Juliana Harkavy Is Glad They Made A 'Birds of Prey'-Themed 'Arrow' Episode Before Emily Bett Rickards Left

Tonight's episode of Arrow might not be named after the all-female DC superteam the Birds of Prey -- they already did that in a previous episode -- but it has been tied to the concept since it was first announced. Titled "Lost Canary," the episode brings together Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), the Earth-2 Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), Sara Lance (DC's Legends of Tomorrow star Caity Lotz), and Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy) in a story that may help set the standard for Laurel's status quo going forward. The episode had a largely female behind-the-camera presence, too, and it was particularly special because they got to include Rickards, who will be leaving the show before its eighth and final season.

"I was wigging out; I was so excited [for the episode]," Harkavy told ComicBook.com during an interview last week in support of the episode. "I knew about Birds of Prey. I was really excited about the movie. I love the art and the comics, and I was so excited. I know there had been talk about it in the past, but the fact that they actually got it to come together was really great, and I'm just so glad that we got to do it with Emily because having a female-centric episode without her wouldn't have been the same. So it was a perfect time for it."

Harkavy, Rickards, and many of the rest of the major female players in the "Arrowverse" are a part of Shethority, a nonprofit that leverages their celebrity to help women and girls. The bond between several of the actors behind the scenes has always been a strong one, but given the nature of superhero TV, it is not always possible to let that show through onscreen. Tonight's episode, though, centers largely on the relationships between the "Canaries" (plus Felicity). During our interview, Harkavy especially called out the dynamic between her character and Laurel, which she described as "pliable" over the years, with Laurel's alliances constantly shifting and Dinah trying to determine what was the right thing to do at any given time.

"I've admired Dinah's ability to forgive to a certain level and I have also empathized with her as she's had trouble forgiving," Harkavy said. "The same with Laurel, I've appreciated how far she's come. And then on the other hand there's always that tinge of fear -- 'is she going to just kill people?' I love having that energy bouncing back and forth between them all the time. I don't know if their relationship will ever land in the final phase. I do think it's closer to where it would end by the end of this episode perhaps. But yeah, it's definitely very up and down.

Arrow airs on Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following episodes of DC's Legends of Tomorrow on The CW.

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