Arrow 4.06 “Lost Souls”

Knowing there would be no John Constantine this episode, I really wasn’t that excited to see Arrow this week. But seeing Ray Palmer miniaturize himself within the first five seconds did bring a smile back to my face. This was, of course, a flashback revealing Ray’s disappearance. Finally providing the answer to a question that none of us asked because we already guessed what had happened. Some of us.

Felicity is obsessed with finding Ray. When she does, I have to admit, I didn’t expect it to be in a jar on Damien Darhk’s desk. There’s a great shot of Darhk’s giant face looming over tiny, jar-bound Ray. Very reminiscent of DC comics covers from ages past. I also find it amusing how normal Ray’s smallness is being treated. No one really raises an eyebrow about it. After the last episode, I guess nothing seems that shocking anymore.

Ray is rescued by our collective of heroes. There’s a vibe of impending romantic triangle in the air. Will Felicity choose Ray over Oliver? Once and for all proving that size doesn’t matter? I hope so! (Take that all my ex-girlfriends.)

Sara is back to her old self thanks to last week’s soul-snatching. By the episode’s end, however, she’s hitting the road. A little trip to Central City, eh? Hm. Something tells me I need to catch up on my Flash episodes.

Neal McDonough is still reeking coolness as our arch villain, Damien Darhk. For McDonough, that’s not really much of a feat. The man exudes pheromones of badassery of such magnitude, he really doesn’t have to do anything. His star power is immense. Which is a good thing since the writing does nothing to help him out. We know nothing about him other than what we learned from Ra’s al Ghul last season. He’s alluded to being a father, which is interesting. I’m hoping we get to find out more about him before the end of the season.

The biggest lemon this week was the arrival of Felicity’s mother. A clichéd character who’s never added anything to the show. She’s a gimmicky obstacle to throw in now and then to help stir the conflict pot between characters. Which is why I was very surprised to see her emerge in the last few minutes of the show as a caring, sensitive person with some potential depth. She just happens to run into our Detective Lance at a bar. Both lamenting over the woes of parenthood. It’s a very sweet scene. I’ll be interested to see if this manages to develop into a real relationship, or, a contrived plot device. If something develops between these two, I can see Damien Darhk twirling a fake moustache and laughing as he ties Felicity’s mom to the railroad tracks. “Who will you save, Detective Lance? The mother or the daughter? BWA-HA-HA!” Please, gods of television prophecy, do not let me be right about this one.

Well, that’s it for . . . Oh, wait, that’s right. The obligatory island flashback.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……

When are these going to end? There’s very little worth talking about here. I have a feeling they’re going to build toward a big reveal that connects to the Damien Darhk storyline eventually. For now, we learn that the warlord on the island is unearthing a magic weapon of mass destruction. So, there’s that.

I’m telling you, I would not be surprised if we end up seeing some member of the Allen family from Flash in one of these flashbacks. (Flash-back?) I’m starting to think that everyone on CW has been on that island at some point. I’m expecting to see the island doing its own cameos in other shows soon. Maybe a few game show appearances. Its own series. Who knows?

All right. Enough. Enough I say!