The Lance family is front and center for the Arrow Season 2 Episode 5 round table, as participants discuss all that Sara Lance brought to Starling City with her arrival and sudden departure.

They also take a look at the fate of the Queen mansion window and the weight of the secret Moira may be keeping from her family.

Pull up a chair and join in the conversation with staff writers Nick McHatton, Kate Brooks, Carissa Pavlica and special guest Hank Otero of Hank's Entertainment Site by jotting your answers down in our new threaded comments. Get a conversation going!

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Is the window in the Queen mansion a portal for bad guys? Should they keep replacing the window or try another route? What would you suggest?

Nick: At this point they probably need something less destructible than stained glass. Perhaps something with a little more voltage or some gorgeous faux iron bars will be a better fit.

Kate: I will suggest barbed wire or just wall in that son of a gun!

Hank: Seriously, they should seal that thing up or rig it with some kind of electric current. Let's at least zap those baddies before they come crashing through, right?

Carissa: If they keep it up, that window could become the Arrow drinking game. I'm thinking some sort of a really cool door that Felicity rigs up with bullet and crash proof glass that opens automatically by DNA. Right?!

Double hitter: Now that Lance knows Sara's secret, can he keep it? Has he made the connection between The Arrow and Sara, and will he let Oliver know?

Nick: He was having a pretty rough go at it just visiting Laurel. I think he'll continue to be slightly less than vague about Sara to Laurel, but with Laurel in the situation she's in I don't think she'll get the hints. It's up to Sara to tell her the secret.

Kate: Yes, I believe he will protect his family even if that means lying to them. He won't tell Oliver, he will probably talk to The Arrow about it.

Hank: I'm not sure Lance is going to be able to keep a secret this huge to himself. At some point, he's probably going to let it slip. Or maybe Laurel will find out from Sara herself? For a second there, it did seem like Lance had made the connection between The Arrow and Sara. Like Kate said, he'll probably approach The Arrow about it before confronting Oliver.

Carissa: I was so sure that moment was coming when Lance asked The Arrow how he dealt with everything when Sara left. If he hasn't already, I think he will make the connection and reach out to Oliver. He's going to need to talk about Sara.

We've been lead to believe the story of Canary is Laurel's journey. Is her character being put through the ringer because she has to go as low as Sara to be reborn?

Nick: I think Laurel is definitely heading to rock bottom so she can begin anew. Most of the origin stories of our heroes on Arrow begin by being put in situations that require them to be broken down and defeated before they can start their arcs of redemption. Right now Laurel is unsure of how to cope with the loss that is surrounding her, and she's turning to quick fixes for temporary relief. She'll soon find out that these fixes are not fixes at all.

Kate: I agree with Nick, this is definitely the start of an origin story. Laurel is pretty kick ass and has some skills. I think she is reaching this all time low to, eventually, become something bigger and stronger.

Hank: To be honest, I'm enjoying the Sara as Canary stuff so much, I don't even want to think about Laurel taking her place. I do agree with Nick and Kate that this is her origin story. I just can't help but hope our big Season 2 twist is... they kill Laurel off at the end of the season! That's wrong in so many ways I know, but I'm ridiculously over her at this point. So much so, that when she opens her mouth I reach for the remote to hit the mute button LOL

Carissa: Katie Cassidy is really so sweet, and was so excited about taking on the entire prospect of Laurel and maybe donning the Black Canary outfit prior to Arrow Season 1, so I can only imagine how much she is itching to get at her story. I do like Sara, which I didn't expect, but I also hope Cassidy and Laurel get their day. I just wish her rock bottom wasn't self-pity and self-medicating. It feels less honorable than what Oliver and Sara went through. Perhaps there is a much bigger arc coming her way that will surpass this low.

What secret do you think Moira is from her family that she believes will rip them apart, and will they truly stand by her when they hear it?

Nick: I always wonder if there's another child out there, or if Thea or Oliver are not 100% of the Queen family. If their paternity is in question, I don't know if Thea or Oliver would be able to stand by such a big lie.

Kate: This is probably a little too comedic for Arrow but I was really hoping she'd just say, "you're adopted" to Thea. I probably would have laughed.

Hank: I didn't think of the "other child out there" scenario or that one of them is possibly adopted, nice one guys! Moira is such a shifty character, that I have no doubt she was involved in questionable stuff before Malcolm Merlyn. She's proven she will do whatever it takes to protect her family. But, she also comes across as someone that will do whatever it takes to hold on to her power and wealth. You know there are some nasty skeletons in that closet.

Carissa: I always got the idea it was just how deeply involved with Merlyn she really was, but if Thea was his daughter, I'd be down with that. That's the one thing Oliver wouldn't see coming and could make him waver.

It seems the initial short arc of Black Canary is over. What impact do you think her return made upon the story and how will it change events going forward?

Nick: She’s really uprooted the past of the show, and sent Oliver and Quentin on different paths. Going forward, the league will pose a greater threat to Oliver, and I think Quentin will continue working with Arrow (perhaps even figuring out his identity - he did help out in the fight in a very well lit clock tower). More importantly, the entrance and exit of Sara completely changes the relationship and dynamics between Quentin and Laurel, and I believe that is the biggest takeaway from her short arc.

Kate: At first, it was difficult for me to look past the actress change - that was a big deal for me and she doesn't even closely resemble the first actress. Over the course of her arc, I begin to forget about it and really let myself be pulled into her character. I think it changed Oliver, you know, at the end of the episode he was ready to talk about his time on the island which is HUGE. He's been keeping it a secret. I think we'll see Oliver open himself to new paths and opportunities. I agree with Nick that she sent him and Detective Lance on different paths; this will lead to Lance and The Arrow becoming stronger allies.

Hank: I think Oliver learning Sara is alive lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. He's been carrying the guilt of her death (and now Tommy's) since the Queen's Gambit went down in the Arrow Pilot. I love love love that the writers picked up with Sara's perspective in this episode.

How cool was that? Our first non-Oliver flashback, right? Everything about Sara's presence on that freighter and the island flashback's is just so fantastic. I'm now completely sold on Caity Lotz and wish the casting people had found her for Season 1. Please Berlanti/Guggenheim/Kreisberg... can we keep her?

Carissa: I agree with all of the others here. Sara opened up Oliver to new possibilities regarding his own past, including the willingness to share and lifted the weight of her death off of his shoulders. She also gave new hope to Lance, who really needed a lift. He's been beaten down in his job and has had trouble with Laurel, but now he knows the impossible can happen. It should also cement his relationship with The Arrow, as if his daughter trusted him as much as she did, then that will be good enough for Lance. All great stuff to drop in and let the characters play with going forward.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.