Broken Dolls

"Broken Dolls" is the third episode of the second season of Arrow, and the twenty-sixth episode overall. It aired on October 23, 2013.

Synopsis
Quentin learns a criminal named Barton Mathis, whom he put away years ago, broke out of prison during the quake and is back to torturing and murdering women. Felicity offers herself as bait so Arrow, John and Quentin can catch Barton, but the plan goes awry. Furious, Mathis kidnaps Laurel in retaliation and plans to murder her while Quentin watches. Meanwhile, Thea and Oliver are stunned when District Attorney Adam Donner seeks the death penalty for Moira. Arrow asks Roy to help him find The Canary.

Plot
Oliver is saved from the police by a female vigilante, who quickly vanishes into the night. He sets Roy to track her down, which he manages through the vigilante's connection to a girl named Sin. Officer Lance discovers that the serial killer Barton Mathis, whom he arrested years earlier, escaped from prison during the earthquake and is on the killing spree again. Lance looks to Oliver's alter-ego vigilante for help when he is forced to stay away from the investigation. The pair break into a lab running tests on the evidence found at Mathis's crime scene and are able to discover the link between all of his victims. Oliver learns that Mathis abducted Quentin and Laurel and plans to kill them both. Oliver saves Laurel and Quentin; the female vigilante shows up and kills Mathis after Oliver captures him. During the pre-trial motions for Moira Queen, the district attorney announces his plan to seek the death penalty for Moira's actions in the death of the citizens of the Glades. Later, the female vigilante is tracked down by an agent of Ra's al Ghul; she kills him to avoid having to return to his organization. In flashbacks to the island, Oliver and Slade rush to the aid of Shado who is being attacked. Oliver gets imprisoned by unknown assailants on the boat, Amazo.

Production
Preparation ran from July 23 until July 31, 2013. Shooting ran from August 1 until August 13, 2013.

Trivia

 * Quentin Lance's full name is revealed to be "Quentin Larry Lance"; the comics counterpart of the character is named Larry Lance.
 * Officer Lance's patrol number is "DC 52". This is a reference to The New 52, the latest DC Universe reboot.
 * The New 52 is referenced also in Barton Mathis' hotel room and on the channel Oliver Queen learns of the Lances' abduction from.
 * Ra's al Ghul is referenced in this episode. Ra's is an infamous Batman villain noted for being one of the key people in Bruce Wayne's journey towards becoming Batman.
 * Barton Mathis hides in the "Metamorpho" abandoned facility. Metamorpho is the name of a superhero in the DC Universe.
 * The boat Oliver is imprisoned on is named "Amazo": Amazo is the name of a supervillain in the DC Universe, a robot possessing the powers of the entire Justice League.
 * Barton Mathis's lawyer, Tony Daniel, is named for the comic book writer and artist of the same name, who was the creator of The Dollmaker.
 * Moira's Defense attorney is Jean Loring. In the comics, Jean is the girlfriend/wife/ex-wife of the superhero The Atom. She later suffers a mental breakdown and kills the wife of another superhero, eventually becoming a villainous incarnation of Eclipso.
 * The Black Canary is using an abandoned clock tower as a base of her HQ. In the comics, Black Canary is a member of The Birds of Prey,  who have also used a clock tower as their base of operations.