‘Arrow’ Season 5: Producer Wendy Mericle Discusses Bratva, Flashbacks, Season 4 Failures, Olicity May Be Over, And Flashpoint Confirmed?
Arrow Season 5 will be coming this fall, and among many other new and different things coming to CW’s first show in the DCTV-connected universe, some things will be coming to a close. Arrow Producer Wendy Mericle, according to Comicbook, considers Season 5 to be a “back to basics” approach that sounds quite different from the direction of the much-maligned Season 4. Mericle connects Arrow Season 1 and Season 5 as a way to explain the plot, and also highlight the end of the flashbacks that started in Arrow, but now seem to be commonplace in many other shows.
“One of the things we talk about a lot is that Season five is an answer to Season one. So a lot of the questions that came out to Oliver out of the gate, about his father, about restoring the city’s greatness, all of those things are going to be explored, and hopefully — not fully settled, but definitely bookended in season five. It also means we’ll be going back to basics in terms of who the bad guys are. We’ll be doing more close-ended stories, more villains of the week, and a lot of the criminals will be coming out of criminal underworld Mafia and Bratva organizations.”
Arrow star Stephen Amell has also discussed this idea of a “back to basics” approach, and between him and the fan disdain for Season 4, both likely pushed the showrunners and producers in this direction.
Speaking of Arrow flashbacks, the Season 5 conclusion to them will be about the Bratva, and will give Oliver Queen’s remaining tattoo a definitive backstory. Arrow producer Wendy Mericle is quite excited about this season’s flashbacks with the Bratva.
@afterbuzztv @BoysAndBeauty01 @TauriJay @thelexmichael @Kiaxet Team @CW_Arrow is getting an extreme makeover. #Arrow https://t.co/3DNko8kBST
— Tom (@valentintomaion) July 24, 2016
“There was always talk, every year, the question would be explored: ‘Is this the time to go to Russia?’ Every year we would all get excited, and then a voice of reason would come in and say ‘do we really want to do that now?’ and we’d have to rethink it. Last year we decided to go to the Island. It was never the gameplan. You start to think about the season in March and April, and you go ‘does that fit?’ It never really fit until now.”
Mericle admitted that Season 4 had its faults, and for many disenfranchised Arrow fans, this will likely be a welcome slice of humble pie. The Arrow producer admits that “there were some things we didn’t do as well as we could have,” but she did add that it will inspire her team to “to do even better in terms of the big bad this season.”
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Olicity has been a Arrow series-long contention and source of agitation between fans. What once started out as a cool, hip, new partner in vigilantism for Green Arrow, and eventually a new love interest for Oliver Queen, became a dominant force in the series storyline. There are still loyal Olicity devotees, but after Season 4, there was far less.
Olicity haters will rejoice, and much to the chagrin of Olicity loyalists, Felicity will be getting a new love interest in Arrow Season 5. Emily Bett Rickards, at San Diego Comic-Con 2016, confirmed this news.
“It is a true rumor. She steps on it pretty hot off the bat. You’ll meet him quite quickly.”
The biggest news of all was saved for last. The Flashpoint paradox is coming to The Flash Season 3, but according to Arrow producer Wendy Mericle, it will have an impact on Arrow Season 5.
“Some impact, but you’ll have to tune in to actually see what it is. It’s been out there and discussed. I will say that it will have a big impact on the characters that it does have an impact on.”
How much impact will the Flashpoint Paradox have on Arrow, and does this mean it will spill over into the rest of DCTV Universe? Will Olicity finally call it quits? Stay tuned until this October.
Leave your comments and predictions below.
[Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]
