Preview: Arrow's Answer to the Offer Is Near — and Yes, Felicity's a Factor

When Arrow returns this Wednesday (The CW, 8/7c), Oliver’s response to Ra’s al Ghul’s offer that the archer replace him as the leader of the League of Assassins will be not unlike that of viewers: “Confusion. Interest. And pondering,” star Stephen Amell previews.

After that, he’ll soon make his choice, which will be impacted by a certain blonde’s recent change in romantic status.

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But first, Oliver’s friends and family will weigh in with their own highly emotional opinions after they learn of the baddie’s proposal.

“The entire team is shocked and can’t believe it,” co-star Colton Haynes says. Their outraged reaction is not unjustified, given that “Oliver keeps going and leaving us and saying he’s going to come back and we don’t really know if he is going to come back.”

One member of Team Arrow has a particularly hard time dealing with the news. “It’s really worrisome for Felicity because she loves him,” Haynes shares. “She’s torn between him and Ray.”

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But what seems like a no-brainer, must-decline offer is actually not so straightforward for Starling City’s hero.

“Diggle and Felicity probably have the most uniform reaction, which is, ‘Well, of course you’re going to say no,’ and Oliver’s got some reasons to say, ‘Yes,'” executive producer Marc Guggenheim adds. “What seemed to be a crazy, out-of-the-blue offer, by the end of the first act of [Episode] 16, actually starts to feel like it might not be a bad idea. So Oliver’s going to really wrestle with that.”

We’ll know by the end of this week’s hour whether Oliver accepts or rejects Ra’s al Ghul’s proposition, the EP promises. “It might surprise you,” Guggenheim teases. “Certainly, his decision-making process might surprise you. And I’d be lying if I said Felicity and Ray sleeping together in [Episode] 15 doesn’t factor into that decision.”

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