Damien Darhk lifted the villainy stakes to a new level for comic book TV shows in the Arrow mid-season finale.

To be honest the tone of the show felt a little like the Flash mid-season finale the evening prior. Menace was balanced with a splash of fun and goofiness throughout the episode. However, as mentioned, the villainy of Damien Darhk reigned supreme and was whey the Arrow mid-season finale knocked it out of the park.

While Zoom is still lingering in the shadows while positioning the pieces of his ultimate end game in the Flash, Darhk is dominant and commanding in the positioning of his on Arrow. It feels like Team Arrow is outgunned with even Malcolm Merlin and the League of Assassins powerless to help. This dominance helps build the belief that the heroes are in serious peril.

Enter the mid-season death cliffhanger.

This mid-season finale left us with suspected death of a main character in Felicity Smoak – it is an Arrow mid-season finale after all!

I do not think anyone believes that Felicity will die this season, however her death could stoke a fire in Oliver (Green Arrow) that we have not seen since season #1. A dark menacing relentless Arrow may return.

Would that be good for the show? No.

The character of Felicity Smoak balances the tone of the show perfectly and would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace.

Also exposed during the scene of Felicity’s possible demise was the family of Damien Darhk. This scene worked in two ways.

It highlighted the dominance of Darhk at this point in the show but also exposed a possible weakness that could be leveraged by Team Arrow – his wife and daughter.

The second half of season #4 promises much. Especially with image of Oliver standing at a fresh grave looming large over Team Arrow in 2016.

So what questions loom?

• Team Arrow look out gunned – so which characters will appear to boost the ranks in season #4 part 2? It doesn’t look like Constantine will be back but perhaps a massive Legends of Tomorrow/Flash crossover story line could be on the cards.
• Felicity will survive surely but who will die? The grave doesn’t look large so could it be someone from Oliver’s flash back we have yet to see.
• Could it be his long-lost son he recently discovered on The Flash crossover in Central City – a son he has only just begun to reconnect with.
• What is grand plan of Damien Darhk – it looks epic and involves lots of cornfields which gave me flash backs to X-Files and the bee’s.
• Would Diggle support Oliver if his strategy was to go after Darhk’s family? It couldn’t be after the family issues between the two in season #3.

Two things are for sure, Star City just can’t take a break, and DC shows are dominating the comic TV space (although Netflix are doing what they can to shift the balance of power to Marvel)

Can not wait for Arrow, Flash, Gotham and Legends of Tomorrow to start again in 2016.

Bravo I say. Bravo!