‘Arrow’ Season 4, Episode 18 Spoilers: 3 Reasons death scene is not a shocker (Review)

Arrow 4x18 title is ‘time of death’ – 11:59 p.m.

Cast Members Stephen Amell, Right, And Katie Cassidy Attend A Panel For 'Arrow.' — Cast members Stephen Amell (R) and Katie Cassidy attend a panel for "Arrow" during the CW television portion of the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills, California July 30, 2012. Reuters

“Arrow” Season 4 has revealed the character in the graveyard scene that shocked and intrigued the viewers months ago. Show bosses Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle have explained why the character had to die. Here are five reasons why the death scene is not exactly a big shocker.

Spoiler alert: This update contains “Arrow” Season 4 spoilers. Details include the death of a character who has been in the show since the pilot episode.

The final scenes of “Arrow” Season 4, Episode 18 were too emotional despite the death being not a complete shocker. Detective Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and Oliver Queen a.k.a. the Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) skip any exchange of words, but the pain their characters shared was brilliantly expressed.

Katie Cassidy’s Laurel Lance dies at 11:59 p.m. in this week’s new “Arrow” episode. Here are five reasons why it’s not shocking:

1. Looming threat. The big bad monster of “Arrow” Season 4 is Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough). His wife Ruvé Darhk (Janet Kidder) may just be at least as evil. When these villains deliver a threat, they most certainly mean it. For many episodes now, Quentin has been working with Team Arrow. His testimony in the courtroom, where ADA Laurel made sure Darhk would go to jail, is almost an official announcement: Darhk is going to kill Laurel, just like he promised Quentin should he turn against him.

2. Everyone nearly dies, except Laurel. Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) and Thea Queen (Willa Holland) have been way too close to death while Laurel has been there, actively giving support to keep her friends alive. It’s easy to miss her through all the attention the other characters are getting, but that in itself is a clue as to who really bites the dust in the end.

3. Grave filming clues. When photos of the characters filming the grave scene were released, some fans were quick to guess that Quentin would die, because Blackthorne and Cassidy appeared to have elaborate grave scenes. However, the showrunners have hinted at a bigger death scene in separate interviews. The only way for it to be truly big is if one of the masked heroes would fall.

Despite her character’s death, Katie Cassidy is not expressing any bitterness in recent interviews. In a way, Cassidy said it’s like “taking one for the team.” [Related: ‘Arrow’ Season 4 Update: Emily Bett Rickards reacts to Felicity Smoak story, other cast members talk death and grave scene (Spoilers)]

“We’ve never made decisions on the show creatively because of the Internet,” Guggenheim told Entertainment Weekly, saying Laurel’s death is “really been for the effect it has on all the characters left behind.”

What did Laurel make Oliver promise in their farewell scene? “Arrow” Season 5 has the answer, according to Mericle. For now, the fans can look forward to "Arrow" Season 4, Episode 19. There are still four episodes to go before the season finale.

WATCH: Arrow Season 4, Episode 19 Promo (air date: April 27 on The CW)