'Arrow' recap: 'Lone Gunmen' face off

The third episode of "Arrow" amped up the pressure on our hero, Oliver Queen. With a deadly assassin targeting his own hit list, a wayward sister getting busted for shoplifting, and his bodyguard getting way too close, Oliver realizes it's all too much even for a budding superhero to handle alone.

The threat
 
Arrow visits another villain on his list to offer up a chance at redemption, but a sniper takes out the target before he gets a chance. Grazed by the deadly bullet, Oliver heads back to his hideout to nurse his wound, only to realize the bullet was also poisoned. Luckily, he learned about some herbal antidotes from his mysterious hooded friend back on the island. A friend, we see in flashbacks, who helped protect him from some other, scarier dudes in the jungle.

Once he's recovered, Oliver does his own investigation of the crime scene, and the clues lead to the Russian mob. Because he speaks Russian and has the right tattoo, the famous playboy is somehow able to pass himself off as one of their own -- including a background check into his false identity. One of the mobsters gives him a lead on the assassin Deadshot (Michael Rowe), a lethal killer for hire that tattoos his victims' names all over his body.

Family and friends
 
Oliver is still struggling to help his troubled sister and decides to enlist his mother's help. Thea doesn't seem too interested in Mom's new discipline, until the two finally have a heart-to-heart chat and share a memory about Dad. Both agree to try to have a better relationship.

Meanwhile, Oliver decides to build a night club over his secret Arrow base to provide cover for all of his late-night outings and an excuse for his being in the run-down neighborhood. While scoping out the competition at a former rival's club, Oliver learns about Laurel and Tommy -- and decides to be totally cool about it. After a fight breaks out with the owner, he also learns that Laurel can kick some serious butt, thanks to her dad's insistence on self-defense classes.

Acting alone
 
Arrow gets the jump on Deadshot at the murderer's favorite hotel, but with a little help from his arm cannon and swift moves, Deadshot escapes. Our hero does manage to snag the bad guy's laptop and learns his next target: An auction, where businessmen bid to buy another company, that his own family is attending. Knowing he can't protect everyone from his deadly adversary, Arrow sneaks up on Detective Lance and forcefully passes along the information about the possible hit.

Despite their best efforts, several people are shot, though Detective Lance manages to save Walter's life, and Digg gets Oliver's mother and sister out of the building. Oliver dons his Arrow gear and heads up to the sniper's perch, confronting Deadshot in an arrow-to-bullet showdown. A well-placed arrowhead plunges into Deadshot's elaborate strapped-on monocle, but the bad news is that a snooping Digg has gotten shot with one of those poisonous bullets.

Oliver makes a bold decision, taking Digg down to his Arrow lair to get him the antidote for the poison. As the episode "Lone Gunmen" fades out, we see that Oliver has decided to reveal Arrow's true identity to his bodyguard.

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PHOTO: 2012 "Arrow" screencap, "Lone Gunmen", CW, fair use.

'Arrow' recap: 'Honor Thy Father,' Dishonor His Memory

Now that "Arrow" has introduced many of the main players in the pilot, the episode "Honor Thy Father" gives us a deeper look into Oliver Queen and the new duality of his life. We also get more of an understanding of what happened to the former irreverent playboy on that island. Throw in a new villain, family drama, and two shadowy figures, and viewers have another entertaining installment of the comic book series.

Dead to me
 
While Oliver is nursing his own emotional wounds from five years on the island, Thea lets him know that he wasn't the only one who suffered. When he once again refuses to open up to her, she takes him to the back of their property to show him the two grave markers that were put up for her father and brother. While he was gone, she used to talk to Oliver's grave in a way that she feels she can't now that he's here.

Rather than confiding in her, however, he visits his ex, Laurel, to try and mend fences. He tells her his previous brush-off was meant to protect her, not hurt her. The two share an evening of conversation and ice cream, and Oliver lets her know that no amount of apologizing from him will ever make up for her sister's death. It turns out to be lucky that he's there, when several assassins burst in to kill Laurel and prevent her from continuing a civil case against their murdering crime boss.

Digg is catching on
 
To appease his mother, Oliver finally concedes to having bodyguard Diggle at his side. The ex-military man lets his slippery charge know that one more escape and "your mother won't have to fire me." Having Digg around comes in handy in the attack on Laurel, and fans got a fantastic fight scene where Oliver's bodyguard really shows his mad skills in the combat department. Martial artist and ruthless assassin China White gets the jump on him, however, and it takes a precise knife throw by Oliver to scare her off and save Digg's life.

Oliver tries to shake it off as a "lucky throw," but Digg isn't buying it. We can also see him carefully appraising his client's every move, not convinced when Oliver turns on his "useless playboy" act to fool everyone into thinking he hasn't changed since his ordeal on the island. It's a good bet that Digg is eventually going to be an important ally in Oliver's quest.

Honor thy father
 
In dual poignant scenes, Oliver says goodbye to his father. We see him in flashback, alone and scared on the island, dragging his dad's body farther onto land and then covering him with stones. Back at home, he talks to the grave marker Thea showed him, promising his dad that he'll continue on the quest to right the wrongs his father and others committed on the city. In order to honor Mr. Queen's wishes, however, sometimes he'll have to dishonor his memory. No one can know what Oliver's up to, and he's forced to accept that he can't be the responsible heir his mother wants him to be until his mission is done.

We learn in the flashback that the little book Oliver carries, with the names of corrupt people his father gave him, was originally his father's. The front inside cover of the book carries a circular symbol, one that we see later with a shadowy figure Mrs. Queen is speaking with at a secret meeting. She nervously tells the mystery villain that it's quite clear now that Oliver knows nothing about them and that he doesn't know that the boat was sabotaged. We're not sure if she's merely a frightened pawn in a larger game or willingly a part of the murder plot on her family.

Future dangers
 
Oliver is always in danger of getting caught and nearly gets nabbed by Laurel's policeman father. Though his daughter feels The Arrow is helping fight crime, Detective Lance doesn't like vigilantes and vows to bring the archer to justice as soon as possible.

Both Oliver and his alter ego now have to be cautious of a return from China White, who escaped from Laurel's apartment. There's Digg's suspicions, and his mother and Walter's watchful eyes. Then there's his friend Tommy, who's keeping the secrets of Oliver's fighting skills for now but doesn't appear to be all that comfortable with his friend's new incarnation.

Then there's the mysterious man in Oliver's flashback, a hooded archer who looks a lot like Arrow does now. In his first day on the island, our hero is struck through the shoulder with an arrow from this cloaked figure. Is he the reason for all of Oliver's scars? Is he still out there?

More Season 1 Recaps here!




PHOTO: 2012 "Arrow" Screencap, "Honor Thy Father", CW, fair use.