Arrow Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 23 - My Name Is Oliver Queen

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here. 




Plot

As the rest of Team Arrow escapes Nanda Parbat (with an assist from The Flash), Oliver Queen plays his final hand against Ra's Al Ghul. But Ra's escapes from the deathtrap Oliver had planned to end both his and Ra's lives. Now, with the trust of his allies broken and a deadly plague threatening Starling City, Oliver Queen must once again become someone else...


Influences

The Batman and Green Arrow comics of Dennis O'Neil, The Fall of Green Arrow by J.T. Krul (Oliver Queen manages to drive off most of his allies in an effort to stop a villain from destroying his city), Green Arrow: Where Angels Fear To Tread by Chuck Dixon (Oliver winds up in a situation where his death in an exploding plane trying to stop a virus from being released seems certain), Watchmen (Ra's line about releasing the virus ten minutes earlier) and Batman: Contagion (Ra's Al Ghul seeks to destroy a whole city with a plague).


Goofs

Willa Holland's blocking during the scene where Thea and Diggle are trying to get people away from the contaminated corpse is awkward, as if she wasn't given any more direction than "keep turning around".

How did the police chief of Starling City find out the people responsible for the bio-weapon attack were fighting on top of the city dam?  And why was Quentin Lance called out to where the snipers were setting up in the first place?


Performances

David Ramsey gets more action scenes in this episode than I think he may have gotten in the rest of the season leading up to this point combined. It's always good to see Ramsey in action but he truly sells Diggle's feelings of betrayal throughout the episode.

Paul Blackthorne doesn't have much to do in this episode but it is nice to see Quentin calling Laurel on her bullshit when she gets outraged over his drinking again and lying to her about it.

Emily Bett Rickards has had a lot of tearful monologues over the last half of Season Three and has gotten a lot of flack for it by anti-Olicity fans of the show.  This episode, however, shows that she can handle a speech that requires steel instead of tears and her delivery when Felicity tells Oliver that he can't kill Ra's as Oliver Queen or Al-Sah-him is one of her finest moments on the show.


Artistry

The fight between Oliver and Nyssa vs. Ra's and the Assassins on the cargo plane is very well shot and choreographed.

The final sword fight between Ra's and Ollie is a thing of beauty as far as sword fights go.  The scene is well-blocked and the music is perfect.


Trivia

Rather than starting with the usual "My name is Oliver Queen" speech, this episode opens with a montage showing the key events of Season 3 leading up to last week's cliffhanger.

Oliver's plan to kill himself in a plain crash to prevent a virus from being released over a big city is a nod to the plot of  Where Angels Fear To Tread - a storyline that ran through Green Arrow #97-101.  At the end of that storyline, Oliver Queen did sacrifice his life by destroying a plane carrying a lethal virus over the city of Metropolis.

Reference is made to a traffic light outage at the corner of O'Neil and Adams.  This is a nod to writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, whose run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow redefined the character of Oliver Queen.

Another reference is made to an electrical spike at 52nd and Robson.  This is a reference to the significance of the number 52 and DC Comics and Robson Square - the shooting location in Vancouver of Arrow's street scenes.

Ra's line about releasing the virus ten minutes before he called Oliver is similar to a line from Watchmen - “Do you seriously think I'd explain my master-stroke if there remained the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome? I did it thirty-five minutes ago.”

Captain Lance makes mention of the files for an Andrekyo case. This is likely a nod to writer Marc Andrekyo, who wrote the comic Manhunter about a D.A. turned vigilante - not unlike Laurel Lance.

Felicity quotes the opening monologue of the show, when she tells Oliver that he has become someone else... something else.

Thea dons the Arsenal costume and later says she's thinking of taking the name Red Arrow, but Ollie jokes that he already told everyone to call her Speedy.  Speedy, of course, was the first alias used by Roy Harper in the comics and he alter took the name Red Arrow when he was invited to join The Justice League.  In the comics, Mia Dearden - a homeless teen whom Ollie took in, whom inspired much of the character of Thea Queen on Arrow - became the second Speedy.

The boat that Ollie gets on at the end of the Five Years Ago flashback is based in Coast City.  This is the home town of Hal Jordan - Green Lantern - in the comics.

At the end of the episode, Ray attempts to use his nanotech to enable The ATOM suit to shrink. This is, of course, the main super power of The Atom in the comics.


Technobabble

Merlyn used a synthetic skin graft to cutaneously vaccinate John, Felicity, Laurel and Ray with the vaccine from the Alpha/Omega bioweapon. An unnamed associate was able to synthesize the vaccine from a sample of Oliver's blood.

The Alpha/Omega bio-weapon gives off a low-level emission from its RNA, almost like radiation.

Ray notes that if they can hack the keyhole hexagon satellite, they can tune the quadband to search for it.  

The Alpha/Omega virus spreads when infected blood is exposed to open air.

Ray is able to spread the Alpha/Omega inoculate over a three block radius by programming his nanotech to take the vaccine and make it airborne.

Ray theorizes that his nanotech could be applied to miniaturize key components of his ATOM suit.


Dialogue Triumphs

Ra's: You were asleep.
Ollie: I was dreaming.
Ra's: Ibn Sirin once wrote there are three types of dreams. There are ones about truth. There are ones about desire. And there are ones about temptation. What did you dream of?
Ollie: Rebirth. As Ra's Al Ghul.

Merlyn: I saved your lives. I believe the words you're searching for are 'thank' and 'you'.

The Flash: (looking at The Lazarus Pit) You guys have a hot tub? Nice!

Felicity: Barry!
The Flash: (wincing) Thank you, Felicity!  You just outed my secret identity to a super villain (looks to Merlyn) No offense.
Merlyn: None taken. Now get us out of here?!

Ra's: You were delivered by the prophecy! You wed my daughter! Your name is Al Sah-him! And you are Wahreeth Al Ghul!
Ollie: (draws sword) My name is Oliver Queen!

General Shrieve: My people will be looking for me. It's just a matter of time before they find me.
(Oliver says nothing, drawing an arrow from his quiver)
General Shrieve: Do it!
Ollie: Do you remember Amanda Waller, hmmm? She's the reason that I'm in Hong Kong. She thought I had a special talent. She taught me things.  Let me show you.

Captain Lance: The city's under attack? Must be May!

Laurel: If you want to drink, then drink. But don't just stand there and lie to me, right to my face!
Captain Lance: Doesn't feel good, does it?

Maseo: I am without a soul, Tatsu.
Tatsu: Only if you abandon your wife when she needs you the most.
Maseo: Every time I look in your eyes... I see my son's. I see my failure.
Tatsu: I love you.
Maseo: I am not worthy of that love.

Oliver: Felicity... I can't defeat Ra's Al Ghul!
Felicity: Oliver Queen can't.  The Arrow can't. Both those men tried and both those men failed. You remember what you said during our night together in Nanda Parbat? You're no longer either of those men. You've become... someone else. Become something else. (Felicity places her hand over Ollie's heart) This... is different not.  Because despite your best effort, you've allowed yourself to feel something. I know you think that's a weakness. It's not. It's your key to beating Ra's. Don't fight to die. Fight to live.

Ra's: Unlike you, thousands of honorable men will mourn my death when I leave this Earth.
Ollie: No.
(Ollie blocks Ra's sword strike, and grabs the sword, spinning around, slashing Ra's with his own weapon before plunging the sword through his chest)
Ollie: They will kneel before the next Ra's Al Ghul.

(After saving Ollie from falling to his death while wearing the ATOM armor)
Felicity: If I could figure out how to get this thing off, I wold be kissing you right now.

Ollie: As we agreed.
(Oliver shakes hands with Merlyn, but passes him the ring of Ra's Al Ghul as he does so)
Merlyn: We've come a long way, you and I. I've always looked at you as a son, Oliver. And I'm glad we got to work together. To trust as we did.
Ollie: (leaning in) I will never forgive you for what you did to Sara and my sister. Ever.
Merlyn: Does that mean we're enemies once more?
Ollie: That depends on what you do with your end of the bargain.


Continuity

The golden claw ring that Ra's wears is the symbol of his office among The League of Assassins.

Barry Allen springs Team Arrow from the dungeons of Nanda Parbat in order to repay the favor he owed Ollie from F122 when Ollie helped Barry to fight The Reverse Flash.

Tatsu returns to her life of solitude once she is free of Nanda Parbat.

Oliver knows how to fly a cargo plane.

Five years ago, Akio was cremated and his ashed put into three urns. Tatsu gave one of the urns to Oliver, despite his objections to taking one. The other two were kept by Tatsu and Maseo.

Oliver spends the better part of a day torturing General Shrieve. This marks the first time Oliver speaks of someone failing their city and delivering justice.

Maseo kills General Shrieve.

Ra's sworn enemy Damien Darkh - mentioned in 321 -  is said to be staying in Starling City, but it turns out to be a false lead.

Felicity refers to her vow never to make Oliver coffee at work (201) and the one night she and Ollie spent together in 320.

Oliver wields the same sword that Ra's used to run him through in 309.

Thea makes her first public appearance in costume, though her code name is still undetermined.

Ra's uses his own men to disperse the virus.

Merlyn also gave Thea the vaccine for the Alpha/Omega virus.

Laurel is now capable of taking on a single Assassin in one-on-one combat.

Oliver recites a Muslim prayer in Arabic as Ra's dies. -  "Forgive and have mercy on him. Protect him from the punishment of the grave and the torment of the Fire."

Nyssa notes that only the fact that Oliver was wearing League of Assassins' armor saved him from the police sniper's bullets.

Five years earlier, Tatsu goes to Kumamoto and a monastery she had always hoped to show her son. Oliver decides to avoid returning to Starling City and hops on a ship called Triton's Daughter, which cites Coast City as its home port.

Tatsu knew about Robert Queen's message to Oliver, telling him to save their city.

As the episode ends, Oliver has retired from superheroics and gone off with Felicity to try and figure out who the new person he's become is.

Felicity has resigned her job with Palmer Technologies.

John Diggle's future as a member of Team Arrow is uncertain, though he does promise to think on continuing to protect Starling City and doing something to conceal his identity if he does so.

Thea is committed to protecting Starling City, though she has yet to pick a name. She is leaning toward Red Arrow but Ollie told everyone to call her Speedy.

Presumably Laurel plans to continue on as Assistant D.A. by day and Black Canary by night.

Ray attempts to program his nanotech to make his ATOM suit shrink. This results in an explosion of blue energy that destroys most of the top floors of the Palmer technologies building.

Merlyn is the new leader of the League of Assassins.  Nyssa is content to serve under him, for now, but she has sworn revenge for his role in Sara Lance's death.


Location

Nanda Parbat


The Bottom Line

A much stronger conclusion than I expected, given how uneven various aspects of Season Three have been. The season ends with surprisingly little in the way of significant cliff-hangers, with Ray's apparent death by explosion being the only real moment of suspense. Everything else hinges on what Thea will call herself as she becomes a vigilante, whether or not Diggle will continue to protect Starling City and what, if anything, Merlyn will be up to in Season 4.

As usual, Laurel's subplot seem tacked on and her contributions to the action are meager at best. It's telling that more time is spent establishing a status quo for Nyssa Al Ghul than there is for Laurel or Quentin in the show's final ten minutes and one wishes they'd move The Lance family to Central City, where both characters had their best moments of the year doing a guest spot on The Flash.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 20 - The Fallen

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

With Thea near death, Ra's Al Ghul has finally made an offer Oliver Queen can't refuse. For Nanda Parbat houses The Lazarus Pit - a magical pool that can heal those near death. Oliver will gladly sacrifice himself to save his sister's life, but will his allies - particularly Felicity - allow him to make that choice?

Five years earlier, Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu race to stop the release of the Alpha/Omega bio-weapon on Hong Kong.


Influences

Son of the Demon. Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (the ritual involving the Lazarus Pit and the scary fortress - as Felicity calls it - having a secret passageway out through the catacombs). Various stories involving The League of Assassins by Dennis O'Neil. Ollie and Felicity's night together is reminiscent of the night shared between Oliver Queen and Marianne in Green Arrow #76.


Goofs

Thea's leap from The Lazarus Pit involves some rather obvious - and clumsy - wire work.

Apart from giving Katie Cassidy an excuse to appear in this episode, there seems little reason for Felicity to unburden herself on Laurel Lance of all people.  To quote the woman herself, "Are we friends now?" Cassidy's wooden reaction to Emily Bett Rickard's breakdown doesn't help how unnatural the scene feels.


Performances

Stephen Amell does some great wordless acting during Thea's surgery and in the scene immediately after the title cut.  It's the first time we've seen Ollie so shaken and he conveys it well without saying a word.

John Barrowman is famed for his campy performances but his reaction to Thea's injuries as Malcolm show that he can play it subtle when needed.

Emily Bett Rickards dominates this episode as Felicity shows a new fire in her efforts to save Oliver as he's saved her so many times before.

As before, Matt Nable plays Ra's Al Ghul perfectly, with just the right sense of menace and sympathy. You really believe he regrets the actions he's taken to push Oliver to this point, even before he tells his own tale of how he came to join The League of Assassins.


Artistry

The chase scene in the flashback as Ollie and the Yamashiros go after a military vehicle is a thing of beauty.


Trivia

In the comics, The Lazarus Pits are naturally occurring pools of an unspecified chemical mixture. The Lazarus Pits are capable of restoring the near-dead to life and Ra's Al Ghul has used the pits to extend his life for several hundred years.  The effects of The Pits are temporary, however, and they lose effectiveness over time.

In the comics, The Lazarus Pits cause temporary insanity in the person resurrected by them. They also give them a measure of super-human strength while they are possessed by the madness. On the show, this seems to be true of Thea as she leaves The Pit.

On one occasion, a dying Joker was placed in a Lazarus Pit and it temporarily restored his sanity.

On another occasion, Black Canary was placed in a Lazarus Pit and it healed the damage to her vocal cords that prevented her from using her Canary Cry.

In the comics, each Lazarus Pit can only be used once.  However, Ra's daughter Nyssa discovered a way to make The Pits last forever though these pits had more unpredictable effects. For instance, one of Nyssa's pits changed Mr. Freeze's wife Nora into an insane lava monster.

There is some suggestion The Pits may cause permanent insanity with extended use, though it is possible Ra's Al Ghul was mentally unstable before his discovery of The Pits.

In keeping with the DCTVU version of Nanda Parbat, The Lazarus Pit here is a special healing spring ala The Fountain of Youth.

Malcolm Merlyn claims Ra's has used the waters of Nanda Parbat to live for over 100 years and that in rare instances those waters can be used to raise the dead. He further claims the waters change a person's soul and that the person who comes back will not be the same as the one that died.

The Pit leaves the resurrected Thea with a wildly erratic form of amnesia. She recognizes Malcolm Merlyn as her father and calls him Dad, apparently not remembering her reasons for hating him. She doesn't recognize Oliver but does believe her brother Ollie to be dead. She doesn't remember that her mother Moira is dead and seems to believe that she and Merlyn are on good terms.  She seems to be fully recovered by the time she returns to Starling City. At the very least, she's back to hating Merlyn.

Ra's story to Felicity about his past suggests that the League of Assassins was founded long before he joined it. In the comics, Ra's founded the organization.


Dialogue Triumphs

Felicity: Oliver...
Oliver: I'd prefer that we didn't do our usual 'Please don't go' dance.
Felicity: We're not going to. Because I'm coming with you.

Felicity: I need a favor. A really big favor.
Ray: The last time you asked me for a big favor I had to loan you my helicopter.
Felicity: Don't need your helicopter.  I need your jet.

Diggle: (scoffing) League of Assassins. You're feared for your bravery. And power. But all I see are a bunch of weak men running from their lives. Trying to escape. That's not powerful Maseo. Or brave. It's cowardly.
Maseo: Do not presume to know me until you've held your dying child in your arms. Until you've told him everything would be okay. So that the last words he'd ever hears are a lie. You know nothing!
Diggle: I'm sorry.  What was your child's name?
Maseo: Akio
Diggle: Do you think Akio would be proud of his father right now?

Ra's Al Ghul: You have a great fire within you. I can see now why Oliver loves you.
Felicity: If you knew the first thing about love you would not be ripping Oliver away from his family.
Ra's Al Ghul: I am merely helping him fulfill his destiny.
Felicity:  Yeah. I know all about the "Survive My Sword" prophecy. And I am here to tell you that I could really give a crap. Me and John and - God help me - Malcolm are not going to let this happen. And we have resources. And we will go to war to get Oliver back.
Ra's Al Ghul: You know, many lifetimes ago I loved a woman immeasurably. And she loved me. And we had a son. And then a daughter. And for many years I felt I was the most fortunate man in the world. My life was bliss. And one night a man came to my door and gave me a horrible choice. To leave without saying a word to them. Or to stand and watch them tortured and then killed. And I left without a farewell. And to spare them pain, I endured an agony worse than death
Felicity: Sounds like you gave up too easily.
Ra's Al Ghul: There is one immutable truth about life - it is often more cruel than it is fair. And it rarely provides an opportunity for any of us to find closure. And all your posturing and all of your threats of war... they merely delay the inevitable, causing you to forfeit the opportunity you have which was denied me. You need to tell Oliver goodbye. Tell him how much you love him.Tell him whatever it is your heart needs to express. And do it now. Before he is lost to you forever.

(After Felicity and Olvier make love)
Felicity: So... that happened.

Oliver: Hold! I am Al Sah-Him! Wahreeth Al Ghul! Heir To The Demon! And you will obey!

Diggle: Oliver... Oliver, I don't know what to say.
Oliver: I do. John, you're the best man I've ever known. Whatever happens, you're my brother.
(The two slowly hug)

Ra's Al Ghul: The word "assassins" has fallen victim to many abuses of language. It's real meaning hidden beneath the sediment of lies and falsehoods. In truth, Assassin comes from Hashishiyya, which means "Those who stand apart from society". Now, every man and woman in here have renounced their past life and forfeited their identity in the name of something new. And it is a cleansing only achieved by fire.


Continuity

The address of Thea and Ollie's apartment is 455 Merced, Unit 10.

The League of Assassins use smoke signals to communicate.

Ray Palmer owns a private jet as well as a helicopter.

Ray refers to the events of 319 and Roy's farewell to Felicity.

Malcolm Merlyn suggests consulting with STAR Labs to see if they might be able to help Thea.

Ollie tells Felicity about the events of the flashback scenes in 314 and how he briefly returned to Starling City and killed Thea's drug dealer.

Ollie's name in the League of Assassins is Al Sah-Him - The Arrow.

Felicity drugs Oliver using the same powder used on Thea following the resurrection ceremony.

Oliver takes on the title Wahreeth Al Ghul - Heir To The Demon.

Maseo/Sarab confesses to aiding in Oliver's attempted escape. Ra's forgives him, for the actions were those of Maseo - not Sarab.

Oliver is branded with an arrow-shaped brand below his right shoulder.

In the flashback, the vial containing the virus breaks during Ollie's struggle with the soldier holding it.


Location

Nanda Parbat


The Fridge Factor

Thea is reduced to being a damsel in distress for the entirety of this episode  And the soul-changing effects of the Lazarus Pit doesn't seem to have changed her much at all.


The Bottom Line

An episode that is far more than the sum of its parts, though some of the individual parts are unforgivably weak. For all of Merlyn's warnings about The Lazarus Pit changing people, Thea seems fine by episode's end after spending the entire episode in such an inert state she could be replaced with a house plant and nobody would notice.  That said, Emily Bett Rickards and Stephen Amell knock it out of the park with this episode and David Ramsey and John Barrowman do surprisingly well with the little they have. This episode wasn't much for big reveals but it has set the stage for the end of the season and the final battle.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 18 - Public Enemy

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

The League of Assassins have framed The Arrow for the murder of Mayor Castle and Quentin Lance is out for blood!  As Ray Palmer (who was also wounded in the attack) languishes in critical condition and Felicity debates defying a doctor's orders to use untested technology to save his life, a revived SCPD Anti-Vigilante Squad hits the streets with one goal - bring in Team Arrow, dead or alive! But this is only Ra's Al Ghul's first attack on Oliver Queen. And by the time he is done things will never be the same!


Influences

The Black Arrow Saga by Mike Grell and The Fall of Green Arrow by J.T. Krul (both stories in which Oliver Queen becomes an outlaw and his secret identity is revealed to the world), The Over The Edge episode of Batman: The Animated Series (both stories deal with a grief-stricken police officer turning on his vigilante comrades after said vigilantes cause the death of the police officer's daughter) and every Robin Hood legend where Robin sacrifices himself to save his friends.


Goofs

I can see why - in spite of everything -  Lance might not arrest Laurel for what she's done as Black Canary.  But why doesn't he go after Roy or Felicity?  He knows both of them work for The Arrow. And granting that Roy's house in The Glades might not be in his name, Lance knows where Felicity works and could probably find out where she lives. Hell, Felicity doesn't make any effort to stay hidden, staying at the hospital with Ray Palmer, even though we're told that warrants have been issued for all of The Arrow's known associates.

Even by the standards of comic books, Shado having an identical twin sister whom Ollie just happens to run into in his time of need is a hell of a coincidence.


Performances

Paul Blackthorne has a difficult task in this episode.  On the one hand, he is the Javert to Oliver Queen's Valjean, and we are meant to see him as the villain who is letting his personal feelings get in the way of his judgement. On the other hand, his conflicted emotions regarding every situation in his life right now are completely justified and he isn't totally wrong when he asks if people might not have been better off if Oliver Queen had died on Lian Yu seven years earlier.

Charlotte Ross returns as Felicity's mom and while her main role here is to lighten up what could be some otherwise dark moments, she also proves capable of offering some surprisingly wise words regarding the one thing Felicity has never been particularly smart about - her emotions.

Colton Haynes doesn't get much to do as Roy Harper in this episode. But he makes every moment count as we see just how much Roy has gained in his rebuilt relationship with Thea, how much he has lost in his guilt over what his heroism has cost others and how far he is willing to go to save his mentor.


Artistry

The extended action sequence taking up the second sixth of the show - with Team Arrow trying to escape the entire SCPD - ranks among the show's best.


Trivia

In the comics, Ray Palmer is frequently called in as a nanotech specialist to assist with difficult surgeries.  Of course in the comics he usually assists by shrinking to go inside the patient rather than by using nanites.

This is not the first time Oliver Queen had his secret identity revealed to the world after being framed for a crime he didn't commit. In Mike Grell's The Black Arrow Saga, Oliver Queen is framed for espionage and high treason by covert elements of the U.S. Government and his secret identity is revealed as he is forced to go on the run to clear his name.

In more recent times, in the post-Infinite Crisis DCU, Oliver's secret identity was revealed to the world in The Fall of Green Arrow.  In this miniseries, Oliver killed the super-villain Prometheus and went on trial for murder.  Oliver was honestly guilty of the crime, committed as revenge on the man responsible for killing his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper, but was acquitted on all charges despite the efforts of a corrupt police commissioner whom had long-standing grudges against both Oliver Queen and Green Arrow.

This episode bears some resemblance to an episode of Batman: The Animated Series called Over The Edge. In that episode, an enraged Commissioner Gordon pursues a vendetta against Batman, after his daughter Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl) is killed in action and he learns her secret identity. The action of the episode is later revealed to have been a Scarecrow-gas fueled nightmare that Batgirl had after nearly being killed.

Oliver's sacrifice at the end mirrors several Robin Hood legends, where Robin Hood surrenders himself to his enemies in order to buy the freedom of his friends.


Technobabble

Ray Palmer is diagnosed with a thrombus - i.e. a blood clot. If left untreated it could cause an ischemic stroke. But due to his injuries, a craniotomy could do more harm than good. Harm, in this case, meaning permanent brain damage.

Ray developed a series of nano-tech robots that could be injected into his bloodstream, travel to the clot and shrink it.


Dialogue Triumphs

Laurel: You don't understand what's happening here and I need you to trust me.
Quentin: I used to.

(As The Arrow drops Maseo and aims an arrow at his face, Ra's Al Ghul steps out of the shadows)
Ra's: (slow clap) Clearly I chose well, selecting you as my heir.
(The Arrow raises his bow to aim at Ra's Al Ghul)
Ra's: Killing me will only win you the mantle you reject.
Arrow: It will stop you!
Ra's: I have legions who live only to see my will done. No, boy. You have but two choices. You either ascend to the calling of Ra's Al Ghul.  Or you will spend the rest of your days in a cage.
Arrow: You're not going to take me prisoner!
Ra's: No. I'm not.
(Ra's steps into the shadows as a group of police helicopters focus their spotlights on the rooftop)

Arrow: Hello Captain.
Quentin: I got three men in the hospital because of you.
Arrow:  I understand that you feel betrayed. But you can't be so angry as to think that I'm just running around taking aim at innocent people.
Quentin: I don't think anything! I know!  I know this madness has to end! And if you don't want any more people getting hurt, you turn yourself in.

Ra's: I apologize for the coarse treatment. I didn't think I'd get you to speak to me of your own accord.
Quentin: (scoffing) You're him.
Ra's: Ra's Al Ghul.  It's an honor to meet you. Sara spoke with such love about her father.
Quentin: Don't say my daughter's name! If she'd never met you, she'd still be alive now!
Ra's: If Sara had not met my daughter, she would have starved to death on the shores of Lian Yu.
Quentin: She was never on Lian Yu.
Ra's: You suffer a false perception. One of many, I'm afraid.
Quentin: Listen, what do you want?
Ra's: To help the city as your daughter did. You hunt for the man they call The Arrow.
Quentin: Yeah. What, you're gonna help me find him?
Ra's: You'll be able to find him easily... once I tell you his name.
Quentin: Now why would I believe just any name that you throw at me?
Ra's: Well... because with this revelation everything will become clear. And you will realize the man you've been looking for has been right in front of you the entire time. The same man who lied, telling you he wasn't with Sara on Lian Yu. Oliver Queen is the Arrow.

Laurel: So what? Now Oliver's to blame for Sara's death?
Quentin: Oliver? The Arrow? Either way, it's the same guy.
(Quentin sighs as he catches Laurel in yet another lie and sits down)
Quentin: On some level I think I always knew. When I thought he was doing good, it didn't matter to me. You know, when that boat went down and we thought Sara was dead? I blamed Queen. And it's funny how things come full circle, right?

(Thea and Roy are watching the news)
Thea: I can't believe this is happening.
Roy: The line forms behind me.
(They continue to watch in silence for a moment)
Thea: I'm sure those cops that were chasing you are fine.
Roy: I shot them with arrows, Thea. When it was happening, there was a part of me that... felt relieved.
Thea: Relieved?
Roy: That I'd finally be going to jail. And that I would get what I deserve.
Thea; Roy, listen to me. The only thing you deserve is to be happy.

Felicity: I'm just glad that you're alright.
Ray: Thanks to you.
Felicity: Oh, I think your nano-tech deserves some of the credit. All I did was stick something in you. (pause) Do you think there will ever come a time when everything I say isn't some weird double entendre?
Ray: I hope not. It's one of your more charming traits.

Mei: You have no idea how powerful The Truth can be.

Quentin: Lian Yu.
Oliver: What about it?
Quentin: This, ah.. Ra's character. He told me that Sara made it to the island with you. You didn't feel like sharing that with me? Huh? I mean, I am only her father. Well, I was. (Pause) When did you decide that you knew what was best for my family?
Oliver: I love your family-
(Quentin punches Oliver in the face)
Quentin: (angrily) You have a right to remain silent!  Take it.
Oliver: ... just ask me what you want to know.
Quentin: (scoffs) What do I want to know?  Well, was it worth it? All that pain and misery you brought back from that island? Merlyn. Slade Wilson. Wouldn't it be better if you just died there?
Oliver: The reason I came back was to try and save the people of this city.
Quentin: I hate to break it to you, but saving people isn't your specialty. Tommy. Hinton. Your mother. My daughter. And now you're set on killing Laurel too.
Oliver: (shaking his head) I didn't want her to be involved in this. I didn't want anyone to be involved in this.
Quentin: But you involved me. You spent a year making me look like a fool. You spent a year making me your accomplice. You have any idea what you've done, huh? What you've done to all of us? To the people that you claim to care so much about? You've made us criminals. You've made us liars and victims! You, Mr. Queen, are not a hero. You're a villain! But you know that, don't you?


Dialogue Disasters

Mei: Why are the police shooting?!
Ollie: Because they're not the police!


Continuity

We see the assassination of Mayor Castle from 317 again as the episode opens, but this time we see Ray pushing Felicity to safety and taking the arrow that was meant for her in the chest.

Captain Lance reinstates the Anti-Vigilante Task Force, which he closed down back in 301.

Roy and Thea are officially a couple again.

Thea suggests that she and Roy runaway somewhere together - like they originally planned in 223.

Ray is treated for his injuries by Dr. Lockhart, who was previously seen in several other episodes including 301, 220, 219, 211, 204 and 117.

Donna Smoak appears for the first time since 305.

Roy refers to his feelings of guilt regarding killing a cop while on Mirakuru in 220.

Ra's Al Ghul reveals Oliver's identity to Captain Lance.  Lance, in turn, exposes Oliver's secret identity to the world.

Lance makes reference to every vigilante who was inspired by The Arrow, including The Huntress, "the freak in Central City" (The Flash) and "a new guy flying around the city" (The Atom).

Roy Palmer and Felicity Smoak are both fans of Doctor Who. Ray is said to know the plot of every episode across 34 seasons.

Reference is made to how Oliver threw the SCPD off his trail back in 105.

Roy refers to when Diggle last dressed up in The Arrow costume to impersonate Ollie, which first happened in 105 and happened more recently in 310.

Felicity realizes she does not truly love Ray Palmer and still loves Oliver.

Oliver turns himself in, in exchange for a promise of immunity from prosecution for Diggle, Roy and Felicity.

The episode ends with Roy, in Oliver's costume, attacking the police convoy transporting Oliver and turning himself in, claiming he is the real Arrow.

In the flashbacks, Oliver runs into Shado's twin sister Mei while fleeing Waller's men on the streets of Hong Kong.

Oliver uses the name Tommy as an alias, in honor of his friend Tommy Merlyn.

When asked about the last time he saw Shadow, Oliver has a flashback to her death in 209.

Oliver does not give Mei the full details of how her sister and father died, but he does confirm their deaths.


The Bottom Line

A thrilling episode which leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 15 - Nanda Parbat

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

Malcolm Merlyn has been captured by the League of Assassins and Oliver is ready to storm the League of Assassin's headquarters at Nanda Parbat to rescue him, though Thea is content to leave her father to face their rough justice. And Ray Palmer readies his ATOM suit for battle, despite Felicity's objections.

Five years ago, Ollie and The Yamashiros are cleared by the US Army to leave Hong Kong. But Amanda Waller doesn't let her pawns go so easily...


Influences

The Fall of Green Arrow (Ollie loses the respect of his family and colleagues due to his lying) and the Batman comics of Dennis O'Neil (Ra's Al Ghul looking for a worthy heir to replace him).


Goofs

While it is high time that somebody took Ollie to task for his manipulative ways, Laurel is absolutely the last person who should be giving anyone lip about lying to someone for their own good. Instead of knocking Oliver down a peg, her confrontation with Oliver only serves to make Laurel look like a complete hypocrite considering her disgraceful behavior towards her father. Frankly, it seems like this scene was added because they needed to give Laurel something else to do in this episode besides fail to ambush Merlyn.  It's the one weak spot in an otherwise strong script.

Nanda Parbat is said to be in the Hindu-Kush mountains, which are located in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Yet previous episodes have said Nanda Parbat was in Tibet (Possibly the previous information was a ruse?)


Performances

David Ramsey steals every damn scene he's in.  From his subtly telling off Merlyn to his calling Ollie his brother and asking him to be his best man.

Katrina Law plays Nyssa Al'Ghul with just the right combination of menace and sympathy.

Colton Haynes doesn't get much to do as Roy Harper this time around, but his interplay with Willa Holland is wonderful and the scenes where he tries to comfort Thea by showing how he's coping with the blood on his hands are well-played.

Like last week, Willa Holland rocks her brief appearance, truly selling Thea's anguish regarding what she has done.

Finally, Matt Nable perfectly captures the grace and poise of Ra's Al Ghul.


Artistry

The action scenes of Oliver and Diggle fighting the League of Assassins, as well as the flashback sequences of Ollie and the Yamashiros fighting ARGUS are excellent even by the standards of this show's fight scenes.

The scene in which Ray Palmer first dons the ATOM armor and uses it to fly is well-shot and thematically everything comic books (and their adaptations) should be.


Trivia

Ray Palmer wears a red and blue plaid shirt when we first see him in this episode.  Red and Blue are the primary colors of The Atom's costume in the comics.

Roy refers to Mission Impossible when examining the ARGUS-designed security system Diggle installed in Verdant and the laser-grid on the club floor.

Diggle makes reference to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as he and Oliver face down The League of Assassins.  The movie ended with the titular heroes in a stand-off with no way out.


Technobabble

At the start of the episode, Ray is having trouble getting the gauntlet modulator to interface with the helmet system of the ATOM suit.

Ray uses a subsonic ionizer in building the ATOM suit.  Felicity notes that if you try to use it on quad-band circuitry (as Ray nearly does) it could result in a catalytic reaction that could destroy an entire building.


Dialogue Triumphs

Malcolm: You've spent years preparing to bring a bow and arrow to a sword fight.

Malcolm: John.
Diggle: My friends call me Digg. (beat) You shouldn't even speak to me.

Roy: You know last year when I kinda went off the rails for a bit?
Thea: Yeah?
Roy: I was also under the influence of something. And just like you, I killed someone. A cop.
Thea: Roy...
Roy: They didn't tell me either... and when I found out-
Thea: -you wished that you didn't know?
Roy: Look, I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that the feeling ever goes away. But I can tell you that it gets easier, Thea.
Thea: You don't see that cop's family nearly every single day. I can't imagine that it's going to get any easier. And I don't think it should.

Ollie: I told you not to tell anyone!
Thea: I guess I'm just not as good at keeping secrets as you are.

Laurel: No. Oliver...Merlyn murdered my sister and corrupted yours and now you want to save him?!
Ollie: I'm trying to save Thea's soul.
Laurel: You are out of your mind.
Ollie: And you don't need to be here.

Roy: Look, I may not agree with it, but I understand what you're trying to say. You don't want Thea to live with the guilt of getting her own father killed. But how is getting her brother killed any better?
Ollie: I don't plan on dying.
Felicity: (angrily) That's what you said the last time you want to face Ra's and how did that turn out for you?!

Felicity: You have two options, Ray.  Option One: You can find a way to break through the encryption I used to lock up your server, which, by my calculations, will take you roughly 6.25 hours. Or you can use that time to eat a proper meal, take a shower and get no less than five hours of sleep at  the completion of which I will give you the password.
Ray: I see.
Felicity: It's your choice but I highly recommend Option Two.  Because... this whole situation has gone from endearingly eccentric to creepily not okay.
Ray: If I had the energy, I think I'd be getting angry right now. But instead... I'll just take Option Two.
Felicity: That's a wise choice. After your dinner and a shower, I am taking you straight to bed. (look of shock) Putting you. (whispering to herself) Why do I do that?

Ollie: I can't ask you to come with me, Diggle.
John: You didn't ask me, Oliver.  Besides, you don't own a jet anymore.

Ra's Al Ghul (To Malcolm) In 1854, I encountered an illusionist in Vienna. He was dazzling. Magnificent. Powerful.  And then, nearly half a century later, I stumbled upon this man again. He was withered. Broken. Dying. You see, a magician can cheat many things... except one.

Ra's Al Ghul: Al-Saher, face your death with honor. Or at least dignity.

Ollie: Surprise is our own advantage.
(Suddenly, several flaming arrows hit the ground at his and Diggle's feet)
John: I'd say they spotted us.

Ollie: You know, every time I close my eyes, all that I can see...all that I can hear, feel is... just The Fall. I couldn't live like that.  Couldn't live knowing that... there was someone out there that beat me.
John: Yeah.  That makes sense.
Ollie: No!  It's egotistical and insane!
John: So is putting on a mask and jumping off rooftops, Oliver.

Thea: (To Nyssa) There's something that I need to tell you. I can't live without you knowing. The guilt is far worse than anything you can do to me. I lied to you. And you believed it. When I told you that Malcolm killed Sara. He wanted her dead. To put certain things in motion. But I am the one that fired those arrows into her chest. And when I made the deal to give up Malcolm, I promised you your vengeance.
(Thea unlocks Nyssa's cell and holds out a sword)
Thea: So take it.

Ra's Al Ghul: You tasted death. And you wanted more. The truth is... everyone and everything must come to an end. Even for one such as me.
Ollie: Kill me. But spare John Diggle's life. Let him go. I will beg for it.
Ra's Al Ghul: You have shown tremendous strength. Fortitude. Power. No, Mr. Queen.  I don't want to kill you.  I want you to take my place.  I want you to become the next Ra's Al Ghul.


Dialogue Disasters

Laurel: How do you do that?
Ollie: Do what?
Laurel: Lie. Right to my face.


Continuity

Roy Harper refers to how he went "off the rails" for a little bit last year (A220) and tells Thea of how he came to kill a police officer.  He also reveals how he, Diggle and Felicity knew about Thea killing Sara.

Ray refers to Brick's men taking control of part of the city, as seen in A311.

Laurel finds out that Thea killed Sara.

Oliver refers to Laurel's attempts to kill both Malcolm Merlyn (A304) and Simon LaCrois (A302) when explaining why he hid the fact that Thea killed Sara from Laurel.

Ray Palmer has an extensive classic art collection which he cycles between his apartment and the Starling Museum.

Oliver refers to the events of A309 and his defeat by Ra's Al Ghul and how he has nightmares of falling off the mountain.

Roy Harper has been giving financial support to the widow and son of the cop he killed, giving them money and groceries anonymously and even buying the boy a Boba Fett toy at Christmas.


Location

Nanda Parbat, under the Hindu-Kush mountains.


The Fridge Factor

Laurel continues to prove incompetent and terrible in every respect.  Bad enough that she's back to being a total hypocrite regarding Ollie's manipulative behavior but her attempt to kill Merlyn is poorly-planned and idiotic.  The most groan-worthy aspect of this is Laurel's attempt to fight Merlyn hand-to-hand despite having a gun.

It's hard to believe Felicity would ever use "password" as a password, even as a joke.


The Bottom Line

A step down from last week but overall a strong episode. While slow to start, it becomes more thrilling as it progresses and the final ten minutes are some of the best the series has ever offered. And we're left with not one but two cliffhangers!

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 9 - The Climb

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

Nyssa Al Ghul returns to Starling City with an ultimatum.  Team Arrow has 48 hours in which to bring Sara Lance's killer to justice or the League starts killing civilians. As Laurel Lance receives an unexpected visit from her mother and Ray Palmer gives Felicity an unexpected offer, Oliver will begin a long journey to face Ra's Al Ghul directly.

In the flashbacks, Oliver and Maseo race to beat Chien Na Wei to a deadly bio-weapon called The Omega Virus.  But Wa is one step ahead of them and their actions may hold deadly consequences for Maseo's family!


Influences

The Batman and Green Arrow comics of Dennis O'Neil.


Goofs

You'd really think Ollie would be wearing gloves and covering his face if he's going to climb a mountain in the middle of a snowstorm.

Why does Laurel ask Thea not to tell Oliver that Sara is dead?  Oliver already knows!

This episode - and indeed much of this past season - have done a real disservice to Quentin Lance's detective skills. Suddenly he can't tell when Laurel is lying to him even when it is blatantly obvious to her mother (Yes, yes - mother's intuition and all that.  But the man is a freaking detective!).

Laurel's argument that the news of her sister's death would kill her father has never seemed so ridiculous as when she states it here - first to Thea and then to her own mother. It is the height of arrogance on Laurel's part to assume that her father can't handle this kind of shock and it shows how little the character of Laurel has progressed from the lying drug-addicted opportunist of Season Two. To say nothing of how horrible a person Laurel is for planning to endanger herself as a vigilante in some kind of half-assed attempt to find Sara's killer, not thinking of what it will do to Quentin if Laurel gets killed trying and failing to beat up a mugger.

For that matter, why wasn't Laurel assisting with the investigation at any point in the past year? There's a fair bit she could have done to help Felicity with analyzing the evidence from the D.A.'s office...


Performances

Matt Nable turns in a stately performance as Ra's Al Ghul.  Some fans quibbled at this casting, particularly after Liam Neeson said he would have liked to have played Ra's again on the Arrow. Still, Nable has the necessary charisma and gravitas to bring life to one of comics' greatest anti-villains and one can't help but sense that he truly does regret the need to kill Oliver Queen as Ra's, in the comics, might wish to avoid killing "The Detective".

Alex Kingston is honestly wasted in her brief cameo as Dinah Lance.  Still, there is a certain fierceness in her performance here that works quite well for the one good line she has.



Artistry

All of the fight scenes are well choreographed, particularly the final one between Ra's Al Ghul and Oliver.


Trivia

Shirtless sword duels are something of a tradition in stories featuring Ra's Al Ghul. The first one occurred at the climax of Ra's first appearance in Batman #252. Written by the legendary Dennis O'Neil (who also revamped Oliver Queen into a social crusader around the same time), this issue was later adapted into an episode of Batman: The Animated Series - The Demon's Quest -  by O'Neil himself.  A clip of the famous sword fight from that episode may be viewed here.

The snowman ornaments that Thea places on her tree with her and Ollie's name are wearing ribbons of their respective colors - red and green.

Ra's Al Ghul says it has been 67 years since anyone challenged him to a duel.  This means he hasn't been challenged since 1947.  More, this means that Lazarus Pits must exist in the reality of the DCTVU, since Ra's does not appear to be that old and indeed does not have any of the scars one would expect to see on an experienced warrior.

In the comics, The Lazarus Pits are a naturally-occurring phenomena similar to the legendary Fountain of Youth.  Ra's Al Ghul discovered The Pits and their unique alchemical properties as a young healer. The Lazarus Pits can heal any injury and even restore the dead to life. Once a pit is used, it is burned up and exhausted forever, though Ra's daughter Nyssa was said to have discovered a way to use the Pits indefinitely.


Technobabble

The DNA sample on the arrows that killed Sara Lance was taken from perspiration on the arrows. The sample matches 12 of the 13 STR (short tandem repeats) s in Oliver Queen's DNA.

Votura is a plant native to South America, which thrives in Corto Maltese.  It can be used to prepare a drug that renders a person suggestible and erases their memory.  It is thus drug that is used by Chien Na Wei to control her agents and by Merlyn to brainwash Thea into killing Sara Lance.

Ray Palmer developed a microprocessor with a SPECint score just over 9000.


Dialogue Triumphs

Maseo: One man's agony is not worth the life of an entire city.

(After tossing the pilot through a window)
Pilot: Please! All I do is fly the plane!
The Arrow: Quiet! (holds up a photo of Merlyn) The man in this photo - did you fly him from Corto Maltese to Starling City?
Pilot: (trying hard not to look up) No!
(The Arrow hands the photo to Arsenal and picks the pilot up)
The Arrow: This time...look at the photo!

Oliver; You know I figured, when I spared the life of the man who killed my mother, I would never kill again. (Oliver forces Merlyn down on the bar and begins strangling him) I was wrong.
Merlyn: You might want to reconsider.
Oliver: Why?!
Merlyn: For Thea!  (Ollie's phone begins to ring) Check your phone.  I can wait.
(Ollie looks at his phone. It plays video footage of Thea killing Sara)
Merlyn: I don't think you want The League to see that. And if you kill me, they will.

Oliver: You've given her a death sentence!
Merlyn: No. What I've done is given you incentive.
Oliver: To do what?
Merlyn: To tell Ra's that you killed Sara Lance. By right you will be given a trial by combat. With Ra's.  His death will erase any blood debt from his reign. Including Thea's.
Oliver: And yours.
Merlyn: I have to be honest. It was my concern the whole killing thing would have been a deal-breaker for you. But I'm gratified to see that Thea is still sufficient motivation for you. Don't take too long making up your mind. Ra's isn't known for his patience.

(As Ollie confesses to Sara's murder)
Ra's Al Ghul: I should have Sarab cleave your head from your shoulders. Not for killing my daughter's beloved but for thinking me a fool.

Laurel: Mom, can I tell you something? Whoever killed Sara, I'm going to find them no matter what it takes and I am going to make them pay.
Dinah: Then you make them pay. And you make them suffer.

(Upon being informed of the A.T.O.M. project and Ray's desire for her to help him protect the city.)
Felicity: Why does this keep happening to me?

Oliver: Felicity, I honestly don't know if I'm a killer anymore, but I do know two things. The first is that whoever I am, I'm someone who will do whatever, whatever it takes to save my sister.
Felicity: And the second thing?
Oliver: I love you.

Ra's Al Ghul: I was eleven years old when I killed my first man. I remember the look on his face when the light went out behind his eyes. Such a sudden change. Almost imperceptible. Between Life and Death. And I felt ashamed. I had stolen from that man the most precious gift of all - Life. But I also felt something else - Pride. Because I had taken up arms against someone who sought to do ill against my family.  I realized what I had done was necessary. You see, I have replaced Evil with Death. And that is what The League exists to do. And I have killed several thousand more men since then. And the world is better off for it.


Continuity

Maseo is revealed to have joined The League of Assassins. He now uses the name Sarab, which is Arabic for phantom or mirage.

Sarab joined The League of Assassins at the same time as Sara Lance.

The League's traditions demand that they kill 50 people in every city where a murder took place until the killer is brought to justice.

Felicity gets the DNA sample of Sara's killer back from Caitlin Snow, which she originally gave Caitlin in F108.

Felicity matches the DNA sample to the one the police took from Oliver Queen in A105.

Diggle refers to the events of A303 and how Thea and Merlyn were both out of the country when Sara died.

As in A301, Ray Palmer pings Felicity's phone to track her down.

Ray Palmer had a fiance named Anna who was killed during the events of A223.

Tatsu is abducted by Chien Na Wei after the two fight a duel with katanas.

Oliver refers to Slade Wilson killing his mother in A220.

The laws of The League of Assassins allow a confessed murderer the right to trial by combat. This duel must be fought by the current leader of the League of Assassins. If the leader loses this duel, any blood debts owed to the League will be forgiven.  The challenger is given 12 hours to settle their affairs and is expected to meet the League's Leader at a predetermined site on consecrated ground.

When they were cchildren Laurel wanted to be a cop. Sara Lance wanted to be a doctor.

Ray Palmer changed the OMAC Project of Queen Consolidated into ATOM - Advanced Technology Operating Mechanism.

When Ollie is saying his farewells, he hugs Roy, shakes hands with Diggle and kisses Felicity on the forehead before telling her he loves her.

It is customary for the duels of the League of Assassins to be fought shirtless.

Ra's Al Ghul was 11 when he killed his first man.


Location

The sacred dueling grounds of The League of Assassins.


The Fridge Factor

We find out Ray Palmer's motivation for his work and wanting to make Starling City a safer place is the death of his fiance, who was killed by Slade Wilson's men.



The Bottom Line

A great episode with a hell of a cliffhanger.  January 21st can't come fast enough!