Arrow – Collision Course

By: Stacy Miller

Oliver (Stephen Amell) reads the police report about Cayden James’ murder.  Captain Hill (Tina Huang) tells Oliver that the stabbing took place sometime between holding and his transfer to Iron Heights. The stabbing is blamed on an inmate that was off his meds who probably thought he was killing his mother.” Cayden James was my responsibility, if heads have to roll let it be mine,” Captain Hill tells Oliver. “That’s not how I run things,” says Oliver. Next, he meets with city officials who demand the return of the city’s money. They tells Mayor Queen that if they don’t get the money Cayden James extorted from the city, all government offices will be shut down.  Oliver assures that he’ll get the seventy million back within forty-eight hours.

Thea (Willa Holland) doesn’t think it was wise of Oliver to make such a promise. But Oliver tells his sister and Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) that he already sent someone to Corto Maltese to retrieve the funds from Cayden James’ bank accounts.  Oliver’s contact arrives at the mayor’s office to deliver the bad news that the entire seventy million was already withdrawn by a mysterious party. Dinah is put on the Cayden James money situation and can offer three guesses as to who took the money.

At Oliver’s loft, tells Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) about the missing money and asks her to do her hacking skills to track information.

The team of Dinah (Juliana Harkavy), Rene (Rick Gonzalez) and Curtis (Echo Kellum) are also on the trail of the money.  Dinah is certain that Laurel (Katie Cassidy) took the money. “You are out for revenge and I don’t feel too good about that,” Curtis tells Dinah. When she’s out of earshot, Rene tells Curtis that after they get the money back, they’ll deal with Dinah (namely, keeping her from killing Laurel).

Later in the mayor’s office, video surveillance footage shows a woman (Laurel) withdrawing the entire amount. Dinah arrives at Oliver’s office. She tells him that she knows that he’ll never do what he needs to in order to get the money back because when he looks at Laurel, he sees the woman he once loved. “I will never let you cross that line,” Oliver tells Dinah, refusing to let her kill Laurel. “If you’re going to threaten me Oliver, you better make sure you can deliver,” Dinah warns.

Meanwhile, Laurel is at a cabin with Quentin and he tells her it is some place safe.

Later at the mayor’s office, Thea, Oliver and Quentin talk about Laurel making off with the money. Quentin tells Oliver how he has made a connection with Laurel and thinks that he can get the money back.

Rene, Curtis and Dinah use technology and discover that Dinah’s bullet did hit Laurel but someone dragged her off in the alley. Dinah tells her team that they have to get to Laurel before the others do because if Oliver and his team get to Laurel first, she’ll have them believing her lies. Dinah says that there are more effective ways to get the money back from Laurel. Rene and Curtis realize that Dinah is talking about torture.

In a cabin with Laurel, Quentin reminds her how she didn’t kill him with Cayden James wanted her too and also hesitated before killing Vince Sobel. Laurel sarcastically says that she has an opening for a domineering father figure if he wants to put in an application.  Laurel asks Quentin to tell him about his Laurel.

In the alley, John, Felicity and Oliver reason that someone took Laurel and think it was the other team. Team Arrow arrives at the Helix lair of Rene, Curtis and Dinah and accuse her of taking Laurel. Curtis is annoyed that Felicity is hacking their computer system in order to get a body signature to see if Laurel is there. Obviously, there is no trust among the former team mates. Oliver reminds that it was Rene that broke his trust. Dinah says that if Rene looked like Laurel, Oliver would have already forgiven him by now. Curtis can’t believe that they are fighting verbally, he hopes it doesn’t come to physical. “I do think that Oliver wants to fight but that’s how Oliver solves his problems,” Rene tells Curtis, “That doesn’t make you a hero that makes you a thug.” Rene says that when William finds out the kind of man Oliver really is, he’ll be disappointed. Dinah vows that they (she, Rene and Curtis) will find Laurel. “And when we do, you better hope to God that you’re not there too.”

Curtis is annoyed that the hacking procedure that he taught Felicity is what she used on their computer system. But Rene tells Curtis that he borrowed some of his tech and planted an audio chip on Oliver. “You didn’t think I really wanted him to hit me did you?” Rene asks. He says that with the chip, when Oliver and his team gets a lead on Laurel, so will they.

Thea finds Quentin at the cabin where he’s been taking care of Laurel.  Thea says that she has to call Oliver. She calls her brother and tells Oliver about Quentin taking care of Laurel at a really cool cabin. Laurel takes the phone and says that she will only return the city’s money and her next egg if Oliver helps her get out of the country. Laurel says that she has to escape that songbird (Dinah) friend of his. “Fine, Speedy text me the address,” Oliver says, reluctantly agreeing. He doesn’t know that because of the bug Rene planted, the other team heard the entire conversation. Rene says that Dinah was right, Laurel has Oliver believing anything.  So, it’s up to them to get the city’s money back.  “Can you track the bug?” Dinah asks Curtis. “You know I can,” Curtis answers. Dinah tells her team to suit up.

In their car to Laurel’s location, John (David Ramsey) tells Felicity to fasten her seat belt because they’ve got a tail. The find the bug and Oliver realizes that Rene wanted him to attempt to hit him (Rene) so he could plant the bug. They toss the bug out of the car. John’s smooth driving enables them to bypass another car, which gets in front of Rene, Curtis and Dinah causing them to lose John, Felicity and Oliver’s car. When they get out of the car, Dinah picks up the bug and crushes it under her shoe. Eventually, they get back on track in tailing John, Oliver and Felicity. Rene praises Curtis’ “Mr. T’s” driving skill.

At the cabin, Thea tells Oliver that it is insane that he is considering fighting his old team mates. While John says that he’ll support Oliver’s play, he reminds that going against their old team may be a line they can never come back from.

When they get outside the cabin, Oliver tells Laurel that he’s helping her get out of the country for the good of the city to get its money back, but he never wants to see her face or hear her name again. “I think I can help with that,” Dinah says appearing. John reminds that this may not be the best solution but at least they’ll get the city’s money back. Sadly, soon both Team Arrows engage in hand-to-hand combat. Oliver injures Rene.

Quentin runs away with Laurel but they are caught by Dinah. Quentin tells Laurel to get behind him and tries to talk Dinah out of killing her (Laurel).  Dinah knocks Quentin out then grabs Laurel intending to finish her off. But it is Curtis who talks her out of it, reminding that they formed their own team so they wouldn’t be like Oliver and killing for revenge is definitely like Queen. This gets through to Dinah and she doesn’t kill Laurel, who manages to escape. Rene collapses and has to be taken to the hospital.

At the hospital, Curtis and Dinah learn that Rene’s injuries are very serious and he will need to be transferred to a facility better equip to handle his long term care. When John, Felicity and Oliver arrive, Curtis and Dinah refuse to let them see Rene. It looks like the ties of the former team mates are finally severed.

Oliver apologizes to the city council for going back on his promise to retrieve the money.

At Star City PD, a crooked cop named Sam Armand (Pej Vahdat) tells Captain Hill that he has information that can bury Oliver Queen once and for all.

Meanwhile, Laurel comes across some truckers and tells them that her name is Laurel Lance and she was kidnapped.