tv echo

Compare to these quotes from right after 418 aired (Laurel's death)... Q: "So could Laurel come back to life?" MG: “Not getting a chance to work with Katie day in and day out is tempered by the fact that we now live in a universe where there’s resurrection, parallel earths, time travel, flashbacks — we have all these different ways of keeping Katie in the Arrow-verse family... In fact, you will see her on an episode of Flash playing the Earth-2 version of Laurel Lance. Katie is reprising her role as Laurel of Earth-1 to be in Vixen season 2. Death does not mean goodbye on any of these shows, but we made a creative choice and we’re sticking to it. We’re recognizing that Black Canary and Laurel have an incredibly loyal fanbase, and Katie has an incredibly loyal fanbase, but the show has never been just about the comic book history, it’s never been just about one or two different particular fanbases. We make the creative choices we feel benefit the show as a whole and the story that we’re telling overall.” Q: "But by bringing her back on other shows, doesn’t that cheapen Laurel’s death?" MG: "We definitely recognize across all three shows that when we kill off a character, it means something different now... I'm not going to put a qualitative judgment on whether it’s more or less impactful. I’ll leave that to the audience, but certainly we acknowledge there’s a difference. Arrow, much more so than Flash or Legends, it traffics in death. We started off the series of the apparent death of Sara Lance and the actual death of Robert Queen and a hero who murdered people. For better or for worse, death is part of the show. What we’re finding is that death now, as it should by the way, when you start to get where we are pushing into season 5, the show has to evolve, it has to change. The concept of death on this show is evolving and changing as we’ve already seen with Sara Lance, and with seeing Laurel in a parallel universe. There’s a world where we do an episode where Oliver Queen meets the Laurel Lance of Earth-2. That’s now on the table. Time travel is now on the table. As the show has evolved, so has death.” Q: "Okay, so [Oliver] didn’t help Laurel fake her own death?" MG: "No... We’ve done a fake death before. That’s the thing, we’re always trying to figure out, ‘What’s a way to do this?’ That fake-out where she was okay and then she wasn’t was our attempt: How do we do a death that we haven’t done before? [It’s a] creative challenge, the deeper you get into your story. It’s the nature of having a long-running show that deals as a major component of it with death.” Q: "Is Laurel’s death, as they say on TV, a game-changer?" WM: “We do feel like it is a game-changer in a very sad way that we’re losing a beloved character, but also in the sense that big moves like this will open up new storytelling avenues and will force our characters to rethink their decisions and their objectives... Death is a reality. With the Lazarus Pit and the possibility of coming back, it’s easy, in some ways, to forget that our characters are vigilantes. They’re out on the street, they’re doing really dangerous things. What this does is it really brings that reality back in a very rude and brutal way. It’s good for the audience to be reminded of that and for our characters as well.” http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/06/arrow-laurel-death-spoilers TVLINE: "What were the arguments for and against the death being Laurel?" MG: "The argument against it was the fact that we all love Katie. We love working with Katie, we love having her on the show. We love the fact that she plays Black Canary. [Another reason is] quite frankly the fact that there would be some corners of the Internet who in a season where Oliver got engaged to Felicity would interpret this as us choosing a side in the “shipper wars.” With respect to that last point, we felt like we had told the Oliver/Laurel love story in Season 1, and we had no intention of getting them back together. We never felt like we had to kill off Laurel to put an end to that story." MG: "The reason to [kill Laurel off] is it is big. It is bold. It does move the show forward. It does impact all of our characters. Diggle and Thea in particular will be making a lot of choices from now until the end of the season that are directly influenced by the events of this episode. Fundamentally, whenever we kill off a character, it usually comes down to, 'How will this death impact all the other characters?' Then there’s also the feeling of: We’ve had Laurel be in love with Oliver, fall out of love with Oliver… be in love with Tommy, lose Tommy… hit bottom, have a drug addiction… rise up, become the Black Canary." MG: "Long story short, we were looking ahead toward Season 5 and we were like,Arrow “It kind of feels like Laurel’s story has come to a very organic… if not 'conclusion,' certainly a 'plateau.'" MG: "I said to [Katie Cassidy] that between the three shows we have time travel, resurrection, parallel universes and flashbacks — dead does not mean goodbye." http://tvline.com/2016/04/06/arrow-katie-cassidy-leaving-laurel-dies-grave-season-4/ MG: "Arrow is always a show that's evolving. Every character arguably except for the Arrow is fair game... We started off this year with a promise of a death and when we worked our way through our various creative choices, we realized that the thing that will give us the most pop going into the end of the season, going into next season, unfortunately would be Laurel." MG: "We knew that it would enrage a lot of people... We're not immune to the [fans rooting for Oliver and Laurel] and we're not blind to it. We knew people would think, in the season where Oliver and Felicity get engaged and Laurel dies, that's clearly making a choice about who's going to end up with who. We told the Laurel/Oliver romance story in season one. We never really thought about going back to it. [Fans rooting for them] was not an element or a factor for us." MG: "We recognize that that upsets a lot of fans, particularly the comic book fans... In the comics, Dinah Lance and Oliver Queen are in a romance together in various iterations. To some people, that is considered canonical and iconic. We respect that, but at the same time, we've always made no bones about the fact that we are telling our own version of the Green Arrow mythos. ... But it made the most creative sense for us going forward despite the fact that we love Katie. Every time we've killed off a character on the show, it's really been for the affect on all the characters left behind." MG: "Not getting a chance to work with Katie day in and day out is tempered by the fact that we now live in a world and universe where there is resurrection, parallel earths, time travel and flashbacks... We have all these different ways of keeping Katie in the Arrow-verse family. In fact, you will see her on an episode of Flash playing the Earth-2 version of Laurel Lance. Katie is reprising her role as Laurel of Earth-1 to be in Vixen season two. Death does not mean goodbye on any of these shows." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/arrow-laurel-dies-katie-cassidy-881297

Unlike last season, I will not be posting a lot of media reviews after each episode airs this season. It will depend on the episode. My enthusiasm for S5 of Arrow is just low right now.

My new conspiracy theory: The Green Arrow Rebirth comics (with their resurrected GA/BC soap opera romance) have been well-received enough that DC Comics wants the TV show to become closer aligned with the current comics. So Arrow is slowly weaning viewers off of Olicity and introducing a 'new and improved' saint-like version of Laurel/BC, who will have none of the sister-swapping baggage due to Flashpoint.

This wording certainly sounds like WM's talking about E1 Laurel coming back alive and well due to Flashpoint - not BS. This show will become a joke if that happens.

Remember these quotes from right after 401 aired? MG: "It’s not a fake-out. That’s not how we roll... It’ll feel organic and very earned. It’s actually very elegant.” (Variety, ETonline, TVLine, Collider, EW, Hollywood Reporter and DocBrown TV articles, page 22 of Spoilers thread) WM: "They will stay dead... We want to bring stakes back to the show, and so we’ll be finding a way to handle the Lazarus Pit portion in Season 4 in a new, inventive way that I can’t reveal. But it’ll be cool.” (Variety, ETonline, TVLine, Collider, EW, Hollywood Reporter and DocBrown TV articles, page 22 of Spoilers thread) WM: “We don’t necessarily know who it is [that died] right now... We’re still figuring the plan out for the season, but we want it, obviously, to have resonance. If it doesn’t mean something to the characters, it won’t mean anything to the audience either.” (ETonline, Collider, EW and DocBrownTV articles, page 22 of Spoilers thread)

So Laurel is coming back from the dead due to Flashpoint?! I'm guessing Oliver's "new" love interest this season is... Laurel. With every new set of spoilers that comes out, my enthusiasm for this season wanes even more.

My interpretation of GB's comments is that Supergirl's winter finale (208, Nov. 28) deals with stuff that happened on that show from 201-207. Then at the end of 208, Supergirl gets retrieved from her universe (maybe by the Flash?) and then the big crossover event is comprised of Flash (pt 1, Nov. 29), Arrow (pt 2, 100th episode, Nov. 30) and LoT (pt 3, Dec. 1), with Supergirl guesting in all three shows.

ADDENDUM #1 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC S5 Promo Videos -- S5 "Can't Be Stopped" promo video posted, featuring Oliver in civvies and GA costume, Thea, Quentin, Wild Dog in costume, Felicity, Ragman in costume, Curtis, Prometheus, Tobias Church, Diggle in military gear, and Cody Rhodes' character pushing GA up against a wall. (Sep. 16, 2016 Arrow "Can't Be Stopped" extended trailer video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- S5 "A Sneak Peek" promo video posted, featuring commentary from WM and Brian Ford Sullivan. (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread, and Sep. 28, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- S5 "Team Arrow 2.0" promo video posted, featuring the new recruits. (Sep. 26, 2016 S5 "Team Arrow 2.0" video in CW Arrow tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- S5 "Break the Rules" promo video posted, featuring GA's killing, the new team, Felicity kissing someone, Bratva, Kovar, Tobias Church, Prometheus, etc. Per SA, this trailer included shots from 7 episodes. (Sep. 28, 2016 The CW's S5 "Break the Rules" video, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and SA response to fan question on his facebook, page, page 1149 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- S5 "Big Changes" promo video posted, featuring commentary from DR. (Sep. 30, 2016 S5 "Big Changes" preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- The CW's "This Season on The CW" video posted, including b-t-s shots of SA, EBR and DR. (Sep. 30, 2016 "This Season on The CW" video, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- S5 "Golden Age Interview" promo video posted, featuring commentary from EK. (Oct. 2, 2016 S5 "Golden Age Interview" preview video, page 45 of Spoilers thread) S5 Theme of Legacy -- MG: “Essentially the theme that we’re dealing with this year is legacy... The idea [is] Oliver honoring Black Canary’s [Katie Cassidy] legacy after Laurel’s death last year. As the season progresses, you’ll see that there are a lot of callbacks to season 1. What we’re doing is we’re dramatizing Oliver’s desire to grow, move forward, and evolve, but this concept of legacy keeps threatening to pull him back to the early days.” (Sep. 13, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Essentially the theme that we’re dealing with this year is legacy, the idea of Oliver honoring Black Canary’s legacy after Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) death last year. It’s related to a second theme or a sub-theme, which is that of moving on. In the season premiere, Oliver’s very much frozen in amber. He is just waiting for things to get back to normal, and it takes Felicity to tell him that things are not going to get back to normal, that you need to move forward. As the season progresses, you’ll see that there are a lot of callbacks to season 1. What we’re doing is we’re dramatizing Oliver’s desire to grow, move forward, and evolve, but this concept of legacy keeps threatening to pull him back to the early days." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "[Legacy] is the theme of the season from all of the characters. They're all going to be assessing that in various ways. ... All of them, as you can see, have the recurring theme of both looking back and assessing legacy, and also looking forward and thinking about, 'What kind of impact have I had as a vigilante and as a human being, and what am I going to do both to kind of change that, or to make it better?'" (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "And [Oliver] was also dealing with the legacy left by his father, his goal being to try to right those wrongs that Robert Queen had committed in Starling City... What we're really trying to do is close that chapter, close that five-season story and have Oliver be reflecting from the vantage point now, having done and been the vigilante - what kind of legacy is he going to be leaving now?" (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On this season's theme of legacy, which is fitting since he is the O.G. of The CW heroes, SA: "It's really cool. What The CW has accomplished, having four shows on four nights, is something to behold. It is cool being the first one. We're not the biggest property [compared to] The Flash and Supergirl within the DC Comics canon, but our success gave [executive producers] Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kresiberg the chance to develop more. I hope we can look back at this era of DC television and be very, very proud." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Well, uh, the theme of this season is legacy, right? So, um, you're going to see a lot of different people making their mark, um, and that includes the new recruits."(Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Team 2.0 is not the theme of the season by any stretch of the imagination." (Sep. 26, 2016 SA facebook post, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Back to Basics With Crime and Corruption -- On kinda hitting the reset button at the end of S4, WM: "I think the most exciting thing for us was that we sort of cleared the decks. Dig went off and had his own crisis. It brought us back to the core of who Oliver was at the start of the show. He was a guy out there fighting at night on his own. And when we open this season, we’re going back to that. So in a way, we’re revisiting Season 1, and we’re going back to a lot of the things that I think we were in love with when we started the show, and what the fans loved. But now we have the benefit of four years of knowledge and experience, and so does Oliver. So it’s fun to think like, there are so many things you would want to do with that character in Season 1, but now you can do that in Season 5, and still deal with those same themes, same ideas, the gritty fighting, and going back to the older version of Star City. We’re excited." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Arrow being the darkest series among The CW’s DC shows and how she would rate this season on a scale of one to ten of bleakness, WM: "It’s pretty bleak! We’re going back to bleak, I think. The fun thing is that we’ll still have these new recruits in the bunker, and they’re younger and they’ll just have a different dynamic. So we’ll get something out of there. Oliver will still crack the occasional joke for sure. But in terms of where the city is at and the stakes, we’re going bleak. We’re going dark." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "In keeping with getting back to our roots, we're gonna make Green Arrow even more badass than he already is." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On how she would define "gritty and grounded" as words used to describe S5, WM: "It means several things. One of the things as a contrast to season four is that we're not doing anything with magic. We obviously have that element to play with; we've introduced it, but just like with metas, the bad guys and the villains of the week are not going to be rooted in those worlds. What it does mean is they will be rooted in the kind of criminal underworld that we really last saw in season one, and to some extent in season two as well. So when we say gritty, we mean we're going back to mobster type crime and stuff happening that's specific to Star City. The docks, drug running, maybe even touching on some human trafficking, going back to those types of criminals and those types of crimes. ... Secondary to that, and arguably even more important, is that we are going to have more actor action. Especially in season three and four, we tended to get bigger and scopier in terms of our action, and what we want to do is go back to that kind of feeling that you had in the first season when you're out with Oliver, you're out with the Hood, or on season five with Green Arrow, and you get a much greater sense of what it's like to be in his shoes. As much as possible what it feels like to get hit in the face, and be in a fight with the character. Those have been the buzz words that we've been throwing around, and the way that we've been talking about the stories in the writers room and also in terms of directing." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On S4 being a wake-up call, WM: "I think it was. Every year we look back at the previous year and are always trying to do something different. When you look at year five, it seems like an answer to season four in some ways, but also it wouldn't feel as novel, it wouldn't feel as right, in season five to be going back if we hadn't had season four. I understand it was a controversial season and I understand why, but part of our job is to take those risks and see what the limits of the show are. You really don't know until you try, and hopefully this season will take us back to what a lot of the fans liked in the first few years, but also with a difference. We're going to have new people in the bunker, there's still going to be a certain tone, a difference in tone purely because there are other people. It's not just Oliver out there fighting on his own." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) crime and corruption -- WM: "At the same time, crime has really taken root in the city, and the mob, the Bertinellis, are empowered; the Falcones are coming back, the Bratva... Everybody is trying to get their piece of the pie and crime is a significant problem; there's corruption in the SCPD. Those are the types of crimes they're going to be facing, and that is another kind of reason that these vigilantes have spread out: there's a power vacuum and Oliver is the mayor. How is he going to fix that?" (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Arrow feels more grounded again... As much as a comic book show can be grounded." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "There's so much corruption within the SCPD. We deal with Chad Coleman's character, Tobias Church, this drug kingpin who's utilizing all the holes in the police department to stay ahead of the team." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "The most difficult stunt that I've had to do this year was, um, a stunt that was very unnerving because there were very small explosives strapped to my chest. And they are meant - in chest and [unintelligible word] - and they are meant to explode outwards. But when something explodes outwards, strapped to your body, trust me when I tell you, your initial inclination is to look down. And what you're supposed to do is the opposite - look up. So we were supposed to do this stunt and I was very nervous about it and I didn't want to let on that I was nervous. But basically I'm walking down some steps and then commotion starts, and I push someone into a car - into an open car door, not into a car. And, um - and when I did that, what we didn't realize is that it was disconnecting the cord from the thing that was going to provide the charge. So I know that I'm then supposed to turn, lift my chin just a little bit, and then these things start to go off. And the first time they didn't go off. So after about a second, I go 'STOP!' It happened three more times. And my hands by the end of it were shaking. So that was, uh - that wasn't the toughest stunt, but it was certainly the most unnerving." (Edmonton Expo, Sep. 24, 2016: Video clip of SA panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Per DR, "the show is kinda getting back to kind of a ground roots, you know, street fighting type of a feel - kind of away from the magic and supernatural things that kind of were a wonderful part of the previous seasons, but, uh, I think it's kinda getting back to some of the things that make this show so great, which is, really kind of a gritty, kind of an earthy, down to earth show." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Per CLC, Tobias Church takes full advantage of Star City's current chaotic state, which has been overrun with both criminals and makeshift vigilantes since Oliver's public call to arms in 423. CLC: "He brings together the whole underworld, every Mafia member, corrupt cops...everybody that's doing dirt, he brings them under his umbrella." (Pic of page 57 of TV Guide, Oct. 3-9, 2016 issue, page 45 of Spoilers thread) S5 Flashbacks -- MG: "No plans for introducing Red Star just yet. This is the last year of the flashbacks. We always said it was five years’ worth of flashbacks. We’re in our fifth season. We’re trying to connect up the flashbacks thematically to the present-day story. We’re trying to introduce a more adrenaline-fueled flashback story this year. We’re dealing with, obviously, Oliver joining the Bratva, and this parallels Oliver bringing in new recruits. Just as he’s getting tested by the Bratva in the past, Oliver Queen is testing his new recruits in the present." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On what she's most looking forward to, WM: "The Russian flashbacks, without a doubt. It's something we've always wanted to do. Every season we would say, 'Let's do Russia this year,' and for various reasons creatively we would take it down the road, and this is the season we're going to do it. It just feels very gritty and very dark, and seeing how Oliver got the Bratva tattoo, how he became a captain, and how he became the PTSD killer that we see in the pilot... It's exciting stuff. It's fun to close the loop on all these things that we were all there for at the kickoff." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We're going back to Russia. We're actually going to see how Oliver became a member of the Bratva and how he got that tattoo." Added Brian Ford Sullivan: "We'll pick up, uh, in the premiere where he's in Russia, and he's in a bad spot, and the Bratva comes to his aid and sort of starts to show him the ways of, you know, being part of a team, you know, and pledging his allegiance to the Bratva way of life, you know, and what that means in terms of him ultimately becoming the Hood and coming back to Star City." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "In previous years, we really didn't want to thematically sync up that much, because story-wise we weren't as invested in making the flashbacks speak to the present-day. This is a season where we're definitely going to. One of the fun things is we're going to see how he got that Bratva tattoo, how he became a Bratva captain and I think most importantly, emotionally, how he evolved to the person that we met in the pilot. We saw him in the pilot and he had PTSD, he was sleeping on the floor and was just all trauma. And this season will really be exploring, what are these horrible things that happened to him while [he was] in Russia that brought him to that place when we first met him?" (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 29, 2016, SA: "Man, the flashbacks kick ass this year. They really do. Uh, they feel really tied in. I know that some reviews of the early episodes say that they feel, you know, inspired and connected in a way that maybe they didn't last year and the past couple of years." (SA facebook video, page 479 of Social Media thread) -- SA: "It's interesting because the show was pitched as a five-year idea with the flashbacks, and it's very nice to have a finish line in sight for the flashbacks. That allows us to ramp up the story. I think some of the showrunners would agree that it felt like we were stuck in neutral with the flashbacks a little bit last year. It doesn't feel like that at all this year. We're really pushing fast." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On getting Dolph Lundgren for the Russia flashbacks, SA: "It's pretty amazing. Kudos to the producers for getting him. I found that out when you all found that out, I think his deal closed moments before the Television Critics Association panel [this summer]." Also SA: "Russia develops really fast, Oliver is there based on a promise that he made at the end of Season 4 to Taiana and he's doing his thing." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Closing a Chapter and Beyond S5: Flashbacks and Flashforwards -- MG: "We’re canceled after season 5. No, I’m kidding. We’ve talked about a lot of different things. It’s a little early to talk about season 6 and beyond, but I think one of the things that we feel very confident about is that we’ve demonstrated the show’s capacity to do flashback stories that aren’t always tied to what we call the island narrative. I imagine that in season 6 and beyond what you’d see is, where the storytelling calls for it, we would intercut a flashback story that just wasn’t tied to Oliver’s five years away from his home. Also this year, as we’ve dome in years past, we’ve periodically broken away from what I call the island narrative to tell other flashback stories. And who knows? You may even get a flash-forward story." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "One of the things we talk about a lot is, 'Well, if we can't do this in season five, not only are these stories we could do in season six but how else are we setting up season six?' Because you have to be thinking about the end game, and when you're thinking about the end game of season five, those are the seeds of the next chapter. There is no question, everything you're saying is absolutely correct. It is going to be a reboot. Even as we're writing season five, and like I said, it is an answer to season one, it's also the closing of that chapter. When we come back for six, we're really looking down the barrel of, 'Okay, well we don't know how many more seasons we have. We hope we have a season six, we hope we have till season ten,' and you want to start planting, the same way we did in season one, those seeds for what is going to sustain the show for another season or two or three or four. ... That is a tricky endeavor, but it's also exciting because it gives you an opportunity to radically rethink the show. Not too radically, because you want it to still feel like Arrow, but we have a lot more real estate now because we won't have flashbacks in every episode. We do have the luxury of having created that structure in the past, and if we want to use it for the one of our characters or for a new character, to get into their heads or to understand their back story more deeply, we have the advantage of having that in our arsenal to use. A lot of questions are raised, and I think we'll be answering those while hopefully really setting some of that stuff up in the finale this year. It's going to be a good challenge." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "What we're really trying to do is close that chapter, close that five-season story and have Oliver be reflecting from the vantage point now, having done and been the vigilante - what kind of legacy is he going to be leaving now?" (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "One of the exciting things about season five, and it felt very right to do it in season five, now, because it's an answer to season one, is that we really are sort of closing this chapter that we kicked off with Oliver coming back from the island and returning to Starling City. This is us moving away from the universe and going back to our roots. It feels creatively right as well for the main character, for Oliver, and for us." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Generally -- Fan tweeted: "Flashpoint does affect #Arrow. But @StephenAmell says 'A little goes a long way'" and "Because of Flashpoint: What character would you like to see return ? @StephenAmell says Moira (but he still loves Tommy)." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: fangirlishness tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread) Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Specifically (Felicity, Diggle, Oliver, Laurel) -- MG: "[Flashpoint] will affect Arrow, it’ll affect Diggle’s character the most, and that’s all I really want to say in terms of spoiling how that happens." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Diggle, WM: "Flashpoint will definitely have an impact on him and his family life." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Flashpoint affecting Arrow and other shows, Flash EP Aaron Helbing: "Yeah, definitely. Arrow for sure is impacted. Diggle is significantly impacted in his life personally. The beauty is, since Greg and Andrew are producers on all four shows, and we deal with [executive producers] Marc Guggenheim and Phil Klemmer and Wendy Mericle, we sit down and we talk about it an are pretty much on the same page. I think something special that you don't get to experience on a lot of other shows is how interconnected they all are. To me, as a fan of all of them, that gets me really excited. It kind of holds true to, in the comic book universe, when you're going to do something like 'Blackest Night' that affects all of these characters and all these different storylines who are in their own stories, but they begin to overlap. It's the same thing with these shows." (Oct. 3, 2016 Empire article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On what ways we might see KC appear in Arrow outside of just flashbacks, WM: "I can tell you that we're really excited about having her back. You will see in the episodes where she appears - Episode 510 definitely, our midseason premiere. Keep your eyes out for that. We're so excited about getting to work with her again and her willingness to come back. It's one of the fun parts of the show. People can leave and get killed and you can still find new and crazy ways for them to come back. I can definitely tell you that there's a way we're going to bring her back and she's going to be alive and well. And Flashpoint might have a little bit to do with that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Flashpoint Affecting Flash, LoT and Supergirl (included for potential relevance to Arrow) -- TV Guide on The Flash 301: "When his memories and powers begin to fade, Barry must decide if he wants to continue living an idealized normal life in an alternate unverse where his parents are still alive, or return ot his own timeline as the Flash." (Pic of page 57 of TV Guide, Oct. 3-9, 2016 issue, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether Flashpoint affects the entire season, Flash EP Aaron Helbing: "No, but the impact and the various decisions are going to reverberate throughout the entire season. It's the reason that villains like Dr. Alchemy and Savitar are a part of the show. We liken it to when you have a perfect, pristine vase that you break. Even if you put it back together, there are always going to be those cracks. It's never, ever going to be exactly how it was. For example, when we meet The Rival in episode one, he'll have an impact in episode two. This guy, Edward Clariss, remembers everything that happened in 'Flashpoint.' All of the pieces that we set up in 'Flashpoint' are going to play out throughout the entire season. It's going to be something that Barry and his team are going to be grappling with and struggling against and trying to overcome." (Oct. 3, 2016 Empire article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether the Flashpoint timeline won’t last very long, Flash EP Andrew Kreisberg: "Well, it does and it doesn’t. It will be resolved, but there will be consequences that last throughout the season, and quite frankly, last throughout the series. That’s one of the things that we’re attempting to do is have the pitfalls of time travel be long-lasting and that some things can be fixed, and then some things are broken forever." (Oct. 3, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether the original timeline is still running concurrently and we’re going to see what Barry left behind, Flash EP Andrew Kreisberg: "No, when he goes back into the past and saves his mother, it rewrites the timeline." (Oct. 3, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Big 4-Shows Crossover Event (Arrow/Flash/LoT/Supergirl) -- GB: “It is kind of over four nights. But the Supergirl portion - because she is in a whole other universe for those who keep track of that aspect of the shows - she's in a whole other universe so they have to go retrieve her. So that kind of happens. And it's also Supergirl’s’ winter finale, um, because the show is premiering a week later. So a bulk of the story in that episode is still paying off things that’s happening in the fall, and then she kind of kisses into the larger story and she’s very much an active part of all three crossovers across the three shows. We have one global threat, which Mike and I talked about a few weeks ago. It is an alien invasion, actually, uh, and it's based on - there was a - As we always do, we sort of take things that we like and we make it our own. Uh, there was a run in the late 80's called Invasion exclamation point, uh, that combined team-up and was really a crossover team-up of a lot of great DC characters and we have a lot of elements from that book in these episodes." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- GB: "It's like a three-hour film, for sure... We are telling this year a three-part narrative that happens over the three shows. And then you also want to make each, um, whatever you're doing sort of in that episode kind of also speak to the DNA of what that show is and what makes that show great. So there's sci-fi, fanciful stuff in something like Flash. Arrow happens to be falling during Arrow's 100th episode, and we think we've found a real - um, for us, a really exciting way to honor the history and the tradition of Arrow that still fits in with all of these shows. And it was the first, you know - it came first and it kinda helped birth all of these other shows. And Legends is kinda of its own crazy wonder and it fits in really great with the third act of an alien invasion film in that regard. But time travel's a part of that show and part of that episode." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On walking the line between giving the fans something new and paying respect to comics storylines that fans want and know, GB: "Right, uh, it's nerve-wracking, you know, because we always are - again, we're always trying to do our version of it, and sometimes we do it successfully and sometimes we don't as much. Sometimes it's an iconic moment. Sometimes it's a character. Sometimes it's a feel. Um, sometimes it is a title - that we use a title, but we still are doing our interpretation of it. And that changes. And I think, you know, we obviously have a very active and very passionate fanbase for these shows because the comic books, you know, and it's - we sort of say this all the time - they preceded us and they'll come after us, and the characters are bigger than us, and they have a special personal importance to a lot of the fans. So I think everyone - you know, you hope everybody knows that we're trying our best to keep it interesting and exciting but still a lot of times make stuff fresh and make it fit into the world that we're already kind of playing with and creating." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- GB: "Every time that we do it, and we try to be more and more ambitious. Every time we do it, when we get those finished episodes, it really feels to me like the best of what the comic books felt like. And it really feels like a mash-up, you know, and you get all - you can't believe - we have something like, I think, in one scene, like 18, 19 characters who are these characters across the universe in this one scene together and they're - it feels, I don't know, to me, it feels exactly the way I used to feel when I read comic books as a kid." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On making each of the shows distinct, GB said that it starts with the casting of the central character, which sets the tone for the show, and the pilot episode, which has the show's DNA baked in. GB: "What would the show be if we took out the superpowers and we took out, you know - oh, Supergirl would have a storyline about adult sisters, adult siblings, you know, in its narrative. It would have a workplace sort of comedy. Arrow has always sort of had the crime saga element and also sort of the Gothic family saga. Flash was a warm family feel and, you know, you have a boy who really lost both of his parents at a young age and, uh, being taken in by this other family... Legends is this assembly of misfits, you know, can they be - can they live up to their potential? So many times those... all of the emotion and the best parts of those episodes are always lie in those storylines. And that's how we break the storylines first. We really talk about the season. We try to talk about really the psychology of the characters and where the evolution of them, and we figure out that way." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- SA: "Ideally, the 100th episode would not be a crossover episode, it'd be a very very Arrow-centric episode. But at the same time, it is - so that's, you know, that's a moot point. Um, I really hope that we see someone in the 100th episode that we haven't seen in awhile. That would be my hope... Oh yeah, I have people in mind." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 41 of Spoilers thread) -- On Arrow's 100th episode being a big crossover episode, WM: "It's going to be the biggest one we've done. It's going to involve all four shows... It will be a four-part story, Supergirl obviously airing first." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Well, you know, it's interesting, our 100th episode is 508. Turns out, 508 will be chapter 2 of our three-part crossover. So the 100th episode is going to be the middle part of the crossover. Uh, and then episode 9 is our midseason finale. So we're kinda designing things to be like a hundredth - two-episode hundredth episode celebration, the bigness of our mega crossover, and the bigness of our midseason finale. So it's actually timed kinda perfectly." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel, ComicBook article and TVLine article on Arrow panel, and The Hollywood Reporter article, page 40 of Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, "Part 2" of this year's Arrow/Flash/Legends/Supergirl crossover will be 207 of LoT (title blacked out), to be directed by Gregory Smith. (Sep. 27, 2016 MG tweet, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- MG: “It’s an external threat from outside the shows that will involve Supergirl coming over to Flash, then Arrow then Legends of Tomorrow... I don’t like to oversell. She is going to be coming over but we’re not going to do a full on Supergirl crossover episode. I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 27, 2016 slashFilm article, page 41 of Spoilers thread and page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread, and Jul. 28, 2016 ComicBookMovie article, page 41 of Spoilers thread) -- On the irony of doing the four-episode crossover with Supergirl, Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow, while they're trying to get back to basics, WM: "Absolutely, but it was one that we knew we were going to be facing, and we knew it was going to be tricky to fit it into this four-part story. It is really more of a three-parter; it kicks off at the very end of Supergirl, but the main body is in Flash, our show, and Legends. At the same time, I have to say we're really excited about this crossover, which also happens to be our hundredth episode. We wanted it to feel not like something that's part of this bigger universe, even though it is and we do want to honor that part of it, because we were the first and we in many ways are responsible for this universe. But we wanted it to feel like the hundredth episode and very true to Arrow. I have to say we've come up with a way that we're really excited about." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- DCE VP, Creative Affairs, Dan Evans: "Comic book fans are going to lose their minds when they find out what the basis of the crossover is. I will say, it's based on a big thing from DC's history. It will justify the crossover. You will not feel cheated." (DC All Access video, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Per The CW, the Dominators will be the Big Bad in the 4-shows crossover event. MG: "This year, for our mega 'Arrowverse' crossover, we’re taking inspiration from a DC crossover from the late 1980s known as Invasion!, which featured an alien race called the Dominators, who’d previously vexed the Legion of Superheroes... We’re using cutting edge prosthetics and computer effects to achieve a feature film-quality look which is faithful to Invasion! artist Todd McFarlane’s interpretation of the characters.” It will be the first time that any superheroes in the Arrowverse (except for Supergirl) have faced aliens. The 100th episode of Arrow, currently filming, featured a title that was blacked out except for an exclamation point on the end when MG shared it on Twitter. It seems likely -- although The CW wouldn't confirm -- that the title is in fact Invasion! (Sep. 29, 2016 ComicBook article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Arrow Writers Room tweeted "It's official! The #Dominators are coming. Here's a preview of what our version will look like. #Arrow #200for100" and posted hand sketch of alien creature. (Sep. 29, 2016 Arrowwriters tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "limited info from Wikipedia but highly advanced techno w/bomb that effects metahumans could mean team arrow has to save everyone." (Sep. 29, 2016 ChrisDianeL tweet, page 1150 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- In response to fan complaint that Arrow's 100th episode should be about Oliver/Arrow and not about Supergirl, MG tweeted: "It will be. Crossover not broken. Calm down." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan comment that, if 100th episode is about honoring Oliver, Arrow and all it's done, then she'll be happy, MG tweeted: "You'll be happy." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan comment that once show reaches 100th episode, EPs and network should give their best and focus on the show and not pimping another show, MG tweeted: "Not what we're doing. Thanks for the support but relax." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread) -- MG tweeted: "Thanks very much for the outpouring of support for Arrow vis a vis 100th episode. Everyone is eager to support this milestone appropriately." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread) -- MG tweeted: "Yes. It's both the middle chapter of the crossover and the ultimate 100th episode love letter to the show." (Sep. 23, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Arrow's 100th episode being part of the big 4-shows crossover event, EK: "I definitely think we are handling our Arrow business and still doing this crossover... I think that's a good thing, you know, um, especially for this magnitude of an episode. I know that the last few cross-overs were, the shows kind of helping set-up other shows, but there's no element of that here. Every show here is an already-established show. If you're doing a cross-over to help set-up Legends of Tomorrow then, logically, you're going to have to spend some time dealing with these new characters who are coming in, because if you don't then you're doing a disservice to that new show." MG then retweeted this EK interview with the comment: "Oh, we do..." (Sep. 30, 2016 ComicBook article and MG tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On the Dominators being the Big Bad for the 4-shows crossover event, EK: "I literally, when I read those scripts, my mind was like, 'holy hell, how are we going to do all of this, are we going to all this, is this real? ... And we're doing it, and it's coming out great! [Director James Bamford] is back with us, and he's killing it as always, and I just can not wait for fans to see this crossover." (Sep. 30, 2016 ComicBook article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Arrow's 100th episode being a big crossover episode, WM said that there will no special guest stars. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread) -- Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan) will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: MG tweeted pic of several cast members sitting around a table, including Jamey Sheridan, with comment: "Arrow 100th Episode Table Read. No Flashpoint. No flashbacks." (Sep. 22, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) will appear in Arrow's 100th episode. (Sep. 29, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Katie Cassidy, presumably playing Laurel Lance, will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: KC posted "100 #arrow" with pic of her name with "Arrow 100" and MG tweeted: "Arrow’s 100th Episode Will Feature Katie Cassidy." (Sep. 23, 2016 KC facebook post and Sep. 23, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Deathstroke will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: SA tweeted pic of himself sitting on a park bench next to someone in the Deathstroke costume. (Sep. 26, 2016 SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread and page 1146 of Spoilers Discussion thread) -- A mystery guest will appear on Arrow's 100th episode: SA tweeted tease of mystery guest for 100th episode and pic of himself in some glass chamber for 100th episode. SA also tweeted pic of himself standing with DR and a mystery guest in a park. (Sep. 24, 2016 SA tweets, page 1143 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Sep. 26, 2016 SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread and page 1146 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Arrow script coordinator Jeane Wong said that, as of Sep. 2, 2016, they were in the middle of breaking and writing the various crossovers. Per JW, the crossovers are "going to be super fun," but they're also "super complicated" because there's a lot of people and a lot of "cross-pollination" between the shows. (WineandComics podcast interview with JW, page 473 of Social Media thread) -- On the 4-shows crossover event, WH said that they're going to have to shoot four hours of television within the same 8 days that they normally shoot one show's episode. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread) -- On Aug. 7, 2016, SA tweeted pic of what looked like booted feet of GA, Flash, Atom, Supergirl and White Canary. (SA tweet, page 458 of Social Media thread) -- On Aug. 7, 2016, CL posted instagram pic of herself and SA in their White Canary and Green Arrow costumes. (CL instagram post, page 458 of Social Media thread) -- On Aug. 8, 2016, SA said that he worked with Caity Lotz on Aug. 7, 2016. (SA facebook video, page 460 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 2, 2016 (early morning), SA said that he got "pitched," i.e. told, the 100th/508 crossover episode that day, Sep. 1st. (SA facebook video, page 468 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 2, 2016, SA tweeted: "Just read the 100th episode of Arrow. What an honor and a pleasure to have that opportunity." (SA tweet, page 470 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 19, 2016, MG posted Arrow 508 title page with episode name blacked out, except for ending exclamation point, and tweeted: "We're in prep. @GBerlanti @MericlesHappen @JamesBamford." (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 22, 2016, MG tweeted "Arrow 100th Episode Table Read. No Flashpoint. No flashbacks." and posted pic showing SA, EBR, EK, WH, RG, JD, Jamey Sheridan, one other guy and someone else's hand at the left edge of pic sitting around a table. (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, MG tweeted (regarding his 100th episode table read pic): "@david_ramsey I didn't get him in the shot. My bad. Sorry, David!" (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Downtown.....at night....in the rain. The perfect end to the 1rst day of the 100th episode of #Arrow. As it should be." (JBam tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, Arrow production office posted b-t-s pics from Arrow set. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, PB tweeted: "First day of shooting #Arrow100 Time flies when you're having fun and working with this fine gent! @StephenAmell." (PB tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, SA tweeted pic of Crew Call sheet from "3/10/12" with cast list that included SA, WH, CD and KC. (SA tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, SA tweeted: "Sure, the story of our 100th episode is important. But not as important as me wearing Oliver's favorite pea coat." (SA tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 26, 2016, JBam posted pic of what looks like walkway inside a park with comment: "Not a bad view first thing in the morning..... #Arrow ??th. Boom." (JBam instagram post, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 27, 2016, MG posted LoT 207 title page with episode name blacked out. (MG tweet, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Sep. 27, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself with EBR and DR in front of an ambulance with bow-and-arrow and "100" emojis. (SA tweet, page 478 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 27, 2016, Oscar Balderrama tweeted: "Hey #Arrow fans. What was that scene when Felicity brings Oliver a sandwich? Did that happen? What kind of sandwich was it?" (ojbalderrama tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 27, 2016, SA said: "We are on Day 3 of our 100th episode, which is also the first official day of the crossover, meaning that four different shows are cross-boarded and everyone is working together. So I started the morning on Arrow and this afternoon I'm going to a show that's not Arrow." (SA facebook video, page 478 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself as GA standing with Supergirl on a city building rooftop. (SA tweet, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted: "I am legitimately nervous to be shooting a scene with Victor Garber." (SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself, GG in his Flash suit, Victor Garber and Franz Drameh, with the comment: "Long day. Great day." (SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 28, 2016, EK posted pic of his trailer with "Curtis" name next to trailer with "Cisco" name. (EK tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 29, 2016, JBam tweeted Carlos Valdes' twitter handle with Arrow's "100" emoji. (JBam tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 29, 2016, EK posted pic of himself with EBR and Carlos Valdes. (EK instagram post, page 478 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 29, 2016, SA: "It's Thursday, I think. It's Crossover Day 4, something. You know, I'm posting a lot of photos and I think everyone assumes they're all from the Arrow 100th episode. They are not. But people are allowed to assume that." (SA facebook video, page 479 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 29, 2016, SA: "The schedule for the crossover is basically like, for the crossover, I read all of the scripts three times. And then, uh, I basically live one day at a time where they, uh, just tell me where I'm going. Cause I'm vascillating between shows. Yesterday I was on Legends and then I was on Flash, and I got to do a scene with Victor Garber. Not saying on which show. Oh, it's awesome. VIctor Garber's... voice sounds like Christmas morning feels when you're a kid, like when you're 8 and you know for sure you got exactly what you wanted. That is what his voice sounds like to me. And you know Grant - it's nice working with Grant." (SA facebook video, page 479 of Social Media thread) -- On Oct. 1, 2016, SA posted b-t-s video of Spartan shooting a gun and GA shooting arrows & fighting on top of a building rooftop. (SA facebook video, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- SA will continue shooting Arrow 508 and Flash 308 on Oct. 3-4, 2016. SA will continue shooting LoT 207 and Flash 308 on Oct. 5, 2016. SA will continue shooting LoT 207 on Oct. 6, 2016. (Sep. 30, 2016 SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Other LoT Crossovers -- SA will guest star on LoT 201. (Sep. 26, 2016 ComicBook article, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 201: Nate (Nick Zano), the grandson of cybernetic WWII-era supersoldier Hank Heywood, is the historian who recruits Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) after realizing that the Legends have gone missing. Per MG, Nick is going to develop superpowers and will try to live up to his grandfather's legacy. (tv echo report on LoT article in TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- From LoT 201 synopsis: "After the defeat of the immortal villain Vandal Savage and the exposure of the corrupt Time Masters, a new threat emerges. Dr. Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), an unconventional and charming historian, is thrust into the action. After making a shocking discovery, Nate seeks out Oliver Queen (guest star Stephen Amell) for help in finding the scattered Legends. Once reunited, the Legends continue their new mission to protect the timeline from temporal aberrations – unusual changes to history that spawn potentially catastrophic consequences. Their first stop is 1942 to protect Albert Einstein from being kidnapped before the Nazis destroy New York City with a nuclear bomb. Meanwhile, Ray (Brandon Routh) notices that Sara (Caity Lotz) has a mission of her own, which leads them both to face her nemesis, Damien Darhk (guest star Neal McDonough)." (Sep. 23, 2016 CBR article, page 198 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Other Flash Crossovers -- On whether Barry appears in Arrow 501, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "There is some cross over action among all four of the CW DC shows in the premieres, but I can't spoil it." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether KC will be on the Flash again this season, Flash EP Andrew Kreisberg: "Again, we don’t want to give too much away, but Katie will be back and it’s going to be fun and exciting — that much I can promise." (Oct. 3, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Vixen Crossovers -- Vixen S2 will premiere on Oct. 14, 2016. A Vixen S2 sneak peek highlight reel featured guest appearancs by the Flash, Firestorm and Weather Wizard. Also, Vixen's friendship with Laurel will be explored in S2 flashbacks. (Sep. 12, 2016 CBR article, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) General Character Narratives and Shifting Relationships -- ComicBook.com's teaser about 501: Two major characters make very poor life choices that indicate they haven't grown nearly as much as they would like to think in recent years. (Sep. 23, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Our show, for all its [unintelligible word], is still an emotional journey of Oliver Queen and sort of this guy who went through this traumatic event and how he sort of fixed his life." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: “Oliver’s most important relationship in the show is not with Felicity, it’s not with Thea, it’s not with Diggle. It’s with Star City. That is what we focus on this year, and it feels good.” (Sep. 13, 2016 Empire article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Well, we're all kinda in disarray at the end of season 4, beginning of season 5. Diggle's on assignment, Thea's left the team, and it just boils down to Oliver and Felicity." (S5 "Big Changes" video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) New Team Arrow -- CW Arrow tweeted "Meet Team Arrow 2.0 before the season premiere of #Arrow Wednesday, October 5 on The CW" and posted promo video featuring Artemis, Ragman, Curtis and Wild Dog, with Wild Dog saying "Robin Hood needs his band of merry men, right?" (Sep. 26, 2016 S5 "Team Arrow 2.0" video in CW Arrow tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "There are a couple of things that will really be clear in the premiere. One is that these vigilantes create as many problems as they solve, and Oliver has literally created this legacy that I don't think he ever anticipated, and one that he definitely does not want. It becomes a question of, 'Do I guide these people and help them or do it try to eliminate them?' That's the first thing. It's also where the city is at this point. When we came into the top of season four, people were leaving in droves and that's no longer happening." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On the newbies, MG: "They’re really great, and it’s always fun to see this group together. We’ve got Rory Regan (Joe DiNicol), who comic book fans know him as Ragman, who’s an old Batman hero, and one of the few Jewish characters in the DC universe — super-excited about him. Wild Dog, another comic book fan-favorite, and he’s actually played by Rick Gonzalez, who was on my wife [Tara Butters’] show Reaper. Finally, we’re bringing back Evelyn Stark from episode 319, and she’s going to be Artemis. It’s a very eclectic group, because Wild Dog, as his name suggests, he’s very much a loose cannon. Rory is dark and mysterious, at least when he’s wearing the Ragman rags. And Evelyn is very young and enthusiastic, but really inexperienced." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On how Curtis gets along with Wild Dog and Evelyn Sharp, EK: "They are different, but they all want the same thing, and that’s a safer Star City. I think they all just want to be a part of helping that legacy that Green Arrow is out there protecting. That’s what’s going to make them bond. Even though they’re very different, they still care for each other, but they’ll also call each other out, when need be, or they’ll get digs in. One of the funniest early moments I had on the show was when Madison, Rick and I were all in a scene together, and Arrow is in the scene, but he’s taking care of something, so we’re all sitting there talking. We didn’t have any dialogue, but we were all sitting there talking, in character. And then, Rick looks at us, as Wild Dog, and he’s like, 'Y’all know we’re on a TV show, right?!' It was so in character! Madison and I were like, 'What are you talking about?! Wild Dog, chill out!' It was so fun. That type of stuff set the precedent for how much fun we’re having. We had a ton of fun last year, but it’s awesome just to kick with them like that." (Oct. 5, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan complaint that new recruits are taking away screen time from core characters of Diggle, Felicity and Thea, SA replied: "Team 2.0 is not the theme of the season by any stretch of the imagination." (Sep. 26, 2016 SA facebook post, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On who else is on Green Arrow's team, in addition to Curtis/Mr. Terrific, SA: "We have Madison McLaughlin back as Artemis, Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez [aka Wild Dog] and a mystery guest... a new character that has been [brought in]." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Teacher Oliver is not, um - Oliver's not known for his patience. Or understanding. Or an impulse to listen to others." DR: "Or intelligence - what!" SA: "What?! Well, all of those things I just said lead to unintelligent decisions. But, um, no, I like the new recruits that we have on the team. We refer to them as the recruits." DR: "Um, so he's coming back to the team. You find him in Chechyna at the beginning of the season. He's away from the team. And, uh, he comes back to the team and he has very pointed things to say about the new recruits. So, um, that, uh - the whole new dynamic of the team affects Diggle in a very personal way." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "[Diggle's] going to come back, and he’s going to come back to this ragtag group of people in the bunker: 'Who are these guys?' It’ll be old Team Arrow versus new Team Arrow. It’s going to be fun." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- When Diggle returns to Star City, he won’t be a fan of Oliver’s new recruits. WM: “He’s not going to love all these little upstarts, trying to take over his role... But he’ll adjust. He’s going to find some common ground with Wild Dog, and that will help take the sting out of it.” (Sep. 14, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Picking up five months later, Felicity is pushing Oliver to recruit new members to replace Diggle and Thea, while Oliver is in denial. WM: "The thing he's hoping for is that things will go back to normal... I think he's really saying that they're going to come back, we're going to get back to Team Green Arrow, and we're going to fight the good fight." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On the challenge of trying to establish a new working dynamic with Wild Dog and Artemis under Oliver's command, WM: "Yes. Absolutely. Oliver himself is going to give them the hardest time possible. He's not 100 percent on board with the idea of the team, and when he takes them on he has a number of reasons for doing so. He's going to make sure that they know it's not fun and games. When they're out there, it's life or death. And he's correspondingly very drill sergeant-y and very hard on them, and is basically looking for ways to push their buttons and push them out if at all possible." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "i asked david about ota and he said there's some good stuff coming up & that diggle comes back to the team quickly." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: amellxwood tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On how many changes will happen to all of their characters this season with all the new characters coming in, DR: "Well, uh, the theme of this season is legacy, right? So, um, you're going to see a lot of different people making their mark, um, and that includes the new recruits. They are strong-willed and, um, they will effect a change in dynamic, um, of the three core characters - Felicity, Oliver and Diggle. So, um, what they bring to the show, um, really affects the whole tone. So, um, I dunno - I think this is kind of a different - that's one side of it, where you kinda see a different type of energy to the show. I think the other part is, just what we've talked about kinda since the beginning of this season, which is, the show is kinda getting back to kind of a ground roots, you know, street fighting type of a feel - kind of away from the magic and supernatural things that kind of were a wonderful part of the previous seasons, but, uh, I think it's kinda getting back to some of the things that make this show so great, which is, really kind of a gritty, kind of an earthy, down to earth show." Added SA: "It's something I really hope we lean into and we're beginning to - we are. We're focusing a lot on, you know, the establishment of - of, uh, new characters. I was actually speaking with Greg Berlanti and, um - yesterday. He was talking about - one of the shows that he really admired as a viewer was House. And - I mean, I really like that show a lot too. And after three or four seasons, they basically brought in a new team. They kept people from the previous team and they were still integral to the story, but it really gave it an injection of new blood, because you never know when you're going to strike lightning in a bottle with a character and it's going to breathe new life into a show - which is something that is necessary when you get to Episode 99, Episode 100. So, uh, I'm excited for that." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "It’s pretty bleak! We’re going back to bleak, I think. The fun thing is that we’ll still have these new recruits in the bunker, and they’re younger and they’ll just have a different dynamic. So we’ll get something out of there. Oliver will still crack the occasional joke for sure. But in terms of where the city is at and the stakes, we’re going bleak. We’re going dark." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "To me, [Oliver's] very much becoming, in a way, the elder statesman of vigilantism. He’s experienced. He knows what he’s doing. We’re bringing in a bunch of recruits, and he is going to be a drill sergeant and not kind to them. He knows what they’re up against, and he knows what this world entails, and I think he’s thinking a couple things. I think he’s very cognizant of everything he said in the past, both good and bad, and he’s thinking about his future and his legacy." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity") -- WM: "And then the question everyone's been waiting for - Olicity. Where are they? What are they doing? Uh, we left them in a really ambiguous place at the end of season 4. And I will just tell you, they are going to be in a very ambiguous place similarly to where we left them." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "She is not with Oliver. They have broken up. We’ll get some answers in Episode 505, but we’re leaving them fairly ambiguous at the start of the season. " (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- ComicBook.com teaser about 501: The state of Oliver and Felicity's relationship is stable. Their romance? That's a little more up in the air. (Sep. 23, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- From ComicBook.com's advance review of 501: "And Olicity? Well, let's just say that Diggle asks about it, and Oliver's answer is fairly telling." (Sep. 24, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- About 501: Things are impressively friendly between Oliver & Felicity - think season 1/2 friendliness with occasional reminders of the attraction between them. Interestingly, one of these two may be reading more into this attraction than the other. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "So I dig the #Arrow premiere. Sets up a more grounded world, which I love. The push.pull between Oliver/Felicity over a new team is fun." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "Take away from #Arrow Season 5 premiere is theme: "breaking up is hard to do." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether 501 gives any indication of the possibility that Olicity will get back together, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "The premiere does not give any indication of that. But Oliver sure seems to want #Olicity back." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- About 501, Kayti Burt tweeted: "I liked the Olicity stuff. It felt very S2-esque w/out forgetting all that has happened." (Oct. 1, 2016 kaytiburt reply in her tweet, page 1154 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow -- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and posted pic that showed Oliver's new long-sleeved Green Arrow suit. (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- On why Arrow went back to full sleeves, SA tweeted: "Technical capabilities? Tactical advantages? Stealthiness? Flashpoint?" (Sep. 21, 2016 SA tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: “Essentially the theme that we’re dealing with this year is legacy... The idea [is] Oliver honoring Black Canary’s [Katie Cassidy] legacy after Laurel’s death last year. As the season progresses, you’ll see that there are a lot of callbacks to season 1. What we’re doing is we’re dramatizing Oliver’s desire to grow, move forward, and evolve, but this concept of legacy keeps threatening to pull him back to the early days.” (Sep. 13, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "In season 5 we're talking a lot about what was Oliver like in season 1. As we remember from the pilot, he was a killer, he came back, he was very much suffering from what had happened the previous five years on the island, and he was really grappling with the moral dilemma of whether or not he really could be judge, jury and executioner. And he was also dealing with the legacy left by his father, his goal being to try to right those wrongs that Robert Queen had committed in Starling City... What we're really trying to do is close that chapter, close that five-season story and have Oliver be reflecting from the vantage point now, having done and been the vigilante - what kind of legacy is he going to be leaving now?" (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "In keeping with getting back to our roots, we're gonna make Green Arrow even more badass than he already is." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Oliver, like we are in the writers room in some ways, is really looking back at the past four years, trying to assess whether or not his mission has been accomplished or if it's even close to being fulfilled, and whether or not he went about it the right way. He'll be in the mayor's office and he'll be assessing and kind of looking at different ways of being a vigilante, and different ways of working with standing outside the law. For him it's a question of legacy, and that is the theme of the season from all of the characters. They're all going to be assessing that in various ways." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Laurel's death was a reminder that this is a lifestyle where people can die. And he is older now, he's a little bit wiser, and he's thinking, in the long term sorta way, is this the best way to get justice for my city?" (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Oliver's new ruthless side affecting his relationships and the way he functions as a hero, WM: "It's complicated. As we know from Seasons 1 and 2, that is a huge decision, to go back to his old ways, to go back to his use of lethal force. Again, I think this speaks to the threat that Damien Darhk presented and ... Laurel died. What they're taking on as vigilantes is a serious business. People can die out there. And as he says in the premiere, if he's not willing to go to that place, he shouldn't be out there at all. So I think it really sets up the framework for this season. He's going to be looking back at what he's done and what he's accomplished and he's assessing that. But he's also looking forward to think about, 'What is my legacy going to be? Is it going to be the legacy of a hero, or the legacy of a murderer?'" (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On how Oliver will struggle to balance his responsibilities as the mayor with what he wants to accomplish as the GA, WM: "That's really the front of the season. He actually has responsibilities and can't run away from them. In Season 2 he was the CEO of Queen Consolidated, and yet it was a job [where] he could, because his name was on the building, get away with not being the most focused CEO. But when you're the mayor, you're in the public eye. There's a lot more scrutiny. So it creates a lot of problems for us in the writers' room, which is a lot of fun to figure out how he's going to be in both places at once, and also, to play with visions of identity. I think the other thing it speaks to is the character. Oliver's really more evolved than Season 1. He's trying to be more responsible and, again, he's trying to think about his legacy and whether he's more effective as the mayor or as Green Arrow." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On the direction that Oliver is heading, WM: "To me, he’s very much becoming, in a way, the elder statesman of vigilantism. He’s experienced. He knows what he’s doing. We’re bringing in a bunch of recruits, and he is going to be a drill sergeant and not kind to them. He knows what they’re up against, and he knows what this world entails, and I think he’s thinking a couple things. I think he’s very cognizant of everything he said in the past, both good and bad, and he’s thinking about his future and his legacy." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver is skewing closer to the social justice warrior Oliver Queen from the 70s era and early 80s era of comics, WM: "You mean my favorite version of “Green Arrow?” Yes! The really good stuff. The less subtle left wing agenda there. It’s funny. When we first introduced him in Season 1, he was going after one-percenters. As he’s the mayor now, he’s going to have an opportunity to fight that on two fronts, and we’re definitely interested in social justice this season." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Our show, for all its [unintelligible word], is still an emotional journey of Oliver Queen and sort of this guy who went through this traumatic event and how he sort of fixed his life. Can he do the right thing? Can he find a way through this darkness? And, um, the darkness is going to fight back in a big way this year." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Like, he's not a very good mayor. He just sort of uses it as a way to get intel that he can use as Green Arrow. But as we come to see, there's other things he can do as the Mayor that he can't do as Green Arrow." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: “Why did Oliver become what he became? Because his father asked him to do something for him, in the moment right before he died. He asked Oliver to make Star City a better place than the place that he left it. Oliver’s most important relationship in the show is not with Felicity, it’s not with Thea, it’s not with Diggle. It’s with Star City. That is what we focus on this year, and it feels good. Oliver went through devastating losses in the last season, but he also made some great breakthroughs. The Oliver of season one was at one end and then the Oliver beyond season two was at the other. It was very black and white: 'I am willing to use lethal force' and, then, 'I am not.' Obviously it doesn’t just come down to that, but at the end of season four we found a shade of grey. Oliver is very much in that spot still. He says to Thea in the premiere that he has to admit Malcolm Merlyn is right: If he is not willing to do whatever is necessary, then he should not be out there at all. I think that makes a more interesting character, because it’s more dynamic. There are more colors to it.” (Sep. 13, 2016 Empire article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On how the spurt of vigilantes this season and new gritty tone affect their characters, SA: "Oliver loves the grit (laughs)." DR: "Oliver loves the grit." SA: "Teacher Oliver is not, um - Oliver's not known for his patience. Or understanding. Or an impulse to listen to others." DR: "Or intelligence - what!" SA: "What?! Well, all of those things I just said lead to unintelligent decisions. But, um, no, I like the new recruits that we have on the team. We refer to them as the recruits. And, um, ironically, with everything that's going on in Star City right now, there are a lot of instances where it seems like Oliver is the optimistic one. If I see a really big change in a character for my character, it would be that. I mean, for David, it seems like - it seems like you've taken my surly position." DR: "Yeah, Diggle's a little surly this season." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On how Oliver is adjusting to his role as new mayor of Star City, SA: "Oliver is a little disillusioned with being the mayor and is basically using the job to get intel to act as the Green Arrow. Felicity [Emily Bett Rickards] is in the bunker running point. Diggle [David Ramsey] is gone, Thea [Willa Holland] is gone, Laurel [Katie Cassidy] is gone. He's solo and overworked." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "I'm hoping that we really lean into the idea of Oliver being Mayor and the political aspects that - that can come with that because, you know, some of the canon of Green Arrow really defines him as a liberal superhero. Now that meant something a little different in the 1940's than it does now, um, with politics in our current day... Holy shit - I'm Canadian, I can say that... But, uh, that's something that I'm hoping we get into as well. I think we will." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Mayor Queen. Can you be an absentee mayor? Is that possible? How is he doing double duty? And that's some of the stuff they're dealing with at the beginning of these episodes. Right? It's that he's - he's not there. He's missing, like, major meetings, you know, as a mayor and some of his obligations as mayor of Starling City." (S5 "Big Changes" video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- GATV tweeted that someone calls Oliver "Mayor Handsome" in 501. (Sep. 25, 2016 GreenArrowTV tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Shot of Star City newspaper showed headline "Mayor Handsome Missed City Council Meeting." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- About 501: You know how Oliver hasn’t been doing much in the way of killing over the past couple of years? Yeah, that’s over with. There’s some violence both in flashbacks and in the present-day. Not everyone is OK with this turn of events. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "We always talk about how Oliver's superpower is that he has no fear. His five years away on the island and everything that he went through took away his ability to be afraid and that was his superpower. And of course, sometimes his weakness. That's where it feels like we are this year. It's interesting because the show was pitched as a five-year idea with the flashbacks, and it's very nice to have a finish line in sight for the flashbacks. That allows us to ramp up the story. I think some of the showrunners would agree that it felt like we were stuck in neutral with the flashbacks a little bit last year. It doesn't feel like that at all this year. We're really pushing fast." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch -- MG: "Yeah, we’ve got a really great storyline planned out for Felicity this year. The way it breaks down is in the first five episodes, we face head-on the decision that Felicity made in episode 422, which led to the destruction of Havenrock by one of Damien Darhk’s nuclear missiles. I think there were a lot of questions from fans of, like, are we going to ignore that development? The answer is we are most definitely not ignoring it. Off of that storyline, we’re positioning her to do something in the second half of the year that is really, really key, and isn’t about her relationship with Oliver — it isn’t about even necessarily her father or her mother. It’s really new territory for her, and we’ve very excited about it. I don’t want to spoil so much, especially since it happens deeper into the season, but some big things are going to happen with Felicity." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "For the first half of the season, Felicity is really going to be focused on Haven Rock and what she did in last season [dropping a nuclear bomb there to save the rest of the world]. For her it's this really painful question of, she had to make a very hard decision in a very short amount of time, and yet she's responsible ultimately, from a certain point of view, for the highest casualty count we've ever had on the show. It's her first real taste of the high price of being a vigilante, and she's going to be grappling with the very fundamental question of whether that was the right decision, and how does she make up for the fact that, in her mind anyway, she is responsible for the loss of those twenty thousand people?" (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We wanted to honor the fact that, when we blew up Havenrock in episode 421, a lot of people died. I think for Felicity, as she got fired from Palmer Tech, her life is now in the bunker on the team. She is not with Oliver. They have broken up. We’ll get some answers in Episode 505, but we’re leaving them fairly ambiguous at the start of the season. And I think for her, she’s really grappling with this new reality that she is, in some ways, from certain points of view, responsible for the deaths of 20,000 people. How is she going to come back from that? I mean, it’s very hard. I think it will give her a new understanding of the agony and the brooding that Oliver’s gone through over the past four years." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "I think for Felicity this is a watershed moment, when she made that decision. Felicity's been on the team for a while and she's always been able to distance herself from these bigger moral questions because she's not actually out in the field. But this is the first time that she's been directly responsible for the death of people. And we didn't go easy on her. We gave her the highest casualty count of anyone on the team, honestly. So for her, coming out of that, trying to figure out what that means and trying to figure out what kind of person would do that, and the complexity of the decision and how it was made, will really complicate [things] and give her what we hope is a very rich storyline this season, in terms of how she will deal with the guilt of that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Last season we went really big, as everyone knows who saw it. It was a pretty high casualty count by the end of, um, 423... And Felicity is aware that even though she did the best that she could do under those circumstances, she still made the decision to pull the trigger and drop that bomb." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "To the kind #Arrow folk hammering my replies, I get that the absence of news about Felicity's storylines this year has created this... (1/5)" and "vacuum in which people are overreacting to even the slightest bit of information (false or otherwise). This is a friendly reminder... (2/5)" and "that we have plenty of Felicity (and Dig, and Lance, etc) stories coming, the seeds for which you'll learn very quickly. There's no (3/5)" and "gamesmanship behind what we reveal or don't reveal, other than casting generally drives the cart. So please take a breath, it's only (4/5)" and "two more weeks. All will be revealed soon enough (and it only gets bigger from there). Then feel free to hate or (hopefully) love us. (5/5)." (Sep. 20, 2016 briforsul tweets, page 1139 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- In response to fan who wanted Felicity to have a real arc like other characters and not something that's brushed aside after two episodes or magically resolved, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "I hear ya. FWIW: Dig & Felicity each start their "own" stories in 502 that are still paying dividends through 512 (breaking now)." (Sep. 21, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan concern about language saying Felicity killed the Havenrock, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "All I can say is: Episode 504." (Sep. 23, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Tiffany Vogt tweeted that Felicity "is sporting a new colorful, sexy wardrobe this season." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Tifffany Vogt tweeted that Felicity "doesn't look pregnant at all in the premiere." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there's any Ghost Felicity in 501, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "No Ghostlicity OR Zomblicity in the premiere. My hopes aren't...DEAD, though. Get it?" (Sep. 26, 2016 ChrisHayner tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Russ Burlingame tweeted: "I'll say this: I don't think the S5 premiere is going to change anyone's opinion on Felicity as a character." and "There's a story beat where she is EXACTLY who she was for much of the last 2 years, her fans will love and haters will hate." and "(And that beat is NOT Olicity-related.)" and "I liked what they did with her but it felt largely procedural. Getting her to a place. Wasn't the thing I enjoyed most." (Sep. 23, 2016 russburlingame tweets, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Felicity's New Boyfriend -- In 501, we meet Felicity's new boyfriend. (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- About 501: Felicity has a new man in her life. The character is more than just a pretty face and appears elsewhere in 501. Who is he and how does he figure into the new season? The episode doesn’t give a lot of answers. The character is clearly related to law enforcement. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is someone we know yet, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "It's a surprise!" (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is a good surprise or a bad surprise for Olicity fans, Tiffany Vogt tweeted uncertain and zipped lips emojis. (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver is upset about Felicity's new boyfriend (fan also posted blurred pic of Felicity maybe looking a little pregnant?), Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "We haven't seen Oliver's reaction yet. I imagine he is feeling a little 'green' about it." and "No idea what is up with the photo of Felicity. But she is sporting a new colorful, sexy wardrobe this season." and "That is just bad lighting. She doesn't look pregnant at all in the premiere." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is Diggle, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "Wow, that is absolutely not true. Diggle is a happily married man." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- From TVLine's Ask Ausiello: "Question: I’m curious about the mention of a boyfriend for Arrow‘s Felicity (in TVLine’s Comic-Con video). She’s supposed to be so traumatized by Havenrock that she has pretty much shut down and is focusing on work as a vigilante, but she’s also dating? Seems odd. —Morgan" and "Ausiello: Yes, Felicity is laser-focused on keeping Team Arrow alive, in some (new) form. But as such, no one can fault her for welcoming, after a “long day,” a shoulder massage at the loft from… well, you’ll see." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Felicity's new boyfriend appears to be Detective Malone (Tyler Ritter): Leaked screenshot from 501 shows Felicity with boyfriend, who looks like Tyler Ritter, in the loft. (Pic of Felicity with boyfriend in JeffreyLana tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Rumor or fact? Some people were saying that the "Barry theories" are wrong and that Felicity's boyfriend dies by Prometheus. Apparently in the scene where we see Prometheus stabbing someone with an arrow and yelling "Green Arrow is mine," he is killing the boyfriend. (Morrigan2575 post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- The S5 "Break the Rules" promo video included a shot of Felicity kissing someone in what looks like an interrogation room at the SCPD police station. Some speculated that Felicity is kissing Human Target, while others speculated that she is kissing Detective Malone. Tiffany Vogt tweeted that the shot of Felicity kissing a guy is not in 501 and she didn't know which episode it was from. (Sep. 28, 2016 S5 "Break the Rules" promo video, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and andyouloveher88 and TVWatchtower tweets, page 1148 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan saying that she would've been happier if it was Barry that Felicity was kissing in the screenshot from the S5 "Break the Rules" video, Leanne Aguilera tweeted: "Agreed. I wish it had been Barry." Then another fan then asked if she had just confirmed that Felicity's boyfriend in 501 isn't Barry. In a standalone tweet, Leanne Aguilera tweeted: "Umm...no." with a pic of that kissing shot, so it's not clear whether Leanne was responding to the fan question or just to the kissing shot. (Sep. 28, 2016 leanneaguilera tweets, page 1149 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Felicity's new boyfriend, Laura Hurley tweeted: "Well, I'm not a fan of his hair. He doesn't wear scruff nearly as well as Oliver." And on whether Olicity fans will be upset, she tweeted: "I wasn't particularly upset. I think it was a smart move of Guggenheim and Co. to spoil that a boyfriend is in the mix." (Oct. 1, 2016 lah9891 tweets, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- About Felicity's boyfriend in 501, Laura Hurley tweeted: "I'll say this: teases of his relevance to 5x01 have been greatly exaggerated. Felicity's story is about Felicity, not romance." and "For ME, I would have been upset if I hadn't known she had a new BF. If you're ready/resigned, I think you should be okay." and "She didn't stay in Star City/in the team to moon over anyone, and I'd say 5x01 honors that."(Oct. 2, 2016 lah9891 tweets, page 1156 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Per Nerdist recap of 501, Felicity's new boyfriend is Detective Malone. (dtissagirl post, page 1161 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Tyler Ritter tweeted: "All I'm doing is keeping the city safe that's home to your favorite Mayor and gal! What else a guy gotta do?" and "This #Olicity situation sounds serious but right now my plate is full. Just got this surveillance footage from SCPD" and " don't think Malone took it wrong (I'm close with the detective)..my guess is that he was having fun with y'all ✌?" (Oct. 1, 2016 TylerRitter tweets, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread) John Diggle AKA Spartan -- Per DR, Diggle will wear the Green Arrow suit again in a S5 episode. (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: chantalmurda instagram video in TrueMyth post, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and posted blurry pic that showed Diggle's new Spartan helmet. (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- Clear pic of Diggle's new Spartan helmet, which appeared in "This Season on The CW" b-t-s video, posted. (Sep. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 45 of Spoilers thread, alwaysbett tweet, page 1151 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and "This Season on The CW" video, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- DR: “Central City will be working on an upgrade to Diggle’s helmet... That is yet to come, and we will be seeing some of that come out of Central City. As the first iteration came out of Central City, we will see an upgrade also come out. But in terms of Central City’s help with technology to help us combat the magic, that has yet to be seen.” (Sep. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "We pick up with Diggle and he’s in Russia. He’s operating in Chechnya, but as member of the Special Forces. He is searching for that moral compass that he lost at the end of season 4. Without spoiling too much of what happens to Diggle, I will say that he discovers that Chechnya is the wrong place for him to discover his moral compass. Things do not go according to plan for him, and there’s something that happens in the first three episodes that’s fairly significant in terms of Diggle. It’s the circumstances that will ultimately bring him back to Star City, but he’s not going to be the same. He’s not going to be able to live his life the way he had been living it before. Things are going to get very, very complicated for him, for reasons I don’t want to spoil, but it leads to a very Dig-and-Oliver-centric episode in 504." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We left Digg in the military; he went off to assess his own past, and the fact is that he has a child and he also has a nephew out there that at some point is going have to know the truth about the fact that he killed Andy. He basically put the bullet in his body that killed him. He's going to go to the military and try to figure out where he lost his way. He quickly comes to the idea that his answer lies in Spartan and ultimately coming back to the team." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Dig has gone back to the military, and I think he’s going to find the military did not have the answers he was looking for. He’s going to come back, and he’s going to come back to this ragtag group of people in the bunker: 'Who are these guys?' It’ll be old Team Arrow versus new Team Arrow. It’s going to be fun." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Diggle probably has the biggest change where he's decided to reenlist in the military. And we're going to spend some time with him actually out there on his own and in the military, away from his family, away from his child. But it's all about him overcoming his grief over killing Andy. It's sort of him, like there's - he deserves to be sort of on the outs, doesn't deserve happiness he should have." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- When the season picks up, Diggle is operating out of Chechnya as a member of the Special Forces. MG: “He is searching for that moral compass that he lost at the end of season 4... He discovers that Chechnya is the wrong place for him to discover his moral compass. Things do not go according to plan for him, and there’s something that happens in the first three episodes that is fairly significant and it’s the circumstances that will ultimately bring him back to Star City, but he’s not going to be the same. He’s not going to be able to live his life the way he had been living it before.” Bonus: This all leads to a very Dig and Oliver-centric episode in the fourth outing. (Sep. 30, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Diggle at start of S5, WM: "He’s stationed in Chechnya... He’s still in the military, and he’s very much a man without a state. He’s away from his family, and he’s away from the team, so he’s away from that family. He’s trying to figure out how he can get that sense of himself back after killing his brother.” (Sep. 14, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- When Diggle returns to Star City, he won’t be a fan of Oliver’s new recruits. WM: “He’s not going to love all these little upstarts, trying to take over his role... But he’ll adjust. He’s going to find some common ground with Wild Dog, and that will help take the sting out of it.” (Sep. 14, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "And, um, ironically, with everything that's going on in Star City right now, there are a lot of instances where it seems like Oliver is the optimistic one. If I see a really big change in a character for my character, it would be that. I mean, for David, it seems like - it seems like you've taken my surly position." Added DR: "Yeah, Diggle's a little surly this season. I mean, he's still recovering from, uh, obviously, um, the events that happened with his brother and clearly the Black Canary - two tragic events that he bears the responsibility of. Um, so he's coming back to the team. You find him in Chechyna at the beginning of the season. He's away from the team. And, uh, he comes back to the team and he has very pointed things to say about the new recruits. So, um, that, uh - the whole new dynamic of the team affects Diggle in a very personal way." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Videos of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "i asked david about ota and he said there's some good stuff coming up & that diggle comes back to the team quickly." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: amellxwood tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is Diggle, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "Wow, that is absolutely not true. Diggle is a happily married man." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "[Flashpoint] will affect Arrow, it’ll affect Diggle’s character the most, and that’s all I really want to say in terms of spoiling how that happens." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Diggle, WM: "Flashpoint will definitely have an impact on him and his family life. In terms of where he is, we do try to tie all the characters together thematically, and Dig, like Oliver, is looking back. He's thinking about legacy. He's thinking about family. He's thinking about what he wants to leave behind. And he's also thinking about what happened with his brother last season. How is he going to reconcile the fact that he's the man who killed his brother, but he's still a good man and a family man? He wants to go forward and do something good in the world, so how is he going to reconcile those two sides of himself?" (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Flashpoint affecting Arrow and other shows, Flash EP Aaron Helbing: "Yeah, definitely. Arrow for sure is impacted. Diggle is significantly impacted in his life personally." (Oct. 3, 2016 Empire article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) John Diggle, Jr., AKA Connor Hawke -- On Oct. 5, 2016, fan posted screenshot of photo of Diggle with young son. This screenshot was apparently taken from a Flash promo. (halljason141 tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "@david_ramsey: The story with Connor Hawke (Diggle's future son) isn't lost as we head into #Arrow season 5." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: fangirlishness tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) Thea Queen AKA Speedy -- MG: "Well, Malcolm is not in the early episodes. That’s partially by design. We wanted to give Thea a chance to establish herself independent of Malcolm. For much of season 4, even her bloodlust storyline, it all came out of either interactions with Malcolm, the consequences of decisions that Malcolm made, or actions that Malcolm took. One of our goals going into season 5 was we really want to give Thea some story that doesn’t revolve around Malcolm, or isn’t founded on the relationship she has with Malcolm. What we’ve done is we made her Oliver’s chief of staff, and perhaps to her own surprise, she’s actually really, really good at it. All the skills that she learned by watching her mother for all these years, as well as running Verdant, she’s found very transferrable to City Hall. In many ways, she’s a much better chief of staff than Oliver is a mayor. It’s been a lot of seeing Willa Holland in these West Wing-esque scenes, because she does a really, really nice job of commanding the room, projecting capability and professionalism on Thea’s part. As Thea indicates in the season premiere, this is really good for her. She’s finally happy. For maybe the first time in a very, very long time, she feels like she’s got a purpose, and she feels like she’s good at something. We’re really enjoying playing Thea, quite frankly, against type, against the way we’ve typically portrayed her as someone who, in season 1, was a big screw-up, and in season 4 who is gripped in bloodlust. This is Thea in full. She’s really come into her own. It’s fun to write, and it’s also really great to see." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Thea will also be looking back and, true to what we had set up for her in season four, she's going to be trying on this new life as just a normal person. The last time we really saw her that way was also in season one, but now she's a lot older, she's a lot wiser, and she's been through everything from the Lazarus Pit to being a vigilante to losing her mother. She's going to also be assessing, as she works with Oliver in the mayor's office, what her legacy going to look like, what is the Queen family legacy going to look like in Star City going forward, and has she accomplished anything in terms of honoring her family?" (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "At the end of Season 4, Thea was really tired of the crazy life that she was leading. The poor girl has just had a series of traumatic events happen to her over the past four years and she just wanted some normalcy: she wanted a normal life, a normal job and maybe, at one point, a normal boyfriend. What we see her doing at the top of Season 5 is attempting to find that and enjoy that. We feel she was very effective last season working on Oliver's campaign, and so this season she'll be working in the mayor's office and really being the emotional anchor, not just for Oliver, but also for Lance." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Thea will be working in the mayor’s office, and she will put the costume on for a little bit early in the season. But last year she struggled with this desire to live a normal life, and she’s going to double down this season, stay on the mayoral side of things." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Thea is one who - she sort of [unintelligible word] herself. She held an arrow to Damien Darhk's daughter's neck. You know, she becomes this horrible person in her mind, so she wants something more normal so she'll become part of the mayoral storyline and sort of the life for herself that's not in costume." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- About 501, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "Curtis and Thea may be the MVPs though, with consideration given to Lance. They're all on fire." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- About 501: While Thea may have hung up her Speedy hood at the end of S4, she is sticking close to family. She clearly has a major role in the mayoral office, often covering for her absent brother. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 10, 2016, WH posted pic of herself wearing a hospital gown. Unclear whether this is for Arrow or real life. (WH instagram post, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Oct. 1, 2016, WH posted pic of herself wearing casual clothes but with Speedy's blackened eye makeup. (WH instagram post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific -- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and posted pic that showed Curtis' new Mr. Terrific suit. (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- About 501, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "Curtis and Thea may be the MVPs though, with consideration given to Lance. They're all on fire." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG: "Curtis raises the most interesting question, because fundamentally Curtis in season 4 was the comic relief, he’s a tech guy, and he’s the last guy you would expect to become a vigilante. That said, first of all, we are handling it in a realistic manner. He’s not going to suddenly put on a costume and become Superman, No. 1. No. 2, he is a former Olympian, and we will be leaning into his physical skills in that regard. You’ll see in the season premiere that something happens to him that makes him decide that he doesn’t want to feel powerless anymore. He wants to do his best to join this team and earn a place on this team." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Curtis, WM: "I think it's a huge shift for him. And as hard as it is for Evelyn, it's even harder for Curtis to take on this new role. I think from Oliver's perspective, he's the least qualified to be out in the field. I would say in some ways, in Oliver's eyes, even less than Felicity. He's an athlete, but he's not a fighter. He's very effective behind a computer or in a lab, but not necessarily out in the field. So for him, it's going to be a couple things. One, he's going to be going through some physical changes. That in and of itself is going to leave him battered and bruised and beaten up. And at the same time, he's got to deal with the fallout in his relationship. He's not necessarily being the most open with his partner with what he's doing at night, and that's going to create some pretty big conflicts with them." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Curtis will become Mr. Terrific, WM: "This is the season! You're going to get very close to it by the end of the season, for sure. Our goal is really to give the origin story for Mr. Terrific this season and see him evolve from this guy who really shouldn't be out in the field at all and should be working in a tech lab, to the end, where all of these elements are going to come together and he's going to be super badass." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Per WM, Curtis is "the greenest, I think, of all of them in terms of actual hand-to-hand combat." Brian Ford Sullivan: "[Curtis will] need a way to help out, maybe not as a physical fighter, but as sort of contributing to the team using his brain." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- EK: "I love that Curtis is such a layered, affable character... He is in a place where he can invent wonderful gadgets and help humanity, so it's been a lot of fun for me to play. This season [which premieres October 5], we're also going ot see him deal with balancing his work and home life, as well as creating lots of cool devices for Team Arrow." (Scan of Emmy Magazine article, Issue No. 8, 2016, in Sep. 14, 2016 tv echo post) -- On whether there'll be more action scenes from him in S5, EK: "You’ll see Curtis’ geek side come out, but the action scenes will be more prevalent this season like 100%. Even in the first episode, you’ll see him get into way more action than he did at all last season." (Sep. 16, 2016 Women's Health article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Curtis most respects Oliver, EK: "He really looks up to Oliver. He has such admiration for him. He knows that what Oliver is doing is tough. Curtis knows it’s not a walk in the park, easy job, and he realizes the sacrifices that Oliver makes. It just makes him look up to Oliver, so much. Curtis, in his own way, will try to emulate some of Oliver’s bad-assness when he’s out in the field. He just looks up to him a lot." (Oct. 5, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread) -- On the growing relationship between Curtis and Felicity, EK: "Absolutely! They have always been kindred spirits, since the first day they met. Going through such a traumatic thing, like almost having the world destroyed in nuclear war is something that’s probably going to bring you close together, especially when you both had a part in saving humanity, in that sense. They definitely bonded more, over that. They’re as close as ever. I think she confides in him. They’re real friends with each other and call each other out. I think that relationship is awesome and so great. They connect on a lot of levels. Even though sometimes they don’t necessarily put it in there, Emily and I know that relationship and we’ll play up a couple of things, here and there, just to make sure people can see the quirky, weird stuff that we do together. It’s a really fun and deep relationship." (Oct. 5, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread) Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis -- MMcL confirmed that her character, Evelyn Sharp, returns in 502. (Sep. 30, 2016 MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Finally, we’re bringing back Evelyn Stark from episode 319, and she’s going to be Artemis... And Evelyn is very young and enthusiastic, but really inexperienced." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Um, Evelyn we saw last year - we introduced her in episode 419... She has come back and joined the team, really as a way to honor her own family and her own legacy, um, with her parents having been killed by Damien Darhk. And she's, um, the greenest of the fighters... Well, she's maybe a little bit better than Curtis, who's the greenest, I think, of all of them in terms of actual hand-to-hand combat." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Evelyn Sharp, WM: "It's going to be hard for her. One of the biggest takeaways [from her first episode in Season 4] was she was very brave, had a huge ax to grind obviously with Ruve Darhk and Damien Darhk, and was brazen enough and brave enough to go out and try to fight the fight on her own. But she had no skills. At that point, she used a gun. She did not have a lot of fighting skills, and we really lean into that in this season. She's coming back and she's going to have a huge learning curve. She has a long way to go and it's going to be fun seeing her try to take that on." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and said that he saw SA, DR, WH, EBR, EK, MMcL and RG. He reported: "Another short scene featured Madison as Artemis. She was in the middle of the chaos in the flea market. From what I saw, I think she heard or saw one or two children in distress. She approached them and then appeared to guide them to safety." (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 14, 2016, MMcL posted b-t-s pic of herself with EBR. (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 475 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 17, 2016, MMcL tweeted: "Just shot an especially kick ass scene for Arrow's 99th episode. Just. You. Wait. ??." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog -- GATV tweeted that Wild Dog is in 501 and that "We might get some other glimpses of some other characters too." (Sep. 23 & 24, 2016 GreenArrowTV tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Wild Dog, another comic book fan-favorite, and he’s actually played by Rick Gonzalez, who was on my wife [Tara Butters’] show Reaper... It’s a very eclectic group, because Wild Dog, as his name suggests, he’s very much a loose cannon." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Rick Gonzalez has been cast as Wild Dog. He just brings a completely different energy and excitement to the role." Brian Ford Sullivan: "Wild Dog is very - as his name would suggest - very opinionated and very, sort of off the leash in what he wants to do and thinks he knows best, and he's the first one to do things even though it might not be the right decision." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Wild Dog, WM: "First of all, he's just a fun, cool character from the DC Universe who absolutely doesn't respect rules, doesn't respect boundaries, is a complete loose cannon through and through, which is a new dynamic. It's really fun to bring him into the team, especially with Oliver, who has zero tolerance for that kind of behavior. We were really lucky to be able to cast Rick Gonzalez in the role. He brings so much energy and such a different performance, a different perspective to the team, and scenes with him just really pop." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- When Diggle returns to Star City, he won’t be a fan of Oliver’s new recruits. WM: “He’s not going to love all these little upstarts, trying to take over his role... But he’ll adjust. He’s going to find some common ground with Wild Dog, and that will help take the sting out of it.” (Sep. 14, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) Rory Regan AKA Ragman -- MG: "We’ve got Rory Regan (Joe DiNicol), who comic book fans know him as Ragman, who’s an old Batman hero, and one of the few Jewish characters in the DC universe — super-excited about him... Rory is dark and mysterious, at least when he’s wearing the Ragman rags." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan: "We have a [unintelligible word] named Ragman in Rory Regan, who's going to be one of the recruits on the team. And we're going to discover he was in Havenrock and he was the lone survivor, basically because he has mystical powers - the rags that sort of allow him to do the fancy things he can do... He'll come back to Star City looking for who caused that." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) Quentin Lance -- About 501, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "Curtis and Thea may be the MVPs though, with consideration given to Lance. They're all on fire." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG: "I don’t want to fully spoil it. I’ll tease that one of the things that we enjoy doing with Lance is we, generally speaking, violated this last year, but we like the idea that each season, he’s got a new job. In season 1, obviously he was a detective. In season 2, he was a beat cop. In season 3 and 4, he was the police captain. Obviously at the end of season 4, we fired him. He lost his job in the police department, he is not returning to the police department, that’s why we created the Malone character. So he’s going to have a brand new job that has nothing to do with law enforcement, and I’m going to let people speculate as to what that could be." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, PB tweeted: "First day of shooting #Arrow100 Time flies when you're having fun and working with this fine gent! @StephenAmell." (PB tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread) Detective Malone -- MG: "Yep. It’s fun. First of all, we’ve been very, very lucky to get some amazing actors to come play with us in season 5. We introduced the character of Malone mainly because we realized that, when we were breaking story, we were like, “You know what we don’t have, is we don’t have a Lance (Paul Blackthorne) in the police department anymore. We don’t have someone in the SCPD who our team can interact with and work cases with.” Tyler Ritter, we created his character to be a little bit like an anti-Lance. He’s obviously younger than Lance. He’s a bit more on the side of vigilantes than Lance originally was, but he’s got resources within the police department that we can utilize." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Per Nerdist recap of 501, Felicity's new boyfriend is Detective Malone. (dtissagirl post, page 1161 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Felicity's new boyfriend appears to be Detective Malone (Tyler Ritter): Leaked screenshot from 501 shows Felicity with boyfriend, who looks like Tyler Ritter, in the loft. (Pic of Felicity with boyfriend in JeffreyLana tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- Tyler Ritter tweeted: "All I'm doing is keeping the city safe that's home to your favorite Mayor and gal! What else a guy gotta do?" and "This #Olicity situation sounds serious but right now my plate is full. Just got this surveillance footage from SCPD" and " don't think Malone took it wrong (I'm close with the detective)..my guess is that he was having fun with y'all ✌?" (Oct. 1, 2016 TylerRitter tweets, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Officer Benton -- Jay Hindle will be playing Officer Benton in 501. (Sunshine post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Prometheus -- Oliver will be facing off against a new archer adversary named Prometheus - not the DC Comics character created by Grant Morrison, but someone who fits into the theme of legacy. As for his identity, MG: “I can really only say that Oliver bears a measure of responsibility for the creation of Prometheus." (Sep. 13, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I can really only say that Oliver bears a measure of responsibility for the creation of Prometheus." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Even though Prometheus is a known foe to Green Arrow, what we really want to do this year is have someone who is a dark mirror to Oliver." Brian Ford Sullivan: "Prometheus's origins are to things back to what Oliver did when he first came back [from] the island in season 1 and sort of the triple down effect of what Oliver was doing, um, as a killer, as a vigilante - all these dark things he did that actually produced this thing out there that is now sort of coming back to seek revenge." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Prometheus, WM: "I can tell you he's very scary, he's very determined, and he's a villain unlike any we've seen on the show before. He's less interested in killing people and killing Oliver, and much more interested in torturing Oliver and outing him. He's got Oliver's number. He has a very specific idea of who he truly is behind that mask and he's going to go after him and try to expose him to the world." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- About 501: We meet Prometheus in 501 and we'll be finding out more about him over the next few episodes. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Prometheus, SA: "We start to unravel some of that mystery in Episode 6, but for the time being, we just know that he's a guy who's using lethal force. And he looks, conveniently, like a very evil version of my character." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread) Adrian Chase (formerly described as "James") -- Per IMDB, Josh Segarra's character of Adrian Chase will debut in 501. (JSegarra IMDB page, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread) The Vigilante -- On Sep. 14, 2016, MG tweeted title page for 507, titled "Vigilante," with comment: "The 99th episode of ARROW begins production today. @BenSokolowski Three guesses who it's about...." (MG tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 30, 2016, MG tweeted sketch of guy wearing dark costume with white chevrons and face mask, with comment: "Thanks to George Pérez, who graciously provided this “police sketch” for Arrow’s 5th Season Premiere." George Pérez is the artist who acted as the original penciler for the Vigilante in 1983. (MG tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and Oct. 2, 2016 ComicBook article, page 1158 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Tobias Church (formerly described as "Anton Church") -- On Tobias Church, WM: "He has a huge agenda, which we'll be seeing part of the culmination of in [Episode] 5. And I think what he speaks to is the state of the city. When we come back to Star City in the beginning of Season 5, it's suffered multiple terrorist attacks, but unlike in the beginning of Season 4 when people were leaving in droves, people have come back. They're living there now, but there's a power vacuum. Damien Darhk is gone and a bunch of criminals have risen to fill those ranks. Vigilantes have also popped up to take him down, but unfortunately, they're not as skilled as Oliver is, and they're creating more problems then they're solving and the city is in a state of crisis. Church is coming in to capitalize on that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- About 501: We meet Tobias Church in 501, and he’s all kinds of evil-awesome. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- In 501, Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman) throws a wrench into everyone's plans when he kidnaps someone he should not have. (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "There's so much corruption within the SCPD. We deal with Chad Coleman's character, Tobias Church, this drug kingpin who's utilizing all the holes in the police department to stay ahead of the team." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- CLC: "I’m going to be playing the role of Tobias Church, the ultimate badass on Arrow premiering Oct. 5. Tobias is Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, and Suge Knight all rolled into one!" (Sep. 14, 2016 Downtown Magazine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On playing a not so nice guy on Arrow, CLC: "Well, I wouldn't characterize him as such. I call him a juicy villain... We all know that in the lexicon of film and television, most people love the bad guy... But you also play so many different notes. There are no rules to him, so I can approach a scene in so many different ways, whereas when you're the good guy, there's pretty much one or two lanes to stay in. So it makes it really exciting." (Sep. 14, 2016 Mingle Media video interview with CLC, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Tobias Church, CLC: "He reminds me of Jack as the Joker" and ""They wanted to get back to that grittiness. I bring that gritty dark street element to it" and "I bring the grittiness back to Arrow, you're gonna really love to hate this guy." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: fangirlishness and WalkrStalkrCon tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Tobias Church, CLC: "This guy is a capital badass." Per CLC, Church is "Jay Z, Suge Knight and Dr. Dre all rolled up into one," with a touch of "Jack Nicholson as the Joker." Per CLC, Church's sole goal is power and the best way to gain power to to kill a superhero. CLC: "He most pointedly has Green Arrow in his sights... This is his come-up, how he shows the world that he's th emost powerful man alive." Church takes full advantage of Star City's current chaotic state, which has been overrun with both criminals and makeshift vigilantes since Oliver's public call to arms in 423. CLC: "He brings together the whole underworld, every Mafia member, corrupt cops...everybody that's doing dirt, he brings them under his umbrella." (Pic of page 57 of TV Guide, Oct. 3-9, 2016 issue, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On playing Tobias Church, CLC: “This is the first time I could play this twisted guy. Just that twisted guy who’s just having an amzing time being bad. He’s witty. He’s dark. I’m having a ball. I’m glad to be able to add this character to the deck. You will not see Tyrese in Tobias. Also, he knows how to dress. Clavin Klein-you know that kind of stuff. He’s suave.” (Oct. 1, 2016 FanFest article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Tobias Church, CLC: "It's so funny how you led with that because I get a chance to show a kind of dark comedic side. He's very smug. He's very smug and he's crazy intelligent, and he doesn't suffer fools gladly. But it's all humor. Before he smashes you out with brass knuckles. (Laughs)." On whether Church is trying to fill the void of Damien Darhk, CLC: "Well you know what, I have to be really honest now -- I don't know the show in and out. But I can tell you that what they wanted to do was, I'm very careful to say this, but [Tobias is] more the street element. Because he doesn't become any type of superhero, you know. He's the guy who's coming in and bringing all the underworld together. All of the mafia, corrupt cops, everybody's coming together under him to destroy Arrow. He wants it all in one family, and he's the head of it." On whether Church is new to Star City and how he's going to gain the respect of that underworld, CLC: "First time in town and determined to make his presence felt. Quickly. (Laughs)" On whether Church already has an established reputation, CLC: "Yes, absolutely. He's a bad boy with a track record. I don't know that they really reference that though. I haven't felt that they have. It's just that he comes in and he sort of wreaks havoc and everyone's like, 'Who the hell is this?' (Laughs)" On whether we'll see a face off between GA and Church early on, CLC: "There's no question about it, man. That was my first scene. I'm telling you, he's going at him. He's going at him as quickly as he can. Quick, fast and in a hurry. He's in a hurry to be the man." On what Church's beef is with GA, CLC: "Power. That's it. Power." On whether we'll see a power struggle between Church and other crime lords, CLC: "Look, I don't want to give away any of the story, but you might have some inside information with these questions. You're pretty much spot on." On Church being the opposite of his stand-up role on TWD, CLC: "Yes, that's it. You got it, that's it. From the way he dresses to the way he talks. You know, Tyreese had one funny line or so. He was a man of few words and the funniest thing he said was, 'I must be the first black man in history to break in to prison.' (Laughs) That was about it. This man [Tobias] is so sarcastic and so smug. Tobias Church is a sarcastic and smug dude that would put you in the mind of Kevin Spacey. So that's the fun part about it. You don't have to play the anger. I mean that's who he is, but for the most part, he's screwing with your intelligence." On Church being more of a mastermind than a thug, CLC: "Absolutely. Absolutely he is. He'll screw with your head before roughing you up." (Oct. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On which episode we'll first see him in, CLC: "Episode 1. 501 ['Legacy'] man, right off the bat. The boy is in the house. I'm telling you, I am not hyping it at all, it is fun. Everybody is hyped, they can't wait to see it. I'm talking about the crew. You know when the crew gets hyped, you got something good." (Oct. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Kovar -- On getting Dolph Lundgren for the Russia flashbacks, SA: "It's pretty amazing. Kudos to the producers for getting him. I found that out when you all found that out, I think his deal closed moments before the Television Critics Association panel [this summer]." Also SA: "Russia develops really fast, Oliver is there based on a promise that he made at the end of Season 4 to Taiana and he's doing his thing." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Susan Williams -- MG: "Susan Williams is actually a character we’ve been wanting to do since season 1. We’ve always wanted — and every year we talk about it, and every year, for whatever reason, we don’t get a chance to do it — there to be a reporter that would basically represent the city, but also clash with Oliver. We felt, with Oliver as mayor, this is the perfect year to finally do this, to finally introduce the dynamic of the press in Star City. Bethany Snow’s (Keri Adams) not going anywhere, but Susan very much looms very large for Oliver and his administration. She’s not a pushover, and she’s someone who Oliver’s going to have to work very, very hard to win over." (Oct. 4, 2015 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- As of Sep. 14, 2016, Carly Pope's IMDB page listed 503, 505 and 506 of Arrow in her credits. (CP's IMDB page, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Sep. 14, 2016, Carly Pope retweeted MG's 507 title page tweet. (CP retweet, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Derek Sampson -- Cody Rhodes' character was originally named Garret Runnels, but then subsequently changed to Derek Sampson. He is a new drug dealer who is terrorizing Star City. (Original 503 episode synopsis in SpoilerTV article and Modified 503 episode synopsis in Oct. 2, 2016 ComicBook article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- S5 promo video (extended trailer) included shot of Cody Rhodes' character pushing GA up against a wall. (Sep. 16, 2016 S5 "Can't Be Stopped" extended trailer video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Cody is in the present day, actually. And he really embraced the process. This was his first major acting gig outside of sports entertainment and he was on set when he wasn't even supposed to be on set or needed on set. He actually came a couple days early and just hung by the monitors and asked stuff. He's a real pro and I hope that we get a chance to have him back, because he's a really cool addition." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) Unnamed Female Speaking Role ("Tina") -- On Sep. 16, 2016, Rapaport/Baldasare Casting announced casting call for female talent for recurring speaking role. (ClaimFame article, page 476 of Social Media thread) -- According to Twitter to show has a casting call out for a principal recurring guest star role 'Tina' in the back half of the season with possibility of regular. People are talking about a script leak in which she is identified as a love interest. Casting sides: "Scene 1: Rando alley. Tina fools a perp into thinking she's fragile, kicks his ass. Green Arrow observes, asks her to join the team again [the directions note this isn't the first time they met], Tina tells GA she doesn't like him, she doesn't want him as her team leader, it's super adversarial. Then he mentions some dude from her past and that the team can help her find him, and she starts to crack. 'Show me something you can find that the FBI didn't, and I'll think about joining your team,' or something like that... Scene 2: at the Arrow bunker. Tina is pounding the gym bag, Oliver arrives. She's frustrated about some Prometheus thing, he is apparently 'mr. disappearing act.' Oliver says Felicity and Curtis will find a location. She's woe-ing about her past as a Marine, and that being good enough is not enough, it's pretty much a self-actualization video script. And then Oliver tells her she's the best fighter he's ever seen, and it becomes flirty. They almost kiss, but Oliver's phone beeps with a location... Actual direction notes of this beat: 'They look at each other. Sexual tension palpable. Are we finally going to get an Oliver/Tina kiss? The tension broken by: PING! Oliver looks at his phone.'" (bijoux and dtissagirl posts, page 1137 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Sep. 20, 2016, MG tweeted: "Here's your occasional reminder that on Arrow and Legends we write FAKE SIDES because we know they're going to get leaked by casting sites." (MG tweet, page 1138 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Return of Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk -- MG: "Well, Malcolm is not in the early episodes. That’s partially by design. We wanted to give Thea a chance to establish herself independent of Malcolm." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On Malcolm's appearances in DCTV (as of Sep. 3, 2016), JB: "I only know I'm going to be in one so far in the - before Christmas, and then another after." (Fan Expo Canada, Sep. 3, 2016: Video of Nerdist interview with JB, page 1143 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Sep. 14, 2016, Matt Letscher posted pic of himself (as Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash) with Neal McDonough (as Damien Darhk), wearing Miami Vice-ish clothes, with comment: "We love it when a plan comes together." (ML instagram post, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Return of Laurel Lance -- ComicBook.com teaser about 501: As soon as audiences hear what Laurel told Oliver, theories will start to fly about what it really means. (Sep. 23, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- In 501, we learn what Laurel whispered to Oliver before she died. (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On how soon we'll hear Laurel's last words to Oliver, WM: "We’ll get it right away, because it’s going to inform the whole season. It’s in 501." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- From Nerdist recap of 501: "We also got to see a flashback to Laurel’s final moments in the hospital and the promise she made Oliver agree to before she died: 'Please don’t let me be the last Canary.' She wanted Oliver to train a new Canary, and he actually agreed!" (Lidach, apinknightmare and dtissagirl posts, page 1161 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether we'll see KC this season, WM: "Yes, we’re really excited. Nobody ever really dies on 'Arrow.' She’s going to be kind of across the shows, and we’ll see her in the premiere, and we’ll see her later in the season as well." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether they ever look back on the decision to kill Laurel and sort of adamantly, publicly say "She’s dead?" and wonder about it, WM: "I think we looked back at that decision and felt creatively it was the right thing to do. I think that was a really good broad example of how we don’t follow the comic books all the time. Comic books are great and they’re our inspiration, but they're limited. Literally, the writing is in a bubble, it’s contained, and we have to deal with flesh and blood through characters. This is one of those areas where we chose to depart. Some people loved it, some people didn’t. But we love Katie, and we’re glad to have her back on the show." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Laurel's death was a reminder that this is a lifestyle where people can die." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, KC posted "100 #arrow" with pic of her name with "Arrow 100." (KC facebook post, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 23, 2016, MG tweeted: "Arrow’s 100th Episode Will Feature Katie Cassidy." and "Yes. It's both the middle chapter of the crossover and the ultimate 100th episode love letter to the show." (MG tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread) -- On Oct. 1, 2016, KC posted that she'll be back in Vancouver on Oct. 6. (KC instagram post, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On what ways we might see KC appear in Arrow outside of just flashbacks, WM: "I can tell you that we're really excited about having her back. You will see in the episodes where she appears - Episode 510 definitely, our midseason premiere. Keep your eyes out for that. We're so excited about getting to work with her again and her willingness to come back. It's one of the fun parts of the show. People can leave and get killed and you can still find new and crazy ways for them to come back. I can definitely tell you that there's a way we're going to bring her back and she's going to be alive and well. And Flashpoint might have a little bit to do with that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether KC will be on the Flash again this season, Flash EP Andrew Kreisberg: "Again, we don’t want to give too much away, but Katie will be back and it’s going to be fun and exciting — that much I can promise." (Oct. 3, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Other Possible Returns or Debuts -- 501 screencap pics posted, including pic of what looks like Anarky. (SuperHeroHype forum post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and allineedisoneee and Olicityibelieve tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "It’s funny, I saw this stuff online, like, 'Roy Harper’s back on Arrow this year.' I was like, 'Really? I don’t remember reading that script.' The answer is, as always, we love Colton and we love having Colton on the show. Assuming we have the right combination of story and Colton’s schedule availability, he’ll absolutely return." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

In that GB podcast interview (posted on page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread), he mentions that there's one scene with 18 or 19 characters together from all of the four shows. Yikes!

My transcription of some of what GB said in this podcast... -- GB: “It is kind of over four nights. But the Supergirl portion - because she is in a whole other universe for those who keep track of that aspect of the shows - she's in a whole other universe so they have to go retrieve her. So that kind of happens. And it's also Supergirl’s’ winter finale, um, because the show is premiering a week later. So a bulk of the story in that episode is still paying off things that’s happening in the fall, and then she kind of kisses into the larger story and she’s very much an active part of all three crossovers across the three shows. We have one global threat, which Mike and I talked about a few weeks ago. It is an alien invasion, actually, uh, and it's based on - there was a - As we always do, we sort of take things that we like and we make it our own. Uh, there was a run in the late 80's called Invasion exclamation point, uh, that combined team-up and was really a crossover team-up of a lot of great DC characters and we have a lot of elements from that book in these episodes." -- On walking the line between giving the fans something new and paying respect to comics storylines that fans want and know, GB: "Right, uh, it's nerve-wracking, you know, because we always are - again, we're always trying to do our version of it, and sometimes we do it successfully and sometimes we don't as much. Sometimes it's an iconic moment. Sometimes it's a character. Sometimes it's a feel. Um, sometimes it is a title - that we use a title, but we still are doing our interpretation of it. And that changes. And I think, you know, we obviously have a very active and very passionate fanbase for these shows because the comic books, you know, and it's - we sort of say this all the time - they preceded us and they'll come after us, and the characters are bigger than us, and they have a special personal importance to a lot of the fans. So I think everyone - you know, you hope everybody knows that we're trying our best to keep it interesting and exciting but still a lot of times make stuff fresh and make it fit into the world that we're already kind of playing with and creating." -- GB: "It's like a three-hour film, for sure... We are telling this year a three-part narrative that happens over the three shows. And then you also want to make each, um, whatever you're doing sort of in that episode kind of also speak to the DNA of what that show is and what makes that show great. So there's sci-fi, fanciful stuff in something like Flash. Arrow happens to be falling during Arrow's 100th episode, and we think we've found a real - um, for us, a really exciting way to honor the history and the tradition of Arrow that still fits in with all of these shows. And it was the first, you know - it came first and it kinda helped birth all of these other shows. And Legends is kinda of its own crazy wonder and it fits in really great with the third act of an alien invasion film in that regard. But time travel's a part of that show and part of that episode." -- GB: "Every time that we do it, and we try to be more and more ambitious. Every time we do it, when we get those finished episodes, it really feels to me like the best of what the comic books felt like. And it really feels like a mash-up, you know, and you get all - you can't believe - we have something like, I think, in one scene, like 18, 19 characters who are these characters across the universe in this one scene together and they're - it feels, I don't know, to me, it feels exactly the way I used to feel when I read comic books as a kid." -- On making each of the shows distinct, GB said that it starts with the casting of the central character, which sets the tone for the show, and the pilot episode, which has the show's DNA baked in. GB: "What would the show be if we took out the superpowers and we took out, you know - oh, Supergirl would have a storyline about adult sisters, adult siblings, you know, in its narrative. It would have a workplace sort of comedy. Arrow has always sort of had the crime saga element and also sort of the Gothic family saga. Flash was a warm family feel and, you know, you have a boy who really lost both of his parents at a young age and, uh, being taken in by this other family... Legends is this assembly of misfits, you know, can they be - can they live up to their potential? So many times those... All of the emotion and the best parts of those episodes are always lie in those storylines. And that's how we break the storylines first. We really talk about the season. We try to talk about really the psychology of the characters and where the evolution of them, and we figure out that way."

More tweets by TR...

AGENTS OF SHIELD MAY HAVE JUST INTRODUCED ANOTHER CAPTAIN AMERICA BY SCOTT COLLURA Sep. 28, 2016 http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/09/28/agents-of-shield-may-have-just-introduced-another-captain-america

Not sure DC's Arrow reviewer will be on the same wavelength as me...

Looks like Arrow had a season premiere party last night...

For what it's worth, Josh Segarra's IMDB page is listing Arrow 501 among his credits (so far)... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2019219/

Spoiler Room: Scoop on Vampire Diaries, The Flash, Hawaii Five-0 and more BY NATALIE ABRAMS September 30 2016 http://www.ew.com/article/2016/09/30/spoiler-room-vampire-diaries-flash-hawaii-five-0

EBR is one of nominees (contest ends Jan. 14, 2017)... Poll : Most Beautiful Canadian Actresses (Women) 2016 By voteformost | Sep. 28, 2016 http://voteformost.net/poll-most-beautiful-canadian-actresses-women-2016/

It could still be both - Detective Malone as Felicity's boyfriend in 501 and Human Target ("Oliver") as the kissing partner in 505.

I'm pretty convinced that he's Tyler Ritter (Detective Malone) and not Mr. Poppy - but I could be wrong. I believe that Ritter is in 501 and 502 - he was in the Arrow production offices on July 12 and he was shooting with Adrian Holmes (directed by JBam) on July 23. However, JBam directed the first two episodes together, so it's possible the dates don't mean anything. I've found no spoilers indicating that he's in any subsequent episodes so far, although Ritter tweeted a vague shadow puppeteering pic on Sep. 7, but I don't know if that's Arrow-related. On the other hand, his role is supposed to be a recurring role. I'm so confused.

The CW's b-t-s video (includes b-t-s shots for Superhero Fight Club 2.0 and - warning! - shot of Diggle's new Spartan helmet)... This Season on The CW | The CW Published on Sep 30, 2016, by The CW Television Network

This is funny...

Aliens on Arrow? Well, the Flash mucked up Arrow by introducing superpowers. I guess it's Supergirl's turn to muck up Arrow by introducing aliens. FYI, Susanna Thompson joined twitter in December of 2014, tweeted or retweeted several items and then hasn't tweeted/retweeted anything since December 7, 2014 (which is right before the midseason finale of S3 of Arrow). However, I thought it was interesting that she retweeted so many Olicity pics during that time period... https://twitter.com/SusannaTomphson

Designated Survivor got a full season order at ABC... http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/designated-survivor-speechless-get-speedy-933869

Youtube full version of Superhero Fight Club 2.0 (4:33 length). I think that this is tons better than the first one - and not just because it includes the indispensable tech support characters (Felicity, Cisco). My only complaint is that Diggle was reduced to comic relief and non-action. Did DC Comics not allow him to be included in the fighting because Spartan isn't a DC comics superhero and has no comics to sell? ETA: I just realized that Curtis is not in this video. This surprises me. I can understand if they don't want to spoil his Mr. Terrific costume, but he could've been part of the tech team.