Season 3 (Arrow)

Season 3
Information
Original network	The CW
Original run	October 8, 2014 – May 13, 2015
Time slot	Wednesdays at 8:00 pm
Number of episodes	23
Chronology
Preceded by	Season 2
Followed by	Season 4

"Well, was it worth it? All that pain and misery you brought back from that island? Merlyn, Slade Wilson? Wouldn't it be better if you just died there?"

—Quentin Lance to Oliver Queen^[src]

The third season of Arrow premiered on October 8, 2014 on The CW and concluded on May 13, 2015. The season consisted of 23 episodes.

Synopsis

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. He returned home to Starling City, bent on righting the wrongs of his family and fighting injustice. To do this, he creates the persona of the Arrow and allies himself with former military man John Diggle, computer-science expert Felicity Smoak, street brawler Roy Harper and international assassin Sara Lance, while keeping his secret from those closest to him including his sister Thea, who has allied herself with his most deadly enemy. Rivalries and allegiances will shift as Oliver faces his most difficult challenge yet.

Cast

Main cast

• Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/The Arrow/Al Sah-him
• Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance/The Canary/Black Canary
• David Ramsey as John Diggle/Freelancer
• Willa Holland as Thea Queen/Speedy
• Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak
• Colton Haynes as Roy Harper/Arsenal
• John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer/Ra's al Ghul
• Paul Blackthorne as Captain Quentin Lance and Werner Zytle/Vertigo

Recurring cast

• Kelly Hu as Chien Na Wei/China White
• Roger R. Cross as Lucas Hilton
• Alex Kingston as Dinah Lance
• Adrian Holmes as Frank Pike
• Caity Lotz as Sara Lance/The Canary
• Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Amanda Waller
• Bex Taylor-Klaus as Sin
• Audrey Marie Anderson as Lyla Michaels
• Karl Yune as Maseo Yamashiro/Sarab
• Rila Fukushima as Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana
• J.R. Ramirez as Ted Grant/Wildcat
• Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul
• Matt Nable as Ra's al Ghul
• Charlotte Ross as Donna Smoak
• Christina Cox as Celia Castle
• Amy Gumenick as Carrie Cutter/Cupid
• Austin Butler as Chase
• Marc Singer as Matthew Shrieve

Episodes

#	Episode name	Directed by	Story by	Teleplay by	Original airdate
1	"The Calm"	Glen Winter	Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg	Marc Guggenheim & Jake Coburn	October 8, 2014
With crime in Starling City at an all-time low thanks to The Arrow and his team, Oliver thinks he can finally balance being both the Arrow and Oliver Queen and asks Felicity out on a date. However, when a new villain emerges, who has claimed the name Vertigo from the recently deceased Count, Oliver is caught off-guard and someone close to him is hurt. Oliver and a newly suited up Roy take on the Count. Meanwhile, Diggle becomes a father, Quentin is promoted to Captain, Laurel joins Team Arrow and Felicity gets a part-time job at a tech store to make ends meet. Also, Oliver fights to regain his company, Queen Consolidated, but comes up against a very worthy opponent - the charming Ray Palmer.
2	"Sara"	Wendey Stanzler	Jake Coburn & Keto Shimizu		October 15, 2014
Quentin calls The Arrow when another archer appears in town and starts skewering businessmen. Diggle uses A.R.G.U.S. to find the archer’s identity; he is a man named Simon Lacroix, who goes by the codename Komodo. However, the team hits a rough patch with the mission and gets help from a surprising source - Laurel. Meanwhile, Oliver begins to worry that he hasn’t heard from Thea, which forces Roy to tell him the truth about why she left town. Ray Palmer pursues Felicity. In the flashback, Maseo tells Oliver that Amanda Waller has ordered his first kill. As Oliver looks down the scope of the rifle, he sees the target is his best friend, Tommy. Despite her promise to her sister, Laurel debates sharing a secret about Sara with Quentin.
3	"Corto Maltese"	Stephen Surjik	Erik Oleson & Beth Schwartz		October 22, 2014
Oliver decides it’s time for Thea to come back to Starling City, so he packs for Corto Maltese, where Felicity has traced Thea’s whereabouts. Lyla asks Diggle to go with Oliver because one of her field operatives, Mark Shaw, has gone dark in Corto Maltese and she’d like him to look into it. Feeling responsible for Thea's departure, Roy joins Oliver and Diggle on their journey. Shaw double-crosses Diggle, putting numerous A.R.G.U.S. agents, including Lyla, at risk. Meanwhile, Laurel meets Ted Grant, and Felicity adjusts to her new job.
4	"The Magician"	John Behring	Wendy Mericle & Marc Guggenheim		October 29, 2014
A furious Nyssa confronts Oliver about Sara. When Oliver learns Malcolm Merlyn is alive, he suspects Merlyn killed Sara. Oliver and Nyssa join forces and go after the Dark Archer, intent on bringing Sara's killer to justice. Laurel keeps her distance from Nyssa, as she blames her sister's death on her involvement with the League of Assassins. Meanwhile, Oliver and Roy work on repairing their respective relationships with Thea, who has returned home. Nyssa discusses Oliver with her father, Ra's al Ghul.
5	"The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak"	Michael Schultz	Ben Sokolowski & Brian Ford Sullivan		November 5, 2014
When a cyber attack brings Starling City to its knees, Oliver and Felicity are pushed to their limits to contain the destruction. Life gets even more complicated for Felicity when her mother, Donna, stops by for a surprise visit. Meanwhile, Ted Grant questions Laurel’s motives, and Thea buys an apartment with Malcolm’s "estate" money, which infuriates Oliver.
6	"Guilty"	Peter Leto	Erik Oleson & Keto Shimizu		November 12, 2014
After a body is found strung up in the Wildcat gym, Ted Grant becomes the main suspect. Oliver and Laurel argue over Ted's innocence. Meanwhile, in flashbacks, when Maseo needs Oliver to remember where an informant for China White stashed key information, he asks Tatsu to help jog Oliver's memory. Roy shares a secret with Felicity.
7	"Draw Back Your Bow"	Rob Hardy	Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz		November 19, 2014
Oliver must stop an Arrow-obsessed serial killer, Carrie Cutter, who is convinced that The Arrow is her one true love and will stop at nothing to get his attention. Unfortunately, her way of getting his attention is to kill people. Meanwhile, Ray asks Felicity to be his date for a work dinner with important clients. Thea auditions new DJs for Verdant and meets Chase, a brash DJ with whom she immediately clashes.
8	"The Brave and the Bold"	Jesse Warn	Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg	Marc Guggenheim & Grainne Godfree	December 3, 2014
Oliver, Arsenal and Diggle track down the location of a boomerang-wielding killer named Digger Harkness but are surprised when they come face to face with an A.R.G.U.S. team. Diggle asks Lyla why A.R.G.U.S. is involved but she defers until Harkness attacks the building, killing several agents and targeting Lyla. The Arrow joins the fight and gets help from an old friend – The Flash. Harkness manages to get away and Oliver teams up with Barry again to find him before he can get to Lyla. When Harkness plants five bombs in the city that are timed to explode at the same time, both teams must come together to save the city.
9	"The Climb"	Thor Freudenthal	Jake Coburn & Keto Shimizu		December 10, 2014
Nyssa returns to Starling City and tells Oliver that her father, Ra's al Ghul has given Oliver 48 hours to find Sara's killer or the League of Assassins will start killing the citizens of Starling City. Laurel is stunned when her father delivers a very special Christmas gift – her mother, Dinah. Meanwhile, Ray tries to make amends with Felicity and Oliver sets a meeting with Ra's al Ghul.
10	"Left Behind"	Glen Winter	Marc Guggenheim & Erik Oleson		January 21, 2015
In the aftermath of Oliver’s fight with Ra's al Ghul, Diggle and Roy Harper continue to protect the city in The Arrow's absence. However, after 3 days without hearing from Oliver, they begin to fear the worst may have happened to their friend. Felicity refuses to believe that Oliver could be dead until Malcolm pays the team a surprise visit. Thea suspects there is something more behind Oliver’s disappearance and asks Malcolm for a favor. Meanwhile, Ray tests a part of his new suit and Laurel takes up the mantle of the Black Canary.
11	"Midnight City"	Nick Copus	Wendy Mericle & Ben Sokolowski		January 28, 2015
Arsenal and Diggle confront Laurel about trying to step into her sister's shoes and warn her to stop before she gets herself killed. However, when Brick kidnaps the city's Aldermen and threatens to kill them all unless the police evacuate The Glades, it's all suits on deck. Meanwhile, Ray steps in to help Lance and the police force fight Brick, showing Felicity a new side of her boss. Malcolm tells Thea that Ra's al Ghul is after him and his family and they must leave town immediately.
12	"Uprising"	Jesse Warn	Beth Schwartz & Brian Ford Sullivan		February 4, 2015
Still operating without Oliver and determined to stop Brick, Team Arrow is forced to weigh Malcolm’s offer to help shut Brick down as Malcolm has a personal vendetta to settle with the thug. Roy and Laurel point out that the team could use some help to save the innocents of The Glades, but Felicity is adamantly against it. They look to Diggle to make the final decision. Meanwhile, the flashbacks chronicle Malcolm’s descent from kind-hearted father and husband to cold-blooded killer after the murder of his wife.
13	"Canaries"	Michael Schultz	Jake Coburn & Emilio Aldrich		February 11, 2015
Oliver is thrown by the changes within Team Arrow. He's used to calling the shots but sees that the team has evolved in his absence and tensions quickly escalate in the lair. Oliver is furious that Laurel has been going out as the Black Canary and tells her to stop risking her life, but when Vertigo hits the streets again, Laurel goes against Oliver's wishes and tracks down Vertigo who hits her with a full dose of the drug. Laurel's biggest fears revolve around her sister Sara so the Vertigo causes her to hallucinate an epic fight between Canary and Black Canary. Meanwhile, Chase surprises Thea, and Roy warns Thea to stay away from Malcolm.
14	"The Return"	Dermott Downs	Marc Guggenheim & Erik Oleson		February 18, 2015
Malcolm puts Oliver and Thea in a dangerous situation that lands them on Lian Yu with Oliver’s former enemy, Deathstroke. A flashback reveals when Oliver and Maseo returned to Starling City to retrieve the Omega bio weapon, and despite being under strict orders from Amanda Waller not to reveal himself to anyone, Oliver looks in on his family, Laurel and Tommy.
15	"Nanda Parbat"	Gregory Smith	Wendy Mericle & Ben Sokolowski	Erik Oleson & Ben Sokolowski	February 25, 2015
Malcolm is captured by Ra's al Ghul and taken to Nanda Parbat. Because of his love for Thea, Oliver considers saving Merlyn. Ray is obsessed with finishing his Atom suit so he can save the city but Felicity fears he is heading down the same path as Oliver and tries to pull him out of the lab.
16	"The Offer"	Dermott Downs	Erik Oleson & Brian Ford Sullivan		March 18, 2015
Still weighed down by his last meeting with Ra's al Ghul, Oliver returns home to find a new villain and his crew have started terrorizing Starling City – Michael Amar AKA Murmur, a man whose mouth has been sewn shut. Meanwhile, Laurel and Nyssa bond over their issues with their fathers and Nyssa makes Laurel an offer. Thea is forced to come to terms with her father after Oliver brings Malcolm to the loft to recover, and Lance shuts out both Laurel and the Arrow.
17	"Suicidal Tendencies"	Jesse Warn	Keto Shimizu		March 25, 2015
It's celebration time as Diggle and Lyla get married. However, Deadshot interrupts their honeymoon and tells them the Suicide Squad has been given a new mission – rescue United States Senator Joseph Cray from a hostage situation in the Republic of Kasnia. Amanda Waller breaks down the mission and introduces them to the newest member of the Suicide Squad, Cupid. Meanwhile, Oliver learns about Ray's new Atom costume and the two have a heated stand-off. Felicity and Ray hit a rough patch.
18	"Public Enemy"	Dwight Little	Marc Guggenheim & Wendy Mericle		April 1, 2015
During an attack on the mayor's office, Ray is critically injured. Felicity is pleasantly surprised when her mother, Donna Smoak, shows up at the hospital to offer her support. With the SCPD out in full force looking for the assailant, Oliver and his team work hard to stay one step ahead of the police to find the man responsible. However, things come to a head when Ra's al Ghul kidnaps Captain Lance.
19	"Broken Arrow"	Doug Aarniokoski	Jake Coburn	Ben Sokolowski & Brian Ford Sullivan	April 15, 2015
Lance continues his mission to take down the Arrow so Felicity orders Oliver to keep a low profile. However, when a meta-human named Jake Simmons, who kills people with blasts of energy and plasma, starts terrorizing Starling City, Oliver is forced to ask Ray for help. The unlikely duo is forced to team up to save the city.
20	"The Fallen"	Antonio Negret	Wendy Mericle & Oscar Balderrama		April 22, 2015
Ra's al Ghul finally makes Oliver an offer he can't refuse. The team joins Oliver on his journey to Nanda Parbat where a heartbroken Felicity decides to take matters into her own hands.
21	"Al Sah-him"	Thor Freudenthal	Beth Schwartz	Brian Ford Sullivan & Emilio Ortega Aldrich	April 29, 2015
Oliver goes through a rigorous transformation. The League of Assassins sets their sites on Nyssa, who is back in Starling City training Laurel. When Nyssa realizes they are coming, she arms up to face them alone but Laurel asks Felicity and Diggle to help protect her new friend.
22	"This Is Your Sword"	Wendey Stanzler	Erik Oleson	Ben Sokolowski & Brian Ford Sullivan	May 6, 2015
Oliver/Al Sah-him finishes his training and is left with two final tasks to become the next Ra’s al Ghul. Ra's threatens Nyssa and delivers some shocking news. Meanwhile, Malcolm makes a surprising offer to Team Arrow and Thea goes to see Roy.
23	"My Name Is Oliver Queen"	John Behring	Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg	Marc Guggenheim & Jake Coburn	May 13, 2015
Everyone's lives are in danger as Ra's al Ghul puts forth his final plan. Oliver/Al Sah-him must decide if he's strong enough to take on this new role and what it will mean for everyone on Team Arrow, and his soul.

Trivia

• This is the first season to not have a main character killed off. Although Colton Haynes who played Roy Harper left the show, which technically doesn't count as being killed off. But it does continue the pattern of losing a main cast per season.
• This is the first season where said season's main antagonist dies.
• With the flashbacks in "Suicidal Tendencies" being revolved around Deadshot, this season marks the first time flashbacks have centered entirely around a recurring or guest character.

Home media release

Main article: Arrow: Complete Third Season

A boxset of the third season, titled Arrow: Complete Third Season, was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 22, 2015. It contained additional features, deleted scenes, a gag reel and the Arrow panel from the San Diego Comic-Con International 2014.

DVD boxset

Blu-ray boxset

Gallery

Title cards

Title card

Variant title card in "Draw Back Your Bow"

Variant title card in "The Brave and the Bold"

Variant title card in "The Return"

Promotional images

"A city's saviors"

"Saving a city takes a toll"

Fan screening of the 2-part crossover with The Flash

Superhero Fight Club

Character portraits

Oliver Queen as The Arrow.

Roy Harper dons a full costume as Arsenal.

First look at Laurel Lance as Black Canary

First look at Laurel Lance as Black Canary

First look at Ray Palmer as The Atom

Sara Lance as "The Canary"

Roy Harper as Arsenal in Fight Club

Oliver Queen as Arrow in Fight Club

Malcolm Merlyn as Dark Archer in Fight Club

Laurel Lance as Black Canary in Fight Club

Ray Palmer as Atom in Fight Club

Ra's al Ghul in Fight Club

Videos

Arrow - Season 3 First-Look

Arrow Season 3 Promo "Some Things Never Die" HD

ARROW Season 3 Preview — with Ra’s al Ghul

Arrow - High Speed Chase Trailer