Arrow Docket – No. 11-19-41-73

By: Stacy Miller

John Diggle (David Ramsey) parachutes into war zone Kasnia and fights soldiers to rescue a prisoner. “I’m getting you out of here,” John tells the prisoner. “What the Hell are you doing here?” the man asks. “I need your help in Star City,” John answers.

At the Star City Courthouse, Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) arrive for the trial dodging reporters’ questions. They meet with Oliver’s lawyer Jean Loring (Teryl Rothery), who tells them with the firing of D.A. Armand, outside prosecutor Alexa Van Owen (Catherine Dent) has been called in to try the case and has a high conviction rate of ninety-five percent. Although Jean doesn’t think Alexa Van Owen is in Diaz’s pocket, she can’t say the same about Judge McGarvey. Jean says that Van Owen called her last night to offer a plea deal: Oliver pleads guilty to first degree manslaughter. Unfortunately that carries a mandatory fifteen year sentence. Oliver refuses to accept any deals. “Get me an acquittal,” he orders Jean.

“I’m not doing it Rene, I’m not playing make believe with you,” Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) tells Rene. “It’s not make believe, it’s a mock trial,” Rene (Rick Gonzalez) says, “We’ve got to get our stories straight,” he reminds. “I plan to plead the fifth unless you have another amendment in mind,” Dinah says sarcastically. Rene says that if she pleads the fifth it’ll make her look guilty. Dinah reminds she is guilty; they’re vigilantes. Rene wants Curtis’ (Echo Kellum) support. Curtis doesn’t think this has anything to do with him as he wasn’t subpoenaed like they were. Even though Rene stills believes Oliver is a jerk, Oliver is in this position because of him (Rene). Dinah doesn’t want Oliver to go to prison either and thinks they should do what they can to help him.

Meanwhile, Mayor Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) is giving an interview.  He tells the reporter that Oliver Queen is no more the Green Arrow then he is. Quentin reminds that he was the one who arrested Oliver six years ago for being The Hood and it was proven he wasn’t. When Laurel (Katie Cassidy) enters, the reporter questions her as well, saying that as The Black Canary she has to know the identity of the Green Arrow. Laurel answers that she does and will testify in court if subpoenaed.

Felicity thanks Rene, Curtis and Dinah for showing up to the trial. Although Rene and Dinah were subpoenaed, they assure Felicity that they don’t want to see Oliver go to prison. Court is in session and the case of The People vs. Oliver Queen begins.

“Oliver Queen is a hero, he’s saved this city more times than anyone can count. But he’s done it behind a mask so he could take the law in his own hands. So yes, Oliver Queen is a hero but that doesn’t mean he’s not a criminal,” Alexa Van Owen says beginning her opening statement. In Jean Loring’s statement, she talks about how three weeks ago, Oliver Queen was mayor of the city but has gone from being indicted, to being impeached, to being on trial due to the corruption of some of their elected officials that run through the city like a cancer. Jean asks the jury what seems more plausible: That there’s corruption in the city or that they elected a superhero?  John is called as the first witness. When he doesn’t appear, Judge McGarvey (Gaalen Engen) says that John has an hour before a bench warrant will be issued against him for contempt.

Dr. Schwartz (Venus Terzo) takes the stand and testifies that even though she had the opportunity to see the face behind the mask when she treated Laurel Lance, she can’t identify the Green Arrow because she was busy trying to save Ms. Lance’s life. When John testifies, he insists that Oliver Queen isn’t the Green Arrow, adding that he worked as Mr. Queen’s body guard from 2012 to 2016 and would have known if Oliver Queen was running around carrying a bow and arrow. Alexa Van Owen comments on how often John has been either in danger or injured. Next, Dinah takes the stand and is also questioned about Oliver being the Green Arrow.

Ricardo Diaz (Kirk Acevedo) confronts Laurel about not outing Oliver as the Green Arrow when she was questioned by that reporter. Grabbing her by the throat, Diaz warns Laurel that she better be convincing when she gets on the stand.

Raisa (Kathleen Gati) worries what will happen to William (Jack Moore) if Oliver goes to prison. Felicity assures that Oliver will be acquitted because he’s not the Green Arrow. But Raisa comments that they both know otherwise.

Rene is the next on to take the stand.  At first he denies that Oliver is the Green Arrow, but then Diaz enters the court room with Rene’s daughter Zoe Ramirez (Eliza Faria). Fearful for his daughter’s safety, Rene tells the truth that Oliver is the Green Arrow and that he knows this for a fact because he was part of the Green Arrow’s vigilante team.

In private, Jean Loring asks Oliver point blank whether he is the Green Arrow. When he truthful answers that he is, Jean suggests jury nullification, meaning that Oliver takes the stand and admit that he is the Green Arrow, and she will tell them all the good things he has done as the Green Arrow.  Oliver doesn’t want to do that as it will be a target on his back and put his wife and son in danger.

When Felicity takes the stand, she testifies that the photograph of Oliver wearing the costume of the Green Arrow was doctored. Alexa Van Owen questions Felicity about she and Oliver getting married just one week after he was arrested. She also adds that as Felicity’s own father was a known computer hacker but she had no knowledge of this, it speaks to her ability and certainty that Oliver isn’t the Green Arrow.  When Oliver himself takes the stand, he admits that he knows the identity of the Green Arrow but won’t reveal it even if it means he’ll go to prison. Suddenly, the Green Arrow breaks through the courthouse ceiling. He takes the stand and reveals himself to be Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell). He says that he faked his own death so he could continue to do his work as The Hood.  But after Roy Harper confessed to being The Hood and was beaten up in prison, he (Tommy) couldn’t risk Oliver getting hurt to cover for him. Judge McGarvey orders Mr. Merlyn to be taken into custody while the jury sorts out this mess. But as Diaz’s dirty cops are taking him to meet their boss, John and Rene extract him. It’s not Tommy Merlyn but Christopher Chance/Human Target (Wil Traval); he was the man that John broke out of Kasnia. Chance apologizes to Rene saying that he (Chance) may have brought him (Rene) a perjury charge. Rene says that it is worth it if it gets Oliver an acquittal.

During the recess, Oliver tells Felicity that if he is convicted he wants her and William to go into A.R.G.U.S protective custody. Quentin interrupts. He tells Oliver and Felicity that Alexa Van Owen is calling Laurel as a rebuttal witness to tell the court about what they pulled with Christopher Chance posing as Tommy Merlyn and confessing to being the Green Arrow. Oliver realizes that Diaz has all the information that Cayden James had.

When the court goes back in session, Laurel takes the stand and tells the court that Tommy Merlyn is the Green Arrow. Watching her testimony on television, Diaz seethes. When she leaves the courtroom, Laurel tells Quentin that she had every intention of saying that Oliver was the Green Arrow, but he (Quentin) made her change her mind.

The jury reaches a verdict: Oliver is found guilty on all twenty-six counts. But in a surprising move, Judge McGarvey grants the motion of jury non-withstanding the verdict due to reasonable doubt so Oliver is free to go. Returning to the Arrow Cave, Oliver and Felicity learn that Christopher Chance posed as Judge McGarvey.

The real Judge McGarvey is brought before Diaz and insists “It wasn’t me.” He tells Ricardo Diaz that two men broke into his chambers and knocked him out. Diaz doesn’t believe him so Judge McGarvey is shot in the head and killed. “You must be stupid to show your face here,” Diaz says when Laurel appears. “I was smart enough to realize there was no place I could hide from you,” Laurel responses. She uses her canary scream on Diaz and his men and they are thrown across the floor. But when she tries a second time, Diaz has a dampener that stifles Laurel’s canary cry. He tells her that since she ruined his Plan A, which was sending Oliver Queen to prison for the rest of his life, he’s going with Plan B, which is killing Oliver and everyone he loves.