When Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) stepped down from being the Green Arrow and passed the mantle over to John Diggle (David Ramsey) the show began to feel a little different, almost like it was becoming a whole new series, despite none of the cast changing. This weeks episode really feels like classic Arrow in comparison as Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) returns to Star City to team up with his old friend.
Having had the effects of the mirakuru wear off Slade has returned to being something of a friend and ally to Oliver, even though their friendship is not what it once was (I guess murdering someone's mother will do that to a friendship) you can still see that the two of them care about and respect the other. Slade's unwillingness to let Oliver become involved in any kind of fighting speaks volumes to this.
He helped Oliver to get his son back, and knows from his own past that you can't be both a father and a solider/vigilante, he wants his friend to have the relationship with his son that he never could; even going so far as to drug Oliver to stop him from fighting alongside him. The fact that Oliver does go with him, with the blessing of both Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and William (Jack Moore) indicates how much this step back from being a hero has strengthened the relationships he's had with his family.
How things will play out in future episodes considering Oliver going to Slade's rescue at the end of the episode could be very interesting, and I am curious to know if William told him to fight to save his friend or if Oliver is doing this behind his sons back.
The face that the Slade story isn't fully resolved this episode is a good thing, as it means we will definitely get to see more of the character. The fight scene he featured in in this episode is easily one of the best the show has done, and goes to showcase just why having him around can be a great addition to the show.
Whilst Oliver is away from Star City dealing with Slade and his son, Team Arrow are contending with the return of Vigilante. With Star City facing a vote about how to deal with vigilante heroes it felt kind of appropriate that a bad guy called Vigilante would choose this time to return.
Despite having been in the show for almost a year at this point, and building mystery around his character, the reveal of just who is underneath the mask is actually pretty dull. Whilst it's nice that Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) is being given a story line that will last for more than a single episode and get to showcase something more than just a rivalry with Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) the revelation that Vigilante is actually her murdered partner felt odd.
We've not seen her partner since he was apparently murdered when Dinah got her powers, and I had no idea that it was him when Vigilante pulled off his mask until Dinah actually went and explained it to the rest of the team. Having Vincent come back into Dinah's life is a good choice for her character, but having him be Vigilante lets this idea down somewhat.
Thankfully, Agent Watson (Sydelle Noel) is still around to torment Team Arrow with her investigation and manages to steal all of the scenes that she's in. It's good to finally have someone somewhat competent investigating into Team Arrow, someone who is actively figuring out who they all are and trying to prove it. Although this does make some of the cops in Star City seem slightly incompetent for not having done this in the previous six years I look forward to seeing her investigation develop further.
Arrow has definitely improved in quality in it's latest season, and bringing back Deathstroke has been a great move, giving us great interaction between him and Oliver, and some of the best action the series has delivered to date.
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