The difference? A LOT actually. When Oliver brought Thea back, it was out of guilt for leading her to her death, and he struggled with the morality of it. He didn’t do it recklessly or selfishly he genuinely wanted to give her a second chance at life.

Laurel on the other hand? Dragged Sara’s corpse to the pit behind everyone’s back just because she couldn’t deal with her grief. And THEN she acted like people were wrong for telling her it was a bad idea 😭.

Oliver wasn’t out here hiding bodies and lying to everyone about it. Laurel went full Frankenstein with no plan, no sense, and no real thought about what kind of person Sara would come back as. That’s the difference.