History Recap / ArrowS3E14TheReturn

** Tommy himself sends said dealer at the beginning of the episode when he caught Thea buying drugs from him and scolded her afterwards.

** Thea is glad that there are no more secrets between her and Ollie. Except for that one about her being brainwashed by her father to kill Sara.
** Oliver overhears Tommy and Thea--Tommy says that Oliver would be ashamed of her 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.

** Oliver snaps the dealer's neck the same way he did to his Starling City captor in the pilot, and for the same reason (to protect his identity).

* ObliviousGuiltSlinging: Thea is glad that there are no more secrets between her and Ollie. Except for that one about her being brainwashed by her father to kill Sara.

** Thea also scolded Tommy that "he is not her brother"...

** In Season 1, Diggle expressed confusion at how a message from Oliver's father could possibly have been found on Lian Yu. Oliver pointed out he never ''said'' he found it on Lian Yu (this clip is shown in the PreviouslyOn). In this episode, we see how Oliver got the message.

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

* 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.

* AssholeVictim: Flashback!Thea's drug dealer had it coming. The cops who come to investigate the death seem to have zero sympathy for him too.

** Flashback!Ollie neck snaps Flashback!Thea's dealer and throws him off the rail at Flashback!Tommy's party. In the present day, he tries beating Slade to a bloody pulp for harming her.
** Flashback!Tommy himself sends said dealer at the beginning of the episode when he caught Flashback!Thea buying drugs from him and scolded her afterwards.
* BigDamnHeroes: Flashback!Oliver shows up just in time to keep Flashback!Maseo from getting gunned down.

** Flashback!Maseo scolded Flashback!Oliver that his face is still recognizable even if he hides his face in a hoodie and grease, which is exactly his costume before [[Series/TheFlash2014 Barry]] [[Recap/ArrowS2E9ThreeGhosts gives him a mask]].
** Character vices such as Flashback!Thea's drug addiction and Flashback!Quentin's alcoholism.
** Flashback!Tommy and Flashback!Laurel's ShipTease. Ditto for Flashback!Felicity's attraction to Oliver.
** Flashback!Diggle working as a bodyguard with his brother.
** Flashback!Thea also scolded Flashback!Tommy that "he is not her brother"...
** In Season 1, Diggle expressed confusion at how a message from Oliver's father could possibly have been found on Lian Yu. Oliver pointed out he never ''said'' he found it on Lian Yu (this clip is shown in the PreviouslyOn). In this episode, we see how Flashback!Oliver got the message.

** Flashback!Quentin still has hair, much like he does in the first two seasons.

* DoubleMeaningTitle[=/=]EventTitle: The episode all refer Oliver's return to Lian Yu, Slade's [[TheBusCameBack return]] and Flashback!Oliver's initial return to Starling City.

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

* PaperThinDisguise: Flashback!Oliver tells Maseo that he wore a hoodie to hide his face but ended up getting recognized anyway.
-->'''Flashback!Maseo''': What were you thinking? Anyone at that party could have seen you!
-->'''Flashback!Ollie''': Yeah, I pulled the hoodie down to cover my face.
-->'''Flashback!Maseo''': That disguise wouldn't work even if you smeared greasepaint over your face.

* RealityEnsues: Flashback!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.

** Flashback!Tommy lectures Flashback!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.

** Flashback!Laurel accepted a job at the law firm of [[Series/EliStone Weathersby-Posner]].

* SwissCheeseSecurity: Flashback!Oliver easily walks into the Queen home.

** Quentin isn't the least bit happy that Laurel lied about Sara for so long. In the flashback, he dishes one out to Thea, Tommy, and Laurel ''simultaneously''.
* WildTeenParty: Attempted to be defied by Flashback!Tommy when he declared that his party is for anyone who is 21 and over just so Flashback!Thea can't come. It failed as she uses fake ID anyway.

* OhCrap: Slade Wilson is loose. For a specific moment, Ollie goes to Slade's cell, only to see his cell has been opened and a dead ARGUS guard is in his place; Ollie realizes Slade is in the open and he left Thea on her own, while Slade's promise of killing all who Oliver loved comes back internally.

* Foreshadowing: There's a fourth grave on Lian Yu.

* [[Foreshadowing]]: There's a fourth grave on Lian Yu.

** Oliver mentions that there's another inmate in Lian-Yu. He doesn't say who it is, but it's clear he means Captain Boomerang.

** 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...")

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: Inverted with the ARGUS guard. Malcolm's release of Slade results in the death of the ARGUS 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 ARGUS looking for volunteers to replace the dead man.

* SpecialEditionTitle: The opening title sequence (but not the closing one) is the one from Season 2.

** Flashback!Tommy just loses it when he sees Flashback!Thea's drug addiction getting out of hand.

* WildTeenParty: Attempted to be defied by Flashback!Tommy when he declared that his party is for anyone who is 21 and over just so Flashback!Thea can't come. It failed as she uses fake ID anyway.

* ShoutOut: 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...")

* CallForward: The flashback scenes alluded to so many important plot points in the first two seasons, namely;

* SpecialEditionTitle: The opening title sequence (but not the closing one) is the one from Season 1.

* TheBusCameBack: This episode marks Slade's first appearance since the Season 2 finale.

** There's a quick shot of a scene from Season One where Diggle demands to know how information Oliver has regarding his father's list could possibly have been found on Lian Yu. Oliver points out he never ''said'' he found it on Lian Yu. We see how Flashback!Oliver got it.

** Flashback!Maseo scolded Flashback!Oliver that his face is still recognizable even if he hides his face in a hoodie and grease, which is exactly his Seasons 1-2.5 costume.