RIP…
UPDATE: So, it turns out that this theory has been shot down and that Laurel actually had a genuine embolism after surgery, even though a character like her would not have any risk factors. It was a magical and pointless death after all.
This one is going to be a short one, and it does contain spoilers for tonight’s episode of Arrow. You’ve been warned in advance.
I have given this show hell in the past for hackneyed writing and pandering to Olicity shippers, but tonight had a moment that, if true, shows that the writing staff are either really clever or foolish. I am not sure which is which, so I’ll leave it up to you to look at some of the evidence.
Near the end of the episode 11:59, Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) is stabbed by an arrow that Damien Darkh caught, possibly through regaining the magical powers that had been lost to him through the usage of a new idol. After she was dragged into surgery, she was expected by the doctors to make a full recovery, but she apparently went into cardiac arrest and died in a hospital bed after saying goodbye to all the main characters. However, that does not explain what happens when everyone but Oliver leaves the room.
To put it simply, this could be a comic book-style fake-out for that sweet, sweet ratings magic. In the scene where Laurel is hit, it is done with Oliver’s own arrow. Considering the injury, there are only three distinct possibilities for what we saw on screen.
- Oliver’s arrow was poisoned and he did not report the toxin.
- Darkh killed her through a magical power that had no apparent effect and hadn’t been introduced yet.
- Something else happened to induce Laurel’s death.
But let’s flash forward again and see what happens…
I know it’s blurry, but it is a nice camera trick, no?
There is clearly something in Oliver’s hand here. For a slightly different look, let’s roll the scene a few frames and look at it again.
Do you see how his hand is closed into a fist and the object is still sticking out?
This might be seeing what people want to see… or I’m just making things up as I go along. In spite of everything I’ve said about the writers, they do have the skill to know that everything has a point and purpose, even if it is a “blink or you’ll miss it” moment.
Oh, and the fact that there were no witnesses, so Oliver and Laurel were the only ones that had access to the IV machines.
Therefore, I’ll just say it right now. Laurel Lance faked her own death (with Oliver’s help) in order to give everyone a desire for revenge against Damien Darkh for, say, murdering an Assistant District Attorney? It would certainly bring Felicity back on the team until she found out it was a lie and started acting terrible again, but it would also be a way to paint Darkh as a murderer and hurt his wife’s political career in the process. It’s a win-win at the cost of trauma to Captain Lance and the team.
But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?
I’m not gonna watch anymore, I hope you’re right if so I’ll watch the reruns but as for now the writers stated that she won’t come back. So neither will I.
Agreed.