“Streets of Fire” is episode twenty-two of season two of Arrow.
In the previous episode, “City of Blood”, Slade’s Mirakuru army had started wreaking havoc on the city. Laurel – who was brought in by Diggle and Felicity to help – and Oliver himself were underneath the city facing a bunch of Slade’s men. So, Oliver collapsed the ceiling.
This episode opens immediately after that, and Oliver is pulling himself out of the rubble and calls for Laurel. Above ground, Isabel is facing off against Dig, saying he can’t kill her. Laurel calls back; she’s okay, but trapped. Oliver wants her to looks around and say what she can see. Which are rocks. And Oliver’s bow. His quiver is there as well. He tells her to look for an arrow with a metallic head; it’s bigger than the others. Laurel wants to know why she needs that arrow. Because it’s an explosive head. And she’s going to fire it.
Isabel is doing well against Dig, and knocks him to the ground. She wants to know where Felicity is, as she’s been aching to put a bullet in Felicity’s smug little face ever since. Ever since what isn’t a sentence Isabel gets a chance to complete, because Isabel shows up at that point. In the van, which she drives into Isabel, sending her flying. Felicity really thought the air bags would go off. Dig gets into the van, and they see Isabel getting back up again. Felicity asks if she should hit Isabel again, but Dig tells her to drive.
Lance is at the SCPD where one of the Mirakuru-enhanced had allowed himself to be taken, so he could attack the place. Bullets and officers are not slowing him down. Lance looks at a labelled door, then shortly afterwards hurls himself at the man. Lance gets hurled off easily, but that wasn’t the point. He tells everyone to get down – because he’d retrieved three grenades and dropped them by the thug. That seems to work.
At City Hall, Blood is telling the governor that sending in the National Guard would only cause hysteria. The police force has been mobilised and has got the situation under control. The DA, Kate Spencer, tells him the cops are not equipped to handle what’s going on; what they are dealing with doesn’t seem human. Blood tells her to pull herself together; she doesn’t see how he can be so calm. Because he’s partly responsible for this. Blood tells the DA they are going to get through this and come out stronger and better, but he needs her to help.
Laurel is fretting about using the explosive arrow, but Oliver talks her through it and it works. Thea is stuck in the train station and one of Slade’s soldiers grabs her. Only to be hit by two arrows. Not fired by Oliver; when the Mirakuru-thug asks who the archer is, he removes his hood. It’s Malcolm Merlyn, and he says he’s Thea’s father.
Laurel calls her father and tells him she’s safe and with the Arrow. He wants her to get off the streets. Dig and Felicity pull up next to them and Felicity says that S.T.A.R. Labs have a cure and have sent a courier. The courier has run into problems, though, and can’t move from his overturned car. Oliver is concerned about leaving Laurel, but she tells him that she doesn’t need him; everyone else does. To go save the city. Slade and Isabel were listening in on the phone conversation from Queen Consolidated, and Slade sends a soldier after the antidote.
Lance is briefing the other officers when Lt. Pike arrives. Lance tells him the men they are up against do not go down easy. They need the Guard. That’s the mayor’s call, according to Pike, and he hasn’t made it. Because, Lance tells him, Blood is behind this. Pike doesn’t have the authority and the chief of police, who does, is dead. There is one other person Lance can call. The Arrow. They need a man in a mask to stop men in masks. Pike agrees and, because Lance seems to know more of what’s going on, gives him his detective’s shield back.
Laurel runs into problems, but is saved by Sara. Who she hugs and, even though she’s in costume, calls Sara. Blood and the DA are watching the news when the lights flicker and there are screams from outside the office. One of the thugs enters, having killed everyone else, and grabs the DA. Blood says this is not the plan and orders the thug to let the DA go. He is informed that the thug doesn’t take orders from him, and the DA is killed. Perhaps Blood should have used a longer spoon. He goes to confront Slade over this and is told that Oliver loves this city, so Slade will fulfil his promise and destroy everything Oliver lives. By turning it to rubble and ash and death, so it can only be used for graves.
Oliver speaks to Lance and tells him they have a plan, but they need time. Thea ends up talking with her father; it is not a great reunion. Sara doesn’t feel like a hero, and Laurel inspirers her – Sara is finally named the Canary in the episode. Oliver, at one point, feels he has failed his city. So, Felicity inspires him. Which includes shouting. They are running out of time, because A.R.G.U.S. is moving in – and what is Oliver’s connection with Amanda Waller anyway? It seems, from inferences, that they met prior to him returning home.
On the island, Oliver and Anatoly are on the sub. Oliver is going to rescue Sara from Slade and tells Anatoly to sink the ship if they are not back in an hour. When he asks if Anatoly can rig the last torpedo to go in a straight line, the Russian replies he has been discovering the capacity to do many things he never thought he could. And that Oliver has made a friend for life; if there’s anything he needs, no matter what, just ask. Anatoly will also teach Oliver Russian.