Arrow season 2, episode 20, “Seeing Red,” aired tonight. Read our recap and discuss the episode with fellow fans.
Awakening
In the foundry, Felicity and Diggle watch over Roy, whose condition remains poor while Caitlin works on the cure. According to Felicity, there’s also been no media mention of Isabel’s death.
Their food run is cut short, though, when Roy wakes up. He’s shaking and flips the computer desk before knocking Diggle over and fleeing. Diggle chases him but loses him on the streets.
Meanwhile, Oliver and Sara are sharing a hotel room when Oliver suggests he and Sara find a place. Sara is surprised — and visibly uncomfortable. They’re interrupted by their phones ringing, though, and they return to the foundry to find the wreckage.
At the Queen mansion, after Thea interrupts Moira’s interview, Mark Francis tells Moira to be either a mother or a candidate; she can’t be both.
Rampage
As the Arrow and Canary ride around looking for Roy, Sin intercepts him. Roy shoves her aside, which incites a fight. When Sin tries to stop Roy, he hits her as well and leaves.
At Verdant, Thea complains about Diggle shadowing her, but Oliver replies that he’s there to protect her. Thea leaves as Sin arrives. Sara sees her bruise, and Sin hesitantly tells her Roy did it but adds that Roy needs help, not a beatdown.
Meanwhile, Moira visits Sebastian Blood to tell him that she’s dropping out of the mayoral race. She’s planning a concession speech at her rally, as Thea needs her more than Starling does right now.
After Team Arrow’s unsuccessful attempts at tracking Roy, Sin informs Sara that Roy is in the bell tower. There, Canary immediately attacks Roy, but he knocks her out. Oliver pulls off his hood and mask and tries to reach Roy, but Roy snaps Oliver’s knee and runs. He also dispatches two cops with an arrow Oliver shot at him.
Fracturing pieces
At Verdant, Diggle tells Thea her mother loves her, but their conversation is cut short when Thea sees the news about Roy’s rampage. She meets Sin, who tells her Roy was injected with a drug around Christmas. Thea realizes Diggle’s presence means Oliver knows.
In the foundry, Oliver and Sara argue over whether Roy is too far gone. Sara says this is the same argument they had five years before about Slade, and then she grabs a gun — Mirakuru can’t heal a head shot.
After she leaves, Oliver tells Felicity that Sara reminds him of himself just after he got home from the island. Felicity reminds him that he found hope eventually, and Sara will too.
‘I know.’
Roy hallucinates Thea, a la Slade and Shado, telling him that if someone hurts you, they deserve to be punished. Permanently. She tells him to kill her.
Meanwhile, Oliver learns about Moira’s plan to concede the election and tries to convince her not to, saying Thea needs to see Moira doing good things as mayor.
But the big bombshell comes as Moira reveals she’s known Oliver is the Arrow since the Undertaking. And she’s proud of him.
At the rally Moira begins her speech, but she sees Thea in the crowd. Sparing a glance for Oliver, she decides not to drop out after all. Thea then takes to the mic, hoping her televised appearance will draw Roy in.
To shoot or not to shoot
Downstairs, Oliver takes a very large dose of lidocaine, courtesy of a doctor thankful to the Arrow for stopping the Triad from taking his medication shipments, and suits up. Meanwhile, Roy appears in the club, causing chaos.
Thea appeals to him, but Roy grabs her throat. Canary appears, ready to shoot. Thea begs her not to while Sin gets between them. Roy drops Thea as Canary shoots him in the leg. He begs her to kill him.
The Arrow then shoots Roy with tranquilizer arrows. Oliver says he’s not ready to give up on Roy. Sara replies that she was going to kill Roy — that she wanted to because that’s who she is. In a twist on the trope, Sara tells Oliver he deserves someone better. She cares about him too much to be with him.
On Sara’s way out, Sin tells her she got between her and Roy because she knows Sara’s not a killer. Sara hugs Sin goodbye and leaves to “see an old friend.”
True courage
On the ride from Verdant, Thea accuses Oliver of knowing about Roy and says his and Moira’s lies and secrets are actually what’s hurting her. Moira agrees that they need to turn a new page. She prepares to confess that Malcolm is still alive when they’re run into.
Oliver slowly comes to and sees Slade standing over Thea and Moira. Slade confronts Oliver over Shado’s death, and Moira realizes Slade was also on the island. Oliver begs Slade to kill him, but Slade tells Oliver to choose.
Moira stands and says there’s only one way for the night to end. Slade says she possesses true courage before holstering the gun. He says he’s sorry she did not pass that on to her son, then stabs her with his sword. The episode closes with Oliver and Thea collapsed around Moira’s body.
Seven years ago…
Oliver reveals to Moira that he got a girl (not Laurel) pregnant. Moira tells him that everyone makes mistakes, then handles it herself. She offers the girl $1 million for the child’s — and Oliver’s — future. She then offers another million if the girl will claim that she lost the baby and is moving to Central City.
Moira later walks in on Oliver receiving that call. He goes through a string of emotions — relief and sadness included — as Moira comforts him. He says he wouldn’t be able to get through this without her. “You’re never without me,” she replies.
