Oliver is still trying to help Slade Wilson while Team Arrow is back in Star City, looking to take down a new player who has a surprising connection to Diggle.

Previously, on ARROW

The former Deathstroke’s attempts to reconnect with his son are the main focus of the episode, as Joe puts his father’s willingness to join him as he leads the Jackals to the test in this episode. Slade, on the other hand, desperately tries to tell his son that he doesn’t need to follow in Slade’s footsteps, a plea that falls on deaf ears. The episode features more flashbacks to Slade’s past, this time to the time in between getting off Lian Yu and when he returned to Star City in Season 2.

Slade, still hopped up on the Mirakuru drug that gave him his advanced abilities, is briefly reunited with Joe as he recovers from his injuries on the island. Joe tells his father that Slade was found repeating the name “Oliver” over and over again, so when the Jackals capture Oliver trying to help Slade in the present, Joe wants his father to exact revenge on the man who took his eye. Slade refuses to hurt Oliver, sets him free and the two get the upper hand over Joe. Slade desperately tries to appeal to Joe, explaining that the violent rage Joe saw seven years prior was the Mirakuru. He doesn’t have to be a killer. Slade stresses that even he wasn’t a killer before the Mirakuru, though Joe knows that’s a lie, because he saw his dad kill the guy while they were camping (as seen in the last episode). That doesn’t help Slade’s cause.

The combination of Slade and Oliver is too much for the Jackals to handle, in the end, and the pair gets the criminals put back in prison. Slade has a new mission, though – find his OTHER son, Grant, who he just finds out about. Oliver, on the other hand, comes out of the mission grateful that he gave up on being Green Arrow, for his sake and the sake of his son.

Meanwhile, back in Star City, Team Arrow gets wind of a new player in the city’s criminal underground, who goes by the name of Dragon. Much to Diggle’s chagrin, it turns out that Dragon is Ricardo Diaz, the man who had been supplying him with the steroids to help ease his arm tremors. He finally comes clean to his wife, Lyla, who helps him with his crisis of conscience. The team manages to take down Dragon’s supply, but the Big Bad gets away. Diggle has a tougher encounter to come, though, as he decides it’s time to tell his team about what’s been going on. Amazingly, Wild Dog, Terrific and Canary are forgiving, and Diggle declares “no more secrets,” though Canary has some of her own.

Overall, having a second episode with Slade and his son felt like it stretched the story out too long. I would have preferred more of a focus on Diggle and his dealings with his team. Good episode overall, but the focus, I think, should have been different.

Show Notes

• As Diggle is coming clean about his degenerative nerve damage, Mr. Terrific reminds everyone that he helped Felicity walk again after she lost the use of her legs. That’s not the kind of thing you forget, so you have to wonder why Diggle didn’t go right to Terrific for some help.

• Slade’s other son, Grant, in the comics is more like how Joe was portrayed here, wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps. Grant Wilson takes on the persona of Ravager before he’s ultimately killed.

• When Oliver comes home from his mission with Slade, Felicity and William are VERY CLEARLY playing the DC Comics game INJUSTICE 2 from NetherRealm studios. The match on screen is Sub-Zero (a DLC character originally from Mortal Kombat) against Blue Beetle.

The Super Cinco

  1. John Diggle / Green Arrow – Diggle had to make some tough decisions to come clean to Lyla and then to his team, as well as taking out the supply of the drugs that were keeping him in the game. That’s why Oliver had him lead the team. (Last Week’s Ranking – Unranked)
  2. Slade Wilson / Deathstroke – Speaking of tough decisions, Slade had the opportunity to join up with his son, instead he did the right thing and helped put his crew back in prison. (Last Week’s Ranking – 1)
  3. Oliver Queen – Had Slade’s back, even though it really looked like Slade was going to do some damage at one point. (Last Week’s Ranking – 4)
  4. Curtis Holt / Mr. Terrific – Just a reminder that he helped Felicity walk again after she was paralyzed. That really is something that shouldn’t be forgotten any time soon. (Last Week’s Ranking – Unranked)
  5. Joe Wilson – Really slim pickings in terms of impact this week, so Joe gets a spot on the list, even though things didn’t really go his way. (Last Week’s Ranking – Unranked)