TV Recap: ‘Arrow’ Season 1 Episode 10 – ‘Burned’

Six weeks have passed since Oliver’s battle with the fake Arrow landed him in the hospital, and he is looking ready for battle once again. He tells Diggle, however, that he wants to spend some time with his family until Walter is found rather than continue going after those on The List.

In the meantime, the brother of Laurel’s co-worker Jo, a city firefighter, is killed while fighting a blaze. Jo suspects that her brother was murdered, as turpentine was found on his remains, and the fire that burned through his suit was hotter than the fire they were fighting.

Getting no help from her father, Laurel reaches out to Arrow, using the cell phone that Arrow gave her father. Diggle learns of the location of a current fire, and urges Oliver to go and help before another firefighter dies. Oliver confronts the murderer, but the mystery man gets away. Oliver does notice that the man’s hand is burned, and he has a firefly tattoo.

Arrow gives this information to Laurel, but offers no further assistance. Diggle accuses Oliver of not being 100%, but after a short sparring session, determines instead that Oliver is afraid. Oliver admits that he now has something to lose, referring to his family and friends, that he did not have to worry about while on the island. Diggle tells Oliver to look at it as having something to fight for, rather than something to lose.

It turns out that Jo’s brother is not the only firefighter to die recently, as several members of the “Firefly” unit of an old fire crew have been killed in fires in the past few months. Tommy works with Oliver to throw a benefit to help out the families of these victims.

Through Oliver and Laurel’s investigations, it is learned that the first member of the Firefly Crew to die was a man named Garfield Lynns. He was killed in a fire years ago when his chief refused to send the rest of the men in to fight the out of control fire. Oliver thinks that Lynns is still alive, and for some reason going after the rest of his old crew.

After being in a funk for weeks following Walter’s disappearance, Moira decides to take the advice of the board, and fill in for Walter and assume his duties. She insists that she still thinks he is alive.

The night of the benefit, Oliver and Laurel confront the fire chief and find out the real story behind Lynns death. Lynns body was never recovered, just his uniform. Lynns shows up at the benefit and sets the club on fire. Arrow saves the fire chief, Lynns last victim. Lynns wanted the chief to suffer the way he did, as he suffered severe burning in the fire years ago. Arrow offers to help Lynns, but he instead walks into the fire, killing himself.

Public opinion of Arrow is slowly changing, as news shows are now talking about how he is a hero, rather than a rogue, violent, vigilante. Oliver is down in his lab with Diggle, and pulls out the list, indicating that he is ready to get back to work.

Detective Lance apologizes to Laurel, saying that maybe he was wrong about Arrow. He asks for the phone back, but then changes his mind, giving it back to Laurel. He says that Arrow seems to always put himself between her and danger, so maybe it’s not such a bad thing that he is around.

The episode ends with one of Detective Lance’s men telling him that the tracking chip is working. Detective Lance put a tracker in the cell phone so he can find Arrow, revealing his betrayal of him daughter Laurel.

This episode was more of a stand alone, but served well to show Oliver’s ever evolving human side. With Oliver presumably going back after men on The List next week, it would stand to reason that we may pick up some more pieces of the conspiracy that Moira is involved in.