‘Arrow’ 1.22 Episode Recap and Review: Darkness on the Edge of Town

On this week’s episode of Arrow, is Ollie hanging up the Hood for good?

Malcolm’s a little edgy about anyone at Unidac being able to trace the earthquake machine back to him, so he dons the black hood once more and goes on a little killing spree in the R&D department. Quentin, at least, is savvy enough to recognize the difference between the Hood and the black-arrowed copycat.

Digg and Felicity have been keeping an eye on Mo, but they haven’t been able to gather any new information about the Undertaking. Ollie decides to just ask her about it, as himself this time, rather than as the Hood. She brushes off his first attempt when she hears about the Unidac massacre, but he isn’t so easily put off the second time. Neither are the tranquilizer darts that interrupt the conversation. When Ollie and Mo come to, they’re tied up in a warehouse with the Hood telling Mo that she has failed this city. Digg has donned the Hood and beats the stuffing out of Oliver until Mo spills the beans about the Undertaking leveling the Glades. Digg lets them both go, of course, and Ollie renounces his mom for the time being. So does Walter, for that matter. He serves her with divorce papers, saying that he knew she was behind his kidnapping.

Felicity attempts to hack into the Merlyn Global mainframe, but their security is proving to be a little too much for her, so she needs direct access. Digg and Felicity infiltrate the office building as a security guard and the girl delivering his sedative-laced lunch, while Ollie walks right in for a meeting with Tommy. Ollie gets Felicity up to the 25th floor via elevator shaft, then goes to have a “take my ex, please” conversation with his former best friend. There are a few tense moments in which Felicity is almost caught by a guard while Ollie is stuck in the lobby with first Malcolm, then Thea. (Maybe she would have been able to get through faster if she hadn’t been using Windows 8. Really, Felicity?) Digg manages to get her out while Oliver is warning Thea and Roy to stay away from the Hood.

I get the feeling that Oliver’s conversation with Tommy would have done a lot more good if Oliver hadn’t had a Hood-ending realization about finishing his father’s work and changed his mind about Laurel. Tommy arrives at Laurel’s place just in time to see her mid-snog and just pre-shag through the window. A tight shot on Tommy’s expression shows him looking all wounded and proto-evil.

Felicity’s hacking reveals that the earthquake machine is in a warehouse in the Glades, and Malcolm himself is in his own office. The gang decide on a two-pronged attack: Digg goes after the device while the Hood goes after Malcolm. Merlyn’s already a step ahead, though. The device is already unpacked and in place. Ollie and Malcolm have an extremely epic beatdown, resulting in an unconscious and unmasked Oliver. Malcolm is visibly upset to find out the Hood’s secret identity, saying “oh no” just before the fade to black.

Back on the island, we learn a bit more about Fyres’s plans. He’s going to shoot down commercial airliners on their way into China in order to destabilize the Chinese economy. He makes Yao Fei record a message claiming responsibility, then shoots him in the head. We see a brief shot of the person pulling the strings. Whoever she is, she can rock a killer pair of stilettos.

If this week’s episode was any indication, next week is going to be stellar. We got a lot of set-up this week, and I think watching large parts of it play out next week is going to be a lot of fun. My guesses are as follows: We’re going to somehow see Ollie, Slade, and Shado thwart the plan to shoot down a commercial airliner. Quentin’s lead on Felicity is likely going to lead to him discovering or almost discovering that Oliver is the Hood. Roy’s going to get closer to that same discovery, somehow. The Undertaking is going to come to a head, and I wouldn’t be surprised if next week’s episode is the one that finally pushes Tommy to the dark side. (They have cookies and best friends who don’t make out with your recent exes.)

On that same note, if the trenchcoat glower was any indication, Colin Donnell is going to make a terrific villain. I definitely got bad guy chills. Well done there, sir.

Alright, my excitement was a little premature last week, guys. My apologies. Next week is the Arrow season finale. See you all there!

Best Quote:

Ollie: “Felicity, are you hacking into the Merlyn Global mainframe?”
Felicity: “Hacking is such an ugly word. I’m… yeah, I’m totally hacking into the Merlyn Global mainframe.”

Things to Ponder:

• “Oh no?” What does “oh no” mean? I mean, given next week’s preview, it certainly doesn’t mean “let bygones be bygones.”
• Who thinks Roy is going to rescue Ollie from Malcolm? Show of hands?
• Please oh please don’t die, Malcolm. I need my Barrowman fix!