History Recap / ArrowS3E9TheClimb

* HalfTruth: Thea tells Oliver she's just been trying to get to know her father. She says nothing about him teaching her combat skills.

* FamilyOfChoice: Oliver takes note when Thea refers to Robert Queen as "Dad", something she hasn't done since discovering Malcolm was her father.

* ConflictingLoyalty: When Oliver tries to warn Thea about Malcolm, Thea begs him not to force her to choose between her father and her brother.

* NervesOfSteel: Oliver doesn't even flinch when Sarab holds a katana to his neck.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The League of Assassins. Ra's states that they are essentially using EvilVsEvil to protect the world, after threatening to kill everyone in Starling City because Oliver was taking too long to find who killed Sara.

* BatmanGambit: Malcolm plays Oliver like a fiddle in this episode. He had [[BrainwashedAndCrazy 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 TrialByCombat 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 Malcolm will be no worse off than before and Oliver won't be around to counteract Malcolm's influence on Thea.

* BatmanGambit: Malcolm plays Oliver like a fiddle in this episode. He had [[BrainwashedAndCrazy 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 TrialByCombat 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. If Oliver dies, Malcolm will be no worse off than before and Oliver won't be around to counteract Malcolm's influence on Thea.

* FacialDialogue: Oliver has a pained look on his face every time Thea says something that he knows is a lie.

* DramaticIrony: 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 as the Arrow. And then she's encouraged to seek vengeance by her mother, again with neither knowing that Thea is the culprit.
* DramaticUnmask: One of the Dark Archers removes his hood to reveal himself as Maeso, Oliver's FireForgedFriend from Hong Kong.

* EvilAllAlong: Malcolm Merlyn is a cold-blooded killer and the DiabolicalMastermind behind the deaths of hundreds, but his love for Thea is presented as a redeeming trait until we discover she's been an UnwittingPawn in his schemes all this time.

* LoveConfession: Oliver's parting words to Felicity are the three magic words.

* WhamEpisode: ComicBook/RasAlGhul apparently [[TheHeroDies kills Oliver]] and Thea is revealed to be Sara's murderer.
* WillfullyWeak: Ra's fights the duel with one hand perched behind his back, and is casually able to thoroughly defeat Oliver, and kill him.

* ForegoneConclusion: Oliver may be dead by the end of the episode, but since the show is called ''Arrow'' and this is League of Shadows lore that is involved, Ollie will join the land of the living before too long.

* AHandfulForAnEye: When Oliver does a SuperWindowJump into his half-sister's apartment, Thea begs the hooded man 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 TookALevelInBadass.

* WillfullyWeak: Ra's fights the duel with one hand perched behind his back, and is casually able to thoroughly defeat Oliver, and kill him.

** Oliver tells Malcolm that [[ImpliedDeathThreat he thought he'd given up killing for good]] after sparing the man who murdered his mother, referring to his imprisonment of Slade Wilson at the end of Season 2.
** He also refers to how Malcolm told him he couldn't defeat him because he didn't know what he was fighting for (in "Sacrifice").
** When claiming that Sara asked him to kill her, Oliver mentions that it would not have been the first time Sara chose death over continuing to serve the League, referring to her attempt to poison herself in "Heir to the Demon".
** "Last time you had that look on your face, you told me dad had committed suicide" (in "Corto Maltese")

The League of Assassins, incensed at Oliver Queen's protection of Malcolm Merlyn, gives 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.

* CallBack: 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 [[Recap/ArrowS1E14TheOdyssey his mother shooting him out of self defense]].

* WillfullyWeak: Ra's fights the duel with one hand perched behind his back, and is casually able to thoroughly defeat Oliver, and kill him.
* YouCallMeXItMustBeSerious: Oliver takes note when Thea refers to Robert Queen as "Dad", something she hasn't done since discovering Malcolm was her father.

* {{Blackmail}}: Malcolm videoed Thea killing Sara, and the video will be released to the League if he dies. Even knowing that Thea was under MindControl won't help as by League rules she still used the murder weapon. Malcolm is therefore able to blackmail Oliver into Oliver into accepting guilt for Sara's murder, so he can challenge Ra's to a TrialByCombat. Malcolm tells him that defeating Ra's would release all his blood debts, including Thea's, and as Oliver points out, Malcolm's.

* ShameIfSomethingHappened: Malcolm videoed Thea killing Sara, and it will be released to the League if he dies. Even knowing that Thea was under MindControl won't help as by League rules she handled the murder weapon.

* TrialByCombat: Malcolm is able to blackmail Oliver into accepting guilt for Sara's murder with a video recording of Thea killing Sara, telling Ollie he'll give it to the League unless he takes a trial by combat in her place to keep the League out of the city. Malcolm tells him that defeating Ra's would release all his blood debts, including Thea's, and as Oliver points out, Malcolm's.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Ra's killed his first man at the age of eleven. While this shocked him at first, he then took pride in having defended his family from those who would threaten it, "replacing evil with death".