One could spend several paragraphs detailing the litany of ways in which Arrow fumbled through its third year. What’s important to keep in mind, however, is that while the show stumbled, it never fully fell down. For every miscalculated plot thread (i.e. Oliver and Felicity’s frustrating on-again-off-again relationship, the dull League storyline that concluded the year) there were some fantastic elements introduced as well (Brandon Routh’s A.T.O.M). And though the season’s issues were all reflected in the finale, that episode also set the stage for the series to reboot itself and start over with a clean slate. If “Green Arrow” is to be believed, the creative team is working hard to course correct back to the glory days of Season Two.
Per its title, the episode finds Oliver making his way to a new identity in the wake of The Arrow’s “demise” last season. How he arrives at this point is the interesting portion. The season begins, as many seasons have before it, with Oliver darting through a wooded area. In this instance, however, the woods are merely the outer area of a stereotypical idyllic suburban neighborhood where he and Felicity now reside. As Felicity fights for control of Ray Palmer’s company, Oliver is content to play house husband, diving headfirst into the wonders of cooking and prepping brunch with the two’s whitebread neighbors. In a welcome reversal of the standard gender roles, we later learn that Oliver has embraced his new, tranquil lifestyle, whereas Felicity misses the thrill of their superhero-ing days.
Back home, Team Arrow—now consisting of Diggle (with a snazzy new Magneto-esque helmet), Laurel’s Black Canary and Thea’s Speedy (though she demands to be called Red Arrow)—find themselves battling a new breed of criminals who the authorities have dubbed “the ghosts.” The name is well founded,given that they have mastered the art of committing robberies and subsequently disappearing without a trace. Their mastermind is soon revealed to be Damien Darhk, the League member who, according to Ra’s, splintered off from the group to pursue his own interests. Darhk is here played by character actor Neal McDonough, who makes his grand entrance during a meeting of the Starling City Council.
As an actor, McDonough has always thrived as portraying the kind of characters who could switch from classy, dapper men in suits to frightful, violent brutes in the blink of an eye (see Boomtown and Justified). The Arrow writers are clearly familiar with the man’s resume, as that is exactly the role he is made to fill here. In his opening scene, he smiles and jokes to the confused Council members before buttoning his visit with a threatening goodbye. And the man is true to his word—a few scenes later, every member save for Lance (who is rescued by Laurel last minute) meets a gruesome fate. Already Darhk is a major improvement over Matt Nable’s underplayed Ra’s, who occasionally displayed the gravitas of an ancient warrior, but never really felt like much of an imposing, legitimate threat. McDonough, on the other hand, bleeds menace and charisma. He’s just the shot in the arm the series needs after last season.
With the city council dead, Team Arrow realizes that they may be in over their heads and require Oliver’s assistance. The one person stridently opposed to bringing him back into the fold is, of course, Diggle who understandably still hasn’t forgiven his colleague after his deep cover stint last season in which he kidnapped the man’s wife as a demonstration of his loyalty. “You don’t trust, you don’t love,” Diggle tells him pointedly. “You were able to fool Ra’s and join the League because, inside, you are every bit as dark as they are.”