During the early seasons of Parks & Recreation, Leslie Knope was a bumbling screw-up in relationships. She was a good, and sweet person but ultimately she was alone. Despite being alone she had all these people she loved foremost, being her best friend, Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones). So when Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) came along there was good reason to worry about this balance being ruined. What happened instead was the relationship became a foundation of the show and strengthened it. The same cannot be said for Arrow’s handling of the relationship between Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards).
When Felicity first appeared, she was smart (practically genius level), spunky, and awkward. She also had a(n), obvious, crush on Oliver Queen. Oliver on the other hand returned to Starling City damaged after five years where he was believed to be dead. He was now cold, and self absorbed after already having been a billionaire playboy in his former life. There was obvious chemistry between the two characters but different female counterparts occupied Oliver’s time.
This unrequited love worked so well because it appeared that Oliver didn’t see anything in a relationship with Felicity. In the first season Oliver found himself in as many relationships as Jerry in Seinfeld. Outside of the back and forths with Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), they felt like bandaids meant to cover up for what he went through. None of these relationships were deep enough to penetrate the secrets he held of his five years away.
There was a perfect balance. Oliver was the team’s impulse and driving force, Felicity was the brains, and John Diggle (David Ramsey) was the heart and soul. When more characters were introduced to “Team Arrow” more characters began to be able to use the equipment that Felicity mastered. Just as the show overflowed with vigilantes they introduced that Oliver and Felicity truly loved each other.
This isn’t to say that shipping can’t work. It’s just that Arrow’s writers completely mishandled these characters. Out the window went any subtlety and nuance in handling the characters and in came out and out melodrama. Where she was once defined by her intelligence she was now defined by her love of Oliver. The result was an extremely flat character who cried every episode because she was upset with Oliver.
When Felicity seemed to return to herself was when she was connected with Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh). Palmer valued Felicity for her intelligence, when Oliver took it for granted, and he gave her purpose and agency. But in a season that was about shipping, they couldn’t just be co-workers they had to date.
When in good hands characters dating on TV shows adds to both characters, and brings new interesting things out of them. With Arrow it was a series of “will they get together” which eventually became more annoying than endearing as both characters suffered.
As season three of Arrow concluded Felicity and Oliver were now a couple. They were on the road driving (to what seemed to be Coast City) and it really made me wonder if the show would learn from it’s mistakes. Is it possible for Oliver and Felicity to become strong characters and having identities outside of the relationship? From what we’ve seen these past two seasons I have severe doubts.
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