Cate Cameron/The CWDisclaimer: Arrow is definitely coming back in the fall for season four. We know that. You know that. Everyone knows that.
But executive producer Marc Guggenheim just made us extremely nervous about how the show is going to come back next season. Because when E! News got the Arrow boss on the line to talk about tonight's sure-to-be epic season three finale, he told us that the episode could actually work as a series finale.
Gulp.
E! News: I'm so excited and nervous for the season finale, the promos look so epic!
Marc Guggenheim: I'm nervous as well!
Obviously the promo revealed that Team Arrow is not dead despite that crazy cliffhanger.
I know! I thought I finally found the solution to our cast budget woes. But apparently not! Yes, we didn't kill off our entire cast, but you've got to admire us for trying!
I actually watched a screener of the episode a few days earlier, so I didn't see that promo immediately and actually wasn't sure if you did kill them all or not. I was definitely screaming at my TV.
Excellent! Good, that's what we try to do. We want people screaming at their TVs.
What's going through all their minds when they wake up and realize that Oliver didn't kill them?
I think they're all going, "What the f--k?" I think Ray says it best: "Not that I'm complaining, but why aren't we dead?" There's a very specific answer to that question. How is it that they're not dead? Oliver basically nuked his entire life, including all of his relationships, so how could he possibly expect to put everything back together once Ra's was taken care of? We answer that question very definitively. Is Diggle going to be able to get over Oliver's betrayal? We answer that. All the questions people have, they'll get answers in the finale.
Was Malcolm betraying Oliver to Ra's a part of Oliver's big plan, or was that Malcolm just being Malcolm?
I would watch the finale to find that out!
I know the battle for Oliver's soul is a big part of the finale—are we going to get a definitive conclusion to that arc in the episode or is that going to continue into next season?
It comes to a pretty definitive conclusion. By the end of the finale, you know exactly where Oliver stands. You know why Oliver's done what he's done. You may not agree with it, as some characters don't, but it's a very definite end. In fact, it's so definitive that on some levels, the episode can play as a series finale.
Oh.
Yup!
I'm so excited for The Flash/Arrow crossover episodes this week as well so what can you tease about how Barry is going to factor in to the Arrow finale?
He factors in pretty huge. Basically, the whole episode really could not happen without Barry's involvement. The tricky part of this shared universe is the fact that the characters are all within one phone call of each other. So what's to prevent Team Arrow from calling Barry every time they need help? We address that pretty head on in the finale.
Let's talk about Oliver and Nyssa's wedding and how it was actually finished in the last episode. Is that marriage legally binding?
Yup, that happened! We also address that head on in the episode as well. We definitely don't pretend it didn't happen. Felicity has got some choice lines about it. And there's actually a line about it being legal or not. Ray has that same question. I'll let people watch the finale and judge for themselves.
Thea now has the Arsenal suit—what can you tease about the first time she suits up?
She's going to turn that suit into like a purse or wallet or something. It's really good quality leather. [Laughs] Keep watching. The season finale will give you an answer to that question.
Every year so far, Arrow ends on a huge, game-changing cliffhanger. What can you tease about this season's ending—is the cliffhanger going to be something that happens in the present day or in flashbacks?
It's more present day than flashbacks. The flashback story gets its own conclusion. Each season finale of Arrow in the present day story has been a little different. Season one ended in Tommy's death and a loss for Oliver. Season two we ended with this huge win for Oliver. Season three, we wanted to try something a little different. I think it's the more cliffhanger-y of all the finales we've done. It's not whether or not Oliver lives or dies, because everyone knows the answer to that. But it is a cliffhanger in the sense of, the end will have everyone wondering how the show can even go on. How can we bring the show back for season four after these last five or six episodes.
What are you most excited for fans to see from the finale?
I want to say the whole thing! I know that's a lame answer but it's true. We have two really big set pieces in this episode, one on the plane and one on a dam. They're both so cool. And the production value is great, but also we have more character moments in this finale than normal, and these key character-driven scenes don't fit in to our finales, timing-wise, but this year we took the time to do it. I'm excited for everyone to see that this finale is different from the ones we've had in the past.
Arrow airs tonight at 8 p.m. on the CW.