Like each of the other CW DCU shows, Arrow has started it’s push to their season four finale. This week some difficult decisions had to be made, and not everyone got out alive.  Sometimes the best Team Arrow can do is two steps forward, one step back.

**** Spoilers Follow****

It really started at the end of last week’s episode with Darhk and H.I.V.E. obtaining access to the world’s nuclear arsenal and of course, Thea being kidnapped by her father. This week was a race against the clock to remove control from Darhk’s associates, and to do that our team has to make a few deals with some devils.  No, I am not talking Malcolm Merlyn this time, instead Felicity reached out to her Dad, the Calculator.  It’s probably a good thing considering Darhk sent his goons to kill Noah, knowing he had the skills to hack Rubicon, and stopping H.I.V.E.’s plan of nuking the world.

The evening had the highest stakes of the show.  Team Arrow was operating at saving so much more than one city, but in the midst of all of that, Palmer Tech’s board of directors decide it’s a good time to fire Felicity Smoak, I guess the writers needed to cover another eight minutes of camera time and they couldn’t use Echo Kellum this week because it made no sense that Team Arrow had to spend time breaking into Palmer Tech to save the world instead of having Kurtis bring the tech to Team Arrow.

Unfortunately, there were several scenes that felt forced both last week and this week. It’s as if the writers know what the “reveal” for the episode is, but what they don’t have is enough “episode” to get there.  Last week, Rubicon was a great reveal, but it took so much Diggle drama to get there.  This week, bringing Noah into Team Arrow is such a bait and switch, after I doubt he will survive this season, and I am betting he leaves Felicity a fortune, bankrolling Team Arrow in season five.

Another scene that was interesting to watch but didn’t seem relevant was Lonnie Machin showing up in the H.I.V.E.’s base.  He has been a nemesis of Speedy more than Green Arrow, and so it makes sense that she squares off against him, but why he was one of those saved for a better tomorrow is beyond me.  Again interesting scene but not really needed.

Something that was a surprise, yet a theme this season was that sometimes not even Team Arrow can save everyone.  Felicity and her Dad were able to disable H.I.V.E.’s control with the entire missiles except one, aimed for the United States.  Unfortunately, with the time  given, the best Team Felicity could do is reroute the missile to a less populated spot instead of Monument Point, and as mentioned above, Felicity’s father was also shot.  This next week could be a very rough week for our heroine, having the death of an entire town on her shoulders, as well as making sense with what happened with Noah.

In all of the chaos, Oliver remembers that one of the nexus chambers is under City Hall.  Green Arrow and Spartan discover the chamber with a freshly powered up Damian Darhk awaiting them before the scene cuts for credits.  How many more battles does Green Arrow have with Darhk with only two episodes to go?  Next week seems to focus on Team Arrow discovering H.I.V.E.’s base and trying to free Thea, what could go wrong with that plan, right?  Make sure to catch Arrow Wednesday nights on the CW at 8pm/7 central.