'Arrow': Team Arrow Gets a Massive Status Quo Change in "Emerald Archer"

Tonight on Arrow, the series' status quo was upset yet again -- this time in a way that will alter the way Team Arrow operates, likely for the rest of the series.

Spoilers ahead for "Emerald Archer," tonight's episode of Arrow.

The change came during and after Team Arrow and the Star City Police Department squared off against a new villain, nicknamed Chimera, who had a power suit composed of what appears to be the stolen parts of other heroes' and villains' tech.

That might feel a little familiar to you if you're a fan of Marc Andreyko's critically-acclaimed run on Manhunter. Working from a different approach and on the other side of the good/bad divide, Kate Spencer liberated a ton of gear and costumes from the evidence lock-up in the Los Angeles Police Department, using it to become a superhero who hunted supervillains (as opposed to Chimera, the supervillain who hunted superheroes).

After Chimera managed to get away from the police (and Oliver) once, and left Emiko badly injured, Diggle proposed using Oliver as bait, and getting Team Arrow together again to back him up.

The decision did not go over well with the mayor at first, as one might imagine...but after a protracted fight and a lot of collateral damage, the team took down the heavily-armed Chimera and took him into custody.

Along with Chimera, though, everyone except Oliver was taken in for dressing up in superhero costumes and acting in violation of the anti-vigilante law.

After a showy protest by both Dinah (who threatened to quit the police department) and Oliver (who turned himself in, offering to serve time along with his team), the mayor relented, acknowledging that Team Arrow had been instrumental in bringing in Chimera and numerous other threats over the years. She offered to drop the charges on the condition that Team Arrow agree to be deputized and work for the police, as Oliver has.

(As has been the case right along, it remains unclear why John Diggle or Lyla Michaels could not have done this long ago, deputizing the team for ARGUS, but we guess this works better.)

Arrow airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT, before Black Lightning on Monday nights on The CW.