Arrow – Dangerous Liaisons

By: Stacy Miller

The episode opens with Team Arrow and A.R.G.U.S. at an arcade following up on a lead in which an A.R.G.U.S. drone spotted Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) there. Curtis (Echo Kellum) is worried about damaging the vintage arcade games at the place. The games are rigged to attack and Curtis is forced to break the machine. “It was vintage,” he laments. More weapons attack the team. Oliver (Stephen Amell) and John (David Ramsey) find a video game that displays the message “Game Over.” It was obviously from Chase. The next day, Diggle’s wife A.R.G.U.S head Lyla Michaels (Audrey Marie Anderson) tells the team that Chase escaped via an underground tunnel. He is put on a no flight list by Homeland Security. “He’s not going to leave the country, he isn’t done yet,” Oliver says. Mayor Queen has to answer questions at a press conference on how the mayor could have worked alongside a serial killer and not know.

Meanwhile at Helix headquarters Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) tells Kojo Sledgehammer (Kacey Rohl), whose real name is Alena, she was hoping that Helix could help her find Adrian Chase. Alena tells Felicity that it would help if Helix could get into A.R.G.U.S’ security system.  No problem for computer hacker extraordinaire Felicity. She and Alena wonder if Chase has someone helping him on the A.R.G.U.S inside as it was their drone that helped locate Chase and also he was warned in order to escape. The drone is traced back to the pinged cell phone of an A.R.G.U.S agent named Jordan Pierce (Jarett John). Alena has a strange look on her face when she sees Pierce’s photo. Later, Jordan Pierce is killed while on an elevator and Alena finds his body.

Lyla, Diana (Juliana Harkavy) and Oliver investigate Agent Pierce’s murder. Lyla announces that blunt force trauma was the cause of death. As there is a security camera in the elevator, Curtis and Felicity are able to tap into it and send the feed images back to Oliver’s phone.  At first it looks like an invisible Meta Human is the killer.  But before a call is made to The Flash in Central City, they realize that someone manipulated the elevator, which doesn’t seem like Adrian Chase’s MO. The security logs show that the elevator was indeed hacked. Felicity looks at the code and tells Curtis that she knows someone at Helix who may be able to help them with the code.

Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) and Rene (Rick Gonzalez) meet with the husband of one of Chase’s victims. After the man leaves, Rene comments that although he is sympathetic for their loss, hearing about it all day is a buzzkill. It is then that Quentin mentions that Curtis told him about Rene’s situation with his wife and daughter. Quentin questions Rene about why he hasn’t accepted Curtis’ offer to set him up with a lawyer to help get his daughter back. Rene says that he’s just not ready yet.

At Helix Felicity confronts Alena about killing Pierce. Alena admits that she did, but accidentally as there’s a learning curve when you use elevator technology.  She explains that A.R.G.U.S is holding the world’s greatest hacker and founder of Helix, Cayden James without cause, and tells Felicity that she’s going to help her free James from wherever A.R.G.U.S is holding him. “And why would I do that?” Felicity asks.  Alena tells Felicity that before Cayden was taken he was working on a biometric scanner that could scan any heartbeat, anywhere in the world.  This scanner could be the key in locating Adrian Chase.

Lyla tells Oliver and John that Agent Pierce’s key was a sophisticated copy, meaning that A.R.G.U.S’ security was compromised. Oliver tells Lyla that all of this doesn’t sound like Adrian Chase. A.R.G.U.S, Oliver and John are on their way to protect the other agent and her security key, but Felicity calls John and tells him that they need to let the agent’s second key be taken. John tells Oliver to stand down because Felicity has information that they don’t have and that information can help them catch Prometheus.  Lyla isn’t happy that Felicity’s actions has put A.R.G.U.S’ security in a bad position; Felicity crossed the line. But Felicity is determined to do anything to catch Chase.

Meanwhile, Quentin tells Rene that he looked over his case and doesn’t know why Rene hasn’t gone to visit Zoey even though he could with a court appointed social worker. Rene tells Quentin that he is bad for his daughter because he hurt her. He tells the story how he was heating up some soup for Zoey, but passed out drunk and his daughter reached for the hot pan from the stove burning her hand. Her cries is what woke him up. “Zoey deserves better than me, end of story,” says Rene as he walks out of the room.

Oliver thinks that Lyla should hand Cayden James over to Helix, but Lyla says that James is almost as dangerous as Chase. Oliver reminds that Helix has hired mercenaries to spring James. “We have a better chance if we let Helix come to us,” Lyla says. “You want to set a trap for Helix and use James as the bait?” John asks his wife. Lyla tells John that this is the chance to take Helix down and she’s taking it with or without John and Oliver’s help. After Lyla leaves the room, John tells Oliver that he needs to talk with Felicity before she does something she’ll regret…he is the only one who can pull her from the brink.  So, Oliver goes to Felicity’s apartment.  He reminds her that because he was willing to do anything to save the city, he created Chase. Oliver asks Felicity not to do this.  He reminds her that she more than anyone has seen the toll his obsession his taken on him.  “You want to talk about irony?  You’re willing to sell your soul to destroy a threat I created,” Oliver says.  Felicity tells Oliver that she fell in love with him because he was willing to do whatever was right no matter the cost or toll it took on him. “How can you ask me to be in different?” Felicity asks.  Oliver’s words fall on deaf ears; Felicity is doing this.  At the Arrow Cave, Curtis asks Oliver what they will do if Felicity is there. “We stop her,” Oliver answers sadly.  John questions Lyla about holding with Cayden James. He doesn’t want to see his wife go over to the dark side.

Rene is annoyed that Quentin called him into the office late. Zoey runs into his arms; Quentin arranged for the visit with Rene’s daughter. Zoey tells Rene how much she’s missed him and asks when she can come home.  Her words convince Rene to try to get her back.  He tells his daughter that he’s going to talk to the lawyer he knows about bringing her home.

As John and Oliver wait for Helix and Felicity at an A.R.G.U.S site, she and Helix are at another location.  Lyla calls John and tells them that Cayden James is really at an off-the-books A.R.G.U.S site twelve miles away and Helix is already there.  John is furious that Lyla kept the information from them, but she has no time to argue with her husband. “Get your head in the game,” Lyla says, ordering them to go to the real location.  Alena and Felicity find Cayden James in a storage locker n, but Team Arrow has arrived.  Curtis deals with the mercenaries. While Cayden James is being loaded into the Helix’s vehicle, Oliver appears. But Felicity stands in front of his shot and says that he’ll have to go through her to get to James. She tells Helix to drive off.  Felicity traps Oliver in a laser caging that will electrocute him if he touches it. “Curtis will let you out. I really hope after we catch Chase you’ll understand,” Felicity says. “Don’t count on it,” is Oliver’s response as she leaves.

Curtis, Diana and Oliver return to the Arrow Cave where Oliver tells them that because Felicity was willing to put herself in front of a bullet, there’s nothing they can say to her until she gets Chase.  Rene thanks Quentin for helping him see Zoey.  Felicity returns to the empty Helix headquarters and a video message from Alena comes on. Alena tells her that Felicity’s connection to the Green Arrow and his team makes her a liability.  But Helix did leave Felicity the biometric tracker that will help her to find Adrian Chase. John returns home and tells Lyla that she’s become harden like Amanda Waller and he doesn’t like the change he is seeing in her. They’ve been down this road before and he doesn’t know if he can move forward.

As the episode concludes, Felicity uses the biometric tracker in the computer at the Arrow Cave.  Oliver tells her that no one at A.R.G.U.S was hurt during Helix’s attempt to free Cayden James, in case Felicity wanted to know.  Felicity is glad to hear that but not that Oliver didn’t trust or support her play.  The biometric tracker reveals Adrian Chase’s location. “Chase, he’s here,” Felicity tells Oliver before they’re blow across the room when the computer explodes.