Spoiler Discussion Thread: The Final Countdown

[tv echo]

I'm not sure I agree with the premise of this article (I still think Caity Lotz's Black Canary is tough to beat), but it's interesting - so maybe after the COIE crossover happens, Earth-2 is no more, E2 Laurel now lives on Earth-1, and maybe she then leads a sect of the Canary network in a nearby city...

Arrow Finally Has A Proper Black Canary After Eight Seasons
Nicholas Raymond Sep. 14, 2019
https://screenrant.com/arrow-black-canary-comic-accurate-origin-season-8/

Quote

The Arrow season 8 trailer revealed Laurel's new costume for the upcoming run, and the character's new look cements her transformation into the Black Canary from the comic books. In DC Comics, the main version of Black Canary, like Arrow's Black Siren, is originally from Earth-2. She migrated to Earth-1 when her universe was wiped out by the comic book event, "Crisis on Infinite Earths," which effectively rebooted the DC Universe. Season 8 could be headed in the same direction with Laurel, since the Arrowverse's version of the crossover is right around the corner.
*  *  *
Over the course of the series, Arrow has repeatedly changed the "Black Canary" identity. The mantle keeps swapping hands, with each character who takes up the name being labeled the real Black Canary -- but it never lasts. Sarah Lance (Caity Lotz) was Arrow's first Black Canary, before being replaced by her sister, Laurel. After Laurel was murdered by Damien Darhk in season 4 of Arrow, it appeared that the series had just killed off an iconic DC Comics superhero and Oliver's main love interest in the comics.

Arrow dropped a huge twist in season 5 with the introduction of the next Black Canary, Juliana Harkavy's Dinah Drake. At the time, Dinah was considered to be the most comic book accurate, since she's the only one of the three to share her comic book counterpart's maiden name, "Drake," and her authentic "Canary Cry". With each version, Arrow comes one step closer to the true Black Canary, and now a new Black Canary has entered the mix -- complete with her Earth-2 backstory -- just in time for the show's final season.

Edited September 15, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

JH said during one of her SDCC press interviews that she "heard" she was going to be in the crossover. Since KC will most likely be in the crossover as well, I wonder if they both are going to be called Black Canary.

Edited September 15, 2019 by tv echo

[olicityfan25]

So dumb. LOL I feel bad for the fans of these people. This character is completely embarrassing to me in the sense that it's so interchangeable. Also what is so great about three different white/black canaries? There's no originality whatsoever. All they do is "fight" or their stunt doubles do it apart from Caity. Granted I like Caity Lotz's Black/white Canary the best.

Edited September 15, 2019 by olicityfan25

[statsgirl]

How exactly is the former Black Siren a better Black Canary than Dinah who had a sonic scream as well as the Black Canary title?

Other than the name, of course. It's always about the Laurel Lance name.

[insomniadreams88]

14 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

How exactly is the former Black Siren a better Black Canary than Dinah who had a sonic scream as well as the Black Canary title?

Other than the name, of course. It's always about the Laurel Lance name.

It’s not just the name of the character. It’s also about KC. E2 LL could once again turn evil in an episode in S8, kill an entire city of people, and there will still be people saying she’s the best BC. (I don’t think this will happen. But I’m just saying it could and some people would still bend over backwards to defend her “right” to be BC.)

Also, I’m pretty sure she’s still going by Black Siren (I think I saw that in the caption of the 801 photos?), and I only want that to change if they go the comedy route and have both her and Dinah respond to “Black Canary” during a fight, pause, not know what to do ... and then screw up, to be honest only because I still find it ridiculous that a Canary Network exists in the future and that will never change mainly because of how many BCs we’ve had in the present. 

[Trisha]

I like how much he’s posting teases (even if they don’t amount to much)

[way2interested]

Ha, with that much space in the shot to the left I wonder if they'll do an on the nose transition shot from Oliver to William or Oliver to Mia again

[way2interested]

Set interviews incoming

[KenyaJ]

I'm surprised that set still exists.

[tv echo]

That does look like the set of Olicity's apartment last season. But before I get too excited, they're still shooting 806 (per schedule), which is titled "Reset." So it could be anybody's apartment.

Edited September 17, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

FWIW...

The IMDb page for 804 (Present Tense) includes the following guest cast credit:

Quote

Jamie Andrew Cutler    ...    Grant Wilson

The IMDb page for 805 (Prochnost) includes the following guest cast credits:

Quote

Claire Smithies    ...    Promoter
Kris Yurij              ...    Oleg
Nicholas Dohy     ...    Crowd Member (uncredited)

The IMDb page for 806 (Reset) includes the following guest cast credit:

Quote

Bradley Stryker    ...    Vincent

Edited September 17, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

FYI: Jamie Andrew Cutler previously played Grant Wilson/Deathstroke in LoT episode 106 (Star City 2046).

Edited September 17, 2019 by tv echo

[way2interested]

I wonder if that's why JJ isn't going to be around that long, maybe Grant Wilson comes in and becomes their new villain after JJ for the first 3 episodes.

[way2interested]

IGN interview with Beth and new pic from 801

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/09/17/arrow-final-season-8-oliver-queen-moira-malcolm-merlyn

Quote

It turns out Adrian Chase and Tommy Merlyn aren't the only long-dead characters returning to the spotlight in Season 8. Oliver's mother Moira and archenemy Malcolm Merlyn are also coming back.

As you might expect, Schwartz wasn't able to reveal how these characters are returning. The photo above seems to suggest Ollie may be visiting an alternate Earth where Moira fell in love with Malcolm rather than Robert Queen, but we'll have to wait for the season premiere to learn the answer.

"All I can say is that it's something we've never done on our show before, and we're going to see a lot of familiar faces in a different way than we've done on the show before," Schwartz teased.

Schwartz did say bringing back Susanna Thompson and John Barrowman was a definite priority given how integral both actors were in the early seasons of Arrow. "We wanted to get everyone back who basically made the show the success it is, and those two characters were definitely both pivotal to the series."

In the past, executive producer Marc Guggenheim has described each episode of Arrow's eighth season as "a love letter" to a past season. Schwartz confirmed "Starling City" is a throwback to Season 1 in many ways (particularly the pilot episode) though she also said "there's also a little mixture of a couple of seasons in that first episode."

Arrow has always been focused on Oliver Queen's evolution as a character. Stephen Amell's narration in the title sequence always refers to Ollie becoming "something else," whether that transition involves him becoming a ruthless vigilante, a noble hero, a politician, or even an imprisoned felon. We asked Schwartz how that never-ending evolution plays out in Season 8. Is Ollie a superhero on a mission, or is he a man confronting his inevitable end?

According to Schwartz, it's a little of both. "He's proving to be the ultimate hero. I mean, he started Season 1 as the anti-hero. He was killing people, for the greater good, but he was still killing people. And so going from Season 1 all the way to Season 8, he's proving to be that selfless hero that he always hoped to be. And we're bringing back all the characters throughout the season who have helped him get to that point."

Even as Season 8 focuses on Ollie's last and most important mission, Arrow will continue to focus on the rest of Team Arrow and the newer generation of heroes introduced in Season 7's flash-forward storyline. As we learned at Comic-Con, Diggle and Lyla's son JJ will be the main antagonist in Season 8's flash-forwards, where he's revealed to be the leader of the ruthless Deathstroke Gang.

Schwartz teased the flash-forwards will feature a brand new wrinkle of their own, one that could leave the door open for future storylines even after Arrow wraps up. "We are doing something cool with the flash forward stories that .. there's definitely more stories to be told. But again, there's more stories that we could tell for Arrow for probably 10 more years as well."

With the way each episode of Arrow: Season 8 pays tribute to a past season, we were curious how much the overall structure of the series will change leading up to December's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover. Is there more of a standalone approach to Season 8?

"There's definitely a serialized story, but I would say that each episode is its own huge event and they take place in different settings," said Schwartz. "Which is different from previous seasons, we're mostly in Star City, where some episodes we'll go somewhere else, but this season we're in a different location in every episode."

GATV interview with KM

http://www.greenarrowtv.com/arrow-interview-katherine-mcnamara-on-the-olicity-legacy/

Quote

GREENARROWTV’s CRAIG BYRNE: What was your reaction when you found that they’re playing the daughter of Oliver and Felicity?

KATHERINE McNAMARA: I was speechless, and a little terrified, and I knew I had a lot of work to do, because I hadn’t watched all of the show yet. But I knew, because with Shadowhunters we had Malec, and we had Clace, and all of those relationships, so Olicity was always in that mix, and I knew how much the fans cared about them. And then I said, “all right, well, if I’m their kid, then I’m going to watch the entire show.” And after watching the show, I get it, bcause Stephen and Emily have spent so much time crafting, not only their individual characters, but the relationship together. It’s so beautifully done and so nuanced, I wanted to be able to bring in as many elements of both of them as possible.

And I keep doing that. Even now, I try to take the little things that Stephen does physically, or I asked the writers to add a couple “Fracks!” to the script the other day, just to keep that alive.

GATV: Might we see you in a costume this season?

KATHERINE McNAMARA: I don’t know. They don’t tell me anything. I get the scripts, and then I find out what happens.

What’s interesting about this season is, Mia was raised in isolation. She was raised in the woods by her mother who was very guarded. She was trained by Nyssa al Ghul who is by nature a lone wolf. And now this season, she has learned how to be a part of a team, and she doesn’t play well with others.

That’s a very interesting thing to see – how successful or unsuccessful she is at that. And also with that, she’s not used to being responsible for someone else. She promised her mom she take care of Williams. She can’t fight for him. He can’t defend himself as well as she can. That fear… having someone else at risk who you can’t take care of all the time. You’re not always in the same place. She can’t always be right there to protect him and that’s terrifying, so that’s a lot of what she has to deal with this season.

GATV: When you were doing your watch of Arrow, were you amused to realize that you had fought William’s mother (Anna Hopkins, who played Samantha) on Shadowhunters?

KATHERINE McNAMARA: Yes! I was! I love Anna Hopkins so much. I find it funny. I joke with her all the time. She’s my evil stepmom in everything. She’s been the mom to him, and she’s been the demon mom of my brother in Shadowhunters. Anna’s my evil stepmother, and I love it.

[Primal Slayer]

I hope there is some type of twist with Moira. Have her be a vigilante or something. 

[insomniadreams88]

23 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

I hope there is some type of twist with Moira. Have her be a vigilante or something. 

How about Malcolm as GA and Moira as BC? (And the only GA/BC pairing of the season on any Earth/in any timeline/etc.) But they’re a bit dark (because I love that side of Moira).

[scarynikki12]

13 minutes ago, insomniadreams88 said:

How about Malcolm as GA and Moira as BC? (And the only GA/BC pairing of the season on any Earth/in any timeline/etc.) But they’re a bit dark (because I love that side of Moira).

If it’s Earth 2 then Robert is already Green Arrow. Malcolm could be E2 Arsenal. 

[insomniadreams88]

5 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

If it’s Earth 2 then Robert is already Green Arrow. Malcolm could be E2 Arsenal. 

True. That just made me think of the Oliver-Felicity-Roy love triangle that never happened, with this version being GA (Robert)-Moira-Arsenal (Malcolm).

[scarynikki12]

If they really want to have some fun they'd reveal that Moira becomes the Dark Archer battling against Robert's Green Arrow.

One thing I would love to see is Earth 2 Moira immediately knowing that Earth Prime Oliver is not her Oliver. It wouldn't make any sense and she'd be unable to come up with any explanation but she'd know. Won't happen but that's my preference.

[Featherhat]

There's a wrinkle that could keep the FFS going you say? Colour me shocked!. Just hope it's not a stupid gotcha for the sake of it.

Malcolm and Moira together, shudders but they could make a good evil couple on the same page.

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Regarding IMDb's listing of Bradley Stryker as playing "Vincent" in 806, it occurred to me that maybe this is a recast of Vincent Sobel (previously played by Johann Urb).

The title of 806 is "Reset," so maybe we're on an another Earth or maybe time is somehow reset, where Black Siren doesn't kill him. That would help further redeem E2 Laurel's character, since Vince's murder is the only one of her killings that the show seems to remember.

Edited September 18, 2019 by tv echo

[Trisha]

As rumoured, WH is coming back:

Quote

Willa’s return had been rumored for a while and the number of episodes she is returning in is not yet known, though we are hearing she makes her return in the third episode of Arrow Season 8 which is called “Leap of Faith” and was directed by Katie Cassidy Rodgers.

“We are thrilled to have Willa back in our final season,” Executive Producer Beth Schwartz said in a statement.

Edited September 18, 2019 by Trisha
Added TVL link as an alternative to giving GATV clicks :)

[Featherhat]

Not surprising and fitting given the bond the Queen sibs shared (though we don't know how or which Thea(s) we'll be seeing) but I am still a little sad that Thea and Roy didn't last after deciding to go off on the Lazarus Pit Quest together. I really hope she doesn't die before Oliver "dies" or whatever because 😭he doesn't need that. I do remember MG saying he'd never kill Thea but that was a really long time ago. 

[Trisha]

TV Line updated its article with news that WH will be in more than one episode:

Quote

The character that Arrow fans most hoped would put in an appearance during the final season — Oliver’s sister, played by former series regular Willa Holland— will indeed be seen again, TVLine has learned. But wait, there’s more: Holland is confirmed to not just guest-star but recur during the CW series’ 10-episode farewell run.

[Mellowyellow]

Everybody and their mother is coming back except for Emily even though she doesn't seem to be doing anything in particular. Interesting.

At this stage can I assume a comeback is out of the question as they've planned the scripts for the final eps without her?

[Primal Slayer]

13 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Everybody and their mother is coming back except for Emily even though she doesn't seem to be doing anything in particular. Interesting.

At this stage can I assume a comeback is out of the question as they've planned the scripts for the final eps without her?

I think anything 7-8 are a good lock and no plan to have her in. But I wouldn't be surprised if they wrote 2 slightly different scripts for the finale, 1 without her and 1 with her. If she comes back last minute, it will probably be more of a 10min cameo but I think that's all that's really needed to make the the proper impact.

[way2interested]

17 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Everybody and their mother is coming back except for Emily even though she doesn't seem to be doing anything in particular. Interesting.

At this stage can I assume a comeback is out of the question as they've planned the scripts for the final eps without her?

They could have already made a deal for her to appear in the crossover/finale and just not share the info publicly, or even do last-minute re-writes if a deal hasn't been set yet. Heck, a month and a half ago people were thinking that WH wouldn't come back and now she's got not just a cameo but a whole recurring role (in which before this was confirmed, Beth used the exact same answer to the question of WH coming back as with EBR possibly coming back, and even then it looked like WH had a more tumultuous relationship with Arrow than EBR did).

It just more looks like to me like it's still up in the air, and, if she doesn't show up, that's up to EBR and not from the EP's lack of trying to get her (after getting ST, JB, CD, RF, WH, CH, and probably more back).

Edited September 19, 2019 by way2interested

[Featherhat]

Yes it's still possible EBR is coming back and it just hasn't been announced (they obviously don't announce as soon as a deal has been struck) or that they are still in talks. It's also possible she'll come back for a cameo that won't be announced ala George Clooney in Juliana M's last episode of ER etc. 

It's also possible that she's just emotionally done with Arrow and moved on, which would be her choice since they seem to want her back, we'll just have to wait and see. 

I just hope that if she doesn't then her ending actually sticks and one of Marc's brilliant ideas/COIE doesn't change everything for whatever reason. SA confirmed that she went to find him and they'll find each other again even if we don't see it on screen or only see something from his POV. 

I am basically assuming that she's not coming back so that it will be a nice surprise if she does.

Edited September 19, 2019 by Featherhat

[tv echo]

This interview was recorded on Sep. 9th while LMG was at TIFF...

LaMonica Garrett on Crisis on Infinite Earths, Arrow, and Playing the Anti-Monitor
Published on Sep 18, 2019, by Collider Interviews

-- LMG: "I was working yesterday on Arrowverse stuff."

-- On being the lynchpin in the COIE crossover event, LMG: "Bringing the Monitor out was a big deal... He's not as big as other characters that you would, you know, that you'd see, like Superman and Batman and all these other characters. He's kind of obscure, but bringing that to life for the first time was fun. And when they told me I was gonna be the Anti-Monitor, that was a game-changer. I'm like, so I get to play both of them. So that's, I'm in heaven right now."

-- On whether he knows how Arrow will end, LMG: "I do not. I know the comic book, you know, and they're sticking pretty close to what the comic book was, so that's kind of - it's a good thing, but you can't adapt everything from the page. But they're doing their spin on it and so far it's like they're hitting it out of the park."

-- On how Arrow, Legends, Supergirl and Flash are different behind-the-scenes, LMG: "I deal a lot with the makeup departments because of my whole get-up, so there's different personalities within those departments. And you can tell Arrow's been there for awhile. They've been there for eight seasons. So they're just a well-oiled machine, you know what I mean? So they - there's little things that are different between all of them, but most of them run pretty tight ships, so it, you know, it's all good."

-- On whether the CW shows have a lot of rewrites, LMG: "There's a lot of changes that go on and it's with - with that character, he has a cadence the way he speaks... I don't think anyone speaks like the Monitor. So I kinda get - I get the character down and when there's changes on the last minute, it kind of throws off a little bit, but you just, you know, you recalibrate, you check back in, and then, you know, you go for it."

-- On where he is on the shooting schedule right now, LMG: "Midway through on Arrow. I bounce around to, you know, different shows. We just wrapped episode 5 of Arrow. So it's the halfway point. And we start shooting Crisis in maybe another month."

-- On being a big part of Arrow this season, LMG: "Yeah, I'm Arrow-heavy this year... So Monitor and Arrow are pretty much joined at the hip for this last season. But he does bounce around and he wreaks havoc. You know, you think Monitor is bad. It's like bad cop/worse cop, because Anti-Monitor's coming, so, you know, the audience that's hating one person right now, when they see the other guy, it's gonna - it's gonna be real."

-- On whether he has "borrowed" anything from the set of any of the CW shows, LMG: "I've borrowed a lot of comic books... Yesterday on set, we - we did photos for my own action figure. So I'm about to have a Monitor action figure, so that was fun. And when that comes out, I'm going to borrow that too and put it with the rest of my comic book collection and action figures."

-- On whether he can leave set wearing the costume, LMG: "I can't leave set with the costume. But the mutton chops and the hair -  I had like a six-hour break between shots once, so I went back to the hotel and the looks I got, like, people just got out of the way... I coulda robbed a bank in broad daylight with that hair and the mutton chops."

Edited September 19, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Another wording variation in terms of SA's same response to this question in this newly posted interview from SDCC...

ARROW: Stephen Amell on Oliver's Mindset in the Final Season
Published on Sep 17, 2019, by GiveMeMyRemoteTV

-- On what Oliver's mentality is like this season, SA: "It's good. When I read the premiere, I talked with Marc and Beth a bunch, because they didn't want him to spend the entire season being morose. Right? It was my thought that, yeah, he had to leave his wife and he had to leave his infant child and he had to leave William, and theoretically he had to leave Diggle and Thea and all of the people that are important in his life. But I want him to be strong... It's important to me that when Felicity says, 'whatever happens, I'll find you,' right? If he believes that, then he can march forward."

Edited September 19, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

I wonder if CH is now working on Arrow...

[tv echo]

The CW released another 801 promo pic...
https://www.cwtvpr.com/the-cw/photos?page=1&show=arrow&season=&episode=
https://tvline.com/gallery/arrow-season-8-photos-final-season/

[Trisha]

14 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Everybody and their mother is coming back except for Emily even though she doesn't seem to be doing anything in particular. Interesting.

At this stage can I assume a comeback is out of the question as they've planned the scripts for the final eps without her?

I'd still be really surprised if she doesn't come back, especially since she seems to have left on much better terms than someone like WH, as @way2interested mentioned. My guess is they've already reached out to her about the last ep (or are in the process of doing so) but won't announce it for a while -- if they announce it at all. The paps posted a pic of WH's trailer over a month ago, and it only got announced yesterday. 

For right now, she seems happily off the grid. She doesn't even seem to be commenting/liking anything on IG. Once 810 is filming/filmed and we still don't hear a peep (especially from the paps), then that's when I'll start worrying about her not coming back. 

[calliope1975]

TDubs is back!? Dammit, sucking me in more and more. (I've never called him TDubs and don't know where that came from. I'll enter the shame cube now.)

Edited September 19, 2019 by calliope1975

[Chaser]

Damn he looks good in that picture.

[Trisha]

1 hour ago, calliope1975 said:

TDubs is back!? Dammit, sucking me in more and more. (I've never called him TDubs and don't know where that came from. I'll enter the shame cube now.)

We saw him three weeks ago at a convention in Toronto and he SWORE that he hadn't yet been approached about the crossover -- though he sounded like he was open to it. (He even hung a "No Crisis" sign on his booth because he didn't want to get any more questions about it.) So assuming he wasn't flat-out lying, they are cutting these deals pretty close to filming. 

[JamieLynn832002]

I have basically no idea how Instagram works so I can't find or link to it but according to people on Twitter SA said in an Instagram live that he's only in 9 of the 10 episodes. I honestly don't know if this makes me lean towards or away from Oliver actually dying.

[Chaser]

My first thought was he dies/gets sent to heaven dimension at the end of the crossover. 8x09 is another all FF episode. Oliver returns in 8x10 (present or future idk).

SA said he didn’t know anything about 8x09 at SDCC. Wasn’t there also talk about the last episode being an epilogue?

[lemotomato]

Here's the part of the video where SA talks about his episode count and David's directing (also, he's wearing Oliver's wedding ring)

ETA: At the end of the original IG Live video (but not included in this clip), SA mentions that something about Arrow season 8 will be posted Friday morning.

Edited September 20, 2019 by lemotomato

[Featherhat]

I don't think him not being in all 10 is an indication of (permanently) dying or not. The headstone in 7x22 shows people *think* he's dead and I think they definitely want they Avengers style big funeral/sacrifice play.

Felicity and the Monitor clearly believe he isn't Dead dead and unless they've had a "better idea" or MG's ending scene completely contradicts it, they shot that scene with EBR never necessarily coming back in mind. Felicity isn't leaving her kids for a jaunt around the universe. 

Ep9 (right after COIE) deals with that clean up and sets up SC Craphole even more I guess and maybe has a lot of 2041, maybe with the legacy kids stepping up now Oliver's "dead" in the show, especially if they've met at some point? And Diggle and whichever guest star survives Crisis hanging around etc. 

[Trisha]

Didn’t they talk about 809 being a completely different type of episode than anything they’ve ever done? So maybe it’s all FFs, maybe it’s that SA isn’t in it since he “died” in the crossover, or maybe they focus on wrapping up the storylines for everyone who isn’t Oliver.

Also:

 

And I suspected this based on what TW said at FanExpo a few weeks ago, but man they cut these deals close to the wire. Makes me wonder if EBR’s deal is locked down yet (if there is one):

 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Trisha

[tv echo]

807 title is "Purgatory"...

Arrow - Episode 8.05 - 8.07 - Titles Revealed
Posted by DarkUFO at September 19, 2019
https://www.spoilertv.com/2019/09/arrow-episode-805-807-titles-revealed.html

Quote

Arrow - Episode 8.05 - Prochnost
Arrow - Episode 8.06 - Reset
Arrow - Episode 8.07 - Purgatory

 

Edited September 20, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Quote

THIS BLOG POST IS FOR "ARROW" SEASON 8 EPISODE 7.
*  *  *
Yesterday I caught Arrow filming in a place fans are unfortunately familiar with. Arrow had a rare location shoot for their 7th episode of season 8 in Central Park in Burnaby. This is of course the same park infamously known for the Laurel funeral scene that really became the contentious turning point for the show. 

Of course this time, there was no funeral going on.... so you can breathe a bit easier Laurel fans. They were filming a few hundred feet down from there quite literally in a little encampment area they had made between some trees. The set was tight, and well covered by equipment and trees, so there was no on set reports to be had.

The only absolute details I do know is, three cast were seen going in & out of the set. Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen was there, he didnt seem to be in Green Arrow attire of any type, just regular Oliver clothes. Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance or Black Canary was there. While I never saw her wearing a mask, and she kept covered up when coming out to get in a transportation vehicle, the fact she was keeping her wardrobe well under wraps made me wonder if she was in BC attire. No coincidence once they realized I was there, they made her walk an extra long path to get to set to avoid coming thru the parking lot that was most convenient to drop off at. With so few promo images out of it so far, its hard to get a read on if that could be in hidden under her winter jacket. Lastly, a returning old face, Byron Mann was there. Last we saw him as Yao Fei, he was dead.... so is this a flashback through The Monitor, or, a different timeline/Earth?

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by tv echo

[Trisha]

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

807 title is "Purgatory"...

It's also the episode where SA said Oliver said he'll be "tested" by the Monitor. Since KM seems to be a big part of it, I wonder if it's like the 100th ep where Oliver gets a glimpse of a different life (one where he gets to know Mia) and has to give it up for the greater good? Or he gets to spend time with her but she won't remember it later, like that Angel episode "I Will Remember You"?

[tv echo]

Taking stock so far (also, I'm not sure whether the retrospective will air right before or sometime after 810)...

Ep   Title                                          Air Date
8.01 Starling City                              15 Oct 2019
8.02 Welcome to Hong Kong           22 Oct 2019
8.03 Leap of Faith                             29 Oct 2019
8.04 Present Tense                            05 Nov 2019
8.05 Prochnost                                  12 Nov 2019
8.06 Reset                                         19 Nov 2019
8.07 Purgatory                                  [26 Nov 2019 or 03 Dec 2019?]
8.08 Crisis On Infinite Earths, Pt. 4    14 Jan 2020
8.09 TBA                                            [21 Jan 2020?]
8.10 TBA                                            [28 Jan 2020?]
                    
Ep     Director                         Writers
801    James Bamford              Beth Schwartz & Marc Guggenheim
802    Antonio Negret              Jill Blankenship & Sarah Tarkoff
803    Katie Cassidy Rodgers    TBA
804    Kristin Windell                Oscar Balderrama & Jeane Wong
805    Laura Belsey                   Benjamin Raab & Deric A. Hughes
806    David Ramsey                Onalee Hunter Hughes & Maya Houston
807    James Bamford              Rebecca Bellotto & Rebecca Rosenberg
808    Glen Winter                   TBA
809    James Bamford              TBA
810    James Bamford              TBA

Edited September 21, 2019 by tv echo

[way2interested]

41 minutes ago, Trisha said:

It's also the episode where SA said Oliver said he'll be "tested" by the Monitor. Since KM seems to be a big part of it, I wonder if it's like the 100th ep where Oliver gets a glimpse of a different life (one where he gets to know Mia) and has to give it up for the greater good? Or he gets to spend time with her but she won't remember it later, like that Angel episode "I Will Remember You"?

It's at least some alt-version with the cast it seems, with KM's hair looking different, and JH's outfit

[Soulfire]

[KenyaJ]

I like it and I think it's fitting. I couldn't imagine anything less fitting for the final season than a poster featuring Oliver and a bunch of randos who have had zero importance to Oliver's personal journey for these past 7 years.