Oliver is away helping Slade find his son. Meanwhile Vigilante has returned to Star City just as the city is about to vote on the anti-vigilante bill, and Agent Watson grills the other members of Team Arrow in her investigation into Oliver.
- The Call Knows Where You Live: Slade just wants Mayor Queen to help negotiate the release of his son from prison (thanks to a Briefcase Full of Money as a bribe), but even before Oliver agrees he suspects that he'll end up having to help Slade as the Green Arrow after all. Slade to his credit tries to keep him out of things, but Oliver won't leave behind A Friend in Need.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Slade wanted to find his son. He finds him... now a crime lord.
- Blatant Lies: Agent Watson sees right through all the excuses John, Felicity and Dinah try to make regarding their alleged vigilante activities.
- Boom, Headshot!: Vigilante suffers a non-fatal one by a young cop, due to his healing factor.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Slade comes back having not been seen since the premiere.
- Vigilante; having not been seen since Season 5.
- Busman's Holiday: Invoked; in a flashback Slade goes on bush camping trip with his son whom his work often keeps him from, but it turns out to be another mission for ASIS.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Despite being drugged by Slade and told to just go home to his son, Oliver just can't abandon his old friend and goes to help him.
- Continuity Nod:
- Felicity references Iris's bachelorette party being crashed by a metahuman.
- Vincent Sobel a.k.a. Vigilante gained metahuman abilities during The S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion, having been exposed to the dark matter at the same time Dinah was.
- During the flashbacks, Slade is on a mission to find Yao Fei. It's the Chinese spy that he interrogates who reveals that he's been sent to Purgatory.
- The prison commandant has heard of Oliver Queen punching a paparazzo and being accused of being the Green Arrow.
- Dramatic Unmask: After being hit by her sonic scream, Vigilante reveals himself to be Dinah's old partner and lover.
- A Day in the Limelight: For both Slade and Dinah, who both have a very personal mission this episode.
- Easily Forgiven: Averted in regards to Slade, as both Felicity and John still don't like Oliver working together with him. For that matter, Slade also hasn't forgiven himself.
- Gun And Sword: Slade with an MP7 submachine gun in one hand and a katana in the other, hacks and shoots his way through the Jackals.
- Healing Factor: It is shown that Vince is a metahuman too and he has the ability to survive otherwise fatal wounds.
- I Am a Monster: Slade has not forgiven himself for what he did and thinks it is the best to disappear out of his son's life after rescuing him.
- Inadvertent Entrance Cue: Two Jackals are playing War when Slade arrives to show them the real thing.
- It's Personal: For Dinah, naturally, after Vigilante's identity is revealed.
- I Work Alone: Slade drugs Oliver so he can go after the Jackals alone, wishing for his friend to just be a good father to William instead of being drawn back into the life of violence.
- Informed Attribute: Vigilante claims Councilwoman Pollard is corrupt, we never see evidence of this onscreen.
- Inspector Javert: Agent Watson is no longer gunning after Oliver, now she's after every one on Team Arrow.
- Like Father, Like Son: Joe followed his father and became an ASIS agent .... and later mercenary for hire.
- Love Makes You Stupid: Dinah lets Vigilante go, letting her old feelings cloud her judgement.
- Mook Horror Show: Before being cornered by Nylander and a bunch of them, Slade easily slashes and shoots himself through at least a dozen of the Jackal's, with them being unable to do much more than being struck with terror while dying brutally.
- Mythology Gag:
- Slade's contact in Kaznia refers to him as "the terminator". In the comics, Slade was sometimes known as Deathstroke the Terminator.Furthermore
- Joe's codename for when he went undercover was Kaine Wolfman after Marv Wolfman who helped make Deathstroke as we know him now.
- Name of Cain: Joe Wilson is now Kane Wolfman after becoming estranged from his father. It's an early sign that things won't go well.
- Papa Wolf: Slade, big time. He straight-up massacres as whole bunch of mercenaries to find his son.
- Punch-Clock Villain: In a flashback, Slade is out camping with his son and encounters a Chinese family doing the same. As it turns out, he knows that the father is a Chinese spy, so he interrogates him for the location of Yao Fei. When the spy tries to go for his weapon, Slade slits his throat and goes back to his son.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Oliver turns up at the prison only to be told that Kane Wolfman was killed in a prison fight. However when Oliver returns with Slade so he can at least view his son's body, the commandant admits that the Jackals broke into the prison and released Kane, which the commandant is covering up.
- The Reveal:
- Who is Vigilante? Dinah's old partner/lover Vince. He's also a meta-human which explains his uncanny ability to get out of sticky situations.
- Also Slade's son was never in danger. Because he not only is part of the Jackal mercenary team... he's their leader. Meaning he's a Composite Character of Joseph and Grant Wilson.
- Scars Are Forever: Despite his healing factor, Vincent still has a ugly scar on the left side of his face.
- Stranger Behind the Mask: In-Universe. The only member of Team Arrow who actually knows Vigilante's Secret Identity before this episode was Dinah, making him this for the others.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Councilwoman Pollard still goes through with her anti-vigilante legislation despite Black Canary saving her life.
- We Used to Be Friends: Or rather lovers, in Vince's and Dinah's case.
- Wham Line: "He's our boss!"
