S03.E16: The Offer

[kismet]

I think the regular cast is large enough as is. I do like Nyssa & I would be open to her getting a few highlighted guest starring parts coming in & out of SC. But I think to make her a regular would be at an expense to her character and other characters that already exist in Arrow. Look at JB they made him a regular and since then his plot line has been tedious and cumbersome. I would have taken less JB with a more exciting plot, than more JB and the ridiculous plot stretching they had to do just to get facetime on the screen.

[AES13]

I'm sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this episode nearly as much as everyone else seemed to.  It was lovely to see Oliver & Felicity behave as they used to with each other but I don't understand how they can.  It's nice not to have the angst shoved down your throat like it usually is, but I didn't take much comfort in Felicity not showing any ambivalence regarding keeping Oliver in her live on a platonic basis.  It just doesn't make sense to me that she would be happy with that.  

 

I bitch a lot about when I believe the characters are not acting in character and we end up with these ridiculously convoluted plots to manufacture angst; I can't bitch less just because the result this time is more pleasant to watch.  Well, I could but where's the fun in that?  :)

 

My issues with this episode:

Felicity's seemingly complete and happy acceptance of a platonic relationship with Oliver 

Oliver and Thea being willing to house Malcolm for no reason at all; now that the LOA is no longer hunting him, why are they still offering him any kind of hospitality or protection?

Ra's coming to Starling City to personally make the Arrow persona non grata; doesn't he have a League of lackeys to do that for him?

The re-ignition of Lance's hatred of the Arrow as a deflection of his anger towards Laurel's betrayal

Laurel's petulance and narcissism 

 

I've often felt that the show runners believe that they are making must-see TV because they keep surprising their audience but I think that the surprises come from not writing their characters consistently week to week.  This week it seemed like they turned on a dime and suddenly gave us what we wanted without making it remotely organic.  YMMV...

 

PS - I'm not a fan either of Matt Nable's Ra's; he doesn't have the presence or the gravitas or the menace, IMO.

[paigow]

What if Nyssa (or any LOA member) kills Oliver now? Is the prophecy "do - over" clause triggered?

 

ETA: 

 

Nyssa: Father! I hold the head of Oliver Queen! What about your precious prophecy now??

Ras Barbossa: It's not a prophecy per se, more like....guidelines

Edited March 21, 2015 by paigow

[Ang]

[....]It was lovely to see Oliver & Felicity behave as they used to with each other but I don't understand how they can.  It's nice not to have the angst shoved down your throat like it usually is, but I didn't take much comfort in Felicity not showing any ambivalence regarding keeping Oliver in her live on a platonic basis.  It just doesn't make sense to me that she would be happy with that.  

 

[....]

Felicity's seemingly complete and happy acceptance of a platonic relationship with Oliver 

I would agree with this if she and Oliver had ever actually been lovers. By the end of 3x01, I really think she'd only had a day and a half of thinking Oliver might be romantically interested in her. I feel like she'd basically spent the first two years of their relationship putting herself in the friend zone; Mr. Clamshell Emotions isn't exactly an open book, and he was even more closed up the first two seasons. I personally don't think she's ever been as confident in her place as Oliver's romantic interest as the audience has been. As late as 3x09, she was implying that Oliver regretted their attempt at a date/kiss. Chalk it up to abandonment issues or denial, but I'm pretty sure she's spent a very long time convincing herself that what they have IS a friendship, and that's her comfort zone. Anyone who takes "three benzos" before a first date is likely to find a return to the status quo a rather easy position to take.

 

Everything else you said I basically agree with, except that I think Lance's illogical response is perfectly human, and I think Laurel's always been narcissistic.

[icandigit]

 

My issues with this episode:

Felicity's seemingly complete and happy acceptance of a platonic relationship with Oliver 

Oliver and Thea being willing to house Malcolm for no reason at all; now that the LOA is no longer hunting him, why are they still offering him any kind of hospitality or protection?

Ra's coming to Starling City to personally make the Arrow persona non grata; doesn't he have a League of lackeys to do that for him?

The re-ignition of Lance's hatred of the Arrow as a deflection of his anger towards Laurel's betrayal

Laurel's petulance and narcissism 

 

I agree with all this. The thing with Felicity came off a little different to me though. But, then what I got from it has been different than anything I've seen posted. I kinda took it as her indicating to him that 'he can get it' while still respecting his wishes to keep it platonic.

[statsgirl]

My issues with this episode:

Felicity's seemingly complete and happy acceptance of a platonic relationship with Oliver 

Oliver and Thea being willing to house Malcolm for no reason at all; now that the LOA is no longer hunting him, why are they still offering him any kind of hospitality or protection?

Ra's coming to Starling City to personally make the Arrow persona non grata; doesn't he have a League of lackeys to do that for him?

The re-ignition of Lance's hatred of the Arrow as a deflection of his anger towards Laurel's betrayal

Laurel's petulance and narcissism 

 

Thea didn't want Malcolm there, Oliver brought him back and told her he was staying. Oliver's dismissal of Thea's feelings this season in one of the reasons I'm angry at him.

 

I can understand Quentin's anger at the Arrow.  In the Christmas episode, Lance told him that he was the closest thing he had to a partner; he was a guy Lance had grown to trust and rely on. Now he finds out that the Arrow, who had promised to protect Sara, knew that she was dead and didn't tell hm.  The man has to be hurting fifty ways to heaven and he can't talk to anyone about it because no one can know about Sara unless he makes up a story about her dying on a trip.  He can't be as angry as he wants to be at Laurel because she's the only one he has left, so the residual anger bleeds off onto the Arrow.

 

Laurel was always petulant and narcissistic.  I wish they would tone it down because they want people to like her but it is character-consistent. 

 

Who knows why Ra's does anything?  MG keeps saying we will find out by the end of the season but I think they've made a bad mess of Ra's for this years Big Bad.

 

I assume that Felicity is all happy being platonic with Oliver because they need to start fixing what they broke but in my opinion, he doesn't deserve it with the way he's treated her all season.

 

I remember back when the show House was on and Greg House would do terrible things to people but there were never any consequences for him, it would all be forgiven or Cuddy would get him out of trouble again. And if you commented on it, the response was usually "But he suffers so much". That's what Oliver is starting to be like, he hurts the people he says he cares for but there are never real consequences for it, Thea doesn't kick him and Malcolm out of her loft, Felicity is still his friend, and Laurel keeps getting back to friendship with him.  He suffers so much, so it's okay.

[looptab]

Having Ra's in person show up in Starling was definitely stupid, but I believe they did it because they assume the audience is stupid, and wouldn't have understood that Ra's was the one setting the plan in motion, had it been someone else doing it.

[KirkB]

I think the reason Ra's himself came is mostly what looptab said, the EP's presuming we're too stupid to work it out unless we see someone from the League we know in the suit. And since Nyssa isn't available it would have to be him or Maseo. Honestly though, I think it would have been better for them to just show the hooded figure in green killing people without us seeing the face. Obviously most of the audience might guess it wasn't really Oliver but still it puts the tiniest speck of doubt in some minds to further the suspicion of the Starling citizens and police.

Edited March 21, 2015 by KirkB

[looptab]

I have to admit, even being spoiled and knowing something like this would happen (although I wasn't expecting it in this episode) for a moment they got me, and I thought Oliver had fell off the wagon. I am the stupid audience they target LOL

[wonderwall]

I assume that Felicity is all happy being platonic with Oliver because they need to start fixing what they broke but in my opinion, he doesn't deserve it with the way he's treated her all season.

 

I don't think Felicity's the kind of person who keeps score or hold a grudge or punish people though. Regardless, I don't think she left him off easy because she created a firm line between herself and Oliver, and knowing him, that's enough. By creating this line, she sort of protects herself from Oliver hurting her. 

 

I don't blame Felicity to want to be on good terms with Oliver because I get that she wants her 'closest friend' back. They spent every waking hour together everyday for about one and a half years before this season, it's understandable that Felicity can't imagine a life without him. Like she said, having Oliver in her life makes her happy because she relies on him just as much as he relies on her. 

 

ETA: this post might not make any sense. I blame my tiredness tbqh

Edited March 21, 2015 by wonderwall

[statsgirl]

I agree that Felicity is not the kind of person who holds a grudge, which is how they got away with the scenes where she tells Laurel how great she is in Midnight City and Canaries.

 

But Oliver was still excluding and lying to Felicity here when he told her that was nothing wrong other than Quentin being angry at him.  If Diggle hadn't told her about Ra's offer, she wouldn't haven known.  Their relationship still isn't equal the way it was seasons 1 and 2 because he's not being honest with her unless she pushes him into it.

 

 I don't think she left him off easy because she created a firm line between herself and Oliver, and knowing him, that's enough. By creating this line, she sort of protects herself from Oliver hurting her.

I understand that she wants him back because she's been without friends too much this season (especially Oliver and Diggle but also Roy).  But I think while the line she put up may protect her, it mostly protects him and so it does let him off easy.  'See, Oliver, you don't have to worry any more about my dreams about being with you, you're safe because we're just friends.'  That's something that should stay in middle school.

 

I'm as desperate as anyone to get back to the old fun Oliver/Felicity but I don't like the dynamic here where Felicity only gets Oliver back when she gives him everything he wants (i.e he has her total support in whatever he wants to do (no more complaining about Malcolm Merlyn or going off to get himself killed) and he gets to tell her he loves her but she never makes romantic demands on him), and she gets what he is willing to give her.  That's a recipe for disaster in any relationship, platonic or otherwise because it's so unbalanced.  There have been a lot of complaints this season about Ray steam-rolling over Felicity but I think the one steam-rolling more to get what he wants is Oliver.

Edited March 21, 2015 by statsgirl

[kismet]

I agree with all this. The thing with Felicity came off a little different to me though. But, then what I got from it has been different than anything I've seen posted. I kinda took it as her indicating to him that 'he can get it' while still respecting his wishes to keep it platonic.

I agree to a certain extent what you said about Felicity. Beyond agreeing to go on the date and telling him she doesn't want to be a woman he loves, it was the first time she ever opened that door and indicated verbally that she might be interested in being more than friends. Before that a lot of how Felicity felt was audience conjecture or behavioral analysis. But I like the vagueness she left in it, which indicates that she is willing to pursue something should he change his mind. But you're right at the same time it respected his wishes to keep it platonic. So she keeps both of them in the safe zone, which is good as it allows them to be friends, which was desperately missing from their lives.

[wonderwall]

But Oliver was still excluding and lying to Felicity here when he told her that was nothing wrong other than Quentin being angry at him.  If Diggle hadn't told her about Ra's offer, she wouldn't haven known.  Their relationship still isn't equal the way it was seasons 1 and 2 because he's not being honest with her unless she pushes him into it.

 

I understand that she wants him back because she's been without friends too much this season (especially Oliver and Diggle but also Roy).  But I think while the line she put up may protect her, it mostly protects him and so it does let him off easy.  'See, Oliver, you don't have to worry any more about my dreams about being with you, you're safe.'  That's something that should stay in high school.

 

I'm as desperate as anyone to get back to the old fun Oliver/Felicity dynamic but I don't like this one where Felicity only gets Oliver back when she gives him everything he wants.  There have been a lot of complaints this season about Ray steam-rolling over Felicity but I think the one steam-rolling more to get what he wants is Oliver.

 

I think the issue is, is that you're sort of only seeing this from Felicity's POV. Before they started warming up to one another at the end of episode 16, Oliver and Felicity weren't really on friendly terms. Felicity told Oliver that romance was off the table and was giving him the cold shoulder for 3ish episodes, and I think that Oliver was respecting her by keeping his distance. Felicity was angry with him, I don't think he was comfortable opening up to a person who's angry with him. That's why Oliver went to Diggle. He and Felicity still weren't on solid terms. BUT THEN Felicity talked to him, she opened up to him, she said that Oliver made his choice and he should live with it, she even guided him. That was the turning point of their relationship and now I think they're heading back to being the type of people who rely on one another. If Oliver still keeps things from Felicity after this episode, then yeah, he's being an ass, but considering the circumstances they were in before episode 16, I totally get why Oliver would keep his distance (which in turn resulted in Felicity being excluded). Also, Felicity was never lied to. Oliver never lied to her this season. So I disagree with that statement. 

 

Felicity put up that line for herself ("I don't want to be a woman you love") and not for Oliver at all. Felicity putting that line there hurt Oliver because she essentially told him that she doesn't want to be with him. I don't think any guy would ever want to hear that from a woman they love so much. I thoroughly believe Oliver was crushed when she said that. I thoroughly believe he was crushed when he found out Felicity moved on. Felicity's decision to put down the line was never about Oliver, it was about herself. It was about her finally taking control of her life and not wanting to be hurt by Oliver anymore. So I completely disagree with you with regards to Felicity letting Oliver go easily. 

 

I think we're going to get the fun O/F dynamic soon. At least I hope so. I truly believe that the worst is over regardless of whether or not Felicity is with Ray. Oliver has shown that he respect Felicity's decision to be with Ray. I don't think he's going to push her because like Stephen said, he believes she's happy with Ray and he's not gonna screw that up. So I just think Oliver's going to let Felicity be until she breaks up with Ray. 

 

I completely disagree with your last paragraph. But I'm going to go to bed now, so I'll get back to you on that later? :D My brain is so fried lmao

[statsgirl]

I'll reply in the relationship thread.

[kismet]

But Oliver was still excluding and lying to Felicity here when he told her that was nothing wrong other than Quentin being angry at him.  If Diggle hadn't told her about Ra's offer, she wouldn't haven known.  Their relationship still isn't equal the way it was seasons 1 and 2 because he's not being honest with her unless she pushes him into it.

 

I'm as desperate as anyone to get back to the old fun Oliver/Felicity dynamic but I don't like this one where Felicity only gets Oliver back when she gives him everything he wants.  There have been a lot of complaints this season about Ray steam-rolling over Felicity but I think the one steam-rolling more to get what he wants is Oliver.

I truly believe he did not tell her about Ras offer because he no longer thought she was his friend. I think I posted something on this in the relationship thread. When she told him she no longer wanted to be a woman he loved, he took that as the formal ending of their friendship. Love takes many forms, she used both Thea & Sara in her example, which indicated that she was taking multiple forms of love of the table. It was a crushing blow & devastating. It might have been misguided, but OQ tends to have concrete thinking and she was pretty clear in that conversation about how she felt about their relationship. Now other people might sit back and analyze how & why she might have told him that, but that is not what OQ does. Emotionally stunted is an understatement for OQ, and those closest to him would know that. So her statement, along with her chilly/snappy behavior to him the following episodes probably confirmed that he was no longer her friend. I think he was surprised when she called him one of her closest friend. He was probably still in emotional shock, which is why telling her about the offer was not something he thought about in that moment, esp if RP could walk in at any moment. Would he have talked to her about in the foundry without Dig's interference we'll never know, but I dont think it matters. They both had to make steps back to each other, so him going to her office for help was his step and her talking to him in the foundry was her step. If he had told her about the offer in her office it would have been inorganically forced & out of character for him to be that open considering the distance between them this season. He did confide in her about QL and figured out on his own that he was wrong about not telling him about Sara, which is emotional growth for OQ.

 

He did not lie to her in the office, when she asked if he was OK; he told her he was "fine". FINE is a generally a code word for no, shits going down but I dont wanna talk about. When I or one of my friends tell each other "I'm fine", it usually means we're not. Usually they or I respond with some variation of ok, but if you need me Im here. It sorta makes me wonder if Dig sought Felicity out to talk about OQ or if Felicity found Dig. Because I have been through similar experiences with my friends, where Ive been told "Im fine", anyone can tell they're not and have gone to a mutual friend to figure out what is going on & how we can help. So its not lying if you simply don't feel like talking about something in that specific minute. And he was fine in that minute, he just had a lot on his mind. If it had been s1 or s2, might he have been more open with her probably. But its not s1/2 and she had not been acting like a friend to him in many weeks, just because she told him he was a close friend does not mean that he still felt that closeness or trust, like I said above I do not think he believed Felicity was still his friend after the alleyway convo. And maybe Felicity never realized just how strongly he took her comments.

 

I dont believe Oliver is trying to steamroll anyone this season. As for Ray steamrolling Felicity, the verdict is still out on that in my mind because his suit has been his priority and he was willing to go to any lengths to complete it. So I don't think that is quite steamrolling her, but it does feel a whole lot like conveniently overusing her.

Edited March 21, 2015 by kismet

[dtissagirl]

Having Ra's in person show up in Starling was definitely stupid, but I believe they did it because they assume the audience is stupid, and wouldn't have understood that Ra's was the one setting the plan in motion, had it been someone else doing it.

ITA, and it's also been their m.o. from the start. The audience has learned the Big Bad's plan before Oliver/Team Arrow in all three seasons. Imo, it worked for Malcolm in S1, and spectacularly failed for Slade in S2 [to the point where it gave us an episode like The Promise, where *everything* that happened in flashbacks had already been told in the previous present time episodes]. Here's hoping it works for Tiny Ra's.

[CabotCove]

I'm sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this episode nearly as much as everyone else seemed to.  It was lovely to see Oliver & Felicity behave as they used to with each other but I don't understand how they can.  It's nice not to have the angst shoved down your throat like it usually is, but I didn't take much comfort in Felicity not showing any ambivalence regarding keeping Oliver in her live on a platonic basis.  It just doesn't make sense to me that she would be happy with that

I've often felt that the show runners believe that they are making must-see TV because they keep surprising their audience but I think that the surprises come from not writing their characters consistently week to week.  This week it seemed like they turned on a dime and suddenly gave us what we wanted without making it remotely organic.  YMMV...

 

They do that a lot, especially when it comes to Olicity. One minute they are angsting, the next all is very well in paradise. It doesnt have to be earned. They should stop putting roadblocks in those two's path if they cant follow through and do it well. The lack of organic writing is my biggest problem with this ship.

 

I dont like Thea/Roy but now that a reunion that is earned.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Conell

[romantic idiot]

I truly believe he did not tell her about Ras offer because he no longer thought she was his friend. 

 

The problem with this line of thinking is that he did tell her about Quentin. In fact, I think the reason he went to her in the first place (vs. calling her for the info like he normally would) is so that he could talk about Lance with her. And iMO, to him that was a bigger deal than the Ra's offer. 

[dcinmb]

The problem with this line of thinking is that he did tell her about Quentin. In fact, I think the reason he went to her in the first place (vs. calling her for the info like he normally would) is so that he could talk about Lance with her. And iMO, to him that was a bigger deal than the Ra's offer.

I think he went to her office just hoping to test the waters and connect with her in some way. He wasn't sure how she'd receive him so he used Murmur as an excuse, even though we all, Felicity included, know that he could've just called her to get the info. I'd like to think that he was planning to bring up Ra's if Felicity gave him an opening, which she gladly did. So he started off with the Lance conversation and likely would have transitioned to Ra's, but then she got too close, so he got overwhelmed and ran.

Edited March 23, 2015 by dcinmb

[looptab]

It just occurred to me, that technically the Arrow (himself) could have not known about Sara's death. There were no  Buckles spotted until after he was gone, and after that, 3x13, 3x14, 3x15 showed no interactions between the Arrow and Lance. It could be argued that since Felicity called Lance telling him she knew how to find the Canary, he has assumed the Arrow must know, too that it was actually Laurel. This is legitimate, but WE know that. Quentin doesn't. Unless there were a lot of shenanigans in off screen land?

 

There is not much of a point to this except that it's really frustrating realizing that not a lot of this show makes sense once you look too closely. (Like  Oliver's non-answer to Thea re: Sara, in 314, for example. That still bothers me, lol). And also that what happens in off screen land is too often what I'd like to see on screen, and viceversa.

Edited March 23, 2015 by looptab

[apinknightmare]

I think we're to assume that Quentin asked Laurel when Sara actually died off screen. She probably told him the truth, so he knows it's been months and months and I'm guessing since Felicity put him in touch with "the Canary," that he later found out was Laurel pretending to be her, he knew that Felicity was aware and, by extension, Arrow was too. 

 

But yeah, they should've put a line or two in there to explain what exactly went down, because at face value it is weird. 

[looptab]

 I'm guessing since Felicity put him in touch with "the Canary," that he later found out was Laurel pretending to be her, he knew that Felicity was aware and, by extension, Arrow was too. 

 

But yeah, they should've put a line or two in there to explain what exactly went down, because at face value it is weird. 

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say :) You're right, surely they must have had some conversation about it. Quentin must have asked how, when, where. A part of my brain knows it, but since the conclusion  is Oliver being blamed when he was not responsible, I'm not giving them a pass on this :D

[statsgirl]

I think Oliver does bear some of the responsibility, although not as much as Quentin seems to be putting on him.

 

Oliver knew that Laurel was wrong not to tell her father, he even said so in one of the episodes, but he decided that it was Laurel's decision to make, even though she had been making a whole string of bad decisions.  Not to mention, just about every viewer realized that Laurel not telling her father was going to end up badly, and if Oliver had been thinking straight, or listening to Diggle and Felicity, he would have known it too.

 

While Oliver didn't put Sara into the LoA, he repeatedly expressed guilt at inviting Sara on to the Queen's Gambit and putting the whole series of events in her life into play.  He accepted a lot of responsibility for Quentin's anger and grief in season 1, and now suddenly it's nothing at all to do with him and he's delegating it entirely to Laurel?

 

It was Oliver retreating into being The Arrow.  Oliver Queen was the one who dealt with human emotions; the Arrow was only about the fight.

 

ETA:  It's interesting to note that Quentin is angry at Felicity too and not taking her calls, and I bet he's also upset with Dinah.  "They shoulda told me.  They knew, and they shoulda told me."

Edited March 23, 2015 by statsgirl

[CabotCove]

. I actually would have liked a little bit more PDA, to be honest. Just because they're still supposed to be in the rosy honeymoon stage of their relationship

 

They were at work during working hours, I dont think it would have been appropriate work behavior, even if they are the bosses. At least that's what I have heard and know, unless some other work places are less strict or don't mind about that. Anyway the little affection  they were showing was even enough to clue Oliver in that something was going on between them.

 

It's all been in relationship to Ray's feelings for Anna, and Felicity's for Oliver.

 

I dont think thats completely true, why cant we believe that these characters like each other for them even when they say they do?. Ray said he started doing this for Anna but that has evolved to be about living people he cares about namely Felicity, why would Ray lie about that. Ok lets forget about Ray for a sec, I know he doesnt really have a good reputation on here but what about Felicity. Do you honestly see her as the kind of woman who would be as cruel as to go out with a man she had no feelings for or want just because "the one she really wants to be" with rejected her?. Yes I do think that the Ray/Felicity has an Oliver/Anna component, Anna because she is a woman that Ray loved and was forcefully taken away from him  by death.

 

Oliver, he is the man that Felicity has had feelings for years and she would be with him if she could but I dont think that means Ray or Felicity cant move on or love more than one person for the rest of their lives. It doesn't mean their relationship cant have components that have nothing to do with their former lovers. The reality is that their relationship is part of a triangle and they are not the main couple, its TV 101, there is going to be an Oliver component because he is the main character and the third part of a triangle, they are not going to have the same development and  focus a main couple would. Just like a supporting character can have their own independent life, a supporting relationship can too even though there is some interconnection/benefit to the main character/couple. Not everything Felicity does for her love life or in general is informed by Oliver, I think that's selling the character short IMO.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Conell

[looptab]

I don't agree, because I can understand and accept that he'd think it wasn't his place to tell Lance. That was between Laurel and his father. However, all discussion on this is moot, actually, because the only reasons for Oliver accepting to not tell him have been given by Stephen Amell, not by the show. In the show, Oliver told Laurel she should talk with her father in 302, and after that not him, nor Felicity, nor Diggle, nor anyone has said anything more on the matter.

[statsgirl]

They were at work during working hours, I dont think it would have been appropriate work behavior, even if they are the bosses. At least that's what I have heard and know, unless some other work places are less strict or don't mind about that. Anyway the little affection  they were showing was even enough to clue Oliver in that something was going on between them.

I think it would have been inappropriate because they are the bosses.  Felicity clinging on to Ray's arm was pretty close to crossing the line for me

 

I think the honeymoon stage they're in is "we're having fun with other" not "we're in love with each other" so it's not like they would have had a hard time keeping their hands off each other, especially at work.

 

With respect to whether Oliver should have told Lance about Sara or left it up to Laurel, I'm a supporter of  Niemoller's philosophy "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—" so I do think that Oliver should have told him but that's a matter of personal belief.  It's the slippery slope of how much do you let a parent make the decisions (punishment) for a child, or in this case, a child for a parent.

 

[quarks]

A bit late to this.  But:

 

Good things:

 

1. Line of the night:  "To go buy my evil dad some soup."  Triple bonus for confirming what I've always expected: Thea never learned how to cook. Roy, be prepared to take on most of the kitchen duties. Thea, you are really growing on me.

 

2. Speaking of that: the Thea/Roy scene at the end.  Quadruple bonus for getting that poor girl out of the apartment where her evil dad is sleeping on the couch. (Why are you doing this to the poor girl, Oliver? Why?  He's an EVIL DAD!)

 

3. Quentin not letting Oliver/the Arrow off the hook about Sara, and making it clear that Oliver's ongoing lies about things like this cause more harm than good.  Also, kudos to Paul Blackthorne - that was one of his strongest scenes this season. (Not that he's had many, but still.)

 

4. Diggle's incredulous response to Ra's Al Ghul. More of this, please.

 

5. Actually, just more Diggle, please. 

 

Also, "momentarily."  I laughed.

 

6. The interweaving Daddy issues themes between Thea, Nyssa, and Laurel.  Several episodes of Arrow this season have been missing that sort of thematic link, so it was good to see it back again.  Minus a few points for attempting to compare Thea and Nyssa's genuine issues with sociopathic fathers and Laurel's self-created issue with her father.

 

7. Speaking of Nyssa, this was arguably her episode, and she ruled here: starting with refusing to accommodate Thea's suicidal tendencies, her confrontation with her father, and her attempt to bridge the gap back to humanity with Laurel.  

 

8. I can't believe I'm typing this, but I'm liking the Laurel/Nyssa friendship here.  Largely because - pay attention, show - unlike in previous Laurel/Nyssa and some of the previous Laurel/Felicity scenes, this felt earned. The two women were clearly still wary of each other and still uncertain, but also still desperately lonely and hurting. It made sense - and Katie Cassidy does play off Katrina Law quite nicely.  (That, or Katrina Law's overwhelming hotness kept me from seeing any problems with the scene. You decide.)

 

9. Oliver! Felicity! Talking! Bantering! What a concept!  Also, awwwwww.

 

Also, Oliver admitting to Felicity that he was once an assassin, and Felicity accepting that.

 

Also:  "And you were right."  "A thank you and a you were right. I should really be recording this."  (Wait, Felicity, you don't have little webcams up for moments like this? I'm disappointed.  Especially since Malcolm does.)

 

10. Oooh, Oliver really has learned how to shoot his arrows all the way up to the moon! That will be useful.

 

 

11. Ra's apparently torn between trying to offer a job or a date - I mean, the romantic lighting, the hot tub.....

 

Questionable things:

 

1. Wait: Ra's is really choosing Oliver as his successor just because Oliver survived falling off a cliff?  Ra's, Oliver can't even pronounce your name correctly. Ra's, if this show has taught us anything, it's that the world is filled with people willing to kill who can pronounce your name correctly and probably even have better leadership skills.  (We are speaking about Oliver Queen, after all.) Try tossing them off cliffs and seeing if they survive.

 

2. Speaking of the League of Assassins, do they not have Skype?  If not, why aren't they recruiting Felicity to set up their communications system instead of wasting time with Oliver?

 

2. Murmur looked cool, but was otherwise fairly dull.  Oh well; he wasn't the point of this episode.

 

3. Why is Oliver still protecting Malcolm and letting the guy stay on the couch, instead of just abandoning him in wherever Nanda Parbat is? Oliver! You have a family! It's called Team Arrow plus Thea plus Lyla plus Team Flash (sorta) plus Laurel (to be fair), none of whom, to give them all due credit, have brainwashed your sister so she would kill your ex girlfriend.  (Granted, a pretty low bar.) You don't need Malcolm! Thea doesn't need Malcolm!

 

I know the actual answer is "because plot" and "because Malcolm will be needed in upcoming episodes," but surely "plot" and "needed in upcoming episodes" could also be served by putting Malcolm, not Nyssa, in a cage?

 

Bad things:

 

1. Look, I get that we have to handwave a lot with Arrow. Really, I do. For instance, unlike everyone else here, I am perfectly willing to accept that Nanda Parbat moves around and is sometimes in the United States when Nyssa needs to go there and back within a single night and sometimes in Asia when characters need to make a really long trip. Or that the League of Assassins uses Hot Tub Portkeys, which have the added advantage of soothing muscles still sore from all that killing, though supervillains strongly recommend spending no more than 15 minutes per day in said Hot Tub Portkeys to avoid any issues of dizziness.

 

With that said, what I cannot accept is that a white guy can sneak through Hong Kong and make it all the way to where those gardens were without getting noticed by whatever agents are chasing him. It's like believing that a guy who just recently took a no-killing vow would seriously consider becoming the head of a league of trained assassins....oh. Wait.

 

While I'm complaining about the flashbacks, why isn't Flashback Oliver trying to call home again?  Yes, ARGUS is presumably monitoring various payphones, but Oliver has learned how to steal things, like, say, random cell phones from passers by, and he could easily try to call and reach his mother, Thea, Raisa, Tommy or even Laurel, all of whom would recognize his voice. 

 

2. Oliver, dude. It's entirely possible that your relationship issues start and end with the fact that you think it's acceptable to have Malcolm resting on Thea's couch after Malcolm brainwashed the poor girl into killing Sara. That was mean.  And in an episode where you were otherwise such a teddy bear.  

 

And now, Laurel:

 

It's amazing how, even in one of her better episodes, she still manages to fail.

 

Number of times Laurel fails as a human being, four: 1. Thinking that fast food is going to be enough to start mending things between her and her father. Laurel. You lied to your father about your sister's death.  Fast food isn't going to cut it. 2. Demanding that Quentin forgive her on her time schedule, which, Laurel, no.  You're not the victim here. He is. 3. Failing to apologize to Oliver, Felicity, Diggle and Roy for putting them in that position. Laurel, you know that Quentin already has an issue with Roy, you presumably know that Quentin has identified Roy as Arsenal/Red Arrow, and that Roy could easily be arrested for various things.  The entire Quentin/Oliver confrontation genuinely shook Oliver up, to the point where Oliver was even willing to consider joining a group of assassins, after vowing that the killing would stop, like, thanks Laurel, and although I think Oliver was wrong to go along with Laurel's lie, Laurel was equally at fault for putting him into that position.  4. Creating such a deep wedge between her father and Team Arrow that Quentin refused to answer Felicity's phone call, directly leading to the deaths of police officers, like, great, Laurel, how many other people can you manage to get killed? 

 

Number of times Laurel fails as an attorney: At this point, it more seems that the show has forgotten that she is an attorney. 

 

Number of times Laurel fails as a vigilante, five: Oh, where do I begin?  1. Failing to notice Thea's obvious lie about how Nyssa got out of the cage.  2. Failing to jump out of the way of a truck. 3. Needing Oliver to rescue her from an incoming truck. Not a bad guy, not a weapon, a truck.  (Cool shot, but, still.) 4. Wasting time arguing with her father when the police station is under attack, like, Laurel, choose your moments. This isn't one of them.  5. Needing to get rescued by an evil if incredibly hot and sexy assassin. 

 

On the bright side, Laurel did at least offer that assassin dinner, so improvement there, and for once, we saw her actively trying to help people. Katie Cassidy also got in her best scene since her little bit with Sara's toy shark way back in episode two, so that was good.  But against that, this is the seventh episode this season alone where Laurel has needed to be rescued. Given that this is episode 16, and that Laurel wasn't in a previous episode and was barely in another, this essentially means that Laurel has needed to be rescued in seven out of 14 episodes this season, or 50% of the time. Call me crazy, but this might just be why some viewers are having problems accepting her as a superhero. And that's without even considering that Laurel's incompetence (in Midnight City) and lies (in this episode) have gotten people killed.

 

Don't get me wrong: I appreciate that the show isn't making Laurel an instant vigilante. But continuing to go into the field after this sort of failure rate doesn't make me admire her - although I get that the show thinks it should. It makes me think that what she should be doing is exactly what she originally said she would be doing: pretend to be the Canary to intimidate criminals, rather than actually try to be the Canary until she's trained to do so - or learns how to properly use Sara's sonic device. I'll be honest, too: part of me is reacting this way because until/unless Thea and/or Nyssa join the group, Laurel is the only Team Arrow woman fighting in the field  (I'm not counting Felicity running over Isabel in the van) - and it bothers me that although Oliver, Diggle and Roy have also needed to be rescued, they haven't needed it quite as often. 

 

Hopefully training with Nyssa will improve matters here.

[kismet]

Never too late to the party quarks. Made some valid points. Loved some of your commentary. Got me thinking about the assassin line though. Do we think that felicity knows any of his time as an assassin? Do u think she thought he was just referring to his early times as the hood? It does make me wonder how fs will respond when she finds out the depth of his assassin past. Hes mentioned missions, but im thinking the only person that might have a deeper knowledge of his assassin past is diggle. But I think that will be something more to explore when we get into his bratva past. But the line was just dropped in there with no real response or reaction from either of them.

[quarks]

Felicity's been able to put things together before. She knows Oliver wasn't always on the island, and that he was in Hong Kong. And that during his time in Hong Kong, for whatever reason, he was not able to contact his family. She also knows that Oliver didn't call himself an assassin back when he was the Hood.  And that at some point in those five years, he learned how to kill.  She stated she'd already guessed that he hadn't been on the island the entire time, so I think it's very possible that she either immediately realized, or will realized, that he wasn't using the word lightly.

 

I suspect the worst of the assassin stuff is coming up in next season's flashbacks, so it will be explored more then, but for right now, I think it's safe to say that Felicity is aware that Oliver has a very dark past, and she's accepting that.

[kismet]

Felicity's been able to put things together before. She knows Oliver wasn't always on the island, and that he was in Hong Kong. And that during his time in Hong Kong, for whatever reason, he was not able to contact his family. She also knows that Oliver didn't call himself an assassin back when he was the Hood. And that at some point in those five years, he learned how to kill. She stated she'd already guessed that he hadn't been on the island the entire time, so I think it's very possible that she either immediately realized, or will realized, that he wasn't using the word lightly.

I suspect the worst of the assassin stuff is coming up in next season's flashbacks, so it will be explored more then, right now, I think it's safe to say ur right that Felicity is aware that Oliver has a very dark past, and she's accepting that.

I agree most of it will be explored next season. I appreciate that felicity is aware of his dark past and is still accepting of him. I think it speaks a lot to the depth of their friendship or whatever their relationship is. I do think it will provide some realistic drama as they work through it next season or whenever they get to it. I guess similar to SA im already thinking about s4. How he works through it will hopefully be handled better than some of the forced angst this season.

[wonderwall]

A bit late to this.  But:

 

It was a hot debate a little earlier, but did you think the flirtiness at the end between O/F was uncalled for or did you not mind it? I just love your posts and your thoughts. I seriously think that if I were to ever create a debate team for Arrow, I'd want you on mine :p 

[millennium]

Even if I could set aside my disgust at how shamelessly the Arrow writing team has cannibalized the Batman mythos, I still couldn't forgive them for that utterly predictable and beyond cliched "twist" at the end.

 

The gimmick of a bad guy impersonating a superhero by donning the costume and getting up to no good is one of the oldest plots in the history of comic books.    It has been Done. To. Death.

 

But to take a looming, mysterious figure like Ra's Al Ghul and reduce him to a mere Arrow imposter just adds insult to the injury.  Ra's could have had any one of his minions do the deed for him.   Instead we're supposed to believe he put on his Peter Pan outfit and flew over to Starling City just to defame Oliver (by the way, has Jet Blue set up a direct route between Nanda Parbat and Starling City or what?).  

 

And just like that, Ra's Al Ghul goes from deadly swordsman on a frozen peak to a figure even less intimidating than Malcolm.

 

Each week I am staggered by the new lows this series sinks to.

ETA: I didn't see this before I made my post above, but yes, exactly.  They think we are all stupid.

 

Having Ra's in person show up in Starling was definitely stupid, but I believe they did it because they assume the audience is stupid, and wouldn't have understood that Ra's was the one setting the plan in motion, had it been someone else doing it.

Edited March 24, 2015 by millennium

[apinknightmare]

They think we are all stupid.

To be fair, there probably are a large number of people who might not put together that the copycat Arrow was doing Ra's bidding. It's not like Oliver doesn't have his share of enemies -they just didn't want there to be any doubt in the audience's mind about who exactly was behind it.

Arrow is popcorn viewing for a lot of people who probably don't pay super close attention to what they're watching. The show was just doing the legwork for those people.

[millennium]

I think it would have had much more impact if it had been Maseo impersonating the Arrow.    It would have had the added sting of betrayal and at the same time would have demonstrated the dominance Ra's has over his League if he can make Oliver's former brother in arms defile his reputation.   And even casual viewers know Maseo is part of the League now and thus connected to Ra's.

Edited March 24, 2015 by millennium

[apinknightmare]

I think even then people would've wondered if Maseo was working on Ra's orders or if he had some sort of score he was trying to settle against Oliver.

I agree it would've been interesting to see, but there's a time for nuance, and then there's getting your point across. They had a few seconds to let the audience know that Oliver was getting ready to pay for saying no. Having Ra's do the job himself was the clearest way to show that.

[quarks]

It was a hot debate a little earlier, but did you think the flirtiness at the end between O/F was uncalled for or did you not mind it? I just love your posts and your thoughts. I seriously think that if I were to ever create a debate team for Arrow, I'd want you on mine :p 

 

Aw, thanks.  

 

I didn't mind the flirtiness between Oliver and Felicity in the end - but that's both because I thought it was pretty light, all things considered, and because I thought the real declaration came earlier, with Felicity's "You and I are not together - but that was your choice."  Between that and her little jump away from Ray at the beginning of the episode, I thought she had already made it clear that she would leave Ray the second Oliver said the word - which is why I'm in complete agreement with those over on the relationship thread arguing that Oliver's not really going to have to work for Felicity at all once May arrives. 

 

I'm debating about whether or not to put another response up in the Mind Your Surroundings (to compare to Iris/Barry) or Relationship threads.

 

To be fair, there probably are a large number of people who might not put together that the copycat Arrow was doing Ra's bidding. It's not like Oliver doesn't have his share of enemies -they just didn't want there to be any doubt in the audience's mind about who exactly was behind it.

Arrow is popcorn viewing for a lot of people who probably don't pay super close attention to what they're watching. The show was just doing the legwork for those people.

 

This.  Even self-described "major" fans often get various things wrong - one fan told me that Sara was a nurse when she got on the boat with Oliver; another fan insisted that the Oliver/Felicity kiss in "Unthinkable" wasn't cut, but was in the original broadcast; several fans seem to be under the impression that Moira was in sole control of QC before and after Robert Queen got on the boat, and that Robert worked for her and Walter was just a minor company accountant; one fan told me that Laurel and Sebastian Blood slept together and had a sex scene on the show; another fan said that Wells came over with Team Flash in the "The Brave and the Bold" episode; and one fan thought that Slade was from the U.S. and working for ARGUS while on the island and that Shado was involved with the Chinese mafia and worked for Chin Na Wei. (Which, ok, based on the last scene in the flashback in this episode, might end up being sorta true.)  I think the commentary on this forum is so excellent that it tends to make us - ok, me - forget that not everyone watches/remembers the show at the same level of detail that we do here.

[kismet]

I also feel like the writers were trying to be a little original in having Ras come & do the killing themselves, since they spent most of s2 (at least at this point in s2) have Slade delegate all of his tasks to torture OQ. It showed that Ras was a little more hands on.

 

In regards to Ras being able to shoot a bow/arrow & previous events-

There has been speculation that Ras is the one behind Sara's death & not MM/TQ. I wonder if this was also a breadcrumb to show audiences that Ras can use a bow, so if they want to say that he killed Sara himself it can link back to this scene of him being able to shoot proficiently & imitate another's shooting style.

[fantique]

Congrats Arrow, You're really back. I was dreading seeing this episode but the first couple of posts here convinced me.

Ahh, so good!!!!

No awkward Olicity tension (I don't even hate Ray as much now)

I love Laurel with Nyssa in a completely non gratuitous prop way

There was ACTUAL COMMUNICATION

I am enjoying Ra's and his lack of fucks to give about Oliver's wittle dilemma: answer is yes or yes, sir. Love it.

Oliver saw the light and stopped acting like he lives in a vacuum

Diggle was awesome

Thea was great

Malcolm is climbing back up in my esteem

I LOVE IT!!!! Where have you been show?

Edited March 25, 2015 by fantique

[tv echo]

316 (The Offer) – Oliver Queen’s voiceover intro:
Oliver (voiceover): “My name is Oliver Queen. After five years in hell, I have come home with only one goal - to save my city. Now others have joined my crusade. To them, I'm Oliver Queen. To the rest of Starling City, I am someone else. I am… something else.”

316 (The Offer) – Ra’s al Ghul tempts Oliver with his offer to become the new Ra’s:
Oliver: "Is all of this supposed to impress me?"
Ra's: "No. It's to inform you. Surely men have branded you a murderer, a torturer. But see, I would never shame you with such bluntness. Because I see it in your eyes. The struggle you have with your dual identity. Oliver Queen and the Arrow. Neither are giving you what you crave.”
Oliver: “But becoming Ra's al Ghul will?”
Ra’s: “Oliver Queen is a man destined to be alone. He loves a woman he knows he cannot have.”
Oliver: “You don't know me.”
Ra’s: “But I know the Arrow. ‘Al Sah-him’ will never be anything more than a vigilante for those whose lives you save at the risk of your own. And the city will turn on you, and your closest allies within the police department will call you a criminal. You will be scorned and hunted, and then killed. Dying as you began your crusade… alone.”

316 (The Offer) – Oliver returns from Nanda Parbat and tells the team that they got Malcolm back from Ra’s al Ghul:
Laurel: "Well, thank God. You know, just because I'm furious with you, that doesn't mean I want you dead.” 
Felicity: “What about Malcolm? I mean, I know Laurel wants him dead, I mean, is he?” 
Oliver: “Nope. We got him back.” 
Felicity: “Well, I suppose ‘congrats’ and ‘why, oh why, did you do that’ are in order.”
(Oliver releases Nyssa from the cage.)
Laurel: “Oliver. Oliver, what are you doing?!”
Oliver: “You're free to go.” 
Nyssa: “My father would never trade my life for yours. And he certainly wouldn't do it for Malcolm Merlyn's.” 
Oliver: “He didn't.” 
Nyssa: “If no bargain was struck, then how are you still alive?”
Oliver: “Go home, Nyssa.” (Nyssa leaves)
Felicity: “Okay. Well, I don't understand anything anymore.” 
Laurel: “Why did Ra's –“
Oliver: “It doesn't matter. Let's focus on what does. Somewhere, this is someone that needs a reminder that we are still watching over this city.”
Felicity: “Well, there is a robbery in progress at the Kingston Property depot on Third. New shipment just arrived. I'm assuming whatever it is, it's worth a lot of money.”
Oliver: “Okay. Suit up.” 
Roy: “Oliver –“
Oliver: “Suit up.”

316 (The Offer) – After fighting some bad guys, Oliver has to save Laurel and tells her that she still needs training:
Oliver: "You still need training."
Laurel: "When are you going to stop telling me that?"
Oliver: "When you no longer need training."

316 (The Offer) – Felicity identifies Michael Amar AKA Murmur as the guy with his lips sewn shut, and also senses that something is wrong with Oliver but he doesn’t confide in her:
Felicity: "What would you say if I told you that I just connected the virtual TCP to the open source sensor?” 
Ray: “I would say you only think you did, because I've been trying to figure that out for over two weeks.” 
Felicity: “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I have been trying for at least two full minutes.” 
Ray: “Ah! Let me see.” 
Felicity: “Oh, you don't believe me.” 
Ray: “Well, no, I'll just, uh, make sure you did it right.” 
Felicity: “Oh, and if I'm right?”
Ray: “Then I will take you to the best steak dinner you've ever had.”
Felicity: “Hmm.” 
Ray: “Which, I'd probably do anyway.” 
Felicity: “Well, I hope it's better than that fusion place you took me to, where I needed this microscope to find the food.”
(Ray chuckles. Just then Oliver knocks on the entrance to the office.) 
Felicity: “Oliver, hey. What are you doing here? I mean, it's nice to see you here.” 
Oliver; “Nice to see you again, Mr. Palmer.” 
Ray: “Likewise. And please, call me Ray.” 
Oliver: “Okay. Ray. May I speak with Felicity for a few minutes, please?” 
Ray: “Uh, absolutely.” (He leaves) 
Oliver: “Thank you. Should have called. 
Felicity: “No. I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier when you got back.” 
Oliver; “You don't owe me anything.”
Felicity: “That's not true. You're one of my closest friends.” 
Oliver: “We went up against a new crew last night. One of them had his lips sewn shut.”
Felicity: “Is that a real thing?”
Oliver: “Apparently.”
Felicity: “Ugh. If only I had known I had that option. (Sighs) Okay. (Works on computer) Michael Amar?”
Oliver: “Yeah.” 
Felicity: “Hmm. Street name's ‘Murmur’ because of the whole lip stitch thing. Practitioners say it focuses the mind like meditation... You okay?”
Oliver: “I handed some of Amar's men over to Lance. He knows the Arrow knew about Sara, didn't tell him.” 
Felicity: “What did Lance say?” 
Oliver: “Some variation on ‘Go to hell.’" 
Felicity: “Oliver, he just needs time.”
Oliver: “No, he's right. I lied to him. For months. Kept something from him, and he had every right to know.” 
Felicity: “Are you okay? I mean, besides Lance and the whole me and Ray thing? I mean, it just seems like there's something else going on underneath all that.”
Oliver: “I'm fine. Thanks for help with Amar's name.”

316 (The Offer) – Oliver opens up to Diggle about how he’s seriously considering accepting Ra’s al Ghul’s offer:
Oliver: "His name is Michael Amar."
Diggle: "Yeah, got him here. Got out of Iron Heights two months ago.” 
Oliver: “Did he escape?”
Diggle: “No, released. Turns out he was serving a sentence based on a coerced confession. Cops beat it out of him.”
Roy: “He confessed to a crime he didn't commit? I might sew my mouth shut, too.”
Oliver: “He's not innocent anymore. What was he after tonight?”
Roy: “His crew made off with a couple of crates, all containing these - industrial grade diamonds. But word on the street is this shipment was loaded with high end jewels they didn't take.”
Oliver: “Why would he steal worthless diamonds?”
Diggle: “That's the million dollar question.”
Roy: “Actually, street value's only worth a couple thousand.”
Diggle: “We could use Felicity on this, Oliver.”
Oliver: “She's pre-occupied.” 
Roy: “I know a couple of fences from my less socially responsible days. I could talk to them, see if I can find out where Amar is trying to move these diamonds.”
Oliver: “That's a good idea.” (Roy leaves)
Diggle: “You want to tell me what's going on now?” 
Oliver: “Ra's predicted this. He said that the city would turn against me and I would die alone. And we come back, and the first thing that happens is Lance is shutting me out, and… I see Felicity with Palmer. It's like he looked into my future.”
Diggle: “Sounds to me like Ra's is playing with your head. Question is, why are you letting him?”
Oliver: “He wants me to take his place in the League of Assassins. That's why he let us go. As a sign of good faith.” 
Diggle: “Is there even a world where he can imagine you saying 'yes'?” 
Oliver: “He said that I can do more as the new Ra's than I could ever do as Oliver Queen or the Arrow. That I would have unlimited resources. That I could make a difference, not just a dent.”
Diggle: “You're not really considering this? Just because Captain Lance is angry and Felicity is momentarily unavailable.” 
Oliver: “It's more than that. I just - John, tell me honestly… what have we accomplished?” 
Diggle: “Oliver –“
Oliver: “All the people that we put away, John, they got out. The city is no better off. The Arrow is not… is not making a difference. And if I just can't be me… and the Arrow isn't enough –“
Diggle: “Oliver.”
Oliver: “Then maybe I should be Ra's al Ghul.”

316 (The Offer) – Felicity reassures Oliver of her commitment to what they’re doing and then tries to talk Oliver out of accepting Ra’s al Ghul’s offer:
Oliver: "Hi. Where's Diggle?"
Felicity: "He's out with Roy. They're on their way back.”
Oliver: “Thanks for coming.”
Felicity: “Where else would I be? It's not rhetorical. Ray and I may be a something, but that doesn't change my commitment to what we're doing here.”
Oliver: “Good.”
Felicity: “What about your commitment? John might have told me about your employment offer from Evil Incorporated. He also might have told me that you may be considering it, which is, by the way, insane. There's a League of Assassins. That is not the name of a nice group.”
Oliver: “I've been an assassin. There is more than one path to justice.”
Felicity: “There are a lot of different ways I can answer that. All varying on the theme of ‘you're crazy,’ but I'm going to go with, what makes you think that you're not already on the right path?”
Oliver: “Okay. Okay. 'Cause it's been over two years. You tell me. What have I really accomplished? My mother's dead. Tommy. Sara. Crime's not down, and my sister is in ten different kinds of pain right now.”
Felicity: “So you leave. Then what? All the people you've lost, all the sacrifices you've made, it would have been for nothing.”
Oliver: “I don't know why I'm doing this anymore.”
Felicity: “I can't answer that for you. Yes, Captain Lance is shutting you out, but I don't believe you're the Arrow so that people can say ‘thank you.’ And, yes, you and I are not together, but that was your choice. When we thought you were dead, each one of us had to figure out why we were doing all this. Seems like it's your turn.”
Roy (entering with Diggle): “Are we interrupting something?”
Oliver: “What do you have?”
Diggle: “Just talked to a friend of mine who used to run a munitions depot back when I was in Afghanistan. I think I know why our guy is so interested in low grade diamonds.”
Roy: “The type of diamonds Amar and his crew are interested in is used to make diamond-tipped bullets. They can go through body armor like tissue paper.”
Felicity: “Okay. So who wears body armor?”
Roy: “The police. The guys who beat that false confession out him, who put him in prison. He's going to get payback.”
Oliver: “Okay. Roy, suit up. Dig, I need you to secure the perimeter of the station. Felicity –“
Felicity: “’Call Captain Lance,’ I'm already on it.”

316 (The Offer) – Quentin tells Laurel that he can’t forgive her for lying to him about Sara:
(Quentin is working in his office at the S.C.P.D., when Laurel visits.)
Laurel: “Peace offering.” (Holds up Chinese take-out food bag)
Quentin: “I already ate.”
Laurel: “Right. You know, it's funny - a friend of mine is having trouble with her father. The son of a bitch is barely human, but you - you know, history has taught me that you'll give me the cold shoulder for a while. And then you'll move on to blowing up at me. And then finally, you'll let it all out at a dinner that I've dragged you to after days of pleading. But my point is, is just let me have it! I deserve every minute of it. And I am ready to take it, but don't you think for one second that I am giving up on us.”
Quentin: “When you were a little girl, you used to wait up for me when I was on nights. You couldn't fall asleep until I walked through that front door.”
Laurel: “I remember.”
Quentin: “Yeah. You were always the protector of this family, of everyone. Laurel Lance… always trying to save the world. You can't save this.”
Laurel: “Dad.”
Quentin: “You don't know how hard I've tried to forgive you for lying to me the way you did. I'm not proud of it. You're my daughter and I'll always love you, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you.”
(They hear gunfire as criminals attack the S.C.P.D. precinct.)

316 (The Offer) – Oliver rescues Quentin and tells him that he doesn’t do this for the thanks:
Felicity: "Police band is filled with reports of gunfire at the precinct.”
Oliver (on motorcycle, over comms): “Any luck getting to Lance? 
Felicity: “Still trying.”
(Cut to police precinct.)
Quentin: “I'll lay down cover fire, you haul ass for the exit.”
Laurel: “I'm not leaving you!”
Quentin: “Just because you think you're some kind of hero now doesn't mean I'm not going to protect my daughter. Now on my move, you run! Go, go, go!”
(Laurel runs and is confronted by a man with a gun, but masked Nyssa appears and shoots the guy with an arrow.)
Laurel: “My father's back there!”
(Amar is choking Quentin when Oliver and Roy drop down from ceiling, and Oliver shoots Amar with arrow. Oliver, Roy, Nyssa and Laurel fight bad guys. Oliver pursues Amar into back alley and defeats him. Quentin comes out, and they look at each other.)
Quentin: “What, are you waiting around for a thank you?”
Oliver: “That's not why I do this.”

316 (The Offer) – Felicity tells Oliver that, as long as he is in her life, she’s happy:
Felicity (whistles): “Nice work.” 
Oliver: “Not without a few casualties, but Amar is in custody.”
Felicity: “So that's a ‘no’ on the whole victory dance thing, then?” 
Oliver: “You know me. I don't dance. But I do occasionally say ‘thank you.’” 
Felicity: “You're welcome.” 
Oliver: “And you were right.” 
Felicity: “Ah, a ‘thank you’ and a ‘you were right.’ I should really be recording this.” 
Oliver: “I started all of this because of my father, to… right his wrongs. It became something more. But I never stopped to think about it or about why… until you asked me to.”
Felicity: “And what was the answer?”
Oliver: “Tonight at the precinct, the only thing that I could think about was… those police officers, and how their families were counting on me, and Roy, and Diggle, to get them home safe. That's why I'm doing this.”
Felicity: “So… that means a pass on becoming the most handsome Demon's Head ever?”
Oliver: “It means I'm not ready to give up on what we're doing here.” 
Felicity: “You know, you’re always saying how you just want me to be happy? Well, the thing is… as long as you’re in my life, I am.”
(Felicity’s phone rings. It’s Ray calling.)
Felicity: “I should probably take this.” (She leaves)

316 (The Offer) – Nyssa offers to train Laurel:
Nyssa: "Are you all right?'
Laurel: "What are you doing here?"
Nyssa: “Looking for you, actually. I missed your sister. I suppose I wanted something to remind me of her."
Laurel: "Now's really not the best time."
Nyssa: "Are you... having problems with your father? I have some experience in that area. Do you want to talk about it?"
Laurel: "With you? You know what? I could use a reminder of Sara, too. Dinner's on me."
Nyssa: "During the fighting, your technique was competent."
Laurel: "Why do I feel like that's your idea of a compliment?"
Nyssa: "It could certainly be improved."
Laurel: "Is that an offer to teach me?"
Nyssa: "I have nowhere else to go."

Edited February 21, 2020 by tv echo