Spoiler Discussion Thread: The Sequel

[RedVitC]

8 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

All I remember her saying about them is that they would remain for the duration of the show. 

Ah, you're right. I went to the spoiler archives and she does say they were going to do them for the rest of the show.

[kes0704]

The news that Emily won’t be in S8 has pretty much decided that S7 is my endpoint. If they bring Felicity back for the series finale, I’ll watch that but otherwise 722 will be the end. As much as I love Oliver and Diggle, I don’t love Dinah or Rene to want to watch them in two timelines, and the flash forwards without Felicity haven’t been enjoyable this season.

It’s also a little annoying that they held back on Smoak Tech for so long this season. They introduced it in 717 and it’s done when Emily films her final scenes. Six episodes is all they were willing to give it while we spent a full season with Captain Dinah and the SCPD. 😞

It really feels like Arrow is being sacrificed to serve the crossover and possibly a spin-off. The show is less likely to get a satisfying conclusion after 7 years because other shows are directing what happens. 

I’m glad that Emily is leaving on her own terms and pursuing new opportunities, it’s just sad that her character won’t be there for the final run of episodes. 

[apinknightmare]

4 minutes ago, kes0704 said:

It really feels like Arrow is being sacrificed to serve the crossover and possibly a spin-off. The show is less likely to get a satisfying conclusion after 7 years because other shows are directing what happens. 

I guess that's a fitting end, considering it stopped being grounded when Flash came onto the scene. Now we have metas and Lazarus Pits and all sorts of other stuff that never really belonged on this show, and wasted SO much time setting up other shows. Might as well stay consistent to the bitter end. 

Edited March 31, 2019 by apinknightmare

[Sunshine]

Oliver could show up in the future in 7.21 or 7.22 with no explanation given.  He is reunited with Felicity, William and Mia.  They beat the bad guys. Oliver hangs up his bow. He and Felicity depart leaving the kids to protect the city. S7 ends with the team scattering in present day ( thus the mark of 4 symbol ) so a reunion in flash forwards might be warranted. This keeps possible spin off alive but also gives Olicity an HEA.  It also only spoils Crisis from the idea of Oliver’s death so no one knows what actually happens in Crisis.

If we don’t see Oliver in the future I wouldn’t be surprised to see Felicity sacrifice herself for her children.

As for me, I was relieved when I heard the show was ending in S8. It meant I could watch the series to the end. Now I guess it ends at S7. I love Oliver but scenes with Dinah and Rene bore me to tears. 

[Morrigan2575]

25 minutes ago, kes0704 said:

It really feels like Arrow is being sacrificed to serve the crossover and possibly a spin-off. The show is less likely to get a satisfying conclusion after 7 years because other shows are directing what happens

Par for the Course with Arrow it's pretty much been sacrificed for the universe since S2.

[strikera0]

Today's news was truly a bombshell. I never expected Emily to leave so close to the end of the series. With Arrow's penchant for replacing female characters, could Kacey Rohl 's Alena be a potential series regular for season 8?

Edited March 31, 2019 by strikera0

[Mellowyellow]

All the tributes to her make me think she's not coming back to guest star or anything. 

Did they do the same when Nina Dobrev left TVD?

The extra fanfare makes me think she's completely done with Arrow.

[Primal Slayer]

Just now, Mellowyellow said:

All the tributes to her make me think she's not coming back to guest star or anything. 

Did they do the same when Nina Dobrev left TVD?

The extra fanfare makes me think she's completely done with Arrow.

She is no longer a series regular so it makes sense. I'd be surprised if she didnt guest star in the finale like Nina did.

[Mellowyellow]

1 minute ago, Primal Slayer said:

She is no longer a series regular so it makes sense. I'd be surprised if she didnt guest star in the finale like Nina did.

I think because it's only 10 eps in s8 if she agreed to pop in there wouldn't be as much hoopla about her leaving.

All the tributes from all these people makes me think she's not coming back. 

I hope you're right and I'm wrong!

[Primal Slayer]

2 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I think because it's only 10 eps in s8 if she agreed to pop in there wouldn't be as much hoopla about her leaving.

All the tributes from all these people makes me think she's not coming back. 

I hope you're right and I'm wrong!

She probably hasnt signed anything yet and most likely depends on where she is in her career at the time but I'm sure she'll do everything in her power to guest star even if it is 1 scene to end the show.

[scarynikki12]

4 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I think because it's only 10 eps in s8 if she agreed to pop in there wouldn't be as much hoopla about her leaving.

All the tributes from all these people makes me think she's not coming back. 

I hope you're right and I'm wrong!

We won't know until the finale airs but I think they'll want it to be a surprise so the tributes help serve that purpose.  She's not going to be a regular anymore so that's why everyone is getting their tributes in now.  When the announcement of the final season came we also saw a bunch of tributes.  It's very common.  We'll see a bunch more when the show reaches its conclusion. 

I thought it would have been hilarious if Nina hadn't returned to Vampire Diaries but she recognized the role it played in her life so she returned to wrap up her character's story and pay tribute to that role.  Emily isn't leaving with any negative feelings so there's no reason to expect her to not want to return.  She may not be able to return if her schedule doesn't allow it but I can't imagine she wouldn't want to. 

[statsgirl]

As if this season, with too much Dinah and the depressing future and the hints that Oliver is going to die in COIE weren't bad enough....

They better have tons of Felicity and Olicity in the last episodes is all I'm sayin'.

5 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I found her line about canaries interesting. 

Is she trying to push canaries one last time or is she just refering to the canaries vs Olicity fans fued during her time on the show.

She seems to be genuinely a good-hearted person and since she's leaving, I can see that she would want to push Dinah to be the leading lady.

The thought fills me with horror.  But I think EBR meant it positively.

3 hours ago, strikera0 said:

 With Arrow's penchant for replacing female characters, could Kacey Rohl 's Alena be a potential series regular for season 8?

Not a bad idea.  Alena could run things from Star City, and there could be occasional Felicity skypes from wherever she's hiding.

Anything to keep Dinah from dominating the female lead slot.

[lemotomato]

Season 8 is going to be 10 episodes, 9 minus the crossovers. If anyone is going to take over as "leading lady", it's going to be Kat McNamara as Mia.

[BkWurm1]

If we didn't have the live viewing thread I don't think I would be up to watching season 8.  

[JamieLynn832002]

I just can't imagine the finale without Emily and Felicity. I don't think the tributes necessarily mean anything one way or the other (though I get the fear) because even with only 10 episodes, the female lead leaving before the final season is a big deal that will change the fabric of the show and from a personal standpoint, most of these people are going from seeing her nearly daily during the season to maybe once or twice. 

[Mellowyellow]

6 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

If we didn't have the live viewing thread I don't think I would be up to watching season 8.  

I was only ever in it for Felicity and shipping so I'm not watching but I like to hang around for any potential gossip and news on the cast😂

[statsgirl]

14 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

Season 8 is going to be 10 episodes, 9 minus the crossovers. If anyone is going to take over as "leading lady", it's going to be Kat McNamara as Mia.

That depends on how much of the show will be flash forward and how much present day. Remember, SA will likely only be in the present day scenes since they want people to think that he's going to be dead in the future.

Dinah will take the female lead position in the present day story with both Laurel and Felicity leaving, and she'll be in the forwards too.

[Mellowyellow]

 I'm so distraught by EBR leaving I lost a shoe at Costco today😣😢😭

Edited March 31, 2019 by Mellowyellow

[Genki]

They could try to bring Willa  back, I know she left with some bad blood, but female lead might tempt her. back I think if you bring it back to the Queen Family it might be better, do something crazy like bring back Tommy, but please no more focus on Birds and Dogs.

It would be hard to make KM female lead unless the season is for the majority set in the future and then the storyline would need to have a Queen family (Oliver, William & Mia) mission focused on getting Felicity back from some sort of adversity to have my interest and a possibility of a happy ending is a must

I wouldn't be opposed to Alena coming in as a regular, but I don't think she could fully step into the void. She would be a nice connection to Felicity though. I'm not sure how I'll be watching but I watch hours behind anyway. 

The other thing they could do is take Arrow completely away from Star City, we know the future is a dumpster fire anyway, leave Renee and Dinah there to mess it up, put Oliver/Digg on some mission trying to get back to their families, Bronze Tiger can come too, but once again I would need hope for an Olicity Happy reunion post COIE. 

[kes0704]

1 hour ago, statsgirl said:

That depends on how much of the show will be flash forward and how much present day. Remember, SA will likely only be in the present day scenes since they want people to think that he's going to be dead in the future.

Dinah will take the female lead position in the present day story with both Laurel and Felicity leaving, and she'll be in the forwards too.

Dinah as female lead in any timeline is a deal breaker. There’s way too much of her in S7 with her present and future appearances as it is now (at least for me).

I’m genuinely curious to hear from Beth what they’re thinking a S8 without Felicity looks like because it’s likely going to be a very tough sell to keep some fans watching, myself included. 

I love Oliver and I started the show for his story, but it’s now so intertwined with Felicity it’s difficult to see how they separate it and still carry on for another 10 episodes. 

Honestly, I wish they’d just let the show end at S7 with the entire cast intact but the crossover has made that impossible. I really do not like the crossovers and how much they impact on Arrow, particularly this season.

[Featherhat]

Can't say I'm actually shocked given the signs but still.... I will follow it but damn it will be hard to watch a Rene and Dinah heavy (only?) season. I do wish her all the best and hope she's able to come back for the finale or they film something before she leaves even Reign did that. 

Edited March 31, 2019 by Featherhat

[CabotCove]

Quote

Dinah will take the female lead position in the present day story with both Laurel and Felicity leaving, and she'll be in the forwards too.

Or Emiko/Sea Shimooka, she has been gaining prominence all season, especially in last episode.

Kat Mcnamara/Mia also may  also become prominent in flashfowards. They could have all 3 as female leads, maybe...

[Mellowyellow]

Ratings will be interesting but I don't think they'll take a dive since average Joe with the box is probably neutral.

But I reckon their buzz and engagement online will die with the Olicity fandom.

[tv echo]

Also confirmed by EW  - posting here although I don't think this is a spoiler anymore - GB, MG and Beth have already commented publicly about it...

Arrow star Emily Bett Rickards announces exit ahead of the final season
CHANCELLOR AGARD   March 30, 2019
https://ew.com/tv/2019/03/30/arrow-emily-bett-rickards-leaving-final-season/

Quote

UPDATE: EW has confirmed that Emily Bett Rickards will not be returning for Arrow‘s eighth and final season.

Here’s a statement from executive producers Greg Berlanti and Beth Schwartz:

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Emily since season one and in those past seven years she has brought one of TV’s most beloved characters to life. And although we’re heartbroken to see both Emily and Felicity leave the show, we’re completely supportive of Emily and her future endeavors. She will always have a family at Arrow.”

Edited March 31, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

I know it's just a tv show and that these are just fictional characters, but I feel like crying right now.  😭

If EBR won't be in S8, then I will likely not be posting spoiler summaries and episode reviews next season (unless EBR returns for the crossover and/or series finale).

Right now, we have Felicity gone next season - and a future where Oliver is dead or missing for 20 years and Star City has not been saved. Why bother to watch anymore? So I guess I'm going to have a lot more free computer time after S7 ends.

ETA: If they do the normal 5-month time jump, I am highly skeptical that Oliver will have a new love interest (Canary or otherwise) in the final season of Arrow. Felicity will have just given birth to his new baby daughter. That would make him a huge sleazeball. Logically, his family will be in hiding outside of Star City, but Oliver will feel honor-bound to return to try to save the city.

Edited March 31, 2019 by tv echo

[insomniadreams88]

3 minutes ago, tv echo said:

If they do the normal 5-month time jump, I am highly skeptical that Oliver will have a new love interest (Canary or otherwise) in the final season of Arrow. Felicity will have just given birth to his new baby daughter. That would make him a huge sleazeball. Logically, his family will be in hiding outside of Star City, but Oliver will feel honor-bound to return to try to save the city.

Oh, I’m not at all worried about them giving Oliver a new love interest. It won’t happen. It can’t happen. He’d what, abandon his wife and daughter (and not seek out his son) to fight for a city that hates him, and then start a new life with someone else while Felicity’s in hiding, alone? And assuming the future isn’t changed, Felicity will still be wearing her wedding ring but he’ll have been with someone else? Whatever happens next season with Felicity not part of the story, that’s the one thing I’m not worried about. 

[Mellowyellow]

When do they know if they can secure guest stars?

I remember Jennifer Morrison declaring pretty early on she was coming back for one episode. 

I'm worried the people who run this show are disorganised based on everything we've seen and will be in shambles trying to negotiate with her. 

Anyone know how it went down with Nina in TVD? Cuz Nina was in a decent chunk of that finale. 

[Trisha]

34 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Anyone know how it went down with Nina in TVD? Cuz Nina was in a decent chunk of that finale.

I remember with Nina they announced it a couple of months before the finale aired. My guess is they’ll do everything they can to work around her schedule and get her back (and least for a scene or two). I don’t think the producers, SA or EBR herself would be content with closing out Oliver’s chapter without her.

I woke up this morning still super bummed. I can’t believe I went from thinking a 10 ep season would be perfect because it’s following the CW’s habit of giving shows a chance to wrap up well, to realizing that the best case scenario now is we get EBR back for one measly episode. I know the crossovers and potential spinoffs are important to TPTB, but they’re sacrificing the legacy of the show that started it all for it. And that sucks. 

[Morrigan2575]

I'd wait to see the Tuesday announcement. For all we know EBR's play is getting a limited summer run wherever it goes.  I'm reminded of Chris Evans Broadway play which only ran from March to Mid-May (not sure how long rehearsal were).

[Mellowyellow]

I know a lot of people complain about the crossovers but I was hoping to see her in Crisis or different versions of her so I was really excited. 

Now I'm not going to even watch it. Like why would I care. The Elseworlds crossover eps without her were sh#t (imo) and I barely paid attention to them when I had them in the background while I was deepfrying.

[apinknightmare]

7 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I'd wait to see the Tuesday announcement. For all we know EBR's play is getting a limited summer run wherever it goes.  I'm reminded of Chris Evans Broadway play which only ran from March to Mid-May (not sure how long rehearsal were).

I saw this tweet: 

It would be funny if we were focusing on the play and she's got a whole other show lined up, LOL.

[Chaser]

I don’t know how realistic this is, but I hope they already negotiated a return. I don’t see how they could end Oliver’s journey without her. BS did like a tweet about giving Olicity and OTA a happy ending. Maybe that means something. 

What do we think will happen with Future Felicity? 

[Morrigan2575]

1 minute ago, apinknightmare said:

I saw this tweet: 

It would be funny if we were focusing on the play and she's got a whole other show lined up, LOL.

And that is interesting. If she already booked another fall show (and if so, way to go!) That could explain a lot. I still think she'd be available for the finale. Arrow would make it work, like the had DR on Arrow and Blue Bloods at the same time. We've also seen Colin Donnell come back often enough

[apinknightmare]

1 minute ago, Chaser said:

What do we think will happen with Future Felicity? 

I'm preparing myself for her to pull a Moira to save William and/or Mia. 

[Mellowyellow]

I just feel like they would know how long her play is and if she was available wouldn't they say something about her coming back to console fans?

Or are they wanting to let everyone panic a bit for a surprise?

I dunno a lot of people are declaring they are going to check out it seems smarter to let them have something to look forward to unless that's not how TV works cuz I know nothing about TV.

[Chaser]

Just now, apinknightmare said:

I'm preparing myself for her to pull a Moira to save William and/or Mia. 

Me too 😪

I’ve been thinking a twist could be that Felicity actually does die in the Flash Forwards and Oliver is actually alive. 

[apinknightmare]

3 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I just feel like they would know how long her play is and if she was available wouldn't they say something about her coming back to console fans?

 Or are they wanting to let everyone panic a bit for a surprise?

I dunno a lot of people are declaring they are going to check out it seems smarter to let them have something to look forward to unless that's not how TV works cuz I know nothing about TV.

They probably don't want to commit to anything so far out - schedules can change, things can fall through. It's better to not say anything and just let it be a surprise than to promise something that might not happen.

[tangerine95]

If she did actually die in the flashforwards that would make me think they will change the future with the crisis crossover.Maybe it's naive but I honestly don't believe they'll give Oliver and especially Felicity a tragic ending.

[Morrigan2575]

I honestly don't believe this season will end with Felicity dead in the flash forward. They can do with Felicity what Legacies did with Caroline.

She's off on a mission to do X and, trusts Mia/William/Connor to handle SC. Maybe she's off screen with Diggle and Lyla, maybe she's off trying to find Oliver, maybe she has to go in hiding because people are after the Calculator.

Felicity would be easy to keep around in spirit. Have her send emails or encrypted information and the teams talks about her.

[Angel12d]

32 minutes ago, Chaser said:

Me too 😪

I’ve been thinking a twist could be that Felicity actually does die in the Flash Forwards and Oliver is actually alive. 

I’ve been preparing myself for Felicity dying in the future for a while now but if this actually happens - Felicity dead but Oliver somehow alive in the end - I will riot. That just seems unnecessarily cruel. 😔

[Mellowyellow]

1 minute ago, Angel12d said:

I’ve been preparing myself for Felicity dying in the future for a while now but if this actually happens - Felicity dead but Oliver somehow alive in the end - I will riot. That just seems unnecessarily cruel. 😔

And KABOOM goes any ounce of goodwill with a chunk of their audience. 

Not that they care though so it could very well happen. 

I think it could be anything really. Will they offer enough incentives for Emily to return.

If SA returned for money when everyone had set plans to end in S7 then I don't think he cares what happens as long as he gets paid. He's obviously happy for the show to end however without Felicity. 

[way2interested]

2 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Will they offer enough incentives for Emily to return.

It has almost nothing to do with incentives and mostly to do with scheduling and practicalities. There are numerous examples of actors who go on record to say that they want to come back or were going to come back but literally just can't (look at CD, no way do TPTB give him huge enough incentive to come over compared to being a lead on his own show, but he's come back a handful of times and was offered more chances to come back on top of his actual appearances) .

9 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

If SA returned for money when everyone had set plans to end in S7 then I don't think he cares what happens as long as he gets paid. He's obviously happy for the show to end however without Felicity. 

Then isn't every cast and crew member who returns for s8 also happy to end the show without Felicity and ultimately don't care just so long as they get paid and have a job until fall? Why can't it just be an unfortunate scheduling issue where their friend is just not coming back while they are all staying? If anything, it sounds like this whole thing was a scheduling mess bts where SA was convinced to stay since he was already negotiated to at least appear in the crossover anyway while EBR couldn't/wouldn't commit to that. 

[Mellowyellow]

2 minutes ago, way2interested said:

Then isn't every cast and crew member who returns for s8 also happy to end the show without Felicity and ultimately don't care just so long as they get paid and have a job until fall? Why can't it just be an unfortunate scheduling issue where their friend is just not coming back while they are all staying? If anything, it sounds like this whole thing was a scheduling mess bts where SA was convinced to stay since he was already negotiated to at least appear in the crossover anyway while EBR couldn't/wouldn't commit to that. 

He's the lead. The show continues or ends without him. 

I hardly expect the lighting guy or gal to quit out of solidarity.

SA is obviously fine with a Felicityless season that much is true. I'm not saying he was plotting to get rid of her but I doubt he particularly cares how Felicity's legacy ends. And he doesn't have to. 

[apinknightmare]

10 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

SA is obviously fine with a Felicityless season that much is true. I'm not saying he was plotting to get rid of her but I doubt he particularly cares how Felicity's legacy ends. And he doesn't have to. 

Sure, I mean he’s only been her biggest fan since she first appeared. 

[Chaser]

“Obviously fine”. How would you know? Maybe he hates how this is all going down. 

[way2interested]

16 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

SA is obviously fine with a Felicityless season that much is true. I'm not saying he was plotting to get rid of her but I doubt he particularly cares how Felicity's legacy ends. And he doesn't have to. 

He can still be sad that EBR is leaving and still want a job for him and for the rest of the cast and crew though? If he just decided to leave and end the show point blank and then reject any deal for the show or offer in lieu of caring about how Felicity's legacy ends, then literally the only person with a guaranteed job in this situation (that we know of) is EBR. Here, SA has a job/deal, the rest of the cast has a job, the writers have a job, the crew has a job, and there's an end to all the negotiation mess because they know it's an ending/ maybe set up for another spin-off instead of having to rely on what he's doing a year from now. 

Plus this is all assuming we know how any of these people feel about the situation

Edited March 31, 2019 by way2interested

[insomniadreams88]

It would be different if EBR were leaving due to bts reasons or contract negotiations. But it’s pretty clear she has another project (or two?) lined up. Yes, it’s messy how this is going down. But that can be blamed on COIE, Arrow not ending this season, etc. 

I also have a feeling we’ll find out after the finale or at SDCC the status of the rest of the cast, ie if it’s true JH will only be in half the episodes. I’ll be surprised if everyone else ends up being in all 10. We may also find out around then if EBR will be back for any episodes in S8, if they know by then. 

[BunsenBurner]

Knowing nothing about television filming I want to put this forward for thought. There are 22 episodes this year. Why can’t they celebrate the end then come back and do a 23rd episode in secrect? It would have to be filmed indoors so no one outside the cast and crew know what happens and  NDAs for everyone. Make it all OTA or Olicity with a little tiny input from Diggle. Put the show on ice, make it look really good and let it be the finale everyone is looking for?  Wishful thinking and not going to happen but if I were Greg Berlanti that’s what I would do. 

Edited March 31, 2019 by BunsenBurner

[Chaser]

I don’t think they could do a whole episode in secret but they could do a scene. Film Olicity’s happy ending now and attach it to the end of the finale.

[catrox14]

3 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

He's the lead. The show continues or ends without him. 

I hardly expect the lighting guy or gal to quit out of solidarity.

SA is obviously fine with a Felicityless season that much is true. I'm not saying he was plotting to get rid of her but I doubt he particularly cares how Felicity's legacy ends. And he doesn't have to. 

I think SA has made it abundantly clear that he wanted Felicity in the show from s1 on.  As for him being "obviously fine" there is no way to know this.  If this was solely EBR's decision because she got the job for the play, then I would suspect he's being respectful of her decision especially if she signed on for the other role expecting s7 to be the end of the show.  I'm not sure why you think SA doesn't care about Felicity's legacy given how he has always advocated for Felicity.