“Passion feeds passion...”- Emily Bett Rickards at SDCC 2015
Back in 2012, I had no interest in watching Arrow on the CW. I recognized Stephen Amell from a slough of various TV show guest spots and was never really impressed by his work. In addition, I have never been a big fan of Katie Cassidy. All the promotions for the show indicated that it would be just another comic book adaptation to take the place of Smallville on the network’s lineup. Add an abundance of melodramatic troupes that included lies, cheating, and scandalous love affairs then you have Arrow. All signs pointed in one, singular, direction that this show would stay confined to it’s source material. Both characters would evolve into their superhero alter egos, while falling in love with one another. Yawn... Two vigilantes loving each other did not intrigue me, because it just felt like another version of Catwoman & Batman. How would this show be different from any other TV/Film comic book adaptation?
Flash forward to the fall of 2013 when I read an article about Grant Gustin’s upcoming guest spot on Arrow as Barry Allen (AKA The Flash). I was a big fan of him from his guest spot on Glee, even though he played a “bad guy.” This sparked my interest in possibly giving the show a chance. In coordination with my curiosity about a blonde, computer nerd girl. See, in 2013 I truly discovered the marvel that is YouTube. Having moved away from home, earlier that year, I had a lot more free time on my hands. I wounded up spending hours on YouTube watching various fan made videos. Including, multi-couple videos that often showed Oliver and Felicity staring longingly into each other’s eyes. These motivations coupled with boredom, and Arrow season one streaming on Netflix, I decided to give the show a shot. The show was alright, but I primarily stuck with it, because of Felicity Smoak. I found her character to be very relatable, even though she is a supreme technological genius, while Emily Bett Rickards adds her own natural charm to all of her scenes. I got caught up to the midseason two finale and stayed as a casual through the remainder of the season. I always liked the Felicity/Oliver dynamic, because their partnership made him more likable. During season two their interactions focused on Oliver’s potential as both a hero and a man. While, his dynamic with Laurel through seasons one and two, were a constant reminder about who he was before the island. As much as I liked Felicity and Oliver’s on screen chemistry, I wasn’t completely on board the Olicity ship and/or a part of the Arrow fandom until season 3. Specifically, the ending scene of 3x12 ignited a passionate obsession for the show within me.
“I don’t want to be a woman that you love.”-Felicity Smoak
I understand that this seems very counterintuitive, but it’s the honest truth. My parents, siblings, co-workers, friends, and random strangers on the street (kidding, but seriously) can attest to my obsession with Felicity’s monologue from 3x12. The episodes leading up to 3x12 consistently proved, to me, that this show is merely inspired by the source material, not confined to it. While, Felicity’s monologue separated Olicity from various other live action pairings from comic book adaptations. This is the first time that i had seen the love interest make an active decision not to be with the hero. Not because she didn’t love him, or he lied to her, or he cheated on her. Nope, she walks away because he continues to say things as “her Oliver”, but then does things as the Arrow. His alliance with Malcolm Merlyn made her believe that only the Arrow returned, while “her Oliver” died on top of the mountain. In addition, he had just returned from the dead, which triggered her own abandonment issues. A constant troupe in this genre is more the love interest to run into the arms of hero, not walk away for self preservation.
In February 2015 I became obsessed with both Olicity and Arrow. I re-watched scenes, episodes, cast interviews, and fan videos. Only, to truly discover the fascinating subtextual evolution of this pairing on the screen; thanks to the remarkable Olicity fandom on Twitter/YouTube/Tumblr. From all the parallels fans continue to find in their scenes; to the subtext in their scenes; to Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards’ openness about how their small touches in scenes is often unscripted; this relationship is rich in subtext. In my opinion the writers relied too much on both visual and dialogue queues to communicate Oliver’s feelings towards Laurel during the first two seasons. Then again, they needed to make up for the lack of chemistry between the actors. While, Oliver’s feelings for Felicity can be found in subtle undertones and deeply rooted in this version of his evolution into the Green Arrow. The writers and producers of Arrow started the series with a singular idea and focus. Only, to cast Emily Bett Rickards from obscurity, embrace her charm and chemistry with the other characters, and begin to subtly change the show’s direction. I strongly believe that this type of creativity, show-running, and storytelling should be applauded and not condemned.
I proudly jumped aboard the Olicity ship during season three and will happily support the show until the writers screw everything up (don’t worry I have FAITH...but I am watching you).
On a more personal note, this show, ship, and fandom help save my life. In 2013 I fell into a depression spurred by weight issues, isolation, and anxiety. I don’t want to go into too much detail, because that is a post for another day. But I will say that I made a lot of poor decisions regarding my health, pushed those closest to me away, and cut others completely out of my life. Now thanks to Arrow and the Olicity fandom I rediscovered something that was missing from my life after college, an outlet to be creative. See, I majored in broadcast journalism back home in Fairbanks, Alaska. I fell in love with video editing as a student and aspired to do great things in journalism after I graduated. Needless to say, I am a very practical person, and pushed aside my dreams and settled for the stability that a desk job could provide. My inability to create was just another factor that lead to my depression. I felt restless, as fear prevented me from attempting to start a blog and/or YouTube channel. But do you remember what Emily Bett Rickards said during SDCC 2015 in regards to the Olicity fandom?
“Passion feeds passion...”
After watching a countless number of fan made videos on YouTube and being overwhelmingly inspired by the for mentioned Felicity Smoak 3x12 monologue; I began to edit together my own Olicity videos. At first I just used iMovie on my Mac, but between the small feedback I received from viewers and my parents, I decided to upgrade. So, I purchased a new laptop and Sony Vegas Pro 13 for my newfound hobby. I am proud to say that since February I have uploaded 18 videos on my Sarah Belmont YouTube channel. None of them are a complete failure, just another step in learning the software and how to do different video editing techniques. I have also reclaimed my love for social media, even if I am still learning how to use some tools like, Tumblr. I am addicted to Twitter and love tweeting with other Arrow fans. Twitter and the #Olicity timeline is a nice daily reminder that I am not alone in the world. I have discovered that by being an Olicity fan that I didn’t just join a fandom, but a family who supports one another. Not only did this fandom reignite my love of video editing and social media, but for writing too. As proof by this very, very long Tumblr post.
Long post short, my decent into the Olicity/Arrow fandom was a slow burn, much like my OTP.
Writer’s note, I am now a full fledge fan of Stephen Amell. Not just because of his great performance as Oliver Queen, but for his amazing presence on social media. I am proud to have him as our captain!
