ARROW: “The Offer” {Recap}

As we left off in the last episode, Oliver is talking to Ra’s al Ghul about being the next one in the line of many and learning that eventually everyone Oliver trusts will come to hate him. Al Ghul makes a case for how Oliver can have a League of Assassins at his disposal, even if Oliver doesn’t want to kill again. Diggle and Merlyn are there for the hard sell, before Oliver leaves to ignore the life of organized killing behind.

While that’s going on, Thea is trying to have Nessa settle Sara’s death. Instead, it ends up with Laurel being punched in the face by Nessa and Roy putting a stop to the whole fight.

Merlyn in the Queen apartment is one way to ruin Oliver’s homecoming by Thea, especially when Merlyn needs to stay there to rest and recover. In the Forge, Laurel and Felicity are none too pleased with the news of Merlyn not being dead, even as the team keeps wanting to focus on the other facts connected to Oliver’s return.

Oliver wants to focus on Starling City, but when he does, it also results in him complaining about Laurel’s lack of skill. But that take-down of Laurel doesn’t compare to what Captain Lance says to Oliver when Oliver drops off some of the thugs from Team Arrow’s outing. Captain Lance is don with Oliver if Oliver can’t tell another man to his face what happened to Sara. Perhaps being Ra’s al Ghul isn’t so bad?

To make up for (or make it worse) after Oliver’s told off by Captain Lance, Oliver watches Felicity be cute with Ray and also shares with her what Lance said about Oliver’s choice not to reveal some secrets.

Laurel takes a jaunt over to see Thea and talk about some of Thea’s issues with Merlyn (of which there are many) before Thea tells Laurel that Captain Lance is at least normal compared to her father. Merlyn’s willing to let Thea kill him just so she can be rid of him.

Back in the land of Ra’s al Ghul, Nessa is hurt that her father won’t choose her to be his heir and only when he says she won’t be his successor does it look like Nessa is ready to leave the League of Assassins.

Roy’s off to get information on the bad guys for the episode and only now does Oliver tell Diggle what Ra’s al Ghul offered and what it means (or doesn’t mean) to the city. If the Arrow can’t do his job, maybe he’s better off being Ra’s al Ghul. Because that’s what the city needs?

Thea reveals that she thinks she’s just as broken as Merlyn is, but that that’s what might stop her from being all that he wanted her to be. When Oliver talks to Merlyn about the offer to be Ra’s al Ghul, Merlyn admits that there’s a prophecy about the one who doesn’t die at al Ghul’s hands being the next in line.

Felicity tries to tell Oliver that he’s accomplished so much good that he doesn’t need to be the next Ra’s al Ghul, espcially when Oliver can’t think of why he’s doing what he’s doing.

The bad guy of the week, it turns out, is trying to make diamond-tipped bullets to kill the police, including the men who falsely imprisoned him before. Laurel walks in on her dad just as he ignores Felicity’s call about the danger. Captain Lance won’t forgive Laurel for lying to him about Sara (same as Oliver) just in time for the bad guys to arrive and take down a few officers.

Nessa appears to help Oliver and the rest of Team Arrow take down our bad guy, but not before the man kills more cops and tries to kill Oliver.

One final moment with Felicity, Oliver tells her that he’s not ready to be Ra’s al Ghul just yet and then she tells him that she’s happy as long as Oliver’s in her life.

Nessa sticks around to talk to Laurel and offers to help Laurel train.

But at the end, Oliver learns that there are consequences if he won’t accept al Ghul’s offer. To that end, al Ghul comes to Starling City and kills off this week’s bad guys and has one lackey tell everyone that the Arrow just be at fault.

Unsure of who she is now, Thea goes to Roy’s for the night and also kisses him, in what I hope is an attempt to figure out her life.