ARROW: Season 2.18: ‘Deathstroke’ TV Show Trailer & EP Breakdown

TV show trailer & EP breakdown of Arrow episode Deathstroke. The CW‘s Arrow cuts to the chase a relative distance away from the second season finale. With ‘Deathstroke,’ the series begins a countdown to the finale, complete with showdowns, character reveals, and game changer consequences. The trailer, for starters, teases one particular character reveal that I’ve been looking forward to since the season premiere, while bringing back Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro), putting Thea (Willa Holland) at the tip of the spear, and staging as direct a confrontation, between The Arrow (Stephen Amell) and Slade (Manu Bennett) as we’ve yet seen.

As much as the trailer gives away, series Executive Producer, Marc Guggenheim, went into even more detail, regarding the episode, and Arrow‘s future. Spoiler alert.

Marc Guggenheim on Thea, ‘Deathstroke,’ and Arrow:

DANGER ZONE. After running into Slade, Thea is in a lot of danger, previews Guggenheim. “And the sword of Damocles that’s being held over her in [next week’s episode] is a double-edged sword – it’s both physical and emotional – and I can guarantee that by the end of [Episode] 18, one of those edges is going to cut her.” The EP also adds that Thea will learn “something pretty massive” in the next hour that “will cause a tectonic shift in her relationship with Oliver.”

BROKEN HEARTS, BIG CLIFFHANGERS. Young lovebirds Thea and Roy had to go kaput “to upset the apple cart,” explains the EP. “She is the only thing that keeps him in check. She keeps him grounded. It was also, if we were going to place Thea in jeopardy, we wanted Roy to feel some sense of complicity in that. Episode 18 is a very big episode. We sort of wrote it as a mid-midseason finale. In fact, when we turned in Episode 18 to the studio, the studio was like, ‘You do know you’ve got to do five more episodes, right?’ Episode 18 really could play as a season finale, just in terms of the number of things that happen and the number of cliffhangers that we’re left with. And one of those things is Roy dealing with his own sense of responsibility” in what’s happened to Thea.

LEARN YOUR NICKNAMES. Oliver calling the newest member of Team Arrow “Speedy” was the writers’ way of “inching Roy towards an Arsenal place,” which is the moniker his character takes on in the D.C. Comics. “Eventually, when the time is right, the nickname that will stick will be Arsenal. But again, the time has to be right,” adds Guggenheim.

THE FIGHT TO END ALL FIGHTS. Lest you think Oliver and Slade’s big confrontation won’t take place until the season finale, Guggenheim teases that the foes will face-off in “a series of showdowns,” with a particularly shocking one happening as soon as next Wednesday’s episode. “The way that it unfolds is very unexpected,” hints the EP, who promises to save the best for last. “This whole season has, basically, been about Oliver versus Slade, with a lot of other elements orbiting it. So I don’t think it will be a surprise to say that the conclusion of their story won’t happen until the final episode of the season.”

BEHIND BARS, BUT NOT FOR LONG? Viewers likely haven’t seen the end of Oliver’s crazy ex-girlfriend. “We definitely have an idea for a Season 3 episode with The Huntress,” shares Guggenheim. Though he’s keeping mum on details, he does reveal that the writers went into the episode with the intention of killing Frank so that “we could start a new chapter for [Helena].” As for Ollie, bringing back his ex “gave us a chance to articulate how far Oliver has come in his evolution.”

OPEN YOUR EYES. How can Quentin Lance – who used to be a detective! – still not recognize that the hooded figure his daughter is hanging out with is Oliver? “I will say, Episode 19 pretty definitively answers that question, as far as Lance is concerned,” promises Guggenheim. “And the answer to that will surprise you.”

Well, at least one of the show’s inherent weak points seems due for addressing, and that’s encouraging. Personally, I’m hanging my hopes on how far they are willing to go with the one peripheral character reveal. Looking forward to not having to be vague about it, at least (though it’s likely to be milked a bit further).

Arrow episode 2.18, ‘Deathstroke,’ directed by Guy Bee, and written by Marc Guggenheim & Drew Z. Greenberg, also features Colton Haynes, Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, Caity Lotz, Paul Blackthorne, Susanna Thompson, David Nykl, and Summer Glau. It airs Wednesday, April 2, 8.00 pm EST, on The CW.

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Sources: SpoilerTV, TVLine