
That said: the potentially disastrous decision Oliver makes near the end of the episode may dictate the events of the rest of the season as strongly as the reveal of the Undertaking. Perhaps that's because Johns was given the opportunity not only to play with more established characters, but was also afforded the chance to push the series' narrative forward in a more compelling manner. 'Dead to Rights' is the second Arrow episode to be written by DC Comics' Geoff Johns the first was ' Muse of Fire', and 'Rights' stands as the stronger of the two.

And this late in the season, it's good to see Arrow playing a bit with the status quo, while attempting to flesh out two key members of the supporting cast who'd been relegated to the sidelines as of late. Of all the possible scenarios that could have come out of Moira Queen conspiring with China White and the Triads to assassinate Malcolm Merlyn, the one involving the Hood revealing his true identity to Tommy Merlyn came as something of a surprise.
