Season 5 Spoiler Archive

[tv echo]

Spoilery - includes large portion of Aug. 27th Arrow panel with DR, WH and AG...

Heroes and Villains Fan Fest San Jose Video #1
Published on Aug 28, 2016, by steven alvarez

-- DR said that he got to wear his new Diggle mask "for the first time yesterday on set. I peed a little... You can finally see Diggle." It was originally supposed to be a Star Labs creation, but he thinks it's now a collaboration between Curtis and Star Labs. DR: "And it can do stuff, man... There's a digital readout. You can see things and maybe see through walls and stuff. And it also gives massages - it's awesome... I don't know if it has x-ray vision... That was a joke. It can do a lot of things, the producers told me.  I know that it can see far away, it has a binocular quality, but I don't know if it can see through walls." 

-- Per DR, we won't see much of Diggle at first because he's not with the team. He's in Chechnya, but we'll see the helmet later on. 

-- Per WH, we'll see a lot more of Thea in her civvies. She starts to find her own, helping Oliver in the Mayor's office, and she likes it.  

-- Per AG, she doesn't know if or when Cupid will turn up on Arrow again.

-- DR said that they couldn't do Suicide Squad on Arrow again because of the Suicide Squad movie.

-- DR said that he returns to find a new Arrow team and "he's going to have something to say about that." He's going to have feelings about "getting these new recruits back out into the field... how he feels about Canary, when she was in the field. So he's going to have strong opinions about it."  The way he comes back is "very interesting" and the story of how he comes back is "very very good." Episode 4 is "a very big episode in terms of how Diggle comes back to the team."  He's glad to be back, but it's a whole new team.

-- Audience member asked DR to play two truths and one lie.  DR said that he's terrible at playing this game.  Then, after a long wait while he consulted with WH, he said: "Oliver and Felicity are together at the beginning of the season... Second one would be that Malcolm is now part of Team Arrow... Third one would be that the Lazarus Pit is not destroyed."

-- AG talked about shooting Oliver & Felicity's wedding and how it went to an emotional place that they didn't expect, and both she and EBR ended up crying at the end.

-- Regarding the 4-shows crossover, WH said that they're going to have to shoot four hours of television within the same 8 days that they normally shoot one show's episode.

-- DR, WH and AG each did the 22-push ups challenge.

-- DR is "really happy" that the show is getting back to the "street level stuff" of Seasons 1 and 2.

-- Per WH, when the writers know that the actors are coming into the writers room (and they always get advance notice), they put fake stuff on the story board.

-- DR said that Flashpoint affects some things.

-- DR explained his "philosophy."  He thinks the DC movies are following Injustice League, while their tv shows are following Flashpoint. He said that he went to DC and played the new Injustice game. Then he stopped himself because he thought he was talking too much.

Edited August 30, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Spoilery (of course), but mostly summarizing stuff we already know about S5...

Top 10 Reasons to Be Excited for ‘Arrow’ Season Five
3 DAYS AGO   Nora Dominick ‘17/ 
http://emertainmentmonthly.com/index.php/top-10-reasons-to-be-excited-for-arrow-season-five/

Quote

The only downfall for the crossover out of the gate? It coinciding with Arrow’s 100th episode. As a fan of Arrow since season one, my hopes for the milestone were an all Arrow episode. Hopefully complete with a massive stunt sequence, a lot of Original Team Arrow, and maybe some reappearances by past cast members (looking at you Colin Donnell). While the crossover will be fun, I wish Arrow could stand alone for the 100th episode.
*  *  *
It was the ship heard around the TV universe last season. Oliver and Felicity finally got together after three seasons and fans couldn’t have been happier. Season four of Arrow had “Olicity” in every situation possible. From living together in the suburbs, to getting engaged, to Felicity being paralyzed, to Oliver finding out he has a son, to lying about it, to the fateful end of the relationship, “Olicity” went through it all. Now with season five on the horizon, the fan-favorite couple seems to be back to square one.
*  *  *
Amell and Rickards are the heart of the show, but by having them have separate storyline the characters, individually, will soar as well as the actors. Let’s see Amell totally crush a mayoral speech. I want to learn more about Felicity’s life outside Team Arrow. Let’s see Rickards and Kellum grow their on-screen friendship. I want to watch Oliver fight for Diggle to return. All of these storylines will allow Oliver and Felicity to grow individually, but will also bring them closer together.
*  *  *
One of the contributing factors to Arrow’s somewhat sloppy seasons I think has been the introduction of magic and crossovers. The show thrived in the early seasons when it simply featured amazing stunts and lovable characters. Amell would amaze week after week with epic stunt sequences, Rickards allowed fans to fall in love with a complex female character and Ramsey brought a stoic portrayal of John Diggle to life. There were no metahumans running around, magic wasn’t a necessary plot point and the flashbacks held meaning to the overarching storyline.

10. Crossovers/The 100th Episode
9. Return of Quentin Lance
8. Mayor Oliver Queen
7. New Characters
6. Thea’s New Role
5. Army Diggle
4. Felicity and Oliver Rebuilding
3. New Team Arrow
2. Flashbacks
1. Back to Basics

Edited August 29, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Includes spoilery clips from SA panel starting at around the 8:50 mark...

Heroes & Villains Fan Fest 2016: San Jose
Published on Aug 29, 2016, by swtjazzybellz

-- SA: "There will be an opportunity this year to see a version of Oliver where he is not, uh, committed to the idea of being the Green Arrow... (Audience goes "oooh!") Oh shut up, you're going to love it. It's a really good idea. It's a really good idea. Maybe. But uh, yeah. I would love an Oliver who's way more relaxed. Remember that episode of Breaking Bad where Aaron Paul and, uh, Bryan Cranston were just in the lab and there was a bee - or a bug or a something -  it's a fly? Thanks, Encore. That's my buddy Encore. Um, yeah. It would be really cool for Arrow to have an episode like that - like a departure. But we're going to have that opportunity this year, I think."

-- SA: "I would really like the idea of Oliver meeting Supergirl, but then Barry telling me before I see her powers that she's an alien... and then Oliver just going 'huuh' (sighs heavily, closes eyes and shakes head slowly)... 'o-kay.'"

-- SA: "I will say that Cody Rhodes really reinvigorated me about the joy of being on set because this was his first professional acting job, aside from sports entertainment, which is, you know, theater in some way. But it was his first television job. He showed up early. He spent full days on set behind the monitors, just watching what we were doing, asking questions, trying to be at his best. He was such an honor and a pleasure to have on Arrow. I hope we get to have him back. And I think that everyone is going to love his episode."

-- SA: "The suit changes in Season 5. That's a good question. Uh, we added sleeves back onto the suit for a variety of reasons. Um, one of the reasons will be explained on the show. But one of the other reasons was that, I'm not a method actor by any means. Um, but I do like to embody my character a little bit. And when you're the Arrow and you're 'uhhg, Arrow' (using deep, growly voice and raising fist), uh, it's a little bit tough when after every take, when you're filming on a rooftop at 3 o' clock in the morning in November, you go, 'can I have my puffy coat please?' I don't want that... I want to, like, really embody the character. So that was one of many reasons why we added sleeves back onto the suit for this year... And also, it's a nice, um, nod to the character you see in Legends, Oliver in 2046."

-- SA: "I never do a crossover with Grant. He does crossovers with me. I was first. (Audience cheers and claps) ... Truthfully, though, I really do enjoy going to The Flash set. It's got a different feel. It's got a different vibe. It has a lot of people from Arrow in the Arrow crew that we worked with in Season 1 and Season 2."  Also SA: "And I feel like any time that Barry and Oliver get a chance to interact in any way, shape or form, it's always fun. It always feels very meaningful. And Grant's a great actor."

-- SA: "We're filming Episode 97 right now."

Edited August 30, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Includes full Sunday Arrow panel with CR, PB, KC and CD (I only transcribed portions of panel below)...

Heroes and Villains Fan Fest San Jose Video #5
Published on Aug 31, 2016, by steven alvarez

-- On the emotional toll of exiting the show, KC: "It sucks. Um, you know, it's television and especially with this - with this world that we're - you know, our universe, anything can happen and, um, it was definitely [unintelligible word] season but that was really hard, sad, but you never know what can happen."  PB: "Is anybody really dead on Arrow?"  KC: "I know, I'm not sure."  PB: "I think that's the question we should ask." CD: "Yes, they are, actually."  PB: "Oh yeah, sorry."  KC: "Well, at least Laurel and Tommy can be in heaven together."  CD: "That's right."  PB: "There you go, flashbacks."  CD: "What's really, I think, very satisfying for us that have played these characters that are no longer there is to come to things like this and see on social media how, uh, attached the fans are to those characters... I mean, c'mon, Arrow's going into its 5th season now and - which is amazing, thanks to you guys - the fact that, uh, y'all are still talking about a character that was only there for one season is amazing to me, and it's really cool."

-- On whether Laurel is going to be resurrected, KC: "It would be awesome. I don't know. What do you think, Paul?"  PB: "Anything can happen. Let me say it, anything can happen... I hope it happens."  KC: "Me too."

-- On whether Laurel's Earth-2 doppelganger, Black Siren, is going to return to appear on Arrow, KC: "I don't know, bud. Maybe. Anything can happen."

-- On whether they would want a musical Arrow episode, both KC and PB said "No." CD admitted that he has been known to sing on occasion.

-- When audience member said to KC "I just want to say, Katie, I love you as Black Canary and we all want you back," there was some audience applause but not as much as I expected.

-- On whether Quentin will develop more of a father/daughter dynamic with Felicity in S5 (since Laurel's dead and Sara's off gallivanting through time), PB: "Lance is just sitting in a corner drinking coffee basically. That's all he's doing. Um, that would be - no, there's a funny little moment, actually, that we had, Emily and I, with regard to that - and I don't know if you can talk about it because of all that spoiler stuff, you know. But it's a great moment coming up and you might not notice it, but there's a little moment between the two of them regarding that. But, um, oh actually I have been working with - a lot this season - which has been interesting - has been Willa. There's a quite curious - because I don't think we ever said a word to each other for like four years. And suddenly you're reading the script and it says 'Thea and Lance talking to each other.'  I was like, 'oh, I wondered who she was.' So um, we've had some, uh, some really nice scenes. So if anything, there might be a little bit of that going on."

-- On whether Laurel was killed off because Black Canary is going to appear in the DC movie universe in a possible Birds of Prey movie, KC: "I don't know... I have no idea."

-- On two truths and a lie for S5, KC: "I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead."  CD: "I'm dead, I'm dead -" KC: "I'm alive?" CD: "I'm alive."

-- PB: "There was an interesting scene the other day between myself and Willa and [Josh] Segarra... It was a very interesting scene. About halfway through I realized that everybody's telling lies - everything that everybody was saying to each other was a lie, from the character's point of view. And it was actually a brilliant scene because it was just - the whole thing was a lie. So that's a truth about a scene full of lies. In Season 5."

-- On how their characters would react to meeting their Earth-2 doppelgangers, CD: "Tommy would love to meet Earth-2 Tommy. I would love to meet Earth-2 Tommy."  KC said that she would love to see a fight between Black Siren & Black Canary. 

-- On how long their characters would last on Walking Dead, CD: "Tommy would be dead in a second. He's the first one to eat."  PB: "I've never seen The Walking Dead." CR: "I think Donna would kill one or two with her stiletto and then be taken out, probably." KC: "Oh, Laurel would put up a good fight. She'd be down for that."

Edited September 1, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Spoilery tidbits from Saturday's SA/DR panel at Salt Lake City Comic Con (not full panel)- this is the video clip that SA posted on his facebook page yesterday...

Arrow Season 5 | Stephen Amell & David Ramsey | Live from Salt Lake Comic Con 2016

-- On how Oliver has changed from S1 to S5 and if he changed for better or worse, SA: "I think that he changed the way that people change in life, which is that you add certain good qualities and you pick up certain bad qualities. One of the things I really enjoy about Season 5 is that, in the flashbacks, I'm playing a version of Oliver that is remarkably close to the version of me in Season 1. And it's been fun to go back to him. Meanwhile, they've been joking in the writers' room and talking with EPs that amongst the group, the team as it were, Oliver at the moment is sort of the optimist. So I'm happy where he is right now. I think he's in a good spot."

-- DR demonstrated Diggle's possible reaction to Supergirl.

-- DR and SA talked about JB's antics on set. SA: "Not that he hasn't been on the show."

Edited September 4, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Full SA panel from Aug. 28 at HVFF-San Jose - transcribed only spoilerish info (plus a few nonspoilerish bits)...

Heroes and Villains Fan Fest San Jose Video #6
Published on Sep 4, 2016, by steven alvarez

-- On whether Oliver & Felicity ever had the kid talk, SA: "Nope. Probably. I don't know. Good question. The show probably needs kids at some point. You should pay attention to Season 5. Not the way you think. Except maybe."

-- On the relationship between Oliver & Felicity, SA: "The relationship between Oliver and Felicity in Season 5 is very much a partnership. They are the two remaining members of Team Arrow. And they are trying to manage what they managed before, except that we had a big team."

-- SA: "The Earth-2 version of Oliver would be super relaxed. He'd hang out. We'd do an entire episode where on an early Saturday morning, he, like, went and got his hair cut. Took a nap... I don't know if he'd go to Home Depot. I don't know if there'd be enough time... Um, I do think there will be an opportunity this year to see a version of Oliver where he is not, um, committed to the idea of being the Green Arrow. (Audience goes "oooh!") Oh shut up, you're going to love it. It's a really good idea. It's a really good idea. Maybe. But uh, yeah. I would love an Oliver that's way more relaxed. Remember that episode of Breaking Bad where Aaron Paul and, uh, Bryan Cranston were just in the lab and there was a bee - or a bug or a something -  it's a fly? Thanks, Encore. That's my buddy Encore. Um, yeah. It would be really cool for Arrow to have an episode like that - like a departure. But we're going to have that opportunity this year, I think." 

-- On what characters would he like to see join Team Arrow that we haven't seen yet, SA: "In my dream scenario, the two new members of Team Arrow are the Huntress and Deathstroke.

-- On his favorite scene to film with EBR, SA: "Well, I'm probably always going to be partial to our first scene together, because that was our first scene together. You know, that was the first time that I met her. We sat in a conference room in an office building in the CBC in Vancouver, and got to chat and get to know each other, and then film a scene. So I'm always going to be partial to that scene."

-- On whether he thinks anyone in Star City believes the Green Arrow is not the Arrow and, if they do, how do they feel about the Arrow versus the Hood, SA: "I think that, uh, Season 5 will bring a lot of things full circle. And one of the things it will probably bring full circle is the whole idea of the Arrow, the Green Arrow, the Hood, the Vigilante, the Hood guy - whatever else Paul Blackthorne called me."  On whether there'll be a Green Arrow 2, SA: "No, no, no... the Green Arrow is the Green Arrow. That's the end point. It can't be the Green ARROW. He's the Green Arrow. Yeah."

-- SA: "One of the things that's exciting about Season 5 is that the show was originally conceived as a five-year idea with the flashbacks and, you know, I certainly think that we're going to have a sixth season. But, um - but at the same time, we're going to close up a lot of points within our fifth season that are very exciting to me right now."

-- On whether we'll see the return of the boxing glove arrow, SA: "Hopefully... Like, hopefully, it's not just the return of the boxing glove arrow, but maybe there can just be a boxing glove sticking out of my quiver. I mean, if we're not going to have fun with the boxing glove arrow, then why the f**k are we making the show?"

-- SA: "Flashpoint, uh, does affect Season 5 of Arrow. In, um, a subtle way at the beginning and maybe more at the end. And you'll get it. Um, episodes 3, 4, 5-ish."

-- SA: "I'm signed through seven seasons of Arrow."

-- SA: "Oh, by the way, Oliver has to be a billionaire again soon, okay? This is bullsh*t... which is an actual sentence I said to an EP recently. I said, 'this is bullsh*t, stop it.' He's supposed to be a billionaire. Billionaires are cool."

-- SA: "The suit changes in Season 5. That's a good question. Uh, we added sleeves back onto the suit for a variety of reasons. Um, one of the reasons will be explained on the show. But one of the other reasons was that, I'm not a method actor by any means. Um, but I do like to embody my character a little bit. And when you're the Arrow and you're 'uhhg, Arrow' (using deep, growly voice and raising fist), uh, it's a little bit tough when after every take, when you're fiming on a rooftop at 3 o' clock in the morning in November, you go, 'can I have my puffy coat please?' I don't want that... I want to, like, really embody the character. So that was one of many reasons why we added sleeves back onto the suit for this year... And also, it's a nice, um, nod to the character you see in Legends, Oliver in 2046."  Also SA: "The new suit has a little more black in it, on the arms. Uh, I like the new suit. The new suit looks badass on screen, which is really cool." 

-- On whether Oliver and Nyssa will ever get a divorce, SA: "No, probably not... Cause - because. No, I think they probably won't get a divorce because they don't, like - maybe Oliver doesn't recognize, you know, the League of Assassins as a binding legal force. (laughs) I don't have a better answer."

-- On which of Felicity, Laurel or Sara would he have a romantic relationship with in real life, SA: "C'mon, man. Uh, pass. I mean, they're all really good friends of mine - some more than others."

-- On whether they'll ever return to the kid storyline, SA: "You know what, that's a very important storyline to me. The storyline of, uh, Oliver's son is incredibly important to me. Uh, it's one of my favorite storylines for Oliver and, uh, it is not lost and it will not be forgotten. And that's it."

-- SA: "I read the script for Episode 7, which is called Vigilante. Breaking news."

-- On whether he knows the whole story of the flashbacks or whether he learns each episode, SA: "Yeah, I... know the rough trajectory of each season and the entire story. Um, and I would say that the flashbacks this year feel really cool, because we have to get to an endpoint now. So they're moving very fast, and Oliver's position in the - Oliver being in Russia is, uh - shoot! - is pretty good. I like it a lot."

Edited September 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

On Diggle's new helmet...

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by tv echo

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Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

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Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

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SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part 1 of 15:

S5 Intro, Episode Order and Diversity
-- Per SA, the intro to S5 will be different this year. (HVFF-NY, Jul. 2, 2016: AllThings_Arrow tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 12, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Hey folks, just to clarify: we are definitely doing 23 episodes again of #Arrow this year; same with #TheFlash. Honest mistake during TCA." (briforsul tweet, page 1117 of Spoiler Discussion thread and page 461 of Social Media thread)
-- Per GB and MG, 50% of the directors on Arrow this season will be female or non-white. (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: TVGuide tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread, Polygon article, page 42 of Spoilers thread and page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread, and IndieWire article, page 195 of Mind Your Surroundings thread; and Sep. 7, 2016 Vulture article, page 195 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

S5 Synopses
-- The CW's S5 synopsis (from May): “After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the North China Sea. He returned home to Star City, bent on righting the wrongs done by his family and fighting injustice. As the Green Arrow, he protects his city with the help of former soldier John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer-science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), his vigilante-trained sister Thea Queen (Willa Holland), former police captain Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), and brilliant inventor Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum). But sinister players with a connection to Oliver’s past will push the team to its breaking point, threatening everything Oliver’s worked for and his legacy as the Green Arrow." (May 19, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 37 of Spoilers thread)
--  SDCC: Arrow panel description (from July): "Now, as the show takes aim on season 5, Oliver will set out to save his city from a new threat-one that he personally created-as both the newly appointed mayor of Star City and as the Green Arrow." (SDCC Unofficial Blog tweet/article, page 427 of Social Media thread, and SDCC 2016 Saturday programming schedule, page 440 of Social Media thread)
-- The CW's S5 synopsis (from August): "After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the North China Sea. Oliver returned home to Star City, bent on righting the wrongs of his family and fighting injustice. As the Green Arrow, he protects his city with the help of former soldier John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), his vigilante-trained sister Thea Queen (Willa Holland), former police captain Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and brilliant inventor Curtis Holt (Echo Vellum). ... Newly appointed Mayor Oliver Queen finds himself challenged as he fights on two fronts for the future of Star City. With Diggle back in the military and Thea adamant about hanging up her hood as Speedy, Team Green Arrow is down to just Oliver and Felicity – but they’re no longer the only vigilantes in town. Green Arrow’s public defeat of Damien Darhk at the end of Season Four has inspired a new crop of masked heroes to step up and defend the city, though their painful inexperience makes them obstacles, rather than allies, in the field. The arrival of a deadly new adversary will force Oliver to confront questions about his own legacy, both as mayor and as the Green Arrow." (The CW's press tour info for 2016 Summer TCA at cbspressexpress.com, page 42 of Spoilers thread and page 459 of Social Media thread)

S5 Theme of Legacy
-- WM: "The theme of this year is definitely legacy. And it's really going to revolve around Oliver going back to his roots, as we've talked about, and also answering that question of - he got into this because he wanted to right his father's wrongs. He's going to evaluating, has he done that? And how - what is the best way to do that? Is it as the Mayor? Is it as Green Arrow? And while he's struggling with those questions, everyone else will also be similarly be thinking about their legacies - Felicity, Diggle, everybody, will be having that same head space of - you know, this is a hard life they've chosen, do they want to keep doing this? And when they do, is that - what kind of legacy to leave behind for themselves, their memory and their families?" (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Well, the theme of the season is legacy, and for everybody, across the board, but especially Oliver. He’s looking back at, 'Okay, I’ve been here for four years. I’ve been trying to fix the city. Have I succeeded, or have I not?' And now, he’s working as the mayor and still working as a vigilante, which are two full-time jobs. He’s gotta figure out what’s really going to be his legacy and how he’s going to honor what he set out to do, which is right his father’s wrongs. And then, Thea will be doing the same thing from her position in the mayor’s office, and also grappling, personally, with if she’s like her mother, at the end of the day, and whether she’s more Merlyn or more Queen. Felicity will be dealing with the fall-out of Havenrock. She ultimately was responsible for the deaths of 20,000 people last year. We went big. A nuclear bomb went off. So, she’s dealing with that. And Diggle killed his brother. How do you come back from that and regain your moral center? He understands that he had to do what he did, but it doesn’t make it any easier that, at some point, you’ll have to tell your own child, 'Hey, I kind of killed your uncle. Sorry.'  It’s a little dark." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Felicity's] asking herself the same question that every other character on the show is this year, which is about legacy... I think it'll become, if she wants to go back to Palmer Tech. and try to fight for that, if that's what she thinks her legacy should be, then she certainly will." (Jul. 29, 2016 Zap2It article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “[Thea], like Oliver, is trying to figure out her legacy through City Hall." (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "[Season 5] deals with legacy, it deals with the past, and the dramatic irony, the dramatic tension, that we get from it is Oliver's always been a guy -- admittedly, not the most self aware dude ever -- but he's always been someone who is trying to move forward. He's always trying to evolve... The challenge for Oliver this year is how do you evolve and move forward when the past keeps grabbing at you, trying to pull you back." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the mysterious guy at the end of the SDCC S5 trailer, MG: "[H]e's our Big Bad for the year. We call him Prometheus... But the new character is someone who fits into the theme of legacy this year that is going to be driving all of our characters, quite frankly, including the Big Bad. So he is pretty badass and mean." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and TVLine and Comicbook articles on Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, in response to request for one word to describe 501, SA: "Legacy." (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  2 of 15:

Back to Basics With Crime and Corruption
-- WM: "Absolutely [we're going back-to-basics]... One of the things we talk about a lot is that Season five is an answer to Season one. So a lot of the questions that came out to Oliver out of the gate, about his father, about restoring the city's greatness, all of those things are going to be explored, and hopefully - not fully settled, but definitely bookended in season five. It also means we'll be going back to basics in terms of who the bad guys are. We'll be doing more close-ended stories, more villains of the week, and a lot of the criminals will be coming out of criminal underworld Mafia and Bratva organizations." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 26, 2016 Comicbook article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "It's not going to be - we're not going to have any sort of terrorist attacks or anything happening this season. But as a result of what happened with Damian Darhk and the general decline of Star City, we're going to have criminals, there's going to be a huge... mob element. And this is all in the spirit of going back to the basics of kind of like - little bit like answering to season 1. More kinda villains of the week. More kinda hand-to-hand, a little bit - going back to like gritty, crime-of-the-week type of things. And Oliver will be a big part of that. We're also going to have a lot of vigilantes who are inexperienced and inspired by the Green Arrow killing Damien Darhk. And they're going to be popping up all over the city, and that's actually going to become more of a problem than a help." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[T]he current storyline will see the Russian Mafia making trouble for a wave of self-appointed vigilantes running amok in Star City. (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "There will be more standalone episodes this season. Um, and I think that we'll be - we are looking to kind of go deeper into the bench of villains from the DC Universe, and again... go back to our roots in the way that we had - more season 1." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We're doing a regular four-month time jump, or I guess it's five... We're going to pick up right there and uh, you know, four months after Damien Darhk's been killed and the city is not in a great state. Star City is getting better under - Oliver will be the Mayor. He'll still be the Mayor when we open in 501. And he'll be kinda fighting on two fronts, so he'll do kinda the criminal element in town - the mob. We haven't really explored the mafia on the show before, and we've done a little with the Bertinellis in season 1. They're going to be a huge element when we come into this season. And also he's going to be bringing in a lot of new vigilantes who've been inspired by the Green Arrow that have been popping up all over the city, both helping and not helping." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Seat42F interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "When we come into the season at the top of 501, there'll be a new kind of element of crime in the city, which we [unintelligible words] character.  There will also be a lot of, uh - we really wanted to explore the mafia and have the criminal underworld that we've hinted at various times throughout the years, but this year we really want to get into that... And that will also take us into Bratva and also tie into the flashbacks, and we'll see some more [unintelligible words]."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “We’re going back, like Stephen [Amell] said, back to season 1 so we’re going to have some really badass monsters ... We’re kinda really going back to the crime and the city, when we come back to it, it is – Mayor Queen’s in office and things are better and there’s no ultimate, impending terrorist attacks, but there is a lot of street crime and the mobsters have really taken over the city.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Entertainment Weekly interview with Arrow cast in EW article linked in EW tweet, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- WM: "This year will be much more - it'll be much more gritty, much more a return to our roots. I think Stephen has said in the press a lot that this - with the goal - and it's definitely our goal as well - is to come back and make it more of a crime show, the way it was in season 1, [unintelligible words], more close-ended stories. And, yeah, magic will still be there because we've introduced it now - you know, we're going to honor that that's what we did in season 4, but it's not going to drive story [unintelligible word] the way it did last year." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We are going to see some Bratva action both in the present day and [in the flashbacks]... most exciting... Russia. Yay! We find out where that tattoo came from. We'll be really exploring it in the flashbacks, but we will be tying it into the present day." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what's happening with the SCPD and the new detective coming in, WM: "One of the things we're doing is, we've always really wanted to explore the [unintelligible word] stories about corrupt cops and corruption within the SCPD. And so that will be a big piece of what's going on in the city and what Oliver's dealing with as Mayor. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how to keep Arrow's character within the now expanded universe, WM: "It's a tricky thing. I think Arrow in particular being the first of four and also, in a way, being the most grounded - I mean, when they - when Marc,  Andrew, Greg first came out with the show, there were no superpowers, it was very grounded, very gritty. And season 5 is an attempt to sort of answer that, and it is about balance.  I mean, we have to deal with Flashpoint. We're going to do it in a way that is very much a part of the Arrow universe. And I think the way we deal with metas is the same. We want to - we always - we have to honor that they're there. We want to because it actually opens up storytelling possibilities for us. But, by the same token, we don't want it to change that much, to change that much of the DNA of the show. So it's a tricky balance, but I think we will - it will be story dependent. If we find a great story, if we want to bring in a meta, if we want to talk about Flashpoint, we will do that."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “We do think of this season as going back to our roots... When you come into the season, Oliver will still be out there fighting crime on his own, and he has also taken up the mantel of the city’s mayor. We’re going to be exploring him as a hero, both in a very traditional sense, and also as Green Arrow. We’re going to see a whole bunch of new recruits. The city’s going to have a new criminal, as well as a new vigilante inspired by him.” This vigilante is based on the version created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez for the comics and will appear in the seventh episode of the fifth season. (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Vulture article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- One what excites her most about S5, WM: "Two things. I think the first is that we are really returning to our roots, answering a lot of the questions we raised in Season 1. We’re going back to some very cool action stuff; a lot more hand-to-hand [combat], having Stephen in the scenes… it’s darker, grittier, fun. The second thing that I’m super excited about is Russia. We are going back to Russia; we’re going to see the Bratva. I’m just very excited about making that stuff fun and exciting and cool. I think the fans have been waiting a really long time, and our goal is to deliver as much as possible, what they have in their minds on what that should look like."  (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- In exploring Oliver’s history with the infamous Bratva crime syndicate, WM: “We really wanted to go gritty, dark, and make it feel very real... We’re dealing with the Bratva, and the Bratva is, as we all know, a pretty interesting and messed-up institution. I might get shot for saying that, but hey!” In order to make sure that the upcoming episodes stay true to that unflinching world, the creative team did their research. WM: “Everyone on staff watched [the 2007 film] Eastern Promises... I watched documentaries about Bratva and how they operate in Russian prisons.” But it’s not just crime bosses Oliver has to fear as he tries to keep his promise to ill-fated island pal Taiana, to tell her parents what happened to her and brother Vlad. A new Big Bad, played by Dolph Lundgren, also awaits him in the flashbacks. (Aug. 20, 2016 TVLine article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, the writing staff is going back to basics with the upcoming season and is developing a story and villain grounded in the real world. WM: "The show was always meant to be a gritty crime drama at its heart. And then Flash came along, and oh my gosh, we have meta powers. And then Damien was, well, we haven't done magic on the show, let's try to do that... I think for Season 5, just because it is an answer to Season 1, and we are sort of closing this chapter out, we did want to go back to our roots and figure out what is specific to this show. What is our universe? Go back to, 'What is Arrow?'" (Aug. 23, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We have found a lot of inspiration in going back and looking at what we’ve done the previous four years... You have the benefit of having all that experience and knowledge, what works and what doesn’t... It’s nostalgic, going back to our roots in season one and really revisiting what everyone loved about that first season."  (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, Oliver’s flashback storyline in Russia will mirror what’s going on in the present as he rebuilds Team Arrow. MG: “He’s basically recruited into this crime organization while at the same time in the present day Oliver has recruits of his own... He’s a trainee in the past, trainer in the present, and I think that will give the audience the connect-up thematically between present in the past.”  (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "What's nice is Oliver is himself a recruit to the Bratva at the same time in the present day he's recruiting all these new people. There's a very organic, natural parallel between the two... There's a nice organic parallel with what Oliver is going through in the past as a trainee, and what Oliver's going through in the present as a trainer." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "So maybe the theme for season 5 can be 'everything that's old is new again.' ... Some old school stupid training sequences. Shirtless for no reason. Kill a bunch of guys... Maybe some greasepaint." (City of Heroes 2, May 15, 2016: Video of SA panel, page 406 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether he wants the supernatural element to continue in season 5, SA: "I think it was a good element for season four. I think that ultimately, we are always going to be at our best when we do what we do best... which is, you know, we’re the superpowerless superhero show. Right? And we haven’t been for a couple of years now for a variety of reasons, all of which are important and have helped build the universe on The CW. But at the same time, I do think we’re at our best when we are doing what we do best." (CW Upfronts, May 19, 2016: ComicBook.com article, page 37 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "When we started Arrow, we were the superpower-less superhero show... Because of our success and because of opportunities that The CW has had, we’ve had to break away from that original modus operandi a little bit, because we were introducing Barry Allen, and in subsequent seasons, we’ve shepherded some of the Legends of Tomorrow onto their own show... Even though Supergirl is joining the ranks, there’s no new person or new show to introduce this year, and I think as a result of that, we need to get back to focusing more on some of the core elements that used to define Arrow... To me, that’s hand-to-hand combat, no superpowers, and dealing with the job of cleaning up Star City.” (Scan of May 25, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 170 of Starling City Times thread)
-- SA: "I do know that we’ve done a lot of work on Arrow to introduce the other shows, for lack of a better term, and now that that’s all done, we’re focused on doing the things that we do well for Season 5."  In response to question if that meant bringing it "back to basics," SA: "Yes, that's exactly right.  Arrow is at its best when we’re dealing with problems in Star City. We’re not a time-travel show, we’re not a multi-Earth show, though obviously [we do that] with crossovers and stuff like that. We’re Arrow, we deal with Star City, and I feel like we’ll be better off focusing on that." (May 25, 2016 ComicBook article, page 170 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per SA, it will not be black and white in S5, but there will be more shades of gray. (Wizard World Philadelphia, Jun. 4, 2016: fangirlishness, DianeAlberts and ckinger13 tweets, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA said that if 501's any indication, Arrow's going to be "f*cking mean" this season and "that's really exciting." (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "The villain that we're introducing is a direct result of things that Oliver has done in Star City, and it calls back to a lot of things that happened in the first season of the show and, as a result, really re-grounds the show and re-focuses it on its core element, which is really the batlle to save Star City.  It's not - with all due respect to Earth 2 and all the other things that are happening in this gigantic universe - really our show needs to be about what happens within Star City.  And the first two episodes really do a good job of bringing us back to that and re-focusing us on what the core mission of the show should be.  So that to me is very exciting. Plus... Russia." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 2, 2016: Video of SA & Cody Rhodes panel, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Arrow is about the fate of Star City. And we're going to return to that, to the mission of the show." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 2, 2016: heroesfanfest tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA said that there will be a lot of hand-to-hand fighting this season.  (Jul. 6, 2016 SA facebook video, page 431 of Social Media thread)
-- On getting "back to basics" this season and whether he's happy with what he's seen so far, SA: "Thus far, very much so. I wouldn't say there haven't been any like - we really haven't had any cliffhangers. This season feels very grounded and very patient to me. Very patient. I think that it's a patience that's earned over the course of a couple of years, where you know that like, if you produce a quality episode, someone doesn't have to appear like from the grave at the end of every episode. It feels very much like we are taking our time and really setting things up for everything to just go f*cking crazy in the second half of the year." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016:  Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "You know, a show is an evolving thing and the fact that we've had the opportunity to introduce new shows is wonderful and I hope they all succeed, but Arrow is a very specific thing. It's not as big a universe as The Flash or Supergirl or certainly as Legends of Tomorrow. Arrow is at its best and, you know, at its most efficient when it's a story about Star City and street-level crimefighting. So we're back to that this year, which is really exciting." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: ComicsOnline video of press roundtable interviews with SA, DR and PB, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I've talked with Greg Berlanti a lot and he said that some of his favorite shows, you know, had a - not a renaissance necessarily, but really hit their stride in season 4, season 5, season 6. And it's typically because someone has breathed new life into the show. And I really believe that that person is James [Bamford]. He's directing our first two episodes and he gets it. He gets the show. The action is mean. We are shooting some awesome sh*t right now - like just some real oners that have to be mean, and they are real mean, like bare knuckle action, and I think that's what we do well." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: ComicsOnline video of press roundtable interviews with SA, DR and PB, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “Bam – we call him Bam Bam – gets it and gets the theme of the show, and it feels like it’s a street-level crime-fighting show and it’s about saving Star City and cleaning it up, um, which is what the show is ... I think the best version of the show is when we focus on that. And that feels like what we're doing this year.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Entertainment Weekly interview with Arrow cast in EW article linked in EW tweet, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "To me, this season feels very grounded and very patient... The show feels like - you know, it's really amazing that we started with one show and now we have four. But Arrow has always been the most specific show. It's a street-level, crimefighting, make Star City show. And it feels like we're getting back to that this year, which is cool." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the theme of S5, SA: "Back to basics... This is not by any means the last season of the show, but this is definitely the end of a chapter in the show. It was envisioned and pitched as a five-year journey for Oliver, and we're really focusing on the initial goal of the show, which is, we have to make Star City a better place to live. And, uh, that's what we're focusing on this year." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of TVLine interview with Arrow cast and TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the show returning to the beginning without superpowers or magic, EBR: "I’d prefer the beginning of the show because is was OUR show and because this is what we do best but when we decided to introduce super powers and stuff like this, there was no going back. The main concern is to give our show a new feeling, like a new lair. I don’t think it is necessary to get a new lair every time to get the show stronger. I think we did a great job with CQC and all the weapons and guns. I think it gave a truer meaning to the show. When we introduced the magic in arrow, we didn’t do it the best way possible. However I do believe it was really cool from a comic fan point of view, we truly enjoyed it a different way. But we didn’t really feel in our own show anymore. A bit left out and all over the place somehow."  (Jun. 13, 2016 MCM article, page 175 of Starling CIty Times thread)
-- Per EBR, the show is getting back to "extreme fighting" and "getting more grounded" and "bringing it back to raw and grit and having real people doing real things that are extreme." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "The show's strongest as kind of a street-level, crimefighting phenomenon, right?  Diggle - or Oliver and Diggle and two or three other characters' brawn and Felicity's brain. And, um, I think that's really been the strength of the show on a street level. Getting back to that... Nukes and magic, it all feels a little flashy - though it worked incredibly well last season. Um, I think the strength of the show is the kind of street-level, crimefighting show. So we're getting back to that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)

S5 Flashbacks 
-- Per MG, Oliver’s flashback storyline in Russia will mirror what’s going on in the present as he rebuilds Team Arrow. MG: “He’s basically recruited into this crime organization while at the same time in the present day Oliver has recruits of his own... He’s a trainee in the past, trainer in the present, and I think that will give the audience the connect-up thematically between present in the past.”  (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “We always said that Oliver had a five-year journey when he was marooned... This year, Oliver spends his time in flashbacks in Russia. We know from various seeds we planted in the pilot that he knows how to speak Russian and he became a Bratva (Russian mafia) captain. The flashback story in the first half of the year is going to involve Oliver’s introduction into the Bratva.” (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Vulture article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per MG, this will be the final year for the flashbacks as a regular device. MG: “We always said that Oliver had a five-year journey when he was marooned on the [island]... This year, Oliver spends his time in the flashbacks in Russia. We know from various seeds we planted back in the pilot that he knows how to speak Russian, he became a Bratva captain. Sort of the flashback story in the first half of the year is going to involve Oliver’s introduction into the Bratva.” (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Entertainment Weekly and IGN articles, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On S5 flashbacks, MG: "We've also been very cognizant to make sure we're pushing as much story as possible... The other thing that Wendy and I were talking about the other day is because you're telling basically a story in four to five scenes, there's really no time for emotional development. It's got to be just adrenaline-fueled action, like danger... it's just got to be very visceral and not emotional. We're trying to write the flashbacks with that in mind." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On S5 flashbacks, WM: “We know what we’re working up to ... The season will be easier to break because we have an endpoint, and we work backwards from there.” Also, WM: "I don’t want to tip too much ... but it’s a very good possibility that we’ll finally find out how Oliver got that Bratva tattoo and how he learned to speak Russian.” (Apr. 17, 2016 TVLine article, page 35 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "It's a very good possibility that we'll finally find out how he got that Bratva tattoo and how he learned to speak Russian... When Oliver says, 'No one can know my secret' and he kills that guy in the pilot, we're going to get some insight into that." (Jun. 2, 2016 TVLine article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- Aiming for more integration between Oliver's past and present, WM: "We're going to Russia in the flashbacks [to explore our hero's time with the Bratva]." At the same time, the current storyline will see the Russian Mafia making trouble for a wave of self-appointed vigilantes running amok in Star City. (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We are going to see some Bratva action both in the present day and [in the flashbacks]... most exciting... Russia. Yay! We find out where that tattoo came from. We'll be really exploring it in the flashbacks, but we will be tying it into the present day." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Bratva wasn't always destined to be the S5  flashback.  WM: "There was always talk, every year, the question would be explored: 'Is this the time to go to Russia?' Every year we would all get excited, and then a voice of reason would come in and say 'do we really want to do that now?' and we'd have to rethink it. Last year we decided to go to the Island. It was never the gameplan. You start to think about the season in March and April, and you go 'does that fit?' It never really fit until now." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 26, 2016 Comicbook article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On flashbacks in S5, WM: "We really want to delve into the world of Bratva, really see how he became a captain, and what his experiences were there. And to make it, again, kind of gritty and visually different and dynamic as well... And we're also going to tie them much more with the present day stories thematically, so you'll feel the kind of - there'll be more, I don't know, synergy between the front and back stories than we've had in past years."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “In our flashbacks in Russia — we’re set in Russia this season — we are going to be bringing in Dolph Lundgren as one of our big bads." This character was actually mentioned toward the end of S4, when Taiana referred to the Russian villain Kovar.  WM: “He is somebody we heard about in season 4... Kovar. We are going to bring him in and he’s going to be this super big badass guy who works for the Russian government, and is not a friend of Oliver or the Bratva. It’s part of Oliver’s promise to Taiana at the end of season 4 and it’s going to be interesting because it’s going to get complicated and very messed up very fast.” (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- S5 flashbacks will focus on "Oliver becoming Oliver" as he completes his journey to the person viewers met in the present day storyline in S1. With the casting of people like Dolph Lundgren for the Russia-set flashbacks as Oliver becomes a member of the Bratva, Arrow will be delivering "high adrenaline, visceral" stories. MG: "What's nice is Oliver is himself a recruit to the Bratva at the same time in the present day he's recruiting all these new people. There's a very organic, natural parallel between the two... There's a nice organic parallel with what Oliver is going through in the past as a trainee, and what Oliver's going through in the present as a trainer." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We are going back to Russia; we’re going to see the Bratva. I’m just very excited about making that stuff fun and exciting and cool. I think the fans have been waiting a really long time, and our goal is to deliver as much as possible, what they have in their minds on what that should look like."  (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the return of Anatoly Knyazev, WM: " Anatoly’s back. David Nykl – we’re so lucky to have him. He was such a find. He brings so much humor and light to that role, and that relationship between Anatoly and Oliver is something very special. We’re very excited about how he brings Oliver into the Bratva and what happens to Oliver when he’s there."  (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Oliver’s time in Russia will directly parallel what he’ll be going through in present-day Star City.  (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- S5 marks the final year of Oliver’s island flashbacks, closing the loop on a years-long journey that fans have embarked on since the pilot in 2012. The anticipated flashbacks will focus primarily on Oliver’s time in Russia as he rises through the ranks of one of the country’s most dangerous gangs, the Bratva. WM: “We want to do it right. It’s something the fans have been waiting for... We want to make it gritty and dark and true to what that world would look like … We’re headed towards not just an endgame, but an iconic moment in our show.”  (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On next season playing the flashback Oliver that came right into season 1, SA: "I mean, that'll be fun, man.... Maybe he'll lie just in complete juxtaposition to the Oliver that we see in season 5 in the present day. Or maybe they'll start to line up together again. You never know. Things change." (CW Upfronts, May 19, 2016: ComicBook.com article, page 37 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I think it's safe to assume that Oliver's five-year flashback story will be coming to an end this year. And that, going forward, if we have the opportunity to do a sixth season or a seventh season, that, uh - I always think that flashbacks or something of that nature is going to be [unintelligible words] of the show in the present, but I don't know what it's going to be after season 5.  We shall see." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 2 of SA panel, page 431 of Social Media thread, with transcription posted on page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 12, 2016, SA tweeted: "Here's your S5 poster" with pic of shirtless, buff and bloody Oliver wearing a flashback wig standing in some kind of fight club setting.  (SA tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Another pic of SA in new flashback wig.  (wonderwall post, page 1089 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- SA: "This is probably the last year with flashbacks, which means that we have a lot to accomplish, which means that the impetus and the throughline for the flashbacks have a lot of urgency to them."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Our flashbacks do pick up in Russia. Um, Oliver is on the hunt for the individual that he promised he would take care of for Taiana." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether he knows the whole story of the flashbacks or whether he learns each episode, SA: "Yeah, I... know the rough trajectory of each season and the entire story. Um, and I would say that the flashbacks this year feel really cool, because we have to get to an endpoint now. So they're moving very fast, and Oliver's position in the - Oliver being in Russia is, uh - shoot - is pretty good. I like it a lot." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "One of the things I really enjoy about Season 5 is that, in the flashbacks, I'm playing a version of Oliver that is remarkably close to the version of me in Season 1. And it's been fun to go back to him." (Salt Lake City Comic Con, Sep. 3, 2016: Videos of SA/DR panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Closing a Chapter and Beyond S5: Flashbacks and Flashforwards
-- S5 will mark the end of flashbacks on the show as we know them, but they will remain a device on the show moving forward into S6. Per MG and WM, S6 will move on to explore flashbacks from different character perspectives beyond Oliver, and also might feature some flashforwards in time. MG: "Last year, when we sort of realized we're going to go past Season 5, we basically made a collective decision that Season 5 would be the final year of flashbacks... Next year, in Season 6, what we'll end up doing is we'll do some episodes without any sort of flashbacks. We've [also] established over the first four seasons of proof of concept that we can do flashback stories that don't involve what I call the island narrative, even when he's not on the island. ... We still want to make that part of our storytelling, because we do like them. We like when those non-island flashbacks sort of illuminate what's going on in the present day. That'll always be a part of the show and a part of the show's storytelling structure. It just won't be telling a serialized story." Also MG: "We would totally do other characters," noting that Curtis would be a good character to center flashbacks on.  MG: "We might even do a flashforward. You never know!... I think it would be fun to do it with Oliver. It might be fun to do it with Diggle."  Per WM, she and MG have focused more on choosing new characters for flashbacks versus discussing how flashforwards would fit.  WM: "At least for the immediate future, we haven't talked about flashing forward as much as we have flashing back from different character perspectives... The nice thing is we've used the device on the show for five seasons. We have it in our tool kit now. I think we'll use it whenever it's appropriate, whenever it feels right. For me, I think it would be really fun to do a villain and see it from a villain's point of view, because that's such a shorthand for getting inside the head of the bad guys."  (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "One of the things we talk about a lot is that Season five is an answer to Season one. So a lot of the questions that came out to Oliver out of the gate, about his father, about restoring the city's greatness, all of those things are going to be explored, and hopefully - not fully settled, but definitely bookended in season five." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 26, 2016 Comicbook.com article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On plans for beyond S5, WM: "We always know where we're going to end up. We usually know, at the end of the season, at least where Oliver and our Big Bad, the villain of the season, will end up. So you're always thinking, well, what is the most dramatic ending for the season. And that does raise questions for season 6 and beyond. So you're sorta thinking about it, but it's very fluid because it changes - every episode sorta changes the shape of the [unintelligible word]."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver's island flashbacks ending in S5, WM: "The flashbacks will be done at the end of the season, yeah. We will always have it, I think, as a potential device. We’ve established this visual language for the show, so we can always do some from a different character’s point of view. But Oliver’s flashbacks, in terms of telling that particular story, this will be it." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "I think for Season 5, just because it is an answer to Season 1, and we are sort of closing this chapter out, we did want to go back to our roots and figure out what is specific to this show. What is our universe? Go back to, 'What is Arrow?'" (Aug. 23, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "I mentioned @louiseblue1‘s bookend trilogy idea. That it could go S1-S3 and S4-S6. I said the Season 4 finale felt very much like the Season 1 finale where Oliver set the goals and he failed to achieve them. Marc [Guggenheim] nodded very enthusiastically and said, 'Yes, yes. That’s exactly it.' But then he paused and said, 'We want every season to feel like a chapter in a book. Season 5 is very much going to feel like a conclusion in its own right. We’ll be ending the flashbacks. So there will be very much a sense of closure at the end of the season.' So it wasn’t quite the confirmation on the bookend trilogy idea, but they are intentionally having these later seasons be similar in some ways to the earlier seasons." (SDCC, Jul. 24, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of second conversation with MG, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, the show was "built to be five years long" but he doesn't think it'll end after season 5.  However, they built in a "five-year story." They still have so much to get done in the flashbacks because the flashbacks were built to be only five years.  (Dallas ComicCon, Feb. 13, 2016: Video of SA panel, page 318 off Social Media thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA said that he didn't know how many seasons are planned for Arrow.  There was originally a five-year plan but "that relates purely to the flashbacks."  He's under contract for a couple more years.  (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "When our show was first conceived, the idea was, this was a five-year journey, right? With the flashbacks. I think that it's safe to assume that the current iteration of the flashbacks and the journey of Oliver from Queen's Gambit going down to when he first appeared back in Star City in our pilot - that's going to come to a close this year.  So whatever happens - and I don't believe this is going to be the last season of the show, by any means, but this is certainly the end of the chapter.  And, uh, I'm very, very excited because to me it's like that moment where - you know, one of my favorite shows is Lost, right? And I remember the first time they did flashforwards instead of flashbacks - spoiler - and, uh, to me, this is that moment in our show, where our finale this year is going to take us right to the point where the flashbacks theoretically go to where we first meet Oliver in the pilot.  And I'm really, really excited to see how we get there."  (HVFF-NY, Jul. 2, 2016: Video of SA & Cody Rhodes panel, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Both Oliver in the present day and in the flashbacks will close the chapter of the five-year flashbacks and while it's not planned as the last season it will give them a good place to start over from. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Oliver's actions, especially in season 1 of the show - and I think the show will go on past season 5, Mark Pedowitz... I think the show will go on beyond this season, but this really is - we really are closing a chapter, because this was envisioned and pitched as a five-year story, especially as it relates to the flashbacks. And the villain, the eventual villain that we find this year, is the result of Oliver's actions when he returned to Star City at the beginning of the series." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Per SA, he doesn't think this will be the last season of the show, but it will be "the end of a chapter."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "We're going for it this year. The season is me... I love that Flash and Supergirl and Legends can have their lighter moments. And I think it's important to have that too. But, you know, Oliver' is getting to that point - he's getting to be a bit of the grizzled veteran. Just a little bit. Not totally. He's not a curmudgeon. But at the same time, like, he's getting back to that - he's getting back to where we found him a little bit." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Bamford's stunt scene, SA: "I can't tell you anything about the stunt scene. What I can say is, I think it's incredibly important for any show at any point in time - not necessarily to reinvent itself, but reinvigorate itself. And that typically tends to be, you find someone that from a creative perspective, really breathes new life into the show. And that to me is James Bamford. He's directing our first two episodes. And to me, if this show's going to keep going past season 5 and have a - you know, have a second leg, so to speak, um, it will be large part because of him." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I think that, uh, Season 5 will bring a lot of things full circle. And one of the things it will probably bring full circle is the whole idea of the Arrow, the Green Arrow, the Hood, the Vigilante, the Hood guy - whatever else Paul Blackthorne called me... One of the things that's exciting about Season 5 is that the show was originally conceived as a five-year idea with the flashbacks and, you know, I certainly think that we're going to have a sixth season. But, um - but at the same time, we're going to close up a lot of points within our fifth season that are very exciting to me right now." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I'm signed through seven seasons of Arrow." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the future of the show after the 5-year flashbacks end, WH: "We're probably not going anywhere...our show is like a onion, every season you open up another layer. ... From your guy's response, as well as the networks response to our show and the creation of all the others that are interlocked into another it's kinda going to be a never ending cycle for awhile. I don't think anything is going to happen." (MCM London Comic Con, May 28, 2016: Mirror.co.uk article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  3 of  15:

Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Generally
-- Tierney Bricker tweeted: "The Flashpoint exercise is only for a couple of episodes," Pedowitz says of #TheFlash's impact on the rest of the superhero shows. #TCA16." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: tbrick2 tweet, page 188 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On effect of Flashpoint, WM: "Um, it will have some impact, um, but you'll have to tune in to see what it actually is... It will have a big impact on the characters that it does have an impact on." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of TVLine interview with Arrow cast and TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Flashpoint affecting Arrow, WM: "Obviously we live in this universe now where we have things like that happening, we have superpowers, we have metas... You know, it will have an effect on the show. That's about as much as I can say... The characters that are affected, they will feel it." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Flashpoint will affect Arrow, WM: "Yeah, I can tell you that it's going to have - we are going to, you know, we're going to honor it and see what kind of effect it'll have on our characters. It's going to be both, I think - it's hard to say. I mean, it definitely will have an impact on the show, but, I think, it may or may not be what the fans were looking for. I'll put it this way, the [unintelligible word] on Flash will probably be a lot bigger, but we're definitely going to explore - it opens up a lot of storytelling possibilities for us and I think [unintelligible words] at this point... What's cool is that it'll be subtle but you'll feel it immediately, but then, in terms of how big or how small we - how big we take it, I think that will be something you'll feel throughout the season." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how to keep Arrow's character within the now expanded universe, WM: "I mean, we have to deal with Flashpoint. We're going to do it in a way that is very much a part of the Arrow universe. And I think the way we deal with metas is the same. We want to - we always - we have to honor that they're there. We want to because it actually opens up storytelling possibilities for us. But, by the same token, we don't want it to change that much, to change that much of the DNA of the show. So it's a tricky balance, but I think we will - it will be story dependent. If we find a great story, if we want to bring in a meta, if we want to talk about Flashpoint, we will do that."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how early we'll get any hints of Flashpoint affecting Arrow, WM: "I will say that you’ll feel it early in the season." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Flashpoint provides an interesting jumping off point for all the shows this year, in that we have this reset button available to us if we want it... We've landed on a few things, but the door is open. That's the fun part. You can play with it in whatever way, shape, or form you want to. I think it will be small in some ways, and big in others." (Aug. 23, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Flashpoint will have an effect on Arrow, Flash EPs Aaron/Todd Helbing: "Yeah, they're all interrelated, so luckily, we have the benefit of, uh, working with Greg Berlanti - um, he's totally the mastermind behind all of it - so, um - and also of course, with DC, so we just, uh - If you're going to tell a story like that, it has to work organically on [unintelligible words]... It's kind of a challenge sometimes to be able to tell a story that if you're only an Arrow fan, it still tracks and makes sense, um, or vice versa, on the Flash. So we're always very mindful of, where do we start that story? If you start that story on an episode of Flash, what part can you tell on Arrow and have it make sense? Um, sometimes just because of the nature of the business and scheduling and air dates, you know, uh, they don't line up all the time the way that we'd like them to." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with Flash EPs Aaron & Todd Helbing, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, Flashpoint affects Arrow. SA: "It is explained early in the early part of the season, not necessarily on our show... And then we subtly begin to introduce it. Subtly. And then maybe not so subtly. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 2, 2016 Den of Geek article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Flashpoint affects our show. And, uh, I can confirm that now... Flashpoint has affected the universe we live in. Something we explain and examine in the early part of the season, not necessarily on our show. And, uh, I believe it'll have lasting ramifications. I do. In very interesting ways." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Flashpoint, uh, does affect Season 5 of Arrow. In, um, a subtle way at the beginning and maybe more at the end. And you'll get it - um, episodes 3, 4, 5-ish." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Specifically (Felicity, Diggle, Oliver)
-- WM: "There will be some effects [from Flashpoint on the Arrow universe]. I can't tell you what, how big or how small, but there will. We will definitely honor that that is - that has happened. And there will be some characters that are more aff - more influenced or more impacted by it than others. And I definitely would say, you know, Felicity is going to be - she's going to be carrying something in regard to that through the season." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM talked about how they keep track of everything that's happening on all three shows.  They have people who monitor that stuff and they also have a big chalk board. WM: "For example, when Felicity goes over to Flash, we're going to have to know what she's doing on Flash cause it has a great impact on her - not necessarily her availability - what is she [unintelligible word] on Flash that she's going to be carrying with her into our stories." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- The Flash Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel included a quick shot of Felicity & Barry kissing. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: CW_TheFlash tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Flash EPs Todd/Aaron Helbing: "Everything that happens in Flashpoint will have a ripple effect throughout the season" On whether it will affect the other shows and the other timelines, Helbing: "They're in the same universe and in the same world, you know, it's certainly possible that it would have a trickle down effect... I mean, there's a - you know, we have a little mini-crossover in episode 2 where we see Felicity and, uh, there'll be some of your questions answered there about that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: WithAnAccentTV video of press roundtable interview with Flash EPs, Todd & Aaron Helbing, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what mini-crossovers ("one-offs") they can announce, Flash EP Todd Helbing: "Yeah, Episode 2, uh, we're going to have a little Felicity on the show." On what she will be doing, Helbing: "Uh, she and Barry are -" GG interrupted: "She's giving advice... Yeah, she's giving advice." Then they both laughed. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Flashpoint will spill over in a very specific way on Arrow with Diggle.  (Sep. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Media recap of SDCC Flash panel: "Something messed with Diggle’s timeline over in Arrow." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: 4YourExcitement article, page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per Flash EP Todd Helbing, the Flashpoint storyline is “really affecting Arrow. You’ll see it on that side mostly,” rather than on LoT, noting that Oliver and Diggle, in particular, will be impacted. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and HiddenRemote article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Flashpoint storyline, Flash EP Todd Helbing: "This is something that is going to ripple throughout the whole season... One of the effects is [Arrow's] Diggle himself. You'll have to tune in to see exactly how." (Jul. 23, 2016 TV Guide article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Flash EP Todd Helbing: “Flashpoint has ripples throughout the whole universe. One of those differences is with John Diggle." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: iDigitalTimes article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per Flash EP Aaron Helbing, Flashpoint will affect Diggle the most. (Aug. 17, 2016 Eonline article, page 191 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- GG doesn't know how Flashpoint is affecting LoT or Supergirl, but "I know one thing on Arrow that's being affected directly. I don't know if I'm allowed to say, but it is affecting the other shows." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with GG and Aug. 2, 2016 Den of Geek article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On being asked for two truths and one lie for S5, SA: "Oliver kills half a dozen people in the pilot episode of the season. Um, Oliver and F - ... dammit... Um, Flashpoint affects Diggle. And, um, Moira's alive." (Nerd HQ, Jul. 24, 2016: Video of SA's second Nerd HQ conversation, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- On how Diggle's re-enlisting will affect his relationship with his friends and family when he gets back to Star City, DR: "Well, Flash paradox will have something to do, um, with some of Diggle's reality. If you've followed what's happened on Flash, he made some changes to the timeline. It will affect Diggle to some degree. ... So, how does it affect his family? Yes, it affects his family in a very, very personal way. There's a lot going with Diggle this season and, um, yes, it affects his family. Directly." (SDCC, Jul. 22, 2016: Video of DR on TV Guide Magazine's Fan Favorites panel, page 451 of Social Media thread, and iDigitalTimes article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Reporter asked, "When will Connor Hawke Diggle show up - baby Connor Hawke Diggle?" DR replied: "Very good question. All I can say is that will be very soon. Um, how old - yeah, that's going to happen very soon." Reporter then asked,"Baby Connor Hawke Diggle?"  DR replied: "Well, it's - I don't know if that's going to happen very soon. But I think you'll find, um, more about - a little bit more about Connor Hawke."  Reporter asked, "Is Connor Hawke maybe your son, but not necessarily the son of your wife?"  DR replied: "Well, remember there's a lot of Earths, there's a lot of dimensional things happening. And, um, I think even in that episode, there was some [interdimensional?-unintelligible word] thing happening. Supergirl is on another Earth, for example, right? So, um, anything's possible. Who knows? I mean, John Diggle has a doppelganger someplace, right? So - I think about that stuff all the time. I think some of those questions that you ask - I think, in terms of like - You didn't ask this, but I'm going to say it anyway. Is what Flash did to our universe and is what Flash - his choices have? My guess is that we'll see some of that in the crossover. I don't know if we will, but somehow or other we have to bring Supergirl to our universe. I don't know how you do that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Regarding the effect of Flashpoint, DR: "Some things in his life change. Flash's actions have some consequences for Diggle." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of DR interview in Velocity23 post, page 1130 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Flashpoint Affecting Flash, LoT and Supergirl (included for potential relevance to Arrow)
-- On Jul. 25, 2016, Chris E. Hayner tweeted that Flashpoint will last more than one episode on The Flash. (ChrisHayner weet, page 1107 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MP: "The Flashpoint exercise is only for a couple episodes before it comes back in," presumably back into the original timeline. (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: ComicBookMovie article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Tierney Bricker tweeted: "The Flashpoint exercise is only for a couple of episodes," Pedowitz says of #TheFlash's impact on the rest of the superhero shows. #TCA16." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: tbrick2 tweet, page 188 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On why they decided to do Flashpoint for relatively short period of time, like three or four episodes, instead of continuing until the 4-show crossovers, Flash EP Todd Helbing: "Much like in the Earth-2 episodes, they were fun, a lot of fun, I loved both of those episodes, but we couldn't do a whole half-season in Earth-2. In the same regard, I don't think it would be the best version of the show if we did half the season -- almost the whole season -- in Flashpoint. That said, the things that Barry changed in the timeline really do ripple throughout the whole season. And that's really the depth I can go into. It'll all make sense after you watch the episode." (Aug. 17, 2016 IGN article, page 191 of Mind Your Surrounding thread)
-- Flash EP Todd Helbing: "The first two seasons are about family. Family that I had, family that I lost. Now this is really the family that I've created. And so, this whole idea that Barry can change the people in his lives that are important to him by going back in time. What Barry is constantly learning is the consequences of his actions. Creatively, it's such a fertile ground to explore what somebody's life would be like if they actually had something that they lost, and what the reality of that is. I think often times as people you think one version would be better -- it's always grass is greener -- but it's always, in Barry's world, the consequences. He's going remember. He's going to know what he's lost at the same time." (Aug. 17, 2016 IGN article, page 191 of Mind Your Surrounding thread)
-- Per Flash EP AK, there’s a ticking clock on Flashpoint as Barry’s memories of the old timeline begin to be replaced by the new, forcing him to make a big choice. GG: “We are going to see him start to have some regrets and realize how selfish of a decision it was [to save his mom]."  AK added that Barry will be “coping with [the fact that] he may have traded his happiness for his friends. He begins to see that the cost of him getting his happy ending might be too much to bear.” (Sep. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Jun. 20, 2016, GG tweeted that the title of The Flash S3 premiere will be "Flashpoint" but that it would be their own version of the comics Flashpoint story. (grantgust tweets, page 169 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- GG: "'Flashpoint' does not last all season long... But there are permanent ramifications." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Aug. 2, 2016 ComicBookResources article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- GG: "Yeah, no one knows that the timeline has been affected other than Barry... He still has his powers, but he's starting to forget the other timeline. He's got new memories that are emerging, like graduating high school or college or moments with his parents, and they're replacing old memories" (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 27, 2016 ComicBook article, page 1111 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- In response to question of whether Barry has two sets of memories now, GG: "Yeah. And I did just say this at another table, so it's already out there, but I don't know if I'm supposed to, but - He's the only one that knows about the other timeline, but he does start to forget. Like only the timeline he's in kinda is - All of his memories are changing. Like he starts to get memories of Flashpoint of with his parents that he never had. He's got brand new memories, but they're replacing things that he had with his West family, uh, memories." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with GG, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Barry will remember both of his past lives, as things were ‘supposed’ to be. However, he will soon start to lose control. GG: "Barry’s the only one that knows all of the differences. And, um… they haven’t told me not to say this, so I guess I’ll just kind of say it: while he is the only one that knows, he does slowly start to forget the original timeline. Kind of like a Back to the Future-esque type thing, which is a pretty cool element.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 30, 2016 ScreenRant article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per GG, Barry will be the only one aware of the change in time. When it all dawns on him, he will eventually make an effort to bring everything back to its rightful place. GG: "His memories are starting to get replaced from the previous timeline with new memories of graduating high school and graduating college, just moments with his family... And when he realizes that those memories are replacing other memories, that's when he starts to realize how selfish of a decision this was and maybe he should find a way to put things back to how they were." GG also hinted a "Back to the Future" moment for the Scarlet Speedster, adding: "In the same sense that he's forgetting a lot of memories, it means he's forgetting his powers too. It's like he's having a full Back to the Future moment where essentially his hand is disappearing in front of him." (Aug. 12, 2016 The Christian Times article and DC Access video, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether Flashpoint will affect LoT, MG: "Not in the near term. Um, because in the near term, we're - you know, we're already telling stories about our own characters changing time, so for - I don't know how to make Flashpoint and the time travel the Legends are doing work in the short term.  In the longerish term, ... Flash will definitely have a big impact on Legends, so there's a - there'll be a storyline that'll start to come into play that you'll see a point of connection, but not at the early going." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with MG, page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per LoT EP MG, Flashpoint will not affect LoT in the short term, because they're already dealing with changing time and they're basically trying to relaunch the show and that's enough without having to deal with another show's timeline.  However, there will be a connection with Flash later on in the season.  But Arrow will be impacted by Flashpoint. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with MG, page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- As LoT EP, MG: "Can you imagine, the show is already complicated with our own characters changing time and now Barry has changed time, too... At a point where we’re trying to kind of relaunch the show and do a soft reboot of the show to have to deal with another show’s plotline, I think it would all crumble under its own weight. You’re going to get a connection with Flash later on in the season, but it would be different if everything has changed because of Flashpoint." (Aug. 2, 2016 Den of Geek article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Flash EPs Todd Helbing: "It's all one universe so they have ripples, but those [Legends] guys are traveling through time on their own mission so it's almost like they're in their own timeline, too. What we're showing is it's really affecting Arrow so we'll see it there." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: iDigitalTimes article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per Flash EP Todd Helbing, Flashpoint will not affect Supergirl or LoT, but in the crossovers "everything is going to come together." (Aug. 17, 2016 Eonline article, page 191 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Flash EP Todd Helbing: "Those other Earths aren't affected, much like Supergirl is not affected because she's on whatever Earth she's on." (Aug. 17, 2016 IGN article, page 191 of Mind Your Surrounding thread)
-- Supergirl EP Sarah Schechter: "We still have to explain the universe changes, which we do." (Aug. 2, 2016 Den of Geek article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)

Big 4-Shows Crossover Event (Arrow/Flash/LoT/Supergirl)
-- Per CW Pres. Mark Pedowitz , Arrow, Flash, LoT and Supergirl will join up for a giant annual crossover story - "the biggest one ever."  (May 19, 2016 IGN article, page 37 of Spoilers thread)
-- GB: “I’m going to probably try to have one unifying threat, as opposed to different things on different ones, which is what the first year was." (Aug. 5, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 184 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- GB: "The crossover event is going to start with The Flash and go from there... It'll take place across all four shows and it'll reintroduce Supergirl to the Arrowverse." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Polygon article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- MG: “It’s an external threat from outside the shows that will involve Supergirl coming over to Flash, then Arrow then Legends of Tomorrow... I don’t like to oversell. She is going to be coming over but we’re not going to do a full on Supergirl crossover episode. I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 27, 2016 slashFilm article, page 41 of Spoilers thread and page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread, and Jul. 28, 2016 ComicBookMovie article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Yes we [have a loose plan] for the crossover. It's loose, but we know that it will go in order for the week, you know, Supergirl [Monday], Flash [Tuesday], Arrow [Wednesday], Legends [Thursday]. That's the loose plan right now."  She cautioned that things can always change, but they're doing their best to make it one, big, four-day week-long event, all in order. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 26, 2016 Comicbook.com article, page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- SA: "Giant, four-night crossover. No, seriously. How we end up doing that? I don't know. But, um, this is really, um - this is really kind of an unprecedented moment in terms of the history of network television, to have four shows, same showrunner - um, obviously Supergirl is in a little bit of a different universe, but we can fix that. That's one line of dialogue and it's all fixed. So I would suspect that Oliver will be meeting Supergirl at some point." (Wizard World Philadelphia, Jun. 4, 2016: Video clip from SA panel, page 418 of Social Media thread)
-- TV Guide tweeted: "4 show CW crossover will "touch" on #Supergirl, but start in earnest the next night, go through all three other shows #TCA16." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: TVGuide tweet, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Eric Goldman tweeted: "The four-show crossover will begin with “a piece” the story in #Supergirl, but then really kick in with #TheFlash the next night. #TCA16." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: TheEricGoldman tweet, page 188 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Jarett Wieselman tweeted: "The four-show crossover is touched upon in #Supergirl but really starts on #TheFlash, carrying through #Arrow, Legends, end of week #TCA16." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: JarettSays tweet, page 188 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- In facebook video chat, in response to question of whether there will be a Supergirl/Arrow crossover early in the season, SA said that there's going to be a crossover event, but he doesn't know "which people will be in play."  (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- Arrow's 100th episode will be 508: Part 2 of the big crossover with Arrow, Flash, Legends, and Supergirl. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, the upcoming 100th episode will be the episode 8 this season, and a key episode for the upcoming four-show super crossover. MG: "Turns out 508 is chapter two of our four-part crossover... And then 509 is our midseason finale. It's actually timed perfectly."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The  Hollywood Reporter article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Well, you know, it's interesting, our 100th episode is 508. Turns out, 508 will be chapter 2 of our three-part crossover. So the 100th episode is going to be the middle part of the crossover. Uh, and then episode 9 is our midseason finale. So we're kinda designing things to be like a hundredth - two-episode hundredth episode celebration, the bigness of our mega crossover, and the bigness of our midseason finale. So it's actually timed kinda perfectly." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Arrow's 100th episode being a big crossover episode, WM: "It's going to be the biggest one we've done. It's going to involve all four shows... It will be a four-part story, Supergirl obviously airing first." She also said that there will no special guest stars. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Arrow’s milestone 100th episode will be the middle part of the four-show crossover with Supergirl, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article on Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan complaint that Arrow's 100th episode should be about Oliver/Arrow and not about Supergirl, MG tweeted: "It will be. Crossover not broken. Calm down." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan comment that if 100th episode is about honoring Oliver, Arrow and all it's done, then she'll be happy, MG tweeted: "You'll be happy." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan comment that once show reaches 100th episode, EPs and network should give their best and focus on the show and not pimping another show, MG tweeted: "Not what we're doing. Thanks for the support but relax." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG tweeted: "Thanks very much for the outpouring of support for Arrow vis a vis 100th episode. Everyone is eager to support this milestone appropriately." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread) 
-- The big crossover event will be the first opportunity for Oliver Queen and Kara Danvers -- aka Supergirl -- to come face-to-face. The Arrowverse's writers are still figuring out how exactly all the different pieces of the crossovers will work, but WM is looking forward to having Oliver meet the much bubblier Kara to bring "a different perspective to our show."  WM: "It's just a good break." (Aug. 23, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Diggle might show up on LoT, DR: "Yeah, yeah... Well, you know, it's kinda like in this Berlanti universe, we're all like kinda connected and there's so much intersection, right? So, yeah - You know, I'm looking forward to being on Supergirl or - I don't know if Diggle will be on Supergirl, but I'm looking forward to that... I'm looking forward to the reaction Diggle will have when he sees Supergirl." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers 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)
-- Per GB (at the beginning of August), they're just about to start breaking the 4-show crossover episodes. (Aug. 5, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 184 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Regarding the 4-shows crossover, WH said that they're going to have to shoot four hours of television within the same 8 days that they normally shoot one show's episode. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, SA tweeted pic of what looked like booted feet of GA, Flash, Atom, Supergirl and White Canary. (SA tweet, page 458 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, CL posted instagram pic of herself and SA in their White Canary and Green Arrow costumes. (CL instagram post, page 458 of Social Media thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA said that he worked with Caity Lotz on Aug. 7, 2016. (Aug. 8, 2016 SA facebook video, page 460 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "I would really like the idea of Oliver meeting Supergirl, but then Barry telling me before I see her powers that she's an alien... and then Oliver just going 'huuh' (sighs heavily, closes eyes and shakes head slowly)... 'o-kay.'" (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video recorded by swtjazzybellz, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "You know, I'm looking forward to being on Supergirl or - I don't know if Diggle will be on Supergirl, but I'm looking forward to that... I'm looking forward to the reaction Diggle will have when he sees Supergirl." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis will be in an episode of LoT, EK: "Everything’s still coming together, but he’ll definitely be in the crossover." (Aug. 8, 2016 onFiction article, page 180 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Per Flash EPs Aaron & Todd Helbing, Flashpoint will affect Arrow, but not Supergirl or LoT. However, in the crossovers, "everything is going to come together." (Aug. 17, 2016 Eonline article, page 191 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On why they decided to do Flashpoint for relatively short period of time, like three or four episodes, instead of continuing until the 4-show crossovers, Flash EP Todd Helbing: "Much like in the Earth-2 episodes, they were fun, a lot of fun, I loved both of those episodes, but we couldn't do a whole half-season in Earth-2. In the same regard, I don't think it would be the best version of the show if we did half the season -- almost the whole season -- in Flashpoint. That said, the things that Barry changed in the timeline really do ripple throughout the whole season. And that's really the depth I can go into. It'll all make sense after you watch the episode." (Aug. 17, 2016 IGN article, page 191 of Mind Your Surrounding thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016, Arrow script coordinator Jeane Wong said that they were in the middle of breaking and writing the various crossovers. Per JW, the crossovers are "going to be super fun," but they're also "super complicated" because there's a lot of people and a lot of "cross-pollination" between the shows. (WineandComics podcast interview with JW, page 473 of Social Media thread)
-- GB: "We just finished writing the fall crossovers. And now we’re trying to figure out how to produce them." (Sep. 9, 2016 IndieWire article, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- GB: "You really are trying to run a single production across three different productions. But they’re run as three separate entities. We have to figure out when we’re borrowing one actor from where. We’re telling one cohesive story; 'Supergirl' will participate, but the storyline doesn’t actively begin there. There are some characters who show up in her episode, but the story begins with 'The Flash' episode and goes to 'Arrow' and 'Legends of Tomorrow.' We’re just getting into designing the bad guy for it, and we start now but it doesn’t air until the end of November. We will put a lot of time between now and then figuring out visual effects sequences. Just today I was holding the three scripts back-to-back – that’s 180 pages of material. It’s a three-hour story, almost a miniseries. ... It’s very daunting when you hold them all together like that. Each one of these pages is 10 hours of shooting and a visual effects extravaganza. But hopefully it feels like a great kind of crossover comic book sell." (Sep. 9, 2016 IndieWire article, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Other Crossovers Generally
-- Arrow will likely dial back on crossing over with too many of the other shows and will focus more on making a solid season. WM: "I do think that because it's about Oliver this year, you'll feel that more... That's more of our focus, I think, than trying to figure out where they would be best served on the other shows." (Aug. 23, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, the nukes will probably be brought up in S3 of Flash and S2 of LoT. (City of Heroes 2, May 15, 2016: Morrigan2575 tweet, page 1050 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Wentworth Miller will be a series regular across the whole Berlantiverse as Leonard Snart. (Jul. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Akin to the groundbreaking contract that Wentworth Miller segued into at the end of his single-season LoT run, JBarrowman will continue to appear on Arrow and maintain series regular status, but across all of the superhero shows executive-produced by Greg Berlanti, including The Flash and Legends. (Jul. 8, 2016 TVLine tweet and article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Well, we will definitely see [Katie Cassidy] in 501 in our premiere of the season. And we have made a deal with her across Arrow, Flash and Legends, so Katie Cassidy is definitely not gone from this universe." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and Comicbook, The Hollywood Reporter and TVLine articles, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "BIG. SPOILER. Marc [Guggenheim] said, 'We are announcing [Saturday] that we signed a deal with Katie Cassidy. She is going to be on all three shows.' My immediate response was, 'HOW?' He said they have the option of bringing Katie back in different ways on each show - flashbacks, time travel and Black Siren. But then I asked, 'No Laurel Lance in present day right?'  And he firmly said, 'NO.'” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to question about JB's deal and how JB will be used on all three shows, WM: "You know, I think it'll be similar to - you know, there've been deals with Wentworth Miller and also with Katie Cassidy across all shows.. These are characters that fans love, that we love to write for, and I think it becomes a question of, what is the best story to tell for them and where are they best placed? And, you know, John is such an amazing actor and it becomes a question of, is he available and is he right for this story? I know he'll be appearing more toward the end of our season and that's more because of availability than anything else. Um, but I think in terms of how he's placed in the other shows, it's always a dialogue. We always have to kinda - we're all in the same building, we run down the hallway - like 'we need to do this with Malcolm, what are you guys doing with Malcolm right now?' And it's all sorta - it just evolves. And it'll be influenced as well by what they do with him on Legends." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, in response to question of whether there had been "any sightings of any DCTV 'universe regular' (Barrowman/Cassidy/Miller)," papp tweeted that "they haven't been on set of any of the shows lately." (Ken@pursuit23, page 459 of Social Media thread)
-- GB: "We always try to reward those that are watching all the series by throwing little Easter eggs in all four shows... We aspire with each of the shows to make them as good as it can be so that whatever the fanbase is, they have a reason to continue showing up for the show every week. ... If that leads to more people watching all four shows, that's great. But that's not what we're intentionally going for." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Polygon article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On having the four shows, WM: "It opens up so many story telling possibilities, you have all sorts of things you can play with now that we didn't have before. If it was still just Arrow, we wouldn't be going back to the basics; we never would've moved away from the basics in a lot of ways! Flash opened doors for Metas, and they can do time travel - we're not doing that though! ... It is challenging because it gives you more to balance, more to process, but it's more than outweighed by the fact you have so many more ways to tell stories than you did three or four seasons ago." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 26, 2016 Comicbook.com article, page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Supergirl and Flash will have a musical crossover around episodes 13 and 14, the bulk of the story will happen on Flash but part of it will touch Supergirl as well, and the musical sequences will likely take place inside characters' heads. TV Guide tweeted: "Berlanti hopes that the #Supergirl/#Flash musical crossover will feature actors from #Arrow & #LegendsOfTomorrow #TCA16." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: TVGuide article and TVGuide tweet, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per DR, the Arrow-verse might be heading towards forming the Justice League. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: callistawolf tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Other LoT Crossovers
-- On whether we'll see any familiar faces from the other shows on LoT this season, LoT EP Phil Klemmer: "I mean, within the first frames, yeah. I mean, it - right out of the gate, we are blending these worlds. So you're not going to have to wait long. Just wait to use the bathroom till at least the first commercial break." On who we're going to see, LoT EP MG: "We're going to see Stephen Amell playing Oliver Queen. (Mod asked, "In the premiere?") Yeah, right from the very beginning. Uh, actually, Mayor Oliver Queen. (Mod asked, "No goatee this time?") No, we're slowly moving in that direction. Slowly."  On whether we'll see anyone else, MG: "Well, I think we might have caught a little glimpse there in that sizzle reel of Neal McDonough playing Mr. Damien Darhk. Uh, he's going to return for our season premiere... You know, he's a - we've got 122 years for us to play with, so - we're going to meet him in 1942. That's why he's looking so dapper in that trailer." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels and ComicBookResources article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I'm appearing in a Legends episode in the early part of the season for them and my first question was, 'Is the scene with Victor Garber?' And they're like (shakes head). So, 'okay, guys, whatever.' So hopefully, one of these days." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: ComicsOnline video of press roundtable interviews with SA, DR and PB, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and video of RealistikkVideos interview with SA, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 26, 2016, SA said that he did filming for LoT "recently." (SA facebook video, page 466 of Social Media thread)
-- LOT 201 promo pics include pic of Oliver with Mick Rory and pic of Oliver walking through a spaceship with a flashlight. (SpoilerTV article, page 194 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- S2 of LoT opens months later, with Rip, Sara, Mick et al mysteriously scattered throughout time, which mild-mannered historian Nate Heywood (played by new series regular Nick Zano) discovers - and with Oliver Queen’s nudging aims to set - in the premiere. (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 195 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- In response to question of whether KC could show up as Black Canary (a JSA member in the comics) on LoT, MG (with a laugh): "No, that conflicts with other plans we have...he said, intentionally misleading and hopefully teasing." (Scan of LoT page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 177 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether Diggle might show up on LoT, DR: "Yeah, yeah... Well, you know, it's kinda like in this Berlanti universe, we're all like kinda connected and there's so much intersection, right? So, yeah." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- As LoT EP, MG: "If you're going to have a team of superheroes, you got to fight a team of supervillains. Um, so, we're going to start off with Matt Letscher reprising his role as Eobard Thawne and the Reverse Flash. So, you also saw in our teaser trailer that Neal McDonough is going to be back as Damien Darhk. Everybody who watched episode 15 knows that Leonard Snart is dead. But everyone who watched episodes 1 through 16 knows that it's a time travel show. So that means that we can bring back Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold. And there's one more and I'm totally forgetting who it is. Um, I need some help. Maybe could he come out?"  Then JB comes out: "I've had a little bit of experience with time travel. So I expect I'll fit in just fine. Malcolm Merlyn." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- NM will be back as Damien Darhk, a member of the Legion of Doom - along with Matt Letscher as Eobard Thawne, Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold and JB as Malcolm Merlyn. (Chris E. Hayner tweet, page 178 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On May 8, 2016, fan tweeted: "Caity Lotz: 'yes, hopefully I will be back in the next season of Arrow.'" (Justice Squad Convention in Paris, May 8, 2016: Slytherimpala tweet, page 36 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 11, 2016, MMcL posted pic of herself with CL. (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Other Flash Crossovers
-- GG revealed that, in Flash 302, Felicity will be giving advice to Barry.  Also, Oliver Queen (not Green Arrow) will be showing up in LoT, 201. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: iDigitalTimes article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per GG, Felicity will appear in episode 2 of The Flash "to offer advice." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and HiddenRemote article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what mini-crossovers ("one-offs") they can announce, Flash EP Todd Helbing: "Yeah, Episode 2, uh, we're going to have a little Felicity on the show." On what she will be doing, Helbing: "Uh, she and Barry are -" GG interrupted: "She's giving advice... Yeah, she's giving advice." Then they both laughed. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Flash EPs Todd/Aaron Helbing: "Everything that happens in Flashpoint will have a ripple effect throughout the season" On whether it will affect the other shows and the other timelines, Helbing: "They're in the same universe and in the same world, you know, it's certainly possible that it would have a trickle down effect... I mean, there's a - you know, we have a little mini-crossover in episode 2 where we see Felicity and, uh, there'll be some of your questions answered there about that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: WithAnAccentTV video of press roundtable interview with Flash EPs, Todd & Aaron Helbing, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM talked about how they keep track of everything that's happening on all three shows.  They have people who monitor that stuff and they also have a big chalk board. WM: "For example, when Felicity goes over to Flash, we're going to have to know what she's doing on Flash cause it has a great impact on her - not necessarily her availability - what is she [unintelligible word] on Flash that she's going to be carrying with her into our stories." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- GG said that there will be more crossovers this year than before and that he's doing at least four episodes of other shows. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with GG, page 41 of Spoilers thread)

Vixen Crossovers
-- S2 of animated series Vixen will feature guest appearances by Green Arrow (SA), the Flash (GG), Black Canary (KC), the Atom (BR), and Firestorm (VG/FD). (San Diego Comic Con, Jul. 23, 2016: ScreenCrush article and Video of Vixen S2 trailer, page 195 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  4 of  15:

General Character Narratives and Shifting Relationships 
-- GB: "[T]he shows have to exist as if they had nothing to do with superheroes as well. What kind of show would it be? What would it be about? What’s the emotional core of the main character and their journey? Inevitably if that stuff isn’t there, everything else feels like noise." (Sep. 9, 2016 IndieWire article, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Arrow co-exec. producer Beth Schwartz: "Well, in the beginning of the season, we sort of map out the entire emotional journey on all the characters, um, so we kind of know where the characters' starts, you know, the middle, their lowest point, and then, you know, where they end up. Sometimes that can change, but, um, usually you know what you want to do with them. And then, for each episode, the characters have their own emotional journeys. So it's like you have a journey long seasonal arc and also have for each episode what - what happens to that character in the episode, whatever obstacles [unintelligible word] the change from, you know, events in that episode." (San Diego Comic Con, Jul. 22, 2016: Video of Intro to TV Writing panel, page 473 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 22, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Just to add (and it's #SDCC so I'm feeling spicy), there seems to be a narrative building that with all these new castings, we've lost ... sight of our core characters Dig, Felicity, Thea, Lance, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, these new people ... are giving us an opportunity to see them in a different light and tell stories we couldn't have without them. I would love to give you ... 'news' on what's happening with Dig, Felicity, Thea, etc. this season but there's big spoilers involved. Trust me when I say that ... what's happening with them is in keeping with their respective emotional fallouts from last season, whether it be Dig killing Andy, ... Felicity and Havenrock, Lance losing Laurel, etc. Big stuff is coming for all of them. Can't wait for you to see! #ArrowSeason5." (briforsul tweets, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- With all of S5's cast additions, including a new ragtag team, per WM, “the one thing that anchors and pulls everybody through is Oliver... He’s very much the focus of the first nine [episodes].” In the light of day, the hero is taking his new role as mayor “seriously,” yet failing on the job, forcing Thea to pick up the slack. WM: “She, like Oliver, is trying to figure out her legacy through City Hall."  Elsewhere, per WM, a guilt-wracked Felicity is “doubled down in the bunker,” while Dig is similarly “trying to figure out how he can get that sense of himself back, after killing his brother.” As for this year’s Big Bad, per WM, Prometheus presents a “very personal” threat,“ and the ending will be, correspondingly, very specific to Oliver.” (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Well, the theme of the season is legacy, and for everybody, across the board, but especially Oliver. He’s looking back at, 'Okay, I’ve been here for four years. I’ve been trying to fix the city. Have I succeeded, or have I not?' And now, he’s working as the mayor and still working as a vigilante, which are two full-time jobs. He’s gotta figure out what’s really going to be his legacy and how he’s going to honor what he set out to do, which is right his father’s wrongs. And then, Thea will be doing the same thing from her position in the mayor’s office, and also grappling, personally, with if she’s like her mother, at the end of the day, and whether she’s more Merlyn or more Queen. Felicity will be dealing with the fall-out of Havenrock. She ultimately was responsible for the deaths of 20,000 people last year. We went big. A nuclear bomb went off. So, she’s dealing with that. And Diggle killed his brother. How do you come back from that and regain your moral center? He understands that he had to do what he did, but it doesn’t make it any easier that, at some point, you’ll have to tell your own child, 'Hey, I kind of killed your uncle. Sorry.'  It’s a little dark." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Oliver's most important relationship in the entire show is his relationship to Star City and what it means to him, the fact that it's his home. And, you know, his father said something very specific to him before he took his life, so that Oliver could live, and we get back to focusing on that this year." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Why did Oliver become what he became? He became what he became because his father asked him to do something for him in the moments right before he died... So he became what he became because his father asked him to make Star City a better place than the place that he left. And that really is where we get to this year with Oliver. Like, Oliver's most important relationship in the show is not with Felicity, it's not with Thea, it's not with Diggle, it's with Star City. And that's what we focus on this year. And it feels good." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Listen, the most important - Oliver's most important relationship in the entire show is his relationship with Star City, and his objective to make it better than what it was and to fulfill what his father asked him to do. So Oliver and Felicity are very much team members at this point." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver's most important relationship being with Star City, which fan interpreted as Oliver's real love being Star City, SA: "I didn't say 'real love.' I said 'important relationship.'" (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: video clip of SA autograph signing in kalichica12 tweet, page 1126 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- PB: "There's some interesting, um - I think the one thing that they also do every year very well is shifting the dynamics between the characters, you know, who you hate, who you love, etc. And there's some really interesting stuff. Um, I'm working with some [of the?] actors I've never really worked with before and, um, it's nice seeing those characters suddenly, '[unintelligible word] now, who are you? what's your deal?' - you know. So there's some good stuff on that this season. Surprise relationships." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- PB: "And there's some new, interesting, sort of dynamics between who he's relating with these days as well. It was a nice surprise that the writers sorta threw out. And, um, we've started that now and it's been enjoyable. So. You know, they do it every year - everyone's dynamics shift a little bit, you know, love you, hate you, hate you, love you, [unintelligible word] changes. And they've done the same thing this year, you know. Nice shift for all the characters." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what he's most excited to do this season, PB: "Well, staying alive is always exciting... The thing that the writers do very well each season is [unintelligible word] shift the dynamics between the relationships around, you know, to the characters. And, you know, 'love you, hate you,' etc.  And, uh, this year certainly for what Lance is experiencing, um, some new dynamics with characters he hasn't necessarily been that close to in the past. So it's kinda nice to play with that a bit. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Whedonopolis video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On who Quentin is going to rely on most this season and be close to, PB: "Well that's - I don't want to say that. That's where some of the shift - new, sort of, relationships are occurring, which is one of the nice, sort of surprises, as it evolves.... I'll let you see it as it happens. It's quite sweet and surprising." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Whedonopolis video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)

New Team Arrow
-- WM: "He's going to have a team, so we have talked about having a team of villains, and how would Oliver get his new guys who are really rough around the edges -- totally wet around the ears, not ready for this -- how does he get them ready to take on really trained [enemies]?... He's very cognizant of the fact that Laurel died in this line of work and he doesn't want that for them." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Team Arrow will need to be rebuilt. Since Diggle was heading back to the military "to find his moral compass" after killing his own brother, and Thea retired her Speedy alias to work in Mayor Queen's office, WM: "Oliver's is going to have to go out and find some new people." (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We're also going to have a lot of vigilantes who are inexperienced and inspired by the Green Arrow killing Damien Darhk. And they're going to be popping up all over the city, and that's actually going to become more of a problem than a help." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "But we will have a whole new team of characters - the vigilantes I was just talking about. One of them is Wild Dog, who we cast Rick Gonzalez, and he's going to be kind of part of this new figuration. And there'll be a couple others, including Echo Kellum and Mr. Terrific. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how it will work with Oliver training new vigilantes, WM: "It works exactly like you’d think it would. He does not care for them and he’s hard on them. For as much fun as it is to have Oliver basically just run roughshod over these very wide-eyed, wet-behind-the-ears, wannabe vigilantes, the truth of it is that he’s really informed by what happened in Season 4. Laurel died, and no one is taking that lightly. It’s informing the entire season. He doesn’t want them to die. He wants to make sure they know the gravity of the situation they’re going into." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the new recruits WM: “They don’t know what they’re doing -- and Oliver knows that. Truth be told, I’m not sure how excited Oliver is taking on anybody... In a season where we’re talking about his past, he’s fine to be out there on his own. He starts to think about his future and training them and what the legacy is [that] he wants to leave for his city. That’s really where he’s coming from.”  (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver’s role as mentor to the new team members be different from the one he had/has with Roy and Thea, WM: “The biggest difference is he’s just more experienced... He’s older, and he’s been through more.” However, that doesn’t mean Oliver will be nice to his new recruits (Why would he do that?” the EP laughs), but “he appreciates more the significance of being a teacher and what that means. In terms of this universe of martial arts and fighting and training people and what that means, he’s learning there’s value in being a mentor.” (Aug. 31, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why these vigilantes, WM: "Felicity has been tracking all of the new vigilantes in town. Evelyn Sharp, who will be Artemis, is somebody that Oliver is pretty confident that he can mold. He succeeded in turning her in Episode 419, so he’s like, “Okay, maybe her. But, this other guy? This Wild Dog guy? No idea what this guy is going on about!” Wild Dog is the one who gives him the most trouble, early in the season, and he’s also the guy who has his own dark past and is going to be dealing with his own legacy. And then, Ragman has a very spiritual identity and he comes from a place of really honoring his Jewish religion. He’s going to present some moral challenges to Oliver. He’s like a parent to these guys. They’re going to drive him crazy." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether they're modeling the new vigilante group after The Outsiders, WM: "In terms of an actual model of a team, we haven’t talked about that a lot. I think what we wanted to do was really look at it from the specific point of view of Oliver, Felicity and Dig. It’s tough to find characters in any other setting that would have that unique blend of perspectives. These are the comic book characters that spoke to us the most, and we felt would represent the biggest challenges to our guys. It’s going to be a ride." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Oliver: "These people are amateurs, Felicity." Felicity: "Inspired by you." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “There’s always possibly going be more new members of Team Arrow, but I don’t know yet... I know obviously Echo Kellum is joining us as a series regular, so we’ll see if he can ingratiate himself into the team." (May 27, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "So we do the normal thing where we do like a four-month time jump. And, uh, we pick up and the team is separated - it's just Emily and I, working together. And I'm of the mind that the old team is going to come back together, and she's of the mind that that's not going to happen - that we are going to need to recruit new people." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Extra interview with Arrow cast posted in AmellDaily tweet, page 452 of Social Media thread)
-- DR: "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. That's the big theme. You are going to see a team that's more fractured than it ever has been. The elements that remain of that team, ultimately, in Season 5, will be the strongest of the strong. I'm excited, because you are going to see a team stronger than it has been." (Apr. 27, 2016 ComicBookResources article, page 36 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "When you have, you know, Speedy, Oliver and Diggle in the field, and Felicity's doing her thing on the computer helping the team,  that's when it's the best." (Super Heroes Con II, Jun. 12, 2016: Video clip of DR panel, page 419 of Social Media thread)
-- DR: "The show's strongest as kind of a street-level, crimefighting phenomenon, right?  Diggle - or Oliver and Diggle and two or three other characters' brawn and Felicity's brain. And, um, I think that's really been the strength of the show on a street level. Getting back to that... Nukes and magic, it all feels a little flashy - though it worked incredibly well last season. Um, I think the strength of the show is the kind of street-level, crimefighting show. So we're getting back to that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WH: "[When Oliver left] the team had to find their own place in the team. ... Now they need to find their own place in their own lives. ... It's not like we're not going to be back together. ... Probably sooner than you think." (MCM London Comic Con, May 28, 2016: Mirror.co.uk article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- Felicity: "You have been waiting for things to go back to the way things were. They're not."  Oliver: "Felicity thinks that it's time we put together a new team." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I want the original team to come back. I want Thea and John to come back. Felicity wants Oliver to recruit a new team because Oliver's actions at the conclusion of season 4 and Genesis Day - which is what we're calling what happened with Damien Darhk - has inspired a lot of vigilantes within Star City. So, uh, she wants to move forward in a new direction and I want things to stay the same." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- SA reiterated that a big point of contention between Oliver and Felicity early on is that she wants a new team and he wants the old team back, but he realizes at some point that they need a new team so he has to train some new team members.  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "We have a scene in the first episode which I really, really enjoyed because Emily has an opinion and I have an opinion and - or, Felicity has an opinion and Oliver has an opinion - and we really go at it in terms of like disagreeing and - loved the scene. We like high-fived afterwards."  EBR: "We were sorta working it - 'wow, that really turned into something completely different than what we had read."  SA: "Yep. True story." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- SA: "Felicity wants a new team and Oliver wants the old team back together... That's sort of the crux of their point/counterpoint in the early part of the year."  In the short term, Felicity is definitely going to win that battle as she and Oliver are going to have a new squad to prepare for taking their vigilante justice to the streets. That doesn't mean the task will come easy, though. EBR: "The problem is new recruits need training. They are green. They are so green... It definitely complicates things, 'cause everything we had before was such a smooth-sailing machine." (Aug. 9, 2016 Zap2it article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA confirmed that they do get some new team members, saying: "We do. We're bringing in Madison McLaughlin, Echo and, uh, Rick Gonzalez... By the way, he's a vigilante that wears a hockey mask." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On what Oliver thinks of the new vigilantes, SA: "He thinks they're garbage. He thinks they're not ready. He doesn't want to use them. Felicity wants a new team. Oliver wants the old team. Oliver wants Dig and Thea to come back. And a lot of our early part of this season is wrestling with the idea of whether or not they're going to." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity will take on a bigger role in Team Arrow since there's only two of them, EBR: "Well, yeah, I guess cause she's sort of like the vet now... She's always had a large role. I think that her role is her role for a reason... Everyone has an equal weight of it, so I wouldn't say 'larger,' but she definitely holds her own and is a huge part of it. That's her main goal." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Diggle will return with a new appreciation for the team, when he rejoins them.  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Diggle's back in the army. Special forces. You find him at the beginning of the season overseas in Chechnya... And, um, he - there's some things going on there... and he eventually turns back to the team. And finds out there are some new members. He's going to have an opinion about that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how soon Diggle will return, DR: "It's going to happen very soon. And, um, obviously he's on special - he's in Special Forces on assignment overseas. Of course, there's going to be some nefarious goings-on. Right? Because it's Arrow. And, um, he will come to [unintelligible word] he needs that team. And they also need him. He's recruiting a new team - Oliver - and Felicity. And it's going to be very difficult to replace Thea and John Diggle. So it's not going to be smooth sailing over the [unintelligible word]. And when he comes back to the team, um, he'll have something to say about it... He has a position, right? I mean, part of the reason why he left was because of Canary's death and the guilt he feels about it. So bringing inexperienced team members, to a man like John Diggle, he's going to have a, you know - Even as experienced as they could be, Oliver replacing Thea and John will be very difficult, and I think he's going to have something to say about that. I haven't read that, but knowing where the writers could go and knowing John Diggle, he will have something to say about it. ... I think he will have some criticism about the fact that you're bringing in people from 'off the streets,' so to speak, to risk their lives for the city... I haven't read those things yet, so I can't even flirt with the idea that I know. But yes, he will have an opinion." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EK, this season we'll "definitely" see Curtis becoming more involved with Team Arrow and getting out in the field and helping out as much as he can, even though he's inexperienced: "You'll see his drive really coming through." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of TvForTheRestOfUs interview with EK, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis is going to be Team Arrow's Cisco in a sense, EK: "In a sense, yeah. I mean, you know, they have differences, but yeah, he'll definitely be - I think they won't have to outsource all their tech needs to Star Lab anymore." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with EK and EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK again mentioned WM's comment about Felicity being software and Curtis being hardware. He said that they'll dive more into Curtis' "engineering prowess" and building tech stuff to help Team Arrow, so they won't have to rely on Star Labs. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TvForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WH said that she hopes that Thea will get to the point where she feels comfortable going back to Team Arrow and that her rejoining the team is always a possibility and something that will definitely happen at some point. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with WH, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Quentin will be involved with the new vigilantes in Star City, PB: "Well, actually, there is a po - yeah, there is going to be some involvement there." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "I told Marc [Guggenheim] people are worried about OTA. He shook his head and said, 'Why do they worry about that?'  I said, 'I don’t know. It’s the core of the show.'  Marc said, 'It IS the show. They are not going anywhere. Tell them to stop worrying.' So… relax people. They know who and what Arrow is about." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "But then we talked about Emily, Stephen and David. I told him I understood why the LL fandom was so upset (and so does Marc [Guggenheim]). I said, 'I mean… what if you killed Felicity?' We grabbed each other’s hands and both shuddered. Marc just shook his head and said, 'I would NEVER do that.' Then he said, 'There is absolutely no show without Stephen, Emily and David. They are the show. PERIOD.'” (SDCC, Jul. 24, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of second conversation with MG, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Audience member asked DR to play two truths and one lie.  DR said that he's terrible at playing this game.  Then, after a long wait while he consulted with WH, he said: "Oliver and Felicity are together at the beginning of the season... Second one would be that Malcolm is now part of Team Arrow... Third one would be that the Lazarus Pit is not destroyed." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papps posted b-t-s pics of 506 filming, including shots of Diggle in his new mask, Rene as Wild Dog, Evelyn as Artemis, Rory as Ragman, and possibly Curtis as Mr. Terrific. (PUNKD_Images and VanFlarrowFan tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  5 of  15:

Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity")
-- Felicity is still going to be by Oliver's side when S5 begins, but as an ally and a friend; viewers won't have to see any residual baggage from their breakup. MG: "We've talked a lot about how to deal with that... We always play the true five month gap between the season finale and season premiere. And every time we've talked about Oliver and Felicity should talk about their feelings, we realized, wow, that feels really wrong because they've had five months to talk about their feelings. Any mature couple, they've had that conversation." MG likens their relationship to being closer to where it was in S1, where "Felicity was Oliver's sort of light and voice of reason, and voice of positivity, and she's still trying to be that," while Oliver is "again torn between that aspiration and his own nature and his past."  (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG teased that 505 is "probably the most Olicity-centric episode we will have done in Season 5 so far." MG: "There's a very Olicity-heavy scene in [episode] 5. They're adults. At the same time, it feels a little like Season 1... I honestly don't know how many shows have done this where you've gotten two characters engage, broke them up, but still kept them together on the show as partners." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what we should take from Oliver & Felicity being together in the last scene of 423: per WM, with the team essentially dismantled, the exes "were the only two people left in the bunker, which we felt was symbolic.". But don't assume that means Olicity lives again. WM: "We deliberately left it ambiguous." (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On status of Olicity at the start of S5, WM: "It's still a partnership. I mean, the way we left them in the bunker at the end of last season was somewhat ambiguous and we will kick them off in a similarly ambiguous state. That said, you will find out some more right around episode 5. And, you know, I think we're just going to let the characters kinda take us where they will." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and ComicBook article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Olicity this year, WM: "Good question. I think that... in the past, we've really - One of the reasons that relationship happened was we wanted to write to the chemistry that was obviously palpable on screen between Stephen and Emily, and also really honor who those characters are, and [unintelligible words] leave them ambiguous at the end of season 4.  And you'll see them stay ambiguous for awhile. You'll get some answers - Olicity fans will get some answers in episode 5. Beyond that, we're going to write to see - you know, we're going to write to them the same way. If they take us in the direction of reconciliation, great.  If not, we'll see what happens... You'll find out a lot more clarity in episode 5... on Olicity." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "When we find them at the top of the season, that bond has grown stronger.  And the Olicity of kind of where that relationship goes and whether it goes back to being romantic or not, again, we're going to see where that takes us.  Um, we originally wrote those characters and explored that relationship as much out of a response to, ' we need a romantic storyline on the show,' but really it was the chemistry between Stephen and Emily on camera - you can't deny it. And maybe that chemistry will overtake them again and we'll put them back together. Maybe not." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video in Jul. 25, 2016 Zap2it article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "I know Olicity is a very sort of lightning rod of controversy on the internet. We left them in a very  ambiguous way at the end of season 4, and I think we'll get some clarity in the first five episodes, particularly in episode 5 of season 5. But, by the same token, we really - one of the reasons that relationship happened is we could really write into those characters and write into Steve and Emily, and we're going to do the same thing in season 5. We're going to kinda let the characters tell us where they want to go, and we'll see where we end up."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to question about how they will deal with the tension with fans who are staunchly Olicity and fans who are staunchly anti-Olicity, WM: "What's interesting about Olicity is, it's become this big - as everyone knows, this huge thing online and everyone has taken sides. But for us, it was really a byproduct of you cast someone like Emily Bett Rickards and there is obviously chemistry and you start to write to that. And it really felt in seasons 3 and 4 that, if you didn't go in that direction, it was going to do a disservice to the show and to the characters. And so we leaned into it, we went that way, we saw what it could do, and in season 5, we're going to do the same thing, which is, we left them ambiguous at the end of the season and, I will say, you will get some clarity in episode 5 of season 5. But even then, we're going to be - we are going to be exploring it in, actually in real time, to see where the characters are taking us, and where we feel like the best stories are going to be told." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016:  Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "In the past, we’ve always tried to write what the actors were showing us on camera, and I would say right now, we left Oliver and Felicity in a very ambiguous place at the end of Season 4. I think it’s going to take a while for them to figure out what that relationship is and how much they want it." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether, moving forward, they think about the fact that they have a very devoted Olicity fan base who want to see Oliver and Felicity together, WM: "Oh, yeah! At some point, we do think about it, and then you have to stop thinking about it. The funny thing about Felicity and Oliver is that it’s not in the comic books. Like you, I don’t come for a comic book background, and I feel like I speak for those members of the audience, who are a lot, that don’t. The thing about having Emily [Bett Rickards] on the show is that it was clear Emily and Stephen [Amell] had chemistry, and we wrote to that. Right now, they’re in an ambiguous place and we’re going to see where that goes. We’re going to lean into wherever these actors and characters take us, and that’s the fun of it. That’s why you can’t always please everyone. You’re in charge of figuring out what’s best for the show, creatively. Sometimes that isn’t what the Olicity fans or the Laurel fans want. Sorry guys!" (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Felicity and Oliver feel about each other moving on, WM: "You’re going to see a lot of both of them reacting to this decision they made. Between seasons, they’ve definitely had a conversation about, 'We’re going to work in the bunker. It’s going to be great.' They didn’t really get to that question of, are we going to date? So, when all that starts to come out, they’re going to have to make decisions. If they’re not going to be together, what are they going to do? They’re not going to be single for their own lives. They’ll have to see what happens. They’re going to have some big feelings. There might be some toes that get stepped on, for sure." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Don’t expect an Olicity reunion in the near future. WM: “They’re both in crisis mode. Oliver’s got two really big jobs, and [Felicity] is spinning out about Havenrock... Until they’ve gotten some clarity for themselves, there’s not much room for the relationship side of things.” (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “They’re not together when we come back."  Because Oliver is dealing with two full-time jobs and Felicity is dealing with causing thousands of deaths at Havenrock, WM: "For where they both are character-wise, the relationship is not at the top of their priority list right now” (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “The relationship, much to the chagrin to the Laurel fans, was borne out of that symbiotic relationship between the writers, what we were seeing on the dailies and the actors. We’re going to stay consistent on that,” she said. “We’re going to continue to see where these characters lead us. So it could go where the Olicity fans want… or not.” (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "The relationship between Oliver and Felicity in Season 5 is very much a partnership. They are the two remaining members of Team Arrow. And they are trying to manage what they managed before, except that we had a big team." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA "I think that Emily - Oliver & Felicity's relationship is, um - it's in a very mature place - that's where we leave it. And I think there's a little bit of certainty towards the end of the season as to what the future's going to hold for them... But I don't know if we have any firm resolution. We certainly don't have the type of firm resolution that we had in season 3 where they were literally driving off into the sunset. We certainly don't have that this year." (City of Heroes 2, May 15, 2016: Video of SA panel, page 406 of Social Media thread)
-- SA said that he doesn't believe that Oliver & Felicity will begin S5 together. (Wizard World Philadephia, Jun. 4, 2016: fangirlishness tweet & article, amellxwood tweet and ckinger13 tweet page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether O&F will ever get married, SA: "I don't know. I don't know. I know that, uh - I know that, um, it was important, uh  - I thought especially at the end of season 4, with everything that happened, and obviously with, um, with Laurel Lance's death, that their relationship be put on the back burner, because I think there were more pressing issues, obviously. So I don't know what they're - what's going to happen in season 5. I do know that, um, they don't - I don't believe they begin season 5 together. So, we'll see where it goes from there."  (Wizard World Philadelphia, Jun. 4, 2016: Video clip from SA panel, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- During Weibo Q&A (on Jun. 28, 2016), SA: "I don't believe Oliver and Felicity are together in Season 5." (yasriechi tweet, page 1077 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- SA: "Um, I was actually chatting with a couple of fans earlier, um, and they were saying there hasn't been a lot of like, uh, positivity and reassuring notions when it comes to Oliver & Felicity's relationship. I think that it's important to remember that relationships on the show don't have to defined by romance. Oliver & Felicity could have a wonderful, fulfilling, dynamic relationship and not be together, right? ... That wasn't a question, by the way. That's how the world works, guys. So we will see where they are this year. I know that, uh - I hope that they're both in a positive place.  Whether that means they're together or not remains to be seen." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 1 of SA panel, page 431 of Social Media thread, and TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to child fan who asked if Oliver & Felicity were ever going to get married, SA: "Um, no [real?] plans to get married yet. But I did propose at one point in time, she gave the ring back to me... [unintelligible word] marriage is something that's in Oliver's mind, despite the fact that he's currently married." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 1 of SA panel, page 431 of Social Media thread, with transcription posted on page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Little girl asked if Olicity was going to get married and SA replied that marriage is on his mind.  (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: TheAltSource tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA reiterated that Oliver & Felicty are not together at the start of S5. (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: KnottedYarn tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA: "No. There aren't. We just started season 5... like literally just now. And I think sometimes people take, uh - there were two things I said over the weekend at Heroes & Villains-New Jersey.  ... Oh yeah, and then the second thing is, some very nice fans came up to me when I was in New Jersey over the weekend, and they were like, 'We need some positivity around Oliver & Felicity's character,' and I'm like, 'Guys, ... it's the off-season.' It's funny for me during the off-season because - over the hiatus, I guess - I'm not a professional athlete.  It's funny for me because I would sit down for interviews and, you know, a lot of the journalists would've seen Turtles and that was the - that was the point of the interview, and they would ask two Turtles questions - but, you know, then 'What happens in season 5?' ... 'I don't know' ... and that has led to, like, news, for some reason. I literally don't know.  I've now read three scripts. I've had lots of discussions.  But I didn't reveal sh*t in any of those interviews, for the record." (Jul. 7, 2016 SA facebook video, page 436 of Social Media thread)
-- In response to question of whether there's any chance we can see reconciliation for Olicity, SA: "Nope." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Extra interview with Arrow cast posted in AmellDaily tweet, page 452 of Social Media thread)
-- Interviewer commented that Oliver & Felicity went from partners to friends to lovers and asked what is keeping them working together now.  SA: "Listen, the most important - Oliver's most important relationship in the entire show is his relationship with Star City, and his objective to make it better than what it was and to fulfill what his father asked him to do. So Oliver and Felicity are very much team members at this point. Um, she thinks there should be a new team at the moment. Oliver would like the old team back together. He's kinda convinced that, well, everyone will go and do their thing and then they'll come back. So, uh, they're kind of at odds at that at the moment, but they're very much team members right now." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity & Oliver are going to start regaining trust,  SA: "I think that there's a good trust and a good business partnership between the two of them. But from a romantic standpoint, they haven't gone back that way." In response to question "are they?", SA just shrugged. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Olicity, SA: "They're very much partners. They're the remaining members of Team Arrow at the moment. And, uh, I've enjoyed our scenes. Uh, we have a heated disagreement in the first episode of the year, and I really like the way that it played. We didn't argue like - we didn't argue like I was trying to be gentle. Like, I had my opinion, she had hers. We hashed it out, went from there. I think they're in a really good place." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether SA and EBR like the "inbetweenness" of where the Olicity relationship is now, SA: "Very much so. We have a really dynamic scene in the premiere where we speak to each other as equals, as team members. Um, you know, I've always thought that Oliver's most important relationship in Arrow is his relationship to Star City and his love of that city. And that is the main objective at - at this time in his life. I think it's pretty clear that he - Oliver loves Felicity, but I don't know if that means they're going to be together. But I really like the scene that we had in the pilot. Emily and I like high-fived after because we were fired up."  EBR: "It sorta transformed. We didn't know it was going there and I feel like their - Felicity and Oliver's communication and collaberation aspects of themselves are just getting stronger as teammates and that's a good thing." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and ComicBook article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Oliver's most important relationship in the entire show is his relationship to Star City and what it means to him, the fact that it's his home. And, you know, his father said something very specific to him before he took his life, so that Oliver could live, and we get back to focusing on that this year." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "That [Olicity] relationship is much more important than the romantic element of it. I mean, obviously, that's an element. And they clearly have feelings for one another, but at the same time, the mission supersedes anything, and the mission has to do with Star City.  Star City is Oliver's most important relationship on the show." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video in Jul. 25, 2016 Zap2it article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Why did Oliver become what he became? He became what he became because his father asked him to do something for him in the moments right before he died... So he became what he became because his father asked him to make Star City a better place than the place that he left. And that really is where we get to this year with Oliver. Like, Oliver's most important relationship in the show is not with Felicity, it's not with Thea, it's not with Diggle, it's with Star City. And that's what we focus on this year. And it feels good." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver's most important relationship being with Star City, which fan interpreted as Oliver's real love being Star City, SA: "I didn't say 'real love.' I said 'important relationship.'" (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: video clip of SA autograph signing in kalichica12 tweet, page 1126 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Oliver is not back with Felicity when S5 picks up.  EBR: "We're strengthening our business relationship."  SA implied that perhaps some off-screen "mistakes" were made thanks to some Russian vodka.  (Sep. 1, 2016 eonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EBR, Felicity needs to grow by herself before getting back with Oliver, and that whatever may happen, she hopes they keep it true between Oliver and Felicity. (Super Heroes Con II, Jun. 12, 2016: SophieLimbourg tweets, page 418 of Social Media thread)
-- EBR: "I said this yesterday. I believe their relationship has been true, um, in how they introduced themselves to each other, how they got together, how they moved in together, how they broke up. Now, relationships change all the time. It's whether or not you're willing to compromise and move forward together as a couple. And if that makes sense to them, it depends on what truths are presented to them the next season because I don't know, I feel like right now Felicity needs to grow probably by herself. I mean, she's a few years younger than Oliver." (Super Heroes Con II, Jun. 12, 2016: Video clip in obrientoubia tweet, page 418 of Social Media thread)
-- On where the Olicity relationship will be at the beginning of S5, EBR: "I don’t think they’ll be in a love relationship. They’d be like 'we work together, we were in love', it’s complicated. They try to move on but I hope we will see them back together.'' (Jun. 13, 2016 MCM article, page 175 of Starling CIty Times thread)
-- On why Felicity chose to stay by Oliver's side at the end of S4, EBR: "I think it's become her vendetta, really... She didn't know what her life was going to bring her to - we never do - and she ended up realizing that this is something now that she's been a part of that she can't give up! She really wants to make the city a better place. This is her way of doing it, and figuring out how to ultimately make the city better, make the world better, get some bad guys off the streets… And you know, Oliver is her heart. That’s a part of it... You don’t always get to be with the one that has your heart but they get to work together. They have a friendship, they have a relationship – that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a romantic relationship but in a relationship with people you enjoy being around, that’s – those people keep you around all the time." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Aug. 1, 2016 ComicBook article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- EBR: "Their romantic relationship has disintegrated, um, but their communication is getting better.  Their work partnership has never been stronger. I think that does have to do with the communication and probably the breakup had a part to do with that. And they're discovering things about having to work through new things over the team also being disintegrated at the same time and like trying to rebuild certain things - building a team, building a new aspect of their relationship, it's all very [unintelligible word]." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver & Felicity, EBR: "They're, um, definitely working towards, you know, making the city better - that's what they do, um, you know, changing the world one small city at a time, one mobster at a time, one supervillain at a time, um, dark magic at a time. And they are working together in a professional aspect and they really - you know, it's not relying on their romantic relationship, but they are in a relationship - um, you know, they're in a partnership, a work relationship, a friendship hopefully, and sort of working towards that and hopefully building a communication off the breakup and, you know, hopefully making their communication stronger in that aspect." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- EBR: "What's interesting about that is, you're so connected with someone, and then - they're working together, they have a common goal. They both have very strong opinions about how things should progress, and they're not going to, you know, dance around what their opinions are. They're more likely to be a little more cut-throat at that point because you know the person so well. Trying to build that friendship and like hoping - you know, always expecting the best of that person. And like really trying to get there and trying not to let your emotions override the goal at hand, I think, is always difficult for that scenario, but they're doing it." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video in Jul. 25, 2016 Zap2it article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what the Olicity relationship will start off like in S5, EBR: "I do believe their communication is getting better, um, and I think that has a lot to do with them being in a new type of relationship, you know, past the breakup and having to work together and having a common goal and, you know, trying to decide things and trying to improve, you know, the city, and not only that, but themselves and their relationship. So it's interesting like how we left off with the bunker being destroyed and then both just standing strong in a place where they had inevitably destroyed themselves and how their relationship had also kinda been destroyed and broken, and now they had done that to themselves, everyone's still standing strong, I think, was a really good example about where they're going to go, because they end up staying in it and they clean it up and they start, you know, moving around each other obviously in a different way. But, um, their dance will be a little different, but I think it's growing." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether there will be the ongoing element of not being able to fully trust each other, EBR: "I feel like they have trust. I feel like they want to think the best of one another and that can sometimes be a problem, um, because you end up finding out, you know, how much your boundaries move. And I think they're both very strong-willed and they both have very strong boundaries. And it's like trying to figure out where they can let each other back in, so I don't know if it's a trust [unintelligible word] - they both trust that they would save each other's lives, but do they trust each other with their emotions and their heart? And that's different." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
--  In response to fan asking what we can expect from OTA in S5, DR replied: "Um, mayhem. Um, death, love. Oliver and Felicity breaking up and getting back together." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 1 of Arrow panel, page 431 of Social Media thread, and TVLine article and peopleschoice tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "Marc [Guggenheim] said that Episode 5 is a HUGE Olicity episode. I asked him if Oliver was giving up and he said, 'No! No no non no!' ... So then I asked, 'But are we going to see a rebuild?' And Marc smiled and said, 'Yes.' And then I said, 'Oliver’s still working on becoming the man that Felicity wants and needs??' He smiled and said, 'Yes. Absolutely.' Then I said, 'But it’s going to be a process? A long journey?' And he smiled again and said YES." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per jbuffyangel, MG told her that Felicity says to Oliver, "You keep waiting for things to go back to the way they were," and that Felicity's talking about the team, but the subtext is their relationship. jbuffyangel believes that dialogue will be in 501 or 501. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 of Spoilers thread, as modified by jbuffyangel clarification, page 41 of Spoilers thread) 
-- jbuffyangel: "I told Marc [Guggenheim] we spend a lot of time talking about WHEN the Olicity wedding will happen. When it doesn’t happen in the episode we expect, we simply go on to the next and so on. I said it’s fine because it just means there’s more story to tell. I said everyone on the Wedding Train has the perspective we’re on the scenic route. Marc nodded in agreement and said that was absolutely right. And then I said, 'I certainly hope Oliver and Felicity will get there someday.' Then Marc smiled at me, with a knowing glint in his eye, and answered, 'I hope so too.'” But then he grew a little more serious and said, 'Listen, when we figured out that Arrow was going to go longer than five seasons we had to retool some things. I mean… we like burning through story, but we don’t want to burn through story that fast.' I told him I understood he is writing a television show and this is the way it works." (SDCC, Jul. 24, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of second conversation with MG, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "He [Marc Guggenheim] did warn me there will be a moment in the premiere that will be very difficult for the Olicity fandom to take. Marc specifically said he wanted me to prepare you guys. Marc reiterated he hopes people are willing to take the good with the bad with them [the writers]." (SDCC, Jul. 24, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of second conversation with MG, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA responded to fan's concern about how Olicity has been treated by writers/cast since S4 ended: "The majority of the press took place after approximately five days of filming. I'd encourage everyone to take a deep breath and wait until the season starts." (Aug. 17, 2016 SA facebook: Sally KG post  and SA reply in Sally KG tweet, page 1121 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Audience member asked DR to play two truths and one lie.  DR said that he's terrible at playing this game.  Then, after a long wait while he consulted with WH, he said: "Oliver and Felicity are together at the beginning of the season... Second one would be that Malcolm is now part of Team Arrow... Third one would be that the Lazarus Pit is not destroyed." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016, SA tweeted: "Sometimes before a big Friday on Arrow I fire myself up by watching the last ep of Sex & The City where Big tells Carrie she's the one." (SA tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per DR, Diggle is always on the side of Oliver & Felicity being together. He sees that Oliver is in love with Felicity and that Oliver allowing himself to be in love and being truthful helps Oliver to be in contact with his humanity. It's always been a part of Diggle's "M.O." for Oliver is to help him get back in contact with his humanity. When he met Oliver, Oliver was a killer. He told Oliver that killing takes a piece of your soul and that he would help Oliver see that.  He sees Felicity as "another part of that human puzzle" that Oliver needs to get in contact with. Ultimately, he wants Oliver to be "a well-rounded human being."  (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of DR interview in Velocity23 post, page 1130 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Per SA, marriage is something that is currently on Oliver's mind despite the fact that he's currently married (to Nyssa). (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: AllThings_Arrow tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver & Felicity ever had the kid talk, SA: "Nope. Probably. I don't know. Good question. The show probably needs kids at some point. You should pay attention to Season 5. Not the way you think. Except maybe." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  6 of  15:

Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow
-- In facebook video chat, SA: "New Arrow suit this year, by the way. Or a slightly modifed version." (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA: "Suit's different this year, pants aren't. Whoops." (Jul. 14, 2016 SA facebook video & transcription, page 39 of Spoilers thread and page 443 of Social Media thread)
-- Oliver's new GA costume has long sleeves. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On his new GA suit with sleeves, SA: "It's a suit with modifications... I wouldn't go so far as to call it a new suit." (Aug. 31, 2016 facebook Q&A, page 468 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "The suit changes in Season 5. That's a good question. Uh, we added sleeves back onto the suit for a variety of reasons. Um, one of the reasons will be explained on the show. But one of the other reasons was that, I'm not a method actor by any means. Um, but I do like to embody my character a little bit. And when you're the Arrow and you're 'uhhg, Arrow' (using deep, growly voice and raising fist), uh, it's a little bit tough when after every take, when you're fiming on a rooftop at 3 o' clock in the morning in November, you go, 'can I have my puffy coat please?' I don't want that... I want to, like, really embody the character. So that was one of many reasons why we added sleeves back onto the suit for this year... And also, it's a nice, um, nod to the character you see in Legends, Oliver in 2046." Also SA: "The new suit has a little more black in it, on the arms. Uh, I like the new suit. The new suit looks badass on screen, which is really cool." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA said that he would like a new bow and that he actually needs a new bow. Then he said: "I think that there would be a very good reason in Season 5 to go back to a very particular type of bow. And you'll have to wait, you'll have to wait and see how that will unfold." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 12, 2016: Video of SA solo panel, page 343 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether we'll see the return of the boxing glove arrow, SA: "Hopefully... Like, hopefully, it's not just the return of the boxing glove arrow, but maybe there can just be a boxing glove sticking out of my quiver. I mean, if we're not going to have fun with the boxing glove arrow, then why the f**k are we making the show?" (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jun. 22, 2016, SA tweeted: "Excited to debut my suddenly salt & pepper hair in the season premiere." (SA tweet, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA said that his "salt-and-pepper" hair will be making an appearance this season.  He shaved it and his hair "inexplicably came back gray."  But he kinda likes it. (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll ever see the goatee, SA (smiling): "Sure, you know... sure... You know, we are kinda tied to two things. One, the flashbacks, okay. Two, sometimes on the show, like we do in the first episode this year, we flash back to something that happened when Oliver - through our first four seasons. And explain some things. So what would I do with a goatee then? Like this is a reality of episodic television that we really can't get around - and I'm not wearing a fake beard. It's a 183-day shoot. A fake beard's itchy. The two days that I spent on Legends of Tomorrow as Old Oliver were literally the two longest days that I've ever had on set. They were incredibly - the beard itched. It was bad. So... we are a slave to that a little bit. But I would like the goatee at some point." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see Oliver's goatee in his guest appearance on the LoT premiere this season, LoT EP MG: "No, we're slowly moving in that direction. Slowly." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- With all of S5's cast additions, including a new ragtag team, per WM, “the one thing that anchors and pulls everybody through is Oliver... He’s very much the focus of the first nine [episodes].” In the light of day, the hero is taking his new role as mayor “seriously,” yet failing on the job. (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We're doing a regular four-month time jump, or I guess it's five... We're going to pick up right there and uh, you know, four months after Damien Darhk's been killed and the city is not in a great state. Star City is getting better under - Oliver will be the Mayor. He'll still be the Mayor when we open in 501. And he'll be kinda fighting on two fronts, so he'll do kinda the criminal element in town - the mob. We haven't really explored the mafia on the show before, and we've done a little with the Bertinellis in season 1. They're going to be a huge element when we come into this season. And also he's going to be bringing in a lot of new vigilantes who've been inspired by the Green Arrow that have been popping up all over the city, both helping and not helping." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "[Season 5] deals with legacy, it deals with the past, and the dramatic irony, the dramatic tension, that we get from it is Oliver's always been a guy -- admittedly, not the most self aware dude ever -- but he's always been someone who is trying to move forward. He's always trying to evolve... The challenge for Oliver this year is how do you evolve and move forward when the past keeps grabbing at you, trying to pull you back." MG promised an Oliver who is "trying to be an optimistic" and "trying to be bright" -- though of course "circumstances just keep trying to pull him back into the darkness." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver's stint as Mayor, WM: "City Hall, that institution, is crucial to our series." (Jun. 2, 2016 TVLine article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "When Oliver says, 'No one can know my secret' and he kills that guy in the pilot, we're going to get some insight into that." (Jun. 2, 2016 TVLine article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- Oliver Queen, who was introduced as a murderous vigilante, will be taking stock at a life led and what his future may hold. WM: “He’s looking back at his own past and his own legacy." It’s a stark contrast from where Oliver was at the start of the show, when he was nothing but a remorseless killer with “total tunnel vision” on righting his father’s wrongs. “That’s all living in the past,” Mericle said of Oliver’s original mindset. “This is the first time he’s had the maturity and the space to think about, well, how long can you do this?”  (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
--WM: “Oliver’s in this space now where he’s got two huge full-time jobs and he’s trying to figure out where he is the most effective.” (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver has changed from S1 to S5 and if he changed for better or worse, SA: "I think that he changed the way that people change in life, which is that you add certain good qualities and you pick up certain bad qualities. One of the things I really enjoy about Season 5 is that, in the flashbacks, I'm playing a version of Oliver that is remarkably close to the version of me in Season 1. And it's been fun to go back to him. Meanwhile, they've been joking in the writers' room and talking with EPs that amongst the group, the team as it were, Oliver at the moment is sort of the optimist. So I'm happy where he is right now. I think he's in a good spot." (Salt Lake City Comic Con, Sep. 3, 2016: Video of full SA/DR panel, page 472 of Social Media thread)
-- On Oliver's moral code in S5, SA: "Going forward, he made this decision to - to not kill, period, forever. And that decision put him in a tricky place, a bunch of different times. So I think that, if everything was always black and white with him, that there are certainly going to be shades of grey this year - which is more interesting." (Wizard World Philadelphia, Jun. 4, 2016: Video clip from SA panel, page 418 of Social Media thread)
-- On GA's next nemesis:  WM: "[Season 5's villain] is somebody Oliver unwittingly created in Season 1 when he was a killer in a hood... This guy is going to be collateral damage who lost someone to the Hood and [has] spent the last several years training and plotting for revenge. He will be a true dark mirror to Oliver Queen." (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On exploring Oliver's dual life, WM: “In the past we’ve had him be the CEO, we’ve seen him have somewhat of a public face, but this is a public face that he, for lack of a better term, he can’t B.S. this - he’s the mayor. He has to show up. When he’s not there, people know he’s not there. So we’re going to drive story both in the Mayor’s office and in the Bunker. It’s actually a real challenge from a storytelling perspective because you have to figure out where is his real emotional drive coming from. It’ll be fun. We’ll have a lot of fun with the sort of Superman element of him having a new identity, one that’s very, very public.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Fan asked if we're going to see Oliver going back towards the darkness now that he's lost both Felicity and his son. SA: "I think that if we're talking about a five-year journey, we're talking about Oliver being very, very,  you know, lethal and dark in the first season and then, you know, building towards, you know - that didn't work. And the method where he just, you know, 'I'm not going to kill anyone regardless, it doesn't matter, I've got to strive for something different', that doesn't seem to have worked either. So maybe in Season 5, we can see the medley of the two, because, um, you know, he has people in his life that, um, in the latter parts of this season, really push him towards a place he really didn't think they'd be comfortable with him going. And we see some of his, um, some of his teammates and friends going to places where he never expected that they would. So I think we're going to see, hopefully, more of the finished product of Oliver in Season 5 that he can use going forward. The two extremes don't seem to work." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 12, 2016: Video of SA solo panel, page 343 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether there's a relationship or aspect of Oliver that he hasn't gotten to explore yet that he's hoping to explore in season 5, SA: "The public visage and version of Oliver Queen within Star City is something that we really haven't touched on. And I think that something happens in the finale that will help change that." (CW Upfronts, May 19, 2016: ComicBook.com article, page 37 of Spoilers thread)
-- On next season playing the flashback Oliver that came right into season 1, SA: "I mean, that'll be fun, man.... Maybe he'll lie just in complete juxtaposition to the Oliver that we see in season 5 in the present day. Or maybe they'll start to line up together again. You never know. Things change." (CW Upfronts, May 19, 2016: ComicBook.com article, page 37 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver as mayor, SA: "What I'm very excited for, and what a big part of the canon is, is that, you know, Green Arrow from its inception point has always been a very political character. And I think that, you know, as a show, at the risk of offending some people, we should really discover what Oliver's political ideology is. We should really make Green Arrow someone that is an advocate for the people. Um, he was always a very, uh, liberal superhero. And it would be nice, regardless of his, um, his political ideology, to lean into it a little bit, not be afraid to offend some people, and really see what he stands for. So I think as mayor, I've always loved the idea of Oliver Queen as a public persona within Star City, but that's not really something that we've had to - um, been able to tackle - I mean, he was obviously running Queen Consolidated in season 2 and it wasn't until the end of this season when, you know, he hopped on a car and gets to do his speech that, you know, we really got to see him as a man of the people within Star City, so - hope we get to see more of that."  (Wizard World Philadelphia, Jun. 4, 2016: Video clip from SA panel, page 418 of Social Media thread)
-- In facebook video chat, in response to question of "Evil Arrow in next season", SA: "I wouldn't say 'evil'.  A little meaner." (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver has changed from S1 to S5 and if he changed for better or worse, SA: "I think that he changed the way that people change in life, which is that you add certain good qualities and you pick up certain bad qualities. One of the things I really enjoy about Season 5 is that, in the flashbacks, I'm playing a version of Oliver that is remarkably close to the version of me in Season 1. And it's been fun to go back to him. Meanwhile, they've been joking in the writers' room and talking with EPs that amongst the group, the team as it were, Oliver at the moment is sort of the optimist. So I'm happy where he is right now. I think he's in a good spot." (Salt Lake City Comic Con, Sep. 3, 2016: Videos of SA/DR panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver being at war with two sides of himself and what excites SA going into S5 with this version of Oliver, SA: "Syndication? ... No, uh, I'm very excited because there was this one extreme of Oliver that we saw in season 1 and then a very reactionary version of Oliver that we saw in season 2 after the death of Tommy. And what we see now with Oliver is - we see an Oliver that understands that it's not just black and white, that there are shades of grey, and he's really back to the mission of first and foremost, the most important thing in my life is honoring what my father asked me to do, is protecting Star City, and I feel like that has - I've been saying all day today, this certainly, I don't think, is the last year of show, but it's definitely the end of a chapter.  And that is, this was conceived as a five-year journey, so Oliver both in the present and in the flashbacks - um, I feel like if we do this year right, we will have the ability to then start anew." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "The villain this year is the result of Oliver's actions in season 1." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Extra interview with Arrow cast posted in AmellDaily tweet, page 452 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "One of the things that we do this year that I think is very cool is that the villain, the Big Bad this year, was created by Oliver. It was created based off of Oliver's actions in season 1. I think that's a cool place to take the show."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Listen, the most important - Oliver's most important relationship in the entire show is his relationship with Star City, and his objective to make it better than what it was and to fulfill what his father asked him to do. So Oliver and Felicity are very much team members at this point. Um, she thinks there should be a new team at the moment. Oliver would like the old team back together. He's kinda convinced that, well, everyone will go and do their thing and then they'll come back. So, uh, they're kind of at odds at that at the moment, but they're very much team members right now." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Oliver's most important relationship in the entire show is his relationship to Star City and what it means to him, the fact that it's his home. And, you know, his father said something very specific to him before he took his life, so that Oliver could live, and we get back to focusing on that this year." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "What we see now with Oliver is that he sees shades of gray and he's back to the mission of first and foremost what's important is that I'm doing what my father asked me to do and defending Star City." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, Oliver is "vigilante-ing more than mayor-ing" when S5 picks up. SA: "He's not paying as much attention to the mayoral office as he should be." (Sep. 1, 2016 eonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Oliver's doing a sh*t job as Mayor right now. He's not doing a good job. You know, he ran for the mayoral office and got elected, theoretically, unopposed, based off of a lot of very very good, heartfelt sentiments. But because he is alone and there is no team, he doesn't have time to be the Mayor. So Thea's basically doing all of his stuff for him." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "What a garbage mayor he is, he's terrible." Per SA, too much of Oliver's attention is going into being Green Arrow and Thea is "carrying his water as mayor." SA: "I really like the idea. Longtime fans of Green Arrow know what a politically-inspired character Oliver Queen is. He had a point of view, he had an ideology, and I think all of those things would be very interesting to explore on the show." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "He's doing a sh*t job as Mayor. He's doing a bad job as Mayor. Because there is no team. It's just him. Which means that he is spending all of his time being the Green Arrow. And no time at all being the Mayor. And that's a big point of contention between him and Thea - and him and Felicity a little bit... Thea basically is the Mayor because I'm not doing anything... Oliver's like 'I'm busy doing other stuff' because Star City's not in good shape." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "To me, this season feels very grounded and very patient... Why did Oliver become what he became? He became what he became because his father asked him to do something for him in the moments right before he died... So he became what he became because his father asked him to make Star City a better place than the place that he left. And that really is where we get to this year with Oliver. Like, Oliver's most important relationship in the show is not with Felicity, it's not with Thea, it's not with Diggle, it's with Star City. And that's what we focus on this year. And it feels good. The show feels like - you know, it's really amazing that we started with one show and now we have four. But Arrow has always been the most specific show. It's a street-level, crimefighting, make Star City show. And it feels like we're getting back to that this year, which is cool." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "We're going for it this year. The season is me... I love that Flash and Supergirl and Legends can have their lighter moments. And I think it's important to have that too. But, you know, Oliver' is getting to that point - he's getting to be a bit of the grizzled veteran. Just a little bit. Not totally. He's not a curmudgeon. But at the same time, like, he's getting back to that - he's getting back to where we found him a little bit." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "He's a garbage Mayor. No, that's true. He's doing a really bad job. That's a critical point early in the year with Thea, especially because Thea's basically holding all the water as Mayor. Because there is no team. So Oliver's out there on his own. And being out there on his own means that there's really no time for him to be the Mayor." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver's losses affecting him and finding the light despite the darkness last season, SA: "Well, you know, the Oliver of season 1 was ... at one end, and the Oliver beyond season 2 was at the other end. It's very black and white. I'm willing to use lethal force and then I'm not, right? And obviously, it just doesn't come down to that. At the end of season 4, we found a shade of grey. And Oliver's very much in that spot still... He says to Thea in the pilot, he has to admit that Malcolm was right, that if he's not willing to do whatever is necessary, then he shouldn't even be out there at all. And as a result, we have a shot in the pilot where I kill three people in one shot... It's like, it is what it is. 'Are you in my way? Are you threatening my life? You gots to go.' ... That's a more interesting character because there's more dynamic. There are more colors to it." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver will react when he finds out he created the Big Bad, SA: "I mean, I feel Oliver will react the way he always reacts - he'll seek the advice of others and, uh, you know, be totally calm and not react violently at all... or whatever the opposite of that is." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of TVLine interview with Arrow cast and TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver as Mayor, SA: "What a garbage Mayor he is. He's terrible. And he's terrible because he is alone. There's no team. So all of his focus and all of his energy is going into being the Green Arrow, being a vigilante, trying to stop crime within the city.  And Thea is carrying all the water as Mayor, basically. And so, you know, I - he ran for Mayor and was, I guess, kind of elected for Mayor for excellent reasons, but, um, those reasons have gotten lost in the shuffle a little bit. So hopefully he rediscovers them because I really like the idea - I know that - you know, longtime fans of Green Arrow know what a politically inspired character Oliver Queen is. And he had a point of view, he had an ideology, and I think that all of those things would be very interesting to explore on the show. So he'll have to get his head out of his you-know-what and start working well with others - which probably will never happen. So I like the idea of him as Mayor. Very cool." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, Felicity and Thea are handling all of the work that Oliver should be doing as Mayor. (Nerd HQ, Jul. 24, 2016: Video of SA's second Nerd HQ conversation, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether he thinks anyone in Star City believes the Green Arrow is not the Arrow and, if they do, how do they feel about the Arrow versus the Hood, SA: "I think that, uh, Season 5 will bring a lot of things full circle. And one of the things it will probably bring full circle is the whole idea of the Arrow, the Green Arrow, the Hood, the Vigilante, the Hood guy - whatever else Paul Blackthorne called me."  On whether there'll be a Green Arrow 2, SA: "No, no, no... the Green Arrow is the Green Arrow. That's the end point. It can't be the Green ARROW. He's the Green Arrow. Yeah." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 1, 2016, in response to question of what he looked forward to most in S5, SA tweeted: "Kill shots." (SA tweet, page 1079 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- SA: "I'd say that, Oliver has a nickname as Mayor, so I'm going to use 'spoiler alert'." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 1 of SA panel, page 431 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 12, 2016, SA tweeted: "Here's your S5 poster" with pic of shirtless, buff and bloody Oliver wearing a flashback wig standing in some kind of fight club setting.  (SA tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Another pic of SA in new flashback wig.  (wonderwall post, page 1089 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jul. 14, 2016, SA posted video clip of himself wearing a black mask and shirt. (SA instagram video, page 443 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 22, 2016, PB tweeted: "Always a pleasure working wth this fella @stephenamell  #MayorHandsome #Arrow #ArrowSeason5" with pic of Mayor Oliver Queen standing at podium in front of City Hall. (PB tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 6, 2016, Terri Schwartz (IGN) tweeted pics from the Arrow set of the Star City Mayor's Office and Oliver's new mayoral business cards. (Terri_Schwartz tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "The Earth-2 version of Oliver would be super relaxed. He'd hang out. We'd do an entire episode where on an early Saturday morning, he, like, went and got his hair cut. Took a nap... I don't know if he'd go to Home Depot. I don't know if there'd be enough time... Um, I do think there will be an opportunity this year to see a version of Oliver where he is not, um, committed to the idea of being the Green Arrow. (Audience goes "oooh!") Oh shut up, you're going to love it. It's a really good idea. It's a really good idea. Maybe. But uh, yeah. I would love an Oliver that's way more relaxed. Remember that episode of Breaking Bad where Aaron Paul and, uh, Bryan Cranston were just in the lab and there was a bee - or a bug or a something -  it's a fly? Thanks, Encore. That's my buddy Encore. Um, yeah. It would be really cool for Arrow to have an episode like that - like a departure. But we're going to have that opportunity this year, I think." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  7 of  15:

Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch
-- MG: "In the first five episodes, we face head-on the decision that Felicity made [that led to the destruction of Havenrock]... We are most definitely not ignoring it.” Following that, though, MG cryptically teased what could be Felicity jumping in on the action: "We’re positioning her to do something in the second half of the year that is really, really key, and that isn’t about her relationship with Oliver or even necessarily her father or her mother. It’s really new territory for her, and we’ve very excited about it. Some big things are going to happen with Felicity.” (Sep. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "She’s in a very similar place to Dig. She’s really grappling with what happened in Havenrock, consumed with that guilt... She’s broken up with Oliver. She’s lost her company. And the one thing she has in this life in the bunker. So she’s doubled down on doing that. Until she gets past what happened in Havenrock, she’s going to stay in that state of limbo.” (Aug. 12, 2016 TVLine article, apge 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity, WM: "She's really, in the beginning of the season, grappling with the fallout from what happened at Havenrock and that will be a huge focus for her in the first nine [episodes]." That will lead to some serious soul-searching for Felicity, who was ousted from her own company last season. WM: "She's asking herself the same question that every other character on the show is this year, which is about legacy... I think it'll become, if she wants to go back to Palmer Tech. and try to fight for that, if that's what she thinks her legacy should be, then she certainly will." (Jul. 29, 2016 Zap2It article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On who will have the hardest time coming to terms with everything that happened last season, WM: "That’s a great question. I think emotionally it will be hardest on Felicity. Dig is a soldier. He’s seen some things in his time. Oliver has been a bad-ass for a long time, cracking some necks. Felicity, though, was an I.T. girl four years ago. She never thought she’d drop a bomb on a bunch of innocent people. It’s a new reality for her. We really wanted to play, what would happen if it was your or me, in that situation? How would we feel? We’re trying to honor that. That’s a challenge for her, this year." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “Felicity is still dealing with -- she directed a missile at 20,000 people and they died... This is the first time she’s coming face to face with the reality of ‘Oh my god, I’m responsible for the deaths of [all these] people.” (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, a guilt-wracked Felicity is “doubled down in the bunker." (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "I didn’t even have to prompt him [MG] for this one you guys. He just gave it to me. He said they are going to deal with Felicity and Havenrock. He said that it won’t be episode after episode of Felicity 'wringing her hands' BUT they are going to dig deep on it. It’s going to be a HUGE part of her arc this year. BIG."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Outside of her dynamic with Oliver, per EBR, Felicity is “dealing with a lot of bottled up emotions” and “holding onto this guilt” over the deaths in Havenrock. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article on Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Havenrock, EBR: "That is her crux of the season. She definitely carries a lot on her shoulders from that. I mean, choosing the lesser  of two evils doesn't really, you know, eliminate the fact that she killed 10,000 people... And also there has to be something said about doing something you feel guilty about that is at such a distance, but you were the main part of it. Like, it is, you know, across the country and that, you know, she's probably at home checking up on the news every day and if people come to her that she meets that are from there, how does that guilt, you know, stir her up? And how long can she bottle it up and forget about it until it, you know, [unintelligible word] in her nightmares or her demons."  She asked to show more of Felicity's feeling guilt over Havenrock. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with EBR and ComicBook article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On where Felicity is emotionally after last season and nuking Havenrock, EBR: "That is her crux this season. That is something, um, that we're definitely going to dive into. I think she's bottled everything - um, first couple episodes, we don't really see her dealing with it, which is super interesting because, you know, it's definitely something she's living with, but I - we don't really get to her any private moments in the first couple episodes, which is why we don't see it. I think she definitely bottles it up and tries to go through her day and tries to work at a very fast pace, which is what she does, um, and gets things done. She's a very task-oriented person. But, you know, when she goes home, she - that's the guilt that she's wearing and she's always thinking about it, those are her demons, and, um, as much as I want to play the comedy in things, I don't think that that's respecting her story this season. So I do think that she has to go through that."   (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what excites her about the version of Felicity going into S5 after everything she went through last season, EBR: "I'm excited to explore her story this year. The girl's gonna be dealing with a lot of bottled-up emotions, um, unfortunately. She's going to work through them. I think we're going to do them quite honestly. As a selfish point, I always like to play the comedy in those sort of things, but I don't think that would be totally if I just [unintelligible words] respectful of her journey coming out because she's holding onto this guilt of killing 10,000 people in the lesser of two evils. So yeah, she's going to be dealing with that and, uh, hopefully doing it with a smile, but I bet when she's alone, she's got some private tears going down." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow pane, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Havenrock, EBR: "She's carrying this huge amount of guilt, and she's not letting it go in any way. All it's doing is festering up and around episodes 3-5 [of Season 5] we're going ot see her break." Also, because of Havenrock, EBR understands that Felicity can no longer be light. (Sep. 1, 2016 NKD Magazine article, page 1129 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and page 467 of Social Media thread)
-- Felicity is still going to be by Oliver's side when S5 begins, but as an ally and a friend; viewers won't have to see any residual baggage from their breakup. MG: "We've talked a lot about how to deal with that... We always play the true five month gap between the season finale and season premiere. And every time we've talked about Oliver and Felicity should talk about their feelings, we realized, wow, that feels really wrong because they've had five months to talk about their feelings. Any mature couple, they've had that conversation." MG likens their relationship to being closer to where it was in S1, where "Felicity was Oliver's sort of light and voice of reason, and voice of positivity, and she's still trying to be that," while Oliver is "again torn between that aspiration and his own nature and his past."  (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Felicity: "You have been waiting for things to go back to the way things were. They're not."  Oliver: "Felicity thinks that it's time we put together a new team." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EBR, Felicity needs to grow by herself before getting back with Oliver, and that whatever may happen, she hopes they keep it true between Oliver and Felicity. (Super Heroes Con II, Jun. 12, 2016: SophieLimbourg tweets, page 418 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether Felicity will take on a bigger role in Team Arrow since there's only two of them, EBR: "Well, yeah, I guess cause she's sort of like the vet now... She's always had a large role. I think that her role is her role for a reason... Everyone has an equal weight of it, so I wouldn't say 'larger,' but she definitely holds her own and is a huge part of it. That's her main goal." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EBR, Felicity's S5 focus will be Palmer Tech and her roots are with Oliver in Star City so she wiil stay. (Super Heroes Con II, Jun. 11, 2016: tanavip tweet, page 38 of Spoilers thread and page 416 of Social Media thread)
-- Per EBR, Felicity was removed as CEO but still owns Palmer Tech, that she doesn't know when Smoak Tech happens, and that she assumes that more Palmer Tech will be coming in S5. (City of Heroes 2, May 15, 2016: Evil Nicole@morrigan2575 tweet, page 5 of Monument Point thread)
-- EBR hasn't seen anything about Palmer Tech yet, but she noted that Felicity does own Palmer Tech but was fired, so there are loose ends there that have to be tied up. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity having lost her job at Palmer Tech, EBR: "So she owns the company. Right? Cause Ray signed it over to her, um, and then she tried to give it back to Ray and he didn't want it. So she was CEO of the company and got fired from being CEO and, correct me if I'm wrong, but [unintelligible words] CEO, I believe that it's possible that she still owns the company. Um, so in terms of a day job, we haven't really seen much of it." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On getting Palmer Tech back, EBR: "I don't know. I mean, I haven't seen anything or heard anything about Palmer Tech this season yet. I think her main goal is to get the microchip more accessible to the public access and working towards helping people with paralysis - working towards that. That's really important to her." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- EBR: "I still think she has the goal to sort of... she's got that chip in her back - a lot has happened to the girl in the last little bit - but I think she does want to proceed with making that distributable to the public and making it affordable and accessible. But in the meantime, Starling City and trying to get Oliver back on track with getting a new team together and having him face what the reality of our team is and having him not just only work alone, because he'll be in imminent danger - um, that's taking up a lot of her time. I don't know if she sleeps or goes to therapy, but I'm sure she has nightmares." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Palmer Tech, EBR: "I haven't seen anything to do with Palmer Tech yet. Um, she does own the company. Ray did sign it over to her last - two seasons ago... And as much as she tried to give it back to him, he didn't want it and so it's still hers. She might've been fired as CEO, like voted off the island, but I do believe that it is still her company. I haven't seen anything to do with Palmer Tech. As an audience, if we're willing to forget about it, which I don't think we are, so I do think we do have to dive back into that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Palmer Tech, EBR said that Ray gave Felicity the company and that it's still her company, but she's been fired. EBR: "That set's actually gone... The set's gone.  I mean, it's easily rebuilt... The space is there, we just made it into something else." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with EK and EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- EBR feels that Felicity's best friend is probably Curtis "because at this point we haven't met any of Felicity's friends at all" (nodding towards WM while everyone laughs), which is something that she's been asking for.  SA (joking): "Felicity's friends are hanging out with Diggle's parents."  Diggle: "He was hatched, wasn't he?"  SA: "And they're all in a house with Raisa, the maid."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of TVLine interview with Arrow cast and TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Curtis will play a larger role in S5 without duplicating Felicity’s efforts, WM: "Essentially, if she’s software, he’s hardware... As he evolves into becoming Mr. Terrific in Season 5, one of the things we’re really exploring is differentiating them by having Curtis be more like Cisco on The Flash. We want him to be a bit more hands-on, a little more about building physical tech.” (Jun. 27, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis will take over Felicity's role, EK: " I don’t know if anyone can take Felicity’s role because she is such an integral part to the team. He’ll definitely be helping out and adding in some layers of tech that they need. He will be more of a compliment than as opposed to a replacement." (Jul. 6, 2016 FanFest article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK mentioned WM's comment about Felicity being software and Curtis being hardware. He said that they'll dive more into Curtis' "engineering prowess" and building tech stuff to help Team Arrow, so they won't have to rely on Star Labs. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TvForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EBR, Felicity and Curtis will have a lot of interaction next season. (Super Heroes Con II, Jun. 11, 2016: SophieLimbourg tweet, page 38 of Spoilers thread and page 416 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 15, 2016, fan tweeted pic showing on set cast chairs for RG, EBR, EK and MMcL.  (sacredsmoak tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "Marc [Guggenheim] told me that he hopes people get more of a Season 1 or even a Season 2 vibe with Olicity. There’s going to be a lot more of Felicity’s awkward phrases." (SDCC, Jul. 24, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of second conversation with MG, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether she'll get to do any stunts in S5, EBR: "I haven't yet." On whether she hopes for more stunts, EBR: "I mean, yeah, absolutely. I don't necessarily know if Felicity hopes for more - I don't think that she does, and I have to be respectful of that. I like being active, I'm very physical, so obviously I can be selfish and say that, but she is not. I can't really push her to do that - also cause she hasn't met me." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's father, The Calculator, EBR: "Yeah, he should be back, and hopefully, it'll be a good time." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, Felicity and Thea are handling all of the work that Oliver should be doing as Mayor. (Nerd HQ, Jul. 24, 2016: Video of SA's second Nerd HQ conversation, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- Per PB, he has a small but nice moment with Emily in S5 and has been working quite a bit with Willa. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: lschin12 tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK thinks that Felicity's spinal implant will be addressed in some capacity. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: lemotomato post, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Quentin will develop more of a father/daughter dynamic with Felicity in S5 (since Laurel's dead and Sara's off gallivanting through time), PB: "Lance is just sitting in a corner drinking coffee basically. That's all he's doing. Um, that would be - no, there's a funny little moment, actually, that we had, Emily and I, with regard to that - and I don't know if you can talk about it because of all that spoiler stuff, you know. But it's a great moment coming up and you might not notice it, but there's a little moment between the two of them regarding that. But, um, oh actually I have been working with - a lot this season - which has been interesting - has been Willa. There's a quite curious - because I don't think we ever said a word to each other for like four years. And suddenly you're reading the script and it says 'Thea and Lance talking to each other.'  I was like, 'oh, I wondered who she was.' So um, we've had some, uh, some really nice scenes. So if anything, there might be a little bit of that going on." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Flash EPs Todd/Aaron Helbing: "Everything that happens in Flashpoint will have a ripple effect throughout the season" On whether it will affect the other shows and the other timelines, Helbing: "They're in the same universe and in the same world, you know, it's certainly possible that it would have a trickle down effect... I mean, there's a - you know, we have a little mini-crossover in episode 2 where we see Felicity and, uh, there'll be some of your questions answered there about that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: WithAnAccentTV video of press roundtable interview with Flash EPs, Todd & Aaron Helbing, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "There will be some effects [from Flashpoint on the Arrow universe]. I can't tell you what, how big or how small, but there will. We will definitely honor that that is - that has happened. And there will be some characters that are more aff - more influenced or more impacted by it than others. And I definitely would say, you know, Felicity is going to be - she's going to be carrying something in regard to that through the season." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM talked about how they keep track of everything that's happening on all three shows.  They have people who monitor that stuff and they also have a big chalk board. WM: "For example, when Felicity goes over to Flash, we're going to have to know what she's doing on Flash cause it has a great impact on her - not necessarily her availability - what is she [unintelligible word] on Flash that she's going to be carrying with her into our stories." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per GG, Felicity will appear in episode 2 of The Flash "to offer advice." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article on Flash panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)

Felicity's New Boyfriend
-- Fan tweeted that SA said that, not only are Olicity not together, but Felicity has a boyfriend. (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: dettiot tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On rumor that Felicity's getting a new boyfriend this season, EBR: "It is a true rumor. She steps on him pretty hot off the bat. You'll meet him pretty quickly." On how Oliver will react, SA (joking): "I think he'll be fine. I think he'll be fine. He'll hug a pillow pretty much like I'm hugging a pillow right now, but he'll do it in private... Or the opposite of that... We meet him in episode 1, he dies in Act 4."  EBR (joking): "Tragic... And Felicity cries and Oliver's there to cover the tears."  SA (joking): "'I don't know what happened! He got shot with an arrow in the head? Don't look at me!'" Other cast members were laughing during this exchange. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of TVLine interview with Arrow cast and TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's new boyfriend, WM: "I can tell you that we love the character. He is very different than anybody else we’ve seen her with. He’s not Ray Palmer; he is not Oliver Queen, but he is a straight shooter good guy that we’re really hoping the audience likes and pulls for." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- The Flash Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel included a quick shot of Felicity & Barry kissing. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: CW_TheFlash tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Felicity will be visiting Barry in episode 2 of The Flash this season.  She will then be carrying something from her visit to the Flash into Arrow.  This could be Flashpoint-related.  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: WithAnAccentTV video of press roundtable interview with Flash EPs, Todd & Aaron Helbing, Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, and The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread; and TVLine article and Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Ryan S. Williams may be playing Lt. Conahan and appearing in 501. Elysia Rotaru reportedly liked a photo of Williams that someone captioned "Felicity's boyfriend." (RSW IMDB page, page 42 of Spoilers thread, tv echo and Sunshine posts, page 1119 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Sunshine post, page 1119 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  8 of  15:

John Diggle AKA Spartan
-- Diggle will have a new helmet in S5.  It will be a Cisco creation. It will have a open visor in the front, so that you can see his face.  (Wizard World Minneapolis, May 7, 2016: Video of DR panel, page 398 of Social Media thread; City of Heroes 2, May 13, 2016: Morrigan2575 post, page 37 of Spoilers thread; Extra facebook Q&A with DR, page 406 of Social Media hread, and Video of DR on The Lowdown with Diana Madison, page 408 of Social Media thread; HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 2 of Arrow panel, page 431 of Social Media thread, and TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread; and SDCC, Jul. 22, 2016: Video of DR on TV Guide Magazine's Fan Favorites panel, page 451 of Social Media thread, and Comicbook.com and ComicsOnline videos of press roundtable interviews with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked for the first word to come to mind when he hears 'new Diggle helmet', DR tweeted: "Betterer.' (Jul. 19, 3016 DR tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR said that Diggle's new helmet is "awesome".  Last season, his helmet was just concealment, but his new helmet will do more than that. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle's new helmet, DR: "It's awesome... We'll get a glimpse of some of the extraordinary things that the helmet can do." This helmet is more than just concealment now. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Aug. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per DR, new Spartan mask is revealed in 505. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: coyotepunch tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR said that he got to wear his new Diggle mask "for the first time yesterday on set. I peed a little... You can finally see Diggle." It was originally supposed to be a Star Labs creation, but he thinks it's now a collaboration between Curtis and Star Labs. DR: "And it can do stuff, man... There's a digital readout. You can see things and maybe see through walls and stuff. And it also gives massages - it's awesome... I don't know if it has x-ray vision... That was a joke. It can do a lot of things, the producers told me.  I know that it can see far away, it has a binocular quality, but I don't know if it can see through walls." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On seeing Diggle's new helmet, fan tweeted: "He definitely looked to have more peripheral vision and it didn't go down as low kinda like ATOM level-ish" and "But it was definitely NOT the old mask." (Sep. 9, 2016 heyolicity23 tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per DR, Diggle will return with a beard.  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Team Arrow will need to be rebuilt. Since Diggle was heading back to the military "to find his moral compass" after killing his own brother, and Thea retired her Speedy alias to work in Mayor Queen's office, WM: "Oliver's is going to have to go out and find some new people." (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Diggle is “trying to figure out how he can get that sense of himself back, after killing his brother.” (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Yeah, Dig has left and he's gone to kinda regain his sense of morality after what happened with his brother. And, uh, Thea is now going to be working in the Mayor's office, so she is, uh... yes, for Mayor Queen." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Entertainment Weekly interview with Arrow cast in EW article posted in EW tweet, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- WM: "Dig is in the military when we open at the beginning of this season. And he's not going to come back until he's really made peace with what he did with his brother, especially in episode 420 last year, when he murdered his brother basically." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "I can tell you that Diggle’s going to be struggling with what he did last season. I think the thing that we’re most excited about is the fact that he’s done something in a way that is darker than anything Oliver ever did. He’s always been Oliver’s conscience; Oliver’s moral compass… and to have him be in a darker place now is a really interesting place to juxtapose the two characters. Obviously, he’ll come back to Star City, but he’s going to back to Star City under some very different circumstances. He’s going to have a much deeper understanding of Oliver’s emotional state when he came back in Season One, than he probably thought he ever might in his lifetime. Oliver, when he came back to Star City, was in a place that psychologically was very similar to how we find Dig when he comes back this season." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "With Diggle, he'll be in the army. We'll have storylines with him. Just because he's gone doesn't mean [Team Arrow] don't want him back, or that they're not trying... There's definitely contact, and he's going to have his own story in the army where he realizes maybe this isn't the place. Maybe he's going to have to still keep looking for these answers about how to get his sense of mortality back." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Episode 4 is a big episode in how he comes back and the help he gets." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: heroesfanfest tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per DR, Diggle will return with a new appreciation for the team, when he rejoins them.  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked for one word to describe Diggle in the beginning episodes of S5, DR tweeted: "wounded." (Jul. 19, 2016 DR tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Diggle's re-enlisting will affect his relationship with his friends and family when he gets back to Star City, DR: "Well, Flash paradox will have something to do, um, with some of Diggle's reality. If you've followed what's happened on Flash, he made some changes to the timeline. It will affect Diggle to some degree. ... So, how does it affect his family? Yes, it affects his family in a very, very personal way. There's a lot going with Diggle this season and, um, yes, it affects his family. Directly." (SDCC, Jul. 22, 2016: Video of DR on TV Guide Magazine's Fan Favorites panel, page 451 of Social Media thread)
-- Since MG has indicated that Diggle won't be in the military for long, on what kind of trouble Diggle gets into overseas, DR: "I don't know... but I do know that Arrow's going to save his ass - cause it always happens. Um, I don't know. He's overseas, he's on a mission, um, there's - there's big trouble - I don't know if it's as big as Damian Darhk, but, um, there's a big heavy coming.  Arrow this year, thankfully, is kinda getting more back to the kind of nuts-and-bolts fighting, um, a little bit away, I think, from the big nukes and magic and things like that. So, we'll see how Diggle's involved in that."  (SDCC, Jul. 22, 2016: Video of DR on TV Guide Magazine's Fan Favorites panel, page 451 of Social Media thread)
-- Per DR, we won't see much of Diggle at first because he's not with the team. He's in Chechnya, but we'll see the helmet later on. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle at the start of S5, DR: "He's in Chechnya and he's an Uber driver... uh, he's not - he's not in Chechnya (others are laughing, and WH asked, "Why Chechnya?")... Cause he actually is in Chechnya. He actually is. Um, he's in Chechnya. He's with the Special Forces handling some business over there. He's still a man of two minds, uh, to a great degree. He, uh, misses the team, but he's still dealing with, uh, the tragic death of Black Canary, who he - obviously he blames himself for that. And, uh, why he pulled the trigger in killing his brother. He's still dealing with that. And we deal with that in a very very visceral way - there's a great scene we just shot with Diggle and how he deals with the death of his brother and his involvement with that. So he's very much at the beginning of the season a man of two minds. He's still conflicted about the events of season 5." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and Comicbook.com and TVLine articles, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Diggle's back in the army. Special forces. You find him at the beginning of the season overseas in Chechnya... And, um, he - there's some things going on there... and he eventually turns back to the team. And finds out there are some new members. He's going to have an opinion about that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "But when we find him, he's still a man very much so of two minds, in that he's trying to figure out - he misses his family, he misses the team - he's trying to figure out why he pulled the trigger in terms of his brother's death. And he still feels very guilty over Canary's death. Personally responsible for it. So he's still dealing with some things... We'll get a very good glimpse of what's going on in his brain." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how soon Diggle will return, DR: "It's going to happen very soon. And, um, obviously he's on special - he's in Special Forces on assignment overseas. Of course, there's going to be some nefarious goings-on. Right? Because it's Arrow. And, um, he will come to [unintelligible word] he needs that team. And they also need him. He's recruiting a new team - Oliver - and Felicity. And it's going to be very difficult to replace Thea and John Diggle. So it's not going to be smooth sailing over the [unintelligible word]. And when he comes back to the team, um, he'll have something to say about it... He has a position, right? I mean, part of the reason why he left was because of Canary's death and the guilt he feels about it. So bringing inexperienced team members, to a man like John Diggle, he's going to have a, you know - Even as experienced as they could be, Oliver replacing Thea and John will be very difficult, and I think he's going to have something to say about that. I haven't read that, but knowing where the writers could go and knowing John Diggle, he will have something to say about it. ... I think he will have some criticism about the fact that you're bringing in people from 'off the streets,' so to speak, to risk their lives for the city... I haven't read those things yet, so I can't even flirt with the idea that I know. But yes, he will have an opinion." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR said that he returns to find a new Arrow team and "he's going to have something to say about that." He's going to have feelings about "getting these new recruits back out into the field... how he feels about Canary, when she was in the field. So he's going to have strong opinions about it."  The way he comes back is "very interesting" and the story of how he comes back is "very very good." Episode 4 is "a very big episode in terms of how Diggle comes back to the team."  He's glad to be back, but it's a whole new team. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see any Diggle flashbacks this season, DR: "That's a good question. It's more of a producer question. I think - my guess is yes. I don't know. We haven't filmed any yet. Um, but we do have a - we have an interesting thing in terms of flashbacks - in terms of some characters that have been in his life in the past... That's about as much as I 'll hint about that. But you'll see how he's dealing with this in a very visceral, visual way." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Dig is in an interesting place. Coming out of last year, he feels this tremendous guilt about murdering his brother. He’s gone back to what he knows, which is the military, and he’s going to discover that he’s not going to find what he’s looking for there. He’s going to find it when he comes back to the team. But when he comes back to the team, it’s a whole other team. He’s got this other element to deal with, which is these punk kids that are coming in there to take his spot. He’s not going to be on board with that. He’s going to go through some complicated stuff. He’s got an interesting arc this season. I think he’s going to, in a lot of ways, be very similar to where Oliver was in Season 1. That will be fun to play with. We love him." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per DR, rejoining the military helped Diggle find his purpose again. Per DR, Diggle is in Chechnya and he needs assistance; he does eventually return to Team Arrow and finds the team very different, but it takes a few episodes before he returns.  He will have "real concerns" about the new team. Diggle will be "very vocal" about the new team members because, like BC, they weren't trained the way he and Oliver were trained. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of DR interview in Velocity23 post, page 1130 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Flashpoint affecting the other shows, per Flash EP Aaron Helbing, Flashpoint will affect Diggle the most. (Aug. 17, 2016 Eonline article, page 191 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- From news recap of SDCC Flash panel: "Something messed with Diggle’s timeline over in Arrow." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 26, 2016 4YourExcitement article, page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per Flash EP Todd Helbing, the Flashpoint storyline is “really affecting Arrow. You’ll see it on that side mostly,” rather than on LoT, noting that Oliver and Diggle, in particular, will be impacted. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article of Flash panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Flashpoint storyline, Flash's Todd Helbing: "This is something that is going to ripple throughout the whole season... Obviously Barry grew up with a different family. His parents were still alive, Cisco has gone on to make some money. One of the effects is [Arrow's] Diggle himself. You'll have to tune in to see exactly how." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TV Guide article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Flash EP Todd Helbing: “Flashpoint has ripples throughout the whole universe. One of those differences is with John Diggle."  DR: "It will affect Diggle to some degree and it will affect his family in a very, very personal way. There's a lot going on with Diggle this season and it will effect his family directly.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: iDigitalTimes article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Regarding the effect of Flashpoint, DR: "Some things in his life change. Flash's actions have some consequences for Diggle."  (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of DR interview in Velocity23 post, page 1130 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether Diggle might show up on LoT, DR: "Yeah, yeah... Well, you know, it's kinda like in this Berlanti universe, we're all like kinda connected and there's so much intersection, right? So, yeah - You know, I'm looking forward to being on Supergirl or - I don't know if Diggle will be on Supergirl, but I'm looking forward to that... I'm looking forward to the reaction Diggle will have when he sees Supergirl." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "Then he [MG] said Season 5 is another BIG Diggle year. He said, 'We have to get Diggle back,' and of course he’s referencing the team. Then he said that Episode 4 is a HUGE Diggle and Oliver episode. He bashed his fists together to reference they will be FIGHTING. ... Then he said, 'We have something planned for Diggle. I can’t tell you what it is. I think fans will be shocked, but I think they are going enjoy what we are doing.'" (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 7, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Off to script on #Arrow with my favorite Oliver/Dig story we've ever done. Get ready for some feels!" (briforsul tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR was in the Arrow production offices on Jul. 20, 2016. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 1095 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jul. 29, 2016, DR posted instagram pic of himself shouting, with comment: "..After reading episode 4... Get ready.." (DR instagram post, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 29, 2016, actor Houston Stevenson posted instagram pic of himself with Diggle, both in military gear, with comment: "Filming for #arrow with my captain in command @davidpaulramsey #hooah! Stay tuned."  (HS instagram post, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 24, 2016, DR posted instagram pic of shirtless Diggle next to punching bag with comment: "Diggle is stripping in front of a heavy bag... But why??? #arrowseason5." (DR instagram post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papps posted b-t-s pics of Arrow shooting episode 506, which included shots of Oliver, Diggle, WIld Dog, Artemis, Ragman and possibly Mr. Terrific, and also pics of what looks like zip line stunt prep at warehouse and other exterior shots. (PUNKD_Images and VanFlarrowFan tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger 
-- Arrow script coordinator Jeane Wong confirmed that Lyla's code name on Arrow is Harbinger. (Sep. 2, 2016 WineandComics podcast interview with JW, page 473 of Social Media thread)
-- WM: "[Diggle's] family is great, and they’re going to be a big part of the season, for sure. We’re going to see Lyla. We love Lyla." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked if he thought Diggle's decision to go to the army again will have a impact on his relationship with Lyla, DR tweeted: "yes." (Jul. 19, 3016 DR tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per DR, Diggle has opinions on Lyla's position in A.R.G.U.S. since the organization walks the lines in terms of how they administer justice. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Aug. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "There's going to be some things that Diggle finds overseas that he's going to need the team, including his wife [Lyla, who's now head of ARGUS]." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per DR, the two "rocks" in Diggle's life are his relationship with his wife Lyla, plus his child, and his relationship with Oliver. DR: "So Lyla always has his back and she will continue to."  (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of DR interview in Velocity23 post, page 1130 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Sara Diggle
-- DR: "You will see a new Baby Sara,” as a third child actress takes over the role. (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Also you will see a third new Sara.  You guys notice that Sara's changed over the past? Baby Sara." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 2 of Arrow panel, page 431 of Social Media thread)

John Diggle, Jr., AKA Connor Hawke
-- Reporter asked, "When will Connor Hawke Diggle show up - baby Connor Hawke Diggle?"  DR replied: "Very good question. All I can say is that will be very soon. Um, how old - yeah, that's going to happen very soon." Reporter then asked,"Baby Connor Hawke Diggle?"  DR replied: "Well, it's - I don't know if that's going to happen very soon. But I think you'll find, um, more about - a little bit more about Connor Hawke."  Reporter asked, "Is Connor Hawke maybe your son, but not necessarily the son of your wife?"  DR replied: "Well, remember there's a lot of Earths, there's a lot of dimensional things happening. And, um, I think even in that episode, there was some [interdimensional?-unintelligible word] thing happening. Supergirl is on another Earth, for example, right? So, um, anything's possible. Who knows? I mean, John Diggle has a doppelganger someplace, right? So - I think about that stuff all the time. I think some of those questions that you ask - I think, in terms of like - You didn't ask this, but I'm going to say it anyway. Is what Flash did to our universe and is what Flash - his choices have? My guess is that we'll see some of that in the crossover. I don't know if we will, but somehow or other we have to bring Supergirl to our universe. I don't know how you do that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with DR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see Connor Hawke Diggle again on LoT, MG: "Um, you know, we love the actor.  Uh, it is more than possible.  We actually - we were in the writers room the other day talking about a story set in Star City 2047, like a year after episode 6 last year.  Um, and I'm really excited about - the idea is awesome, definitely something that I want to do this year...  As with all things on all shows, we just need  like to find the right time, the right opportunity, but yeah, that's totally like something we would love to do." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with MG, page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether there is any chance we’ll be seeing Connor Hawke again on LoT, LoT EP Phil Klemmer: "Wow, that’s a great question! I mean, saying that just made me want to say yes immediately, because that was so much fun. Yeah! We have an embarrassment of riches on the show. Now that we have the JSA, we have an awful lot of people to give story." (Aug. 19, 2016 KSITETV article, page 192 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Edited March 14, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  9 of  15:

Thea Queen AKA Speedy
-- On what's coming up for Thea on Arrow this year, MG: "What we’ve done is we made her Oliver’s chief of staff... Perhaps, to her own surprise, she’s actually really, really good at it. All the skills that she learned by watching her mother for all those years, as well as running Verdant, she’s found very transferrable to City Hall, and in many ways, she’s a much better chief of staff than Oliver is a mayor.” He teased that the show will give Thea a chance to establish herself independent of Malcolm. (Aug. 26, 2016 EW article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Thea left [the team]. Thea's in the Mayor's office. You'll see Speedy here and there this season." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Thea, WM: "She's going to be working as Oliver's chief of staff -- the youngest, least experienced, no college degree staff in the history of Star City." This will tie back to the season's theme of legacy, as Thea proves to have a lot of her mother's political prowess in her. WM: "She's really good at it. And the fun part with her is that she's Moira's daughter, and Malcom's daughter, and she's trying to be normal... Can she ever really be normal? It's a good question. With that DNA? Yeah, who knows? She might be a little -- maybe, a little House of Cards, a little Moira-esque action going on. It might be really fun." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Thea, WM: “She, like Oliver, is trying to figure out her legacy through City Hall." (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)  
-- SA: "What a garbage Mayor he is. He's terrible. And he's terrible because he is alone. There's no team. So all of his focus and all of his energy is going into being the Green Arrow, being a vigilante, trying to stop crime within the city.  And Thea is carrying all the water as Mayor, basically." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and Comicbook.com article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Oliver's doing a sh*t job as Mayor right now. He's not doing a good job. You know, he ran for the mayoral office and got elected, theoretically, unopposed, based off of a lot of very very good, heartfelt sentiments. But because he is alone and there is no team, he doesn't have time to be the Mayor. So Thea's basically doing all of his stuff for him." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "He's doing a sh*t job as Mayor. He's doing a bad job as Mayor. Because there is no team. It's just him. Which means that he is spending all of his time being the Green Arrow. And no time at all being the Mayor. And that's a big point of contention between him and Thea - and him and Felicity a little bit... Thea basically is the Mayor because I'm not doing anything... Oliver's like 'I'm busy doing other stuff' because Star City's not in good shape." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, Felicity and Thea are handling all of the work that Oliver should be doing as Mayor. (Nerd HG, Jul. 24, 2016: Video of SA's second Nerd HQ conversation, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- WH: "I hope that Thea in Season 5 is going to be focusing a lot more on herself… and learning a little bit more about what’s going on inside of her now that she has lost the bloodlust. She needs to take some yoga classes and meditate real hard, maybe smudge [with sage] the apartment she lives in.” (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- WH: "Well, I think that, uh, Thea's definitely gone through a lot in the last obviously four seasons totalling. But in the last season, she went through everything from being drugged by her father again, being stuck in an ark, losing her basically pseudo sister, putting on a real cool costume but also being struck by this bloodlusty thing, killing people all the time and then stopping doing that, and holding a knife to a little girl's throat and realizing that it's not the bloodlust doing that to her, it was actually just her. So I think she just needs to take a step back for a second and realize what's going on in, like, her own psyche and maybe like do something that's like structurally good for her and maybe Star City, which is maybe helping out Ollie since he's Mayor.... I think, this year, she's going to be doing a lot of stuff, helping out Oliver like she has done like in the last season, but in a different way, since now he's not necessarily a Mayor moonlighting as a vigilante - as you guys so nicely wrote - he is a vigilante moonlighting as the Mayor at the moment. So someone's going to need to, uh, do some duties." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and Comicbook.com article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
--WH: "Starting off, as you all know, Oliver ended up winning the campaign to become Mayor, so one of her major duties right now is helping out her brother, instead of inside the lair, inside the mayoral office. Um, so she's kinda spearheading - not necessarily his campaign any more, but all of his policies and everything for him right now... Because basically instead of moonlighting as a vigilante as the Mayor, he's vigilante moonlighting as the Mayor. So Thea's kind of left there picking up all the pieces left behind when he's not able to, you know, be there [unintelligible words] his mayoral duties and job... I mean, as you guys saw at the end of the season, she kinda decided to hang up the suit a little bit and kinda take some time off to figure out what she is on her own. So this is very much helping her. ... Thea is definitely taking a different role in her life and a different role in Star City altogether. Um, she wants to obviously always be helpful, always be taking care of others - she tends to put herself before other people [unintelligible word] for the wrong reasons plenty of times. But right now, she is spearheading this part of her life rather than the other." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with WH, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WH, at the start of S5, we'll find Thea "has solidified a place for herself inside of the Mayoral office." Thea will be doing the Mayor's job for Oliver (community service, speeches, getting people to do things) because he's busy vigilanting. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with WH, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- WH said that she hopes that Thea will get to the point where she feels comfortable going back to Team Arrow and that her rejoining the team is always a possibility and something that will definitely happen at some point. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with WH, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WH, we'll see a lot more of Thea in her civvies. She starts to find her own, helping Oliver in the Mayor's office, and she likes it. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- B-t-s pics showing "AmerTek" on wall poster and shirts worn by Curtis, Thea, Rene and Evelyn. (apinknightmare post, page 41 of Spoilers page)
-- PB: "I've been working a lot with [Willa Holland] this season." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: heroesfanfest tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- PB: "Lance is just sitting in a corner drinking coffee basically. That's all he's doing... But, um, oh actually I have been working with - a lot this season - which has been interesting - has been Willa. There's a quite curious - because I don't think we ever said a word to each other for like four years. And suddenly you're reading the script and it says 'Thea and Lance talking to each other.'  I was like, 'oh, I wondered who she was.' So um, we've had some, uh, some really nice scenes. So if anything, there might be a little bit of that going on." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 28, 2016, PB said: "There was an interesting scene the other day between myself and Willa and [Josh] Segarra... It was a very interesting scene. About halfway through I realized that everybody's telling lies - everything that everybody was saying to each other was a lie, from the character's point of view. And it was actually a brilliant scene because it was just - the whole thing was a lie. So that's a truth about a scene full of lies. In Season 5." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  10 of  15:

Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific
-- EK has been promoted to series regular for S5.  (Apr. 4, 2016 TVLine article, page 146 of Starling City Times thread, and Jul. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “We have some pretty big plans for Curtis, especially with respect to his marriage... He wants to become a vigilante and start fighting crime. At the same time, he’s got this husband at home who’s probably going to start to notice he’s coming home with these bruises and cuts.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article on Arrow panel at SDCC, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "The show has always had these weird moments of... is this going to work? And if it doesn't work, it's really a disaster. I think Curtis in costume as Mister Terrific is one of those moments... But what I think is so great about Echo [Kellum] is he plays it correctly as it's Curtis. He doesn't deepen his voice and suddenly become this badass. He's still true to his character. It doesn't feel like this ridiculous reach." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Curtis will play a larger role in S5 without duplicating Felicity’s efforts, WM: "Essentially, if she’s software, he’s hardware... As he evolves into becoming Mr. Terrific in Season 5, one of the things we’re really exploring is differentiating them by having Curtis be more like Cisco on The Flash. We want him to be a bit more hands-on, a little more about building physical tech.” (Jun. 27, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Curtis will attempt to become an official member of Team Arrow. WM: "We will be doing a real origin story for Mr. Terrific in Season 5." (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "But we will have a whole new team of characters - the vigilantes I was just talking about. One of them is Wild Dog, who we cast Rick Gonzalez, and he's going to be kind of part of this new figuration. And there'll be a couple others, including Echo Kellum and Mr. Terrific. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis becoming Mr. Terrific, WM: "I can tell you it's going to be an evolution over the season. And - but you'll definitely be seeing him in action the first night, and he's gonna be... I mean, he's badass, he's awesome." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis will get more than he bargained for in getting involved with the team, WM: "Oh, yeah! He’s definitely bitten off a lot more than he can chew. The fun part about Curtis is that he really wants to do it, but in many ways, he’s the least equipped to do it, especially out in the field. He’s a very smart guy, but throwing punches is not his forte. You’ll be seeing the evolution of Mr. Terrific, and him dealing with his husband. His husband will have to come to terms with the fact that Curtis is out there fighting crime. I’m not sure Paul is going to be too excited about that." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether they're going to follow Mr. Terrific from the comics, WM: "In some ways. I would say we’ll definitely evolve the comic book characters this season, and he’ll be the closest to the original storyline. Canon, to us, is a starting part. In the show’s DNA, at its inception, is that it’s not the Green Arrow your father knew. It was very much inspired by Christopher Nolan movies and The Dark Knight, and they’ve been very open about that, from the beginning. It will always be inspired by the canon, but it won’t necessarily go as far as some comic book fans might want it to." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA confirmed that they do get some new team members, saying: "We do. We're bringing in Madison McLaughlin, Echo and, uh, Rick Gonzalez." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Per EBR, Felicity and Curtis will have a lot of interaction next season. (Super Heroes Con II, Jun. 11, 2016: SophieLimbourg tweet, page 38 of Spoilers thread and page 416 of Social Media thread)
-- EBR feels that Felicity's best friend is probably Curtis "because at this point we haven't met any of Felicity's friends at all" (nodding towards WM while everyone laughs), which is something that she's been asking for.  SA (joking): "Felicity's friends are hanging out with Diggle's parents."  Diggle: "He was hatched, wasn't he?"  SA: "And they're all in a house with Raisa, the maid."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of TVLine interview with Arrow cast and TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis becoming Mr. Terrific, EBR: "This idea of him becoming Mr. Terrific is awesome. He is going to get the suit. Um, but it's sorta him sorta balancing out. finding out what he can do, because you just don't become - you don't go like from 0 to 100 to be a superhero. You need training... He might have the drive and the goal to go towards, but you have to have the technical training. It can't all just be heart, because then you will end up dying." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis will become Mr. Terrific, EK told Inverse that “it’s definitely going to happen this season. Ninety-percent gonna happen.”  EK explained that Curtis’s life will change as he takes on more important duties. EK: “Battling with that aspect of being a part of the team and getting into the field more, protecting people, I think it’s going to be a really fun season for him to see what type of hero he’s going to become... I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how that’s going to play against his backdrop at home too." (Jul. 5, 2016 Inverse article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Curtis will fit into the show/team as a series regular, EK: "I can't really say too much, outside of that it will be 'terrific'! That it'll be a lot of cool things happening, and just buckle up and get ready for an awesome ride. They're really going for it this season, and I think they're going to bring a lot of cool elements that made the series so great. It's just going to be such a cool cast to work with, with all the new additions this season. I think it's going to be the best."  Also, on getting a costume, EK: "Yes, yes. Second that! Where is my costume? Guggenheim, if you're listening, or reading, whatever: Where's my costume? No, I definitely want to suit up really bad. But I understand. It's this arc. You've got to build up to it. But I definitely hope -- and I believe, hopefully, within this season we should see Curtis Holt get there in some capacity. So I'm really looking forward to all that's happening." (Jul. 5, 2016 Moviefone article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Mr. Terrific will debut in S5, EK: "There is a very high probability that could happen this season. I really like what Wendy Mericle, our producer had said recently about Curtis that, if Felicity is the software, Curtis is the hardware. So you could see a lot more tech designs and cool things that the team could be using from Curtis. He will be taking on more of an aspect of Cisco’s role (from Flash). Also, being with Team Arrow trying to right the wrongs that are infiltrating the city, so it’s going to be a really interesting dynamic." (Jul. 6, 2016 FanFest article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis will take over Felicity's role, EK: " I don’t know if anyone can take Felicity’s role because she is such an integral part to the team. He’ll definitely be helping out and adding in some layers of tech that they need. He will be more of a compliment than as opposed to a replacement." (Jul. 6, 2016 FanFest article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis will get a costume, EK: " I think so, it’s definitely possible." (Jul. 6, 2016 FanFest article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK mentioned WM's recent statement that Curtis would become Mr. Terrific this season.  He also mentioned WM's quote about Felicity being "software" and Curtis being "hardware." His most common questions are: when is he going to fly, and when is he going to get a costume. (Jul. 9, 2016 Comic Book Central podcast interview with EK, page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- EK: "I think Curtis is just really like influenced by Green Arrow. You know, he really looks up to him and, you know, he really wants to get out there and help Star City as much as he can... And it's a struggle though."  MG: "Yeah, actually, we got some pretty big plans for Curtis, uh, specially with respect to this marriage... As you sorta saw, he is - he wants to become a vigilante and he wants to start fighting crime. At the same time, he's got this husband at home who is probably going to start to notice that he's coming home with all these bruises and cuts and... it's going to raise some questions... We're really looking forward to watching Curtis try to answer them." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and Comicbook.com article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what's up with Curtis professionally since Felicity is no longer in charge of Palmer Tech, EK: "I think Curtis is kinda in flux professionally right now. You know, he loved his boss, the CEO. Uh, but he is definitely loyal - definitely, active worker - you know, you'll see him more involved with Team Arrow, in like, getting more on that aspect of helping them create new tech and different things that actually [unintelligible word] the team." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with EK and EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether he's getting a mask this season, EK: "Oh yeah... the mask is happening this year. It's happening. For sure. Yeah." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with EK and EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis is going to be Team Arrow's Cisco in a sense, EK: "In a sense, yeah. I mean, you know, they have differences, but yeah, he'll definitely be - I think they won't have to outsource all their tech needs to Star Lab anymore." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with EK and EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK and EBR agree that Curtis probably still works at Palmer Tech, but it's not something they ever talk about. EK feels like there's a loyalty thing that Curtis would leave if Felicity's gone, but they don't know. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with EK and EBR, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EK, this season we'll "definitely" see Curtis becoming more involved with Team Arrow and getting out in the field and helping out as much as he can, even though he's inexperienced: "You'll see his drive really coming through." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TvForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK doesn't know if Curtis still works at Palmer Tech, but he assumes so. In the first couple episodes, they don't really deal with Palmer Tech.  They're just focused right now on what Team Arrow looks like without Thea and Diggle. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TvForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EK, we'll also see his vigilante activities "juxtaposed with his home life." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TvForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EK, from the first audition, they talked about how Mr. Terrific will be slightly different from the regular character, Curtis. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TvForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK again mentioned WM's comment about Felicity being software and Curtis being hardware. He said that they'll dive more into Curtis' "engineering prowess" and building tech stuff to help Team Arrow, so they won't have to rely on Star Labs. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TvForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis, EK: "Right now he's really nerdy and fun and all that. But you'll see him like go through growing pains and like harden up a little bit." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity being the software and Curtis being the hardware, EK: "But you'll see him like, you know, work a lot of tech and bring new things into the fold, and also like, you know,  get his foot wet in getting into the action... I'm training right now." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with EK, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK: "Curtis is getting his suit this year, I'm so looking forward to that, I'm so excited... It's really cool to be a part of team Arrow." However, he would not spoil what it looks like. EK: "I can't really say if I've tried anything on but it feels good... It's so cool. I actually just did a little plaster for my face to see exactly what I'm going to have on my face." (Aug. 1, 2016 Zap2It article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis' home life being affected by his vigilante activities, EK: "I think it'll be really interesting to see how him and Paul (Chenier Hundal) get through that aspect and how they deal with different things in their relationship." (Aug. 1, 2016 Zap2It article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis' evolution this season, EK: "I think you’ll see a character really battle with the aspect of his home life versus work and if he actually wants to be out in the field. It will be an interesting arc to see him go through this season, to really see what he wants. I’ve had a blast shooting the episodes we’ve shot and I think there’s a lot of really cool fun stuff, and surprises, that people are going to really gel with. I can’t wait for people to see it. I wish I could be more specific, but I think seeing Curtis battle with what he really wants in his life at this time and that he’s tasted the life of Team Arrow but he’s also very focused on being this brilliant mind and engineer, helping to build things and create things. Last season he created bio-stimulant and the power cell and is definitely going to battle with that aspect of engineering, home life, field. I think it’ll be fun. I’m very excited and there’ll be some surprises along the way." (Aug. 8, 2016 onFiction article, page 180 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On whether Curtis will be in an episode of LoT, EK: "Everything’s still coming together, but he’ll definitely be in the crossover." (Aug. 8, 2016 onFiction article, page 180 of Starling City Times thread)
-- B-t-s pics showing "AmerTek" on wall poster and shirts worn by Curtis, Thea, Rene and Evelyn. (apinknightmare post, page 41 of Spoilers page)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papps posted b-t-s pics of 506 filming, including shots of Diggle in his new mask, Rene as Wild Dog, Evelyn as Artemis, Rory as Ragman, and possibly Curtis as Mr. Terrific. (PUNKD_Images and VanFlarrowFan tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  11 of  15:

Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis
-- Madison McLaughlin ("MMcL") will return as Evelyn Sharp for multiple episodes beginning in 502 and will be taking on the DC Comics persona of the masked archer known as Artemis. (Jun. 21, 2016 Variety and TVLine articles, page 38 of Spoilers thread and page 1069 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Jul. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Artemis and Wild Dog, WM: "I’m super excited about the casting. Rick Gonzalez and Madison McLaughlin — and David Nykl, too — have been absolutely bananas in the dailies. They’re so exciting. They bring such a new energy and freshness to the show, and we they bring humor. We have the opportnuity to have a whole new group of people, and a new dynamic, and they bring new life into the bunker." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Evelyn Sharp, who will be Artemis, is somebody that Oliver is pretty confident that he can mold. He succeeded in turning her in Episode 419, so he’s like, “Okay, maybe her. But, this other guy? This Wild Dog guy? No idea what this guy is going on about!” Wild Dog is the one who gives him the most trouble, early in the season, and he’s also the guy who has his own dark past and is going to be dealing with his own legacy. And then, Ragman has a very spiritual identity and he comes from a place of really honoring his Jewish religion. He’s going to present some moral challenges to Oliver. He’s like a parent to these guys. They’re going to drive him crazy." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- MMcL was in the Arrow production offices on Jun. 28, 2016.  (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- B-t-s pics showing "AmerTek" on wall poster and shirts worn by Curtis, Thea, Rene and Evelyn. (apinknightmare post, page 41 of Spoilers page)
-- On Jul. 9, 2016, EK tweeted: "Yo, I had a blast working a Fraturday with @officialrickg and @MadisonMcLaugh. It's going down! #ArrowSeason5." (echok tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 15, 2016, fan tweeted pic showing on set cast chairs for RG, EBR, EK and MMcL.  (sacredsmoak tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 29, MMcL tweeted: "In a hair/makeup trailer with a superhero & a professional wrestler blasting the Hamilton soundtrack #isthisthereallife #orjustafantasy." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 2, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Tough kid award goes out to @MadisonMcLaugh today.......& @officialrickg & @EchoK." (JBam tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 3, 2016, EK tweeted: "@MadisonMcLaugh you the real MVP. #ArrowSeason5." (echok tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 3, 2016, MMcL tweeted: "Unexpected happy moments of my 20s: Going to a cast member's place at midnight to borrow ointment for my wounds obtained while vigilanting." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 12, 2016, MMcL tweeted: "Tonight we did some gnarly things. Also: for those living under a rock, Stephen's a total champ." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papps posted b-t-s pics of 506 filming, including shots of Diggle in his new mask, Rene as Wild Dog, Evelyn as Artemis, Rory as Ragman, and possibly Curtis as Mr. Terrific. (PUNKD_Images and VanFlarrowFan tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 11, 2016, MMcL posted pic of herself with CL.  (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog
-- S5 will introduce the recurring role of a cocksure/reckless ex-Marine turned vigilante. (Jun. 2, 2016 TVLine article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- DC Comics character Wild Dog will appear in multiple episodes, starting with the season premiere, in S5.  He will be played by Rick Gonzalez ("RG").  Wild Dog is a new vigilante in Star City whose reckless and cocksure nature prompts Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) to take him under his wing.  (Jun. 15, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 38 of Spoilers thread, and Jul. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Wild Dog's real name is Rene Ramirez. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "But we will have a whole new team of characters - the vigilantes I was just talking about. One of them is Wild Dog, who we cast Rick Gonzalez, and he's going to be kind of part of this new figuration. And there'll be a couple others, including Echo Kellum and Mr. Terrific. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Artemis and Wild Dog, WM: "I’m super excited about the casting. Rick Gonzalez and Madison McLaughlin — and David Nykl, too — have been absolutely bananas in the dailies. They’re so exciting. They bring such a new energy and freshness to the show, and we they bring humor. We have the opportnuity to have a whole new group of people, and a new dynamic, and they bring new life into the bunker." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Evelyn Sharp, who will be Artemis, is somebody that Oliver is pretty confident that he can mold. He succeeded in turning her in Episode 419, so he’s like, “Okay, maybe her. But, this other guy? This Wild Dog guy? No idea what this guy is going on about!” Wild Dog is the one who gives him the most trouble, early in the season, and he’s also the guy who has his own dark past and is going to be dealing with his own legacy. And then, Ragman has a very spiritual identity and he comes from a place of really honoring his Jewish religion. He’s going to present some moral challenges to Oliver. He’s like a parent to these guys. They’re going to drive him crazy." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- B-t-s pics showing "AmerTek" on wall poster and shirts worn by Curtis, Thea, Rene and Evelyn. (apinknightmare post, page 41 of Spoilers page)
-- On Jul. 9, 2016, EK tweeted: "Yo, I had a blast working a Fraturday with @officialrickg and @MadisonMcLaugh. It's going down! #ArrowSeason5." (echok tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thrad)
-- On Jul. 11, 2016, RG tweeted: "#ArrowBootcamp Way of the Dog. #WildDog #CW #ArrowSeason5 #Arrow" with pic of himself working out with wires. ((officialrickg tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 15, 2016, fan tweeted pic showing on set cast chairs for RG, EBR, EK and MMcL. (sacredsmoak tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 12, 2016, RG posted pic of himself with Josh Segarra and comment: "#BoricuasEnStarCity #JoshSegarra ???? #Vigilante #WildDog #ArrowSeason5." ((officialrickg tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 24, 2016, SA tweeted: "Last night in the woods, with a fever, a shovel and no shirt, @officialrickg gutted out a great scene. Well done." (SA tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 29, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Got to see #Arrow 502! You're gonna love @officialrickg & @JoeDinicol! And the costumes! It's like they jumped out of the comics! So cool!" (briforsul tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papps posted b-t-s pics of 506 filming, including shots of Diggle in his new mask, Rene as Wild Dog, Evelyn as Artemis, Rory as Ragman, and possibly Curtis as Mr. Terrific. (PUNKD_Images and VanFlarrowFan tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Rory Regan AKA Ragman
-- Joe Dinicol will play the recurring role of Rory Regan, the mystical DC Comics vigilante known as Ragman. Fresh from a personal tragedy, Rory hopes to find answers in Star City, where he ultimately crosses paths with Green Arrow. He will first appear in the second episode of season 5.  (Jul. 23, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Evelyn Sharp, who will be Artemis, is somebody that Oliver is pretty confident that he can mold. He succeeded in turning her in Episode 419, so he’s like, “Okay, maybe her. But, this other guy? This Wild Dog guy? No idea what this guy is going on about!” Wild Dog is the one who gives him the most trouble, early in the season, and he’s also the guy who has his own dark past and is going to be dealing with his own legacy. And then, Ragman has a very spiritual identity and he comes from a place of really honoring his Jewish religion. He’s going to present some moral challenges to Oliver. He’s like a parent to these guys. They’re going to drive him crazy." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 29, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Got to see #Arrow 502! You're gonna love @officialrickg & @JoeDinicol! And the costumes! It's like they jumped out of the comics! So cool!" (briforsul tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papps posted b-t-s pics of 506 filming, including shots of Diggle in his new mask, Rene as Wild Dog, Evelyn as Artemis, Rory as Ragman, and possibly Curtis as Mr. Terrific. (PUNKD_Images and VanFlarrowFan tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 9, 2016, fan tweeted: "we realized that the other hooded guy is Ragman! He was on the roof and in the formation on the ledge! :)." (heyolicity23 tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Christopher Chance AKA Human Target
-- Wil Traval ("WT") will play Christopher Chance, aka Human Target, a professional bodyguard and master of disguise who assumes the identities of those targeted by assassins.  He will debut in 505 when he takes on a new client: Mayor Oliver Queen. (Aug. 18, 2016 TVLine article in MichaelAusiello tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 20, 2016, SA tweeted: "Me, @EmilyBett & @WilTraval walk into an office... Fraturday at its finest. Please welcome Wil to the show." (SA tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 20, 2016, WT tweeted: "@StephenAmell @EmilyBett I couldn't have asked for a better day(night) one. Thanks." (WT tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 20, 2016, WT posted pic of himself with tweet: "Here is my new look as The Human Target #arrow #cw #humantarget #dressingroomselfie #loveit."  (WT tweet & instagram post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 26, 2016, WT posted pic of himself on Arrow set and pic of himself with EBR. (WT instagram posts, pages 1125-1126 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 31, 2016, WT posted pic of himself on set, wearing a beige prosthetic mask with x's all over it. (WT tweet & instagram post, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  12 of  15:

Quentin Lance
-- WM: "Quentin is going to break your heart this year... He's still dealing with Laurel and he's going to play a role in the mayor's office, but he's probably at his -- he's in a dark place." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “Lance does not get reinstated... I’m sorry.” (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: TVLine article and peopleschoice tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per PB, so far Quentin is not back on the police force. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Whedonopolis video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan who asked about Oliver being Mayor since he's read the first two episodes, SA: "Um, I think that of all of the things that I remember from those first two episodes, uh, Oliver's relationship with Lance - where Lance is, in terms of the type of place and the state of mind that he's in, and their dynamic, um - it's probably the thing that I'm most looking forward to in terms of doing the scenes. And I think that, you know, obviously with the events that happened towards the end of the fourth season, there has been a sizeable shift forever in terms of the dynamic between Oliver and Quentin, and a lot of that actually came from him calling him Quentin for the first time.  And that's something that we continue to explore. But Lance does not get reinstated... Sorry." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 1 of SA panel, page 431 of Social Media thread, with transcription posted on page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Quentin's relationship with Oliver, PB: "The shift in the relationship between Lance and Oliver is great. There’s an element of father figure there, but only to a degree because Oliver knows the world and Lance is just a small part of it. Lance is always going to revere him, in that sense. So, it would be nice to see some development, in that way." (Apr. 27, 2016 Collider article, page 36 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Quentin's relationship with original Team Arrow, PB: "Each year, the dynamics change. This is probably going to have much to do with setting up the next season’s dynamic between the characters. From season to season, there’s always a little subtle shift in the relationships between everybody. This is going to create a whole new world next season, given that everybody is now in a world without Laurel. It’s a game-changer, obviously, and it’s a relationship-changer, for sure." (Apr. 27, 2016 Collider article, page 36 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Quentin, PB: "Well, he was fired from the police force... had his badge taken away from him. Took one for the team there.  Um, he's on adrift at the moment... Um, yeah, he's in a bit of a desolate place. Miserable. Tune in, folks! It's gonna be great." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: ComicsOnline video of press roundtable interviews with SA, DR and PB, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per PB, Quentin has “more demons haunting him and [is] trying to pick up the pieces of his lost family. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article on Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Quentin coming into S5, PB: "Lance is utterly miserable coming into season 5... Small demons haunting him. And, um, yeah, trying to pick up the pieces of lost family, his guilt and everything that's involved with that with Laurel, and no job. I think, somebody said that - when he picked up you (to EBR) and your dad that time, in the car - somebody said, 'oh look, Lance lost his job... He's an Uber driver now.'  And I think that's the future for Lance." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what we can expect to see from Quentin this season, PB: "Complete desolation and misery. It's Arrow... He's in a rough spot, actually. Getting over - or rather not getting over your daughter's death is a little, um, a little traumatic. So - yeah, he's sorta being revisited by old demons... He's having a tough time of it... So that's Lance's present state." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Whedonopolis video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Quentin will fall off the wagon and start drinking again, PB: "Things are getting a little rough. Like I said, a few old demons popping up." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Whedonopolis video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what he's most excited to do this season, PB: "Well, staying alive is always exciting... The thing that the writers do very well each season is [unintelligible word] shift the dynamics between the relationships around, you know, to the characters. And, you know, 'love you, hate you,' etc.  And, uh, this year certainly for what Lance is experiencing, um, some new dynamics with characters he hasn't necessarily been that close to in the past. So it's kinda nice to play with that a bit. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Whedonopolis video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Quentin's relationship with Donna, PB said that it really helped Quentin deal with Laurel's death last season as Donna was someone he could lean on.  Then PB said: "We'll see how that relationship turns out. Do you think they're really compatible? ... She's very different from Dinah, isn't she? Dinah and Donna - quite different ladies." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Whedonopolis video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- PB: "It's the dark days for Lance. Suffering, the demons -- they're back... His default setting is 'it's my fault.' If anything questionable happens, he tends to sort of blame himself. He's doing that to some degree with Laurel's death. I hate to say it, but there's miserable days ahead for Lance right now."  While Donna was a "little flash of light" for Quentin at the end of S4, it remains to be seen what the state of their relationship it now. PB: "Whether that has longevity, we'll have to see." (Aug. 10, 2016 Zap2It article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On who Quentin is going to rely on most this season and be close to, PB: "Well that's - I don't want to say that. That's where some of the shift - new, sort of, relationships are occurring, which is one of the nice, sort of surprises, as it evolves.... I'll let you see it as it happens. It's quite sweet and surprising." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Whedonopolis video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- PB: "Well, it's certainly desolate time for Lance. Um, you know, the demons are popping up for him in light of the tragedy he's experiencing." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Quentin will be involved with the new vigilantes in Star City, PB: "Well, actually, there is a po - yeah, there is going to be some involvement there. There's some interesting, um - I think the one thing that they also do every year very well is shifting the dynamics between the characters, you know, who you hate, who you love, etc. And there's some really interesting stuff. Um, I'm working with some [of the?] actors I've never really worked with before and, um, it's nice seeing those characters suddenly, '[unintelligible word] now, who are you? what's your deal?' - you know. So there's some good stuff on that this season. Surprise relationships." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- PB: "Lance is wrestling with some old demons, as he comes back for season 5. All upset about his dead daughter... Not for the first time, is it? ... No, Lance, he's in a bad way...  It's probably the worst way ever, believe it or not... He's suffering badly." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- PB: "And there's some new, interesting, sort of dynamics between who he's relating with these days as well. It was a nice surprise that the writers sorta threw out. And, um, we've started that now and it's been enjoyable. So. You know, they do it every year - everyone's dynamics shift a little bit, you know, love you, hate you, hate you, love you, [unintelligible word] changes. And they've done the same thing this year, you know. Nice shift for all the characters." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with PB, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- PB: "I've been working a lot with [Willa Holland] this season." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: heroesfanfest tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Quentin will develop more of a father/daughter dynamic with Felicity in S5 (since Laurel's dead and Sara's off gallivanting through time), PB: "Lance is just sitting in a corner drinking coffee basically. That's all he's doing. Um, that would be - no, there's a funny little moment, actually, that we had, Emily and I, with regard to that - and I don't know if you can talk about it because of all that spoiler stuff, you know. But it's a great moment coming up and you might not notice it, but there's a little moment between the two of them regarding that. But, um, oh actually I have been working with - a lot this season - which has been interesting - has been Willa. There's a quite curious - because I don't think we ever said a word to each other for like four years. And suddenly you're reading the script and it says 'Thea and Lance talking to each other.'  I was like, 'oh, I wondered who she was.' So um, we've had some, uh, some really nice scenes. So if anything, there might be a little bit of that going on." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 13, 2016, PB tweeted that he was back in Vancouver shooting S5. (PB tweet, page 1089 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 28, 2016, PB said: "There was an interesting scene the other day between myself and Willa and [Josh] Segarra... It was a very interesting scene. About halfway through I realized that everybody's telling lies - everything that everybody was saying to each other was a lie, from the character's point of view. And it was actually a brilliant scene because it was just - the whole thing was a lie. So that's a truth about a scene full of lies. In Season 5." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Lt. Frank Pike
-- On Jul. 23, 2016,  Adrian Holmes, who plays Lt. Frank Pike of the SCPD, posted a pic of himself with JBam and Tyler Ritter, and also tweeted: "Walkin and talkin with @TylerRitter and Dir. @JamesBamford. @CW_Arrow #nightshoot #Arrow #Pike #Oner #starcity #BAM." (AH instagram post, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and AH tweet, page 1099 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Detective Malone
-- Tyler Ritter ("TR") will play the recurring role of Detective Malone, a new addition to the SCPD. (Jun. 28, 2016 The Hollywood Reporter tweet & article and July 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what's happening with the SCPD and the new detective coming in, WM: "One of the things we're doing is, we've always really wanted to explore the [unintelligible word] stories about corrupt cops and corruption within the SCPD. And so that will be a big piece of what's going on in the city and what Oliver's dealing with as Mayor. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- TR was in the Arrow production offices on Jul. 12, 2016.  (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 23, 2016,  Adrian Holmes, who plays Lt. Frank Pike, posted a pic of himself with JBam and TR, and also tweeted: "Walkin and talkin with @TylerRitter and Dir. @JamesBamford. @CW_Arrow #nightshoot #Arrow #Pike #Oner #starcity #BAM." (AH instagram post, page 40 of Spoilers thread, and AH tweet, page 1099 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Sep. 7, 2016, TR tweeted: "When long legs go from being seductive to haunting. love creepy shadow puppeteering with liluparma" with pic of two long-legged shadows. (TylerRitter tweet & thetylerritter instagram post, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Lt. Conahan (police or military?)
-- Ryan S. Williams will be playing Lt. Conahan in 501. (RSW's IMDB page, page 42 of Spoilers thread and page 1119 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jul. 9, 2016, Elysia Rotaru tweeted that Ryan Williams will appear in 501.  In mid-July 2016, Ryan Williams posted instagram pic of himself with the comment: "Back at it tonight on set for #arrow #arrowhead #nobeard @cw_arrow."  ER liked that pic and commented: "Yay so proud of you babe! #arrowheads you are in for a treat with the #arrow season 5 premiere- @james2bambamford ???? @ryslife I can't wait to see it!" (ER tweets and RSW instagram post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Elysia Rotaru reportedly liked a photo of Ryan Williams that someone captioned "Felicity's boyfriend," and he was supposedly on the Arrow set for at least a day. (Sunshine post, page 1119 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  13 of 15:

Prometheus
-- Per MG, S5's Big Bad will be Prometheus  - but he’s not to be confused with the one from Justice League. Per MG, the new foe “fits into the theme of legacy." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article on Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- We can expect to meet Prometheus in the Season 5 premiere. (Aug. 23, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On who was the mysterious hooded guy at the end of the S5 sizzle reel at SDCC, MG: "[H]e's a new character. Um, he's our Big Bad for the year. We call him Prometheus. That said, before you're typing and blogging and everything, it's not the Grant Morrison-Howard Porter Prometheus from Justice League, just straight up. But the new character is someone who fits into the theme of legacy this year that is going to be driving all of our characters, quite frankly, including the Big Bad. So he is pretty badass and mean." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel, Comicbook.com article and The Hollywood Reporter article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Prometheus presents a “very personal” threat,“ and the ending will be, correspondingly, very specific to Oliver.” (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Season 5's villain] is somebody Oliver unwittingly created in Season 1 when he was a killer in a hood... This guy is going to be collateral damage who lost someone to the Hood and [has] spent the last several years training and plotting for revenge. He will be a true dark mirror to Oliver Queen." (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, the intention is to let the other shows' comic book DNA "swirl around" in the Arrowverse, but still focus on what makes Arrow Arrow within the season. Because of that, Big Bad Prometheus will be step away from Damien Darhk.  WM described Prometheus as "very grounded." Also, WM: "[He's] not going to have magic, no powers... He has a very personal grudge and axe to grind with Oliver and he's going to come at him in a really interesting, sociopathic kind of way." (Aug. 23, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “I’ve heard that our big bad, our villain, is something that you can really only do once you’re in the fifth, sixth or seventh season of a TV show. ... “As far as I know, they don’t have superpowers. I’ll tell you that.” (CW Upfronts, May 19, 2016: Variety article, page 37 of Spoilers thread and page 167 of Starling City Times thread)
-- SA: "Our villain is going to - uh, in a lot of ways - be a callback to season 1 and, uh, that's something that you can do when you're in season 5.  And I think that the villain that we have coming in is really going to ground the show and take us back to some of the elements that we had in the earlier days before we introduced so many fantastical elements to the Arrowverse as it were."  (Wizard World Philadelphia, Jun. 4, 2016: Video clip from SA panel, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "The villain this year is the result of Oliver's actions in season 1." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Extra interview with Arrow cast posted in AmellDaily tweet, page 452 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "One of the things that we do this year that I think is very cool is that the villain, the Big Bad this year, was created by Oliver. It was created based off of Oliver's actions in season 1. I think that's a cool place to take the show."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to question of whether Tobias Church is someone who Oliver kinda created or influenced, SA: "Nope. No. We're going to find that person later. ... Oliver's actions, especially in season 1 of the show - and I think the show will go on past season 5, Mark Pedowitz... I think the show will go on beyond this season, but this really is - we really are closing a chapter, because this was envisioned and pitched as a five-year story, especially as it relates to the flashbacks. And the villain, the eventual villain that we find this year, is the result of Oliver's actions when he returned to Star City at the beginning of the series." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- 501 promotional pics posted that show Oliver, Thea, Prometheus, Tobias Church (Chad Coleman), Anatoly Knyazev (David Nykl) and Viktor (Mike Dopud). ( Aug. 30, 2016 SpoilerTV article in SpoilerTV tweet and TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 30, 2016 CBR article linked in tv echo post, page 1128 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Adrian Chase (formerly described as "James")
--  For S5, Arrow is adding the series regular role of “James,” an “irrepressibly charming” contemporary of Oliver’s who is described as “a man on a mission” — out as he is to avenge a tragic, violent loss from his own, years-ago past. The casting call seeks an actor of any ethnicity, in his late-20s to 30s and who comes across as a physical threat. The character is said to “just as easily shake your hand as your best friend or break your neck as your worst enemy — and you never know which one is coming. Either way, he’s more than capable of having a good time as he does it.” (May 2, 2016 TVLine article, page 36 of Spoilers thread)
-- S5 will introduce Oliver's unpredictable/"charming" new adversary. (Jun. 2, 2016 TVLine article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fans freaking out over "James" spoiler, Matt Mitovich tweeted: "Pardon my French, but... WTH is saying 'love interest'? His audition scenes aren't with F." (May 2, 2016 MMitovich tweet, page 1034 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Josh Segarra has been cast as a new series regular for S5. He will play Adrian Chase, Star City’s new District Attorney and an ally of Mayor Oliver Queen, who aims to clean up the streets through the legal system.  Adrian Chase and his alter ego the Vigilante first appeared in the 1983 New Teen Titans Annual #2.  A New York City district attorney whose family was killed by mobsters, Chase sought justice in his own way. In the comics, Chase has strong ties to Deathstroke, who was a major character on Arrow. (Jun. 16, 2016 Deadline article, page 38 of Spoilers thread, and Jul. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- TVLine confirmed that Adrian Chase is the previously reported "James" character, stating: "As TVLine first reported, Chase is described as an 'irrepressibly charming' contemporary of Oliver’s and 'a man on a mission' — out as he is to avenge a tragic, violent loss from his own, years-ago past. He is someone who could 'just as easily shake your hand as your best friend or break your neck as your worst enemy — and you never know which one is coming. Either way, he’s more than capable of having a good time as he does it.'” (Jun. 16, 2016 TVLine article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “We do think of this season as going back to our roots... When you come into the season, Oliver will still be out there fighting crime on his own, and he has also taken up the mantel of the city’s mayor. We’re going to be exploring him as a hero, both in a very traditional sense, and also as Green Arrow. We’re going to see a whole bunch of new recruits. The city’s going to have a new criminal, as well as a new vigilante inspired by him.” This vigilante is based on the version created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez for the comics and will appear in the seventh episode of the fifth season. (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Vulture article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Eric Goldman tweeted: "Episode 507 of #Arrow will introduce Vigilante. #TCA16." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: EGoldman tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 12, 2016, Rick Gonzalez posted pic of himself with Josh Segarra and comment: "#BoricuasEnStarCity #JoshSegarra ???? #Vigilante #WildDog #ArrowSeason5." (officialrickg tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 28, 2016, PB said: "There was an interesting scene the other day between myself and Willa and [Josh] Segarra... It was a very interesting scene. About halfway through I realized that everybody's telling lies - everything that everybody was saying to each other was a lie, from the character's point of view. And it was actually a brilliant scene because it was just - the whole thing was a lie. So that's a truth about a scene full of lies. In Season 5." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Tobias Church (formerly described as "Anton Church")
-- S5 will introduce a new villain loosely inspired by Idris Elba’s Wire drug kingpin Stringer Bell. The character, tentatively named "Anton Church," is a ruthless crime lord who sets out to fill the sizable void left by Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E. The initial casting notice describes him as an "apex predator" who "cuts his way through the shadow" by taking down "the biggest threat first." While the role is being likened to Elba’s classic Wire baddie, the breakdown also references ex-Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa as a physical prototype. (Jun. 3, 2016 TVLine article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- Chad L. Coleman ("CLC") will play the recurring role of Tobias Church, "an imposing gangster looking to unite the various criminal enterprises in Star City under his own singular command." He will debut in 501.  (Jun. 21, 2016 IGN article, page 38 of Spoilers thread and page 1070 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Jul. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Chad's great. He and I fought in a confined space recently.... Tobias Church is a formidable gangster and, uh, one of the things that he's doing is... he's really - again, because of all of the things that have happened in Star City, that's really what we're focusing on this year. The mobs have risen up. And he has risen up to the top of that." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- In response to question of whether Tobias Church is someone who Oliver kinda created or influenced, SA: "Nope. No. We're going to find that person later." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Per CLC, Tobias Church is a bonafide badass.  CLC: "I was reading the script on the plane (before arriving at Walker Stalker Con.) He is Suge Knight, Jay-Z, and Dr. Dre all rolled into one. I’m telling you this is an amazing character. I’m gonna have so much fun with this guy.”  Tobias will also be very charming. After the destruction caused in S4 and the hole left by the death of Damien Darhk, the criminal element of Star City will be a little scattered. That’s where Tobias comes in. He’ll seduce them with “brass knuckles and silver coins” to join his cause against the vigilantes of the city. On a scale from 1 to 10 of how much trouble Tobias is going to cause our heroes, CLC was quick to say 15: “I’m dead serious. I’m telling you. I am not trying to hype it. I’m reading the script and I’m like wowwww. I can’t wait to get going on this one. He’s so smart and so quick with the words. He’s got savvy, sarcasm, smarter than everyone. He’s a strong man. It’s amazing.” His new role is also going to be very demanding and full of “physical stuff.”  CLC: "I’m really looking forward to working with the lead man (Stephen Amell) and mixing up. And just giving fans something new. You know, a new character in the repertoire where you really get to see me play a bad guy.” (Jul. 10, 2016 fangirlish article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- CLC: "Tobias Church is a badass who likes to throw his intelligence and sarcasm around. Depending on your IQ and ability to negotiate on  that playground will decide your fate, which involves brass knuckles! (laughs) ... He wants to be King of the Underworld and take out Arrow. He's on a mission. I told producers he's like Jay Z, Dr. Dre, and Suge Knight all rolled into one! ... He’s a great addition to the show because he brings that street edge that we all know and love. ... [T]he character is something you've never seen before. Think Kevin Spacey kind of smartass, who kicks ass! ... This world is so juicy because of the larger than life nature of it, so Tobias Church is a force to be reckoned with! But you can't beat Jack Nicholson as the “Joker" in Batman!" (Aug. 15, 2016 Blastr article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On who would win in a throwdown, Tobias Church or Green Arrow, CLC: "Stay tuned people! Dat Green Boy bouta feel dat 'Brass Asswhupper.' (laughs)" (Aug. 15, 2016 Blastr article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul, 9, 2016, TheAltSource tweeted: "Chad Coleman said he read the #Arrow script on the plane here and oh boy are we not ready for Tobias!" (TheAltSource tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 9, 2016, TheAltSource tweeted: "Chad Coleman on his new role on #Arrow. 'Tobias Church is a bad boy.'" (TheAltSource tweet, page 1087 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- CLC was in the Arrow production offices on Jul. 14, 2016. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 16, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Fraterday with @ChadLColeman ? I'll take it. Welcome to the family." (JBam tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 21, 2016, CLC tweeted pics of Vancouver on his day off from shooting Arrow. (CLC tweets, page 1123 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 501 promotional pics posted that show Oliver, Thea, Prometheus, Tobias Church (Chad Coleman), Anatoly Knyazev (David Nykl) and Viktor (Mike Dopud). ( Aug. 30, 2016 SpoilerTV article in SpoilerTV tweet and TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 30, 2016 CBR article linked in tv echo post, page 1128 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  14 of  15:

Venediktov Family
-- Taiana's last name is Venediktov. (Apr. 30, 2016 ER tweet, page 381 of Social Media thread)

Kovar
-- On May 18, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Taiana name dropping someone called 'Kovar.'  Read into that what you will. #ArrowSeason5." (briforsul tweet, page 37 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “In our flashbacks in Russia — we’re set in Russia this season — we are going to be bringing in Dolph Lundgren as one of our big bads." This character was actually mentioned toward the end of S4, when Taiana referred to the Russian villain Kovar.  WM: “He is somebody we heard about in season 4... Kovar. We are going to bring him in and he’s going to be this super big badass guy who works for the Russian government, and is not a friend of Oliver or the Bratva. It’s part of Oliver’s promise to Taiana at the end of season 4 and it’s going to be interesting because it’s going to get complicated and very messed up very fast.” (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Entertainment Weekly article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "Dolph Lundgren starts filming soon. He will appear in three episodes. #Arrow #TCA16." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: CHayner tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread and page 1117 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- It’s not just crime bosses Oliver has to fear as he tries to keep his promise to ill-fated island pal Taiana, to tell her parents what happened to her and brother Vlad. A new Big Bad, played by Dolph Lundgren, also awaits him in the flashbacks. WM: “[Dolph’s character] is a government strongman... He is scary and formidable — and he had a role in some stuff with Taiana’s family last season. He’s a bit of a badass.” (Aug. 20, 2016 TVLine article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Dolph Lundgren, who plays the Russian big bad Kovar, will give Oliver and SA a run for his money. WM: “Stephen’s excited to take him on... He’s a force of a nature, and Stephen -- and Oliver -- will have to take that on and figure out how to conquer [him].”  (Aug. 31, 2016 ETonline article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 31, 2016, Dolph Lundgren was in the Arrow production office. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Anatoly Knyazev
-- Anatoly (David Nykl) appeared in the Arrow S5 highlight reel at SDCC. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the return of Anatoly Knyazev, WM: " Anatoly’s back. David Nykl – we’re so lucky to have him. He was such a find. He brings so much humor and light to that role, and that relationship between Anatoly and Oliver is something very special. We’re very excited about how he brings Oliver into the Bratva and what happens to Oliver when he’s there."  (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "I’m super excited about the casting. Rick Gonzalez and Madison McLaughlin — and David Nykl, too — have been absolutely bananas in the dailies. They’re so exciting. They bring such a new energy and freshness to the show, and we they bring humor. We have the opportnuity to have a whole new group of people, and a new dynamic, and they bring new life into the bunker." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- 501 promotional pics posted that show Oliver, Thea, Prometheus, Tobias Church (Chad Coleman), Anatoly Knyazev (David Nykl) and Viktor (Mike Dopud). ( Aug. 30, 2016 SpoilerTV article in SpoilerTV tweet and TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 30, 2016 CBR article linked in tv echo post, page 1128 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 31, 2016, DN posted pic from Arrow studios with tweet: "Hops growing at the #Arrow studios. Could it be a sign of something?" (DN tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Ishmael Gregor
-- David Meunier will play the recurring role of Ishmael Gregor, the slick and intimidating Pakhan (“Godfather”) of the Bratva, to whom Anatoly (David Nykl) reports and who takes a special interest in Oliver Queen. In the comics, Gregor was a Russian crime boss who craved the magical abilities of the demon Sabbac; however, Arrow will explore his more earthly ambitions. (Aug. 30, 2016 Deadline article in Deadline tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Viktor
-- 501 promotional pics posted that show Oliver, Thea, Prometheus, Tobias Church (Chad Coleman), Anatoly Knyazev (David Nykl) and Viktor (Mike Dopud). ( Aug. 30, 2016 SpoilerTV article in SpoilerTV tweet and TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 30, 2016 CBR article linked in tv echo post, page 1128 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Susan Williams
-- From 2015, MG: " Something that’s always been a struggle in writing the show is, how do we keep Starling City alive? All this stuff happens, and how do you get the general man-on-the-street opinion of things? It’s just a hard thing. We don’t really have a character like that. We don’t have a newspaper reporter who you go home with and learn about everyone’s opinions through. I actually would love for us to develop that aspect of the show. We just haven’t figured out how to do that yet. It’s just not where the show lives, at the moment." (Apr. 22, 2015 Collider article, page 1077 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- S5 will introduce the recurring role of Susan Williams, a journalist from nearby Coast City who comes to Star City “looking to make a name for herself” by targeting Oliver Queen for a big story. She will be played by Carly Pope. In the DC comics, Williams is married to Jim Jordan, the little brother of Coast City's resident Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. (Jun. 29, 2016 TVGuide/TVInsider tweet & article, and Jul. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 16, 2016, Carly Pope tweeted: "Just read #503. What a bunch of glorious little maniacs. This is going to be certifiably FUN." (CP tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 28, 2016, Carly Pope was in the Arrow production offices. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 454 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 6, 2016, Carly Pope tweeted: "And just like that, care of the @ARROWwriters, she became an unabashed fanboy overnight... #505." (CPope tweet, page 1115 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Cody Rhodes' Unnamed Character
-- Per SA, Cody Rhodes will guest star in 503. He will play a villain, and we can expect him and SA to fight. (HVFF-NY, Jul. 2, 2016: TVLine tweet & article, SA tweet, CRhodes tweet, and Video of SA & Cody Rhodes panel, page 39 of Spoilers thread; and SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Comicbook.com, Nerdophiles and Seat42F videos of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Cody Rhodes plays an antagonist, SA: "We fight... One of the reasons I really really like Cody's character is because he is a spin on something that exists in the Berlanti universe but it's very Arrow centric. It's an Arrowverse version of something that we've seen a lot."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Cody Rhodes, SA: "He auditioned for a part that actually ended up going to someone else, which is a recurring role throughout our season. But they really liked him and they wrote a character for him, and it's a really cool character. We get to throw down in our third episode, I believe." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVForTheRestOfUs video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I will say that Cody Rhodes really reinvigorated me about the joy of being on set because this was his first professional acting job, aside from sports entertainment, which is, you know, theater in some way. But it was his first television job. He showed up early. He spent full days on set behind the monitors, just watching what we were doing, asking questions, trying to be at his best. He was such an honor and a pleasure to have on Arrow. I hope we get to have him back. And I think that everyone is going to love his episode." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video recorded by swtjazzybellz, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to the question of who he plays, CRhodes: "All I can tell you is, if you were a fan of the SummerSlam action with Stephen and Stardust, then this is almost a continuation - it picks up almost right where that left off. There's an incredible amount of action, and we are not - we're not buddy buddies in the episode. We are indeed adversaries." He also said that it was "a very physical episode" so that he "felt at home with physical storytelling." (Aug. 12, 2016 Straight Shoot: Aubrey Sitterson interview with Cody Rhodes, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 9, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted pic of himself wearing a jacket with the following on its back: "Season 6 ARROW TEAM RHODES 'Destroy Queen'." (CRhodes tweet, page 439 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 13, 2016, Arrow writers tweeted pics of Cody Rhodes in their offices. (Arrowwriters tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On. Jul. 26, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted buff, shirtless pic of himself with comment: "When you're gonna' fight Kurt Angle & the damn Green Arrow during the next few months...you cut weight like a madman." (CRhodes tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 27, 2016, Cody Rhodes was in the Arrow production offices. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 30, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "Today...was a good day (And I learned what the "window shot" means)." (CRhodes tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 30, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "I got into a bit of "trouble" with Star City's finest last night..." (CRhodes tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 2, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "Very enriching day today hiding behind @gregorythesmith 's directors chair ?? ARROW SEASON 5 is gonna' be tip-top Can't wait for October..." (CRhodes tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "Steam-room planks  Things are about to get shirtless on Arrow ??  Unstoppable." (CRhodes tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 9, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "It's your last day on the Arrow set and all wardrobe puts in your trailer is hospital scrubs...???? SEASON 5!!!" (CRhodes tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)

Toby Levins' Unnamed Character
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, Toby Levins tweeted: "Just got word that if you watch #arrow I'll be seeing you soon ;) @TheCW @CW_Arrow." (tobeslevins tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 10, 2016, Toby Levins tweeted: "Just booked a big job. Dont hurt yourself before shooting. DONT HURT YOURSE.....dammit." (tobeslevins tweet, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Derek Zaba
-- S5 will introduce the recurring character of Derek Zaba, a man of fierce intelligence whose wit and humor belie a person wrestling with deep-seated demons. Derek looks to his Jewish faith to ground himself, having been raised in a devout family, and while usually kind and well-meaning, he also can come off as a physical threat. (Jun. 16, 2016 TVLine article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC - Part  15 of  15:

Return of Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk
-- Akin to the groundbreaking contract that Wentworth Miller segued into at the end of his single-season LoT run, JBarrowman will continue to appear on Arrow and maintain series regular status, but across all of the superhero shows executive-produced by Greg Berlanti, including The Flash and Legends. (Jul. 8, 2016 TVLine tweet and article, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to question about JB's deal and how JB will be used on all three shows, WM: "You know, I think it'll be similar to - you know, there've been deals with Wentworth Miller and also with Katie Cassidy across all shows.. These are characters that fans love, that we love to write for, and I think it becomes a question of, what is the best story to tell for them and where are they best placed? And, you know, John is such an amazing actor and it becomes a question of, is he available and is he right for this story? I know he'll be appearing more toward the end of our season and that's more because of availability than anything else. Um, but I think in terms of how he's placed in the other shows, it's always a dialogue. We always have to kinda - we're all in the same building, we run down the hallway - like 'we need to do this with Malcolm, what are you guys doing with Malcolm right now?' And it's all sorta - it just evolves. And it'll be influenced as well by what they do with him on Legends." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On having JB, WM and KC available to use on all four shows and the challenge of how to use them, MG: "It’s a little challenging because we have to work around their personal schedules, and obviously there needs to be good communication among all the shows, so we’re not double booking them. No one has ever done a four-show universe. That’s totally unprecedented. The ability to move cast around that way is also unprecedented. The thing that we all really enjoy about it is that that’s the way it works in the comic books. The comic books are one large shared universe, and characters move back and forth between the different books. It’s fun to do the same thing with different shows." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Aug. 22, 2016 Collider article, page 180 of Starling City Times thread)
-- As LoT EP, MG: "If you're going to have a team of superheroes, you got to fight a team of supervillains. Um, so, we're going to start off with Matt Letscher reprising his role as Eobard Thawne and the Reverse Flash. So, you also saw in our teaser trailer that Neal McDonough is going to be back as Damien Darhk. Everybody who watched episode 15 knows that Leonard Snart is dead. But everyone who watched episodes 1 through 16 knows that it's a time travel show. So that means that we can bring back Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold. And there's one more and I'm totally forgetting who it is. Um, I need some help. Maybe could he come out?"  Then JB comes out: "I've had a little bit of experience with time travel. So I expect I'll fit in just fine. Malcolm Merlyn." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of collected footage from SDCC Flash, Arrow and LoT panels, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On LoT, a Legion of Doom comprised of Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold, Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk will keeps the heroes hopping by tinkering with time. LoT EP Phil Klemmer: “We had a singular bad guy in Season 1... and now we have four, each with their own, somewhat competing agendas.” (Sep. 7, 2016 TVLine article, page 195 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, in response to question of whether there had been "any sightings of any DCTV 'universe regular' (Barrowman/Cassidy/Miller)," papp tweeted that "they haven't been on set of any of the shows lately." (Ken@pursuit23, page 459 of Social Media thread)
-- Audience member asked DR to play two truths and one lie.  DR said that he's terrible at playing this game.  Then, after a long wait while he consulted with WH, he said: "Oliver and Felicity are together at the beginning of the season... Second one would be that Malcolm is now part of Team Arrow... Third one would be that the Lazarus Pit is not destroyed." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- After both SA and DR said that they missed JB, SA: "Not that he hasn't been on the show." (Salt Lake City Comic Con, Sep. 3, 2016: Video of full SA/DR panel, page 472 of Social Media thread)

Return of Laurel Lance
-- On Jun. 22, 2016, MG tweeted S5 production art design option showing Black Canary memorial statue.  (MG tweet, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the chances of seeing KC again, WM: "Well, we will definitely see her in 501 in our premiere of the season. And we have made a deal with her across Arrow, Flash and Legends, so Katie Cassidy is definitely not gone from this universe." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and Comicbook.com article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- KC will return to Arrow in 501. Per WM, KC has signed a deal with all the DC TV shows — pacts similar to those of John Barrowman and Wentworth Miller — to appear in all three Berlanti-verse shows including The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.  WM: "She's definitely not gone." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Hollywood Reporter and TVLine articles, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "BIG. SPOILER. Marc [Guggenheim] said, 'We are announcing [Saturday] that we signed a deal with Katie Cassidy. She is going to be on all three shows.' My immediate response was, 'HOW?' He said they have the option of bringing Katie back in different ways on each show - flashbacks, time travel and Black Siren. But then I asked, 'No Laurel Lance in present day right?'  And he firmly said, 'NO.'” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Laurel's last words to Oliver will be revealed in 501. (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Laurel to Oliver: "I need you to promise me something. Your instinct has always been to go it alone. Ollie, you can't." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what Laurel made Oliver promise her right before she died on Arrow, whether it was something for him to do or not do, WM: “It is both actually, and you’ll find out what it was in [the Oct. 5 premiere]," adding that the reveal will “inform a lot of Season 5.” (Aug. 16, 2016 TVLine article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- 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)
-- WM said that killing Black Canary was a very difficult decision and it was a matter of which person would have the most impact on the characters. She also said that they're going to honor it and that a lot of stories they're telling on Arrow and LoT couldn't be told unless they had made that decision. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Fandom video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, in response to question of whether Black Canary is coming back, SA: "The idea of Black Canary, and what it means and what it embodies in Star City, is something that we’re going to examine this year."  (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to question of what Laurel will be doing on Arrow this season, SA said that we find out in 501 what Oliver promised Laurel on her deathbed and that "it's something that's going to have a lasting impact not just in, uh - not just in our season premiere, but over the next couple of seasons of the show... assuming we get renewed. But it's very important, and it's going to be critical to whatever the legacy of our show is."  (Nerd HQ, Jul. 24, 2016: Video of SA's second Nerd HQ conversation, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, in response to question of whether there had been "any sightings of any DCTV 'universe regular' (Barrowman/Cassidy/Miller)," papp tweeted that "they haven't been on set of any of the shows lately." (Ken@pursuit23, page 459 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether Laurel is going to be resurrected, KC: "I don't know." On whether Laurel's Earth-2 doppelganger, Black Siren, is going to return to appear on Arrow, KC: "I don't know, bud. Maybe. Anything can happen." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On two truths and a lie for S5, KC: "I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead."  CD: "I'm dead, I'm dead -" KC: "I'm alive?" CD: "I'm alive." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- KC: "And coming up, you will see me in the premiere of Arrow, Season 5... Pretty exciting. And I will also be—they announced at Comic Con, which I'm safe to say—across all three shows: Flash, Legends, and Arrow, for this next year. So, I'm excited about that." (Salt Lake City Comic Con, Sep. 1, 2016: ComicBook article, page 1130 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- KC: "In this universe, anything can happen... Um, as far as if we see her again? I hope so, uh, and I certainly think that there's a way to make that happen - whether it be through flashbacks or, you know, on Legends, there's time travel and then I play Laurel's, uh, doppelganger on Flash as the Black Siren... And, uh, I am going to be on all three shows this next coming season, but I'm not sure in what capacity... I don't think that means - I think, again, physically saying goodbye, as opposed to, I think, emotionally. She's still going to be carried on with the show - live in the show and move the show, whether I'm there or not. Um, I certainly hope I'm there. But we'll see - it was a blast. And I am not ready to [unintelligible word] move on yet." (Fan Expo Canada, Sep. 4, 2016: TheArtsGuild video interview with KC, page 472 of Social Media thread)
-- On how Arrow is going, KC: "I don't know... Well, I think as a lot of our fans know, I will be across all three shows this next season. In what capacity, or how often, I'm not allowed to say, um, nor do I know, necessarily." On if she's in the dark a lot with these scripts too, KC: "I'm in the dark, but when it comes to story, you know, obviously I'm close with our producers and everything, so I know a little bit of what they're thinking, but, um - and they'll bounce ideas off of me, which is cool, and vice versa. They're open to hearing different ideas. So, we'll see. But I do have a deal with them across all three shows." On whether there is anything more she can say about Arrow, KC: "Um, I think that use your imagination because there's time travel, there is flashbacks, and there is other earths within these three shows. And I think, you know, anything can happen and that's what's so awesome about this universe cuz they've been able to tap into all three elements, which is cool. Um, so, be - you know, use your imagination and hopefully, the writers will too." (Sep. 9, 2016 video of US Weekly interview with KC, page 473 of Social Media thread)
-- On when we'll see her again on other TV shows, KC: "Other TV shows like the Flash? Legends? ... I have no idea... I don't know, because I have a contract right now. So whenever that contract, I guess, is up. I don't know. But I know you'll see me on those three - Arrow, Flash, Legends. At least." (Sep. 9, 2016 video of US Weekly interview with KC, page 473 of Social Media thread)
-- On what's next for her after her L.A. shoot, KC said that she'll be going back to Vancouver and that the four Berlanti shows film there - Arrow, Flash, Legends, Supergirl. KC: "So I'm going back there, I live there, but, I dunno, I might be filming something after." (Sep. 9, 2016 video of US Weekly interview with KC, page 473 of Social Media thread)
-- In response to question of whether KC could show up as Black Canary (a JSA member in the comics) on LoT, MG (with a laugh): "No, that conflicts with other plans we have...he said, intentionally misleading and hopefully teasing." (Scan of LoT page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 177 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On the chances that we will see Sara meeting the Black Siren in LoT, LoT EP Phil Klemmer: "Hmm. Have not considered that yet… I can’t give you the odds on that." (Aug. 19, 2016 KSITETV article, page 192 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Other Possible Returns or Debuts
-- In facebook video chat, in response to question of whether any LoT characters appear in 501, SA: "No comment".  But he did say that we get to see someone who we haven't seen in two full seasons. (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- On returning as Donna Smoak, CR: “I’ve relished every moment playing Donna since season 3 when I was lucky enough to start being a part of this show but, we have no agreement in place for me to continue further. Things can, obviously, change but as of right now, I have no plans to return for season five."(May 18, 2016 Emertainment Monthly tweet & article, page 37 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per CR, she was asked to be on several episodes in S5, but negotiations stalled, so she moved on to other projects (a movie and a documentary about shelter dogs). She added that they have re-started talks again, though. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: lemotomato post, page 1126 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Felicity's father, The Calculator, EBR: "Yeah, he should be back, and hopefully, it'll be a good time." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with EBR, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On May 8, 2016, fan tweeted: "Colton : 'I get to come back on a few episodes of Arrow next year.'"  (Justice Squad Convention in Paris, May 8. 2016: Slytherimpala tweet, page 36 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Roy Harper might return, WM: We would love to bring Colton [Haynes] back... If Colton's available and we can make everyone's schedules work, we would absolutely do it." (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Roy's possible return, WM: "We would have Colton back on the show in a heartbeat. As always on the show, we want to bring back the characters that we know and love when there’s a story that can really serve them." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see Colton Haynes’ Roy back on Arrow this season, per WM (as of August), he is not currently set to return. The key word there being currently. WM: “We would have Roy back in a heartbeat... If the right circumstances come up and the right storyline presents itself, absolutely.” (Aug. 16, 2016 TVLine article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- KL doesn't know about Nyssa coming back for S5 yet, but filming on her other show wraps in December, so she's hoping for something later in the season. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: lemotomato post, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, marriage is something that is currently on Oliver's mind despite the fact that he's currently married (to Nyssa). (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: AllThings_Arrow tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver and Nyssa will ever get a divorce, SA: "No, probably not... Cause - because. No, I think they probably won't get a divorce because they don't, like - maybe Oliver doesn't recognize, you know, the League of Assassins as a binding legal force. (laughs) I don't have a better answer." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the possibility of Tommy returning to Arrow, CD: "I think it's an awesome rumor... I love it. I think that, like, it was funny, cause I saw the article like all of you did, and I retweeted the hell out of it because... deh. Uh, I love the idea. And in fact, I'll tell you about a conversation that Andrew Kreisberg and I had - um, we had dinner - and, um, keep in mind this was long before I had another series. Uh, everybody involved with Arrow has been extremely kind to me after season 1, of bringing me back when I was available, when it fit in with the storyline. Um, and I love going back. I love it. And I would absolutely jump at the chance to have more stuff to do with Stephen or John Barrowman. Maybe we could - maybe Felicity and Tommy could meet somewhere... (Audience reaction and some unintelligible words) It's like, 'alright!' (Audience laughs)  As of right now, I'm very busy in Chicago and, uh, I love it here and I'm - (Someone in audience whoops) Yes. Chicago is not only an awesome city, but our show [Chicago Med] is incredible and I really like it. So, as of right now, they are just rumors. I will perpetuate the hell out of them... cause I love it." (Wizard World Chicago, Aug. 20, 2016: video clip from CD panel in angelica_fit tweet, page 463 of Social Media thread)
-- Per SA, CD may make an appearance in S5. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Chaser post, page 1127 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On the Huntress' possible return, WM: "It’s funny you should mention Helena. We are big fans of Helena in the room. Jessica de Gouw is amazing. We had talked about it earlier this season; it didn’t happen, not for any reason of actor availability; we realized quickly it was not the right story. But because we are answering to a lot of Season 1 storylines, we’d [like to] bring her back and see her again. We’re fans." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 6, 2016, MG posted: "As for Lady Cop, she’ll be returning next year.  (She’d be back this year, but Rutina is doing a pilot.)." (MG tumblr post, page 31 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Ben Affeck's tweet about Deathstroke in the new Batman movie and if MB's Deathstroke is now barred from Arrow, SA: "Diane Nelson sent me a very eloquent e-mail and explanation as to why they thought that the cinematic universe and the television universe should remain separate. It was, uh, befitting of someone who has risen to the head of DC Entertainment. And it made perfect sense to me. So, just because there may or may not be a Deathstroke in the DC extended universe, uh, doesn't mean, um - doesn't mean that Manu Bennett can't exist on our show. Just because Will Smith played Floyd Lawton doesn't mean that Michael Rowe won't have the opportunity again, despite the fact that he's dead." (Salt Lake City Comic Con, Sep. 3, 2016: Video of full SA/DR panel, page 472 of Social Media thread)
-- MRowe: "I think that, in the comic book, [Deadshot] is the hardest person to kill. So I would say, with confidence, that you have not seen the last of him." He then mentioned that Earth-2 Floyd also got killed. (Arc Con, Jun. 25, 2016: Video of Arc Con panels, page 428 of Social Media thread)
-- Michael Rowe was spotted in Vancouver in late July 2016.  On Aug. 3, 2016, papp tweeted that Rowe was flying into Vancouver, maybe for filming. (Outlaw Hobbies tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jul. 2, 2016, fan tweeted: "The moderator says we'll see Anarky again next season." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 2, 2016: SMummert tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per AG, she doesn't know if or when Cupid will turn up on Arrow again. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- It is believed that The Ray, from the new animated CW seed series Freedom Fighters: The Ray (debuting in 2017), will eventually cross over as a live action character into Arrow.  MP: “Without question [it will happen]... That is the way we are intending to build these things out.” (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: PinkNews article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Like with Vixen, the CW is looking to cast The Ray's voice actor as someone who can portray the character on TV. MP: "That is the intention, to build out these animated shows into the Arrowverse and to be able to introduce them in any of the four shows," though no specific plans for how or when the character will appear outside of the animated series have been announced. (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: IGN article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Oliver's son William, SA: "You know what, that's a very important storyline to me. The storyline of, uh, Oliver's son is incredibly important to me. Uh, it's one of my favorite storylines for Oliver and, uh, it is not lost and it will not be forgotten. And that's it." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Not Returning or Debuting in S5
-- Joe Manganiello has been cast to play Deathstroke in Ben Affleck’s upcoming solo Batman movie. MG told a fan on tumblr back in February that Deathstroke probably wouldn’t be seen again on Arrow anytime soon since “the character of Slade Wilson is currently tied up in another DC project." (Sep. 8, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 195 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per GB, The CW doesn't have any future plans for Constantine.  GB: "We haven't had any conversations with them about Constantine." When asked why, GB: "Constantine exists in a certain place in the DC world and universe" and he thinks "[the network is] kind of internally examining what they want to do with that character next." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: ComicBookMovie article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On a possible continuation of the Suicide Squad story that was hinted in Arrow, DR said it’s a long shot due to the film and TV series being controlled by different companies. (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Geeks of Doom article, page 176 of Starling City Times thread)
-- DR said that they couldn't do Suicide Squad on Arrow again because of the Suicide Squad movie. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per GB, there are no plans to include Batman, Batwoman or Oracle on any of The CW's superhero shows. (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: IGN article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- The rumors that producers were attempting to have Batman and Batgirl on their shows are false. AK: "That would be a neat trick if somebody could pull it off but it’s not happening." (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Vulture article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether there will be another DC superhero in the CW’s 2017 pilot bunch, per MP, there are no plans at the moment, but if a character on the current DC series “pops,” that could change. (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: Deadline article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- MP: "[A] this time, there are no real discussions about any [additional] superhero characters.” However, per MP, if a peripheral character on an existing DC TV series “pops,” you “reexamine the situation. But at this time there are no discussions", except for the just-announced animated CW seed series Freedom Fighters: The Ray, which in success a la Vixen could result in a live-action version of that yet-to-be-cast character visiting a CW show. (TCA Summer Press Tour, Aug. 11, 2016: TVLine article, page 190 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA said that Kevin Smith will be not be directing an Arrow episode this year "unless things change." (Jun. 30, 2016 SA facebook live video, page 427 of Social Media thread)
-- Kevin Smith will be directing Flash 307, and wants to write and direct Onomatopoeia on Arrow, but has not yet heard from Arrow.  (Jul. 5, 2016 Den of Geek article, page 1088 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Lexi Alexander will not be directing an episode in S5.  (Jul. 17, 2016 LA tweet, page 1094 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Edited September 11, 2016 by tv echo

[MuuMuuChainsmoker]

This thread is for archived spoilers only - Commentary on Spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread. 

[tv echo]

ADDENDUM #1 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC

S5 Promo Videos
-- S5 "Can't Be Stopped" promo video posted, featuring Oliver in civvies and GA costume, Thea, Quentin, Wild Dog in costume, Felicity, Ragman in costume, Curtis, Prometheus, Tobias Church, Diggle in military gear, and Cody Rhodes' character pushing GA up against a wall. (Sep. 16, 2016 Arrow "Can't Be Stopped" extended trailer video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- S5 "A Sneak Peek" promo video posted, featuring commentary from WM and Brian Ford Sullivan. (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread, and Sep. 28, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- S5 "Team Arrow 2.0" promo video posted, featuring the new recruits. (Sep. 26, 2016 S5 "Team Arrow 2.0" video in CW Arrow tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- S5 "Break the Rules" promo video posted, featuring GA's killing, the new team, Felicity kissing someone, Bratva, Kovar, Tobias Church, Prometheus, etc. Per SA, this trailer included shots from 7 episodes. (Sep. 28, 2016 The CW's S5 "Break the Rules" video, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and SA response to fan question on his facebook, page, page 1149 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- S5 "Big Changes" promo video posted, featuring commentary from DR. (Sep. 30, 2016 S5 "Big Changes" preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- The CW's "This Season on The CW" video posted, including b-t-s shots of SA, EBR and DR. (Sep. 30, 2016 "This Season on The CW" video, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- S5 "Golden Age Interview" promo video posted, featuring commentary from EK. (Oct. 2, 2016 S5 "Golden Age Interview" preview video, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

S5 Theme of Legacy
-- MG: “Essentially the theme that we’re dealing with this year is legacy... The idea [is] Oliver honoring Black Canary’s [Katie Cassidy] legacy after Laurel’s death last year. As the season progresses, you’ll see that there are a lot of callbacks to season 1. What we’re doing is we’re dramatizing Oliver’s desire to grow, move forward, and evolve, but this concept of legacy keeps threatening to pull him back to the early days.” (Sep. 13, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Essentially the theme that we’re dealing with this year is legacy, the idea of Oliver honoring Black Canary’s legacy after Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) death last year. It’s related to a second theme or a sub-theme, which is that of moving on. In the season premiere, Oliver’s very much frozen in amber. He is just waiting for things to get back to normal, and it takes Felicity to tell him that things are not going to get back to normal, that you need to move forward. As the season progresses, you’ll see that there are a lot of callbacks to season 1. What we’re doing is we’re dramatizing Oliver’s desire to grow, move forward, and evolve, but this concept of legacy keeps threatening to pull him back to the early days." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Legacy] is the theme of the season from all of the characters. They're all going to be assessing that in various ways. ... All of them, as you can see, have the recurring theme of both looking back and assessing legacy, and also looking forward and thinking about, 'What kind of impact have I had as a vigilante and as a human being, and what am I going to do both to kind of change that, or to make it better?'" (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "And [Oliver] was also dealing with the legacy left by his father, his goal being to try to right those wrongs that Robert Queen had committed in Starling City... What we're really trying to do is close that chapter, close that five-season story and have Oliver be reflecting from the vantage point now, having done and been the vigilante - what kind of legacy is he going to be leaving now?" (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On this season's theme of legacy, which is fitting since he is the O.G. of The CW heroes, SA: "It's really cool. What The CW has accomplished, having four shows on four nights, is something to behold. It is cool being the first one. We're not the biggest property [compared to] The Flash and Supergirl within the DC Comics canon, but our success gave [executive producers] Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kresiberg the chance to develop more. I hope we can look back at this era of DC television and be very, very proud." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Well, uh, the theme of this season is legacy, right? So, um, you're going to see a lot of different people making their mark, um, and that includes the new recruits."(Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Team 2.0 is not the theme of the season by any stretch of the imagination." (Sep. 26, 2016 SA facebook post, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Back to Basics With Crime and Corruption
-- On kinda hitting the reset button at the end of S4, WM: "I think the most exciting thing for us was that we sort of cleared the decks. Dig went off and had his own crisis. It brought us back to the core of who Oliver was at the start of the show. He was a guy out there fighting at night on his own. And when we open this season, we’re going back to that. So in a way, we’re revisiting Season 1, and we’re going back to a lot of the things that I think we were in love with when we started the show, and what the fans loved. But now we have the benefit of four years of knowledge and experience, and so does Oliver. So it’s fun to think like, there are so many things you would want to do with that character in Season 1, but now you can do that in Season 5, and still deal with those same themes, same ideas, the gritty fighting, and going back to the older version of Star City. We’re excited." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Arrow being the darkest series among The CW’s DC shows and how she would rate this season on a scale of one to ten of bleakness, WM: "It’s pretty bleak! We’re going back to bleak, I think. The fun thing is that we’ll still have these new recruits in the bunker, and they’re younger and they’ll just have a different dynamic. So we’ll get something out of there. Oliver will still crack the occasional joke for sure. But in terms of where the city is at and the stakes, we’re going bleak. We’re going dark." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "In keeping with getting back to our roots, we're gonna make Green Arrow even more badass than he already is." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how she would define "gritty and grounded" as words used to describe S5, WM: "It means several things. One of the things as a contrast to season four is that we're not doing anything with magic. We obviously have that element to play with; we've introduced it, but just like with metas, the bad guys and the villains of the week are not going to be rooted in those worlds. What it does mean is they will be rooted in the kind of criminal underworld that we really last saw in season one, and to some extent in season two as well. So when we say gritty, we mean we're going back to mobster type crime and stuff happening that's specific to Star City. The docks, drug running, maybe even touching on some human trafficking, going back to those types of criminals and those types of crimes. ... Secondary to that, and arguably even more important, is that we are going to have more actor action. Especially in season three and four, we tended to get bigger and scopier in terms of our action, and what we want to do is go back to that kind of feeling that you had in the first season when you're out with Oliver, you're out with the Hood, or on season five with Green Arrow, and you get a much greater sense of what it's like to be in his shoes. As much as possible what it feels like to get hit in the face, and be in a fight with the character. Those have been the buzz words that we've been throwing around, and the way that we've been talking about the stories in the writers room and also in terms of directing." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On S4 being a wake-up call, WM: "I think it was. Every year we look back at the previous year and are always trying to do something different. When you look at year five, it seems like an answer to season four in some ways, but also it wouldn't feel as novel, it wouldn't feel as right, in season five to be going back if we hadn't had season four. I understand it was a controversial season and I understand why, but part of our job is to take those risks and see what the limits of the show are. You really don't know until you try, and hopefully this season will take us back to what a lot of the fans liked in the first few years, but also with a difference. We're going to have new people in the bunker, there's still going to be a certain tone, a difference in tone purely because there are other people. It's not just Oliver out there fighting on his own." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
crime and corruption
-- WM: "At the same time, crime has really taken root in the city, and the mob, the Bertinellis, are empowered; the Falcones are coming back, the Bratva... Everybody is trying to get their piece of the pie and crime is a significant problem; there's corruption in the SCPD. Those are the types of crimes they're going to be facing, and that is another kind of reason that these vigilantes have spread out: there's a power vacuum and Oliver is the mayor. How is he going to fix that?" (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Arrow feels more grounded again... As much as a comic book show can be grounded." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "There's so much corruption within the SCPD. We deal with Chad Coleman's character, Tobias Church, this drug kingpin who's utilizing all the holes in the police department to stay ahead of the team." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "The most difficult stunt that I've had to do this year was, um, a stunt that was very unnerving because there were very small explosives strapped to my chest. And they are meant - in chest and [unintelligible word] - and they are meant to explode outwards. But when something explodes outwards, strapped to your body, trust me when I tell you, your initial inclination is to look down. And what you're supposed to do is the opposite - look up. So we were supposed to do this stunt and I was very nervous about it and I didn't want to let on that I was nervous. But basically I'm walking down some steps and then commotion starts, and I push someone into a car - into an open car door, not into a car. And, um - and when I did that, what we didn't realize is that it was disconnecting the cord from the thing that was going to provide the charge. So I know that I'm then supposed to turn, lift my chin just a little bit, and then these things start to go off. And the first time they didn't go off. So after about a second, I go 'STOP!' It happened three more times. And my hands by the end of it were shaking. So that was, uh - that wasn't the toughest stunt, but it was certainly the most unnerving." (Edmonton Expo, Sep. 24, 2016: Video clip of SA panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per DR, "the show is kinda getting back to kind of a ground roots, you know, street fighting type of a feel - kind of away from the magic and supernatural things that kind of were a wonderful part of the previous seasons, but, uh, I think it's kinda getting back to some of the things that make this show so great, which is, really kind of a gritty, kind of an earthy, down to earth show." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per CLC, Tobias Church takes full advantage of Star City's current chaotic state, which has been overrun with both criminals and makeshift vigilantes since Oliver's public call to arms in 423. CLC: "He brings together the whole underworld, every Mafia member, corrupt cops...everybody that's doing dirt, he brings them under his umbrella." (Pic of page 57 of TV Guide, Oct. 3-9, 2016 issue, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

S5 Flashbacks 
-- MG: "No plans for introducing Red Star just yet. This is the last year of the flashbacks. We always said it was five years’ worth of flashbacks. We’re in our fifth season. We’re trying to connect up the flashbacks thematically to the present-day story. We’re trying to introduce a more adrenaline-fueled flashback story this year. We’re dealing with, obviously, Oliver joining the Bratva, and this parallels Oliver bringing in new recruits. Just as he’s getting tested by the Bratva in the past, Oliver Queen is testing his new recruits in the present." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what she's most looking forward to, WM: "The Russian flashbacks, without a doubt. It's something we've always wanted to do. Every season we would say, 'Let's do Russia this year,' and for various reasons creatively we would take it down the road, and this is the season we're going to do it. It just feels very gritty and very dark, and seeing how Oliver got the Bratva tattoo, how he became a captain, and how he became the PTSD killer that we see in the pilot... It's exciting stuff. It's fun to close the loop on all these things that we were all there for at the kickoff." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We're going back to Russia. We're actually going to see how Oliver became a member of the Bratva and how he got that tattoo." Added Brian Ford Sullivan: "We'll pick up, uh, in the premiere where he's in Russia, and he's in a bad spot, and the Bratva comes to his aid and sort of starts to show him the ways of, you know, being part of a team, you know, and pledging his allegiance to the Bratva way of life, you know, and what that means in terms of him ultimately becoming the Hood and coming back to Star City." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "In previous years, we really didn't want to thematically sync up that much, because story-wise we weren't as invested in making the flashbacks speak to the present-day. This is a season where we're definitely going to. One of the fun things is we're going to see how he got that Bratva tattoo, how he became a Bratva captain and I think most importantly, emotionally, how he evolved to the person that we met in the pilot. We saw him in the pilot and he had PTSD, he was sleeping on the floor and was just all trauma. And this season will really be exploring, what are these horrible things that happened to him while [he was] in Russia that brought him to that place when we first met him?" (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, SA: "Man, the flashbacks kick ass this year. They really do. Uh, they feel really tied in. I know that some reviews of the early episodes say that they feel, you know, inspired and connected in a way that maybe they didn't last year and the past couple of years." (SA facebook video, page 479 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "It's interesting because the show was pitched as a five-year idea with the flashbacks, and it's very nice to have a finish line in sight for the flashbacks. That allows us to ramp up the story. I think some of the showrunners would agree that it felt like we were stuck in neutral with the flashbacks a little bit last year. It doesn't feel like that at all this year. We're really pushing fast." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On getting Dolph Lundgren for the Russia flashbacks, SA: "It's pretty amazing. Kudos to the producers for getting him. I found that out when you all found that out, I think his deal closed moments before the Television Critics Association panel [this summer]." Also SA: "Russia develops really fast, Oliver is there based on a promise that he made at the end of Season 4 to Taiana and he's doing his thing."  (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Closing a Chapter and Beyond S5: Flashbacks and Flashforwards
-- MG: "We’re canceled after season 5. No, I’m kidding. We’ve talked about a lot of different things. It’s a little early to talk about season 6 and beyond, but I think one of the things that we feel very confident about is that we’ve demonstrated the show’s capacity to do flashback stories that aren’t always tied to what we call the island narrative. I imagine that in season 6 and beyond what you’d see is, where the storytelling calls for it, we would intercut a flashback story that just wasn’t tied to Oliver’s five years away from his home. Also this year, as we’ve dome in years past, we’ve periodically broken away from what I call the island narrative to tell other flashback stories. And who knows? You may even get a flash-forward story." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "One of the things we talk about a lot is, 'Well, if we can't do this in season five, not only are these stories we could do in season six but how else are we setting up season six?' Because you have to be thinking about the end game, and when you're thinking about the end game of season five, those are the seeds of the next chapter. There is no question, everything you're saying is absolutely correct. It is going to be a reboot. Even as we're writing season five, and like I said, it is an answer to season one, it's also the closing of that chapter. When we come back for six, we're really looking down the barrel of, 'Okay, well we don't know how many more seasons we have. We hope we have a season six, we hope we have till season ten,' and you want to start planting, the same way we did in season one, those seeds for what is going to sustain the show for another season or two or three or four. ... That is a tricky endeavor, but it's also exciting because it gives you an opportunity to radically rethink the show. Not too radically, because you want it to still feel like Arrow, but we have a lot more real estate now because we won't have flashbacks in every episode. We do have the luxury of having created that structure in the past, and if we want to use it for the one of our characters or for a new character, to get into their heads or to understand their back story more deeply, we have the advantage of having that in our arsenal to use. A lot of questions are raised, and I think we'll be answering those while hopefully really setting some of that stuff up in the finale this year. It's going to be a good challenge." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "What we're really trying to do is close that chapter, close that five-season story and have Oliver be reflecting from the vantage point now, having done and been the vigilante - what kind of legacy is he going to be leaving now?" (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "One of the exciting things about season five, and it felt very right to do it in season five, now, because it's an answer to season one, is that we really are sort of closing this chapter that we kicked off with Oliver coming back from the island and returning to Starling City. This is us moving away from the universe and going back to our roots. It feels creatively right as well for the main character, for Oliver, and for us." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Generally
-- Fan tweeted: "Flashpoint does affect #Arrow. But @StephenAmell says 'A little goes a long way'" and "Because of Flashpoint: What character would you like to see return ? @StephenAmell says Moira (but he still loves Tommy)." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: fangirlishness tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Specifically (Felicity, Diggle, Oliver, Laurel)
-- MG: "[Flashpoint] will affect Arrow, it’ll affect Diggle’s character the most, and that’s all I really want to say in terms of spoiling how that happens." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle, WM: "Flashpoint will definitely have an impact on him and his family life." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Flashpoint affecting Arrow and other shows, Flash EP Aaron Helbing: "Yeah, definitely. Arrow for sure is impacted. Diggle is significantly impacted in his life personally. The beauty is, since Greg and Andrew are producers on all four shows, and we deal with [executive producers] Marc Guggenheim and Phil Klemmer and Wendy Mericle, we sit down and we talk about it an are pretty much on the same page. I think something special that you don't get to experience on a lot of other shows is how interconnected they all are. To me, as a fan of all of them, that gets me really excited. It kind of holds true to, in the comic book universe, when you're going to do something like 'Blackest Night' that affects all of these characters and all these different storylines who are in their own stories, but they begin to overlap. It's the same thing with these shows." (Oct. 3, 2016 Empire article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On what ways we might see KC appear in Arrow outside of just flashbacks, WM: "I can tell you that we're really excited about having her back. You will see in the episodes where she appears - Episode 510 definitely, our midseason premiere. Keep your eyes out for that. We're so excited about getting to work with her again and her willingness to come back. It's one of the fun parts of the show. People can leave and get killed and you can still find new and crazy ways for them to come back. I can definitely tell you that there's a way we're going to bring her back and she's going to be alive and well. And Flashpoint might have a little bit to do with that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Flashpoint Affecting Flash, LoT and Supergirl (included for potential relevance to Arrow)
-- TV Guide on The Flash 301: "When his memories and powers begin to fade, Barry must decide if he wants to continue living an idealized normal life in an alternate unverse where his parents are still alive, or return ot his own timeline as the Flash." (Pic of page 57 of TV Guide, Oct. 3-9, 2016 issue, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether Flashpoint affects the entire season, Flash EP Aaron Helbing: "No, but the impact and the various decisions are going to reverberate throughout the entire season. It's the reason that villains like Dr. Alchemy and Savitar are a part of the show. We liken it to when you have a perfect, pristine vase that you break. Even if you put it back together, there are always going to be those cracks. It's never, ever going to be exactly how it was. For example, when we meet The Rival in episode one, he'll have an impact in episode two. This guy, Edward Clariss, remembers everything that happened in 'Flashpoint.' All of the pieces that we set up in 'Flashpoint' are going to play out throughout the entire season. It's going to be something that Barry and his team are going to be grappling with and struggling against and trying to overcome." (Oct. 3, 2016 Empire article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether the Flashpoint timeline won’t last very long, Flash EP Andrew Kreisberg: "Well, it does and it doesn’t. It will be resolved, but there will be consequences that last throughout the season, and quite frankly, last throughout the series. That’s one of the things that we’re attempting to do is have the pitfalls of time travel be long-lasting and that some things can be fixed, and then some things are broken forever." (Oct. 3, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether the original timeline is still running concurrently and we’re going to see what Barry left behind, Flash EP Andrew Kreisberg: "No, when he goes back into the past and saves his mother, it rewrites the timeline." (Oct. 3, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Big 4-Shows Crossover Event (Arrow/Flash/LoT/Supergirl)
-- GB: “It is kind of over four nights. But the Supergirl portion - because she is in a whole other universe for those who keep track of that aspect of the shows - she's in a whole other universe so they have to go retrieve her. So that kind of happens. And it's also Supergirl’s’ winter finale, um, because the show is premiering a week later. So a bulk of the story in that episode is still paying off things that’s happening in the fall, and then she kind of kisses into the larger story and she’s very much an active part of all three crossovers across the three shows. We have one global threat, which Mike and I talked about a few weeks ago. It is an alien invasion, actually, uh, and it's based on - there was a - As we always do, we sort of take things that we like and we make it our own. Uh, there was a run in the late 80's called Invasion exclamation point, uh, that combined team-up and was really a crossover team-up of a lot of great DC characters and we have a lot of elements from that book in these episodes."  ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- GB: "It's like a three-hour film, for sure... We are telling this year a three-part narrative that happens over the three shows. And then you also want to make each, um, whatever you're doing sort of in that episode kind of also speak to the DNA of what that show is and what makes that show great. So there's sci-fi, fanciful stuff in something like Flash. Arrow happens to be falling during Arrow's 100th episode, and we think we've found a real - um, for us, a really exciting way to honor the history and the tradition of Arrow that still fits in with all of these shows. And it was the first, you know - it came first and it kinda helped birth all of these other shows. And Legends is kinda of its own crazy wonder and it fits in really great with the third act of an alien invasion film in that regard. But time travel's a part of that show and part of that episode." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On walking the line between giving the fans something new and paying respect to comics storylines that fans want and know, GB: "Right, uh, it's nerve-wracking, you know, because we always are - again, we're always trying to do our version of it, and sometimes we do it successfully and sometimes we don't as much. Sometimes it's an iconic moment. Sometimes it's a character. Sometimes it's a feel. Um, sometimes it is a title - that we use a title, but we still are doing our interpretation of it. And that changes. And I think, you know, we obviously have a very active and very passionate fanbase for these shows because the comic books, you know, and it's - we sort of say this all the time - they preceded us and they'll come after us, and the characters are bigger than us, and they have a special personal importance to a lot of the fans. So I think everyone - you know, you hope everybody knows that we're trying our best to keep it interesting and exciting but still a lot of times make stuff fresh and make it fit into the world that we're already kind of playing with and creating." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- GB: "Every time that we do it, and we try to be more and more ambitious. Every time we do it, when we get those finished episodes, it really feels to me like the best of what the comic books felt like. And it really feels like a mash-up, you know, and you get all - you can't believe - we have something like, I think, in one scene, like 18, 19 characters who are these characters across the universe in this one scene together and they're -  it feels, I don't know, to me, it feels exactly the way I used to feel when I read comic books as a kid." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On making each of the shows distinct, GB said that it starts with the casting of the central character, which sets the tone for the show, and the pilot episode, which has the show's DNA baked in. GB: "What would the show be if we took out the superpowers and we took out, you know - oh, Supergirl would have a storyline about adult sisters, adult siblings, you know,  in its narrative. It would have a workplace sort of comedy. Arrow has always sort of had the crime saga element and also sort of the Gothic family saga. Flash was a warm family feel and, you know, you have a boy who really lost both of his parents at a young age and, uh, being taken in by this other family... Legends is this assembly of misfits, you know, can they be - can they live up to their potential? So many times those... all of the emotion and the best parts of those episodes are always lie in those storylines. And that's how we break the storylines first. We really talk about the season. We try to talk about really the psychology of the characters and where the evolution of them, and we figure out that way." ("Remote Controlled with Debra Birnbaum" podcast in Oct. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- SA: "Ideally, the 100th episode would not be a crossover episode, it'd be a very very Arrow-centric episode. But at the same time, it is - so that's, you know, that's a moot point.  Um, I really hope that we see someone in the 100th episode that we haven't seen in awhile. That  would be my hope... Oh yeah, I have people in mind." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: RealistikkVideos video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Arrow's 100th episode being a big crossover episode, WM: "It's going to be the biggest one we've done. It's going to involve all four shows... It will be a four-part story, Supergirl obviously airing first." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Well, you know, it's interesting, our 100th episode is 508. Turns out, 508 will be chapter 2 of our three-part crossover. So the 100th episode is going to be the middle part of the crossover. Uh, and then episode 9 is our midseason finale. So we're kinda designing things to be like a hundredth - two-episode hundredth episode celebration, the bigness of our mega crossover, and the bigness of our midseason finale. So it's actually timed kinda perfectly." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel, ComicBook article and TVLine article on Arrow panel, and The Hollywood Reporter article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, "Part 2" of this year's Arrow/Flash/Legends/Supergirl crossover will be 207 of LoT (title blacked out), to be directed by Gregory Smith. (Sep. 27, 2016 MG tweet, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- MG: “It’s an external threat from outside the shows that will involve Supergirl coming over to Flash, then Arrow then Legends of Tomorrow... I don’t like to oversell. She is going to be coming over but we’re not going to do a full on Supergirl crossover episode. I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Jul. 27, 2016 slashFilm article, page 41 of Spoilers thread and page 180 of Mind Your Surroundings thread, and Jul. 28, 2016 ComicBookMovie article, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the irony of doing the four-episode crossover with Supergirl, Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow, while they're trying to get back to basics, WM: "Absolutely, but it was one that we knew we were going to be facing, and we knew it was going to be tricky to fit it into this four-part story. It is really more of a three-parter; it kicks off at the very end of Supergirl, but the main body is in Flash, our show, and Legends. At the same time, I have to say we're really excited about this crossover, which also happens to be our hundredth episode. We wanted it to feel not like something that's part of this bigger universe, even though it is and we do want to honor that part of it, because we were the first and we in many ways are responsible for this universe. But we wanted it to feel like the hundredth episode and very true to Arrow. I have to say we've come up with a way that we're really excited about." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- DCE VP, Creative Affairs, Dan Evans: "Comic book fans are going to lose their minds when they find out what the basis of the crossover is. I will say, it's based on a big thing from DC's history. It will justify the crossover. You will not feel cheated." (DC All Access video, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per The CW, the Dominators will be the Big Bad in the 4-shows crossover event. MG: "This year, for our mega 'Arrowverse' crossover, we’re taking inspiration from a DC crossover from the late 1980s known as Invasion!, which featured an alien race called the Dominators, who’d previously vexed the Legion of Superheroes... We’re using cutting edge prosthetics and computer effects to achieve a feature film-quality look which is faithful to Invasion! artist Todd McFarlane’s interpretation of the characters.” It will be the first time that any superheroes in the Arrowverse (except for Supergirl) have faced aliens. The 100th episode of Arrow, currently filming, featured a title that was blacked out except for an exclamation point on the end when MG shared it on Twitter. It seems likely -- although The CW wouldn't confirm -- that the title is in fact Invasion! (Sep. 29, 2016 ComicBook article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Arrow Writers Room tweeted "It's official!  The #Dominators are coming.  Here's a preview of what our version will look like. #Arrow #200for100" and posted hand sketch of alien creature. (Sep. 29, 2016 Arrowwriters tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Fan tweeted: "limited info from Wikipedia but highly advanced techno w/bomb that effects metahumans could mean team arrow has to save everyone." (Sep. 29, 2016 ChrisDianeL tweet, page 1150 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- In response to fan complaint that Arrow's 100th episode should be about Oliver/Arrow and not about Supergirl, MG tweeted: "It will be. Crossover not broken. Calm down." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan comment that, if 100th episode is about honoring Oliver, Arrow and all it's done, then she'll be happy, MG tweeted: "You'll be happy." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan comment that once show reaches 100th episode, EPs and network should give their best and focus on the show and not pimping another show, MG tweeted: "Not what we're doing. Thanks for the support but relax." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG tweeted: "Thanks very much for the outpouring of support for Arrow vis a vis 100th episode. Everyone is eager to support this milestone appropriately." (Jul. 28, 2016 MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread) 
-- MG tweeted: "Yes. It's both the middle chapter of the crossover and the ultimate 100th episode love letter to the show." (Sep. 23, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Arrow's 100th episode being part of the big 4-shows crossover event, EK: "I definitely think we are handling our Arrow business and still doing this crossover... I think that's a good thing, you know, um, especially for this magnitude of an episode. I know that the last few cross-overs were, the shows kind of helping set-up other shows, but there's no element of that here. Every show here is an already-established show. If you're doing a cross-over to help set-up Legends of Tomorrow then, logically, you're going to have to spend some time dealing with these new characters who are coming in, because if you don't then you're doing a disservice to that new show." MG then retweeted this EK interview with the comment: "Oh, we do..." (Sep. 30, 2016 ComicBook article and MG tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the Dominators being the Big Bad for the 4-shows crossover event, EK: "I literally, when I read those scripts, my mind was like, 'holy hell, how are we going to do all of this, are we going to all this, is this real? ... And we're doing it, and it's coming out great! [Director James Bamford] is back with us, and he's killing it as always, and I just can not wait for fans to see this crossover." (Sep. 30, 2016 ComicBook article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Arrow's 100th episode being a big crossover episode, WM said that there will no special guest stars. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan) will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: MG tweeted pic of several cast members sitting around a table, including Jamey Sheridan, with comment: "Arrow 100th Episode Table Read. No Flashpoint. No flashbacks." (Sep. 22, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) will appear in Arrow's 100th episode. (Sep. 29, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Katie Cassidy, presumably playing Laurel Lance, will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: KC posted "100 #arrow" with pic of her name with "Arrow 100" and MG tweeted: "Arrow’s 100th Episode Will Feature Katie Cassidy." (Sep. 23, 2016 KC facebook post and Sep. 23, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Deathstroke will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: SA tweeted pic of himself sitting on a park bench next to someone in the Deathstroke costume. (Sep. 26, 2016 SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread and page 1146 of Spoilers Discussion thread)
-- A mystery guest will appear on Arrow's 100th episode: SA tweeted tease of mystery guest for 100th episode and pic of himself in some glass chamber for 100th episode.  SA also tweeted pic of himself standing with DR and a mystery guest in a park. (Sep. 24, 2016 SA tweets, page 1143 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Sep. 26, 2016 SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread and page 1146 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Arrow script coordinator Jeane Wong said that, as of Sep. 2, 2016, they were in the middle of breaking and writing the various crossovers. Per JW, the crossovers are "going 
to be super fun," but they're also "super complicated" because there's a lot of people and a lot of "cross-pollination" between the shows. (WineandComics podcast interview with JW, page 473 of Social Media thread)
-- On the 4-shows crossover event, WH said that they're going to have to shoot four hours of television within the same 8 days that they normally shoot one show's episode. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, SA tweeted pic of what looked like booted feet of GA, Flash, Atom, Supergirl and White Canary. (SA tweet, page 458 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, CL posted instagram pic of herself and SA in their White Canary and Green Arrow costumes. (CL instagram post, page 458 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 8, 2016, SA said that he worked with Caity Lotz on Aug. 7, 2016. (SA facebook video, page 460 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016 (early morning), SA said that he got "pitched," i.e. told, the 100th/508 crossover episode that day, Sep. 1st. (SA facebook video, page 468 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016, SA tweeted: "Just read the 100th episode of Arrow. What an honor and a pleasure to have that opportunity." (SA tweet, page 470 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 19, 2016, MG posted Arrow 508 title page with episode name blacked out, except for ending exclamation point, and tweeted: "We're in prep. @GBerlanti @MericlesHappen @JamesBamford." (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 22, 2016, MG tweeted "Arrow 100th Episode Table Read. No Flashpoint. No flashbacks." and posted pic showing SA, EBR, EK, WH, RG, JD, Jamey Sheridan, one other guy and someone else's hand at the left edge of pic sitting around a table. (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, MG tweeted (regarding his 100th episode table read pic): "@david_ramsey I didn't get him in the shot. My bad. Sorry, David!" (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Downtown.....at night....in the rain. The perfect end to the 1rst day of the 100th episode of #Arrow. As it should be." (JBam tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, Arrow production office posted b-t-s pics from Arrow set. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, PB tweeted: "First day of shooting #Arrow100 Time flies when you're having fun and working with this fine gent! @StephenAmell." (PB tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, SA tweeted pic of Crew Call sheet from "3/10/12" with cast list that included SA, WH, CD and KC. (SA tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, SA tweeted: "Sure, the story of our 100th episode is important. But not as important as me wearing Oliver's favorite pea coat." (SA tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 26, 2016, JBam posted pic of what looks like walkway inside a park with comment: "Not a bad view first thing in the morning..... #Arrow ??th. Boom." (JBam instagram post, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 27, 2016, MG posted LoT 207 title page with episode name blacked out. (MG tweet, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Sep. 27, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself with EBR and DR in front of an ambulance with bow-and-arrow and "100" emojis. (SA tweet, page 478 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 27, 2016, Oscar Balderrama tweeted: "Hey #Arrow fans. What was that scene when Felicity brings Oliver a sandwich? Did that happen? What kind of sandwich was it?" (ojbalderrama tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 27, 2016, SA said: "We are on Day 3 of our 100th episode, which is also the first official day of the crossover, meaning that four different shows are cross-boarded and everyone is working together. So I started the morning on Arrow and this afternoon I'm going to a show that's not Arrow." (SA facebook video, page 478 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself as GA standing with Supergirl on a city building rooftop. (SA tweet, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted: "I am legitimately nervous to be shooting a scene with Victor Garber." (SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself, GG in his Flash suit, Victor Garber and Franz Drameh, with the comment: "Long day. Great day." (SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 28, 2016, EK posted pic of his trailer with "Curtis" name next to trailer with "Cisco" name. (EK tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, JBam tweeted Carlos Valdes' twitter handle with Arrow's "100" emoji.  (JBam tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, EK posted pic of himself with EBR and Carlos Valdes.  (EK instagram post, page 478 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, SA: "It's Thursday, I think. It's Crossover Day 4, something. You know, I'm posting a lot of photos and I think everyone assumes they're all from the Arrow 100th episode. They are not. But people are allowed to assume that." (SA facebook video, page 479 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, SA: "The schedule for the crossover is basically like, for the crossover, I read all of the scripts three times. And then, uh, I basically live one day at a time where they, uh, just tell me where I'm going. Cause I'm vascillating between shows. Yesterday I was on Legends and then I was on Flash, and I got to do a scene with Victor Garber. Not saying on which show. Oh, it's awesome.  VIctor Garber's... voice sounds like Christmas morning feels when you're a kid, like when you're 8 and you know for sure you got exactly what you wanted. That is what his voice sounds like to me. And you know Grant - it's nice working with Grant." (SA facebook video, page 479 of Social Media thread)
-- On Oct. 1, 2016, SA posted b-t-s video of Spartan shooting a gun and GA shooting arrows & fighting on top of a building rooftop. (SA facebook video, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA will continue shooting Arrow 508 and Flash 308 on Oct. 3-4, 2016. SA will continue shooting LoT 207 and Flash 308 on Oct. 5, 2016. SA will continue shooting LoT 207 on Oct. 6, 2016. (Sep. 30, 2016 SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Other LoT Crossovers
-- SA will guest star on LoT 201.  (Sep. 26, 2016 ComicBook article, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- LoT 201: Nate (Nick Zano), the grandson of cybernetic WWII-era supersoldier Hank Heywood, is the historian who recruits Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) after realizing that the Legends have gone missing.  Per MG, Nick is going to develop superpowers and will try to live up to his grandfather's legacy. (tv echo report on LoT article in TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- From LoT 201 synopsis: "After the defeat of the immortal villain Vandal Savage and the exposure of the corrupt Time Masters, a new threat emerges. Dr. Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), an unconventional and charming historian, is thrust into the action. After making a shocking discovery, Nate seeks out Oliver Queen (guest star Stephen Amell) for help in finding the scattered Legends. Once reunited, the Legends continue their new mission to protect the timeline from temporal aberrations – unusual changes to history that spawn potentially catastrophic consequences. Their first stop is 1942 to protect Albert Einstein from being kidnapped before the Nazis destroy New York City with a nuclear bomb. Meanwhile, Ray (Brandon Routh) notices that Sara (Caity Lotz) has a mission of her own, which leads them both to face her nemesis, Damien Darhk (guest star Neal McDonough)." (Sep. 23, 2016 CBR article, page 198 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Other Flash Crossovers
-- On whether Barry appears in Arrow 501, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "There is some cross over action among all four of the CW DC shows in the premieres, but I can't spoil it." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether KC will be on the Flash again this season, Flash EP Andrew Kreisberg: "Again, we don’t want to give too much away, but Katie will be back and it’s going to be fun and exciting — that much I can promise." (Oct. 3, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
 
Vixen Crossovers
-- Vixen S2 will premiere on Oct. 14, 2016.  A Vixen S2 sneak peek highlight reel featured guest appearancs by the Flash, Firestorm and Weather Wizard. Also, Vixen's friendship with Laurel will be explored in S2 flashbacks. (Sep. 12, 2016 CBR article, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

General Character Narratives and Shifting Relationships 
-- ComicBook.com's teaser about 501: Two major characters make very poor life choices that indicate they haven't grown nearly as much as they would like to think in recent years. (Sep. 23, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Our show, for all its [unintelligible word], is still an emotional journey of Oliver Queen and sort of this guy who went through this traumatic event and how he sort of fixed his life." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “Oliver’s most important relationship in the show is not with Felicity, it’s not with Thea, it’s not with Diggle. It’s with Star City. That is what we focus on this year, and it feels good.” (Sep. 13, 2016 Empire article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Well, we're all kinda in disarray at the end of season 4, beginning of season 5.  Diggle's on assignment, Thea's left the team, and it just boils down to Oliver and Felicity." (S5 "Big Changes" video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

New Team Arrow
-- CW Arrow tweeted "Meet Team Arrow 2.0 before the season premiere of #Arrow Wednesday, October 5 on The CW" and posted promo video featuring Artemis, Ragman, Curtis and Wild Dog, with Wild Dog saying "Robin Hood needs his band of merry men, right?" (Sep. 26, 2016 S5 "Team Arrow 2.0" video in CW Arrow tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "There are a couple of things that will really be clear in the premiere. One is that these vigilantes create as many problems as they solve, and Oliver has literally created this legacy that I don't think he ever anticipated, and one that he definitely does not want. It becomes a question of, 'Do I guide these people and help them or do it try to eliminate them?' That's the first thing. It's also where the city is at this point. When we came into the top of season four, people were leaving in droves and that's no longer happening." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the newbies, MG: "They’re really great, and it’s always fun to see this group together. We’ve got Rory Regan (Joe DiNicol), who comic book fans know him as Ragman, who’s an old Batman hero, and one of the few Jewish characters in the DC universe — super-excited about him. Wild Dog, another comic book fan-favorite, and he’s actually played by Rick Gonzalez, who was on my wife [Tara Butters’] show Reaper. Finally, we’re bringing back Evelyn Stark from episode 319, and she’s going to be Artemis. It’s a very eclectic group, because Wild Dog, as his name suggests, he’s very much a loose cannon. Rory is dark and mysterious, at least when he’s wearing the Ragman rags. And Evelyn is very young and enthusiastic, but really inexperienced." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Curtis gets along with Wild Dog and Evelyn Sharp, EK: "They are different, but they all want the same thing, and that’s a safer Star City. I think they all just want to be a part of helping that legacy that Green Arrow is out there protecting. That’s what’s going to make them bond. Even though they’re very different, they still care for each other, but they’ll also call each other out, when need be, or they’ll get digs in. One of the funniest early moments I had on the show was when Madison, Rick and I were all in a scene together, and Arrow is in the scene, but he’s taking care of something, so we’re all sitting there talking. We didn’t have any dialogue, but we were all sitting there talking, in character. And then, Rick looks at us, as Wild Dog, and he’s like, 'Y’all know we’re on a TV show, right?!' It was so in character! Madison and I were like, 'What are you talking about?! Wild Dog, chill out!' It was so fun. That type of stuff set the precedent for how much fun we’re having. We had a ton of fun last year, but it’s awesome just to kick with them like that." (Oct. 5, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan complaint that new recruits are taking away screen time from core characters of Diggle, Felicity and Thea, SA replied: "Team 2.0 is not the theme of the season by any stretch of the imagination." (Sep. 26, 2016 SA facebook post, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On who else is on Green Arrow's team, in addition to Curtis/Mr. Terrific, SA: "We have Madison McLaughlin back as Artemis, Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez [aka Wild Dog] and a mystery guest... a new character that has been [brought in]." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Teacher Oliver is not, um - Oliver's not known for his patience. Or understanding. Or an impulse to listen to others." DR: "Or intelligence - what!" SA: "What?! Well, all of those things I just said lead to unintelligent decisions. But, um, no, I like the new recruits that we have on the team. We refer to them as the recruits." DR: "Um, so he's coming back to the team. You find him  in Chechyna at the beginning of the season. He's away from the team. And, uh, he comes back to the team and he has very pointed things to say about the new recruits. So, um, that, uh - the whole new dynamic of the team affects Diggle in a very personal way." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Diggle's] going to come back, and he’s going to come back to this ragtag group of people in the bunker: 'Who are these guys?' It’ll be old Team Arrow versus new Team Arrow. It’s going to be fun." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- When Diggle returns to Star City, he won’t be a fan of Oliver’s new recruits. WM: “He’s not going to love all these little upstarts, trying to take over his role... But he’ll adjust. He’s going to find some common ground with Wild Dog, and that will help take the sting out of it.” (Sep. 14, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Picking up five months later, Felicity is pushing Oliver to recruit new members to replace Diggle and Thea, while Oliver is in denial.  WM: "The thing he's hoping for is that things will go back to normal... I think he's really saying that they're going to come back, we're going to get back to Team Green Arrow, and we're going to fight the good fight." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the challenge of trying to establish a new working dynamic with Wild Dog and Artemis under Oliver's command, WM: "Yes. Absolutely. Oliver himself is going to give them the hardest time possible. He's not 100 percent on board with the idea of the team, and when he takes them on he has a number of reasons for doing so. He's going to make sure that they know it's not fun and games. When they're out there, it's life or death. And he's correspondingly very drill sergeant-y and very hard on them, and is basically looking for ways to push their buttons and push them out if at all possible." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Fan tweeted: "i asked david about ota and he said there's some good stuff coming up & that diggle comes back to the team quickly." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: amellxwood tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how many changes will happen to all of their characters this season with all the new characters coming in, DR: "Well, uh, the theme of this season is legacy, right? So, um, you're going to see a lot of different people making their mark, um, and that includes the new recruits. They are strong-willed and, um, they will effect a change in dynamic, um, of the three core characters - Felicity, Oliver and Diggle. So, um, what they bring to the show, um, really affects the whole tone. So, um, I dunno - I think this is kind of a different - that's one side of it, where you kinda see a different type of energy to the show. I think the other part is, just what we've talked about kinda since the beginning of this season, which is, the show is kinda getting back to kind of a ground roots, you know, street fighting type of a feel - kind of away from the magic and supernatural things that kind of were a wonderful part of the previous seasons, but, uh, I think it's kinda getting back to some of the things that make this show so great, which is, really kind of a gritty, kind of an earthy, down to earth show." Added SA: "It's something I really hope we lean into and we're beginning to - we are. We're focusing a lot on, you know, the establishment of - of, uh, new characters. I was actually speaking with Greg Berlanti and, um - yesterday. He was talking about - one of the shows that he really admired as a viewer was House. And - I mean, I really like that show a lot too. And after three or four seasons, they basically brought in a new team. They kept people from the previous team and they were still integral to the story, but it really gave it an injection of new blood, because you never know when you're going to strike lightning in a bottle with a character and it's going to breathe new life into a show - which is something that is necessary when you get to Episode 99, Episode 100. So, uh, I'm excited for that."  (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "It’s pretty bleak! We’re going back to bleak, I think. The fun thing is that we’ll still have these new recruits in the bunker, and they’re younger and they’ll just have a different dynamic. So we’ll get something out of there. Oliver will still crack the occasional joke for sure. But in terms of where the city is at and the stakes, we’re going bleak. We’re going dark." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "To me, [Oliver's] very much becoming, in a way, the elder statesman of vigilantism. He’s experienced. He knows what he’s doing. We’re bringing in a bunch of recruits, and he is going to be a drill sergeant and not kind to them. He knows what they’re up against, and he knows what this world entails, and I think he’s thinking a couple things. I think he’s very cognizant of everything he said in the past, both good and bad, and he’s thinking about his future and his legacy." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity")
-- WM: "And then the question everyone's been waiting for - Olicity. Where are they? What are they doing? Uh, we left them in a really ambiguous place at the end of season 4. And I will just tell you, they are going to be in a very ambiguous place similarly to where we left them." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "She is not with Oliver. They have broken up. We’ll get some answers in Episode 505, but we’re leaving them fairly ambiguous at the start of the season. " (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- ComicBook.com teaser about 501: The state of Oliver and Felicity's relationship is stable. Their romance? That's a little more up in the air. (Sep. 23, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- From ComicBook.com's advance review of 501: "And Olicity? Well, let's just say that Diggle asks about it, and Oliver's answer is fairly telling." (Sep. 24, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501: Things are impressively friendly between Oliver & Felicity - think season 1/2 friendliness with occasional reminders of the attraction between them. Interestingly, one of these two may be reading more into this attraction than the other. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "So I dig the #Arrow premiere. Sets up a more grounded world, which I love. The push.pull between Oliver/Felicity over a new team is fun." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "Take away from #Arrow Season 5 premiere is theme: "breaking up is hard to do." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether 501 gives any indication of the possibility that Olicity will get back together, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "The premiere does not give any indication of that. But Oliver sure seems to want #Olicity back." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501, Kayti Burt tweeted: "I liked the Olicity stuff. It felt very S2-esque w/out forgetting all that has happened." (Oct. 1, 2016 kaytiburt reply in her tweet, page 1154 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and posted pic that showed Oliver's new long-sleeved Green Arrow suit. (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On why Arrow went back to full sleeves, SA tweeted: "Technical capabilities? Tactical advantages? Stealthiness? Flashpoint?" (Sep. 21, 2016 SA tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “Essentially the theme that we’re dealing with this year is legacy... The idea [is] Oliver honoring Black Canary’s [Katie Cassidy] legacy after Laurel’s death last year. As the season progresses, you’ll see that there are a lot of callbacks to season 1. What we’re doing is we’re dramatizing Oliver’s desire to grow, move forward, and evolve, but this concept of legacy keeps threatening to pull him back to the early days.” (Sep. 13, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "In season 5 we're talking a lot about what was Oliver like in season 1. As we remember from the pilot, he was a killer, he came back, he was very much suffering from what had happened the previous five years on the island, and he was really grappling with the moral dilemma of whether or not he really could be judge, jury and executioner. And he was also dealing with the legacy left by his father, his goal being to try to right those wrongs that Robert Queen had committed in Starling City... What we're really trying to do is close that chapter, close that five-season story and have Oliver be reflecting from the vantage point now, having done and been the vigilante - what kind of legacy is he going to be leaving now?" (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "In keeping with getting back to our roots, we're gonna make Green Arrow even more badass than he already is." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Oliver, like we are in the writers room in some ways, is really looking back at the past four years, trying to assess whether or not his mission has been accomplished or if it's even close to being fulfilled, and whether or not he went about it the right way. He'll be in the mayor's office and he'll be assessing and kind of looking at different ways of being a vigilante, and different ways of working with standing outside the law. For him it's a question of legacy, and that is the theme of the season from all of the characters. They're all going to be assessing that in various ways." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Laurel's death was a reminder that this is a lifestyle where people can die. And he is older now, he's a little bit wiser, and he's thinking, in the long term sorta way, is this the best way to get justice for my city?" (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver's new ruthless side affecting his relationships and the way he functions as a hero, WM: "It's complicated. As we know from Seasons 1 and 2, that is a huge decision, to go back to his old ways, to go back to his use of lethal force. Again, I think this speaks to the threat that Damien Darhk presented and ... Laurel died. What they're taking on as vigilantes is a serious business. People can die out there. And as he says in the premiere, if he's not willing to go to that place, he shouldn't be out there at all. So I think it really sets up the framework for this season. He's going to be looking back at what he's done and what he's accomplished and he's assessing that. But he's also looking forward to think about, 'What is my legacy going to be? Is it going to be the legacy of a hero, or the legacy of a murderer?'" (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver will struggle to balance his responsibilities as the mayor with what he wants to accomplish as the GA, WM: "That's really the front of the season. He actually has responsibilities and can't run away from them. In Season 2 he was the CEO of Queen Consolidated, and yet it was a job [where] he could, because his name was on the building, get away with not being the most focused CEO. But when you're the mayor, you're in the public eye. There's a lot more scrutiny. So it creates a lot of problems for us in the writers' room, which is a lot of fun to figure out how he's going to be in both places at once, and also, to play with visions of identity. I think the other thing it speaks to is the character. Oliver's really more evolved than Season 1. He's trying to be more responsible and, again, he's trying to think about his legacy and whether he's more effective as the mayor or as Green Arrow." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the direction that Oliver is heading, WM: "To me, he’s very much becoming, in a way, the elder statesman of vigilantism. He’s experienced. He knows what he’s doing. We’re bringing in a bunch of recruits, and he is going to be a drill sergeant and not kind to them. He knows what they’re up against, and he knows what this world entails, and I think he’s thinking a couple things. I think he’s very cognizant of everything he said in the past, both good and bad, and he’s thinking about his future and his legacy." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver is skewing closer to the social justice warrior Oliver Queen from the 70s era and early 80s era of comics, WM: "You mean my favorite version of “Green Arrow?” Yes! The really good stuff. The less subtle left wing agenda there. It’s funny. When we first introduced him in Season 1, he was going after one-percenters. As he’s the mayor now, he’s going to have an opportunity to fight that on two fronts, and we’re definitely interested in social justice this season." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Our show, for all its [unintelligible word], is still an emotional journey of Oliver Queen and sort of this guy who went through this traumatic event and how he sort of fixed his life. Can he do the right thing? Can he find a way through this darkness? And, um, the darkness is going to fight back in a big way this year." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Like, he's not a very good mayor. He just sort of uses it as a way to get intel that he can use as Green Arrow. But as we come to see, there's other things he can do as the Mayor that he can't do as Green Arrow." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “Why did Oliver become what he became? Because his father asked him to do something for him, in the moment right before he died. He asked Oliver to make Star City a better place than the place that he left it. Oliver’s most important relationship in the show is not with Felicity, it’s not with Thea, it’s not with Diggle. It’s with Star City. That is what we focus on this year, and it feels good. Oliver went through devastating losses in the last season, but he also made some great breakthroughs. The Oliver of season one was at one end and then the Oliver beyond season two was at the other. It was very black and white: 'I am willing to use lethal force' and, then, 'I am not.' Obviously it doesn’t just come down to that, but at the end of season four we found a shade of grey. Oliver is very much in that spot still. He says to Thea in the premiere that he has to admit Malcolm Merlyn is right: If he is not willing to do whatever is necessary, then he should not be out there at all. I think that makes a more interesting character, because it’s more dynamic. There are more colors to it.” (Sep. 13, 2016 Empire article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how the spurt of vigilantes this season and new gritty tone affect their characters, SA: "Oliver loves the grit (laughs)." DR: "Oliver loves the grit." SA: "Teacher Oliver is not, um - Oliver's not known for his patience. Or understanding. Or an impulse to listen to others." DR: "Or intelligence - what!" SA: "What?! Well, all of those things I just said lead to unintelligent decisions. But, um, no, I like the new recruits that we have on the team. We refer to them as the recruits. And, um, ironically, with everything that's going on in Star City right now, there are a lot of instances where it seems like Oliver is the optimistic one. If I see a really big change in a character for my character, it would be that. I mean, for David, it seems like - it seems like you've taken my surly position." DR: "Yeah, Diggle's a little surly this season." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver is adjusting to his role as new mayor of Star City, SA: "Oliver is a little disillusioned with being the mayor and is basically using the job to get intel to act as the Green Arrow. Felicity [Emily Bett Rickards] is in the bunker running point. Diggle [David Ramsey] is gone, Thea [Willa Holland] is gone, Laurel [Katie Cassidy] is gone. He's solo and overworked." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I'm hoping that we really lean into the idea of Oliver being Mayor and the political aspects that - that can come with that because, you know, some of the canon of Green Arrow really defines him as a liberal superhero. Now that meant something a little different in the 1940's than it does now, um, with politics in our current day... Holy shit - I'm Canadian, I can say that... But, uh, that's something that I'm hoping we get into as well. I think we will."  (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Video of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Mayor Queen. Can you be an absentee mayor? Is that possible? How is he doing double duty? And that's some of the stuff they're dealing with at the beginning of these episodes. Right? It's that he's - he's not there. He's missing, like, major meetings, you know, as a mayor and some of his obligations as mayor of Starling City."  (S5 "Big Changes" video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- GATV tweeted that someone calls Oliver "Mayor Handsome" in 501. (Sep. 25, 2016 GreenArrowTV tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Shot of Star City newspaper showed headline "Mayor Handsome Missed City Council Meeting." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501: You know how Oliver hasn’t been doing much in the way of killing over the past couple of years? Yeah, that’s over with. There’s some violence both in flashbacks and in the present-day. Not everyone is OK with this turn of events. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "We always talk about how Oliver's superpower is that he has no fear. His five years away on the island and everything that he went through took away his ability to be afraid and that was his superpower. And of course, sometimes his weakness. That's where it feels like we are this year. It's interesting because the show was pitched as a five-year idea with the flashbacks, and it's very nice to have a finish line in sight for the flashbacks. That allows us to ramp up the story. I think some of the showrunners would agree that it felt like we were stuck in neutral with the flashbacks a little bit last year. It doesn't feel like that at all this year. We're really pushing fast." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch
-- MG: "Yeah, we’ve got a really great storyline planned out for Felicity this year. The way it breaks down is in the first five episodes, we face head-on the decision that Felicity made in episode 422, which led to the destruction of Havenrock by one of Damien Darhk’s nuclear missiles. I think there were a lot of questions from fans of, like, are we going to ignore that development? The answer is we are most definitely not ignoring it. Off of that storyline, we’re positioning her to do something in the second half of the year that is really, really key, and isn’t about her relationship with Oliver — it isn’t about even necessarily her father or her mother. It’s really new territory for her, and we’ve very excited about it. I don’t want to spoil so much, especially since it happens deeper into the season, but some big things are going to happen with Felicity." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "For the first half of the season, Felicity is really going to be focused on Haven Rock and what she did in last season [dropping a nuclear bomb there to save the rest of the world]. For her it's this really painful question of, she had to make a very hard decision in a very short amount of time, and yet she's responsible ultimately, from a certain point of view, for the highest casualty count we've ever had on the show. It's her first real taste of the high price of being a vigilante, and she's going to be grappling with the very fundamental question of whether that was the right decision, and how does she make up for the fact that, in her mind anyway, she is responsible for the loss of those twenty thousand people?" (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We wanted to honor the fact that, when we blew up Havenrock in episode 421, a lot of people died. I think for Felicity, as she got fired from Palmer Tech, her life is now in the bunker on the team. She is not with Oliver. They have broken up. We’ll get some answers in Episode 505, but we’re leaving them fairly ambiguous at the start of the season. And I think for her, she’s really grappling with this new reality that she is, in some ways, from certain points of view, responsible for the deaths of 20,000 people. How is she going to come back from that? I mean, it’s very hard. I think it will give her a new understanding of the agony and the brooding that Oliver’s gone through over the past four years." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "I think for Felicity this is a watershed moment, when she made that decision. Felicity's been on the team for a while and she's always been able to distance herself from these bigger moral questions because she's not actually out in the field. But this is the first time that she's been directly responsible for the death of people. And we didn't go easy on her. We gave her the highest casualty count of anyone on the team, honestly. So for her, coming out of that, trying to figure out what that means and trying to figure out what kind of person would do that, and the complexity of the decision and how it was made, will really complicate [things] and give her what we hope is a very rich storyline this season, in terms of how she will deal with the guilt of that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Last season we went really big, as everyone knows who saw it. It was a pretty high casualty count by the end of, um, 423... And Felicity is aware that even though she did the best that she could do under those circumstances, she still made the decision to pull the trigger and drop that bomb." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "To the kind #Arrow folk hammering my replies, I get that the absence of news about Felicity's storylines this year has created this... (1/5)" and "vacuum in which people are overreacting to even the slightest bit of information (false or otherwise). This is a friendly reminder... (2/5)" and "that we have plenty of Felicity (and Dig, and Lance, etc) stories coming, the seeds for which you'll learn very quickly. There's no (3/5)" and "gamesmanship behind what we reveal or don't reveal, other than casting generally drives the cart. So please take a breath, it's only (4/5)" and "two more weeks. All will be revealed soon enough (and it only gets bigger from there). Then feel free to hate or (hopefully) love us. (5/5)." (Sep. 20, 2016 briforsul tweets, page 1139 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- In response to fan who wanted Felicity to have a real arc like other characters and not something that's brushed aside after two episodes or magically resolved, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "I hear ya.  FWIW: Dig & Felicity each start their "own" stories in 502 that are still paying dividends through 512 (breaking now)." (Sep. 21, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan concern about language saying Felicity killed the Havenrock, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "All I can say is: Episode 504." (Sep. 23, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Tiffany Vogt tweeted that Felicity "is sporting a new colorful, sexy wardrobe this season." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Tifffany Vogt tweeted that Felicity "doesn't look pregnant at all in the premiere." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether there's any Ghost Felicity in 501, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "No Ghostlicity OR Zomblicity in the premiere. My hopes aren't...DEAD, though. Get it?" (Sep. 26, 2016 ChrisHayner tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Russ Burlingame tweeted: "I'll say this: I don't think the S5 premiere is going to change anyone's opinion on Felicity as a character." and "There's a story beat where she is EXACTLY who she was for much of the last 2 years, her fans will love and haters will hate." and "(And that beat is NOT Olicity-related.)" and "I liked what they did with her but it felt largely procedural. Getting her to a place. Wasn't the thing I enjoyed most." (Sep. 23, 2016 russburlingame tweets, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Felicity's New Boyfriend
-- In 501, we meet Felicity's new boyfriend. (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501: Felicity has a new man in her life. The character is more than just a pretty face and appears elsewhere in 501. Who is he and how does he figure into the new season? The episode doesn’t give a lot of answers. The character is clearly related to law enforcement. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is someone we know yet, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "It's a surprise!" (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is a good surprise or a bad surprise for Olicity fans, Tiffany Vogt tweeted uncertain and zipped lips emojis. (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver is upset about Felicity's new boyfriend (fan also posted blurred pic of Felicity maybe looking a little pregnant?), Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "We haven't seen Oliver's reaction yet.  I imagine he is feeling a little 'green' about it." and "No idea what is up with the photo of Felicity. But she is sporting a new colorful, sexy wardrobe this season." and "That is just bad lighting. She doesn't look pregnant at all in the premiere." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is Diggle, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "Wow, that is absolutely not true. Diggle is a happily married man." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- From TVLine's Ask Ausiello: "Question: I’m curious about the mention of a boyfriend for Arrow‘s Felicity (in TVLine’s Comic-Con video). She’s supposed to be so traumatized by Havenrock that she has pretty much shut down and is focusing on work as a vigilante, but she’s also dating? Seems odd. —Morgan" and "Ausiello: Yes, Felicity is laser-focused on keeping Team Arrow alive, in some (new) form. But as such, no one can fault her for welcoming, after a “long day,” a shoulder massage at the loft from… well, you’ll see." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Felicity's new boyfriend appears to be Detective Malone (Tyler Ritter): Leaked screenshot from 501 shows Felicity with boyfriend, who looks like Tyler Ritter, in the loft. (Pic of Felicity with boyfriend in JeffreyLana tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Rumor or fact? Some people were saying that the "Barry theories" are wrong and that Felicity's boyfriend dies by Prometheus. Apparently in the scene where we see Prometheus stabbing someone with an arrow and yelling "Green Arrow is mine," he is killing the boyfriend. (Morrigan2575 post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- The S5 "Break the Rules" promo video included a shot of Felicity kissing someone in what looks like an interrogation room at the SCPD police station. Some speculated that Felicity is kissing Human Target, while others speculated that she is kissing Detective Malone. Tiffany Vogt tweeted that the shot of Felicity kissing a guy is not in 501 and she didn't know which episode it was from. (Sep. 28, 2016 S5 "Break the Rules" promo video, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and andyouloveher88 and TVWatchtower tweets, page 1148 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan saying that she would've been happier if it was Barry that Felicity was kissing in the screenshot from the S5 "Break the Rules" video, Leanne Aguilera tweeted: "Agreed. I wish it had been Barry." Then another fan then asked if she had just confirmed that Felicity's boyfriend in 501 isn't Barry.  In a standalone tweet, Leanne Aguilera tweeted: "Umm...no." with a pic of that kissing shot, so it's not clear whether Leanne was responding to the fan question or just to the kissing shot. (Sep. 28, 2016 leanneaguilera tweets, page 1149 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Felicity's new boyfriend, Laura Hurley tweeted: "Well, I'm not a fan of his hair. He doesn't wear scruff nearly as well as Oliver." And on whether Olicity fans will be upset, she tweeted: "I wasn't particularly upset. I think it was a smart move of Guggenheim and Co. to spoil that a boyfriend is in the mix." (Oct. 1, 2016 lah9891 tweets, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- About Felicity's boyfriend in 501, Laura Hurley tweeted: "I'll say this: teases of his relevance to 5x01 have been greatly exaggerated. Felicity's story is about Felicity, not romance." and "For ME, I would have been upset if I hadn't known she had a new BF. If you're ready/resigned, I think you should be okay." and "She didn't stay in Star City/in the team to moon over anyone, and I'd say 5x01 honors that."(Oct. 2, 2016 lah9891 tweets, page 1156 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Per Nerdist recap of 501, Felicity's new boyfriend is Detective Malone. (dtissagirl post, page 1161 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Tyler Ritter tweeted: "All I'm doing is keeping the city safe that's home to your favorite Mayor and gal! What else a guy gotta do?" and "This #Olicity situation sounds serious but right now my plate is full.  Just got this surveillance footage from SCPD" and " don't think Malone took it wrong (I'm close with the detective)..my guess is that he was having fun with y'all ✌?" (Oct. 1, 2016 TylerRitter tweets, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

John Diggle AKA Spartan
-- Per DR, Diggle will wear the Green Arrow suit again in a S5 episode. (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: chantalmurda instagram video in TrueMyth post, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and posted blurry pic that showed Diggle's new Spartan helmet. (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Clear pic of Diggle's new Spartan helmet, which appeared in "This Season on The CW" b-t-s video, posted. (Sep. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 45 of Spoilers thread, alwaysbett tweet, page 1151 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and "This Season on The CW" video, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- DR: “Central City will be working on an upgrade to Diggle’s helmet... That is yet to come, and we will be seeing some of that come out of Central City. As the first iteration came out of Central City, we will see an upgrade also come out. But in terms of Central City’s help with technology to help us combat the magic, that has yet to be seen.” (Sep. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "We pick up with Diggle and he’s in Russia. He’s operating in Chechnya, but as member of the Special Forces. He is searching for that moral compass that he lost at the end of season 4. Without spoiling too much of what happens to Diggle, I will say that he discovers that Chechnya is the wrong place for him to discover his moral compass. Things do not go according to plan for him, and there’s something that happens in the first three episodes that’s fairly significant in terms of Diggle. It’s the circumstances that will ultimately bring him back to Star City, but he’s not going to be the same. He’s not going to be able to live his life the way he had been living it before. Things are going to get very, very complicated for him, for reasons I don’t want to spoil, but it leads to a very Dig-and-Oliver-centric episode in 504." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We left Digg in the military; he went off to assess his own past, and the fact is that he has a child and he also has a nephew out there that at some point is going have to know the truth about the fact that he killed Andy. He basically put the bullet in his body that killed him. He's going to go to the military and try to figure out where he lost his way. He quickly comes to the idea that his answer lies in Spartan and ultimately coming back to the team." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Dig has gone back to the military, and I think he’s going to find the military did not have the answers he was looking for. He’s going to come back, and he’s going to come back to this ragtag group of people in the bunker: 'Who are these guys?' It’ll be old Team Arrow versus new Team Arrow. It’s going to be fun." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Diggle probably has the biggest change where he's decided to reenlist in the military. And we're going to spend some time with him actually out there on his own and in the military, away from his family, away from his child. But it's all about him overcoming his grief over killing Andy. It's sort of him, like there's - he deserves to be sort of on the outs, doesn't deserve happiness he should have." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- When the season picks up, Diggle is operating out of Chechnya as a member of the Special Forces. MG: “He is searching for that moral compass that he lost at the end of season 4... He discovers that Chechnya is the wrong place for him to discover his moral compass. Things do not go according to plan for him, and there’s something that happens in the first three episodes that is fairly significant and it’s the circumstances that will ultimately bring him back to Star City, but he’s not going to be the same. He’s not going to be able to live his life the way he had been living it before.” Bonus: This all leads to a very Dig and Oliver-centric episode in the fourth outing. (Sep. 30, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle at start of S5, WM: "He’s stationed in Chechnya... He’s still in the military, and he’s very much a man without a state. He’s away from his family, and he’s away from the team, so he’s away from that family. He’s trying to figure out how he can get that sense of himself back after killing his brother.” (Sep. 14, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- When Diggle returns to Star City, he won’t be a fan of Oliver’s new recruits. WM: “He’s not going to love all these little upstarts, trying to take over his role... But he’ll adjust. He’s going to find some common ground with Wild Dog, and that will help take the sting out of it.” (Sep. 14, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "And, um, ironically, with everything that's going on in Star City right now, there are a lot of instances where it seems like Oliver is the optimistic one. If I see a really big change in a character for my character, it would be that. I mean, for David, it seems like - it seems like you've taken my surly position." Added DR: "Yeah, Diggle's a little surly this season. I mean, he's still recovering from, uh, obviously, um, the events that happened with his brother and clearly the Black Canary - two tragic events that he bears the responsibility of. Um, so he's coming back to the team. You find him  in Chechyna at the beginning of the season. He's away from the team. And, uh, he comes back to the team and he has very pointed things to say about the new recruits. So, um, that, uh - the whole new dynamic of the team affects Diggle in a very personal way." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Videos of SA & DR panel, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Fan tweeted: "i asked david about ota and he said there's some good stuff coming up & that diggle comes back to the team quickly." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: amellxwood tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is Diggle, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "Wow, that is absolutely not true. Diggle is a happily married man." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "[Flashpoint] will affect Arrow, it’ll affect Diggle’s character the most, and that’s all I really want to say in terms of spoiling how that happens." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle, WM: "Flashpoint will definitely have an impact on him and his family life. In terms of where he is, we do try to tie all the characters together thematically, and Dig, like Oliver, is looking back. He's thinking about legacy. He's thinking about family. He's thinking about what he wants to leave behind. And he's also thinking about what happened with his brother last season. How is he going to reconcile the fact that he's the man who killed his brother, but he's still a good man and a family man? He wants to go forward and do something good in the world, so how is he going to reconcile those two sides of himself?" (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Flashpoint affecting Arrow and other shows, Flash EP Aaron Helbing: "Yeah, definitely. Arrow for sure is impacted. Diggle is significantly impacted in his life personally." (Oct. 3, 2016 Empire article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

John Diggle, Jr., AKA Connor Hawke
-- On Oct. 5, 2016, fan posted screenshot of photo of Diggle with young son. This screenshot was apparently taken from a Flash promo. (halljason141 tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Fan tweeted: "@david_ramsey: The story with Connor Hawke (Diggle's future son) isn't lost as we head into #Arrow season 5." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: fangirlishness tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Thea Queen AKA Speedy
-- MG: "Well, Malcolm is not in the early episodes. That’s partially by design. We wanted to give Thea a chance to establish herself independent of Malcolm. For much of season 4, even her bloodlust storyline, it all came out of either interactions with Malcolm, the consequences of decisions that Malcolm made, or actions that Malcolm took. One of our goals going into season 5 was we really want to give Thea some story that doesn’t revolve around Malcolm, or isn’t founded on the relationship she has with Malcolm. What we’ve done is we made her Oliver’s chief of staff, and perhaps to her own surprise, she’s actually really, really good at it. All the skills that she learned by watching her mother for all these years, as well as running Verdant, she’s found very transferrable to City Hall. In many ways, she’s a much better chief of staff than Oliver is a mayor. It’s been a lot of seeing Willa Holland in these West Wing-esque scenes, because she does a really, really nice job of commanding the room, projecting capability and professionalism on Thea’s part. As Thea indicates in the season premiere, this is really good for her. She’s finally happy. For maybe the first time in a very, very long time, she feels like she’s got a purpose, and she feels like she’s good at something. We’re really enjoying playing Thea, quite frankly, against type, against the way we’ve typically portrayed her as someone who, in season 1, was a big screw-up, and in season 4 who is gripped in bloodlust. This is Thea in full. She’s really come into her own. It’s fun to write, and it’s also really great to see." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Thea will also be looking back and, true to what we had set up for her in season four, she's going to be trying on this new life as just a normal person. The last time we really saw her that way was also in season one, but now she's a lot older, she's a lot wiser, and she's been through everything from the Lazarus Pit to being a vigilante to losing her mother. She's going to also be assessing, as she works with Oliver in the mayor's office, what her legacy going to look like, what is the Queen family legacy going to look like in Star City going forward, and has she accomplished anything in terms of honoring her family?" (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "At the end of Season 4, Thea was really tired of the crazy life that she was leading. The poor girl has just had a series of traumatic events happen to her over the past four years and she just wanted some normalcy: she wanted a normal life, a normal job and maybe, at one point, a normal boyfriend. What we see her doing at the top of Season 5 is attempting to find that and enjoy that. We feel she was very effective last season working on Oliver's campaign, and so this season she'll be working in the mayor's office and really being the emotional anchor, not just for Oliver, but also for Lance." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Thea will be working in the mayor’s office, and she will put the costume on for a little bit early in the season. But last year she struggled with this desire to live a normal life, and she’s going to double down this season, stay on the mayoral side of things." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan: "Thea is one who - she sort of [unintelligible word] herself. She held an arrow to Damien Darhk's daughter's neck. You know, she becomes this horrible person in her mind, so she wants something more normal so she'll become part of the mayoral storyline and sort of the life for herself that's not in costume." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "Curtis and Thea may be the MVPs though, with consideration given to Lance. They're all on fire." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- About 501: While Thea may have hung up her Speedy hood at the end of S4, she is sticking close to family. She clearly has a major role in the mayoral office, often covering for her absent brother. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 10, 2016, WH posted pic of herself wearing a hospital gown. Unclear whether this is for Arrow or real life. (WH instagram post, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 1, 2016, WH posted pic of herself wearing casual clothes but with Speedy's blackened eye makeup. (WH instagram post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and posted pic that showed Curtis' new Mr. Terrific suit. (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "Curtis and Thea may be the MVPs though, with consideration given to Lance. They're all on fire." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "Curtis raises the most interesting question, because fundamentally Curtis in season 4 was the comic relief, he’s a tech guy, and he’s the last guy you would expect to become a vigilante. That said, first of all, we are handling it in a realistic manner. He’s not going to suddenly put on a costume and become Superman, No. 1. No. 2, he is a former Olympian, and we will be leaning into his physical skills in that regard. You’ll see in the season premiere that something happens to him that makes him decide that he doesn’t want to feel powerless anymore. He wants to do his best to join this team and earn a place on this team." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis, WM: "I think it's a huge shift for him. And as hard as it is for Evelyn, it's even harder for Curtis to take on this new role. I think from Oliver's perspective, he's the least qualified to be out in the field. I would say in some ways, in Oliver's eyes, even less than Felicity. He's an athlete, but he's not a fighter. He's very effective behind a computer or in a lab, but not necessarily out in the field. So for him, it's going to be a couple things. One, he's going to be going through some physical changes. That in and of itself is going to leave him battered and bruised and beaten up. And at the same time, he's got to deal with the fallout in his relationship. He's not necessarily being the most open with his partner with what he's doing at night, and that's going to create some pretty big conflicts with them." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Curtis will become Mr. Terrific, WM: "This is the season! You're going to get very close to it by the end of the season, for sure. Our goal is really to give the origin story for Mr. Terrific this season and see him evolve from this guy who really shouldn't be out in the field at all and should be working in a tech lab, to the end, where all of these elements are going to come together and he's going to be super badass." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Curtis is "the greenest, I think, of all of them in terms of actual hand-to-hand combat." Brian Ford Sullivan: "[Curtis will] need a way to help out, maybe not as a physical fighter, but as sort of contributing to the team using his brain." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK: "I love that Curtis is such a layered, affable character... He is in a place where he can invent wonderful gadgets and help humanity, so it's been a lot of fun for me to play. This season [which premieres October 5], we're also going ot see him deal with balancing his work and home life, as well as creating lots of cool devices for Team Arrow." (Scan of Emmy Magazine article, Issue No. 8, 2016, in Sep. 14, 2016 tv echo post)
-- On whether there'll be more action scenes from him in S5, EK: "You’ll see Curtis’ geek side come out, but the action scenes will be more prevalent this season like 100%. Even in the first episode, you’ll see him get into way more action than he did at all last season." (Sep. 16, 2016 Women's Health article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis most respects Oliver, EK: "He really looks up to Oliver. He has such admiration for him. He knows that what Oliver is doing is tough. Curtis knows it’s not a walk in the park, easy job, and he realizes the sacrifices that Oliver makes. It just makes him look up to Oliver, so much. Curtis, in his own way, will try to emulate some of Oliver’s bad-assness when he’s out in the field. He just looks up to him a lot." (Oct. 5, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the growing relationship between Curtis and Felicity, EK: "Absolutely! They have always been kindred spirits, since the first day they met. Going through such a traumatic thing, like almost having the world destroyed in nuclear war is something that’s probably going to bring you close together, especially when you both had a part in saving humanity, in that sense. They definitely bonded more, over that. They’re as close as ever. I think she confides in him. They’re real friends with each other and call each other out. I think that relationship is awesome and so great. They connect on a lot of levels. Even though sometimes they don’t necessarily put it in there, Emily and I know that relationship and we’ll play up a couple of things, here and there, just to make sure people can see the quirky, weird stuff that we do together. It’s a really fun and deep relationship." (Oct. 5, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis
-- MMcL confirmed that her character, Evelyn Sharp, returns in 502.  (Sep. 30, 2016 MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Finally, we’re bringing back Evelyn Stark from episode 319, and she’s going to be Artemis... And Evelyn is very young and enthusiastic, but really inexperienced." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Um, Evelyn we saw last year - we introduced her in episode 419... She has come back and joined the team, really as a way to honor her own family and her own legacy, um, with her parents having been killed by Damien Darhk. And she's, um, the greenest of the fighters... Well, she's maybe a little bit better than Curtis, who's the greenest, I think, of all of them in terms of actual hand-to-hand combat." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Evelyn Sharp, WM: "It's going to be hard for her. One of the biggest takeaways [from her first episode in Season 4] was she was very brave, had a huge ax to grind obviously with Ruve Darhk and Damien Darhk, and was brazen enough and brave enough to go out and try to fight the fight on her own. But she had no skills. At that point, she used a gun. She did not have a lot of fighting skills, and we really lean into that in this season. She's coming back and she's going to have a huge learning curve. She has a long way to go and it's going to be fun seeing her try to take that on." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and said that he saw SA, DR, WH, EBR, EK, MMcL and RG. He reported: "Another short scene featured Madison as Artemis. She was in the middle of the chaos in the flea market. From what I saw, I think she heard or saw one or two children in distress. She approached them and then appeared to guide them to safety." (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 14, 2016, MMcL posted b-t-s pic of herself with EBR. (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 475 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 17, 2016, MMcL tweeted: "Just shot an especially kick ass scene for Arrow's 99th episode. Just. You. Wait. ??." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog
-- GATV tweeted that Wild Dog is in 501 and that "We might get some other glimpses of some other characters too." (Sep. 23 & 24, 2016 GreenArrowTV tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Wild Dog, another comic book fan-favorite, and he’s actually played by Rick Gonzalez, who was on my wife [Tara Butters’] show Reaper... It’s a very eclectic group, because Wild Dog, as his name suggests, he’s very much a loose cannon." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Rick Gonzalez has been cast as Wild Dog. He just brings a completely different energy and excitement to the role." Brian Ford Sullivan: "Wild Dog is very - as his name would suggest - very opinionated and very, sort of off the leash in what he wants to do and thinks he knows best, and he's the first one to do things even though it might not be the right decision." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Wild Dog, WM: "First of all, he's just a fun, cool character from the DC Universe who absolutely doesn't respect rules, doesn't respect boundaries, is a complete loose cannon through and through, which is a new dynamic. It's really fun to bring him into the team, especially with Oliver, who has zero tolerance for that kind of behavior. We were really lucky to be able to cast Rick Gonzalez in the role. He brings so much energy and such a different performance, a different perspective to the team, and scenes with him just really pop." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- When Diggle returns to Star City, he won’t be a fan of Oliver’s new recruits. WM: “He’s not going to love all these little upstarts, trying to take over his role... But he’ll adjust. He’s going to find some common ground with Wild Dog, and that will help take the sting out of it.” (Sep. 14, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Rory Regan AKA Ragman
-- MG: "We’ve got Rory Regan (Joe DiNicol), who comic book fans know him as Ragman, who’s an old Batman hero, and one of the few Jewish characters in the DC universe — super-excited about him... Rory is dark and mysterious, at least when he’s wearing the Ragman rags." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan: "We have a [unintelligible word] named Ragman in Rory Regan, who's going to be one of the recruits on the team. And we're going to discover he was in Havenrock and he was the lone survivor, basically because he has mystical powers - the rags that sort of allow him to do the fancy things he can do... He'll come back to Star City looking for who caused that." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Quentin Lance
-- About 501, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "Curtis and Thea may be the MVPs though, with consideration given to Lance. They're all on fire." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "I don’t want to fully spoil it. I’ll tease that one of the things that we enjoy doing with Lance is we, generally speaking, violated this last year, but we like the idea that each season, he’s got a new job. In season 1, obviously he was a detective. In season 2, he was a beat cop. In season 3 and 4, he was the police captain. Obviously at the end of season 4, we fired him. He lost his job in the police department, he is not returning to the police department, that’s why we created the Malone character. So he’s going to have a brand new job that has nothing to do with law enforcement, and I’m going to let people speculate as to what that could be." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, PB tweeted: "First day of shooting #Arrow100 Time flies when you're having fun and working with this fine gent! @StephenAmell." (PB tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Detective Malone
-- MG: "Yep. It’s fun. First of all, we’ve been very, very lucky to get some amazing actors to come play with us in season 5. We introduced the character of Malone mainly because we realized that, when we were breaking story, we were like, “You know what we don’t have, is we don’t have a Lance (Paul Blackthorne) in the police department anymore. We don’t have someone in the SCPD who our team can interact with and work cases with.” Tyler Ritter, we created his character to be a little bit like an anti-Lance. He’s obviously younger than Lance. He’s a bit more on the side of vigilantes than Lance originally was, but he’s got resources within the police department that we can utilize." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per Nerdist recap of 501, Felicity's new boyfriend is Detective Malone. (dtissagirl post, page 1161 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Felicity's new boyfriend appears to be Detective Malone (Tyler Ritter): Leaked screenshot from 501 shows Felicity with boyfriend, who looks like Tyler Ritter, in the loft. (Pic of Felicity with boyfriend in JeffreyLana tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Tyler Ritter tweeted: "All I'm doing is keeping the city safe that's home to your favorite Mayor and gal! What else a guy gotta do?" and "This #Olicity situation sounds serious but right now my plate is full.  Just got this surveillance footage from SCPD" and " don't think Malone took it wrong (I'm close with the detective)..my guess is that he was having fun with y'all ✌?" (Oct. 1, 2016 TylerRitter tweets, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Officer Benton
-- Jay Hindle will be playing Officer Benton in 501. (Sunshine post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Prometheus
-- Oliver will be facing off against a new archer adversary named Prometheus - not the DC Comics character created by Grant Morrison, but someone who fits into the theme of legacy. As for his identity, MG: “I can really only say that Oliver bears a measure of responsibility for the creation of Prometheus." (Sep. 13, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "I can really only say that Oliver bears a measure of responsibility for the creation of Prometheus." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Even though Prometheus is a known foe to Green Arrow, what we really want to do this year is have someone who is a dark mirror to Oliver." Brian Ford Sullivan: "Prometheus's origins are to things back to what Oliver did when he first came back [from] the island in season 1 and sort of the triple down effect of what Oliver was doing, um, as a killer, as a vigilante - all these dark things he did that actually produced this thing out there that is now sort of coming back to seek revenge." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Prometheus, WM: "I can tell you he's very scary, he's very determined, and he's a villain unlike any we've seen on the show before. He's less interested in killing people and killing Oliver, and much more interested in torturing Oliver and outing him. He's got Oliver's number. He has a very specific idea of who he truly is behind that mask and he's going to go after him and try to expose him to the world." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501: We meet Prometheus in 501 and we'll be finding out more about him over the next few episodes. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Prometheus, SA: "We start to unravel some of that mystery in Episode 6, but for the time being, we just know that he's a guy who's using lethal force. And he looks, conveniently, like a very evil version of my character." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)

Adrian Chase (formerly described as "James")
-- Per IMDB, Josh Segarra's character of Adrian Chase will debut in 501. (JSegarra IMDB page, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

The Vigilante
-- On Sep. 14, 2016, MG tweeted title page for 507, titled "Vigilante," with comment: "The 99th episode of ARROW begins production today. @BenSokolowski Three guesses who it's about...." (MG tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 30, 2016, MG tweeted sketch of guy wearing dark costume with white chevrons and face mask, with comment: "Thanks to George Pérez, who graciously provided this “police sketch” for Arrow’s 5th Season Premiere." George Pérez is the artist who acted as the original penciler for the Vigilante in 1983. (MG tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and Oct. 2, 2016 ComicBook article, page 1158 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Tobias Church (formerly described as "Anton Church")

-- On Tobias Church, WM: "He has a huge agenda, which we'll be seeing part of the culmination of in [Episode] 5. And I think what he speaks to is the state of the city. When we come back to Star City in the beginning of Season 5, it's suffered multiple terrorist attacks, but unlike in the beginning of Season 4 when people were leaving in droves, people have come back. They're living there now, but there's a power vacuum. Damien Darhk is gone and a bunch of criminals have risen to fill those ranks. Vigilantes have also popped up to take him down, but unfortunately, they're not as skilled as Oliver is, and they're creating more problems then they're solving and the city is in a state of crisis. Church is coming in to capitalize on that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501: We meet Tobias Church in 501, and he’s all kinds of evil-awesome. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- In 501, Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman) throws a wrench into everyone's plans when he kidnaps someone he should not have. (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "There's so much corruption within the SCPD. We deal with Chad Coleman's character, Tobias Church, this drug kingpin who's utilizing all the holes in the police department to stay ahead of the team." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- CLC: "I’m going to be playing the role of Tobias Church, the ultimate badass on Arrow premiering Oct. 5. Tobias is Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, and Suge Knight all rolled into one!" (Sep. 14, 2016 Downtown Magazine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On playing a not so nice guy on Arrow, CLC: "Well, I wouldn't characterize him as such. I call him a juicy villain... We all know that in the lexicon of film and television, most people love the bad guy... But you also play so many different notes. There are no rules to him, so I can approach a scene in so many different ways, whereas when you're the good guy, there's pretty much one or two lanes to stay in. So it makes it really exciting." (Sep. 14, 2016 Mingle Media video interview with CLC, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Tobias Church, CLC: "He reminds me of Jack as the Joker" and ""They wanted to get back to that grittiness. I bring that gritty dark street element to it" and "I bring the grittiness back to Arrow, you're gonna really love to hate this guy." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: fangirlishness and WalkrStalkrCon tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Tobias Church, CLC: "This guy is a capital badass." Per CLC, Church is "Jay Z, Suge Knight and Dr. Dre all rolled up into one," with a touch of "Jack Nicholson as the Joker." Per CLC, Church's sole goal is power and the best way to gain power to to kill a superhero. CLC: "He most pointedly has Green Arrow in his sights... This is his come-up, how he shows the world that he's th emost powerful man alive." Church takes full advantage of Star City's current chaotic state, which has been overrun with both criminals and makeshift vigilantes since Oliver's public call to arms in 423. CLC: "He brings together the whole underworld, every Mafia member, corrupt cops...everybody that's doing dirt, he brings them under his umbrella." (Pic of page 57 of TV Guide, Oct. 3-9, 2016 issue, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On playing Tobias Church, CLC: “This is the first time I could play this twisted guy. Just that twisted guy who’s just having an amzing time being bad. He’s witty. He’s dark. I’m having a ball. I’m glad to be able to add this character to the deck. You will not see Tyrese in Tobias. Also, he knows how to dress. Clavin Klein-you know that kind of stuff. He’s suave.” (Oct. 1, 2016 FanFest article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Tobias Church, CLC: "It's so funny how you led with that because I get a chance to show a kind of dark comedic side. He's very smug. He's very smug and he's crazy intelligent, and he doesn't suffer fools gladly. But it's all humor. Before he smashes you out with brass knuckles. (Laughs)."  On whether Church is trying to fill the void of Damien Darhk, CLC: "Well you know what, I have to be really honest now -- I don't know the show in and out. But I can tell you that what they wanted to do was, I'm very careful to say this, but [Tobias is] more the street element. Because he doesn't become any type of superhero, you know. He's the guy who's coming in and bringing all the underworld together. All of the mafia, corrupt cops, everybody's coming together under him to destroy Arrow. He wants it all in one family, and he's the head of it." On whether Church is new to Star City and how he's going to gain the respect of that underworld, CLC: "First time in town and determined to make his presence felt. Quickly. (Laughs)" On whether Church already has an established reputation, CLC: "Yes, absolutely. He's a bad boy with a track record. I don't know that they really reference that though. I haven't felt that they have. It's just that he comes in and he sort of wreaks havoc and everyone's like, 'Who the hell is this?' (Laughs)" On whether we'll see a face off between GA and Church early on, CLC: "There's no question about it, man. That was my first scene. I'm telling you, he's going at him. He's going at him as quickly as he can. Quick, fast and in a hurry. He's in a hurry to be the man." On what Church's beef is with GA, CLC: "Power. That's it. Power." On whether we'll see a power struggle between Church and other crime lords, CLC: "Look, I don't want to give away any of the story, but you might have some inside information with these questions. You're pretty much spot on." On Church being the opposite of his stand-up role on TWD, CLC: "Yes, that's it. You got it, that's it. From the way he dresses to the way he talks. You know, Tyreese had one funny line or so. He was a man of few words and the funniest thing he said was, 'I must be the first black man in history to break in to prison.' (Laughs) That was about it. This man [Tobias] is so sarcastic and so smug. Tobias Church is a sarcastic and smug dude that would put you in the mind of Kevin Spacey. So that's the fun part about it. You don't have to play the anger. I mean that's who he is, but for the most part, he's screwing with your intelligence." On Church being more of a mastermind than a thug, CLC: "Absolutely. Absolutely he is. He'll screw with your head before roughing you up." (Oct. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On which episode we'll first see him in, CLC: "Episode 1. 501 ['Legacy'] man, right off the bat. The boy is in the house. I'm telling you, I am not hyping it at all, it is fun. Everybody is hyped, they can't wait to see it. I'm talking about the crew. You know when the crew gets hyped, you got something good." (Oct. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Kovar
-- On getting Dolph Lundgren for the Russia flashbacks, SA: "It's pretty amazing. Kudos to the producers for getting him. I found that out when you all found that out, I think his deal closed moments before the Television Critics Association panel [this summer]." Also SA: "Russia develops really fast, Oliver is there based on a promise that he made at the end of Season 4 to Taiana and he's doing his thing."  (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Susan Williams
-- MG: "Susan Williams is actually a character we’ve been wanting to do since season 1. We’ve always wanted — and every year we talk about it, and every year, for whatever reason, we don’t get a chance to do it — there to be a reporter that would basically represent the city, but also clash with Oliver. We felt, with Oliver as mayor, this is the perfect year to finally do this, to finally introduce the dynamic of the press in Star City. Bethany Snow’s (Keri Adams) not going anywhere, but Susan very much looms very large for Oliver and his administration. She’s not a pushover, and she’s someone who Oliver’s going to have to work very, very hard to win over." (Oct. 4, 2015 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- As of Sep. 14, 2016, Carly Pope's IMDB page listed 503, 505 and 506 of Arrow in her credits. (CP's IMDB page, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Sep. 14, 2016, Carly Pope retweeted MG's 507 title page tweet. (CP retweet, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Derek Sampson
-- Cody Rhodes' character was originally named Garret Runnels, but then subsequently changed to Derek Sampson. He is a new drug dealer who is terrorizing Star City. (Original 503 episode synopsis in SpoilerTV article and Modified 503 episode synopsis in Oct. 2, 2016 ComicBook article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- S5 promo video (extended trailer) included shot of Cody Rhodes' character pushing GA up against a wall. (Sep. 16, 2016 S5 "Can't Be Stopped" extended trailer video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Cody is in the present day, actually. And he really embraced the process. This was his first major acting gig outside of sports entertainment and he was on set when he wasn't even supposed to be on set or needed on set. He actually came a couple days early and just hung by the monitors and asked stuff. He's a real pro and I hope that we get a chance to have him back, because he's a really cool addition." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Unnamed Female Speaking Role ("Tina")
-- On Sep. 16, 2016, Rapaport/Baldasare Casting announced casting call for female talent for recurring speaking role. (ClaimFame article, page 476 of Social Media thread)
-- According to Twitter to show has a casting call out for a principal recurring guest star role 'Tina' in the back half of the season with possibility of regular. People are talking about a script leak in which she is identified as a love interest.  Casting sides: "Scene 1: Rando alley. Tina fools a perp into thinking she's fragile, kicks his ass. Green Arrow observes, asks her to join the team again [the directions note this isn't the first time they met], Tina tells GA she doesn't like him, she doesn't want him as her team leader, it's super adversarial. Then he mentions some dude from her past and that the team can help her find him, and she starts to crack. 'Show me something you can find that the FBI didn't, and I'll think about joining your team,' or something like that... Scene 2: at the Arrow bunker. Tina is pounding the gym bag, Oliver arrives. She's frustrated about some Prometheus thing, he is apparently 'mr. disappearing act.' Oliver says Felicity and Curtis will find a location. She's woe-ing about her past as a Marine, and that being good enough is not enough, it's pretty much a self-actualization video script. And then Oliver tells her she's the best fighter he's ever seen, and it becomes flirty. They almost kiss, but Oliver's phone beeps with a location... Actual direction notes of this beat: 'They look at each other. Sexual tension palpable. Are we finally going to get an Oliver/Tina kiss? The tension broken by: PING! Oliver looks at his phone.'" (bijoux and dtissagirl posts, page 1137 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Sep. 20, 2016, MG tweeted: "Here's your occasional reminder that on Arrow and Legends we write FAKE SIDES because we know they're going to get leaked by casting sites." (MG tweet, page 1138 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Return of Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk
-- MG: "Well, Malcolm is not in the early episodes. That’s partially by design. We wanted to give Thea a chance to establish herself independent of Malcolm." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Malcolm's appearances in DCTV (as of Sep. 3, 2016), JB: "I only know I'm going to be in one so far in the - before Christmas, and then another after." (Fan Expo Canada, Sep. 3, 2016: Video of Nerdist interview with JB, page 1143 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Sep. 14, 2016, Matt Letscher posted pic of himself (as Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash) with Neal McDonough (as Damien Darhk), wearing Miami Vice-ish clothes, with comment: "We love it when a plan comes together." (ML instagram post, page 196 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Return of Laurel Lance
-- ComicBook.com teaser about 501: As soon as audiences hear what Laurel told Oliver, theories will start to fly about what it really means. (Sep. 23, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- In 501, we learn what Laurel whispered to Oliver before she died.  (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how soon we'll hear Laurel's last words to Oliver, WM: "We’ll get it right away, because it’s going to inform the whole season. It’s in 501." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- From Nerdist recap of 501: "We also got to see a flashback to Laurel’s final moments in the hospital and the promise she made Oliver agree to before she died: 'Please don’t let me be the last Canary.' She wanted Oliver to train a new Canary, and he actually agreed!" (Lidach, apinknightmare and dtissagirl posts, page 1161 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether we'll see KC this season, WM: "Yes, we’re really excited. Nobody ever really dies on 'Arrow.' She’s going to be kind of across the shows, and we’ll see her in the premiere, and we’ll see her later in the season as well." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether they ever look back on the decision to kill Laurel and sort of adamantly, publicly say "She’s dead?" and wonder about it, WM: "I think we looked back at that decision and felt creatively it was the right thing to do. I think that was a really good broad example of how we don’t follow the comic books all the time. Comic books are great and they’re our inspiration, but they're limited. Literally, the writing is in a bubble, it’s contained, and we have to deal with flesh and blood through characters. This is one of those areas where we chose to depart. Some people loved it, some people didn’t. But we love Katie, and we’re glad to have her back on the show." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Laurel's death was a reminder that this is a lifestyle where people can die." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, KC posted "100 #arrow" with pic of her name with "Arrow 100." (KC facebook post, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, MG tweeted: "Arrow’s 100th Episode Will Feature Katie Cassidy." and "Yes. It's both the middle chapter of the crossover and the ultimate 100th episode love letter to the show." (MG tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 1, 2016, KC posted that she'll be back in Vancouver on Oct. 6. (KC instagram post, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On what ways we might see KC appear in Arrow outside of just flashbacks, WM: "I can tell you that we're really excited about having her back. You will see in the episodes where she appears - Episode 510 definitely, our midseason premiere. Keep your eyes out for that. We're so excited about getting to work with her again and her willingness to come back. It's one of the fun parts of the show. People can leave and get killed and you can still find new and crazy ways for them to come back. I can definitely tell you that there's a way we're going to bring her back and she's going to be alive and well. And Flashpoint might have a little bit to do with that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether KC will be on the Flash again this season, Flash EP Andrew Kreisberg: "Again, we don’t want to give too much away, but Katie will be back and it’s going to be fun and exciting — that much I can promise." (Oct. 3, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 201 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Other Possible Returns or Debuts
-- 501 screencap pics posted, including pic of what looks like Anarky. (SuperHeroHype forum post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and allineedisoneee and Olicityibelieve tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "It’s funny, I saw this stuff online, like, 'Roy Harper’s back on Arrow this year.' I was like, 'Really? I don’t remember reading that script.' The answer is, as always, we love Colton and we love having Colton on the show. Assuming we have the right combination of story and Colton’s schedule availability, he’ll absolutely return." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 501 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 1: Legacy
-- Production code: 501.  Shoot Dates: Jul. 5-15, 2016.  Director: James Bamford.  Story: Greg Berlanti.  Writers: Marc Guggenheim & Wendy Mericle.  Airdate: Oct. 5, 2016. (MG tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- 501 synopsis: "NEW BEGINNINGS — After Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) death and the departures of both Diggle (David Ramsey) and Thea (Willa Holland) from Team Arrow, Oliver (Stephen Amell) takes to the streets solo to protect Star City’s citizens as the Green Arrow. With Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) guiding him from the bunker, Oliver is forced to deal with a city that has become overrun with both criminals and a slew of new (and painfully inexperienced) vigilantes. Watching Oliver try to balance his jobs as both the mayor and also the protector of Star City, Felicity suggests he form a new team, but Oliver resists. However, when a deadly new criminal, Tobias Church (guest star Chad L. Coleman), enters the picture, Oliver realizes the best thing for the city might be a new team of superheroes. Meanwhile, the flashbacks take us to Russia where Oliver faces off against the Bratva. James Bamford directed the episode with story by Greg Berlanti and teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Wendy Mericle (#501).  Original airdate 10/5/2016." (Sep. 15, 2016 SpoilerTV article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- 501 promotional pics posted, featuring Oliver, Thea, Prometheus, Tobias Church (Chad Coleman), Anatoly Knyazev (David Nykl) and Viktor (Mike Dopud). ( Aug. 30, 2016 SpoilerTV article in SpoilerTV tweet and TVLine article, page 43 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 30, 2016 CBR article linked in tv echo post, page 1128 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 501 screencap pics posted, including pic of what looks like Anarky. (SuperHeroHype forum post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and allineedisoneee and Olicityibelieve tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- 501 promo video (20-second teaser) posted, showing BC statue dedication ceremony, Tobias Church, military Diggle, Curtis attempting the salmon ladder, and Mayor Oliver Queen being kidnapped. (S5 promo trailer video and whdh.com article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- 501 Philippines promo video posted. (501 Philippines (via SAT) promo video, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Seat42F's 501 dialogue teases posted. (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SpoilerTV's 501 advance preview and dialogue teases posted. (Sep. 30, 2016 SpoilerTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- ComicBook's 501 plot teasers: (1) The state of Oliver and Felicity's relationship is stable. Their romance? That's a little more up in the air. (2)  As soon as audiences hear what Laurel told Oliver, theories will start to fly about what it really means. (3) Two major characters make very poor life choices that indicate they haven't grown nearly as much as they would like to think in recent years. (4) The pacing starts out slow, then builds throughout the episode and the last 10-15 minutes don't let up. (5) Thea steals the show. Willa Holland is incredibly good here, and gets a few of the best lines in the episode. (Sep. 23, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- ComicBook's 501 advance review posted. (Sep. 24, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- From ComicBook's 501 advance review: "And Olicity? Well, let's just say that Diggle asks about it, and Oliver's answer is fairly telling." (Sep. 24, 2016 ComicBook article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We're doing a regular four-month time jump, or I guess it's five... We're going to pick up right there and uh, you know, four months after Damien Darhk's been killed and the city is not in a great state. Star City is getting better under - Oliver will be the Mayor. He'll still be the Mayor when we open in 501. And he'll be kinda fighting on two fronts, so he'll do kinda the criminal element in town - the mob. We haven't really explored the mafia on the show before, and we've done a little with Helena Bertinelli in season 1. They're going to be a huge element when we come into this season. And also he's going to be bringing in a lot of new vigilantes who've been inspired by the Green Arrow that have been popping up all over the city, both helping and not helping." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "When we come back in Season 5, [Star City's] overrun with crime." Per WM, Star City is a soft target for gang activity and corruption. (Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "When we come into the season at the top of 501, there'll be a new kind of element of crime in the city, which we [unintelligible words] character.  There will also be a lot of, uh - we really wanted to explore the mafia and have the criminal underworld that we've hinted at various times throughout the years, but this year we really want to get into that... And that will also take us into Bratva and also tie into the flashbacks, and we'll see some more [unintelligible words]."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan: "We'll pick up, uh, in the premiere where he's in Russia, and he's in a bad spot, and the Bratva comes to his aid and sort of starts to show him the ways of, you know, being part of a team, you know, and pledging his allegiance to the Bratva way of life, you know, and what that means in terms of him ultimately becoming the Hood and coming back to Star City." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On JBamford as director of first two episodes, WM: "James has been on the show from the beginning. He is absolutely committed. Loves the show, loves the characters, and I think having seen it in Season One and seeing the growth and our attempts to expand and grow and seeing what else we can do action-wise on the show, he has now arrived at a very specific vision that hearkens back to Season One but also honors where we are in terms of [the show’s] evolution. He gets it. I think it’s his passion for the show and his passion for constantly pushing the envelope that is going to make Season Five really exciting." (Aug. 12, 2016 GreenArrowTV article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the most brutal fight scene in network TV history and it being a one-shot, WM: "I can say it looks amazing... We’re now part of this [TV] universe where you have Game of Thrones and the way that they deal with violence and how they do their fights, so it’s our attempt to do something similar. It’s bloody. You’re in it. We’re doing a lot more ‘first person’ – not necessarily point of view – action. Stephen has been a huge proponent of doing that, and it’s going to feel real and in your face.” (Aug. 12, 2016 TVLine article, apge 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA said that he read 501 "yesterday" and talked to James Bamford.  They're doing something they've never done before, called a "cross board".  He said that 501 "has the opportunity for us to quite literally have the most vicious, violent one-r shot, which is where there is no cut, in the history of network television. I insisted that it's gonna be me, no stunt double. He says, 'fine, but you got to do it shirtless'."  SA said that he's been enjoying the "most extended physical break" he's had since Feb. 2012, but that one-r shot is 21 days from now.  He's lost around 20 lbs. of muscle because that's not the natural state of his body.  But he's got 21 days to get back in shape in order to shoot that scene. SA said that if 501's any indication, Arrow's going to be "f*cking mean" this season and "that's really exciting." (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- In facebook video chat, SA said that Oliver has a big fight scene in the first two episodes. (Jul. 6, 2016 SA facebook video, page 431 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "And the first two episodes really do a good job of bringing us back to that [i.e., re-grounding the show and re-focusing on the battle to save Star City] and re-focusing us on what the core mission of the show should be.  So that to me is very exciting. Plus... Russia." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 2, 2016: Video of SA & Cody Rhodes panel, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Bamford's stunt scene, SA: "I can't tell you anything about the stunt scene. What I can say is, I think it's incredibly important for any show at any point in time - not necessarily to reinvent itself, but reinvigorate itself. And that typically tends to be, you find someone that from a creative perspective, really breathes new life into the show. And that to me is James Bamford. He's directing our first two episodes. And to me, if this show's going to keep going past season 5 and have a - you know, have a second leg, so to speak, um, it will be large part because of him." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “Bam – we call him Bam Bam – gets it and gets the theme of the show, and it feels like it’s a street-level crime-fighting show and it’s about saving Star City and cleaning it up, um, which is what the show is ... I think the best version of the show is when we focus on that. And that feels like what we're doing this year.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Entertainment Weekly interview with Arrow cast in EW article linked in EW tweet, page 453 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "I've talked with Greg Berlanti a lot and he said that some of his favorite shows, you know, had a - not a renaissance necessarily, but really hit their stride in season 4, season 5, season 6. And it's typically because someone has breathed new life into the show. And I really believe that that person is James Bamford. He's directing our first two episodes and he gets it. He gets the show. The action is mean. We are shooting some awesome sh*t right now - like just some real oners that have to be mean, and they are real mean, like bare knuckle action, and I think that's what we do well." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: ComicsOnline video of press roundtable interviews with SA, DR and PB, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "[Oliver] says to Thea in the pilot, he has to admit that Malcolm was right, that if he's not willing to do whatever is necessary, then he shouldn't even be out there at all. And as a result, we have a shot in the pilot where I kill three people in one shot... It's like, it is what it is. 'Are you in my way? Are you threatening my life? You gots to go.' ... That's a more interesting character because there's more dynamic. There are more colors to it." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On being asked for two truths and one lie for S5, SA: "Oliver kills half a dozen people in the pilot episode of the season. Um, Oliver and F - ... dammit... Um, Flashpoint affects Diggle. And, um, Moira's alive." (Nerd HQ, Jul. 24, 2016: Video of SA's second Nerd HQ conversation, page 453 of Social Media thread)
--- SA: "When I reading, uh, Episode 501, this year, uh, Oliver shoots an arrow and it's a trick arrow and in the stage direction, it said 'The Green Arrow fires an arrow because the Green Arrow is going to [expletive] use more arrows this year.'" (Edmonton Expo, Sep. 24, 2016: Video clip of SA panel in Edmonton Expo facebook post, page 44 of Spoilers thread, and Video clip of SA panel, page 478 of Social Media thread)
-- MG: "In the first five episodes, we face head-on the decision that Felicity made [that led to the destruction of Havenrock]." (Sep. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "So I dig the #Arrow premiere. Sets up a more grounded world, which I love. The push.pull between Oliver/Felicity over a new team is fun." and "Curtis and Thea may be the MVPs though, with consideration given to Lance. They're all on fire." (Sep. 23, 2016 chrishayner tweets, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "No Ghostlicity OR Zomblicity in the premiere. My hopes aren't...DEAD, though. Get it?" (Sep. 26, 2016 ChrisHayner tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- DocBrownTV (on 501): "You know how Oliver hasn’t been doing much in the way of killing over the past couple of years? Yeah, that’s over with. There’s some violence both in flashbacks and in the present-day. Not everyone is OK with this turn of events." (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- DocBrownTV posted: "Things are impressively friendly between Oliver & Felicity - think season 1/2 friendliness with occasional reminders of the attraction between them. Interestingly, one of these two may be reading more into this attraction than the other." (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- GATV tweeted (on how good 501 is on a scale of Organic to Season 2): "till watching but so far my answer is "Season 1". (Sep. 23, 2016 GreenArrowTV tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- GATV tweeted: "Much stronger narrative and parallels with the flashbacks in the #Arrow premiere. I already see multiple character journeys building." and "Where Season 4 seemed to be about losing all you hold dear, Season 5, I think, might be about the journey to get everything back. #Arrow" and "Last tweet about the #Arrow premiere tonight: @JamesBamford's eye for action brought a good script to life. Curious to see what's next." (Sep. 24, 2016 GreenArrowTV tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- GATV tweeted that Wild Dog is in this episode and that "We might get some other glimpses of some other characters too." (Sep. 23 & 24, 2016 GreenArrowTV tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- GATV tweeted that someone calls Oliver "Mayor Handsome." (Sep. 25, 2016 GreenArrowTV tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel posted: "He [Marc Guggenheim] did warn me there will be a moment in the premiere that will be very difficult for the Olicity fandom to take. Marc specifically said he wanted me to prepare you guys. Marc reiterated he hopes people are willing to take the good with the bad with them [the writers]." (SDCC, Jul. 24, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of second conversation with MG, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- Kayti Burt tweeted: "#Arrow has been breaking my heart for a few seasons now, but the season five premiere gives me (cautious) hope." and "I got a chance to watch the premiere. It really feels like a return to form. :)))" and "I really liked a lot of the set-up here." and "I liked the Olicity stuff. It felt very S2-esque w/out forgetting all that has happened." And on whether not watching Flash will affect our understanding of 501, she tweeted: "Not so far. I imagine it might when we get to the crossovers, but whatever. I'm sure you'll be fine." (Oct. 1, 2016 kaytiburt tweet & replies, page 1154 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Laura Hurley tweeted: "For me, the #Arrow S5 premiere delivered on getting back to some of the show's basics. Enjoyed the flashbacks, overall focus, and A+ action." (Oct. 1, 2016 lah9891 tweet, page 1154 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Laura Hurley tweeted: "I'm more encouraged than I was, but 5x01 is mostly setup for 5x02 - 5x023. I'd wait for progress/payoff before freaking out." (Oct. 2, 2016 lah9891 tweet, page 1156 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Leanne Aguilera tweeted: "#Arrow thoughts: the stunts are insane this season! For once, I actually enjoyed the flashbacks. And the 2nd to last scene made me FURIOUS!" (Sep. 28, 2016 leanneaguilera tweet, page 1149 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Matt Mitovich tweeted: ""Mayor Handsome" LOL #ArrowS5" and "Apologies fellow commuters for letting out an audible cheer during that stunt sequence. #ArrowSeason5." (Sep. 23, 2016 MattMitovich tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Matt Mitovich tweeted: "Bratva >>>>> Taiana  Also, I did not predict the ... reveal in the loft." (Sep. 25, 2016 MattMitovich tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread and page 1144 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Russ Burlingame tweeted: "There's a very specific group of #Arrow fans who will be very happy with the season premiere. And a couple of things likely to be divisive." (Sep. 22, 2016 russburlingame tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Russ Burlingame tweeted: "I'll say this: I don't think the S5 premiere is going to change anyone's opinion on Felicity as a character." and " There's a story beat where she is EXACTLY who she was for much of the last 2 years, her fans will love and haters will hate." and "(And that beat is NOT Olicity-related.)" and "I liked what they did with her but it felt largely procedural. Getting her to a place. Wasn't the thing I enjoyed most." (Sep. 23, 2016 russburlingame tweets, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "There is some cross over action among all four of the CW DC shows in the premieres, but I can't spoil it." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "Take away from #Arrow Season 5 premiere is theme: "breaking up is hard to do."(Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Tiffany Vogt tweeted (on Olicity reconciliation): "The premiere does not give any indication of that. But Oliver sure seems to want #Olicity back." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Vlada Gelman tweeted: "There is definitely a viciousness in the #Arrow season 5 premiere that hasn't been felt in a while. Lots of big fight sequences." (Sep.22, 2016 VladaGelman tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Vlada Gelman tweeted: "I thought the stuff in Star City was even meaner than the flashbacks! PS - Me neither." (Sep. 25, 2016 VladaGelman tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Um, I think that of all of the things that I remember from those first two episodes, uh, Oliver's relationship with Lance - where Lance is, in terms of the type of place and the state of mind that he's in, and their dynamic, um - it's probably the thing that I'm most looking forward to in terms of doing the scenes. And I think that, you know, obviously with the events that happened towards the end of the fourth season, there has been a sizeable shift forever in terms of the dynamic between Oliver and Quentin, and a lot of that actually came from him calling him Quentin for the first time.  And that's something that we continue to explore. But Lance does not get reinstated... Sorry." (HVFF-NY, Jul. 3, 2016: Video of part 1 of SA panel, page 431 of Social Media thread)
-- When the season picks up, Diggle is operating out of Chechnya as a member of the Special Forces. MG: “He is searching for that moral compass that he lost at the end of season 4... He discovers that Chechnya is the wrong place for him to discover his moral compass. Things do not go according to plan for him, and there’s something that happens in the first three episodes that is fairly significant and it’s the circumstances that will ultimately bring him back to Star City, but he’s not going to be the same. He’s not going to be able to live his life the way he had been living it before.” Bonus: This all leads to a very Dig and Oliver-centric episode in the fourth outing. (Sep. 30, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- About 501: While Thea may have hung up her Speedy hood at the end of S4, she is sticking close to family. She clearly has a major role in the mayoral office, often covering for her absent brother. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis becoming Mr. Terrific, WM: "I can tell you it's going to be an evolution over the season. And - but you'll definitely be seeing him in action the first night, and he's gonna be... I mean, he's badass, he's awesome." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK: "You’ll see Curtis’ geek side come out, but the action scenes will be more prevalent this season like 100%. Even in the first episode, you’ll see him get into way more action than he did at all last season." (Sep. 16, 2016 Women's Health article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the status of Olicity, WM: "it’s still a partnership." Per WM, Oliver & Felicity will pick up on the same “ambiguous” note they left off on in the S4 finale. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: TVLine article on Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "We have a scene in the first episode which I really, really enjoyed because Emily has an opinion and I have an opinion and - or, Felicity has an opinion and Oliver has an opinion - and we really go at it in terms of like disagreeing and - loved the scene. We like high-fived afterwards."  EBR: "We were sorta working it - 'wow, that really turned into something completely different than what we had read."  SA: "Yep. True story." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Felicity: "You have been waiting for things to go back to the way things were. They're not."  Oliver: "Felicity thinks that it's time we put together a new team." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Felicity wants a new team and Oliver wants the old team back together... That's sort of the crux of their point/counterpoint in the early part of the year."  In the short term, Felicity is definitely going to win that battle as she and Oliver are going to have a new squad to prepare for taking their vigilante justice to the streets. That doesn't mean the task will come easy, though. EBR: "The problem is new recruits need training. They are green. They are so green... It definitely complicates things, 'cause everything we had before was such a smooth-sailing machine." (Aug. 9, 2016 Zap2it article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- In 501, we meet Felicity's new boyfriend. (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On rumor that Felicity's getting a new boyfriend ths season, EBR: "It is a true rumor. She steps on him pretty hot off the bat. You'll meet him pretty quickly." On how Oliver will react, SA (joking): "I think he'll be fine. I think he'll be fine. He'll hug a pillow pretty much like I'm hugging a pillow right now, but he'll do it in private... Or the opposite of that... We meet him in episode 1, he dies in Act 4."  EBR (joking): "Tragic... And Felicity cries and Oliver's there to cover the tears."  SA (joking): "'I don't know what happened! He got shot with an arrow in the head? Don't look at me!'" Other cast members were laughing during this exchange. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of TVLine interview with Arrow cast and TVLine article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's new boyfriend, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: " It's a surprise!" On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is a good surprise or a bad surprise for Olicity fans, Tiffany Vogt tweeted uncertain and zipped lips emojis. On whether Oliver is upset about Felicity's new boyfriend, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "We haven't seen Oliver's reaction yet.  I imagine he is feeling a little 'green' about it."  (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On blurred screenshot of Felicity from 501 giving rise to pregnancy speculation, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "No idea what is up with the photo of Felicity. But she is sporting a new colorful, sexy wardrobe this season." and "That is just bad lighting. She doesn't look pregnant at all in the premiere." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity's new boyfriend is Diggle, Tiffany Vogt tweeted: "Wow, that is absolutely not true. Diggle is a happily married man." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVWatchtower tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Ask Ausiello: "Question: I’m curious about the mention of a boyfriend for Arrow‘s Felicity (in TVLine’s Comic-Con video). She’s supposed to be so traumatized by Havenrock that she has pretty much shut down and is focusing on work as a vigilante, but she’s also dating? Seems odd. —Morgan" and "Ausiello: Yes, Felicity is laser-focused on keeping Team Arrow alive, in some (new) form. But as such, no one can fault her for welcoming, after a 'long day,' a shoulder massage at the loft from… well, you’ll see." (Sep. 26, 2016 TVLine article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Felicity's new boyfriend appears to be Detective Malone (Tyler Ritter): 501 screenshot shows Felicity sitting on a sofa in the loft getting a shoulder massage from someone who looks like Tyler Ritter. (501 screenshot in JeffreyLana tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- DocBrownTV posted: "About 501: Felicity has a new man in her life. The character is more than just a pretty face and appears elsewhere in 501. Who is he and how does he figure into the new season? The episode doesn’t give a lot of answers. The character is clearly related to law enforcement." (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On Felicity's new boyfriend, Laura Hurley tweeted: "Well, I'm not a fan of his hair. He doesn't wear scruff nearly as well as Oliver." And on whether Olicity fans will be upset, she tweeted: "I wasn't particularly upset. I think it was a smart move of Guggenheim and Co. to spoil that a boyfriend is in the mix."  Laura Hurley also tweeted: "I'll say this: teases of his relevance to 5x01 have been greatly exaggerated. Felicity's story is about Felicity, not romance." and "For ME, I would have been upset if I hadn't known she had a new BF. If you're ready/resigned, I think you should be okay." and "She didn't stay in Star City/in the team to moon over anyone, and I'd say 5x01 honors that."(Oct. 1-2, 2016 lah9891 tweets, page 1155-1156 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Rumor or fact? Some people were saying that the "Barry theories" are wrong and that Felicity's boyfriend dies by Prometheus. Apparently in the scene where we see Prometheus stabbing someone with an arrow and yelling "Green Arrow is mine," he is killing the boyfriend. (Morrigan2575 post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Prometheus will debut in 501. We'll be finding out more about him over the next few episodes. (Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and Aug. 23, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman) will debut in 501. He’s all kinds of "evil-awesome." (Jun. 21, 2016 IGN article, page 38 of Spoilers thread and page 1070 of Spoiler Discussion thread, Aug. 15, 2016 Blastr article, page 42 of Spoilers thread, and Oct. 2, 2016 docbrowntv article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On which episode we'll first see him in, CLC: "Episode 1. 501 ['Legacy'] man, right off the bat. The boy is in the house. I'm telling you, I am not hyping it at all, it is fun. Everybody is hyped, they can't wait to see it. I'm talking about the crew. You know when the crew gets hyped, you got something good." (Oct. 4, 2016 BuddyTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- In the season premiere, Tobias Church throws a wrench into everyone's plans when he kidnaps someone he should not have. (Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez) will debut in 501. (Jun. 15, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per IMDB, Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) will debut in 501. (JSegarra IMDB page, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Lt. Conahan (Ryan S. Williams) will debut in 501. (RSW IMDB page, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- Officer Benton (Jay Hindle) will debut in 501. (Sunshine post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether any LoT characters appear in 501, SA: "No comment".  But he did say that we get to see someone who we haven't seen in two full seasons. (Jun. 22, 2016 SA facebook video, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- KC will return in 501. We will find out what Laurel whispered to Oliver before she died and what Oliver promised Laurel on her deathbed. From SDCC highlight reel, Laurel: "I need you to promise me something. Your instinct has always been to go it alone. Ollie, you can't." SA: "it's something that's going to have a lasting impact not just in, uh - not just in our season premiere, but over the next couple of seasons of the show... assuming we get renewed. But it's very important, and it's going to be critical to whatever the legacy of our show is." On whether this promise was something for Oliver to do or not do, WM: “It is both actually, and you’ll find out what it was in [the Oct. 5 premiere]," adding that the reveal will “inform a lot of Season 5.” (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread; Video of Arrow panel and Comicbook, Hollywood Reporter and TVLine articles, page 40 of Spoilers thread; Scan of Arrow page from July 19, 2016 TV Guide Comic-Con Special issue, page 40 of Spoilers thread; Nerd HQ, Jul. 24, 2016: Video of SA's second Nerd HQ conversation, page 453 of Social Media thread;  Aug. 16, 2016 TVLine article, page 42 of Spoilers thread; and Sep. 26, 2016 Seat42F article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how soon we'll hear Laurel's last words to Oliver, WM: "We’ll get it right away, because it’s going to inform the whole season. It’s in 501." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see KC this season, WM: "Yes, we’re really excited. Nobody ever really dies on 'Arrow.' She’s going to be kind of across the shows, and we’ll see her in the premiere, and we’ll see her later in the season as well." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- In 501, we see Star City newspaper with headline: "Mayor Handsome Missed City Council Meeting." (Sep. 19, 2016 S5 "A Sneak Peek" video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jun. 22, 2016, SA tweeted: "You have 21 days to get as ripped as you've ever been for the most vicious 'oner' in the history of network tv. No stunt double."  (SA tweet, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jun. 22, 2016, SA tweeted: "Excited to debut my suddenly salt & pepper hair in the season premiere." (SA tweet, page 38 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 5, 2016, JBam posted pic of motorcycle in darkened room of Arrow Bunker.  (JBam instagram pic, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 6, 2016, SA posted b-t-s pic of himself in shirtsleeves in the Arrow Bunker. (SA tweet, page 431 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 6, 2016, EK posted a pic of himself with EBR and WH in the Arrow Bunker. (echokells instagram post, page 432 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 6, 2016, Rick Gonzalez was in the Arrow production offices. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 7, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Wrapped day 2......and.....wow. These thespians are just bringing all sorts of real to the table. I'm pretty sure I shed a few tears today." (JBam tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 8, 2016, Arrow was filming in studio. (WhatsFilming tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 9, 2016, EK tweeted: "Yo, I had a blast working a Fraturday with @officialrickg and @MadisonMcLaugh. It's going down! #ArrowSeason5." (echok tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thrad)
-- On Jul. 11, 2016, GB tweeted: "Wondering today which of the shows will be the first to cleverly use a Pokemon Go reference in a script" SA replied: "We ad-libbed one in this morning." (SA tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 11, 2016, JBam tweeted: "@coreyrobson and I have some surprises for ya'll in season 5 of #Arrow.....you're going to have to wait until October to see them though." (JBam tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 11, 2016, JBam tweeted: "OMG.....tomorrow. Tomorrow is a behemoth." (JBam tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 12, 2016, SA tweeted "Here's your S5 poster" and posted pic of shirtless, buff and bloody Oliver wearing a flashback wig standing in some kind of fight club setting.  (SA tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 12, 2016, Tyler Ritter was in the Arrow production offices. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 13, 2016, fan posted b-t-s pics of Oliver in casual wear, a Star City police car, and Thea wearing a casual jacket and ballcap. Fan said that only SA and WH were on set, and not EBR or DR.  (IrisAlves tweets, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 13, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Arrow filming at New Westminster City Hall  in #NewWest on Wednesday, July 13th. Night shoot." (YVRShoots and Canadagraphs tweets, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 13 & 14, 2016, fans posted b-t-s pic of Mayor Queen giving a speech on the city hall front steps in front of a crowd.  (CanSpice tweet and otafan pic, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 14, 2016, Arrow was filming a hospital scene in Surrey. (samlimv tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 14, 2016, Madison McLaughlin posted pic of herself with EK, RG and WH.  (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread) (501 and 502 were shot together by JBamford, Evelyn Sharp is not supposed to return until 502.)
-- On Jul. 14, 2016, MG tweeted "On the Arrow set..." with pic of Star City Office of the Mayor plaque. (MG tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 14, 2016, SA: "We are on Day 8, which typically is the last day of an episode. We are on Day 8 of 501, 502 - we cross boarded our first two episodes, which I'm actually kinda enjoying, um... but we cross boarded our first two episodes... for a variety of reasons - never done it before on the show. We flipped an episode once, but we've never done it before. And I - and I gotta say, um... it kinda feels different. It feels a lot like the pilot. I think that, uh, stylistically, thematically, um, visually, violence-y, we are getting back to some of the things that, uh, our show does really well. So from that standpoint, I'm very, very excited."  (SA facebook video & transcription, page 39 of Spoilers thread and page 443 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 14, 2016, SA: "501 and 502 feel good." (SA facebook video & transcription, page 39 of Spoilers thread and page 443 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 15, 2016, JBam posted instagam pic of Office of the Mayor plaque hanging on the wall of the mayoral office. (JBam instagram post, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 15, 2016, SA tweeted b-t-s pic of himself laying on top of his desk in Oliver's mayoral office. (SA tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 8, 2016, JBam posted instagram pic of editing room with camera monitor showing Oliver in a suit on the ground and comment: "Today's awesome view from the editing couch.......Tom hard at work, once again......this premiere is the "re-pilot". I can't wait for y'all to see it! 5.01!!! Mean.....dark.....powerful." (JBam instagram post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 9, 2016, James Bamford posted instagram pic of editing room with camera monitor showing Oliver & Felicity talking/arguing and comment: "Today's view from Tom's editing room.....5.01 moments......#Arrow.....Season 5."  (JBam instagram post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 24, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Got to screen #Arrow 501 at lunch! @JamesBamford delivered a game changer! Can't wait for you all to see it!" (briforsul tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 30, 2016, MG tweeted police sketch of guy wearing dark costume with white chevrons and face mask, with comment: "Thanks to George Pérez, who graciously provided this “police sketch” for Arrow’s 5th Season Premiere." George Pérez is the artist who acted as the original penciler for the Vigilante in 1983. (MG tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and Oct. 2, 2016 ComicBook article, page 1158 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 3, 2016, MG tweeted police sketch of GA that was drawn by Neal Adams, with comment: "New Arrow costume means new police sketch. @nealadamsdotcom was kind enough to hook us up. Look for it in Arrow's 5th season premiere." (MG tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)

Edited October 4, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 502 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 2: The Recruits
-- Production code: 502.  Shoot Dates: July 15-27, 2016.  Director: James Bamford.  Writers: Speed Weed & Beth Schwartz.  Airdate: Oct. 12, 2016. (MG tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread, and SpoilerTV article, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- 502 synopsis: "SUIT UP — Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) new recruits for Team Arrow are Curtis (Echo Kellum), Wild Dog (guest star Rick Gonzalez) and Evelyn Sharp (guest star Madison McLaughlin). Unfortunately, the Green Arrow’s training methods prove to be too much for some of them to handle. Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Oliver’s initiation into the Bratva continues. James Bamford directed the episode written by Speed Weed & Beth Schwartz (#502).  Original airdate 10/12/2016." (SpoilerTV and TVAddict articles, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- 502 promotional pics posted. (SpoilerTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- 502 promo video posted. (502 promo video in dtissagirl post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 502 "Stronger" preview video posted. featuring EK.  (Oct. 10, 2016 502 "Stronger" video, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- CTV 2 Arrow promo video featured Oliver, Wild Dog and Curtis. (CTV 2 Arrow promo video, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- 502 promo videos posted. (Oct. 11 & 12, 2016 502 promo videos, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 502 dialogue tease: "Yeah, I’m sure that kicking things off by lying to everyone is an awesome idea.” (Oct. 11, 2016 Arrowwriters tweet, page 1173 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
--- New team recruits include Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin), Rene Ramirez (Rick Gonzalez)  and Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum).  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow Comic-Con 2016 Highlight Reel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin) will return beginning in 502.  (Jun. 21, 2016 Variety and TVLine articles, page 38 of Spoilers thread, and Sep. 30, 2016 MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Rory Regan, aka Ragman (Joe Dinicol) will debut in 502. (Entertainment Weekly article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what happened to the nukes in mid-air last season, MG: "They landed harmlessly.  We’ll be dealing with one in this week’s episode (502)." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Felicity is coping with the nuke killing thousands of people, MG: "Yes, we will deal with that head-on starting with this Wednesday’s episode." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "In the first five episodes, we face head-on the decision that Felicity made [that led to the destruction of Havenrock]." (Sep. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 9, 2016, EK tweeted: "Yo, I had a blast working a Fraturday with @officialrickg and @MadisonMcLaugh. It's going down! #ArrowSeason5." (echok tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- In Jul. 14, 2016 facebook video chat, SA: "We are on Day 8, which typically is the last day of an episode. We are on Day 8 of 501, 502 - we cross boarded our first two episodes, which I'm actually kinda enjoying, um... but we cross boarded our first two episodes... for a variety of reasons - never done it before on the show. We flipped an episode once, but we've never done it before. And I - and I gotta say, um... it kinda feels different. It feels a lot like the pilot. I think that, uh, stylistically, thematically, um, visually, violence-y, we are getting back to some of the things that, uh, our show does really well. So from that standpoint, I'm very, very excited." (SA facebook video & transcription, page 39 of Spoilers thread and page 443 of Social Media thread)
-- In Jul. 14, 2016 facebook video chat, SA: "I actually got to do a funny ad lib today that if you're a fan of the pilot of the show, and something that the doctor says to Moira when she first sees me about the state of my... body, I guess - uh, he's not being weird, he's being a doctor. Um, there's an actual callback to that, assuming it makes the cut, in 502."  (SA facebook video & transcription, page 39 of Spoilers thread and page 443 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 15, 2016, fan tweeted pic showing on set cast chairs for RG, EBR, EK and MMcL. (sacredsmoak tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 16, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Fraterday with @ChadLColeman ? I'll take it. Welcome to the family." (JBam tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR was in the Arrow production offices on Jul. 20, 2016. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 1095 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
 -- In 502, Sgt. Diggle reassures a nervous soldier before heading out on a mission to stop some Chechnyan terrorists. (Video in Oct. 12, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 20, 2016, SA tweeted that he hadn't worked with DR and EBR together since April.  (SA tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 20, 2016, SA  was filming in an interior repurposed Arrow set and wearing white shirtsleeves and tie that looked dirty and bloodied.  (SA facebook video, page 40 of Spoilers page)
-- On Jul. 20, 2016, CLC tweeted that he was in Vancouver shooting Arrow.  (CLC tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 22, 2016, papp tweeted set up for Arrow filming at old, rundown warehouse with Russian sign. (FloriansEdits tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 22, 2016,  Adrian Holmes, who plays Lt. Frank Pike, posted a pic of himself with JBam and TR.  (AH instagram post, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 27, 2016, JBam posted b-t-s pic of camera monitors with comment: "Setting up a shot....episode 5.02.....#Arrow....top secret....Chad Coleman in the house!" (JBam instagram post, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 27, 2016, MMcL tweeted b-t-s pic of herself on set with EBR, EK, Rick Gonzalez and Joe Dinicol. (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 30, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Thanks #ArrowSeason5 Cast & Crew for the greatest experience of a lifetime. We are about to roll on our last shot of episodes 501&502!" (JBam tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 8, 2016, per SA, they are having "such a fantastic time shooting the first part of the season of Arrow," he is "so excited" and he's getting "constant texts from James Bamford who is in Los Angeles cutting 501 and 502."  Per SA, Bamford was "like, 'this stuff is insane, it's sick'" and Bamford was cutting together a fight that SA couldn't say the name of the fight "because it's actually a callback to another fight that we've done on the show." (Aug. 8, 2016 SA facebook video, page 460 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 29, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Got to see #Arrow 502! You're gonna love @officialrickg & @JoeDinicol! And the costumes! It's like they jumped out of the comics! So cool!" (briforsul tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)

Edited October 12, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 503 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 3:  A Matter of Trust
-- Production code: 503.  Shoot Dates: July 27- August 8, 2016.  Director: Gregory Smith. Writers: Ben Sokolowski & Emilio Ortega Aldrich.  Airdate: Oct. 19, 2016. (MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread, and SpoilerTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Original 503 episode synopsis: "WWE STAR CODY RHODES BRINGS THE SMACKDOWN TO STAR CITY — Now that Oliver (Stephen Amell) has his new team, they are ready to hit the streets but Oliver doesn’t feel they are ready. Headstrong Wild Dog (guest star Rick Gonzalez) defies the Green Arrow’s orders and sets out on his own after a new drug dealer, Garret Runnels (guest star Cody Rhodes), who is terrorizing Star City. Runnels proves more powerful than Wild Dog and it is up to the Green Arrow to go head to head with Runnels to save his teammate. Gregory Smith directed the episode written by Ben Sokolowski & Emilio Ortega Aldrich (#503). Original airdate 10/19/2016." (SpoilerTV article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Modified 503 episode synopsis: "WRESTLING STAR CODY RHODES BRINGS THE SMACK DOWN TO STAR CITY —Now that Oliver (Stephen Amell) has his new team, they are ready to hit the streets but Oliver doesn’t feel they are ready. Headstrong Wild Dog (guest star Rick Gonzalez) defies the Green Arrow’s orders and sets out on his own after a new drug dealer, Derek Sampson (guest star Cody Rhodes), who is terrorizing Star City. Sampson proves more powerful than Wild Dog and it is up to the Green Arrow to go head to head with Sampson to save his teammate." (Oct. 2, 2016 ComicBook article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG's Billy Joel song pick: "503 – A Matter of Trust (since that’s, y’know, the title)." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 503 "A Matter of Trust" trailer posted. (503 promo video, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 503 extended promo video and promotional pics posted. (SpoilerTV article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- The villainous Derek Sampson (Cody Rhodes) is a drug dealer pushing a strange narcotic called “stardust,” which is named after the wrestler’s WWE alter ego. (Oct. 17, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Cody is in the present day, actually. And he really embraced the process. This was his first major acting gig outside of sports entertainment and he was on set when he wasn't even supposed to be on set or needed on set. He actually came a couple days early and just hung by the monitors and asked stuff. He's a real pro and I hope that we get a chance to have him back, because he's a really cool addition." (Oct. 3, 2016 TVInsider article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, Cody Rhodes will appear as a villain in 503: "We're going to fight."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Nerdophiles video of press roundtable interview with SA, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA said that we can probably expect Cody Rhodes and him to get into another fight in 503. (HVFF-NY, Jul. 2, 2016: TVLine tweet & article, SA tweet, CRhodes tweet, and Video of SA & Cody Rhodes panel, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "We fight... One of the reasons I really really like Cody's character is because he is a spin on something that exists in the Berlanti universe but it's very Arrow centric. It's an Arrowverse version of something that we've seen a lot."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of IGN interview with SA, EBR and DR, page 40 of Spoilers thread and page 178 of Starling City Times thread)
-- SA: "I will say that Cody Rhodes really reinvigorated me about the joy of being on set because this was his first professional acting job, aside from sports entertainment, which is, you know, theater in some way. But it was his first television job. He showed up early. He spent full days on set behind the monitors, just watching what we were doing, asking questions, trying to be at his best. He was such an honor and a pleasure to have on Arrow. I hope we get to have him back. And I think that everyone is going to love his episode." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video recorded by swtjazzybellz, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- In response to the question of who he plays, CRhodes: "All I can tell you is, if you were a fan of the SummerSlam action with Stephen and Stardust, then this is almost a continuation - it picks up almost right where that left off. There's an incredible amount of action, and we are not - we're not buddy buddies in the episode. We are indeed adversaries." He also said that it was "a very physical episode" so that he "felt at home with physical storytelling." (Aug. 12, 2016 Straight Shoot: Aubrey Sitterson interview with Cody Rhodes, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On defying GA and going after Cody Rhodes' drug dealer character on his own, Rick Gonzalez: "It was not intimidating for Wild Dog, at all. I think Wild Dog looks forward to that. That was so much fun. Working with Cody was awesome! He killed his part. He came in as a pro, knew what he was doing, and new how he wanted to do it. He just had a certain swag and energy about what he wanted to do with his character. I certainly appreciated it, and I know that Stephen and the rest of the crew did, as well. I think it’s awesome that you’ll get to see Wild Dog go up against that type of strength. That’s going to be pretty fun. I think that also speaks to who Wild Dog is, the type of abilities that he has, his skill set, his mental strength, who he deems himself to be, and how strong he thinks he is. I can’t wait for people to see that episode. It’s going to be so much fun." (Oct. 12, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Flashpoint, uh, does affect Season 5 of Arrow. In, um, a subtle way at the beginning and maybe more at the end. And you'll get it - um, episodes 3, 4, 5-ish." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- MG: “[Diggle] is searching for that moral compass that he lost at the end of season 4... He discovers that Chechnya is the wrong place for him to discover his moral compass. Things do not go according to plan for him, and there’s something that happens in the first three episodes that is fairly significant and it’s the circumstances that will ultimately bring him back to Star City, but he’s not going to be the same. He’s not going to be able to live his life the way he had been living it before. Things are going to get very, very complicated for him, for reasons I don’t want to spoil, but it leads to a very Dig-and-Oliver-centric episode in 504.” (Sep. 30, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "In the first five episodes, we face head-on the decision that Felicity made [that led to the destruction of Havenrock]." (Sep. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Havenrock, EBR: "She's carrying this huge amount of guilt, and she's not letting it go in any way. All it's doing is festering up and around episodes 3-5 [of Season 5] we're going to see her break." Also, because of Havenrock, EBR understands that Felicity can no longer be light. (Sep. 1, 2016 NKD Magazine article, page 1129 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and page 467 of Social Media thread)
-- Per her IMDB page, Carly Pope is in 503, 505, 506 and 507. (Sunshine post, page 1166 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jul. 9, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted pic of himself wearing a jacket wth the following on its back: "Season 6 ARROW TEAM RHODES 'Destroy Queen'." (CRhodes tweet, page 439 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 13, 2016, Arrow writers tweeted pics of Cody Rhodes in their offices. (Arrowwriters tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 14, 2016, SA said: "503 reads nice. Cody Rhodes is very excited. I'm excited to have him on the show." (Jul. 14, 2016 SA facebook video & transcription, page 39 of Spoilers thread and page 443 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 16, 2016, Carly Pope tweeted: "Just read #503. What a bunch of glorious little maniacs. This is going to be certifiably FUN." (CP tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On. Jul. 26, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted buff, shirtless pic of himself with comment: "When you're gonna' fight Kurt Angle & the damn Green Arrow during the next few months...you cut weight like a madman." (CRhodes tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 27, 2016, Cody Rhodes was in the Arrow production offices. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 27, 2016, MG tweeted: "Arrow Ep.503 in production. (I may or may not have been responsible for the title.) @BenSokolowski @gregorythesmith." (MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 28, 2016, Carly Pope was in the Arrow production offices. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 454 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jul. 29, Madison McLaughlin tweeted: "In a hair/makeup trailer with a superhero & a professional wrestler blasting the Hamilton soundtrack #isthisthereallife #orjustafantasy." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 30, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "Today...was a good day (And I learned what the "window shot" means)." (CRhodes tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 30, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "I got into a bit of "trouble" with Star City's finest last night..." (CRhodes tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 2, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "Very enriching day today hiding behind @gregorythesmith 's directors chair ?? ARROW SEASON 5 is gonna' be tip-top Can't wait for October..." (CRhodes tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 2, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Tough kid award goes out to @MadisonMcLaugh today.......& @officialrickg & @EchoK." (JBam tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 3, 2016, EK tweeted: "@MadisonMcLaugh you the real MVP. #ArrowSeason5." (echok tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 3, 2016, MMcL tweeted: "Unexpected happy moments of my 20s: Going to a cast member's place at midnight to borrow ointment for my wounds obtained while vigilanting." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 1114 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 5, 2016, Arrow production office tweeted pic of costume employees wearing Russian hats with the comment: "It's so busy over here, we are all Russian around the office! #ArrowCostumesDepartment #SoPunny #loveourjob." (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "Steam-room planks  Things are about to get shirtless on Arrow ??  Unstoppable." (CRhodes tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, in response to question of whether there had been "any sightings of any DCTV 'universe regular' (Barrowman/Cassidy/Miller)," papp tweeted that "they haven't been on set of any of the shows lately." (Ken@pursuit23, page 459 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 9, 2016, Cody Rhodes tweeted: "It's your last day on the Arrow set and all wardrobe puts in your trailer is hospital scrubs...???? SEASON 5!!!" (CRhodes tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 6, 2016, SA tweeted: "Just watched 503. @EchoK made me laugh out loud four times." (SA tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 10, 2016, Cody Rhodes posted pic of himself pointing a gun with comment: "8 days of #Arrow SAMPSON ARRIVES OCTOBER 19th at 8/7c on @TheCW Today I present you this..." (CodyRhodes tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread) 

Edited October 18, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

ADDENDUM #2 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC

S5 Theme of Legacy
-- WM: "[T]his season we’re going to be really exploring legacy. This is a season where Oliver’s going to be looking back and going, 'Have I actually accomplished the things I set out to do in season one?' He’s going to have to answer for that this season." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether they chose the theme of legacy because Oliver was on an island for five years, WM: "It was a lot about that. Actually, we are closing the chapter on that -- what we started in the first season. We're looking back and it's very nostalgic, it's also very fun and thinking about where Oliver was and how far he's come or how not far he's come, how little he's changed and how much he has actually changed. So yeah, it was rooted in that. It was rooted in this idea of Oliver taking stock, looking back and thinking, 'Okay, I came here with this very specific mission, to right my father's wrongs and how far have I come with that?'" (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Back to Basics With Crime and Corruption
-- On having four years of experience and being able to look back at S1 and think 'We can do this better now,' WM: "I think so. I think one of the privileges of having been on a show this long is you know all the things you’ve tried and the things that have worked and the things that haven’t. But I think the fun part is that in season five, there are some things you wanted to try in seasons one, two, and three that you knew you couldn’t do until now. That’s part of the fun. At the same time, you get to go back and look at the things that worked and homage them. Or, you don’t want to repeat them but you want to explore them from a different vantage point." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On some of the things they've been wanting to try since S1, S2 and S3, WM: "I think one of the things in particular is finding new ways to do action. The action on the show has become, again, we evolved it. We’re in a universe now where we’re dealing with metahumans. We’re dealing with Daredevil and Jessica Jones. It’s not as straightforward as it was when we premiered which was we were the only game in town. We’re trying to at the same time keep the scope and the scale high and keep the production values up. We also want to go back and make it more personal." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what the show does well, SA: "I think that we're a street-level show. We're a crime-fighting show. We're the superhero show with no superpowers. That's how all of this was designed originally. And it changed, for a variety of reasons, which is kind of the nature of episodic television, but the action feels a lot meaner, a lot grittier this year. The pace feels good. In the one instance where we sort of dip into the idea of a meta human, it feels like a meta human from the Arrowverse. I don't know, I'm very bullish on the show this year. You obviously have to try stuff with a show every year, but this year it feels like we've learned some of our lessons and we're just focusing on what we do well." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Unspecified Episode Plots
-- On whether there was a classic S1 episode to which we can expect an homage, WM: "Yeah, I think episode 106 with the Royal Flush gang, the one where Oliver and Diggle really struggled over the question of whether or not he should be killing people. We will definitely be exploring that territory in season five." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

S5 Flashbacks 
-- MG: “I would describe Oliver’s initiation into the Bratva as spanning the length of the first chapter of the season... The end of the first chapter of the flashback story this season is Oliver becoming a member of the Bratva. People who watched season one know that that’s not the end of that story because there’s becoming a member of the Bratva and then there’s him eventually becoming a captain of the Bratva. That’s a story we’ve been looking forward to telling, how he becomes the captain.” (Oct. 12, 2016 Nerdist article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On it being the last year of flashbacks and seeming to be a long way to go to get to the bearded, traumatized Oliver we saw in the pilot, WM: "You’re not wrong. We have to take him from where we saw him at the end of Season 4 with Taiana (Elysia Rotaru) and having just put down Baron Reiter (Jimmy Akingbola), and then taking him to where we see him in the pilot. One of the things that is helpful is knowing that the pilot is the endgame. We finally go to Russia, and see him in this completely new world. I know it is something the fans have always had questions about — where does he get the Bratva tattoo? How does he become a captain? — but the main questions for us this season are how did he become so dark? What was the source of his PTSD? And how does he become this one-man army we see in the pilot?" (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "There are a couple of things. First we cast Dolph Lundgren, which is very exciting. He's going to be part of the Russian flashbacks and he's just a total badass. It's a fun piece of casting and watching kind of he and Stephen go toe-to-toe is going to be very entertaining. But really, I think the thing we're most excited about is going back to Russia and seeing how Oliver became a Bratva captain, how he got that tattoo and seeing what was it that happened there that brought him to the place where we saw him in the pilot where's basically this soldier, who's completely destroyed, has PTSD and wants to sleep on the floor. How did he get to that place? And it's a very gritty, dark underworld with the Bratva. We're really going to try and make it as real and 'grounded' is the word we keep using, but it's really true. We want to make it feel very 'Eastern Promises' -- as gritty as real as the Bratva, actually is. Hopefully the audience loves it. We're very excited about it." (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what he's most excited to finally get done, SA: "I would like to see Oliver build his bow that we saw in Season 1. Yeah. That, for sure. That's the big one. I'd like to know exactly what happened the moments before we meet Oliver in the pilot." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether he thinks we're going to get those moments in flashback form, SA: "I would imagine so, yes. And thus far it's been great. It's very fast-paced in Russia. It's dark and gritty. I had one of my first scenes with Dolph Lundgren the other day, and he was a real pro." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what it is about the Bratva flashbacks that he finds so compelling this season, SA: "Russia has a real hard edge to it this year. That's just exciting. That to me is more our show." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Closing a Chapter and Beyond S5: Flashbacks and Flashforwards
-- On what it means moving forward that this is the last year of flashbacks, MG: “That’s really next year’s problem... My instinct is that we’ll shake some stuff up as we always do in season six. Last year, we experimented with episodes that didn’t have any flashback components. We’ve been experimenting all along with episodes that have flashback components that aren’t tied to a serialized narrative. The way I look at it is those are all now tools that we have in our toolbox. We can do episodes that flash back to an non-island period, we can do episodes that don’t have flashbacks, we do a mini-arc of flashbacks, we might even do a flashforward one day. More than anything, it will just open up our storytelling opportunities if we could choose for each episode an approach that’s appropriate.” (Oct. 12, 2016 Nerdist article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "The other thing, too, is that we now have this firm final finish date. [Season 5, episode 23] will be the last time we have a flashback -- at least, in the order that we've been flashing back. Flashbacks, or some variation thereof, will always be a theme in the show, but it doesn't always have to be my flashbacks. Maybe we go to some flashforwards. Who knows? They have a much harder driving force behind them this year because we literally have a list, no pun intended, of all this stuff that we have to get done." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Generally
-- GB: "And Arrow, you'll find out a few over the first couple of episodes some of the mild [effects]. They're not significant, but they become a little bit more emotionally significant." (Aug. 11, 2016 Eonline article, page 1169 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Flashpoint Affecting Arrow Specifically (Felicity, Diggle, Oliver, Laurel)
-- On Diggle, WM: "And yeah, Flashpoint will have an impact on him, especially in respect to his family life." (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Flashpoint Affecting Flash, LoT and Supergirl (included for potential relevance to Arrow)
-- LoT: On whether the Legends are aware of The Flash mucking around with his timeline and creating Flashpoint, MG: "Not yet. The things that are happening in 2016, in the here and now, aren’t affecting our Legends outside of time. Suffice it to say, the Legends will eventually find out about Flashpoint." (Oct. 13, 2016 Variety article, page 209 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Big 4-Shows Crossover Event (Arrow/Flash/LoT/Supergirl)
-- MG: "I'm giving you an exclusive -- because you're the only one who's asked... Arrow episode 508 is called 'Invasion!' with the exclamation point. And Legends of Tomorrow 207 is going to be 'Invasion!'. I'll leave it up to you to guess what The Flash is called." (Oct. 23, 2016 Comicbook article, page 212 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Arrowverse actors spotted shooting the 4-shows crossover event: SA, GG, MB, CV, DR, EBR, VG, BR, DP, CL, FD, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Nick Zano. The casts from all four shows filmed some interior scenes inside a airport hangar. (Oct. 13, 2016 JustJaredJr tweet & article, page 209 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On how the other characters will react to meeting Supergirl, their first alien, AK: "Some people, like Barry [Grant Gustin], already know her, so Barry’s completely cool with her... Some people are instantly charmed by her; I think Sara’s [Caity Lotz] got a little crush on her. Diggle [David Ramsey], as always, just when he thinks he’s seen it all, there’s a moment in it where somebody says, ‘This is Supergirl,’ and they say, ‘What’s so super about her?’ and she just lifts off the ground. Dig’s like, ‘I’m convinced.’ ... Part of Oliver’s [Stephen Amell] journey in those episodes is he’s kind of hit his breaking point for things he’s willing to accept... He’s had Mirakuru soldiers, the Lazarus Pit, magic, and Damien Darhk, but flying aliens who can incinerate you with their eyes is one beyond the pale for him. He’s keeping his distance, which is a very Oliver thing to do. Even Kara comments, ‘Does he not like me?’ Barry’s like, ‘No, that’s kind of how he treats everybody.’” (Oct. 11, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 207 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- In the comics, specifically in Invasion!, the Dominators are technologically advanced aliens who form a coalition with various other races to invade Earth and eliminate the threat posed by unpredictable metahumans. MG: “I will say that their goal is very closely related to what was established in the comics, and it does have to do with metahumans... It’s very, very faithful to the comics.” Per MG, the Dominators' arrival will force the Arrowverse’s superheroes to team up for their “most ambitious” crossover yet. MG: “I think it’s massively different... The first crossover we did was two separate storylines that had a slight tangential connection to each other. Then last year, the crossover we did was a two-parter that told one complete story with a beginning, middle, and end across Flash and Arrow, but it also had the work of setting up Legends of Tomorrow."  Also MG: "This year, ... we’re doing by far the most ambitious crossover we’ve ever done. It’s basically a huge three-part story that also brings in Supergirl, so it’s crossing over all four shows. It’s telling one big epic movie of a story. It’s not setting up any other spin-offs, it’s just big, bombastic, huge action. There’s also some really poignant character moments. There’s a lot of plot lines, particularly I would say in Flash and Legends, that come to fruition in the crossover. It’s by far the most ambitious thing we’ve ever attempted. I want to say it’s by far one of the most ambitious things anyone in network television has ever attempted. It’s completely insane.” (Oct. 13, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 209 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- When asked for a hint about Arrow's 100th episode, MG: "I would love to hint something new, but I will say, we came up with a way to get - there are actors who we couldn't have in the episode because we couldn't make their schedules work, um, because they were busy off doing other things - [COUGH]Colin Donnell[COUGH]Chicago Med[COUGH] - um, uh, and if it works, I think we got a way to actually get them in the episode or at least represented in a way that sorta honors their participation in the previous 99 episodes. So I'm excited about that. It's a real love letter to the fans... It's everything a 100th episode should be. It also happens to be the middle episode of our three-part crossover. And it actually does, I think, a good job in both." (Oct. 7, 2016 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 480 of Social Media thread)
-- Per SA, CD will not be back for the 100th episode. SA: "There’s a nice nod to Colin, but he’s literally a series regular on another show... We tried to make it work, but we couldn’t make it work.” Also, Raisa the maid will not be back for the 100th episode. (Oct. 24, 2016 GATV article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, the crossover will actually kick off at the end of an episode of Supergirl, where Cisco and Barry basically enlist Kara’s help. MG: “Some people call it a four-way crossover because it involves four shows; my ulcer requires me to call it a three-part crossover,...  The story that’s being told has a beginning, middle, and end: a beginning in Flash, a middle in Arrow, and an end in Legends. But Supergirl is very much a part of the whole thing, so we are crossing over four shows - four shows in three parts.” (Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how the 4-show crossover is split into three parts, MG: "There’s going to be an episode of Supergirl that ends with Supergirl going over to the cross-over. Some people call it a four-way cross-over because it involves four shows. My ulcer requires me to call it a three-part cross-over. The story that’s being told has a beginning, middle and end. It’s a beginning in The Flash, a middle in Arrow, and an end in Legends, but Supergirl is very much a part of the whole thing. So, we are crossing over four shows, but in three parts." An on how Supergirl will enter into the Arrow-verse, MG: "Last year, Supergirl established that The Flash was able to make his way to what I call Earth-CBS, and it stands to reason that with the proper breach technology, the reverse can happen. Once the heroes realize that they’re up against aliens, they decide that they need an alien on their side and, fortunately, Barry knows a really nice one. I don’t think it’s a big shock that, between Barry and Cisco, and all of their experiences with Earth-2 and the multi-verse, that they can pluck her from Earth-CBS." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “Last year, Supergirl established that Flash was able to make his way to what I call Earth-CBS, and it stands to reason that, with the proper breach technology, the reverse can happen." In the crossover, the heroes will team up to fight against the Dominators, who in the comics were a technologically advanced alien race that wanted to invade Earth and eliminate the threat posed by unpredictable metahumans - and they have similar motivations during the crossover. MG: “Once the heroes realize that they’re up against aliens, they decide that they need an alien on their side... Fortunately, Barry knows a really nice one. I don’t think it’s a big shock that between Barry and Cisco, and all their experiences with Earth-2 and the multi-verse, that they can pluck her from Earth-CBS.” (Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the challenges of tackling the milestone of the 100th episode and having it also be a cross-over, MG: "That was the challenge. The challenge was that we’ve only got 42 minutes, and it’s the middle part of a three-part story. At the same time, it’s the 100th episode. When the news broke that the 100th episode was also going to be the cross-over episode, people were up and down my Twitter and Greg’s Twitter. In a very positive way, people didn’t want to feel like the cross-over was hijacking what should be a really seminal episode and moment for Arrow, which is wonderful. I don’t want to spoil it, but Greg came up with an idea that really does allow us to have our cake and eat it, too. I haven’t seen the episode all cut together yet, but it has some incredibly iconic moments. It is a love letter to the show. It draws on all previous 99 episodes. Everyone who we could have in the episode, from a scheduling point of view, is in the episode. Even the people who we couldn’t have because of having conflicting schedules are represented. At the same time, you’ve got The Flash and Supergirl, and that’s an enormous amount of fun. The recruits also play a very large and important role in the episode. I’m really excited about it. There’s one moment in it that I think is probably Stephen’s finest performance, to date. This one scene, that really has two moments within the one scene, will just break your heart. It will take your heart, pull it out, and stomp it on the floor. It’s very, very affecting, and it’s all on Stephen’s back. It’s incredible. Willa [Holland] is amazing in the episode. Everyone obviously brought their A-game to it. I’m really, really excited about it. It’s the 100th episode." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, the biggest challenge the producers faced in creating the crossover was not actually bringing all these heroes together, but also telling the story within Arrow’s upcoming 100th episode. MG: “When the news broke that the 100th episode was also going to be the crossover episode, people were up and down my Twitter and Greg [Berlanti’s] Twitter I think, in this case, in a very positive way... People didn’t want to feel like the crossover was highjacking what should be a really seminal episode and a seminal moment for the show Arrow, which I think is wonderful. Greg came up with an idea that really does allow us to have our cake and eat it, too.” In addition to original cast members Jamey Sheridan, Katie Cassidy, and Susanna Thompson returning, MG revealed that John Barrowman and Neal McDonough will both reprise their roles as Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk, respectively, in the 100th episode. MG: “I haven’t seen the episode all cut together yet, but it has some incredibly iconic moments... It is a love letter to the show, it draws on all previous 99 episodes pretty much. Everyone who we could have in the episode, from a scheduling point of view, is in the episode. Even the people who we couldn’t have, because of conflicting schedules, are represented. At the same time, you’ve got Flash and Supergirl; that’s an enormous amount of fun. Certainly the recruits also play a very large role, an important role, in the episode. I’m really excited about it.” By recruits, MG is referring to the new Team Arrow, which includes Curtis, Wild Dog, Ragman and Evelyn Sharp. (Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG had high praise for SA's performance in the 100th episode. MG: “There’s one moment in it that I think is probably Stephen’s finest performance to date... This one scene, that really has two moments within the one scene, it will break your heart. It will take your heart, pull it out, and stomp it on the floor. It’s very, very affecting. It’s all on Stephen’s back. It’s incredible. Willa [Holland]’s amazing in the episode. Everyone obviously brought their A game to it. I’m really, really excited about it. It’s the 100th episode!”  (Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EK, he gets to share a scene with the Flash’s Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes). EK: “We're having so much fun and we're crushing it. It's so exciting.” (Oct. 5, 2016 Entertainment Tonight article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per RG, Wild Dog will be in the 4-show crossover event. His character is not impressed with the world of superheroics that joining Team Arrow will bring him into, and he has serious problems with the super-powered types he'll have to fight alongside during the four-shot Invasion! crossover. RG: "I can’t speak on that, but what I can say is that Wild Dog will be in the crossover, and he has a huge dislike for metahumans... So we’ll definitely see him not exactly rub well with The Flash and Supergirl and that’s just another glimpse into his psyche and his ideas and thinking about the world and the idea that there are people out there who have these sort of powers and who they are. Instead of saying ’Wow, these people can do these things,’ he says, ‘no, I don’t like you because this is what you bring to the table. This is what you represent to me.’” (Oct. 10, 2016 ComicBook article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, papp tweeted: "the mansion , it's not an actual wedding that account trolled Olicity fans." (pursuit23 tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, on whether EBR and DR are filming more or less, papp tweeted: "Less." (pursuit23 tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 7, 2016, SA posted pic of himself with KC with comment: "#Arrow100." (SA tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 8, 2016, on whether SA was filming with GG "yesterday" or with "caity/katie" in the mansion, papp tweeted: "Both." (pursuit23 tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 8, 2016, on still filming for crossover, papp tweeted: "I know Arrow still has 1 or 2 days left on theirs as well. Supergirls doesn't start for a few days still. Still on ep 7." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 8, 2016, CL posted pics of herself with KC, both in black dresses with party makeup, on what looks like the interior mansion set. (CL instagram post, page 1167 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 8, 2016, papp tweeted pic with comment: "Another pic from last nights shoot for #TheFlash Stunt team work - Barry, Green #Arrow, get thrown by an explosion Diggle and Speedy watch." (canadagraphs tweet, page 205 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Oct. 9, 2016, CL posted pic of herself in formal wear with the comment: "My dad made his acting debut with a cameo as Joe the bartender." (CL instagram pic, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- B-t-s pics of CL with her father and KC in front of a bar posted. KC is wearing a ring on her left ring finger.  (Pic in Primal Slayer post, page 1167 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- B-t-s pic of KC wearing engagement/wedding ring posted. (Screencap pic from KC's facebook video in Primal Slayer post, page 1168 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 10, 2016, fan posted video clip of EBR, MB and BR with comment: "So my auntie works on The Flash on the costume truck and this past week on the Monday it was my birthday this was filmed on Tuesday where they’re filming the huge crossover between the four shows. So for my birthday she got me videos of the cast saying happy birthday. So here are my tears!" (Iced tumblr video in SmallScreenDiva post, page 481 of Social Media thread)
-- On Oct. 10, 2016, RG posted pic of Wild Dog mask and Flash mask with comment: "Just gonna leave this here. #ArrowSeason5 #TheFlash #WildDog." (officialrickg tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 10, 2016, papp tweeted "The "wedding" that that account trolled about involves Laurel & Oliver. Being that his dad & mom R back Id assume Flashback" and on whether there's an actual wedding, "No, hence why i use the word Trolling" and on whether Laurel is married to Oliver in that other timeline/universe, "No idea, but the show happens in 1 timeline, one where his family is dead so kinda impossible to be a real wedding." (pursuit23 tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 11, 2016, papp tweeted: "Big day at #Arrow McMansion set in Delta today. Extras Holding at its own McMansion nearby." (yvrshoots tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 11, 2016, papp tweeted "#Arrow filming at the mansion in Delta today" and "I never did a 180 I wasn't the one tweeting about weddings & I always had it in 'wedding'" and on it's being a wedding full of dead people so not present day Earth, "Which I've been saying since that account first trolled with the wedding tweet" and on whether it's an Oliver/Laurel wedding, "It's not real so don't worry about it lol" and "From my understanding it's a 'filler' episode . Chance to bring in core for 100th episode. Who knows tho, like I said" and "the wedding madness was started by someone to some extent incorrectly tweeted about a wedding / rehearsal scene." (pursuit23 tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 11, 2016, SA posted b-t-s pics of himself with WH and himself hugging EBR who's wearing a formal blue dress with her hair up. (SA tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 11-12, 2016, JBam tweeted "First we block a scene...then our wonderful cast add magic to it....for instance....thanks @EmilyBett !!" and "And......this, our ??th episode of #Arrow has been so full of magical performances from each and every one of our cast from all of our shows." and "THANK YOU @CW_Arrow @CW_TheFlash @TheCWSupergirl @TheCW_Legends CAST! You are all gold." and "THAT'S A WRAP ON MAIN UNIT SHOOTING FOR THE ??TH EPISODE OF #ARROW!"(JBam tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 12, 2016, SA tweeted: "It's really difficult to describe how cool today was. Special shout out to @Willaaaah - she was awesome. #Arrow100."  And JBam tweeted: "There's at least 4 scenes which are included in this praise...." (SA and JBam tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 17, 2016, SA said: "Um, even though technically I am done the crossover in earnest, uh, it won't really be until - kinda like the the end of this week, possibly next week, when I am really officially done." (SA facebook video, page 484 of Social Media thread)
-- On Oct. 19, 2016, JBam posted pic of editing room screenshot from 100th episode, showing some kind of explosion in the Arrow Bunker, with Felicity, Barry, Cisco and Curtis in the shot. (james2bambamford instagram post in FYeahEBRupdates tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 19, 2016, papp posted pics of Felicity with Sara and Mick Rory, as well as pics of the Atom, Speedy, Spartan, Firestorm and The Flash.  Papp tweeted: "Felicity/Emily Bett Rickards in 4-way crossover - #TheFlash #Arrow #LegendsOfTomorrow … Oct 6 shoot." (yvrshoots tweet & article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 21, 2016, EK posted pic of himself (as Mr. Terrific) with Ragman, Flash, Wild Dog, Supergirl and JBam. (EK instagram post, page 212 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Oct. 24, 2016, SA posted pic of himself in GA suit sitting at bar with GG in Flash suit and SA's daughter. (SA facebook post, page 1189 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Other Crossovers Generally
-- On whether they can draw on things that The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow did, WM: "We have. Yet on Arrow we have to be so specific because we’re more grounded. When the show launched, they said there would be no superpowers and now we have those in our universe. It’s a question of how you do that and what are the right stories to carry those powers." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 17, 2016, SA said: "Hey, Facebook, what is happening? I am back... after 5 weeks of crossover craziness that consisted of 5 different episodes of television. Not 5 different shows, but 5 different episodes of television being filmed simultaneously. I have emerged from the deep, dark forest of my mind of crossover land - crossover landia." (SA facebook video, page 484 of Social Media thread)

Other LoT Crossovers
-- LoT S2 trailer posted, including scene with Oliver Queen. (LoT S2 promo video, page 204 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- LoT 201: Nick Zano interview video includes two scenes with Oliver Queen. (LoT Nick Zano interview, page 204 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On how they will use WMiller, JBarrowman and KC, MG: "On 'Legends of Tomorrow' Wentworth and John will be members of the Legion of Doom. Katie is a far more interesting question because we actually have a story for Katie on 'Legends of Tomorrow' that I am super excited about. It could be the thing I’m most excited about. But it’s early, and we’re not ready to spoil what that’s going to be. I think it could be really, really awesome." (Oct. 11, 2016 IMDB article, page 206 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Other Flash Crossovers
-- Flash 302: Felicity appeared in The Flash "Paradox" trailer.  (Oct. 4, 2016 The Flash "Paradox" promo video, page 203 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Flash 302: Felicity appeared in The Flash "Big Mistake" trailer. (Oct. 4, 2016 The Flash "Big Mistake" promo video, page 203 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Vixen Crossovers
-- Felicity will be in S2 of Vixen. (Oct. 13, 2016 LuluLemonLime83 tweet, page 209 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Felicity, Cisco, Firestorm, Atom, Flash and BC appear in Season 2 of Vixen. (Video clip in Oct. 14, 2016 CW_Arrow tweet, page 

General Character Narratives and Shifting Relationships 
-- WM: "I think one of the things that’s exciting is we’re able to honor where we’ve come. We’ve taken these characters on this evolution. We want to honor how they’ve evolved and yet we also want Oliver to look at his history from that vantage point and we want all the characters to look back and think. Felicity, Diggle, all of them, think, 'Where was I four years ago? Have I accomplished what I set out to accomplish?'” (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

New Team Arrow
-- MG: "I think the fun has been asking ourselves how we can sort of rebuild the show from the ground up again... Oliver lost his team at the end of Season 4 and by doing that, we created an opportunity to redo things." (Oct. 12, 2016 TVInsider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Wild Dog, Artemis and Ragman, MG: "They make for a very nice combo platter, especially when you add in Curtis Holt." Although they may have second thoughts about the whole do-gooding thing after they get a load of their leader. MG: "We are setting up the idea that Oliver is not just going to recruit them, he’s also going to train them... That excited us because this is an opportunity for Oliver to be a douche...which is something we enjoy writing occasionally." (Oct. 12, 2016 TVInsider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle's departure affecting the team, WM: "Yeah, that's a big move. Dig has been with them since the beginning and so for him to decide to leave was obviously significant and he, as you know from watching the [Season 4] finale, he did it because of his guilt about killing his brother Andy. So we're going to find him at the beginning of the season in the military still, still not part of the team and in fact, the effect that it's having is pretty profound. Oliver is in a very oddly optimistic place, but sort of -- call it optimistic or call it denial, he's pretty sure that both Thea and Dig are going to come back to the team eventually. So he's in this very optimistic place and Felicity is a little bit more of a realist and she's saying, 'It's time to move on. We have to start looking for other people.' And when we start the season, Oliver's out there all alone. He has Felicity in the bunker, but that is it. So the effect is pretty profound." (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On merging the new characters with the old characters, RG: "I love the idea of us bringing in this energy to their well-oiled machine. I like the idea that we’re breaking up the energy. The energy of each recruit is very different." (Oct. 12, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity")
-- On Billy Joel song or any song to describe Olicity, as well as, Arrow (in general) this season, MG: "I can’t think of a song that won’t get me into trouble with somebody, but if I had to pick one it’s… 'Getting Closer.'” (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We're not necessarily going to see them reconcile this season... "[But] I think there will always be lingering feelings between these two." (Oct. 10, 2016 TV Guide article, page 1170 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether there are still romantic feelings between Oliver & Felicity as the season begins, WM: "I would describe it as two grownups who have had a conversation between seasons who have agreed to work together, and I think, if we're all being honest, no matter what happens with them, the chemistry and the love that's between them is undeniable. So, you know, we originally wrote to the Felicity-Oliver romance based on what we were seeing on camera. ... What happens is you watch dailies, you watch cuts and you think, 'Oh wow, those two have chemistry, let's write to that and see where it goes.' And, at this point in the evolution of their relationship, we happen to be writing away from the romance, but you can never rule that out completely." (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity is ready for a relationship, WM: "That’s an excellent question as well. I think she’s trying to figure that out. I think that Oliver is a tough act to follow. I think Oliver quite possibly in her mind at the end of season four might still be the love of her life, but I think she feels that she owes it to herself to figure out whether that’s true or not." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver not knowing about Felicity's dating Detective Malone, MG: "That's a good question... It speaks to the fact that Oliver has had a lot on his plate lately and...also, I think Oliver is trying to adopt a more hopeful tone, be more optimistic. And in that optimism, he's hoping that he and Felicity will get back together. So perhaps there is a little bit of denial at play that he hasn’t clocked the new spring in Felicity's step." Per MG, "it is just a matter of time" before Oliver puts two and two together. And when he does, this Green Arrow may not be so green with envy. MG: "I don’t think Oliver reacts the way most people would expect him to react." (Oct. 12, 2016 TVInsider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- We will soon find out how Oliver feels about Felicity’s new boyfriend, especially as he’s unwittingly working with him at the moment. MG: "Eventually, yes... I don’t think I’m spoiling anything to say that pretty much every secret on this show eventually [comes out]. Felicity’s boyfriend is certainly no exception - not that she’s keeping it a secret from Oliver, but at the start of season 5, Oliver doesn’t know.” (Oct. 14, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- Fan's tumblr post purported to have inside source that revealed that after Oliver finds out about Felicity's new boyfriend (in 505?), he has a one-night hookup with the female reporter played by Carly Pope, but immediately regrets it. Same source also said that female reporter leaves show by 507. (CleanQueen and dtissagirl posts, page 1180 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and wonderwall post, page 1181 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On when the secrets come out that Felicity has a boyfriend and that Felicity is working with Green Arrow, MG: "It’s the classic thing of no secrets stay a secret forever on Arrow. Oliver is going to find out about Felicity’s boyfriend in Episode 505. Because I’m spoiling that, I’m not going to spoil when Felicity’s boyfriend finds out that Felicity is working with Arrow." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- GATV tweeted: "Oliver is going to find out about Detective Billy Malone being Felicity’s boyfriend in Episode 505 “Human Target.” Better hide @TylerRitter." (Oct. 19, 2016 GATV tweet, page 1184 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow
-- On how Oliver is handling being in the mayor’s office, WM: "He’s sort of not dealing with it at all. He went into it with very big ambitions, but we come to find in the premiere that those ambitions ran into reality and, for the time being, the most effective way he can help the city is by being the Green Arrow. Over the season we’re going to evolve that. We haven’t seen him in a real-job capacity since Season 2 and now that he’s grown up a bit and evolved as a character, it’s fun to see him tackle these real-world problems." (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver is handling doing everything on his own as GA, WM: "He likes to be out on his own — it’s where he started. This season we’re really trying to honor our roots and go back to ideas and themes that we had in season one, and this is one of them. He’s still got Felicity in the bunker but Dig and Thea are gone, and Black Canary (Katie Cassidy) is unfortunately gone. But he’s out there fighting the good fight on his own. That’s quickly going to change, mostly because Felicity starts to turn him, but he also starts to think about the reality of what this life is like. It takes a toll on you physically and emotionally and Oliver starts to realize it isn’t something he can do on his own." (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the effect on the people left around him of Oliver's increased violence, WM: "It’s having a huge effect. At the end of Season 4, he went dark — no pun intended — when he killed Damien Dahrk and that sort of opened up that side of him again. He starts to handle things in that way and it has an impact on the people around him who have different opinions and not everyone is in agreement that that’s the way to go." (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On in the beginning Oliver felt guilty thinking he’s the cause of Sara’s death and now he feels guilty over Laurel’s death and what Thea’s been through, WM: "I do think he’s back where he started in the sense that he’s asking himself have the methods he’s chosen worked? He’s lost people along the way. He lost his mother, he lost Tom and he lost Laurel. Now Thea and John Diggle both at the end of season four said, 'I don’t want to do this anymore.' I think he’s in a period of reflection and really self-assessment and wondering did he make the right decisions in the past?" (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Being mayor is not working out too well for Oliver because he doesn't have a team to rely on. He says this in the early part of the season: sometimes saving the city takes priority over running it. He's ostensibly using the office of the mayor as a means to get actionable intel to use as the Green Arrow. As a result, his approval rating as mayor, his reputation as mayor, is less than sterling." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver is making Star City a better place by meeting his job as the mayor with his job as an Arrow, or whether he's still struggling, SA: "You like to see that, because in each instance, Star City has suffered in some way, shape, or form in each season. I would like to see this year, especially it being our fifth year as sort of the end of the chapter, I'd like to see it as making some positive in-roads and fixing it. Obviously the state of Star City and how it's always flirting with danger is one of the mechanisms of our show, but it would be nice to put one in the win column." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch
-- On 2 truths and lie about Felicity in S5, MG: "1) She’s dating someone who isn’t Oliver 2) She’s going to deal with someone who’s family died in Havenrock 3) She’s going to become the next Black Canary." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how the guilt from the destruction of Havenrock is going to affect Felicity moving forward, MG: "Guilt is one thing, but it’s hard to dramatize, so what we’ve chosen to do is to personalize it. The notion of Havenrock becomes a very concrete, personal story for Felicity that is different from her just moping around or feeling bad for herself. We have come up with a way to put a face to that tragedy, and it’s a face that Felicity will have to confront head-on." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Felicity will be feeling some guilt about Havenrock, which she’s reminded of on a daily basis every time she faces Ragman. On whether she'll tell him of her role in his city’s destruction, MG: "We talked a lot about that storyline, and Rory’s point of view and Felicity’s point of view... It was fun to actually get a chance to articulate the anti-Felicity point of the view and the pro-Felicity point of view. It made for a very interesting moral dilemma, and we got a chance to play with that.” (Oct. 19, 2016 Yahoo article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Rory will react to finding out that Felicity is responsible for what happened in Havenrock, MG: "I feel like he’s got a very human reaction. He reacts to it the way I think you might expect him to, but not in an overblown way. I think it’s very grounded and very human. We talked a lot about that storyline, and Rory’s point of view and Felicity’s point of view. I will say that a lot of times, you write something and you do a storyline and it has a very different reaction than the one you expected. I think we were all taken aback, not in a bad way but just surprised, that there was so much outrage over Felicity’s actions in Episode 421. People were upset at Felicity, somehow, for saving Monument Point, at the expense of Havenrock. It was fun to actually get a chance to articulate the anti-Felicity point of view, and the pro-Felicity point of view. It made for a very interesting moral dilemma, and we had a chance to play with that." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity regrets her decision to stay, WM: "She’s very glad she stuck by Oliver and has stayed in the bunker, I think for her own purposes and also to make sure there is someone there to help him and keep him in check. Her biggest regret is Havenrock and living in this new reality where she guided a missile toward a city and killed 20,000 people. This is going to be the thing that takes her through the first half of the season." (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Detective Billy Malone (Felicity's New Boyfriend)  :(
-- Detective Malone's first name is Billy. (Oct. 12, 2016 TVInsider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread, and Oct. 12, 2016 Arrow episode 502)
-- On what kind of man can measure up to Ray and Oliver, WM: "That’s a really good question. I think we wanted to have a guy, straight shooter, honorable, kind of man of the people and someone that is completely different than Ray and Oliver. He’s not a superhero, doesn’t have any aspirations to be a superhero but in his own way, he is a hero. He loves her." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's relationship with Detective Malone, MG: "My best comment on that is that you’re gonna want to read my forthcoming book, How to Piss Off the Entire Internet. (Laughs.) At the end of the day, I love our fans, we have incredible fans — they are so passionate and I love their passion. Even when they’re angry at us, it’s still passion and still engagement with the show, and that’s great. Where I tend to part ways with some fans is, I write for the kind of viewer I am, I suppose; when I watch TV, I just want to be entertained. I recognize with social media and everything, that’s not enough for some fans. Some fans - not all of them, but some - don’t want to be entertained, they want to have influence on their entertainment. I think for better or for worse, we don’t write for those fans. I think the fact that we did put Felicity in a relationship… we’re not idiots, we knew it probably wouldn’t go over well with a segment of the fandom, but that can’t be why we don’t do something." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Detective Malone, Tyler Ritter: "He's a detective in Star City, which is the roughest city in the world… he's seen some things!" (Oct. 5, 2016 CBS8 article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per fan who claims to be friends with someone involved with Arrow: "Recently we had a long discussion where I shared some of my current frustrations. One of them is the Felicity BF situation. Not because I’m a shipper - I don’t feel like Olicity is threatened. That isn’t it. It’s that I see no story purpose for this guy. The wedge between Olicity doesn’t need to come in the form of another man. I’d like Felicity’s story to be about her. But anyways, I digress. I had this discussion with my friend. And I feel a lot better after having it. ... I now sort of understand the purpose. I don’t agree, but I get it. I also am confident that this story (including the BF) is going to get more interesting. It (meaning Felicity’s new relationship) definitely isn’t going to last very long. Of these points I am certain. I know I said I don’t have inside story info…but this time…I kinda do? Like I said, I haven’t completely changed my mind and I’m still a bit tentative, but I do know there’s good stuff coming; interesting stuff that moves the story forward in a way I feel really good about, and I think many others in fandom will feel good about, too. And that makes me feel better." (fanmommer tumblr post in jbuffyangel article, page 1179 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "It’s the classic thing of no secrets stay a secret forever on Arrow... I’m not going to spoil when Felicity’s boyfriend finds out that Felicity is working with Arrow." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)

John Diggle AKA Spartan
-- From EW Radio interview with MG, fan tweeted that Diggle's storyline will carry through to 512. (Oct. 13, 2016 StilettoRoyalty tweet, page 185 of Starling City Times thread)
-- EW Radio tweets from interview with MG: "'Things don't work out for Diggle either'" and "The Diggle storyline is going to carry througout most of the season and in to the crossover." (Oct. 13, 2016 EWlive tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Dig went back to the military to regain what he thinks he lost, which he thinks is his moral center after killing his brother in Season 4. He looks at the military as his home base — it’s where he cut his teeth as a soldier and, in his mind, everything is very black-and-white where if you kill someone, it’s an order and there is no moral dilemma, at least in Dig’s mind. When he goes back, he finds everything is not as simple and straightforward as that." (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Diggle gets some cool badass moments in the first few episodes back, WM: "Yeah, Dig is a badass. When he decides to come back to Star City he’s going to have a cool interest." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "And yeah, Flashpoint will have an impact on him, especially in respect to his family life." (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger 
-- On how Diggle's marriage is doing, WM: "[Laughs] I think that in season four, we really explored how would Lyla react to this news that Dig killed his brother. At the end of the day, Lyla is a soldier and Dig is a soldier and I think that is going to keep their relationship on solid ground for a long time to come." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- Lyla (AMA) will appear in 504. (504 episode synopsis in SpoilerTV article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Sara Diggle  :(
-- Flash 302: We learn that Barry's time travel actions (Flashpoint) have permanently changed Diggle's child from a daughter, Baby Sara, to a son, Baby John. (Oct. 11, 2016 The Flash episode 302)
-- On whether we'll see Diggle and Lyla’s reaction to The Flash’s actions having turned their daughter into a son, MG: "I always say that, on Arrow, there is no secret that doesn’t eventually get discovered." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Diggle will react to Flashpoint changing his daughter to a son, DR: "Much more compassionately than you might think... Diggle can't miss anything he's never had and 'Flashpoint' changes history -- it changes his history directly -- so he never can really miss Baby Sara anymore, becuase he never had her, but he is concerned about Barry. Barry's actions were reckless, and with all that power, being reckless -- to someone as disciplined as Diggle -- comes as a shock." (Oct. 24, 2016 ComicBook article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)

John Diggle, Jr., AKA Connor Hawke
-- Flash 302: We learn that Barry's time travel actions (Flashpoint) have permanently changed Diggle's child from a daughter, Baby Sara, to a son, Baby John. (Oct. 11, 2016 The Flash episode 302)

Thea Queen AKA Speedy
-- WM: "One of the things we’re really excited about Thea is that she has struggled as much as Oliver to leave her family’s legacy behind. In season five she’s going to be figuring out she’s a lot more like her mother than she ever thought." (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific
-- Per MG, the costume worn by Curtis in 503 is not his "final costume."  MG: "We decided to give some of the recruits what we call proto costumes. They have to earn the final one. In terms of all of these characters becoming or being vigilantes, Curtis has the furthest to go. The evolution of Curtis, from comic relief and sidekick to butt-kicking superhero, is a big throw, in my opinion. The only way to do it properly is to watch him try, and then watch him fail, and watch him fail, and watch him fail. So, it’s going to be a real struggle for him, as we go through the fifth season." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Paul is not aware of what his husband Curtis is doing and if we'll see that story unfold, MG: "Yes, absolutely! We’re definitely going to be telling that story. I’m not going to tell you when." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "[W]e knew going into this season that we were going to have Curtis start transitioning into Mister Terrific, but we also knew that that's a very, very big turn for him because he's the one who's got the least experience fighting people... Even Laurel … it was always sort of said that Laurel had taken self defense classes. Curtis is an Olympic-caliber athlete, and that's all well and good, and certainly makes him more suited to do this than say I am, but it's still a tall order and that's something that we've always wanted to acknowledge in the storytelling. You should definitely anticipate poor Curtis taking his share of licks because he's got a long road ahead of him." (Oct. 12, 2016  AccessHollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "And with Curtis, he’s got the longest road to go — he’s not vigilante material. He’s got the Olympian background but he probably still has the most to learn and the furthest to go in terms of being a vigilante, and we’re going to try and honor the reality of that as much as we can in a superhero show." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread)
-- EK: “He’s definitely going to become Mister Terrific this season... I can’t wait for people to see it and I can’t wait to see how he grows within that. It’s going to be a fun journey for all the fans who are watching. ... It’s him not wanting to be the victim that really inspires him." Also EK: "Going through all the things he went through last year got his brain moving on what he wants to be doing with the rest of his life. Anyone would be rethinking life having gone through nuclear annihilation. So that accompanied with not wanting to feel helpless out on those streets of Star City is what pumps him up to want to get into the field and protect others and make sure he can protect his friends, family, and himself. ... There are going to be some challenges, for sure... Like Oliver [Stephen Amell] says, he’s the person who has probably been out in the field the least, who has the least amount of training. You’re going to see that come through. He’s going to have some growing pains, but the thing about Curtis and his alter ego is that you will see his determination. He’s determined to get there, he’s determined to be that badass hero that saves lives and helps humanity and the city. ... It’s played smart, though. I like the fact that it’s not he just puts on a suit and all of a sudden he’s kicking everyone’s ass. That’s not who he was, and he’s definitely going to have to build to get there. And he will. ... Curtis’ husband is definitely going to have some trepidation about what’s going on. It’s going to cause some ups and downs between them, in terms of your husband being out late nights and wondering what’s going on. But I think they’re strong enough that they can fight through that and have each other’s backs.” (Oct. 5, 2016 Nerdist article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis
-- MG: "Evelyn is such an interesting character because, A: we’ve got the history that comes from her involvement in [episode] 419 but also the fact that there’s a lot about her background that we don’t know. There’s an interesting mystery that is present in her character." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On how much they're drawing from previous iterations of Artemis in the comics or cartoons in helping to flesh out Evelyn's character, MG: "We’re trying to take some inspiration from Artemis’ look for her costume. It’s tricky because we decided we wanted to go with Evelyn as opposed to a brand new character for Artemis, but we’ve established this character as Evelyn, not as Artemis, last year, so we’ve got to be careful in terms of not violating anything we’ve established for the character before." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Oct. 23, 2016, MMcL tweeted: "With my girl Tally, Artemis' double, and our @JamesBamford. Bambam, this show, Artemis and my life are all better for knowing you." Also on Oct. 20, 2016, her stunt double, Tally Rodin, tweeted pic of herself suited up as Artemis with comment: "Yesterday Artemis was unleashed! Absolutely love doubling @madisonmclaugh as Evelyn Sharp/Artemis on Arrow ?? Last night was Season 5 Episode 3. Shout outs to an amazing team that really helps me grow and makes me feel like family." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet and tally instagram post, page 491 of Social Media thread)

Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog
-- MG: "Wild Dog is a very different challenge. It's a challenge of just getting this guy to listen to him and follow anything resembling an order and that's going to be tricky... I will say, it's been a great deal of fun sort of watching Oliver interact with someone who does not follow orders at all. That's a real issue for Oliver as one might imagine... His patience is tried in Season 5 with Wild Dog... It's a real challenge." (Oct. 12, 2016  AccessHollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Certainly I think writing for Rick Gonzalez’s character Rene has been a lot of fun, because he’s such a loose cannon. He could give a f*ck about Oliver. He doesn’t listen, he doesn’t take orders well, and we know from four years of experience how Oliver reacts to something like that." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Per RG, Wild Dog's relationshp with Oliver will continue to be a rocky one even once he joins Team Arrow.  Wild Dog isn't exactly comfortable with authority. (Oct. 10, 2016 ComicBook article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- RG: “He definitely is the lone wolf and wants to continue to be... You’ll see in Wild Dog’s mind he wants to take the information and skill training and run. ... Do I want to give [Oliver] my respect? Probably not... I think everyone has to earn Wild Dog’s respect.” Also, RG teased that Wild Dog may look at Artemis (Madison McLaughlin) along the lines of a little sister; however, Curtis is a very different story. RG: “He’s just a goofball to [Wild Dog]... He doesn’t respect him.” (Oct. 12, 2016 ScreenerTV article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- RG: "[He] will definitely have more of a connection with John Diggle... We’ve seen John Diggle become the person who is the voice of reason, the straight shooter everyone has to respect because his reasoning and his truth resonates. ... Wild Dog is someone who’s ex-military, who’s been through a lot. We’re picking up somebody who has a wealth of pain in his life but still wants to do the right thing... But I don’t think he’s mentally in a place to know how to do the right thing.” (Oct. 12, 2016 ScreenerTV article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Wild Dog wants to return the favor or quit when he gets his ass kicked by GA, RG: "Wild Dog definitely wants to return the favor. With Green Arrow, everything is black and white for him. There’s no denying the abilities of Green Arrow and everything that he’s accomplished. In the world of Star City, especially among the vigilantes out there, people know the abilities of Green Arrow, what he’s been able to save the city from, and the type of power that he possesses. There’s no denying that. That’s something that Wild Dog definitely takes into consideration. Green Arrow is somebody who’s formidable, and he’s probably one of the most formidable people on the planet. Of course, that’s knowledge, experience and a skill set that Wild Dog would like to absorb from him. But, does he like him and respect him? Not really. There’s not many people that Wild Dog respects. That’s the journey of Wild Dog, in terms of wanting to be somebody you can get along with. Him breaking down those walls inside of himself is what we’ll hopefully get to see this season." (Oct. 12, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On defying GA and going after Cody Rhodes' drug dealer character on his own, RG: "It was not intimidating for Wild Dog, at all. I think Wild Dog looks forward to that. That was so much fun. Working with Cody was awesome! He killed his part. He came in as a pro, knew what he was doing, and new how he wanted to do it. He just had a certain swag and energy about what he wanted to do with his character. I certainly appreciated it, and I know that Stephen and the rest of the crew did, as well. I think it’s awesome that you’ll get to see Wild Dog go up against that type of strength. That’s going to be pretty fun. I think that also speaks to who Wild Dog is, the type of abilities that he has, his skill set, his mental strength, who he deems himself to be, and how strong he thinks he is. I can’t wait for people to see that episode. It’s going to be so much fun." (Oct. 12, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- RG: "Wild Dog is not the easiest person to get along with. He definitely wants to create discord. He’s a pessimist and he’s stubborn, with a brooding, ominous energy. Ultimately, he does want to help people and do the right thing, he just feels he can do it in his own way. Being a part of this crew is fun, but at the same time, Wild Dog likes to do his own thing and create havoc. I’m not going to lie, that’s fun to play." (Oct. 12, 2016 Collider article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we are going to see anything about Wild Dog’s background as we move forward, RG: "Yes, I think we will. I think, in terms of the relationships that he makes — in terms of the way he interacts with people on the show — we’ll start to get a glimpse into who he is, what he’s been through, and we’ll slowly start to let those layers peel back. Ultimately, we’re going to show the discord he naturally creates with everyone because of the way he thinks and the choices that he… makes, in terms of his relationships and decisions that he makes on the field. We’ll start to see who he really is and what makes him tick." (Oct. 19, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Wild Dog gets along with the other new recruits, RG: "No. Wild Dog doesn’t really get along with anyone. That’s just not his thing. He struggles to really get along with anyone. As far as the recruits go, if anything, Madison McLaughlin’s character Artemis — she feels more like a little sister to him, someone who’s still really green about everything. Wild Dog is someone who has some sort of background in military, somebody who has his own skill set, is formidable in his own right — obviously not at the level of Green Arrow — but he’s been through a lot, he has his own experiences, and so he walks into the group feeling that, knowing that there’s stuff that I bring to the table that you guys have never ever seen or understood, so there’s no real respect for the rest of the crew. He could not have respect for Curtis Holt, Echo Kellum’s character, because he knows that he’s so green. He’s learning everything! Even the respect he has for Green Arrow is not really that deep. I think he’s a very black-and-white person; he gives respect where it’s due, like, “You are the Green Arrow. You got rid of Damien Darhk. You have the skill set. I want to learn it from you and I want to move on.” And I think that‘s the discord that he’s going to create in the group. With someone like Curtis Holt, that’s a goofball to him! That’s not somebody who he can respect. This will all be unfolding this season. People will see that happen fairly quickly." (Oct. 19, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per RG, Wild Dog will be in the 4-show crossover event. His character is not impressed with the world of superheroics that joining Team Arrow will bring him into, and he has serious problems with the super-powered types he'll have to fight alongside during the four-shot Invasion! crossover. RG: "I can’t speak on that, but what I can say is that Wild Dog will be in the crossover, and he has a huge dislike for metahumans... So we’ll definitely see him not exactly rub well with The Flash and Supergirl and that’s just another glimpse into his psyche and his ideas and thinking about the world and the idea that there are people out there who have these sort of powers and who they are. Instead of saying ’Wow, these people can do these things,’ he says, ‘no, I don’t like you because this is what you bring to the table. This is what you represent to me.’” (Oct. 10, 2016 ComicBook article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 10, 2016, RG posted pic of Wild Dog mask and Flash mask with comment: "Just gonna leave this here. #ArrowSeason5 #TheFlash #WildDog." (officialrickg tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Rory Regan AKA Ragman
-- Felicity will be feeling some guilt about Havenrock, which she’s reminded of on a daily basis every time she faces Ragman. On whether she'll tell him of her role in his city’s destruction, MG: "We talked a lot about that storyline, and Rory’s point of view and Felicity’s point of view... It was fun to actually get a chance to articulate the anti-Felicity point of the view and the pro-Felicity point of view. It made for a very interesting moral dilemma, and we got a chance to play with that.” (Oct. 19, 2016 Yahoo article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Rory will react to finding out that Felicity is responsible for what happened in Havenrock, MG: "I feel like he’s got a very human reaction. He reacts to it the way I think you might expect him to, but not in an overblown way. I think it’s very grounded and very human. We talked a lot about that storyline, and Rory’s point of view and Felicity’s point of view. I will say that a lot of times, you write something and you do a storyline and it has a very different reaction than the one you expected. I think we were all taken aback, not in a bad way but just surprised, that there was so much outrage over Felicity’s actions in Episode 421. People were upset at Felicity, somehow, for saving Monument Point, at the expense of Havenrock. It was fun to actually get a chance to articulate the anti-Felicity point of view, and the pro-Felicity point of view. It made for a very interesting moral dilemma, and we had a chance to play with that." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Rory's reaction to Felicity's confession, Joe Dinicol: “I will say his reaction is fairly unexpected. I think it’s very interesting how he reacts. It’s very specific. It’s a real window into the kind of guy he is. ... Even from him walking away when she told him… he’s a very thoughtful guy, very introspective; he doesn’t take things very lightly, sometimes in a good way, sometimes a bad way... When it comes to this, I don’t think his reactions are ever knee-jerk. He weighs things very carefully. He will certainly do that with this, and then what side he comes down on, we’ll see. ... After his family was killed, he’s at a point of reckoning. Like I said, things weigh on him, and… he wants to live honorably in the eyes of his father, and he doesn’t quite know how to do that... At first, he goes after the people that were sort of responsible in a sort of haphazard way; I think what Oliver does is offer him a way out of this, or a way through it, and that — and also Felicity telling him that she’s a part of it — he’s really being faced with the decision of how he’s going to move forward, of how he’s going to move through this stuff. He’s got a lot of tragedy, a lot of devastation to work through. I think he knows that he can’t do it by flying off the handle. I think he knows he needs people; he needs a family… This team is offering him something that I think he desperately needs.” (Oct. 26, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)

Frank Pike
-- Lt. Pike (Adrian Holmes) is now Captain of the SCPD. (Arrow 501)

Prometheus
-- On when Prometheus will become more of a threat to Oliver and the team, MG: "Episode 506 is when things really start to kick into a higher gear. It’s a 23 episode season. This is true for all the shows, especially when you have a big bad that’s introduced in the first episode, but you have to strike a balance between it becoming the Prometheus show and becoming very repetitive, and teasing it out. Episode 506 felt right to us because 505 felt like the end of a chapter, and then 506 kicks things into another gear." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what makes Prometheus different from the foes Oliver has faced so far, MG: "It’s a little hard to answer without revealing too much about Prometheus, so I’ll have to be a touch vague, but we couldn’t have done this character in Seasons 1-4. We kind of had to wait ’til Season 5 in order to do this character, so that alone makes the character very different. Yes, he uses a bow and arrow, but as we start to see in future episodes - and he already used three different weapons in 301 alone - he’s busy; he’s not just an archer, he’s got so many other tricks up his sleeve. They’re not magic tricks like Damien Darhk, but the character’s backstory and his raison d’etre and mission statement are all things that could only be done in Season 5." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On whether Prometheus is something that we're going to learn who he is later on, kind of like they did on 'The Flash' in Season 2, you find out later on and it's a bunch of people it could be, and whether it's mystery they're hoping to do, WM: "Our goal is definitely to keep you guessing, for sure." (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Prometheus is a villain that is a byproduct of Oliver Queen being Green Arrow. That's something that you get to do once you're five years into a show. In a lot of ways, I think the most success that we've had with a villain, in my mind, was with Manu Bennett as Deathstroke. One of the reasons is because we got to tell a really personal story. We got to tell the story, sort of the dueling time of their time on the island and then their time in the Starling City at the time. Because Prometheus is a villain of Oliver's creation, so to speak, I feel like it will bring in that personal element as well." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver finds out from the beginning that it's personal with Prometheus, or whether that's something where he realizes slowly over the course of the season why and how it's personal, SA: "The reason that Prometheus is doing what he's doing is something that plays out definitely over the first... I'd say during our fall run. I'd say by episode 9 we'll have a pretty good idea of what's going on." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per papp, Prometheus is not Tommy Merlyn. The actor has already been cast for Prometheus. (Oct. 5 & 6, 2016 y2john imdb posts quoted in Lily-n11 post, page 1188 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Adrian Chase 
-- 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)

Tobias Church
-- MG: "I think Chad is terrific and that's a fun character to write for. I think one of the things that makes Church a compelling villain is he's not just about taking down the Green Arrow... He's got a much sort of larger agenda in play. He's got bigger sights than just the Green Arrow. He's got other plans. ... We sort of laid in a few hints to it in [episode] 501. I would say that his plans are not exactly global. It's not world domination, but there's a reason he came to Star City and that reason does expand beyond the boundaries of Star City, and you'll have to keep watching to see what the holy heck it is I'm talking about." (Oct. 12, 2016  AccessHollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "He has a very simple drive. He’s a gangster, he’s a drug dealer and he wants to make Star City his newest playground. It’s very straightforward and again, an homage to the types of villains we saw in Season 1." (Oct. 5, 2016 Variety article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "He is one of our big bads and he's just a super badass. I mean, Chad is fantastic. He's a tremendous actor and … he took this role and ran with it and we've been really excited. The cuts have been coming in very strong and his performance is especially notable. We needed him to be scary and formidable and to provide some serious, you know, deliver some beat downs to the Green Arrow and he delivered." (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what chip on his shoulder does Tobias Church have against the Green Arrow, WM: "His problem is very practical. He has a very specific goal of coming in and taking over Star City as a criminal and the Green Arrow is the one thing standing in his way." (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Konstantin Kovar
-- Kovar's full name is Konstantin Kovar. (Name spoken by Oliver in Oct. 5, 2016 Arrow episode 501)
-- WM: "There are a couple of things. First we cast Dolph Lundgren, which is very exciting. He's going to be part of the Russian flashbacks and he's just a total badass. It's a fun piece of casting and watching kind of he and Stephen go toe-to-toe is going to be very entertaining. But really, I think the thing we're most excited about is going back to Russia and seeing how Oliver became a Bratva captain, how he got that tattoo and seeing what was it that happened there that brought him to the place where we saw him in the pilot where's basically this soldier, who's completely destroyed, has PTSD and wants to sleep on the floor. How did he get to that place? And it's a very gritty, dark underworld with the Bratva. We're really going to try and make it as real and 'grounded' is the word we keep using, but it's really true. We want to make it feel very 'Eastern Promises' -- as gritty as real as the Bratva, actually is. Hopefully the audience loves it. We're very excited about it." (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Kovar (Dolph Lundgren) will appear in three episodes. (Oct. 5, 2016 SlashFilm article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Kovar, MG: “You’ll meet him in episode 6... His first day of dailies were so strong that we figured out a way to expand his involvement, not in a huge way but slightly beyond the original three episodes that we had initially contracted him for... We knew we were going to have this character, and originally he was only going to be in three episodes... So we thought, if it’s only for three episodes, maybe we can spend some money and stunt cast. I hate using that phrase, but when you are going to get someone for a limited period of time, it opens you up to a wider variety of actors since you’re not asking them for a long-term commitment. Brian Ford Sullivan, one of the writers, threw out Dolph’s name. I was like, ‘That’s never going to happen, but yeah, sure. Why not try?'” Also MG: "By virtue of this character and the way we’re writing him and the way Dolph is performing him, he’s a wonderful mix in a way that we often haven’t had on the show in that his character is very erudite, but at the same time, he’s Dolph Lundgren so he’s very physically imposing... That’s a combination that we haven’t always had on the show.” (Oct. 12, 2016 Nerdist article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Susan Williams
-- Per her IMDB page, Carly Pope is in 503, 505, 506 and 507. (Sunshine post, page 1166 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Fan's tumblr post purported to have inside source that revealed that after Oliver finds out about Felicity's new boyfriend (in 505?), he has a one-night hookup with the female reporter played by Carly Pope, but immediately regrets it. Same source also said that female reporter leaves show by 507. (CleanQueen and dtissagirl posts, page 1180 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and wonderwall post, page 1181 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Derek Sampson
-- The villainous Derek Sampson (Cody Rhodes) is a drug dealer pushing a strange narcotic called “stardust,” which is named after the wrestler’s WWE alter ego. (Oct. 17, 2016 CBR article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether his Derek Sampson character is someone we can hope to expect see pop up on other DC shared-universe shows, Cody Rhodes: "I think hope is a great word. I don't want to give any spoilers away. The episode is one of those where when you watch it -- and I hope everyone watches this episode, I'm so proud of it -- and I think when you watch it you'll have you answer. And I think it's a pretty positive answer. The episode is rooted a lot on team building, as Oliver continues to build up his new team. But other things are also getting built. So there's more than a shred of hope, there's a lot of hope." (Oct. 18, 2016 IGN article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On who is Derek Sampson and why is he terrorizing Star City, at this point in time, Cody Rhodes: "Derek Sampson is a drug dealer. Star City finds itself with a lot of escalation in crime. All of these heroic elements in Star City, and everything the Green Arrow has done, brings out the worst in folks. I think about Vertigo and how that hit the streets, and then this situation where the drug Stardust, that Derek Sampson is pedaling, has hit the streets. I know a lot of people are aware that this season is back to the streets and we’re lifting the veil on who’s out there on the streets, and Derek Sampson is one of those individuals. How Derek Sampson begins the episode versus how we end the episode is really cool. He’s imbued with an ability. It’s almost an origin story, but a small one." Also on wanting to have some sort of ability on a superhero show, Cody Rhodes: "Yeah, you really do! Without getting too ahead of myself, I will say that it’s not the best ability. If you’re a foolhardy, braggadocios male figure who wants to charge forward in every fight, it has its pros and its cons, that’s for sure." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what Derek Sampson thinks of Oliver Queen, Cody Rhodes: "As far as the character [Stephen Amell] plays, Derek Sampson and him are the last two people who would ever have a drink together. Oliver Queen is very entitled and privileged, and he’s the worst type of silver spoon because he actually worked hard, in terms of when he was on the island and with the training. He’s earned it. So, this drug dealer just hates Major Queen."  (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what the deal is with Derek Sampson's face, Cody Rhodes: "There’s the face and body. That’s kind of a trial by fire for a first-time actor, to go through four-and-a-half hours of makeup. I can’t imagine how [wrestler and “Guardians of the Galaxy” star] Dave Bautista feels when I look at what he’s done as Drax. You’ll see in the episode that, obviously, something goes wrong. Sampson starts off as a second-rate drug dealer and ends this episode in a much different, and much scarier, mindset and attitude. He’s endowed with an ability that, for a foolhardy, drug-dealing male, may be the worst ability to give them." (Oct. 19, 2016 ComicBookResources article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)

"Tina"  :(
-- Casting call is for the Recurring Guest Star with Series Regular Option: Role of "TINA" in 511. (CastItTalent webpage in dtissagirl post, page 1163 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- In September 2016, Rapaport Baldasare Casting announced a video casting call for a principal, recurring guest star role 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
-- Arrow 511 "Tina" audition videos by Veronica Narang, Martell Elliott, Juliana Scaminaci, Luna Tieu, Katherine Caruso and Laris posted. (Sep. 22, 27, 29, Oct. 3, 2016 "Tina" audition videos, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- Candy Washington might have been cast for the "Tina" role. (Oct. 11, 2016 Cleanqueen posts, page 1172 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Ellen Hollman might have been cast for the "Tina" role. (Oct. 11, 2016 dtissagirl post, page 1172 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

New Black Canary  :(
-- 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)

Return of Laurel Lance
-- On Laurel's appearance in the S5 premiere, WM: "She's in the first one. I can't tell you how, but it's a fun – her reasons for being there are very emotional. I think it's definitely a moment of sadness. ... I'm not going to commit. I'm going to let you see it and find out what happens, but I'll tell that it has a huge impact on Oliver's decisions and will resonate throughout the season. You can't lose someone like Black Canary and not have it have a dramatic impact on everybody for many, many episodes to come." (Oct. 5, 2015 Access Hollywood article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Well, we find out something very interesting about Black Canary and that character and the idea of Black Canary in our premiere. And then it feels -- again, this term has been used too much -- but it feels like we are as a show focusing on the things that we do well." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 5, 2016, papp tweeted that Laurel is dead, that we'll only see her as a flashback or evil E2 version, and that she won't be back in her current BC form. (Canadagraphs tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how they will use WMiller, JBarrowman and KC, MG: "On 'Legends of Tomorrow' Wentworth and John will be members of the Legion of Doom. Katie is a far more interesting question because we actually have a story for Katie on 'Legends of Tomorrow' that I am super excited about. It could be the thing I’m most excited about. But it’s early, and we’re not ready to spoil what that’s going to be. I think it could be really, really awesome." (Oct. 11, 2016 IMDB article, page 206 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On what he can tease about KC's return, MG: "I will say it’s really been wonderful watching her in dailies again. I’m excited about our plans, but midseason is so far off, I have to be particularly stingy in terms of details." (Oct. 12, 2016 Mashable article, page 184 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Laurel's return: WM: “I can tease that she’s coming back... We’re really excited to have her, and it’s absolutely going to be a surprising, cool way that we bring her back." SA: “We find her in a very unexpected spot at a very, very retrospectively expected time." Per MMcL, Evelyn’s reaction to the Canary would probably be similar to her own response when she first met Katie Cassidy, saying: “Probably a bit star struck… they’re big shoes to fill... Meeting Katie, she was the sweetest; she totally embraced me and really welcomed me, and I have a feeling it would be a really similar encounter with Evelyn and the Black Canary.” GB revealed that we’ll be seeing Laurel in several alternate ways, saying: “She gets to play a couple of different things this year. She’s not just playing a character this year. She’s a couple of different things." On whether Black Siren is still on the table, GB nodded that yes, she is. (Oct. 25, 2016 GATV article, page 1191 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Other Possible Returns or Debuts
-- On what restrictions, if any, the show has for using Suicide Squad characters, MG: "It's always a case by case thing, so I never like talking about like, ‘Oh, this is what we can do going into the future.’ I don't know what the future holds because I haven't approached that case by case situation."  (Oct. 19, 2016 IGN article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- As of Oct. 17, 2016, SA said that he didn't know if Constantine or Roy Harper would be returning. (SA facebook video, page 484 of Social Media thread)

Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 504 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 4:  Penance
-- Production code: 504.  Shoot Dates: August 9-18, 2016. Director: Dermott Downs. Writers: Brian Ford Sullivan & Oscar Balderrama. Airdate: Oct. 26, 2016. (MG tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- 504 synopsis: "OLIVER STEPS IN FOR DIGGLE — Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Lyla (guest star Audrey Marie Anderson) team up on a secret mission for Diggle (David Ramsey). Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) finds out and disapproves of the plan and opts to stay behind. When Tobias Church (guest star Chad L. Coleman) launches a deadly assault against the city, Felicity must decide if she wants to send the recruits out sans the Green Arrow. Dermott Downs directed the episode written by Brian Ford Sullivan & Oscar Balderrama (#504). Original airdate 10/26/2016." (SpoilerTV article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG's Billy Joel Song pick: "504 – You’re Only Human." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 504 promotional pics posted. (TVLine article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- 504 dialogue tease: “You alright over there? Because I’ve been doing a lot of talking and you haven’t, which is very weird“. (ArrowWriters tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 7, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Off to script on #Arrow with my favorite Oliver/Dig story we've ever done. Get ready for some feels!" (briforsul tweet, page 39 of Spoilers thread)
-- In 504, Oliver decides to break Diggle out of prison, to the dismay of the rest of Team Arrow. (Oct. 24, 2016 DC All Access video, page 213 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- MG: "We pick up with Diggle [in the premiere] and he’s in Russia. He’s operating in Chechnya, but as member of the Special Forces. He is searching for that moral compass that he lost at the end of season 4. Without spoiling too much of what happens to Diggle, I will say that he discovers that Chechnya is the wrong place for him to discover his moral compass. Things do not go according to plan for him, and there’s something that happens in the first three episodes that’s fairly significant in terms of Diggle. It’s the circumstances that will ultimately bring him back to Star City, but he’s not going to be the same. He’s not going to be able to live his life the way he had been living it before. Things are going to get very, very complicated for him, for reasons I don’t want to spoil, but it leads to a very Dig-and-Oliver-centric episode in 504." (Oct. 4, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "At the end of 502, Diggle gets arrested and 504 deals with how Oliver handles that circumstance... It’s not so much about changing their dynamic as it is what lengths will Oliver go to for his best friend.” (Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Episode 4 is a big episode in how he comes back and the help he gets." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: heroesfanfest tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR said that he returns to find a new Arrow team and "he's going to have something to say about that." He's going to have feelings about "getting these new recruits back out into the field... how he feels about Canary, when she was in the field. So he's going to have strong opinions about it."  The way he comes back is "very interesting" and the story of how he comes back is "very very good." Episode 4 is "a very big episode in terms of how Diggle comes back to the team."  He's glad to be back, but it's a whole new team. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- jbuffyangel: "Then he [MG] said that Episode 4 is a HUGE Diggle and Oliver episode. He bashed his fists together to reference they will be FIGHTING. ... Then he said, 'We have something planned for Diggle. I can’t tell you what it is. I think fans will be shocked, but I think they are going enjoy what we are doing.'" (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Flashpoint, uh, does affect Season 5 of Arrow. In, um, a subtle way at the beginning and maybe more at the end. And you'll get it - um, episodes 3, 4, 5-ish." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- MG: "In the first five episodes, we face head-on the decision that Felicity made [that led to the destruction of Havenrock]." (Sep. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan concern about language saying Felicity killed thousands in Havenrock when it was Darhk who killed them, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "All I can say is: Episode 504." (Sep. 23, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Havenrock, EBR: "She's carrying this huge amount of guilt, and she's not letting it go in any way. All it's doing is festering up and around episodes 3-5 [of Season 5] we're going to see her break." Also, because of Havenrock, EBR understands that Felicity can no longer be light. (Sep. 1, 2016 NKD Magazine article, page 1129 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and page 467 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 10, 2016, SA posted instagram video indicating that they're shooting episode 96. Wearing all black, SA: "Great thing about this year is that we really did get Oliver's humanity and kindness"; then he pulls a black rubber mask over his face.  (lemotomato post, page 1116 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and SA instagram video, page 1117 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 11, 2016, Arrow production office tweeted "Cell reception here is terrible.... #Arrow" with pic of guys inside prison cell. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 11, 2016, Arrow production office tweeted "All Stunts on deck #Arrow" with pic of stunt guys on mobile bridge on a road over water in the middle of the city. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 12, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself with bloody nose and comment: "Worth it. Episode 96." (SA tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 12, 2016, MMcL tweeted: "Tonight we did some gnarly things. Also: for those living under a rock, Stephen's a total champ." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 12, 2016, Rick Gonzalez posted pic of himself with Josh Segarra and comment: "#BoricuasEnStarCity #JoshSegarra ???? #Vigilante #WildDog #ArrowSeason5." (officialrickg tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 17, 2016, SA said that they were shooting 504. He also said that he got kicked in the face while fighting with a stunt woman and that they shot a scene where there's "a bunch of blood in his mustache." (Aug. 17, 2016 SA facebook video, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 18, 2016 (early morning), SA posted: "Putting the finishing touches on Episode 504. 3 AM is late for a Wednesday. Or is it early for a Thursday? In any event... Things are shaping up nicely. Getting my snot locker x-rayed tomorrow because I trust my friends on this page. Thank you, Facebook." (SA facebook post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 18, 2016, What's Filming tweeted: "Heard that tonight's #Arrow location at Byrne Creek SS is being used for a prison scene involving Diggle." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 18, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is currently preparing for a shoot tonight at Byrne Creek Secondary." (VanFlarrowFan tweet linked in What's Filming tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 18, 2016, SA tweeted pic of outside of building with comment: "Night shoots." Looks like same shoot referenced in What's Filming tweet. (SA tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 18, 2016, EK posted b-t-s pic of himself with EBR, MMcL and JD. (echokells instagram pic in echok tweet, page 462 of Social Media thread)

Edited October 26, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 505 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 5: Human Target
-- Production code: 505.  Shoot Dates: August 19-30, 2016. Director: Laura Belsey. Writers: Oscar Balderrama & Sarah Tarkoff. Airdate: Nov. 2, 2016. (MG tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- 505 synopsis: "DC COMICS’ CHRISTOPHER CHANCE AKA HUMAN TARGET TEAMS UP WITH OLIVER — When Tobias Church (guest star Chad L. Coleman) captures and tortures one of Oliver’s new recruits, Oliver must turn to an old friend, Christopher Chance (guest star Wil Traval) AKA the Human Target, for help. Meanwhile, Felicity’s (Emily Bett Rickards) worlds collide when Detective Malone (guest star Tyler Ritter) joins the ACU. Laura Belsey directed the episode written by Oscar Balderrama & Sarah Tarkoff (#505).  Original airdate 11/2/2016." (GATV article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG's Billy Joel song pick: "505 – The Stranger." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 505 "Human Target" trailer posted. ("Arrow | Human Target Trailer" video, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- The S5 "Break the Rules" promo video included a shot of Felicity kissing someone in what looks like an interrogation room at the SCPD police station. Some speculated that Felicity is kissing Human Target pretending to be Oliver, while others speculated that she is kissing Detective Malone. (Sep. 28, 2016 S5 "Break the Rules" promo video, page 45 of Spoilers thread, and andyouloveher88 and TVWatchtower tweets, page 1148 of Spoilers thread)
-- 505 sneak peek video posted. (Video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- 505 promo pics posted. (SpoilerTV tweet/article and TVLine article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- 505 dialogue tease: "“That’s a nice knife. Maybe I’ll keep it after I kill you.” (ArrowWriters tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- Christopher Chance, aka Human Target (played by Wil Traval), will debut in 505 when he takes on a new client, Mayor Oliver Queen. (Aug. 18, 2016 TVLine article in MichaelAusiello tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG teased that 505 is "probably the most Olicity-centric episode we will have done in Season 5 so far." MG: "There's a very Olicity-heavy scene in [episode] 5. They're adults. At the same time, it feels a little like Season 1... I honestly don't know how many shows have done this where you've gotten two characters engage, broke them up, but still kept them together on the show as partners." (Aug. 16, 2016 IGN article, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether 505 will be a good Olicity episode, MG: "First, my definition of an 'Olicity' episode is one that focuses on them as a couple – be that past, present or potentially future.  Fans who enjoy their story will enjoy the episode.  Fans who want them to get back together in that episode will be disappointed." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "I still stand by my statement that Episode 505 contains, in my opinion, a very Olicity-ish scene." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On when the secrets come out that Felicity has a boyfriend and that Felicity is working with Green Arrow, MG: "It’s the classic thing of no secrets stay a secret forever on Arrow. Oliver is going to find out about Felicity’s boyfriend in Episode 505. Because I’m spoiling that, I’m not going to spoil when Felicity’s boyfriend finds out that Felicity is working with Arrow." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- From jbuffyangel: "Marc [Guggenheim] said that Episode 5 is a HUGE Olicity episode. I asked him if Oliver was giving up and he said, 'No! No no non no!' ... So then I asked, 'But are we going to see a rebuild?' And Marc smiled and said, 'Yes.' And then I said, 'Oliver’s still working on becoming the man that Felicity wants and needs??' He smiled and said, 'Yes. Absolutely.' Then I said, 'But it’s going to be a process? A long journey?' And he smiled again and said YES." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: jbuffyangel recap of conversation with MG, page 40 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)
-- WM: "[Felicity] is not with Oliver. They have broken up. We’ll get some answers in Episode 505, but we’re leaving them fairly ambiguous at the start of the season." (Oct. 3, 2016 IMDB article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the status of Olicity, WM: "It's still a partnership. I mean, the way we left them in the bunker at the end of last season was somewhat ambiguous and we will kick them off in a similarly ambiguous state. That said, you will find out some more right around episode 5. And, you know, I think we're just going to let the characters kinda take us where they will." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel and Comicbook and TVLine articles, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Olicity this year, WM: "Good question. I think that... in the past, we've really - one of the reasons that relationship happened was we wanted to write to the chemistry that was obviously palpable on screen between Stephen and Emily, and also really honor who those characters are, and [unintelligible words] leave them ambiguous at the end of season 4.  And you'll see them stay ambiguous for awhile. You'll get some answers - Olicity fans will get some answers in episode 5. Beyond that, we're going to write to see - you know, we're going to write to them the same way. If they take us in the direction of reconciliation, great.  If not, we'll see what happens... You'll find out a lot more clarity in episode 5... on Olicity." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "I know Olicity is a very sort of lightning rod of controversy on the internet. We left them in a very  ambiguous way at the end of season 4, and I think we'll get some clarity in the first five episodes, particularly in episode 5 of season 5. But, by the same token, we really - one of the reasons that relationship happened is we could really write into those characters and write into Steve and Emily, and we're going to do the same thing in season 5. We're going to kinda let the characters tell us where they want to go, and we'll see where we end up."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: DC Comics News video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to question about how they will deal with the tension with fans who are staunchly Olicity and fans who are staunchly anti-Olicity, WM: "What's interesting about Olicity is, it's become this big - as everyone knows, this huge thing online and everyone has taken sides. But for us, it was really a byproduct of you cast someone like Emily Bett Rickards and there is obviously chemistry and you start to write to that. And it really felt in seasons 3 and 4 that, if you didn't go in that direction, it was going to do a disservice to the show and to the characters. And so we leaned into it, we went that way, we saw what it could do, and in season 5, we're going to do the same thing, which is, we left them ambiguous at the end of the season and, I will say, you will get some clarity in episode 5 of season 5. But even then, we're going to be - we are going to be exploring it in, actually in real time, to see where the characters are taking us, and where we feel like the best stories are going to be told." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Showbiz Junkies video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On 505, SA: "Oliver and Felicity discuss a little bit about the relationship and, you know, where it is in this week's episode. Fun scenes." (EW PopFest, Oct. 29, 2016: Steam Pug and prince mojo videos, page 215 of Mind Your Surroundings thread, and Entertainment Weekly article & video clip, page 216 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) 
-- Fan's tumblr post purported to have inside source that revealed that after Oliver finds out about Felicity's new boyfriend (in 505?), he has a one-night hookup with the female reporter played by Carly Pope, but immediately regrets it. Same source also said that female reporter leaves show by 507. (CleanQueen and dtissagirl posts, page 1180 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and wonderwall post, page 1181 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Carly Pope tweeted: "And just like that, care of the @ARROWwriters, she became an unabashed fanboy overnight... #505." (Aug. 6, 2016 CPope tweet, page 1115 of Spoiler Discussion 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)
-- MG: "In the first five episodes, we face head-on the decision that Felicity made [that led to the destruction of Havenrock]." (Sep. 9, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Havenrock, EBR: "She's carrying this huge amount of guilt, and she's not letting it go in any way. All it's doing is festering up and around episodes 3-5 [of Season 5] we're going to see her break." Also, because of Havenrock, EBR understands that Felicity can no longer be light. (Sep. 1, 2016 NKD Magazine article, page 1129 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and page 467 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "Flashpoint, uh, does affect Season 5 of Arrow. In, um, a subtle way at the beginning and maybe more at the end. And you'll get it - um, episodes 3, 4, 5-ish." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video of full SA panel, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- Per DR, Diggle's new Spartan mask is revealed in 505. (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: coyotepunch tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR said that he got to wear his new Diggle mask "for the first time yesterday on set. I peed a little... You can finally see Diggle." It was originally supposed to be a Star Labs creation, but he thinks it's now a collaboration between Curtis and Star Labs. DR: "And it can do stuff, man... There's a digital readout. You can see things and maybe see through walls and stuff. And it also gives massages - it's awesome... I don't know if it has x-ray vision... That was a joke. It can do a lot of things, the producers told me.  I know that it can see far away, it has a binocular quality, but I don't know if it can see through walls." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 27, 2016: Video #1 recorded by steven alvarez, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Tobias Church, WM: "He has a huge agenda, which we'll be seeing part of the culmination of in [Episode] 5. And I think what he speaks to is the state of the city. When we come back to Star City in the beginning of Season 5, it's suffered multiple terrorist attacks, but unlike in the beginning of Season 4 when people were leaving in droves, people have come back. They're living there now, but there's a power vacuum. Damien Darhk is gone and a bunch of criminals have risen to fill those ranks. Vigilantes have also popped up to take him down, but unfortunately, they're not as skilled as Oliver is, and they're creating more problems then they're solving and the city is in a state of crisis. Church is coming in to capitalize on that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 19, 2016, SA said that they were shooting Episode 97.  (SA facebook video, page 463 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 19, 2016, Arrow production office tweeted b-t-s pics of underground sewer grate and shooting outside a building. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 20, 2016, SA tweeted: "Me, @EmilyBett & @WilTraval walk into an office... Fraturday at its finest. Please welcome Wil to the show." (SA tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 20, 2016, Wil Traval tweeted: "@StephenAmell @EmilyBett I couldn't have asked for a better day(night) one. Thanks." (WT tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 20, 2016, Wil Traval posted pic of himself with tweet: "Here is my new look as The Human Target #arrow #cw #humantarget #dressingroomselfie #loveit."  (WT tweet & instagram post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 21, 2016, EK posted b-t-s pic of himself with DR. (echokells instagram post, page 463 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 21, 2016, CLColeman tweeted pics of Vancouver on his day off from shooting Arrow. (CLC tweets, page 1123 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 24, 2016, SA tweeted: "Last night in the woods, with a fever, a shovel and no shirt, @officialrickg gutted out a great scene. Well done." (SA tweet, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 24, 2016, DR posted instagram pic of shirtless Diggle next to punching bag with comment: "Diggle is stripping in front of a heavy bag... But why??? #arrowseason5." (DR instagram post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 25, 2016, SA was "on set filming episode 97 in a stuffy, sweaty airport hangar." (SA facebook post, page 42 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 25-26, 2016, Arrow was filming at Pitt Meadows Regional Airport with simulated gunfire and explosion. (Oliver Queen Films notification letter, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Aug. 26, 2016, Wil Traval posted pic of himself on Arrow set and pic of himself with EBR. (WT instagram posts, pages 1125-1126 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 26, 2016, SA tweeted: "Shots that frightened me most in 97 eps: 4. Whenever Ramsey is mad at me. 3. Swinging in 201. 2. Squibs in 323. 1. Tonight's shot in 505." (SA tweet, page 464 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 26, 2016, SA said that they were waiting for it to get dark so that they "can shoot a scene on some steps." (SA facebook video, page 466 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 28, 2016, SA said: "We're filming Episode 97 right now." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video recorded by swtjazzybellz, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Aug. 28, 2016, in 2 truths and a lie, PB told a truth about a scene they just filmed where everyone was lying to each other. This scene was filmed with WH and Josh Segarra.  (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016): lschin12 tweet and lemotomato post, page 1127 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Aug. 28, 2016, PB: "There was an interesting scene the other day between myself and Willa and [Josh] Segarra... It was a very interesting scene. About halfway through I realized that everybody's telling lies - everything that everybody was saying to each other was a lie, from the character's point of view. And it was actually a brilliant scene because it was just - the whole thing was a lie. So that's a truth about a scene full of lies. In Season 5." (HVFF-San Jose, Aug. 28, 2016: Video #5 recorded by steven alvarez, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Aug. 31, 2016, WT posted pic of himself on set, wearing a beige prosthetic mask with x's all over it. (WT tweet & instagram post, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 1, 2016, SA tweeted: "Wrapped episode 97 last night. Most times I get to play two versions of Oliver. This time? Three." (SA tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016, SA tweeted: "Sometimes before a big Friday on Arrow I fire myself up by watching the last ep of Sex & The City where Big tells Carrie she's the one." (SA tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 3, 2016, fan tweeted: "stephen's favourite scene is in episode 5x05... it will be a big olicity episode... he hinted 'she's the one'... i'm screaming." However, the reference to "she's the one" may come from SA's Sex & The City tweet and may mean nothing to 505. (Salt Lake City Comic Con, Sep. 3, 2016: em@amellxrickards tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 26, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Lots of great stuff coming next week in 505. I'll be back in two weeks for 506, one of my favorite episodes (very lucky to be a part of it)!" (BFS tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Edited November 2, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 506 SPOILERS:

 S5, Episode 6:  So It Begins
-- Production code: 506.  Shoot Dates: August 31-September 12, 2016.  Director: John Behring.  Writers: Wendy Mericle & Brian Ford Sullivan.  Airdate: Nov. 9, 2016. (Aug. 31, 2016 MG tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- 506 episode synopsis: "SINS OF THE FATHER — When Prometheus ups his killing spree, Oliver (Stephen Amell) searches for connections between the victims. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Curtis (Echo Kellum) discover the victims have a mysterious link to Oliver’s past and this new secret could upend his new team. Meanwhile, Thea (Willa Holland) has a heart-to-heart with Lance (Paul Blackthorne), and Felicity considers telling Malone (guest star Tyler Ritter) the truth about her work. John Behring directed the episode written by Wendy Mericle & Brian Ford Sullivan (#506). Original airdate 11/9/2016." (SpoilerTV article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG's Billy Joel song pick: "506 – You Picked a Real Bad Time." (Oct. 10, 2016 MG tumblr post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 506 promo video posted. (CW_Arrow 506 promo video, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- 506 dialogue tease: "I generally don’t kid about something that could get me ten years at Iron Heights.” (Nov. 8, 2016 ArrowWriters tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- 506 promo pics posted. (SpoilerTV article link in tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- Regarding 506 promo pic of Oliver as GA talking to tall white guy in beige trenchcoat, there's speculation that the guy is from S1's Royal Flush Gang episode and that he's Prometheus. In 106-Legacies, the Royal Flush Gang was made up of Derek Reston (played by Currie Graham), Kyle Reston (played by Kyle Schmid) and Teddy Reston (played by Tom Stevens).  Derek Reston, the father, is the one who died in 106. Of those three actors, Kyle Schmid looks the most like the guy in the 506 promo pic. (Morrigan2575 and tv echo posts, page 1206 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On 506 title, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "There's a #Babylon5 joke in the script to go with the title. Couldn't help myself @straczynski, a big fan." (Aug. 31, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On 506 theme, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "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 tweet, page 90 of Target Practice thread)
-- On when Prometheus will become more of a threat to Oliver and the team, MG: "Episode 506 is when things really start to kick into a higher gear. It’s a 23 episode season. This is true for all the shows, especially when you have a big bad that’s introduced in the first episode, but you have to strike a balance between it becoming the Prometheus show and becoming very repetitive, and teasing it out. Episode 506 felt right to us because 505 felt like the end of a chapter, and then 506 kicks things into another gear." (Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Prometheus, SA: "We start to unravel some of that mystery in Episode 6, but for the time being, we just know that he's a guy who's using lethal force. And he looks, conveniently, like a very evil version of my character." (Pic of page 36 of TV Guide, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 issue, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- 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 Kovar, MG: “You’ll meet him in episode 6... His first day of dailies were so strong that we figured out a way to expand his involvement, not in a huge way but slightly beyond the original three episodes that we had initially contracted him for... We knew we were going to have this character, and originally he was only going to be in three episodes... So we thought, if it’s only for three episodes, maybe we can spend some money and stunt cast. I hate using that phrase, but when you are going to get someone for a limited period of time, it opens you up to a wider variety of actors since you’re not asking them for a long-term commitment. Brian Ford Sullivan, one of the writers, threw out Dolph’s name. I was like, ‘That’s never going to happen, but yeah, sure. Why not try?'” Also MG: "By virtue of this character and the way we’re writing him and the way Dolph is performing him, he’s a wonderful mix in a way that we often haven’t had on the show in that his character is very erudite, but at the same time, he’s Dolph Lundgren so he’s very physically imposing... That’s a combination that we haven’t always had on the show.” (Oct. 12, 2016 Nerdist article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 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)
-- 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 Aug. 31, 2016, Dolph Lundgren was in the Arrow production office. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016 (early morning), SA said that they just started shooting Episode 98. (SA facebook video, page 468 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016, SA tweeted: "Sometimes before a big Friday on Arrow I fire myself up by watching the last ep of Sex & The City where Big tells Carrie she's the one." (SA tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 6, 2016, Terri Schwartz (IGN) tweeted pics from the Arrow set of the Star City Mayor's Office, the Arrowcave, and Oliver's new business cards. (Terri_Schwartz tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 7, 2016, Tyler Ritter tweeted: "When long legs go from being seductive to haunting. love creepy shadow puppeteering with liluparma" with pic of two long-legged shadows. (TylerRitter tweet & thetylerritter instagram post, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papp was at an Arrow shoot at 104 Ave & 142 St, Surrey and said that he saw SA, DR, WH, EBR, EK, MMcL and RG. He also reported: "I was able to watch them film the zip line stunt scene, which was one part of a chaotic sequence featuring many extras. There were two visible fires and the flea market was crowded with extras who were running around in panic. Stephen was in the Green Arrow costume but he didn't zip line all the way down of course. He simply jumped and acted out the landing part. I think it's safe to assume that his double did the actual zip lining, but I did not see his double in action. Echo and David's doubles were reeled high up on the zip line. The order of landing is as pictured above. The Green Arrow leads the way, followed by Mr. Terrific and then Spartan. It was definitely awesome to watch this stunt! As soon as they all hit the ground, they ran to their right. This is where a switch occurred. David and Echo replaced their stunt doubles, and then joined Stephen. They all ran towards to the deranged flea market. ... Another short scene featured Madison as Artemis. She was in the middle of the chaos in the flea market. From what I saw, I think she heard or saw one or two children in distress. She approached them and then appeared to guide them to safety." (Vanflarrowfan blog post, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 8, 2016, papps posted b-t-s pics of Arrow shooting episode 506, which included shots of Oliver, Diggle, WIld Dog, Artemis, Ragman and possibly Mr. Terrific, and also pics of what looks like zip line stunt prep at warehouse and other exterior shots. (PUNKD_Images and VanFlarrowFan tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 9, 2016, fan tweeted: "we realized that the other hooded guy is Ragman! He was on the roof and in the formation on the ledge! :)." (heyolicity23 tweet, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Sep. 9, 2016, fan tweeted: "Little tidbit, O literally leaves everyone on the 'roof' except Curtis and Diggle who came down with him. ONLY those 3 ran in to the chaos" and "Artemis DOES save a little boy and his mom(?) but that's literally all I saw her do when I was there." (heyolicity23 tweets, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 9, 2016, fan tweeted: "He definitely looked to have more peripheral vision and it didn't go down as low kinda like ATOM level-ish" and "But it was definitely NOT the old mask." (heyolicity23 tweets, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Sep. 9, 2016, fan tweeted: " I believe Willa and Emily filmed earlier inside then left. If they filmed outside it was after I left. :(." (heyolicity23 tweet, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Sep. 10, 2016, SA tweeted "Filming" with pic of long-legged archer shadow in front of a warehouse. (SA tweet, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Sep. 10, 2016, WH posted pic of herself wearing a hospital gown. Unclear whether this is for Arrow or real life. (WH instagram post, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Sep. 11, 2016, MMcL posted pic of herself with CL. (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 1 of Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread)
-- On Sep. 13, 2016, SA posted b-t-s pic of himself on the Arrow loft set, wearing his GA suit and reading Sex and the City book, with comment: "Tuesday". (SA instagram pic, page 1133 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Sep. 13, 2016, SA tweeted: "That's a wrap on episode 98. I can't actually believe we're about to hit 100. Super lucky." (SA tweet, page 43 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 26, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Lots of great stuff coming next week in 505. I'll be back in two weeks for 506, one of my favorite episodes (very lucky to be a part of it)!" (BFS tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)

Edited November 9, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

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)

Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

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)

Edited November 16, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

ADDENDUM #4 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC

Back to Basics With Crime and Corruption
-- SA: "There's always a soundbite that comes out before a season. 'Back to basics.'.. Going into season 4, people were like, 'lighter tone.' I never totally understood that." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Closing a Chapter and Beyond S5: Flashbacks and Flashforwards
-- On what happens after five years of flashbacks, SA: "I think that going forward in Season 6, flashbacks in some way, shape or form, and that sort of - that story within a story, will always be a part of the show. But Oliver's journey and that five years that he was away, and the wig, thank god, after this year, will be retired... Maybe it's a flashforward, maybe there's episodes with no flashbacks. I couldn't tell you. But after this year, and there will be an after this year, despite those epitaphs, there will be some type of change." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article and periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Big 4-Shows Crossover Event (Arrow/Flash/LoT/Supergirl)
-- Teaser promo video posted for 4-way crossover event. (4-show teaser promo video and SpoilerTV article, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- Extended promo video posted for 4-way crossover event. (4-show extended promo video and andyouloveher88 tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- Sneak peek video for 4-way crossover event posted, featuring the Arrowverse heroes meeting Supergirl. (EW article, page 223 of Mind Your Surroundings thread, and 4-way crossover over sneak peek promo video, page 224 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Black-and-white "found footage" of soldiers fighting Dominator aliens posted, with comment: "CLASSIFIED: We are not alone. The Invasion begins Monday at 8/7c on The CW. #DCWeek." (Video clip in Nov. 22, 2016 The CW_Legends tweet, page 225 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- New crossover trailer posted (Felicity: "What was so urgent that you had to rush to Star City?"). (Nov. 23, 2016 alwaysbett tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- Two-minute "Heroes v. Aliens" promo for mega crossover posted. (Mega crossover "Heroes v. Aliens" promo video, page 225 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Another teaser promo video posted. (Nov. 26, 2016 CW Arrow tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- The CW's "Behind the Team" promo video for 4-show crossover event posted. (The CW "Behind the Teams" promo video, page 227 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- MB interview video posted. (Video of MB interview in looptab post, page 226 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On the 4-way crossover, SA: "It’s not twice as large, it’s like 32 times [bigger]... Our first A.D., Ken Shane, handed me this big piece of paper that was just five straight weeks of where I was going each day... It was hard work. I didn’t have a day off, but there was a spirit of teamwork this year that made it palatable.” (Nov. 25, 2016 TVLine article, page 226 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

OTA and New Team Arrow
-- From SA panel at HVFF-Atlanta, in response to fan saying that S5A sometimes feels like a different show with core characters being sidelined for new characters, SA: "When you say the first half of Season 5, you've seen seven episodes, so less than a third... It's incredibly important on a TV show that has to produce 23 episodes per year to introduce new characters. Um, and I think that, uh, between Rick and Joe and Madison and Josh, uh, and whomever I'm forgetting, because I'm definitely forgetting somebody, uh, I think we've done a good job of creating new dynamics. Uh, I read a scene in an upcoming episode between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne - which is a pairing that I thought I'd never see. And, you know, coming up pretty soon - probably a spoiler alert here - we do get to explore one of the new character's back story through flashbacks, which I always enjoy because I get days off... So I would just say that, through 7 of 23 episodes, I would say, keep the faith, keep enjoying. But, it is a television show. It is a forward-moving train and you gotta really work to find new characters, find new dynamics, cause, you know, the 12th episode, the favorite stuff that I read was between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne. And that stuff's important." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what he'd like to see for OTA in the 100th episode or the 200th episode, SA: "Oh man, the 200th episode. Hopefully, it's just us sitting around drinking tea. On a vacation together. Diggle's got like a six kids... A full gray beard. Once the flashbacks are done, I can do whatever I want with my facial hair, by the way. Just keep that in mind... Um, there's a fantastic scene in the 100th episode between, uh, Diggle, Oliver and Felicity in the Arrow Bunker-Cave-thingamajig. And, uh, it's an amazing and unexpected and weird scene." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: " Felicity and John Diggle, probably more so than any other characters, really facilitate the evolution of our hero, Oliver Queen. And, um - and I think the question of whether or not he's going to [burr?-unintelligible word]. I think that's going to come back under the table. I think you're going to see Oliver [I think he meant to say Diggle here] and Felicity in particular kind of, um, help our hero even become more of a hero, believe it or not. And I think they kinda facilitate that evolution. So, I think that's a big part of that. And I know that kinda takes away from their personal lives, but that's TV Land too. You have a hero and it's called Arrow for a reason. And it's about the evolution - and though you have these offshoots and these other relationships, it really is about Arrow - and these other characters kinda facilitate that. So I think that's a big part of it... There's a lot more story to tell with Diggle, uh, but I think the big part of it is how he helps Oliver become [a more effective hero? - not sure of these words]." (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Video of DR & NM panel, page 503 of Social Media thread)
-- DR: "Even though we've kinda gotten away from it so far, it'll be going back to kinda that core three because we really do think that's kinda the core of the show [not sure of these exact words]... But we'll find out through these - this new blood in terms of who fits into that. And I think they're kind of trying to figure that out right now. I think there will be additions to the team. Right? We lost a major piece of it. There needs to be - I think there needs to be more - some more feminine energy. It's kind of male dominated. And, um, we'll see. We'll see what happens with that." (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Video of DR & NM panel, page 503 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether Diggle and Felicity going to have any one-on-one scenes coming up, DR: “I hope so... I hope you get to see [the OTA of Diggle, Felicity and Oliver] more, in general, because I think the show has really missed that.” DR understands that S5 has “a big story to tell, and now you have more characters to tell the story,” but “I don’t think I’m misspeaking that the show really does hinge on those three and that relationship between them.” (Nov. 15, 2016 TVLine article, page 48 of Spoilers thread)

Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity")
-- Per jbuffyangel, MG told her that there is an Olicity flashback scene in 509 "that we are going ot lose our minds over (in a good way)." (Nov. 18, 2016 jbuffyangel post, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to Olicity fan who complained about Oliver never apologizing to Felicity for living a double life and planning to marry her and making her a stepparent without her knowledge or consent, and asking if Oliver will ever apologize to her, SA: "I would say that Oliver and Felicity don't lie to each other anymore. I think that's a step in the right direction... I think that he's paying for that, as it is, because they're not together and he clearly would like to be together if all things were equal, so I think that he's being punished for that already." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article and periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether it's fair and genuine to expect Olicity shippers, this really passionate fanbase that Arrow has built, to root for Oliver and Felicity dating other people, SA: "Sure. I mean, yeah. (Fan asked, 'Why?') Well, because it's a... TV show. (Audience laughs and claps)  And here's the thing. I love fandom and I love passionate fandom. And I think that Arrow has awesome, passionate fans. But here's the bottom line. You don't always get what you want. (Audience cheers and claps) I mean, look, sitting here, feeling unhappy about the state of their relationship, they're still functioning as a team. They're still serving a greater good. She could be dead. (Audience laughs) I mean, couldn't she? She could be dead. Oliver could be dead. The show could be off the air. There's a bunch of things. Arrow is so many things. And if you let it just become about one thing, then you forget about the bigger picture. RIght? Does that make sense? (Audience cheers and claps) So I would say that Oliver & Felicity's relationship as it pertains to saving the city has always been more important than their relationship as it just pertains to just - you know, are they,  aren't they, are they canoodling, are they not? So for me, them functioning as a team right now and being honest with each other is super important, and whatever happens with romance is whatever happens. Thank you." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread, and Video clip in OlicityIbelieve tweet and kalichica12 tweet, page 1227 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On the "perfectly reasonable question" asked by a fan at HVFF-Atlanta on Nov. 20, 2016, SA: "If I made one mistake, it was probably being slightly exasperated in my response. But I certainly stand by what I said. The question really stemmed around people that are supporters of Oliver & Felicity in a relationship, uh, feel disheartened, feel that the show isn't giving them, you know, what they want - or possibly what they deserve. Um, everyone is entitled to their opinion... So anyway, my response was very simple. It was, look, it's a TV show, things happen, um, and bottom line, you don't always get what you want - which is true, by the way... I stand by absolutely everything that I said. If possible, coulda been a little less, uh, uh, maybe - no, I stand by everything that I said. Some people took this to mean I was essentially putting down the fandom. As if to say that, if you support Oliver & Felicity as a couple, I consider you to be like less of a fan, or something like that. Here's the bottom line. I legitimately don't care - which doesn't mean I'm not interested - but I don't care why you like the show. Some people watch the show for romance. Some people watch it because they were fans of Smallville. Some people watch it for the action scenes. Some people watch it because they're dealing with something in their life and it's a method of escape. Some people watch it because their football team sucks and they don't want to spend a Wednesday night watching their team lose. The point is, is that it doesn't matter to me why you watch it. And to think for even a second that I would hold any faction of the fandom above any other faction of the fandom, that's lunacy. It's absolute lunacy. It's completely, utterly, totally untrue. Moreover, I am an employee of the show. I don't write it. Now, that's not a put-down to the writers. That's not me going, 'that's not my problem.' That's me literally saying, I'm not in the writers room, I don't write the scripts. It was not my decision to put Oliver & Felicity together, just like it wasn't my decision to pull them apart. Um, in addition, I said that Arrow is about more than one thing. And it is. And that's true. And I stand by that as well. So, I guess, what I would like to say is, um, I care deeply about the quality of the show and about everyone's experience within - uh, experience watching it. And if that makes you a part of the fandom, then fantastic and I'm happy you're here. Uh, I love all you guys. I really do. I'm so grateful that we have fans of this show. And I am so pleased that they're passionate. And occasionally, I am slightly dismayed that there seems to be almost an infighting amongst the fandom because one thing that we can all agree on is that the shared purpose behind us being a collective is the television show. And it is a television show. And to that end, I would say, take it with a grain of salt, do your best to enjoy it, certain episodes you're going to like, certain episodes you're not going to like... (Relates story of talking to WM about his concerns about an upcoming episode) That's the extent of my impact on the show. I read the script. I try to do the best possible job that I can. And I am constantly and consistently aware that if it weren't for our fans, if it weren't for people who watch the show, the show wouldn't be on the air. I mean, that's as simple - that's as easy to wrap your brain around as 'you don't always get what you want.' Right? Right." (Nov. 21, 2016 SA facebook video chat, page 505 of Social Media thread)
-- Fan report from HVFF-Atlanta: "Stephen says there's still hope for Olicity! Just met Stephen for his autograph. I told him about this page and how everyone is freaking out I asked him if there's still hope for Olicity he said, 'There's always hope. Don't give up.' He also asked me, 'but don't you still love their scenes together this year?' And I said absolutely. I will always love their scenes. He did joke and say more than once Billy has to die first. I told him to make it happen! Lol. But he said don't give up on them." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: OliverNFelicity facebook post, page 1228 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow
-- On the 100th episode, WM: “It definitely is a big mark for Oliver’s emotional journey this season...The good thing is, he’s going to go into it in a dark place and he’s going to come out of it with a renewed sense of his mission and a renewed drive to get [season five’s big villain] Prometheus.” (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I don't think Oliver is the happiest he's ever been. Certainly not. But I think he's the most [content/intent?] he's ever been because he's found that middle ground, that what he does is not an easy job in this awesome, fantastic, fictional world that we live in, but, you know, if you're going to do it, you have to be prepared to go all the way." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article and periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan asking what he thinks is Oliver's biggest regret, SA: "It probably is not [lying to] Felicity because he's had literal family members murdered in front of him. Sorry. I think his biggest regret is probably not being able to save his mom. For sure." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article and periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver and Diggle will continue to alternate being the voice of reason for each other, DR: "I think so. I think you'll see more of that... I think for the most part - and you'll see some of it this season - Stephen has a moment where Diggle is there once again to console, exhort, and, uh - because Oliver [gets/is?] going through something very traumatic. And, um, I think, even though you see that kind of see-saw in terms of who takes the lead role in kind of being the mentor, I think for the most part you'll see Diggle taking that [mantle?-not sure of word]." (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Video of DR & NM panel, page 503 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "I have a shirtless scene tomorrow, I think, actually... It's not a workout scene though." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch
-- SA: "Um, but in the latter half of the season, there's a really interesting thread for Emily's character and I, uh, think that the fans are really going to enjoy it." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EK, we will definitely see Curtis and Felicity putting their heads together "to figure out different issues, crimes, baddies" in the Arrowcave. There will also be some fun scenes of them making excuses to their significant others about what they're doing during the day, since they no longer work at Palmer Tech. (Nov. 15, 2016 The TV Addict video of EK's on-set interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK: "I will say that Felicity is involved in whatever scheme he's putting up to tell his husband what he's into" and it'll be an "interesting reveal." (Nov. 15, 2016 The TV Addict video of EK's on-set interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread)

Detective Billy Malone (Felicity's New Boyfriend)  
-- On how Felicity and Billy met, Tyler Ritter: "At this point, I don’t know whether the producers or writers are planning to go into the backstory. (That’s not me just saying that, I really don’t know). Sometimes they keep the actors in the dark a little bit just so we don’t accidentally slip up – as we’ve been known to do. (laughs)." (Nov. 16, 2016 Talk Nerdy With Us article, page 192 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On what it's going to be like for Billy Malone and Oliver to work together, TR: "Well… obviously, they’re two tough, ambitious men. They’ve got a serial killer on their hands, crime is horrible, drugs are coming into the city – but at the end of the day there’s still a girl that they both have strong feelings about, so I think the 'alpha' in both of them is very much alive. To say it won’t be awkward or uncomfortable between the two of them is… a little bit of an understatement. But, I do think that the professionalism for them comes first, so… maybe they’ll make it through." (Nov. 16, 2016 Talk Nerdy With Us article, page 192 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On how he would feel if Billy turned out to be Prometheus, TR: "Well… I’m a little torn. As an actor I think it would be really fun to tap into that dark side, especially just being this all-around great guy in Billy Malone, to really flip it 180 into this evil serial killer would be an interesting adventure for me." (Nov. 16, 2016 Talk Nerdy With Us article, page 192 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On what he can tease for Billy coming up, TR: "Hmmm… well, it’s safe to say that he’s clearly still got some stuff to work out with Felicity, so there’s going to be some relationship building blocks to put in place, and we’re gonna finally see him out on the job [as a detective] getting more hands-on involved, so that will be cool." (Nov. 16, 2016 Talk Nerdy With Us article, page 192 of Starling City Times thread)

John Diggle AKA Spartan
-- Per DR, Diggle’s new helmet, a STAR Labs, creation can do cool things. (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Pop Goes the World article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- Diggle's helmet has been majorly tweaked. Per DR, it was originally supposed to be a Star Labs creation, but now it's a Star Labs/Felicity/other people combination. He still doesn't know what all the helmet can do now. (Nov. 15, 2016 Seat42F and The TV Addict videos of DR's on-set interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Like, there's some loose ends to tie up with David's character before he can move forward, cause he's sorta stuck living in exile at the moment as a felon, so to speak." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger 
-- DR: "And, I think the other part of is, I think you're going to flesh out what's happening between Lyla and Diggle because Lyla is now Amanda Waller. She commands, um, you know, a kinda shady, nefarious group of superheroes in the Suicide Squad. And, um, even though we aren't really talking about Suicide Squad, she's still part of that organization. So I think we'll kinda flesh that out." (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Video of DR & NM panel, page 503 of Social Media thread)

Sara Diggle and John ("JJ") Diggle, Jr. AKA Connor Hawke
-- On Barry/Flashpoint changing Diggle's child from daughter to son, DR: "I can tell you, it is important that he finds out... Secrets don’t say secrets for long, as you know. People say that all the time on this show and that’s true. I think his reaction is going to be a lot more compassionate. Diggle can’t miss something he’s never had. He’s being told he had a daughter but he doesn’t know he had a daughter so he can’t really miss it. So it’s less of what you think his reaction might be because we have the benefit of knowing he had a daughter because he doesn’t know. So I think his reaction is going to be a lot more compassionate toward Barry, who has this extraordinary power and just kind of recklessly used it.” (Nov. 16, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On finding out that Baby Sara was turned into Baby JJ, DR: "I have a few things to say about this. First of all, I don't see any reason why Diggle and Lyla just can't have another child... Second of all, my genes are really, really powerful because there's not an ounce of Caucasian in John Jr. (Audience laughs) No, there isn't... You see Diggle's reaction to understanding that he once had a daughter in the big, 4-way crossover that I'm sure everyone here is looking forward to. And he's going to be a lot more compassionate than you might think. Clearly, Diggle can't miss something that he can't have, so from his perspective, there's been only John Jr. Sara never existed, really... He's not going to be angry. He's going to be much more concerned about Barry's misuse of his power, um, which is a good story point. It's a good place for Diggle and Barry to kinda find some common ground in Barry's own soul-searching." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 19, 2016: Video of Arrow panel with DR, WH, KC, PB and CR, page 504 of Social Media thread)
-- On how he feels about the legacy of Sara not being honored by Baby Sara anymore, DR: "That sucks! ... I think the writers are gonna bring it back around. ... How will Diggle who has a tendency of honoring the dead honor someone like Sara since he no longer has a [female] child? ... I think we’re gonna get to that. I don’t know yet. I think it will be an injustice that Diggle didn’t honor Sara’s death in some way.” (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 19, 2016: ComicBook article and Video of Arrow panel with DR, WH, KC, PB and CR, page 504 of Social Media thread)
-- On which is his favorite child, Baby Sara or Baby John, DR: "It's a tough one, man. You know, Baby Sara's really close to my heart, little brother. She's really close to my heart. She was just great. I mean, it was - I mean, she was really, really good. They would do cutaways to Baby Sara, like when the scene was dying, they would cut away to her and she'd be some quick look like... (makes facial expression) .. and everybody would coo, like, 'oh, she's great,' like a third of the scene would be cutaways to Baby Sara. So, uh, I would say Baby Sara. Though I love John Jr. But you know, they have to connect that whole John Jr. thing to Connor Hawke... It's all theory until it actually happens, but yeah, that's supposed to happen. And somehow or another, he doesn't save John Diggle someplace in the future. We don't know how this all works out." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 19, 2016: Video of Arrow panel with DR, WH, KC, PB and CR, page 504 of Social Media thread)

Thea Queen AKA Speedy
-- On whether she'll be wearing her Speedy costume again, WH: "Yeah, I definitely do! I miss that leather outfit a lot... I miss being in the Arrowcave. I miss shooting on set all the time! ... The crossover photos have leaked out…You see that I put my costume back on after 8 episodes of not wearing it... I have a feeling she’s going to be periodically putting it back on whenever it’s necessary.” (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 19, 2016: ComicBook article, page 504 of Social Media thread)

Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific
-- On his Mr. Terrific costume, EK: "Yeah, that costume is a prototype too, so there's a different costume that he acquires later on in the season, once he figures out exactly what he's doing out there.. you know, the best hero he can be out in the field. So Terrific 2.0 will be coming soon." Per EK, it takes 3 hours to braid his hair for Mr. Terrific. (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of Arrow panel with EK, NM, AG and BTK, page 505 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether he had any idea that Curtis would become Mr. Terrific so quickly, EK: "I definitely didn’t think it would happen this fast, this season.  I thought it would probably be towards the latter part of the season.  I think that’s probably why the suit is a kind of prototype and then later it will be basically the final form.  Basically, becomes a full-fledged hero in the later arc of the season." (Nov. 24, 2016 Flickering Myth article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see Curtis picking up more fighting/martial arts skills over the course of this season, EK: "The arc of this season, I think even in the first episode we establish that Curtis has the longest way to go.  He has not studied the arts and stuff like that.  He was an Olympian, extremely intelligent.  He can pick up things quickly.  I think that’s something we’re really going to start diving into, that this makes Curtis the best team mate possible. What skills he brings to the forefront.  I think that mixed in with the tech stuff we will explore more in the later seasons." (Nov. 24, 2016 Flickering Myth article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what we can expect to see from Curtis the rest of the season, EK: "I definitely think you’ll see him trying to figure out his place on the team and the best way to move forward.  He’ll struggle with their relationship and it’s very much a big journey for him."  (Nov. 24, 2016 Flickering Myth article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- As of now, Curtis' husband doesn't know that he's a vigilante. Per EK, when his husband does find out, he definitely won't be happy: "I will say that Felicity is involved in whatever scheme he's putting up to tell his husband what he's into" and it'll be an "interesting reveal." (Nov. 15, 2016 The TV Addict video of EK's on-set interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EK, we will definitely see Curtis and Felicity putting their heads together "to figure out different issues, crimes, baddies" in the Arrowcave. There will also be some fun scenes of them making excuses to their significant others about what they're doing during the day, since they no longer work at Palmer Tech. (Nov. 15, 2016 The TV Addict video of EK's on-set interview, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- When Laurel returns in the midseason premiere (510), EK: "Curtis definitely will interact with her. I can’t really give up too much as far as what that interaction will be… We’ll see how it plays out." (Nov. 22, 2016 We Got This Covered article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK: "Well, I am just on Arrow’s part of the crossover, but I definitely played an integral part in helping them figure out exactly what’s going on with the Dominators." (Nov. 22, 2016 We Got This Covered article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis
-- RG posted a pic of Oliver and Evelyn, with the comment: "Mads!! Very dope pic!! We all miss ya!" (Nov. 16, 2016 olicitymafia tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- MMcL would neither confirm nor deny Artemis’ involvement in the 100th episode: “I cannot confirm anything! I can tell you that the 100th episode is really special, and — as a fan of the show — when I read the script, I cried and I laughed and I got very nostalgic... I mean, so many of our cast from Season 1 comes back, so it’s really special to see that, especially as a fan of the show. It’s really cool.” On whether or not the idea of an alien invasion will alter the way Evelyn sees the world she’s a part of, MMcL: “I think absolutely, it definitely opens the eyes, especially of our new recruits. It kind of gives them a taste of what they signed up for and what this life is and what goes on. It’s cool to kind of see them take that in.” (Nov. 21, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog
-- Per RG, we will see Wild Dog's back story. (Nov. 15, 2016 CW Arrow facebook Q&A with RG, page 502 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether Wild Dog will get a new uniform this season, RG doesn't think so, but if Wild Dog sticks around for next season, maybe he'll get a new costume or suit upgrade then. RG thinks that Wild Dog needs an "edge" or "some fresh gear but still scary" added to his costume. (Nov. 15, 2016 CW Arrow facebook Q&A with RG, page 502 of Social Media thread)
-- RG thinks that Wild Dog's weakness is "the pain that he walks around with inside him" and that he struggles with. (Nov. 15, 2016 CW Arrow facebook Q&A with RG, page 502 of Social Media thread)
-- RG doesn't think that Wild Dog is a chauvinist but more of a "closed book" who's "struggling to open up to the crew" and that WIld Dog "mirrors a lot of traits that Oliver had in the first season." (Nov. 15, 2016 CW Arrow facebook Q&A with RG, page 502 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether Wild Dog will stop calling Felicity "Blondie," RG: "Absolutely not. Don't ask me again." (Nov. 15, 2016 CW Arrow facebook Q&A with RG, page 502 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "I think we've done a good job of creating new dynamics. Uh, I read a scene in an upcoming episode between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne - which is a pairing that I thought I'd never see. And, you know, coming up pretty soon - probably a spoiler alert here - we do get to explore one of the new character's back story through flashbacks, which I always enjoy because I get days off... It is a forward-moving train and you gotta really work to find new characters, find new dynamics, cause, you know, the 12th episode, the favorite stuff that I read was between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne. And that stuff's important." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR hopes to tackle the issue of PTSD, not only with Oliver, but also Diggle and Rene/Wild Dog that were briefly touched on in a previous episode. (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Pop Goes the World article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we can expect Wild Dog to go on a date with Thea, RG said that he read those scenes as moments where Wild Dog was being selfish and going after something he likes. RG then added: "He's not shying away from wanting that - that connection with her, but, um, will she reciprocate? That's another story. So it'll be interesting to see if that even happens, you know, um, which is - which is great. But I will say that there's going to be a lot of other different connections for Wild Dog to encounter in this season that I - that I know about that's going to be awesome. So yeah, it's going to be great." Later RG said that Wild Dog does have a thing for Thea, but he doesn't think she'll bite. He thinks that Wild Dog struck out. (Nov. 15, 2016 CW Arrow facebook Q&A with RG, page 502 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether Wild Dog will be in the 4-way crossover, RG confirmed again that he will be in the crossover, including the 100th episode. He also said that Wild Dog thinks that aliens and metahumans are "weird" and only "bring more trouble." He doesn't like the idea of aliens and metahumans. He doesn't view them as a "positive." (Nov. 15, 2016 CW Arrow facebook Q&A with RG, page 502 of Social Media thread)
-- Asked if he could confirm that he was in the crossover, RG: “Yes. Yes, I can. And I can also say that he has a gigantic dislike for metahumans and aliens.” Per RG, there’s a little more to his dislike for metahumans beyond his stubbornness: “I’ll leave that for the audience to see in episode 8. He has his reasons.” On whether the Invasion! crossover will justify these prejudices in Wild Dog’s mind, RG: “I can’t really say, but what I can say is just — I just want to put out there that he doesn’t really want to get along with the metahumans and aliens, so I think the idea of the Dominators and all that stuff is all just crap to him. I think the audience will get a kick and kind of see who is and why he dislikes these people so much and how that might change him in a way. I think every moment is a moment for Wild Dog to kind of grow, and that’s kind of nice, so we’ll see that. Even episode 3 we kind of got a glimpse into him realizing that he isn’t more of a team player.” (Nov. 21, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Rory Regan AKA Ragman
-- Per JD, Ragman is in the crossover: “The great thing about the show is that the show uses humor in a really wonderful way to deal with some of this stuff, even just from the name Ragman... It’s not just said and then they’re like, ‘Yeah, that’s a normal thing that we do. We call someone Ragman.’ There’s certainly humor, especially within the new group. ‘Oh, now there’s an alien invasion. Okay, well, I’m Ragman. Okay, we’ve just got to swallow that.’ So certainly humor will be part of that, and then the seriousness of the situation will also dictate how they deal with it.” (Nov. 21, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Quentin Lance
-- SA: "I think we've done a good job of creating new dynamics. Uh, I read a scene in an upcoming episode between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne - which is a pairing that I thought I'd never see. And, you know, coming up pretty soon - probably a spoiler alert here - we do get to explore one of the new character's back story through flashbacks, which I always enjoy because I get days off... It is a forward-moving train and you gotta really work to find new characters, find new dynamics, cause, you know, the 12th episode, the favorite stuff that I read was between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne. And that stuff's important." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Prometheus
-- One 509 promo pic shows Oliver and Diggle inside a building with a "Claybourne Pharmaceuticals Level 6 Area A" sign on the wall. Per Arrowverse Wiki, one of the names that appeared on the list in Robert Queen's book was "Justin Claybourne." (Nov. 23, 2016 SpoilerTV article, page 49 of Spoilers thread, and TVLine article & Arrowverse Wiki link, page 1231 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Another 509 promo pic shows flashback scene of S1 Oliver in a Claybourne Pharmaceuticals lab with a dead guy on the floor. (Nov. 23, 2016 SpoilerTV article, page 49 of Spoilers thread, and TVLine article, page 1231 of Spoiler Discussion thread

Adrian Chase and the Vigilante
-- On 507 and the Vigilante, Josh Segarra (JS): “I don’t want to say too much, because I’m actually really excited to surprise everybody... We get to meet Vigilante. What’s been important to me is that when I watch something that’s based off literary script, I’m excited to see the parts that I imagined in my head the most. So when I started reading the Vigilante comics, there were of course parts that I was just, ‘Oh, my God, I hope I get to do this! Or I hope I get to go down on this road!’ And so far I’m getting to do a lot of those things. Episode 7, when you finally meet Vigilante, it’s a pretty exciting time, I think, for Chase and for the Vigilante.” (Nov. 16, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread, and Nov. 16, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- In the comics, Star City's D.A. Adrian Chase took up the Vigilante mantle to seek justice for his family’s murder by mobsters. On how the show will adapt those comics, JS: “I don’t want to say too much — I’m actually really excited to surprise everybody — but we get to meet Vigilante... I know what’s been important to me is that when I watch something that’s based off of a literary script, I’m excited to see the parts I imagined in my head the most, so when I started reading ‘Vigilante’ comics there were of course parts that I was just like, ‘Oh my god, I hope I get to do this!’ or ‘I hope I get to go down this road!’ And so far, I’m getting to do a lot of those things. Episode 7, when you finally meet Vigilante, it’s a pretty exciting time I think for Chase and for the Vigilante.” On how Chase will not leave the DA's office behind, JS: “Yeah, you know, I think we’re going to be trying to figure out how to clean this city... That’s been the most fun about this journey is that, you know, being a fan of the show, you get to see what Oliver goes through. So I kind of, in a way, get to be a fresh start. Obviously, Adrian is obviously coming from a lifetime ahead of this before you meet him in the episode, but it’s fun to kind of come into this world in real life, as Josh, but also as Adrian — come into the city and see what we can do and meet all these new characters.” On whether we'll see him interact with some new characters sometime soon, JS: "Absolutely. Yeah, I was dying to meet other characters too! I was like, ‘Dude, Steve [Amell], you’re cool and all, man, but where’s [David] Ramsey over here?!’ Chase starts getting a little bit more involved into the rest of the world, so right now — you know — getting to meet some important folks and you’ll see where he sits later on.” (Nov. 16, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Konstantin Kovar
-- On whether Kovar will be a bit of a slow roll out because he's a man of mystery right now, Dolph Lundgren (DL): "Yeah, well, he's a man of mystery to me too because, you know, I'm not creating this show (laughs). … And that's another fun thing about it different than a feature, because you know where it's going, but here, you don't really know and I guess nobody really knows until they see the footage. And like Guggenheim said, he saw the footage and they changed their idea of I guess how the character's displayed and so forth. But ... he is a mystery guy. He obviously is an enemy of Stephen's character, but there is something there in him, where I think there's a little feeling of there may be more to it than meets the eye, because there are other players in … that arena that are also bad or negative. So, there may be different shades in this guy that we haven't seen yet." (Nov. 16, 2016 Access Hollywood article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Kovar will have any interest in converting Oliver to his side, DL: "(Laughs) Well, that would be nice. … Yeah, for sure. I think there's some interest of that, definitely. … Yeah, I find there's sort of a desire for my character to explain himself and to sort of make the other fellow understand what I'm doing and I think the next step to that would be to kind of try to sway him maybe to come over to our side." (Nov. 16, 2016 Access Hollywood article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how soon till we get to see him doing some fighting and action stuff, DL: "Well, there's a little bit in the next episode. There's a little bit there and hopefully more to come." (Nov. 16, 2016 Access Hollywood article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether he's having fun doing Arrow, DL: "Yes, it has been a blast. It's fun to play this character. I think he was well-written and I have a lot of fun with it, and the fact that I don't really know where it's going is interesting because I have to keep the character alive sort of within myself over quite a long period of [time]. ... I know it's going to be six months for sure because I'm doing some stuff in February. So yeah, that's interesting. And yeah, it's sort of endearing to have this Kovar fellow be there almost every day in my life too, to be ready for the next shot. So I'm enjoying it. I'm sure the future will be even better." (Nov. 16, 2016 Access Hollywood article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Kovar, DL: "He’s a mystery man. He works for some faction of the Russian government. He’s working against that Bratva Brotherhood, the people Arrow is affiliated with. Kovar is a successful, street-tough guy. He’s probably ex-military and has risen in the ranks. He’s now quite wealthy, but he still works for his people, whoever they are. That isn’t quite clear yet. I don’t even know myself, but I have my own theories. I make up theories as I do the scene and work on the character." (Nov. 16, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how villanous does he see Kovar, DL: "Never judge your character. He’s not a villain at all. He’s the good guy. He’s trying to keep these Bratva thugs from killing people and destroying society over here in Mother Russia. Basically, if you are working for the CIA and you have to kill somebody – why do you have to kill them? Because they are an enemy of the United States. You get a medal for that and I think Kovar gets a medal as well from his country when he does something good. ... So far, from what I’ve seen, he’s basically trying to protect his nation from insurgence. He does it in his own stylish-way. Obviously, I’ve run into this one American operative who is quite skilled and could be useful. That’s why Oliver is still alive. I want to use him for something. ... I do realize it’s all flashbacks, and somehow it’s part of the bigger story. Things that happen in the past affect later on. To me, it happens now, and I’m in the scene with Arrow and doing my thing. There’s some mutual respect, or, at least respect from my side. I think Kovar is somehow going to try to utilize Oliver in some way for his own gain. That will lead to some adventures that will make Arrow the man he is today." (Nov. 16, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Kovar and Oliver are evenly matched, DL: "I don’t know everything yet, because there’s only a short exchange in the next episode. Their styles are quite similar. It’s pretty straight-forward and tough. Oliver doesn’t do backflips or slide along the floor. Kovar is the same. He’s slightly bigger, but Arrow is a big guy, too." (Nov. 16, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what else has him pumped about Kovar’s storyline, DL: "I’m interested in the complexity of this guy. Sure, obviously he’s dangerous and on the Russian side. But, it’s a little unclear about what his motivations are. Who is Kovar working for and what is his ultimate goal? There’s more layers there to be explored and to have fun with me as the actor." (Nov. 16, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Anatoly Knyazev
-- On whether Anatoly has an ulterior motive for helping Oliver, David Nykl (DN): "Is it possible that he has any ulterior motives? Look at me! Do I look like I have ulterior motives? I think given that he’s the Russian mafia, I think there’s probably something going on that neither you or I know yet. That’s all I can answer, because honestly that’s all I know!" (Nov. 11, 2016 CBR article, page 191 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Anatoly evolving from a helping hand to a stone cold killer, DN: "It’s a fine line. Calling someone a bad character is always a misnomer, because no one’s really bad; they’re either misunderstood or they’re just trying to do something and they’re not going about it the right way. I really think he’s just a simple sort of guy that has got caught up in deeper situations. There’s more to him than meets the eye." (Nov. 11, 2016 CBR article, page 191 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On whether Anatoly will take on his comic book persona of KGBeast, DN: "I am aware that that is his alias; I haven’t heard or seen any indication yet that that may happen, but it may not as well. It’s hard getting answers out of us, isn’t it? Because in many cases we honestly don’t know!" (Nov. 11, 2016 CBR article, page 191 of Starling City Times thread)

Tina Boland 
-- Juliana Harkavy (JH) won 2016 iHorror Award for Best Actress in Horror Film for Last Shift. (Nov. 21, 2016 glennpackard tweet and Sep. 28, 2016 JH tweet, page 1230 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 17, 2016, SA posted pic of himself with JH, EBR, JD, EK and DR, all wearing characters' casual business attire. (SA facebook post, page 1221 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 17, 2016, JH posted pic of herself training at T3 Athletics and exchanged comments with JBamford. (JH tweet & instagram post, page 1226 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 21, 2016, JH posted pic of RG and JD with comment: "These two gents!" (JH instagram post, page 1230 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 22, 2016, in response to fan asking how work and everything is going, JH tweeted: "Work is amazing! Absolutely love the cast, crew, and production team on @CW_Arrow. Such a kind, dedicated, & talented group of people." (JH tweet, page 

Talia al Ghul
-- SA: “We learn about Talia before we meet her - and she is, I think, our gateway to really accelerating the flashback storyline.” (Nov. 15, 2016 TVLine article, page 48 of Spoilers thread)

Return of Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk  
-- LoT: Per JB, "In Legends, Malcolm will be at his lowest, and he goes a journey and builds the Legion of Doom." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 19, 2016: heroesfanfest tweet, page 224 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- LoT: Per JB, the Legion of Doom is comprised of his Malcolm Merlyn, NM's Damien Darhk, Matt Letscher’s Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash and Wentworth Miller’s Captain Cold. JB said that he filmed a scene for an upcoming LoT episode that will feature him and McDonough and Reverse-Flash (he didn’t quite say Reverse-Flash) and called their Legion of Doom episode really fun. JB: “The two most evil men in the Arrowverse have a sense of humour, a really sick sense of humour." (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Pop Goes the World article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- LoT: Per NM, Damien Darhk will appear in the 1920s, 1960s and 2025 on LoT. (The latter is interesting considering that Oliver kills Darhk in 2016 so did Sara change his fate when she spilled how and when he is going to die?) (Fan Expo Vancouver, Nov. 12, 2016: Pop Goes the World article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- LoT: On whether Darhk accepts his fate or wants to change it, when Sara told him his fate, NM: "No, I got to change it. So when I get to Legends, a couple episodes from now... the Legion of Doom is finally coming together! So, yeah, I'm gonna fix my death. There's no way - you can't kill Damien Darhk. Can you kill Damien Darhk? (Audience yells, 'No') ... So with me and Barrowman and Matthew, uh, I will guarantee you this - you will have a smile on your face watching the second half of the season on Legends, cause it gets really mean and fun and it's - I'm having the best time. I loved being on Arrow, I love being on - I love all of them. What John and I are doing now is just - we're literally getting away with murder, and we're having a good time doing it." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of Arrow panel with EK, NM, AG and BTK, page 505 of Social Media thread)

Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

For more spoilers about the 4-show crossover event, see the Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread. Also, some of the filming spoilers listed below for Arrow 508 may be for scenes that appear in Flash 308 or LoT 207...

SUMMARY OF 508 SPOILERS (PLUS RELATED SUPERGIRL, FLASH & LOT SPOILERS):

Supergirl, S2, Episode 8: Medusa
-- Supergirl 208 synopsis: "A NIGHT OF CONFESSIONS; THE EPIC SUPERHERO CROSSOVER KICKS OFF TONIGHT — Eliza (guest star Helen Slater) comes to town to celebrate Thanksgiving with her daughters. Alex (Chyler Leigh) decides it’s time to come out to her mother; Kara (Melisa Benoist) is shocked when Eliza suggests Mon-El (Chris Wood) has feelings for her, and Winn (Jeremy Jordan) and James (Mehcad Brooks) consider telling Kara the truth about the Guardian. Meanwhile, CADMUS unleashes a virus that instantly kills any alien in the vicinity so Kara enlists an unexpected ally – Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath). The epic superhero crossover kicks off tonight when Barry Allen (guest star Grant Gustin) and Cisco Ramon (guest star Carlos Valdes) seek Kara’s help with an alien invasion on their Earth. Stefan Pleszczynski directed the episode written by Jessica Queller & Derek Simon (SPG208). Original airdate 11/28/2016." (ksitetv article, page 12 of Spoilers thread in Supergirl forum)
-- Supergirl 208 promo pics posted. (Superherohype article, page 13 of Spoilers thread in Supergirl forum)

The Flash, S3, Episode 8: Invasion!
-- Flash 308 synopsis: "IT’S HEROES VS. ALIENS IN THIS EPIC CROSSOVER EVENT — When aliens called the Dominators attack Central City, Barry (Grant Gustin) speeds over to Star City to ask the Green Arrow (guest star Stephen Amell) for help in stopping them. Realizing the battle against the Dominators is bigger than they thought, they track down the Legends of Tomorrow, and Barry and Cisco (Carlos Valdes) create a breach to bring back a secret weapon – Supergirl (guest star Melissa Benoist). Once all of the super friends are assembled, they come up with a plan to attack but a shocking secret related to Flashpoint is revealed and suddenly no one is sure who they can trust. Meanwhile, Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) wants to join the battle against the aliens but Iris (Candice Patton) tells him he’s not ready. Dermott Downs directed the episode with story by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing (#308). Original airdate 11/29/2016." (SpoilerTV article, page 222 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Flash 308 promo pics (including Oliver, Diggle, Felicity and Thea) posted. (EW and TVLine articles, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle's reaction to Supergirl, DR: “I always think it’s fun when Diggle gets to go to these other worlds... He’s really a nuts-and-bolts kind of guy, and metahumans kind of freak him out a bit. So I really wanted to see this whole Diggle/Supergirl reaction.” (Nov. 25, 2016 TVLine article, page 226 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Barry/Flashpoint changing Diggle's child from daughter to son, DR: "I can tell you, it is important that he finds out... Secrets don’t say secrets for long, as you know. People say that all the time on this show and that’s true. I think his reaction is going to be a lot more compassionate. Diggle can’t miss something he’s never had. He’s being told he had a daughter but he doesn’t know he had a daughter so he can’t really miss it. So it’s less of what you think his reaction might be because we have the benefit of knowing he had a daughter because he doesn’t know. So I think his reaction is going to be a lot more compassionate toward Barry, who has this extraordinary power and just kind of recklessly used it.” (Nov. 16, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "You see Diggle's reaction to understanding that he once had a daughter in the big, 4-way crossover that I'm sure everyone here is looking forward to. And he's going to be a lot more compassionate than you might think. Clearly, Diggle can't miss something that he can't have, so from his perspective, there's been only John Jr. Sara never existed, really... He's not going to be angry. He's going to be much more concerned about Barry's misuse of his power, um, which is a good story point. It's a good place for Diggle and Barry to kinda find some common ground in Barry's own soul-searching." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 19, 2016: Video of Arrow panel with DR, WH, KC, PB and CR, page 504 of Social Media thread)
-- WH: "The crossover photos have leaked out…You see that I put my costume back on after 8 episodes of not wearing it." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 19, 2016: ComicBook article, page 504 of Social Media thread)
-- AK teased that Sara has a crush on Supergirl. Per CL, Sara is also “intimidated by her, at first, because she’s used to being the bad bitch in town... Then all of a sudden comes this alien girl who can, like, levitate and burn things with her eyes. I think [Sara needs to get] over that intimidation and go, ‘OK, I see you.’ She’s impressed by her.”  (Nov. 25, 2016 TVLine article, page 226 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- AMA tweeted: "Who's excited for the crossover episode? Catch Lyla Michaels on The Flash this week!! @CW_TheFlash." (Nov. 28, 2016 AMA tweet, page 227 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

S5, Episode 8:  Invasion! [100th EPISODE] 
-- Production code: 508.  Shoot Dates: September 23-October 7[11], 2016.  Director: James Bamford.  Story: Greg Berlanti.  Writers: Marc Guggenheim & Wendy Mericle.  Airdate: Nov. 30, 2016. (MG and Arrowwriters tweets, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "I'm giving you an exclusive -- because you're the only one who's asked... Arrow episode 508 is called 'Invasion!' with the exclamation point. And Legends of Tomorrow 207 is going to be 'Invasion!'. I'll leave it up to you to guess what The Flash is called." (Oct. 23, 2016 Comicbook article, page 212 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- 508 synopsis: "ARROW CELEBRATES 100 EPISODES; THE EPIC SUPERHERO CROSSOVER CONTINUES — Oliver (Stephen Amell) wakes up to a life where he never got on The Queen’s Gambit.  Robert (guest star Jamey Sheridan) and Moira Queen (guest star Susanna Thompson) are alive and well.  Laurel (guest star Katie Cassidy) is his loving fiancée and their wedding is imminent.  Everything seems perfect, but Oliver starts to notice small imperfections that make him question this new reality.  Meanwhile, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and the recruits take on a new threat with help from The Flash (guest star Grant Gustin) and Supergirl (guest star Melissa Benoist).  James Bamford directed the episode with story by Greg Berlanti and written by Marc Guggenheim & Wendy Mericle (ARW508).  Original airdate 11/30/2016." (SpoilerTV article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- 508 promo video posted. (508 promo video, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- 508 producer's preview video posted. (Nov. 30, 2016 CW_Arrow tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- 508 promo pics posted. (TVLine article and MichaelAusiello tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- 508 dialogue tease from SA: "Thea, we can't stay here... dot, dot, dot." (Fan Fest Orlando, Sep. 17, 2016: Ocean Serenity video clip of SA & DR panel, amellxwood tweet and fangirlishness tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the 100th episode, GB: “It fits in with the crossover for sure, but it also stands on its own... It’s bolstered by a lot of previous episodes of Arrow that have come before. We really wanted to celebrate the show. There is kind of a what-if element to the show in the episode and it’s a very emotional hour for Oliver [Stephen Amell]. I haven’t seen the finished cut of it yet but hopefully it’s as good as we all want it to be.” (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- GB: "[The 100th episode] really is a celebration of Arrow and also kind of in the vein and the spirit of the great what if comics." (Nov. 28, 2016 IGN article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We are actually going back to look at what Oliver's life would be like if he hadn't gotten on [his father's ship] the Gambit."  (Scan of page 40 of TV Guide Magazine, Nov. 21-Dec. 4, 2016 Double Issue, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “It’s been five years since Oliver now didn’t get on the Queen’s Gambit, and he and Laurel are together... In fact, they’re about to be married. We basically pick up with them on the night before their wedding. ... These five characters are essentially being held in stasis by the Dominators... To keep their minds occupied, they’re in what we call a shared hallucination.” While the Matrix-like construct feels real, the characters will begin to notice something is off about this new timeline, causing glitches in a system that’s otherwise perfect — a little too perfect for Oliver. But this provided the show an opportunity to look back on the last five seasons with an episode that offers some closure for those we’ve lost along the way. MG: “The memory flashes that all the five characters experience, that gave us a lot of opportunity to revisit footage from the previous 99 episodes." (Nov. 29, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, the upcoming 100th episode will be the episode 8 this season, and a key episode for the upcoming four-show super crossover. MG: "Turns out 508 is chapter two of our four-part crossover... And then 509 is our midseason finale. It's actually timed perfectly."  (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: The Hollywood Reporter article, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what they're doing for Arrow's 100th episode, MG: "Well, you know, it's interesting, our 100th episode is 508. Turns out, 508 will be chapter 2 of our three-part crossover. So the 100th episode is going to be the middle part of the crossover. Uh, and then episode 9 is our midseason finale. So we're kinda designing things to be like a hundredth - two-episode hundredth episode celebration, the bigness of our mega crossover, and the bigness of our midseason finale. So it's actually timed kinda perfectly." (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Video of Arrow panel, ComicBook article and TVLine article on Arrow panel, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, the biggest challenge the producers faced in creating the crossover was not actually bringing all these heroes together, but also telling the story within Arrow’s upcoming 100th episode. MG: “When the news broke that the 100th episode was also going to be the crossover episode, people were up and down my Twitter and Greg [Berlanti’s] Twitter I think, in this case, in a very positive way... People didn’t want to feel like the crossover was highjacking what should be a really seminal episode and a seminal moment for the show Arrow, which I think is wonderful. Greg came up with an idea that really does allow us to have our cake and eat it, too.” In addition to original cast members Jamey Sheridan, Katie Cassidy, and Susanna Thompson returning, MG revealed that John Barrowman and Neal McDonough will both reprise their roles as Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk, respectively, in the 100th episode. MG: “I haven’t seen the episode all cut together yet, but it has some incredibly iconic moments... It is a love letter to the show, it draws on all previous 99 episodes pretty much. Everyone who we could have in the episode, from a scheduling point of view, is in the episode. Even the people who we couldn’t have, because of conflicting schedules, are represented. At the same time, you’ve got Flash and Supergirl; that’s an enormous amount of fun. Certainly the recruits also play a very large role, an important role, in the episode. I’m really excited about it.” By recruits, MG is referring to the new Team Arrow, which includes Curtis, Wild Dog, Ragman and Evelyn Sharp. (Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread, and Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG tweeted: "Yes. It's both the middle chapter of the crossover and the ultimate 100th episode love letter to the show." (Sep. 23, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "There were just realities that exist with actors. Colin Donnell is a series regular on a show. Colton Haynes had a lot of prior commitments. We went in with a laundry list of things we wanted to see but at the end of the day, reality does at some point have to intrude. I think we came up with a clever way to have Colin and Colton represented, but it’s a challenge. At the end of the day, you’ve got limitations on you in terms of people’s availability. But I think it’s a great love letter to the show and it represents the first 99 episodes well." (Nov. 28, 2016 IGN article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked for a hint about Arrow's 100th episode, MG: "I would love to hint something new, but I will say, we came up with a way to get - there are actors who we couldn't have in the episode because we couldn't make their schedules work, um, because they were busy off doing other things - [COUGH]Colin Donnell[COUGH]Chicago Med[COUGH] - um, uh, and if it works, I think we got a way to actually get them in the episode or at least represented in a way that sorta honors their participation in the previous 99 episodes. So I'm excited about that. It's a real love letter to the fans... It's everything a 100th episode should be. It also happens to be the middle episode of our three-part crossover. And it actually does, I think, a good job in both." (Oct. 7, 2016 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 480 of Social Media thread)
-- Per SA, CD will not be back for the 100th episode. SA: "There’s a nice nod to Colin, but he’s literally a series regular on another show... We tried to make it work, but we couldn’t make it work.” Also, Raisa the maid will not be back for the 100th episode. (Oct. 24, 2016 GATV article, page 47 of Spoilers 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)
-- On the 100th episode, MG: “Personally I just wanted to see the show’s past reflected... I wanted to touch as many moments and lines of dialogue and characters as possible in the episode, within the limitations of characters who are played by actors and some of the actors have gone on to do other things. But I think we came up with a way that keeps pretty much everyone alive which is really nice. ... It doesn’t feel so much like a 100th episode as it does the 100th issue of a comic. The storyline is more typical of what you would read in Arrow issue #100 than what you would necessarily watch in Arrow episode 100. Honestly we employed a device that is unusual for a television show but very much in keeping with what a lot of comic books reaching a milestone issue have done.” (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 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)
-- 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)
-- On the 100th episode, WM: “We really wanted it to be a look back at the show and something that would honor and be true to the DNA of Arrow. The challenge of that was that it’s also the crossover and the crossover is a way to honor the entire universe... So there are some metas here and there and some aliens in this episode, but thanks to Greg Berlanti and his brilliant stroke of genius that he had, he found a way to work with all of that. The episode is going to be great and we’re all really excited about it.” (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "It did happen to fall on the crossover, and as you know the crossovers bring in elements from Flash and Legends that aren't necessarily part of the DNA of Arrow specifically, so we really lucked out. Greg Berlanti had this amazing idea and came up with this very cool concept that manages to honor the roots of Arrow and also really be a nostalgic love letter to the show." (Nov. 28, 2016 IGN article, page 49 of Spoilers 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)
-- On the 100th episode, WM: “It definitely is a big mark for Oliver’s emotional journey this season...The good thing is, he’s going to go into it in a dark place and he’s going to come out of it with a renewed sense of his mission and a renewed drive to get [season five’s big villain] Prometheus.” (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- AK: "There was some concern online that the crossover would overshadow the celebratory [nature] of the 100th episode... And I want to assure everybody that this episode is a love letter to fans of Arrow. There are special guest stars, nods to the past, returning villains and friends. It's an amazing episode and will feel ike the 100th episode." (Scan of page 40 of TV Guide Magazine, Nov. 21-Dec. 4, 2016 Double Issue)
-- AK: "I think the biggest thing was just to make sure that the fact that it's the middle part of the crossover didn't overshadow that it's the 100th episode of Arrow. 100th episodes, or anniversary shows, want to be a celebration of the show and they want to be a love letter to the fans. So we were just very conscious of, as we were telling this Invasion story, making sure that the Arrow portion of it really said something about Arrow and just didn't feel like the middle leg of a grander journey."  (Nov. 28, 2016 IGN article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- Among those returning friends set to appear in 100th episode are dead characters: Moira Queen, Robert Queen, Tommy Merlyn and Laurel Lance. (Scan of page 40 of TV Guide Magazine, Nov. 21-Dec. 4, 2016 Double Issue)
-- On the irony of doing the four-episode crossover with Supergirl, Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow, while they're trying to get back to basics, WM: "Absolutely, but it was one that we knew we were going to be facing, and we knew it was going to be tricky to fit it into this four-part story. It is really more of a three-parter; it kicks off at the very end of Supergirl, but the main body is in Flash, our show, and Legends. At the same time, I have to say we're really excited about this crossover, which also happens to be our hundredth episode. We wanted it to feel not like something that's part of this bigger universe, even though it is and we do want to honor that part of it, because we were the first and we in many ways are responsible for this universe. But we wanted it to feel like the hundredth episode and very true to Arrow. I have to say we've come up with a way that we're really excited about." (Oct. 4, 2016 Empire article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- 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) 
-- In response to fan who's unhappy that there are aliens in Arrow in the big crossover event and that Arrow is getting lost within the bigger DCTV universe, SA said Arrow "started it" and is therefore the "benchmark." He then said that the aliens are "much, much heavier" in Flash and Legends than they are in Arrow. Also SA: "There's a scene in the Queen mansion in the 100th episode that's a scene that, if it weren't for the fact that we involve these fantastical elements, like aliens in the crossover, this is a scene that I never would've got to play. This was a scene that was as cathartic for me personally as it was for Oliver on the screen." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article and periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Arrow's 100th episode being a big crossover episode, WM said that there will no special guest stars. (SDCC, Jul. 23, 2016: Seat42F video of press roundtable interview with WM, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the 100th episode, SA: “From the storytelling standpoint this year, we really go episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. Episode 8 is almost like an event... It’s not really a departure from a storytelling perspective, it’s just that it is really different. I can’t really explain it without spoiling it. It’s such a … well, ‘reach’ is the wrong word. It’s such a departure.” (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "The hundredth episode of Arrow begins in a very appropriate way: it begins with Oliver running... We've had him running into the premiere almost every year, we didn't have him running in this year, but we have him running in the hundredth episode." Also, per SA, returning guest stars will return "in a very unexpected spot at a very, very retrospectively expected time." (Oct. 26, 2016 ComicBook article, page 1194 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- SA: "Um, there's a fantastic scene in the 100th episode between, uh, Diggle, Oliver and Felicity in the Arrow Bunker-Cave-thingamajig. And, uh, it's an amazing and unexpected and weird scene." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the 100th episode, GATV tweeted: "There’s a very subtle Olicity nod, plus of course Oliver remembers some of their best moments" and "Brief flashes for sure, including their first meeting." (Nov. 28, 2016 GATV tweets, page 1233 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 the 100th episode, SA: "It is such a radical departure from anything that we have ever done on the show... We utilize the fantastical elements that we bring in on The Flash and carry through to Legends of Tomorrow with the present-day storyline to create something… that is not a flashback [or] a flash-forward. It’s something else entirely.” Per SA, the unique set-up for this episode “basically gives us license to do whatever we want... and to show some things that we’ll never be able to show, to have some characters interact that will never be able to interact on the show again — probably.” In the process, Oliver will finally get a sense of closure with his dearly departed loved ones. SA: “There [is] a very therapeutic moment for my character towards the end [of the Arrow episode] where I get to say goodbye to people that I never got the chance to say goodbye to." (Nov. 21, 2016 TVLine article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG had high praise for SA's performance in the 100th episode. MG: “There’s one moment in it that I think is probably Stephen’s finest performance to date... This one scene, that really has two moments within the one scene, it will break your heart. It will take your heart, pull it out, and stomp it on the floor. It’s very, very affecting. It’s all on Stephen’s back. It’s incredible. Willa [Holland]’s amazing in the episode. Everyone obviously brought their A game to it. I’m really, really excited about it. It’s the 100th episode!”  (Nov. 21, 2016 TVLine article, page 49 of Spoilers thread, and Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread, and Oct. 19, 2016 Collider article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan) will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: MG tweeted pic of several cast members sitting around a table, including Jamey Sheridan, with comment: "Arrow 100th Episode Table Read. No Flashpoint. No flashbacks." (Sep. 22, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) will appear in Arrow's 100th episode. (Sep. 29, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Katie Cassidy, presumably playing Laurel Lance, will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: KC posted "100 #arrow" with pic of her name with "Arrow 100" and MG tweeted: "Arrow’s 100th Episode Will Feature Katie Cassidy." (Sep. 23, 2016 KC facebook post and Sep. 23, 2016 MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA tweeted pic of himself with JB and ST in the Queen kitchen with the comment: "#Arrow100." (Nov. 18, 2016 SA tweet, page 1226 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- SA tweeted 508 pic of Oliver with Laurel in her wedding dress. (Link SA tweet in Nov. 18, 2016 Arrowwriters tweet, page 1226 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Arrow writers tweeted: "This episode is going to bring all the feels in two weeks??????????  So excited for you all to see it! #Arrow #Invasion!" with link to SA tweet of 508 pic of Oliver with Laurel in her wedding dress. (Nov. 18, 2016 Arrowwriters tweet, page 1226 of Spoiler Discussion threa
-- 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)
-- Deathstroke will appear in Arrow's 100th episode: SA tweeted pic of himself sitting on a park bench next to someone in the Deathstroke costume. (Sep. 26, 2016 SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread and page 1146 of Spoilers Discussion thread)
-- A mystery guest will appear on Arrow's 100th episode: SA tweeted tease of mystery guest for 100th episode and pic of himself in some glass chamber for 100th episode.  SA also tweeted pic of himself standing with DR and a mystery guest in a park. (Sep. 24, 2016 SA tweets, page 1143 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Sep. 26, 2016 SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread and page 1146 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- EK: "Well, I am just on Arrow’s part of the crossover, but I definitely played an integral part in helping them figure out exactly what’s going on with the Dominators." (Nov. 22, 2016 We Got This Covered article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Curtis meeting Supergirl, EK: "You’ll definitely see Curtis go through his paces like any fanboy would." (Nov. 25, 2016 TVLine article, page 226 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Curtis working and meshing really well with Cisco in the crossover, EK: "Yeah, I can’t say too much but you will definitely see us play off of that similar relationship." (Nov. 24, 2016 Flickering Myth article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- EK: "I definitely think we are handling our Arrow business and still doing this crossover... I think that's a good thing, you know, um, especially for this magnitude of an episode. I know that the last few cross-overs were, the shows kind of helping set-up other shows, but there's no element of that here. Every show here is an already-established show. If you're doing a cross-over to help set-up Legends of Tomorrow then, logically, you're going to have to spend some time dealing with these new characters who are coming in, because if you don't then you're doing a disservice to that new show." MG then retweeted this EK interview with the comment: "Oh, we do..." (Sep. 30, 2016 ComicBook article and MG tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per RG, Wild Dog will be in the 4-show crossover event. His character is not impressed with the world of superheroics that joining Team Arrow will bring him into, and he has serious problems with the super-powered types he'll have to fight alongside during the four-shot Invasion! crossover. RG: "I can’t speak on that, but what I can say is that Wild Dog will be in the crossover, and he has a huge dislike for metahumans... So we’ll definitely see him not exactly rub well with The Flash and Supergirl and that’s just another glimpse into his psyche and his ideas and thinking about the world and the idea that there are people out there who have these sort of powers and who they are. Instead of saying ’Wow, these people can do these things,’ he says, ‘no, I don’t like you because this is what you bring to the table. This is what you represent to me.’” (Oct. 10, 2016 ComicBook article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- RG confirmed that he will be in the crossover, including the 100th episode. He also said that Wild Dog thinks that aliens and metahumans are "weird" and only "bring more trouble." He doesn't like the idea of aliens and metahumans. He doesn't view them as a "positive." (Nov. 15, 2016 CW Arrow facebook Q&A with RG, page 502 of Social Media thread)
-- Asked if he could confirm that he was in the crossover, RG: “Yes. Yes, I can. And I can also say that he has a gigantic dislike for metahumans and aliens.” Per RG, there’s a little more to his dislike for metahumans beyond his stubbornness: “I’ll leave that for the audience to see in episode 8. He has his reasons.” On whether the Invasion! crossover will justify these prejudices in Wild Dog’s mind, RG: “I can’t really say, but what I can say is just — I just want to put out there that he doesn’t really want to get along with the metahumans and aliens, so I think the idea of the Dominators and all that stuff is all just crap to him. I think the audience will get a kick and kind of see who is and why he dislikes these people so much and how that might change him in a way. I think every moment is a moment for Wild Dog to kind of grow, and that’s kind of nice, so we’ll see that. Even episode 3 we kind of got a glimpse into him realizing that he isn’t more of a team player.” (Nov. 21, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per JD, Ragman is in the crossover: “The great thing about the show is that the show uses humor in a really wonderful way to deal with some of this stuff, even just from the name Ragman... It’s not just said and then they’re like, ‘Yeah, that’s a normal thing that we do. We call someone Ragman.’ There’s certainly humor, especially within the new group. ‘Oh, now there’s an alien invasion. Okay, well, I’m Ragman. Okay, we’ve just got to swallow that.’ So certainly humor will be part of that, and then the seriousness of the situation will also dictate how they deal with it.” (Nov. 21, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- MMcL would neither confirm nor deny Artemis’ involvement in the 100th episode: “I cannot confirm anything! I can tell you that the 100th episode is really special, and — as a fan of the show — when I read the script, I cried and I laughed and I got very nostalgic... I mean, so many of our cast from Season 1 comes back, so it’s really special to see that, especially as a fan of the show. It’s really cool.” On whether or not the idea of an alien invasion will alter the way Evelyn sees the world she’s a part of, MMcL: “I think absolutely, it definitely opens the eyes, especially of our new recruits. It kind of gives them a taste of what they signed up for and what this life is and what goes on. It’s cool to kind of see them take that in.” (Nov. 21, 2016 CBR article, page 49 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)
-- Per David Nykl, Anatoly will not be in the 100th episode. (Nov. 11, 2016 CBR article, page 191 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Jul. 28, 2016, in response to fan complaint that Arrow's 100th episode should be about Oliver/Arrow and not about Supergirl, MG tweeted: "It will be. Crossover not broken. Calm down." (MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 28, 2016, in response to fan comment that if 100th episode is about honoring Oliver, Arrow and all it's done, then she'll be happy, MG tweeted: "You'll be happy." (MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 28, 2016, in response to fan comment that once show reaches 100th episode, EPs and network should give their best and focus on the show and not pimping another show, MG tweeted: "Not what we're doing. Thanks for the support but relax." (MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jul. 28, 2016, MG tweeted: "Thanks very much for the outpouring of support for Arrow vis a vis 100th episode. Everyone is eager to support this milestone appropriately." (MG tweet, page 41 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, SA tweeted pic of what looked like booted feet of GA, Flash, Atom, Supergirl and White Canary. (SA tweet, page 458 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 7, 2016, CL posted instagram pic of herself and SA in their White Canary and Green Arrow costumes. (CL instagram post, page 458 of Social Media thread)
-- On Aug. 8, 2016, SA said that he worked with Caity Lotz on Aug. 7, 2016. (SA facebook video, page 460 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016 (early morning), SA said that he got "pitched," i.e. told, the 100th/508 crossover episode that day, Sep. 1st. (SA facebook video, page 468 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 2, 2016, SA tweeted: "Just read the 100th episode of Arrow. What an honor and a pleasure to have that opportunity." (SA tweet, page 470 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 19, 2016, MG posted 508 title page with episode name blacked out, except for ending exclamation point, and tweeted: "We're in prep. @GBerlanti @MericlesHappen @JamesBamford." (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 22, 2016, MG tweeted: "Arrow 100th Episode Table Read. No Flashpoint. No flashbacks." Pic showed SA, EBR, EK, WH, RG, JD, Jamey Sheridan, one other guy and someone else's hand at the left edge of pic. (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, MG tweeted (regarding his 100th episode table read pic): "@david_ramsey I didn't get him in the shot. My bad. Sorry, David!" (MG tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, JBam tweeted: "Downtown.....at night....in the rain. The perfect end to the 1rst day of the 100th episode of #Arrow. As it should be." (JBam tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, Arrow production office posted b-t-s pics from Arrow set. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 1142 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, PB tweeted: "First day of shooting #Arrow100 Time flies when you're having fun and working with this fine gent! @StephenAmell." (PB tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, SA tweeted pic of Crew Call sheet from "3/10/12" with cast list that included SA, WH, CD and KC. (SA tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 23, 2016, SA tweeted: "Sure, the story of our 100th episode is important. But not as important as me wearing Oliver's favorite pea coat." (SA tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 26, 2016, JBam posted pic of what looks like walkway inside a park with comment: "Not a bad view first thing in the morning..... #Arrow ??th. Boom." (JBam instagram post, page 44 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 27, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself with EBR and DR in front of an ambulance with bow-and-arrow and "100" emojis. (SA tweet, page 478 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 27, 2016, Oscar Balderrama tweeted: "Hey #Arrow fans. What was that scene when Felicity brings Oliver a sandwich? Did that happen? What kind of sandwich was it?" (ojbalderrama tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 27, 2016, SA said: "We are on Day 3 of our 100th episode, which is also the first official day of the crossover, meaning that four different shows are cross-boarded and everyone is working together. So I started the morning on Arrow and this afternoon I'm going to a show that's not Arrow." (SA facebook video, page 478 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself as GA standing with Supergirl on a city building rooftop. (SA tweet, page 199 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted: "I am legitimately nervous to be shooting a scene with Victor Garber." (SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 28, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself, GG in his Flash suit, Victor Garber and Franz Drameh, with the comment: "Long day. Great day." (SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 28, 2016, EK posted pic of his trailer with "Curtis" name next to trailer with "Cisco" name. (EK tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, JBam tweeted Carlos Valdes' twitter handle with Arrow's "100" emoji.  (JBam tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, EK posted pic of himself with EBR and Carlos Valdes.  (EK instagram post, page 478 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, SA: "It's Thursday, I think. It's Crossover Day 4, something. You know, I'm posting a lot of photos and I think everyone assumes they're all from the Arrow 100th episode. They are not. But people are allowed to assume that." (SA facebook video, page 479 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 29, 2016, SA: "The schedule for the crossover is basically like, for the crossover, I read all of the scripts three times. And then, uh, I basically live one day at a time where they, uh, just tell me where I'm going. Cause I'm vascillating between shows. Yesterday I was on Legends and then I was on Flash, and I got to do a scene with Victor Garber. Not saying on which show. Oh, it's awesome.  VIctor Garber's... voice sounds like Christmas morning feels when you're a kid, like when you're 8 and you know for sure you got exactly what you wanted. That is what his voice sounds like to me. And you know Grant - it's nice working with Grant." (SA facebook video, page 479 of Social Media thread)
-- On Sep. 30, 2016, SA tweeted his upcoming shooting schedule: He will continue shooting Arrow 508 and Flash 308 on Oct. 3-4, 2016. SA will continue shooting LoT 207 and Flash 308 on Oct. 5, 2016. SA will continue shooting LoT 207 on Oct. 6, 2016. (SA tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 1, 2016, WH posted pic of herself wearing casual clothes but with Speedy's blackened eye makeup. (WH instagram post, page 1153 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 1, 2016, KC posted that she'll be back in Vancouver on Oct. 6. (KC instagram post, page 1155 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 1, 2016, SA posted b-t-s video of Spartan shooting a gun and GA shooting arrows & fighting on top of a building rooftop. (SA facebook video, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 3, 2016, papp tweeted "DC TV 4-way crossover - #Arrow #TheFlash #LegendsofTomorrow #Supergirl - at #Vancouver's Boundary Bay Airport." (yrvshoots tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 3, 2016, papp tweeted: "DC TV 4-way crossover - #Arrow #TheFlash #LegendsofTomorrow #Supergirl - at #Vancouver's Boundary Bay Airport." Papp also posted article (with pics) that Vancouver’s Boundary Bay Airport had been turned into S.T.A.R. Laboratories Aerospace Division. Spotted on set were GA, Flash, Supergirl, White Canary, Firestorm, Vixen and Atom. (Oct. 3, 2016 YVRShoots article with pics & tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 3, 2016, papp tweeted pic of front of mansion with comment: "#Arrow set up at giant McMansion in Delta near Boundary Bay airport. Like Bizarro S1 Queen mansion on outside" and "Looked like prep not filming. I don't know when they'll start." and "Said Bizarro McMansion. Not like Hatley Castle outside but might be rooms inside which are somewhat like original Arrow mansion" and "Oliver's parents Robert and Moira Queen are back for 100th so hoping mansion is too." (yvrshoots tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 3, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming in studio today." (pursuit23 tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 4, 2016, papp tweeted: "Two Boundary Bay shoots coming up: #Arrow on Friday night and #LegendsOfTomorrow Wednesday the 12th." On whether they're filming at Boundary Bay Airport, papp tweeted: "Hard to tell. #Arrow is a rehearsal dinner scene at a restaurant. #LegendsOfTomorrow - no further info." On whether they're 'rehearsing a dinner' scene or filming a 'rehearsal dinner', papp tweeted: "It is a rehearsal dinner. According to the call sheet: 'rehearsal dinner at a luxury restaurant.'" (yvrbackground tweets, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 4, 2016, in response to request for news about filming the rehearsal dinner and at a mansion, papp tweeted: "Pretty sure it's end of the week and from what I'm told Felicity doesn't film there at all." Papp also tweeted that the mansion shoot is for 508 and will happen on Friday, and that there's no rehearsal dinner. He tweeted that "It's not happening this week for sure at mansion."  (pursuit23 tweet & replies, page 1160 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 4, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Supergirl in studio Wednesday." (yvrbackground tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 4, 2016, papp tweeted: "Legends of Tomorrow filming in studio today." (pursuit23 tweet, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 4. 2016, CL posted pic of herself with EBR, WH and CP. (caitylotz instagram pic, page 479 of Social Media thread)
-- In Oct. 5, 2016 interview, EK disclosed that he gets to share a scene with the Flash’s Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes). EK: “We're having so much fun and we're crushing it. It's so exciting.” (Oct. 5, 2016 Entertainment Tonight article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 5-6, 2016, papp tweeted "#Arrow fans: filming a wedding scene in Delta Tuesday the 11th. No, I don't know whose wedding or any other info" and, on whether the wedding is being filmed at the mansion, "No way to know for sure. That's a day shoot on the 11th in Delta, exact location is secret until last minute" and, on how many days they're filming in Delta, "Friday night and all day Tuesday, plus Legends is there Wednesday. Monday is a holiday so no filming." (yvrbackground tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, papp tweeted: "'The Wedding' is 5x08 actually." (pursuit23 tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, papp tweeted: "For those wondering about this 'Arrow wedding' I can confirm Emily doesn't work & they are filming at the Queen mansion the next couple days." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, papp tweeted: "@WhatsFilming... U want confirmation? How bout @MzKatieCassidy working #Arrow over the next 3 working days #YVRShoots #Appirations." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, papp posted pic of KC with tweet: "A happy @MzKatieCassidy arriving back in #VanCity 2day.. Headed straight 2 #Arrow set." (PUNKD_Images tweet & instagram post, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, papp tweeted pics with comments: "4-way crossover at #Vancouver's BC Place tonight in rain: White Canary, #Arrow, ATOM, Speedy, Diggle, Mick Rory. Firestorm. #TheFlash" and "4-way crossover in #Vancouver rainstorm. Only Grant Gustin seemed to enjoy it." (yvrshoots tweets, page 204 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, papp tweeted: "the mansion , it's not an actual wedding that account trolled Olicity fans." (pursuit23 tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 6, 2016, on whether EBR and DR are filming more or less, papp tweeted: "Less." (pursuit23 tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 7, 2016, papp tweeted pic of side of mansion with comment: "#Arrow filming at its McMansion in Ladner tonight. Don't  know who was where." Papp also tweeted: "Has been used for Queen mansion interiors." (yvrshoots tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 7, 2016, SA posted pic of himself with KC with comment: "#Arrow100." (SA tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 8, 2016, on whether SA was filming with GG "yesterday" or with "caity/katie" in the mansion, papp tweeted: "Both." (pursuit23 tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 8, 2016, on still filming for crossover, papp tweeted: "I know Arrow still has 1 or 2 days left on theirs as well. Supergirls doesn't start for a few days still. Still on ep 7." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 8, 2016, CL posted pics of herself with KC, both in black dresses with party makeup, on what looks like the interior mansion set. (CL instagram post, page 46 of Spoilers thread and page 1167 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 8, 2016, papp tweeted pic with comment: "Another pic from last nights shoot for #TheFlash Stunt team work - Barry, Green #Arrow, get thrown by an explosion Diggle and Speedy watch." (canadagraphs tweet, page 205 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Oct. 9, 2016, CL posted pic of herself in formal wear with the comment: "My dad made his acting debut with a cameo as Joe the bartender." (CL instagram pic, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- B-t-s pics of CL with her father and KC in front of a bar posted. KC is wearing a ring on her left ring finger.  (Pic in Primal Slayer post, page 1167 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- B-t-s pic of KC wearing engagement/wedding ring posted. (Screencap pic from KC's facebook video in Primal Slayer post, page 1168 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 10, 2016, fan posted video clip of EBR, MB and BR with comment: "So my auntie works on The Flash on the costume truck and this past week on the Monday it was my birthday this was filmed on Tuesday where they’re filming the huge crossover between the four shows. So for my birthday she got me videos of the cast saying happy birthday. So here are my tears!" (Iced tumblr video in SmallScreenDiva post, page 481 of Social Media thread)
-- On Oct. 10, 2016, RG posted pic of Wild Dog mask and Flash mask with comment: "Just gonna leave this here. #ArrowSeason5 #TheFlash #WildDog." (officialrickg tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 10, 2016, papp tweeted "The 'wedding' that that account trolled about involves Laurel & Oliver. Being that his dad & mom R back Id assume Flashback" and on whether there's an actual wedding, "No, hence why i use the word Trolling" and on whether Laurel is married to Oliver in that other timeline/universe, "No idea, but the show happens in 1 timeline, one where his family is dead so kinda impossible to be a real wedding." (pursuit23 tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 11, 2016, papp tweeted: "Big day at #Arrow McMansion set in Delta today. Extras Holding at its own McMansion nearby." (yvrshoots tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 11, 2016, papp tweeted "#Arrow filming at the mansion in Delta today" and "I never did a 180 I wasn't the one tweeting about weddings & I always had it in 'wedding'" and on it's being a wedding full of dead people so not present day Earth, "Which I've been saying since that account first trolled with the wedding tweet" and on whether it's an Oliver/Laurel wedding, "It's not real so don't worry about it lol" and "From my understanding it's a 'filler' episode . Chance to bring in core for 100th episode. Who knows tho, like I said" and "the wedding madness was started by someone to some extent incorrectly tweeted about a wedding / rehearsal scene." (pursuit23 tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 11, 2016, SA posted b-t-s pics of himself with WH and himself hugging EBR who's wearing a formal blue dress with her hair up. (SA tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 11-12, 2016, JBam tweeted "First we block a scene...then our wonderful cast add magic to it....for instance....thanks @EmilyBett !!" and "And......this, our ??th episode of #Arrow has been so full of magical performances from each and every one of our cast from all of our shows." and "THANK YOU @CW_Arrow @CW_TheFlash @TheCWSupergirl @TheCW_Legends CAST! You are all gold." and "THAT'S A WRAP ON MAIN UNIT SHOOTING FOR THE ??TH EPISODE OF #ARROW!"(JBam tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 12, 2016, SA tweeted: "It's really difficult to describe how cool today was. Special shout out to @Willaaaah - she was awesome. #Arrow100."  And JBam tweeted: "There's at least 4 scenes which are included in this praise...." (SA and JBam tweets, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 17, 2016, SA said: "Um, even though technically I am done the crossover in earnest, uh, it won't really be until - kinda like the the end of this week, possibly next week, when I am really officially done." (SA facebook video, page 484 of Social Media thread)
-- On Oct. 19, 2016, JBam posted pic of editing room screenshot from 100th episode, showing some kind of explosion in the Arrow Bunker, with Felicity, Barry, Cisco and Curtis in the shot. (james2bambamford instagram post in FYeahEBRupdates tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 19, 2016, papp posted pics of Felicity with Sara and Mick Rory, as well as pics of the Atom, Speedy, Spartan, Firestorm and The Flash.  Papp tweeted: "Felicity/Emily Bett Rickards in 4-way crossover - #TheFlash #Arrow #LegendsOfTomorrow … Oct 6 shoot." (yvrshoots tweet & article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 21, 2016, EK posted pic of himself (as Mr. Terrific) with Ragman, Flash, Wild Dog, Supergirl and JBam. (EK instagram post, page 212 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Oct. 24, 2016, SA posted pic of himself in GA suit sitting at bar with GG in Flash suit and SA's daughter. (SA facebook post, page 1189 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- DR posted b-t-s pic of himself and CL standing near an unidentified guy sleeping in an alien pod. (Nov. 2, 2016 extratv instagram post, pages 1204 and 1217 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

DC's Legends of Tomorrow, S2, Episode 7: Invasion!
-- LoT 207 synopsis: "ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL IN THIS CROSSOVER OF SUPERHEROS — After learning the Dominators’ plan for the world, the Legends must work together with The Flash (guest star Grant Gustin), Supergirl (guest star Melissa Benoist) and Green Arrow (guest star Stephen Amell) to kill them once and for all. Meanwhile, Stein (Victor Garber) figures out, with the help of others, how the team can terminate the Dominators, but is distracted by the aberration he realizes he created in 1987. Brandon Routh, Franz Drameh, Dominic Purcell, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Nick Zano and Caity Lotz also star. Gregory Smith directed the episode written by Phil Klemmer & Marc Guggenheim (#207).  Original airdate 12/1/2016." (SpoilerTV article, page 222 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- LoT 207 promo pics (including Oliver, Diggle and Felicity) posted. (EW and TVLine articles, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “We use the episode of Legends to deal straight on with Oliver’s reaction to aliens... He’s not unfazed by that development, the existence of aliens, and I think his reaction feels very right for his character and feels very Oliver, and is maybe also voicing the thoughts and feelings of fans who started out on this journey with us in a very grounded world and now we’re doing an alien invasion.” (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “Aliens are where he draws the line... He says as much. ‘This is it. That’s it. The line has been drawn.’ Ironically, I say that to an alien. It’s really fun.”  (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- 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)
-- Remember the message that LoT's Martin and Jax discovered from a circa 2056 Barry Allen? Per Victor Garber, during the crossover it will get back to the source, when Barry “finds out” about the voicemail he will one day send. (Nov. 25, 2016 TVLine article, page 226 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- With the world under attack from the alien race known as the Dominators, there isn’t much time for newbies like Vixen and Citizen Steel to get to know their new peers. LoT's Maisie Richardson-Sellers: “But then at the end of our episode [airing Thursday], it’s really wonderful,... because you see everyone together, sort of celebrating in a sense... and that’s when they begin to chat a bit.” (Nov. 25, 2016 TVLine article, page 226 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Edited November 30, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 509 SPOILERS

S5, Episode 9:  What We Leave Behind
-- Production code: 509. Shoot Dates: Oct. 11-20[24], 2016.  Director: Antonio Negret. Writers: Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz. Airdate: December 7, 2016. (MG tweet, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- 509 synopsis: "PROMETHEOUS MAKES A DEADLY MOVE AGAINST OLIVER AND THE TEAM — After Prometheus attacks Curtis (Echo Kellum), Oliver (Stephen Amell) realizes Prometheus knows all of Team Arrow’s secret identities and is planning to come for them one by one. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Detective Malone (guest star Tyler Ritter) discover a clue that links Prometheus to Oliver’s past. Antonio Negret directed the episode written by Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz (#509). Original airdate 12/7/2016." (SpoilerTV article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- 509 promo video posted. (Video clip in Nov. 30, 2016 smoaksqueen tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- 509 sneak peek video posted, featuring Curtis and Paul arguing outside City Hall when Curtis is attacked by Prometheus. (Dec. 7, 2016 CBR article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- 509 promo pics posted. (Nov. 23, 2016 SpoilerTV article, page 49 of Spoilers thread, and TVLine article, page 1231 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 509 dialogue tease: "Oliver: My favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard. *Laughter*  Oliver (under his breath): That's true." (Dec. 6, 2016 SA tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “From the storytelling standpoint this year, we really go episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. Episode 8 is almost like an event... It’s not really a departure from a storytelling perspective, it’s just that it is really different. I can’t really explain it without spoiling it. It’s such a … well, ‘reach’ is the wrong word. It’s such a departure.” (Nov. 28, 2016 Nerdist article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “There was a lot of temptation to do the crossover at a different time or, like you [suggested], ‘cheat the math... but I actually took an idea that I had for the 100th episode and moved it to the 101st, and that is ‘flashbacks to Season 1,'” as a new clue surfaces linking the villain Prometheus to Oliver’s past. “That was something that I wanted to do for the 100th episode, but there just wasn’t any room to tell a flashback story.” (Nov. 29, 2016 TVLine article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “There’s an idea that carried over from the 100th episode into the 101st... The flashbacks will be actually flashbacks to season 1… One of the things I wanted to do originally was flash back to season 1 in the 100th episode. Very quickly we realized that we were telling far too much story for the 100th episode and there simply wasn’t any room for that idea. We get to nod a little bit to our 100th episode legacy in our midseason finale.” (Dec. 6, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Going into 509, which is the Arrow midseason finale, you'll see that Oliver [Stephen Amell] has a new sense of purpose... The events of 508 basically forced him to emotionally double down on his mission, so he goes into 509 with a new sense of purpose, and I would say, also, a reaffirmation of his bond with Thea [Willa Holland], because they basically chose each other in 508. That carries through the midseason finale and, obviously, sets up things beyond it." (Dec. 2, 2016 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 232 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- MG: "I think the circumstance that the Dominators placed him under in the 100th basically sort of forced him to double down on his mission, essentially to have the mental and emotional strength to pull away from the temptation of this alternate reality that the Dominators had created for him. Oliver had to re-commit to his own mission. ... This whole thing has only reminded him that there’s so much more work to do, of course this being Arrow that’s usually the moment where we pull the rug out from under Oliver. I think without overstating things I think that’s very much sort of what happens in our mid-season finale next week where Oliver will re-iterate to Thea and to the other characters how re-committed he is to his mission. However, without spoiling anything, circumstances will transpire in that episode that will make that newfound drive far more difficult for him to make good on." (Nov. 30, 2016 Deadline article, page 193 of Starling City Times thread)
-- AK: “[The Invasion! crossover] forced Oliver to double down on his mission and commit to this life with all of its loses and failures and challenges." He’ll need to be stronger because there are some big twists coming in the winter finale. (Dec. 2, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 232 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether there'll be more Flashpoint changes, MG shared that “there’s a fair amount of discussion” about the subject in 509. MG:“[The characters] deal with — in some humorous ways, actually — some of the ramifications. For example, I think Curtis is concerned that maybe he was straight, originally.” On whether Barry’s voicemail is directly tied to Flashpoint or referencing more changes that the speedster makes down the road, AK offered this cryptic tease: “The message from the future relates to Flashpoint, but it also may relate to something else coming up.” (Dec. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread, and Dec. 2, 2016 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 232 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- 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 on Nov. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly issue, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Prometheus will be unmasked, MG: “You’ll have to watch the episode... Prometheus will make an appearance.” (Dec. 6, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver finds out from the beginning that it's personal with Prometheus or whether that's something where he realizes slowly over the course of the season why and how it's personal, SA: "The reason that Prometheus is doing what he's doing is something that plays out definitely over the first... I'd say during our fall run. I'd say by episode 9 we'll have a pretty good idea of what's going on." (Oct. 5, 2016 IGN article, page 46 of Spoilers thread)
-- One 509 promo pic shows Oliver and Diggle inside a building with a "Claybourne Pharmaceuticals Level 6 Area A" sign on the wall. Per Arrowverse Wiki, one of the names that appeared on the list in Robert Queen's book was "Justin Claybourne." (Nov. 23, 2016 SpoilerTV article, page 49 of Spoilers thread, and TVLine article & Arrowverse Wiki link, page 1231 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Another 509 promo pic shows flashback scene of S1 Oliver in a Claybourne Pharmaceuticals lab with a dead guy on the floor. (Nov. 23, 2016 SpoilerTV article, page 49 of Spoilers thread, and TVLine article, page 1231 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: “We know from the end of episode 507 that Evelyn is working with Prometheus... We get a very quick payoff to the cliffhanger of 507.” (Dec. 6, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "I will say, you will get a payoff to 507’s cliffhanger with respect to Evelyn big time in 509." (Dec. 1, 2016 Collider article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- GB: "There’s a shocking end of the winter [finale] moment for Oliver." (Dec. 6, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per Hector in #DCTV video, Prometheus is going to attack Curtis right outside a Christmas party.  Oliver realizes that Prometheus knows who they all are, and that's dangerous. Felicity and Malone will figure out a link between Prometheus and Oliver's past when he was a murderer. (Dec. 5, 2016 DC Entertainment video, page 50 of Spoilers thread and page 233 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- Per Hector in #DCTV video: "And this episode will have a twist cliffhanger ending that will leave you gasping in shock. I'm going to re-enact it right now. (Inhales) 'Ohhh... whaat?!' That's what's going to happen on Arrow. You want a cool comic book connect. check out this classic storyline. (Shows pic of GA comic book issue) 'Heading Into the Light' from 2005. It was happening during Judd Winick's classic run. In it, Doctor Light and Merlyn discover Green Arrow's secret identity and start attacking his [unintelligible word] family. Yes, yes, yes, that's a great comic book connect, and you're welcome, Internet. Alright, that's what's happening on Arrow Wednesday night." (Dec. 5, 2016 DC Entertainment video, page 50 of Spoilers thread and page 233 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- SA: "When I read 509 - and this hadn't happened in awhile - I literally went 'uhhhh!' (makes shocked, deep inhaling sound). Reading something that happened in Act 5, I believe. It really took me by surprise." On whether 509 was sad or just shocking, SA: "It just made me go 'uhhhh!' (makes shocked, deep inhaling sound). Like that, so, you can read into that what you will." (Oct. 17, 2016 SA facebook video, page 484 of Social Media thread)
-- SA posted 509 promo pic of Oliver wearing suit and blue shirt with comment:"This is the last scene of an upcoming episode. Here's a fun game. What am I looking at?" (Nov. 23, 2016 SA facebook post, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, 509 is their "Christmas episode." (Nov. 2, 2015 SA facebook video, page 498 of Social Media thread)
-- MG: “We get a little bit of Oliver and Thea acknowledging all the things that happened in the 100th episode." (Dec. 6, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “People who have been waiting for Oliver to meet Felicity’s boyfriend won’t be disappointed... I can tease that Oliver is going to meet Malone, and there’s a Felicity-Oliver moment that the fans will really enjoy.” (Dec. 6, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per jbuffyangel, MG told her that there is an Olicity flashback scene in 509 "that we are going ot lose our minds over (in a good way)." (Nov. 18, 2016 jbuffyangel post, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- When fan asked SA about the Olicity flashback in 509 at HVFF-Atlanta, he said: "Red pen." He also said that Oliver believes in magic, but it wasn't clear what episode he was talking about. (Nov. 30, 2016 PepperDempsey tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked for three words to describe Olicity in 509, SA tweeted: ""Impossible to say without spoiling. But three words would totally nail it" (Dec. 6, 2016 queenandsmoak tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “I can tease that we are going to finally discover what Paul, Curtis’ husband, thinks about how Curtis has been spending his nights since he decided to become a vigilante." (Dec. 6, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “There’s an escalator fight sequence that I’m particularly enamored with." (Dec. 6, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Very pumped for y'all to see the #Arrow midseason finale tonight. Features a jaw dropping, insane stunt sequence that still gives me chills." (Dec. 7, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA tweeted: "Tonight on the Fall Finale of Arrow, Oliver (redacted) (redacted). Incredible episode. Don't miss it." (Dec. 7, 2016 SA tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Antonio Negret tweeted: "Insane Action? Shocking Twists? Possible Olicity Moment? Only one way to find out if any of these are true... Watch #Arrow Tonight!" (Dec. 7, 2016 antonionegret tweet, page 50 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 Oct. 13, 2016, Antonio Negret's wife tweeted: "#Arrow #olicity cat is out of the bag. .@antonionegret is back for 509. Excited 4 my set visit. ???? #ProudWife." (MundoLuLu tweet, page 1179 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 14, 2015, RG tweeted pic of himself with Tyler Ritter with comment: "Detective Malone and Rene Ramirez. No interrogation scene here! #ArrowSeason5." (officialrickg tweet, page 1179 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 15, 2016, SA tweeted pic of computer sitting on desk in what looks like the old foundry set. (SA tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 17, 2016, SA said: "Right now we are still filming 509, although I have filmed some stuff for 510." (SA facebook video, page 484 of Social Media thread)
-- On Oct. 20, 2016, EK posted pic of EBR, DR, RG, JD and MMcL in the Arrow Bunker.  (EK instagram pic, page 1186 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 20, 2016, SA posted pic and video of himself wearing his old Arrow suit. (SA instagram post & video clip, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 24, 2016, Antonio Negret tweeted: "That's a wrap on #Arrow #509. Huge thanks to the cast & crew!" (antonionegret tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 24, 2016, SA tweeted: "Shot my last scene on 509 today. It destroyed me. And I'm so proud of it." (SA tweet, page 47 of Spoilers 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 Nov. 6, 2016, Antonio Negret tweeted: "Two words to describe #Arrow509 - VINTAGE COOL. #Arrow #509." (AN tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)

Unspecified Episode
-- 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)
-- On Nov. 16, 2016, MG tweeted: "Between us, it's a flashback to Season 1." (MG tweet, page 1221 Spoilers Discussion thread)
-- On or about Nov. 16, 2016 Rick Gonzalez posted a pic of Oliver and Evelyn, with the comment: "Mads!! Very dope pic!! We all miss ya!" (olicitymafia tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)

Edited December 7, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

To read the original Summary of S5 Spoilers By Topic and all Addenda, go to Season 5 Spoiler Archive thread...

ADDENDUM #5 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC

S5 Directors and Number of Episodes
-- On how many more episodes he's hoping to direct, James Bamford: "That’s it for the season. The rest of the season is booked. It’s pretty much usually booked at the beginning of the year. We have a bunch of new directors. Not new, per se, to the business, but new to the show. They bring with them different talents and viewpoints. I’m looking forward to working with all of them." (Nov. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoiler thread)
-- Eric Goldman tweeted: "While they are doing more shows with shorter runs, Pedowitz says he feels the DC shows lend themselves to 22-23 episode seasons. #TCA17." (TCA Winter Press Tour, Jan. 8, 2017: TheEricGoldman tweet, page 243 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

S5 Theme of Legacy
-- On why it was important to make Oliver's past actions as the S1 killer a key element in S5, WM: "We’ve been talking about legacy and now in Season 5 the show is becoming reflective a bit. The creators have always kind of known where we were going by Season 5. Oliver is definitely taking stock in terms of his life. It also points out that the show, at its core, is about a guy who puts on a mask, and goes out and acts like judge, jury and executioner in terms of fighting crime. And in terms of the real-world context, that has real consequences. We felt collectively and morally, we shouldn’t shy away from it." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's dark turn being tied into the S5 legacy theme, MG: "As with all things Arrow, it’s not initially what you think it is and it will ultimately relate to the overall season theme of legacy, but in this case something very specific to Felicity." (Jan. 8, 2017 Collider article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Arrow's Legacy
-- On whether there is something in particular that she's particularly proud of that points to Arrow’s legacy, WM: "I would say, one of the most interesting and most challenging aspects about the show is that we didn’t allow it, from the get-go, the show was never one specific genre or type of storytelling.  And that makes it very hard to break and very challenging to write., but I think that’s what keeps it interesting. ... We have so many elements coming into any given episode. There’s the procedural element, the superhero element, the fun of that. We always have an emotional core to the storytelling. and I think that’s a good part of the secret sauce. Always making sure we know why Oliver’s punching someone in Act Five. It’s not just about the action. It’s about his emotional story for the episode. and his larger emotional arc. And for me, that’s what set it apart. Coming on from the beginning, as I did, it was mind-blowing. That was very different for TV at that time. Previous shows I worked on,  you always knew what you were doing. It was a law show, or it was Desperate Housewives, there was a template for how this stuff had gotten done. ... For this show, there was none. There was no template. We were constantly reinventing the wheel. That makes I think, for very compelling storytelling and people staying interested. You don’t know what you’re going to get." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)

Back to Basics With Crime and Corruption
-- On bringing the show back to the more street-level stories after last season’s more otherworldly plots, WM: "Yeah, I mean, I absolutely do. I think the show lives in … Star City, it lives in the underworld of crime we established in Seasons 1 and 2. We necessarily went towards R'as al Ghul and the League of Assassins and then magic and Damien Darhk in Seasons 3 and 4; this season is a "back to basics," as you said, but I think it has more resonance [now] because we did move away from it in past years. For as much as we really enjoyed it, but if we would have stayed [with the same approach] through Seasons 3 and 4, then it wouldn’t be a return now. It would just be the same thing we had been doing. It’s been really fun to go back to this style of storytelling, but it was fun to explore other areas as well." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- James Bamford: "In the show, we’ve tried to recapture certain aspects of Season One and the grit. It was really nice to be able to start off the season and set the tone and somewhat reinvent – or bring back – the original Arrowesque feel. I’m here to help the other directors in following through with the intent coming into this season. Of course, I’d love to do more episodes, but you can’t do everything." (Nov. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoiler thread)

Unspecified Episode Plots
-- On Dec. 7, 2016, when asked for two truths and one lie for new episodes in 2017, SA: "There's a road trip - a boys' trip, as a matter of fact, where we're looking for a girl. Uhhm, there is a resurrection. And, there is, um - something we dedicated early in the season is destroyed." (SA facebook video post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 13, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "In the middle of writing an emotionally exhausting, forebodingly dark, joyously unorthodox episode of #Arrow. Loving every minute of it." (briforsul tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, from fan report on SA/DR panel at Wizard World New Orleans: SA said that the whole team goes back to Russia in a future episode. He and DR stressed the whole team, which fan guessed was a joke about the newbies and Tina coming along. (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: way2interested post, page 1291 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, SA: "We have a couple of episodes coming up that are really fun. Um. A couple of episodes that I'm barely in the Arrow suit, which is not to say that the action is lower. It's just different." (SA facebook video, page 519 of Social Media thread)

S5 Flashbacks 
-- In 2012, the EPs expected the series to end after 5 years, with the image of Oliver spying the fishing boat that would rescue him from Lian Yu, at the close of his torturous five-year odyssey away from Starling City. However, now that the show is expected to run past five years, that has changed. MG: “Spoiler alert. That’s going to end up being the Season 5 finale." Also MG: “It was really just a hope at that point [in 2012] that the show would run five years... and we always thought that we would intercut the final moment of the series with the first moment of the series, that it would form one big Moebius strip. ... There’s still a part of me that wishes we could do that... But I wouldn’t want to artificially extend the flashbacks [beyond five seasons], and I also wouldn’t want to artificially cut the show short. It would’ve been a beautifully elegant thing, and Five Years Ago Me would’ve loved it. But things change, and I do think it’ll make the Season 5 finale pretty awesome.” However, this doesn't mean that S5 will end quietly and poetically with bedraggled Oliver peering over that craggy ridge, setting eyes on salvation. MG: “Look, we have some incredibly clear for what we want to do in the Season 5 finale... At the same time, we always leave ourselves room to be like, ‘…and throw this cliffhanger in, throw that twist in.’ Usually the craziest ideas on this show tend to be the ones that the ideas sort of linger, and we never really quite set on them. Like, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll kill off Tommy?’ We don’t fully commit until we’re pretty much breaking the episode.” (Dec. 4, 2016 TVLine article, page 1243 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "But the island story, which is a continuing story unlike the other flashbacks I’ve mentioned, will end in Season 5." (Jan. 9, 2017 Collider article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "We basically went into this season with the expectation that we would get a sixth season and we basically decided that this would be the last year of the island-centric flashbacks. I think, going forward flashbacks are still a part of the show and we’ve seen in plenty of episodes we’ve done non-island, non-Russia flashbacks with Felicity…and we’re doing that again on 5.13, we’re going to flashback to Renee’s period before he was Wild Dog. That’s a tool in our toolbox. I don’t think we have an expectation to do a flashback every single episode of season 6, but again, it’s part and parcel of the show and we’ll just continue going on the way we are." (Jan. 9, 2017 Collider tweet & article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what's coming up this season with the Bratva flashbacks, WM: "We’re definitely … we’re having so much fun in Russia. It’s been one of my favorite seasons of flashbacks, being in the Bratva. It’s something we’ve long wanted to tell and I think it’s very compelling and different. We’re not on the island. That said, we know we’re going to sync up with the pilot at some point so I can definitely tell you we’ll be back on the island. Can’t say for how long but we will definitely be back there at some point." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see flashbacks of Oliver in other places besides Russia, WM: "Regarding other flashbacks … yeah. On the island and … maybe a few other places, but I can’t tell you where or when. They may or may not be four years ago. They might be a bit more recent than that." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)

Effect of Flashpoint
-- On whether there'll be more Flashpoint changes for Arrow, MG shared that “there’s a fair amount of discussion” about the subject in 509. MG:“[The characters] deal with — in some humorous ways, actually — some of the ramifications. For example, I think Curtis is concerned that maybe he was straight, originally.” On whether Barry’s voicemail is directly tied to Flashpoint or referencing more changes that the speedster makes down the road, AK offered this cryptic tease: “The message from the future relates to Flashpoint, but it also may relate to something else coming up.” (Dec. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we've seen the end of how Flashpoint impacts Star City, or whether there is still more to come in the second half of the season, WM: "I think so. It’s one of those things … and speaking as someone who doesn’t come from a comic book background or even much of a sci-fi background … that is a tricky thing to talk about. ... He’s reset reality on another show! I think for us as storytellers on Arrow, where we try to stay more grounded and not try to veer too much into that territory, I think I can’t say that it’s over, but I will say that anything we would do in the future we would try to keep as grounded and … contained as we have this season, with respect to … especially with Digg and his son." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)

Big 4-Shows Crossover Event (Arrow/Flash/LoT/Supergirl)
-- GB: "The [100th] episode is very much a love letter and, uh, kind of a 'what if' for Oliver. And there's lots to reflect on and, obviously, there's been a lot of big traumatic things that have happened to him in his life, so... it has it's own kind of 'It's a Wonderful Life' feel, which I like." (KSiteTV video interview of GB at 100th Episode Celebration, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why Arrow's 100th episode was also the crossover, MG: "That was the challenge was just how much to service the 100th episode-ness and how much to service the crossover... I think it’s pretty obvious that we chose to go 100th episode, but it was totally a challenge. It was Greg [Berlanti]’s idea to have our five Arrow people and basically enter them into — we call it the matrix, lowercase 'm' — the Dominator matrix, and that allowed us to have our cake and eat it, too. This was sort of Oliver’s version of Flashpoint and it’s a little bit the version of Oliver’s version of 'The Girl Who Has Everything' from last year’s Supergirl. There’s a reason why these stories are iconic or familiar tropes even in comic books. It’s because when you show the protagonist the path not taken and you basically put them in the situation where they can choose to stay on that path or go back to their life with all of its ugly aspects and challenges, and they choose the selfless choice of returning to that ugly past, it makes your character stronger because it forced Oliver to double down on his mission and commit to this life with all of its losses and failures and challenges." (Dec. 2, 2016 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 232 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

LoT Crossovers
-- JB tweeted: "I leave uk on the 30th and start filming #Legends / #Arrow on the 1st of Feb." (Jan. 2, 2017 JB tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk return in LoT 210, titled "Raiders of the Lost Art." (Jan. 9, 2017 CBR article, page 244 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

New Team Arrow
-- SA:"We have an episode coming up called Bratva, where the team goes back to Russia. The whole team." DR: "Whoa, whoa."  (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread)
-- Per EK, they'll "really dig into the team aspect" and "will take on" Prometheus in the back half of S5. (Dec. 30, 2016 The Next Level Showcast podcast, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)

Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity")
-- On whether she thinks Oliver & Felicity are better when they’re not together, WM (laughs): "That is like the most loaded question!" On being reminded this season that Oliver & Felicity are such great friends and teammates, WM: "We are. We made a choice at the top of this season not to … not to get them back together right away, for sure. And to leave that question up in the air. Which I think is a really real thing to happen. Going back to the real and roundedness, these are two people who have been thrown into this mission, and it’s not really a traditional workplace, so to speak. It’s a very unique situation. And we wanted to honor the reality of, it’s always hard to work with somebody you really care about. In season four, we saw them work together while trying to maintain a relationship. Now, they’re working together in the context of not knowing what their future is, romantically. ... I think both sides provide — having them together and apart —  certain types of storytelling opportunities. This season has certainly given us different ones. But I think ultimate the key thing, and i think is true for so many series, especially ones where you’ve been fortunate enough to go to 100 episodes and beyond, that you have that central core relationship and as writers you have that opportunity to explore it. And you can take it many different directions. We definitely have some ideas about where we’re headed in Season 6. We’ll see where that goes." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)

Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow
-- For Oliver in particular, going through the Dominators’ Matrix-like construct — or his version of For the Man Who Has Everything — has certainly made him stronger. On Oliver leaving that seemingly perfect life behind, AK: “It forced Oliver to double down on his mission and commit to this life with all of its loses and failures and challenges." (Dec. 2, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 232 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Oliver struggling to be a mentor to the newbies, WM (laughs): "It’s true. I think he’s done it in the past very reluctantly. Even when he took on Sara and Roy, it was never something I think he willingly did. especially since, when he came back to Starling City in the pilot, this was his mission. It started with his father, it was very personal, it was about his family and his legacy. So for him to bring someone else into this world, I think for him it feels … wrong, and it feels dangerous. It speaks to the reality of what he does on a day-to-day basis. One of the things we’re really excited about this season is evolving [Oliver’s] character. It’s not going to necessarily get easier for him, but its definitely … there’s a certain level of growth he takes on, and it’s a role that he’s going to grow into,  in a positive way, throughout the season." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We’ve been talking about legacy and now in Season 5 the show is becoming reflective a bit. The creators have always kind of known where we were going by Season 5. Oliver is definitely taking stock in terms of his life. It also points out that the show, at its core, is about a guy who puts on a mask, and goes out and acts like judge, jury and executioner in terms of fighting crime. And in terms of the real-world context, that has real consequences. We felt collectively and morally, we shouldn’t shy away from it." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the back half of this season, SA: "It's, uh, some pretty big Mayor stuff... a lot of Mayor stuff. We have a couple of episodes that I would call for the show, you know, thematically or wardrobe-style, um, a little bit of a departure, compared to what we normally do." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: Video of SA/DR panel in Angeliqueb123 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread, and Geek Squire video, page 519 of Social Media thread)
-- On whether Oliver was already assessing the other superhero teams for weaknesses, SA: "I think Oliver has already researched kryptonite, for sure... Like, kryptonite. And how do I take away his superspeed. And I might need to waste these guys at a certain point and I'm gonna need to have my bag of tricks." DR: "What about some of that element in the next crossover? That would be kinda dope... Just that Oliver Queen would think that way is an interesting twist." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: Video of SA/DR panel in Angeliqueb123 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread, and Geek Squire video, page 519 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "And the answer to the first question is, if we ever saw a version of the goatee, we'd be able to do it after the end of Season 5." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: Geek Squire video, page 519 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, SA said: "We have a couple of episodes coming up that are really fun. Um. A couple of episodes that I'm barely in the Arrow suit, which is not to say that the action is lower. It's just different." (SA facebook video, page 519 of Social Media thread)

Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch
--  On whether Smoak Technologies will finally arrive in the present, MG tweeted: "One day, I'm sure, yes." (Nov. 30, 2016 MG tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver killing Malone, WM: “One thing Felicity is not going to do, I can tell you for sure, is blame Oliver. She recognizes the manipulations that have led to this situation... Her heart is broken in that last moment for Oliver and for Malone and for herself.” Rather, when it comes to directing her anger, WM: "Felicity has set her sights on Prometheus... This season we have said we’re going to take her to a darker place, and you’re seeing the genesis of the reason why, right here.” To that highly, dangerously ambitious end, per WM, Felicity “is going to meet some people who are both a bit tied to her past but also very much tied to this new future she’s contemplating... and that’s going to draw her away from the team and lead her to do some things that are pretty morally questionable.” Surveying this long-planned shift for Team Arrow’s heretofore reliably sunny, quippy Overwatch, WM: “It’s a color for Felicity that we’ve always known she had the potential for, but we never had the right story to play. We’re excited about it.” (Dec. 11, 2016 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, there will be “significant fallout” of Malone’s murder, a tragic accident that steers Felicity to “a darker place” as she sets her own sights on Prometheus. That, coupled with the question of the Big Bad’s identity, “is a gift that keeps on giving for the rest of the season,” per WM. (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how dark Felicity is going to get, MG promised they only planned to take it to a place that’s “appropriate for the character.” MG: "This is something I was talking to the writers about in the writers’ room — Felicity is a wonderful character because she brings some light into the show. So it’s a darker — it’s an edgier story for Felicity, but at the same time, it’s still Felicity. You want to keep the character." (Jan. 8, 2017 Collider and JustJaredJr articles, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's new arc being the sum of all the hardships she’s experienced over the years, especially Havenrock, which MG says is “is a big component” they’ll be addressing again in 511: "It’s the sum of a bunch of stuff, and Billy was sort of the final straw. It’s also the sum of the fact that Felicity’s been living in this darker world for the last four-plus years now and one of the things we’re exploring is how much what Oliver and Diggle and Roy and Laurel have been doing as vigilantes affected her and affected her way of thinking about things." (Jan. 8, 2017 Collider and JustJaredJr articles, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's new alliance not being her father, The Calculator, MG: "“We talked about that. We love Tom Amandes and we love that character, but there was a real appetite on my part and Wendy [Mericle]’s part — we had done her dad last year and we’d definitely love to bring him back and we’d love to bring back Charlotte as Donna, but we were kind of craving new characters. We were craving a new story, something we haven’t done before." (Jan. 8, 2017 Collider article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On who “the people a bit tied to Felicity’s past” are, MG nixed the notion that Felicity’s sketchy father, The Calculator, might be an ally in her own anti-Prometheus agenda: “I would definitely love to bring him back, and I would love to bring Charlotte Ross back as Donna, but [we were like], ‘Let’s tell a new story, something we haven’t done before.'” Beyond that, he would not elaborate, except to say: “As with all things related to Arrow, it’s not what you initially think it is, and it will ultimately relate to the season’s overall theme of ‘legacy.’ But it will be very specific to Felicity.” As for those who are concerned that Felicity’s “darker” direction was triggered by a guy she could barely call her boyfriend, MG affirmed that it was in fact born of “a bunch of stuff” — including the Havenrock tragedy, which will be addressed directly in Episode 11 — “and Billy was the final straw. It’s also the sum of the fact that Felicity has been living in this darker world for the last four-plus years now…. How has that affected her way of thinking about things?” (Jan. 9, 2017 TVLine article, page 244 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- In response to skeptical fan who commented that "You said Felicity had a story that would resonate through 5x12. You also said it was too big to spoil. I'm not seeing it. At all," Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Hold tight. Almost there. I know you're skeptical but I swear there's a plan to all of this. Wish I could say more." (Dec. 7, 2016 StilettoRoyalty and briforsul tweets, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan who asked what they introduced in 502 that's still paying dividends in 512 for Felicity, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Malone's death uncorks what Felicity bottled up (re: Havenrock). Events in 510-512 force her to re-examine her life (or lack of) as of late." (Dec. 12, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity going darker, Matt Mitovich tweeted: "I would say Havenrock laid a foundation of sadness. Billy death BUT MORE SO how it spun out Oliver maybe pushed her over edge." (Dec. 11, 2016 MattMitovich tweet, page 1257 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Matt Mitovich: "Dark times coming up for Felicity... But yes, Felicity is headed for darker times. As a result of all that's been going on, she's gonna kinda break away from the team and, uh, do her own morally questionable vigilante type stuff." (Dec. 12, 2016 TVLine's Ask Ausiello facebook video, page 50 of Spoilers thread and page 1261 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On who Felicity is going to turn to as she goes darker, Matt Mitovich: "It's not going to be any of the usual people. That's one thing that Wendy Mericle made very clear, that - Felicity's going down a very different path now. So she's not going to be turning to, you know, Oliver, her mom. She's going to find a new set of cohorts to hang with while she deals with her issues." (Dec. 19, 2016 TV Line's Ask Ausiello facebook video, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's new team, fan tweeted: "There are rumors about Cupid, China White and Lady Cop being part of her 'team.' Sort of a Dark Birds of Prey?" (Jan. 8, 2017 oli_verdant tweet, page 1289 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Fan report from Wizard World New Orleans: "Stephen- opted to answer my question with a spoiler so….. last warning….. Okee Dokee… he said that around episode 15 or so that Felicity’s character was going to parallel Olivers in that she will have a secret that she will be keeping and other people will know about it. Oliver will be kept out of the loop… and que the spec!!!" (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: bekaoperetta blog post, page 51 of Spoilers thread and page 1289 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Detective Billy Malone (Felicity's New Boyfriend) 
-- On Nov. 29, 2016, Tyler Ritter tweeted pic of Detective Billy Malone's Star City Police Department business card with his contact info. (TR tweet, page 512 of Social Media thread)
-- On Dec. 7, 2016, Tyler Ritter tweeted: "Had one hell of a ride with @CW_Arrow cast and crew! @StephenAmell gave me an epic send off and @EmilyBett was simply the best. Thank you! ??" (TR tweet, page 513 of Social Media thread)

John Diggle AKA Spartan
-- Per DR, there are three things that need to be done for Diggle in order to define his legacy by the end of this season: his guilt over killing his brother, how he feels about Lyla and ARGUS - Lyla being 'Amanda Waller" - and his relationship with the new recruits. (CCXP-Sao Paolo Expo, Dec. 3, 2016): Video clip in alwaysbett tweet, page 1242 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether she still loves writing Diggle, WM: "That’s a great question!  I do love writing Diggle. He’s very straightforward and plainspoken, which I really admire." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Diggle emerges from his latest imprisonment “with a much bigger drive, and not the same fatalism that he had earlier in the season: “He’s going to come up against Colonel Walker” as well as “grow closer to Adrian Chase.” (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread) 

Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger 
-- On Dec. 19, 2016, Audrey Marie Anderson tweeted: "Wrapped on ICE last Friday! Who knows, maybe Lyla can show her face in the Arrow world in the new year? #Arrow #ICE." (AMA tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread and page 1268 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Diggle's Children: Sara and John Jr. ("JJ") 
-- On whether John Jr. from Flashpoint is the Connor Hawke we saw on LoT, the answer is basically still TBD. MG:“We go back and forth on that... That was certainly a notion of ours. It’s hard for me to honestly answer the question without committing to a version of time travel, because in order for that to be the case, then Flashpoint would’ve had to have happened. You start to get into the very, very complicated time travel rules that, quite frankly, I as a writer don’t have an appetite to answer unless we tell a story one day that deals with John Jr., and even then, I don’t know if we would directly address that issue head on. Anyone who watches Legends knows that, by design, we don’t spend a lot of time discussing temporal mechanics — some people like that and it annoys the hell out of other people.” (Dec. 23, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "You know, John Diggle now has a son... Well, it's too bad! Uh, Flash, Barry... he messed it up for everybody. For everybody. So now Baby Sara - Baby Sara was awesome! She was awesome. Every time I was doing a scene, you know, and - listen, every time you do see a scene with me and Baby Sara, you see a whole lot of Baby Sara and a whole little amount of Diggle. Right? They just turned the camera around and Baby Sara, she's like (makes cute facial expressions) ...  Who is this kid, man? So, anyway, if you guys don't know, Barry - you're gonna know now - um, Barry did some things in The Flash, um, called Flashpoint, he changed some things in the past and it affected all of our lives. And it affected Diggle particularly in that he no longer has a child, Baby Sara. He has another child, John Jr., who's very cute too, but he ain't no Baby Sara. No, but he's cute... I think that was to connect it to the - there's another storyline in the alternate universe where, um, my son takes on the mantle, far in the future, of the Green Arrow. You guys probably know that. And, um, so I think they wanted to connect that tissue with me having a son. Though I see no reason why Diggle couldn't have had two children. Right? But no. So, um - so, yeah, that happened with my family. And Diggle finds this out - the fact that he once had a daughter - he found out in the crossover episodes." (CCXP-Sao Paolo Expo, Dec. 3, 2016): alwaysbett video, page 512 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Thea Queen AKA Speedy
-- On whether there are plans to have Thea suit up more in the second half of S5, WM: "She will definitely be in and out of costume a few times this season, which I think is fun. It’s a role [Willa Holland] knows how to play and those are skills she’s not letting atrophy. I will say something that’s always been true on Arrow from its inception is … one of the biggest and best moments in the pilot was when we learn Moira Queen had her own son kidnapped. She was the one that was capable of this kind of malevolence and darkness. In a lot ways that was the seed for a lot of these strong female characters. ... You talk about Willa, and we think she’s been amazing as Thea in the mayor’s office. We really like her in that role. She is really Oliver’s only remaining family member, and that gives her a certain level of gravity and emotional importance that is ... that will keep her on the show … we want to write to her because she has so much significance for Oliver." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)

Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific
-- On how long it takes to become Mr. Terrific and then back to Echo, EK: " 3 hours to become him, 30 minutes to become me." (Jan. 6, 2017 EchoK tweet, page 518 of Social Media thread)
-- Per EK, his Mr. Terrific suit will get an upgrade in the back half of S5. (Dec. 30, 2016 The Next Level Showcast podcast, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On whether he has any input on his costume, EK: "I didn't have any input on it, but obviously our costume designer Maya Mani is one of the best in the industry. She has a pulse on it, she does Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow. I can[sic] wait for people to see the final costume. That's going to happen this season. I think it's really bad ass and really true to the comics. I think that she just gets it and that's why I'm okay not to have any input. She is someone that we trust fully with her vision." (Jan. 2017 issue of Urban magazine, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On whether Mr. Terrific is based on the comic book character, EK: "He is definitely based off the comic book character. He has a lot of similarities, but he is his own version of that character. I am glad that they gave me the role to formulate him how I see fit." (Jan. 2017 issue of Urban magazine, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On what it was about Curtis that motivated him to take on the role, EK: "I just felt like Curtis has a lot of depth. He is really silly and funny but also extremely intelligent and that's something that I was very excited to play with. He is very similar to me in a lot of ways. Whether it be his undying loyalty to the people who are close to him or his tech prowess, it drove me to the character. I just thought he had a lot of different levels and he would be fun to play." (Jan. 2017 issue of Urban magazine, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On whether he had to do any special training, EK: "I have always been in pretty all-right shape. I was skinny a couple of years ago because I had been running a lot. I have always been very fit and active in my life, but I did have to take it up a notch for this role. They got s trainers and I started doing Krav Maga, boxing and little bit of Wing Chun - Definitely mixing it up and having a lot of fun. Doing all that cool stuff, it's been really invigorating time." (Jan. 2017 issue of Urban magazine, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Curtis seeming to have the ability to keep the other characters grounded and in touch with their humanity outside of Team Arrow and whether Curtis was always supposed to become a vigilante, EK: "First of all, I think the writers are phenomenal. They really go where they feel like the story is telling them to go. They really follow the chemistry on the screen and how the audience react. The[sic] create some unique perspectives from that point. Early on in the show, I didn't know that I would become a part of Team Arrow. I know they had hopes to one day make this character Mr. Terrific. I'm happy with the way things have gone. I know I've been having a blast playing off all of the new members of Team Arrow. We just have so much playing off each other and dynamics of the new team. I feel like we are willing[sic] hitting our stride with the show. I feel this is our best season ever. The writers have done a kick-ass job and I applaud them." (Jan. 2017 issue of Urban magazine, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)

Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis
-- On how long Artemis has been working with Prometheus, MG: "“Rewatch episode 5.06... If you view the end of 5.06 and her final scenes with Oliver as, ‘Oh, she’s lying,’ I think you see when she decided to team up with Prometheus. Basically in the commercial break between Act 5 and Act 6 [of that episode], that’s when she made the decision to join up with Prometheus. So while people were watching car commercials, that’s what she was doing.” (Dec. 1, 2016 CBR article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)

Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog
-- MG: "[W]e’re doing that again on 5.13, we’re going to flashback to Renee’s period before he was Wild Dog." (Jan. 9, 2017 Collider tweet & article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "But I also really enjoy writing Wild Dog this year. He’s a close second right now. I think Rick Gonzales is tremendous and versatile. He’s a blast to write for. The character has a very specific point of view, which is always fun to tackle as a writer." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Wild Dog getting the best one-liners, WM: "We do like to give him those little jabs. He’s just really good at them. That’s the thing about Rick, not that … the whole cast is great. But he just brings a different energy and a different tone, and he nails that stuff. He’s amazing." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 13, 2017, SA posted pic and video of him and RG training together. (SA tweet and facebook post, page 520 of Social Media thread)

Captain Frank Pike
-- On Jan. 7, 2016 (514 or 515 filming?), Adrian Holmes tweeted b-t-s pics of himself with PB, SA and RG with comment: "Off to a great start with these blokes! #happynewyear #arrow @cw_arrow @officialrickg @paulblackthorne @stephenamell #nights #nospoilers." (adrianholmes tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Prometheus
-- On how they're approaching Prometheus compared to Oliver, James Bamford: "There’s a duality happening with Prometheus’ origin in a way with Oliver. Oliver and Prometheus are basically a yin and yang, if you will. Two sides of a coin. I can’t really go into the approach of the character without giving too much away." (Nov. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoiler thread)
-- On how Prometheus and Oliver differ in terms of their fighting styles, James Bamford: "Prometheus is trained internationally. He has a huge repertoire of different skills and weaponry and, of course, hand-to-hand combat. We took one of our performers in the Prometheus wardrobe and experimented with different movement types and what was more intimidating. We combined different martial artist skills, once again depending on what was required for the moment as opposed to sticking to one style. Especially when they are “masters,” I don’t like them to rely on one particular skill or be boxed in." (Nov. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoiler thread)
-- Per SA (recapping 509), Prometheus is Justin Claybourne's son. (Dec. 7, 2016 SA facebook video post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Talia al Ghul plays a “crucial part” in unraveling the Prometheus mystery. (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan saying he really wanted Prometheus to be Tommy and asking for a teaser as to Prometheus' identity, DR: "That would be dope actually." SA: "That would be dope. Yeah, that would be really cool. That would be really cool. No." Mod: "You gotta tune in, you gotta tune in."  (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread)

Adrian Chase and the Vigilante
-- On the police sketch of somebody wearing ski goggles that appeared in 501, Josh Segarra: "That's what I think is going to be interesting, is what parts of the comic are we going to get to put on the show?... I know the answer to that but the audience don't. But that's what been great is that we're trying to keep it as much as we can in that world, but also keep it exciting because I don't want any plot twists to be a thing where people are expecting something and don't get them. That's always sad, when you think something is going to be great and then it's a letdown. So I'm hoping that we get the right pieces along the way." On Chase's depression and mental illness, JS: "That's a good question. Why isn't he showing his pain? That will be answered." Per JS, while it would be a while before he got to suit up as Vigilante, he "a thousand percent" pawed through the script for "Invasion!" -- the show's hundredth episode -- to see what part Adrian got to play alongside Supergirl, The Flash, and the rest of the DC/CW superheroes. JS: "The biggest question that I have for myself as an actor is 'why does this person become the person that they are?'...  So what's going to be hard is that in the middle of the season I get to introduce Vigilante. So now I'm getting to tell that backstory and we get to tell the biggest pieces and get to show him becoming who he is before episode 7." (Oct. 26, 2016 ComicBook article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Vigilante comics info: While in the comics, the Vigilante tends to be fairly similar to Wild Dog in his aggressive, brutal approach to fighting crime, he's a more complex and layered character. Adrian Chase is only one of the people to use the name Vigilante; he would eventually be consumed with guilt over his own abandonment of the rule of law, and would take his own life. Later, another Vigilante would take his place -- and yet another debuted today in the pages of Vigilante: Southland #1. (Oct. 26, 2016 ComicBook article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Diggle is going to “grow closer to Adrian Chase.” (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, SA said: "Working out with T3 Athletics. Worked out with Josh Segarra today. I'd suggest, if you're ever doing a personal training session, bring a friend. Josh and I did this one exercise today where it was just three different grips of pushups and comibined, we had to do a hundred. So I went, and then he goes. Then I go, and then he goes. And by the end, you're alternating doing two, three pu - chinups at a time. Fantastic stuff, as always, from Tom at T3 Athletics." (SA facebook video, page 519 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jan. 13, 2017, Josh Segarra posted pic of Vigilante comics panel. (mrjoshuita instagram post, page 1303 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Susan Williams
-- The conspicuous “vodka shot” in 509 was not a clue to any agenda Susan might have, but it was more a nod to her ongoing investigation of Mayor Queen’s past. WM: "Were we too obvious with that? ... I would call that foreshadowing more than anything else... Susan is certainly on that [Oliver-in-Russia] train, for sure.” (Dec. 13, 2016 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver and Susan had sex in 509 after she went in for the kiss, Matt Mitovich: "I spoke to Wendy Mericle... the other showrunner on Arrow - she says Oliver and Susan did not have sex after that." (Dec. 19, 2016 TV Line's Ask Ausiello facebook video, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Oliver did not bed reporter Susan Williams in the immediate wake of accidentally killing Felicity’s boyfriend. WM: “I understand that some on Twitter have a radically different opinion... But in my mind, they did not [have sex]. The intention was that they did not.” SA also assured a fan via his Facebook page that Oliver and Susan had not done the deed. That said, WM: “They had that kiss." (Dec. 30, 2016 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread) 
-- After S5 resumes on Jan. 25, WM: "[Oliver and Susan are] going to go ‘all in’ [on the relationship] at some point, for sure. But one of the things that’s interesting about [Susan] is that they do have a genuine relationship — she really does care about Oliver, and vice versa — and yet she has been on this track of trying to find out who he is and what he’s up to. And not just as the mayor, but beyond that.” Per WM, in exploring the man behind Mayor Handsome (including his apparent side trip to Russia while “stranded” for five years on Lian Yu), Susan “is going to be asking some hard questions... and that’s going to put both of them into physically and emotionally dangerous territory.” (Dec. 30, 2016 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On reporter Susan Williams, DR: "You know she's up to no good, you know that." (CCXP-Sao Paolo Expo, Dec. 3, 2016): Video clip in alwaysbett tweet, page 1242 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Dec. 3, 2016, it was reported that Carly Pope "was in once in the last week or so." (Chaser post, page1242 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 6-7, 2017, in response to fan who asked what was the last episode Carly Pope filmed for Arrow, papp tweeted: "just before Christmas break." In response to follow-up question of whether it was re-shoots or new scenes for 514, papp tweeted: "new scenes." In response to fan who asked if CP was done or not yet, papp tweeted: "she's not."  (pursuit23 tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 9, 2017, papp tweeted: "Told that everyone's favourite reporter is back this week for #Arrow filming as well #SusanWilliams." On which episode she's going to be in, 514 or 515, papp tweeted: "they finished 14 already." (pursuit23 tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per her IMDB page, Carly Pope is in 503, 505, 506, 507, 509 and 512. (CPope's IMDB link in tv echo post, page 1263 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Tina Boland  
-- TVLine: "Described as 'brash but tactful, Tina isn’t impressed by anyone, let alone vigilantes like Green Arrow. She’s tough, speaks her mind and has the skills and experience to back it up,' reads the breakdown. She will first appear in the back half of the season, our sister site Variety reports." (Nov. 1, 2016 TVLine article, page 1302 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Variety: "[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 (Stephen Amell) and his new team of recruits: Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez), Artemis (Madison McLaughlin), Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum), and Ragman (Joe Dinicol). Harkavy’s character will join in the back half of the season." (Nov. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 1302 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Per WM, SCPD Detective Tina Boland will form a connection with Oliver, seeing as “she has been through her own hell, her own sort of ‘island.'” (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Video of another actress' audition for Tina Boland role mentioned trying to find "Carlos" and that Tina used to be on his team. (Anna Koval audition video in Jan. 4, 2016 way2interested post, page 1284 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 8, 2016, Canadagraphs watched Arrow shooting some 511 scenes: "... When I returned they had moved to an alley that leads into the alley behind the restaraunt they were at. In the alley was the 'Green Arrow' (never saw him standing or from the front, so unsure if it was Stephen or his new stunt double.) and 2 actresses both dressed the same. One was Juliana Harkavy, the newest addition to the Arrowverse as 'Tina', and the other, her stunt double. Just like the Green Arrow I saw, I never saw either of them from the front, so unsure which was which. Shortly after they all moved into a small parking lot off the alley that was impssobile to get any view of and they shot scenes were GA tries to convince Tina that there is a better way to do things. This is essentially the START of her being brought into Team Arrow I think." (Dec. 7, 2016 Canadagraphs blog, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 30, 2016, EK posted  a "mannequin challenge" that included SA, DR, EBR, EK, JD, JH and Bratva guys, and also posted b-t-s pics and video clip from the set of a Russian bar, showing SA, EBR, DR, WH, EK, PB and RG. (DC Comics instagram posts, pages 508 and 509 of Social Media thread)
-- On Dec. 4, 2016, JH and Thomas Taylor of T3 Athletics both posted same pic of JH training at T3 Athletics, alongside RG, Jeremy Jordan and David Harewood.  (JH and t3athletics instagram posts, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 4, 2016, JH posted pic of her on-set chair with her name on it. (JH instagram post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 9, 2016, JH posted: "This is the best I've ever felt, and it's not because I'm at my thinnest, it's because I'm at my current strongest. Working with @t3athletics and @james2bambamford the past two months has been both physically and mentally transformative." (JH facebook post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 17, 2016, JH's twitter account described her as "@CW_Arrow's newest recruit." That description was subsequently deleted. (JH twitter account, page 1264 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 11, 2017, in response to fan who asked in which episode she and Felicity become BFFs, JH tweeted: "Episode 54ever ????." (JH tweet, page 1299 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 11, 2017, in response to fan who asked in which episode she makes her debut, JH tweeted: "Awww thank you!! Keep your  ?? ?? & u shall ?? soon, promise ????." (JH tweet, page 1299 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 13, 2017, JH posted b-t-s pic of SA wearing a dark suit with comment: "Didn't catch this happening fast enough to get a good pic, but earlier in the night @stephenamell noticed two fans standing outside set in the cold. In between takes, he stepped outside with two cups of hot chocolate, walked down into the snow, hand delivered the cocoa to the fans, then walked back up to set like nothing to shoot the next take. No one else would have even seen this random act of kindness take place. This was one of many moments that have made me so proud to be part of the @cw_arrow team. Just thought I'd share!" (JH instagram post, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

New Black Canary  
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, in response to ComicBook.com's idea that Felicity can be the New BC, MG tweeted: "Nope. Sorry." (MG tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether a Black Canary might suit up as soon as by S5’s end, WM: “There’s definitely a possibility... Look, it’s hard to do a show about Green Arrow without having a Black Canary. I don’t know if it will happen this season or when, but… we are going to be true to origins in the DC universe, and she’s always going to be there.” (Jan. 10, 2017 TVLine tweet & article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan who said that "it would be awesome if the Black Canary came back," SA: "And I agree. Lots of consternation within the fanbase about what's important the Black Canary - in the Green Arrow-verse. And I will say that - forgetting about the show for a second - if you just look at the canon of Green Arrow, John Diggle wasn't actually a character and he's indispensable. Felicity Smoak wasn't really a character and she's indispensable. So we picked and plucked from various parts of the DC universe. But if you're just getting into the canon of Green Arrow - the comic book character, not necessarily the show, but the comic book character -  ... Black Canary is easily the most important feature next to the Green Arrow. Period. Full stop. Forever. So it would be very nice to have the Black Canary back. I would agree with that."  Subsequently, SA clarified: "The PS - was passive aggressive, ha. On the video I talked about how within the framework of the comics, not our show, the BC is probably the second most important characters in the GA canon. It was a commentary on comics. Nothing to do with Arrow the TV show. Thanks for your comment." (Dec. 7, 2016 SA facebook video post, page 50 of Spoilers thread, and SA facebook comment quoted in DrSpaceman10 post, page 1259 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- When asked whether there'll be other Flashpoint effects like the return of Black Canary, DR: "I will say that the Canary's death meant a lot to the fabric of the Arrow universe, to the fans. Um, that scene where - in the hospital where the Canary died, Katie's character Laurel died in the hospital - those tears you see with us are real, everyone was shaken - the crew, everyone. No one wanted to say good-bye to Katie Cassidy... We're all good friends. She lives in Vancouver where we shoot the show, but no one wanted to say goodbye to her. So it was very, very sad. And I don't know if the producers - I think that they did, I mean, I can't speak for them -  but I don't know if anyone really expected as large a response as they - as we got from the fans. Um, at least I didn't expect it. And I'm not quite what the writers or producers expected. I'm sure they expected some. But it was a very large outpouring of grief really from the fans as well... So I'm not quite - I think they took some of that to heart and I'm not quite sure what's going to happen exactly with the Canary character, um, but they're listening... I - I - I know some things are -are percolating, you know, because they really are listening to how the fans reacted to Canary's death. And that's all I can really say about that." (CCXP-Sao Paolo Expo, Dec. 3, 2016): alwaysbett video, page 512 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- From reddit poster's 510 summary: "... Scene change, Oliver is lamenting over the fact that he hasn't kept his promise to Laurel and that he's gonna find someone worthy of carrying on her legacy. Scene change: Couple of dudes are drinking and a woman asks a guy if he want another round but the guy says he wants a piece of that. She says they're cliche asf and trying to over compensate for their lack of manhood on a 'defenseless woman'. 'What are you gonna do about it' Sonic Scream 'That' End Episode."  On whether the sonic scream at the end of 510 was a metahuman power, reddit poster replied: "Same as E2 Laurel." (Dec. 18, 2016 YonkouProductions' reddit post of 510 summary and comment following same reddit post, page 1264 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Talia al Ghul
-- We will first meet Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig) in 510 and she's expected to appear in multiple episodes throughout the season after that. Her official character description: "Worldly and cultured, Talia is an elite warrior who doesn't pick sides but rather creates her own." (Jan. 1, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Talia al Ghul plays a “crucial part” in unraveling the Prometheus mystery. (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- James Bamford: "Then there’s Lexa Doig. She’s just fitting right in. I think she’ll be bringing something to the role you haven’t seen before. She has a quality of her own. You’ll be interested in how we’ve woven Talia into our mythology. She definitely makes an impression on Oliver Queen." (Nov. 30, 2016 CBR article, page 49 of Spoiler thread)
-- On whether we'll see any more characters with a Russian background pop up, SA: "In the back half, we are meeting Talia al Ghul." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "I've got a great John Wick-inspired scene coming up on the show, like in, uh - I want to say episode 11, 12...ish, with me and... Talia." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread)

Return of Laurel Lance  
-- On KC's return to the Arrowverse after Laurel was killed off, GB: "We made a deal at the end of that season to bring her back for a bunch of episodes. Katie is a part of the fabric of the show. Because the show, like a comic book, can move in different ways, and characters go and come, everybody that’s ever been a part of the key and core ensemble has always had a place at the table for our show. There’s the capacity for her to be [in all four shows]. At this moment, she’s in three of them." (Jan. 9, 2017 CBR article, page 197 of Starling City Times thread and page 244 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- When asked about KC returning to the many different series, GB: "She gets to play a couple of different things this year... that's a good tease, right? She's not just playing a character this year - she's a couple of different things." Interviewer interjected: "Black Siren is still on the table, correct?" GB nodded. (KSiteTV video interview of GB at Arrow's Oct. 22, 2016 100th Episode Celebration, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On getting KC back for the 100th episode (508), MG: "It’s terrific. One thing that’s so great about Katie is how amenable she’s been to returning to the show since Laurel died. Also, we haven’t seen the last of Katie on the show because of how big this world has gotten, just because the character is dead in one timeline is not the end of the character. ... Every time we have the opportunity to have Katie back on the show it’s always a special treat. It was very important for her to be part of the 100th episode because she remains such an integral part of the show, same thing with Suzanne Thompson and Jamey Sheridan. There was a whole host of other characters who we would have loved to have gotten back if we could have worked out schedules but it’s one of those unfortunate things is that people do have other lives, other jobs and we sort of went in with our hopes of getting as many alumni back as we possibly could." (Nov. 30, 2016 Deadline article, page 193 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On 510, per WM, seeing Laurel (?!) “is a very welcome surprise” for Oliver: “But there will be… whatever the reverse of a ‘silver lining’ is… when he finds out what’s really going on. It will have a lot of emotional resonance, particularly for him and Felicity.” (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On 510, WM: “[Seeing Laurel] is something that will draw Oliver’s focus for a bit, coming into the New Year." On whether it will be more than he can handle in the wake of his unwitting role in Billy Malone’s death, or whether it could be a tiny ray of sunshine at the end of an extremely cloudy day, WM: “It’s a little of both... It’s a familiar face, someone he loves and is very happy to see, and now she’s back in the flesh, so it’s a very welcome surprise. And yet as we often say, ‘nothing is really ever as it seems.’ There will definitely be a ‘dark silver lining’ when Oliver finds out what’s really going on.” (Dec. 27, 2016 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Laurel is really alive in 510, SA said we'd have to tune in when Arrow returns in January to find out. SA: "Obviously, people don't just come back from the dead. So, there has to be some sort of vetting process to make sure it actually is Laurel. Because the group has seen some, uh, some peculiar things, but we delve into that when we come back in - in the new year." (Dec. 7, 2016 SA facebook video post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan who said they wanted to see Oliver and Laurel back together again, SA did not give a reply. (Dec. 7, 2016 SA facebook video post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On 510, Matt Mitovich: "On a scale of 1 to 10, Laurel is going to be a 9 on the emotional wallop scale. That's what Wendy Mericle told me earlier today. Um, and she said specifically the Laurel storyline - or should we say 'Laurel' (using air quotes) - I dunno, depends on what you believe. (Other person asked, "Who is she?") ... That will be revealed. And, but, uh, that storyline as a whole will do a - will have an emotional resonance as a whole for not just Oliver, but Oliver and Felicity. Felicity, actually, is going to be the biggest skeptic about 'Laurel' (using air quotes), um, while Oliver's a little bit more into seeing his old friend again, under whatever circumstances he thinks she came back." (Dec. 12, 2016 TVLine's Ask Ausiello facebook video, page 50 of Spoilers thread and page 1261 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Reddit poster's detailed 510 summary and additional comments spoiled that it isn't Laurel who returns, but Black Siren impersonating Laurel and that Black Siren goes through a redemption arc. Reddit poster also spoiled that 510 ends with a female vigilante giving the sonic scream. (Dec. 18, 2016 YonkouProductions' reddit post of 510 summary and comments following reddit post, page 1264 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 2, 2016, Canadagraphs tweeted: "Black Siren is BLACK SIREN. 'Dinah Laurel Lance' is not new Black Canary. Katie Cassidy version of BC is dead, buried & bronze statued." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 1260 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 6, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming in studio today . Oh & for the handful of idiot KC fans (not KC fans just the idiot ones ) she's not filming #yvrshoots." Per papp, DR was filming, but not EBR or WH. He also said that EBR was not on set on Jan. 6 and that he didn't know if she was back in Vancouver yet. In response to fan who wondered when KC would be on LoT/Flash, papp tweeted: "Ya she hasnt of yet but who knows now that her movie is done." (pursuit23 tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 9, 2017, KC and papps tweeted that KC returned to Vancouver that day. (KC, pursuit23 and Canadagraphs tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Other Possible Returns or Debuts in S5
-- On Dec. 8, 2016, papp tweeted: "Saw Kelly Hu was picked up by an #Arrow driver so looks like China White is back." (pursuit23 tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread and page 1252 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, fan tweeted: "There are rumors about Cupid, China White and Lady Cop being part of [Felicity's] 'team.' Sort of a Dark Birds of Prey?" (oli_verdant tweet, page 1289 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, in response to question about whether China White would return to the Arrowverse, papp tweeted: "She actually just filmed an Arrow episode so that's gonna be good." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, papp tweeted: "Got #autographs earlier this week from #Arrow guest star & former #Supernatural guest Amy Gumenick who came back to finish an episode." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, papp tweeted: "Saw Kelly Hu & Amy Gumenick wrap filming for #Arrow yesterday in Vancouver so that should be an interesting episode." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On or about Jan. 6, 2017, Rutina Wesley, who played Lady Cop, was back in Vancouver, but it's unknown whether or not it was for Arrow. (rutina_wesley instagram post, page 51 of Spoilers thread and page 1290 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 9, 2017, in response to whether Rutina Wesley filmed for Arrow 'recently', papp tweeted: "She filmed with Kelly & Amy." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per AK, the Black Flash will appear on multiple DC shows, fulfilling his Grim Reaper function from the comic books. (TCA Winter Press Tour, Jan. 8, 2017: RottenTomatoes article, page 244 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Not Returning or Debuting in S5
-- Per Mark Pedowitz, Constantine (voiced by Matt Ryan) will return as an animated series on The CW Seed, although MP is open to Ryan returning as Constantine on the other DC shows, like he did for Arrow. However, there are no current plans to have Constantine appear on any of the CW shows. (TCA Winter Press Tour, Jan. 8, 2017: RottenTomatoes and Variety articles, page 244 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
--- On whether Nyssa might return for a sibling reunion with Talia al Ghul, KL: "There's always talk. Whether or not those talks will ever come to fruition is another matter, but I would love to have a reunion with Talia. I just think having the two sisters either fight side by side together or fight with each other would be epic either way. And then if we could somehow do some sort of flashback with Ra's al Ghul coming in as well... Let's petition to make that happen." On whether CBS' Training Day could spare KL or a visit to The CW, KL: "We shall see. I don't know. It was a pretty brutal shooting schedule in the first season, so I'm probably going to have to lean towards 'no,' but I'm always hopeful and optimistic." (Jan. 11, 2017 CinemaBlend article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
- Per GB, Black Lightning (Fox tv series) will probably not cross over onto the CW Arrowverse shows: “If we’re lucky enough that that show exists, I don’t think those worlds would cross over." (TCA Winter Press Tour, Jan. 8, 2017: RottenTomatoes article, page 244 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Looking Toward Season 6
--  Arrow, Flash, Supergirl and LoT have all been renewed for another season. (TCA Winter Press Tour, Jan. 8, 2017: RottenTomatoes article, page 244 of Mind Your Surroundings thread, and TVBytheNumbers article, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Per ComicBook.com, Arrow will likely have a new face when it returns in S6; the members of the original Team Arrow have been scattered to the four winds this season, but seem to be playing a bigger and bigger role as the season wears on. Meanwhile, the new recruits will likely not be all gone when the show returns next season. (Jan. 8, 2017 ComicBook article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver & Felicity, WM: "Now, they’re working together in the context of not knowing what their future is, romantically. ... I think both sides provide — having them together and apart —  certain types of storytelling opportunities. This season has certainly given us different ones. But I think ultimate the key thing, and I think is true for so many series, especially ones where you’ve been fortunate enough to go to 100 episodes and beyond, that you have that central core relationship and as writers you have that opportunity to explore it. And you can take it many different directions. We definitely have some ideas about where we’re headed in Season 6. We’ll see where that goes." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Next year, in Season 6, what we'll end up doing is we'll do some episodes without any sort of flashbacks. We've [also] established over the first four seasons of proof of concept that we can do flashback stories that don't involve what I call the island narrative, even when he's not on the island." Also MG: "We still want to make that part of our storytelling, because we do like them. We like when those non-island flashbacks sort of illuminate what's going on in the present day... That'll always be a part of the show and a part of the show's storytelling structure. It just won't be telling a serialized story." (Jan. 8, 2017 ComicBook article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "We basically went into this season with the expectation that we would get a sixth season and we basically decided that this would be the last year of the island-centric flashbacks. I think, going forward flashbacks are still a part of the show and we’ve seen in plenty of episodes we’ve done non-island, non-Russia flashbacks with Felicity…and we’re doing that again on 5.13, we’re going to flashback to Renee’s period before he was Wild Dog. That’s a tool in our toolbox. I don’t think we have an expectation to do a flashback every single episode of season 6, but again, it’s part and parcel of the show and we’ll just continue going on the way we are." (Jan. 9, 2017 Collider tweet & article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the end of the island flashbacks after S5, MG: "I do welcome the shift. I think one thing we’ve been talking about — at this time of the year, we always start talking about next season and one of the things we’ve been saying is that when you go past five years, you have to shake things up and you have to change things around and I think telling a flashback story in five years was always our game, and I’m just excited that we’re sticking to it and I’m excited that it’s a chance to really open the show up next year. One of the things we love doing are those non-island flashbacks stories. We really have always enjoyed them and the fact that we’ll have the room and space to do them, again not every episode but as often as we want to is really enticing." (Jan. 9, 2017 Collider article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 510 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 10:  Who Are You?
-- Production code: 510.  Shoot Dates: Oct. 21-Nov. 1, 2016. Director: Gregory Smith. Writers: Ben Sokolowski & Brian Ford Sullivan. Airdate: January 25, 2016. (MG tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- 510 synopsis: "OLIVER WANTS JUSTICE; FELICITY WANTS REVENGE — Worried that Prometheus is right and he is truly a killer at heart, Oliver (Stephen Amell) looks for any ray of hope and finds it in what seems to be the miraculous return of Laurel Lance (guest star Katie Cassidy). However, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), still reeling from Detective Malone’s murder, is bent on revenge – she wants to stop Prometheus at any cost. While in prison, Diggle (David Ramsey) fights for his life. Gregory Smith directed the episode written by Ben Sokolowski & Brian Ford Sullivan (#510).  Original airdate 1/25/2017." (SpoilerTV article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- 510 promo pics posted, showing Oliver, Prometheus, Felicity and Curtis. (SpoilerTV and TVLine articles, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- The CW app's 510 preview clip of Oliver talking to Diggle in jail. (Dec. 8, 2016 AmellDaily tweet, page 1250 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 510 sneak peek video posted. (Dec. 11, 2016 SpoilerTV article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- 510 promo video posted, which spoiled that 'Laurel' is not Laurel but an impersonator with a metahuman Canary Cry, likely Black Siren. (Video in Dec. 27, 2016 SpoilerTV and TVLine articles, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Short 510 promo video, which didn't spoil Not!Laurel and featured her cradling Oliver's face with her hand. (Video in Jan. 11, 2017 andyouloveher88 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread and page 1298 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Extended 510 promo video posted, including shot of destruction of Laurel statue. (510 extended promo video, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- 510 sneak peek video posted, featuring Diggle and Adrian Chase. (510 sneak peek video in Jan. 25, 2017 TVLine article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- 510 sneak peek video posted, featuring WIld Dog. (510 sneak peek video, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- 510 dialogue tease: "I just got my ass kicked for the bazillionth time." (Jan. 24, 2017 Arrowwriters tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the 510 promo that spoiled Not!Laurel, MG: “Without commenting on the promo, which I have nothing to do with… [and] without commenting on the spoiler, I would say that the episode ends with laying a very specific seed, with a very specific game plan on our part that we hope to see come to fruition.”  (Jan. 10, 2017 TVLine tweet & article, page 51 of Spoilers thread, and Jan. 13, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1301 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: “We never skimped on the writing, the production or in the post-process going, ‘This is going to be one of those stinkers, we might as well cut our losses and move on... We worked as hard as we possibly can on the scripts. If episodes have come in bad, we reshoot. We’re going to pick up a scene for episode 510, not because the scene didn’t turn out well, but because there was just one moment that wasn’t landing the way it needed to land to pay off another moment. Even in season 5, we have no problems with doing reshoots, or pickups, or anything we need to do to make each episode as successful as it can possibly be.” (Nov. 29, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "She's [Katie Cassidy's] always been so embracing of the shows and this recurring sort of role that she has now among all four shows. And, I think one of the things quite frankly that took us all by surprise was, when we made this deal crossing her over, sort of made her untethered to all the shows, was how many stories we had for 'Arrow' that involved Katie. We came up with this one for the midseason finale and Katie was all in and it's always great to have her back... I think she was fully embracing what we were asking her to do here." As for details on Laurel's return, MG said, "time travel." (Jan. 25, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether seeing Laurel again will help improve Oliver's spirits, MG: "One of the fun little things about the episode was -- and it really comes from Felicity and Diggle -- is sort of commenting on how good stuff just doesn't ever happen on 'Arrow.' Like Diggle says, 'It seems to me like you're due a win; you're due something positive.' So I think in many ways we sort of used it as a little meta-commentary on the often dark nature of the show." (Jan. 25, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what ways we might see KC appear in Arrow outside of just flashbacks, WM: "I can tell you that we're really excited about having her back. You will see in the episodes where she appears - Episode 510 definitely, our midseason premiere. Keep your eyes out for that. We're so excited about getting to work with her again and her willingness to come back. It's one of the fun parts of the show. People can leave and get killed and you can still find new and crazy ways for them to come back. I can definitely tell you that there's a way we're going to bring her back and she's going to be alive and well. And Flashpoint might have a little bit to do with that." (Oct. 2, 2016 TV Guide article, page 45 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “[Seeing Laurel] is something that will draw Oliver’s focus for a bit, coming into the New Year." On whether it will be more than he can handle in the wake of his unwitting role in Billy Malone’s death, or whether it could be a tiny ray of sunshine at the end of an extremely cloudy day, WM: “It’s a little of both... It’s a familiar face, someone he loves and is very happy to see, and now she’s back in the flesh, so it’s a very welcome surprise. And yet as we often say, ‘nothing is really ever as it seems.’ There will definitely be a ‘dark silver lining’ when Oliver finds out what’s really going on.” (Dec. 27, 2016 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, seeing Laurel “is a very welcome surprise” for Oliver, but "there will be… whatever the reverse of a ‘silver lining’ is… when he finds out what’s really going on. It will have a lot of emotional resonance, particularly for him and Felicity.” (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Laurel is really alive, SA said we'd have to tune in when Arrow returns in January to find out. SA: "Obviously, people don't just come back from the dead. So, there has to be some sort of vetting process to make sure it actually is Laurel. Because the group has seen some, uh, some peculiar things, but we delve into that when we come back in - in the new year." (Dec. 7, 2016 SA facebook video post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Matt Mitovich: "On a scale of 1 to 10, Laurel is going to be a 9 on the emotional wallop scale. That's what Wendy Mericle told me earlier today. Um, and she said specifically the Laurel storyline - or should we say 'Laurel' (using air quotes) - I dunno, depends on what you believe. (Other person asked, "Who is she?") ... That will be revealed. And, but, uh, that storyline as a whole will do a - will have an emotional resonance as a whole for not just Oliver, but Oliver and Felicity. Felicity, actually, is going to be the biggest skeptic about 'Laurel' (using air quotes), um, while Oliver's a little bit more into seeing his old friend again, under whatever circumstances he thinks she came back." (Dec. 12, 2016 TVLine's Ask Ausiello facebook video, page 50 of Spoilers thread and page 1261 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Team Arrow's reaction to Laurel's return, MG: "I would say they react pretty positively. Obviously, this is wonderful news. We have a very good explanation as to how Laurel returned. The team is, by and large, pretty happy. Bear in mind, there are a few members of the team that didn’t know Laurel, so it’s fun to see their reaction, especially when they learn that time travel played a role in it." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- When Laurel returns in 510, EK: "Curtis definitely will interact with her. I can’t really give up too much as far as what that interaction will be… We’ll see how it plays out." (Nov. 22, 2016 We Got This Covered article, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra's IMDb page lists every remaining episode of this season (510-523). (Jan. 23, 2017 JS IMDb page link in tv echo post, page 1310 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Lexa Doig's IMDb page lists her as Talia al Ghul in every remaining Arrow episode of this season (510-523). (Jan. 22, 2017 Lexa Doig IMDb page link in tv echo post, page 1309 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Talia al Ghul will debut in 510. 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's expected to appear in multiple episodes throughout the season after this one. (Nov. 2, 2016 TVLine article in MichaelAusiello tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread, and Jan. 1, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Talia al Ghul plays a “crucial part” in unraveling the Prometheus mystery. (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, we'll "get a glimpse of [Tina Boland] at the end of the midseason premiere." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "It [510] basically kicks off the [Felicity] storyline that we've been teasing at least in the press since the season premiere." (Jan. 25, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 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.)" (Nov. 11, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 1213 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Malone's death uncorks what Felicity bottled up (re: Havenrock). Events in 510-512 force her to re-examine her life (or lack of) as of late." This was in reply to fan who asked what they introduced in 502 that's still paying dividends in 512 for Felicity. (Dec. 12, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per EK, we'll get "a lot of answers" (raised by the mid-season finale) in 510. (Dec. 30, 2016 The Next Level Showcast podcast, page 197 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Oct. 17, 2016, SA said: "Right now we are still filming 509, although I have filmed some stuff for 510." (SA facebook video, page 484 of Social Media thread)
-- On Oct. 22, 2016, SA tweeted pic of himself with facial hair and bloodied face. (SA tweet, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oct. 23, 2016, MMcL tweeted: "With my girl Tally, Artemis' double, and our @JamesBamford. Bambam, this show, Artemis and my life are all better for knowing you." (MadisonMcLaugh tweet, page 491 of Social Media 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)
-- On Oct. 30, 2016, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Off to Vancouver to witness the wonderful insanity that is #Arrow 510!" (briforsul tweet, page 1198 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Oct. 31, 2016, EBR posted b-t-s pic of Prometheus inside some abandoned warehouse. (EBR instagram post, page 47 of Spoilers 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, Canadagraphs 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. 2, 2016, Canadagraphs tweeted: "Black Siren is BLACK SIREN. 'Dinah Laurel Lance' is not new Black Canary. Katie Cassidy version of BC is dead, buried & bronze statued." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 1260 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 2, 2016, papp tweeted: "It's Stephen & Emily looking, it's not black siren/Laurel it's a new black canary." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1265 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 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)

REDDIT 510 SPOILERS
-- Reddit poster's 510 summary: "The episode opens where we left off last time with Laurel appearing. Oliver says he saw her die but she says that she was saved. She saw a white light and then an 'angel' appeared, but it wasn't an angel it was her sister. It was her sister Sara. They teleported Laurel to the Waverider where they had a technology to fix her embolism. They retort saying there was no white light and she didn't go anywhere but Laurel says thats because it 'hadn't been done yet'. Laurel asked the legends to bring her to Oliver's present time. Sara had given her a second chance. Felicity appears and she's like oMG a miracle, and stuff then Laurel rehashes the above and Felicity says that she thought that Sara and the Legends were against messing with history since it would cause an aberration. Sara said that they had figured out a way to do so without causing one. The team question the fact that she was dropped off nine months later but its just put down to time travel shenanigans. Laurel asks about what has happened during the time she was gone and she receives the 411 about Quentin's drinking and the Donna situation. Since Laurel has a lot of catching up to do they decide to host a party, lol. Laurel says she wants to see Thea and Diggle again (lol) We get a conversation between Diggle and Oliver who is informed about Laurel coming back and he wants to face the charges head on and Oliver says he knows a lawyer (Matt Murdock lol). We flashback to the past, Oliver says he tried to blow up Kovars casino but the Pakhan accused of not doing it for the Bratva but for some woman. The Pakhan says that the deal he made with Kovar betrays the Bratva as does his vandetta. Kovar was a government agent and he informed the Pakhan of Oliver's intentions. Pakhan says he'll beat obedience into Oliver. Onto the present we get more of the Laurel is back hype and then some reflection at how the year its weird to be partying with the burial of Detective Malone still being prepared, the fact that its been horrible with the betrayal of Evelyn and also Prometheus still being out there and how they should be doing more to find him. Oliver says that last year he wished that the dark times didn't only bring them together and this year they're lucky because the miracles did. Laurel was a miracle and a second chance, which we all must remember. Moving onto Felicity, Rory goes past her and she's late in the bunker and she's asked what she's doing which she says its her 'Q-Mail, Snapbook, FaceChat' thing, but yeah she's actually running a DNA analysis on Laurel's DNA she took from the party. The DNA matches so no dice for an evil twin or a shape shift... Elsewhere Earth-2 Laurel appears and it turns out E-2 Laurel was playing E-1 Laurel. Black Siren was freed by Prometheus and they vow to lock her up once more. 'Finally. It's about time someone figured it out. You know, I am so sick and tired of playing this weak, vulnerable Laurel. She's such a pill, it's pathetic.' Oliver goes to the District Attorney Adrian Chase who he requests to take Diggle's case. Chase doesn't see how a city prosecutor could go on and take on the case when he's not a military defense attorney to which Oliver replies he needs someone outside of the military infrastructure. Oliver vouches for Diggle and Chase thinks that even a judge won't approve it and then he asks about the circumstances regarding Malone's death. Chase tells Oliver that Malone was set up to be Prometheus and it appears that the Arrow killed Malone, he told the officers on the scene not to say anything and during that time he's gonna keep things quiet. Moving on, Oliver gets a call and it's Black Siren so Oliver tells her not to say that name. Siren says that Prometheus forced her into attacking them and she asks for their help. Oliver and Siren agree to meet at the Black Canary statue. They meet up and Oliver instructs the dudes to attack Siren if she appears suspicious or about to betray Oliver. Siren tells Oliver that Prometheus threatened her and that she had no choice to which Oliver retorts that S.T.A.R Labs said she went willingly without any resistance. She says she can help track him down for them. Rory tries to make a move on her to the irritation of Oliver. They remind him that she's not our Laurel and he shouldn't play himself. E-2 Laurel gets locked up and explains how after E-2 Oliver died she moved to Central City for a fresh start and ended up in a parallel world telling that story to the doppelganger of the man who died 10 years ago. Oliver says he will keep her safe just as she tells him everything about Prometheus. She inquires why he would do that and he says that someone once told him that a circumstance could make something poison or nectar which meant that we get to choose what we are and we get to choose who we are so, 'Who are You?' Rene catches up with Curtis who's bitching about all the shit he's been through and how it cost him his blood, sweat and his Paul who had decided to leave him. Laurel asks Felicity about E-2 Laurel and she says that she's not the same as her and Laurel replies that despite not understanding parallel worlds she can understand how circumstances can impact a person and understanding those differences can help her reach E-2 Laurel. We get an interaction between Adrian Chase and Diggle who has decided he will represent him as his attorney. Felicity and Siren have an interaction and she explains to her how he feels guilty about her death and how he sees a chance at redemption in her. Felicity lets Siren escape and puts tracking nanites in her water to keep tabs on her. This alarms the team and their all move in on the next plan to track Siren. Flashback to Kovar and we get an explanation about the poison and nectar thing from Ishmael Gregor who threatens Oliver for his obedience once more. Moving to more Diggle matter, Chase denies the military the chance to transfer Diggle without the necessary paperwork associated. The transfer is expected within 24hrs. Returning to the Siren situation the nanites are live and tracking her, they decide to suit up and go after E-2 Laurel. There's a psuedo battle and a choice between Oliver and Laurel you know 'If you kill Felicity then you're killing the part of yourself that existed before you lost your family.' Oliver tells Siren, 'If you end this now then we can find that person again together.' Despite this Siren gets captured and sent off. Prometheus escapes from the scene. Moving forward more legal drama with Diggle's case. Siren is on her way to Central City to go into secure lockup at ARGUS. Oliver says he's keeping her close because if there's anything of Laurel left in her then he's gonna find it. Scene changes, with multiple gunfire and screams. Hello Mr. Queen...My Name is Talia, I've been looking for you. Scene change, Oliver is lamenting over the fact that he hasn't kept his promise to Laurel and that he's gonna find someone worthy of carrying on her legacy. Scene change: Couple of dudes are drinking and a woman asks a guy if he want another round but the guy says he wants a piece of that. She says they're cliche asf and trying to over compensate for their lack of manhood on a 'defenseless woman'. 'What are you gonna do about it' Sonic Scream 'That' End Episode."  (Dec. 18, 2016 YonkouProductions' reddit post of 510 summary, page 1264 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Reddit poster's clarifications on his 510 summary: "I left out that E-1 Laurel was actually E-2 Laurel playing the part. Edited in some dialogue to clarify." and "My bad I was tripping. The dna thing is explained in a weird way too." and "E-1 Laurel was E-2 Laurel acting the part. She goes through a redemption arc basically."  (Dec. 18, 2016 YonkouProductions comments following reddit post of 510 summary, page 1264 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether the sonic scream at the end of 510 was a metahuman power, reddit poster also clarified: "Same as E2 Laurel."  (Dec. 18, 2016 YonkouProductions comment following reddit post of 510 summary, page 1264 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Edited January 25, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 511 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 11:  Second Chances
-- Production code: 511.  Shoot Dates: November 2-14, 2016. Director: Mark Bunting. Writers: Speed Weed & Sarah Tarkoff. Airdate: February 1, 2017. (MG tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- 511 episode synopsis: "TALIA AL GHUL TAKES OLIVER UNDER HER WING — In his quest to take down Kovar, Oliver (Stephen Amell) gets help from a surprising source – Talia al Ghul (guest star Lexa Doig). However, when she reveals what she wants from him in exchange, Oliver isn’t sure he can accept her help. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) attempts to hack the NSA to help free Diggle (David Ramsey) but when her online efforts are flagged, she faces off against an unknown adversary. Meanwhile, Curtis (Echo Kellum) tells the team about a female vigilante, Tina Boland (guest star Juliana Harkavay), he uncovered online who has been wreaking havoc all over the country. Mark Bunting directed the episode written by Speed Weed & Sarah Tarkoff (#511). Original airdate 2/1/2017." (Jan. 13, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- 511 promo and extended promo posted. (511 promo video, 511 extended promo video and Spoiler TV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 511 sneak peek video posted, featuring Talia al Ghul and flashback Oliver. (Feb. 1, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 511 promo pics posted. (TVLine and SpoilerTV articles, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- In Jan. 26, 2017 podcast interview, MG said: “Next week’s episode of Arrow features the - I will say, the fastest crossover with Flash we’ve ever had." MG also tweeted pic of The Flash zooming past CCPD Captain Singh, who's on the phone at the police precinct, with comment: "Next week's Arrow features the fastest crossover with Flash we've ever done. #dontblink." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article and Jan. 26, 2017 MG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Tina Boland, played by Juliana Harkavy in a recurring role, will debut in 511. Tina is a detective formerly of Central City. She 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. (Nov. 1, 2016 Variety article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked about the appearance of Tina using Canary Cry tech at the end of 510, MG responded: "Well, you know, I guess I can say - I have to rewatch the episode - I don't know if I saw any tech... dun, dun, dun." When asked if we're dealing with a metahuman, MG: "That's all I'm going to say. That's all I'm going to say... But, uh, I will say... I will say, you know, we've had Sara Lance, we've had the - you know, Laurel Lance, we've done, you know... there're two Canaries already. Um, you know... last year, when, you know, Greg said, 'I really want, uh, one of the new recruits to be a New Black Canary,' um, we went back to the writers' room, um, and said, 'okay, but how - you know, how do we make that character or that Canary different from the two we've already seen on the show?' Um, so, I keep avoiding using the 'm' word, but I'm clearly [unintelligible words-heaping strong tea?]." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Tina] is a total badass, basically. I love her character. She's a former cop who has gone off the deep end because of tragic events that really sort of set her on this dark path. What I like most about her is she's a fully-fledged fighter. She is Oliver's equal in many respects. She's a grown-up, and she's just basically a total baller. I think she's going to be kind of a fun, cool addition to the show. The actress we've cast is fantastic."  (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- Per WM, Tina is a cop who “knows how to handle herself with a gun.” WM: "She very much a badass, she’s a very accomplished fighter... She’s very much an equal of Oliver’s, and I think we’ve never seen anyone quite like that -- Laurel had an evolution in training, as did Speedy, when Thea was donning the hood -- but she’s going to be a different type of colleague for Oliver, which we’re all very excited about.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Tina's] going to factor into the back half of the season. She comes into the story in a really interesting way. She’s like Oliver, has lost somebody and is hellbent for revenge. She is an amazing fighter. She has a lot of skills, and she’s very much a peer of Oliver, so they have an instant connection since they’ve both been through a version of hell. It’s ultimately him that’s going to show her a different way to do this - a different way to get revenge than just killing people." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Tina] has a lot of emotional connection with Oliver, in that she’s been through her own sort of hell, her own sort of ‘island.’ She’s got a very tragic backstory.” As such, and coupled with her hand-to-hand combat skills, WM touted the new arrival as “a peer of Oliver’s,” in that “we’ve never really had anybody on the team who is as formidable as he is and really views herself as an equal.” Because of that, WM teased, “there are going to be some new interest dynamics!” (Jan. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1317 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Per WM, Tina will form a connection with Oliver, seeing as “she has been through her own hell, her own sort of ‘island.'” (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked if Tina will eventually, formally assuming the mantle of Black Canary, WM said that it's “definitely a possibility” that Laurel Lance’s successor will be in place by season’s end, adding: “Look, it’s hard to do a show about Green Arrow without having a Black Canary.” (Jan. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1317 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether Tina was created for the show or a character from the comics that has been repurposed, WM: "We’re going to reveal her to be somebody very much connected to the comics." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We are so excited about Juliana. She is amazing." Per WM, Juliana Harkavy “brings a very different energy, a different vibe to the show." (Jan. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1317 of Spoiler Discussion 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. Um, you know, and as 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)
-- On Felicity's new arc being the sum of all the hardships she’s experienced over the years, especially Havenrock, which MG says is “is a big component” they’ll be addressing again in 511. MG: "It’s the sum of a bunch of stuff, and Billy was sort of the final straw. It’s also the sum of the fact that Felicity’s been living in this darker world for the last four-plus years now and one of the things we’re exploring is how much what Oliver and Diggle and Roy and Laurel have been doing as vigilantes affected her and affected her way of thinking about things." (Jan. 8, 2017 Collider and JustJaredJr articles, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicty's unknown online adversary in 511 is someone new or someone we've met before, WM: "I can tell you it's new and that we're very excited about it. In keeping with what we were just talking about with Felicity and Oliver, we really wanted Felicity to go down her own path this year. Even though it is a new organization and it's a completely new set of characters, we are going to come to find out later in the year that she unwittingly had a part in their inception. We're excited about that."  (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Malone's death uncorks what Felicity bottled up (re: Havenrock). Events in 510-512 force her to re-examine her life (or lack of) as of late." (Dec. 12, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I've got a great John Wick-inspired scene coming up on the show, like in, uh - I want to say episode 11, 12...ish, with me and... Talia." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread)
-- On Nov. 1, 2016, MG tweeted pic of "Hub City Prime Development Potential" billboard sign, which included "511" in lower right corner, with comment: "Headed out of town." (MG tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 2, 2016, MG tweeted: "Arrow Ep. 511 begins production today." (MG tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 4, 2016, SA tweeted: "103 Episodes of #Arrow & I've never been kicked in the nuts doing a stunt sequence. Just got kicked in the nuts. Twice. Back to back takes." (SA tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 4, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Arrow will be filming at Smile Diner in #Vancouver Tuesday, November 8. Interiors during day, foot chase in alley at night." (WhatsFilming 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, fan tweeted that Arrow was filming at Smile Diner, along with pic of Arrow filming notice. (ThemysciraBound tweet, page 1244 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. 8, 2016, fan posted filming shot of SA with EK and RG sitting in a burgers diner. (StephenArmy tweet, page 48 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 8, 2016, Canadagraphs watched Arrow shooting some 511 scenes: "On this day, they shot a scene in the Smile Diner (a location thats been used by many shows (& 1 iconic Kokanee commercial when they kill off the Kokanee Ranger) over the years. On this day, it was transformed into a Big Belly Burger. As far as I know, this is the first time on any of the shows that there has been an actual on location place for a Big Belly Burger. On this particular day, it was a BBB in Hub City. At a table we found Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez and Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt chatting while a waitress from BBB brought them their orders. Notably absent was Joe Dinicol, and of course Madison McLaughlin, who hasnt filmed in several weeks now (is she M.I.A or is she D.O.A?) ... When I returned they had moved to an alley that leads into the alley behind the restaraunt they were at. In the alley was the 'Green Arrow' (never saw him standing or from the front, so unsure if it was Stephen or his new stunt double.) and 2 actresses both dressed the same. One was Juliana Harkavy, the newest addition to the Arrowverse as 'Tina', and the other, her stunt double. Just like the Green Arrow I saw, I never saw either of them from the front, so unsure which was which. Shortly after they all moved into a small parking lot off the alley that was impssobile to get any view of and they shot scenes were GA tries to convince Tina that there is a better way to do things. This is essentially the START of her being brought into Team Arrow I think." (Dec. 7, 2016 Canadagraphs blog, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 13, 2016, Juliana Harkavy posted an old video of Rick Gonzalez practicing a knife fight at T3 Athletics. (JH facebook link in tv echo post, page 1216 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 16, 2016, Mark Bunting tweeted: "Ep 511 is wrapped! Thanks to all the cast and crew! And to @mguggenheim @MericlesHappen @RealSpeedWeed @sarahtarkoff for a fantastic script!" He also tweeted pic of 511 clapboard dated "11/14/16." (mrkbunting tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 16, 2016, Speed Weed tweeted: "@mrkbunting dailies look awesome, can't wait to see the cut!" (RealSpeedWeed tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 26, 2017, MG tweeted 511 promo video with comment: "Team Arrow Recruits a New Black Canary in Second Chances Promo." (MG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 1, 2017, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Can't wait for you guys to see tonight's episode of #Arrow! Not only will you formally meet the very awesome @JulianaHarkavy... (1/2)" and "If you're a lifelong comics reader like me, you'll walk away with the biggest smile on your face. (2/2)." (briforsul tweets, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

REDDIT 511 SPOILERS
-- Reddit poster's 511 dialogue: "Felicity: No one's gonna be good enough for you. Because you keep comparing them to Laurel, which is an impossible standard you might want to consider loosening. Oliver: We just need to keep looking." (Jan. 31, 2017 YonkouProductions' reddit post of 511 dialogue, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Reddit poster's 511 end scene dialogue: "Man: Mr. Mayor. Excuse me, But there's someone here to see you. Her name is Tina Boland. Oh. Yeah. Send her in, please. Mayor Queen. It's impressive. Maybe you should have led with that. I got to admit...I didn't think I'd see you again. Yeah. Neither did I. I guess I thought I would feel different. With Sonus gone, I thought I would feel liberated.I wish it worked that way. Heh. How do you do it? How do you keep living with so much pain? I'm still working on that myself, But I can tell you it helps to not be alone.That's why you're here, right? That's why I'm here. Back on that roof, you asked what Vince would have wanted. We were more than just partners. We were lovers. I hated Sonus for killing Vince... But I hated myself more for not being able to stop him. Rene, the guy in the hockey mask, told the other guy that was with us - Curtis That this team is all about finding second chances. You said maybe we don't get second chances. Well, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're my second chance. That's a lot to put on my shoulders. Well, Tina, there's something that tells me you can handle it. So about that name. Tina Boland was my official cover for undercover work. It was to protect my family. My real name is Dinah, Dinah Drake. Dinah? Does that name mean something to you? I had a friend named Dinah. She's the reason I sought you out. What do you think she'd think about all this? I think she'd be proud of both of us." (Jan. 31, 2017 YonkouProductions' reddit post of 511 dialogue, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Edited February 1, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

I had not planned on posting another Addendum so soon after the last one, but there were a lot of EP interviews published within the last month...

ADDENDUM #6 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC

New Team Arrow
-- On what kind of condition Team Arrow is in when the show returns in the midseason premiere, WM: "With the death of Detective Malone at Oliver’s hand, they aren’t happy. That said, at the end of the season we saw Laurel come back which has given them a small ray of sunshine. Coming into the back half of the season the team is really feeling that Prometheus is more formidable than they thought." (Jan. 25, 2017 Variety article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- JD: "What's cool about the next part of the season is that... you'll see them either pull together or not, based on how strong they've gotten... We've shown a lot of the sort of dissension and the cracks in the team, you know, as they sort of come together and form and put it all together. Um, but I think we'll be surprised at how strong they've actually become, especially in the face of Evelyn detracting - that was a really galvanizing thing for the team... and I think it'll keep them together and make them stronger than even they thought they would be... But there will be a struggle to ... stay strong and stay together because they're facing - you know, Prometheus is a pretty formidable foe, who's really sort of - whose main sort of focus is to - is to sort of turn everyone against, uh, the Green Arrow... And because the team is new, he can become quite successful at times with that, because no one is that close to Oliver yet. So it's a cool dynamic - they're getting very close, but they're also - there's also wedges being pushed in constantly. So it's a very cool back-and-forth in the second half of the season." (Jan. 30, 2017 We Have A Hulk podcast interview with Joe Dinicol, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Original Team Arrow ("OTA")
-- MG: "In episode 12, both Diggle and Felicity, for different reasons, are flirting with some darkness in their lives. Oliver basically, in this really great moment, tells both Felicity and Diggle, 'Look, I’m basically a dark dude, I do bad things, but the ship has sailed with me. The whole reason I am aligned with you guys is because you guys are fundamentally just better people, you guys are more moral than I am.' Part of the fun of that episode is seeing how that advice to both Diggle and Felicity operates on them. It’s not necessarily going to operate on them the same way." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “It’s really in keeping with what we’ve been doing this season, which is trying to have Felicity and Digg experience a lot of what Oliver’s gone through in the past four seasons... Felicity’s going to understand what it’s like to lose somebody close to her -- as a result of her being a vigilante -- and Digg is going to know what it’s like to sort of have to live underground with a secret life and a secret identity. It’s going to bring the team closer together, emotionally, and as a team.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether a Diggle rescue is in the works, WM: "We did our prison break in episode four so I’d expect something different. Dig is in jail again, but the outcome is going to be different and his attitude about it is going to be very different. It’s going to also involve Oliver pulling some fast ones on Felicity." (Jan. 25, 2017 Variety article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity")
- On whether Oliver will help Felicity navigate her dark times or whether she will push everyone away, MG: "I don’t think she’s really pushing everyone away, but she’s definitely on her own path. The best answer to the question is it’s neither one or the other fully. Oliver for sure will be trying to — not help her — but give her some guidance." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On being reminded this season that Oliver & Felicity are such great friends and teammates, WM: "We are. We made a choice at the top of this season not to … not to get them back together right away, for sure. And to leave that question up in the air. Which I think is a really real thing to happen. Going back to the real and roundedness, these are two people who have been thrown into this mission, and it’s not really a traditional workplace, so to speak. It’s a very unique situation. And we wanted to honor the reality of, it’s always hard to work with somebody you really care about. In season four, we saw them work together while trying to maintain a relationship. Now, they’re working together in the context of not knowing what their future is, romantically. ... I think both sides provide — having them together and apart —  certain types of storytelling opportunities. This season has certainly given us different ones. But I think ultimate the key thing, and i think is true for so many series, especially ones where you’ve been fortunate enough to go to 100 episodes and beyond, that you have that central core relationship and as writers you have that opportunity to explore it. And you can take it many different directions. We definitely have some ideas about where we’re headed in Season 6. We’ll see where that goes." (Dec. 19, 2016 Blastr article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
--- On the EPs' acknowledging the fact that they probably broke Oliver & Felicity up too soon last season, and on where Malone's death leaves Oliver & Felicity moving forward, WM: "That's true. I think for us, the decision to have Malone be in the crosshairs and die when he did was more motivated by what we wanted to do with Felicity this season, independent of Oliver. Regardless of whether we get them back together or not down the road — and I know there's a huge controversy out there about which way that should go — I think for us, our promise at the start of the season was to see what their lives would be like without that romantic relationship. That's really what we wanted to do. ... For us going forward, and for Felicity too, it's really about, 'what does this loss mean?' What it means for her and Oliver I think is a question we will have to address in the future, but ... I think at the earliest, it will be towards the end of the season. She's a great character, and she deserves to have her own storylines. Emily Bett Rickards is amazing. That's been the goal this season, and that's why we've been going the way we have." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On how does Felicity struggle working with Oliver since he killed Billy, WM: "I think we’ve explored Felicity being mad at Oliver for his role in things she didn’t agree with. Nothing has happened to this extent, or this personal, but she knows the circumstances. We did not want to do a story where Felicity was mad at Oliver again. For her, she understands that the blame really lies with Prometheus." (Jan. 25, 2017 Variety article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the emotional backlash that will come from Oliver killing Felicity’s boyfriend, in terms of their personal and professional relationship, per WM, the former couple will still be divided, fighting separate battles towards the same goal. WM: “For us this season, our intent at the beginning was to do stories with Oliver and Felicity independent of the romantic relationship -- sort of take a break, and let them date other people... Going forward, to continue that, Felicity is going to be on a revenge mission against Prometheus. She doesn’t blame Oliver for what happened in 5x09, I think rightly so, and she’s going to be on her own path towards avenging Malone’s death. And Oliver will be on his own path dealing with Prometheus. Ultimately, they’re both going to be facing off and dealing with Prometheus, but in their own, independent ways.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “We’ve said many a time that this [season] is our answer to season one, and him looking back at his legacy... I think it’s different in the sense that he’s more evolved, he’s more mature. He’s not as quick to go on that revenge journey the way that we’re going to see Felicity do." (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We really wanted Felicity to go through a journey this season of really understanding, in a way, what Oliver had been through in season one... I think Felicity now understands in a really profound and tragic way, what Oliver means when he says that you can't have a personal life." WM: "We wanted to put her in a normalized place at the beginning of the year, after the breakup and everything that happened in season four, and lighten her up a little bit only to again pull the rug out from under her in the middle of the season and see where we can take her." Per WM, Malone "represented a certain innocence" and that meant he had to go. (Jan. 25, 2017 Eonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- While Felicity's new understanding will not necessarily put her and Oliver back together romantically, it will make them better partners in crime fighting. WM: "[Malone's death] is going to deepen her understanding of what he went through, and it's also going to deepen her as a character, which was honestly the primary goal of telling the story... We always are looking for ways to give her more story and more autonomy, and this is a way to do it. She's trying to have an outside life in some ways in season five, independent of the team, and we're going to end her, I think, in a very interesting place, and detective Malone's death is really the kickoff of that journey for the back half of the season for her." (Jan. 25, 2017 Eonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow
-- MG: "You know, the big challenge facing Oliver in the second half of the year is, he's trying to be a more optimistic person. He's trying to evolve and grow, both as a mayor and a man and as a hero, but, uh, the threat of Prometheus and the nature of Prometheus' agenda keeps threatening to sort of pull him back... He's basically a guy who's like trying to take a step forward and the past is like grabbing him by the ankles and yanking him backwards. Uh, so the big question, you know, in everyone's mind is going to be, 'Can Oliver finally break free of his past?'" (Jan. 24, 2017 DC All-Access video, page 250 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On how Prometheus forces Oliver to reassess his decisions, MG: "This goes to the larger arc of the year, which is Oliver questioning the consequences of his actions in general. What has been the prevailing theme of the season is Oliver is trying to grow and develop as a person, but the actions of his past keep literally haunting him, so it’s going to affect Oliver in a very big way going forward for the rest of the year." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- Now that Mayor Queen has been informed of what has happened with Malone's death, that will further complicate Oliver's life. MG: "We're putting together, I think, a wonderfully intricate, uh, chessboard, um, where all these little elements start to realign in the second half of the year. And, um, you see that there were little seeds that were planted in the first nine episodes that start to come to fruition. And certainly the death of Malone - the death of Malone.is in many ways the inciting incident that ratchets all the action up, uh, in the second half of the year. It wasn't just a, you know, death to end the midseason finale... It will impact Oliver and it will impact Felicity and, uh, it really plays into a lot of the things you will see laid out over the course of episode, you know, 510 and beyond." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Malone's death, WM: "I think we're playing it in ways that no one is going to expect... Everyone understands the circumstances under which this happened, but it's unquestionable that the man who's the Green Arrow, and also the mayor, at some point, these things have consequences." (Jan. 25, 2017 Eonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On finally learning who Prometheus was, and based on the fact that he’s a product of Oliver’s violent beginnings as the Arrow, whether that changes how Oliver deals with future criminals, WM: "Maybe not in the way he deals with future criminals, but it will definitely change the way he deals with Prometheus. He knows he is directly responsible for the creation of this person, and it is going to make him question why he did what he did in Season 1 — and really everything leading up to now. It’s very much keeping the general goal of the season, which was to talk about his legacy and to have him question it." (Jan. 25, 2017 Variety article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Laurel's reappearance shifted Oliver's perspective to hope, WM: "I think fundamentally it's Laurel and a whole bunch of other things that have been happening with him that are really making him rethink his legacy and his mission. It's Laurel coming back, and someone seemingly coming back from the dead; then combined with that is the fact that he literally just killed Felicity's boyfriend — which sounds really horrible, but obviously it was under very different circumstances than that sentence would normally imply. ... We really explored the question in Season 2 of 'to kill or not to kill?' We don't want to repeat that or retread that territory, but what we do want to do is have Oliver ask these questions in the context of his legacy. He killed Prometheus's father, and that has given birth to one of the worst villains he's ever gone up against. There's no way he's going to go through the rest of the season and not be questioning that. It's a fundamental part of the season; him wondering 'was this the right thing to do' and is he truly honoring his family legacy by doing it?"  (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- WM: "I think in the back half of the season Oliver will really be assessing whether he's more effective as mayor or more effective as the Green Arrow." (Jan. 25, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “We’ve said many a time that this [season] is our answer to season one, and him looking back at his legacy... I think it’s different in the sense that he’s more evolved, he’s more mature. He’s not as quick to go on that revenge journey the way that we’re going to see Felicity do." (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "The other difference this season is that he has a different legacy evolving through the mayor’s office... I think we’ll make him question which path is the right one, which path is the one that’s more effective for accomplishing his goals of helping the city.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver having a lot of balls in the air and how he is going to be juggling all of them, WM: "He’s struggling! I mean, one of the things that we’ve really enjoyed playing with Oliver… for the first time on the show, he’s had a real job where he’s accountable. People are depending on him! In the beginning of the year, he did not take the mayoral stuff seriously at all, and — as the season’s evolved — he’s really starting to, and I think it’s for a couple of reasons. One, he’s finding that he’s actually pretty good at politics, and second, he’s really questioning whether or not this is the right way — maybe the mayor is a better path in terms of helping the city and helping people that don’t have a voice. So, I think for as many balls as he has in the air, there are new balls and there are new possibilities and these new paths that are opening up to him that are different than the ones we’ve seen him explore in the past and, therefore, are kind of exciting. I think, for as much as he’s struggling with the guilt of what happened Malone and also obviously getting down to business and finally finding out who Prometheus is and finding out how to capture him and stop him. He’s got hope! He’s got hope in the form of the mayor’s office and this burgeoning relationship with Susan Williams." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, before Oliver can take down his "dark mirror," he's going to have to do some serious self -reflection. WM: "For us, it's a different way of fighting. It's not going to come down to him punching or killing Prometheus necessarily... What it is going to come down to is a very psychological need for Oliver to accept the last five years and everything he's done, good and bad." (Jan. 25, 2017 Eonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch
-- Interviewer (Kyle Anderson) said that he was a big fan of badass Felicity taking charge (in 510) and whether this was going to be a new avenue for Felicity in the second half of this season. MG: "Yeah, you know, I think - as I've probably said in other interviews - that the first half of the season sets up the second half of Felicity's arc. And, um, we went into this year always knowing what we were going to do with Felicity in the second half of this season. Um, and the way I sorta - I don't think of it in terms of, like, making Felicity tough, so much as I think of it as Felicity's ongoing struggle to define herself beyond or outside of her, you know, former romantic relationship with Oliver or, you know, her membership on Team Arrow. Um, sort of like, you know, who is she when she's not in the Bunker? And does she have a life outside the Bunker? And, um, you know, certainly with the death of Malone in the midseason finale, we've given her a - I think, a very compelling reason to develop that sense of agency on her part." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how dark Felicity will go to get revenge on Prometheus, MG: "This is something we went into the season with. At the beginning of every year, we figure out: What do we want to see our characters go through? What are their emotional journeys for the season? We were intrigued by the idea of Felicity flirting with the dark side. The reason I say flirting is Felicity is very much the light of the show; she provides a lot of lightness in what is otherwise a very dark drama. One thing you don’t want to do is you don’t want to tell a story where she suddenly starts becoming this dark element. You don’t want to tell a story where all the reasons why people love the character are gone. It’s this delicate balancing act. ... In the wake of Malone’s death, she’s very influenced by her prior four years of watching Oliver and Diggle — and Laurel, Roy (Colton Haynes), and Thea (Willa Holland) for that matter. She’s been watching Team Arrow respond to darkness with what I would describe as moral compromise. What we’ve done is we’ve found a story where Felicity could be tempted by taking moral shortcuts in the name of the greater good, which is very much in keeping with the central dilemma at the heart of the whole show, which is becoming judge, jury, and executioner is the ultimate moral shortcut. She’s not going to become judge, jury, and executioner, she’s not going to become a killer, but we found the Felicity version, or the Felicity equivalent, of making a moral compromise in order to accomplish good." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "We always said we had a storyline in mind for Felicity for the back half of the year, and we're finally in the back half of the year. So, we always knew we were headed in this direction with Felicity. And I think, sort of the reason to tell the story is, you know, Felicity is the light in an otherwise very dark show and one of the themes this year, in addition to legacy, has been the effect of that darkness. In many ways it's sort of the overall theme of the show. We sort of address it in different ways every season, which is, when you dabble in the darkness, how much of that clings to you? And what we've done with this story for Felicity is we've basically been spending now four-plus years of Felicity swimming in these dark waters -- what happens when she starts letting it get to her?" Per MG, the show is doing the new storyline in a way that "honors the character of Felicity." MG: "We're not turning her into a dark, brooding vigilante. We're doing it in a way that honors  who the character is and honors the things that people like about the character... But yeah, we're going to have Felicity flirt with a darker storyline than we've typically done with her." (Jan. 25, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Just like Felicity was there during Oliver's training sessions with the new recruits to pull him back when he needed it, her friends will be there for her. MG: "We've already sort of written scenes – we haven't shot them yet … separate scenes, with Oliver, Diggle and Curtis specifically that they're all trying to sort of reach her in their own way because they all really care about her." (Jan. 25, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Havenrock, MG: "By the way, we haven't seen the end of that story... I mean, obviously, we've gotten the secret out and Rory and Felicity have aired their feelings about it, but we're actually going to revisit it in episode 12. Episode 12 draws together a lot of threads from the first 11 episodes of the season and it ties off some of them, and it just connects different things that weren't previously connected. But one of those threads is going to be this Havenrock situation and, I think, hopefully, if we've done our job correctly, just the fact that we're revisiting Havenrock and then the way we do it, with respect to Felicity and Rory, will be surprising." (Jan. 25, 2017 ComicBook article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Matt Mitovich: "And, of course, everybody's asking about Arrow and Felicity's upcoming dark arc... Marc Guggenheim made clear it's an ap - as far as the levels of darkness, it's appropriate to the character of Felicity. He says it's an edgier storyline for Felicity, but it is still a Felicity storyline." (Jan. 23, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live facebook video, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity not getting over Malone's death right away, WM: "The grieving is not going to stop. We're going to be feeling the repercussions of what happened with Malone at least through episode 520." (Jan. 25, 2017 ScreenerTV article and Feb. 1, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Felicity's gone through a lot. She inadvertently killed a bunch of people — 20,000, give or take — in Season 4. We wanted to do a little bit of a reset with her at the top of the season, and she was very happy with Malone. I think there's no way this is not going to take her down the darkest path we've seen her on, on the show. To us, in a lot of ways, this season is her island. She's going through things that she's never been through before. She's got, I think most importantly, a new understanding and appreciation for Oliver's sense of the dangers of this life and the dangers of having a personal life while doing it and the consequences of that in a really direct way now, because ultimately Malone wouldn't have been in the crosshairs if it weren't for her. She knows that." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- WM: "For Felicity it's going to be pretty dark. She's not blaming Oliver for Malone's death... She is blaming Prometheus and she's going to be hell-bent on getting him. To the point where it is going to consume her and take her down some unexpected paths." Also WM: "She's actually going to reconnect with an old part of herself. It's not going to play as something dark and negative. Ultimately I think it will be revealed to be that, but she's excited about this new path." (Jan. 25, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Felicity's unknown online adversary in 511, WM: "I can tell you it's new and that we're very excited about it. In keeping with what we were just talking about with Felicity and Oliver, we really wanted Felicity to go down her own path this year. Even though it is a new organization and it's a completely new set of characters, we are going to come to find out later in the year that she unwittingly had a part in their inception. We're excited about that." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- WM: "I think we actually wanted to do something different this year with her, and Felicity has always been super smart, super capable, but she fundamentally never really had something that’s her own. I think what this is, this is going to kick her off on this revenge story and she’s going to experience a lot of what Oliver experienced in the first season, in the sense that she’s going to on a pretty dark path towards revenge. I think it’s going to be less about throwing herself into her work and more about how she’s going to avenge Malone’s death and get Prometheus once and for all, because she knows he’s the one ultimately responsible for what happened." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Felicity's unknown adversary is going to heckle her throughout the season and be one of those elements that's all her own, WM: "It is. We’re definitely going to be kicking her off with a new organization and it’s going to take her to some pretty interesting places and also reconnect her with pieces of her past. We’re really excited about this new path for her." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Felicity in particular will be be “hellbent” on making Prometheus pay for orchestrating the death of her boyfriend, Detective Malone, gearing up for a true “revenge mission” in the second half of the season. WM: “She’s definitely seen her share of dark times... But this is very different, and it’s very personal this time, in the sense that, this was her boyfriend and he wouldn’t have died if it hadn’t been for her. She knows that despite what Oliver did, Prometheus manipulated the entire thing, and she’s hellbent on getting him and making him pay.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "This is really Felicity's island, what she's going through this year, and we wanted to see how she comes out of it on the other side." Also WM: "We really wanted Felicity to go through a journey this season of really understanding, in a way, what Oliver had been through in season one... I think Felicity now understands in a really profound and tragic way, what Oliver means when he says that you can't have a personal life." WM: "We wanted to put her in a normalized place at the beginning of the year, after the breakup and everything that happened in season four, and lighten her up a little bit only to again pull the rug out from under her in the middle of the season and see where we can take her." Per WM, Malone "represented a certain innocence" and that meant he had to go. (Jan. 25, 2017 Eonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Malone's death] is going to deepen her understanding of what [Oliver] went through, and it's also going to deepen her as a character, which was honestly the primary goal of telling the story... We always are looking for ways to give her more story and more autonomy, and this is a way to do it. She's trying to have an outside life in some ways in season five, independent of the team, and we're going to end her, I think, in a very interesting place, and detective Malone's death is really the kickoff of that journey for the back half of the season for her." (Jan. 25, 2017 Eonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, PB tweeted pic of himself with Ken Shane and EBR with comment: "Today our man #KenShane steps up from 1st AD to DIRECTOR! Great to have you at the helm Kenneth @EmilyBett #Arrow." (PB tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Felicity and Diggle
-- WM: "Part of Felicity's dark path that she's going to be heading down will be ... It'll be kicked off by her drive to save [Diggle]. It'll be a very complicated, we hope, story between Felicity and Diggle for the back half of the year." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- Per WM, part of Felicity’s battle will include lending a hand to Diggle, who was captured at the end of the midseason finale, assumedly by the corrupt Colonel Walker, who is a “formidable foe" for Diggle. WM: "I think the key thing for [Diggle] emotionally is, whereas in the past he was willing to let Oliver bust him out of jail, now he’s not... He’s going to fight on his own terms, through the right channels, and Felicity is going to be the one that really seals the deal and helps him get on the other side of this.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Yeah, well, I can tell you [Diggle's] not going to be punching his way out of jail this time. We just saw him do that in [season] 5 [episode] 4, and — as fun as that was — I think he recognizes… he has to take a different approach. And he is! He has some tricks up his sleeve, as always, and one of those tricks is Felicity. Felicity is going to be very, very crucial in getting him on the other side of this challenge and, also, Dig is really going to be dealing with the ramifications of that. Felicity is going to be doing some pretty questionable things to get the evidence that she needs." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, while Diggle's quest to regain his morality after killing his brother will "come in for a landing" this season, it's Felicity he should be worried about. WM: "He's going to be grappling with a different set of challenges in Felicity... Part of what kicks her off down this darker path is she's going to find evidence to exonerate him -- and he's going to have to deal with the fallout of the fact that Felicity is now going down a questionable path in part because of him."  (Feb. 1, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

John Diggle AKA Spartan
-- Fan tweeted scanned pic of Diggle's prison transfer document, showing that his full name is John Thomas Diggle. (Jan. 26, 2017 alwaysbett tweet, page 1318 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On what's next for Diggle, MG: "Coming into the second half of the season, we felt a very strong impulse to basically bring the whole General Walker storyline from the beginning of the year to a conclusion. There’s a reason why we returned Diggle to prison and it’s all to set up what will be a climactic episode. We’ve dedicated basically a whole episode to resolving the General Walker storyline. What’s nice about that episode, that’s episode 12, is that it ties into Oliver’s Russia storyline, it ties into Felicity’s storyline, and it even echoes back to the Diggle storyline with his brother last season. So a lot of threads get tied together and some threads get tied up in that 12th episode." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- Oliver forced/persuaded Adrian Chase to represent Diggle (in 510) in his military trial. WM: “Diggle comes out of there with a much bigger drive, and not the same fatalism that he had earlier in the season. He’s regained his moral compass, and he’s going to come up against [General] Walker in the early part of the back half of the season, which we’re pretty excited about. He’s also going to grow closer to Adrian Chase.” (Jan. 25, 2017 TVLine article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Thea Queen AKA Speedy
-- On whether Thea will take on a more active role in Team Arrow, WM: "You know, we bring her into the costume at different moments. It was an alien invasion; as she quipped in the episode, 'We’re fighting aliens, it’s time to do it!' But I think Thea’s arc this season is really much more about trying to be normal. What she was trying to accomplish in Season 4 and ultimately failed to do she felt was a result of being a vigilante. So, this season, she’s only going to get into that costume when circumstances are really dire and, obviously, things usually get pretty bad around right around May every year, so we’ll see what she ends up doing at the end of the season, but I think — for most of the time — she’s trying to just focus on politics and helping her brother in the mayor’s office." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific
-- On previous Evelyn/Curtis sparring scenes in the Arrow Bunker that showed Evelyn winning with ease, MG: "It actually spoke to her storyline and it also speaks to Curtis's storyline and you'll start to see this more in the mid-season premiere... If you've been watching the first nine episodes, he does have a tendency to get his ass kicked, as we kind of promised. As far as I'm concerned, turning Curtis Holt into a superhero is probably the biggest turn we've ever done on the show. Even more so than turning Laurel into the Black Canary. To my way of thinking, the only way you really earn that is if you show how difficult it is, and that means that Curtis ends up getting his ass kicked quite a bit. I think in episode 10, the mid-season premiere, he kind of hits bottom as far as his self-esteem is concerned, especially in light of the ultimatum that Paul gave him. Starting with episode 10 is his turn, I think, really more towards the Mr. Terrific we know from the comics." (Jan. 25, 2017 ComicBook article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Curtis' husband's ultimatum (stay on the team or stay with him) is weighing on him, WM: "For Curtis, as torn as he is, the thing that Paul tells him — that he’s never seen Curtis happier — is true. It’s going to carry Curtis through the back half of the season, with the hope that he can have his cake and eat it too. He’s not going to give up his marriage or his role on the team without a fight." (Jan. 25, 2017 Variety article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "I think we're going to be seeing Curtis try to save his marriage and keep his role in the team. Curtis is going to be evolving into Mister Terrific through the back half of the year, which is really exciting. He's finally going to find his place. We've really given poor Echo [Kellum] a real beating out in the field. He's going to be coming to grips with what his role on the team really should be and coming to terms with his physical limitations and also with his marriage."  (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 

Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis
-- On what's next for Artemis, MG: "You know, it has sort of played out, like we haven't seen the last of Artemis, but at the same time, there's not a lot for us as writers or the characters to do with the fact that Artemis betrayed them... It happened. It's sort of over, and they've got some other, bigger problems that are coming their way. You haven't seen the last of Artemis, but in the short term, they've got some other fish to fry." (Jan. 25, 2017 ComicBook article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On tying up the loose end of Evelyn's storyline, WM: "Evelyn is going to ... Definitely we're not going to leave her dangling. We love Madison, and we loved having her on the show. We're going to bring her back in a very surprising way. I would say it's somewhere in the teens [of the season]. Prometheus very much still has his claws in her, but Prometheus is not a nice guy. His goal is to get Oliver, and he doesn't care who gets hurt or killed on his path to doing that." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On the effect of Evelyn's betrayal of Oliver & Felicity, WM: "It absolutely shakes [Oliver's] confidence in the team. But I think fundamentally it also shakes his confidence in himself and his mission... For him, all of this is feeding into the bigger and more global question of his legacy -- but it does has repercussions for the team. They were all very close, and I think Rory, Curtis and Rene never saw it coming. They never would have guessed, especially not her. She was so innocent and kind and open-hearted. To have that level of betrayal occur on their watch is devastating." Also WM: "And I think it will hit Felicity as well, because she recruited Evelyn." Also WM: "They have a job to do so they'll move on... But I think it is with a certain degree of caution." (Jan. 28, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we have seen the last of Evelyn/Artemis on Arrow: When Matt Mitovich last spoke to WM, the Arrow writers were in the midst of hashing out a return scenario for Evelyn. WM: “We have a really cool, exciting twist for how she’s going to reappear... The interesting thing about the choices Evelyn has made is that as much as she took the moral high ground when confronting Oliver, she has allied herself with someone who is even worse [in Prometheus]... She’s gone from the frying pan into the fire." (Jan. 31, 2017 TVLine article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked about Artemis' "exciting twist," MMcL tweeted: "I can say...it's definitely a twist ?? y'all I had to pick my jaw up off the floor after I found out. Buckle up. Season five is ??????????????" She also tweeted: "Evie's coming back this season. In a...surprising way." (Feb. 1, 2017 MMcL tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread, and Feb. 2, 2017 MMcL tweet, page 1332 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog
-- WM: "Then for Rene, we've sort of hinted that he has a bit of a tragic backstory, and we're going to be delving into that with a lot more specificity. We love Wild Dog, and I know that there's a little bit of a mixed reception with the fans, but hopefully when we see where he came from and what his origins are, we'll get some people on his team." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- Matt Mitovich: "And here's some news that probably not quite many people wanted. We're getting a Rene flashback episode. Episode 13. We're going to have flashbacks for Wild Dog, who's not exactly been the most popular new team recruit." (Jan. 23, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live facebook video, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Rory Regan AKA Ragman
-- On Havenrock, MG: "By the way, we haven't seen the end of that story... I mean, obviously, we've gotten the secret out and Rory and Felicity have aired their feelings about it, but we're actually going to revisit it in episode 12. Episode 12 draws together a lot of threads from the first 11 episodes of the season and it ties off some of them, and it just connects different things that weren't previously connected. But one of those threads is going to be this Havenrock situation and, I think, hopefully, if we've done our job correctly, just the fact that we're revisiting Havenrock and then the way we do it, with respect to Felicity and Rory, will be surprising." (Jan. 25, 2017 ComicBook article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Then with Ragman, there's a really cool story coming up for him in episode 512 that we're really excited about that will set him on a slightly different path, but ultimately he'll still be kind of working with the team." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- When asked if we'll see more of Rory's abilities (like in the comics), JD: "Yeah, well, I think - what's kinda cool about the show - what's cool for me anyways - is we're kinda - because that is, let's say, a pretty out there concept, right? ... And because Arrow is of the - I guess, of the four shows - the most grounded in reality, we're sorta finding out what of that stuff works in this world and what doesn't. Um, the other thing that's sorta cool... Rory is sorta discovering these powers as he goes. You know, the rags were put on him in a - at a great inflection point when his parents were - you know, when everyone he knew was wiped off the face of the earth. So no one was really around to let him know the ins and outs of these powers. Uh, you will definitely see him stretch - I will say, you will definitely see him stretch the boundaries of those powers, um, as far as he can go. I won't say anymore about that. But you will definitely see him really go to the - to the far reaches of those powers and see what they can do. So I will say that - that's one of my favorite episodes coming." (Jan. 30, 2017 We Have a Hulk podcast interview with Joe Dinicol, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per Beth Schwartz, she had to make a recording of a Hebrew prayer for one of the actors to learn. Even the name of the prayer or the particular character couldn’t be revealed. (Jan. 24, 2017 The Detroit Jewish News article, page 522 of Social Media thread)
-- On Feb. 2, 207, fan tweeted: "Sadly 5x12 is probably Ragman's last episode. ??." (LuLuLemonLime83 tweet, page 1336 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Quentin Lance
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, PB tweeted pic of himself with Ken Shane and EBR with comment: "Today our man #KenShane steps up from 1st AD to DIRECTOR! Great to have you at the helm Kenneth @EmilyBett #Arrow." (PB tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Captain Frank Pike
-- On Jan. 19, 2017, Adrian Holmes tweeted pic of himself standing outside Capt. Pike's office with comment: "Another day at the office... literally.??@cw_arrow #arrow #Pike #ACU #whatsournxtmove #itsajungleoutthere #StarCityPoliceDept." (adrianholmes tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Prometheus
-- On Oliver's next move now that he knows Prometheus’ vendetta is personal, MG: "He learned two critical things in the midseason finale that will help him track down and identify Prometheus: He learned that Prometheus and he share a trainer, and he learned that Prometheus obviously was Justin Claybourne’s illegitimate son. That gives him two good clue trails to be following. He’ll be doing that in fits and starts as the season kicks back up." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether that will change Prometheus’ M.O. at all, MG: "No, I think Prometheus has a very clear plan. He’s not altering his plan to make accommodations to anything that Oliver has learned." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Prometheus forces Oliver to reassess his decisions, MG: "This goes to the larger arc of the year, which is Oliver questioning the consequences of his actions in general. What has been the prevailing theme of the season is Oliver is trying to grow and develop as a person, but the actions of his past keep literally haunting him, so it’s going to affect Oliver in a very big way going forward for the rest of the year." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Prometheus is "Oliver's true dark mirror." Oliver's initial drive as the Hood was his father's death, and Prometheus is propelled by his own father's death at the hands of the Hood. WM: "We wanted this season for Oliver to take on a villain that he had never encountered before, and what we like about Prometheus was understanding that he too lost his father... He is determined to make the man who took his father's life pay. We wanted someone to be as close in his backstory to Oliver as we could create." Per WM, we haven't learned everything there is to know about Prometheus just yet: "There are a couple more surprises in store."
-- Per WM, before Oliver can take down his "dark mirror," he's going to have to do some serious self -reflection. WM: "For us, it's a different way of fighting. It's not going to come down to him punching or killing Prometheus necessarily... What it is going to come down to is a very psychological need for Oliver to accept the last five years and everything he's done, good and bad." (Jan. 25, 2017 Eonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We really explored the question in Season 2 of 'to kill or not to kill?' We don't want to repeat that or retread that territory, but what we do want to do is have Oliver ask these questions in the context of his legacy. He killed Prometheus's father, and that has given birth to one of the worst villains he's ever gone up against. There's no way he's going to go through the rest of the season and not be questioning that. It's a fundamental part of the season; him wondering 'was this the right thing to do' and is he truly honoring his family legacy by doing it?"  (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- Per WM, Prometheus is an “uber-villain” whose ultimate goal is to prove to Oliver that “he’s not the hero he thinks he is. ... However he can do that -- by hurting the people around Oliver, by hurting the people who work with him -- he’s gonna do that... It’s more of a psychological game, he doesn’t want to kill anybody necessarily, but his ends are to bring Oliver to his knees.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- While Oliver and Team Arrow narrowed in on Prometheus' identity and motivations in the midseason finale, WM hinted that Prometheus is still “10 steps ahead” of the team, and they may only think they know who he really is. WM: “There is absolutely more to the mystery… We’ve never dealt with anybody like this... He’s really playing the long game, and it’s a very long, psychological con that he’s pulling on Oliver. He’s really smart. He’s really good at what he does. So there’s a lot more mystery to unravel in the back half of the season.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Adrian Chase 
-- After Diggle was represented by Adrian Chase in his military trial, WM: “He’s also going to grow closer to Adrian Chase.” (Jan. 25, 2017 TVLine article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 30, 2017, SA posted facebook video chat in which he's wearing his flashback wig. He said that he's "doing a lot of work with Josh Segarra right now." (SA facebook video, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Konstantin Kovar
-- MG: ""Russia is very much in the zeitgeist these days, and coming into the back half of the year, we're doing a lot more with Russia... We're going to do a Russia-centric episode, a flashback-centric episode like we did in the first three years of the show. We'll be doing that later on in the season and that will have Dolph Lundgren's character, Konstantin Kovar, very much front and center. ... In that episode -- assuming the scheduling works out because we're still writing this episode -- the plan is for Konstantin to have a very key meeting with a corrupt, American multimillionaire businessman. Make of that what you will."  No word on which episode he's talking about, although later in our conversation he made specific references to events that will take place in 512, so it seems likely that the Kovar-centric episode will be at least 513. (Jan. 17, 2017 ComicBook article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On finding out about Kovar’s endgame, WM: "Oh, we are! Once we cast Dolph Lundgren, we knew it was a game changer, so we’re very excited about Kovar. We have a great plan in store for the back half of the season and how they’re going to finally face each other down and what that final battle is going to look like. It’s going to be cool to see Stephen [Amell] and Dolph trading blows." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Susan Williams
-- Media writer tweeted pic of triangular arrowhead tattoo on Susan Williams' wrist. (Oct. 20, 2016 VladaGelman tweet, page 1305 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "There’s going to be a very cool and awesome payoff to Susan’s investigation of Oliver. That payoff is going to come sooner than you think. In other words, it’s going to come sooner than the season finale." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Oliver's trying to make things work with Susan, as we saw in the big midseason finale." On whether Susan's secret investigation into Oliver's ties to Bratva could lead to further revelations that could cost Oliver his double life with Susan, MG: "[The question] will inevitably come up, is it possible for Oliver to continue with Susan while he leads this double life. To which I say, stay tuned." (Jan. 25, 2016 ComicBook article, page 181 of Relationships thread)
-- On whether Laurel's return affected Oliver’s relationship with Susan Williams, WM: "I think the short answer to that is no. Any sort of romantic relationship between Laurel and Oliver we pretty much put to bed in Season 2." (Jan. 25, 2017 Variety article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we find out what Susan's after sooner rather than later, WM: "Yeah, Susan definitely has a very specific drive. I think what’s cool about where we’re taking her is, yes, we’re going to find out what she’s up to and how much she knows in the back half of the season, but — starting in [season] 5 [episode] 7 — they have a really genuine connection. I think she is, for all of her journalistic ulterior motives, also a really good person and they have a genuine chemistry. So, it’s going to get complicated for her and for him as well. It’s not going to be as straightforward as a reporter exposing some truth about the mayor. It’s going to be complicated by the fact they genuinely care about each other." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Oliver's "burgeoning relationship" with Susan Williams will be a bright spot for him. WM: "I think there are, for him, places of light and hope." (Jan. 25, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Oliver's] got hope! He’s got hope in the form of the mayor’s office and this burgeoning relationship with Susan Williams." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, in response to fan who asked if Carly Pope was still filming, papp tweeted: "she sure is" and "It was a generic question 'Is she still shooting Arrow'. Yes. She filmed Friday. Yes she is coming back to film more" and "No problem. As far as I've been told she'll be back for ep 16" and "I don't ask for storylines of the show, nor do I invest much in them. I have a source working on the show that said she's back" and "I didn't ask if it's her last. Guess if she doesn't work in ep17 then we'll know." (lemon_buzz tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 24, 2017, papp tweeted: "Also since I'm sure I'll be asked at some point, Carly Pope is working on Ep 16 of Arrow this week." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Dinah Drake (formerly Tina Boland) AKA New Black Canary
-- MG: "You’ll get a glimpse of [Tina Boland] at the end of the midseason premiere. It’s funny, I don’t want to tease too much about her. There’s a lot of stuff that’s out on the internet in terms of casting breakdowns, which I hate talking about because a lot of the casting breakdowns we release are false because we know they leak. But I think we have a really wonderful character here. Juliana [Harkavy], who plays her, is a terrific actress. We’re going to be doing some new and different kinds of things. Because of the internet, I guess I’m very tempted to — as always — I’d prefer to let the story tell itself and play out, and then people can make up their minds." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked about the appearance of Tina using Canary Cry tech at the end of 510, MG responded: "Well, you know, I guess I can say - I have to rewatch the episode - I don't know if I saw any tech... dun, dun, dun." When asked if we're dealing with a metahuman, MG: "That's all I'm going to say. That's all I'm going to say... But, uh, I will say... I will say, you know, we've had Sara Lance, we've had the - you know, Laurel Lance, we've done, you know... there're two Canaries already. Um, you know... last year, when, you know, Greg said, 'I really want, uh, one of the new recruits to be a New Black Canary,' um, we went back to the writers' room, um, and said, 'okay, but how - you know, how do we make that character or that Canary different from the two we've already seen on the show?' Um, so, I keep avoiding using the 'm' word, but I'm clearly [unintelligible words-heaping strong tea?]." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Tina] is a total badass, basically. I love her character. She's a former cop who has gone off the deep end because of tragic events that really sort of set her on this dark path. What I like most about her is she's a fully-fledged fighter. She is Oliver's equal in many respects. She's a grown-up, and she's just basically a total baller. I think she's going to be kind of a fun, cool addition to the show. The actress we've cast is fantastic."  (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- Per WM, Tina is a cop who “knows how to handle herself with a gun.” WM: "She very much a badass, she’s a very accomplished fighter... She’s very much an equal of Oliver’s, and I think we’ve never seen anyone quite like that -- Laurel had an evolution in training, as did Speedy, when Thea was donning the hood -- but she’s going to be a different type of colleague for Oliver, which we’re all very excited about.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Tina's] going to factor into the back half of the season. She comes into the story in a really interesting way. She’s like Oliver, has lost somebody and is hellbent for revenge. She is an amazing fighter. She has a lot of skills, and she’s very much a peer of Oliver, so they have an instant connection since they’ve both been through a version of hell. It’s ultimately him that’s going to show her a different way to do this - a different way to get revenge than just killing people." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Tina] has a lot of emotional connection with Oliver, in that she’s been through her own sort of hell, her own sort of ‘island.’ She’s got a very tragic backstory.” As such, and coupled with her hand-to-hand combat skills, WM touted the new arrival as “a peer of Oliver’s,” in that “we’ve never really had anybody on the team who is as formidable as he is and really views herself as an equal.” Because of that, WM teased, “there are going to be some new interest dynamics!” (Jan. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1317 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Per WM, Tina will form a connection with Oliver, seeing as “she has been through her own hell, her own sort of ‘island.'” (Jan. 4, 2017 TVLine article, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- When asked if Tina will eventually, formally assuming the mantle of Black Canary, WM said that it's “definitely a possibility” that Laurel Lance’s successor will be in place by season’s end, adding: “Look, it’s hard to do a show about Green Arrow without having a Black Canary.” (Jan. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1317 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether Tina was created for the show or a character from the comics that has been repurposed, WM: "We’re going to reveal her to be somebody very much connected to the comics." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We are so excited about Juliana. She is amazing." Per WM, Juliana Harkavy “brings a very different energy, a different vibe to the show." (Jan. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1317 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Reddit poster's 511 end scene dialogue: "Man: Mr. Mayor. Excuse me, But there's someone here to see you. Her name is Tina Boland. Oh. Yeah. Send her in, please. Mayor Queen. It's impressive. Maybe you should have led with that. I got to admit...I didn't think I'd see you again. Yeah. Neither did I. I guess I thought I would feel different. With Sonus gone, I thought I would feel liberated.I wish it worked that way. Heh. How do you do it? How do you keep living with so much pain? I'm still working on that myself, But I can tell you it helps to not be alone.That's why you're here, right? That's why I'm here. Back on that roof, you asked what Vince would have wanted. We were more than just partners. We were lovers. I hated Sonus for killing Vince... But I hated myself more for not being able to stop him. Rene, the guy in the hockey mask, told the other guy that was with us - Curtis That this team is all about finding second chances. You said maybe we don't get second chances. Well, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're my second chance. That's a lot to put on my shoulders. Well, Tina, there's something that tells me you can handle it. So about that name. Tina Boland was my official cover for undercover work. It was to protect my family. My real name is Dinah, Dinah Drake. Dinah? Does that name mean something to you? I had a friend named Dinah. She's the reason I sought you out. What do you think she'd think about all this? I think she'd be proud of both of us." (Jan. 31, 2017 YonkouProductions' reddit post of 511 dialogue, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 26, 2017, MG tweeted 511 promo video with comment: "Team Arrow Recruits a New Black Canary in Second Chances Promo." (MG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 29, 2017, JH posted pic of her backside with comment: "Always remain a work in progress but don't forget to love what you've got. When I started going to the gym and training in October, @t3athletics, @james2bambamford, and the @cw_arrow team told me something women don't hear very often in Hollywood. "You don't have to be 'skinny'. Be strong." As I began taking that to heart, I started finding gratification in lifting heavier weights, rather than how much food I could restrict. I began looking at how I felt, rather than the scale. If we want lasting health, we must work on our inner strength first- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As far as the aesthetics? There ain't no harm in a big strong ?????? either! ?? (It's fun to wiggle when you dance and good for lower back pain!) " (JH instagram post, page 522 of Social Media thread)
-- On Feb. 1, 2017, papp tweeted: "That #Arrow spoiler I told you I cant talk about yet. I see a few people figured it out. Tina Boland = Dinah Drake. (canadagraphs tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Twitter rumors: Tina/Dinah and Diggle bond in 513. The Russia photos resurface in 513. Tina/Dinah is given her costume by Felicity in 514 and they bond. Team Arrow finds out about Susan's investigation in 514, but Oliver doesn't. Tina/Dinah has a lot of screen time in S5B, like Sara in 2B, but there's nothing romantic. (Feb. 4, 2017 LeighAn and Chaser posts, page 1336 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Talia al Ghul
-- On Talia al Ghul, MG: "I don't want to spoil too much. I will tell you a few things. She will definitely play a pivotal role in both the present day story and the flashbacks. With respect to the flashbacks, you know, we're basically at the - sort of the midway point of Season 5, which we all know is the last year of the flashbacks. And, um, I would say that there's still a fair amount of movement that Oliver Queen needs to make in those flashbacks to go from where he is right now in 510 to the guy who we all met in episode 101. So Talia's instrumental in, you know, sort of moving that evolution along. Um, she also will have a very significant, you know, impact on, you know, the present day story." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Talia provides a lot of key elements to what becomes Oliver’s crusade. We’ll also be dealing very directly with the fairly obvious question, which is: Wait a second, when Oliver met Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable), why didn’t he say, “Hey, wait a minute, I think I met your daughter back in Russia!” We have a very specific answer for that." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how different Talia is to Nyssa al Ghul, MG: "She’s definitely her own person; she’s not a Nyssa clone, by any stretch. You can definitely sense a familial resemblance. Having Ra’s al Ghul as your dad, it’s likely to forge a very specific kind of person. They’re close enough and different enough that I would love, at some point, to do a story with Nyssa and Talia. I think that would be a lot of fun." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the introduction of Talia al Ghul, WM: "We think we found a really cool way to bring her in and reveal who she really is. Like what we’ve done with Laurel, we’re bringing someone in from the DC Universe but we’re going to have a different way of revealing how we deal with her true identity." (Jan. 25, 2017 Variety article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what Talia adds to the show, WM: "It's interesting. We're very excited about her because we have a way of revealing her backstory that we hope is very surprising and fun for the audience. It's certainly surprising and fun for Oliver. I think for us, talking about her — and ultimately we will find out that she is from the al Ghul family — it's a fun nod to Season 3. It's always cool to have that presence and the feel of the League or some nod to the League somewhere in the show. It's fun to have it, and especially in a season when we're not talking about it or seeing any of those people at all." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- Per WM, Talia is “someone who trained Oliver in the past.” WM: “He doesn’t necessarily know the full extent of her backstory... We’ve come up with what we hope is a really cool, surprising way of revealing that to him. She’s definitely not who she seems.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Talia al Ghul, WM: "Well, I can tease that she’s not what she seems, and that — when Oliver finds out who she really is — it’s a massive gut punch for him. He did not see it coming." (Jan. 25, 2017 CBR article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Kojo Sledgehammer
-- On Feb. 1, 2017, when asked if we'll see Kojo Sledgehammer on next week's episode or any future episodes of Arrow, Kacey Rohl tweeted: "@EmilyBett @CW_Arrow you'll have to wait & see! ??" (KaceyKadoodles tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Return of Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk
-- Arrow: WM: "We will definitely be seeing Malcolm make an appearance. The show just isn't the show without John Barrowman coming back somewhere, somehow. We have some really cool ideas. He might be just popping up here and there, maybe in a flashback somewhere which we're really excited about. I'd say it's less about their awareness of what he's been doing elsewhere and much more about Oliver's needs at the end of the season when he's going to take on Prometheus in a big showdown." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- LoT: On why Malcolm Merlyn wants the Spear of Destiny, Aaron Helbing: "Malcolm’s a guy who has enormous regret over the mistakes he made, like the crashing of the Queen’s Gambit, which led to the show Arrow, but also the estrangement of his child, the death of his wife, etc." (Jan. 23, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 249 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- LoT: On why Damien Darhk wants the Spear of Destiny, Aaron Helbing: "The Damien Darhk who we have on our show, who was plucked out of the ’80s, has been told by Thawne, 'Hey man, your future sucks, you die at the end of Arrow season 4, so you need me if you want to fix that.'” (Jan. 23, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 249 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Return of Laurel Lance  
-- MG: "She's [Katie Cassidy's] always been so embracing of the shows and this recurring sort of role that she has now among all four shows. And, I think one of the things quite frankly that took us all by surprise was, when we made this deal crossing her over, sort of made her untethered to all the shows, was how many stories we had for 'Arrow' that involved Katie. We came up with this one for the midseason finale and Katie was all in and it's always great to have her back... I think she was fully embracing what we were asking her to do here." As for details on Laurel's return, MG said, "time travel." (Jan. 25, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether seeing Laurel again will help improve Oliver's spirits, MG: "One of the fun little things about the episode was -- and it really comes from Felicity and Diggle -- is sort of commenting on how good stuff just doesn't ever happen on 'Arrow.' Like Diggle says, 'It seems to me like you're due a win; you're due something positive.' So I think in many ways we sort of used it as a little meta-commentary on the often dark nature of the show." (Jan. 25, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Team Arrow's reaction to Laurel's return, MG: "I would say they react pretty positively. Obviously, this is wonderful news. We have a very good explanation as to how Laurel returned. The team is, by and large, pretty happy. Bear in mind, there are a few members of the team that didn’t know Laurel, so it’s fun to see their reaction, especially when they learn that time travel played a role in it." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- Interviewer commented that the character Oliver saw at the end of 509, Laurel, is someone who definitely wants to keep bringing him back into his past, and MG responded: "Very, very true. Very, very true. I will say, there's no - there's no, uh - there's no time travel, uh, explanation there to be had." On whether Laurel is a ghost, MG: "She's not a ghost." (Jan. 24, 2017 DC All-Access video, page 250 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On 510's "heartbreaking reveal that the resurrected Laurel was not our Laurel" and why they must "toy with our emotions like this," MG: "Because it's just so much fun... I mean, it is fun to have twists and turns. I think Arrow has always sorta been about the reversals and the plot twists and, uh, you know - also, at the end of the day, I think we sort of saw an opportunity to tell, you know, what we thought was an interesting story. Um, and I think one of the nice things that the episode did for us is - it sort of took Black Siren back from Flash and sort of, you know, put her more in Arrow's orbit. Um, and that just opens up all sorts of interesting storytelling possibilities for us." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Interviewer (Natalie Abrams) said that Black Siren was definitely a villain, but one that Oliver still hoped to redeem, and asked whether they hope to explore a Black Siren redemption story down the line, MG: "Well, I will say that that was very intentional. You know, like I said, there's a good chunk of the end of the episode was about sort of putting, uh, Black Siren back in Oliver's orbit. Um, we could have very easily just have returned her to the pipeline in Central City. But, um, Oliver and us as writers wanted to keep Black Siren close. Um, you know, just yesterday in the writers' room we were talking about all the potential stories for Black Siren. So, um, you know, assuming, uh, Katie's up for it, you haven't seen the last of her, of Black Siren. I think there's a lot of interesting stuff, uh, to be done. At the end of the day, like, you know, just - going back to the point of toying with people's emotions - you know, we really do break story according to a very simple barometer, which is, 'Is it interesting?' You know, 'Do we have stories to tell?' Um, uh, Black Siren - there's a lot of potential there. I mean, you know, just this morning, driving into work, I was thinking about just how much I wanted to see a scene where, uh, Lance meets Black Siren. Um, I just think that would be, you know, really really rich, juicy emotional stuff. So, um, again with Katie's, uh - with Katie's, uh, participation, you haven't seen the last of her." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how much we'll be seeing Laurel for the rest of the season, WM: "We'll be seeing her when we come back in the first episode. Then, as always with Katie, if we find the right story, we bring her back and we want to have her on the show as much as possible. It has been proven by the recent events that she's obviously a huge fan favorite, and we love working with her. That said, she won't factor hugely into the back half of the season, but I think the way we brought her back and the twist and the reveal, will really help set the tone for the back half of the season for Oliver and Felicity emotionally, and also for how Prometheus operates." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- WM: "Any sort of romantic relationship between Laurel and Oliver we pretty much put to bed in Season 2." (Jan. 25, 2017 Variety article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted that KC was "not in Vancouver currently" and "not working on anything here currently." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Other Possible Returns or Debuts in S5
-- China White (Kelly Hu), Cupid (Amy Gumenick) and Liza Warner (Rutina Wesley) will return in 514. (514 episode synopsis in Feb. 3, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, in response to SA tweeting pic of smashed up black limo, Amy Gumenick tweeted: "I recognize that limo!" (SA and AG tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 30, 2017, papp tweeted: "Was told Kelly Hu was spotted arriving In Van this morning for #Arrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan who asked if the Suicide Squad is coming back to Arrow, SA: "A member of the Suicide Squad is coming back to Arrow pretty soon, but I don't know if the actual Suicide Squad is coming back to Arrow." (Jan. 30, 2017 SA facebook video, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Flash/LoT/Supergirl Crossovers
-- Arrow: In podcast interview about 511, MG said: “Next week’s episode of Arrow features the - I will say, the fastest crossover with Flash we’ve ever had." MG also tweeted pic of The Flash zooming past CCPD Captain Singh, who's on the phone at the police precinct, with comment: "Next week's Arrow features the fastest crossover with Flash we've ever done. #dontblink." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article and Jan. 26, 2017 MG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Arrow: On Feb. 1, 2017, RG tweeted a pic of himself with EK and Carlos Valdes. (RG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Supergirl/Flash:  The two-part musical crossover between Supergirl and Flash will air March 20 and March 21, starting at the end of Supergirl, but saving most of the musical action for The Flash‘s portion of the event, appropriately titled “Duet.” Dermott Downs will direct the Flash half of the crossover. Grant Gustin, Melissa Benois, Jesse L. Martin, Victor Garber, Carlos Valdes, Jeremy Jordan and John Barrowman will all sing. Supergirl‘s David Harewood and Chris Wood will appear in “Duets,” but they’ll be doing so amelodcially. (Jan. 20, 2017 TVLine article, page 247 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- LoT: MG: “We’re going to be seeing the Black Flash on Legends." (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- LoT: MG: “We, just yesterday, um, made an offer to an actor to reprise their role, um... from one of the other shows in the season finale of Legends... Oh, and in the penultimate episode, ... we’re gonna have — I can’t be specific about this, but it’s one of the most fun things I think we’ve ever done on the show — we're going to have a character from one of the other shows on Legends in a way that you’ve never seen before, uh, you may never see again, but will, I think, just send fans into squeals of joy.” (Superhero Insider podcast in Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Black Lightning in the Arrowverse
-- GB's new DC Comics series, Black Lightning, moved from Fox to The CW and got an official pilot order, thus filling the final pilot slot on The CW's roster this season. (Feb. 3, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter and Variety articles, page 253 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- If Black Lightning is greenlit for 2017-2018, sources close to The CW Network explained that the 5 Berlanti DC TV shows (Arrow, Flash, LoT, Supergirl, Black Lightning) would be staggered throughout the year, rather than scheduling five separate nights of superhero programming. (Feb. 3, 2017 Variety article, page 253 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Looking Toward Season 6
-- Per Mark Pedowitz, The CW anticipates that it will continue with the 4-show crossover in December 2017.  MP described the 4-show DC crossover as The CW’s version of the Doctor Who Christmas special — an event people can anticipate. (Jan. 16, 2017 Seat42F article, page 246 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- WM" “We’ve always known that, once we reach season five, and we pick up where the pilot started, that the flashbacks are probably going to go away. That said, we’ve used the device to great effect. I would not ever say that we wouldn’t go back to them, but we’re really going to be looking at season 6 as a fresh, clean slate.” Also WM: "We’ve closed this chapter on the first five seasons, and it’s going to be time to start looking at new ways of writing the show and exploring different structures as well... We’re a little bit freed up by not having to do the flashbacks, as well, which is actually really refreshing and exciting.” (Jan. 25, 2017 ETonline article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)

Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 512 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 12:  Bratva
-- Production code: 512.  Shoot Dates: November 15-28, 2016. Director: Ben Bray. Writers: Oscar Balderrama & Emilio Ortega Alrich. Airdate: February 8, 2017. (Nov. 22, 2016 MG tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- 512 synopsis: "OLIVER RETURNS TO RUSSIA — A mission takes Oliver (Stephen Amell), Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and team to Russia where they meet up with Oliver’s old friend, Anatoly (guest star David Nykl). Meanwhile, fresh out of rehab, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) returns to the mayor’s office ready to get back to work. However, when Susan (guest star Carly Pope) asks for an interview with Lance to discuss his addiction, he balks and it’s up to Rene (guest star Rick Gonzalez) to help keep things on track. Ben Bray directed the episode written by Oscar Balderrama & Emilio Ortega Aldrich (#512).  Original airdate 2/8/2017." (Jan. 20, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- 512 promo and extended promo posted. (512 promo and extended promo videos, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 512 producer's preview posted. (512 producer's preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 512 promo pics posted. (TVLine article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 512 Oliver/Felicity dialogue spoiler: "Where were you? Did you take Dinah somewhere? Yeah. Not like that. It's okay. What happens in Russia stays in Russia, remember?" (YonkouProdutiona post, page 1340 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 512 Oliver/Dinah dialogue spoiler: "Dinah, I'm trying to move forward, but I'm back here, I'm in Russia, in the Bratva, and it just proves to me that I can't seem to do that. Prometheus got in your head. What was it, some crap about infecting the peopl closest to you? Yeah, and tonight, I watched John torture a man, And there's something going on with Felicity. There's... You affect the people in your life, Oliver. That's hardly a revelatory observation. In fact, I think it's, uh... It's called living. Prometheus has you so fixated on what's wrong with you, that you've completely stopped seeing what's right. You know John and Felicity, they'll listen to you Because you have more to offer than just this. Your past is a part of you. There is nothing you can do about that. You can't change it. It doesn't mean it has to be your anchor." (Feb. 7, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread, and YonkouProdutiona post, page 1341 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 512 Rene/Quentin dialogue spoiler:"You crouched down, looked me in the eye, and told me...I could be more than just some rip-and-run thug." (Feb. 7, 2017 YonKouProd tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 512 dialogue spoiler: "IF OLIVER QUEEN IS THE GREEN ARROW." (YonkouProd tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread and page 1343 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 512 Reddit post: "Dumbass Oliver forgets that if he goes to Russia then there's no Green Arrow back home which leaves your identity exposed...not to mention protecting your identity in Russia doesn't go far if they call you Luchnik (The Archer)." (Feb. 7, 2017 Reddit post by Yonkou Productions, page 1343 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- YonkouProductions tweeted: "In this weeks Arrow Oliver forgets about plausible deniability." (Feb. 7, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 1341 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- YonkouProductions tweeted: "Since people keep asking about Arrow ships...Susan is called 'Oliver's girlfriend' in 5x12." and "Twice." On whether Oliver bangs Susan on-screen, Yonkou Productions tweeted: "No." (YonkouProd tweets, page 52 of Spoilers thread, and YonkouProdutiona post, page 1341 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- DC All Access' Hector: "A mission brings Oliver, Felicity and the team to Russia, where they meet up with Ollie's old friend, Anatoly. And Curtis, Felicity and Rory have to pretend to be Bratva, which means 'brotherhood' in Russian, which also refers to the Russian mafia. Plus, Quentin Lance is out of rehab and he's ready to get back to work, except - uh uh, not so fast - except he has to do an interview first. And he is not ready for this. So he's going to need the help of Rene to prep for this interview. And I'm going to be real with you guys, this is my favorite part of this episode - these two characters are fantastic." (Feb. 6, 2017 DC All Access video, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle being framed by his corrupt military commander in 502 and facing court martial, MG: “This is the start of a storyline that’s actually going to carry us through episode 512... There’s going to be a long tail storyline that we’re doing with Dig this year.” (Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Coming into the second half of the season, we felt a very strong impulse to basically bring the whole General Walker storyline from the beginning of the year to a conclusion. There’s a reason why we returned Diggle to prison and it’s all to set up what will be a climactic episode. We’ve dedicated basically a whole episode to resolving the General Walker storyline. What’s nice about that episode, that’s episode 12, is that it ties into Oliver’s Russia storyline, it ties into Felicity’s storyline, and it even echoes back to the Diggle storyline with his brother last season. So a lot of threads get tied together and some threads get tied up in that 12th episode." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "In episode 12, both Diggle and Felicity, for different reasons, are flirting with some darkness in their lives. Oliver basically, in this really great moment, tells both Felicity and Diggle, 'Look, I’m basically a dark dude, I do bad things, but the ship has sailed with me. The whole reason I am aligned with you guys is because you guys are fundamentally just better people, you guys are more moral than I am.' Part of the fun of that episode is seeing how that advice to both Diggle and Felicity operates on them. It’s not necessarily going to operate on them the same way." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Havenrock, MG: "By the way, we haven't seen the end of that story... I mean, obviously, we've gotten the secret out and Rory and Felicity have aired their feelings about it, but we're actually going to revisit it in episode 12. Episode 12 draws together a lot of threads from the first 11 episodes of the season and it ties off some of them, and it just connects different things that weren't previously connected. But one of those threads is going to be this Havenrock situation and, I think, hopefully, if we've done our job correctly, just the fact that we're revisiting Havenrock and then the way we do it, with respect to Felicity and Rory, will be surprising." (Jan. 25, 2017 ComicBook article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Then with Ragman, there's a really cool story coming up for him in episode 512 that we're really excited about that will set him on a slightly different path, but ultimately he'll still be kind of working with the team." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- When asked if we'll see more of Rory's abilities (like in the comics), JD: "Yeah, well, I think - what's kinda cool about the show - what's cool for me anyways - is we're kinda - because that is, let's say, a pretty out there concept, right? ... And because Arrow is of the - I guess, of the four shows - the most grounded in reality, we're sorta finding out what of that stuff works in this world and what doesn't. Um, the other thing that's sorta cool... Rory is sorta discovering these powers as he goes. You know, the rags were put on him in a - at a great inflection point when his parents were - you know, when everyone he knew was wiped off the face of the earth. So no one was really around to let him know the ins and outs of these powers. Uh, you will definitely see him stretch - I will say, you will definitely see him stretch the boundaries of those powers, um, as far as he can go. I won't say anymore about that. But you will definitely see him really go to the - to the far reaches of those powers and see what they can do. So I will say that - that's one of my favorite episodes coming." (Jan. 30, 2017 We Have a Hulk podcast interview with Joe Dinicol, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- Unspecified Episode (512?): Per Beth Schwartz, she had to make a recording of a Hebrew prayer for one of the actors to learn. Even the name of the prayer or the particular character couldn’t be revealed. (Jan. 24, 2017 The Detroit Jewish News article, page 522 of Social Media thread)
-- In response to fan who wanted Felicity to have a real arc like other characters and not something that's brushed aside after two episodes or magically resolved, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "I hear ya.  FWIW: Dig & Felicity each start their "own" stories in 502 that are still paying dividends through 512 (breaking now)." (Sep. 21, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread and page 1192 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Malone's death uncorks what Felicity bottled up (re: Havenrock). Events in 510-512 force her to re-examine her life (or lack of) as of late." This was in reply to fan who asked what they introduced in 502 that's still paying dividends in 512 for Felicity. (Dec. 12, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA:"We have an episode coming up called Bratva, where the team goes back to Russia. The whole team." DR: "Whoa, whoa."  (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "I am so excited about this season of Arrow. And, uh, I -" RA: "Me too. Steve just gave us some spoilers." SA: "Big time spoilers. John Wick-style stuff." RA: "And angry Arrow [unintelligible word]." SA: "Really, really angry. Um, I just read episode 512, and I was so fired up after I read it. It was really good. Really good." (Nov. 5, 2016 SA and RA facebook video, page 500 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "I've got a great John Wick-inspired scene coming up on the show, like in, uh - I want to say episode 11, 12...ish, with me and... Talia." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "I think we've done a good job of creating new dynamics. Uh, I read a scene in an upcoming episode between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne - which is a pairing that I thought I'd never see... It is a forward-moving train and you gotta really work to find new characters, find new dynamics, cause, you know, the 12th episode, the favorite stuff that I read was between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne. And that stuff's important." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 17, 2016, SA posted pic of himself with JHarkavy, EBR, JD, EK and DR, all wearing characters' casual business attire and standing outside in front of a building. (SA facebook post, page 1221 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 17, 2016, JH posted pic of herself training at T3 Athletics and exchanged comments with JBamford. (JH tweet & instagram post, page 1226 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 20, 2016, SA: "I have a shirtless scene tomorrow, I think, actually... It's not a workout scene though." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 21, 2016, JH posted pic of RG and JD with comment: "These two gents!" (JH instagram post, page 1230 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 22, 2016, in response to fan asking how work and everything is going, JH tweeted: "Work is amazing! Absolutely love the cast, crew, and production team on @CW_Arrow. Such a kind, dedicated, & talented group of people." (JH tweet, page 
-- On Nov. 22, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Arrow filming in a church somewhere near Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park. Sounds interesting but couldn't find set." (yvrshoots tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 28, 2016, JH tweeted a series of emojis, indicating that she's flying from the U.S. to Canada to film Arrow. (JH tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Nov. 30, 2016, EK posted  a "mannequin challenge" that included SA, DR, EBR, EK, JD, JH and Bratva guys, and also posted b-t-s pics and video clip from the set of a Russian bar, showing SA, EBR, DR, WH, EK, PB and RG (DC Comics instagram posts, pages 508 and 509 of Social Media thread)
-- On Feb. 2, 207, fan(?) tweeted: "Sadly 5x12 is probably Ragman's last episode. ??." (LuLuLemonLime83 tweet, page 1336 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Feb. 6, 2017, fan tweeted: "there's a nod to 'what happens in russia, stays in russia' on this weeks episode." and "something will happen with AC, he'll be at starling general on 513." (alwaysbett tweets, page 1340 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Edited February 7, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 513 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 13:  Spectre of the Gun
-- Production code: 513.  Shoot Dates: November 29-December 8, 2016. Director: Kristen Windell. Writer: Marc Guggenheim. Airdate: February 15, 2017. (Nov. 29, 2016 MG tweet)
-- 513 episode synopsis: "WILD DOG’S HISTORY IS REVEALED — A traumatic attack on City Hall triggers painful memories for Rene (Rick Gonzalez) about his family. Flashbacks reveal how Rene went from simple family man to a hero named Wild Dog. Meanwhile, Oliver (Stephen Amell) must deal with the perpetrator behind the attack and realizes the best way to do so is as Mayor Queen instead of the Green Arrow. Tensions run high in the Arrow bunker. Kristin Windell directed the episode written by Marc Guggenheim (513). Original airdate 2/15/2017." (GreenArrowTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 513 promo and extended promo posted. (513 promo and extended promo videos, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- 513 producer's preview posted. (513 producer's preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- 513 sneak peek posted. (513 sneak peek video, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- 513 promo pics posted. (AllAboutTVNews and SpoilerTV articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "[W]e’re doing that again on 5.13, we’re going to flashback to Renee’s period before he was Wild Dog." (Jan. 9, 2017 Collider tweet & article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On 513, MG tweeted: "@officialrickg is show-stopping in this episode." (Jan. 26, 2017 MG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 513 delves into the backstory of Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez), the only member of Team Arrow who actively uses a gun when he goes into the field. MG: “He is a character whose whole superheroics revolve around guns." Thus, Rene is a proponent of the Second Amendment, which won’t necessarily go over well with the rest of Team Arrow. (Feb. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "Well, we went into season 5 wanting to do an episode about an issue... I'm old, so what does this mean? It means that I grew up on St. Elsewhere and Picket Fences and LA Law. I grew up in a time where it was commonplace, like literally every week, for a one-hour drama to tackle the issues of the day. Somewhere along the line we got away from that -- like, the whole industry got away from that. And now you've got like Blackish and Carmichael Show, but as far as network dramas are concerned? Really not tackling current events, current issues. So we went into season 5 with the desire to. It's the fifth season; we've hopefully earned the freedom to, in 23 episodes of television, you can have 22 episodes of candy and one episode of vegetables. We sort of felt that gun violence felt like the right topic, because of its topicality but also because of the level of gun violence that's on Arrow. We could have done an episode on abortion, but that's not really where the show lives, so gun violence sort of felt like the right thing to tackle." (Feb. 13, 2017 ComicBook article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “It’s the fifth season... We’ve hopefully earned the freedom to — in 23 episodes of television, you can have 22 pieces of candy and one episode of vegetables. … I would never want people to watch under false pretenses, so I would probably be very upfront about the fact that it’s not a typical Arrow episode. We do explore the issue of gun violence. I would tease it as the best tasting broccoli you’ll ever have.” (Feb. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “As you watch the episode [513] — I write chronologically and linearly — and I think you can see that, in the second half, it’s about guns and gun violence, but it’s also about the state of discourse in our country." (Feb. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Though the show is tackling a polarizing subject, per MG, both The CW and Warner Bros. were “unbelievably supportive of this episode from the beginning... At the beginning of the season, we told them we wanted to do a gun violence episode, they were like, ‘Great.’ … We got the usual [Standards and Practices] notes in terms of the amount of gun violence, but nothing was compromised. This was very much the episode we intended to do.” (Feb. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “There was an opportunity also to do an episode where he wasn’t going to get in the Green Arrow costume... From a story perspective, it was really the challenge of figuring out what would an episode look like where we had to solve the issue of the day, or the problem of the week, with Oliver Queen as mayor as opposed to him gearing up as the Green Arrow.” (Feb. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "It was an opportunity, too, to do an episode where he [wasn't going to get] in the Green Arrow costume... It was an episode, from a story perspective, it was really the challenge of figuring out, what would an episode look like where we had to solve the issue of the day or the problem of the week with Oliver Queen as mayor as opposed to him gearing up as the Green Arrow. I think the other thing, when Marc and I talked about doing it and we talked about potentially doing more episodes like this going forward, is the idea that we want to start a conversation....It's important to at least talk about this, and at some point we did get away from that as a country, and we like the idea of hearing both sides -- and hearing both sides as fairly as possible." (Feb. 13, 2017 ComicBook article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Beyond the particular right to bear arms, the EPs wanted to delve into the actual debate surrounding gun control. WM: “It’s important to at least talk about this... At some point, we did get away from that, as a country, and we would like the idea of hearing both sides, and hearing both sides as fairly as possible.” (Feb. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why it made sense to focus on Rene's story in an episode about gun violence [513], WM: "I think it was that he was someone whose background we really wanted to explore, and I think he's a natural proponent—and in my mind, he just is that—he carries a gun, he's a natural spokesman for that point of view." MG: "Rene felt like the right recruit at the right time for all the reasons Wendy was saying... He is a character whose whole superheroics revolve around guns." (Feb. 15, 2017 Eonline article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what made Rene the right person to do the flashbacks with, for 513, WM: "I think it was that he was someone whose background we really wanted to explore, and he carries a gun and is a natural spokesman for that point of view." MG: "We could have done it through any number of our characters. I think there was a real appetite for us and the writing staff to do flashbacks from the perspective of one of our recruits, so that we get to learn more about them. We know a lot about Curtis, obviously. Rory left the team in Episode 512. Evelyn had betrayed the team, and we already knew her backstory from Season 4. Rene felt like the right recruit at the right time. He’s a character whose whole superheroics revolve around guns." (Feb. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether it was also a testing ground for when Oliver’s flashbacks run out, MG: "We’ve been doing the non-island flashbacks since Season 1, so we feel like we’ve done the testing ground, and we love those flashbacks." WM: "It was more of a testing ground for the recruits and whether we would be able to generate enough story and be interested in those stories, from the perspective of those characters. And going forward, given that we won’t have the island to go to and the flashbacks for Oliver, we know we can use it for other characters. It’s a device that’s well-established on this show, and we know we can go to that well when we need to." (Feb. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Since it was obvious to have Rene be the character that’s pro-gun, on whether it was just as obvious to have Curtis be the other viewpoint to that, WM: "I feel like the clearest person who would be opposed is Lance. Police, as a rule, tend to not want criminals to have guns. They’re all for minimizing things. They’re a little more for gun control, as a cohesive group in society." MG: "Felicity being the one to say, 'Stop talking about this,' came out in the writing. In the first half, before Trump got elected, it was me trying to keep the show from descending into this back-and-forth debate. As a writer, it was helpful to have a character going, 'Stop debating!' But then, once Trump got elected, I realized that her saying, 'Stop debating!,' was speaking for another segment of the population, which is the segment that considers talking about politics to be impolitic. It’s not something you’re supposed to discuss in polite company. When did that happen? The thesis statement of that scene she has with Curtis is that, whether you voted for Trump or not, the only thing we can agree on, as Americans, is that the country is as fractured now as it’s ever been, since the Civil War. My point of view and suggestion, as a writer, is that it happened because we stopped talking to each other." (Feb. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, when Felicity at one point begs her friends to stop debating (in 513), she was speaking for “the segment of the population who considers talking about politics to be impolitic, something you’re not supposed to [do] in polite company. When did that happen?... Whether you voted for Trump or not, I think maybe the only thing we can agree on as Americans is that the country is as fractured now as it’s ever been since the Civil War... And my point of view and suggestion as a writer is it happened because we all stopped talking to each other.” (Feb. 14, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DC All-Access' Hector: "And, on an all-new episode Arrow Wednesday night - let me be real with you guys right up front, this is my favorite episode of Arrow of the entire series. I'm not even kidding. I thought it was fantastic. After a traumatic attack at City Hall triggers a bunch of painful memories from Wild Dog, a/k/a Rene Ramirez, and causes Team Arrow to launch into a gun control debate, of all things, Oliver Queen has to figure out how to solve this problem. And he decides, he might have to do it as Mayor Queen, instead of the Green Arrow. Plus, in the flashbacks, we're getting all Rene Ramirez, a/k/a Wild Dog. It's awesome. We're getting his family life. We're learning how he became this family man that turned into this vigilante known as Wild Dog that we know today. It was stellar. It was so, so superbly done. I am not kidding you guys. I loved this episode. It was fantastic. And, in fact, I can say, without a doubt - I haven't checked in with him - this is Jason Inman's favorite new episode of Arrow. Plus, we've got a brand new Black Canary running around. Dinah Drake. What do we know about her? Can we trust her? Is she going to be able to step up to this mantle and be the Black Canary? Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that I've got an awesome comic book connection for you right now. Guys, if you want to read some more Black Canary kickass stuff, check out Birds of Prey, the storyline that's called Sensei and Student, issues numbered 62 to 67 from 2004, written by the legendary Gail Simone. It is about Black Canary traveling to China to see her sensei who trained her, but he's fallen ill and he's dying, and she's there to pay her respects. But when she's there, she meets who? Lady Shiva. And then she's got no choice but to have to team up with Lady Shiva for this awesome adventure. It is a fantastic character piece. You guys are not going to regret reading it. You guys are not going to regret watching Arrow Wednesday night."  (Feb. 13, 2017 DC All Acess video, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Matt Mitovich: "And here's some news that probably not quite many people wanted. We're getting a Rene flashback episode. Episode 13. We're going to have flashbacks for Wild Dog, who's not exactly been the most popular new team recruit." (Jan. 23, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live facebook video, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to his fave episode shot so far in second half of S5, SA tweeted: "Maybe 513. In the old days, it'd be called a 'Very Special Episode of Arrow'." (Jan. 25, 2017 SA tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "And, you know, coming up pretty soon - probably a spoiler alert here - we do get to explore one of the new character's back story through flashbacks, which I always enjoy because I get days off." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "He came to know somewhat the new team members when he was in hiding, he served as a kind of mentor to Rene (Rick Gonzalez) and I think you’ll see him serve in that same capacity with Dinah. Dinah is just now understanding how to put her powers to good use. She’s just been through a major trauma of having lost her lover/partner, she’s been tortured by a new meta. Diggle is really the one who rolls out the welcome mat for her and that’s a part of Diggle’s strength too... Diggle is the one who reminds everyone of their humanity and you’ll see that with Dinah in the first few episodes. He helps the new team make adjustments." (Feb. 8, 2017 Watchtivist article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- YonkouProductions tweeted: "Thea returns to Arrow in 5x13. They didn't forget about her." (Feb. 7, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread, and YonkouProdutiona post, page 1341 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Per IMDB, 513 lists among cast Parveen Dosanjh as "Doris Chase" and 12-year-old Eliza Faria as "Zoe." (Arrow 513 IMDB link in Lily-n11 post, page 1277 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Twitter rumors: Dinah and Diggle bond in 513. The Russia photos resurface in 513. (Feb. 4, 2017 LeighAn and Chaser posts, page 1336 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Fan tweeted: "5x13 -The Bratva photos resurface and 5x14 Team knows about Susan. But does Oliver know the team knows since he's not there for the convo??." (Feb. 2, 2017 LuLuLemonLime83 tweet, page 1336 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Nov. 29, 2016, Tyler Ritter tweeted pic of Detective Billy Malone's Star City Police Department business card with his contact info. (TR tweet, page 512 of Social Media thread)
-- On Nov. 30, 2017, EK took over DC Comics instagram account and posted pic of himself with EBR, SA, RG (in a suit), PB and WH in the Arrow Bunker. He also posted pic of EBR, SA and DR sitting around the table in the Arrow Bunker. He also posted pic of EBR and SA holding up their ringless hands. (dccomics instagram pics, page 1334 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Dec. 2, 2016, SA tweeted pic of Oliver and Quentin in the Mayor's office, but something on the front of the mayor's desk and something on the couch are covered by doodles. Bamford posted an undoodled version of the same pic. Some speculation that it's Susan Williams sleeping on the couch. Other speculation that it's Oliver's son, William, sleeping on the couch. However, papp tweeted that neither the actress playing Samantha nor the child actor playing William have been on set. Also speculation that there's bullet holes in the desk. (SA, hotsforolicity and pursuit23 tweets, page 1241 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Dec. 2, 2016, PB tweeted pic of SA as Mayor Oliver Queen working on a laptop in the mayor's office, with the comment: "#GreenArrow by night #MayorHandsome by day." (PB tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 3, 2016, it was reported that Carly Pope "was in once in the last week or so." (Chaser post, page1242 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Dec. 4, 2016, JH and Thomas Taylor of T3 Athletics both posted same pic of JH training at T3 Athletics, alongside RG, Jeremy Jordan and David Harewood.  (JH and t3athletics instagram posts, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 4, 2016, JH posted pic of her on-set chair with her name on it. (JH instagram post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 5, 2016, PB posted b-t-s pic of himself with EK during Arrow shooting in snowy weather. (PB instagram post, page 512 of Social Media thread)
-- On Dec. 7, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Arrow shooitng 1 scene tonight in New West : Stephen, Will, Paul, Josh & Rick Gonzalez working." (pursuit23 tweet, page 40 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 7, 2016, SA said that they're finishing up 513 and going into 514 "now." (Dec. 7, 2016 SA facebook video post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 8, 2016, Arrow female crew member posted pic of framed photo of herself with stuffed teddy bear in some sort of candle-lit memorial on stairs with comment:"R.i.p Nicole. Made my Arrow cameo tonight ??." (nicoleycoleyoley instagram pic, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 8, 2016, papps tweeted (about EBR): "Arrow is at VFS studio today & downtown studio tomorrow. Emily hasn't filmed in over a week for those asking" and "I think she's filmed once since mid last week. Know she for sure hasnt worked the last few days." (lemon_buzz and pursuit 23 tweets, page 1252 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Dec. 9, 2016, SA tweeted: "That's a wrap on 513 with the lovely Kristin Windell at the controls!" (SA tweet, page 1252 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Dec. 9, 2016, JH posted: "This is the best I've ever felt, and it's not because I'm at my thinnest, it's because I'm at my current strongest. Working with @t3athletics and @james2bambamford the past two months has been both physically and mentally transformative." (JH facebook post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 6, 2017, fan tweeted: "something will happen with AC, he'll be at starling general on 513." (alwaysbett tweets, page 1340 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Feb. 13, 2017, Chris E. Hayner tweeted: "This week's #Arrow is a really interesting one. It's a 'very special episode' installment, which they rarely do." and "I enjoyed it and like what they're trying to do." (ChrisHayner tweets, page 1355 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Edited February 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 514 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 14:  The Sin-Eater
-- Production code: 514.  Shoot Dates: December 9, 2016 - January 5, 2017. Director: Mary Lambert. Writers: Barbara Bloom & Jenny Lynn. Airdate: February 22, 2017. (Dec. 12, 2016 MG tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- 514 synopsis: "CHINA WHITE, CUPID AND LIZA WARNER BREAK OUT OF PRISON — China White (guest star Kelly Hu), Cupid (guest star Amy Gumenick) and Liza Warner (guest star Rutina Wesley) break out of Iron Heights and head to Star City for revenge. Oliver (Stephen Amell) tries to bring in the newly formed girl gang but the ACU intervenes mid-fight. To his surprise, they are there to arrest the Green Arrow for the murder of Detective Malone. Meanwhile, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) feels responsible for the prison break after Warner tells him she heard about him working with Damien Darhk. Mary Lambert directed the episode written by Barbara Bloom & Jenny Lynn (#514).  Original airdate 2/22/2017." (Feb. 3, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- 514 promo video posted. (514 promo video, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- 514 producer's preview posted. (514 producer's preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- 514 sneak peek posted, featuring Amanda Westfield. (514 sneak peek video in AccessHollywood article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Another 514 sneak peek posted, featuring prison bus break. (514 sneak peek video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- 514 promo pics posted. (TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- 514 dialogue tease: “A lot of firepower in this room. What’s going on?” (Arrowwriters tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how much longer before we get back to Prometheus' story, MG: "How’s next episode sound? ... You know, it’s funny. For me, 14 is this fulcrum where a lot of the little seeds that had been planted in the first half of the season start to come to fruition, and you start to realize that oh, Prometheus has been setting up a chess board and the episode ends, I think, with sort of the next key move in Prometheus’ grand plan." (Feb. 15, 2017 IGN article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "For me, [Episode] 14 is this fulcrum where a lot of the little seeds that have been planted in the first half of the season start to come to fruition and you start to realize, 'Oh, Prometheus has been setting up a chessboard.' And the episode ends with the next key move in Prometheus' grand plan." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread, and Feb. 15, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1360 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "One of the things we went into Season 5 with the mindset of is Oliver's mayor, so without it turning into The West Wing, how are we going to find ways to have Oliver be active as mayor, and to everyone's surprise, be a good mayor, end up being a good mayor. And you'll start to see, actually - and this is true in next week's episode, in Episode 14 - Thea's gonna make a good case to Oliver, of all people, for all the things he's accomplished as mayor, and you start to see like, oh wait, in the first 13 episodes, he actually kind of did some stuff. And he's not done yet. Obviously, the season's not done yet. But we definitely went into the season with the goal of showing that Oliver is actually much better at this job than you might expect." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread, and Feb. 15, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1360 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "There's some really terrific Oliver/Thea scenes in next week's episode and beyond. It's been so much fun to have her in the mayor's office and we've really been enjoying writing for them." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG promised “some really terrific Oliver/Thea scenes in next week’s episode [514] and beyond." (Feb. 17, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see the new gun control laws come into conflict with Team Arrow, MG: "Not the regulations specifically. Actually, in the very next episode [514] Team Arrow is going to come up against the police for a very different kind of reason." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide and TVLine articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- During 514, the police actually target the Green Arrow. On what Oliver is facing both as Green Arrow, but also as mayor, SA: "Well, it’s interesting what we have coming up. Oliver gets put into a situation where we’re effectively vilifying the Green Arrow with a lot of things that I’m not entirely sure that we can unpack, in terms of what people are accusing him of, what the mayor’s backing up and saying he did, because he doesn’t have a choice, and it’s a lot for Oliver to deal with as mayor. We actually get to focus on the task of governing Star City, and I’ve really been enjoying it. We’ve actually had multiple episodes where in one episode I’m simply not in the Arrow suit and then multiple episodes where I’m in it for a very, very short period of time, which is a departure for us. A lot of things that we’re doing this year feel like a departure for us, and I know that that has created certain elements of angst in the fan base. People like certain things, but you just have to do it. You have to constantly try new things as a television show." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread and page 1373 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- YonkouProductions tweeted: "Impeach Mayor Queen." and ">You know you gotta get that new girl a codename. >Well, when she's ready I was considering Black Canary." (Feb. 20, 2017 YonkouProd tweets, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Twitter rumors: Tina/Dinah is given her costume by Felicity in 514 and they bond. Team Arrow finds out about Susan's investigation in 514, but Oliver doesn't. (Feb. 4, 2017 LeighAn and Chaser posts, page 1336 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Fan tweeted: "5x14 Team knows about Susan. But does Oliver know the team knows since he's not there for the convo??." (Feb. 2, 2017 LuLuLemonLime83 tweet, page 1336 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- China White, Cupid and Liza Warner are essentially operating as an anti-Birds of Prey in 514. (Feb. 2, 2017 ComicBook article, page 1338 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Dec. 7, 2016, SA said that they're finishing up 513 and going into 514 "now." (Dec. 7, 2016 SA facebook video post, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dec. 8, 2016, papp tweeted: "Saw Kelly Hu was picked up by an #Arrow driver so looks like China White is back." (pursuit23 tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread and page 1252 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Dec. 16, 2016, papp tweeted: "Emily Bett Rickards is working #Arrow today - Stephen Amell however is long gone on vacation ??." Papp also reported that EBR was also working with EK. (lemon_buzz tweet and Chaser post, page 1264 of Spoiler Discusison thread)
-- On Dec. 17, 2016, fan reported that EBR just started following Josh Segarra, who plays Adrian Chase aka Vigilante, on instagram. (Chaser post, page 1264 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 3, 2017, Arrow Production Office tweeted that they were back at work. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On Jan. 5, 2017, Arrow Writers Room tweeted pic of snowy landscapes with comment: "Thanks to @RealSpeedWeed for sending us these behind-the-scenes shots while braving sub-zero temps tonight on location. #fakemoonlight #cold." (ArrowWritersRoom tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 5, 2017, Arrow Writers Room tweeted: "There are 150 people with a combined 2000 yrs of experience wrking outside 14 hrs (overnight) in sub-zero temps to make 4 min of TV." (ArrowWritersRoom tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 6, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming in studio today . Oh & for the handful of idiot KC fans (not KC fans just the idiot ones ) she's not filming #yvrshoots." Per papp, DR was filming, but not EBR or WH. He also said that EBR was not on set on Jan. 6 and that he didn't know if she was back in Vancouver yet. In response to fan who wondered when KC would be on LoT/Flash, papp tweeted: "Ya she hasnt of yet but who knows now that her movie is done." (pursuit23 tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 6-7, 2017, in response to fan who asked what was the last episode Carly Pope filmed for Arrow, papp tweeted: "just before Christmas break." In response to follow-up question of whether it was re-shoots or new scenes for 514, papp tweeted: "new scenes." In response to fan who asked if CP was done or not yet, papp tweeted: "she's not." (pursuit23 tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On or about Jan. 6, 2017, Rutina Wesley, who played Lady Cop, was back in Vancouver, but it's unknown whether or not it was for Arrow. (rutina_wesley instagram post, page 51 of Spoilers thread and page 1290 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 7, 2016, Adrian Holmes tweeted b-t-s pics of himself with PB, SA and RG with comment: "Off to a great start with these blokes! #happynewyear #arrow @cw_arrow @officialrickg @paulblackthorne @stephenamell #nights #nospoilers." (adrianholmes tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, fan tweeted: "There are rumors about Cupid, China White and Lady Cop being part of [Felicity's] 'team.' Sort of a Dark Birds of Prey?" (oli_verdant tweet, page 1289 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, in response to question about whether China White would return to the Arrowverse, papp tweeted: "She actually just filmed an Arrow episode so that's gonna be good." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, papp tweeted: "Got #autographs earlier this week from #Arrow guest star & former #Supernatural guest Amy Gumenick who came back to finish an episode." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 8, 2017, papp tweeted: "Saw Kelly Hu & Amy Gumenick wrap filming for #Arrow yesterday in Vancouver so that should be an interesting episode." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 9, 2017, in response to whether Rutina Wesley filmed for Arrow 'recently', papp tweeted: "She filmed with Kelly & Amy." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 1, 2017, when asked if EBR will have scenes with Kelly Hu or Amy Gumenick, papp tweeted: "she doesn't." (pursuit23 tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 20, 2017, YonkouProductions tweeted: "Impeach Mayor Queen." and ">You know you gotta get that new girl a codename. >Well, when she's ready I was considering Black Canary." (YonkouProd tweets, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Edited March 14, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

ADDENDUM #7 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC

S5 Generally (513 Ramifications)
-- On whether we'll see 513's new gun control laws come into conflict with Team Arrow, MG: "Not the regulations specifically." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide and TVLine articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what kind of middle ground was reached by 513's new gun control regulations, MG: "We left that intentionally vague... My first gig in the business was on a show called The Practice. [Creator David E. Kelley] always said, ‘I’m not interested in the verdict. I’m just interested in both sides in the case having equal arguments.’ Very intentionally, we didn’t want to provide [an] answer to the problem of gun violence. We wanted to leave that open to the audience as almost like a Rorschach test.” (Feb. 15, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we know the specifics of 513's gun control regulations or whether we are going to find out what they are, MG: " No, actually we left that intentionally vague... We didn't want to provide the answer to the audience to the problem of gun violence. We wanted to leave that open to the audience, almost like a Rorschach test. One of the goals obviously to be - I'm sorry this phrase has been corrupted - as fair and balanced to the issue as possible. I think once you put a fine point on, 'OK, this is what the regulations should be,' then you end up taking a side. If we're going to take any side, I'd like to err on the side of, just because there's gun legislation doesn't mean the second amendment is being infringed. There's a way to have the second amendment and still have some reasonable limitations on gun ownership. I think last week Congress voted to remove mental health issues as being a thing that could prevent you from owning a gun. Why? Who does that possibly benefit? There's things that we all should be able to get together on. And the idea is that these regulations in a general way represented that, 'OK there have got to be a few things that we all agree on,' gun owners and gun control advocates alike." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

S5 Flashbacks 
-- On whether we'll get flashback origin stories for any of the other recruits (other than Wild Dog), WM: "I don't know. That's a good question." MG: "I think we still have a lot of ground to cover with Russia. Let's put it that way." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver will end up back on the island this season, MG: "I can tease that it will either be by boat or plane... I can also tease he won’t be going back alone.” (Feb. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver ends up back on the island at the end of this season, SA: "How it ends, I think, is going to be surprising, which is odd because we pick up what happens right at the beginning of pilot. I actually don’t know a ton about what’s going to happen when he gets back to the island. I just know that one of the things that I’ve been pitching in terms of just a logistical thing is going to actually be something that we utilize." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

New Team Arrow
-- SA: "I’ve actually been thinking a lot about the team in general and everybody — this is not to say that they haven’t gone through some aspects of tragedy, but Diggle was in a federal prison and is now at the very least seeming happier and on the path to redemption. We’re moving into a very interesting arc for Felicity and a purpose for her that exists outside the team, which I think is incredibly important. Curtis is in a better spot despite the fact that he’s having some marital issues. Rene was kind of a directionless individual until he found the team. Same goes for Dina[h] in terms of she was someone who was on a murder spree and then became lost because she didn’t have a purpose anymore, and now she’s finding it on the team. Even Quentin seems to be on the road back a little bit. Obviously the main exception there is Thea, and I think that there’s a significant worry for the state of his sister, but in general, I feel like there is a bit of a sense of accomplishment. Again, it’s not without tragedy, because that’s the nature of our show." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 

Original Team Arrow ("OTA")
-- On whether there''ll be more OTA moments coming up, now that Diggle's back with the team, DR: "Thank god, right? Yeah. The team has been broken a little bit because of Diggle's absence and now we have new team members, and one of the team members betrayed the team, so there's been a lot of story to tell. But the original team is the backbone of this show and the writers are definitely getting back to it." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we will get some OTA moments in upcoming episodes, DR: "That is the plan. We hadn’t seen much of that this season in general, and much of that is because we have new team members, and those stories facilitate the Big Bad more so than anything else. But now that John is out of jail, thankfully, you’ll see more OTA." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the return of more OTA scenes, DR: "A lot of people are asking that. I don’t think it’s too much to say that has really been the backbone of the show and it has been for 5 seasons. There’s a big story to tell this season, there are lots of new characters and a lot of moving parts. A lot of new faces were brought in and everyone has a story, so you’re trying to do all these characters justice. But thankfully - Yes. I can say yes, we will get back to OTA, to the backbone of the show. Those three particularly, watch each other’s backs like no other team members can and you’ll see how Diggle particularly helps Felicity in the coming episodes. Yes, a lot of the coming episodes will have OTA scenes." (Feb. 8, 2017 Watchtivist article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity")
-- On Season 4, MG: "I'm definitely not a fan of how we we dismounted off the Oliver/Felicity relationship. That felt very rushed." (Feb. 5, 2017 Collider video of MG interview, page 1342 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- When asked for a Billy Joel song to describe Olicity, MG tweeted: "'Until You Come To Me' (sorry, it's not an album track)" and "You really have to listen to it. The opening notes were the proto-version of Piano Man." (Feb. 25, 2017 MG tweets, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 1384 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether Oliver will find out what’s really going on with Felicity soon, per EW's Natalie Abrams: "Not for several episodes, but you may be surprised by his reaction." SA: "He knows that she’s into something, and he knows that she doesn’t want to tell him about it, so he’s dealing with that in his own way, ... For Felicity, it’s not something that she and Oliver discuss until they have what is actually an adult conversation about it in [a future episode]." (Feb. 10, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Oliver will feel about Felicity returning to her hacktivist ways and forging her own path, SA: "I like the way that we handled it. He knows that she’s into something, and he’s bothered right now — not that she might have a new venture, but by a certain response that she gives when Oliver catches John doing something [in the Russia episode]. That episode is a lot about me knowing that something is going on with both of their characters, and they’re just not telling me. Now, there is some resolution for John toward the end of that episode, but for Felicity’s character, it’s not something that she and Oliver discuss until they have what I think is actually quite an adult conversation about it. But he knows that she’s into something, and he knows that she doesn’t want to tell him about it, so he’s dealing with that in his own way." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether he thinks Oliver & Felicity can ever get back to where they were in terms of a solid working relationship, SA: "I mean, there was a distance in the early part of the year. And I never want to sail over something as traumatic and significant as the fact that Oliver was tricked into killing Detective Malone and everything that that’s putting Felicity through. I do think that there are a lot of unanswered questions in terms of how did they get from where they were at the end of season 4 to where we found them in season 5, and I am positive that we answer those questions." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether he thinks Oliver & Felicity can ever could be a couple again, SA: "Sure. Of course. We know what came between them; it was a lack of trust. Felicity walked away, and Oliver let her. I mean, we live in a television world. Fences can always be mended." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 

Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow
-- MG: "One of the things we went into Season 5 with the mindset of is Oliver's mayor, so without it turning into The West Wing, how are we going to find ways to have Oliver be active as mayor, and to everyone's surprise, be a good mayor, end up being a good mayor. And you'll start to see, actually - and this is true in next week's episode, in Episode 14 - Thea's gonna make a good case to Oliver, of all people, for all the things he's accomplished as mayor, and you start to see like, oh wait, in the first 13 episodes, he actually kind of did some stuff. And he's not done yet. Obviously, the season's not done yet. But we definitely went into the season with the goal of showing that Oliver is actually much better at this job than you might expect." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread, and Feb. 15, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1360 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "I think one of the things you’ll see in the second half of Season 5 is the gray area becomes a lot more gray. We’re really delving into the complexities of Oliver being a killer in a way that we’ve never done on the show before. Like, I think, a lot more nuance and a lot more - in the past, it was like 'I’m a killer or I’m not a killer.' It was very binary. This year is - like you said, it’s super gray, and it’s really messy, and this is a component of it. This is a piece of it for sure. On the walk over here, Wendy and I were just talking about a storyline that, again, continues to make those waters muddier because it is a complex, moral decision, and in many ways, Oliver killing is the seminal moral quandary of the show. ... That was something I think that spoke to us as writers and spoke to the audience back in Season 1. Like 'this guy kills people.' There’s a big part of the original pitch. We said 'at the end of Act Two, he’s going to break someone’s neck.' One of the things we are doing in the back half of Season 5 is really getting underneath that and what that means, not just in terms of morality but in terms of psychology -- specifically Oliver’s psychology. There’s things about Oliver’s killing that you have yet to learn." (Feb. 15, 2017 IGN and TVLine articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Oliver's decision to kill or not to kill has huge moral implications, not just for him but for the team and the people who work with him. The rest of the season will definitely be exploring the ramifications of that decision - not necessarily with respect to the gun control laws and whether or not they exist and what that means for the team when they're out in the field, but definitely with respect to Felicity and to some extent to Curtis as well, what they're going through and do they square their own circles morally with the actions they've taken?" (Feb. 15, 2017 TVLine and TVGuide articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- As Oliver keeps exploring what his legacy is, on whether we will see him more as the hero, WM: "I think so, mostly just because it's different and the show has to evolve. I liked that. It's one of my favorite parts... It's a very powerful thing. And given that yeah, he has this other place where he can do this, this role as the mayor, where he can take that stand and have an impact, I don't see why we wouldn't go in that direction." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver is going to finally have made the city a better place at the end of this season, WM: "I think so." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what Oliver is facing both as Green Arrow, but also as mayor, SA: "Well, it’s interesting what we have coming up. Oliver gets put into a situation where we’re effectively vilifying the Green Arrow with a lot of things that I’m not entirely sure that we can unpack, in terms of what people are accusing him of, what the mayor’s backing up and saying he did, because he doesn’t have a choice, and it’s a lot for Oliver to deal with as mayor. We actually get to focus on the task of governing Star City, and I’ve really been enjoying it. We’ve actually had multiple episodes where in one episode I’m simply not in the Arrow suit and then multiple episodes where I’m in it for a very, very short period of time, which is a departure for us. A lot of things that we’re doing this year feel like a departure for us, and I know that that has created certain elements of angst in the fan base. People like certain things, but you just have to do it. You have to constantly try new things as a television show." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Arrow going pretty dark in the last couple episodes, and whether he feels like the show’s going back to that S1 feel, SA: "Well, it has to. One of the biggest revelations that we have this year is Oliver learning something about the person that he was in season 1, and more importantly, the person that we’re seeing in the flashbacks. He’s unchained in Russia in terms of responsibilities, and it has gone really dark in the flashbacks, but to me, that doesn’t negate the growth that Oliver has experienced. Obviously [between] season 1 and season 2, there was a very profound difference. His ability to not kill Slade at the end of season 2 was important, and his ability to walk away at the end of season 3 was important, and his ability to not view the world completely in black and white at the end of season 4 and killing Damien Darhk again was important because it really showcased that it really is about protecting the people who are closest to him. That’s going to force him into morally questionable decisions; to always take the moral high ground is just not a luxury that he has." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether Oliver feels at fault for everything that’s happened because it all stems from his choices in the past, SA: "That’s a trope that we lean on a lot in the show, but I actually don’t feel as though Oliver has done that. Obviously, he’s responsible for the death of Detective Malone, and we even reference in an upcoming episode that that’s something that he’s going to live with for the rest of his life, but I feel as though Oliver has really moved past the past where he might have been a little bit mopey."  (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 

Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch
-- On how deep Felicity is going to get into the hacking and darkness, WM: "We really started the season wanting to have her go through some version of her own island in some way. I would say it’s going to get very interesting, and the team, they’re definitely going to have very strong opinions about it. We really wanted to take her to place where she would sort of understand Oliver in a more profound way. Without giving too much away, that’s what I would say about her and Helix." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide and IGN articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per WM, Felicity's darker turn into hacktivism/Helix will help Felicity "understand Oliver in a more profound way." As WM explained though, this conflict has been a long time coming for Felicity: "We really started the season wanting to have her go through some version of her own island in some way... I would say it’s going to get very interesting -- and the team, they’re definitely going to have very strong opinions about it." (Feb. 17, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "The rest of the season will definitely be exploring the ramifications of [Oliver's decision to kill or not to kill] - not necessarily with respect to the gun control laws and whether or not they exist and what that means for the team when they're out in the field, but definitely with respect to Felicity and to some extent to Curtis as well, what they're going through and do they square their own circles morally with the actions they've taken?" (Feb. 15, 2017 TVLine and TVGuide articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per MG, when Felicity at one point begs Curtis and Rene to stop debating in 513, she was speaking for “the segment of the population who considers talking about politics to be impolitic, something you’re not supposed to [do] in polite company. When did that happen?... Whether you voted for Trump or not, I think maybe the only thing we can agree on as Americans is that the country is as fractured now as it’s ever been since the Civil War... And my point of view and suggestion as a writer is it happened because we all stopped talking to each other.” Also MG: "Felicity being the one to say, 'Stop talking about this,' came out in the writing. In the first half, before Trump got elected, it was me trying to keep the show from descending into this back-and-forth debate. As a writer, it was helpful to have a character going, 'Stop debating!' But then, once Trump got elected, I realized that her saying, 'Stop debating!,' was speaking for another segment of the population, which is the segment that considers talking about politics to be impolitic. It’s not something you’re supposed to discuss in polite company. When did that happen? The thesis statement of that scene she has with Curtis is that, whether you voted for Trump or not, the only thing we can agree on, as Americans, is that the country is as fractured now as it’s ever been, since the Civil War. My point of view and suggestion, as a writer, is that it happened because we stopped talking to each other."(Feb. 14, 2017 TVLine article and Feb. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "We’re moving into a very interesting arc for Felicity and a purpose for her that exists outside the team, which I think is incredibly important." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On Feb. 19, 2017, fan(?) tweeted: "Emily is in LA this week. Hopefully it means  she's gonna do some interviews as well." and "not sure the whole week but they wrap up 5x18 Tuesday." (LuluLemonLime83 tweets, page 1369 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Billy Malone
-- When asked if he named Detective Malone after Billy Joel, MG tweeted: "No. I named him after a friend of mine." (Feb. 25, 2017 MG tweet, page 532 of Social Media thread)

Felicity and Diggle
-- DR: "[F]or this episode [512] particularly there’s a crisis in terms of what Felicity is doing. Diggle will call Felicity out on where she’s going, emotionally and morally." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle calling out Felicity on the Dark Net and her new Helix buddies, DR: "That’s correct. Who are they? Who are these people? Obviously that’s a running theme on our show, the team members helping others who can’t see through the fog. We have 'blinders,' as Felicity called them when Oliver was helping Black Siren, trying to find redemption. That theme is repeated with Diggle and Felicity, as she taps into her dark side, the way John did last season, the way Oliver does every Wednesday, to try to find a way of gaining an edge for the team. Diggle is the one that calls her out on that, for good reason." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "There are other things we’re going to play with in this next episode [512], and Diggle’s going to really serve as… he’s kind of always been the moral compass, if you will, for the team. There are some dark places that Felicity goes to with this new, somewhat nefarious group that’s giving her this shit. Diggle’s going to be the one to call her out on it." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "He sees that Felicity is compromised, and he calls her on it immediately. Before he gets back out on the field — which he does! — we’ll see him kind of getting back to service, of being a help, which is in the best possible way I could say that… but the moral help, I should say. The moral compass. And the team needs it. When he comes back, the team needs it. Dinah needs it, and Felicity particularly needs it." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "He's a man on a mission to help the team find Prometheus. There are some things going on with Felicity that he's going to be very helpful with." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Those three [OTA} particularly, watch each other’s backs like no other team members can and you’ll see how Diggle particularly helps Felicity in the coming episodes." (Feb. 8, 2017 Watchtivist article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

John Diggle AKA Spartan
-- SA: "Diggle was in a federal prison and is now at the very least seeming happier and on the path to redemption." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether Diggle and General Walker cross paths again this season, DR: "I think you’ll see that final chapter. Diggle’s done with putting bullets in people, and I think he wants to see real justice done to Walker."  Also DR: "I wouldn’t say soon, but you’ll be seeing him. We’re going to play that out to its finality. I think Diggle’s probably done putting bullets in people for now, but I think you’ll see General Walker prosecuted to the full extent. We’re going to see that to the end for sure, but — for now, right after his immediate release — I think he’s man enough to get back to some sense of normalcy. Oliver said, 'You’re free. You can go home to your wife and child,' and I think he wants to get back to that kind of quickly, figure out who Prometheus is." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR and Variety articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle wanting to deliver what is due to General Walker, DR: "I think so. And not just that, but he’s full throttle with the team now. We’ve seen 'internal, sad Diggle' for long enough - but for good reason. It isn’t every day that your dead brother comes back to life, who you then kill! Also, there’s a direct line between his choice to trust Andy and the death of the Canary. Theres a straight line there, so his grief and guilt was well-placed. But I think he’s on the other side of that now. Now it’s time to get back to business, and he does. It’s about getting Prometheus." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Diggle is out of danger as far as Walker is concerned, DR: "For now! For now, yes. He’s legitimately a free man now. In terms of using the law to get back at Diggle, there’s not really anything that Walker can use, but there are other places and other ways — by force. So we’ll see how that all plays itself off. But yes, for the immediate time, he’s out of danger." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Diggle is officially a free man and has put his trouble with the law behind him, DR: "Yes, he is legitimately free, finally. No more Diggle in jail, so that means no more Diggle on the outskirts. Hopefully that means we'll see more of Diggle in the field because I always love that. I love it most when I'm playing Spartan and seeing his relationships with the new team members out in the field. But mostly I'm excited for what that means personally, with his wife and his new son. I love seeing Diggle's personal life and family life."  Also DR: "Yes, I think that’s a chapter that’s behind him. We’ve seen him for most of this season being incredibly introspective — especially earlier in the season when he was willing to stay in jail to continue this penance he felt he had to pay for killing his brother — but I think he’s gone through enough of this emotional repayment." (Feb. 8. 2017 Variety and Mashable articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread and page 1348 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether Diggle's time behind bars changed him at all, DR: "I think so. Diggle wore his emotions on his sleeve last season with his brother coming back to life, betraying him, causing Laurel's death and then Dig killing him. There's been enough baggage for Diggle that's very internal and introspective, so that's what you've been seeing this season. That's why he chose to stay in jail as his own penance. ... But now that he's out, some of that has been rectified. He's a man on a mission to help the team find Prometheus." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the dilemma before Diggle, DR: "Well, Diggle is a highly moral character, right. And I think he’s done putting bullets in people as a way of delivering justice. He’s learned from that with his brother. So, he will see it to the end, doing whatever he can to see this man behind bars, by the letter of the law. That’s who Diggle is at this point. There’s also a new member of our team, in Dinah, and Diggle is the one that really welcomes her. He brings her into the fold and helps her get a job, get a place, with training. It’s Diggle who takes her by the hand; that’s where he is right now." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Diggle is feeling as a free man, DR: "Now it’s back down to business, and back down to what he does well — which is seeing the blindspots on the team. Before he went back to prison he was helping and bonding with Rene, and you’ll see that same thing happen with Dinah Drake. He’ll serve as a bit of a welcoming committee." (Feb. 8. 2017 Variety article, page 53 of Spoilers thread and page 1348 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- DR: "[O]ne thing about Team Arrow is there is always one person who has the blinders on, and there is someone who calls that person on it. I think that Diggle often serves in that capacity." (Feb. 8. 2017 Variety article, page 53 of Spoilers thread and page 1348 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- DR: "He came to know somewhat the new team members when he was in hiding, he served as a kind of mentor to Rene and I think you’ll see him serve in that same capacity with Dinah... Diggle is really the one who rolls out the welcome mat for her and that’s a part of Diggle’s strength too. Even in these strange situations, when he’s in jail, he’s overseas or away from the team, when he’s talking to Oliver, it will inevitably always go back to in the conversation to something about Felicity, or getting back to some sense of normalcy in Oliver’s life - because Diggle has made that transition. He can be a vigilante, a husband, a father, a tax-paying contributor to society. He’s made that jump. He joined the team and told Oliver that Oliver needs him whether he knows it or not and how killing takes a little piece of your soul off. Diggle is the one who reminds everyone of their humanity and you’ll see that with Dinah in the first few episodes. He helps the new team make adjustments." (Feb. 8, 2017 Watchtivist article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why Diggle assumes that “welcome committee” role for new team members like Dinah and Wild Dog, DR: "It’s a place that he wants to go, needs to go. I don’t think it’s any secret, most people feel this way, that Diggle is the most evolved in the group. He’s had his demons, he’s fought in several wars, many tours. He’s been a civilian, he’s been a soldier, he’s been married, twice, to the same woman, he has a child. The only time we’ve seen Diggle at a place of true compromise was when he was faced with the 'rebirth' of his brother, and his brother’s brainwashing." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how he sees Dinah, DR: "Diggle, like he saw with Rene, sees someone in agony. There are similarities that come about, and I think he is kindred spirits with both Rene and Dinah. He trusts her, and gains her trust fairly quickly. She’s looking for a sense of normalcy, and that’s what Diggle brings." (Feb. 8. 2017 Variety article, page 53 of Spoilers thread and page 1348 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- DR: "We’ll see Diggle trying to heal. I call Diggle, for the first part of the season, “Dark Diggle” because he’s been so introspective and then kind of in mourning, really, because of the deaths that happened in Season 4: the death of Canary, which he blames himself for, and — for good reason — the death of his brother. So now he’s coming out of that, and part of coming out of that is helping. That’s who he is! He’s a serviceman. He’s a soldier. He’s the guy who lays on a grenade. So that’s what he immediately gets to. He gets to helping Dinah. He gets back to helping the team. He sees that Felicity is compromised, and he calls her on it immediately. Before he gets back out on the field — which he does! — we’ll see him kind of getting back to service, of being a help, which is in the best possible way I could say that… but the moral help, I should say. The moral compass. And the team needs it. When he comes back, the team needs it. Dinah needs it, and Felicity particularly needs it." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle and Adrian Chase, DR: "They will be getting closer, you’ll see more of that." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see Diggle and Chase interact again, DR: "You are going to see it, and — obviously — people in our stories are built up just to be brought down, and brought down just to be built up. No one in our stories stays in our good graces for too long. But, for now, Adrian Chase is his hero! He has a lot of respect. He has major points with Diggle. So we’ll see where that goes, how that plays out. But, for now, he is very highly regarded in Diggle’s eyes." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle and Prometheus, DR: "There’s a nice little moment between John Diggle and Prometheus, in terms of a fight." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Diggle will take a role in Mayor Queen's office, DR: "No, he won’t. He’s best in the field. So, again, Diggle’s a soldier and he’s best at Oliver’s side, in the field as Spartan. That’s where he serves the best. In those moments of looking at the big picture, he’s that guy, again — that soldier mentality of being able to see all sides. So that’s his strength. I don’t think he’ll be taking a role in the administration. He’ll be getting back to his duties as Spartan quickly." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger and John Jr.
-- On whether we'll see more of Diggle's wife and son moving forward, DR: "I would like to see that. I think that's something we're going to explore in the latter part of the season as well as seeing him get acclimated to being back out in the field and being on this new team. That was kind of put on hold when Prometheus pulled the rug out from everyone and laid this trap, putting Dig in prison. ... But now that he's out, I would really like to get back to that. I mean, his relationship with Lyla, that's almost like a whole five-episode arc itself. This Mr. and Mrs. Smith, leader of ARGUS and second-in-command of Team Arrow... I want to see what goes on at that dinner table."  Also DR: "That’s a six-episode arc right there, isn’t it? The 'new Amanda Waller' of ARGUS and the second in command of Team Arrow, married. With a child that they found out used to be a girl through Flashpoint. His wife, who has her finger on the pulse of the Suicide Squad. I mean, what does that dinner look like? For me, that’s a story." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable and TVLine articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle and Lyla, DR: "That's a dynamic that really has a story arc waiting for it... She's the leader of ARGUS, he's the leader of Team Arrow when Oliver's out -- and they have two different philosophies altogether....What do you talk about at dinnertime with that?...They're bringing that back, and it's a big, long season, so we'll see how it plays out. ... Audrey's working on Training Day right now, so getting her is part of the issue. But I like seeing them together, I like the dynamic. I like that she's a badass, that she's capable in the field, that she's smart, that she has a child. The couple has evolved. They're Felicity and Oliver in five years." (Feb. 7, 2017 ComicBook article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Diggle is always such a high moral character. He constantly has to compromise about what he does or doesn’t — and most times he doesn’t. ... How he gets around that is the interesting part of Diggle’s psyche. I think we’ll see more of what that means with Lyla. Lyla is the leader of A.R.G.U.S. and another group that walks that line of light and dark, good and bad. And he’s married to her! He’s married to the new Amanda Waller, so to speak. It’d be interesting to see what that relationship is like. He’s very introspective; he’s killed his brother. He’s lost his best friend in the Canary because of his own choices. So what does that mean, to be married to a woman who has her finger on the Suicide Squad? What does that mean to him? So it’ll be interesting how those relationships, particularly that one, play out." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "I can say that we have all the elements. Part of what John Diggle brings to the team is his relationship with ARGUS through his wife Lyla. We're waiting to see how that plays itself out. Diggle was freed last week, and Oliver said to him 'You can go home and hug your wife and son.' So that's a real viable part of Diggle that we have always seen on camera, but it would be nice to see more because he's married to the leader of the Suicide Squad. What does that play out? How does that look? What are those conversations like? We have all the elements of it... I think we have the makings of it. ARGUS is a real viable part of our whole universe, of Legends, Flash, and Arrow. And Diggle just so happens to be married to the leader of ARGUS, so it's right there ready for the picking." (Feb. 13, 2017 CinemaBlend article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Thea Queen AKA Speedy
-- MG: "There’s a whole system of actors and availability. Everyone is like, 'Where’s Thea?!' Well, Willa [Holland] is 14 out of 23 episodes, this season. She’s not in all 23. That’s not her contract, so we’ve had to write around that. Joe [Dinicol] isn’t a series regular, so just like with Katie Cassidy, we’ve gotta go to Joe and make sure that he’s available. All of these network seasons coincide with pilot season, and people are busy doing pilots. It’s actually one of the reasons we make the kind of deals we make. Part of it is money, but part of it is also making sure certain actors are available to us. It’s complicated. We try to make the process invisible, in terms of our storytelling, but there are just human realities and contractual realities that not only tie our hands, but tie the hands of everyone running a show, these days. Unless you’re Game of Thrones and you can literally afford to hold people for an entire year, for ungodly sums of money." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide and Collider articles, and Feb. 13, 2017 ScreenerTV, TVLine and GreenArrowTV articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "[Thea's] headed in a direction that’s very similar to where her mother was before she was killed in Season 2... I’m actually really excited about her storyline, because we’re taking her to a place where she’s been dealing with all of these issues the same way Oliver has, with her bloodlust and with other elements of her past, and this season’s going to find her in a similar place, but for very different reasons. There’s gonna be a great scene coming up between Oliver and Thea that’s one of my favorites on the show.” (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article and Feb. 17, 2017 Entertainment Weekly and TVLine articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Obviously the main exception there is Thea, and I think that there’s a significant worry for the state of his sister, but in general, I feel like there is a bit of a sense of accomplishment." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per YonkouProductions, Thea's in 513: "Thea returns to Arrow in 5x13. They didn't forget about her." and "In 5x12 she's looking into some initiatives." (Feb. 7, 2017 YonkouProd tweets, page 52 of Spoilers thread, and YonkouProdutiona post, page 1341 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Per MG, Thea's in 514: "There's some really terrific Oliver/Thea scenes in next week's episode and beyond. It's been so much fun to have her in the mayor's office and we've really been enjoying writing for them." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article and Feb. 17, TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific
-- WM: "The rest of the season will definitely be exploring the ramifications of [Oliver's decision to kill or not to kill] - not necessarily with respect to the gun control laws and whether or not they exist and what that means for the team when they're out in the field, but definitely with respect to Felicity and to some extent to Curtis as well, what they're going through and do they square their own circles morally with the actions they've taken?" (Feb. 15, 2017 TVLine and TVGuide articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Curtis is in a better spot despite the fact that he’s having some marital issues." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On Curtis' future, EK: “I think you’ll see Curtis kind of getting into his own groove, mixing in some more of his technology aspects with his physical prowess, and that will help him be a good asset to the team. With his husband, that is to be determined, but he will definitely try!” (Feb. 9, 2017 TVSeriesHub article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis
-- On whether we'll see Evelyn back to wrap up her story, MG: "You’ll see her again." WM: "But not in the way you think you’ll see her. It’s going to be a pretty fun reveal." MG: "We actually have some surprises up our sleeves." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide, IGN and Collider articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On when Evelyn is going to return, DR: "That's a great question, and honestly it's one I have for the producers as well. They haven't told us that. Usually I can get little hints about stories, but we don't know. How she plays into this whole big picture, I don't know. Prometheus all by himself is such a badass and is so formidable in terms of what he's been doing to the team and Oliver particularly, so Evelyn teaming up with him is just really bad. The next few episodes are all about Prometheus and what he wants to do to Oliver." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 10, 2017, in response to fan who asked when Artemis was returning, MMcL tweeted: "You won't have to wait long. @ARROWwriters really pushed it with this one. We're having so much fun with it ??." (MMcL tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 10, 2017, MMcL tweeted: "We're a family and I think that really translates on screen. And y'all...are you in love with @JulianaHarkavy yet because I AM ??." (MMcL tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog
-- On whether we'll see another Rene flashback this season, MG: "We know very specifically what each episode's flashback content is going to be and we're not going to see another Rene-specific flashback this year." WM: "Maybe Season 6." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why it made sense to focus on Rene's story in an episode about gun violence [513], WM: "I think it was that he was someone whose background we really wanted to explore, and I think he's a natural proponent—and in my mind, he just is that—he carries a gun, he's a natural spokesman for that point of view." MG: "Rene felt like the right recruit at the right time for all the reasons Wendy was saying... He is a character whose whole superheroics revolve around guns." (Feb. 15, 2017 Eonline article and Feb. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what made Rene the right person to do the flashbacks with for 513, WM: "I think it was that he was someone whose background we really wanted to explore, and he carries a gun and is a natural spokesman for that point of view." MG: "We could have done it through any number of our characters. I think there was a real appetite for us and the writing staff to do flashbacks from the perspective of one of our recruits, so that we get to learn more about them. We know a lot about Curtis, obviously. Rory left the team in Episode 512. Evelyn had betrayed the team, and we already knew her backstory from Season 4. Rene felt like the right recruit at the right time. He’s a character whose whole superheroics revolve around guns." (Feb. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Rene was kind of a directionless individual until he found the team." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether Diggle and Rene will continue to train now that Diggle's a free man, DR: "Yes, you'll see more of that, but you're going to see that more with Dinah moving forward." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Rory Regan AKA Ragman
-- On whether we'll see Rory again, WM: "We’ve left the door open for him." MG: "We’ve talked about Rory coming back. There’s a whole system of actors and availability...  Joe [Dinicol] isn’t a series regular, so just like with Katie Cassidy, we’ve gotta go to Joe and make sure that he’s available." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide and Collider articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Quentin Lance
-- SA: "Even Quentin seems to be on the road back a little bit." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On 513, WM: "I feel like the clearest person who would be opposed is Lance. Police, as a rule, tend to not want criminals to have guns. They’re all for minimizing things. They’re a little more for gun control, as a cohesive group in society." (Feb. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Prometheus
-- On how much longer before we get back to Prometheus' story, MG: "How’s next episode sound? ... You know, it’s funny. For me, 14 is this fulcrum where a lot of the little seeds that had been planted in the first half of the season start to come to fruition, and you start to realize that oh, Prometheus has been setting up a chess board and the episode ends, I think, with sort of the next key move in Prometheus’ grand plan." (Feb. 15, 2017 IGN article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how the reveals and real identities of Prometheus and Vigilante will affect the show, MG: "How do I answer that without spoiling? Obviously, I will say, I think anytime we do a reveal on the show, it’s always with the intention of not just surprising the audience, but also of resetting the board and resetting the characters’ perspectives, and the characters having a profound reaction to things. Hopefully, we’ll do that again. We always go into the season with a game plan, but we’ve certainly reached the point in the season where now our game plan is specific episode to episode to episode, as opposed to knowing what tentpoles we want to hit. I feel good about what our game plan is. We’re certainly reaching that point in the season where things probably just by happenstance become more controversial. So stay tuned." (Feb. 15, 2017 TV Guide and IGN articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- How much are the masked characters' identities are end-of-season reveals, and how much are those potentially going to happen sooner, MG: "I will say it happens later than we typically do it. How about that?" WM: "Some will happen much later than we typically do it." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether they knew who Prometheus was when they started the season, and whether that identity has changed since the beginning, MG: "Yes, we knew from the beginning. No, it hasn't changed. I think I've said this in a bunch of different ways over the last five years, but we always go in with a plan. We do tend to call audibles as we get inspired and get new ideas. A year is a long time. But general speaking, something that major, like the mystery of the identity of the Big Bad, we're pretty dialed into it from jump." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread, and Feb. 15, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1360 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Prometheus' tactics of using manipulative mental games to torment Oliver until he reaches his breaking point, WM: "Part of the fun of that is that you can draw on other sources of inspiration. ... One of the things we talked a lot about was 'American Psycho'... We talked about who are the big manipulators? People like Hannibal Lecter and Kevin Spacey's character in 'The Usual Suspects' and also in 'Seven.' We talked a lot about those types of villains, and how to bring that element into the series -- because we were looking for something different to do in Season 5, a way to change it up and make it different." (Feb. 25, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- With Prometheus teeing up his end game, whether Oliver worries that everyone around him either ends up dead or hurt, SA: "That’s one of the interesting things. To me, one of the interesting things about Prometheus is how little he cares about the people that surround Oliver. They are all simply pawns to take him down, which obviously does inherently put them in danger, but I think that one of the things that Oliver’s done over the course of this year is just learned to trust people and learned to accept that when someone says, 'I know the risks, I choose to be involved anyway,' that that’s their decision to make. I think Oliver worrying that everyone in his life that he touches somehow dies is hopefully something that he can get over, because that’s just the nature of the path that he chose." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- DR: "Prometheus is our 'big bad' this season and we aren’t done with that. We aren’t done with Slade Wilson. How Prometheus manipulates the team to slowly destroy and break down Oliver Queen is going to be every interesting and I hope people enjoy it." (Feb. 8, 2017 Watchtivist article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "The next few episodes are all about Prometheus and what he wants to do to Oliver." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "To that end, Prometheus has been able to reach all corners of Oliver’s life places everybody in a compromised position. So we’ll see how that plays itself off, because clearly Prometheus could touch any of us whenever he wants to." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "I think Prometheus is the clear and present danger. I think he is the one. Diggle sees Prometheus as number one on the list to get and to take down. Walker is still there, but I think the one that was able to manipulate the team to hurt Oliver is clearly the bigger threat this time, and I think Diggle absolutely sees that." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what's coming up, DR: "There’s a nice little moment between John Diggle and Prometheus, in terms of a fight. [What’s ahead] is all about him, it’s all about finding out who this guy is and how he manipulates Oliver and the rest of the team, by showing Oliver that he doesn’t have to kill him, he can just take every piece of his life away. That’s a very interesting way that the story is told." On how this is in ways more painful that just whaling on a guy physically, DR: "Which he also does! It makes for an interesting storytelling, so I’m very interested to see how we stop this guy." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what's coming up, EK: “You’ll see us really get into the game of Prometheus and what he’s doing there, finding out who that person is and the stakes will be high.” (Feb. 9, 2017 TVSeriesHub article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Adrian Chase 
-- On whether Adrian Chase scored some points with Diggle, DR: "Without a doubt. Adrian Chase is incredibly sharp, and I think he’s earned the respect of Diggle, which isn’t easy. They will be getting closer, you’ll see more of that." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see Diggle and Chase interact again, DR: "You are going to see it, and — obviously — people in our stories are built up just to be brought down, and brought down just to be built up. No one in our stories stays in our good graces for too long. But, for now, Adrian Chase is his hero! He has a lot of respect. He has major points with Diggle. So we’ll see where that goes, how that plays out. But, for now, he is very highly regarded in Diggle’s eyes." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

The Vigilante
-- On whether Vigilante will come back into play with Oliver questioning where he is on the morality scale with regards to killing, MG: "You definitely haven’t seen the last of Vigilante. In the episode 'Vigilante,' I think we kind of pretty much told that story in terms of, how does Vigilante affect Oliver’s moral decision making. The role Vigilante has to play the next time we see him, it’s a little different than that. I don’t want to say too much."  (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide and IGN articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how the reveals and real identities of Prometheus and Vigilante will affect the show, MG: "How do I answer that without spoiling? Obviously, I will say, I think anytime we do a reveal on the show, it’s always with the intention of not just surprising the audience, but also of resetting the board and resetting the characters’ perspectives, and the characters having a profound reaction to things. Hopefully, we’ll do that again. We always go into the season with a game plan, but we’ve certainly reached the point in the season where now our game plan is specific episode to episode to episode, as opposed to knowing what tentpoles we want to hit. I feel good about what our game plan is. We’re certainly reaching that point in the season where things probably just by happenstance become more controversial. So stay tuned." (Feb. 15, 2017 TV Guide and IGN articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- How much are the masked characters' identities are end-of-season reveals, and how much are those potentially going to happen sooner, MG: "I will say it happens later than we typically do it. How about that?" WM: "Some will happen much later than we typically do it." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Susan Williams
-- On how Oliver's ignorance of what his girlfriend Susan's doing will play into their future, MG: "I'll just say, based upon what little—I try to avoid online, but it's online, so it's impossible to completely avoid stuff—but it seems like the general prevailing theories about how we're going to play that subplot off are wrong. That's kind of my impression. Everyone's expecting something we're not doing, for better or for worse." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide and IGN articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan who questioned Oliver's intelligence in dating/sleeping with a reporter who's investigating him, SA replied: "Based off this season so far and what we know, Oliver has been wrong to trust Evelyn. And that's it so far." (Feb. 8, 2017 LuluLemonLime83 tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the arrow-shaped mark on Susan's wrist, CPope tweeted: "ha! herein lies one VERY cheeky tattoo cover." (Feb. 9, 2017 CPope tweet, page 1352 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Feb. 15, 2017, papp tweeted: "Great news, Carly Pope is back in Vancouver tomorrow for some more #Arrow filming good times." (pursuit23 tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 17, 2017, papp tweeted: "Also glad to report that Susan Williams is filming #Arrow today lol" and "She's filming Arrow with Arrow cast." (pursuit23 tweets, page 1366 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Dinah Drake (formerly Tina Boland) AKA New Black Canary
-- MG: "I think what's interesting to us about Dinah is that she kind of offers this fresh perspective to the team. In many ways, she's almost acting like our Greek chorus. She comes to the team without the burden of having been trained by Oliver or without the burden of having dealing with all of Oliver's secrets and in some cases lies and mishegas. She just has a nice, clean perspective that isn't so much where she's living, but is about what she's been through and her backstory. But her backstory is also not being someone who was a member of Team Arrow who comes to the team without the baggage of the past four seasons." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread, and Feb. 15, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1360 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On what SA had to say about a potential Oliver/Dinah romance, EW's Natalie Abrams: "He had some interesting thoughts, a lot of which just have ties to, like, we expect that because of the comics. But Arrow's never been beholden to the comics... We have characters that did not exist whatsoever, um, so he - he has a great, great take on that." (Superhero Insider podcast in Feb. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1381 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- SA: "Rene was kind of a directionless individual until he found the team. Same goes for Dina[h] in terms of she was someone who was on a murder spree and then became lost because she didn’t have a purpose anymore, and now she’s finding it on the team." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- DR: "Almost immediately, he has this bond with Dinah. Dinah is a new recruit on the team, and Diggle is really sort of rolling out the welcoming committee. He’s the first to really help her make the adjustment, very similar to what he was doing with Rene. Dinah’s been through a major tragedy, a major trauma. She’s a new meta with new powers. You know, Diggle’s the most evolved. He’s our normal guy, and so he’s the one that really helps Dinah kind of get a grasp on a sense of normalcy in the beginning. So that’s what we’ll see in terms of him getting back to work in that capacity." (Feb. 8, 2017 CBR article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "There’s also a new member of our team in Dinah, and Diggle is the one that really welcomes her. He brings her into the fold and helps her get a job, get a place, with training. It’s Diggle who takes her by the hand; that’s where he is right now." (Feb. 8, 2017 TVLine article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Dinah is the newest outsider joining, so you'll see Diggle welcoming her as he did with Rene, but he's not just training her to be a part of the team. He's also going to help her with being a meta and what that does to her psyche." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Diggle helping Dinah, DR: "He's there for her to help her make an adjustment to try and live a normal life. I think that's Diggle's biggest strength: he's the most well-adjusted person on the team. He's had catharsis through tours of war. He's had people die on his command. He's been through two marriages to the same woman. He's had children. He's a soldier with a family. He's probably the most emotionally evolved, so he's he one who is best suited to help Dinah adjust to her new life." (Feb. 8, 2017 Mashable article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- DR: "Dinah is just now understanding how to put her powers to good use. She’s just been through a major trauma of having lost her lover/partner, she’s been tortured by a new meta. Diggle is really the one who rolls out the welcome mat for her and that’s a part of Diggle’s strength too... Diggle is the one who reminds everyone of their humanity and you’ll see that with Dinah in the first few episodes. He helps the new team make adjustments." (Feb. 8, 2017 Watchtivist article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how he sees Dinah, DR: "Diggle, like he saw with Rene, sees someone in agony. There are similarities that come about, and I think he is kindred spirits with both Rene and Dinah. He trusts her, and gains her trust fairly quickly. She’s looking for a sense of normalcy, and that’s what Diggle brings." (Feb. 8. 2017 Variety article, page 53 of Spoilers thread and page 1348 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- DR: "[Dinah's] been through a heck of an experience with losing her partner/lover and living with these powers for however long she's been living since the particle accelerator. So she's just now really adjusting, she's letting go of some of that pain, and reaching out with some of that pain." (Feb. 8, 2017 Cinemablend article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Dinah's potential susceptibility to going rogue, DR: "Clearly she - if you want to call a weak link - is the weak link only by virtue of her being the newest link and kind of unsettled... So if there's anyone who could be the most influential under Prometheus' power, it would be her... But we'll have to wait and see how that plays out. We're not going to see that immediately, if it does happen. Her first step will be a sincere adjustment to the team." (Feb. 8, 2017 Cinemablend article, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Dinah's relationship with Oliver and the gang is going to be different than Laurel’s, JHarkavy: "Again, it’s just that she comes from such a different background. She wasn’t trained by Oliver. She came from her own place and has her own history and her own separate world so she’s not going in with any knowledge of the team or any relationships that are pre-existing. She really has to build it herself." (Feb. 19, 2017 Culturess article, page 1368 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether there is anything Oliver will teach Dinah throughout the rest of this season, JHarkavy: "As a fighter, she’s super strong and very well-trained, and while she is going to be training with the team, what she gets from Oliver is more of an emotional thing. She’s going to learn how to be a normal person again and have friends again, and I think that a lot of lessons that Oliver teaches Dinah are lessons from the heart." (Feb. 19, 2017 Culturess article, page 1368 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- JHarkavy: "I definitely don’t want them to let go of the old Black Canary! I want them to experience what they need to experience. It’s a character that meant something to them. If they need to mourn that character that was lost, then I want to give them time. It takes time to get to know somebody so I don’t expect to come in brand new after 5 seasons and just be welcomed by everyone when they had attachments to previous characters. So I guess I just want them to know that I appreciate and respect their loyalty to their characters. Hopefully, with some time, they’ll get to know my character and learn to love her as well. I’m definitely not upset with anybody though for being upset about what happened." (Feb. 19, 2017 Culturess article, page 1368 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Feb. 20, 2017, YonkouProductions tweeted: ">You know you gotta get that new girl a codename. >Well, when she's ready I was considering Black Canary." (YonkouProd tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 21, 2017, JH posted pic of herself with new Arow script, with comment: "New week new adventure." (JH instagram post, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Talia al Ghul
-- On what Talia al Ghul actually wants from Oliver, and why Oliver does not make that connection when meeting Ra’s al Ghul and Nyssa al Ghul, SA: "Well, pay very close attention to whether or not she ever says her last name. A) She never says her last name, and B) I understand that this can get slightly confusing, but Oliver has never met, at this point in the story, Ra’s, has never met Nyssa, knows nothing of the fact that Sara is alive, is unaware that Malcolm was part of the League — he doesn’t know any of these things. It’s as simple as Talia is her own woman who sought Oliver out because she thought he had the capacity to do good in the world. It is something that we address in the show coming up pretty soon." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 

Kojo Sledgehammer = "Alena"(?)
-- In 512, Felicity got a text from "Alena" that said: "Don't stop with Walker. Pandora is much bigger." Felicity replied: "Don't plan to." (Feb. 8, 2017 Arrow 512 episode)

Return of Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk
-- On Feb. 7, 2016, JBarrowman tweeted that he "filmed on #Arrow on Monday. More to come." (JBarrowman tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 12, 2017, JB said: "I'm doing Flash, Legends and Arrow all at the same time. I think I've just completed the Flash musical episode, which is gonna be awesome. You're gonna love it... I'm going to Los Angeles this afternoon. And then I fly back to Vancouver on Monday night to start work Tuesday. And I'm back on Legends on Tuesday. And then we have the final episode on Legends that starts - I think, starts Tuesday, and we go into that. And then I have some - a little time off. And then I'm going back into Arrow. So, I know a lot of people keep asking, 'so when can I see you on Arrow?' Remember, the stuff that we've shot, we've already shot this a little while ago, and you see them at a different time, cause, like, you know, you just got to be patient." (JBarrowman facebook video, page 256 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On Feb. 13, 2017, JB tweeted: "Heading back up to Vancouver from LA now." On whether he's going back to LoT or back on Arrow too, JB tweeted: "#LegendsOfTomorrow #arrow after that." and "On approach to land in Vancouver." (JBarrowman tweets, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 24, 2017, JB said that he was finishing his last day of shooting LoT. He also said that he would be hopping on a plane home to Palm Springs and then headed to the Arrow set. (JB facebook video in Feb. 24, 2017 Bleeding Cool article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- LoT: Malcolm (JB) and Darhk (NM) will appear on LoT's season finale, episode 217-Aruba. (Feb. 21, 2017 MG tweet, page 257 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Return of Laurel Lance  
-- On Laurel's return, MG: “We have an idea for how to see [Katie] again, but we haven’t made a deal with her yet... She’s not a series regular anymore, so we have to make a contract with her, and she’s got to be available. We haven’t had those conversations. But we do have an idea. We know exactly what we do want to do. ... You now know more than Katie does in terms of her involvement at the end of the season." (Feb. 13, 2017 TVLine article, page 204 of Starling City Times thread, and Feb. 13, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 203 of Starling City Times thread)
-- MG: "There’s a whole system of actors and availability... Joe [Dinicol] isn’t a series regular, so just like with Katie Cassidy, we’ve gotta go to Joe and make sure that he’s available. All of these network seasons coincide with pilot season, and people are busy doing pilots. It’s actually one of the reasons we make the kind of deals we make. Part of it is money, but part of it is also making sure certain actors are available to us. It’s complicated. We try to make the process invisible, in terms of our storytelling, but there are just human realities and contractual realities that not only tie our hands, but tie the hands of everyone running a show, these days. Unless you’re Game of Thrones and you can literally afford to hold people for an entire year, for ungodly sums of money." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide and Collider articles, page 53 of Spoilers thread, and Feb. 13, 2017 TVLine article, page 204 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On whether we'll see more of Oliver's belief that Black Siren can be redeemed by the end of this season, SA: "I don’t know if we see it before the end of the season, but I do like that idea, and I do take that as a sign of growth that he’s looking for that little kernel [of redemption] that maybe exists somewhere." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- LoT: Laurel (KC) will appear on LoT's season finale, episode 217-Aruba. (Feb. 21, 2017 MG tweet, page 257 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- LoT: On Feb. 21, 2017, papp tweeted: "She filmed once scene on the 14th and that’s it. She’s done." (lemon_buzz tweet, page 260 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Not Returning or Debuting in S5
-- On the possibility of Constantine returning to live-action TV in the Arrowverse, Matt Ryan: "Fortunately, since I finished doing Arrow last time, I've been really busy... I don't know if [live-action] works out. I'm always up for reprising this [Constantine] character because I feel like there was some unfinished business with the TV show. I felt we were really getting somewhere in terms of the tone of it and the storylines we were exploring. So any other opportunity to explore him or flesh him out, I'm game for." (Feb. 7, 2017 Cosmic Book News article, page 254 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Looking Toward Season 6
-- On whether 513 was a testing ground for when Oliver’s flashbacks run out after S5, MG: "We’ve been doing the non-island flashbacks since Season 1, so we feel like we’ve done the testing ground, and we love those flashbacks." WM: "It was more of a testing ground for the [S5] recruits and whether we would be able to generate enough story and be interested in those stories, from the perspective of those characters. And going forward, given that we won’t have the island to go to and the flashbacks for Oliver, we know we can use it for other characters. It’s a device that’s well-established on this show, and we know we can go to that well when we need to." (Feb. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see another Rene flashback this season, MG: "We know very specifically what each episode's flashback content is going to be and we're not going to see another Rene-specific flashback this year." WM: "Maybe Season 6." (Feb. 15, 2017 TVGuide article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what the flashbacks ending mean for S6, and what he hopes to see moving forward, SA: "I am open and excited about any possible idea, whether that’s a simple flash-forward narrative that we carry through the season, which I think we did to varying degrees of success in season 4. If that means that simply the flashbacks do not exist anymore and it allows us to expand the universe in terms of focusing more on other people’s backstories, not even necessarily flashbacks of people’s home life, just their life outside of the Arrow cave, I think that’s interesting. We can do that because, quite simply, we have more time, we have more pages, we have more chance for dialogue. I know they’re kicking around some ideas, but truthfully I have no earthly idea if there is any sort of element that we will be bringing into season 6 or if we just simply acknowledge that we pitched the show as a five-year origin story and we got to do it, which I think in and of itself is an accomplishment. There’s not a ton left on television from new shows from 2012. Just the fact that we made it that far is worth patting ourselves on the back for, ever so briefly." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether he would want to see a flash-forward to Oliver’s death, and whether it’s a flash-forward to a year from now, 10 years from now, whatever, if that is something that would ever interest him, SA: "Yeah. I think that the key to a story like that is that — look, Green Arrow was obviously pitched as a five-year origin story, but we’re breaking the flashback story as we go along. There’s always an overarching plan, but it generally has to go season to season. Like, I don’t think we knew at the beginning of the season that at the end of season 2, Oliver would end up in Hong Kong. We don’t necessarily know that stuff, and that’s just the nature of episodic television in 23 episodes a year. I think that the critical element, if we ever did something like a flash-forward, would be to make sure that we understood the precise beginning point and end point of that story and all the things that went into it, because I think that if we try to piecemeal it together, especially because it’s a flash-forward, that it just wouldn’t work. You know what I mean? We’d have to know the end game if we did something like that. I mean look, I’ve always had a very specific idea for how the series would end. It came to me at some point during season 1, and whether it’s through a flash-forward or whatever, I just hope that we end up getting to do that." (Feb. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread) 
-- Although not yet officially confirmed, there's a strong chance of seeing a true 4-way crossover with Supergirl, Flash, LoT and Arrow in S6. Andrew Kreisberg: “Next year, we’re hoping to do a true four-way crossover... The great thing about our dear friends at the CW and Mark Pedowitz picking the shows up as early as they did has allowed us to start building the schedules for next season.” Explaining that the shows continue filming other episodes while shooting the crossovers, AK: “One of the big things we learned from two years ago, which made the crossovers this year slightly easier, was building in shut-down days, where shows just went dark. The single hardest factor in doing the crossovers is actors’ availability because the shows keep going on. You’re basically juggling four shows worth of schedules. ... The thing that we didn’t really plan on — because we weren’t aware that we were going to switch Supergirl from CBS to CW and it was really going to be part of it — that was the one show that didn’t have built-in shut-down days, so all the other ones did... Melissa [Benoist] ended up being heavily in Flash and then in Arrow, so Supergirl was the one we needed to shut down the most and it was the one that we didn’t have any opportunity to. Now that we’ve gotten the early pickup and we’ve started designing the seasons, we’re building in those dark days, and actually more dark days on Supergirl than the other shows, to make it a little easier.” (Feb. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 259 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SUMMARY OF 515 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 15:  Fighting Fire With Fire
-- Production code: 515.  Shoot Dates: January 6[9]-17, 2017.  Director: Michael Schultz. Writers: Speed Weed & Ben Sokolowski. Airdate: March 1, 2017. (Jan. 9, 2017 MG tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- 515 synopsis: "VIGILANTE ATTACKS MAYOR QUEEN — Oliver (Stephen Amell) faces his biggest challenge yet as mayor. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) continues down her dark path with Helix. After Vigilante attacks Oliver while he’s acting as the mayor, Diggle (David Ramsey) leads the team in a mission to stop Vigilante once and for all. Michael Schultz directed the episode written by Speed Weed & Ben Sokolowski (#515). Original airdate 3/1/2017." (Feb. 11, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- 515 extended promo posted. (515 extended promo video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- 515 producer's preview posted, "where Thea discovers her inner Moira." (515 producer's preview video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Two 515 sneak peek videos posted. (515 sneak peek videos in CW_Arrow and TVGuide tweets, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- 515 promo pics posted. (TVLine and SpoilerTV articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- 515 dialogue tease: “Am I really the best person to come to for love-life advice?” (Arrowwriters tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per fan report from Wizard World New Orleans: "Stephen- opted to answer my question with a spoiler so….. last warning….. Okee Dokee… he said that around episode 15 or so that Felicity’s character was going to parallel Olivers in that she will have a secret that she will be keeping and other people will know about it. Oliver will be kept out of the loop… and que the spec!!!" (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: bekaoperetta blog post, page 51 of Spoilers thread and page 1289 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Per JH, her favorite line of the season was in 515: “I can’t really say anything about it, but when I read it in the script, I was like, ‘Oh, that is so bad ass!’ The way that she’s written is just so cool!” (Mar. 1, 2017 YahooTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 9, 2017, MG tweeted: "Arrow Ep. 515 begins production today. @RealSpeedWeed @BenSokolowski." (MG tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 9, 2017, papp tweeted: "Told that everyone's favourite reporter is back this week for #Arrow filming as well #SusanWilliams." On which episode she's going to be in, 514 or 515, papp tweeted: "they finished 14 already." (pursuit23 tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, papp tweeted: "Arrow filming under the convention centre on the water." In response to fan who aske whether it was in the water or on a boat, papp tweeted: "on the water meaning beside it lol." (pursuit23 tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, SA said: "We are filming our 15th episode of the season." (SA facebook video, page 519 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, SA said: "We have a couple of episodes coming up that are really fun. Um. A couple of episodes that I'm barely in the Arrow suit, which is not to say that the action is lower. It's just different." (SA facebook video, page 519 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, SA said: "Working out with T3 Athletics. Worked out with Josh Segarra today. I'd suggest, if you're ever doing a personal training session, bring a friend. Josh and I did this one exercise today where it was just three different grips of pushups and comibined, we had to do a hundred. So I went, and then he goes. Then I go, and then he goes. And by the end, you're alternating doing two, three pu - chinups at a time. Fantastic stuff, as always, from Tom at T3 Athletics." (SA facebook video, page 519 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, fan tweeted pic of building rooftop with comment: "@yvrshoots Getting ready for more filming @ 1133 Melville. Penthouse unit & roof. Ideas?" He also tweeted: "it's OQF.."  Then YVRshoots reply tweeted: "@colinrox83 Thanks. Yes I did a driveby and there were so many OQF signs pointing to and along Melville. So Arrow is in your hood." (colinrox83 and yvrshoots tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 12, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow will be filming at #NewWestminster City Hall on Friday." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 13, 2017, papp tweeted: "Reminder: #Arrow is filming at #NewWestminster City Hall today." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 13, 2017, JBamford posted pic of smashed-up black limo with cracked windshield and loose tire. (james2bambamford instagram post, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 13, 2017 (during 515 shooting), JH posted b-t-s pic of SA wearing a dark suit with comment: "Didn't catch this happening fast enough to get a good pic, but earlier in the night @stephenamell noticed two fans standing outside set in the cold. In between takes, he stepped outside with two cups of hot chocolate, walked down into the snow, hand delivered the cocoa to the fans, then walked back up to set like nothing to shoot the next take. No one else would have even seen this random act of kindness take place. This was one of many moments that have made me so proud to be part of the @cw_arrow team. Just thought I'd share!" (JH instagram post, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 13, 2017, SA posted pic and video of him and RG training together. (SA tweet and facebook post, page 520 of Social Media thread)
-- On Jan. 13, 2017, Josh Segarra posted pic of Vigilante comics panel. (mrjoshuita instagram post, page 1303 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is in studio today." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted pic with comment: "Yep main unit but no Stephen RT @donald_law: Arrow is filming along 1100 Melville Street #Vancouver today." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted: "Rooftop Night shoot." (lemon_buzz tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow -- spotted setting up at 1133 Melville on weekend -- is filming on the roof today." (yvrshoots tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted pic with comment: "looks like skylights are blacked out for filming.  Saw lights and stunt mats outside building." (donald_law tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted: "I think what we saw on Saturday was Arrow setting up on the roof of 1133 Melville Street for today." (yvrshoots tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow shooting on Melville Street roof with David Ramsey & Echo Kellum today." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, fan tweeted: "Arrow OQF sign @ Heather & 33rd." (parkerjane14 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming in studio tomorrow (Tues)." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, in response to fan who asked if Carly Pope was still filming, papp tweeted: "she sure is" and "It was a generic question 'Is she still shooting Arrow'. Yes. She filmed Friday. Yes she is coming back to film more" and "No problem. As far as I've been told she'll be back for ep 16" and "I don't ask for storylines of the show, nor do I invest much in them. I have a source working on the show that said she's back" and "I didn't ask if it's her last. Guess if she doesn't work in ep17 then we'll know." (lemon_buzz tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, SA tweeted pic of smashed up black limo with comment: "You know when Forrest described how he & Jenny went together? It's the opposite for Arrow & Limousines." (SA tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)

Unspecified Episode
-- On whether Oliver will find out what’s really going on with Felicity on Arrow soon, EW's Natalie Abrams: "Not for several episodes, but you may be surprised by his reaction. 'He knows that she’s into something, and he knows that she doesn’t want to tell him about it, so he’s dealing with that in his own way,' Stephen Amell tells me. 'For Felicity, it’s not something that she and Oliver discuss until they have what is actually an adult conversation about it in [a future episode].'” (Feb. 10, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 53 of Spoilers thread)

Edited March 14, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread...

SUMMARY OF 516 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 16:  Checkmate
-- Production code: 516.  Shoot Dates: January 18-27, 2017.  Director: Ken Shane. Writers: Beth Schwartz & Sarah Tarkoff.  Airdate: March 15, 2017.  (Jan. 18, 2017 MG tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- 516 synopsis: "OLIVER SEEKS THE TRUTH — Oliver (Stephen Amell) gets closer to the truth about Prometheus. Meanwhile, Helix refuses to continue helping Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) until she does a favor for them. Ken Shane directed the episode written by Beth Schwartz & Sarah Tarkoff (#516).  Original airdate 3/15/2017." (Feb. 23, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- 516 promo and extended promo posted. (516 promo and extended promo videos, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- 516 producer's preview posted. (516 producer's preview video in Mar. 14, 2017 CW_Arrow tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- 516 sneak peek video posted, featuring Mayor Queen giving an ultimatum to the Green Arrow at a press conference. (516 sneak peek video in Mar. 15, 2017 CW_Arrow tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- 516 sneak peek video posted, featuring Felicity being given tour of Helix's base of operations by Alena. (516 sneak peek video in Mar. 15, 2017 Variety article & tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1422 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 516 promo pics posted. (GreenArrowTV and TVLine articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- 516 dialogue tease: “I’m gonna kill you. In ways that’ll hurt.” (Arrowwriters tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- 516 dialogue tease: "If you kill me, you kill Susan, and she'll be as dead as your mother, as Tommy, as Shado, as Laurel..." (Mar. 14, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 1419 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 516 dialogue tease: "Oliver: 'Your father was an honorable man. You've allied with a psychopath and he'd be ashamed of you.' Talia: 'Well, when it comes to shame of fathers, I shall bow to your superior expertise.'" (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweet, page 1419 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 516 dialogue tease: "'Oliver, is that you?' 'No. It's the man who's going to kill you.' 'AHH!'" (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweet, page 1419 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 516 dialogue tease: "WHEN I HAD SUSAN AS MY GUEST, I CONFESSED TO HER THAT YOU'D HELPED ME DISCOVER WHO I REALLY AM.THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA HELP YOU DO, OLIVER." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweet, page 1420 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 516 dialogue tease: "-U've a lot of missing friends -yeah&this time Ive no leads. U guys've better resources than I do&I've to use everything I can to find him." (Mar. 14, 2017 _Wint_wind tweet, page 1421 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 516 dialogue tease: "-I'm worried -right ofc.(..).Promet could've... -Not..I'm worried bout u -OH. -cause u're into smth&u don't wanna tell anyone bout it or m." (Mar. 14, 2017 _Wint_wind tweet, page 1421 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Chase kidnapping Susan, WM: "We really wanted to build him up as someone who is extremely good at being ten steps ahead of Oliver and really being psychological, in the way that he manipulates him. One of the ways he does that is by going after the people that Oliver cares about. We’ve seen villains do that in the past, but Adrian does it in a way that’s a little bit more specific. Not to take any wind out of the sails of the story, but his goal is very clear. He really has no drive to kill Oliver. It’s purely based on torture. So, in taking Susan, that is where we’re headed. For how long, I can’t tell you, but he’s definitely headed toward that. And it’s all part and parcel of this drive to break Oliver down, psychologically, as opposed to physically. We’ve seen Slade and Merlyn take him on, hand to hand. This is much more of a mental game." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “When he initially finds out [that Chase kidnapped Susan], it’s just very simple — ‘The first chance that I get, I’m going to kill you’ — and to this Adrian basically laughs, because Adrian has a full checkmate over his head — he has someone that Oliver cares about and if Oliver kills Chase, then that person dies.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "[Oliver] disavows the Green Arrow at the end of [515] and then everything hits a total s— storm before we even get the main title credit at the beginning of 5-16... Absolutely everything gets thrown for a loop. Through 5-16 and into 5-18, it’s a very strange arc for Oliver where we haven’t really yet had a chance to examine the way that the Green Arrow, and by extension the team, is going to be able to function.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what's coming up for Oliver and Chase, SA: "It is coming to a head. If you've seen the promo for next week's episode, you know that Oliver finds out almost immediately that Chase is Prometheus. What I really like is that Chase has put himself in a position where he doesn't have to extricate himself from  his day-to-day work. He can stay on as the District Attorney because he has thought so far ahead of Oliver this year. I mean, if you're planning something, and the other person doesn't know you're planning it, it doesn't make the person who's the victim of the scheme stupid. It means they're in the dark. And Adrian has put Oliver in checkmate, which is why, conveniently, the title of our next episode is 'Checkmate." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Oliver is going to see his son any time soon, SA: "We reference my son William in our next episode. So there." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "I think that there is a means to an end for each move that he makes. That’s not part of Prometheus, but that’s part of Chase, for me. When I look at Prometheus, I look at the skill set. He’s out on the streets. That’s one aspect of this. The part that Chase is doing is the mental game. It’s the chess match. That’s what Chase has been playing, this whole time. He’s been moving pieces that he knows Oliver is not going to be able to keep up with. I think that Susan is a very, very important piece of that puzzle, and Chase knows that. There are other very important pieces on that chess board that he’s going to move. Susan is a very, very important piece and a very good move, in the big chess game that’s going on. You get to see how that relationship develops between the two. Susan may feel betrayed by Oliver, so it’s interesting to see how Chase will try to navigate those waters and get to his next move." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider and IGN articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Now that Chase has kidnapped Susan, on whether she just a bargaining chip so Oliver doesn’t kill him, and if we should be worried about other people in Oliver’s life, JS: "One, yes, it is a bargaining chip. I think you nailed it right on the head. He knows that she matters to Oliver. Chase knows that Susan matters, and that’s the move. You take the people who matter most, right? It’s Chase going, 'Hey man, I know that you care about her, so I’m going to take her.' Two, I think that’s also the move that goes, 'Hey, I know that you’ve been seeing Susan, and I got her, but I also know everybody else that you’re close with. I’m not just here, I’m everywhere else.' That has been fun to play with with Stephen. I’m a big fan of his and a big fan of the show, so I’m trying to take the things that I enjoy and put them into the show as well. I’m trying to take things that I’ve seen and be like, 'Hey man, let’s do this.' This week [516], you watch that permeate with these guys and see that Chase is coming for Oliver." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the eventual Prometheus reveal to Oliver, JS: "Very soon, you are going to see how it affects Oliver and how it affects Chase. Because you’ve watched these men side by side. You’ve watched Oliver let Chase in. He’s let him into the circle, and, now, his world got flipped upside-down. So you will see very quickly, and I think it’s very fun to watch how Steve handles it. What he does with it is very cool." (Mar. 15, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether more people learning Prometheus’ identity this week [516] is by his design, JS: "They do figure out who Prometheus is. If you’re asking me if I think every move Chase makes is on purpose, and everything is playing out exactly as he wants it to, my answer is yes. All of these steps have been made already in his brain, and he’s seen seven different ways they could result. Finding out his identity was inevitable, but for Chase what matters is making sure all the pieces are in place so when that unmasking is revealed, it doesn’t matter." (Mar. 15, 2017 Variety article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether there is a point where he’ll think Oliver’s life has been sufficiently ruined, since Chase doesn't want to kill Oliver but just wants to destroy his life, JS: "I think the game that’s going on is what drives Chase. Him being in control of every turn that this takes matters to Chase. It’s making sure that Oliver see’s the world around him crumble. The name Prometheus says who this guy is … he stole the powers from the gods. That’s something that Chase is doing. He’s trying to show Oliver that he can control, and take what Oliver thinks is his. When he takes Susan, it’s him going ‘I know she matters to you so I’m going to take her.’" (Mar. 15, 2017 Variety article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether taking Susan was just to prove that he can, JS: "When Chase takes Susan he’s doing it just so Oliver finds out he’s taken Susan. What happens after that, we’ll see." (Mar. 15, 2017 Variety article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Talia will appear in present-day Star City on Arrow, MG: "We will see her in the present day... What she wants from Oliver in the past is very different from what she wants from him in the present.” Per MG, Oliver has very purposefully never heard her last name. MG: “Oliver couldn’t have heard it, because if he had, when Ra’s talked about his daughter he’d be like, ‘Yeah, the other daughter, I met her back in Russia,' ... We were very cognizant not to retcon anything. So yes, she is Talia al Ghul, but Oliver obviously doesn’t know that.” (Mar. 10, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On when she learned that Adrian Chase was Prometheus, LD: "When I got the script for that episode [516], that’s when I knew. Literally, when I read that line, 'His name is Adrian Chase,' I was like, 'Oh, okay, so that’s who Prometheus is!' I will say that I did know, because Stephen [Amell] told me, that Talia had trained Prometheus. He didn’t tell me who Prometheus was, but he said, 'Just FYI, part of the reason your character is here this season is because she trained Prometheus.' I was like, 'Oh, okay, cool!'” And then, I found out that Prometheus is played by Josh [Segarra]." (Mar. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Talia knows that Oliver is responsible for her father's death yet, LD: (pauses) "I think there's very little that Talia doesn't know. I just think she keeps her cards very close to her chest. I don't want to spoil anything! ... I think you kind of just have to wait one more episode to get all of the information that I'm just not allowed to talk about at this point." (Mar. 9, 2017 ComicBook video interview with Lexa Doig, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Although Talia tells Oliver that Prometheus is Adrian Chase in 516, per Lexa Doig, there’s no telling whose side her character is on, in present day or the flashbacks. The whole situation of Oliver not yet knowing Talia is an Al Ghul, the realization she also trained Adrian Chase, and Chase now turning out to be Prometheus, a costumed vigilante (of sorts) just like The Hood, is quite suspicious. LD: “There’s clearly something going on there. ... A little bit suspicous, yeah. Yes, there is... The thing about Talia is she lives in the grey zone of morality. She’s not specifically always on the side of good or always on the bad. She’s more neutral in alignment. What she’s most concerned about is what she wants.” Talia’s true intentions with Oliver remain unclear. While helping Oliver in the flashbacks seems like a good thing so far, there may be more to her agenda than she lets on. LD: “If what she wants to accomplish as an end result ends up being a good thing, then yay, but if what she wants to accomplish ends up being not such a good thing for a lot of people, I don't think she really cares. The ends always justifies the means to her.” (Mar. 10, 2017 iDigitalTimes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Talia Al Ghul will appear in present day in 516, but her relationship with Oliver may not be the same as we’ve seen in the flashbacks. We know nothing about Talia’s life or connection to the Al Ghul's, but per Lexa Doig, “Neither does Oliver. Talia never mentions her last name.” So what happens once Oliver finds out who she really is and Talia is faced with confronting the man who killed her father, Ra’s Al Ghul, and disbanded the League of Assassins? LD: “I see Talia as somebody who, regardless of whatever her relationship with her family is, they are still her family. I don’t think she’d take kindly to finding out that somebody’s harmed them. ... But obviously in the flashbacks it’s relatively hunky-dory and Ra’s is still alive and Nyssa's relationship with Talia is unclear at this particular moment. In the flashbacks it’s a non-issue, but in present day, I think it would be an issue. I think she would be very disappointed in Oliver, to put it mildly.” (Mar. 10, 2017 iDigitalTimes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Talia finally makes the jump to the present in 516. On what role she'll be playing in the modern-day story, LD: "She helps Arrow answer a few questions, I can say that." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Talia fits into the Al Ghul family dynamic, LD: "I don't think she fits into that dynamic at all, which is part of the deal there. There's a reason why [earlier in the series] when Oliver went to Nanda Parbat and met Ra's and Nyssa, there's a reason Talia wasn't there or even mentioned. These are the question marks that get answered somewhat next episode [516]. ... I think the biggest difference that I chose to make is Talia is someone who doesn't exist in the shadows like the rest of the League. She doesn't just influence events from the peripheral. She can do that, and has done that, but she will take a more active role. She could be running her own company, not unlike how Oliver has an identity in the real world, as well as one in the underworld, so to speak." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how much does Talia know about how Oliver has intersected with her family, LD: "That'll be answered a bit next episode [516]. But she knows in the present day. She knows exactly what Oliver had to do with her family." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Rumor: Susan Williams will be held by Chase for more than one episode. (Mar. 2, 2017 Oliverdant tumblr blog post, page 3 of 515 episode thread)
-- YonkouProductions: "Regarding 5x16: spoiler: Felicity joins Helix to try and save Oliver." (YonkouProductions post, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "Adrian Chase isn't Prometheus." and "So we know that 'Adrian Chase' was being built up as the Vigilante as per the roots in the comic..." and "Thanks to that misdirection they got us last ep. However 'Adrian Chase' is actually an alias/fake name." and "Apparently Prometheus' real identity is Simon Morrison...He's working with Talia Al-Ghul. Oliver gets kidnapped by the end of the episode." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "Talia also pissed about Oliver killing Ra's." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweet, page 1419 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- In response to fan who asked if Susan was going to die or turn out evil, Yonkou Productions posted: "She is fine." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions reddit post, page 1420 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "Felicity's moral compass seems to revolve around Oliver's wellbeing and justifying his decisions more than an innate sense of good or evil." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweet, page 1420 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 16, 2017, in response to fan who asked if Carly Pope was still filming, papp tweeted: "she sure is" and "It was a generic question 'Is she still shooting Arrow'. Yes. She filmed Friday. Yes she is coming back to film more" and "No problem. As far as I've been told she'll be back for ep 16" and "I don't ask for storylines of the show, nor do I invest much in them. I have a source working on the show that said she's back" and "I didn't ask if it's her last. Guess if she doesn't work in ep17 then we'll know." (lemon_buzz tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, MG tweeted pic of 516 title page with comment: "Arrow Ep. 516 (whose title does NOT refer to the DC clandestine agency) begins production today. @SchwartzApprovd @sarahtarkoff." (MG tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, Ken Shane pic of Arrow slate on what looks like City Hall hallway set with comment: "This slate from my first shot of episode 516 #Arrow." (Ken_Shane tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, PB tweeted pic of himself with Ken Shane and EBR, with comment: "Today our man #KenShane steps up from 1st AD to DIRECTOR! Great to have you at the helm Kenneth @EmilyBett #Arrow." (PB tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, fan tweeted: "GFG and OQF signs spotted on E 12th Avenue, towards Clark Drive @WhatsFilming." (notheer tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 18, 2017, JBamford posted b-t-s pic of prep for fight scene in loft with comment: "Shootin' previz like wild animals!" (James2bambamford instagram post, page 1308 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 19, 2017, Adrian Holmes tweeted pic of himself standing outside Capt. Pike's office with comment: "Another day at the office... literally.??@cw_arrow #arrow #Pike #ACU #whatsournxtmove #itsajungleoutthere #StarCityPoliceDept." (adrianholmes tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 20, 2017, Lexa Doig tweeted: "Planned to go, but my calltime is too early tomorrow!  My best friend and daughters are going so I will be there in spirit!" (LexaShmexa tweet, page 1309 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 20, 2017, PB tweeted pic of himself with Ken Shane, SA, DR and RG, with comment: "Our man @Ken__Shane rises from 1st AD to Director. Nice one Ken! @StephenAmell @david_ramsey @officialrickg #Arrow." Also, Carly Pope replied to that PB tweet with comment: "Love it." (PB and CPope tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 23 and 25, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming at Riverview tomorrow." In response to fan who asked if it's another hospital scene, papp tweeted: "they film much more than hospital scenes there." In response to fan who asked if it was exterior or interior shots, papp tweeted: "Interior." (pursuit23 tweets, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 24, 2017, papp tweeted: "Also since I'm sure I'll be asked at some point, Carly Pope is working on Ep 16 of Arrow this week." (pursuit23 tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 24, 2017, JBamford posted pic of fight rehearsal with stuntmen in the Arrow Bunker. (JBam instagram pic, page 1331 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 25, 2017, in response to what episode he's currently shooting, SA tweeted: "Episode 516 - tentatively titled: Oh My God It's All Happening At Once!" (SA tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 25, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow shooting at the PNE tomorrow shooting in 1 of the rinks as a russian hockey rink @BellLetsTalk @WhatsFilming @olv #YVRShoots shhhhh." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 26, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming at the PNE today." (lemon_buzz tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 27, 2016, Arrow stunt guy posted pic of ice hockey game at PNE Agrodome which has Russian flag and comment: "Lunch time crew game!" (Curtis Braconnier instagram post, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 3, 2017, director Ken Shane tweeted: "This was me going into my last day of editing on episode 516. It's been great fun. Can't wait until it airs. #Arrow." (Ken_Shane tweet, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Mar. 13, 2017, Carly Pope tweeted: "TWO. MORE. SLEEPS. #Arrow #JoshSegarraEverything." On Mar. 14, 2017, in response to fan asking if Susan betrays Oliver with Prometheus, CP tweeted: "nope...he's just so good and deserves the shout out!" (CP tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Mar. 14, 2017, Kacey Rohl tweeted: "Social media cleanse for a week. You can catch my ? face on @CW_Arrow if you miss me! Later, gators!" (KaceyKadoodles tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)

Edited March 16, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread...

ADDENDUM #8 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC

Arrow Generally
-- MG: "Um, you know, I'll be curious to see what people think of season 5 when all is said and done." (Mar. 1, 2017 Fake Nerd Guys podcast interview with MG, page 538 of Social Media thread) 
-- In response to fan who asked if any of the abandoned plot points listed in recent CBR article would ever be tired up on Arrow, MG tweeted: "Some.  But this isn't our last season, remember...." Per CBR, the abandoned plot threads were: Captain Boomerang and Slade Wilson, Nyssa and the LoA, OMAC/Brother Eye, Roy Harper, Constantine in Hell, Metamorpho, ARGUS and the Suicide Squad, Slade Wilson's first son, Solomon Grundy, Oliver's son, Wildcat, Kord Industries, Walter Steele, The Amazo and the Huntress. (Mar. 9, 2017 MG tweet and Mar. 9, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Um, it's really, really difficult to comment on a season while you're in the middle of it because, um, it would be - I think, silly to judge it by anything other than the season in its entirety." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread) 
-- SA: “Green Arrow was conceived as a show without superpowers and a show that was meant to be a little more grounded that was a specific reaction to an incredibly successful 10-year run of Smallville.” (Feb. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 209 of Starling City Times thread)
-- SA: "There have been feuding factions in the fan base — people that call upon the comics and people that have lived in the universe of the show... I would say that we try to find a happy medium for both, try to live in the universe that the show has created where characters that weren’t a part of the Green Arrow mythos have become completely indispensable. ... There are elements that you find in a TV show that make the show what they are... and that became Oliver’s relationship between Felicity [Emily Bett Rickards] and Diggle [David Ramsey] — one character that’s completely original in terms of John Diggle, an ode to Andy Diggle, who wrote Year One, and Felicity Smoak, who was plucked from the far reaches of the DC universe. Thea Queen [Willa Holland] also does not exist in the comics and I think that’s all stuff that’s important to remember.” (Feb. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 209 of Starling City Times thread)
-- SA: “We’ve always consistently had the creative team behind DC as a partner, and they sign off on stuff for us and they give us chances with characters like Barry Allen, who was introduced through our show before he went on to head his own show, and they do that because they have faith in us... If they thought that we were destroying their comics’ mythos, I’m pretty sure they would have said something by now.” (Feb. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 209 of Starling City Times thread)
-- SA: “If you want to talk about Game of Thrones now existing beyond the realm of the books, that was one of my favorite seasons of television ever... I think that it would be a pretty two-dimensional world if you simply followed with what the comic said.” (Feb. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 209 of Starling City Times thread)

S5 Flashbacks 
-- MG: "We also have a very cool - I think, cool plan for how to end the flashbacks this year." (Mar. 1, 2017 Fake Nerd Guys podcast interview with MG, page 538 of Social Media thread) 

New Team Arrow
-- On Oliver being the most hunted man in town also leaving Team Arrow’s existence in question, MG: "It’s not going to be good... I will say that if the arc of this year is about Oliver putting together this new team, his lowest points, sort of the end of the second act of the drama, would certainly require us to threaten significantly that new team.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what's coming up, EK: "I also think you'll see Arrow Team 2.0 really coming into their own groove and probably being able to, you know, step out on their own in some capacity and really help right the wrongs that have been plaguing the city." (Mar. 7, 2017 We Have a Hulk podcast interview, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Original Team Arrow ("OTA")
-- SA: "There are elements that you find in a TV show that make the show what they are... and that became Oliver’s relationship between Felicity [Emily Bett Rickards] and Diggle [David Ramsey] — one character that’s completely original in terms of John Diggle, an ode to Andy Diggle, who wrote Year One, and Felicity Smoak, who was plucked from the far reaches of the DC universe.” (Feb. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 209 of Starling City Times thread)

Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity")
-- WM: "We really started the season wanting to have [Felicity] go through some version of her own island in some way... We really wanted to take her to place where she would sort of understand Oliver in a more profound way.”  (Feb. 28, 2017 TVLine article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan asking why Oliver is such a dick, SA tweeted: "Lack of sleep. His fiancé walked out on him. Leather doesn't breathe... I could go on." (Mar. 1, 2017 SA tweet, page 536 of Social Media thread)
-- In response to fan saying that he just created an "angry mob of felicity fans," SA tweeted: "Why. She SHOULD have walked out on him. Concurrently, it made Oliver feel awful." (Mar. 1, 2017 SA tweet, page 536  of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "In Season 4, Oliver and Felicity built a relationship built on one thing and one thing exclusively - I mean, love and fun and bedroom antics - but primarily trust. And then he lied to her, aggressively. And then he lied to her again by omission. And she walked out on him. Like she should have. And he asked her to stay. And she said 'no'. And he knew that he deserved it." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why Oliver asked Felicity to help him with Susan Williams (in 515) without thinking about how she would feel about it, SA: "So, that's one question from the thread, but the thread was really populated with a generally thematic question, which is - Um, a lot of people find Oliver unlikeable this year, which is totally fine. But one of the main reasons is that Oliver sided with - 'sided with' Susan over Thea and Felicity. And a lot of people seem to think that this is something that has done almost like irreparable damage to his character. To which I have two responses. The first is, really? That was the straw that broke the camel's back? In Season 1, Oliver was a murderer who killed dozens of people and led his best friend down a dark path right into his untimely death. So that was pretty bad. In Season 2, Slade murdered his mother and Oliver's go-to move on the B side of it, after being powerless to stop it, was to ostensibly commit suicide by giving himself up to Slade. Guh. In Season 3, he turns his back on the team - I mean, there was a long-range plan, but he definitely did kidnap Diggle's wife, the mother of his child, put his kid in real danger, and actually put his wife in real danger too. So that was unfortunate. In Season 4, Oliver and Felicity built a relationship built on one thing and one thing exclusively - I mean, love and fun and bedroom antics - but primarily trust. And then he lied to her, aggressively. And then he lied to her again by omission. And she walked out on him. Like she should have. And he asked her to stay. And she said 'no'. And he knew that he deserved it. So I would say that that was bad too. Um, I think that those are four examples that I just came up off the top of my head from four seasons. I could probably come up with 20 more. Um, so I don't totally see how this would be the thing that made Oliver completely unlikeable. But maybe that brings me to the second thing. Uh, there has been a crack in Oliver's character this year. But now that we know that Prometheus is Adrian Chase, someone that has ensnared himself in Oliver's inner circle, has made him trust him, and has theoretically been manipulating him every step of the way, doesn't that begin to make sense? It does to me. I mean, I know more about where we're going, but even if I just knew what I knew through episode 15, it would still make sense to me. One last thing. Um, I think that Oliver was right for the way that he handled that situation in - I guess it would've been episode 514 and 515, for no other reason than he didn't that Susan Williams would've exposed him as the Green Arrow. And she hasn't. And he thought that Thea and Felicity went too far. And based on the fact that Susan got her job back, um, and the world didn't explode, they did. Moreover, I think that Oliver's underlying concern is with two parts. One, the fact that this is a microcosm of a larger pattern of behavior with Thea that has led her to want time away from not only the mayor's office, but everybody. So clearly, she is going through something similar to what she went through with her bloodlust last year. Currently, Felicity just joined a rogue technology organization that has questionable morals. And neither one of them is talking to Oliver about it. So, yeah, that would be my answer to that. It's okay not to like Oliver, but really? That's what did it? Everyone's entitled to their opinion." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel posted: "I asked Marc if he could tease me anything about 5x20 and he kindly obliged! 1. Big Olicity, OTA and Dyla episode. 2. There is a love scene, but it’s not present day." and "That spoiler is specific to Olicity. They have a love scene in 5x20, but it’s not present day." (Mar. 9, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr posts, pages 54 and 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- jbuffyangel posted: "Marc gave me another spoiler for 5x20! Read on to find out. ... 3. Oliver and Felicity are not the only couple addressing their issues." (Mar. 14, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 1418 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow
-- The intersection of Oliver’s life as mayor and as the Emerald Archer comes as the show has really leaned into what Oliver’s legacy has wrought. MG: “It’s a very traditional superhero trope — the superhero who has to separate themselves from their secret identity... With Arrow, we always say we don’t tend to spend a lot of story time on Oliver’s dual identity, but I think when we went into the season knowing that Oliver was going to be the mayor, we really wanted to play with that. We wanted to play with, what’s it like to be the mayor of a city that depends on a vigilante for the city’s safety? That places Oliver in a very interesting position.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “In terms of the city trying to impeach Oliver and Oliver having to essentially throw the Green Arrow under the bus, ... as an actor, I’ve always really enjoyed the duality in those speeches and saying stuff through gritted teeth, but not really being able to show it is always a lot of fun.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan asking why Oliver is such a dick, SA tweeted: "Lack of sleep. His fiancé walked out on him. Leather doesn't breath... I could go on." (Mar. 1, 2017 SA tweet, page 536 of Social Media thread)
-- In response to fan saying that Human Target being Oliver right now would explain so many character choices, SA tweeted: "I think the more accurate reasoning would be that Prometheus' plan is actually working." (Mar. 1, 2017 SA tweet, page 536 of Social Media thread)
-- On why his hair is getting long, SA: "I'm just trying to make it so the sideburns that I grow here, um, meet up with my facial hair. So actually, no, there's - there's no reason. Well, there might be a little bit of a reason. And it has to do with the character arc that Oliver's going through. And... another thing you may have noticed - bags under the eyes, like darkness under the eyes, in the past several episodes. Not an accident. We have a plan on the show." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Uh, there has been a crack in Oliver's character this year. But now that we know that Prometheus is Adrian Chase, someone that has ensnared himself in Oliver's inner circle, has made him trust him, and has theoretically been manipulating him every step of the way, doesn't that begin to make sense? It does to me. I mean, I know more about where we're going, but even if I just knew what I knew through episode 15, it would still make sense to me." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what he thinks Prometheus wants Oliver to feel in regard to each of his relationships, SA: "Great question. So Slade was very much about taking out everyone that Oliver cared for and then taking out Oliver. Whereas, what we've seen from Prometheus - who we now know to be Chase - is that he wants to destroy Oliver specifically because of actions that Oliver undertook. So I think it's far less to do with the people who are close to Oliver in his life, and much more to do with, uh, helping Oliver see a part of himself that Chase is convinced is there. And - and maybe he's right. But, it's definitely taken an effect on Oliver this year, which has a real joy and excitement to play, for me." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: " I will say that episode 17 and 18 this year are probably the toughest episodes that I've ever had to shoot. Ever. In the 100 and some episodes of the show. They were incredibly, incredibly challenging and taxing for me. Which is also the reason why I haven't been around on social media as much, because that does actually take a toll on me. I mean, not Daniel Day Lewis-inhabit-the-character-take-a-toll, but I spent so much time with 'Oliver' that when he's in the shit, uh, part of me is in the shit too." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch
-- On when we can expect Felicity’s arc to ramp up on Arrow, TVLine's Michael Ausiello: "Soon-ish." WM: "We really started the season wanting to have her go through some version of her own island in some way... We really wanted to take her to place where she would sort of understand Oliver in a more profound way.”  (Feb. 28, 2017 TVLine article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Currently, Felicity just joined a rogue technology organization that has questionable morals. And neither [Thea or Felicity] is talking to Oliver about it." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why we haven't seen Prometheus go after Felicity, who was a very publicly important person in Oliver's life, Josh Segarra: "I am dying to start introducing that color [of Chase seeing how important people are to Oliver] to Wild Dog, to Dinah Drake, to the people around him and, of course, Felicity. She’s a piece of the puzzle that I know. Chase is coming. He’s coming for this guy, and he knows that pieces that matter to him. He’s coming for them." (Mar. 15, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1421 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On whether viewers can expect some kind of confrontation between Prometheus and Felicity, since he manipulated Oliver into killing Felicity’s boyfriend and Felicity's been hellbent on taking him down, Josh Segarra: "I hope so. Let me tell you the real-life answer: We haven’t had any interactions between Chase and Felicity. You haven’t seen too many interactions outside of the ones with Diggle and Chase. I love those scenes inside the prison where I got to help him. .. The real-life answer is, yeah, I sure hope so because Emily [Bett Rickards] is the bomb. She brings such a great color to the show. Felicity is such a cool character. I’m excited to see how they are finally going to bring Chase and Felicity together. I’m very excited about that. The scenes I’ve done with Paul Blackthorne, watching Lance and Chase, are cool energies to balance out on screen. I want to act with everybody on the show.." (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "Felicity's moral compass seems to revolve around Oliver's wellbeing and justifying his decisions more than an innate sense of good or evil." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweet, page 1420 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- In response to fan who asked if he'll get 520 spoilers about Felicity's death, Yonkou Productions posted: "'death'...more like rebirth." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions reddit post, page 1420 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

John Diggle AKA Spartan
-- On Chase's motivations for saving Diggle, WM: "There is more to that storyline. As we move towards the finale, the fact that he did that was a way for him to get closer to Oliver. The further he gets into Oliver’s head, the closer he gets to gaining his confidence and trust. One of the ways to do that is by gaining the trust and confidence of the people that Oliver cares about, so it was definitely part of his long-term game. Those chickens will definitely come home to roost, by the end of the season." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger
-- On Mar. 6, 2017, AMA tweeted pic of herself/Lyla with JH/Dinah, with comment: "Reunited with Juliana. Can you guess what other show we did together? No you may not check IMDB." (aud_anderson tweet, page 539 of Social Media thread)
-- On Mar. 9, 2017, EK posted pic of himself with RG, DR, AMA and JH: "We are family!" (EK instagram post, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Mar. 9, 2017, DR posted pic of himself with Audrey Marie Anderson: "Diggles." (DR instagram post, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Mar. 13, 2017, AMA tweeted: "Just wrapped on Arrow. Can't wait to see how it all turns out. Until next time??." (aud_anderson tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)

Thea Queen AKA Speedy
-- While discussing how Arrow is not obligated to follow the comics, SA: "Thea Queen [Willa Holland] also does not exist in the comics and I think that’s all stuff that’s important to remember.” (Feb. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 209 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Per WM, "Thea discovers her inner Moira" in 515. (515 producer's preview video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "One, the fact that this is a microcosm of a larger pattern of behavior with Thea that has led her to want time away from not only the mayor's office, but everybody. So clearly, she is going through something similar to what she went through with her bloodlust last year... And neither [Thea or Felicity] is talking to Oliver about it." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis
-- Josh Segarra: "When I first read that script, where you get to see his relationship with Evelyn, my first thought was, 'Hmm, he has connections to other people. He’s formed positive relationships with other people.' And in this case, maybe we can’t call it a positive relationship, but it’s mutually beneficial. So, I wondered what that meant for him. One of the best parts is exploring his relationship to other people because we haven’t seen him interact with a lot of the other characters on the show. For me, personally, as the actor, I think it has to humanize him. I’m always trying to answer the question of, why are you doing the thing that you’re doing, at this moment in time? It hasn’t necessarily been an act, but it’s been a means to an end. So, there is a reason why Evelyn is the one that he allowed to get close. For me, there were a lot of reasons. In real life, I love Madison [McLaughlin]. That’s my girl! She’s the best! So, it was easy to be like, 'That makes sense, yeah! She’s the bomb! Let’s do that' I’m able to put that into the character. As Chase, I can go, 'I love her, but you, I still hate!' That allows me to sit in him, a little bit more." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On where Evelyn fits into Chase's master plan, JS: "I’ve always been fascinated with watching Prometheus and you wonder, 'Who’s that guy? Who’s the guy behind the mask?' Now you know it’s Chase, but you’re wondering, 'Who’s the guy behind the suit? Now that you know what he’s been doing this whole time, who’s the guy behind the suit?' ... Then you see he has a relationship with Evelyn. You wonder, too, 'Where does she fit into all of this?' To be honest with you, I don’t have a great answer to that. I can tell you what me and Madison [McLaughlin] have done along the way, which is, Chase is a chess player. At the end of the day, he’s still in control of each situation. He still knows this could result in two to three different ways, but he’s going to be ready for each one. ... Madison is coming at it from her way, so I can’t answer for her. I know the relationship that he has is a pointed relationship. There’s a reason for it. Evelyn has a great skill set that I can use in my masterplan. To Chase, she’s a piece of that puzzle that he knows he’s lucky to have, and lucky that she’s partaking in it." (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Mar. 16, 2017 (after 516 aired), in response to fans asking about Evelyn, MG tweeted: "Next week." (MG tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)

Adrian Chase AKA Prometheus
-- MG: “We knew we were going to do Vigilante this year, we knew who the character of Prometheus was, we knew that the character of Prometheus was the son of one of Oliver’s early kills in season 1, we knew that he was going to be someone who was going to indoctrinate himself into Oliver’s good graces in the mayor’s office and eventually betray him. One morning, I was getting out of the shower and it occurred to me that if we called this character Adrian Chase, and we made him a district attorney, everyone would be so focused on when he becomes Vigilante that they wouldn’t be expecting that he really was Prometheus.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “It’s going to be hard... It’s going to be harder than other big bads we’ve had because this is sort of the first time we’ve really played this personal relationship and being betrayed by someone that he had trusted. It’s very, very hard for Oliver.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "One of the reasons we did it was because everyone would be thinking, 'Of course, he’s going to be Vigilante!' Adrian Chase is Vigilante in the comic books, so we thought it would be a really fun twist to do what we’ve always done on this show, which is to take the comic book mythology and turn it on its head and see what we could mine from a surprise like that. ... It was also just something different for this season. We wanted to change up how we introduced the big bad, and change up when we did it and how we did it. Hopefully, we succeeded in that, this year." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread) 
-- WM: "One of the reasons we did do it was because everybody would be thinking, 'Of course he's going to be Vigilante... We thought it would be a really fun twist to do what we've always done on the show which is to take the comic book mythology and turn it on its head and see what kind of story we can mine from a surprise like that. It was also something different for this season. We wanted to change up how we introduced the big bad and change up when we did it, how we did it, and hopefully we succeeded in that this year." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider, IGN, ScreenerTV and The Hollywood Reporter articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "When Oliver and the team do find out, which will happen later in the season, one of the fun parts about what we’ve done, is to really allow us to live with that reveal for awhile and see the characters not knowing. They’re continuing to interact with Adrian Chase, in City Hall and elsewhere, without knowing his identity. We liked the idea of doing that, in the story, and we’re going to play around with that for a little while, before we let Oliver and the team find out." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider, ScreenerTV and IGN articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We always knew that Adrian Chase, and Josh Segarra playing him, was our big bad. We knew that, from the beginning. Our very first discussions started about a year ago, and we knew that that’s what we wanted him to be and that’s how we wanted to build it. In terms of the timing of this specific episode, we had to play around with that, a little bit more. We could have done it in Episode 509. We could have done it even later, in Episode 518. As much as possible, we try to let the story dictate where these big reveals happen, and it just felt right here, and it felt right to do it in the middle of an episode. That played against expectations, in a good way." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We always knew that Adrian was our big bad... We always knew in our very first discussions, which were started about a year ago. ... We wanted to go back to season one and explore the roots of Oliver's mission and the consequences of everything he's done." (Mar. 1, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "What’s interesting about that episode [515] is that, ultimately, Oliver doesn’t through Adrian under the base. He takes it on the chin and throws the Green Arrow under the bus. One of the things that we really liked about what we built, in the look back, is that Adrian is on his side. The bond between them has grown really strong. And even though he does admit and out Adrian as being responsible in Episode 514, in respect to everything that went on with the evidence in Detective Malone’s death, ultimately the bond between them is really strong, which we hope will create a much bigger impact on Oliver, when he finds out, down the road, who Adrian is and that this is the guy who’s really been messing with him, all season." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider and The Hollywood Reporter articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "Our plan always is that we want everyone to be able to look back and go, 'Oh, my gosh, there were little hints here, along the way!' And to get to the first part of your questions, absolutely! On this show, historically, we’ve always striven to have the villain be the hero of their own story and to really get underneath the reasons why they are what they are and they do what they do, and Adrian Chase is no exception. We will get a lot more sense, going forward, of why he has become so evil and why he’s so bent on revenge. I think the thing that’s most interesting about it, for us, is just how close those parallels are with Oliver’s own story. We really did want to build a villain this season that would be a dark mirror for Oliver, in the tradition of the comic books, and really honor that while also honoring Oliver’s past on the show, and specifically the first season. They both suffered losses, and they both answer those losses in very different ways." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We've always striven to have the villain be the hero of their own story and to get underneath the reasons why they are what they are and do what they do... Adrian Chase is no exception. What's interesting for us is how close those parallels are with Oliver's own story. We wanted to build a villain that's a dark mirror for Oliver, and honoring Oliver's past on the show, especially the first season. Seeing what it was like going through the loss. They've both suffered losses and they've both answered those losses in very different ways." (Mar. 1, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter and ScreenerTV articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We really wanted to build him up as someone who is extremely good at being 10 steps ahead of Oliver, really being psychological in the way that he manipulates him... One of the ways he does that is by going after the people that Oliver cares about. We’ve seen villains do that in the past, but this year Adrian does it in a way that’s a little bit more specific. His goal is very clear: he really has no drive to kill Oliver. It’s purely based on torture. It’s all part and parcel of this drive to break Oliver down psychologically as opposed to physically, which we have seen Slade [Manu Bennett] and Merlyn [John Barrowman] and everybody else do, take him on hand-to-hand. This is much more of a mental game." (Mar. 1, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "In the past, we’ve taken characters from the comic books, and Damien Darhk is a good example of somebody who is well-known in the comic books, but we took him and made him our own. Neal McDonough does not, in any way, resemble the character that we saw in the comic books. So, we’ve always built them, from the ground up, in some ways. By the same token, we weren’t going for the Prometheus character in the comic books. Adrian Chase doesn’t resemble that character, in any way. Part of the fun of that is that you can draw on other sources of inspiration. One of the things we talked a lot about was American Psycho. We talked about the big manipulators, like Hannibal Lecter and Kevin Spacey’s character in The Usual Suspects, and also in Seven. We talked a lot about those types of villains and how to bring that type of element into the series. We were looking for something different to do in Season 5, and a way to change it up and make it different. The comic book characters are great, and they usually do end up in a physical dual, but we really wanted this to be different. We wanted to have Adrian Chase and Prometheus be somebody who was manipulating and torturing Oliver more psychologically than anything else." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Chase's motivations for saving Diggle, WM: "There is more to that storyline. As we move towards the finale, the fact that he did that was a way for him to get closer to Oliver. The further he gets into Oliver’s head, the closer he gets to gaining his confidence and trust. One of the ways to do that is by gaining the trust and confidence of the people that Oliver cares about, so it was definitely part of his long-term game. Those chickens will definitely come home to roost, by the end of the season." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Chase kidnapping Susan, WM: "We really wanted to build him up as someone who is extremely good at being ten steps ahead of Oliver and really being psychological, in the way that he manipulates him. One of the ways he does that is by going after the people that Oliver cares about. We’ve seen villains do that in the past, but Adrian does it in a way that’s a little bit more specific. Not to take any wind out of the sails of the story, but his goal is very clear. He really has no drive to kill Oliver. It’s purely based on torture. So, in taking Susan, that is where we’re headed. For how long, I can’t tell you, but he’s definitely headed toward that. And it’s all part and parcel of this drive to break Oliver down, psychologically, as opposed to physically. We’ve seen Slade and Merlyn take him on, hand to hand. This is much more of a mental game." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On considering but deciding against Prometheus flashbacks, WM: "We did toy with that because it’s a really great story idea. It’s something we definitely thought about. I think we ultimately felt the need that we could get what we needed to get out of his character and understanding of his character in the present-day story, specifically in his relationship to his interactions with Oliver." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why Chase kidnapped Susan instead of someone like Felicity or Thea, WM: "We really wanted to build him up as someone who is extremely good at being ten steps ahead of Oliver, really being psychological in the way that he manipulates him and one of the ways he does that is by going after the people that Oliver cares about. We’ve seen villains do that in the past, but this year Adrian does it in a way that’s a little bit more specific." (Mar. 2, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On when he found out the identity of Prometheus, SA tweeted: "I found out in June." (Mar. 1, 2017 SA tweet, page 537 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "Yes, we have a used the comic mythos to misdirect people, straight up... Although Vigilante does exist and he is somebody, Chase is Prometheus.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “A) you figure it’s going to take Oliver longer than it takes him to figure it out, but b) you figure once that reveal happens, Chase is essentially going to go into hiding and only show himself as Prometheus, which in fact he does the exact opposite... He keeps up with his regular life as the district attorney because there is nothing that Oliver can do. It’s a full checkmate situation, and Josh has just been a rock star since that reveal. He’s been fantastic.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Oliver being forced to denounce the Green Arrow, making him Public Enemy No. 1, SA: "This really gets into what I think certain people have been waiting for, which is, ‘What is Prometheus’ plan?'... It really is in an incredibly cerebral and thoughtful way to make Oliver destroy himself from the inside out, but not so that he perishes from the Earth, so that eventually he can have a realization.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “When he initially finds out [that Chase kidnapped Susan], it’s just very simple — ‘The first chance that I get, I’m going to kill you’ — and to this Adrian basically laughs, because Adrian has a full checkmate over his head — he has someone that Oliver cares about and if Oliver kills Chase, then that person dies.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan saying that Human Target being Oliver right now would explain so many character choices, SA tweeted: "I think the more accurate reasoning would be that Prometheus' plan is actually working." (Mar. 1, 2017 SA tweet, page 536 of Social Media thread)
-- SA: "It is coming to a head. If you've seen the promo for next week's episode [516], you know that Oliver finds out almost immediately that Chase is Prometheus. What I really like is that Chase has put himself in a position where he doesn't have to extricate himself from  his day-to-day work. He can stay on as the District Attorney because he has thought so far ahead of Oliver this year. I mean, if you're planning something, and the other person doesn't know you're planning it, it doesn't make the person who's the victim of the scheme stupid. It means they're in the dark. And Adrian has put Oliver in checkmate, which is why, conveniently, the title of our next episode is 'Checkmate.' Um, and now that I can talk about it, I really have to lend a hand to Josh Segarra, who's been absolutely phenomenal to this year... not only as a co-worker, but as a friend and a fellow wrestling fan. Um, he's a really good dude and he's really knocked it out of the park. And, um, his ability to play Chase, uh, before we knew what we know. And his ability to just unleash the evil with this character post-515 has been really, really stunning to watch." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Uh, there has been a crack in Oliver's character this year. But now that we know that Prometheus is Adrian Chase, someone that has ensnared himself in Oliver's inner circle, has made him trust him, and has theoretically been manipulating him every step of the way, doesn't that begin to make sense? It does to me. I mean, I know more about where we're going, but even if I just knew what I knew through episode 15, it would still make sense to me." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what he thinks Prometheus wants Oliver to feel in regard to each of his relationships, SA: "Great question. So Slade was very much about taking out everyone that Oliver cared for and then taking out Oliver. Whereas, what we've seen from Prometheus - who we now know to be Chase - is that he wants to destroy Oliver specifically because of actions that Oliver undertook. So I think it's far less to do with the people who are close to Oliver in his life, and much more to do with, uh, helping Oliver see a part of himself that Chase is convinced is there. And - and maybe he's right. But, it's definitely taken an effect on Oliver this year, which has a real joy and excitement to play, for me." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "I was back home in New York, and I got on the phone with Wendy [Mericle] and Marc [Guggenheim]. I’d already read the sides a couple of times, but they were completely different and just written for the audition. I was just thinking that they were going to tell me what Vancouver is like and what the weather is like, but they started talking to me about the character and the history of the big bads on the show. I’d watched the show a little bit before. I love Neal McDonough, so I had watched a lot of Damien Darhk, and I became a fan of everyone else. But they said, 'You’re going to be the big bad of the season, and you’re going to play this guy,' and they described Prometheus to me. And I was like, 'Oh, man, okay. This is going to be exciting! I’ll get to train and put different skill sets to use.' But it was really just a casual conversation, introducing me to them and us getting to know each other a little bit, before I signed on to work on the project, but they mentioned Prometheus, along the way. ... I was at home with my family and was like, 'Man, I’m so excited to go work on Arrow. This is going to be such a great thing!' And my buddies were asking me what my part was, and I was like, 'I’m playing this guy, but I don’t know too much about it. It will be fun!' And then, they announce Adrian Chase/Vigilante, and I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, I’m playing Vigilante!' So, I get to Vancouver and I think I’m playing this guy, Vigilante, ‘cause that’s what everybody thought. I started reading Vigilante comics and reading about Adrian Chase and the history of these guys. I got to work and was like, 'Marc, I’m really doing my research and being studious about Vigilante.' And he was like, 'What do you mean?' And I was like, 'Dude, you finally announced it! I’m going to be a great Adrian Chase/Vigilante!' And he was like, 'That’s not who you’re playing. You’re playing this guy.' That’s when they showed me everything. Me and my wife and my doggie moved to Vancouver thinking one thing, and it was revealed, once I got here, who I was actually playing. That whole journey began, at that moment. I always look back and laugh at that part of the story." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider and IGN articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "We’re not going to leave it until the end of the season, but you’ll get to watch the pot get stirred, a little bit. I know how he reacts, and I love the way it goes. You’re going to see Chase try to burn the world around him. You’ve seen the reluctance he has to kill [Oliver]. He doesn’t want to kill him. He just wants to make him stir, a little bit, and make him uncomfortable. Once they do find out, it’s about how then to continue with his mission. You’ll have to wait to see how that goes." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider and IGN articles, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "Putting that suit on for the first time, that’s every kid’s dream. I became five years old again. I got to dress up in my hero outfit and run around, and lace up my boots and put on the spandex. It felt awesome... Just putting on the mask for the first time was a very cool feeling. When you’re developing any character, any part, when you start putting those clothes on, you start walking in their shoes, it helps define them. The first time I put that suit on, it told me a lot about who Prometheus was." (Mar. 1, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "I think that was at the first fitting. I had just gotten out to Vancouver and we were about to shoot the first episode. I was still learning about the character, myself. So, I walked in and saw this picture art in the costume designer’s hallway. I saw Prometheus and thought, 'Oh, that looks cool. I wonder who’s rocking that?' And then, I walked in and saw the full form there, in front of me. I’d seen Queen’s Arrow suit for a couple of years now, so it was a very cool feeling to know that there were images of that in it because that’s what I wanted for the character. I wanted it to be that counterpart. Putting that suit on, for the first time, is every kid’s dream. I became five years old again. I got to dress up in my hero outfit, and run around, lace up my boots and put on my spandex. It felt awesome! And putting on the mask, for the first time, was a very cool feeling. When you’re developing any part and you start putting those clothes on and walking in those shoes, it helps you define them. The first time I put that suit on, it told me a lot about who Prometheus was." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "Whenever you’re starting this process of building a character, especially if you know you’re going to be a 'bad guy,' you always want to find the good in them. Bad guys don’t think that they’re bad. There’s a justification behind what they’re doing. The blessing in this was that they gave me both sides, literally on paper. My job was knowing that, by the end of this journey this season, I want to have taken you guys on the journey with me, so I was making sure that, along the way, I could track this guy. You can’t come out the gate with Adrian Chase as this pissed off, tortured soul. I remember, at first, some of my close buddies, who are the only people I’ll let talk to me like this, were like, 'Yo, man, what are you doing up there, bro? Why are you smiling so much?' And I remember just being like, 'That’s good.' I wanted to start somewhere. ... With Chase, we had to show him getting close to Oliver and we had to show why they trust each other. With each episode, I wanted to make sure to establish that this guy does get close to Oliver and Oliver does let him in. Oliver doesn’t let many people in, so you have to show why he earns Oliver’s respect. That’s what I wanted to make sure of, on the Chase side. On the Prometheus side, I get to put that mask on and revert back to being an 8-year-old boy, running through the backyard and making movies with my brother, my sister and my best buddies. Behind that mask, I am screaming my face off sometimes. I am just living out every supervillain dream that I’ve had, putting on that costume because when else do I get to do that. At home, I’m a new daddy. My son is five months old. But, I get to go to work and play with those two sides. The best part about the Chase side is that now you’re finally going to get to see a turn. This whole time, I’ve been waiting to pop that top off the can. I’m excited! Now, we’re starting to open that can, a little bit. Next week, you start to see that top come off, and I’m very excited for everyone to see it." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "When I first read that script, where you get to see his relationship with Evelyn, my first thought was, 'Hmm, he has connections to other people. He’s formed positive relationships with other people.' And in this case, maybe we can’t call it a positive relationship, but it’s mutually beneficial. So, I wondered what that meant for him. One of the best parts is exploring his relationship to other people because we haven’t seen him interact with a lot of the other characters on the show. For me, personally, as the actor, I think it has to humanize him. I’m always trying to answer the question of, why are you doing the thing that you’re doing, at this moment in time? It hasn’t necessarily been an act, but it’s been a means to an end. So, there is a reason why Evelyn is the one that he allowed to get close. For me, there were a lot of reasons. In real life, I love Madison [McLaughlin]. That’s my girl! She’s the best! So, it was easy to be like, 'That makes sense, yeah! She’s the bomb! Let’s do that' I’m able to put that into the character. As Chase, I can go, 'I love her, but you, I still hate!' That allows me to sit in him, a little bit more." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "I think that there is a means to an end for each move that he makes. That’s not part of Prometheus, but that’s part of Chase, for me. When I look at Prometheus, I look at the skill set. He’s out on the streets. That’s one aspect of this. The part that Chase is doing is the mental game. It’s the chess match. That’s what Chase has been playing, this whole time. He’s been moving pieces that he knows Oliver is not going to be able to keep up with. I think that Susan is a very, very important piece of that puzzle, and Chase knows that. There are other very important pieces on that chess board that he’s going to move. Susan is a very, very important piece and a very good move, in the big chess game that’s going on. You get to see how that relationship develops between the two. Susan may feel betrayed by Oliver, so it’s interesting to see how Chase will try to navigate those waters and get to his next move." 
(Mar. 1, 2017 Collider and IGN articles, an Mar. 2, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "Susan may feel betrayed by Oliver so it's interesting to see how Chase will try to let's say navigate those waters, how he can get to his next move." (Mar. 2, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether he knew from the beginning that he was actually Prometheus, JS: "Clarify beginning. [Laughs.] When I first spoke to Marc [Guggenheim] and Wendy [Mericle], they described who I was going to be. I really can’t remember if they mentioned the name Prometheus or not in that first conversation. I remember hearing the name throughout, but I didn’t associate that with my character. I don’t know why I didn’t. You’re waiting to get to work, and you’re waiting to see a post online that says you’re joining the cast, and it says 'Vigilante.' Then, when I read that, I go, 'Interesting, okay, okay, I didn’t know I was going to play this guy. That’s pretty fun.' That’s when I did all my nerdy stuff that I take a lot of pride in and did my reading. I spoke with Marc or Wendy where I was telling them about how I’m reading up on Vigilante and Chase, and they’re like, 'Oh, yeah, oh, okay, we have to explain something to you…' 'Oh, got it! That makes a lot of sense now. I feel like you guys would’ve told me this, right?' 'Yes, sorry!' Thankfully we got to have, as much as we could, an in-depth conversation about who Prometheus is going to be, who they wanted him to be, and what I thought I could bring to the table. So that all started permeating very early on before I got out here to Vancouver. Honestly, I’ve gotten clarity on who he was throughout the journey, as well. That’s what’s been fun about him is that I’m truly creating him with the writers of the show, and the people are creating him with me. I’ve had the benefit of having some smart folk take care of me along the way, and it’s been a pretty fun process, introducing this guy to the world; it’s been very cool." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what motivates him, because Chase is basically doing everything he hates Oliver for, JS: "Absolutely. There’s a fire inside of him that has been fun to explore. What motivates anybody to do anything? Why do you grab a bite to eat? Because you’re hungry. But this is a much bigger thing. Why did this guy end up in the mayor’s office next to this mayor? How long has this plan been in motion? That’s what’s been fun to play. That’s where you don’t know when he started, you don’t know when this plan all started, you don’t really know why isn’t he trying to kill him right now? Why didn’t Chase try to kill him a long time ago? That’s a cool little secret nugget that I get to keep inside. So what motivates him? I think you’re going to see that play out a little bit more. Chase is going to give a lot of clarity to that soon. That’s going to be a lot of fun to watch." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what Chase’s ultimate goal is with Oliver, and whether it's just to watch his life crumble to pieces, JS: "Oh, absolutely. I think it’s just to burn the world around him. All the things he’s trying to bring to light in Oliver, you see those qualities in him. What drives him is to maybe watch it crumble around him, to play the game, to play the chess match, to put him in checkmate, [laughs] which is [the title of the episode] this week. I hope you dig it this week, where he looks at him like, 'Hey man, I got you, now what?' and then we get to watch Oliver respond." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Chase thinks he’ll survive all this, or whether he is going in basically with a death wish, JS: "I wouldn’t call it a death wish, but I think this is the most important thing to him. What drives this man? If you allow fogginess to get in the way of what your end goal is, you won’t achieve it, right? That’s what Chase is doing. He’s playing this game, and he has the checkmate in his brain, and he knows how he’s going to get there, and we get to watch if this man gets there. So, is it a death wish? No way. But if he were to die, I think he’s okay with that, because this is the fire, this is what he’s been planning for years, this is the endgame, this is the goal, and he’s going to win it. That’s what drives him: He’s going to win." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what he can tease of Chase’s endgame, JS: "He’s coming for this guy, he’s coming for him, that’s all I can say. Chase wants to watch the world around Oliver crumble, he just wants to watch it crumble." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Now that Chase has kidnapped Susan, on whether she just a bargaining chip so Oliver doesn’t kill him, and if we should be worried about other people in Oliver’s life, JS: "One, yes, it is a bargaining chip. I think you nailed it right on the head. He knows that she matters to Oliver. Chase knows that Susan matters, and that’s the move. You take the people who matter most, right? It’s Chase going, 'Hey man, I know that you care about her, so I’m going to take her.' Two, I think that’s also the move that goes, 'Hey, I know that you’ve been seeing Susan, and I got her, but I also know everybody else that you’re close with. I’m not just here, I’m everywhere else.' That has been fun to play with with Stephen. I’m a big fan of his and a big fan of the show, so I’m trying to take the things that I enjoy and put them into the show as well. I’m trying to take things that I’ve seen and be like, 'Hey man, let’s do this.' This week [516], you watch that permeate with these guys and see that Chase is coming for Oliver." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Talia's connection to Prometheus, LD: "I think I can say she trained him; at this point Oliver has already figured that out." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what kind of connection Chase has with Talia, JS: "I do know that they have history, because she trained him. She knows who he is. To be honest with you, I don’t really know the answer to what extent their relationship will be on the show. I know what I’ve created in my head is that she has history with this man, and there’s a reason why she says to Oliver, 'He calls himself Adrian Chase.' I know those reasons that I had to find for myself as an actor, so I don’t want to muddy the waters. But, to that regard, I know there’s history, and she trained Chase. She gave him certain skill sets that Oliver possesses. You’re going to have a good time watching how that plays out, the skill set at least. That’s an exciting part of this for me because that’s the little boy in me — that I got to come out here, and I got to train with the bow and arrow, and I got to work on some combat stuff. Those are all things that he got from Talia." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what Prometheus gains by revealing his identity to Oliver now, JS: "I don’t know if he necessarily planned to reveal it to Oliver, and I really don’t know the answer to that. I do know he wanted to make sure that when his identity was revealed, that every piece was in place. That’s what mattered to him, just going, 'Okay. I’m going to make sure that this happens and this happens because at some point, they are going to figure out who I am. Cool. When that happens, I’m going to make sure all they can do is come and try me. At that point, let’s go. All the pieces are in place.'” (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why Prometheus seems to feel psychological warfare is more effective than physical pain, JS: "Because the heart is a vulnerable thing, right? That’s one piece that you see played with Susan. Why does Chase kidnap Susan? Because he knows that she matters to Oliver. He knows that Oliver cares about her, so Chase knows he can get to the heart. ... And, let’s state the obvious thing here, too. We’re all fans of the show. We are all fans of Oliver Queen and of Stephen [Amell]. That guy is a beast. He’s fast and strong. I would not mess with that guy on a rainy day. I’m happy that he’s on my team. So, when it comes to Chase and Oliver, I quickly realized, 'We’re going to be able to come back in these costumes, but what matters is the chess game that we are going to play. That’s where you know you can win, right? That’s where you at least have a chance.' That’s where Chase knows he can get this guy. He wants to watch the world around Oliver crumble. That’s what matters. Not necessarily killing him, although that’s definitely in the back of Chase’s brain somewhere. ... What matters to Chase is to make Oliver see what his world is through Chase's eyes, of course, having his father killed by the Green Arrow. He’s trying to make it clear. He’s saying, 'I’m going to burn everything around you, and you’re just going to have to watch it.'" (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Chase’s feelings towards the rest of Team Arrow and whether they're a means to an end, collateral damage, JS: "What’s been fun to watch is their chemistry build, to watch the team assemble. Chase is watching the team and he’s going, 'Oh, okay. I know that Diggle matters. I know that Felicity matters. But now we have this guy Wild Dog. Oh, we’ve got this new Black Canary. Interesting. We’ve got Ragman.' He’s starting to piece these things together, all pieces that matter because they matter to Oliver. ... I love the scenes when I get in a room with Thea and Oliver, because it’s his sister. I love my sister in real life. She’s a very important woman in my life. So to watch these moments, where now you know who this guy is – and he’s been so close to them. He’s been in their trust circle. Chase has been looking at all the people in Oliver’s life that matter and he knows that he’s going to use those pieces along the way." (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On where Evelyn fits into Chase's master plan, JS: "I’ve always been fascinated with watching Prometheus and you wonder, 'Who’s that guy? Who’s the guy behind the mask?' Now you know it’s Chase, but you’re wondering, 'Who’s the guy behind the suit? Now that you know what he’s been doing this whole time, who’s the guy behind the suit?' ... Then you see he has a relationship with Evelyn. You wonder, too, 'Where does she fit into all of this?' To be honest with you, I don’t have a great answer to that. I can tell you what me and Madison [McLaughlin] have done along the way, which is, Chase is a chess player. At the end of the day, he’s still in control of each situation. He still knows this could result in two to three different ways, but he’s going to be ready for each one. ... Madison is coming at it from her way, so I can’t answer for her. I know the relationship that he has is a pointed relationship. There’s a reason for it. Evelyn has a great skill set that I can use in my masterplan. To Chase, she’s a piece of that puzzle that he knows he’s lucky to have, and lucky that she’s partaking in it." (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how much audiences will learn about Chase’s history and how he became Prometheus, JS: "I hope a lot. I hope you get to find out more of how this guy came to be. You’ve met his wife. You know that he has a wife and a family. You wonder how that plays in. These are all things that I hope people can see this week, and next week, and the week after. We are going to start seeing who Chase is. I know him very well, so I’m excited for you guys to get to know what drives him." (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether viewers can expect some kind of confrontation between Prometheus and Felicity, since he manipulated Oliver into killing Felicity’s boyfriend and Felicity's been hellbent on taking him down, JS: "I hope so. Let me tell you the real-life answer: We haven’t had any interactions between Chase and Felicity. You haven’t seen too many interactions outside of the ones with Diggle and Chase. I love those scenes inside the prison where I got to help him. .. The real-life answer is, yeah, I sure hope so because Emily [Bett Rickards] is the bomb. She brings such a great color to the show. Felicity is such a cool character. I’m excited to see how they are finally going to bring Chase and Felicity together. I’m very excited about that. The scenes I’ve done with Paul Blackthorne, watching Lance and Chase, are cool energies to balance out on screen. I want to act with everybody on the show." (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Since the 517 episode synopsis states that “Prometheus goes to great lengths to break Oliver," on how Prometheus ramps up his efforts, JS: "When Chase discovers Oliver knows who he is, there’s a relief in him. 'Good, we’re past that. Now, you know what I’m doing here. Great. Let’s wrestle.' With that relief comes liberation and when you see this man get liberated, he does ramp things up. You are going to see exactly how. I hate to give you that vanilla answer, but it’s the truth. You are going to see the other side of this man. I’ve been waiting to peel that top off a little bit, juts to show a different color. It’s going to happen soon. I promise. You are going to see him ramp up the efforts." (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how the man became the monster, JS: "You wonder how long Chase has been planning all this. Well, I guess that answer is when he lost his father, right? But how long has he been plotting what he’s going to do? It all started at the very beginning, so he’s been thinking about this since the very beginning. Now, he's here [in Oliver's life]." (Mar. 15, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Chase having a mother who'll protect him and a loving wife who'll rush to his hospital bedside, JS: "You see him in the hospital. You see his wife is there ... At the time, everyone was like, ‘Of course, that was his wife. Of course that makes sense. The guy has a wife.’ But, now that we know I’m Prometheus, you’re wondering, ‘Man, this guy, who is skilled with this weaponry who has devoted his life now to burning the world around Oliver Queen, he also goes home and likes shares dinner with his wife, right?’" JS justifies that within the Chase character by tying it into what drives Prometheus. It all goes back to Chase losing his father and his decision to go after the guy who killed him. JS: "In that, I also have to protect the things that matter to me... I wanted to introduce a real, ‘What made this guy who he is? Why is he doing what he does?’ And, yeah, our families are part of that." (Mar. 15, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the eventual Prometheus reveal to Oliver, JS: "Very soon, you are going to see how it affects Oliver and how it affects Chase. Because you’ve watched these men side by side. You’ve watched Oliver let Chase in. He’s let him into the circle, and, now, his world got flipped upside-down. So you will see very quickly, and I think it’s very fun to watch how Steve handles it. What he does with it is very cool." (Mar. 15, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- JS: "[Chase]’s making sure that all the pieces are set so that, when the day comes — he knows he’s gonna be revealed, right? Chase knows that they’re gonna find out who he is — but he wants to make sure that, when they do, OK, the table is set. The meal is out. Your plate is served. Come on over. Let’s see how this goes now. And I think that that’s what he’s been doing. ... So, it’s definitely influenced how Chase has been handling it because he’s gotten closer to Oliver, right? I know that Chase came into it with one thing in mind and, along the way, he’s gotten to see the pieces of the puzzle clearer. He sees who matters in Oliver’s life. He’s seeing who Oliver has soft spots for, right? Who penetrates that armor? Because that’s what Chase is doing. He’s trying to penetrate that armor so that, that way, he can just burn the world around him." (Mar. 15, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why we haven't seen Prometheus go after Felicity, who was a very publicly important person in Oliver's life, JS: "I am dying to start introducing that color [of Chase seeing how important people are to Oliver] to Wild Dog, to Dinah Drake, to the people around him and, of course, Felicity. She’s a piece of the puzzle that I know. Chase is coming. He’s coming for this guy, and he knows that pieces that matter to him. He’s coming for them." (Mar. 15, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1421 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On how different are Chase the D.A. and Chase as Prometheus, and whether he is more unhinged as Prometheus, JS: "When he has that mask on I think he allows himself to go — to use the word you used — unhinged. As the actor, I’d see the suit, the mask, the hood, the weaponry, and I’d think what each of these things mean. We’ve seen these things throughout the season. We’ve seen Prometheus — not as Chase in a suit — but with his blades … I feel like both sides influence the other. The Prometheus side is unhinged. It’s full combat. And the other side — as Chase in the office — that man is also here to cause trouble. But you don’t know he’s here to cause trouble." (Mar. 15, 2017 Variety article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether more people learning Prometheus’ identity this week is by his design, JS: "They do figure out who Prometheus is. If you’re asking me if I think every move Chase makes is on purpose, and everything is playing out exactly as he wants it to, my answer is yes. All of these steps have been made already in his brain, and he’s seen seven different ways they could result. Finding out his identity was inevitable, but for Chase what matters is making sure all the pieces are in place so when that unmasking is revealed, it doesn’t matter." (Mar. 15, 2017 Variety article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether there is a point where he’ll think Oliver’s life has been sufficiently ruined, since Chase doesn't want to kill Oliver but just wants to destroy his life, JS: "I think the game that’s going on is what drives Chase. Him being in control of every turn that this takes matters to Chase. It’s making sure that Oliver see’s the world around him crumble. The name Prometheus says who this guy is … he stole the powers from the gods. That’s something that Chase is doing. He’s trying to show Oliver that he can control, and take what Oliver thinks is his. When he takes Susan, it’s him going ‘I know she matters to you so I’m going to take her.’" (Mar. 15, 2017 Variety article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether taking Susan was just to prove that he can, JS: "When Chase takes Susan he’s doing it just so Oliver finds out he’s taken Susan. What happens after that, we’ll see." (Mar. 15, 2017 Variety article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per Josh Segarra, hints of the connection between his two identities were actually pretty apparent in the show, starting with Chase's very first scene: “The first time you meet Chase, he comes into the mayor’s office and it’s business... He says 'We've actually met a few years ago, you tried to pick up my girlfriend,' and Oliver says 'Those were different times. She definitely left with the better man that night,' and Chase says 'Actually, she went home with you', and we laugh about it. Oliver tries to apologize and Chase goes, 'That’s okay, I don’t hold grudges.' You go back to watch that now and you’re like 'Not only has this dude been holding a grudge, he’s designing a grudge piece by piece, and it all started a long time ago.' ... “At all times, I was thinking about who this guy is on the inside, who this guy is behind that mask when see him in. Who Prometheus is, is who he gets to be unhinged. He’s hiding; he can be monstrous, and he needs to be that way so that when you see him in his Armani, he can be business. He can be the mind. ... I came in from the very beginning, knowing that at some point we were going to know who this man was... So I knew that I could introduce pieces of him along the way. I want to make sure that along the way, when it finally happens, you can look back and say ‘Oh, I didn’t see that color then, but holy cow, now I see it this way.’ I didn’t want to play a bad guy, quote-unquote. I wanted to play a human that felt very strongly about certain things and had a very clear intention. It aids in you designing who this person is. It aids in you introducing him because you go ‘okay, now I’m going to show you this, and now I’m going to let you in on this.'" (Mar. 15, 2017 ComicBook article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- All of Adrian Chase's seemingly good deeds are part of his revenge plot to take Oliver Queen down. JS: "I think that it's all part of the plan,... You wonder, right, when Chase started thinking about this. You wonder like, 'Dang, has this guy really been thinking about it for that long? And my answer as Josh is, 'Yeah.' This started a long time ago for him, when he lost his dad. It started then. So, that was all part of making sure that he went under the radar. ... When I saw the Prometheus mask, I had to answer for myself, 'Why did this guy choose a mask, right?' … And I think the answer to that, for me, was because he can be unhinged behind the mask, he can be the fire that's burning inside. He can let that go full force and that's what he had to kind of always keep the lid on as Chase... Prometheus influences Chase, and Chase influences Prometheus. It's the same guy, so he's living in two sides of himself." (Mar. 15, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- When Chase offered himself up as the scapegoat for the Mayor's Office cover-up scandal, it was just another push he was giving Oliver, to make a decision Chase/Prometheus wanted. JS: "Chase is trying to throw himself under the bus. He does it a lot. 'Hey man, use me. It's OK, use me.' It's all part of the plan, because I know who this man is and I know that he's let me in, and he's taking care of the people around him so much.I see [that], ... knew in the end he'd throw himself under the bus. … But, I bet when he [Oliver did do that, by telling the media Green Arrow has gone rogue], Chase goes, 'OK, good. That went well. OK, on to the next one. Step 6 -- check. Thank goodness.'" (Mar. 15, 2017 Access Hollywood article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)

Simon Morrison (FKA Adrian Chase) AKA Prometheus
-- MG: "Um, you know, I'll be curious to see what people think of season 5 when all is said and done. Um. There's a lot of stuff that's still coming up with Prometheus that I think, you know, positions him as one of the best villains, um, that we've had on the show... But, uh, I think - I think, you know, when you learn, uh, sort of what Prometheus' game plan is, um, a lot of the things that he's gonna do, um, you may be - you may be ranking him pretty high." (Mar. 1, 2017 Fake Nerd Guys podcast interview with MG, page 538 of Social Media thread) 
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "Adrian Chase isn't Prometheus." and "So we know that 'Adrian Chase' was being built up as the Vigilante as per the roots in the comic..." and "Thanks to that misdirection they got us last ep. However 'Adrian Chase' is actually an alias/fake name." and "Apparently Prometheus' real identity is Simon Morrison...He's working with Talia Al-Ghul. Oliver gets kidnapped by the end of the episode [516]." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per Yonkou Productions, Prometheus is Justin Claybourne's son. (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions reddit post, page 1419 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "I'll add to the whole Simon thing: Simon Morrison is his birth name. That's his real identity. But his mother's name is Amanda Westfield." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweet, page 1419 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

The Vigilante
-- MG: “You definitely haven’t seen the last of Vigilante." (Feb. 28, 2017 TVLine article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the real identity of the Vigilante, MG: "We know the answer to that... You probably will not get the answer to that in season 5.” (Mar. 3, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Now that we know the Vigilante isn't Adrian Chase, on whether he will be someone we least suspect, SA: "Maybe. How do we know it's a 'he'? It could be a very tall woman. But that's okay." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Konstantin Kovar
-- Dolph Lundgren: “I’m going back at the end of the season... "I'm doing three more [episodes], trying to work it in somehow. ... I have a lot of fun, because my character talks quite a bit, which is nice, and he’s kind of comedic.” (Mar. 7, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Susan Williams
-- On why Oliver trusts Susan, SA: "We’ve all seen the evil reporter... I thought that it was much more interesting that we see the evil reporter who takes advantage of someone and takes advantage of a mayor who she thinks, possibly rightly so, is unqualified, then gets to know him better, begins to appreciate his love for the city and has a change of heart. I always thought that that was way more interesting than just she’s out to get him, she’s keeping close proximity for the simple reason of eventually outing him and destroying his life." Still, Oliver believes Susan truly isn’t out to get him, even though he’s basically lied to her from the start. SA: “He’s never been the best at confiding in people and to say that he’s trusting her and letting her in, I don’t really know how he’s doing that... He tells her half-truths all the time, and despite the fact that she might know a little bit more than he realizes, I feel like they hit it off a little bit. Oliver putting his trust in Susan Williams, he’s proven right over the course of these episodes because she came into some information, and he even says to Thea, ‘She won’t do that to me,’ in terms of ousting me as the Green Arrow.” However, SA understands it’s only natural for long-time fans of Arrow to distrust anyone new who comes into Oliver’s life as the Berlanti-verse shows tend to instill a sense of wariness. SA: “That’s right... So maybe Susan is the exception to that rule.” (Mar. 15, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 212 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On Chase kidnapping Susan, WM: "We really wanted to build him up as someone who is extremely good at being ten steps ahead of Oliver and really being psychological, in the way that he manipulates him. One of the ways he does that is by going after the people that Oliver cares about. We’ve seen villains do that in the past, but Adrian does it in a way that’s a little bit more specific. Not to take any wind out of the sails of the story, but his goal is very clear. He really has no drive to kill Oliver. It’s purely based on torture. So, in taking Susan, that is where we’re headed. For how long, I can’t tell you, but he’s definitely headed toward that. And it’s all part and parcel of this drive to break Oliver down, psychologically, as opposed to physically. We’ve seen Slade and Merlyn take him on, hand to hand. This is much more of a mental game." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On why Chase kidnapped Susan instead of someone like Felicity or Thea, WM: "We really wanted to build him up as someone who is extremely good at being ten steps ahead of Oliver, really being psychological in the way that he manipulates him and one of the ways he does that is by going after the people that Oliver cares about. We’ve seen villains do that in the past, but this year Adrian does it in a way that’s a little bit more specific." (Mar. 2, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: “When he initially finds out [that Chase kidnapped Susan], it’s just very simple — ‘The first chance that I get, I’m going to kill you’ — and to this Adrian basically laughs, because Adrian has a full checkmate over his head — he has someone that Oliver cares about and if Oliver kills Chase, then that person dies.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Um, I think that Oliver was right for the way that he handled that situation in - I guess it would've been episode 514 and 515, for no other reason than he didn't that Susan Williams would've exposed him as the Green Arrow. And she hasn't." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "I think that there is a means to an end for each move that he makes. That’s not part of Prometheus, but that’s part of Chase, for me. When I look at Prometheus, I look at the skill set. He’s out on the streets. That’s one aspect of this. The part that Chase is doing is the mental game. It’s the chess match. That’s what Chase has been playing, this whole time. He’s been moving pieces that he knows Oliver is not going to be able to keep up with. I think that Susan is a very, very important piece of that puzzle, and Chase knows that. There are other very important pieces on that chess board that he’s going to move. Susan is a very, very important piece and a very good move, in the big chess game that’s going on. You get to see how that relationship develops between the two. Susan may feel betrayed by Oliver, so it’s interesting to see how Chase will try to navigate those waters and get to his next move." 
(Mar. 1, 2017 Collider and IGN articles, an Mar. 2, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Josh Segarra: "Susan may feel betrayed by Oliver so it's interesting to see how Chase will try to let's say navigate those waters, how he can get to his next move." (Mar. 2, 2017 Den of Geek article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to fan who asked if Susan was going to die or turn out evil, Yonkou Productions posted: "She is fine." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions reddit post, page 1420 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Rumor: Susan Williams will be held by Chase for more than one episode. (Mar. 2, 2017 Oliverdant tumblr blog post, page 3 of 515 episode thread)
-- On Feb. 28, 2017, in response to question of whether Carly Pope was still shooting Arrow, papp tweeted: "Yes." (pursuit23 tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 1387 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Mar. 9, 2017, in response to fan who asked if Susan is in 520, papp tweeted: "Susan Williams is in every episode at all times she's omnipresent." (pursuit23 tweet link in LeighAn post, page 1416 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Mar. 13, 2017, Carly Pope tweeted: "TWO. MORE. SLEEPS. #Arrow #JoshSegarraEverything." On Mar. 14, 2017, in response to fan asking if Susan betrays Oliver with Prometheus, CP tweeted: "nope...he's just so good and deserves the shout out!" (CP tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread)

Derek Sampson
-- Derek Sampson (Cody Rhodes) will be returning to the show in 521. (Mar. 10, 2017 IGN article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Cody Rhodes took off early the morning of Mar. 15, 2017, from Los Angeles for a “secret” project in Vancouver, Canada. (Mar. 15, 2017 Still Real to Us article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)

Dinah Drake (FKA Tina Boland) AKA New Black Canary?
-- On a possible GA/BC romance between Oliver and Dinah, SA: "The idea that Oliver would end up with the Black Canary being Katie Cassidy or any new iteration thereof? To me, it could happen, it could not, but it’s certainly not destined to happen or predesigned to happen.”(Feb. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 209 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On getting suited up for the first time, JH: "Well, we don’t have a costume quite yet, but the mask was amazing. Even though it’s just a little mask that goes over my eyes, it was a full head cast. It was amazing, watching yourself transform. It was very cool! I want everything she wears. Our wardrobe department is so incredible. They have incredible taste. I want to buy her entire wardrobe." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 210 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On who she thinks Dinah feels closest to at this point, JH: "I think she feels close to different team members for different reasons. In general, probably Oliver because he was the one who she opened up to first, and they share such a similar background with so much pain. They’ve had so many years of difficulty. I also think that the team is really bringing out her humanness, especially Curtis. As the episodes progress, she starts to develop a fondness for Curtis because he’s so different from her. He’s unintentionally light and funny, and I think she’s drawn to that, as well." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 210 of Starling City Times thread)
-- Because Dinah wasn’t trained by Oliver, whether she thinks that makes her feel like she’s more his equal than the other recruits, JH: "I think she’s the kind of person who, even if she was trained by him, would feel like his equal. She doesn’t care. She just knows she’s a bad-ass. What it does do is make her feel less inhibited to do what she wants, in her way, and say what she wants. He’s the leader of the team, but she was her own leader for so long. She’s not really bothered." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 210 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On what's still to come for Dinah and her journey this season, JH: "Well, I can say that she basically just becomes more and more of a bad-ass. She just keeps getting better and better, on the whole, because she is with this group of people. You’re going to see her open up more, and you’re going to see her grow. Physically, as a character, she’s going to transform, but she’s also going to emotionally transform." (Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 210 of Starling City Times thread)
-- On how Dinah feels about Prometheus and the threat that he represents, JH: "I think that she’s really up for the challenge – the harder the better and the scarier the better. What she fears is not being able to stop him, but she’s excited about it, and she wants to go for it and do it in her way."(Mar. 1, 2017 Collider article, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 210 of Starling City Times thread)
-- JH: “She’s just started to go with the flow, in terms of settling down... She’s finding her own place and her own identity that is separate from just being a roaming vigilante.” It’s an interesting contrast to Oliver, who also embarked on a quest for vengeance and then tried settling down after three years. The fact that Arrow isn’t currently set in Ivy Town — where Oliver and Felicity tried to settle down — suggests Drake may not be so successful either, but Harkavy says it’s a process. “They have the same desire for justice and sometimes they have to take hard way there,” says the actress. “They have true remorse about it and they’re both coming to terms with their humanness in their own ways.” Even though Oliver convinced her to come to Star City with the promise of helping her cope with that remorse, she says it’s a two-way street. JH: “They do help each other. It’s an ongoing battle to fight that — the darkness and the light inside of you — and they help each other out with that.” (Mar. 1, 2017 YahooTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per JH, her favorite line of the season was in 515: “I can’t really say anything about it, but when I read it in the script, I was like, ‘Oh, that is so bad ass!’ The way that she’s written is just so cool!” (Mar. 1, 2017 YahooTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Talia al Ghul
-- On whether Talia will appear in present-day Star City on Arrow, MG: "We will see her in the present day... What she wants from Oliver in the past is very different from what she wants from him in the present.” Per MG, Oliver has very purposefully never heard her last name. MG: “Oliver couldn’t have heard it, because if he had, when Ra’s talked about his daughter he’d be like, ‘Yeah, the other daughter, I met her back in Russia,' ... We were very cognizant not to retcon anything. So yes, she is Talia al Ghul, but Oliver obviously doesn’t know that.” (Mar. 10, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Talia is different from Ra's and Nyssa, Lexa Doig: "It’s hard to say. This is my interpretation of it: Talia left the League of Assassins and forged her own way in the world, and her way is more in the real world as opposed to influencing events from the periphery. She may have a more direct hand, yet she’s very Talia al Ghul in that mentality of, “Why do it myself when I can get someone else to do it for me?” She is still someone who is a bit of a chess master. That would be my interpretation. All of my stuff has been with Stephen Amell, and it’s all been the flashback training. There hasn’t really been a reference for me of how she operates outside of that context." (Mar. 1, 2017 CBR article/tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what Talia saw in Oliver, LD: "I think she saw potential. Oliver is somebody who is savage. He’s incredibly adept at what he wants to accomplish, but is a little directionless. He is on the side of good in those circumstances. It’s a bit murky and gray in the question of how he’s going to accomplish his goals, though. I don’t think that moral gray area is a difficult place for Talia to inhabit. She’s quite comfortable living there herself. What she saw in Oliver is the fact that he’s an incredible killer, and he’s doing it for the right reasons. She’s trying to point him in the right direction of what he really wants to accomplish." (Mar. 1, 2017 CBR article/tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On whether Oliver serves Talia's agenda, LD: "He sort of serves her agenda. I used to play Dungeons & Dragons when I was younger, and Talia strikes me as someone who is neutral in that it’s a balance, but maybe adding into that a little bit on the chaotic evil side. She has things she wants to accomplish, and she’s going to accomplish them by any means necessary. If it turns out to have positive ramifications and be a good thing, then 'Yay' for everybody. If it doesn’t, it sucks to be anybody but her." (Mar. 1, 2017 CBR article/tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll see more of Talia's fighting prowess, LD: "A little bit. I had a really great stunt double. I didn’t do a ton of it. You do see a little bit of it, but not a ton. The storyline really isn’t about how badass she is. It’s more about Talia helping Oliver find himself and find the Hood. Again, what seperates Talia from Nyssa and Ra’s is her ability to operate in the real world, the not-so-secret world. As accomplished as she is as a fighter, some of Talia’s strengths may lie in her intellect and her ability to read or manipulate a situation and play the long game. She’s someone who knows things and has the patience to play the long game." (Mar. 1, 2017 CBR article/tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Talia's relationship with Oliver unfolds, LD: "She does what she set out to do. She very rarely doesn’t succeed at what she wants to accomplish. At this point, what she wants to accomplish is to help Oliver make peace with the savage side of himself and find a way to partition that into a place where he feels very comfortable with his alter-ego, whether the alter-ego is Arrow or Oliver Queen. That’s for him to decide, but it’s for whatever part of him that needs to exist in the real, above-ground, legit world versus the one that exists in the shadows. I do believe she actually accomplishes her goals." (Mar. 1, 2017 CBR article/tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll eventually see Talia in present day, LD: "I don’t know. I will plead the fifth. I will say that Oliver seems to think that some of her interactions from the past may leave echoes in the present day. I can’t tell you whether it’s correct or not, but he does have that theory." (Mar. 1, 2017 CBR article/tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the possibility that Talia shares ties with Prometheus, LD: "I have no idea who Prometheus is. I only ever work with Stephen because of the nature of the flashbacks. It’s funny, because even on the call sheets, when you are shooting scenes that have Prometheus in them, he’s not technically listed on the call sheet. The character is listed, but no performer or actor is listed as Prometheus. Even I, who works on the show, have no idea who Prometheus is. So, if Talia has connections to Prometheus, I don’t know about it." (Mar. 1, 2017 CBR article/tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what she thinks Talia brings to Oliver's training that wasn't brought by his previous trainers, LD: "I think what Talia's bringing to Oliver is the whole idea of an alter ego. Um, what I thought was interesting - that isn't necessarily established through the writing, but what I thought would make kinda a little bit more of an interesting choice for me to play as an actor - when I was looking at some of the old episodes of Arrow, um, where you meet Ra's, where you meet Nyssa, um, there's a very - they kinda operate on the periphery of society, in the shadows, you know, the League of Assassins and everything. To me, it was a far more interesting choice to place Talia, at least mentally, in the real world as well. You know, you're just as likely to see her sitting in a boardroom, orchestrating a hostile takeover of a corporation, as you are, um, you know, in leather, firing arrows at people and slicing someone across the neck. And that's kind of what she's teaching Oliver to do. Right? Is to have almost a split identity or, um, to separate the vigilante part of himself - um, that hero part of himself - from how he has to live in the real world. And I think that's probably the - you know, why that's a good final step for him before he goes back to Starling City - is for someone like Talia to sort of help guide him in that way." (Mar. 9, 2017 ComicBook video interview with Lexa Doig, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether Talia knows that Oliver is responsible for her father's death yet, LD: (pauses) "I think there's very little that Talia doesn't know. I just think she keeps her cards very close to her chest. I don't want to spoil anything! ... I think you kind of just have to wait one more episode to get all of the information that I'm just not allowed to talk about at this point." (Mar. 9, 2017 ComicBook video interview with Lexa Doig, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether she's worked with Josh Segarra yet and whether she's told any lies about not knowing Prometheus' identity, LD: "Maybe... I'm not going to say that. I'm going to say, I may or may not have signed an NDA and don't want to get into any trouble with The CW or Stephen - no, I'm kidding. Um, they've actually been really generous and awesome with me. Uh, and the truth is, I wasn't lying when I said that, the days that I was filming that Prometheus was in, uh, there's no name on the call sheet, there's no actor that was assigned to Prometheus, so I - nobody really necessarily, um, if upon just reading the call sheet, would be able to tell who Prometheus is. Um, so I kinda... maybe wasn't entirely honest about what I knew. And whether or not I've worked with Josh, Josh... you'll have to watch the show." (Mar. 9, 2017 ComicBook video interview with Lexa Doig, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On whether we'll get a sense of what Talia's relationship with Ra's and Nyssa was or is like at some point, LD: "A little bit. Like, I think there [should be] some explanation because, of course, you know, with the introduction of a character like Talia [in Season 5], ... is that, having met other members of the al Ghul family before and Talia never being mentioned, ... it kinda begs an explanation a little bit. You do get, you know, a bit of that explanation." (Mar. 9, 2017 ComicBook video interview with Lexa Doig, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
--  On what she thinks a face-to-face encounter between Talia and Nyssa would be like, LD: "I think violent. I think it would probably be fairly violent. Um, it's kinda hard to say. I will say this, you know, my personal take on Talia is that she has - you know, she has her own moral code. It makes absolute sense to her, um, and I think - but it's not something that she would necessarily, um, project onto anyone or expect anyone else either to... understand or live by. However, within her own family, I think there is a certain amount of... understanding or expectation because that's where it comes from. So, Nyssa is family and... reasons why they're obviously not in contact or close, uh, from the time that you've seen the al Ghul family on Arrow before, but family is still family. They come first in a lot of ways. They're also the ones that you fight with the worst. Right?" (Mar. 9, 2017 ComicBook video interview with Lexa Doig, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Although Talia tells Oliver that Prometheus is Adrian Chase in 516, per Lexa Doig, there’s no telling whose side her character is on, in present day or the flashbacks. The whole situation of Oliver not yet knowing Talia is an Al Ghul, the realization she also trained Adrian Chase, and Chase now turning out to be Prometheus, a costumed vigilante (of sorts) just like The Hood, is quite suspicious. LD: “There’s clearly something going on there. ... A little bit suspicous, yeah. Yes, there is... The thing about Talia is she lives in the grey zone of morality. She’s not specifically always on the side of good or always on the bad. She’s more neutral in alignment. What she’s most concerned about is what she wants.” Talia’s true intentions with Oliver remain unclear. While helping Oliver in the flashbacks seems like a good thing so far, there may be more to her agenda than she lets on. LD: “If what she wants to accomplish as an end result ends up being a good thing, then yay, but if what she wants to accomplish ends up being not such a good thing for a lot of people, I don't think she really cares. The ends always justifies the means to her.” (Mar. 10, 2017 iDigitalTimes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Talia Al Ghul will appear in present day in 516, but her relationship with Oliver may not be the same as we’ve seen in the flashbacks. We know nothing about Talia’s life or connection to the Al Ghul's, but per Lexa Doig, “Neither does Oliver. Talia never mentions her last name.” So what happens once Oliver finds out who she really is and Talia is faced with confronting the man who killed her father, Ra’s Al Ghul, and disbanded the League of Assassins? LD: “I see Talia as somebody who, regardless of whatever her relationship with her family is, they are still her family. I don’t think she’d take kindly to finding out that somebody’s harmed them. ... But obviously in the flashbacks it’s relatively hunky-dory and Ra’s is still alive and Nyssa's relationship with Talia is unclear at this particular moment. In the flashbacks it’s a non-issue, but in present day, I think it would be an issue. I think she would be very disappointed in Oliver, to put it mildly.” (Mar. 10, 2017 iDigitalTimes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to interviewer asking Lexa Doig what she finds most interesting about Talia and Oliver's partnership so far, LD: "Well, I think it's a sort of a mentor-mentee relationship, right? The interesting thing to me is the sort of the hints that Talia's been through, uh, what Oliver's been through in terms of having to come to, uh - having to come to terms with this incredible, violent and dangerous skill set, and yet a conscience - which, you know, it's still up for grabs how much of a conscience Talia has, but, you know." (Mar. 10, 2017 Down and Nerdy podcast, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to interviewer commenting that Talia's strongest asset might be her mind, even though she's very skilled in combat, and asking whether Talia uses her mind more for a manipulation tactic or for studying her target, LD: "I think it's sort of both. I mean, I was joking with one of the directors on set, sort of making the comment, 'well, with Talia, why would she do herself what she can get somebody else to do for her?'  Cause, you know, you're able to - and I think that's her sort of - her M.O. is that, uh, as skilled as she is, she's - part of that skill is being able to read what other people are capable of and how much she can push them or manipulate them into doing what she wants done." (Mar. 10, 2017 Down and Nerdy podcast, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to interviewer asking about Talia's motive in present day and flashbacks, and whether Talia prefers the long game or a swifter approach to getting what she wants in the end, LD: "Oh, she's definitely somebody who plays the long game. I absolutely think that she's somebody who is very patient and knows how to play the long game." (Mar. 10, 2017 Down and Nerdy podcast, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to interviewer asking what Talia's weapon of choice & strategy would be if she was thrown into a triple threat match against her father Ra's and her sister Nyssa, LD: "Weapon of choice? I don't know. Like, I think that - obviously she's very good with range weapons. That's kinda indicative, I think, of her personality from the standpoint of, like, staying away from the fray, but doing as much damage as possible. I think she'd probably do her best to set them up against each other. Then she doesn't have to fight at all." (Mar. 10, 2017 Down and Nerdy podcast, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to interviewer asking if she would like to see Talia and Nyssa reunite in a future episode, LD: "Oh god, yes! That would be so much fun. I mean, it's funny 'cause I also don't know, like, would you want to see Talia and Nyssa as adversaries? Or as allies? ... I'm a little sentimental. I'd love to see them as allies, but then have this, like, bickering sister relationship. I think that would be hilarious, but then I generally tend to go for comedy. Just personally. Because I like absurd humor, rather than the sort of - you know, the very dramatic arts kind of stuff that you generally tend to find in comic books - which is also really fun to play, make no mistake. I love doing that stuff... But... I like the juxtaposition of this two incredibly badass, you know, killers, assassins, amazing, very, you know, dangerous - and yet they bicker over who didn't change the toilet paper roll. I mean, that would be comedy gold to me." (Mar. 10, 2017 Down and Nerdy podcast, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- In response to interviewer commenting that Talia does not have the best relationship with her father Ra's in the history of the comics, even trying to overthrow him at one point, and asking how she thinks Talia would react if she found out in a future episode about the fate of her father through Oliver Queen, LD: "Oh, I don't think she's going to be too happy about that. I mean, I think the interesting thing to me - at least, my interpretation of Talia because, you know, on a show like Arrow, there's - it's not going to be exactly as it is in the comics cause, I mean, Nyssa - didn't she, like, torture and kill Talia, like, many, many times? And kinda brainwash her in the Lazarus - through the process of bringing her back to life in the Lazarus Pit, to turn her against Ra's in the first place? ... But I think that, uh - I think, ultimately at the end of the day, it's my interpretation of Talia and from what I've gotten from what they've given me to play, is that, as dysfunctional as the family is, it's still a family and your family loyalty always comes first. So, no, I don't think - I don't imagine that she'd be particularly happy with Oliver, if she found out that he killed her dad." (Mar. 10, 2017 Down and Nerdy podcast, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Talia finally makes the jump to the present in 516. On what role she'll be playing in the modern-day story, LD: "She helps Arrow answer a few questions, I can say that." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Talia fits into the Al Ghul family dynamic, LD: "I don't think she fits into that dynamic at all, which is part of the deal there. There's a reason why [earlier in the series] when Oliver went to Nanda Parbat and met Ra's and Nyssa, there's a reason Talia wasn't there or even mentioned. These are the question marks that get answered somewhat next episode [516]. ... I think the biggest difference that I chose to make is Talia is someone who doesn't exist in the shadows like the rest of the League. She doesn't just influence events from the peripheral. She can do that, and has done that, but she will take a more active role. She could be running her own company, not unlike how Oliver has an identity in the real world, as well as one in the underworld, so to speak." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how much does Talia know about how Oliver has intersected with her family, LD: "That'll be answered a bit next episode [516]. But she knows in the present day. She knows exactly what Oliver had to do with her family." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- LD: "The thing about Talia is I don't think she's good or evil. She kind of sits in the middle somewhere and she's sort of more out for whatever it is that she wants, so if there's something that she wants to accomplish where the end effect is good, yay. If the end effect is not so good, well, boo-hoo for everybody but Talia." (Mar. 14, 2017 CinemaBlend article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- LD: "I don't think she's specifically connected to the Bratva at all. I think what she is, is she's on a mission to find Oliver, and so...it's not difficult to figure out what Oliver's current mission is for himself, so her attitude is 'It's fine. I'll help you accomplish this mission but then you've got to talk to me.' She's got a bigger long game. She's got a long game with Oliver that this is just one step in it. So I don't think she personally has any connection or really gives a shit about the Bratva, whether they're good or they're bad or whether they should exist or they shouldn't exist. I think it's more like she's helping Oliver with his agenda because she wants him to do something for her eventually." (Mar. 14, 2017 CinemaBlend article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On her version of Talia al Ghul, LD: "The fact that it's on Arrow, for one, because so many other versions usually had her interact with Batman. in this case, I think that's probably the biggest difference. I haven't seen Marion Cotillard's portrayal [in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises] and didn't read all the comics. But I did a lot of research at the University of the Google to learn as much as I could. Maybe mine is a bit more earnest than other versions. She's curious, and personally I have a lot of more fun playing a character when you can inject that sarcasm and snark, which she does every now and then. Not much in the next episode coming up, but still [laughs]. ... I think her portrayal is probably a little more TV-friendly, and grounded in an identifiable way, relating to the character, that maybe doesn't come through as much when the character is heightened. She's a supernatural person, and that's not exactly easy to identity with when you're at home watching telly. With a character like Talia you see on Arrow, it felt a little bit more in-universe to ground her in certain reality the TV viewers could understand." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what she can tease about the back half of the season and her role, LD: "I'm not in a ton of the back half of the season, as far as my role. My tease would be, just, 'Where'd she go?' [laughs] At the same time, I can say I think there are a lot of 'Holy s**t!' moments that happen." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On when she learned that Adrian Chase was Prometheus, LD: "When I got the script for that episode [516], that’s when I knew. Literally, when I read that line, 'His name is Adrian Chase,' I was like, 'Oh, okay, so that’s who Prometheus is!' I will say that I did know, because Stephen [Amell] told me, that Talia had trained Prometheus. He didn’t tell me who Prometheus was, but he said, 'Just FYI, part of the reason your character is here this season is because she trained Prometheus.' I was like, 'Oh, okay, cool!'” And then, I found out that Prometheus is played by Josh [Segarra]." (Mar. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On how Talia feels about what the Green Arrow and Prometheus are doing, considering she trained both of them, LD: "It’s kind of like a teacher in math class who sees her students fighting. In terms of how she feels about it, I think that will be revealed. I don’t want to give away too much. You do get to know how she feels about it." (Mar. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Because they were both trained by the same person, on how it’s interesting to see how much more evenly matched they are than what Oliver is used to, LD: "h, for sure! But there are downsides and upsides to that. On the one side, he knows how good Prometheus actually is. He also has a pretty good idea of how he actually fights. He’s not super surprised by his opponent because he knows how he’s been trained." (Mar. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what she thinks Oliver means to Talia, and what Talia means to Oliver, LD: "The second part of that question is probably better answered by Stephen [Amell]. As far as what Oliver is to Talia, I don’t know exactly what her motivations were for helping him, in the first place, other than she had something planned and he helped her. I don’t know if he was aware of that, or not. At the end of the day, Talia is very much about, why should I do what I can get others to do for me? For whatever reason, she sees, in Oliver, some similarities with herself and an ability to use him. This was a decision that I made, that wasn’t necessarily scripted but that made sense to me, because she was never mentioned in any of the previous dealings with the al Ghul family, which is a bit of a glaring omission when you finally do bring the character in, but she parted ways with them and said, “Okay, I’m gonna go do my own thing, guys,” to her family. To me, that meant living in the real world, and not just in the periphery and shadows, as an assassin. She’s just as likely to run a major corporation that funs all of her shadowy activities. That’s not unlike what she’s teaching Oliver to do, living in the shadows and in the light, with an alter-ego that partitions the more extreme aspects of himself, so that he can be Arrow, but he can also exist as Oliver Queen. It’s not really portrayed that way. You don’t see Talia sitting in a boardroom, orchestrating a hostile take-over, but to me, that’s what she’s doing, off camera." (Mar. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Talia's moral code and whether someone's crossed it, LD: "I think Talia is very comfortable living in the grey area of morality. I’m gonna let my inner nerd show a little bit because I’ve played D&D at various times in my life, and she strikes me very much as being a true neutral, which is a really difficult alignment to wrap your head around. She’ll switch sides in the middle of a battle, if she thinks that’s what needs to be done. Whatever her ultimate goal is, is hers and hers alone. So, in terms of her moral code, I think it’s flexible. With Talia, the ends justify the means, however she has to get there. She’ll find a way to justify it within her moral code. But I do think that family, to her, is still family. Family, or the people you love the most, is who you fight the hardest with. In terms of anyone harming her family, I don’t think she’d take too kindly to that."  (Mar. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On the chances that we might someday see Talia and Nyssa cross paths, and who she thinks might win in a fight between the two sisters, LD: " I have no idea! That’s a writers’ question. But I would love to see her and Nyssa cross paths. I think that would be a really interesting dynamic to explore and see play out on screen. ...  I think it would probably be a fairly even draw. I don’t know a ton about Nyssa, but I will say that I don’t think Talia is above using slightly more nefarious means to win a fight. She’s not necessarily the most honorable of fighters." (Mar. 15, 2017 Collider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Talia's connection to Prometheus, LD: "I think I can say she trained him; at this point Oliver has already figured that out." (Mar. 14, 2017 Blastr article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what kind of connection Chase has with Talia, JS: "I do know that they have history, because she trained him. She knows who he is. To be honest with you, I don’t really know the answer to what extent their relationship will be on the show. I know what I’ve created in my head is that she has history with this man, and there’s a reason why she says to Oliver, 'He calls himself Adrian Chase.' I know those reasons that I had to find for myself as an actor, so I don’t want to muddy the waters. But, to that regard, I know there’s history, and she trained Chase. She gave him certain skill sets that Oliver possesses. You’re going to have a good time watching how that plays out, the skill set at least. That’s an exciting part of this for me because that’s the little boy in me — that I got to come out here, and I got to train with the bow and arrow, and I got to work on some combat stuff. Those are all things that he got from Talia." (Mar. 14, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article in EW tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "Thanks to that misdirection they got us last ep. However 'Adrian Chase' is actually an alias/fake name." and "Apparently Prometheus' real identity is Simon Morrison...He's working with Talia Al-Ghul. Oliver gets kidnapped by the end of the episode [516]." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "Talia also pissed about Oliver killing Ra's." (Mar. 14, 2017 Yonkou Productions tweet, page 1419 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

Alena AKA Kojo Sledgehammer 
-- On Mar. 14, 2017, Kacey Rohl tweeted: "Social media cleanse for a week. You can catch my ? face on @CW_Arrow if you miss me! Later, gators!" (KaceyKadoodles tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)

Return of Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk
-- On Mar. 5, 2017, JBarrowman posted pic of himself with shaved, blonde head. (JB instagram post, page 539 of Social Media thread)

Return of Laurel Lance  
-- On Mar. 13, 2017, in response to fan asking if KC will be back this season, papp tweeted: "Most likely yes" and "Ya it wouldnt be until the last one or two." (pursuit23 tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread)

Other Possible Returns or Debuts in S5
-- On whether Oliver is going to see his son any time soon, SA: "We reference my son William in our next episode [516]. So there." Fan also wrote that Oliver "basically ruined his relationship with Felicity... (SA interjected, "True") ... to have a relationship with his son... (SA interjected, "Kinda") ... but he hasn't seen him yet." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Not Returning or Debuting in S5
-- On whether they can get Batman on the show, MG: "Well, I think we've sort of always operated on the assumption that Superman and Batman were off the table. Um. And, you know, obviously Superman has appeared on Supergirl, um, so it does raise the question, like 'where's the line?' Um, you know, would I love to do Batman on the show? Yes, of course... I've been very open and notorious about my love of Batman and how enjoyable, you know, it would be involved with a live action version of Batman. Um, you know, that said, you know, it's not something we spend a whole lot of time thinking about because I really don't think it's in the cards at the moment, particularly not with either Gotham on the air and with, you know, now the Matt Reese Batman movie being developed. Um, it doesn't seem terribly likely to me that we'll see Batman on the show, but, uh, you know, who knows? Um, you never know. Um. I've definitely learned in this business, particularly with these shows, that you never say never... We're doing things on the shows that we never in a million years imagined we would do when we first started Arrow." (Mar. 1, 2017 Fake Nerd Guys podcast interview with MG, page 538 of Social Media thread) 
-- MG indicated that it would be difficult for Sara or Ray to make a visit back to Arrow because they're on a time ship in their own story, although they'd love to do it and just haven't had the opportunity yet. (Mar. 1, 2017 Fake Nerd Guys podcast interview with MG, page 538 of Social Media thread) 
-- On whether we'll see Constantine back on Arrow/Flash/LoT, Matt Ryan: "I mean, I don't know, man... I say, never say never, in this business." (Pensacon, Feb. 18, 2017: GeeksGamers video, page 534 of Social Media thread)

Flash/LoT/Supergirl Crossovers
-- As for future mini cross-show visits, Andrew Kreisberg ruled out one idea: cameos from Earth-1’s Kara on Arrow or The Flash, Earth-38’s Oliver Queen on Supergirl and so on. The producers have discussed seeing the doppelgängers, but “the problem with that is if we do that once, we’re going to open the floodgates of insanity,” AK said, adding that there would have to be “a really good story” for such an appearance. (Feb. 25, 2017 TVLine article, page 260 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)
-- On whether we might ever see Earth-1 versions of Supergirl characters pop up on Flash and Arrow, or different versions of Arrow, Flash or LoT characters pop up on Supergirl, per Andrew Kreisberg, the show's producers decided not to mess with alternate realities on Supergirl for fear of muddling the narrative and not having a good enough story reason. AK: "The problem with that is it feels to us like if we do that once, we're going to open the floodgates of insanity... It's like Supergirl's over here, and it's its own show. Technically speaking, it's just another Earth, the same way Earth-2 is or Earth-3 or Earth-19. So technically speaking, there should be an Alex Danvers on Earth-1, or Earth Prime. But if we start doing that, I just feel like… Not that all hell hasn't broken loose already, but unless we had a really good story for it..." Also, per AK, you can easily turn these alternate worlds and heroes into an overused and boring gimmick: "The more you start to do that stuff, the more it can very easily become annoying or like, 'Here we go again'... Even on Supergirl itself, like Chyler [Leigh] got the opportunity to play a White Martian [impersonating Alex]. Already built into our show, there's already characters playing different versions of themselves. It could very easily spiral out of control." (Feb. 28, 2017 IGN article, page 262 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)

Looking Toward Season 6
-- On what S6 will look like without the island flashbacks, MG: "We're already sort of talking in broad strokes about season 6, and I - I just think it'll be nice. Um. You know, the flashbacks have always been the hardest part of the show. You know, they're the hardest part to write and they're the hardest part to produce because it's really like doing, you know, one-and-a-half shows. Um. So, you know, I think it'll just allow us to be a little lighter on our feet in terms of the narrative. And I think, you know, it'll also be nice to see, you know, that money that we spend on the flashbacks end up on the screen in the present day, you know, in other ways. I really want to, like, you know, push the  -you know, I think the production value of Arrow has always been very, very high, but I feel like there's an opportunity next year to really push it - push it forward, uh, you know, even more. Um, and also, you know, like 513, um, we always, you know - even since season 1 - done, you know, what I call nonlinear flashbacks or the, you know, the non - you know, non-Lian Yu, telling-single-story flashbacks, um, you know, which we still want to keep as part and parcel of the show's, uh, you know, narrative, you know, narrative tool box. Um, so that - that won't change. But I think - I think it'll be good." (Mar. 1, 2017 Fake Nerd Guys podcast interview with MG, page 538 of Social Media thread) 
-- On whether entering into S6 excites him with all the possibilities for the show, SA: "Yes. Flashbacks take up time. By the way, not just my time, but story time that could be devoted to other things. Um, and there's a general sense of accomplishment that we set out with the idea of telling a five-year back story, which is a fairly audacious thing to do for a television show. And we got a chance to complete it... So I'm excited for Season 6, largely because I don't know what's going to happen." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)

Edited March 16, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread...

SUMMARY OF 517 SPOILERS:

S5, Episode 17:  Kapiushon
-- Production code: 517.  Shoot Dates: January 30-February 8, 2017.  Director: Kevin Tanchaeron. Writers: Brian Ford Sullivan & Emilio Ortega Aldrich.  Airdate: Mar. 22, 2017. (Jan. 30, 2017 MG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers page)
-- 517 synopsis: "THE BREAKING POINT — Prometheus (Josh Segarra) goes to great lengths to break Oliver (Stephen Amell). Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Anatoly (guest star David Nykl) becomes worried about Oliver’s increasingly violent tendencies, which come to a head in a brutal confrontation. Kevin Tancharoen directed the episode written by Brian Ford Sullivan & Emilio Ortega Aldrich (#517).  Original airdate 3/22/2017." (GreenArrowTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread, and SpoilerTV article, page 1403 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 517 was originally titled "Kapot." In 505 flashback scene, when Oliver formally joined Bratva, Anatoly called him "Kapot." (Oliver: "I have no family. I have no home. I have no name. I am Bratva.” Anatoly: "We are Bratva. Welcome, Kapot.”) Per fans, the word "kapot" can mean "hood" in Russian, but a different kind of hood, not part of clothing. So the episode title was apparently changed to "Kapiushon." (505 video clip, page 1121 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Velocity23 and Midnight Lullaby posts, page 1321 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 517 promo posted. (517 promo video in AmellDaily tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- 517 sneak peek posted, wherein Anatoly has a talk with flashback Oliver. (517 sneak peek video, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- 517 sneak peek posted, wherein Adrian/Simon explains why he chose the name "Prometheus." (517 sneak peek video in Mar. 22, 2017 Mashable article, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- 517 producer/cast preview posted: "She didn't even know I was in her apartment." (517 producer/cast preview video, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- 517 promo pics posted. (GreenArrowTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- 517 dialogue tease: "You'll come around eventually. Now, where were we?" (Mar. 21, 2017 Arrowwriters tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- 517 dialogue tease: “You are no one’s hero.  Everything and everyone that you love will wither and die at your touch.” (Mar. 22, 2017 Arrowwriters tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- 517 dialogue tease: "WE HAVE TO CAPTURE DATA IN A 4-DIMENSIONAL ARRAY, WHICH COULD THEN BE PARSED USING A REAL-TIME ALGORITHM." (Mar. 21, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 517 dialogue tease: "CONFESS, OLIVER. YOU DON'T KILL BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO. SO WHY? WHY DO YOU DO IT? BECAUSE I WANT TO. WHAT? I WANT TO. I WANT TO! AND I LIKED IT." (Mar. 21, 2017 Yonkou Prod tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread and page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- 517 dialogue excerpt: "ADRIAN: I TOLD YOU, OLIVER. YOU INFECT EVERY LIFE YOU TOUCH. AND NOW DO YOU REALIZE WHY? IT'S BECAUSE YOUR CRUSADE WAS BASED ON A LIE. YOU USED YOUR FATHER'S MEMORY TO JUSTIFY A KILLING SPREE. THERE'S A PRICE TO BE PAID FOR THAT, OLIVER. YOUR MOTHER PAID IT. YOUR FRIEND TOMMY PAID IT, LAUREL. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO TELL ME THAT JOHN DIGGLE AND FELICITY'S LIVES ARE BETTER  HAVING KNOWN YOU?" (Mar. 21, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- 517 dialogue excerpt: "JOHN: OK. I'M SORRY. I'VE JUST BEEN AT THIS SO LONG, I DON'T KNOW WHICH WAY IS UP. AND OLIVER'S BEEN GONE FOR 6 DAYS AND...AND WHAT? OLIVER? OH, MY GOD. JOHN: OLIVER? OLIVER: CHASE HAD ME-- UGHH AND HE LET ME GO. GO SLOW, MAN. OLIVER: IT'S OVER. JOHN: OLIVER, WE'RE GONNA GET THIS SON OF A BITCH FOR WHATEVER HE DID TO YOU. OLIVER: JOHN, IT'S OVER FOR ME. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE. I'M SHUTTING EVERYTHING DOWN." (Mar. 21, 2017 Yonkou Productions reddit post, page 56 of Spoilers thread and page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- In January 2017, MG said: "Russia is very much in the zeitgeist these days, and coming into the back half of the year, we're doing a lot more with Russia... We're going to do a Russia-centric episode, a flashback-centric episode like we did in the first three years of the show. We'll be doing that later on in the season and that will have Dolph Lundgren's character, Konstantin Kovar, very much front and center. ... In that episode -- assuming the scheduling works out because we're still writing this episode -- the plan is for Konstantin to have a very key meeting with a corrupt, American multimillionaire businessman. Make of that what you will." (Jan. 17, 2017 ComicBook article, page 51 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “We’ve always had this tradition of doing what we call the ‘all-flashback’ or ‘mostly flashback’ episode... That’s actually what this episode [517] is going to be. It’s going to be a story that’s mostly set in Russia, with Dolph Lundgren coming back as Kovar. It’s the big confrontation that we’ve been building up to for the past several episodes, which is the Bratva vs. Kovar, with a couple surprises thrown in — Oliver may or may not get a certain tattoo; he may or may not lose a certain tattoo.” (Mar. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: "What you're going to see is as Chase is torturing Oliver and trying to get him to confess a secret... We are going to flashback to Russia and a pivotal moment in Oliver's experience. It's a really powerful episode. I will say, I don't think the series will be the same after it…because of the actions in the present day. Oliver will confess a secret to Adrian Chase. The big mystery of the episode is what is Oliver's secret?"  (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: “I don’t think Chase wants to show Oliver who he really is. Chase wants to get Oliver to admit who he really is. That’s the mystery of [517]. Oliver is being told by Chase, ‘Confess your secret,’ and hopefully the audience is going, ‘He already knows Oliver is the Green Arrow, so what secret is there?’ And there is a secret. ... I don’t think it’s a secret that anyone is expecting... but it’s going to have ramifications for the remainder of the season, if not the whole series.” (Mar. 21, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- Then in present day, MG: "“It’s Adrian Chase trying to get Oliver Queen to confess his sins, really to confess a secret... It’s incredibly intense. It’s basically a stage play; it’s essentially just Josh and Stephen in a room together. It’s probably one of the darkest episodes we’ve ever done.”  (Mar. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- MG: “It’s basically a stage play between [them], and it’s spectacular. Those two guys on screen are so good, you actually don’t want to cut away. We were saying we almost could have done an entire episode with just these two guys in a room talking to each other.” SA: “I don’t know if I’ve ever worked so hard on an episode before, aside from maybe the second episode of the entire series,” Amell said of the intense hour. “I was just in everything.” (Mar. 21, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- MG: "If we’ve done our job with season 5 correctly, if we stick the landing on all of this, by the end of the season, our hope is that you will look at Oliver’s killing in a completely different light and look at it in a totally different way, ... And look at his motivations for killing in a different way, in a more complex, more nuanced way. My hope is the whole season will kind of answer that question if we pull it off.” (Mar. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- WM: “Oliver goes through arguably the toughest thing he’s ever been through with Adrian Chase... Stephen gives this performance that he’s more or less broken at the end of the episode.” (Mar. 19, 2017 RottenTomatoes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: "We’re super proud of this episode [517]... It was written by Brian Ford Sullivan & Emilio Ortega Aldrich, and they did an amazing job with the script. Stephen Amell gave this amazing performance. We were asking a lot of him. It’s a really dark episode, it’s probably one of the darkest episodes we’ve done in the history of the show, and that’s a pretty high bar on ‘Arrow,’ and it just came out amazingly … It’s Oliver’s lowest point of the season, and it’s a pretty great story.” (Mar. 21, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- WM: “Prometheus’ whole goal has been to mess with Oliver’s head this entire season... He’s not interested in killing Oliver, he’s interested in getting him to break down to the point where he’ll kill himself. That’s been his objective. The other side of that is he really believes and wants Oliver to believe that everybody he’s touched and everybody he loves is going to end up dead or really messed up.” (Mar. 21, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "In the middle of writing an emotionally exhausting, forebodingly dark, joyously unorthodox episode of #Arrow. Loving every minute of it." (Dec. 13, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "What Prometheus does to Oliver is really unlike anything that we’ve ever seen happen to him. It’s almost like Prometheus is his therapist, in this weird way. He’s a sociopath and he’s doing horrible things to him, but in his mind, he’s doing it in the pursuit of a greater good, which is really scary. It’s really scary when there’s a villain whose end goal might not be killing you." (Mar. 22, 2017 Collider article, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- Per SA, in 517, titled “Kapiushon'” — the Russian word for “hood” — “it could literally be called ‘The Deconstruction of Oliver Queen. It’s pretty gnarly.” SA felt “incredible levels of anxiety” during filming. SA: “I felt like if there was a misstep, it might be something we couldn’t come back from." Per SA, coming out of his first episode of captivity at Adrian Chase’s hand, Oliver will be “very changed, ... And resolute, but in the wrong way. Like, resigned.” SA: “Chase isn’t trying to kill him. Chase is trying to sell him something, and Oliver buys it. And that causes a lot of problems within the team.” (Mar. 21, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "I don't know that I've ever worked so hard on an episode before, aside from maybe the second episode of the entire series... I was just in everything…it could literally be called the deconstruction of Oliver Queen. It's pretty gnarly. It gave me incredible levels of anxiety, because it felt like if there was a misstep, it could be something we couldn't come back from." Per SA, when Oliver leaves his encounter, he's "very changed... And resolute, in the wrong way. Resigned. Chase isn't trying to kill him; Chase is trying to sell him something…That causes a lot of problems with the team." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Through 5-16 and into 5-18, it’s a very strange arc for Oliver where we haven’t really yet had a chance to examine the way that the Green Arrow, and by extension the team, is going to be able to function.” (Mar. 1, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: " I will say that episode 17 and 18 this year are probably the toughest episodes that I've ever had to shoot. Ever. In the 100 and some episodes of the show. They were incredibly, incredibly challenging and taxing for me. Which is also the reason why I haven't been around on social media as much, because that does actually take a toll on me. I mean, not Daniel Day Lewis-inhabit-the-character-take-a-toll, but I spent so much time with 'Oliver' that when he's in the shit, uh, part of me is in the shit too." (Mar. 2, 2017 SA facebook video, page 54 of Spoilers thread)
-- SA: "Part of the biggest thing that we’re explaining in season 5 is what was Oliver’s motivation? ... What was his mindset in the early part of season 1? Essentially, to the same extent, what was his mindset when he really became this person in Russia? ... The idea is that, quite simply, he could put on the hood, and he could compartmentalize this horrible person that he has inside of him because of everything that he has had to deal with in the past four-plus years being away, ... The death of his father, obviously via suicide, the death of Shado, the seeming death of Sara, the fact that he had to murder Slade, the death of a young child in Hong Kong — all of these things that he has had to deal with broke something inside of him that didn’t end up getting fixed until he had a do-over with Slade Wilson, who had just murdered his mother, and he took the high road." (Mar. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- SA: " I think it’s become a lot more dynamic. It’s been really cool seeing everyone respond to Josh [Segarra], who was kind of like the D.A. and everyone was like 'ahh, what’s he up to?' ... A lot.I really like that. A lot of people are talking about him like 'he’s the coolest villain that we’ve seen since Slade.' They haven’t even really seen the full blossom of his villainous rose yet, which we really do get to see on this week’s episode." (Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On 517, SA: "The toughest episode that I’ve ever had to film, both physically and emotionally, that didn’t involve a major character death. I hurt my back a bunch. Here’s the coolest thing about this episode, and people that are over 20 years old will get this, or fans of Rocky in general: The fact that I get to have an all-out brawl with Dolph Lundgren is not the part of the episode that excites me the most. The fact that that is true, it speaks well to this week." (Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- Since the 517 episode synopsis states that “Prometheus goes to great lengths to break Oliver," when asked how Prometheus ramps up his efforts, Josh Segarra replied: "When Chase discovers Oliver knows who he is, there’s a relief in him. 'Good, we’re past that. Now, you know what I’m doing here. Great. Let’s wrestle.' With that relief comes liberation and when you see this man get liberated, he does ramp things up. You are going to see exactly how. I hate to give you that vanilla answer, but it’s the truth. You are going to see the other side of this man. I’ve been waiting to peel that top off a little bit, juts to show a different color. It’s going to happen soon. I promise. You are going to see him ramp up the efforts." (Mar. 15, 2017 CBR article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "The last line of 5x17 is fantastic." and "Theme of 5x17: CONFESSIONS." and "Arrow is done. Oliver broke. See you next time." and "Shout out to Chase for exploiting Oliver's mental insecurities. He'll need some therapy soon." and "RIP Team Arrow." (Mar. 21, 2017 YonkouProd tweets, page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- In Oliver's absence (in 517), Diggle will once again take lead of Team Arrow. DR: "He has to kick the new recruits into gear to get Oliver back... I think what was even bigger than that is we have to do something about Prometheus." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On what Team Arrow looks like now that they don't have a leader (since Oliver was captured by Chase/Talia in 516), JH: "Well, I think, to a large extent, they are still trying to figure that out themselves. You know, they want to know amongst themselves who the leader is. And I think they try their different shots at establishing who that is. And they each have their own individual strengths, so that's really when you see, um, those strengths come out is when Oliver is gone, because we just have to rely on ourselves and on each other.” Subsequently, in response to fan criticism of her response, JH tweeted: "Felicity & Dig 4 sure! I suppose what I meant is, w/o a captain the whole team has to rely on their different strengths @ different times." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Mar. 20, 2017 JH tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- Both MG and MMcL tweeted that Evelyn Sharp will return in 517. (Mar. 16, 2017, MG tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread, and Mar. 20, 2017 MMcL tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On tying up the loose end of Evelyn's storyline, WM: "Evelyn is going to ... Definitely we're not going to leave her dangling. We love Madison, and we loved having her on the show. We're going to bring her back in a very surprising way. I would say it's somewhere in the teens [of the season]. Prometheus very much still has his claws in her, but Prometheus is not a nice guy. His goal is to get Oliver, and he doesn't care who gets hurt or killed on his path to doing that." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) 
-- On what's coming up with Evelyn, Madison McLaughlin: "I can’t say much, but I CAN say this: watch this week’s episode [517]. And remember… not everything is as it seems." (Mar. 22, 2017 GeekDad article, page 56 of Spoilers thread)
-- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "Malcolm Merlyn is in 5x17." (Mar. 21, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 2, 2017, JBarrowman tweeted: "I leave uk on the 30th and start filming #Legends / #Arrow on the 1st of Feb." (JB tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 30, 2017, MG tweeted 517 title page with comment: "Arrow Ep. 517 begins production today. @briforsul @KTANCH." (MG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 30, 2017, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Off to Russia, er, I mean Vancouver to witness the insanity that is #Arrow 517. Might be my favorite episode I've ever written for the show." (BFS tweet, page 1321 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Jan. 30, 2017, papp tweeted: "Was told Kelly Hu was spotted arriving In Van this morning for #Arrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 30, 2017, SA posted facebook video chat in which he's wearing his flashback wig. SA: "It's Monday. I'm working. I don't typically work that many Mondays any more. But I'm working this Monday because, boy oh boy, this episode has 55 scenes, and I'm pretty sure I'm in 53 of them. It's one of those. It's like an old school episode, like a Season 1 style episode." He also said that he's "doing a lot of work with Josh Segarra right now." (SA facebook video, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Jan. 31, 2017, SA posted pic of his shirtless, bruised and bloodied back. (SA instagram post, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 1, 2016, EK posted pics of EBR, DR and SA wearing Curtis' Afro wig. In EBR's pic, she has darkened eyebrows. In SA's pic, he has a shirtless, bloodied body with what looks like a bloody bullet hole or round wound in his right shoulder. (EK instagram posts, pages 1327 and 1328 of Spoiler Discussion thread)
-- On Feb. 1, 2017, RG tweeted a pic of himself with EK and Carlos Valdes. (RG tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 2, 2017, SA tweeted pic of himself wearing his S1 suit and aiming an arrow on an empty street, with comment: "-2C. Night shoots. OG Suit. Happy place." (SA tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 6, 2017, Dolph Lundgren was in the Arrow production office. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 7, 2017, papps tweeted: "#Arrow is filming at Aura Nightclub today" and "Reminder: #Arrow in Aura nightclub at Granville/Davie today." (pursuit23 and yvrshoots tweets, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 7, 2017, fan tweeted: "#Arrow is filming at Ramada on Granville & Davie. Looks like Russia fb. EP MIGHT be called Oliver" and "sorry. It's actually at Twelve West (Ramada club?)." Then pursuit23 reply tweeted: "thats their holding , they are filming n Aura nightclub" and YVRShoots reply tweeted: "#Arrow is at the Aura nightclub in downtown #Vancouver today. Granville & Davie." (mel_esc_, pursuit23 and yvrshoots tweets, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 7, 2017, JBamford posted pic of Kevin Tanchaeron with comment: "@ktanch directing the hell outta #Arrow episode 5.17." (JBamford instagram post, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 7, 2016, JBarrowman tweeted that he "filmed on #Arrow on Monday. More to come." (JBarrowman tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 7, 2017, Dolph Lundgren posted pic of himself all blooded and bandaged, with comment: "Having a great time on the set of Arrow!" (DL instagram post, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 8, 2017, JBam posted pic of two guys on the floor, with comment: "@colbychartrand lounging with a nice arrow in his chest." (JBam instagram post, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 8, 2017, papp posted pic of DL with comment: "Legend #DolphLundgren signing #autographs for us while back in town for more #Arrow #rocky #ivandrago #vancouver." (OutlawHobbies instagram post, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 8, 2017, papp tweeted: "Artemis is back." (pursuit23 tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Feb. 8, 2017, papp tweeted: "Got #autographs today from #Arrow stars Rick Gonzalez & Madison Maclaughlin." (OutlawHobbies tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Mar. 16, 2017, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "So excited to finally share #Arrow 517 next week. I think it's @StephenAmell's bravest performance to date. He takes us to the next level." (briforsul tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread)
-- On Mar. 21, 2017, MMcL tweeted pic of herself shooting an arrow, with comment: "Tomorrow night. @CW_Arrow. 8/7c. Evie returns. That's all I'll say." (MMcL tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread)

Edited March 22, 2017 by tv echo