Arrow puts a whole new spin on the Green Arrow mythos. While not necessarily better, the show does allow a different side of the vigilante to be explored, arguably a more Batman-like one. However, it does make Oliver Queen a very different person from the one we know from the comics—and by extension, we could use a very different Black Canary, too.
So far all of Ollie’s romantic/sexual endeavours within the period of the last 10 years have either been with ninja-level martial artists with shady pasts, or have culminated in their inclusion into ninja-like organisations with shady futures. It’s like his sperm contains some homing beacon focused on fucking up your life in a very specific way.
And while Tina Boland would certainly fulfil that criteria, I think an ex-villain is, in fact, better suited to become Oliver Queen’s paramour, both in and out of costume… or any clothes, for that matter.
Much of Oliver’s journey, especially in season 5—as we come a full circle in terms of flashback revelations—has been about coming to terms of how he was seen as The Hood. Regardless of intent, he was a killer, plain and simple, and this season’s been pretty heavy-handed in dealing with that. Similarly, the same could be done for Earth 2’s Laurel Lance, putting her on a road towards redemption alongside Ollie. After all, even this Laurel wasn’t always evil.
Hailing from a reality where her Oliver Queen did die, and his father Robert became the Hood instead, Laurel received her powers from the same accident that, on Earth 1, would give Barry his. Unfortunately, a series of bad decisions leads to her alliance with Zoom turning her into the villain she is today.
Not only would the transition of this Laurel from villain to hero be in theme of building a new team, it would also give something for Oliver to work on outside of his routine “shoot arrows at bud guys” schtick. It would also offer a new dynamic on her relationship with Sara—a sister she presumably lost when Ollie died in Earth 2, as well.
Even in terms of powers, her abilities are closer to the Black Canary of the comics. And as far as her name goes, it would make sense given that Black Siren was the name of a character from the Justice League animated series who was very similar to the golden age Black Canary.
Of course, in the realm of television, every long-term decision is only as long-term as the show needs it to be. Don’t be too surprised if this Dinah Drake turns out to be a variation of the Silver Banshee, or an Earth 3 Black Canary, or something equally unlikely.
I think the question we should all be asking, is whether this Dinah Drake could be an alternate reality version of Laurel’s and Sara’s mom.
Anything’s possible. Just ask Barry.