The Man Under the Hood

"It's the Arrow who matters, The Man Under the Hood isn't important."

- Quentin explaining to Laurel why he doesn't want to know The Arrow's identity

"The Man Under the Hood" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of Arrow, and the forty-second episode overall. It aired on April 16, 2014. The episode is also notable for introducing the characters Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow before the debut of The Flash.

Synopsis
Oliver, Sara, Diggle and Felicity return to the lair and find Slade waiting for them. An epic battle breaks out and one member of Team Arrow is sent to hospital – his battle with Slade or his family. Meanwhile, Laurel struggles with a new secret.

Plot
Oliver and his team break into the Applied Sciences division of Queen Consolidated and destroy the lab so that Slade does not have access to it to mass-produce the Mirakuru. Laurel goes to visit Quentin to ask him about The Arrow and the woman in black, just as soon as Sara walks in. Queen's lawyer tells Oliver and Moira they will be broke unless all three of the Queens sign the trust fund. Moira asks Oliver to convince Thea to sign the trust fund so that they can fight back.

In a flashback, Sara helps Oliver get back up on his feet. Ivo states there is a cure for the Mirakuru.

In response of the bombing, Slade attacks the team at their hideout and steals the "Skeleton Key", so that he can access any lab to get the equipment he needs. Sara goes to the hospital with excuse of a "motocycle accident" and Laurel comes to check on her. Laurel sees the scars on Sara back and starts to piece together that she might be the woman in black who rescued her. Thea refuses to sign the trust fund with the reason she is not Robert's daughter, but Malcolm's. The team is too late and Slade successfully steals a bio-transfuser that will allow him to transfer his Mirakuru-infused blood to the convicts he freed. Felicity has a brief chat with the staff and as well as talking about Barry, who is still in a coma. Quentin is beaten up by a convict in jail due to him being a cop. Oliver tracks Slade and discovers that he has kidnapped Roy and is using him to transfuse the blood. Oliver rescues Roy, and Isabel is mortally wounded in the battle. Later, Oliver reveals there is a cure for the Mirakuru, and Felicity goes to S.T.A.R. Labs to have an antidote created. Meanwhile, Laurel investigates Oliver being the Arrow, which leads her to discover that Sara is the Canary. Laurel stops her investigation when her father tells her that the Arrow's identity is irrelevant to the symbol that he represents. Laurel later blackmails her supervisor into releasing and reinstating her father. Slade's army of Mirakuru warriors gather, and Slade uses his own blood to heal and empower Isabel as well. In flashbacks, Oliver kills Ivo at his request, in exchange for telling him and Sara about the Mirakuru cure.

Production
Preparation ran from February 12 until February 20, 2014. Shooting ran from February 21 until March 4, 2014.

Trivia

 * The episode's title could be a reference to Judd Winick's comic book story arc, Batman: Under the Hood.
 * Also, the episode's title could be a reference to the 2010 animated film, Batman: Under the Red Hood, an animated version of the aforementioned story arc.