This week's "Fundamentals" episode of
Arrow was one of the best episodes of the show's entire sixth season. The episode featured a strong performance from Stephen Amell as Oliver experienced a myriad of Vertigo-induced hallucinations, led by the surprise return of fan favorite villain Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra), a.k.a. Prometheus.
During "Fundamentals," Amell was live tweeting to share some thoughts on the episode and how it came together. He noted that the early scene between Oliver and Diggle was initially longer but was shortened in the editing room, resulting in an adjustment of the dialogue; though he preferred the original scene, he did say accuracy was important. He did also specify that all of the police officers Oliver took down in his epic infiltration of the police department were unconscious.
In an episode with a heavy focus on hallucinations, Amell noted they had to break down almost every scene because they were dealing with Oliver's subconscious, a process that was exhausting and made Amell feel "itchy." The hallucinations forced Oliver to come to grips with his life as the Green Arrow, and Amell touched on the fact that Oliver can never seem to get a break:
Amell was however excited to work with Paul Blackthorne in the episode, calling it a rare but terrific moment for Oliver to share an extended scene with Quentin: "
Lie detector in S1, Van in S3, Apartment in S4... always love it!" In reference to Oliver accidentally destroying William's science project, Amell joked "
bottom line: Oliver can only see that Flash backpack so many times." Overall, Amell seemed very proud of "Fundamentals" and congratulated the episode's director while also hilariously thanking Josh Segarra for his guest appearance:
Amell also took to Instagram after the episode aired to chat with fans before he had to return to the set of Arrow and continue filming. He stated that it was a very big challenge to shoot "Fundamentals," and noted that the Oliver-centric episode “mirrors an episode in which I have less screen time than EVER," which he described as feeling peculiar. Amell is presumably talking about next week's episode "The Dragon" which will focus on Ricardo Diaz.
More importantly though, Amell was asked what we can expect in season 7 and joked that this assumes Oliver survives the season finale. Amell then shared that "I think you can expect a different hairstyle from Oliver. All around, different hairstyle," motioning all over his head and face.
Could Amell be hinting that we will see Oliver receive his classic comic book goatee? Amell has previously promised that the iconic goatee would appear on Arrow in the future before the series ends. If fans remember, Oliver did actually sport a version of his goatee in the great Legends of Tomorrow season 1 episode, "Star City 2046," where Amell portrayed a weathered, battle hardened version of his character from a dark future. Season 7 would be a perfect time for Oliver to receive an upgrade in the facial hair department, albeit with less gray.
Be sure to share your thoughts below on Amell's insight into "Fundamentals" and hints at what we may see from Oliver in Arrow's seventh season!
