Thats a shock.Arrowalready took a big story-step forward last week letting Olivers wannabe bodyguard in on the big secret.
Now all of Starling City could find out their favorite callow playboy is the mean-green vigilante.
This isHomeland-style, full-speed-ahead story momentum, right there.
Credit: The CW
But first, a confession.
[Recapper removes hood].
As you’re able to see, Im not your usual writer.
New York City city is apparently suffering from some kind of weather problem.
(Something about a giant storm?
Have you heard anything about this?).
So LA-based EW writers are acting as substitute teachers this week.
have a go at resist throwing anything.
There was too much speechifying about the nature of Olivers vigilantism and clunky dialog.
I always thought the law was sacred, that it fixed everything, Laural declares at one point.
Top of show: Olivers bodyguard John Diggle wakes up.
In addition to having a total porn-star name, hes got a major hangover from last weeks poison.
Youre not a solider, Diggle says.
Youre a criminal … and a murderer.
Oliver goes home and finds Laurel Lance just hanging out in his foyer.
His sister has it right.
For somebody who supposedly hates him, Laurel is a bit stalker-y.
Laurel says his family deserves his kindness, but claims she doesnt want any for herself.
I made peace with your selfishness a lot time ago, she says.
I care about the lives of other people.
Maybe you should try it sometime.
Never underestimate the power of passive-aggressive put-downs.
Thea replies with that standard piece of not-as-effective-as-we-wish-it-would-be dating advice:Just be yourself!
Oliver later learns bodyguard Dirk Diggle quit, but without selling his secret identity out to the cops.
Hes got a new guard now, a stiff named Rob.
We figure Rob isnt going to last very long, but its amusing to see Oliver outmaneuver him.
We get a few scenes of Arrow and Laurel figuring out hes innocent.
Most interestingly:
Laurels apartment: Oliver breaks in, all hooded and threatening-looking.
Laurel grabs a pistol from her desk drawer.
If youre worried about intruders, probably a better idea to keep the firearm next to the bed.
That vacant-looking diner: Oliver pesters Diggle to join his quest.
This is probably the clearest weve heard Oliver describe his mission.
Hes not just trying to save the city, hes trying to atone for the sins of his family.
Laurels office: She cant help but tell her co-worker about her encounter with the mysterious hooded man.
A rooftop: Laurel and Oliver meet again.
Okay, were now suspending a rather large amount of disbelief here.
Shestillcant tell who he is?
If your ex-boyfriend showed up in a green hoodie talking all breathy, wouldnt you know him?
And cant he just text her from a Google Voice account or something?
Beats jumping off a roof after time you want to have a chat.
NEXT: A bird in the hand is worth something-something…
Train tracks: Nice twist on the classic damsel-in-distress, with a bad guy tied to the train tracks.
Next we get into the shows big set-piece at a prison.
But before we do that…its time for…
Island Flashback!
Oliver is in the cave and hungry.
Bearded Asian Guy gives him a live bird in a cage.
He keeps repeating a foreign word.
It sounds like hes saying Szechwan.
I kept wanting Oliver to reply, Yes, thank you, Szechwan-style is fine.
But Bearded Asian Guy ignores him until hes cooking his own tasty creature and Oliver tries to grab some.
He smacks him away.
Oliver whines that hes never killed anything before.
But eventually he gets hungry enough to snap the birds neck.
You want survive this place; bird not last thing you kill, says Bearded Asian Yoda.
But in post-production, the action wasnt clear enough it looked like Oliver was giving the man a hug.
So producers re-shot this scene to simply have Oliver pummeling the guy.]
Oliver rescues Laurel, and the wrongly convicted man gets set free.
But now Laurel is really disturbed and no longer believes The Arrow is necessarily a good guy.
Theres something inside of him thats not human, she says.
Okay, so the episode is winding down, right?
Now we get, not one, butfourreally intriguing developments:
NEXT: Holy ship!
Olivers mom meets with Barrowmans mysterious wealthy man, whos apparently one of Olivers future targets.
Hes not targeting the rich…hes targeting The List so they know about that list of names too.
And, also: Captain Jack!
Diggle returns and agrees to join Olivers fledgling justice league.
Im not signing on to be a sidekick, he insists.
The show is calledArrow.
Detective Quentin spots Queen changing into his outfit on the security tapes.
Inside is …whoa.The Queens Gambit?
The yacht that sank with Oliver, his lover and his father?
We know that Olivers mom was somehow involved in the sinking, but this is really a head-trip.
So Oliver took his sisters advice and showed Laurel who he really was and terrified her in the process.
What do you think?
Will Diggle get a cool sidekick costume?
Whats up with the ship in the warehouse?
Will Oliver get away with murder?
And will Laurelstillnot be able to figure out Oliver and Arrow are the same person?
(And if youre aGame of Thronesfan, find my archive of recaps here).
