Spoiler Discussion Thread: The Final Countdown

[Featherhat]

22 minutes ago, tv echo said:

-- On whether her character will be involved in saving the multiverse or whether that's Oliver's journey alone, KC: "Yes. Laurel will end up sort of aligning herself and teaming up with Oliver to help him fulfill his quest to save the multiverse, for sure. And I do think fans are kinda wanting to see that, especially, by the way, with the new costume... Obviously, the costume is for the fans."

Oh Great. Well I'm not entirely surprised if she ends up doing that in a few episodes but definitely not all the lead up. For one thing I don't want the constant "they should get together"/will they end up having something?" thing going on. 

[Trisha]

48 minutes ago, Aeryn13 said:

At least Diggle seems to work a lot with Oliver or will it be Alt!Diggles? They have done a pretty shoddy job redeeming the character after that atrociousness at the end of Season 7/beginning Season 8 but with Diggle at least, I have my nostalgic love to fall back on for him and his bromance with Oliver. 

With SA saying that the season is like a buddy cop movie and the Monitor doesn’t let him work alone, I’m wondering if he brings Dig on his alt world adventures? Because I can’t imagine Oliver and Dig spending a lot of time together in their world/Star City, since that would immediately make the audience wonder why Oliver isn’t also spending time with Felicity and Mia if he’s there. I guess he could be spending time with alt!diggles but DR saying they were going to explore Dig’s relationships with Lyla and his stepdad makes it seem like he’s playing the Dig we know.

[Velocity23]

14 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

Oh Great. Well I'm not entirely surprised if she ends up doing that in a few episodes but definitely not all the lead up. For one thing I don't want the constant "they should get together"/will they end up having something?" thing going on. 

I mean who said that is happening? They basically implied Diggle will be with Oliver. KC having her own head canons which probably result her helping during the crossover is not implying any sort of ship baiting. Also this is KC we are talking about, and her answer dont make any sense when you read them through. JH also mentioned Canaries having some sort of story right from the beginning of s8. This show never really baitet with O/L after it was done, and its definetely not going to do it now. Doesnt matter how much KC wants it to happen. All her headcanons about Laurel in s6 and s7 amounted to zero. And honestly anybody who believes they would do that has not been paying attention. 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Velocity23

[apinknightmare]

9 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

Oh Great. Well I'm not entirely surprised if she ends up doing that in a few episodes but definitely not all the lead up. For one thing I don't want the constant "they should get together"/will they end up having something?" thing going on. 

I'm pretty sure some version of most of the masked characters in the Arrowverse will wind up teaming up with Oliver to help him fulfill his quest to save the multiverse. Like...isn't that the point of the mission the Monitor is sending him on? 

There will definitely be a contingent of fans who ship Laurel with a married guy who just left his wife and infant daughter to go on this quest no matter how long they're shown together (if at all), but that would be fandom stuff almost certainly not validated by anything actually in the show.

[tv echo]

'ARROW' Roundtable | David Ramsey and Rick Gonzalez
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Rama's Screen

DR Interview:
-- DR: "Obviously, you don't have an Oliver Queen without Diggle someplace near his side. So that's part of our season."

-- DR: "There's a lot of questions that are answered within 10 episodes, which... presents a bit of a challenge to the writers, um, but also makes each episode kind of its own little movie, because we're getting to the point very, very quickly."

-- DR: "And for Diggle's story, it's what happens between he and Lyla, who's the leader of ARGUS. What happens between he and his children, who grow up to be influential in the future. Is he or is he not Green Lantern? Those are kind of the big questions." 

-- On the chances that he'll be Green Lantern, DR: "If I had to put a percentage on it, I don't know. But it better be a big payoff, guys. It's been six seasons of them talking about that. Have you seen the new wardrobe, the new costume that came up? It's like another nod, right? It's like, of all the colors ... a green helmet, green piping in the suit. So, yeah, these things will be answered and, um, I think you guys will be happy with it." Interviewer: "I'll take it as a 'yes,' then." DR: "You'll be happy with it."

-- DR stressed again that they have to answer the question of what happens to the Diggle and Lyla relationship because she's the leader of ARGUS, "which, I wouldn't call them nefarious, but you know what kind of corporation they are."

RG Interview:
-- RG would've liked to have seen Rene fall in love before the series ended and said that there was an opportunity for that last season with Emiko, but that never happened because she was evil. So now his focus is on being a father.

-- On whether we'll see the development of Rene and Zoe's relationship as she grows up, RG: "We only have 10 episodes and there's only so much real estate to cover that... I think, more importantly, what we'll try to do is kind of see her maybe find a perspective for her, while Rene is on the road to becoming a politician, because he does become mayor. You saw that in Season 7. So there's a roadway to that, right? So we need to see a little bit of that. So how does she feel about that, you know? Is she proud of him? Is she not proud of him? Does she like who's he become, you know? Obviously, we see that she doesn't in the future, so we'll probably see a little of that."

-- On whether we'll see Zoe's journey to becoming Black Canary, RG: "I don't know. I mean, she's really young.right now, like, in present day, and then she's like 20 years later, so she's in her early 30's, I want to say, late 20's, early 30's... I don't know if we'll get that far... We'd have to find out when exactly she became the Canary in her life for us to know, so that's difficult."

-- RG: "Hopefully, this season, for this crossover, we see him connect with more people."

Edited July 21, 2019 by tv echo

[Primal Slayer]

It wouldn't surprise me that Laurel/Oliver work together and the Monitor has him basically recruit a Multiverse team. Their two scenes in the trailer did look like it may take place in the same area.

[Velocity23]

Honestly i find it hard to believe right now Laurel would be joining Oliver. When they seem to be setting up a new dynamic with Dinah. What i think might happen is BS joining with the start of the crossover when they are destroying the other earths. I dont think we will see Oliver telling anybody about his mission outside of Diggle. 

[lemotomato]

“Align with” doesn’t mean she’s partnering with Oliver on his season-long mission. It sounds more like she’s just one of the “heroes” Oliver recruits for the finale fight during the crossover. Which was a pretty safe assumption anyway, since it seems like everyone and their moms are going to show up in the crossover.

[bijoux]

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

DR: "And for Diggle's story, it's what happens between he and Lyla, who's the leader of ARGUS. What happens between he and his children , who grow up to be influential in the future. Is he or is he not Green Lantern? Those are kind of the big questions." 

DR's incorrect grammar makes me weep. 

[DeadZeus]

Digging the hell out of Oliver's new suit… Perfect uprade from his First suits… Wow...

Rly hoping They go all out on Action for Oliver, for real the past few seasons have been very bad for action ever since S3. The Quality of action has gone so downhill it turned me off from finishing S7... It finally got too much for me. Just hoping they return to form for this final season. It's literally all i want from S8. To see Oliver kick ass, no matter who it is.

They need to put a Meta in there so Oliver can kick his ass. He deserves such a feat!

[tv echo]

Arrow SDCC: Marc Guggenheim
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Whedonopolis Videos

-- On whether he always knew how the show was going to end, MG: "Yes and no. Uh, I always knew - I always knew Oliver's end. Um, the specifics of it have changed over the years after certain things. And then, like a couple weeks ago, I was meditating and, uh, something unusual happened. I came out of meditation and I have the last scene. I mean, the entire last scene. I just quickly typed it up like that, and that's never happened to me. It's so weird. Very, very rarely do - you know, certain things just come to me. And that did, and I hope we get to film it, uh, and we'll see."

-- On how the show dynamic will be now that Original Team Arrow has been broken apart, MG: "Good question... We're trying something a little new this year.  Um, I don't want to spoil exactly what the new Team Arrow is going to look like, but it will feel, I think, both familiar and new. Um, the familiar part will be - certainly the Oliver-Diggle relationship will go on in the way that you're used to. And then everyone else who is still working, you now, to save Star City, um, you know, that's a separate - that's a separate conversation. It's a separate thing."

-- On how impactful this year's crossover will be, MG: "For Arrow, it's very impactful. I think for all the shows, it's very impactful. Um, you know, we're obviously dealing this year with some very cosmic big stuff. And the conversations that myself and all the showrunners have had is, we now have - with this concept of the crossover, we now have the opportunity to do something really radically and, um, be very impactful. And I don't like to make those sorts of promises, but I will say, like, specifically with the case of Arrow, the ramifications are pretty big, especially since we know we only got two more episodes after the crossover for Arrow to finish up. So Arrow has luxuries that the other shows don't have."

-- On what he can tease about the S8 premiere, MG: "Ooh, I got to be careful... It's unexpected... When I finished writing my scenes, I sent them off to Beth Schwartz and I said to Beth, not in a bad way, this feels like a series finale. It doesn't feel like a season premiere. Um, in many ways, I think that has been the design of this season... We are obviously going to do a series finale, and we are going to do our best to make it epic and awesome. But the whole season is really meant to be a coda on the entire series."

-- On whose journey he's most excited for us to see this year, MG: "Oh, good question. I got to say Mia. Uh, you know, her journey's really interesting, especially since she'll be starting off from a very, you know, sort of new place. Her story is a very Season 1 kind of story and that's fun. It's fun to revisit that level of newness." MG then mentioned that at the end of S7, Felicity, Rene and Dinah blessed the next generation as Team Arrow 2.0 to go and save the city. MG: "The one story that we never quite told, when we were doing, you know, the original seasons of Arrow, were the growing things. You know, I mean, Team Arrow pretty much... they had their disagreements, but they fell in and became a unit really fast. We never told the story of the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Um, we're doing that a bit with the future, and that's kinda fun and nice and very original. Like, it feels right that, of course, you have these kids and they're just kids who are working together without any mentors, and there are going to be mistakes along the way. And that's fun. It makes for some good drama."

Edited July 21, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrow SDCC: Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen)
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Whedonopolis Videos

-- On what went through his mind when he read the first script of S8, SA: "Frankly, I got very emotional because you think about the end. We got one more day of filming the premiere, right? And when we wrap that one - when I get wrapped on Monday night, in my head I'm going to go, 'nine to go.' ... But more specifically, I was really, really pumped that my character got to stop Josh Segarra, because that asshole was always ten steps ahead of me."

-- SA: "We actually didn't have to shoot a good chunk of the episode for the premiere because we just used footage from the pilot."

-- On whether he knows how it's going to end for Oliver and how he feels about it, SA: "Yeah... Good." 

-- SA: "Our episode of the crossover is our 8th episode, so we have two more on the B-side... I've known how the crossover's going to go down, but I didn't actually get pitched the final episode until today. I'm so fouled up. It's really good."

-- On how he feels about filming the final season without EBR, SA: "Not great. Not great. And there's no way to sugarcoat this, in a perfect world, she's still on the show. It sucks that she's not. Uh, she is one of my very best friends. And, on a personal level, I'm so happy for her. I cried when I read her New York Times review for her play. I'm going to go see it next weekend, but I also texted her on the way back to Vancouver, 'Going to Vancouver to shoot the show and you're not there and it sucks.' So I think that both things can be true... Me personally, I actually kinda hope she doesn't come back, because I love goodbyes. I love finite goodbyes. Right? That being said, if she wants to, that'll be cool."

-- On who he's most excited to work with again, see again and say goodbye to again, SA: "I can't tell you, but I do it with this character in the premiere, in a set that we rebuilt from the pilot." 

Edited July 21, 2019 by tv echo

[Featherhat]

9 minutes ago, tv echo said:

On whether he always knew how the show was going to end, MG: "Yes and no. Uh, I always knew - I always knew Oliver's end. Um, the specifics of it have changed over the years after certain things. And then, like a couple weeks ago, I was meditating and, uh, something unusual happened. I came out of meditation and I have the last scene. I mean, the entire last scene.

I wonder if that's DKRing it, like we're kind of assuming? The world think's Oliver's dead but he's living somewhere The Monitor dropped him and that's changed around but the idea was the same?

As for COIE changing things? Obviously but that does make me kind of worried about stuff I liked. I wouldn't kind if the dismal FFs are changed but with them putting a lot of effort into the new team are they going to? As long as the don't change Felicity going off to find Oliver (especially if they don't get EBR back) I'm happy. 

Looking forward to JS. I wonder if ep 1 is everything/Queen family from that world getting destroyed? That's series finale-ish.

[tv echo]

Arrow - Stephen Amell Interview on Season 8
Published on Jul. 21, 2019, by Showbiz Junkies

-- On what he can tease about Oliver's role in COIE, SA: "I'm playing more than one character in Crisis...I'm not putting the Flash suit back on."

-- SA said that his new GA suit is very comfortable and has a cloth hood again. He also asked for and got the Season 1 bow.

-- SA: "Oliver, over the course of the first three episodes, reconciles and gets closure with five different characters that I don't think the fans ever thought that he would get closure with."

-- SA: "My priority playing the character this year is - you know, he's had to leave Felicity and Mia and William. And he can sulk about it. I think it's more interesting if he believes Felicity when she tells him, 'I'll find you. Wherever it is, wherever you are, I'll find you.' To me, it's more interesting if he believes that and marches forward with purpose."

Edited July 21, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrow SDCC: David Ramsey (John Diggle)
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Whedonopolis Videos

-- On what Team Arrow's dynamic will be and Diggle's role in it, DR: "We have to grapple with this Monitor situation, which is something we never had to face before... That, and bringing to a conclusion all of these loose ends of what ultimately happens to us as individuals. What happens to Laurel Lance? What happens to Dinah? What happens to Wild Dog? And Diggle. What's the relationship with his wife, who's the leader of ARGUS? His two sons, who are influential in the future. Is he or is he not Green Lantern? ... A lot to tie up in 10 episodes. So, um, that's the task."

-- On what went through his mind when he read the first script of S8, DR: "I was just floored by how quickly they were getting to it... There's no C and D story. There's just [unintelligible words] A and B story. So it's really obvious in the first episode."

-- DR: "The moment that really stands out in my head is really here at Comic-Con with me and Stephen and Emily. And it was during Season 3, I think, and we were at one of the parties. And we just kinda stood right there, as there was this throng of people around us, pressing us, and we just kinda like huddled in and just really told each other how much we appreciated each other and how much we just realized we had something that - that - first of all, it was the height of our own individual careers. Like just, um, you know, this stuff is fleeting. It won't happen, and we just really appreciated that moment. So it was really here at Comic-Con."

Edited July 21, 2019 by tv echo

[bijoux]

19 minutes ago, tv echo said:

On whether he always knew how the show was going to end, MG: "Yes and no. Uh, I always knew - I always knew Oliver's end. Um, the specifics of it have changed over the years after certain things. And then, like a couple weeks ago, I was meditating and, uh, something unusual happened. I came out of meditation and I have the last scene. I mean, the entire last scene. I just quickly typed it up like that, and that's never happened to me. It's so weird. Very, very rarely do - you know, certain things just come to me. And that did, and I hope we get to film it, uh, and we'll see."

So, Oliver was always supposed to end up the show dead. Only, now we've had seven seasons of him being put through hell in both past and the present, so 12 years in total, and he somehow managed to start a family along the way only to be torn apart from them with alacrity. Following this, the show still ends with him dead, only 50 years in the future to align with that Flash bit about him living to be 84 years old. And his kids (Lucas possibly, hopefully included) and maybe even the next next generation visit his grave, or better yet the original foundry. There, even SA gets his death wish fulfilled, and I can be satisfied with the knowledge that Oliver got 50 good years before his time came. 

[tv echo]

Arrow SDCC: Juliana Harkavy (Dinah Drake)
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Whedonopolis Videos

-- On how Team Arrow will move on to face threats when they're so fractured now, JH: "I think they just are taking on as many responsibilities that they know they can take on. Like, you know, as far as being the captain for Dinah. You know, for all the other characters, we need to fill the shoes of our leader in any way that we can. So I think everybody is going to be just stepping up to the plate this year."

-- On whether she knows how Dinah's story ends, JH: "I don't. But I hope that in it she sort of finds just the peace within herself to know herself, to be self-assured, to not question, you know, what am I? Am I a vigilante? Am I a police officer? ... And just know that she's her own kind of hero and define it, you know, in a very - in no uncertain terms."

-- On what Dinah's relationship is like with E2 Laurel in the final season, JH: "That is something I don't know that much about yet. But it's going to be a really interesting dynamic, because they are more together than they've ever been. And, um, I just really want to see them side by side. I love them together. I love Dinah and Laurel. I think their dynamic is amazing. I love that they're both Canaries. Um, they have something to learn from each other."

-- On who Dinah will be interacting the most with this season, JH: "Well, definitely I can say Rene. I don't want to give anything away, but Rene for sure. I think they always sort of have - they came on around the same time and they have a kinship, you know. So Rene and then - I don't know."

Edited July 21, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrow SDCC: Katie Cassidy (Laurel Lance)
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Whedonopolis Videos

-- KC: "Well, I'm directing 803... We were going to announce it on stage, but because there wasn't enough time, which I totally get, uh, I can now tell you guys." She also talked about participating in the Warner Brothers directors program and what she learned from it.

--  On what she can tease about this final season, KC: "Well, it's very, you know, cinematic, in the sense that, it's 10 episodes - it's like a tribute to every season almost... And every episode should be eventful, should be an event." She then hoped that it becomes an event for fans and that they gather their families around to watch each episode.

Arrow SDCC: Rick Gonzalez (Rene Ramirez)
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Whedonopolis Videos

-- On whether he knows how Rene's story ends, RG: "I don't know how it ends, but I do know that we will touch on his political aspirations, 'cause we established that he was the mayor last season. So we'll definitely touch on him going down that road."

Edited July 21, 2019 by tv echo

[apinknightmare]

34 minutes ago, tv echo said:

-- SA: "My priority playing the character this year is - you know, he's had to leave Felicity and Mia and William. And he can sulk about it. I think it's more interesting if he believes Felicity when she tells him, 'I'll find you. Wherever it is, wherever you are, I'll find you.' To me, it's more interesting if he believes that and marches forward with purpose."

Leave me alone, I'm emotional

[BkWurm1]

Quote

- SA: "My priority playing the character this year is - you know, he's had to leave Felicity and Mia and William. And he can sulk about it. I think it's more interesting if he believes Felicity when she tells him, 'I'll find you. Wherever it is, wherever you are, I'll find you.' To me, it's more interesting if he believes that and marches forward with purpose."

This is so freaking romantic.  Of course if Felicity said it Oliver believes in her 100%.  Swoon

Edited July 22, 2019 by BkWurm1

[tv echo]

A lot of Felicity talk in this MG interview...

Creator of 'Arrow, ' Marc Guggenheim on the ending of the show at San Diego Comic Con
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Nerds and Beyond

-- On how they're handling Felicity's absence in this final season, MG: "Not well... I mean, it's hard... It's hard. Um, but, you know, we're - you know, the great thing that the writers did, uh, in Season 7 is, I think they explained in a great way why Felicity is absent. Um, and Felicity's acknowledged. Um, there's a moment - like, it's scripted. You know, I never can promise what's going to make the final cut. There's, I think, a very sort of Felicity-centric moment in, uh, the season premiere. Um, you know, the main thing is, we don't deny the existence of the character. I think a lot of shows, when a major actor leaves the show, they suddenly like forget that character, you know, and don't acknowledge that character. And we don't do that. Like, we're - we're constantly referencing Felicity. Felicity's super important. And she's alive in the show, even if Emily's not in the show."

-- After media interviewer mentioned Three's Company and how they would script in phone calls from Suzanne Somers (the actress who had been fired from that show) and asked if Arrow would do something like video chats with Felicity sprinkled throughout the season, MG: "It's a great idea. It's the first time hearing it... Look, at the end of the day, like, you know, I was just saying, uh, to another panel of journalists, we, of course, want Emily as involved in Season 8 as she would like to be. Um, and, you know, we will be darkening her doorstep, um, you know. But, you know, at the end of the day, she has to do what's right for her. And, you know, we - we've written out the character, I think, in a way that's satisfying. But, if we can work out a way for her to return for the final season, of course, we would love that, you know. Um, there's a lot of conversations that have to be had and, uh, you know, we're going to have them... The Suzanne Somers idea is interesting. I never heard of it." Media interviewer suggested that they set up a studio where EBR is and shoot enough little video vignettes to spread out among maybe six episodes. MG: "I like the idea that, like, you know, Emily has like a room in her house, you know, in which she can be in, but I never heard of it."

Edited July 22, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Exclusive: Susanna Thompson Returns For The Arrow Season 8 Premiere
Craig Byrne    July 20, 2019
http://www.greenarrowtv.com/exclusive-susanna-thompson-returns-for-the-arrow-season-8-premiere/

Quote

On the press line following the Arrow panel at tonight’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, Marc Guggenheim confirmed exclusively for GreenArrowTV that there’s someone else who will be back in the October 15 season opener: Susanna Thompson as Moira.

“It’s a love letter to the show; it really is,” Marc told us. “I was telling Beth [Schwartz], it felt a lot like the series finale, not the season premiere, in the best possible way, almost to the point where we’re like ‘what are we going to do for the series finale?’ I mean, we know, obviously, but it has that kind of resonance to it, and that’s exciting.”

Edited July 22, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Yeah - I think Diggle will be Green Lantern...

'Arrow' star David Ramsey on tribute to co-worker Stephen Amell and final season
Published on Jul 21, 2019, by Nerds and Beyond

-- On what he wants to have happen for Diggle in order to conclude his story, DR: "Well, for the character, there's some things that have - that probably will be answered. Right? His relationship with Lyla. Lyla plays a pivotal role in this season. And, um, she's the leader of ARGUS, so we kind of have to address that. His two sons in the future. Where's Diggle? And what went on with - what's going on with his children? I think that's important. Is he or is he not Green Lantern? I think that's important. So I think those three things will be addressed in the 10 episodes. So you will get answers."

-- In response to media interviewer saying that's a lot in 10 episodes, DR: "It is. That's why every episode is like a mini-movie. And you sense when you're doing a 22-episode season where they're working on the C story or D story. It's not quite - it's not quite where they left off. It's kind of - not an episode, they're not taking an episode off, but it's just going in a different direction. There's none of that for these 10 episodes."

-- DR: "And hopefully that's what - you know, people look back and, you know - and they're entertained by what we did for these eight seasons. Some of that's the writing, some of that's the acting, and some of it's just the intangibles, you know, like OTA or anything else that's like, 'how did that happen?' Just magic. So hopefully people are still touched by this 10 years from now."

-- On what he can say about what role Diggle might play in the COIE crossover, DR: "Well, not much. I can tell you that he remains by Oliver's side, which is where he probably should always be. And, um, you know, he's Spock to his Kirk, so he remains there... There's some things that I just found out that I haven't quite - that I haven't quite, um, flipped in my head how to lie to you... and how to spin it yet... how to make a lie - how to make this shit smell a little good, like perfume. (Media: "Don't they prep you for that?") ... Well, they usually do, but I just found out... Like, I just found out what's happening, like, ultimately to Diggle in the crossover. We just found out. So, you know, when you have Marc here, you just kind of grill him and he's like, 'well, here's what's happening.' ... So, nope. Not much I can tell you about it, except he remains at Oliver's side." On what he expects fans' reactions to the crossover will be and whether they'll be shocked, DR: "Yeah, oh yeah. It's a five-show crossover. They're gonna be shocked. Without a doubt. They're gonna be shocked. Um, and I think some questions will be answered. So this isn't a situation where every single loose end has been tied up into a nice bow. I think some of those questions about Diggle I think are important are answered. But no, not every answer will be there. But, um, I think everyone will be satisfied with the finale - not just the crossover, but the finale."

Edited July 22, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Here's WBTV's official press release about Charlie Barnett...

Quote

JOHN DIGGLE’s SONS FACE OFF IN THE FINAL SEASON OF ARROW
Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll) Announced as John Diggle, Jr. During Show’s Final Comic-Con® Panel
*  *  *
Following last season’s introduction of next-gen vigilantes Mia Smoak and Connor Hawke, Comic-Con fans were excited to learn of John Diggle’s other son, John Diggle, Jr., to be played by new series regular Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll). Diggle, Jr. — known as J.J. — is the Flashpoint-born son of John Diggle (David Ramsey) and Lyla Michaels (Audrey Marie Anderson). We meet J.J. in the future as the leader of the Deathstroke Gang, where he faces off against Mia and his adopted brother, Connor.

Barnett joins previously announced new series regulars Katherine McNamara, Joseph David-Jones and Ben Lewis as Mia Smoak, Connor Hawke and Oliver Queen’s adopted son, William Clayton, respectively. Barnett most recently starred alongside Natasha Lyonne in the Netflix series Russian Doll, as well as Tales of the City, the return of the seminal book and television series from Armistead Maupin. Also known for his roles on Chicago Fire, Secrets and Lies and Valor, the Juilliard graduate hails from Florida.

Edited July 22, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

If, in fact, Diggle goes off with Oliver on his mission or just spends a lot of time helping Oliver, then that could lead to his son JJ feeling abandoned, thus contributing to his later estrangement from his family. Connor's adoption by Dyla could also add to JJ's resentment.

While I was reading Charlie Barnett's tweets, I had this other thought, which is wild, out of the blue, and completely unsupported by anything... You know how we were speculating about a possible love triangle with Mia, Connor and JJ (like Vampire Diaries with the two brothers)? Well, what if JJ turns out to be a love interest for William? And William is like JJ's Felicity (light to dark), to help redeem JJ?

If they're repeating the original Arrow beats with this next generation, then you have OTA 2.0 (Mia, William, Connor), you have Team Arrow 2.0 (Mia, Connor, William, Zoe), and then you have two possible versions of Olicity (Mia & Connor, JJ & William).

I'm probably wrong, but I'm just speculating.

Edited July 22, 2019 by tv echo

[way2interested]

CB would at least be closer in age to BL than KM and it would be nice to have a gay man to play a gay man, not that I think they'd actually go for a love triangle (never did and still don't have any inclination that they would) or really have the idea that he would be anyone's love interest (although being William's is a more interesting idea, although I guess I would wonder about the age difference). It would be kind of funny that Oliver's kids and Diggle's kids got together though and for JJ to be like a frenemy to the team for a bit.

Edited July 22, 2019 by way2interested

[tv echo]

Arrow Season 8: Juliana Harkavy Talks Crossovers and Final Season
Delia Harrington Mike Cecchini   Jul 22, 2019
https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/arrow/282386/arrow-season-8-juliana-harkavy-talks-crossovers-and-final-season

Quote

What might we be able to expect from Dinah this season?

“To be honest, I don’t know where she ends the season, which is the interesting thing of doing television versus film, because you’re going in blind," Harkavy says. "But I think, from what I know, she’s coming into herself, because she’s always been so torn. You know there’s always been this duality: am I a vigilante? Am I police officer? I hope that she sort of settles into that resolve and she finds her place.”
*  *  *
But which timeline does she prefer? It seems there’s pros and cons to each. With the future, “it’s so different to what we normally do and when you play the same character for so many years it’s great to have something that is a change-up.” The downside, of course, is putting on all that old age makeup.
*  *  *
Every year, it seems like the Arrowverse Crossovers get better and better. Last year’s Elseworlds was one of the most all-out fun events, recapturing the joy these shows are capable of when they’re at their best. Crisis on Infinite Earths will likely be the largest spectacle, as it’s the last one for Arrow. For Harkavy, she’s just hoping for some screen time with Batwoman.

“If I get a scene with [Batwoman actor] Ruby Rose, I will need a Xanax. That would be pretty great. I’ve been a fan for a while.”
*  *  *
... So if Dinah were to survive Arrow and her character could appear on any other show within that universe, which one would she choose?

With zero hesitation, Harkavy says, “Legends. I love Legends! First of all a lot of my friends are on the show, so that helps. Seriously Marc, are you listening?” she asked, laughing and referring to executive producer Marc Guggenheim. We certainly hope so.

Edited July 22, 2019 by tv echo

[apinknightmare]

3 hours ago, tv echo said:

-- On what he can say about what role Diggle might play in the COIE crossover, DR: "Well, not much. I can tell you that he remains by Oliver's side, which is where he probably should always be. And, um, you know, he's Spock to his Kirk, so he remains there... There's some things that I just found out that I haven't quite - that I haven't quite, um, flipped in my head how to lie to you... and how to spin it yet... how to make a lie - how to make this shit smell a little good, like perfume.

That doesn't sound good, LOL.

[insomniadreams88]

did I just read correctly that that press release calls William Oliver’s adopted son?

[apinknightmare]

7 minutes ago, insomniadreams88 said:

did I just read correctly that that press release calls William Oliver’s adopted son?

LOL, yes. Chico’s at the top of her game as always!

[Featherhat]

1 hour ago, apinknightmare said:

That doesn't sound good, LOL.

I'm...….a little concerned, I guess? Like what happens to Diggle or A Diggle in COIE is completely stupid and DR's had to polish plenty of turds in recent seasons. I'm assuming he's talking specifically about Dig and not the show as a whole in the crossover.

CB is a great casting, though he's already been on Valor for the CW he's also done loads more, please don't waste or misuse him like so many other awesome actors, show. I'm wondering if John really isn't around for the FFs like we assumed

3 hours ago, way2interested said:

CB would at least be closer in age to BL than KM and it would be nice to have a gay man to play a gay man, not that I think they'd actually go for a love triangle (never did and still don't have any inclination that they would) or really have the idea that he would be anyone's love interest (although being William's is a more interesting idea, although I guess I would wonder about the age difference). It would be kind of funny that Oliver's kids and Diggle's kids got together though and for JJ to be like a frenemy to the team for a bit.

BL and CB are fairly close in age aren't they, and their characters are 10-ish years apart, not too bad. Both actors are openly gay so seeing them both play gay on screen would be cool, like Leo and Ray. Since I think they will explore Mia/Connor having William in the mix for JJ and all the brother vs brother stuff could get very complicated. Well they did say Future Team Arrow was rough around the edges and still doesn't hold a candle to the drama (some of) their parents did.

NO WAY NO HELL DO I WANT JH ON LOT, I'M SORRY, BUGGER OFF! Right deep breath. I'd really rather KC didn't join for a number of reasons as well. 

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 4:38 PM, Velocity23 said:

I mean who said that is happening? They basically implied Diggle will be with Oliver. KC having her own head canons which probably result her helping during the crossover is not implying any sort of ship baiting. Also this is KC we are talking about, and her answer dont make any sense when you read them through. JH also mentioned Canaries having some sort of story right from the beginning of s8. This show never really baitet with O/L after it was done, and its definetely not going to do it now. Doesnt matter how much KC wants it to happen. All her headcanons about Laurel in s6 and s7 amounted to zero. And honestly anybody who believes they would do that has not been paying attention. 

I wasn't thinking they'd shipbait Lauiver2.0TheWTFening just the fans and articles coming out of some places with it if they get in the same room together. We know Oliver's using Felicity as his talisman at this point and it would really be WTF if that happened after 7x22, even if MG literally got high during his meditation and *then* wrote the final scene. I'd kind of forgotten about KC's headcannons and what they generally amount to, I probably don't mind if it's for one episode I just didn't want it to be a through storyline of GA/"BC" vs The Mission of the week and got a bit bummed. Much rather it be Diggle or Diggle and a mixture.

[statsgirl]

53 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

BL and CB are fairly close in age aren't they, and their characters are 10-ish years apart, not too bad. Both actors are openly gay so seeing them both play gay on screen would be cool, like Leo and Ray. Since I think they will explore Mia/Connor having William in the mix for JJ and all the brother vs brother stuff could get very complicated.

I could really get behind that, especially since BL and CB are both openly gay (kills a JJ/Mia/Connor triangle for me) and it would be much more interesting than a VD re-do and Oliver/Laurel/Tommy were supposed to be. And since JJ is on the wrong side of the law and William is a rule-follower, there's lots to mine.  Mia could help William figure out how a rule-breaker works.

[tennisgurl]

5 hours ago, tv echo said:

Well, what if JJ turns out to be a love interest for William? And William is like JJ's Felicity (light to dark), to help redeem JJ?

As much as I wasn't thrilled about the idea of grown up JJ being a villain, THIS sounds super intriguing, and if the show wants to do the whole "Team Arrow 2.0" thing, this would be a promising way to do an Oliver/Felicity next generation thing without a boring love triangle to clog up screen time, and would give William some time to work out the trust issues he has and JJ could be inspired by William to come back to the side of the light, that sounds like some pretty good stuff. 

Plus, Oliver and Dig finding out their sons are dating sounds like it would be hilarious. 

[Primal Slayer]

I wonder if this is alt.Earth Rene or Earth? Tommy infiltrates E1...

And I assume this takes place on E2 which helps lead Laurel back to E1

[Primal Slayer]

8 hours ago, tv echo said:

 

It's funny that the artist used KCs original BC photo for this concept art and left her original outfits shadow so you can see all the buckles. And I think they might have drawn inspiration for this suit from this version of BCs costume

[apinknightmare]

There are enough Black Canaries running around I'm surprised they haven't recreated every version of the costume from the comics. 

[Quark]

I'm wondering, although I'm probably completely wrong, if Diggle could be responsible for Oliver's death in the future and that's why we have never seen him (he's distraught) and that's why JJ went bad.

Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be reversed in the crossover.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Quark

[way2interested]

30 minutes ago, Quark said:

I'm wondering, although I'm probably completely wrong, if Diggle could be responsible for Oliver's death in the future and that's why we have never seen him (he's distraught) and that's why JJ went bad.

It's more sounding like that Diggle becomes the Green Lantern and that's one of the reasons why he couldn't spend as much time with Connor and JJ.

[shantown]

3 hours ago, Featherhat said:

NO WAY NO HELL DO I WANT JH ON LOT, I'M SORRY, BUGGER OFF! Right deep breath. I'd really rather KC didn't join for a number of reasons as well. 

100% same.

[insomniadreams88]

Honestly, if they had E2 Laurel traveling with Oliver, that would definitely be fan service. Because there’s no reason for it and any reason they’d come up with would probably be lame. Oliver has zero history (except for an antagonistic one) with this Laurel. If he knows he’s going to die soon, why would his final days be spent with her of all people? 

I do wonder if we might get a Laurel/Chase team-up or fight as a callback to her working with Prometheus in Season 5.

KC’s comments probably mean that she, too, will be participating in the crisis and working to save the multiverse. Like all the other characters on all 5 shows.  After all, didn’t she give some tragic head canon/backstory about E2 LL witnessing her father being murdered brutally in front of her or something at SDCC one year? We saw how that turned out. 

[Primal Slayer]

1 minute ago, insomniadreams88 said:

Honestly, if they had E2 Laurel traveling with Oliver, that would definitely be fan service. Because there’s no reason for it and any reason they’d come up with would probably be lame. Oliver has zero history (except for an antagonistic one) with this Laurel. If he knows he’s going to die soon, why would his final days be spent with her of all people? 

I do wonder if we might get a Laurel/Chase team-up or fight as a callback to her working with Prometheus in Season 5.

KC’s comments probably mean that she, too, will be participating in the crisis and working to save the multiverse. Like all the other characters on all 5 shows.  After all, didn’t she give some tragic head canon/backstory about E2 LL witnessing her father being murdered brutally in front of her or something at SDCC one year? We saw how that turned out. 

If The Monitor has Oliver recruiting a team to help him throughout the multi-verse, it wouldn't be about whose he's besties with.  And she said that her Laurel backstory was what she came up with which was before they actually explored it in the S6. She already's read the first 3 episodes so at least this time she knows what is happening thus far with her character. 

[Velocity23]

17 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

I wonder if this is alt.Earth Rene or Earth? Tommy infiltrates E1...

And I assume this takes place on E2 which helps lead Laurel back to E1

Is this even the same scene? 

[Trisha]

LaMonica Garrett talked to TV Line about playing the Monitor. There's not a lot of new stuff, but he says "Everything the Monitor does is to serve the Crisis. In hindsight, it may be he needed to put that person there...He does bad things for a better purpose" and "On Arrow the Crisis has already started. It's Arrow and Monitor globetrotting." TVL's Matt also theorized that Oliver is the substitute to the comic's Harbinger character.

Also, I'm not sure why but I'm seeing a lot of tweets assuming that Chase will be different Earth's Arrow, and Tommy will be his Dark Archer or Prometheus. Not sure if I missed a spoiler or if it's just a theory people are getting behind...

[way2interested]

5 minutes ago, Trisha said:

Also, I'm not sure why but I'm seeing a lot of tweets assuming that Chase will be different Earth's Arrow, and Tommy will be his Dark Archer or Prometheus. Not sure if I missed a spoiler or if it's just a theory people are getting behind...

The editing of the trailer made it look like Rene was pointing his gun at Tommy (which he could be, idk) along with the quotes about getting to use Tommy the way they always wanted to, so the thought is that he's the villain. Then Chase had that shot in green plus the quote about using him in a surprising way, I think.

[apinknightmare]

25 minutes ago, Trisha said:

Also, I'm not sure why but I'm seeing a lot of tweets assuming that Chase will be different Earth's Arrow, and Tommy will be his Dark Archer or Prometheus. Not sure if I missed a spoiler or if it's just a theory people are getting behind...

I think the Chase as Green Arrow thing comes from the trailer since he's surrounded by green light in one scene and wearing what resembles a hooded Green Arrow-esque ensemble. Stephen saying that he gets to defeat Chase finally seems to put a pin in that theory unless some other earth's Green Arrow is a bad guy. 

The Tommy being Dark Archer or Prometheus theory seems to come from MG (or whoever, I can't remember) saying that Colin was playing the version of Tommy they always intended for him to play or something along those lines. 

[Featherhat]

Yeah I guess the quote being the way they always intended for Tommy is the Dark Archer theory. Before they decided to keep Malcolm/JB instead and end the triangle as motivation for everything. Canadagraphs was responsible for the Tommy as GA rumour due to the two stuntmen in GA costumes with beards" thing, which could easily apply to JS. Maybe Oliver arrives at the other Earth's bunker, immediately sees Chase and smashes him before being convinced it's an upside down world - which would fit with the picture Beth posted. 

1 hour ago, Velocity23 said:

Is this even the same scene? 

Who knows, they film so many scenes in the same or similar locations and filters and it's difficult to tell. It wouldn't surprise me either way. 

Do you think MG taking over showrunning duties for Beth later makes it less likely EBR will be persuaded or asked to come back for the finale, or is it just not something that's on the cards for her either way at this moment?

[way2interested]

19 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

Who knows, they film so many scenes in the same or similar locations and filters and it's difficult to tell. It wouldn't surprise me either way. 

They filmed all day at that one location which had at least SA, the other GA, KC, AS, JDJ, and KM (and guessing CB since the other Deathsroke was in the trailer) there, so it definitely was filmed for multiple scenes as a fact.

21 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

Do you think MG taking over showrunning duties for Beth later makes it less likely EBR will be persuaded or asked to come back for the finale, or is it just not something that's on the cards for her either way at this moment?

MG didn't take over showrunning duties. They are both showrunners (essentially MG was just restored to EP) making the lead decisions. MG just came back as EP for Arrow because Beth is taking part time off for her new baby.

[tv echo]

We’ve Got The Arrow #8.3 Title – And It’s A Springsteen Song
Craig Byrne   July 22, 2019
http://www.greenarrowtv.com/weve-got-the-arrow-8-3-title-and-its-a-springsteen-song/

Quote

The episode will likely air on Tuesday, October 29, and it is called “Leap of Faith.” Do note that this is also the title of a Bruce Springsteen song. And, yes, Marc Guggenheim tells us that the penultimate episode of Arrow Season 8 will also have a Springsteen title, continuing the tradition of the next-to-last episode of any given Arrow season having a title from The Boss.

It’s also apparently the episode that Katie Cassidy Rodgers is directing!

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The 3 best moments from the new Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl trailers
By Chancellor Agard July 22, 2019 at 03:57 PM EDT
https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/22/arrow-flash-supergirl-trailers-best-moments/ 

Quote

Arrow
...
“We’re playing our greatest hits.” That’s the refrain we’ve heard from star Stephen Amell and the producers since they’ve begun talking about the eighth and final season, and the new teaser definitely revealed what they meant. After taking us on a tour of everyone Oliver’s death and torture-ridden past, trailer drops a flurry of new footage that includes: our first looks at Colin Donnell and Josh Segarra’s returns, Katie Cassidy Rodgers rocking a new Black Canary costume (see executive producer Marc Guggenheim’s tweet), and Connor Hawke (Joseph David-Jones) fighting someone in a Deathstroke mask. However, the moment that truly stands out is the shot at 2:08 that shows Oliver landing in a lab where several scientists have been murdered with arrows, because it seems like a very specific callback to Malcolm Merlyn’s Unidac Industries rampage in season 1’s “Darkness at the Edge of Town.” Going into this season, we knew Arrow would probably reference the most obvious moments from its history, but this one (assuming the scene is purposefully trying to evoke “Darkness”) is rather unexpected. Hopefully, there are more of these surprises coming our way.

Edited July 23, 2019 by tv echo

[tv echo]

I currently have a backlog of about 10 cast interview videos from SDCC, plus the video of the full Arrow panel at SDCC (just posted in the Social Media thread) to watch and transcribe. So the transcriptions will be posted this week sometime.

Since each cast interview was attended by multiple media outlets, I won't post duplicate recordings of the same interview. I'm also going to be more selective in my transcriptions.

Edited July 23, 2019 by tv echo