Arrow season 7’s finale changed the status quo of the show in ways that can probably only be done when it’s ending the following year. Just when Oliver and Felicity seemed to have found some happiness with their baby daughter, the Emerald Archer was whisked away by the Monitor, with the cosmic being warning that Ollie will die in “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” It was then confirmed that Felicity won’t see her husband again until the Monitor collects her, too, 20 years later.
Given how monumental this finale was, it’s not surprising that season 8 will kick off shortly following its events. While speaking at the TCAs, Arrow showrunner Beth Schwartz revealed that the season premiere will be set just days after things left off. “We pick up a week later,” the EP said.
Season 8 isn’t a full final run but more of a kind of farewell victory lap, with its 10 episodes being used to reflect on the series’ past and tie up loose ends that we thought would be left hanging. As Schwartz also commented at the TCAs (reported on by TV Guide):
“The whole season is basically our greatest hits. We’re kind of tying up some stories you could have seen in Season 3 or 2.”
While talking to Entertainment Weekly, Schwartz discussed how season 8 is like the show doing its “greatest hits,” this time confirming which seasons episodes 1 and 2 will callback to:
“Episode 1 is an ode to season 1, and episode 2 is an ode to season 3. We’re playing our greatest hits.”
This nostalgic look at Arrow‘s past means we’ll get to see a few old faces return before the show wraps up. So far, Colin Donnell (Tommy Merlyn), Josh Segarra (Adrian Chase) and Susanna Thompson (Moira Queen) have been announced, but there are definitely more on the way. Clearly, all the signs are pointing to season 8 being a must-see for longtime fans of the series and fingers crossed it’ll go out on a high.
Be sure to catch Arrow‘s final run when it returns to The CW on Tuesday, October 15th.
