'Arrow' recap: 'Unchained'

Just when I was worried Arrow was about to start losing it’s momentum, the show manages to prove me wrong. “Unchained” starts off kilker - literally. Everyone’s favorite League of Assassins heiress is sitting in her solitude and refuse everything, including food. One visitor makes it in and presents Nyssa with a hidden knife, allowing Nyssa to escape. She makes her way to Japan where she reunites with Tatsu (or, as you may remember, Katana). Though the two quarrel for a minute, Nyssa appeals to her with a plea for the lotus in exchange for some unseen deal with Oliver Queen.

Meanwhile, Felicity isn’t having the same luck. Though she’s back in business, both as Overwatch with Team Arrow and as CEO with Palmer Tech, she’s less confident in her ability to be the CEO and it’s apparent. During a rehearsal for a presentation she’s got coming up for a power cell battery started by Ray and perfected by Curtis, she struggles in her new wheelchair and fumbles through the presentation. The board member present is less than impressed; Palmer Tech has been flirting with bankruptcy for a little too long for the company to have a less than stellar launch for the power cell and thinks someone else should do it. Felicity is clearly crushed.

She doesn’t dwell on it for long, however, as their newest villain comes into play. During a heist, Team Arrow manages to capture the burglar but when Thea nearly falls off a building after fainting, he escapes. They’re not quite sure what he’s stealing but put him on the backburner as they try to find out what’s happening with Thea.

However, just because Thea’s inexplicably sick and Felicity’s struggling, doesn’t mean the villains take a day off. Their burglar attacks once more and this time, Oliver manages to unmask him. Startled it’s Roy, he manages to escape once more, leaving the team startled that he’s still alive.

Also uncovered - the reason for Thea’s sudden ill health. The problem? Though her run-in with Darhk saved her for a while, the fact that she hasn’t indulged in the bloodlust that’s been keeping her balanced is affecting her and, essentially, draining her lifeforce. Malcolm tries to convince Thea to go out and kill someone but Oliver’s going to try a different tactic after Thea confesses what happened in their run-in. After Alex breaks the news to Oliver that there’s a new candidate, the Green Arrow confronts her and requests a visit with her husband, who turns out to be none other than Damien Darhk.

Trying to distract herself from her failed rehearsal, Felicity is tracking down Roy and finds out he’s headed to Palmer Tech to steal a piece of technology Roy was designing before he “disappeared.” Though Curtis puts up a very impressive fight, Roy is eventually taken out by Team Arrow, who rushes in at the last minute to neutralize Roy after Felicity notices something strange in his eye on the film.

After bringing Roy in and taking out the contact that’s been controlling him, he admits that he was made by someone who recognized him as Roy Harper and has been blackmailing him into working for him for a while. He’s not really sure about anything other than the fact that the guy goes by “The Calculator” and has the ability to keep an eye on just about everything Roy’s been up to and who he’s been in contact with, which is why he avoided them. As Felicity goes to work on finding the source of the technology Roy was blackmailed with, Roy and Oliver go to visit a worsening Thea.

When it’s clear that her window of opportunity is getting smaller, Oliver is set on his meeting with Darhk, hoping that he can strike a deal to exchange something for Thea’s life. Thea rejects this and Malcolm agrees with her. Though they’re desperate to save her, it’s not their choice to make - it’s hers. Oliver’s not down with that.

Back at the new foundry, Felicity has finally managed to trace back the source of the technology, who also manages to break through their encryption. Through a little bit of banter, Felicity realizes that his goal is not to break the internet but to overload Starling’s system, causing a city-wide blackout, murdering thousands in the process. When she’s blocked out of his system once more, she rushes to Palmer Tech to use another one of Ray’s inventions to break back in and stop him. While there, Curtis stops her and convinces her to stop letting the board push her around and let her do the presentation. She’s confident and smart but she’s letting the wheelchair diminish her when she’s in the boardroom and he knows she’s better than that.

Unfortunately, the city is still at stake and Felicity has other things to focus on. Finally managing to track down where The Calculator is planning on starting his attack, she radios the team, including Oliver, who’s about to head to his meeting with Damien. As the team (Roy included!) realizes they’re desperately outnumbered, Oliver comes in at the last minute to help take out the last of the mercenaries. However, The Calculator remains one step ahead of them and Felicity isn’t able to override his programming, just slow it down a little bit. When the team realizes someone needs to stay behind and detonate a bomb to stop the device, Roy volunteers - and makes it out just in the nick of time. This is a good time to note that one of the things that has been off balance this season has been the absence of Roy and this was the perfect time to bring him back in; he’s always managed to make some sort of lightness in their darkness and he brought the perfect balance to Felicity’s current struggle.

With The Calculator currently stalled, Felicity heads to Palmer Tech for her presentation and completely rocks it. Unknowingly, Oliver is seated next to the villain-of-the-week and the two exchange praise about Felicity’s abilities. After Oliver leaves her to check on Thea, Felicity runs into him...only to recognize him solely as her father.

Back at Laurel’s apartment, Thea is in a fragile state and she knows it. Roy is there, tending to her for a little bit before he disappears again. He admits that he wants to stay for her but she pleads for him to leave, to have a normal life, to have a family. I’ll admit it - I was definitely tearing up at this scene. These two started as rebels without a cause, two teens with too much time and a desire to cause trouble, and ended up becoming heroes, not just for the city but for each other as well. Watching them say their final goodbyes to each other was incredibly emotional and hands down one of the best scenes this season.

Just as Thea’s condition causes Malcolm and Oliver to come to a sort of truce, Thea’s rushed to the hospital. She’s fallen into a coma and there’s not a positive prognosis. True to form, Oliver pleads for Thea to not give up, convinced it’s all his fault. There’s hope, however, as Nyssa appears. She’s got the lotus, which could heal Thea, but she has one condition: Oliver has to kill Malcolm.

Back on the island, Oliver faces another type of moral dilemma. After passing out from the torture, Shado appears to Oliver in a fever dream. She’s there because he’s got so much guilt in him and needs to let go of the darkness to make it out of this alive. When he wakes, he confesses what he’s been hiding to Taiana: her brother is dead because of him but he needs her forgiveness for things to work out on the island for them.

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

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