City of Heroes

"City of Heroes" is the first episode of the second season, and the twenty-fourth episode overall. It aired on October 9, 2013.

Synopsis
John and Felicity travel to Lian Yu in search of Oliver who left Starling City after The Undertaking. Convinced to return home, Oliver finds that things are in worse shape than he thought – Isabel Rochev is preparing a hostile takeover of Queen Consolidated, Thea refuses to visit Moira in jail, Roy is trying to fill the void left by the Hood's absence, and Laurel is working with the District Attorney's office to take down the vigilante. Meanwhile, flashbacks to the island show Slade, Shado and Oliver in a desperate situation.

Starling City
Oliver returns to Lian Yu to escape from Starling City as he failed to do what he returned to do. Felicity and John travel to Lian Yu and pass by a destroyed boat along with the Deathstroke mask from the first season. Felicity accidentally steps on a land mine, much like Oliver did in a flashback. John attempts to disarm it until Oliver stops him and swings towards them and grabs Felicity, with the bomb going off. Oliver tells them that he can't go back to Starling City because he failed it. But John and Felicity convince him to come back not as the vigilante but as Oliver Queen.

Oliver returns to Starling City and goes to see Thea who has taken over his club Verdant, and is now the owner of it, where Roy Harper, her boyfriend is a waiter there. The two are back in a relationship but she finds him bruised and battered from going out at night and having fights with criminals. He points out that someone has to stand for something like The Hood did.

Meanwhile the Mayor of Starling City is talking to the District Attorney about vigilantes in which Laurel arrives and is now working with the DA. As the Mayor is making a speech, the event is attacked by four men called "The Hoods", impostors of the original, who kill the Mayor and several cops. One threatens the DA, another threatens Laurel but she punches him out and later finds a gun aimed at her face. The Hoods leave. Laurel's father, Quentin Lance arrives and it is revealed that he has been demoted. Oliver arrives and Laurel and him talk about how she regrets sleeping with Oliver feeling that she cheated on Tommy. Oliver confronts John about being played as he now realizes that he was duped into coming not to save his family's company, but to stop the Hoods. Meanwhile The Hoods watch the news and are annoyed that despite them killing the Mayor, Oliver is still the front news, they decide to strike at Oliver.

Oliver along with Felicty and John meet with Isabel Rochev about the company buyout, in which she reveals that Oliver has 45% shares and so does she but in 48 hours the last 10% will be available to be bought and when she buys it she will own Queen Consolidated. He mentions that he can buy it before her, but she points out that his trust fund is not large enough to buy it and nobody will assist him in buying it as his family name has been all but destroyed. Before they can continue, The Hoods attack, Oliver is able to get Isabel out but as he attempts to get Felicty, he has a gun pointed at him until Felicity knocks the guy out with a bat. Oliver grabs Felicity and grabs a chain and jumps out of the window before smashing through another escaping from the Hoods.

After the attack, Felicity confronts Oliver for not even trying to stop the Hoods, in which he responds about revealing his secret to the Hoods and Isabel but Felicity catches him out until he admits about when he puts the Hood on, it is the body count. He mentions how when Tommy first found out about him, he was called a murderer.

Oliver visits Moira at prison, in which she jokes how all it took was the company to come crashing down for him to take over. He mentions how she saved hundreds of lives but she points out that hundreds more died. He mentions how he doesn't know how to fight Isabel and save the company and points out that the Queens have no friends left. But Moira points out that they have family.

Later the night, Verdant is attacked by the Hoods looking for Oliver, they threaten a woman's life in which Roy attacks one of them and finds out that one of the Hoods has an anticipated hand. Before he can do anything, one of the Hoods grabs Thea and gets away with her. Oliver arrives and realizes he has to wear the hood again to save his sister.

Felicity reveals that she has been doing some remodeling. She even gives Oliver a new bow. Oliver attacks the Hoods and takes them down even saving the leader from dropping to his death. He chains them up and gives them to Quentin, mentioning how he is trying a new way in stopping crime.

Oliver goes to Tommy's grave later and sees Laurel. He mentions how he understands why she can't be in a relationship with him but he still needs her as a friend. She agrees and tells Oliver how she is going to help the DA in taking down the Hood, much to Oliver's chagrin.

Thea visits Moira mentioning how she was almost killed and that she wants to hate her but can't. The two hug and reconcile. Back at Queen Consolidated, Isabel reveals to Oliver that she has bought 5% of the 10% stock and is waiting to buy the last of it, but Oliver reveals that he has bought the last 5% already with help from Walter Steel, who is now the owner of a major bank in Starling City. Oliver mentions how he and Isabel will be seeing more of each other. He thanks Walter, who admits that despite everything that has happened between him and Moira, he was glad to help Oliver, because of Robert.

Thea calls Roy mentioning how she visited her mom and asks if he wants to spend less time on the streets and more with her. He agrees but finds a woman about to be mugged. He attempts to stop it but is hit, but before anything can happen a mysterious woman arrives and takes them all out much to the shock of Roy. She leaves. Back at the hideout, Oliver mentions that if he is going to take the hood again, it's not to be another vigilante, but as something else. John points out that the city needs a hero. He then says that he doesn't want to be called the Hood anymore. When John asks what he wants to be called, Oliver looks at one of his arrows.

Lian Yu
It's been five months since they defeated Edward Fyers and his crew.. Shado now donning her father's hood. Oliver has been getting better at fighting even going toe to toe with Slade. It also seems that Oliver and Shado are intimate with one another. They soon pick up a frequency which shows that they are no longer on the island alone. They follow but Shado is quickly captured. Oliver and Slade track them and see three men are questioning Shado, when the leader threatens Shado, Oliver attacks him and brutalises him while Slade kills the others. Slade and Shado are shocked when Oliver is unable to control himself and kills the leader. They realize there are even more men and wonder where they came from. A ship is shown to be nearby, the same one destroyed at the start of the episode.

Production
Preparation ran from June 28 until July 9, 2013. Shooting ran from July 10 until July 19, 2013.

Trivia

 * This is the first appearance of Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, Colton Haynes as Roy Harper and Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson as series regulars.
 * Bethany Snow, the news reporter on the TV, mentions a particle accelerator being built in Central City, foreshadowing Barry Allen's forthcoming appearances.
 * The Particle accelerator is being built by S.T.A.R. Labs, a research company with significant ties to a large number of DC characters.
 * Adam Donner is a reference to Richard Donner, director of the 1978 film, Superman.
 * The street Jeff Deveau's wife was killed on, 52nd Street, is a reference to the DC's New 52.
 * Ken Rabehl and Ryan Doucette are two names shown on the graves of those who were killed in The Glades Earthquake. These are references to Ken Rabehl, a film and TV artist, and Ryan Doucette, a producer's assistant during the first season.
 * At the end of the episode, the screen pans to the green pointed arrow Oliver is holding while saying he wants to be called something else rather then the Hood. This may hint he wants to be called the "Green Arrow", the name of the comic book's variation.
 * At the ending, Roy Harper takes on a group of muggers using a red hood hinting towards his future.
 * When Thea is taken in this episode, you can see Colton Haynes' stunt double clearly.