Arrow has introduced plenty of characters who have taken dark turns over the years, and Team Arrow has tried with varying degrees of success to bring some of them back. Oliver even seems determined to rehabilitate Black Siren, and she's gleefully menaced the heroes on two shows now. There's one character who was once one of the good guys, but who aligned herself with a very bad guy, and it turns out that there may be hope for her yet. According to Arrow executive producer Wendy Mericle, Evelyn Sharp - a.k.a. Artemis - may be redeemable. Mericle said this about Evelyn:
I think it's still a question mark. Honestly, I think the jury's still out on her. Even in the finale, where she does play a pretty significant role, I think that the team is reluctant to give up on her. No matter how dark she goes, she was that innocent person that Oliver met in [Season] 4 [episode] 19 that has been through so much. I think it's partly what Madison [McLaughlin] brings to the role that makes it hard to give up on her.
Madison McLaughlin made her debut as Evelyn Sharp back in Season 4, when she dressed up as the Black Canary to seek vengeance on Damien Darhk. She returned in Season 5 as one of the newbie vigilante members of Team Arrow, but she was persuaded by Prometheus to turn on Oliver when she discovered that Oliver was a pretty ruthless killer back in Season 1. Wendy Mericle's comments to CBR point toward Evelyn getting at least one more chance to align herself with Team Arrow in Season 5.
Of course, Evelyn has had plenty of time to think over her actions and repent, but she's been pretty enthusiastically Team Prometheus lately. She even let Prometheus pretend to snap her neck to try and break Oliver during their torture session. The girl has had plenty of chances to turn back to the good guys, but she has stayed on Prometheus' side.
That said, Evelyn is still a kid. At 17, she really never should have been part of Oliver's squad of vigilantes and in a position to be corrupted by Prometheus. If anybody can be redeemed, she probably stands the best chance of recovery. Her whole life could be ahead of her if she only gives up working with Prometheus. Judging by Wendy Mericle's tease about the Season 5 finale, Evelyn will have an important part to play in the action. Depending on which side she chooses, she could very well turn the tide of the final battle.
All things considered, the Season 5 finale is shaping up to be a pretty busy episode. We'll have Deathstroke in the mix again, plus Malcolm Merlyn and Black Siren back in the thick of the action, and the al Ghul sisters will be facing off as well. It should be a pretty wild ride; we'll have to wait and discover for ourselves whether Evelyn will be back with the good guys when it finally ends.
You can catch the last few episodes of Arrow Season 5 on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and don't forget to check out our midseason TV premiere guide and our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well.
