The "Arrow" Season 4 DISCUSSION Thread
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I guess not co-signing that Texas and all it's citizens are podunk, backwards ass racist hillbillies is a bad thing on Twitter.
Generalizing the tweets: Stereotyping Texas as a racist state is just as bad as profiling Ahmed as a "threat" and he knows people from there that are good and non-racist, including his wife.
Yeah I get it now. This isn't a good look Stephen.
Yeah I get it now. This isn't a good look Stephen.
What's the demographics of the folks on Twitter saying that Texas and all it's citizens are podunk, backwards ass racist hillbillies?
guess if you check the #IStandWithAhmed hashtag you can see whatever Amell saw that made him 
for Texas.
New promo:
Norrin Radd
To me, my board!
Greatness
Brandeezy
Superstar
Producer's preview for the season premiere:
Look what Roy Harper is up to brehs:
The dirty blonde guy was in American Gladiators and dude throwing pizzas was in Little Giants.
Clark Wayne
Superstar
dude is a tv show hopper. He had good thing going with Teen Wolf but left after season 2. Then leaves Arrow after season 3.
I guess he's trying to break into film but I doubt he's going to get anything major anytime soon.
He had a small part in San Andreas but that's for only one damn scene in the beginning of the movie
Arrow Showrunner on Season 4 Introducing Damien Darhk, "Green Arrow" and More Humor
Wendy Mericle on a lighter and happier approach this year.
4 Oct 2015 By Eric Goldman
Having been with Arrow as a writer/producer from the show’s first season, Wendy Mericle is now serving as co-showrunner, alongside Marc Guggenheim, for Season 4, which premieres on Wednesday.
There’s a ton of new elements coming this season, starting with a new identity and costume for Oliver Queen, as he officially becomes Green Arrow. On top of that, there’s the new villain, Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), new allies like Curtis **** -- AKA DC Comics’ Mr. Terrific -- played by Echo Kellum and a promise from all involved that Season 4 will begin to lighten the tone of Arrow a bit – especially coming off a particularly angst-filled Season 3.
I sat down with Mericle to discuss Arrow: Season 4 and how the show is juggling their new inclusions with what’s already set up, keeping different sects of the fandom happy (including those deeply invested in “Olicity” vs. those wanting the comic book/action elements) and much more.
IGN: Last time I spoke to you, at Comic-Con, was just a few hours before the panel where you had the big reveal of the new costume and the name “Green Arrow” finally being used on the show. Obviously Oliver has gone through a lot and changed a lot. Now that he’s taken on the Green Arrow identity, how different will his approach be and persona be?
Mericle: It’s going to be very different. We like to think of the first three seasons as Oliver the soldier coming back from war. We never explicitly said PTSD but the implication certainly was there. In the pilot, he’s sleeping on the floor, he doesn’t have any appetite. This season, we’re going to see him in a very different place. When he leaves at the end of Season 3, he’s hung up the mantel, he’s very loved. He’s very happy where he is and that happiness and lightness and the new found faith in humanity that he has, as a result as this relationship with Felicity, is going to redefine how he approaches his mission and how he approaches his life in general and we’re excited about that. It’s a different Oliver. It’s still the same show and the same character but we’re seeing new colors in him.
IGN: The name change alone is one big thing but might we see bits of some of the facets that people traditionally identified with the comic book character a little more prominently?
Mericle: The humor. There’s a little bit more humor - and coming from Oliver as well. Stephen [Amell] plays a great straight man. He’s really good at that stuff. The other thing is the costume. It’s not sleeveless, but we tried to split the difference between where he was as the Arrow at the end of Season 3 and moving him towards the Green Arrow, which is the sleeveless costume and the lighter color. It’s fledgling on the Arrow so there’s a slightly different color green as kind of a nod to the comic book character. Those are the biggest things that change the most.
IGN: On the heels of several different prominent villains, what’s your approach to Damien Darhk? Obviously his skill set is very different but what sort of man is he and what sort of attitude does he bring and Neal bring to the show?
Mericle: Neal brings a very different energy and a very sort of -- it’s both grounded and supremely confident. Malcolm Merlyn was a very confident villain but Malcolm was vulnerable and has suffered loss. Damian doesn’t have those vulnerabilities. He is absolutely dedicated to his mission. We really wanted to explore someone who is a bona fide sociopath and he has a god complex and Neal brings this kind of very interesting grounded energy but he has those eyes that when he wants to be a badass, it’s like he could kill you with a look. It’s a nice balance. It’s different than anything we’ve seen in the show in the past. He’s amazing. He really is. He’s a tremendous actor and a joy to have on set. He’s been amazing.
IGN: Emily [Bett Rickards] has talked about the fact that she didn’t love that Felicity was in more of a morose, frequently crying place last season, and some fans shared that opinion. What is your approach with Felicity in Season 4? With Oliver and Felicity together and Oliver happier, is there a happier vibe for Felicity in general?
Mericle: There is. We hear that and it’s interesting to get that feedback and I know Emily had the same -- we’ve talked about it. The thing that I’ll say is sometimes your characters, like anybody in life, go through crucibles and you come out and now she’s in a very happy place with Oliver. She too is reenergized and excited and in love. Whereas with Oliver, it’s a new thing for him, it’s sort of bringing us back to the first two seasons of Felicity, where she’s not in that headspace where she’s upset or worried all the time. She’s happy. She’s enjoying life and she’s excited about whatever the future is going to bring.
IGN: What’s it like for you guys approaching the balancing act where you’ve got an element like Oliver and Felicity that’s hugely beloved by a big part of the fanbase, while there are going to be other parts of the fanbase that say, “I want the comic book, action stuff and I don’t want romance to take over the show”? How do you juggle what’s the right push and pull on that?
Mericle: It’s always a balancing act. And I feel on the show, having been there from the beginning, it’s always kind of been -- there are really three elements. There’s a procedural element, there’s a comic book element, and then there’s the grounded, relationship elements. The show, I think one of the reasons it’s been such a success, is we’re constantly shifting grounds between the three of those. I totally understand the fans -- if I was a comic book fan, I come from a more drama side of television and I understand there’s passion there and we need that. That informs the show in a big way. Half the staff is very well versed in the comic book universe and we always have DC there as a resource. But I think, by the same token, I come from the point of view of, hey, there are people that like action shows that might not know the mythology all that well, and we want to have some relatability on the show and people that can bring in people that don’t know that as well and I think that’s a viable aspect. There are a lot of fans of the show that don’t know that Green Arrow and Laurel Lance are supposed to be together forever and ever. That said, there is a balance. At the end of the day, we start our stories from an emotional place. That’s a [Greg] Berlanti thing and if we feel it’s emotionally right for Oliver and Felicity to be in a relationship now, that doesn’t rule out anybody else down the road But that’s kind of a process of us checking our guts and going “This feels right.”
IGN: Last time we spoke I was asking you the Constantine question so I’m very happy that it’s confirmed he's coming to the show now. Can you talk about bringing him in and should we just assume that this is literally the character from that TV show?
Mericle: Absolutely. He is coming in fully as who he was on the show. We’re getting wardrobe. We’re very excited to have him. He’s a tremendous actor. It’s so cool to have that cross-pollination. We are very lucky and DC was very generous letting us have him. It was born more out of the storyline for Sara Lance. We needed someone to come in and help bring her back. He felt like the most exciting possibility and we’re just thrilled to get him. He brings such a different element to the show.
IGN: Right now, it sounds like just a one off but is there a possibility of him returning to the show?
Mericle: Right now, it really was -- it’s born out of necessity for this particular story. I think Mark [Pedowitz] said, and Mark was right, it is a one off and this is what we’re focusing on right now.
IGN: You mentioned Sara. She’s coming back into the mix before going off to Legends of Tomorrow. Can you talk about how that’s going to affect the Lance family at this point? That is a messed up family!
Mericle: It’s a super messed up family! [Laughs] I mean, I think it’s really going to be about having her come back and exploring what it means to both Laurel and Captain Lance and what’s cool about it is we’re playing around with the emotional places that both those two characters are in, with respect to Sara. We’re going to end in some surprising places and we’re excited about that. I can’t give away too much because it’s a cool twist that Laurel and Lance will... When Sara does come back and moves on to Legends, it will have some big emotional impact.
IGN: What is the overall dynamic of the team this season? When Oliver left, he and Diggle were having some issues and Thea had just put on the costume for the first time. So how is that team working?
Mericle: I’m excited about that piece of it. Dig has obviously been in charge when Oliver was gone but I think it’s a more democratic way of working. Yes, Dig is in charge but Black Canary is a full-fledged bad ass and Speedy is as well. We’re going to come in and there’s two bad ass -- Speedy and Black Canary kicking ass with Dig and they’re fully capable of working without Oliver and he’s going to have to deal with that reality. We explored that a little bit in [episode] 312, when he had to come in after “The Climb” and was wounded. It’ll be a much bigger piece of the beginning of the season.
IGN: What about the flashbacks this season? Last year had a pretty specific, geographic switch up. What are we looking at this year?
Mericle: We’re going to be doing a similar geographic switch up, but really it’s a chance to explore magic and mysticism, which is part of Constantine coming onto the show and why we’re excited about it. It fits into this new element that we’re exploring. We started out with the show being very grounded. There was no magic, no metahumans, no superpowers. In Season 2, we had the Flash, so we had metas and in Season 3 we explored the League of Assassins and what kind of universe that is and now we get to go and skirt some bigger questions that are more about -- not necessarily religious but morality questions and questions of faith. Faith and humanity, specifically.
IGN: Last time we spoke I was asking you the Constantine question so I’m very happy that it’s confirmed he's coming to the show now. Can you talk about bringing him in and should we just assume that this is literally the character from that TV show?
Mericle: Absolutely. He is coming in fully as who he was on the show. We’re getting wardrobe. We’re very excited to have him. He’s a tremendous actor. It’s so cool to have that cross-pollination. We are very lucky and DC was very generous letting us have him. It was born more out of the storyline for Sara Lance. We needed someone to come in and help bring her back. He felt like the most exciting possibility and we’re just thrilled to get him. He brings such a different element to the show.
IGN: Right now, it sounds like just a one off but is there a possibility of him returning to the show?
Mericle: Right now, it really was -- it’s born out of necessity for this particular story. I think Mark [Pedowitz] said, and Mark was right, it is a one off and this is what we’re focusing on right now.
IGN: You mentioned Sara. She’s coming back into the mix before going off to Legends of Tomorrow. Can you talk about how that’s going to affect the Lance family at this point? That is a messed up family!
Mericle: It’s a super messed up family! [Laughs] I mean, I think it’s really going to be about having her come back and exploring what it means to both Laurel and Captain Lance and what’s cool about it is we’re playing around with the emotional places that both those two characters are in, with respect to Sara. We’re going to end in some surprising places and we’re excited about that. I can’t give away too much because it’s a cool twist that Laurel and Lance will... When Sara does come back and moves on to Legends, it will have some big emotional impact.
IGN: What is the overall dynamic of the team this season? When Oliver left, he and Diggle were having some issues and Thea had just put on the costume for the first time. So how is that team working?
Mericle: I’m excited about that piece of it. Dig has obviously been in charge when Oliver was gone but I think it’s a more democratic way of working. Yes, Dig is in charge but Black Canary is a full-fledged bad ass and Speedy is as well. We’re going to come in and there’s two bad ass -- Speedy and Black Canary kicking ass with Dig and they’re fully capable of working without Oliver and he’s going to have to deal with that reality. We explored that a little bit in [episode] 312, when he had to come in after “The Climb” and was wounded. It’ll be a much bigger piece of the beginning of the season.
IGN: What about the flashbacks this season? Last year had a pretty specific, geographic switch up. What are we looking at this year?
Mericle: We’re going to be doing a similar geographic switch up, but really it’s a chance to explore magic and mysticism, which is part of Constantine coming onto the show and why we’re excited about it. It fits into this new element that we’re exploring. We started out with the show being very grounded. There was no magic, no metahumans, no superpowers. In Season 2, we had the Flash, so we had metas and in Season 3 we explored the League of Assassins and what kind of universe that is and now we get to go and skirt some bigger questions that are more about -- not necessarily religious but morality questions and questions of faith. Faith and humanity, specifically.
IGN: There’s been a lot of guest star announcements for a lot of new characters. You hear some fans say, “I hope they don’t take over the show the main cast have enough time.” How do you juggle introducing new characters to bounce off of but still make sure your main characters have their own storylines?
Mericle: It’s always a challenge and we have a show that obviously has been around for a while and one of your tasks I guess, or more your tools for reinventing, is bringing new people on. One of the characters we're really excited about is Curtis **** and having Echo Kellum there and it's a new dynamic for Felicity to have scenes with but I think ultimately, in our mind, the season is about the core team -- it’s about Dig, Felicity and Oliver, and Laurel and Speedy. None of the new people are going to… They’re all there to explore and deepen our core [cast]. There’s no worries about anyone getting overrun .
IGN: You left off last season with Malcolm in a powerful new position. Can you talk about that storyline and how much that’s going to weave in and out of what’s happening in the city?
Mericle: Malcolm is definitely going to be a wild card. We like the idea of him reverting to the really scary, badass Malcolm. I don’t know if he’s going to keep that promise to Oliver. We’re not at the point in the season yet where we’re really breaking those stories but I think our intention is to have him come in and be a source of surprise and mess with Oliver. He knows all these characters better than Damien does. He also has ties to Damien, because they were both in the League. So we have a lot of opportunities for bringing him in it’s just finding the best and most surprising and fun ways to do it.
IGN: You’ve got a couple characters you've introduced that are moving to Legends of Tomorrow. What’s it like laying the seeds for them to go off to another series and incorporating the various crossovers?
Mericle: One of the things we did this year was really have someone in charge of just tracking all the different-- we have such a big universe now. The crossovers are so exciting but they’re challenging as well because you’re balancing where everybody is and these various places in the season. We really do arc stuff out in groups of nine. 1-9 and 10-18 and then the finales. If you don’t know where Barry is, you run the risk of… If you have him in episode 408, you have to make sure all the storylines line up. It gets complicated because you want to make sure you’re honoring the evolution of all these characters. We’re definitely doing that and it’s going to be fun and complicated.
Arrow Showrunner on Season 4 Introducing Damien Darhk, "Green Arrow" and More Humor - IGN