A lot can happen when you get the cast and showrunners of Arrow in a room together at SDCC, and this year was no different.
We got some exciting tidbits about what to expect in season 4, especially regarding Olicity and the new Team Arrow dynamic, as well as some great insight into how these actors see their characters.
Marc Guggenheim and Wendie Mericle sat down with us to talk all about season 4, and especially about the general themes for the season and that new big bad, Damien Darhk.
Wendie spoke up first to let us know that Olicity is in fact going to be together when we get back in the premiere, and they intend for them to be together for a while and explore those dynamics. “They’re gonna be very happy at the start of season four, and what we really want to do this season is explore what it’s like to try to have a relationship in the Arrow cave, and outside.”
Marc then gave us some information about what we can expect from Damien Darhk, and explained how their incarnation may look a little bit different from what you may have seen in the comics. “We’re going older than the Damien from the comics. It’s in keeping quite frankly, with our normal philosophy by this point, which is we use the comic books as a starting off point, not an ending point. Our version of Damien is different from the other kids of big bads we’ve had on the show before. He’s got a malevolence that Malcolm just did not have.”
We were also happy to get a chance to talk to David Ramsey, who had a lot to say about how things will be between Oliver and Diggle when Oliver and Felicity return from their time away. Diggle has some concerns, but they don’t come from a place of anger. David said, “Diggle is past being angry, it’s not just about he kidnapped my wife and left my child at home. He was pissed, but he just understands that this man does things a certain way, and that’s fine, he just can’t work with it. It’s gonna take some time to mend it.” While that may sound ominous, he followed it up with assuring us that, “Both these men love each other. Yes, they do.”
We were happy to welcome Stephen Amell, the one and only Oliver Queen, to our table, and he let us behind the curtain about all of those favorite Olicity moments that we’ve drooled over the last 3 seasons. When we asked about how he and Emily Bett Rickards take time to make sure that their relationship comes off as realistic and natural as possible through little touches, Stephen talked about one example, “I think when I left in 3×09 last year, I don’t think it was scripted that I kissed her on the forehead.” He went on to say that, “With Emily, it always tended to be little physical things, like, her touching my shoulder, or her mentioning that she dyes her hair.” With a pairing as important to the fandom as Olicity, it’s comforting to know that the actors are as dedicated to make it special as we are excited to watch for each little touch.
To end his short time with us, Stephen made sure to reassure us that with his work as Casey Jones on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 over the hiatus, he has some new skills to use if necessary. “I’ll tell you, after this hiatus, if Oliver needs to fight with a hockey stick or a baseball bat, we’re all good.”
Lastly, we got a couple of minutes with Emily Bett Rickards, and she reminded us that, “I feel that she’s gonna start off lighter, which is gonna be great, because I feel that she emotionally exhausted herself last season.” We couldn’t agree more. Last season really took it’s toll on Felicity, and we couldn’t be more excited to see her get a few happy moments before the next big bad puts her on his radar.
We were also interested to know what she thought about Felicity’s being a different kind of strong woman on TV, and what it means to her to portray that difference. “I think it’s authentic to her and women out there. We can all be strong and we can do it a hundred different ways.” We couldn’t agree more, and it’s encouraging to see that characters like Laurel and Thea can go out and do the physical ass-kicking, while Felicity can stay in the Arrow cave and do some digital ass-kicking, and no one sees any of them as weak or docile.
She went on to express that, “You don’t need to be the patriarchal definition of strong to be strong,” which is one sentiment we can definitely get behind.