Spoiler Discussion Thread

[MarDelSol]

I was wondering, if 3x10 is indeed relatively Malcolm heavy, how feasible is it that Malcolm actually is the one who manages to save Oliver after he falls in the fight with Ra's?

 

I know it's been speculated that SA, probably, only shot flashbacks in 310/311 but one really short scene to show Malcolm standing over Oliver at the snowy mountain or that Malcolm has Oliver in some hideout wouldn't take more than a few hours to shoot, would it? Then, they can just cut to a Barrowman close-up and that's a good enough cliffhanger for the audience on the Oliver front while the show sets him aside to accommodate the Laurel Lance and the Mystical Black Mask trilogy.

 

If Malcolm saves Oliver then Oliver might feel like he owes him, which could lead to an uneasy alliance. It could also further strengthen the hold that Malcolm has on Thea since it makes him look like he actually cares about family. I mean, Malcolm knows where Nanda Parbat is or wherever the duel is taking place so, maybe, he treks there discreetly to find out who wins, finds Oliver hanging on the cliff/fallen/injured/unconscious and takes him someplace to let him recover and convince him that the two of them must get rid of Ra's once and for all. Wasn't it teased at SDCC that Oliver and Malcolm will sort of come together in order to defeat the big bad of the season? After showing the audience that he has Oliver, Malcolm can spend all of 3x10 plotting against (and/or, possibly, flashbacking to his time with) the LOA. He might get the B-plot while the A-plot can be Diggle, Felicity, Roy, and Laurel against Brick.

 

You might be right. While they were filming in the episode 10 to 11 range, Barrowman posted a selfie with Holland on set, both in winter clothes. You can only see a little bit of the set behind them, but the buildings look old and worn as if they could be in some old mountain town or something.

 

I was thinking something similar when I first saw that pic: that Malcolm and Thea either go looking for Oliver or already know where he is and go to him. I'll go post the pic in the SPOILERS thread.

[KirkB]

It would make sense. Oliver and Malcolm both are likely to be in the Leagues crosshairs and neither of them will be able to stop Ra's on their own. Together they would at least have a chance, though Oliver might have a hard time teaming with someone he absolutely cannot trust. Malcolm is very much a stab in the back as a means to an end kind of guy. But they are still each other's best shot.

Edited December 6, 2014 by KirkB

[Morrigan2575]

I looked at that picture of Barrowman and Willa and I can't equate that to being in Nanda Parbet (Tibet). They're dressed in their city finest, more like shopping on 5th avenue then rescucing Oliver from an LoA controlled mountain village.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Morrigan2575

[tv echo]

SA is certainly doing his part to promote the episodes that he's not even going to be in (except maybe in flashbacks).  From the new TV Guide (Fan Favorites issue):

And they [Arrow fans] are in for some universally shocking twists come January 21, when the show resumes its third season and the hunt for the killer of fellow vigilante Sara Lance (aka Canary).  "The winter portion, say Episodes 10 through 13, are giving viewers this year something they have never had before," teases Amell.  "It's a really strong segment for the show."

[tv echo]

When I first saw the spoiler pics of Laurel as the Black Canary holding a black police baton, I wondered when or if they were going to squeeze in any scenes of Laurel training to use that weapon.  However, I just realized that they can easily retcon in some expertise by showing a flashback scene of child Laurel practicing with her father's police baton.

[MaddieBlu]

When I first saw the spoiler pics of Laurel as the Black Canary holding a black police baton, I wondered when or if they were going to squeeze in any scenes of Laurel training to use that weapon. However, I just realized that they can easily retcon in some expertise by showing a flashback scene of child Laurel practicing with her father's police baton.

I think you are right. It would make it more believable.

Edited December 6, 2014 by MaddieBlu

[Kymmi]

And they [Arrow fans] are in for some universally shocking twists come January 21, when the show resumes its third season and the hunt for the killer of fellow vigilante Sara Lance (aka Canary).  "The winter portion, say Episodes 10 through 13, are giving viewers this year something they have never had before," teases Amell.  "It's a really strong segment for the show."

 

Oh, Stephen.  Just because I've never had it before doesn't mean I want it.

[catrox14]

Amell is no dummy. He's going to promote his show even when he's not in it or even if he might not  like the Laurel arc.  If he didn't, IMO, he'd come off as a diva that only promoted his stuff.  So in general good for him for doing that as the Captain of his ship

[catrox14]

So is Malcolm getting a mask now too?

 

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/18041-spoilers-only/page-3#entry628648

Edited December 6, 2014 by catrox14

[foreverevolving]

So is Malcolm getting a mask now too?

 

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/18041-spoilers-only/page-3#entry628648

 

I bet Barrowman is happy. he said he hated that League outfit he had because he was claustrophobic or something to that degree. 

 

ETA: it's possible it's not even for Arrow, I think this may be for the show he's doing in Glasgow

Edited December 6, 2014 by foreverevolving

[writersblock51]

SA promoting the eps that he's barely, if at all, in is characteristic of the type of support he has for the show.  Though the 10 - 13 arc is the longest Oliver-less the show has gone before.

So he could be playing it very safe and choosing his words carefully, because he's 100% accurate: The show has never seen so many episodes without him in it before.

 

But 'strong?'  Doubtful.  I love SA but I also don't trust his judgement when it comes to his expectations for some episodes. I've learned to take his enthuasism in stride.  Some of his most favorite have turned out to be rather underwhelming for me.

 

Child Laurel using a police baton in a casual, playing around fashion - or even learning how to use it properly, under Quentin's supervision - doesn't and shouldn't automatically assume that Adult Laurel is an expert in using it now. Familiar, yes.

[statsgirl]

Quentin is such a careful parent, I can't imagine him giving his baton to a child to play with, much less wield properly.

As well, if she were able to use a police baton, wouldn't we have seen her seize something and use it baton-like in one of her fight scenes in previous seasons or in Birds of Prey?

 

I can see "something they haven't seen before" and "a really strong segment for the show" referring to Laurel donning the BC costume.  We've seen before that what is a strong segment for the show is not necessarily something that makes sense in light of the previous episodes.

[writersblock51]

Quentin is such a careful parent, I can't imagine him giving his baton to a child to play with, much less wield properly.

As well, if she were able to use a police baton, wouldn't we have seen her seize something and use it baton-like in one of her fight scenes in previous seasons or in Birds of Prey?

 

Agreed.  And I think we would haev noticed better skills from her when she attacked the awful girlfriend-beater with a bat.

[dtissagirl]

So, that spoiler we got they were casting a young Nyssa said they were looking for someone aged 9 to 12.

http://tvline.com/2014/11/17/ncis-season-12-mcgee-abby-personal-conversation-spoilers/

If Mitovich is being literal here by saying "they're casting" as in "right now at this moment the casting process is still on going" in an article posted on Nov 17, then Tiny Nyssa is most likely in episode 12 or 13. Of course, he could be taking liberties with words and for all we know, she might had wrapped by then.

But I wonder if Tiny Nyssa is on the Malcolm-focused flashbacks, or wether we're getting two episodes of LoA flashbacks to eat up time while Oliver is MIA. I'm also wondering if we're gonna get Hong Kong flashbacks PLUS a second set of flashbacks in the same episode?

[JenMcSnark]

Child Laurel using a police baton in a casual, playing around fashion - or even learning how to use it properly, under Quentin's supervision - doesn't and shouldn't automatically assume that Adult Laurel is an expert in using it now. Familiar, yes.

Apparently not too familiar.  She's holding it at the wrong end in the picture that was released.  I really wonder that TPTB would release a promo picture with such an obvious mistake. 

[KirkB]

Apparently not too familiar.  She's holding it at the wrong end in the picture that was released.  I really wonder that TPTB would release a promo picture with such an obvious mistake.

 

I believe the weapon she had in the picture was a tonfa, not a baton, and while I thought the same thing at first I looked it up. Apparently, there really is a technique for using a tonfa that way.

 

http://www-cs.canisius.edu/~cody2/Library/Database/Tonfa.htm

 

Tonfas are traditionally wielded in matched pairs, one in each hand. The starting grip for a Tonfa is to place the short handle in one's fist, with the long arm resting against the heel of one's hand and back along the bottom of the forearm. This grip provides a sort of armor or brace along one's forearms, and also provides reinforcement for elbow strikes, forearm strikes, and punches. From this position the long arm of the Tonfa can be swung out to make extended, swinging strikes. From the position of holding the long arm out, one can also make quick, powerful thrusts. Skilful Tonfa wielders will also from time to time flip the weapon over and grip it by the base of the long arm. This turns the handle into a hook or claw that can be used for powerful strikes, or to grab the opponent or his weapon.

 

Now, where the hell Laurel would get a tonfa, let alone any knowledge of how to wield one, is another matter.

[JenMcSnark]

Yeah, because to your average person (me) it just looks like she's an idiot.  Why not just have the photo with the traditional stance and then let us be wowed when she actually does that move in combat?  Oh yeah, idiots. :-) 

 

But thanks for explaining. Good to know. 

[tv echo]

I was just wondering how the EPs were going to come up with a believable way for Laurel to use that baton or tonfa this season.  We've seen zero weapons training for her so far.  If she shows up during the BC trilogy wielding that weapon expertly, that's going to be too much of a handwave.  A police baton might be more believable given her cop father, but your points all make sense (careful father, still not expert, no evidence of training in past two seasons).  A tonfa might be more accurate but where and how?  And if she's not going to wield that weapon with any degree of expertise, why show her holding it in her BC picture?

Edited December 7, 2014 by tv echo

[dtissagirl]

I completely understand everyone's points about Laurel's lack of fighting expertise, I really do. But I think I'd rather go with Suddenly Magically A Martial Artist Laurel than to watch her training. Just the thought of watching more Laurel Training Montages is putting me to sleep. Ted Grant is in 312, maybe we'll get a scene where they mention Laurel has Hermione's time turner, or something.

I'm already dreading the fact that Guggenheim said she's gonna get beat up in the field. I legit have no use whatsoever for this kind of narrative of beating up an unlikeable character to gather the audience's sympathy via pity. Ugh.

[apinknightmare]

I'd rather her just be magically good at it as well, because i don't have any desire to watch her get beat up either. I wonder what the audience reaction will be-like, how many will pity her or how many will think she's an absolute dumbass for putting herself out there when she's not able to help.

I watch this show to be entertained, and while I'd be most entertained if she hopped on a one-way train out of Starling, watching her get her ass kicked is a no for me. Is she going to suck and get better during this 3 ep arc, or is she just going to keep sucking? Does it end with her having to find another way like MG said, or does she do that in the middle of the arc, and...eh, I don't care enough to try to figure it out.

Edited December 7, 2014 by apinknightmare

[KirkB]

That's a good point, because I don't think even the people who hate Laurel want to watch her getting beaten up. While it would make no narrative sense at all, if they insist on changing the focus to Laurel and making her the Black Canary, they are better off just having her being a martial arts prodigy and get it over with. I'm not sure anyone wants to watch her being beaten down or training all the time either. Just get on with it.

[blixie]

I actually do think having a character "lose" is way to make them more rootable, but that is usually in the karmic sense, not literally getting your ass kicked. It's also useless if the character never exhibits being HUMBLED, that's my problem with Laurel, the arrogant, self-righteous bitch tone almost never goes away. NOTHING humbles her, she owns NOTHING, that's above and beyond all the ways the writers fucked her up from the start with the sister swap and instead of having her already trained and vigilante minded, and free of any toxic relationship with Oliver when we met her.

 

My issue with Insta Canary is that it shows how incapable these writers are of writing well for Laurel, I could have been sold on BC but it would have taken years it would have mean she was essentially dropped to supporting, it would have meant earning it, but they have never cared a whit about doing the work to make her likable and rootable, so yeah Insta Canary is the only option. But leave it to them to make even that band ripping excrutiating to watch. I'm still not really sure I'm gonna be able to stomach the Laurel Lance: Half Assed Canary quadrilogy.

[statsgirl]

I'm already dreading the fact that Guggenheim said she's gonna get beat up in the field. I legit have no use whatsoever for this kind of narrative of beating up an unlikeable character to gather the audience's sympathy via pity. Ugh.

I can see Guggenheim's reasoning, a lot of people are complaining that she's Insta Canary so this will show that she's really not, and get some sympathy for her for being so Brave&Strong&LovesWithAllHerHeart (Carly Corinthos reference) but I wonder if it's going to backfire on them.  Like others, I don't want to see her being beaten up, even if she is a fictional character, I just don't want to see her.

 

I think seeing Oliver beaten up and growing stronger worked because 1. it took place over a longer time period, heck it's still taking place; 2. because there was already quite a bit of sympathy for Oliver that developed within the first few episodes of the show so that when he felt pain, viewers felt it too (unlike for Laurel with whom I feel no connection), and 3. because people weren't on overload from the (wo)manpain already.  Because for me, between Oliver's pain and Sara's pain and Quentin's pain, not to mention Dinah's and Moira's and Malcolm's,  I'm all pained out, and the last thing I need is to connect with yet another character through their pain,.

[looptab]

Also, Oliver had no choice. He found himself facing extraordinary dangers in extraordinary circumstances. He had to find a way to survive. The same applies to Sara. They didn't purposefully go looking for trouble. Even Roy has more reasons and credibility to do what he does than she ever will.

[dtissagirl]

The problem, imo, is that they're having their cake and eating it too. Peoples of the internets are complaining about InstaCanary, so she's gonna get beat up once or twice before she gets it right, and they can say, "see? She got punched in the face that time, it wasn't instant!" Sara is only showing up on 313, so, is Laurel gonna suck for 3 episodes and then stop sucking? She'll most likely get a new lesson from Ted Grant in 312, then a pep talk from the Sara in her head in 313 and then be good at it in the spam of a few months at best.

Which is totally very very instant, so, you know. She's becoming Black Canary because comics, stop pretending it isn't and do it like the comics and speed it up to the part where I DON'T have to watch a woman make poor life choices and get brutalized for it. Again. Ugh.

[JenMcSnark]

I agree that I do not want to watch Laurel get beaten up, but I also can't help but scoff at the Insta-Canary.  I mean, they should have had her be so fucking angry after Sarah's death that she removed herself from the situation to go train with some samurai.  Like an intensive boot camp or something.  

 

Any semi-sane person who so desperately wanted to be the instrument of revenge for her little sister would have had a real "Aha!" moment when Oliver took the bullets out of that gun.  

 

"Aha!  I need some real training if I'm going to be able to hang against someone who took out my incredibly awesome assassin sister!  I better go get a real crash course in this assassin bullshit."

 

I still wouldn't buy her being any sort of martial arts expert, but I could at least hand wave it a little easier and be grateful they didn't waste too much time on her boring story.   

[dtissagirl]

I think they've refrained from having Laurel in a full on spiral of rage and REVENGE!!! because they realize they've already wrote that story *exactly* like that with Helena. They're kind of out of narrative hooks for Laurel because they delayed her hero arc for so long that they've already gave away all the stuff that could have be written for her to other characters. Helena got revenge, Roy got superpowers, Sara got the LoA backstory and training. They're hilariously trapped by their own wishy-washiness.

[catrox14]

I guess to me if one is planning to get into the vigilante game be they male or female, one better be be prepared for at least one ass kicking. Oliver got his ass handed to him twice by Malcolm. Oliver mad mistakes early on his vigilantism and paid for it, so to me Laurel should not get special snowflake treatment especially when she is actively seeking that lifestyle.

[Danny Franks]

The problem, imo, is that they're having their cake and eating it too. Peoples of the internets are complaining about InstaCanary, so she's gonna get beat up once or twice before she gets it right, and they can say, "see? She got punched in the face that time, it wasn't instant!" Sara is only showing up on 313, so, is Laurel gonna suck for 3 episodes and then stop sucking? She'll most likely get a new lesson from Ted Grant in 312, then a pep talk from the Sara in her head in 313 and then be good at it in the spam of a few months at best.

Which is totally very very instant, so, you know. She's becoming Black Canary because comics, stop pretending it isn't and do it like the comics and speed it up to the part where I DON'T have to watch a woman make poor life choices and get brutalized for it. Again. Ugh.

 

I think that, if people are complaining about either InstaCanary or beaten-up-and-crap Canary, then it's because they don't want this Canary at all.

 

They had the chance to cut their losses, but doubled down instead. Everything from this point on is deserved, in terms of criticism. They have to know that the reception this character has had went from lukewarm to negative to hateful, and all their attempts to fix her appear to have just made her worse. What they hope to achieve with this Canary arc is beyond me, because I think removing her from the show is the only way to fix that portion of the narrative. The crossover is the only episode of the show I've watched this season, and Laurel's brief appearance was really her, in all her spiteful, irritating glory. Who thinks that character will ever be a sympathetic protagonist?

[apinknightmare]

I guess to me if one is planning to get into the vigilante game be they male or female, one better be be prepared for at least one ass kicking. Oliver got his ass handed to him twice by Malcolm. Oliver mad mistakes early on his vigilantism and paid for it, so to me Laurel should not get special snowflake treatment especially when she is actively seeking that lifestyle.

 

It's not that I don't think she should/would take her lumps, it's that I don't want to watch it. It's one thing when you're fighting a formidable opponent and get your ass kicked, it's another to go out and try to be a vigilante and be bad at it (which is what MG is suggesting is going to happen with Laurel). I wouldn't mind her getting bested by someone who was better than her in a fair fight. I don't want to watch random villains beat the hell out of her because she's just not ready for the job yet - which seems to be the direction they're going in.

[catrox14]

I guess to me that is not problematic because Laurel is not trained at this and if she puts her toe in the water of criminals and villains without proper training  she is bound to get beaten at least once. 

[statsgirl]

I think that's the feeling that MG is counting on, that she's not trained, she's going to get beaten up, and then she's going to train harder so that by 3x13, we'll be willing to accept her as the Black Canary rather than Insta Canary and we'll handwave the problems so that she'll be an equal member of Team Arrow by 3x14.

 

But it's still too fast for me, and I don't want to see her getting beaten up at all.  As pretty as the makeup is all purple and yellow and green, I don't enjoy anyone on the Team Arrow side being beaten up but at least when the fighting is good (like with Oliver or Sara), it looks pretty.

[JenMcSnark]

I think that's the feeling that MG is counting on, that she's not trained, she's going to get beaten up, and then she's going to train harder so that by 3x13, we'll be willing to accept her as the Black Canary rather than Insta Canary and we'll handwave the problems so that she'll be an equal member of Team Arrow by 3x14.

 

But it's still too fast for me, and I don't want to see her getting beaten up at all.  As pretty as the makeup is all purple and yellow and green, I don't enjoy anyone on the Team Arrow side being beaten up but at least when the fighting is good (like with Oliver or Sara), it looks pretty.

I just threw up in my mouth a little. 

[apinknightmare]

I guess to me that is not problematic because Laurel is not trained at this and if she puts her toe in the water of criminals and villains without proper training she is bound to get beaten at least once.

I don't think it's problematic, I'm just not at all interested in watching it.

[Sunshine]

Are we actually going to SEE Laurel get beat up or is it going to be implied?  When Roy failed at protecting Thea it was played more for comedy (I laughed anyway). Roy does a flip and Nyssa shoots him with a dart.  When Cupid took him down all we saw was Roy on the floor.  I will be surprised if the aftermath is not all we see.   

[dtissagirl]

Are we actually going to SEE Laurel get beat up or is it going to be implied?  When Roy failed at protecting Thea it was played more for comedy (I laughed anyway). Roy does a flip and Nyssa shoots him with a dart.  When Cupid took him down all we saw was Roy on the floor.  I will be surprised if the aftermath is not all we see.

Guggenheim says "every time she goes out in the field she'll come back with a bunch of injuries" in this video: http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/11/25/arrow-producer-talks-black-canary-the-atom-and-ras-al-ghul

Hopefully they'll skip the actual beating down scenes and just show her nursing the injuries? That would be my preference.

[apinknightmare]

Guggenheim says "every time she goes out in the field she'll come back with a bunch of injuries" in this video: http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/11/25/arrow-producer-talks-black-canary-the-atom-and-ras-al-ghul

Hopefully they'll skip the actual beating down scenes and just show her nursing the injuries? That would be my preference.

 

Mine too. 

[loki567]

It's hard to get excited about it all when Laurel has failed at everything in the past three seasons. I'm serious. That's not an exaggeration. As a sister, daughter, girlfriend, legal aid attorney, district attorney. Now I'm suppose to feel for her because she take some bumps learning to be a vigilante? 

 

What Laurel really needs is some positive, lighthearted character development. The writers seemed convinced that only reason we don't like Laurel is because she's not the Canary and she's not a party of Team Arrow. I think most fans don't like Laurel because THEY DON'T LIKE LAUREL. She's presented as a humorless jerk and there's no way to really root for her, as a lawyer or a superhero.

 

Even if the writers felt it was absolutely necessary to have Laurel as BC and killing Sara was necessary to facilitate that, they still should have waited into later into the season. Should have given us some nice Lance family scenes, maybe a funny girls' night out with Sara and Felicity, SOMETHING to give us likable Laurel moments. 

[manbearpig]

Are we actually going to SEE Laurel get beat up or is it going to be implied?  When Roy failed at protecting Thea it was played more for comedy (I laughed anyway). Roy does a flip and Nyssa shoots him with a dart.  When Cupid took him down all we saw was Roy on the floor.  I will be surprised if the aftermath is not all we see.   

 

Had to like this post because the visual of Roy doing that flip and Nyssa barely reacting and shooting him with a dart still kills me.

[ban1o]

According to Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim, Matt Nable's Ra's Al Ghul will completely change the landscape of the show. "What's really cool about Ra's coming to the fore is [that] his presence changes the show. Literally, the show will not be the same after [s03E09-The Climb]." There's much more from Guggenheim in the video above. He also crypticaly teases  that the motivation for Ra's actions share a similarity with Malcolm Merlyn's (John Barrowman) reasoning behind wanting to sink The Glades - apparently both Malcolm and Ra's are motivated by death. Fans of Batman Begins will recall that Christopher Nolan's take on Ra's also had the character motivated by death. Perhaps Arrow is borrowing from that particular film's playbook again?

 

Some words from Guggenheim on Ra's Al Guhl on Arrow. Link will be posted on spoilers. I'm curious what he means that Ra's is motivated by death. Surely not Sara's death right? He didn't seem to care about Sara at all lol.

[catrox14]

It's not that big of a deal that nothing will be the same after Ra's al Ghul, per MG. Everytime they've brought in a new character they say something like this.  What I fear is that it will change for the worse...sigh

Edited December 7, 2014 by catrox14

[Morrigan2575]

The really need to find new buzz words. They've over used the whole game changer and change the face of the show forever. They used it when Laurel was told about Oliver, they used it for the crossover, and now for 309.

Can't they higher a PR person to come up with buzz words or I don't know, invest in a thesaurus?

[statsgirl]

Using words like "game-changer" and "nothing will be the same again" really depends on how the audience reacts to them.  Nothing was the same after Sara's death and I kind of hate it, I want the old show back.  I've lost my faith in their show-running.

 

 

Some words from Guggenheim on Ra's Al Guhl on Arrow. Link will be posted on spoilers. I'm curious what he means that Ra's is motivated by death. Surely not Sara's death right? He didn't seem to care about Sara at all lol.

 I got the impression from the interview that like Malcolm, Ra's sees death as a tool for accomplishing what he thinks needs to be done, not that he's motivated by Sara's death.

[TwistedandBored]

Why is everyone else but Diggle getting a mask and a superhero suit? If anyone deserves a mask and a code name to protect his identity and the people he cares about it should be Diggle with his new baby girl. Come Arrow writers, make it happen!

[ban1o]

 

 

 

 I got the impression from the interview that like Malcolm, Ra's sees death as a tool for accomplishing what he thinks needs to be done, not that he's motivated by Sara's death.

Ah I was thinking how Malcolm was motivated by his wife's death t destroy the Glades and Ra's wuill be motivated by someone's death to do whatever he does. Ah but that interpration makes more sense.

[Sunshine]

Why is everyone else but Diggle getting a mask and a superhero suit? If anyone deserves a mask and a code name to protect his identity and the people he cares about it should be Diggle with his new baby girl. Come Arrow writers, make it happen!

According to SA it's because Diggle's "island" was when he was in the military.  You only get a costume if you go through an on-screen island.  (I think that was one of his answers in the his last q&a).

[calliope1975]

According to SA it's because Diggle's "island" was when he was in the military.  You only get a costume if you go through an on-screen island.  (I think that was one of his answers in the his last q&a).

 

What? That's a stupid answer. Especially since several of the villains have had their own costumes. If TPTB don't want to give Digg one, fine, but come up with a better answer, and don't be surprised that the audience questions why they let this guy continually expose his identity to a host of bad guys. 

[TwistedandBored]

According to SA it's because Diggle's "island" was when he was in the military.  You only get a costume if you go through an on-screen island.  (I think that was one of his answers in the his last q&a).

That doesn't even make sense really. Anyways, saw some of Diggle's island in the SS episode just like we saw some of everyone else Island. In that case, Diggle should get a mask and a code name. 

[catrox14]

Well now, Stephen, I would counter argue that we haven't really seen Laurel's island either...not at least that I can discern. But that might be because I don't really consider Laurel's life experiences to be on par with Oliver or Sara. I still have a bit of trouble with Roy and what his island was either.  

[statsgirl]

Laurel's had so many islands by this point it could be considered an archipelago.

 

Could you say Roy's island was the mirakuru?  Or his upbringing in the Glades with the druggie single mother.

 

I'd rather Diggle not get a costume because he's not a superhero, just a hero.  I agree his identity needs to be hidden but I'm not as impressed by the shiny new outfits as the writers are.  Mostly I worry they're going to minimize anyone who doesn't have a costume.