“Blast Radius” is episode ten of season two of Arrow.
This episode opens with a car driving at night. The driver stops when her notices Oliver – as the Arrow – in front of him. Then he drives at Oliver, shooting out of the window as he does. Oliver fires a single arrow, which disables the car and causes it to crash. The driver is already out and fleeing, but Oliver follows and catches him. Oliver wants to know who the man in the skull mask is. The driver insists he doesn’t know – even if he is the biggest street dealer in Crescent Circle.
Back at base Diggle is watching a news report about the explosion of the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator in Central City five weeks ago. Dig confirms to Oliver that Felicity is still not back. At the end of the previous episode, “Three Ghosts”, Barry Allen got back to Central City and returned to his lab. Just in time to be hit by a lightning strike caused by the explosion. This has had an effect on him. At the moment, the only effect is that Barry is still in a coma, which is why Felicity is there.
Oliver tells Dig he hasn’t had any luck at finding the man in the skull mask. Yes, he is pushing pretty hard, but Diggle saw what they had to do to kill one guy that had been injected with Mirakuru. They practically had to drop a building on him. Imagine 10, 100, 1,000. Roy was injected too. Dig has never seen Oliver spooked like this before. Oliver thinks that should tell Dig something.
Laurel is taking some Benzodiazepine that has been prescribed to her father – worrying – when Donner asks if she has a date. Laurel is currently looking into Sebastian Blood. The next mayor of Starling City, potentially. Laurel is suspicious. Blood had connections to a psychiatric institute that burned down under mysterious circumstances and also knew Cyrus Gold, the man who killed four cops. Including her father’s old partner, Lucas. And the date? It’s with Sebastian. The date is a do for Sebastian, hosted at Verdant by Oliver. Moira congratulates Thea on taking Oliver’s hobby and turning it into a successful business. Oliver wants to know how Roy was doing. Because he was shot by the Arrow. The real reason is because Roy was injected with Mirakuru, and Oliver wants to see if there was an effect. There definitely has been.
Elsewhere, a man is sitting in a car looking at a building whilst spouting political mantras. Then he touches his phone and the building explodes. Dig tells Oliver the cleaning crew and some late-working bankers were inside. He connects into fire and police – it takes a bit longer; this is Felicity’s think, not Dig’s – and it seems there are some people trapped inside. Who Oliver helps rescue.
At the office the next day, it seems no money was stolen. The bomber wanted to make a statement and posted a manifesto online. 300 pages of anti-government hate. Oliver doesn’t think the bomber is connected to the man in the skull mask. Dig suggests looking into the bomb, as bombers have unique signatures. The bomb residue the SCPD has would be useful with this. Felicity arrives at this point, saying it’s a good job they have an in with the department. She heard about the bombing and caught the next train. Barry is still sleeping. She prefers that term to coma.
Laurel goes to see Sebastian in his office and brings up Cyrus Gold and his parents. Gold was Blood’s friend, an older brother or father figure, a preacher at the orphanage. The first person Sebastian spoke to in a month. Laurel also asks about Sebastian’s parents. He says his mother shot his father when the latter was drunk and attacked them both, then ran off. Laurel, although apparently affected, still has a look at Sebastian’s mail when he leaves the room. In particular, she notices the name Maya Resik.
Lance meets with Oliver. On a rooftop. Normally cops meet informants in coffee shops and the back of cruisers. He asks about Oliver’s new mask – a gift from Barry – and Oliver replies that it was a gift from a friend. Lance is surprised Oliver has friends. Lance has what Oliver wants but wants a favour in return. The person who killed Lance’s partner and men may be dead, but the man who set them up isn’t. Lance wants Felicity to look through the phone records of every officer at the precinct. He thinks there may be a leak. Then another building explodes. Oliver heads off, but loses the bomber.
Felicity and Oliver are currently arguing. Although possibly for reasons different to what it looks like. Laurel is still suspicious of Sebastian – even though no-one else seems to be – and asks for her father’s help. Laurel is right to be suspicious. Sebastian is working for Slade Wilson and doing people with Mirakuru. He’s even got Oliver fooled though. In the previous episode, Slade – and the impression Oliver gave is that he thinks Slade is dead – admitted to Sebastian that he knows who the Arrow is. He’s Slade’s friend. But Slade is going to take everything away from him, then put an arrow in his eye. The current Slade has an eyepatch, and a black and white mask has been seen on a stake on the island with an arrow in the same eye.
Back on the island, Shado is being buried next to Robert Queen and probably her father. Ivo gave Oliver a choice. Save Shado or Sara, or lose both. Oliver chose Sara. This hasn’t been admitted to Slade, though. After all, Sara points out, Ivo was the one who pulled the trigger. She’s also concerned; the Japanese used Mirakuru on hundreds of men. The lucky ones died. The others became deformed in bones or in their minds. They became someone else. So why on Earth give it to Slade then? Slade is definitely in better health, and far stronger. He’s also a bit more unstable.