Arrow S03E04 Recap: The Magician

Nyssa holds Oliver and Roy at arrow point still. She wants to know where Sara is. She can for the league to Starling City a few weeks ago, and she hasn't been heard from since. Oliver barely needs to say anything, Nyssa knows. She asks if it was an arrow, and where the body is before she runs off with barely an explanation and the location of her grave. Oliver knows that she knows something and sends Roy off to follow her discreetly.

Oliver meets up with Thea. He's late as usual, but in decent spirits. Oliver tells her that dinner is on him. Thea thought that he was broke. She isn't exactly anymore. She missed her club, and it turns out that a lot of other people did too, and she has investors. Its great news, but Oliver can't help but notice how different she is now that she's returned. He asks if she's dating someone new, and Thea hopes he's not asking for Roy. She's not dishing, and asks him to just be her big brother.

Past. Oliver trails someone, but he doesn't look like a terrorist. Oliver doesn't like the fact that Amanda is treating him like a gun she can just point whenever she wants.

Laurel gets some company at Sara's grave. Nyssa has come to pay her respects. She gives her condolences to Laurel, but Laurel doesn't want them. Her sister died with arrows in her chest, which would have never happened had she not met Nyssa. Nyssa and her father unleashed a darkness within Sara that she was never able to escape. Sara had darkness inside her long before Nyssa came along, Nyssa found her and protected her. She loved Sara dearly.

Roy reports in on Nyssa's whereabouts. Nyssa looks over the bare room that was Sara's. Oliver surprises her, but Nyssa doesn't want to talk. Oliver could use her help to take down the person who killed Sara, but Nyssa doesn't need his help. The house was Sara's safehouse, and Oliver finds some of her favorite food there. He surmises that her target was likely her killer. Nyssa reveals that Sara came to check out some whispers she'd heard that an enemy of the league was in Starling City, that Malcolm Merlin was still alive. Merlin was a member of the League of Assassins until he was released from his vow so long as he lived by the rules. He did not. The League thought that Arrow had killed him, but then there were rumor's that Moira had helped him fake his death. Now it appears that he has resurfaced. Sara had tracked him to the city, she was going to retrace his steps. Using a flame they find Sara's last note. She may have reached out to her father for help.

Quinton Lance scolds his men, as his chief asked, but rewards his men for a job well done with a round on him. Laurel asks about something Sara had called her about, Jansen. Lance takes a seat to explain a little. Sara had come and asked him to say nothing to Laurel about Jansen. He worries that she's getting in over her head, but she says she isn't. Lance asks about Nyssa, who's just walked into the precinct. Laurel speaks to her in private. Her father doesn't know about Sara yet, he has a heart condition. Nyssa believes he has a right to avenge his daughter. Nyssa is biting her tongue for Sara's sake, both of them are. Lance barely recognizes Nyssa outside her costume, and asks if Sara is in town too. Nyssa lies, telling him she isn't but that she sends her love. Lance gives Laurel the information on Jansen. Sara had promised no assassinating, Nyssa promises only justice.

Team Arrow follows up on Sara's last lead with Nyssa. She goes off before they can get their game plan fully out there. The boys split up to canvass the place, only Diggle is without a cool costume or a quiver of arrows. Arrow thinks that he has eyes on Jansen and Nyssa, but he doesn't have eyes on Jansen at all. Diggle and Roy have found that Jansen is dead. The man that Nyssa has closed in on is Merlin himself. He's prepared for her though, and uses a flash bomb to disappear before she can take him out or Arrow can assist. Arrow manages to nick him as he makes his getaway.

They return to the lair. Laurel wants to know if they found Sara's killer, and Oliver breaks the news that Merlin is still alive, Sara was tracking him, and they think that he caught up to her first. Even though Merlin escaped them, Oliver managed to hit him with an arrow laced with nanites, and they have a program thanks to Felicity to trace him. Laurel is upset that Oliver shot Merlin but didn't kill him. Oliver isn't a killer anymore, he can find Merlin anywhere he goes now. How many more people have to die before Oliver is willing to kill him. Laurel leaves in anger, and Nyssa goes with her. Roy heads to Thea's just in case Merlin contacts her, and Diggle gets to man the idiot-proof tracking program while Oliver hits the streets.

Past. Oliver follows his mark, who isn't as innocent as he appears. Oliver grabs him, stabbing him through the heart. His job is done.

Laurel isn't really in the mood to talk after the bombs that have been dropped. Nyssa understands. She promised Sara and now shes promising Laurel that she will find Merlin. They had Merlin, and Laurel doesn't want him slipping away again. She wants Nyssa to do whatever it takes to put an end to Merlin, once and for all.

Roy heads to the club, but gets an icy welcome from Thea. There is still a lot of stuff to be done before the club reopens. Roy offers to help as just friends, and Thea agrees.

Diggle gives Arrow Merlin's location. They decide to not give Nyssa the information for fear that she kill Merlin before they can get answers. Merlin isn't at the warehouse. He figured out Arrow's little secret, and although he too wants to talk, he'd rather it be on his own terms. He chooses a very public place, and tells Arrow to come alone. Should he have company, Merlin won't show.

Oliver arrives completely alone. Merlin greets him happily, impressed with how far the city has come with Oliver watching over it. Merlin chose the very public place for safety. He knows Sara was murdered, and he knows there's a bounty on his head. Oliver struggles with his whole no kill vow. Ra's Al Ghul placed the blood bounty on his head, there's no reason that Merlin would kill the love of his daughter's life when he was trying to get it lifted. Sara died trailing him, it seems a little too coincidental. Merlin came back for the simplest and nobelist reasons, Thea. Thea was almost killed by Slade's men. Oliver thought that Thea had made it out before the attacks, but she didn't. While he was running around playing hero, it was Merlin that protected her. He plans to stay at a distance from Thea, but he will protect her, since Oliver continues to prove that he cannot. He swears on Thea's life that he is not Sara's killer.

It's a new day, a new meeting with Thea. Oliver looks exhausted. He promised Thea that there will be no more secrets, no more lies, and he wants to open up to her. He thinks he knows what their mother was going to tell them on the night that she died. He asks about the train station. She was attacked by one of Slade's men. She lies that she thinks a police officer shot him. Oliver breaks it to her that it was Merlin, and she looks unhappy about the revelation, as if she wasn't keeping the same secret. Her lying could use a little work, her poker face sucks. Oliver tells her not to worry though, that if he was going to contact her he would have done so by now. Thea excuses herself with a call, and Oliver wonders if she's okay. She tells him she is, but he's not completely buying it.

Nyssa returns looking for Oliver. She isn't happy to hear that they met with Merlin without her. Oliver informs her that Merlin didn't kill Sara. He swore on his daughter's life. The league had heard that he had a child, but didn't know the identity of the child. Oliver confesses that Thea is that child, to Roy's dismay. Thea is the reason that Merlin came to Sterling City, he's there to protect her. In his own twisted way he loves Thea, and he swore on her life that he is not the killer. And Nyssa swore that she would kill Sara's killer, which she still believes is Merlin. Oliver tries to stop her, but Diggle reasons with Oliver. He understands all of the reasons that Oliver can't kill Merlin, but irregardless of whether he killed Sara or not, Merlin is still bad news and the world is better off if he isn't in it. Oliver may have made a no kill vow, but Nyssa did not.

Past. Oliver returns to Maseo's home. His wife isn't there. She isn't happy that Oliver is there, and Oliver isn't happy that he is there either. Oliver had to kill a man that day. Maseo reminds him what's at stake. They don't always need to know why they're carrying out a mission, but sometimes they have to be carried out anyways. Oliver never knew a conscious could be such a burden. Oliver tries to get Maseo's son to let him use his computer. He barters computer time for candy. He gets on the internet for all of a second before demanding a meeting with Amanda Waller.

Roy continues to help out Thea with her club. It gives him something to focus on, and she likes his company, but is a little remiss that he's not still trying to get in her pants. Why are there even pants where Roy is concerned? Nyssa drops in on the couple, all assassin garbed. Roy jumps to protect her, but Nyssa hits him with a tranq dart. Thea steps in as menacing as a kitten. Nyssa didn't come to harm Roy, she came for Thea.

Merlin looks for Thea at her apartment, but she isn't there. He sees some purple smoke signals, and doesn't like it.

Laurel isn't happy to learn that Merlin is back and alive, and that he's Thea's father. Having just been initiated into the circle of trust she isn't pleased to find that there are still secrets. When she struck out looking for Nyssa or Thea, she looked for strange and found that purple smoke bomb. Sara never said much about the League, but she did say their communication system was a little outdated. Oliver springs into action with a plan. Laurel is sorry for sending Nyssa after Merlin, and she reminds him that although he may not be a killer that Merlin is.

Thea hangs upside down, and the look is not a good one on her. Nyssa apologizes for putting her through this, but it is necessary. Being bait sucks. Nyssa is after the Magician, Merlin. Nyssa thinks that he will die when she catches him. Her father may be the demon by Thea's is the devil. An arrow cuts Thea down, and Arrow catches her, sending her off to safety. Arrow and Nyssa go for a little hand to hand when Merlin joins the party. There's a little misunderstanding, but Nyssa is still not listening, willing to take on both men rather than hear what he has to say. Merlin pins Nyssa, and Arrow disarms him. Nyssa calls for Merlin's blood, but he remains adamant that he did not kill Sara. Instead he points that her own father doubted Sara's loyalties the moment she was brought home. She knows what her father is capable of and they both know what he is capable of. Merlin turns his attention to Oliver. If he doesn't believe him, he suggests that he kill him. Merlin turns to walk away, and Oliver raises his arrow. He could have him arrested, but Merlin would get away in no time. There is no prison that could hold him, which only leaves him the option to break his own vow and kill him. Oliver can't kill his sister's father.

Thea is okay. She doesn't know who took her. Nyssa punches Oliver, upset that he let Merlin go. He loved Sara at one time, and he will kill the person who actually killed her. He warns Nyssa that as long as Merlin is in his city, that he is under his protection and that the League will make no move against him. Nyssa is shocked to hear that he would incur the wrath of the League of Assassins and warns that he made an enemy that night. Oliver will do what he has to to find the truth. Laurel makes sure that he's sure, and he is. Felicity arrive as Nyssa leaves, missing all the fun.

Past. Amanda Waller isn't very happy to be summoned by one of her operatives, and she hates Hong Kong. She knows all about his past, and he needs to know more. He asks about the USB drive that the man he murdered killed, who had information about something she'd rather not come to light. Dead men can tell no tales, but Oliver is anything but, and warns her that he can have the information in the hands of every blogger if anything happens to Maseo's family. The world is more complicated though. Waller took out an entire plane to take out one woman, one that he saved. Chen Na Wey is in Hong Kong, and she needs to know why.

Laurel gives a bag a good beating when Nyssa comes to say a goodbye, she felt she owed her that. It pains them both to know that Sara's killer is still out there. Nyssa notices that she's been training. Back the cemetary she would have told her that she wasn't strong enough, but now she sees soemthing different in Laurel.

Quinton leaves his daughter another message. He misses her, and wants to hear her voice. He's worried about her, and he wants her to remember that he loves her.

Oliver goes to check on Thea, but it's not her first time being kidnapped. He tells her that he spoke with Lance, and the woman who kidnapped her won't be bothering her again, that she probably thought that the Queens still had money. She thanks him for checking on her, when Roy arrives. He didn't want to interrupts, but Oliver was leaving anyways. Roy has the same worried look on his face, but she's really fine. Roy apologizes for not being able to protect her. She appreciated his moves. He offers to be a bouncer, but Thea offer him an assistant manager position, and he accepts. Thea leaves to take another call, its Merlin. She assures him that Oliver is still in the dark, and she thanks her father for taking care of her. He promised that no one would ever hurt her, and he intends to keep it.

Nyssa returns home and reports that Merlin is indeed in Starling City. Ra's Al Ghul asks about Sara, and Nyssa informs him that she was killed. She swore a blood oath to avenge her, but he negates it. Sara was never really one of them. He asks Oliver's position, and isn't pleased to hear that he's vowed to protect Merlin, seeing it as a call to war.