Arrow Recap With Spoilers: Canaries

"Canaries" opens with, well, a couple of Black Canaries duking it out. Sara Lance and Laurel Lance, both in their Canary attire, are fighting. Sara bests Laurel however, saying that Laurel is an imposter. She is about to deliver a killing blow as the opening logo comes in.

YEAHBUTWHAT?

The show cuts back to 48 hours prior, where Laurel busts a crime as Canary. She goes a little too hard on the criminals, though, which earns the ire of a nearby Arrow. Furious, Arrow tells her to stop her activities. Arrow and Roy return to the Arrow Cave, where Malcolm Merlyn is waiting for them. He tells Oliver that Ra's and the League of Assassins are coming to Starling City, and will seek revenge on Thea for killing Sara. Malcolm also tells Oliver that in order to protect her from the League, he must let Thea in on his secret as the Arrow.

The next day, Count Vertigo holds a press conference outside of the Starling City Court House before his trial. A cop suddenly loses control of himself however, drugged by Vertigo, and opens fire on the crowd. Using the chaos as an opportunity to escape, Vertigo flees to the city.

Later, Oliver visits Thea at Verdant. He says that he must tell her something, and leads her downstairs into the Arrow Cave. Thea doesn't seem too stunned to see Arrow's base of operations, or that Oliver is Arrow, piecing together the recent month's events. Thea apologizes for being angry at Oliver for all of the times he "flaked" on the family in the past, now understanding that he was out saving lives. In fact, she thanks him for his efforts as the Arrow, and embraces him.

Oliver and Thea go back to their apartment, where Oliver explains that Malcolm also knows that he is the Arrow. Malcolm then enters the room, and Oliver explains that all three of them must work together to survive Ra's al Ghul's invasion. Thea disagrees though, furious. She blames Malcolm for Ra's invasion, and refuses to work with her father.

In a  flashback to the past, Tatsu and Maseo flee their home and ARGUS' grasp. They tell Oliver where they are headed before saying goodbye. Oliver is then able able to call his mother on a payphone and leave a voicemail for her. In his message, Oliver  tells her he is alive to and issue a press release, but he is ambushed and captured by ARGUS agents before he can finish his message. He is tortured by ARGUS and Amanda Waller, who says that they destroyed the message before his mom could hear it. Waller then threatens to kill Thea unless Oliver tells her where Tatsu and Maseo have fled. Oliver caves and says that two are on a ferry to Shanghai.

In the present, Team Arrow reviews the footage of Vertigo's escape. Laurel comes in, and surmises that a reporter drugged the cop who opened fire on the crowd. Laurel then tries suiting up as Canary, but Oliver tells her to stop. He accuses her using the Canary persona as a coping mechanism for Sara's murder. Arrow then goes to the reporter's home with Arsenal, but the reporter is wired with a bomb. He explains that Vertigo will kill his wife if he reveals anything. Arrow and Arsenal try stopping him from triggering the detonator, but the reporter won't listen. He blows himself sky high, but Arrow and Arsenal are able to jump out of a nearby window before the blast hits them. On the street below, Count Vertigo watches the explosion.

Oliver returns to his apartment, where Thea is up waiting for him. He explains how he and Arsenal barely escaped Vertigo's explosion. He says that it's his job to keep everyone safe—including Thea. He tries convincing her once again that they need Malcolm in order to stop Ra's. She still won't agree.

The next morning, Captain Lance visits Laurel at her office. He asks Laurel if she's seen Sara in the past few weeks, explaining what Sin told him a few nights before—that the Canary running around Starling City isn't Sara. 

In the Arrow Cave, Roy and Thea talk. Thea explains that she doesn't want to work with Malcolm under any circumstance. Oliver then interrupts their chat, and pulls Roy down to the Arrow Cave. Team Arrow has a lead on Vertigo, and it's Laurel. She managed to find Vertigo and is attempting to take her down himself. Arrow and Arsenal suit up, and go after Canary. 

At Vertigo's base, Laurel takes out Vertigo's goons. But Vertigo gets the jump on Laurel, injecting her with his Vertigo serum. Hallucinating, she envisions Vertigo as Sara—which explains that opening scene. Vertigo is about to finish off Canary, but Arrow hits him with an arrow. Arrow and Arsenal are about apprehend the Count, but two of his thugs enter the fray and distract them while he flees. The duo are about to pursue, but the drugged Laurel requires their immediate attention. They decide to let Vertigo escape, and tend to Laurel.

They bring Laurel to the Arrow Cave. There, Laurel continues to see everyone as Sara. Thea enters the cave and asks to talk to Oliver, but Oliver commands her to leave. Roy tells Oliver to back off. Oliver questions his insubordination. Felicity then jumps into the argument and says that in Arrow's absence, the team learned to act and operate on their own. And even though Oliver is back, they're going to continue make their own calls. 

Outside Verdant, Thea bumps into Chase. She kisses him, and asks to hook up. Sadly, lovesick Roy sees the whole event. Bummer

Inside Verdant, Oliver and Diggle discuss the earlier argument. Diggle tries explaining the group's newfound independence, saying that the Team is no longer "Team Arrow," but Starling City's protectors in their own right. 

In the past, Maseo comes to rescue Oliver from Waller. Apparently, the Shanghai story was a lie in case Oliver was captured and tortured. But Maseo is struck down by Waller's  ARGUS thugs. Oliver and Maseo later come to, finding themselves in a limo with Waller. Waller needs to know where Tatsu is, but before the conversation goes any further, Waller reveals that they are now in Starling City.

In the present, Laurel comes to. She explains to Felicity what she saw in her vision, and how Sara's ghost still haunts her. Felicity explains that Laurel and Sara are not the same person, suggesting that Laurel should stop trying to be Sara, and just be herself. Felicity then gets a lead on Vertigo's whereabouts, and his master plan to drug Starling City with his Vertigo serum. 

At Thea's apartment, she and Chase lie in bed. The two then share a glass of wine, but Thea gives Chase a strange look. She knows that something is up with this guy, and tries stabbing him with a a knife. Chase blocks the blow. He then reveals himself as a member of the League of Assassins, and tries killing Thea. But, he's stopped by Roy and Malcolm Merlyn. Malcolm begins to interrogate Chase about Ra's plans for Starling, but the assassin  takes a poison pill.

Back at the Arrow Cave, the team devises a plan to stop Vertigo, who's holding a laboratory  hostage and forcing its scientists to produce Vertigo serum. Arrow can't find Arsenal, so he takes Canary instead. They track Vertigo to the lab, where Vertigo creates a massive fire as a distraction. As Arrow saves the hostages, Canary goes after Vertigo. Vertigo drugs her again, and "transforms' into Sara once more. 

It's a Canary rematch, but then Vertigo turns into Laurel's father, Captain Lance. All of Laurel's insecurities and fears begin to compound, but she overcomes them. Laurel escapes Vertigo's chokehold and beats him into submission, but doesn't overdo it. Arrow sees the entire ordeal, and Laurel's display of restraint. He tells Felicity over the radio that the ordeal is over, but Felicity corrects him. She brings him up to speed on the developments with Thea, Chase, and Roy.

Laurel, having conquered her fears through Vertigo, then visits Captain Lance at the Starling City Police Department. She confesses that Sara is long-dead, and that she's been standing in for her as Canary. The news drops Captain Lance into his chair, as he once again mourns the loss of Sara.

Oliver heads to Thea's apartment, where Thea, Roy and Malcolm stand around Chase's dead body. Thea says that she didn't ask to get sucked into the League's activities. She understands now that she must work with Malcolm, but she will not enjoy it. Malcolm understands, but says that Thea must prepare herself. To get ready for the League, Malcolm says that she must accompany him and Oliver to an unknown, but important location.

Oliver says goodbye to the team, trusting them to protect the city in his absence. Thea says goodbye to Roy, giving him a kiss on the cheek before departing. 

The three begin their trek into a forest. But where are they? Why the island of Lian Yu of course, the location of Arrow's transformation from spoiled socialite to hardened warrior. Looks like it's training day for Thea.