History Recap / ArrowS4E14CodeOfSilence

* DropTheHammer: Spartan finds himself fighting a GiantMook from the Demolition Team armed with a sledgehammer. The second time his helmet emits a magnetic field that stops him being hit in the head.

* AscendedMeme: After all the [[Franchise/XMen Magneto]] jokes regarding his helmet, Diggle reveals that it ''has'' magnetic capabilities.

* WeaponOfChoice: The Demolition Team like to use construction tools as weapons and they are absolutely deadly with them.

* AbsoluteCleavage: Donna Smoak is apparently determined to single-handedly make up for the fact the female characters don't wear as revealing costumes as they do in the comics.

-->'''Thea:''' Going to go work on your debate prep?
-->'''Oliver:''' Yeah. Debate prep. Just took the words right out of my mouth.

* MsFanservice: Although Creator/CharlotteRoss has consistently played Donna Smoak as a highly attractive woman, in this episode she really brings it, including a dress with AbsoluteCleavage that she intentionally works in front of Quentin.

* AdaptedOut: The Demolition Team is a FiveManBand in the comics. Here, they're a PowerTrio as Scoopshovel and Steamroller are nowhere to be seen.

* WouldHurtAChild: Played with. Darhk kidnaps Oliver's son, but he's not harmed him and William doesn't appear to be in any duress; of course, the implication is that he's ''going'' to hurt him eventually, but is keeping him alive as potential future leverage against Oliver. Interestingly enough, he has William stay with him and his family, and introduces him to his daughter.

* MsFanservice: Although Charlotte Ross has consistently played Donna Smoak as a highly attractive woman, in this episode she really brings it, including a dress with AbsoluteCleavage that she intentionally works in front of Quentin.

* MultitaskedConversation: Oliver and Ruv&eacute exchange barbed comments in the guise of being amiable political rivals.

Oliver prepares for his mayoral debate against Ruvé Adams and the team attempts to trail her to find out where Darkh is hiding to no success as she instead leads them into an ambush, which they defeat but she escapes. Doing research on Oliver, Thea discovers the check Moira wrote to pay off Samantha and despite Oliver's denials he knows anything, discovers the existence of William, but agrees with Oliver's reason why he can't tell anyone. Quentin is nearly killed in a building collapse after being led there by a fake call for help, only escaping because Laurel happened to tag along. The team quickly realizes the collapse was an attempted assassination made to look as an accident by a team of mercenaries called the Demolition Team hired by HIVE. Quentin, now knowing for certain HIVE was targeting him for betraying them to Green Arrow, takes refuge in the Lair and instigates a break-up with Donna to keep her safe. The team tracks down the mercenaries to HIVE's former headquarters and recover a damaged laptop, which Felicity takes to Curtis to get the information off of. Just in time for the debate, they discover the mercs plan on bringing down the theater the debate is to be held in, presumably leaving Ruvé as a "miraculous" survivor while killing Oliver. The team stops the attempt, captures the Demolition Team, and Quentin and Donna reconcile when Quentin reveals he didn't want her to be a target. Oliver apparently destroys Ruvé in the debate and is heralded as the winner. During the party to celebrate, Curtis reveals his wedding gift for Felicity: an implantable microchip that may allow her to walk again. Damien Darhk shows up at his home with William.

In the flashback on Lian Yu, Oliver is set to work with the other prisoners excavating, but they want to kill him for his killing of Vlad. Taiana steps in and defends him, and Oliver explains that Conklin had forced Vlad to attack, and he'd only killed in self-defense. Taiana and the prisoners say the only way he can gain their trust is by killing Conklin in revenge. After a meeting with Reiter, he's left alone with Conklin, escapes his handcuffs, and kills him in a knife fight, but not before Conklin reveals Reiter plans on killing all his prisoners when he gets what he wants. Oliver convinces Reiter Conklin had attacked him, but Reiter warns him that although he needs him alive, there are definitions of "alive" he wouldn't like.

* AffablyEvil: Baron Reiter once again is nothing short of polite towards Oliver.
* AmbiguousSituation: The final scene shows William in the care of Darhk. What happened to his mom beforehand is not shown.
* AndYourLittleDogToo: Conklin gloats that he will kill Taiana and every other prisoner once Oliver is dead. Just before he bites the dust himself...

* BadassNormal: The Demolition Team. These guys are just EliteMook with a construction worker theme. But each one posed a significant threat to Team Arrow. Even Green Arrow himself took a few hits from the guy he was fighting, when the episode before he utterly dominated the fight with Malcolm Merlin. Thea and Laurel had to double-team the woman with the nail gun, as she was kicking their asses in melee. Diggle was greatly overpowered by his sledgehammer-wielding foe until he got a few good hits in and then nailed the guy with his own hammer.

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Reiter justifies the reason why he's keeping Oliver alive due to how destiny caused Oliver to set off a chain of events that will eventually lead Reiter to the sought-after mystical place. The map and the decoding stone from Oliver reinforced Reiter's belief in destiny.
* CallBack:

** When Oliver asks Felicity to extract data from a damaged laptop, Felicity reminds him that this is precisely what he requested her to do the very first time they met.
* ClearMyName: Played with. The slaves accuse Oliver of murdering Vlad, and yes he did kill Vlad but it was in self-defense and Taiana vouches for him. What Oliver really needs to do is prove that he's not working for the slavers and as proof of this, the slaves need Oliver to kill Conklin.
* CrazyPrepared: Mrs. Dahrk anticipated being followed by Team Arrow.

* CuttingTheKnot: When they discover the theater is the target, Oliver asks Felicity to hack the fire alarm system to get people to evacuate. Thea walks over to a pull station five feet away and sets off the alarm.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Malcolm Merlyn might be willing to sink low enough in his pursuit of vengeance to sell William to Dahrk, but he will not reveal Oliver's SecretIdentity as the Green Arrow, presumably because this would also out Thea as Speedy.
* HeelFaceTurn: Andy is solidifying his offscreen as he's freely providing information that allows the team to identify and track down the mercenaries.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Taiana deliberately pushes Oliver towards this, as she thinks monsters can only be fought by monsters.

** Donna finds out Lance worked with HIVE.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Only the news confirms that Oliver defeats Mrs. Darhk in the debate.

* ShoutOut: Dahrk killing the H.I.V.E. Council member in Madrid is reminiscent of what Darth Vader did in an early ''Franchise/StarWars'' film.

* [[TheDogBitesBack The Son of a Bitch Bites Back]]: Damien Darhk got fed up with his partners in HIVE belittling him, so he kills one of them a continent away as an example. The partners then shut up.
* TrashTheSet: The Demolition Team's modus operandi.

* AdaptedOut: The Demolition Team is a FiveBadBand in the comics. Here, they're a PowerTrio as Scoopshovel and Steamroller are nowhere to be seen.

** ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: The three members are mentioned to be IRA, GRU, and Mossad veterans, which makes them EliteMooks and BadassNormal by default.

Oliver prepares for his mayoral debate against Ruvé Adams and the team attempts to trail her to find out where Darkh is hiding to no success as she instead leads them into an ambush, which they defeat but she escapes. Doing research on Oliver, Thea discovers the check Moira wrote to pay off Samantha and despite Oliver's denials he knows anything, discovers the existence of William, but agrees with Oliver's reason why he can't tell anyone. Quentin is nearly killed in a building collapse after being led there by a fake call for help, only escaping because Laurel happened to tag along. The team quickly realizes the collapse was an attempted assassination made to look as an accident by a team of mercenaries called the Demolition Team hired by HIVE. Quentin, now knowing for certain HIVE was targeting him for betraying them to Green Arrow, takes refuge in the Lair and instigates a break-up with Donna to keep her safe. The team tracks down the mercenaries to HIVE's former headquarters and recover a damaged laptop, which Felicity takes to Curtis to get the information off of. Just in time for the debate, they discover the mercs plan on bringing down the theater the debate is to be held in, presumably leaving Ruvé as a "miraculous" survivor while killing Oliver. The team stops the attempt, captures the Demolition Team, and Quentin and Donna reconcile when Quentin reveals he didn't want her to be a target. Oliver apparently destroys Ruvé in the debate and is heralded as the winner. During the party to celebrate, Curtis reveals his wedding gift for Felicity: an implantable microchip that may allow her to walk again. Damien Darkh shows up at his home with William.

* AmbiguousSituation: The final scene shows William in the care of Dahrk. What happened to his mom beforehand is not shown.
* AndYourLittleDogToo: Conklin gloats that he will kill Taiana and every other prisoner once Oliver is dead. Just before he bites the dust himself......

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Malcom Merlyn might be willing to sink low enough in his pursuit of vengeance to sell William to Dahrk, but he will not reveal Oliver's SecretIdentity as the Green Arrow, presumably because this would also out Thea as Speedy.

* MythologyGag: Two in one scene. Curtis provides Felicity with a 'bio-stimulant', a microchip-type device that, when inserted into her spine, will allow her to walk again; besides being based on real technology being tested, this is how DC explained Barbara Gordon's return to being active as Batgirl in ''New 52'' after she was crippled by the Joker. In astonishment, Oliver declares Curtis 'Terrific', a nod to Mr Terrific, Curtis' comic book counterpart.
* NeverTrustATrailer:

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Only the news confirms that Oliver defeats Mrs. Dahrk in the debate.

* StealthInsult: After thwarting the bombing of the theater where the mayoral debate will be held, Oliver whispers to Mrs. Dahrk to "bring the house down".

* [[TheDogBitesBack The Son of a Bitch Bites Back]]: Damien Dahrk got fed up with his partners in HIVE belittling him, so he kills one of them a continent away as an example. The partners then shut up.

* NeverTrustATrailer: The promo featured Felicity's line that the building about to blow up is "this one," implying the Arrow HQ.