“Home Invasion” is episode twenty of season one of Arrow.
Diggle is working out with Oliver who asks him if he feels better. Digg replies that he will feel better when they end Deadshot. Deadshot is currently watching a man through his scope. The man is spoken to as Mr Ambassador, and is welcomed to Germany. Digg says that he wants to end Deadshot before he makes any more widows out of wives. Deadshot shoots and kills the ambassador. Oliver replies that they will, he promised (in the previous episode, “Unfinished Business”) and he keeps his promises, but Deadshot is currently on another continent. Felicity arrives and says he isn’t any more.
Felicity thought it would be helpful to track A.R.G.U.S.’s hunt for Deadshot so she decrypted their communications logs. Which means she just hacked a federal agency. Which Felicity says kind of makes her a cyberterrorist. She doesn’t think she would handle Guantanamo Bay well. Oliver tells Felicity not to worry as they don’t send blondes there. She replies that she dyes it actually – then looks at Oliver and says she keeps his secret (he’s a vigilante; she dyes her hair – not really in the same category of secret).
Felicity says that Deadshot is scheduled to meet a potential new client in Starling City. Only it’s bogus; Lyla has set a trap for him. Oliver leaves as he’s going to have lunch with Laurel. He says they are just friends. Felicity replies that friends are good. There is clearly a but. She asks Oliver if he couldn’t be friends with someone less complicated than his ex-girlfriend who is the current girlfriend of his ex-best friend (as Tommy has quit the club and gone to work for his father; he’s had a falling out with Oliver). Oliver replies that he wears a hood and puts arrows into criminals; when it comes to complexity, he graded the curve.
Diggle speaks to Lyla and asks her if there is anything new. She replies there is. Lyla was curious as to why Diggle, a bodyguard, was so interested in taking down a high profile assassin. And she found out that said assassin killed Digg’s brother. Lyla accuses Diggle of using her, perhaps to draw Deadshot out into the open so he can take Deadshot down himself. A fair assumption. Lyla tells Diggle he isn’t using her agency for his blood feud; he replies that he needs to see this guy in a bag. Lyla tells Diggle to stay away or she will have him arrested. He believes her.
Laurel is working when Oliver arrives. She asks if he got her voicemail. He didn’t. Laurel says that it’s been crazy and asks for a rain check. Oliver replies that he can catch up on the club’s paperwork; he’s got way behind since Tommy left. Laurel replies that she’s shocked that he went to work for his father – and it is surprising. Oliver says he’s cool with it as Tommy is a friend. Like Laurel.
A man and a woman arrive with a young boy and the man asks if they are early. Laurel tells him no. She introduces the two, Eric and Nancy Moore, to Oliver and says she’s prepping them for their deposition tomorrow. Oliver says he assumes the boy is their bodyguard; they say he’s their son, Taylor. Laurel wants to make sure the couple are up for it, as Edward Rasmus is not known for playing with kid gloves. Eric says that they invested their entire life savings, their retirement, Taylor’s college fund, with Rasmus and he stole it, He took their future and they want it back. That would be yes then.
That night there is a knock on the Moores’ door. A man tells Eric that he has some documents for Laurel for tomorrow’s deposition. This looks like it’s going to be bad. The man (J. August Richards) is let in by Eric and opens a briefcase, saying that they have a nice home. He can really feel the love. Then shoots Eric with a silenced gun through the briefcase. The man knocks some stuff to the floor and apologises for the mess, saying this works better if it looks like a break-in. Nancy comes out of a room and he shoots her as well. Taylor sees the man and closes and locks his bedroom door. The man kicks down the door and enters the bedroom, but the window is open and Taylor is gone. His phone rings and he answers. Rasmus wants to know if it’s done. He’s told the parents, yes, but there’s a variable; the child got away. Rasmus asks if the boy saw the killer; he says no – he saw the face of the man who will reunite him with his parents. The next morning, Oliver hears news about the murders, and Taylor’s escape, on the news.
Tommy is telling Laurel that it isn’t her fault and she shouldn’t feel guilty; she replies that she doesn’t feel guilty, she feels angry. Laurel tells her father that this wasn’t a random break-in and he says he some guys looking into it. He wants Laurel to stay out of it, saying that if Rasmus is behind it, he’s not messing around. A woman from child services tells Laurel to say goodbye to Taylor. His grandparents are in Melbourne and they are tracking them down, but until then Taylor will be a temporary ward of the state. Laurel says that Taylor can stay with her. As his attorney, she is assigning herself temporary guardianship. The woman says she needs a judge’s order and Laurel replies she will have it within the hour. Lance tells Laurel that he will have a patrol car parked outside her house and tells Tommy to look after her. Tommy says he spends most nights at Lance’s daughter’s anyway – then says there was probably a better time to tell him this. Lance replies there probably wasn’t. Oliver arrives at this point and Tommy asks what he’s doing there. Oliver replies he heard about the murders on the news and, when Tommy asks why he couldn’t just call, says he met the Moores yesterday and felt bad. Met them when picking Laurel up for lunch. Which, Oliver realises, Laurel hadn’t told Tommy about.
Diggle tells Oliver that Deadshot is meeting his new employer at 8 PM tomorrow and Lyla will swoop in with her team and arrest him. Oliver asks if Digg wants Deadshot arrested. Diggle says no and Oliver replies that tomorrow night they will cross a name off Digg’s list. Oliver wants Felicity to look into Edward Rasmus, as he may not have pulled the trigger but he called in the hit. Oliver wants to know if there’s anything linking him to the killer.
Lance is at the station asking if his daughter is secure when Roy comes in. Lance asks if Roy has been arrested again, but he hasn’t. He wants to talk and, when Lance says he hasn’t the time, says it’s about the Hood. Lance says to Roy that, after the Hood rescued him in “Salvation”, Roy had said he didn’t know anything about the vigilante. Roy says this hasn’t changed; he just wants to see the vigilante brought to justice like everyone else. And swipes Lance’s radio when his back is turned.
Laurel is telling Taylor that she makes the world’s best macaroni and cheese; Tommy chips in and says it’s the only thing Laurel knows how to make. It’s been suggested in the past that Laurel is a less than stellar cook. Taylor says he misses his mom and dad, so Tommy goes to talk to him. He says that his mother tucked him in bed one night before going out and the next thing he knew a police car turned up at their door. The officer told Tommy he would never see his mother again, but Tommy said that wasn’t true. He sees her every time he closes his eyes and in his dreams, and suggests Taylor close his eyes. Which works. There’s a knock on the door and a man says he is a police lieutenant and has been sent to check on her. He isn’t the police; it’s the killer. Laurel asks him to hold his badge up to the door, which he does. Laurel backs away and says she will be a second, and tells Tommy that the badge number begins with zero and lieutenant’s badges begin with – at which point the killer shoots through the door. He opens up on the room as the others hide. The man says that it was his badge number gave him away and Laurel replies that her father is a cop. The killer whirls to face her and Laurel says that wasn’t all he taught her, opening up with a pump-action shotgun. Unfortunately the second round doesn’t work – but the killer’s gun is shot out of his hand by an arrows as Oliver shows up. The killer escapes through the window.
The next day Lance is looking at the now-wrecked apartment and tells Laurel that he feels like it is time for her to move. The killer will keep coming until he finishes the job. He killed two of Lance’s men – probably where he got the badge from – and Lance wants to put the three of them into protective custody. He tells Laurel not to even think about it. She says that the Hood saved their lives. Lance says that even if he as comfortable with the idea – which he isn’t – Lance thinks the Hood has better things to do than watch Laurel 24/7. Tommy suggests Oliver. He says that the Queens have more security than the president, there are cameras in every wing and people are checked before entering. Tommy says that they both want what’s best for Laurel and that’s staying close to Oliver. Trust him. Because, of course, Tommy knows Oliver is the Hood.
The three arrive at the Queens’ mansion and Diggle introduces them to the bodyguards, led by Mr Robbins, saying he selected the men himself and the house and grounds are completely secure. Digg then reminds Oliver about their next appointment – the Lawton one – and Oliver replies he will swing by the club and pick up his good suit. Tommy pulls Oliver aside and Oliver tells him that this is important. Tommy asks if it’s more important than this and Laurel interjects that she’s sure that Robbins and his men will be more use than Oliver. Tommy says to Oliver quietly that he is the reason why they are here, and it wasn’t easy for him to admit that. Oliver tells Tommy they will be fine. He promises.
Thea is eating with Roy when the police radio he swiped goes off, a Code 10 at the port regarding the vigilante, and all units are requested. Thea asks Roy if he has a police radio in his pocket; he replies no, he’s simply happy to see her. The heads to the port. When Roy gets there Lance says over the radio that it’s a nice evening. Then turns up with some more cops. Roy asks if he set this up just to get his radio back. Even though Lance says he’s attached to the radio, he has another motive.
Felicity is telling Oliver about where Diggle wants him to set up, and says it’s ironic, sniping a sniper. Oliver is being silent. Felicity mentions that Rasmus is on the flight manifest of a plane heading to Shanghai, so he’s running. Which is good, because that means he won’t be after Laurel or the child. Although this will be Oliver’s last chance to get him. So, Rasmus or Deadshot.
Diggle is watching Lyla and her team but Oliver isn’t there. That’s because Oliver has gone to confront Rasmus. Lyla tells her team that Lawton doesn’t seem to have taken the bait – then Diggle sees something. Deadshot is there alright, and he shoots several agents. He would have got Lyla if Digg hadn’t knocked her down first. Diggle heads after Deadshot, who manages to overcome him. Deadshot tells Digg he saw him coming a mile off, and thanks Diggle for tipping him off. Lawton tells Diggle that he could kill him now – but no-one is paying him. Still, he’s saved a place to tattoo Diggle’s name, right next to his brother. Diggle’s next conversation with Oliver is probably going to be a little awkward.
On the island, Slade is telling Shado that rescuing her father and stopping Fyers is not going to be a walk in the part. They can’t just stroll in and they need cover. If both of them are infiltrating, who will provide the cover. Shado says that Oliver will, as he enters; it looks as if he had a photo of Laurel. Oliver appears shocked by the idea and Slade is amused. Slade says that the assault rifle is useless. Shado says they have a bow and arrows; Slade says they have no-one capable of using them. The tells Oliver no offence. Oliver replies that he was going to say the same thing. Shado says that she will get Oliver to hit the mark by sundown – she made him capable of actually drawing the bow by hitting a bowl of water – or they will do it Slade’s way. Oliver’s first shot does not go well. Shado told him to hit the tree – Oliver fired the bow and said he probably hit a tree. They are in a forest after all.
Definitely problems with Diggle and Oliver may still have rather strong feelings for Laurel.