How is Starling City dealing in the aftermath of the Undertaking?
Kreisberg: Not well. It took it on the chin in the finale. As bad as the city was in Season 1, it's even worse now. That's part of Oliver's journey this season. We always say, "So goes Oliver, so goes the city." He's in a very dark place and he really realizes in the premiere episode that he can't be the vigilante anymore. It's not enough to cross names off the list and target the one percent. That didn't work. He failed last year. This season really needs to be about something else. The city needs a hero. It needs a symbol of hope. That's why we titled Episode 1 "City of Heroes." That's our title for the season in an odd way, because it's really about heroes coming out of the woodwork like Oliver. Even the villains this season are going to view themselves as the hero.
Will Oliver be alone in his quest to save the city in Season 2?
Guggenheim: One of the things that plays a big part in the first few episodes of Season 2 is the idea that when you basically launch into this crusade, you put on an outfit, you're using an exotic weapon and you are taking on the criminal element of the city, there's going to be a response. In fact, there's going to be a series of responses. Like Lance says in the first episode of Season 2, "Before the Hood came to town, we didn't have earthquake machines and Dark Archers." Arrow is basically like this stone has been dropped into this huge pond and the ripple effects are spreading out starting out in the premiere. Some of those ripples are good in the form of positive things — like Roy (Colton Haynes) adopts the Arrow's crusade and is trying to do a job of saving people in the city — but we'll also see the negatives to that, too.
Kreisberg: In the beginning, [the police] are overwhelmed. They're actually targeting the Arrow because there's a feeling amongst some of the characters that all of this insanity began when the Arrow showed up. For some people, he's become the symbol for what's wrong with this city. One of Oliver's missions this year is to change the way the police and the public feel about the vigilante.
What role will Felicity and Diggle (David Ramsey) play for Oliver this season?
Guggenheim: Their roles on Team Arrow evolve, particularly with respect to Felicity. In Season 1, Felicity was girl Friday where she would do whatever Oliver asked her to do. In Season 2, she's developing — like Diggle — more of a voice in terms of how Oliver goes about his missions. She's definitely coming into scenes with more of a point of view. She's a lot more involved in telling Oliver what's on her mind and that makes her a stronger character.
Will Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) stand trial for her involvement in the Undertaking?
Kreisberg: Yes. There will be some courtroom scenes. Moira behaved very badly last year. Everybody is really dealing with the repercussions of that. This season, for Moira, a lot of it is about redemption. Oliver wasn't the only one who failed last year. Moira really failed. As much as this season is about Oliver stepping into the light, it's about Moira trying to find her way back and how that impacts her children and the company and herself is so much of her journey.
Will Laurel (Katie Cassidy) play into that storyline?
Kreisberg: This season, Laurel is going to be joining the District Attorney's office, so she might have some dealings with that. Part of it is she's trying to stay out of it as much as she can, but as always with these things, bad stuff happens.
What's the state of Oliver and Laurel's relationship this season?
Guggenheim: We said there would be all these different repercussions from Tommy's (Colin Donnell) death and we're being true to that. Every episode invokes Tommy or comes out of what happened in the finale to Tommy in a very specific way. At the core, there's always their love for each other because they are star-crossed lovers. That said, I have to say something to keep myself from getting yelled at by the people who are shipping Oliver and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards). The relationship between Oliver and Felicity over the course of Season 2 will evolve and deepen. Their relationship by the end of the season won't be the same as it is at the beginning of the season.
Read full interview at TV Guide
Kreisberg: Not well. It took it on the chin in the finale. As bad as the city was in Season 1, it's even worse now. That's part of Oliver's journey this season. We always say, "So goes Oliver, so goes the city." He's in a very dark place and he really realizes in the premiere episode that he can't be the vigilante anymore. It's not enough to cross names off the list and target the one percent. That didn't work. He failed last year. This season really needs to be about something else. The city needs a hero. It needs a symbol of hope. That's why we titled Episode 1 "City of Heroes." That's our title for the season in an odd way, because it's really about heroes coming out of the woodwork like Oliver. Even the villains this season are going to view themselves as the hero.
Will Oliver be alone in his quest to save the city in Season 2?
Guggenheim: One of the things that plays a big part in the first few episodes of Season 2 is the idea that when you basically launch into this crusade, you put on an outfit, you're using an exotic weapon and you are taking on the criminal element of the city, there's going to be a response. In fact, there's going to be a series of responses. Like Lance says in the first episode of Season 2, "Before the Hood came to town, we didn't have earthquake machines and Dark Archers." Arrow is basically like this stone has been dropped into this huge pond and the ripple effects are spreading out starting out in the premiere. Some of those ripples are good in the form of positive things — like Roy (Colton Haynes) adopts the Arrow's crusade and is trying to do a job of saving people in the city — but we'll also see the negatives to that, too.
Kreisberg: In the beginning, [the police] are overwhelmed. They're actually targeting the Arrow because there's a feeling amongst some of the characters that all of this insanity began when the Arrow showed up. For some people, he's become the symbol for what's wrong with this city. One of Oliver's missions this year is to change the way the police and the public feel about the vigilante.
What role will Felicity and Diggle (David Ramsey) play for Oliver this season?
Guggenheim: Their roles on Team Arrow evolve, particularly with respect to Felicity. In Season 1, Felicity was girl Friday where she would do whatever Oliver asked her to do. In Season 2, she's developing — like Diggle — more of a voice in terms of how Oliver goes about his missions. She's definitely coming into scenes with more of a point of view. She's a lot more involved in telling Oliver what's on her mind and that makes her a stronger character.
Will Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) stand trial for her involvement in the Undertaking?
Kreisberg: Yes. There will be some courtroom scenes. Moira behaved very badly last year. Everybody is really dealing with the repercussions of that. This season, for Moira, a lot of it is about redemption. Oliver wasn't the only one who failed last year. Moira really failed. As much as this season is about Oliver stepping into the light, it's about Moira trying to find her way back and how that impacts her children and the company and herself is so much of her journey.
Will Laurel (Katie Cassidy) play into that storyline?
Kreisberg: This season, Laurel is going to be joining the District Attorney's office, so she might have some dealings with that. Part of it is she's trying to stay out of it as much as she can, but as always with these things, bad stuff happens.
What's the state of Oliver and Laurel's relationship this season?
Guggenheim: We said there would be all these different repercussions from Tommy's (Colin Donnell) death and we're being true to that. Every episode invokes Tommy or comes out of what happened in the finale to Tommy in a very specific way. At the core, there's always their love for each other because they are star-crossed lovers. That said, I have to say something to keep myself from getting yelled at by the people who are shipping Oliver and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards). The relationship between Oliver and Felicity over the course of Season 2 will evolve and deepen. Their relationship by the end of the season won't be the same as it is at the beginning of the season.
Read full interview at TV Guide
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