Emily Bett Rickards left Arrow as a regular at the end of season 7, after being on the show since the beginning. The CW series will continue on for 10 episodes without her in the abbreviated eighth and final season, but star Stephen Amell has promised that the memory of Felicity Smoak will be “ever-present” in the mind of Oliver Queen throughout.
In an interview with TV Guide, the Emerald Archer actor explained that he wanted to make sure Felicity’s presence is felt in season 8, with the star even contributing an unscripted moment in episode 2 that will speak to his love for his wife, as well as his two children.
“She is ever-present in Oliver’s mind. We found Oliver can’t wear his wedding ring in the premiere for a very specific reason, but he can wear it in the second episode. And it wasn’t built into the script, but I spoke to our director, Antonio Negret, and we built a moment of Oliver putting his ring back on and thinking about it. So Emily’s gone, off the show, but Felicity and William and Mia are ever-present in Oliver’s mind.”
Amell has previously teased the mysterious reason Ollie can’t wear his wedding ring in the season premiere, following fans worrying on Twitter that the couple’s marriage was going to be swept under the carpet. As mentioned above, though, he made clear that the ring will return in every episode after that.
David Ramsey also spoke to TV Guide about the same subject, and went even further in teasing Felicity’s role in season 8. He also hinted that Rickards might return before the show wraps for good.
“You can’t have this season of Arrow without talking about Mia and Felicity. I think there’s even talks that Emily will be back. Who knows? So, you know, there’s hope.”
Oliver and Felicity may be currently separated, but their destinies are still intertwined, as season 7 ended with a flash-forward that saw the Monitor take Felicity with him to reunite with her husband 20 years from now. Hopefully the story will loop back around and we’ll get some closure to this in Arrow season 8.