From the episode’s title, fathers was the definite run through for the entire episode and highlights how, with the exception of Diggle, all the dad’s on this show are crap.

Island Flashback

Taiana is still pissed at Oliver for killing her brother and doesn’t accept his explanation as to why. Taina then snatches the stone with Chinese writing on it from Oliver’s hand and demands to see Rieter as she has something he wants. When Rieter arrives, Taiana tries to bargain for her release but Rieter just takes the stone from her. Rieter demands that Taiana get Oliver back to health as he needs him, if not then she will be dead too.

So Taiana continues to care for Oliver and tells her he understands loss. At first Taiana doesn’t believe him but does so once Oliver tells her about how his dad sacrificed himself for him and has since lost 4 more people that he loved. Taiana saw that Oliver was lost when they first met and vows to heal him so he can help everyone under Rieter’s wrath escape. Rieter comes back and tells Oliver that the stone was the final piece of the puzzle and now requires his help to dig the thing up.

Papa Smoak

Ok so Felicity’s father isn’t a Smoak but you get my drift. Noah and Felicity are having coffee, which he is surprised to see his little girl drinking java. Felicity says it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he was around for the past 18 years. Felicity only has one question and that is why is Noah making contact now. Noah recounts that in his latest job he was almost beaten by a fellow hacker and looked into this person. Noah calls Felicity Overwatch and knows all about her vigilante night job. Felicity promptly wheels away but Noah catches up with her and gives her a USB key that lists all of his hacks that can be verified by the press. Noah wants to show there is a reason why he does what he does.

Back at the Arrow Cave, Felicity tells Team Arrow that her dad is the Calculator.

Felicity then tells her mom that Noah is back. Donna isn’t happy to hear that her ex has reached out to Felicity. Felicity believes that Noah has reached out because he wants back into her life. Donna disagrees and thinks Noah still hasn’t changed and only thinks of himself.

Felicity extends an olive branch to her dad and shows him the R&D division of Palmer Tech. Noah is impressed with all the tech around him and what his daughter has accomplished. Noah hopes to his one small baby step towards reconciliation. However, Felicity realizes her mom was right and found a device that Noah left behind meant to steal all the data from the computers and servers around him. Felicity gave Noah a tour of the R&D division to test him and he failed.

Later, Noah visits Felicity in her office to gift her with a portable accessible ramp. But Felicity doesn’t accept the gift and instead wants to know the real reason why he abandoned her. Noah says that with the cops and FBI after him, he realized that a life on the run for his family was no life and he left because he knew she and her mom would be better without him.

Felicity is happy to finally get the answer she wanted and then we see Lance and the SCPD come in to arrest Noah.

League of Assassin Civil War

The episode opens where the last one left off. Oliver is by Thea’s bedside where Nyssa offers Oliver the Lotus cure in exchange for him killing Malcolm. Nyssa cares what happens to Thea since she is her sister-in-law while Oliver is her husband. Oliver think Nyssa should be the one to kill Malcolm but she says he should be the one since he defeated him once before. Oliver is reluctant to kill his sister’s father.

At the Arrow Cave, Diggle and Laurel thinks that Oliver should kill Malcolm considering he was the one that killed Sara. Oliver decides that diplomacy is the best course. Oliver will try and convince Malcolm to give up the Ra’s Al Ghul ring and give it to Nyssa in exchange for the Lotus.

Laurel goes to some league hideout and Nyssa does agree to the deal while Malcolm thinks that Nyssa is playing Oliver and refuses the deal.

To prove that Nyssa does have the cure, she gives a bit of it to Laurel and Oliver. Thea is in the Arrow Cave medic area when Diggle gives a bit of the cure. Malcolm sees it work and is ready to meet with Nyssa.

The meeting is set and of course Malcolm doesn’t go through the deal and a mini fight between the opposing League members ensues but ends when Nyssa retreats.

The civil war between the League has spilled over the streets of Star City so the hunt is on for both Malcolm and Nyssa as the temporary cure wears off. Laurel finds Nyssa at an abandoned warehouse to again get her to see reason. Unfortunately, Malcolm’s League members attack and the fight spills on to the street where Team Arrow have to battle the League.

Felicity finds Malcolm saying good bye to Thea but Oliver thinks he rather have the power of the League than save his own daughter. Malcolm explains that the League has their hand in manipulating world events and doesn’t want to hand that power to Nyssa. Malcolm knows Oliver can relate as he wouldn’t give up Star City to Darhk even if it meant William dying. Oliver is surprised that Malcolm knows about his son. Oliver then comes up with a plan that will hopefully satisfies all.

On a rooftop, Nyssa and Malcolm engage in a duel for the Ra’s ring. Oliver steps in for his wife and the two fight. It ends with Oliver cutting off Malcolm’s hand and knocking him out. Oliver then gives Nyssa the ring, which she puts on and she gives him the Lotus. Everyone then bows to the new Ra’s Al Ghul.

The cure is applied and Thea is going to be okay and no more blood lust. Now only if Sara can get her hands on that cure!

Back at League HQ, Nyssa has summoned Oliver, Laurel and Malcolm so they can witness her throwing the ring in the fire. Nyssa has disbanded the League as she no longer wants its members to be her prisoner as they and she were to her father (as Laurel pointed out earlier in the episode). Of course, Malcolm isn’t too happy at this and makes threats to Oliver.

Oliver returns to the loft and comforts Felicity over turning her father in and then asks her to marry him here and now, why wait? Felicity heartily agrees.

At episode’s end, we see Malcolm meet Darhk to tell him to target Oliver’s son William, the one person that he cares about the most.