'Arrow' star David Ramsey says Diggle is a changed man post-prison

Jail can actually change an individual. Going to jail twice for a criminal offense you did not commit? Now that is grounds for an entire character change. Fortunately, Diggle (David Ramsey) was launched from his incarceration earlier than any everlasting injury might be accomplished to his psyche on Arrow, however he did not escape utterly unscathed. 

Staff Arrow's favourite bodyguard-turned-crime-fighting-partner can put all his authorized woes behind him now that, with the assistance of Felicity's (Emily Bett Rickards) new hacker fan/pal, he is been cleared of all costs from his corrupt CO within the military. 

After spending most of Season 5 behind bars, Diggle's able to rejoin Workforce Arrow simply within the nick of time, as Oliver's (Stephen Amell) hunt for Prometheus takes him and the staff to Russia on the hunt for essential info. However is Diggle nonetheless the identical man that he was earlier than he was framed?

Mashable spoke with Ramsey forward of this week's episode of Arrow, "Bratva," to get the inside track on how Diggle has modified, Workforce Arrow's Russian mission and new group member Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy). 

This is not the primary time that Group Arrow has headed to Russia on a mission, however what brings all of them there this time?

The Bratva! How can we use the previous allies of Oliver's to seek out our massive dangerous? We're preventing the darkish with slightly little bit of the darkish ourselves. We're preventing hearth with hearth. That is a operating theme this season. 

Oliver and the group are going to attempt to discover out what they will from the Bratva, and determining if they will belief what they study from criminals. It is going to be an enormous one for us. There's a number of shifting elements, as there all the time is on Arrow. However we now have new group members, a brand new Canary, Dig's out of jail — a number of issues make up this episode.

Is Dig formally a free man now, or does he nonetheless want to put low on the subject of going out within the subject?

Sure, he's legitimately free, lastly. No extra Diggle in jail, so meaning no extra Diggle on the outskirts. Hopefully meaning we'll see extra of Diggle within the area as a result of I all the time love that. I adore it most once I'm enjoying Spartan and seeing his relationships with the brand new group members out within the subject. However principally I am excited for what meaning personally, together with his spouse and his new son. I really like seeing Diggle's private life and household life. 

We've not seen Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) and John Jr. since earlier than Diggle was locked up. Are we going to see extra of that household dynamic shifting ahead?

I want to see that. I feel that is one thing we will discover within the latter a part of the season in addition to seeing him get acclimated to being again out within the area and being on this new group. That was sort of placed on maintain when Prometheus pulled the rug out from everybody and laid this lure, placing Dig in jail.

 However now that he is out, I would love to get again to that. I imply, his relationship with Lyla, that is virtually like an entire five-episode arc itself. This Mr. and Mrs. Smith, chief of ARGUS and second-in-command of Staff Arrow... I need to see what goes on at that dinner desk. 

Did Diggle's time behind bars change him in any respect?

I feel so. Diggle wore his feelings on his sleeve final season together with his brother coming again to life, betraying him, inflicting Laurel's (Katie Cassidy) dying after which Dig killing him. There's been sufficient baggage for Diggle that is very inner and introspective, so that is what you've got been seeing this season. That is why he selected to remain in jail as his personal penance. 

However now that he is out, a few of that has been rectified. He is a person on a mission to assist the workforce discover Prometheus. There are some issues happening with Felicity that he will be very useful with.

Talking of Felicity, we have been severely missing some "OTA" scenes this season. With Dig again on the workforce, will there be extra Unique Staff Arrow moments coming?

Thank god, proper? Yeah. The workforce has been damaged a bit of bit due to Diggle's absence and now we've got new workforce members, and one of many group members betrayed the workforce, so there's been loads of story to inform. However the unique group is the spine of this present and the writers are undoubtedly getting again to it. 

Ever since Evelyn (Madison McLaughlin) revealed her double-cross to the remainder of Staff Arrow, she's been conspicuously absent from the story. When is she going to return?

That is an awesome query, and truthfully it is one I've for the producers as properly. They have not advised us that. Often I can get little hints about tales, however we do not know. How she performs into this entire massive image, I do not know. Prometheus all by himself is such a badass and is so formidable when it comes to what he is been doing to the staff and Oliver notably, so Evelyn teaming up with him is simply actually dangerous. The subsequent few episodes are all about Prometheus and what he needs to do to Oliver. 

Earlier than Dig obtained locked up, he was constructing a reasonably particular bond with new staff member Rene (Rick Gonzalez). Are they going to proceed to coach now that Dig's a free man?

Sure, you will see extra of that, however you are going to see that extra with Dinah shifting ahead. Dinah is the most recent outsider becoming a member of, so you will see Diggle welcoming her as he did with Rene, however he is not simply coaching her to be part of the group. He is additionally going to assist her with being a meta and what that does to her psyche. 

He is there for her to assist her make an adjustment to attempt to reside a traditional life. I feel that is Diggle's largest power: he is probably the most well-adjusted individual on the workforce. He is had catharsis via excursions of conflict. He is had individuals die on his command. He is been by way of two marriages to the identical lady. He is had youngsters. He is a soldier with a household. He is in all probability probably the most emotionally advanced, so he is he one who's greatest suited to assist Dinah modify to her new life. 

Arrow airs Wednesdays at eight p.m. on The CW.