The long-lasting success of Smallville wasn't exactly a shock, since everyone knows and loves Superman. But even though Green Arrow is far less of a proven commodity with TV viewers, Arrow has met with similar success in its first season. Audiences have responded well to the ongoing saga of Oliver Queen and his close circle of friends, allies, and enemies within Starling City. This season has seen Ollie develop a reputation as a vigilante and slowly unravel a conspiracy involving many of the city's most rich and powerful families. Those running threads are culminating over the course of the final three episodes of Season 1, beginning with the revealing episode titled "The Undertaking."
We had the opportunity to chat with Arrow Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg to find out more about what this last batch of episodes holds in store for our hero. Kreisberg discussed the state of Ollie's relationships with his partner Diggle and best friend Tommy, the truth behind the Undertaking, and what fans can expect from the flashback scenes. Kreisberg even dropped a few hints as to the course Arrow will take in Season 2. Did someone say Diggle flashbacks? Read on to find out more.
IGN TV: Probably the biggest development from this last episode was that Diggle and Ollie had sort of a bad break-up. How would you say that rift is going to play out over these last three episodes?
Andrew Kreisberg: We're incredibly proud of the relationship we've developed between Oliver and Dig over the course of the season, going from this place of distrust to friends and partners. This is less of a permanent schism and more of a bump in the road. Their friendship and partnership is at the heart of the series.
IGN TV: Diggle has often been this voice of reason as he's tried to keep Ollie from becoming to consumed by this mission of his. Do you think their roles have become reversed a little now?
Kreisberg: Definitely. With Dig, Deadshot is clouding him slightly. And Oliver is also clouded, because he's been avoiding looking at his mother too closely. A big part of what's going to happen over these next few episodes is that Oliver is going to have to confront the most dangerous person in his life, who happens to be sleeping down the hall from him.
Even without Diggle, Ollie is ready to get back into the game.
IGN TV: You mentioned Deadshot, and last week was the third time he's appeared so far. Are we going to be seeing any more of him this season?
Kreisberg: Umm... maybe? [laughs]
IGN TV: [laughs] There have been references to A.R.G.U.S. and the fact that they want to bring in Deadshot themselves. Is there any chance you're building towards the eventual appearance of Amanda Waller and the debut of the Suicide Squad and elements like that?
Kreisberg: The Suicide Squad is definitely something we've discussed with DC Comics. There's no definitive plans right now to introduce Amanda Waller, but certainly we carefully chose A.R.G.U.S. and did not make Lyla Michaels work for the FBI or CIA. A.R.G.U.S. is the S.H.I.E.L.D. of the DC Universe, and it felt like a fun thing to introduce into our world. And we hope it'll play a bigger role in Season 2.
IGN TV: Even as Ollie lost touch with Dig in this episode, it seemed like you guys were setting the stage for Thea and Roy to join up with him. Can you talk about how much their hunt for the vigilante is going to be a focus in these episodes?
Kreisberg: Everything that we've set up in the last couple episodes is going to play out in the final three. Everyone is sort of on a collision course. Oliver with his mother and Malcolm, and Thea and Roy closing in on Oliver. There's big, emotional stakes coming up and a lot of conflicts and relationships coming these characters' way in the last couple of episodes.
IGN TV: And one character I definitely want to focus on is Tommy, because he went through a lot of emotional turmoil in this last episode, between his conflicted relationship with Ollie and breaking up with Laurel. What state of mind is he in in these final three episodes?
Kreisberg: I think Tommy has a lot of issues with Oliver. In [Wednesday's] episode he's going to reveal a secret to Laurel, but probably not the one that people are expecting. Colin Donnell has just been delivering amazing performance after amazing performance the last few weeks - 19 and 20 and in these last few episodes. He's really coming into his own as a character, and it's been so much fun writing this new iteration of Tommy. Tommy is at the heart of everything. His father is the big bad of the season. His best friend is the hero. And they're both in love with the same girl. There's a lot of emotional turmoil going through Tommy, and as everyone sort of fights for Tommy's soul, it's going to be grand and epic.
IGN TV: We've seen him turn away from his friends and more or less return to his father's fold in these last few episode. Is he going to be forced to choose where his allegiances lay by the end of this season?
Kreisberg: Absolutely. I mean, these last three episodes are definitively about Tommy choosing his allegiances. There's a certain subset of fans who think they know where this is going to go, and I think they're going to be shocked and surprised at how it plays out.
IGN TV: And that's one thing I've really liked about Tommy so far. His last name is Merlyn, so you assume he's going to turn out like Merlyn in the comics. But I think you guys have done a good job so far in terms of subverting expectations and keeping things unpredictable.
Kreisberg: Thanks. It's always interesting because there are two types of fans. You've got the people who only watch the show and don't know the comic books and are just enjoying the show on its own merits. And then you've got this whole other set of fans who know these characters in and out and know where they go and who they marry and all that. They think that it's like when people go to the movie after reading the book and you already know what's going to happen. As writers, one of the trickiest and most fun aspects of crafting the show is defying everyone's expectations so that the show is fresh and fun for everyone. So if the comics go one way, sometimes we go down that path and sometimes we don't. But we always do it consciously in order to make the show exciting and fresh and new so that no one is too far ahead.
Continue to Page 2 for more on what's to come on Arrow.
Source : ign[dot]com
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