Arrow - Season 1 Episode 16 - Recap and Review - Dead to Rights

One more friend would join Ollie’s (Stephen Amell) band of non-brigands during “Dead to Rights”! Something we’ve learned over the past few weeks of following “Hood Guy” on Arrow is that Robin Hood references are off-limits, so forgive me. With a target placed squarely in the middle of his forehead, Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) picked the best time to make amends with his son Tommy (Colin Donnell). There’s nothing like a makeshift blood transfusion to cap off a craptastic evening! That’s what you get for setting things straight with the most villainous of a one-percenter Starling City has to offer, Tommy!

The episode opened with Oliver nipping a high-profile assassin in the bud before he even got the chance to leave the heliport. After swiping his phone, Oliver would need to enlist Felicity’s (Emily Bett Rickards) help in cracking the coding. The goal was to find the target before another assassin was hired.

Felicity: “Code-breaking is my middle name. Actually, it’s Megan…”

Meanwhile, it was Tommy Merlyn’s birthday, and Oliver decided to bring McKenna (Janina Gavankar) along as his date. Last time he brought a lady-friend to meet Laurel (Katie Cassidy), things got seriously awkward, but I guess the work connection was enough to keep things cool between the two. The worst party crasher imaginable, Tommy’s father, showed up unannounced, and the mood was all but shot dead. In private, he personally invited Tommy to attend a benefit thrown in his honor. He was to receive an award for “Humanitarian of the Year.” That right there was the joke of the century. Tommy wouldn’t even toy with the idea, slapping the invitation right back onto his father’s chest and walking back inside.

My favorite part of that scene was the moment we got our first Black Canary reference! McKenna pointed out a picture of who she thought was Laurel, only to realize it was a young Sarah, Laurel's sister, standing with Detective Lance. Laurel wondered why he ever bought her that noisy little canary as a pet…

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I never thought I’d say this, but poor Deadshot was looking rough. Is there anything sadder than a former assassin drowning his sorrows in what looked to me like a dank hallway? Luckily, China White arrived in whirlwind of platinum to deliver a handy new hi-tech laser eyeball! Back in the saddle, Deadshot! You have a Merlyn to kill. Don’t worry; he’s not a wizard, just a jerk. Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) also became privy to the date and time of Malcolm’s axing. With “the Undertaking” only a few weeks away, there was no time to waste!

Felicity first managed to pull up only the very last number the assassin had dialed on his phone, leading her to what looked like a typical cheap takeout place called Jade Dragon. Diggle (David Ramsey) recognized the restaurant as a cover for the mob, so Oliver made plans to take Tommy out for his birthday. He deserved a proper birthday dinner following his father’s unfortunate drop-in, so Oliver would kill two birds with one stone. Tommy would have to deal with the giant fried fish. Authentic enough? Oliver offered Tommy some advice on dealing with his father. Even if Malcolm had angered and disappointed Tommy to no end, his father is, well, his father. Ollie doesn’t get anymore second chances with his.

Picking the lone thug out of the staff was like choosing the only black panther in a room full of newborn kittens, so Oliver knew who to follow into the back of the place. After muscling some information, if only a date, out of a man behind the scenes, Ollie returned to the table to finish up with Tommy. His perfect Chinese accent completely threw them off, considering the fact that the room was dark, and Oliver had made good use of some sriracha as makeshift mace. Check please!

At this point, Oliver made the decision to attempt to get Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and his team involved. Lance wouldn’t help unless Oliver could scrounge up a name. Does he have to do all of the work, man? Meanwhile, China White was busy readying her own troops. The plan was the lure Malcolm outside with a false fire alarm, then to allow Deadshot to pick him off in the crowd. Oh, China White; pulling the fire alarm will surely earn you a detention.

At Laurel’s, Tommy suited up in his tux, having been convinced by Oliver to attend his father’s event. He’d let Laurel sit this one out, though. They all weren’t required to suffer! Of course, once Tommy hit the road, Laurel’s phone lit up and revealed an incoming call from “Mom”! For a second I thought she was getting a call from beyond the grave. Then I remembered that her mother wasn’t dead, just a deadbeat. Ignore!

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Before getting to the ceremony, here’s what went down during this week’s island flashback sequence! Ollie wussed out after managing a meager four pull-ups, before deciding that he’d have better lucking attempting to repair an old radio from the plane crash than beefing up. His father had been a pilot, and Oliver apparently remembered helping him repair his own technology. Slade was skeptical, but Oliver got the thing fixed within a few days. Unfortunately, they could only receive a signal. With a little fine-tuning, Slade managed to hack into the enemy’s frequency, allowing them to remain a step ahead. After getting word of “Scylla,” a reference to The Odyssey and a most likely horrific “monster,” the two went on the hunt. What they discovered was a massive missile launcher capable of starting a war.

I was certain Arrow was going to make Malcolm appear more sympathetic this episode, if only to play with Moira’s emotional struggle in her decision to hire an assassin. After inviting Moira to dinner after the event, Malcolm gave a speech downplaying all that he’d accomplished, even taking a quote from the “Hood Guy” playbook. He’d “failed their city.” Of course, when Oliver uses that line he actually means it. Malcolm was attempting to seem humble in a room full of people who most likely already knew the truth. Moira watched on, ladened with guilt, as Tommy smiled up at his dad.

While Oliver and McKenna shared an industrial picnic on the floor of Oliver’s dirty clubhouse, Felicity managed to fully crack the acquired phone. Diggle hustled upstairs and informed Oliver of their discovery. The date was over, and Oliver had to bust ass if he was to make it to the party in time to save Merlyn. Detective Lance was filled in as well.

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The alarm went off, the crowd scurried out, and Malcolm put two and two together. Realizing he was being targeted, he hustled to find Tommy in the crowd. This sudden change of heart towards his son was perfectly timed, right?..  After scooping up Tommy, the two ran upstairs rather than outside. Malcolm had a panic room installed in case of emergency. Along the way, the vigilante managed to buy them some time. Inevitably, Malcolm was forced to expose Tommy to his effortless evil ninja skills, killing a thug in the process. Tommy was dumbfounded. Once “safe” inside, it seemed as though Malcolm was about to explain his prowess to Tommy, only Deadshot’s mega-missile of sorts shattered the bullet proof glass from across the way. A sitting duck, Mr. Merlyn took a few shots in the chest. A bulletproof vest did most of the protecting, but something was amiss.

Oliver had been going toe-to-toe with China White. Just when he had her where he wanted her, on her knees with an arrow pointed at her face, Mckenna arrived to screw up his victory. Using an extinguisher for cover, he was able to escape to help Tommy and his father.

Once Oliver arrived, still in costume, he managed to derive that Malcolm was poisoned by one of the bullets. Recognizing the poison as Deadshot’s signature, Ollie knew the only hope of buying Malcolm any time was through a blood transfusion with his son. Tommy wouldn’t trust the vigilante, but he would trust Oliver. After revealing his identity, the two rushed to configure a poor-man’s blood transfusion with a first aid kit.

Outside, Detective Lance found it strange that the vigilante helped the Merlyn’s, when every other one-percenter was taken down. Is it just me, or are the police on this show getting more and more annoying as the episodes pass by? They seem so helpless without the vigilante feeding them tips and leads! Its like their obsession with discovering who he is keeps them from doing their job in any sense.

At the hospital, Tommy and his father had as close to a heart-to-heart as I’m assuming they’re going to get. Tommy wondered where his father had disappeared to for the two years following his mother’s death. Just as he was beginning to hint at his training and the birth of the plans for “The Undertaking,” Moira arrived for a visit. Malcolm alerted her to the traitor in their midst, and enlisted her help in finding, well, herself. While Tommy waited outside, he spoke with Oliver about his secret. Would he ever have told Tommy otherwise? Nah.

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* superhero tear*

The episode closed with Laurel’s mother arriving at her door. Another unannounced visitor at that apartment! Enough is enough, already. Her mother had allegedly made a discovery that gave her reason to believe that Laure’s sister, Sarah, might still be alive.

What did you all think of Arrow Season 1 Episode 16, “Dead to Rights”? Will Diggle and Deadshot face off yet again? Is Sarah alive? Are you glad that Tommy is in the know regarding Ollie’s secret identity? Are you ready for the Huntress’s big return?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Arrow Season 1 Episode 16, “Dead to Rights”!