Arrow Episode Guide: “Sacrifice” (Season 1, Episode 23)

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Original Airdate: 05/15/2013
Story by: Greg Berlanti
Teleplay by: Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg
Directed by: David Barrett

Starring: Stephen Amell (as Oliver Queen/Arrow), Katie Cassidy (as Laurel Lance), Colin Donnell (as Tommy Merlyn), David Ramsey (as John Diggle), Willa Holland (as Thea Queen), Susanna Thompson (as Moira Queen), Paul Blackthorne (as Quentin Lance)

Guest Stars: Manu Bennett (as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke), Celina Jade (as Shado), Sebastian Dunn (as Edward Fyers), Roger Cross (as Detective Hilton), Annie Ilonzeh (as Joanna De La Vega), Adrian Holmes (as Lt. Frank Pike), Jarod Joseph (as Alan Durand), Emily Bett Rickards (as Felicity Smoak), Colton Haynes (as Roy Harper), John Barrowman (as Malcolm Merlyn)

Trivia:

– Director David Barrett has worked in the DC Universe before: He directed the Smallville episode “Run,” which introduced Bart Allen/Impulse to the mythos, as well as “Lucy,” which guest starred Peyton List as Lucy Lane. List will soon be seen on The CW’s Tomorrow People with Stephen Amell’s cousin, Robbie.
– Joanna is back at CNRI, and we can only assume her return happened in a deleted scene somewhere.
– Moira’s middle name (her maiden name, perhaps?) is “Dearden.” Dearden also happens to be Thea’s middle name. The second “Speedy” in the comics (with Roy Harper as the first) was “Mia Dearden.”
– There’s a reference to a station near Papp. George Papp was one of Green Arrow’s co-creators.
– This episode aired the same night as a Supernatural season finale, also called “Sacrifice.”

Summary:

On the island, Fyers orders a missile to be launched. Oliver cuts his bindings loose and attacks, but the missile is headed towards a plane. Shado attempts to redirect it, but must fight off Fyers’ men, so Oliver takes over. When the missile returns and blows up the camp, Fyers has Shado at gunpoint. Oliver shoots Fyers in the chest with an arrow.

Oliver frees himself from Malcolm’s chains and, with Diggle’s help, escapes the building. Detective Lance brings Felicity into interrogation for her connection to the vigilante. The Hood calls Lance and warns him to evacuate the Glades. He lets Felicity go and is suspended for pushing the Hood’s agenda. At Verdant, Oliver alerts Tommy to their fathers’ plan, but Tommy does not believe him until his father later admits it’s the truth.

Moira holds a press conference to out Malcolm’s plan, which will take place tonight, and is afterwards arrested. Thea rushes to the Glades to save Roy, but Roy chooses to remain behind to help others. Having escaped the cops who came for him, Malcolm is found hiding behind a false wall by Oliver and Diggle, and they engage in a hood-on-hood battle. Oliver runs a metal shard through Malcolm’s chest to free himself from a chokehold.

After narrowing down the location of the device, Felicity coaches Lance on how to find and disarm it. Lance succeeds, only to find out there is another one at work. The wreckage of CNRI traps Laurel inside. Tommy sets her free, but is soon pinned down himself. Oliver rushes in and hovers over Tommy as Tommy dies.

Quotes:

Oliver: Do you really think that you’re honoring Tommy’s mother by destroying the Glades?
Malcolm: As surely as you believe you’re honoring your father with this hood.

Felicity (to Lance): I used to think the vigilante was a criminal too, but it seems to me, whoever he is he’s willing to sacrifice an awful lot to help the people of this city. It kind of makes him a hero, doesn’t it?

Oliver: I never told you what happened to me on the island.
Laurel: You didn’t have to. I can see that it changed you.
Oliver: That’s the thing, Laurel. It didn’t. Those five years didn’t change me, they just scraped away all the things that I wasn’t and revealed the person I always was, which is the person, that’s who you always saw. And I don’t know how you saw it, but you did. Nobody in my life is who I thought they were, except you.

Malcolm: If I’ve learned anything as a successful businessman, it’s redundancy.
Oliver: Felicity, there’s another device. There’s two of them.

Tommy: I’m sorry.
Oliver: No apologizing.
Tommy: I was angry, and I was jealous. I am my father.
Oliver: No, you’re not.
Tommy: Did you kill him?
Oliver: No.
Tommy: Thank you.
Oliver: Tommy, it should have been me. Open your eyes, Tommy!

Episode guide entry by Stephanie Hall

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