Arrow season 3, episode 11, “Midnight City,” aired tonight. Read our recap and discuss the episode with fellow fans.
Starling City
We pick up this week with Brick’s reign of terror last week. One of the thugs he freed tries to assault a young woman, but Laurel in her Black Canary gear interferes. However, she struggles to fight him, even getting cut with a knife, and Arsenal comes in to save her.
Back in the foundry, Roy patches Laurel up and lectures her about vigilante-ing without adequate training. Diggle agrees with Roy, but Laurel leaves, unconvinced.
Later that morning, the mayor calls a meeting of the who’s who of Starling City, including city aldermen, Quentin, Laurel, and Ray with Felicity, who arrive late. Quentin mentions to Laurel that Sara is back — a woman reported being saved in the Glades by a blonde in a mask and a black leather jacket. We’re guessing Laurel didn’t consider that wrinkle when donning the Canary gear.
The meeting is interrupted by Brick, though, when he and his men break in. He only wants the mayor and the aldermen alive. Ray and Quentin protect Felicity from an attacker while Laurel looks out for the mayor and knocks out another attacker. However, Brick has the aldermen when the smoke clears.
Laurel blackmails the criminal she knocked out for Brick’s location. Together, Arsenal and Black Canary try to free the aldermen, as Diggle watches from the foundry, but they only manage to free some. As Black Canary is knocked aside like a rag doll, Brick kills one of the aldermen.
Felicity finds Laurel and intends to talk her down from what she’s doing, only to come to her own realization: that the fight is worth fighting — but not for the dead like Oliver and Sara. No, they need to fight for the living (an echo of something she told Oliver last season).
Meanwhile, Brick demands all officers be removed from the Glades, or the two aldermen he still has will be killed. While the mayor plans to give in, Quentin isn’t happy about it. Though Felicity has told him that the Arrow is gone, he calls her for help again. Felicity reunites Team Arrow, plus Laurel, and with the help of Ray Palmer’s helicopter guides the team to the Glades where Arsenal and Black Canary rescue the two captive aldermen. Laurel is still outmatched in a fight, but she’s scrappy and escapes Brick with an epic hero-jump out a window.
Though the aldermen have been freed, Brick has the addresses of Starling City councilmen and threatens to hurt them unless the mayor gives in, so she does. Laurel, in her Black Canary gear, confronts her father from the shadows and uses a voice program to mimic Sara’s voice.
Back at Palmer Technologies, Felicity helps Ray get the tech working for his A.T.O.M. suit that he’s been stuck on. “With my help, you might not end up dead,” she tells him.
Roy, Malcolm, and Thea
As Brick terrorizes the city, Malcolm tries to get Thea to leave town now that they’re not protected from Ra’s. Thea, though, refuses to leave. Roy confronts Malcolm and tells him that Thea will figure out what happened with Sara; she always finds out the truth, and when she does, Malcolm will lose her.
Malcolm takes this to heart and tells Thea the barest version of the truth he can. However, Thea still refuses to leave. She tells Malcolm that he spent months teaching her not to be afraid and how to fight. She refuses now to be told to be afraid. Malcolm eventually relents; they will stay and fight.
Later, Chase, the DJ, arrives at the club, supposedly for some of his things. However, it turns out he’s a spy for the League. He informs Maseo that Malcolm isn’t leaving Starling. Maseo promises to pass word on to Ra’s.
Oliver, Maseo, and Tatsu
Oliver wakes up from a nightmare in which Felicity convinces him not to duel Ra’s al Ghul. He confesses his love for her, they kiss, and Oliver ends up with a sword through his chest. Tatsu gives him some penicillin, and she says Maseo asked her to come to this cabin. Oliver is surprised the couple is still in contact, but Tatsu says they aren’t.
Oliver tells Maseo he’s grateful that he’s stayed, but once the snow storm outside passes, Maseo plans to return to the League. While Oliver knows that Ra’s is bound to find out that he’s still alive, which puts Maseo at risk, Maseo is willing to deal with the risks. Tatsu tells Oliver that Maseo blames himself for what happened, stating the line between grief and guilt is thin.
When a group of League henchmen show up at the cabin, Oliver and Tatsu hide. Maseo tells them he was sent to find Oliver’s remains but found tracks leading to this cabin, meaning he’s alive. He tries to get the men to leave with him, but they look around and find Tatsu, who fights them off along with Maseo. They kill the men, and Maseo buries them.
Oliver and Tatsu once more beg Maseo not to go, but Maseo refuses to return to Starling City with Oliver. Maseo cuts his neck, stating he’ll tell Ra’s Oliver did it during his escape, and leaves.
And in the flashbacks
Oliver and Maseo follow the GPS tracker to a club. However, China White’s men disarm them and she reveals that Maseo agreed to get the Alpha in exchange for Tatsu. After proving Tatsu is alive, China White tests the vial, but it’s a fake. A chase and shootout ensue, but Oliver, Maseo, and Tatsu manage to get out alive. Maseo realizes Amanda Waller swapped out the vials. Womp womp.
Watch a promo for next week’s episode
