“Dead to Rights” is episode sixteen of season one of Arrow.
A helicopter is coming in to land at a heliport and a whole lot of police are on their way. McKenna Hall is speaking to someone from one of the cars. It seems that the flight plan said the helicopter wasn’t going to land for another twenty minutes. McKenna tells the person on the other end to lock down the heliport.
The helicopter lands and a man gets out. He takes out a phone and calls someone and says he has just landed. The deal is half on arrival, half when done. Half the amount he wants gets transferred into his bank account. He says that the target is as good as dead. Then an arrow knocks the phone out of his hand. Oliver is there as the Hood and he tells the man, Guillermo Barrera, that he has failed this city. The two fight and, although Barrera is good, he comes out of the fight second best. As in dead. McKenna arrives to find Barrera on the ground with an arrow in his heart.
Felicity is sparring with Diggle and gets knocked down. Diggle tells her the trick is to distribute her weight evenly. She says she thought the trick was to avoid getting in a fight. Digg tells her that Starling City is not a place you can talk your way out of trouble. And if Felicity is working with them, he will sleep easier knowing that Felicity can handle herself. A little.
Oliver arrives and tells them that Barrera is dead. Which means asking him about his intended target is going to be tricky. Barrera was an assassin who specialises in high profile targets, and Oliver asks Felicity to hack Barrera’s phone as the target will still be in danger. Said target is most likely Malcolm Merlyn, as in the previous episode, “Dodger”, Moira had spoke to China White to hire an assassin to kill Malcolm. Oliver has to go as he has to meet McKenna – Diggle makes a comment about falling for the cop hunting you. For Lance recruited McKenna to the taskforce hunting the Hood.
McKenna and Oliver arrive at Tommy and Laurel’s, for it’s Tommy’s birthday. Laurel and McKenna do know each other, from the courthouse, one being a cop and the other a defence attorney. McKenna notices a framed photograph and assumes it’s Laurel. It’s actually a photo of Laurel’s sister, Sara, with their father and a canary. A black canary. Which is unusual. Laurel comments that she doesn’t know why her father bought the canary, as it drove them all nuts with constant chirping.
There’s a knock on the door and Laurel goes to answer it, saying it’s probably the food. Oliver says to the other two ‘Thank god she didn;t cook’ to which Tommy replies ‘Amen.’ Whatever Laurel’s other skills, it sounds like cooking isn’t one of them.
The person at the door is actually Malcolm Merlyn. He has brought his son a present. Tommy goes and speaks to his father outside the apartment, and Malcolm tells Tommy that he is being honoured by the Starling City Municipal Group and being given their annual humanitarian award. Malcolm would like Tommy to be there if he can; Tommy is 100% sure he will be busy. Malcolm tells his son is that all he wanted was Tommy’s happiness. Tommy tells his father that sometimes the people we want there the most aren’t. Malcolm taught him that.
A man goes into a building and enters a room, pouring himself a drink. A woman tells the man, who she calls Lawton, that his edge has dulled. Lawton replies that he knew she was there; he just didn’t care if she killed him or not. He says he’s retired. The woman, China White, tells Lawton she has a job. He replies that his vision is not what it used to be – his right eye is damaged. For this is Floyd Lawton, Deadshot, the assassin Oliver shot with an arrow in “Lone Gunmen”. The arrow had struck Lawton in the eye that was covered by a device he wore over it, so it seemed possible that he was not dead. And he isn’t. The arrow just penetrated far enough to damage his vision. China White has a box and she tells Deadshot that his vision is going to be better. Inside the box is a device with a red glowing lens to wear over his damaged eye.
Moira is in a corridor with Frank, telling him that Malcolm will be assassinated when he’s receiving his award. The two then enter a meeting that Malcolm is chairing. He says that the Undertaking is only months away from fruition (just what is this ‘Undertaking’? Moira said it will lead to thousands of deaths) and that they won’t fail this city.
Felicity is having problems cracking the heavy encryption on Barrera’s phone, but she has found the last number called, the Jade Dragon, a Chinese restaurant. Felicity comments that even assassins like Chinese and Diggle tells her it’s a front for the Chinese mob. Oliver asks Felicity to book a table for two; afterwards, she comments to Digg that she really fancies Chinese now.
Oliver had booked the table for himself and Tommy. Partly to celebrate Tommy’s birthday, partly as cover. Oliver also talks to Tommy about his father. He tells him that he has lost people, and he knows how hard it can be. Tommy tells him that, after his mother’s funeral, his father left for two years. When he came back he was cold; it may have looked like Tommy had a father but it was Oliver’s father who did most of the dad stuff. Oliver tells Tommy that he is angry at his own father, but he would give everything to have him back.
Oliver is still trying to discover the target and reaches out to Lance again. Given that, in “Year’s End”, Malcolm was revealed to be at least as dangerous in a fight, and as skilled an archer, as Oliver, he may not be the easy kill that people are expecting. Laurel gets an unexpected call, an unexpected visit and some unexpected news.
On the island, Oliver has managed a whole four pull-ups. Slade is not impressed. Oliver says he’s more of a runner. Slade says he should work out, as what else is there to do. Oliver suggests thinking of another way of this island. Slade tells him there isn’t. When Oliver presses the issue, Slade says he did have one idea. Oliver should go into the forest, and gather as much bamboo as they can. So they can build a boat. Like they did on Gilligan’s Island. Possibly Slade is being sarcastic.
Oliver sees the plane’s radio and Slade tells him it was busted during the crash. Oliver asks Slade if he’s tried to fix it, but Slade is better at breaking stuff. Oliver tells him that his father used to be a pilot, and did all his own maintenance. Slade asks Oliver if he’s hoping it’s genetic, but Oliver replies that he helped his father, and liked it, and became pretty good at it. So he may be able to make the radio work. Slade suggests that Oliver train for the inevitable fight; Oliver thinks he has a better chance of making the radio work.