In the wake of the Crisis, and in the Poorly Disguised Pilot for Green Arrow & The Canaries, Mia must take up her father's legacy.
Tropes
- 20 Minutes into the Future: Star City in 2040 isn't that different from 2020 except for some minor technological advances such as vehicles being electric and biotech used to power buildings.
- Aborted Arc: The spin-off wasn't picked up for series, so the cliffhanger at the end of this episode will not be resolved.
- Ambiguous Situation:
- The status of the previous Black Canaries in the future; Dinah says that she found no record of herself upon arriving in 2040, explicitly saying "no Black Canary," and Mia doesn't recognize either Dinah or Laurel when they first arrive, suggesting that Laurel (possibly both Laurels) and the entire Black Canary identity may have disappeared from history somehow as well. Nobody questioning Dinah still being around back in the present indicates this wasn't always the case post-Crisis.
- JJ's reaction to regaining his pre-Crisis memories; his expression is initially horrified, but changes to a curiously cold and blank look as the episode ends.
- Laurel is still from another Earth, but it's left unconfirmed whether it's still Earth-2 (now home to Stargirl (2020)) or another Earth entirely.
- Antagonistic Offspring: Inverted with Bianca, who is a normal person, as opposed to her mother, who was a villain (at least Pre-Crisis).
- Back from the Dead: Thanks to the changes in the Crisis, Zoe Ramirez is alive in the future, because JJ never went evil and killed her.
- Badass Boast:Trevor: The three of you against all of us? I'll take those odds.Mia: So will we.A dozen bad guys get utterly curb-stomped
- Bad Future: Subverted. Compared to the Pre-Crisis timeline, this version of 2040 is safer and happier. However, Laurel learned from Sara that Bianca Bertinelli's death would have led to Star City descending into chaos in less than a year.
- Batman Gambit: Laurel reveals to Dinah that part of her reason for getting Mia to take up the mantle of Green Arrow is that otherwise Mia will somehow be considered responsible for the mess in 2041.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Trevor willingly sets the whole building ablaze rather than facing the wrath of whomever he is working for.
- Brought Down to Badass: When Mia, Laurel and Dinah raid the building where Bianca is being held, Laurel learns that there are meta-dampeners in place, which means that she and Dinah cannot use their Canary Cries. Not that it keeps them from kicking major ass regardless.
- Call-Back: Laurel references her past as the murderous Black Siren.
- Can't Stay Normal: Dinah declined Sara's offer to return to 2020 three months ago, deciding that she is content with how things are, despite everyone in 2040 not knowing her. Suffice to say, it doesn't last long, as Laurel reveals that Star City will fall in a year. Whether she likes it or not, she has to return to vigilantism.
- Cliffhanger: Mia recognizes the writing on the hozen matches the tattoo on Trevor’s wrists; moments later William is kidnapped and she is tranqued. Meanwhile, someone shows up at JJ’s, and restores his memories of the old timeline.
- Computer Equals Monitor: Mia hacks into JJ's computer by sticking a device onto the monitor.
- Continuity Nod:
- Cisco has built a device based on J'onn's powers that can restore Pre-Crisis memories.
- William's ex is named Keven, and the captions spell it with two Es, indicating that he was dating Keven Dale, whom he flirted with a little in "Star City 2040". Presumably, Keven isn't a villain in this timeline, although he apparently has a problem with monogamy.
- Cosmic Retcon:
- Dinah still has her Canary Cry in the post-Crisis world.
- Also, the Queen Mansion is still intact, and still in the Queen family. Granted, it's possible that Felicity, William or Mia simply repurchased and rebuilt it at some point.
- As in the modern day of Laurel's Earth-2, there's a company called Smoak Tech that was founded by Felicity. William now works there in 2040 rather than having had to start his own company.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: A dozen mooks versus Green Arrow and two Canaries? Yeah...
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Bianca's ex Trevor was the one who kidnapped her.
- Fire-Forged Friends: This episode emphasizes how far Dinah and Laurel have come since being Arch Enemies, now being best of friends who even share a room.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: A day after Oliver's funeral, Dinah woke up to see that it's 20 years in the future. What is worse, nobody recognizes her, because all records of her existence are gone; as far as the world knows, there is no Dinah Drake.
- Genre Blindness: Lampshaded. Mia expresses joking annoyance when William keeps receiving calls from reporters asking him if he's the new Green Arrow while no one has considered her, even though the world has had no shortage of female superheroes and at least one prior example of a woman becoming the successor of a male superhero. William himself considers it ridiculous, since it's been so far to the future that no one is willing to consider that female superheroes can, and do, exist.
- Good-Guy Bar: Dinah is the owner of a bar and even plays the piano and sings herself for entertainment in it.
- Good Is Not Nice: Laurel doesn't bother to ask permission or try to explain the situation before throwing two decades' worth of alternate memories into Mia's head.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Whatever mysterious woman that Trevor was working for, who apparently wants to drag Star City into chaos.
- Happy Ending Override: It's revealed that Star City only experiences 21 years of peace before descending into anarchy. Laurel recruiting Dinah and Mia is to prevent this from happening, because she knows that if she doesn't, Oliver's sacrifice will be all for naught.
- Arguably inverted insofar as the most recent pre-Crisis timeline where Star City is a nightmarish hellscape no longer comes to pass. Oliver’s sacrifice did actually give the city 21 years of peace it wouldn’t’ even had otherwise.
- Hidden Depths:
- Laurel is surprised to discover that Dinah can sing and play piano, as well as picking up technical skills ("Felicity stuff").
- She's also surprised when Mia reveals knowledge about architecture and building design thanks to some classes she took while at university.
- I Choose to Stay:
- Dinah rejected Sara's offer to return to the present day, since she was Un-person'ed Post-Crisis and found peace in 2040.
- Laurel decides to stay in the future too at the end, to help Mia and Dinah fight whoever is targeting Star City.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Surprisingly averted. For the only time, the penultimate episode is not named after a Bruce Springsteen song. This exception is forced by Executive Meddling, and Word of God is that the creators want to play it straight with the title “Livin’ in the Future”.
- Idle Rich: Mia was so intimidated by being the daughter of a heroic legend that she felt like nothing she could do could ever live up to that legacy, so she chose to do nothing with her life.
- In Spite of a Nail: Featured and discussed heavily throughout the episode. Laurel is a firm believer in this trope while Dinah and Mia initially believe in For Want Of A Nail and are resistant to resuming heroics. Take a Third Option is the consensus at the end of the episode, as neither are entirely right.
- Enforced when Laurel gives Mia her original memories back. However she still has to choose to be a hero again.
- Post-Crisis J.J. is apparently a Good Counterpart to his pre-Crisis self, though Laurel doubts this. He is proven not to be this future’s Deathstroke but the writers go for the Double Subversion in the Cliffhanger when his memories are restored, similarly to Mia.
- Jerkass Ball: Laurel acts unnecessarily rude towards Mia for a huge chunk of the episode, for which she eventually apologizes.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: When Trevor sees the three heroines utterly dismantling his mooks, he turns and leaves.
- Legacy Character:
- While he had already passed the mantle on to her before his death, this is the first time Mia suits up as the new Green Arrow.
- Trevor uses a Deathstroke mask to hide his own involvement in Bianca's kidnapping.
- Long-Dead Badass: The episode is set in 2040, and Oliver has been dead for over twenty years.note
- Memorial Statue: Sometime after Oliver's death, a statue of Green Arrow was erected in Star City.
- Multi-Character Title: Named after the trio of Mia, Dinah and Laurel.
- Oddball in the Series: For the only time, Stephen Amell does not appear.
- Paradox Person: Somewhat. Laurel's pre-Crisis Earth is suggested to be radically different post-Crisis (the upcoming Stagirl series takes place on Earth-2), yet she still exists. It's implied that Dinah herself may also be one, unless her being wiped from historical records was done manually.
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: This episode served as a taste of what was to be expect if the titular series went into production. Sadly, it was announced in January 2021 that the series was not to be.
- Present Absence: Oliver is long dead at this point, and he has no physical presence in the episode, but his impact is everywhere, with Star City acknowledging him as its hero, Mia feeling the weight of her father's legacy, and the new Green Arrow and Canaries dedicating their efforts to protect the city to Oliver's memory.
- Red Herring: JJ isn't the one who kidnapped Bianca, but her ex-boyfriend Trevor.
- Refusal of the Call: Both Dinah and Mia aren't too keen to jump back into vigilantism at first. Mia in particular does not want to take up her father's mantle as the Green Arrow.
- Retgone: After her arrival in the future, all record of Dinah's existence disappears, and it's implied that knowledge of the entire Black Canary line disappeared as well; Mia doesn't recognize either Dinah or Laurel when they arrive at her party, despite their previous historical significance to Star City.
- The Reveal:
- As a side effect of the merging of Earths into Earth-Prime, Mia, William and Connor have returned to the Star City of 2040, complete with Laser-Guided Amnesia, albeit a city that's been essentially crime-free for 20 years.
- The day after Oliver's funeral, Dinah Drake woke up in 2040 Star City with no idea how she got there and discovered there was no record of her or Black Canary ever existing. Also her injury to her throat that disabled her Cry is either healed or never happened in the new timeline as she can use it again.
- Revealing Cover-Up: The video that attempts to prove that Bianca is simply on vacation not only provides proof she was kidnapped but also provides a clue as to where she's being held.
- Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: Subverted. Mia needs Laurel's help to remember the Crisis and her journey to the past. Likewise, JJ doesn't remember until a mystery figure restores his pre-Crisis memories artificially.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: A convoluted example, as Laurel came forward in time from 2020 to 2040 in order to prevent a Bad Future set to take effect by 2041.
- Sequel Hook: Several plot threads were set up for the series:
- The mystery of who or what caused Dinah to be dragged twenty years into the future. And how/why are the Canaries not known to anyone by 2040.
- Helena Bertinelli has mysteriously disappeared in the future.
- The identity of the woman behind Trevor, who apparently caused the Bad Future that Laurel is trying to prevent.
- Tied to the above, why did Trevor have a tattoo that matches the symbol on the hozen?
- William being abducted.
- Mysterious figures restoring JJ's pre-Crisis memories.
- Shining City: Star City acquired this status in the 20 years after Oliver's sacrifice. There's little to no crime, and a news report mentions that Mayor Rene Ramirez is campaigning for his third term by declaring how the city has become the safest in the country under him.
- Sink or Swim Mentor: Dinah and Laurel leave Mia to fend for herself when they intercept the vans and battle the guards. She is not happy with them doing it.
- Special Edition Title: The logo for the episode gives a futuristic font for “Arrow“, backed by a metallic arrowhead flanked by two steel canaries.
- Spin-Offspring: In addition to Mia, William, Zoe, JJ, and Connor, we're introduced to Bianca Bertinelli, Helena's daughter.
- Swapped Roles: In the revised timeline, JJ is Mia's love interest and she has an antagonistic relationship with Connor, who was in rehab recently.
- Taking Up the Mantle: Mia finally and officially takes over her father's mantle as the Green Arrow.
- Taking You with Me: Trevor attempts this after Mia and the Canaries defeat all his men by setting fire to the gas lines running through the building they're all standing on the roof of.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Mia and Laurel do not get along initially, and Dinah and Laurel also butt heads at first.
- Took a Level in Kindness: As a result of her positive upbringing in the new history, Mia, even after getting her old memories back, is much less aggressive and angry than she was pre-Crisis.
- Tranquillizer Dart: How William gets abducted.
- Undead Tax Exemption: Dinah seems to be doing alright in the new reality, despite the new world having no record of her ever existing.
- Underestimating Badassery: For whatever reason, Trevor seems extremely sure that his Mooks can take the three heroines. Unsurprisingly, he is badly mistaken.
- Un-person: Dinah discovered upon her arrival in the future that there's no record she ever existed.
- Villainous Breakdown: Trevor, when his men fail to kill the trio.Trevor: How... are you still alive?
- Wham Shot:
- Right at the beginning, Mia waking up with JJ besides her. Shortly after, he proposes to her, revealing that they are lovers.
- Mia seeing that the symbol on the hozen matches the one she saw on Trevor's wrist.
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
- Sara Diggle, whose existence was restored at the end of Crisis doesn't show up or get mentioned, even when Connor (now the black sheep of the Diggle children) does make an appearance at the graduation party.
- Felicity is also absent from her daughter's graduation party.
- The transported drugs and what connection, if any, they have to Trevor!Deathstroke appearing aren't elaborated on.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Mia is (pretty justifiably) pissed at Laurel for dumping 20 years of traumatic memories into her mind.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Laurel gives Mia the pep talk to finally take up her father's mantle.
