Arrow: League of Assassins

"League of Assassins" is the fifth episode of season two of the superhero/action drama series Arrow and the twenty-eighth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Wendey Stanzler with a teleplay written by Jake Coburn and Drew Z. Greenberg. It first aired on the CW Network on Wednesday, November 6th, 2013 at 8:00 pm.

Notes & Trivia

 * Arrow was developed for television by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg. Based on the characters published by DC Comics.


 * This episode is rated TV-14.


 * This episode is production code number S02E05.


 * This episode aired in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on November 11th, 2013.


 * Producer Joseph Patrick Finn is credited as JP Finn in this episode.


 * Actor Colton Haynes is credited in this episode, but does not make an appearance.


 * Actor Manu Bennett is credited in this episode, but does not make an appearance.


 * Production on this episode began on August 13th, 2013. Pre-production concluded on August 23rd, with principal photography commencing on August 26th, and concluding on September 5th.
 * This is the second episode of Arrow directed by Wendey Stanzler. She previously directed "Vertigo".


 * This is the third episode of Arrow written and/or co-written by Jake Coburn.


 * This is the third episode of Arrow written and/or co-written by Drew Z. Greenberg.


 * This is the first appearance of Anthony Ivo, who is the primary flashback villain for the remainder of the season.


 * This is the first and only appearance of Al Ow-Al, who is an assassin for the League of Assassins; dies in this episode.


 * This is the second appearance of Teryl Rothery in the role of Jean Loring. She makes four appearances in the series in total.


 * This is the fourth appearance of assistant D.A. Adam Donner. He appeared last in "Crucible". He appears next in "State vs. Queen".


 * This is the fourth appearance of Caity Lotz in the role of Sara Lance. She appears in both the main story as well as in flashback. This episode reveals how she came to survive the destruction of the Queen's Gambit.

Allusions

 * Anthony Ivo is based on the character of Professor Ivo, who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a mad scientist with severe facial deformities and classically serves as a foe of the Justice League of America. Professor Ivo is also known for inventing a powerful robot called Amazo. Professor Ivo first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #30 in July, 1960.


 * Anthony Ivo's ship, The Amazo, is actually named for the character of Amazo. Amazo is a killer robot, invented by Professor Ivo, which has the ability to replicate super-powers. Amazo is classically presented as an adversary to the Justice League of America. Amazo first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #30 in July, 1960.


 * Reference is made to Ra's al Ghul in this episode. Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics character, and is traditionally presented as a foe of Batman. He is also a former leader of the League of Assassins, and has also appeared in episodes of Batman: The Animated Series as well as the 2005 feature film, Batman Begins. On Arrow, Ra's will become the central antagonist in season three, where he will be played by actor Matt Nable.

Quotes

 * Felicity Smoak: What's the League of Assassins? And please, don't say that they're a league made up of assassins.

....
 * Sara Lance: I'm sorry you saw that. I can't imagine what you must think of me.
 * Quentin Lance: I think you're a survivor. I think you're one of the bravest people I've ever known. You're my daughter. It's time for you to come back home.

....
 * Sara Lance: There were things that I did; things that I had to do to survive. Things that there's no forgiveness for.
 * Oliver Queen: Well, that's the thing about forgiveness -- you can't get it until you ask for it.

....
 * Felicity Smoak: You're not even flinching when he...
 * Sara Lance: Pain and I came to a little understanding a few years back.