Even though this past Monday’s episode of Arrow, “Lost Canary,” didn’t resurrect Earth-1’s Laurel Lance, it did the next best thing. By that, I’m referring to how Felicity Smoak, Dinah Drake and Sara Lance were able to pull Earth-2’s Laurel back from the abyss, as the Birds of Prey-inspired adventure ultimately culminated with the doppelganger accepting her predecessor’s Black Canary costume. That’s a big development, make no mistake about it.
Now, what forced many an Arrowverse fan to scratch their head was how Laurel said she planned on returning to Earth-2 in order to right her past wrongs, yet she showed up in the concluding flash-forward segment in full Black Canary regalia. Because of that, I was half-expecting to for Katie Cassidy Rodgers to be the next major cast member formally announced to exit the series.
Contrary to previous chatter though, Katie is indeed staying on until the show completes its run, as executive producer and showrunner Beth Schwartz told TV Line the following:
“Katie does not leave the show; she comes back this season. It appears like [she leaves], but it’s not true. She’s still [part of the show].”
Given that statement, we’re left wondering how Laurel will factor into the remaining episodes of season 7 – not to mention season 8. Come to think of it, they could keep her contained to the flash-forwards for the most part, though I’m hoping she’ll play a part in present-day developments before long. Furthermore, she’d better be a piece of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” puzzle in some capacity.
Of course, the only way to learn for certain is to keep watching Arrow on Monday nights on The CW. The producers shouldn’t keep us mystified as to what’s next for Ms. Lance for too much longer (fingers crossed), so let’s sit back and enjoy the ride.
