Arrow Recap/Review: "League of Assassins"

Megan Miller ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
The newest episode of Arrow, “League of Assassins”, focused mostly on the various families of the show, evident of the two storylines on which it was focused.  This made for an emotional hour of television as well as some pretty boss familial protection moments, not to mention conflict and teaming up between them.
On the Queen side of the spectrum, Moira (Susanna Thompson) is offered a plea bargain; in exchange for her admission of guilt, she’ll be given life without parole.  Worried that further secrets will be uncovered in the trial, she wishes to spare her children from more realization of what terrible truths she is hiding.  Though she tells her lawyer that she does not fear the death penalty, she wants to accept the bargain.  In the end, however, Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Thea (Willa Holland) tell her that no matter what comes out during the trial, they will love her and accept her because they are her family.

In the Lance family, Laurel (Katie Cassidy) is slowly coming undone, and though Oliver and her father (Paul Blackthorne) begin to believe her insistence that she is fine, she is far from it, as proven by the pills she swallows down as soon as Oliver is out of the room.  However, the main focus belonged to her younger sister Sarah, aka Black Canary (Caity Lotz).  After her family is threatened by a member of the League of Assassins, to which she also belongs, she finally reveals himself to Quentin when he refuses to leave the city after being warned by Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards).  This set up heartbreaking scene after heartbreaking scene, as the police officer finds out that his daughter is alive, then realizes that had he not been in danger she would’ve never told him that she’s alive, and then, after the fight is won, has to let his daughter leave once again and keep the secret from Laurel and his ex-wife.
The focus in the flashbacks is also on Sarah, following her point of view after the shipwreck.  Stranded in the ocean, she is rescued by the same ship that takes Oliver hostage.  Between Sarah getting rescued and Oliver getting kidnapped, she has become colder and seems to be helping them and learning the art of murder already.
In the present day, however, the two of them are on the same side for Starling City and saving Quentin Lance, but now that Quentin knows that she exists, we have to say good-bye to Black Canary.  At least for now.