BWW Recap: ARROW and a Canary Sing in Midnight City

With Oliver (Stephen Amell) still presumed dead, Diggle (David Ramsey) and Roy (aka Arsenal, played by Colton Haynes) try to convince Laurel (Katie Cassidy) to give up her vigilante ways as the Black Canary. Let's keep our focus on the target on get you caught up on tonight's ARROW, "Midnight City."

We begin with a flashback/dream for Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards). In it, Oliver not only agrees with her to not fight Ra's al Ghul, but he also professes his love for her. She moves in to seal the deal with a kiss (smart girl). Ollie starts coughing up blood. She backs away from him and he has ben skewered with a sword. I'm guessing this is the nightmare part (or damn, Felicity, you are into some kinky stuff).

It's a fake out, though. Felicity isn't dreaming it, Oliver is. Whaaaaat. Oliver slowly rises from the bed, grimacing the entire way (remember a sword did go right through him and he was brought back from the dead). Tatsu (Rila Fukushima) is either making another potion or dinner (it's kind of hard to tell with her). She tells him it's penicillin for the infection.

Maseo (Karl Yune) comes in with some firewood. Ollie tells him when Ra's finds out Maseo has saved Ollie and thus betrayed him, Maseo is a dead man. Maseo tells Ollie that he should be concerned with what's happening in Starling City while he is gone.

Cue the attempted rape in progress. Black Canary arrives. The woman smartly runs, leaving Canary to fight the guy. He gets the goods on her and is about to stab her (telling her that Brick --played by Vinnie Jones-- now owns Starling City). Arsenal shoots the knife out of the bad guy's hand.

Back at the lair, Roy has to stitch up Laurel (Felicity is a no show, keeping good on her promise to not play super hero games anymore). Roy points out the obvious: a law degree hasn't exactly prepared Laurel for street fighting. Diggle agrees. Laurel storms off.

Felicity is at the office, lost in thought. Her boss Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) startles her. He isn't due in for a couple of hours. He's there to hit her up to help him fix the nanochip from the A.T.O.M. suit. She again declines to help him with what she sees as a suicide mission.

Thea (Willa Holland) shows up at her club. Chase (Austin Butler) was just leaving. He tells her he was checking on his DJ equipment. They flirt back and forth. I'm bored. Thankfully, Thea's father Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) arrives. He is mad she hasn't packed nor taken the threat that her life is in danger very seriously (though, to be fair, his life is more in danger than hers). She refuses to leave until he tells her the truth. He replies that she isn't ready for the truth. You can see where this is going.

Laurel remembers she has a day job and shows up to the meeting with the mayor. Her dad, the chief of police (Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance) asks if she has heard from her sister (no one has yet to tell him that she's dead). It seems that the woman she saved last night thinks it was Black Canary I, not Black Canary II that saved her.

But first, the mayor wants to know why Quentin hasn't arrested Brick, given the crime spree he's been on. Quentin reminds everyone that half the force is in the hospital because of Brick and if he had more men, they might be able to do something.

Enter Ray and Felicity. Ray tells everyone he has just made a large donotion to fund the cops. He suggests calling in the National Guard. Brick and his thugs descend into the City Hall, taking three aldermen with him. Brick tells his men to kill the rest. Ray shields Felicity, Quentin ducks for cover behind a desk and Laurel...well, she goes into full kick butt mode (using a high heel shoe to take down a bad guy). It's the kind of cinematic fight scene we have come to expect from this television show and it is awesome.

Quentin confronts Felicity later at the police precinct. Why didn't the ARROW show up like he usually does. She tells him the ARROW is gone and they are on their own. Quentin then tells her that Sarah is back as Black Canary (still not knowing the Sarah is dead and that Laurel has taken up her sister's alter ego). Felicity puts two and two togther and realizes what Laurel is doing.

In an interrogation room, Laurel plays hardball with the thug she took down with her heel: tell her where Brick is or she is going to send the guy to a prison while he awaits trial that happens to be home of a Latin gang for which she plans on charging the guy for the murder of their leader (he won't last two days alive in the joint).He cracks.

Back at the office, Felicity falls back into old habits and tends to a hero's wounds (of course, this time it isn't Ollie, but Ray). It's a tender moment. Ray is obvioulsy falling in love with her, but she seems distant.

Back at the lair, Roy is helping Laurel suit up as Canary. Diggle enters and asks why. Laurel has found the location of Brick and his men and they plan to rescue the mayor and aldermen. Diggle still thinks she's going to get herself killed.

At Brick's hideout, Laurel nearly has the aldermen rescued, before she is knocked to the ground (Arsenal has already been beaten back). Brick and henchmen escape in a van with their hostages. Arsenal fires an arrow, hitting Brick. Brick pulls out the arrow and kills one of the aldermen in retaliation.

Back at the precinct, Quentin again asks Laurel if her sister has contacter her as she must know they are seeing her heroic acts and know she's back in town. Brick calls the mayor, wanting to negotiate or else he will kill the other two aldermen.

Felicity pops by Laurel's office. Laurel breaks down. She has, after all, just witnessed the murder of an innocent man. She tells Felicity she has no plans on putting on the mask again. Felicity sheds tears as well. She has realized you have to keep fighting on for those closest to you still alive and in need of your protection.

Quentin, the Mayor and Ray meet with Brick. His proposal: the police completely abandoned the Glades neighborhood of Starling City. Brick gives them a day or the graphic murders of the remaining two aldermen will be broadcast on national television. Quentin calls Felicity and begs for the ARROW's help. She tells him ARROW is gone, but she knows where to find the Canary. Laurel nods in agreement.

Back at the cabin, Maseo is leaving, Tatsu tells him she still loves him. It's too late, though. The League of Assasins appears to have found them all. Maseo tells them Ra's wanted Oliver's body, but he found no body, only tracks to this cabin. Just as they are about to leave, Tatsu makes a noise and they are discovered. Maseo and Tatsu quickly kill the three League members.

Back at the lair, Diggle pours a glass of vodka for himself and Roy and they toast to Oliver. Felicity and Laurel enter. The mayor is caving and will evacuate the Glades. It's up to what's left of Team ARROW to stop Brick.

But first, Laurel uses Felicity's voice modulation software to phone her dad and make it sound like she's Sarah. She pumps him for information, but he has none (save for one of the aldermen has a pace maker and if it isn't recharged soon, he's going to die). Felicity knows if the pace maker is remote programable, it will have a GPS. Laurel and Roy gear up as Felicity locks onto the pace maker and also swings by the office to ask Ray if she can borrow his helicopter. He tells her he is going to hold her to her no crash promise.

Diggle is flying the helicopter with Arsenal and Black Canary on board. Felictiy is back at the lair as the eyes in the sky and on the ground. Arsenal and Canary infiltrate Brick's hideout. Arsenal leads the aldermen to safety. Canary plays cat and mouse (bird and mouse?) with Brick, luring him out of his hiding place with his gun drawn. They fight, he strangles her again, but she knees him in the groin and she jumps out the window and to a hanging helicopter ladder.

Back at the cabin, Matseo has buried the bodies of the League members where they will never be found and still leaves to rejoin the rest of the League.

Quentin breaks the bad news to Canary. The mayor is still pulling the police out of the Glades. Brick has the names and addresses of all the other aldermen. He offers to take her to dinner (thinking she is Sarah, not Laurel). She tells him she will explain everything in due time.

Malcolm confronts Thea one last time about leaving Starling City. She tells him he taught her to always stand her ground and that is exactly what she is doing.

Felicity returns the helicoper unscratched. She also gives him a quantum processesor. The chip he was trying to use needs it. "I thought you weren't going to help me on my suicide mission," he tells her. "That's the thing," she says, "With my help, you might not end up dead."

Chase shows up at the club. Thea tells him that given that it is in The Glades, they aren't open. He goes to the booth to "fetch music" and makes a call. It's to Maseo. That's right, Chase the DJ actually works for the League of Assasins and he tells Maseo that Malcolm isn't leaving Starling City. Maseo is going to relay that info to Ra's al Ghul.

It was a bit of a twist that I didn't see coming. What did you think? Comment below and follow me @triggercric and follow @BWWTVWorld for all the latest updates, scoops and recaps.