When Colton Haynes was confirmed to return as a series regular for Arrow season 7 this past spring, the fanbase understandably began dancing in the streets. After all, who wouldn’t want to see Star City’s Dynamic Duo of Green Arrow and Arsenal reunite and kick some serious butt?
Well, at the moment, it’s looking like the dream team coming together for another tour has been put on hold because not only is Oliver Queen behind bars, but Roy Harper’s role on the show seems to be confined to flash forwards for the foreseeable future.
You see, those new flash forwards kicked off by showing Ollie’s son, William, venturing to Lian Yu at some point in the future, only to come across a grizzled and reclusive Roy. How both get to there is anybody’s guess, though I certainly can’t wait to find out.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, new showrunner Beth Schwartz didn’t divulge any major plot points to come, but she did tell us all to pay close attention to tonight’s episode:
“You’ll see a lot more in episode 2 that he’s much darker,” Schwartz says of the 20 years older, Lian Yu resident Roy. “He’s definitely been burned. There will be a lot of mysteries to reveal throughout the season about what happened to him in that time span. We don’t like the happily-ever-afters, apparently.”
Right now, my gut tells me that Roy could show up for present day sequences later this season because it’d be more exciting to see why he’s in exile rather than just hearing him talk about why. Then again, we must consider the possibility of seeing flashbacks in the flash forwards, if that makes sense.
For more on what’ll go down tonight on “The Longbow Hunters,” be sure to check out the official synopsis:
LOCKED UP — Following Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) shocking decision to turn himself over to the FBI and reveal his identity as the Green Arrow to the public, Oliver has spent the past five months in Slabside Maximum Security Prison. Determined to keep a low profile to shorten his sentence for the sake of his family, Oliver is tested when he runs into old foes. Meanwhile, Diggle (David Ramsey) and Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) have taken on new jobs and left their costumes behind but not everyone is following suit. With her focus on William (guest star Jack Moore), Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) tries to start over but when someone from her past resurfaces, things become complicated. James Bamford directed the episode written by Beth Schwartz & Oscar Balderrama (701).
Arrow airs on Monday nights on The CW.
