Arrow Season 2 Spoilers on 'Deathstroke' episode

The 18^th episode of Season 2 of the CW's Arrow is nearly here, and the aptly titled "Deathstroke" will focus on Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) and his machinations. Executive producer Marc Guggenheim previews that things are about to get much more intense for Oliver (Stephen Amell) and company.

"Episode 17 ended with Thea getting kidnapped by Slade, and 18 deals with all the ramifications of that," Guggenheim told TVLine. "It's basically about the manhunt for Slade, the search for Thea and the high stakes of what Slade is going to do. The episode is called 'Deathstroke' because this is the first huge move that Slade Wilson is going to make in his plan to exact revenge."

Of course, the details of that plan are not yet clear, but "Deathstroke" will start to fill in some of the finer points.

"His endgame is actually pretty complicated. It's not one move, it's several, and he hits a few of them in this episode," Guggenheim said. "At this point, Oliver knows that Slade's plan is to basically take away everything and everyone he loves, including his city, and then kill him. But what Oliver doesn't know are the specifics of how that plan will be enacted. And in this episode, he learns that the way Slade is planning on destroying him is completely unexpected.

"Oliver thought he was facing one kind of enemy," he continues, "but the truth is he's facing a very different kind, and that enemy will really surprise him."

Guggenheim also teased that the "epic" episode would "function almost as a season finale" before the show's one-week hiatus prior to its return on April 16. The next episode, "The Man Under the Hood," features the characters from the Flash pilot.

The executive producer also said "Deathstroke" ends "with a real bang" and is bittersweet in that "there are victories and there are losses."

What do you expect from the episode? Let us know in the comments below.