Arrow Season Four Premiere Recap With Spoilers: “Green Arrow”

Ollie runs through a woods, wearing a green hooded sweatshirt. He emerges on a suburban street, slows down, and greets his neighbors with a smile. He enters the house where he and Felicity are living, she sits cooking in the kitchen. She feeds him a bite of food, and Oliver tells her “You have failed this omelet.” Later in bed, she asks why he had the dragon tattoo removed from his back, and Ollie answers that he doesn’t need it anymore. They talk about her role as CEO of Palmer Tech and how he is happy not to take the company back. Ollie reminds Felicity that they are having brunch with the neighbors.

Black Canary chases a hijacked truck on her cycle, with Speedy riding in back and a number of thugs on the truck firing at them. Speedy is very overly enthusiastic about crime fighting. They get close enough for Speedy to jump into the back of the truck. She fights well, taking down several enemies while complaining about her code name on the intercom, she wants to be Red Arrow. One of the thieves points a gun at her, but she is saved by Diggle, who now wears a helmet that hides his face. Black Canary blows some of the wheels off the truck, forcing it to stop. But backup for the thieves arrives in a van, and they pin Black Canary, Diggle, and Speedy down with a barrage of gunfire and steal the truck’s cargo.

In their hideout, Speedy and Black Canary think they need Ollie’s help to catch these ghosts, especially when they learn the stolen cargo was weapons. Diggle is adamant that they do not need Oliver.

Captain Lance meets with the District Attorney, City Comptroller, and The Head of Emergency Services. Since the last three mayors have died, no one else wants the position and the newly renamed Star City has been led by these four as a committee. Walter Steele was recently asked to run, but he turned it down. The town is dying, in spite of a new high speed train line and attempts to increase tourism. Meanwhile, Lance is in over his head with these thieves, who the media calls ‘ghosts’ since they vanish so completely. On the rare occasion one is captured, they take cyanide to avoid interrogation. Suddenly a man enters, claiming responsibility for the ghosts. He tells them that his organization is there to allow Star City to die, so that someone new can take its place. He threatens the town leaders before leaving.

At brunch with their neighbors, Ollie reveals that the secret to his omelets is to make them in the slow cooker, he has apparently become quite the chef. The neighbors ask if Ollie and Felicity want to be added to the waiting list for a good school, and when they point out they don’t have kids, find out the waiting list is quite long. Felicity decides to get more alcohol, and as soon as she is gone, the neighbors ask Ollie if they can see the ring, Ollie shows them, revealing it was Moira’s, and he plans to propose to Felicity that very night. Felicity returns and trips, dropping the champagne. Ollie catches it without looking, rather impressively.

Flashback

Five years ago, Ollie first donned his green hood and eye makeup and tried to be a vigilante in Coast City. The criminal he fights with gets away, and suddenly Amanda Waller arrives

Laurel and the D.A. are talking at the courthouse when the D.A. notes that her coffee tasted funny before collapsing. Laurel contacts the others, worried about the city leaders. She goes to see her Dad while Diggle sends Thea to the Comptroller and he goes to protect the head of Emergency Services. A gunfight erupts in police headquarters with several uniformed officers getting shot, but Black Canary shows up in time to save Lance, though he does take a bullet to the shoulder. The other city leaders are not so lucky, they’re all killed before Diggle and Thea can save them.

After dinner, Ollie insists Felicity try his soufflé, even though she claims to be full. He hides the engagement ring in her dessert, but the doorbell rings before he can give it to her. It’s Thea and Laurel, and they are there to ask for help.

Thea and Laurel catch Ollie and Felicity up on the ghosts. Ollie asks about their base of operations, and they are forced to admit they do not know where it is. They need the Arrow. Ollie tries to say no, but when he asks Felicity she makes it clear she wants to help their friends.

Flashback, Waller and Ollie go for a drink in a bar in Coast City. She is surprised he didn’t return to Starling City, but he does not want to be so close to his family. Not after what he did to General Shrieve. Waller encourages Ollie to embrace his darkness. He realizes that they are surrounded by A.R.G.U.S. and that she spiked his drink. Ollie passes out.

Ollie and Felicity head to Star City in a limo she arranged. He looks at how desolate the city is and wonders if they actually accomplished anything.

They go to headquarters and Diggle is furious at seeing Oliver. Felicity stops their argument by finding out the exact weapons the ghosts stole. Cluster bombs. Ollie falls back into his old role as leader and tries to give orders, but apologizes when he sees everyone’s faces. Diggle decides to go home, while Thea and Laurel recognize that Ollie’s ideas were good and head out. Now alone with Felicity, Ollie wants to know how she knows so much and is able to work so quickly. He realizes she was already helping the group behind his back.

Laurel goes to check on Lance, and he tries to convince her to keep out of danger, but as usual it does not work. She wants his idea for potential targets for the bombers, but he’s pretty insistent that Star City is dead enough where no event or area stands out.

Diggle plays with baby Sara. Lyla makes it clear that she has moved past what Ollie did to her. It was a war, and Ollie did what he needed to in order to win. Lyla also points out how much Ollie needs Diggle. “If Oliver Queen always made the right choice, he wouldn’t need you.”

Ollie reviews several times when they traveled the world pre-suburbia that Felicity was absent or late and she admits she’s been helping the team. Felicity loves being with Ollie, but the life they’re living bores her. They are interrupted when her computer tracks the bombs, and Felicity tells Ollie that before they left, Cisco made him a new suit. Ollie walks out, claiming he won’t be there long enough to need it.

Speedy, Black Canary, Diggle, and Ollie watch as the ghosts in their base are lectured by the man who earlier threatened the city leaders. The man claims to be disappointed in Alverez, who lead the mission to steal the bombs. Alverez points out that they theft was successful, but the man is angry that the people who tried to stop them were not killed. The man places a hand on Alverez’s chest, and Alverez turns green and dies.Team Arrow comes in fighting, Speedy continues to pummel the same man once he is already down, which does not escapes Ollie’s notice. The leader escapes, and Ollie questions one ghost as the police arrive. The target for the bombs is the new rail station. As they leave, Lance notices Oliver, whose only disguise is a black ski mask.

At headquarters, the team discusses how the man in charge seems to be able to kill with only a touch. Ollie says he is not a metahuman, though he has no real proof except that he’s seen things. Diggle is furious about Ollie’s lack of information. Since the first train is arriving the next day from Central City, they decide that is probably when the bombs will be detonated.

The next day, Ollie and Thea check out the station. Ollie asks if she is okay and tries to talk to Thea about her behavior, but she brushes him off and walks away. Ollie goes to Diggle next, wanting to know if Thea is all right. Diggle says Thea reminds him of how Oliver used to be. Diggle also explains he is mad at himself for believing in Ollie. That Ollie was so successful at infiltrating the League of Assassins because he is just like them.

Lance shows up and confronts Ollie next, blaming him for bringing darkness to the city and inspiring monsters.

Flashback, Ollie wakes up on an A.R.G.U.S. plane, he is greeted by a suit and a solider. Ollie demands to speak to Waller, but she is not there. Ollie is being sent on a mission, to infiltrate and report back. He tries to refuse, but the suit pulls a gun on him and forces Ollie to put on a parachute. Ollie looks out of the plane, and sees an island below him. He turns to ask if they are sending him back to Lian Yu, but he is kicked off the plane (literally) before he can finish the sentence.

Ollie and Felicity are alone at the hideout. She offers to go home, but gets him to admit how much he misses this life. Oliver admits that he thinks Lance is right, that he brings the darkness with him, and the only way he knows to fight darkness is with more darkness. He doesn’t want that.

The other arrive from the train station, there is no sign of the bombs. Ollie’s words about bringing the darkness give Felicity an idea, the bombs are coming by train. The first train is scheduled to arrive soon from Central City. Felicity shows Ollie the new, brighter green suit Cisco made, and Ollie puts it on.

The train is coming. Diggle drives alongside it in his van, with Ollie on top of it.

In the station, Speedy fires a smoking arrow to get everyone’s attention, and yells for them to get out. Black Canary helps a young boy who gets knocked down, and he marvels at her strength. Lance arrives and helps evacuate the building.

Felicity calls Diggle and Ollie to tell them they have six minutes. Ollie jumps onto the train, taking out a ghost.

From another train car, the man in charge tries to call the ghost, but Ollie answers instead, and appears in the car. The man claims to have destroyed the brakes twenty miles ago, there is no stopping the train. Ollie fires an arrow, and the man stops it telekinetically and introduces himself as Damian Darhk. He mentally sends the arrow back at Ollie, who ducks and fires a few more. Darhk stops them all without touching them, and the two men have a fist fight, with Darhk winning easily. He touches Ollie’s chest, and Ollie starts to turn green, but Darhk is hit with a tranquilizer shot by Diggle. He lets Ollie go, but vanishes from the train. Ollie and Diggle get off, and Ollie uses an exploded arrow to stop the train.

At headquarters, Thea wants to know Ollie’s new code name. Diggle claims Ollie does not need one if he is leaving. One look at Felicity, and Ollie says he is staying. He tells them that the man is Darhk, and that he leads a hive, using Ra’s al Ghul’s words. Diggle remembers Deadshot mentioning Hive in regards to Andy’s death, but lies and claims to have never heard of them. Dig starts to go home, no longer furious but not quite ready to trust Ollie again. Ollie asks him to wait, there is one more thing they need to do.

After Felicity hijacks the emergency broadcast system, Ollie, in full gear, speaks to the city about being the kind of inspiration that the Arrow never was, and how light can defeat the dark. He is a symbol of hope, the Green Arrow.

Flashback, Ollie lands hard on Lian Yu. As soon as he does, a man in fatigues points a gun at him and demands to know who he is.

Darhk opens a cabinet in his lair, there is a knife and a small statue. He cuts his wrist and performs a ritual, making symbols temporarily appear on his arm. A man comes to see him, and Darhk talks to the man about keeping to their arrangement. It is Captain Lance, who did not sign up for people being killed but Darhk answers that Lance did agree to obey. Darhk wants Lance to find out all about the Green Arrow.

Felicity and Ollie move into the apartment Thea and Ollie used to share. Thea moved in with Laurel awhile back, not wanting to stay in the home where she was stabbed. Ollie hides the engagement ring.

Six months later

Ollie stands at a grave. The name on the stone is not revealed. Barry shows up at top speed, and apologizes for missing the funeral. Ollie asks if it was because of Zoom, and Barry nods. Ollie tearfully says he does not blame himself. But it is his responsibility to kill the person responsible. Barry offers his help, and Ollie asks to be left alone, so Barry speeds off.Ollie remains at the grave.