Oliver goes to find Thea and bring her back- finally!- and Diggle and Roy join the adventure. Diggle’s there not just as a supportive friend, but on a mission on Lyla’s behalf. It doesn’t really go according to plan, culminating in a big, dramatic shoot-out. Our boys are fine, obviously, but they’re attacked from both sides, and Ollie even uses a gun. We also glimpse Thea’s training with Malcolm, and can you say psychopath? His idea of training is literally beating his daughter until she decides to fight back. Effective, apparently. since at the end of the episode someone accidentally spills hot coffee on her, and she doesn’t even flinch. MIA’s “Bad Girls” should play in the background every time Thea walks into a room.

Despite the harsh training and now being able to claim Malcolm as her father, Thea still seems like Thea. Laurel, on the other hand, seems ready to take Sara’s place as the Canary. I’m still pretty mad that Sara is dead- by pretty mad I mean super mad- but I’m so excited to see Laurel become the Canary! She’s doing it on her own, too, and despite Ollie’s wishes, which I absolutely love. There’s room for more than one vigilante in this town, Ollie, and it’s unfair to leave Laurel untrained. If she’s going to be working with the Arrow, she needs to at least be able to defend herself, right? But Ollie’s still hurting from Sara’s death himself, and unlike Laurel, he doesn’t have a support group to talk to. I mean, he’s got Diggle, Felicity, Roy… but sharing his feelings with them seems out of the question. Classic brooding, angsty hero trope. Let’s move past it.

Thea back in Starling City can only mean good plot points from here on out, and Laurel as the Canary is pretty awesome. It was nice seeing flashbacks from Thea for a change. Roy was lacking in this episode, but with Thea back in the picture I expect his character will be utilized and developed a bit more. This is an episode you can skip if you have to, but watch it if you have time. The plot advances, a few characters develop, and there’s enough action to keep us entertained.

Score: 3/5

Director: Stephen Surjik

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays 8/7c.