Oh man.
What… I mean… how did… okay yeah but… then there could be… is that
really… why????
I have no
intro other than that.
Let’s dig
in…
Olicity
I’m a glass
half full kind of gal. I see a glass and I say to myself, “Self that there
glass is half full.” That’s how I make my way through life and gosh darn it
that’s what we’re gonna do with “What We Leave Behind.” We’re gonna
glass half full this mother.
Don’t worry
it’ll be short. Then the snark will come. Be patient my loves.
The Good
Did I lose
my mind over the Olicity scene Marc teased I would lose my mind over? As @lipstickandwifi and @callistawolf can attest I did lose my mind,
but mostly because I felt crazy.
DID OLIVER
PROPOSE TO FELICITY WITH A RED PEN??? IS THAT WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Listen,
folks crossover week was a long week. I pulled a couple all nighters and I
think I’m still recovering. This on top of being a Mommy and working full
time… I’m a little tired.
So, maybe my brain is wonky. I fully accept the
road to an Olicity reunion will be a long, slow (VERY FREAKING SLOW APPARENTLY)
process and I can take my lumps. I’m a
good soldier, but sometimes your brain starts to mess with you from the lack of
Olicity. I’m not saying we’re not getting Olicity, but it’s subtle Olicity.
Eventually, you get to a point where
Stephen Amell can’t hand Emily Bett Rickards a freaking pen without thinking,
“HOLY MOTHER OF MOSES THEY ARE GONNA GET MARRIED AND HAVE ALL THE
TRIPLETS.”
Let’s just
walk through my crazy. Here’s what happened in my mind.
Oliver asks Felicity to
internet search for him, which feels very Season 1. It’s nice because it is a
Season 1 flashback. We’re back in Felicity’s office. She has long hair and a
pink shirt. Oliver is all, “Hey
internet search for me” with his dimples because that’s how Oliver rolls.
Then Felicity says, “Oh I’ll internet search for you with my magic hands.
Not that I believe in magic.”
The whole
“magic” turn of phrase feels a little awkward and I’ll tell you why.
It feels like Arrow is breaking the fourth wall. “Magic” is often how
Olicity is described by the writers, the actors, the associated press and the
fans. It’s often how Emily Bett Rickards is described. It’s often how Oliver and
Felicity’s first meeting is described. It’s how Stephen and Emily’s chemistry
is described. They are lightening in the bottle. They are magic.
So, when Felicity
Smoak says the word “magic” it’s the writers screaming at the top of
their lungs to the audience, “WE’RE TALKING ABOUT OLICITY HERE OKAY?!”
The camera
focuses on the red pen and she waves it about.
The camera says, “Hey fans!
Remember the red pen? REMEMBER?” Yes, we remember. It is the symbol of
their love.
We aren’t rookie shippers here. We remember everything.
Then
Felicity accidentally knocks the pen
over. Buffy once did a faux drop the folder thing when she was running for
Homecoming Queen. I feel like maybe Emily Bett Rickards watched that episode
before acting out that scene. That’s high praise coming from me by the way.
It’s an, “Oops! I can’t believe I dropped that,
but please notice I dropped that,” kind of delivery. Except the person Emily is acting out the faux
drop out isn’t Stephen. He’s in on this whole little exercise and getting well
paid while doing it. No, that faux drop is for us.
Felicity
tells Oliver, “No no! Just leave it. I’ll
get it.”
Then 6 foot
Oliver, (sorry Stephen you are not 6 ft
2 and I have the photographic evidence to prove it), who can very easily bend
over and pick up the red pen, decides to make a rather big show of BENDING DOWN
ON ONE KNEE to pick it up.
Then, Oliver
REMAINS on one knee to hand the red pen back to Felicity, aka THE SYMBOL
OF THEIR LOVE, in a similar manner in which a man would hand a woman an
engagement ring while popping the question.
Huh. Seems
to me we did this once before.
I’m just saying.
Anywho, then
Oliver says, “I believe in magic."
This is not something Season 1
Oliver Queen would say even on his BEST DAY to Felicity Smoak. It’s far too
hopeful. Homeboy was in the hole in S1. Remember he loved Laurel. The hole was
deep.
Straight
translation of course is "I believe in FELICITY SMOAK” which is why
he said it. Oliver is being adorably awkward with his flirt. The subtext is
“I believe in Olicity” because they are the magic of Arrow.
Oh! I almost
forgot the cherry on top. They shine a big huge SPOTLIGHT on them as Oliver
left. Where’s that light coming from? Nobody knows! Does Felicity have a
skylight in her dark cave of an office? Not that I could see.
At least in their
3x01 kiss there was a friggin window.
I seem to recall a nearby helicopter in
2x22. This time Arrow says the hell with it. No light source, but we’re just shining
it on these two crazy kids anyways because IT’S ALWAYS THE LIGHT. #EndgameAF
So, the
writers gave us a faux proposal with the red pen while telling us “BELIEVE
IN THE MAGIC OF OLICITY” in the mid season finale. I’ve led you to the water. I’ll let you figure
out where this is going.
Am I crazy?
Have I officially gone round the bend? It’s possible. It’s very possible. The thing is, I’ve accepted my crazy long ago.
I’ve made my peace with it and quite frankly this scene, despite being on the cheesy
side, is the one brief shining moment in an otherwise hot freaking mess of an
episode.
Real talk
though. Isn’t it fun that whenever Arrow flashes back to Olicity they are
trying to make them look like the planned endgame all along?
This thing they
called Lauriver never happened.
It’s a bad dream Arrow desperately wants you to
forget because LOOK AT ALL THE RETCON CANON WE ARE THROWING AT OLICITY. It’s
fab. I love it. Never shall I grow tired of it.
Time for a
more serious chat before we move on. I’m sure many feel Arrow baited Olicity
fans with this scene. Could be. Absolutely. Arrow is baiting Olicity and LL
fans alike (more on that later) and has absolutely no intention on following
through on any of it.
That doesn’t
feel accurate to me though. We may
not like the direction Arrow goes, but plots tend to go full circle by the end
of the season. The potential proposal foreshadow didn’t feel hallow to me. It
does not, in any way, fix the problematic parts of 5x09. However, simply
because 5x09 is problematic in other areas doesn’t suddenly eliminate the
validity of the flashback scene or what it could be pointing towards.
Okay. Glass
half full has been drunk. Moving on to snark.
The Bad
We had the
prerequisite meeting of the new love interests. I’d like to say I wasn’t
looking forward to this scene. I’d like to say I’ve grown as a person and
matured beyond these types of will they/won’t they tactics, but alas I have
not. Gimme.
Unfortunately,
it isn’t cute awkward. It is just awkward.
I know Felicity babbles when she
gets nervous, but that double date remark is just cringe worthy.
That look
Oliver gave her though… hehehe.
Also Susan
wore red. So thirsty. Oliver complimented her dress. TRAITOR. Felicity’s green
dress I found much hotter and oooh sparkly. I have a team. My team is not a
surprise.
Oliver looked at Felicity. There is no choice to make. What grows tiresome is Arrow pretending like Susan has a shot in hell.
Felicity
can’t even get out that Malone is her boyfriend. Her struggle with the words
“I like you” isn’t a cover up for the words “I love you.” I
like you" is the real freaking
struggle! But he’s her sun and moon.
Casual
dating is a thing. Does every love interest have to be the be all and end all?
Can we just call it what it is? Do you know how many guys I casually dated
before Nick? Do you know how many guys I casually dated after Nick and I broke up and I was still actively in love with
him? (Just one baby. I promise. Just in case you are reading.) I didn’t even
make it to “like” with many of them. Lord, this show tests me sometimes.
Susan
figures out this is Felicity Smoak. Yeah that’s right. THE FELICITY SMOAK.
The
real endgame. The woman who lights his way. HIS BE ALL AND END ALL and if Oliver
thought he had even the slightest freaking chance with her he wouldn’t be
tossing you a second look Diane Sawyer. No matter how tightly you cling to
Oliver’s arm and mark your territory. I’ve seen cats in heat who are less
subtle.
Oliver is
chill. He tells Billy to call him Oliver. First name references when encountering Felicity’s boyfriends is Oliver’s secret code for
“Fuck you."
Exhibit A.
Anybody catch Felicity’s sad eyes when Oliver is all cool
and tells Billy to call him by his first name because they are gonna be bros?
(No they are not). PAY ATTENTION TO THE
DETAILS OLIVER BEYOND THE COLORS OF PENS OLIVER. When are you going to notice
she wants you to be LESS FREAKING OKAY with this? Lord this man tests me
sometimes.
The Ugly
So, Oliver shot
Billy in an elaborate ruse Prometheus designed. Cue maniacal laughter. If this
dude doesn’t have a mustache to twirl then consider me disappointed.
Let’s start
with the good parts of the ugly. The performances are wonderful. Oliver still
very much loves Felicity. Any fool can see that. He’s doing his level best to
move on and be mature, but come on you guys. THIS IS FELICITY. The idea of
hurting her in any way shreds up his insides until the boy is mush. Yes, I
include Baby Mama drama in this. Oliver never intends to hurt Felicity and he certainly would never kill her
boyfriend.
No matter how many times Stephen jokes about it.
Emily did a beautiful job playing Felicity’s grief.
Stephen did
a wonderful job choking out the words. Oliver is plainly gutted.
This is
why it’s always ludicrous when the show tries to keep these two apart in any
way. They do their best work together. ALWAYS.
Oliver also
immediately told the truth. He could have lied. It wouldn’t have been too
difficult. He could have said Prometheus killed Billy and he found him. Is that
something Season 1 Oliver would have done in an effort to spare Felicity
additional pain? Yeah, I think so. Oliver told the truth. He did so knowing
that Felicity may never forgive him and he could really lose her forever this
time - as a partner and a friend. He manned up and owned his mistake.
He even verbalizes an apology
immediately to Felicity. Character growth looks nice on you Oliver.
Felicity did
not blame Oliver. She recognizes this is all Prometheus and understands Oliver
would never intentionally hurt an innocent, let alone her boyfriend. Arrow held
to the bond and trust between these two, developed over the course of five
years, by doing this and I appreciate the logic.
I also
enjoyed that hurting Felicity is the straw that broke the camel’s back for
Oliver. He feels guilt about creating Prometheus. However, Oliver didn’t hesitate
in putting an arrow in this guy, so his Prometheus focused guilt is somewhat measured. Oliver
telling everyone he cares about to "GET AWAY FROM ME” because he
views himself as a catalyst for pain in their lives is all Felicity related. He
hurt her again and he can’t stand it. All he does is hurt her even when it’s the last thing he wants to do. All Oliver Queen ever wanted is to love Felicity. To make her happy. Using Felicity as the method to mess
Oliver up is the first effective thing Prometheus has done.
However,
this plot twist is problematic on multiple levels. First, Prometheus is going
on and on about how Oliver ruins the lives of everyone he touches and then he
pulls off the Prometheus mask and DUN DUN DUNNN!!!!! Billy is dead.
Are we
saying… ARE WE ACTUALLY SAYING… that Billy is Felicity’s life?
The woman
can barely choke out “I like you.” She can’t even get out the word
“boyfriend” in general conversation. We’ve seen this guy for a grand
total of 10 minutes of screen time and I think I’m being generous. I understand Felicity cares for him. I
understand we have to show Felicity upset because she cares for Billy, and
she’s not a sociopath, but let’s slow the roll here fellas. Felicity Smoak is
way more than her BOYFRIEND. Life is not destroyed because Billy kicked the
bucket. Sad? Yes. Grieving? Sure. Felicity will soldier on though. If it takes
anymore than ONE EPISODE I am calling shenanigans.
No man has
ever, or will ever, ruin Felicity Smoak’s life. She was about to marry Oliver
Queen and he lied about his son to her. That’s the worst thing he’s ever done
to her. Felicity survived it. That was
their low. THIS IS NOT THEIR LOW. Sorry Prometheus, you don’t rate all that
high. Pretty sure, Cooper was a rougher time.
Which brings
me to… how many times has Felicity’s boyfriends died? I think the count is at
four and yes I am counting Oliver.
This is called hitting a repetitive beat,
Arrow. Let’s find a new one.
The big
confession rapidly becomes all about Oliver’s man pain. Look, I realize Arrow
is about Oliver’s man pain, but can we take a break from it for a second?
Everyone
is comforting Oliver who, sure, mistakenly put an arrow in a dude.
That’s rough
buddy, but you didn’t have a relationship with this guy. YOU JUST MET HIM.
Felicity, however,
did have a relationship with him. So, can we focus a little more on her? Maybe
she could get the big hug from Diggle.
Not that I’m not appreciative of the hug Thea gave her. #LadiesSupportingLadies
I’m not
talking crazy here. I’m not saying Oliver and Felicity have to hug. God forbid.
God forbid Oliver offers her words of comfort. Slings an arm around her
shoulder. Nope. Can’t do that. THEY ARE BROKEN UP! NO PHYSICAL CONTACT ALLOWED!
Sometimes my
snark turns a little bitter. I’ll shake it off eventually.
My larger
frustration is the whole Billy/Felicity relationship. Is he really dead? Yeah, probably. Although, I haven’t entirely given up the hope that he’s really alive and is Prometheus. Faking his death would be a very effective way for Arrow to throw us all off, especially since the “male in his thirties” points a giant finger at Billy (or Adrian Chase re: @callistawolf).
If Billy is dead then this relationship gets a big WOMP WOMP from me.
We did not hear Felicity’s point of view on this guy at all except for a few
awkward “he’s kind of my boyfriend” and she doesn’t know if it’s
real.
Her PTSD
storyline was basically over and done within a matter of a few episodes and it focused
primarily on getting Rory to stay on Team Arrow.
I was hoping her relationship
with Billy would lead to some moments of self realization, but we didn’t get
those either. Billy’s dead now and the whole relationship just seems fodder for
Oliver’s guilt and an attempt to drive yet another wedge between Oliver and
Felicity.
Maybe these
moments are still coming. Perhaps, Felicity will no longer feel the need to act
okay because she’s not okay. Billy’s death effectively crumbles the
“normal life” bubble she constructed in the wake of Havenrock and her
break up with Oliver. So, maybe some of those emotions she’s kept at bay will
finally overflow. Maybe Arrow will refocus on Felicity in 5b, but I am highly
disappointed with her arc in 5A. She feels glossed over and it needs to stop.
We could stop saying goodbye to Laurel anytime now and refocus on the actual
female lead of the show again.
The
emotional fall out of Billy’s death is focused on OLIVER yet again as we leave
Felicity crying alone on the couch. Seriously, where is this so called Team
Arrow family? They can certainly rally around Oliver or Diggle, but Felicity
needs emotional support and everyone has somewhere else to be? It would have killed
Arrow to show Thea bringing Felicity a cup of tea as she sobbed on the couch?
That’s soooo difficult? UGH.
An argument can be made that Felicity doesn’t actually want Oliver to comfort
her. She may understand and forgive Oliver, but it doesn’t necessarily mean
he’s her go to guy in this situation. I also understand Felicity may want to
grieve alone. These are all plausible options. All valid. However, Arrow spends
a lot of time on Felicity comforting others. Pick a character. She has been
their rock at some point. I’d just like to see a scene where someone is
being Felicity’s rock in her time of need and providing some emotional
support. It doesn’t have to be Oliver Queen. There’s a vast array of characters
to chose from and it saddens me that Arrow chooses to isolate Felicity.
Instead, we’re
gonna zero in on Oliver.
REALLY?
We’re gonna make sure he’s emotionally supported as he
heads on over to Susan’s because “he didn’t know where else to go."
Ummm… I
can type up a list for you Oliver for future reference. Felicity’s apartment
with a bouquet of flowers and a pint of ice cream (a girl can dream), Thea’s
apartment, maybe swing by and visit Lance in rehab, hang with Diggle in the
cave and stop him from the extremely obvious trap he’s about to walk into, have
a talk with Wild Dog and explain to him why he’s fired, the Mayor’s office (you
have to do actual work sometime you know), offer to babysit JJ so Diggle and
Lyla can have a friggin couple moment together, the library. All excellent options.
Nope. We
pick Susan. I accept she’s a love interest. I accept eventually they would have
all the sex. By the by, that’s why they included the flashback scene with
Olicity. Really why else? We’ve seen that scene, Oliver asking Felicity for
tech help, a thousand times. What is new or different about it? PEN PROPOSAL.
In the mid season finale in which Felicity is grieving over her new boyfriend
and Oliver is sleeping with his new girlfriend, they decided to throw us a
foreshadowing bone.
I just can’t
get worked up about these love interests. All current typing is evidence to the
contrary, but really I’m not worked up. Yes, I certainly understand why you’d
be upset, but sometimes I just say to myself, "Is Oliver Queen really
going to end up with the reporter they cast in Season 5?” No. That’s like
Elena Gilbert ending up with that med student she dated for a hot second in
college when she was trying to be normal. It’s like Buffy ending up with Scott.
Never. Gonna. Happen.
So we shall
do the dance. Yet again. I’m tired of it. I know you are too. My hope is they eventually
dig out something interesting with Susan and Oliver that leads to character
development, but my patience is wearing a bit thin. If Billy/Felicity are any
indication, I’m not holding my breath. I’m talking beyond Oliver trying to move
on and be hopeful about his future. This
episode did not get it done for me at all.
By the by,
when Susan commented on his hopefulness and Oliver said “Because of
you” I gagged.
It’s all well and good for Oliver to make an attempt at moving
on and being hopeful, but she doesn’t get the brownie points. This isn’t
“Susan specific” hopefulness Oliver. This is just general “life hopefulness”
because of five years of hard earned character growth, especially given what
you experienced in your alien “It’s A Wonderful Life” trip. Settle
down.
Is sleeping
with Susan a regression? Eh. I don’t know. No? We knew he was going to make the
attempt to move on. The attempt normally includes sex of some kind. They aren’t
Puritans, so I’m not too pressed about it. Sometimes I think a man just wants
to drink some whiskey and get laid. Let’s just leave it at that. He was back
pretty quick too. Also they didn’t show it which again I appreciate and shows the level of investment in this relationship.
I just hate
the timing. I hate that it was tied to this Felicity-dead-boyfriend thing. I
hate that Oliver kills Felicity’s boyfriend and then sleeps with someone else.
WHO ARE YOU RIGHT NOW OLIVER? This is the night you decide to hook up with your
new girlfriend? SERIOUSLY?
This is something not even Season 1 Oliver would
have done. It just feels like more dramatic “will they/won’t they”
fodder. I can play the game if I feel there’s a point, but this is feeling like
stalling just to stall. They are having Oliver act very out of character to get
it done as well, which is basically how we ended up in this mess to begin with.
To be fair,
I cannot fathom a situation in which I would like it. I’ll own that. I was always going to hate it, but wow… I
did not think I would hate it this much.
I would have much preferred if they just slept together in 5x07 after getting a drink. Sex can be just sex. It doesn’t have to tied into Oliver’s man pain or some deeper meaning of life convo. Can we please just stop pretending this relationship is more than what it will be???
I can’t even
get behind the concept that this will drive a wedge between Oliver and
Felicity. First, they are wedged. Felicity closed the door on them forever. No
more wedges required. Second, killing Billy is unfortunate. It is, however, a
mistake and one Felicity clearly understands. I just can’t ramp up the level of
importance of this guy, so we actually worry about Oliver and Felicity staying
apart FOREVER because of him.
This is what Arrow is trying to get you to worry
about, so please don’t play into their hands. It’s not even a good card they
played.
Could this
provide some kind of barometer for forgiveness? If Felicity can see Billy is a
mistake and can forgive Oliver then maybe she can forgive him for William?
Eh… maybe? Could be where this is headed. Also could be grasping at straws a bit right now. I truly don’t think
we needed yet another obstacle, yet another thing for Felicity to forgive
Oliver for. Olicity had plenty on their
plate before. I just find this all unnecessary.
UPDATE!!!!! I cannot believe I missed this. Thank you @fanmommer for pointing it out! So, I was too busy gagging over Susan and Oliver to hear what Oliver was actually saying. He said, “I was reunited with someone from my past and they told me I ruin the lives of everyone I come in contact with.”
Then Oliver says, “It doesn’t mattter how much I love them.”
And the camera pans over FELICITY.
So, once again this is a very clear indication Oliver very much is in love with Felicity. But I’m more excited for another reasons. This is a direct call back to how they ended the S2 mid season finale.
And we all know how that season ended.
Second update!!! Stephen finally confirmed that Oliver and Susan did not have sex.
Next time lets be less ambiguous. So, my rage is seriously dialed down. I’m glad Oliver reached out to someone. Do I love that it was Susan? No. But I’m never going to love that. Do I love that it was focused on his pain primarily as opposed to Felicity’s? No. I’m hoping we get more on her end in 5B. But my primary rage was the ill timed sex. It was more than ill timed. It felt insensitive. So it didn’t happen and therefore I retract the rage.
Prometheus
The Bad
I’m actually
more frustrated with Prometheus than I am with Olicity right now. Arrow ’s
seasons are structured exactly like Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I have readily
accepted that Arrow’s focus is not Olicity. That’s fine. Olicity is a piece of
the puzzle. Do you know what the main focus is most seasons?
THE BIG BAD.
Oliver’s battle
with the Big Bad is the primary vehicle in which they push forward
his hero’s journey. Many, many, many episodes center around the Big Bad. Many,
many, many scenes center around the Big Bad.
So, when you
have a Big Bad problem, you have a season problem. Case in point: Buffy Season
4. The Big Bad was The Initiative. We went from the Mayor to The Initiative. It
was like watching Buffy fight dry wall. Then she banged dry wall in the form of
an Initiative boyfriend.
There’s been
a slow and steady build with Prometheus, but Arrow has held onto their cards
pretty tight. They revealed some of their cards, but far less than typical mid
season finales. The cards they did reveal I find disappointing.
Flashbacks
have been an effective storytelling device on Arrow, however, I feel like with
Prometheus it is a crutch. They pluck some random name off Oliver’s Season 1
list. Some character we’ve never even heard of - Claybourne. Oliver kills Claybourne
and voila! Prometheus is his son. He’s ticked off because Oliver killed his
dad. Even though his father was a price gouging, tuberculosis spreading terrorist,
but those are just details.
Then, Diggle
actual says to Oliver in the flashbacks, “Be careful of possible
unintended consequences to all your killing!” Honest to holy Moses, I
thought David Ramsey was going to pause, look at the camera and wink. There’s
heavy handed dialogue and then there’s THIS. Lord.
This is a
wild departure from Oliver and Diggle’s S1 relationship as well. Yes, Diggle
prodded Oliver towards restraint, but both Diggle and Felicity were on board
with the killing. You couldn’t work for The Hood and not be in Season 1. It’s
how Oliver operated. That all changed in Season 2. This has been a consistent problem with Season 5. If it’s going to be all about Season 1, lets remember Season 1 correctly.
There’s a
lot of routes Arrow could have gone with Prometheus and I feel like connecting
him to Claybourne is a misstep. We have to feel invested in the Big Bad. Merlyn
was Tommy’s father, Slade was SLADE and Ra’s Al Ghul had a whole lot of
gravitas connected to him simply because of who the character was in other
iterations. Even Damien Darhk, who’s magic shtick found its way to hokey, was a
firecracker on screen much to the brilliance of Neil McDonough’s performance.
They choose
NOT to unmask Prometheus, so we can’t connect to this guy because we still
don’t know who he is. We can’t even connect to the actor’s performance. Emotionally connecting to
Prometheus’
motivations
is spectacularly important because we aren’t going to know who this guy is for
several more episodes. We need to care about the Big Bad otherwise… what’s
the freaking point? Unfortunately, random Claybourne doesn’t get it done.
We knew this
was going to be a son versus son duel. This season is about legacy. It’s about
Oliver fulfilling his father’s legacy and Prometheus is the opposite coin to
that. That’s why they’ve dressed him so similarly to the Green Arrow. When they
are fighting it’s difficult to tell who is who and that’s the whole point.
Prometheus
is supposed to be the darker version of Oliver. Only, in Prometheus’ mind,
Oliver is the villain. To Prometheus, Oliver is the darker version of him. It’s
a wonderful ying/yang symbioses. Arrow is asking, who is the villain and who is
the hero? Prometheus wasn’t able to let go of his past either. He’s a
reflection of what Oliver could
become if he never does. Of course,
Oliver will rise as the hero and he will be the one to fulfill his father’s
legacy, while Prometheus will fail. Prometheus will prove to be the darker
half, which is why Oliver will finally emerge as THE LIGHT. This is all really good stuff.
However,
Oliver has a rich history in his legacy storyline with Robert Queen and they
needed to match that in order to elevate Prometheus to Oliver’s level. Or at least try. I certainly
wasn’t expecting Tommy, because Colin O'Donnell is saving lives on Chicago Med. Slade’s son? That would
have been better. That packs a punch. Is it basically the same storyline? I
suppose, but connecting Prometheus to a Big Bad the audience is already
emotional invested in gives him the necessary propulsion to his story. What
they gave us felt flat. It felt like a lot of build up for not a whole lot of
pay off. I found myself asking, “That’s it?” which is never good in
terms of Big Bad.
So, who is
Prometheus? Ummm… I have no idea and any ideas I have or have heard I’m not
too jazzed about. Perhaps, my expectations were too high, but I feel like Arrow
built them up purposefully. So, I don’t feel they were out of line. The only
reason I was remotely excited about Billy being Prometheus wasn’t because of
Billy. It was because of Felicity. It could have been an opportunity to
emotionally connect the Big Bad to a central character and refocus on the
Felicity side of things.
That’s not going
happen it seems. Especially since Tyler Ritter is tweeting his goodbye. So,
another theory bites the dust. Here’s the bigger problem. I don’t know if I
care who Prometheus is anymore. It’s Arrow responsibility to make me care and I
think they failed spectacularly in that regard tonight. Hopefully, there’s more
story to come and I can reconnect to the Big Bad, but right now I’m feeling a
whole bunch of apathy. I’m at meh.
Arrow Season
5: You officially have a Big Bad problem.
Thea Queen
Thea Queen
is a goddess among mortals. First, she suited up again.
Second, she recognizes what a gift the glimpse in 5x08 was.
Thea is not getting bogged down in the pain. She’s holding onto the love and letting all the rest go. She’s beaten back the darkness and that’s why she suits up again.
Third, she shot Wild
Dog down again.
Seriously, how many times does a guy have to hear “NOT
INTERESTED” before he listens? This is not attractive or cute or funny EVER.
Fourth, Thea did not warm to Susan. The shade was glorious. Nobody is marrying Oliver Queen without Thea’s sign off and Susan DOES NOT have it. Nor will ever have it.
Fifth, and
most importantly, she drops yet another
truth bomb on Oliver.
Oliver, once again, is focusing on only the bad things
he’s done. Thea told him a legacy is twofold. Everyone is imperfect. Everyone
makes mistakes. We all leave some carnage behind. It’s human nature. The point
is to leave more good behind than bad. The point is to do better when you make
a mistake. The point is to not make the same mistake again. The point is to
learn. The point is to grow. The point is to become
the man your father believed you could be Oliver.
Stop sulking Oliver. MAN UP AND BE HIM.
It’s time to be better. So do it.
L*urel L*nce
I am actually
getting angry on behalf of LL fans. That’s how bad this is getting. I legitimately
feel bad for them. This is baiting and it feels mean. Putting Laurel into 5x09 so her poor fans have
to wonder, yet again, “Is she alive? Is she coming back?” until
February feels cruel. Especially, since
they just yanked their chain in 5x08.
Every time
Arrow brings LL back they present it as, “Maybe she’s really alive! Maybe
she’s coming back to the show!"
How many times do we have to do this? They aren’t pulling the trigger on this.
If they were going to do it they would have done it already. THEY. ARE. NOT.
BRINGING. HER. BACK. TO. LIFE. None of these "guest spots” are present
day LL. It’s Alternate Dream World L&urel L&nce. 5x10 is entitled “Who Are
You?” So, whoever that is standing
in the bunker is not LL. Best theory I’ve heard is that it’s Black Siren posing
as LL a la Katherine Pierce/Elena (Thank you @lipstickandwifi)
I was
readily prepared for all kinds of alternative options for LL because that’s
exactly how Marc described they were bringing KC back. The entire point of the
guest contract is because Laurel is remaining dead. If they were bringing KC
back then she would have the same deal she previously did and be on the show as
a series regular.
However,
what I was not prepared for was Arrow repeatedly presenting these guest spots
as possible “Laurel is alive” bait and switches. None of these
iterations are really the character these fans grew to love, lost and
desperately want back. All of these iterations are mere mirages of the
character they lost.
About me @ the LL fandom.
I’m cool with that. I thought Arrow used Laurel extremely
effectively in 5x08. I’m excited for a Black Siren pretending to be LL
storyline if that’s what it is. I don’t have an issue with what’s being delivered.
I have an issue with the packaging.
At this
point, I feel like Arrow is beating the LL fans with a stick just to lure them
back into watching. You killed her Arrow. You knew it would piss off a portion
of the fan base and you still went ahead with the decision. Own it. It is what
it is. You are not “fixing” it with these little crumbs thrown their
way. You are prolonging the torture.
Audiences
need to be allowed to let a character go. They need to be able to say goodbye
and move on if they need to. Using Faux
Laurels as a shiny object to lure fans back who decided they no longer liked
the direction of the show, while baiting them into believing she’s coming back
when you know full well she’s not, IS NOT OKAY. Let them be. Allow them to
grieve and move on.
Ending 5x09
on Laurel is not a shocker. I practically yawned when I saw her. LL is getting more screen time dead than she
did alive. That’s how bad this is. Seeing her again isn’t shocking even
remotely. Seeing Tommy in the mid season 2 finale? That was a “holy shit”
moment because the last time we saw
Tommy was 10 episodes ago. We just danced this dance. WE JUST SAID GOODBYE TO LL
IN 5x08. FOR THE THIRD TIME. There needs to be some time to breathe between
these “guest spots” and putting Laurel into 5x09 is too quick a turn
around. Hell, 5x10 is too quick a turn around.
Effective
use does not mean incessant use. There is a difference. She’s the least dead character Arrow has ever
had. Can we stop elevating this character to a level of importance the show
never gave her when she was alive? This is just getting ludicrous.
I realize
Arrow has to appeal to a broad fanbase. I get it. I get they are tying in KC’s appearances
to hold some fans over until they introduce the new BC in 5B. I understand it
all, but you’ve hit the “maybe she’s alive” bell one too many
times. This has to stop.
Of course,
the LL fandom will counter and say it’s the “LL is alive” storyline
they are following through on and the Olicity fandom is being baited with a red
pen. Here’s where I see the difference. Both of our characters are alive and
well. They are series regulars. Arrow is slowly (VERY SLOWLY) putting in the
beats for their reunion. Foreshadowing a possible marriage later in the season
via the flashback is not absolute crazy talk because we stand a fighting chance
it could happen. In fact, I believe Arrow put the scene in to say we still have
a fighting chance. In the immortal words of @lipstickandwifi, “ It’s like killing Mufasa and
immediately following it up with Hakuna Matata. It’s the Arrow equivalent
of ‘Don’t worry kids.’’
Arrow has a
proven track record of following through on Olicity foreshadowing. We might not
always like the results, but it’s there. Arrow has also remained consistent in
finding new ways to show how over L*uriver is and repeatedly tell LL’s
character goodbye. If we’re talking odds, I feel much better about the
Olicity’s. Time will tell.
My larger
point is this: if you are an LL fan and are hoping they are bringing her
character back, please do not torture yourself. I mean this sincerely. Enjoy
the guest spots for what they are, but look beyond the shining paper Arrow
wrapped it in. The box will be empty when you open it.
Stray Thoughts
How is Arrow
not romance focused? Seems pretty romance focused to me. Oliver is sleeping
with Susan. Felicity is grieving her boyfriend. I’d simply prefer if Arrow said
it’s not "Olicity romance” focused.
I loved the flashback. It was fun, but I’m
gonna need some movement in present day in 5B. To be fair, I was not really expecting
it in 5x09, but let’s get the ball rolling when the show returns. I’m not
worried it’s not coming. I feel confident it is. However, pacing can be a
problem on Arrow and there is potential for taking this TOO slow.
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