With the tail end of Season 5 of Arrow already off to a rocking start, you have to wonder what's ahead as we go into Season 6. While we've heard snippets and ideas regarding changes towards the show format this past year, executive producer Wendy Mericle looks to be revealing some solid information regarding Season 6 changes for Arrow. She said:
Moving into season 6, we're not calling it a reboot because the show's still called Arrow and it's still about Oliver and his team, so that part's not changing, but we aren't going to have the flashbacks. It gives us a lot more real estate, a lot more space to hopefully bring in some cool villains and tell some cool character stories --- and we have some new characters on the show whose backstories we really haven't had an opportunity to experience. We saw a little bit of Wild Dog's, we haven't seen that much of Dinah's. If we bring in anybody new or we'd love to have Ragman back at some point as well, we can use the flashback device to tell other people's kind of islands, if you will. And that part is very exciting.
No flashbacks for Oliver is a big thing for Arrow, as it will be the first time the show removes the element since its began. Closing the book on Oliver's past will allow for deeper side stories and development of the ever growing cast, so I can't say I'm upset about that. While it does sound like characters will occasionally have their past explored, it will likely be one-off stories that supplement characters that don't get as much screen time as The Green Arrow. Bringing back past characters, as Wendy Mericle teased Comicbook with Ragman, also sounds like an exciting prospect.
Shedding more light on lesser characters in the franchise will likely be a necessity as Arrow has already confirmed a bulk of characters returning to the show for Season 6. Dinah Drake, Black Siren, and Rene Ramirez have all been confirmed for the new season, and we don't know nearly as much about their past as we know Diggle or Felicity. Even in terms of lesser villains, I would love to see some past villains re-emerge a bit stronger than they were the first time around. After all, most of these villains learn from their mistakes and develop through their loses in the comics, so why should Arrow be any different?
Let's not forget that Arrow still has yet to introduce some notable villains that were loved in the comic world. One of the biggest is Onomatopoeia, who was created by director Kevin Smith. Onomatopoeia is a villain I don't think you could build a Season around, but it would take that extra time without flashbacks to accurately explain his power in terms of the Arrowverse. With Smith having directed episodes of The Flash and Supergirl, you have to wonder when the Arrow team will reach out (despite Smith's hesitation that it wouldn't translate) to hopefully have him bring one of his most notable characters to life on the small screen. Let's hope Season 6 is that season.
Oliver and Felicity look to be in a bad place when Arrow returns for an all new episode on May 3rd. If you missed last night's episode and don't mind spoilers, check out our reaction here or watch the episode then come back for it.
As Arrow heads towards the end of Season 5 make sure you're aware of what new shows can take its place via our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere schedule.
