Barring the previous year, I can’t remember The CW holding its cards so close to the vest heading into a new season of Arrow. I mean, we do know some stuff about what’ll soon go down such as Oliver being in prison, but the status quo for the foreseeable future remains shrouded in mystery.
Fortunately, though, the synopsis for season 7’s second episode has painted the clearest picture yet. So, before we proceed any further, let’s take a look at what to expect from “The Longbow Hunters”:
FELICITY IS DETERMINED TO FIND DIAZ AT ANY COST — In order to track down Diaz (Kirk Acevedo) from inside prison, Oliver (Stephen Amell) realizes that will require aligning with an old enemy. Meanwhile, in Star City, Felicity’s (Emily Bett Rickards) attempts to root out Diaz are thwarted by Diggle (David Ramsey), whose allegiance to ARGUS now requires him to keep civilians like her on the outs. Realizing that she can no longer rely on her old team or old methods, a clear-eyed Felicity resolves to find a new way to go after Diaz. Laura Belsey directed the episode written by Jill Blankenship & Rebecca Bellotto (#702). Original airdate 10/22/2018
From the sound of it, we’ll see Oliver and Felicity working in tandem from opposite sides of Slabside’s walls. It’s a major shakeup to the series we’ve come to love, sure, but it could work if properly executed – but only for a finite amount of time. In other words, we’re tuning in to watch Arrow, not Prison Break.
Also of note is how the episode title pretty much guarantees that we’ll finally meet the Longbow Hunters. After being name-dropped in last May’s finale, fingers remain crossed for these somewhat mythical assassins to live up to the hype. To date, Ollie has faced a formidable share of big bads, so it’ll take a heck of a lot to match guys like Malcolm Merlyn, Deathstroke and Ra’s al Ghul.
Arrow returns for its seventh season on Monday, October 15 on The CW, with “The Longbow Hunters” set to follow on October 22.