Violet recaps Season 5 Episode 21 of Arrow, titled Honor Thy Fathers, where Oliver and Thea discover a terrible secret about their father. Following the recap, both Violet and Josh share their thoughts about the episode.
- His thoughts on Honor Thy Fathers, Episode 521 of Arrow
- Her thoughts on Arrow, Season 5 Episode 21: Honor Thy Fathers
At City Hall, Lance reports to Oliver that a judge granted retrials on all the cases that Chase prosecuted, and released all the felons on bail. Oliver admits that they haven’t gotten anywhere with finding Chase. Just then, a cop informs Oliver that a large suspicious package was delivered that’s from a Simon Morrison — Chase’s real name. When Oliver opens it, there’s a skeleton inside, encased in concrete.
Later, Dinah reports that the body belongs to Henry Goodwin, who was a councilman in the Glades back in 2002, when he was reported missing. They wonder what the connection is to Chase.
Oliver returns to the Arrow Cave and gives everyone an update. Oliver privately asks how it’s going with finding William, but she hasn’t been able to yet, which makes Oliver optimistic that Chase wouldn’t be able to find him either.
Dinah does some investigating and has been able to identify a suspect in Goodwin’s murder. She hands the file to Lance, but we don’t get to see who it is.
Thea returns and stops by City Hall to talk to Oliver. Lance and Dinah bring the suspect’s file, and reluctantly reveal that it’s Oliver’s father. They won’t be able to keep this from going public. Oliver’s plan is to hold a press conference, but Thea tries to talk him out of it.
Rene gives Lance some good news — he got a court date to try to get expedited custody of Zoe. Lance agrees to show up and offer moral support.
At the Arrow Cave, Felicity has run an analysis of the concrete and thinks she knows where Goodwin was killed. Diggle and Oliver head over to the address, while Curtis and Dinah stakeout Derek Sampson.
The building that Diggle and Oliver go to is the location of the former Oliver Enterprises, which used to a Queen Consolidated holding company. It has been abandoned for a month due to a gas leak. As Oliver and Diggle walk through the building, there is an explosion, and they fall to the floor below, with a panel closing over the ceiling above them, trapping them inside a compartment. Liquid concrete comes pouring in.
Felicity interrupts Curtis and Dinah and has them go rescue Oliver and Diggle. They cut a hole through the ceiling and get the two out.
Back at the Arrow Cave, they conclude that the trap was a distraction to get Curtis and Dinah off of Sampson’s stakeout, and that Sampson is working with Chase. Sampson broke into a nearby lab to steal two of the three chemicals that Claiborne, Chase’s fathers, was using to weaponize tuberculosis. Lance and Rene may have found a connection between Goodwin and Chase. Darren Coffman, the last person to see Goodwin alive, is a lawyer who represented both Goodwin and Claiborne.
Oliver and Thea meet with Coffman at City Hall. He isn’t able to identify an alternate suspect. However, he gives Oliver a flash drive that Adrian Chase told him to give him once Oliver sought him out. Oliver refuses to watch it though.
Oliver, Curtis, and Dinah head to a location where Sampson and his guys are obtaining the third chemical. Gunfire breaks out, and Sampson throws a barrel into the air and shoots it. Dinah takes a sample to confirm that it’s the third chemical.
Thea calls Oliver back to City Hall, where she has watched the video on the flash drive. They watch the video, and we see Oliver’s father and Goodwin arguing, then Goodwin accidentally gets pushed down below into a vat of liquid concrete. Oliver tries to rationalize it as an accident, but Thea points out that their father covered it up.
Felicity texts Oliver, and he heads back to the Arrow Cave. They fill him in that Chase was the one behind Claiborne’s tuberculosis plans.
Meanwhile, Rene is worried now that he has found out that he has to testify. Lance gives him some words of encouragement.
Oliver re-watches the video that his father left him about saving the city. Felicity walks in on him doing so. He wonders how he never noticed that his father was a murderer. But Felicity points out that this is exactly what Chase wants, and says that her life and other people’s lives are better because Oliver decided to become the Green Arrow.
Just then, Felicity gets a notification of a location — the Robert Queen Applied Sciences building. Oliver suits up in his Green Arrow outfit once more, and meets up with Curtis and Diggle, while Dinah and Rene keep watch of Sampson on the roof. Diggle and Curtis fight their way up the stairs, while Oliver is left fighting Prometheus in the stairwell.
Up on the rooftop, a fight breaks out, and Sampson begins to choke Rene. However, Dinah steps in and saves him with her Canary cry, and they tie him up.
In the stairwell, Chase reveals his face, and mentions his father’s legacy. But Oliver breaks the news to Chase that his father was going to disown him — not because he was illegitimate, but because he’s insane. Chase kneels down and surrenders his sword. Oliver punches him, knocking him out.
Everyone goes back to the Arrow Cave and celebrates their win. Chase has been taken to ARGUS. As they leave to go out to celebrate, Oliver and Thea hang back, and Oliver gives Thea the video their father gave him before he died. He tells her that she needs to live her own life, and leave the past in the past.
At the custody hearing, Rene doesn’t show up, though Lance does. He begs the judge for more time, but the judge denies the custody petition.
Thea watches the video Robert Queen left for her. In the video, he tells her how much he loves her, and that her brother will need her support. Oliver walks in, and Thea is confused as to how to reconcile this man with the one in the other video. He tells her that they need to leave the past in the past.
Oliver holds a press conference and confirms that the allegations made against Robert Queen are true. However, he also talks about how his father sacrificed himself to save him. Oliver goes on to talk about Chase being behind bars, and making Star City a better place. We see Chase watching the press conference from his cell at ARGUS, smiling.
Flashbacks
Oliver flies a plane with Anatoly back to Lian Yu. While walking on the shore, they find Deathstroke’s mask. Oliver thinks it’s a sign that it washed up there. Anatoly and Oliver visit the graves of Oliver’s father and Shado. Oliver discusses using the Hood to honor his father’s memory, but Anatoly tries to talk him out of it. Later, they go over the plan for Anatoly to help Oliver get rescued off the island. Then they say their goodbyes. As Oliver begins to build a bonfire, he is shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart. Some men come out and reveal themselves. One of the men is Kovar.
Her Thoughts on Arrow, Season 5 Episode 21: Honor Thy Fathers
Well, that seemed a little too easy to beat Chase after all we’ve been through with him all season. That can’t be the end of the story with him, can it? There’s no way. Especially after seeing that little smirk that Chase had on his face at the end of the episode. It seems like Chase continues to have Oliver right where he wants him. Indeed, let’s not forget that Chase made contact with Oliver’s son, William. We still have yet to see what Chase’s plan is in regards to William. Of course, Felicity has to find him first, but it’s just a matter of time before that happens.
Oh hey, the flashbacks were back this episode. It was starting to seem like a good wrap up of the 5 years that Oliver was missing, and how he came to be rescued from Lian Yu. But then Kovar shows up and throws a wrench into the plans. Obviously, we know things work out for Oliver in the end, so this last little attack by Kovar better be worth the watch and reveal something profound and interesting leading up to where we first found Oliver at the beginning of Season 1.
His Thoughts on Arrow, Season 5 Episode 21: Honor Thy Fathers
COMING SOON
Scenes from Arrow, Season 5 Episode 22: Missing
Preview of Season 5 Episode 22 of Arrow
