History Recap / ArrowS3E14TheReturn

** Slade calmly waits for Thea to put a bullet through his head, accepting that [[YouKilledMyMother she has every right to do so]].

* IHaveNoDaughter:

* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: After they nearly get killed by a swinging log BoobyTrap with SpikesOfDoom, Thea asks what psycho would set one up on the trail. Oliver replies, "[[Recap/ArrowS5E23LianYu Me]]."
* YouKnowTooMuch: Waller warns Oliver that anyone discovering his return will be killed. Ironically, the one person who does gets killed by Oliver himself.

* FakingTheDead: After locking Oliver and Thea in his old cell, Slade plans to burn a pair of bodies beyond recognition with the Queen siblings' IDs back in in Starling City [[SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere so that no-one comes looking for them]].

* ArmorPiercingQuestion

** The AuctionOfEvil takes place in the Foundry where Oliver will later make the Arrowcave. Also China White using QC businesses and associates for her operation foreshadows the corruption that Oliver will later confront.

** Slade brings up that if Oliver had been honest with him about how Shado died to begin with, maybe Moira wouldn't have died. It's hard to argue against that point, and Oliver doesn't try except to tell him [[BigShutUp that was enough talking about that]].

* DissonantSerenity

** When Thea returns to their home she claims to be fine and Oliver responds that he would be really worried if that was the case. Averted moments later when her father enters.

* FakingTheDead: After locking Oliver and Tara in his old cell, Slade says that bodies burnt beyond recognition, but with their ID, will be left in Starling City [[SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere so that no-one comes looking for them]].

* GraveMarkingScene: Thea visits Oliver's headstone to talk to her brother, as she mentioned doing in "Honor Thy Father", but actually to rendezvous with her drug dealer. Tommy sees this and calls her out over how she used to bring flowers to their graves, which she is shown to do later on. We then cut to Quentin visiting Sara's grave in the present. Laurel turns up at the same time and gets a roasting for lying to him after she reveals that she'd already told her mother about Sara's death.
* HandshakeRefusal: Maseo to Oliver after he refuses to continue with the mission to stop China White selling a WeaponOfMassDestruction.
* HeelRealisation: Oliver realises how his actions have made a mess of the lives of his family and friends, and resolves to go home regardless of Waller's threats and try to fix things. However that means abandoning the mission, and when Maseo reminds him he could save many lives, [[AMillionIsAStatistic Oliver just says he doesn't know those people]]. It takes playing the VideoWill from his father to remind him of his duty.
* HeroicBSOD: Thea gets one when Oliver reveals to her that she killed Sara.

--> [Thea stops eating]

* IHaveNoSon:

** Quentin regards Laurel lying about Sara's death a violation of the connection he's always had with her, and says that from now on they will attend separate AA meetings.
* InsultBackfire: When Maeso tells Oliver that his family would be ashamed of how selfish he is (choosing to return to his family instead of stopping China White sell the bioweapon) Ollie replies that they're already ashamed.

* MatchCut

** Thea putting flowers on Ollie and Robert's grave, to Quentin putting flowers on Sara's grave in the present day.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Thea's reaction to finding out Sara died at her hand. Oliver tells her this reaction was precisely the reason he didn't tell her about it until now.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: All the worry that Malcolm would be TheCorrupter for Thea is for naught when his actions demonstrate to her what a monster he truly is. In doing so he pushes her right back to Oliver and loses a member of Team Arrow whose family ties he could have manipulated for his own benefit.

** Thea tells Ollie that she's glad there are no more secrets between them, then asks why Sara's death was kept from her. Later Thea suspects from Ollie's FacialDialogue that there is in fact more that he's hiding from her.

* OhCrap: Oliver can't help going to visit Slade in his one-man prison, only to find the [[SleepingDummy corpse of the A.R.G.U.S. guard lying under a blanket]] in Slade's cell bunk. Ollie realizes Slade is in the open and [[NeverSplitTheParty he left Thea on her own]], while Slade's promise of killing all who Oliver loved comes back internally.

** Tommy lectures Thea that if her believed to be dead older brother was there (he actually was), he would be very devastated that she's ruining her life with drugs.

* SheIsAllGrownUp: On seeing the beautiful teenager she has grown into, Oliver notes that when he last saw Thea [[GirlishPigtails she was wearing pigtails]].

** WordOfGod says Slade saying he's leaving the Queens in his cell as Oliver left him was a direct reference to ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' ("I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her... marooned for all eternity...")
** Laurel accepted a job at the law firm of [[Series/EliStone Weathersby-Posner]].

* SwissCheeseSecurity: Oliver easily walks into the Queen home, and gatecrashes the party despite wearing a hoodie that makes him stand out among the other partygoers.

* WalkInChimeIn

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: Inverted with the A.R.G.U.S. guard. Malcolm's release of Slade results in the death of the A.R.G.U.S. agent guarding the prison, although it's unclear if it was Malcolm or Slade that killed him. However, neither Oliver nor Thea ever bring up this death, even when specifically chewing Malcolm out for his misdeeds. They both act as though the ONLY immoral result of his action was that it put the two of them at risk of death, pointedly ignoring that it actually ''caused'' a death already. In fact, the only one to bring it up at all is Malcolm himself, when he jokes about A.R.G.U.S. looking for volunteers to replace the dead man.

* YouKnowTooMuch : Waller tells Oliver that anyone discovering his return will be killed. Ironically the one person who does gets killed by Oliver himself.

* MaleGaze: When Oliver hides from an incoming Felicity, the camera zooms from her legs.

* MaleGaze: When Oliver hides from an incoming Felicity, the camera zooms from [[ShesGotLegs her legs]].

-->'''Thea:''' It's funny how Olly seems to care more about me now that he's dead than he did when he was alive.

-->'''Thea:''' It's funny how Ollies seems to care more about me now that he's dead than he did when he was alive.

* AbsenteeActor: Roy is the only one who did not appear in the episode.

* BlatantLies: Flashback-Oliver is told by General Shrieve he can't stay in Starling City as he has to go back to China for 'debriefing' (which could easily be done in the local A.R.G.U.S headquarters), but once the Omega is secured he'll be free to go anywhere in the world. From the look on Oliver's face, he clearly thinks the General is full of it.

* GraveMarkingScene: Flashback-Thea visits Oliver's headstone to talk to her brother, as she mentioned doing in "Honor Thy Father", but actually to rendezvous with her drug dealer. Tommy sees this and calls her out over how she used to bring flowers to their graves, which she is shown to do later on. We then cut to Quentin visiting Sara's grave in the present. Laurel turns up at the same time and gets a roasting for lying to him after she reveals that she'd already told her mother about Sara's death.

* HeelRealisation: Flashback-Oliver realises how his actions have made a mess of the lives of his family and friends, and resolves to go home regardless of Waller's threats and try to fix things. However that means abandoning the mission, and when Maseo reminds him he could save many lives, [[AMillionIsAStatistic Oliver just says he doesn't know those people]]. It takes playing the VideoWill from his father to remind him of his duty.

* MaleGaze: When Flashback-Oliver hides from an incoming Felicity, the camera zooms from [[ShesGotLegs her legs]].

** Flashback-Thea putting flowers on Ollie and Robert's grave, to Quentin putting flowers on Sara's grave in the present day.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Flashback-Ollie decides to continue with the mission instead of returning to his family, capturing China White and recovering the bioweapon. But A.R.G.U.S. are not finished with him yet.

** Flashback-Oliver overhears Tommy say that Oliver would be ashamed of Thea if he knew she was taking drugs, while Thea snarks back that it's funny how Oliver didn't care so much while he was alive. He later witnesses the mess his actions have made of the Lance family when a drunken Quentin tears into Laurel.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Flashback-Ollie decides to hell with the mission and to return to his family to try and fix up the mess he has made of their lives. He then plays the message from his father calling on him to right his wrongs and save the city, and [[ChangedMyMindKid so is inspired to help Maseo after all.]]

* DoubleMeaningTitle[=/=]EventTitle: The episode all refer Oliver's return to Lian Yu, Slade's [[TheBusCameBack return]] and Oliver's initial return to Starling City.
** The title can also refer to the return of many characters.

* RealityEnsues: Oliver goes to a party, wearing a hoodie to hide his face (much like in Season 1). But he's instantly recognized once someone takes a close look at his face.

-->''Slade grabs Thea from behind and puts a gun to her head)''

** This one also counts as a PlotHole as there's no InUniverse explanation: If Robert Queen had only explained what the Undertaking was in the video message he left for his son instead of just leaving him the List, Oliver would have known Malcolm Merlyn was behind everything from the start and therefore been in a position to intercept both earthquake machines before they even got to the Glades.

** The [[SeasonFinale Season 5 finale]] episode [[[[Recap/ArrowS5E23LianYu "Lian Yu"]] shows why Oliver set up the swinging log booby trap.

* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: After they nearly get killed by a swinging log BoobyTrap with SpikesOfDoom, Thea asks what psycho would set one up on the trail. Oliver replies, "Me."

* BodySushi: Apparently Tommy is into this, with Laurel even joking that he uses it as a pickup line.

** The audience is introduced to John Diggle's brother Andy , setting up the events of Season 4.

* MaleGaze: When Oliver hides from an incoming Felicity, the camera zooms from [[ShesGotLegs her legs]].

* SheIsAllGrownUp: On seeing the beautiful teenager she has grown into, Oliver notes that when he last saw Thea she was wearing pigtails.