Dead to Rights

"Dead to Rights" is the sixteenth episode of the first season of Arrow, and the sixteenth episode overall. It aired on February 27, 2013.

Synopsis
Oliver and John learn that Deadshot is still alive and his next target is Malcolm Merlyn. Malcolm invites Tommy to attend a benefit honoring Malcolm for his work with Starling City but Tommy refuses to attend. Oliver encourages his friend to mend his relationship with his father while he can. Meanwhile, Oliver struggles to balance his new relationship with McKenna and his duties as the Hood.

Plot
The scene opens with an assassin named Guillermo Barrera arriving in town via helicopter. The Hood is waiting and the two proceed to fight, with the Hood eventually killing him with an arrow to the chest.

John is helping to train Felicity so she can handle herself in tough spots. Oliver returns and asks Felicity to hack Guillermo's phone so they can find out who Guillermo was in town to kill.

During his time on the island Oliver fixes the airplane radio and gets it to work. He and Slade call for rescue but they discover that they can hear the rescue forces but the rescue forces can't hear them

Oliver calls Quentin as the Hood with word about the hit going down the following day. Quentin tells the Hood to call him back with a name.

We see the Chinese Triad and Deadshot organizing the hit on Malcolm. It is to take place when Malcolm receives his award.

Tommy tells Laurel he's decided to go to his father's award presentation.

Before the ceremony Malcolm asks Moira if they can talk after the ceremony. Malcolm is introduced as the city's Humanitarian of the Year. We see that the Chinese Triad members are posing as waiters.

Oliver and McKenna talk about fitting a possible relationship into already busy lives.

Felicity finally gets into Guillermo's phone and John tells Oliver. Oliver bails on his date and calls Quentin with the name.

During Malcolm's speech he admits to failing his city thus far but promises to be better. The Chinese Triad turn off the power and people begin to exit. Malcolm realizes what is happening and heads to the second floor with Tommy. The Hood fights off the Chinese Triad gunmen and Malcolm moves to his panic room. The Hood then gets into a fight with China White, the new leader of the Chinese Triad. Malcolm fights off a few would-be attackers and his son is stunned by what his father can do. The Hood finally gets the jump on China, but as he stands over her with an arrow drawn McKenna comes up from behind him with a gun. Deadshot manages to hit Malcolm several times in the chest through the window, but he's wearing a vest. The Hood is able to escape McKenna by shooting a fire extinguisher. Malcolm has been nicked and Deadshot is using his trademark poison bullets. The Hood tries to explain to Tommy what is happening to his father, but Tommy doesn't trust him. Oliver is forced to reveal his true identity to his best friend and then helps him with a life-saving blood transfusion.

Afterwards Quentin and McKenna asks Tommy why he listened to the vigilante. Did he know him? Tommy says he has no idea who the masked man really is.

In the flashback Slade realizes that Oliver has the radio tuned to the soldier's channel. They hear Fyers talking to his off-island benefactor and hear a reference to Scylla, a monster from the Odyssey. Slade wants to meet this monster.

Oliver tells John about Deadshot being the reason Malcolm is in the hospital. He is upset that his brother's killer is still alive.

Slade and Oliver see that Scylla is an anti-aircraft missile launcher.

Oliver arrives at the hospital. He runs into McKenna, who says she's willing to give it a try. Oliver agrees.

Malcolm wakes up and Tommy tells him what happened. Malcolm tells Tommy that after his wife died he found a man who helped him make sense of his life. He says his plan now is to help make the city a better place. Moira arrives at the door and Tommy leaves them alone. Malcolm tells her he wants to find "the traitor in our midst".

Tommy and Oliver talk. Tommy asks if he was ever going to tell him the truth about his alter ego. Oliver says no.

Laurel's mother arrives at her door saying she needs to talk, but Laurel tries to refuse any conversation with her. Her mother proceeds to tell her that it's important, that she thinks Sara may still be alive.

Trivia

 * Assuming the episode takes place in real time, McKenna's line that Fall Out Boy "broke up together" may or may not have been true, at the time of filming (January 17 – January 28), the band had been dispersed for over 3 years. However, on February 4 they announced they would begin to form again as a whole, 23 days before the episode aired (February 27).
 * Oliver took Tommy to a Chinese restaurant which was referred to as "The most authentic szechuan restaurant in town".  However, the fried fish they ordered was not prepared as a szechuan dish as szechuan dishes are generally prepared spicy.

Production
Preparation ran from January 8 until January 16, 2013. Filming ran from January 17 until January 28, 2013.

Featured Music

 * Late Night by Foals
 * Where the Kids Are by Blondfire