The League of Assassins, incensed at Oliver Queen's protection of Malcolm Merlyn, give the archer 48 hours to bring Sara's killer to them, or innocent blood will be shed in Starling City. When the team discovers to their horror that the killer was none other than Thea, Oliver is faced with a life-altering decision and a duel to the death with the Demon's Head, Ra's al Ghul.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Barehanded Blade Block: Ra's does this near the end of the duel, with just his left hand. He ends up bleeding from said hand, but the move allows him to win.
- Batman Gambit: Malcolm plays Oliver like a fiddle in this episode. He had Thea kill Sara in order to draw the League's wrath, knowing that Oliver would confess to the murder in order to protect Thea. By League rules Oliver can ask for a Trial by Combat against Ra's al Ghul. If Ra's dies, all his blood debts are cancelled and so Thea will be safe—but so will Malcolm Merlyn from Ra's death sentence. And while it's not discussed, if Oliver dies he won't be around to counteract Malcolm's influence on Thea.
- Blackmail: Malcolm videoed Thea killing Sara, and the video will be released to the League if he dies. Even knowing that Thea was under Mind Control won't help as by League rules she still used the murder weapon. Malcolm is therefore able to blackmail Oliver into accepting guilt for Sara's murder, so he can challenge Ra's to a Trial by Combat. Malcolm tells him that defeating Ra's would release all his blood debts, including Thea's, and as Oliver points out, Malcolm's.
- Big Brother Instinct: Oliver is willing to surrender himself to Ra's al Ghul as Sara's killer in order to protect Thea and the city.
- Blatant Lies:
- Dinah can see Laurel is lying about Sara "backpacking through the Andes", and gets the truth from her about Sara's death.
- Oliver keeps insisting that Thea is not lying to him, even though she shows herself to be a Consummate Liar throughout the episode.
- Maseo, Nyssa and Ra's al Ghul realize immediately that Oliver is lying about having killed Sara.
- Oliver tells Felicity he's going to be fine when setting forth for a duel to the death. Felicity replies, "I wish that sounded more convincing."
- Bound and Gagged: The Arrow leaves a criminal zip-tied with his mouth duct-taped shut outside the police station for Quentin to find.
- Call-Back:
- Oliver's blind spot being his family is brought up again, and he is forced to confront this blind spot using the same method: confronting the suspicious family member as the Arrow. Both times it has backfired, with the previous incident resulting in his mother shooting him out of self defense.
- Oliver tells Malcolm that he thought he'd given up killing for good after sparing the man who murdered his mother, referring to his imprisonment of Slade Wilson in "Unthinkable".
- Oliver refers to how Malcolm told him he couldn't defeat him because he didn't know what he was fighting for (in "Sacrifice"). With Thea's life on the line, he's confident of victory.
- When falsely claiming that Sara asked him to kill her, Oliver says it wouldn't be the first time Sara chose death over continuing to serve the League, referring to her attempt to poison herself in "Heir to the Demon".
- Thea says, "Last time you had that look on your face, you told me dad had committed suicide." (in "Corto Maltese")
- Calling Parents by Their Name: Inverted; Oliver notes Thea calling Robert Queen "Dad", something she hasn't done since she discovered Malcolm was her father.
- Continuity Nod: Oliver is still limping from the leg injury he got from Roy Harper last season.
- Christmas Episode: Following the now Arrow tradition of having powerful, Christmas themed Wham Episodes.
- Cliffhanger: Oliver has apparently been killed by Ra's and his body is kicked off the mountainside. In the flashbacks, China White has the Omega bioweapon and has taken Tatsu hostage.
- Combat Compliment: During their duel, Ra's compliments Oliver on surviving longer than most of his opponents, saying he should take pride. Considering he claims to have killed thousands of men, that isn't an exaggeration on his part.
- Conflicting Loyalty: When Oliver tries to warn Thea about Malcolm, Thea begs him not to force her to choose between her father and her brother. Oliver immediately drops the matter.
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: Subverted. When the League ambushes the Arrow at the beginning of the episode, they do so in large numbers, and easily overpower him.
- Continuity Nod: A computer screen in the Foundry shows a news article that has the headline "Mysterious Yellow Blur Attacks S.T.A.R. Labs".
- Cool Sword: Before his duel with Ra's, Oliver was allowed to select from a wide set of swords which he'll use. He picks two Krises, a sword from the Philippines.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Oliver gets all of one hit in on Ra's before the latter runs him through.
- Destination Defenestration: The Arrow and Arsenal begin their interrogation of Malcolm's pilot by throwing him through a glass door.
- Downer Ending: Oliver is fatally stabbed by Ra's al Ghul and kicked off a cliff. Back in China, Chien Na Wei breaks into Maseo's house and kidnaps Tatsu.
- Dramatic Irony: Laurel reveals to Thea that Sara has been murdered, with neither woman knowing that Thea killed her. She begs Thea not to tell Oliver, knowing full well he knows already. And then she's encouraged to seek vengeance by her mother, again with neither knowing that Thea is the culprit.
- Dramatic Unmask: One of the Assassins removes his hood to reveal himself as Maeso, Oliver's Fire-Forged Friend from Hong Kong.
- Dual Wielding: Oliver fights Ra's using two krises.
- Dying Declaration of Love: Before he goes to fight Ra's, Oliver finally tells Felicity he loves her.
- Evil All Along: Malcolm Merlyn is a cold-blooded killer and the Diabolical Mastermind behind the deaths of hundreds, but his love for Thea has been presented as a redeeming trait until we discover she's been an Unwitting Pawn in his schemes all this time.
- Exact Words:
- Ra's says he'll fight disarmed but will be taking Oliver's blades when he's through with them. He takes them in the middle of combat, by disarming him, therefore taking them when he is "done using them" in a sense.
- In "The Magician", Malcolm swore on Thea's life that he did not kill Sara Lance. He never said he didn't have someone else do the job for him.
- Expecting Someone Taller: Ra's is surprised at how young Oliver is. Of course from his perspective he really is Just a Kid.
- Eyes Never Lie: Oliver claims this as the reason why he knows Thea didn't kill Sara. No-one in Team Arrow buys this, especially as Thea continues to lie convincingly to Oliver throughout the episode. Ironically it turns out Oliver is right; Thea isn't lying because she doesn't remember killing Sara in the first place.
- Facial Dialogue: Oliver has a pained look on his face every time Thea says something that he knows is a lie.
- The First Cut Is the Deepest: After kissing Felicity, Ray has been avoiding her, feeling guilty over being unfaithful to the memory of his dead fiancé.
- Foil: Oliver's willingness to sacrifice his life and principles to protect Thea is contrasted with Malcolm's willingness to risk his daughter's life to save his own.
- Forced to Watch:
- Ray reveals his reason for building the suit: back during the Deathstroke attack, Mirakuru men broke his leg and killed his fiance in front of him.
- Sarab is not happy that he must be a witness to a duel that Oliver is certain to lose. This is despite claiming that he's no longer the man Oliver knew in Hong Kong.
- Foregone Conclusion: Oliver may be dead by the end of the episode, but since the show is called Arrow and this is League of Assassins lore that is involved, Ollie will join the land of the living before too long.
- Fun with Acronyms: Palmer's Power Armor which he dubs Advanced Technological Operating Mechanism.
- Half-Truth: Thea admits she was with Malcolm Merlyn in Corto Maltese, but tells Oliver she was just trying to get to know her father. She says nothing about him teaching her combat skills.
- Gut Feeling: Dinah says that she no longer has the certainty that Sara is alive that she had in Season One. Laurel's failure to reassure her otherwise tells Dinah all that she needs to know.
- A Handful for an Eye: When Oliver does a Super Window Jump into his half-sister's apartment, Thea begs the Arrow not to hurt her...then throws the scattered glass in his eyes, tries to karate-kick him and then jumps over the balcony, leaving Oliver rather dumbfounded over how his little sister has Took a Level in Badass.
- Hand Signals: A mere twitch of his fingers is enough to signal Ra's men to attack him. Later he uses a raised hand to tell Sarab not to kill Oliver for refusing to Kneel Before Zod.
- Here We Go Again!: When Felicity asks what Ray wants with the A.T.O.M. suit.Ray: To protect the people of this city. And I want you to help.
Felicity: ... Why does this keep happening to me? - Honor Before Reason:
- Once again, Oliver's blind spot regarding his sister is brought up. In this case, he decides to fight someone who is quite possibly the most dangerous man on the planet in order to protect her from something Malcolm has done.
- Ra's clearly knows Oliver didn't kill Sara ("Do you think me a fool?"), but can't refuse an honorable challenge.
- Hope Spot: Near the end of the fight, Oliver seems to be getting the hang of the battle at last, and the triumphant music of the series begins to play... only for him to be chopped in the throat, the music stopping abruptly altogether, and is impaled on one of the swords.
- How We Got Here: The episode opens with Oliver climbing a mountain, then flashes back to 2 days ago.
- Hypocrite: The League of Assassins. Ra's states that they are essentially using Evil vs. Evil to protect the world, after threatening to commit mass murder in Starling City because Oliver was taking too long to find who killed Sara.
- I Cannot Self-Terminate: Oliver claims that Sara asked him to kill her because she could no longer cope with the guilt of being an Assassin. No-one buys this, least of all Nyssa.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How Ra's delivered the finishing blow to Oliver.
- Interrogated for Nothing: Past!Oliver finds himself torturing the man who stole the Omega from the lab, only to find he really doesn't know anything because he's been brainwashed not to remember doing it.
- Internal Reveal: Laurel tells Dinah the truth about Sara, and Ray shows Felicity his A.T.O.M. suit. Oliver finds out that Thea's been in contact with Merlyn.
- Kick the Dog: For all his talk of loving his daughter, Malcolm does not hesitate to put her life on the line to protect himself.
- Kingpin in His Gym: The first time we see Ra's al Ghul in this episode, he's training by fighting on about half a dozen League ninjas. After knocking the others out, he kills the last one standing.
- Lampshade Hanging: When Ray offers Felicity the chance to help him save the city, she can't help but wonder how this keeps happening to her.
- Last Day to Live: Oliver is given 12 hours to sort his affairs before his duel with Ra's.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Turns out Malcolm drugged Thea and made her kill Sara in order to provoke a confrontation between Oliver and the League. One in which he hopes Oliver would win to get off the League's hit list.
- Love Confession:
- Oliver's parting words to Felicity are the three magic words.
- He also makes sure to give a Platonic Declaration of Love to Thea.
- Match Cut: Oliver reaching for a handhold as he climbs the mountain in the freezing cold, to someone reaching for a glass at the police Christmas party.
- Mind Control: Thea's killing of Sara was under the control of a substance that leaves its victim "vulnerable to suggestions"; Oliver has seen it before, in his time in Hong Kong.
- My Life Flashed Before My Eyes: Oliver remembers his loved ones, Felicity being the last, before Ra's kills him.
- Mythology Gag
- Ray's A.T.O.M. suit is also known as O.M.A.C..
- Thea's attire when she assassinated Sara is evokes her Speedy attire in the comics, but only black. She even uses a bow and arrow.
- Ra's mentions his last duel having taken place 67 years ago, subtly implying he's much older than he seems just like in the comics.
- Oliver's duel with Ra's is based on a duel between Ra's and Batman in the Neal Adams era (one of Ra's first appearances) that was also featured in Batman: The Animated Series. Like that duel, this duel is Shirtless Scene.
- Ra's disarming Oliver's left arm first maybe a reference to the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns comics where Oliver is a Handicapped Badass who is missing his left arm.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Omega is the last and most ominous letter in the Greek alphabet, usually signifying "The End".
- Nerves of Steel:
- Oliver doesn't even flinch when Sarab holds a katana to his neck.
- To her brother's astonishment, Thea fearlessly leaps off the balcony of her loft to escape the Arrow, despite it being a very long way up.
- Never Bring a Knife to a Fist Fight: For their duel, Oliver chooses to dual-wield blades but Ra's chooses to go in unarmed, telling Oliver he'll be taking them when Oliver's done with them. Ra's evades every attack, disarms him as promised, and kills him with them.
- Not as You Know Them: The first episode where Ollie really learns that the Thea he knew is not the one who left, thanks to the "parenting" of Malcolm Merlyn.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Oliver is willing to throw his Thou Shalt Not Kill rule away for Thea, the one person he will do anything to protect.
- Earlier Oliver is prepared to kill Malcolm Merlyn on discovering the extent of his manipulations. Malcolm gleefully reminds him of this when sending him to kill Ra's instead.
- Felicity in turn pleads with Oliver to kill Ra's, whereas normally she would try and discourage him from crossing his own
Moral Event Horizon. - Dinah encourages Laurel to avenge her sister.
- Oh, Crap!: When Ra's performs his Barehanded Blade Block, Oliver's serious face completely disappears.
- Our Hero Is Dead: The episode ends with Ra's defeating Oliver and running him through with a sword.
- Prepare to Die:Oliver: You have taken your last life.
Ra's al Ghul: No. You have lived your last day. - Promise Me You Won't X: Felicity makes Ollie promise he won't spare Ra's, as he assuredly will use Oliver's humanity against him to pay him back.
- Race Against the Clock: The League gives Oliver a deadline to produce Sara's killer or they will begin to slaughter civilians in Starling City.
- Really 700 Years Old: Ra's of course, and it's the first time it's explicit that he's much older than his appearance.
- Red Herring: When Oliver's DNA turns up on the murder weapon, he naturally thinks that Malcolm Merlyn is framing him. Then it's pointed out that a sibling would produce a similar result...
- The Reveal: Maseo is now in the League of Assassins; Thea was Sara's killer while under Mind Control, with Malcolm pulling the strings.
- Secret-Keeper: Felicity can't quite believe she's now managed to become one for three different superheroes.
- Shirtless Scene: For traditional reasons the duel is fought bare-chested, presumably to prevent the combatants using Hidden Weapons or armor to win.
- Shout-Out: When lying to Oliver about what happened to her window (the Arrow jumped through it when going to interrogate her), Thea says a bird went totally Hitchcock on it.
- So Happy Together: Quentin is shown to be enjoying the Christmas party and on good terms with the Arrow (whom he jokes is the closest thing he has to a police partner), his wife Dinah and Laurel, shortly before the events that will end up tearing them all apart.
- Snow Means Death: The duel of Oliver and Ra's happened during a blizzard.
- Sword Fight: Between Tatsu and China White, and Oliver and Ra's once the latter takes one of Oliver's swords off him.
- Talking to the Dead: While visiting her mother's grave, Thea comes across Laurel talking to Sara's headstone and discovers the truth about her death.
- That Man Is Dead: Maseo who tells Oliver that Maseo is dead and that Sarab is all that remains.
- Together in Death: Nyssa expresses her envy of Oliver, who will see her Beloved before she does.
- Took a Level in Badass: Although Thea's no match for Oliver, he's clearly surprised when she fends him off while he tries to interrogate her as The Arrow.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Ra's killed his first man at the age of eleven. While this shocked him, he also took pride in having defended his family from those who would threaten it, "replacing evil with death".
- Underestimating Badassery: Everyone, from Malcolm Merlyn to Felicity to Oliver himself, all treat Ra's al Ghul as the most dangerous man alive... and they still manage to completely underestimate him. Oliver had more success fighting a Mirakuru-enhanced Slade.
- Villain Respect: Ra's respects how Oliver does in the duel, and before seemingly finishing him off, he gives a heartfelt prayer for him.
- Weapon of Mass Destruction: A Hong Kong lab accidentally created a supervirus they called Omega, which China White wants to get her hands on. When Oliver and Maeso break into the lab, they find it has already been stolen.
- Wham Episode: Thea is revealed to be Sara's murderer, and Ra's al Ghul apparently kills Oliver.
- Willfully Weak: Ra's fights the duel with one hand perched behind his back, and is casually able to thoroughly defeat Oliver, and kill him.
- Worthy Opponent: It's implied Ra's sees Oliver this way; he says Oliver lasted longer against him than most of his other opponents, gives him a consoling speech and even says a prayer for him after administering the deathblow.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: On being told about Votura, Flashback-Ollie replies in disbelief, "Like Mind Control? Really, that's a thing?"
