Tonight’s Arrow is a continuation from last week.  What changes is the location, Green Arrow and Spartan takes the fight to H.I.V.E. in what they believe is a protective bunker.  Anarchy lives up to his name, and Oliver is reminded why he is the Green Arrow.

**** Spoilers Follow****

We pick up directly where last week ended,  Damien Darhk has a huge power boost through his totem, and easily defeats Oliver and Diggle, and in arrogance he chooses to leave them alive so that they will suffer more once he obtains Rubicon from Felicity and Team Smoak.

Beaten and bruised, Oliver wants all hands on deck, it is at that point he finds out Thea has been kidnapped by Merlyn. Fortunately, Felicity was able to track Thea’s signal back to the H.I.V.E. base.  So the rest of the night was broken into various extended scenes, both Lonnie Machin earning his name of Anarchy, Green Arrow and Spartan trying to free a brainwashed Thea, and again

Team Smoak along with Curtis and Donna joining this week.  It was a free for all on every level from Team Arrow turning a rescue mission into trying to save the family of this season’s villain, also Felicity’s family drama hit new annoyance levels.  I like her Mom and see the value of her Dad, but they should never again be in Star City together.

There was one scene that didn’t seem to fit, and it won’t until it plays out on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.  Lance chooses to stay in Green Arrow’s Lair, by himself with everyone else hard at work.  Oliver asks him to stay there, which seems uncharacteristic, until Sara comes home from her mission with Captain Rip Hunter.  Read my review later this week to see about Sara’s homecoming along with the other Legends.

At one point Oliver and Diggle were forced to withdraw from the ghosts within the H.I.V.E. suburbs where they they run into a family and come to realize this family chose to be part of Genesis because they felt hopeless with the life around.  In giving up, they opted to believe in Darhk and his Genesis.  You could easily see how much this effects Oliver, and if I have to make a guess it’s a foreshadowing of Arrow’s finale and at least some of season five.  Oliver has tried several times to live in the light, but his Hood persona is so much part of him when he is hurt emotionally.  I hope that Laurel’s death can give him courage to truly embrace who he wants the Green Arrow to symbolize.

One of the things this week that I need to call shenanigans on is when Anarchy captures Darhk’s wife and child, and threatens their life unless his demands are made.  Darhk just wiped the floor with Green Arrow and Spartan at the beginning of the episode so Lonnie Machin should have been nothing to defeat or even kill, but Damien does nothing, doesn’t even come after his family.  Instead Team Arrow comes to her rescue but unforutnately, she is killed.  Our team does end up freeing Darhk’s daughter but not before the H.I.V.E. base is destroyed — again, part of Star City is leveled.

At the end of this episode, Darhk’s eyes clearly show that he is done with the pains and evil of this world, and he proclaims even without a haven to protect himself, he wants it all to burn.  Team Smoak is able to sever H.I.V.E.’s control over using Rubicon, I am guessing for now.

Next week’s promo shows that Star City faces again what looks like a nuclear Armageddon, also probably it will be the last of Darhk’s episodes before they introduce another big bad next season.  With the current mayor of Star City dead, I believe we will be seeing Oliver Queen taking the role of Mayor and the end of this season will be Oliver and his Mayoral team who happens to also be Team Arrow to breath hope into Star City.  Don’t miss next week’s season finale, “Schism” on the CW Wednesday night at 8pm 7/ central.