Last week’s episode of Arrow concluded with Felicity and Diggle begging Barry to help revive Oliver. Luckily, Barry was able to revive Oliver using rat poison. As soon as he’s awake, Oliver’s hands are around Barry’s neck and he’s angry with Felicity for revealing his true identity. Just after he’s revived, Oliver receives a text from Thea - Roy’s hurt and she needs Oliver’s help.
At home, Oliver sees his arrow still stuck through Roy’s calf. He pulls it out and tells them to stop investigating Sin’s friend’s death, and stop hanging out with the vigilante. Outside of Thea’s bedroom, Oliver sees Shadow, his friend from the island. She tells him he can’t fight what’s coming for him - that he’s got to step down or else he’ll lose everyone he loves. Oliver turns and Shadow disappears.
Felicity and Barry are able to get the current location of Cyrus Gold. Diggle investigates and is nearly destroyed by Cyrus, but escapes just in time with Oliver’s help. Knowing they’re going to need some help, Arrow decides to go to Detective Lance for help.
Cindy, Thea, and Roy go to Laurel for help with Max’s death. It was written off as an overdose, but Max did use any drugs. He had just donated blood the week before he disappeared, though Sebastian Blood’s drive. Laurel found out that some of the individuals who had donated blood at Blood’s drive had also received a psychological examination - not exactly normal for a blood drive.
Frustrated and powerless, Oliver decides to practice with his bow in Arrow’s lair. The first arrow he shoots, Slade, his friend from the island, appears and catches it. Slade beats Oliver within an inch of his life and tells him he’s a terrible person and only cares about helping people for his own gain. Later that day, Barry is able to determine whatever is causing Oliver to hallucinate is entirely psychological, not physical.
Detective Lance is put in the ICU after attempting to take down Cyrus Gold. Laurel, while hanging out with Blood, leaves to go to the hospital. Blood follows her to make sure she’s alright. Later, Arrow visits Detective Lance, who gives him a key he stole off of Cyrus.
Back at Arrow’s lair, Diggle tells Oliver to listen to his ghosts because they’ve probably got something important to tell him. Felicity uses the key and figures out where the strange strongmen might be coming from. Still worried he might be going insane, Oliver sends Roy to the abandoned office building in the Glades. Roy gets caught in the office building and Brother Blood, Sebastian Blood’s villain alter-ego, injects him with the deadly strongman serum, Mirakuru, or The Miracle. Just in time, Arrow falls through the ceiling and starts attacking Cyrus and Brother Blood. Roy is unconscious, and Brother Blood deems him a failure.
After knocking Cyrus out and some sort of noxious acid sprays all over him. Arrow pulls down his hood and revives Roy.
The next day, Sebastian Blood announces he’s running for mayor. After his announcement, he pays a familiar face a visit. Still alive and wanting nothing more than to ruin Oliver’s life and blind him in one eye, Slade is behind Brother Blood.
Oliver tells Diggle to keep an eye on Roy, fearing the serum might affect him negatively. Cyrus is dead and buried, and Barry has to go back to Central City for the first test of a particle accelerator. Felicity gets a call from Barry when he gets back to Central; he wants to see her again, as long as she’s not falling for Oliver. He also leaves a new mask for Oliver, one that is comfortable even when he draws his bow.
Back in Central, Barry misses admission for the first test of the particle accelerator. Instead, he heads back to his laboratory in a storm. Suddenly in the distance, the particle accelerator fails and a huge wave of energy flows over Central City. The storm rages on and lightning strikes Barry through the skylight, destroying the window and leaving an unconscious, but electrified Barry on the laboratory floor.
Arrow is taking a one month break during the holiday season and will return Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 at 8pm on The CW.