The Dragon

"The Dragon" is the nineteenth episode of the sixth season, and 134th episode overall of The CW series Arrow. Unlike most Arrow episodes, and as the promotional pictures released prior to its airing hinted, "The Dragon" features minimal participation from the main cast members. Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen), Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity Smoak) and Echo Kellum (Curtis Holt) are only briefly seen as the plot focuses on main antagonist Ricardo Diaz's (Kirk Acevedo) quest of becoming a crime lord. Katie Cassidy (Laurel Lance / Black Siren) is the only main cast member to receive significant screen time due to her character aiding Diaz in his journey; none of the other main cast members appear despite being credited. The episode was met with mixed to negative reviews by critics. Many saw it as a mere filler and an overdue attempt to work on Diaz's character development, though some praised Acevedo's and Cassidy's performances. Plot In 1986, a young Ricardo Diaz is shown living in an orphanage. He witness Jesse, an older kid that bullies him, set fire to a photograph of Diaz's father. In the present time, Diaz and Laurel Lance go to Blüdhaven, where he intends to join the Quadrant. Diaz and Laurel meet Eric Cartier, but Cartier is unimpressed by Diaz's takeover and has him fulfill a task in order to prove his worth and meet his father: to locate Robert Baylor, one of the Quadrant's men, who is under FBI's custody.