This Is Your Sword

"You will marry my daughter, then fly to Starling City carrying death itself."

—Ra's orders Oliver to destroy Starling.

"This Is Your Sword"
Information
Season 3 » Episode 22
Episode number	68 of 170
Original airdate	May 6, 2015
Written by	Story by: Erik Oleson Teleplay by: Ben Sokolowski Brian Ford Sullivan
Directed by	Wendey Stanzler
Chronology
Preceded by	"Al Sah-him"
Followed by	"My Name Is Oliver Queen"

"This Is Your Sword" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of Arrow, and the sixty-eighth episode overall. It aired on May 6, 2015.

Synopsis

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.[src]

Plot

In the past, Hong Kong is in chaos. Akio is sick so they rush to a pharmacy to fix it.

In the present, Ra's is telling Oliver that he needs to sever ties from his life by destroying Starling City. Maseo had given the Alpha and Omega virus to Ra's, something the man admits to Oliver. He is told that he will marry Ra's daughter Nyssa prior to destroying Starling.

In Starling, Dig is chasing a criminal but is cornered until Laurel shows up, revealing it had been Dig's plan to be cornered. They knock out the men and Dig continues punching well after. Afterwards, Felicity, Dig, and Laurel head to Dig's home. Felicity doesn't like how Dig is now unhinged due to Oliver kidnapping Lyla and turning on them. Felicity thinks that Oliver died the day he joined the league.

Malcolm shows up and finds out that Thea is going to see Roy. Malcolm tries to talk her out of it but she's upset with him. He then tells her that her going away might be for the best.

In Nanda Parbat, Nyssa and Oliver sit across from each other at the table as Ra's talks about his plan of her having a child. Oliver suggests he go on a walk to clear his head as he is still coming to grips with marriage. He heads outside, alone, mostly due to talking Ra's out of sending someone with him. He meets up with a masked man who removes the mask to reveal Malcolm. "Things are worse than we thought," Oliver said, before they walked off for him to fill them in. They reveal that they are working to dismantle the league. When Malcolm mentions not being able to rely on his friends, Oliver says he might know someone who can help.

Maseo spots Oliver with a fire, alone, and tells him that there was some worry as he had been gone awhile.

In the past, they are in the pharmacy trying to cure Akio. But the vaccine isn't working on the boy due to him being too young. Tatsu holds him as Maseo wants to find out if there is a cure.

Thea approaches the place Roy is working at. Once they are finally alone, Thea tells him she is happy he is alive.

Felicity heads to the office and finds Ray is working on updating the suit. He asks after her but she won't reveal. He then asks her for a favor to sign a piece of paper. She has no idea what it is that she is signing. Then she receives a text from Malcolm.

As they sat in front of the fire, Oliver learns that Maseo had taken the drug before they had blown up the truck in the past.

Laurel, Dig, and Felicity meet up with Malcolm who reveals that Oliver is faking his allegiance. Felicity wonders what changed so Malcolm said that he brought along a friend: Tatsu. She tells them that the city is in great danger. Felicity is skeptical and Tatsu tells them about her son dying. Malcolm gives them all the information that he has on the weapon.

Roy and Thea end up in his sublet. She tells him that she had his arsenal outfit. He asks why she is there and her response is to kiss him. He removes her coat and they begin to remove more clothing as they kiss.

In the Foundry, they are looking at the information. Felicity is upset but Dig and Laurel decide to go.

In Nanda Parbat, Ra's approaches his daughter and she asks him about why he wants her to marry someone that she doesn't love. He tells her about when he met her mother and while she likes it, she still doesn't want to marry Oliver. He then threatens her. What he didn't know was she had a knife in her hand.

Tatsu approaches Felicity and tells her about how Oliver's last thought before he fell was of her. Tatsu tells her to fight for Oliver. Tatsu tells her not to make her mistakes.

In the past, Oliver and Maseo approach the base and spot two men. Maseo tells him that he must kill. He does so.

In the present, Tatsu opens a katana in front of Malcolm. Dig, Laurel and Felicity show up. They head to Nanda Parbat and arrive during the daytime. As they hike, they show up by the plane and Malcolm senses people. They end up surrounded. Felicity rushes to the plane as the others fight to cover her. Felicity gets close and begins her work. Maseo shows up and Tatsu tries to talk him down. However he won't so they begin to fight. Across the way, Malcolm saves Laurel. Felicity's tablet is shot at so she throws it and learns that Malcolm shot the man. As the plane takes off, Felicity reveals that she had Ray come along to help. He gets the plane but Ray speeds down. Maseo gets her knocked down and he says to tell their son he loves him. She then kills him, something he thanks her for. She cries and holds him reciting the same thing she said when their son died. Malcolm is alone fighting when Ra's reveals that they didn't destroy the weapon and lost. They are then taken before Ra's who wants to know who told them. It is revealed that Oliver is marrying Nyssa that night, something that upsets Felicity.

Roy is kissing Thea and asks her to tell him why she is really there. She tells him that Oliver had to join the league to save her and became a different person. He tells her he wants what is best for her and then holds her. Locked up, the group wonders what is going to happen. A man shows up and takes Dig to Oliver. Once they are alone, Oliver learns he lost his trust and respect.

In the past, Oliver and Maseo make their way to Shrieve and asks about a cure. Maseo shoots at the general who then tells them about a cure in the safe. Oliver then decides to bring the man with them.

Tatsu's sword is now in the hands of Ra's who had is talking to Malcolm. Malcolm tells the man that Oliver has been lying to him all along. He is then brought to Ra's who doesn't believe that Oliver is being true.

Thea wakes up and finds that Roy is gone. After getting dressed she heads to his work and learns that Roy took off and left a note behind for her. The note tells her that he will always love her and that he left the suit for her.

In Nanda Parbat, Malcolm is brought back to the other group and Ra's drops the virus in their prison. Everyone is freaking out but not Malcolm.

In the past, Oliver, Maseo and the general show up and learn that Akio is already dead. The general says that there is no cure and he was happy to have tracked them down as he hated loose ends.

In the present, Oliver is getting ready for his wedding to Nyssa. Before the wedding can go on, Nyssa tries to kill Oliver but he stops her. In the basement, the group say goodbyes and begin to pass out.

Cast

Main Cast

• Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Al Sah-him
• Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance/Black Canary
• David Ramsey as John Diggle
• Willa Holland as Thea Queen
• Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak
• Colton Haynes as Roy Harper
• John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer
• Paul Blackthorne (credit only)

Special Guest Star

• Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer/The Atom

Guest Starring

• Matt Nable as Ra's al Ghul
• Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul
• Karl Yune as Maseo Yamashiro/Sarab
• Rila Fukushima as Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana
• Marc Singer as Matthew Shrieve
• Françoise Yip as The Priestess

Co-Starring

• Kevin Haaland as Skel
• Skyler Mowatt as Sentry
• Brandon Nomura as Akio Yamashiro
• Howard Siegel as Manny
• Lucas Wolf as League Assassin

Production

Preparation began March 17, 2015 and ran until March 25, 2015. Shooting began March 26, 2015 and ran until April 7, 2015.

Videos

Arrow 3x22 Promo "This Is Your Sword" (HD)-0

Arrow 3x22 Extended Promo "This Is Your Sword" (HD)

Arrow 3x22 Canadian Promo - This Is Your Sword HD VOSTFR

Arrow 3x22 New Zealand Promo - This Is Your Sword HD VOSTFR

Arrow - Episode 3x22 This Is Your Sword Sneak Peek 1 Arrow

Arrow - Episode 3x22 This Is Your Sword Sneak Peek 2 (HD) Arrow Olicity

Trivia

• This is the third time that the penultimate episode of a season of Arrow shares the same name of a Bruce Springsteen song, the 2014 song "This Is Your Sword". Overall, this pattern was repeated for five times; the previous are "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Streets of Fire", and the following are "Lost in the Flood", "Missing", and "The Ties That Bind".
• Oliver is revealed to be working undercover so that he can dismantle the League of Assassins from the inside, with only Malcolm Merlyn being the only other person aware of the plan.
• When Matthew Shrieve gives Maseo and Oliver the code to the safe containing the fake Alpha-Omega cure, he says the code is "4587". This sequence be Oliver's future prison number as "Inmate 4587" three years later while he was incarcerated in Slabside Maximum Security Prison .
• Roy uses the alias "Jason" in Monument Point. This could be a reference to the Red Hood's identity as Jason Todd. In the New 52, Jason Todd stars along Roy Harper in Volume 1 of the ongoing comic series, Red Hood and the Outlaws.
• This episode marks the first appearance of Tatsu Yamashiro in her costume.

Goofs

• The aircraft the League first uses is a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II (AKA Joint Strike Fighter). During take-off, it is obviously an F-35B, the variant designed primarily for the United States Marine Corps. However when Ray is fighting the aircraft in the air, it is obviously an F-35A, the variant designed primarily for the United States Air Force, as the STOVL (short take-off/vertical landing doors) on the B variant are not present. This footage looks a lot like some of the F-35 promotional video.
• The schematics of the aircraft on Felicity's tablet are not those of an F-35. They are closer to a McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier, which also has STOVL capabilities but has a very different planform.