Warning: Spoilers ahead for the midseason finale of Arrow, so head to another one of our informative articles if you aren't caught up.
The CW's Arrow works best whenever it plays a long game. Plot threads introduced early in a season may not pan out immediately, but they're almost always worth it when they do. Now, despite all of the action, chaos, and death that occurred the recent midseason finale, it seems that one of the biggest and best clues for the future of the season was hidden in that drink Oliver had with Susan Williams. Arrow co-showrunner Wendy Mericle explained:
Were we too obvious with that? I would call that foreshadowing more than anything else. Susan is certainly on that [Oliver-in-Russia] train, for sure.
Wendy Mericle recently spoke to TVLine about the Arrow midseason finale and addressed the implications of one of the episode's quieter scenes. Although it was seemingly inconsequential the first time around, a closer look at Oliver's visit to Susan's apartment revealed a very telling clue in the vodka that Susan served Oliver when he came to visit her after the death of Billy Malone. Arrow characters offer each other drinks with striking regularity (seriously, they like their booze on this show) but the fact that Susan offered Oliver a Russian vodka seems a bit too coincidental when we consider the current state of the Bratva flashbacks. Susan may currently be a love interest, but she's definitely keeping secrets from The Emerald Archer.
The scene even held on a close-up of the vodka in order to really sell the idea that Susan is catching on to Oliver's past as a Russian gangster. It's such a specific and overt shot, and Mericle's comments make it even more difficult to ignore the possibility that something very bad is brewing in Oliver's love life right now. Check out the close-up below to see for yourself.
She could've served him the scotch or something from the fridge, but she didn't. She served him the VERY Russian vodka. This isn't the first time that Susan Williams has dropped hints that she knows about Oliver Queen's time in Russia, either. A few episodes back, she mentioned dealing with an investigative reporter in Russia, possibly serving as another indication that she's digging deeper into his shady history. It's unclear exactly what her intentions are, but we have a feeling that Susan Williams may represent an even bigger threat to Oliver Queen and his allies than Prometheus at this point. And it's not just his sobriety that's in trouble.
We will bring you more information concerning Arrow's fifth season as new details become available to us. The Emerald Archer's series will return to The CW on Wednesday, February 1 at 8 p.m. EST. For now, make sure to check out CinemaBlend's comprehensive midseason premiere schedule for more information related to all of the most highly anticipated spring television debuts!
