S4 Spoilers & Speculation

[Jack Malone]

Exclusive: Matthew Daddario Books
Guest Stint As DC Comics' Jason Todd! 

VSGuide has learned exclusively that Matthew Daddario has booked a guest role as DC Comics Jason Todd. The character is famously known in the comics as the second Robin, whose stint as Batman's sidekick ended in his tragic demise at the hands of The Joker. He would later resurface as The Red Hood — a villain that's made their presence known in the show with Gordon's (Dylan Walsh) son Jimmy Winnick (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) in the role. In Watchtower, Jason Todd is said to emerge in the twentieth episode of the season where fans will meet a version of the character plucked from the future by Hush to join the war against the heroes. 

"This season has brought in a lot of characters from the Bat-Family, and I'm excited to announce the last piece of that particular Bat-Family puzzle with Jason Todd coming on board in [the twentieth episode] of this season," series creator Jack Malone confirmed, "The Jason Todd that we'll meet is clearly from the future, and is working against our team of heroes in a really interesting way that pits him against characters like Jim Gordon and Dick Grayson." VSGuide asked the showrunner why this was the right way to introduce the iconic Batman character into the show, and he replied, "There's always been something fun about bringing in a character from the future and have them play in the sandbox of the present — it's freeing in the sense that the future is always changing, and we don't have to dig our heels into something completely permanent, whilst being allowed to do something that might not make much sense in the present but still resembles the trajectory of the comics."

Perhaps the 'Watchtower' creator is talking about seeing Jason as Red Hood before we've seen him suit up as Robin? 

In speaking of the character's future, Malone assured fans that this wasn't a one-off guest stint. "This episode definitely tells the audience that the character exists out there and that sets a pretty obvious seed to follow up on the character in [Season 5]," he teased, excited to bring the character into the world of Watchtower, "When we're able to start talking about the final season and what's in store, you'll definitely hear Jason Todd's name thrown around quite a bit, so stay tuned for that!" 

Daddario is set to appear in the twentieth episode of the season, titled 'Paradise.' Watchtower returns to close out its fourth season on October 2. 

[Alex Matthews]

So totally on board and excited for this!! Having Hush AND a future new possible Red Hood together makes just so much sense, especially if you've read the comics!

[Jack Malone]

Sept 28, 2017 12:29:36 GMT -6 Alex Matthews said:

So totally on board and excited for this!! Having Hush AND a future new possible Red Hood together makes just so much sense, especially if you've read the comics!

I'm pretty excited for Jason's role in the episode. There's definitely a nice Jason/Dick conflict that was fun to write. And I can't wait until the season is over so I can start talking about all the stories planned for the final season.  

[Jack Malone]

Exclusive: 'Watchtower' Creator On Martha Kent's

Return As The Red Queen — Plus! An Exclusive Preview!

Audiences of 'Watchtower' Season 4 will already know that 'Smallville' alum Annette O'Toole signed on to reprise her role of Martha Kent for a total of three episodes. The actress made her first appearance in the thirteenth episode of the season, titled 'Extract,' where we learned of her interesting involvement in Lana's (Kristin Kreuk) past, and her personal importance to the war in the present. Now, in the first two episodes back from hiatus, fans will see Martha Kent resurface as The Red Queen where she will be heavily involved in an arc that sees the character reunite with Amanda Waller (Pam Grier) in the aftermath of Maxwell Lord's (Gil Bellows) death. In this interview with series creator Jack Malone, VSGuide gets the inside scoop on what to expect with these first two episodes back, what Martha's role in the overall season will be, and how fans can expect it to all go down. Plus, stick around for an exclusive preview scene of Martha Kent's reunion with Amanda Waller! 

VSGUIDE | How important was it to bring back Martha Kent (Annette O'Toole) this season, and to see her resurface as the Red Queen? 

JACK MALONE | Once I realised that this season would explore Checkmate in a way we hadn't seen before, and that we'd see it from those two perspectives of Amanda Waller and Maxwell Lord, I knew that we needed Martha Kent back to round out that story. I definitely see Checkmate as an unstable entity that works on a majority vote from its leaders to get things done, and that's why there's so much of a power play. Martha is kind of the third party candidate that can tip the scale when all is said and done. So it was important to bring her back. 

VSGUIDE | In [episode thirteen] we discovered that she was laying low, and that she had changed her name and was living a relatively normal life away from everything. In fact, Steve (Rick Cosnett) was keeping her hidden as some sort of secret weapon against Maxwell Lord (Gil Bellows). Will we learn what made her such a threat against Lord? 

JACK MALONE | Some of it's kind of spelled out already. As I said, she had power when it came to tipping the scale, and shifting the power to Waller instead of Lord when it came to certain decisions. And he's made very clear moves to take her out. So hiding her away from him had a lot to do with her protection as well. But there is something in [episode sixteen] that kind of reveals why she's a viable threat against Lord — there's a bit of a twist in the story that answers one of the mysteries of the season. So that adds a lot more to the story of why she's been hiding, and why Steve and ARGUS view her as a secret weapon against Lord. 

VSGUIDE | After having a normal life — albeit, one away from the people she loves — what factors into her decision of returning to Checkmate as The Red Queen? Why isn't she done with that part of her life? 

JACK MALONE | That's something we try to explore in these next two episodes. For Martha, I definitely see a lot of qualities in her that are found in Chloe. She's spent her life protecting her son, protecting someone who has powers and is different, and it's hard for her to stop when she knows she's an asset in protecting heroes. It's not a power-trip for her. She does things for the right reason. And as for stepping back into the shoes of the Red Queen, it's coming fresh off the heels of Maxwell Lord's death. So she's safe now. She's safe to come home. And she definitely sees Checkmate as her home — it's where she feels she belongs. However, this season is all about destiny and figuring out where these characters are meant to end up, and so questioning whether or not this is where Martha Kent is meant to be, and whether or not this is the kind of work she's meant to be doing for the rest of her life... that's something that gets asked and answered. It's the purpose of her story. 

VSGUIDE | What can you tell us about Martha and Waller's reunion? 

JACK MALONE | It's surprising. They have an unlikely friendship, and an understanding of how things should be run. They disagree on a lot, but there's not a great deal of back-stabbing for them. There's no power play for them. Martha doesn't want to run a knife through Waller's back and take the organisation out from under her. She's content as The Red Queen. And Waller doesn't see Martha as a threat. So their dynamic works really well in that they both know their place, and aren't trying to move up any ladders. So their reunion is more about coming together and trying to set things right. The only problem is that Waller's in the midst of making moves that Martha doesn't agree with, and that offers a little conflict for the episode. 

VSGUIDE | In an episode that is bringing back a lot of Smallville cast members and kind of honouring the series that launched Watchtower, what can we expect with Martha? Will we see any exciting reunions for her? 

JACK MALONE | Sadly, Martha's involvement doesn't really pair her up with anyone other than Waller. There is one scene in the episode that links her up with someone unexpected, but I don't want to spoil it. Her story is mostly about returning to Checkmate, and embracing her role as The Red Queen. 

VSGUIDE | As we know, [episode seventeen] is meant to be Martha's last episode of the season. Are we to expect some form of resolution for the character? Is there any form of closure for all her development and her overall journey, or do we leave her floating out there in the universe to pop up again down the road? 

JACK MALONE | That's a great question. This season, we really wanted to bring in a lot of our peripheral characters — those characters that have threaded in and out of the show, but who never quite stole the spotlight as a main character for the series. And the reason why was because next season is our final season and that will be all about finding closure and resolution for the characters that have been here for almost every episode, and every story, and every beat of the show. So carving out three episodes for Martha Kent was very much done with the intent to offer an ending for her. As I said, her story correlates with our theme of control and destiny. Her return to the Red Queen role at Checkmate will offer some soul-searching questions. Certain events that take place will force her to evaluate her future. So in terms of figuring all of that out, and finding peace with it... I'd say there's definitely closure in [episode seventeen]. 

VSGUIDE | Last question. What are you most excited for the fans to see with Martha's return in these episodes? 

JACK MALONE | There's just a lot of great moments. I think Martha's story with Waller will be a definite highlight. She has a few moments to shine like the badass that she is and that she's certainly become as the Red Queen. There's also some emotional Martha and Clark stuff coming up, too. I think ever since we brought Martha into the show in [Season 2], she's just felt right at home here, and that's how it'll feel with her back for these first two episodes back from hiatus. 

Can't wait to see the reunion between Amanda Waller and Martha Kent? Here's an EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW of their reunion in the sixteenth episode of the season, titled 'Smallville.' Be sure to let us know your thoughts below! 

[The Doctor]

Red Hood and the Red Queen?
Color me excited and interested

[Jack Malone]

Exclusive: 'Watchtower' Creator on [SPOILER's] Death,
Plus — A Sneak Peak at This Week's Episode!

SPOILER: Click to show

Last week's episode of 'Watchtower' brought the majority of the Smallville cast members back to honour the show that started it all, and while the ten-year high school reunion offered some much needed nostalgia, it wasn't without it's tragedy. Towards the end of the episode, Smallville Vet, Martha Kent (Annette O'Toole) shared her final moments squaring off against a somehow-still-alive-and-kicking Maxwell Lord (Gil Bellows), who stormed into Checkmate and succeeded at taking the Red Queen down. In this interview with series creator Jack Malone, VSGuide asks all the important questions, with a little taste of next week's episode too! Read on! 

VSGUIDE | This season has very much built towards a shocking death, but I'm not sure anyone expected it to be Martha's (Annette O'Toole). Is she the one that Zatanna (Serinda Swan) was warning Chloe (Allison Mack) about? Is this permanent? 

JACK MALONE | That's definitely the big question going into [episode seventeen], at least from our perspective. We've had losses already in this season, with Sarah Essen, so it doesn't have to be an exclusive "this is the one" and everyone else lives. But there's still that question of whether or not this is permanent, and whether or not there is a way to save Martha. That's certainly Clark's goal in the episode. But you'll have to see what happens. The answer to your question is definitely in [episode seventeen], though. It's our last one with Annette [O'Toole] this season. 

VSGUIDE | What was the decision behind killing a character like Martha Kent off? How did you reach that conclusion? 

JACK MALONE | There were a few reasons that culminated in that decision. One of them definitely falls on Clark Kent, and his storyline this season. I felt like Jonathan Kent's death was a huge push for Clark, and was one of the crucial, defining moments that put him closer towards that suit — closer to becoming Superman. I feel like where Clark's at now, he needed something similar, and so losing another parent just might be the shake-up in his world that steers him back on the right path. Outside of that, though, it came down to the really cool idea I had that Martha was meteor-infected this whole time and that her power was empathy. I wanted her to be the big reveal as to why Maxwell Lord's powers don't work on Chloe, and I wanted her to have this huge moment opposite Lord that really showed her off in a unique, more badass kind of way. The only problem was that once I got her into that scene, and Lord realised he couldn't use her, then it became clear that Lord would kill her. And of course, in bringing the Smallville cast back, I really had that scene pictured in my head with Jonathan and Martha reuniting in the afterlife. I thought that was at least something nice to add to all the pain that made her exit a little more bittersweet, and allowed us to bring Jonathan into the episode, too. So it was a lot of different things that just made sense at the end of the day.  

VSGUIDE | Going into the next episode, and knowing that Martha obviously plays a role in it, what can we expect? 

JACK MALONE | Well, one thing I said at the beginning of the season was that we're going to explore the methods of bringing someone back to life. It would be silly of us to say that there's a huge loss coming when there's tools out there that can prevent it, and tools out there that can reverse it. One of those is the Legion Ring. Time travel. So this episode kind of goes down that route. You're going to see Clark try and go back in time and do something pretty drastic to bring Martha back. You're going to see Hope Sullivan pop in from the future to tell them that they've completely messed up the future. You're even going to see Doctor Fate pop in at some point, too. It's a big episode. So you might see timelines where Martha is still alive and kicking. You might see flashbacks. You might see Martha's soul lingering around to say goodbye. I don't want to give it away. But she's definitely in this episode, and there's definitely closure — whether it comes in her surviving this whole thing, or in us having to say one final goodbye to the character. 

VSGUIDE | One more thing. This episode brought Maxwell Lord (Gil Bellows) back into the fold. Can we expect an explanation as to how he survived [episode fifteen] in this week's episode? 

JACK MALONE | I think that explanation comes more towards the end of the season. There's a specific moment in one of our final episodes where you'll kind of go "oh, that's how he did it." But it's a bit of a reveal, so I don't want to spoil it. 

VSGUIDE | And he seems to have the Helmet of Nabu. 

JACK MALONE | Yes! That's going to be a huge part of our next episode. He's basically tapped into one of the strongest, most dangerous powers of the universe and has a vendetta to pick with Chloe and her team. So amidst all the emotional anguish and heartbreak of [episode seventeen], there's a lot of action, a lot of intensity, and some more twists. 

VSGUIDE | Last question. In speaking of the Fate helmet, this week's episode is said to reveal who Doctor Fate is. What can you tease about that reveal? Any people you can narrow us in on? 

JACK MALONE | It's hard. I want people to be a little bit surprised. I haven't seen anyone guess this person so hopefully it comes as a surprise. A good surprise. I will say that even though Lord has the helmet right now, it's obviously not him. And even if people think it's obvious when it's revealed, it should still be rather fitting. It brings with it a lot of mythology for the show and ties things together in a way that makes a lot of our stories richer, and after spending four seasons of the show with an underlying story of who gets the Fate helmet and becomes the next Doctor Fate, I feel like its a satisfying conclusion. So there. Someone that hasn't been guessed, and that makes a lot of sense [laughs]. 

For an exclusive preview of next week's episode, titled 'Destiny,' CLICK HERE. 'Watchtower' Season 4 airs Monday on theVPN. 

[The Doctor]

Oct 7, 2017 22:11:35 GMT -6 Jack Malone said:

Exclusive: 'Watchtower' Creator on [SPOILER's] Death,
Plus — A Sneak Peak at This Week's Episode!

SPOILER: Click to show

Last week's episode of 'Watchtower' brought the majority of the Smallville cast members back to honour the show that started it all, and while the ten-year high school reunion offered some much needed nostalgia, it wasn't without it's tragedy. Towards the end of the episode, Smallville Vet, Martha Kent (Annette O'Toole) shared her final moments squaring off against a somehow-still-alive-and-kicking Maxwell Lord (Gil Bellows), who stormed into Checkmate and succeeded at taking the Red Queen down. In this interview with series creator Jack Malone, VSGuide asks all the important questions, with a little taste of next week's episode too! Read on! 

VSGUIDE | This season has very much built towards a shocking death, but I'm not sure anyone expected it to be Martha's (Annette O'Toole). Is she the one that Zatanna (Serinda Swan) was warning Chloe (Allison Mack) about? Is this permanent? 

JACK MALONE | That's definitely the big question going into [episode seventeen], at least from our perspective. We've had losses already in this season, with Sarah Essen, so it doesn't have to be an exclusive "this is the one" and everyone else lives. But there's still that question of whether or not this is permanent, and whether or not there is a way to save Martha. That's certainly Clark's goal in the episode. But you'll have to see what happens. The answer to your question is definitely in [episode seventeen], though. It's our last one with Annette [O'Toole] this season. 

VSGUIDE | What was the decision behind killing a character like Martha Kent off? How did you reach that conclusion? 

JACK MALONE | There were a few reasons that culminated in that decision. One of them definitely falls on Clark Kent, and his storyline this season. I felt like Jonathan Kent's death was a huge push for Clark, and was one of the crucial, defining moments that put him closer towards that suit — closer to becoming Superman. I feel like where Clark's at now, he needed something similar, and so losing another parent just might be the shake-up in his world that steers him back on the right path. Outside of that, though, it came down to the really cool idea I had that Martha was meteor-infected this whole time and that her power was empathy. I wanted her to be the big reveal as to why Maxwell Lord's powers don't work on Chloe, and I wanted her to have this huge moment opposite Lord that really showed her off in a unique, more badass kind of way. The only problem was that once I got her into that scene, and Lord realised he couldn't use her, then it became clear that Lord would kill her. And of course, in bringing the Smallville cast back, I really had that scene pictured in my head with Jonathan and Martha reuniting in the afterlife. I thought that was at least something nice to add to all the pain that made her exit a little more bittersweet, and allowed us to bring Jonathan into the episode, too. So it was a lot of different things that just made sense at the end of the day.  

VSGUIDE | Going into the next episode, and knowing that Martha obviously plays a role in it, what can we expect? 

JACK MALONE | Well, one thing I said at the beginning of the season was that we're going to explore the methods of bringing someone back to life. It would be silly of us to say that there's a huge loss coming when there's tools out there that can prevent it, and tools out there that can reverse it. One of those is the Legion Ring. Time travel. So this episode kind of goes down that route. You're going to see Clark try and go back in time and do something pretty drastic to bring Martha back. You're going to see Hope Sullivan pop in from the future to tell them that they've completely messed up the future. You're even going to see Doctor Fate pop in at some point, too. It's a big episode. So you might see timelines where Martha is still alive and kicking. You might see flashbacks. You might see Martha's soul lingering around to say goodbye. I don't want to give it away. But she's definitely in this episode, and there's definitely closure — whether it comes in her surviving this whole thing, or in us having to say one final goodbye to the character. 

VSGUIDE | One more thing. This episode brought Maxwell Lord (Gil Bellows) back into the fold. Can we expect an explanation as to how he survived [episode fifteen] in this week's episode? 

JACK MALONE | I think that explanation comes more towards the end of the season. There's a specific moment in one of our final episodes where you'll kind of go "oh, that's how he did it." But it's a bit of a reveal, so I don't want to spoil it. 

VSGUIDE | And he seems to have the Helmet of Nabu. 

JACK MALONE | Yes! That's going to be a huge part of our next episode. He's basically tapped into one of the strongest, most dangerous powers of the universe and has a vendetta to pick with Chloe and her team. So amidst all the emotional anguish and heartbreak of [episode seventeen], there's a lot of action, a lot of intensity, and some more twists. 

VSGUIDE | Last question. In speaking of the Fate helmet, this week's episode is said to reveal who Doctor Fate is. What can you tease about that reveal? Any people you can narrow us in on? 

JACK MALONE | It's hard. I want people to be a little bit surprised. I haven't seen anyone guess this person so hopefully it comes as a surprise. A good surprise. I will say that even though Lord has the helmet right now, it's obviously not him. And even if people think it's obvious when it's revealed, it should still be rather fitting. It brings with it a lot of mythology for the show and ties things together in a way that makes a lot of our stories richer, and after spending four seasons of the show with an underlying story of who gets the Fate helmet and becomes the next Doctor Fate, I feel like its a satisfying conclusion. So there. Someone that hasn't been guessed, and that makes a lot of sense [laughs]. 

For an exclusive preview of next week's episode, titled 'Destiny,' CLICK HERE. 'Watchtower' Season 4 airs Monday on theVPN. 

I'm just shook from all of this.
Hope Sullivan-Queen, save my soul. She needs to be a main character next season. Or recurring.haha

[Jack Malone]

Oct 8, 2017 3:04:44 GMT -6 The Doctor said:

I'm just shook from all of this.
Hope Sullivan-Queen, save my soul. She needs to be a main character next season. Or recurring.haha

Yay! There's a lot of Hope Sullivan-Queen in this next episode!  

[The Doctor]

Oct 8, 2017 5:23:41 GMT -6 Jack Malone said:

Oct 8, 2017 3:04:44 GMT -6 The Doctor said:

I'm just shook from all of this.
Hope Sullivan-Queen, save my soul. She needs to be a main character next season. Or recurring.haha

Yay! There's a lot of Hope Sullivan-Queen in this next episode!  

Episode 17 destroyed me. And hopefully that episode will have repercussions in S5

[Jack Malone]

Oct 10, 2017 12:02:40 GMT -6 The Doctor said:

Episode 17 destroyed me. And hopefully that episode will have repercussions in S5

There'll be more in the season finale, if you're talking about Hope  

[The Doctor]

Oct 10, 2017 15:52:54 GMT -6 Jack Malone said:

Oct 10, 2017 12:02:40 GMT -6 The Doctor said:

Episode 17 destroyed me. And hopefully that episode will have repercussions in S5

There'll be more in the season finale, if you're talking about Hope  

Alright. So in no short words, Chloe's destiny was she was supposed to inspire heroes, have hope and then Die in the process?

Please give me an answer because I was to shook to comorehend.hahaha

[Jack Malone]

Oct 10, 2017 20:27:15 GMT -6 The Doctor said:

Alright. So in no short words, Chloe's destiny was she was supposed to inspire heroes, have hope and then Die in the process?

Please give me an answer because I was to shook to comorehend.hahaha

It's not about inspiring heroes, nor is it about her death. Chloe was in a world of heroes, grew up with them, and so its natural for her to be sucked into that world, but keeping in line with everyone having a destiny/purpose, it was certainly meant to be for Chloe to meet and know these heroes, but working with them, helping them, inspiring, and what not -- that's all her. The whole free will thing. 

Chloe's actual destiny was to bring Hope into this world (equal pun intended). And that came about because Chloe met Clark, Clark introduced Chloe to Oliver, Chloe and Oliver began a relationship that brought a child into the world, that child (Hope) was Chloe's destiny.

Chloe gave birth to Hope in 'Birth' (Season 2, Episode 20). So essentially, that's when she fulfilled her destiny, and she was supposed to die and stay dead in 'Anarchy' (Season 2, Episode 22). With everything happening for a reason, she was meant to meet Bruce because he would lead her up onto that rooftop where her story would end — where she would die at the hands of The Joker. However, Bruce brought her back and that's why she's here now and not bound by Fate because she's fulfilled her purpose. Unfortunately, on the other end of that, her existing is messing with time because she's playing a role in the destinies of Batman, Huntress, Superman, Green Arrow, the Birds of Prey etc, when she shouldn't be a part of their story post-Season 2. But with Hope being in control of Fate, and having a connection to Chloe, she isn't willing to pluck Chloe from the timeline and set things right for everyone else, and instead fixes it by pulling herself out of the equation and replacing her with Archer Sullivan-Queen (the little boy in the Smallville finale). 

The awesome thing is that we need to know what makes Hope so special for her to be someone's entire destiny/purpose, and so in seeing what Hope was born to do, we'll realise the importance of Chloe's destiny and role in this particular "DC universe." And that's all happening this season!  

[Alex Matthews]

Just read "Smallville" and "Destiny" in one sitting.

O.M.G.

Seriously!?!?!?

Happy Clark has his powers back/never lost them. Squealed a little at the mention of "Superboy" I love the idea/fact that Lord's ability doesn't work on meteor-infected - it totally makes a kind of sense, and gets around the fact he used it on Clark (and maybe other metas, I'm not sure?). Also, will it be explored in more detail how Lord came back? Or did I miss that somehow?

With so many people dropping like flies during "Destiny", it did kinda make me go "no, he can't be killing ALL of them off, right?!" Zatanna's warning is still hanging in the air, though, so someone is still for the chopping block.

I got a very big deja vu moment during Katherine's escape from prison - reminded me a lot of Faith's jail-break in S4 "Angel". Chuckled a little at Helena's quip about knowing a good lawyer. If that means more Kate Spencer, I'm all for it. Helena really is an "all in" kind of girl when it comes to relationships, isn't she?!

Actually had a "WTF?!" moment with the reveal at the end with Gordon. It leaves me wondering how much else has changed in this new timeline, and who else might still be around as a result. As for the other reveal, I have to admit to being accidentally spoiled by earlier posts, so I was already prepared for it. But it also made a lot of sense - can I ask, was this always the plan?

My final question is this:

SPOILER: Click to show

if Hope has 'removed' herself from the equation, as it were, and been overwritten with Archer (I LOVE THAT NAME!!), is the adult Hope still Dr. Fate? Is she protected from the change, due to the paradoxical nature of it: "how can she remove herself from time if she never existed?"

[Jack Malone]

Oct 14, 2017 8:15:49 GMT -6 Alex Matthews said:

Just read "Smallville" and "Destiny" in one sitting.

O.M.G.

Seriously!?!?!?

Happy Clark has his powers back/never lost them. Squealed a little at the mention of "Superboy" I love the idea/fact that Lord's ability doesn't work on meteor-infected - it totally makes a kind of sense, and gets around the fact he used it on Clark (and maybe other metas, I'm not sure?). Also, will it be explored in more detail how Lord came back? Or did I miss that somehow?

Thanks so much for reading, and leaving some thoughts for me to respond to, I appreciate it  

I remembered you talking about Superboy for MSCU, and him stepping up in Metropolis. I wanted to do a Supergirl cameo (that's kind of erased anyway from the whole time-travel plot) for the 'Smallville' episode, so I wanted to mention him in case there was a "well, why can't he do it?" 

I'm glad the reveal of why/how Chloe is immune to Lord's powers made sense. I was hoping there wasn't a meteor-infected compelled at some point that I completely forgot about because continuity can be an absolute bitch sometimes, haha. But that was something I was really excited about because I had pictured that Martha/Lord confrontation so vividly since the beginning of the season, and revealing her as meteor-infected, and thought it'd be a cool moment in the latter half of the season, so *yay*

As for how Lord survived, there's definitely an explanation coming in these last few episodes. I will say that there's an answer to it, but there's a few routes you could look down, if that makes sense. So it's not something that's spelled out in an A to B to C kind of way. Hush did warn him about his fate, and has been helping him out. He did possess the Fate helmet in these two episodes. But there's a development in the finale that offers an answer to it. His return is a real "choose your own adventure," haha! But no, an explanation is coming. 

With so many people dropping like flies during "Destiny", it did kinda make me go "no, he can't be killing ALL of them off, right?!" Zatanna's warning is still hanging in the air, though, so someone is still for the chopping block.

'Destiny' was a lot of fun to write. I like doing apocalyptic-type storylines, and aborted timelines, and see what happens when all the rules get stripped off the table and all hells break loose. It's just cool. It's not necessarily like "how many characters can I kill off in one episode," haha, but moments where you see this world turning to shit because of one decision... I like that kind of stuff. 

And yes, sadly there's a big death coming and soon based on what Zatanna said *sweats nervously*

I got a very big deja vu moment during Katherine's escape from prison - reminded me a lot of Faith's jail-break in S4 "Angel". Chuckled a little at Helena's quip about knowing a good lawyer. If that means more Kate Spencer, I'm all for it. Helena really is an "all in" kind of girl when it comes to relationships, isn't she?!

STEP AWAY FROM THE GLASS! 

I liked the idea of Helena having some sort of explosive heels she could stab into the glass to break Katherine out (these things make me want to write like whole scenes of Lucius explaining these weird ass inventions to someone like Helena).  Definitely see the "jumping through" comparison. Love Faith. I was just doing another read-through of 418 and realised there's a scene that's pretty similar to something that happens in Buffy. But it stems from the comics, so I wasn't seeing it until just now. Can't escape jossverse, apparently. 

Kate Spencer is back next week, and for most of these last few episodes  

Actually had a "WTF?!" moment with the reveal at the end with Gordon. It leaves me wondering how much else has changed in this new timeline, and who else might still be around as a result. As for the other reveal, I have to admit to being accidentally spoiled by earlier posts, so I was already prepared for it. But it also made a lot of sense - can I ask, was this always the plan?

Bringing Sarah back was something I thought would be a cool end-of-episode twist that saw some sort of surprise repercussions from going back in time. I didn't want to do it unless it made sense, because all that changed was that instead of being killed, she was in a coma and just woke up. Everything else still works the same, from Barbara coming back to Gotham, to Gordon's response to everything and him being forced to accept the outcome. I also thought that in a season where I'm like "someone is going to die" it lessens the impact a little bit if there's major deaths preceding it (like with Sarah and Martha) so having Chloe (and the others) have this victory of saving those who lost their lives... it enhances what's about to happen, I think. And that scene where Chloe confronts Zatanna and is overjoyed and smug and all "you were wrong" was one of my favourite scenes to write. 

I'm not sure which reveal you're talking about so I'll start with Doctor Fate, and then Archer Sullivan-Queen. 

With Doctor Fate, I never really had a clear idea from the beginning of who it would be. I was having fun with it being part of Perry's storyline initially, and in Season 2, I jotted down notes for an episode that would see Perry pass the helmet onto someone. But his story kind of changed in the back half, so I omitted it. And then when it came time to send Perry off, I wanted to bring the Fate helmet back into it, and at that point, I definitely knew that it was Hope. The reason I made it her was because I knew she was Chloe's destiny, and I thought it was kind of ironic that Chloe (someone not from the comics — which on the show, the comics are kind of like 'fate' itself) gives birth to someone in control of fate, and Hope has to be someone significant and do something significant in order for Chloe's destiny to have resonance. So it all kind of stitched together. It was never planned to be Chloe. I actually hated when Smallville tried to suggest that was her path forward. I think the days of trying to wedge Chloe into an established comic book character has long since passed. 

As for Archer Sullivan-Queen, I knew the little boy would be her son, and I knew it would be Oliver's, too. There were so many different routes. At one point I was going to get Chloe pregnant by the end of the season (didn't have to be Oliver's in this idea) and just pretend he wasn't as old as he was in the flash-forward. At another point, I thought of bringing Earth-2 Chloe and Oliver into the picture. But I think what I landed on made more sense, and it was more of a twist than trying to solve a problem, you know? 

Oh, and if the question is Chloe's destiny, it was definitely always Hope. I loved looking back at Smallville and realising that Clark introduced Chloe to Oliver, and then looking at Watchtower, it was Bruce that ultimately lead her to her death. It was the Doctor Fate thing that came a bit later, and helped enhance the whole thing.  

My final question is this:

SPOILER: Click to show

if Hope has 'removed' herself from the equation, as it were, and been overwritten with Archer (I LOVE THAT NAME!!), is the adult Hope still Dr. Fate? Is she protected from the change, due to the paradoxical nature of it: "how can she remove herself from time if she never existed?"

I'm glad you like the name! I thought about "Arthur" but didn't really like it. "Archer" and the nickname "Archie" sounded the best to me. 

Hope still exists, and she's still Doctor Fate. And everything we've seen with Hope still happened, but it was Archer instead. In talking about Buffy earlier, think of him as like "The Key" (Dawn) and being planted there, except he exists to stop a paradox from tearing the shit out of time itself, haha. All the memories with a young Hope are now memories with a young Archer.

For me, I see it as when a young Hope touched the fate helmet, she reunited with the timeline that's supposed to happen (one where Chloe died and stayed dead) and so she can exist because she's supposed to exist. If it were any random in the Fate helmet, they would have just delivered us a "reset to factory default settings" to fix everything, but because Hope has this emotional connection with Chloe, and is still her daughter, she maintained order in a way that kept her alive, and kept her as a mother. It's like taking a JENGA block out, but before the whole thing collapses, you smack another one in there. Hope's just out here, detached from it, while Archer holds it together. This way, we get to have both of them going forward. Hope will be back for the finale. Archer Sullivan-Queen will be a main character next season.

So yeah, Hope still exists. There's some fogginess around her touching the helmet as a child and suddenly being Kristen Bell, but I think carving out a back story and revisiting her next season... it'll be a lot of fun to write. I think she's privy to many different worlds and dimensions and aborted timelines, and -- well, at least that's how I'm writing it. There'll also be a River Song edge to her (in the same way that Hush has kind of plucked villains from certain points in time, and he's scattered around a little bit too). We might meet her at a point where she's been Doctor Fate for years and years, and then find her again before that experience and wisdom and knowledge. So there's some fun to be had with her. And yeah. Hopefully that answered the question. If not, I'm here to ramble on about more, so... haha! 

Thanks for the feedback, Alex!  

[Alex Matthews]

thanks for the answers, Jack!

It's funny you mention River Song, I was actually thinking of her when I wrote the original question about if having Hope as Fate was alwasy the end game. I've always wondered if Steven Moffat always planned from the start if River would be Amy and Rory's daughter, or if he came to it closer to the time, to tie it all together.

[The Doctor]

Archer is gunna be a main next season? Hell yeah. Im sure you wont tell us if its guna be the kid version, or the adult version

Now that we know who the Son is, lets find out who Chloe's husband is. Please let it be Jason

As for Hope, im very interested to see how Chloe and Ollie react to Dr. FATE being their child, unless youre willing to let that be open ended.

Also, both of these episodes are fantastic and feel like a two parter and its fantastic. Cant wait for the rest of the season. As i said on twitter, Team Watchtower,aside from Vicki and Lucius, need to leave Chloe alone and let that poor girl do what she does best.

Im also loving the Vicki/Chloe friendship and i hope before the series ends, we get an episode where those two go out and do some hero work on their own.

[Jack Malone]

Oct 14, 2017 10:48:25 GMT -6 Alex Matthews said:

thanks for the answers, Jack!

It's funny you mention River Song, I was actually thinking of her when I wrote the original question about if having Hope as Fate was alwasy the end game. I've always wondered if Steven Moffat always planned from the start if River would be Amy and Rory's daughter, or if he came to it closer to the time, to tie it all together.

River Song is my favourite Doctor Who character! I adore her. I don't watch the show anymore, but when I did, she was my fave  

There was never any other option for Doctor Fate, so technically it was always Hope. I just had to trust myself that I would figure it out later, haha.   

[Jack Malone]

Oct 14, 2017 21:02:04 GMT -6 The Doctor said:

Archer is gunna be a main next season? Hell yeah. Im sure you wont tell us if its guna be the kid version, or the adult version

I can't wait to talk about what the final season is, oh my god. But yes, he's a main character  

Now that we know who the Son is, lets find out who Chloe's husband is. Please let it be Jason

Season finale  

As for Hope, im very interested to see how Chloe and Ollie react to Dr. FATE being their child, unless youre willing to let that be open ended.

Oliver will never know about Hope, sadly. Chloe, on the other hand... 

Also, both of these episodes are fantastic and feel like a two parter and its fantastic. Cant wait for the rest of the season. As i said on twitter, Team Watchtower,aside from Vicki and Lucius, need to leave Chloe alone and let that poor girl do what she does best.

Thank you! I've honestly had so much fun writing all the episodes in the back half. Episode 18 (this week's episode) is what I personally think is the best episode of 'Watchtower.' I'm not sure if I'll ever top it. Hopefully you feel the same. Episode 20 was the only one that ended up being super difficult to edit and write and finish and touch up and I'm still shuffling some things around for it. But yeah, I think this second half of the season is probably my favourite when it comes to 'Watchtower.' 

I'm so glad you feel that way about Chloe, though. I mean, I obviously want to tackle everyone's perspectives, but because we know what went into Chloe's decision, we know it wasn't fun for her to do what she did. So I'm happy you're Team Chloe! I'm also glad you're liking Vicki and Lucius. I didn't think Vicki could hate Chloe, or be mad at her like the others. She always seems to be the one to lead with kindness, so I liked writing that scene where she cuts the tension and just hugs Chloe. Lucius was fun to have be in on the secret. I'm mad I didn't put this character in the credits as a regular, he's a fave. 

Im also loving the Vicki/Chloe friendship and i hope before the series ends, we get an episode where those two go out and do some hero work on their own.

Aw, yay! Not to pick favourites, but I absolutely am going to -- Vicki is my favourite character to write. I've loved this season for her because she's part of the team and kicking some ass. A Chloe/Vicki team-up episode would be great. They have a few more moments together this season. Might have to look into the team-up for next season