My “Nashville” recap will be late due to family issues.



We open with a bickering odd couple working as security guards of an armored truck. They get surrounded and someone gases them out of the truck, just to shoot them. What is the point of that? The truck was robbed is the gist.

At Ollie’s house, Thea is campaigning to get a car for her 18th birthday since Ollie had the same deal. No such luck. Tommy enters as Momma Moira and Thea exit. Ollie tells him about Thea’s theory that their mother is too okay about Walter maybe being dead. Then they watch the news coverage of the armored truck attack. Tommy’s only comment is that they should keep their money offshore. Like you have money, Tommy.

Ollie and Diggle do their usual flirting thing at the lair but that’s gets interrupted by a bombshell. Diggle’s former Afghanistan commander, Ted Gaynor (a comic book character) is in the Little Brown Book. Diggle tries to use logic about how Ted is not rich, he saved Diggle once and also, Ollie’s dad didn’t even write that book so why do we take the book’s word for things? Little does he know there is no place for logic in a superhero show. Ollie offers him the week off but Diggle is not about to let that happen.

Back on the island, Ollie is dressed up like the soldier he killed. He puts on a mask that goes with the outfit to go get some food. Fortunately for him, masks are common when getting food at this place. This is thanks to plot contrivance. Nevertheless, this scene shows the goodness in Ollie as he finally has a plate of hot food and he has to give it up to go save his friend. So sweet. He’s about to go storm the castle alone (which makes him dumb) when Edward shows up and gets in the back of the car. Oops.

Tommy is hard at work at the club when Captain Jack calls him. He thinks his tough love moves have been good for Tommy. Thus he wants to bond and will even have dinner with Laurel. It seems like quite the sacrifice, but we have no reason to believe he knows her personality yet. Tommy seems to think about it.

At Ted Gaynor’s office, Arrow storms in and shoots tranquilizer darts into people. He’s gotten less murderous. It’s almost like island Ollie. Arrow pulls an arrow on Ted and threatens him, giving Ted full view of his face in looks like. Before he can dispense justice, Diggle points a gun at Arrow. Arrow makes one of his grand exits, stealing a flash drive as he does so. Diggle pretends to chase him. Ted hires Diggle for a job and evades questions about why he might be getting murdered. Say what you want about Diggle, he’s a loyal puppy.



Back at the lair, Ollie and Diggle yell at each other. Ollie is mad that he might have hurt his precious Diggle. Diggle is not pleased with the lack of trust. Ollie responds with a huge nod of trust by admitting his father left him a message about the list a few years ago and he didn’t get it on the island? What? When is this flashback? Diggle says he’s going to prove Ted’s innocence by working in Black Hawk with him. Ollie soothes himself with a hopefully revealing flashback.

Back on the island, Ollie is still riding with Edward. He nearly reveals himself put doesn’t. If only he could not take the mask off ever. Maybe even use it in present day?

In a town car, Thea and Momma Moira are coming from a shopping spree. Thea is sad to not have her dad on her birthday. Rather than comfort her, Momma Moira is forced to blow her off for Captain Jack (who wouldn’t honestly?). Thea notices this.

At CNRI, Tommy tells Laurel about his dad calling. He thinks his dad is up to something. Laurel thinks Captain Jack just misses him tons and tons. Tommy believes her because love truly is blind.

At Queen Consolidated, Malcolm shows up to tell Momma Moira that a guy named Carl Ballard is trying to gentrify the glades. Momma Moira agrees to stop him in exchange for proof that Walter is still alive. Thea has seen the whole thing. How long was that girl hiding against the wall do you think? Did she make it to the meeting by getting in Momma Moira’s trunk? So many questions.

Momma Moira: “Trust but verify.”

At Big Belly Burger, Ted and Diggle are having coffee. Carly comes over and banters with them. When she’s gone, Ted tells Diggle to snap her up. Diggle doesn’t think it would be right. This would be a warning sign Diggle. A guy named Paul Knox comes to the table and he is also in Black Hawk. Diggle knows him and doesn’t seem to like him. Ted instructs Diggle to offer a second chance.

In Ollie’s room, Thea reveals she was watching Momma Moira from afar and thinks Momma Moira and Captain Jack are having an affair. Apparently, they also got together a lot right before Robert died. Ollie thinks an affair is ridiculous. Thea disagrees. On the one hand, she knows something is up but it’s hard to believe her when she’s wrong so often. Good thing you’re pretty, girl.

Downstairs, Ollie confronts his mom. She lies that she and Robert had an open marriage but she’s not banging Captain Jack now. As if anyone could resist.

Back on the island, Ollie sees a bunch of cages to hold prisoners. He’s quickly ambushed and imprisoned. Using his brain got him almost nowhere. It’s a good thing he has the abs.



At a restaurant, the dinner with Tommy, Laurel and Captain Jack, the subject matter is Tommy wanting a dog named Arthur and his mother’s murder. Weird room.

At Queen Consolidated, Ollie recruits Felicity to hack the flash drive that he stole for a “scavenger hunt” in exchange for some expensive wine. Felicity clearly doesn’t buy this story but what is committing a few crimes for some good wine and a hot dude?

In a shocking turn of events, the Laurel/Tommy/Captain Jack dinner gets even more awkward when Captain Jack reveals this whole thing was just a plot to get Tommy to sign some papers to close down his mother’s free clinic. Tommy storms off. Captain Jack wins my eternal “Arrow” love (he already has my being Captain Jack love) by preempting Laurel’s guilt trip by playing the murdered wife card and leaving. I know it’s low and morbid but anything that can stop a Laurel Lance guilt trip is a super power.

In a parking garage, Ted tells Diggle that yes, Knox sucks but he gave him a job to prevent him from committing crimes. Diggle barely cares about Knox when he’s busy imagining a halo over Ted’s head.

Felicity calls Ollie to tell him he must have grabbed the wrong flash drive because instead of a scavenger hunt, there’s detailed information about armored car heists. Felicity wants to take it to the police. Ollie says to avoid getting her in trouble, he’ll do it. The best part of the scene is that even though she stumbled onto yet another huge illegal thing, Felicity is just bummed about the wine. I feel you, girl.

Arrow goes to the next heist and shoots one of the robbers in the neck. Guess he’s moved away from tranquilizers then? At least you tried not to be a killer, bro. Knox is one of the robbers but Ted is not.

At Thea’s party, Ollie is there to wish Thea a happy birthday. It is a happy one as she got the car she was begging for. Ollie meets with Diggle and admits he might have been wrong about Ted. Diggle offers to go to Blackhawk to find out if Knox is who they are looking for. Ollie plants a bug on him before he leaves. Meanwhile, Thea’s friends give her some new drug called Vertigo (which will play heavily into next week’s episode. Yay buildup). I know drugs are bad, but those make a generous gift. I bet they’re getting a hell of a thank you card. Thea then makes a tricky move of taking the moral high ground while going to stash some drugs. Captain Jack has given Momma Moira proof of Walter’s life but Thea thinks it’s some cheating. Thea goes off on Momma Moira for not waiting two months after Walter’s disappearance to get her freak on. She says that Momma Moira should have died instead of Robert. Not one to notice the ethical irony of her situation, she goes downstairs and gets high.

At the Black Hawk headquarters, Diggle has done his snooping and it’s revealed that Ted is in fact evil after all. He was running the whole thing and if Diggle doesn’t join the gang, Carly dies. This is a heartbreaking moment for Diggle. Luckily for him, his new boyfriend is listening to the whole thing and leaves the party to go to him. Is it weird to think the greatest suspension of disbelief this episode that Ollie could even hear anything over that party noise? J/K. It’s probably the mask thing. They’re so in your face about it.



At the next heist, Diggle does not attack the armored car. He fires a grenade at the men and tells Carly to run. She listens thankfully. Diggle and Arrow both fight off the men, with Arrow eventually killing Ted. Diggle knew he was coming all along and makes sure he gets away before the police arrive. Diggle then sees that Carly is safe. I know I should put a joke here but I really just love how loyal Diggle is. Even when faced with all this betrayal. Ollie’s heart will someday be pure again.

Meanwhile, Thea is driving in her car all high. She gets in an accident. I can tell you’re shocked.

At the hospital, Momma Moira and Ollie go to see Thea. She’s fine but has a gash on her head. She kicks Momma Moira out of her room while Momma Moira wonders why she lets her children take transportation anywhere given the luck they have.

At Laurel’s place, Captain Jack has even been calling Laurel to get to Tommy. She tries to make Tommy talk to him. Tommy reveals that his mother died when he was eight and Captain Jack then left for a year or two. That makes him a jerk. Also, it’s probably made him a dark archer. Rich people have different time away than the rest of us. Let’s just say that.

Ollie and Diggle talk in the lair (it’s an arrow cave actually). Diggle told the police the edited truth and he was let go. He admitted Ollie was right. Ollie admitted that he did trust the book more than Diggle but now he wants to trust him. Diggle crosses out Ted’s name in the book. He doesn’t want to know the other names. I feel like another problem like this could come up this way but okay, Diggle. I guess you’ve had a rough day.

As Thea is getting released from the hospital, she gets arrested for a DUI. Ollie is not sympathetic because this drug has been tearing up the glades. Somehow he’s fine with her getting tried as an adult though. Just when you think he’s gonna zig, he zags.

Back on the island, Ollie is imprisoned in a cage. Edward reveals that the person Ollie was trying so hard to save has moved from prisoner to guard. He also led him to this cage. Poor Ollie is all betrayed. This is not a good episode for friendships.



Tell me your thoughts if you have any.

Tags: arrow, tv:wednesday