ARROW: Andrew Kreisberg Teases Dark Archer Versus Arrow, Oliver’s Cover Being Blown, and More

ARROW is finally back!

The most addictive show to come out of the fall 2012 season took a break for the holidays, and based on the teases ARROW executive producer Andrew Kreisberg shared during out chat, it seems like it hits the ground running with tonight’s brand new episode.

Take a look at what Kreisberg had to say about more people finding out what Oliver’s been doing in his spare time, the threat of the Dark Archer, guest stars, and more…

What can you tease about ARROW’s 2013 return?
Andrew Kreisberg: We’re really excited to be back on the air after six weeks, and I guess the biggest tease is the Oliver we’ve seen previously has taken a physical and emotional hit from his experience with the Dark Archer. So while he’s physically back to full strength, he’s emotionally not quite [there]. This is the first time we’ll see him suffer a setback.

There’s lots of great scenes with Oliver and Dig, and Dig challenging Oliver that he eventually needs to get back on the horse. So while the episode is filled with all this excitement and action and adventure that we normally have, it’s also a strong character story, and we’re really proud of [it].

Will the shadow of the Dark Archer be hanging over him for the rest of the season?
AK: Both the shadow and the threat of the Dark Archer are going to be looming over the rest of the season. Oliver’s quest to discover his identity and take him down will be in the background of every episode, even if it’s a standalone episode with a new adversary.

Will Oliver finding out that the Dark Archer is really Tommy’s dad, Malcolm, make him alter his approach to taking him down?
AK: Well, he’s not going to find out who he is for a while yet. He’s definitely going to be on the hunt. Malcolm Merlyn —  both in his guise as Malcolm Merlyn and as the shadow Archer — he’s closing in on Oliver on every front: between the interactions with his mother and the Dark Archer is a physical threat to the Arrow. So it’s really exciting for us. We feel we’ve set up a situation where it’s not just a good guy versus a bad guy; it’s this inter-family plot, and machinations, and loyalties tested, and also the physical threat of Oliver chasing an archer who might be beyond his equal.

Where does that leave the relationship between Malcolm and Tommy?
AK: That’s one of the things that happens over the next run of episodes that we’re excited about. We always say the villains are always the hero of their own stories, and Malcolm believes everything he’s doing — and everything he’s done — is done in the service of the angels. So one of the things we’re doing is we’re really going to explore the relationship between Malcolm and Tommy, which will make Malcolm, I think, a more fully-fleshed out character. And hopefully even somewhat sympathetic, which is always the most interesting villain.

So especially in episode 11, “Trust But Verify,” there’s a very strong Tommy and Malcolm relationship episode, building up to our midseason finale, episode 16, where there’s a lot of revelations between the characters that we’re very excited about.

Speaking of revelations, there have been rumors someone else may find out that Oliver is Arrow. What can you tease about who that might be and when they might be learning the truth?
AK: Hm…I think that what I can say is two more people are going to find out this season. One, you probably won’t be that surprised about. One, I think you’re going to be very surprised about.

When we hit upon the very surprising person to find out, we all looked at each other and got scared, and I think we’ve always found that if it scares us in the writers’ room, it’s generally the way to go. That’s what gets the most excitement in the audience, and also forces us to raise our game. His persona is definitely going to be exposed, but we take it very seriously. We don’t want it to happen just to happen, for one moment in one episode. Anyone who finds out, it’s going to change Oliver’s life, too. If we do it, it’s going to be for a good reason. We’re excited about who finds out. We think it’s going to really be fun, and dangerous, and dramatic for their character.

I know you have a lot of guest stars coming up, but is there one you’re particularly excited for viewers to see?
AK: That’s like asking me to choose among my kids! I think we have the best guests. We have the best casts on television, and I think we have one of the best guest casts on television.

I’m going to apologize in case I forget anybody, but we have Janina Gavankar from TRUE BLOOD, playing McKenna Hall, the new love interest for Oliver. The amazing Manu Bennett from SPARTACUS, whom I’m a huge fan of, playing Slade Wilson. James Callis is coming up playing a villain called The Dodger. We have Ben Browder playing Ted Gaynor, who’s an old military associate of Dig’s, who is actually in the next episode. And we have Seth Gabel playing Count Vertigo, which we’re really excited about, because aside from Merlyn, Vertigo was probably the Green Arrow’s best known villain. And we couldn’t have found a better actor in Seth; he’s so talented, so dynamic, so amazing.

And then we have Colton [Hayes] joining us as Roy Harper. If you’re a Green Arrow fan, this is the best time [for the show].

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ARROW airs Wednesdays at 8 PM on The CW.

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