Arrow (TV Series) Deathstroke Returns (2017) User Reviews

Arrow - S06E05 Deathstroke Returns

[j_forbesy · 10/10 · 10 November 2017]

This episode of Arrow was one I was really excited. Any episode in which Deathstroke is present is always a massive point for me. He was my favourite part of the first couple of season so it is always great when he returns.

This episode was nothing but amazing. We saw three different story arcs all take place and each of them could have easily been the lead because they were all strong. Starting with the one that was the lead however, Deathstroke finding his son. 

Jumping to the end quickly, I thought the double reveal of his friend being apart of the enemy and his son being the leader wasn't anything to surprising. Despite the lack of surprising though, it has set up a great story leading forward in future episode.

I really loved the Deathstroke flashback. They did a terrific job of showing what Joe meant to Slade and why he was so determined to get him back. I think the flashbacks work well when they add that bit of extra context as to what is happening in the present day and this was a great example of it.

The final thing I will say regarding the Deathstroke story is the action was outstanding. Those scene when he first bursts into the base is some of the best action we have had in this series. Slade's method of using the gun and the sword allows the stunt guys to make some really appealing action to watch.

Getting into the second story line, I really liked the reveal that Dinah's ex-partner is Vigilante. Similarly to the Joe reveal, this reveal adds a new dynamic to the Vigilante story. It is going to be really interesting going forward to see how this develops and how this will change Dinah as a character.

While on Dinah, I want to quickly mention the relationship that has formed with Diggle. Now that Oliver is out of commission for now, it is great to see that they have taken to really great things Diggle has as a supporting character and focused them towards Dinah. The two have a chemistry one screen that works just as well as Diggle and Oliver so it makes it a really good relationship to watch grow.

Onto the final story line that played out this episode, I am really liking where they are heading with Detective Watson. I was a bit hesitant at first of what they were going to do with her, but I think using her to investigate the whole crew rather than just Oliver was a really smart idea. I can see this being a story that keeps on slowly progressing throughout the season before it explodes and becomes a big thing.

Overall, I loved this episode. By far it is my favourite of the season and I think that comes back to each story line being strong and well executed. This season of Arrow is continuing to blow me away like last season, and I think if they can produce more episodes like that, then they could easily beat what last season produced.

10/10

THAT Scene

[ThomasDrufke · 9/10 · 11 November 2017]

Yes, we did get to see Manu Bennett reprise the role of Slade Wilson in season 3 and even at the end of last season as he helped Oliver out on Lian Yu, but I don't think anyone would argue that this week's episode was real "return" of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke. This episode directly dealt with Slade looking for his son he hasn't seen in years and gave us some of the best Deathstroke moments of all time.

Before we get to the Deathstroke goodness, I guess we have to talk about the "big" reveal of the night as Vigilante was finally revealed to be Vincent Sobel, played by Johann Urb. After Adrian Chase was revealed to be Prometheus last year, I guess it was to be expected that the show would change Vigilante's comic book identity, but I think most of us hoped that the reveal would have amounted to something more. And perhaps it will, having a connection to Dinah certainly gives her more to do this season than be another sidekick to the team. It's just one of those things that felt like a letdown because it could have definitely been something more.

Oliver traveled with Slade to Kasnia in hopes of finding his son who has gotten himself into a bit of trouble with some dangerous people. And really, there's not much to care about in terms of Slade's son. Yes, we do get some cool flashbacks involving Slade (which led to part of the reason why he ended up on Lian Yu in the first place), but the real reason we love this plot is because it brought Oliver and Slade back together. There's not a whole lot better than one scene of dialogue between those two guys, let alone the fact that Deathstroke let the real terminator loose. The scene in which Deathstroke rips through a bunch of criminals is one of the single most bada** moments the Arrowverse has ever displayed. The single take was absolutely breathtaking.

In all, it was a very good first of a two-part episode which will conclude next week. It's one that I have to imagine will see Oliver realize that he needs The Green Arrow in him after all. Considering Slade is confronting the truth about his son, it's only fitting that something huge will come out of this for Oliver and the implications for his own son. I wasn't willing to bet he comes back as Green Arrow until after the 7th episode, but it very well could be next week.

9.0/10

Vigilante unmasked...

[hawkins_saints_rock · 9/10 · 10 November 2017]

A good bounce back episode for Arrow this week after last weeks disappointment. The episode centred around Slade trying to find his son, and Vigilante's return to Star City.

The Slade storyline was great, and the depth we got towards his relationship with his son (Joesph) really made me feel for Slade and his position. He uses Oliver's political power to help track down Joesph overseas, and Oliver tags along. I will always love Oliver and Slade scenes, as Amell and Bennett have great chemistry together that leads to entertaining viewing. Upon their travels, Slade learns that Joesph is being "held captive" by an organisation of the worst of the worst criminals called "Jackels". This leads to a bada*s scene of Slade slicing through a bunch of Jackels to find Joseph, pure awesomeness. The episode finished on the cliffhanger that Joesph is actually the leader of the Jackels, will be interesting to see how that turns out next week.

The other storyline of this episode involved the return of vigilante. Vigilante was a great addition to season 5 and I've been speculating about who he is for the better part of 8-10 months. So I was very pleased to see him back this episode. And yes, we finally got the reveal, and I did not see it coming. Turns out that vigilante is Dinah's old partner (both professionally and romantically) Vincent. This led to some great action scenes and emotional scenes between Dinah and Vincent, and it seems that some of the feelings are still there on both sides. Vigilante set out to kill a politician who is in favour of the anti-vigilante referendum. He is stopped by Black Canary, who lets him escape after catching him. No doubt we will see more of Vigilante in future episodes, and I can't wait.

Overall a great episode of Arrow this week, the return of Slade and Vigilante was awesome, and the ending of both plot lines left it open for much more of Slade and Vigilante in future episodes.

9.2/10

*Winner of episode of the week

Deathstroke is back!

[highmarksreviews · 9/10 · 26 January 2018]

After a dose of bland episodes, "Deathstroke Returns" felt like a redemption. A good story-arc and one brutal one-take hallway fight helpt downplay a rather questionable reveal back in Star City, which kept the episode from reaching any new heights. All in all though, this episode served as the current high-point for Season 6 with some much needed plot elements and an emotional premise.

Slade's Back, Baby!!

[lassegalsgaard-45284 · 9/10 · 24 January 2018]

So, throughout all of "Arrow" there has always been one character that has standed out to me as my favorite character. Slade Wilson was a recurring part of Season 1, before finally taking on the antagonistic role in Season 2. Wilson is probably still one of the best main season antagonists that this show has had. Then in Season 3, the writers did something with his character that I and many fans didn't like, so it was a wise decision to leave him out of Season 4. But when he was brought back in the series finale of Season 5, it was very clear that the writers had something planned for him in Season 6, and boy did they? "Arrow" has delivered its sixth season's best episode and focused on the thing we loved so much from the first and second seasons: the friendship between Oliver and Slade. There is so much that happened in this episode, and the nostalgic feeling I got, is sure to be pleasing to a lot of other "Arrow" fans, and a call to the writers that they should keep him around.

The first thing I would like to gush about, is that the relationship between Oliver and Slade was as riveting as I would have wanted to. They have always had this chemistry when they did scenes together, and something has really changed this season. Slade doesn't see himself as Oliver's teacher, but more like his equal. That is a big change from what we have seen of them so far, and I think it is deserved. Oliver is no longer who he was in Season 1, and after he was able to kick Slade's butt in Season 2, he proved himself to be the stronger one, so this change seemed perfect.

This episode featured some flashbacks to Slade's past. I loved seeing how he and his son had it together back in the days. And it wasn't this perfect relationship, but more like an estranged relationship. It felt like Slade was trying to get back into his son's life even though he had been together all Joe's life in those flashbacks. I loved the estranged feeling they had, and I loved that Slade was decided on not including Oliver in the life of violence again. He know how it's like to not see your son, and not be able to be with them because of a double life. I loved how that inspired many of Slade's decisions and it added to the shock of the final scene.

There is one specific action scene in this episode, where Slade busts through a warehouse and kills a bunch of goons. This is one of the best action scenes that have ever been put on screen in this show, and to see Slade kick so much butt, was every Deathstroke fans dream. I will also comment on Manu Bennett's performance, because he is constantly great as this character. It's the way he shows emotion that makes it such a gratifying role, and I hope the writers decide to keep Slade on the table.

I also liked the scenes with Team Arrow. They are still fighting with the FBI who are constantly watching over their shoulders. I like that they have this new adversary that isn't really against them because of some personal vendetta like Lance was in Season 3. Their struggle feels real and hope they continue to use Samanda Watson, because her character is such a great foil to Team Arrow, and her scenes are really cool. They don't include that much action, but sometimes, words can be more scary than a gun.

And then, the one thing that I thought was handled poorly was the reveal of Vincent Sobel being Vigilante. This felt like such a left turn from the things that were set up in Season 5, and I understand why they can't use his real alter-ego from the comicbooks, given that Adrian Chase was revealed to be Prometheus, but I think they just completely missed something that could have been a cool reveal. And with Sobel returning, is this going to take away from the great rivalry between Laurel-2 and Dinah? If it is, then I will be hugely disappointed in the writers.