Ep 3. Broken Dolls

Arrow season 2 episode 3, "Broken Dolls" begins with Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, investigating the discovery of a body in an abandoned building. While searching the scene, he finds a bullet casing that had been fired by the murderer of the victim. The casing leads Oliver to a criminal mastermind, Barton Mathis, who had become known as the Dollmaker after he had a habit of removing the faces of his victims and creating masks out of their skin. Oliver and his team at first focus on finding Mathis; however, they soon learn that he has escaped from prison.

During their search, it is revealed that Laurel, the assistant district attorney, had a personal history with Mathis. Oliver is worried that Laurel could be the next target, but she insists that she is not afraid of him. The tension between Laurel and Oliver continues to grow throughout the episode, highlighting their strained relationship.

As the investigation continues, Oliver and his team discover that Mathis had escaped from a maximum-security prison, and he had an accomplice who helped him carry out the escape. The accomplice was revealed to be another prisoner, who was seeking revenge against the guards who had killed his brother. After a brief fight with Oliver and his team, it is revealed that Mathis had already escaped, and the team decides to focus on finding him.

The next scene shows Mathis at an abandoned toy factory, where he is creating his latest doll mask using the face of a new victim. The scene highlights the gruesome nature of Mathis's crimes, and his twisted obsession with creating his dolls.

Meanwhile, Laurel decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate Mathis herself. She learns that Mathis's father was a surgeon who performed over 1000 gender reassignment surgeries on his helpless patients. This revelation brings a new element to the case, as it sheds light on Mathis's disturbing family history and the potential link between his upbringing and his criminal behavior.

Laurel's investigation leads her to an underground laboratory, where she discovers that Mathis has been experimenting on his victims. She finds a woman who had been injected with a serum that paralyzed her, but kept her conscious, allowing Mathis to perform surgeries on her without her feeling any pain. The scene highlights the disturbing nature of Mathis's experiments and the lengths he is willing to go to achieve his twisted goals.

As Oliver and his team continue to search for Mathis, Laurel's investigation leads her to a confrontation with the Dollmaker. She manages to hold her own against him, but he manages to escape, leaving her shaken but determined to bring him to justice.

The episode ends with Oliver and his team capturing Mathis, bringing him to justice for his heinous crimes. Overall, "Broken Dolls" is a thrilling episode that showcases the dark side of the Arrow universe. The episode's tension-filled plot and character development highlight the show's ability to balance action and drama seamlessly. Fans will be kept on the edge of their seats throughout the episode as they follow Oliver and his team's investigation to bring the Dollmaker to justice.