Team GATV Roundtable: Looking Forward To Season 2 (Part One)

Opinion July 2, 2013 Derek B. Gayle

The GATV Staff holds a roundtable discussion to speculate on the future of the characters in the hit CW series Arrow.

Last week, we began our summer roundtable series with “Looking Back at Season 1”, where we shared our thoughts on Arrow‘s first year as a whole. With season 2 premiering on October 9 and Comic Con right around the corner, though, it won’t be long before spoilers and teasers start to leak about the show’s sophomore season.

With season 1 fresh in our minds and season 2 an (almost) clean slate in terms of spoilers right now, it’s time to think about where the show can go next. Where will our heroes (and villains?) go after that fateful night in the Glades? For the first half of our “Looking Forward” roundtable two-parter, we’re focusing on the characters right square in the center of the Arrow-verse.

Team GATV settled in for a lengthy discussion, as usual, and we now share the first half of that with you. Be sure to check back with us next week for the second part, where we’ll expand our speculation to the entire world of the show. As always, we welcome your comments and questions. Feel free to share below.

BROADLY, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FOR COMING BACK FROM THE SUMMER HIATUS?

CRAIG (Webmaster/Editor-in-Chief): I think the first order of business, after Oliver decides how he’s going to move forward of course, is where his “lair” is going to be, since the Glades seems to be a bit destroyed and all. I wouldn’t be shocked if Oliver is put in a position of authority at Queen Industries and he literally gives Felicity a reason to come in to work every day by setting up shop at or below there. Laurel will be miserable, even though she was kind of awful to Tommy, and maybe Thea will be impressed with Roy’s heroism in the finale.
MATT (Writer/Reviewer): Hard to say about the Arrowcave. It didn’t look exceptionally damaged in what we saw from Felicity’s scenes.
ANDY (Writer at companion site KSiteTV): Healing. I think we are going to see a lot of healing going on in the first episodes in all of our main characters because the events of “Sacrifice” will most likely still be haunting several of them. Oliver’s struggle with whether to continue as the vigilante or not and perhaps taking on Queen Industries will probably be two important struggles for him when we return.
STEPHANIE (Writer/Episode Guide Archivist): I think Oliver will have to re-evaluate how he looks at his missions because of how it went poorly with Tommy. Maybe he’ll modify how he goes about taking out large threats to ensure no innocent bystanders are harmed again. Maybe he’ll also re-examine why he is doing what he does because as he moves farther away from this list he’ll need a new purpose and avenging Tommy’s death could be it.
ANDY: Yeah, I’m with you Steph on the part about re-examining why he is doing this.
STEPHANIE: I almost expect that the first episode or first few back will feel sort of “broken” because of how these characters’ lives were turned around in the finale.
DEREK (Writer/Reviewer): It’s interesting that Steph mentioned Oliver’s mission to be to “avenge” Tommy—because as far as we know, the person responsible for his death is dead. Even if Malcolm turns out to be alive, at this point, Oliver can’t really FAIRLY center his anger on anyone. In the words of Goliath from Gargoyles: “he’s been denied everything, even his revenge.”
STEPHANIE: You’re right, Derek. But I wouldn’t put it past Oliver to place his anger on villains in general, if that makes sense.
CRAIG: That could be where “Oliver decides how to move forward” comes in. Someone or some people might need to bring him back from the edge.

HOW DO YOU SEE OLIVER’S STORYLINE MOVING FORWARD THIS SEASON?

CRAIG: Like I said, he’s going to have a lot to think about on how to move forward, and I do suspect he will have more responsibilities now that his mom is in prison (I’d imagine). He’ll have to be there for Thea more now than ever, even if she goes to Roy for that comfort, she needs her big brother. I think he’ll strive to be a better hero – maybe the kind of person Tommy would have wanted him to be.
STEPHANIE: I see Oliver struggling in the beginning and then possibly ending the season as a much stronger hero. The events of the finale won’t mean anything unless it eventually strengthens him.
MATT: There’s the broad arc: vigilante to hero. I’m honestly at a bit of a loss as to how they bring Oliver through those steps. Also, by the same turn, just what are the next steps for Island Oliver, Shado, and Slade Wilson. Looking forward to hearing some spitballing here.
ANDY: His storyline is going to be a lot about redefining himself as the hood: maybe he will start realizing that maybe the road of a vigilante isn’t all he can do – maybe a hero can rise? I think that in his mind, what happened to Tommy is the Martha/Thomas Wayne scenario: this shall never happen again on his watch. It’s not going to be flawless of course, because in order to get that strength, he is going to have to fight his own weakness: the anger.
MATT: Tommy’s death is clearly going to be the catalyst to move Oliver in a new direction. Wonder if we’re going to see all of the anger or if he’s going to moved into a place of action, trying to make sense of his world now by doing something about it. Laurel, too. Really puzzled as to what the next move for her is, though.
ANDY: As much as I would hope for the anger to be gone to a certain degree when the season starts, I think it’s going to be part of him for a long time, because it was, after all, his best friend.
MATT: Which just adds to Oliver’s guilt. Feeling like he should’ve been the one to give his life, not Tommy. I’m a bit worried we might see Hartley Oliver levels of hazardous adventures because he doesn’t feel like he is worth being alive at the moment.
STEPHANIE: In his situation, anger is inevitable, but I hope they sway from sending Oliver back to the version lacking lightness that he exhibited in the beginning.
DEREK: I’m worried about that, too. Not that it’s a bad idea, but it’s too easy to go into that anger/depression well and leave with Oliver being back to unlikable. And he already hung up his hood once, briefly, midseason. So they’d already be retreading a bit.
MATT: Good point, Derek. Regressing might be tough to see in the show. Might be more honest, though. They’d have to handle it very well for it not to feel like something we’ve already seen on the show.
ANDY: I think that is actually a very possible scenario that Oliver will put his anger on bad guys.
MATT: Have to wonder if somehow taking Roy on as an apprentice at some point in the season will help him to focus and grow those hero practices.
ANDY: And/or Thea as well, because she is going to have a lot of emptiness other than Oliver and Roy this season, because she has basically lost her last parent, only this time to the law.
DEREK: I wouldn’t be surprised. I do think the show has done a decent job of showing Oliver the pros and cons of both sides, being a hardened vigilante and and bigger hero, so he’s going to come to a point where he realizes the pros outweigh the cons.
MATT: A lot is going to tie into the Big Bad story arc for the season. (Or Big Bads arcs, as it seems to be the plan.) I’m sure we’ll get into that at some point during this.
STEPHANIE: I think a clearheaded apprentice would teach Oliver a lot about the pros of hero-hood.
DEREK: My only issue with the “apprentice showing Oliver how to be a hero” concept is that it undermines a lot of Diggle’s role. I suppose Speedy would be able to actively show his style of heroics as opposed to Diggle giving a lecture or argument. But still, I wouldn’t want Diggle to lose any relevance. Unless that’s the plan…
MATT: Well, and we’ve still got Team Arrow for Oliver to fall back on, as well.
ANDY: I don’t know why I just got this image in my head, but what if Thea becomes like an apprentice for Diggle, should Roy become one for Oliver?
MATT: I guess I see it less as the apprentice showing him how to be a hero and more that Oliver comes to these truths as he’s trying to mentor someone. They kind of played at that with Helena a little bit. This would be the natural extension of that.
DEREK: That makes sense. I like that.
MATT: None of this should marginalize Diggle and Felicity, though.
ANDY: It would have to be later in the season, at least after the first 5-7 episodes because it would feel like a misstep to me if he suddenly took on Roy in the season premiere or in the second episode.
MATT: Oh, definitely.
STEPHANIE: True. I didn’t even think about marginalizing the rest of the team. I’ve always seen Diggle more as someone reassuring Oliver that he is doing good, whereas an apprentice would be more for the purpose of showing him why – showing Oliver that he can change lives and such, though that may be taking too much of a “inspiration/symbol of hope” route that I hope they don’t do.
MATT: Ooh. Diggle as the emotional and inspirational heart and the apprentice as the practical application, giving Oliver a mission while Diggle keeps him on track. I like that.

GIVEN THE BIG CHANGES IN THE FINALE, WHAT DO EXPECT/HOPE TO SEE FOR THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERS:

LAUREL

MATT: Character. Any character.
ANDY: Dye her hair blond. Kidding. A happier Laurel. Remember in “The Undertaking”, when we got to see a more happier and lively Laurel? I want to see more of that come back during the season as she starts to grow into a better place after the death of Tommy and so on.
CRAIG: I really hope and expect Laurel to get her own storylines moving forward, hopefully some meaty stuff, because we all know Katie Cassidy is great and can do it. One thing I really like about Dinah Laurel Lance is her pursuit of what’s right. Let’s see more of that. Like Oliver will change, so, too, should Laurel. I’d also really like to see her mother again, though hopefully with a more powerful storyline.
ANDY: What about SCPD with Daddy Lance?
DEREK: I wasn’t sure at first, but honestly, the more I’ve thought about Laurel working with the cops, the more I like it.
MATT: Laurel working with the cops is interesting for a few reasons: One, it sets up a new angle for her relationship with her father. Secondly, I gather that Quentin is going to be having a tough time with the force after he openly admitted to working with the Hood. They could give Laurel some tough times to work through as she becomes a cop. The one thing I hope they wouldn’t do with that is skip over the steps. She needs to be attending the academy and becoming a beat cop, not just instantly being a detective. And of course, she begins training toward her own future as a crimefighter.
STEPHANIE: I agree, Matt. It would be much more interesting and believable to see Laurel growing as a cop while growing as a character.
ANDY: Yeah; when I suggested that she would join SCPD, I never wanted her to go a detective-role because that isn’t her in my opinion. What you just said Matt, was what I was hoping for: see her attend academy and working hard to becoming a cop. We know that she is already capable to kick some serious butt so that’s good.
MATT: Anything to give her a trajectory and motivation will be good.
CRAIG: I love the idea of Laurel as a cop, but I’m not sure that’s where they’re going to go. I heard buzzings that she might be working in the D.A.’s office next season — but nothing solid. Though, if I had to choose, I’d pick the cop thing because it sounds cool. Then again, it might put her right in McKenna territory, with stories we’ve already seen.
DEREK: I hope they keep her single for a while, odd as that may sound. That in itself should help a lot. It would force her to have more of her own stories.
MATT: Yes, Derek! And hopefully, they actually avoid the awkward relationship will they/won’t they crap between Oliver and Laurel for a while. Let them live with their circumstances for a while. They can always find their way back to a relationship later on. Don’t need to keep reminding us at every turn about how tragedy has prevented them from being together.
ANDY: I have been a supporter of keeping them apart for a long time now since the finale. I think it would be such a great reward to us as fans when they do get together later in the series; when they get together, that is when they are endgame, I don’t want to see that back-and-forth game.
STEPHANIE: I don’t want to say “to find her strength” because that makes it sound as if she has been a weak woman up to this point, but she needs some attitude or warmth or something to give her a distinguishable personality. To me she’s come off as flat.
MATT: To be fair, I think Katie Cassidy could offer quite a bit more for Laurel, but she suffers from Lana Lang syndrome: She’s just there for plot. Give her character, give her motivation, give her life.
ANDY: Katie Cassidy is to me one of the strongest female actors out there based on other things I have seen her in, and I know that with the right writing along with her strong ability as an actress, we will get a more improved Laurel by the time/if we have our roundtable discussions in Season 2.
STEPHANIE: Her character just doesn’t stick with me, and as we have mentioned many times before, Katie Cassidy has a great personality that I wish would shine through.
MATT: She definitely comes off flat and lifeless, Steph. There are points where you seem some flashes there, but they just don’t give her much to do that often enough. I think developing Laurel’s character might eventually help the Laurel and Oliver relationship become more believable and natural. Again, there seem to be chemistry issues between Stephen Amell and Katie, but I also have to wonder how much the writing of Laurel has hindered that.
ANDY: I would actually say that it’s mostly the writing that has hindered it because when you have moments like they had in the Queen Mansion in “Sacrifice”, you know that there can be chemistry there and to me in that moment, there was.
MATT: I’m still undecided on that.
STEPHANIE: I kind of wished they had explored Laurel as a lawyer more because she was in that way fighting crime and I loved that idea, but it was so minimally shown that the sentiment was lost.
MATT: I agree, Steph. I was really rather disappointed at how little they did with Laurel being a lawyer, and even how her CNRI worked impacted her worldview. Settling for the love interest angle robbed her of a lot of motivation and characterization.

DIGGLE

MATT: Give us more with Dig’s pursuit of Deadshot. I really want to see that deepened and see Diggle far more active in it than just an episode every four or five.
ANDY: I can’t wait to see Diggle going up against Deadshot in season 2.
STEPHANIE: Agreed. Diggle on a mission of revenge but not getting too caught up in it that he loses his likability.
ANDY: The day John Diggle loses his likability will be as messed up as when Stephanie felt the season finale had too many fight scenes [Laughs]. In other words: it would take a lot for that to happen. The only thing I want to add about Deadshot is that I want more dialogue between him and Diggle when they meet each other again.
STEPHANIE: I would love to see more of his life outside of working with Oliver. We briefly got to see his apartment when Felicity visited, and he kind of had a romance going with Carly, so little things that make him a more well-rounded character. Maybe with Oliver’s loss of a friend, Diggle will decide to make relationships that count.
CRAIG: I’ve been happy how they seem to flesh him out little by little. Loved seeing where he lives, and I really like David Ramsey as an actor. I think/hope we’ll see more cooperation between him and Oliver, more of a meeting of the minds and the methods.
ANDY: I actually want flashbacks of him back in the war, maybe some personal moments that may have to do with why he is the way he is or perhaps something regarding his brother. I have nothing against Carly, but come on: he is dating his dead brother’s wife, that is just weird to me. Yeah, seeing his apartment again would be nice, as well as his life outside Team Arrow.
DEREK: Yeah, Diggle seems to have a rich history that’s barely been tapped yet. Even if he ends up breaking away from Oliver at some point, he could conceivably carry some of his own stories if he’s allowed.
STEPHANIE: It is weird that he’s dating her, but sweet that he has been keeping an eye on her well-being, right?
DEREK: The dating thing feels a little weird, but hey, whatever makes you happy. It’s a sweet little story.
ANDY: I guess from that perspective: yes it’s nice that he keeps an eye on her but you can do that without being in relationship.
CRAIG: The Carly thing doesn’t bother me much, because, hey, she’s not married anymore, they both care a lot for each other, and, I like Christie Laing a lot, so I’m automatically biased.
ANDY: Perhaps if they did flashbacks for him, maybe they could put Ted Gaynor to better use in the flashbacks as the role he had back then.
CRAIG: I’m not especially interested in Diggle’s past, but I wouldn’t be surprised if something or someone from Diggle’s past has a connection to Oliver’s time on the island.
DEREK: I also think it’s interesting that Diggle was the only character that didn’t personally lose much in the finale. I mean, he got stabbed, but everyone else lost people, their homes, damaged their careers, etc. So I could see him being kind of the “one sane man” at the beginning of the season. The cast lost everything, and he’s the one man who has no choice but to keep them all together.
MATT: Diggle definitely needs his own stories, even something beyond Deadshot. I like that there was such a strong focus on Oliver and his mission during the first season. He’s the lead and focal point of the show. But now we need to start getting into the lives of the others so that they become fully fleshed out as characters. Like Derek said, Diggle is a rich character and David Ramsey invests him with a strong internal history, that it’s a shame we don’t get to see more of his life and his own tangents.

THEA

CRAIG: I think Thea has finally gotten her sugar-honey-iced-tea together. I think this Roy storyline has been very good for her, and look: she has good aim, too. I’m really glad about this because Willa, in interviews, has been so enthusiastic to do more in the action department.
MATT: She’s getting out of school, right? So now is when she’s going to be going through the whole rigmarole of what she wants to do with her future. That coupled with the loss of her mother to prison and I’m sure the emotional abandonment of Oliver at first. I have a feeling she’s really going to be tied to Roy’s story, almost as if they both are stumbling into the world together to find themselves.
CRAIG: She needs to figure out what to do with her future, and that should be interesting to see. Even though everyone and their mother seems to be learning Oliver’s secret, I also expect Thea and/or Roy to know sooner rather than later.
STEPHANIE: I would like for her to find something to do with her time instead of having her hanging around the house or parties. The time she spent at CNRI led to her meeting Roy, and that has been great. Anything to keep her away from going back to a teenage rebel. Rebellious phases are natural but they can come off too stereotypical on TV.
ANDY: I want to see her school life for sure. I’m with you Steph: CNRI, Roy, etc made her a much better character so if they keep up with that for season 2, it’s all good. I do want to see her get, like Roy, a step closer towards becoming Speedy at some point.
DEREK: I like the idea of she and Roy teaming up and being an investigative duo about the Hood. I don’t know how far that could be stretched, but it would be fun.
MATT: It would be fun to get a little tete-a-tete going with them. That would make for a nice, fun little dynamic amidst the world of herodom on the show. Since we’re a long way away from Green Arrow and Birdie action, they can sort of fill in for that for the time being.
DEREK: I think it’ll be interesting seeing how she copes essentially being alone, family-wise. She complained about being alone and whatnot during her party phase, but with Moira in jail, Walter distancing himself and Oliver probably going dark and/or soul searching for a while, she’ll honest-to-god have to grow up. Though I do wonder if Walter might swoop in and take care of Thea during her mother’s absence. I wouldn’t be against more Colin Salmon.
MATT: He doesn’t seem like one who would abandon her in a situation like that.
ANDY: More Salmon, sign me up for that.
STEPHANIE: I like it. That would be a good way for Walter to return. Having raised Thea for the past several years and since Oliver has still been distant from Thea, Walter would be a perfect figure for her to lean on and look for advice, I think.
MATT: Didn’t I hear something about Colin getting a new show over in the U.K.? Might limit his availability.
DEREK: I’m not sure, honestly. If his availability is an issue, I hope they have a good reason for why he wouldn’t be around.
CRAIG: I’ve already pointed out how Walter surprised me; I’m sure a lot of that had to do with Colin Salmon’s charisma in the role. I do hope we haven’t seen the last of him.

ROY

CRAIG: I see lots of red hoodies in his future. Like I think I mentioned before, I feel we got a glimpse of his heroic nature in the finale, and that, too, might inform his fascination with “the Vigilante.” I hope they continue with that storyline and finally meet up. Really, that’s my biggest wish for Roy: More interactions with more characters. Colton’s comments in some interviews might make me think we’ll see him as part of a titanic team of teens sooner rather than later, but that might be wishful reading on my part.
DEREK: That might be interesting, seeing an Arrow version of that. Having kids raised in the Glades rise up in the aftermath, and Roy starts to lead them to do something or other. I could see lots of drama coming out of that.
MATT: I kind of like the idea of a group coming out of the ashes, but I’ve always liked that groups like that come from all sorts of places. I’m of the opinion that every hero in the Arrow-verse shouldn’t be from Starling City.
ANDY: I agree with you Matt: I hope that not every hero in the Arrow-verse is from Starling City. It makes the world bigger if we have heroes coming from different places.
MATT: I think Roy’s really going to be stepping up as he tries to help piece the Glades back together. It’s probably becoming a “No Man’s Land” like area with rampant crime, and he’s probably taking on his own hero missions. Wouldn’t be surprised to see he and Thea learning that together. Speedy & Speedy Associates?
STEPHANIE: Basically what has already been said: seeing him grow into a hero. I’m interested to see if he takes a break from actively tracking down The Hood with police radios and such in favor of fighting crime on his own to maybe catch the attention of The Hood and have The Hood seek him out, though I don’t really see Oliver wanting to team up at this point, maybe Oliver could go to Roy for information.
ANDY: I’m psyched to see Roy’s living situation and his attitude as a person after the events of “Sacrifice”; how did it change him? Where does he live now? I think we will see more hints of the hero throughout the season that he will become one day. I’m kind of down with what Steph suggested about Oliver going to Roy for information; that would be an interesting dynamic.
MATT: I want to see Roy really face some adversity. He actually seemed to charm his way through things in the first season or got lucky and had someone help him get through confrontations. The obvious exception is in “Salvation”, which brought him down a peg or two and began his change in thought and outlook. I’d like to see more of that to really peel aware his veneer. Not lose the fun qualities of his personality, but really strip him down to the bone on his ego and rebuild from there. Roy as the Hood’s informant for a while is a good way to connect to the two organically. I like it.
ANDY: He hasn’t really had many obstacles to face. For someone like him, he should be having some enemies of his own so I hope that will be shown a bit more in season 2. I want to find out more about his background, even get some references of his dad (would he most likely be dead in this universe?) because there are a lot of things that are interesting to explore about him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually becomes Red Arrow right ahead instead of Speedy. But whatever he becomes, I’m just glad that the show has Roy Harper in it and that Colton Haynes is doing such a fantastic job with the character.

MOIRA

ANDY: One thing that I think is safe to say is that Susanna Thompson will most likely not have a series regular status and probably have a similar capacity to John Barrowman’s status, but probably a few more than he did. It’s difficult to say what I want to see happen for Moira because we know that she is most likely in jail by now, so what do you do with that?
CRAIG: I hope Moira in prison isn’t something simple like when Lionel Luthor was in prison for a short time on Smallville and then bam, he wasn’t. Although, I do agree that if she’s locked up, her time on the show might be more limited.
STEPHANIE: I almost expect her to get out of her legal troubles within a few episodes, whether she does so herself or The Hood has something to do with it. I would think having Moira in jail for the season would get boring, unless as Andy mentions they decrease her appearances, which could happen since they have added series regulars, but I do think she will be punished in one way or another. She will be doing a lot of apologizing to Walter and her children.
CRAIG: I could easily see them using this as an excuse to phase her out for a bit, and that, too, although it makes sense, is something I’m not sure I want, because I do love Susanna Thompson. So… uh… I guess she could go either way? I know I sound indecisive here.
ANDY: One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to see her getting killed off any time soon, because I believe there is a chance for redemption for this character. If you look at it from a bigger perspective, this is a woman who has a strong heart for her family, but just sadly got in a horrible mess. I see right now, a scene with Moira in an orange prison suit, sitting on the one side of a glass with Thea or/and Oliver on the other side, where she breaks down because she has betrayed her children. That’s interesting Steph and that begs another question: would Oliver really be willing to break her out as the Hood, just because she is his mother? Or would Oliver feel that she needs to get consequences for what she has done?
STEPHANIE: I don’t think he would break her out of jail but rather work some scheme with the evidence against her. If Moira is broken out of jail, she’ll probably have to flee the city to escape more punishment, and what’s worse: having a mom in jail or having to cut ties with her for her own freedom? If I were Oliver or Thea, I’d still want her around even being mad at her.
ANDY: I’m almost wondering if she may be shown mercy by the Judge and the jury because she actually stepped out in the public and confessed about the Undertaking? I’m not saying that she won’t get sentenced to prison at all but maybe she will get a bit more merciful sentence.
DEREK: I just hope whatever way she’s gotten out, it realistically takes a bit of time, or is something very clever. I’d be disappointed if they pulled a Lionel Luthor and had someone randomly pay her way out of prison. That said, I don’t think story possibilities necessarily end at prison. Alias had Lena Olin spend the better part of her year as a regular simply delivering monologues and giving information behind glass, and it was still one of the best roles on that show. Susanna Thompson has an incredible presence about her, and they’ve built up her relationship with her family enough that she could carry more talky scenes.
STEPHANIE: Good point, Derek. I could see Susanna Thompson excelling at that, so long as her speech material is not confined to apologies and explaining herself. If they give her family matters and Queen Industries to discuss I would quite like that.
ANDY: Agree on both the things you just said. Also, does anyone here really want to see Thompson go so soon? I think the writers might surprise us all when the season starts.
MATT: I kind of like the idea of Moira being locked up for a long while and some the interactions that could take place because of that. Also, the possibility of Moira being a prison stooge for the Hood, managing to get some information on occasion from inside the walls that might prove useful. That could also put her at risk and offer storylines for her. I just think getting her released from prison would be a disservice to the story and her actions. At very least, she should serve some type of full sentence, which likely wouldn’t be as long as someone like Malcolm would have, but should last through the better part of the season, if not the whole season and into Season 3.
ANDY: I hadn’t even thought about the idea of the Hood using her to get some insider information. That could be fun, because how often does a hero have an insider that happens to be his mother who is in jail?
CRAIG: I really liked her own sacrifice in the season finale, though, and admire her bravery in doing it. She didn’t fail this city… at least she’s not failing it anymore. I could also see Oliver helping his mom out, from the outside, and her never even realizing her son the Hood is doing so much good. So, your suggestions as a prison contact for the Hood? Definitely. It could work; it could happen.
DEREK: It’s funny, at first I was worried that there couldn’t be enough for Moira at this point. But there are actually a lot of hugely different directions she could be taken in.
CRAIG: I think my opinion of Moira is a lot like my opinion of Thea: The writing of the character, coupled with the actress that is playing her, makes me want to see more. Funny considering neither really exist in the comic books. But both Susanna Thompson (as Moira) and Willa Holland (as Thea) add a bit to their characters. Though, really, I guess we could say that for almost any character, including Diggle, Felicity, Roy, Slade, etc… they’ve really been blessed with some great casting choices who give the roles 150%.
MATT: Oddly, I think both run the risk of not having much to provide to the story. But that could be flipped and offer a lot of possibility, as well.

QUENTIN

ANDY: More Smiling! I want to see him be a bit happier this season while being a strict detective that he has been since the show started.
MATT: like the ideas I’ve heard that Quentin is going to have to deal with the repercussions of his interactions with the Hood. That’s going to leave him on unsteady ground with the police. It also could really begin to foster the idea of him becoming a Gordon-like ally of Oliver’s.
ANDY: I do want to see him develop that Batman-Gordon relationship with the Hood this season, and because I loved Felicity and him teaming up, I want more of that as well.
CRAIG: At the very least, I expect or hope to see Quentin working with Felicity more. That dynamic was another part of the finale I liked a bit. And we know that anyone, even someone grumpy, can’t help but smile when interacting with Felicity.
DEREK: Yeah, I liked their interactions a lot. That would certainly help to pep him up.
CRAIG: I think it would be interesting and probably likely that Quentin will find out Oliver is the Hood before Laurel does. But I think it’s also likely he’ll take a dirt nap by Season 6.
DEREK: At the pace this show moves, by season 6 Oliver would have probably died twice and he’d be teaming with Green Lantern to stop another Crisis.
CRAIG: Did someone say Crisis? Friends, we now know who Justin Hartley will be playing… I mean, hell, we’ve already seen Harbinger. (And I’m kidding. I think. Well, not about Harbinger.)
MATT: I have a feeling Quentin will perpetually be on the chopping block.
DEREK: Despite all the gripes about Laurel, I do think her relationship with Quentin was pretty well handled. I’ve liked most of their scenes together. Giving her more scenes with her father, perhaps without as much of the tension, would be beneficial. I’d hope working with the Hood would give him more meaning and focus.
STEPHANIE: I hope Quentin eventually relaxes more and becomes slightly more laid back – not that police work should be lax, but the man needs to lighten up and loose the bitterness. I would also like to see his relationship progress with The Hood and him becoming more confident with being The Hood’s go to detective.
MATT: I don’t mind a craggy Quentin — I think the show could do with keeping someone like that — but he should have far more colors, as well. I’m just glad they kind of sussed out more of a particular performance by the end. When it would switch from Quentin being a smart ass, to a hard ass, to a hard-boiled ass from a ’40s crime noir, I had no clue what to make of the character.
STEPHANIE: Yeah, more stability in his demeanor would be nice.
DEREK: If Arrow plays around with its structure more, I’d be interested in seeing a “Day in the life” kind of episode for Quentin. Seeing what it’s like for this gradually more fantastical world from the perspective of the cops. It’s been done in other media, but it’d be a fun way to get some Quentin-centric stuff.
MATT: I’d love something like that.
ANDY: You could perhaps even throw some good stuff with Detective Hilton as well in a episode like that. Yes, I do like Quentin’s partner. Who happens to be a DC Character in case you didn’t know.
STEPHANIE: I would like that too, Andy. From doing the episode guides, I’ve realized that Detective Hilton has been in numerous episodes, but I don’t really know much about who he is as a character on Arrow.

FELICITY

CRAIG: Like Emily Bett Rickards, I’d like to see where Felicity lives. Does she have family? Do they wonder where she disappears off to?
ANDY: Well, I do want to see more of the good stuff that we got from her this season—her funny charming interactions with Oliver, being a bad ass on computers and IT and so on—but mostly, I want to learn more about her as a person. What does her home look like? What’s her backstory other than the stuff we heard in “The Odyssey”.
CRAIG: I might like for her to have some romance, although I know anyone she finds would have to be #2 in her heart, after Oliver.
ANDY: Am I the only one who would love to see her perhaps hooking up with Diggle?
CRAIG: If the story dictates it, I don’t see why not, but then again, hanky panky in the Arrow cave might really distract from the mission. The last thing I want is for them to start hooking characters up just because it’s convenient.
DEREK: I wouldn’t be against it, but I’m not sure I see any sparks. I like their close-coworker relationship. I’d see it more developing as a brother/sister thing, not unlike with her and Oliver.
MATT: If there should be romance in Felicity’s world, I would like to see it outside Team Arrow. And not just some silly one episode thing.
DEREK: “Felicity meets another hacker who’s a male, which means they automatically fall in love! Unfortunately he’s evil.”
CRAIG: Now I’m having Stuart flashbacks.
STEPHANIE: I’m sure anything with Felicity is bound to be great and humorous. I’d love for her to get her own storyline, like finding her own villain to go after, having a personal connection to a bad guy, something of that sort. I enjoy her quips and IT skills, so more of that. I’d like for her to find some romance, though I agree Diggle is too convenient and I don’t want to see her awkward comments to Oliver disappear.
ANDY: I like what Steph said about her finding her own villain, maybe another hacker that is as good as she is.
CRAIG: I think it’d be cute if Felicity had a boyfriend over at Queen Industries, and to see her coming up with excuses for why she needs to disappear and him just not getting it.
STEPHANIE: [Laughs] Having bad excuses for things like Oliver used with her.
CRAIG: Exactly, Stephanie. It would be fun.
ANDY: Well, she would probably be able to come up with better excuses than the BS that Oliver came up with all the time.
MATT: I’d like to see Felicity become the Oracle everyone thinks she should be. But, as I’ve mentioned before, she shouldn’t be the end-all tech solver for the team. I would love to see Felicity adopt “agents,” of a sort, kinda like the Shadow does. Have people she can turn to who have been saved by the Hood and offer assistance when she can’t accomplish something.
ANDY: You know what I really liked in the finale? When she was kind of representing the Hood when she was with Quentin: maybe she could do something like that with other people/clients.
MATT: That’s how I feel she plays a role. Being the contact for others who work with Team Arrow on an individual crisis basis. Then, Diggle could be a guy with connections to source weapons and other tactical stuff, in addition to training Ollie and Felicity.
ANDY:Well he does have connections within ARGUS and so on so that’s good.
MATT: Exactly. He knows people and groups like that. While Ollie knows guys like the Bratva.
DEREK: I hadn’t thought about how tactically sound just that team of three of them are. It hasn’t been quite as utilized yet, but I imagine there will be a point when they’re more free agents with the Undertaking gone. At least until they start going after the next Big Bad.
ANDY: If she ever gets a hacker villain: it has to be Allison Mack for sure.
MATT: If any Smallville regulars guest on the show, they should play characters very different from what they played on the earlier series.
CRAIG: Going against what Matt just said, I think if Allison Mack ever shows up on Arrow, it should be as Felicity’s older sister. But I’m thinking that aside from Hartley, if we EVER see a Smallville person on the show, it will be Cassidy Freeman or someone the general public doesn’t always associate with it from the early years.

SLADE AND SHADO

MATT: I think now that Fyers is taken care of on the island that we’re gonna see some butting of heads between Ollie and Slade as they try to figure out a way off the island. Plus, the mysterious lady who employed Fyers is going to want answers for why things went wrong. That’s likely going to fire this season on the island.
CRAIG: I think we’ll see one or both of them in the present day sooner rather than later. Probably Slade, since he’s a series regular. I also feel at some point, Oliver and Slade are bound to tick each other off, and that is not going to be pretty.
ANDY: I want to personally see some more allusions of their future roles in the comics. I do want to see Oliver getting trained by both of them at the same time as well as separate because they both bring different things to the table when it comes to Oliver’s training. I actually want to see Slade’s son Joe—depending on how old he is—because it’s a personal thing for Slade and that could possibly shake some things up on the island.
CRAIG: Slade has two other kids, Grant and Rose, who could also factor in somewhere. Rose is a bit of a ravager.
DEREK: Much as I like it when Slade and Oliver butt heads, if he does, ultimately, get driven to become a villain, I’ll be sad. But having such an immensely likable character become the Deathstroke of lore might be tragic enough to make for good TV.
ANDY: Yeah, but I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you Derek because while I do feel the same as you: I think he is gonna become evil somewhere in Season 3.
STEPHANIE: Same, learning what they’re up to now. It could be interesting to see a descent into darkness from Slade—I’d like to see the steps of it instead of him flipping a switch.
ANDY: I think it could be fun if we got some flashback scenes of him before the island. Something big and personal to him, that had nothing to do with his mission regarding Yao Fei.
CRAIG: As for Shado… I love Celina Jade, but I do wonder how this fairly nice, sensitive character will become the stoic, cold bad-ass that Shado is in the comics.
ANDY:I believe she can become that Shado that we know from the comics; she lost her father and that is probably one of the first steps of her.
DEREK: I don’t know much about Shado of the comics, so I don’t really have any predispositions. I like her so far. No idea where she’ll be taken next.
ANDY: You should read Mike Grell’s Longbow Hunters if you want to learn more about Shado. Fantastic book, some of the best artwork I have ever seen.
MATT: I really hope that Shado doesn’t become a point of contention between Slade and Ollie, from a romantic interest angle. I think a love triangle on the island would be a bad thing, and I’d hate for that to be the reason that the two guys are pitted against each other. Training philosophies between Slade and Shado as counterpoints for Ollie would be better as a catalyst, tying into events off the island. Obviously, Shado is going to be a romantic partner of Oliver, and will likely teach him his Chinese. Something is really going to bond them to the point that Oliver gets Shado’s tattoo on his shoulder. And I have a feeling that somehow that’s going to tie into the Russians, as well.

Not enough Arrow talk for you? This isn’t all! We’ll be going further in-depth with our speculation and hopes on season 2 next week. Check back as we discuss who we want to return, what other DC characters we’d like to see, the impact of the supplemental comic, and more!

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