Arrow S2 E15 - 'The Promise' Review


To Friendship.
Arrow delivers once again in its flashbacks oriented episode of the season, as we finally learn what drove Slade and Oliver apart all those years ago and the promise the mercenary made to the archer.
Watching the culmination of the flashback story-line so far was a treat, particularly when we got to see the close bond between Ollie and Slade. These intimate moments created a sense of foreboding as we closed in on the fateful events which would lead to the tense confrontation between the two brothers in the present. Anchoring the flashbacks with the tense exchange between Slade, Oliver and Moira was a smart move which kept the narrative tight and exciting. Most importantly, the momentum of the flashbacks wasn't broken up by present day affairs, as it has been for most of this season so far.
The episode itself was action-packed, with some brilliant scenes including a gun fight on the deck of the Amazo, which featured some cool moments including Anatoly proving his worth and Slade power-grabbing Ollie mid-air to drag him back on to the ship. All of this came to a head with an emotional showdown between Slade and Oliver as the former finally realised that Oliver is arguably to blame for Shado's death. It was a great payoff for a dramatic episode and answered a lot of questions fans had about the rift between the two castaways.
In the present, there was a fun, tense stand-off type situation which developed naturally, as Oliver called upon his team to come and be a show of force, a show which ultimately encouraged Slade to stand down (for now). It was fun seeing how oblivious Moira and Thea were to the clear bad blood between the two men. Slade also went on to explain to Oliver that he is the architect behind the man in the skull mask and vows to destroy the billionaire's life and all he holds dear. It's the boost the present story-line needed and now, as we enter the final third of the season, we finally know Slade's motivations and plans for his friend-turned-enemy and can see these develop in the episodes to come.
Overall, 'The Promise' reminds Arrow fans just how excellent the flashbacks can be when given the time and space to develop. Undoubtedly the best episode so far this season, hopefully the show can continue to improve as we enter the home straight. 
STARRING: Deathstroke

AWESOME MOMENTS:

  • Loved the Predator-esque macho man handshake at the start between Oliver and Slade!
  • That training montage at the beginning was awesome as we got to see the development of Oliver's archery skills, finally hitting a bullseye on that last tree.
  • SUIT UP - Ollie dons the hood and Slade puts on his mask as the trio go to war against Ivo - BAD.ASS.
  • Seeing Ollie miss with the fire arrow was funny and a cute reference to the pilot episode
  • Parachuting onto the freighter was very cool, even though the CGI was a bit dodgy.
  • Deathstroke's rampage across the freighter gave us a flavour of the violence still to come
  • Slade grabbing Oliver mid air and tossing him like a rag-doll was further evidence of why he is just the best villain ever
    • As was the moment where he crushed the captain's skull like something out of Game of Thrones
EASTER EGGS:
- While giving Slade Wilson the guided tour, Thea shows him a painting by "Curtis Swan." Curt Swan was a comic book artist who produced hundreds of covers and stories from the early 1950s to 1986: he is most associated with Superman and many comic book fans consider his version of the character to be definitive
- While it's never explicitly revealed who knocked Diggle out before he could take his shot, for a split second orange accents are visible on the pants of his assailant reminiscent of Isabel Rochev's Ravager costume. Arrow: Vengeance confirms that it was indeed Ravager
- Oliver notes that his middle name is Jonas, which matches his middle name in the comics. 

RATING: 9.7/10

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