'Arrow' season 5 spoilers, updates: Thea Queen matures as Ollie's chief of staff? Series affected by 'The Flash's' Flashpoint storyline?

"Arrow" season 5 will be going through some changes when it comes back on air this October. Aside from Oliver Queen facing the demons of his past, his half-sister Thea will likewise be going through a major, life-altering transition, as teased by the show's executive producer.

Previous reports gave a sneak peek of Oliver's (Stephen Amell) life as mayor of Star City. Apparently, the fifth installment will have a season 1 vibe to it, so fans could expect the mob to become a fixture season as in the maiden one. As mayor, Ollie will have to juggle being father of the city and the hooded vigilante with the help of new friends. However, it looks like Oliver will be relying on someone else to help him in the city hall.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Marc Guggenheim said Thea (Willa Holland) will be Oliver's chief of staff in season 5. Apparently, Thea will be doing things on her own this time, without the help of her father, Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman). He said even Thea will be surprised to discover her full potential, especially in saving the city, and that she will be an even better leader than Oliver.

"All the skills that she learned by watching her mother for all those years, as well as running Verdant, she's found very transferrable to City Hall," Guggenheim teased. "And in many ways, she's a much better chief of staff than Oliver is a mayor."

Screen Rant notes this could mean Thea's character will be stronger and more mature as she handles various responsibilities as Oliver's chief of staff. Will she fight the dirty politics of Star City fair and square or will she give Speedy a nudge and fight with her bow and arrow? That remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, showrunner Wendy Mericle confirmed in a recent interview that "The Flash" season 3's Flashpoint storyline will directly affect "Arrow" season 5.

"Flashpoint provides an interesting jumping off point for all the shows this year, in that we have this reset button available to us if we want it. We've landed on a few things, but the door is open. That's the fun part. You can play with it in whatever way, shape or form that you want to. I think it will be small in some ways, and big in others," she told IGN.

Nevertheless, the Flashpoint storyline will be introduced in "Arrow's" storyline much later in season 5. Moreover, in a separate interview with Comic Book Resources, Mericle said Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) is one of the characters who said storyline will affect greatly.

"Arrow" season 5 will premiere on The CW on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. ET.