“The Scientist” is episode eight of season two of Arrow.
At the end of the previous episode, “State v. Queen”, Moira was found not guilty on all charges. Oliver was happy, but found this puzzling. The reason was because Malcolm Merlyn, who didn’t die in “Sacrifice”, pulled some strings. It came out in court that Moira had an affair with Malcolm. He had also discovered that Thea is his daughter.
The episode opens at night and two security guards are patrolling a Queen Consolidated building when they hear a noise. Then bangs and dents appear in the shutter door, before it is smashed inwards. The two guards open fire on whoever enters, because it appears to be a sole individual, one who is extremely strong. The intruder kills them both.
Oliver, Moira and Diggle arrive at the Queen Consolidated building and Felicity greets them. She asks if Moira has done something with her hair. Yes; Moira shampooed it without eight women and a guard watching. Felicity was apparently ordered to say nothing about prison to avoid awkward exchanges. Like that one, Oliver points out.
When Oliver escorts his mother into the board room, Isabel says she didn’t know Moira was stopping for a visit. It’s Moira’s company too is Oliver’s response. Moira and Isabel give the impression they know each other – and are perhaps not on great terms. Isabel asks to speak to Oliver privately. Moira may have been acquitted by a jury, but not the city. He needs to think like a CEO, not a son. Dig and Felicity interrupt, saying there has been a break-in. Elsewhere, a man gets off a train into the rain.
At the scene, Dig is saying that the door is made from expanded reinforced titanium. Lance isn’t sure what they used to get through it; a crane, a forklift. There were maybe three or four of them given how quickly they got in and out. He’s off with that estimate. The man from the train is currently missing a cab.
Lance asks what the intruders came for; did they have a spare earthquake machine lying around? He apologises for that. CCTV shows only one intruder before being knocked out. On the suggestion that the rest of the crew entered after, the man from the train says no, there was only one man. He apologises for being late., Actually his train was late. Well, the second one was, he missed the first, but he’s here now. Oliver asks if his parents know he’s here.
The man introduces himself as Barry Allen (remember the name), from Central City PD. He’s a CSI and they were working a case with similar unexplained elements, and his captain sent him. The robbery was done by one guy., One very strong guy. Barry tells them the strength needed to break someone’s neck. The intruder did it with one hand. Barry guesses they don’t know how hard it is to break someone’s neck. Given he’s talking to Oliver, that’s likely not true. Even though Oliver claims he doesn’t know.
Barry also thinks he knows what was stolen. A centrifuge, one of two possible models, both of which have three legs. The thief ripped it out of the ground. Lance asks what a centrifuge is. Felicity explains, then Barry translates that into non-techie. One guy stole the centrifuge and walked away with it. Lance quietly suggest Felicity inform heir mutual friend. She’s sure he’s already on it.
Later, Dig, Felicity and Oliver are in Oliver’s office. Dig has confirmed that only a centrifuge was stolen. Felicity has CCTV footage of one man walking off with it. Barry arrives at this point and asks where he can set up his equipment. Felicity had told him that Oliver would like to keep it in-house. She explains to Oliver that they need to find the intruder and forensic science is not her forte. After Felicity leaves, Dig tells Oliver that he has the feeling Oliver knows more about this than he is saying. Oliver hopes he is wrong. Barry talks to Felicity about the vigilante. He thinks the vigilante trained in a forest or jungle environment, hence the green, and has partners – definitely someone with a background in computer science.
Barry identifies sugar in the trace and Felicity tracks down a sugar refinery that had a truck stolen. Then they get a message that the same van stole blood from a blood bank. Someone with super strength and likes blood; Dig makes a comment about vampires. Oliver wants Dig to look into Barry, although Dig thinks Barry’s intentions are clear. Given that Barry and Felicity are standing rather close to each other.
Oliver decides to throw Moira a party and Malcolm complains to Moira about not getting an invite. He wants Thea to be told he’s her father. Moira does not want to. Sin contacts Roy and asks if he can help find a friend of hers who went missing. Thea had come with, so she decides to help. Oliver tangles with the thief, who is really, really strong,
On the island, Shado and a rather hurt Slade had got Oliver and Sara away from Ivo’s men. They are now looking for the submarine which, according to Sara, contains a serum that could help save the human race. Something that Slade looks to need at the moment. Oliver explains Sara to Shado; it doesn’t make him sound good. They are looking for some sort of serum that turns people into weapons. Oliver has seen something similar to the intruder in Starling City before. There will be a connection.
Not a cliff-hanger ending but the story leads into the next, “Three Ghosts”. And it’s now apparently one day until the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator is turned on.