“Muse of Fire” is episode seven of season one of Arrow.
Oliver is riding a motorbike when he gets a phone call from Thea. Their mother has asked to Thea to remind Oliver that he is supposed to be picking her up for lunch. At Queen Consolidated, Moira is leaving the building with a man who says that all he wants is some time to discuss his proposal with her. Moira tells the man that, in that case, there’s no need, as the proposal is rejected. Oliver pulls up across the street and Moira tells the man that she is going for lunch with her son. Another biker arrives and starts driving towards Moira and the man, pulling out a gun as they do. Oliver sees and yells at them to get down. The biker opens fire, hitting the man several times before driving off, with Oliver in pursuit. Oliver comes close to catching the shooter, but a lorry gets in his way and he loses them.
Later, Moira is at the hospital with Thea, being treated by the same doctor, Lamb, who looked Oliver over back in “Pilot” (played by Hiro Kanagawa, who has had parts in Heroes Reborn, The 100 and The X-Files). Dr Lamb says that Moira has a grade two concussion, but can go home as long as someone sticks with her to make sure there are no after effects. Oliver tells Moira and Thea that he chased after the shooter to try and get the license plate, and failed. Outside the room, Thea tells Oliver that he should spend less time being a hero, because he’s not very good at it. Thea also doesn’t really believe that Oliver is telling the truth about everything. Well, he isn’t.
Detectives Lance and Hilton arrive at the hospital and say that there are no leads. Lance tells Oliver that the guy that Moira was with, Paul Copani, was connected. As in mobbed up to the eyeballs. Moira was not the target; Copani was. Copani worked with Bertinelli Construction, which is run by mob boss Frank Bertinelli.
Laurel is at home when there’s a knock on her apartment’s door. Outside are a delivery guy with a pizza and Tommy with a bag of food. Tommy tells Laurel that, technically, he was there ten seconds before the other guy. Laurel pays off the pizza delivery guy and invites Tommy in. Tommy has brought sushi and wants Laurel to go out with him. She comments that he has brought dinner so that he can ask her out to dinner. Which is true.
Oliver tells Diggle that Copani wasn’t the first member of Frank Bertinelli’s crew hit recently. Oliver says that the best way to find out who is targeting the Bertinelli family is to infiltrate them. Diggle suggests that Oliver be there for his family, but Oliver responds that he tried that with Thea, but she didn’t believe him and Oliver couldn’t explain that he ran after the shooter on the motorbike because he might have actually been able to catch him. Oliver says that he can protect his family by looking for the shooter, and that when he finds them, they are a dead man. The biker is pulling into a building and there’s a board with various photos on it. One of these is Paul Copani, which the biker crosses out. Given that Oliver said the shooter was a dead man, and how the biker walked away from the motorcycle, it doesn’t come as a great surprise for it to turn out, when the biker’s helmet is removed, she’s actually a woman.
At the Queen estate, Thea is heading out, expecting Oliver to stay with their mother. Oliver asks if she can do it instead, because he has a business meeting. Thea reluctantly agrees. Later, Moira tells Thea, who is complaining about Oliver not being truthful, that seeing Dr Lamb reminded her that the doctor had told Moira that the Oliver who returned from the island might not be the same one they remembered. Moira says they have to judge Oliver for what he is now, not the Oliver he was.
Oliver’s business meeting is with Frank Bertinelli at his home. Also there is the woman who was on the bike. The proposal that Copani wanted to discuss with Moira was to build Queen Consolidated’s new Applied Science Division. During their discussion, Frank’s associate Russo tells Frank that the meeting he wanted has been arranged, and it’s now. Frank really wanted to stay with Oliver to get the job, but he tells the woman – his daughter, Helena – to take Oliver out for dinner as he himself has to leave. She doesn’t want to; nor, for that matter, did Oliver. Both agree.
Frank’s meeting was with the triad, one of them being China White, the woman that Oliver fought in “Honor Thy Father” – and who proved to be rather accomplished. Lance and Hilton are listening in to the meeting. The triad representatives assure Frank that they are not responsible for the attacks. He doesn’t entirely believe them and warns them not to do anything else. Afterwards, Frank and Russo are talking and Frank says if it isn’t the triads, then who? Hilton suggests another family, but Lance says the shooter isn’t a professional. They could end up with a mob war on their hands though.
Oliver’s dinner with Helena goes a lot better than either of them expected. They find a lot of commonalities, and understand each other. However, they are going to clash at some point, and this could reveal both of their secrets. But perhaps to someone who can actually understand who they really are.
Malcolm Merlyn pops by to see that Moira is okay. At least that’s what he says; he sounds as if he’s threatening her instead. Tommy also clashes with his father.