“Betrayal” is episode thirteen of season one of Arrow.
The episode opens at Iron Heights prison and a man is being released. He is greeted by a woman who is waiting for him. The two go to a house and another man answers, who is greeted as George, who didn’t expect the newly-released prisoner. With the leaders of the Triad and the Bertinelli family both dead, George says he didn’t know what to do. So he did nothing. His visitor says that this was the right move, and all is forgiven. So give him a hug. Whilst he is hugging George, the man says to him that he could use a place to stay, and George has a nice place. Then releases George, who drops to the floor, as he has been stabbed.
Oliver is showing Diggle the book that Felicity gave him at the end of the previous episode, “Vertigo”. The book that Walter gave Felicity to look into before he disappeared in “Year’s End”. Which has the same list of names as his father’s book does. Diggle asks where the second book came from, and Oliver tells him that Walter found it in Moira’s possessions. Moira is Oliver’s mother, and he says she’s not that sort of person. Digg asks if she isn’t the sort to have her husband disappeared. Oliver says Moira is innocent but Diggle tells him that the innocent party is usually the one who is missing, presumed dead. Not Moira in other words.
Oliver has another flashback to the island. In the previous flashbacks, Yao Fei had got Oliver away from Fyers – but only by making it look as if he had killed Oliver. Yao Fei had also given him a map and this map has lead to a crashed aeroplane. Long crashed too, by the looks of the foliage growing on it. When Oliver enters a man with a blade jumps down behind him and tells Oliver to give him a reason not to kill him. Yao Fei it turns out is a good reason. Although that won’t keep Oliver alive permanently. Oliver’s training is about to begin.
At the precinct, Lance is telling his lieutenant, Frank, that he can’t be thrown onto another assignment, because he’s getting close to the Hood. The lieutenant asks Lance if he has considered the possibility that no-one wants him to catch the Hood. With what the vigilante has done recently, he’s becoming heroic. Lance says if that’s what a hero is, he doesn’t know what it means to be a cop in the city. Frank tells Lance if he gets another lead on the Hood they will talk again.
Oliver approaches his mother at home and shows her the book. He tells her Walter gave him the book just before he disappeared. Moira says it’s Oliver’s father’s notebook, where he kept a list of everyone in Starling City who owed him favours. Oliver tells his mother that he has been looking into these names online, and they are not very good people. Moira tells Oliver that, as she said before, she didn’t know everything his father was doing. Oliver suggests that they look into it; Moira says no, as Walter was doing that when he vanished. She throws the book into the fire and tells Oliver that the only way to keep the family safe is for everyone to stop asking questions. She’s actually telling the truth, although the reasoning is not what it seems.
Thea is arriving at Laurel’s work, where she is going to be an intern as part of her community service. Laurel introduces her to Anastasia (Agam Darshi, Sanctuary‘s Kate Freelander). Thea says she isn’t an intern, as interns get school credit. She’s actually a court-ordered slave. Anastasia says she can relate; she is currently on a pro bono sabbatical from her law firm. And her six figure salary.
Anastasia tells Laurel that Cyrus Vanch has been released from Iron Heights on a technicality. This is the man from earlier. Laurel is not happy, because Vanch is a very unpleasant man. Anastasia says that, unless new evidence is obtained, the police can do nothing. That unless Laurel has access to a private police force, there is nothing they can do. Which gives Laurel an idea.
Oliver tells Diggle what his mother said. Diggle is still convinced that Moira is on the side of the angels. He tells Oliver that, if it was anyone else, Oliver would be hooded up right now and be headed to ask Moira some pointed questions. Oliver says Moira is her mother, and he knows her; Digg does not believe Oliver can be objective in this matter. Then Laurel calls on the phone Oliver gave to Lance, and then Laurel took and used. She tells the Hood about Vanch, and how they need evidence of new criminal activity
Oliver heads to where Vanch is staying, taking out some of his troops and planting a recording arrow. Cyrus is telling the woman, Anastasia,. that with the Triad and the Bertinelli family both leaderless, there is a power vacuum. One he intends to step into. Oliver is detected and, after leaves, Vanch continues speaking to Anastasia. He says a lesson he learned in prison was that, to earn respect, you found the biggest guy and took him down permanently. Vanch intends to take down the Hood.
In “Burned”, before Lance gave Laurel the Hood’s phone back, he planted a bug on it. So he knows the Hood will be meeting Laurel and lays a trap. Hilton is not sure using Laurel in this way is a good idea. It certainly does not make Laurel happy when the trap is sprung and fails. Laurel tells her father that he is so focussed on the Hood he cannot see straight. She complains to Tommy that her father has been lying to her for weeks. Given that Laurel had not told Tommy about her connection to the Hood, he is not as sympathetic as she might like.
In order to get the Hood, Vanch goes after Laurel. Who is not as easy a target as might be thought, taking out a couple of thugs before being stunned. Tommy discovers this and goes to Lance; Lance realises that only a limited number of people knew about Laurel’s connection to the Hood – and they are all cops. Which means there is really only one person he can trust to help rescue his daughter.
Diggle decides to investigate Moira, because he thinks Oliver isn’t thinking straight on the subject. So he takes the place of her chauffeur for a few days. The first thing Diggle manages to detect Moira doing is going to a 50th birthday party. Not an auspicious start.