'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 3: John Diggle and Lyla Michaels would make a perfect couple if she wasn't hiding such a dark secret from him
Over the eight seasons of 'Arrow', we have seen each of the characters grow and evolve in surprising ways and that evolution was the focus in the final season's episode three 'Leap of Faith'.
While Oliver Queen / Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) had his own adventures with his sister Thea Queen / Speedy (Willa Holland), Lyla Michaels (Audrey Marie Anderson) snatched her husband John Diggle (David Ramsey) away for a brief interlude in Kaznia.
In the episode, Lyla and Diggle infiltrate the home of a "philanthropist" with ties to terrorist organizations to rescue Sandra Hawke and Connor Hawke (Aiden Stoxx), the son of Ben Turner / Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White), who are being held hostage by enemy forces.
It's a routine mission that the two veteran spies complete almost effortlessly but the mission itself serves as a backdrop for a tribute to their long and difficult love story.
Diggle is uncharacteristically cautious during the mission, which concerns Lyla who remarks that John has never been afraid of taking risks before.
But Diggle reveals to Lyla that seeing Earth-2 disintegrate before his very eyes has given him something of an awakening, meaning that he's no longer willing to risk losing the people he loves.
Lyla comforts Diggle with a quick speech about how no one knows what's coming in the future and assures her husband that, if it were to come down to it, she isn't afraid to die with him.
"If the world ends today," Lyla tells Diggle. "There is no one I would rather have by my side." Throughout the episode, Lyla and Diggle work together like a well-oiled machine.
The way they support each other through thick and thin, staying strong even when faced with terrible odds, we'd almost be tempted to call them the absolute best couple in the Arrowverse, if only Lyla wasn't hiding such a massive secret from her husband.
In episode three, we learned that Lyla has secretly been working with the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) the whole time. At one point towards the end of episode three, we see Lyla almost finding the nerve to tell Diggle about her secret but she ends up keeping the truth hidden.
"Johnny, promise me that no matter what happens, you'll always remember the good times," Lyla says. It's almost frustrating seeing how good these two are together while also knowing about Lyla's secret.
Hopefully, we'll see that whole thing explored further in the coming episodes. 'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 4 'Leap of Faith' will air on The CW on November 5.