Spoilers for the most recent Arrow episode “Left Behind” are ahead, so if you still haven’t watched it, do not read any further.
After a long winter hiatus, Arrow finally returned this past Wednesday with the episode “Left Behind.” After Oliver was “killed” by Ra’s al Ghul, fans were left wondering how our favorite Emerald Archer would come back to life. As expected, he didn’t stay dead, although he’s far from being back to normal. While Oliver was busy lying in the snow, Team Arrow was dealing with Danny Brickwell, a.k.a Brick, who succeeded in recruiting an army of criminals to help him capture The Glades. Things are about to get crazy in Starling City!
Next week the insanity continues in “Midnight City,” which is the second part of this unofficial Arrow trilogy. What we know so far comes from the official CW description and the 30 second promo the network has released, and there are plenty of clues and hints about what’s coming. We’ve gone ahead and broken down what you can expect from the January 28 episode, below.
6. Team Arrow Won’t Be Down With Laurel’s New Identity
Arsenal (Colton Haynes) and Diggle (David Ramsey) confront Laurel (Katie Cassidy) about trying to step into her sister’s shoes and warn her to stop before she gets herself killed.
With Oliver gone and Brick on the loose, Laurel took that step we’ve all been waiting for. Using her sister’s equipment and creating her own costume, she went after two of Bricks’s men and took them out. Laurel Lance has become
[[ http see-arrow-katie-cassidy-black-canary-68350.html television www.cinemablend.com ]] The Black Canary! However, knowing a few fighting moves and wearing a costume doesn’t mean a person will be successful stopping criminals, which is why John and Roy will try to stop her from following in Sara’s footsteps--something Oliver tried to do earlier this season. It will be interesting to see her out in the field and to watch this new dynamic between her and the others unfold.
5. Brick Kidnaps Some Important People
…when Brick (guest star Vinnie Jones) kidnaps the city’s Aldermen and threatens to kill them all unless the police evacuate The Glades, it’s all suits on deck.
Now that he has an army, Brick is taking the next step in his plan to take over The Glades. Kidnapping Starling City’s aldermen will give him the leverage he needs to make sure the police stay out of his way. It’s a risky move on his part, but as we learned in his introductory episode, Brick is not someone to be taken lightly. He won’t hesitate to kill one of the politicians if he is forced to. Team Arrow is going to need to tread cautiously on this.
4. Ray Will Help Out The Police
Meanwhile, Ray (Brandon Routh) steps in to help Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and the police force fight Brick, showing Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) a new side of her boss.
Ray’s A.T.O.M. suit is nowhere close to being finished, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be helpful during the city’s crisis. As a tech genius and the head of a major corporation, Ray will either use his intellect to help the police stop the criminal or arm the officers with cool gadgets to use against the invaders. Plus, by watching him help Captain Lance and the police force, perhaps this will help Felicity understand why Ray is so dedicated to his mission to protect the city.
3. Tatsu And Maseo Set Oliver Straight
Oliver Queen is alive! Thanks to Maseo recovering his body and whatever substances Tatsu used (which the show will hopefully reveal), Oliver is back among the living. However, Maseo points out that his concern should be for Starling City, which has gone to hell since he left. Obviously Oliver will return to being The Arrow, but it’s a long road to a full recovery. He needs to start working to get himself back to 100%. We also may learn during this episode what happened to Maseo and Tatsu’s son Akio, who doesn’t seem to be with them at the mountain cabin.
2. China White Returns
It has only been two episodes since we last saw Chien Na Wei, a.k.a. China White, although because of the hiatus, that will have actually translated to seven weeks. In the “Left Behind” flashbacks, Oliver placed a tracker on one of her men so that he and Maseo could find out where Tastu had been taken. While we don’t know yet whether their rescue mission will be successful, it looks like there will be a showdown with China White at a nightclub. Think Oliver and Maseo will be able to take her down?
1. Malcolm Tells Thea About Ra’s al Ghul
Malcom (John Barrowman) tells Thea (Willa Holland) that Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable) is after him and his family and they must leave town immediately.
Ever since Malcolm Merlyn set off his earthquake machine in The Glades, Ra’s al Ghul has wanted him dead for going against the League of Assassins’ code. Malcolm attempted to nullify this death sentence by blackmailing Oliver into fighting Ra’s, but since Oliver failed to the League’s leader, they are still hunting him. Now that Malcolm knows Oliver is dead, he and Thea need to get out of Starling City fast, which is why he tells her about why Ra’s is after him. As twisted as he is, Malcolm cares about his daughter (to a degree) and doesn’t want to see her killed by the League. Actually, let’s not lie to ourselves, he just wants to make sure he survives this.
If you want to check out the "Midnight City" preview, it's available in full on the next page.
