'Arrow' Season 4 Spoilers: Episode 6 Synopsis Released, Teases The Return Of Ray Palmer Ahead Of 'Legends Of Tomorrow'

After last week’s stunning crossover episode, the CW’s “Arrow” is bringing things back to the world of science as Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) makes his triumphant return to the series. Unfortunately, his time away hasn’t been kind to him, and when Team Arrow discovers he’s alive, they’ll still need to rescue him from the clutches of the principal Season 4 villain, Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough).

With Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) officially back and ready to take on a new role in DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow” in 2016, the leader of the power team still needs to be brought back into the fold. “Arrow” Season 4, episode 6 will look to do that with the discovery that Palmer didn’t die in a fiery explosion, but merely shrunk to a smaller size that no one could see. Unfortunately, according to the episode’s official TV Guide plot synopsis, neither of the future legends will be in tip-top shape when Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), Thea (Willa Holland), Laurel (Katie Cassidy), Diggle (David Ramsey) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) see them in episode 6, titled “Lost Souls.”

“Felicity becomes frantic when she learns Ray is alive and being held by Damien Darhk. Felicity’s guilt over not finding Ray sooner causes tension between her and Oliver. Meanwhile, Sara joins Laurel, Thea and the team on a rescue mission to free Ray. However, the effects of the Lazarus Pit take over and threaten to jeopardize the entire operation.”

It looks like there will be a lot to unpack in this episode, not the least of which is Felicity’s complicated relationship with Ray now that she and Oliver have gotten serious. Although she was getting pretty romantic with Palmer before he “died,” once he was gone she gave into her feelings for Oliver and the two have been practically engaged since. With Palmer heading to his own spinoff series with Sara, odds are good he and Felicity won’t be rekindling their romance -- but how will this affect them going forward?

As for Sara, her return last week was celebrated as a triumphant victory, but that may not last. After dying about a year and a half earlier, being dipped into the Lazarus Pit at the beginning of this season and having John Constantine (Matt Ryan) rescue her soul last week -- the hero should finally be ready for action. However, as Thea learned the hard way, the side effects from the Lazarus Pit are far-reaching and unknown. It looks like whatever the team did to restore her soul might not have been enough.

Still, with all the drama in orbit around the team, the real eye-catching moment from the episode will be Oliver finally facing off again with his magical nemesis, Darhk. In the episode’s official sneak peek, which can be seen on the network’s website, the battle between the two characters is heavily teased. Oliver must finally deal with the infamous Star City crime lord now that Palmer’s fate hangs in the balance. After all, if there’s one thing you don’t do to the Green Arrow, it’s mess with one of his friends.

“Arrow” Season 4, episode 6 airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on the CW. What are you most looking forward to seeing? Comment below or tweet your thoughts to @TylerMcCarthy.