Arrow Recap With Spoilers: Brotherhood

11/18/2015 09:02 pm EST

The episode opens with two motorcycles chasing an armored car. While the driver is focused on them, a panel truck pulls out in front of him and he crashes into it. He crawls out, but before his assailants can shoot him, the man is rescued by Black Canary's sonic scream. Team Arrow square off with a handful of Ghosts, with Thea barely staying her hand when she's tempted to kill one of them. When it's clear his plan has been foiled, one of the ghosts throws a grenade into the truck, burning the money. Oliver tells the team the money was a bailout of a local bank from the federal government.

Back at the lair, Team Arrow has a short meeting, after which Diggle gives Oliver his brother's file, explaining that H.I.V.E. had Andy killed because his criminal operations conflicted with theirs. Oliver tells Diggle that his brother deserves the benefit of the doubt and they should look into it.

In the flashback, Oliver learns that the man who attacked him (and who he killed) is the brother of the woman he saved.

In the present, Ray comes in to Palmer Tech and Felicity asks him to help her identify the DNA from a tooth Diggle had pulled off one of the ghosts -- it was a hollow one filled with poison. Ray figures out that it's been degraded on purpose using some kind of device.

At the campaign office, Oliver wants to push a jobs program, which Alex doesn't think is sexy enough, but their debate is interrupted by a call: Felicity directs them to a pharmaceutical company where they can find the compound that was used on the tooth. A ghost tries to shoot Black Canary, but Diggle knocks him out. When Diggle takes the unconscious man's mask off, it's his brother under there. Andy wakes up, kicks Diggle off and runs.

Back at the lair, Oliver wants to find Andy and figure out what's going on, but Diggle is determined he's dead -- or at least dead to him.

In the flashback, Oliver and the other soldier talk to Reiter, who figures out that Oliver is telling the truth about just defending himself. He has the other man taken away.

At H.I.V.E., Darhk summons Lance, telling him that security believes he staged their meeting last week so that Green Arrow could follow Darhk. He tells Lance to tread carefully. Before leaving, Lance sees an address on Darhk's table.

At the Police Benevolence dinner, Oliver makes a speech and then asks Lance or help. Lance tells him about the address he saw during his meeting with Darhk. Laurel talks to Diggle about his brother, and Diggle says he doesn't want to hold out false hope that his brother isn't a bad guy.

Oliver speaks with supporters, including Damien Darhk, who asks for a moment alone. The two of them talk about Oliver's "restoration of Starling Bay" project. He tells Oliver to forget about it, or he'll "no longer be unopposed."

At the lair, Oliver wants to agree to Darhk's demands in order to get inside the organization. Felicity strongly objects.

In the flashbacks, Reiter offers Oliver a whip and the chance to use it on the soldier who conspired against him. Oliver uses it on the man's back.

On a date, Alex jokes about how Diggle finding his brother alive after 8 years is even more impressive than the five for Thea and Oliver. He take sa phone call and excuses himself...and as soon as he leaves, a man approaches The and starts harassing her. She jumps him and beats him brutally, only stopping when Alex shouts at her.

At home, Diggle tells Lyla that he doesn't know what to do about the revelation that his brother's back. There's a knock at the door, and Lyla answers: it's Ollie. He offers to bring Team Arrow to help Diggle look for his brother. Diglge says he wants it to be just he and Oliver, he doesn't want to endanger the others. They go, and watch Darhk start a speech to the ghosts, but one of them spots the pair and they all open fire. After a brief fight, Oliver and Diggle incapacitate most of them but have to retreat.

At the lair, Diggle is feeling bad for letting Oliver go looking for Andy. He tells Oliver to let it go, that Andy made his choice. Oliver says that the men they saw were being manipulated by Darhk, but Diggle says it doesn't matter: Andy let his son and his wife believe he was dead for eight years, and there's no excuse for it. Ultimately, Oliver tells Diggle that he needs to believe that no matter how bad things get, they can come back from it. Diggle says that apparently Oliver didn't learn much from the League last year, and that fighting Darhk from the inside isn't actually operating differently, like he keeps saying he's going to. He says that to fight differently, they have to take Darhk down "in the light of day."

Back on Lian Yu, Oliver has to tell Taiana that her brother is dead.

In the present, Ray tells Felicity that it doesn't seem like he made a positive impact on the world, so he doesn't know why he should admit he's back from the "dead." He tells her that he found information linking the tooth to a closed-down psychiatric hospital.

At the Lair, Team Arrow gets ready to go after the ghosts and bring back Andy, over Diggle's objections.

Team Arrow arrives to find there's a lot of activity going on given that it's 3 a.m. Curtis has developed infrared glasses that should virtually unmask the ghosts so that Team Arrow can look for Andy. While they're strategizing, Speedy and Canary run across ghosts. Luckily, Speedy ends up in close quarters combat with Andy. Unluckily, he's trying to kill her. Eventually she tranqs him, but Oliver still needs to go help carry him. During the fight, Atom shows up to help out.

In the hallway, Darhk sees Thea and grabs her, having recognized her fighting style and pegged her as one of Malcolm's trainees. When he tries to use his soul-sucking power thing on her, it doesn't work and hurts his hand, allowing her to get away. Canary has Andy, but needs Atom's help to get him out around the crowd. Ollie takes on the ghosts himself, with a last-minute assist from Diggle, who says that his brother -- Oliver -- needed him.

At the Lair, Diggle thanks the team for helping with Andy. Palmer says he still isn't going back to work, as he needs to find something else to do with his life, but that he'll still be a hero from time to time. Oliver tells him that he's decided Diggle was right, and he's not going to work with Darhk.

On Lian Yu, Oliver produces a map he lifted from Reiter's office. It's Constantine's map of the island, and Ollie needs her help to use it properly.

At home, Thea invites Merlyn over, telling him that Damien's powers didn't work on her, and her bloodlust was gone. She wants Merlyn to help her figure out a way to make that permanent.

In the lair, Diggle goes to see Andy, who is in a cell. He wants answers, but Andy won't talk to him. Diggle throws the file at his brother, who looks through it and hands it back, saying it's all true.

At a press event the next morning, Oliver prepares to launch the program Darhk wanted him to stop. Thea asks Alex to be patient with her about the whole crazy attacking people thing.

Oliver tells the press that the fight to save Star City isn't going to be fought in the shadows, but in the light of day -- and that he'll never stop fighting to save this city. As he says this, he locks eyes with Damien.

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