The Promise

"The Promise" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of Arrow, and the thirty-eighth episode overall. It aired on March 5, 2014.

Synopsis
Oliver is shocked when he learns that Slade has come to Starling City. Back on the island, as Oliver, Slade and Sara prepare to take over the freighter from Ivo, Sara pulls Oliver aside and tells him he needs to kill Ivo to prevent him from telling Slade what happened with Shado. Oliver feels immense guilt over the situation but realizes Slade's growing rage from the Mirakuru makes him unpredictable and he could turn on his friends if he thinks Oliver is to blame. Oliver agrees to kill Ivo and the battle begins.

Plot
The episode opens with a visibly stunned Oliver asking what Slade is doing there. Moira tells Oliver that Slade has just made a "generous" donation to her mayoral campaign. Slade has brought some rum and Moira asks Oliver to join them for a toast.

Back on the island, Oliver is running around the island shooting targets with his bow, and conditioning his body. Later on, Slade, Oliver, and Sara discuss the plan for attacking the freighter, as it is heavily-guarded. Oliver takes Sara aside and asks her about the drug. He thinks Ivo should never be allowed to control it. Slade agrees, saying they should burn it.

While burning the drugs Sara mentions that Slade is going to kill Ivo for what happened to Shado, and if he finds out Oliver chose Sara over Shado, he might kill him as well. They agree to kill Ivo before Slade gets to him.

Slade, Oliver, and Sara share a drink and toast to Shado. Oliver wants Sara to tell his family he's changed if he does not survive the attack. She wants him to tell her family she died on the Queen's Gambit, if she dies. While sleeping, Oliver has a nightmare featuring Shado.

On the freighter Ivo asks to see one of the prisoners. He's just received a poor update on his wife's condition. He puts the man, Anatoly Knyazev in a chair and goes to work preparing to remove one of his eyes.

From the island Oliver uses and arrow to ignite an explosion on the beach. Ivo sees this and orders them to be captured alive. Oliver purposely trips while running, and is taken by two of Ivo's men and put in a cell on the freighter. He chats with a prisoner named Thomas Flynn, who is a Catholic missionary.

Ivo puts Oliver in his chair and demands to know the location of his friends. Oliver refuses to talk and Ivo injects him with truth serum. (sodium pentothal)

Back in the present day Moira asks Slade about his love life. They talk about moving on after loss. At one point Oliver announces he'd like to talk with his mother. Moira briefly leaves the room, and as soon as she departs, Oliver tries to stab Slade. Slade is too quick and knocks the knife out of his hand. Thea arrives and walks in, and Slade introduces himself. Moira returns to guide a tour of the home's art.

Back on the freighter, Oliver says that Slade and Sara are on the freighter in the engine room, but a flashback shows that earlier Sara gave Oliver a drug that counteracts the effects of truth serum. We see Slade and Sara paragliding on to the freighter. Slade goes after Ivo's men who were sent to the engine room, and sends Sara to free the prisoners with Oliver to grab Ivo.

In the present day Thea shows Slade one of their favorite paintings. Oliver quietly calls Felicity and she puts the phone on speaker. Sara hears Slade's voice and realizes Oliver and his family are in immanent danger. She gathers Diggle, who brings his high powered sniper rifle, and Roy. She asks if she can trust him, with him responding yes. They then head out.

Back on the freighter, Slade cuts through Ivo's men. Thomas saves Sara from another prisoner who is strangling her. During the fight, Ivo calls his wife and tells her he's found a cure. She seems confused, showing signs of Alzheimer's disease. Oliver bursts in and knocks him to the ground. He doesn't kill Ivo and Slade walks in behind Oliver. Ivo tells Slade that Oliver was asked to choose (between Sara and Shado) and Slade violently attacks Oliver. Explosions on the ship save Oliver from Slade's wrath. The prisoners and guards are in a furious fire fight. Sara tells Oliver she thinks they need to get off the ship and swim back to the island. They jump overboard, but Slade grabs Oliver's ankle before he can get off. Slade throws Oliver into a cell and takes command of the ship.

In the present day Roy goes into the Queen's mansion, pretending to be looking for Thea. Slade seems to realize right away that Roy is also on the drug after shaking hands with him. Sara comes downstairs and Oliver asks Slade politely for what he wants to do next. Slade tells Moira he needs to leave and says good-bye.

Oliver walks Slade to his car. Diggle is about to take a headshot, but somebody knocks him out before he can pull the trigger. Oliver asks Slade what he wants. Slade tells him he's there to fulfill the promise he made five years earlier.

In another flashback, Sara and some of the prisoners have reached the shore, but she realizes Oliver's not there.

On the freighter Slade gives Ivo a gun and tells him to show Slade how he killed Shado, but instead shooting Oliver. Oliver tells Slade he didn't want Shado to die. Slade then cuts off Ivo's hand holding the gun. Slade promises. Oliver he will not die until he has known complete despair.

In the present day we see that Slade staring on a screen, with video feed from the Queen Mansion. A brief flashback shows him planting cameras throughout the house while he was on his tour.

Trivia

 * Much like the first season's, this episode majorly focuses on flashbacks.
 * This episode marks the first time Oliver donned the hood in flashbacks, as well as the first time Slade donned the Deathstroke mask in flashbacks (after having previously been seen with an updated version in present-day).
 * The events that turned Slade against Oliver begin to be revealed.
 * Roy meets Slade for the first time. When Slade and Roy shake hands, Slade notices Roy has a very firm hard hand shake and seems to know Roy has been injected with the Mirakuru.
 * Slade plants hidden micro-cameras across the Queen house.
 * Slade is surprised to see Sara, possibly meaning that he may have been involved in her second "death".
 * Slade becomes the new captain of the Amazo and cuts off Ivo's hand that was used to kill Shado.
 * Oliver dreams of Shado attacking him, questioning why he didn't choose her.
 * This could also be taken as a comics reference as Shado was also an antagonist of Green Arrow in the comics.
 * Oliver is seen training by running and shooting, a tactic that he uses in the present. He is also seen shooting a fire arrow at a woodpile, which is what he did in the Pilot to signal to the fishing boat.
 * Anthony Ivo is revealed to have a wife named Jessica.
 * Thea mentions Curtis Swan as an artist to one of the paintings in the Queen Mansion. This is likely a reference to Douglas Curtis Swan, more commonly known as Curt Swan, an American comic book artist mostly associated with Superman during the "Silver age".

Production
Preparation ran from December 12 until December 20, 2013. Shooting ran from January 7 until January 16, 2014.