S06.E15: Doppelganger

[tv echo]

Black Siren was in disguise, wearing a short black wig, so of course, no one recognized her as Laurel Lance - just like no one recognizes Oliver when he puts on the Green Arrow mask. Also, Black Siren removed the $70M from the bank in Corto Maltese in the form of bearer bonds. She did not electronically transfer the money. That's why no one could trace the money electronically after it was stolen. Then Black Siren returned to Star City (why she did this, and didn't simply take off on her own, is a separate issue) and hid the bearer bonds somewhere in Star City. But when she went back to her hiding place to get them, they had been stolen by Diaz (apparently). How he found them, we don't know (maybe he put a tracker on her?), but apparently he's this season's 10-steps-ahead villain.

Dinah: "What are we seeing?"
Accountant: "The account was accessed by this woman. She's listed in the withdrawal log as Siu Jerk Jai. Took out the entire amount in bearer bonds."
Oliver: "That's excellent work, Jay. OK. We'll take it from here."

(Hero Multiverse)

Edited March 11, 2018 by tv echo

[Quark]

It was nice seeing Roy again, but my favourite thing about the episode was definitely Oliver's fireworks arrow.

William is going to have some great birthday parties.

[Mary0360]

7 hours ago, Balaclava said:

While i don't agree Diggle would be happy knowing there's a future out there where he died and SC went to hell i do agree on JD Jr. I don't think it's some random coincidence they gave John Diggle Jr the GA mantle, also don't think they erased baby Sara and brought JD Jr on arrow for nothing. 

So one way or another i do think JD Jr will eventually be GA and i assume they will connect Diggle wanting the mantle to JD Jr picking it up later, don't think it will be about Oliver training him only. 

I'm a fan of it, i know some people will scream "but canon" (wrong parents in this case) but look at it this way, at least he wasn't whitewashed. 

Given theyve had William shoot toy Green arrows on the show and beat Oliver at it, already seen to be cool calm and collected in a crisis and help save people and in a deleted scene from this season was shown looking at Oliver's Arrows prompting Oliver to tell him "not till you're 18" I think theres more evidence that they are establishing William as the next generation vigilante in show.

 

Thats not to say that John Jr can't be a vigilante as well, but I dont agree that the show has been laying the ground work for him to be the Green Arrow and that Diggle wants the job as a legacy to pass on to his kid.  The Legends episode was a one off fantasy what if episode. I don't really think it forms the end game of where the Arrow writers intend to take the Arrow characters. 

Edited March 11, 2018 by Mary0360

[AudienceofOne]

36 minutes ago, Quark said:

It was nice seeing Roy again, but my favourite thing about the episode was definitely Oliver's fireworks arrow.

I meant to mention the fireworks arrow! That was hilarious. It wasn't one firework - it was an entire fireworks display! That and him repelling away attached to empty sky were my favourite Arrow moments. 

[BunsenBurner]

On 3/10/2018 at 3:35 PM, BkWurm1 said:

So I was pondering Diaz and his supposed plan.  The idea that what we see now was all according to his grand plan rings incredibly false.  This is the guy that was waiting around for James to fly him out of town before the bomb went off and pissed when he realized no helicopter was coming.  This is the guy that was going to leave town BECAUSE it was going to blow up.  So there's no way I'm going to buy he expected all along for the city not to blow and that he'd be in a position to then step in to control the unblown up city.  But how then do I reconcile DDDragon being the mastermind behind killing Cayden's son and framing the GA?  

I think the answer is that Diaz had no fricken clue what James was going to do or how it would be to his advantage if he killed his son and framed the GA but he wanted to see.  Like a psychopath plucking the wings off a fly.  So he killed Cayden's son just because he could and wanted to watch what happened next and figured in whatever chaos was created, there'd be opportunities made. 

Then when he saw an opportunity he liked, he joined forces with James to get some money, fully intending to flee town.  Only James never intended to share the money or let his "partners" live.  So DDDragon stepped in, bribed a bunch of probably really scared officials (probably claims he is responsible for the bomb really not going off), kills Cayden, and is now claiming that this was his plan all along and that Cayden James was a dummy anyway for wanting to blow up the city (even if Diaz had been fine with that until he got cut out of the deal).  

He also knows about Roy from some source.  Quite possibly Cayden James' research.  Or maybe Chase friended him so Diaz was able to read his Facebook page- too bad he didn't read all the entries right away since clearly he didn't know who Diggle was when they first met.  So much for seeing all.  

  DDDragon's new goal is controlling the city but I don't buy that Diaz cares if Oliver is locked up through the courts as the GA or not.  IF Diaz was relying on it, his plan wouldn't have been for Roy to get rescued.  Now if Roy didn't get rescued, then that would have worked for him as well since while Cayden James getting Oliver charged as the GA before was just part of making his life hard, Diaz still sees the practicality of getting rid of Oliver (he always has since that was the seed he planted with James even if he didn't know how it would sprout) even if through the courts isn't necessarily the way he expects to finally get rid of Oliver or at least through Roy's testimony. 

He also has something going on with whatever Arclight is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it too is just some other opportunity he's glommed onto even if he makes claims later of it having always been the reason for what he's done.  I can believe he might keep some bigger picture as a flexible option (big reward if he can make it happen) but that he just takes the opportunities when they open up.  His true talent would be in stirring the water to create many options rather in hard core plotting and planning.    

So the understanding of Diaz I'm going to go with is him being an egomaniac psycho that likes to set things in motion with no real plan in mind at the time, but who then is good at taking advantage of the opportunities he randomly creates and that he then also retroactively claims this was always his plan and he is the smartest guy ever and will shoot you if you point out why that is clearly crap.  

I just don’t think he is portrayed smart enough to have planned so far in advance. He is not Prometheus.  

 

It’s a roll of the dice. Whatever is rolled he is told to go in that direction by someone smarter than him.

[tennisgurl]

So, I finally got to watch this episode, and...at least I didn't want to throw anything heavy or sharp at the wall! Amazing how just removing three buzzing annoyances can make the quality of the show go up so very much! Since everyone here has already discussed the episode at length in creative an intelligent ways (if only the writers could be more like yall!) here are a few quick notes I have: 

"Dont talk to me". Oh my God, even in only a few seconds, I want to punch Dinahs perpetually clenched teeth in. However, that was all made worth it for the "Well, I guess, just this once, I can delight you with my presence" "Ummm, bye Felecia" exchange between Oliver and Dinah. Dont let the door hot you on the way out, asshole. Or, you can. Works for me. 

Oh my God I missed Rory so much. Seeing OTA plus Roy and Thea just felt so...right. Please dont leave us again, Roy! Did you see the losers they brought in after you left? Really, Roy makes sense on Team Arrow, and not just because he is just a better and more sympathetic character than the Newbies. He isn't just some rando they found to fill in the ranks, he was Oliver's protege, the first person he really mentored as a hero, and he was Thea's serious boyfriend. He was part of the family. Now, the Newbies could have become more connected with the rest of the gang, but they never did. Even when I was ok on the Newbies, they were never really needed. 

Olicity is the cutest thing that has ever cuted. 

I dont know what I loved more, Oliver's firework arrow, or him throwing Thea back into the room right out of the window. 

Its super sad to see how much Anatoly has fallen. I know he has done a bunch of awful stuff by now, but I want him and Oliver to make up damn it! Or at least, I want him to be a credible villain again, and not just a thug. I do always appreciate his pragmatism though.  

Katie Cassidy is actually putting in a good performance as Not Laurel. I am kinda of interested in seeing where this is going, certainly moreso than I have before. So, thats something at least.

Definitely a better episode. Maybe just because the bar was set so low last week a small kitten could have casually stepped over it, but I had a good time watching.

[FortKnox]

I loved this ep. I'll say it before and I'll say it again Team Arrow needs to be Oliver, Diggle, Felicity and Thea.

I so wished they would have used the island blowing up at the start of the season to kill the newbies.

[meeeechiganman]

Any viewers here from Michigan, well oliver and diggle on rooftop scene cuts to a run down casino, lo and behold its the GRAND CENTRAL STATION  in Detroit Michigan, they just put a fake CASINO sign on it, had to go back a few times, good times. 

[tv echo]

615 (Doppelgänger) – 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."

615 (Doppelgänger) – Back in the Arrow Bunker, Felicity and Diggle react to watching TV news of E2 Laurel Lance AKA Black Siren pretending to be E1 Laurel Lance:
Female Reporter: "The Black Canary was reported dead, killed in a prison riot."
E2 Laurel: "Damien Darhk - he stabbed me, and the next thing I knew, I was - I was in - I was in that cell."
Felicity: "I don't know how, but this is really, really bad."
Diggle: "Bad that we should have seen this coming. Should have known that she'd eventually try to pull something like this."

615 (Doppelgänger) – OTA and Thea discuss D.A. Armand's reveal that Roy Harper is the state's new witness against Oliver:
Felicity: "How did they even find Roy? We didn't know where he was. We didn't even know what name he was working under. I didn't think anybody did."
Oliver: "Did - did you?"
Thea: "No, no. God. I couldn't even find him for you guys' wedding reception."
Diggle: "Doesn't matter how they did it. They did. Now we have to figure out what to do next."
Thea: "He's definitely not cooperating voluntarily."
Felicity: "Well, it's been two years. I mean, there might be some pressure points that we don't know about, some people he cares about, some - (Off Thea's look) It's been a long time."
Oliver: "Either way, we need to know what Roy is going to say in court, which means we need to know where he is right now."
Diggle: "Oliver, he's a state witness. I know our whole thing is extralegal, but maybe we should let your lawyer deal with this."
Oliver: "The D.A.'s office does not have the capabilities of finding Roy, which means this was either Diaz or Anatoly."
Thea: "You think whoever's pulling strings on this is still tugging them?"
Felicity: "Well, if you're in the mood for some witness tampering, I think I have a line on where the D.A .is holding Roy. They've rented out several rooms of the top floor of a hotel downtown."
Diggle: "Hotel - easily guarded position with lots of civilians. We break in, get spotted, Oliver, we make their case for them."
Thea: "Guys, if Ollie is right and Roy is in trouble with Diaz or Anatoly, we need to be protecting him."
Oliver: "So we wait until dark to do recon, and then find possible points of entry."

615 (Doppelgänger) – Oliver and Diggle scout out the hotel where Roy is being held by corrupt police officers:
Oliver: "Guessing Roy's in the room with the police outside."
Diggle: "Yeah, reading the wrong end of a phone book. It's risky terrain."
Oliver: "You just told me he's getting beaten on. You still not sure we should do this?"
Diggle: "Two-man team on the balcony. If we can get past them, that's our best bet."
Oliver: "John, he's in there because of me. He's been on the run for three years."
Diggle: "Oliver, that's his choice."
Oliver: "I know that, but did I learn anything from it? Roy put on the hood. He sacrificed himself for me, and I asked you to do the same thing at the expense of your safety and your family."
Diggle: "Difference was I wanted to put on the hood, Oliver. Listen. I've been good for the past two months - good - but instead of giving me back the hood, you've had Cisco make me a new suit."
Oliver: "There it is. There's a 15-second opening. That is our window."

615 (Doppelgänger) – Back in the Arrow Bunker, Thea tells Oliver that she's coming with them to rescue Roy (Felicity is present but doesn't speak in this scene):
Oliver: "There is a 15-second window where neither roof guard is watching the HVAC vent. We can get in that way."
Thea: "All right. Well, did you see him? Is he okay?"
Oliver: "We can get him out."
Thea: "I know. And I'm coming with you."
Oliver: "I thought you didn't do this anymore."
Thea: "Ollie, it's Roy."
Oliver: "Right, but, Thea, you shouldn't do this, and I understand it's hypocritical pointing out that you have a personal involvement. Doesn't make me wrong. More importantly, you have not been field ready since you got out of your coma."
Thea: "I'll be fine, okay, and did you guys even measure the vents? Because you should be asking if I'm the right size to fit through them. Don't think either of you two can. Where are you guys keeping my suit?"

615 (Doppelgänger) – Oliver and Thea go to rescue Roy from the hotel room:
Oliver: "You okay?"
Thea: "It's just like riding a bike."
Oliver: "It really isn't. I can buy you a few extra seconds."
Thea: "I'm ready."
Oliver: "All right." (Shoots a fireworks arrow into the sky)
Corrupt Cop 1 (on balcony): "What's that for? There's not a home game tonight, is there?"
*  *  *
Roy: "Unh! Agh!"
Corrupt Cop 2 (inside hotel room): "Want to keep going, or you gonna testify?"
Roy: "You know, I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure torturing your witness isn't gonna be great for your case."
Corrupt Cop 2: "You don't think we know how to put you in a world of hurt without leaving a mark?"
Roy: "Ohh! Unh! Ugh! Agh!"
Thea (hiding in duct vent): "Are you getting this?"
Felicity (over comms): "I'm enhancing their badge numbers."
Diggle (in Arrow Bunker): "Just when you thought Oliver took down all the crooked cops last year."
Thea: "I'm going in."
Felicity (over comms): "I wouldn't. They got six more guys in the hall."
Oliver (over comms): "Stand down. I know it's hard, but you have to wait."
Roy: "Unh! Ugh!"
Corrupt Cop 2: "I'm working up an appetite here. Hey. We're gonna get some Big Belly Burger. You decide to play nice, I might give you the fries." (Leaves with other cop)
(Thea jumps from vent into room.)
Roy: "Is that my hood? It looks good on you."
Thea (kisses him): "I - I'm sorry, if you're seeing someone -"
Roy: "I'm not. I didn't take your advice. No kids, no wife, and I really, really hate minivans."
Thea: "How did they find you?"
Roy: "I was in St. Roche, and the Star City cops, they tased me, and they threw me in the back of a van. They knew everything. They knew about Oliver, they knew about me faking my death, they - they knew it all."
Felicity (over comms): "S.C.P.D. SWAT incoming."
Diggle (over comms): "Speedy, you want to get out of there now."
Oliver (over comms): "Speedy, move!"
Thea: "Okay. We're leaving."
Roy: "No. You're leaving. I'm in no shape to be swinging from rooftops."
Thea: "I'm not leaving without you."
Diggle (over comms): "They're coming in hot!"
Felicity (over comms): "You got to go right now."
Oliver (over comms): "Damn it, Speedy! Get out of there! "
Thea: "I'm getting you out of here."
Roy: "No, no, you can't. You have to go."
Thea: "No. I'm not leaving you."
Oliver (over comms): "Speedy, they're right outside the door!"
Thea: "I'm done losing you again. Just go sit." (Draws her bow and cocks an arrow at the door)
(Oliver shoots a rope arrow into the room, which grabs Thea and pulls her out of the room.)

615 (Doppelgänger) – OTA and Thea regroup in the Arrow Bunker after the failed rescue attempt:
Felicity: "They're really circling the wagons now. They've upped security tenfold."
Thea: "He was bleeding internally, so if we don't get to him soon, they're going to kill him."
Oliver: "They will not because they need him alive to testify against me."
Diggle: "Not they. Diaz."
Felicity: "I pulled financials on both the police officers that were torturing Roy. They both receive generous dividend payments from stocks in a Corto Maltese-based shell corporation."
Diggle: "It financed a company that was manufacturing the drug I used to treat my injury, Ricardo Diaz's company."
Felicity: "Both officers were on duty when Cayden James was killed. And all the officers that were there tonight, we have reason to believe, are working with Diaz too."
Oliver: "So Diaz has been playing us since the beginning."
Thea: "Or he's just been playing you." (Leaves)
Felicity: "She's upset. She's worried about Roy."
Oliver: "Yeah. So am I."
*  *  *
Thea: "You know, there are times that I feel like my life completely fell apart when Roy left - from my bloodlust to Malcolm to the coma. Knowing he was out there, that he was okay, it made my life just a little bit easier. Ever since mom died, I haven't known much of anything other than the fact that I want to make sure he is safe, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens."
Oliver: "We all will, Speedy."
Diggle: "Felicity may have just found something. S.C.P.D. just requisitioned a transport prison van. They're moving Roy to a new safe house. We just don't know when."
Thea: "That's it. That's when we get him."
Diggle: "There's something else."

615 (Doppelgänger) – Diggle talks to Felicity about becoming the Green Arrow again:
Diggle: "I don't know, Felicity. Maybe it's a little soon bringing up taking back the mantle from Oliver, but it's been two months."
Felicity: "A hell of a two months, though, and Oliver's just not ready to step down, not with everything that's going on. It's too much. It's crazy - (Computer chimes) they're moving Roy in 10 minutes."

615 (Doppelgänger) – OTA attempts to rescue Roy again, but he's not in the van; instead, he's been taken to Ricardo Diaz:
Oliver: "Roy, back away from the door! (Shoots open the van door, but it's empty) It's a decoy. They faked Cayden James' transfer. They faked this one, too!"
Thea: "So where is Roy?"
*  *  *
Thea: "You said that they were moving him."
Felicity: "Yeah. They must have put Roy into a different vehicle when they were in the underground and I didn't have eyes on them."
Diggle: "Which means he could have been picked up at any point last night."
Oliver: "How many cars left the hotel in that timeframe?"
Felicity: "Nearly 300. I'm tracking license plate numbers, but it's gonna take some time."
Thea: "If it takes more than an hour, I'm gonna start breaking fingers."
Diggle: "There's that Queen temper. I'll contact Lyla, see if A.R.G.U.S. can help with finding Roy."

615 (Doppelgänger) – Felicity reassures Olliver, who's second-guessing his decisions:
Felicity: "How are you holding up?" (Puts her arms around Oliver's neck)
Oliver: "I've been better."
Felicity: "Yeah, I know. It's because you're blaming yourself for Roy's situation instead of accurately blaming Ricardo Diaz."
Oliver: "Well, Roy wouldn't be in this situation if he didn't fall on his sword for me three  years ago."
Felicity: "That was his choice, Oliver, and I believed then - and I still believe - it was the right one."
Oliver: "I'm worried that I didn't rescue him from that hotel room because I wouldn't have been able to bear the responsibility if things went bad."
Felicity: "You didn't go into that hotel room because your gut told you things would go bad. And that gut's kept you alive for 11 years, and it kept Roy alive last night."
Oliver: "Maybe. How do I know?"
Felicity: "I could ask Cisco to find a parallel universe in which you did, but in the meantime, if you could just stop finding ways to blame yourself, that would be so great."
(They kiss.)
Oliver: "Is that what I'm doing?"
Felicity: "That's what you're always doing."
Oliver: "Well, maybe you have a point."
Felicity: "Hmm."
Oliver: "Last night, John basically asked me why I haven't given him the hood back."
Felicity: "Yeah, I know. He told me. I told him you probably just thought it wasn't the right time. Am I on the money?"
Oliver: "I don't know."
    
615 (Doppelgänger) – Oliver gives Thea some brotherly advice:
Oliver: "I'd ask how you're doing, but Felicity and A.R.G.U.S. are working on locating Roy. You know, it's been a while since I offered you a little big brother advice. Do you mind?"
Thea: "This should be good."
Oliver: "When we find Roy - not if but when we find Roy, I think maybe you should go with him."
Thea: "Where?"
Oliver: "Wherever he's going. I mean, I - Thea, I'd miss you like - like crazy, but you said that you haven't been the same without him, so maybe you shouldn't be without him."
Thea: "You really think I should go?"
Oliver: "I don't want you to go, obviously, but you've seen what - what having Felicity in my life has done for me.You deserve that same kind of happiness, Speedy, wherever it is."

615 (Doppelgänger) – Oliver shuts down Dinah's offer to help rescue Roy:
Oliver (on phone): "John, we have a location on Roy. Let's get ready to move."
Dinah: "All right. Fine. Just this once."
Oliver: "No. You don't trust me. I don't trust you. So I'd rather be in the field short-handed."

615 (Doppelgänger) – With Black Siren's intel, OTA and Thea rescue Roy:
Oliver: "Only two guards."
Thea: "Diaz clearly wasn't expecting us."
Oliver: "Black Siren didn't warn him."
Thea: "Let's go."
Diggle: "Wait. If we go in there without knowing our primary objective, no one is coming out."
Thea: "Our primary objective's to get Roy."
Diggle: "What about Diaz? He's in there, too, and we just found out that he's the one that's behind everything bad that's been happening in the city for the past six months."
Oliver: "So let's get them both. (Over comms) Overwatch, you in yet?"
Felicity (over comms): "Uplinking... now. Huffing and puffing and blowing all those firewalls down. But before I finish, if he's a smart guy - and we know that he is - this will definitely tip him off that you're there."
Oliver (over comms): "We need to know where Roy is."
Felicity (over comms): "Copy that. I pulled up the blueprints of the casino from the city. I'll guide you through. Head up the escalator."
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): "Four hostiles and full autos right in front of you."
*  *  *
Oliver (over comms): "Which way?"
Felicity (over comms): "According to thermals, Diaz has Roy through the door on the north wall."
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): "We have a problem. One of Diaz's cops alerted the legitimate cavalry. The S.C.P.D. is headed your way en masse."

615 (Doppelgänger) – Roy is rescued and back in the Arrow Bunker:
Diggle: "How do you feel?"
Roy: "Like I've been beaten within an inch of my life with a telephone book."
Diggle: "Two broken ribs, pulmonary contusion. You'll have to take it easy for a few days, Roy."
Roy: "Well, that's the good part about being a fugitive. There's nowhere else I have to be."
Oliver: "How's Anatoly?"
Diggle: "S.C.P.D. I had to bail. What about Diaz?"
Oliver: "Same. How are Quentin and Dinah doing with their investigation into the S.C.P.D.?"
Felicity: "They're working on it. I'm not a lawyer, but what are the effects of us having the government's star witness in our protection instead of theirs?"
Oliver: "Not as much as you would think."
Felicity: "Oh."
Oliver: "They'll add witness tampering and obstruction to their very long list of charges."
Felicity: "Hmm. Cherry on top. Hmph. Well, you did it all for Thea."
Oliver: "And for Roy. I would have done it for any of you guys."

615 (Doppelgänger) – Oliver talks to E2 Laurel/Black Siren:
E2 Laurel: "My father's asleep."
Oliver: "I came to see you."
E2 Laurel: "Okay."
Oliver: "You didn't set us up."
E2 Laurel: "Gee, Ollie, you sound surprised."
Oliver: "So I came by to say 'thank you.'"
E2 Laurel: "And yet still unconvinced."
Oliver: "You're not Laurel, not our Laurel, and saying that you are to a bunch of press, no, that does not make it so."
E2 Laurel: "You're right. I'm not, but I'm willing to try, and I can't make any promises. I am who I am, but I'm willing to try if you're willing to give me the space to."
Oliver: "Sounds fair. You're staying here?"
E2 Laurel: "Quentin - he - my father offered me his couch. It was pretty on point with the whole Rescue Laurel Lance story, so -"
Oliver: "Yeah. I'll be checking in."
E2 Laurel: "Looking forward to it."
(Oliver leaves. E2 Laurel's phone rings, and she looks at it. She's received a text message from Ricardo Diaz, stating: "Good work." She smiles.)

Edited March 17, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Edited 615 Olicity scene (without background music)...

Edited May 6, 2020 by tv echo