S04.E20: Genesis

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

As Oliver and Felicity look for a magical solution to defeat Darhk, a vengeance-driven Diggle gets a lead on Andy's whereabouts and heads off to confront his brother. Meanwhile, Alex takes Thea on a vacation that quickly turns into a nightmare.

Promo:

 

Edited April 29, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo
Added promo

[janeta]

Finally.  Not going to miss Andy.

[dtissagirl]

SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE NO FLASHBACKS COCKBLOCKING THE STORY FLOW! YOUR SCENES HAVE ACTUAL TIME TO *END* IN A MANNER THAT'S NOT WHAM BAM, ARROW! ISN'T THAT SUPER NEAT?

Please learn from this. PLEASE.

[wonderwall]

Welcome back, Arrow. Oh how I missed you :')

[Angel12d]

That was such a good episode I don't even know where to start! OMG!

[apinknightmare]

Logically? Not the best. 

But I was so entertained. 

[InsertWordHere]

Okay, that Phil Collins joke made me laugh out loud.

Please save Thea from starring in The Truman Show. Did she run past Oliver and Felicity's roadtrip house?

[SleepDeprived]

Hahahaha! So, Starling City IS on top of a Hellmouth! This is such fantastic confirmation!

Guys! This episode was so freaking great! I was very entertained throughout. And on the edge of my seat! It's been so long since I've been anxiously excited about the events in an Arrow episode! Is this the new Arrow?! I love it! I'm so glad this episode focused on OGTA, with occasional Thea. Will definitely rewatch later.

[foreverevolving]

I realized at some point (when they showed poppy i think) that there have not been a single flashback scene in the episode and that I did not miss them at all!!

[Angel12d]

"Andy said Genesis was coming."

"I don't think so, Phil Collins said they'd never tour again."

LMAO. That was perfect. 

[calliope1975]

Going to have to catch the beginning when it airs here on the West Coast, but I really liked what I saw. While I'm glad Digg finally killed Andy, I would have liked more on his motivation for following Darhk. I find this subject matter to be much darker than last year, and yet the show is not dark and depressing like S3 was despite killing off a member of Team Arrow and Diggle's brother. 

I liked Felicity's conversation with Oliver that people can change. I hope that's the extent of her taking responsibility for their breakup, though. Oliver is the one with the major problem in that relationship, and I need that acknowledged.

Not sure how I feel about the city underneath the city. But whatever, if Arrow can keep up the high entertainment value, I can overlook whatever is going on down there.

Edited May 5, 2016 by calliope1975

[apinknightmare]

Just now, Angel12d said:

"Andy said Genesis was coming."

"I don't think so, Phil Collins said they'd never tour again."

LMAO. That was perfect. 

I know people will bitch about her joking around at a time like that, but I'm still cackling over it. My favorite joke of the series thus far. 

[jay741982]

Loved Oliver and Felicity MAKING AN ENTRANCE to help out Dig and Lyla. THANK GOD that POS Andy is dead, loved the Phil Collins Joke and Poor Thea! Am I wrong in thinking the last 3 episodes happen in a Day?

[Angel12d]

As soon as they showed the yellow pills in the 'Previously on Arrow' bit I knew Alex had to be taking them somehow. So he's basically been drugged and has no idea. At least that's better than a typical bad guy boyfriend. 

 

1 minute ago, apinknightmare said:

I know people will bitch about her joking around at a time like that, but I'm still cackling over it. My favorite joke of the series thus far. 

Haha, of course they'll bitch but I don't even care. I genuinely laughed out loud. It was awesome.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Angel12d

[wonderwall]

WHO DO I NEED TO TALK TO IN ORDER TO MAKE LYLA A REGULAR?! 

Sorry, but ain't nobody got time for Curtis when there's a badass lady on the sidelines waiting to show off her badass self on screen.

[hogwash]

I can't believe Year of Diggle is real. I'm so happy.

[foreverevolving]

Is it me or did Dig lie to Lyla on how Andy was killed?

[jay741982]

I'm optimistically amped for the final 3 episodes

1 minute ago, wonderwall said:

WHO DO I NEED TO TALK TO IN ORDER TO MAKE LYLA A REGULAR?! 

Sorry, but ain't nobody got time for Curtis when there's a badass lady on the sidelines waiting to show off her badass self on screen.

Yes Make Lyla a regular Show!!

[KenyaJ]

WTH? I really liked this episode, but that ending . . . Thea banging on the wall freaked me out. That entire subplot with Alex freaked me out. I knew something wasn’t right with him.

Diggle is a bad mofo. I loved seeing him take out all the H.I.V.E. guys, although I guess I should have known it was too easy. Still, he’s awesome. And I was screaming for him to just kill Andy, so I may have clapped a bit when he finally did.  I;m really not looking forward to him angsting about it, though. You did what had to be done, John. Move on.  

“Laurel, she was like a sister.” Bwahahahaha. Stop the madness, show.

And OMG, nuBaby Sara is so freaking adorable. I could have just stared at her for 43 minutes tonight and been happy.

Finally, Oliver and Felicity in formal wear in a casino while Felicity kicks ass at Blackjack is all I need in life. Why have you been holding out on me, show? After five episodes of pointless angst, it was so great to be reminded how effortless their vibe is when the writers just let them be them. They’re such a great team, regardless of whether they’re romantically involved.

[Soulfire]

Been some time since an Arrow episode made me FEEL THIS MUCH. One of the best episodes in a long time. No flashbacks makes for a MUCH stronger episode!

Eshrina Fortuna is BADASS.

Felicity: "It's not gambling when I play." *insert applause emoji here*

Felicity: "You are not perfect, Oliver. None of us are. Good news is, all of us can change." Appreciated Felicity saying she said what she did about people not being able to change because was hurt.

"That's always been the way with us, Felicity. You are the one who brings the light." -- Gotta give it to them: one of Arrow's more consistent traits is Felicity = represents light.

Oliver saved himself by thinking of Felicity. Aaw.

Kind of cool that Oliver ranks Felicity breaking up with him right up there with Tommy and Laurel dying. Ouch.

THE SHOW NEEDS MORE LYLA. Always.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Soulfire

[Angel12d]

DD snapping that woman's neck was like DAMN. I liked that whole opening scene actually. MM is such a suck up! LOL.

[apinknightmare]

I'm wondering why Alex and Thea were selected to be under the dome? Were they being chosen to repopulate or something?

[Jediknight]

3 minutes ago, InsertWordHere said:

Please save Thea from starring in The Truman Show. Did she run past Oliver and Felicity's roadtrip house?

It's a possibility, they're reusing houses.

2 minutes ago, SleepDeprived said:

Hahahaha! So, Starling City IS on top of a Hellmouth! This is such fantastic confirmation!

Can we get Snyder to show up?

You know, Nyssa could help out with Darhk, at least mention her.  Heck, even if she's just helping to protect Lyla.

[hogwash]

So...when are they calling the Justice League or it's DCTV equivalent? How can they possibly handle this?

[jay741982]

Just now, KenyaJ said:

WTH? I really liked this episode, but that ending . . . Thea banging on the wall freaked me out. That entire subplot with Alex freaked me out. I knew something wasn’t right with him.

Diggle is a bad mofo. I loved seeing him take out all the H.I.V.E. guys, although I guess I should have known it was too easy. Still, he’s awesome. And I was screaming for him to just kill Andy, so I may have clapped a bit when he finally did.  I;m really not looking forward to him angsting about it, though. You did what had to be done, John. Move on.  

“Laurel, she was like a sister.” Bwahahahaha. Stop the madness, show.

And OMG, nuBaby Sara is so freaking adorable. I could have just stared at her for 43 minutes tonight and been happy.

Finally, Oliver and Felicity in formal wear in a casino while Felicity kicks ass at Blackjack is all I need in life. Why have you been holding out on me, show? After five episodes of pointless angst, it was so great to be reminded how effortless their vibe is when the writers just let them be them. They’re such a great team, regardless of whether they’re romantically involved.

Not to Mention Olicity coming through for Dyla! We need more of the two power couples l!

[wonderwall]

I can't believe Gregory Smith directed this episode. Such an improvement from last time!

[Angel12d]

I also laughed out loud at the sight of baby Sara on Diggle's back. Like I actually snort laughed. So good!

[Morrigan2575]

Awesome fracking episode.  So glad Diggle killed Andy. The Alex/Thea stuff was predictable but worked. I hope Alex isn't evil and, he didn't seem to be, more liked controlled by those pills.

Lyla was awesome as always. Felicity hitting the bad guy with a van was a great call back. Loved the pace of the episode, everything flowed so well. I even found the immortal shaman entertaining as hell and i was really worried after reading that comic preview.

They're milking the shit out of Laurel's death,  it's kind of amusing she's mote important to the story, dead then she ever was as a live character. 

[Angel12d]

I loved Felicity telling Oliver that she said things when she was hurting and going through one of the worst experiences of her life. I needed her to admit that because that whole "You'll always be the man on the island" thing was harsh and wrong, IMO. So her saying that he can still change was great. Progress! 

I loved all of the Olicity scenes actually. They are just so good together when they're not fighting and Felicity's not snapping at him (with good reason). I'm just...happy sigh.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Angel12d

[nksarmi]

12 minutes ago, dtissagirl said:

SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE NO FLASHBACKS COCKBLOCKING THE STORY FLOW! YOUR SCENES HAVE ACTUAL TIME TO *END* IN A MANNER THAT'S NOT WHAM BAM, ARROW! ISN'T THAT SUPER NEAT?

Please learn from this. PLEASE.

Holy crap - you're right - there weren't any flashbacks! I so did not miss them. That was actually a good hour of television. We need more hours of Arrow without flashbacks.

[Angel12d]

Oliver did see a flash of #Poppy though and Oliver did mention that he's seen what the idol/darkness can do to good people. So I'm assuming she gets taken over by the darkness at some point soon. 

[catrox14]

I really wanted to like this episode...but I just didn't. Maybe I will upon rewatch.

[SleepDeprived]

3 minutes ago, wonderwall said:

WHO DO I NEED TO TALK TO IN ORDER TO MAKE LYLA A REGULAR?! 

Sorry, but ain't nobody got time for Curtis when there's a badass lady on the sidelines waiting to show off her badass self on screen.

THIS, THOUGH!!! Any episode with Lyla in it automatically makes me 5x happier, especially if there's Diggle Family cuteness. Never leave us, Lyla! But I knew that keeping Lyla and Baby Sara in a moving truck seemed both a smart and dangerous move, though. But, damn, Lyla  still being such a badass and facing down Darhk, even though she knew how powerful he is.

3 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

I'm wondering why Alex and Thea were selected to be under the dome? Were they being chosen to repopulate or something?

I'm betting Thea was selected because of Malcolm's deal with Darhk. Thea gets to be on the Ark of Corn because Malcolm stayed loyal to Darhk. Alex, though, was probably just chosen by Ruve because he's an easily controllable dude with good genes for repopulation?

[apinknightmare]

2 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

Oliver did see a flash of #Poppy though and Oliver did mention that he's seen what the idol/darkness can do to good people. So I'm assuming she gets taken over by the darkness at some point soon. 

I'd be here for Zombie!Poppy, honestly.

[GigiM]

I'm shocked at how good tonight's episode was. Everybody's scenes were on point tonight. Wow.

[apinknightmare]

I take back my previous question about Alex and Thea being brought under the dome to procreate. Malcolm probably made that happen so she'd be "safe." 

[Angel12d]

No Laurel + no flashbacks = damn good episode. It was seamless. I don't know, can't explain it. But I'll definitely be re-watching and I haven't done that in a loooooong time.

[wonderwall]

Just now, Angel12d said:

No Laurel + no flashbacks = damn good episode. It was seamless. I don't know, can't explain it. But I'll definitely be re-watching and I haven't done that in a loooooong time.

IMO if LL was in this episode it wouldn't have flowed quite as well. Instead of amazing Diggle/Lyla scenes we would've gotten Diggle/Laurel. *shudders*

[AyChihuahua]

13 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

I'm wondering why Alex and Thea were selected to be under the dome? Were they being chosen to repopulate or something?

Twitter specced that MM made a deal to save Thea and himself in return for helping DD. Bf was probably just the vehicle to get her there. 

[Angel12d]

Just now, wonderwall said:

IMO if LL was in this episode it wouldn't have flowed quite as well. Instead of amazing Diggle/Lyla scenes we would've gotten Diggle/Laurel. *shudders*

Yep. I'm sorry but Laurel's death has pushed the story forward the way it should. She was the right one to go.

Diggle/Lyla were perfect. Actually Lyla was just all round awesome. Love her.

[apinknightmare]

2 minutes ago, AyChihuahua said:

Twitter specced that MM made a deal to save Thea and himself in return for helping DD. Bf was probably just the vehicle to get her there. 

Yeah, unfortunately I figured that out after I posted, haha.

[jay741982]

1 minute ago, AyChihuahua said:

Twitter specced that MM made a deal to save Thea and himself in return for helping DD. Bf was probably just the vehicle to get her there. 

Malcolm said this in a previous episode. I remember yelling out " gee Malcolm Thea will just be fine with Oliver Laurel Diggle Lyla Sara and Felicity dying NOT"

[AyChihuahua]

Just now, apinknightmare said:

Yeah, unfortunately I figured that out after I posted, haha.

I was too busy yelling at Thea for being stupid and taking that long to figure out something was up to think about it. Twitter clued me in.

[GirlvsTV]

I'm having the weirdest reaction to this episode. I think the Genesis stuff is both nonsensical and a total Undertaking retread, I hate the magic stuff, was irritated by all the LL mentions and find the 'defeating dark with light' plot to be eye roll levels of cheesy and yet . . . I still enjoyed this episode? What is wrong with me?

I loved the Felicity/Oliver stuff and will probably re-watch those scenes a hundred times, and Lyla/Digg is always welcome. Diggle made me very sad, DR did a great job tonight. Even though I haven't been to into the Andy stuff, the minute he pulled the trigger and we saw Diggle's face : (

I can't believe Thea went on vacay in Oliver and Felicity's Ivy City house, though. And I think someone found a Lazarus Pit and put Baby Sara in it, because she is aging backwards.

This is going to be the first episode I've bothered to re-watch in quite awhile.

[Angel12d]

I forgot to say how much I loved the Shaman lady. She was great. Yeah, the magic stuff was dumb but I've had to learn to get over that on Arrow now so I just felt so entertained by it all.

Also sad face at Oliver putting Felicity giving back the ring in the same realm as Tommy, Moira, Laurel and I'm assuming #Poppy dying. Wow. He loves her so much. 

And that reminds me that he has definitely been living in the bunker and his stuff is in storage. He only wants a home with Felicity. IT'S FINE, I'M FINE.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Angel12d

[Orion]

I made a promise to myself after the first episode this season that if this show actually put Laurel in that grave that I would forever and ever not complain about the episodes. So I was prepared to come here and be positive no matter what. But thankfully I did't have to force myself to be positive for the episode.

The pacing was great. There was not one minute where I had to fast forward or mute. I didn't even have time to check Twitter while something useless was going on.

I love the split up teams and there were no scenes where everyone went everywhere together. Each member of OTA got a story focused on them. Everyone was essential.

No Flashbacks!!!!! Please, please let this have been a test run for next season and the producers coming to the conclusion that they don't need flashback scenes every episode.

Oliver being smart.

The actions was great. The fight scenes felt purposeful and not just stuck in because we had reach a certain point in the episode.

This episode felt so much like it belong in Season 2 and dear god how much I have missed that.

[statsgirl]

Thank you Oscar Balderrama and Emilio Ortega Aldrich. That was quite the episode.

Poor Diggle. Badass Diggle and Badass Lyla.  (How did DD know that the Rubicon info was in a chip in her arm when Diggle apparently didnt?)  Even Sara was pretty badass, riding out there

Oliver got to learn to control the darkness (although we never did find out why he's afraid of magic) and Felicity got to show what a badass she is in both gambling and Death By Auto.

Apparently when you get rid of the flashbacks and kill Laurel, there's room for a storyline for everyone.

I still don't trust Alex.  Maybe Ruve did tell him those were vitamins but you don't drug your girlfriend without her knowing it even if it's for a good cause.  And  if he's just a poor deluded soul, how did he travel with Thea to the Land of the Corn?

 

My only complaints:

We never found out why Oliver is afraid of magic (what WM was promising in this episode).  And I've had enough of Saint Laurel. She's dead, let's think good thoughts about her, but hold back on the beatification.  When did Laurel tell Oliver to never stop fighting?

[Soulfire]

Weekly GIF galore --

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2016 by Soulfire

[Angel12d]

And @quarks would know this but was Thea and Alex's vacation home the same one as Oliver and Felicity's Ivy Town home? I'm pretty sure it was. Not that I've stared at the pictures of it or anything, you know, trying to look at the Olicity pictures on the fireplace. Nope. Not me.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Angel12d

[Morrigan2575]

Quote

My only complaints:

We never found out why Oliver is afraid of magic (what WM was promising in this episode).  And I've had enough of Saint Laurel. She's dead, let's think good thoughts about her, but hold back on the beatification.  When did Laurel tell Oliver to never stop fighting?

I thought Oliver's comment about seeing magic turn good people dark and soulles then the clip of Poppy with Yellow Eyes was the hibt. I figure ahe goes evil and Oliver kills her.