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[Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.]
Roy Harper is about to face some hard times on Arrow.
After getting shot in the leg with an arrow by the vigilante (aka Oliver), Roy (Colton Haynes) gets into even choppier waters in the Dec. 11 midseason finale of The CW comic-book drama, with Oliver’s self-proclaimed protege getting the beat-down from Starling City menace Brother Blood (Kevin Alejandro) after getting captured. To say the episode — eerily titled “Three Ghosts” — effectively changes Roy’s journey for good is an understatement.
VIDEO: ‘Arrow’: Barry Allen Closes in on Oliver’s Secret Identity
In a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Haynes previews Roy’s dangerous arc, his mission to unmask the vigilante and what’s in store for Starling City in 2014.
What has been your favorite part so far this season?
It’s been fun to see the lighthearted side come out of Roy. He’s definitely a smart aleck. It’s been nice to see that once he lets his guard down, he is capable of loving, even though he hasn’t been around a lot of love because of how he grew up. It’s been nice to see his guard let down and it’s been nice to see the dynamic between him and Thea (Willa Holland) — the fun back and forth, little snide remarks between Roy and Oliver (Stephen Amell).
What’s the state of Roy and Thea at this point in the season?
A few episodes ago, Thea had tried to break up with Roy because she thought it would hurt her mother’s case. And that was devastating to Roy because he’s watched people walk out of his life. It takes a lot to let Roy allow people in. So the fact that someone he thought he knew and trusted could easily rat him out like that really hurt him. It was a good thing that it came from the source, which was Moira (Susanna Thompson), who told him Thea did it for her, otherwise I don’t think Roy would’ve let her back in.
Due to what happened last week with Roy getting shot in the leg, now Thea’s taking charge. Thea’s like, “You aren’t going to mess with my man anymore!” She’s now saying, “I’m going to help, and let’s unmask the hood together.” Now they have their own little mini team with Sin (Bex Taylor-Klaus), Thea and Roy to put their eggs in one basket and actually give this a real shot of figuring out who this is.
STORY: ‘Arrow’ Bosses, Grant Gustin Reveal Details on Barry Allen’s Flashy Debut
What are your thoughts on Roy, Thea and Sin working together on the same team?
I think they make a great team. I forgot what [executive producers] Andrew [Kreisberg] or Marc [Guggenheim] called it — I think they called them the comedic trio now. We all just feed off each other. It’s hard to keep a straight face, and you’re going to see a lot more from our characters working together going forward.
How successful do they get in unmasking the vigilante?
Well, not before the midseason finale. As the progression of the season goes, I can say that one of the three gets really close and whether or not that’s going to benefit them for good or not. That’s really all I can say about that. (Laughs.)
You touched on Roy getting shot by Oliver’s arrow in last week’s episode. How does the midseason finale address that wrinkle?
After Roy ends up in a lot of trouble, Arrow is going to redeem himself in a way that’s going to be like, “In a way I hope you learned your lesson.” It’s a really, really awesome scene and a pivotal scene that’s going to lay the groundwork for the rest of the season between Roy and Oliver. Oliver didn’t just shoot him just to get him out of the way. He shot him to slow him down, but he needs Roy to learn his lesson before even more bad happens. The scene that happens between Brother Blood and Roy tonight is going to change the relationship Roy has with every single person in his life, and not for the better. It’s going to change the course for the worse.
There is also a funny moment among Roy, Oliver, Thea and Sin that directly addresses Oliver shooting Roy’s leg, which adds some levity to the episode. What was that like shooting that particular scene?
It was really fun!
Roy seems to be heading toward choppy waters. What’s ahead for him?
This midseason finale is feeding a lot of information about a lot of characters that you didn’t know prior, and it’s also setting a lot of partnerships up in a way. It’s figuring out if Arrow can really put aside his role as being Oliver and deal with Roy that way. It’s going to be a tough decision for Arrow if he thinks Roy deserves to be in the dark or not, or if he thinks Roy deserves to know information.
Will we see more interactions between Roy and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards)? A lot of fans seem to be enjoying the “Blood Rush” commercials.
You can definitely look forward to that in the rest of the season, which I’m looking forward to. In a way the [writers] are writing a lot of Felicity lines for Roy this season. He’s somehow a smart aleck, quippy, and says all these ridiculous lines, which is in a way how Felicity is. It was fun to see that dynamic between the two during the Bose spots, and you will see a lot more from Roy and Felicity in the future. Felicity has a lot going on. She’s in love with one guy [Oliver], another guy comes around [Barry Allen/Flash] and they gave the other guy his own show. (Laughs.) Who is she going to end up with? She’s also got Diggle there, so she’s got a lot of options. We’ll see which one she picks.
What’s Roy’s biggest obstacle when Arrow returns in January?
Is he going to use the abilities or the power and strength that were given to him for good, or is he going to use that and go down the path his mom went down? Is he going to start doing things that aren’t going to be helpful to Arrow? It’s a fun path to see Roy team up with the hood or if he’s going to use his newfound ability to overpower the vigilante or go out on his own and take matters into his own hands, which could get him into a lot of trouble and could lead to his demise in the long run. You never know.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
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