Arrow
Season 3 Episode 21: “Al Sah-Him”
Directed by Thor Freudenthal
Written by Beth Schwartz, Emilio Ortega Aldrich, Brian Ford Sullivan
Created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Starring Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Emily Bett Rickards, John Barrowman, Brandon Routh, Paul Blackthorne
The CW
Air Date: Wednesday, April 29th, 2015, 8:00pm

The review of Arrow 3.21 “Al Sah-Him” is coming right up. But first, a little (or a lot) recap of last week. Spoilers!

Thea (Willa Holland) is pretty much dead. Oliver (Stephen Amell) is beaten. He brings her to Nanda Parbat, to accept Ra’s al Ghul’s (Matt Nable) offer, in exchange for resurrecting her in the Lazarus Pit. Felicity, Diggle, and Malcolm (Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, and John Barrowman) go with him. Thea leaps out acting crazy – loving towards Malcolm, not recognizing Ollie, thinking her mom is alive. Felicity and Oliver finally do it! But then they have to leave him there. Felicity tries one last ditch effort to get him out of there, but it is an epic fail.

Arrow 1.21 “Al Sah-Him” review: There is no more Oliver Queen. Al Sah-Him is shedding his past through training and special “herbs.” He killed a man that he hallucinated to look like Diggle without hesitation!

Meanwhile, in the flashback, the virus from the vial is unleashed.

Al Sah-Him’s task now is to kill Nyssa Al Ghul (Katrina Law), Daughter of the Demon, as she is a threat to his ascension. But she’s busy drink milkshakes and finding “simple pleasures.” He comes back to town for her, but Team Arrow is not going to let that happen. Well… it’s really Laurel (Katie Cassidy) who is Team Nyssa, but she’s right. They will be as bad as the League if they don’t help her.

The Black Canary uses the Canary Call (the thing Cisco fixed for her) to stop Oliver from slicing Nyssa’s throat. He is thwarted. So he kidnaps Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) to get them to hand Nyssa over.

The stunt guys have been getting a lot of overtime. This episode was chock full of precision practiced choreographed fight scenes, more than the usual. So much action and such a fast pace, the episode flew by.

There’s a reveal in the last scene of the flashback involving Maseo (Karl Yune) and Tatsu (Rila Fukushima), and a twist in the present that horrifies Nyssa, but Al Sah-Him? He’s stone-faced here as he is the entire episode.

Funny – Felicity calling him “Darth Oliver” to Thea.

I gotta say – this one is in my Top 5 of the season. And usually those are reserved for crossovers.

Arrow airs Wednesday nights at 8pm ET on The CW.

The CW’s synopsis:

Arrow
Al Sah-Him (Ep# 321)
THE LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS SETS THEIR SITES ON NYSSA — Oliver (Stephen Amell) goes through a rigorous transformation. The League of Assassins sets their sites on Nyssa (guest star Katrina Law), who is back in Starling City training Laurel (Katie Cassidy). When Nyssa realizes they are coming, she arms up to face them alone but Laurel asks Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Diggle (David Ramsey) to help protect her new friend. Thor Freudenthal directed the episode with story by Beth Schwartz and teleplay by Brian Ford Sullivan & Emilio Ortega Aldrich (#321). Original airdate 4/29/2015.

Videos

Arrow – Al Sah-Him Trailer

No fear. No prisoners. No mercy. Arrow is all new Wednesday at 8/7c!

Arrow – Inside: Al Sah-Him

“Vengeance is justice.” Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim takes us inside Wednesday’s all new Arrow!