ARROW - Season 7.14

ARROW – SEASON 7, EP. 14: “Brothers & Sisters”

We welcome back the Emerald Archer with a brand new installment this week.  After working desperately to find the elusive Dante, it appears that Lyla and Diggle have a lead, and are hot on the trail.  Meanwhile, Ollie tries to bond with his half-sister Emiko. 

We open up with Felicity running through the woods, and she is tracing screams she’s hearing.  She sees Diaz, who eventually says he’ll always catch her.  She wakes up.  It’s only a nightmare.  We cut to Ollie walking through the SCPD, trying to contact William, but he’s not getting any answer.  Rene tries to reassure him that he’ll come around, just give him time.  They switch subjects to Emiko, and how she’s out there running solo, taking on the bad guys.  Rene has the bullet that killed her mother, and it’s the only proof she has that she was murdered.  Ollie wants to reign her in and talk to her, but Rene tells him that it’s a revenge thing. 

At ARGUS, we see the new members of Task Force X training.  They bicker a bit, and Diggle comes in to end the training session.  Him and Lyla talk about using them, and feel it’s time to tell Ollie and Felicity about Diaz. 

We cut to our future, and see everyone in a Mexican Standoff, while Mia and William talk.  She says that Felicity is in hiding, being her paranoid self.  Mia then finds out that Connor is the adopted son of Diggle, and she’s not happy about it.  Once everyone knows who they all are, William asks where they should start to look for her.  Mia refuses to work with them, and William says that he came too far to get shut out, even by her.  So, whether she likes it or not, he’s on this search.

Diggle talks to Ollie and Felicity about using Diaz for his Task Force X program.  Ollie isn’t happy about it, but he understands Diggle’s reasoning behind it---to catch a much bigger threat.  Felicity, however, is NOT thrilled, and she lets Diggle know about it.  She is then seen texting Laurel, letting her know that Diaz is out of prison.

Diggle goes over the mission with Task Force X to get a meeting with Dante by getting to a guy named Virgil.  Diaz makes the call to Virgil to set up a meet.

Felicity and Laurel are talking about getting Diaz, and Felicity has hacked into ARGUS’ program, and has set it up so that Laurel can get close to him, press a button, and blow the bomb implanted in his head.  Laurel is reluctant to do it, since she’s liking the fact that she’s gotten better at being the DA, and doesn’t want to risk it, and feels Felicity shouldn’t risk it, either, because she’s pregnant.  Felicity is surprised Laurel found out, but has sworn Laurel to secrecy.

Ollie finds Emiko, and they have a talk about her mission.  Emiko really isn’t into family bonding, but Ollie brings back info to help Emiko find her mother’s killer.  She still doesn’t trust Ollie, but he really wants to help, and he’s the only one with the means to help her.  She eventually relents, and lets him help her out.

Back in the future, we see the crew trying to figure out how to get things to work in the old Arrow Lair, and Dinah flips a switch, and the Lair erupts with life.  William starts to work on the computers, but it doesn’t matter to Mia, who feels they’re all on a hero trip, she’s going to find her mother on her own, with no one’s help. 

Task Force X meets with Virgil, and things go south, as he feels that they’re not being honest with him.  The team gets into a fight, and take down Virgil’s men.  Virgil says that Dante will find out about Diaz’s betrayal. He then dives out the window.

They are back at ARGUS when the rest of the team begin to question Diaz, and feel that he tipped Virgil off about the meet, and about them.  Diaz says that they should tread carefully….once Dante finds out about them, they’ll wish for a quick death.

Felicity and Laurel have another heart to heart.  Laurel comes by with food for her, and tells her that she shouldn’t worry about going after Diaz, and that she should be caring for her child.  But, should Felicity kill Diaz, Laurel won’t stand in her way.  But Laurel says that if she does kill Diaz…don’t do it out of fear, because she needs to protect her family from the next Diaz….and the next…and the next.  She knows that Felicity is strong, and she can handle all of this.

Ollie and Emiko are trying to work together, but she’s not thrilled.  Rene comes by, and tries to keep things civil.  They eventually get a hit on a guy that was working for Emiko’s mother’s killer.  Ollie tries to convince her to stay on the sidelines, but she isn’t having it.  This guy is having a weapons deal go down, and they plan on being there.  At the meet, Ollie and Rene bust it up, and Emiko gets involved.  The man is taken down, and Ollie puts him under arrest.  Emiko is pissed, and doesn’t like that Ollie has taken over HER mission.  She bolts.  At the SCPD, Rene tells Ollie that he can’t take Emiko’s mission on…and that he just needs to be her sister.

Lyla is going to be called by the Joints Chiefs of Staff, and they’re more than likely going to ask for her resignation.  Diggle apologizes for dragging her into the Suicide Squad revival, but she makes no excuses to agreeing to it.  They both realize that they need to find Dante fast.  Turns out, Dante is financing a political coup for a woman named Princess Nora.  They need to stop the meet, but they do not know what Dante looks like---but Diaz does.  But they know the Squad is blown, so Diggle knows who to call.

We cut back into future time, where William finds Mia.  They have a heart to heart about their parents, and how screwed up their lives have become.  She is reluctant to want to help…and she asks William if their dad was a hero.  He says he was.  She finds out he duped her in to helping them out.  He asks whether or not it worked.

Ollie and Felicity talk about Diaz and the mission Diggle wants Ollie’s help on.  She isn’t thrilled, but he says that no matter what she decides, he’ll stand by her decision.  He knows she wants to kill him, and will still stand by her.  She thought for a moment that he found out she was pregnant.  But she agrees to go on the mission with him.

They are at the embassy looking for Dante, when the Princess shows up with Director Bell.  Turns out HE is the leak.  Eventually, Dante shows up, but Diaz has found a way to short out the bomb in his head, and things go bad quickly.  Dante kills bell AND the Princess, and looks to escape.  He runs into Ollie and the fight is on.  Diggle and Lyla are pinned down by Diaz, and he’s looking for his own escape.  He eventually shows up in front of Felicity….whom he taunts again, but this time, she’s ready to kill him.  But he fails to see Diggle behind him, and he gets knocked out.  Ollie battles Dante to a standstill, but no one gains and advantage.  Lyla shows up to help, but Dante escapes. 

At ARGUS, Lyla and Diggle talk, and they find out that there’s a cover up to save Bell’s exposure.  Diggle convinces Lyla to let him take the fall for the team…for the family.  That way, she can stay on, and work on catching Dante.

Ollie and Felicity talk about her not killing Diaz.  And she says she’s stronger now, and that they can protect their family.  She finally tells Ollie she’s pregnant.

In the future, William and Mia work on trying to find their mother, and they use the Rubik’s cube to solve part of the riddle.  Eventually, Mia solves it, and finds a mini cassette. 

We see Emiko doing some training, when Dante shows up.  He comments that she’s gotten closer to Ollie, and that the plan is in place.  He says it’s time for Emiko to come home. 

We see Diaz at Slabside in his cell, when someone shows up.  The overhead sprinklers go off, drenching Diaz in some liquid.  We then see a lit lighter fly through the cell window, and it catches Diaz on fire…we see the episode end with Diaz on fire, his arm reaching out of the cell window.

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This episode was LIT!  Got some action, and got some INTERESTING twists to our plots this season.

So...it appears that not only is Dante one baaaaad dude whom Ollie may not be able to beat, but apparently, Emiko is in league with him, and I smell an alternative plot than just Emiko avenging her mother's death---but the destruction of her own brother as well.  I guess she feels the ONLY Queen that should exist is HER.  And Ollie won't see it coming until it's too late.  This is baaaad, baaaaad news for Team Arrow.

In the wake of failing to get Dante, it seems as though Lyla is about to be hung out to dry by ARGUS and the government....unless Diggle takes the fall.  I have to give him props here---he KNOWS he can work another angle here.  He takes the fall, is booted OUT of ARGUS, he can go back to working with Ollie, and yet, still keep Lyla in her position, allowing her to continue to pursue Dante---but even have some help from Team Arrow along the way...even if it's on the downlow.  I also appreciated his honesty with Felicity and Ollie about using Diaz to get to Dante.  The fact that he chose Felicity and family over Diaz was also a good step in the right direction.

Speaking of Diaz, it appears that Dante doesn't let betrayal or mistakes go unchecked.  Not that I'm saying it's HIM, but it wouldn't surprise me if HE was the one who decided to have Diaz deep fried.  That HAS to be it for Diaz at this juncture in the show...he served his purpose, we have a bigger bad guy to deal with, and he's expendable.  

Felicity's dark side is still looming under the surface...even in the wake of taking Diaz down.  Laurel was right when she said there would ALWAYS be another Diaz...and it could be somewhere down the road that either Dante...or someone else...pushes Felicity further into the darkness.  But for now, she seems a bit more a peace.  She HAS to be---she's carrying Mia around now.

And thus, we get to Mia.  She apparently has her love/hate relationship with dear old Mom, but also isn't too fond of dear old Dad, either.  She has it in for the vigilante lifestyle that, from the looks of it, ruined her childhood.  It also seems like she doesn't know Ollie all that well, thus asking her brother about him.  William isn't perfect, either.  Both are flawed children due to their parents leading a very risky lifestyle.  But this could ALSO be the bond both of them make to find their mother.  

So...I guess that's it for the Suicide Squad for now, huh?  

So, from beginning to end, this episode kept us on our toes, we got more light shed on the future storyline, and we see that Emiko isn't all she's cracked up to be.  It's going to be VERY interesting to see how the show runners juggle all these balls in the air, and how they resolve them.  And Dante...whoa.  This dude is serious stuff.  

Alright, kids, that's it for this week.  Be sure to check back here next week.  Please subscribe and pass along the good word about this blog.  Comment, willya?  I don't bite...not really.  I appreciate all the love I do get though...thank you all!

Oh...and I did say there was something happening with this blog.  There's a website that's in the process of being put together, and THIS very blog will be featured on it.  When the site is live and active, I'll give you the link, and you can check it out for yourself!  It's going to be a great site about a really cool podcast I found, and glad that I get to have this blog on it!  

Okay, boys and girls...until next week:  keep your sights on the bullseye!