Arrow, “Blood Debts,” was written by the team of Oscar Balderrama and Sarah Tarkoff and was directed by Jesse Warn. The episode is bookended by a return to that graveside scene. Now it is set four months in the future – so the end of the season. We do learn that it is definitely NOT Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) at least. I really like how the title works on several levels.
This episode sees the return of Lonnie Machin (Alexander Calvert). I have to say for someone who went up in flames he didn’t look too bad even with the mask off. As the episode begins, Oliver (Stephen Amell) is seemingly avoiding being with Felicity in the hospital by a single-minded quest to find Dahrk (Neal McDonough). In fact, Diggle (David Ramsey), Thea (Willa Holland), Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and Donna (Charlotte Ross) are all at Felicity’s bedside before she goes in for her final surgery that will fix the nerve damage. Felicity is our quintessential heroine – brave in the face of possible failure and keeping a brave face on Oliver not being there.
Oliver also pressures Diggle into talking to Andy (Eugene Byrd) again. This time Diggle talks with his fists as his rage over Felicity gets the better of him too. Afterwards, Diggle goes home to Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson). Except for Barry’s (Grant Gustin) presence at the grave, I would really wonder if Lyla isn’t high on the list for possible grave dwellers… But I digress. Lyla sees Diggle’s scrapped knuckles and once again is the voice of reason. She tell him that he feels betrayed. She tells him that she’s seen the strength of his love for Andy and that he should show Andy that if he wants to get through to him.
Diggle goes back to talk to Andy. We learn that the last time Diggle beat Andy until his knuckles bled was ten years ago when he convinced Andy to enlist in the army after catching him dealing drugs. Like Darhk, however, Andy truly believes that the world needs a re-set. Of course, it could just be him. It seems to me that they’ve fairly radically re-set his character – I don’t remember any mention of any shady behavior in relation to Andy before this. Am I mis-remembering? Andy tells Diggle about Darhk’s place in Stone Haven and tells him that they’re even. At the end of the episode, Diggle returns once more to Andy. This time it’s just to be his brother and play cards – at which he cheats! It’s always nice to see Ramsey get some more intense scenes, but he also always adds the subtle touches to the scenes – like looking at his brother’s cards!
Oliver goes to Lance (Paul Blackthorne) to find out where Lance has been meeting with Darhk. He knows it will expose Lance and by association put Laurel in danger. Oliver assures Lance that Laurel can look after herself, and he tells Lance that he’ll hide him in the bunker. When Oliver gets to Darhk’s lair, he finds all the ghosts dead and an A on the wall. He immediately recognizes Machin’s mark. Machin is one step ahead of him and Darhk is still one step ahead of Machin.
Thea tells Laurel about Darhk’s taking away her bloodlust and that she feels guilty that Machin now has bloodlust because of her. I think he was pretty much full of bloodlust even before meeting Thea, however. He certainly doesn’t blame her, and while he isn’t exactly gentle with her, he tells Laurel that he would never hurt Thea when they track him to his foster parents’ home. He tells Thea that she burnt away his weakness, like a phoenix, and he asks her why hold back? Thea tells him that she can control herself. Of course, when she holds back, she’s not quite as effective a fighter either.
Thea is clearly still worried about being able to control herself, however. She breaks it off with Alex (Parker Young). He wants to help her and tries to tell her that she’s stronger than she knows, but she tells him she’s just not ready. However, by the end of the episode, she decides that she is stronger than she thinks and she invites him over for a drink. It was nice to see Holland get a bit more to do in this episode too.
Oliver breaks Machin out of police custody to effectively kill Darhk for him. He does put a tracker on him, however. Laurel is appalled that he’s put a psychotic murderer back on the street, and Oliver throws back in her face – “Like you did with Sara?” Diggle interrupts them to tell them that Andy’s lead didn’t pan out and that whatever Oliver’s play is, he has his back. But, he also tells him that he’s come so far – “don’t lose the humanity that made Felicity fall in love with you.”
In the end the Stone Haven lead does pan out – which is a good thing after they lose Machin’s tracker. Machin has Darhk’s wife, Ruve (Janet Kidder) and daughter (Tuesday Hoffman) tied up. Oliver and Thea engage Machin while Diggle and Laurel get the wife and daughter. Darhk confronts Oliver, poking him with his own arrows until Oliver points out that he’s saved Darhk’s family. Ominously, Darhk tells Oliver that he’ll spare his family for a few weeks because of it and that Oliver should enjoy his time with them in the meanwhile.
In the end, Machin gets away. The wife and daughter have fake IDs to say that they aren’t related to Darhk, so they get away too. Rave tells Darhk that the vigilantes saved them. However, it’s also clear that she’s not as ignorant and likely not as innocent as she first appeared. She knows all about the genesis project and wants the new beginning.
Laurel finds out about Lance and Donna when she walks in on him comforting Donna. It is super awkward! Thea spirits Donna off to the cafeteria to eat something. Laurel is totally okay with it though and tells Lance she just wants him to be happy.
Oliver finally goes to see Felicity and runs into Donna crying in the hall. She’s not happy and wants to know where he’s been. Felicity has a new diagnosis – they can’t fix her, the damage to her spine is permanent. Oliver says they’ll get another doctor, but Donna tells him this is the other doctor. There isn’t anyone else. It finally dawns on Oliver that he should have been there – yet he still doesn’t talk to Felicity just yet.
The team finally makes Oliver go to Felicity. She still doesn’t get angry with him for not being there. She is just concerned that he hasn’t gone off the rails. Honestly, more than a hero, I thought she was a saint at about this point! Oliver tells her that he thinks Dahrk is winning because he hasn’t gone far enough, but Felicity pulls him back yet again and asks him what’s the point of doing it if you lose yourself in the process. Of course this resonates with the last scene, four months in the future when a distraught Felicity is waiting for Oliver in the limousine. She tells Oliver that he has to do right. He has to kill the son of a bitch! Is it Donna in the grave? I’m really, really hoping it’s not!
Felicity is also worried that Oliver will feel obligated to stay with her. She’s damaged now – not what he signed up for. Oliver shushes her, pulling out the ring and putting it back on her finger, telling her “for better or for worse!”
The theme of strong women comes up again. Oliver says to Laurel that while the two of them go out every night and fight crime, Felicity is still stronger than all of them. And it’s quite true. But we also see that Laurel is strong enough to watch her back with Darhk and Thea is strong enough to control her bloodlust.
Finally, the flashbacks in this episode follow Conklin (Ryan Robbins), dragging Oliver and Taiana (Elysia Rotaru) back to Reiter (Jimmy Akingbola). When Oliver passes out, he tells Taiana to run away, but she won’t leave him. Conklin now has the maps and Taiana as proof of Oliver’s lies, so Reiter tells him he can kill Oliver now. Conklin, of course, wants revenge and sets about whipping Oliver.
Reiter stops the whipping when he sees the glowing marks on Oliver’s stomach. Oliver is able to get a gun and threatens to kill himself. Oliver agrees to help Reiter as long as Taiana is kept safe. Reiter agrees and Conklin is livid. Reiter tells Conklin that no part of his plan requires Conklin to be alive! Snap! I’m really enjoying Robbins in this even if he is bad guy! I’m still wondering how this storyline is going to factor into the present day. Is it possible we will see Constantine again?
Again, I loved the multiple and clever ways the title worked out in this episode. Oliver owes Darhk a blood debt over shooting Felicity. Darhk then owes Oliver a blood debt for saving his family. Thea's bloodlust - and Machin's - are blood debts too. Conklin owes Oliver a blood debt from having been whipped by him. Diggle owes Andy a blood debt because they are brothers. And is Felicity's charge at the end a blood debt that Oliver now owes to her? What did you think of the episode? Who do you think is in the grave? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
