On Arrow, Lance was demoted from detective to officer for trying to help save the city with the Vigilante’s assistance. In “Broken Dolls,” they will be brought together again in the pursuit of a killer who broke out of prison during the earthquake.
I caught up with Paul Blackthorne last week to get the scoop on Lance’s demotion, the reunion between the officer and the Vigilante, and Lance’s relationship with Laurel. Check out the edited interview.
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Even though he was responsible for helping reduce the destruction of the Glades, Lance was demoted to uniformed officer. Was his involvement kept a secret?
No one would really ever know the good work that he’d done by defusing the first one in the first place. And, obviously [the other device] went off regardless. So, the police would never know that either — it’s not something that’s been brought into the storyline.
And, really the residents wouldn’t know it either because the device went off in the end. Although, Lance has been demoted as a result of the initial actions of confiding with the Vigilante and then talking to the police about it he ultimately — he’s been demoted, but ultimately he feels comfortable on the inside. He’s actually done what for him was the right thing.
The system of law wasn’t holding up that day. And, he knew for the sake of justice and for the greater good of the city, he had to do what he had to do. And, he did it. Even though he’s been demoted and publicly taken down a notch, in his own mind, he knows he did the right thing. So he doesn’t have a problem with it.
What’s the relationship between Lance and the Vigilante, now that he’s re-emerged in Starling City?
Ultimately, it’s a positive one because Lance is drinking the Kool-Aid. He’s drinking the Vigilante Kool-Aid. He sees now that the guy’s doing absolutely good things for the city. To see him back, especially when the city needs help more than any other time.
Given it’s in such a state right now, he’s glad the Vigilante is back because he knows in terms of justice and doing the right thing, he does do the right thing. Lance is quietly, very very quietly, happy to see him back.
Laurel wants the Vigilante captured now, while Lance is supportive of him. Does that create rift between them?
Yes, that’s the whole sort of interesting thing really, isn’t it? The whole role reversal of the situation last year where she was working with him and I was trying to catch him. And, now she’s trying to catch him and I want to work with him. So from the writers point of view it’s a great switch around, role reversal. Yes, it completely puts Lance at odds with his daughter. Absolutely.
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On “Broken Dolls,” Lance works with the Vigilante. What is that dynamic like?
It’s the odd couple. Let’s face it. Lance and the Vigilante work together and it’s a case from Lance’s past and he needs help with it because the guy’s out [of prison] and he can only think of — as a police officer he’s no longer in a position to pursue the guy who’s out now because of the earthquake.
He’s no longer a detective. He wants to get back on the case because it’s one of his past cases, but they’re not letting him do that now because he’s an officer now and not a detective. So there’s only one man that Lance can think of going to to work on the case.
They are quite like a modern day odd couple. You see these two go out trying to capture this guy. It’s an interesting combination. A quite awkward one, I’d say.
During the case, Laurel gets kidnapped. It must get much more personal. Does that change Lance and Laurel’s relationship at all?
Well, it does become very personal. It’s his daughter. If she’s in harm’s way, he’s going to be concerned about her. He loves her.
There’s a new character that’s been introduced, Sebastian Blood. He’s running for mayor, what does Lance think about Blood’s platform?
Lance’s view of anybody in Starling City politics is a very skeptical one. He’s been scarred by this in the past and he’s skeptical and cynical about anybody who’s running in politics in that city because of the history of the city. He’s not going to take any of the electioneering as truth. He’s just going to look at it as another self-serving, power hungry politician.
Does Lance have more freedom to help the city as a uniformed officer than he had as a detective?
Well, that’s interesting. He’s at grassroots now and so he’s now back with the people and amongst the people that he really does belongs with. He’s away from the politics and he’s away from the corruption. He’s actually in a better place, in a place more akin to who he is. He’s actually all right about that.
Arrow airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm ET on the CW.
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(Image courtesy of the CW.)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Contributing Editor and Writer for Collider, BuddyTV, TV Fanatic, CliqueClack, and other publications. TV criticism, reviews, interviews with actors and producers, and other related content. Founder of TV Diehard.
