S01.E21: The Undertaking

[formerlyfreedom]

Finding it difficult to mend fences with Tommy and Diggle, Oliver instead focuses on crossing another name off the list. While digging through a crooked accountant’s laptop, Felicity discovers a transaction that could help Oliver find Walter. To reconfirm the lead, Oliver gambles that Felicity can be counted on in the field for the first time. In a flashback, Malcolm reveals to Robert Queen and Frank Chen painful details surrounding his wife’s murder, and how that shaped his plans for the Glades. Meanwhile, Tommy stuns Laurel with the truth.

 

 

[MsSchadenfreude]

Oliver/Diggle's break-up continues.  I did love that Felicity tried to push both of them to make-up, but of course they are both too stubborn for their own good.

 

I think it is must be the power of John Barrowman, that I wasn't screaming at my television "Are you out of your damn mind, Malcolm?  Destroying the Glades and murdering all those people is batshit crazy even for you."  I had forgotten that Frank was involved with the sinking of the Gambit, now I don't feel so bad that Moira got him killed.

 

Felicity's first venture into the field was fun.  I love that when Oliver objected, she just shut him down.  "I got in this for Walter.  This is a lead.  I'm doing it."  Plus we got to see Arrow mow down almost everyone in the casino as soon as Felicity's bug went dead.  But my favorite scene of the two of them this episode was in the lair after Oliver realized Walter wasn't dead and his mother was in the Undertaking up to her eyeballs. "I've been sitting in the dark too" :( sniff, sniff.

 

The Malcolm/Oliver scene was great.  "Did they catch whoever took Walter"  "No, but I promise they will get what's coming to them"  Stare intently at each other in silent rage.  

 

Not even worth talking about the Laurel/Oliver nonsense because it will just piss me off 

especially after they both screw Tommy over by screwing each other in the next episode.

 

"Felicity is my friend"  Awwwwww!  Oliver and Diggle made up! "I was wrong and you were right…about everything" Double Awwwwww!

Edited August 16, 2014 by MsSchadenfreude

[quarks]

(I might get this first season rewatch finished before the second season arrives on DVD yet!)

 

This is an episode of contrasts: Robert and Walter, Laurel and Felicity, and Oliver and Malcolm, a look at can a hero stand alone?

 

(Hint, no. Oliver, get Diggle back on your team, ASAP, and I am not just saying this because Diggle has beautiful arms, although there's that too.)

 

Also, Laurel is in it. But first!

 

1. I know we've said this before, but really, the stunt work and cinematography on this show is top notch.  I mean, take just this opening scene: it's a very small stunt sequence, and yet, carefully color coded in red, blue and dark, and set up so that goon number one will slide directly in front of the camera lens, framing the shot with the accountant of evil, and stop - right there, framed to look just like a comic book panel. For a two second shot of a goon. And then we go immediately to the dark framing of the Arrow Cave.

 

2. "I'm just an accountant!"  Dude, those words have never saved anyone before. Seriously. You're lucky Oliver was just in a "hit people" mode that day.  

And also that you didn't try to hurt Felicity. 

 

3. The pattern on Felicity's sweater kinda made me think of Superman for a second. Not really sure if that's deliberate.  (What is deliberate - the Spanish translations don't use "IRS" in her little speech.)

 

4. You know, I keep finding myself wondering what that woman who shows up to every one of the Secret Evil Undertaking Meetings without ever speaking is thinking.  I mean, in this scene, everyone else is going "Uh, that's 24 square blocks," and "you know, someone might suspect us," and she's just there, all totally calm, like people tell her that they are going to destroy major sections of major cities with earthquake machines every day. 

 

5. Felicity: I'm someone. Babble babble. Oliver: She's setting up my internet. Laurel: Uh-huh. I shall now bite my lip.

 

6. I like how bloodthirsty Felicity is with wondering how many arrows Oliver can put into Walter's kidnapper. Flexible morality. I love it.

 

7. Awwww.  Oliver's letting Felicity into the field again. How sweet. I mean, for them.

 

8. This has nothing to do with anything, but wow does John Barrowman have long, thick eyelashes.

 

9. While I'm making those sorts of comments, I highly approve of the decision to have Diggle in a sleeveless shirt here. 

 

10. I love the way Oliver and Felicity, who have, we all hope, discussed this plan before, decide to recap it for the sake of the audience.

(Something they will definitely not do in the second season finale.)

 

11. "I'm going to stop talking. Right now." "That would be my preference."  Hee.

 

12. "After all, you and I will always have a connection."  

I am assuming that at this point the writers knew about Malcolm, Moira and Thea.

 

13.  Felicity, it's very nice of you to give Oliver directions to the manager's office from the bathroom, but you are kinda assuming he can find the bathroom, you know?

 

14. "You're going to be really upset when you meet my partner." And so will a whole bunch of gamblers that just wanted a nice quiet night, Oliver.

 

15. Hey, everyone, it's pre-island Oliver's best moment! Yes, he's going to totally interrupt his father's private business conversation so that he, an incredibly wealthy guy with a major trust fund, won't have to give the pizza guy a hundred and....Laurel, why are you dating this guy again?  Even I think you deserve better than this.  

 

16. I love this shot of angry Oliver sitting in the dark.

 

17. I still have no idea how Oliver got on that plane or explained why he needed t get on the plane, but I love that the building goes green inside as soon as he goes in, almost as if they picked up green lights to light their hallways just for him!  Also that is a pretty impressive number of downed bodies.

 

18. I've always kinda wondered if Walter recognized Oliver at the rescue moment.  There's a hint at the hospital later that Walter has guessed the truth, but it's just a hint.

 

19.  Felicity shows up at what is totally a family thing.  Awwwwww.

 

20. This jaw locked confrontation between Oliver and Malcolm? Awesome. And interrupted by Laurel, sigh.

 

21. Hey, Oliver apologized! And now there's a total Oliver/Diggle moment. AWWWW.

 

And now, Laurel:

 

For an episode designed to contrast Laurel and Felicity, and not so subtly hint that Felicity is a better choice for Oliver, this is actually a fairly decent episode for Laurel - for a change, most of their scenes make Oliver, not Laurel, look terrible.  Still, Laurel has some bad moments here.

 

Number of times Laurel fails as a human being, this episode, four: 1, Going to her ex-boyfriend to tell him that her current boyfriend just dumped her (in fairness, this is not a great scene for Oliver, either, who knows damn well why Tommy dumped her and lies to her about it), 2, starting off her conversation with Tommy by telling him that he looks like his father, despite KNOWING that Tommy has a questionable relationship with the guy, 3, flashback Laurel outright saying that she wants to move in with Oliver not because she loves him or anything but because a) their friends are doing it, and b) she's tired of getting caught by their mother and she wants to have unlimited sex, which, not to defend Oliver here, because he's far, far worse, but no wonder he wasn't that excited by the idea, 4, current Laurel asking her ex boyfriend to go to her recently ex boyfriend to do relationship counseling like BAD IDEA LAUREL.

 

Number of times characters/show comments negatively on the Oliver/Laurel relationship, five: 1, Laurel, pointing out (correctly) that you don't sleep with your sister unless you are blowing up the relationship,  2, Oliver, pointing out that he and Laurel should have been honest with each other, using "we," suggesting dishonesty on both sides (THOUGH MOSTLY ON YOURS, OLIVER) and also suggesting that they still aren't being honest with each other now (which they aren't, again, mostly on Oliver's side, like, wow, does this whole relationship make Oliver look terrible) 3, both of their flashback scenes, though to be fair, those are more negative comments on pre-island Oliver who makes dirtbags ashamed to be associated with him, 4, the way he gets on the boat because he's unable to be honest with her, 5, Laurel saying that the two of them are over.

 

Which is quite a lot for an episode that is framed by Tommy's announcement to Laurel that Oliver is still in love with her, and Oliver refusing to deny this statement because he's dealing with too many lies already.  Which may be because this episode is also going out of its way to contrast Laurel and Felicity, and none-too-subtly suggest that Felicity, not Laurel, is the right choice for Oliver.  After all:

 

1. Laurel separates Oliver from friends and family; Felicity unites them. This was first seen in the previous episode, where Oliver's choice of Laurel temporarily ends his friendship and partnership with Diggle (not to mention getting various ARGUS agents killed.) Felicity spends this episode working to reunite them; although she's mostly unsuccessful, her help in finding Walter is what leads Oliver to his discovery of his mother's scheming, which in turn leads him to the realization that he needs Diggle. It's not just Diggle, either; Laurel is one of the reasons Tommy and Oliver aren't currently talking. 

 

In the flashbacks, Laurel's suggestion to Oliver that they move in together because their friends are doing it and so she doesn't have to run into his mother leads directly to Oliver's decision to run off with Sara, eventually separating both Oliver and Sara from their families. Granted that the real culprit here turns out to be Frank (I'm a lot less sorry that you are dead now, Frank), it's still another indication that Laurel has had a terrible effect on Oliver - and our first indication that Oliver wasn't just cheating on Laurel, but reacting directly to something that she did.  (Present Oliver's statement that the two of them weren't honest with each other suggests that he didn't think that Laurel was being totally honest about her reasons for wanting to move in with him either.)

 

Meanwhile, Felicity helps Oliver reunite Walter with his family, and actually shows up for a family moment - Laurel doesn't arrive at the hospital until later, and is never framed with the family.

 

2. When Tommy tells Laurel, "Honestly? You belong with Oliver. He's still in love with you." the camera almost immediately disagrees (it's interrupted by a commercial break, making this much clearer on a DVD rewatch): the very next scene is Oliver partnering with Felicity to infiltrate the casino, an operation that includes quite a bit of innuendo from Felicity.

 

3. Felicity goes out in the field to help Oliver find Walter. Laurel, meanwhile, interrupts his confrontation with Malcolm - stopping Oliver before Oliver can learn more.

 

Which in turn means that even a not so bad episode for Laurel doesn't do much for Laurel.  The show had, granted, already established right from the opening episode that Laurel and Oliver weren't great for each other, and from episode five on had done everything possible to prove that with the exception of the firefighting episode (which incidentally proved that) but unfortunately, the show also had episodes two and three as part of its canon, which had to be countered before Oliver could really start up another romance.

 

I'm really hoping, and saying this seriously, that now that she's out of this role that requires her to be portrayed in a toxic manner, Laurel can improve. I realize there are other issues, but if Laurel can be Laurel, and not someone that the show has to prove doesn't belong with Oliver, it might help. Incidentally, that line from Laurel about how you don't sleep with your girlfriend's sister unless you want to torpedo that relationship?  For those wondering if the writers were aware of sister-swapping issues, I think that line indicates that yes, at least, one writer knew - and that the Oliver/Sara hookup was meant both to roadblock Oliver/Felicity and torpedo Oliver/Laurel. 

[statsgirl]

"It's going to take days (to decrypt this)."  "Better get started then."  Oliver doesn't pay Felicity enough to be that rude to her.  Which leads to the question, does he pay her at all?

 

Flashback Malcolm  "For years we've been forcing the city's worst to do what is best; leverage them to help save this city."  I'm really slow. I've just realized that The List is not a list of who is in on Malcolm's team, it's a list of identified bad guys that Malcolm and Robert and the others have been squeezing to 'donate' money to try to make things better in Starling City.

 

I've always wondered, why didn't Rebecca call 911 instead of calling Malcolm again and again since he wasn't taking her calls?

 

Laurel saying that you don't sleep with your sister unless you are blowing up the relationship is more self-awareness than I'm used to from her.  And then she gives Oliver her picture to take with him on the boat, that's the Laurel I'm used to.

 

When Felicity interrupts Oliver and Laurel at the bar, it shows why EBR is more of a favourite than Laurel – she works harder at making her character interesting.

 

It's so Felicity to know what to '86' someone means, and to keep explaining it.  Good of Felicity that she's trying to get Diggle back on the team but Oliver really does treat her like a little puppy.

 

Oliver is sitting outside the casino in his normal clothes. If anything happens to Felicity, he's going to take five minutes to change clothes first?  She could be dead by the time you get there.

 

There is a beautiful bit of cinematography in the scene where Oliver is sitting in the dark on the floor of the lair, and Felicity comes in, turning on the lights one by one.  It creates an image that Felicity lets the light into Oliver's darkness

something similar to what gets said by Sara in the second season

 

Diggle's apartment is in the sixth floor.  Part of how he stays in shape? 

How is a pregnant Lyla going to manage?  And with a baby?

 

Laurel:  Tommy I love you and I think that you still love me so that whatever problems you think we have, if we face them together... 
And then she goes to Oliver.

and sleeps with him.

Not a very impressive love, is it Laurel?

 

Susanna Thompson has a number of expressions cross her face when Malcolm tells her the Markov device is ready.  Katie Cassidy should take lessons.

 

Another Ted Kord fundraiser, and Moira assumes that Robert is having another affair.  Theirs really is a complicated (sick) marriage.

 

Moira pushes Robert into stopping Malcolm's plan, which gets him killed.  That's why Moira says in the present that she's the one responsible for Robert's death.

 

Diggle:  I guess you do know where I live.
Oliver :  I've always known where you live.  (So basically he's saying he knew where to get Diggle but didn't want to.  Between his treatment of Diggle unless he needs him, ditto treatment of Felicity, and getting between Laurel and Tommy, Oliver isn't really a nice guy at all)

 

12. "After all, you and I will always have a connection."

 

Did Malcolm know about Thea back then?  He confronts Moira with the knowledge in s2, would he have known about it way back then?

 

18. I've always kinda wondered if Walter recognized Oliver at the rescue moment.  There's a hint at the hospital later that Walter has guessed the truth, but it's just a hint.

Oliver is careful to turn on the voice modulator before speaking to Walter. It's a nice bit of consistency that The Hood does growly voice when talking to strangers but uses the voice modulator when it's someone who knows Oliver Queen.

 

Present Oliver's statement that the two of them weren't honest with each other suggests that he didn't think that Laurel was being totally honest about her reasons for wanting to move in with him either.

Weren't her reasons 1) that their friends who had been dating for less time than they were moving in together and 2) there was no place to have  sex without running into a parent?   Granted, those are pretty lousy reasons for moving in together but they seem legit.  Or did he mean that this was the next step of her plan to get them married  and she wasn't being honest about that?  I think it's true but it seems more aware than Oliver usually is.

Edited September 10, 2014 by The Crazed Spruce
fixed spoiler tag

[quarks]

Those were the reasons she gave Oliver for wanting to move in with him, yes. But Oliver is pretty clear in that scene with Laurel in the club with coffee: he says "we" weren't honest. I think most of that is on Oliver, but it strongly suggests that he doesn't think that she's always been honest with him, either. This might just have been a reference to the fact that Laurel didn't immediately tell Oliver when he returned or during the ice cream thing that she'd slept with Tommy.  And she never, on the show, apologized to him for not telling him. (Tommy did.) But since that all happened post their relationship and can't be blamed for their original breakup, which is what Oliver is referring to, I think he also felt, on some level, that she wasn't totally honest with him - and possibly with herself - about why she wanted to move in with him.

 

I have no idea

if Malcolm knew about Thea back then. I'm not even sure the writers did.

 

I agree that Oliver is not the nicest guy in this episode; it's the one thing that makes me think that ok, sure, maybe he should be with Laurel. But Laurel doesn't make him into a better person, and even in this season, we see that Diggle and Felicity can.

[KirkB]

There's no way for us to know if the writers had stuff planned out that far ahead or not, but in season 2

Malcolm makes a point of saying (and I'm paraphrasing here because it's been a while) that Maura's testimony made him suspicious enough to check Thea's records. I got the impression even though he obviously knew they'd had sex that he was not aware before then.

[Wayward Son]

• “It feels good to have you inside me” oh Felicity, talk about a Freudian slip ??? . 

• They did a pretty good job of making Oliver/Stephen look a lot younger in the flashbacks. However, Katie/Laurel looked the same age! 

• Pre Island Oliver was a dick! Laurel deserved better. 

• I really enjoyed the flashbacks this episode. Finally getting to learn about the undertaking, Malcolm’s motivations for it and getting to see Robert’s downfall was much needed. 

 

All in all a pretty good episode for this viewer :) 

[Morrigan2575]

I always felt this way the big miss step for Arrow in casting Barrowman as Merlyn. That flashback scene wasn't convincing to me. 

I know I am in the minority but, I don't think Barrowman had the gravitas to pull off a convincing villain. He tends to lean heavily into Camp.

[BkWurm1]

Season one Merlyn didn't seem campy to me and instead came off to me as relentless and a bit scary, but everything after this season has rung melodramatic to me and I suspect that knowing all that comes later would now affect me on a rewatch in some of his sense which had seemed fine the first time around.  

[catrox14]

I thought Barrowman always played Merlyn just right in s1. I think he had a edgy undercurrent to Malcolm. I think he's great in the role.

[tv echo]

121 (The Undertaking) – Oliver Queen’s voiceover intro:
Oliver (voiceover): "My name is Oliver Queen. For five years I was stranded on an island with only one goal... survive. Now I will fulfill my father's dying wish... to use a list of names he left me, to bring down those who are poisoning my city. To do this, I must become someone else. I must become something else."

121 (The Undertaking) – Felicity tries to get Oliver to reconcile with Diggle:
(Oliver drops a laptop on Felicity’s desk in the Arrowcave.)
Felicity: “Let me guess. Some bad guy missing his fancy new laptop?”
Oliver: “Harold Backman. He's who Starling City's worst call when they want to launder money in the Caymans.” 
Felicity: “Shouldn't we just turn this over to, I don't know, the IRS?” 
Oliver: “We will. Just as soon as you return the money to the rightful owners.”
Felicity: “Well, it sounds like a very nice idea. Backman's files are all protected with an asymmetric encryption algorithm.”
Oliver: “Really?”
Felicity: “Yeah.”
Oliver: “So it's gonna take a while to break in.” 
Felicity: “Days, at least.” 
Oliver: “Better get started, then.” 
Felicity: “At the risk of ending up with an arrow in my eye, can I ask – when are you planning on making peace with Diggle?”
Oliver: “He's the one who left, Felicity. I did everything I could to stop him.” 
Felicity: “Except apologize. You promised you'd help him track down Floyd Lawton and then you –“ 
Oliver: “Made a choice that I can live with. If he can't, then I don't need him.” 
Felicity: “Oliver –“
Oliver: “I need to get back to the club. Let me know when you break in.” (Leaves) 
Felicity: “I wish someone would send me off to the Caymans.”

121 (The Undertaking) – Laurel meets Felicity; and Felicity reports to Oliver on the results of her investigation:
Oliver: “It's probably just cold feet.”
Laurel: “Like it was with you. Oliver, you don't sleep with your girlfriend's sister unless you're looking to blow the relationship up.” 
Oliver: “If you still want to be with Tommy, do what we should have done. Talk to each other and be honest.”
Felicity (entering): “Oliver, I need to show you what – I just totally walked in on a thing, didn't I?” 
Laurel: “I'm sorry, uh, who are you?” 
Felicity: “Nobody. I mean, I'm not nobody. I'm someone, obviously. And so are you. You're Laurel, right? That Laurel. Gorgeous Laurel.”
Oliver: “This is Felicity. She's setting up my Internet.”
Felicity: “Router. And I need to show Oliver something very important related to it.”
Laurel: “I'll let you go, then. Thank you for the coffee and the advice.”
*  *  *
Oliver: “Tell me you got in.” 
Felicity: “Better. I hacked Cayman Fidelity and put together a list of all the deposits Backman made last year.”
Oliver: “Felicity, what good does that do us if we don't know whose money it was?” 
Felicity: “Look at the biggest deposit Backman made last year. Bottom page.” 
Oliver: “Two million dollars on Decem - December 12. That's –“
Felicity: “The day Walter disappeared. What if one of Backman's clients was paid two million to kidnap Walter?” 
Oliver: “Then we find out which client it was. And we use them to find Walter.”

121 (The Undertaking) – Felicity convinces Oliver to let her go into the casino in order to access Dominic Alonzo’s computer:
Oliver: “Okay, back-trace the account, follow the money, hopefully it will lead us to whoever kidnapped Walter.”
Felicity: “After all this time, do you think Walter might still really be alive?”
Oliver: “I don't know.”
Felicity: “Got it. Dominic Alonzo.” 
Oliver: “Uhhh.”
Felicity: “Name ring any bells?” 
Oliver: “Alonzo runs the biggest underground casino in Starling City when he's not busy kidnapping.” 
Felicity: “He looks like the kind of lowlife someone would hire to kidnap Walter. How many arrows do you think you'll have to put in him before he gives up Walter's location? Say a lot?” 
Oliver: “It's not that simple. That casino has its own private army. We need to access Alonzo's computer, but without setting off any alarms.” 
Felicity: “Looks like we're gonna need all the help we can get. It's too bad there's not someone else we could call.” 
Oliver: “That's enough. We can do this on our own.” 
Felicity: “Well, then, looks like someone's going gambling tonight.” 
Oliver: “Those guys would make me the minute that I walked in there. Oliver Queen would never be caught dead in a place like that.” 
Felicity: “I wasn't talking about you.” 
Oliver: “Absolutely not.” 
Felicity: “I can count cards. It's all probability theory and mathematics. Have you met me? Bottom line, I know my way around a casino.” 
Oliver: “Felicity, I'm not letting you walk –“
Felicity: “The reason I joined you in the first place was to find Walter, and for the first time, we have a real chance of finding him. You have to let me do this.”
Oliver: “All right. But we do it my way.”

121 (The Undertaking) – Felicity goes on her first field mission as undercover “Megan” into Dominic Alonzo’s underground casino:
Oliver: “You ready?”
Felicity: “I think so. Just to be clear, the plan is for me to get caught counting cards in an underground casino filled with hardened criminals.”
Oliver: “So you can get a friendly warning from Alonzo and plant a bug on his office computer.” 
Felicity: “Right. Which will hopefully lead us to Walter. That is assuming I get the friendly warning and not a bullet.” 
Oliver (softly): “Hey! You don't have to do this.” 
Felicity: “Yes, I do.” 
Oliver: “Okay. If anything happens, I'm right outside.”
Felicity: “Okay.”
Casino Entrance Guard: “Password?”
Male Guest: “Snapdragon.” 
Oliver (whispering over comms): “Password's snapdragon.” 
Casino Entrance Guard: “Password?” 
Felicity: “Snapdragon.” 
Oliver (over comms): “What do you see?” 
Felicity (over comms): “Six armed guards, two pit bosses, and a floor man. No slot machines. How do you call yourself a casino without any Lucky 7s?” 
Oliver (over comms): “Stay focused, please. I'll be with you the entire time.”
Felicity: “Thanks… (Sighs) It feels really good having you inside me. And by ‘you’, I mean your voice. And by ‘me’, I mean my ear. I'm going to stop talking. Right now.”
Oliver: “That would be my preference.” 
(Felicity sits down at table and pulls out money.)
Felicity: “One stack of High Society, please.”
*  *  *
Dealer: “Blackjack!” 
Felicity: “Yes!”
Guard: “Miss? Can you come with me?” 
Felicity: “Is something wrong?”
Guard: “Get up.” 
Felicity: “Oh, since you ask so nicely. Oh, there's the bathroom. Should have known the manager's office would be down the hall and to the right of the bathroom.” 
Guard: “Mr. Alonzo.”
Alonzo: “Have a seat. What's your name?” 
Felicity: “Megan.” 
Alonzo: “Do you know where the term ‘86’ comes from, Megan?” 
Felicity: “As it happens, I do. It's from Prohibition. There was a – an illegal casino, not like this one, located at, uh, 86 Bedford Street in New York, and God, you know, I'm just gonna stop talking.”
Alonzo: “Now it means to ban someone, someone who's cheating. You're 86'd. Leave your chips and go.”
Felicity: “Thank you. Thank you.” 
Alonzo: “Oh, yeah, Megan, one more thing. You see, the thing about card counters is, uh –“
(Hidden earpiece is found and removed from Felicity.)
Alonzo: “Sometimes they work with a partner.”
(He stomps on and destroys the device.)
Felicity: “You’re gonna be really upset when you meet my partner.”
(Oliver fights his way into and through the casino to the manager’s office.  Alonzo is holding a
(Oliver fights his way into and through the casino to the manager’s office.  Alonzo is holding a gun to Felicity’s head, and Oliver shoots an arrow into the wall by Alonzo.)
Alonzo: “I heard you never miss.” 
Oliver: “I don't.”
(Arrow in wall explodes, causing Alonzo to fall and let loose Felicity.)
Alonzo: “Ahhh!”
Oliver: “Where's Walter Steele?”
Alonzo: “What? What are you talking about?”
Oliver: “Six months ago you had him kidnapped!”
Alonzo: “It was just a job. I was given a name. I didn't ask any questions.” 
Oliver: “Last chance. Where is he?” 
Alonzo: “Below ground.”
Oliver: “You're lying!” 
Alonzo: “I'm not. I delivered him and they killed him. I heard the gunshot. He's dead.”

121 (The Undertaking) – Felicity enters the Arrowcave, where Oliver is sitting on the floor, brooding, and he tells her that Walter is alive:
Felicity: “I've been sitting in the dark all day, too. All these months I kept thinking if I could find a clue, I could get a lead on him. Guess it wouldn't have mattered. I can't imagine what your family's going through.”
Oliver: “Walter's alive.”
Felicity: “What? But Alonzo said –“
Oliver: “I need you to pull up Malcolm Merlyn's phone records. He made a call from his office to wherever Walter is being kept at 10:30 p.m.”
Felicity: “Malcolm Merlyn? Tommy's father? Why would he kidnap Walter?” 
Oliver: “Felicity.”
Felicity: “L.U.D. showed he made a call to a tenement complex located in Bludhaven.” 
Oliver: “Can you pull up a satellite view?” 
Felicity: “Uh, yeah. That's a lot of security for low-income housing. There's two guards stationed at all access points.”
Oliver: “There's just one on the roof.”
Felicity: “Exactly. There's no other buildings in that area. If you want to get onto the roof, you're going to have to jump off of something.” 
Oliver: “I've got something.”

121 (The Undertaking) – After Oliver rescues Walter, Felicity kinda meets Moira and Thea when she stops by Walter’s hospital room:
Moira: “I thought I'd never see you again.”
Walter: “I'm all right.” 
Oliver: “Welcome home, Walter.” 
Walter: “Thank you, son. And Thea.” 
Felicity (entering with flowers): “This is totally a family thing, isn't it?” 
Moira: “I'm sorry, who are you?”
Oliver: “This is Felicity. She's my friend.”
Walter: “Mine, too. It's good to see you.” 
Felicity: “You, too. I'll let you guys get back to your hugging.” (Leaves) 
Moira: “Oliver. We're all together again. Everything's gonna be all right.”

Edited February 8, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

121 (The Undertaking) - DELETED FLASHBACK SCENE: Moira catches half-dressed Laurel with Oliver:
(Moira knocks on Thea's bedroom door.)
Moira: "Thea, darling! Should I reschedule your dressage lesson?"
Thea (through door): "That horse hates me."
Moira: "Maybe that's because you keep cancelling on it."
(Laurel runs out into the hallway. She's wearing only Oliver's button-down shirt and nothing else.)
Laurel: "Sorry. Mrs. Queen."
(Laurel turns away and returns to Oliver's bedroom. She laughingly leaps onto Oliver, who's laying face-down on his bed.)
Laurel: "Oliver. Your mom? She just totally busted me."
Oliver: "Seriously?"
Laurel: "Yes." (Oliver chuckles) It's not funny!"
(Oliver turns her over onto the bed.)
Oliver: "Somebody is in big, big trouble."
Laurel: "Shhhh"
(They kiss.)

Edited February 11, 2020 by tv echo

[Mia Nina]

On 3/27/2018 at 4:51 PM, catrox14 said:

I thought Barrowman always played Merlyn just right in s1. I think he had a edgy undercurrent to Malcolm. I think he's great in the role.

Merlyn was my favorite character in S1. 

[tv echo]

121 (The Undertaking) - DELETED FLASHBACK SCENE: Moira catches half-dressed Laurel with Oliver:

(hovergrl)

[Password]

My mind was just blown rewatching this episode. 

There's a Ray Palmer mention. In a flashback, Laurel asks Oliver if he's "Talked to Ray today?... He asked Jean to move in with him last night." 

 

Spoiler

But in season 3, Ray's finances name is Anna. 

I wonder if the Jean mention was just a nod to his comics wife.

Spoiler

Either way, Oliver acts like he doesn't know Ray in season 3.

 

[statsgirl]

Moira: Thea, do you want me to reschedule your dressage lesson?

Thea: Mom, that horse hates me.

Moira: Maybe because you keep cancelling on it.

Wow, that's bad parenting. No wonder Ollie because such a careless party guy.

[Featherhat]

12 hours ago, Password said:

There's a Ray Palmer mention. In a flashback, Laurel asks Oliver if he's "Talked to Ray today?... He asked Jean to move in with him last night." 

I wonder if the Jean mention was just a nod to his comics wife.

I think it was supposed to be a nod to Ray and Jean, just a little Easter egg like the frequent mentions of Ted Kord and Kord Industries (who Ray was supposed to be originally IIRC). 

But they brought in Teryl Rothery aka Janet from SG1 to play Jean Loring the lawyer in S2 so they had to change Ray's fiancée to Anna Loring, probably her daughter or niece. 

This is another example of cutting out Lauriver scenes in S1, showing that they were deciding to move on from it long before S2/3. This is as close as it ever gets to being "happy" although a) doesn't Oliver's huge suite have an ensuite bathroom, so why is Laurel wondering around undressed and b) whilst it's embarrassing to be caught like that by Moira, they were 22 at this point not 16, surely Oliver is allowed to have his girlfriend spend the night? William was already born at this point, Moira knows he's not saving himself. 🙄As above, Moira isn't the strictest parent.

But I guess it's supposed to kickstart the moving in together storyline of doom.  

[tv echo]

Another 121 deleted scene...

Arrow 1x21 Deleted Scene - "You have a crystal ball or something?"

(Hermandat)