TVline sat down with Arrow's executive producers Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim to discuss last night's episode and what comic books fans have to look forward to in the episodes ahead.
On Sara's relationship with Nyssa
The decision to have a romantic relationship between Nyssa and the younger Ms. Lance “was really more about Sara than anything else,” explains Kreisberg. “We thought about this at the beginning of the season. If you watch [Episode] 205, there’s a reference to ‘the beloved’ and ‘you think that’s going to keep you safe.’ We talked about, ‘Does Ra’s al Ghul have a son?’ Then we were like, ‘Could it be Talia?’ We felt like Talia had just been done in the movies.” Ultimately, one of the writers suggested Nyssa, which “felt like something new and different.”
Is Sara the first bisexual super-heroine on screen?
Kreisberg maintains that the pairing isn’t meant to be “salacious.” Rather, “It’s a pretty chaste relationship from what you see on screen,” he continues. “For us, it just touched on a couple of interesting things like the idea that Sara found herself in this terrible world and found this one person who treated her with love and kindness.” And although Sara ends the episode reuniting with Oliver, “We actually specifically avoid using the term ‘bisexual,’” points out Guggenheim. “We didn’t want to label her at all.”
WIll we see more of Nyssa? What about her and Oliver?
Her past will come back to haunt her: Katrina Law will reprise her role as Nyssa later this season. As for whether Sara and Oliver are a couple now, “That’s actually part of the journey of these next five episodes,” reveals Kreisberg. “Oliver has not had many successful relationships, and part of him and Sara moving forward is [the question of], ‘Is this something that can work given both of our [pasts]?’”
Felicity Smoak's family history and secrets
Felicity fans finally got some much-wanted backstory about the IT gal this week – and there’s more to come! Make sure to remember the tidbits Ms. Smoak dropped about her parents, because “There are two massive things that are going to happen towards the end of the season that you heard in that speech that will payoff,” teases Kreisberg.
Oliver vs Moira
The cold war between Oliver and Moira is not going to go unnoticed by anyone,” previews Kreisberg. Meanwhile, despite her stint in prison and the collapse of her relationship with her son, Moira “still really hasn’t had her come-to-Jesus moment… and that’s coming,” teases the EP. Her lie “is going to have far-reaching implications for the characters.” Guggenheim adds that there’s even more deception to come. “There’s just lies all over the place in this whole family… Can you have a family, even, based on lies?” And Oliver, often a liar himself, is going to realize “that as much as he despises his mother, he’s actually a lot more like her than he wants to admit,” says Kreisberg.
Team Arrow version 2.0
With Roy and Sara’s additions to the group, “The cave’s getting full,” says Kreisberg with a laugh. “It used to be a place where Oliver said, ‘Everybody jump,’ and everybody else said, ‘How high?’ What you’re going to start to see is that other people have differing opinions.” Guggenheim says the next episode also will explore “Felicity’s reaction to Sara, the new member of Team Arrow,” as well as what her addition means for the team, Felicity — and Oliver and Felicity.