Arrow

[Jim Kelly]

The whole episode I was thinking about the first time I read JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 94 (November '71). I wonder how Mike Friedrich feels seeing his creation come to life.

But you know, I never pictured Charlie Bronson as the Demonhead. I think they should have robbed Fort Knox and used the gold to get Liam Neeson to play the part. The ratings woulda been through the roof.

Nyssa was quite intent on finding Sara's grave. So if they want to bring Sara back--and the actress wants to come back--I'm sure Nyssa will use the Lazarus Pit to bring Sara back.

I'm glad Ollie didn't kill Merlyn (if that's even possible), because I love to watch the Dark Archer in action. I realize he killed over five hundred people--but I'm willing to overlook that just to keep Barrowman on the show.

[Midvillian1322]

But that's exactly my point!

IM pretty sure he thinks Merlyn will do more good for Thea being around as a protector cause he cant always be the there. He will also become uneasy allies with them in the war against Ra'. Im almost certain by his response Ra's had Sara killed. EIther Talia did it or another high ranking Assassin we haven't met yet. Maybe Katana end up with the League, But I don't see her becoming evil and killing Sara. Or maybe Waller ordering someone like Deadshot to do it and Start a war between Team Arrow and The League.

[Midvillian1322]

That was my thought pretty much all of last season but now I'm not sure. I feel like Thea training with Merlyn was a convenient way to give her skills, but I see her more likely to end up as someone like Arrowette and an occasional member of Ollie's team than a full on assassin for hire. If her reappearance this season had shown more of a turn to the dark side, I would agree with you, but as is, although she's different due to her association with Merlyn, I don't feel she's different enough that I could see her becoming a completely amoral mercenary for hire. It would take something dramatic to bring about that much of a turn in her character, and if none of the previous events that happened to her accomplished it so far, I don't see it now. Pretty much the only big reveal left is that Oliver is the Arrow, and I don't think that one last lie will be enough, given that its balanced by her now having her own lies, ie Merlyn training her.

Plus all the interviews and summaries about this season have been about how Merlyn and Oliver become reluctant allies, and that can only happen while there's the possibility of Merlyn corrupting Thea. The second he actually succeeds in corrupting Thea, all chance of Oliver ever doing anything but hunting Merlyn to the ends of the earth becomes null and void.

Edited: Plus, the main reason I don't think Thea will become Cheshire is because the longer the show goes on, the more each of the supporting cast needs their own storylines, and there's nothing more Roy-centric than Cheshire. All of the other characters have plots and motivations separate from Oliver now - Laurel is becoming Black Canary, Diggle is a father and has connections with Lyla and Argus, Felicity has a brewing romance with Ray Palmer and ties to Flash and his team in Central City, and Thea has her secrets and training with Merlyn. Roy's only storylines are Thea, which ultimately all loop back to include Oliver as well, so I think Cheshire when she's introduced is most likely to be a new character. If Thea becomes Cheshire, then that makes Cheshire as much Oliver's story as she is Roy's, and that just doesn't work as well for a longterm ensemble narrative. His character needs something distinct, that can't be trumped by bigger ties to another character in the main cast, or else you kill all chance of him ever standing on his own as well as the other characters do.

Agreed Thea is more likely gonna be Speedy. Maybe Roy will be let down by Ollie and loose his hand. Go a little dark for awhile and fall in with Cheshire and a crowd like that till he snaps out of it.

[TheDarkKnightReturns]

I don't think they can use her.

Me neither. Cupid did it.

[MichaelC]

Laurel's gotten pumped up. She's clearly been doing some major clangin-n-bangin' in the gym.

[Agent Z]

This episode got me curious about the nature of the League of Assassins in this universe. According to Nyssa, the Undertaking was a violation of the League's code of conduct, yet it is exactly the type of plan other incarnations would have not only condoned but also carried out. Furthermore, back in season 2 Moira was able to get Malcolm to back off by threatening to sick Ra's and the League on him. Perhaps in this verse the LoA is just that - a secret organization of professional killers for hire with no 'make the world a better place' agenda.

[WraizeM]

Judging by the first few episodes of this season I think it's fair to say it's going to be a crazy season.

[Jim Kelly]

I don't know about nowadays, but in the '70s, in the original stories about the League of Assassins, there was the Demonhead--Ra's al Ghul--and the Demonfang--the Sensei. Both were vying for control of the League of Assassins and it was the Sensei who recruited Merlyn to kill the Batman--in "Where Strikes Demonfang?" JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 94 (November '71).

The purifying the planet angle was always the Demonhead's hang-up. While al Ghul grieved for what the world had become, that was always his own personal cause--and he used the League to achieve that end. But it didn't seem like the League of Assassins was created for that express purpose. Once the Batman took down the Demonhead in "The Demon Lives Again"--BATMAN 244 (September '72)--the Sensei had control over the criminal organization and I think Ra's al Ghul's agenda was put on hold.

[Punisher007]

Oh and it was heavily implied in this episode that Merlyn was NEVER dead to being with. He simply faked his own death.

[David Walton]

I don't know about nowadays, but in the '70s, in the original stories about the League of Assassins, there was the Demonhead--Ra's al Ghul--and the Demonfang--the Sensei. Both were vying for control of the League of Assassins and it was the Sensei who recruited Merlyn to kill the Batman--in "Where Strikes Demonfang?" JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 94 (November '71).

The purifying the planet angle was always the Demonhead's hang-up. While al Ghul grieved for what the world had become, that was always his own personal cause--and he used the League to achieve that end. But it didn't seem like the League of Assassins was created for that express purpose. Once the Batman took down the Demonhead in "The Demon Lives Again"--BATMAN 244 (September '72)--the Sensei had control over the criminal organization and I think Ra's al Ghul's agenda was put on hold.

Given that we've already had two villains trying to unleash mass destruction on Starling City, I hope that Ra's wages more of a shadow war against Oliver.

[HsssH]

I found it strange that Thea didn't try to fight Nyssa. Is her faith in Merlyn protecting her so strong that she doesn't feel like fighting if she doesn't absolutely need to?

[MichaelC]

Ra's is really disappointing.

I think Sara was killed by one of wallers agents. They are giving waller an awful lot of flashback screentime for a character not intended to be used in the present. Heck, maybe waller activated some hypnotic programing and had Arrow kill her. Maybe she got tired to manipulating him back in the day and decided to brainwash him outright.

[Charmed]

I'm so proud of Laurel shutting down Oliver every time he says something stupid like, "This isn't what Sara would have wanted." It's such a dumb tv thing to say, but I've never seen a character respond to it until this show. (I so would have taken that guy's ice cream after I stabbed him.)

I also thought she and Nyssa had some great chemistry.

Speaking of Nyssa, I love the way she enters a scene with that cloth-thingy. Where the hell does she hang it?

Nanda Parbat looks pretty cool from the exterior and Thea is a hypocrite, but that's expected seeing who her father is.

Felicity coming back at the end had me rolling.

[MichaelC]

Does anyone remember if Oliver was doing anything that would make it impossible for him to have been the killer? Because I've got a theory that waller activated some brainwashing to have him kill her. It would fit with all the flashbacks.

[normanosborn]

I like the Oliver Killed Sara theory. It would provide just the kind of drama that the show lives on.

I also like the idea that secretly Merlyn is an evil bastard and did kill her. That's probably not it, though.