‘Arrow’ Boss Previews the Series Finale & Praises Stephen Amell’s Heroic Run

Stephen Amell
Preview
Jack Rowand/The CW

Arrow ends its eight-season run tonight with an emotional but ultimately optimistic farewell to both Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and the show that created the CW’s expansive universe of superheroes.

Given that Amell’s character perished while saving mankind in the Arrow episode of last month’s five-part Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, executive producer Marc Guggenheim understands what fans need and want in the show’s final hour, fittingly entitled “Fadeout”: closure.

“More than anything I wanted to give them closure, because this is an unconventional series finale,” he admits. “This is a series finale where we’ve killed off our protagonist two episodes ago. We always knew that this was the plan and… we wanted to honor the show, to honor Oliver Queen and give closure. And for me, a big part of that is basically telling you where everyone’s going.”

To that end, viewers can expect a slew of developments for Ollie’s devastated partner Diggle (David Ramsey, who will break your heart tonight) and the rest of Team Arrow, as well as a parade of familiar faces resurfacing to mourn the fallen Green Arrow (see below).

Arrow series finale “Fadeout” (Colin Bentley/The CW)

“That was important, certainly,” he notes of bringing back “characters we haven’t seen in a while.” Chief among them, of course, is Emily Bett Rickards, who returns as Felicity Smoak, Oliver’s wife and mother to their daughter Mia (Katherine McNamara).

Having gone into hiding at the end of last season, Felicity has yet to meet her now-adult child from the future, making for one of the finale’s more poignant moments. “One of the [main goals] for us was honoring the Mia-Felicity relationship,” says Guggenheim, especially given that, in the post-Crisis world, his little girl is “picking up Oliver’s mantle.”

As for Amell’s presence in the finale, fear not. Even though Oliver is dead and buried, Guggenheim and company have found a way to weave him into the story that pays homage to eight seasons of flashbacks while giving us fascinating new footage. Because there is no Arrow without Amell.

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Dean Buscher/The CW)

“The show is Stephen, and Stephen is the show,” offers Guggenheim of his leading man’s efforts since Day One. “This show has a legacy, not just for creating the Arrowverse, but I would think also re-establishing superhero shows on television… and none of that happened without Stephen.

“He’s been an incredible ambassador, not just for the show, but for superhero television in general. He does the comic conventions, he’s involved with charities, he always has time for the fans. So I think Stephen’s legacy extends way beyond merely being the lead of this one show,” he concludes.

Arrow, Series Finale, Tuesday, 8/7c, The CW