“Lost in the Flood†perfectly encapsulates everything that drew me into Arrow in the first place: great performances, stellar stunts, witty dialogue, weighty themes, and a surprise death — or two, if you count Alex. (But, really, do you?)
The episode picks up where “Monument Point†left off, with the Green Arrow and Spartan confronting Damien Darhk, who’s now sucked up the lost souls of the recently nuked Havenrock. As any good comic-book villain does, Darhk gives a speech about how he’s going to kill them later because, where’s the fun in doing it now when there’s nuclear bombs on their way? Instead, Darhk triggers some kind of magic tremor that makes the cavern collapse. Darhk exits, as large rocks pummel the vigilantes.
Felicity, meanwhile, is at the loft, beating herself up over the Havenrock casualties. Her dad, Noah Kuttler, is there, too, but his presence is less than comforting, even though his program gave Team Arrow an extra 24 hours to stop Rubicon from relaunching. Thankfully, Curtis Holt comes by and instantly lightens the mood. Curtis makes the connection that Felicity’s dad is the same Noah Kuttler who’s an infamous hacker wanted by the FBI. (“You make sooo much more sense now,†Curtis says to Felicity.) Soon after, Felicity receives a text from Thea and abruptly leaves the loft. Malcolm Merlyn and H.I.V.E. have got Thea!
At the Arrow bunker, Felicity meets up with Oliver and Diggle. In a sweet moment that is almost ruined by the world’s ugliest jacket, Felicity gives Oliver an unexpected hug and thanks him for “not being dead.†But there’s nothing more said between the two, and it’s back to business. Felicity traces Thea’s text to a location in the Glades. Green Arrow and Spartan check out the spot, where they find a mysterious sewer entrance. Through this entrance, the duo uncover H.I.V.E.’s ark – a.k.a. Tevat Noah.
Spartan and the Green Arrow waltz around Tevat Noah in a daze, their leather outfits sticking out like sore thumbs among the smock-clad volunteers and the sunny streets. Oliver eventually finds Thea in one of the houses, but instead of being grateful, she pulls a gun on him. Malcolm shows up with his full-on manicured prosthetic glove and explains that he’s drugged her. When Oliver becomes angry, Malcolm swats him away with what is surely a sentiment most of the audience is thinking: “We’ve already established that you’re not going to kill me.†But Dig might! He arrives and starts shooting, causing Malcolm and Thea to flee.
This all leads to a fun chase sequence through the suburbs. It’s quite a visual shock to see the Green Arrow in broad daylight jumping over shrubbery and running through flowerbeds. And thanks to the direction and stunt team, a sunny chase through the suburbs is as intense as one in the dark alleys of Star City. Eventually, the Green Arrow and Spartan break into one of the homes and find a “volunteer†family there. Ruvé then appears on the family’s television in some kind of news broadcast to the entire dome. She seemingly pulls a Kilgrave and urges the volunteers to locate the “dangerous†vigilantes and kill them.
Above the sewer dome, Curtis sends Felicity an urgent text message to return to the loft. A worried Felicity hurries home and finds Curtis ranting about children of divorce and nursing a beer. Before he can explain, Felicity sees her parents, Donna and Kuttler, arguing like old times. As they approach, Felicity grabs a swig of Curtis’s beer for herself. Echo Kellum’s Curtis continues to be a bright spot in this show. Like Emily Bett Rickards, his comedic timing and line delivery routinely breathe life into scenes.
As Donna digs at Kuttler for his past lies, Felicity admits that she’s been lying, too. She tells her mother that she’s been secretly working with the Green Arrow for the past three years and needs to work with her father to stop H.I.V.E. from nuking the world. This revelation stings Donna, but there are nuclear missiles to stop, so Donna puts her hurt aside. The gang better work fast because Darhk has an ace up his sleeve. He’s recruited Felicity’s hacker ex, Cooper, to help bring Rubicon back online. As Felicity later explains to Curtis, “I thought [Cooper] was dead; he just came back evil.â€
As Felicity and her dad work together to stop Rubicon, there’s an obvious bond growing between the two. (He even admits that he’s kept tabs on her algorithms, which is probably the closest the Calculator will ever get to saying “I love you.â€). Donna retreats from the scene, and Felicity follows her. A tearful Donna admits that Kuttler wasn’t the one who left, but that it was her choice to take Felicity away from him. Felicity takes this news surprisingly well, considering what a bombshell this should be. Eventually, Felicity re-joins her dad and Curtis and, together, they manage to lock H.I.V.E. and Cooper out of Rubicon.
So, the world is safe from Rubicon, but no one in Tevat Noah is aware of that yet. Following Ruvé’s message, the Green Arrow and Spartan try to lie low in the volunteer family house. To their surprise, the father admits that the family never took the H.I.V.E. mind-control pills and are actually there of their own free will. He explains that Star City had continuously failed to protect them and “left them in the rubble.†Darhk, he says, gave them hope. I liked this twist. It felt logical and earned considering that Star City has had massive terrorist attacks every May for the last three years.
The father’s speech leads Oliver to wonder if Darhk’s plan is that off-base. Before he reaches a conclusion, H.I.V.E. ghosts arrive, and a gunfight breaks out in the house, which causes a virtual blizzard of pillow feathers to fill the air. Did this house have down ceilings or something? Feathers were everywhere! Thea shows up, too, and the Queen siblings have a standoff on the lawn. Oliver implores Thea to fight the mind control. It’s unclear whether Oliver’s speech is that good, or if the mind control was starting to wane, or a combination, but it works. Thea is herself again, and she is rightfully pissed at her dad for drugging her. Again.
Suddenly, a video feed comes through the family television: It’s Lonnie “How you say … An-ar-ky?†Machin, who’s captured Ruvé and her daughter. Alexander Calvert brings such a fun energy to Anarky. It could have easily been a one-note character, but Calvert continuously makes interesting choices in his scenes, whether it’s a movement or an inflection in his voice. Oliver orders an annoyed Malcolm to evacuate Tevat Noah, while he, Spartan and Speedy try to stop Anarky from destroying the entire dome.
The vigilantes confront an irritated Anarky, who’s busy toying with Ruvé and the girl. Anarky warns the group that an errant arrow in the room they’re in might threaten the whole system. An arrow does go awry, and it triggers Tevat Noah to start collapsing in on itself, resulting in concrete falling, fiery explosions, and large electrical sparks. This whole sequence was pretty thrilling, especially considering the budget of a show like Arrow. In the midst of the chaos, Anarky stabs Ruvé, who has just enough life in her to ask Oliver to save her daughter. He does, and Ruvé is left in the rubble to die.
Back in Star City, Team Arrow and Darhk’s daughter survey the imploded dome, which now is a gigantic burning crater. When Felicity checks in with the group, Oliver tells her that, although Rubicon is over, the city still needs saving. It still needs hope.
Okay, it definitely needs a little more saving. A grieving Darhk wants to trigger the nuclear missiles, even without an “ark†to save people. And he knows just who is going to help him get Rubicon working again: Felicity Smoak!
FLASHBACKS
Tatiana goes idol crazy, and Oliver naïvely thinks he can talk her out of it.
BULL’S-EYE
- A “thanks for not being dead†hug should be mandatory after every mission!
- “My God, this really is the end of the world.†—Felicity, to herself, when she sees her parents together.
- Curtis, to Felicity: “I helped you save the world. The least you can do is give me a little gossip.â€
- Throughout the episode, sharp camera angles and bright colors really made the episode pop, as if it were straight out of a comic-book panel.
- Felicity, after Donna assumes she’s pregnant: “Is that the only news that a woman can have?â€
- Curtis trying to save Olicity.
- Is Kovar going to be related to this guy?
- RIP, Alex. P.S.: That was so not your hair in this episode.
MISSING THE MARK
- I don’t believe that Flashback Oliver would be that slow on the uptake.
- How did Thea get that text out if Dig and Oliver couldn’t get a signal?
- Wouldn’t Curtis be worried about Paul in the face of nuclear disaster?
NUMBER OF SHIRTLESS STEPHEN AMELL SCENES: 0 (Oh, come on!!!!)
Come cry with me on Twitter because there’s only one more episode left.