ARROW: “Midnight City” {Recap}

Last week ended on a down (or down-ish) note, and today Arrow starts off with some gruesome dream sequence where Oliver and Felicity kiss before things go wrong. That’s not how an episode should start, unless everything is going to be for shock value. Oliver’s friends from Honk Kong are doing a good job of getting him back to health, though, even as Laurel’s Canary is attempting to keep the criminal element at bay. Roy’s helping her out, for a given value of help, because he’s also pointing out that she doesn’t have training from Oliver or her sister’s skill.

Felicity’s over at Palmer, doing her level best to avoid helping Ray’s work on his suit. Too bad Ray’s regular work gets her and everyone else high-ranking in the city into Brick’s fire, and some aldermen gets taken for the trouble. After everything else around the episode, she does give give into Ray’s interest and gives him one piece of tech he’ll need to get his suit perfected.

At least Thea has someone good in her life – that DJ from before. She’s also not taking any of Merlyn’s bull about why they need to leave Starling. Later, Merlyn explains why Thea’s in danger, but she still won’t leave when he wants her do. She’d rather stay in Starling City and fight. Maybe your work was too good, Merlyn. Maybe. Too bad that the DJ works for the League of Assassins.

The Yamashiros have all working with R’as al Ghul but it can’t end well, even now. At least they’ve gotten Oliver to better resemble a human being but at a cost of them being at odds with each other.

Captain Lance at least tells Felicity that Sara’s back – or someone like her – even if the Arrow’s MIA.

Roy, please don’t try to take on Merlyn without help because it won’t end well for you. You’re not enough man for that family drama. But he can’t stop in drama land, and he and Laural are trying to get the aldermen back, but that doesn’t go as planned.

In the mix of all Brick’s threats about the aldermen still alive, Felicity can at least say that the Canary is still around to help protect the city. Through Felicity’s technical magic, Sara “returns” so that Captain Lance gives them all one more piece of information to help save an alderman.

Roy and Laurel make a good show of getting the aldermen out but not before Laurel’s left with Brick alone and they have one of those battles that makes Laurel more like Sara than ever. Laurel can at least tell Captain Lance that Sara’s still going good work, and that lie will probably not die for a while, but there’s hope in Starling if it can be maintained.

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