Arrow Season 2: Oliver's New Aim, A Speedy Pal, Felicity In Action, Summer Glau & More Preview

TARGET PRACTICE | Rather than shooting to kill, Oliver will re-evaluate his mission and tactics in Season 2. But that doesn't mean he'll be going soft on the bad guys. "Ironically, it makes a lot of our fights a lot meaner than they used to be," says Amell, who now must punch and not end his enemies. Not to mention,"It has made it complicated because I didn't have to worry so much about witnesses, and now I do."

THE THREE MUSKETEERS | Oliver's new approach to fighting criminals "puts a reset button on the team" and lays on the pressure, teases Rickards. "We have to tell each other more things because we can't have anymore backpedaling. We can't have anymore mistakes." As a result, Felicity, Diggle and Oliver will find themselves dealing with "more masks and more layers and more vulnerability. And if there are more secrets — which, trust me, there are tons more secrets — they need to be so thought-out on when they're going to be revealed in fear of breaking apart the trio."

CORPORATE COMPLICATIONS | With Moira in jail, Queen Consolidated is in shambles and under threat of takeover (more on that in the next slide). In order to save the family business, Oliver takes a more hands-on role in its ffairs, which gives Amell "a new character to play, and it's a lot of fun," the actor says. "I'm enjoying it because it's actually something that he takes seriously." Too bad the people of Starling City only know Oliver as a party boy and not a smart suit. "We do put Oliver back in public again in Episode 2, and you'll see the reception is quite the opposite of warm," Amell teases.

POWER SUIT | Summer Glau (Firefly) will recur e as Isabel Rochev, the VP of Acquisitions for Stellmoor International. "She is not interested in working with [Oliver] at all to save Queen Consolidated," describes Amell. "She wants to save it for herself or dismantle it.... Whatever she wants to do, she doesn't want to do it with Oliver. But that dynamic is interesting because I am a lot more intelligent then I necessarily let on as Oliver, so she's constantly pushing at me, and it's a great opportunity for me to push back." Could these two go from the boardroom to the bedroom? Says Kreisberg: "Just because sparks fly doesn't mean that people are going to get together."

ACTION GAL | Everyone's favorite IT girl is moving from behind-the-scenes to the front lines. "Felicity has just signed off on taking a more hands-on role, and Diggle and Oliver are forced to accept that," reveals Rickards. "Being a part of the team is having to accept the fact that this is dangerous, this is everyday, and all of us can't be in the foundry all the time and saving people. ... Her getting out in the real world, and being in danger, and hopefully helping and not getting into too much trouble, which she does, aids the bigger picture." Felicity is also moving up the ladder at work where "she has been 'promoted,' for lack of a better word, just because Oliver needs to communicate with her more."

KICKED TO THE SIDE | It may not be a speedy evolution, but Oliver's relationship with Thea's boyfriend will grow. "Oliver has to go from not liking Roy at all to seeing that he's kind of a good influence on his sister to, 'Crap, I've got to keep my sister's boyfriend alive,'" previews Kreisberg.

SECOND CHANCES | Akin to how Ollie's a responsible businessman, Thea has "got herself a bit put together now," managing his nightclub, previews Willa Holland. (The issue of the Arrowcave being in such close proximity will be addressed in Episode 2: "It solves any question of ever wanting to go down the stairs ever again," teases the actress.) As for her relationship with Roy, "she might slowly start understanding the reasoning behind what he's doing instead of judging him for it."

OH, MOTHER | Moira finds herself "very isolated" in prison at the start of the season, says Susanna Thompson. "Her daughter is resisting seeing her. Her son is dealing with the ramifications of his best friend's death. She's pretty much alone." But there is a bright side: "There's a level of honesty [between Oliver and Moira] that they've gotten back to," Thompson notes. "In many, many ways, they live parallel lives. There's a lot of secrets they both share. They can both sense when something is untrue with the other."

LOVE ON THE ROCKS | In the wake of Tommy's death, the romantic prospects for Laurel and Oliver are not looking good. "He is convinced that he shouldn't be with anybody that he could really, really care about," explains Amell. But, "That doesn't mean he can't be with some people that he sort of, kind of cares about," the actor adds with a laugh.

ON THE BEAT | Detective Lance is no more. Laurel's father is back on the street as an officer, which actually puts him closer to the action — and continues to bring him into Felicity's orbit when it comes to their "friend" the vigilante. "There are a couple of scenes coming with Quentin," teases Rickards. "They're still on the same level, and she doesn't break character, if that makes sense."

HIDDEN ENEMIES | Troubles will continue to plague Oliver & Co. on the island. "We thought I was there all by myself, but there was Fyres and that whole group," previews Amell. "Now they are mostly taken care of, and a new danger pops up pretty quickly."