ARROW writers love words and know how to use them well.
They chose a well-known word — ” Genesis” — as a theme this season … the first book of the Bible, which tells the story of the beginning of the universe and features the rebirth of the world after the flood in the story of Noah.
Damien Dahrk (guest star Neal McDonough) created his own version of Genesis to destroy the Earth with nuclear weapons and rebuild it with a group of chosen people, same as in the Bible, with his own warped twist.
But, there are lesser-known phrases that connect to the theme.
Take, for example, the safe haven built by Damien Dahrk — ”Tevat Noah” — the Hebrew word for “Noah’s Ark.” The residents of Tevat Noah were chosen to live in the “new world,” much as God decided whom to save from the flood.
That is not the only part of the phrase that applies to Dahrk. The root word, “Teva,” means to “be drowned by God in the sea,” but also is used in association with a “supreme ruler or king” as well as to imply an “impending change.”
Other such creation/destruction/re-creation concepts have used “Teva” in the name, including the Tevatron Hadron Collider, a facility that was trying to discover the “God particle.”
Does Damien Dahrk consider himself the new “God?” He said as much in the episode, “Lost in the Flood.” At the least, he definitely considers himself worthy of being the supreme ruler of the planet by creating an impending change.
Perhaps the other meaning of Teva is a phrase that may be the most appropriate … “It is in the nature of the Beast to make his mark.”
Damien Dahrk’s nature certainly is more from Hell than from Heaven. Now that Ruvé is dead and Damien thinks that his daughter was killed, there is no reason for him to let Earth survive.
Another word used frequently this season is “Rubicon,” the name of the software that controls nuclear weapons worldwide.
From the days of Julius Caesar, the phrase “Crossing the Rubicon” is used to indicate that there is some type of treason or betrayal involved in a situation. Will one of its members “cross the Rubicon” and betray Team Arrow?
Maybe the most important word associated with tonight’s episode is its title, “Schism,” which implies discord or division among a group of people. Of course, the division could apply to the residents of Star City, some whom are under Dahrk’s influence and willing to fight their fellow citizens.
Or is the schism among the members of Team Arrow? Since his breakup with Felicity and Laurel’s death, Oliver (Stephen Amell) has gone from the more optimistic version of himself (at the beginning of the season when he and Felicity were in Ivy Town), and is closer to the darker Oliver who returned from Lian Yu.
Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) has been hurt by the division in their relationship, by the divisiveness between her parents and by the loss of Laurel. The blonde cyber-queen has endured a lot of pain in the past few months.
Pain is not limited to Ollie and Felicity. John (David Ramsey) is bitter about his own decision to believe Andy, which resulted in Laurel’s death. Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) has lost another daughter and could harbor a hidden resentment for the team.
Thea (Willa Holland) has been through extremes. Besides Laurel’s death, she has faced Malcolm’s (John Barrowman) siding with Dahrk, Lonnie endangering her and the team and Alex’s death.
Will the schism destroy the team forever? Will Season 5 look dramatically different from Season 4? Will Curtis’s (Echo Kellum) unbridled optimism be enough to save the team from its schism? Will Oliver be able to inspire Star City citizens to unite in the face of impending nuclear disaster?
The fabulous John Behring who, along with SUPERNATURAL’s fictional Bobby Singer and Jody Mills, hails from the greater Sioux Falls area and directed the episode. The story for “Schism” was written by Greg Berlanti and the teleplay was written by Wendy Mericle and Marc Guggenheim.
ARROW airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW in the U.S. and on CTV in Canada.
