As “Arrow” is want to do we pick up right where we left off last week. Captain Lance alerts the cops and watches the fleeing suspect, dressed as The Arrow, flee while Ray lays on the floor with an arrow in his chest. In the Arrow Cave, Oliver and Diggle listen to the news where they reveal the Mayor was killed, Ray is hospitalized, and Lance has put out a warrant for The Arrow. Oliver tells Diggle about Maseo, his former friend and current orchestrator of these events, and he has an idea to find him. Speaking of finding, we flip back to Hong Kong when Ollie and Akio run into who he thinks is the long-dead Shado, but it is in fact her twin sister.
Captain Lance tells the police to offer no warning shots and shoot to kill, and though Laurel tries to talk sense into him he’s done listening. Lance asks who the arrow is because it’s time this ended. At Roy’s place, he and Thea enjoy some post-coitus chitchat and dream about running away together. Then they notice all the goings on on the television and decide it’s best to put their clothes on and stay in Starling City. Felicity watches it all unfold from the hospital, and we hear Lance has issued warrants for the Arrow’s accomplice. Ray awakens and the doctor enters to tell them Ray has a blood clot which if not treated could result in a stroke, but if it is treated could result in brain damage. Good thing Ray has his nano-tech that could cure it all, but sadly the hosptial doesn’t allow experimental procedures. Just as things look grim, that walking comedic relief Mama Smoak enters the building.
That idea Oliver had to find Maseo? It was Nyssa, and to win her help he asks her the simple question ‘What would Sara want you to do?’ Team Arrow suits up in the cave and Nyssa reveals the league has set up in a defunct plaza. Though she’s provided them the info, she makes it clear she’s not going to help them fight the league, but it’s a big building and they’re gonna need help. They scope out the building and see nothing until Diggle spots something on the roof. As they investigate, Maseo appears with the other assassins and a mighty brawl breaks out. Oliver gets the drop on Maseo, pointing an arrow at his face, and none other than Ra’s al Ghul appears to provide him with a golf clap. He reiterates the offer made to Oliver, but says he won’t be taking him prisoner, someone else will. That’s when every cop in Starling City appears.
Despite cops in full force in front of and below them, Team Arrow books it, repelling down a building to escape. They run down alleys and Oliver distracts them to let Roy and Laurel get away. The pair run through a laundry warehouse and split up. Roy takes out some cops to keep ahead while Laurel gets cornered by her father. Luckily Nyssa was nearby and disarms him allowing Laurel to escape. Oliver managed to get away but can’t get in contact with his teammates. As Roy fends off more cops, Diggle picks up Oliver in the van and they manage to get away, after shooting off some patented arrows that just explode into sparks.
Thea waits on them in the Arrow Cave and just as everyone worries about Roy, he appears, admitting to having to hurt come cops. Oliver calls Captain Lance on his Arrow Phone and echoes that it’s not him. Lance lets him know in no uncertain terms that he can end all this by turning himself in. As Thea wonders what the Sam Hill is even going on, Oliver lets her know that he was, once again, keeping a secret from her. Back in Hong Kong, Oliver and Akio acompany Shado’s sister, named Mei, back to her apartment where they exchange uncomfortable small talk about her missing family, who both died in Season 2. Stinky Oliver asks if he can use her shower and that’s when she notices he has the same tattoo as Shado on his shoulder blade.
Felicity watches Lance’s press conference at the hospital and Mama Smoak reveals she tried to sweet talk the doctor but it didn’t go as planned. She tells Felicity it’s going to have to be her that injects Ray with the nano-tech, but her mother reminds her that she has to take chances in life. On the other side of town, Captain Lance makes sure he has the resources to continue this manhunt and just when he has a moment of quiet he’s attacked and abducted by a League member. He awakens in the League’s hide out where he meets Ra’s face to face. They talk about Sara, the decisions she made and how they got her killed or helped her survived from Ra’s perspective. He then offers to tell Lance who the Arrow is and lets him know he’s been under his nose the whole time, because Oliver Queen is The Arrow.
Laurel goes to see her father but he’s had it with their little talks, and makes it known that not only does he have a lot of frustrations with The Arrow but he knows who he is. She can’t hide it on her face when he drops the bombshell. When she tries to call Oliver to warn him he tells not to bother, he’s got officers going to every corner of the city to find him. Back at the hospital, the Doctor examines Ray and Mama Smoak plays ill to distract him. Felicity uses the opportunity to inject Ray with the nano-tech which appears to work, until he starts seizing. Afterward though, his eyes open and he’s good to go.
At Verdant, Roy and Thea talk about what’s happened that night, with Roy seemingly wishing he’d gotten caught. Thea tries to talk sense into him about it all, once again citing that him killing the police officer in Season 2 wasn’t his fault. Oliver enters and apologizes to Roy for putting him in this position. Right on cue there is banging on the door and police enter, but Oliver takes off out the back. We return to Hong Kong where Mei is not pleased with Oliver lying to her, but trouble has followed him there too as gunfire rings out around the apartment and rips it to shreds.
Mama Smoak tells Felicity how proud she is of her and the doctor appraoches them to confront them about Ray’s miraculous recovery, which is resolved as quickly as it came. At a press conference Captain Lance announces to the city that Oliver is the Arrow, and Diggle gets a knock on his door from his former boss. Diggle reminds Oliver he’s gotten out of this situation before, but he notes that previously he had a plan. Team Arrow convenes in Diggle’s apartment and though Oliver hopes to get out of the city, Laurel tells him it’s not possible as cops are at every exit and his assets have been frozen. Ra’s is using the city as a weapon against him, leaving Oliver only one place to go.
Back in Hong Kong, Oliver sends Mei and Akio into her bedroom while he takes on the gunmen. He subdues one and just in time Maseo and Tatsu enter and take them both out. The family is reunited, but Mei is like ‘What the hell did you do to my apartment?’ Once again in the hospital, Felicity goes to see Ray and he tells her straight up that he loves her. This rattles Felicity who doesn’t respond, triggering a cliché romantic comedy plot. She speaks to her mother about it who tells her that she’s going to have to choose between Oliver (who she loves) and Ray (who she has at least some affection for).
Just as Captain Lance prepares every cop to be ready to arrest Oliver, who enters the precinct but the man himself. Later Team Arrow enters and Laurel has managed to get them a window of time to see him. They all ask him what he was thinking and he tells them he made a deal to give them all immunity and that the truth is powerful. We return to Hong Kong a final time where Mei and Oliver finally get to talk about her family where he dances around the details but lets her know that her family is gone and that he loved her sister, which provides her the closure she’s longed for. Ironically, Oliver is witnessing a person in the exact same state as his family back home but doesn’t seem to even realize it.
Team Arrow is at a loss for what to do in the Arrow Cave, which Diggle says they need to vacate. They continue to ponder their next move. Meanwhile, Oliver is being transported in an armored truck with a substantial police escort. The only person joining him inside is Captain Lance and they talk about everything that’s happeend in the entire series; why he lied about Sara being on Lian Yu, if all of this was worth it, and what would all of the people he’s left dead would think. Lance then spells out to Oliver that he’s no hero, he’s a villain. The truck begins to shake, but Oliver says it’s not his people. As Lance exits the truck, The Arrow is standing on top and hops down telling them they have the wrong man. “Oliver queen isn’t The Arrow, I am,” and Roy gets exactly what he wants.
You can check out the promo for Episode 3.19 of “Arrow” in the player below. Titled “Broken Arrow,” the episode is officially described as follows:
“Lance (Paul Blackthorne) continues his mission to take down the Arrow (Stephen Amell) so Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) orders Oliver to keep a low profile. However, when a meta-human named Jake Simmons (guest star Doug Jones), who kills people with blasts of energy and plasma, starts terrorizing Starling City, Oliver is forced to ask Ray (Brandon Routh) for help. The unlikely duo is forced to team up to save the city.”
Directed by Doug Aarniokoski with story by Jake Coburn and teleplay by Ben Sokolowski & Brian Ford Sullivan, “Broken Arrow” is set to air April 15. “Arrow” airs Wednesdays at 8 P.M. EST.
