Talia al Ghul isn’t the only suspicious woman moving forward into the second half of Arrow Season 5. It’s been made obvious reporter Susan Williams has had something up her sleeve ever since “Human Target,” where her government friend, Ian, found a picture of Oliver in Russia when the rest of the world thought he was still stranded on Lian Yu. The grin on Susan’s face when she saw that picture suggested she knows more about Oliver’s past than she'd previously let on.
Her associate came across the photo when looking into how Oliver Queen first met Christopher Chance, who also happened to save Oliver’s life years ago in Russia when Viktor, the leader of the Solntsevskaya division of the Bratva, tried to murder Oliver. Anatoly Knyazev hired Chance (aka Human Target) to protect Oliver’s life, but it was actually Dig who had worked with Chance before. So when Christopher Chance came to STAR City to help help Oliver again in present day, Susan Williams implied she already knew Human Target, saying the fake mayoral assassination “felt like his work.”
This tiny bit of dialogue seemingly confirms Susan Williams is not Prometheus. If she was, why wouldn’t she already know about Oliver’s time in Russia? If she is Prometheus, and trained in Russia with Oliver, she wouldn’t need a picture to figure out Oliver wasn’t actually on Lian Yu for five years. But does this connection mean she is acquainted with some of the people Oliver used to know? Or is she just chasing a good story?
Ever since Susan Williams agreed to go easy on Oliver’s position as Mayor in the press, the two have developed quite a bond. One would wonder why she was so willing to cut Ollie a break as mayor. At first, we thought it could just be because he’s hot, but this latest episodes implies it’s something more -- almost like she’s undercover. You may have also noticed the bottle of vodka in Susan Williams apartment. The camera stayed on that bottle for wayyy too long, but after some digging, it is not the same exact bottle Oliver used to keep in his trunk from Lian Yu.
Oliver said a “good friend” gave that bottle of vodka to him. It could be his most recent favorite drinking buddy in the flashbacks, Anatoly Knyazev. But what’s more important than the bottle itself is the confirmation Susan Williams is definitely connected to Oliver’s past in Russia and the upcoming Russia flashbacks may have answers. We still don’t know the end of the Viktor flashback arc that started in the “Human Target” episode. Since then, we’ve also been introduced to Konstantin Kovar, an oppressive governor in Krasnoyarsk, who used his position as a front for his own criminal organization, which put him at odds with the Bratva. Maybe there’s a reason those flashbacks have ceased for the past two episodes and Kovar is the link between Susan Williams and Russia. That would explain how Susan Williams got ahold of the picture of Oliver so easily, because she knew where to look and has access to Russian government documents.
Another small detail that stuck out in “What We Leave Behind” is how Prometheus loves swords... and so does Kovar. He also fits the statue of Prometheus and we’ve seen Kovar fight Oliver. He’s a force to be reckoned with. Is it possible Kovar, also a member of the League, used the Lazarus pit (that didn’t get destroyed because of Flashpoint) to stay young and seek revenge on Oliver after Oliver fulfilled his promise to Tiana and overthrew Kovar’s rule? It’s certainly not the most far-fetched Prometheus idea I’ve heard, especially with all the ‘Tometheus’ theories still going around.
But the hard part about these Russia connections with Susan Williams and Prometheus is factoring in Justin Claybourne. He seems to be the odd puzzle piece in all of this. Is Prometheus just using the Clayborne name as bait for Oliver? One thing for sure is that Susan Williams has to be working with Prometheus, just like Artemis. Some fans are speculating Susan Williams is actually Prometheus, the child of Justin Claybourne. The ongoing theory claims she drugged Oliver, which could explain why he left her apartment so abruptly and is seeing Laurel alive once again. I’m hoping that’s not the case, and the writers aren’t toying around with Black Canary’s return. That theory is also a little shaky after watching the Season 5 episode 10 trailer, where the conversation between Oliver and Diggle heavily implies Laurel is a real person, not just a figment of Oliver’s imagination.
The last option to consider is Susan Williams and Prometheus’ shared connection with Talia al Ghul, who is set to appear in Season 5 episode 10. Considering Oliver knows Prometheus and he were both trained by the same person, the rumor mill is going strong for Talia being the woman who trained them. If Oliver met Talia in Russia, it could explain how he heard of the League of Assassins and why Talia was never around her family any of the many times Oliver has been to Nanda Parbat in present day. We have yet to find out whether Talia, Ra’s al Ghul’s eldest daughter, will be a friend or foe of Oliver’s. Considering Oliver killed Talia’s father and disbanded the League of Assassins, I’m not convinced Talia will warm up to Ollie if she appears in the present day instead of the flashbacks. Last we saw Talia was in the 1960s on Legends of Tomorrow. She was just small girl training alongside Sara Lance at Nanda Parbat. This would put Talia into her 50s if we see her in present day, and late 40s if she’s in the flashbacks. Lexa Doig, the actress who will play Talia, is 43 years old.
Talia may end up being the missing link that ties Susan Williams, Prometheus, Russia and Laurel Lance’s resurrection together. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
