As I suspected in my Episode 1 of Season 6 recap of ‘Arrow,’ it seems Willa Holland’s character Thea was put in that coma following her almost death on Lian Yu for very specific reasons this season. She is most certainly not off the show, but according to co-showrunner Marc Guggenheim, Holland has once again scaled back her commitment to the series from 23 episodes to 14 episodes, his exact words being “She’s on a similar deal as she was last year.” So the coma storyline was the first way for the show’s writers to cut her out of a good number of episodes. But at least this is a bit more organic than last season when she just disappeared for weeks on end with no information. Still, for someone being credited as a series regular, Holland should really figure out whether she wants to be part of the show or not, because it is very strange to see her character come and go like this. I would almost prefer it if she were no longer a series regular and just made a few appearances every season, maybe she moves to another city and just comes to visit Oliver for a few days or something. At least then the writers would not have to jump through all these hoops to explain her absence from the story every week.
So the coma storyline was the first way for the show’s writers to cut her out of a good number of episodes. But at least this is a bit more organic than last season when she just disappeared for weeks on end with no information. Still, for someone being credited as a series regular, Holland should really figure out whether she wants to be part of the show or not, because it is very strange to see her character come and go like this. I would almost prefer it if she were no longer a series regular and just made a few appearances every season, maybe she moves to another city and just comes to visit Oliver for a few days or something. At least then the writers would not have to jump through all these hoops to explain her absence from the story every week.
As it stands now, just know she is going to be shelved until the character is needed later in the season, most likely if Roy returns for an episode or two as rumor has suggested when she will magically wake up from her coma just in time for the action. It is bad writing, it is predictable plotting, and it is hurting the show, and ‘Arrow’ has enough problems to solve without having to deal with an actor who clearly does not want to commit to a full season anymore. What are your thoughts here? Is a little bit of Thea enough for you? (if you consider 14 episodes a little bit, it is still most of the season) Or would you prefer for her to make up her mind about whether she wants to be in the show or not? Feel free to share your thoughts on the matter in the comments below!
SOURCE: TVLine
