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
