Arrow season 4, episode 12, “Unchained,” saw the return of an old friend and introduced a long-awaited figure connected to the main cast.
In this episode of Arrow, Roy returns to town because he is being blackmailed by a man known as The Calculator (a code name Felicity, channeling her inner Cisco, scorns). The team helps free Roy from The Calculator’s grasp, and he even rejoins the team for a mission in the field. It was nice to see Roy again after his exit last season, though his presence felt a bit superfluous. This plot could have moved forward without him. The core of his appearance, though, was his interactions with Thea.
Thea spends the episode suffering the effects of the Lazarus Pit; we’re introduced to a new rule for resurrection via the Pit. The fact that Thea is not killing is taking a toll on her body. The life that she’s refusing to take is being taken from her instead. Roy sits at her bedside, dons the costume he bequeathed to her and the two share I love you’s, though Roy will be going underground once more.
Roy’s return feels a bit too much like a farewell — especially in the light of Thea falling into a coma at the end of the episode and the grave flash forward hanging over the series like the Sword of Damocles.
The surprise of this dynamic is Malcolm, who lectures Oliver about respecting Thea’s decision not to take a life to spare her own. There’s something seriously askew when Malcolm Merlyn is the one respecting someone’s agency.
However, there is a ray of hope at the end of the episode when Nyssa, who has escaped her prison in Nanda Parbat with the help of those loyal to her among the League, offers a solution to counteract the effects of the Lazarus Pit in exchange for Oliver killing Malcolm Merlyn. Obviously Nyssa (with Sara’s help since he, you know, murdered her) killing Malcolm would be preferable, but Malcolm has long outstayed his welcome, so his death by any means would be welcome at this point.
Meanwhile, the team manages to thwart The Calculator’s plan to take down the city with a web bomb, but we get a pretty major reveal about him at the end of the episode when he attends Felicity’s presentation of Palmer Technologies’ new technology: He is Felicity’s father.
That’s right, we’ve finally met Papa Smoak. Many fans theorized when The Calculator was cast that he would be Felicity’s father based on the information we have on the man (computer genius, criminal, abandoned his family).
Oh, and Damien Darhk’s wife has joined the race for mayor, which is definitely a wrinkle. How it plays into their plans with that weird cornfield remains to be seen, however.
Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Oliver is being tortured by Reiter and hallucinates Shado, who tells him he needs to forgive himself for what he’s done. She also leaves him with a stone carved with some runes. When Oliver comes to, he confesses that he killed his companion’s brother and makes no excuses for it. The highlight, obviously, was seeing Shado again.
Watch a promo for the next episode
