ARROW Season 3×08, “The Brave And The Bold” recap

4 Dec

Welcome back, Arrowheads! In case you missed it because, I covered the first part of this team-up event here, Team Arrow helped Team Flash with some problems in their neighborhood, so now it’s time for Team Flash to help Team Arrow out by working on the mystery of who killed Sara Lance. So, what does all of this have to with some hit man who has boomerang blades for weapons? Complications, complications…

The Fine Art of Interrogation. In this week’s flashback, Oliver is still in Hong Kong, and being given a special task by Amanda Waller: to interrogate a bomb maker for information on a bomb that will be detonated in the city. She also doesn’t care how Ollie gets the info on the bomb: either asking politely or using the bow and arrow (the same bow he had from Lian Yu, by the way) she leaves in the room. He tries to threaten the bombmaker with an arrow, but Ollie relents a bit, only to see outside an explosion, making him realize he’s too late. He ends up visiting the bomb site, and Waller gives him grief for failing to stop it, while telling him he may be better at torturing people than he thinks. The next day, Waller brings Ollie to another person for him to “interrogate”: Li Chan Hui, who works for China White. We’ll see how this do-over goes.

“If you love something, set it free…if it comes back and kills for you, you know it was meant to be.”

Home Invasion. Team Arrow is staking out a house they think the boomerang assassin is hanging out in, and that suspicion is raised by the doors being rigged with explosives. So, the doors get blown, and Ollie and Roy enter to find no one there, except the team of ARGUS commandos that enter afterwards. After being told to back off the assassin, the Team reunites at Arrow HQ to discover the victim was an ARGUS agent. Later, as Felicity is in her office at Palmer Tech, she gets two surprise visitors: Caitlin and Cisco from STAR Labs! And hey, they want to collect that arrow that killed Canary and visit the Arrow Cave! It’s NOT the Arrow Cave, Its the Arrow HQ!

One Home Invasion Deserves Another. So at the Arrow Cave, ugh, HQ, Caitlin and Cisco are admiring all the cool gadgets with Ollie, Roy, and Felicity. Meanwhile at ARGUS HQ, Diggle is asking Lyla about the mystery assassin when, hey, look who walks into the lobby? As Team Arrow rushes down there, it becomes clear Boomerang is cutting through people to find one person: Lyla! Team Arrow arrives to fight Boomerang, and then…The Flash shows up! Boomerang takes off, and now it’s time for a convo about what’s going on.

So, Boomerang was an assassin drafted into the Suicide Squad, and when his team was compromised on a mission, Lyla gave the order to make the team go Ka-boom. It’s only luck that Boomerang’s neck explosive didn’t work. So, assuming any ARGUS facility would be compromised, the Team takes Lyla to the Arrow C–I mean, to Arrow HQ.

“Sorry I didn’t bring enough for everyone…I was full after going through the all-you-can-eat buffet! Super metabolism, y’all!”

A Fast Hand For Help. The Team and Lyla arrive at the HQ, and Flash has had enough time to do some super workout on the salmon ladder and get some sushi. They have a lead on Boomerang through a con that Quentin busted last year. So, Ollie and Barry pay a visit to Quentin to ask about the con, who was committing identity theft for the Russian mob. The team shows up at the hideout for the con and Russian mobsters, and Ollie’s plan of attack is cut short by Flash knocking out all the baddies, except the con. There, Ollie puts an arrow into him to get intel on Boomerang, including his phone. Barry is none too happy to watch someone get tortured by his peer, and Ollie lets him know this is the way things are in this city, and if he doesn’t like it, he can go.

Difference of Opinions. After hacking a ARGUS satellite (which um, Felicity, try to not to say that to the ARGUS agent you’re sheltering right now), Team Arrow and Flash hit another bad guy den where Boomerang is. Too bad he’s gone when they get there, but he leaves them a present: a cell phone. Um, like the phone left at the previous place they hit that has just turned on at Arrow HQ? Uh-oh. Sure enough, Boomerang shows up at the HQ, and after some ducking and weaving from the under skilled fighters there, Boomerang leaves a boomerang in Lyla’s chest before taking off! It’s only luck Flash speeds Lyla to the hospital in time that saves her.

“Hey Ollie, Diggle! We were all having a chat about how EVERYONE knows where our secret base is, and…well…”

Having A Chat Or Two. While Diggle is at the hospital tending to Lyla, the support teams of Team Arrow and Team Flash are taking some reflective drinks in Verdant. Their conclusion: man, Starling City is a rough place to live in. Below in, fine, the Arrow Cave, Ollie feels responsible for unknowingly getting Lyla set up to be wounded. Barry reminds him despite all his moodiness of late this season, that Ollie can be more than just a grim vigilante. Oh, and some more good news: Boomerang was spotted at the train station. Suit up!

Being In Five Places At Once. Flash and Arrow accost Boomerang at the train station, only to find he has a escape plan: five bombs across the city. As Arrow faces Boomerang, Flash gets a look at one bomb and discovers he can’t disarm one without doing all of them at once! His solution: speed Team Arrow and Team Flash’s support team to each of the bombs and they defuse them at the same time! Boomerang is caught, and just for good measure, gets impaled in the hand with an arrow by Ollie. Barry doesn’t mind much.

A Proposal And A Dare. At the hospital, Diggle decides to make his unhitched family with Lyla and the baby official by proposing marriage, and getting a “yes”. Caitlin and Cisco are about to head home when both teams give each other some parting gifts at Arrow HQ: a little standee at the HQ for Barry to hang his outfit on next visit, and Ollie gets a modified costume. But, both Ollie and Barry have something else to do, in a giant warehouse. They both wanted to see who would win a fight with each other, and in true Rocky III fashion, we leave with them about to see who wins. Cue Eye of the Tiger, and we’re out!

The moment you realize THESE are your only Facebook friends.

–Comic book connections: Captain Boomerang, aka Digger Harkness, is another noteworthy villain in the Rogues gallery of Flash villains. Also, the intersection of Infantino and Adams is likely a connection to two well known DC artists connected to Flash and Green Arrow: Carmine Infantino and Neal Adams (respectively).

–Flash super salmon ladder workout. What more do I need to say?

–To be fair to Ollie, I’m not sure the Bratva would take his re-apply for membership after they lost most of their guys to Deathstroke last season.

–Guess who’s Boomerang’s new cellmate? Slade Wilson. I wonder if that has anything to do with that news that came out this week about a future episode this season, hint hint.

–Nope, we will not go with Ka-Boom-Boomerang for a nickname, Cisco. Also, Cisco is warned to keep away from Thea at Verdant (oh, and I guess something is going on with her and that DJ from last episode, I suppose). You have no idea, buddy.

–“I had an extra eight seconds to kill.”

–Felicity’s answer to Caitlin asking what the salmon ladder is: “A distraction.”

–Barry’s response to hearing certain people really don’t know who The Flash’s secret identity is while relaxing unmasked: “Oh. My bad.”

–“Well I’m sorry, Barry, that I’m not as emotionally healthy as you are.” Ouch!

–“Is that your “We Have It Handled” alarm?”

–“Since when did we start selling tickets to see the Arrow Cave?”

–“Do you guys have an Arrowmobile?”

–“I totally saw him behind me. He’s not dead, right?”

–“I’m still calling the shots.” “We’ll have to talk about that.” “We will…and then I’ll call the shots.”