'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 2 promo shows Laurel and Oliver struggle with trauma of witnessing Earth-2 annihilated
The countdown to 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' has begun with the Anti-Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) having already destroyed a familiar Earth in 'Arrow' Season 8's first episode. That's right, Earth-2, the home dimension of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy Rodgers), Hunter Zolomon/Zoom (Teddy Sears), and others was erased in a blood-red wave of anti-matter in the final moments of the episode with Laurel barely managing to escape to Earth-1 with Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) and John Diggle/Spartan (David Ramsey) at the very last second.
"An entire world erased from existence," The Monitor (also LaMonica Garrett) intones ominously in the trailer for the second episode 'Welcome to Hong Kong'. The trauma of watching a universe die before their very eyes, is bound to leave some lasting scars on Oliver and his friends and Laurel, especially, is going to have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that everyone she knew and loved has been annihilated.
As of now, it looks like Episode 2 will mostly be focused on how the heroes deal with this traumatic experience. In the trailer, we see Laurel is having trouble accepting the full reality of the situation as she says "There's no way that my entire Earth is gone."
Unfortunately, whether she likes it or not, Laurel is going to have to come to terms with her loss and accept there is no way to return things to the way they were. Oliver also appears quite shaken in the promo video and even Diggle's confidence is bound to have taken a hit after what they just saw.
Sure, Oliver knew right from the beginning that he would be sorely outmatched in the coming 'Crisis' but now he has solid evidence of just how powerless he is when compared to the Anti-Monitor. Without the help of new allies and some serious upgrades, the Arrowverse heroes really don't stand a chance and they are finally starting to realize it.
'Arrow' Season 8 Episode 2 'Welcome to Hong Kong' will air on The CW October 22.