The final episode of "Arrow" for the year reveals a new foe for the Hood, and perhaps new allies.
Ollie's been busy since his dalliance with Helena Bertinelli, aka The Huntress, scaring three evildoers into giving back their ill-gotten gains, but taking the high road and letting them live.
But someone isn't happy with that.
Adam Hunt sprouts three arrows from his chest late one night. It's pretty obvious this new archer isn't trying to frame Ollie, because his arrows are different.
Of course, the cops don't care-they'll take any excuse to round up the vigilante-except of course for Dinah father, Detective Lance, the epitome of grizzled but honorable.
When Ollie contacts Lance surreptitiously, the detective grudgingly agrees to help, smuggling out one of the arrows, which Ollie track to a warehouse-and a trap.
The new archer takes hostages, and Ollie rescues them, ending up in an archery battle with his mystery assailant. The fight degrades to fisticuffs and Ollie barely escapes, rescued by Digg, though his enemy is just as bad off.
In the meantime, Moira has Walter kidnapped, hoping to keep him safely out of trouble for six months, when the syndicate's secret plan comes to fruition, killing thousands in the process.
The big reveal is the identity of the new archer-Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy's father, and the one who'd been threatening Moira this whole time. He hints that someone he works for put together the list, but who?
And does this solve the identity of Green Arrow nemesis Merlyn?
In the comic books, Merlyn's first name is Tommy, and some versions of the character's history have him a childhood friend of Ollie's. It seemed like the writers were setting Tommy up for heartbreak and a fall, but maybe his dad's the only bad huy here, even though the names don't match.
But considering Malcolm is the first character to utter the name "Green Arrow," maybe Ollie isn't the first arrow-shooting vigilante?
If Tommy's father is Merlyn, could Ollie's father be an earlier Green Arrow? Is that why the syndicate killed him off?
We know Count Vertigo shows up soon, so is he the master criminal behind this whole enterprise. Merlyn worked for Vertigo in the comics, but Vertigo always seemed like a bit of a bumbling also-ran compared to real villains like Lex Luthor or The Joker.
And aside from the questions about Moira's loyalties, where does Felicity Smoak fit in? She could just be nerdy eye candy, but so far her intel has gotten Walter kidnapped and sent Ollie into a trap.
Time will tell.