warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

'Arrow' Season 3, Episode 9: 'The Climb'

Cristian Pagan |
December 10, 2014 | 9:36 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Nyssa lays down the terms for her vengeance (The CW)
Nyssa lays down the terms for her vengeance (The CW)
The episode starts with Oliver climbing a cold, snowy mountain. We then get taken back 48 hours when Oliver dropped off a convict at the police station during a Christmas party. He then gets attacked by a group of ninjas and they knock him out. Oliver wakes up to find Nyssa. She tells him that he has failed to find Sara's killer. So, she tells Oliver that he has 48 hours to find Sara's killer or the city of Starling will have to pay the price. The price being an old tradition where 50 people are murdered a day until the culprit is found. 

It turns out, Oliver's Japanese agent-friend, Maseo, is helping Nyssa. Only, they do not seem like friends anymore and there is alot of tension. We, then, find Laurel at Sara's grave wishing Sara a merry Christmas when Thea finds her. Thea does not know that Sara died and Laurel tells her that Sara was murdered. Thea promises her not to tell anyone. 

Felicity is being very cold with Ray at work because of their kiss from the last episode. Felicity makes it clear that there is nothing between them. Felicity then gets called into the cave to try to solve the newly found Nyssa issue. Felicity has to get to work trying to find Sara's killer while John and Oliver think of a back-up plan. 

READ MORE: 'Arrow' Season 3, Episode 7, 'Draw Back Your Bow' 

In the flashback to Japan, Oliver comes back from "interrogating" someone (in other words, he tortured him). Oliver got some intel about an OMEGA bomb which can wipe out all the power in the city. Maseo tells Oliver how one mans agony is not worth the lives of an entire city. Oliver did what he had to do. Back at the cave, Felicity is hard at work running the DNA samples from the arrows that killed Sara. However, the results pointed to one person...Oliver. 

Oliver is set on the idea that Merlin must be trying to frame him so Felicity must try to prove that Merlin was in the city during the murder. But, it will take some time. Meanwhile, in Japan 5 years prior, Maseo and Oliver break into a Biotech lab where they try to take the omega virus, however, someone from the inside already got it. Back in the present, Laurel's mom pays a visit an asks about Sara which sets Laurel on edge. She tries to lie about Sara's whereabouts, however, her mom picked up on the lie right away.

In the cave, Felicity found a flight pattern from Corto Maltease where a private jet flew to various locations to try to hide where it was going, but, eventually it landed close to the city the night Sara was murdered. Oliver then goes to pay the pilot a visit and use force to get him to spill whether he flew Merlin or not and to show him the footage. 

Felicity scans the footage to find out that, not only was Merlin on that jet, but so was Thea. We, then, get another clip of Oliver climbing the mountain. Oliver is shocked that Thea was with Merlin and that she lied to him. John thinks that is something they need to consider and that maybe Thea's DNA was the one on the arrows and that is why there was a match with Oliver's. However, Oliver does not want to believe that is a possibility. The team tries to let the facts sink in.

But Oliver does not want to listen and he walks out. Ray calls Felicity and goes to club where the cave is underground. Ray talks to her about the kiss and how he reacted. He felt guilty because he had been engaged to Anna. Last year, when Slade was destroying the city, Ray and his fiance ran into some of the soldiers. They broke Ray's leg and he watched as they broke Anna's neck. Anna was supposed to be the last one he kisses but then he found himself kissing Felicity.

Oliver goes back to his apartment that he shares with Thea. Oliver confronts Thea about Malcom and how he knows she was with him in Corto Maltease. He asks her about whether she came with Malcom 3 months ago to Starling City. She very naturally and automatically lies to him and says no. In Japan, Maseo and Oliver have a man hostage that stole the vile of Omega. They threaten to torture him with Oliver shooting arrows into him. Laurel is talking to her mom when her mom asks did something happen with Sara. 

She noticed how broken Laurel was and even though Laurel tries to cover it. She has this feeling that she will never see Sara again, and, a mother's intuition is never wrong. Laurel finally confesses the truth but she begs her to not tell her father because he won't be able to take it. We then see a man fighting against various ninjas and he kills all of them by himself.

It turns out he is Nyssa's father, Ra, who tells her to go to Starling City and make sure that Oliver knows that their threat is not a joke. Back at the cave, Oliver is still in denial of the fact that Thea could have killed Sara even though she lied to him. Felicity tells him that he needs to ask her straight on. Oliver breaks into his apartment as the Arrow and demands Thea to tell him where Malcolm Merlin is. Thea begins fighting Oliver which completely throws Oliver off. 

Oliver challenges Ra to a trial by combat (The CW)
Oliver challenges Ra to a trial by combat (The CW)
Even though Thea's fighting skills are clearly amateur to what Oliver is accustomed to, the fact that she even knows how to fight, and has the courage to fight him, leaves Oliver in shock. Oliver is visited by Malcolm at the club because he received a call by Thea saying the Arrow attacked her. Oliver attacks Merlin and threatens to kill him. Merlin tells Oliver to check his phone. Merlin sent Oliver a video revealing that Thea was indeed the one that killed Sara. 

It turns out, Malcolm drugged Thea and manipulated her to kill Sara. This is all part of Malcolms master plan. Oliver obviously does not want Thea to die for the crime. So, he must take the fall for the crime which results in a life and death battle with Ra. If Ra is killed, all of his blood debt is erased which includes Thea and, of course, Merlin. Oliver is devastated at the fact that he let Malcolm turn Thea into a murderer. The team try to convince him that it is not his fault and that he should just turn Malcolm in and let the league figure it out. 

However, Oliver is confident he can beat Ra with Thea as his motivation. The real question is, however, if the only issue with blaming Merlin is that there is a video...then why doesn't Felicity just hack into his stuff and delete everything. But, anyways, in Japan, the hostage does not confess to the crime as he still does not believe that he committed the crime. This is due to the fact that he was drugged with the same drug Malcolm used on Thea which results in the individual not having any recollection of their actions. 

The culprit that Maseo and Oliver are trying to find break into Maseo's house where she has an epic sword fight with Tatsu. Oliver goes to the League of Assasins to turn himself in and take on Ra. He says that Sara begged for Oliver to kill her so that she may no longer be a part of the league. Oliver challenges Ra to a trial by combat. Ra accepts. Oliver talks with Maseo. Maseo says that Maseo is dead and he now lives as a phantom. Maseo knows that Oliver did not kill Sara and he does not want to see Ra kill him. 

Oliver has 12 hours to settle his affairs. On the 13th hour, Oliver must climb the mountain to where their battle will take place. Hence, the various clips spanned out throughout the episode of Oliver climbing. Maseo states that few make it to the top, however, the last clip shown was Oliver sprawled out exhausted but at the top of the mountain. Laurel and her mom are at Sara's grave stone. Laurel's mom remembers the time when Laurel and Sara where little and playing as if they were their older selves. They had families, and houses, and now, in reality, one of them is gone. Sara wanted to be a doctor and to heal people.

READ MORE: 'Arrow' Season 3, Episode 5: 'The Secret Origin Of Felicity Smoak'

Laurel promises her mom that she will find Sara's killer and she will make them pay. Her mom tells her that she needs to make them suffer. Pretty intense moment. That's not the only intense family interaction. Oliver goes and confronts Thea about what happened in Corto Maltease. Oliver tells Thea that Malcolm does not love her. Oliver tells her that he will do anything to protect her. In Japan, Maseo and Oliver arrive at Maseo's apartment where Tatsu is missing. There is blood splattered around the living room. His son tells Maseo that Tatsu was kidnaped. 

Oliver and Ra before their dual (The CW)
Oliver and Ra before their dual (The CW)
Felicity talks to Ray about why he bought Queen's Consolidated. He tells her about the A.T.O.M exo suit that Ray will use to protect the people of the city. Of course, he wants Felicity to be his ally. Oliver says his goodbyes to John and Roy when Felicity walks in. Oliver and Felicity talk privately. Felicity asks him to kill Ra. She is terrified that Oliver will have the strength to kill again. Olivers reassures Felicity that he will do anything for his sister. He kisses her on the forehead goodbye. Lame...we wanted some intense goodbye love make-out!

But Oliver does confess his love for Felicity, I guess that's enough. Oliver makes it to the top of the mountain where he chooses his weapon to fight Ra. Ra starts the fight unarmed and it is clear very quickly that Oliver is no match. Ra easily dodges Oliver's blades with his hands behind his back. Ra manages to take one of Oliver's swords and the fight heats up. Oliver manages to disarm Ra and give him some good blows but Ra punches Oliver critically in the throat and stabs his side. Ra stabs Oliver in the chest. Ra begins an ancient saying: "Forgive him and have mercy upon him, Excuse him and pardon him, make honorable his reception, protect him from the punishment of the grave, and the torment of the Fire." 

Throughout this whole speech, Oliver has flashback from his life including his mom, Thea, and Felicity. Once done, Ra kicks Oliver off the side of the mountain, presumed dead. 

Reach Staff Reporter Cristian Pagan here



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.