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Social Media and Behind the Scenes: AKA Everything Else Not "News and Media"

Zalyn

By Zalyn
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tv echo

tv echo

(edited)

MG's interview in yesterday's EW Superhero Insider podcast included a mixture of spoilery and nonspoilery information. I posted my transcription of all of his comments in the New Spoilers thread, but am re-posting just the nonspoilery portions here (b-t-s stuff)...

-- After Kyle Anderson introduced MG and gushed all over S5, he asked at what point in the past 5 years, did MG get the sense of how S5 was going to wrap up. MG replied: "Oh, uh, good question. I would say very early on. Um, you know, usually what we do is we roll straight - you know, we go straight from breaking the season finale into what we call a mini-gap. Uh, and we work for about a month, uh, you know, thinking of big stroke, uh, big picture kind of plot ideas for the upcoming season. So basically, like, while Wendy and I are, you know, doing, you know, writing the finale and doing post-prod, you know, pre-production and post-production on it, uh, the writers are coming up with sort of big picture ideas. And we take a two-week break, uh, and we come back. And I would say that last year we probably came up with this ending, I would say, just like a couple of weeks post that two-week hiatus. So, very early on in the process."

 -- Natalie Abrams asked what were MG's hopes for Oliver in terms of his character journey in S5. MG replied: "Well, we were really looking to have Oliver be stripped down to his, you know, really to his [unintelligible word]. We wanted him to face a villain that would really kind of deconstruct him. Um, and the other thing we were trying to take advantage of - really is the longevity of the show. Because, you know, there's Arrow and there's Flash, and Supergirl, and Legends. But Arrow's been around the longest, and we felt there's opportunity for Arrow to do something the other shows really can't do, which is to have, you know, events from Season 1 come back to haunt him in Season 5. Um, and we really liked the idea of a villain who's essentially someone who Oliver created by virtue of the actions he took in Season 1. Um, and, you know, as we sort of learned, uh, you know, Adrian essentially went off on his own journey over the past, you know, four - previous four seasons of Arrow to become Prometheus, so that he could return to Star City and exact revenge. So we were kind of, you know, intrigued by the idea that Oliver essentially in Season 1 sowed the seeds of his own nemesis."

-- Natalie then gushed over the new recruits in S5 (Wild Dog and Black Canary) and asked about what kind of fan feedback he was getting about the newbies back in the beginning of the season. MG replied: "You know, it's interesting, um, I will say, you know, this was something we had - this idea of expanding the team, uh, and bringing in these new recruits - was something that we thought of doing - we thought of the idea towards the end of Season 4. We thought it would be something interesting because, you know, when you start to get into a fifth season of a show and now a sixth season, you really have to mix things up, uh, because otherwise the show just becomes very stale and you are just recycling old stories and old dynamics. So we - we instinctively felt that the team needed some fresh blood and I think we were - you know, we were surprised, uh, that the recruits ended up being - polarizing overstates it, I think, but controversial. You know, some people absolutely loved the recruits. Other people, uh, felt that having new members of the team des - you know, detracted from, you know, what they loved - which is, you know, what they call 'OTA', which is, you know, the original trio of, uh, Oliver, Diggle and Felicity. Um, but what I think was most surprising - at least to me about that - was that there have always been a lot of people in the lair apart from Oliver, Diggle and Felicity. Um, you know, we've had Laurel, we've had Roy, we've had Thea, we've had Sara. Um, you know, it's always - Team Arrow has always been, uh, a bigger group than just that core trio. Um, so I was a little surprised, you know, by some people objecting to it. But at the same time, you know, I think that's kind of the nature of Arrow, which is, we do a lot of things and, uh, our fans enjoy debating the pros and cons of the creative choices we make."

-- Kyle then raved about the "Spectre of the Gun" episode and how "fantastic" it was. MG explained how he came up with that episode (wanted to do at least one topical episode in a 23-episode season, felt issue of gun violence was "relevant" to the show).

-- Natalie wanted to revisit "OTA" and asked if it was their intention to make sure Felicity and Diggle each had their own version of the "island" ("fire they had to walk through") this season. MG replied: "Yes, for sure. I mean, I think... Diggle, poor Diggle - he's sorta had multiple fires to walk through. He had, you know, his issues with, you know, General Walker, but even in Season 4, uh, he went through the darkness of killing his own brother. Um, with Felicity, that was absolutely our intention in Season 5, but it was a bit trickier because, you know, Felicity's really the light in the show. She's the major chords in the otherwise minor key symphony. And, you know, we were very cognizant of - how do we tell a story that has Felicity, you know, in a somewhat darker circumstance and a somewhat more challenging circumstance, without, quite frankly, uh, ruining the things that make her such a special character. Um, and, we - you know, in the writers room we gravitated towards this notion of Helix, uh, and this notion of her being somewhat morally compromised and, uh, in the process - in the process sort of starting to walk - maybe not a mile in Oliver's shoes, but, you know, a couple of feet in Oliver's shoes. And that - and we saw this come to fruition in Episode 20 Underneath - there was a little bit more understanding on her part for what Oliver's been dealing with and wrestling with over the previous five years. And that, I think, uh, empathy gave her the ability to, you know, get past some of her issues with his behavior, um, from the previous four years." Kyle then told MG that they chose "Underneath" as their favorite Arrow episode this past season. MG: "Oh wow!"

-- Kyle asked about the genesis of 520 (Underneath) and how it came about. MG replied: "It came about, I think, as the result of the confluence of two different events. Um, you know, we -we always knew from very early on in the season, that we were going to get Oliver and Felicity sort of into a circumstance whereby they would essentially deal with all their shit. (Laughs) Um, you know, they were, you know - we knew that - that we were going to place, like I said, Felicity, uh, in a story where she would start to develop her empathy for Oliver, um, and that that empathy would lead them to have, quite frankly, the adult conversation that they didn't have in Season 4. Um, and at around the same time, we were reaching the point in the season where, you know, we're pretty far over budget and we're starting to talk about bottle episodes to save some money because we need to, you know, have a reservoir of dollars left to end the season in high style as it were. And I believe it was Brian Ford Sullivan, uh, who came up, you know, with idea of Oliver and Felicity being trapped in the bunker. We sort of called it the 'Chilean Coal Miners' episode... And it was all about everyone trying to get Oliver and Felicity out of this dire set of circumstances. But it, you know - it really, you know, made the episode kind of like a play, because we wanted to put Oliver and Felicity together, uh, in a circumstance that forced them - or at the very least gave them the opportunity to deal, uh, with all their issues, um, and deal with them in an adult way. I don't - and we wrote this into the episode - I don't think they really did that in Season 4. Uh, you know, at the end of Episode 415, Felicity just walked out the door, and they never really talk about all the things that broke them up in the first place. So we were - we were - it's always nice when you plan on doing something at the beginning of the season and you get the - you know, the latter third of the season, you finally get the chance to turn these cars over that you always intended or hoped to turn over."

-- Kyle then raved about the S5 finale episode and asked about how many iterations they had to go through. MG said that there weren't many. They already had a list and what was going to happen (everyone close to Oliver would be kidnapped and taken to the island, Oliver would have to put together the "dirty dozen" to go rescue them, they wanted Nyssa, Malcolm and Slade). MG added: "I will say, Black Siren went back and forth. We had, uh - we had discussions about whether or not she should be allied with Chase at the end or allied with Oliver at the end, um, albeit begrudgingly. Um, and we, uh, you know, went back and forth and debated the pros and cons of it. Um, and we really felt that, you know, true to Evil Laurel's character, uh, she wouldn't, uh, help Oliver, you know, out in the circumstance. It would make more sense that she would be aligned with Chase, who she actually has to thank for her freedom from getting out of the Pipeline, um, where she was being held captive on Flash...."

-- Natalie then asked if it was fun for them to play with the same actress but as a different character. MG: "Yeah, absolutely... For us, it was really simple, um, in that, you know, when Katie came back to be Black Siren in 510, we watched the cut of 510 and we were so - like, so excited, uh, about this iteration of Laurel. Um, it just really - Katie just crushed it. And you can tell it - I think it shows how much fun Katie is having playing this version of Laurel. And we were like - you know, we did what we always do, which is, if something's really working on the screen, uh, we find a way to write towards it...."

-- MG then talked about wrapping up the flashbacks and bringing them around full circle. He mentioned that GB was the one who suggested adding an additional flashback scene on the boat after Oliver is rescued from the island. MG then got Susanna Thompson for that scene.

Edited by tv echo
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dtissagirl
dtissagirl

What bugs me is the implication that if you are not patient, you're watching it wrong. Naw, son. You don't get to tell me how I watch TV. I'm an actual pro at doing it.

WindofChange
WindofChange

Oh wow, Emily. I'm impressed because this is really brave and I'm really proud that she said this in such an eloquent way.

dtissagirl
dtissagirl

Ha. Reading those stage directions, and realizing how EBR went the opposite way [curious and skeptic rather than faint by hot guy] makes me understand 100% how fucking lost they were at that time, and

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BkWurm1

BkWurm1

56 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

Hee!  Normally at that age the little boys would be running the other way, hahaahahah.  

I continue to really love the Felicity look for little girls at Cons.  It's simple, girly, and yet really recognizable so very much in the super hero wheelhouse.  I've loved everyone I've ever seen.  

That kid dressing up as CEO Oliver or Mayor Oliver, with his Arrow mask on the side is a cute new twist.   

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BkWurm1

BkWurm1

16 minutes ago, bijoux said:

I don't know whether there is some sort of nudity policy, so I'll just leave a link of the Arrowverse group photo from the con featuring JB's butt.

https://twitter.com/johnbarrowman/status/878772610577842176

Is it me or does JH look overdone and just weird?

I've decided that JH photographs odd.  It's not the first time I haven't even recognized her in a picture.  I swear this time she looks like Kendra from LoT but so often last season she looked like KC in pics.  

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wonderwall

wonderwall

9 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

This is her off time, how wouldn't she have power over how she styled it? 

Ohhh my bad I thought you were talking about the costume photo...

Her day to day look IDK what that even is - I honestly don't know her or have seen her in her natural habitat to know what makes her look like herself and what doesn't...

leopardprint

leopardprint

31 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

I've decided that JH photographs odd.  It's not the first time I haven't even recognized her in a picture.  I swear this time she looks like Kendra from LoT but so often last season she looked like KC in pics.  

She looks like a different person in every single picture I see of her. I never recognize her. She just has one of those faces. 

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Midnight Lullaby

Midnight Lullaby

44 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

I think she meant during filming she doesn't have control.  So that look might not be really looking like "herself", lol.  

Yeah I think the way they do her hair and make up on the show is very different from how she normally is..she looks like a different person.

strikera0

strikera0

10 hours ago, bijoux said:

I don't know whether there is some sort of nudity policy, so I'll just leave a link of the Arrowverse group photo from the con featuring JB's butt.

https://twitter.com/johnbarrowman/status/878772610577842176

Is it me or does JH look overdone and just weird?

Yeah, that's a very bad look on her. Sometimes, less is more. 

bijoux

bijoux

You know, this is the first time I'm thinking that they didn't only screw the audience over with the way they chose to tell the William story, but SA as well. One, the guy had been gunning for it for a while apparently. Two, he's so likeable with kids and they managed to completely drain him of that with the combination of writing and casting. Stellar job. ?

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Belinea

Belinea

(edited)

The little child is really cute. It kind of makes me happy that she might learn that women can be fierce too without having to be Supergirl or Wonder Woman... not that there is anything wrong with them at all. Also, it is really cute how nice they are being to this sweet girl. 

But I do wonder, do they let the kids watch the show? I'd have been super scared as a kid probably. But then again, I cried during Dumbo and I was traumatised by the Fox and the Hound. I might probably still cry today. 

Edited by Belinea
leopardprint

leopardprint

47 minutes ago, bijoux said:

You know, this is the first time I'm thinking that they didn't only screw the audience over with the way they chose to tell the William story, but SA as well. One, the guy had been gunning for it for a while apparently. Two, he's so likeable with kids and they managed to completely drain him of that with the combination of writing and casting. Stellar job. ?

I think a huge issue is the age of the kid, he's a preteen as opposed to an adorable 3(?) year old or a baby like Sara (who was like the ideal of cuteness). They don't know how to write kids let alone a kid that age. How old are the kids on Stranger Things? Imagine William hanging out with them?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

tv echo

tv echo

Interview with Colin Donnell at Supanova Perth on June 24...

Vlog 5 - Supanova Comic Con & Gaming Perth 2017 - Colin Donnell
Published on Jun 24, 2017, by AccessReel

-- On how he got cast as Tommy in Arrow, CD: "Put myself on tape and that was it. I went into a casting office in New York and we put it on tape and, uh, next thing I knew, they'd sent it off. And, um - and then there was an offer. It was, like, unheard of. I couldn't believe it. Yeah. I was sort of blown away by the whole thing."

-- On Tommy's death on Arrow, CD: "I think certainly they - the way they ended up, uh, handling his departure from the show, to put it mildly, uh, was pretty great... If you want to go out, you want to go out in a big way. They really made it count... It was pretty obvious when you find out that character is still fresh in people's minds five, six years later. It's amazing to me."

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