One of the most important arcs of Arrow Season 4 was all about the romance between the Green Arrow and his lady love Felicity. Oliver spent the first seven episodes learning how to actually take part in a healthy, adult relationship in a way that fit his five-year progression. Unfortunately for those who enjoyed watching Oliver grow into a real boy, the relationship imploded thanks to an unfortunate secret kid plot. Olicity fans shouldn't get their hopes up for an early reunion. Executive producer Wendy Mericle had this to say about Olicity in Season 5:
They're both in crisis mode. Oliver's got two really big jobs, and [Felicity] is spinning out about Havenrock. Until they've gotten some clarity for themselves, there's not much room for the relationship side of things.
Oliver and Felicity ended Season 4 on good terms as the only members of Team Arrow who stuck around to continue the mission to save the city, but they also had a slew of new issues to deal with. Oliver was set to have more work than ever as the Green Arrow without Spartan and Speedy, and he was inducted as mayor of Star City by the end of the finale. For her part, Felicity hadn't had the chance to really deal with the fact that she had a hand in the nuclear destruction of the town of Havenrock. Oliver and Felicity will both have full plates without rekindling their romance.
The odds are pretty good that Oliver and Felicity will be getting back together at some point in Season 5. Superhero sagas generally have a hero and his/her major love interest. Felicity was moved into that vacancy after Season 2, and Oliver hasn't strayed from her in the years since. With Oliver's only two other significant love interests out of the running, we should expect Arrow to revisit Olicity.
Given how Olicity came to an end in Season 4, however, it might be for the best if both Oliver and Felicity deal with their individual baggage before delving into what broke them up in the first place. They did break up for very real reasons. The baby mama drama turned Oliver into a liar, deceiver, and overall dummy for keeping his secret kid a secret even after Malcolm Merlyn learned about him. Oliver then went on to do his best to win a resistant Felicity back with an admittedly dreamy speech she couldn't escape during a staged wedding, but Felicity hasn't exactly been dropping hints that she's open to giving their relationship another try.
If Arrow doesn't really deal with the reasons why Olicity split in the first place, a reunion won't feel earned. Wendy Mericle's reveal to TVLine that they won't be romantic right away doesn't have to be a bad thing for even the most passionate Olicity fans.
Of course, we should expect some degree of relationship drama between Oliver and Felicity early on. Actress Emily Bett Rickards has revealed that Felicity will have a new boyfriend early in Season 5, and Stephen Amell has indicated that Oliver might not deal with her moving on very well. Hopefully Arrow will use restraint in how it handles any romance in the future. We don't need another love triangle. Personally, as long as the show doesn't spend much time revisiting the secret kid plot that totally sabotaged Oliver's development as a hero, I'll be pretty happy.
Arrow returns to The CW on Wednesday, October 5 at 8 p.m. ET. Check out our breakdown of what we know so far about Season 5, and take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule to see when your other favorite shows will be back.
