Warning: spoilers for Season 4 of Arrow ahead.
The long-awaited Flarrow crossover has finally aired, and it left us with just about as many questions as answers. Plenty happened to help set up spinoff Legends of Tomorrow and the plot for the rest of the second season of The Flash, but the biggest development on the Arrow front was all about characters, as Oliver finally learned what the audience has known since way back in Season 2: he has a kid.
All things considered, there’s never really a good time for a man to learn by happenstance that his ill-advised one night stand of a decade ago resulted in a baby that was definitely not miscarried, but the timing really couldn’t be much worse for Oliver Queen. His decision to agree to Samantha’s terms to keep the existence of little William secret from everybody could have some major consequences for the future of the show. Here are 3 huge ways that the baby mama drama could change everything.
A New Target For Damien Darhk
One of the biggest questions that has been hanging over Arrow in Season 4 is just who will be the big death from the flashforward. Now that Oliver has a kid in the mix and a history of secrets coming out in the most inconvenient ways, bad guy extraordinaire Damien Darhk may soon discover a major weak spot for mayoral candidate Oliver Queen.
Oliver has proven himself capable of focusing on the big picture of a mission, but there are uncrossable lines for Oliver even in his most ruthless vigilante mode, and continuing to oppose Damien Darhk if William is in his crosshairs is one that he wouldn’t cross lightly. Kids on action shows practically exist to be kidnapped and/or menaced, and the flashforward indicates that William may be in very real danger.
A Scandal For Oliver's Campaign
We've had to suspend our disbelief pretty thoroughly to accept the idea of Oliver Queen running for mayor. Between his overall awfulness as pre-island Ollie, his Season 1 murder spree, and the poorly kept secret of his double life, it’s taken the fact that there’s literally nobody else running for Mayor Oliver to be plausible.
Still, campaign manager Alex has shown concern that Oliver’s philandering as pre-island Ollie could be enough to derail the campaign, and the reveal of a secret illegitimate kid in Central City, one whose mother hid him out of disgust for the Queen family, wouldn’t exactly give Oliver a boost in the polls. There’s perhaps no worse way for the secret of Oliver’s kid to come out than for somebody to dig it up for a smear campaign, and it’s looking alarmingly possible as the season progresses.
Trouble On The Olicity Front
Oliver has been a more hopeful man in Season 4, and his relationship with Felicity is one of the biggest reasons why. Does he still like to brood and shout from time to time? Sure. But he also likes to cook gourmet meals for his lady love and openly communicate with his team, and the balance between Oliver and Green Arrow has been great.
So, it’s kind of a bummer that baby mama drama is regressing Oliver back into a keeper of secrets. Felicity has a very low tolerance for bullshit from Oliver, and his decision to lie about an awfully big thing to the woman that he wants to marry could backfire rather spectacularly on him. Considering that Oliver has his own problems with functioning without Felicity, no good can come out of his choice to keep William a secret from her. Better 'fess up soon, Oliver.
Arrow airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
