Jessie Robertson reviews the fifth episode of Arrow season 6…
Tonight’s Arrow was a pretty paint by numbers episode with really only two storylines functioning during it. The return of Deathstroke was one; He recruited Oliver to be used as a diplomat to help pull his son from a prison in Kasnia. Oliver wrestles with the idea that he may be needed to be the Green Arrow (or even worse) on the trip but it only takes a minute Felicity talk to convince him, and William’s approval. The mission is a bust; Slade’s son is apparently dead (and named Kane Wolfman – a nod to Deathstroke’s creator Marv Wolfman) but it’s obviously not true. Slade suits up, but spares Oliver a choice to even do so, telling him it’s time to be a father. Only a conversation with William convinces Oliver he must try to help his friend.
We get flashbacks! It’s been a while. They’re short, sweet and hazy, you know, so we know it happened in the past even if it says 13 years ago. Slade has taken his mostly uninterested son on a camping trip that is actually a Deathstroke mission; we don’t 100% see it, but his son Kane sees him in action, presumably starting him on his own deadly path. This storyline is transparent it’s almost pointless to go through the motions. When Slade finds out a mercenary group named the Jackals has his son, the one contact he had so far, is obviously involved and of course, Kane is as well, actually he’s their leader, with matching samurai sword strapped to his back. Let’s hope this means Slade is sticking around.
After so much talk last season, Vigilante is revealed and he’s no one suspected; he’s Dinah’s former partner/lover, presumed dead but no – he was also affected with dark matter. He says and I quote “everything heals.” While he’s still skilled in almost assassinations, he’s only half the combatant we’ve seen before, whether that has to do with Dinah coming after him or not, but he is clearly distracted in his work. The story is only the first chapter of this story as Dinah swears she’s done with him but his matchbox rose left for her at the end probably says otherwise.
Other notes:
– Deathstroke, in full armor, invading the Jackal’s home base is perhaps the greatest fight/murder scene in The CW’s oeuvre of action scenes. It’s swift, brutal and precise; it’s like watching a vicious surgeon operate and it’s honestly a thing of beauty. It’s exactly the kind of scene that sets Deathstroke apart as this amazing fighter that he is. He’s also referred to as “the Terminator” which is a comic reference from the 90’s.
– Agent Watson is all over Team Arrow; guessing she’ll catch them in the act but will somehow turn back to help them. No Lance this week – sad face.
Rating: 8/10
Jessie Robertson
Originally published November 11, 2017. Updated November 12, 2017.
