Al Sah-what? In the latest episode of Arrow, Oliver—correction, Al Sah-Him—trains to become Wareeth al Ghul or heir to the demon, Nyssa faces justice for her crime and more on Arrow: Al Sah-Him. Spoiler alert!
Gone, but Not Forgotten
While Oliver—or the man formerly known as Oliver—trains to become the heir to the demon, his family and friends mourn his loss. You would think that they would be used this type of thing by now, given that it is the second time that Oliver has left Starling City and gone to Nanda Parbat to face a death of sorts; but obviously not. This time, however, the Arrow—now Al Sah-Him—has returned to Nanda Parbat to learn the ways of the League of Assassins so that he can replace Ra’s al Ghul, which obviously doesn’t sit well with the gang back home. Can you blame them?
It also didn’t help matters when Al Sah-Him resurfaced back in Starling City three weeks later, only to exact so-called justice on Nyssa al Ghul, Laurel’s new bestie. It’s amazing how alliances can be formed in such a short period of time, as was the case with those two. But what was even interesting was how in that same period of time Al Sah-Him was brainwashed so much that he would attempt to hold Diggle’s wife, Lyla, as a hostage in an effort to draw out Nyssa. At the time, Nyssa was under the protection of his old crew. Luckily, Thea came in to save the day or else Diggle might have really died this week at the hands of his former friend, unlike the fake out we saw in the first few minutes of the episode. With Oliver gone—at least for the foreseeable future—it’s up to Diggle, Felicity, Thea and Laurel to hold down the fort in Starling City now. Or, the writers could actually do something with The Atom. That’s always an option.
Nyssa al Ghul Faces Justice
In one of the most shocking moments of the latest episode of Arrow, Ra’s al Ghul stopped Al Sah-Him from killing Nyssa al Ghul, a supposed justice that Nyssa had to face for her alleged betrayal of her father and the League of Assassins. This was a weird move by the so-called demon, which obviously surprised his heir. Then it got weirder. The demon then offered up an alternative for his daughter, one that would involve Al Sah-Him as well: an arranged marriage. I could swear that I saw Al Sah-Him’s face flinch in disgust at the mere thought of being betrothed to someone he has always barely tolerated. Can you imagine a League of Assassins themed wedding? What would they decorate with, swords and arrows? I don’t know about you, but I’m actually curious to see how this one is going to play out.
Ra’s al Ghul Light
If you’ve ever read about a Ra’s al Ghul in the DC comics or seen a cartoon or movie featuring the notorious Batman villain, then you’d know that Ra’s al Ghul is hardly anything like the one being portrayed on this season of Arrow. I’m not sure what the end game is on Arrow, but so far the Ra’s al Ghul that we’ve seen isn’t nearly as intimidating as one would expect from someone calling themselves “the demon,” nor is he the maniacal eco-terrorist that many of us know him to be in the comics/cartoons. For instance, last week Ra’s coerced Felicity to put aside her feelings against Oliver’s decision to replace him, urging her instead to basically sleep with him. Give it up for Ra’s al Ghul, the relationship expert. Then this week, Ra’s stopped Al Sah-Him from beheading Nyssa, hardly a move that “a demon” would pull, don’t you think? Then again, he did kill the Arrow once, so I guess that’s something.
What do you think of this version of Ra’s al Ghul and the latest episode of Arrow?
Arrow airs Wednesdays on CW at 8:00pm EST.