I’m walking on sunshine whoa
And don’t it feel good hey alright now
Give me a minute guys. I’m basking in the Olicity sunshine. How do those rays feel to you? I’m loving them.
Olicity
You know what feels really damn good? Writing OLICITY first again. There hasn’t been a whole lot of happy to write about and quite frankly there hasn’t been enough going on with Olicity to warrant leading a review off with them.
Oh…how the times they are a changin’ because this review is 90% Olicity.
I warned everyone we were bottoming out. “I don’t want to be a woman you love” in 3x12 culminating in 3x15 Raylicity sex were the Olicity low points. Bottom of the barrel, but I promised an upswing was coming. The writers had to tear Olicity down, so they could rebuild it. Can you feel that wind in your hair fandom? That’s because you are flying on a rainbow. The Olicity rebuild has thus commenced. Strap in Oliciters. This is going to be a whole lot of fun. Let’s dig in.
It didn’t start of great. Oliver returns and offers no explanation as to why any of them lived. Felicity wants to discuss what happened to Merlyn and why Oliver saved him. You and me both sweetheart. That pesky hero’s code is a buzz kill. But Oliver isn’t having any of it and shuts them all out, including Felicity. He’s The Arrow - all business. But what else is new? Felicity is obviously angry and frustrated, but there was a moment.
Oliver wants to hit the streets. He looks at her softly, raises his eyebrows a little and gives the “Felicity sigh”. For a brief moment they stared at one
another, communicating non verbally in their special Olicity language.
Felicity
relents and she finds a robbery for her man to stop & some thieves for him
to pummel.
A look. That’s all that’s required between Oliver &
Felicity. It doesn’t have to be words that move mountains between these two. The
slightest action will do just fine. It
was just a teeny tiny moment of compromise and COMPROMISE is what we are
looking for. There is a wall between these two and the only way to break through
it is if Felicity gives a little and Oliver gives a little.
Oliver flew back on the ARGUS jet, but apparently felt a
layover in Awkwardville was necessary.
This man has the WORST timing when it comes to visiting Felicity at her
office. I feel like someone needs to tell Oliver that Felicity isn’t
permanently suctioned to Palmer every second of every day. It just looks like
that every time he shows up. Maybe show him a security feed of Felicity doing
actual work ALONE. Maybe show us a security feed of Felicity doing actual work
ALONE. Just an idea. Moving on…
I love how Felicity is smarter than Ray. I love how Felicity
flaunts how much smarter she is than Ray. Woman are constantly apologizing to
men for their accomplishments. Not Ms. Smoak. Not only does our girl own them,
she’s proud of them and she doesn’t mind shining a spotlight on them. THIS is
how you write a strong female character. THIS is the Felicity the audience fell
in love with. Felicity isn’t there to prop Ray Palmer up. She’s there to wipe
the floor with him.
Back to Oliver. He interrupted the Raylicity arm snuggling
and steak dinner conversation. I couldn’t adore him more for doing so. I’m trying you guys really to like Ray, but
involuntary convulsive shudders course through my body whenever I see him in
close proximity to my cupcake. I imagine Oliver feels much the same way. Get
your own lobster Palmer. Try the market in Central City.
(that was a not so subtle reference to the spin off)
Ugh, Oliver’s broken puppy face. It’s always brutal. It’s
always about Felicity. Do you think
there’s a special class Stephen Amell took? Nobody does broken puppy better. I
was proud of Oliver though. He rebounded quickly.
He managed a polite and cordial greeting,
with a firm handshake, before he told Ray to get the fuck out.
LOL. Classic. This gif was shockingly accurate. Even better? Palmer listened. Yeah that’s
right buddy. The show is called ARROW.
Move it along.
Felicity jumped a mile when Oliver saw her in close
proximity to Ray Palmer.
Then she took two big steps AWAY from Palmer. It was
obvious there was something going on between them. Dare we call it dating? It
was obvious Oliver knew it and Felicity knew Oliver knew it.
Felicity isn’t
trying to hide it from Oliver nor does she feel ashamed of her relationship
with Palmer, not that she should, but she doesn’t want to flaunt it in front of
Oliver. It’s kind of her, sensitive even, but is there something more to that
nervous babbling? Oliver & Ray in the same room is worlds colliding for
Felicity. Two worlds that she’s very adeptly kept separate for the duration of
the season, but the time for that is over.
Her life outside of The Arrow and her life inside of The Arrow (yeah, there’s no way that didn’t sound
dirty but I’m going leave it because I’m okay with that) are converging. This season isn’t just about Oliver choosing
a path, The Arrow or Oliver Queen, it’s also about Felicity choosing a path. A
life with Oliver or a life without him. It’s also a question Felicity
definitively answered tonight.
Felicity apologized for not telling Oliver sooner about Ray
and Oliver brushed it off reassuring Felicity by saying…
I like
how the writers addressed the elephant in the room. The reality is Oliver &
Felicity had half a date and one kiss. This a relationship does not make, but
on the flip side of that, they are more committed to one another than some
married couples I know. Titles cannot define the breadth and depth of
love. The reality is - they are both
right. Felicity doesn’t owe Oliver any explanations and yet…she does. It was
all terribly mature. Quite frankly, I could do with a little less maturity from
these two and a little more making out in a back seat of a car like two crazy
teenagers, but my time is coming. I feel it. So for now…maturity it is.
I don’t believe Oliver went there with the intent of
tracking down Amar. I mean he did, but that’s sort of like a girl leaving a
jacket in a cute boy’s car. The girl is hoping the boy will stop by again to
drop off the jacket…which means she’ll see him again. Amar is Oliver’s
jacket. His excuse to see Felicity. Ra’s Al Ghul drilled down to Oliver’s core,
to the things that he fears the most. That he’ll die alone. That the life he’s
chosen has condemned him to a life alone.
That the choices he’s made has condemned him to a life alone. Ra’s said Oliver Queen loves a woman he can
never have. I think Oliver needed to see that woman, he needed to see Felicity,
because there’s a part of him that’s still…hoping. Oliver is still holding
onto maybe someday, but if he takes Ra’s up on his offer someday is over. Oliver doesn’t want Ra’s to be right. More
importantly, Oliver doesn’t want to recognize that it’s HIS choices that give
Ra’s the opportunity to be right. But instead of being comforted, seeing Palmer & Felicity
together seems more like an affirmation of what Ra’s foretold.
Ouch. She friend zoned him. Yeah, I’m sure that stung
Oliver. Buck up buddy. This is the low
point in the episode for you. Things will start looking up soon.
Friend? Felicity…sigh.
Look, honey, I get it. Temporal
folds are collapsing and worlds are bleeding into each other. Not just a month
ago Oliver was the indefinable “something” and Ray was just a
“friend.” Now they’ve switched places. You’ve flipped those boys like
proverbial flapjacks. It’s understandable and you were given AMPLE reason to do
so. Furthermore, you are knee deep into some heavy compartmentalization by
putting both these fellas in their nice & neat little categories. You do you girl. All I’m going to say is this…
I kissed one of my closest friends like that once too. I’m walking around with his last name now.
Moving on.
Maybe it was what Ra’s said. Maybe it was seeing Felicity
and Ray as a “something”. Maybe it was what Lance said. Maybe…he
just misses her. Maybe it’s none of
those reasons. Maybe it was all of them. But Oliver did something he hasn’t
done in months with Felicity. He talked to her. He opened up. He told her what Lance said and how it made
him feel. It wasn’t The Arrow, looking for information on Amar, in that room
with Felicity. It was Oliver Queen, upset because he hurt a trusted friend,
reaching out to the woman he loves. And
the second he did, Felicity immediately reached back. Both figuratively and literally. She asks
Oliver if he’s okay and because she knows him better than anyone, drills down
to the truth. She understands Oliver is upset about Lance. She understand he’s
probably upset about Ray. But Felicity knows something else is bothering
him…something he isn’t saying. Felicity literally reaches out and grabs
Oliver’s arm, in both reassurance and to coax Oliver into sharing whatever he’s
hiding.
The touch of her hand against his arm was too much for
Oliver. Too painful. As close as Felicity was to him right now, standing inches
away, her hand resting against his forearm, somehow that made Oliver acutely
aware of how far away she truly is. Felicity is with Ray. That statement
alone gave Ra’s words of warning weight. Oliver couldn’t tell Felicity about
Ra’s Al Ghul’s offer because SHE was one of the reasons he was tempted to
accept it. He loves a woman he cannot
have. Somehow standing in Felicity’s world with Ray Palmer seemed a
confirmation of that fact. So Oliver did what Oliver does. He pulls away. He
shuts down. He walks away. The look of
disappointment on Felicity’s face as he does so was heartbreaking. Felicity’s
arm remain outstretched, the hand that once held Oliver’s arm, is now holding
only air. Similar to how Oliver’s arms remained frozen where they once held
Felicity’s face, as she walked away from him.
Only this time…it was Felicity
still reaching for Oliver as he walked away.
This is no little thing. This is no little moment. After
3x15 aired and the wailing and gnashing of teeth commenced in the Olicity
fandom, I had one simple reaction. Poor
Ray. Why? Because he is the effect…not the cause. The love triangle is
not Ray, Felicity, Oliver. The love triangle is The Arrow, Oliver,
Felicity. Every step Felicity has taken
with Ray Palmer is a direct reaction to Oliver. It doesn’t mean her feelings
for Palmer aren’t real, but they are 100% informed by her relationship with
Oliver. This was over for Ray before it really even began. It’s not that Ray
will lose Felicity, it’s that he never really had her to begin with. All it took was one microsecond of Oliver
opening up, reaching for her, for Felicity to immediately & instinctively
reach back for him. And when Oliver walked away it was FELICITY who was STILL
REACHING FOR HIM. Because that’s who she wants. That’s who she loves. Oliver.
The man. The slightest glimpse of him, like the sun’s rays peeking out from the
clouds, is enough for Felicity to leave her arm outstretched.
"We could use
Felicity on this."
"She’s
preoccupied."
Oh! There he is! Jealous Oliver. He uses that infamous tone
that conveys the green eyed monster raging underneath. Do you want to know why I love Jealous
Oliver? Because Jealous Oliver FEELS.
Jealousy is an emotion like any other.
What we should truly fear as an audience when it comes to Oliver is the
antithesis of that - unemotional, unfeeling Oliver. The Oliver that shuts down and doesn’t allow
himself to feel anything at all. If
Oliver is angry at Felicity, if Oliver is worried about Felicity, if Oliver is
scared for Felicity, if Oliver is jealous over Felicity…that’s all good. That
means there’s a spark inside him. It means Oliver is feeling, which means
Oliver is ALIVE. Which means Oliver still has skin in the game. He hasn’t given
up. He’s not waiting for death. No person makes Oliver feel more, both good and
bad, than Felicity Smoak. She taps into
that spark in him and ignites the fire. Oliver Queen straddles the line between
life and death and his feelings for Felicity push him towards life.
God I love John Diggle. I’m all for cloning John Diggle. A
billion Diggles wouldn’t be enough Diggles. First, Diggle doesn’t even BLINK
over Ray Palmer.
Felicity’s relationship with Palmer, from Diggle’s
perspective, will have the lifespan of a fruit fly. Because Diggle knows what
everyone knows, FELICITY LOVES OLIVER.
Oliver is considering abandoning Oliver Queen because he’s not with
Felicity, but if he’d just allow himself TO BE Oliver Queen, he would be with
Felicity. Oliver Logic and actual logic are not the same things.
Oliver argues back that it’s more than Lance and Felicity.
He doesn’t feel like The Arrow is accomplishing anything. I adore how Diggle
has the quintessential “I just
cannot with you sometimes" look.
As quickly as Oliver accomplishes
something as The Arrow, he just as quickly forgets it or dismisses it. Oliver is a pessimist and they can be a major
Debbie Downer. When I saw the preview
for 3x16, they showed this scene between Oliver & Diggle. I tweeted Marc Guggenheim that a year without
Felicity has turned Oliver into Oliver 2x01.
I stand by that statement. The reason Ra’s Al Ghul can get inside
Oliver’s head and manipulate him this way is because OLIVER IS LOST. He’s been lost for a very long time. He’s
lost sight of who he truly is and who he’s truly meant to be. Why? Because he’s
pushed away the ONE person who always reminded him who he was. He’s pushed away
the one person who can harness his light, so now all Oliver can see is dark.
LOVE was the guiding connective thread in Season 2 and lead Oliver to his path
to heroism. Pushing love away has made his identity struggle all the more
difficult & confusing. When Oliver died, I said the team lost their center,
their sun, the one person who connected them. Oliver Queen was gravity and
without him the team was spinning madly out of control. But who is Oliver’s center? Who is Oliver’s
gravity? FELICITY. Without her, Oliver
is spinning madly out of control. Dangerously, teetering on the edge of
INSANITY, out of control.
Which is why Diggle tattled on Oliver and told Felicity. Oliver
may be the sun, but Felicity is the heart of Team Arrow. Diggle took one look
at Oliver and knew without a shadow of a doubt that there’s only ONE person who
can get him back on track.
Ray & I may be a something but that doesn’t
change my commitment to what we’re doing here.”
This was an interesting exchange. Felicity’s new romantic entanglement with
Palmer shifts things from Oliver’s perspective. The problem with their previous
relationship status was that Oliver got to be with Felicity without actually
being with her. Palmer changes all of that, so Oliver is on unsure footing when
it comes to Felicity. But Felicity is
not. She long ago decided that her commitment
to Team Arrow extends far beyond her emotions for Oliver. Her statement reaffirms the parameters again.
She may not be with Oliver Queen, but she’s still committed to the team, the
mission…to The Arrow. It’s not
Felicity’s commitment that Oliver should be questioning. It’s his own.
It’s been a long time since Felicity & Oliver just talked. So, I’m examining this entire
conversation because every piece of it was pure Olicity magic. Watching
Felicity harness Oliver’s light is truly one of the core tenants of Arrow. It’s
like a beat to Arrow’s heart. Without these scenes, the show feels hallow and
adrift. Watch as Felicity gets Oliver
and Arrow back on track…
"What about your commitment?
John might have told me about your employment from Evil Incorporated. He also
might have told me that you may be considering it, which is by the way,
insane. There’s a League of Assassins.
That is not the name of a nice group."
There’s something inherently innocent about Felicity Smoak. Just
the way she phrases the League as “not a nice group” is almost sweet
& childlike in nature. They aren’t
nice Oliver. Don’t play with them. Felicity’s innocence is something that
Oliver lacks, but he craves it. It’s why he’s drawn to her, but it’s also one
of the core reasons he refuses to be with
her. Oliver is afraid that his love will taint Felicity. He’s not good
enough for her. He’ll destroy her like he’s destroyed everyone he’s ever
loved. But what Oliver continually fails
to recognize is that it’s when Felicity is loving Oliver, harnessing his light,
that her own light shines the brightest. It’s when her heart is its most pure.
Loving Oliver is when Felicity is the best version of herself.
"I’ve been an
assassin. There’s more than one path to
justice."
This is why I’ve been so worried about Ra’s Al Ghul. Oliver
doesn’t have the mental toughness right now to fight Ra’s Al Ghul, which is
really where this battle will be fought. Ra’s is after Oliver Queen’s soul.
Becoming Ra’s Al Ghul is an abandonment of EVERYTHING - Oliver Queen, The
Arrow. It’s Oliver becoming a symbol beyond even The Arrow, which is
essentially an abandonment of his humanity.
Oliver rationalizes that he’s not so different from Ra’s Al Ghul. He too
was once an assassin and with all the resources Ra’s is promising, maybe he’ll
be a more effective “tool” than he is right now.
"There are a lot
of different ways I can answer that. All varying on the theme of "you’re crazy"
but I’m gonna go with…what makes you think you’re not already on the right
path?"
But that’s the very issue. To Felicity Oliver is not a tool,
or a weapon. He’s not something to extract justice. He’s SOMEONE. He is a man
with a good heart and what he’s talking about is abandoning EVERYONE that
connects him to his humanity, his heart and his soul. If he does that there is
NO WAY he’ll be able to maintain a path of righteousness. Oliver has already
let the ends justify the means once by working with Merlyn. That is a slippery
slope. It won’t take Oliver very long to no longer recognize himself in the
mirror. It won’t be a man staring back at all, but a demon. What’s worse is
he’ll have no one left to remind him of who he was. THAT’S how he’ll die alone.
Which is why Felicity calls him CRAZY for even considering
it. When Felicity looks at Oliver she
doesn’t see the assassin or the murderer he once was. Felicity sees the hero he
IS and the superhero he can become. Felicity’s argument is that Oliver IS serving
justice, the right way and is on the right path, NOW.
"Okay. Okay. Because it’s been over two years and you tell
me. What have I really accomplished? My mother’s dead, Tommy, Sara, crimes not
down and my sister is in ten different kinds of pain right now."
Anyone else feel like we’re back in May 2014? I’m getting a May
2014 vibe from Oliver. Circa 2x22. But this is what happens to Oliver when he pushes
away the person who helps him see his light.
He is incapable of seeing it on his own.
All he can see are his losses, his failures. Oliver believes, at his
core, that he’s the cause of all those failures. So if he removes himself from
the equation maybe things will get better. He’s considering becoming Ra’s Al
Ghul because there’s a part of Oliver that believes the world would be better
off without Oliver Queen.
"So you leave?
Then what? All the people you’ve lost, all the sacrifices you’ve made, it would
have been for nothing."
Felicity isn’t running down a scorecard with Oliver. She
recognizes there have been significant losses, but she doesn’t go into a litany
of his successes either. She’s taking a different approach than 2x22, because
this isn’t about the will to
fight. This is about deciding why to fight. Oliver is missing the
forest through the trees. It’s not about a scorecard. It’s not about wins and
losses. It’s not about the scale of his impact either. It’s about serving the mission. Each of
Oliver’s losses, in some way, have been in service of the mission. So he can
live, so others can live. If Oliver abandons his cause now, if he abandons
Oliver Queen AND The Arrow, then those sacrifices would have been for nothing.
I LOVE that she doesn’t give him the answer. Identity is an inside
job. Each character has to decide who they are and what they are fighting for
ON THEIR OWN. But she hands him some pretty serious truth bombs to mull over.
It felt GOOD to be recognized for his heroism, for man who always hated him to
finally respect him. Losing Captain Lance’s respect, trust and his
belief…hurts Oliver. To Detective Lance, Ollie was never good enough for
Laurel, Ollie was to blame for Sara’s death, Ollie was a selfish loser, Ollie
was a rich playboy narcissist, Ollie was…a murderer. The Arrow allowed Oliver
to make amends and, what’s more, allow a relationship with Detective Lance that
otherwise wouldn’t be possible. Losing the support of the police department is
also a bruise to the ego. Felicity is reminding Oliver that he’s didn’t become
The Arrow for recognition. More often than not, it’s a thankless job. Nor does
he serve the mission for Lance’s approval. So the loss of it shouldn’t make
Oliver abandon the mission all together.
And then the truth bombs of all truth bombs. Felicity
reminds Oliver that the REASON they are NOT together is because it was OLIVER’S
CHOICE. Time & again Oliver has chosen The Arrow over Oliver Queen and over
Felicity. He’s never chosen HER. Even
surviving near death didn’t change his mind. Oliver believes he can protect
those he loves by being The Arrow and only The Arrow.
When Felicity told Oliver
she didn’t want to be a woman he loves - she wasn’t rejecting being with
Oliver. She was rejecting how Oliver loves, because the way Oliver loves deprives
Felicity of the man she loves. Now, what
Felicity is unequivocally
saying to Oliver is there would be no Ray
Palmer if he’d loved her differently and allowed them to be together. There
would be no Ray Palmer if Oliver made a different choice. Because for Felicity, the choice for her was
always simple. It was always HIM.
Say with me now people…poor
Ray. This was over before it even started. Felicity is with Ray because Ray
is her only option. He’s not a bad option at all. Handsome, funny, rich…emotionally
available. There’s a real connection there and real feelings. But there’s a
difference between choosing someone when there are no other options and
choosing someone when there are options. If Oliver EVER becomes a real option
for Felicity…there’s no choice to make.
And then Felicity asks Oliver to do something. And remember,
if it’s Felicity asking…
She asks him to search inside
himself and discover the reason he’s serving this mission. Why is Oliver
fighting this fight? The rest of the team has. Now it’s Oliver’s turn.
Felicity pulled Oliver’s head out his ass so fast I
think he saw stars. That’s all it takes. ONE WORD from her…
and he KNOWS who he
is again. He KNOWS why he’s doing this. He KNOWS what the right path is. Just
before my husband fired up the DVR I said to him, “Okay. Let’s see if Oliver can make a decent life decision on his own.”
The answer is simple. He can’t. Without Felicity Oliver is hopelessly
lost. With Felicity…he is found.
Oliver & crew stop Murmur and I swear to God there’s an
actual spring in his step. The man practically skipped down those steps coming
back into the foundry. Immediately
there’s a lightness, a levity, to Oliver & Felicity’s interaction that’s
been sorely lacking this season. In a season full of pain & loss and
heartache, I’ve missed Oliver & Felicity just teasing each other,
flirting…being Oliver & Felicity.
The whole victory dance/I don’t dance banter was the Olicity I know &
love and missed. The reason these two fell in love in the first place was
because of the JOY they brought to each other’s lives. This episode was about remembering that joy
once again.
But Mr. Queen isn’t done with the witty banter. No ma’am. Oliver has an ace up his sleeve.
HE THANKS
FELICITY. And then he says what every woman loves to hear:
(Seriously guys…that phrase is like catnip
to us. Forget the flowers. Wanna get laid? Just tell us we’re right.)
It works so well on Felicity she gives Oliver a breathy gasp
and some heavy bedroom eyes. Down
girl…we aren’t in May sweeps yet. No sex with Oliver until then.
She’s teasing him of course, but the sentiment is based in
actual truth. Why did Felicity sleep with Ray? Why did she finally embark on a
relationship with him? Because Ray told Felicity he valued her opinion. Ray
told Felicity he relied on her. Felicity
doesn’t want protection. Part of what Felicity needs in a relationship is to
feel needed back. Oliver has been shutting her out all year long. It’s more
than just not being with her. Oliver stopped asking for Felicity’s advice.
Worse he stopped listening to her.
There’s been absolutely NO decision this year that Oliver & Felicity agreed
on. This was the first episode since 3x01 that Oliver sought Felicity out,
asked her advice and LISTENED TO HER.
Oliver made Felicity feel needed, which is how she needs to be loved.
What’s more, he did what she asked.
He figured out the reason why he’s serving
the mission. Their mission.
"I started all of
this because of my father. To right his wrongs. It became something more, but I
never stopped to think about it or about why until you asked me to."
"What was the
answer?"
"Tonight at the precinct,
the only thing I could think about was those police officers and how their
families were counting on me and Roy and Diggle to get them home safe. That’s
why I’m doing this."
I teared up a lot at Oliver’s answer. Ra’s Al Ghul promised
the world to Oliver Queen. He promised power and a vast army to command as he
pleased. Ra’s Al Ghul told Oliver he could have an impact beyond his tiny city.
Oliver Queen could have the world. All
he needs to do is sign on the dotted line, collect his thirty pieces of silver
and give Ra’s Al Ghul his soul.
Who wouldn’t be tempted when the devil offers you the world?
Of course you would. You would think about it. You would imagine all the good
you could do. That the end justifys the means. That the cost of one soul
balances the scales. It’s just one man. It’s just one person. Everyone would
think about it. We’re all human. And Oliver Queen is human.
Oliver’s reason for serving his mission, for turning down
Ra’s offer, was so…small. His purpose tonight was to make sure those police officers
returned to their families. Is Oliver saving the world by doing that? No, of
course not. In fact, those police
officers probably don’t know the reason they made it home to their families was
because of Oliver, Roy and Diggle. It’s not about recognition. Or a thank you. Or
respect. Or even righting a wrong. It’s not about commanding an army. It’s not
about saving the world. It’s about one man, one very good man, saving one life
at a time. One person at a time. One battle at a time.
There’s a beautiful line from Angel that exemplifies this
idea completely:
"If there’s no
great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters… then all that
matters is what we do. ‘Cause that’s all there is. What we do. Now.
Today."
All that matters is what Oliver does. All that matters is
who Oliver is. All that matters is how Oliver lives his life. Now. Today. He
cannot barter his soul for the lives of others and expect to live a righteous
life. He cannot abandon all the people he loves and expect to hold onto his
humanity. Eventually, the darkness will win. Even if he saves 10 million lives,
even if he saves the world, if the cost is Oliver’s soul then it doesn’t
matter. He’s already lost because every life matters. Every life counts.
Including Oliver’s.
You don’t need to save the world for your life to have
purpose. It’s not about scale or grandeur or history. That’s not the way you
measure a man’s life. Nor do you measure it by his successes or his loses. You
measure it by the way he lived, how he loved and what he’s dedicated his life
to. It’s the person that matters. It’s
who Oliver Queen, the man, IS that counts. It’s by being Oliver Queen that
he’ll have an impact. Whether that impact is felt on one life or 50 million…the
net result is the same. That’s what Oliver discovered tonight. One life. One
day at a time. That’s why he doing this. That’s his purpose. It’s enough for
Oliver. One life is enough reason to
keep fighting.
It’s a pretty stunning realization and finally, some real
character growth for Oliver. For the first time all season Oliver seems
anchored. He’s found his footing again.
Did you see that smile? BOOM. She’s done it again folks.
She’s harnessed his light and it’s bright and beautiful and CERTAIN.
Okay, everybody take a deep breath. Not possible? That’s fine. Pause and freak out.
Unpause. No we are not dreaming.
You are not reading a fanfiction. This is reality. This is actual dialogue
spoken by Felicity Smoak to Oliver Queen. IT’S CANON BITCHES.
First, let’s address the fun side and then we’ll dive into
the serious. Most handsome demon’s head ever? She just called Oliver handsome.
Now, I’m an old lady and I’ve been out of the game quite awhile, but that
sounded pretty damn flirty flirt to me. Ms. Smoak has some game y’all. And then of course she follows it up with her
LINE OF THE YEAR (thus far), which was laden with romantic innuendo. Friend my ass.
Now before everyone starts huffing and puffing & waving
their Puritanical pitchforks, Felicity is flirting with Oliver, but no she is
NOT cheating on Ray. Nobody is married here people. I don’t see a ring. Yes,
Ray & Felicity are dating but qualifying them as a “something” is
hardly exclusive. Back in my time, you know in the stone age, dating was the
time one is allowed to ponder one’s options. That’s exactly what she’s doing.
She’s considering her options and more power to her. Sex, one crappy infusion
dinner and the promise of a steak does not necessarily spell forever. Nor does
it erase the three year history she has with Oliver nor the undying love she
has for him. Come on…you know it’s
true.
Now the serious. There is one specific reason why Felicity
told Oliver that as long as he’s in her life, she’ll be happy. For the first
time in a long time, Oliver CHOSE OLIVER QUEEN.
Ra’s Al Ghul was offering the world to Oliver, but the price was him. He
not only had to stop being The Arrow, he had to stop being Oliver Queen. He had
to really walk away from EVERYTHING and EVERYONE that connects him to Oliver
Queen. And what’s worse, Oliver was seriously considering doing it. But Felicity pulled him back from the brink
of insanity and Oliver chose instead to hold onto Oliver Queen and The Arrow.
Why do I say this? Because Oliver’s reason to fight was so very human and it
had EVERYTHING to do with Oliver Queen and nothing to do with The Arrow.
Oliver already told us what he wants from life as Oliver
Queen in 3x01. He wants one thing - Felicity. So by choosing Oliver Queen,
Oliver is reaching for Felicity. By
telling Oliver he’s the key to her happiness, Felicity is reaching back. Yes,
Felicity is with Ray, but she is telling Oliver, in no uncertain terms, the
door is wide open. He just has to decide
to walk through it.
The wonderful mersayseh had the best remark on Twitter,
“This isn’t a woman torn between two
men. This is a woman biding her time.”
Truer words were never spoken. Felicity wants Oliver to put
his hat in the ring, get in the game, choose to fight for her. She wants Oliver to become an option. A real
option. Yes, Felicity is Oliver’s happy story but Felicity just told Oliver
tonight that he is hers. She cannot be
truly happy without him. Felicity wants the choice. In fact, she craves it because all Oliver has done is make decisions for her. For Felicity, her choice
is simple. There isn’t any choice. It’s Oliver. It will always be Oliver. Now…today…tomorrow…forever.
By telling Oliver he is the key to her happiness, Felicity is admitting what
life she truly wants. She wants a life with Oliver Queen. This journey has
never been about what Felicity wants. This journey has always been about what
Felicity can have. Now it’s up to Oliver
to determine what Felicity can have and allow her to make the decision, for herself,
what makes her happy in life.
It is the meeting in the middle, in the great and expansive
divide between them, that I have longed for.
It is the compromise that’s needed. If Oliver fights for Felicity,
Felicity will fight for him and vice versus.
It was a perfect moment.
Then Ray had to call. Fucker.
On the upside Oliver looked equal parts sad, disappointed,
annoyed and royally pissed off. These are all emotions. This is all good.
Boyfriend is not going to take this lying down much longer folks. He knows
there is a door. Felicity is showing him the door. The door is wide open. He’s
walking through that fucking door my friends. And then Felicity can show Ray
the door and he can trot himself off of Arrow down to spin off city. And we can
be done with Sara 2.0 er…I mean Ray Palmer.
And THEN we can really get down to business. What business is
that you ask? SEX. SEX. SEX. SEX. A whole lotta sex. And yeah, I’m sure some
horrible nightmare scenario that Ra’s Al Ghul will cook up. But glass half full
people. Eyes on the prize. Maintain discipline. There’s gonna be hot, sweaty,
Olicity reunion sex. I can feel it in the air!!! Our time is near!
This episode was a brilliant & bright glimpse into the
light. Into what Olicity is and what they can be when they are together. It was
like sunshine peeking through the clouds in a year filled with stormy skies.
Lance
Just because Oliver has to call him Captain doesn’t mean WE
have to right? WE would have told him about Sara. I say the audience can still call
him Detective. Anyway, DETECTIVE Lance
is breaking my heart. Paul Blackthorne is just NAILING those scenes with Katie
Cassidy. The way his voice broke when he told Laurel he wants to forgive her,
but he just can’t? Torturous. I absolutely understood what Laurel was saying to
Lance when she said, “Just let me
have it.” My mother was the MASTER at the cold shoulder when she was
angry with us. It was so awful. So much worse than yelling. Why? Because it
felt like emotional detachment and for a parent/child relationship there’s
nothing worse. I’d take my mother yelling
at me over not speaking to me any day.
The truth is, no matter how angry she was my mother never stopped loving
me. Which is why I thought it was vitally important that Lance tell Laurel that
he loves her, but he cannot forgive her.
Laurel hasn’t lost her father’s love, as evidence by the way he
protected her, but she has lost the foundation of their relationship. And
that’s not going to be fixed with a dinner out and thundering rant. What Laurel
broke will take a long time to fix and even if she does fix it…it’ll never be
the same again. Laurel & Lance will
be altered…forever.
The problem is, Lance is 100% justified in his anger towards
Laurel, towards The Arrow, towards Felicity. They all betrayed his trust on a
fundamental level. Initially I thought
he’d be so angry that Lance would immediately try to arrest The Arrow. That didn’t happen, which I was happy to
see. It would have been too quick of a
180 degree turn for me. I thought Lance’s explanation for his icing out of The
Arrow was also justified. Lance could always accept bending the law as long as
he didn’t think about the man underneath the hood because the man under the
hood was beholden to the law. Whereas a hood, a symbol, is not. But now, with the lies and broken trust, all
Lance can see is a flawed man. He can no
longer see the heroic symbol that protects the city. That being said…Lance didn’t try to arrest
The Arrow which means that on some basic level he still believes that The
Arrow’s intent is good.
However, by Ra’s murdering those people as The Arrow it will
give Lance all the ammo he needs to direct his rage squarely on one target- The
Arrow. As angry as Lance is with Laurel,
he cannot blame Laurel for Sara’s death. But I think Lance will transfer that
need to blame to The Arrow. Sara lived the same kind of life The Arrow
does. In a way, The Arrow brought that
kind of life, vigilantism, into Starling and now BOTH his daughters are wrapped
up in it. Lance may not be able to arrest The Arrow for Sara’s death but
arresting him for these other murders is just as good. Which is why it’ll be
nearly impossible for Diggle, Felicity, Roy and Laurel to clear Oliver’s name.
Lance won’t be interested in evidence. The Arrow is guilty. Lance has already decided. He just needs a case & a body to go with
the judgment.
Ra’s Al Ghul
Ugh, what a douche bag. I mean douche bag in the most
horrifying, villainous way, but douche bag nonetheless. Is it me or is there
something really terrifying about the way Ra’s Al Ghul speaks? He so…polite.
Well mannered. And British. (I think). Quite frankly it unnerves me. Even when
he was fighting with Nyssa he barely raised his voice. That son of bitch is one
cool cucumber. Which is easy to do WHEN YOU HAVE NO SOUL.
Ra’s dressing up as The Arrow and murdering a bunch of criminals
so Oliver’s city turns against him, is just dastardly. And fucking brilliant.
Totally did not see that coming. I hate it when the bad guys are way smarter
than me. It’s worrisome. It’s also worrisome how accurate Ra’s is with a bow
& arrow. Can we please find a weapon he sucks at? That’d be neat Arrow
writers, thanks.
Sorry Ra’s, abandoning your daughter and handing her
inheritance over to some dude you handedly beat in a sword fight is all kinds
of lame. All because he didn’t die by your sword? Yes, you are right. Oliver
had a intense will to live. You bet he did. Have you seen that cupcake he works
with?
She was his last thought, first thought and his only thought.
If Ra’s AL
Ghul had those skirts & the legs that go with them waiting at home, he’d be
hauling his ass off the mountain too, Lazarus Pit or no Lazarus Pit. So, I’m
not taking anything away from Oliver. The will was indeed strong. However,
Oliver also had magic snow, Dr. Meredith Grey aka Tatsu and fourteen pounds of penicillin
tea. Oh! And Maseo dragging his broken body off the mountain also didn’t hurt.
So, were there other determining factors in this so called
“prophecy”. Is Dr. Tatsu
mentioned in the prophecy? Maybe there are footnotes or something you missed.
Really the only thing Ra’s Al Ghul has going for him is that
he’s an Olicity shipper.
Oliver everybody knows. RA’S AL GHUL knows about you & Felicity. Your love story has traveled over
hills, valleys, deserts & oceans and made into the gossip column of The
Nana Parbat Gazette. Dude, quit fighting
it. Everyone is on board the SS Olicity and we want our triplets. It’s time
to man up and make it happen Oliver.
Speaking from my shipping experience, you know that the love
story is EPIC and endgame when the most soulless and evil villains ship it.
Klaus was an evil bastard but there was no bigger supporter of Stelena on TVD.
Oh and Silas shipped Stelena. Basically all the villains ship Stelena.
It is possible I’ve gotten a little off track. What was my point? Oh…right…
Ra’s Al Ghul is bad.
Now that we’ve arrived at that stunning revelation, let’s
move on to other characters.
Nyssa
Points for not killing Thea. Way to harness your chi
girlfriend. Sara would be proud. But KUDOS for having no problem taking a swing
at Papa Bear. With a sword no less. Granted he stopped it with his bare hand,
which was the exact same thing he did to Oliver on the mountain and it was no
less terrifying, but points for effort.
Can someone please explain to me where the fuck Nana Parbat
is? Because Nyssa flew back to Nana Parbat and then back to Starling City
rather quickly. Is there some mysterious desert castle cavern on the west coast
that I’m not aware of? I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon. What exactly is IN
the Grand Canyon? I’m getting suspicious.
I like that Nyssa gravitates to Laurel because Laurel is a
connection to Sara. Laurel is also the only person Nyssa has spoken to in a,
sort of, civilized manner, but hey…we all gotta start somewhere. Nyssa called
Laurel “competent” which I found kind but funny. Oliver’s assessment,
which was essentially “Laurel still sucks”, was much harsher. I think the truth is probably in between
“competent” and “Laurel still sucks”.
Anyway, what matters is that Nyssa took pity on that poor
soul and is going to show her how to properly kick ass assassin style. So the Black Canary can actually become a
useful partner to Oliver in the field. Here here! It beats boxing lessons, I’ll
tell you that much.
It was nice that Laurel offered to pay for dinner, because
really what is Nyssa’s financial situation? I imagine that having lived for
hundreds of years, Ra’s has probably developed a solid investment
portfolio. Question is, does being
renounced as heir to the demon head or whatever also mean the credit cards are
cut up? Is Nyssa rocking it Rachel Greene style and will be waitressing at the
local coffee house? Cuz…I’d sign up for that hour of television. Sold.
Theroy/Thea/Merlyn
It was a lot more of “my dad is evil”, "he
made me kill Sara”, "I’m
evil", “I don’t know who I
am" from Thea this week. Which is fine, I’m not complaining. It’s the
same tune the last couple episodes but I’m okay with the writers pausing on
this. Finding out your dad drugged you
and then manipulated you into killing an old family friend isn’t something one
just zips right past. I’m be worried Thea is a sociopath if she did. And Merlyn was still Merlyn. Coaxing Thea to
kill him. This dude is just fucking twisted. Someone needs to kill him. Enough
already.
Watching Thea try to cope with this is both heartbreaking
and really fascinating. You can literally
see the two halves of herself fighting over her shoulder. I’m a little surprised
the writers didn’t put a good angel on one shoulder and a bad angel on the
other. I loved that it was Moira that
stopped Thea from killing Merlyn. The reason Moira hid Thea’s parentage from
her was because she never wanted Thea to have anything to do with Merlyn. Moira
never wanted Merlyn to have any influence over Thea - she never wanted Thea to
be like him. Killing Merlyn would be the culmination of Moira’s worst fear and
everything she died trying to protect.
That being said, the guilt is overpowering. So if she can’t punish Merlyn then she’ll
punish herself. Thea unleashes Nyssa on herself like a wild animal. But Nyssa isn’t some wild animal. She is a
person, with a good heart. I don’t believe a person like Sara could love her
otherwise if that wasn’t the case. I think everyone, including Nyssa, realize
that no matter who fired the arrows - Malcolm Merlyn is to blame.
So suicide by Nyssa didn’t work. Trying to kill Malcolm
didn’t work. So what does Thea do next? She shows up at Roy’s doorstep.
A few scenes earlier, Thea was telling Oliver
she was trying to remember the person she was before she knew Merlyn was her
father. She couldn’t. But I think being
with Roy helps remind her of that girl.
It was the girl Roy loves, the girl Roy still loves and the girl Roy
still sees. Reaching out for Roy, for
his love & comfort, was the first healthy thing Thea has done since
deciding not to kill Slade. It was a glimmer of hope that Thea will find the
path out of the darkness and into the light because that’s where love always
leads.
Truth time. Big downside to this FANTASTIC Theroy reunion?
We got a Theory reunion waaaaay too early. It’s one episode after Raylicity
sex. One of the cardinal rules of television is if you get immediate
gratification, especially around mid season, bad things lay ahead for you. So the longer Olicity slow burns the
better. Theroy happened way too fast for
it to be permanent. Also, the writers seemed in an awfully big hurry to get Roy
& Thea back together all of a sudden. It has the air of the Lauriver
reunion in Season 1. That happened
really quickly all of a sudden, but that’s because the writers had every
intention of breaking the two up because of Tommy’s death. I’m not trying to
look a gift horse in the mouth, but any comparisons to Raylicity sex and
Lauriver reunion is never good for any couple I ship. So I think it boils down
to this…
Roy is toast.
It sucks, but the evidence is mounting. Getting together
with Thea just seems to be another nail in the preverbal coffin. On the upside, hopefully we’ll get some happy
Theroy scenes before Roy Harper takes his final bow. Ugh, I hate that sentence.
Can’t they just kill fucking Merlyn? I’ll volunteer to do it.
Side Notes
Do you think Ra’s Al Ghul has his hair gel shipped into Nana
Parbat or is that look an effect from the Lazarus Pit? These are questions that
need answers my friends.
Oliver let’s Laurel tag along, but he still super irritated
with her. He also takes great pleasure in telling her how much she sucks. In
this scenario, Oliver is us. We are Oliver.
Laurel is still furious with Oliver. And nobody cares.
Awesome.
I’m a little over Roy screwing up in the field so Laurel can
save him and look like she has purpose & skill. We all know Roy is better
than that. Let the man kick ass with dignity in his final few episodes writers.
Laurel has Nyssa right now and apparently an impenetrable series contract. She
can cool her jets until Season 4.
Diggle was back in the field! YAHOO!
Anyone notice how Diggle’s head snapped back towards Oliver
& Felicity when Oliver said “Thank you”? Then he leaves the room
so the two of them can have a moment. I
swear to God, Diggle is one Oliver fuck up away from just locking the two of
them in a closet until they decide to be together.
DYLA WEDDING NEXT WEEK! DYLA WEDDING NEXT WEEK!!!!
Suicide Squad rides again! Is it possible that Cupid focuses
her attention on Deadshot? Are the writing gods so kind? Because that is one
cray cray ship I can throw my full fledge support behind.
Arrow vs. Atom. We’ve waited 17 episodes. No more polite
handshakes boys. It’s on like donkey kong. I’m salivating. Cannot wait.
Those were some pretty serious bedroom eyes Oliver was
casting Felicity’s way in the promo.
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