Saturday, March 2, 2013

Arrow 1.15: "Dodger"

“You know, not all the people I target is on the list. Every once and a while I make an exception. A hostage-taking jewel thief for example. So why don’t you help us take him down?”
- Oliver

This week starts with two security guards in a museum. One of them is acting kind of sketchy and it soon becomes clear why. He knocks his buddy out once the other guy opens the security glass around a really big ruby. Mr. Sketchy nabs it and slips it to a guy in a suite (hello ex-President Baltar) and then asks him to deactivate the bomb collar he was forced to wear. He does and then Tases the poor guard and walks off with the ruby. In the man cave, Oli is training while the gang reviews this week’s listie. Felicity pulls up some info and locks Oliver inside so she can tell him that the guy he’s going after is a widower with a ten-year-old son. Oli is not happy with her messing with his system and Felicity storms off.

We flash back to the island. Slade isn’t doing so well. His bullet wound (bullet still in there) is infected. Oli remembers the super herbs the Archer gave him when he was sick and so he’s going to get them from the cave. Slade warns that Oli won’t last an hour, to which Oli retorts Slade better hope he comes back in forty-five minutes. Back in the present, Moira has invited a businessman named Frank over. He’s part of the Undertaking (I’m sorry but for some reason I hear that and I think about the Blessing from Torchwood: Miracle Day. Maybe Barrowman is to blame). Anyway, Moira wants out and she reminds Frank that Robert shared his concerns because he knew Frank was worried about what they were doing. Frank cautions Moira that Robert’s misgivings got him murdered. We do learn that apparently the Undertaking is trying to clean up the Glades.

Over at Queen Consolidated, Diggle and Oli are trying to track down Felicity to see if she’ll reconsider working with them. She shows up and asks if he paid the listie a visit. Oli says the guy was home in time to tuck his kid into bed, but that he gave back all the money. So it was a win-win. News about the Dodger (aka Baltar) is playing and Oli asks if Felicity wants to help take him down. This is going to be interesting. Speaking of, the Dodger is trying to fence the ruby the security guard stole. The guy he’s dealing with thinks he can just threaten the newcomer with guns in his face. Dodger takes out the goons with his Taser stick and shoots the other guy in the head.

Out at the diner, our reunited trio is brainstorming how to figure out how to find the Dodger. The conversation quickly turns to why Diggle hasn’t asked Carly out. Diggle then ribs Oli that he doesn’t see him asking McKenna out. So finally, Diggle gets up the courage to ask Carly out to dinner that night and Oli manages to ask McKenna out in a sort of adorably painful way. And he slips some tech Felicity put together so they know everything she knows. Thea and Laurel are not without their own drama for the episode. As they’re walking after Thea gets a hot dog, Laurel’s purse gets snatched and they chase after the guy. He hops a fence but leaves behind a keychain from his wallet.

Back on the island, Oli’s made it to the cave and pocketed the herbs when he hears someone coming. A guy who is really beat up stumbles into the cave and asks for help before collapsing. The tech Oli installed on McKenna’s phone seems to be working because they overhear her call Detective Lance about the dead dude with the body guards. Oliver realizes that once they find the next fence, they’ll find the Dodger. That night, Thea is looking into every used clothing store she can find and finally gets a hit on the guy. His name is Roy Harper. So it looks like she and Laurel may be getting this kid arrested.

That night is also date night for both Oli and Diggle. Dig takes Carly to “the” spot from when he was in high school. They seem to be having a nice time, both glad they finally did it. Unfortunately, Diggle brings up his brother and that kills the mood. Oliver’s not having much luck with McKenna either. She starts asking about his time on the island and he gets defensive, saying he doesn’t want to talk about it. He flashes back to the guy stumbling into the cave and gets fed a story that this guy is an exchange student and his boat caught fire and he’s the only one who survived and soldiers found him and beat him. McKenna gets a call and ends up leaving early. But Oliver has Felicity activate the bug on her cell phone.

The Dodger is trying a second fence. It seems to be going well until the cops show up. McKenna tackles the fence (so at least they’ve gotten the ruby back) and the Dodger makes for the exit. Oliver gets a couple arrows off but the Dodger activates one of his bomb collars and tosses it over a dumpster to get away. Felicity asks the guys how their respective dates were when they all reconvene in the man cave. Neither guy is up to talking about it so they focus on how to lure the Dodger out. Oli figures out that if he donates an antiquity from his family’s collection, it might be enough to pique the thief’s interest.

Over at the precinct, Detective Lance has brought in Roy Harper. As Thea watches the interrogation, she starts to really feel bad for the kid. He steals because his mom had a Vertigo addiction that left her pretty messed up. So she tells Laurel not to press charges. At the Queen mansion it seems Frank has gotten the Undertaking will meet with Moira but that it may be difficult to get any info on Walter’s whereabouts. At the auction (that spurred Oli’s thought process on the bait), Felicity shows up in a killer dress. She’s also put a GPS tracker on the broach so she can track it. Not long after she and the guys split up, the Dodger actually takes it and slips a bomb collar on Felicity for trying to interfere with his heist. So not good!

Things aren’t quite as dire as they seem. Oli commandeers a motorcycle and has a pretty awesome car chase with the Dodger, ending him the Dodger’s car flipped over. Oli severs a key nerve in the Dodger’s arm so he can’t push the button to kill Felicity and the collar unlocks shortly thereafter. Well and Oli uses the Taser stick on the Dodger. He deserved it. Back on the island, Oli ends up leaving the guy there in the cave because he doesn’t know him. Plus, Slade is sort of counting on him.

That night, Thea goes to see Roy to get her purse back. They sort of connect and Roy tells Thea she shouldn’t be in the Glades at night and not to trust every sob story a kid like him tells the cops. I guess we’ll see where that goes. Diggle and Carly make up and share a kiss, as do Oli and McKenna. Things get a little tense when Detective Lance assigns McKenna to help him on the vigilante case. Back on the island, Slade is recuperating thanks to Oli’s herbs and Oli lies about running into any trouble. We end with a rather disturbing meeting between Moira and China White. Moira wants Malcolm dead.

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