Arrow: 13 Action Sequences That Totally Blew Our Minds

13. Surprising The Kidnappers

Episode: 1x01 – Pilot

Combatants: Oliver Queen vs. kidnappers

What Happened: After striking out in attempt #1 to mend fences with Laurel, Oliver along with Tommy is knocked unconscious by three masked men. Oliver wakes to find himself zip-tied to a chair. When Oliver refuses to cooperate with the interrogation about the sinking of the Gambit, a kidnapper stabs at him with a taser, ruining his tasteful sweater.

Oh, and making him super mad. 

Oliver escapes his restraints and proceeds to kill his way through the kidnappers. He takes the first two out easily enough with some revenge-tasing, furniture-destroying, face-smashing action, but it takes an impressive display of parkour and bullet-dodging for Oliver to chase down and snap the neck of the third. “Nobody can know my secret,” says Oliver, breathing heavily over the corpse of Kidnapper #3, thus giving the first evidence that nothing good happens when Oliver tries to win over Laurel.

Why It Was Great: Stephen Amell brings a chilling combination of glower and brutality, and there’s always a certain thrill in watching Oliver fighting in civilian dress. His rather one-sided battle against the kidnappers was the first demonstration of the superb stuntwork that would become characteristic of the show.

Plus, he totally killed those guys.

Winners: Oliver and viewers everywhere