Jeffrey C. Robinson

After Detective Lance arrests Oliver for murder, Oliver tells Moira that the only lawyer he'll allow to represent him is Laurel. Laurel takes the case, which puts her at odds with her father. Oliver offers to take a polygraph in front Detective Lance, but things get tense when Lance asks him if anyone else was on the island with him. Oliver flashes back to the island, when he got his first scar, courtesy of DC villain Deathstroke (guest star JEFFREY ROBINSON).

Oliver discovers that after he and his father went missing, Moira and Thea stopped celebrating Christmas. Determined to make up for lost time and restore a sense of normalcy to the Queen household, Oliver decides to throw the family a Christmas party. Meanwhile, Tommy asks Laurel to spend Christmas with him but she points out that Christmas was also her sister’s Sara’s birthday and she needs to be with her father. Tommy suggests changing things up might be the best way for everyone to heal but Laurel isn’t sure her father is ready for that.

Oliver’s confidence is shaken after being beaten by the Dark Archer and he takes a break from being Arrow. However, when Laurel calls Arrow for help investigating a firefighter’s suspicious death, he reluctantly agrees… but his hesitance while fighting almost costs him his life. Meanwhile, Tommy throws a benefit for the firefighters and Thea tries to lift her mother out of her depressive state.

After Oliver is shot, he turns to a surprising person for help – Felicity. Diggle is stunned when he sees Felicity walk through thefront door of the lair dragging a dying Oliver behind her, and the two team up to save Oliver's life. As Oliver hovers between lifeand death, he flashes back to a seminal event on the island – a daring escape attempt with his new friend Slade Wilson (guest star MANU BENNETT – Spartacus).

Thea finds herself in trouble with the police after she gets caught using a drug called “Vertigo.” Oliver thinks the only way to keep her out of jail is to find the dealer – a man who goes by the name of “The Count” (guest star Seth Gabel). Oliver turns to an old flame, and current vice cop, McKenna Hall (guest star Janina Gavankar), for help. Meanwhile, Laurel steps in to defend Thea, and Felicity gives Oliver some disturbing news about Moira.