Arrow executive producer Andrew Kreisberg previews a Black Canary trilogy of episodes beginning in the new year.
Before a fan screening of the upcoming Arrow/Flash crossover, Kreisberg previewed what’s in store for Laurel.
In terms of the crossover, Laurel will not head to Central City for the Flash portion. According to Kreisberg, while “Laurel appears in the Arrow episode,” her presence is limited. However, that is by design.
“[W]e’ve been building up to her appearance as the Black Canary. We sort of said that Sara was the Canary, but Laurel is the Black Canary,” Kreisberg explains. “Episodes 10, 11 and 12 are a three-part trilogy that are about her. And episode 13 I think I can spoil, is called ‘Canaries.’ For fans of Laurel and for fans of Katie [Cassidy], they’re going to get more than their fill after the winter break.”
The crossover event takes place in episode 8 of both The Flash and Arrow, and the midseason finales will then be episode 9, airing the following week on December 9 and 10 respectively. That means that the Laurel-centric episodes will start with the midseason premiere in early 2015.
The murder of Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) has been the driving mystery of the first half of season 3, and that story will take a major step forward with the Flash crossover as Felicity seeks help from Caitlin at S.T.A.R. Labs. However, the mystery won’t be solved by episode 9, when Nyssa returns to Starling City with an ultimatum from Ra’s al Ghul, giving Oliver 48 hours to find Sara’s killer before the League of Assassins starts killing the citizens of Starling City.
Since Sara’s murder, Laurel has been training with former vigilante and boxing champion Ted “Wildcat” Grant in order to learn to find justice outside of the courtroom. And, according to executive producer Marc Guggenheim, Laurel’s arc won’t end once she suits up.
“What Laurel is going to discover is that being a hero is more than wearing a mask and that wearing a mask and costume does not a hero make,” he explains. “It’s not going to be an easy road for Laurel no matter how quickly she suits up.”
We also know that Lotz has a multi-episode contract for this season, and the EPs have expressed a desire to see her back, so an episode titled “Canaries” is likely to feature her in some way — perhaps flashback — as well.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on The CW.