S06.E16: The Thanatos Guild

[GHScorpiosRule]

Huh. No blitzing or frame freezing when I watched again from the recording. I wonder if watching while it’s recording is the issue?

Anyway, the only problem I continue to have is the sound-that is, everyone spoke in such a low tone, I had to rewind to figure out what they were saying. Except for Diggle, Oliver, Thea and Roy. Felicity/Emily just talks sofast that I need the closed captions!

And it was clear to me, from what Felicity said, sarcastically and the many looks of irritation on her face, every time Nyssa called Oliver “husband,” or referred to their “marriage,” that it irked Felicity and had nothing to do with insecurity. And that Oliver took it upon himself to tell Nyssa to cut that shit out. And I’m okay with that. It’s not’s that I don’t think Felicity could have done it herself, but I actually liked that Oliver was doing it for both of them. I don’t see it as taking “agency” away from Felicity, if that makes sense.

And I never accepted that marriage anyway. Anything under duress/threats isn’t legal.

But my ????every time they referred to Malcolm as Thea’s father. NO! That was ROBERT, who raised and loved her as his own, even knowing she wasn’t biologically his. Malcolm was the sperm donor, who used Thea for his own plans and schemes. His love for her was selfish. And blah blah fish cakes that at the end he finally did something unselfish. That doesn’t erase what he did for the previous five years.????

[tv echo]

Here's another thing about Diggle wanting to be the Green Arrow...

His Spartan helmet now has some nifty tech upgrades, like that thermal imaging feature that he used in this episode (I believe). If he dons the GA suit, he'll no longer have those tech advantages. So he'd be trading in the use of his high-tech helmet and his gun (with which he is very proficient) for a green hood and a crossbow.

Edited April 2, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

"Sister wife"...

[benteen]

I literally forgot this episode was on until the day after it aired and only because I read it somewhere.

[AudienceofOne]

Quentin was in this episode so why wasn't he a part of the Thea farewell? What happened to her "I'm also your daughter" thing? He was weirdly absent for a lot of this.

[Taryn74]

I wait until the new seasons of Arrow are on Netflix and binge watch, and while I read the episode threads after the fact I usually don't comment, but I had to just pop on and say how much Nyssa was cracking me up in this one.  I snickered every time she called Oliver "husband," and "sister wife" had me laughing so hard I had to rewind it a couple of times.

I think Nyssa feels genuine affection for Oliver and enjoys teasing him.  I don't believe she ever really considered him her husband (even though their marriage was binding as far as the LoA was concerned) but she just gets a kick out of getting a rise out of him over it.  Now that he's married for real she'll leave him alone, although she couldn't resist getting in a few final jabs on her way out.

[tv echo]

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – No Oliver Queen voiceover intro.

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – OTA holds a good-bye party for Thea in the Arrow Bunker:
(William is tasting frosting off of Thea's goodbye cake.)
Thea (coming up to William): "Oh, my God, you would be in so much trouble if your dad saw you doing that. Lucky you have such a cool aunt who approves of bad behavior."
William: "I'm going to miss you."
Thea: "I'm going to miss you, too. Just promise me that you're going to watch over your dad, okay?"
William: "But he's the Green Arrow."
Thea: "Yeah, before he was the Green Arrow, he actually used to be really afraid of the dark and he needed a night light in his bedroom until he was, like, what - 16?"
Oliver (joining them): "It was not a night light. I was - it was not a night light. I couldn't sleep with it being pitch black. By the way, I did see that. Go get a fork and a plate, and get yourself a reasonable slice of cake."
William: "Yes." (Walks away)
Thea: "Thank you for doing this. It's actually pretty cool."
Oliver: "Why do you sound surprised?"
Thea: "I don't know. I just thought that maybe you'd be a little more anti me going?"
Oliver: "I'm the one who encouraged you to go follow your heart."
Thea: "I know, I know. It's just that now that it's all real, I thought - I thought that maybe you'd be a tad less supportive."
Oliver: "I'm completely supportive of anything and everything that makes you happy. Speaking of which, I did tell Roy that the two times that I shot him with arrows would be nothing compared to what would happen to him if you end up unhappy. You understand what I'm saying?"
Felicity (coming up): "I spy an overbearing big brother."
Thea: "Ah no, he's never like that."
Felicity: "Never." 
(Roy joins them.)
Felicity: "I know we've said it a million times, but we're going to miss you. Really going to miss you."
Roy: "Well, you guys are going to have to come visit us once we find out where we're going to land."
Oliver: "Where do you think that's going to be?"
Thea: "We don't really know. Exactly. But that's kinda the best part. We're going to figure it out as we go along."
Felicity: "Oh, that's so spontaneous and romantic."
Roy: "As long as we're together, that's all that really matters, right?"

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – Nyssa al Ghul tells OTA, Thea and Roy about The Thanatos Guild:
Oliver: "Hey, what happened? Thea, are you hurt?"
Thea: "No, I'm fine. I'm okay."
Roy: "I'm doing pretty fine myself, if anyone's asking."
Felicity: "They weren't even at the city limits, and they got attacked!"
Roy: "It's because she jinxed us."
Nyssa: "Superstition played no part. (To Felicity) I hear you've taken my husband as your own."
Felicity: "Yeah, well, we can talk about that later."
Nyssa: "In the League, such talk would take the form of mortal combat."
Oliver: "What the hell is going on?"
Thea: "Apparently, my dear old dad decided to recruit some loyalists before Nyssa disbanded the League."
Oliver: "For what?"
Nyssa: "To start his own. The Thanatos Guild. I began hearing whispers about them shortly after we all returned from Lian Yu."
Diggle: "It couldn't have lived for long, considering he didn't leave the island."
Nyssa: "Moses never entered the Holy Land, and yet his legacy endured. His second in command, Athena, took charge. A contemporary of mine and rival. Her involvement alone suggest a very dark purpose at work here."
Oliver: "Why would this Guild attack Thea?"
Nyssa: "Before Merlyn gave up his life, he discovered a map that leads to something ancient, powerful. I do not know what it is, but I do know he yearned for Thea to be at his side when he unearthed it."
Thea: "Really funny he never mentioned this."
Nyssa: "Because he knew you were not ready. Athena believed Thea either to be in possession of the map or at the very least have knowledge of its whereabouts."
Thea: "Well, you have fun on your treasure hunt, okay?"
Nyssa: "I told you, you cannot run from this."
Thea: "Watch me, okay? I - Roy and I are getting out of here and back to our lives."
Nyssa: "I need your help obtaining the map. You cannot deny your father's legacy any more than I can deny mine. They will find you."
Thea: "What do you want from me?"
Nyssa: "Merlyn had an associate in Star City. If he shared the map's location with anyone, it would've been with her."
Diggle: "You haven't spoken with her?"
Nyssa: "She... does not care for me."
(Felicity makes scoffing noise, then coughs to cover it up.)
Nyssa: "But, she would not deny Merlyn's daughter."
Thea: "Okay, fine. I will go with you to talk to her. We will help you find your map. And then that's it. I'm done. For real this time."

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – OTA, Thea, Roy and Nyssa search for the map in an empty warehouse, but are attacked by Athena and other Thanatos Guild assassins:
Oliver (over comms): "Overwatch, are you sure we're alone here?"
Felicity (over comms): "Yes, it is just the five of you. No other souls for two blocks."
Oliver (over comms): "Copy."
Nyssa: "Be cautious. Merlyn would've laid traps to protect this place."
Felicity (over comms): "What kind of traps are we talking here? Are we talking Raiders or Temple of Doom kind of traps?"
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): "Guys, about you being the only souls for two blocks. Funny thing about those ninjas..."
*  *  *
Thea (over comms): "Felicity, I know you were wondering. It's Raiders. Kiss the floor."
(Thea triggers the trap and arrows shoot out from the wall and hit Athena.)

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – OTA, Thea, Roy and Nyssa regroup at the Arrow Bunker:
Roy: "Here, let me help you."
Thea: "Oh God, that bitch has a really powerful kick. I think she might've broken one of my ribs."
Nyssa: "I assure you, that will be the last time you have to face her."
Diggle: "Yeah, you'll get no complaints from me."
Oliver: "This Athena doesn't seem like the type to give up easily."
Nyssa: "I intend to take the choice out of her hands. By taking Merlyn's map far from here. I know the toll a father can have on a child, even long after he's gone. This is my burden, not yours."
Felicity (lifting box): "You didn't tell me this was the box from Hellraiser."
Nyssa: "Take care of each other."
Roy: "Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be."
Thea: "Okay, wait, how are you going to open it."
Nyssa: "I'll find someone who can unlock the cipher. My people invented mathematics, after all."
Felicity: "Yeah, no, no, no. Not this type of mathematics."
Thea: "Look, you can't - you can't go out there by yourself. Athena's assassins are looking for you."
Roy: "She said that's what she wanted to do, Thea."
Thea: "No, it's not what I want."
Oliver: "Speedy."
Nyssa: "You made it clear, once I got the map, you'd have no interest in your father or the League."
Thea: "And you made it clear that this map, it leads to what - something ancient and powerful? Okay, you cannot take this on by yourself. Plus we have the world's greatest mathematician right there. (Points to Felicity, who waves a hand in acknowledgment) And the protection that you are going to need to keep that thing safe while you try to open it."
Nyssa: "I appreciate the gesture. (To Felicity) Can you do it?"
Felicity: "Well, in my experience, anything locked can be hacked. Usually by me."

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – Oliver tells Nyssa to stop calling him "husband" because Felicity doesn’t like it:
Oliver: "Nyssa."
Nyssa: "Husband."
Oliver: "Huh. You gotta stop doing that. I do have a wife now and, um, she doesn't like it."
Nyssa: "But that's the fun of it."
Oliver: "Thea might want you to stay. Doesn't mean you have to."
Nyssa: "The point about Felicity's utility was well-taken."

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – Felicity decodes the locked box and they open the box, but the map inside is blank:
Felicity: "Nailed it! I nailed it - I got it. Whoo!"
Nyssa: "You unlocked the map?"
Felicity: "No!"
Thea: "Okay, so what do you mean by 'nailed it'?"
Felicity: "I figure out how to unlock the Hellraiser cube. I just thought that you should do the honors."
Thea: "Oh."
Felicity: "You've heard of the Fibonacci Sequence, right?"
Thea: "Let's assume not"
Felicity: "Fibonacci Sequence is a mathematical pattern dating back to Pingala’s formula in 450 B.C."
Roy: "Wow."
Felicity: "Yeah."
Roy: "When you said ancient, you were not kidding."
Nyssa: "I never kid."
Felicity: "Except where my marriage is concerned, apparently. The Fibonacci Sequence. Every number is the sum of the two previous numbers. So, finding the two starting ones, that's the tricky part."
Oliver: "What are the starting numbers?"
Nyssa: "10 and 13."
Roy: "Is she right?"
Nyssa: "1013 is the year the League was founded."
Thea: "And Malcolm's birthday."
Felicity: "Okay. Sit."
(Thea sits down and works to unlock the box.)
Felicity: "Try 10. 13. 23. 36. 59. 95 -"
Roy: "95. (Off Felicity's and Thea's looks) I was always good at math."
Felicity (to Thea): "That's right."
(The box opens, and Thea removes the map.)
Oliver: "What's it say?"
Nyssa: "Nothing."
Felicity: "Nothing?" (Looks at the map, which is blank.)
*  *  *
(Felicity holds the map over an open flame, while Nyssa, Thea and Roy watch.)
Roy: "Why are you burning it?"
Nyssa: "She's heating it. The League writes in hidden text that can only be revealed through flame."
Felicity: "Don't remember?"
Roy: "I don't want to." (Leaves)
Thea: "I don't know what's going on with him, but just keep working on it." (Leaves)
Nyssa: "Why isn't the flame working?"
Felicity: "There's two possibilities for that. Either Malcolm is using a different type of invisible ink."
Nyssa: "Or?"
Felicity: "Or... there's nothing on this, and we are wasting our time."
(Felicity starts scanning the map with an electronic scanning device.)
Nyssa: "What's this?"
Felicity: "I thought since old school wasn't working, I'd try some new school. This scanner can make a 3-D volt cell-based recreation."
Nyssa: "I didn't start using a computer until I was 25."
Felicity: "That explains a lot. If I can duplicate the map digitally, there might be some hidden markers on there that we can trace."
Nyssa: "Sounds complicated."
Felicity: "It is. Very. So it would be really great, to not be distracted. You know."
Nyssa: "Very true. So I'll stay here to make sure you remain uninterrupted. Sister wife."
Felicity: "Okay."

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – Curtis misses his rapport with Felicity:
Dinah: “I love a good old murder board.”
Curtis: “Yeah. Feelin’ very Alan J. Pakula. (Laughs) Sometimes I forget you’re not Felicity.”

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – Felicity locates The Thanatos Guild assassins at the Star City Gas Plant, and the team springs into action:
Diggle (interrupting Oliver and Thea's conversation): "Athena's group of assassins. Found them."
Oliver: "Where are they?"
Felicity: "Star City Gas Plant."
Diggle: "They got the city's entire supply."
Roy: "At worst, they could blow it up."
Thea: "But why? It's not their M.O."
Oliver: "It is if they're using the plant to leverage us into giving up the map."
Felicity: "Clearly, Athena doesn't know you very well."
Thea: "Yeah, well, too bad it's not Ollie's choice. It's mine."
Nyssa: "You can't give into them."
Thea: "I can't let them hold the city hostage, okay. This is still my home. So, what, am I going alone?"
*  *  *
Oliver (over comms): "Overwatch, you have eyes on the Guild?"
Felicity (over comms): "No, not yet. But I'm reading a frequency spike, which means they just activated a bomb."
Nyssa: "Athena's way of putting pressure on our negotiations."
Oliver: "Fan out and find the bomb."
Felicity (over comms): "Multiple heat signatures, guys. They got you surrounded."
Diggle: "Head on swivel."
Roy: "Now, where are all the assassins?"
Nyssa: "Everywhere."
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): "Don't forget, guys. We still have a bomb situation."
Roy (over comms): "There's always a bomb situation."
Felicity (over comms): "I can trace the frequency to the detonator 17 feet to your right."
Roy (over comms): "Okay, lead the way."
Felicity (over comms): "Up."
*  *  *
Roy (over comms): "This isn't working."
Felicity (over comms): "I know. It's a collapsible circuit." 
Roy (over comms): "I can freeze it. I've done it before."
Felicity (over comms): "No! No, it's a mercury switch. That will definitely set it off."
Roy (over comms): "What do I do?"
Felicity (over comms): "You can short-circuit it."
Roy (over comms): "You know, I'm kinda out of electricity arrows right now at the moment, Felicity."
Oliver (over comms): "On its way." (Shoots electricity arrow toward Roy, who catches it)
Roy: "Got it." (Uses arrow to short-circuit bomb)
Felicity (over comms): "Whew! Nice work."

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – Thea's blood reveals the hidden diagram on the map, which Nyssa interprets to show the locations of three Lazarus Pits:
Felicity: "Nanolithography. The map's printed with bacteria."
Roy: "Ugh, that's gross."
Felicity: "And when exposed to enzymes with Thea's DNA, it revealed itself."
Diggle: "Ancient League secret?"
Felicity: "No, no. This is bleeding edge science. This requires an atomic force microscope. Leave it to Merlyn."
Oliver: "Nyssa, you said you know what this map leads to."
Nyssa: "These are ley lines."
Felicity: "Great. Ley lines. We have some experience with those with Damien Dahrk."
Nyssa: "These are different. I thought they only intersected on one place on Earth."
Diggle: "Doesn't look that way from this."
Nyssa: "Indeed. These lines are global. It suggests the existence of three intersections of the kind I thought only existed on Nanda Parbat."
Felicity: "Right. But what only exists on Nanda Parbat? Really. I mean, besides really depressing decor?"
Nyssa: "I know now why Merlyn called his new league the Thanatos Guild."
Felicity: "Thanatos is the personification of death in Greek mythology."
Nyssa: "Exactly. I believe these lines suggest the existence of three installments."
Thea: "But three what?"
Nyssa: "Your father discovered the existence of three Lazarus Pits."
Thea: "Of course he did."

616 (The Thanatos Guild) – As Thea and Roy leave with Nyssa on a mission to destroy the three Lazarus Pits, Nyssa annuls her League marriage to Oliver:
Oliver: "You drew her back into this, Nyssa. That carries with it a certain responsibility."
Nyssa: "Thea's your sister and the daughter of Malcolm Merlyn. She has less need of protection than you think. (Presents him with a dagger) This is a Horchis Dagger. In the League of Assassins, it symbolizes the cutting of marital bonds. (Gives dagger to Oliver) I hereby annul our marriage."
Oliver (laughs): "Nyssa, as wedding gifts go, this isn't half bad."
Nyssa: "Be well, Oliver."

Edited March 17, 2020 by tv echo