Back to Recap Page.
In the aftermath of last week’s reveal, Diggle resigns and is replaced. At home, Oliver hears about Peter Declan’s upcoming execution for murdering his wife, Camille. Once Oliver realizes that Camille worked for Jason Brodeur (Kirby Morrow), a name on the list, he investigates and finds that she planned to turn in Brodeur for dumping toxic waste. Laurel comes home to find Arrow asking for help in proving that Declan was framed. Later, Arrow coerces Matt Istook, Camille’s supervisor, to give up the incriminating file. Arrow gives the file to Laurel, but the judge will not delay the execution. While forcing Brodeur to confess, Arrow hears that his men are executing Declan themselves. Arrow breaks into the jail and leads Laurel and Declan out. Something Laurel says prompts her father to review surveillance footage from the Unidac auction and he sees Oliver with his gear. After Diggle accepts Oliver’s offer to work with him, Detective Lance arrests Oliver for a variety of offenses, including acting as a vigilante and murder.
Meanwhile, Walter discovers that 2.6 million dollars was withdrawn from the company. Moira says she used the money on a friend’s start-up venture. Suspicious, Walter secretly enlists Felicity Smoak’s help, and she finds that a warehouse in Starling City was purchased. Inside, Walter sees the Queen’s Gambit split in half. Moira meets the Well-Dressed man, who informs her that Arrow is taking out “the list.”
Back on the island, Yeo Fei gives Oliver a trapped bird, indicating that Oliver has to kill it to eat. Oliver takes a while to do so, after which, Yao Fei reveals that he speaks English. Noticing that Oliver constantly stares at a picture of Laurel, he warns Oliver to forget her or he will not survive.
Tropes applying to this Episode:
- 10-Minute Retirement: Diggle's response to being invited to join Oliver is to say You're Insane! and quit his job, but by the end of the episode Oliver has convinced him otherwise.
- Analogy Backfire: During his recruitment pitch, Oliver describes Diggle as a fellow soldier. Given that he's a war veteran, Diggle naturally snaps back that Oliver is not a soldier—he's a criminal and a murderer.
- Anger Born of Worry: After getting "taken to the woodshed" by Laurel over running out on his family after a shooting, Thea points out that the fact that Laurel came round in the first place is rather telling.
- The Atoner: Oliver thinks that his father shooting himself wasn't just to ensure his son's survival, but to atone for his sins.
- Bad Boss: Jason Brodeur.
- Berserk Button: The Hood inflicts a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on a prisoner who attacks Laurel. Unfortunately this changes Laurel's mind about the Hood, undoing all his efforts to win her over as his alter ego.
- Be Yourself: Thea's advice to Oliver regarding Laurel. So he visits her in his Hood alter ego and gains her admiration...until she witnesses him savagely beating a man who attacked her.
- Call-Back: A footage of Oliver taking out something from the trashcan was used by SCPD against him.
- Chained to a Railway: The Hood shoots Istook with a Tranquilizer Dart and he wakes up manacled to the railroad before an oncoming train. When he talks the Hood shoots the manacle chain at the last moment so he can jump free.
- Cliffhanger: Oliver is arrested after Detective Lance discovers evidence that he is the Hood.
- Continuity Snarl: While interrogating Brodeur, Oliver shot his left hand. However, footage of him being arrested shows his bandages on his right.
- Debut Queue: SCPD's recurring hacker makes his debut this episode.
- Ditch the Bodyguards: Poor Rob.
- Double Meaning: Diggle resigns as Oliver's bodyguard, telling his mother that he doesn't like how her son spends his evenings.
- Dramatic Irony: After witnessing The Hood snapping, Laurel tells her father that he was right about The Hood and calls him someone with no remorse. The accompanying flashback shows Oliver reluctantly killing a bird.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: The screech of tires pulling up in the driveway can be heard outside right before the police burst in to arrest Oliver.
- Frame-Up: Laurel's client was made to look like his wife's killer.
- Impaled Palm: Oliver does this to Jason Brodeur.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- Yao Fei forces Oliver to kill his own food, but he's not going to survive by being squeamish about such things.
- Quentin points out to his daughter that working with the Vigilante means she can be charged as an accessory to his crimes.
- Likes Clark Kent, Hates Superman: Played with given that Laurel is estranged from the self-centered Oliver (though clearly still feels for him, as Thea points out) but is also a touch smitten with the mysterious vigilante with his selfless passion for justice.
- MacGuffin: We see Oliver's photo of Laurel for the first time on the island.
- Meaningful Echo: Robert's Last Words to his son are repeated by Yao Fei: Survive.
- Mistaken for Murderer: Laurel's client due to being framed up for killing his wife. The actual culprit was her Bad Boss.
- Mood Whiplash: Diggle has just agreed to join Oliver's cause, when Quentin bursts in and arrests him for being the vigilante.
- Morality Chain: Cited by Diggle as why Oliver needs him.
- Mugged for Disguise:
- Oliver to a prison guard so he can infiltrate the building (he uses a balaclava to hide his face). This gives Quentin the idea of going back over the CCTV footage from the previous episode to find out who else the Vigilante might have impersonated.
- Averted with the hitman sent after Laurel and her client, who just pays a guard to let him inside and provide a set of prison overalls.
- Mythology Gag:
- The Nameless: Moira's secret partner in crime finally makes an appearance in the form of John Barrowman. Fans dubbed him the Well-Dressed Man in the absence of any given name.
- The Password Is Always "Swordfish": When Walter goes to investigate the warehouse being held by Tempest, he tries "Tempest", then "Oliver", "Thea" and finally "Robert" before gaining entry.
- Pinned to the Wall / Impaled Palm: The Hood convincing Brodeur to confess. He ends up finding out about his murder plan instead.
- The Power of Trust: Oliver takes the incredible risk of revealing his Secret Identity as the Hood. Diggle is not impressed, calling him a murderer and a madman, but doesn't call the police either.
- Precious Photo: On seeing how Flashback-Oliver stares at his photo of Laurel Lance, Yao Fei tells him to forget her or he will not survive.
- Prison Riot: Arranged by the Villain of the Week to cover their murder of Laurel's client. It failed.
- Race Against the Clock: Peter Declan will be executed in 24 hours.
- A Real Man Is a Killer: Yao Fei leaves a caged bird for Oliver and refuses to let him have his own food so he will be forced to kill it. Oliver has never killed any living thing before, but gets so hungry he eventually does his first Neck Snap.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Laurel gave Oliver one after he disappeared last episode and made his family worry.
- Refuge in Audacity: The Hood risks being shot by Laurel by turning up in her apartment at night, then walking right up to the gun she's holding on him.
- Running Gag:
- After Diggle resigns, Oliver gets a new bodyguard and proceeds to ditch him as well.
- Felicity's That Came Out Wrong habit."I'm your girl! I mean I'm not...your girl. I wasn't making a pass at you."
- Secondary Character Title: The title refers to Laurel's client, who is Mistaken for Murderer.
- Secret Identity Vocal Shift: While visiting Laurel in his Hood guise, Oliver can be seen activating a voice modulator which deepens his voice so she doesn't recognise it.
- Shipper on Deck: Thea doesn't hide the fact that she wants her brother and Laurel to get back together.
- Sidekick: Rejected by John Diggle on becoming the first recruit to Team Arrow. He's more interested in being The Lancer and Morality Chain.
- Switch to English: Turns out Yao Fei can speak English. "Shengeun", the word in Chinese he keeps repeating to Oliver, means not "bird", but "survive".
- Title DropLaurel: What makes you think I can help?The Hood: Because I know you'd do anything to save the life of an innocent man.
- Trespassing to Talk: The Hood not only introduces himself to Laurel by showing up in her apartment in the dark, he even walks right up to her despite the gun she's pointing at him.
- Tuckerization: Diggle's brother who was killed by Deadshot is named Andy, after Andy Diggle who wrote Green Arrow: Year One.
- Wham Shot: Walter tracks down a warehouse that holds the salvaged remains of the Queen's Gambit.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Oliver gets a lot of crap this episode. Diggle immediately takes a swing at him for being the Vigilante, then denounces him as insane, a criminal and a murderer. Oliver then returns home to find Laurel who calls him out for being so selfish as to leave his family in the dark following the shooting.
- Quentin quickly scolds Laurel after figuring out that his daughter is working with the vigilante.
- When He Smiles: Thea ribs her brother over the uncharacteristic grin Oliver is wearing the day after his Hood activities impress Laurel.
- You Owe Me: Implied when Oliver tells Diggle that Floyd Lawton was the man who killed his brother. He offers Diggle the chance to deliver justice to other people as well.
