Arrow – Irreconcilable Differences

By: Stacy Miller

Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) were married in a joint impromptu wedding ceremony with Iris and Barry after defeating Nazis of Earth 53. Now, back in Star City, the newlyweds celebrate their union with a party. Felicity is escorted into the room by her parents Noah and Donna (Tom Amandes and Charlotte Ross). Donna comments about Oliver waiting until he was indicted to propose.  He corrects that Felicity was the one who proposed. At least they could have gotten married by a rabbi, Donna adds. Even though he and Paul are now divorced, Curtis (Echo Kellum) is not going to let that stop him from enjoying the celebration; in fact, he celebrates too much by drinking too much and offering a drunk toast. He is interrupted by Rene (Rick Gonzalez), who saves the day with a more appropriate toast.

Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) gives Oliver a gift that was passed down from his own (Quentin) father. He says that it just didn’t seem right that Oliver didn’t have a parent at the ceremony. Rene dances with Thea (Willa Holland) and talks about how he felt when he married his wife. Donna and Quentin, who use to date, share an awkward moment. Then, he tells Oliver that the prosecution’s smoking gun is a witness who is willing to testify that he is the Green Arrow.  And to make matters worse, it is someone on the team.  Who is this mysterious Team Arrow witness?

Back at the Arrow Cave, Oliver and Felicity talk about who on the team could have sold him out. They tell John (David Ramsey) their idea of secretly spying on the team to find out who it was. “Either Rene, Dinah or Curtis sold me out. We need to find out why and we need to find out who,” Oliver says.

Rene brings a drunken Curtis back to his (Rene) place.

Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) meets with her ex Vince Sobel (Johann Urb).  She tells him how Oliver and the team pulled her back from a dark place. Dinah orders Vince to go away and never approach her again.

As she just got out of her coma, Quentin insists on walking Thea home. Unfortunately, Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) appears. “Congratulations on being out of your coma,” she says and then tells Quentin, “Caden James would like a word with you.” Thea demands that Black Siren leave Quentin alone.  The super villain laughs that Thea just got out of the hospital, she can’t believe that she is so eager to go back. There is a fight that ends with Black Siren knocking Thea out and dragging Quentin off.

At Arrow Cave, John, Oliver and Felicity watch video surveillance of Dinah’s meeting with Vince. Oliver thinks Dinah in private conversations with Vigilante is proof enough of her betrayal.  But John reminds how loyal Dinah was when she stood by him (John) after his injury. Thea enters and tells John, Oliver and Felicity that Evil Laurel took Quentin and she (Thea) wasn’t strong enough yet to protect him. Felicity is surprised that Laurel left loose ends as this isn’t Black Siren’s style.  Thea says that Laurel needed a messenger. Caden James (Michael Emerson) appears on the Arrow Cave’s communication screen and tells Oliver that unless Team Arrow breaks into ARGUS and get him the amplifier he needs, Quentin Lance “shuffles off this mortal coil” i.e. he’s a dead man!  So, John pretends that he needs to bring a surprise for his wife Lyla so he can be let into the secure facility. Rene poses as a janitor and Felicity works on shutting down the amplifier temporarily so Oliver can steal it.  Oliver has sixty seconds before the alarm is retriggered.  He is able to get the amplifier.

At the Arrow Cave, Felicity realizes why Caden James wanted the amplifier.  Rene tells the team that as much as he likes Lance, he knows that Quentin wouldn’t want a dangerous weapon that can blow up the city in the hands of someone like Caden James.  When Dinah enters, she questions why no one contacted her about the mission.  Oliver asks to speak with her in private, but she says they can speak in front of the team.  Oliver tells Dinah that he knows that she has been meeting with Vigilante.  She stunned when he accuses her of being the person who sold him out by agreeing to give evidence that could put him behind bars and keep him away from his son.  Dinah asks John whether he thinks she’s guilty too.  When he says sorry, Dinah’s ready to walk out, angry that she wasted her time on them.  “I’m not finished,” Oliver says, wanting to continue the confrontation. “I am,” is Dinah’s response.  Curtis wants everybody to calm down.  Although he’s not saying it is, Curtis reminds that the person who sold out Oliver could be him. When he learns that John, Oliver and Felicity “checked him out” Curtis is also angry to realize that although he, Rene and Dinah have been risking their lives for the team, they were the only ones under suspicion because they are the newbies. Tired of the bickering, Rene admits that he was the one who sold Oliver out…he is the person who agreed to testify that Queen is the Green Arrow.  Rene explains that Agent Watson came to him and had proof that he was Wild Dog and would make sure that he would never see his daughter again. “You were going down.  I just couldn’t make the trip with you,” Rene says. John reminds that if Rene had come to them, they could have figured something out. Oliver orders Rene to get out.

Meanwhile, Quentin comes too. Black Siren thinks they should talk about how he shot her and left her to die.  She tells him how she never knew her father as he was killed on her thirteenth birthday in a head on collision by a drunk driver when he went out to pick up her birthday cake. Caden James interrupts and reminds Black Siren that is Oliver Queen goes back on their deal, she’s to kill Lance.

Back at the Arrow Cave, Oliver tells Thea that although he doesn’t know if he can forgive Rene, he can understand the difficult choice he made for his daughter because Oliver would have done the same for his son.  Thea thinks that this may help Oliver to someday forgiving Rene.  But as Team Arrow is stronger as a team, Oliver tells John to have the entire team (including Rene) suit up so they can go rescue Quentin.

Team Arrow is all suited up and in the field.  Oliver tells them that their priority is saving Quentin, but if they get the chance to bring Caden James to justice to take it. Oliver adds that they should put aside their differences; the most important thing is getting the job done. Curtis sarcastically says that Felicity would be able to locate Caden James quicker if they had bugged James like they did him. Rene is tired of sitting around waiting for Oliver to call the plays, especially since they (John, Oliver and Felicity) don’t trust them.  When Caden realizes that the amplifier has been tampered with and doesn’t work, he orders Black Siren to kill Lance.  But Evil Laurel cuts Quentin’s binds and orders him to run. Is Black Siren saving Quentin because he reminds her of the father that she lost?

Back at the Arrow Cave, Oliver questions Rene, Curtis and Dinah about leaving their positions as backup to go after Quentin. Rene tells Oliver that it was the right call and worked out.  Oliver tells Rene knew  from the start Rene often went his own way and even though that’s not how a team operates, Oliver looked the other way because he trusted him (Rene).  But tonight, Rene broke his trust a second time. “You don’t get a third.  You’re off the team,” Oliver tells Rene. Dinah agrees with Oliver that a team should trust each other and as she no longer trusts him, she’s off the team too.

Dinah goes to see Vince because she needed to be with someone who trusted her. Rene brings Zoe (Eliza Faria) home and promises her that they will never be separated again.

Curtis announces that John, Oliver and Felicity spying on him meant they didn’t trust him.  So, he can’t trust them. Curtis will remain with Helix (his and Felicity’s company) but he is done with Team Arrow. After Curtis leaves, Oliver tells John and Felicity they need to find out how Cayden James knew about the tampered amplifier. We see Cayden and Laurel watching the scene in the Arrow Cave as Black Siren planted a mini camera. Anatoly (David Nykl) arrives and comments how Oliver Queen left to his own devices, Oliver Queen will always push those closest to him away. Was Caden’s plan all along to turn Team Arrow against each other?