Arrow Recap With Spoilers: The Candidate

The episode opens on another fight scene between Team Arrow and a group of machine-gun wielding thugs in the employ of Damien Darhk. Over the comms, Felicity says she wants a codename, but Oliver tells her to locate the bomb they're there to stop instead.

She locates it and Oliver disarms it with a spray.

Back at the headquarters, Oliver lectures Thea about not killing the Ghosts, but she avoids the conversation by reminding him that they have company coming over. Felicity is dressed up and excited for her first day as CEO, and Oliver got her some gifts.

In the flashback, Oliver kills an armed man on Lian Yu who is interrogating him. He takes his bag and opens a laptop, sending messages to Waller and getting cryptic messages in response.

Back at home, Oliver and Thea are hosting Jessica Danforth and her daughter Madison, old family friends. Jessica wants to run for mayor, and Oliver and Thea warn her off of it, but she's determined to follow Green Arrow's lead in taking back the city.

Thea heads to work and is rebuffed by her board; the company is in a bad way, but they've turned to Curtis Holt, who has a "way out." He pitches Felicity an algorithm that will help downsizing. She doesn't want to, but is told by the board there isn't much choice.

At a rally for Jessica Danforth, Oliver and Thea stand in the crowd bickering. Danforth makes her announcement of an intention to run, and it's predicatably attacked by gunmen. Oliver and Thea split duties, with Thea going after the shooters -- actually unmanned gun turrets -- and Oliver goes after Danforth, who is being kidnapped by someone posing as one of her security detail.

Oliver disarms the man, but he runs; Oliver gives chase but is evaded when the attacker gets into a waiting car while Oliver is hit by another.

Back at HQ, Team Arrow has the windshield from the truck that hit Arrow and the assailant, but the attacker's fingerprints are no help; he's cut his fingertips up and moved the fingerprints around. Oliver decides to go offer help to the cops.

At the police department, he tells Lance that he wants to help and that things are going to be different this time. Lance asks him how.

On Lian Yu in another flashback, Oliver is watching a small village where people are being forced at gunpoint to harvest crops. He preps himself for battle and drops the corpse of the man he killed earlier onto a land mine.

At Palmer Tech in the modern day, Felicity and Curtis start the process of their downsizing, but their first firing makes Felicity feel bad because she tells them that the employees belived in Felicity.

Out on the streets, Diggle and Laurel are driving around staking out the police department. Laurel tries to get him to open up about what's bothering him, and he admits to her that he suspects the connection between Darhk and his brother's death. He says he's kept his investigation into H.I.V.E. secret for two years, and Laurel tells him he has to tell the team.

The gunman from the rally is waiting in a warehouse, where Darhk meets him, saying that he's only been half of his fee becuase he failed to impress H.I.V.E. The man, identified as Mr. Machin, says he isn't done yet. Darhk wants to prevent Danforth from even running for mayor. Darhk tells him this is his last chance and leaves.

At the headquarters, Team Arrow gets intel from Felicity that could lead to Machin's whereabouts. They go looking for him, asking some locals for information on the man in a photo. When a drug dealer gets mouthy with Speedy, she breaks his arm, and when Oliver objects she speeds off on her motorcycle.

Back at HQ, Felicity figures out who Machin is, and when Oliver tries to calm Thea down, the two end up pushing each other around and she gets the better of him. Oliver tells her that Thea that Malcolm had warned him the Lazarus Pit would change her, but he didn't tell her becuase she seemed fine. She gets upset and storms off.

On the island, Oliver pretends the man died in the landmines and turns himself into the other armed men.

At Palmer Tech, Felicity is having a minor breakdown between the Team Arrow stress and the layoffs. Curtis' algorithm has decided he himself needs to be fired, so he leaves, putting on a brave face.

At the police department, Oliver visits Jessica, who delivers a stirring justification of her decision to stay in the race. Her daughter has headed back to college, though, and when Oliver tells Jessica to call Madison, it turns out someone has overwhelmed her police escort and her phone rings away in the street.

Danforth goes on TV in tears to ask for her daughter back, and then flees the podium. Oliver and the police are watching from the side, and Oliver convinces Lance to let Team Arrow help.

In the flashback, Oliver is led into a shelter where the leader of the armed men recognizes him and says that while he won't send him home, he has no reason to kill him. He suggests that since Oliver has survived here so long on his own, he clearly has value. He offers Oliver the job of the man who just died.

At a bar, Darhk goes to see Machin, who has Madison in a steemer trunk. Darhk is furious, saying their relationship is over because he respects order and Machin only anarchy. He tells Machin to clean up his mess and leaves.

Back at their shared apartment, Thea feels bad for Jessica suggesting this is what it must have been like for Moira when Thea was kidnapped. Laurel asks what happened to her on Nanda Parbat and Thea explains the Lazarus Pit. Laurel figures out that Thea's temper is a side effect, and then realizes that of course Oliver didn't listen, because he would do anything to save his sister.

Lance heads to see Darhk, furious. He says he's going to quit, but Darhk holds Laurel over his head. He gives Lance the location of Madison, saying that it wasn't his kidnapping but that Lance had better watch his tone.

At HQ, Felicity is upset and Oliver has to talk her down. He gets a call from Lance telling him where to save Madison.

At his lair, Lonnie Machin takes out some implements of torture and heads toward Madison, who is tied with her arms up. He releases one of her hands and makes her pinky swear she won't tell anyone about him, and then breaks her pinkie. But Team Arrow crashes through the skylight and stops him from doing anything more. He holds them off with a pre-planned arsenal including a giant flamethrower.

Machin gets away, but is still in the building; Oliver and Thea go looking for him while Diggle and Laurel get Maidson out of the building and to safety. Lonnie electrocutes Thea from behind and ends up fighting with Oliver, zapping him as well. Before he can do anything else, though, Lazarus Pit rage takes over and Thea storms in, beating him down and eventually elecrocuting him with his own weapon. He's standing too near some chemicals, though, and catches fire; Oliver saves his life by breaking open a pipe overhead, but both Oliver and Thea are scared of what she's done.

Back at the police department, Jessica is delighted to see Madison. Oliver comes to see them, and Jessica tells Oliver that she's withdrawing her candidacy for mayor and will make a statement soon.

Lance tells Oliver that he's not impressed by nearly killing Machin.

In the flashback, Oliver has joined the gunmen; when a man collapses in need of water, he shouts down a woman trying to help him.

At Palmer Tech, the board comes in to see Felicity, furious that she's rehired everyone she fired. She brings in Curtis, telling the board that he's got an invention in the pipeline that will astonish the world. They give her six months, until the next shareholders' meeting, to do it. Holt tells her he doesn't have anything like that and she made a bold move.

Oliver heads to see Thea, apologizing for not telling her about the Pit. He tells her that whatever she's going through, they'll get through it together.

Laurel comes in and offers an out-of-town trip for she and Thea; Oliver kisses Thea good-bye and thanks Laurel. As he leaves, Laurel reveals her plans to take Thea to Nanda Parbat to get help from Merlyn. She says they aren't telling Oliver because Thea isn't the only reason for going.

On the way to the hospital, Machin attacked the paramedics and slaughtered them, painting an anarchy symbol on the wall in blood.

At home, Oliver goes to see Felicity, who tells him she's figured out her work problems. He's disappointed in himself, saying that both Lance and Danforth said something about the city needing something Green Arrow can't be -- someone who can do things in the light, and who isn't afraid. He decides he's running for mayor.

At Sara's grave, Laurel and Thea open the casket, revealing her body.