S05.E02: The Recruits

[TVHappy9463]

Wilddog can go now. Thank you. And again, this show is cluttering up the landscape with multiple villains and too many people on the team.  I was ok with adding Curtis until John got back, but please get rid of the rest.  And while Church is cool, then why do we need the dude in the mask with the arrows.  C'mon man, pick a villain.  

It's like they took the over crowded, muddy, formula from LOT and brought it over here.  It didn't work there, and it is certainly not working here. 

Stephen Ammell is a strong engaging lead, he doesn't need a lot of propping up.  

[Lily-n11]

 

Well I liked it. I liked it a lot. IMO the promos are quite misleading. For example: Promos for 501 were full of newbies and they were barely in it, some not at all. I just don't get why the show refuses to promote the "old" characters (as in Diggle, Quentin and Thea). I hope they do better in the future.

The action scenes are better with less characters to concentrate on. That's a step up from season 4. And I think the balance between action and character moments was better as well. I need that to enjoy an episode.  I liked the moments with  Thea/Quentin, Oliver/Ragman and Diggle with the guy who's dead now. Kudos to DR for making me care about a character we've never seen before.

501 had not enough Diggle but 502 makes me curious where the show goes with his story. I was surprised that he went back to the military to get away from making decisions. Just follow the chain of command. That's not the Diggle I knew for 4 years. I like his story so far but I also can't wait for him to be back in Starling City.

Surprisingly out of the newbies I like Ragman the best so far. Also surprisingly I don't like Curtis as much as I did last season. I can't quite decide if it was just this episode but if they keep writing him this way I might want him to be the first to quit the team.

Felicity pulling a season 1 Oliver with the bad excuses? LoL. As I concentrated on EBR I found it quite easy to ignore the boyfriend. That works for me right now. But I do hope the break up in the near future.

If the show is indead "writing away from the romance" Oliver and Felicity (or SA and EBR) did not get the memo. I liked their interactions. After we missed all the development between seasons 2/3 and 3/4 this is what I wanted. For the show to actually show not just tell.

Side note: the current salmon ladder looks a little bit unstable and way smaller than the original one from the foundry. It did not feel like it did in season 2. I have to see it again with Oliver shirtless. For science.

[Sunshine]

This one looks more like Ray's salmon ladder. Maybe it's more portable and therefore not quite as sturdy. :-)

[dtissagirl]

Looking at the screentimes -- needs. more. Diggle. Needs A WHOLE LOT MORE Diggle. Please come back soon, Diggle, and steal some of the boobs' screentime back for you. Please and thank you.

[Morrigan2575]

I went on record as hating the boobs before they even showed up (excluding Curtis since we knew him already).

However,  after 502 I'm kind of liking Wild Dog. Evelyn is a waste but, I knew that from 419 plus her SPN Episodes (girl can't act).  I have no interest in Ragman and resent him just because he's wearing magic rags. This might change if he ever becomes a real boy.

What shocked me is that i don't like Curtis on the team. He just doesn't seem to fit and seems to be infringing on other characters roles because they don't have an actual role for him.

Wild Dog is easy to spot he's the New Roy, streetwise sidekick with anger/trust issues who's antagonistic against Oliver.

Curtis though they seem to bounce around, he's (at various times)  filling Felicity and/or Diggle's role.

[Lily-n11]

14 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Curtis though they seem to bounce around, he's (at various times)  filling Felicity and/or Diggle's role.

I did not want to write it but the way they have him change his mind about Oliver reminded me of season 1 Laurel. Talk him up, tear him down. That's not gonna make me like him, just like it make me grrrr about LL.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Lily-n11

[looptab]

Quote

Wild Dog is easy to spot he's the New Roy, streetwise sidekick with anger/trust issues who's antagonistic against Oliver.

I liked the old one so much better :(

[tangerine95]

I didn't like Curtis on the team either tbh and I like him as a character and like his dynamic with Felicity so I was expecting him to be the only one of the newbies I liked. But I really feel that his motivation for becoming a fighter is more about because comics than what actually makes sense on the show. I don't get why he needs to become a fighter when according to Oliver he's lame at it.He's a genius to such a level that he can cure paralysis, I don't see why not use his skills to help the city in that way like Felicity does instead of wasting time being extra muscle.

And yeah I agree he doesn't seem to have an narrative role or something new to bring to the team.Plus his angry speech to Oliver annoyed me because it was out of line, wasn't even true especially the part about why Thea and Digg left and I don't really feel like he even knows Oliver enough to be getting scenes like that at this point. 

I actually liked Ragman the best out of the newbies. I liked his scene with Oliver and want to see how Felicity and him interact. The rest of them I don't really care if they left the next episode,  I would just be relieved it's less crowded in the bunker. 

[looptab]

13 minutes ago, Lily-n11 said:

I did not want to write it but the way they have him change his mind about Oliver reminded me of season 1 Laurel. Talk him up, tear him down. That's not gonna make me like him, just like it make me grrrr about LL.

While I didn't especially appreciate that tirade he made to Oliver -  way OTT - Oliver acted like an ass, so I don't blame him for it.

By the way, Felicity said that the old team started with Oliver lying about his true identity, and that's not true. Oliver approached Diggle and Felicity as Oliver first, and then revealed he was the Arrow. The only people he lied to were Laurel and Roy, since they had plenty of interactions with the Hood/Arrow before Slade or Oliver himself revealed who he was. And Thea got the OTA treatment - sort of.

[Morrigan2575]

26 minutes ago, tangerine95 said:

I actually liked Ragman the best out of the newbies. I liked his scene with Oliver and want to see how Felicity and him interact. The rest of them I don't really care if they left the next episode,  I would just be relieved it's less crowded in the bunker. 

Right now, all he is, is an angry guy in a mask. I can't even call him a character just yet because he really isn't a person (to me).

There's certainly a ton of potential, sole survivor of Havenrock, has anger/guilt/vengence issues and he's going to have a huge impact on Felicity (going by her face after the reveal).  

I just need more before i can forgive the stupid magic rags.

[statsgirl]

I wonder if they put Curtis in there training because it looks better to have three boobs in training than just two.  But I agree that he doesn't quite fit in and if I didn't know that he had a comic book destiny, I'd say that once Ragman joins and Diggle and Thea come back, he would step back in take more of a Cisco role.  Sadly, I don't think that will be the case.

Wild Dog to me is like Laurel, a badly underwritten character, arrogant and off-putting, with no real motivation or sense of who the person is  yet.  If they hadn't spent so much time promoting him, I'd say he can go.

The actress playing Evelyn has had the least promotion so maybe she's the first to drop out. 

Quote

501 had not enough Diggle but 502 makes me curious where the show goes with his story. I was surprised that he went back to the military to get away from making decisions. Just follow the chain of command. That's not the Diggle I knew for 4 years.

It is strange considering he was always someone to make Oliver think independently.  I can only fanwank it that he was so traumatized by his own decision to kill Andy that all he wants to do now is follow someone else's orders.
 

Edited October 17, 2016 by statsgirl

[Lily-n11]

I didn't even need to fanwank it. It's exactly what I thought what he was doing. Run away and let other people make the hard decicions.

[Hiveminder]

4 hours ago, looptab said:

While I didn't especially appreciate that tirade he made to Oliver -  way OTT - Oliver acted like an ass, so I don't blame him for it 

I don't think I would have minded half as much if Curtis had said true things. I somehow doubt Thea and Digg had heartfelt conversations with him about why they were leaving the team. I suppose Felicity could have told him a little about it, but I doubt she told him they left because of Oliver because they didn't. 

I think Ragman has potential. I have an idea of his headspace and why he would want to be a vigilante, and it's a sympathetic reason. I can feel for this guy. 

I don't get why Wild Dog is there.  He has a chip on his shoulder, but I don't know why. Maybe when we learn more about him I'll warm up, but right now he's just abrasive. 

Evelyn's just kind of there. 

[EmilyBettFan]

I like Echo but, I've always been irked by Curtis whenever he's in a scene. The only time I liked him was when he was with Felicity during the double down card scenes.

[AudienceofOne]

If I hear the words 'Laurel Lance' one more time...

[statsgirl]

I re-watched ep 502 thinking maybe I had been too harsh but nope, it really is bad.  I's worse, I cringed all the way through  Oliver training the newbies and Felicity mugging like crazy and the whole unpleasantness of Rene, Evelyn and Curtis bitching at him all episode. I'm not surprised Rory is the most popular, he's the one person on that team that isn't awful or awful in interactions with Oliver.

I want to like the Thea/Quentin plot but she's so naive about addiction, especially considering her drug use in season 1.

I thought the best things about the episode were Oliver saying that he has so extreme in his training methods because Laurel wasn't trained well enough and she died* and the Bratva flashbacks.

* Of course the real reason Laurel died was not because she wasn't trained enough but because Damian Darhk fridge her with magic to send a message to Quentin (and Oliver and Diggle were stupid enough to let the idol be reconstructed) but let's not ruin a good moment.

[tv echo]

Between 501 and 502, Felicity crossed over to The Flash 302. Therefore, I'm posting transcriptions from that Flash episode as well as this episode...

The Flash 302 (Paradox) – Barry zooms over to Star City to visit Felicity and tell her about Flashpoint:
Barry (voiceover): "I made a big mistake. I just couldn't take it anymore, you know? What happened with Zoom, my dad dying, my mother's death, me becoming The Flash. All of it. I wanted a new life. I wanted to start over. And that's what I did. But somehow I - I made things worse."
(Barry whooshes into the Arrow Bunker, where he sees Felicity alone.)
Felicity: "Oh."
Barry: "So I reset everything. I put everything back to the way that it was before. Except some things weren't the same anymore. Not even a little bit."
Felicity: "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. Take a breath. (Barry takes a deep breath) You were talking way too fast."
Barry: "Yeah."
Felicity: "What happened?"
Barry: "I really screwed up, Felicity. And this time I don't know if I can fix it."
*  *  *
Felicity: "Okay, let me get this straight. You... ran back in time?"
Barry: "Yeah."
Felicity: "Stopped Reverse-Flash from killing your mom and then lived in an alternate reality where both your parents were alive?"
Barry: "Yeah."
Felicity: "And then you restored the timeline, came back to the moment you left, and noticed that things were different?"
Barry: "Exactly."
Felicity: "Does that just happen when you travel through time? Do things just change like that?"
Barry: "No, I mean, not like this. Not on - I don't know. I don't know Felicity. I don't know what I'm gonna do."
Felicity: "Okay, why don't you just run me through - walk me through what happened? And we'll, uh, we'll try and figure it out. So what changed?"
*  *  *
Felicity: "Wow, you kissed Iris."
Barry: "Well, not anymore. I've kissed Iris West twice, and I have managed to erase both times from existence."
Felicity: "Man, I hate it when that happens."
Barry: "That's just the least of my problems today."
*  *  *
Felicity: "There's a whole new guy at work that you didn't even know about?"
Barry: "Yeah. And he's worked there for almost a year. And he doesn't like me very much, apparently."
Felicity: "Well, that's impossible. Everybody likes Barry Allen. You're like pudding. Everybody likes pudding."
Barry: "Not everyone."
*  *  *
Felicity: "So you altered the timeline, Joe and Iris don't talk anymore, there's a guy at work - a new guy - who doesn't like you, you never kissed Iris, and Cisco's brother is dead. Admittedly, that is an issue."
Barry: "And what if there's more?"
Felicity: "Well, has anything here changed?"
Barry: "No, I don't know. I mean, everything seems the same, I think."
Felicity: "Good."
Barry: "Can I use - hold on." (Goes to her computer) 
Felicity: "Uh -"
Barry: "I'll be real careful. I got it, don't worry. I got it. (Keyboard clacking rapidly)Yeah, I don't know... I mean, everything looks okay. Wait. (Sees photo on screen) Who's that young boy with Dig?"
Felicity: "No way. He didn't have kid before?"
Barry: "He had a kid. He has a kid. Yeah, it was Baby Sara."
Felicity: "Baby John."
Barry: "No. Are you -?"
Felicity: "Oh, my God. It really can affect us."
Barry: "Okay, you know what? I don't wanna know anymore."
Felicity: "Okay, I know this is a lot of pressure, but everything's gonna be all right."
Barry: "I screwed up everyone's life."
Felicity: "Yeah, well, maybe you should tell them."
Barry: "I'm not gonna tell them. I mean, how is that gonna help? That's just gonna make everything worse. I mean... I don't know how to fix this."
Felicity: "Okay, well, you're gonna figure it out. If there's one thing I've learned from you, is that, with you, anything is possible."
Barry: "Why? Cause I'm the Flash?"
Felicity: "No. Because you are Barry Allen. And sweet, loving, kind Barry Allen that everybody likes, the Barry Allen who's just like pudding, can fix this. So go and fix this."
Barry: "Yeah. Okay, you're right. Yeah."
Felicity: "Now!"
Barry: "Right now?"
Felicity: "Yes!"
Barry: "Okay, all right." (Whooshes off)

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver Queen’s voiceover intro:
Oliver (voiceover): "My name is Oliver Queen. After five years in hell, I returned home with only one goal - to save my city. Today I fight that war on two fronts: By day, I lead Star City as its mayor. But by night, I am someone else. I am something else. I am the Green Arrow."

502 (The Recruits) – Curtis tries the salmon ladder; and Felicity, Curtis and Oliver talk about training the new recruits:
Felicity: "Conahan was struck with an arrow and a sword. Literally overkill."
Curtis (attempting the salmon ladder): "Definitely not Church's M.O."
Felicity: "Totally different than the Bertinelli murder, too. Ballistics show that he was shot by his own men. Well, that had to be Church. In Hub City, he killed every crime boss in town so he could unite everyone under one super-gang under his control."
Curtis: "How does he do this?"
Oliver (entering): "It's all in the core. So, Curtis - I'm guessing this wasn't part of your Olympic training." 
(Oliver does the salmon ladder in his business suit)
Curtis: "Impossible."
Felicity: "It's really hot - I mean, not. It's not."
Oliver: "Curtis, if you think this is hard, wait until I actually start training you."
Curtis: "What happens then?"
Oliver: "The last guy got an arrow in the leg before it even started."
Curtis: "That was Roy, right?"
Oliver: "Also Roy, but I'm talking about Wild Dog."
Felicity: "And you did put two arrows in Barry Allen's back."
Curtis: "I'm starting to sense a pattern."
Felicity: "Don't worry. His bark's way worse than his bite."
Oliver: "And you're going to get it worse than anyone."
Curtis: "Uh... thanks?"
Oliver: "The people that we are looking at have at least some experience on the street. You have the farthest way to go before I'm convinced that you can do this."
Curtis: "I can do it, sir."
Oliver: "Don't call me 'sir.'" 
Curtis: "Okay, Oliver."
Oliver: "Don't call me Oliver, especially in front of the recruits. We don't know these people, and they can't know us."
Felicity: "Whoa, whoa, hold up. You're going to be wearing a mask when you're training our recruits?"
Oliver: "Yeah, and so are you."
Felicity: "I only wear a mask once a year, and that's if my Halloween costume calls for it."
Oliver: "This is not negotiable, Felicity. I'm late for a budget meeting." (Leaves)
Curtis: "Yeah. You know, I'm sure that kicking things off by lying to everyone is an awesome idea."
Felicity: "Well, the original team started off with Oliver lying about his identity."
Curtis: "And everyone who's not dead or presumed dead quit."
Felicity: "Yeah."

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver starts harsh training of the new recruits, Rene Ramirez, Evelyn Sharp and Curtis Holt:
Felicity: "Rene Ramirez.”
Rene: "Yeah. Figures there'd be more of you. Robin Hood needs his band of merry men, right?"
Felicity: "Well, I am just here for moral support."
Curtis: "She means she's here to make sure that the Green Arrow's training technique doesn't kill us."
Felicity: "He's not going to kill you. I'm just here to make sure that the horrible maiming stays at a minimum."
Curtis: "I'm Curtis."
Evelyn: "Evelyn Sharp."
Rene: "So, wait, there's training? I'm out."
Oliver (entering): "Pretty early to quit, Mr. Ramirez."
Rene: "I can't quit something I haven't started."
Oliver: "You think you can do this on your own?"
Rene: "I've been doing this on my own for five months now."
Oliver: "And if you were getting it done on your own, you wouldn't have come here."
Rene: "Pffft. I'm out of here."
Oliver (to Felicity): "No mask?"
Felicity: "No chance."
Oliver: "On the line."
Evelyn: "Wait. I thought there was going to be... I don't know, like an orientation."
Oliver: "Is that what the brochure promised?"
Curtis: "Heh heh heh! That's hilar - that's hilarious."
Oliver: "On the line! This is simple. Get past me. And ring that bell."
Rene: "So we're playing games now? Fine. I'll play."
(Oliver takes down all three recruits before they can reach the bell.)
Oliver: "On the line."
(Oliver takes down all three recruits again before they can reach the bell.)
Felicity: "At least he's not shooting them."
Oliver: "On the line."
Rene: "This is stupid."
Oliver: "Still think it's a game?"
Rene: "I came here to work with the guy who killed Damien Darhk, not ring a freaking bell."
Oliver: "This isn't a game, and if you need further evidence of that, then you walk down to the pier and you look at the statue of Laurel Lance. Now get on the line!"

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver checks in with Felicity on their investigation of Ameritek VP Evan Warner’s murder:
Felicity: "How's the victim?"
Oliver: "Victim is Evan Warner. He's in the ICU. Doctors think that he was suffocated by something. Is that lining up with anything you found?"
Felicity: "You're assuming I've actually found anything. What's your interest in this anyway?"
Oliver: "Ameritek is helping us with a charity event, and all of a sudden, one of their vice presidents is attacked. It cannot be a coincidence."
Felicity: "Not in this city."
Oliver (checking his phone): "I have to go."
Felicity: "Bye."

502 (The Recruits) – Felicity convinces Oliver to enlist the new recruits’ help to protect a charity event for the free clinic:
(Oliver takes down the new recruits yet again.)
Oliver: "On the line."
Rene: "I'm here to learn something, man, not just get beat up."
Oliver: "I told you. I'm teaching you."
Evelyn: "Teaching us what, exactly? Because actually, I find myself agreeing with the scary, weird guy."
Oliver: "The goal of this exercise is to figure out the goal of this exercise. Now get on the line!"
Felicity: "Actually, Green Arrow, can I talk to you for a second? Now."
Oliver: "You know, I thought maybe we could hold off on the criticism for a little bit."
Felicity: "Oh, yeah, no problem, because there's a lot. Look." (Shows him her phone)
Oliver: "I thought there wasn't any usable footage from traffic cameras."
Felicity: "Yeah, but who needs traffic cams when you got KH-10 spy satellites?"
Oliver: "Could be a meta or magic of some sort."
Felicity: "Exactly. So Thea may or may not have told me about your brilliant plan to protect the free clinic all by yourself."
Oliver: "I won't be all by myself. I'll have the S.C.P.D. and the ACU."
Felicity: "No way. This is out of both of their leagues." (Points toward recruits)
Oliver: "What? It's out of their league, too. They're too green."
Felicity (punching him in the chest): "Some could say the same about you. (Laughs) I've been waiting five years to make that joke. The convention center has 20 entrances. You can't be on them all. Throw them around the perimeter for three extra pairs of eyes. What could it hurt?"

502 (The Recruits) – Ragman attacks Ameritek exec Janet Carroll at the charity event and gets away:
Oliver (over comms): "Okay, heads on swivels, but do not engage under any circumstances."
Evelyn (over comms): "Copy that."
Curtis (over comms): "Yes, sir. I mean, Oliv - I mean, uh, Green Arrow."
Felicity (over comms): "Wild Dog, do you copy that?"
Rene (over comms): "We got to talk about this codename."
Oliver (over comms): "Not now. Stay focused."
Rene (over comms): "You know, it'd help to know where you are."
Oliver (over comms): "No, it wouldn't, because you are not going to engage."
Rene (over comms): "Come on, where's the fun in that?"
Evelyn (over comms): "Man, it would take one major asshat to make a move against all these people."
Curtis (over comms): "Something I've learned recently is the city is filled with them."
Rene (over comms): "Starts at the top, you know? Pretty boy Queen here thinks he's actually saving the city."
Oliver (as Mayor, entering the building): "Thank you, officer. (Shakes hands with male doctor) How are you? (Greets waiting patient) Hello."
(Oliver walks over to female doctor who's treating a young girl.)
Oliver: "Hi."
Doctor: "Hi."
Oliver: "What have we here?"
Doctor: "Her broken bone never set."
Oliver: "Oh, you'll be fine. I have some experience with that." (Walks away)
Oliver (over comms): "Evelyn, check the northwest corridor."
Evelyn (over comms): "I don't get a code name?"
(Evelyn walks by Thea and Ameritek exec Janet Carroll.)
Thea: "We really thank you for sticking with us."
Janet Carroll: "Oh, well, I'm glad that Oliver changed my mind. It's nice to feel that this company can still do some good."
Quentin (coming up to them): "Um, sorry I'm late."
Thea: "If you'll excuse me." (Takes Quentin aside) The event is almost over."
Quentin: "Yeah, I know, but it's been tying up traffic, you know?"
Thea: "Yeah, but you were supposed to watch the 10th Street entrance."
Quentin: "I just said, the traffic is terrible."
Thea: "Are you okay?"
Quentin: "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I'm - I'm fine, you know. Sorry, it won't happen again."
Thea: "Yeah, but - you haven't been drinking again, have you?"
(Janet Carroll screams as she's attacked by Ragman.)
Ragman: "Janet Carroll, you have been judged and found wanting."
Evelyn: "He's here."
(Oliver shoots arrow, Ragman leaves but knocks down a child while rushing off.)
Rene: "Son of a bitch." (Jumps on Ragman and rips rag off his costume, but Ragman gets away.)
Oliver (over comms): "Overwatch?"
Felicity (over comms): "I don't see him on any of the security cameras. It's like he just... disappeared. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see him do all that other stuff that I don't believe."

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver berates Rene for disobeying orders; and Rene gives Felicity a clue to tracking Ragman:
Curtis: "I'm almost afraid to ask - actually, I am afraid to ask - you know, maybe I'm just afraid."
Evelyn: "Is he coming?"
Felicity: "He's on his way.
Curtis: "Did he sound... unhappy?"
Evelyn (to Rene): "Why did you do that, anyway? He specifically told us not to engage!"
Rene: "First, he's not the boss of me, never will be. Second, if he thinks I'm just going to stand back and watch some little girl get hurt, then he never should have recruited me in the first place."
Curtis: "I think that's quickly becoming the majority opinion."
Rene: "Third, if I hadn't done what I did, I wouldn't have gotten this." (Hands piece of rag to Felicity)
Felicity: "Wait, is that a piece -"
Rene: "Yeah, Ragman. Now, I may be new at this and all, but isn't that what you guys call 'evidence'?"
Oliver (entering): "On the line."
Felicity: "Listen, before you say anything, I think -"
Oliver: "My instructions were specific. By not listening, you put every one of our lives at risk."
Felicity: "You need to calm down."
Oliver: "Now, I know that none of you are ready for this, but now I'm not sure if you're ever going to be, because you (Looks at Rene) are reckless, (Looks at Curtis) you're useless if you're not behind a computer, and (Looks at Evelyn) you are just a little girl who should be doing something better with her life!"
Felicity: "Okay, that's enough pep talk for one day. Can I talk to you for a second? (Takes him aside) Did you learn nothing from what happened to Curtis last year?"
Oliver: "Now, you know I don't have a bedside manner."
Felicity: "There's having no bedside manner, and then there is being physically and emotionally abusive."
Oliver: "It took me years five in hell to turn into someone capable of going out there. You know who didn't have five years? Laurel Lance. And now she's dead."
Felicity: "Oh, were those five years just full of pain and suffering, or did you have someone who taught you?"
Oliver: "I had a few people who taught me, and I'm trying to teach them."
Felicity: "What, to take a punch? An insult? You keep expecting them to do what you're telling them to do, and then you're not giving them any reason. You just keep jabbing them with a cattle prod, expecting them to perform, and the guy that you called reckless got us our only clue we have so far."
Oliver: "I need you to do a full workup on that."
Felicity: "Yeah, well, I can't. I mean, not here. The Ghosts destroyed our gas chromatograph. But I have other methods."
Oliver: "Good. I have to get to City Hall."
Felicity: "What about them?"
Oliver: "The city just experienced the equivalent of a terrorist attack. Those three can wait."

502 (The Recruits) – Felicity asks her boyfriend, Detective Malone, to get a forensic workup done on the rag:
(Felicity enters the S.C.P.D. police station.)
Felicity: "Not that I would normally condone drinking this much caffeine, but since you are so busy trying to save the entire city and all -" (Hands him a cup of coffee)
Malone: "Add it to the list of vices I've been meaning to swear off."
Felicity: "Oh, do I even want to know?"
Malone: "Just as much as I want to know why you're really here. You already bought me an Americano this morning before I got to work."
Felicity: "And that's why you are the detective."
Malone: "It's been a while since I dated anyone. Is this a thing now?"
Felicity: "No, this is not a thing. This is - this is... a very long, funny story."
Malone: "Do you... want to tell me this story?"
Felicity: "Yeah. That's why I'm here. Um, this belonged to my friend's maid - cleaning lady."
Malone: "Your friend's cleaning lady?"
Felicity: "She's gone missing. And he's very worried about her."
Malone: "You want me to make a report to missing persons?"
Felicity: "No, no, no. I was thinking that - well, she left this rag behind, so I was thinking there might be some evidence left behind on it that, um... could help my friend locate her cleaning lady."
Malone: "I thought your friend was a guy?"
Felicity: "Are you jealous?"
Malone: "Only insofar as I haven't actually met any of your friends yet. And, yes, that's a hint officially being dropped."
Felicity: "Hint noted. So just a quick forensic workup, like maybe just a quick pass through the gas chromatograph?" (Hands him rag)
Malone: "Fine. It's your tax dollars."
Felicity: "You are the best." (Kisses him.)

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver finds out that his new recruits have quit:
Oliver: "What's going on? Where are others?"
Curtis: "Somewhere not here. They quit."
Felicity: "This really shouldn't come as any sort of surprise to you."
Oliver: "It's not surprising. We chose the wrong people."
Curtis: "Including me, right?"
Oliver: "Curtis. Do you know what the purpose of this exercise is?"
Curtis: "To figure out the purpose of this exercise?"
Oliver: "No, it's to work together, because that's the only way that you win. That is what I have been trying to teach all of you."
Curtis: "Well, maybe there's a reason why you couldn't. We don't trust you."
Oliver: "That's on you."
Curtis: "No, man. That's on you. Because you don't trust us, because you don't want us."
Felicity: "Okay, this is a setback, but we can salvage this. (To Curtis) They'll listen to you. Can you just tell them how Oliver usually approaches things and -"
Curtis: "I tried that. I told them all about how you and Speedy and Spartan were a family. And even though you were tough and scary and even a little abusive, they clearly trusted you because they stood by you. But then it hit me. No, they didn't. They left, and now I know why. You don't respect people. You don't know how to have partners. You don't build people up. You tear them down. I thought I could trust you - we could trust you. I was wrong. And that's why I'm out, too."

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver and Felicity have a heart-to-heart talk about the new recruits:
(Oliver is standing in the Arrow Bunker staring at the row of glass cases holding the team’s costumes, when Felicity enters.)
Felicity: "Figured I'd find you here."
Oliver: "You were right."
Felicity: "As much as I usually love hearing those three little words, gloating right now would be like kicking a puppy."
Oliver: "I failed these recruits as a leader."
Felicity: "Well, that's because you're not a leader. Well, in your defense, you never set out to be. You never planned on doing this with partners. Though I don't think you really ever had a way around that one."
Oliver: "How so?"
Felicity: "When I got to know you - the real you - I was in awe. I had never met somebody so passionate. So focused and determined to make a real difference. But the recruits didn't get to see the real you because all you showed them was this angry guy in a mask, like scary angry."
Oliver: "I just thought that if they didn't know who I was, it would make things easier."
Felicity: "How would that make things easier for them?"
Oliver: "For me. Easier for me. When I was in the Bratva -"
Felicity: "You never talk about your time in Russia."
Oliver: "Nobody in the Bratva uses their real names. Nobody knows anything about anyone's life before they were Bratva."
Felicity: "Sounds lonely."
Oliver: "It's effective. They teach you that the only person you can trust is yourself – that without personal attachment, there can be no loss. Laurel, Thea, Dig, even Roy. I let them into my crusade. I let them in."
Felicity: "Then they left."
Oliver: "I was protecting myself."
Felicity: "I just think you're missing something."
Oliver (looking at her): "Only one thing."
Felicity: "The reason the original team worked so well... was because of the trust and respect that everyone had for Oliver Queen, not the Green Arrow. Oliver is the one who makes a good leader. He's the one that runs a good team. He's the one that I chose to stand by and that I continue to choose to stand by."
(Oliver nods his head. Felicity's phone beeps and she sees it's a call from "Billy Malone.")
Felicity: "I have to take this."

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver learns that Ameritek is working with Tobias Church, and Felicity discovers Ameritek’s motivation:
Oliver: "So are you sure that it was them?"
Thea: "Yeah, that son of a bitch leaves a pretty good impression."
Oliver: "Well, if Ameritek is in bed with Church, then -"
Thea: "Then maybe that guy in rags isn't so bad because he's probably trying to take down Ameritek."
Oliver: "Still, why is the C.E.O. of a Fortune 500 company like Ameritek willing to deal weapons to a crime lord?"
Felicity (entering): "Because they are trying to avoid bankruptcy. I got the forensic workup back on that piece of cloth from Ragman."
Thea: "Please tell me that's not what we're actually going to call him."
Oliver: "What'd you find?"
Felicity: "That it is over 2,000 years old and... radioactive."
Oliver: "Which means trackable. If this weapons buy is going down, this guy is going to try to stop it."
Felicity: "Leading us right to Janet Carroll and Mr. Church."
Thea: "Wait. What did you mean when you said that Ameritek is going bankrupt?"
Felicity: "The isotope that made the cloth radioactive is very specific. It came from one of the nukes that Darhk launched on Genesis Day, specifically a nuke manufactured by a company called Atomic Defensive Systems."
Oliver: "They're likely a subsidiary of Ameritek."
Felicity: "Aw, and people say he's just a pretty face. (Oliver looks at her) The bottom line is the subsidiary's connection with Genesis Day has made Ameritek's stock prices go - (Makes explosion sound)"
Thea: "Which explains why they were so eager to have a big public relations bonanza."
Oliver: "And why they'd be willing to unload their excess ordinance on Tobias Church. We need to find our friend in the rags and hope he leads us to that weapons sale."
Thea: "Uh, they did just say that there was enough weaponry to take down an entire country, so I would think this would be a good time for you to test out your new team."
Oliver: "There's no team anymore, Thea. If I'm going in, I'm going alone."

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver lets Ragman rescue him from Tobias Church; and we learn that Ragman is the lone survivor of Havenrock:
Oliver (over comms): "This is the spot."
Felicity (over comms): "There's a crazy amount of hostiles inside. I say 'crazy' because that is what you would have to be to take them on all alone."
Janet Carroll: "All right. You have your merchandise."
Tobias Church: "And now you want your money. What kind of dent can $100 million make in your balance sheet?"
Janet Carroll: "That's my worry."
Tobias Church: "No... I think that's your golden parachute, and I admire that."
(Ragman takes out some Church minions.)
Ragman: "Hello, Janet."
Tobias Church (to minion): "Easy. That man about to save us $100 million."
Ragman: "They all died in fire. Your fire. Your weapon. All for your money."
(Oliver drops down and starts taking out Church minions.)
Tobias Church: "Where you at?"
(Gunfire and man screams. Oliver fights Tobias Church.)) 
Janet Carroll: "What are you talking about?"
Ragman: "I'm talking about the KN-08. Your pride and joy. Over 15,000 missiles launched on Genesis Day. Only one found its mark. Yours."
Janet Carroll: "No, no, we - we built those missiles to keep people safe. It - it was Damien. It was Damien Darhk."
Ragman: "Couldn't have done anything if you hadn't given him the tools! Your missile killed everyone in my home. I am the very last living soul of Havenrock... and I carry with me a message from all those souls you killed."
(Felicity is watching via surveillance camera on her computer screen in the Arrow Bunker.)
Janet Carroll: "No! No!"
(Ragman starts suffocating her.  Oliver is taken to the ground by Church.)
Oliver: "Ragman!"
(Ragman looks over and rescues Oliver by using his magical rags to pull Church away.)
Oliver: "Thank you."
Ragman: "Thank me by not standing in my way."
Oliver: "Let her go! It's over."
*  *  *
(Oliver meets Ragman on a rooftop.)
Oliver: "Thank you for coming."
Ragman: "Your offer sounded intriguing. Why did you make it?"
Oliver: "Why'd you give up your vengeance to save my life?"
Ragman: "I don't know. (Removes hood and mask) I think it's what my father would have wanted me to do. He saved my life. On Genesis Day, he wrapped me in these rags, said they were ancient, from the time of Devarim, that they would protect me from the fire."
Oliver: "And they did."
Ragman: "So you see why I have to avenge him."
Oliver: "Your father didn't give up his life so you could become a killer."
Ragman: "You don't know that."
Oliver: "My father gave up his life to save mine. He made me promise to be better than him, to save this city in a way that he never could. It's been nearly 10 years since that day. So far, I've failed."
Ragman: "Why are you telling me this?"
Oliver: "Because I don't want to fail anymore. I can't do it alone. I need a team. Let's honor the legacies of our fathers. Together."
(They shake hands.)

502 (The Recruits) – Oliver reveals the Green Arrow’s true identity to the new recruits:
Felicity: "You let Church almost kill you so that you could recruit Ragman?"
Oliver: "I was betting that his heroism would trump his vengeance."
Felicity: "That's a big risk to take on a stranger, don't you think?"
Oliver: "Yeah. Well, I'm not done yet. Hey."
Felicity: "Yeah."
Oliver: "Are you all right?"
Felicity: "Yeah. Fine."
Oliver: "Thank you all for coming."
Rene: "I only came because Blondie said there'd be an apology."
Oliver: "Well, Blondie made a good point. You're not just joining up with the Green Arrow. You'd be joining up with me." (Removes his Green Arrow mask)
Evelyn: "The Green Arrow is the mayor?"
Curtis: "I had the same cognitive dissonance." 
Rene: "I hope you don't think I'm going to apologize for the trash I talked about you."
Oliver: "No more than I'm going to apologize for the tough training, but I understand that you all need to trust me. This is as far as I know how to go."
Curtis: "You're sort of asking without asking if we want to come back, right?"
Oliver: "That's exactly what he's doing."
Curtis: "Okay. Good. Then I'm in."
Evelyn: "Me, too."
Oliver: "Wild Dog?"
Rene: "I'll fight any war as long as I trust who's leading me into battle... but we have got to rethink this code name."
Oliver: "No chance."

Edited March 6, 2020 by tv echo