S02.E01: City of Heroes

[Actionmage]

It's been a year since the death of Tommy Merlyn and the destruction of the Glades. Oliver has been living alone on the island where he was marooned for 5 years. Digg and Felicity want him to return to Starling City and he agrees for his family's sake but he refuses to put on the hood. Roy and Thea are still together but she's not too keen on his efforts to deal with drug dealers. She's been running the nightclub during Oliver's absence but hasn't visited her mother. Queen Consolidated is in trouble and Isabel Rochev is out to gain control. Oliver turns to Walter Steele for help. Laurel Lance has joined the District Attorney's office and is present at a fund-raiser when the mayor is gunned down by vigilantes seeking revenge for what happened in the Glades. They then turn their sights on Oliver. In flashbacks to Oliver's time on the island, 5 months have passed since they stopped Fryers but they find others are on the island. Shado is soon taken prisoner.

 

 

While I know a rewatch is going on, The CW is re-airing season 2.  This is for follks who have seen season 2 and want to talk about the episode.

 

 

Having said that, I enjoyed the heck out of this episode!

 

*Two, count 'em two!, swing saves for Felicity by Oliver!

*Walter (because he's cool, in case it needs to be spelled out; I also believe he is like Quentin and knows The Secret)

*Moira! (Susanna Thompson's gonna be missed, even if we get her in flashbacks. No matter what outfit, no matter the amount of make-up, Ms.Thompson made us feel and understand Moira Dearden Queen's headspace. Agree or not, we understood her.)

*A flash of Canary

*The first of the collider news ("to open around Christmas")

*The first of Island!Ollie's Mandarin

*The indication of Laurel and Oliver moving on to become friends with a history, but both deciding to not try a relationship again.

*Thea making a kind of peace with Moira and running Verdant (I bet Walter was there for advice, if she asked too.  Damn. Now that I wrote that, I kinda want to see Malcolm and Walter face off over how Malcolm has screwed over the Queen ladies, figuratively and literally.)

Oh, also meant to add that I enjoyed the last moments-  Diggle: "Well, Oliver, what do you want to be called?"  [music builds, a bit too long imo]

-Cut to-

Show logo (by the way, the word 'Arrow' over the picture of...an arrow!)

 

See, Grimm, that's how you do cutesy endings. Spare and sparse.

Edited May 29, 2014 by stacey
Adding episode description

[MsSchadenfreude]

Walter is the man.  I love him.  And I could listen to him talk all day.

 

Wow, you're really sweaty!  Hee! Love Felicity stating the obvious.  It's a bird, it's a plane.  It's Oliver/Felicity swinging from a rope or chain.

 

Canary putting the smack down on those guys was awesome. Laurel will never be able to pull that off?  You hear me show…just stop with the nonsense!

[slayer2]

I'm really starting to like Roy a lot. I love that he's trying to help his city and his neighbourhood, it's such a true sentiment to someone in that situation. He's pretty easy on the eyes too, though I didn't notice that until I actually got to know his character. Still don't like Thea, don't like that she's trying to keep him from helping others whatever the reason, it's his 'hood he has to do something.  I like the twist of Laurel working against the Arrow and think the motivation makes sense, sad that Tommy's really dead though, I did quite like that actor. Digging the flashback scenes which I never thought I'd say, and am really enamoured of Shado. On a shallow note: Slade's accent is tops, won't get sick of that for a while.

 

ETA Oh and the first peak at Caity Lotz and what a wonderful time to show up too, poor Roy.

Edited May 29, 2014 by slayer2

[BkWurm1]

  The flashbacks were interesting but I actually found Diggle and Felicity's trip to the island even more interesting, specifically as they landed on the beach and headed into the forest. They pass by things that meant nothing to me at the beginning of last season but now gave me a few chills.  I loved seeing

the Amazo sunk and on it's side and I got goose bumps when Dig and Felicity
walked past a black and orange Deathstroke mask with an ARROW through the  eye.

    Awesome!!!!

 

I remembered I liked Shado but after all this time I'd kind of forgotten why.  I never really thought about those five months while Oliver, Slade and Shado all hung out pretty much in peace.  Except for being stranded and forced to forage for all their food and having crap for shelter, hey, they had it pretty good. 

 

I was once again struck by how douchey a move it was for Oliver to stick his head in the sand for five months.  Thea was very forgiving of him taking off to "Europe" and ignoring her while their mother is in jail. Roy deserves an awful lot of credit for that.   

 

I really liked the dynamic between Diggle, Felicity, and Oliver. (lol, shock!)   Diggle was great the way he understood what was haunting Oliver and Felicity was great in getting Oliver to try another way.  They were so proud of what they'd done to the Arrowcave. 

 

Too bad Oliver didn't heed his mom's advice about never trusting the dangerous Isabel Rochev.  Oops!

 

Oh, I loved Oliver and Felicity swinging in on a vine/chain, great action and makes a girls heart go a pitter patter. 

 

I'd forgotten about that scene where both Oliver and Laurel agree way too much had happened between them to ever be together romantically.  Also found it interesting that the line I've seen in multiple Laurel/.Oliver videos quoting him saying basically if only I could have done things differently turned out to be about his regret and guilt over what happened to Sara and NOT the act of cheating on Laurel. 

 

Even though

Sara ended up not being dead

their betrayal of Tommy will always be between them.  Why again would I even want them together?

 

Still don't like Thea, don't like that she's trying to keep him [Roy] from helping others whatever the reason

 

I thought she was being pretty understanding after five months of him going out alone and unarmed against thugs and killers and deliberately picking a fight.  She doesn't want him dead and that seems like a pretty reasonable request. 

 

At the same time I also could understand why Roy felt compelled to go out there.  I would have liked him to gather a few friends and do his neighborhood sweeps in a group or at least bring a bat but then he wouldn't be our dear Roy boy. 

 

Thea and Moira's reunion made me cry but also laugh.  Willa Holland has this way of speaking that reminds me enough of how Quentin swallows his words to make me once again wonder if he isn't the true father of Thea Queen. 

Edited May 29, 2014 by BkWurm1

[icandigit]

I get the whole last two men on earth thing, but really Shado, Oliver? When Slade is right there. I'll never understand that.

 

I have this irrational love of the Oliver/Thea relationship so that scene in the bar warmed my heart.

 

Love that when Diggle and Oliver fight they go into formal mode, "Mr. Queen".

 

The look Oliver gives Felicity when the hoods tell him he failed the city. He gives her this look like wtf is this real. They're such great buddies.

 

I love whenever Diggle is body guarding Oliver, when you know that he doesn't need it, well most of the time. This ep would've made a good movie. Props to Felicity for keeping the salmon ladder, woman has her priorities straight. This episode was team arrow heavy which is why it rocked.

[statsgirl]

I'd forgotten how great the appearance of the Black Canary was.  Without even saying a word.

 

Now that EBR has said that Felicity is afraid of a lot, I'm really starting to see it.  She was scared in the airplane, she was scared to do the parachute jump (I loved that Diggle told her they'll do it in 'three' and then jumps with her on 'one', and that he thanks her for not throwing up until they had landed).  The fact that she's terrified but she still goes ahead and does what she thinks needs to be done makes me like her more.

 

When the plane left, I wondered how they got back to Starling City but I guess Oliver had a boat that he took to the island and moored there.

 

Poor Thea, people really do forget about her.  Walter is gone, Moira's in jail and Oliver's on the island.  At least she had Roy, and even more impressive that she determined to keep the club going with no experience. She could have just given up and run away too.  

 

I liked that Robert Queen's death had put Oliver on the road to killing and Tommy's death made him determined to stop. Then Thea got kidnapped and Felicity told him to find another way (bookmarked at the end of the season when she told him again to find another way to defeat Slade without killing him) and he does.  

 

Moira telling Oliver that he has family reminded me that she did make a good CEO. Quentin was sort of bonding with Felicity, setting up that connection this season.

Edited May 30, 2014 by statsgirl

[Wayward Son]

A great season opener IMO, which appropriately dealt with the fallout of the season one finale at both a city wide level and a personal level. 

 

• Oliver’s new mission statement is quite interesting although I doubt he’ll be able to keep up the “no kill” rule for long. 

• Thea’s journey throughout the episode was well done! I thought Willa Holland did a great job of conveying her inner conflict. 

• I loved the Walter appearance and I’m glad Moira’s “you still have family” remark was in reference to him. 

• The first appearance of the Black Canary (I think that is what she is called?) Yay!

[BkWurm1]

Quote

Thea and Moira's reunion made me cry but also laugh.  Willa Holland has this way of speaking that reminds me enough of how Quentin swallows his words to make me once again wonder if he isn't the true father of Thea Queen. 

I'm quoting myself from above.  I'd completely forgotten this had ever crossed my mind.  Lol. Imagine how differently this show might have been...and how much it wouldn't have changed, lol.

[tv echo]

201 (City of Heroes) – No Oliver Queen voiceover intro.

201 (City of Heroes) – Felicity and Diggle go to Lian Yu to bring Oliver back to Starling City:
(Felicity and Diggle are in a plane.)
Diggle: "Felicity, if you're so scared, why did you insist on sitting up front?"
Felicity: "This is the only seat with a seat belt." 
Diggle: "Which will come in handy when we hit the water at 180 miles an hour."
Felicity: "What??"
Diggle: "Which will not happen."
(Pilot speaks in foreign language.)
Diggle: "I think that means we're here." 
Felicity: "Lian Yu. Huh! But you said the parachutes were just in case!"
Diggle: "Yeah. Just in case we made it here. Come on."
Felicity: "No!" 
Diggle: "All right, Felicity, on 3!"
Felicity: "I don't think I can do this! I can't do this! (Screams)"
(They land on the island, and Felicity throws up.)
Diggle: "Thanks for waiting until we touched down."
Felicity: "My pleasure."
Diggle: "Let's move." 
(They walk through the woods.)
Diggle: "Shhh!"
Felicity: "What is it?"
Diggle: "Thought I heard something." 
(Clicking sound)
Felicity: "Dig!"
Diggle: "Don't move. It's a landmine. I'm going to try to disarm it." 
Oliver (shouting from up in a tree): "You can't! Diggle. Back away. Felicity. Don't move."
(Oliver swings down from tree, grabs Felicity as the land mine explodes, and he lands on top of her.)
Felicity: "God, you're - you're really sweaty." 
Diggle: "You're a hard man to find."
Oliver: "You shouldn't have come here."
(Cut to scene inside rough hut.)
Diggle: "Would have e-mailed, but this isn't exactly a Wi-Fi hotspot."
Felicity: "Is this where you lived when you were here? I mean, the first time you were here." 
Oliver: "For some of it."
Felicity: "Could you at least pretend like you're glad to see us? Dig and I spent weeks tracking you down. We've traveled halfway across the world. And this morning we flew in a plane so old, I'm pretty sure I was safer once I jumped out of it. You could at least offer us a water. Or a coconut."
Oliver: "Fresh out of coconuts. I am happy to see you. I know why you're here. I'm not coming back to Starling City.  I can't. My mission. My father's list. It was a fool's crusade. And I failed. Malcolm Merlyn destroyed the Glades. Tommy died.  And the Hood couldn't stop it. So don't ask me to put it on again. Ever."
Diggle: "This isn't about you being the Vigilante. This is about you being Oliver Queen. Your mother's in prison, Oliver. Her trial's coming up. Thea's out on her own. Your family needs you." 
Felicity: "So does the family business. All the bad press after the Undertaking left Queen Consolidated ripe for a hostile takeover by Stellmoor International. They've gutted every company they've taken over. Once they gobble up Queen Consolidated, 30,000 employees will be out of a job. Including one very blond I.T. expert." 
Diggle: "Listen, I get why you had to leave, Oliver, probably better than anybody else. I've been there. And after what happened, nobody can blame you for leaving. But it's time to come home."

201 (City of Heroes) – Oliver returns to Starling City:
Oliver: “Who's Blood?” 
Diggle: “An alderman from the Glades trying to save the city. Fill your shoes.”
Felicity: “Here's everything on Stellmoor International. The vice president of acquisitions is a woman named Isabel Rochev. She looks angry in every photo.”

201 (City of Heroes) – After the copycat Hoods attack a mayoral fundraiser, Oliver and Laurel (who now works for the District Attorney’s office) have a talk:
Laurel: “Dad, give me a sec.”
Quentin: “Yeah.” (Leaves)
Laurel: “I didn't know you were back in town.”
Oliver: “I just got back a little while ago, and I was going to call, but then I saw you on TV, so I thought that I would come and make sure you were safe.”
Laurel: “Just four hooded gunmen. Nothing a few self-defense classes couldn't handle.”
Oliver: “Take a walk?”
Laurel: “Yeah.”
Oliver: “Sorry I left.”
Laurel: “Believe me, I get it. After the funeral, I think we both needed time to figure things out. On our own.”
Oliver: “I didn't get very far on my own. Did you? Figure anything out?”
Laurel: “That I made a mistake when I slept with you. I know it wasn't exactly cheating, because Tommy had broken up with me, but he only did that because he thought that you and I should be together. All I know is that I feel like I betrayed him. And now he's gone. And there's nothing I can do to make it right.”
Oliver: “I know how that feels. When I brought your sister on The Queen's Gambit, I betrayed you and your father. There's no forgiveness for what I led Sara into. I would give anything to – to go back.”
Laurel: “Yeah. But we can't go back.”

201 (City of Heroes) – The copycat Hoods crash Oliver’s business meeting with Isabel Rochev at Queen Consolidated:
Felicity: "They're in the conference room. Just FYI, no one is eating the bagels."
Isabel: “Isabel Rochev.”
Oliver: "Oliver Queen. Sorry I'm late."
Isabel: "For this meeting or a career in business?"
Oliver: "I didn't realize hostile takeovers were filled with so much hostility."
Isabel: "Not at all. I'm actually in quite a good mood." 
Oliver: "Really? So destroying companies agrees with you?" 
Isabel: "Winning agrees with me." 
Oliver: "You haven't won yet."
Isabel: "Since you majored in dropping out of college, let me put this in terms that are easy for you to understand. You control 45% of Queen Consolidated stock. I control 45%, leaving 10% outstanding. But, in two days the board will release the final 10%."
Oliver: "And I'll buy it before you do."
Isabel: "With what money? I doubt your trust fund is that large, and no angel investor will go near the company that built the machine that destroyed half the city. Companies rise and fall, Mr. Queen. Your company has fallen." 
(Three copycat Hoods enter the meeting room with guns.)
Copycat Hood: "Oliver Queen! You failed this city." 
(Felicity and Oliver exchange glances.)
(Gunfight ensues.)
Diggle: "Fall back! Oliver, go! Go, go, go, go!"
(Oliver gets Isabel out of the room.)
Copycat Hood: "Get Queen!"
(When Oliver attempts to re-enter the room, he's confronted by a copycat Hood until Felicity bashes the copycat Hood from behind with a wooden post.)
Copycat Hood: "Queen's getting away. Go! Move!"
(Oliver gets Felicity out of the room, grabs a chain with one hand and Felicity with the other, and he swings them crashing through the window, out the building, and back down crashing through another window into another room on another floor. After they land, Oliver looks over at Felicity with concern and brushes away her hair from her face with a hand to see if she's okay.)

201 (City of Heroes) – After the attack, Felicity and Diggle wonder when Oliver will resume his crime fighting:
Felicity: "I still can't get used to you in that uniform, Detective Lance."
Quentin: "It's 'Officer' now. And I'm just glad it still fit. They hurt you?"
Felicity: "I'm okay." 
Quentin: "You, uh, heard anything from our mutual friend lately?"
Felicity: "Nope. In fact, I keep waiting for him to show up."
(Cut to Oliver, Diggle and Felicity entering his CEO office at QC.)
Felicity: "You could have stopped those guys."
Oliver: "Not without giving Isabel Rochev and the Hoods a pretty good idea of what I'm capable of."
Diggle: "I think what Felicity's wondering, is whether you avoided taking those Hoods on.  And, Oliver, she's not the only one wondering."
Oliver: "I told you, I did not come back to Starling City to be the Vigilante."
Diggle: "But they came after you, Oliver. You could have taken them out."
Oliver: "No, I couldn't, Diggle. Look, there's a part of being the Hood that neither one of you are considering. The body count."
Felicity: "And excuse me for saying this, but so what? Since when do you care?"
Diggle: "Since Tommy."
Oliver: "After he found out my secret, you know what Tommy called me? A murderer. He was right. My best friend died thinking that I was a murderer, and anyone that I kill dishonors his memory."
Felicity: "So don't. It's not like you've killed every guy you've faced." 
Oliver: "I could have. Because when I put on the hood, its kill or be killed. That is what kept me alive. That's why I should have stayed on the island."
Felicity: "Is that where you're going now?"
Oliver: "The two of you won't help me save my family's company, I'm going to talk to somebody who will."

201 (City of Heroes) – After Thea is kidnapped by the copycat Hoods, Felicity shows Oliver an upgraded Arrowcave and gives him a new compound bow:
Felicity: "I've made a few improvements down here. Just in case, you know, you decided to come back."
(Felicity turns on lights.)
Oliver: "We need to find these guys."
Felicity: "I've been trying, ever since you got back. I figured you'd come around eventually. (Oliver looks at salmon ladder)  I kept that. I liked watching you do that."
Oliver: "Thea's boyfriend said one of them was missing part of his hand. Maybe a veteran? Check hospital records, any males that have had surgical amputations on their extremities."
Felicity: "Cross-checking by race and age. Got one - Jeff Deveau. African-American. Late thirties."
Oliver: "What else can you get on him?" 
Felicity: "Ex-Marine."
Diggle: "Would explain how he can handle himself. Did he lose his hand overseas?"
Felicity: "No. In the earthquake. Says here he and his wife were trying to make it across the 52nd Street Bridge when it collapsed. She didn't make it." 
Oliver: "Phone records, please. I want to know he's in contact with." 
Felicity: "He's made a lot of calls to a church in the Glades. Something called Standing Strong. It's a support group for those who lost loved ones in the quake."
Diggle: "Great place to meet three other guys as angry as you, looking for a little payback."
Oliver: "Get me an address, please."
Felicity: “You're going to need this. I had it custom made. (Shows Oliver the new compound bow in a case) How'd I do?”
Oliver: “It's perfect.”
Felicity: “You were right. Once I signed on, I stopped thinking about all the bodies you dropped. Because I knew that being the Hood meant occasionally being a killer. Maybe there’s another way.”  
Oliver: “They have my sister. What other way is there?”  

201 (City of Heroes) – Oliver delivers the copycat Hoods to the police alive:
Quentin: “Where you been? Typically when I bring in guys that you've gone after, they're a little more dead.”
Oliver: “I'm trying another way.”

201 (City of Heroes) - Oliver and Laurel talk at Tommy Merlyn's grave:
Laurel: "I didn't mean to disturb you. I didn't know you were here. I was just - I come here a lot. I can go."
Oliver: "No, it's - you don't have to. Laurel, I understand, after everything that's happened, I... understand why we can't be together. I still need you in my life."
Laurel: "We've been through too much for it to be any other way."
(They hold hands at the gravesite.)
Oliver: "I feel like I betrayed him, too."
Laurel: "Before the Hood, we didn't have things like earthquake machines or copycat vigilantes."
Oliver: "Laurel. Malcolm killed Tommy."
Laurel: "He was killed in the crossfire between two archers. And now that Malcolm's dead, there's only one archer left. And I'm going to help my boss catch him."

201 (City of Heroes) – Oliver thwarts Isabel’s attempt to take over Queen Consolidated by bringing in Walter Steele, now CFO of Starling National Bank, for rescue financing (bank purchased remaining 10% of QC stock):
Isabel: “You aren't at all what people say about you.”
Oliver: “Most people fail to see the real me. (She leaves) Thank you, Walter.”
Walter: “Thank you, for reaching out to me. Whatever's happened between your mother and me, I'm gratified that you know you can still count on me. Your father would have been very proud of you, Oliver. Ms. Smoak.”
Felicity: “Mr. Steele. (He leaves) You did it. Not bad for someone who got a D in 10th grade Algebra. (Oliver looks at her) If it’s online, I can find it.”  
Oliver (chuckles): “It was just like a good friend once told me, I had to find another way.” 

201 (City of Heroes) - Roy (in his red hoodie) rescues a woman being attacked by three guys; and we see the first appearance of the (Black) Canary:
Roy (to woman): "Run." 
(He fights her attackers. Suddenly a blonde woman wearing a black suit and mask and carrying a bo staff jumps into the fight. She quickly defeats the three guys.)
Roy: "Where the hell did you come from?"
(She pauses a moment to look at him and then quickly leaves.)

201 (City of Heroes) – Oliver decides to resume his crime fighting, but wants to change his Hood name:
Diggle: “Well, it looks like Starling is back down to only one man in a hood.” 
Felicity: “And the three of us are back in the archery business?”
Oliver: “No. I spent the past year trying to avenge my father. If we're going to do this, it has to be about honoring Tommy. I need to become the man he hoped I could be. You two have helped me take the first step.”
Felicity: “So what's step two? I'm game for anything as long as it doesn't involve skydiving. And I'm pretty down on landmines now, too.”
Oliver: “The city still needs saving. But not by the Hood. And not by some vigilante who's just crossing names off a list. It needs… something more.”
Diggle: “It needs a hero, Oliver.”
Felicity: “It's too bad the Hoods kinda ruined your nickname.”
Oliver: “No, it's good. I never – I don't want to be called the Hood anymore.”
Diggle: “Okay. So what do you want to be called?”
(Oliver looks at his arrow.)

Edited February 10, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

201 (City of Heroes - DELETED SCENE: Quentin tells Laurel about rumors of a woman in black leather and a mask:
Quentin: "Hey. To what do I owe this little visit?"
Laurel: "I wanted to see if you were okay. Lieutenant Pike was harsh."
Quentin: "Oh, I've got a tough skin."
Laurel: "Well, you'll need it if you're going to disobey his orders."
Quentin: "What?"
Laurel: "Case file. On your passenger seat."
Quentin: "Heh, heh. Please. I'm just seeing what I can see about these Hoods. You know, old habits."
Laurel: "You find anything useful?"
Quentin: "Well, I doubt it could be considered useful, but it seems like these Hoods, they're not the only vigilantes in town."
Laurel: "What do you mean?"
Quentin: "Laurel, you know, it's just street gossip, but, um, some woman in black leather and a mask is busting heads in the Glades."
Laurel: "A woman?"
Quentin: "Yeah. Either that or a guy got up a particular great disguise. Y'see, that's the thing nobody thought about when the Vigilante came to town. Cause and effect. Y'see, before last year we didn't have things like earthquake machines and copycat vigilantes. We - I'm sorry, I hope I didn't hit a nerve. You know, we haven't talked about it in a while, but, you know, Tommy. You doin' okay, sweetie?"
Laurel: "I had to revise my definition of 'okay.' I have to go."
Quentin: "Sweetie. Please -"
(Laurel walks away.)

Edited February 10, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

201 (City of Heroes) - IGN video of 201 behind-the-scenes feature titled "Arrow - Visual Effects - Felicity & Diggle's Big Jump)”:

(IGN)

201 (City of Heroes - DELETED SCENE: Quentin tells Laurel about rumors of a woman in black leather and a mask:

(Katie Cassidy Daily)

Edited April 27, 2020 by tv echo

[lemotomato]

PaigeOTA is posting episode gif threads again, going through season 2: