May 2013
At the funeral of Tommy Merlyn, the minister talks about how he was taken from the world too soon. He then calls Oliver up to give the eulogy. Oliver isn't there, and Laurel steps forward to say a few words. She says that she loved Tommy, and sees Oliver standing in the shadows. Laurel says that Oliver loved Tommy as well, and would say the same if he was there, but it was too painful for him to come.
Now
Oliver and the others tell Quentin that Laurel is dead. He goes to her room and looks at her body, and Dr. Schwarz offers her condolences. Once she leaves, Oliver puts a hand on Quentin's shoulder and says that they have to get him out of there.
Back at the bunker, Diggle finishes a call to Lyla. Oliver is standing in front of the case that held Black Canary's costume, and Diggle tells him that his family is protected. He doesn't think Andy would do anything to hurt his family, but admits that he never clearly knew him. Oliver tells his friend not to blame himself, but Diggle points out that if he has trusted Oliver instead of his brother, Laurel would be alive. On the news, Alex announces Laurel's death and says that Damian is the leading suspect in her murder. Diggle turns the TV off and leaves.
In an alleyway, an arms dealer is making a sale when Black Canary unleashes her Canary Cry. She drops down, grabs the money, and runs off.
The next day, Oliver calls the team to the bunker and says that they have to get Damian despite their grief. Quentin comes in late and shows them a newspaper article with a photo of Black Canary. Felicity brings up the CCTV footage of the attack and Quentin suggests that Laurel somehow came back. Oliver confirms that someone took Laurel's sonic device from her bag of belongings, and they figure that someone took it. Quentin refuses to accept it, and Diggle points out that the device is keyed to Laurel's vocal chords so no one else could use it.
Oliver and Quentin go to the hospital and Schwartz shows them Laurel's body in the morgue. Shocked, Quentin walks out and Oliver thanks Schwartz for her discretion. Schwartz says that Laurel helped the city and figures that helping Laurel and Oliver is the least she could do. Oliver points out that twelve staffers saw him bring in Black Canary, but Schwartz confirms that they operated on Laurel. When he says that someone was using Black Canary's stolen sonic device and says that someone in the hospital took it, Schwartz says that there's a patient who pays repeated visits to the ER. There's something off about her, and Oliver asks for her name. Schwartz warns that doctor-patient privilege applies to all of her patients.
The Past
Oliver goes to Laurel's apartment after Tommy's funeral. Laurel says that it was a nice service and Tommy would have liked it more if Oliver had said a few words. Oliver says that he didn't have the right to say anything about Tommy, and he failed his friend. He tells Laurel that she'd blame him, too, if she knew the truth, and walks off.
Now
At the bunker, Felicity tells Diggle has discovered and tries to find the woman on the CCTVs. Diggle tells her that Andy has been working with Damian the entire time, and says that Laurel is dead because of him. Felicity doesn't know what to say, and Diggle says that there's nothing to say before leaving.
Thea meets with Parker at a restaurant and thanks him for running interference for them with the media. She asks why he became a political operative, but Black Canary walks up, addresses Alex by name, says that he's working for "them," and unleashes her canary cry. She beats him down and draws a gun, and Thea jumps her and rips off Black Canary's mask. As Thea stares at the stranger in shock, Black Canary blasts her back and runs off. Thea calls Oliver and tells him what happened.
The girl, Evelyn, runs through the alleyways. Green Arrow intercepts her and fires a warning shot. She blasts him with his Canary Cry, and asks what he abandoned them. Green Arrow has no idea what she's talking about, and Evelyn says that he let them at Reddington to die. She tells Green Arrow that he failed the city and then runs off into the night.
Back at the bunker, Oliver tells the others what Evelyn said. He confirms that the sonic device hasn't been modified and his ear plugs didn't protect him. Felicity confirms that Evelyn is using it at higher decibels than Laurel ever did. Oliver says that Redding Industrial is where Damian held them over the holidays, and they figure that Evelyn was one of Damian's prisoners. Felicity checks the records and finds the Sharp family. The parents' corpses were found dead two days after Christmas, and their daughter Evelyn was a star athlete and scholar. Diggle points out that all of Damian's people were volunteers, but Oliver notes that Daman drugs them to make them suggestible. He agrees that they failed the city.
The next day, Nyssa arrives at Laurel's apartment as he packs his daughter's things. She offers her condolences, and Quentin asks what else Laurel will need when she emerges from the Pit. Nyssa says that she destroyed the Pit months ago, and Quentin says that he'll find some other way to bring Laurel back before leaving.
Felicity finds Oliver in the abandoned campaign office, and figures that he's beating himself up. Oliver says that he tried to do the right thing and came up short for Evelyn and Laurel. Felicity admits that she feels the same and she let Diggle blame himself so that she wouldn't have to blame herself. She figures that she should have been at the computer, and Laurel might still be alive. Oliver says that blames himself in situations where there is no one to blame. Thea calls and says that Lyla called and asked about Diggle, but Diggle isn't there. Felicity says that she'll track Diggle and goes back to the bunker.
That night, Ruve is being driven across town when Spartan steps in front of the limo and opens fire. He kills the guards and orders Ruve out, and then pistol whips her. Spartan demands to know where Andy is, and says that she can give Damian a message. As he prepares to shoot her, Green Arrow shoots the gun out of his hand. Ruve runs off, and Spartan says that he's tracking down Andy. He rips off his mask and hits the limo hood in anger, and tells Green Arrow that every minute Andy is out there is another minute he can hurt someone he loves. Green Arrow says that it isn't who Diggle is, and Diggle tells him that he doesn't know what he is. His friend says that Laurel would tell them that they can never become their enemies, and walks off as sirens sound in the distance.
When Oliver and Diggle return to the bunker, Felicity brings up a newscast about Ruve saying one of the vigilantes attacked her. She points out that Black Canary attacked Alex and notes that the same vigilantes were at Iron Heights when laurel was killed. Ruve asks DA Wallace to issue arrest warrants for all of the vigilantes, starting with Black Canary. As Thea arrives, the others figure that Ruve knows Laurel was Black Canary. Oliver figures that they need to find Evelyn before the SCPD does.
Nyssa arranges a meeting with Oliver and tells him what Quentin is refusing to accept reality. She asks if Oliver is all right, and he tells Nyssa that it's not right that Ruve can drag Laurel's reputation through the sewer.
The Past
A week later, Oliver comes over to Laurel's apartment. They look at photos of their friend and Oliver tells Laurel that Tommy loved her so much. Laurel says that they can still make the city a better place together, and they kiss.
Now
Quentin goes to the building that the League used as their base in Star City, and Oliver meets him to warn that there's nothing there. He warns Quentin that there is no trail that will lead him to a means to resurrect Laurel. Quentin tells Oliver that he doesn't know what it's like to lose a child, and Oliver says that he's lost a mother and a father. He tells Quentin that they've both lost Laurel, and he would do anything to bring her back if there was a way. Oliver says that there isn't, and Quentin says that Laurel was always there for him. Crying, he tells Oliver that he can't do it.
At the bunker, Felicity apologies to Diggle for letting him think that he could have prevented Laurel's death. Diggle assures her that she has nothing to be sorry about, and it's his fault for trusting Andy instead of Oliver. He wonders how he could have been so blind, and Felicity points out that they all make exceptions for family. Facial recognition picks up Evelyn outside of Star City Plaza Hotel, where Ruve is attending a gala. Diggle is glad to let Evelyn kill Ruve, but Felicity points out that it will destroy Laurel's reputation as well.
Ruve is working the crowd at the gala, while the team covers the site. The anti-vigilante task force is also there, looking for the team. Green Arrow knocks out one officer and heads in.
An officer finds Evelyn and she knocks him out with the Canary Cry. The security guards hear the Cry over their earbuds, and one of them tells Ruve that they have to get her to a secure location. Ruve says that she's not going to run and hopes Black Canary will try to kill her.
Felicity locates Evelyn and Green Arrow heads there.
Evelyn Canary guns down two security guards and prepares to enter the ballroom. Green Arrow tells her to stop, saying that she can't do it, and Evelyn says that it's the only way she has left. She bursts into the ballroom and takes out the crowd, and she shoots Green Arrow in the shoulder when he tries to stop her. As Evelyn prepares to shoot Ruve, Green Arrow asks her what she knew about the real Black Canary. Evelyn says that Black Canary was there that night, and Green Arrow insists that she was a hero. He asks Black Canary what she'd want her to do, and after a moment Evelyn drops the gun. Everyone runs, and Ruve tells her officers to arrest them. Green Arrow escapes through the skylight as Evelyn slips away.
Later at the bunker, Felicity tells the others that Evelyn figured out she was tracking her and has disappeared off the grid. She figures that Evelyn made the right choice, and Diggle figures that Laurel would have appreciated inspiring someone. Thea points out that Evelyn destroyed Black Canary's reputation, and Oliver says that Evelyn isn't Black Canary. He refuses to let Evelyn kill again.
Quentin and Dinah go to the cemetery for Laurel's funeral. He tells his ex-wife that this time Laurel isn't coming back, and says that their daughter is gone and isn't coming back. Oliver says the eulogy and talks about how Laurel was his friend and he loved her. Before she died, she told him that she loved him, too. Oliver says that Laurel wanted to do more for the people and the city. Evelyn watches from the shadows as Oliver says that Laurel told him that she was Black Canary. He insists that Black Canary was a hero, not a criminal. As Quentin breaks into tears, Oliver says that Laurel would expect all of them to live up to example she set and save their city.
The Past
At her apartment, Laurel discovers that Oliver has slipped a letter beneath her door and let. In it, he says that he didn't have the courage to talk to her face-to-face. Oliver's going away so he won't hold her back, and she's the true hero.
Now
After the service, Barry joins Oliver at Laurel's grave. Oliver says that it's his responsibility and he's going to end it by killing Damian. He tells Barry that he wants to be left alone, and Barry speeds off. Oliver kneels at Laurel's grave and then removes the flowers to reveal "The Black Canary" written at the bottom of the stone. He then gets into the car with Felicity and asks if she's okay. Felicity asks if he is, and Oliver admits that he isn't. She tells him that he has to kill Damian, and Oliver agrees but admits that he doesn't know how because of Damian's magic. He explains that he's seen it on Lian Yu and it's darkness. Every time he has gone up against it, he's failed. Felicity refuses to believe it or let Oliver believe it, and says that she fell in love with Oliver in part because he always finds a way. Now he has to find a way for Laurel, for the city, and for all of them.
Written by Gadfly on Apr 28, 2016