Arrow season 4, episode 19, “Canary Cry,” sees the team dealing with the death of one of their own.
Arrow returns from a short break to delve into the aftermath of Laurel’s death. In the previous episode, Malcolm Merlyn helped Damien Darhk regain his magic, which led to a prison riot. When the vigilantes arrived on scene, Darhk stabbed Laurel in revenge for Quentin testifying against him in court. Though Laurel initially made it through surgery and shared a touching scene with her friends, she went into cardiac arrest and passed away.
The synopsis for Arrow season 4, episode 19, “Canary Cry,” reads:
“OLIVER, LANCE AND TEAM DEAL WITH LAUREL’S DEATH — Oliver (Stephen Amell) and the team struggle to come to terms with Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) death, especially Diggle (David Ramsey) who is overwhelmed with guilt for choosing to believe Andy (guest star Eugene Byrd) had changed. Meanwhile, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) refuses to believe his daughter is really gone and asks Nyssa (guest star Katrina Law) to help bring her back. A recent Black Canary sighting in Star City only seems to prove his theory that Laurel isn’t actually dead. Laura Belsey directed the episode written by Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz (#419).”
This episode will feature Laurel’s funeral, and it’s heartbreaking to realize Sara won’t be there because she’s time traveling on Legends of Tomorrow. It’s going to be difficult to watch some upcoming episodes of Legends knowing that Sara is unaware of her sister’s death.
This episode of Arrow will also introduce Supernatural alum Madison McLaughlin in a mystery role. Many are theorizing that McLaughlin will be playing the Black Canary whose sightings give Lance hope that his daughter may still be alive, but her part in the episode is being kept under wraps for now.
EP Marc Guggenheim says of McLaughlin’s character, “She’s in a circumstance that is very dependent upon [Laurel’s death. Arrow writer] Brain Ford Sullivan pitched a very interesting story involving her character that is something we haven’t done on the show, and is something I don’t think any show has ever done.”