Arrow Executive Producers Preview This Week’s Episode “Nanda Parbat”

This week’s episode of Arrow, titled “Nanda Parbat,” is a game-changer for many different characters, and earlier today, The CW hosted a Q&A which included Executive Producers Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim along with actors Katrina Law and John Barrowman.

At the Q&A, the show’s Executive Producers talked about why “Nanda Parbat” in particular excites them as an episode.

“We always know what the schedule is going to be, so we knew this episode had a break in it. It’s designed to be this crazy cliffhanger, and to have all this amazing stuff in it,” Andrew Kreisberg said, pointing out that Willa Holalnd’s Thea, in particular, has “risen to such amazing heights” in recent episodes, and that trend continues in this episode. “Seeing what she’s willing to do, and what Oliver is willing to do for her soul. One of the things we talked about very early on that this season is really the fight for Thea’s soul, and more than anything, victory this season for Oliver is saving Thea. She’s caught between these disparate forces. And then seeing what happens to Merlyn after these episodes; it’s the most screwed up family show we could possibly think of,” Kreisberg enthused.

Marc Guggenheim is excited for fans to see what’s going to happen when Ray Palmer’s suit makes its appearance. “I’m really excited for people to see the A.T.O.M. suit in its full glory, and the first time Ray flies,” Guggenheim said. “It’s a big moment for us insofar as… the show is not Flash; we don’t traffic in these sort of visuals, so it was a big deal for us to get this kind of character on the show, looking the way he does.”

“The most fun for us, in doing this show in general, is when we pair new people up who hadn’t previously been together,” Kreisberg added. “To finally have John [Barrowman] and Matt [Nable] in the same scene” was a big deal, as was the whole idea of having Ra’s al Ghul – which was a longtime wish fulfillment on the producers’ part. .”In episode 16 of Season 1, after [Malcolm] had almost been assassinated by Deadshot, he had a speech where he said ‘I met a man who lived in Nanda Parbat.’ Even back then, we were like ‘Oh! Maybe one day, in Season Three, they’ll let us have Ra’s al Ghul be the villain’!”

And now, with Season Three, Arrow’s producers get their wish.

“Nanda Parbat” airs Wednesday night on The CW.