Quentin Lance has never been a character that has experienced great happiness during his time on Arrow. But last season was by far one of the most emotional, difficult seasons he’s faced yet as he had to deal with the return of one daughter from the dead and the loss of another daughter near the end of the season.
At the end of season four, Lance left Star City with Donna Smoak following his dismissal from the Star City Police Department. When season five begins, Lance is certainly going to still be carrying that grief with him after Laurel’s death.
“He’s in a rough spot,” Paul Blackthorne told us during a roundtable interview at SDCC. “Getting over – or not getting over – your daughter’s death is a little traumatic. He’s going to be revisited by demons. He’s going to have a tough time of it.”
One of the things Blackthorne is looking forward to this season is seeing a shift in dynamic between Lance and some characters that he hasn’t really interacted with to that extent in the past.
“The thing that the writers do really well each season is shift the dynamics between the relationships around between the characters,” he said. “Love you, hate you, etc. This year is certainly what Lance is experiencing some new dynamics with characters that he hasn’t been close to in the past.”
Watch our interview with Blackthorne below where he discusses Lance’s departure from the force, the future of SmoakNLance, and more.
Arrow season five premieres Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 8/7c on The CW
