OH MY GOSH BRE THE NEW TRAILER. I feel like I'm in the minority of people who loved it? Here's the thing: I feel very confident that we're going to see both Felicity AND Oliver move on to different people the first half of season 5 (that new reporter) and yeah, it might suck for a bit but I am CONFIDENT that Olicity is endgame. It's just a journey to get there. Also, think about all the opportunity for angst and longing looks! I AM HERE FOR SEASON 5.
(I get slightly off-topic, but Iām too excited to think. Apologies!)
I lovedĀ the trailer. No, thatās not strong enough.
I fucking loved the trailer!
Itās dark and gritty and itās back to being focused on Oliver.Ā
Look, I love OTA and Olicity. I know this, Iām pretty sure most people know this about me. They are what give Oliver purpose, give him a reason to see light at the end of the tunnel, give him a moral wall to bounce off of, etc.Ā
But this is Oliverās story, andā¦
(Iām so scattered with excitement, excuse me while I try to sort my thoughts.)
Iām viewing Arrow overall and Oliver Queenās journey as more of a pendulum right now. We started out incredibly dark and then we saw him gradually swinging back towards the light. He hit a few speed bumps, but that was the overall feeling for me watching the show - heās working his way towards the light. Which is important, because thatās what he needs to become the GA. It came to a head at the end of Season 3 and beginning of Season 4 when he thought he could have it all, but then he got in over his head. Like way over his head. He had no idea what he was doing, it was new terrain and as a result, he went too far.Ā He lost the woman he loves, he lost a very close friend to death, etc.Ā
Now, weāre seeing the pendulum swing back to darkness.Ā
Oliver needs to find balance. And thatās what this is. The fact that heās going back to entertaining killing (wait, sorry, he will be killing people and I donāt know why exactly that has me so excited but it does okay it does because talk about moral issues and demons and darkness after saying you would never go back I am here for this okay?) is a sign that heās giving up hope again.
When was the last time we saw this kind of Oliver? In Season 1 - FUCK YEAH.
Have we seen this before, Oliver giving up hope? Not like this, I donāt think. The path to becoming the Green Arrow means you climb and climb, and then you hit a bad spot and you fall back down a couple dozen feet. Thatās what Season 5 is to me. It will notĀ be all darkness, because a hero gets back up and keeps climbing.Ā
This is what weāll see with the flashback parallels, I think - the flashbacks will show Oliver falling into darkness and accepting it (with the Bratva)ā¦
ā¦ while in the present weāll see him falling into darkness again and denying it, pulling himself out of it, being better, which is what the last several seasons have taught him.
Oliverās learned so many lessons over the last few years, this season is the chance for him to apply those lessons.
Iām getting off-topic, and I apologize for that, but this does tie into Olicity.Ā
Felicity left him and he has accepted that. (Oh god you guys I can now see S4.5 so much more clearly with where theyāre going with S5 - so much more clearly and I already want to write something.) Heās lost that beautiful light in his life. Sheās still there, but not like she was before, not like he needs her to be. That was a failure for him, and something thatās going to shove him back into the darkness. Diggle is in the same boat. Oliver failed his friend, in his eyes. His best friend had to kill his own brother. Oliver couldnāt save him from that. And then Oliver lost Laurel, someone who he took under his wing as the Black Canary.Ā
He is now questioning what he is doingā¦ what good he is doing.
But instead of falling into the darkness, as he did before (as weāll seeĀ in the flashbacks), weāll see him realizing what that heās falling and weāll see him pulling himself out of it. That means being better, being stronger, sticking to his beliefs, weathering the storm. Accepting his mistakes from the past and hoping he can do better in the future. Knowing all that he can do is try.Ā That is something that past!Oliver lost - the hope and willingness to keep trying. And that is something a hero needs.Ā
This is the Oliver Queen journey I am here for, friends!
Olicity is going to take time, just like Oliver and Diggle and Felicity will take time. Things have changed, drastically, between all of them and for all of them. But they will find their way back to each other, but it will take time.
Long story short, Iām 0% concerned about Olicity, as I have been since long before Season 4 even started. I am 0% concerned that OTA will eventually find their even ground again, that they will be strongerĀ for this, just like Olicity will be.
You have to keep touching darkness to appreciate the light.Ā
That is what weāre seeing.
And it wonāt just be Oliver, it will be Felicity and Diggle.
The relationships donāt have meaning when the characters donāt have a bunch of fucked up shit all on their own, in my eyes. Iām here for them falling and hitting rock bottom and climbing back out, both on their own and with help.
(As for shoddy PR and people saying theyāre now looking towards comic book fans, I agree with themā¦ but then I kind of disagree. In my eyes, there isnāt really anything they can show right now, because the moments are few and far between - between Olicity and OTA. And that means those moments areĀ substantive, which means they canāt air them in promos.Ā
Do we want a repeat of last year, where we knew just about everything almost the entire season? Hell no. That sucked and it ruined the experience for me. I do think the writing wasnāt as great as it could have been and I absolutely disagreed with the direction they took at times, but guys, this isnāt my story. Itās theirs. And Iām willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and be patient because I love these characters so much.)
