Arrow Arrow Season 4 Episode 12: "Unchained"

[Mike Murdock]

Because the writers didn't know about it at that point.

The bigger question is, if she were a prison for the past 2-3 months, how did she know that Thea needed to be helped at that exact moment?

It seems she was able to keep in touch with her supporters in the League. They could at least walk in and give her food, for example.

 

[JC00]

The bigger question is, if she were a prison for the past 2-3 months, how did she know that Thea needed to be helped at that exact moment?

The members that are loyal to her and are in Star City with Merlyn got word back to the Nyssa loyalists in Nanda Parbat that Thea was dying because of the effects of the pit??

 

[It's Over 9,000]

make Nyssa mad at Malcolm.

She was always mad at Malcolm

 

[TX85]

...wow, really? People typically prefer this Felicity to whiny quavering-voice Felicity, so what...I mean, you're like one of the few people I've ever seen who don't like this aspect of her character.

I've never liked her and dont know if it's just the actress or the character being focused on so heavily or both but yeah I wish she was killed off a long time ago. She may be popular for some reason but the whole world won't agree and so I may be in the minority but yeah really!

 

[Primal Slayer]

Someone pointed this out elsewhere, but if Nyssa already knew about the Lotus Potion, then why was she so reluctant to go through with Sara's revival if the Lotus thing could cure her of the side effects?

It might've cured Sara of bloodlust but she would still be a raging animal.

I was surprised how luxurious Nyssas prison was, Malcolm treated her surprisingly well.

 

[It's Over 9,000]

but she would still be a raging animal

That is how Sara rolls Pit or no Pit

 

[Mike Murdock]

It might've cured Sara of bloodlust but she would still be a raging animal.

Yeah, I doubt the Lotus could have cured Sara without Constantine at least restoring her soul first.

I was surprised how luxurious Nyssas prison was, Malcolm treated her surprisingly well.

It's fitting. She's basically royalty by League standards, so she gets trapped in a gilded cage.

 

[Jedi Arrow]

This was another great episode. Not "A.W.O.L." good but...good. Having Roy back was great–added a familiar dynamic to the team–and it was nice to see both Katana and Shado again. I'm amused by how snarky Mrs. Darhk is to Green Arrow, and I am also wondering why they've been abstaining from showing Damien himself (even today, it only showed his car, not him).

 

[Slade W]

She was always mad at Malcolm

True, but you could say that this was the last straw.

 

[Slade W]

The members that are loyal to her and are in Star City with Merlyn got word back to the Nyssa loyalists in Nanda Parbat that Thea was dying because of the effects of the pit??

That is quite plausible.

 

[Mikelus]

Lets stop making excuses for the plot holes, Damien should've known Oliver is the Arrow from the get-go, he has the connections, the whole LOA knows Oliver's secret!! When it's convenient, the villains know everything, when it's not, then nothing, whatever Arrow, whatever. And Thea "dying" again, yeah right... the writers are running out of ideas. Poor Roy, he can't have a normal life, the only solution would be Oliver revealing the truth, unless Damien does it, which would be even worse. Or, Roy dies, which would be the easiest way out, but terrible for the character. This second half is starting to go down hill like Season 3 did, Oliver is not going to kill Malcolm, it makes Nyssa weak, she should do it herself, it doesn't make sense, it's forced and there's no real suspense. They should end the show next season before it gets even worse, five seasons is a good run and more than enough IMO.

 

[Herolee10]

Well, I gotta admit...when this show first started, I never thought that they'd approach Oliver evolving into the full "Green Arrow" persona by actually having him troll the public and make them think that his "Hood-Arrow" persona was killed off in the form of Roy Harper.lol

While this season is definitely an improvement over Season 3, it's still weighed down with issues that (I feel) need to be cut loose by the end of this season.

For starters, I feel like Malcolm has to be permanently killed off for good. The villain went from being a bonafide badass in Season 1 to being mishandled and overused since Season 3. I think it's blatantly obvious that the BIGGEST reason why Malcolm is still on this show is because the Producers adore John Barrowman.

Next, kill the flashbacks already. They reached their peak with the conclusion of Season 2. I don't think anyone here really gives a damn about Oliver's flashbacks during his 5 years of exile. If anything, they disrupt the momentum of every episode that they're attached to.

And finally, find both a villain and an actor that can bring the same level of intensity that Manu brought in his portrayal of Slade Wilson. Unless Season 5 really brings a second coming of great villains on this show, I think Manu's Slade will forever be remembered by many as the greatest villain on this show. And while John Barrowman isn't as agile and equipped in doing most of his own action scenes like Manu is, John had the fortune of being a character that used a mask most of the time (thus providing the luxury of having a well concealed stunt double at use) and he's a great actor as well.

 

[Guard82]

For starters, I feel like Malcolm has to be permanently killed off for good. The villain went from being a bonafide badass in Season 1 to being mishandled and overused since Season 3. I think it's blatantly obvious that the BIGGEST reason why Malcolm is still on this show is because the Producers adore John Barrowman.

Agreed. Speaking of which, I was wondering if some knowledgeable person could help me with something. I was having trouble remembering how Malcolm came back from his apparent death at the hands of Oliver in their duel in the Season 1 finale. I remember that it was revealed in Season 2 that Malcolm was still alive, but I'm having so much difficulty remembering how he survived the Season 1 final battle. Could someone remind me?

And finally, find both a villain and an actor that can bring the same level of intensity that Manu brought in his portrayal of Slade Wilson. Unless Season 5 really brings a second coming of great villains on this show, I think Manu's Slade will forever be remembered by many as the greatest villain on this show. And while John Barrowman isn't as agile and equipped in doing most of his own action scenes like Manu is, John had the fortune of being a character that used a mask most of the time (thus providing the luxury of having a well concealed stunt double at use) and he's a great actor as well.

Actually, I think Damien Darhk has been an awesome villain this season, the best one since Slade.

 

[Slade W]

Agreed. Speaking of which, I was wondering if some knowledgeable person could help me with something. I was having trouble remembering how Malcolm came back from his apparent death at the hands of Oliver in their duel in the Season 1 finale. I remember that it was revealed in Season 2 that Malcolm was still alive, but I'm having so much difficulty remembering how he survived the Season 1 final battle. Could someone remind me?

Well, I certainly would not describe myself as a "knowledgeable person", but I think I can answer your question. It was never revealed exactly how he survived. When he revealed to Moira that he was still alive, he said something like "there are parts of the world where death is considered to be an illusion, I've been to one, I learned to be very convincing". I assume he was referring to Nanda Parbat and that he was speaking about his training with the LOA. No exact reason has been revealed yet. Perhaps one day they will show how he survived in a flashback (I doubt the manner that he survived will be a realistic one). I would guess that the LOA trained him to be able to "play dead" when he is in a weakened state after receiving an injury in battle or what have you, so that the person that attacked him will think he is dead and no longer a threat, and as a result will leave him and not finish the job.

 

[Guard82]

Well, I certainly would not describe myself as a "knowledgeable person", but I think I can answer your question. It was never revealed exactly how he survived. When he revealed to Moira that he was still alive, he said something like "there are parts of the world where death is considered to be an illusion, I've been to one, I learned to be very convincing". I assume he was referring to Nanda Parbat and that he was speaking about his training with the LOA. No exact reason has been revealed yet. Perhaps one day they will show how he survived in a flashback (I doubt the manner that he survived will be a realistic one). I would guess that the LOA trained him to be able to "play dead" when he is in a weakened state after receiving an injury in battle or what have you, so that the person that attacked him will think he is dead and no longer a threat, and as a result will leave him and not finish the job.

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. It's weird, though, that they still haven't shown us definitively how he survived. It's been over 2 years since he revealed to Moira that he was still alive. Considering the generous amount of screentime they've given Malcolm since his return, you'd think they would have shown us how he survived the Season 1 finale by now.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. It's weird, though, that they still haven't shown us definitively how he survived. It's been over 2 years since he revealed to Moira that he was still alive. Considering the generous amount of screentime they've given Malcolm since his return, you'd think they would have shown us how he survived the Season 1 finale by now.

I thought that it was implied in "The Magician" that Merlyn is a master illusionist, thus his moniker. If he can basically "teleport" by using smoke grenades I think playing a convincing game of possum isn't outside the realm of his abilities.

I'd also like to add that Malcolm is the stealthiest person in the CW universe and his ninja skills are unparalleled.

 

[rashad]

Actually, I think Damien Darhk has been an awesome villain this season, the best one since Slade.

Agreed.

 

[Arrowshieldfan]

They are slowly turning merlyn into a badass evil psychopath again.

 

[KillerMcQueen]

They are slowly turning merlyn into a badass evil psychopath again.

When did he stop being an evil psychopath?

 

[Lencho01]

This episode reminded me of how much I missed Roy "Parkour" Harper.

 

[metaphysician]

It's fitting. She's basically royalty by League standards, so she gets trapped in a gilded cage.

Also, Malcolm probably wants to convince her to undo whatever she did to the Lazarus Pit, which is ( theoretically ) easier if she hasn't been given any further reason to hate him. Plus, as we've seen, there were real issues of internal loyalty. It could be he knew that having her taken out back, tortured, and executed would trigger a revolt.

 

[metaphysician]

I thought that it was implied in "The Magician" that Merlyn is a master illusionist, thus his moniker. If he can basically "teleport" by using smoke grenades I think playing a convincing game of possum isn't outside the realm of his abilities.

I'd also like to add that Malcolm is the stealthiest person in the CW universe and his ninja skills are unparalleled.

Its not like Ollie didn't also survive said arrow-impaling, as an aside. Combine the relative non-severity of the wound ( compared with, say, Ollie's survival in s3, which was complete ******** ), and being one of the best students of an order that practices low end mystic kung fu? It never twigged my implausibility sense.

 

[mr. peasant]

Its not like Ollie didn't also survive said arrow-impaling, as an aside. Combine the relative non-severity of the wound ( compared with, say, Ollie's survival in s3, which was complete ******** ), and being one of the best students of an order that practices low end mystic kung fu? It never twigged my implausibility sense.

While I agree that the show botched up Oliver's recovery, I will argue that his survival of the injuries is hardly as bull-****** as people make it out to be.

Yes, falling from that height should normally be fatal. However, characters have fallen from height, both in this show and in fiction in general, and survived without injury tons of times. Not to mention, real people in real life have survived falling from even greater heights before.

Likewise, getting stabbed in the liver, while a major trauma, is not as catastrophic or instantaneously fatal as say, getting stabbed in the head, heart or neck (due to the blood vessels there). Mortality figures quoted for penetrating, intra-abdominal trauma is about 5% if they receive treatment in time.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

While I agree that the show botched up Oliver's recovery, I will argue that his survival of the injuries is hardly as bull-****** as people make it out to be.

Yes, falling from that height should normally be fatal. However, characters have fallen from height, both in this show and in fiction in general, and survived without injury tons of times. Not to mention, people have survived falling from even greater heights before.

Likewise, getting stabbed in the liver, while a major trauma, is not as catastrophic or instantaneously fatal as say, getting stabbed in the head, heart or neck (due to the blood vessels there).

It's also convenient that Tatsu/Katana was the one that nursed him to health. She's also the guardian of the Lotus that can presumably cure Thea's bloodlust. It's not a stretch that the tea Tatsu was medicating Oliver with is made of the same Lotus.

 

[Mike Murdock]

While I agree that the show botched up Oliver's recovery, I will argue that his survival of the injuries is hardly as bull-****** as people make it out to be.

Yes, falling from that height should normally be fatal. However, characters have fallen from height, both in this show and in fiction in general, and survived without injury tons of times. Not to mention, real people in real life have survived falling from even greater heights before.

Likewise, getting stabbed in the liver, while a major trauma, is not as catastrophic or instantaneously fatal as say, getting stabbed in the head, heart or neck (due to the blood vessels there). Mortality figures quoted for penetrating, intra-abdominal trauma is about 5% if they receive treatment in time.

I would also argue the production side and the writing side may not have been on the same page. One piece of evidence for this is Ollie's injury moved to a somewhat less fatal location between episodes (an indication that someone looked at the show version and decided it needed to be fixed). Also, there was no verbal description of how far he fell. The CGI people made it a very large distance, but who's to say the writers didn't expect it to be quite that far?