S07.E19: Spartan

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

ERNIE HUDSON (“GHOSTBUSTERS”) GUEST STARS — After the Ninth Circle delivers a major setback for Team Arrow, Diggle (David Ramsey) reluctantly reaches out to a Four-Star General of the Defense Intelligence Agency (guest star Ernie Hudson) for help, despite unresolved tension from their past. Meanwhile, Oliver (Stephen Amell) discovers a piece of information that he believes will turn Emiko (Sea Shimooka) against the Ninth Circle. Alena (guest star Kacey Rohl) returns with an interesting proposal for Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards). Avi Youabian directed the episode written by Benjamin Raab & Deric A. Hughes (#719). Original airdate 4/22/2019.

[cambridgeguy]

What is up with this show killing off the villains portrayed by good actors in favor of dodgier ones?  I guess it won't matter since we're close to the end now but you hire Adrian Paul just to knock him off after a few episodes?

[Mellowyellow]

Just now, cambridgeguy said:

What is up with this show killing off the villains portrayed by good actors in favor of dodgier ones?  I guess it won't matter since we're close to the end now but you hire Adrian Paul just to knock him off after a few episodes?

The better actors can't commit for longer perhaps so they use them to introduce the sub par actors who I assume are easier to hire. 

[jay741982]

Just now, cambridgeguy said:

What is up with this show killing off the villains portrayed by good actors in favor of dodgier ones?  I guess it won't matter since we're close to the end now but you hire Adrian Paul just to knock him off after a few episodes?

Cause in this case they just have to have Oliver's Sibling be the bad guy.

[insomniadreams88]

Enjoyed finally getting some Diggle backstory. But IT TOOK WAY TOO LONG. 

Glad we got some good Oliver/Diggle scenes, but wish we'd gotten Felicity/Diggle, OTA, and Oliver/Felicity scenes, too. 

Come on, Alena, don't be evil. Let her just be the one who's careless, and Archer falls into the wrong hands. But I want her to remain an ally/friend to Felicity. Felicity deserves to have a friend.

Rene/Dinah scenes were unnecessary.

Liked the Mia/Connor stuff, but wish we'd seen JJ and future Diggle. 

I just don't care about the Emiko/Dante/Ninth Circle stuff. But I can't believe we were stuck with Diaz/KA for 1.5 seasons and only got what, a handful of episodes with Dante/Adrian Paul?

[Lantern7]

Wait, so Duncan is dead-dead? Emiko didn't even have to chop his head off? Damn.

I'm a bit under the weather, so most of the episode was a blur. I got the finer notes . . . Emiko is still on the dark side (if not outright evil) Felicity has to kill her program so that it couldn't be misused. Oh, and she gets a raging lady boner* hearing the name of Dr. Will Magnus. You know, of all the Arrowverse shows out there, this was the last one I'd expect to see his reference being dropped.

(*Note to mods: feel free to erase "lady boner" if that's too offensive)

Also the future stuff is still going on for some reason. Also, Conner and John Jr. are different people. Huh.

[apinknightmare]

Bleh. 

I liked Diggle and his stepdad's interactions but it's about 6 years too late. 

Emiko's lame. The prospect of more of her is not appealing. Especially not if Oliver's going to be a dumbass about her, which I assume he is. 

I'm glad Felicity decided to not continue on with Archer - although...I am very curious about what exactly Smoak Tech is built on since there's limited time still to build that up. Shame Alena's a money-grubbing rat. 

[KillahBee007]

What a boring episode. Seven years and that’s what we get for John. Don’t get me wrong, David and Ernie were awesome. The scenes with Oliver and John were great. We even know his mom is alive but guess what? We’ll never see it because an episode about the lizard was more important.

I hope Alena doesn’t go evil. She’s the only friend FS has that isn’t Oliver and that’s sad.

I wonder who they are gonna get to play JJ. 

Overall, meh. 

[JamieLynn832002]

I liked the episode but I kind of need Oliver to stop giving advice about family unless he's talking about Felicity, William and Mia. Oliver, the only member of your family who wasn't in some way secretly evil was Thea and you've blindly trusted all of them, hence your half-sister knowing she want to steal your wife's program, maybe let John figure out his own family issues. I really wish it didn't look like Alena's going to betray Felicity. I don't really understand the JJ Deathstroke thing, Of all the villains the show has had Deathstroke was the one who was most specifically about Oliver so why would JJ start/join the Deathstroke gang to rebel against Dyla? I know Joe Wilson was in the Ghost Intiative but it still feels random and like they just wanted to shoehorn Deathstroke in.

[merroni]

So I guess Dante is not immortal?  😢

[apinknightmare]

4 minutes ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

I liked the episode but I kind of need Oliver to stop giving advice about family unless he's talking about Felicity, William and Mia. 

Hey, speaking of William...is good ol' Oliver still not worried about not being able to get in touch with his kid for over two months now? Guess not! Maybe William wasn't so far off the mark when he thought his dad didn't care about him, LOL. 

[JamieLynn832002]

16 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

Hey, speaking of William...is good ol' Oliver still not worried about not being able to get in touch with his kid for over two months now? Guess not! Maybe William wasn't so far off the mark when he thought his dad didn't care about him, LOL. 

Fair point, LOL. I really don't understand why they went there since I don't think we're suppsed to view Oliver and Felicity as terrible parents. William lives in a city where Oliver and Felicity have super-powered friends and she is a super-hacker, we're supposed to believe that after that teary goodbye, they tried for a couple of weeks to contact William and then apparently just shrugged and moved on? If they wanted it to be even semi-believable they should have at least had the Claytons not live in Central City.

[KenyaJ]

It's weird. I was entertained while I was watching that episode, and it felt like it flew by. But 30 minutes after it ended, I don't really have many thoughts about it. It's like the (American) Chinese food of episodes –– tasted great while I was eating it, but it wasn't very filling.

I'm glad we finally learned about Diggle's family, but we should've gotten this in S3 or S4.

Emiko . . . whatever.

My Smoak Queen demonstrated once again why she's a true hero. She's always willing to put the greater good over her own interests. Obviously, Smoak Tech went on to become a great success, so I hope we get to find out in the next 3 episodes what her brilliant Plan B was. 

[Guest]

Yay for Diggle's backstory at long last, I guess? Ernie Hudson elevated their scenes but on the whole I don't really care? Sadly, I think they really ruined Diggle for me earlier this season (and in S6) and I'm not completely over it. He's not the character he once was for me.

When we first saw Dante in 714 I thought "FINALLY! Someone interesting!" after the whole Diaz mess but yet again they've gotten rid of someone with potential and now we just have Emiko. Bland and boring Emiko because she's Oliver's sister. Groundbreaking! 🙄

I feel kinda sad for Felicity though. I mean, the Archer idea was flawed in the first place and I can't believe someone of her intelligence couldn't foresee the kind of problems and potential to be used for bad BUT girly just wanted to do something good and have a legacy and she had to put an end to it. Also, it's a shame they made Alena a rat. Disappointed but not surprised. I've been expecting it since S5.

I needed about 70% more Olicity seeing as there's only a few episodes left of them. Give me my crumbs, Beth! 

Once again, I'm ignoring the flashforwards because there's no way I'm accepting a world where JJ is a villain. What a goddamn mess. 

[Soulfire]

From here.

[Cthulhudrew]

2 hours ago, jay741982 said:

Cause in this case they just have to have Oliver's Sibling be the bad guy.

I don't see what reason she has to be evil anymore? Just because she has nowhere else to turn?

This episode just felt like one giant attempt to turn Diggle into John Stewart officially. Which I'd be okay with, as long as he gets the ring.

[thuganomics85]

Yeah, Adrian Paul really did get Michael Emerson-ed here.  I don't know if it was an availability issue or just an attempt to prop Emiko up more, but after all of the hype, Dante ended up not really being efficient.  Maybe next/final season, they can bring in Christopher Lambert, hype his character up, and kill him in two episodes!

Ernie Hudson was a great choice as Diggle's step-dad, and I thought he and David Ramsey played off each other well.  And I definitely suspect that at the very least, having his last name be Stewart is an inside joke/reference to all of the fan speculation of Diggle somehow being John Stewart by the end of all of this.  If he ever gets possession of a fancy ring, we'll have an answer!

I still think Rene's "feelings" for Emiko is what is going to somehow make her see the error of her ways.

Looks like Alena is going to end up being the reason Archer is let loose in the future.  I don't think she'll necessarily become evil, but she'll end up letting her greed get the better of her, and sell it to the wrong buyer.  Poor Felicity though will still likely feel guilt over creating it in the first place.

Finding out there is some kind Deathstroke Den or whatever in the future, just makes m feel like this is another variation of what they are doing on the final season of Gotham.  I can't wait to see Malcolm Merlyn Maze, Damien Dahrk Diner, or Cayden Club next! 

[BkWurm1]

Wasn't a bad episode but with so few remaining it's hard to accept that it wasn't a great episode either.  Good enough isn't good enough.

It answered some questions about Archer and how it ultimately falls into the wrong hands.  I'm glad that it's not Felicity that directly makes that misstep.  She actually went to extraordinary measures to make sure it didn't.  I don't know if Alena will have actual bad intentions.  Chances are she'll work on rebuilding it and either that is stolen or she sells it, maybe even to boost the company's bottom line at some crucial point, you never know.  Either way, she's mostly likely a grey hat at worst, not an intentional betrayal.  I mean, the guy that wanted to buy it seems like someone both of them respect so I can get how Alena could make a bad judgment call.  Or just plain get sucked in by greed I suppose but I'd rather believe she thought she was helping somehow.  

I really enjoyed the casting of EH for Diggle's step-dad thought he also would have been great casting for just his dad.  They had a nice vibe between them.  I will say that Diggle probably had more to be upset with Step-Dad than just the mistaken belief he'd left his dad behind to die.  You have to wonder if while his "tough love" molded John into the man he is, if it pushed Andy to a breaking point long before he went to the Darhk side.  Andy picked up all the skills and none of the heart.  Andy needed different lessons in life clearly.  

I agree with everyone else that we should have had that story of Diggle's past a LONG time ago.  Would have been far more meaningful coming not in the final stretch of episodes.  Again, pleasant enough but kind of too late to be helpful unless the implication is that John also put his boys through the same kind of training and once again it backfired and turned one brother to evil.

Speaking of which...JJ is the head of an evil gang?? WHAT THE HELL!!!???

Does no one from the OTA get to have a happy family life over the next twenty years?  Leader of the Deathstroke gang isn't a rebellion cause your dad expects a lot from you.  Dropping out of college and joining a band would do that just fine.  JJ is a KILLER if he's leading a gang of killers.  You know Baby Sara would never have turned out this way. 

Side note, Felicity maybe more willing to carry a gun to protect herself if need be but she's not skilled enough to just use it as a threat. (at least not that close up) Use it right away or don't wave it about at all. 

Or maybe try locking your office door rather than Archer just announcing you have intruders.  (Couldn't they have at least shown them breaking down the door? Walking right in was embarrassing, lol) 

Goodbye sweet Dante.  Adrian Paul, you will be missed.  

[JamieLynn832002]

5 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

 I will say that Diggle probably had more to be upset with Step-Dad than just the mistaken belief he'd left his dad behind to die.  You have to wonder if while his "tough love" molded John into the man he is, if it pushed Andy to a breaking point long before he went to the Darhk side.  Andy picked up all the skills and none of the heart.  Andy needed different lessons in life clearly.  

The fact they never even touched on this was strange, especially since it would have paralelled the JJ/Connor situation very well. You can't really give Stewart credit for turning Dig into a hero while completely ignoring that the other son turned out as anything but. One of his stepsons ended up deciding nuking the entire world was a viable plan he was willing to torture his brother to help carry out, I'm not sure Dig's heroism turns that into a parenting win.

[Writing Wrongs]

7 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

This episode just felt like one giant attempt to turn Diggle into John Stewart officially. Which I'd be okay with, as long as he gets the ring.

As soon as I heard the step dad's last name, I was like "Ok..."

[GHScorpiosRule]

11 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

What is up with this show killing off the villains portrayed by good actors in favor of dodgier ones?  I guess it won't matter since we're close to the end now but you hire Adrian Paul just to knock him off after a few episodes?

4 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Goodbye sweet Dante.  Adrian Paul, you will be missed.  

They just couldn't let him live to be one of the villains who got away to return again, could they? Oh, MacDante!

I think I'll just go back and continue with my marathon watch of The Highlander.

[Mellowyellow]

@GHScorpiosRule at least you will never have to live with the horror of Dinah taking out Mr Reese with her baton (or whatever it is she's supposedly expert at).

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

@GHScorpiosRule at least you will never have to live with the horror of Dinah taking out Mr Reese with her baton (or whatever it is she's supposedly expert at).

So true. But this show just can't keep the good villains. I was rooting for Duncan Dante! And I know that's wrong, but I dinna caere! It's DUNCAN MACLEOD O' THE CLAN MACLEOD!

I think I'll count my blessings that Caviezel was never approached/declined so I wouldn't end up breaking the internet when they killed him off in whatever lame way they would have planned.

[quarks]

I woke up still annoyed about the Diggle's stepfather thing, so I although I mentioned it briefly in the live posting thread I guess I'll vent a bit here.

I know that Arrow has a lengthy history of only introducing relatives when they are plot convenient, going all the way back to season 1. And I get that this show and most fans want to forget the second half of season four, and I'm completely with that feeling. If I could forget it, I would. And I know that this show isn't great with continuity.  (In fact we could probably summarize the show as "dark lighting, lots of arrows, terrible with continuity.)

But.

This was still awful.

At the end of season four, everyone was threatened by incoming nuclear bombs. This was a national military emergency.

And now, three years later, we find out that Diggle had a personal tie with the current/former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who was also a general in the United States Marine Corps and....didn't contact his stepfather because he only contacts his stepfather if things are really important?

Are you really trying to tell me, Arrow, that this terrorist group is more important than a major nuclear attack on the United States?

Yeah, no.

Not to mention the not-so-small problem that Diggle briefly headed back to the army and ended up kinda massively needing some high powered legal/military help, and then ended up working for a secretive government military agency. This would have come up before.

But since it did come up, why is only one stepson getting discussed here? Andy's been name dropped this season, so Arrow hasn't forgotten him. Andy's son is still somewhere around - presumably around 11/12 right now. Has this supposedly kindly stepfather who tried to protect Diggle's feelings just ignored the step-grandchild?

There were other ways to get this stepfather back into the show - even as a military person - and name drop this last name of Stewart, Arrow, while still indicating that Stewart had kind feelings towards Diggle, explaining why Other Earth Diggle uses the name Stewart while wielding the Green Lantern ring. This wasn't it. Having Legends of Tomorrow episode that aired right before this one name drop Damien Darkh, reminding me of season four right before we plunged into this one, didn't help. 

As much as I appreciated the Green Lantern reference. AUUGH.

[RandomWatcher]

What, no mention of Will Magnus as in Metal Men? 

[ladylaw99]

This is the 2nd episode this season that I fell asleep to.  

I tried to stay awake, I even made it 1/2 way through but, I found it boring and went to LaLa Land instead.  It sounds like I didn't miss much anyway.

[tv echo]

I found this episode somewhat tedious to watch. I'm not sure why. At one point, I looked at the clock and couldn't believe only 20 minutes had gone by.  Even after watching the 'exciting' opening fight sequence, I was just like, 'been there, done that'...

Fights in another dark alleyway, another warehouse... Another shot of GA leaping down to the ground.

Although I love Diggle and thought that Ernie Hudson did a great job as General Roy Stewart, the resolution of their characters' tense relationship drama seemed too pat and unoriginal. Also, was it asking too much to see Diggle's mother?

But most importantly, the big "shocker" of Emiko killing Dante and staying evil was just 'meh.'  I just didn't care (except that I love Adrian Paul and was sorry to see him go out in such a way) because I just don't care about Emiko.  This whole Evil Emiko story arc would've had a lot more impact if it was an Evil Thea story arc - and I don't even like Thea. I can't feel for Oliver or root for Emiko's redemption because I just feel no connection to her character or their sibling relationship.

Once again, Oliver was a supporting character in his own show.

Some things just seemed so contrived. Ninth Circle goons and DIA soldiers are both able to break into Smoak Tech offices with ease (and I use the phrase "break into" loosely). So what was the point of having Archer security? And when Felicity and Alena hide, Felicity doesn't take her tablet (with the Archer program on it) with her but leaves it out in the open. Also, Felicity is this amazing hacker, but she gets blocked by both DIA and Ninth Circle computer expertise in this episode. Just like the show sometimes makes Oliver less competent in order to serve the plot or other characters, the show also sometimes makes Felicity less competent in order to serve the plot or other characters.

What else did we learn in this episode? Even though Felicity destroyed Archer, Alena made a copy of Archer's root code. We also learned the name "Dr. Will Magnus," who's apparently the world's foremost authority on robotics engineering and who's building new A.I.s. (Terminator or Sentinel vibes, anyone?). I don't believe that Alena turns evil. I think she pursues the deal with Dr. Magnus, thinking that she's helping Felicity's company, but Dr. Magnus turns out to be evil (maybe a S8 big bad).

Oh, and even the flashforwards left me cold. All we learned is that, further contributing to the gloominess of the future, Diggle's son JJ is apparently a bad guy who leads the Deathstroke Gang.

I bet that, if they had kept Baby Sara, she would've grown up to be a superhero.

Edited April 23, 2019 by tv echo

[BkWurm1]

Quote

And now, three years later, we find out that Diggle had a personal tie with the current/former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who was also a general in the United States Marine Corps and....didn't contact his stepfather because he only contacts his stepfather if things are really important?

Are you really trying to tell me, Arrow, that this terrorist group is more important than a major nuclear attack on the United States?

Yeah, no.

I'm willing to believe that with Lyla on the job with Argus they had as much of an in as they needed with the Government when they were dealing with the nukes but yeah, Diggle being framed for something he didn't do while in service seems like something his step-father or at least his mother would have made waves about.  I could have bought that mom or step dad reached out but Diggle refused help.  He was punishing himself at the beginning.  But Diggle said he'd had NO contact since he was 18.  

[tennisgurl]

Come on, thats how you use Adrian Paul?! The Highlander himself?! Killed with an arrow to the back by boring as crap Emiko? This show has no clue whatsoever how to treat its guest classic guest actors. It kills them off without using them to their potential to replace them with some random loser. 

It was nice to get some backstory on Diggle, finally, even if it wasnt the most exciting backstory in the history of the show. Ernie Hudson was really great as Diggles step dad, the two of them had a nice rapport, and they really made the material work better than it might have otherwise. 

I liked the interactions between Maya and Bronze Kitten, but I hate that baby JJ grows up to be a bad guy, because EVERYTHING in the future has to suck apparently, and all of OTA has to be struggling like no ones business. So he decided to rebel against his parents by going full evil and leading a gang? Alright Kylo, whatever. God the future is lame. 

Also, do ALL the former villains have their own gangs now? What, the writers been watching Gotham a lot this season? 

Poor Felicity, losing her pet project. Also, home girl really needs to work on her shooting skills if she wants to keep a gun around to defend herself and her people. She kind of looked ridiculous waving that thing around. 

At least Felicity and Oliver got to hold hands for three seconds. I will just have to take it.

[Quark]

Meh episode. Was nice to see Oliver and Diggle bonding more than anything, as there relationship has not been great recently. I liked Diggle's step-dad.

Why does Arrow's first female Big Bad have to be so meh?

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Posted by 719 director Avi Youabian 1 day ago...

[Lambsilencer]

I think (or at least hope) that Alena won't go evil - I even think that maybe the showrunners are setting her up to take over for Felicity as the new Overwatch for Team Arrow once Emily Bett Rickards leaves. I certainly wouldn't mind, since Kacey Rohl is cute and a very talented actress who I'd like to see more frequently. Her recurring part on "The Magicians" is also rather small, unfortunately.

Greets
Lambsilencer

[bettername2come]

My biggest takeaway from this episode is we are definitely getting John as the Green Lantern in next seasons Crisis.

[statsgirl]

1 hour ago, bettername2come said:

My biggest takeaway from this episode is we are definitely getting John as the Green Lantern in next seasons Crisis.

That would explain why he's so gung ho on next season.

[tennisgurl]

The only thing I really like about Emiko is that she isnt Diaz. She has that going for her at least. 

Its weird that they seem to be hinting that its Rene who will get through to her, and not Oliver. He is the one she didnt want to kill, the one who keeps talking about the connection they had (the whole two weeks?), and the one who had the most time with her, etc. But of course, why would we want Oliver to be involved in this story I guess? Its not like he is the main freaking character or anything...

[DavidJSnyder]

It's nice that Team Arrow has carefully marked Classified folders to put the printouts of classified files Felicity steals into.

[Kymmi]

I didn't hate this episode, but the Diggle backstory should have been in S1 - S2 at the latest.  I have also lost more interest in this show than I thought.  I'd still watch a spinoff with the next gen, but I wish this show would end this year.

[mxc90]

Is Smoak Tech's ceiling made of cheap material to have soldiers crashing through?

Is six months too soon to make a move on one of your solider's widow? I'm sure Diggs tried to warn her he killed her husband and she was having none of it (keep running those drills in the cold kid).

[AudienceofOne]

Andy who?

Oh look, judge away but I enjoyed this episode. It was kind of classic Arrow. Any episode that treats Felicity and Oliver as actual characters with real lives gets the nod from me. Felicity is a badass and Oliver is a secret nurturer and great friend and husband - that's all I really ask for as we head towards the end (finally). Or at least my end - if Felicity leaves I might be able to as well.

On 4/25/2019 at 10:33 AM, mxc90 said:

Is Smoak Tech's ceiling made of cheap material to have soldiers crashing through?

That made me laugh so hard. Where did they even come from? Were they hiding in the vents? 

On 4/25/2019 at 12:11 AM, DavidJSnyder said:

It's nice that Team Arrow has carefully marked Classified folders to put the printouts of classified files Felicity steals into.

That made me laugh even harder - just the idea that Oliver printed that stuff out and then put it in a folder he then marked classified. Do they have interns whose job that is? Decorating manilla folders with CLASSIFIED on it for emphasis?

Edited April 26, 2019 by AudienceofOne

[mrspidey]

Cygnus X-1, huh?

That's actually the designation of a stellar black hole in the constellation of Cygnus (duh!).

Is that what that secreat weapon does? Create black holes?

[tv echo]

719 (Spartan) – No Oliver Queen voiceover intro.

719 (Spartan) – Felicity finds a connection between the Ninth Circle and the Defense Intelligence Agency: 
Dinah: "And you said you didn't need any backup."
Diggle: "Yeah. Well, we lost Virgil, but we got what he was after."
Oliver: "This drive feels like our best lead at finding Emiko. At least until Archer's back up."
Felicity: "Alena is pulling all-nighters to get Archer back up and running, and once it is, we will be able to find Emiko."
Oliver: "And finally tell her that Dante killed her mother."
Rene: "And, hopefully, she'll come to her senses about the Ninth Circle."
Felicity: "Well, that would be enough for me to turn myself against the evil organization that raised me as a child. (Computer beeps) Crap!"
Diggle: "What's that? What's wrong?"
Felicity: "The drive has a security failsafe that fried all the files, probably to prevent someone like me from trying to do what I am trying to do. But these aren't A.R.G.U.S.-encrypted protocols. Someone else must've written the security program for this drive."
Oliver: "Wait. If it's not A.R.G.U.S., who is it?"
Felicity: "Well, I have hacked enough government servers in my day to know that this is the Department of Defense. (Looking at Dinah) Not that I do that anymore, because I work with the S.C.P.D. But this branch is the DIA."
Dinah: "What would the Ninth Circle want with the Defense Intelligence Agency?"
Oliver: "We need to find out."
Rene: "You're married to the A.R.G.U.S. director. Maybe she can help."
Diggle: "Yeah, well, any inquiries to A.R.G.U.S. will send up red flags, paint an even bigger target on Lyla's back than there already is. I think I might have an old contact at the DIA. A General."

719 (Spartan) – In a flashforward scene, Older Felicity is having trouble figuring out the Galaxy One helmet: 
Older Felicity: "Frak! Ugh!"
Mia: "Well, I guess I don't have to ask how this is going."
Older Felicity: "Well, as glad as I am that you both got to meet Laurel, her cry really did a number on this helmet. How did it go at the bunker?"
Connor: "Good. The bombs we stole from Galaxy One are now secure. Roy and Dinah are setting up a perimeter in case they ever come looking for them. And William is making sure they can't be detonated unless, well, we say so."
Mia: "Although maybe he'd be more useful helping you out with this?"
Older Felicity: "The helmet is inlaid with this highly advanced circuitry mesh and retinal display, and I will not be able to figure out why until I get it up and running."
Connor: "What do you think you'll find?"
Older Felicity: "Hopefully, whatever Galaxy One has planned next, if they haven't stopped from making the city go boom-boom."
Connor: "Well, can't we just ask our man on the inside?"
Older Felicity: "No. We can't come in contact with Rene until we get the go-ahead from Zoe. They're at Glades City Hall now, and we don't want to blow their cover."
Mia: "Okay, so how do we get this piece of junk up and running?"
Older Felicity: "The power module is comprised with an alloy proprietary to Galaxy One. I've been trying to work around it, but I can't without the real thing."
Connor: "Wait. I thought this helmet was a one-of-a-kind prototype."
Older Felicity: "As far as we know. But the power module is not, which means we need to find one."
Mia: "All right, Public Enemy Number One, sit tight. I know where to go. Be back in an hour."
Connor: "Anyone dealing in secret weapons tech won't be friendly. You need backup."
Older Felicity: "Better safe than sorry."
Mia: "Keep up."

719 (Spartan) – The Ninth Circle steals the Archer program from Felicity: 
Archer (computerized voice): "Felicity Smoak now entering Smoak Tech."
Felicity: "Oh. I have missed your sweet voice."
Alena: "You know she's not a real person, right?"
Felicity: "Of course she's not. No. I am just so glad that we were able to start building the program out again. It feels wrong confining Archer to just one tablet, even temporarily. She deserves to spread her wings, right after we find Oliver's evil half-sister."
Alena: "Speaking of spreading wings, um, I think I've found a way to help Smoak Tech really soar."
Felicity: "Oh, yeah?"
Alena: "Yeah. There's someone interested in buying the company."
Felicity: "It's just you, me, and Archer. I mean, who would be interested in that?"
Alena: "Dr. Will Magnus."
Felicity: "What? Huh. The Dr. Will Magnus?"
Alena: "Mm-hmm."
Felicity: "The world's foremost authority on robotics engineering."
Alena: "Mm-hmm."
Felicity: "When I was CEO of Palmer Tech, he wouldn't even return my calls."
Alena: "My friend at Magnus Labs says that Archer could really help Doc Magnus with these new AIs he's building. I could set a meeting."
Felicity: "Magnus Labs is the gold standard in tech R&D. Oh, my god. With their backing, we could expand Archer to be more than just a genetic tracking system or surveillance for the S.C.P.D. I mean, it could be a bigger and better Overwatch system. I mean, it’s a chance to change the world."
Alena: "Uh-huh."
Archer (computerized voice): "Warning. Intruder alert. Warning. Intruder alert."
(Virgil and Ninth Circle goons enter the offices and search it with scanning devices.)
Virgil: "Tick-tock, lads. In and out. Look for the device drawing the most power."
(They find Felicity's tablet.)
Virgil: "Oh. Oh. Hidden on a tablet. Ha! Crafty."
Felicity (with her gun cocked): "Put the tablet down, call your men off, and I'll let you live."
Alena: "Felicity!"
Virgil (knocking the gun out of Felicity's hand): "Sorry, love. No can do. (To Alena, who is holding a raised keyboard) Pistol beats keyboard, darling."
(DIA soldiers drop down from the ceiling.)
Alena: "Who the hell are these guys?"
DIA Soldier: "You're safe now."
Felicity: "They weren't after me. Oh, my God. She's gone."
Alena: "They couldn't have gotten her, could they?"
Felicity: "The Ninth Circle has Archer."

719 (Spartan) – General Stewart comes to the Arrow Bunker and meets with Team Arrow to discuss the Ninth Circle’s plans: 
Felicity: "Then this crazy Irish guy came busting through, and Alena and I tried to fight them off. But then the DIA came crashing through the ceiling and took them all out."
Dinah: "What about Archer?"
Felicity: "Virgil made away with it."
Oliver: "We'll get it back. I'm glad you're okay."
Rene: "How did they find out about Archer?"
Dinah: "I'll give you one guess. Emiko."
General Stewart (entering with Diggle): "I'm sorry my men weren't there sooner, Ms. Smoak. It seems the Ninth Circle was a step ahead of us as well."
Felicity: "You must be General Stewart. AKA the stepfather that John hasn't told his closest friends about."
General Stewart: "So this is where you people work. Impressive."
Oliver: "How did your men end up at Smoak Tech, General?"
General Stewart: "Several months ago, the DIA got wind of a Ninth Circle mole inside A.R.G.U.S. Since then, we've made it a point of tracking their activity, including the theft of that drive, which led us to your friend Virgil."
Diggle: "Wait. Wait. Wait. I thought you said you didn't know anything."
General Stewart: "I said I couldn't tell you anything."
Diggle: "A lie of omission is still a lie, General."
General Stewart: "I'm sorry, John, but it was classified."
Oliver: "What was on the drive?"
General Stewart: "A list of assets we have in the field. Special operatives with high-level security clearance."
Felicity: "That's why Emiko took Archer. So that she could hunt them down and then gain access to what they know, which she could pretty much do with anybody now that she has their DNA."
Dinah: "It's only a matter of time before they find everyone on that list."
Oliver: "We need to make sure those assets are secure."
General Stewart: "We have protocols in place. I'll call my assets to a safe house. (On phone) This is General Stewart. We need to start evacuations."

719 (Spartan) – In a flashforward scene, we learn that Diggle’s son, John Jr. (“JJ”), is the leader of the Deathstroke Gang: 
Mia: "Thanks. Owe you one."
Connor: "You get a lead?"
Mia: "Finally, someone not afraid to talk. There's a guy here trading Galaxy merch. The only problem is he's in Deathstroke territory."
Connor: "Well, that won't be a problem. Trust me."
Mia: "Trust you? Funny."
Connor: "Okay. Are you ever gonna let me off the hook?"
Mia: "Huh. Doubtful."
Connor: "Great. Well, you should let me handle this."
Mia: "You're backup, remember? So back me up. Hey. There's a vendor back there we need to talk to."
Unidentified Guy: "And I'm just gonna let you in... because why?"
Mia: "'Cause I'll kick your ass if you don't."
Connor: "Okay. That won't be necessary. I got the mark."
Unidentified Guy: "From who?"
Connor: "Your boss. Check it."
(Connor exposes a Deathstroke mask mark on his neck.)
Unidentified Guy: "How you know JJ?"
Connor: "You just need to know that I do. We good?"
Mia: "Hey. Who the hell was JJ?"
Connor: "He's my brother. John Jr."
Mia (laughing): "John Diggle has one son in Knightwatch and another who's leader of the Deathstroke Gang. That must make family dinners interesting."
Connor: "Well, he grew up hating my parents and the expectations they put on us. That's why I'm glad that you finally figured out the truth about your family. Look, I've wanted to tell you the truth for a long time."
Mia: "What else don't I know about you?"
Connor: "How long you got?"

719 (Spartan) – Diggle and General Stewart are captured by Dante and the Ninth Circle:
General Stewart: "We got a problem, people."
Oliver: "What's going on?"
General Stewart: "I just got off the phone with Intelligence. All of our assets have been accounted for, except one - an undercover agent by the name of Julian Sison. He should be at a safe house, but there's been no response since the call came in."
Felicity: "Where is the safe house?"
General Stewart: "30 miles northeast of here."
Oliver: "We'll get into it."
General Stewart: "I'll check with the other assets, see if there's been any -"
Diggle: "I'll come with you. Somebody needs to keep an eye on you."
General Stewart: "You think I'm trying to mislead you?"
Diggle: "'Fool me once,' right?"
Felicity: "That's not very fair, John."
General Stewart: "It's okay. You can come. Follow my lead."
*  *  *
Rene: "This place is a pigsty. Either he's messy as hell -"
Dinah: "Or someone made it that way."
Oliver: "Overwatch, any sign of our guests?"
Felicity (on comms): "I'm getting three heat sigs further in."
(Woman screams. They burst into a room where Julian Sison is watching TV.)
Julian: "What the hell's going on?"
Oliver: "Are you Julian Sison?"
Julian: "Yeah."
Dinah: "Then why didn't you answer your transponder?"
Julian: "'Cause I'm in the middle of an op, and you three just blew it."
Oliver: "Overwatch, there is no sign of Emiko or the Ninth Circle. If this guy isn't the target, then who is?"
(Cut to Diggle and General Stewart, who find a couple of dead men.)
General Stewart: "Those are my assets."
Diggle: "Overwatch, we have men down. The Ninth Circle knew we were coming."
(General Stewart and Diggle are both hit with tranq darts.)
Dante: “General. We’ve been looking for you.”

719 (Spartan) – Team Arrow try to track down the kidnapped Diggle and General Stewart: 
Felicity: "I'm trying to track John's Spartan helmet, but it's offline."
Oliver: "Clearly this was an elaborate play to draw General Stewart. We need to find he and John, and quickly."
Dinah: "I'll put a BOLO out for both of them."
Rene: "I'll put the word out around the Glades in case Emiko shows up in the old 'hood."
Oliver: "Or we just find Emiko and end all this."
Felicity: "We will. We have found people without Archer before. We will find John and his stepdad, and then we will find your sister."
Oliver: "Kidnapping a 4-star General is a risky move for the Ninth Circle, especially if the Pentagon's on to them. So why? Why do it?"
Felicity: "I don't know. We need to find out more about who he is, what makes him so important."
Oliver: "I'd imagine his files are really, really classified."
Felicity: "'Really, really classified' sounds really, really fun. I'm on it."

719 (Spartan) – Felicity and Oliver learn the truth about the Vlatava mission on which Diggle’s father died: 
Felicity: "Hey."
Oliver: "Yeah. (Looks at computer) Oh, good work."
Felicity: "Thanks."
Oliver: "All right. Anything in the file that will help us find them?"
Felicity: "No. But, uh, plenty on why the Ninth Circle would want him."
Oliver: "Okay."
Felicity: "Thrice-decorated Commander of the 1st Recon Battalion during the Khandaq Conflict, after which he was appointed Commandant of the Marine Corps, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I mean, the guy is a real bona fide American hero."
Oliver: "Not to John. John blames General Stewart for his father's death during a mission they were both on in Vlatava."
Felicity: "Oh, yeah. That would be enough to alienate someone like John, and why he wouldn't have told us about him, but it's not true."
Oliver: "Which part?"
Felicity: "According to the Pentagon's official account, the Vlatava mission was so successful that the General was actually, for a stint of time, appointed head of DARPA."
Oliver: "But if if the mission was a success, why would he lie to John about it?"
Felicity: "To protect him?"

719 (Spartan) – Diggle is able to turn his Spartan helmet back on: 
Felicity: "John's helmet just came back online. Morse code SOS."
Oliver: "Location?"
Felicity: "Warehouse in the meat packing district."
Oliver: "Call the team."

719 (Spartan) – General Stewart tells Team Arrow about the experimental Cygnus X-1 weapon: 
Oliver: "What'd the Ninth Circle want from you, General?"
General Stewart: "Access to an experimental weapon I oversaw during my tenure at DARPA. Cygnus X-1. The project was shelved because it was too dangerous and unstable. The goal was to genetically engineer bacteria to consume the by-product of nuclear fission."
Felicity: "So it's a biological weapon that can literally eat through anything. That's terrifying."
Dinah: "A weapon like that falls in the hands of the Ninth Circle, we're -"
Oliver: "It won't. We're gonna stop them."
General Stewart: "The problem is, I don't know where it is."
Oliver: "Archer."
Felicity: "Great."
Oliver: "They are going to use the intel they get from the assets to locate the DNA of the people involved in Cygnus X-1."
Diggle: "That DNA can lead them to exactly where that weapon is."
Felicity: "If I can piggyback off Archer's signal, I'll be able to -" (Leaves)
Oliver: "Lead us right to them."

719 (Spartan) – Felicity and Alena attempt to use Archer’s signal to track down the Cygnus X-1 weapon: 
Alena: "It's like we're tracking the DNA of a DNA tracker. This is so meta."
Felicity: "We need to be ready the moment they reactivate Archer. It's the only way to locate her signature."
Alena: "Yeah, like one of those FBI movies where you have to keep the kidnapper on the line to trace the call."
Felicity: "Yeah, except the kidnapper is the tech I invented, which almost makes me wish I hadn't."
Alena: "What happened to Archer putting Smoak Tech on the map?"
Felicity: "Well, that was before I realized all the bad that she could do. I wanted to invent something that would help save the city, and instead I made something that can destroy it. Oh, my God. I'm a mad scientist. Oh, my God, no. It's so much worse than that. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I'm my dad."
Alena: "I am your friend who has some real-life experience working with evil geniuses, and you need to trust me on this one. You are not one of them, okay?"
Felicity: "Okay."
Alena: "You gonna tell me what's really bothering you?"
Felicity: "I love Team Arrow, but it is not enough. I need to do something separate. I need to do something separate that can still do good, and that's what Archer was supposed to be. You know, my way of making my mark on the world, and not as Overwatch. As me."
Alena: "Well... it can still be that. We just need to get Archer back. And when we do, you just need to figure out how to make sure that your beautiful creation is used exactly the way you intended. You got this, Smoak."

719 (Spartan) – In a flashforward scene, we learn more about JJ Diggle:
Connor: "One Galaxy One power module. I guess there are perks to having a gang leader black sheep brother."
Mia: "Hmm. Sounds like my kind of people. When do I get to meet him?"
Connor: "I don't know. I haven't seen JJ in a year. Maybe more. Funny thing is, he used to be my best friend."
Mia: "What happened?"
Connor: "Ah, he and my dad started butting heads. Guess I got caught up in the middle. And this Deathstroke thing, that was just a way to rebel. I just thought, one day, he'd outgrow it. But I tried to reach him. In the end, I think I just reminded him of everything my mom and dad expected him to be."
Mia: "I'm sorry."
Connor: "Ain't your fault."
Mia: "No. I just got so mad at you for lying to me that I - I never thought about how much it must've sucked for you, and not having anybody to share things with."
Connor: "You know, this life. It was unfair to both of us."
Unidentified Guy: "Hey. JJ has a message for you." (Attempts to shoot Connor, but Connor fights him)
(Connor and Mia run.)

719 (Spartan) – Team Arrow tracks down the Cygnus X-1 weapon:
Felicity: "Hey, guys, we found the weapon. Well, technically, the Ninth Circle did, using Archer."
Alena: "Felicity and I rode their coat-tails right into the secure facility, where it's being stored."
Rene: "Yup, that's definitely a secret weapons depot."
Dinah: "Okay, well, now that we know where we're going, we just have to figure out how to get past Archer."
Felicity: "The moment you set foot onsite, the Ninth Circle will know that you're there."
Oliver: "So we lose the element of surprise."
General Stewart: "I'll call my team."
Diggle: "No. Wait. We got this."
General Stewart: "Copy that."
Diggle: "Let's move."

719 (Spartan) – Team Arrow confronts the Ninth Circle; and Felicity destroys Archer using a self-destruct protocol:
Emiko (looking at the weapon): "Perfect."
Archer (computerized voice): "Perimeter breach detected. Scanning intruders' DNA. Identifying."
Dante: "It's your brother and his friends."
Emiko: "Stop them."
*  *  *
Oliver: "Overwatch, do you have a bead on Emiko?"
Felicity (on comms): "I'm hacked into the exterior cameras, but she must already be inside. Without Archer, it's like I'm flying in blind."
Rene: "Isn't that what these boosters are for?"
Felicity: "Yes. Once you've planted the signal boosters, I will be able to take back control of Archer and find Emiko."
Dinah: "Go find your sister. We'll plant the boosters."
*  *  *
Felicity (on comms): "Oliver, you have company."
Oliver (on comms): "Archer has our positions locked. Where are we with the boosters?"
Dinah (on comms): "Boosters are in place and activated. Good to go, Overwatch."
*  *  *
Alena: "We have uplink."
Felicity: "It's not working. I can't get through their firewall."
Alena: "Wait. They locked you out of your own program? How?"
Felicity: "I don't know, but whatever they did, I can't get back control of Archer."
*  *  *
Diggle: "Get down! We need an exfil route now! Now!"
General Stewart (on comms): "Most black-level facilities follow the same blueprint. There should be a door near your position that leads to an access tunnel."
Diggle: "Are you sure?!"
General Stewart (on comms): "Trust me."
Diggle: "Let's move! Move! ... We're clear, General. Thanks."
*  *  *
Felicity (on comms): "Emiko is headed to the parking garage with the weapon."
Alena: "What the hell are you doing?"
Felicity: "I'm infecting it with a self-destruct protocol. Those boosters were the only reason we were able to access Archer. If the Ninth Circle gets their hands on it, we may never be able to access Archer again."
Alena: "Well, what about all your hard work, your legacy?"
Felicity: "I guess I'll just have to build a new one."
*  *  *
Felicity: "We're currently in a tie between good news and bad news, the good news being that I destroyed Archer, which I can't believe I'm counting as good news."
General Stewart: "The bad news is the Ninth Circle got away with a very dangerous biological weapon."
Felicity: "How did things go with Emiko?"
Oliver: "I told her that Dante killed her mother, and it didn't make any difference."
Dinah: "I guess bad news wins this round."
Oliver: "We need to plan our next move."
Diggle: "What is our next move?"
General Stewart: "Start by figuring out what the Ninth Circle intends to do with Cygnus X-1. I should take this to the DIA brass. Thank you."
Diggle: "I'll walk you out." (Leaves with General Stewart)

719 (Spartan) – Alena is unhappy about Archer being destroyed and tells Felicity that she copied the program's root code:
Felicity: "I figured out the silver lining to the whole torpedoing our only viable product is that we are gonna save so much money on servers because Archer was a power suck... Not even a chuckle."
Alena: "I guess I'm not really in the mood for the whole dark humor thing, what with our only viable product being destroyed and all."
Felicity: "I'm sorry I destroyed our golden goose. Golden egg. Goose?"
Alena: "You know, we could rebuild. Make it better, less stealable."
Felicity: "Heh."
Alena: "When you were uploading the self-destruct code, I copied Archer's root code. But, with that and your notes, we could start over."
Felicity: "No. I appreciate that. But as long as Archer's out there, it could fall into the wrong hands. And I don't know what my legacy's going to be, but it can't be that."
Alena: "Well, that sounds like someone who hasn't heard Doc Magnus' offer. (Felicity whistles) Relax. I know. Legacy trumps payday."
Felicity: "Oh, I'm really glad you're the CTO and not the CFO, because the CFO wouldn't be so chill about me deleting our only, only asset."
Alena: "I have a question. Do we have a CFO?"
Felicity: "No. Quick question, do we need one?"
Alena: "Hmm, I think we should probably focus on coming up with our next project. One that makes us a lot of money."
Felicity: "Yes. One that can help people but also not lead to mass destruction."
Alena: "Oh, if we have to."
Felicity: "Yes, we do. We must."
Alena: "Hey, for what it's worth, being Overwatch won't be your only legacy. It'll be whatever you do next here at Smoak Tech. Because it's not Archer that was destined to change the world. It's you, Felicity Smoak."
Felicity: "Thank you."
Alena: "Heh."

719 (Spartan) – In a flashforward scene, Older Felicity discovers that the Galaxy One helmet is much more than it appears:
Older Felicity: "All right, Madame Helmet, let's see what you're hiding. Here goes nothing."
Connor: "It seems like it worked."
Older Felicity: "That's not possible."
Mia: "What is it?"
Older Felicity: "This helmet is a satellite to a much larger network. Galaxy One was able to expand Archer."
Connor: "Hold on. I know Big Brother getting bigger isn't exactly great, but isn't Archer just a surveillance program?"
Older Felicity: "No, not if you weaponize it. Wearing one of these would be like wearing an A.I.-powered sixth sense. Pair that with tech-enhanced strength and agility. One of those troopers was able to take out half the Canaries. A whole army of them, they'll be unstoppable."

Edited March 30, 2020 by tv echo