Yahoo Sports 'Arrow' Recap: Another Death in the Family
Warning: This recap for the “Genesis” episode of Arrow contains spoilers.
H.I.V.E.’s master plan is finally revealed, and it’s a doozy: Utter annihilation of the human race. But even that pales next to the family tragedy of Andy and John. Pushed to the breaking point, fearing for his wife and daughter, John pulls the trigger and kills his brother.
The Plot
Damien Darhk retakes his position in H.I.V.E. and moves forward with Project Genesis. Oliver goes to Hub City to learn how to fight Damien Darhk’s magic and meets Esrin Fortuna (Gabriella Wright). Diggle is with Lyla and Sara who are hiding in an A.R.G.U.S. mobile command center. He gets a facial recognition alert for Andy and follows him into a trap. After being beaten and tortured, he escapes, but ends up leading Darhk to Lyla. Diggle draws some of Darhk’s forces away, but Darhk wants Lyla — he ends up ripping a subdermal implant out of her. Oliver returns in time to stop Darhk from killing her and Felicity saves Diggle. Andy promises to keep coming until Lyla and Sara are dead, so Diggle kills him. Meanwhile, Thea goes off with Alex for some down time, but finds herself trapped in a fake city. It’s the endgame of project Genesis.
Genesis
Darhk killed Amanda Waller for access to Rubicon and we finally find out what it is: A program that overrides security protocols to prevent the launch of any nuclear weapons. Of course, with a little tinkering, that could also be used to launch every nuclear weapon, which is H.I.V.E.’s plan. The town Thea’s been taken to is buried deep under Star City and it will be the only thing saved while everything else becomes a wasteland. Remember when all villains wanted to do was just level the crummy bits of the city?
Brother Killing BrotherIs there anybody watching who blames Diggle for killing Andy? Even after months of deprogramming and rehabilitation, he was still 100 percent under the sway of Damien Darhk. Part of it must have been the knowledge that he was going to be part of the new world after Genesis destroyed everything else. But through his words and actions, it’s clear that the grudge he bears John would never be settled until one or the other was dead.
Arrow Magic
Esrin Fortuna isn’t a character from the comics, which is a shame, because Zatanna is a perfect fit for this scenario. A stage magician turned superhero would be very comfortable in a casino. Nevertheless, she is able to impart a little magical knowhow to Oliver. It’s essentially the Patronus charm from Harry Potter: Think positive thoughts to fight the darkness. So, naturally, he thinks of Felicity, which gives him the glowy eyes. It’s sweet, but it won’t be full blown romantic until he uses that engagement ring to blow Darhk to kingdom come in the season finale.
The Thea Show, aka Under the Arrowdome
At first, it seemed like Thea and Alex were in Oliver and Felicity’s old place in Ivy Town. Then it got creepier — more so because Alex doesn’t even seem to realize anything’s wrong — and it turns out they’re deep underground in H.I.V.E.’s self-sustaining bunker. They know Thea’s the sister of the Green Arrow, right? Do they not run credit checks before handing out home loans down there?
Quiverful of Thoughts
Andy’s coming back though, right? He taunted John so hard, it felt like he was trying to get his brother to shoot him.
This is, what, the 400th hijacked truck on Arrow? Trucks are the least safe place to keep anything in Star City, so why does A.R.G.U.S. think it’ll be any different for them?
Diggle zooming away on a motorcycle with tiny Sara in a backpack (is that an Arrowpoose? A DiggleBjorn?) is the most adorable thing you’ll see on TV this week.
Line of the Night: “It’s not gambling when I play.” Holy hell, Felicity is a boss at blackjack!
Bean Counter Line of the Night: “I’ve been in a chamber like this before on an island named Lian Yu.” “Yes. Lian Yu is a place of nexus.” That line probably saved Arrow tens of thousands of dollars by re-using an old set. And that’s how you produce a weekly superhero show on a CW budget.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
