Arrow – Disbanded

By: Stacy Miller

Oliver (Stephen Amell) has decided to disband Team Arrow are his time with Adrian Chase (Jose Segarra) not only left him with physical bruises, but with emotional scars as well.  Queen had always believed that even with the death and destruction he had caused as Green Arrow; he did what was right for his city and the people in it. But confessing to Adrian that he was killer and that he even enjoyed it has made Oliver rethink his mission and question whether he is a hero.  Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) is sympathetic as she listens to Oliver, but he tells her, John (David Ramsey) and Curtis (Echo Kellum) that he’s done more harm than good and that their lives are worse not better because he’s in them. He asks them to leave the Arrow Cave. Oh great, more brooding from Oliver as if he’s not broody enough!

The former Team Arrow meet at their new location, Felicity’s loft. It seems that Oliver has reprogrammed the Arrow Cave’s security system. John tells the team they need to give Oliver time, but Oliver deciding that Team Arrow is not good for Star City doesn’t stop John from reminding them that Prometheus is still a threat and they still need to protect the city from Adrian Chase.

At City Hall, Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) tells Oliver that he was able to cover for him in his absence, but now they have to resume their efforts to bring Adrian Chase down. “He’s already won,” Oliver tells Lance.  At that moment, Adrian Chase walks into the office and thanks Mayor Queen for his bereavement leave. Adrian places a knife on Oliver’s desk and basically taunts him to kill him. Oliver won’t give him the satisfaction. Chase comments that he’s disappointed but says that he is off to Star City PD protective custody as Green Arrow killed his wife and may come after him next. But Chase does leave Oliver with a parting gift; he can keep the knife even if Oliver is man enough to kill him!

The next visitor to Oliver’s office is Susan (Carly Pope).  He apologizes to her for her recent ordeal at the hands of Prometheus. Susan doesn’t blame him for her kidnapping though; she wants him to back up her statement to the police that Adrian Chase is Prometheus.  But if Oliver does that, he’ll have to admit that he is Green Arrow. Oliver also tells Susan, “I can’t be with you.”

Oliver is off to deal with the Prometheus problem in another way.  He welcomes Anatoly (David Nykl) to Star City and asks his help, “I need you to kill Adrian Chase.” Way to use the citizens of Star City’s tax dollars Mayor Queen by hiring a Russian hitman to kill the District Attorney!  In your defense, D.A. Adrian Chase is a murderous menace, but bringing Russian gangsters in to eradicate the problem is that really the best way to go? Oliver tells Anatoly that he was right when he told him all those years ago that wearing a hood couldn’t hide the monster that was inside. “Such a burden always being right. Life has no secrets,” Anatoly response. He is happy that Oliver has finally faced who has is and seems to be ready to honor what it truly means to be a Bratva. Anatoly agrees to kill Adrian Chase for Oliver and they discuss price.

Felicity is at Helix Headquarters with Kojo (Kacey Rohl) looking at video surveillance of Prometheus, hoping that they have an image of him not wearing his hood so that they can bring the evidence to the police that Adrian Chase is Prometheus. Kojo explains for the viewers that Adrian used optic scrambling technology to pixelate is image, techy babble for he hid his face on camera. But if anyone can solve a technology problem it’s Felicity Smoak, computer nerd extraordinaire. However, in order to do so, Felicity realizes she has to get her hands on Chase’s tech.

Since they no longer have their Team Arrow costume or the Arrow Cave technology, the team formerly known as Team Arrow wear masks and black hoodies to respond to a break in at a medical warehouse in town. They come across some Russians stealing drugs for diabetes. This is when Anatoly reveals himself and tells them that Oliver is aware of what they are doing.

John goes to the mayor’s office and confronts Oliver about this. “We don’t hire criminals and pay them with diabetes drugs,” John asserts. Oliver is furious that the team didn’t disband as he ordered.  He doesn’t want them going after Prometheus. Diggle thinks that whatever Prometheus did gave Oliver some sort of PTSD.  But Oliver insists that couldn’t be further from the truth.  He just finally realized who he was.

The former Team Arrow gather again at Felicity’s where Rene (Rick Gonzalez) can’t believe that by Oliver allowing the Bratva to steal the diabetes drug, the company that manufactures them will probably have to lay workers off. John thinks that he and Felicity should go to Oliver together and perhaps between the two of them, they can talk some sense into him. But Felicity thinks that as Prometheus has always seemed to be ten steps ahead of them, maybe they should to let the Bratva handle Chase their way.

Anatoly tells Oliver that the Bratva’s plan is to combine two drugs into one deadly drug that will be more addictive than heroin. And Oliver, you allowed them to steal the drugs as payment for killing Chase – do you think this is the lesser of two evils? Diggle hears the end of Anatoly and Oliver’s conversation and tries to convince his friend that the Bratva are just as deadly as Prometheus. “The Oliver I know would never let a dangerous group of criminals crawl into his city, let them steal medicine,” Diggle says, urging Oliver to trust the team and not the Russians. Yet Oliver says that his mission to save the city was an excuse to go on a killing spree. “Somewhere along the way, something in me broke,” Oliver says. “I am beyond redemption.”

John goes back to the former Team Arrow and tells them that stopping Adrian Chase isn’t just about stopping Prometheus, but also now to save Oliver from himself. Later when the Bratva open fire on Adrian Chase’s police escort, the former Team Arrow fight the Russians off. Curtis faces Chase and Adrian chillingly asks him, “How’s that husband of yours?” before kicking him in the ribs. But at least Curtis was able to get the technology that Felicity needs to help make Chase’s image as Prometheus appear on camera. But the scrambler is encrypted and the only way to get it of use is to break into Kord Industries where Chase stole the technology from in the first place.

The Star City PD thinks there was a leak in the department and decide to move Adrian into federal protective custody. Adrian quietly tells Oliver that it was a good effort on his part; too bad it didn’t work. “This isn’t over,” Oliver assures.

Oliver goes to Diggle’s house and punches him for his actions getting Adrian Chase transferred to federal protective custody. “What you need to do is stop pushing me away. Because I am not going anywhere, Oliver,” John says, telling Oliver all he has to do is to ask for help from his friends.

Oliver goes to Anatoly and asks the Bratva to stand down because their deal is off. Anatoly is angry that Oliver’s so-called disbanded team got in the way of the Bratva doing their job.  He tells Oliver that they won’t kill Chase if that’s what he wants, but they are still taking the drugs.  And if Oliver interferes, any sentiment between them won’t matter and he will now be an enemy of the Bratva. Oliver doesn’t listen and goes to John, Rene and Dinah (Juliana Harkvavy) to help stop the Bratva

“It’s not all on your shoulders. We’re here for you, Oliver,” Dinah tells him. Glad Oliver finally listened to Diggle. Team Arrow is back in action! The Bratva are attempting to steal their second drug shipment. And if Oliver stops them, Anatoly tells him they’ll kill the hostages they have taken. Oliver has his team go free the hostages while he faces Anatoly, who tells him that he’ll have to kill him to erase his old Bratva life. Unfortunately, Oliver trips the silent alarm to get the police there and the Bratva leave. Oliver later meets Anatoly for the last time. Both acknowledge the change in the other.

Team Arrow is officially back together, but Oliver tells them he needs time to be Green Arrow again. Curtis and Felicity have gotten what they need to make Chase’s Prometheus image clear. As the episode closes, the federal agents assigned to Adrian have been notified that Chase is the Throwing Star Killer.  But before they can apprehend him, Adrian kills them. While Star City PD sirens blast toward the safe house, Adrian Chase covered in blood is driving in the opposite direction as “It’s a Beautiful Morning” plays on the soundtrack.