Jack Rowand/The CW -- © 2013 The CW Network. All Rights Reserved"Living's not for the weak."
Don't be such a downer, Oliver (Stephen Amell)! Then again, it's pretty easy to be so down when you're constantly facing off against Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro), the relentless alderman who is out for blood against the Queen family after the destruction of the Glades.
We've got an exclusive sneak peek from tomorrow night's all-new episode of Arrow, which features Oliver and Sebastian having a pretty deep conversation about the (See, the CW is more than just pretty faces, people!) Plus, Amell talks to us about Oliver trying to balance his two jobs: the Arrow and the CEO of Queen Consolidated. (He's, um, much better at one of them!)
"Most believe there are two type of people who go into a crucible," Sebastian preaches says to Oliver. "The ones who grow stronger from the experience and survive it and the ones who die. But there's a third type: The ones who love to learn the fire and choose to stay in their crucible because it's easier to embrace the pain when it's all you know anymore."
Sebastian, of course, is trying to keep Starling City from that third open, "before it becomes used to living like this," he tells Oliver. And, as a wise friend once told Oliver, "Living's not for the weak."
This season on Arrow, Oliver is up against as any, if not more, opponents than the Arrow, something Amell tells us he's been enjoying. Aside from Sebastian, Oliver is also trying to fend off Summer Glau's Isabel Rochev, who's out for Queen Consolidated. "It's a new thing for him. I mean, he can't just pretend to be the CEO. We have the very real aspect of the company failing, and the company is incredibly important to him," Amell says. "Also, he needs to be rich to do what he does, and his wealth and his family's wealth is in a great deal of danger at the moment. Playing that version of the character, the neophyte CEO trying to make it in the business world with literally no training whatsoever, that's been challenging, but it's been a fun part of the character to play."
Arrow airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on the CW.