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After "Restoration," Is Sara Lance a Pawn for Ra's Al Ghul in 'Arrow'?

Before she can be the White Canary, Sara Lance could be exploited by Ra's Al Ghul.

by Eric Francisco
The CW Networks

Did you enjoy last week’s Arrow with Sara Lance’s disturbing, shrunken corpse? You probably did, you weirdo. This week’s episode, “Restoration,” lived up to its title in that it restored life to the deceased Sara Lance, a.k.a. Black Canary.

And as predicted, it didn’t go very well. Unpredictably, Malcolm Merlyn might be planning something.

The Lazarus Pit, which was used to restore Sara’s life, is cursed with bits of souls who have bathed in it before. Considering only the most ruthless of killers and assassins have used it, it’s not recommended that anyone tap into its powers. When you’re already a killer with sweet ninja moves like Sara, it doesn’t really go as well as you hope.

At the end of Arrow, Sara is like a savage junkyard dog with rabies. She’s barely comprehensible, acting only on killer instincts. She couldn’t even properly understand her strong feelings of love for her sister Laurel — she only knew to kill. And somehow, at the center of it all, is none other than Malcolm Merlyn, the new Ra’s Al Ghul.

Even upon second viewing I’m not sure what Ra’s endgame is. He was adamant about not using the pit to bring Sara back. But the minute Thea wanted to up and leave he suddenly had a change of heart.

To be Ra’s Al Ghul does not mean acting out of impulse. Merlyn’s weakness may be his devotion to his daughter, but even that is a planned move on a chessboard. He weaponized Thea for his own benefit under the guise of helping her. Now he’s brought Sara back to life as another act of “love,” but how can this be love?

There’s no reason to go after Oliver, there’s no good reason to take back Star City from Damien Darhk, and there’s not a lot left for Merlyn to really go through except stave off assassination by Nyssa. (It’s gotta suck to live with the man who killed your beloved.)

John Constantine is on his way to Star City, in the show’s fifth episode “Haunted.” He’ll fix Sara somehow, and he will because she’s got Legends of Tomorrow in her future. But Ra’s could have a problem with that, and it’s never a good idea to be a problem for the Demon’s Head.

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