Arrow Recap: Everyone is Damaged
In last week’s episode, Oliver revealed his alter ego identity to Diggle with hopes of obtaining a comrade in arms to help bring Starling City’s corrupt to justice. With some apprehension at first, Diggle finally accepts Oliver’s offer, but as he does, Detective Lane arrests Oliver on suspicion for “vigilantism and murder.”
Wednesday’s episode begins with a flashback to five years ago with Oliver back on the island learning from his mysterious “guardian,” on how to properly use a bow and arrow. Once, Oliver displays no outward gifts for the bow, he is demoted back to food retrieval. As Oliver goes in search for their dinner, he is subsequently, captured by masked men, thrown into makeshift “cage” and left there for reasons unknown.
Flash-forward to now, Oliver is being booked and processed at the police station for based on Detective Lance’s findings on recovering a piece footage of Oliver heading up a stairwell with a duffle bag and a green hood during the shootout involving Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot. Oliver tries to explain, but Detective Lance isn’t up to hearing any excuses. It is at this time Oliver’s parents barrage in and stop the interrogation, since their son will no longer speak unless his lawyer is present. Much to his displeasure, Detective Lance must follow the law and gives the Queens fifteen minutes to talk before has to go back to his holding cell. Once the detective leaves, Oliver asks his mother to help him get Laurel as his attorney. Moira and Walter don’t believe that is a good idea, but Oliver explains that he knows that she couldn’t resist helping an “innocent man.”
At her son’s request, Moira goes to Laurel for help, but she declines stating that it would be a conflict of interest due to her and Ollie’s past history, plus not to mention her relation to the arresting officer. However as the arraignment trial begins the following morning, Laurel comes to Oliver rescue and decides to act as his council, much to the shock of everyone in the courtroom including her father. Laurel like the wonderful lawyer that she is, is able to convince the presiding judge to agree to a $5 million bail bond as well as to allow Oliver to be placed on house arrest with the addition of an ankle monitor, to prove that he isn’t a flight risk and isn’t the vigilante that the police make him out to be. After the trial is over, Oliver thanks Laurel telling her that he knew she couldn’t resist helping him. Laurel just smiles back saying that she knows Oliver isn’t Arrow, because “it really isn’t his style of making a difference.” Touché Laurel, touché.
Oliver is released on bail and brought home to be outfitted with his monitoring device. He declares that it is time for a party! His family and friends don’t believe that necessarily this is the best time for a party, but his rationale, is that a party will demonstrate that he has no fear and that all of this will blow over. The party theme, think Lady Gaga meets Shawshank Redemption (Oliver’s words not mine). Meanwhile at Laurel’s apartment, she and her father are getting into a pretty nasty fight over Laurel’s decision to represent Oliver. She tries to tell her father that arresting Oliver will not bring Sarah back nor will it bring mom back. Ouch!
Back at the Queen Mansion, Oliver requires Diggle’s assistance, but as his new “buddy” tries to remind Oliver that he is under house arrest for a reason, like being caught on camera that maybe it isn’t such a good idea to be thinking about doing anything that might cause more trouble. Olive reveals that he knew that the camera was there and had been planning on being arrested. Sooner or later people would have made the connection to Arrow’s appearance and to his own “resurrection.” Hence, this was the best choice in terms of throwing the impeding spotlight before someone could really link him as Arrow. Oliver continues to explain that he indeed has a plan, but first he needs Diggle’s help. There is a certain arms dealer by the name of Mueller who is planning on making a sale later in the week, for now all he wants is Diggle to shadow him and retrieve intel.
Now as for the issue of the Queen’s Gambit, well Walter asks his head of security to move the pieces of the wreckage to a more secure location as he wants to find out the real reason for his wife’s involvement. Although, Walter hopes that Moira isn’t into anything to deep, that quickly fades as he learns that the man he put in charge of moving the wreckage was killed the following day in a mysterious car accident. Looks like his suspicious of Moira are no longer unfounded. He goes to Moira telling her what he has uncovered. She tries to tell him that he needs to stop poking around as he is out of his depth and will be upsetting people with influence. He tells her that he doesn’t understand why she lied to him nor doesn’t he care any longer as the two are pretty much finished.
As for Oliver well he and Laurel are called in by the District Attorney’s office to discuss about his case. Due to insufficient evidence, the lesser charges are being taken off the table, but he is still being charged for vigilantism. The DA’s office is offering a plea deal if Oliver agrees to plead insanity and incarnation in a psych ward. Oliver vehemently turns down the offer, but he will however agree to a polygraph taken in front of Detective Lance, to prove his innocence to the one man he needs to do so.
He flashbacks once again to island, where the unknown masked men taken him to a sometime of military camp where he is introduced to Edward Fryes, the man in charge. He says that he will help Oliver get back to his family, but first he needs to ask some questions. Edward shows Oliver a pic of man in a military uniform that looks a lot like Oliver’s mysterious guardian. Oliver recognizes the man in the pic, but quickly tries to cover up the recognition stating he doesn’t know who that man is. Edward knowing Oliver is lying tells him that he has one more chance before he makes his life a living hell. Oliver still doesn’t say anything, leaving Edward to leave Oliver at the mercy at Deathstroke, one of his most dangerous men he has at this disposal.
As the scene quickly changes back to the interrogation, Oliver answers each and every one of the questions, going so far as telling the truth that he wasn’t alone on the island and was tortured for “reasons unknown.” Detective Lance knows that Oliver is guilty of something and is still fighting for incarnation despite,the results of the polygraph signifying that Oliver has been telling the truth, he isn’t Arrow. Oliver on the other hand, is still having flashbacks of his torture at the hands of Deathstroke. He remembers that Deathstroke was about to kill him, but his mysterious guardian stops him. After a long hand –to hand battle between the two, Oliver’s savior is able to take down Deathstroke long enough for him and Oliver to make their escape. He takes Oliver back into caves, where he knows Oliver will be safe, then decides to leave hoping to lead anyone who might be following away.
Back in present time, Oliver’s prison bash is in full swing with Detective Lance in attendance, keeping an eye on Oliver. Diggle shows up wanting to talk to Oliver about Mueller. When both get away from the party, Diggle informs Oliver that Mueller will be making the sale tonight, with some known drug dealers and they should inform the police. Oliver tells him no, that Arrow will be the one stopping this deal from happening and that Diggle will be the one to don the outfit for tonight. As the realization hits Diggle, that this was Oliver’s plan to have him dress up as Arrow and be seen across town, while hundreds of witness can place Oliver at the party effectively ruling him out as the vigilante. Diggle agrees to the charade, but tells Oliver that he is his partner and doesn’t like being played. He may lie to everyone else but not to him.
As Diggle leaves, Laurel shows up wanting to talk to Oliver about her father. They proceed to go to his bedroom, where she tells him about her mother leaving her father after the death of Sarah. The two share a moment leaning in and kissing but Laurel quickly runs away knowing what they have can never be. As Oliver is about chase after her, a waiter from the party tries to shoot Oliver but is killed by Detective Lance before anything can happen. As the Queen family gathers around to ensure Oliver is safe, Lance takes of the anklet informing the family as all charges have been dropped as witnesses just called into the station spotting Arrow on the other side of town.
Moira goes to see John Barrowman’s character knowing he was the one to place the hit on Oliver’s life. She tells him that all charges have been dropped in the case and that he if tries to harm any members of her family, she will burn him to the ground. As she arrives back home, Walter is getting ready for a business trip saying that it is well overdue, leaving their marriage in shambles as he may never return back home.
In the end, Oliver apologizes to Diggle and says that lying to the people he loves is a difficult, but is a necessity to keep them safe. He has planned for this for a while and that no matter how many times he lies, it hurts him more than he leads on.
Originally posted on Affairs Magazine
