2x01
Air Date: Fall 2013 CW 9pm
Episode Synopsis: Stephen's Public Appearances
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Posted by Mary on May 21st, 2013
Arrow’s second season will be stepping up the action by featuring not just one overarching villain, but two!
Although the first season featured several smaller villains — The Count (Seth Gabel) and Edward Fyers (Sebastian Dunn), among them — Arrow’s season-long big bad was Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), who apparently died at the hands of Oliver (Stephen Amell) in the season finale.
“We made no secret of the fact that we subscribe to the Whedonesque model of having a big bad, and in Season 2, we’ll actually have two big bads,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim tells TVGuide.com. “They’ll both be very recognizable names to fans of the comic book. We’re really excited about both of them.”
Interestingly enough, Malcolm Merlyn has inspired the direction of the second season. “With Malcolm and the Dark Archer, we sort of had two big bads in one person,” he says. “In Season 2, we’re going to split them up essentially, and there will be a Malcolm-esque big bad and a Dark Archer-esque big bad.”
Naturally, fans of the Green Arrow comics may guess that Deathstroke will be the Dark Archer-esque villain of Season 2, with Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) destined to put on that infamous mask. Running the theory past Guggenheim, he responds, “If the question of Season 1 is, ‘What happened to Oliver on that island?’ The question of Season 2 is, ‘What happened to Slade Wilson on that island?’”
Regardless of who the two villains are, Guggenheim vows that the second season will be even more action-packed and exciting than the first. “We’re definitely trying to take the show to the next level in Season 2,” he says. “Obviously we’re feeling a lot of pressure, but also a huge desire to return with a few big bold statements that the show is not quieting down. If anything, it’s ramping up. It’s going to be cool. I’m really excited about both villains. We’ve set the bar pretty high for ourselves in terms of ending with a bang, and we’re looking to exceed that in Season 2.
Who do you think will be the two new big bads next season? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
Arrow returns this fall on The CW.
Source: http://www.tvguide.com/
Posted by Mary on May 17th, 2013
The Arrow season finale literally and figuratively rocked viewers’ expectations after killing off a major character and destroying half of The Glades.
In Wednesday’s episode, Oliver (Stephen Amell) was able to defeat the Dark Archer (John Barrowman), and Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne) was able to disable the Undertaking device. However, Malcolm Merlyn had a backup plan. As the second device leveled half of The Glades, Tommy (Colin Donnell) lost his life, Roy (Colton Haynes) tried to be a hero and Oliver lost his reason for being a vigilante. What does this mean for Season 2? TVGuide.com turned to executive producer Marc Guggenheim to get the scoop:
Everyone assumed that you would have Tommy eventually become the Dark Archer. Why did you decide to kill him off instead?
Marc Guggenheim: It really had nothing to do with his trajectory as the Dark Archer. It really had to do with the fact that we wanted Oliver to suffer a loss at the end of the season. When we thought about the characters that he could lose who would have the biggest impact not just on Oliver, but on the show, Tommy was the name that rose to the top very quickly. Tommy’s death impacts pretty much every member of our cast. Obviously his death impacts Oliver and Laurel (Katie Cassidy), but there’s a closeness between Thea (Willa Holland) and Tommy that we’ve established on the show, Lance, obviously because of the connection that Laurel has with Tommy and Moira (Susanna Thompson) because of her responsibility with Tommy. He’s the one character whose death would have the biggest impact. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mary on May 17th, 2013
There was a lot of death and destruction in the Season 1 finale of Arrow, “Sacrifice,” but no one paid a bigger price than Tommy (Colin Donnell). Fans everywhere screamed at their TVs as they watched Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) best friend save Laurel’s life only to get trapped in a collapsing building. Oliver arrived just in time to trade tearful goodbyes as Tommy bled out, and with his final breath, Arrow Season 1 ended.
“It was really tough,” Amell tells us of learning Tommy’s fate. “When [Donnell] found out, I was the next person to find out. We went for coffee.” Sounds like their bromance carries over into real life!
Tommy’s demise was the death no one saw coming. “I’m very gratified and happy because it is so hard in today’s Internet world to actually surprise an audience. We managed to surprise a fair chunk of people,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim says. “As far as why Tommy, we wanted Oliver to face a crisis in the last episode and basically face defeat and a loss … [Tommy's death] is the one loss that affects all the characters. It affects Oliver and Laurel, obviously, but it even affects Thea — and it affects Moira because now she’s partially responsible for the death of Oliver’s best friend. Tommy’s death sends a ripple effect throughout the entire cast.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mary on May 16th, 2013
When I interviewed Arrow exec producers Mark Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg recently, they said that tonight’s finale was more like a feature film. They weren’t kidding.
From terrific action sequences to some incredibly poignant moments, the episode wrapped up this season’s most pivotal storylines and set the stage for a stellar season 2 in a way that was both cinematic and substantial. Oh and of course, thanks to the final scene, absolutely shocking. (Now, before you read the next sentence, remember I’m writing this from the perspective of someone who has not read the comics. For those of you who have an idea of where this arc is headed, please keep spoilers to a minimum in the comments. Speculation however is totally welcome).
I knew someone was going to die in the finale, but not once did I think it would be Tommy. Thea? Sure. Lance? Why not! Moira? Maybe. But Tommy?! Well played, writers. Well played.
Don’t worry. The death will be discussed in detail below, but first let’s back up to the start of the episode… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mary on May 16th, 2013
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do a first season!
Season 1 “Arrow” ended tonight with an epic, heartbreaking, and completely shocking episode. We said a tragic goodbye to Tommy Merlyn, and the rest of Starling City was left hanging. So what’s in store for Season 2? The cast and executive producers aren’t spilling much, but we managed to wring a few vague teases out of E.P. Andrew Kreisberg and series star Stephen Amell.
1. More Deadshot! If you were wondering what happened to Diggle’s vendetta against Floyd Lawton, the assassin murdered his brother, rest assured that it’s still burning him up. “Diggle’s pursuit of Deadshot is going to be a big part of Season 2,” Kreisberg reveals. “The finale was already bigger and crazier and more nuts than we ever envisioned, so it’s not like we dropped the ball with that story, it story was just a story we knew could live on into Season 2. Don’t worry. It is far from dropped.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mary on May 15th, 2013
With Arrow’s first season finale airing Wednesday at 8/7c, TVGuide.com thought it would be a good time to look back at The CW’s super series as a whole, and see if they heeded our original advice on how to make a show about DC Comics’ emerald archer work.
Last summer, we gathered a list of 12 things that Arrow should and shouldn’t do in order to be a successful series based on tried-and-true heroic formats, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Green Lantern, Batman Begins and superhero predecessor Smallville. Let’s take a look and see if they listened:
1. Give fans what they want. Oliver (Stephen Amell) was very quick to put on the Green Arrow suit — in the pilot, no less! But other big canon moments from the comics have already found their way into the series, namely coming from his time on the island and introductions of other DC Comics characters (see below), as well as nods to other supeheroes like the Green Lantern with Ferris Air. Ruling: Achieved. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mary on May 11th, 2013
With the Undertaking drawing near, Oliver is in the worst place he could be to save The Glades: Malcolm Merlyn’s captivity.
In Arrow’s penultimate episode, Oliver (Stephen Amell) set his sights on Malcolm (John Barrowman), unaware that his former best friend’s father is actually the Dark Archer who once defeated him. Now, make that twice. Will Oliver be able to free himself from Merlyn and stop the Dark Archer’s evil plans of leveling The Glades? TVGuide.com turned to executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg for an in-depth interview on the finale, including Oliver and Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) future, a new side of Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and a Thea (Willa Holland) moment that may make fanboys happy:
What’s in store for the finale, scarily titled “Sacrifice”?
Marc Guggenheim: It’s a culmination of a lot of different things. It’s a culmination of our season-long mythology, what we call the Undertaking, as well as the character dynamics that really were set up in the pilot, both in terms of Moira’s (Susanna Thompson) duplicity, as well as the love triangle between Oliver, Laurel and Tommy. That really reaches a boiling point in the finale. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mary on May 9th, 2013
Is Oliver ready to hang up the Hood? In tonight’s penultimate episode, he certainly seems tempted to do so. After months of struggling with his double life, Oliver realizes that the key to his freedom — and maybe even a relationship with Laurel — lies with destroying The Undertaking. Speaking of Laurel, the two finally get it on. But was it everything you had hoped it would be? (You know, assuming you actually cared about them enough to hope for anything).
We’ll discuss below, but first, let’s dial back to the start of an episode, which — with its two exits, one hook-up, and non-stop revelations — both set the stage and raised the stakes for next week’s finale.
As The Undertaking approaches, the Dark Archer is busy tying up loose ends. The episode kicks off at a lab inside Unidac Industries, where DA kills pretty much everyone in sight, including his go-to seismologist Brian Markov, and two unsuspecting scientists, who just moments before were planning to grab a drink after work. Needless to say, their work day ended with a not-so-happy hour.
At the hideaway, Diggle and Felicity give Oliver an update on Moira. The duo have been tracking her for the past few days to get intel on Walter’s abduction and The Undertaking, but Mrs. McQueen hasn’t made a single misstep. Oliver decides he’ll just have to confront Moira himself, but Felicity isn’t on board with the idea. “The last time the vigilante paid your mom a visit, you got shot and I got to play doctor with you,” she says. Then, after realizing what she actually said, she does a a face-palm, and adds: “Ugh, my brain thinks of the worst way to to say things.” That it does, Felicity. Her little spiel however doesn’t sway Oliver, who decides to move ahead with his plans. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mary on May 2nd, 2013
This week’s Arrow was all about lessons: Moira learned that she couldn’t trust Malcolm. Oliver learned that he needed Dig. Felicity learned that she can hold her own in an underground casino but still needs Arrow to save her. And everyone learned a little bit more about acting! (Watching Katie Cassidy’s dance toward greatness is its own special reward: one step forward, two steps back.)
“The Undertaking,” written by Jake Coburn and Lana Cho, begins to pay off on some of the season’s longest arcs: Walter re-enters. Moira is revealed to her son. Oliver comes clean to Laurel. It’s narrative-by-numbers from several weeks off — the season finale is in a few weeks, if the whir of increased momentum didn’t give you any indication — that does nothing to downplay the narrative’s appeal. Dig and Ollie scowl at one another! Then make up! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mary on May 1st, 2013
Who was Oliver Queen before the island?
The CW’s Arrow kicks off the final three episodes of its rookie season with an hour titled “The Undertaking,” an installment that doesn’t flash back to Oliver (Stephen Amell) on the island, but rather to days before he even stepped foot on the Queen’s Gambit.
“In a way, it’s a trilogy of episodes. They’re interlocked and it’s a three-part ending,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Once it starts, it’s really pedal to the metal.”
The Arrow executive producer talks to THR about the non-stop action that awaits as season one wraps up and how the finale, titled “Sacrifice,” sets up for the sophomore run. Read the rest of this entry »
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