For over three weeks now, Arrow fans have speculated whether or not Oliver would agree to become the next Ra's al Ghul and Wednesday night's episode, appropriately titled "The Offer," finally gave us a definitive answer. Though he appeared to be back and forth on the subject throughout the majority of the hour, in the end, Oliver decided to decline Ra's offer and remain Starling City's No. 1 vigilante. However, don't start popping the celebratory champagne just yet because, as it turns out, this verdict comes with a very high price.
You see, someone as lethal and dangerous as Ra's al Ghul is not used to hearing the word "no," so you can imagine how well he took this little rejection. (Here's a hint: he did not take it well at all.) So if he can't persuade Oliver to become his successor, then he's going to do it by force. In the final moments of the episode, Ra's up and killed two of Murmur's remaining men in full-on Arrow garb, causing the witnesses to believe this dark act was performed by the Emerald Archer himself.
As we all know by now, Oliver has changed his ways since Season 1 and developed a very strict "no-killing" policy for himself against his criminal adversaries, so this little stunt is going to completely tarnish his long-standing reputation. (Seriously, Ra's, not cool, bro.) And the worst part of this is, Ra's is only just getting started. I have a feeling he's going to make it his new life's mission to completely corrupt everything Oliver has sought to build in his beloved city. If we thought Captain Lance turning against him was bad, that's nothing compared to having the entire police force believe he's a full-blown murderer. (Now would be a great time to have someone like Lance on his side.)
But knowing Oliver, he's not going to cave into Ra's bullying. If anything, it will only help to further prove that he made the right decision in declining the offer. (I'll take Team Arrow over The League of Assassins any day!) In fact, we may be in for one more great battle before season's end. But in the meantime, Ra's clearly plans on making life as difficult as possible for his unwilling protege. Watch your back, Ollie.
Images: Diyah Pera/The CW
