Arrow 7X7: The Slabside Redemption

I absolutely loved this episode. No idea if this is popular or not, but this episode was incredible. (Which is surprising since we only got, like, 9 seconds of Felicity.)

So, as soon as we start, we find out that Oliver is getting discharged that day. Yay! Except, as Diaz is being transferred to the jail, he paid off the transport guard and he killed all the other guards. Somehow, Diaz manages to get himself into the prison as a civilian.

Oliver is told he has a visitor (which is already suspicious since he's getting out in a few hours), and when he gets down there, it's Diaz. He tells Oliver that he's never getting out of this jail and Diaz will kill him first. Then go after Felicity. Oliver, obviously, takes exception to that and uses the phone to try to break the partition between them. This earns him a taser and getting dragged back to his cell.

Once he comes to, he Macgyvers some kind of bomb from materials in his cell and blows his door open. He begs the guards to let him help them with Diaz who has broken into the prison. They claim they don't need his help and Oliver assures him that they do. When the guard doesn't listen, Oliver just basically tosses him out of the way.

Meanwhile, Diaz opens all the cells and encourages the prisoners to have their way with the guards. Which they do. The guards are no match for the prisoners. Oliver, along with Turner (who agrees to help Oliver in exchange for a good word with ARGUS in getting him out) run through the prison and try to save as many guards as possible while trying to get to Diaz.

While looking for weapons to use against Diaz, Oliver heads into a room and immediately gets drugged with a sedative by Stanley. He's pissed because Oliver believes that he should stay in jail. And he basically admits to killing multiple people, but that they all deserved it. He claims that he and Oliver are not so different. Oliver manages to lure him close enough to him, so Oliver can kick him in the face a couple of times. Once he's unconscious, Oliver unties himself and meets back up with Turner.

Together, they head for the control room where Diaz is. But, as soon as Oliver gets there, he sees that Diaz his rigged it with some kind of device. And then he manages to start an electrical fire. Turner works on evacuating everyone he can while Oliver goes after Diaz. It doesn't take long before it's just Oliver and Diaz fighting. And, honestly, Oliver is not doing well. Diaz clams it's because Oliver has gotten soft in prison, but I think it's just that Diaz is using something like Mirakuru.

Either way, they've made it into Oliver's cell, and it looks like Oliver is down for the count. Diaz start to taunt him (as he is wont to do). He then tells him how Felicity almost killed him by holding a gun to his head. Oliver assures him she wouldn't do that. Then, Diaz rips up the picture of her and William. This seems to give Oliver a last bit of strength and he manages to stab Diaz, and then lock him in the cell. Holy shit. I think it might actually be over. (At least for a little while until Diaz figures out how to run the prison because I'm sure he will eventually).

We also see that both Stanley and Brick know about the escape through the morgue. But, only one of them makes it out. Stanley ends up killing Brick (how many people has he killed now?) and escaping out the window.

Almost immediately after the melee, Oliver gets released. I mean, it must be right after because is still covered in blood. But, he's free and Felicity and John meet him at the gate.

OMG. I'm so happy. I need Oliver to out of jail. I need Diaz in jail. I need Olicity to have a fucking honeymoon now please. I think 7 episodes was really the perfect amount of time for Oliver to be in jail. Long enough to feel like it was a consequence, but short enough where I wasn't pissed about it. Lol.