! It’s going to take the whole Arrow team to attempt a second rescue of Andy. They are all in, well, except for Diggle!
Another epic fight seen ensues. Thank you James Bamford! The Arrow Team are kicking Ghost butt and taking one prisoner, Andy, to rescue from H.I.V.E. and all seems right with the world until Dahrk appears! He sees Thea in a hallway and corners her. He recognizes her style of fighting as being taught by Ra’s al Ghul (revealing that he knows Malcolm Merlyn is the new Ra’s), and he’s impressed. So impressed, that he tries to kill her mystically. He puts his hand on her chest, to suck the life out of her, but it backfires. BIG TIME!! It starts to drain the life out of him and quickly! WHAT!? HOW?! WHOA!! Who was more shocked by that: Thea, Dahrk, or us?! The Lazarus Pit…the gift that keeps on giving! We have yet to find out the extent of its powers, but if this is any indication, it’s definitely a new weapon against Dahrk. And for the bonus, it also turns out to have made Thea’s bloodlust disappear for a little while. Thea is going to have Malcolm help her tap into that, for everyone’s sake!
The episode ends, with Mayoral Candidate Ollie, sending a direct message to the city, that he will be restoring the city, he will be saving the city, he will be protecting Star City and he will not back down to anyone or anything…got it Damien Dahrk?? Although, I have a feeling that Damien has his own long term plans for Star City. The battle continues and after the holiday, the Flarrow crossover shall prove this to be true, more than ever!