The Calm

Last season on "Arrow"...

This city still needs saving.

Not by the Hood.

It needs a hero.

If you survive a crucible, you grow the stronger for it.

This is to remind you of that.

Welcome aboard.

Nyssa: Sara swore her allegiance to the League of Assassins.

You agreed to go back?

Laurel: She'll be OK.

Lance: Yeah, I know she'll be OK, but OK what is what bothers me. [Grunts]

Dad? Dad!

Slade's whole plan was to take everything from me. He did.

Slade took Laurel because he wants to kill the woman I love.

So?

So he took the wrong woman.

I love you. Do you understand?

[Both grunting]

The five years that I was gone, I wasn't always on the island.

My name is Amanda Waller, Mr. Queen.

Welcome to Hong Kong.

[Oliver grunting and gasping]

Oliver: Got him.

Coming up 52nd Street, heading east.

Copy that. Or is it roger?

I never know the difference.

John, there's an illegal shipment of RPGs headed your way.

Roger. I'm on it.

Oh, so it is roger.

RPGs are secure.

I've got eyes on.

Roy!

We're coming to you.

[Tires squealing]

[Thunder]

Vincent Steelgrave...

You have failed this city.

Arrow Season 3 Episode 01 The Calm Original Air Date on October 7, 2014

[Sirens in distance]

The Arrow just took down another one of the city's most wanted, and there's no denying that the city's crime rate has plummeted in the past five months.

You're welcome.

But so has its unemployment rate and its population.

We have experienced two terrorist attacks in as many years.

Starling City is dying, and a prison full of criminals--

Take another off the board.

We keep this up, there will only be two types of criminals left in Starling City-- the ones we put away and the ones that are running scared.

What's that?

A fern.

It thrives on the light.

I thought since you were living here now, the place could do with a little sprucing.

I let you buy me a bed.

You were sleeping on the floor.

[Phone vibrates]

Another text from Thea.

Where is she now?

Amalfi coast.

I keep telling her to send photos.

I'm going to go do a patrol, clear my head.

Hey.

You did really good tonight.

I'm going to head out, too.

I have to pull an early shift at work today, which may or may not be the most depressing thing I've ever said.

But we're still on for tomorrow night?

Absolutely.

I am going to turn you into corporate master of the universe.

Those board members are going to be begging to sell Queen Consolidated back to you and your backers.

I'm going to roll out, too.

Lyla has me trying to build the bassinet from hell.

That reminds me...

I figured since you and Lyla are having a girl...

Man, you cannot afford this.

I can't afford anything, which is why I made it.

Arrowheads, one of the few things that I can make.

Well, it's beautiful.

Thank you.

Congratulations, John.

And not just on the baby.

You and Lyla are happy.

Well, you know, you should try it some time.

Last girlfriend, she's in the League of Assassins.

My girlfriend before that, she shot my girlfriend before that.

I'm not...not exactly a catch at the moment.

Maybe Felicity will change all that.

It's...It's not the right time.

Things are as good now as ever will be, Oliver.

And you love her.

You even told her so.

I was trying to fool Slade.

Yes.

Except now the only person you're fooling is yourself.

Thanks again.

[Horns honking]

[Dialing]

[Gunshot]

[Crowd screaming]

[Gunshot]

[All screaming]

[Both grunting]

[Speaking Chinese]

I told you, I don't speak Chinese!

And I told you, you try to escape again, I beat you senseless.

[Sirens in distance]

Steelgrave took a plea for 15 to 20.

His lawyer folded like a deck chair after I hit him with the evidence that the Arrow gathered.

Good work.

You catch 'em, I cook 'em.

Did I say that too loud?

No, you're fine.

Did you ever think that we'd end up as business partners?

Is that why you invited me down here, Laurel?

To see Mr. Steelgrave sent off into his new life?

No.

I have a surprise for you.

What's your dad doing here?

You'll see.

I'll be right back.

Mm-hmm.

Dad.

Hey.

Hi. How are you?

Uh, well, if they had told me press conferences came with a promotion, I would tell them I prefer getting shot at.

Good thing your doctors didn't give you a choice, then.

You know, you could try to hide the fact that you're glad I can't get out in the field anymore.

I can't hide that I'm glad that you're safe.

What's all this?

Your surprise.

[Microphone feedback]

Lance: Uh, thank you all--ahem, excuse me, thank you for coming.

Five months ago, this city was under siege.

And the SCPD rallied behind a man in a hood.

Well, I ended up with a captain's rank, and he didn't even get a thank you.

But today, he does.

'Cause today, the Starling City police department is formally recognizing the individual known as the Arrow.

And I'm using my new position to disband the anti-vigilante task force charged with capturing him.

Thank you.

Now make no mistake-- vigilantism will never be tolerated.

But I refuse to hunt, in the name of this city, the hero who saved it.

Shut that crap off.

Less heat on the Arrow means more heat on us.

And the ATF now has our shipment of grenade launchers.

They got our shipment already?

What are we paying bribes to the cops for?

We have a more pressing concern.

Lack of leadership.

I nominate myself.

Any objections?

Yeah, a few.

Oh, illuminate me.

Where do I start?

It's not just that you talk funny.

You don't know the first thing about business.

You're just a low level street dealer, a pill pusher.

Oh, those pills I push?

Are known as Vertigo.

In the wake of the count, I tinkered some with his formula, introduced an additive produced by certain mushrooms.

My Vertigo reveals the face of your greatest fear.

[Growls]

As I was saying...

Lack of leadership.

I nominate myself.

Any objections?

Our course of action is straight as an arrow.

Gentlemen...

We're going to kill him.

Hey, hey!

How was work?

"It" is not work. It is a soul crushing exercise in misery that offers health and dental.

Suffice it to say, I am highly motivated to help convince the board to sell you back the company.

Unfortunately, you don't really have the qualifications to run Queen Consolidated, but what you do have is passion.

You care about the company and the people that work there.

That's what you have to get across to them.

You got to speak from the heart.

Felicity...

Would you like to go out to dinner with me?

I'm being serious here, Oliver.

So am I.

I don't want to read...

Too much into this, but are you asking me out on a date?

Like an actual date?

Like a...Date-date?

Su--I mean, the implication being with dinner that you...

Usually I'm the one talking in sentence fragments.

[Chuckles]

Would you like to go to dinner with me?

Yes.

Oliver: Go.

Kelvin Nico just knocked over a liquor store.

Nico's in Steelgrave's crew.

Send his photo to Roy.

Get me Felicity.

You got it.

Felicity: I can't talk right now.

I'm at work.

Could I ask you guys just to wait one moment?

Someone's calling for tech support.

Oh, you are going to get me so incredibly fired.

Okay, I am hacked into the city's database. I am running facial recognition...N...

Oliver: Do you like Italian?

What?

For tonight.

You like Italian, right?

Everyone likes Italian.

Oliver, you're in the middle of a high speed chase.

I'm multitasking.

I got him.

He's in the sewer.

I'm picking up his cell phone underneath. He's at the corner of Grand and Ames.

And yes, I love Italian.

Detective Lance-- Captain Lance-- is also in pursuit.

You are welcome.

I have to go.

The Arrow: Detective...Thank you.

You had it handled.

For what you said today.

I wish I could do more.

You've already done more than enough. I've got to go.

Some place I have to be.

You got a hot date or something?

Amanda: So this morning makes how many escape attempts in the last five months?

Nine.

What we have here is a failure to reach an understanding.

[Exhales]

Go to hell.

So this is my reward from saving you from drowning in that freighter off the coast of Lian Yu?

Yeah.

Why'd you do that?

That's need to know.

Suffice it to say, I have need of a man of your capacity.

I don't care.

I don't care about anything except going home.

And you should know that.

You should know that I will never stop trying to escape.

And you should know that it's extremely easy to kill someone the world already thinks is dead.

Kill me, then.

I don't care.

We're going to have to try this another way, then.

Hi. Thank you for waiting.

Ah, no problem.

I just want to buy this.

This is a satellite frequency communicator TX40.

Yeah, I'm trying to breach a Tor-secured firewall and I need something to help me piggyback off a keyhole hexagon satellite, so...

I did that once.

Hacked a public WI-Fi signal, piggybacked using crowd-sourced stealth processing.

Huh.

You're Felicity Smoak.

Formerly of Queen Consolidated.

Do you mind if I ask you something-- why are you here?

How do you know who I am?

I know a guy who might be interested in hiring someone with your expertise.

I'm not actually...looking for a new job right now.

God help me.

But I can help you buy this.

Unless I can't.

I mean, I shouldn't.

You shouldn't buy this.

OK. Clearly you don't understand how this whole sales thing works.

The next gen model, the TX50, comes out in a few months.

I got to touch one last year.

Pure bliss.

And if you want to breach Tor-level security, you should really deploy a remote administration tool.

I have a good one.

Here's the URL.

Thanks.

Happy hacking.

I certainly hope so.

False alarm.

Are you sure?

These contractions...

Just Braxton-Hicks. You're not even four centimeters dilated.

I feel like an M1-A1.

It's a tank.

Think a big, big tank.

You did the right thing coming in.

You don't want your husband--

Boyfriend.

Ex-husband.

To be delivering the baby on the side of the freeway.

You can get dressed now.

All right.

[Exhales]

Are you OK?

Yeah, yeah, I'm not the one that's nine months pregnant.

You look a little scared.

Honey, please, I've thrown down with the Taliban, Malcolm Merlyn, and a host of Mirakuru-powered human weapons.

I'm terrified.

[Both laugh]

Queen, party of two.

Hi.

Hi.

Hi. [Chuckles]

[Chuckles]

What?

Nothing.

I'm just--

Nervous?

Yeah.

Line forms behind me.

Scotch. Neat.

Just the water for me, thanks.

Are you--are you sure?

The booze might sort of help with the whole-- the alcohol is not going to mix well with the three benzos I took.

Am I being crazy?

I mean, what do we have to be nervous about?

Well, we've already exhausted every topic that one would normally talk about on a first date and a second date and a third date, and every date, actually, and I've already seen you shirtless.

Multiple times.

Shirtless, all the time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

There are still a few things that you don't know about me.

Please. Name one.

The five years that I was away...

I wasn't always on Lian Yu.

I thought so.

Where were you?

Hong Kong...for one.

And I have been thinking a lot recently about...

My time there.

The choices that I had to make.

Those years sound like they were full of a whole lot of suck.

I'm sorry.

I'm just a little out of my element.

The entire time that I was gone, I could never... completely trust someone.

And when that goes on for so long, you stop... seeing people for people.

You see... threats.

Or targets.

And when I decided to come home, I...

I just didn't know how to turn that part of me off.

Then I walked into your office.

You were the first person that I could see as a... a person.

There was just something about you.

Oh, yeah, I was chewing on a pen.

It was red.

[Beeping]

GPS shows him in the restaurant.

The Arrow's definitely in there.

If we're going to find him, we got to get in close.

We're close enough.

Do you remember when I told you that because of what we do, I didn't think that I could be with someone that I...

That I could really care about?

Yeah, I remember.

So maybe I was wrong.

[Whistles]

Oliver, are you--

[grenade fires]

Ollie--

[explosion]

[Patrons screaming and crying]

Is she OK?

She's just knocked out.

Saw it all over the news, police and fire are on the scene.

Yeah, I didn't think it was the best idea to stick around and answer questions.

You don't think you and an explosion at the same place is a coincidence?

Hey, check this out.

It's a GPS.

I found it on your jacket.

It's wasted now.

You took out one of Steelgraves' crew earlier tonight.

It was a set up so they could plant that thing on me.

Oliver, I know what you're thinking.

No, you don't.

Listen, I'm not other people.

I know exactly what's going on in your head, and you are wrong.

Diggle, somebody put a tracer on me and I don't notice?

The only explanation...

I lost my focus.

[Dialing]

The Arrow: Detective.

The person we took down earlier is working with whoever's responsible for tonight's explosion.

Another one of Steelgrave's crew, I'm guessing.

Well, I need to know who's at the top of that organization now.

And where I can find him.

I'm on it.

[Gasps]

Hey, hey, hey, you're safe.

You're safe. I'm here.

[Footsteps]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm on your side!

Got this handled, Detective.

These guys blew up a building.

You think I'm sitting this out?

Suspect's name is Werner Zytle.

He's a real nutbar.

Keep your head on a swivel, then.

[Footsteps]

I'm Werner Zytle.

Ahh!

You can call me Vertigo.

The Count's dead!

Some things never die.

You, for example.

It's frustrating.

Just means I have to try a little bit harder.

[Both grunting]

Ahh!

The Count might be dead, true...

But his glorious narcotic lives on-- with a few enhancements that will reveal to you your greatest fear.

Like gazing upon truth itself.

[Both grunting]

[Gunshot]

Get away from him or get put down!

[Groans]

No...No!

[Beep]

[Voice disguised]

Felicity, call an ambulance!

Are you OK?

That was a pretty strong psychotropic Werner hit you with.

[Clears throat] How's Detective Lance's condition?

Stable. He's at Starling General.

I hacked the paramedic radio.

He had a coronary artery spasm treatable with medication.

He'll be fine.

How are you?

Believe it or not, I have had worse first dates.

Hit the streets.

Werner's agenda can't stop with me.

I need to know what he has planned.

On it.

I'll back him up.

Roy's got it.

Go home to Lyla.

Oliver...

If this is about what happened, man, risk is part of the job.

Diggle. It's just Intel gathering.

Roy can handle it.

I know we need to talk.

About our dinner or our dinner getting blown up?

Both.

It's OK.

We'll talk about it after we catch this guy.

But maybe we should reschedule the board meeting.

It's in less than an hour.

I've got this.

[Speaking Japanese]

[Groans]

When are people going to realize that I don't speak Chinese?

Japanese.

You speak English?

Better than you speak Chinese.

Where am I?

Our home.

Mine and my husband's.

Your husband?

Welcome to my home.

Dinner?

[Sighs]

[Monitor beeping]

I got to warn you, the doctors told me not to get yelled at.

Well, it's a good thing you don't care about your doctor's instructions, then, since you're still going out in the field.

Do you know what an advanced healthcare directive is?

It's what they ask for when you're going to die, dad.

The night Sara left, the night you collapsed, the E.R. doctor asked me if you had one.

[Sighs]

I'm sorry, Laurel, I really am.

I'm sorry, sweetheart.

Then why do you keep pushing yourself like this?

I don't know how.

I've been a cop since before you and your sister were born. It's all I know.

If I'm not a cop...

What am I?

You're my father.

And I need you.

And I just spoke to Ned Foster.

He said the board is primed.

You just have to go in there and wow them.

Which I am pretty sure is a business term.

I'm afraid we have a situation.

Apparently there's another bidder for the company.

Really? Who?

Ray Palmer.

Nice to meet you.

Love your company.

Nice to see you again, Miss Smoak.

You two know each other?

So sorry I am late.

Heh, traffic was terrible.

Which is why I took my helicopter.

I parked on your roof.

I hope that's OK.

You guys validate, right?

Oh, frack.

Two years ago, the people of Starling City thought I was dead.

I came back.

And so can Queen Consolidated.

With Starling National Bank's new investment, we can take QC out of receivership and into the future.

I mean, this company's my family.

And as my mother always said...

There is nothing more important to me than family.

Thank you.

[Inhales, exhales]

That was a good speech.

Hard to top.

[Exhales]

Thank you all for coming out today.

I promise to be brief, if not a little entertaining.

Ahh. Oh, that's one of my new smart watches.

I'm very proud of those.

You like it, it works for you?

Yeah, good. Anyway.

Science. Numbers.

These numbers show QC's performance under Mr. Queen's management.

I'm using that term extremely, b-t-w.

Also b-t-w, these numbers aren't sanitized for Wall Street.

This is raw information from your company's own servers.

How did he get into our computers?

Something tells me he deployed a remote administration tool.

But the truth is, this company's woes are a symptom of a much larger problem.

And that problem is Starling City.

Queen Consolidated can't hope to survive if the city it's located in is dying.

Guess what? It is.

Nobody wants to live here anymore.

[Chuckles] And after two terrorist attacks, who can blame them?

This city still needs saving.

And that is my vision for this company.

To not only see it rise from the ashes, but to take this city with it to that new horizon.

And that new day has a name.

[Applause]

Oliver!

I'm sorry.

I really thought it was going to go our way.

So did I. But maybe the company's better off with Dr. Palmer.

I couldn't make time for QC last year, and trying to get the company back now, it's selfish.

That's something that the old me would have done.

And if the past 12 hours have reminded me of anything, it's that two years ago, I made the decision to put Oliver Queen aside and be the Arrow.

It's not a choice I get to unmake.

Last night at the restaurant, you didn't feel that way.

Look what happened, Felicity.

Oliver! The explosion wasn't your fault.

When Werner hit me with the Vertigo dart, he told me that his formula, it shows us our worst fear.

And I saw myself.

You don't really think you're afraid of yourself, do you?

I think I'm scared of what would happen if I let myself be Oliver Queen.

What did we find out?

You know how we've got the number of crime bosses in Starling City down to three?

Well, this new guy, Werner, he wants to make it zero.

Diggle: Take out the competition.

Mikhail Petrov, Luciano Costa, Shintawa Shimosawa.

What are their locations?

I'm not getting anything off of last known addresses.

Werner could be moving these guys right now.

I'm going as fast as I can!

It's not like these guys walk around with little GPSs attached to them.

Unless they do.

Petrov, Costa, Shimosawa, they're all on parole or out on bail.

Ankle monitors.

Can't be right.

They're all in the same location.

Rockets Arena.

The heavyweight title fight's tonight.

That's like Christmas for crime bosses.

There'll be like 20,000 people there.

He was willing to blow up a restaurant to take down one man.

He'll blow up a stadium to take down three.

Yeah, but an RPG won't do it.

I need you looking for a large explosive device.

Roy...suit up.

Where do you want me?

Here.

I can't have you in the field anymore.

Really?

What changed?

You're going to be a father.

[Chuckles] Oliver, you've known for the past five months I was going to be a father.

So I ask you again-- what changed?

I have.

My risks can't be your risks.

That...Diggle, you have a life.

You have a new life, it's...

Life I can't have.

I get it.

You and Felicity were in an explosion.

People died, either one of you could have.

But you didn't.

You can't let that shake you, man.

Detective Lance is laying in hospital bed right now because I let him--

Wait, wait, wait!

Lance is his own man who makes his own decisions, and so am I.

Not this one.

Oliver, I've given the last two years of my life to your crusade.

I don't know what that's supposed to earn me, but it earns me at least the right to make my own choices.

No, it doesn't--

Damn it, Oliver, you would be dead ten times over if it wasn't for me!

You're right.

But this is my crusade, which makes this my decision.

[Crowd cheering]

[Whistling]

Five minute timer.

Come on!

What are you waiting for?

[Grunting and groaning]

My partner.

[Beep]

Go.

Felicity: I've isolated a frequency spike consistent with an incendiary device.

It's in the maintenance tunnel underneath the stands.

I'll get the bomb.

Get the son of a bitch.

Back for more?

It's as if you've developed an addiction to Vertigo.

[Distorted voices]

I've made my choice.

[Both grunting]

Felicity, we're running out of time here.

OK. From your description, it sounds like a collapsible circuit design.

Roy: Felicity...

Cut the yellow wire.

There is no yellow wire.

OK, new plan.

Look above you, there should be insulated piping pumping the arena's AC system.

They're pumping freon.

You want to break one off, aim it at the bomb.

You're going to freeze the thing.

[Both grunting]

Roy: It's not working!

[Grunting]

Don't look so surprised.

I haven't been gone that long.

Tie me up and lock me down, it doesn't matter.

There will always be a Vertigo, always someone to pick up the mantle.

You have given it the power.

Don't you see?

Don't you see?

You look well.

How's Nanda Parbat?

Hot.

It's good to see you.

You've been missed.

I was on my way to see Laurel, picked up your radio chatter.

You should tell Felicity mix up her frequencies a bit.

That's a good tip.

And is this permanent, you being back?

I hope so.

We'll see.

How are you doing?

I'm...working through a few things.

Word of advice?

We're not our masks.

And we need people in our lives who don't wear one.

Hey.

What are you doing here?

And the answer better not be stalking me.

Well, that depends on whether you consider pinging your phone's GPS stalking. OK, guilty.

But you know how I know a guy who would be interested in hiring someone with your expertise?

Yeah, turns out I could really use it.

Seems somebody hacked my cell phone and my laptop and my desktop.

Gee, that's too bad.

All my data's been replaced by audio files of porcupine flatulence.

And so I was hoping that whoever did it might be willing to undo it if I apologized for misleading them in any way.

That would probably work.

Oh, unless, of course, you did all that to steal that person's friend's company, in which case I would suggest getting used to the sound of spiky rodents farting.

I didn't steal anything!

OK, maybe a little, but as it turns out, I didn't even need the data.

I mean, you saw the speech.

It was a pretty good speech.

My friends just had a baby, so if you don't mind, there's another slimy little human that needs my attention.

Oh, and b-t-w, might want to check your tablet while you're at it.

[Chuckles]

Hey.

Hey.

Hi.

Oh, she is scrumptious!

Mazel tov, guys, seriously.

Diggle: Thank you.

I can come back.

No, Oliver, come in.

Oh, she's perfect.

Congratulations.

Thank you, Oliver.

For what?

For being right.

[Inhales, exhales]

The second I looked at her...

Everything changed.

The whole universe... changed.

You were right.

How do I get out of here?

You can't leave.

[Scoffs] Well, why don't you try to stop me?

You've already learned I can.

Repeatedly.

Amanda Waller wants you working for her, and she will have her way.

Yeah, well, too bad for her.

I'd rather die.

Which is why it's not your life she's threatening.

I am to be responsible for you.

She's found the proper way to motivate me.

Akio.

She's threatened my family.

She'll kill them if I let you go.

My father had a proverb he was once fond of.

A man cannot live by two names.

And what does that mean?

In your case...

I believe it means not having any choice.

Ahh. They look really happy.

She's beautiful.

She is.

We need to talk.

I don't want to talk.

Which for me, I know, is a little unprecedented.

But...[Sighs]

As soon as we talk, it's over.

I'm so sorry.

I thought that I could be me and the Arrow...

But I can't.

Not now.

Maybe not ever.

Then say never.

Stop...

Dangling maybes.

Say it's never going to work out between us.

Say you never loved me, say you--

Felicity...

Don't ask me to say that I don't love you.

I told you as soon as we talked...

It would be over.

[Cell phone vibrates]

Hello?

It's Barry.

Barry Allen.

I woke up.

I could use some advice.

I'll be right there.

And here I thought that you used up all of your League of Assassin vacation days.

[Laughs]

You look great.

How's dad doing?

The same.

Seeing you will help.

I don't want him to know I'm in town, not just yet.

You don't want him to know you're in town, or you don't want him to know why?

Both.

This life, it...

It's complicated.

We didn't want you to choose it.

Not for us.

I know.

I chose it for me.

[Cell phone buzzes]

The Arrow--

Oliver-- busted someone who tried to blow up Rockets Arena.

And my boss wants me to head to the station to backstop the interrogation.

Laurel Lance.

Always trying to save the world.

Runs in the family.

Love you.

Man: Hello, Sara.

What are you doing here?

Oh! No!

No! Sara!

Sara!

No, no!

[Sobbing]

Please!