Arrow
Season 4 Episode 20: “Genesis”
Directed by Gregory Smith
Written by Oscar Balderrama & Emilio Ortega Aldrich
Created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Starring Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Emily Bett Rickards, John Barrowman, Paul Blackthorne
The CW
Air Date: Wednesday, May 4th, 2016, 8:00pm

Last week on Arrow, the team was reeling from the loss of Laurel (Katie Cassidy) – Diggle (David Ramsey) blamed himself, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) was in severe denial, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) blamed herself too, and Oliver (Stephen Amell) was stoic, but sensible. He is not going to let Darhk (Neal Macdonough) off the hook though. A fake Black Canary was running around town, marring Laurel’s work, but they stopped her easily. Oliver then announced Laurel’s superhero identity at her funeral to protect her legacy.

Spoilers below.

Arrow 4.20 “Genesis” review: Damien Darhk arrives and kills some of his old buddies for leaving him to rot in jail. Diggle wants to go in full blazes, but Oliver is the voice of reason.

Oliver got in touch with Constantine. Can I get in touch with Constantine? He’s going to Hub City to find some magic knowledge with a magic tutor. Darhk made Oliver dark. Felicity insists on going with him. They are all dazzled up and in a casino. She is winning and it reveals the immortal shaman, Fortuna.

Diggle gets a facial recognition match on his phone for Andy (Eugene Byrd). I need that app. It’s a trap! Andy is shooting at him. He gets captured, and we are as unsurprised as Andy. Diggle makes it out with a tracker on him. Damn it. Andy hits their truck with a rocket launcher. Baby on board!

Thea and Alex (Willa Holland and Parker Young) go for a weekend getaway. It’s a trap! Everything is on a loop. This development is so interesting. Alex does not have a clue.

Darhk gets his power from fear and death. If Oliver can channel the light, he can repel Darhk’s magic. There’s a catch, though (of course). If he’s moody Oliver, he will make Darhk stronger. She hits him with a taste of that. He sees all of the tragedy – mother dying, father dying, Laurel dying, and is unable to repel it. Fortuna quits on him. Felicity doesn’t, though.

The magic bad guys catch up with Diggle, Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson), and the baby. I don’t like this. Diggle is on a motorcycle with a baby strapped to him. And Felicity with the save! Hitting people with a van is quite effective. Oliver reaches Lyla. He is able to counter Darhk’s magic with light, but Darhk vanishes. He says he was able to reach the light because of Felicity and Thea and John and Laurel. Diggle has to kill his brother. I didn’t see how that could have ended any other way. He taunted John with constant threats, and was never going to stop.

Everyone is ok, except well… the world. Darhk ripped Rubicon out of Lyla’s skin. Rubicon is meant to prevent nuclear destruction. Darhk plans on reversing that feature and is getting ready to destroy the world. He made his Ark and Thea is trapped there (because of Merlyn, obviously).

This was one of the most suspenseful episodes I’ve seen in a long time – so much action with so many surprises. Every movement, drop of dialogue, action, motivation, everything was just so perfect. I was satisfied with every character, and forgot that Lance wasn’t in it, and he is one of my faves. That I forgot him is a testament to how great this episode was. When it ended, I felt like I just did 42 minutes of cardio.

Genesis is coming.

Arrow airs Wednesday nights at 8:00pm on The CW.

The CW’s synopsis:

Arrow
Genesis (Ep# 420)
DIGGLE IS CONSUMED WITH GUILT AND SEEKS REVENGE — As Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) look for a magical solution to defeat Darhk (guest star Neal McDonough), a vengeance-driven Diggle (David Ramsey) gets a lead on Andy’s (guest star Eugene Byrd) whereabouts and heads off to confront his brother. Meanwhile, Alex (guest star Parker Young) takes Thea (Willa Holland) on a vacation that quickly turns into a nightmare. Gregory Smith directed the episode written by Oscar Balderrama & Emilio Ortega Aldrich (#420). Original airdate 5/4/2016.

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Arrow 4×20 Promo “Genesis”