‘Arrow’ season 4 finale review: Did Oliver Queen kill Damien Darhk? Diggle, Thea make tough choices
We knew on the “Arrow” season 4 finale we were going to see a showdown between Oliver Queen and Damien Darhk, and we have to say that this proved to be as epic as anyone out there could hope for … even if a little expected.
For the second straight season, this is a Big Bad who didn’t live to see the end of the finale. Darhk was killed by Oliver himself, who realized that he had no other choice after everything that he has been through. Darhk couldn’t be allowed to have a chance to regain his magic or kill anyone else. It was a choice we don’t fault him for, but it could lead to some difficult consequences. This was a parallel to what happened to him back on the island, where he was forced to kill Taiana after she begged him to, after she was starting to succumb to madness.
As a result of what happened tonight, it looks like a good opportunity for some characters to take a break from the action. Thea wanted to take some time away after threatening to kill a child, while even Diggle realized that he needed a break. Oliver and Felicity are in some ways the only Team Arrow members left … though they may have some other things to keep them busy. After giving a powerful speech to the people of Star City in the midst of a nuclear crisis, the City Council appointed him to be interim Mayor.
In the end, “Schism” was an appropriate title since so many went their separate ways in the aftermath of Darhk’s attack, but the ending actually felt somewhat quiet and anticlimactic after the crazy end to “The Flash.” In a way, it was a microcosm of the past few episodes; while entertaining, there was always something missing, whether it was some sort of moral complexity beyond darkness vs. light or an element of surprise. Maybe this is something that’ll be rectified in season 5. Grade: B-.
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