Arrow Episode Guide: Season 8, Episode 6 - Reset

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




Plot

Betrayed by Lyla Michaels, Oliver and Black Siren find themselves in a familiar life-and-death situation with Quentin Lance, which gives the Laurel Lance of Earth 2 a chance to repent as Oliver tries to make peace with the inevitable.


Influences

Groundhog Day (specifically called out by Quentin and Oliver, theme of a person repeating a day until they learn a lesson.) Edge of Tomorrow (a soldier is continually sent through a cycle with memories of how he died while accomplishing a mission) and Arrow Season 6 and 7.


Performances

Paul Blackthorne is a delight and it's great to see him back for one final turn as Quentin.


Trivia

This episode was directed by David Ramsey, who plays John Diggle.

Each time Oliver wakes up, he hears a basketball game on the radio where one of the teams playing is the Star City Comets. In the DC Universe, the Comets are a professional basketball franchise, which was mentioned once in Black Lighting: Year One. The team was apparently once the Metropolis Comets, but moved to Star City after the franchise declared bankruptcy and switched cities.

Quentin's first words to Oliver, asking him if he's seen a ghost, may be a shout out to Green Arrow: Quiver, where the first words Oliver Queen says involving telling the civilian he just saved that he looks like he saw a ghost, in the scene which reveals that Oliver Queen is alive and well after having died in the previous Green Arrow series. 


Technobabble

The detonator for the bomb under the police station operates on an detonator oscillating frequency. This means that the right frequency being projected at it should disrupt it.

ARGUS is able to analyze the bomb and trace the chemical signature back to a certain building, which they determine is the mercenary's hideout.


Dialogue Triumphs

Oliver: We've had this exact conversation already.
Quentin: What are you talking about?
Oliver: (sighs, hesitant as he finally speaks) Fully aware of how this is going to sound. Quentin, I'm trapped in some sort of... time loop, where the same events just keep repeating themselves.
Quentin: Like Groundhog Day. 
Oliver: Sure, except this one ends a lot of people dead, including the two of us.
(There's a long pause as Quentin considers this.) 
Quentin: Okay. How can I help?
Oliver: You actually believe me?!
Quentin: Oliver, I've seen one daughter die and come back to life twice. I've seen another come from some other Earth. I've seen a guy in red run so fast he can reverse time. This is not exactly outside the norm, is it? Also, I'm done learning my lesson about doubting you because that always bites me in the ass. (chuckles)

(Dinah and Black Siren look at the bomb.)
Dinah: I have an idea.
(Dinah activates the Canary Cry device on her bracelet. It triggers a sonic attack which fries the bomb.)
Black Siren: (smiling) We did it.
(She gives Dinah the side-eye, apparently feeling her glaring at her.) 
Black Siren: (sighs) Okay. Fine. YOU did it.

Quentin: So you're telling me we're in some kind of a alternate reality based on the plot of a Bill Murray movie?
Black Siren: Well, I was gonna go with a Tom Cruise flick. But basically...

(Black Siren and Quentin have fallen back to a staircase. Quentin is wounded and bleeding out.)
Quentin: Oh, I'm sorry, baby girl. Looks like we lost this round.
Black Siren: No. No! I am not letting you die again.
Quentin: It's too late...
Black Siren: No!
Quentin: It... it's it's time to say good-bye.
Black Siren: I'm not giving up on you, Quentin. Quentin! I am not giving up on you. You never gave up on me. You believed in me when nobody else did.
Quentin: Well, that's what dads do. They believe.
Black Siren: I want you to know that you are the reason that I'm trying to be a hero. It's because of you.
Quentin: Sweetheart you are a hero. (firmly) You are.
Black Siren: (sobbing) Thank you. Thank you. I never had the chance to tell you how much you mean to me.
Quentin: Well...I think you just did.

(Quentin and Oliver are barricade in a stairwell. Quentin has been shot in the side, but it's just a flesh wound... for now.)
Oliver: We are gonna find a way out of this. There has to be a way to fix it, and we are gonna find it, Quentin. It doesn't matter how many times. We're gonna find it!
Quentin: (laughs) Yeah? Sure. What's it gonna be, 60 times, 100 times?
Oliver: It's gonna be however many times it takes!
Quentin: You know, getting hunted like this in a space like this is kind of like what I was doing to you all those years ago. Remember? (grunting as he forces himself to his feet) Sort of makes sense I'd go out like this now, don't you think?
Oliver: Would you please just save your strength-
Quentin: For what? Oliver, you take care of these guys, there'll be more behind them, there will be more behind them. There is no saving me from this! Okay? You ever think that's the point? Maybe you're not supposed to.
Oliver: I'm not giving up. And you're not giving up either.
Quentin: Oh, no, no, no. I'm not giving up. Maybe I'm giving in. You see, I've been outrunning death for a while now. The siege... the island... But when Diaz shot me, that felt different... like I was finally at the end. And I made my peace with that. And maybe it's time you did, too.
(Red sniper dots start shining through the windows)
Quentin: It looks like fate's knocking.
Oliver: (barely able to speak, finally growling the words out.) Just... just... You just get ready to move.
(Quentin closes his eyes and takes off his bullet proof vest, before moving towards the door with the snipers. Oliver looks at him, sad, but doesn't try to stop him.)
Quentin: I'll see you on the other side, Oliver.
(Quentin goes through the door to face certain death.)
Oliver: (quietly) Quentin.
(Everything goes white as the reset triggers again.)


Continuity

Oliver wakes up on a couch in his apartment in a suit while hearing a radio broadcast of the Star City Comets playing.

Mia, Connor and William return to the apartment from getting take-out at Big Belly Burger.

Connor says that Big Belly Burger in the past tastes better than in their time. Mia says it tastes the same. William says the taste of the food changed following a merger with Gwespin Foods sometime between 2019 and 2040.

Oliver attends a fundraiser the city council is holding for the SCPD/Vigilante Partnership, which is apparently intended to take their program global.

In this reality, Quentin Lance survived being shot by Ricardo Diaz and went on to become Mayor of Star City after Oliver Queen was arrested for being the Green Arrow. Apparently, the events of Season 7 played out exactly the same, with Oliver being freed from prison and Oliver and the SCPD spearheading a new program where vigilantes acted as deputized lawmen.

According to John Diggle, Oliver, Diggle and Black Siren were tranquilized two nights ago and Lyla was a double-agent spying on the Monitor. Oliver has no memory of any of this.

The fundraiser is being held in the Palmer Tech offices, which were apparently never blown up in this reality.

A group of mercenaries take a dozen officers hostage at the SCPD and their leader demands to speak to Mayor Lance.

In the first time through the cycle, the leader of the terrorists says the only way out is for Oliver to stop it before trigger a dead man's switch that triggers a bomb.

In the second time through the cycle, Oliver tries to tell both John Diggle and Quentin Lance about the time loop. Only Quentin believes him. He runs into Black Siren as he goes to disarm the bomb under the police station. She says that she's in the same time loop and this is also her second time around, but she woke up in the Team Arrow Bunker. They accidentally trigger a fail-safe on the bomb and agree to meet together at the fundraiser on the next trip.

In the third time through the cycle, Black Siren meets Oliver at the fundraiser. This time, they tip off everyone and Dinah and Black Siren are able to short out the bomb together. Unfortunately, a sniper kills Quentin once the bomb is defused and the mercenaries are arrested.

The fourth time, Black Siren tries to hide Quentin in the bunker as Oliver tries to figure out who hired the mercenaries in the first place. Oliver is able to get John Diggle to help him this time with analyzing the bomb. This leads them to the mercenaries hide-out, where they trigger a booby trap that blows up, injuring Oliver, Black Siren and Quentin. This time, Lyla shows up, tells Oliver he is missing the point and can't fight this before shooting Quentin and starting the cycle again.

The fifth time, Oliver tells Black Siren that he thinks this is a test but she thinks it's a punishment for defying the Monitor. Lyla is not at the fundraiser this time. They go back to the mercenary hideout with Quentin but don't trigger the booby trap. Oliver is able to hack the computers to track the mercenaries to the Anderson White - CEO of a company named Global Solutions, who has been accused but not convicted of money laundering and racketeering. Quentin is caught in the crossfire as the security team attacks them. As he is dying, Black Siren gets the chance to say goodbye to Quentin and tell him she is trying to become a hero because of him. He tells her she is a hero before the reset hits again.

The sixth time, Oliver goes to the Bunker and can't find Laurel. Lyla is there and tells Oliver that Laurel got what she needed out of this, so she isn't coming back. She tells Oliver once again that the only way to win is to accept the inevitable. Despite this Oliver goes to Quentin and takes him with him to confront Anderson White directly. Oliver gets on his computer and discovers that White is a middle man who organizes hits for other people as a side gig from his CEO job. They are caught by White's security and cornered. This time, Quentin tells Oliver that he probably was meant to die and that it's okay for Oliver to let go of him.

The seventh time, Oliver tells his kids and Connor how proud he is of them and how he's glad he got the chance to get to know them. He goes to the fundraiser and asks Quentin, in private, when he realized that Oliver wasn't the bad guy he thought he was. Quentin says his daughters vouching for Oliver helped. Oliver thanks Quentin for everything and excuses himself before Rene comes in with the news about the hostage situation.

Lyla approaches Oliver and confirms that this was another test to teach Oliver a lesson - to embrace the inevitable and not try to fight it. She says the test was necessary because Oliver has never been the sort of person to do what he's told and he had to be shown.

Lyla says she's been working with the Monitor for a while and hiding that has been the hardest thing she's ever had to do.

Lyla confirms that a great evil is coming and the Monitor has foreseen that the only chance they have of stopping it requires Oliver Queen be alive and ready to give himself for the ultimate cause.

Lyla says that everything Oliver has done so far - even retrieving the energy wave weapon in Russia - was part of the Monitor's plan and that he has one more mission to accomplish.

Lyla also confirms that the Monitor was responsible for bringing Oliver, Connor and Mia back in time and that it was a reward for Oliver's willingness to sacrifice - a chance to get to know the children he'd never see as adults otherwise.

Oliver wakes up in a tent with Black Siren, who is just waking up after having left Quentin behind. Oliver affirms his belief that the Monitor was rewarding them - giving him time with his kids and giving Black Siren the closure she needed with Quentin.

The two exit the tent to find John, Connor, Mia and William... and that they are on Lian Yu.


Location

Star City on an undetermined Earth, where Quentin Lance survived Ricardo Diaz's attempt to kill him and became Mayor of Star City, only to die several months later after Oliver Queen spearheaded an effort to see vigilantes made deputized lawmen.


The Bottom Line

A solid episode and possible contender for one of the best episodes of the series' history. The performances are all powerful and the tone stays serious while allowing for a little dark comedy. The final season continues to roll forward with all cylinders firing.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 23 - Life Sentence

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



Plot

With a new ally on his side, Green Arrow may be able to bring down Ricardo Diaz and save Star City, but even though the war may be won, not everyone may survive the final battle...


Influences

The Green Arrow comics of Judd Winick (invincible villains who win even when they lose) and Jeff Lemire (character of Ricardo Diaz, mention of Longbow Hunters)


Goofs

Again, one wonders why Diaz hasn't just killed Black Siren by now? It seriously undercuts the idea that he's a dangerous lunatic who overacts to any slight or act of treachery if he spares a dangerous metahuman serial killer with no qualms about killing who turned on him once or if he has enough coherence to try using her as a bargaining chip to manipulate Quentin.

I know Agent Watson is meant to seem unreasonable, but she's not wrong in pointing out that Black Siren is a known murder, a wanted criminal, a fugitive from justice and that the only person who believed her "I could be good" act is Quentin. And even he isn't buying it anymore and is just pissed because he does not want to see someone who looks like his daughter die yet again.

How in the name of the many ridiculous gods of the DC Universe did Diaz survive getting blasted off a roof by a concussive sonic blast at close range, after being beaten half to death to Green Arrow and still manage to survive a water landing to swim away to safety?

Why doesn't the FBI arrest Black Siren? (Did Oliver's deal give her immunity too?)

How did Black Siren get a hold of Sara Lance?

Why had nobody told Sara about Black Siren?

Katie Cassidy's expression (or lack thereof) as everyone else is having an emotional response to the news of Quentin's death and Oliver's arrest defies belief.

So... the next step is Team Arrow exposing Agent Watson for refusing to do her job without a quid pro quo, right?


Performances

Paul Blackthorne gives a stellar final performance as Quentin Lance.

Caity Lotz's presence in this episode is largely wasted, but she does a fantastic job with the brief moments she has.

Stephen Amell has a great performance here, but the scene between him and Paul Blackthorne as Oliver once again calls Quentin the father he never really had is truly heart-breaking.


Artistry

Good effects work and choreography on the opening fight scene, particularly in regards to the Canary Cry effects and the T-Sphers are used.

The script is solid, with a reoccurring theme of Oliver making his peace with everyone and shaking hands with them.

The lighting and rain effects during the final Green Arrow/Diaz fight look good, even if the slow-motion effects are a bit much.


Trivia

Once again, the title card only features Oliver's arrowhead symbol and not all the symbols of the other Team Arrow members.

The Longbow Hunters were a villain group formed by Ricardo Diaz during Jeff Lemire's run on Green Arrow, made up of villains who had a grudge against Green Arrow. The line-up included Diaz himself, Brick, The Red Dart, Killer Moth and Count Vertigo.

In The Arrowverse, The Longbow Hunters are some legendary group that Diaz has made contact with. Anatoly has heard of them but thought they were just a myth. Oliver says that they are three assassins whom even The League of Assassins were afraid of. The last one reportedly died in The 1950s.

Oliver makes a second Green Arrow costume for John, saying there's no rule that there can't be more than one Green Arrow.  For a time in the comics, there were two Green Arrows, with both Oliver Queen and his son, Connor Hawke, using the name. The same legacy ideal applies to Flashes, with both Barry Allen and Wally West using the name The Flash in the current DC Comics Rebirth reality. Even before that, there was the Jay Garrick Flash working with his younger counterparts.

Ricardo Diaz's third hideout is said to be an abandoned chemical factory on the border of Pennytown. In the Green Arrow comics by Benjamin Percy, Pennytown was a borough of The DC Comics version of Seattle. It also the name of a district in Star City in The Arrowverse - one that has fallen on hard times and lies near an airfield, but is not as bad as The Glades.

The prison Oliver Queen is sent to at the end of the episode is Slabside Maximum Security Prison. In the original DC Comics universe, Slabside Penitentiary was the name of a maximum security prison for Metahumans, which first appeared in Green Lantern #51 (May 1994). It is nicknamed The Slab, because those who are sent there only leave it once they are "on the slab". (i.e. dead)


Technobabble

Felicity is given control of the FBI's Keyhole Satellites.

The bombs in Diaz's booby trap are said to be made of Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) As a dry solid, TATP is an extremely sensitive white crystalline powder that can explode under heat, friction or mechanical shock. Being difficult to detect and made from reasonably common chemicals it has gained notoriety as a weapon used by terrorists, some of whom have dubbed it ‘The mother of Satan’ because of its instability.

Felicity is able to piggyback of a radio signal going to the explosives, saying she can probably fool the triggers into thinking the people inside the warehouse aren't moving by cloning the signal. She winds up having to bounce the signal off of several satellites, delaying it long enough for everyone to flee the warehouse.

Oliver was able to get close enough to Diaz for long enough for a digital sniffer that Felicity made for him to read Diaz's drive. They have all the information on his entire network.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Green Arrow is addressing the FBI agents and everyone else in SCPD HQ. His mask is off and his hood is down.)
Green Arrow: Diaz clearly has a third base of operations we don't know about.
Wild Dog: Yo, Hoss? Mask?
Agent Watson: Mr. Queen and I have come to an understanding. Even if we didn't, your identity is hardly a well-kept secret, Mr. Ramirez.
(Wild Dog pulls of his mask.)
Wild Dog: So... you're done trying to throw us in jail?
Green Arrow: Everyone has immunity from prosecution, Rene. The FBI recognizes that Diaz is the clear and present danger.
Wild Dog: Better late than never, I suppose.

(John looks down at the second Green Arrow costume Oliver made for him.)
John: I really thought I wanted this mantle. It means something. (looks up to Oliver) You've made it mean something. When our city looks at it, it gives them hope, Oliver. And it would be diminished if there was more than one.
Oliver: For everything along the way... thank you.
(The two shake hands.)

Oliver: When I first met you, (chuckles) I didn't think you were much more than a thug in a - heh - ridiculous costume.
Rene: You're no prize yourself, hoss.
Oliver: I judged you. For far too long, I judged you. And that was a mistake. I'm sorry. I think that you're a good man, Rene. I think you're the type of man this... this city deserves.
Rene: I know it seems like I don't give a crap about what anyone thinks. But this means a lot.
Oliver: Good.
(The two shake hands.)

(Quentin hangs up his phone and looks straight ahead.)
Quentin: Anyone ever tell you it's rude to sneak up on people?!
(Behind him, Oliver has the decency to look embarrassed as he walks around in front of Quentin.)

(Oliver asks Quentin to trust him when he says he can save Black Siren.)
Oliver: We've known each other for a very long time, Quentin.
Quentin: (snorts) A lifetime. Yeah. We've come a long way, you and me.
Oliver: (smiling) It's been getting better, since the first time you arrested me.

Oliver: The FBI's only objective is Diaz. They're going to do their best to keep Quentin safe, but they don't care if Black Siren is collateral damage.
Dinah:Your point?
Oliver: My point, Dinah, is that it's up to us to keep her safe.
(Dinah gives Oliver a side-eye glance.)
Oliver: I know you have put your vendetta aside for the sake of the mission.
Dinah: And you want to make sure I keep it that way?
Oliver: I want to say thank you.
(Dinah looks stunned.)
Oliver: It takes a very big person to not... seek vengeance for someone they love. If I haven't always been sensitive to that, I'm truly sorry.
Dinah: I'm sorry I was so hard on you. (pauses) You know, the truth is... I respect you more than you could ever know. You've put together a team of heroes. That's no small thing.
(They shake hands.)

Felicity: What is going on?
Oliver: What do you mean?
Felicity: I mean you've been doing the Oliver Farewell Tour all around this place, including giving John "The Hood". You know, everyone is wondering what did you have to give Watson to get her to give us immunity? I'm just going to go out on a limb here... and guess that it was giving up being The Green Arrow.
Oliver: ... sort of.
Felicity: You can't be serious! What happened to becoming your best self?
Oliver: I don't know if I believe that anymore.
Felicity: Oliver, this is who you are! You can't let Watson get in the middle of that!
Oliver: She's not. It was my idea.

Quentin: You did good, Oliver.
Oliver: Thank you, but it's not over yet.
Quentin: It is for you.
(Oliver looks at him and just raises an eyebrow.)
Quentin: Am I wrong?
(Oliver shakes his head.)
Quentin: I've been dealing with Samanda Watson for months. There's no way she was gonna help you without strings attached. (sighs) But those strings, Oliver... that's a hell of a sacrifice.
Oliver: I had to look at the way I've been doing things. It's not working. I lost my city. I lost my team. There's a penance for that.

Oliver: Quentin, I hope I took the time to tell you , uh... you're a really good father.
Quentin: So are you.
Oliver: (choking up) I had a good example.
Quentin: Yeah, your dad was a good man.
Oliver: (on the verge of tears) I'm not talking about my dad.
(Quentin looks surprised but just nods.)

Felicity: During your trial, you said that you didn't want to go public, because you wanted a life after Green Arrow. This is that life! You could-
Oliver: I wanted to stop Diaz. And I wanted to save you and William more.


Continuity

The FBI and Star City's vigilantes all attack SCPD HQ and Diaz's hideout together.

Oliver secured immunity from prosecution for all of Star City's vigilantes.

Lyla, John Jr., Zoe and William are at the NORAD Bunker.

Oliver makes another Green Arrow costume for John, saying there's no rule that there can't be more than one Green Arrow. John refuses it, saying that having more than one would diminish it.

Anatoly gives Oliver the address Diaz gave him for the meeting with The Longbow Hunters.

Diaz threatens Black Siren to get Quentin to kick the FBI out of Star City. Quentin refuses.

Diaz somehow gained access to a metahuman power inhibiting collar.

The address Anatoly gives Oliver turns out to be a booby-trapped warehouse full of explosives. Wild Dog and Agent Watson are trapped inside when the trap triggers.

Diaz figured out that Anatoly was the traitor and promises to take days to kill him.

Ricardo Diaz can speak some Russian.

Rene becomes shell-shocked again, after nearly dying pulling an FBI agent who was paralyzed with fear from the exploding warehouse.

Oliver tells Quentin that he was able to beat the lie-detector five years earlier by controlling his heart beat.

It is revealed that Quentin has had a pacemaker ever since Season Three.

Quentin tells Diaz that The FBI is tracking him by satellite when Diaz doesn't bring Laurel to the meeting site and insists that Quentin hold a press conference to order The FBI to leave Star City.

Oliver realizes later that Quentin told him about his pacemaker, so that Felicity could track it, because Quentin knew that Diaz wouldn't honor his agreement and that he'd be searched at his meeting with Diaz.

Diaz's third hideout is revealed to be an abandoned chemical plant on the border of Pennytown - a district of Star City when has been mentioned before in 405 and 505.

Quentin is shot by Diaz when he refuses to deliver his press release.

Diaz is about to shoot Black Siren when The FBI and Star City's heroes arrive.

Black Canary removes Black Siren's collar and helps carry Quentin out of the base.

Green Arrow has Diaz beaten when Black Siren sonic screams him off of the roof and into the bay.

Diaz escapes, but Oliver got to him close enough with a digital sniffer to get all of the information from his drive.

Oliver hands the information on Diaz's network over to Agent Watson, who says that Diaz escaping doesn't alter their deal. Oliver says he is aware of that.

Quentin is septic as a result of his wound. He asks Rene not to call him Hoss at his funeral if the surgery goes bad.

Black Siren called Sara Lance to tell her she might need to come be there in case her father died.

Sara Lance had apparently not been told about Black Siren's existence.

Quentin Lance dies during his surgery.

Oliver is revealed to have made a plea bargain with the FBI - turning himself in and a full confession on a list of federal charges in order to save everyone else.

Felicity refers to how they broke John out of prison in 504.

Oliver says he's being transferred to a Supermax and that Agent Watson has already threatened to arrest the rest of Team Arrow if he ever tries to escape.

Oliver confesses to the public that he is The Green Arrow.

The prison Oliver is sent to is Slabside Maximum Security Prison


Location

Slabsite Maximum Security Prison


The Winick Factor

Heavy. From the invincible villain who accomplishes his goals even in defeat (Diaz has gotten Oliver Queen out of office and into prison is still running The Quadrant, even if he's lost his foothold in Star City's government) to the government officials that are more concerned with bringing a good guy down than serving the common good.


The Bottom Line

An ugly, bittersweet mess. There's a lot of good moments here, but they are moments that should have come earlier in the season and only serve to telegraph what is blatantly obvious - that Ollie sold himself to save the rest of his team. The grand irony is that after everyone else except Felicity abandoned him, he chose to sacrifice himself to save everyone... except the one person he should have spoken to before making this kind of decision. Then again, Ollie wouldn't be Ollie if he didn't do the wrong things for the right reasons for the sake of protecting people who don't need his protection.

It's apparent now that they are are going to use Season 7 of Arrow to play out the "Green Arrow in prison" movie that David Goyer never got to make. Hopefully that will be short-lived, because as the first few episodes of the middle half of Season 4 of The Flash proved, things get dull when your main hero is in prison.

Apart from that, it's pretty clear what happens next. John bcomes the new Green Arrow. Roy Harper comes out of hiding to help. Diaz continues to be invincible. New Team Arrow will kinda just be there. And they'll probably use Quentin's death to fuel Black Siren becoming a hero.... even though by all rights she should be in jail with Ollie, if only for having facilitated Diaz's escape.

I suppose it will be too much to hope that this was all according to plan. That Black Siren and Diaz are still working together and that everything we saw before was a play. That Black Siren didn't blast Diaz but carried him to safety with her cry (a trick we've seen Black Canary do) and that all of this is just to get her in with the rest of Star City's vigilantes so Diaz can stick the knife in later.

Unlikely, I know, but that thought will keep me warm over the next few months.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 18 - Fundamentals

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




Plot

With all of his allies having abandoned him except Quentin Lance, Oliver begins to question his failings as a father, a husband, a mayor and a hero.


Influences

The Green Arrow comics of Judd Winick (The heroes are complete idiots, at the mercy of villains, who don't kill the heroes despite being given ample opportunity to do so.)


Goofs

Granting that it is in Oliver's nature to blame himself for everything, Laurel's becoming Black Canary was not his fault. She did it while Oliver was recovering from falling off a mountain and he did his damnedest to stop her from trying to replace Sara.

Felicity runs to SCPD HQ from her and Oliver's apartment?

All of this episode is devoted towards Ricardo Diaz pushing Green Arrow into a death trap. At the end of the episode, he declares that he isn't going to kill Green Arrow because that would be too easy.

Also - how could Diaz be sure that the strung out Oliver Queen would be coherent enough to go into the trap in the first place?


Performances

The main saving grace of this episode is Stephen Amell's performance.

A close second is Amell's chemistry with Emily Bett Rickards and the scene in which Felicity has to convince Oliver that she is real.

Paul Blackthorne gets the episode's MVP trophy, however. He hasn't always had a lot to do as Quentin this season and he doesn't really have much to work with here either. What he does have, however, he nails.


Artistry

The opening sequence of Green Arrow fighting his way through the mob of crooked cops looks fantastic - lighting, fight choreography and direction.


Trivia

The Arrow logo at the start of this episode does not include the usual swoop of symbols for the other heroes of Star City.


Technobabble

Felicity makes a isotonic concoction, with oranges, almonds, avocados and fermented fish oil  (Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Omega 3s and salt) as a hangover cure/Vertigo recovery tonic for Oliver.


Dialogue Triumphs

Felicity: We need to stop Diaz! (To John) And we have some pretty good intel.
Oliver: Good intel tends to fall apart in the hands of bad leadership, don't you think?
John: Oliver, come on. It doesn't have to be that way.
Oliver: How would you like it to be?

Oliver: On the bright side, if I get impeached, you get promoted.
Quentin: (chuckling) I'm not much of a politician, Oliver.
Oliver: Well, with Diaz running the city, it's not really politics, is it?

Oliver: Why does everyone keep leaving me?
Quentin: That's the thing about change, right? You hope you're doing the right thing, by becoming a better person. But you're also becoming a different person. Some people, they just, I guess like John, they react badly.
Oliver: That's one possibility.
Quentin: What's the other?
Oliver: That I haven't really changed at all.

Prometheus: Hey. What's Vertigo do? Does it show you your worst fear?
Oliver: (smirking) You aren't my worst fear, Adrian. You're nowhere close.
Prometheus: Oh, I know. Your worst fear is yourself. Your worst enemy is yourself. Guys like me? Ricardo Diaz? Damien Darhk? Ra's Al Ghul? When it comes to destroying you, Oliver? We all come in second place. You're the one enemy you can't defeat.

(Oliver puts down his phone. He looks up and sees himself in his first costume, standing in the shadows.)
The Hood: You have failed this city! And you know why.
Oliver: Because I got away from you.
The Hood: You were never supposed to have partners.There was never supposed to be a John Diggle. A Felicity Smoak. A Team Arrow! There was never supposed to be a Green Arrow! There was only The Mission!
Oliver: ...  I lost sight of that.
The Hood: You lost your city! And now... you know what you have to do to get it back.

Oliver: You're not here!
Felicity: Yes, I am. It's me, Okay? The real me? Do not go through that door!
Oliver: I have to. I have to stop Diaz.
Felicity: And you will! But not like this. Not tonight.
Oliver: He is right on the other side of that door!
Felicity: So are a bunch of angry cops just waiting for you! You go through the door, what happens to William?!
Oliver: William has you.
Felicity: Well, what happens to me?
Oliver: (pauses) You left.
Felicity: No, I didn't! That was not me, Oliver. The real me is standing right here. And I'm not going anywhere. I'm glue, baby. Please.


Dialogue Disasters

Felicity: How you lost it on William? That is crossing a line. I know that you have a lot on your plate with Diaz and John and the impeachment, but that is no excuse. It can't be an excuse. He is your son. And you just showed him the man that his father really is! (pauses) That is not the man that I married.


Continuity

Felicity determines that the security feed at SCPD HQ shuts off for 45 minutes at 10:13 pm each night when Diaz is checking up on his minions.

Quentin says that Oliver visibly does not look good.

Felicity's high-school science fair projected involved hacking Napster.

William has no idea what Napster is.

William's project involves cloning a cabbage. He's worried about beating Sarah Epstein's solar-powered hot-dog cooker.

Felicity finds the proof that Diaz threatened Captain Hill's family and paid for D.A. Armand's surgery. Unfortunately, there's no way for Ollie to claim he got this information from a legitimate source.

Oliver loses his temper and accidentally destroys William's science project.

Felicity kicks Oliver out of their apartment.

Later, Felicity appears at The Bunker and asks for a separation.

Quentin suggests taking the evidence to FBI Agent Samanda Watson, since she's more concerned with justice than proving Oliver Queen is Green Arrow.

Oliver hallucinates being attacked by Prometheus in The Bunker.

Oliver determines that he was dosed with Vertigo by his handshake with Councilman Kullens. This is what caused him to lose his temper and start hallucinating.

Oliver hallucinates being back in Queen Manor with Laurel, just before he left to sail on The Queen's Gambit.

Oliver hallucinates being back in the hospital room where Laurel died, with Laurel taunting him with the idea that he was responsible for her death.

Oliver hallucinates Rene taunting him from his hospital bed about Oliver being responsible for his injuries in 614. Dinah and Curtis, in costume, torment him as well.

Oliver hallucinates Rissa being murdered by Diaz in his apartment and Diaz stabbing Oliver in the stomach. 

Oliver continues to hallucinate Prometheus during the city council meeting. The hallucination tells Oliver the only way to win is to take Diaz down that night.

William wins second place at the Science Fair. The girl with the solar hot dog cooker won first, but Felicity swears she saw her project for sale on Amazon.com.

It is revealed that Oliver hallucinated Felicity chewing him out and kicking him out when she showed up at The Bunker.

Oliver attacks SCPD HQ in his original Hood costume.

Felicity is able to talk sense into Oliver. They escape SCPD HQ before Diaz and the cops emerge from the trap.

Oliver Queen is impeached from office.

Quentin Lance becomes the new mayor of Star City.

Oliver decides that he needs to get back to basics and go it alone as Green Arrow to take down Diaz.

Diaz tells Black Siren that the next step is to send out the word to other criminal enterprises that Star City is now open for business.


The Winick Factor

Even though it it is blatantly obvious that Diaz is attempting to divide and conquer his way into controlling Star City, the big lesson Oliver takes from his vision quest in this episode is that he has to go it alone even though his entire heroes' journey is devoted to his NOT being a crazed loner.

Ricardo Diaz's reasons for not killing Green Arrow don't make a lick of sense. Especially given that all of this episode was devoted to setting up a death trap for him!


The Bottom Line

This episode has no right to work as well as it does, given the idiotic plan of the villains and Oliver ultimately taking the wrong lesson from recent events before he inevitably realizes The Power Of Friendship. The primary reason it does work is because of some effective direction and the strength of Stephen Amell, Emily Bett Rickards and Paul Blackthorne's performances.

That said, there's some effective dialogue and psychodrama here but the whole thing seems really derivative of Three Ghosts from Season 2. That may be intentional as that was one of the first episodes that set Oliver on the path to becoming The Green Arrow and trusting other people, with this episode having Oliver learning the opposite lesson.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 12 - All For Nothing

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

 
Plot

With Cayden James holding all of Star City hostage, things are more dire than ever. The conflict between Star City's two superhero teams comes to a head, as a disagreement between Oliver and Dinah regarding Vigilante's trustworthiness endangers one of their own.


Influences

The Green Arrow comics of Judd Winick. (Oliver Queen balancing being mayor and a superhero, a city under siege by super-villains storyline, the heroes being portrayed as dumber than the villains.)


Goofs

As good as a job as Paul Blackthorne does of selling Quentin's torment, his subplot of trying to convince Black Siren that there is a hero in her is idiotic even before the end of the episode ruins any chance the viewers might have of Black Siren achieving redemption.

Why do Black Siren and Cayden James not kill Black Canary while she's helpless? James may want Oliver Queen to suffer but he has no reason to spare the other heroes of Star City. And since when has Black Siren ever shown restraint when given a chance to kill, much less a chance to take out her arch-rival?


Performances

The only thing redeeming Quentin's subplot is Paul Blackthorne's excellent performance.

Juliana Harkavy continues to slay as Dinah Drake. I know we're probably supposed to be sad that she's returning to violence but her declaration at the end that she's killing Black Siren had me cheering because of the strength of Harkavy's performance.


Artistry

The flashbacks in the script do a good job alternating between the scenes of Dinah and Victor undercover in the past and Vigilante working undercover in the present and maintaining the tension of both.


Technobabble

Felicity suggests using a sniffer device -which pulls electronic data from any hard drive or devices close by - to track Cayden James.

Cayden James' server has 80 terabytes of data on it.

Felicity helps Vigilante to bluff past Cayden James by telling him to say that just because he knows how to handle a gun doesn't mean he can't tell the difference between a trans-polymer hybrid and a fiber-optic cable. He also asks how James maximized the data throughput.


Dialogue Triumphs

Vigilante: You believe me, right? About not knowing about the ARGUS divers?
Dinah: I already told you I do.
Vigilante: I guess what I'm asking is... do you trust me?
(Dinah kisses him passionately for a moment before breaking it.)
Dinah: Does that answer your question?

Cayden James: I don't like surprises. And I like even less the feeling that I can't trust my comrades.
Vigilante: It sounds like it's just me you don't trust.
Cayden James: If I didn't, you wouldn't be drawing breath right now, Mr. Sobel,

Cayden James: You were always the enigma, Mr. Sobel. The vigilante willing to ally himself with criminals to take out other vigilantes. I must confess I never totally bought into it. Given your background as an undercover operative, I would have been a fool to. (pauses) I don't strike you as a fool, do I?
Vigilante: No, but you are coming off a little crazy, though.

(Dinah has announced her intention to save Vigilante on her own.)
Oliver: Dinah, Vincent would not want you to it this way...
Dinah: Don't you dare! You know damn well that if it was Felicity out there... (throws a side-glance to John) If it was Lyla, this wouldn't even be up for debate. Vince is my family! And I'm not letting him die. Not again.
(Oliver says nothing but glares at Dinah as he steps out of her way.)
Curtis: Dinah?
Dinah: You're not talking me out of this, Curtis.
Rene: We know. That's why we're coming with you.
Curtis: You're our family too.
(Dinah looks surprised.)
Curtis: We'll save Vince. (looks to Oliver) You save the city.

(Green Arrow enters into a room in the warehouse. He finds several hostages, tied up around a bomb with a ticking timer and a walkie-talkie. Anatoly's voice comes through the radio.)
Anatoly: Hello, Kapiushon. No need for me to explain choice here, yes?
Green Arrow: I thought you were an honorable man?!
Anatoly: I am. Why else I give you choice?

(Dinah hears a knock at her door. She grabs her pistol and draws it as she pulls aside the curtain. It' Oliver. She lowers the gun and opens the door.)
Dinah: You shouldn't be here.
Oliver: Dinah, please give me a chance to explain-
Dinah: You lost that right when you decided to leave Vince on his own to die.
Oliver: I'm truly sorry about what happened to Vince. Because I know what he meant to you. But this was his call. And he knew what he signed on for.
Dinah: (scoffs) Wow. You are really bad at apologies.
(closes the door)
Oliver: I'm not hear to apologize.
Dinah: Of course you're not.
Oliver: I'm here to explain that... this wasn't all for nothing. Felicity's been going through the data that Vince pulled out and for the first time... Dinah, for the first time, we have some viable options.
Dinah: Viable options? You know, I used to tell Vince his way of seeking justice wasn't viable. I convinced him to change. Just how you convinced me. But you know what, Oliver? Vince was right. The only way to bring justice to this city is with a bullet.
Oliver: No, Dinah. I need you to listen to me-
Dinah: I'm going to make sure Vince didn't die for nothing. I am going to kill every last one of them. Starting with Laurel.


Dialogue Disasters

Black Siren: This isn't me! (screams)


Continuity

Captain Hill is the new acting head of the Star City Police Department.

Cayden James kills an entire ARGUS dive team that attempts to sneak into Star City amphibiously by setting their comms system to electrocute them.

As the episode opens, Oliver has sent $70 to Cayden James. He guesses they have a day or tow before the money runs out.

William is hidden in an ARGUS safehouse.

Quentin catches Black Siren stalking him.

Vincent Sobel and Dinah Drake were first partnered five years ago in Central City. Captain Singh - who is Barry Allen's superior on The Flash - was also their boss.

Cayden James' war council believe that some unknown factor was responsible for killing Sheck in 611 - an ARGUS agent, probably - since none of Team Arrow would use lethal force and the cops weren't capable of fighting back at the time.

Oliver promises to take Felicity to Aruba for their honeymoon once Cayden James is caught. Aruba was also the preferred vacation destination of Mick "Heatwave" Rory in L301.

Felicity refers to the sniffer device she used to get information from Prometheus' mother in 514.

Quentin tells Thea about Black Siren stalking him.

06/14/1998 is the birthday of Owen Post - Cayden James' son. It's also the code to get into his server room.

Alena makes her first physical appearance on the show in several episodes.

Quentin confronts Black Siren with a video/photo slideshow of his Laurel She screams that that isn't her and destroys the equipment before fleeing.

The flashback scenes with Vince and Dinah lead up to the footage from 511 showing how Dinah got her powers.

Black Siren kills Vigilante with an extended point-blank sonic blast right through his ear.

Rene says it took him days to react to anything after his wife was murdered.

Alena finds the video that made Cayden James think The Green Arrow killed his son. It was digitally doctored using the same techniques used to make the faked photo of Oliver Queen as Green Arrow that was leaked to the press in 601. This means that whoever faked the photo is someone working with Cayden James who would know how he would react and that there is another traitor in his team.

Thea tells Quentin that Black Siren killed Vigilante.


Location

The flashbacks to when Dinah and Vincent Sobel first teamed up take place in Central City.


The Fridge Factor

It's kind of disturbing how everyone refers to Black Siren as Laurel instead of Black Siren now. I'm sure this is a writing note to push Quentin's conflict but it just seems like most of the characters would be very strict about making it clear that this woman is Not Their Laurel given how much Laurel is supposed to mean to everyone.

It's also disturbing how much Quentin is investing in trying to save Black Siren given the daughter he still has (though Sara is probably not that great about writing home) and is ignoring the foster daughter he has in Thea, who is supporting him despite her better judgement. Hopefully this will be setting up Quentin realizing the family he has vs. the family he's lost by season's end.


The Winnick Factor

Between heroes who can't put their personal drama aside for the sake of the greater good, villains who are three steps ahead of the heroes at all times and whatever victories the heroes win being Pyrrhic, this whole episode feels like a vintage Judd Winick comic.


The Bottom Line

If it weren't for the Quentin subplot, this would be a harmless piece of filler typical of mid-season CW shows. Paul Blackthorne does a fantastic job of selling Quentin Lance's conflict but it seems like this subplot is only there to give him and Willa Holland something to do because the Black Siren redemption arc seemed stupid even before she killed a helpless hero who honestly was trying to find redemption. All I can say is Viva Black Canary and her efforts to kill Black Siren next week. I know we won't be so lucky as see that happen, but we can dream for another week, at least.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 14 - The Sin-Eater

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


Plot

When three of his enemies break out of prison together, Green Arrow is quick to move to recapture them. Unfortunately, the Anti-Crime Unit seems to be more interested in bringing Green Arrow in for the murder of Detective Malone. At the same time, Quentin Lance blames himself for the break-out, after learning that Eliza Warner - an ex-cop gone bad - is apparently out for his head due to the recently revealed truth about how he'd once worked with Damien Darhk. And Thea and Felicity work to discover just how Susan Williams found out Oliver Queen is Green Arrow and what her game is...

In the flashbacks, Oliver and Anatoly must escape from Gregor and Kovar's after an ambush is arranged at the hospital where Anatoly is being treated.


Influences

The Green Arrow comics of Judd Winick. (Oliver Queen tries to balance being mayor and a vigilante, everyone acts like idiots.)


Goofs

Even if China White and Cupid weren't their intended target, it's unlikely that the ACU wouldn't move to stop their escape in case they were accomplices of Green Arrow. Or, at the very least, there wouldn't be a perimeter outside to stop Green Arrow from escaping that would catch them.

By the same token, are the ACU (or the rest of the SCPD for that matter) really going to sit on their asses and ignore the escapees while waiting for Green Arrow to show up again?

Even if they did, isn't it remarkably stupid of Cupid, Warner and China White to bet on the cops not taking an interest in them?

Did the cops just gun down an unarmed China White?

The flashback cliff-hanger of Anatoly being held at gunpoint would be a lot more dramatic if we didn't know he's alive five years later.


Performances

Paul Blackthorne, as always, is a wonder as Quentin Lance.

Willa Holland, likewise, is fantastic as Thea.

Juliana Harkavy isn't given much to do as Dinah in this episode but she makes every moment she's on-screen count.


Artistry

The script does try to draw parallels between Oliver, Quentin and Thea all taking blame upon themselves for something that wasn't their fault - i.e. Sin-Eating.


Trivia

The episode title comes from a custom practiced in some cultures, which Anatoly explains in the flashback. A Sin-Eater is one who lives apart from the other people in a village and - when one of the villagers dies - consumes a ritual meal prepared from food left with the corpse of the deceased in order to eat their sins (which pass into the food) and allow the deceased to pass on free of guilt.

The name Sin-Eater has been used by a number of characters in comics history. The most famous is probably a trio of serial killers - all using the name - who appeared in the pages of Spider-Man and Venom. The name was also used by two different Ghost Rider villains.

Most recently the name was used by an enemy of The Phantom Stranger. This Sin Eater was accidentally created by The Phantom Stranger after he broke and scattered the soul of serial killer Phillip Stark across time and space. The soul fragments reassembled and became the twisted demon known as The Sin Eater.

Curtis' new jacket has white pieces which make it more closely resemble the Mister Terrific costume worn by Michael Holt in the pre-New 52 comics.

Oliver says that Prometheus' mother was from Opal City. In the original DC Comics Universe, Opal City was the hometown of the original Starman, Ted Knight and his two sons David (Starman VI) and Jack (VII).


Technobabble

Curtis and Felicity make a sniffer device, which pulls electronic data from any hard drive or devices close by. It works so effectively it pulls a petabyte (1 quadrillion bytes) of data in one go.

Chǔ Cáng is the Chinese phrase for depository or storage space.

Curtis rebuilds his costume, adding a Kevlar weave into the jacket.

The edgework on the Billy Malone's death-wounds was consistent with the arrows used by Green Arrow, according to a Medical Examiner's report.


Dialogue Triumphs

Oliver: Thanks for coming along. I know that being my body man isn't your job anymore.
John: Sure it is. Just a different suit, that's all.

Susan: Are you The Green Arrow?
Oliver: Yeah.
Susan: (stunned) Really?!
Oliver: No! (smiles and chuckles) I'm sorry. I thought you were doing a joking thing. So I did a joking thing back. Are you not?
Susan: I was working on a different story. And... uh, well some things came up that relate to you...
Oliver: And then you just immediately jumped to the most insane conclusion possible.
Susan: So that's a no? For the record?
Oliver: No. For the record.
Susan: Well, good. Because I think our relationship is complicated enough already just with you being mayor.

Green Arrow: Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific are staking out The Bertinellis. Dinah and Spartan have eyes on the Bratva.
Quentin: You know - you've got to get that new girl a code name.
Green Arrow: Well, when she's ready I was considering Black Canary. You all right with that?
(Quentin seems to consider that.)
Quentin: Well, so long as she does Laurel proud.

Quentin: I think that Warner is my mess to clean up.
Thea: And I'm assuming Oliver said that's not the case?
Quentin: What Oliver doesn't know is that the reason her rehabilitation was short-lived was because she caught my confessing to working with Damien Darhk on TV.
Thea: Oh wow.
Quentin: Yeah.
Thea: That is... an unbelievable load of crap, Quentin.
Quentin: What?
Thea: Liza Warner is a criminal. You didn't make her into one. You've got to stop taking responsibility for other people's sins.
Quentin: You know, I really like how wise you're getting lately?
Thea: That's just because I have committed my own sin today.

(Oliver is standing at his office window behind his desk, looking out on the city. Thea enters)
Thea: You asked to see me?
Oliver: (looking out the window) Did you know that Susan got fired today?
Thea: ... I didn't know she was going to get fired.
Oliver: (turning around) You should have come to me with this.
Thea: Listen, Ollie. I just wanted to discredit her-
Oliver: Thea! You should have come to me with this!
Thea: (coolly angry) And then what? We would have the same conversation we are having right now. I would have told you that she was going to out you as The Green Arrow...
Oliver: She wouldn't do that to me!
Thea: And then you would say that.
(Oliver sighs in annoyance.)
Thea: Look, Ollie. The only reason I didn't tell you was because I was trying to keep your hands clean. I know you care about her, so -
Oliver: (quietly) I do care about her. I also care that you destroyed her reputation. She's going to have a tough time finding a decent job. She's certainly not going to find a job in journalism.(suddenly shouting) You just blew up her life!
Thea: Honestly, I didn't mean for it to go this far...
Oliver: Yes, you did. You knew exactly what you were doing. And that's the part that I don't understand. Who does that to a person?

Quentin:What, you're just giving up now?
Oliver: Prometheus isn't giving me a choice.
Quentin: Neither did Slade Wilson. Or Damien Darhk. But with those guys you didn't just pick up your football and go home.
Oliver: This is different.
Quentin: How?
Oliver: Because what's happening now - it's not something that Prometheus did. It's something I did.
Quentin: You're talking about Malone, right? That was Prometheus.
Oliver: I fired the arrows.
Quentin: (pauses) Listen, earlier Thea was talking to me about not taking on other people's sins. What happened with Malone? That's on Prometheus. Not you.
Oliver: Well Quentin, that advice would mean a little bit more if it wasn't coming from Thea right now.
Quentin: Well, I don't know what that means. But I do know that if you're letting Prometheus, ACU or anyone else keep you from stopping Warner and her buddies, then justice isn't being served.

Quentin: So... Oliver tells me that you're the new Black Canary.
Dinah: Um. Not yet. I'm not ready to take your daughter's place. Sir.
Quentin: Laurel didn't want someone to take her place. She wanted someone to carry on in her place.

Thea: I'm really sorry, Ollie.  I know I screwed up but-
Oliver: - but you didn't make a mistake. You made a choice. And you reminded me of someone.
Thea: Who?
Oliver: Mom.
(Thea looks taken aback by this as Oliver moves to a chair.)
Oliver: She would have done something like this. Well... she would have done exactly this. She was a wonderful mother. But I think we both know that she didn't always make the best choices. Whatever's going to happen with Susan is... whatever's going to happen. Right now... right now, I'm really worried about my baby sister.


Continuity

Justin Claybourne's mistress is named Amanda Westfield. She claims that she has not seen her son since Justin Claybourne's funeral. She does not confirm or deny that her son is Prometheus but does refuse to give Oliver Queen his name.

Carrie Cutter (a.k.a. Cupid) last appeared in 416.

Liza Warner last appeared in 404.

Chien Na Wei (a.k.a. China White) last appeared, in the modern day, in 202. She appeared in the flashback scenes of several Season 3 episodes.

Dinah is sworn in as an SCPD cop.

The three escapees kill several of China White's former associates in the local Triad.

Felicity hacks Susan Williams' computer. Williams' password is 1234. She discovers all of Susan Williams' information that Oliver Queen is Green Arrow, but doesn't delete it since the information can just be retrieved again from whatever source she originally got it from.

Reference is made to Tobias' Church's deal with Amertek in 502 and the money he made off of it. This is what the escapees are searching for.

Liza Warner claims the reason she escaped was because she saw Quentin's testimony from the trial in 416 and decided that she might as well be selfish and look out for number one from now on.

The ACU discovers the cause of Billy Malone's death and that Green Arrow was meant to look responsible. This evidence turns out to be a second medical examiner's report, which determines the cause of death to have been arrows with edge work consistent with those used by The Green Arrow.

The letter with the ME report was postmarked from Opal City.

Amanda Westfield was originally from Opal City.

Susan Williams is fired from her reporter job after an anonymous tip is sent to her producers about how she's been plagiarizing stories for over two years. Evidence confirming this is found on her laptop.

Susan tells Oliver that she recognized his chest tattoo as that of a Bratva captain, had photos of him with Bratva members in Russia when he was supposedly shipwrecked and photos of a man who looks like Green Arrow in Russia at the same time. Of course having been totally discredited as a reporter, she can't go public with any of it.

Felicity admits to hacking Susan Williams computer and putting some files on it at based on Thea's instructions.

Thea tells Oliver that she did what she did because she felt Susan Williams was about to out him as The Green Arrow.

Oliver tells Captain Pike that DA Chase covered up the cause of Billy Malone's death, that Green Arrow was manipulated into killing Malone and that he knows this because he is in contact with The Green Arrow.

Felicity gives Dinah Laurel's old mask to wear into the field.

Rene is superstitious about disturbing a cemetery at night.

Captain Pike elects to move on the escapees rather than bring down Green Arrow and the other vigilantes. China White is apparently shot by the police. Cupid and Eliza Warner are taken alive.

The episode ends with Oliver and DA Chase watching a news report on information making it to the press on how the Mayor's office ordered a cover-up of Billy Malone's death.


Location

 A suburban house somewhere in Illinois.


The Winick Factor

It's a toss-up who is stupider in this episode - the cops who let a trio of escapees go in an effort to bring down the local superhero or the trio of escapees who gamble on the cops not being interested in them because they're after the local superhero. Hell, Oliver even points out how illogical it is to believe that Green Arrow has gone bad to the ACU Captain. And when Ollie is talking sense in an episode...


The Bottom Line

A typical mid-season filler episode, made tolerable only by some excellent performances and a script that cleverly parallels the shared hubris of three of the main cast. The villains of the week are wasted (which I never thought I'd say about Cupid of all people) as the main thrust of the episode is rightly on the continuing torment Prometheus is inflicting on Team Arrow and how everyone is being forced into darker and darker places in their support of Oliver Queen.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 12 - Bartva

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




Plot

When the corrupt general who tried to frame John Diggle for treason escapes custody with his men and the trigger to a nuclear bomb, Team Arrow isn't going to sit idly by. The trail leads to Russia where Oliver's old friend and Bratva brother Anatoly isn't quite ready to roll out the red carpet.

Thankfully, Quentin Lance is fresh out of rehab and ready to take over as acting mayor of Star City whole Oliver is away. Yet when he falters at the prospect of an interview with the aggressive Susan Williams, it may be Rene "Wild Dog" Ramirez who may save the day...

Five years earlier, Oliver begins his training with Talia Al Ghul.


Influences

The Green Arrow comics of Mike Grell.


Goofs

Dinah claims not to have much control of her sonic scream "beyond on and off", yet last week it was stated that her control and focus were far greater than Black Siren or Laurel. (Dinah is her own worst critic.)


Performances

You never realize how much you miss Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance on this show until he returns after having been gone for a few episodes. His interplay with Rick Gonzalez as Rene tries to help Quentin get ready for his interview works surprisingly well. The surprise has nothing to do with the acting itself (both actors are great) but more in how unexpected it is that these two characters would be interacting in the first place, much less bonding as they do.

Joe Dinicol hasn't always been given a lot to do as Rory Regan. This episode just about makes up for it, though, with Dinicol showing a determination not seen in Rory since his first appearance as he calls Felicity on her grey-hat hacking and his stopping Felicity from giving in to her guilt complex and trying to disarm a nuclear bomb on her own.


Artistry

The gunfight in the second segment of the episode is well shot and directed.

As far as exploding, flipping vehicle stunts go, the one involving the van Dinah hit's with her sonic scream is a great one.

The script for this episode is a solid one, with good parallels between the flashback story and the tale told in the present. The reoccurring themes of sacrifice and knowing when to cross a moral line to honor a greater good come up in all of the various subplots - nearly all of which are advanced a little bit in this episode.


Trivia

General Walker is said to have made contact with a group of Markovian seperatists. Markovia, in the DC Universe, is a fictional country located in Western Europe between France, Belgium and Luxembourg. It is home to the hero Geo-Force.

Curtis is revealed to have been studying the Russian language on the flight and picked up enough to know the Russian word for creepy off the top of his head. In the original comics, Mister Terrific was also a polyglot who knew several languages besides English fluently.


Technobabble

Curtis says that polyphonics doesn't begin to explain the physics of Dinah's sonic scream and how it works.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Oliver finishes fighting a group of drug dealers. As he walks away from the last one, Talia jumps off the roof and shoots an arrow at Oliver. He spins and grabs it just inches away from his face.)
Talia: (smiling with approval) You're beginning to understand now.
Oliver: Understand what?
Talia: That the man who embraces the dark is never without sight.

Diggle: Are you ready for this?
Dinah: When I signed on, I didn't think I'd be stopping a nuclear arms deal in a foreign country.
Diggle: (scoffs) Yeah. When I signed on, I didn't think I'd be dealing with aliens.
Dinah: Aliens?
Diggle: Yeah.

Anatoly: (holding his arms open) Oliver Queen!
Oliver: (holding his arms open) Anatoly!
(Anatoly suddenly reaches back and decks Oliver. Oliver looks up, stunned.)
Anatoly: (suddenly stern) You never should have come back to Russia.

Rory: What's the Russian word for creepy?
Curtis: Zhutko.
(Rory levels his gaze at Curtis.)
Curtis: (shrugs) I was studying on the plane.

(Oliver has a soldier chained up and blindfolded. He is holding two jumper-cables, hooked up to a car battery.)
Oliver: There are thousands - maybe millions of lives at stake. You don't want those deaths on your conscience.
Soldier: (laughing) My conscience? You've got to be kidding-
(Oliver sparks the jumper cables in front of the soldier's face. He feels the current and screams.)
Soldier: What's that?!
Oliver: This is your conscience!

Hideo Yamane: What do you want? Money? Drugs? I'll give you anything!
The Hood: There's nothing you have that I want.
Hideo Yamane: Why? Why are you doing this?
The Hood: Because you have failed Starling City.
(The Hood puts three arrows into the drug kingpin's chest.)

Dinah: This isn't the first time you've done something like this. Is it? I don't mean as The Green Arrow...
Oliver: You mean as a thug, right?
(Dinah nods.)
Oliver: No. It was... a part of my life that I thought I had moved past but... here we are.
Dinah: Right. (pauses) You know, the other guys said that when you get in one of your moods I should just let you be. But um, to be honest - brooding? Really gets on my nerves.
Oliver: They told you about me. Did they tell you about Prometheus?

Dinah: Yeah. They did. Why? Is this mood because you got pulled back into some Bratva drama?
Oliver: No, it... Dinah, I'm trying to move forward. But I'm back here. I'm in Russia. In the Bratva. And it just proves to me I can't seem to do that. 
(There is another long silence between them.)

Dinah: Prometheus got in your head. What was it? Some crap about infecting the people closest to you?
Oliver: Yeah! And tonight I watched John torture a man! And there's -something- going on with Felicity. There's...

Dinah: You affect the people in your life, Oliver. That's hardly a revelatory observation. Yeah, in fact, I think it's called living.
(Oliver snorts at that.)
Dinah: Prometheus has you so fixated on what's wrong with you that you've completely stopped seeing what's right.  You know  John and Felicity? They'll listen to you. Because you have more to offer (she takes his fist and raises it up) then just this.  Your past is a part of you. There's nothing you can do about that. You can't change it. It doesn't mean it has to be your anchor.

Rene: Look, I just came in here to tell you that Susan Williams' producer called to confirm that 10 A.M. tomorrow still works for the interview.
Quentin: When did you become my assistant?
Rene: When I answered the phone, I guess.

Quentin: My daughter, Laurel, is gone. And I've gotta figure out a way to live with that which doesn't involve booze. Or snapping at guys that are just trying to help. 

Diggle: Oliver, I still think it's a mistake not pushing this scumbag for the location of the sale.
Oliver: We don't have to. We're going to have it within the hour.
Felicity: What? How?
Oliver: Bratva.
Diggle: I thought Anatoly wasn't playing ball unless you did The Bratva's dirty work?
(Oliver just looks at Diggle.)
Diggle: ... which is where you took Dinah. Oliver, I thought you didn't want anything to do with The Bratva.
Oliver: I don't. But if it's a choice between me crossing the line or the two of you crossing one, that's a very easy choice.
Diggle: What did you do?
Oliver: It doesn't matter. Here's what does - I am who I am. Now, I'm trying to work past that. Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. But I cannot - I will not - have the two of you make the same mistakes.
Felicity: Oliver, you're the one who showed us that sometimes you have to get in the muck to make things right.
Oliver: Well, then Prometheus wins. Because he'll be right. I need the two of you to prove to him - and quite frankly, to prove to me - that he's not. I need the two of you to be better than me. Because you are.

(Oliver and Felicity run into the hangar where Ragman tried to contain the nuclear bomb blast. They see a pile of rags in the middle of the hangar.)
Oliver: Rory!
Felicity: Oh my God!
(The pile of rags moves. Rory looks up, dirty but otherwise fine.)
Rory: He always gets the credit.
Oliver: (astonished) Are you okay?
Rory: This means I get a promotion, right?


Continuity

Five years earlier, Oliver was capable of catching an arrow one-handed.

Star City's sister city is in Russia - as of 12 hours before Oliver had to fly to Russia.

While frequently seen in the flashbacks of Season Two and Season Five and referred to more than once in Season One, this episode marks Anatoly Knyazev's first apperance in the modern day since 206, when Oliver sought his help in rescuing Lyla Michaels from a Russian gulag.

Anatoly refers to the events of 216 and how Oliver's actions there destroyed any claim of Bratva membership he had. (Oliver refused to give a favor in exchange for a favor and Slade Wilson killed his Bratva contact in Starling City as a result of Oliver's request for help.)

Oliver says Anatoly still owes him for what happened with Gregor - the corrupt Bratva boss who tortured Oliver in the flashbacks of 510. Anatoly agrees to sit and meet with Oliver to discuss what he wants but refuses to help him without a favor in exchange.

Anatoly says that agreeing to sit with Oliver after what he did Alexi Leonov (the Bratva agent in Starling City that Oliver double-crossed) squares them.

Anatoly says that John Diggle is now his favorite American. Later, he changes his mind when he meets Dinah and discovers that she likes vodka and can hold it better than most men.

Hideo Yamane is one of the names on The List. He's a drug kingpin responsible for most of the designer drug trade in Starling City. Oliver says that he has failed Starling City before killing him - the first time Oliver has said some variant of "You have failed this city."

Oliver flashes back to the events of the flashbacks in 314 and how he killed Thea's drug dealer.

The Pandora Data Cache from 511 gives Felicity blackmail information on a Russian telecom network executive. She uses this to gain access to General Walker's phone network.

Dinah's codename on the Team Arrow coms is Backstop.

Oliver finally agrees to do some thug work for Anatoly in exchange for his learning the location of Gen. Walker's arms deal.

The Ragman suit is capable of containing the force of a nuclear bomb.

In the flashback, Oliver finds out that Anatoly was beaten to near death by Gregor's men. He tells Anatoly that they can kill him.

Oliver and Susan Williams have sex upon Oliver's return to Star City.

Susan grills Oliver for details on his tattoos but he says he's not ready to talk about it. There is some subtle implication that she already knows that are Bratva tattoos but was hoping to get a direct quote from Oliver about his past in Russia, which we know she already knows about from 505.

Rene reveals that Quentin changed his life when he was a kid. While working as a beat cop, Quentin caught a young Rene spraying gang tags on a building. Instead of hauling him in, Quentin told Rene that he could be something better than a petty thug. That talk apparently kept Rene out of the gangs and made him enlist. (It's possible, however, that Rene was making this story up to make Susan Williams go easy on Quentin.)

Rory leaves Star City, saying that the Ragman costume isn't working anymore since the bomb blast. He doesn't tell Felicity where he is going - only that he will return.

Felicity is contacted by Helix and told not to stop using Pandora as General Walker was just the beginning. Felicity says she doesn't plan to.

The episode ends with Susan Williams meeting with her contact, who confirms that all the people in the photo of Oliver from five years ago are part of The Bratva. He also shows her a photo of a figure the Russians called Luchnik - The Archer. The figure resembles The Hood a.k.a. Oliver Queen's vigilante identity in Season One. They both agree the odds of Green Arrow and Oliver Queen being in Russia at the same time are good... if they are the same man.



Location

Russia.


The Bottom Line

A solid episode that ironically moves all the subplots forward while looking back to the show's past and exploring the fallout of a questionable choice Oliver made back in Season 2 without suffering any apparent negative consequences. The ensemble performances are all solid and everything looks fantastic from a technical standpoint. The mid-season slump that usually effects most of the DC on CW shows seems to be skipping Arrow this year.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 7 - Vigilante

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





Plot

When another independent crime-fighter leaves two dead bodies propped up in a V-shape at SCPD HQ, Team Arrow becomes torn on whether they should let this new Vigilante run loose or bring him to heel. Meanwhile, Quentin turns to Thea with a shocking secret as Diggle becomes increasingly frustrated with his life as a fugitive.


Influences

The 1983 Vigilante series, the Young Justice animated series (Artemis being a tratior to her team) and the Green Arrow comics of Judd Winick.


Goofs

Given how many members of Team Arrow had an issue with the revelation that Ollie used to keep people as The Hood during his first year last week, it seems really weird how most of the team is suddenly all for letting Vigilante continue killing people. It's especially weird that Felicity of all people is asking if they really have to stop him.

The idea that Quentin could be Prometheus is perhaps the stupidest red-herring in the show's history.

Vigilante is somehow able to vanish in the three seconds Green Arrow is on the ground after trying to remove his mask, despite being tied to a column. (In the words of Joel Hodgson, "Anything can happen during the cut-away.")

For that matter, how does the explosive that knocks Green Arrow to the ground when he tries to remove Vigilante's mask not hurt Vigilante himself?


Performances

The only reason the cliche-driven plot regarding Quentin's alcoholism works half as well as it does is because of the performances of Paul Blackthorne and Willa Holland.


Artistry

The cinematography during the scene in which Oliver fights Kovar is good, with the two fighters silhouetted against a well-lit window.


Trivia

Rory quotes part of a line from Moby Dick to Oliver.  The full line is "All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby-Dick."

Eric Dunn's hideout is said to be The Papp Motel. This is a nod to artist George Papp, who was the co-creator of Green Arrow.

As in the 1983 Vigilante series, it appears that Vigilante is becoming more and more mentally unstable and - based on his actions during the hotel attack and his taking Mister Terrific hostage - he cares little about innocents being hurt by his actions.

In the final scene, it is revealed that Artemis is in communication with Prometheus. In the first season of the Young Justice cartoon, there was a subplot regarding a traitor to the team and Artemis - who had been hiding her origin as the daughter of two super-villains - was one of the main suspects.


Technobabble

Vigilante makes use of a visor that gives him infrared vision and night vision. It also appears to have some kind of targeting system that allows him to aim his guns better.

The baston is one of the primary weapons of Filipino martial arts.

Vigilante uses 5.56 mm armor-piercing hollow-point bullets.

Eric Dunn's M.O. when selecting a place to rob is based on how close it is to a police station.  From there, he works inward through similar targets.

Oliver makes use of a new trick arrow - a bullet-proof shield that attaches itself to a targeted area.

Oliver uses a bolo arrow to bind Vigilante.

Vigilante has his mask rigged in such a way that it triggers an explosion that knocks back any person trying to remove his mask.


Dialogue Triumphs

Rory: "All that most maddens and torments...all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain."
Ollie: Rory, is that from The Torah?
Rory: Moby Dick.
Ollie: Oh. (pauses) Does that make me Ahab?
Rory: Well, if the obsessive and really intense look fits...

Kovar: Good. Evil. Hero. Monster. My friend, Truth is a matter of perspective.

(While questioning one of Eric Dunn's former gang members.)
Artemis: How far could you throw him?
Ragman: Hmm... it depends on how many bones you want broken.

Green Arrow: Hey! Keep your guns down.
Vigilante: So you can just shoot me? We're on the same side!
Green Arrow: You're out of control
Vigilante: This city is out of control! And you haven't been able to save it.
(Vigilante shoots at the ground as Green Arrow starts to take a step towards him.)
Vigilante: Take one more step and one of you isn't going home tonight! If you're not with me, then you're against me!
Green Arrow: Then I'm against you!
Vigilante: Then you're a dead man!

(Adrian Chase is questioning one of Eric Dunn's gang regarding his whereabouts.)
Woman: I said 'go to Hell'.
(Chase just stares at her.)
Woman: What? Do you need directions or something?
Adrian Chase: No. (softly and intensely) I've been to Hell. And that makes me somebody that you do not want to screw with.

Green Arrow: What do you want?
Vigilante: To operate without interference.
Green Arrow: So you can keep killing people?
Vigilante: Criminals!
Green Arrow: Like the people at the motel?
Vigilante: Collateral damage. You don't seem to know this is a war. Maybe that's why you're losing?

Vigilante: You're not getting the job done because you don't take it seriously enough! Maybe because you haven't lost anyone? You don't have a full understanding of what's out there!
Green Arrow: Oh, I've lost people. Almost more than I can bear.
Vigilante: Then it hasn't been more than you can bear!  Maybe you need a push?!

(To a bound Vigilante)
Green Arrow: You're right. This is a war. But I'm going to fight it the right way. Because I am all this city has.

Continuity

We find out that Taiana's mother is now working as a maid for Kovar.

Kovar refers to Oliver killing one of his men in the flashbacks of 504.

John Diggle Jr. just turned two years old.

Eric Dunn was innocent of the first crime he was convicted of, but a corrupt DA out for a conviction at any cost framed him.

Quentin Lance checks into rehab at Thea's urging.

Wild Dog makes arrangements with Lyla Michaels to let John Diggle see his son and have a small birthday party in the old HIVE headquarters.

At the episode's end, it is revealed that Artemis is in contact with Prometheus. She tells him that nobody on Team Arrow suspects a thing.


Untelevised Adventures

Five years ago, Oliver was apparently tortured for a week by Kovar.


The Bottom Line

Another filler episode in which nothing is accomplished until the last five minutes.  Quentin continues to be a drunk who Thea needs to goad into seeking help. Team Arrow continues to have trouble functioning as a group. Ollie trusts yet another completely and obviously untrustworthy person - reporter Susan Williams -whom we've known has been trying to get the goods on Ollie for several episodes now. Worst of all, the morality of killing in the name of a greater good is debated yet again, although everyone seems to have different opinions than they did when the same argument came up last week.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 1 - Legacy

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




Plot

In the wake of Speedy and Spartan quitting Team Arrow, Oliver Queen is finding it hard to balance both his lives as Green Arrow and Mayor of Star City. With a new crime lord named Tobias Church in town and corrupt police officers limiting the effectiveness of the few honest cops, Oliver may have to change his methods to save his city. But will that change require a return to killing? Or will he try and recruit some of the new vigilantes who have begun to patrol Star City in his absence?

Five years earlier, Oliver travels to Russia to keep his promise to Taiana and kill Kovar. He winds up running afoul of The Bratva - the Russian Mafia - but is saved by the timely arrival of an old friend.


Influences

The Green Arrow comics of Judd Winick (Oliver Queen tries to balance being a superhero and Mayor of Star City while fighting a corrupt police department, crime bosses and super-villains.)


Goofs

Unfortunately, there's little sense of drama to the Russia sequences since we know that both Ollie and Anatoly will survive. Thankfully, Anatoly at least makes the flashbacks amusing.

The "Oliver debates about killing or not killing" subplot is becoming increasingly repetitive. Hopefully it will be resolved (again!) very soon.

Ollie's unwillingness to risk more innocent lives seems fairly reasonable in the wake of Laurel's death. Lest we forget, Laurel's training was limited to some one-on-one training with a boxer/vigilante and some self-defense classes - to say nothing of the fact that she became Black Canary over Oliver's objections. And Ollie's only other attempt at trying to train an inexperienced vigilante - i.e. The Huntress - ended badly.

Some of the CGI is a little dodgy at times and the "Matrix slo-mo" scenes that appear in some of the fight scenes are random are a little distracting given the show's previous reliance on practical effects. On the other hand - Parachute Arrow.


Performances

Willa Holland's screen-time is limited in this episode, but her scene with Quentin is the emotional high-point of the episode. More than any other character on the show, she has suffered the most drastic upheavals over the past few years, having discovered the man who raised her wasn't her real father, her birth father was a murderous assassin, her mother was involved with a conspiracy to commit mass murder, her brother was a vigilante and she lost the only man she ever really loved, died, had to cope with murderous magically-driven impulses and the guilt of having been brainwashed into killing one of her friends and seeing her roommate/mentor die. Given that, her desire to live a normal, stable life in the wake of the insanity that surrounds Oliver is understandable and she doesn't seem the least bit selfish for it, given how she finally does get back into action when she thinks Oliver is honestly in danger and no one else can save him.

Once again, Paul Blackthorne is a marvel. Freed from the burden of propping up various Laurel Lance scenes, we are reminded just what he can do with quality material and a script that gives him a chance to do things besides sit in the background and be snarky.

Chad L. Coleman cuts a fine figure in his first appearance as Tobias Church. His performance here reminds me somewhat of Sidney Greenstreet and his various roles as larger-than-life gangsters whose friendly manner hides a sinister mind and a devious heart.


Artistry

The fight scenes throughout the episode are uniformly great and remain a strong point of the show.

That being said, the scene in which Green Arrow tries to fight his way inside Tobias Church's helicopter is something special.


Trivia

In the comics, Wild Dog is a vigilante hero who first appeared in Wild Dog #1 (September 1987).  Based out of the Quad Cities, Wild Dog was a man named Jack Wheeler. A football superstar in college, Jack joined The Marines after his athletic career was ended by an injury. He returned home after most of his squad was killed by a terrorist bombing. He fell in love with a young woman named Claire, who it turned out was the daughter of a mob boss who had fled her family to start a life on her own. She left Jack all of the small fortune she had taken for herself in her will and Jack used the money to buy the equipment he needed to become a vigilante. He was given the name Wild Dog by a reporter after a SWAT captain ordered his men to shoot the hero "like a wild dog in the street." He was willing to kill and fought crime using a Jatimatic GG-95 PDW and a pair of electrified shock-gloves.

The DCTVU version of Wild Dog is a man named Rene Ramirez. We do not see him using a gun or shock-gloves during his brief appearance in this episode but he attempts to disarm a bomb before Green Arrow stops him. His costume mirrors that of the comic-book version of Wild Dog, with a hockey mask and hockey jersey with a smirking cartoon dog on the chest.

"Mr. Ski Goggles", as  Felicity calls him, is modeled on the Adrian Chase version of Vigilante. Chase was the second hero to take the name of Vigilante, first appearing in 1983's New Teen Titans Annual #2. A district attorney in New York City who lost his family to mob violence, Chase became The Vigilante to strike against the criminals he could not bring to justice in his day job. Originally taking pains to not take lives and utilizing non-lethal weaponry, he became more jaded and violent as he became more and more conflicted regarding the damage he did as a costumed "hero", eventually committing suicide.

The police sketch of Vigilante we see in Felicity's profile was drawn by legendary comic creator George Perez, who co-created the Adrian Chase version of Vigilante with writer Marv Wolfman.

The hero profiles Felicity compiles include Wild Dog, Vigilante, Evelyn Sharpe, two unidentified people in costume and someone dubbed "Silver Girl" who wears a ski-mask and wields a baseball bat.

Tobias Church is a new villain, created specifically for Arrow. In terms of personality and role, he seems a lot like the comics version of the villain Brick, who also took over the various gangs of Star City in the wake of a disaster that did much to disrupt the police and local government. He also shares Brick's jovial personality and eloquent manner of speaking.

Tobias "Charon" Church is said to have torn up Hub City and Bludhaven perviously with his gangs. In the comics, Hub City is the home town of The Question and Bludhaven is the territory of Nightwing. Both cities are known for their corrupt police forces. Both cities have been referred to as criminal havens in previous episodes of Arrow.

Tobias Church's nickname is a reference to his calling card - leaving gold coins on the eyes of the people he kills. In Ancient Greece, it was traditional for a deceased person's loved ones to put coins on their eyes so that they would have something to pay Charon - the ferryman who traveled between Hades and the world of the living.

According to the credits for the show, the new boss of The Bertinelli Crime Family is a man named Pino Bertinelli. While no relationship is confirmed in the episode, Pino Bertinelli was the name of Helena Bertinelli's brother who died along with her mother and father in the original Huntress comics.

Rumor has it that the villain in the final scene is the DCTVU version of Prometheus. A full entry of his history will be added once this is confirmed. Suffice it to say, Prometheus was created by Grant Morrison during his run on JLA as "the anti-Batman" - a genius with no powers who devoted himself to the destruction of law and order after his criminal parents were killed by the police.


Technobabble

Curtis says he was called in to fix Felicity's computer in the bunker because the secondary processor kept overclocking the GPU cache.

Church sets up a kill cordon around his hostages - a collection of laser trip-wires set up to explosives that will be triggered if anyone approaches the hostages and breaks the beams.

Ollie makes use of the hacking arrow (used to give Felicity an in to disarm Anarky's bomb), an explosive arrow, the grappling hook arrow and - after being knocked out of Tobias Church's helicopter - the parachute arrow.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Thea is reassuring a police captain that Oliver will be arriving shortly to a police gala.)
Thea: He will be here. He's just taking care of a little business first.
Captain: Blonde or redhead?
Thea: Brunette, actually.
(Cut to Oliver, as Green Arrow, fighting Anarky and his men.)

Green Arrow: I thought I told you to stay off the streets?
Wild Dog: It's my city too!
Green Arrow: You want to help?
Wild Dog: Yeah!
Green Arrow: Then make a donation to the police department. And keep that elevated.
Wild Dog: Keep what elevated?
(Green Arrow spins around and shoots Wild Dog in the calf. Wild Dog falls to the ground screaming.)
Green Arrow: I don't want to see you out here again!

(As a team of corrupt cops gun down a drug dealer and get ready to take his money.)
Tobias Church: (emerging from the shadows, clapping) Bravo! Cleverness and efficiency. Very Robin Hood! But.. I doubt that you'll be providing the poor with any of these ill-gotten gains. Enlighten me?  I'm new in town.
Head Cop: Kill this prig.
Tobias Church: No! Any attempt to kill this prig will result in your swift demise.

Ollie: Sometimes saving the city takes priority over running it.

Felicity: Church runs with a crew and yours is not coming back.
Ollie: You don't know that...
Felicity: Yes, I do! It's called not being in denial. You really ought to give it a try!

(Church has Oliver and several other city council members tied up and hooded as hostages.)
Tobias Church: Gentleman and lady! This is not personal. (chuckling softly) I know it feels personal, but it is not. You are here as a means to an end. I finally figured out a way to make politicians useful-
Ollie: You want the Green Arrow?!
(Church walks over and pulls the hood off of Ollie.)
Tobias Church: Oooooooh. Yeah.
Ollie: Listen - Green Arrow is not coming. You're wasting your time.
Tobias Church: Just for the fun of it, how is it you know so much about Mr. Arrow?
Ollie: I have it on pretty good authority that he's tied up at right now.

Tobias Church: You think I'd go through all this trouble without a plan?
Ollie: Yeah.
(Church raises his eyebrows at that and nods for Ollie to continue.)
Ollie: (looking up to face Church head on) But that's because I think you're stupid.

Anatoly: Oliver Queen. My brother.
Ollie: (chuckling) Anatoly. It is very good to see you!
(Anatoly chuckles and moves behind the tied-up Oliver.)
Ollie: What are you doing?
(We don't see what he does but Oliver suddenly screams in pain as Anatoly moves around in front of him.)
Anatoly: I just dislocated thumbs. Useful if getting tied to chair is to become habit.
(Anatoly slips Oliver's hands out of the bonds and around to his front.)
Anatoly: This is going to hurt a little.
(Anatoly snaps Oliver's thumbs back into place.)
Ollie: (pained) You son of a bitch!
Anatoly: With a bit of practice you can do yourself, any time.
Ollie: Anatoly, can't you use a knife next time?!
Anatoly: What is fun of that? (laughs)

Thea: For the first time in a long time I'm really starting to feel like myself again. I'm not a killer. I'm not a vigilante. I am... I am a normal version of me. And I think just after everything that happened with Laurel I - I really needed to know that a life like this was even possible. And now that I do, I - I don't want to give it up.
Quentin: Yeah. Yeah. I-I get where you're coming from. I lost my job. I lost my daughter. I lost my girl. And you know I just wanted to hit pause on the world, yeah?
Thea: Yeah.
Quentin: But then I, uh...you know what, I listened to Oliver's speech, you know? And then I realized I can't do that. I can't hit pause on the world. I've got to get on with my life, you know? (pauses) Even if that life isn't what I want it to be.

Ollie: If you hit me again, I'm going to kill you.
Dirty Cop: You're delusional. You're zip-cuffed to that chair.
(Ollie holds up his hands to reveal that he slipped out of his bonds.)

Ollie: "Akula, kotorya Ne plavayet, Ne tonet." The shark that does not swim, drowns.

Church: I thank you all for coming out. I want to thank you all for deciding to hear my vision. The Green Arrow cannot be stopped unless - unless we all work together, under a singular command.
Gang Leader: And I suppose that leader would be you?
Tobias Church: You need someone from the outside. I know this because it took me less than twelve hours to get inside your organizations. All of them.
Pino Bertinelli: What's that mean? Get inside?
(Pino Bertinelli is shot in the back by one of his own men. He falls to the ground dead.)
Tobias Church: It means - that - Mr. Bertinelli.

Ollie: So. First you say that this is going to kill me. And now it looks like you want to initiate me.
Anataoly: Unless you are careful, it will be one and same. 
Ollie: Okay, Anatoly. So I survive this...and I'm Bratva?
Anatoly: You survive this? You can begin process of becoming Bratva.


Continuity

Anarky is seen for the first time since 422.

In the flashbacks, Ollie is trying to find Konstantin Kovar - the government strongman Taiana told him about in 422.

Felicity makes reference to Evelyn Sharpe - the teenager who impersonated Black Canary in 419 - as one of the vigilantes working in Star City without Green Arrow's sanction.

Quentin Lance returned to Star City several weeks earlier. We find out he broke up with Donna Smoak and started drinking again shortly afterward.

"The List" is seen again in the flashback. We hear some of the names in it - some of which will be familiar to long-time Arrow-heads. These include Adam Hunt (corrupt CEO Oliver went after in the first episode), Daniel Brickwell (the gangster Brick from 310 & 311), Pino Bertinelli (new mob boss of The Bertinelli family, first seen in 107.) Jason Brodeur (responsible for framing an innocent man of murder in 104.) and Leo Meuller (German arms dealer from 105.)

Oliver makes reference to ditching John Diggle in explaining how he's able to easily ditch his security detail as mayor - a frequent occurrence during the first three episodes of Arrow.

Oliver is surprisingly knowledgeable about Greek mythology, knowing who Charon is without Felicity having to explain it.

Anatoly Knyazev - the Bratva Captain who was a prisoner with Oliver and Sara on The Amazo -  was last seen in 223. Here, he saves Oliver's life from the Bratva and agrees to help him with Kovar... if Oliver can survive being inducted into the Bratva.

Oliver repeats back to Thea her words about the dead not wanting anything from 102, when she tries to remind him of his promise to Laurel and justify her quitting being a vigilante because of what Laurel would want. Ollie also references Merlyn's words in 422 about Green Arrow's biggest weakness being his unwillingness to do what is necessary because of his moral code.

Quentin puts together a list of honest cops to help Green Arrow and agrees to rejoin Team Arrow as a commander from The Bunker.

We find out the promise Oliver made to Laurel before she died in 418 - that she would not be the last Canary.

The Russian proverb that Oliver quotes to Quentin was taught to him by Anatoly, five years earlier.

Oliver creates a special Anti-Crime-Unit of the SCPD that will report directly to him, made up of four cops recommended personally by Quentin Lance.

After being mugged while looking for Wild Dog, Curtis Holt asks Oliver to train him to become a crime-fighter.

Diggle is stationed overseas - somewhere in Eastern Europe based on the map on the wall of the communications tent where he calls Oliver. He approves of Oliver's plan to start training the city's new vigilantes.

Felicity has a new boyfriend, who is waiting for her when she gets back to her loft.

Lieutenant Conahan - the highest ranking honest cop that Quentin trained - is killed by an arrow fired by an unidentified costumed character.


Location

The flashbacks take place in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.


Untelevised Adventures

We don't see how Oliver got to Russia or how he spent the five months before we find him fighting a battle to the death in an underground club.

We also don't see the last five months of Ollie trying to keep the peace alone in Star City, while dealing with other vigilantes getting in his way.

We also don't get confirmation of where Diggle is stationed or what he's been doing since reenlisting in the US Army.


The Fridge Factor

Again, Laurel's behavior on her deathbed is codependent, whiny and unworthy of the character of Dinah Lance from the comics. Hopefully this is the last we'll see of her for a while now that they've told us what her promise is and put up a statue.


The Winick Factor

The bad news is that it appears this season will be heavily based on Judd Winick's run on the comics. The good news is that - based on this first episode - the storytelling will be far better and more respectful of the Green Arrow legacy.


The Bottom Line

A solid start for the new season that evokes the memory of Arrow's first two seasons in both its direction and its script. Tobias Church is an immediately impressive villain and the episode takes care to focus on two characters - Quentin and Thea - who didn't get as much attention as they should have in Season Four. Granted, this does leave Diggle and Felicity without much to do, but we get enough mystery about the other two prongs of "The Original Trio" to drive the subplots of future episodes. All in all, this is a promising star.