Thanks to a source central to the Arrowverse Production team (who wishes to remain anonymous), a fact about the Arrow season finale was brought to my attention.
On that note, spoiler warning for Season 5 episodes 23 of Arrow “Lian Yu.”
In “Lian Yu,” one notable thing that has gone virtually undiscussed is the fact that Malcolm Merlyn dies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgr1XEikVkw?rel=0
Keep in mind, that Arrow went into their last season fresh off the backlash they received from fans because they killed off Laurel Lance aka the Black Canary. Naturally, when a writer kills off a character, they get backlash. Arrow itself has gotten a fair bit in its several season history.
As you saw in the above clip, Malcolm Merlyn is killed off-screen but it is clear what happens. It’s also done in such a way that fans are left thinking that it’s no big deal, some how Malcolm will make an appearance, somehow, he’ll come back.
And as fans of CW shows know, dead characters have a habit of not staying dead.
According to my source, even Barrowman believed that they were going to bring back Malcolm Merlyn until the night before he filmed what would be his death scene. He asked the writers if they were bringing him back and was told that there are no plans to bring back Malcolm Merlyn.
So why play it off as ambiguously as they did? Why leave fans to speculate on whether or not or when Malcolm Merlyn would return?
Both my source and I have a theory. They’re slightly different and I’ll share both with you.
My source thinks that it was done that way to avoid getting backlash from the fanbase for killing off yet another beloved character in a season finale. They note that after the finale aired, there was almost no notice of them killing off Malcolm Merlyn and think it is for two reasons.
One: it was done off-screen which limits the emotional impact the event actually has. If you don’t see it, your brain can pretend that it didn’t actually happen.
Two: it is left ambiguous. Even watching the scene in question for myself, I can see where you are led to believe that this isn’t the last that we will see of Malcolm Merlyn.
That is their theory.
My theory: I agree with what they said but I also add a bit to it. Back before the finales, I did a piece in this column discussing hypothetically my opinion on each show as they currently stood. I said then that Arrow was the weakest link of the four shows and that I wouldn’t be surprised if the upcoming season was its last.
By hiding the fact that they are not bringing back Malcolm Merlyn, it hides the fact that I just might be right. There’s a lot of fans who started watching Arrow because they like John Barrowman, or they’ve come to love the character over the years. Honestly, from what I’ve watched of the show, he’s one of the best parts of it.
Eliminate that, and a show that was already struggling, just made their job harder.
Also, looking at this from another angle, CW and the writers of Arrow treated Barrowman in a way that is just wrong. Not telling him that this is in fact his character’s death and him having to ask just hours before shooting only to be told the truth is not how one goes about telling this news.
And of course, fans think Malcolm is coming back, or will at least make another appearance. So there was virtually no reaction from them.
Not only did CW and the writers of Arrow do wrong by John Barrowman, they did wrong by their fans. Both parties got the short end of the stick in this situation.
All for the sake of avoiding backlash.
You know that saying, you made your bed now you have to sleep in it? CW has had a hard time understanding that means this season. The Flash copped out of killing Iris and Arrow cops out of giving a long standing character the goodbye he deserved.
I see problems with this on several angles.
1. As a Fan
Clearly, The CW and the writers on Arrow knew that what they were going to do would cause backlash. After Arrow got tweets and articles and all sorts of backlash the previous season, they decided to attempt to find a way to get as little backlash as possible.
And to avoid it, they basically lied to their audience
This is not the way a network should treat an actor. My source believes that if Barrowman hadn’t initiated the conversation, they wouldn’t have told him, and would have let him go on believing that he would be returning.
2. As a Writer
Deciding to kill a character is something a writer does not do lightly. So, for the writers of Arrow to kill a main character like that (off-screen and in such a way that it appears that they will be brought back at a later date), is something that annoys me on a professional level. The cavalier treatment of their own character on a show that was already starting to drown makes me wonder why they thought it was a good idea.
My shock comes from their cavalier treatment of not only a character who has been around since their show’s conception but the actor who brought him to life. That they killed off Malcolm Merlyn isn’t what got me upset when my source was telling me this. What has me upset is how they treated John Barrowman.
After reading this, you’re wondering what can be done. The network made a decision and there’s nothing we can do about it, right?
Wrong.
Whether you’re a fan of Malcolm Merlyn, Captain Jack Harkness, or John Barrowman himself, there is something you can do.
You can let CW and the writers of Arrow know that we do not appreciate their cavalier treatment of both the actor and character. We can ask them to bring him back. We can make sure their attempt at avoiding backlash fails.
Tweet this. Share it with your friends on FB. Spread it around Tumblr. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it is that if the fans speak out in large numbers, the Network might just listen.
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I dislike the writers of Flash for similar reasons. They absolutely refuse to pay attention to fans, insisting that they alone know what is best. They say they want to put their own twist on the comics but refuse to move away from something that just isn’t working. They insisted on moving Westallen ahead despite the massive drop in ratings for season 3. They saw, they had to see, that Westallen wasn’t working with the fans yet continued to beat us up with it. Rumors are that season 4 sees Barry and Iris getting married. If so then that will be the death knell for Flash. Season 3 was a mess. Everything that made the show great was taken away in season 3. I purchased the DVD sets for seasons 1 and 2 but will not be buying season 3 because it is just no good. At this point I am not sure I am even going to bother watching season 4.