Violet recaps Season 2 Episode 15 of Arrow, titled The Promise, which mainly takes place in the past, as Oliver, Sara, and Slade make their plans to try and take the freighter! Meanwhile, in the present, Oliver is overly suspicious of why Slade is at the Queen mansion. Following the recap, Violet shares her thoughts on the episode.
Episode Recap of Arrow, Season 2 Episode 15: The Promise
- This episode picks up where the last one left off, with Moira introducing Oliver to Slade. She explains that Slade has just made a large contribution to her campaign. He has brought Australian rum, and Oliver joins them in a drink.
- In a flashback to the island, Oliver trains, and we see him get faster, stronger, and more accurate with a bow and arrow. Oliver, Sara, and Slade work on a plan to take the freighter. They agree to destroy the Mirakuru, and burn it. Sara tries to convince Oliver to kill Ivo, so that he doesn’t have a chance to turn things around and blame Oliver for Shado’s death. Slade brings in some Australian rum and they drink.
- On the freighter, Ivo sends for Knyazev to extract his eye for research, but gets distracted when Oliver lights up a bonfire with a flaming arrow, and sends his men to catch Oliver. They bring Oliver to see Ivo, who injects him with truth serum.
- In the present, Oliver suggests to Slade that when it comes to loss, you just have to move on. Slade requests to see the Queen art collection. Oliver tries to attack Slade while Moira’s gone, but he’s able to easily stop him. Just then, Thea comes home, and Moira has her give Slade a tour of the artwork, as Oliver follows behind suspiciously.
- In the flashback, Ivo questions Oliver, who tells Ivo that Sara and Slade are on the freighter in the engine room. We find out that Sara made Oliver a solution to counteract the truth serum, and he is just acting stoned. Oliver attacks the guards who have led him down to the engine room, and take the keys. Meanwhile, Sara and Slade see that the top of the freighter is empty and parachute in.
- Sara and Slade meet up with Oliver and give him his bow and arrows. Sara takes the keys and goes to release the prisoners, while Slade dons the Deathstroke mask to take out the rest of Ivo’s men in the engine room, and Oliver goes to find Ivo, although Slade warns Oliver not to kill Ivo because he wants him for himself.
- In the present, Oliver secretly calls Felicity. She answers and puts it on speakerphone for everyone in the Arrow Cave to hear. Sara recognizes Slade’s voice. She says they have to act now, or Slade will kill Oliver and his entire family. Sara brings Diggle and Roy with her to help.
- In the flashback, as Sara releases the prisoners, one attacks her, but another prisoner rescues her. Slade goes after Ivo’s men, and gunfire and explosions break out. Oliver finds Ivo just after he makes a phone call to his wife, who doesn’t remember who he is, to tell her that he found a cure. Slade overhears as Oliver confirms Ivo’s notion that he holds himself responsible for Shado’s death.
- Ivo instigates Slade, making sure he knows that Oliver chose to save Sara over Shado. Slade attacks Oliver, but Oliver is able to get away when the freighter makes an abrupt course change. Chaos continues on deck, where Oliver finds Sara, Knyazev and the prisoner who saved Sara. They decide to abandon ship and go back to the island. However, Slade catches Oliver before he is able to jump off the freighter, and throws him in a cell. Slade kills a man who challenges him, and declares the ship as his own.
- In the present, Roy and Sara show up at the Queen mansion and subtly threaten Slade, who decides to leave. Oliver walks him out to his car, and Diggle has Slade lined up to take a head shot. However, someone knocks Diggle out. Slade says he’s here to fulfill the promise he made to Oliver 5 years ago.
- In one final flashback, Sara and the prisoners swim to the island, and realize that Oliver is missing. Meanwhile, on the freighter, it turns out Slade still has the Mirakuru. Slade slices Ivo’s hand off. Slade tells Oliver he cannot die until Oliver has suffered the same way he has suffered, and promises Oliver that he will know complete despair.
- In the present, Moira is upset at Oliver for his behavior toward Slade, and asks him not to come by the house anymore. Meanwhile, we discover that Slade planted cameras around the house while on his tour, and he is now monitoring the Queen mansion.
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 2 Episode 15 of Arrow: The Promise
This was a fun, action packed, tension filled episode of Arrow! One noticeable difference was that whereas the majority of most episodes of Arrow take place in the present, with a few flashbacks to the island, this episode was the opposite! The main story in this episode took place in the past, with a few flash forwards to the present. I mean, I didn’t time it or anything, but that’s what it felt like, that the focus was on the past, which was an interesting change from the norm.
One thing that bothered me though was the predictability of Slade finding out about Shado, and then holding it against Oliver. As I have mentioned several times before, I don’t buy the whole “Oliver chose Sara over Shado” issue. When I watched that scene where Ivo tells Oliver to choose, it didn’t come off to me at all that Oliver chose Sara. But then week after week, this show has been beating it like a dead horse that “Oliver chose Sara.” Then Sara warns Oliver that he better watch out, or Ivo is going to tell Slade that Oliver chose Sara, which will make Slade turn on Oliver. Which happened. And now it turns out that this whole grudge that Slade holds against Oliver and wanting to destroy him and his family is because of Oliver’s so-called “choice.” It just really annoys me that the whole premise of this season hinges on something that isn’t really true. It would be one thing if Oliver merely felt responsible for Shado’s death because he was powerless to save her, but he comes right out and says that he chose Sara. I don’t feel like that was actually the case. It seems like it was more of an afterthought to say that, or that other people are putting words into his mouth. I was hoping that there was something else that happened that turned Slade against Oliver, but nope.
I’m also surprised that Oliver didn’t notice Slade putting up all those cameras throughout the house. He was watching him like a hawk the whole time! I’m glad that Roy was back in the Arrow Cave for once. He’s been oddly absent from the team the last few episodes. Hopefully he’ll be a more permanent member going forward. So what happened to Diggle? Was he merely knocked out so he wouldn’t take the shot, or was he kidnapped too?
Regarding Sebastian Blood, it’s convenient that Oliver now knows that Slade was behind the skull mask and all the bad stuff that’s been happening in Starling City lately. As far as Oliver knows, Blood is still a good guy and they’re still friends. He doesn’t know that Blood is working for Slade, which will benefit Slade and his mission later on down the road.
Overall, a great episode of Arrow. I’m just picky about that one little issue.
Scenes from Arrow, Season 2 Episode 16: Suicide Squad
Here are scenes from the next episode of Arrow, titled Suicide Squad:
