#arrow 6x14

[1-crazy-dreamer]

Family traits

[lucyyh]

TBT Olicity black & white: 6x14 Collision Course.

[v4l13]

Olicity in episode 14 of Arrow

[lyricalarrow]

his life will be better with you in it, just like mine

[smoaking-greenarrow]

HI!!!! Can you maybe write I fic where instead of Curtis hacking and attacking dig’s chip. He hacks Felicity’s. And Oliver just LOOSES HIS SHIT on the new team

I had too many angry feelings to write this right after 6x14. Oliver would have ended up murdering all three of them. I still wouldn’t read if NTA being awful in a story would offend you, because they’re little shits in this fic :)

It started with a tiny cramp on her lower back, and Felicity flinched where she stood, looking out of the cabin window. Then the cramp started to pinch, the source of the pain intensifying and narrowing down to a specific spot at the bottom of her spine. “Ow!” She cried out, both of her hands flying behind her instinctively, grabbing where it hurt.

Oliver was on the other side of the room, talking to John about unimportant things like the idea that Black Siren having the same face as Laurel made any difference to him. It didn’t.

The sound of Felicity’s voice, loud and panicked, had his head snapping up to the place where she was standing. His eyes fell on her immediately, always knowing exactly where she was in any given room…especially when people like Black Siren were close by. Just as Felicity’s hands were reaching behind her, he was moving, rushing across the carpeted floor and gently turning her around, away from the window so he could see her face. “Hey, hey, hey,” he mumbled, bringing one hand up to cup her cheek, trying to see her face. “What is it?”

She let out a sharp breath, looking up at him. “My chip…” she breathed, her hands still spread out against her lower back. He followed her arms, reaching behind her and copying her movement, both of their fingers inspecting her back. He had no idea what he should be feeling for, but he needed to help find the source of her pain.

“What’s happening?” Oliver asked, his heart sinking into his stomach because her chip had only stopped working once, and that had almost ended in both of them dying. He knew that any kind of trouble with it was not good. At all.

Felicity looked up at him, her eyes wide, “I don’t know, my back just feels like it’s going numb and I-” she didn’t finish her sentence, instead she was screaming, her back arching in an unnatural way, the sound and the sight making Oliver’s breath catch in his throat. He grabbed her instantly, stopping her from bending over backwards as he pulled her against his body, cradling her head.

“Felicity!” He vaguely heard John coming up behind him.

“Oh my god!” Thea’s voice registered in the back of his mind.

But it was hard to hear or see anything besides his wife. He had no idea what to do.

All of her fingers were digging into her back, and he pulled her hands away so she wouldn’t hurt herself, and then he held on to her as she jerked against him, her back spasming under his hands. She inhaled and it was strangled, an awful, breathless sound escaping her lips, as if she’d gotten the wind knocked out of her. 

And then he was suddenly holding all of her weight.

The time from when she screamed to when she fell lifelessly into his arms had probably only been a few seconds, but to him it felt like an eternity. “Felicity, Felicity,” he faltered, pulling her against his chest, trying to hold her up and see her face at the same time. Her eyes were closed, her arms hanging at her sides, but he could feel her breathing. “Felicity!”

“Oliver…”

Oliver’s eyes darted to Diggle, who was a few feet away. But his partner wasn’t looking at him, his eyes were cast down, staring at Felicity’s legs. “Oh, god,” he choked as he realized how unsteady she was. Her feet were on the floor, but her legs had gone completely limp.

Scooping her up, Oliver carried Felicity to the closest chair, wanting to lay her down on the couch but Black Siren was on it and he didn’t dare put his wife anywhere near her, even with three people he trusted right next to him. Instead, he sat down in the chair, pulling Felicity onto his lap and letting her legs hang over the side. 

He held her up with one arm wrapped around her. His other hand touched her cheek, “hey,” he pleaded, “Felicity, wake up. Felicity,”

“Is she breathing?” He heard Thea ask, her voice sounding as worried as he felt.

He just nodded in response, tucking Felicity’s hair behind her ears, pushing it away from her face because he didn’t know what else to do. “What’s happening?” He begged, asking anyone. Anyone who might have an answer or an idea about what to do.

Usually it was Felicity who had the answers. The plans. The clever ideas on how to get them out of trouble. “Honey, wake up. Felicity, open your eyes. Come on!” He knew he should relax, that as long as he could still see her chest moving and hear her tiny breaths, everything was okay. But how could he stay calm after what he’d just seen?

Quentin suddenly jumped towards the window, pulling the curtain back, seeing something none of the others were paying attention to. “We got company!” The man warned, dropping the fabric back over the glass. He turned around and raised an eyebrow, “Looks like Dinah, Curtis, and Rene.”

“How the hell did they find us?” Diggle snapped.

The question hung for a few seconds, and god, he didn’t even care. Felicity was unconscious and he could barely think about anything else.

But then his sister gasped, and his eyes flew to her. Thea’s eyes widened, her gaze landing on Felicity. “Oh no,” she exhaled, “he wouldn’t.”

Oliver’s eyes narrowed, “What Thea?”

“Felicity said her chip is basically a mini computer, right?” He just nodded. “Computers can be hacked, Ollie.”

Everyone turned to stare at her, and even Black Siren let out a low whistle, “that’s harsh, even in my opinion.”

“Yeah,” Thea crossed her arms, “well no one cares about your opinion.”

“Quentin,” Oliver growled, “you and Thea take Black Siren. Run.”

Thea and Quentin exchanged a glance, and Oliver could see that his sister did not want to be on ‘protect the psychopath’ duty. But she didn’t object, knowing enough by now to realize that Oliver wasn’t going to argue.

As they snuck out the back door, Oliver stood up, holding Felicity in his arms and heading for the front door. Diggle followed behind him, putting his helmet on. “What’s the plan?”

“I’m going to kill them,” Oliver muttered, and Dig grunted, because neither of them knew if Oliver really would…or if Diggle would stop him. 

It was kind of hard to see right from wrong when his wife was unconscious and paralyzed…again…in his arms. When he’d just watched her experience so much pain in a matter of seconds that it’d caused her to pass out. 

The idea that Curtis, Rene, and Dinah had done this to her made wrong start to look a lot like right.

Lines had never been more blurred. And his anger had never been hotter. But he kept his grip loose, letting the tension roll through his back instead, keeping his arms safe and secure around Felicity.

His old teammates rounded the van as Oliver emerged from the cabin. “Oh my god,” were the first words he heard, coming from Curtis.

Oliver’s eyes snapped to Mr. Terrific. “Did you do this!?” He demanded, his tone heavy with rage, losing his temper as soon as he looked at them.

Curtis’ eyes stayed on Felicity, but he winced. “It was the only way we could track you! She’s okay, right? The chip should only be disabled temporarily, it should be functioning correctly within a few hours.”

“Should!?” Diggle and Oliver both hollered in unison.

Curtis’ eyes flashed between the two of them, “I’m sorry-I had no idea…I didn’t know it would hurt her like this, I never would have-”

“Shut up, hoss,” Rene chimed in, his voice thick with tense anticipation. Curtis listened, his lips pinching shut.

Dinah stepped towards them, “Where is she? Where’s Laurel?”

“Not here.” Oliver growled, his vision blackening with pure fury. Dinah must have seen it, because she didn’t push it any further. “Curtis, you’re going to do something, you’re going to fix this…or so help me god, I will-”

“You’ll what?” Rene scoffed.

“I’ll kill you.” Oliver clipped back without missing a beat, his eyes meeting Rene’s and not wavering. “If anything happens to her, I will kill all three of you…and I won’t hesitate for even one second.”

“And this is why we left,” Dinah mumbled.

“I don’t care!” Oliver screamed, his voice echoing through the trees. He breathed heavily in the intense silence that followed, bringing his lips to Felicity’s forehead, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt her temperature. He could still hear her breathing, so he tried to relax. Nothing mattered but making sure that Felicity woke up, not these petty arguments or their temper tantrums. 

When he opened his eyes again, he glared right at Curtis. “Fix this. Now!”

Rene shook his head before Curtis could answer, stepping closer, “As long as blondie’s breathing…this doesn’t change anything.”

It took him a moment to realize that despite the perfect, unconscious woman in his arms who needed help, Rene actually meant what he said. Just like he meant it the dozen other times he’d said those words. 

Oliver realized that if this didn’t change their circumstances, if Felicity’s safety didn’t make them grow up and work with him, nothing would. Oliver felt his heart begin to race, his eyes jumping back to Curtis. “I’ll give you one more chance,” he growled lowly, feeling all of his self control leaving him and knowing that everyone present was aware of it. “Help her, Curtis, or you’ll regret it.”

The threat hung in the air, no one saying a word or moving a muscle.

Despite everything, he was still surprised that Curtis hesitated. Maybe it was out of fear, because surely Oliver knew he looked murderous. Half of him was still considering the ‘I’m going to kill them’ option. “Fix. This.” Oliver demanded, because it really shouldn’t be taking so much thought.

Curtis took a step towards them but stopped when Rene started moving, walking with his gun raised. Oliver’s eyes narrowed, and he turned on his heel, placing Felicity into John’s arms as quickly and gently as possible and reaching for the bow that he knew his partner would be holding.

He had an arrow raised before Rene made it halfway across the yard. “Not another step,” he warned.

Rene chuckled, keeping his feet planted, but he shot off a couple of bullets, always having something to prove, and Oliver didn’t hesitate to put two arrows in him; one in his arm and one in his leg. He noticed Dinah trying to scream during the commotion, and as Rene rolled on the ground in pain, Oliver straightened, looking at her. “Sonic dampener,” he told her.

She cocked her head to the side, pulling out her staff and charging towards him. Curtis followed suit, each of them coming at him from separate angles…as if they forgot that he was the one who taught them the strategy.

Oliver had no idea where his restraint was coming from, but he chose not to put arrows in them, opting to take them down with his fists instead.

Curtis got it first, a sharp hook to his jaw, and he was on the ground. Dinah was a little more skilled, but she was quickly on her back, too. “Stay down,” Oliver advised. Of course, neither of them listened, getting to their feet slowly, glaring at him as if they intended to try again.

“Stop!”

All three of them turned at the sound of Felicity’s voice, groggy and pained. She was sitting in the driveway while John tried to look her over, but she was pushing away from his hands, dragging herself towards Oliver. He ran over to her, dropping to his knees and completely ignoring the two people behind him that he knew wanted to hurt him.

Turning your back to an enemy was the dumbest thing you could ever do, but… he was hoping his old teammates weren’t so low they’d take a shot now. Besides, Felicity was glaring daggers at them over his shoulder as he cupped her face, not even meeting his eyes. If Dinah or Curtis chose to fight dirty, Felicity would see them coming.

“Hey,” he breathed, “hey, hi…are you okay?”

Her eyes flickered to his, apparently satisfied with Dinah and Curtis’ choice to stand down. “Yeah,” she nodded, lifting her hands to squeeze his fingers. She gave him a gentle smile as she grazed the backs of his hands, and he let out a deep breath, dropping his forehead to hers. “Are you hurt?”

Oliver shook his head, brushing his nose against hers. “God,” he croaked, “you really scared me.”

“Oliver…” she whispered lowly, “I can’t feel my legs.”

“I know,” he squeezed his eyes shut, hating how vulnerable her voice sounded, taking him back to that night they were trapped in the bunker. “I know, you’ll be okay. We’ll fix it.”

“Felicity,” Curtis spoke up, “I can take a look at your chip and see if I can get it back online, it shouldn’t take-”

“No!” Felicity interrupted, “No, you’re not going to touch me!” She yelled, making Oliver flinch even though he knew the words weren’t for him.

“Felicity, I-” Curtis tried again.

“Just go, Curtis. Get the hell out of here…and away from me.” Felicity kept her forehead against Oliver’s, and she released a shaky breath before speaking to him. “Take me home, please.”

Oliver bit his lip, knowing that she was scared and angry, but Curtis was the one who knew how to fix her chip… “Felicity, maybe we should let Curtis check you out. I’ll be right there with you,” he mumbled, lifting her into his arms again, realizing that she didn’t need to stay on the ground. “John and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

His wife sighed, bringing her arms around his neck, she hugged herself to him. “I can fix it myself. I don’t need Curtis. I have a husband who makes a wonderful, and handsome, assistant…” she gestured to Dig, “and our medically trained soldier over there can do the procedure. We just have to get it back online. No problem. I’ll walk you two through it.”

Oliver glanced down at her, shaking his head because of course she was trying to make jokes right now. Felicity hid her face in his neck, skimming her nose along his skin as he felt the softest, faintest little kisses against his throat.

With a sigh, Oliver’s eyes fluttered shut and he relented. He’d do whatever she asked, because she was okay. If she trusted that the three of them could handle it without Curtis’ help, then so did he.

Moving towards the van, Oliver eyed Curtis and Dinah, who had resorted to ignoring them and tending to Rene’s wounds. “Take him to the hospital and get him patched up,” Oliver ordered, to which he received irritated glares from his old teammates. “But when it’s over, I want all of you out of my city.”

“Is that a threat, hoss?” Rene grumbled as Oliver walked by him, tucking Felicity a little tighter against his chest. His voice was full of anger, but Oliver couldn’t care less about it. 

Glancing down at him, Oliver nodded once. “Absolutely.”

He knew it’d take a lot of time with Felicity curled up in his arms for him to forget how her face looked as it contorted in pain, the sounds she’d made and the way her body had crumbled into his arms, but she was okay. And he had all the time in the world to hold her. No one was ever going to take that away.

[jbuffyangel]

Crossing Lines: Arrow 6x14 Review (Collision Course)

Am I supposed to agree with the Newbies at some point? Am I supposed to be more conflicted over this OTA versus Newbies Civil War? Cause I'm not.

Let's dig in...

Original Team Arrow versus Newbies

Someone pointed out to me, in the midst of all my snarky tweets about the newbies, I have a bias and it's disgusting. Horror of horrors. 

Of course, I have a bias. This is an Olicity blog and I worship at the altar of John Diggle (re: see blog name). My bias is plastered everywhere. I'm not reporting fact based news. This is my opinion and it is framed by the things I like and don't like (re: see my pretty banner). I am super okay with my bias and hopefully everyone reading these reviews are too! If not, I'm sure there's someone out there who agrees with the newbies.

Somewhere. Moving on.

Cayden James is dead and Oliver thinks that's pretty shady because it is. There's no time to investigate because Star City is missing $70 million and Oliver would really like to pay the electric bill. Anyone else think it's a little odd Star City is on the verge of financial shut down because of $70 million? Isn't it supposed to be like Seattle or something? I'm not saying $70 million wouldn't put a hitch in Seattle's giddy up. I just feel like they should be able to absorb it better. Whatever. Government finance ain't my thing - other than giving them exorbitant amounts of our paychecks every week only to be charged MORE when we file our taxes.

I miss the days when Oliver was a billionaire. He could just cut Star City a check and bake cookies with Felicity and William. Yeah, that's right. FELICITY AND WILLIAM BAKED COOKIES. 

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

This ranks high in the domesticated adorable scale. To be fair, I think William baked the cookies and Felicity did the science, math and physics part, but it was still cuter than all the cute in the world.

I love this gif. This man is stupid in love and is so happy to raise William with Felicity. Remember the days when Oliver thought he’d die alone? Now he’s all heart eyes over cookies. 

Source: oliverxfelicity

Felicity rocks her hacker goddess skills and gets Oliver the Corto Maltese security video, which shows the person who stole the money:

Source:  katie-mcgraths

Bl*ck S*ren. My kingdom for Arrow to burn that wig. I thought she had a bullet wound? When did she have time to go to Corto Maltese? You know what? Never mind. Best not to spend more time than necessary on her.

Of course, Dinah finds out Evil L*urel has all the money and we're off to the races. Oliver is adamant Dinah should not kill BS. 

Remember when Oliver used to break people's necks? Six years later, plus extensive morality lessons from John Diggle, an intelligent, beautiful and light inspiring woman to go schmoopy for, and an impressionable son has turned Oliver Queen into a freaking Care Bear. Tender Heart if you want to be specific.

"I don't trust you to do the right thing."

To his credit, Oliver states he's the last person to lecture anyone about murder, but he's not going to dwell on the obvious. Oliver is the only one who can kill people. Everyone else is a hard nope. Is Oliver being a hypocrite? Yes and no. Yes, because his policy on killing is harder to nail down than Jell-O. (He only kills when necessary and only if the Big Bad is super evil. I think?)

No, because Oliver has killed and knows what it can do to a person.  

In many ways, Oliver is the best person to speak about the consequences of murder.

Source: jamescarstairs

Settle down, honey. This isn't Quentin you are talking to. Oliver barely acknowledged L*urel when she was alive. He is certainly not blind with "the feels" over her evil doppelganger. Oliver just wants to pay the water bill.

Dinah: If you are going to threaten me Oliver, you better be damn sure you can deliver.

Honestly, it's like the noobs have amnesia because they act like they don't know Oliver Queen. 

Of course he can deliver, but sure snowflake throw the gauntlet. Noobs versus Team Arrow, Round 349,834.

Source: gothsmoak

Apparently, it is Dinah's first day out of the academy because she leaves a bloody shoe print in the alley where BS was shot. You are a lieutenant Dinah. Didn't anyone teach you how to control a crime scene? Lord, this is like working with Barry Allen right now. 

The footprint leads OTA to believe Dinah took BS. They break into the newbies bunker, and by break in I mean walk in with the lights shut off, which leads to the trading of words. Fightin' ones.

Dinah: Since when is our word not enough?

Part of this newbie amnesia thing means they forgot everything that's happened since 6x09. Everything from 6x09-6x14 is the reason why your word is not enough, Dinah. Can brain cells start to fire please? Be smarter noobs.

Rene throws Vincent's death in Oliver's face and Diggle rightfully points out if these impertinent toddlers listened to them in the first place Vincent might still be alive.

Source:  herostairss

Curtis flips his shiznit over Felicity hacking their system to search for Bl*ck S*ren's heat signature. Is there anything that doesn't get Curtis' undies in a twizzle these days?

Oliver: She's tracked all of you because we needed to know if one of you broke our trust. One of you did.

Ya hear that amnesia boy? THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! REMEMBER? Suck it Rene. Oliver says all of this in his growly Arrow voice, which makes it so much better. Don't ask me why. Growly Arrow voice makes everything better.

Dinah: You have already punished Rene for that mistake.

Rene is still testifying right? Can we get some clarification on that, show? I maintain kicking Rene off Team Arrow hardly equates to Rene sending Oliver up the river for life without the parole.

Dinah: You know it's just too bad he doesn't look like L*urel L*nce because if he did you would probably forgive him for murder!

Solid burn Dinah. I got nothing.

Curtis starts shrieking about OTA breaking into their bunker and finally annoys Felicity enough to tell him to shut his trap. GLORIOUS.

One of the reasons it's hard to be interested in the remaining villains is because the noobs seem to be campaigning for Big Bad. Rene adopts a fairly nefarious tone and talks smack about William. Man, Damien Darhk wasn't even that low.

Rene: Oliver wants to fight because that's how he solves his problems. That doesn't make you a hero. It makes you a thug. It's a real shame because he's going to feel so betrayed when he figures it out. You know who I'm talking about don't you hoss? William.

It's a little difficult to stomach Rene lecturing Oliver about fighting and parenting. This is the same man who left his daughter in foster care, so he could kill people like Damien Darhk just like the Green Arrow. Alright, his reasons were slightly more noble, but that's the basic gist.

Rene getting up in Oliver's face is all a ruse to plant a bug on him, which is also hard to believe. Felicity needs to wear the red dress for that to happen.

The newbies over hear OTA's conversation with Quentin, Thea and BS.Oliver agrees to help Bl*ck S*ren get out of the country in exchange for the $70 million. The only thing I agree with the newbies on is Bl*ck S*ren will never give the money back.

OTA ditches the bug and this is where things really escalate. Curtis says he can track OTA to Bl*ck S*ren's location if he uses the chip in Diggle's arm. 

It's going to hurt Diggle A LOT if he does.

Rene is almost gleeful when he says, "You act like that's a deal breaker hoss. That guy is the whole reason I got shot." It's difficult to determine if Rene knows Curtis is talking about physical pain. Rene immediately drew a comparison to his physical pain (i.e. bullet wound). However, Dinah tells Curtis not to worry about John's feelings. Dinah's reference implies Rene was merely speaking about emotional pain, but that could have been her misinterpretation. The waters are murky for sure.

What is not murky is Dinah's response when Curtis clarifies he's talking about physical pain. She doesn't hesitate, not even for a second, when she tells Curtis to find OTA. Perhaps, Dinah feels morally justified in her quest to kill Bl*ck S*ren. Perhaps, she even feels morally justified to hurt John physically because his lies about his injury put everyone on the team at risk. Rene was wounded after all.

However, John didn't make his choice with the intent to physically harm his fellow team members. He convinced himself that his presence as Green Arrow saved more lives than it cost. Rene's injury was a terrible consequence of John's poor choices, but it was not one he made deliberately.

The newbies are making a deliberate choice. They have full knowledge Diggle will be hurt, even severely. They know John will be unable to defend himself in the field. There are no questions. No what ifs, buts or maybes. The newbies know exactly what will happen.

Furthermore, their intent is clearly based on vengeance. Rene wants revenge for his gunshot wound. Dinah wants to kill Bl*ck S*ren as revenge for Vince. These are not noble pursuits filled with good intention. Rene is actually laughing about Diggle and gleefully congratulating Curtis on a job well done as they drive to the cabin, "I pity those fools now."

The juxtaposition between the two teams and their conversations prior to battle is quite telling. Dinah tells her team not to hold back. If they do then they will get hurt.

Source:  gothsmoak

Whereas Diggle worries about the cost of OTA's plan. Bl*ck S*ren avoids capture and they end up hurting the people who used to be their friends. Oliver counters with his own philosophical question, "Would John be asking these questions if the people coming after them didn't look like Rene, Curtis and Dinah?" Of course not, but John also adds, "But I have to wonder would we be doing this if the person they were after didn't look like L*urel?"

It's really not about that for Oliver, which he will make clear in a minute, but what matters is Diggle is the only one arguing caution. And that's after the newbies deliberately hurt him. Diggle tells Oliver they may cross a line they can't take back. Dinah tells Rene and Curtis to cross the line and not look back. It's a stark contrast between the teams. It's also very difficult to side with the newbies when OTA are the only ones debating morality.

The decision is already made for Oliver. He agrees with John they are about to cross a line they can't take back, but the newbies crossed it first. They crossed it the minute they deliberately hurt John. You do not mess with Oliver Queen's first wife. He will defend bae no matter the cost.

However, I don't think Oliver is only speaking about John. Rene's betrayal cut to the core for Oliver. He brought Rene into the fold, trained and trusted him. The newbies may feel they were treated "differently," but Oliver made himself vulnerable to Rene, Curtis and Dinah. He trusted them with his biggest secret. Oliver put his life into their hands and not just out in the field. They each have the power to take Oliver from the people he loves (Felicity and William). This is exactly what Rene did. His betrayal is as much a threat to Oliver's life as the newbies messing with Diggle's chip.

Oliver even gave Rene a second chance and he still left him high and dry. Curtis and Dinah had their own reasons for leaving the team, but they also sided with Rene. Neither of them have told Rene what he did to Oliver was wrong. In fact, Curtis defended it. They are complicit in the betrayal in that sense. If Dinah and Curtis can morally square outing Oliver Queen as Green Arrow to a prosecutor then how does Oliver trust them again?

And no, the threat of losing his daughter does not justify taking Oliver from his son. There were other options Rene chose to ignore - like telling Oliver and asking for help. Even if it did justify it, Rene should respect a natural consequence of choosing Zoe is forfeiting Team Arrow. But he didn't. Instead, Rene believed his choice should be consequence free.  He acts like a toddler whose favorite toy was taken away.

Of course, Dinah, Curtis and Rene have their own list of betrayals. Most of which I find inferior to the betrayal that kicked off this civil war. We have to remember how we got here, because it's important.

Source: oliverxfelicity

Felicity is furious Curtis hurt John and is ready to kick his ass. Oliver should have let her go. Mr. Terrific would have been on the ground in less than a minute. Unlike him, Felicity can throw a punch.

Curtis only lasts in the fight for as long as he did because of the T-spheres. The same T-spheres anyone can operate, which continues to bolster my why-do-we- need-Curtis-in-the-field argument. 

Source: dmichellewrites

The T-spheres ultimately don't matter. Oliver puts him down hard. Next?

Oliver knocks Rene down and warns him to stay down. Rene refuses and picks up an AX. Yes, an ax. 

Rene takes Dinah's instructions not to hold back to heart and swings at Oliver with all his might. 

I ask everyone to consider the bodily harm Rene would have inflicted on Oliver if any one of those swings landed. The injury would be bloody, severe, awful and very likely life threatening.

Source: olivergifs

Oliver defends himself. Plain and simple. He kicks Rene hard in the chest and sends him flying into a tree. This unintentionally reopens Rene's wound and he's rushed to the hospital. Rene's injury is life threatening, which requires recuperating off screen for while. This is fine by me. I need a looooong Rene Ramirez break. Perhaps a permanent one.

Curtis convinces Dinah not to kill BS by waxing poetic about how they formed a new team to be better than Oliver Queen. ARE THE WRITERS REALLY EXPECTING US TO BUY THIS? 

All the noobs have done is bitch about OTA, pitch hissy fits, act like hypocrites and try to kill BS. But sure kids, you are really living in the light.

Diggle and Felicity go to the hospital to check on Rene, while Oliver wisely stays behind. Oliver knows his presence will only create a more volatile scene. He does tell Diggle and Felicity to pass along his apologies.

Source:  gothsmoak

Curtis and Dinah believe Diggle and Felicity have lost the right to ask about Rene. They are done with them FOREVER. Lord, if only it were true.  

Let's run it down:

Rene was injured in a fight the newbies started with OTA.

Oliver warned Rene to stay down and he refused.

Rene escalated the fight to life and death by swinging an ax and Oliver defended himself.

Diggle and Felicity show concern for Rene and check on him, even though Curtis deliberately hurt Diggle's arm, Dinah hit an unarmed man with her staff, Rene almost shot Felicity and tried to kill Oliver.

The newbies tell Diggle and Curtis they don't have the right to ask how Rene is doing while Rene was gleeful over hurting John.

The newbies tell Diggle and Felicity, once again, this is all their fault despite Rene's betrayal being the catalyst for this entire conflict.

Oliver actually feels guilty about hurting Rene. He is sorry it came to that and Rene is in the hospital. I'm not hearing a lot of sorry from the newbies over hurting Diggle, 

Source:  gothsmoak

shooting at Felicity, Quentin and Thea

Source:  gothsmoak 

and swinging an ax at Oliver. And yes, I know Felicity jumped in front of Rene’s gun. By why did she do that? To stop Rene from shooting at an unarmed Thea and Quentin. This woman, who was paralyzed from a gun shot wound, threw herself in front of a bullet to protect her family. She has more courage, honor, loyalty and selflessness in her pinky finger than Rene does in his entire body.

Nor were the newbies debating the morality of crossing the line. They simply acted without remorse, believing the ends justified the means, and then blamed everyone else but themselves. It's getting difficult to tell the difference between the newbies and the villains.

Quentin Lance, Bl*ck S*ren and Thea Queen

Quentin has taken an extended vacation to Crazy Town, is keeping Evil L*urel in some cabin and is lying badly about it. Quentin used to be captain of the police department. That has to require some undercover work. You'd think he'd be better at lying, but nope! What's worse is Oliver's Spidey sense doesn't tingle. It says to me he's really preoccupied with this stolen money cutting into his son's tutoring time. This cuts into his sexy time with the wife by default. (Sure would be nice to actually SEE the sexy times.) Stick with me folks! I can always connect it back to Olicity sex.

Quentin pulls out the photo album (JUST PUT IT DOWN MAN AND STEP AWAY) 

and blah blah blahs to Evil L*urel about redemption. Yawn. Quentin lays all of Bl*ck S*ren's evil firmly on the dead father trope. Not everything a woman does relates to a man issue, show. Sometimes we just do stuff because we want to and it has nothing to do with the presence or absence of a man in our life.

Quentin doubles down on the "It's Not Evil L*urel's Fault" psychoanalysis and states, "My guess is that it's been a long time since you had a chance to decide what you want your life to be."

Really? REALLY? I’m drunk-Scott-Moir-yelling-about-Canadian-hockey annoyed. It's called free will Quentin and Bl*ck S*ren had it since the day she was born. There are plenty of people who grow up without a father who don't turn into serial killers. Bl*ck S*ren has been CHOOSING her life for a long time now. Bad things happening to you is not a free pass to do bad things to others.

Thea's Spidey senses does tingle (she really needs to be Mayor) and she follows Quentin to this remote cabin he owns. She placates Quentin and all his crazy, which is just beyond irritating. Can someone please tell this man he has gone round the bend? 

The only moderately enjoyable aspect of these cabin scenes was KC going all in with the camp. Her over the top villain reactions felt like a suitable balance to the lunacy of this Quentin Lance storyline.

Quentin offers to leave the country with Bl*ck S*ren. He's going to open up a little shop with her in Barbados, make straw hats together and save her soul. WHATEVER DUDE.

Seeing as how Quentin's character is in shambles,  I am in favor of this plan. Ship both Quentin and Bl*ck S*ren off and we can get back to a Lance free show.

Oliver believes Bl*ck S*ren will keep the money and she will kill Quentin the moment she is out of the country. It's good to see our lead still has some sense. But Oliver chooses to go along with Bl*ck S*ren's plan because he believes in Quentin. I don't think Oliver believes Quentin's plan will work, but he wants to show Lance the trust and loyalty he deserves.

Oliver and Quentin's relationship has been rocky no doubt, but in the end they forged something based on mutual respect and dare I say love. 

Quentin was prepared to go to prison for Oliver once. Oliver cannot take the little hope Quentin has left. No matter how ill advised. Is it a huge risk? YES, but Quentin eventually set aside all he knew about Oliver and chose to believe in him. Oliver is simply offering the same belief in return. He isn't choosing Bl*ck S*ren. Oliver is choosing Quentin Lance.

If you give Oliver loyalty and trust, then you will receive the same in return. Your problems are his problems. It's the piece of him the newbies never understood - particularly Rene.

The line of the episode, of course, has to be what Oliver says to Bl*ck S*ren:

Source:  olivergifs

HAHAHA!!!!!!!! I cackled. I cackled in an evil way.  

There is no love lost between Oliver and BS. He has his head screwed on straight. L*urel is dead and BS is not L*urel. Instead, BS is an annoyance Oliver wants out of his face. To be fair, this is how he used to treat L*urel when she was alive, but he's just more forceful about it with BS.

It's like the writers know exactly how we feel about BS and gift us with these scenes so we can abuse the gifs.  

In all my days, I've never seen a show throw shade on a character they created more than Arrow does with LL/BS. Things that make you go hmmm.

Quentin admits how badly he screwed up. Thea reassures Quentin he loves BS in the only way it matters - through the eyes of a father. It's a clunky line, but she's not arguing BS is dead L*urel. Thea is simply saying what Quentin feels for BS is beyond reason 

and biology. It's similar to the way Thea could never quite untangle herself from Malcolm Merlyn. Or how Malcolm Merlyn could rationalize every evil thing he did in the name of loving Thea. Or how Robert Queen loved Thea as his own even though he knew, biologically, she was not.  Thea is over identifying a little too much, but since her days on Arrow are probably numbered I’m going allow her some wiggle room. At least she learned something about fathers and daughters in the midst of all her daddy drama over the years.

Love is often unexplainable and it certainly isn't bound by biology. It doesn't make Quentin's actions rationale, healthy or right. He is merely acting from gut instinct, a love printed into his DNA, for a woman who wears the face of his daughter but is absolutely nothing like his daughter. The thin connection of hot sour soup notwithstanding. 

"I know how much we all wish she was like the L*urel that we lost. She's not."

This line from Oliver does feel like a final verdict (God willing) on Bl*ck S*ren's redemption. 

Quentin believed in Bl*ck S*ren time and time again. Time and time again, Bl*ck S*ren chose evil. There comes a point when unconditional love meets free will. Quentin's love for Bl*ck S*ren, no matter how irrational or misguided, doesn't change the fact that she rejects it. I don't believe unconditional love requires we be okay with everything a person does. You can disagree and demand better from someone while still loving them. At a certain point, Quentin has to accept the choices Bl*ck S*ren makes. His love doesn't go away, but it doesn't change who BS is.  Quentin is in the enabling BS. Hopefully, we move to tough love next.

Rather than redeem BS, Arrow doubles down on the evil and we end "Collison Course" with BS pretending to be dead LL. 

Source:  katie-mcgraths

Now THIS is a storyline I can get behind. This sounds fun. 

I am not here for more "Let's redeem kuku-for-cocoa-puffs" and dragging Quentin & Thea down with her. Also, there's no better way to snap Quentin out of his "She's L*urel" delusions than to have BS mess with memory of his L*urel and try to steal her life.

In a way it's giving LL fans what they crave. They want BS to be redeemed and to assume dead L*urel's life. So, it's like LL didn't die at all. It's still wonky logic because the two women are different people, but whatever. Arrow is delivering on that wish fulfillment, but with a twist. It will be Bl*ck S*ren pretending to be dead LL, which will continue to highlight how different these women are and hijinks will ensue.

I believe "Collision Course" presents a cross in the road. A definitive point where BS could have gone right, but instead went left. She could have chosen to be good and return the money, but instead she becomes an imposter. Quentin very clearly offers a path in which BS can be redeemed, living somewhere tropical as father and daughter, but BS goes another way. Oliver's line to BS is foreshadowing, which why there's emphasis on the shot.

Source:  olivergifs

What's the end goal here? I think there's one of three options. 1) Quentin dies and it's finally the trigger for Bl*ck S*ren’s redemption. She leaves town to lead a good life somewhere on a different Earth, but never to be heard from again (Oliver's wish).  2) Quentin and L*urel leave town together as planned in 6x14. 3) L*urel continues to be a villain and wreak havoc in a similar way Malcolm Merlyn did.

None of these options equate to BS becoming good L&urel, joining the team and being BC again. One, they have a Bl*ck C*nary on the team. Two, it lands Arrow back to square one with a character they exhausted and were done with. And three, a villain is the only way to make the character different. The minute BS chooses another path then I think she hits the road just like "Collision Course" laid out.

Stray Thoughts

They never treated you like equals Curtis because you weren't equals. Everything in your behavior now proves that.

Curtis' hologram image of BS was baaad. The show doesn't want to spend more money on this character than absolutely necessary.

I love Juliana Harkavy, but something about her performance was just off putting tonight. She needs to scale it back a little.

The fire department and the teacher's union were super snotty about the $70 mill. It's like they want to put out fires and teach children. Calm down folks.

Curtis taught Felicity to hack something? Give me a freaking break. Oliver's magical powers in Season 4 were easier to buy than that.

OTA was back in the van, which always gives me Season 2 nostalgia.

Dinah also doesn't know how to tail someone because she was 30 feet behind Diggle's bumper.

"I found something that can bury Queen." The new DA works for Dragon and what he has to bury Oliver is Roy. Roy confessed to being the Arrow and is supposed to be dead. If Roy is alive then it's all a lie and the new DA can convict Oliver of being both the Arrow and Green Arrow.

Is it ever up to the newbies to save the city? No. You serve a supporting role in saving the city at best. Get a grip.

Next week is Roooooooooy. Give me all the Theroy. I need to snuggle Colton Haynes.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 6x14 gifs credited.

[turtlejustice]

[yet-i-remain-quiet]

FELICITY MAKING COOKIES WITH WILLIAM

AND THE APRONS