Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of Arrow Season 6, "Tribute."
The status quo of Arrow changed in a big way with the death of Samantha and the incorporation of young William into Oliver's life on a full-time basis. In the premiere, Oliver seemed to believe that he could be father, mayor, and Green Arrow all at once, but "Tribute" proved that was probably impossible. Oliver decided to give up his life as a vigilante and pass the Green Arrow legacy onto Diggle so that he could focus on raising William. Now we're going to see John Diggle as the Green Arrow because Oliver stepped down, not because Oliver needed an alibi or had to be in two places at once, and it's going to be... well, different. Check out Digg as the Green Arrow:
Diggle is seen here hitting the streets with the rest of the fighting members of Team Arrow who haven't yet retired, and it looks like he didn't really modify Oliver's Green Arrow suit when he took over. I do have to wonder if Arrow is going to address the reality that David Ramsey as Diggle is bigger and taller than Stephen Amell as Oliver, because Digg would definitely need somebody to let the seams out of Oliver's suit if he's going to fit into it. Then again, we didn't get to see Roy tripping over his pant legs when he wore Oliver's Arrow suit back in Season 3, so we may have to just suspend our belief that Digg was able to squeeze into the Oliver-sized suit.
When Digg donned the Arrow suit in earlier seasons, he proved that he wasn't great with a bow and arrow, but it looks like he's going for it this time around. It makes sense that he wouldn't fight to bring his gun after his big reveal in "Tribute" that nerve damage stops him from pulling the trigger consistently. Still, Arrow has a fair amount of work ahead of it if we're going to believe that Diggle can pull off the arrow part of being the Green Arrow. The trailer for the new episode does show Digg practicing with a crossbow, so maybe he could go that route for a while. The crossbow certainly worked for Helena back in the day. We also have a closer look at Diggle in all his green glory:
Good old Diggle doesn't look too sure of himself in this second picture, and probably not because the suit is too tight. The poor guy has a lot going on. He didn't expect to have to take on leadership of the Team Arrow, especially when he was on the verge on possibly benching himself due to the nerve damage. Now he's out on the streets in an unfamiliar suit, carrying an unfamiliar bow, and trying to carry on the legacy of the Green Arrow. The next episode is not going to be easy for him. It should be interesting to see how Dinah reacts to Diggle as the Green Arrow after she was so hesitant about him staying in the field as Spartan.
The next episode of Arrow airs on Thursday, October 26 at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
