The next morning, Oliver arrives at city hall and finds dozens of reporters waiting for him. He finally tells them that first, he's not Green Arrow. Second, photos can be doctored. Oliver says that he's not a superhero and continues to his office. Quentin points out that Oliver is taking it in stride, and Rene explains that someone sent it anonymously to Channel 52. Oliver tells him to get the envelope and send it to Forensics, and that he needs to be in town for the Markovian delegation.
Oliver goes into his office and finds a woman, FBI Special Agent Samanda Watson, waiting for him. She says that she'll be conducting an investigation into Oliver being a known criminal, and local law investigation has been ineffective. When Oliver says that he was cleared five years ago, Samanda points out that Quentin did it and he's now Oliver's deputy mayor.
Later at the bunker, Felicity, Curtis, and Dinah check the photo Channel 52 received. Diggle says that the Human Target is out of country, and if they confirm Oliver is Arrow then they'll soon figure out who the rest of them are.
Rene tells Quentin and Oliver that the envelope came from within Channel 52. They wonder if Adrian planned the release before his death. Quentin asks about William is doing, and Oliver tells them that his son insisted on going to school.
Curtis and Felicity try to determine where the photo was taken at, and Felicity says that she's looking for a new job. He says that he's been doing freelance coding in his spare time, and didn't take a dime from Paul's divorce.
Oliver takes reporters to a vacant building that they're providing to Markovian Vortex Industries to build a high-tech company. A reporter asks him about the murder charges that the FBI are filing, but Oliver refuses to discuss it. Alec Tarkov, the Vortex CEO, speaks up and says that if Oliver is Arrow then they will double their investment. Gunmen opens fire and Oliver tells the reporters to get to the van. Quentin drives through the attackers and outside, but more gunmen are waiting. Quentin brakes to a halt, and Anatoly steps out and greets Oliver. Anatoly says that they're there with their Markovian cousins, and the Bratva mobsters drag the Vortex businessmen away and leave with Anatoly.
As they wait for Oliver, Diggle paces nervously, and Dinah asks him if he's fine. Oliver and Quentin arrive and Diggle tells him that he has to stay out of it while they handle it. They figure Anatoly leaked the photo to keep Oliver busy.
As they work, Felicity asks Curtis about his secret programming work. Curtis traces Anatoly's payments to the local Bratva mobsters.
Oliver and Quentin are on the phones dealing with the Markovian consulate and the Vortex home office. Quentin warns Oliver that Dinah is shorthanded. Rene comes in and turns on the TV. Bethany Snow is reporting on the Bratva saying that they want $20 million for the hostages or they'll kill them in 12 hours. They received $20 million in insurance payouts, and wonder how Anatoly knew about it. The school calls Oliver, and he tells Quentin and Rene that he has to go.
As they drive back home, Oliver asks William what happened. The boy finally says that the kids who beat him up said that Oliver was Arrow, and he wasn't there to help William. Oliver tells him to go for the nose if the biggest kid, and then his buddies will back off. Felicity calls and secures the line, and then says that Anatoly is at a Russian restaurant. Thermal reading shows the hostage in an industrial cooler, and Oliver tells William that they'll talk about it when he gets home but he has to deal with a situation.
That night, the team moves in on the restaurant. Arrow goes in and fights his way through the mobsters, while Black Canary and Spartan take on the others. Spartan freezes up when he prepares to shoot one, and takes him out in hand-to-hand as Black Canary glares at him. Arrow frees three of the hostages, and they tell him that they took Alec.
Later at the apartment, Felicity shows the team security cam footage from outside the restaurant. Oliver says that he has to attend an interview with Samanda, and is going without lawyers because he doesn't want to look like he has something to hide. Raisa texts Oliver and says that William needs him.
Quentin and Rene wait in Samanda's office, and Rene tries to make small talk. She tells them that her patience is gone, just as Oliver texts to say that he has a family emergency. Samanda points out that the only evidence they have of Samanda's death, supposedly in a car accident, was an accident report and an autopsy that could have been faked. She tells them that she'll have them indicted for obstruction if they're protecting Oliver, and leaves.
Oliver tells William that people needed help so he had to run out, but he's there. William says that he doesn't want to learn to fight, and he didn’t know if Oliver will come back. The boy doesn't believe him, and points out that if someone kills Arrow then he won't have anyone. Oliver says that he lost his parents and remembers how it feels, and promises that he'll never let it happen to William. William tells him that it's not up to him. Oliver gets a text and says that it's work, and William asks which work. Outside, Anatoly tells Oliver that he needs Star City's $20 million. He explains that the Bratva exiled him because of his friendship with Oliver, and he's going to show that he's not weak and they're not friends. Anatoly shows Oliver video of Alec, who he has poisoned and will die in three hours.
Oliver sends the photo to Curtis and Felicity, and they spot a facial rash. They identify the neurotoxin and the hospital has a cure. Diggle and Dinah head there, and Dr. Schwartz gives them the antidote. She asks how Diggle is feeling, and he says that he feels fine. Once Schwartz leaves, Diggle tells Dinah that it's none of her business. She says that it's her business and Oliver's because they depend on Diggle for backup. Diggle says that he caught some shrapnel and he didn't tell anyone because he was low-priority. Schwartz determined that Diggle has degenerative nerve damage, but insists that it's just a tremor and he can manage it. He tells Dinah to do what she has to do, but asks her to trust him. Dinah takes the antidote and says that they should go.
Felicity suggests that Curtis send some of his freelance coding her way. He revises her photo analysis and gets the results. Felicity doesn't believe it, but Curtis points out that data analysis doesn't lie. The computers come up with Anatoly's location.
Oliver arrives at city hall, and Rene asks why he isn't at home with William. He says that Samanda wants to question William, and Oliver insists that he'll do everything in his power to keep William out of it. Rene knows about the fight earlier, and Oliver explains William is worried that Oliver will make him an orphan. Rene suggests that white lies are an important parental tool. Oliver asks how he reconciles that William might be right, and points out that William will have to lie to keep Oliver out of prison. Felicity texts to tell Oliver that they have Anatoly's location, and Rene says that he's good to go out in the field.
Felicity send the team to an abandoned shipyard, but it's too large to pinpoint Alec's location. Arrow wonders if Spartan is okay, and Spartan says that he's fine. The Bratva attack and one of them gets the drop on Black Canary. Spartan can't bring himself to shoot, and Black Canary finally takes her opponent down.
The others fight through the mobsters. Arrow makes his way to Anatoly and finds him with Alec. The vigilante shoots him with an arrow containing the antidote, and Alec starts to recover. Anatoly shoots Alec dead and points out that he never got his money, and Arrow wonders happened to Anatoly. He tells Arrow that he is still too naïve, and says that he didn't do anything to William because he's an honorable man even though they stand apart. Anatoly wonders what would happen to William if he ran into someone who wasn't good. When Anatoly starts to walk away, Arrow tells him not to move. Anatoly says that they know Arrow won't kill him, and after a moment Arrow asks why he leaked the photo. Anatoly says that he didn't and leaves.
The next day, Oliver meets with Samanda and says that he'll open up his entire life to her... with the exception of William. When she objects, a junior agent comes in and turns on the news. Bethany reports that Channel 52 has received conclusive evidence that the photo of Oliver as Arrow was doctored. Oliver tells Samanda that he's not the man that she thinks of. Samanda figures that he is Arrow, and Oliver tells her to do what she has to do before leaving.
At the apartment, Curtis points out to Felicity that the photo was doctored. He wonders who would want to frame Oliver for being Arrow, and Felicity figures that they'll worry about that in the future. She then asks Curtis to go into business with her, pointing out the tech that they've collaborated on. Curtis agrees and Felicity admits that she already filed the paperwork.
At the bunker, Diggle asks to talk to Dinah. He admits that she nearly got killed because he's compromised, and that things got worse than he was willing to admit. Dinah asks him what he's going to do about it, and Diggle says that he's going to tell Oliver and go from there.
Oliver comes home early and apologizes to William for making him a promise he wasn't sure that he could keep. He says that William was right and he was wrong, and William tells him that Raisa told him that Oliver has a problem admitting when he's wrong. Oliver repeats his promise that he won't make William an orphan, and says that he's working on the details to make it happen. He then promises to be the best father that he can be and that he knows how to be, and William accepts it. William the invites Oliver to play his video game with him, and Oliver joins him.
That night, Oliver is looking at his uniform when Diggle comes in. He says that every time he's out as Arrow, he's a target. On his own he can take it, but he's not on his own anymore. Oliver won't be responsible for his son losing the only parent that he has left. He figures that Star City needs Arrow, but since he can't do that he wants Diggle to be. After a moment, Diggle agrees.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 20, 2017