Arrow Recap: Season 5 Episode 15 “Fighting Fire with Fire”

This week, Arrow gets down to business. Oliver faces an impeachment trial, Vigilante returns, and, at long last, we know who Prometheus is.

Sometimes, patience pays off. After 15 episodes of build-up, Arrow has finally put the mystery of Prometheus’s identity to rest. It turns out that the manipulative, throwing star-wielding killer is none other than District Attorney Adrian Chase.

Are you surprised? On one hand, season 5 didn’t introduce a whole lot of new characters, so Adrian was an automatic suspect. But we have only seen him helping Oliver, whether by freeing Diggle from prison or by agreeing to keep the Green Arrow’s involvement in Billy Malone’s death a secret. Their alliance, however ethically shady, seemed genuine. Plus, those familiar with DC comics know that Adrian is supposed to be the alter-ego of Vigilante, who also figures into the show.

In short, while the twist didn’t come from thin air, it’s a clever twist on fan expectations, and it opens up interesting possibilities for the season going forward. At the very least, it’s much more satisfying than the “whose grave is it?” mystery Arrow tried last season. Props must go to the writers for setting the table so effectively.

Even aside from that, “Fighting Fire with Fire” had plenty going on.

With the truth of Billy’s murder out in the open, Oliver faces an impeachment trial. He attempts to buy some time by telling the press “a version” of the truth similar to what he told Captain Pike: the Green Arrow has good intentions, and he trusted him. Meanwhile, he persuades Adrian to represent him. (This doesn’t seem like the smartest idea, since Adrian is also implicated in the cover-up, but he’s a good lawyer and one of the few people that Oliver trusts.)

Unsurprisingly, the trial does not go well. The council’s witnesses claim that the request to forge Malone’s autopsy report came from the mayor; one mentions Adrian’s involvement, though she emphasizes that the D.A. was following orders. Oliver’s only hope, Adrian claims, is that he will be allowed to provide his own testimony.

During the limo ride back to his office, Oliver debates what to say. Someone has to take the fall, Thea reasons. She proposes that they frame Billy as corrupt (half of the SCPD is, so it’s perfectly believable) and explain that Oliver covered up his murder to preserve his reputation. Oliver quickly rejects this idea; in addition to being immoral, it would no doubt destroy his relationship with Felicity.

Their discussion gets interrupted when the limo flips over in a fiery explosion. Standing fully armed in the middle of the street is Vigilante, who declares that he aims to punish the mayor for his corruption. Before he can do so, however, the police arrive.

While Oliver reluctantly pays a visit to the hospital, Thea heads to the Arrow Cave. She has another request for Felicity. Could she obtain information that they can use to sway a councilman named Cullen, in Oliver’s favor? It doesn’t take long for our resident hacker to hit gold: Cullen’s wife committed suicide by crashing her car, and he covered it up, officially classifying it as an accident.

Diggle overhears this and compels Felicity to explain Pandora. She counters his disapproval by pointing out that everyone else on Team Arrow has crossed the line from time to time. Why can’t she? It’s not like she has accomplished by clinging to empathy; Billy’s dead, and crime still runs rampant in the city. “We sometimes fight fire with fire,” Diggle responds. “But whenever we do, we risk being burned.”

Oliver repeats that advice when he confronts Thea about her plan. Fortunately, she hasn’t sent the email to Cullen yet, being prudent enough to not go behind her brother’s back again. There is a difference between “playing hardball” and being cruel, Oliver maintains. We’d like to note that Thea has basically been running the mayor’s office for him, but that’s beside the point. Thea, Felicity, and Diggle spent four seasons giving Oliver moral support; it’s about time he returned the favor.

Learning that the council won’t allow him to testify, Oliver decides to take matters into his own hands. He arranges a press conference, during which he assigns blame to an unexpected person: the Green Arrow. After thanking the media for covering the trial “with honesty and integrity”, he admits that his trust in the hooded vigilante was misplaced. The Arrow has gone rogue; he must be disavowed and pursued like a criminal. With that, Oliver goes full Dark Knight, accepting his role as the villain.

At the same time, Team Arrow (minus Dinah, who’s in police mode, guarding Oliver) tracks down Vigilante using a pair of drones devised by Curtis. Those drones also allow them to defeat him, doubling as self-guided explosives. Director Michael Schultz cross-cuts the skirmish with the press conference, emphasizing the contrast between Oliver’s public and private identities. (It isn’t clear what happens to Vigilante afterward. We still don’t know who’s underneath the mask, though now that we know Adrian Chase is Prometheus, maybe Vigilante is irrelevant.)

What matters is that Oliver’s gambit works. Not only does the council vote against impeachment, but Susan also reconciles with him. Thanks to “an anonymous hacker” who confessed that the plagiarism story was false, she got her job back, and she agrees to keep his identity as the Arrow secret. So, that’s one more person to whom he doesn’t have to lie.

Other developments aren’t quite as uplifting. Thea resigns, worried that her political ruthlessness is an extension of her former bloodlust. It’s hard to imagine Oliver running the mayor’s office without her (which is maybe what Prometheus wants), and we enjoyed seeing her emulate Moira for a while. But at least she recognizes that she is in a dangerous place. We can’t say the same for Felicity, who continues her spiral into darkness by agreeing to join Helix.

Then, after leaving Oliver, Susan runs into Adrian, who claims that he has “an exclusive” for her. This isn’t good.

In other news…

Curtis believes that by shifting his focus to technology, as opposed to combat, he can convince Paul to return. At first, it seems to work, as Paul calls, saying he wants to meet for dinner. When Curtis arrives at the restaurant, however, he receives a blow: Paul hands him divorce papers.

In this week’s flashbacks, Oliver convinces the Bratva to support Anatoly. He breaks into Kovar’s house (a bizarrely easy feat) and steals computer records of Gregor’s financial dealings with the crime lord, proving that Gregor has been working for himself instead of the Bratva.

Best line

Thea, convincing Felicity to find dirt on Cullen: “It’s not blackmail. It’s politics.”

Arrow takes a hiatus next week. It returns Wednesday, March 15, at 8 p.m. on The CW.

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