‘Arrow’ at Paley Fest 2013: Cast and Producers Hint at What’s Next for Oliver, Laurel, Tommy and More

Arrow doesn’t return until next week, but on Saturday night, several of the show’s stars and producers took the stage at Paley Fest 2013 to talk about the show’s first season and what viewers can expect to see in the final seven episodes of its freshman run.

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

Oliver and Tommy’s friendship has been rocked

Oliver is not happy that Tommy is now in the know when it comes to his secret and Tommy is not happy that Oliver has killed people, including the three men that kidnapped the two in the pilot episode. Stephen Amell said that Oliver doesn’t like that the buffer between his family and Laurel knowing is getting smaller. “[Tommy] could just roll over in bed and say ‘He’s the vigilante’ and I don’t want that.”

Is Dinah telling the truth about Sara being alive? What about Black Canary?

Katie Cassidy talked about how Laurel is in complete shock at the idea that Sara could still be alive. “Laurel being a lawyer, she starts to rationalize it and question whether she’s telling the truth or if she doesn’t have the right information,” Cassidy said. “She gets sucked in by her mother a bit.” Producers talked about the Sara issue being introduced in the pilot and said Dinah (guest star Alex Kingston) will have a three-part arc, but they’re not giving any hints as to whether Sara is alive.

Producers are still not giving anything away as to when and if Laurel will transform into Black Canary. Marc Guggenheim pointed out that it took five years on the island for Oliver to get to a place where he was ready to become a vigilante and said that Laurel’s transition will have to be earned and be real. “The inciting incident has to be dramatic. We don’t want to disservice Laurel or Oliver by saying she could have had a bad day, put on fishnets and started killing people.”

Malcolm is a dark Bruce Wayne

The producers talked about how they see Malcolm as what Bruce Wayne might have become in Batman Begins if he had followed instructions and executed a criminal after his training with Ra Al Ghul. Producers promise viewers will find out a lot more about Malcolm and The Undertaking. Moira is also going to be making another deal with the devil to protect her family. Oliver will come to regret saving Malcolm’s life.

Tidbits from the panel:

-The Huntress will tell Detective Lance the Hood’s identity, but will the detective believe her?

-In the sizzle reel shown before the panel began, footage previewed The Count’s (guest star Seth Gabel) return

-We will be seeing more of Roy Harper (guest star Colton Haynes) and possibly his transition into Speedy, but like Laurel, the producers said it has to feel real.

-There will be some road trips for Oliver into other cities in the DC Comics’ universe, but the producers insist there are two cities he will probably never visit (Metropolis and Gotham)

-Producers hinted at a guest star from a popular genre show, but that was as far as they were willing to go with the clue.

-The show will continue to be grounded in reality so don’t expect anyone with superpowers to arrive in Starling City.

Arrow returns Wednesday, March 20 at 8 p.m. on The CW.