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[jbuffyangel]

Hello Barry Allen: Arrow 2x08 Review (The Scientist)

It is bittersweet to remember how much I loved Barry Allen, before The Flash made me hate him with the fiery intensity of a thousand suns, but that’s a topic for another time. Let’s just enjoy this precious golden retriever who comes to Starling City to be the third point in an Olicity love triangle.

And y’all – I love me a good love triangle. Let’s dig in…

Olicity and Barry Allen

Full disclosure I did not know Barry Allen was The Flash when Grant Gustin guest starred on Arrow. I missed every foreshadowing moment of the forthcoming spinoff because I barely knew who The Flash was and really didn’t care.

The husband, of course, filled me in and oddly enough it didn’t tick off in my brain that they were pairing FELICITY SMOAK with one of the most famous comic book characters – a character even more popular than the Green Arrow. This is not something you do if the female character is simply comic relief. (No, I am never letting that Katie Cassidy comment go. Should I move on? Yes. Will I? No.) Season 2 Jen wasn’t that smart y’all. Bottom line, if Season 2 is a chess game, then Felicity Smoak’s pawn will become a queen. 

There is a break in a Queen Consolidated warehouse and this is where Oliver, Diggle, Captain Lance and Felicity first meet Barry Allen.

Lance: Who the hell are you?

This is one of Oliver’s all-time best comedic lines. Stephen Amell is bringing humor to Oliver’s blinding jealously, which is a lot of fun. It also offsets Oliver’s egomaniacal hypocrisy and makes him far more tolerable. Good choice, Mr. Amell!

Barry: I’m Barry Allen. I’m from the Central City Police Department. I’m with the Crime Scene Investigation unit. We’re working on a case with some similar unexplained elements to Central City. So, when the report of your robbery came over the wire, my captain sent me up here.

I bought his story. Oliver does not.

Barry is convinced it’s one guy who broke down a door of reinforced titanium and the security footage seems to support his theory. Also, the bruising pattern on the dead guard’s neck suggests someone used one hand to break it.

Barry: I’m guessing you don’t know how hard it is to break someone’s nec.

Oliver: Hmm? No. No idea.

Barry also figures out what was stolen – an industrial centrifuge (it separates liquid), which is a very big and heavy machine the thief ripped out of the ground.  Felicity offers some explanations, and Barry adds his two cents and soon these two adorable nerds are sparking off all the science.

Felicity: What did you say your name was?

Barry: Barry. Allen.

Felicity: Felicity. Smoak.

Source: @buffysummers

Barry looks at Felicity for about 1.2 seconds too long and Oliver gives him THE LOOK. Let’s keep those eyes on the centrifuge, Mr. Allen. I’m cackling. Jealous Oliver is one of the best Olivers.

The thing is Barry’s theories are based on evidence and Oliver is taking them very seriously because he knows exactly what can produce that kind of strength in one man.

Both Diggle and Felicity find additional evidence (and video footage!) that proves Barry Allen is dead on. The pup has some smarts! He arrives at Queen Consolidated at Felicity’s invitation. I just love that this young buck is popping up on Oliver’s turf and annoying the crap out of him.

Source: @oliver-and-felicity

Barry makes Felicity laugh and Oliver finds this puzzling. Felicity enjoys laughter and not a simmering pile of brooding man pain??!!

Felicity is socializing with another male. This cannot be born. Oliver gently pulls Felicity toward him, and more precisely away from Barry Allen, to ask a very important question.

Source: @kurtweller

The way Stephen’s voice rises to a full soprano is flat out hilarious. I accept no other interpretations.

Felicity accurately points out that forensic science is not really her thing, and she could genuinely use Barry’s help to figure out this latest mystery. Oliver agrees, and boy he is not happy about it, but all he can do is make sad puppy eyes as Felicity flounces off with her new “friend.”

Felicity and Barry gather evidence, and this is the first time Emily Bett Rickards has an equal sparring partner to banter with. The reason Barry and Felicity click so much is because they are basically the same person.  That said, inviting Barry into the home office is putting him precariously close to Oliver and team’s nighttime activities and, just like Felicity, Barry is no dummy. He’s done his research on The Vigilante, and it is safe to say that Barry Allen is a fanboy.

Source: @lyricalarrow

Barry: Green. That’s interesting, right? I mean, why green? Black would be better for stealth and urban camouflage, but personally I think that he trained in some sort of forest or jungle environment and the green is a nod to that.

I love Grant’s reading of this line because no detail is too small for Barry – he’s fascinated by Felicity’s attempt at monosyllabic. But more worrisome for Felicity is Barry, once again, is dead on.

Felicity: I don’t give the vigilante much thought.

Oh girl. You are so bad at lying.

Barry: Police reports show that he uses carbon arrows, but if he switched to an aluminum carbon composite, he would have far better penetration.

Source: @eddiethawne

This inadvertent sexual innuendo is almost as bad as “It feels really good having you inside me.”

Barry is also convinced that the vigilante has partners. Ok, so let’s just give the kid a job and call it a day. I do like that the writers acknowledge all the obvious things the police should figure out about the vigilante through Barry Allen’s obsessive fanboy investigation. In this way, I feel a kinship to him.

Felicity is curious as to why Barry is so curious, which gives us his character’s back story. His mother was murdered. They never caught the guy who did it and maybe the vigilante would. Barry Allen is looking for a hero. (SAD PANDA)

Barry and Felicity found the truck that stole the centrifuge, and it was just used to rob a blood bank. Oliver pressures Barry for more information about his “similar case” in Central City, but Barry is equally as bad of a liar as Felicity. Actually, he’s worse. Oliver is done with the close proximity to Felicity and the lies.

Oliver: I want you to look into this Allen kid. There’s more to him than he’s letting on.

Diggle: His intentions seem pretty clear to me.

This is why I love Diggle, and he will forever be the number one Olicity shipper. He will nudge Oliver about Felicity when necessary. This teasing remark is also a direct message to Oliver, without flatly calling him out. Barry is being clear about his feelings for Felicity and Oliver is not. Diggle lets Oliver know he has some competition and it’s time to get in the game. But Oliver, no matter how much he knows Diggle is right, is nowhere near ready to do that. Hence, his absolute dejection.

Source: @oliver-and-felicity

This is why Barry Allen is so necessary. It’s been quite a run of Olicity episodes thus far. First, we have the Russia debacle, with Oliver sleeping with Isabel and Felicity was hurt and jealous. Oliver also takes the opportunity to tell Felicity that even though he feels something for her he will never be with her. It’s a pretty definitive slamming of the door on any potential relationship between these two, except these feelings keep brimming to the surface.

Oliver heroically saves Felicity from the Count like a scene straight out of a romance novel. Nothing bonds two people like shared trauma. Oliver also tells Felicity that he will always choose her because nothing is more important to him. I mean honestly this man set the swoon standards.

But these are also some very frustrating episodes – for both Felicity and the viewers. He clearly has feelings for her, will die for her, will kill for her, betray his code for her, but refuses to be with her. So… where the hell does that put them? Oliver and Felicity are in a very murky gray zone.

Oliver knows Felicity wants to be with him. Even if she was trying to hide it (like she is in this episode).

Source: terushimasyuuji

The pain of the Russia debacle made Felicity’s feelings clear.  Even Oliver isn’t that stupid, which is what prompted the “I have feelings for you, but I’m going to let you down easy because I’m a selfless hero who is also the dumbest of pine trees to ever exist.” Of course, Oliver likes all Felicity’s attention and concern (because he’s in love with her even if he won’t freaking admit it). Whether they want to admit it or not, there is a serious power imbalance between the two of them. Oliver is calling all the shots.

But it's Felicity's life too. Felicity is asserting her independence with Barry. She is taking Oliver at his word. Ok, you don’t want to be with me? Fine. I will move on. Felicity isn’t trying to make Oliver jealous. In fact, I don’t think she notices he’s jealous at all. I think there’s a large part of her still feels, despite all the moments she’s shared with Oliver and the things he’s said, that he will never feel for her what she feels for him.

Felicity’s feelings for Barry are genuine, which is why it’s driving Oliver crazy. He’s been able to enjoy all the emotional benefits of a relationship with Felicity, without actually being with her. Barry Allen a big bucket of cold water on all the warm fuzzy feelings.  He’s also a flashing red warning sign. Oliver needs to understand there is a shelf life to all this “I must suffer because I am undeserving of love.” His trauma will cost him Felicity.  She will not wait forever for him. 

And there was some part of Oliver, deep down, that thought Felicity would wait forever for him. This is where the egotistical hypocrisy comes in. It’s okay for Oliver to have girlfriends and sleep with whoever he wants when he wants, but Felicity so much as looks at another man, and Oliver is ready to break his neck with his bare hands.

Felicity is a hot ticket. Some guy will absolutely cut in front of you to be with her. This is so Dawson Leary. Yuck. Take it away Pacey Witter.

Pacey: Look at that girl, Dawson. Just take a good look. She's a freaking goddess, man. How long did you think it was gonna be before some guy comes along and is interested in her? I mean, really, dude! And when that happens, what are you gonna do?

Dawson: I'm just gonna take it all as it comes.

Pacey: You're gonna take it as it comes. Oh great, well perhaps you should start figuring out right now because the guy that comes along is not gonna be your best friend and he's not gonna ask for your permission. The guy that comes along is gonna take one look at that woman and just cut right in on ya.

So, am I that bothered that Oliver gets the crap beaten out of him a couple times? Nah. Not really. He had it coming. Maybe the Mirakuru soldier can knock some sense into his concrete head.

Source: @olicitygifs

This was so overly dramatic. Oliver is an enormous man child with muscles. He’s not upset Felicity was a little rough with the medical tape. Didn’t this man use to suture his own bullet wounds, but he can’t handle Felicity’s soft womanly hands against a little scrape? Boy, please. He can’t yell at her about Barry, so he yells about her nursing skills.  

Oliver decides to come clean with what he knows about the super strength thief. He tells Felicity and Diggle about the serum on Lian Yu designed to create human weapons. Oliver assures them that Ivo and anyone injected with the serum are dead (spoiler alert Oliver, jeez) and he burned the last of it on the island.

Oliver asks Felicity to analyze the blood on the bent arrowhead.

Felicity: Barry and I will get right on it.

Diggle: I think our Miss Smoak is smitten.

Both statements cause Oliver physical pain. The man can barely breathe. Alright, I’m starting to feel a little sorry for him.

Diggle confirms that Oliver’s suspicions are right about Barry. He’s not being honest about who he is. A very pissy Oliver comes in hot, pumped up on jealousy, testosterone filled overprotection and raging hypocrisy, to confront Barry for lying about who he is – in front of Felicity. Naturally.

Barry immediately confesses the real reason he’s in Starling City. His father is in prison for his mother’s murder. Barry knows his father is innocent because he witnessed the crime. A blur with a person inside killed Barry Allen’s mother. Nobody believes him because that’s crazy. So, he seeks out the crazy cases like a super strength thief in the hopes it will lead to his mother’s real killer and freeing his father. He’s so damn earnest and hopeful, it’s like watching Oliver beat the crap out of a fluffy bunny. This is not a good look when trying to show your not-wife what a douchebag her new boyfriend is. Barry leaves town, which also costs Felicity her date to Moira’s welcome home party Oliver randomly decided to throw.

Instead of immediately apologizing to both Barry and Felicity, Oliver doubles down and defends what he did. Apologizing is not really his forte, so this is not unexpected.

Source: @owenelliots-blog1

I love my unproblematic queen who can acknowledge the mountain of hypocrisy Oliver is standing on. YEAH, BIG GUY. YOU LIE ABOUT YOUR IDENTITY EVERY DAY AND USED TO KILL PEOPLE ON THE REGULAR. TAKE SEVERAL SEATS.

The party for Moira is a disaster. Shockingly nobody shows up to celebrate the freedom of the woman who helped kill hundreds of people in Glades. What a shocker. I love you Oliver, but you are so out of touch sometimes with normal people. Also, the elitist rich of Starling City don’t want to be tainted by associating with the Queen family.

Oliver has thought about his actions and acknowledges he overreacted about Barry.

Source: @dianaclairmonts

I love that she doesn’t let him off the hook right away. Felicity is mad and she has every right to be. Barry shouldn’t have lied. I agree with Oliver on this one small point. But both he and Felicity know it wasn’t all nobility, like he’s some standard bearer for the truth, that made Oliver confront Barry like he did. Oliver was trying to obliterate any potential “something” growing between Felicity and Barry – and they both know it.

Source: @o-rigamii

My kingdom for these two to dance. Let us not speak of how long we had to wait for it to happen. YEARS, people. YEARS.

Oliver: I know. That’s why I called him. They will card him at the bar.

Awww. He called Barry. Oliver is trying to make it right. I’m even going to allow the snark because it was hilarious. Did you notice Oliver immediately racing to the bar and downing a shot with Isabel to avoid watching Felicity dance with this kid? I did.

Oliver’s acknowledges he has no right to interfere in any relationship Felicity wants with Barry, primarily because he refuses to give her one with him. Oliver is trying to be the better man, to stand back and allow Felicity the happiness he feels he cannot give her. But all I want is for Oliver to cut in. Diggle is right. He needs to get in the game!

Whatever may be happening with Barry – it’s going to be long distance because he needs to go back to Central City, or he’ll be fired. He leaves without kissing Felicity. They are both wistfully hesitant. Interesting.

Is it too soon for a kiss? Yes, especially in the land of television. I like Barry, but I don’t actually want Felicity to end up with him. He’s the third point in the love triangle and that’s all. He’s a mechanism to get Oliver’s ass in gear. I don’t need to see them make out. Also, Barry Allen has always been a little asexual to me.

For Felicity, it’s one thing to say you’re moving on. It is another thing to actually do it. Maybe it’s not so easy for Miss Smoak to put Oliver behind her.

Source: @oliverqueenz

Barry and Felicity determine the sedative in the thief’s blood is Ketamine. (Isn’t that shit for horses?) The only place that has enough for the centrifuge is an ARGUS disaster bunker. It’s time for Oliver to suit up, but Felicity is not sure he should go.  The simple fact is the thief’s muscle mass is the same as concrete. Oliver is going to be punching a literal brick wall.

Source: @oliverqueenz

Oliver is a little taken aback. It’s not like Felicity not to believe in him. But this is not lack of belief, it’s a legitimate concern when faced with a scientific reality. Sure, Malcolm Merlyn was bad, but he wasn’t made out of concreate. You can push those romantic feelings as far down as possible, but they will always rise to the surface when the person you love is about to face mortal danger.

Like it or not, Oliver Queen is the Arrow. It is his responsibility to stop guys like this, so he faces off with the super soldier – and gets his ass handed to him on a platter. This guy bounces Oliver around like a ping pong ball. Oliver was also injected with an unknown substance during the fight.

Source: @mrsmaudlin

Diggle and Felicity find him unconscious, but don’t know how to save him because they don’t know what substance he’s poisoned with. Diggle is ready to call 911 and blow the whole vigilante cover to smithereens, but Felicity has another idea. One that can save Oliver and protect his identity – if this person will keep his secret.

Source: @bifelicitys

One second Barry Allen is waiting at the train station and the next he’s waking up in the Arrow cave, with Felicity begging him to save Oliver.

And Oliver is not going to be happy with this turn of events.

Slade and Shado

Slade is in serious trouble. He’s burned half to hell and fading fast. So, is it a little odd that Shado chooses NOW to question Oliver about his romantic life? Yes, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Shado: How do you know that girl?

The girl in question is Sara. ISN’T THAT SUCH AN INTERESTING QUESTION OLIVER? Yes, please do explain to Shado how you know Sara.

Oliver: Sara was on my father’s boat… with me.

Shado: What about the girl in the picture? Laurel. The girl you told me you were in love with.

Oliver: Sara is her sister.

Shado is disgusted, which is the natural and appropriate reaction to anyone finding out about Oliver cheating on Laurel with her sister. This is a canon event, Shado. We can’t interfere. You must realize for yourself why it is impossible to ship Oliver with either Laurel or Sara. I bet Slade isn’t looking so bad right now.

Sara: I guess a lot happened in the last year.

Shado finding out about Sara. Sara is finding out about Shado. Oh, what a tangled web Ollie weaved. Honestly, he was just so slutty.

Just imagine you are Sara. I’m choosing Sara since she’s known Oliver longer, but Shado has every right to be angry too. But imagine you are Sara, and you betrayed your only sister for a guy who hooked up with someone else after you’ve been barely “dead” a year. We know Oliver didn’t forget about Sara, but that’s exactly what it feels like. Such a mess. I can’t imagine Sara loving the choices she made right now.

Did you notice Shado said, “The girl you WERE [Laurel] in love with.” That’s past tense my friends and Oliver doesn’t correct her. Now, Shado might believe Oliver is in love with her (although neither has said these words in a year). Oliver might not want to correct Shado in front of Sara. There could be lots of reasons. It’s difficult to juggle three love interests at the same time. But I don’t think this past tense reference is a small thing. 

Team Flashback is on the run and looking for a way to save Slade. Eventually they find the serum and must decide if Slade should take it. They don’t have all the necessary ingredients for a successful super soldier, however.

Oliver: What happens if we give it to Slade without the sedative?

Sara: He’ll die for sure.  

Shado: He’s going to die anyway.

That was dark Shado. Dark but true. Ultimately, it’s Slade’s call and he tells Oliver to inject him with the serum. But before he does, Slade uses his last moments to apologize to Shado.

Slade: I’m sorry. For not telling you how I really feel.

Then he touches her hair. SOB. I know some people think this storyline with Slade and Shado came out of nowhere, but I don’t agree. They built this relationship since Season 1, and it makes absolute sense that Slade fell in love with Shado. And it makes absolutely sense why he hid his feelings for so long.

Oliver is SHOCKED by Slade’s confession. At least he is consistently clueless about love in all timelines. What I love more than anything else is Shado doesn’t give two shits about Oliver’s reaction. Her focus is on Slade and only Slade. See? She’s making better choices too.

Slade’s reaction to the serum is violent, complete with bleeding eyes, and then he dies which was slightly anticlimactic to be honest. Oliver and Shado have barely begun to mourn him when Ivo shows up and kidnaps all three. This guy is like a bad case of herpes. He just won’t go away.

Moira and Malcolm

Malcolm is back and he wants Moira to tell Thea who her biological father is.  

Moira: You killed Tommy. You killed your son. You cannot have my daughter.

Murdering your child should disqualify you from ever parenting again – I feel like that should be a law. We need to ask why Malcolm cares about Thea now when he never did before? Well, he’s a sociopath so there’s that. Malcolm is all about his “legacy” and now that Tommy is gone – Thea is it. Not that he was ever happy with Tommy in the legacy department, but Thea isn’t replacement Tommy. You don’t swap one child for the other. Doesn’t work that way.

But this isn’t the Moira of Season 1. She’s done fearing Malcolm. When his villain monologue reveals he trained in Nanda Parbat, Moira makes a couple calls. She notifies Rha’s Al Ghul that Malcolm is in Starling City.  Since he’s alive, this allows Rha’s AL Ghul the pleasure of killing Malcolm for the Undertaking betraying their code.  Is this the first Rha’s Al Ghul mention? The Batman fan in me is geeking out.

Moira: So, my advice to you, Malcolm… run.

I am here for bad ass Moira not taking any more shit. She still doesn’t tell Thea about Malcolm and quite frankly I’m fine with it. I don’t want Thea to know.  Can the Queen family just be happy for five minutes?

Stray Thoughts

If you are wondering where the pink in my blog comes from – it’s this dress. I think the only dress I love more than this one is the 3x01 red dress.

Oliver and Felicity looked so good this episode. Oliver in suspenders is a lot. I am amazed at their self control.

Felicity: Is it ok to laugh because I was ordered to say anything about you being in prison just to avoid any awkward exchanges.

Oliver: Like that one.

I would die for her.

“Why couldn’t you be marooned in Aruba?” Felicity is so real for this. I’ve been to Aruba. I would love to be marooned there.

“Oliver is a good son, if not the best judge of character.” SHOTS FIRED!! Moira vs Isabel is the Bitch Off I’ve been waiting for.

Put the purse down, Felicity. You aren’t going to get ripped off while dancing with Barry at the Queen mansion.

Sara learned all the science last year. I guess she didn’t have cable tv, so I’ve chosen to find this believable.

Roy is getting a little too close to this Max/super soldier thing and Oliver wants him to back off for his safety– especially since Thea is involved. When Roy refuses, because he’s Roy, the Arrow shoots him. I love Oliver’s Season 2 problem solving skills.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 2x08!

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

[douxreviews]

Arrow - ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Four’ Review

Sarah: “Oliver?” Oliver: “Yes and no. It’s complicated.”

During Arrow’s season premiere we were introduced to the concept of Paragons, a higher order of hero. This left most of us with the assumption that Oliver either was or would soon become one. When Crisis began, we discovered that he was destined to become something else.

KEEP READING

[ah-maa-zing]

Unmasked (Arrow 7.08)

Hmmm. I had to reflect for a while on what I think of this episode. 

On the one hand, my expectations were sky-high in anticipation of Oliver and Felicity’s reunion, after 7 episodes and 7 months apart, and there was no way the show would ever be able to live up to those expectations (Unless it gave us 40 solid minutes of Oliver and Felicity of getting reacquainted with each other, obviously). So any disappointment is clearly of my own making, in part at least.

On the other hand, after 7 episodes and 7 months apart, you’d have thought they could dedicate at least one episode – one episode! – to fully unravelling the fallout of Oliver’s imprisonment, and dealing with how it affected both him and his wife, rather than just rushing headlong into the next thing.

I’m fully cognisant that most of my ire is directed towards the fact that this doesn’t get picked back up next week – thanks a lot, crossover literally no one asked for – and then we head off into hiatus, effectively making this episode our mid-season finale. That’s unsatisfying, especially because the Oliver and Felicity storyline seems to hang on a dramatic cliffhanger (ZOMG WILL THEIR MARRIAGE SURVIVE?!?!?) in a way it wouldn’t have done if the next episode actually followed through on this. It’s the television equivalent of clickbait.

Side rant – generally speaking, I don’t have as much hate for the crossovers as a lot of people; I find them fun diversions for the most part. But I do resent the formulaic structure we’ve developed around them – they’re always at mid-season, they mostly ignore the main SLs of the individual shows (last year was probably the exception), they usually involve alternate earths or magic or shapeshifting or body swapping or whatever the heck is going on this year, and given that this year, Arrow gets one less episode overall than usual anyway, I do feel short changed and quite irked by the whole crossover shebang. Imagine if we could have allowed the events of this episode to percolate and develop in the next one, so that the storylines would have some time to breathe.

I think that’s my general disposition regarding the episode – there’s so much happening and not a lot of it is given time to breathe. One of the great things about the prison arc was that there were two arcs running in parallel – Oliver in prison, and Felicity trying to get Oliver out of prison. There were C and D and E storylines too, of course, but those two were the primary thrust that moved the story forward. Each episode advanced those SLs forward in a way that brought progress.

It's a bit like the weapon the Silencer uses – 701-707 felt a little like when the device is on, and all extraneous sound is extinguished. There is only the fight, the main purpose, and everything else is muted. Episode 8, then, feels a bit like that moment when the Silencer’s device is switched off, and all sound comes rushing back in, and everything is muddled and chaotic and you have no idea how many people have entered the room, limbs flying everywhere.

‘Unmasked’ feels like a transition episode, and for that, I can’t fault it. It gets most people to where they need to be, or at least somewhere along that path. It seems to want to draw a direct line from the events in the present to what happens and is happening in the future. It’s just that, for all that it is a place-setting episode, it loses a bit of the focus and quiet intensity of the episodes that came before it.

In true Arrow fashion, the party was fun for approximately 30 seconds before it all went to shit. Can I just say, I cannot believe that of all people, Laurel was the only one who acknowledged that Felicity was the one who did everything she could to bring Oliver home; nobody else in that group of people seems to have that awareness, to the point that Rene is actually complaining that no one threw him a party when “we” captured Diaz? Sorry, Rene, but as I remember it, Felicity had to fight you all tooth and nail to get you to help her even one step of the way. If anyone deserves credit for taking Diaz it’s not you and it’s certainly not the others. This lack of self-awareness from the former team really bugs me, but what bugs me more is that I don’t think the writers see it that way, which means we won’t ever get a resolution to this.

The Oliver and Felicity storyline was, unsurprisingly, my favourite and also the most affecting. They have spent so much of the first year of their marriage apart – the fact that Felicity is surprised he even remembers is testament to how much shit they’ve had overtake their lives over the course of the year. So their reunion felt a little bit muted – not because they suddenly don’t love each other, but because they both appeared to be so drained by what has happened to them. Felicity softly telling Oliver that she’s missed him, or Oliver talking about how he thought of her and William every day in prison – both show us in quiet ways how much of a toll this ordeal has taken on them. Oliver’s hesitation to join the world, to talk to people, to put the hood back on again (not wanting to risk being separated from his family again, as he tells Rene) was an interesting way to show his anxiety about being back in the world manifesting, and I liked that Felicity ran interference for him on that aspect, coaxing him to go to the party, dealing with the media and fobbing off Max Fuller, who was a joy to see returned. I had hoped that Max would meet Felicity and that he would bring up Oliver sleeping with his fiancée (then wife, then ex-wife), and both of these things happened and it was glorious. Then Felicity essentially rolled her eyes at him and waltzed past with her husband, and I appreciated that also.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I loved the scene in their apartment where Felicity pulls out a gun – when she’s had time to practise her shooting skills I don’t know – and the disbelief on Oliver’s face that she would a) have a gun and b) actually use it really tickled me for some reason. I recognise that Oliver not believing Felicity would go as far as she has seems a little inconsistent with what we know of their relationship – Felicity has crossed lines in the past and Oliver has been there to witness it – but I do think it is in character for him to be shocked by that particular moment. Every time he’s seen her with a gun, which is very rarely, he’s been shocked by it; in the past she’s also declared her distaste for them. So the idea that she now not only carries a weapon but is willing to use it is, of course, surprising to him. He also hasn’t seen her the way we have the past few episodes, and he doesn’t know what she’s had to go through to get to here, and how little support she’s had from her so-called friends. 

Oliver has also been influenced by all that “circle of violence” talk that was drummed into him by the Level Two doctor. He’d been worried about passing it on to William and hadn’t even considered that it would be Felicity who would be most affected by it. To me, part of this feels like Oliver, in the past 7 months, has put her on a bit of a pedestal; he’s stared at a picture of her every day since his imprisonment, but a picture is not a person, and I think he’s lost sight of how his imprisonment has also been her imprisonment. This is highlighted when he tells her that he’s apologised endlessly for his decision at the end of S6, and she (thankfully, rightly) tells him that she can’t do anything with apologies. When she tells him what she’s had to go through in the last few months his instinct is to cringe and apologise – that’s what he’s always done, he’s always blamed himself for the actions others have been forced to take in his name – and she tells him that it’s not on him. It’s just a fact that her life has been upended because of this, and she’s had to re-form the person she is out of the debris.

I also believe that, in the heat of that conversation, they misunderstand each other – she calls her old self weak, and Oliver is horrified, telling her that he fell in love with that person. Felicity sees this as him re-affirming her claim that she used to be weak and judging who she is now, whereas I think Oliver was trying to say that he never saw her that way, and that in fact he fell in love with a woman who was already strong. We know that he believes this – he’s said it countless times over the years. In many ways she’s stronger than he is, and perhaps his dismay is that she suddenly doesn’t see it. Felicity, to my mind, seems to have lost sight of herself. I don’t think she is particularly “dark”, like the show is trying to present (in order to link it to the future where she’s apparently evil), or no more so than Oliver has been at various points over the years – but given that everyone around her has been telling her she’s “losing herself” or is on the path to not being a hero anymore (thanks, Diggle), she’s started to believe it. Felicity has always had a little bit of grey within her, from her days as a hacktivist to her dealings with Helix. Just because she’s chosen over the years to “find another way” does not mean she’s not capable of making the difficult choices.

But right now, Felicity is starting to believe that, so perhaps she sees Oliver’s incredulity as him also telling her that she’s losing her way, so she becomes defensive and tells him that version of her is gone for good. To their credit, they both do talk about this in a mature way later, by recognising that they’ve  grown in ways the other hasn’t yet seen or had time to reconcile with. That reconciliation of their new selves is key to their relationship and it will be hard work they have to do as a couple. I have no doubts they’ll do it, and I’m excited to see them do it; I just wish it didn’t have to be presented in this shock-horror kind of way. FYI I don’t think Felicity is suggesting a separation and I don’t think they’re going to get divorced, but like I say, the clickbaity nature of it all bugs me.

As for the rest of the episode –

I’m not sure why John and Lyla “need” Diaz to help them with whatever the heck Dante is, other than the fact that it plays into an already widening separation between Diggle and Oliver/Felicity. It’s the kind of action that is pretty much a betrayal of everything the latter have been through, and though John acknowledges that he hates lying to them, it’s not clear why he does. Perhaps if he’d told them what was going on, they might even be okay with it. It feels like John’s arc is leading somewhere, and perhaps he has to walk this path before he can come back to the man we know and love; they’ve told us time and time again that the theme of the season is redemption, for everyone, so maybe this is part of it. Either way, that storyline is still not interesting enough to me.

I liked the brief moment between him and Oliver in the old bunker, but really only because of what Oliver says about accountability – it was a truly heroic moment for Oliver to accept that if the city wants to hate the Green Arrow, they also have to hate him; the “new Green Arrow” may be borrowing his name and hood, but Oliver was the “OG”, and it’s him the city has loved and loathed over the years. It’s his legacy, so the accountability is his. Seeing him in the suit without the mask is weird, and him working for the SCPD is even weirder. I’m not sure who the Green Arrow is without Overwatch, but I guess we’ll find out.

I haven’t even touched on the flashforwards (and this is already overlong) -- to be honest, I don’t know what to make of them at this point. The introduction of Blackstar (Maya?) was great -- she seems to be an intriguing character and clearly has a lot of secrets yet to be discovered. It was interesting that her base seems to be Max Fuller’s new club, but what it means, I don’t know. Also interesting that Roy didn’t go along to see her -- is this because he knows her? I’m not sure what to make of her involvement in the bomb plot, or why Zoe is so apprehensive about going to see her father in the Glades. The mention of Oliver was nice although it did seem like they were implying that he, too, is long gone. Interesting to find out about the Mark of Four -- that Oliver created it as some kind of vigilante call to action -- I wonder how many people it applies to. I also wonder how William has no idea about it -- when exactly did Oliver and Felicity leave him? 

I also have to say this -- lately I’ve been beginning to see Dinah as a bit of a personality black hole. She’s just so dour all the time, both in the present day and future, and it’s really becoming tiresome. Her scenes just aren’t that interesting to me at the moment, which doesn’t bode well considering Oliver’s just started working at the SCPD. I don’t know -- I feel like Dinah’s become a bit lost as a character since 6B, and hasn’t recovered as well as perhaps Rene has. Who, incidentally, hasn’t used the word hoss even once this season. Miracle. 

Finally -- new Green Arrow. Emiko, I assume. She wasn’t as much of a presence as I was expecting her to be considering the title of the episode, but I enjoyed her two bookend scenes. She clearly knows who Robert is, so I want to know a) how, b) who her mother is, c) how long she’s known, d) why she’s in town dressed like Oliver, e) does she have a list too?, f) is she technically working against Oliver?, g) why? So...basically everything. 

The addition of Maya and Emiko to the roster, as great as they were this ep, is yet more proof at how bloated this cast has become. We don’t need 90 million members of Former Team Arrow hanging around doing nothing (seriously, was it necessary to have Curtis dress up and come in for one line that could have been delivered by someone else?). I can only hope that 7B takes a lean approach to their character roster -- between the present day and the future, I’m beginning to get lost in the noise. 

I don’t expect the crossover to address any of the SLs brought up in this episode, so I suppose the next time we find out anything more on Emiko, Maya or how Oliver and Felicity reconcile will be after the new year, which...is a depressing thought, but c’est la vie. 

I enjoyed Oliver and Felicity’s scene at the top of the ep, but really, I need more. These are two super hot people in their first year of marriage who’ve been separated for 7 months -- give them some happiness!

That said, I laughed out loud at Oliver’s face when Curtis asked what his first meal as a free man had been. I don’t think you want to know the answer to that, Curtis, so good on Felicity for jumping in.

I love Oliver’s reaction every time Felicity tells him she loves him. His face just lights up. 

Oh, and the red pen callback! Ohhhh that one hurt. 

Oliver’s reticence to re-enter the world was really well done.

Good to see that finally Oliver and Felicity’s place has a proper security system even if it was breached. But it does seem like the new flat is just the old flat re-dressed up. Sigh. I wish they would refurbish the Queen Mansion, especially since apparently nobody’s bothered clearing all that debris away from the fire??? 

Wasn’t it odd how Curtis asked Felicity “what will you do now?” as if he’s totally forgotten they had planned a start-up together and even had angel investors at one point. It looks like the writers have abandoned Helix Dynamics in favour of Smoak Tech, so I’ll take that and run. 

I don’t care for the new mayor. 

Wasn’t there supposed to be another party, one Oliver and Felicity don’t make it to?

I guess they’ve decided to keep William in boarding school. Which means it’s unlikely we’ll see him for a while (boo), seeing as we’ll bypass Christmas on the show thanks to certain other events. 

Speaking of, ughhhh crossover. 

[queenarrow]

Arrow Has Failed This Fandom... But It Can Still Be Saved

It's time to throw Arrow into that metaphorical Lazarus Pit and see if the series can be reborn.

To Preface: I don’t normally like what CBR.com has to say about Arrow, but this article makes some good points to think about.

by Hannah Collins

The CW’s flagship Arrowverse series has soldiered on through six seasons since its debut in 2012. As the show that launched an entire DC TV multiverse, it still holds a special place in loyal fans’ hearts. But as ratings for the current season continue to drop (aside from the “Crisis on Earth-X” crossover special), the sentiment among some longtime fans is that Arrow has run out of steam and should get the axe.

Since joining Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl have consistently beaten the green archer in the ratings battle. Although there has been no confirmation yet from The CW that any Arrowverse series will be renewed, the president of the network has indicated all of them are likely to return. This begs the unavoidable question: How, and when, did things go so wrong for Arrow, and what can the series do to prove that it’s still the show this fanbase needs?

Let’s cut straight to the hard question — do we really care about any of the new additions to Team Arrow? Despite Oliver steadily building up a capable support team around him — Diggle, Felicity, Black Canary, Arsenal and Speedy — the first four seasons of Arrow still felt very much focussed on a gruff, lone avenger archetype. This format shifted dramatically in Season 5 when “The” Arrow officially became “Team” Arrow, with the induction of new recruits Curtis Holt (Mister Terrific) Rene Ramirez (Wild Dog) Evelyn Sharp (Artemis) and Rory Regan (Ragman.) By Season 6, the roster shrank back down to just Mister Terrific and Wild Dog, adding Dinah Drake as the new Black Canary. After a poorly received Season 4 finale, it wasn’t surprising that the writers felt a radically new direction was needed to inject some more life back into the show. Unfortunately, the payoff just hasn’t worked. We’ve had nearly two full seasons to warm up to Team Arrow and, compared to the way that “Team Flash” sparks off one another, the newer series regulars still leave us cold.

For a show that grapples with the morality of corporal punishment, Arrow is very precious with its main characters. Laurel Lance’s death was sufficiently shocking, but that feeling has since been significantly lessened by the regular appearance of her Earth 2 doppleganger. The Season 5 finale also raised the stakes by threatening to literally blow most of the cast away. In the end, the only major fatality was Malcolm Merlyn, who was really just a loose end for the show to tie up by that point anyway. The rest of the team escaped virtually unscathed, save for a concussion that kept Thea out of action for most of the following season.

The concept of death being an ever-revolving door is something inherited from the show’s source material so Arrow perhaps shouldn’t shoulder all the blame. But both of these examples read as the show trying to have its death cake and eat it too, which is especially frustrating when its also proven capable in the past of keeping its dead buried. (i.e. Tommy Merlyn) Without the permanence of death hanging over our main characters as they do in other fantasy action series’ like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, the stakes are never high enough.

Speaking of Malcolm Merlyn, another of the most persistent problems plaguing Arrow is that it seems to live or die by the strength of its villains and not its heroes. The most poorly received seasons, four and six, correlate directly with lukewarm villains, and vice versa with the stronger ones. With the rights to use fan-favorite Deathstroke now off the table for the foreseeable future, this might be even more of an uphill battle for the show.

By far the hardest thing for Arrow to try and fix, however, is the competition it faces from Netflix’s mature Marvel shows. The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow largely escape this issue by virtue of leaning more heavily into sci-fi and fantasy than The Defenders-verse does. But, Arrow‘s street-level, grittier tone makes it a direct rival, and it often struggles to measure up. Given the show has to appeal to a younger audience this isn’t completely its fault but it often feels like its falling between two stools — not tough enough for adults and not fun enough for kids.

It doesn’t help, either, that Arrow keeps flirting with the kind of social and political commentary — drug addiction, gun control, political corruption, journalistic ethics, etc. — that Netflix’s Marvel shows are able to dive far deeper into. The worthy exception of Quentin Lance’s battle with alcoholism aside, Arrow frequently under-bakes these hard hitting themes that could strengthen it. For instance, Oliver’s relationship with Channel 52 reporter Susan Williams felt like it was leading to something explosive, not to mention timely, given the ongoing conversation about the role that the media plays in politics. Rather than a bang, however, it concluded with a fizzle. These are opportunities Arrow can’t afford to miss the target on anymore.

Arrow, even at its worst, is not a bad TV show, per se. And, like its former-playboy hero, it still has a shot at redemption. In terms of the villain problem, obviously consistency is key. The Rogues Gallery team-up is an exciting prospect, but with Malcolm Merlyn and Deathstroke gone, Arrow could benefit from replacing them with other minor returning villains in the way that Gorilla Grodd and King Shark are used in The Flash, rather than limiting fan favorite bad guys to one episode or one season runs.

The latest incarnation of Team Arrow seems to be on hiatus at this point in Season 6, so perhaps it’s time to consider, as we edge closer to a possible Season 7, whether that hiatus should be a permanent one. It sounds cruel, but a character “cull” might be a necessary way to stop the series feeling overstuffed with personalities who aren’t pulling their weight. This may, of course, seem like a bit of a cop out, so alternatively, if Team Arrow are here to stay then stronger characterization needs to be prioritized.

This is where Arrow could learn a lot from The CW’s longest running genre show, Supernatural. The sole reason Supernatural has survived so long is because the viewers fell in love with the characters, meaning weaker seasons slip by more easily because, to its longtime fans, tuning in has more to do with catching up with “old friends” than it is about the story those friends are part of.

The key to this for Arrow is to make more room for “downtime” episodes, which again, is something Supernatural has been very successful at. We don’t necessarily need as much “filler” as the latter show is sometimes guilty of, but one or two episodes in the vein of the bachelor party episode from the current season of The Flash, where our super-serious heroes and heroines can cut loose could really help us connect more with them. “Side quests,” like Oliver helping Slade Wilson track down his estranged son, are too heavy in tone to really count towards this. At the moment, aside from the bright spot of Oliver and Felicity’s wedding party, it feels as though Team Arrow works 24/7, both as heroes and civilians, and their relationships — aside from romantic entanglements — still come across as oddly formal. Team Flash, on the other hand, have a strong familial bond and the kind of zippy banter you might hear across the dinner table from your own family.

There’s still life left in Arrow but currently it seems like its fading fast for its fed-up fans. Despite all of its problems, it would be a shame to see The CW’s flagship Arrowverse series completely sink but, at the moment, it seems like anything less than a Lazarus pit-strength rebirth won’t be enough to save it.

[kbbey]

okay no offence but I’m actually so over Arrow

- i actually haven’t watched the past like 5 eps cause they just don’t even excite me anymore but i just caught up and have some thoughts

*disclaimer* literally didn’t even pay attention to most of whats going on cause i’m so bored

- oh well bye thea... we have like 2 female characters left but NO PROBLEM LET THEM ALL GO

- I actually had Deja vu watching the last ep like dig and oliver fighting? im all about a good punch up but literally we have seen it all before like come on

- there was a new good looking boi in that ep

- ALL I WANTED THIS SEASON WAS MORE FELICITY DOING SOMETHING GOOD AND SHES LITERALLY SITTING THERE BEING A BABY SITTER FOR DIG AND OLIVER?????/?? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO CEO FELICITY???? I WANT POWERFUL FELICITY FORMING GOOD FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS AND DOING GOOD THINGS AND I WANT IT NOW. LITERALLY ALL SHE IS IS A SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR OLIVER AND IM OVER IT.

ps. Ill keep making gifs when Felicity is doing more than sitting in the bunker rubbing Olivers chest.

[alanna-the-lionheart]

Oliver explains to Felicity that he was never by himself when he was trying to make up for his actions in the past, never by himself when he was in the field, because she was always with him. Even when the two of them weren’t together romantically, her words still echoed in his head, proving yet again that their connection goes beyond a simple romance; it’s something purer, deeper, something rooted in friendship, trust, and understanding—it’s love.

TVOverMind review of Arrow 6x04 “Reversal” by Chris King

There’s a lot to love in this review, but this part had me crying.

[katluna90olicity]

Since I have no words to describe my feelings regarding last night episode (what a mess) - for me the worst episode of this season - I just leave here a link to Chris King’s review of the episode that sums all my feelings about it...

Another great review. Full review here 👉 Arrow Season 6 Episode 14 Review: “Collision Course” by Chris King

[...] And this isn’t an Original Team Arrow versus the Newbies thing. It’s not about preference. I’ll be fully transparent here: Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity have always been my favorite characters on Arrow since the show’s first season. They are what brought me into the show when it first premiered in 2012, and they are what keep me around, even when they are dealt horrible storylines or horrendously out-of-character dialogue [...]

[...] Characters make mistakes; they can be jealous and arrogant and naive. But if you remove the very nature of them, if you strip away their integrity, humility, and compassion, what’s left? You have nothing but the shells of these characters; they don’t feel like authentic people anymore—they’re pawns on a chess board, mouthpieces delivering dialogue and puppets performing actions to move the nonsensical plot forward. Nothing else. It’s sad but true, and that’s what the Arrow writers have done to Dinah, Rene, and Curtis. [...]

[jbuffyangel]

Here Endeth the Hiatus

Well... that hiatus lasted a little longer than anticipated.

There were lots of reasons why I disappeared off the face of the earth. Primarily because my mother was healing from her broken hip. Helping her and my dad, plus work, put me at max capacity. Happily my mother is doing much better. It was a very long and hard road, but she's going to be just fine.

The second issue was Watchover lost our podcast platform! It took us a looooong time to get our act together and find a new one, but we have and a new episode is posted

Calli and I are currently obsessed with ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses), so that's the focus of our current episode. I will be blitzing the blog with ACOTAR gifs. Sorry not sorry. We're trying to get Maddie to read the books - stay tuned on our progress.

Of course, I haven't forgotten about Arrow. Season 2 reviews shall resume. I am determined to finish this series!

I'll be filling the blog with gifs, articles, reviews and fun again! Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers! They were much appreciated!

Love,

Jen