Arrow season 4, episode 4, “Beyond Redemption,” aired tonight. Read our recap and discuss the episode with fellow fans.
Crooked cops
When Team Arrow intercepts a call about two murdered detectives, Oliver offers Captain Lance his help. Lance, recognizing his lack of resources, accepts. The team eventually makes their way to an armory filled with SCPD-issue gear. They’re dealing with crooked cops.
Recognizing the crooked cops are stealing drug shipments and selling them back to the dealers, Team Arrow has Thea buy some drugs from one of her old dealers to craft a trap. Lance wants in on the bust. When the crooked cops arrive, they’re well-equipped to fight Team Arrow though still have to flee. Lance recognizes these officers as part of the anti-vigilante task force that was reinstated the previous year.
Lance offers Felicity access to police data, and using that access, Felicity finds the task force leader: Liza Warner. However, dash camera footage Felicity was using to look for Warner shows Lance meeting with Damien Darhk.
In a fantastic scene, Oliver confronts Lance. Lance was supposed to be better than Oliver; he’s the reason Oliver is running for mayor, after all. Lance initially started working with Darhk because he offered resources and seemed like he wanted to help. When Lance realized what was going on, Darhk threatened Laurel. Oliver yells at Lance to stop hiding behind his daughters. This revelation has shaken Oliver’s confidence in saving Star City.
Lance and Oliver have always had an interesting dynamic. Oliver has been tied up in the tragedy of their lives for so long, and his identity as the Vigilante/Arrow/Green Arrow only complicated things. Lance has always been the morally upstanding party, and he’s held himself above Oliver, who came home a killer, for that reason.
But this partnership with Darhk — and Oliver finding out about it — puts them on more even ground. Lance gets a taste of what it’s like to do distasteful things, even if for the right reasons, and Oliver is forced to see Lance as human. Because maybe Oliver has put Lance on a pedestal as well, which is why his opinion has meant so much to Oliver. It’s fascinating to see them on more even territory.
Later, Lance is kidnapped by the task force; they have him open up the contraband disposal center so they can steal all the drugs SCPD has taken and skip town. They tie Lance up, but Team Arrow arrives. This time they’re prepared to take on the task force. Though Oliver frees Lance, Warner stabs Oliver and gets a wire around his neck; one move and he’s dead.
Lance, though, talks her down. “I gotta believe we’re not beyond redemption,” he tells her, dropping the episode title appealing to her belief in justice and honor. His words affect Warner, and she allows Lance to arrest her.
Still later, Oliver meets Lance at his place and asks whether Lance meant what he said. Lance says he does and plans to turn himself in the next morning. Oliver, though, suggests he continue the partnership with Darhk but serve as an inside man.
And this development makes this writer suspicious that it’s Lance who is in the grave six months in the future; being an inside man in a criminal organization (paralleling Oliver in the flashbacks) never turns out well.
Oliver’s campaign
Oliver gathers the team at Sebastian Blood’s old campaign headquarters. He shares his plan to run for mayor. The team is pretty sure he’s in over his head since he’s, you know, not a politician — or even a college graduate. To win them over, he brings them to Blood’s old lair, which has been outfitted as the new Arrow cave with the help of S.T.A.R. Labs.
After the fights, Oliver discovers that Thea has hired a bunch of unpaid interns to work his campaign. She even wrote him a speech, which Oliver gives to announce his candidacy.
Lance family drama
Laurel is no longer keeping secrets from her father; she brings him to see Sara, who is chained up in the basement of Laurel’s apartment building. Quentin is horrified at Sara’s condition, but Laurel remains optimistic. Laurel even tries showing Sara pictures of their family. Sara speaks for the first time, asking, “Who am I?” before demanding to be let go and attacking Laurel.
Clearly upset, Lance meets with Darhk; he knows the man was a member of the League and so should know about the Lazarus Pit. Darhk tells Lance that what came back no longer has Sara’s soul, so the merciful thing to do would be to kill her. Notably, Darhk mentions that he is also a father. Alas, one of the EPs confirmed he is not Felicity’s father.
Lance takes this advice to heart and tries to bring himself to shoot Sara. He’s heartbroken. Laurel arrives before he can shoot and talks him down. Lance is not having a good episode.
In the closing moments of the episode, Laurel discovers Sara has gotten free and disappeared. Ruh roh.
Flashbacks
Oliver helps his prisoner fake her death; even when the soldier in charge demands to see her body, Oliver shows him a body. Once the soldier leaves, Oliver revives her and gives her advice for remaining hidden. Meanwhile, the soldier finds the equipment A.R.G.U.S. sent Oliver in with.
Also worth noting
- Cisco should open a design shop for superheroes; after all, he makes the costumes and designs lairs.
- The new Arrow Cave is having some power issues. Ray, is that you?
- Speaking of Ray, Felicity tracked the code that’s been coming to her phone to Palmer Tech. After talking to Curtis, they realize they can access Ray’s final notes with his password (which turned out to be “Password.” Nice, Ray).
- Return of the salmon ladder!
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