History Recap / ArrowS1E1Pilot

** Oliver's hacking skills will mostly disappear [[spoiler:once Felicity Smoak joins Team Arrow]], though in fairness, it's because he doesn't really need them much due to the above.

** Oliver's hacking skills will disappear [[spoiler:once Felicity Smoak joins Team Arrow.]]

* InexplicablyAwesome: Five years stranded in purgatory has turned Oliver Queen into a badass who can take on criminals armed with automatic weapons using just a bow & arrow or even his bare hands, but the audience is left to wonder how come he's also able to speak Russian and construct sophisticated electronic arrows that can hack into bank accounts.

-->'''Newsreader:''' The son of a very wealthy billionaire will soon become a legendary story.

* ArrowCatch: Adam Hunt's body guard is able to catch arrows in mid-air; too bad Oliver's come with explosive heads.

* YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe: Quentin and his partner watch in disbelief as the Man in the Green Hood jumps [[SoftGlass through the window]] and ziplines to the building opposite.

-->'''Oliver:''' ''(narrating)'' For five years I've only had one thought, one goal. Survive.

** The doctor tells Moira Queen that twenty percent of her son's body is covered in scar tissue. Turns out EveryScarHasAStory.

** Ollie's PrivateEyeMonologue, which persists for a couple more episodes until Oliver gets someone to deliver exposition to.

* TrainingMontage: The closing scenes of Oliver creating his ElaborateUndergroundBase features him doing the now infamous Salmon Ladder, hanging sit-ups and testing his archery skills.

** During his rescue, and when Oliver first lays eyes on Lian Yu, the island is covered in storm clouds to give it a menacing air. After this Lian Yu is usually quite sunny--it's the humans drawn to the island that turn it into Purgatory.

* PoisonousFriend: Thea's friends are not so subtly implied to be bad influences to her.

** Oliver's hacking skills will disappear [[spoiler:when Felicity Smoak joins Team Arrow.]]

* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: Adam Hunt was too arrogant to realized that the arrow he dodged wasn't meant to kill him, but rather a wireless encryption key to drain out his illegal fundings. Which leads to his VillainousBreakdown as seen below.

* SecretSecretKeeper: Tommy wakes up just as Oliver leaves to chase down the last kidnapper. He also paused for a while before answering he was "knocked out" when Quentin asked him about what he saw at the ordeal. He also makes a pointed comment to Oliver on the coincidence of Hunt being robbed in the building next to where they were holding their party. Though later episodes make it clear Tommy doesn't know Oliver is the Man in the Green Hood, he clearly suspects Oliver is not telling him everything.

** We get a clear view, front and back, of [[FanDisservice Oliver's scars and tattoos]]. We'll get to see [[EveryScarHasAStory how he got every one of them]].

* ChekhovsGun: For his Welcome Back party, Tommy tells Oliver to name the venue and he'll make all the arrangements. The venue Oliver chooses happens to be right next door to the building with Hunt's office, enabling Oliver to slip out of the party, attack Hunt, then return for a suitable alibi.

* FacialDialogue: Diggle looks worried during Oliver's altercation with Thea and starts to move in on them, then gives Oliver approving look on seeing him dump Thea's drug stash in the trash bin; Oliver however doesn't look happy that Diggle has seen BeneathTheMask.

-->'''Laurel:''' She was my sister! I couldn't be angry, because she was dead. I couldn't grieve because I was so angry; that's what happens when your sister dies while screwing your boyfriend.

'''Thea:''' Away? No. You ''died''. My brother and my father died. I went to your funerals.\\

* EmoTeen: Thea tells Oliver how hard it was for her to cope with his and their father's disappearance--or BackFromTheDead death]], as she points out.

* EmoTeen: Thea tells Oliver how hard it was for her to cope with his and their father's disappearance.

* EmbarrassingNickname: Oliver and Thea embarrass each other with their childhood AffectionateNicknames of "Ollie" and "Speedy".