TV Review: Arrow – Season 3 Episode 9 “The Climb”

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Join us each week as we review the latest episode of ARROW. Warning: the following review contains major spoilers for the newest episode of the show.

Episode 9: "The Climb"

Synopsis: Nyssa returns to Starling City and tells Oliver that her father, Ra's al Ghul has given Oliver 48 hours to find Sara’s killer or the The League of Assassins will start killing the citizens of Starling City.

In Starling City: It is hard to believe that we are already at the mid-season finale for ARROW.  Over the course of eight episodes, we have yet to find Sara Lance's murderer nor discover the true motivations behind Ra's Al Ghul or Malcolm Merlyn in Starling City.  We don't know what Ray Palmer has up his sleeve and we don't know how Oliver got back to the island from Hong Kong.  What we do know is Arrow and The Flash can have a mean crossover.

This episode opens with Oliver climbing a steep, snow-covered mountain.  A brief sequence that immediately called to mind Bruce Wayne searching for Ra's Al Ghul in BATMAN BEGINS.  We quickly flash back 48 hours to learn what led Oliver to the climb.  It is Christmas in Starling City and Arrow is delivering a criminal to Captain Lance when he is ambushed by a group of assassins.  Oliver assumes it is Malcolm Merlyn but he is quickly knocked out and taken before Nyssa Al Ghul.

Nyssa sets the ultimatum for Oliver to find Sara's killer within 48 hours or the League of Assassins will wreak havok on the city.  She also reveals Oliver's friend and mentor in Hong Kong, Maseo, is a member of the League and has abandoned his former life.  Now, I have not been a fan of the flashbacks this season, but if their only purpose was to set up Maseo for this episode, I am going to be pissed.

Meanwhile, Laurel tells Thea about Sara's death and begs her not to tell anyone.  Ray and Felicity share an awkward moment regarding their kiss.  Ray says he can explain but Felicity is called off on Team Arrow business.  Oliver tells the team of Nyssa's ultimatum and that he has no contingency plan.  Felicity checks in with S.T.A.R. Labs, still reeling from the Reverse-Flash attack, and gets the results of the tests done on the arrows that killed Sara.  The DNA tests reveal that Sara's killer was….Oliver?  Somehow, they faked his DNA on the arrows and he immediately assumes it was Malcolm Merlyn trying to pit him against the League of Assassins.

Back at SCPD, Quentin Lance is greeted by his returning ex-wife, Dinah Lance.  She asks after Sara and Laurel gives the worst bullshit answer ever: she is backpacking through the Andes.  For a potential future superhero, Laurel is really bad at covering her tracks.  Arrow and Arsenal go after a private pilot after Felicity finds Merlyn may have chartered a plane to Starling the day before Sara died.  On the airport security footage, Oliver sees that Merlyn did come to town along with Thea.  Diggle suggests that Thea could have killed Sara as she shares Oliver's DNA.  Felicity says it could be a match for the trajectory of the arrows but Oliver refuses to hear it.

Ray arrives at Verdant and reveals to Felicity his backstory.  During the Mirakuru raid on Starling, Ray and his fiance Anna were attacked by Deathstroke's minions.  They broke Ray's leg and he watched Anna get killed.  He says he felt guilty for kissing Felicity and she seems to soften her anger at him.  This also would serve as good motivation for Ray Palmer's potential transformation into The Atom, something teased a few times this season.

Oliver confronts Thea about her relationship with Merlyn and she denies anything including the return trip before Sara's death.  If Oliver is blinded by his familial bonds, Laurel is just as fricking bad.  As Dinah questions Laurel, citing a mother's intuition, Laurel quickly reveals that Sara is dead and begs her not to tell her father.  Seriously, Laurel?  How does all of Starling not know Oliver is Arrow at this point?

Ra's Al Ghul gives the order for Nyssa and Maseo to begin killing civilians in Starlling City.  Oliver admits he refuses to believe Thea could have killed Sara to which Diggle and Felicity suggest he should question her as Arrow.  Oliver crashes in the window and Thea quickly defends herself and jumps from the balcony to Oliver's disbelief.  Malcolm arrives at Verdant the next day and reveals the master plot: using a drug, Malcolm coerced Thea into killing Sara without her knowledge.  Oliver vows to tell Ra's Al Ghul the truth, but Malcolm says he would kill Thea anyway for firing the arrow.  No, Merlyn's master plan is for Oliver to take the blame after which he will be given a trial by combat versus Ra's.  When Oliver kills Ra's, Thea's blood debt will be gone, as will Merlyn's.  That devious motherf*cker.  A brilliant, if not overly convoluted, plan that I cannot wait to see in action.

Oliver goes to see Ra's and admits he killed Sara.  Ra's doesn't believe Oliver, but he demands a trial by combat to which Ra's accepts.  Maseo tells Oliver he will bear witness to the duel and does not believe he killed Sara.  But, by League law, Oliver is given 12 hours to settle his debts before embarking on a climb atop a mountain to consecrated ground for his trial.  Oliver tries to warn Thea one last time and says he loves her. Oliver also says goodbye to Roy, Diggle, and Felicity as he readies for his battle.  Felicity and Oliver share a moment and she begs Oliver to kill Ra's to not only save himself but everyone.  She fears Oliver will not kill Ra's but needs him to.  Oliver also tells her, possibly one last time, that he loves her.

Felicity confronts Ray about his true motivations behind buying Queen Consolidated and Ray unveils his plans for the A.T.O.M. (Advanced Technology Operating Mechanism) exo-suit which is capable of shrinking military grade weapons to a tiny size.  Ray tells Felicity he plans to use the suit to protect Starling and wants her help.  Felicity's reaction is priceless as she asks why this keeps happening to her.  The prospect of seeing an episode of this show with Arrow, Arsenal, Flash, and Atom all at once is almost enough for anyone to geek out.

Oliver arrives at the snowy battleground and is directed to choose his weapon from an array of swords.  Ra's delivers a speech about death versus evil and begins fighting Oliver unarmed.  Oliver manages to get the upperhand after an intense fight but Ra's throatpunches him and stabs him in the side.  Ra's then says goodbye to Oliver, striking him through the chest, blood streaming down Oliver's lips.  Oliver sees flashes of his family as Ra's recites a prayer before kicking him off the cliff.  Holy shit!

Flashbacks: In Hong Kong, Oliver arrives at Maseo's home with bloody knuckles after torturing a man for Waller.  Oliver got the man to admit he was after a bioweapon called Omega that is a supervirus capable of destroying an entire city with a single vial.  As Oliver feels sorry for himself, Maseo imparts the Yoda-esque wisdom that one man's agony is not worth the lives of thousands.  At the biotech lab, Oliver and Maseo infiltrate and take out the guards but find that Omega is already gone.

Oliver and Maseo take the lab tech they saw taking Omega on camera and prepare to torture him.  After multiple wounds, the man does not confess to which Maseo explains the existence of a drug that can control the minds of victims so they do not remember their actions.  At the same time, China White attacks Maseo's home.  Tatsu and China White swordfight.  When Maseo and Oliver return, they learn China took Tatsu.

Episode Grade: 9/10

As much as was left unresolved leading into this episode, we now have closure on a lot of story threads and significant progress on others.  Ray Palmer's plan is revealed, we know who killed Sara, we know what Malcolm Merlyn was planning, and we see the seeds of Laurel becoming the new Canary.  We also finally got to see Oliver face off against Ra's Al Ghul in one of the best fight sequences in ARROW's three season run.  But, I definitely did not see that cliffhanger coming.  Obviously, with 13 episodes left this season, we know Oliver is not dead.  But, I also didn't expect to see any Lazarus pools on the more realistic ARROW.  Still, there is a good amount of waiting until the next new episode, so begin your theories as to what is coming next!  A great, solid close to a mediocre first half of the season, this episode has raised the bar for what is to come.

Next on ARROW: "Left Behind" airs January 21st, 2015.