When it was announced last spring that Colton Haynes would be returning to Arrow as a series regular, it’s fair to assume that fans around the globe let out a small cheer upon reading the news. After all, not only is Roy Harper a beloved comic book character, but viewers really took to Haynes’ rendition of him.
Naturally, we assumed that Roy would reclaim the mantle of Arsenal and regroup with Team Arrow in the present, though that guess ultimately proved to be incorrect. Instead, he’s featured prominently in the flash forward segments, including last month’s trip to the future in “Star City 2040.”
Cool as all that is, I’d have felt cheated if Roy didn’t appear in at least one episode set during the present time. Fortunately, we know when his reunion with Oliver and company will occur – and it’s all thanks to the official synopsis for “Confessions”:
ARSENAL RETURNS TO HELP THE TEAM — When they learn of an upcoming attack on the city, Team Arrow calls Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) to help them stop the Ninth Circle. However, things go awry and there is massive collateral damage. As Captain of the SCPD, Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) investigates what happened in an episode that takes on a true crime narrative and tone. Tara Miele directed the episode written by Onalee Hunter Hughes & Emilio Ortega Aldrich (#720). Original airdate 4/29/2019.
As we file this under “better late than never,” I can’t help overlooking the part saying “things go awry and there is massive collateral damage.” This probably wasn’t how we imagined Roy’s comeback going, but the Ninth Circle should prove to be some seriously bad dudes – and dudettes, if indeed Ollie isn’t able to sway Emiko back to the side of good – if they’re anywhere near as formidable and ruthless as their comic book counterparts.
Arrow airs on Monday nights on The CW, with “Confessions” set to debut on April 29th. As always, it’s recommended that you keep checking back because the network should release promo images from said episode sometime next week.
