ARROW: “The Magician”, Death Still Comes to Starling City {Recap}

Nothing says action packed episode than starting out an episode with Nyssa learning about Sara’s death. Show, we get it already. We really do.

Let’s leave that behind, though, and focus on the family that still has siblings. The Queens are having a nice meal and Thea lets Oliver know that she’s going to reopen Verdant with the help of investors.

Nyssa and Laurel share one very awkward moment over Sara’s grave before Nyssa heads to where Sara had been staying. Oliver shows up, and learns that Sara was in town for a League assignment – looking for Malcolm Merlyn.

Even though Merlyn was declared dead and thus his work for the League of Assassins being complete, if Merlyn’s not dead then the League wants Merlyn dead. And now. Without Sara, Laurel goes to ask Captain Lance for the information Sara asked for. Laurel has the address for the man Sara was after, and Nyssa looked menacing in the police station.

Jensen, the man Sara was looking for, turns out to be Merlyn and cue one very flashy fight between Nyssa and Merlyn before Merlyn escapes.

Now Laurel’s in on Merlyn’s secret and just in time for Felicity’s tech (nanotech) to have hit Merlyn. Maybe that’ll actually be able to track him down? Grief does wonderful things to people. Case in point: Laurel wants Nyssa to kill Merlyn if the opportunity arises.

Felicity’s tech finds Merlyn in an empty air conditioning factory, but he’s not there and now there’s a meeting between the two of them in a very public place, per Merlyn. The meeting is awkward and then Thea’s life gets thrown in the mix and then it gets ugly.

Merlyn swears he didn’t kill Sara and now everyone’s back at square one.

With what Merlyn said to Oliver, Thea and Oliver have another conversation because Oliver wants to tell Thea that Merlyn isn’t dead like everyone wanted to believe. Thea shakes off the news (though she already knows it and lies really well) and leaves Oliver to his own mind again.

Now Nyssa gets the news that Merlyn’s daughter is Thea. Nyssa’s not a fan of this news (who would be?) and without a way to get Sara’s killer, Nyssa storms off. Only to find Thea later and take her.

Oliver gets Thea away from Nyssa before they have a good knock-down-drag-out fight before Merlyn shows up and the three of them battle it out. Nyssa’s trapped against a barrel and Merlyn again protests that he didn’t kill Sara, but that Ra’al Ghul might have.

Nyssa’s not happy that Oliver let Merlyn go, and goes so far as to say that Merlyn is under Oliver’s protection. The League of Assassins won’t like that.

Oliver’s flashbacks are all bad this week it seems. Waller can’t seem to like what Oliver does – or doesn’t do – for her. He’s kept one target alive for too long in her mind.

To end the episode, Oliver has to lie about Nyssa and the kidnapping (for a few points) so that Thea doesn’t know why Nyssa was after her. Is the protection going to work from Oliver and everyone else? Roy enters the conversation at the end and Roy gets a job as the Assistant Manager of Verdant. At least the lies are going both ways for the Queens; Thea does lie well to both Oliver and Roy.

Ra’al Ghul knows of Sara’s death and what Merlyn did (or didn’t do), but Nyssa’s own vendetta doesn’t mesh with the League’s. But by protecting Merlyn, Oliver’s now going to face the League’s wrath.

Arrow airs on The CW on Wednesday at 8PM Eastern /7PM Central.