S02.E08: The Scientist

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A seemingly impossible robbery at Queen Consolidated’s Applied Sciences Division brings Central City police scientist Barry Allen to town. Citing a similar case back home, Barry offers to help Oliver and team with the investigation. Oliver senses there is more to Barry than meets the eye, but he’s distracted by the similarities between this current case and something that happened on the island. Meanwhile, Felicity takes a liking to Barry, which doesn't go unnoticed by Oliver. Sin asks Roy for help when a friend of hers goes missing. Roy is surprised when Thea not only encourages him to help, but joins the search. Unfortunately, Sin’s friend is connected to Brother Blood, and their search ultimately gets one of them seriously injured.

 

I know the CW skipped this in the summer run, but I hope that it is okay to go ahead and post the episode.

[BkWurm1]

I bet they are going to run the two Barry Allen episodes right before The Flash premiers. 

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That would be appropriate and fun, so I hope that's why the skip happened.

[Enero]

New to Arrow and still doing my S2 re-watched. Tonight we watched this episode and 2x9.

 

This episode was a nice introduction to Barry Allen.

 

I love Moira, but she could be a real bitch. Still she handled her business. I applauded how she handled Merlyn. Wish she would’ve done the same with Isabel Roshev and told Oliver exactly what this woman was about. It might’ve saved her family the heartache and drama they experienced later in the season.

 

Speaking of Isabel, for once I agreed with her. Oliver was being very naïve to think that his mother would be welcomed back in the boardroom of QC and that his ‘welcome home’ party would’ve been anything but a disaster.

 

Shado’s response to Oliver’s ridiculous soap opera of a situation with the sister swapping was spot on.

 

Barry and Felicity have good chemistry, but they are so wrong for each other. If they ever hooked up we’d all go into sugar shock from all the sweetness and positivity.

 

 

Hilarious

Loved Quentin’s “great who the hell are you?” when Barry showed up and Oliver’s follow up with “And does your parents know you’re here?” I so agreed with this as with Oliver’s comment later in the episode about Barry being carded at the bar. He looked so young, actually both he and Felicity looked like teens at the prom when they were dancing at Moira’s welcome home party. 

 

 

Nitpicks

Oliver being so closed lipped about the Mirakuru. I understand him not wanting to believe it had somehow made it’s way to SC, but I didn’t see any point to him being so mysterious with Diggle about what they were possibly dealing with.

 

Why was Daily, the minion cop working for Blood, staking out Max (Sin’s friend) apartment? They’d tested the serum on many people who went “missing” after the serum didn’t work. So what made Max so special?

 

Didn’t understand why Felicity had to call Oliver aside at the party to tell him he needed to apologize to his mother for the failure of the party. He would’ve found out soon enough when he walked into the room. The only purpose this scene served was to give him a chance to apologize for his behavior towards Barry, which still could’ve been done with a more logical set up to the scene.

 

What did Merlyn hope to accomplish by telling Thea he was her father? If Moira had told her the truth, what then? Did he plan to reveal himself to Thea and hope they could make up for lost time? That would be kind of hard with everyone thinking he was dead, not to mention the fact that he'd murdered hundreds of people. Did he think she'd welcome him in her life with open arms?

 

Oliver getting stuck with the blood coagulating agent was weird. I know he crashed into the medical supplies after Cyrus Gold threw him across the room , but it seemed rather unrealistic that two needles would somehow lose their caps, get impaled in his leg - perfectly beside each other and then somehow magically inject the blood coagulate in his leg.

 

Though this episode served mostly as an extended introduction to Barry Allen, it did a nice job pulling back more layers for what was to come later in the season with the introduction of the Mirakuru. I also liked how it skillfully intertwined the younger sec (Roy, Thea, Sin) in this story.

[tv echo]

Enter Barry Allen...

208 (The Scientist) – Oliver Queen’s voiceover intro:
Oliver (voiceover): "My name is Oliver Queen. After five years on a hellish island, I have come home with only one goal-- to save my city. But to do so, I can't be the killer I once was. To honor my friend's memory, I must be someone else. I must be something else."

208 (The Scientist) – Felicity greets Moira Queen who’s just been released from prison:
Felicity: “Mrs. Queen, welcome back to the company.” 
Moira: “Thank you.” 
Felicity: “You look fabulous. Really, better than ever. Did you do something to your hair?” 
Moira: “Yes. I shampooed it without eight women and a guard watching me.” 
Felicity (chuckles): “Is it okay to laugh? Because I was ordered not say anything about you being in prison just to avoid any awkward exchanges.”
Oliver: “Like that one."

208 (The Scientist) – We meet Barry Allen:
Quentin: "Any idea what these guys were so hot to break in here for? You didn't happen to leave a spare earthquake machine lying around, did you? Sorry."
Unidentified Man: "This is what we're able to pull off the security cameras. He was the only guy we got on video. The rest of the crew must have come in after him." 
Barry (approaching): "Actually, it was only one guy. Ah, sorry I'm late. But actually, my train was late. Well, the second one. The first one I did miss, but that was my cab driver's fault. I've got this great traffic app, and he thought that he was right. I'm here now, though."
Quentin: "So. Great. Who the hell are you?"
Oliver: "And do your parents know that you're here?"
Barry: "I'm Barry Allen. I'm from the Central City Police Department. I'm with the Crime Scene Investigation Unit. We're working on a case with some similar unexplained elements in Central City. So when the report of your robbery came over the wire, my captain sent me up here."
Quentin: "And you think one guy ripped through this door like it was tin foil?"
Barry: "One very strong guy, yeah. Uh, it takes about 1,250 foot pounds of torque to break someone's neck. You see the marks on the guard's neck? The bruising pattern suggests the killer used only one hand. I'm guessing you don't know how hard it is to break someone's neck."
Oliver: "Hmm? No. No idea." 
Unidentified Man: "Uh, we're going to need a list of the entire inventory here to figure out exactly what was stolen." 
Barry: "Actually, I think I know what was stolen. A centrifuge. An industrial centrifuge. Probably the Kord Enterprises 2BX 900. Maybe the six series. Both have a three column base. Here, you can see the three sets of broken bolts where the thief just ripped it out of the ground."
Quentin: "And what exactly is a centrifuge?"
Felicity: "It separates liquids. The centripetal acceleration causes denser substances to separate out along the radial direction." 
Barry: "The lighter objects move to the top." 
Felicity: "What did you say your name was again?"
Barry: "Barry. Allen."
Felicity: "Felicity. Smoak." 
(Oliver looks at Barry.)
Barry: "Um, you can see the cracks heading towards the door. Footsteps. One guy. Anyway, it's just a theory. One backed by a lot of evidence." 
Quentin: "There has to be another explanation." 
Barry: "Yeah. I'm sure you're right."
Quentin (aside to Felicity): "You might want to fill our mutual friend in on this."
Felicity: "Don't worry. I‘m sure he's already on it."

208 (The Scientist) – Barry sets up his equipment at QC:
Diggle: "Oliver. Got the final inventory from applied sciences. That CSI from Central City was right. The only thing missing is a centrifuge."
Felicity: "You have to see this. I pulled up CC traffic camera footage from across the street of applied sciences. This is three minutes after the alarm went off."
(Barry enters the QC offices.)
Oliver: "Can we help you with something, Detective?" 
Barry: "Oh, CSIs aren't actually detectives. We don't even carry guns. Just some plastic baggies. (He chuckles, and then Felicity chuckles) Uh, where should I set up my equipment?"
Felicity: "I'll show you."
Oliver: "What's going on?"
Barry: "Your assistant said that you preferred to keep the investigation in house, so I cleared it with my captain to give you a hand."
Oliver (pulling Felicity aside): "What are you doing?" 
Felicity (to Oliver): "We need to find this intruder. And he seems to know more about it than any of us. Forensic science isn't exactly my forte, so I'd say we need him. Wouldn't you?"
Oliver (with clenched jaw): "Mm-hmm."
Felicity (to Barry): "I'll show you around." (Leaves with Barry)
Diggle: "Why am I getting the feeling you know more about this than Felicity's new friend?"
Oliver: "Pray I'm wrong."

208 (The Scientist) – Barry questions Felicity about the hooded Vigilante:
Felicity: "What exactly are you looking for?"
Barry: "Your thief's shoes touched the ground, which means he tracked in dozens of clues as to where he's been the past few days. Got ya. Shouldn't take long. (Computer beeps) So you've seen him, right? The Vigilante? I read that he saved you. What was he like?"
Felicity: "Green." 
Barry: "Green. That's interesting, right? I mean, why green? Black would be better for stealth, and urban camouflage. Me, personally, I think that he trained in some sort of like forest or jungle environment, and the green is a nod to that."
Felicity: "I don't give the Vigilante much thought."
Barry: "Police reports show that he uses carbon arrows, but if he switched to an aluminum carbon composite, he would have far better penetration."
Felicity: "Maybe he thinks he penetrates just fine."
Barry: "Do you want to know something else? I think that he has partners. Definitely someone with a background in computer sciences."
Felicity: "Why are you so interested in the Vigilante?"
Barry (exhaling): "When I was 11, my mom was murdered."
Felicity: "I'm so sorry." 
Barry: "They never caught the guy who did it. Maybe he would have. (Computer beeps) The soil - there's a crystalline structure in it. That's weird."
Felicity: "What's weird?"
Barry: "It's sugar."

208 (The Scientist) – Oliver is suspicious of Barry:
Felicity: "We found something."
Barry: "There were trace amounts of sucrose and a spec of dirt the killer dragged in here on his boot."
Felicity: "Which got me thinking. There is a sugar refinery two miles from here. The land around it is suffused in waste sugar. So I checked. They had a delivery truck stolen a few days ago."
Barry: "Their truck matches the make and model of the truck the thief used to steal the centrifuge."
Oliver: "Can you track the vehicle?"
Felicity: "We've been trying." (Computer beeps)
Oliver: "What was that?"
Felicity: "You're not going to believe this. The truck, it was just used to rob a blood bank." 
Oliver: "Are you sure?"
Felicity: "Yeah. Our guy just made off with 30,000 ccs of O-negative."
Diggle: "What, he has super strength, likes blood? Please don't tell me we suddenly believe in vampires."
Barry: "We should give this information to the local police. "
Oliver: "I'll take care of that. Did you say that you were working a similar case in Central City?"
Barry: "Oh, yeah, um, yeah, you know, it's similar. Has similar elements. A lot of similarities." 
Oliver: "Right. (Aside to Diggle) I want you to look into this Allen kid. There's more to him than he's letting on."
Diggle: "His intentions seem pretty clear to me."
(They look over at Felicity and Barry working together.)
Oliver: "Just do it, please."
Diggle: "Oliver, when are you going to tell me what exactly we're up against?"

208 (The Scientist) – Oliver tells Diggle and Felicity about his previous experience with the serum on the island; and Diggle notes Felicity’s attraction to Barry:
(Felicity is patching up Oliver's wound.)
Oliver: "Eeoww!"
Felicity: "Sorry."
Oliver: "Ahh. Thank you. You were right to ask if I knew more than I was letting on. I've seen men with abilities like that before."
Felicity: "You have? Where?"
Oliver: "The island. My second year marooned there, we - I came across the remains of a Japanese World War II military project. It was a serum designed to create human weapons."
Diggle: "Human weapons. My God, what's next, aliens?" 
Oliver: "This is real, Diggle. Those five years that I was away, I came across things that just defy explanation. There's a doctor, his name is Ivo, and he came to the island to test the serum on people. The ones that survived, their endurance, reflexes and strength were all enhanced."
Diggle: "And you think this Ivo's in Starling City?"
Oliver: "He's dead. And so is everyone that he injected with the serum. The last of which I burned." 
Diggle: "You think someone found the recipe."
Oliver: "The centrifuge and a large supply of blood. I think someone wants to make more of it. A lot more."
Felicity: "Why couldn't you have been marooned on Aruba?"
Oliver: "There's a third component-- a strong sedative." (Hands arrow to Felicity)
Felicity: "I think I preferred it when you left these in people."
Oliver: "I need you to analyze the blood on the arrowhead. If we can figure out which sedative they're using -"
Diggle: "We can figure out where the next robbery will be."
Felicity: "Barry and I will get right on it."
Diggle: "I think our Miss Smoak is smitten."
Oliver: "Diggle, what did you find out about Mr. Allen?"
Diggle: "He's not who he says he is."

208 (The Scientist) – Felicity denies any romantic involvement with Oliver and invites Barry to be her ‘plus one’ at a party:
Barry: "They have nitric acid next to hydrazine? Permanganates on top of acetone? This is the definition of dangerous."
Felicity: "If it's so dangerous, maybe you shouldn't be touching them. (Thunder sounds from outside) Barry. I managed to get a sample of the perpetrator's blood from the police department. We need to isolate a sedative in the blood. It could lead us to the thief."
Barry: "How did the police get it?"
Felicity: "Apparently the Vigilante shot him with an arrow."
Barry: "You're kidding. You know what this means, right? This means the Vigilante's working the same case we are!"
Felicity: "Heh. Go figure."
Barry: "How did you get it?"
Felicity: "Oliver has a lot of connections."
Barry (chuckling): "Wow. Pays to work for a billionaire."
Felicity: "Actually my take home's nothing special. Especially given I am rarely at home, since I'm with him every night."
Barry: "Ah. Well, I didn't realize you and he were -"
Felicity: "Oh, no. Work. He and I are not, no, I do not like Oliver... Um, I was invited to a work function. It's a party. And I have a plus one. I was thinking you would make a really good plus one."
Barry: "There's not going to be dancing, is there? I'm not just not too good on my feet."

208 (The Scientist) – Oliver confronts Barry about his lies:
Barry: "Pretty cool, right?"
Felicity: "You know there's been a hundred percent increase in earthquakes since they've turned on the Large Hadron Collider."
Barry: "That data is misleading." 
Felicity: "Oh, do tell."
Oliver (entering): "You know about misleading, don't you?"
Felicity: "What are you talking about?" 
Oliver: "He's not from CSI. He's an assistant. Whose bosses don't know you're in Starling. And there is no similar case in Central City. So tell me, Barry, what are you really doing here?"
Barry (exhaling): "I told you my mom was murdered."
Oliver: "By your father."
Barry: "He didn't do it."
Felicity: "You said that the police didn't find the man who killed her."
Barry: "The police think they did. My dad has been serving a life sentence. They didn't believe me."
Felicity: "About what?"
Barry: "I was 11. One night something just came into our house, like a tornado. A blur. Somewhere inside the blur, I saw a person. My dad went to fight it. I tried to get 'em when suddenly ... I was 20 blocks away from our house. Nobody believed me. They thought I was trying to cover for my father. But what I saw that night was real. As real as the man that ripped down that metal door with his bare hands. That's why I look into cases like this. The ones nobody believes are possible. Maybe if I can just make sense of one, I might be able to find out who really killed my mother. And free my dad. I am sorry I lied to you. (To Felicity) Better find another plus one." (He leaves)
Oliver: "He did lie about who he really was."
Felicity: "And what do we do every day?" 

208 (The Scientist) – At the Queen party, Oliver apologizes to Felicity and gets Barry to attend:
Oliver: "Hey. How's everything going in there?"
Felicity: "Good evening, Queens. (To Oliver) Can I have a word?" 
Oliver: "Yeah. I'm sorry if I overreacted a little bit earlier."
Felicity: "Uh, you think? Look, right now you need to apologize to your mother. Not me." 
Oliver: "For what?"
Felicity: "For being wrong." 
*  *  *
Oliver: "Time for a dance?" 
Felicity: "Not really feeling like dancing with you, Oliver."
Oliver: "I know. And that is why I called him. (Indicates Barry at entrance to party) FYI, they will card him at the bar."
(Barry comes over to Felicity.)
Felicity: "Hi."
Barry: "Hi. I was serious about not being able to dance. But I'll hold your hands and sway."
Felicity: "Sold." (They dance).

208 (The Scientist) – Barry has to return to Central City:
Barry (on phone): "Yes. Yes, sir. I - yes, Director, I know that this is not the first time. Yes, sir, I do value my job, very much. Look, I will be on the next train. Mm-hmm. I'll be back tonight. Okay. (Hangs up) Thank-- Well, my boss found out I don't have food poisoning. I need to get back to Central City if I still want to be employed. Which I do. Tell the SCPD that the sedative in the thief's blood is Ketamine. It's a Schedule 3 controlled substance. It shouldn't be too hard to track." 
Felicity: "Yeah, I'll make sure they get it."
(They speak the next lines at the same time.)
Felicity: "Thank you."
Barry: "It was really nice -"
Felicity: "Thank you for- -"
Barry: "- working with you." 
Felicity: "- everything. We couldn't have done it without you."
(They stop and look at each other.)
Barry: "Good-bye, Felicity."

208 (The Scientist) – Felicity is concerned about Oliver’s arrows not being able to stop the bad guy:
Felicity: "We found trace amounts of Ketamine in the thief's blood. It's a common surgical anesthesia derived from hydrochloric salt."
Oliver: "Can you use that to track him?"
Felicity: "With the current concentration ratio in the blood sample, there's only one possible location with a large enough quality of the sedative that correlates with the amount of blood the stolen centrifuge can process." 
(They look at computer image on screen.)
Diggle: "What is it? There's no sign."
Felicity: "A.R.G.U.S. doesn't like to advertise. It's a disaster bunker. Right on the edge of the Glades. A.R.G.U.S. has them all over the country. They store relief supplies. Food. Clothing."
Diggle: "Medicine." 
Oliver: "I'm on my way."
Felicity: "Oliver I can't believe I'm actually saying this. The way this arrowhead is bent - it means our thief's muscle density is at least 120 pounds per cubic foot. That's almost the same density as common concrete. Your arrows may cut this guy, but they will not stop him."
Oliver: "I've beat someone like this before, Felicity. I can do it again." 
Felicity: "What if you can't?" (They stare at each other)

208 (The Scientist) – Diggle and Felicity race to find unconscious Oliver with drugged darts sticking in him, and they kidnap Barry to help them:
Diggle: "Oliver!" 
Felicity: "Oliver!" 
Diggle: "Oliver!"
Felicity: "Oliver!"
Diggle: "Is he alive?"
Felicity: "His pulse is weak, but it's there. Oliver! Can you hear me? His pupils are dilated!"
Diggle: "What the hell was that?" 
Felicity: "I don't know, it's coded. Damn it. I can't break into the dispensary files. I have no idea what he was injected with! Poisoned with."
Diggle: "All right, we have no choice." 
Felicity: "What are you doing?" 
Diggle: "Calling 9-1-1."
Felicity: "Dig, wait!"
Diggle: "Can't wait!"
Felicity: "How are we supposed to explain this? Everyone's going to find out Oliver's the Vigilante!"
Diggle: "Which won't matter if he's dead. Felicity, we can't save him!" 
Felicity: "I know, you're right. We can't."
(Cut to Barry at the train station.)
Barry: "One way to Central City."
Station Ticket Seller: "It left ten minutes ago."
Barry: "Of course it did. When is the next one?"
Station Ticket Seller: "In the morning." 
(Barry sits down to wait and is shot in the neck with a drugged dart; he regains consciousness in the Arrowcave and sees an unconscious Oliver in his green costume.)
Felicity: "Please save my friend."

Edited February 12, 2020 by tv echo

[lemotomato]

 

[Featherhat]

"Let's just enjoy the days before Barry became the worst" I think this is actually my favourite Barry ep (including all but one or two of his own show) and also a great episode of Arrow. 

It does make me wonder about the mutliverse Earth were Barry didn't get his own show but became the other superhero, like Green Arrow did on Smallville. In terms of romance I guess they'd have had him be the stall instead of Ray before eventually bringing Iris in.