Spoilers for tonight’s Arrow below!
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Tonight’s Arrow was a unique one. Beyond tackling the complicated problem of gun violence, and having ties to the current political climate, it was noteworthy for putting a new twist on its typical flashbacks. Instead of following the adventures of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) dealing with the Russian Bratva, tonight’s flashbacks expanded on the backstory Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez).
When asked why Rene’s flashbacks were a focus of the episode, executive producer Wendy Mericle said that she believed it was a logical step with the plot of the episode. In the flashbacks, Rene’s life with his wife and daughter are shown, before a robber broke into their house and shot Rene’s wife dead.
“I think it was that he was someone whose background we really wanted to explore.” Mericle told ComicBook.com. “And I think he’s a natural proponent. He carries a gun, he’s a natural spokesman for that point of view.”
Exeuctive producer Marc Guggenheim echoed this sentiment. “I think there was a real appetite for us and the writing staff to do flashbacks from the perspective of one of our recruits, so that we were just getting to learn more about them. We know a lot about Curtis, obviously. Rory left the team. Evelyn had betrayed the team. And we also sort of already knew her backstory from Season 4. Rene felt like the right recruit at the right time, for all the reasons Wendy was saying. He is a character whose whole superheroics revolve around guns.”
According to the pair, Rene’s backstory has been a through line since his first appearance on the show, particularly with an exchange between him and John Diggle earlier in the season.
“We definitely talked about the tragedy with his daughter.” Mericle explained. “We knew that and that was part of setting that up a little bit, foreshadowing that he has a stake as a family man. He shared that moment with John and understood what he was going through… We knew he had a family and something tragic happened, but not specifically what.”
“If you go back and you rewatch it in light of this episode,” Guggenheim echoes. “You go, ‘Oh! He definitely had a kid.’ We knew that component of it, but we didn’t know the specifics.”
If fans are looking for more of Rene’s backstory, Guggenheim and Mericle say they might have to wait a little while longer. “We know specifically what each episode’s flashback content will be and we’re not going to see another Rene-centric flashback this year. But maybe season 6!”
WILD DOG’S HISTORY IS REVEALED — A traumatic attack on City Hall triggers painful memories for Rene (Rick Gonzalez) about his family. Flashbacks reveal how Rene went from simple family man to a hero named Wild Dog.
Meanwhile, Oliver (Stephen Amell) must deal with the perpetrator behind the attack and realizes the best way to do so is as Mayor Queen instead of the Green Arrow. Tensions run high in the Arrow bunker.
Kristin Windell directed the episode written by Marc Guggenheim.
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Arrow airs on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. “Spectre of the Gun” premieres on February 15.
