When it comes to a superhero series, you don’t usually see controversial topics tackled. However, ‘Arrow’ lightly did just that by looking at the gun debate issue in Season 5’s episode “Spectre of the Gun.” While it was addressed, which is itself surprising, not doubling down on the issue is the major regret that Marc Guggenheim has about the series:
“I’ve been doing television for 20 years. There’s not a single episode of anything I’ve ever worked on I wouldn’t take back in a heartbeat. I’ll give you a specific example: I wrote 513, which was the “gun control” episode. I thought that we were taking a big enough chance just by raising the specter of the issue, no pun intended. Looking back on it, especially in light of the number of mass shootings that unfortunately happened after that episode aired, I wish I had gotten higher up on my soapbox. I had an opportunity and an audience, and I was trying to show both sides of the argument, and I wish I had basically come down hard on one particular side.”
Instantly by posting this, I knew there would be at least one person in the comments who would say they want politics left out of their entertainment. Our own review had a similar complaint. That being said, it should be noted that Guggenheim doesn’t specifically say which “particular side” he wanted to “come down hard on” though I suspect we can all make an educated guess there.
With ‘Arrow’ having come to a close, we know that Guggenheim won’t have this chance again on the show, but you can’t help but wonder if he will make this a sticking point in a future series that he works on.
Are you glad ‘Arrow’ didn’t double down on the gun control issue, or do you feel that this was a missed opportunity? Share your thoughts in the comments below, but please try to keep it civil.
Source: EW
