Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-9346948-20150514010106/@comment-26397914-20150515063307

I suspect Merlyn to work with and against team Arrow...but in a reduced capacity. Hive is definitely in line for the next group to deal with (Suicide Squad, replaced by League of Assassins, replaced by ?Hive?). At least in a season arc.

So many Coast City references, maybe we'll find out this summer if GL will make a cameo, or if Oliver's 5 years of banishment includes a pitstop there. That could be interesting. I'd love to see the birth of a brighter Green Arrow contrasted with flashbacks of a dark Oliver Queen beginning to grow - such as we saw with that bloody hammer shot.

A reduced cast could amp the storytelling back up. It's got to be hard to tend to all characters properly when you have so many (as we saw in season 3). Think Barry vs. Ray screentime. Nyssa felt ok; Katana (basically popped up from nothing); Thea's transition and Laurel's development squeezed between the core team + Roy, and the necessary introduction of Ra's. Felt vast and disjointed at times. I hope they take a step back and focus, rather than try for spectacle.

Of course, there is the business side that we rarely consider;  steering actor availability and plot points (think Colton Haynes contract, J.R. Ramirez availablity, and upcoming Suicide Squad movie).