Laurel Lance + Depression
Laurel Lance’s season 2 story arc is probably the most unpopular and undervalued by the show’s fans. I, on the other hand, genuinely enjoy and appreciate these scenes, and I feel that a review is necessary so that, hopefully, others can grow to appreciate Laurel’s character development and Katie Cassidy’s acting.
It’s not easy to be entertained by a stagnant character. The viewers of a fast-paced action show like Arrow tune in to watch vigilantes kick ass and take names, not to watch a depressed, drunken lawyer cry and lay on a couch. But that’s precisely what they got from Laurel Lance for the first 14 episodes of season 2 (minus the two episodes in which she didn’t appear).
Laurel is now one of my favorite characters on the show, but for a long time I judged her the same way that many viewers still do (“Laurel’s annoying,” “Laurel doesn’t contribute anything to the main plot,” etc.) My opinion took a sharp turn after I saw “Blind Spot” (2.11). This was when I started to recognize Laurel’s potential as an asset to Team Arrow. Her keen intuition led her to suspect Sebastian Blood’s shady motives months before anyone else did. In fact, no one else ever figured it out: she had to open their eyes, both in “Blind Spot” and in “City of Blood” (2.21). Throughout the second half of season 2 my appreciation for Laurel grew exponentially.
Now that I’m “pro-Laurel” I can look back on her depression arc with new eyes, and I have a much deeper respect for what the writers had the guts to do with this character.
Katie Cassidy is particularly skilled at portraying someone who’s mentally ill (if you’re unconvinced, watch The Scribbler). She’s not only skilled, but dedicated: For season-2-Laurel, she lost weight so as to appear sick and scrawny (Cassidy did not undergo plastic surgery, as people often suspect).
After the death of Tommy Merlyn, Laurel (understandably) went through a grieving-and-boozing phase. She was wretched and lonely. She blamed The Arrow for Tommy’s death; this caused many viewers to dislike her, believing her to be badly-written and irrational. Being irrational/illogical, though, is merely another symptom of depression. It’s a subtle illness, and those who have never experienced it often can’t recognize the symptoms or empathize with depressed people.
The popular (and incorrect) assumption is that depression = sadness. While sadness is indeed a major component, the illness manifests in a combination of additional ways, including (but not limited to):
It’s like being crushed by an invisible weight. You have no energy. You want to lay in bed forever and avoid all responsibilities. It feels as if your life has stopped progressing. When you can’t avoid social interactions you wear a mask. You wonder why no one else sees that you’re miserable, isolated, and have given up. Your appetite, weight, and sleeping patterns change, and it’s easier to become addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Coming from someone who has experienced depression and regularly discusses the symptoms with other sufferers, Cassidy’s season-2-Laurel is one of the most accurate portrayals of the illness I’ve seen, and not because she cries and argues and screams. She hides from the world behind a book and a glass of wine. She stops caring about her health and reputation, and she distances herself from family and friends. She hates herself and believes that she doesn’t deserve anyone’s love. Social interactions are forced upon her. The few times that we see Laurel smile in these episodes, you can detect her detachment, her silent cries for help. At the risk of sounding cliché, you can see it in her eyes. You just have to look for it.
It was a risky move to write this arc for Laurel, but I’m glad that the writers did it. Depression can be tiresome to watch but infinitely more tiresome to experience. Although the arc is not popular (I wouldn’t be surprised if most people fast-forward through it), it is so important, because it’s real. This illness is gravely misunderstood and ignored in real life, so it’s oddly satisfying to see such a spot-on portrayal of it. Laurel really is a black canary.
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