The CW's 'Arrow' closed its first season on a high note with last night's "Sacrifice," though the episode was not without great personal cost to the series, and Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) himself. The series has been set to return for a second season next fall, so what does executive producer Marc Guggenheim have to say about Oliver's season 2 trials? And might there be a chance of survival for any of the finale's heartbreaking deaths?

After an extremely solid season, 'Arrow's' first year came to a close last night with a titular "Sacrifice" that sent many a fan reaching for the Kleenex, as [SPOILER] Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) gave his life to free Laurel from the earthquake damage of "The Undertaking." [END SPOILER] With season 2 firmly in place, 'Arrow' executive producer Marc Guggenheim made the press rounds in tease of the DC show's second season, in the process confirming 'Arrow' wouldn't take any easy outs to return its deceased characters.

"The only thing I will say is what I said to Colin Donnell after he filmed his last scene, and that was, “I’m really glad this show does flashbacks," Guggenheim told HuffPostTV. "But no, there will be no miraculous Lazarus Pit-like device. Poor Tommy’s gone, unfortunately." The same seemed less clear with regard to Tommy's father Malcolm (John Barrowman), whose death Guggenheim hesitated to confirm, but reiterated Malcolm too could easily appear in flashback.

Going forward, season 2 will mostly deal with the fallout of Oliver's first year as The Hood, and the tragedies inherent to Malcolm's successful undertaking. "The whole of season 2 is about Oliver changing the way he does things and you’ll hear us talk a lot about making the transition from vigilante to hero," said Guggenheim. "That whole transition and evolution would not have happened but for Tommy’s death. It’s a huge part of Oliver’s drive and character arc for season 2."

Arrow Season 2 Spoilers Sacrifice
The CW
loading...

We can certainly expect to see Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) coming to grips with his own heroism in the early episodes of season 2, and how that relates to his quest to find The Hood. Laurel will need some reevaluation as well, having lost Tommy immediately after his declaration of love, and hours after she and Oliver apparently reconciled. The CNRI's destruction also left Laurel without a job, placing her at a "crossroads" with regard to The Hood, Oliver and Tommy, though don't expect the character to don any fishnets just yet.

Guggenheim also confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that supporting characters would take center stage more often in season 2, perhaps affording Diggle his own flashbacks in his continued hunt of Deadshot, while Detective Lance will have some major decisions to answer for. "Our goal has always been to make him our version of Commissioner Gordon," said Guggenheim. "the scene that he has with Lieutenant Pike, where he basically outs himself as having worked with The Hood instead of capturing him, that will have huge repercussions for him in season 2.”

Finally, 'Arrow' season 2 will continue the practice of cutting back to Oliver's five-year island story, while the Glades' destruction will replace his father's notebook as the predominant source of conflict. "The notebook was the main thing that created a lot of story engine for us and the consequences and the figurative after-shocks of the earthquake are going to provide the new story engine for season 2.”

Well, what say you? Did you feel that 'Arrow' hit the mark with its first season finale? Did the season overall tell a complete story, with enough left over for future seasons? Give us your thoughts on 'Arrow's' first and upcoming second season in the comments!

More From ScreenCrush