Arrow season 6 episode 5 spoilers: The state of the Oliver – Slade relationship

The appeal of Arrow season 6 episode 5 (at least for us at CarterMatt) stems mostly from one thing: Getting to see Oliver and Slade Wilson together again. While they had the brutal showdown at the end of season 2 and Deathstroke is the man responsible for murdering Oliver’s mother Moira Queen, they at one point had a close partnership. They had a relationship that allowed them to endure life on Liam Yu. That’s not something that you just forget about even if you go through a wide array of other terrible things.

When you think about where the two could be at now, uneasy seems to be the right way to describe their relationship. Take a look at what Stephen Amell had to say on that subject, (and also about the mission to try and find Slade’s long-lost son) to Entertainment Weekly:

“Oliver and Slade, it’s quid pro quo … I came to you, I let you out of prison, I asked you to help me find my son, you did. Something is wrong with his son, I’m on board to help him. The dynamic is that I don’t question for a second that the real Slade Wilson is the Slade Wilson that I met on Lian Yu; the one that I became friends with, the one that I trusted with my life. I understand that the Slade Wilson that did all the things he did to Star City and murdered Moira, that was the Mirakuru Slade Wilson. I understand that. It doesn’t mean I forgive him, and it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten. We are allies now. We’re going on a trip to help him find his son, I don’t think we’re sharing a beer on the flight there.”

What is interesting to us about these two episodes is that you’re also going to get a chance to see some flashbacks designed to fill in the cracks between Slade at the end of his time on the island and Slade when you saw him in what was then Starling City during season 2. What happened to him in between there? To us, the most interesting reveal would be that he had found a way to control his anger while on the mirakuru and that he was very much aware of his former friendship with Oliver and what he was doing to him. The more ways the show figures out to make Slade dangerous and terrifying as a villain, the better off the show is. It’s good to have this other side of him, but you should always be concerned about what could happen if the pendulum swings in the other direction.

What do you want to see on Arrow season 6 episode 5?

Do you think that the Slade Wilson story will prove to be worth the wait? Be sure to share some of your thoughts on that subject below!

Also, be sure to visit the link here in the event you want to see more of a preview for Thursday’s episode! Also, like us on Facebook for even more scoop on Arrow from us at CarterMatt. (Photo: The CW.)