tv echo

TWD ratings for this week's episode (7x04-Service) were 5.4 demo and 11.40 total viewers... http://www.spoilertv.com/2016/11/final-adjusted-tv-ratings-for-sunday_15.html So far this season: 7x01 - 8.4 and 17.03 7x02 - 6.1 and 12.46 7x03 - 5.7 and 11.72 7x04 - 5.4 and 11.40

I no longer believe that Adrian Chase is Prometheus. This season is supposed to be all about legacy, but it's more like the season of doppelgängers when it comes to Oliver (not to mention Black Canary)...

(source)

SUMMARY OF 507 SPOILERS: S5, Episode 7: Vigilante -- Production code: 507. Shoot Dates: September 13-22, 2016. Director: Gordon Verheul. Writers: Ben Sokolowski & Emilio Ortega Aldrich. Airdate: Nov. 16, 2016. -- 507 episode synopsis: "DOLPH LUNDGREN "ROCKY" GUEST STARS - When the bodies of two criminals are dropped at SCPD, Oliver (Stephen Amell) realizes there is a new Vigilante in Star City. The team is split about whether they should stop someone who is helping keep the city safe. Diggle (David Ramsey) is frustrated with his new situation and Thea (Willa Holland) fights for Lance (Paul Blackthorne) who confesses a shocking secret. Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Oliver finally sits down with Konstantin Kovar (guest star Dolph Lundgren) (#507). Original airdate 11/16/2016." (SpoilerTV article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- 507 promo video posted. (507 promo video, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- 507 extended promo video posted. (507 extended promo video, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- 507 promo pics posted. (SpoilerTV article, page 48 of Spoilers thread and page 1211 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- 507 dialogue tease: "The world is a complex place. Who’s to say who is the monster, and who’s a hero?" (Nov. 15, 2016 Arrowwriters tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On DA Adrian Chase's story and whether we'll see him in costume, MG: "Episode 507 is where we show our cards the most, in terms of Adrian. What’s fun about the way we’re writing and portraying Adrian is that we’re writing with the knowledge has a certain amount of comic book knowledge. And if you’re not a comic book fan, it will just fly over your head and that’s totally fine. It’s like an adult joke in a Pixar movie. But if you are familiar with the comic, you’ll probably interpret certain scenes in a very specific way, and that’s fun for us. I don’t think we’ve ever really used their comic book trajectory and destiny, in this fashion, before, as part of the storytelling." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- Oliver’s hypocrisies will be further explored in 507, when GA tangles with a character named (appropriately) Vigilante, a gun-blazing mirror twin of Oliver’s darker-than-dark dark knight days as “The Hood” in S1. And look for the show to further interrogate Oliver’s queasy policy on killing as S5 progresses, particularly in the second half, in which Oliver will be made to confront the sum of his moral ambiguity. (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) -- SA: "Vigilante is another episode... where it's Oliver holding up a mirror a little bit and, you know, seeing whether or not what he's doing is having an impact. And the thing I like about the episode is, he learns that, even if it's not going as quickly as he wants, that there's still - they really are on the right path. I mean, I spoke a lot at the 100th episode party about how this isn't the happiest that Oliver has ever been, but this is the most, uh, resolute and confident he's been in his path. So, uh, it's another opportunity for - that Vigilante episode is another opportunity for him to learn that and become more resolute." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- Per her IMDB page, Carly Pope is in 503, 505, 506, 507 and 509. (CPope's IMDB link in tv echo post, page 1199 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Sep. 14, 2016, MG tweeted: "The 99th episode of ARROW begins production today. @BenSokolowski Three guesses who it's about...." (MG tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread) -- On Sep. 14, 2016, Carly Pope retweeted MG's 507 title page tweet. (CP retweet, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion 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. 15, 2016, fan tweeted pics and reports of Arrow filming outside in the back alley beside Victorian Hotel with fighting and a gun shot, also something happening inside The Bay Bridge Grille. (EverDragonNoir tweets, page 44 of Spoilers 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) -- On Sep. 17, 2016, JBam posted pic of interior hallway of some rich mansion. (JBam instagram post, page 1137 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Sep. 20, 2016, SA did a facebook live chat that showed him with a blood-stained face and wearing a blood-stained dress shirt. (SA facebook video, page 477 of Social Media thread) -- On Sep. 22, 2016, SA tweeted: "Episode 99 is in the books. #Arrow" with pic of GA's(?) shadow. He also posted this facebook comment: "Last shot of Episode 99. Really proud of these first seven episodes this year. New tricks, vintage feel, and enough ass kicking to go around. Fired up." (SA tweet & facebook post, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Arrow “So It Begins” Review (Season 5, Episode 6) Jessica Breaux November 14, 2016 http://www.tvequals.com/2016/11/14/arrow-so-it-begins-review-season-5-episode-6/

To vote, go to link and click on show pic... What's The CW's Best Show of 2016? November 14, 2016 by MAGGIE PEHANICK http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Best-CW-Shows-2016-42696030

This was retweeted by Brian Ford Sullivan... Quotes of the Week for Nov. 13, 2016 http://tvline.com/gallery/hawaii-five-0-pick-a-base-best-tv-quotes/#!17/undefined/

For comparison - are the pod person's clothes the same as what Oliver's wearing above? Diggle's shirt seems to be the same as what Oliver's wearing.

I believe these pics are screenshots from the latest promo video for the 4-way crossover event (in Spoilers thread)...

Great interview with David Nykl... Arrow: There’s More to Anatoly Knyazev Than Meets the Eye, Says Nykl Meagan Damore November 11, 2016 http://www.cbr.com/arrow-theres-more-to-anatoly-knyazev-than-meets-the-eye-says-nykl/?utm_source=CBR-TW&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&utm_campaign=CBR-TW&view=list -- When Nykl auditioned for Arrow S2, it was for the part of a "prisoner." He thought that it would be 1 or 2 episodes and it ended up being 9 episodes. He got a name and became a friend of Oliver on the submarine. This year he was surprised to get the call that he'd be recurring this season. -- He doesn't know if Anatoly has an ulterior motive for helping Oliver, but thinks that since he's in the Russian mafia, there's probably something going on that we don't know about yet. -- He is not in the 100th episode. -- He does not know if Anatoly will take on his comic book persona of KGBeast. -- He is aware that his character was in Batman v. Superman.

ADDENDUM #3 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC S5 Theme of Legacy -- Per MG, the theme of the season is legacy: “A phrase we use a lot when writing season 5 is ‘We’re looking backwards to move forwards.’” The big bad, a shrouded, star-throwing psycho named Prometheus, is essentially another Dark Arrow doppelganger and appears to be a sin from Oliver’s past come back to haunt him. SA: “We brought in a villain this year that we’re going to learn is a villain of Oliver’s making... He’s someone that exists because of the things that Oliver has done. It allows us to go back and revisit some stories that we haven’t seen on Arrow in quite awhile.” (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) -- On what she would call Oliver’s legacy now that he has this whole new team, WM: "This idea that really attracted to me to the show was this idea that Oliver Queen speaks for people who have no voice, and I think ultimately — when Oliver looks back at what he’s done — that‘s what his biggest legacy will be, that there are people in the city that don’t have a voice, that don’t have power and don’t have the abilities that the Green Arrow has and he’s their defender. He’s the one who speaks for them." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Closing a Chapter and Beyond S5: Flashbacks and Flashforwards -- On whether the conclusion of the flashback storyline and the “legacy” emphasis mean that Arrow is eying the end of its run, MG: “No... I think we tend to look at season 5 as the end of a particular chapter.” Per MG, the flashback storyline was always “a five-year deal,” and they intend to stick with that plan. MG: “The show just turned out to be more successful than we anticipated.” (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) -- On whether Oliver should pay a price for his practice of taking other lives in the name of vengeance and justice, law and order, when the show finally ends, MG: "It’s a great question... There’s an element of this show that’s very Sons of Anarchy to me, which had a similar question: Was there any redemption to be had for Jackson? .. I will say that I have a very specific notion as to how I would like to see the series end.” (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) -- On what she envisions for the future of the show past S5, WM: "I think that’s an excellent question. I think that we’ve closed a chapter here in [Seasons] 1 through 5, and it’s very much been about Oliver looking back at his legacy and his family and where he’s come from. I think Season 6 and onward is going to be him thinking about who is he and where he’s going. Where does he go from here? And he has got a whole new team of people now to work with, and I think that will be a big part of it as well." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- SA: "{T]his is a very important year for us because the show was conceived as a five-year show and, you know, I'd like to think and hope, and with the support of everyone here, that we would keep going, but... but there is an endpoint this year that we can only do in the fifth season and I hope we do it." (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: prince mojo video, page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- SA: “I do really believe that this season is sort of a throw-down-the-gauntlet year for us, where we’re either going to do what we do and do it well or it’s the last year... If we find that magic formula — which is not magic, it’s just hard work and playing to your strengths — then the show could go on for a really long time.” (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) Flashpoint Affecting Arrow (and Other Shows) Generally -- On Flashpoint effects being permanent, GB: “I’m not sure that we can [return to the original timeline], given what we’ve established... If we’re not challenging ourselves and creating new territory and new obstacles for the characters, I think it’s less rewarding to watch and probably less rewarding to play. We like to grow ourselves and grow our characters.” (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article & video clip, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Specifically (Felicity, Diggle, Oliver, Laurel) -- DR: “Remember, it affects Diggle in such a way where he now has a son instead of a daughter, but he can never miss someone he never had, so I think his reaction to Flashpoint — and he will find out, because secrets aren’t kept very long on the show — is going to be a lot more compassion than you think. [Barry] used his incredible power recklessly. The response is going to be a lot more compassionate than people might think.” On whether or not Diggle will confront Barry over the fact, DR: “Yes. The eighth episode [of ‘Arrow’] is going to have a lot of big things coming out of it, and that’s going to be one of them. Yes.” (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Big 4-Shows Crossover Event (Arrow/Flash/LoT/Supergirl) -- Teaser promo video posted for 4-way crossover. (SpoilerTV article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- The umbrella title of the storyline is "Invasion," and it's based on a 1988 DC Comics three-issue event. In it, an alien alliance known as the Dominators have come to Earth to absorb the power of all meta-humans so that it can be utilized in the creation of their own army of meta-soldiers. The heroes of Earth, naturally, aren't having any part of it, and they team up to fight off these power-sucking parasites. SA: "It was really cool. We had our individual scenes, but then we had scenes where we're twenty superheroes there in this big airplane hangar. It looked like and felt like, and I think that the fans will feel [this way], this is a big three or four-hour movie that we're putting on. It's really cool." The Flash EP Aaron Helbing: "The challenges of the crossover are the best problems to have. How often do you get to tell these stories across three to four nights of television? That's a very rare thing, and I think we were all excited and honored that we get to do that, and that people really want to see all of the shows and how they're interconnected." Melissa Benoist: "I think Kara just wants to be accepted and be part of the cool kids. I felt the same way. It was so fun to just be in this big group setting, where it's just this infectious environment where it all felt really good. She had good interactions with almost everyone there." GG: "Last year we had the Flash and Arrow crossover, but this is a lot bigger. We have seventeen characters in multiple scenes and almost everyone interacts with every other character at a certain point. It's huge." LoT EP Phil Klemmer: "Getting the script written felt like a small miracle unto itself. It's the sort of thing you're grateful for when it's done, or maybe on my deathbed. Seriously, looking down the barrel of it, it is really amazing. It's incredible that we get the opportunity to do this. We're already afforded such incredible liberty with what we do. The ideas that we've run past the studio and the network that they don't blink their eye at.. There's really no idea that's too insane. I think everybody's just been so desensitized to it all. You hand them a script and they're, like, "All right, there's Flash, there's Supergirl, there's Oliver, there's twenty-eight other Legends and bad guys, and we're going to travel through time..." They don't even blink at it." GB: "We're very excited for everybody to see it. They all have their own continuing storylines through it, but it really does very much feel like in the middle of the whole season a three-hour movie. It starts a little bit at the tail end of Supergirl, because, for those of you who watch, she's in a whole other universe and on a whole other planet. There's someone having to get her. Then it really begins the night of The Flash and continues through the others. The complex that they talked about shooting in is a fun little thing. We found an exterior that we cut out to be the building, and it looks a lot like the Hall Of Justice. We like that." WM: "Being a part of the crossover was tricky given the sort of gritty and more rooted tone we've taken this season, but we knew it was something we would be facing. 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. Arrow was 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 came up with a way that we're really excited about." SA: "I'm incredibly grateful for everything that Greg, Andrew Kresiberg, Marc Guggenheim and Wendy have done and created. I know some fans were, like, "Will we get enough Arrow during the one-hundredth episode?" To me, the hundredth episode basically had to be a crossover, because it's emblematic of everything that we've been able to create, foster and help grow. Obviously all of these shows stand on their own. The crossover and aliens, watching Oliver react to aliens, is one of my favorite things that I've ever gotten to do. It gives us a chance to do something for the hundredth episode for the fans that in the normal course of our season, we would never be able to get to do. For that, I was very grateful. To work with all the people that I got to work with or hadn't worked with for a very long time on the hundredth episode, I was very grateful." (Nov. 2, 2016 Empire article, page 218 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Per GB, the big crossover starts at the end of Supergirl where they go get her, but it really begins on the Flash. (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Steam Pug video, page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- The four-way crossover, titled Invasion, will see the heroes work together to take on the Dominators. GB: “They’re all going to have their own continuing storylines... It really does feel like, in the middle of the season, a three-hour movie.” (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article & video clip, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- From Nov. 18, 2016 EW issue: The crossover will begin with the final scene of the Monday, November 28th episode of Supergirl. The next parts of the crossover continue to the following Tuesday night on Flash, Wednesday night on Arrow, and Thursday on LoT (note: SA did state the crossover will be five episodes, so it's possible the final part of the crossover may not air until the next episode of Supergirl). (Nov. 9, 2016 CosmicBookNews article, page 221 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- From Nov. 18, 2016 EW issue: The crossover will see The Flash and Cisco tearing a hole in the fabric of space-time. A character will get shot. The Dominators are described as mind-controlling extraterrestrials. The Dominators feel threatened by the Earth because of the Earth's surging population of metahumans. The Dominators use mind-control to cause the superheroes to fight one another: “we’re totally going to see these superheroes fight each other,” then you’re absolutely [REDACTED]. (Nov. 9, 2016 CosmicBookNews article, page 221 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- From Nov. 18, 2016 EW issue: Characters confirmed for the crossover (note: these were the ones seen on set that day by EW; more characters will be a part of the crossover) > From Arrow: SA, DR, WH and EBR; from The Flash: GG, CP, TC, DP and CV; from LoT: BR, CL, DP, FD and VG; and from Supergirl: MB. (Nov. 9, 2016 CosmicBookNews article, page 221 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On the mega-crossover, SA said that they had their individual scenes but also there were these big scenes like one with 20 superheroes in an airport hangar, so "it looked like and felt like a big three, four hour movie." GG mentioned that he and SA just picked up this "really intimate scene" this week, and SA joked that he's spent more time with GG "than he'd like." GG also said that this crossover is just a lot bigger than previous crossovers, that they have 17 characters in multiple scenes, and that everyone interacts with just about everyone else. MB said that Kara just wanted to be accepted and be "one of the cool kids." She had good interactions with "almost everyone there." GB said that it's three parts, called Invasion, and that it starts a little bit at the tail end of Supergirl because they have to go get her, but the big crossover really starts on The Flash. (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Video in Entertainment Weekly article, page 216 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, and SA animated gifset in calliope1975 post, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Arrow's 100th episode being celebrated during the mega-crossover, SA: "The 100th episode - I know some fans were like, 'will we get enough Arrow during the 100th episode?' To me, this - the 100th episode had to be a crossover because it's sort of emblematic of everything we've been able to create and foster and, you know, help grow. Obviously, all of these shows stand on their own. But, um, the crossover and aliens and watching Oliver react to aliens is one of my favorite things that I ever got to do. But, uh, it gives us a chance to do something for the 100th episode for the fans that, in the normal course of our season, we would never be able to get to do. And, um, for that, I was very grateful. And to work with all the people that I got to work with, or hadn't worked with for a very long time, on the 100th episode, I was very grateful.” (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article & video clip, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- GG promised that this new mega-crossover will be unlike any that you’ve seen. GG: “This one’s just bigger... Almost everyone interacts with every other character at a certain point." (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article & video clip, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On how Caitlin will feel about the fact that the Big Bad is The Dominators, who in the comics want to eliminate the threat posed by unpredictable metahumans, DP: “The biggest fear for Caitlin and for Team Flash is how powerful they are and how much of an unknown they are... We’re only getting used to dealing with metahumans with these powers that have generally come from the particle accelerator explosion, or Doctor Alchemy, and those are formulas we’re a little more used to. Having these guys come in from who knows where, the biggest question mark for all of them is starting to figure out how they’re going to battle them.” (Nov. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 219 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On which superhero would win in a showdown between them, GB: “You’ll see some of that in the crossover.” (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article & video clip, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On they balance "back to basics" with aliens/metahumans in big crossover, WM: "You really nailed the essential question of this episode, and also it’s the 100th and we wanted it to be very nostalgic and very much about the DNA of “Arrow,” of the show when it started. We feel really lucky. We found a way to balance the fact that we do now live in a world where there are metas and there are aliens. Greg Berlanti came up with this brilliant way of accomplishing that and making it very much a love letter to the fans and to the show." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Per MG, the 100th episode is truly a love letter to the fans. MG: “It feels like the 100th issue of a comic book, perhaps even more so than the 100th episode of a television show,." Noting that Glenn died in the 100th issue of The Walking Dead, that comment had EW a little worried. MG: “You know me, I always want everyone worried." (Nov. 11, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked to describe the 100th episode in a few words, WM: "Love letter to the show!" (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Per WM, the 100th episode will be an homage to Season 1 and to the Queen family in particular. (Video clip in ScreenerTV tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- Much has been made so far about the fact that it's a balancing act servicing the needs of both a huge, ambitious crossover about an alien invasion and a hundredth episode that celebrates the accomplishments and history of Arrow specifically. The way they've made it sound is that the crossover event doesn't "cross over" quite as much into Arrow; it's more used as a narrative device to put the characters where they have to be for the hundredth epsiode. SA: "I do get to punch an alien, but not in the hundredth episode of Arrow." (Oct. 26, 2016 ComicBook article, page 1194 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On the 100th episode, SA: "It was a very therapeutic moment for my character where, towards the end, I get to say - I get to say good-bye to people that I never got the chance to say good-bye to." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Diggle will confront Barry over the fact that Flashpoint changed his daughter to a son, DR: “Yes. The eighth episode [of ‘Arrow’] is going to have a lot of big things coming out of it, and that’s going to be one of them. Yes.” (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Diggle's reaction to an alien invasion, DR: “How is he going to react to seeing a woman fly across the horizon in a skirt? That’s an even better question! ... All of this flips Digg out, but I think he’s slowly getting a grip that this is the world that he now lives in and that’s part of his journey as well this season." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Per PB, Quentin will be part of the 100th episode. On Quentin's reaction to this latest alien invasion, PB: "He can never quite get his head around what the hell is going on in this world. Flummoxed and bemused, as ever." (Oct. 29, 2016 CBR article in MG tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- Neal McDonough: "Now that I’m on ‘Legends [of Tomorrow],’ having the time of my life and obviously doing the crossover with the 100th, and that’s been so much fun to play Damien Darhk.” (Oct. 27, 2016 CBR article, page 214 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- CP said that she will not be in the mega-crossover outside of The Flash episode. (Oct. 29, 2016 TheFlashPodcast tweet, page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- DR posted b-t-s pic of white guy in alien pod. (Nov. 2, 2016 extratv instagram post, page 1204 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Curtis getting to interact with some of the other heroes in the 100th episode, EK: "Absolutely. He interacts with Flash and a lot of the characters from that show, and Supergirl. They kind of really get into some depth of trying to figure out what's going on with the alien situation. It's a really fun episode. I really feel privileged to be a part of that. To see new team Arrow kind of step into the fray with these other characters is really fun." (Nov. 8, 2016 IGN article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- EW: "On an early October afternoon, the casts of The CW’s 'Arrowverse' serials gathered in an airport hangar on the outskirts of Vancouver B.C. for a historic event. From Arrow, there was Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen, aka the show’s emerald archer), David Ramsey (Diggle/Spartan), Willa Holland (Thea Queen/Speedy) and Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity Smoak). From The Flash, there was Grant Gustin (Barry Allen, aka the show’s scarlet speedster), Candice Patton (Iris West), Tom Cavanagh (H.R. Wells), Danielle Panabaker (Dr. Caitlin Snow) and Carlos Valdes (Cisco/Vibe). From Legends of Tomorrow, there was Brandon Routh (Ray Palmer/The Atom), Caity Lotz (Sara Lance/White Canary), Dominic Purcell (Mick Rory/Heat Wave), Franz Drameh (Jax, one half of Firestorm), Victor Garber (Dr. Martin Stein, the other half of Firestorm). And from Supergirl, there was the maiden of might herself, Melissa Benoist, the only actor dressed in their caped crusader colors. (Must be dry cleaning day at the Hall of Justice.) ... The occasion of this massive team-up: filming a four-show crossover event, which begins in the final scene of the Nov. 28 episode of Supergirl and unfolds over the next three nights in episodes of The Flash, Arrow and Legends... We got to see Supergirl fly, The Flash and Cisco tear a hole in the fabric of space-time (or pretend to), and even saw someone get shot. No, we can’t tell you who, but we can tell you the threat that set the sprawling plot in motion: The Dominators, mind-controlling extraterrestrials threatened by Earth’s surging population of metahumans. If you’re wondering if “mind-control” = “we’re totally going to see these superheroes fight each other,” then you’re absolutely [REDACTED]." (Nov. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread and page 220 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- EW pic from 4-way crossover posted: showed Nate, Vixen, Supergirl, Oliver, Rory, Felicity, Atom, Diggle and Cisco. (Nov. 10, 2016 SmallScreenDiva post, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- EW pic from 4-way crossover posted: showed Sara helping Laurel put on a necklace, and Laurel appears to be wearing a white wedding dress. (Nov. 10, 2016 SonofaBiscuit post, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Other LoT Crossovers -- LoT: On if there was any way Damien Darhk could be redeemed, Neal McDonough: "Just had that conversation. Yes. There is one way that we can redeem him.” On whether or not we’ll see that sometime soon, NM: “At some point, you will.” On his role in LOT, NM: "It's been a lot of fun. One episode, I’m in the ’20s. Another episode, I’m in the 1800s. Another episode, I’m in the future. For me, as an actor, it’s just terrific. And the wardrobe is awesome too!” (Oct. 27, 2016 CBR article, page 214 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT: On how the historical record showing that Darhk already lost in 2016 doesn't change a thing for him, Neal McDonough: "Why does he eventually lose? ... That's not necessarily true now. They found a time machine, they picked me up in the '40s and I'm off to the races now. There's no end to Damien Darhk." On how, in the '40s, he hadn't even met his wife Ruve yet or had a daughter, NM: "Not having my wife at that point, and not knowing who my wife is -- I don't know that I'm going to get married, I don't know that I'm going to murder hundreds fo thousands of people, none of that stuff -- I don't want to say he's a little more evil, but I also don't have as much to fight for, so I'm more of a loose cannon, which is fun to play." (Oct. 27, 2016 ComicBook article, page 219 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT: Per NM, we will see Damien Darhk in the 20s, 60s and 2025 (interesting considering he died in 2016 on #Arrow) on #LegendsOfTomorrow. (Fan Expo Vancouver Nov. 12, 2016: Popgoestheworld tweet, page 221 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT: Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, will be back in the midseason finale, eventually aligning with Reverse-Flash, Damien Darhk and Malcolm Merlyn to form the Legion of Doom. On the latter half of the season, GB: “It’s the ultimate bad guy team up... We just finished the script for an episode that we’ve been tentatively calling ‘Legion of Doom’ that’s all from the bad guys’ perspective.” (Nov. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 219 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Other Flash Crossovers -- Flash: On Nov. 11, 2016, Static Rift tweeted: "Just found out that @MzKatieCassidy will be back on Arrow and Flash as Black Siren." (StaticRiftRadio tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Vixen Crossovers -- Felicity, Atom and BC appeared in 204 of Vixen. (CWSeed link to watch full video of Vixen 204, page 219 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) General Character Narratives and Shifting Relationships -- On Oct. 26, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted an explanation of how they write the script for each episode. As part of this explanation, he said that "each episode has a backbone of two or three emotional journeys." Oliver "almost always has one because obviously it's his show" and then other characters ahve the other journeys. Then, per BFS, "[t]hey in turn have overall journeys for the season, which we laid out before the season began; with assorted signposts... usually designed to match our air date breaks (the never-ending challenge of airing 23 episodes over 36 weeks)." He also explained that "in theory, each episode is a step on that journey. It's not a rigid list, the analogy I always use is" and that "each episodic journey is usually about three beats: where they start; what they are confronted with/realize; and where they land." Also, he said: "Ideally we can get characters to cross streams on their journeys: in other words by helping others with theirs they can help their own." (BFS tweets, page 494 of Social Media thread) OTA and New Team Arrow -- On Diggle rejoining Team Arrow, DR: "Honestly, for me as an actor, it did feel kind of weird. You come into a new set, literally. Everyone was really … new. I felt a little like Stephen did when he was gone for a while. Everyone kind of inside jokes he wasn’t a part of, a little bit. They kind of had this little camaraderie I wasn’t a part of. I was like, uh, no more OTA [Original Team Arrow]. But they were great. The adjustment happened very quickly. Now we’re having fun." (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) -- On Diggle being a Yoda to the new recruits, DR: "I think Diggle is kind of a Yoda to everybody, a little bit. That is kind of a role he falls into naturally. He’s the oldest of the group, and he kind of falls into that mental place. Last season, Oliver and Diggle switched roles a bit; Diggle was compromised with how he felt with his brother. Oliver could see through the fog, and Diggle couldn’t. It was a reversal of the roles. But, for the most part, he does serves as a mentor, and older voice, and definitely does with the new recruits." (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) -- On whether this means the OTA is done, DR: "That’s a power-that-be question, but I don’t think so. We get back to it. I like that they’re breathing new life into the show, and bringing in new characters. They are all interesting, all awesome. And there is more stuff to come with these characters. But I don’t think we’re done with the OTA. That’s the bedrock of the show, and I don’t think I’m misspeaking when I say that. I think we’re really getting into what we talked about at the beginning of the season, which is the show getting back into the Season 1, Season 2, nuts-and-bolts thug street-level crime fighting show, which I think the show got away from. And these characters serve that." (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) -- On whether there is more Felicity/Diggle stuff coming up, DR: "Yeah, Delicity, right? … Yeah, I hope so. I hope you get to see the three of them more in general. I think the show really misses … you know, I remember watching the show in the first and second season and there was like an assignment they would go on and Felicity would be at the helm and Oliver and Diggle would be like in the field and she’d be controlling things and opening up doors that shouldn’t be opened up by a computer, and that was so much fun, right? I miss that a little bit, so I hope we kind of get more of that. But there’s 23 episodes. That’s a lot of writing. That’s a lot of work. Nine months we’re shooting this show. So there’s a big story to tell and now you have more characters to tell that story. So I think they’ll get back to that. That again is more of a producer question. But, like I said before, I don’t think I’m misspeaking in that I think the show really does hinge on those three and that relationship between the three. I think they’ll get back to that in full." (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) -- Media tweet from DR/NM panel at Fan Expo Vancouver: "#Arrow will turn its focus more to the core three. But some will join perhaps more feminine energy - David Ramsay." (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Popgoestheworld tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity") -- On Olicity, GB: “Obviously, they work together every week. They’re very close. I can’t imagine anyone that would ever be in either of their lives that would replace the other person.” (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article & video clip, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Despite the fact that Oliver and Felicity are no longer an official couple, SA revealed that he thinks the exes are in a "good place" at this point. SA: "We have some arguments coming up, but I feel like we have a good dynamic going right now and really respecting each other as teammates... I think they both love each other very much and care about each other, but that doesn’t always mean that people are together." When asked if fans should still hold out hope for a rekindled Olicity connection, EBR was cautiously optimistic: "Yeah, I think so... I feel like they still have a really deep connection and they just need to grow apart. ... To be honest, they are more dynamic apart this season then they were together last season... so I just feel like it's a really good thing. You do grow apart, sometimes, before you can grow together." (Nov. 2, 2016 Entertainment Tonight article & video, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On finding about Felicity's new boyfriend, SA: "I thought that Oliver was fine, if not slightly confused, that Felicity didn't tell him that she was dating someone. That wasn't ever - I wasn't actually a huge fan of the idea that she wouldn't say something because of, you know, all the reasons that their relationship fell apart last year, which was secrets being kept. So, um - to me, when I played those scenes tonight, it was like, 'Hey, you know, we work together, so if you’re keeping anything from me, anything, why? You know, is it because you don't trust me? You don't trust me, is that a problem?' So, to me, it was really about getting to the source of what her issue was. It was less about Oliver and it was more about, you know, 'Are we OK? Are we good? Because now it’s not just you and me down there. We have John back in the fold, we have Thea operating the political axis of Star City, and we have these new recruits who look for us for guidance, so let's make sure that as the... theoretical leaders of the team, that we are on the same page.'" (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview and Den of Geek article, page 48 of Spoilers thread, and Nov. 7, 2016 GATV article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Malone should be scared of Oliver's reaction, WM: “I think Oliver and Felicity have evolved to a place where they’re going to be okay about that, but I think Detective Malone is moving into some dangerous territory in other ways, so we’ll see what happens." Added SA: “Detective Malone should not be afraid of Oliver. Detective Malone should be afraid of his connection to Felicity." On an Olicity reconciliation, SA said that "you’re either romantically involved or you’re not.” SA: “Oliver and Felicity, in my mind, are reconciled. Everything’s on the same page with them. Everything’s on the table. They’re just not together." (Oct. 26, 2016 GATV article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to question of what's going on with Felicity and if that's completely over now, SA: "Not that I know of. We still work together. You know, it was - it did have a shipping name before it was actually a relationship." (Nov. 2, 2015 SA facebook video, page 498 of Social Media thread) --- On whether Oliver is ready to move on to a new romance, SA: "I don't know if he’s ready to move on, but it's time for Oliver to have another relationship. We actually had a moment - we had a moment earlier this year and I was speaking with Wendy Mericle, and I'm like, ‘Look, guys, there's two things that we're no longer allowed to write about Oliver. We’re no longer allowed to call him a billionaire because he’s been broke for three years. Right? Not broke, but not a billionaire. He’s lost his family’s fortune. So, we’re not allowed to say billionaire anymore.' I said, concurrently, we’re not allowed to say playboy. He has dated one woman since season two. And, you know, he hasn't even - I mean, he had a fling with Isabel Rochev, that was it. Stop writing playboy. If you like him to be a playboy, then, by all means, start writing him like one, and then we can do it. So, I think that it's - you know, I've had a couple of scenes with Carly, who's doing a great job as Susan Williams, and I do think that it's - that there'll be some exploration of a certain element of romance between the two of them and I hope that - I hope that it's - I hope that people enjoy it because I've found it to be really dynamic so far." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview and Den of Geek and TVLine articles, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow -- MG: “One of the things we embrace on the show is he’s a hypocrite, he’s kind of a lousy leader, he makes terrible decisions. It gives us fodder for a lot of stories... [But] in season 5, we’re probably telling more stories about the conflicting moralities of what Oliver’s been doing over the life of the series. Everything we’ve been trying to do in season 5 has been building off of our history, our long history, because that’s something that the other shows just can’t do.” (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) -- Oliver’s hypocrisies will be further explored in 507, when GA tangles with a character named (appropriately) Vigilante, a gun-blazing mirror twin of Oliver’s darker-than-dark dark knight days as “The Hood” in S1. And look for the show to further interrogate Oliver’s queasy policy on killing as S5 progresses, particularly in the second half, in which Oliver will be made to confront the sum of his moral ambiguity. (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) -- On Oliver's legacy, WM: "This idea that really attracted to me to the show was this idea that Oliver Queen speaks for people who have no voice, and I think ultimately — when Oliver looks back at what he’s done — that‘s what his biggest legacy will be, that there are people in the city that don’t have a voice, that don’t have power and don’t have the abilities that the Green Arrow has and he’s their defender. He’s the one who speaks for them." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether we are going to see Oliver get a little more involved in his politics, WM: "He’s going to grow into being the mayor, and I think the thing that’s interesting is we’ve had Oliver try so many different jobs: CEO, various positions that he more or less could blow off. I think the thing about being a politician, which really does speak to these ideals that he holds. I think he’s going to engage it and I think he’s going to become more intrigued by the power and the possibility of what that role will have for him." Also WM: "Oliver is the mayor. He was the one who was elected, and I think - for the first few episodes of the season - he’s really enamored with this idea of, “Oh, well, I could be much more effective as Green Arrow than I can as the mayor.” So that’s going to change!" (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On not being able to tell this kind of story (of what Oliver does for Diggle in 504) on the show before, WM: “Oliver has evolved... He’s become a more mature human being.” (Oct. 26, 2016 Nerdist article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "501 was about moving on: Oliver can't accept Dig/Thea are gone, Felicity suggests he build a new team. Journey: realizing he needs one. ... 502 was about building the new team: Oliver doesn't trust the recruits, they won't follow him. Journey: realizing he needs to let them in. ... 503 was about how trust defines a leader: Oliver blames Rene/Thea for their actions. Journey: realizing he needs to trust their instincts. ... 504 was about penance: Oliver is relentless to rescue Dig, insisting he needs to save him. Journey: realizing he's doing it for himself too. ... 505 was about self-acceptance: Oliver would still rather be the GA than Oliver Queen. Journey: he owes it to himself to embrace OQ as well. ... 506 was about... that would be spoiling! I will tease it's our thesis statement for the season and one of my favorite episodes of the show." (Nov. 4, 2016 briforsul tweets, page 90 of Target Practice thread) -- In Oct. 27, 2016 facebook video chat, SA: "I actually got the chance recently to put on the Season 1 [Green Arrow] suit. I posted a photo of it and people were like 'oh, throwback, when did you take this?' I took it last week. That old suit - and this is a true story - so I have to wear the Season 1 suit this year, for reasons that I'm not going to disclose." He mentioned that he was told that he had to come in for a fitting because they needed to make him a new S1 suit. However, he objected and said that he was the "exact same size" and didn't need a new S1 suit made. He was told that he still had to come in for a fitting. He agreed but only if they let him try on the old GA suit from 1x23. He came in, tried on the old suit and "it fit him like a glove." (SA facebook video, page 494 of Social Media thread) -- On whether he prefers Arrow or Green Arrow, SA: "You know, I've actually got the chance recently to play that sort of earlier version of the character that we saw in, you know, in the earlier seasons. And I gotta say, I kinda miss that guy. You know what I mean? And I feel like that version of the character was very two-dimensional. And then the counterpoint to that character was a little two-dimensional. Killing. Not killing. No in-between. So I like - I like the version we have now, because he just seems more three-dimensional and more, like, dealing with the situation as it comes up." (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Steam Pug and prince mojo videos, page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- SA: "We actually had a moment - we had a moment earlier this year and I was speaking with Wendy Mericle, and I'm like, ‘Look, guys, there's two things that we're no longer allowed to write about Oliver. We’re no longer allowed to call him a billionaire because he’s been broke for three years. Right? Not broke, but not a billionaire. He’s lost his family’s fortune. So, we’re not allowed to say billionaire anymore.' I said, concurrently, we’re not allowed to say playboy. He has dated one woman since season two. And, you know, he hasn't even - I mean, he had a fling with Isabel Rochev, that was it. Stop writing playboy. If you like him to be a playboy, then, by all means, start writing him like one, and then we can do it." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview and Den of Geek article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "I mean, I spoke a lot at the 100th episode party about how this isn't the happiest that Oliver has ever been, but this is the most, uh, resolute and confident he's been in his path." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch -- On Nov. 11, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Of course I care! Sincerely hope you stick with us. Lots of cool Felicity stuff coming. (Hint: my next episode, amongst others.)" (briforsul tweet, page 1213 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Oct. 28, 2016, JBam tweeted: "@EmilyBett Quite the right hook, eh?" And in response to fan who asked if he was going to let EBR do a stunt for once, JBam tweeted: "She's standing right in front of me....would you like me to pass on a message from you?" He also tweeted a pic of himself with EBR. And in response to fan who asked for three words to describe EBR's fights/stunts this season, JBam tweeted: "@EmilyBett Hmmmm....... Wicked Right Hook." In response to fan who asked if EBR will do stunts this season, JBam tweeted: "Yuppers." In response to fan who asked if she has a badass right hook, JBam tweeted: "Most def.." (JBam tweets, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- Per DR, Diggle & Felicity will help Oliver be a better hero. (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Popgoestheworld tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Detective Billy Malone (Felicity's New Boyfriend) :( -- Felicity is currently dating Star City police detective Billy Malone, played by Tyler Ritter. EBR: "What an amazing human being!" ... He's hilarious, by the way, and super, super awesome. I hope I get to work with him more. ... It's cool to have a new love interest in her life... I feel like it's a little soon but, everybody deals with their things in different ways. I feel like Felicity is just trying to figure things out, like we all are. She's just trying, man. She's just really trying, and she's trying to be honest and get through it." (Nov. 2, 2016 Entertainment Tonight article & video, page 48 of Spoilers thread) John Diggle AKA Spartan -- On Diggle's new helmet, DR: "It’s been majorly tweaked. Originally this was supposed to be a STAR Labs collaboration, but now my understanding is it's going to be a STAR Labs, Felicity, some other worked on it combination. I don’t know if they’ve completely figured it out, either. Originally that was the pitch; you’re going to get a new helmet. There’s actually a scene when I crossed over in the King Shark episode of The Flash, and we have a brief moment where he asks, 'How do you like the helmet?' And I say, 'It needs some tweaking,' and he says, 'I’m working on it.' That kind of connects us to this season where you see a completely new mask. We haven’t quite gotten into what the mask does yet, but I talked to Marc, and he says it definitely has X-Ray Vision. I’m kidding! He said there’s a lot of stuff it can do, and we’ll get into it this season." (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) -- MG: "I’m really excited for this episode [504] since we’ve basically spent three episodes without Oliver and Diggle together, and Oliver and Diggle separated doesn’t really feel like Arrow to me... In many ways, this episode is about what Oliver is willing to do for Diggle. We’ve seen all the things that Diggle is willing to do for Oliver over the years and the thing that I enjoy very much is watching Oliver return the favor.” WM: “It’s going to be an amazing hour. We’re going to see Oliver break Dig out of jail. It’s going to be gangbusters... It’s exciting. Dig is in a very complicated, emotional place and feeling very guilty about what he did in season four to his brother, and he’s got some very misguided ways of dealing with that. Oliver is going to snap him out of it. We like to flip that dynamic and we’ve earned that.” And, on not being able to tell this kind of story on the show before, WM: "Oliver has evolved... He’s become a more mature human being.” DR: “It’s some pretty deep stuff... Oh man. This week, he’s in prison still. Lyla wants to break him out, and let’s just say not everyone is down with that. So look forward to that.” (Oct. 26, 2016 Nerdist article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- On how their military experience will draw Diggle and Wild Dog together, DR: "“That’s clearly the link, right? They both are military guys, they both have some troubled past, so there’s going to be a very deep relationship between those two men.” RG: “Wild Dog, I believe, connects the most to Diggle... Wendy Mericle mentioned before in another interview that there’s some sort of connection between Wild Dog and Diggle and they kind of see eye-to-eye on certain things. I think Diggle being ex-military, Diggle being a man of integrity and says his truth kind of resonates with Wild Dog. I think that kind of disarms him in a way, which I think is kind of nice for the character to discern what kind of moments he has to let his guard down in order to let someone in, and that’s been kind of fun.” (Oct. 26, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Wild Dog and I form a special relationship. He is a military guy, like I am. He also has some post-traumatic stress as well. There is kind of a similarity in their background. We kind of take to each other in a real way. We have some really nice scenes, he and I particularly. So the new recruits, I do fraternize with them a bit, but Wild Dog and Diggle really hit it off." (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) -- Per DR, Diggle & Felicity will help Oliver be a better hero. (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Popgoestheworld tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger -- On Diggle's relationship with Lyla stands in the wake of Flashpoint, DR: “I think his relationship with Lyla is solid.” (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Per DR, we will see Lyla fleshed out as new Amanda Waller. (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Popgoestheworld tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) John Diggle, Jr., AKA Connor Hawke -- In response to fan question about whether Baby John is the same age as Baby Sara, MG tweeted: "Correct. Same age. Different gender." (Oct. 31, 2016 jbuffyangel and MG tweets, page 496 of Social Media thread) Thea Queen AKA Speedy -- On whether we'll see Thea, who's running the mayor's office right now, step back a little, WM: "She’s kind of running the show right now. She’s Hillary Clinton! [laughs] She might be running it in five years. No, I think Thea has found a place in this that also honors her legacy and speaks to her trying to do something for her whole family, but Oliver is the mayor. He was the one who was elected, and I think - for the first few episodes of the season - he’s really enamored with this idea of, “Oh, well, I could be much more effective as Green Arrow than I can as the mayor.” So that’s going to change!" (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Quentin's dynamic with Thea now that she’s done him this huge favor, PB: "Well, it’s interesting, because she has this rather strange father situation and I have my desperate daughter situation and there definitely seems to be a bit of role replacement going on in there somewhere. It’s interesting, because we talked about it in the scenes, and neither of us sort of realized. We both felt the characters wouldn’t realize that was happening for quite a long time. It’s not like, 'Oh, she feels like my daughter!' It’s quite unspoken, but of course it does certainly feel like that. It’s like, 'I recognize this feeling, but it’s with somebody else.' It’s been interesting playing on that dynamic with her." (Oct. 29, 2016 CBR article in MG tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread) Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific -- EK: "I think [Curtis'] journey is going to be terrific, if I can say that! It's definitely going to have ups and downs. He's going to be tested but he will persevere to the end." (Oct. 21, 2016 myFanbase article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- On Curtis' current suit not being his final suit, EK: "Yeah, it's the prototype right now. I can't wait for people to see where this character goes and his journey throughout this season. It's going to be tough for him. It's not going to be a cakewalk. We talked about that in the first episode, that he has the furthest way to go of all the heroes. You're really going to see him struggle with that but I think it's really going to pay off when you see him finally start to succeed, and his determination, and the smarts and his athleticism is really going to start coming into play. You see him start kicking ass. I'm really excited. And then the final Mr. Terrific suit is mint." (Nov. 8, 2016 IGN article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On Curtis getting to interact with some of the other heroes in the 100th episode, EK: "Absolutely. He interacts with Flash and a lot of the characters from that show, and Supergirl. They kind of really get into some depth of trying to figure out what's going on with the alien situation. It's a really fun episode. I really feel privileged to be a part of that. To see new team Arrow kind of step into the fray with these other characters is really fun." (Nov. 8, 2016 IGN article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis -- Per SA, Evelyn doesn't yet have a complete trust in Oliver, which is "something we examine very soon, for very cool reasons." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- MMcL: "It’s cool to see how, basically, Evelyn’s been wandering around and hasn’t had a home, hasn’t had a family — total teenage orphan. It’s nice for her to finally find her place, to finally find a family and a home, so it’s really special. ... Evelyn is still a teenager, but she’s been through so much that she’s a bit more mature than your typical fifteen/sixteen/seventeen-year-old, but it is definitely cool to see the dynamic of being a teenager, of being ‘I know everything, I know what’s the best,’ and having these adults come in and be like, ‘That’s cute. It’s cute that you think that,' ... So there’s definitely a lot of fun stuff about that.” (Oct. 26, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- MMcL: “And it becomes obvious that Artemis has Oliver as a mentor.” (Oct. 26, 2016 Nerdist article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog -- On Oct. 27, 2016, Dan Seitz tweeted: "Most of what I've heard is 'We're going to use this character in a movie, start talking about him.' Hence Wild Dog." (theta1138 tweet, page 1195 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- RG: “All I can say is that we kind of touch a little bit on his military training in a scene in ‘Arrow’ coming up fairly shortly, very soon, and I’m sure that’ll progress and we’ll learn more and more about his life in the military and how that shaped him and so I feel like that kind of mirrors a little bit of the Wild Dog in the comic book. There’ll be things that we take from the comic book and most of it we won’t. ... I think that it’ll be difficult for Wild Dog not to feel a connection with the team... I think that’s a natural thing when you’re on a team, and even in the military. When your life is on the line and you have to trust someone with your life, I think you naturally connect with that person. I think those bonds will naturally form, and I don’t think that’s something that will be a big shock to the audience. That’s a natural progression in terms of the team coming together.” (Oct. 26, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- On how their military experience will draw Diggle and Wild Dog together, DR: "“That’s clearly the link, right? They both are military guys, they both have some troubled past, so there’s going to be a very deep relationship between those two men.” RG: “Wild Dog, I believe, connects the most to Diggle... Wendy Mericle mentioned before in another interview that there’s some sort of connection between Wild Dog and Diggle and they kind of see eye-to-eye on certain things. I think Diggle being ex-military, Diggle being a man of integrity and says his truth kind of resonates with Wild Dog. I think that kind of disarms him in a way, which I think is kind of nice for the character to discern what kind of moments he has to let his guard down in order to let someone in, and that’s been kind of fun.” (Oct. 26, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Wild Dog and I form a special relationship. He is a military guy, like I am. He also has some post-traumatic stress as well. There is kind of a similarity in their background. We kind of take to each other in a real way. We have some really nice scenes, he and I particularly. So the new recruits, I do fraternize with them a bit, but Wild Dog and Diggle really hit it off." (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) Rory Regan AKA Ragman -- On Felicity confessing her role in Havenrock to Rory, EBR: “I usually wish for more time in figuring out these concepts on this show, but we just don’t have the time... We have less than 60 minutes to tell this story. We end that story and start a new one although she does wear that guilt in every episode and everything that she does now and moving forward. But the confession to Rory does really end that point of not being able to work cohesively as a team. And I loved working with Joe on that story.” (Oct. 26, 2016 Nerdist article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- On Rory's reaction to Felicity's confession, Joe Dinicol: "I won’t tell you how he reacts but I will say he reacts in a way that you wouldn’t expect... I actually really love how he reacts. It’s a real insight into the kind of person that he is. It’s really interesting. It’s very specific and it certainly adds a layer to his and Felicity’s relationship.” (Oct. 26, 2016 Nerdist article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- On Rory having a big choice ahead of him, Joe Dinicol: “I think it’s a day of reckoning for him... Being a fighter on this team is an opportunity for him to make a decision to move forward and start to deal with some of this tragedy and devastation in as positive of a way as he can or is he going to do what he did in his first episode, which is freak out and…try to kill or maim whoever wronged him. This is another instance where he’s being asked to let the angels of his better nature rule him and whether he does or doesn’t, we’ll see. His joining the team is a real turning point for him.” (Oct. 26, 2016 Nerdist article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- On the source of Ragman's mystical powers, JD: “It’ll trickle out slowly... Largely because the specifics of it are quite a mystery to him, these were laid on him and he was protected from this horrible thing — and then everyone who knew anything about these rags were killed. This stuff, if and when it does come out, will come out slowly and it will be equally a surprise to him.” On how this mystical power sets him apart from his teammates. JD: “I think it makes him a more thoughtful and watchful character; I think he knows how powerful they [the rags] are, and I think he knows how careful he has to be with them. I also think it sets him apart in a sort of a good way from the group; he’s been alone for so long now, and so — when he comes and he has this other thing that sort of keeps him at arms’ length — to watch them reach out and pull him in a little is really a lovely thing to have happen for him, because he’s a lonely guy.” On whether there's any particular team member he'll find himself drawn to, JD: “Not to be too magnanimous, but I’d say pretty much everyone... I mean, what’s been cool over the course of this season is we’ve been getting to know each other off-screen and those connections are being made on camera. We’re learning each other’s tells, we’re learning the minutia of one another, sort of on screen and that’s informing how they write the characters, that’s informing our dynamic, and so we’re all becoming very close in our own specific ways, so I would kind of say everyone. We all have a really good time together, which — thank goodness!” (Oct. 26, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) Christopher Chance AKA Human Target -- On whether we'll see more of Human Target in the flashbacks, SA: "I don’t know about the backstory... I’m really enjoying the flashbacks this year, but a lot is going to have to happen, because we have a veritable checklist of things that have to happen before we theoretically get to the events of [episode] 101. I don’t know if the Human Target’s going to continue to through the backstory, because we have a lot of things to focus on, but I would love to have Wil [Traval] back in our present day. I thought he was a really interesting element to the show. I know that it’s a very specific — gimmick is the wrong word, but ‘set of skills’ may be better — but I thought he was great. I thought he was cool. And I really enjoyed – and I spoke with the producers about this – I really enjoyed the way that Oliver got to behave when he was being played by the Human Target, because it was a little bit more of a fun, jovial, wisecracking version of the character, and I like that version of the character." (Nov. 7, 2016 GATV article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Quentin Lance -- On Quentin becoming Deputy Mayor and having to handle his new obligations and the pressure of politics, PB: “He’ll handle this all with a stiff drink, I imagine (joking)... No, he’s got to get his act together at this point. He’s been given this much faith and responsibility by Thea [Willa Holland] and the others so he’s got to get himself together. We shall see if that’s the case.” (Oct. 26, 2016 Nerdist article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Quentin will be able to get a handle on his drinking now that he has a job in the mayor's office, PB: "Oh! I don’t know. You’d think he’d want to behave responsibly being that he’s deputy mayor now, you know? Put the bottle down, give it a break. But I don’t know! Who knows? God knows! We’ll see." (Oct. 29, 2016 CBR article in MG tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- On Quentin's dynamic with Thea now that she’s done him this huge favor, PB: "Well, it’s interesting, because she has this rather strange father situation and I have my desperate daughter situation and there definitely seems to be a bit of role replacement going on in there somewhere. It’s interesting, because we talked about it in the scenes, and neither of us sort of realized. We both felt the characters wouldn’t realize that was happening for quite a long time. It’s not like, 'Oh, she feels like my daughter!' It’s quite unspoken, but of course it does certainly feel like that. It’s like, 'I recognize this feeling, but it’s with somebody else.' It’s been interesting playing on that dynamic with her." (Oct. 29, 2016 CBR article in MG tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- Per PB, Quentin will be part of the 100th episode. On Quentin's reaction to this latest alien invasion, PB: "He can never quite get his head around what the hell is going on in this world. Flummoxed and bemused, as ever." (Oct. 29, 2016 CBR article in MG tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread) Prometheus -- Per MG, the theme of the season is legacy: “A phrase we use a lot when writing season 5 is ‘We’re looking backwards to move forwards.’” The big bad, a shrouded, star-throwing psycho named Prometheus, is essentially another Dark Arrow doppelganger and appears to be a sin from Oliver’s past come back to haunt him. SA: “We brought in a villain this year that we’re going to learn is a villain of Oliver’s making... He’s someone that exists because of the things that Oliver has done. It allows us to go back and revisit some stories that we haven’t seen on Arrow in quite awhile.” (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) -- Per SA, starting with 506, they begin to explore why Prometheus "is doing what he's doing" and they'll be "calling back to early parts of the show." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On Prometheus, DR: "We’re taking great strides holding that close to the chest, so I can only say so much about that. I can say that he and Oliver have a lot in common." (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) -- On what Diggle thinks about Prometheus, DR: "Listen, Digg gets awed by every other piece of the puzzle that comes together. Like, 'Oh, you know it’s because of that. Oh, he’s that or he’s that.' But I think what’s great about Diggle is that he’s the guy you can depend on. There’s been less of that part of last season and part of this season, but, for the most part, he’s the guy you can depend on to cut straight to the chase. He’s a bad guy. He needs to be taken down, and that’s it. Oliver’s the one who kind of struggles with, 'Oh, well maybe this, maybe that.' But Diggle’s always the one that’s like, 'Listen, he’s a criminal. We need to take him out. Don’t necessarily kill him, but he needs to go.'" (Nov. 3, 2016 Blastr article, page 189 of Starling City Times thread) --- IMDB listed Alexander Kalugin as the "Hooded Man" in the end credits for 502, 503 and 505. (Nov. 10, 2016 dtissagirl post, page 1211 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- From Nov. 18, 2016 EW issue: Prometheus unmasked! GB: "Always in our midseason finales, we like to revist the big bad... There's a shocking moment for Oliver." SA: "This year's villain is a villain of Oliver's making. It allows us to revisit some stories we haven't seen on Arrow in a while." (Nov. 12, 2016 CosmicBookNews article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) The Vigilante -- SA: "Vigilante is another episode... where it's Oliver holding up a mirror a little bit and, you know, seeing whether or not what he's doing is having an impact. And the thing I like about the episode is, he learns that, even if it's not going as quickly as he wants, that there's still - they really are on the right path. I mean, I spoke a lot at the 100th episode party about how this isn't the happiest that Oliver has ever been, but this is the most, uh, resolute and confident he's been in his path. So, uh, it's another opportunity for - that Vigilante episode is another opportunity for him to learn that and become more resolute." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- Oliver’s hypocrisies will be further explored in 507, when GA tangles with a character named (appropriately) Vigilante, a gun-blazing mirror twin of Oliver’s darker-than-dark dark knight days as “The Hood” in S1. And look for the show to further interrogate Oliver’s queasy policy on killing as S5 progresses, particularly in the second half, in which Oliver will be made to confront the sum of his moral ambiguity. (Nov. 10, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 190 of Starling City Times thread) Konstantin Kovar -- Dolph Lundgren will make his first appearance as Kovar in 506, and because of his strong performance during his first day on the job, MG said that they extended the actor’s involvement in the show past the originally planned three episodes. MG: “Dolph brings so much presence... He really holds the screen incredibly well. It’s an enormous amount of fun to see him and Stephen [Amell] in scenes together.” Also MG: “Kovar is very much a villain certainly in the Arrow vein, which is to say he’s pretty badass, he’s pretty evil, but he, of course, does not think of himself as such. He thinks of himself as doing the right thing, which, in that sense, makes him very similar to a lot of the villains that we’ve had in the past. What is interesting about Kovar is he has a mix of intelligence and physical presence that we haven’t necessarily seen. He’s physically bigger than a lot of our villains that we’ve had in the past.” (Oct. 28, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: “He brings a different energy to the show. The first time we meet him, it just feels different - even the way that it’s shot." On the two of them probably getting the chance to fight onscreen at some point, SA: "I mean, come on... Come on.” (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article & video clip, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Susan Williams -- Per her IMDB page, Carly Pope is in 503, 505, 506, 507 and 509. (CPope's IMDB link in tv echo post, page 1199 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether it was a deliberate choice to use Susan Williams, who's someone from the Green Lantern mythology, WM: "One of the fun parts of the show is that you can put these characters in and the Easter eggs and the fans that know this universe so well respond to it on varying levels of excitement and whatnot, but the thing about her character that’s so intriguing is that it operates on that level. It also operates because she’s someone who’s very intrigued by Oliver, who’s going to uncover some secrets that Oliver has, which is going to be really fun, and is a fun nod to the Green Lantern, who obviously we could never bring on the show." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On playing scenes with Susan Williams now that she knows he didn't spend all five years on the island, SA: “It hasn’t really happened yet, but where they go is interesting... Susan appears to be up to no good, but in reality, she’s just following a very interesting story. I mean, the Mayor of the town where she is a news reporter was clearly not on an island for five consecutive years, which, by the way, I feel like it’s about time we did that. I mean, I always think back to the first Nolan Batman where I think it’s Ra’s al Ghul says ‘the world is too small a place for someone like Bruce Wayne to disappear.’ Theoretically, Oliver Queen… even if he wasn’t as famous, and he wasn’t, he did ‘perish’ in a very famous incident within our story, so I always thought when he was in Hong Kong that someone would stop him and be like ‘you look like Oliver Queen!’ But no. So I’m glad that it’s happening.” Also SA: "Hopefully it’s building to something that we’ve talked about doing on the show for a while... We’ve had, in separate instances, with the first person being Slade, who discover Oliver’s secret or a secret that he is keeping if not the secret, and they threaten him with it... I think that it would be interesting, if we go back to that storyline of her having information, that maybe she threatens him with it, but maybe his counter is different than what we’ve seen before. I also think that it would be most interesting if Susan Williams wasn’t just necessarily a spy in the weeds, in the way that there was no redeeming quality in Isabel Rochev. She was there to play Oliver from the beginning. So, maybe Susan Williams is learning something, but concurrently, maybe her relationship with Oliver will become dynamic and she won’t want to do what she did to Thea in the earlier part of the season. ... I've had a couple of scenes with Carly, who's doing a great job as Susan Williams, and I do think that it's - that there'll be some exploration of a certain element of romance between the two of them and I hope that - I hope that it's - I hope that people enjoy it because I've found it to be really dynamic so far." ((Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview and Den of Geek and TVLine articles, page 48 of Spoilers thread, and Nov. 7, 2016 GATV article, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Tina Boland :( -- On September 16, 2016, Rapaport Baldasare Casting announced a casting call for the principal, recurring guest star role of "Tina" in 511, with series regular option, and started accepting self-taped, video auditions, worldwide it seems for an actress, 20s-30s, to fill the role. (Oct. 1, 2016 Auditionsfree article, page 46 of Spoilers thread, CastItTalent webpage in dtissagirl post, page 1163 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and ClaimFame article, page 476 of Social Media thread) -- According to Twitter the 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) -- Juliana Harkavy will have a recurring role as Tina Boland, a detective formerly of Central City. Boland is brash yet tactful, tough, speaks her mind, and is not the easiest person to impress. She also has a problem with vigilantes like Green Arrow and his new team of recruits: Wild Dog, Artemis, Curtis Holt, and Ragman. Harkavy’s character will join in the back half of the season. (Nov. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Tina is a character that the team tracks down, who is operating in another city. And, uh, that happens once we're back from our break, sort of, 510, 511 time. And, um, I think she could be a really - I think she could be a really cool character. (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- Media tweet from DR/NM panel at Fan Expo Vancouver: "#Arrow will turn its focus more to the core three. But some will join perhaps more feminine energy - David Ramsay." (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Popgoestheworld tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 4, 2016, JBam tweeted: "@JulianaHarkavy Very.....very.....excellent day my friend. You should be proud." Juliana Harkavy tweeted: "Best day at the office ever ????." (JBam and JHarkovy tweets, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 7, 2016, JBam posted pic of himself with Juliana Harkavy, who's wearing a black leather jacket, both standing in an alleyway, with comment: "Welcoming @julianaharkavy into the #Arrow fold......this girl is one badass!" (JBam instagram post, page 1209 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Nov. 8, 2016 (per twitter), Tina was filming Belly Burger scenes with rest of the cast, minus EBR. Meaning, she knows Team Arrow behind the masks, and they're chilling. (Lidach post, page 1209 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Nov. 8, 2016, papp tweeted: "Reminder: #Arrow films inside & behind Smile Diner in #Vancouver today. #yvrshoots." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 1209 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Nov. 8, 2016, per fan tweets, the diner scenes being shot included Oliver, Curtis, Rene and Tina, and maybe Diggle, but no Felicity. (newdividev and lemon_buzz tweets, page 1209 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Nov. 13, 2016, Juliana Harkavy posted a video of Rick Gonzalez practicing a knife fight at T3 Athletics. (JH facebook link in tv echo post, page __ of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- As of Nov. 14, 2016, Juliana Harkavy's facebook page had an Arrow banner. (JH facebook link in tv echo post, page __ of Spoiler Discussion thread) New Black Canary :( -- On Laurel's controversial death and whether someone else will take up the mantle of BC, WM: "I can't say too much about that... I can say with confidence that, in Season 5, our decision will make more sense...even to the fans who were really vehemently opposed to it." (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread) -- On how much Oliver's vow to Laurel to find a new Black Canary is going to be weighing on his mind this season, MG: "Forefront in his mind is this notion of recruiting this new team, and as the season progresses, eventually it will turn Oliver’s attention towards the specificity of that promise of a new Black Canary, and we’ll have to see what happens." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread) -- On Nov. 1, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Arrow started the day shooting interior scenes in North Vancouver today with #Olicity @WhatsFilming" and "#Olicity was searching for a new #blackcanary today onset of #arrow ... What does that mean exactly lol ?? More questions than answers lol" and "#Arrow wrapped shooting with exteriors at Vancouver dry dock with #Olicity and #laurel , ok seriously wtf does this mean ??!!" and "A full day of shooting #Arrow with #Olicity and #Laurel ... A mix of interior and exterior shooting , and no I do not have pics or graphs." (kingscourtgraph tweets, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 1, 2016, papp tweeted: "It's not Sara, Laurel or Evelyn. That's all I'll say on the topic for now (partly because that's all I know too) #BlackCanary #Arrow." (canadagraphs tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 12, 2016, Canadagraphs tweeted that there will be a new Black Canary. (canadagraphs tweet, page 1214 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Talia al Ghul -- On Nov. 1, 2016, papp posted pic of Lexa Doig with comment: "Hearing local actress #LexaDoig playing #MirandaTate aka #TaliaAlGhul in new episode for #Arrow.." (punkd_images instagram post, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 2, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Didn't get the chance to tease anything while on set so how about this: pretty sure the internet will be very happy in a few hours. #Arrow." (briforsul tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- Lexa Doig has been cast in the recurring role of Talia, another daughter of Ra’s al Ghul and half-sister of Nyssa. Described as worldly and cultured, Talia is “an elite warrior who doesn’t pick sides but rather creates her own.” She will debut in 510. (Nov. 2, 2016 TVLine article in MichaelAusiello tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "[A]s for Talia, Talia is, um - we learn about her before we meet her. And she is, um, I think, our gateway to really accelerating the flashback storyline and buttoning up that list I spoke of." (Nov. 3, 2016 Seat42F video of SA interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread) Return of Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk -- LoT: Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, will be back in the midseason finale, eventually aligning with Reverse-Flash, Damien Darhk and Malcolm Merlyn to form the Legion of Doom. On the latter half of the season, GB: “It’s the ultimate bad guy team up... We just finished the script for an episode that we’ve been tentatively calling ‘Legion of Doom’ that’s all from the bad guys’ perspective.” (Nov. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 219 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT: On how the historical record showing that Darhk already lost in 2016 doesn't change a thing for him, Neal McDonough: "Why does he eventually lose? ... That's not necessarily true now. They found a time machine, they picked me up in the '40s and I'm off to the races now. There's no end to Damien Darhk." On how, in the '40s, he hadn't even met his wife Ruve yet or had a daughter, NM: "Not having my wife at that point, and not knowing who my wife is -- I don't know that I'm going to get married, I don't know that I'm going to murder hundreds fo thousands of people, none of that stuff -- I don't want to say he's a little more evil, but I also don't have as much to fight for, so I'm more of a loose cannon, which is fun to play." (Oct. 27, 2016 ComicBook article, page 219 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT: Per NM, we will see Damien Darhk in the 20s, 60s and 2025 (interesting considering he died in 2016 on #Arrow) on #LegendsOfTomorrow. (Fan Expo Vancouver Nov. 12, 2016: Popgoestheworld tweet, page 221 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Return of Laurel Lance -- On Nov. 11, 2016, Static Rift tweeted: "Just found out that @MzKatieCassidy will be back on Arrow and Flash as Black Siren." (StaticRiftRadio tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 12, 2016, Canadagraphs tweeted that KC will be back as Black Siren, not Black Canary, for at least two episodes. (canadagraphs tweet, page 1214 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Other Possible Returns or Debuts -- WM: "I think so! I’d really like to see some strong female supervillains on the show. I don’t know who we would want to get! There’s such an embarrassment of riches in that respect in the DCU, but that’s something I would definitely love to do." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether we'll see other villains on the show from another DC pantheon (besides Ra's al Ghul from the Batman pantheon), WM: "There’s always a chance. You know, it’s one of those things where, if the story presents itself, you never know. We really want to bring Huntress back." On whether Huntress could join Team Arrow, WM: "We would love that! She’s fantastic. But again, it’s always about whether it’s right for the direction or whether it’s right for the story at that point in the series, so we’ll see." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Not Returning or Debuting in S5 -- WM: "[Susan Williams] is a fun nod to the Green Lantern, who obviously we could never bring on the show." (Oct. 28, 2016 CRB article, page 47 of Spoilers thread and page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Remaining 2016 events/comic cons... Scripted, November 17-18, 2016 (New York, NY) Greg Berlanti - Keynote Conversation on Nov. 18 at 4:15pm http://scriptedsummit.com/2016/speakers/ Heroes & Villains FanFest-Atlanta, November 19-20, 2016 (Atlanta, GA) Stephen Amell, John Barrowman, Matt Ryan, David Ramsey, Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, Paul Blackthorne, Charlotte Ross, Neal McDonough, Echo Kellum, Amy Gumenick, Bex Taylor-Klaus and Cody Rhodes (also Robbie Amell, Rick Cosnett and Carole Barrowman) http://heroesfanfest.com/atlanta/guests/ CCXP - São Paulo Expo, December 1-4, 2016 (São Paulo, Brazil) David Ramsey http://ingressos.lojamundogeek.com.br/ Delhi Comic Con, December 9-11, 2016 (New Delhi, India) Paul Blackthorne http://www.comiccondelhi.com/special-guest/

Juliana Harkavy's facebook page now has an Arrow banner. She also posted a video yesterday of Rick Gonzalez practicing a knife fight at T3 Athletics... https://www.facebook.com/julianaharkavy/

ARROW, FLASH, SUPERGIRL, LEGENDS CROSSOVER WILL BE A CIVIL WAR Matt McGloin 11/09/2016 http://www.cosmicbooknews.com/content/arrow-flash-supergirl-legends-crossover-will-be-civil-war ARROW, THE FLASH, SUPERGIRL & LEGENDS FATES TEASED FOLLOWING DOMINATORS Matt McGloin 11/12/2016 http://www.cosmicbooknews.com/content/arrow-flash-supergirl-legends-fates-teased-following-dominators

Well, it was bound to happen... I just read an article about how "killing Olicity" has "saved" Season 5 of Arrow. The reviewer/site has been anti-Olicity in the past, so no surprise there.

Recent SA facebook videos (from Nov. 10) - mostly about his 3rd Annual F**K Cancer Campaign... Stephen Amell - Tomorrow morning, 10 am ET, We Are Back! Published on Nov 11, 2016, by Stephen-Amell™ Stephen Amell - Tomorrow morning Published on Nov 11, 2016, by Stephen-Amell™ Stephen Amell - The campaign is live Published on Nov 11, 2016, by Stephen-Amell™

Two more EK interviews...

While I appreciate sarcasm, I believe the speculation about Tina being Oliver's LI is reasonable based on what I've posted above. No paranoia involved.

It's speculation based on a combination of spoilers, GA comic 'canon,' and the casting of a sexy, attractive actress as Tina (I feel like I've posted this before)... Tina Boland New Black Canary Unspecified

Some of BFS' b-t-s clarifications...

Interesting choice of clips...