User blog comment:MS225/Arrow - Season Five Interview/@comment-27700324-20161002214051/@comment-28501280-20161004013132

To be fair Xander the never confirmed Laurel would be the Earth one version, they just said alive and well (which Black Siren). And if she does come back because of Flashpoint it might it be the same version of Black Canary that died. And while they writers should do things that make sense for the story, they're must likely doing it in order to get the ratings back up which have steadily falling. And the reviews haven't been so great. Regardless of what happens, I think we should look towards this season with hope and happiness and appreciate what they're going to be putting out this season, since all of the reviews have been positive. I think the decisions to please everyone is less of a creative decision and more of a business one. The CW seems to be wanting their superhero shows to have high ratings and smooth plot that pleases everyone. It's probably why Legends has a shorter season and why they got rid of Kendra. As for the details listed above, they seem to be playing out on a season wide scale, so maybe the story will work well it. Here's to hoping Arrow has a better season because if I have to see to anymore arguments between Olicity fans and Olicity haters I'm going to scream.