In last week’s episode, Oliver, Laurel, John, and the kids were sent to the island of Lian Yu, aka “Purgatory,” where it all began for Oliver, for one final mission before the Crisis. That mission? To build a weapon, although no one knows exactly what that weapon is. Rene, Dinah, and Roy soon join them. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Find out what happens in the final episode of Arrow before the upcoming “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event, “Purgatory.”
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— Arrow (@CW_Arrow) December 4, 2019
Oliver tells William, Mia, and Connor that the three of them were supposed to be safe and sound in Star City; how did they end up on the island? Connor says a bunch of guys in tac gear came and stormed the bunker — they were A.R.G.U.S. agents. Lyla comes out of a tent and apologizes, saying she needed them there and didn’t have time to convince them. She tells everyone Mar Novu needs them to build a weapon, and it has to be done on Lian Yu, to which Oliver responds to John that they were wrong about Novu; he’s not their enemy. He mentions that Mar Novu dropped him in an alternate reality to teach him the lesson that they need to work with him to fix the multiverse.
Lyla tells them everything they need to build the weapon are on the island, in the crates outside the tent, and Dr. Wong has been experimenting with the Dwarf Star Particles since leaving Hong Kong, designing schematics for the weapon. Lyla explains that the weapon is powered by plutonium, and Dinah, Roy, and Rene are on their way to the island with samples from Star City. Oliver asks Lyla what he’s doing back on Lian Yu, and Lyla answers that the island has seen a rash of energy spikes over the past few days. Oliver brings up the fact that the last time he was there, it got blown up by Adrian Chase. Mia wonders if the weapon will stop Crisis after they built it and Lyla responds there is no stopping Crisis — she doesn’t know what the weapon is actually for. But Novu said this is how they survive it.
Oliver talks to Mia and William alone and tells them that Mar Novu has seen his fate — he doesn’t survive Crisis. Mar Novu told him what would happen to him the day that he walked in and asked for his help. Oliver says he’s been fighting his fate because of the two of them, and he can’t fight it; he can’t change it. “So you’re just giving up?” Oliver says he is attempting to save the multiverse and keep the two of them safe. They’re going to build the weapon and finish this mission, and that’s how it has to be.
Dinah, Roy, and Rene are on a plane traveling to Lian Yu with the plutonium. Dinah goes over comms and tells the island team they are five miles south and inbound for landing, and John tells Dinah they will meet them at the airstrip to unload. Dinah says there is no wind to speak of; it looks like they’re in for a smooth landing. Soon after, however, Dinah notices something in the sky. The radio is breaking up, but Dinah is able to mention something’s incoming. John walks out of the tent, trying to get Dinah to reply on the radio; Laurel and Oliver follow. A missile shoots the plane out of the sky.
“They’re not gonna make it.”
After getting coordinates for the crash site, William notes that the plutonium landed in a different spot, there’s a tracker in the case, but it’s nowhere near Rene, Dinah, or Roy. John says the people are the priority, and William replies they still need the plutonium to build the weapon. Oliver tells John to split up, and John says he’ll run point on the rescue; Connor and Lyla go with him and Oliver, Laurel, and Mia are on nuclear weapon duty. Mia tells them she’s staying behind, obviously still mad at Oliver. Oliver says someone has to protect William, just in case, anyway.
While out looking for Rene, Dinah, and Roy, Lyla apologizes to Connor about their first meeting. She envisioned getting to know her future son over a meal, not en route to a plane crash. Connor assures her it feels right for their family; most of their milestones got interrupted by some sort of international emergency or something. John and Lyla were there for him and JJ when it counted. They come across Rene, who is in bad shape, and Dinah. Dinah tells them they have no idea where Roy is, and Lyla leaves to take Rene back to the camp while the others keep searching for Roy.
Oliver finds the plutonium, but Laurel is nowhere to be found. Laurel is captured, and Fyers reveals himself. He tells Oliver it seems he’s been given a new lease on life, although he’ll be sure to finish the job this time. More of his men show up, and Oliver takes out a gun. Oliver turns around, puts his hands up, and starts shooting. Laurel is able to get free and starts fighting back as well. After it’s just the two of them again, Oliver tells Laurel that Edward Fyers and Billy Wintergreen were on the island when he first got there, and they’re both dead. Oliver gives Laurel the case of plutonium and tells her to bring it back to William; he’s going to go fight Fyers. He tells her Fyers is his mess, he’s a mercenary that he fought and killed, he wants revenge, and it makes him his responsibility — he’ll be back as soon as he can. Oliver starts walking alone, and someone shoots an arrow at him, catching him. Yao Fei, who once helped Oliver on the island before he died, reveals himself.
Oliver asks Yao Fei if he’s real, and he replies that he is as real as the men he hunts. Oliver wants to know why he tried to shoot him, and Yao Fei says, like the first time, to keep him from danger. “No one can keep me from danger, okay, not even you.” Yao Fei tells Oliver there are forces at play that want him not to succeed. Oliver says Fyers and his men know about the weapon and want to use it for themselves, but Oliver won’t let them get it.
John, Dinah, and Connor are searching for Roy, and Connor spots a hand reaching out for help. Roy is lying on rocks, his right arm pinned. Dinah notices the plane fuel and the cables, and soon, everything is going to be up in sparks. The three of them try to set Roy’s arm free, but it’s no use, Roy tells them to tell him how bad it is, and Connor says his arm is crushed; if he can’t feel it, then that means pretty badly. If they can’t move what is pinning him, they have to start coming up with other options; Connor says the best way to get Roy out might be amputation. Connor tells them he has a med kit in his backpack; it’ll have what he needs. John, not liking that option, says that if they can just move what is pinning Roy’s arm, they have a chance at saving it — they owe it to him to keep trying. While they’re trying to free Roy, something is heard rustling in the leaves. Dinah checks it out, and it turns out to be Laurel. Dinah tells her Rene is injured but okay; however, Roy is in a bad spot. Laurel says the guys who shot down their plane are Oliver’s old island enemies, they’ve been dead for the last 12 years, and Oliver went after them and made Laurel the radioactive material mule.
The girls return to the guys, who are still trying to free Roy. With no luck, John says they have to dig Roy out, but Laurel says they’re going to be getting some company soon, and not the good kind. John is hoping they can hold them off, and Dinah mentions the fuel’s about to spark; they don’t have time. Connor tells John they are out of options, and John says he doesn’t accept that; they always have a choice. Roy interrupts and says he’ll make it. “Do it. Just cut me free.” Roy tells John it’s better his arm than their lives. Connor brings his kit over, and Laurel and Dinah distract the enemies. After getting everything ready, Connor uses a sword to cut off Roy’s arm.
At the camp, Rene explains that Fyers and his men have the camp surrounded; they can expect an attack any minute. William says he’s done building the weapon. Once the plutonium finishes transferring the energy, he can turn it on. Oliver returns and tells William to power up the device, but William tells him the sphere’s absorbing the island’s energy. If that’s what brought those dead people back to life in the first place, Oliver continues that activating the device will destroy them. Lyla says if this is their best chance of surviving the Crisis, they need to take the risk with the plutonium.
While the majority of the team is fighting Fyers and his guys, Roy, William and Lyla are down in A.R.G.U.S. William says that now that the plutonium has transferred the energy, all he has to do is power it on. However, there is a specific set of DNA that the weapon needs in order to be unlocked. Lyla calls Oliver back to activate the device. Amid the fight, Oliver and John are able to get back to A.R.G.U.S., and William tells Oliver the sphere is touch-activated — it’ll turn on the moment he picks it up … but it doesn’t. After going through the algorithm’s specified sequence again, William discovers that it’s actually Lyla’s DNA that will activate the weapon.
Oliver says he thought the weapon was supposed to help them survive Crisis; Lyla says that’s what Novu told her. Does this mean Lyla’s the weapon? John tells Lyla he understands why she has to do this. Lyla picks up the sphere and activates it and when she does, Fyers and his guys disappear, as well as Yao Fei. John asks Lyla if she’s all right, and Lyla says she has to go and leaves through a breach.
The following morning, Oliver tells the team that he talked with A.R.G.U.S., and Lyla organized a rescue boat before everything happened. John said whatever Mar Novu has planned for Lyla, she can handle it, and Mia wants to know how much time they have before Crisis, and Oliver says not long. As everyone is getting ready to leave, Oliver makes his rounds and starts saying his goodbyes and getting closures, knowing that Crisis is coming. He thanks Rene and Dinah for being there for him, tells Roy he’s happy he’s back on the team and sorry for everything, William that he’s happy he’s had the chance to see the type of man he’s become, John to track down Felicity and tell her not to keep Mia and William separated. Mia tells Oliver that her whole life, all she’s heard about is this legendary Green Arrow and his team. She should’ve been proud of him because he was a hero, and all she could see was that was the reason he wasn’t with her. Oliver apologizes for causing her so much pain; he and Felicity just wanted to protect her. Mia thanks him for letting her be part of his story, even if just for a little while. Lyla returns as a Harbinger of what’s to come as the Crisis begins.
Although Arrow is officially on a winter hiatus, the Crisis has only just begun. Watch as the biggest event in the Arrowverse, and one of the biggest events in DC Comics history unfolds in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Sunday, December 8 with Supergirl, December 9 with Batwoman, and December 10 with The Flash at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on The CW. For the first time since the Arrowverse has been doing crossovers, there will be a small break, concluding with Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow on Tuesday, January 14 beginning at 8 p.m. EST.
