tv echo March 26, 2017 Author Share March 26, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... ADDENDUM #9 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC S5B Generally -- Per WM, the back half of this season won't be all dark: "There will be some levity coming up in some fun, surprising ways... There are some birthdays coming up that we've never celebrated on the show before that are going to finally be celebrated. It's Oliver's. Why not? It's not going to be what you think it's going to be, though, as is our standard." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On how tense the end of this season will get, JH: "It gets so crazy. And I am actually not 100% sure how this season finishes entirely yet, um, myself. But what I do know is amazing. There are a lot of twists and turns. And, uh, yeah, it just gets more and more exciting. There - people are gonna - there's a lot of cool stuff coming." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) S5 Flashbacks -- On finishing up the flashbacks this season, SA: "I’m excited. I’m excited that we got to play the story out. I’m excited for the conclusion. I’m also excited that we’re going to have eight additional minutes per episode to devote to something else; you know what I mean? And I mean that both from a storyline perspective, and a “getting more sleep” perspective, because I’m just assuming that often times it will be other characters." (Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) New Team Arrow -- On the team's reaction to Oliver's plans to kill Chase, SA: “Everyone’s conflicted... One of the things that we’re doing, which I think we tend to do a relatively decent job of, is we are laying some elements in place in how crazy his decisions are that really could lay the basis for a huge source of conflict next year. But yeah, [Oliver’s] going off the deep end a little bit, which is the hallmark of a good villain.” (Mar. 22, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article) -- SA: "Chase is trying to sell him something. and Oliver buys it. And that's - and that causes a lot of problems with the team." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: thesuperboytheater video and Mar. 21, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "The interesting thing is that what Prometheus has done is base his plan off of Oliver’s pattern of behavior. Oliver’s pattern of behavior has been, 'I’m going solo.' When the chips are really down, he retreats and it’s just him. So, the fact that Oliver now has a team might be the one thing that Chase can’t plan for." (Mar. 22, 2017 Collider article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Prometheus' plan was to show Oliver that all of his efforts are in vain and that everyone around him is going to be adversely affected by whatever 'goodwill' he has... That's such an involved, intricate plan for a villain to have. The unraveling of Prometheus' efforts and how it's affecting Oliver will be the focus of the team for the rest of the season." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Felicity's illegal actions on behalf of Helix getting her in major trouble with her friends, leading to a Felicity vs. Team Arrow conflict, DR: "There is going to be a major showdown with that... Diggle has already warned her and appealed to her higher moral center, but it didn't work. She's going to get deeper into Helix and it's all going to blow up when we come face-to-face. The team is going to be very divided when it needs to come together." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "A lot of new blood, right? ... I mean, at my booth, people were coming up like, 'oh, we want to see more of Spartan.' I'm like, 'well, you know, there's a lot of story to tell. Uh, oh, and next season, there's so much story! You guys like the new recruits? Really, honestly, don't give me - you like the new recruits? (Mixed reaction and very little clapping) Well, there's new blood. You got to flesh out those stories. I said it a million times. I think Warner Brothers, CW, and the writers and cast agree, I think the strength of the show is Oliver, Diggle, Felicity. (Some fans cheer loudly and clap) I think everyone agrees with that. And I think that's always going to be the core. But there's a lot of other story to tell. There's, um, some stuff they're going to get into with, uh, like I said, Dyla, Black Siren - (No real fan reaction except for someone going, 'whoo' and 'oh really?') ... There's a lot of stuff still yet to be told. I mean, what's great about the show is that these characters are so rich, a lot of them in their back story that we're creating on Arrow, that you can spend three or four episodes on one character, right? So there's a lot of stuff that you can tell." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Yonkou Productions tweeted: "RIP Team Arrow." (Mar. 21, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 1432 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Original Team Arrow ("OTA") -- DR: "I said it a million times. I think Warner Brothers, CW, and the writers and cast agree, I think the strength of the show is Oliver, Diggle, Felicity. (Some fans cheer loudly and clap) I think everyone agrees with that. And I think that's always going to be the core." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity") -- Screenshot of Oliver in GA suit looking at reflected or screen image of sleeping or unconscious Felicity in underground location, maybe a transition shot, posted. (Screenshot pic of Mar. 20, 2017 SA's Weibo webpage, page 1436 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG: "They're [Helix] a group of uber-hackers -- probably not on the side of the angels... I think the thing with Helix is there will be major consequences for Felicity, major consequences for Felicity's relationship with Oliver, and the introduction of a new character who you probably have not seen the last of." (Mar. 28, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 1453 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG: "We’re starting to put [Felicity] in Oliver’s footsteps a little bit... She’s going to get a chance to experience things a little bit more from Oliver’s perspective. I think the reason they broke up was her difficulty to see things from Oliver’s perspective. They broke up fundamentally because she didn’t trust Oliver, and the reason she didn’t trust Oliver is she couldn’t understand why he made the decisions he made.” Then, in response to fans who disagreed with this statement, MG tweeted: "Episode 520. All your questions will be answered. (And then you'll have new ones.)" (Mar. 17, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread, and Mar. 17, 2017 MG tweet, page 1426 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether Felicity’s walk on the morally iffy side will push a greater wedge between her and Oliver, or possibly bring the ex-lovers closer, MG: "It’s funny... when you say it [like that], my inclination is to say: Why not both?” (Mar. 23, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "We were always very intrigued by the idea of having these two characters who are series regulars on the show, who used to be engaged and still have to work together,... How do they deal with that? How do they deal with each other's relationships? How do they interact with each other. I think that's something that's very mature and not something I've seen a lot on television ... I can't really think of that many situations where it's like 'They were engaged, and now they're not, but they're still together, and they're still both on the show!' We've enjoyed playing out that dynamic." (Mar. 24, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "When we broke them up in Episode 415 last year, we always had a plan... I'm not going to tell you what the plan was ... I will say that there are a lot of unanswered questions from Episode 415 that we are looking to answer this year, as was always our intention. There's a bunch of things that happen in the show that are inspiration or last minute ideas, and then there are other things on the show where we're planting seeds in one season with the intention of bringing them to fruition in another season. To me, it's the advantage of having a show you know isn't going anywhere. We love what we call the long-tail storylines." (Mar. 24, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "Met Marc today! He couldn't tell me the finale ep title bc it's a MAJOR spoiler. But there's a positive Olicity moment! & we will love 520." (WonderCon, Mar. 31, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 1459 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- WM: "We said at the beginning of the season that we were going to play everything by ear and see where the characters took us... I think there's going to be a natural coming back together at the end of this season on a friendship basis because they've both been through such horrible things." (Mar. 24, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Felicity is going to continue to go darker and go further into this world of Helix... And when everything comes to a head, she's going to need Oliver in a way that she hasn't in the past 15 episodes." (Mar. 24, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Being in the fifth season of the show, we can let things burn slowly,” Stephen Amell says. “I know that a lot of people who have been watching the show have been getting impatient is one word, upset is another, hopeless is the strongest way to put it, but at the same time, it’s our fifth season, we can take our time with things. Oliver and Felicity, whatever happened between them in between our fourth and our fifth season, and the reason that they have been where they are right now throughout the course of the season, we get a chance to explain it.” (Mar. 31, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to little girl fan who asked, "Will Felicity and Oliver be together?", SA replied: "That's - that's really not up to me. Um, but I will say that they have some really, really cool stuff coming up." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: prince mojo videos, paleycenter tweet and GreenArrowTV tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 273 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- SA: "I don't know if Oliver and Felicity are going to get back together. I do know that - hang on... I do know that there has been a - I wouldn't say a coldness, but a very, uh, deliberate, almost robotic, uh, feeling or temperature to their relationship this year. And we explain why that is in an upcoming episode." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel, jbuffyangel tweet, MyFutureQueen tweet and rhodesmoak tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Basically, uh, we are trying to take down Prometheus. And Team Arrow has one way of going about it, and Felicity thinks she has a better way via Helix. And we disagree. So, it's basically, we're going after the same objective, but we're doing it - there's a tactical difference to how we're doing it. And Oliver and Felicity have a great scene where, you know, he's saying, 'please don't do it this way,' and she's saying, 'this is why I have to.' And it was a really great scene.... It sets up the last four or five episodes of the year pretty well." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel and jbuffyangel tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On how far Felicity is going down her own rabbit hole with Helix, and whether Oliver will help her, SA: "The fact that both of them get into the shit is one of the ways that they gravitate back towards one another. They have a common malady, so to speak. She, above anyone else, is the person that he’s going to go to, if he has something to confide or work through. Diggle is very much the soothsayer and the person who can give him a good piece of advice. But in terms of a heart to heart and a dynamic conversation, Felicity is the one for him. The fact that she’s going through something like that, maybe that’s going to cause him to open up." (Mar. 22, 2017 Collider article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On how Oliver will respond to the mess that Felicity's getting into with Helix, SA: "Yeah, there's a scene - there's an episode coming up - I think it's episode 19 - which - I've forgotten the name of it right now, but it really could be called 'Team Felicity versus Team Arrow.' Um, they're both after the same thing - spoiler alert, it's Chase - but she's going about it via Helix, and Team Arrow's going about it via not Helix. And Felicity's running point for her side and Oliver's running point for his side. And it sets up - uh, it sets up a very, very interesting dynamic that we really haven't seen from them all year. Uh, and it starts to - it starts to bring a lot of the stuff that - I don't know that people have been waiting for, but - a lot of the reasons they've been very regimented towards one another is starting to come to the surface in that episode." Also, on whether Oliver & Felicity will have a better understanding of each other when all is said and done, SA: "I think Oliver and Felicity have a very good understanding of each other right now. I think that the viewers get a better understanding of why they are the way that they are." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: KSITE TV video, page 56 of Spoilers thread, and Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- SA: "He does trust [Felicity], but that doesn't mean he has to agree with her... You could almost call Episode 19 Team Arrow versus Team Felicity: Felicity heading up Helix, Oliver heading up Team Arrow. Both after the same objective, but after it in different ways. It pushes us into a real exploration of why Oliver and Felicity have been behaving the way they've been behaving." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Oliver finding out about Felicity's involvement with Helix, SA: "Yeah. I mean, look, he does trust her, but that doesn't mean that he has to agree with her. And we really see - like, with our first crossover, and it was like Flash versus Arrow. Uh, you can almost call Episode 19 'Team Arrow versus Team Felicity.'" (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: thesuperboytheater video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- The more Felicity becomes like Oliver, the more complicated the former couple's relationship gets. And that tension will all come to a head in an upcoming episode when the pair finally hash out their many issues with each other. SA: "They've had some issues that have been bubbling underneath the surface. They haven't even really been bubbling. They've been beneath the surface... And we find out why they're beneath the surface, that there's a very specific reason that we delve into." (Mar. 21, 2017 TVGuide article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- The current strain on Oliver and Felicity's relationship, which centers around her involvement with Helix, will also bring up some long buried feelings the pair has about issues outside of Helix. SA: "Them being head-to-head in terms of one having a differing tactical opinion than the other one brings some of their more personal opinions back to the surface." (Mar. 21, 2017 TVGuide article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Matt Mitovich: "People are asking about Olicity, as people call Oliver and Felicity... Stephen Amell told us that Episode 19 is basically being called Team Arrow versus Team Felicity, as she falls further down the Helix rabbit hole." (Mar. 20, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live facebook video, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1430 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Michael Ausiello: "Though Oliver has bigger fish to fry for the foreseeable future, Stephen Amell had this to say about Oliver’s take on Felicity’s recent secret-keeping: 'Look, he does trust her, but that doesn’t mean he has to agree with her.' That distinction will be put to the test in Episode 19, which is officially titled 'Dangerous Liaisons' but 'you could almost call it "Team Arrow vs. Team Felicity,”' Amell shared. Felicity and her Helix hackers and Oliver’s associates 'are both after the same objective, but after it in different ways. And that pushes us into a real exploration of why Oliver and Felicity have been behaving the way that they’ve been behaving this year.'” (Mar. 22, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- From fan at HVFF-Chicago, SA said: "you're gonna love 5.20.. because all my scenes are with emily which has never happened before.." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 1442 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On an upcoming Oliver/Felicity stunt, SA: "Our stunt coordinator had to ask Emily how heavy a gun she could carry. And in an upcoming episode, she tries to do the salmon ladder... Emily can do the salmon ladder maybe. I don't think Felicity can do the salmon ladder." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel, MyFutureQueen tweet and jbuffyangel tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted scan of page from reddit post: "Some guy from reddit posted that the sex scene is connected to the salmon ladder. 11:53 PM - 25 Mar 17." (Mar. 26, 2017 OlicityMyAlways tweet, page 1445 of Spoiler Discussion 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) -- jbuffyangel posted: "4. Felicity articulates her position on William and what she needs from Oliver." (Mar. 28, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "5. There is a question Oliver needs to answer and it relates to his relationship with Felicity, but also his overall journey." (Mar. 28, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- jbuffyangel report from HVFF-Chicago (autograph table): "Me: So, a lot of fans were upset with Wendy’s last interview. David: Oh really? Why is that? Me: Well, she said Olicity would be rebuilding on a friendship level. David: (nodding thoughtfully) Well that’s true. Me: I know, but it’s been a rough season David. They are hanging on by a thread. He laughed. Me: Is there anything you can tease on a romance level for Olicity at the end of the season? David: (smiling) Well there’s always a chance for romance with Olicity. I give him a look. David: (without missing a beat) There’s a BIG chance for romance with Olicity. Then, he gives me the same knowing look and we both laugh." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25-26, 2017: jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- From fan at HVFF-Chicago: "stephen also said they are trying to sneak the soty award into a scene." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- From fan at HVFF-Chicago: "Asked for 1 word tease of rest of S5 + my friend guesses OTA. David quickly responds w/ 'they get back together,' thinking she said Olicity." and "David implied it would be before the end of the season. Also compared them to Dyla again. I asked about Olicity babies and he said for sure." and "Also said it's a show, there had to be conflict at some point for them but he thinks they'll get married and have babies at some point." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: lschin12 tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread and page 1445 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 9, 2017, fan tweeted: "Regarding 520. Olicity...There's more an emotional than physical level thing. It has something we wanted Felicity to do & a deep connection." (_Winter_wind tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 14, 2017, papp tweeted: "a lil' black birdy says you're gonna have some #Arrow fun next season.. bringin' back #Olicity & #KatieCassidy." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 24, 2017, fan tweeted: "they will kiss at some point during 20-23 trust me." and "and, yes, I'm talking about present day." (alwaysbett tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow -- 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) -- On whether we wil ever find out how Oliver knows how to fly a plane, MG tweeted: "Ep. 521." (Mar. 29, 2017 MG tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "There are some birthdays coming up that we've never celebrated on the show before that are going to finally be celebrated. It's Oliver's. Why not? It's not going to be what you think it's going to be, though, as is our standard." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "Asked Stephen how Oliver's birthday party goes. Said starts as violence, ends with cake." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: CMDragonia tweet, page 1443 of Spoiler Discussion 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) -- On the truth that suiting up as the Hood was really a way for Oliver to conceal his growing passion for killing, SA: “I like examining this stuff because one of the truths that we reveal in season 5 — via our flashbacks and in present day — is there was an element of Oliver that we met in season 1 that took a little bit of pleasure in snapping somebody’s neck... I don’t think that negates the transformation that he’s made, but it happened and we have to examine it and Oliver has to deal with the ramifications of that realization.” (Mar. 22, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article) -- SA: “He’s become a much more three-dimensional person in so far as, ‘Look, if you bring lethal force against me, I will bring lethal force against you.' ... But he’s also not out on a killing spree, right? So how does Oliver deal with that realization? is a huge, huge question that we try to resolve through the latter part of season 5, because ultimately — if thematically we’re dealing with legacy — he has to recognize everything that he’s been party to since coming back to Star City at the start of our series.” (Mar. 22, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article) -- On being determined to take Chase down, SA: “He has to die... Killing Chase becomes the only thing that matters to him. We really see his world fall apart.” (Mar. 22, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article) -- SA: "But yeah, [Oliver’s] going off the deep end a little bit, which is the hallmark of a good villain.” (Mar. 22, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article) -- On whether Oliver can come back from the darkness, SA: “I actually do think so... I think that ultimately, if Oliver comes out on the winning side this year, he will have gone through some very important realizations that hopefully will help him grow as a person, as a friend, as a leader, as a teammate, as a hero, and as the mayor. I do think it’s important that there is a sense of victory and accomplishment because otherwise, we’re just destroying the city every year.” (Mar. 22, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article) -- SA: "Chase is trying to sell him something. and Oliver buys it." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: thesuperboytheater video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to question that I couldn't hear, SA: "We actually, uh, haven't been dealing with that that much in the past couple of episodes. But I think that's something we might delve into next year. But this is really - this isn't about Oliver as the Arrow. Uh, it's not about Oliver as the Mayor... It's about Oliver - Oliver the Person... And Prometheus was created through the early part of our show, in Season 1 with the list. And, it's really a referendum on, Did what Oliver do during that first initial, some might call it, killing spree, taint everything else? That's really what we're going through in the last couple episodes." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: thesuperboytheater video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- From fan reporting on SA's HVFF panel: "SA: important to compartmentalize his confession with his actions in S1. There is a element of Oliver enjoying it too much in s1." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: jbuffyangel tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "There was an element of Oliver obviously in Season 1 that enjoyed what he did, maybe he did it to excess. Um, but yeah, it's all about - actually, I just saw that scene last night because I was watching some of the Season 1 flashbacks for reasons that I can't explain. And, uh, yeah, the whole idea that he wouldn't snap the neck of a bird even though he was starving, you know, compared with what we saw in 517, which is, you know, like, torturing the guy for information and then torturing him for practice. That's, uh, that's a big swing. Obviously." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: Video in KaiNesbitt tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel report from HVFF-Chicago (autograph table): "Me: Thank you so much. So, how do you want Oliver to handle his final showdown with Prometheus? Stephen: (thoughtfully) I don’t know. I think it depends on what he does, you know? Me: Very true, but do you think Oliver is going to come out of this with a stronger moral code? Stephen: Yes, I think so." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25-26, 2017: jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether he's hoping that Oliver stays Mayor of Star City, SA: "Yes. I’m really, really enjoying that. Oliver as Mayor has been some of my favorite stuff this year. It gave us the opportunity to do an episode like Episode 13 'Spectre of the Gun' which certainly provided the highest level of feedback that we’ve ever had for an episode. Some people loved it, some people hated it, a lot of people appreciated it, but I don’t know that we can do something like that if we didn’t have Oliver in the Mayor’s office." (Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether Oliver could continue as Mayor if he was outed as the GA, SA: "Probably not." (Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On what one or two things that he'd like to see happen on the show, SA: "I think it would be amazing if one day Oliver was just outed as - as the Green Arrow. I think that would be really cool. I don't know if we could sustain the show if we did it, so I don't know if it would happen - uh, I don't know if it would happen until, you know, we knew what the end date of the show was, but I think that that would be very, very cool. And also, secondarily, I would like Oliver to - one of the defined traits of the Green Arrow, uh, in the comics, um, is that he has a pretty established political stance. And I think that, although those waters are murky at the moment, I think it would be really fun if the show took a position, one way or the other. I mean, we did an episode this season on gun violence or gun control, however you want to say it, and... did our best to split it down the middle, and have people on both sides of the debate. Um, some people liked it, some people didn't, which is fine. But, uh, I would like our show to take a position. I feel like we've earned the right to do it. And I mean, what's the worst we could do? Alienate some viewers? It's fine. What are you going to do? I'd rather take a strong position than sort of be lukewarm." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel, jbuffyangel tweet and lschin12 tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "I think it's possible Oliver having babies, okay? Not himself personally, but with another person. And I think that it's conceivable that Oliver could, you know, also change diapers. Just like it's conceivable that Oliver could sing. But those are two things that you're never going to see on the show... You know how everyone puts on a superhero suit, but you never see them put them on? If there's ever a baby on the show, their diaper will get changed, you'll just never see it." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: Video in KaiNesbitt tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there's a storyline from the comics that he'd like to see on the tv show, SA: "It would be cool for Oliver to lose his arm. That would be really cool... It would be cool if, in an upcoming season, early in the season, like, Oliver went up against the Big Bad Villain and just got his arm cut off." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel and MyFutureQueen tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan reporting from DR/WH/KC/EK/CR/KL panel at HVFF-Chicago: "Diggle tells Wild Dog in an upcoming ep that we don't have our tranquilizers so make it as non bloody as possible." and "This was david commenting on the violence of arrow and how they are moving Oliver from an anti hero to a non killing vigilante." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: jbuffyangel tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch -- MG: "They're [Helix] a group of uber-hackers -- probably not on the side of the angels... I think the thing with Helix is there will be major consequences for Felicity, major consequences for Felicity's relationship with Oliver, and the introduction of a new character who you probably have not seen the last of." (Mar. 28, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 1453 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG: "One of the things we wanted to do with Felicity was have her walk a [bit] in Oliver's footsteps... Have her experience a little bit of the moral ambiguity he lives with on a daily basis. And for us, that's the experience with Helix. It's going to connect up with the Prometheus story in an interesting and unexpected way. I'm very excited about the way it comes together." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan asked: "Felicity avoided dark hacking in college with Cooper. It brought on many bad consequences. What made her forget all that?" MG reply tweeted: "Grief over Billy Malone's death and a consequential drive to stop Prometheus." (Mar. 28, 2017 MG tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: “Felicity’s use of Pandora is very similar to Oliver and Diggle’s [David Ramsey] use of violence... It’s the hacker equivalent. You’re using violence for a good means, but violence is not necessarily a good thing. So what’s the cost to Felicity in doing that? We don’t want to turn Felicity into a killer, but we wanted to explore how Felicity has been spending basically five years with Team Arrow now, and she’s been spending five years with people who solve problems by not just resorting to violence, but by resorting to means that are morally questionable. Felicity is going to start discovering what happens when you fight fire with fire — do you get burned?” (Mar. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: “We are going to see somebody [else]... What’s interesting about it is he’s not actually at Helix right now, so there’s going to be a big episode where we find out who this person is, and Felicity is involved in helping him. It’s really messed up.” (Mar. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: “Helix has a game plan, and Felicity has come in there with a very specific agenda: She wants to get revenge against Prometheus, get revenge against Adrian [Josh Segarra]... She’s not thinking about the pieces and how it’s all fitting into the bigger mosaic. She’s getting in deep. There’s going to be some trouble, and she’s going to find herself having to make some decisions she knows are wrong, and she’s not going to be able to see it until it’s almost too late.” (Mar. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "For Helix, I think you have to look at their roots... They're an organization who's willing to break any law, go do anything in the name of 'protecting the people.' We really did sort of take this from Anonymous and Wikileaks, and we were trying to look at the real world implications of people who do this kind of work. As much as I am pro-exposing some of those secrets that I think some people need to know, there is a dark side there, and that's the line we really wanted to explore with them." (Mar. 28, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 1453 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- WM: "[Felicity] got involved with Helix and she’s now in this really dark space... We’re going to see how she comes out on the other end of that. There’s always hope on Arrow. As dark as we get, ultimately I think there’s a lot of hope on the show.” (Mar. 19, 2017 RottenTomatoes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Felicity getting way in over her head with Helix, WM: "[Felicity's] going to come out of this season as the most changed character... She's never had to face this in a personal way and she's now making decisions that are very akin to what Oliver was doing in season one. These are things that she would have judged pretty harshly in seasons past. But she has a new understanding of what everyone around her has been through and it's going to give her a new appreciation for Diggle and Oliver." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan who expressed concern about the lack of promotion for EBR and whether she's leaving the show, SA replied: "Emily isn't going anywhere." (Mar. 27, 2017 SA facebook post, page 1453 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- SA: "Diggle is very much the soothsayer and the person who can give him a good piece of advice. But in terms of a heart to heart and a dynamic conversation, Felicity is the one for him." (Mar. 22, 2017 Collider article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: “We’re going to come face-to-face with Felicity’s Helix acquaintances and her allegiances to them... and the stakes are going to get higher before they get lower. Diggle’s had a heart-to-heart with her, like he did with Oliver nearly every week in Season 1 and 2, and he appealed to her higher, moral self. But we’re going to get past talking at this point. Now it’s time to place foot to rear ends, as it were.” (Mar. 30, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On how we haven't seen much of Dinah and Felicity, and whether we're going to get any moments between those two coming up, JH: "Yeah, I think - we will. And, um, I want more of that myself as well, um, because I do like to see the women working together. Uh, but I think what it really has been is just that Felicity's kind of on the other side of the, you know, battlefield, so to speak, like she's doing all the tech stuff and I'm really out there and fighting all the time. So, yeah, I think you'll see some more of them together in the future. But I think that, more than anything, that's really the reason they've been a bit separate." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- In 518, Felicity continues on her “lowercase-D” (as MG puts it) dark path with Alena and the Helix uberhacker collective. (Mar. 23, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- A version of Felicity, in a mask and costume, will appear in LoT 216. EBR will have scenes with CL, as Sara, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers, as Amaya. (See spoilers in "LoT Crossovers" section below) -- On Felicity's cameo on LoT 216 as a masked superhero, MG: “We all recognized, ‘Well, who are we going to use from our Arrowverse?'... It’s always nice when you can pull in a character from one of the other shows. We talked about a lot of different ideas, and I said, ‘Since this is an alternate reality and we’ll probably never have the opportunity to do so again, I think it would be fun if we did Felicity as a superhero,’ because I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I have zero intention of ever putting Felicity in a mask and costume on Arrow. So this is really the only circumstance by which we could do it." Though her superhero name wasn’t used in the episode, or even scripted for that matter, MG noted that it would probably be Overwatch as a nod to her codename on Arrow. MG: “Yes, it just so happens that she’s killed... There’s no statement behind it, there’s no meta commentary, it really was the scene existed first and the idea to have that scene be Felicity as a superhero came second. Once we made it Felicity, I didn’t want to then change what our original intent was, which was to kill the superhero. So that’s how it all came together. But I hope people enjoy it in the spirit in which it was intended.” On whether there's a chance we could ever see her again, MG: “There’s two lines in the sand that I’ve drawn for Arrow for myself... I can’t speak for Greg [Berlanti] or for Wendy [Mericle], but for as long as I’m involved with the show, the two things I never want to do is kill off Thea [Willa Holland] and put Felicity in a mask and a costume. Those, to me, are two lines that I just think are a bridge too far. Thea, because we’ve taken so many family members away from Oliver, and Felicity because when you put a character like that in a costume, I think it diminishes who that character is and it makes the idea of superheroics seem silly.” (Mar. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 283 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether there was talk of incorporating more Arrow-verse characters into the LoT 216 plot besides Felicity, MG: "Yeah, I mean, we didn't really feel like we had room in the story to revisit a lot of other Arrow-verse characters. We had the idea that, in the Doomworld reality, Amaya and Sara were working for Damien as enforcers. Someone in the room pitched the idea of "What if they're chasing a superhero and it's someone from the Arrow-verse and they kill them?" We talked about a wide variety of different options, but I've always been very vocal about how I have no desire to ever see Felicity suit up and wear a mask. Since this was an alternate reality, I sensed a very unique opportunity to do the thing that, generally speaking, I vowed never to do. ... Once we got past that cold open, there wasn't really room for any other cameos, in large part because we were pushing so much story because it was leading into the last episode of the season. There was nothing feasible given the amount of screen time that we had to play with." (Apr. 3, 2017 IGN article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 286 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) John Diggle AKA Spartan -- SA: "Diggle is very much the soothsayer and the person who can give him a good piece of advice. But in terms of a heart to heart and a dynamic conversation, Felicity is the one for him." (Mar. 22, 2017 Collider article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Oliver's decision to call on the Bratva for help in taking down Prometheus, DR: "Diggle is probably the most evolved, righteous and stable member of the team... He has a very clear view of how he feels about the Bratva. You just don't get in bed with these guys. Oliver is a constantly evolving superhero and he doesn't quite have those strong moral lines the way Diggle does. We're going to have some major conflict. Diggle's going to be talking to a wall when it comes to Oliver." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "You know what I like about Diggle and always have is that everyone on the show is exceptional in the sense that Felicity's probably, you know, one of the top smartest - top five smartest people on the planet - female power, girls rule, right? - um, Oliver Queen, along with maybe Bruce Wayne, top three fighters on the planet, right? And then there's John Diggle. And what I like about John Diggle is that this is just a guy who's born in the Glades, inner city of Starling City, and, um, just wanted to better himself. So he joined the military. And he wanted to better his community and became this guy who fought crime. And he's just a regular guy, joined the military, became a service man. And he's - what I like about him, I think, people can kinda identify with him is because he's probably the most reachable in that sense. His [success?-unintelligible word] is that anybody can be John Diggle, as opposed to Felicity. I mean, you can't really be that, you can't be Oliver Queen, you can't reach that. But anyone can service their community, can service their country. And, um, and that's what really appealed to me about John Diggle." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "John Diggle's now part of the DC Universe in the comic books because of the fans! They demanded it. It's true, it's true... Everyone just really dug into Diggle as soon as he came across the screen and DC listened and put him into the - into the canon. You know, there was always this talk about John Diggle and John Stewart mythos kinda being combined and, uh, is this guy really John Stewart. I mean, this was put to rest a couple seasons ago. But I think, in the wisdom of the creators of the show and the writers - which I was kinda sad about when I just kinda found out, 'oh, I'm not John Stewart, ahh,' but as I just continued to play John Diggle, this is an original character and, um, never existed before, right? So 10 years, 15 years from now, when this is redone, there'll be someone else playing John Diggle and it started here... It feels a little better now that I'm sorta sinking into a new mythos being created for this new character." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- If he had to describe Diggle in one word, DR: "Committed. He's committed... He's the man you want in your corner." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan reporting from DR/WH/KC/EK/CR/KL panel at HVFF-Chicago: "Diggle tells Wild Dog in an upcoming ep that we don't have our tranquilizers so make it as non bloody as possible." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: jbuffyangel tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Although DR acknowledges he has heard from people about potential sparks between Diggle and Dinah, he admits it's probably just the actors' natural chemistry. DR: "Juliana is an incredible actress, and I think she just lights up the screen." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Dinah is getting any closer to any specific people within Team Arrow, JH: "As I read the scripts every week, it's like I can feel her getting closer to everyone a little bit at a time. Like, I definitely have been spending, um, more time with Curtis. And she's getting more interested in the technology side of things. And, um, all these new perspectives, I think, are intriguing to her. So, uh, she definitely has formed a bond with, uh, Diggle, just going out on the field together. And, um, I think she feels like she's slowly getting comfortable with everyone, um, so I don't if it's one more than the other at the moment. It's kind of like she's getting to know the whole group." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger -- DR: "You're going to see some conflict between Diggle and Lyla... Lyla is the leader of ARGUS. She has her finger on the Suicide Squad. How does that impact a man like John Diggle, when they cohabitate? I'm looking forward to them exploring that; what Flashpoint did to the couple. We're talking about that at the end of the season and more next season." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "We're also gonna explore some things with Diggle and Lyla - the Dyla dynamic. (Fans cheer) I mean, she's the leader of ARGUS, right? I mean, she has her hand on the Suicide Squad. Which is funny because I want to see more of this Suicide Squad. But we had to kill some people. We had to kill Waller. We had to kill Deadshot. There's always drama. But, um - but we'll dig into some of that dynamic as to what happens in the Diggle household, right? Of Spartan versus, you know, the new Amanda Waller." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report from DR panel at HVFF-Chicago: "Gonna explore more #DYLA dynamics as to what happens vs Spartan and the 'new' Amanda." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: MyFutureQueen tweet, page 1445 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Matt Mitovich: "David Ramsey from Arrow told us that... in a coming episode, we're going to get a look at Diggle and Lyla's life - see what it's like for one of the Arrow guys to be living with the head of ARGUS. I know that people are always asking about Diggle's storylines. So that's coming up." (Mar. 27, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Flash: On Mar. 22, 2017, Audrey Marie Anderson tweeted: "Looks like Lyla will be showing her face on The Flash!" (AMA tweet, page 278 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Thea Queen AKA Speedy -- Thea (WH) will return for the final three episodes of this season. WM: “Thea is the daughter of sociopaths, which is one of the biggest challenges any human being can really face... so she’s going to grappling with that and trying to understand: What is this in her that makes her so kind of Moira-esque, and how is she going to manage it? Ultimately, she and Oliver are going to come to the same conclusion about how to do that, by the finale.” (Mar. 30, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: “There’s two lines in the sand that I’ve drawn for Arrow for myself... I can’t speak for Greg [Berlanti] or for Wendy [Mericle], but for as long as I’m involved with the show, the two things I never want to do is kill off Thea [Willa Holland] and put Felicity in a mask and a costume. Those, to me, are two lines that I just think are a bridge too far. Thea, because we’ve taken so many family members away from Oliver, and Felicity because when you put a character like that in a costume, I think it diminishes who that character is and it makes the idea of superheroics seem silly.” (Mar. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 283 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) --Fan reporting from DR/KC/WH/CR/CL/KL panel at HVFF: "I saw Willa and told her I love both Thea and Speedy. I said we miss her and want to see more of her. She said "it's not up to me." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: georgishly tweet, page 1443 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan reporting from DR/WH/KC/EK/CR/KL panel at HVFF-Chicago: "Thea will be back during the end of season crisis but speedy is tbd." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: jbuffyangel tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific -- On whether Dinah is getting any closer to any specific people within Team Arrow, JH: "As I read the scripts every week, it's like I can feel her getting closer to everyone a little bit at a time. Like, I definitely have been spending, um, more time with Curtis. And she's getting more interested in the technology side of things. And, um, all these new perspectives, I think, are intriguing to her. So, uh, she definitely has formed a bond with, uh, Diggle, just going out on the field together. And, um, I think she feels like she's slowly getting comfortable with everyone, um, so I don't if it's one more than the other at the moment. It's kind of like she's getting to know the whole group." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis -- On Mar. 27, 2017, papp tweeted: "How come the #Arrow article doesn't mention Black Siren is teaming up with Artemis." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1449 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On a possible face-off or interaction with Artemis when she returns, JH: "Well, I know that to - for Dinah, loyalty is important and, um, that might be something that she felt was betrayed and so, uh, I don't know what their interaction is yet or if they're even going to have one in the future. But I have a feeling that would be in the back of her mind if they ever did come into combat." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Quentin Lance -- On fans shipping Dinah with Quentin Lance because of the comics after the "Dinah Drake" reveal in 511, JH (laughing): "Really? ... That's amazing. No, I've never seen that [fan reaction online] ... I guess I should've thought of that because it's the comics, but, um, I guess I just hadn't thought of it with Paul. (Laughs again) I think it's great. Um, wow, yeah. I don't know what to say." (Continues laughing) (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Simon Morrison AKA Adrian Chase AKA Prometheus -- 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) -- On what makes Prometheus so dangerous, WM: “He’s one of my favorites. I think we’ve had some good villains on the show, but Prometheus operates on such a different level in a more intellectual, psychological way. He’s not Malcolm Merlin trying to blow up the glades. He’s not Ra’s al Ghul with a personal vendetta. It’s not even like Damien Dark who also had his own agenda. Other villains have always gone after the city, they’ve always gone after the people around Oliver, but Prometheus is solely after Oliver himself, and he’s not even interested in killing him — he’s interested in breaking him down. That’s a different thing that we’ve never done before, and it’s been fun to write.” (Mar. 21, 2017 Hypable article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Prometheus is a very personal villain, very psychological villain and the ending will be appropriate to that.” (Mar. 19, 2017 RottenTomatoes article, page 55 of Spoilers 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 whether there is an actual Adrian Chase out there somewhere, SA: "[Laughs] I don’t know. That’s a good question. ... I get it. Because Adrian Chase in the comics is Vigilante. There’s probably not another Adrian Chase." (Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether Oliver can even understand where Prometheus is coming from, or whether he has given up trying to figure him out, SA: "No, Oliver doesn’t understand! It really takes the next couple of episodes for him to really, really understand what this person is trying to accomplish." (Mar. 22, 2017 Collider article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Prometheus' plan was to show Oliver that all of his efforts are in vain and that everyone around him is going to be adversely affected by whatever 'goodwill' he has... That's such an involved, intricate plan for a villain to have. The unraveling of Prometheus' efforts and how it's affecting Oliver will be the focus of the team for the rest of the season." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) The Vigilante -- On the identity of the Vigilante, MG: “We know who it is, but we were kind of intrigued by the idea of having a mystery that led into the next season... We were excited at the prospect of just letting this play out for a little while longer, and it gives us something cool to do in Season 6. ... As a general rule, I’m not a fan of mystery characters who when you take off the mask the audience goes, ‘What a minute, I’ve never seen that person before in my life,' ... I’m probably not spoiling anything by saying whoever’s underneath the Vigilante mask, you’ve seen that person before.” (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 201: Mar. 26, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On the identity of the Vigilante, MG: "We know who it is. But, one of the things that kinda intrigued us is - we've never really done a mystery, apart from the flashbacks, we've never really done a mystery in the present day that stretched over multi - two seasons of the show. Um, and, in many ways the identity of Vigilante has a - has a - more of an effect on other characters in the show than Oliver. And right now, it's - it's all about Oliver." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: MT of Sandy video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) Konstantin Kovar -- On Mar. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "Dolph Lundgren is filming today." (pursuit23 tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) Anatoly Knyazev -- On Mar. 20, 2017, David Nykl tweeted pic of empty chair on wood deck overlooking lake, with comment: "Some days on set are better than others..." (DN tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) Susan Williams -- On whether Oliver's relationship with Susan will survive her being kidnapped by Chase, WM: “I don’t know how you overcome that... I mean, Susan’s still there. She’s on the show. And we love Carly [Pope]. But for any couple that’s been through that kind of trauma – and trauma that, ultimately, Susan can trace back to Oliver in some ways – let’s just say that’s a tough thing to come back from.” (Mar. 23, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 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) -- On Mar. 16, 2017, Cody Rhodes tweeted pic of an Arrow trailer with "SAMPSON" on the door, with comment: "F!?& YEAH ! ! #Arrow." (CodyRhodes tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, Cody Rhodes tweeted "big day" and posted pic of his Arrow set chair with "Cody Runnels" name on it and black leather jacket draped over it. (CodyRhodes tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) Dinah Drake (FKA Tina Boland) AKA New Black Canary? -- On what it was like trying to introduce a legacy character like Dinah Drake onto the show, following in the footsteps of Laurel Lance’s death, WM: "It’s been amazing. Juliana Harkavy is fantastic, and we feel really lucky to have her because it was such a long search to find just the right person. I think bringing Dinah onto the show is obviously very loaded for a lot of the fans, and it’s also loaded for a lot of the characters—Lance in particular misses his daughter. We’ve tried to be very careful with the notion that no one is ever going to replace Laurel Lance, but we decided to bring someone in because it’s hard to tell the Oliver Queen story without a Black Canary.” (Mar. 21, 2017 Hypable article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On the addition of JH as the new Black Canary/Dinah Drake and what she’s brought to the show, SA: "You mean Dinah Drake? Juliana has been great. She’s proven thus far that she can carry an episode, and that she can also be a tremendous supporting piece to an episode. It’s not easy to come in… I remember she came in, in maybe episode 11, and that’s ostensibly her episode, and it reminded me a lot of what Grant Gustin did when he came in as Barry Allen in our eighth episode in the second season, where you’re a guest, but you’re really working the most in an episode. I thought she put herself really well, and I like that they’re playing the slow burn with her character." (Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Although DR acknowledges he has heard from people about potential sparks between Diggle and Dinah, he admits it's probably just the actors' natural chemistry. DR: "Juliana is an incredible actress, and I think she just lights up the screen." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Dinah Drake, JH: "Well, I think that she has a fire in her that, um - that isn't going away and she has a desire for justice. And she's incredibly strong, um, and it's important to her to be part of this team. But, uh, she's also learning how to be soft and she's also learning how to work in a team and be friends, uh, and not just fight on her own and fight for her own cause." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Natalie Abrams commented on Dinah being nervous about putting on the BC costume for the first time and asked what her reaction was to doing the same. JH: "Uh, we still don't have a costume officially, so I can't - I can't quite say, but, um, my thoughts about putting on a costume are, uh, sorta similar. I like that they're letting Dinah take her time because I - I feel that I need to take my time as well, you know, to kind of, um, fill the shoes, so to speak, and to, um - to get in and become part of and, uh - So yeah, I agree with her feelings about it and I - I'm excited for it when it comes, if it comes, and, um - yeah, I'm super excited about it." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On what kind of training she did for the role and whether she had any prior martial arts background, JH: "Very little martial arts. Um, most of my background was just in sports, and, uh, just training - regular training at the gym. But, um, once I got here, they gave me a trainer and, uh, they got me together with some incredible stunt people, and started weapons training, and boxing. So I was athletic, but I didn't really have the stamina and strength that I do now... just from, you know, their help and from working with these awesome people." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether there'll be time for any Dinah-centric outings before this season ends, JH: "Oh, there may be, there may be. You know, there's - there are so many, um, different things going on and, uh - but Dinah's is definitely, um - but yeah, she'll be around."(Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether she had looked at what KC had done with BC, for any inspiration, or whether she wanted to make the character wholly her own, JH: "I sort of, you know - I, I - when I watched Katie, it was to, um - to see what she was doing and how she was doing it. I mean, I looked at her for inspiration more than anything. It's not that I want Dinah to be, uh, what Laurel is or how Laurel is. I think they're two very different people. But, um, you know, she did an incredible job at forming this character and I want to do it justice. So yeah, I just watched her performance and I thought she was, uh, incredible and I thought she was really great and, um - but it's not so much trying to mimic. It's just, you know, to see the differences and where the differences live [unintellible word]." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether audiences can hope for a Black Canary/Black Siren face-off, JH: "Oh, I hope for that. That would be so cool. That would be amazing. I don't know the answer to that, but I think that sounds awesome." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether Dinah is getting any closer to any specific people within Team Arrow, JH: "As I read the scripts every week, it's like I can feel her getting closer to everyone a little bit at a time. Like, I definitely have been spending, um, more time with Curtis. And she's getting more interested in the technology side of things. And, um, all these new perspectives, I think, are intriguing to her. So, uh, she definitely has formed a bond with, uh, Diggle, just going out on the field together. And, um, I think she feels like she's slowly getting comfortable with everyone, um, so I don't if it's one more than the other at the moment. It's kind of like she's getting to know the whole group." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On fans shipping Dinah with Quentin Lance because of the comics after the "Dinah Drake" reveal in 511, JH (laughing): "Really? ... That's amazing. No, I've never seen that [fan reaction online] ... I guess I should've thought of that because it's the comics, but, um, I guess I just hadn't thought of it with Paul. (Laughs again) I think it's great. Um, wow, yeah. I don't know what to say." (Continues laughing) (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On what is the most fun part about playing Dinah, JH: "I think the opportunity to be a strong, powerful woman, um, is just really amazing. Um, to be able to physically, uh, do what a team of men superheroes are doing and to not even have it like - but the thing is, it's not even about the gender. It's not about, 'oh, she can do this and she's a girl.' It's just this woman existing in this world. Um, I don't know, I think it's - it's just a real honor and, um, as far as the most fun - the set, going to work every day is so fun. I mean, you're literally like - you're working inside of a comic book, it feels like. And, um, it's just like a dream. The character herself and then, um, the set and the cast and everything. It's just a dream. Every day at work." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On how we haven't seen much of Dinah and Felicity, and whether we're going to get any moments between those two coming up, JH: "Yeah, I think - we will. And, um, I want more of that myself as well, um, because I do like to see the women working together. Uh, but I think what it really has been is just that Felicity's kind of on the other side of the, you know, battlefield, so to speak, like she's doing all the tech stuff and I'm really out there and fighting all the time. So, yeah, I think you'll see some more of them together in the future. But I think that, more than anything, that's really the reason they've been a bit separate." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On a possible face-off or interaction with Artemis when she returns, JH: "Well, I know that to - for Dinah, loyalty is important and, um, that might be something that she felt was betrayed and so, uh, I don't know what their interaction is yet or if they're even going to have one in the future. But I have a feeling that would be in the back of her mind if they ever did come into combat." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether she hopes to explore more of Dinah's background, like the years before the particle explosion, JH: "Absolutely. Yeah, I hope to, um - I hope to explore it myself as an actor. And I hope that, um, the audience will get to see it as well because she's a very multi-dimensional, uh, complex character... I'm really excited to get deeper into her and why she is the way she is. Yeah, I think that would be great." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Natalie Abrams asked if she's heard yet whether Dinah will be sticking around for next season, JH: "I wish I had. No, I have not. Um, again, it's sort of a lot of speculating and a lot of, um, ideas floating around. But I'm waiting to find out with the rest of you guys. So, um, I hope to be though, because this is truly the most fun, one of the most gratifying experiences I've had, just as an actor and as a human being - just like, the athletics and, you know, the martial arts is really kind of just it's like - I don't know, it's really been a life-changing kind of experience and I hope it's going to continue." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 27, 2017, fan thanked MG for bringing back Black Siren but also asked that they don't get rid of Dinah Drake. In reply, MG tweeted: "Thank you! (And don't worry.)" (ChameleonGuy23 and MG tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread and page 1449 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Talia al Ghul -- Talia could complicate things for Oliver by the end of the season. MG: “I would say that she probably bears more of a resemblance to her father than [her sister] Nyssa does." (Mar. 19, 2017 RottenTomatoes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) William Clayton (Oliver's Son) :( -- Fan reporting from SA's HVFF panel: "i think william is coming back in finale. he said william will find out oliver is his dead [sic] sooner than later." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan reporting from SA's HVFF panel: "Baby black canary asked if William will find out Oliver is his dad: SA: I'd bet money on that happening ." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: jbuffyangel tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan reporting from SA's HVFF panel: "Stephen said William will find out on the show he's Green Arrow - you can bet on it." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: MyFutureQueen tweet, page 1442 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan reporting from SA's HVFF panel: "'if I were a betting man I'd put money on that happening sooner or later' in reference to William finding out he's the green arrow." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: rhodesmoak tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) Return of Laurel Lance -- KC will be returning as Black Siren in 522 and 523 and then will continue as a series regular in S6. MG: “One of the things that most excites us about Arrow is that we go where the story takes us. Last year, the story took us to the tragic death of Laurel Lance. This year, our midseason finale reintroduced us to Laurel’s doppelgänger, Black Siren. We were so taken by Katie’s fearless interpretation of this character that we knew her story was not yet finished. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Katie back to Arrow as Black Siren, though as her appearances on Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow this season show, she never really left the family.” (Mar. 27, 2017 Deadline, Variety and TVLine articles, and MG, JarettSays and GreenArrowTV tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Matt Mitovich: "3:30. Arrow news. Katie Cassidy will be back in the final two episodes of the season. And she'll be a series regular for Season 6. You heard it here. Go read the story on TVLine dot com - www.tvline.com. Katie Cassidy back to being a series regular on the show Arrow. Uh, I'm going to make you go read our story on the website to see who she will be playing, 'cause she has played several different versions of her character." Michael Ausiello: "Now, is it a real series regular thing? Is it like all 23 episodes?" Matt Mitovich: "We do not know." (Matt and Michael then talked about how KC was a "series regular" this season across all the Arrowverse shows and noted that she appeared in a total of half a dozen episodes.) Michael Ausiello: "I mean, it's probably fair to say that she'll be on more than half a dozen episodes. If she's a series regular, that usually means at least 13. Even if it's a fractional series regular, it's at least, like, 13 episodes." (Mar. 27, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 27, 2017, papp tweeted: "How come the #Arrow article doesn't mention Black Siren is teaming up with Artemis." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1449 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- KC will appear in LoT 217. (See spoilers in "LoT Crossovers" section below) -- Aside from KC's appearance in LoT 217, when asked if Laurel will pop up on any of the other DC shows before the season concludes, MG: "I can say absolutely nothing." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- Matt Mitovich: "People always ask about Katie Cassidy. She, of course, is going to be on the Legends of Tomorrow finale. Um, Marc Guggenheim said it. She's in one pivotal scene and there will not be a dry eye in the house. And as far as any other Katie Cassidy news, yeah, he hinted at a - an announcement to come. So we'll be keeping our eye out on that." (Mar. 20, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live facebook video, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1430 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- DR: "There's, um, some stuff they're going to get into with, uh, like I said, Dyla, Black Siren - (No real fan reaction except for someone going, 'whoo' and 'oh really?')." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report from DR panel: "David said even though he believes OTA is core and strength of the show, there are other stories to tell: newbies, Black Siren." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: MyFutureQueen tweet, page 545 of Social Media thread) -- On Mar. 21, 2017, in response to fan who asked if Laurel will be back in S6, one papp tweeted: "Laurel is dead but Katie Cassidy should be back." and another papp tweeted: "any1's guess now.. heard there is a big meeting this afternoon over the leaked pics on thursday ??#Arrow." (pursuit23 and PUNKD_Images tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 25, 2017, papp tweeted that KC "is back next week." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1442 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 14, 2017, papp tweeted: "a lil' black birdy says you're gonna have some #Arrow fun next season.. bringin' back #Olicity & #KatieCassidy." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) Other Possible Returns or Debuts in S5 -- MG: "They're [Helix] a group of uber-hackers -- probably not on the side of the angels... I think the thing with Helix is there will be major consequences for Felicity, major consequences for Felicity's relationship with Oliver, and the introduction of a new character who you probably have not seen the last of." (Mar. 28, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 1453 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- WM: “We are going to see somebody [else]... What’s interesting about it is he’s not actually at Helix right now, so there’s going to be a big episode where we find out who this person is, and Felicity is involved in helping him. It’s really messed up.” (Mar. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel report from HVFF-Chicago (autograph table): "Me: Anything you could give us would be so appreciated. Stephen: (thinks for a minute) Okay, well if you’re a fan of the series since Season 1 - He pauses and looks at us. Tricia and I: (in unison) We are. Stephen: (smiles) then there’s someone who’s coming back in 5x22 that we haven’t seen since S1. And… you should be the most excited about a series finale than you’ve ever been based on the last scene in 5x22." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25-26, 2017: jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan reporting from SA panel at HVFF-Chicago: "[Stephen] also said that if you're a fan of show since S1 u will love 5.22 & see a character that we've haven't seen since S1." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: TriciaTesH tweet, page 1443 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- During SA panel at HVFF-Chicago, fan asked, "Since you said you were hanging up the hood, does that mean you're going back to the League of Assassins?" SA replied: "Going back to the League of Assassins? Tell you what, here's a spoiler - I fight alongside someone who is in the League of Assassins before the end of the year." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: Video in KaiNesbitt tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Oh, the finale - dude. (Fans yell, "is it awesome?" and "spoilers" and "give us one word") Two words. Death. Stroke. (Fans cheer) ... Um, hopefully. (Laughs) Um, no, there's a lot of talk about Manu. Manu - you know, I love all of our bad guys. Neal was just - umph, off the chains, but there was just something about Manu... So there's talk about that. And hopefully, it happens. But Manu's incredible, man, and, um... you know, it'd be great to kinda play that out someplace, right? Because that was such a wonderful character. So, we'll see what happens with that" (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report from DR panel at HVFF-Chicago: "David: 2 words about finale. DEATH STROKE" and "he followed up with hopefully that happens." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: TriciaTesH tweets, page 1445 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 24, 2017, Nick Tarabay (who played Captain Boomerang) tweeted: "Who really misses this guy ? Cause as you know....What goes around ALWAYS comes back around." (nicktarabay tweet, page 1441 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 31, 2017, T3 Athletics posted video clip of JR Bourne working out and tweeted: "Welcoming @jrbourne1111 to T3 Athletics and TurF with some Turkish Get Ups today. Not too damn shabby for a first timer eh @emilybett?? Looking forward to working with this guy. He's a gamer ??." (t3athletics tweet and instagram post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) LoT Crossovers -- LoT 216: MG: "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 — a character from one of the other shows on Legends in a way that you’ve never seen before, you may never see again, but will, I think, just send fans into squeals of joy.” (Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 278 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 216 (Doomworld): MG: "I will call it a surprise crossover. No one knows this because we’ve kept it under wraps, but there’s a surprise cameo, surprise crossover moment in the penultimate episode of Legends." (Mar. 18, 2017 Deadline article, page 273 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 216 (Doomworld): Per papp, in response to MG tease of surprise crossover: "It’s Felicity Smoak. She filmed on location and people spotted her on set. #Spoiler?" (Mar. 18, 2017 lemon_buzz tweet, page 273 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 216: On Mar. 22, 2017, MG posted pics of masked and hooded Felicity, with comment: "Concept art from next week's Legends of Tomorrow." (MG tweet, page 277 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 216: On Mar. 23, 2017, Andy Poon (concept illustrator) tweeted: "Producer @mguggenheim shared a concept art of #felicitysmoak that I worked on for next week's legends of tomorrow. @EmilyBett" and "haha she's playing felicity" and "Producer Marc Guggenheim shared an early sneak peak of a concept illustration I did of Felicity…" (andypoondesign tweets, page 279 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 216; Matt Mitovich: "Legends of Tomorrow... tomorrow's the episode that Felicity's going to pop up in her mask and costume. That was interesting. I don't know why they didn't keep that a full surprise... (Andy asked if she has a superhero name) Not that I've heard. People say she looks like someone called 'Spoiler.'" (Mar. 27, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- LoT 216: Natalie Abrams: "[This episode] showcases what happens after the Legion of Doom recently obtained the Spear of Destiny — they’ll rewrite reality, creating their own nefarious kingdom in which each of the heroes suffers their own personal punishments. And apparently, in this Doomsworld, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) is a hero." (Mar. 23, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 278 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 216: From fan at HVFF-Chicago: "BRANDON MY FAVE!!! i asked if he had scenes with emily in the mask and he said only caity and amaya did. he's such a sweetheart." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 279 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 216: From fan at HVFF-Chicago: "asked caity about felicity on lot this week and her scenes with Sara/Amaya: "don't be mad at me." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: rhodesmoak tweet, page 279 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Felicity's cameo on LoT 216 as a masked superhero, MG: “We all recognized, ‘Well, who are we going to use from our Arrowverse?'... It’s always nice when you can pull in a character from one of the other shows. We talked about a lot of different ideas, and I said, ‘Since this is an alternate reality and we’ll probably never have the opportunity to do so again, I think it would be fun if we did Felicity as a superhero,’ because I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I have zero intention of ever putting Felicity in a mask and costume on Arrow. So this is really the only circumstance by which we could do it." Though her superhero name wasn’t used in the episode, or even scripted for that matter, MG noted that it would probably be Overwatch as a nod to her codename on Arrow. MG: “Yes, it just so happens that she’s killed... There’s no statement behind it, there’s no meta commentary, it really was the scene existed first and the idea to have that scene be Felicity as a superhero came second. Once we made it Felicity, I didn’t want to then change what our original intent was, which was to kill the superhero. So that’s how it all came together. But I hope people enjoy it in the spirit in which it was intended.” (Mar. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 283 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether there was talk of incorporating more Arrow-verse characters into the LoT 216 plot besides Felicity, MG: "Yeah, I mean, we didn't really feel like we had room in the story to revisit a lot of other Arrow-verse characters. We had the idea that, in the Doomworld reality, Amaya and Sara were working for Damien as enforcers. Someone in the room pitched the idea of "What if they're chasing a superhero and it's someone from the Arrow-verse and they kill them?" We talked about a wide variety of different options, but I've always been very vocal about how I have no desire to ever see Felicity suit up and wear a mask. Since this was an alternate reality, I sensed a very unique opportunity to do the thing that, generally speaking, I vowed never to do. ... Once we got past that cold open, there wasn't really room for any other cameos, in large part because we were pushing so much story because it was leading into the last episode of the season. There was nothing feasible given the amount of screen time that we had to play with." (Apr. 3, 2017 IGN article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 286 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 217 (Aruba): Per MG, KC will make an appearance in the season finale of LoT, and referred to a sizable “easter egg” to come in the penultimate episode. MG: “I will say there is an easter egg—it’s more than an easter egg, it’s a little bit more obvious than that … that I think fans are really going to love... And not necessarily fans of comics, but let’s say fans of cartoons.” (Mar. 18, 2017 Deadline article, page 273 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- LoT 217 (Aruba): Per MG, KC will be reprising her role of Laurel Lance in the LoT finale. MG: "I have to give a shout-out to Katie Cassidy... It's only one scene, but man, she's spectacular in it. It's a scene we've wanted to do since the beginning of the season. We really wanted to get Sara and Laurel back together." Also, CL: "It was wonderful... Katie and I hadn't been able to do a scene together in years. She feels like my sister now, so it was very emotional, nostalgic, and I think people will really like it." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- LoT 217: Matt Mitovich: "People always ask about Katie Cassidy. She, of course, is going to be on the Legends of Tomorrow finale. Um, Marc Guggenheim said it. She's in one pivotal scene and there will not be a dry eye in the house." (Mar. 20, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live facebook video, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1430 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- LoT 217: On whether the Sara/Laurel scene is something that happens by design or whether it sneaks up on Sara, MG: "It certainly happens by the design of the writers. It happens very organic to the story. It’s definitely a pivotal moment in the plot. I don’t want to spoil it. I’ll just say Katie Cassidy appears as Laurel Lance. She doesn’t appear as Black Siren or Black Canary. It’s really a reunion of sorts between the two Lance sisters." Also, on whether Sara seeks Laurel out, MG: "Hmmm… there’s a philosophical argument to be made that she does." (Apr. 3, 2017 TVLine article, page __ of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Flash Crossovers -- Flash: On Mar. 22, 2017, Audrey Marie Anderson tweeted: "Looks like Lyla will be showing her face on The Flash!" (AMA tweet, page 278 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Beyond S5 and Looking Toward Season 6 -- AK intimated plans for a four-series DC crossover in the near future, following an ambitious multi-series crossover this past season. Also, SA chimed in: "I was having dinner with [CW President] Mark Pedowitz—he comes up to Vancouver every year—and I go, ‘Mark, are we going to do a crossover every year?’ And he goes, ‘You’re f*cking right we are!’”(PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: Deadline article, page 273 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Paley Center tweeted: "About the huge crossover episodes, will there be another one this year? Andrew Kreisberg says they're gonna try to do a FOUR WAY crossover!" and "Stephen Amell says CW President Mark Pedowitz affirmed that they'll continue to do crossover episodes." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: paleycenter tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan reporting from SA panel at HVFF-Chicago: "bam is gonna be a producer in season 6." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "I think we have the stuff in place for a nice, long run." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: thesuperboytheater video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there are any characters or actors that he would like to see returning to the series at any point, SA: "I’d like to see Manu [Bennett] come back. I’d like to see more of Lexa [Doig]. I thought that the arc that we did with Katie Cassidy and Black Siren was awesome, and I would love to see more of that. I am very partial to Oliver’s storyline with his son, and with Samantha, so that would be cool. I could go on and on. I always want people to come back. Once someone resonates with viewers, I always want them to come back." (Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- DR: "Uh, oh, and next season, there's so much story!" (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- KC will be returning as Black Siren in 522 and 523 and then will continue as a series regular in S6. MG: “One of the things that most excites us about Arrow is that we go where the story takes us. Last year, the story took us to the tragic death of Laurel Lance. This year, our midseason finale reintroduced us to Laurel’s doppelgänger, Black Siren. We were so taken by Katie’s fearless interpretation of this character that we knew her story was not yet finished. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Katie back to Arrow as Black Siren, though as her appearances on Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow this season show, she never really left the family.” (Mar. 27, 2017 Deadline, Variety and TVLine articles, and MG, JarettSays and GreenArrowTV tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Matt Mitovich: "3:30. Arrow news. Katie Cassidy will be back in the final two episodes of the season. And she'll be a series regular for Season 6. You heard it here. Go read the story on TVLine dot com - www.tvline.com. Katie Cassidy back to being a series regular on the show Arrow. Uh, I'm going to make you go read our story on the website to see who she will be playing, 'cause she has played several different versions of her character." Michael Ausiello: "Now, is it a real series regular thing? Is it like all 23 episodes?" Matt Mitovich: "We do not know." (Matt and Michael then talked about how KC was a "series regular" this season across all the Arrowverse shows and noted that she appeared in a total of half a dozen episodes.) Michael Ausiello: "I mean, it's probably fair to say that she'll be on more than half a dozen episodes. If she's a series regular, that usually means at least 13. Even if it's a fractional series regular, it's at least, like, 13 episodes." (Mar. 27, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Natalie Abrams asked if she's heard yet whether Dinah will be sticking around for next season, JH: "I wish I had. No, I have not. Um, again, it's sort of a lot of speculating and a lot of, um, ideas floating around. But I'm waiting to find out with the rest of you guys. So, um, I hope to be though, because this is truly the most fun, one of the most gratifying experiences I've had, just as an actor and as a human being - just like, the athletics and, you know, the martial arts is really kind of just it's like - I don't know, it's really been a life-changing kind of experience and I hope it's going to continue." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 27, 2017, fan thanked MG for bringing back Black Siren but also asked that they don't get rid of Dinah Drake. In reply, MG tweeted: "Thank you! (And don't worry.)" (ChameleonGuy23 and MG tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread and page 1449 of Spoiler Discussion thread)-- On Mar. 14, 2017, papp tweeted: "a lil' black birdy says you're gonna have some #Arrow fun next season.. bringin' back #Olicity & #KatieCassidy." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) Edited April 4, 2017 by tv echo Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3116847
tv echo March 27, 2017 Author Share March 27, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... SUMMARY OF 518 SPOILERS (AND ALSO LOT 216 SPOILERS): LoT, S2, Episode 16: Doomworld (featuring Masked Felicity) -- Airdate: March 28, 2017. -- MG: "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 — a character from one of the other shows on Legends in a way that you’ve never seen before, you may never see again, but will, I think, just send fans into squeals of joy.” (Jan. 26, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 278 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- MG: "I will call it a surprise crossover. No one knows this because we’ve kept it under wraps, but there’s a surprise cameo, surprise crossover moment in the penultimate episode of Legends." (Mar. 18, 2017 Deadline article, page 273 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Per papp, in response to MG tease of surprise crossover: "It’s Felicity Smoak. She filmed on location and people spotted her on set. Spoiler?" (Mar. 18, 2017 lemon_buzz tweet, page 273 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Mar. 22, 2017, MG posted two pics of masked and hooded Felicity and tweeted: "Concept art from next week's Legends of Tomorrow." (MG tweet, page 277 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, Andy Poon (concept illustrator) tweeted: "Producer @mguggenheim shared a concept art of #felicitysmoak that I worked on for next week's legends of tomorrow. @EmilyBett" and "haha she's playing felicity" and "Producer Marc Guggenheim shared an early sneak peak of a concept illustration I did of Felicity…" (andypoondesign tweets, page 279 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Matt Mitovich: "Legends of Tomorrow... tomorrow's the episode that Felicity's going to pop up in her mask and costume. That was interesting. I don't know why they didn't keep that a full surprise... (Andy asked if she has a superhero name) Not that I've heard. People say she looks like someone called 'Spoiler.'" (Mar. 27, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Natalie Abrams: "[This episode] showcases what happens after the Legion of Doom recently obtained the Spear of Destiny — they’ll rewrite reality, creating their own nefarious kingdom in which each of the heroes suffers their own personal punishments. And apparently, in this Doomsworld, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) is a hero." (Mar. 23, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 278 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- From fan at HVFF-Chicago: "BRANDON MY FAVE!!! i asked if he had scenes with emily in the mask and he said only caity and amaya did. he's such a sweetheart." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 279 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- From fan at HVFF-Chicago: "asked caity about felicity on lot this week and her scenes with Sara/Amaya: 'don't be mad at me.'" (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: rhodesmoak tweet, page 279 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On Felicity's cameo on LoT 216 as a masked superhero, MG: “We all recognized, ‘Well, who are we going to use from our Arrowverse?'... It’s always nice when you can pull in a character from one of the other shows. We talked about a lot of different ideas, and I said, ‘Since this is an alternate reality and we’ll probably never have the opportunity to do so again, I think it would be fun if we did Felicity as a superhero,’ because I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I have zero intention of ever putting Felicity in a mask and costume on Arrow. So this is really the only circumstance by which we could do it." Though her superhero name wasn’t used in the episode, or even scripted for that matter, MG noted that it would probably be Overwatch as a nod to her codename on Arrow. MG: “Yes, it just so happens that she’s killed... There’s no statement behind it, there’s no meta commentary, it really was the scene existed first and the idea to have that scene be Felicity as a superhero came second. Once we made it Felicity, I didn’t want to then change what our original intent was, which was to kill the superhero. So that’s how it all came together. But I hope people enjoy it in the spirit in which it was intended.” On whether there's a chance we could ever see her again, MG: “There’s two lines in the sand that I’ve drawn for Arrow for myself... I can’t speak for Greg [Berlanti] or for Wendy [Mericle], but for as long as I’m involved with the show, the two things I never want to do is kill off Thea [Willa Holland] and put Felicity in a mask and a costume. Those, to me, are two lines that I just think are a bridge too far. Thea, because we’ve taken so many family members away from Oliver, and Felicity because when you put a character like that in a costume, I think it diminishes who that character is and it makes the idea of superheroics seem silly.” (Mar. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 283 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether there was talk of incorporating more Arrow-verse characters into the 216 plot besides Felicity, MG: "Yeah, I mean, we didn't really feel like we had room in the story to revisit a lot of other Arrow-verse characters. We had the idea that, in the Doomworld reality, Amaya and Sara were working for Damien as enforcers. Someone in the room pitched the idea of "What if they're chasing a superhero and it's someone from the Arrow-verse and they kill them?" We talked about a wide variety of different options, but I've always been very vocal about how I have no desire to ever see Felicity suit up and wear a mask. Since this was an alternate reality, I sensed a very unique opportunity to do the thing that, generally speaking, I vowed never to do. ... Once we got past that cold open, there wasn't really room for any other cameos, in large part because we were pushing so much story because it was leading into the last episode of the season. There was nothing feasible given the amount of screen time that we had to play with." (Apr. 3, 2017 IGN article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 286 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) S5, Episode 18: Disbanded -- Production code: 518. Shoot Dates: February 9-21, 2017. Director: JJ Makaro. Writers: Rebecca Bellotto. Airdate: March 29, 2017. (Feb. 18, 2017 MG tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread) -- 518 synopsis: "OLIVER CALLS ON THE BRATVA FOR HELP — Diggle (David Ramsey) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) are shocked by Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) decision to call on the Bratva to help take down Prometheus (Josh Segurra). Concerned the Bratva may overstep, Diggle has a hard conversation with Oliver about what happens if things go south. Meanwhile, Felicity learns something shocking at Helix. J.J. Makaro directed the episode written by Rebecca Bellotto (#518). Original airdate 3/29/2017." (SpoilerTV article, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- 518 promo and extended promo posted. (518 promo and extended promo videos, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- 518 cast preview posted. (518 cast preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- 518 sneak peek posted, featuring Chase visiting Oliver in Mayor's office. (518 sneak peek video in etnow tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- 518 sneak peek posted, featuring Felicity, Diggle, Wild Dog, Curtis and Dinah talking about Oliver. (518 sneak peek video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- 518 promo pics posted, including ones of Susan with Oliver and ones of Felicity with Alena and new Helix guy. (TVLine and GreenArrowTV articles, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver's relationship with Susan will survive her being kidnapped by Chase, WM: “I don’t know how you overcome that... I mean, Susan’s still there. She’s on the show. And we love Carly [Pope]. But for any couple that’s been through that kind of trauma – and trauma that, ultimately, Susan can trace back to Oliver in some ways – let’s just say that’s a tough thing to come back from.” (Mar. 23, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- In 518, Felicity continues on her “lowercase-D” (as MG puts it) dark path with Alena and the Helix uberhacker collective. (Mar. 23, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 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) -- On Oliver's decision to call on the Bratva for help in taking down Prometheus, DR: "Diggle is probably the most evolved, righteous and stable member of the team... He has a very clear view of how he feels about the Bratva. You just don't get in bed with these guys. Oliver is a constantly evolving superhero and he doesn't quite have those strong moral lines the way Diggle does. We're going to have some major conflict. Diggle's going to be talking to a wall when it comes to Oliver." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- From fan at HVFF-Chicago: "i told stephen i didn't like 5a but liked 5.10, 5.12, 5.16, 5.17 and he said we'll like 5.18 and 5.19 and on." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 1445 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Feb. 7, 2017, Ken Shane went scouting in the snow with director JJ Makaro. (Ken_Shane tweets, 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) -- On Feb. 10, 2017, JH tweeted pic of herself in Vancouver. (JH 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. 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) -- On Feb. 21, 2017, JH posted pic of herself with new Arow script (director's name appears to be J.J. Makaro), with comment: "New week new adventure." (JH instagram post, page 53 of Spoilers thread) Edited April 4, 2017 by tv echo 1 Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3119943
tv echo April 10, 2017 Author Share April 10, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... ADDENDUM #10 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC S5B Generally -- TVLine: "PRE-FINALE: While Team Arrow, A.R.G.U.S. and the SCPD launch a manhunt for Adrian Chase, Helix offers Felicity a solution to that problem — in trade for something big and illegal. On the heels of that, things get intense when Oliver and Felicity are trapped in the bunker together, while Lyla and Diggle deal with martial issues. Oliver also will deal with the forced release of violent criminals prosecuted by Chase as well as the delivery of a mysterious corpse encased in concrete. ... SEASON FINALE (MAY 24): Chase keeps 10 steps ahead of Team Arrow, forcing Oliver to face his violent past and answer the question once and for all: Is he a killer, or a hero? To answer that, Oliver will be forced to let go of the fate his father burdened him with and aim for a new legacy. And as Oliver’s five years’ worth of flashbacks come to an end, you will see how he planned his escape from Lian Yu — while in the present, Oliver bids said island a final farewell." (Apr. 24, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Arrow S5 sizzle reel for the last five episodes posted, which revealed: (1) Felicity is heard saying, "Chase has been in the wind for a week"; (2) Thea (Willa Holland), Yao Fei (Byron Mann), Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law), Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Derek Sampson (Cody Rhodes), Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin), Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) and Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) all return; (3) there are several shots throughout the sizzle reel showing Oliver & Felicity closer than ever, including one where their arms are around one another and it looks like they're about to kiss; (4) the show is returning to Lian Yu to catch up to where it all began in the premiere, and it also looks like Oliver might get taken to the island as Kovar's prisoner and not of his own choice; (5) Black Siren takes Quentin hostage and also beats down Team Arrow's new Black Canary (Juliana Harkavy); (6) the al Ghul sisters. Nyssa and Talia are shown facing off and fighting; and (7) after Diggle tells Oliver they can't beat Prometheus alone, Oliver is seen walking into the ARGUS prison on Lian Yu, holding out Deathstroke's mask in his hand, and offscreen, Slade is heard saying, "Hey kid. I'm glad you came back." (Apr. 20, 2017 Arrow S5 Sizzle Reel video, page 1 of New Spoilers thread, and Apr. 21, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 1498 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "We will see the Queen mansion again, but Oliver may not be inhabiting it. Per comic canon, the mansion is burned down." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On the likelihood of seeing the Queen mansion again, MG: "We burned it down in the Arrow Season 2.5 comic." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether he'll be writing Arrow comic series between s5 and s6 like he did with 2.5, MG: "To be honest, writing Season 2.5 was awesome, but very nearly killed me. That said, there’s something in the works that might scratch your itch." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) S5 Flashbacks -- MG said that the remaining flashbacks this season will be about getting them "lined up" with the Oliver we know from S1. They're mostly about getting Oliver back on the island, that Oliver will learn how to fly a plane but it won't be by getting a lesson, and that the finale is "explosive" but doesn't take place in Star City so the residents will catch a break this year." (Apr. 6, 2017 EW Superhero Insider podcast, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether we'll soon find out how Oliver gets the scruffy long beard and hair and the ripped and ragged clothing he wears when he gets rescued by the fishing boat at the beginning of the pilot, MG: "You’ll get that answer this season." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We’re really excited about where we get to with the flashbacks. It’s a very emotional thing for Oliver. We know he gets back home, but we came up with a pretty cool, innovative way of accomplishing that. We also get the opportunity to see a stolen moment from the Pilot that we didn’t actually see in the Pilot." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Team Arrow -- On whether Team Arrow make it through the season finale in one piece, WM: "That is a great question that will not be answered until Season 6." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On much danger the team is in with Chase on the loose, WM: "It’s safe to say, without teasing too much, they’re in the most danger they’ve ever been in." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On how the relatively new team will deal with heading into the final battle with Prometheus, WM: "Each character is going to have a different reaction to it. Dinah is very much on the page of, 'This guy just needs to be taken down.' Rene is too, but he’s going to have other stakes; we’ve met his daughter before in episode 513. The people who have potential for collateral damage, if you will, the people with families who have more at stake are going to have different attitudes about that. Everyone is going to be on the same page of wanting to take this guy down. Nobody has really been left unscathed by Adrian Chase. They’re going to be all in, and all in in a way that newbies would be. There’s no doubt that Oliver is going to have a much more profound sense of the dangers ahead, but by the same token, he’s come to rely on this team and he needs them." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- The rest of the team will rally around Oliver and "absolutely" continue to worry about his soul and psychological state. WM: "He's going through something profound and Chase has pushed him to the brink. They know he's physically capable. There are very few people the Green Arrow can't take on and win against hand to hand, but this idea of breaking someone down psychologically and getting them to admit things about themselves that they've never had to admit before, it's that kind of psychological torture that the team is very worried about, and rightfully so." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Original Team Arrow (OTA) -- On whether we will see good OTA scenes after 520, MG: "Yes." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity") -- MG: "I have a hard time believing it too!" This was in response to following fan post: "Hi Marc! Someone on Twitter said you said Olicity won't get back together this season. Is that true? Or was this guy making that up? I have a hard time believing you'd spoil the end of the season like that." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I can’t. But only because there was no retconning. We told the story that we wanted to tell. Like we always do. :)" This was in response to following fan post: "Looking like the last 2 episodes —519 and 520 — are going to be better than all previous the episodes of season 5 combined. Congratulations on that. Felicity was awesome! Can you explain why so much of season 5 was retconned to act like Olicity was unimportant and had them barely interact — aside from appeasing the handful of trolls crying and harassing you?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "10." This was in response to following fan post: "According to your long experience as tv show producer, from 0 to 10 how you'd evaluate the on screen chemistry between stephen and emily?" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "18." This was in response to following fan post: "I can't wait for the last 5 episodes! Super excited for the conversation between Oliver and Felicity where he opens up to her. On a scale of 1-10 how much is gonna destroy me?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked to describe Olicity in last five episodes in one word, MG replied: "Understanding." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On two truths and one lie about Olicity in the last five episodes of this season, MG: "1) Oliver and Felicity’s interactions are different in the wake of 520. 2) The internet will have a strong reaction, one way or the other. 3) Oliver and Felicity get married." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether the tension between Oliver & Felicity in the 519 promo will "explode" in 19 or carry over to 5.20, MG: "Totally carries over into 520." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On what will happen to Olicity toward the end of this season, MG: "Um, Episode 520... is sort of - it's our big exploration of Oliver and Felicity's relationship, specifically their break-up. You know, one of the things that we did last year was, when they broke up and ended their engagement and Felicity walked out on Oliver, uh, it was really without a conversation. You know, it was sort of like Felicity hit her breaking point and she just walked. And Oliver and Felicity have never really had that adult conversation about, 'okay, why did we break up,' and 'what's that all about.' And in 520, that's - we really get underneath that in a way that we didn't have time to do last year." On whether they'll be revisiting that relationship again, MG: "Ooh, I'd watch the show. I know a lot of people are curious." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: MYM Buzz video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: “One of the things that we’ve always wanted to do, and I think a lot of the fans have asked for, is basically deal with the consequences of Episode 415 [when] Oliver and Felicity ended their engagement and broke up. They never really had a full-on discussion or exploration of why that breakup happened. Felicity just sort of reached her breaking point and walked out the door... This is definitely an examination of the state of their breakup... It comes out of the events of 519 and, quite frankly, all the other episodes that led up to it. Something happens in 519 that really tees up this conversation.” (Apr. 3, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG's Billy Joel song pick to describe Olicity in 520 is “Until You Come To Me." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread, and Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On where we can listen to the Billy Joel song, "Until You Come to Me," MG: "That’s a tough one. It’s a VERY deep cut. Some of the music was repurposed for Piano Man and it’s hard to find. I have my copy from a bootleg CD. All I can say is that you’re probably younger than I am and, therefore, more adept in the workings of the internet. I’m sure it’s out there to be found!" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for a word to describe Oliver's & Felicity's feelings towards each other in 520, MG replied: "Complicated." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I think the flashbacks in 520 will speak to some of your concerns. As for waiting 26 episodes… we had other story to tell." This was in response to following fan post: "Before S5 started, you said that Oliver & Felicity had said everything that needed to be said re their break up off screen and were now in a pretty good place, with little residual issues from their break up. Was it always the plan to have 520 deal with their relationship or was it decided in response to audience reception of season 5? If it was always the plan, why wait 26 episodes to address it?" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I think it takes two people to fight and two people to end a relationship." This was in response to following fan post: "Just to check: this exploration of why Olicity broke up doesn't paint Felicity as being in the wrong, right? Oliver was in the wrong." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked if there is an upcoming scene where Oliver and Felicity are on the field together in action, with maybe some Olicity stunts mixed in as well, MG replied: "Depends on how you define 'field.' But I think 520 should scratch your itch." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, siince all of SA's scenes in the Olicity-centric 520 are with EBR, the Russia flashbacks will get a week off. Instead, MG: “The flashbacks are to a different time period, as we occasionally do... They take place between Seasons 4 and 5.” (Apr. 6, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "520." This was in response to following fan post: "Your tipsy friend again, will Oliver explain his train of thought about the son situation to Felicity or talk about the circumstances around it like the Barry telling him what happened in the other time line thing?" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Olicity shippers will be happy with 520, MG: "I think it’s been well established that I don’t know what makes Olicity shippers happy. ;) That said, as long as you’re not expecting them to get back together at the end of 520, you’ll be quite happy." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how hot is the Olicity sex scene in 520, MG: "I think it’s pretty hot." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for three words to describe the Olicity sex scene in 520, MG replied: "Consensual. Safe. Satisfying." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "It could..." This was in response to following fan post: "The Olicity sex could be a flashback?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "520. :)" This was in response to following fan post: "Is the Olicty scene with Oliver and Felicity touching noses in the bunker we see in the sizzle reel from 5x20 or another episode?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether we will have Oliver/Felicity scenes after 520, MG: "Absolutely." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there are any positive moments for Olicity after 520, MG: "Yes." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked to describe Olicity in 522 with one word, MG: "Party." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On how many Olicity kisses have been deleted, MG: "None." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On why they deleted the Olicity kiss in 223, MG: "Oh. Right. Forgot about that one. Honestly, the cut worked better without it." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan request for some emoji's to represent how he thinks we will react to 523, MG: "?????? (I threw in that last one just to fuck with you.)" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the chance of us ever seeing Oliver tending to Felicity's injuries like she has done for him, MG: "I don’t disagree, but given the extent of injuries in the near future, I think you can expect Felicity to tend to Oliver’s injuries before he tends to hers." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked whether Felicity was going to express how Oliver was fighting for Susan far more than he ever did for her, MG replied: "I don’t think that’s true. And neither would Oliver." (Apr. 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 551 of Social Media thread) -- When asked if Oliver ever told Felicity that he saw her when he went to QC on that mission when he killed Thea's dealer, MG replied: "Eventually, I'd imagine." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether we will ever get to see Oliver tell Felicity about the first time he actually saw her at QC, MG: "Maybe." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how a show would be boring if the characters had no problems, MG: "Seriously, like, if I get [unintelligible word] on twitter one more 'Can Oliver & Felicity get married, have babies, and go to Bed Bath and Beyond?' - like, that's not a good episode." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: video of IndieWire's Fan Favorites Showrunners panel, page 557 of Social Media thread) -- MG retweeted the following media tweet with comment: "Some context..." Media tweet from Wondercon: "'If I get pitched another 'Can Oliver & Felicity get married and go to Bed Bath & Beyond'?' @mguggenheim on plots that would kill drama." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: damianholbrook and MG tweets, page 551 of Social Media thread) -- MG tweeted: "In the @ARROWwriters room and they are actually pitching on the Olicity Bed Bath and Beyond episode. #expiredcoupons." (Apr. 4, 2017 MG tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG tweeted: "While I appreciate the mental gymnastics to get to a place of sexism, the BBB joke was based on actual requests we get." and "Is there a similarly rich history of people not knowing how to take a joke?" (Apr. 4, 2017 MG tweets, page 551 of Social Media thread) -- When asked what sex would Oliver & Felicity's kid be, MG replied: "Either male or female, I’d imagine." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "When did I talk about them getting married?" This was in response to following fan post: "i know you are only messing with us (right now) when you talk about olicity getting married, but that was one of their main plot points all of last season, so it's not a stretch for us to being wanting that.. just saying :)" (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 554 of Social Media thread) -- When asked if there was any chance Oliver will cook Felicity eggs again, MG replied: "If by 'cook' you mean 'fertilize'… (Kidding, folks! Couldn’t help myself…)" (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 554 of Social Media thread) -- When asked if the Olicity baby will have Oliver's eyes or Felicity's eyes, MG replied: "I’m not a medical professional, but I’m pretty sure that any baby has their own eyes." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 554 of Social Media thread) -- MG: "Y'know what? I think I can make that happen!" This was in response to following fan post: "Dear Marc, here is a thought. When a relationship breaks up and then you get a new boyfriend, you change the bedding in your bedroom. It's weird to sleep with the new guy in the same sheets. Any woman will tell you this. So, I'm thinking wondering when Oliver and Felicity get back together again, could you please lobby for some new linen? P.S. I have no idea where they can buy that... Hugs to you, sir. We all love Oliver Queen." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #6. ... 6. There are Olicity and OTA stunts. Oliver, Felicity and Diggle each have standout moments. Sometimes multiple standout moments. ... Previous spoilers…5. There is a question Oliver needs to answer and it relates to his relationship with Felicity, but also his overall journey. 4. Felicity articulates her position on William and what she needs from Oliver. 3. Oliver and Felicity are not the only couple addressing their issues. 2. There is a love scene, but it’s not present day. 1. Big Olicity, OTA and Dyla episode." (Apr. 6, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #7. ... 7. All Olicity focused flashbacks." (Apr. 10, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 58 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #8 ... 8. Everyone on Team Arrow is working together to save Oliver and Felicity, but OTA is definitely the varsity squad." (Apr. 20, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #9. ... 9. Episode theme: Trust, Teamwork and Truth." (Apr. 24, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #10 - Last one! ... Marc gave me the final spoiler for 5x20 and it's a dialogue tease!... 10. “I think those two are gonna make the cutest couple one day.” (May 1, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "Met Marc today! He couldn't tell me the finale ep title bc it's a MAJOR spoiler. But there's a positive Olicity moment! & we will love 520." (WonderCon, Mar. 31, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 1459 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "520 delves into their 'adult conversation' and why they really broke up." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "Speaking of undeniable, he did say that SA and EBR have undeniable chemistry in 5x20." In response to another fan asking if MG meant that he only saw it in 520, fan tweeted: "he meant it in 520 specifically but also just conceptually the two of them bring out the best actors in each other." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread, and Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 1462 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "Their 'relationship' changes after 5x20. Those events directly correlate with 5x22. In the best way possible." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "5x22 and 5x23 are big. ??It's a chain response from 5x20." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "They didn't expect all the Susan backlash. Goal was just to start O/F in different relationships." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On the challenge of balancing all of the elements of the show, such as how much Olicity versus Team Arrow action to include every week, WM: “It is a challenge. That’s what makes the show what it is... Everything we’ve heard in the press is that the people who love it this season were the ones who didn’t like it that much last year. It does make you aware that you really can’t please all of the people all of the time, so what I try to focus on is what’s right for the characters, what are the best stories to tell, and when is it right to bring in these other elements? ... I think that it’s true of any series that you’re constantly balancing the action stuff with the character stuff, unless you’re on a true character series, which there are honestly very few of these days... I think that the bigger thing is always telling the right story for where the characters are going, and we do try to allow the natural progression of where Oliver would be and where Felicity would be emotionally and psychologically at this point in the series and season,a nd let that dictate it more than anything. I think that’s part of what makes the show successful is having all of these various angles. It’s a crime series, it’s a superhero series, it’s got all this action and it has this character component as well. It’s what the show is, and it’s very much in the DNA of it.” (Apr. 26, 2017 ComicBook article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Felicity's actions with Helix will have a huge affect on her friendship with Oliver, WM: "This was her season to go down the dark rabbit hole and figure out for herself who she wanted to be on this team and how she wanted to do things... And as we know, since the death of Malone, she's really doubled down on this very Oliver season one idea of, you know, you gotta get the bad guys at all costs. There's no way she can get through that without some consequences, and Oliver is really having to stand by and witness it is and is really powerless to keep her from going deeper into Helix. It's going to change their relationship. It's really going to change the way he views her and the way she views him." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Since Oliver has frequently found success by allying himself with questionable people and you can’t really argue with Helix’s results regarding Prometheus, whether he's being a bit hypocritical toward Felicity, WM: "He recognizes the hypocrisy of it — how could he not? He’s seen enough of the people around him go down these dark roads. At the same time, that’s really the crux of the issue for him. He’s seen people do it, he knows what the cost is on the other side of that, and I think it’s less hypocrisy and more a genuine concern for not wanting her to make the same mistake." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 520 entraps Oliver & Felicity in the Arrowcave, where the latter is “really upset” about what Oliver does this week [in 519]. WM: "Oliver truly cares about her, and doesn’t want her to go through what he’s gone through [once allying with Bratva],... But from where Felicity is sitting, that’s total hypocrisy, and she’s going to call him on that.” As the ex-lovers in turn revisit their S4 split, Felicity “is going to come out of this with a new understanding of who Oliver is. Everything that happens with Helix is going to force her to reframe everything that happened at Season 4, especially when she looks back at when she walked away.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver & Felicity’s honest, present-day conversation in 520 is going to reflect in their interactions from then on, WM: “It has to... She’s been through something now, and she sees him in a different light — and he also sees her in a different light. There’s a lot more mutual understanding, and even though I think it’s hard to top the mutual respect they already have for each other, that goes up as well.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We’re very excited about this story. We wanted to tell it all year, and we finally found the perfect episode to do it in. We’re going to be telling the story of really what happened between the two of them. We left in them in such an ambiguous place at the end of Season 4 and, when we picked them up in Season 5, they were happen to be working together and not be together. We’re going to tell the story of how that came about, which is fun… We’re going to find out some information about that, and we’re also going to really see their relationship deepen a lot, and not in the romantic way. I mean it in the sense that Felicity is going to be going through something in [episode] 19 with Helix that is going to really allow her to see Oliver’s point of view with some clarity and with personal experience for the first time." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We’re also very excited about next week’s episode [520]. We haven’t done a lot of bottle [episodes], and this is one of the few that we’ve done. I think it turned out so well. [Director] Wendey Stanzler hit it out of the park. They’re stuck in a bunker together, and they’re not in a good place. They’ve taken their individual paths, which is was exactly what they wanted at the top of the season. They’ve gone down these different roads. Oliver’s tries to pull her back from this brink and has failed. All that fallout is going to happen right there in the bunker where they have nowhere to run and there’s no escaping that conflict." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver & Felicity are on the road to reconciliation, WM: "They are definitely on the road toward — well, the interesting thing about taking her down this road with Helix is she is going to come out of it with this, the same way Diggle came out of it when he killed his brother — new understanding and appreciation for where Oliver’s been and what he’s been through. No matter whether they end up together or not — sorry, all Olicity Twitter fans — this is going to absolutely deepen the relationship. It has to. She’s now gone through her own island in a way." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity’s paralysis will ever be revisited, or her plans for the chip, WM: "You’ll see bit of that in Episode 20." (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, papp tweeted: "They [Olicity] have some moments past 20 but not like 20 where they are trapped in the bunker and have no choice but to address things lol" and "You know what I mean. The ratings of 20. Not the show. Meaning fans want to see it. Cuz from what i can tell nothing really happens past 20." (pursuit23 tweets, page 1488 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow -- On where this will all leave Oliver at the end of this season, going forward into S6, MG: "Uh, I don't want to spoil too much. I would say, certainly Chase is trying to, you know, manipulate Oliver into being the kind of person that he believes Oliver to be. Um, so, on a very sort of elemental level, the season finale is about, 'Can Oliver, you know, prove Chase wrong?' 'Can Oliver prove to Chase that he's not the person that Chase believes him to be?' So, um, I don't want to spoil sort of the answer to that, but, um, believe it or not, we're already starting to talk about Season 6 and, um, one of the conversations Wendy Mericle and I were having yesterday was, 'What is the state of Oliver's, you know, willingness to kill, post-Season 5?' Um, and, I think, uh, you know - I think you'll have to tune in to Season 6 to find out the answer to that. But I'm, you know - I'm very excited about the fact that we're - you know, at the end of Season 5, getting into Season 6, really getting into, I think, some very nuanced, uh, sort of storytelling. I mean, the - the psychology on the show has become in my mind deliciously messy, um, if not - like I said, we've moved away from sort of very binary sort of storytelling, where it was either left - Oliver was faced with the choice of going left or right. You know, now it's a choice between going left, right or tomato... the path before him is a lot less clear cut. Um, and sort of to that end, one thing we want to do, moving into Season 6, is really evolve Oliver, um, and - and put him in some positions that we haven't put him in before. Um, you know, one of the things I'm proud of is that, you know, I'm very glad that people are responding to Season 5 the way they're responding to it. Um, you know, and I can't think of too many TV shows that, uh, have had this kind of, you know, season, uh, five years into their run.Um, and we're not finished yet. We're still - we never take our foot off the gas. We really, uh, try very hard to make each season the best season we possibly can." (Apr. 7, 2017 USA Today's The Mothership podcast, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether he feels that Oliver Queen is more of a cold-hearted killer or a decent man and a hero, MG: "Um, you know it's funny, I don't see why he can't be both. I think Oliver is a very complex and complicated person. And I think there is - what makes him interesting, for me as a writer and I think, to the audience, is, there are these two sides of him that are always at war with each other. There's the darkness in him that's a killer and vicious, and then there's the gentleman in him that's like the loving friend, devoted friend and brother. And they're constantly at war with each other. And I think, if you were to boil the show down into, like, one little bumper sticker, the show is really about this inner conflict within this man." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: MYM Buzz video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "We’ve been talking about Oliver seeing a psychologist literally since Season 1. Maybe one day it’ll happen." This was in response to following fan post: "Oliver lost for 5 years has suffered and in these last five years has suffered too! 10 years of suffering. Doesn't Oliver need psychological help? such as a psychologist? one day, will we see him go to the psychologist?" (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: Actually, we meant having a big bad who came out of actions Oliver took in Season One." This was in response to followng fan post: "Hi Marc! Is been incredible how u guys show the psychological side this season.All of this is sensed like a great therapy against Oliver's PTSD.Now the flashbacks are going to an end,It means(I guess)that Oliver is healing.So,when you said "What we are doing with S5 couldn't be done before,this is the time" You mean to the great therapy against Oliver's fears?I know that this game is macabre,but the end of the day, Oliver is healing. So,can we say "therapy" to the prometheus's macabre game?" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether we will see Oliver half naked in present time in the remaining eps, MG: "Present-day shirtless coming up." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, Oliver's living in the lair. (Apr. 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 551 of Social Media thread) -- Per MG, we'll learn how Oliver learned to fly in 521. (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tweet and tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, Oliver's birthday will be celebrated in 522. (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for three words to describe Oliver's birthday celebration, MG: "Surprise. Cake. Fun." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for more barefoot shots of SA, MG: "Surprisingly, that might happen." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether we'll see Oliver cook before the end of S5, MG: "Not before the end of the season, unfortunately." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver prefers baking or cooking, MG: "Cooking." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked about freeing Nyssa from her marriage to Oliver so that she can be free to have a relationship with someone else, MG replied: "We’ve talked about Nyssa 'releasing' Oliver from their marriage." (Apr. 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "And, yes, Oliver and Nyssa are still married." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "[Nyssa] hasn’t released Oliver from their marriage yet. But it’s something we’ve discussed." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for a joke about Talia calling Oliver "brother-in-law", MG replied: "Now that you know Nyssa is coming back, you can expect more Oliver/Nyssa marriage jokes. Can’t help it." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there's any chance Oliver and Nyssa become a couple, MG: "They're married. What more do you want? ;)" (Apr. 13, 2017 MG tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Oliver's admission that he liked killing is going to continue to haunt him. WM: "The truth is something like that that's so profound... I mean that's a truth that I think we never really expected from Oliver. It's been under the surface in some ways, but for him to say something like that and to face that side of himself, that is not an easy thing to come back from and I think he's going to be processing it through the end of the season. By the end I think he'll have found a way to sort of put everything in the past five years to rest, but it's not going to be without a lot of heartbreak and a lot of one step forward, two steps back along the way." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "[Oliver's] going through something profound and Chase has pushed him to the brink. [The team knows] he's physically capable. There are very few people the Green Arrow can't take on and win against hand to hand, but this idea of breaking someone down psychologically and getting them to admit things about themselves that they've never had to admit before, it's that kind of psychological torture that the team is very worried about, and rightfully so... I think in many ways this is the most formidable person Oliver's gone up against in the five years of the show, and he's doing it in ways that are forcing Oliver to look at his past and assess himself, and see his own mistakes and see the bad things he's committed over the past five years. He's done a lot of good, but there's also been a lot of bad." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver will ever be able to operate as Green Arrow again, and whether we are going to see a new legacy for him, WM: "He’s questioning his legacy; he’s been doing it all season. The fact that we’ve put the Green Arrow under the microscope to such an extent, we are definitely setting some stuff up for season 6. We will definitely see the Green Arrow again, but in what capacity? That’s a really good question. That’s a premiere question." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver will complete his emotional journey of finding himself and be at one with himself by the end of S5, WM: "You know, I don’t know that anyone who has two identities is ever going to be fully a cohesive person, as this season explored. What I do think he is going to end with is this sense of peace about the last five years and what he put himself through. He’s going to go into Season 6 with this degree of experience and this level of wisdom that we’ve never seen him own before. I think he’s always had it, but he’s now at this place where he’s done enough good both as the mayor and as Green Arrow that he can speak from this place of confidence. He’s a little bit older, a little more mileage and a lot more experience. That’s a new role for him to play. That’s something we’re very excited to see him grow into." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Dinah’s relationship with Oliver and with Diggle, JH: "I think that these are the people she’s allowed herself to get closest to in a very long time. This is the first group that she’s allowed herself to be vulnerable with. Oliver was the one who sought her out and let her in, so her connection to him in particular is a special one. She has a particular fondness for Oliver — not in a romantic way, but as a partner. And with Diggle, he’s the second in command, and that appeals to Dinah. She likes to sort of team up and go on runs with him. He’s a competent fighter and so is she." Interviewer: "It’s kind of like whereas Oliver brought Dinah in, Diggle has been the one who got her settled in and showed her how to be a team member." JH: "Exactly. That’s such a good way to put it. It’s a really nice dynamic, and it does make it feel like a big family where we’re all working together and helping each other." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch -- Still from Arrow sizzle reel for last five episodes of S5 showed Felicity holding a gun. (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG posted Felicity holding gun still pic from Arrow sizzle reel in response to following fan post: "stephen said at a recent convention that the stunt coordinator asked emily 'how heavy a gun she could carry' it's been HAUNTING ME ever since. any hint to what that meant?" (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Felicity's S6 storyline, MG: "I don’t want to over-hype anything – I’ve been burned before – but we have a storyline for Felicity in Season 6 that we wanted to do in Season 5 and that fans have been clamoring for. (And before you hit me back, NO we’re not doing it because fans were clamoring for it.)" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether they will finally explore Felicity's legacy in the last 5 episodes, MG: "Felicity’s legacy is her past as a hacktivist, which is being explored with the Helix storyline." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity can get arrested for working with Helix, MG: "She can. Will she?" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether they will ever actually show any of Felicity's grief over Billy's death or over Havenrock, MG: "I think Felicity’s entire involvement with Helix is driven by her grief over Billy’s death." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "HAVENROCK – What more were you looking for? 513 – Let’s visit the parallel universe where Felicity referenced 409. Can you just hear the squeals of complaints? 'Look at Felicity, making it all about her…' Oy! Neither of want that. FELICITY’S JOB – She’s got a generous severance from Palmer Tech. OLICITY – We had other story to tell." This was in response to following fan post: "Hi Marc. Have a few questions for you even though I'm sure you're being bombarded. What happened to the Felicity/Havenrock storyline? That was barely touched on. Why was Felicity silenced on the gun episode when she was gunned down in a limo after being engaged? Why does Felicity have no job this season when she's the smartest person on the show/DC universe essentially. Finally, why did you wait 30 episodes to let Olicity have a talk after keeping them apart?" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On how he would describe Felicity in 519, MG: "Bad ass." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "519." This was in response to following fan post: "Is the person behind Helix a character we have seen before or will this be a new reveal? Is this someone that Felicity knows or is it someone attached to Oliver's past?" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tweet and tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Hmm. Hacked… no. But 520…" This was in response to following fan post: "It would be awesome if the concept of Felicity's chip being hacked could be explored!!" (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "520." This was in response to following fan post: "I was just wondering if you'll ever bring Felicity's microchip back into play? I'd love to see Felicity mass-market the chip which will be the legacy she leaves behind as Felicity Smoak (not Overwatch). But also I'd love to see her own chip malfunction. I can see a lot of good angst come from that. I sort of hate how her whole paralysis has been brushed off and forgotten :/ It's a part of who she is now. I'd love for the show to embrace it not forget it." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "520!" This was in response to following fan post: "Stephen teased Emily will be getting some stunts and attempting the salmon latter. Anything to tease about all that? :)" (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for a word to describe Felicity in 522, MG replied: "Dead. Kidding. Seriously, I’d say… 'flipped.'” (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Last night, I was on set for a pretty cool Delicity scene. #flipover." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Slade's unfinished business with Felicity is going to come back into play in the finale, MG: "There’s a moment in the script that I’m pleased with – but you never know what’s going to happen or what’s going to make it into the cut." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked what Felicity does for work, MG replied: "Felicity is living off her Palmer Tech severance." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked about Felicity's big plans to turn her company into a beacon of hope and help everyone (medically), MG replied: "It hasn’t been dropped. We still want to tell that story." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan requesting a Dinah/Felicity bad-ass women team-up sometime, plus Thea and maybe Lyla, MG: "I’m all for it!" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked if he ever sees himself "killing felicity in normal reality," MG replied: "No, but only because (a) she’s a fictional character and (b) I don’t want to go to jail." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan request to confirm that EBR isn't going anywhere, MG: "I can confirm." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether, with the island flashbacks coming to an end, this means we will get some flashbacks of other characters, specifically Felicity's childhood or even more goth Felicity in MIT, MG: "That’s absolutely the intention – non-Oliver flashbacks." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I'll take it." This was in response to following fan post: "FELICITY FLASHBACKS THAT IS ALL PLEASE AND THANK YOU. I WILL FORGIVE YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR --OKAY SOME OF YOUR-- MISDEEDS." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how he interprets Felicity standing between those (but on the stair) who Oliver lost and now they're dead in 508, MG: "Total coincidence." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Well, we’ve already established who Felicity’s mother is, so…" This was in response to following fan post: "My question is could it be possible that Felicity is the daughter of Stephanie Brown? The story needs finished and it would put Felicity in the DC Comic's where she deserves to be." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "This episode [519] is very much Felicity’s dark night of the soul in respect to Helix. She’s been going down this rabbit hole, Oliver and Dig (David Ramsey) have been watching it and trying to pull her back from the brink of making the colossal mistakes they each have made. The time for reflection is gone and she’s only going to be thinking of the decisions she’s made and the moral consequences she’s made after the episode." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We will definitely get more info on Helix. We’re super psyched about this episode [519] because it is really Felicity’s Dark Night of the Soul. We’re not going to wrap it up here, but we’re definitely going to take her to one of the darkest places we’ve ever seen her character go. Because she’s gone down this rabbit hole with Helix, she’s going to find out that — as per usual when people get themselves involved with these organizations — things aren’t always as they seem. Even though she has been really blinded by her drive to get Adrian Chase, I think she’s going to come out of this asking some pretty tough questions about herself and her moral decisions, and there’s a pretty big fight with Oliver, too." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: “[519] is the episode where Felicity really finds out what Helix is up to, and who’s she’s gotten into bed with... We’ve dropped a lot of hints throughout the season, and Oliver definitely has seen it coming, but everyone has been powerless to keep her from making these decisions.” “Bent on revenge” and “still mourning the loss of Detective Malone,” Felicity will be forced to “think long and hard about the decisions that she made — and the moral consequences of those decisions.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "This was [Felicity's] season to go down the dark rabbit hole and figure out for herself who she wanted to be on this team and how she wanted to do things... And as we know, since the death of Malone, she's really doubled down on this very Oliver season one idea of, you know, you gotta get the bad guys at all costs. There's no way she can get through that without some consequences, and Oliver is really having to stand by and witness it is and is really powerless to keep her from going deeper into Helix. It's going to change their relationship. It's really going to change the way he views her and the way she views him." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Felicity will definitely face consequences for her Helix actions. WM: "She's in bed with some pretty bad people... She doesn't necessarily know that now, but we've hinted at it a bit—the amount of information they have on people, what they do with it. They are, in many ways, like Oliver was in season one. They see themselves as judge, jury, and executioner and people taking personal information and using for the larger good, and whatever the larger good is defined by them. And Felicity having gone through that, come out the other side of it, and really starting to break down what she did and what she went through, it's absolutely going to have ramifications for her going forward, emotionally if nothing else." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there will be any Chase/Felicity interactions, WM: “You will see that happen... towards the end of the year, absolutely.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Felicity may seek a future away from Team Arrow. WM: "We hinted at it last year, which is when she had quit the team and she was like, I'd really like to do something. There are other ways to do good in the world and to fulfill her own personal mission, and going forward, especially in coming seasons, that is something she very much wants to do, and we really want to explore for her... We talk in the writers room a lot about giving Felicity something that is not on the team and has nothing to do with Oliver and is very much her own thing, and that's something I think we really look forward to in season six." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Felicity in action is something we all love. The writers love it. We all love to see Emily [Bett Rickards] picking up a weapon and doing something badass. [laughs] I think she wears it really well, and I know the fans love to see it. She’s going to be in the action. We’re heading into the finale. Felicity is always at the center of everything, right along with Oliver. She’s definitely going to be in the middle of the fight, for sure." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether this is a new direction for Felicty, WM: "She’s definitely heading towards new directions, especially with what we’re talking about very loosely in the writers’ room with Season 6. She’s going to be taking on some new roles. Whether or not those new roles lend themselves to guns and that sort of fighting, I can’t tell you, but she’s a badass in everything that she does, whether that involves a weapon or not… That’s how we see her, and that’s what we like to see her doing." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, EK posted pic of EBR with blood on her face and hands. (EK instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) John Diggle AKA Spartan -- On whether DR will still be a series regular in s6, MG: "Absolutely." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether they'll plan a good storyline for Diggle next season, MG: "First, thanks for the kind words. We have a cool story in mind for Diggle in Season 6, but to be honest, the nature of Arrow is never for our characters to have it too easy." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Last night, I was on set for a pretty cool Delicity scene. #flipover." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked what Diggle does for work, MG replied: "Dig is supported by Lyla." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Diggle & Lyla's "rough times" will correlate with or parallel what's going on with Oliver & Felicity re Helix, MG: "Lyla and Diggle’s… challenges definitely stem from the Helix storyline. (Oh, and the fact that Dig doesn’t take out the trash.)" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan said: "I hope the new Black Canary is not going nowhere but she does have great chemistry with john Diggle." MG replied: "She’s not and I agree with you!" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On fan reminder that Dyla is a fan favorite and that Diggle is an honorable man, MG: "Is this a reference to the chemistry between Dig and Dinah?" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the chemistry between Diggle and Dinah, WM: "It’s two great actors working off each other. [Laughs.] That said, I think that part of the fun of having the team there is it’s going to create theses different dynamics. If, down the road, there’s a little misunderstanding here or there, I’m not saying that might not happen. But right now, that’s not the case." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, DR tweeted: "When crossing the border my welcome committee states "Welcome to Surrey" Awesome. What does one do in Surrey, fam?" (DR tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Dinah’s relationship with Oliver and with Diggle, JH: "I think that these are the people she’s allowed herself to get closest to in a very long time. This is the first group that she’s allowed herself to be vulnerable with. Oliver was the one who sought her out and let her in, so her connection to him in particular is a special one. She has a particular fondness for Oliver — not in a romantic way, but as a partner. And with Diggle, he’s the second in command, and that appeals to Dinah. She likes to sort of team up and go on runs with him. He’s a competent fighter and so is she." Interviewer: "It’s kind of like whereas Oliver brought Dinah in, Diggle has been the one who got her settled in and showed her how to be a team member." JH: "Exactly. That’s such a good way to put it. It’s a really nice dynamic, and it does make it feel like a big family where we’re all working together and helping each other." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) Lyla Michaels AKA Harbinger -- On whether Diggle & Lyla's "rough times" will correlate with or parallel what's going on with Oliver & Felicity re Helix, MG: "Lyla and Diggle’s… challenges definitely stem from the Helix storyline. (Oh, and the fact that Dig doesn’t take out the trash.)" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked if there is a remote possibility that Lyla is behind Helix, MG replied: "519 is your episode." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan requesting a Dinah/Felicity bad-ass women team-up sometime, plus Thea and maybe Lyla, MG: "I’m all for it!" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We’ve always wondered, ever since Lyla stepped up and took over A.R.G.U.S., the interesting thing about her character is she, in a lot of ways, is very similar to Oliver in that she’s now in the position of making some really hard decisions and having to constantly justify the means by the end. Dig’s going to find out about some of these things that she’s been doing, and he’s going to really wonder where did his wife go? It’s rich territory because they’ve always been such a solid couple. They’ve had their ups and downs, but I think this is the first time where Dig has looked at her and wondered that this person that he sees in front of him doesn’t really resemble the person that he fell in love with. That’s an interesting question for anyone in a marriage situation to be asking themselves." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Flash: On Apr. 6, 2017, fans posted pics of GG, CV and Audrey Marie Anderson outside ARGUS. (VanFlarrowFan and T_asha44 tweets, page 287 of Mind Your Surroundings thread, and VanFlarrowFan tweet, page 288 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Sara Diggle -- On whether it was possible for Baby Sara to be brought back in some way, maybe with help from Barry/Flash, MG: "I think that’s up to the Flash writers." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Thea Queen AKA Speedy -- In response to fans expressing concern that we don't lose Thea (WH) and Lance (PB) as regulars next season, MG: "Paul and Willa are still regulars." and "You won't." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr posts, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked what Thea' s gonna be up to in these final eps of the season, MG replied: "I can’t really spoil. Well, I don’t want to. But I think she has some cool moments." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there is an actor performance coming up in the rest of the season that he was particularly moved or impressed by, MG: "I think Willa is particularly terrific in 521." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the possibility of a romance between Rene and Thea, MG: "Rene ships him and Thea hard." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I ship that, too! (Assuming you’re referring to Rene and Thea.)" This was in response to following fan post: "Wild Queen in season 6 please and thank you." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Black Siren and Thea will meet, MG: "(whistling)." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan requesting a Dinah/Felicity bad-ass women team-up sometime, plus Thea and maybe Lyla, MG: "I’m all for it!" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Thea taking up the Speedy mantle again, WM: “Not this season, no... But she’ll be in the action, for sure.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Thea is going to be going through a very similar emotional journey — Oliver’s going to maybe arrive at his conclusion emotionally a little bit sooner than she does, but it’s the same idea of really grappling. The last time we saw her, she was going away to try to figure herself out, because she had gone down this very Moira-esque road and started to pull these antics that were really morally questionable. She sees that, so when she comes back, it’s not going to be because she’s ready, it’s going to be because she has to. She’s going to be working that out. Eventually, she’s going to get to a place where she can put the past behind her, but it’s going to be a pretty hard road for her." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Malcolm is going to be doing exactly what he’s always done. Part of the fun of him is that you never know exactly where he stands. One thing that is absolutely clear is he’s always there for Thea. He and Thea are going to have some pretty cool scenes together because she’s going to come back and he’s going to be there. She’s not happy to see him. Oliver is going to be pulling at any possible help, whether he can trust that help or not; he’s going to be calling in every reinforcement he has to take down Chase." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "[Malcolm's] going to be a huge factor leading up to the finale. This season is all about legacy, and when Malcolm comes into the story, it’s really rooted as much by necessity from Oliver’s point of view as it is about what Malcolm means to him and what Malcolm means to Thea. It’s a great story, because it’s going to have a lot of action but it’s also going to have this kind of emotional undercurrent that is going to lead to a really big, huge series moment for him. I think it’s a great story to tell, and it’s great stuff for John [Barrowman] to play." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, WH posted pic of foggy forest scene. (WH instagram post, page 1481 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific -- On whether EK will still be a series regular in S6, MG: "Absolutely." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether they were ever going to bring back up Curtis helping Rene get his daughter back, MG: "Yes!" (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Dinah being like a smart-ass big sister to Rene and Curtis, JH (laughing): "For sure. I think Dinah is sort of used to being 'one of the boys,' so she’s not afraid to tease them or play with them a bit and mock them. That’s definitely part of her character." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog -- Rick Gonzalez, who plays Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog, has been promoted to series regular for S6. (Apr. 13, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- In response to fan of Rene/Wild Dog who hopes that he will be in S6, MG: "So glad you like. We love Rene and Rick." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan request to keep Rene, Dinah and Rory around, MG: "Thank you! So glad! And we will!" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether they were ever going to bring back up Curtis helping Rene get his daughter back, MG: "Yes!" (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the possibility of a romance between Rene and Thea, MG: "Rene ships him and Thea hard." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I ship that, too! (Assuming you’re referring to Rene and Thea.)" This was in response to following fan post: "Wild Queen in season 6 please and thank you." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Dinah being like a smart-ass big sister to Rene and Curtis, JH (laughing): "For sure. I think Dinah is sort of used to being 'one of the boys,' so she’s not afraid to tease them or play with them a bit and mock them. That’s definitely part of her character." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) Rory Regan AKA Ragman -- In response to fan request to keep Rene, Dinah and Rory around, MG: "Thank you! So glad! And we will!" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Totally a chance of seeing Rory again. We love the character and we love Joe. We discussed bringing him back at the end of Season 5, but the story took us in another direction. Still totally on the table for Season 6." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Rory Regan will return for the finale, MG: "Season 6, I’m afraid." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Rory Regan can return, MG: "We love Rory. If Joe is game, we’ll absolutely have him back." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis -- On whether there is any redemption for Artemis in the eyes of Team Arrow, WM: "I think it’s still a question mark. Honestly, I think the jury’s still out on her. Even in the finale, where she does play a pretty significant role, I think that the team is reluctant to give up on her. No matter how dark she goes, she was that innocent person that Oliver met in [Season] 4 [episode] 19 that has been through so much. I think it’s partly what Madison [McLaughlin] brings to the role that makes it hard to give up on her." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Quentin Lance -- In response to fans expressing concern that we don't lose Thea (WH) and Lance (PB) as regulars next season, MG: "Paul and Willa are still regulars." and "You won't." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr posts, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Quentin will encounter Black Siren and whether that will have an impact on his recovery as an alcoholic, MG: "?" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Black Siren and Quentin will meet, and whether Black Siren and Thea will meet, MG: "(whistling)." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Simon Morrison AKA Adrian Chase AKA Prometheus -- On how Chase knows so much about Oliver and Team Arrow, MG: "I thought it was clear, but: Talia did her research on Oliver and shared that with Chase. And Evelyn filled in the blanks on the team." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Chase is now on the defensive (after being exposed as Prometheus in 518), MG: "I don't think Chase is ever on the defensive. I think we've made it pretty clear that Chase is playing a very long game. That's not to say that him being outed by Green Arrow was planned. In fact, it's probably the first thing that happened that wasn't according to plan. The reason we did it that way is that it's one thing to show that Chase is formidable by showing how well he plans ahead. But I think it shows how even more formidable he is when you see him react to a setback. And obviously, we still have five more episodes in the season left to go, so there's still plenty more story to tell with Chase. Things are really going to up-end for the next year." (Apr. 3, 2017 IGN article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 286 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- MG: "Um, the darkness we were trying to get to in Season 5 was less emotional and more psychological. Um, and - and really sort of dig into the notion of, 'Who is Oliver Queen?' 'Why does he do what he does?' Um, you know, one of the things that we sort of reset at the end of Season 4 was we - you know, to use Thea's words, you know, Oliver put killing back on the table. And we wanted to explore, um, what that meant - but not in the sort of very simplistic binary way that we did in Season 2, where it was to kill or not to kill. Um, this - you know, got a lot - we got a lot more psychologically deep. Um, and in order to accomplish that, we knew we needed a villain whose game plan had to be something more interesting and more nuanced than either killing Oliver and/or destroying Star City. Uh, we wanted a villain who was far more psychological in the way he operated. Even though Prometheus is a very capable fighter, his real secret weapon is how effective he is at getting, uh, under Oliver's skin. So, uh, you haven't seen the end of those - of those mind games. In fact, we're just getting started." (Apr. 7, 2017 USA Today's The Mothership podcast, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I will happily tell him! And I agree with you!" This was in response to following fan post: "Hi again Marc, this one not a question. Pls tell Josh Segarra he's amazing! Awesome job he's doing with Chase/Prometheus. You have to keep him, don't kill him, bring him back for S6. Think of him as GA's Joker :)" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the primary difference between Slade Wilson and Adrian Chase, MG: "I think the primary difference between Slade and Chase is that Slade’s evil was all under the influence of Mirakuru. Chase has no such excuse. He’s just evil to the bone." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 556 of Social Media thread) -- On the S5 finale, WM: "Chase [Segarra] has been trying to prove to the world and to Oliver that he's not a hero, he's a killer, and he's going to pull out one final whammo at the end that's going to leave Oliver reeling... We might lose some people." (Scan of Entertainment Weekly magazine page in Apr. 21, 2017 OlicityDreams tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "I think Josh Segarra has done an amazing job at really making Chase one of the scariest villains that we’ve seen on the show." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: “Chase is a guy who can pivot on a dime... This might have been a surprise for him, but Chase is like a grandmaster at chess. He’s played out every possible move, and knows that regardless of what his opponent is going to do he’s got a plan.” Now that he's been outed as Prometheus, WM: "His plans have to change. The public knows who he is, and he can’t be quite as blatant as he’s been. That said, he’s got a continuous plan, and he’s mapped out every step of it. That’s been part of the fun with this season; there’s nothing Oliver can do to one-up this guy." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On how Prometheus is going to adapt to his new status quo, WM: "I think he’s going to adapt as well as he’s adapted to everything. Chase is ten steps ahead, as always. I think he anticipated this move. He knew it was going to happen, and he doesn’t have any problem. He’s always one step ahead. He’s playing a game of chess and I think, for the first few episodes of the season, our team was — to some extent — playing checkers. I think the team is smarter than that now. They’re definitely up to speed. They know how to kind of get under his skin, and that outing won’t have no consequences for him, but it’ll be nothing that Chase can’t get past and manipulate to his own advantage." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Chase will not be thrown by the fact that there's now firm evidence against him. WM: "I think he has every contingency planned out." Per WM, Chase is a "ten-steps-ahead sort of guy." WM: "It's not that he didn't anticipate it, but he can't hide in plain sight anymore, so he's going to up his game. And likewise, Oliver [Stephen Amell] is on the attack. These are two formidable people who are equally determined to get the other, so it's promising a pretty big blow out at the end." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Adrian Chase, WM: “He is always 10 steps ahead, despite the fact that the team got took a big chunk out of him in the previous episode [518]... He’s really good at this chess game, and like any grand master, he’s got a million contingency plans. He’s going to be making his moves regardless.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- The eventual showdown between Oliver and Chase will be major. WM: "Chase understands the way Oliver thinks. He knows all of his weak spots. He knows how to manipulate him psychologically and emotionally, and he's going to pull out all the stops to do exactly that in the finale... I don't think we've ever seen Oliver go through something like this before." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Chase has been someone who has again, really burrowed into Oliver's psyche and he's going to hit him where it hurts the most, and we're going to see that come to a head in the finale." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there will be any Chase/Felicity interactions, WM: “You will see that happen... towards the end of the year, absolutely.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) The Vigilante -- On the identity of the Vigilante, MG: "We’ll answer that question in Season 6." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether we'll see the Vigilante again this season, WM: "Maybe” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Konstantin Kovar -- On whether we'll see Dolph Lundgren as Kovar again, MG: "And, yes, you will absolutely see Dolph return as Kovar this season. He’s awesome." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Anatoly Knyazev -- Fan report on what MG said: "There's a high chance of Anatoly being a villain in S6 too. He's great to work with and his history with OQ is undeniable." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Oliver's crumbling friendship with Anatoli (David Nykl) will be dealt with in the future, but not this season. WM: "We'll definitely see the fallout of that at some point... That's a thread we're sort of leaving dangling for a moment, but the idea that Oliver has an enemy out there and an enemy with a presence in Star City, there's no way we can't pick that up at some point, and we also want to. Anatoli's someone who's been close to Oliver for years, we love the actor, and it's got the potential for some really great stories." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there's any hope of repairing Oliver's relationship with Anatoly, WM: "I think if it’s ever going to be repaired it will be very difficult and hard-fought. Oliver has crossed the line, and Anatoly has as well. What’s interesting about the story we built to in last week’s episode [518] was Oliver didn’t know quite how far gone Anatoly was. The fun will be when we do bring him back — which we are definitely hoping to — is digging a little more deeply into what corrupted him." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Cayden James -- Cayden James is the most skilled hacker in the world and the founder of Helix. He was locked up by ARGUS. (519 producer's preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "? [half-smiling emoji]" This was in response to following fan post: "The head of Helix, I'm guessing we will be seeing him in season 6. Considering Felicity helped free him, any chance we will see her want to take him on? It would be within her personality to do that!" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Alena AKA Kojo Sledgehammer -- Alena has a connection to Cayden James, the founder of Helix. (519 producer's preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Susan Williams -- When asked about the chances of Susan betraying Oliver, MG replied: "Not very good because she’s not going to betray Oliver and side with Prometheus." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked how he meant for Susan to come across to the audience, MG replied: "As a woman who liked Oliver and started a relationship with him." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 552 of Social Media thread) -- MG: "I don’t agree with the premises of your argument. I think Susan started dating Oliver because she liked him, not because she was writing a story on him. And she certainly didn’t sleep with him for research – how could she know he had a Bratva captain tattoo under his shirt?" This was in response to following fan post: "You said you didn't expect people to dislike the reporter so much? Let me clear that up. She used Oliver, someone she was writing a story on. She slept with him for research. She endangered the entire team. Then you made Oliver decide to choose her and defend her over Thea and Felicity? That was so out of character and bad, it was just wrong. You made Oliver unlikable. You made season five unlikable. You kept OTA and Olicity apart for no reason except to focus on new characters no one cares for!" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I see Susan differently – which much different motives – than you do." This was in response to following fan post: "Marc I've really really enjoyed this season other than the gun control ep & ep15, but a big concern of mine is how y'all don't get why we don't like Susan. You introduce her has a conniving and manipulating women, you have here trying to get the scoop on Oliver, you have her date the subject of her research which is completely unethical, and she sleeps with him to see his tattoo. Then she threatens to expose his secret that could not only harm him but everyone else, and she's the victim?" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On the intention behind showing the shot of the burn on Susan's wrist in 503, MG: "No intention." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the significance of cutting to the close-up of the Russian vodka at Susan's apartment in 509, MG: "It was the director’s idea." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "They didn't expect all the Susan backlash. Goal was just to start O/F in different relationships." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "Again, re: Susan. They went with story. They thought it'd be interesting to see 'what if' as a reporter, she found out about his secret." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "MG reiterated again the importance of chemistry. Carly and KC do not have it with SA. Not something you can predict." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) Dinah Drake (FKA Tina Boland) AKA New Black Canary? -- On whether we will finally hear someone call Dinah "Black Canary" before this season ends, MG: "Nothing beyond 514's reference. But in Season 6…" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Juliana Harkavy, who plays Dinah Drake, has been promoted to series regular for S6. (Apr. 13, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- In response to fan request to keep Rene, Dinah and Rory around, MG: "Thank you! So glad! And we will!" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan said that JH was "absolutely amazing and a real badass" and asking them not to kill Dinah just because KC is back. MG replied: "Totally agree and we totally won’t." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan said: "I hope the new Black Canary is not going nowhere but she does have great chemistry with john Diggle." MG replied: "She’s not and I agree with you!" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On fan reminder that Dyla is a fan favorite and that Diggle is an honorable man, MG: "Is this a reference to the chemistry between Dig and Dinah?" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan requesting a Dinah/Felicity bad-ass women team-up sometime, plus Thea and maybe Lyla, MG: "I’m all for it!" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether we'll see Black Siren working together with Dinah Drake or will they hate each other, MG: "[P]art of the fun of bringing Katie back is seeing her character interact with Juliana’s. Make of that what you will, too. :)" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether E2 Laurel and Dinah will become frenemy and bond over their losses of the men that they loved and whether Black Siren will join Team Arrow, MG: "I guess I’m gonna have to ask you to watch Season 6…" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan's suggestion that episode title for Siren/Canary episode could be "Scream Queens," MG: "That’s pretty great. I may steal that." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the chemistry between Diggle and Dinah, WM: "It’s two great actors working off each other. [Laughs.] That said, I think that part of the fun of having the team there is it’s going to create theses different dynamics. If, down the road, there’s a little misunderstanding here or there, I’m not saying that might not happen. But right now, that’s not the case." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Dinah’s relationship with Oliver and with Diggle, JH: "I think that these are the people she’s allowed herself to get closest to in a very long time. This is the first group that she’s allowed herself to be vulnerable with. Oliver was the one who sought her out and let her in, so her connection to him in particular is a special one. She has a particular fondness for Oliver — not in a romantic way, but as a partner. And with Diggle, he’s the second in command, and that appeals to Dinah. She likes to sort of team up and go on runs with him. He’s a competent fighter and so is she." Interviewer: "It’s kind of like whereas Oliver brought Dinah in, Diggle has been the one who got her settled in and showed her how to be a team member." JH: "Exactly. That’s such a good way to put it. It’s a really nice dynamic, and it does make it feel like a big family where we’re all working together and helping each other." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- On Dinah being like a smart-ass big sister to Rene and Curtis, JH (laughing): "For sure. I think Dinah is sort of used to being 'one of the boys,' so she’s not afraid to tease them or play with them a bit and mock them. That’s definitely part of her character." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- On whether Dinah gets to bust out any new moves or have any "firsts" over these last few episodes, JH: "Yeah, there actually are! She’s coming into her own. She’s getting stronger, she’s getting better." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- On a possible Black Canary/Black Siren face-off at some point, JH: "I actually don’t know if a face-off is in store, but that would be epic!" (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, when asked by fan if she had already finished filming Arrow, JH replied: "almost!" (JH instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) E2 Laurel Lance AKA Black Siren -- MG: "Um, you know, I mean, it's funny like, when we killed off Katie Cassidy's character, Laurel, uh, last year, and - I will say, the hardest part of killing off a character is, you are basically firing someone from their job. So - forget about the fans for a second - the hardest thing, bar none, is having that conversation. Um, and actually, it's funny, when we had that conversation with Katie, we said, you know, first of all, the show does flashbacks, it's a big universe, there's time travel, there's all kinds of realities - and, Katie's coming back as a series regular in Season 6. Um, we weren't shining her on when we had that conversation a year ago. It turned - it was true. Um, you know, not every show obviously can do that." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: video of IndieWire's Fan Favorites Showrunners panel, page 557 of Social Media thread) -- On whether Quentin will encounter Black Siren and whether that will have an impact on his recovery as an alcoholic, MG: "??" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Black Siren and Quentin will meet, and whether Black Siren and Thea will meet, MG: "(whistling)." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the possibility of Black Siren becoming a member of the Legends, MG: "That was something we had talked about. For us, the whole conversation about bringing Katie back as a series regular on 'Arrow' began with her performance in the midseason premiere. We briefly spoke about bringing her on 'Legends,' but I think from a story perspective we would get far more mileage out of her interacting with the cast of 'Arrow.'” (Apr. 4, 2017 Variety article, page 1466 of Spoiler Discussion thread and page -- When asked if Black Siren will be S6's Big Bad, MG replied: "Hmm, I don't know if I should answer that. Uh, I will say, she's gonna have a very significant presence as an antagonist, let's put it that way." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: MYM Buzz video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I do. And I agree with your reaction re Katie’s performance." This was in response to following fan post: "Hey Marc! I'm going to be honest here. I was never the biggest fan of Laurel Lance. It started out as dislike but grew to indifference. But now that Katie Cassidy is coming back as Black Siren, my interest piqued, because I think Katie plays a good antagonist. She did a good job in 510 and in the Flash episode last year. So I am hoping Black Siren is kept as an antagonist/villain in Season 6. Besides I think it is time for a female big bad in Arrow, don't you?" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked if S6 flashbacks could include seeing Earth 2 for more of Black Siren backstory, MG replied: "Totally possible." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I’m extremely excited. Katie is a delight to work with and the story potentials for Black Siren are extremely enticing." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "As for Black Siren, we have a lot of ideas we’re excited about. That’s the whole reason we asked Katie to come back." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "If watching Katie’s performance as Black Siren in 510 gave us ideas and made us excited about the prospect of more Black Siren, then I agree with you, we caved like spelunkers." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 552 of Social Media thread) -- On whether Black Siren will get a new suit or costume, MG: "I like her current one!" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Black Siren will get a poster now that E2 Laurel is a series regular, MG: "I love her costume. Posters are the province of our friends at the CW." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Black Siren will be getting a S6 poster, MG: "That’s up to the CW." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan's suggestion that episode title for Siren/Canary episode could be "Scream Queens," MG: "That’s pretty great. I may steal that." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "MG can't say if KC will be the big bad of S6, but she will have a significant role." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "THERE IS NO WAY IN A GAJILLION YEARS THAT BLACK SIREN AND OLIVER WILL BE A THING." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "MG reiterated again the importance of chemistry. Carly and KC do not have it with SA. Not something you can predict." In response to another fan asking whether MG actually said that, or whether we are assuming he meant them, fan tweeted that "he said that." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread, and Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 1461 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether we'll see Black Siren working together with Dinah Drake or will they hate each other, MG: "[P]art of the fun of bringing Katie back is seeing her character interact with Juliana’s. Make of that what you will, too. :)" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether E2 Laurel and Dinah will become frenemy and bond over their losses of the men that they loved and whether Black Siren will join Team Arrow, MG: "I guess I’m gonna have to ask you to watch Season 6…" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On having Black Siren fight with or aganst Sara on LoT, MG: "Katie is already a series regular on Arrow, which logistically and contractually makes it impossible for her to be a series regular on Legends, as well. But we love having Caity and Katie in scenes together, so…" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "What I love the most about Black Siren is seeing Katie Cassidy play a badass. [laughs] I mean, she was a badass before as Black Canary, but playing this other role with this darkness to it… it’s just a very interesting color for her to play, as she did Laurel, which she did an amazing job. She brings so much to this role, and it’s really seeing Katie really nail the ins and outs of this character. I think the other interesting thing about it and my favorite part is the impact that it has emotionally on the people who knew Laurel before she was unfortunately killed in Season 4. What does it mean to see this person who looks exactly like this person you loved and have them come back and be evil? It raises all kinds of questions for the people who knew her best, and that part is just absolutely rich character territory that we can play with and we’re really excited about doing that going forward." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On a possible Black Canary/Black Siren face-off at some point, JH: "I actually don’t know if a face-off is in store, but that would be epic!" (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, KC posted pic of herself as blonde Black Siren. (KC instagram post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 6, 2017, papp tweeted: "She [Katie Cassidy] worked 3 days and that was it. Isn't working next couple either." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1471 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "For you no, like I said her shit is done. May have another odd day here & there but her purpose for that ep is over they moved on to 23." (Apr. 10, 2017 pursuit23 tweet, page 1475 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "@Katie_Cassidy_ your girl works thursday." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, when asked about KC, papp tweeted: "From what I heard shes a villain next season." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1475 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, when asked about KC, papp tweeted: "Not til end of week." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke -- Manu Bennett will reprise his role as Slade Wilson this season. (Apr. 10, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG tweeted: "BTW, the return of @manubennett is only the first of a few exciting announcements about Arrow's sixth season finale..." and "Oh, I mean FIFTH. Working on sixth right now..." He also tweeted pic of Deathstroke. (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the primary difference between Slade Wilson and Adrian Chase, MG: "I think the primary difference between Slade and Chase is that Slade’s evil was all under the influence of Mirakuru. Chase has no such excuse. He’s just evil to the bone." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 556 of Social Media thread) -- On whether Slade's unfinished business with Felicity is going to come back into play in the finale, MG: "There’s a moment in the script that I’m pleased with – but you never know what’s going to happen or what’s going to make it into the cut." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Deathstroke’s big return, WM: "Well, he’s a big character on the show! I mean, obviously, Oliver’s had a long history. We always said we were going to be closing out the first five years and ending it with a bang, and ending it with Oliver looking back at his past, and there’s no real way to tell that story without Deathstroke being a part of it." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver and Slade are actually aligning, WM: "That’s a great question. With Deathstroke, you never really know who you’re dealing with, in a similar way with Malcolm, but with a little bit more of an edge, because the history between Slade and Oliver is as deep and troubled as the one between him and Malcolm. Slade is definitely coming back. We’re definitely going to be thinking he might be on Oliver’s side. That’s all I’m going to say about that, to quote Forrest Gump. [Laughs.]" (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "It was fantastic to have Manu back. He’s a member of the family. He was so formative in Seasons 1 and 2, and Deathstroke is a huge factor in the comic books for Oliver Queen. It was fantastic to have him back, and Deathstroke is an unpredictable character, so Oliver taking him on makes you wonder. He must be in a pretty dire situation if he’s aligning himself with people like that." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- SA tweeted: "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Welcome back @manubennett." (Apr. 10, 2017 SA tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Manu Bennett tweeted: "WTF?????" and "For the record - I'm not going back for Arrow! #assumptionisthemotherofall..." (Apr. 10, 2017 MB tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread)-- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "Was told by @PUNKD_Images everytime they cut Deathstroke would go straight to trailer not stay with cast , be weird if that was Manu then." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan tweeted pic of Oliver, Captain Boomerang and Deathstroke walking on a beach. (smoaksqueen tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan tweeted pic, with comment: "I just couldn't get closer + sucky iphone camera. Oliver, Nyssa, Slade and somebody else I couldn't really see. #arrow." (Human_Stain tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, GreenArrowTV tweeted: "Yes, if you check out the article. I got confirmation [of Manu Bennett's return] from the network & studio." (GreenArrowTV tweet, page 1479 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, papp tweeted: "I tweeted like 5 times about how Manu isnt in the suit on set soooo lol." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, Manu Bennett tweeted: "Enough b.s about d.s!!! FACT: Deathstroke #Arrow are currently filming in Vancouver IS NOT ME. I am in Auckland filming #shannarachronicles." (MB tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, papp posted pic of Manu Bennett, with comment: "lemon_buzz#ManuBennett in #Vancouver #tbt. #Deathstroke #ImtrollinglikeStephenAmell #Crixus #Arrow." (lemon_buzz instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, when asked why the Deathstroke mask is back on the island, and not floating in the Amazo, MG replied: "521." (MG tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, TV Guide reported that sources confirmed to them that Manu Bennett is in fact returning to Arrow for the season finale and will begin shooting scenes in Vancouver later this week. It's likely that the man spotted in the Deathstroke costume on set is filming fight scenes or other footage where it wouldn't be necessary to have Bennett film it himself. (Apr. 12, 2017 TV Guide article, page 58 of Spoilers thread and page 1480 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, papp tweeted pic of what looks like hooded Manu Bennett, with comment: "Manu Bennett arriving for #arrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, papp posted pics of Manu Bennett arriving off Auckland flight at YVR Vancouver Airport. (DailyHive article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, papp tweeted pic with comment: "Weird the guy that Manu claims isnt him that I shot yesterday has a bag tag with Bennett M on his suitcase." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, MG tweeted: "Happy to confirm that you will definitely hear the voice of @manubennett in Arrow's season finale." In response, Manu Bennett tweeted: "thank you for that slight clarification BUT isn't using old pre-recorded ADR for d.s not kosher?" (MG and MB tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, Manu Bennett tweeted video clip of himself from the set of of Shannara Chronicles in Auckland, New Zealand. (MB tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, fan tweeted pics of Deathstroke stunt double on set. In response, Manu Bennett tweeted: "I rest my case." (purselover2 and MB tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, papp posted pic of Manu Bennett drinking from a cup and tweeted: "Message to @ManuBennett from yesterday in #NorthVancouver #Arrow trailers.." (PUNKD_Images tweet & instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 14, 2017, fan tweeted pic of what looks like hooded Manu Bennett at airport, with comment: "Bennett tried to stay covert to avoid his reappearance in Vancouver being exposed." (Ras_Al_Him tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 15, 2017, papp tweeted: "Manu Bennetts crazy ass has wrapped #Arrow filming as he just went through YVR airport to catch his Air New Zealand flight BACK home." Another papp posted pic of Manu Bennett at airport, with comment: f"#TheFreakShow @ManuBennett trying to sneak out of #Vancouver.. on his way back to #Auckland #Arrow #Deathstroke #SladeWilson." (pursuit23 tweet and PUNKD_Images instagram pic, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Digger Harkness AKA Captain Boomerang -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "Glad to have caught up with Katrina Law & Nick Tarabay who are both back for the Season 5 finale of Arrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan tweeted pic of Oliver, Captain Boomerang and Deathstroke walking on a beach. (smoaksqueen tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow cast at #WhytecliffParkBeach #Amell #NickTarabay #KatrinaLaw #JohnBarrowman…" (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Talia al Ghul -- There will be an epic fight between Talia and Nyssa al Ghul in 523. (Apr. 11, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the Nyssa vs Talia fight, MG: "I can tell you that there will be a clear winner." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On the sibling rivalry between the al Ghul sisters, WM: "It’s rooted, as always with siblings, in the parents. The parents always mess it up for the kids! [laughs] And in this case, it definitely goes back to Ra’s al Ghul and how he treated them. We know a lot about his fight with Nyssa and what that was about, but what we don’t know is that he simply had a very similar attitude towards his older daughter as well. When Talia left and Nyssa was stuck basically in a giant castle with Ra’s, it did not sit well with her." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Talia al Ghul, Lexa Doig: "Well she’s an important character in the DC Universe, but I’m not sure how integral she is in the Arrow universe yet. The way it’s been set up she trained Green Arrow. She was like the final step of training that Oliver had before he went back to Starling City. She’s a lot of the reason he went back. It’s interesting because I think she’s the final step in the journey, she’s the final piece of the puzzle to help him differentiate himself from this alter-ego that he has. But I don’t really know how important she is yet, because we’ve only seen her in flashbacks." (Apr. 21, 2017 CGMagazine article, page 217 of Starling City Times thread) -- On what she brought to her interpretation of Talia, LD: "Probably sarcasm, because I’m a snarky bitch. I did a certain amount of research, and I watched as much as I could of previous episodes that feature the Al Ghul family, and it’s stylized in a sense because they’re part of the world but they’re not of the world. There’s a bit of a supernatural element with the Lazarus Pits and the League of Assassins, and they operate on the periphery. I felt it would be far more interesting that the difference with Talia is that she’s of the world. Yes, she can operate on the periphery, that’s where she was born and raised and trained, but she can also put on a business suit and attend a meeting; I thought that would be interesting because that’s kind of what Oliver does. So that was my thought process in creating Talia so that her language and her manner and her cadences are a little more modern, as opposed to that Shakespearean style that you saw with the Al Ghul family." (Apr. 21, 2017 CGMagazine article, page 217 of Starling City Times thread) -- LD: "I do believe I’m going in for another episode of Arrow." (Apr. 21, 2017 CGMagazine article, page 217 of Starling City Times thread) Nyssa al Ghul -- Katrina Law will reprise her role as Nyssa al Ghul for multiple episodes that culminate in an epic fight between Nyssa and her half-sister Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig) in the S5 finale. (Apr. 11, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the Nyssa vs Talia fight, MG: "I can tell you that there will be a clear winner." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked for a joke about Talia calling Oliver "brother-in-law", MG replied: "Now that you know Nyssa is coming back, you can expect more Oliver/Nyssa marriage jokes. Can’t help it." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there's any chance Oliver and Nyssa become a couple, MG: "They're married. What more do you want? ;)" (Apr. 13, 2017 MG tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the sibling rivalry between the al Ghul sisters, WM: "It’s rooted, as always with siblings, in the parents. The parents always mess it up for the kids! [laughs] And in this case, it definitely goes back to Ra’s al Ghul and how he treated them. We know a lot about his fight with Nyssa and what that was about, but what we don’t know is that he simply had a very similar attitude towards his older daughter as well. When Talia left and Nyssa was stuck basically in a giant castle with Ra’s, it did not sit well with her." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "Glad to have caught up with Katrina Law & Nick Tarabay who are both back for the Season 5 finale of Arrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow cast at #WhytecliffParkBeach #Amell #NickTarabay #KatrinaLaw #JohnBarrowman…" (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan tweeted pic, with comment: "I just couldn't get closer + sucky iphone camera. Oliver, Nyssa, Slade and somebody else I couldn't really see. #arrow." (Human_Stain tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Yao Fei -- WM: "Yao Fei, on the show, has always operated as Oliver’s conscience. It’s not going to be any different this time. He’s going to be there at a crucial moment for Oliver, where he’s going to make a very big decision about his future. Yao Fei knows him and understands him in the way he knew who he was when he was on the island when he was first moored there and couldn’t get off and was a lost castaway. I would definitely be thinking about, 'Who was Oliver when he met Yao Fei?' and Yao Fei is going to be reminding him of that and reminding him of who he’s become at a very crucial point in the flashback story." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, in response to fan who said she missed him, Byron Mann (who played Yao Fei) tweeted: "I'll be back." Fan then tweeted: "was worried Yao Fei might be Prometheus. I'm still wondering if he's the Vigilante. I'll still love him even if he is." BM then tweeted: "Which episode is Arrow playing currently?" Fan replied: " 518 Disbanded. It won't be back on again until later this month" BM then tweeted: "Stay tuned to season's end." (Byron Mann and purselover2 tweets, page 57 of Spoilers thread) Samantha Clayton and William Clayton -- MG: "I love Samantha Clayton and I particularly love Anna Hopkins’ portrayal of her." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, papp tweeted: "Told certain someone was at #Arrow ravine set & my initial response wtf why was she there. But now Im pretty sure ??? in finale storyline" and " and "[he was told by] Someone that was at set" and "Well with the baby mama being on the island for the big Finale I'm gonna guess & say that the kid was taken by Prometheus. Thats my guess." When fan guessed Anna Hopkins, papp tweeted a 'thumbs up' emoji. Papp also said that he had not yet heard or seen Jack Moore (who played William) on the Arrow set for 523, but tweeted: "Nope but its not like he's needed until a showdown if he was kidnapped." (pursuit23 tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Return of Malcolm Merlyn -- On whether Star City citizens think Malcolm Merlyn is still alive, MG: "They still think he’s dead." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Malcolm is going to be doing exactly what he’s always done. Part of the fun of him is that you never know exactly where he stands. One thing that is absolutely clear is he’s always there for Thea. He and Thea are going to have some pretty cool scenes together because she’s going to come back and he’s going to be there. She’s not happy to see him. Oliver is going to be pulling at any possible help, whether he can trust that help or not; he’s going to be calling in every reinforcement he has to take down Chase." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "[Malcolm's] going to be a huge factor leading up to the finale. This season is all about legacy, and when Malcolm comes into the story, it’s really rooted as much by necessity from Oliver’s point of view as it is about what Malcolm means to him and what Malcolm means to Thea. It’s a great story, because it’s going to have a lot of action but it’s also going to have this kind of emotional undercurrent that is going to lead to a really big, huge series moment for him. I think it’s a great story to tell, and it’s great stuff for John [Barrowman] to play." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow cast at #WhytecliffParkBeach #Amell #NickTarabay #KatrinaLaw #JohnBarrowman…" (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan tweeted: "I'm on a two hour bus ride into the woods bc amell and john barrowman are on set. Halp" and "Stephen Amell on set in a leather jacket gave me life though." (Human_Stain tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, JB tweeted: "I have been very quiet online lately. You will all understand why in a few weeks:) JB" and "might not be something I announce but something you will see... JB." (JBarrowman tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Other Possible Returns or Debuts in S5 -- On whether there could be more Human Target appearances, MG: "Totally possible there will be more Human Target." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, Oliver still has a son after Flashpoint. (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On the chances that psychiatrist Doctor Pressnall (played by Jill Teed in 3x07) will ever show up again in Arrow, MG: "Totally possible." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 31, 2017, T3 Athletics posted video clip of JR Bourne working out and tweeted: "Welcoming @jrbourne1111 to T3 Athletics and TurF with some Turkish Get Ups today. Not too damn shabby for a first timer eh @emilybett?? Looking forward to working with this guy. He's a gamer ??." (t3athletics tweet and instagram post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, JR Bourne was shooting his new ABC show, Somewhere Between. (jrbourne1111 instagram post, page 1478 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Not Returning or Debuting in S5 -- Per MG, Noah Kuttler will not be returning in S5. (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On the likelihood of seeing Felicity's dad again, MG: "Season 6, hopefully." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "We love Colton and talk about Roy returning all the time. It’s just a matter of finding the proper story and a time that works with Colton’s schedule." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there are any plans to bring back Tatsu this season, MG: "Not this season, but we love her." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there are any plans for Walter Steele to return, MG: "Not at present, but he comes up in conversation in the writers room often." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether they've thought about bringing back Colin Donnell as a villain, MG: "We’ve definitely talked about it. The fact Colin is a series regular on another show makes it difficult." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the likelihood of seeing Tommy Merlyn again, MG: "Depends on Colin's commitments to Chicago Med." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On the chance that we'll see Anarky back in S5, MG: "Not in Season 5, but totally a possibility for Season 6." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to Wil Traval asking if Human Target will return, MG tweeted: "Hells yeah. Would love to have you back!" (Apr. 13, 2017 WT and MG tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Flash in the Arrowverse -- On whether we'll see another effect of Flashpoint in the final episodes of Arrow, MG: "No." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Flashpoint will come into play again with the last five episodes, MG: "Nope." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 6, 2017, fan posted pic of GG, CV and Audrey Marie Anderson outside ARGUS. (VanFlarrowFan tweet, page 287 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) LoT in the Arrowverse -- The consequences of the Legends’ actions (in LoT S2 finale) will not reverberate throughout the full Arrow-verse. MG: “There will be an explanation in season 3 about why you’re not seeing dinosaurs running through Central City... We’d rather keep the shows separate in that regard.” (Apr. 6, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 288 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On possibly doing a prequel or follow-up to the "Star City 2046" episode, MG: "We talk about a follow-up a lot. I’d love to do it!" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether they ever considered having Dinah Lance Sr./Alex Kingston suit up as Black Canary, MG: "Maybe in Legends?" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On having Black Siren fight with or aganst Sara on LoT, MG: "Katie is already a series regular on Arrow, which logistically and contractually makes it impossible for her to be a series regular on Legends, as well. But we love having Caity and Katie in scenes together, so…" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Vixen in the Arrowverse -- On the chances of Nate being Mari's grandfather, MG: "I really need to master putting GIFs in these things. Imagine a whistling one…" (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) Black Lightning in the Arrowverse? -- Black Lightning is one of the TV shows rumored to get an early series pickup. (Apr. 12, 2017 ComicBook article link in Apr. 13, 2017 ComicBook tweet, page 291 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Black Lightning pilot description: "Based on the DC Comics character, the story follows Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), who made his choice to hang up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he’ll be pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante and DC legend — Black Lightning. Team: Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil will write and executive-produce with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. Cast: Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Anne McClain, Christine Adams." (Apr. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 292 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Beyond S5 and Looking Toward Season 6 -- On whether there's going to be a big time jump between seasons 5 and 6 or just the usual few months, MG: "The usual few months. Tied to broadcast." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "And obviously, we still have five more episodes in the season left to go, so there's still plenty more story to tell with Chase. Things are really going to up-end for the next year." (Apr. 3, 2017 IGN article, page 57 of Spoilers thread and page 286 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- On whether one of those changes could be a musical episode next season, MG: "My attitude... is that Flash already did it and did it so well. Um, I think if we were inclined to do a - for lack of a better word - a device episode, um, I would - I'd rather go in a different direction and do something that hasn't been done before. Um, you know, so if we're going to get clever, we're going to try some type of device or [unintelligible word] narrative, uh, narrative machine, um, I'd be, you know, more interested in doing something non-musical." (Apr. 7, 2017 USA Today's The Mothership podcast, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether they already know who the villain for S6 is, MG: "Yes. We’re already planning out Season 6." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, the loft set will be back in S6. (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On S6 flashbacks, MG: "Basically, we will end the island story very definitively. Um, next year, our approach to the flashbacks will be very different. It'll be episode-specific flashbacks. So - and they won't be every episode. It'll be, if there's a reason to flash back, we'll absolutely do so. We will be having those kind of flashbacks in 601, the sixth season premiere." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: MYM Buzz video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "Everyone's excited to be done with flashbacks. They will be few and far between in S6. More relevant and not every ep." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "It’s absolutely possible. That said, you’ve probably noticed by now that the 'down time' in the lives of all our characters, male and female, isn’t really a place where the show lives." This was in response to fan's request for an episode where the female characters actually do something together (go out to dinner, a spa date or even an undercover mission by themselves). (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: “James Bamford, the fight coordinator, is now not only a director, but is essentially moving into a producer/director role starting next year. It’s something we’ve never had on the show before, and I think it’s going to be incredibly valuable.” (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: Bambamfans article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Edited May 1, 2017 by tv echo Updated with new spoilers 3 Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3166691
tv echo April 24, 2017 Author Share April 24, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... SUMMARY OF 519 SPOILERS: S5, Episode 19: Dangerous Liaisons -- Production code: 519. Shoot Dates: February 22-March 3, 2017. Director: Joel Navoa. Writers: Speed Weed & Elizabeth Kim. Airdate: April 26, 2017. (Feb. 23, 2017 MG tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- 519 synopsis: "THE SEARCH FOR CHASE INTENSIFIES — Oliver (Stephen Amell), Team Arrow, ARGUS and the SCPD kick off a citywide manhunt for Adrian Chase (Josh Segurra). Helix tells Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) they have a way to find Chase but they will need something big, and illegal, from her in return. Joel Novoa directed the episode written by Speed Weed & Elizabeth Kim (#519). Original airdate 4/26/2017." (Apr. 7, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On 519-521, TVLine: "While Team Arrow, A.R.G.U.S. and the SCPD launch a manhunt for Adrian Chase, Helix offers Felicity a solution to that problem — in trade for something big and illegal. On the heels of that, things get intense when Oliver and Felicity are trapped in the bunker together, while Lyla and Diggle deal with martial issues. Oliver also will deal with the forced release of violent criminals prosecuted by Chase as well as the delivery of a mysterious corpse encased in concrete." (Apr. 24, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Arrow sizzle reel for last five episodes of S5 posted. (Arrow S5 Sizzle Reel, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 519 promo posted. (519 promo video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- 519 extended promo posted. (519 extended promo video in alwaysbett tweet, page 1478 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- 519 sneak peek posted, featuring Oliver, Lyla and Dinah finding a dead ARGUS agent. (519 sneak peek video in Apr. 26, 2017 ComicBook tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 519 scene posted, featuring Curtis, Rene and Dinah in an arcade. (519 scene video, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 519 producer's preview posted, featuring an OTA argument and revealing Cayden James as the founder of Helix. (519 producer's preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 519 promo pics posted, featuring Felicity, Oliver, Diggle, Tinah, Curtis, Alena and masked Helix guys. (Apr. 7, 2017 SpoilerTV and TVLine articles, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- 519 dialogue tease: "I’m more worried about something happening to me.” (Apr. 25, 2017 Arrowwriters tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 519 dialogue tease: “This is happening with or without your help. I’ll let you boys wrap your head around that.” (Apr. 26, 2017 Arrowwriters tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG's Billy Joel song pick for 519 is "You Picked a Real Bad Time." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Oliver and company are going to be in direct conflict with Felicity and Helix, um, and the consequences are, shall we say, explosive. Uh, I think that will also be the week that I block Twitter on my computer and my phone." (Apr. 6, 2017 EW Superhero Insider podcast, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG replied: "519" to fan who asked: "Is the person behind Helix a character we have seen before or will this be a new reveal? Is this someone that Felicity knows or is it someone attached to Oliver's past?" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tweet and tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there is a remote possibility that Lyla is behind Helix, MG: "519 is your episode." (Apr. 8, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how he would describe Felicity in 519, MG: "Bad ass." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, Oliver & Felicity's upcoming 520 discussion of their break-up last season "comes out of the events of 519 and, quite frankly, all the other episodes that led up to it. Something happens in 519 that really tees up this conversation.” (Apr. 3, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether the tension between Oliver & Felicity in the 519 promo will "explode" in 19 or carry over to 5.20, MG: "Totally carries over into 520." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I can’t. But only because there was no retconning. We told the story that we wanted to tell. Like we always do. :)" This was in response to following fan post: "Looking like the last 2 episodes —519 and 520 — are going to be better than all previous the episodes of season 5 combined. Congratulations on that. Felicity was awesome! Can you explain why so much of season 5 was retconned to act like Olicity was unimportant and had them barely interact — aside from appeasing the handful of trolls crying and harassing you?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Since Oliver has frequently found success by allying himself with questionable people and you can’t really argue with Helix’s results regarding Prometheus, whether he's being a bit hypocritical toward Felicity, WM: "He recognizes the hypocrisy of it — how could he not? He’s seen enough of the people around him go down these dark roads. At the same time, that’s really the crux of the issue for him. He’s seen people do it, he knows what the cost is on the other side of that, and I think it’s less hypocrisy and more a genuine concern for not wanting her to make the same mistake." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Felicity is going to be going through something in [episode] 19 with Helix that is going to really allow her to see Oliver’s point of view with some clarity and with personal experience for the first time." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 519 features a big move that may make compromise the evidence against Chase. WM: "[Chase is] gonna pull some stuff at the end of 19 that will definitely keep the team on its toes, and in some ways prevent them from capitalizing on their victory in the previous episode." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "This episode [519] is very much Felicity’s dark night of the soul in respect to Helix. She’s been going down this rabbit hole, Oliver and Dig (David Ramsey) have been watching it and trying to pull her back from the brink of making the colossal mistakes they each have made. The time for reflection is gone and she’s only going to be thinking of the decisions she’s made and the moral consequences she’s made after the episode." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We will definitely get more info on Helix. We’re super psyched about this episode [519] because it is really Felicity’s Dark Night of the Soul. We’re not going to wrap it up here, but we’re definitely going to take her to one of the darkest places we’ve ever seen her character go. Because she’s gone down this rabbit hole with Helix, she’s going to find out that — as per usual when people get themselves involved with these organizations — things aren’t always as they seem. Even though she has been really blinded by her drive to get Adrian Chase, I think she’s going to come out of this asking some pretty tough questions about herself and her moral decisions, and there’s a pretty big fight with Oliver, too." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On 519, WM: “This is the episode where Felicity really finds out what Helix is up to, and who’s she’s gotten into bed with... We’ve dropped a lot of hints throughout the season, and Oliver definitely has seen it coming, but everyone has been powerless to keep her from making these decisions.” “Bent on revenge” and “still mourning the loss of Detective Malone,” Felicity will be forced to “think long and hard about the decisions that she made — and the moral consequences of those decisions.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We’ve always wondered, ever since Lyla stepped up and took over A.R.G.U.S., the interesting thing about her character is she, in a lot of ways, is very similar to Oliver in that she’s now in the position of making some really hard decisions and having to constantly justify the means by the end. Dig’s going to find out about some of these things that she’s been doing, and he’s going to really wonder where did his wife go? It’s rich territory because they’ve always been such a solid couple. They’ve had their ups and downs, but I think this is the first time where Dig has looked at her and wondered that this person that he sees in front of him doesn’t really resemble the person that he fell in love with. That’s an interesting question for anyone in a marriage situation to be asking themselves." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- SA: "He does trust [Felicity], but that doesn't mean he has to agree with her... You could almost call Episode 19 Team Arrow versus Team Felicity: Felicity heading up Helix, Oliver heading up Team Arrow. Both after the same objective, but after it in different ways. It pushes us into a real exploration of why Oliver and Felicity have been behaving the way they've been behaving." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Oliver finding out about Felicity's involvement with Helix, SA: "Yeah. I mean, look, he does trust her, but that doesn't mean that he has to agree with her. And we really see - like, with our first crossover, and it was like Flash versus Arrow. Uh, you can almost call Episode 19 'Team Arrow versus Team Felicity.'" (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: thesuperboytheater video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Yeah, there's a scene - there's an episode coming up - I think it's episode 19 - which - I've forgotten the name of it right now, but it really could be called 'Team Felicity versus Team Arrow.' Um, they're both after the same thing - spoiler alert, it's Chase - but she's going about it via Helix, and Team Arrow's going about it via not Helix. And Felicity's running point for her side and Oliver's running point for his side. And it sets up - uh, it sets up a very, very interesting dynamic that we really haven't seen from them all year. Uh, and it starts to - it starts to bring a lot of the stuff that - I don't know that people have been waiting for, but - a lot of the reasons they've been very regimented towards one another is starting to come to the surface in that episode." Also, on whether Oliver & Felicity will have a better understanding of each other when all is said and done, SA: "I think Oliver and Felicity have a very good understanding of each other right now. I think that the viewers get a better understanding of why they are the way that they are." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: KSITE TV video, page 56 of Spoilers thread, and Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- SA: "Basically, uh, we are trying to take down Prometheus. And Team Arrow has one way of going about it, and Felicity thinks she has a better way via Helix. And we disagree. So, it's basically, we're going after the same objective, but we're doing it - there's a tactical difference to how we're doing it. And Oliver and Felicity have a great scene where, you know, he's saying, 'please don't do it this way,' and she's saying, 'this is why I have to.' And it was a really great scene.... It sets up the last four or five episodes of the year pretty well." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel and jbuffyangel tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread, and MyFutureQueen tweet, page 1442 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Matt Mitovich: "People are asking about Olicity, as people call Oliver and Felicity... Stephen Amell told us that Episode 19 is basically being called Team Arrow versus Team Felicity, as she falls further down the Helix rabbit hole." (Mar. 20, 2017 TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live facebook video, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1430 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Michael Ausiello: "Though Oliver has bigger fish to fry for the foreseeable future, Stephen Amell had this to say about Oliver’s take on Felicity’s recent secret-keeping: 'Look, he does trust her, but that doesn’t mean he has to agree with her.' That distinction will be put to the test in Episode 19, which is officially titled 'Dangerous Liaisons' but 'you could almost call it "Team Arrow vs. Team Felicity,”' Amell shared. Felicity and her Helix hackers and Oliver’s associates 'are both after the same objective, but after it in different ways. And that pushes us into a real exploration of why Oliver and Felicity have been behaving the way that they’ve been behaving this year.'” (Mar. 22, 2017 TVLine article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Team Felicity vs. Team Arrow, DR: "There is going to be a major showdown with that... Diggle has already warned her and appealed to her higher moral center, but it didn't work. She's going to get deeper into Helix and it's all going to blow up when we come face-to-face. The team is going to be very divided when it needs to come together." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: “We’re going to come face-to-face with Felicity’s Helix acquaintances and her allegiances to them... and the stakes are going to get higher before they get lower. Diggle’s had a heart-to-heart with her, like he did with Oliver nearly every week in Season 1 and 2, and he appealed to her higher, moral self. But we’re going to get past talking at this point. Now it’s time to place foot to rear ends, as it were.” (Mar. 30, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On 519 team conflict, JH: "Felicity has a lot of really good ideas, and I think that she might want to exercise them — regardless of what the team thinks. Felicity is always helping out, she’s always doing what the team wants and she’s always a team player, but sometimes we have differences in opinion. She’s extremely intelligent...." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- On whether it's about Team Arrow and Felicity and the Helix kids having different ideas about how to get Adrian Chase, JH: "It does involve all of that, yeah. But it’s more than that. Helix is definitely involved in Felicity’s approach to how she thinks we can best catch Adrian Chase." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- On whether it will be a physical skirmish, or more a war of minds, JH: "It’s going to be a bit of everything, because we have the whole physical aspect, where we’re obviously going to be fighting, while Helix is more into mental games. It’s going to be interesting. There are a lot of layers to the conflict." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- Per her IMDb page, Melissa Jin is credited as EBR's and JH's stunt double for 519. (MJ's IMDB page link in Velocity23 post, page 1470 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Feb. 22, 2017, Audrey Marie Anderson (AMA) tweeted: "On a plane to Vancouver. Lyla's in the mix." (aud_anderson tweet, page 53 of Spoilers thread) -- On Feb. 24, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming tonight in Vancouver, circus is near train station." (pursuit23 tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Feb. 28, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow setting up at PNE/Playland." (pursuit23 tweet, page 54 of Spoilers 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. 2, 2017, AMA tweeted: "SO great to be back on set with the 'team'. #TeamArrow #Arrow @CW_Arrow." (aud_anderson tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 2, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming downtown tonight on a roof." and "But the building is not the Melville building again." (pursuit23 tweets, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 1, 2017, fan tweeted: "#arrow prep at JJ cool warehouse queensborough." (gtp_2001 tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 3, 2017, fans tweeted: "#arrow setup to shoot at warehouse circus over at new warehouse in queensborough off Duncan st." and "they are filming at 400 ewen just heard loud gun shots coming the warehouse Parking lot on Duncan is the crew park." (gtp_2001 and cijohnston tweets, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 4, 2017, JBamford posted pic of two men with guns standing on top of container next to warehouse with comment: "Things about to get real on episode 5.19.....#Arrow." (JBam instagram post, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 6, 2017, JH posted pic of Dinah with bo staff standing on top of storage container by warehouse facing cowd of people. (JH instagram post, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 6, 2017, AMA tweeted pic of herself as Lyla with JH as 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 Apr. 19, 2017, JH tweeted "T minus 7 days ??????" and posted pic of masked Dinah, Curtis and Rene, all looking at what appears to be some kind of carnival ride vehicle. (JH tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Edited April 27, 2017 by tv echo 1 Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3208675
tv echo April 28, 2017 Author Share April 28, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... SUMMARY OF 520 SPOILERS: S5, Episode 20: Underneath -- Production code: 520. Shoot Dates: March 6-15, 2017. Director: Wendy Stanzler. Writers: Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz. Airdate: May 3, 2017. (Mar. 6, 2017 MG tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- 520 synopsis: "OLIVER AND FELICITY ARE TRAPPED — Things get intense when Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) are trapped in the bunker together. Meanwhile, Lyla (guest star Audrey Marie Anderson) and Diggle (David Ramsey) deal with their martial [sic] issues. Wendey Stanzler directed the episode written by Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz (#520). Original airdate 5/3/2017." (Apr. 13, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On 519-521, TVLine: "While Team Arrow, A.R.G.U.S. and the SCPD launch a manhunt for Adrian Chase, Helix offers Felicity a solution to that problem — in trade for something big and illegal. On the heels of that, things get intense when Oliver and Felicity are trapped in the bunker together, while Lyla and Diggle deal with martial issues. Oliver also will deal with the forced release of violent criminals prosecuted by Chase as well as the delivery of a mysterious corpse encased in concrete." (Apr. 24, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Arrow sizzle reel for last five episodes of S5 posted. (Arrow S5 Sizzle Reel, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 520 extended promo posted. (520 extended promo video, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Aussie TV's 520 promo posted. (Aussie TV 520 promo video in The_Squealer tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 520 producer's preview posted. (520 producer's preview video, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 520 sneak peek scene posted. (520 sneak peek video, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 520 promo pics posted, featuring Oliver & Felicity, rest of Team Arrow and Lyla. (TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 520 dialogue tease: "Please promise not to tell anyone we had bunker sex." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Screenshot of Oliver in GA suit looking at reflected or screen image of sleeping or unconscious Felicity in underground location, maybe a transition shot, posted. (Screenshot pic of Mar. 20, 2017 SA's Weibo webpage, page 1436 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG's Billy Joel song pick for 520 is "Until You Come to Me." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG's Billy Joel song pick to describe Olicity in 520 is “Until You Come To Me." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread, and Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On where we can listen to the Billy Joel song, "Until You Come to Me," MG: "That’s a tough one. It’s a VERY deep cut. Some of the music was repurposed for Piano Man and it’s hard to find. I have my copy from a bootleg CD. All I can say is that you’re probably younger than I am and, therefore, more adept in the workings of the internet. I’m sure it’s out there to be found!" (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "18." This was in response to following fan post: "I can't wait for the last 5 episodes! Super excited for the conversation between Oliver and Felicity where he opens up to her. On a scale of 1-10 how much is gonna destroy me?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG's word to describe Oliver's & Felicity's feelings towards each other in 520: "Complicated." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether there will be the standard one week timeline jump happening between 519 and 520, or whether the end of 519 will be immediately picked up in 520, MG: "520 is a direct pickup from 519." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether the tension between Oliver & Felicity in the 519 promo will "explode" in 19 or carry over to 5.20, MG: "Totally carries over into 520." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Chase was really there." This was in response to following fan post: "Dangerous Liaisons [519] was fantastic, edge of your seat viewing. I've already watched it twice. Just need your help in understanding what exactly happened there at the end. I thought that James (Helix) tricked Felicity with the flashdrive and faked tracking Chase as a stall until it could send out that EMP to destroy the Arrow Bunker. Others think Chase really was there and set off the explosion. Which one was it? Thanks so much! Can't wait for next week!" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On what will happen to Olicity toward the end of this season, MG: "Um, Episode 520... is sort of - it's our big exploration of Oliver and Felicity's relationship, specifically their break-up. You know, one of the things that we did last year was, when they broke up and ended their engagement and Felicity walked out on Oliver, uh, it was really without a conversation. You know, it was sort of like Felicity hit her breaking point and she just walked. And Oliver and Felicity have never really had that adult conversation about, 'okay, why did we break up,' and 'what's that all about.' And in 520, that's - we really get underneath that in a way that we didn't have time to do last year." On whether they'll be revisiting that relationship again, MG: "Ooh, I'd watch the show. I know a lot of people are curious." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: MYM Buzz video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: “One of the things that we’ve always wanted to do, and I think a lot of the fans have asked for, is basically deal with the consequences of Episode 415 [when] Oliver and Felicity ended their engagement and broke up. They never really had a full-on discussion or exploration of why that breakup happened. Felicity just sort of reached her breaking point and walked out the door... This is definitely an examination of the state of their breakup... It comes out of the events of 519 and, quite frankly, all the other episodes that led up to it. Something happens in 519 that really tees up this conversation.” (Apr. 3, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG tweeted: "Episode 520. All your questions will be answered. (And then you'll have new ones.)" This tweet was In response to fans who disagreed with MG saying, "I think the reason they broke up was [Felicity's] difficulty to see things from Oliver’s perspective. They broke up fundamentally because she didn’t trust Oliver, and the reason she didn’t trust Oliver is she couldn’t understand why he made the decisions he made.” (Mar. 17, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread, and Mar. 17, 2017 MG tweet, page 1426 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG: "I can’t. But only because there was no retconning. We told the story that we wanted to tell. Like we always do. :)" This was in response to following fan post: "Looking like the last 2 episodes —519 and 520 — are going to be better than all previous the episodes of season 5 combined. Congratulations on that. Felicity was awesome! Can you explain why so much of season 5 was retconned to act like Olicity was unimportant and had them barely interact — aside from appeasing the handful of trolls crying and harassing you?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, siince all of SA's scenes in the Olicity-centric 520 are with EBR, the Russia flashbacks will get a week off. Instead, MG: “The flashbacks are to a different time period, as we occasionally do... They take place between Seasons 4 and 5.” (Apr. 6, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I think the flashbacks in 520 will speak to some of your [Olicity] concerns. As for waiting 26 episodes… we had other story to tell." This was in response to following fan post: "Before S5 started, you said that Oliver & Felicity had said everything that needed to be said re their break up off screen and were now in a pretty good place, with little residual issues from their break up. Was it always the plan to have 520 deal with their relationship or was it decided in response to audience reception of season 5? If it was always the plan, why wait 26 episodes to address it?" (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I think it takes two people to fight and two people to end a relationship." This was in response to following fan post: "Just to check: this exploration of why Olicity broke up doesn't paint Felicity as being in the wrong, right? Oliver was in the wrong." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "520." This was in response to following fan post: "[W]ill Oliver explain his train of thought about the son situation to Felicity or talk about the circumstances around it like the Barry telling him what happened in the other time line thing?" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how hot is the Olicity sex scene in 520, MG: "I think it’s pretty hot." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for three words to describe the Olicity sex scene in 520, MG replied: "Consensual. Safe. Satisfying." (Apr. 14, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "It could..." This was in response to following fan post: "The Olicity sex could be a flashback?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "520. :)" This was in response to following fan post: "Is the Olicty scene with Oliver and Felicity touching noses in the bunker we see in the sizzle reel from 5x20 or another episode?" (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "520." This was in response to following fan post: "I was just wondering if you'll ever bring Felicity's microchip back into play? I'd love to see Felicity mass-market the chip which will be the legacy she leaves behind as Felicity Smoak (not Overwatch). But also I'd love to see her own chip malfunction. I can see a lot of good angst come from that. I sort of hate how her whole paralysis has been brushed off and forgotten :/ It's a part of who she is now. I'd love for the show to embrace it not forget it." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Hmm. Hacked… no. But 520…" This was in response to following fan post: "It would be awesome if the concept of Felicity's chip being hacked could be explored!!" (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "520!" This was in response to following fan post: "Stephen teased Emily will be getting some stunts and attempting the salmon latter. Anything to tease about all that? :)" (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On why the wheelchair is in the Arrow bunker, when Felicity walked out of her wheelchair in her apartment, MG: "Don’t you have a lot of old crap lying around your house? Same with the bunker." (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there's an upcoming scene where Oliver and Felicity are on the field together in action, with maybe some Olicity stunts mixed in as well, MG: "Depends on how you define 'field.' But I think 520 should scratch your itch." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Olicity shippers will be happy with 520, MG: "I think it’s been well established that I don’t know what makes Olicity shippers happy. ;) That said, as long as you’re not expecting them to get back together at the end of 520, you’ll be quite happy." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether 520 is going to feature any characters other than Oliver, Felicity, Diggle and Lyla, MG: "Yup. You can expect to see all the familiar faces." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Diggle & Lyla's "rough times" will correlate with or parallel what's going on with Oliver & Felicity re Helix, MG: "Lyla and Diggle’s… challenges definitely stem from the Helix storyline. (Oh, and the fact that Dig doesn’t take out the trash.)" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "In 520, Lyla points out the double standard." This was in response to following fan post: "Why is Diggle so put out about Lyla holding James illegally when Slade has been withering underground on an island without trial for the last three years?! Does that come up when we see Slade again?" (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New 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) -- jbuffyangel posted: "4. Felicity articulates her position on William and what she needs from Oliver." (Mar. 28, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "5. There is a question Oliver needs to answer and it relates to his relationship with Felicity, but also his overall journey." (Mar. 28, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #6... 6. There are Olicity and OTA stunts. Oliver, Felicity and Diggle each have standout moments. Sometimes multiple standout moments." (Apr. 6, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #7. ... 7. All Olicity focused flashbacks." (Apr. 10, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 58 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #8 ... 8. Everyone on Team Arrow is working together to save Oliver and Felicity, but OTA is definitely the varsity squad." (Apr. 20, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #9. ... 9. Episode theme: Trust, Teamwork and Truth." (Apr. 24, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- jbuffyangel posted: "Arrow 5x20 Spoiler #10 - Last one! ... Marc gave me the final spoiler for 5x20 and it's a dialogue tease!... 10. “I think those two are gonna make the cutest couple one day.” (May 1, 2017 jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "Met Marc today! He couldn't tell me the finale ep title bc it's a MAJOR spoiler. But there's a positive Olicity moment! & we will love 520." (WonderCon, Mar. 31, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 1459 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "520 delves into their 'adult conversation' and why they really broke up." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "Speaking of undeniable, he did say that SA and EBR have undeniable chemistry in 5x20." In response to another fan asking if MG meant that he only saw it in 520, fan tweeted: "he meant it in 520 specifically but also just conceptually the two of them bring out the best actors in each other." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread, and Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 1462 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "5x22 and 5x23 are big. ??It's a chain response from 5x20." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "Their 'relationship' changes after 5x20. Those events directly correlate with 5x22. In the best way possible." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "Regarding 520. Olicity...There's more an emotional than physical level thing. It has something we wanted Felicity to do & a deep connection." (Mar. 9, 2017 _Winter_wind tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "If anyone wants to know 520 flashbacks are from 423-501." Fan apparently talks to MG in DMs. (Mar. 16, 2017 alwaysbett tweet in wonderwall post, page 1424 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- WM: "We’re also very excited about next week’s episode [520]. We haven’t done a lot of bottle [episodes], and this is one of the few that we’ve done. I think it turned out so well. [Director] Wendey Stanzler hit it out of the park. They’re stuck in a bunker together, and they’re not in a good place. They’ve taken their individual paths, which is was exactly what they wanted at the top of the season. They’ve gone down these different roads. Oliver’s tries to pull her back from this brink and has failed. All that fallout is going to happen right there in the bunker where they have nowhere to run and there’s no escaping that conflict." (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We’re very excited about this story. We wanted to tell it all year, and we finally found the perfect episode to do it in. We’re going to be telling the story of really what happened between the two of them. We left in them in such an ambiguous place at the end of Season 4 and, when we picked them up in Season 5, they were happen to be working together and not be together. We’re going to tell the story of how that came about, which is fun… We’re going to find out some information about that, and we’re also going to really see their relationship deepen a lot, and not in the romantic way. I mean it in the sense that Felicity is going to be going through something in [episode] 19 with Helix that is going to really allow her to see Oliver’s point of view with some clarity and with personal experience for the first time." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New 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 lea[st] through episode 520." (Jan. 25, 2017 ScreenerTV article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- 520 entraps Oliver & Felicity in the Arrowcave, where the latter is “really upset” about what Oliver does this week [in 519]. WM: "Oliver truly cares about her, and doesn’t want her to go through what he’s gone through [once allying with Bratva],... But from where Felicity is sitting, that’s total hypocrisy, and she’s going to call him on that.” As the ex-lovers in turn revisit their S4 split, Felicity “is going to come out of this with a new understanding of who Oliver is. Everything that happens with Helix is going to force her to reframe everything that happened at Season 4, especially when she looks back at when she walked away.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver & Felicity’s honest, present-day conversation in 520 is going to reflect in their interactions from then on, WM: “It has to... She’s been through something now, and she sees him in a different light — and he also sees her in a different light. There’s a lot more mutual understanding, and even though I think it’s hard to top the mutual respect they already have for each other, that goes up as well.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity’s paralysis will ever be revisited, or her plans for the chip, WM: "You’ll see bit of that in Episode 20." (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- SA: "I don't know if Oliver and Felicity are going to get back together. I do know that - hang on... I do know that there has been a - I wouldn't say a coldness, but a very, uh, deliberate, almost robotic, uh, feeling or temperature to their relationship this year. And we explain why that is in an upcoming episode." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel, jbuffyangel tweet, MyFutureQueen tweet and rhodesmoak tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Being in the fifth season of the show, we can let things burn slowly,” Stephen Amell says. “I know that a lot of people who have been watching the show have been getting impatient is one word, upset is another, hopeless is the strongest way to put it, but at the same time, it’s our fifth season, we can take our time with things. Oliver and Felicity, whatever happened between them in between our fourth and our fifth season, and the reason that they have been where they are right now throughout the course of the season, we get a chance to explain it.” (Mar. 31, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to little girl fan who asked, "Will Felicity and Oliver be together?", SA replied: "That's - that's really not up to me. Um, but I will say that they have some really, really cool stuff coming up." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: prince mojo videos, paleycenter tweet and GreenArrowTV tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 273 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- SA: "[Oliver & Felicity have] had some issues that have been bubbling underneath the surface. They haven't even really been bubbling. They've been beneath the surface... And we find out why they're beneath the surface, that there's a very specific reason that we delve into." (Mar. 21, 2017 TVGuide article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "[Oliver & Felicity] being head-to-head in terms of one having a differing tactical opinion than the other one brings some of their more personal opinions back to the surface." (Mar. 21, 2017 TVGuide article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Two truths and one lie about 520? Um, I wear the Arrow suit. Um, every single scene in the episode, uh, that I'm in, I'm also in with, uh, Emily. And I fall down an elevator shaft... I'm really good at that." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel, Video in KaiNesbitt tweet and amellxwood tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what SA said: "you're gonna love 5.20.. because all my scenes are with emily which has never happened before.." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 1442 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan report on what SA said: "stephen also said they are trying to sneak the soty award into a scene." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: amellxwood tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "Our stunt coordinator had to ask Emily how heavy a gun she could carry. And in an upcoming episode, she tries to do the salmon ladder... Emily can do the salmon ladder maybe. I don't think Felicity can do the salmon ladder." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: prince mojo video of SA panel, MyFutureQueen tweet and jbuffyangel tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan asked: "stephen said at a recent convention that the stunt coordinator asked emily 'how heavy a gun she could carry' it's been HAUNTING ME ever since. any hint to what that meant?" In reply, MG posted Felicity holding gun still pic from Arrow sizzle reel. (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- DR: "You're going to see some conflict between Diggle and Lyla... Lyla is the leader of ARGUS. She has her finger on the Suicide Squad. How does that impact a man like John Diggle, when they cohabitate? I'm looking forward to them exploring that; what Flashpoint did to the couple. We're talking about that at the end of the season and more next season." (Mar. 19, 2017 TVInsider article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On how essential Curtis and Wild Dog are to rescuing Oliver & Felicity in 520, EK: "They are very essential. As we said, it’s all-hands-on-deck to get them out of there. You’ll really see the whole team come to the forefront. There’s Curtis and Renee doing their bit in that, too." Also whether it's him doing the bungee cord stunt, shown in the teaser trailer when Curtis and Wild Dog descend the elevator shaft, EK: "Yeah, we were in those harnesses coming down, but our crew is so professional and they take such good care of us, so we always feel safe. But, yeah, they had us on those cords. The action has been a ton of fun, just to push yourself to the limits. Even when it’s an action sequence that we shoot, or taking care of the gym regimen outside of it, it’s really been something that’s pushed me to a whole other level. I jumped into it guns blazing because it’s awesome to give all of that to these action sequences and stunts. For me, personally, it wasn’t in my wheelhouse, but I’m thankful of the stuff I get to do now. The adrenaline gets pumping because you are actually getting into it." (May 3, 2017 CBR article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether she had watched Arrow before joining it, JH: "Funny, the reason I had watched it - and I hadn't watched much... Audrey Marie Anderson, who plays Diggle's wife, Lyla - um, she and I were on The Walking Dead together years ago. And she was, like, 'oh, I'm on the show Arrow, I'm going to go work on it, you know, in a couple of months in Vancouver.' And it sounded so great, like, everything she said was so positive about the experience. So I watched some Arrow for her, uh, and lo and behold, like this week, we're working together." (Superhero Insider podcast link in Mar. 16, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Per her IMDb page, Melissa Jin is credited as EBR's and JH's stunt double for 520. (MJ's IMDB page link in Velocity23 post, page 1470 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 1, 2017, MG tweeted pic of production design for "Int. Steam Tunnel with damaged wall" for 520, with comment: "The Arrow Art Department killing it again..." (MG tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 2, 2017, Ken Shane tweeted pic with comment: "Looking at a new set going up with our director #WendyStanzler #Arrow." (Ken_Shane tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 5, 2017, papp tweeted: "If what I just read isn't a dream sequence for 520 @MGuggenheim then I'm possibly done with #Arrow." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 5 & 6, 2017, papp tweeted: "Episode 20 of this season of Arrow could be my least favourite episode of the entire season ??" and "it's about Olicity." (pursuit23 tweets, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 5, 2017, in response to Laurel/KC fan asking if papp's reaction was to Laurel or Olicity, papp tweeted: "Laurel is dead." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1403 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 6, 2017, in response to fan asking "I know I have been done today. But can you tell me if we talking about flashback, dream, or present time?", papp tweeted: "It's not today but it should be present time." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1404 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 6, 2017, in response to fan saying that he should be able to tell if the Olicity scene is a flashback from the call sheet, papp tweeted: "They don't always label things as such this late in the season, just saying." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1406 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 6, 2017, in response to fan saying "nooooo!! As long as they aren't kissing/ holding hands like a couple," papp tweeted: "prepare for epic disappointment then." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 1405 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 6, 2017, SA posted pic of Oliver wearing the sleeveless GA suit with comment: "Sleeveless Mondays. Huh. #Arrow." (SA tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread and page 1404 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 7, 2017, YonkouProductions posted: "Okay so I heard about the teases that canadagraphs and pursuit20 were putting/teasing out regarding 5x20 and I went ahead and looked into it since folks are deciding to hype it up and honestly I don't get why they tease if they're not going to say it straight but from my sources I've ascertained that what they are referring to in 5x20 is the fact that Oliver and Felicity will be together in the bunker and will have a love scene together (read sex) and then some post-sex chatting. There's multiple ways this can play out (flashback or otherwise) so I'm going by what I can ascertain for sure. ... Now, when I get the episode I'll be sure to drop the entire script for it but apart from that just prepare yourselves for 5x20 since it'll be rough." (Yonkou Productions reddit post, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 8, 2017, papp tweeted: "Since it's been posted elsewhere now. 'Post coital chat' - was 1 of the scenes descriptions.#Arrow." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 1412 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 8, 2017, SA tweeted pic of himself with EBR and 520 director Wendey Stanzler: "No place I'd rather be for #InternationalWomensDay than a dimly lit space with @EmilyBett & our kick ass director Wendey Stanzler." (SA tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 8, 2017, RG posted pic of himself as Wild Dog with EK as Mr. Terrific and JH as BC, and tweeted: "Fight Club. #Arrow." (officialrickg tweet, page 1411 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 8, 2017, JH tweeted video of herself as masked Dinah Drake twirling a bo staff. (JH tweet, page 54 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 9, 2017, in response to fan who noted that MG said it was a love scene not in present time and that 520 was a big Olicity epiosde, papp tweeted: "Ya cuz showrunners always tell the truth when spoiling their own show, ill wait til it airs to see whats up." (pursuit23 tweet link in LeighAn post, page 1416 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. 9, 2017, EK posted pic of himself with RG, DR, AMA and JH, and tweeted: "We are family!" (EK instagram post, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 9, 2017, DR posted pic of himself with AMA, and tweeted: "Diggles." (DR instagram post, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 9, 2017, Yonkou Productions responded to reddit posters as follows: "Its going to be a very divisive episode. Lots of people angry, lots of people overjoyed. Some facepalms some celebration. The duality of the Arrow fandom." and "It's quite clearly Olicity related." In response to fan who asked if this means they're getting Olicity back together at the end of S5, Yonkou Productions replied: "End of Season 5...lol not quite." In response to fan who hoped that Olicity was kept in the flashbacks, Yonkou Productions replied: "sorry." (Image of YonkouProductions reddit page in Trisha post, page 1415 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 9, 2017, Yonkou Productions posted: "Its an olicity ep with implications on Olicity going forward..." (YonkouProductions post, page 1415 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 10, 2017, DR posted pic of himself with JH, and tweeted: "Diggin the new recruit! #canarycry #arrowseason5." (DR instagram post, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 10, 2017, RG posted pics of himself with AMA, DR, EK and JH, and tweeted: "Lyla, Spartan, Mr. T & Dinah. #Arrow." (rickgonzalez instagram post, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 12, 2017, EK posted pic (that EBR took) showing himself as Curtis sitting in a blue-lit hallway with some kind of monitor above his head. (EK instagram post, page 542 of Social Media thread) -- On Mar. 13, 2017, EK posted pic of himself rappelling down the interior wall of a building (elevator shaft?) with RG standing on the ground below him. (EK 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) -- On Mar. 14, 2017, JH posted video of herself and RG looking down what looks like an elevator shaft. (JH instagram post in tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 14, 2017, in response to fan who asked if he'll get 520 spoilers about Felicity's death, Yonkou Productions posted: "'death'...more like rebirth." (Yonkou Productions reddit post, page 1420 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 15, 2017, SA tweeted: "Last day on our latest. My first ep EVER where the same actor shares every single one of my scenes with me. Going to be great. ??" and "And by my scenes I mean our scenes. By definition. Super cool episode." (SA tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 20, 2017, in response to fan who tweeted: "I guess Felicity is out of the dungeon with Oliver by the time of the airing!," papp reply tweeted: "She was only trapped in the bunker with him for the ep." (pursuit23 tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 24, 2017, fan tweeted: "they will kiss at some point during 20-23 trust me." and "and, yes, I'm talking about present day." (alwaysbett tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 26, 2017, fan tweeted scan of page from reddit post: "Some guy from reddit posted that the sex scene is connected to the salmon ladder. 11:53 PM - 25 Mar 17." (OlicityMyAlways tweet, page 1445 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, papp tweeted: "They [Olicity] have some moments past 20 but not like 20 where they are trapped in the bunker and have no choice but to address things lol" and "You know what I mean. The ratings of 20. Not the show. Meaning fans want to see it. Cuz from what i can tell nothing really happens past 20." (pursuit23 tweets, page 1488 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 28, 2017, SA tweeted pic of Oliver & Felicity in the Arrow Bunker. Oliver is wearing the sleeveless GA suit, and Felicity is wearing the pink shirt from 520 flashbacks. (SA tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Edited May 3, 2017 by tv echo 1 Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3224064
tv echo May 5, 2017 Author Share May 5, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... SUMMARY OF 521 SPOILERS: S5, Episode 21: Honor Thy Fathers -- Production code: 521. Shoot Dates: March 16-27, 2017. Director: Laura Belsey. Writers: Marc Guggenheim & Sarah Tarkoff. Airdate: May 10, 2017. (Mar. 16, 2017 MG tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- 521 synopsis: "CHASE CONTINUES TO TORMENT OLIVER - Oliver (Stephen Amell) returns to the mayor's office and faces one of his most pressing issues yet - the forced release of dozens of violent criminals prosecuted by Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra). Meanwhile, a crate is delivered to Oliver's office containing a mysterious corpse encased in concrete. Laura Belsey directed the episode written by Marc Guggenheim & Sarah Tarkoff (#521). Original airdate 5/10/2017." (Apr. 21, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Arrow sizzle reel for last five episodes of S5 posted. (Arrow S5 Sizzle Reel, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 521 extended promo posted. (521 extended promo video, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 521 producer's preview posted. (521 producer's preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 521 sneak peek showing how Deathstoke’s mask found its way onto the island: in flashback scene, Oliver and Anatoly arrive on the island only to discover Slade Wilson’s mask among the rubble. “It’s just washed up on the shore like some kind of sign,” says Oliver as he mounts it on a stick and shoves an arrow through the right eye. (May 10, 2017 CBR tweet & article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 521 sneak peek showing Oliver and Diggle getting trapped inside the abandoned Oliver Enterprises. (May 10, 2017 CW_Arrow tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 521 promo pics posted, featuring Derek Sampson and all of Team Arrow except for Felicity. (TVLine tweet & article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Derek Sampson (Cody Rhodes) will be returning to the show in 521. (Mar. 10, 2017 IGN article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On 521's title, SA: "It's a lot about Justin Claybourne, who is Adrian Chase/Simon Morrison's father, and Robert Queen." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: KSITE TV video, page 56 of Spoilers thread, and Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG's Billy Joel song pick for 521 is "Surprises." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan who asked if there was some lack of originality or if it was on purpose that 521 episode title is almost identical to 102 episode title, MG tweeted: "Totally on purpose." (Mar. 16, 2017 MG tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread and page 1425 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Per MG, we'll learn how Oliver learned to fly a plane in 521. (Mar. 29, 2017 MG tweet and Apr. 5, 2017 MG tweet and tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread, and May 3, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Per MG, how Oliver learned to fly a plane wasn't by getting a lesson." (Apr. 6, 2017 EW Superhero Insider podcast, page 57 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) -- When asked why the Deathstroke mask is back on the island, and not floating in the Amazo, MG replied: "521." (Apr. 12, 2017 MG tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether they have any plans to bring back Queen Consolidated in the future, MG: "Not in the way you imagine. But 521 is close…" (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there is an actor performance coming up in the rest of the season that he was particularly moved or impressed by, MG: "I think Willa is particularly terrific in 521." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Thea (WH) will return for the final three episodes of this season. WM: “Thea is the daughter of sociopaths, which is one of the biggest challenges any human being can really face... so she’s going to grappling with that and trying to understand: What is this in her that makes her so kind of Moira-esque, and how is she going to manage it? Ultimately, she and Oliver are going to come to the same conclusion about how to do that, by the finale.” (Mar. 30, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On how Oliver ends up back on the island, 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) -- On Mar. 10, 2017, JBamford posted b-t-s pic of crew in staircase in Queen Elizabeth Theatre: "Amazing director, Laura Belsey, describes a shot for an upcoming fight sequence....episode 5.21.....#Arrow." (JBamford instagram post, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 15, 2017, Cody Rhodes took off early from Los Angeles for a “secret” project in Vancouver, Canada. (Mar. 15, 2017 Still Real to Us article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 15, 2017, WhatsFilming tweeted: "Lian Yu? #Arrow will be filming at Whytecliff Park on Monday, March 20th." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread, and page 1429 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 15, 2017, Oliver Queen Films posted Notice of Filming on Mar. 20, 2017, from 8am-10am: "Filming takes place within Whytecliff Park. We will begin filming a dialogue scene between two actors on the grassy area overlooking the beach. / 10am-7pm: "Filming moves to the beach for the remainder of the day. Most scenes involve dialogue between two actors on the beach and around the rocky area east of the divers change room. There will be one scene that features several men with exposed weapons on the beach confronting our heroes.There will be no gunfire or explosions during the days filming activities." (Oliver Queen Films Notice of Filming, pages 1422 and 1429 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 16, 2017, MG tweeted: "The antepenultimate episode of Arrow Season 6 begins production today. @sarahtarkoff." and "Or, y'know, Season 5. (You can tell where my head is at these days...)" (MG tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 16, 2017, Cody Rhodes tweeted pic of an Arrow trailer with "SAMPSON" on the door, with comment: "F!?& YEAH ! ! #Arrow." (CodyRhodes tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "Reminder: #Arrow is filming at Whytecliff Park in #WestVan today. Thanks again." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "Dolph Lundgren is filming today." (pursuit23 tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 20, 2017, David Nykl posted pic of empty set chair on wood deck overlooking lake, and tweeted: "Some days on set are better than others..." (DN tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 20, 2017, SA posted b-t-s pics of of filming at Whytecliff Park: Mark Bunting, himself, the Deathstroke mask stuck on a pike on Lian Yu, the beach, and himself in flashback wig laying between the four graves on Lian Yu. He also posted b-t-s vid clips of himself in flashback wig on the beach and of the spot where Oliver came out of the woods and knelt down before the fishermen who rescued him in the pilot. (SA tweets and instagram videos, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 20, 2017, David Nykl took a b-t-s pic of SA in his flashback wig on the beach. (DN tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 20, 2017, fan posted pics of Arrow filming on the beach, and tweeted: "#Arrow filming in #WestVancouver's Whytecliff Park!" Fan also tweeted: "We were headed to Whytecliff Park for the day and then found out the beach was shutdown for filming lol." (Mitchell_Cat tweets, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 20, 2017, papp posted several pics of SA as flashback Oliver and DN as Anatoly filming on a beach. Also, on Mar. 21, 2017, papp tweeted pic of Oliver in flashback wig on beach, with comment: "Is flashback Oliver Queen back on Lian Yu? Spoiler Alert. #Arrow in Whytecliff Park yesterday." (Mar. 21, 2017 yvrshoots tweet and Mar. 20, 2017 YVRShoots article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 22, 2017, JH tweeted video clip of herself with a small pig in a crate. (JH tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, Cody Rhodes tweeted "big day" and posted pic of his Arrow set chair with "Cody Runnels" name on it and black leather jacket draped over it. (CodyRhodes tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow & #TheFlash in downtown Vancouver today. Arrow in & around former Canada Post Building/The Flash in & around Vancouver Art Gallery." (yvrshoots tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, papp tweeted pic of exterior of "Robert Queen Applied Sciences" building, with comment: "#Arrow crew works in the dark. No lights. No soda. They're as tough as Oliver Queen. Filming at Robert Queen Applied Science set." (yvrshoots tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, papp tweeted pic of building exterior sign - PALMER TECHNOLOGIES logo / ROBERT QUEEN APPLIED SCIENCES, with comment: "Before I left the #Arrow set, I stumbled across this cool little nugget." (canadagraphs tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, fan tweeted pic of building exterior sign - PALMER TECHNOLOGIES logo / ROBERT QUEEN APPLIED SCIENCES, with comment: "My office gym appears to have a new tenant." (Matt_LRR tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, fan tweeted pic of Oliver Queen Films Notice of Filming, with comment: "for the #arrow shoot at the old Canada post building." This filming notice stated that the following would occur on Mar. 23, 2017: "9:00pm-11:00pm... Filming takes place on the north (Dunsmuir Street) exterior plaza of 401 West Georgia St. Scene involves three actors having a conversaton on the plaza before entering the building. There is no simulated gunfire or special effects in the scene." and "11:00pm-1:00am... Filming takes place on the south (Georgia Street) plaza of 401 West Georgia St. The scene involves two actors in conversation as they approach a darkened building. They stand outside on the plaza before heading in. There is no simulated gunfire or special effects used in this scene." (shyannxg tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 24, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming at the Plaza of Nations today." (pursuit23 tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 24, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow crew works in the dark. No lights. No soda. They're as tough as Oliver Queen. Filming at Robert Queen Applied Science set." (yvrshoots tweet, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 27, 2017, SA posted pic of himself in casual clothes and DR in Spartan suit standing in thick-ish liquid inside of some kind of concrete structure. (SA instagram post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 27, 2017, SA tweeted: "When I woke up this morning, I didn't think that by 4 pm I'd be standing with you in dick level oatmeal.. - @david_ramsey." (SA tweet, page 1451 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On May 4, 2017, Cody Rhodes posted pic of himself with RG as Wild Dog and JH as Dinah, and tweeted: ""Friendly" reminder that Sampson is back❗️" (CRhodes tweet, page 1513 of Spoiler Discussion thread) Edited May 10, 2017 by tv echo Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3246317
tv echo May 12, 2017 Author Share May 12, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... SUMMARY OF 522 SPOILERS: S5, Episode 22: Missing -- Production code: 522. Shoot Dates: March 28-April 6, 2017 Director: Mairzee Almas. Story: TBA. Writers: Speed Weed & Oscar Balderrama. Airdate: May 17, 2017. (MG tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- 522 synopsis: "BLACK SIREN RETURNS - Black Siren (guest star Katie Cassidy) returns to help Chase (Josh Segarra). Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) organizes a birthday party for Oliver (Stephen Amell) while Lance (Paul Blackthorne) is furious after Rene (Rick Gonzalez) misses the custody hearing for his daughter. Mairzee Almas directed the episode written by Speed Weed & Oscar Balderrama (#522). Original airdate 5/17/2017." (Apr. 28, 2017 SpoilerTV article) -- Arrow sizzle reel for last five episodes of S5 posted. (Arrow S5 Sizzle Reel, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 522 extended promo posted. (522 extended promo video, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 522 producer's preview posted. (522 producer's preview video in May 16, 2017 CW_Arrow tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 522 sneak peek posted, featuring Curtis being kidnapped at Dinah's place. (522 sneak peek video in May 17, 2017 CW_Arrow tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 522 promo pics posted. (TVLine article and GreenArrowTV tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG dialogue tease from upcoming episode (519-523): "I'll see you on the boat." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG's Bruce Springsteen song pick for 522 is "Missing." (Apr. 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- MG's Billy Joel song pick for 522 is "Close to the Borderline." (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On two truths and one lie about 522, MG: "The director did an amazing job. It’s atypical for a penultimate episode of Arrow. Oliver and Felicity go to Bed Bath and Beyond." (Apr. 6, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- DC All Access' Hector: "And Adrian Chase is behind bars. Prometheus has finally been brought to justice, thanks to Team Arrow. But the team is getting picked off one by one. Could Chase have anything to do with it? I mean, how could he possibly? He's behind bars. And being surveilled." (May 15, 2017 DC All Acess video, page 1524 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Per MG, Oliver's birthday will be celebrated in 522. (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for three words to describe Oliver's birthday celebration, MG: "Surprise. Cake. Fun." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Oliver's birthday party, MG: "No singing, but the cake is AWESOME." (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity made the cakes and cupcakes for Oliver's birthday, MG: "She bought the cake. And the cake is awesome." (May 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Oliver's birthday cake, MG: "It's an in-joke. But a really good one." (May 12, 2017 MG tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there is anything hidden in this super awesome cake, MG: "Calories." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On what's the deal or a hint about the cake, MG: "Two words: Gluten free." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether he could possibly post a close up pic of Oliver's birthday cake, MG: "I will after 522 airs." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On where did Felicity get the green decorations, MG: "Party City." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On what's inside Quentin's gift to Oliver, MG: "Gwyneth Paltrow’s head. #duh" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "There are some birthdays coming up that we've never celebrated on the show before that are going to finally be celebrated. It's Oliver's. Why not? It's not going to be what you think it's going to be, though, as is our standard." (Mar. 24, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On Oliver's birthday party, WM: “We’ve never celebrated his birthday, though it was one of those ideas that we always talked about doing... We celebrated Thea’s birthday in a very dark way in the past — she crashes a car and then gets under the influence, all kinds of things — but let’s just put it this way: [Oliver’s birthday party, in Episode 22] is a lull in the storm, and it’s a nice moment with the team.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what SA said: "Asked Stephen how Oliver's birthday party goes. Said starts as violence, ends with cake." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: CMDragonia tweet, page 1443 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- DC All Access' Hector: "And, in this episode, Oliver Queen is celebrating a birthday so Team Arrow throws him a nice little party, complete with a Green Arrow cape [cake?] which is adorable, guys. You're gonna want to see it to believe it. Trust, it's really, really cute." (May 15, 2017 DC All Acess video, page 1524 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- DC All Access' Hector subsequently clarified on twitter that he meant to say "cake" and that "it's the best." (May 15, 2017 Mrs. de Winter post, page 1524 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On how much Olicity fans will enjoy Olicity in 522, on a scale of 1-10, MG: "8." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked to describe Olicity in 522 with one word, MG: "Party." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether we'll get to see why Oliver thinks he's going over to Felicity's, MG: "Yes." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked for Olicity dialogue from Oliver's party, MG: "'Kick everyone out of here so I can ravage you.' (This line may or may not have been cut from the final episode.)" (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether the “kick everyone out of here so I can ravage you” line was cut before or after being filmed, MG: "I was joking. :)" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked for real Olicity dialogue from Oliver's party, MG: "Okay, this is real: 'This is hard for you, isn’t it?'” (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether the cake references Olicity and where their relationship is going, MG: "I think I said that the cake is a cool inside joke. Which it is." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity put the ring inside the cake to propose to Oliver (asking him to "wink once for yes!"), MG: "How many winks for no?" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether we will get an Olicity alone scene during or after the party in 522, MG: "During." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Felicity touching Oliver's tie at his birthday party was scripted or unscripted, MG: "Unscripted." (May 16, 2017 MG tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there will be much Olicity moments/screentime in the final 2 episodes, MG: "I don’t think you’ll be disappointed." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Olicity are back together or not, MG: "To paraphrase Aaron Sorkin: 'There are two more episodes of Arrow left this season. I’d watch.'" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said about Oliver & Felicity: "Their 'relationship' changes after 5x20. Those events directly correlate with 5x22. In the best way possible." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "5x22 and 5x23 are big. ??It's a chain response from 5x20." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan tweeted: "they will kiss at some point during 20-23 trust me." and "and, yes, I'm talking about present day." (Mar. 24, 2017 alwaysbett tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On one word to describe Felicity in 522, MG replied: "Dead. Kidding. Seriously, I’d say… 'flipped.'” (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- Per her IMDb page, Melissa Jin is credited as EBR's stunt double for 522. (MJ's IMDB page link in Velocity23 post, page 1470 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- DR: "But the finale is just - we just read 22... We do 23 episodes. So we haven't read 23. They broke the story, so we know some of the story. But 22's incredible and 23's gonna just be off the hinges." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Thea will return for the final three episodes of this season. WM: “Thea is the daughter of sociopaths, which is one of the biggest challenges any human being can really face... so she’s going to grappling with that and trying to understand: What is this in her that makes her so kind of Moira-esque, and how is she going to manage it? Ultimately, she and Oliver are going to come to the same conclusion about how to do that, by the finale.” (Mar. 30, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether we will find out who/how Black Siren is taken out of ARGUS in 522, MG: "Yes." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked to tease Black Siren in 522, MG: "I’ll say this: Who’s to say that Katie is playing Black Siren in Wednesday’s episode?" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I will say that I think Paul’s performance next week is his finest work of the season." This was in response to following fan post: "On a scale of 1-10, how emotional are the Black Siren/Quentin Lance scenes in the upcoming episode?" (May 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Black Siren's return in 522, WM: “She comes back as part of Chase’s plan... Chase knows exactly what he’s doing, and he understands how unsettling seeing somebody that looks like Laurel Lance is going to be for the rest of the team[, her 'dad' Quentin included]... And from a writing perspective, it’s just fun storytelling. Katie Cassidy does an amazing job as Black Siren, and seeing her take on Dinah, or her take on Lance, is going to be fun.” (May 9, 2017 TVLine article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- DC All Access' Hector: "And, on an all-new Arrow Wednesday night, Black Siren returns. And Quentin Lance sees her and probably gets real messed up about it in his head. Can you imagine losing your daughter and then seeing her Earth 2 doppelganger just walking around? It's gotta mess you, man!" (May 15, 2017 DC All Acess video, page 1524 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG: "The flashbacks in the final three episodes take place in October 2012." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Yao Fei, on the show, has always operated as Oliver’s conscience. It’s not going to be any different this time. He’s going to be there at a crucial moment for Oliver, where he’s going to make a very big decision about his future. Yao Fei knows him and understands him in the way he knew who he was when he was on the island when he was first moored there and couldn’t get off and was a lost castaway. I would definitely be thinking about, 'Who was Oliver when he met Yao Fei?' and Yao Fei is going to be reminding him of that and reminding him of who he’s become at a very crucial point in the flashback story." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) [I'M GUESSING THIS IS FOR 522] -- Fan report on what SA said: "Talked to Stephen re 5.22 & Holy Shit comment: he said that we will be the most excited about any Finale after its final scene." and "He also said that if you're a fan of show since S1 u will love 5.22 & see a character that we've haven't seen since S1." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25, 2017: TriciaTesH tweets, page 1443 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan report on what SA said: "Me: Anything you could give us would be so appreciated. Stephen: (thinks for a minute) Okay, well if you’re a fan of the series since Season 1 - He pauses and looks at us. Tricia and I: (in unison) We are. Stephen: (smiles) then there’s someone who’s coming back in 5x22 that we haven’t seen since S1. And… you should be the most excited about a series finale than you’ve ever been based on the last scene in 5x22." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 25-26, 2017: jbuffyangel tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Katrina Law will reprise her role as Nyssa al Ghul for multiple episodes that culminate in an epic fight between Nyssa and her half-sister Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig) in the S5 finale. (Apr. 11, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 21, 2017, SA tweeted: "Just read 522 - our penultimate episode -- Holy shit." (SA tweet, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 27, 2017, papp tweeted: "How come the #Arrow article doesn't mention Black Siren is teaming up with Artemis." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1449 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 28, 2017, papp tweeted: "KC back 2 work on #Arrow @MzKatieCassidy & @MadisonMcLaugh film scenes tonite together at #BurnabyStudio." (PUNK_Images tweet, page 1454 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 29, 2017, papp posted pic of Oliver Queen Films Notice of Filming and tweeted: "#Arrow has Monday morning shoot in one of its favourite locations next week. Burnaby's Byrne Creek Ravine Park. April 3rd." When asked what they usually film there, papp tweeted: "Island flashbacks. But not always." (yvrshoots tweets, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 29, 2017, SA tweeted: "I love the last two eps every year. They feel like heavyweight fights." (SA tweet, page 548 of Social Media thread) -- On Mar. 30, 2017, PBlackthorne posted b-t-s pic of director Mairzee Almas looking at monitor showing scene with Oliver and Thea, and tweeted: "Behind the scenes with our fab new director @mairzeealmas #Arrow #VideoVillage @Willaaaah @StephenAmell." (PB tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 31, 2017, SA tweeted: "I'm being tortured at work today. (Like... my character is actually being tortured.) I'm shirtless. Obviously. And my triceps is spasming..." and "I'd like everyone to know that it's an actual spasm. I'm not intermittently flexing my triceps. (Abdominals are flexed at all times.)" He also posted redacted pic of shirtless, flashback Oliver hung up with his wrists shackled. (SA tweets, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Mar. 31, 2017, wearing Oliver's flashback wig, SA recorded video: "Don't mind me. I'm just pretending I'm Cary Elwes from the first act of Princess Bride. Or I'm being tortured in the Arrow flashbacks. Which one is it? I don't know. It is Friday night, March 31st. You are seeing this on April 1st, and I can assure you, this is not an April Fool's joke." (Apr. 1, 2017 SA facebook video, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 2, 2017, SA posted pic of himself holding a cardboard cut out of JS' face, with comment: "On my way to Wrestlemania. In a borderline tragic turn of events my good buddy Josh Segarra couldn't make it because he's busy being ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING on Arrow. So naturally, I made a cardboard cut out of his head." (SA instagram post, page 1462 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, DR posted pic of himself with bloodied head. (DR instagram post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, WH posted pic of sleeping or unconscious DR with bloodied face lying amid ferns. (WH instagram post, page 1463 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, WH posted pic of PB on the 'island.' (WH instagram post, page 1463 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, fan tweeted: "Met #Arrow villians today! they were the kindest persons IRL! gotta run to class now! ???????@MadisonMcLaugh #JoshSegarra" and "Emily was on set and scolded me before I could see it ??also saw David but would not let me speak, sad forever." (tetecervantes tweets, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, regarding JSegarra and MMcL, fan tweeted: "They're on the island and so is BS. She confirmed David and Emily were there but wasn't allowed to talk to them.." (LuluLemonLime83 tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, KC posted pic of herself as blonde Black Siren. (KC instagram post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, papp tweeted: "Reminder: #Arrow is filming in Burnaby's Byrne Creek Ravine Park this mroning." (yvrshoots, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow will be filming exteriors at The Art Institute of #Vancouver on Renfew St tomorrow (Tuesday)." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 3, 2017, in response to fan who said she missed him, Byron Mann (who played Yao Fei) tweeted: "I'll be back." Fan then tweeted: "was worried Yao Fei might be Prometheus. I'm still wondering if he's the Vigilante. I'll still love him even if he is." BM then tweeted: "Which episode is Arrow playing currently?" Fan replied: " 518 Disbanded. It won't be back on again until later this month" BM then tweeted: "Stay tuned to season's end." (Byron Mann and purselover2 tweets, page 57 of Spoilers thread) [THIS COULD BE FOR 523] -- On Apr. 4, 2017, EK posted pic of DR and WH sitting in front of a bunch of ferns. (EK instagram post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 4, 2017, papp tweeted: "Reminder: #Arrow films @ The Art Institute today. They start the day in studio as mentioned by @pursuit23." (WhatsFilming tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 4, 2017, Arrow Production Office posted b-t-s pics of cast and crew at crepes food truck, including EBR in dress waiting in line and PB in suit holding a crepe. (ArrowProdOffice tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 5, 2017, fan tweeted: "#arrow set on Renfrew by the institute of arts is busy busy definitely filming rn, lights people and all" and "Scratch that dudes dressed in swat style police get up just pushed a guy in handcuffs into the back" and "It was a guy being put in the back of the truck, shorter cropped lighter hair, I think wearing a plaid shirt and a tan jacket." (shyannxg tweets, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 5, 2017, fan tweeted: "'SWAT' loading a person into the back of a vehicle. #Arrow 5.22." (SAEBRfan tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 6, 2017, papp tweeted: "She [Katie Cassidy] worked 3 days and that was it. Isn't working next couple either." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1471 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 6, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow filming at Boundary Bay Airport today" and "Barrowman spotted arriving at #Arrow circus tonight & with who arrived for filming this afternoon last couple episodes are shaping up nicely." On Apr. 7, 2017, when asked if other person was Byron Mann, papp replied: "Nope.". When asked if other person was Josh Segarra, papp replied: "What an odd guess as he hasnt left and has been filming all season lol." On Apr. 8, 2017, when asked if other person was Colton Haynes, papp replied: "it wasn't guess til you get it lol But no it's not Colton." (pursuit23 tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 7, 2017, SA tweeted: "Weekly discovery: @david_ramsey's entire arm feels like the point of your elbow." (SA tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 8, 2017, SA tweeted: "The wrap of 522 is seasons end for a few. Tip of the cat to @Ken__Shane & @coreyrobson in particular. Way to step up your game! #Arrow." (SA tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 8, 2017, JBam posted pic of darkly blue-lit corridor at hospital. (JBam instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) Edited May 18, 2017 by tv echo 1 Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3271096
tv echo May 16, 2017 Author Share May 16, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... ADDENDUM #11 TO SUMMARY OF S5 SPOILERS BY TOPIC S5 Legacy Theme -- On the season finale being about Oliver’s family, but not in the way we’re thinking, and on the finale being explosive, WM: "Not without giving away too much. I would stand by both of those things, and I would definitely say that I can expand on the family part in a sense that it’s going to speak to legacy. There’s no way to talk about the end of these five chapters without evoking the Queen family in some way, shape, or form, and really there’s no way in the flashback to sync up with the pilot, which is what we’re going to be doing, without evoking them as well. In that respect, I can tell you a little bit that’s where that comment came from. As for the second one, it’s going to be a big kaboom. That’s as far as I’ll go with that one." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) S5 Flashbacks -- MG: "The flashbacks in the final three episodes take place in October 2012." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Team Arrow and Original Team Arrow (OTA) -- On the rest of Team Arrow’s role in the finale, WM: "Well, it’s definitely going to be an all-hands-on-deck situation. Everyone is going to have to do something to help put Chase to bed finally. Everyone’s going to have a huge emotional stake in it, everyone is going to have a very big role to play. Specifically, in respect to our original Team Green Arrow, both Felicity and Dig will play crucial pieces, as well as Slade Wilson — those are the three that are going to have a lot to do with how to get in and out of this situation and how we finally put Chase where he belongs." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Oliver & Felicity ("Olicity") -- On whether there will be much Olicity moments/screentime in the final 2 episodes, MG: "I don’t think you’ll be disappointed." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Olicity are back together or not, MG: "To paraphrase Aaron Sorkin: 'There are two more episodes of Arrow left this season. I’d watch.'" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver/Felicity had unprotected sex, or whether Oliver had a condom handy, in their 520 flashback scene, MG: "I so, so, SO want to answer this, but I can’t think of anything that wouldn’t get me into some kind of trouble… ;)" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 570 of Social Media thread) Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow -- On what languages Oliver knows fluently, MG: "English, Chinese, Russian." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, 570 of Social Media thread) -- On how Oliver comes back from everything Prometheus has done to him, WM: "That’s one of the things we wanted to do was bring him to his lowest point this year. He’s going to have to, in some ways, let go of all of this, and let go of the past. Really the answer to that question will be in the premiere of season 6, which is how is he going to start rebuilding and what is his new legacy going to look like? He’s going to have to start rebuilding, because Chase has left pretty much everything in tatters." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Felicity Smoak AKA Overwatch -- On whether EBR will be returning as a main character in S6, MG: "Yes." (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On why the wheelchair is in the Arrow bunker, when Felicity walked out of her wheelchair in her apartment, MG: "Don’t you have a lot of old crap lying around your house? Same with the bunker." (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether he picked Felicity’s hacker alias (as well as Alena's), MG: "No, I believe that was Brian Ford Sullivan." (May 2, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 565 of Social Media thread) -- WM: "Specifically, in respect to our original Team Green Arrow, both Felicity and Dig will play crucial pieces [in the season finale], as well as Slade Wilson — those are the three that are going to have a lot to do with how to get in and out of this situation and how we finally put Chase where he belongs." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) John Diggle AKA Spartan -- WM: "Specifically, in respect to our original Team Green Arrow, both Felicity and Dig will play crucial pieces [in the season finale], as well as Slade Wilson — those are the three that are going to have a lot to do with how to get in and out of this situation and how we finally put Chase where he belongs." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On the Diggle/Dinah chemistry, Natalie Abrams: "Well, when I asked Wendy Mericle about it, Wendy was like, that was purely just the result of great chemistry between two great actors working off of each other. But she says she's not ruling it out in the future." (Apr. 28, 2017 EW's Superhero Insider podcast, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) Thea Queen AKA Speedy -- Per MG, Thea is in 521, 522 and 523. (May 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On 2 truths and a lie about Thea in the season finale, MG: "Thea has a commanding moment. Thea gives Black Siren a hug. Thea questions Oliver’s judgment." (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Curtis Holt AKA Mr. Terrific -- On whether Curtis will be back in S6, EK: "You know, they keep telling me I will, but you never know. (Laughter) It’s like, 'I’m back!' and then dead on episode 2. You’re like, 'Nooooooo! Why?!?!' (Laughter)." (Apr. 28, 2017 TrunkSpace article, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) -- On Mr. Terrific's T-spheres being introduced, EK: "Oh, I was pumped. He’s so synonymous with those things. I was geeking out. I wanted to play with them the whole time. I got to bring one home and familiarize myself with it. They are very cool. The door is wide open on the abilities they will be able to have and acquire. You’ll see over the next couple of episodes, they are a work in progress. Curtis is constantly tinkering with them to get them better. You’ll see a new use come up with them soon. I’m excited about the possibilities of what the T-Spheres can do." (May 3, 2017 CBR article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On how much Curtis' strained marriage will be touched on, EK: "The last few episodes are really all hands-on-deck with Prometheus. It’s getting to a place where it’s do-or-die. We’re paying more attention to that at the end of the season. In Season 6, you’ll definitely see more of Curtis’ personal life and some of the shenanigans he gets into outside of the team." (May 3, 2017 CBR article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On what we can expect from a Curtis and Evelyn reunion, EK: "Her betrayal stings. Evelyn was someone they were very close with. They started on this journey with her, especially with new team 2.0. They all take it personally. Curtis and Evelyn have some unfinished business to attend to." (May 3, 2017 CBR article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Rene Ramirez AKA Wild Dog -- Per MG, it is just a coincidence that Floyd Lawton and Rene's daughters have the same name." (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Evelyn Sharp AKA Artemis -- On what we can expect from a Curtis and Evelyn reunion, EK: "Her betrayal stings. Evelyn was someone they were very close with. They started on this journey with her, especially with new team 2.0. They all take it personally. Curtis and Evelyn have some unfinished business to attend to." (May 3, 2017 CBR article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Simon Morrison AKA Adrian Chase AKA Prometheus -- MG: "Adrian doesn’t concede defeat. He just looks very deeply into the chess board." This was in response to following fan post: "Adrian just told us according to his plan it will be him and Oliver on the boat leaving the island? But Oliver arrived by plane.. Is Adrian conceding defeat?" (May 17, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether we'll find out how Chase knew about William and his location by the end of this season, MG: "No." (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On why Chase's fight keeps getting so personal, WM: “It’s very personal this year, and we wanted to do that for a number of reasons... We’ve done the city in jeopardy a lot, but it’s mostly because that’s the kind of villain that Prometheus is. He understands Oliver. He’s his equal; he’s his dark mirror. He’s the guy who can get inside his head, know exactly what buttons to push and what’s going to hurt the most. The inevitability of him going after Oliver’s loved ones was baked in the DNA of the character. We’ve done a different villain this year. It’s not that it’s easy, but using violence — which Chase and Oliver still do throughout the season — is sort of the go-to. What’s been interesting to see this year is to see that but the underpinnings of it being so psychological and so manipulative and so built on the underpinnings of what Chase knows about Oliver and who he is. This was the perfect storm — a great way to change up the villain and to get inside of Oliver’s head in a season that we needed to. We needed him to be reflective and talking and looking back at his past, and Chase was the perfect spark to light that fire.” (May 10, 2017 ComicBook article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Per SA, Prometheus has been a great villain for Green Arrow and his allies, calling Josh Segarra “almost scary good.” On how savage Chase has been revealed to be, SA teased for the remaining four episodes of this season: "Just you wait.” (Apr. 30, 2017 ComicBook article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) The Vigilante -- On whether we'll see the Vigilante any more this season, MG: "Not in Season 5, unfortunately. But you’ll get an identity reveal in Season 6." (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether the Vigilante will be in the S5 finale, MG: "No. Lian Yu is a bit outside his jurisdiction." (May 17, 2017 MG tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Cayden James -- On whether it was a coincidence or for a reason that we didn't see Cayden James' face, MG: "It was deliberate. :)" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked if Alena and mysterious Helix leader will be coming back in S6, MG: "?? [half-smile emoji]" (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Alena AKA Kojo Sledgehammer -- On who picked Alena's hacker handle, MG: "That would be me." (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 564 of Social Media thread) -- When asked if Alena and mysterious Helix leader will be coming back in S6, MG: "?? [half-smile emoji]" (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Dinah Drake (FKA Tina Boland) AKA New Black Canary? -- On the Diggle/Dinah chemistry, Natalie Abrams: "Well, when I asked Wendy Mericle about it, Wendy was like, that was purely just the result of great chemistry between two great actors working off of each other. But she says she's not ruling it out in the future." (Apr. 28, 2017 EW's Superhero Insider podcast, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) -- On what's happening with Dinah for the rest of S5, JH: "I think Dinah's theme for this season is that she's finding her place, and she's settling in, and she's becoming stronger and better as she works with the team. So that's just going to keep happening. She's going to be able to use her power more and more, because she's training, she has Curtis and Felicity, all of these technical people there who are helping her in every way, and then you have her training physically, so she's just going to keep getting stronger, and help the team -- just keep helping out the team." (May 1, 2017 MovieFone article, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) -- On Dinah not yet becoming the Black Canary, JH: "No. It's taking her some time. I think she's still learning. She's still becoming a part of the team and finding her footing. I think that she also knows, Dinah knows that, again, she's familiar with loss. The team just lost Laurel in a big way, and they're dealing with that, and she doesn't want to fill her shoes, and she's empathetic towards what they're going through. So if it happens, I think it's going to take some time, and I think that it should take time. I don't think it's something that should just kind of fall into her lap. She's developing her strength in all areas." (May 1, 2017 MovieFone article, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) -- On auditioning for Dinah, JH: "For the audition, they didn't tell me that the character would be Dinah, and they didn't really give me any information other than, she's a vigilante and she's a badass. That was pretty much it. Then they gave me two really great scenes to audition with. I kind of appreciate that now, because I think if I had known at the time, it would have just been a lot of pressure that would have made it difficult to maybe perform. Yeah, I found out after I booked the role. They sort of had a "Okay, sit down -- we have something to tell you" phone call, and they told me, and it was amazing. It was really exciting." (May 1, 2017 MovieFone article, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) -- On doing the Canary Cry, JH: "Every time that I have to do a cry, I really tried to focus, and I really tried to have it come from a place of her pain, and her personal struggle, I think that's what the fuel is behind that scream. That's what she was experiencing at the moment that she got the power. So I tried to sort of like really just put my heart into it, and not just make it a physical thing, but put all of her pain, and like all of her power into that scream. So that's usually what I'm thinking about when I'm doing it." (May 1, 2017 MovieFone article, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) -- On what was her way or key into Dinah, emotionally as a character, once she got the role, JH: "This moment where she sort of became a meta, and was when she experienced a terrible tragedy and lost the love of her life, and lost her partner, and he was shot right in front of her. That's something that just made me sort of open my heart to her right away." (May 1, 2017 MovieFone article, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) -- If she's looking forward to the first time she puts on a superhero costume, whether or not Dinah ends up becoming the new Black Canary or assumes another identity, JH: "Oh, yeah! I get so jealous because they all look so cool in their costumes. They just look so awesome. They look like real superheroes. I would love to have one on. I think it would be so much fun." (May 3, 2017 CBR article, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) -- On whether she did some research on Black Canary, JH: "I did. I did a little digging. I want to really go back and read all of the comics and be really well-versed. But what I found was really fun, just little anecdotes, little tidbits that I think about and that help me with her character – like, in the comics, Black Canary was in a band. I’m a musical person in my life, and I think that’s an awesome connection that she has. I use that, and little things like that. Little elements from the original." (May 3, 2017 CBR article, page 218 of Starling City Times thread) E1 Laurel Lance AKA Black Canary -- On 2 truths and a lie about Laurel in the season finale, MG: "Laurel is dead. Laurel comes back to life. Laurel is dead. :)" (May 2, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether we will see E1 Laurel in flashbacks, now that KC is back as a regular, MG: "In fact, I do think so." (May 2, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) E2 Laurel Lance AKA Black Siren -- When asked to promise that we'll get Black Siren in at least 13 episodes in S6, MG: "I can promise you that." (May 2, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Black Siren will get cool hand to hand fight scenes next season, MG: "Yes, but how about in Ep. 523?" (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I think you'll like Ep. 523." This was in response to following fan post: "hey marc so you admit that black siren does have hand to hand combat skills because the way you used her in 5x10 made it look she didn't also did you admit that black siren was going to fight Dinah drake and felicity ?" (May 3, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On two truths and a lie about Black Siren in the season finale, MG: "Black Siren fights Dinah. Black Siren fights Lance. Black Siren fights Felicity." (May 3, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I can tell you that we have no plans to kill Black Siren. We’re crazy, but not that crazy." (May 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On why Black Siren can't go by the name Dinah, MG: "Because we have another character called Dinah and the show is confusing enough as it is." (May 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Black Siren's name, MG: "When we script Black Siren, we use the name Black Siren." (May 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "We’ve been 'slugging' Black Siren as 'Black Siren' in our scripts, but I’m getting tired of that, so we’ll probably start calling her 'Laurel' in Season 6." This was in response to following fan post: "Really happy to see both Dinah and Laurel in the Arrowverse, and Juliana and Katie have been stellar so far this season. I'm really excited to see how their story arcs play out next season. Can you tease, Black Canary/Dinah is to Black Siren like ____ is to _____? Also does E2 Siren go by Laurel?" (May 3, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Black Siren will be part of the 4 show crossover event this fall, MG: "I’m not sure. We haven’t started figuring out the crossover yet apart from some very broad strokes." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke -- WM: "Specifically, in respect to our original Team Green Arrow, both Felicity and Dig will play crucial pieces [in the season finale], as well as Slade Wilson — those are the three that are going to have a lot to do with how to get in and out of this situation and how we finally put Chase where he belongs." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Talia al Ghul and Nyssa al Ghul -- On whether the "release" of the marriage between Oliver/Nyssa is actually going to happen in 523 or whether it was just discussion, MG: "We talked about it for the finale, but there wasn’t space for it." (May 17, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "If I get married in Nevada and Nevada is subsumed into the rest of the union, I’m still married." This was in response to following fan post: "Nyssa and Oliver were married through the League, correct? If the League was disbanded, shouldn't Nyssa and Oliver no longer be joined in matrimony under their law? Why does Nyssa still call him husband?" (May 17, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 570 of Social Media thread) -- On the season finale, Lexa Doig: "What can they expect? To have their minds blown. There’s so much happening. I know it got leaked that Katrina and I are both in the episode and that we sort of have a face off… which we do. I can say that.” On whether or not Talia can beat Nyssa, LD: “I think it depends on the day... Honestly I think they’re fairly evenly match. It’s very funny because Katrina Law and I were talking about what a possible backstory could be in terms of their relationship and where it left off and all these ‘actory’ kind of things that actors do. I reckon that Talia is actually quite a bit older than Nyssa as far as our relationship goes. So it’s possible that Talia even had a part in some of Nyssa’s training before she buggered off and left Nyssa with dear old dad. I think it depends on who’s had a better night sleep.” (May 10, 2017 Nerd Reactor article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Samantha Clayton and William Clayton -- On whether we'll find out how Chase knew about William and his location by the end of this season, MG: "No." (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Malcolm Merlyn -- On Malcolm's return, TVLine: "A) he still slips oh-so-easily into the lair, and 2) he stands to be either friend or frenemy to Team Arrow as the Prometheus arc hits its climax." (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked to explain news that JB revealed he wouldn't be part of DC universe next season, MG tweeted: "Not really. Whether John participates next year is entirely up to him." (Apr. 30, 2017 MG tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I’m certainly not going to spoil anything, but even if Malcolm were to die – hypothetically – that’s hardly a barrier to (re)entry in the Arrowverse (see, e.g., Sara, Black Siren, Damien Darhk, flashbacks, time travel, etc.)." This was in response to following fan post: "Hi Marc, I want to thank you for responding to my Twitter question about John being involved next year being his choice. It seems a single tweet has led to the whole world reporting Malcolm will be dying and/or John has been fired from the Arrowverse/the CW. Could you just elaborate on his situation (that is if you legally can). Or at least confirm/deny the news in a more elaborate way. It would just be nice to know what to believe because at this point my head is spinning and not in a good way." (May 2, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: “The last time Oliver and Malcolm saw each other, Malcolm helped them at the end of Season 4 — but he also went after Oliver’s son in the middle of Season 4... So always with Malcolm, you never know where you stand. You’re always a little bit off balance even if you think he’s on your side.” (Apr. 26, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "[Malcolm's] going to be a huge factor leading up to the finale. This season is all about legacy, and when Malcolm comes into the story, it’s really rooted as much by necessity from Oliver’s point of view as it is about what Malcolm means to him and what Malcolm means to Thea. It’s a great story, because it’s going to have a lot of action but it’s also going to have this kind of emotional undercurrent that is going to lead to a really big, huge series moment for him. I think it’s a great story to tell, and it’s great stuff for John [Barrowman] to play." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked about upcoming projects and returning to the DC universe, JBarrowman: "No, I [unintelligible words]. And there's a reason. 'Cause I haven't - that's why - well, put it this way - I'm looking at my sister... Um, I'm going to - all I'm going to - you saw the musical episode, yes? If you haven't, I'm not going to spoil anything. But. There was something said in the musical episode - if something happens to you in that world, it happens to you in the real world. You know what I'm talking about? What? (Fan says, 'you die') Come up and say that. (Fan says, 'you die in that world, you die in the real world') (audience gasps) That's all I'll say. I'm so sad. Uh, I won't be part of the DC universe next season. (Audience reacts) Someone's applauding! Thank you. (Responds to fan's unintelligible question) I will not be part of the DC universe next season. (Lots of groans and boos from the audience) You can all get on twitter when the episode airs. I haven't told you what happens, so - yeah." Also, JB said that he's doing a lot of traveling, he's doing a movie in the UK, he and his sister have the next sequence of their book series coming out, and they're looking at doing another series of Torchwood comics. JB added: "That's it, really, and I'm around doing things - looking for another job... I just dropped a bomb. You all are like, 'oh my god.' Don't worry, I'll be fine." (Planet Comicon, Apr. 29, 2017: Steve Erickson video of JB panel, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked to confirm whether or not Malcolm will be coming back to Arrow, and whether or not Malcolm is in the season finale, JB: "I cannot answer any questions that are due to plot, but I can tell you that I am not going to be part of the DC universe next season." (Wizard World Minneapolis, May 6, 2017: Jon Foss video interview with JBarrowman, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked if Malcolm is going to be killed off, JB: "I have no idea." Female interviewer objected, saying that JB just said he can't answer plot questions, but male interviewer said that he was trying to trick him. JB: "Dude, I've been doing this for 30-odd years. You can't trick me." When asked if he's coming back, JB: "I can answer direct questions, and I don't know." (Wizard World Minneapolis, May 6, 2017: Jon Foss video interview with JBarrowman, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- JB: "It seems that Malcolm always appears towards the end of the season to either help Oliver Queen, who's the hero of the show, or hinder him. And in this particular one, there's a ver - there's some sad things that happen and there's also some happy things that happen. I can't tell you anything really specifically because I would get in very big trouble with Warner Brothers. But it's - they're very - they're two very exciting, uh, very well written episodes. Uh, and as always on Arrow, we have a great, kind of cliffhanger season finale that will lead us into the next season." (Apr. 13, 2017 Good Morning Britain video, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what JB said: "John Barrowman tells crowd at #PlanetComicCon he will NOT be part of DC universe next season. ?? #Arrow #Flash" and "SPOILERS!!!! Says it's because he died in Flash musical episode so will die in Arrow as well" and "In an ep of the Flash, there was a psychic who dumped everyone into a musical dream sequence. It was form of counseling." and "But he told Barry & Iris if they died in musical they'd die in life, too. Malcolm died in episode. Barrowman says this is why he will die." and "Barrowman says yes, because he died in musical episode of the Flash also has to die in 'real life'." (Planet Comicon, Apr. 29, 2017: Pilarcita tweets, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Papp tweeted: "Well since John Barrowman decided to confirm it already maybe I should spoil how he goes out ?? #Arrow." When asked if Thea kills him, papp tweeted: "No but the scene involves Thea lol" and "Im only going off words, meaning always translate little different on TV but yes from what I know believe he saves Thea or sacrifice himself." When asked if Malcolm saves Thea and dies a hero's death, papp tweeted 'thumbs up' emoji and "Keep in mind Im going off what i saw, don't care enough to go back & check the scene sequence to make sure haha." (Apr. 30, 2017 pursuit23 tweets, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Not Returning or Debuting in S5 -- On whether Colton Haynes will return in the remaining episodes of S5, MG: "Sadly, no. I’m sorry." (May 2, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) Vixen in the Arrowverse -- On whether there will be a Season 3 of Vixen, MG: "Possibly. We’re currently working on the Freedom Fighters series – which Vixen will be a part of – and then will take stock." (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 298 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Black Lightning in the Arrowverse? -- Black Lightning, starring Cress Williams, produced a short pilot presentation and is being eyed for a midseason run. (May 1, 2017 The Hollywood Reporter article, page 295 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Black Lightning was ordered to series by The CW. The show follows Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), a former vigilante who hung up his suit years ago and now works as a teacher. But with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he will be pulled back into the fight as the legendary Black Lightning. It is executive produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, along with co-creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, who is serving as showrunner. (May 10, 2017 Variety article, page 298 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) Edited May 18, 2017 by tv echo Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3283246
tv echo May 19, 2017 Author Share May 19, 2017 (edited) This thread is for archived spoilers only - commentary on spoilers should go in the Spoiler Discussion thread... SUMMARY OF 523 SPOILERS - SEASON FINALE: S5, Episode 23: Lian Yu -- Production code: 523. Shoot Dates: April 7-19, 2017. Director: Jesse Warn. Writers: Wendy Mericle & Marc Guggenheim. Airdate: May 24, 2017. (April 10, 2017 MG tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- 523 synopsis: "DEATHSTROKE, NYSSA AL GHUL, MERLYN AND DIGGER HARKNESS JOIN OLIVER'S BATTLE AGAINST PROMETHEUS - The battle between Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) culminates in a final epic battle on Lian Yu. After recent events, Oliver decides to recruit a group of unlikely allies - Slade (guest star Manu Bennett), Nyssa (guest star Katrina Law), Merlyn (John Barrowman) and Digger Harkness (guest star Nick. E. Tarabay) - to defeat Chase. However, Chase has his own army - Black Siren (guest star Katie Cassidy), Evelyn Sharp (guest star Madison McLaughlin) and Talia al Ghul (guest star Lexa Doig) - and the forces collide in an explosive season finale. Jesse Warn directed the episode written by Wendy Mericle & Marc Guggenheim (#523). Original airdate 5/24/2017." (May 5, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Arrow sizzle reel for last five episodes of S5 posted. (Arrow S5 Sizzle Reel, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG refused to give Billy Joel song pick for 523. (Apr. 5, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether S5 finale will have monologue like pilot, MG: "There's something scripted. We'll see if it makes the final cut." (Apr. 18, 2017 MG tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether David Nutter will return to direct the finale flashbacks, MG: "Unfortunately, no. David was directing a pilot when we were shooting the finale." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- 523 extended promo posted. (523 extended promo video, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 523 one-minute trailer posted. (523 one-minute trailer video in May 19, 2017 CW_Arrow tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 523 producer's preview posted. (523 producer's preview video in May 24, 2017 CW_Arrow tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 523 sneak peek posted, featuring Oliver and Slade Wilson. (May 24, 2017 Eonline article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 523 sneak peek posted, featuring Oliver, Nyssa, Malcolm, Deathstroke, and Digger Harkness. (May 24, 2017 sneak peek video in Soulfire post, page 3 of New Spoilers thread) -- 523 promo pics posted. (May 18, 2017 SpoilerTV and TVLine articles, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Page 1 of 523 script posted, featuring Oliver and Slade Wilson. (May 24, 2017 MG tweet, page 3 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: “We’re not going to destroy the city... We’re not even going to threaten the city. In fact, I can also tell you the finale doesn’t even take place in the city. Finally, the citizens of Star City can breathe easily in May.” Wherever the finale takes place, MG: “You can expect a good number of returning characters, characters you haven’t seen in a while, back in the episode.” (Mar. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: “I’ll just say this: Star City is not in jeopardy... As we’ve joked before, there’s always a terrorist attack on Star City in May. Not this time. Prometheus is a very personal villain, very psychological villain and the ending will be appropriate to that.” (Mar. 19, 2017 RottenTomatoes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On the season finale not taking place in Star City, JH: "It does not. And it is epic. It is so much bigger than I thought, than I imagined it would be. It’s just amazing. When I read it, it almost felt like doing a film. It’s really exciting." (Apr. 12, 2017 TVLine article, page 216 of Starling City Times thread) -- On whether the entirety of 523 takes place in one location, MG: "It does.” (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how early/late in the production of S5 did they decide that the season finale would be on Lian Yu this year, MG: "We knew it pretty much from the start of the season. And I agree – we were committed to NOT threatening the city this year." (Apr. 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "The season finale. We basically have to shoot the entire thing on location." (PaleyFest, Mar. 18, 2017: KSITE TV and thesuperboytheater videos, page 56 of Spoilers thread, and Mar. 22, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1435 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On how he would describe S5 finale, MG: "Very different from previous season finales." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how good is S5 finale, MG: "We haven’t finished shooting yet. :)" (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how good is S5 finale from 1 to 10, MG: "I haven’t seen the finished cut – we’re not done filming – but I’m very excited about what we’ve shot so far. Yesterday, Stephen and [CENSORED] delivered an Emmy-caliber performance." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "You’re 50% right." This was in response to following fan post: "20 bucks the 'Emmy caliber' performance is between Stephen and Ana [sic] Hopkins." (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan request for some emoji's to represent how he thinks we will react to 523, MG posted half-smile smiley face emoji, upset smiley face emoji, and diamond ring emoji, with comment: " (I threw in that last one just to fuck with you.)" (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- SA tweeted: "Our season finale is sensational. How do you end one journey and begin another? Bravo @ARROWwriters. Bravo indeed." (Mar. 30, 2017 SA tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for three words to describe the finale, SA replied: "Three words: but then how." (Apr. 7, 2017 snarky_bee tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked for three words to decribe the finale, SA posted video of song, "If I Had a Boat" by James Vincent McMorrow. (Scan of Apr. 20, 2017 SA facebook post, page 1494 of Spoiler DIscussion thread) -- DR: "But the finale is just - we just read 22... We do 23 episodes. So we haven't read 23. They broke the story, so we know some of the story. But 22's incredible and 23's gonna just be off the hinges." (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) --- On the season finale, EK: "Honestly, we have no clue. The writers haven’t kept us in the loop. There will be some changes in the status quo, but we are as much in the dark as you are. But, the final episodes were a blast to shoot. I really can’t wait for fans to see how we pay it off this season. Fans better buckle up because it’s going to be awesome." (May 3, 2017 CBR article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- JB: "Listen, what you're going to see on the finale is going to be severe awesomeness. And you're going to have to watch to find out what happens. Because there's a lot of twists and turns, and a lot of different things that are going to happen that you're - the one thing that when we do an Arrow finale, it always shocks people. So that's it." When asked to confirm that we'll be shocked, JB: "Yeah. But in a good way. And in a bad way." (Wizard World Minneapolis, May 6, 2017: Jon Foss video interview with JBarrowman, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "This season will end with a proper cliffhanger. Even more of a cliffhanger than the one we ended Season 1 with." (Apr. 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether cliffhanger is blowing up the boat as soon as everyone gets on it to get back home from Lian Yu and Oliver just standing there watching all his his friends and family 'die,' MG: "Hah! No. :)" (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On what he thinks reaction will be to season-ending cliffhanger, MG: "'I seriously can’t believe they did that.'" (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether cliffhanger will leave people mad or just excited for next season, MG: "Anyone who knows me knows I think both have a positive connotation. ;)" (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how 523 sets up S6, WM: "We’re going to go out on a big cliffhanger, so that part is definitely going to be helping us galvanize the premiere. Because we’re closing such a big chapter, I think there are going to be some really new and exciting questions. What we’re really trying to do is set up a new dynamic in season 6. That will speak in so many different ways — on the ground level, we’re going to be rethinking how we tell stories because the flashbacks aren’t going to be what they were. We don’t have to service that backstory in the same way that we had to, so the way the show is written and broken is malleable at this point. By the same token, where all the characters are is an opportunity to redefine and for everybody to look back, reflect, and then start to look forward about where they want to go and where do they have the most impact in our lives? How are they going to be the best heroes they can be?" (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We might lose some people." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked about her earlier comment that they "might lose someone," WM: "We're going to have a big bang of an ending, and we're not going to know really the outcome until the end of season 6... We don't often do cliffhangers in the way that we're doing this season, and we're excited about this ending." (Apr. 24, 2017 ComicBook article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Team Arrow make it through the season finale in one piece, WM: "That is a great question that will not be answered until Season 6." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether the S6 villain will be teased during the S5 finale, MG: "Kinda?" (May 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there will be a name-drop to tease who the next big bad is for S6, MG: "Maybe there already has been…" (May 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Adrian doesn’t concede defeat. He just looks very deeply into the chess board." This was in response to following fan post: "Adrian just told us according to his plan it will be him and Oliver on the boat leaving the island? But Oliver arrived by plane.. Is Adrian conceding defeat?" (May 17, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On 523, WM: "I would say that it’s very much in the same vein as what we’ve been doing so far this season. The ending is going to be very personal to Oliver. It is going to be the showdown between him and Adrian Chase that we’ve all been waiting for. We’re very excited about it because I think Josh and Stephen have just brought this amazing, cool dynamic to those two roles. Not surprisingly, Adrian is going to continue to be several steps ahead of Oliver, but I think Oliver has got his number. So the finale will be full of some pretty big surprises. I think Oliver’s finally going to find a way to do what he’s been trying to do all season and put the past behind him." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On the emotional showdown between Oliver and Chase in the finale, WM: "It’s been such a fun thing to play, such an interesting dynamic to play, especially with respect to Oliver Queen, who is very physical and is a guy who can definitely throw a punch. There will absolutely be fisticuffs. In surprising ways, a lot of the battle will be done in ways that we’ve never done on the show before, which we’re very excited about. But emotionally, Chase has been trying to prove to the world and to Oliver that he is not a hero, he’s a killer. He’s going to pull out one final, big whammo at the end that is going to really leave Oliver reeling and raise a lot of questions. I think Oliver is going to come down on the right side of that question, but not without a lot of risk and a lot of potential heartache." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether we can expect the same kind of intense fights or more of an emotional showdown in this season's finale, WM: "Both... One of the fun parts of having Prometheus and Oliver going toe-to-toe this season has been they’re both really great fighters, but by the same token, Prometheus is a tremendous psychological villain and he’s going to hit Oliver right where it hurts. That’s going to be a double whammy for him in the finale.” (May 9, 2017 TVLine article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- The season five finale will be huge, but a little unexpected. WM: "There are some quieter moments... They're not gonna come where people might think they're going to happen, and there's definitely going to be a lot of fireworks in the finale, but at the same time, the stakes are going to be much more emotional than they have been in the past. Chase has been someone who has again, really burrowed into Oliver's psyche and he's going to hit him where it hurts the most, and we're going to see that come to a head in the finale." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- The eventual showdown between Oliver and Chase will be major. WM: "Chase understands the way Oliver thinks. He knows all of his weak spots. He knows how to manipulate him psychologically and emotionally, and he's going to pull out all the stops to do exactly that in the finale... I don't think we've ever seen Oliver go through something like this before." (Apr. 26, 2017 Eonline article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On the rest of Team Arrow’s role in the finale, WM: "Well, it’s definitely going to be an all-hands-on-deck situation. Everyone is going to have to do something to help put Chase to bed finally. Everyone’s going to have a huge emotional stake in it, everyone is going to have a very big role to play. Specifically, in respect to our original Team Green Arrow, both Felicity and Dig will play crucial pieces, as well as Slade Wilson — those are the three that are going to have a lot to do with how to get in and out of this situation and how we finally put Chase where he belongs." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On the finale being about Oliver’s family, but not in the way we’re thinking, and on the finale being explosive, WM: "Not without giving away too much. I would stand by both of those things, and I would definitely say that I can expand on the family part in a sense that it’s going to speak to legacy. There’s no way to talk about the end of these five chapters without evoking the Queen family in some way, shape, or form, and really there’s no way in the flashback to sync up with the pilot, which is what we’re going to be doing, without evoking them as well. In that respect, I can tell you a little bit that’s where that comment came from. As for the second one, it’s going to be a big kaboom. That’s as far as I’ll go with that one." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On familiar faces returning for the finale, WM: "The impetus behind bringing all these people back is this is the end of the first five seasons, the end of this chapter of Oliver’s story, and it’s just fun to have everyone come back. What I can tell you about in terms of motive and story is Chase has been Oliver’s most formidable enemy so far, and he’s going to need some people help him take Chase down." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On the S5 finale, WM: "The alliances are going to be very surprising... You’re not going to believe who Oliver is working with to defeat Prometheus. It’s going to be really emotional. It’s going to be all about Oliver’s family, but not the family we’re thinking of right now. It’s going to end in a giant explosion, but not where we think it’s going to end, and the emotional punch is going to be bigger than the actual physical part of the bombs going off.” (Apr. 7, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Oliver heading back to the island in 523, SA: "One of the things that will surprise us is why he goes and the amount of people who will be there... This whole year has been built around Oliver returning on a team, but what happens when Oliver’s team isn’t there for him and he still needs a team?” (Apr. 28, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On 523, EW: "The ultimate showdown between the Emerald Archer (Stephen Amell) and Prometheus (Josh Segarra) will bring to light the consequences of Oliver's crime-fighting actions. The episode also welcomes back a number of familiar faces, including Black Siren (Katie Cassidy), Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law), and Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett), and revisits the island where it all started - both in flashback and present day. "Chase [Segarra] has been trying to prove to the world and to Oliver that he's not a hero, he's a killer, and he's going to pull out one final whammo at the end that's going to leave Oliver reeling," EP Wendy Mericle says, promising that the action-packed hour will be explosive. "We might lose some people." (Scan of Apr. 26/May 5, 2017 Entertainment Weekly magazine page in Apr. 21, 2017 OlicityDreams tweet and Apr. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On 523, TVLine: "Chase keeps 10 steps ahead of Team Arrow, forcing Oliver to face his violent past and answer the question once and for all: Is he a killer, or a hero? To answer that, Oliver will be forced to let go of the fate his father burdened him with and aim for a new legacy. And as Oliver’s five years’ worth of flashbacks come to an end, you will see how he planned his escape from Lian Yu — while in the present, Oliver bids said island a final farewell." (Apr. 24, 2017 TVLine article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On 523, TVGuide: "Going into the finale's epic showdown between the Green Arrow and Prometheus, Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) will remain several steps ahead of Oliver (Stephen Amell), which will only make it harder for Team Arrow to defeat him. 'True to his word, Chase is going to force Oliver to face his violent past and answer the question once and for all: is he a killer or a hero?' executive producer Wendy Mericle says. 'To prove he's the hero, Oliver will be forced to let go of his past, the one his father burdened him with in the pilot, and look forward to a new future and a new legacy.' ... As Oliver tries to begin a new chapter of his life, Arrow will close a chapter: the finale will (thankfully) mark the end of the flashbacks. 'The episode is going to end with a bang, and in the process, we're finally going to see how Oliver planned his escape from Lian Yu in the unseen moments leading up to Oliver's introduction in the pilot,' Mericle explains. 'As Oliver leaves Lian Yu in the flashbacks, he will also be saying goodbye to Lian Yu in the present day story.' ... Both Manu Bennett and Katrina Law will reprise their roles as Slade Wilson and Nyssa al Ghul, respectively. When she reappears in Star City, Nyssa will go head-to-head with her sister Talia, who trained Chase to become Prometheus to avenge her father's death at Oliver's hand. Katie Cassidy will also return in the finale as Black Siren, a role she will continue in Season 6 as a series regular." (May 4, 2017 TV Guide article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On 523, DC All-Access' Hector Navarro: "And, on the season finale of Arrow, on Wednesday night, Oliver Queen has to team up with Deathstroke, the Terminator, that's right. Slade Wilson is back. And it's not just Deathstroke. Nyssa al Ghul, Malcolm Merlyn, and Digger Harkness, a/k/a Captain Boomerang according to Cisco, all have to join Oliver Queen's fight against Prometheus. Adrian Chase has kidnapped Oliver Queen's friends and family and so - his son! - and has taken them to the island of Lian Yu, the island that Oliver was marooned on for five years. It always comes back to the island! So Oliver Queen has got to team up with Deathstroke - just like old times. Deathstroke and the baddies. But. Can Ollie really trust these guys? And, Adrian Chase is not left unawares. He's got his own team, which includes Evelyn Sharp, Talia al Ghul, and Black Siren. Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo! Whoa! This is the big one, y'all! This is the big one. Everyone. Is on deck. For this one." (May 22, 2017 DC Entertainment video, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Sara Netzley tweeted: "I've seen the #ArrowFinale, guys. Brace yourselves for serious fights, serious talks, serious emotions and a seriously breath-taking ending." and "You'll gasp, you'll fist-pump, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll gasp again. And then you'll check out my @ew recap, of course! ?#ArrowFinale" and "A little hyperventilating today will all be worth it when the credits roll ..." and "I do have to come up with a grade shortly for my recap, and right now, I'm thinking it's a solid A. It definitely checks all the Arrow boxes" and (on whether the cliffhanger will make us stress and worry all hiatus) "... possibly. It presents questions you'll be debating with other Arrow folks for a while." and "I even loved the flashbacks (which is ... not always the case)!" and (on whether she enjoyed it more than the S2 finale) "Oooh, tough. I'm not sure I can choose!" (May 24, 2107 SaraNetzley tweets, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Matt Mitovich tweeted: "#ArrowFinale is TIGHT. So many ? moments. Important conversations. Emotions. Fight coordination A+. And I still have 10 minutes left." and "'What was that for?' 'Just in case.' #ArrowFinale" and "Ohhhhhh, those last 10 minutes. And those last 60 seconds. Terrific #ArrowFinale." and "It is so, so, so good. BUT THAT ENDING." and "Her [Black Siren's] wink is at Dinah." (May 24, 2017 MattMitovich tweets, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Sydney Bucksbaum tweeted: "Just finished watching the #Arrow season finale and WHOA. That's definitely a way to end the season." and "She's badass. As per usual." and "After reading the "do not reveals" for the episode, all I can say is ... well, nothing really, except that I LOVE the island story wrap-up." and "I can't remember the last time I cried watching #Arrow. And I cried TWICE while watching this season finale. So ... buckle up, friends." and (on how intense is the cliffhanger on scale of 1 to 10) "Is it ever less than 10?" (May 24, 2017 SydneyBucksbaum tweets, page 3 of New Spoilers thread) -- GreenArrowTV tweeted: "Best #Arrow finale yet. Yup, even better than S2. Have the tissues ready though, because there will be a lot of emotions tomorrow night." and "The core (OTA, Thea, Quentin) are all prominent and at the center." and "She [Black Siren] has one of the best lines and some good scenes. Can't predict where anyone will be in S6." (May 23, 2017 GreenArrowTV tweets, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- From GreenArrowTV advance review: "There’s a lot of action this week, as is probably to be expected from an Arrow season finale, but the episode also works because of a collection of conversations and character moments. Oliver and Chase. Oliver and Slade. Oliver and Digger Harkness. Oliver and Felicity. Felicity and Samantha. Laurel and Dinah. Nyssa and Talia. Malcolm and Thea. Malcolm and Nyssa. Thea and Oliver. Oliver and… well, you get the picture, and we can’t give every conversation away. These are relationships built over 5 seasons and 115 episodes, and these are moments earned. Some of these moments and conversations are things we’ve been waiting for a while to see. I do sometimes wonder why Lyla and a team from ARGUS weren’t called in as backup, but I can only imagine it’s because Oliver wanted to keep things from escalating to a point that his loved ones would be in even more danger. ... One criticism of Arrow, especially at season finale time some years, is that some fan groups or viewers feel left out. I think almost every group will be satisfied — maybe one could argue that the finale needed more Black Siren, but she does get one of the best lines of the entire hour, she does have some pretty juicy scenes in the finale, and she is a series regular next year, so I’m sure we’ll have more of her. Some of the newer recruits like Curtis, Rene, and Dinah may have less to do than many others too, but hey, there’s a lot to juggle this week, and again, every character that does show up serves a purpose in one way or another. ... It’s the end of the island flashbacks, which will give viewers nostalgic Arrow pilot episode feels. I think I may want to go watch the pilot again next. And finally, there’s at least one moment in the finale that will probably leave you in tears. You’ll know it when you see it, but I will say that Stephen Amell especially performed excellently in that scene. Oh, and keep your eyes open for some very clear visual ties between the flashbacks of 5 years ago and the things that are happening in present day." (May 24, 2017 GreenArrowTV article, page 1532 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On whether the Felicity/Samantha conversation is a good one, GreenArrowTV tweeted: "It’s one of many good moments. :)" (May 24, 2017 GreenArrowTV tweet, page 1533 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- MG: "The flashbacks in the final three episodes take place in October 2012." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 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) -- On whether we'll soon find out how Oliver gets the scruffy long beard and hair and the ripped and ragged clothing he wears when he gets rescued by the fishing boat at the beginning of the pilot, MG: "You’ll get that answer this season." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked how close do the shots in the season finale match up with the pilot, MG: "Pretty darn close." (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- 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) -- WM: “We’ve managed to hopefully stick the landing on it in a cool way that allows us to see both some of the moments right before we first met Oliver in the pilot, where he launched that flaming arrow and it lit up that signal fire, and also maybe a little bit after as well, some of the more emotional moments that we never got to see in the pilot.” (Apr. 21, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On how wrapping up the flashback story will dovetail into the present-day storytelling, WM: "We are very excited about that part. We’ve managed to hopefully stick the landing on it in a cool way that allows us to see both some of the moments right before we first met Oliver in the pilot, where he launched that flaming arrow and it lit up the signal fire, and also maybe just a little bit after as well, some of the more emotional moments that we never got to see in the pilot. While that’s happening, we have the opportunity to see the island in the flashback, and we might see a little bit of it in present-day as well." (May 9, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "We’re really excited about where we get to with the flashbacks. It’s a very emotional thing for Oliver. We know he gets back home, but we came up with a pretty cool, innovative way of accomplishing that. We also get the opportunity to see a stolen moment from the Pilot that we didn’t actually see in the Pilot." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there will be much Olicity moments/screentime in the final 2 episodes, MG: "I don’t think you’ll be disappointed." (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether Olicity are back together or not, MG: "To paraphrase Aaron Sorkin: 'There are two more episodes of Arrow left this season. I’d watch.'" (May 15, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "5x22 and 5x23 are big. ??It's a chain response from 5x20." (WonderCon, Apr. 1, 2017: Fangirlw_oChill tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what MG said: "I have a friend who said she told them marc confirmed the [Olicity] kiss recently while they were filming the finale." (May 11, 2017 Cleanqueen post, page 1520 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Fan tweeted: "they will kiss at some point during 20-23 trust me." and "and, yes, I'm talking about present day." (Mar. 24, 2017 alwaysbett tweets, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "There’s a great Thea/Felicity scene in the finale." (May 17, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On 2 truths and a lie about Thea in 523, MG: "Thea has a commanding moment. Thea gives Black Siren a hug. Thea questions Oliver’s judgment." (May 9, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Thea will return for the final three episodes of this season. WM: “Thea is the daughter of sociopaths, which is one of the biggest challenges any human being can really face... so she’s going to grappling with that and trying to understand: What is this in her that makes her so kind of Moira-esque, and how is she going to manage it? Ultimately, she and Oliver are going to come to the same conclusion about how to do that, by the finale.” (Mar. 30, 2017 TVLine article, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- Manu Bennett will reprise his role as Slade Wison this season. (Apr. 10, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- MG tweeted: "BTW, the return of @manubennett is only the first of a few exciting announcements about Arrow's sixth season finale..." and "Oh, I mean FIFTH. Working on sixth right now..." He also tweeted pic of Deathstroke. (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Slade's unfinished business with Felicity is going to come back into play in the finale, MG: "There’s a moment in the script that I’m pleased with – but you never know what’s going to happen or what’s going to make it into the cut." (Apr. 10, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Oliver and Slade are actually aligning, WM: "That’s a great question. With Deathstroke, you never really know who you’re dealing with, in a similar way with Malcolm, but with a little bit more of an edge, because the history between Slade and Oliver is as deep and troubled as the one between him and Malcolm. Slade is definitely coming back. We’re definitely going to be thinking he might be on Oliver’s side. That’s all I’m going to say about that, to quote Forrest Gump. [Laughs.]" (Apr. 25, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Deathstroke’s big return, WM: "Well, he’s a big character on the show! I mean, obviously, Oliver’s had a long history. We always said we were going to be closing out the first five years and ending it with a bang, and ending it with Oliver looking back at his past, and there’s no real way to tell that story without Deathstroke being a part of it." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- WM: "It was fantastic to have Manu back. He’s a member of the family. He was so formative in Seasons 1 and 2, and Deathstroke is a huge factor in the comic books for Oliver Queen. It was fantastic to have him back, and Deathstroke is an unpredictable character, so Oliver taking him on makes you wonder. He must be in a pretty dire situation if he’s aligning himself with people like that." (Apr. 26, 2017 Variety article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- DR: "Oh, the finale - dude. (Fans yell, "is it awesome?" and "spoilers" and "give us one word") Two words. Death. Stroke. (Fans cheer) ... Um, hopefully. (Laughs) Um, no, there's a lot of talk about Manu. Manu - you know, I love all of our bad guys. Neal was just - umph, off the chains, but there was just something about Manu... So there's talk about that. And hopefully, it happens. But Manu's incredible, man, and, um... you know, it'd be great to kinda play that out someplace, right? Because that was such a wonderful character. So, we'll see what happens with that" (HVFF-Chicago, Mar. 26, 2017: jbuffyangel video of DR panel, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- Natalie Abrams: "Malcolm will make a concerted effort to reconcile with Thea, even going so far as to make a very fatherly decision in the season ender." (May 19, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked to explain news that JB revealed he wouldn't be part of DC universe next season, MG tweeted: "Not really. Whether John participates next year is entirely up to him." (Apr. 30, 2017 MG tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I’m certainly not going to spoil anything, but even if Malcolm were to die – hypothetically – that’s hardly a barrier to (re)entry in the Arrowverse (see, e.g., Sara, Black Siren, Damien Darhk, flashbacks, time travel, etc.)." This was in response to following fan post: "Hi Marc, I want to thank you for responding to my Twitter question about John being involved next year being his choice. It seems a single tweet has led to the whole world reporting Malcolm will be dying and/or John has been fired from the Arrowverse/the CW. Could you just elaborate on his situation (that is if you legally can). Or at least confirm/deny the news in a more elaborate way. It would just be nice to know what to believe because at this point my head is spinning and not in a good way." (May 2, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- JBarrowman: "It seems that Malcolm always appears towards the end of the season to either help Oliver Queen, who's the hero of the show, or hinder him. And in this particular one, there's a ver - there's some sad things that happen and there's also some happy things that happen. I can't tell you anything really specifically because I would get in very big trouble with Warner Brothers. But it's - they're very - they're two very exciting, uh, very well written episodes. Uh, and as always on Arrow, we have a great, kind of cliffhanger season finale that will lead us into the next season." (Apr. 13, 2017 Good Morning Britain video, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On upcoming projects and returning to the DC universe, JB: "No, I [unintelligible words]. And there's a reason. 'Cause I haven't - that's why - well, put it this way - I'm looking at my sister... Um, I'm going to - all I'm going to - you saw the musical episode, yes? If you haven't, I'm not going to spoil anything. But. There was something said in the musical episode - if something happens to you in that world, it happens to you in the real world. You know what I'm talking about? What? (Fan says, 'you die') Come up and say that. (Fan says, 'you die in that world, you die in the real world') (audience gasps) That's all I'll say. I'm so sad. Uh, I won't be part of the DC universe next season. (Audience reacts) Someone's applauding! Thank you. (Responds to fan's unintelligible question) I will not be part of the DC universe next season. (Lots of groans and boos from the audience) You can all get on twitter when the episode airs. I haven't told you what happens, so - yeah." Also, JB said that he's doing a lot of traveling, he's doing a movie in the UK, he and his sister have the next sequence of their book series coming out, and they're looking at doing another series of Torchwood comics. JB added: "That's it, really, and I'm around doing things - looking for another job... I just dropped a bomb. You all are like, 'oh my god.' Don't worry, I'll be fine." (Planet Comicon, Apr. 29, 2017: Steve Erickson video of JB panel, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- When asked if Malcolm is going to be killed off, JB: "I have no idea." Female interviewer objected, saying that JB just said he can't answer plot questions, but male interviewer said that he was trying to trick him. JB: "Dude, I've been doing this for 30-odd years. You can't trick me." When asked if he's coming back, JB: "I can answer direct questions, and I don't know." (Wizard World Minneapolis, May 6, 2017: Jon Foss video interview with JBarrowman, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- Fan report on what JB said: "John Barrowman tells crowd at #PlanetComicCon he will NOT be part of DC universe next season. ?? #Arrow #Flash" and "SPOILERS!!!! Says it's because he died in Flash musical episode so will die in Arrow as well" and "In an ep of the Flash, there was a psychic who dumped everyone into a musical dream sequence. It was form of counseling." and "But he told Barry & Iris if they died in musical they'd die in life, too. Malcolm died in episode. Barrowman says this is why he will die." and "Barrowman says yes, because he died in musical episode of the Flash also has to die in 'real life'." (Planet Comicon, Apr. 29, 2017: Pilarcita tweets, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Papp tweeted: "Well since John Barrowman decided to confirm it already maybe I should spoil how he goes out ?? #Arrow." When asked if Thea kills him, papp tweeted: "No but the scene involves Thea lol" and "Im only going off words, meaning always translate little different on TV but yes from what I know believe he saves Thea or sacrifice himself." When asked if Malcolm saves Thea and dies a hero's death, papp tweeted 'thumbs up' emoji and "Keep in mind Im going off what i saw, don't care enough to go back & check the scene sequence to make sure haha." (Apr. 30, 2017 pursuit23 tweets, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- Katrina Law will reprise her role as Nyssa al Ghul for multiple episodes that culminate in an epic fight between Nyssa and her half-sister Talia al Ghul in the S5 finale. (Apr. 11, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On joke about Talia calling Oliver "brother-in-law", MG replied: "Now that you know Nyssa is coming back, you can expect more Oliver/Nyssa marriage jokes. Can’t help it." (Apr. 11, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On how Talia could complicate things for Oliver by the end of the season. MG: “I would say that she probably bears more of a resemblance to her father than [her sister] Nyssa does.". (Mar. 19, 2017 RottenTomatoes article, page 55 of Spoilers thread) -- On the Nyssa vs Talia fight, MG: "I can tell you that there will be a clear winner." (Apr. 26, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether the "release" of the marriage between Oliver/Nyssa is actually going to happen in 523 or whether it was just discussion, MG: "We talked about it for the finale, but there wasn’t space for it." (May 17, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "If I get married in Nevada and Nevada is subsumed into the rest of the union, I’m still married." This was in response to following fan post: "Nyssa and Oliver were married through the League, correct? If the League was disbanded, shouldn't Nyssa and Oliver no longer be joined in matrimony under their law? Why does Nyssa still call him husband?" (May 17, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 570 of Social Media thread) -- Lexa Doig: "What can they expect? To have their minds blown. There’s so much happening. I know it got leaked that Katrina and I are both in the episode and that we sort of have a face off… which we do. I can say that.” On whether or not Talia can beat Nyssa, LD: “I think it depends on the day... Honestly I think they’re fairly evenly match. It’s very funny because Katrina Law and I were talking about what a possible backstory could be in terms of their relationship and where it left off and all these ‘actory’ kind of things that actors do. I reckon that Talia is actually quite a bit older than Nyssa as far as our relationship goes. So it’s possible that Talia even had a part in some of Nyssa’s training before she buggered off and left Nyssa with dear old dad. I think it depends on who’s had a better night sleep.” (May 10, 2017 Nerd Reactor article, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- KC will return as Black Siren in 522 and 523 and then will continue as a series regular in S6. (Mar. 27, 2017 Deadline, Variety and TVLine articles, and MG, JarettSays and GreenArrowTV tweets, and TVLine's Ask Ausiello Live video, page 56 of Spoilers thread) -- On 2 truths and a lie about Laurel in 523, MG: "Laurel is dead. Laurel comes back to life. Laurel is dead. :)" (May 2, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On one word to describe Black Siren in the S5 finale, MG: "Badass. (I made it one word.)" (Apr. 19, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On whether Black Siren will get cool hand to hand fight scenes next season, MG: "Yes, but how about in Ep. 523?" (May 1, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "I think you'll like Ep. 523." This was in response to following fan post: "hey marc so you admit that black siren does have hand to hand combat skills because the way you used her in 5x10 made it look she didn't also did you admit that black siren was going to fight Dinah drake and felicity ?" (May 3, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On two truths and a lie about Black Siren in 523, MG: "Black Siren fights Dinah. Black Siren fights Lance. Black Siren fights Felicity." (May 3, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Honestly, I wish we had time to tell that story because it would be cool. But there were a lot of other plot threads that we needed to tie up in the finale." This was in response to following fan post: "Hi! I don't know if you'll answer this because it's about Lauriver but, Oliver has been through 5 years of hell, on and off the island, and survived for Laurel. It's been shown through the flashbacks, with Laurel's picture, and Oliver said it 'There were times when I wanted to die. In the end, there was something I wanted more.' The finale will take place on Lian Yu, so I was wondering if Oliver will react to Black Siren, the doppelgänger of the woman he survived for, being on that same island?" (May 4, 2017 MG tumblr post, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether the Vigilante will be in the finale, MG: "No. Lian Yu is a bit outside his jurisdiction." (May 17, 2017 MG tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On whether there is any redemption for Artemis in the eyes of Team Arrow, WM: "I think it’s still a question mark. Honestly, I think the jury’s still out on her. Even in the finale, where she does play a pretty significant role, I think that the team is reluctant to give up on her. No matter how dark she goes, she was that innocent person that Oliver met in [Season] 4 [episode] 19 that has been through so much. I think it’s partly what Madison [McLaughlin] brings to the role that makes it hard to give up on her." (Apr. 26, 2017 CBR article, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- SA tweeted: "My favorite cameo in the #Arrow Season Finale is not featured in any of the previews. Love this person so much for coming back." (May 20, 2017 SA tweet, page 1529 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 23, 2017, SA tweeted: "Two things: 1. I have not read our season finale. 2. I firmly believe that if properly executed, it will be the best ep in Arrow's history." (SA tweet, page 1439 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Mar. 29, 2017, SA tweeted: "I love the last two eps every year. They feel like heavyweight fights." (SA tweet, page 548 of Social Media thread) -- On Apr. 7, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow back at West Vancouver's Whytecliff Park on Monday, April 10th. Lian Yu?" (yvrshoots tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 7, 2017, fan tweeted pic of Oliver Queen Films Notice of Filming on Monday, Apr. 10th: "Filming takes place within Whytecliff Park. We will begin filming a dialogue scene with one actor overlooking the ocean in the forest west of the public washrooms... Filming moves around the point to film more scenes in the forest area, this time with multiple actors running and fighting. Simulated gunfire will be used. A member of the West Vancouver Police Department will be on site to assist... Filming moves to the shoreline adjacent to the divers shack. These scenes involve multiple actors engaged in dialogue. Our SPFX department will be placing 4 air canons just below the surface of the water to create spray of water. A member of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will be on site to assist. There will be a camera drone in use within the park borders. Safety precautions will be employed when the drone is in use. Production Assistants will be on hand to help the public move safely through the area during this time." (Pic of OQF filming notice in nursejodjod tweet, page 57 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, when asked about KC, papp tweeted: "For you no, like I said her shit is done. May have another odd day here & there but her purpose for that ep is over they moved on to 23." (Apr. 10, 2017 pursuit23 tweet, page 1475 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "@Katie_Cassidy_ your girl works thursday." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, SA tweeted: "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Welcome back @manubennett." (SA tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, Manu Bennett tweeted: "WTF?????" and "For the record - I'm not going back for Arrow! #assumptionisthemotherofall..." (MB tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "Was told by @PUNKD_Images everytime they cut Deathstroke would go straight to trailer not stay with cast , be weird if that was Manu then." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan tweeted: "I'm on a two hour bus ride into the woods bc amell and john barrowman are on set. Halp" and "Stephen Amell on set in a leather jacket gave me life though." (Human_Stain tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan tweeted pic of flashback Oliver walking on the island. (Chanellightwood tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, SA posted pic of himself sitting on rock overlooking lake, and tweeted: "Monday." (SA tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, SA tweeted: "Just finished up Day 1 on our finale. @JesseWarn at the helm. Excitement in the air. 7 kick ass days to go. All my friends came to play." (SA tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "Glad to have caught up with Katrina Law & Nick Tarabay who are both back for the Season 5 finale of Arrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow cast at #WhytecliffParkBeach #Amell #NickTarabay #KatrinaLaw #JohnBarrowman…" (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan posted pic and tweeted: "I just couldn't get closer + sucky iphone camera. Oliver, Nyssa, Slade and somebody else I couldn't really see. #arrow." (Human_Stain tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, fan tweeted pic of Oliver, Captain Boomerang and Deathstroke walking on a beach. (smoaksqueen tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, when asked by fan if she had already finished filming Arrow, JH replied: "almost!" (JH instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 10, 2017, GreenArrowTV tweeted: "Yes, if you check out the article. I got confirmation [of Manu Bennett's return] from the network & studio." (GreenArrowTV tweet, page 1479 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, when asked about KC, papp tweeted: "Not til end of week." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, papp tweeted: "I tweeted like 5 times about how Manu isnt in the suit on set soooo lol." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, Manu Bennett tweeted: "Enough b.s about d.s!!! FACT: Deathstroke #Arrow are currently filming in Vancouver IS NOT ME. I am in Auckland filming #shannarachronicles." (MB tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, papp posted pic of Manu Bennett, with comment: "lemon_buzz#ManuBennett in #Vancouver #tbt. #Deathstroke #ImtrollinglikeStephenAmell #Crixus #Arrow." (lemon_buzz instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 11, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow is filming at Princess Park in North Van." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, DR tweeted: "When crossing the border my welcome committee states "Welcome to Surrey" Awesome. What does one do in Surrey, fam?" (DR tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, TV Guide reported that sources confirmed to them that Manu Bennett is in fact returning to Arrow for the season finale and will begin shooting scenes in Vancouver later this week. It's likely that the man spotted in the Deathstroke costume on set is filming fight scenes or other footage where it wouldn't be necessary to have Bennett film it himself. (Apr. 12, 2017 TV Guide article, page 58 of Spoilers thread and page 1480 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, papp tweeted pic of what looks like hooded Manu Bennett, with comment: "Manu Bennett arriving for #arrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 12, 2017, papp posted pics of Manu Bennett arriving off Auckland flight at YVR Vancouver Airport. (DailyHive article, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, papp tweeted pic with comment: "Weird the guy that Manu claims isnt him that I shot yesterday has a bag tag with Bennett M on his suitcase." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, MG tweeted: "Happy to confirm that you will definitely hear the voice of @manubennett in Arrow's season finale." In response, Manu Bennett tweeted: "thank you for that slight clarification BUT isn't using old pre-recorded ADR for d.s not kosher?" (MG and MB tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, Manu Bennett tweeted video clip of himself from the set of of Shannara Chronicles in Auckland, New Zealand. (MB tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, fan tweeted pics of Deathstroke stunt double on set. In response, Manu Bennett tweeted: "I rest my case." (purselover2 and MB tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, papp posted pic of Manu Bennett drinking from a cup and tweeted: "Message to @ManuBennett from yesterday in #NorthVancouver #Arrow trailers.." (PUNKD_Images tweet & instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, EK posted pic of EBR with blood on her face and hands. (EK instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 13, 2017, WH posted pic of foggy forest scene. (WH instagram post, page 1481 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 14, 2017, MG: "Last night, I was on set for a pretty cool Delicity scene. #flipover." (MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 14, 2017, fan posted pic of what looks like hooded Manu Bennett at airport, and tweeted: "Bennett tried to stay covert to avoid his reappearance in Vancouver being exposed." (Ras_Al_Him tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 15, 2017, papp tweeted: "Manu Bennetts crazy ass has wrapped #Arrow filming as he just went through YVR airport to catch his Air New Zealand flight BACK home." Another papp posted pic of Manu Bennett at airport, with comment: f"#TheFreakShow @ManuBennett trying to sneak out of #Vancouver.. on his way back to #Auckland #Arrow #Deathstroke #SladeWilson." (pursuit23 tweet and PUNKD_Images instagram pic, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 16, 2017, papps tweeted: "Got #autographs from #Arrow star Stephen Amell, as he, his wife and his TV ExGF all returned together." and "They flew out on same flight too as all were at Coachella" and "Nope he means Emily" and "to Vancouver." (canadagraphs, pursuit23 and Blastgirl121 tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 16, 2017, papp tweeted: "As mentioned last week by someone #Arrow films in Byrne Creek Ravine tomorrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 17, 2017, papp tweeted: "Oliver, DeathStroke, Artemis, Thea, Nyssa, Curtis, Malcolm, Digger, Artemis all on #Arrow set today" and "And Talia #Arrow" and "And Felicity #Arrow too many people to remember all." and "Digger Harkness." Papp also tweeted: "she's [KC's] not missing, Guggenheim over sold it" and "Guggenheim once again mislead you guys. Just like I said when they announced her she's [KC's] BARELY back" and "No, Manu was only doing mask off scenes, double doing rest." Papp also confirmed that there was no Diggle, Dinah or Rene. (pursuit23 tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread and page 1486 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 17, 2017, fan tweeted: "Byrne creek ravine park Same location as before." and "they are here again" and "I saw Stephen Amell, Deathstroke and Evelyn, and others." Fan also posted pic of old April 3rd OQF filming notice. In response, papp tweeted: "100% stunt double in #DeathstrokeCostume #Arrow @ManuBennett back in Auckland #Freak." (caoaaron and PUNKD_Images tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 17, 2017, fan posted pics of foggy forest scenes, and tweeted: "#Arrow filming at Burnaby Ravine park. No #Deathstroke to be found. Smoke all over." (Justrick2003 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, papp tweeted: "Katie works her 2nd day of the finale tomorrow." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow back at the ravine then moves into studio." In response to MG saying that all of 523 was on location, papp tweeted: "Well then he lied again cuz it's not." (pursuit23 tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, papp tweeted: "Told certain someone was at #Arrow ravine set & my initial response wtf why was she there. But now Im pretty sure ?????? in finale storyline" and " and "[he was told by] Someone that was at set" and "Well with the baby mama being on the island for the big Finale I'm gonna guess & say that the kid was taken by Prometheus. Thats my guess." When fan guessed Anna Hopkins, papp tweeted a 'thumbs up' emoji. Papp also said that he had not yet heard or seen Jack Moore (who played William) on the Arrow set for 523, but tweeted: "Nope but its not like he's needed until a showdown if he was kidnapped." (pursuit23 tweets, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, EK posted pic of himself with DR standing on what looks like the forest edge of the beach. (EK instagram post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, EK and WH wrapped filming S5. (Video in DailyWilla tweet, page 1487 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, JH posted pic of herself in her Arrow trailer. (JH tweet, page 560 of Social Media thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, SA tweeted: "3 days left filming S5 of Arrow. Got a wave of nausea that felt like Prometheus' theme music sounds. Got through it. Probably." (SA tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, SA tweeted b-t-s pic of himself as flashback Oliver with long hair and beard with JBamford. (SA tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 18, 2017, SA tweeted: "If properly executed, our S5 finale could be the strongest hour in Arrow's history. It's episode 115. THAT is why I love my job." (SA tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 19, 2017, SA tweeted: "It's a perfect day to be on the North China Sea." (SA tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 19, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow filming at Pitt Lake today." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 19, 2017, papp tweeted: "Nick Tarabay has wrapped #Arrow filming." (pursuit23 tweet, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 19, 2017, MG posted: "Friday [Apr. 21] is the last day. We had to add an extra day." (MG tumblr post, page 58 of Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, DR posted pic of himself video-phoning with his son, and he appears to be in some kind of underground dirt bunker. (DR instagram pic, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017 JBam tweeted: "Shootin' the finale' like......it's the second to last day of season 5. One.....more......day........." (JBam tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, Arrow crew member tweeted: "Pre-stunt quote of the day 'this will be loud as fuck' ???? #ArrowSeason5 #setlife @JamesBamford ??." (KatieDIT tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, Katrina Law posted: "Today I celebrate the privileged of getting to be on set. Its an honor to be a part of a television show and I geek out every time I get to put on one of my costumes. I love the hurry up and wait. I love the sound of the bell and the shout of 'action.' I love the smoke bombs and the ring of clashing swords. The fake gun fire and the explosion of squibs. I love the fluidity and the hustle of the crew between set ups. I love when a scene is executed flawlessly as much as I love it when someone goofs it up. I hope to goodness that I never forget what a gift my career is. It has been over a decade long battle to be able to call 'set' my second home and I am beyond happy to be here." (KL instagram post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "@YRShoots?don't know where U plagiarized this #Arrow #BadInfo from?but hate to tell ya Stephen & Josh R shooting right now." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "Today is Not even the last day.. #Arrow have some scenes to shoot tomorrow with Dolph.." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "A Very Full cast for #Arrow tomorrow.. Stephen, Ramsey, Josh, Dolph, Katrina, Katie, Juliana and a few others... #YVRShoots #FinaleEpisode." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, when asked if KC was on set, papp tweeted: "Yep she works all day." (pursuit23 tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "Happy to FINALLY get #autographs from former #Arrow star and now guest star Susanna Thompson today." When asked if Jamey sheridan was also back, papp tweeted: "He is not." (Canadagraphs tweets, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "Got #autographs from #Arrow baddie Dolph Lundgren as he RETURNS TO VANCOUVER TO FILM MORE ARROW SCENES." (Canadagraphs tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 20, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow (despite wrapping today lol ) films in multiple studios tomorrow." When asked if he knew where the Arrow studios were, papp tweeted: "Yes but you cant see anything or meet anyone so no point having fans being weird AF and standing outside." (pursuit23 tweets, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 21, 2017, papp tweeted: "#Arrow cast working today.. DR, KC, KL, DL, JH & RG... and a bunch of stunt doubles... No SA or EBR." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 21, 2017, papp tweeted: "Stephen is done.. got to finish his scenes yesterday.. the rest of his scenes are now all stunt double #Arrow Emily fini as well #Wrapped." (PUNKD_Images tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 21, 2017, papp denied that SA and EBR filmed their last scene together and tweeted: "Emily wrapped on Tuesday and filmed with about 10 different cast #Arrow" and "lol nope she was partaking in the battle." (pursuit23 tweets, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 21, 2017, SA posted pic of himself in GA suit riding on speedboat, and tweeted: I'm wrapped on #ArrowSeason5 -- "See you on the boat." (SA tweet, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On Apr. 22, 2017, Manu Bennett tweeted: "As @mguggenheim #arrow confirmed, they are using my voice. As for who's inside the cell & behind the mask?THAT'S STILL ARGUABLE." (MB tweet, page 1500 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 23, 2017, in response to Manu Bennett's Apr. 22 tweet, MG tweeted: "He hasn't lied." (MG tweet, page 1500 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Apr. 26, 2017, MG posted: "Last Friday [April 21, 2017] was the last day of filming." (MG tumblr post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On May 2, 2017, jeddoreboy posted bts pic of EBR with bloodied face during last week of filming S5. (jeddoreboy instagram post, page 1 of New Spoilers thread) -- On May 2, 2017, SA tweeted: "Watched the Season 5 finale of Arrow last night. [eyes emoji] you on the [boat emoji]." (SA tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) -- On May 19, 2017, SA tweeted: "See you on the boat." (SA tweet, page 2 of New Spoilers thread) Edited May 24, 2017 by tv echo 1 Link to comment https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/47585-season-5-spoiler-archive/page/2/#findComment-3295163
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