Time of Death

"Time of Death" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of Arrow, and the thirty-seventh episode overall. It aired on February 26, 2014.

Synopsis
Oliver brings Sara into the Arrow team. Watching Oliver and Diggle spar with Sara and talk old scars, Felicity starts to feel left out. The team is investigating a villain named William Tockman, a.k.a. The Clock King, who is a brilliant thief armed with technology that can open any bank vault in Starling City. After The Clock King infiltrates the computer systems in the lair, Felicity feels pressure to prove her worth. When she gets a lead on Tockman's whereabouts, she heads out without the team, putting her in peril. Meanwhile, Oliver throws Sara a welcome home party, but Laurel refuses to attend. After Quentin makes his case for a family dinner, Laurel acquiesces, but when Oliver shows up with Sara, she loses her temper on both of them.

Plot
The episode opens with two men being guided through a robbery. The man on the outside, William Tockman, is a computer genius, able to tell them exactly which move to make to avoid detection. The men get what they were looking for, but make a mistake, and shoot a security guard.

Oliver, John, and Sara bond over scar memories during a workout. Felicity looks left out because of her lack of them. Oliver tells Sara he's hosting a "Welcome Back" party for her at his place, stating that it's a Queen family tradition. Sara tries to argue saying that it would highlight the rift between her and Laurel but relents when Oliver refuses to budge his position on celebrating her homecoming. Sara also says that, for the time being, it is best that no one knows about their relationship to spare a lot of awkward feelings and questions.

Back on the island Slade, Oliver and Sara spot a small plane flying overheard. They try to wave it down, but it explodes, as it was shot down, and it crashes near them.

Back in the present, the men from the opening heist bring a device to their boss. An argument ensues over them not following directions Tockman stabs one of them with a large clock hand.

The Lance family arrives at Queens' for the party, but Laurel is not there. Quentin and Oliver talk about Laurel needing more time to come around with her sister's return. Sara pretends not to know Sin and Roy in order to protect her Canary identity. Oliver and Moira are still cold with each other and Thea seems to have noticed. Quentin and his ex-wife seem to share a moment. However, Quentin and Oliver get notifications that something has happened.

The body of the man Tockman killed with the clock hand has been found. Quentin tells the Arrow and the Canary he knows the guy, and that he was involved in the theft of a skeleton key which can be used to open any bank vault. The Arrow realizes there is much brain power behind the heists.

Sara comes to HQ and finds Felicity in workout clothes practicing some poorly executed punches. Sara gives Felicity a tip. Oliver shows up, and is surprised Felicity is in workout attire, but tells her the key can be used as a weapon in the wrong hands and they need to find who has it.

Back on the island the three examine the plane. The radio is ruined and the pilot is gravely injured. Oliver and Slade leaves to get some medical supplies.

Quentin drops by to see Laurel. They talk about Sara and he wants her to try and move past her anger. He invites her to a family dinner, the real reason for which is an attempt to get back together with her mother. Laurel agrees to host the dinner. Quentin is called away to a bank robbery.

The Arrow and the Canary show up during the robbery. Felicity locates a nearby signal, but this allows the villain to hack into her network. To distract the Arrow, he hacks into the nearby train system and creates a potential collision with a bus. The Arrow goes to stop the accident while the Canary follows the men who robbed the bank. The villain gets away but she is able to wound him.

Later, Thea talks to Oliver about his relationship with their mother. He says nothing and she says she doesn't like secrets.

Felicity has beefed up their hardware security to avoid future intrusions. Using blood found at the scene Sara is able to determine the villain has a rare and fatal disease. Felicty founds out the mastermind is William Tockman, a former encryption engineer. It seems that he is stealing money for his sister, who also has a rare illness and needs a lung transplant.

The Arrow and the Canary go the address of William's sister. They find his getaway vehicle from the last break-in. But inside is only a device that is putting out a signal. When Felicity accesses the signal remotely, it allows William to once again get into her system. This time he is able to blow up all the computers at the Arrowcave.

While cleaning up the mess, Felicity talks to Diggle about feeling inadequate around Sara. He tries to assure she that her skills are invaluable. Sara invites Oliver to the Lance family dinner.

The Lance dinner at Laurel's place is a disaster. When Quentin talks to Dinah about coming back to Starling City, and to him, Dinah admits to being in a relationship. Laurel sees Oliver and Sara exchange a glance when Sara says everyone deserves to be happy and figures out they are in a form of relationship. Laurel angrily berates everyone at the table and then storms out of her apartment.

Back on the island, the dying pilot tells Sara that his wife died of cancer years ago. He has a 12-year old daughter and is worried she'll be alone. He asks Sara to make sure his daughter is cared for.

Oliver follows Laurel into the hall. She yells at him for his behavior and he responds that everybody is having trouble. Oliver thinks that while Laurel certainly has problems, she's not doing a good enough job of taking responsibility for what she's done wrong. Oliver then states he is done caring about her.

Oliver places a large amount of money at a bank to lure William. Felicity calls Oliver and says she's waiting with it at the bank's computer. The Arrow, the Canary, and Diggle rush to help her. Two men come in the front and the Arrow goes to stop them. William then shows up on the system. He's messing with the gas mains in an attempt to cause an explosion. Diggle goes down to turn off the valve. The Arrow takes care of the two henchmen, while Felicity is able to outsmart William and find a way to track him inside the bank. He shoots her in the shoulder, but ultimately she takes him down by blowing up his cell phone in his pocket, stunning him, and in the process, saving the Canary's life.

After Felicity is stitched up, she tells Oliver she missed being his "girl" on the team. He reassures her that she will always be his girl.

Sara takes a job working as a bartender for Thea. Laurel shows up and the sisters have a breakthrough.

Back on the island, Sara looks at a picture of the dead pilot's daughter, revealing her to be Sin.

As Quentin attends an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Laurel enters and sits opposite of him. He smiles at her with joy on her arrival.

Oliver comes home and finds that his mother is meeting with a gentleman. She states his name is Slade Wilson, stunning Oliver. Slade stands up and firmly shakes Oliver's hand stating, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Queen".

Trivia

 * Oliver discovers that Slade is alive in the present.
 * In the flashbacks, Sara met Sin's father.
 * Dinah reveals to Oliver, her daughters and Quentin that she has a new love interest.
 * Felicity has her first scar since joining Team Arrow after being shot in the shoulder by William Tockman.
 * This episode marks the first time Oliver has referenced himself while in the Arrow persona.
 * William Tockman steals a skeleton key from Kord Industries.
 * The bus, which Oliver prevents from colliding with a train, bears an advertisement for a movie about comic book hero Blue Devil.
 * William Tockman suffers from a terminal illness called MacGregor Syndrome. This fictional desease appeared in the 1997 Batman & Robin movie.
 * William Tockman makes reference to The Clock King's secret identity in Batman: The Animated Series when he says "tempus fugit".

Production
Preparation ran from December 2 until December 10, 2013. Shooting ran from December 11 until December 20, 2013.