On a weekly basis, the Arrowverse takes us to some pretty crazy places. The Flash regularly hops though time, to parallel Earths, and even into the Speed Force. On Supergirl, aliens don't just invade at frequent intervals, they hang around at bars huffing spray paint. Legends of Tomorrow, meanwhile, not only travels through the past and future, but occasionally visits entirely fictitious locales like Camelot. Despite some forays into magic and mysticism last season, that leaves Arrow as the most grounded show in this ever-growing corner of DC TV.

It's a fitting place for the show to exist in, considering it was the original M.O. of the series before metas started coming out of the woodwork. The renewed focus on telling more street-level stories, however, has given this latest season a sense of purpose and cohesion. Rather than battling speedsters or time pirates, Oliver and his gang of not-so-merry men and women have spent all season dealing with a solitary figure hell-bent on revenge. The producers may have altered Prometheus from the comics, but his Silence of the Lambs meets Usual Suspects reconfiguration has done wonders for the show.

Now, following the reveal of Prometheus' identity and last night's episode, Oliver looks to finally be right where the villain wants him. The CW have released the promo for next week's "Kapiushon," which sees Oliver chained, bloody, and at the mercy of Prometheus. Given that the entire arc of Prometheus this season has almost played like a not-so-greatest hits of Arrow, bringing up past acts and previous moral dilemmas, expect next week's episode to be an unpleasant trip down memory lane.

For those wondering, 'kapiushon' is a rough translation of the Russian wood for a hood. By tying together Oliver's former identity with his time in Russian (currently playing out in the flashbacks), expect some rich thematic parallels to his past. The connection will likely be especially meaningful as Oliver's time in Russia butts right up against his ultra-violent early days as the Hood. Not only is his time in Russian slowly pushing him to become that vigilante, but his choice to take out the names on the list the following year will directly tee up the event that kicked off Prometheus' evolution.

Given that the season's not over yet (and that Arrow was renewed for a new season), we know this isn't the end of Prometheus or Oliver. In fact, he'll have a number of other faces from his past to deal with in the coming weeks. Dolph Lundgren will be returning as Kovar, presumably in another flashback. Meanwhile, Talia al Ghul will be coming to the present day and Star City. Together, they'll further bridge the gap between Oliver's time in Russian and his return to Star City five years ago. Who knows what the future holds for Arrow, but it's likely going to be rough.

Arrow continues next Wednesday with "Kapiushon" @ 8 pm on The CW.

Source: CW