- For the group of the same name, see League of Assassins (group).
- "There were things I that I did, things that I had to do to survive. Things that there's no forgiveness for."
"Well, that's the thing about forgiveness--you can't get it until you ask for it." - —Sara and Oliver about Sara's past
"League of Assassins" is the fifth episode of the second season of Arrow, and the twenty-eighth episode overall. It aired on November 6, 2013.
Synopsis
While Oliver tends to Sara's wounds, he tries to get her to talk about where she came from, but she refuses. However, after Oliver and Sara are attacked at the Queen Mansion by a trained killer from the League of Assassins, she confesses to how she's connected with the nefarious group. Meanwhile, with Moira facing multiple counts of murder and conspiracy for her part in the destruction of The Glades, the District Attorney offers her a choice – plead guilty now and avoid the death penalty or take her chances in court. Thea begs her mother to fight for her life, but Moira seems resolute about taking the offer. Meanwhile, Oliver is furious with Laurel for joining the prosecution's team on his mother's case.
Plot
Oliver invites Sara to the Queen Mansion. He tries talking to her again about telling her family she is alive. The next morning Oliver learns that Laurel is a part of the lawyers against Moira. Oliver gets upset even when learning that Laurel came up with the plea. He tries to talk to Laurel but she won't talk.
Sara is alone at the manor looking at old photos when she notices one of the ship. Oliver then returns and fills Sara in on how Laurel is against his mother. Sara worries about what she did and if she deserves forgiveness. That is when Sara and Oliver are attacked at the Queen Mansion by a man dressed like Malcolm Merlyn. After beating the man, Oliver removed the man's mask, revealing that it wasn't Malcolm.
Sara reveals that the man, Al-Owal (Arabic for "the first"), is a member of the League of Assassins and was targeting her for abandoning the League. Sara tells them the only way to leave the League is through death. Felicity manages to trace Al-Owal to an abandoned manufacturing plant from the dirt he left behind. Oliver and Sara fight with Al-Owal and two other League members to a stalemate. They manage to escape but Al-Owal threatens to kill Sara's family. Oliver manages to protect Laurel, but Quentin refuses to heed Felicity's warning.
After dinner, Laurel tries to kiss Oliver but he stops her. She gets upset and blames herself for everyone leaving her. They notice that her door is unlocked so Oliver stepped inside first and found a knife in the wall. He removes it before Laurel enters. He makes her promise to stay at her home. Laurel then opens a bottle of pills and takes them.
To protect her father, Sara reveals she is alive to him and they first go to a Chinese restaurant. With her being jumpy, he asks if she is in trouble. He then figured out that she was the female vigilante and knew the Hood. Sara then begs him to come with her and brings him to her location in the clock tower. Together with Oliver, they manage to stop the League's second attack, with Sara killing Al-Owal. Afterwards, Sara decides to leave Starling City to keep her family safe, entrusting her secret to Quentin.
Moira decides to take the deal instead of fighting as she isn't confident in winning. Oliver asks her to stop hiding things from him as his mother tells him that the choice is made. However, with the encouragement of her children, Moira decides to fight the death penalty charge even after being offered a plea agreement for life in prison.
In flashbacks, after being left adrift from the Queen's Gambit wreckage, Sara survives by holding onto a door and is rescued and brought aboard the Amazo, where she meets Dr. Anthony Ivo, who asks her to help him with his experiments.
Production
Preparation ran from August 15 until August 23, 2013. Shooting ran from August 26 until September 5, 2013.[1]
Trivia
- This is the first episode of the series to not feature Colton Haynes (Roy Harper) after being promoted to a series regular.
- During the fight at the clocktower, after a trap sprung and hit Al-Owal with darts, Sara tells him, "You should be mindful of your surroundings.", which was exactly the same phrase said three times in the 2005 film Batman Begins, twice by Ra's al Ghul and once by Bruce Wayne aka Batman, before and followed by important events.
- In a flashback, while marooned on a piece of the Queen's Gambit wreck, Sara watches a yellow bird fly away. The bird is a reference to Sara's League name "Ta-er al-Sahfer", which translates to "Yellow Bird", as well as her vigilante identity as the Canary.
Goofs
- In the beginning of the episode at the Queen Mansion, Oliver is shown watching a Starling City Rockets game on TV. However, the Rockets are shown as a basketball team when they have been confirmed to be a baseball team in all other appearances.
Gallery
Promos
References
| Arrow season 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "City of Heroes" • "Identity" • "Broken Dolls" • "Crucible" • "League of Assassins" • "Keep Your Enemies Closer" • "State v. Queen" • "The Scientist" • "Three Ghosts" • "Blast Radius" • "Blind Spot" • "Tremors" • "Heir to the Demon" • "Time of Death" • "The Promise" • "Suicide Squad" • "Birds of Prey" • "Deathstroke" • "The Man Under the Hood" • "Seeing Red" • "City of Blood" • "Streets of Fire" • "Unthinkable" | ||||