[SPOILERS for season 5 of Arrow ahead.]

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Season 5 of the CW’s flagship DC series Arrow has proven one of the strongest so far, ably reminding viewers why Arrow proved so compelling in the first place. This season’s storyline, pitting Team Arrow against Prometheus, culminated in some revelatory moments in the midseason finale ‘What We Leave Behind’, and allowed the show to revisit moments from Arrow’s first season.

Aside from the big reveal that Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) ex-lover and crime-fighting partner Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) has seemingly returned from the dead, one of the more powerful twists occurred when Oliver was tricked into killing Felicity Smoak’s (Emily Bett Rickards) new boyfriend, Star City Detective Billy Malone (Tyler Ritter). Oliver has to face how he hurts anyone who gets close to him, and the question remains: how will Felicity handle it?

Arrow showrunner Wendy Mericle spoke to TV Line about some of the darker things in store for Felicity when the show returns in January. According to Mericle:

Mericle suggests that any kind of conflict between and Felicity and Oliver will be downplayed, settled early on or else sidestepped altogether… although the last option is a longshot. The main thing fans can expect is for Felicity to formulate her own revenge plan for Prometheus. As Mericle says, “This season we have said we’re going to take her to a darker place, and you’re seeing the genesis of the reason why, right here.”

“One thing Felicity is not going to do, I can tell you for sure, is blame Oliver. She recognizes the manipulations that have led to this situation. Her heart is broken in that last moment for Oliver and for Malone and for herself.”

Felicity’s next phase during the rest of season 5 will also bring Felicity into contact with some as-yet unnamed characters who “are both a bit tied to her past but also very much tied to this new future she’s contemplating,” which will “draw her away from the team and lead her to do some things that are pretty morally questionable.”

The phrase “morally questionable” seems completely incongruous when applied to Felicity Smoak,  but given the fact that it is a phrase which defines Oliver Queen’s general approach to his vigilante work (putting it mildly), Felicity has been enabling such behavior for years. The dynamic between her and Oliver may have shifted, but Felicity has never been a moral compass for the Hood/Arrow/Green Arrow. According to Mericle, “It’s a color for Felicity that we’ve always known she had the potential for, but we never had the right story to play. We’re excited about it.”

We’ll find out the ramifications of Felicity’s shift into the dark side when Arrow returns.

Arrow season 5 will continue in January 2017 on The CW.

Source: TV Line