08x01 - Starling City

[bunniefuu]

Last season on "Arrow" Star City's seen better days.

They built a wall.

Star City is a wall-free zone once again.

Restoring The Glades won't be easy.

The four of you are the heroes that this city needs.

We're stepping back.

We're leaving Star City.

What now?

A crisis is imminent.

What does the multiverse require?

We seek to prevent the inevitable.

What are you not telling me?

I've seen your future, Oliver, inexorable and unavoidable.

I have watched you die.

Among the many misconceptions humanity holds dear is the fallacy that all beings are created equal.

In truth, there are those who are greater.

They are called heroes.

But even among heroes, there are different echelons.

The highest belong to those known as the paragons.

And they are the only hope of all creation.

Oliver?

Hi, Mom.

Ohh.

Ohh.

I missed you so much.

Oh, my beautiful boy.

My beautiful boy.

Your room is exactly as you left it.

I never had the heart to change anything.

I can't tell you how great it feels to be home.

Oliver, it's really you.

Hi, Malcolm.

Welcome home.

Okay, what where's Where's Walter?

He sold his shares of the company when the Gambit went down.

Okay.

Okay.

What'd I tell you?

Yachts suck.

I knew it.

I knew you were too stubborn to be dead.

Tommy.

Come on, man.

Why are you looking at me like I'm the one who's been gone a decade?

I just missed you.

Where's Thea?

Sweetheart, um, why don't you settle in?

I mean, you must be exhausted.

Yeah, but I'd like to see Thea.

Oliver, when you and your father disappeared It wasn't easy on her.

She took things really hard.

And there is this new drug called Vertigo.

- I swear to you - Tommy.

I tried my best to look Tommy, Tommy, look, it wasn't your fault.

What wasn't his fault?

Thea, on her 18th birthday She overdosed.

Raisa's famous chicken Marsala?

I used to make this for William all the time.

Who's William?

Oh, I know.

He was, like, your Wilson on the island, right?

Something like that.

How did you manage to survive by yourself all that time?

It's a long story.

So, uh, things you missed while you were gone.

I got married and divorced twice.

Ah, let's see.

What other gossip did you miss?

Our parents getting married.

- It's, um - Complicated.

Oliver, I know this must all be a lot.

Well, mom, my apologies, but I actually am a little tired, and I think I'm gonna head up to my bedroom.

Thank you for dinner.

Hey.

Your bed has been made.

And there are fresh towels in the bathroom.

Thank you.

I know the changes must be overwhelming, and you must feel like you're on a different planet or something.

You could say that.

It couldn't have been easy all those years on that island.

Sounds like it wasn't that easy here.

Now, you're not the same man as when you left.

And don't take this the wrong way, but I get the sense that it's it's for the better.

I'm not so sure.

Mom, when we were growing up, if you had to leave me and Thea to protect us Would you have done it?

Oliver, whether right or wrong, everything I've ever done was to protect my children.

It's all a parent can do.

And someday, hmm, when you have children, you'll understand.

Mom, I'm so sorry.

Ohh.

Ohh.

Everything's okay.

You're home.

You're safe.

Close your eyes, sweetheart.

Get some rest, okay?

All right.

You have failed this city.

Hyah!

Stand down.

Oliver, what the hell are you doing on my Earth?

Showoff.

Jealous?

Nostalgic.

It seems Adrian and I have the same design sense.

If by that you mean Felicity, yeah.

But this is my bunker.

And chase?

He's one of the good guys, literally.

And you're helping him in Star City.

Starling City.

And he's helping me.

We make a pretty good team, actually.

Not that kind of a team.

So how much small talk do I have to endure before you tell me what it is exactly you're doing on my Earth?

Yeah, it's a long story.

Why don't you start by telling me what you were doing on Lian Yu?

You know, if you wanted to pretend to be back from the dead, you could've just showed up in town.

I wasn't given a choice.

I was sent to your Earth, and I arrived on Lian Yu.

Sent?

Sent by who?

You get him to tell you the truth yet, pretty bird?

And nothing but.

Seems Mr.

Queen survived the Gambit and has spent the last 12 years on an island called Lian Yu.

That means "purgatory" if I'm not mistaken.

It still doesn't explain what you're doing running around in my hood.

I needed an identity to work under, and yours seemed convenient.

Sorry.

What were you doing at Queen-Merlyn?

Not k*lling those scientists, if that's what you are implying.

Well, I'm using Laurel's equipment to compare the metallurgy of your arrows to the ones that we found in those men and women, so we'll see.

Speak of the devil.

Literally.

The Dark Archer?

Name's a bit on the nose, but it's descriptive.

Dark costume, jade pendant.

It's Malcolm Merlyn.

- Yeah, we thought so, too.

- Ruled him out months ago.

It's Malcolm Merlyn.

And he k*lled those scientists for a reason.

Where are you going?

I'm gonna have a conversation with my stepdad.

It never ceases to impress Humanity's capacity for invention.

Hmm.

Infinite number of worlds, and not a single one where man fails to emerge from caves and hold dominion over the Earth.

What are you doing here?

Reminding you what you are doing here, which does not include interfering in the events of this Earth.

I have no intention of interfering.

Well, you're not here to confront Malcolm Merlyn with your suspicion that he is the Dark Archer.

Well, I went to applied sciences last night to retrieve the Dwarf Star particles just like you asked me to.

You make it sound like a trifle.

Those specific particles can only be found on this Earth out of a multitude.

My point is that when I arrived, Malcolm had already stolen them.

You know what might help?

If I actually knew why I was after them.

That I have tasked you should be reason enough.

Or have you come to doubt your commitment to this mission?

No, I have not.

At Harris Consolidated, we see the wall coming down as an opportunity.

For the criminals of Star City to rob The Glades blind?

To reunite the city.

I don't think people in The Glades got that memo 'cause last I checked, crime's up 300% since the wall went down.

There's an old saying There are 3 kinds of liars: Liars, damn liars, and statisticians.

You're focusing on The Glades to the exclusion of Star City while net, there's been a citywide reduction in crime.

And we have the vigilantes who brought down the wall in the first place to thank for that.

Hear that, guys?

We're famous.

Really?

'Cause it sounds like we got a long way to go.

Which is why we're here, to make sure nothing happens to Mr.

Vasquez.

Whoa.

And where do you think you're going?

Movement outside.

Gonna check it out.

Negative.

Don't break perimeter.

Relax.

It'll take a sec.

Just like Pennytown.

What was that, Mr.

Harris?

Uh oh.

I I was just saying that the unification money put into Pennytown prevented a potential disaster because we listened to each other.

Well, she's either ignoring you, William For the second time this month.

Or the comm systems are failing.

For the fifth time this month.

It's a new era.

Growing pains are to be expected.

Heh!

Mia, do you copy?

Excuse me, miss.

Mr.

Vasquez doesn't want any guests wandering the property.

This neighborhood just just isn't safe anymore.

Sorry.

I just, uh, wanted a look around.

Mia.

Allow me to escort you back in.

We recently completed a total I. T.

upgrade.

500 miles worth of high-capacity fiber optics married to an underground server farm.

Is something like that for applied sciences?

We had a small incident there last night.

Very unfortunate.

The police are investigating.

Oh, that's too bad.

I hope no one was hurt.

So do you think it had anything to do with the, um, the Dwarf the Dwarf Star project?

How do you know about that?

Oh, the Internet.

Heh!

I didn't know you had Wi-Fi on Lian Yu.

No, no, no.

I wish.

I stayed up late at the house last night, doing my research, catching up.

Well, the press coverage hasn't been particularly kind.

Everyone wants to make the Dwarf Star project out to be something sinister, but it's just an alternative energy source project, completely benign.

I suppose everything's a matter of interpretation.

Now, do you think that someone could show me to the most important room on this tour?

And, uh, what would that be?

The bathroom.

It's supposed to be red.

Excuse me.

Nothing.

Sorry.

I'm looking for Felicity Smoak.

Ha ha!

Like Felicity Smoak would slum it in I. T.

Instead of running Smoak Tech.

Oh, good for her.

Sorry.

Who does run the I. T. department?

There you are.

Malcolm Merlyn, you have failed this city.

I I don't know what you think I did, but I Aah!

Oh, God.

Get out of here!

Oh, no.

So that's your story.

An Archer in black flew in and att*cked the hood.

Hmm?

Well, who is he?

Why did he do that?

I don't know.

Find him, and you ask.

First there was an att*ck on applied sciences.

Now there's a w*r between two masks in your own office.

And your point, Sergeant?

My point is that I highly doubt this is a coincidence.

Well, obviously not.

Somebody is clearly targeting my father's company.

Right.

Except from his statement, your father claimed the hood was targeting him.

It's funny.

He doesn't usually go after the good guys.

All right.

Interview's over.

Anything else you need, Sergeant Drake, you can either go through me or Mr.

Merlyn's attorney.

Perfect.

I needed something to look forward to.

She's got a point.

It's a lot of drama for the past 24 hours.

Maybe we should reconsider Oliver's welcome home party.

No, no, no, no.

It'll just look like we're trying to cover something up.

Yeah.

And I missed tequila.

Oliver.

I want you to meet John Diggle.

He'll be accompanying you from now on.

Er no.

Sorry.

No.

I don't need a babysitter, Mom.

No, this is something that I need.

Yeah.

So what do I call you?

Diggle.

Dig if you want.

Sorry, Oliver.

Fool me once.

- How did you find me?

- It wasn't easy.

It was like you disappeared off the face of the Earth Until Felicity figured out that it was only our Earth.

Still, John, it's not like you can just charter a jet.

Cisco let me borrow it.

And now if I'm done answering your questions, I have a few of my own.

- Can't talk about it.

- Can't or won't?

You know, Oliver, it's interesting that we're revisiting when we first met.

You going at it all alone is like deja vu.

I thought you and I were past that.

This is new.

It's bigger.

And I'm not going to ask you to take the risk it involves.

Oliver, that's the thing about being brothers.

You never, ever have to ask.

Can you just believe me when I tell you this is different?

Yeah.

Felicity told me.

Some godlike being talking about the end of the universe?

What didn't she tell me, Oliver?

A crisis is coming, John.

He's seen what happens.

He's watched me die.

Thank you for not making a fuss about coming back in.

I wouldn't want you and your friends to miss out on the party.

Don't engage the Deathstrokes.

They're a distraction.

Guys!

No one listens to the tech guy.

Fine.

I guess I'll do it.

William.

You okay?

Yeah.

Mia, you okay?

They took Vasquez.

The Deathstroke g*ng.

Screw them.

Who's the one playing security guard?

He knew who I was.

He knows who we all are.

What?

How?

He's my brother.

Balla per me We learn to dance But we are screaming in a blow dryer Pretty girl in the red dress Well, hello.

You will be pleased to hear that I made sure the bar was stocked with Pinot Noir.

I'll be right back.

Balla per me bimbo bianco You know, the party's back that way.

I don't have time for this, John.

Oliver Has it occurred to you that whatever happens in this crisis happens because you push the people closest to you away?

So you're in a forward area.

Somebody throws a grenade right into the middle of your platoon.

What do you do?

I jump on it.

I contain the blast.

That's what I'm doing.

I can't prevent whatever it is that's going to happen to me, but I will be damned if I'm going to put other people at risk.

And I will be damned if I just let you go gently into that good night.

Okay.

All right.

You always fall for this move.

Wow.

That Lian Yu must have been one hell of a place Oliver.

So were you ever really gone?

Because it looks like you've been running around in a certain green hood.

Like you've been running around in a black one?

Heh.

Ah, Ollie, you never should've gotten yourself involved in this.

Hope I didn't hurt you.

Leave us.

So I've been thinking it over, and you really were on Lian Yu, because if you had been here, you would've been protecting our sister.

So the question is, why are you running around in the hood's hood?

- Doesn't matter.

- Yes, it does!

The hood is running around this city, thinking that he's saving it, and nothing can save it.

You don't understand the cancer that has taken over this city.

Oh, my God.

This is the undertaking.

You stole the Dwarf Star particles because you want to destroy The Glades and get vengeance for Thea.

How could you know that?

And what happened to you on that island?

What happened to you while I was on the island?

While you were gone, this city has been rotting.

It can't be saved!

That's not true, Tommy.

I have seen Starling City come back from darker moments than this.

It can be redeemed.

You can be redeemed.

You don't understand what I've seen.

You don't know how I found our sister.

Every time I close my eyes, I see her body lying there, cold, on a dirty floor.

So I swore that I would get vengeance on The Glades for what it did to Thea, and I am not going to let her down.

Not again!

That's not gonna make you feel better, Tommy.

I don't care about feeling better.

I just want The Glades to suffer.

You're a better man than this.

That was a different me.

Good-bye, Oliver.

Tonight was a disaster.

You mean you were.

JJ never would've gotten past us if you hadn't abandoned your post.

Oh, you think this is my fault?

What I think is that you need to stop going rogue and start acting like you're part of this team.

Hey, guys, can we save it for the Deathstrokes?

Speaking of your evil brother and his masked maniacs, we're gonna talk about that, right?

Wrong.

What do you got?

Nothing good.

Ever since we brought down the wall, your broth The Deathstroke g*ng has really upped their game.

They've amassed more territory and power than ever before.

Unintended consequences.

Yeah.

But that doesn't explain why they went after Vasquez.

Vasquez is one of The Glades' wealthiest citizens.

And maybe the deathstrokes plan to extort him.

Yeah, that or they're planning to ransom him off.

Either way, this guy's screwed if we don't find him soon.

Way ahead of you.

Satellite imaging indicates that the Deathstrokes have assumed control of the old Galaxy One headquarters.

It could be where they're holding Vasquez.

If he's even still alive.

There's only one way to find out.

Suit up.

Let me guess.

When mom and O. G.

Team Arrow anointed us version 2. 0, you expected things to go a little better, right?

I'm sure they had their growing pains, too.

And, look, I know that working and playing well with others is still a new concept for you, but do you think you could just follow Connor's lead this one time?

I mean, the guy is a Knightwatch Agent.

He eats, sleeps, and breathes tactical operations.

Yeah.

And our target is his own brother.

I believe that fate brought the four of us together for a reason just like it did our parents when they decided to save this city.

Now it's our turn.

We don't want to mess it up, do we?

Uh!

How did you find me?

- Tracking your shoe.

- Really?

Just kidding.

That was the way I found you last time this happened, remember?

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's not the only history that's repeating yourself.

Tommy's planning his very own undertaking.

Don't worry.

We'll stop him.

John, I appreciate the assist, but I still have to do this on my own.

Right, because you think you have to die, right?

No.

I know I'm gonna die.

And I know that I don't have to accept that.

If I let you help me, you will get hurt or you will get k*lled.

And it will be because of me.

- You don't know that.

- I do know that.

Because everyone else in my life is either dead or alone.

Look at the Earth that we're on.

I've been gone 12 years.

My mother's alive.

Tommy's alive.

Laurel's alive.

Thea is dead.

And, yes, Tommy's alive.

But he's trying another undertaking with Rene and Dinah helping, who, if you haven't noticed, are very bad people here.

Oliver, this world isn't better.

It's much, much worse.

You know why?

Because you weren't in it.

I've known you long enough to know I can't talk you out of this.

You better have a good plan.

Oh, look who it is, and you brought a friend to my secret bunker.

I've been here before.

Oh, great.

You're here, too.

Uh, Adrian, this is John Diggle.

He's my bodyguard.

You need a bodyguard?

He's not a bodyguard.

And I thought you didn't need our help.

I've been wrong before.

The Dark Archer stole Dwarf Star particles and is planning to use them to level The Glades tonight.

And you know that how?

Because I was just with him.

Tommy Merlyn is the Dark Archer.

Are you sure?

He blames The Glades for what happened to Thea.

If you wanted to level an entire neighborhood, how would you do it?

I'd use an earthquake machine.

That sounds like science fiction to me.

And Merlyn stole Dwarf Star particles, which would make for a very real w*apon.

Overlaying the blast radius with a map of The Glades should allow us to pinpoint its optimal location.

He's like you, Curtis, and Felicity all rolled into one.

I could only narrow it down to 4 square blocks.

So we split up, find it on foot.

No, we don't.

Thea d*ed in The Glades.

We find out where, we find Tommy.

What are you, some kind of psychic?

Maybe I'm just 10 steps ahead of you.

4587 Burke, favorite hangout of The Glades' worst drug dealers.

Good.

That's where we head.

Suit up.

Tommy could be anywhere inside.

Start with the ground floor.

Work our way up.

Let's do this.

You should've stayed on that island.

Back on my Earth, you had a better teacher.

You don't have to do this.

I was thinking the same thing.

This is not what Thea would have wanted.

That's funny.

You know what she used to say?

The dead don't want anything.

It's one of the benefits of being dead.

Tommy.

You can't.

It's encrypted by my personal code.

You can't break it in time.

You can.

I know how devastating it must have been to lose Thea because we're only as good as the people we have in our lives.

I lost people, too, Tommy.

I lost people closer to me than I could possibly explain to you.

Every one of those losses brings with it a choice between darkness and light.

Make the right choice.

Are you gonna k*ll thousands of innocent people, or are you gonna be the man I know you are?

That was a pretty good speech.

As agreed.

The Dwarf Star particles that power Merlyn's w*apon.

Thank you.

And now you're gonna tell me what you're gonna do with them?

Not destroy a city.

Don't worry.

You're from a parallel universe, aren't you?

The hood from another reality?

How did you know that?

Bruce Wayne once told me that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Well, as the hood from a parallel universe, may I offer you some advice?

Change "The Hood" to Green Arrow.

Trust me.

Why do I get the sense that you guys won't be sticking around for a victory drink?

We have to get back home to our Earth.

This city's lucky to have a hero like you in it.

Wow.

That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me.

Thank you.

You take care of yourself both of you.

You okay?

I'm alive.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Well, it's a temporary thing, John.

Oliver, you don't know that.

And I don't know this monitor, but what I do know, that no one's fate is sealed.

- He saw me die.

- In the future Which means we can still prevent this.

Oliver, you're not alone in this.

Well, not anymore.

Thanks for having my back.

Always.

Now, can we go home now?

Just one more thing I got to do.

We'd better find Vasquez fast.

Where to, William?

Top floor, southwest corner office.

And JJ's got at least 4 friends.

The second I walk through that door, JJ's gonna try to run a sword through my chest.

But that should keep him occupied long enough for you to rescue Vasquez.

Whoa.

You're using yourself as bait?

Yeah.

And it'll work, too.

Trust me.

Whatever you want, I'll give it to you.

Please stop.

The codes.

This better be everything.

It is.

I swear.

Okay.

What's up, JJ?

- Miss me?

- k*ll his ass.

Come on.

Let's get you out of here.

You think that you can save this city?

I got news for you.

I own this city now.

Mia!

I am so sorry, okay?

I underestimated him.

It will never happen again.

No, it won't, because from now on, we're gonna do things my way.

Hey.

Hey.

You okay?

I don't know.

I haven't known anything since Thea d*ed.

I understand that.

I don't know, Ollie.

Just I I can't shake this feeling That our sister would still be alive if you had If you had just been here.

I've made my own mistakes.

Oh, God.

Tommy, are you okay?

Don't worry.

We're gonna get you out of here.

I am so sorry.

I have to go.

Mom?

Bye, Mom.

I love you.

I love you, too.

Hey.

I'll see you at the house.

Okay.

- All good?

- Let's go home.

What's going on?

My computer went down!

Oh, good.

You're still here.

What's going on?

The city's under att*ck.

By who?

We have to get the hell out of here.

- And go where?

- Home.

Cisco's device.

- Oliver?

- Mom?

Dig, you got to go.

Go now!

What's happening?

Oliver?

Oliver!

Laurel, come on.