Arrow season 3, episode 12, “Uprising,” set up a surprising alliance between Oliver Queen and Malcolm Merlyn. But should Oliver trust Merlyn?
Malcolm Merlyn was first introduced as the aloof father of Oliver’s best friend, Tommy, as well as a business associate of Moira (and Robert before his death) Queen. Malcolm was driven, intelligent, and distant. He was haunted and shaped by the death of his wife, Rebecca, which strained his relationship with Tommy.
In season 1, it was revealed that Malcolm choreographed the sinking of the Queen’s Gambit, the event that led to Robert Queen’s death and Oliver and Sara Lance’s five-year crucibles on Lian Yu and elsewhere.
We also discovered that Malcolm was the Dark Archer, a League of Assassins-trained warrior who was released from his oath to the League. And what Malcolm did with that freedom was set up a plan to level the Glades, the section of town where Rebecca was murdered. He pulled a number of high-level executives, including Moira, into his Undertaking. Hundreds died when the earthquake machine went off, despite the best efforts of Team Arrow to stop it.
And the kicker was that Tommy was also killed in the ensuing chaos. In avenging his wife’s death, Malcolm killed his son. It’s a tragic story, of course, but is it enough to earn him a redemption arc?
Well, Malcolm’s motives since his return from the dead have been to insinuate himself in Thea’s life, since she’s his biological daughter. Everything he’s doing, he’s doing for her. Surely that’s something Oliver can understand, right?
After all, Thea is his reason for fighting.
However, it’s hard to buy talk like that coming from a man who drugged Thea and made her kill Sara to force Oliver to fight Ra’s al Ghul. And this was set in motion because Malcolm has a target on his back for the Undertaking. He not only ended Sara’s life, but put Thea in mortal danger, all for selfish reasons. And after making his daughter a killer, his only regret seemed to be that Oliver lost his fight.
Malcolm’s complicated relationship with Oliver — family friend, vigilante enemy — led to some strong emotions when he learned Oliver had in fact been defeated. He appeared pained when he brought the news to Team Arrow that Oliver had fallen, though we question whether that emotion was for the late hero or for his own fate.
With all that in mind, Arrow season 3, episode 12, “Uprising,” set to explore Malcolm’s backstory, beginning with the night he received the news his wife had been murdered. It traced Malcolm’s quest for revenge — resulting in him shooting the man he was led to believe killed his wife — and his eventual travel to Nanda Parbat, where he would learn the ways of the League of Assassins, leaving Tommy alone and essentially orphaned.
Was Malcolm a desperate man grieving his wife? Absolutely. Can we understand his grief-fueled quest to avenge her? Definitely. Does this look into Malcolm’s past give him layers previously absent from the cold-hearted character? Perhaps. Can we forgive his absence in his young son’s life so soon after his mother’s death? Eh…
Do we now look past his manipulation of Thea and Sara’s murder? Definitely not.
Malcolm Merlyn is a manipulative murderer, and that is exactly why Felicity adamantly refused to join forces with him against Brick. She remembers his track record — the loved ones he’s harmed or killed — and feels betrayed by Oliver’s decision to work with him.
Meanwhile, Tatsu tells Oliver that it will take a willingness to sacrifice that which he holds most dear to defeat Ra’s al Ghul. He appears to have lost Felicity in deciding to work with Malcolm Merlyn, but we hope Oliver does not lose more, whether it be his sister, his friends, or his moral code.
Malcolm calls himself a murderer, and Oliver has done his fair share of killing. However, Malcolm is usually looking three moves ahead, and we can be sure he’s not telling Oliver — or anyone — everything. He will manipulate any situation to his best advantage, and Oliver will be well served by wariness.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on The CW.