Arrow Recap S2E7: State Vs. Queen

Moira's little press conference warns Glades residents, but one doesn't look all too worried, until the ground starts a shaking. The prisoner, Count Vertigo is set free, and he choses one lucky inmate the chance for freedom. We of course know what happened in the Glades after that.

Now. Its the day of Moira's trial, and the assistant DA, Adam has something up his sleeve that he's hiding from even Laurel.

Oliver tries to warn his friends, but they're gone. His captors still want the graves, and they want Ollie to take them to it. Shado and Slade move to disarm the bombs, but Slade is looking a little rough. Shado goes after Ollie.

Dig is ill, but refuses to stay home. Moira's press conference is the focus of her trial. Opening statements conclude. At the office, Felicity even notes how awful Dig looks, and he passes out.

Count Vertigo injects the good doctor, or rather bad doctor since he's in cahoots with Count Vertigo, instead of negotiating.

Dig is awake but he's doing no good. Felicity took a sample of his blood and he's been exposed Vertigo. Felicity tells Oliver that Count Vertigo escaped, like the Dollmaker did, and prison officials tried to cover it up. Oliver has something that should counteract Vertigo, but asks Felicity to look into how Count Vertigo got to Digg.

Thea is on the stand, and the Adam is grilling her pretty good, tearing apart the Queen family but he starts to look woozy, and collapses.

Oliver takes the men to the graves, but they don't find what they're looking for, but Shado does find them.

Adam gets carted out, and Moira's defense strategy has to change with Thea's testimony, she pretty much sunk them, leaving no chance to play the empathy card. Oliver urges his mother to expose some truth for a change.

Count Vertigo takes over the airways, and he has Adam. He's willing to give the cure for Vertigo, but he wants to hear the words that he wants it. Adam says what the Count wants to hear. There's no leads on where the transmission came from, the Count is good, but Oliver knows Felicity is better. He puts her on the mission to find the origination location.

Laurel gets promoted, to lead the DA's case against Moira, and she quickly uncovers Adam trump card. Is she going to be able to take down her former flame's mother? Probably because that girl is a self'loathing ball buster, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Thea is on edge, and Roy has the perfect solution, he gets her to use him as a human punching bag. After a few hits, she falls into his arms in full break down mode.

Dig still refuses to leave as Felicity finally discovers Count Vertigo's hideout.

Laurel pays Moira a little visit, as family. She tells her that she cannot testify, and she givers her the information that will take her down. Laurel begs her not to make her use this information, but does Moira really have a choice at this point.

Count Vertigo cooks up a little  antidote, or maybe some more of his brand of smack. Arrow sets Adam free and Count Vertigo taunts Arrow, almost begging for death. Arrow sets fire to the lab and leaves with Adam in hand.

Moira has a little sit down with her children, exposing the secret Laurel already knows. They already knew of their father's infidelities, but not hers. Long ago she cheated with Malcolm Merlin, but insists that it was for a short time, and had nothing to do with the mess she currently wallows in. Moira takes the stand. Laurel does a good job painting the picture of Moira being invincible, being a villain. After the trial Oliver tries to talk to Laurel, but she's already beating  herself up. She feels guilty for her actions, but Oliver isn't holding a grudge.

On the island, its a grand ole Mexican standoff between Shado, Slade and Oliver's Captors. They had Oliver handed over, and he steals Sara  away with him. Shado and Slade planted a back door though, and things go boom.

Dig and Felicity continue to look into how Vertigo is being spread. A single suggestion by Dig, and they discover the drug's path of infection, through the flu truck vaccines. Being too sick to check it out, Dig is forced to stay at home as Felicity goes to check it out. In what world the smart blonde with no fighting skills should go undercover with no backup is good idea, is beyond me. Seriously. She finds an empty vaccine truck, just conveniently open and full of vertigo. But the whole just calling out to make sure no one was there wasn't such a good idea, and she didn't quickly becomes a Daphne when Count Vertigo shows up behind her.

Moira's attorney delivers some bad news, the jury is almost done deliberating. Oliver gets a call from Count Vertigo, and he's discovered his alter ego. He's put a few things together with Felicity's help, and Oliver is forced to go after her. All decked out in Arrow gear, minus the eyeshadow, he finds the Count stroking Felicity's hair in his office.  Looks like the Count isn't the only one with a grudge against Ollie, he reveals via bad guy monologue. He takes a few shots at him and manages to hit him once, but Oliver is ever quick and resourceful and gets away. The Count isn't without options, and he moves to plan B, to inject Felicity. But Oliver is ready to throw in the towel, and he manages to nail him with a whole lot of Arrows, sending him plunging out a window. Felicity and Oliver have a moment, but its fleeting. The Count is dead, and the sirens are closing in.

Oliver returns, and he gives Thea almost no information on why he ran out. Something is wrong with Oliver, and I suspect it has something to do with his wound. Moira's verdict has arrived. Moira gets off on all charges, and both Oliver and Thea look a little shocked. Laurel is barely able to make eye contact, as she leaves the hugging family. Oliver expected a different outcome, so what hand did Laurel really play in it? Felicity tells Oliver the further good news, they came up with a further nonaddictive vaccine, and with that crisis over, Felicity apologizes for getting in over her head and forcing him to kill. Oliver sees it as a non issue.

On the Island, Sara asks Oliver why he grabbed her, but did she really have to run? She wanted to get away. But he says because she helped him. Oliver tells Shado and Slade what his captors were hunting for, and Shado has it, no clue what it was, only that she like the symbol on it. On the otherside of the item are numbers. Sara tells them what they're looking for. The coordinates lead to a submarine that holds something that could save the human race, maybe even Slade, who looks like hell.

Blood was behind the Count's release, and he's not exactly happy with the results, an Arrow willing to kill again puts him in more danger. He goes to check on brother Cyrus, who though crying blood feels stronger. His plan is working, finally.

Moira leaves the court house a free woman, she is driven away, but not home. Her driver was instructed to take her somewhere else. He's taken down by Malcolm Merlin. And that explains so much. He was behind the jury tampering, and he's about to expose a few more of her secrets. Thea is his daughter. Oh Thea's gonna be pissed and a little Roy punching isn't likely to fix this one.