Arrow Boss Teases Tonight's "Game-Changing" Episode and Unexpected Returns in the Finale

Exclusive! Executive producer Marc Guggenheim previews the rest of season two of the CW hit drama

By Tierney Bricker Mar 05, 2014 6:46 PMTags
Arrow, Manu BennettCate Cameron/The CW

"Please save Oliver."

Oliver's (Stephen Amell) has finally caught up to his present on Arrow and fans will not want to miss tonight's episode of the CW hit, which finally brings our hero face-to-face with Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) in the present-day. Crashing their party? Tension!

We've watched "The Promise" and can guarantee that the show, and Oliver, will never be the same by episode's end. Plus, we chatted with executive producer Marc Guggenheim about the flashback-heavy hour, which he compared to season one standout "The Odyssey." 

Here are 10 things to look forward to in "The Promise"…

1. Like last season's "The Odyssey," Guggenheim previews that "The Promise" is "20 percent present-day and 80 percent flashback" and that the Arrow team "just blew the doors off of it." Speaking of which...

2. The stunts and fight sequences are always top-notch on Arrow, but "The Promise" raises  the bar even higher. "It sets a new record for us in terms of production value," Guggenheim says. "We always try to make the show look like a small movie every week and this episode just looks like a big movie." 

3. Two training sequences gift us with shirtless (and sweaty) scenes of Oliver (on the Island!) and Roy (Colton Haynes). Shameless shirtlessness is our anti-drug.

Cate Cameron/The CW

4. The scenes between Oliver and Slade in the present-day are filled with tension and definitely do not disappoint, especially when they come hand-in-hand with the Island scenes that show just how connected they were. Slade even refers to them as "brothers."

"I can teases lot of tension and a mixture of emotions," Guggenheim says of the pair's present-day reunion. "The dynamic between the two of them is obviously fraught with a lot of history."

5. While we only get one quick scene, it's still an absolute delight to see the ever-growing Arrow team all pow-wow in the cave. Even better is watching them all work together.

Cate Cameron/The CW

6. There are two people on the show who have been injected with the Mirakuru serum and those two people will come face-to-face. Take from that what you will.

7. Deathstroke's mask? You'll finally get to see it. On a certain someone. The origins of Oliver's hood? Ditto. Yes, this episode gave us comic book geek chills. 

8. We'll let this tease from Guggenheim speak for itself: "It features some gamechanging moments both in the present and in the past. Both the flashback story line and the present day storyline are inextricably altered by the end of this episode."

9. While Arrow has never been lacking in villains (which we love!), it's cool to see Oliver finally get an archnemesis in the form of Slade, who poses an "incredible danger to everyone around Oliver, most particularly the ones that he loves, so that tension and that suspense is going to play a huge role," Guggenheim previews.

10. Obviously not intentional, but there are two Captain Phillips references in the flashbacks that made us chuckle. You'll know 'em when you hear 'em.

Bonus tease: Looking ahead, Guggenheim spills that the season two finale could feature some surprise guests. "If everything goes according to plan, that's a caveat, you'll see some familiar faces in the finale. Maybe ones that you're not expecting."

Arrow airs tonight at 8 p.m. on the CW.