It was a dark season for Arrow last year. It was dark for Team Arrow. It was dark for fans. And it was dark, specifically, for one Dinah Drake, who found herself overcome by an overwhelming feeling of vengeance after she lost the man she loved at the hands of Black Siren.
Last season, Dinah resembled the woman we first met in Season 5 rather than the hero she had become by Season 6’s premiere. She let her darkness and anger guide her rather than embrace those around her that care about her. It led her down a dark path, and that’s something that Juliana Harkavy wants Dinah to resolve.
“I really want her to find her definition of heroism because it’s changed so much,” Juliana Harkavy told us during a roundtable interview at San Diego Comic-Con. “The seeking vengeance last year – she thought that was justice, and then kind of realized towards the end that that’s not justice. I would love for her to keep embracing that and growing as a person.”
Harkavy is a big proponent of continuing to explore the darkness that is inside of Dinah, but she also wants to peel back more layers to really explore why Dinah is the way she is when it comes to being a hero and a cop.
“I love her harshness and her darkness and all of that, but I would love it to be a bit nuanced and just have her have more levels and how she approaches her vigilantism and her work.”
The driving force of Dinah’s dark descent in Season 6 stemmed from her interactions with Black Siren, who murdered Dinah’s boyfriend Vince right in front of her. That set the scene for Dinah seeking vengeance instead of justice and was a big part of the rift between Oliver, Felicity, & Diggle and Dinah, Curtis, & Rene.
So as for that dynamic in Season 7, Harkavy said that we’re going to see a “shift.”
“I think that relationship and dynamic is evolving in a very cool way,” Harkavy said. “They’re still definitely at odds, but there is going to be a shift there. Some of my favorite writing this season has been between Dinah and Laurel.”
Watch our interview with Harkavy below, where she talks about wanting Birds of Prey, finding a family with the team, and more.
Arrow season 7 premieres Monday, Oct. 15 at 8/7c on The CW.
