#Arrow Season 1

[zanethenindroid]

As a lover of Ninjago and the Arrowverse, I love this

[marvelsgirl616]

🥴🤭

[jbuffyangel]

No Turning Back: Arrow 1x16 Review (Dead to Rights)

“Dead to Rights” otherwise known as the episode Tommy was right about everything. 

Let’s dig in…

Oliver and Tommy

A great deal of Season 1 is focused on Oliver’s relationship with his father Robert Queen.  The promise Oliver made his father is the force that drives his mission, but there is a flip to that coin. There is an adversary pushing back against Oliver’s mission with equal, if not more, force.

There is no saving Starling City if there is no one to save it from and this episode finally reveals the identity of that adversary. If Oliver had only listened to Tommy, or remotely paid attention to ANYTHING he said in this episode, then so much could have been different. I’m speaking with hindsight, given that this is a Season 1 rewatch, but I don’t believe the writers were trying to hide this point.

It’s Tommy’s birthday and his father Malcolm Merlyn crashes his party. He’s receiving a humanitarian award (HA!) and would like Tommy to attend. Things are pretty chilly with these two since Malcolm shut off the money faucet, but honestly it’s been a good for Tommy.

He’s realized he can stand on his own two feet which gives him the confidence to tell his father to go to hell. 

Malcolm takes narcissism to a new level to show up on Tommy’s birthday and make the event about HIM. It’s always about him, which is exactly what Tommy tells Oliver when they have lunch the next day. Oliver’s heart is in the right place. He encourages Tommy to give his dad another chance because Oliver knows what it’s like losing a father.

Oliver: My dad made mistakes. We haven’t talked about this, but I have a lot of anger towards him. But still I would give anything to have him back because at the end of the day your dad is your dad.

This is the first time Oliver has expressed anger towards Robert in anyway, so I want to be sure to note it and give him credit for naming the feeling & expressing it.

This speech also addresses the complexity of Robert’s death. If you’ve been wondering how can Oliver just pick up this enormous responsibility Robert dumped on him, which is essentially cleaning up HIS mess, and not feel resentful in anyway – then you can stop wondering.  He is resentful and angry as any human being would be.

Oliver can’t express that anger because Robert is dead.  His grief and overwhelming guilt overshadows his anger. This is why Oliver is encouraging Tommy to give his father another chance because he would give anything to have that opportunity with Robert.

But the thing is - Tommy also knows what it’s like to lose a parent. His mother died when he was just a little boy.  Oliver is literally preaching to the choir. Yes, his father is alive but appearances can be deceiving.  Merlyn disappeared for TWO YEARS after his mother died.  Malcolm may not have been physically absent when he returned, but he was emotionally absent.  Tommy is telling Oliver he felt abandoned by his father when he needed him most. He feels like an orphan. It was Oliver’s family that gave Tommy the love he needed.

I’m a little surprised Oliver doesn’t remember Malcolm disappearing for such a long time, but he was a little boy so I’ll give him a pass. What’s astounding to me is Oliver does not put these clues together.

Let’s run it down:

1. The List is comprised of one percenters destroying Starling City with their illegal activity. Malcolm Merlyn is one of Starling City’s wealthiest citizens.

2. He was a friend of the Queens.  Maybe not every rich person is on the List but his proximity to Robert means he deserves a hard look. He also floats in close proximity to Moira (another person Oliver stubbornly refuses to see any connection to the List even though SHE HAS HER OWN DAMN COPY).

3. Merlyn disappeared for TWO YEARS. Oliver came back a trained ninja/Russian spy with exceptional archery skills after five years. He doesn’t pause for even a second to wonder if Malcolm could have also acquired a similar skill set like, oh I don’t know, the DARK ARCHER!!!!

4. MOTIVE. Malcolm’s wife Rebecca was murdered. A super villain is always the dark reflection of the superhero. (Read a book Oliver). Robert’s death spurred Oliver’s mission to save the city. Maybe the Dark Archer’s mission to destroy the city is centered on a similar pain.

5. The Triad hired contract killer Floyd Lawton to kill Malcolm Merlyn. Why are world’s worst criminals trying to kill Tommy’s dad? These people typically don't associate with Disney princes.

6. Oliver has personal knowledge Malcolm Merlyn is a world class dick. 

Oliver can’t ask Felicity to find out where Merlyn went for those two years? You know who does finally ask? TOMMY. Swipe the passport Oliver. Look for a Nanda Parbat stamp. Mystery solved my dude.  This is like watching E.T. miss all the Reese’s Pieces. WHAT AN ENORMOUS OAK TREE!!!

Rather than read between any of these lines, Oliver pushes Tommy to make up with Satan.

Moira is intimately aware of how evil Malcolm is after he murdered one husband and kidnapped another, so she’s the one who wants him dead. She wisely puts a couple layers between Floyd Lawton and her – hence hiring the Triad to hire the assassin.

Unfortunately, Tommy listens to Oliver’s terrible advice and goes to the humanitarian event which throws a kink in Moira’s plan to kill Merlyn. She doesn’t want to kill Tommy’s only living parent in front of him, but that’s how the cookie crumbles kid. Moira is resolved. This is going down – Tommy or no Tommy.

Malcolm does give a damn about his son and breaks out his super ninja skills to save Tommy from Triad thugs. He shoots one in the head at point blank range, which makes a lasting impression on Tommy.

He leads Tommy to his safe room upstairs because he’s always prepared for anything.

Malcolm is just about to reveal the Dark Archer suit to his son, but the bullet proof windows get blown out by a rocket launcher of some kind? I’m not sure on the weaponry, but Lawton is always prepared too. Malcolm is wearing a bullet proof vest, but it doesn’t stop the bullet in his shoulder from poisoning him.

Source: @fogsblue

And guess who arrives just in time to help? UGH.

Source: @olliequeengifs

Oliver explains Malcolm needs a blood transfusion to survive. Tommy’s experiences with the Hood haven’t all been positive, so he is skeptical to say the least and keeps a gun on this loon. Oliver realizes the only way Tommy will listen is to take off the hood.

Source: @olliequeengifs

Tommy has a lot of WTF questions, but it all has to wait as Oliver prepares the blood transfusion.  DAMN IT OLIVER!!! JUST. LET. MACOLM. DIE.

Detective Lance questions Tommy about the vigilante’s identity, since he was saved AGAIN by the Hood, but Tommy answers honestly, “I don’t know who the hell he is.”

Even though Tommy feels betrayed by Oliver he is loyal and still loves him. So, he protects Oliver’s secret. In return, he wants Oliver to answer one question:

Source: @olivergifs

This answer endlessly fascinates me. Oliver will not tell his family, his girlfriend or his lifelong friends but trusts his most intimate secrets with two people he hasn’t known for more than a year. I think there are two main reasons.

He provided the first in Episode 5. Moira, Thea, L*urel and Tommy know who Oliver was before the island. If they truly knew who he is now, if they really see the rage and darkness he keeps simmering underneath that carefully crafted robotic surface, then they will know the full extent of his trauma. They will see him as broken, as less than. Maybe they will hate him like Oliver hates himself.

And Tommy’s reaction to Oliver’s secret identity is a confirmation of his worst fears.

The second reason is Oliver believes his mission will end, so there’s no need to tell anyone. He cannot see the full picture yet, but either Oliver will succeed in his mission or die trying. Given Oliver’s fatalistic outlook on life, the latter is the far likelier scenario he anticipates. In fact, he may believe the only way for his mission to succeed is to die. 

This is the moment it could have all been different.  Now the mission is on a collision course with the Merlyn family. If only Oliver put the clues together sooner, if only he didn’t reveal his identity to Tommy, if only he didn’t save Malcolm, if only, if only, if only…

But none of those things happened and now the consequences will play out. There's no turning back.

Merlance

This episode is the high point for L*urel and Tommy, so let’s just savor the moment.

L*urel throws Tommy a little birthday party and invites Oliver and McKenna over for dinner because everyone is so mature and the best of friends.

Tommy:  I have finally figured out why poets have been in business the last thousand years.

Oh my Merlance. Can’t we just stay this way? This is so close to an “I love you” but we’re still so very far away, which is really sad because Tommy and L*urel are happy and stable. They are opposites in almost every way, but that’s why they work.  We can see the humor, ease and joy in their relationship as Tommy is getting ready for his father’s award ceremony.

Source: @arrowsource

Small moments can mean just as much, if not more, than the big ones in a relationship. In the immortal words of Pacey Witter, “Oh I could do this. The salty and the sweet.”

I don’t doubt for one second that Tommy loves L*urel. The X factor is L*urel. It’s always been her. I believe she loves Tommy. I also believe she’s IN love with Tommy. I just don’t think L*urel knows that yet because she’s still hung up on all her Oliver crap.  The fact she doesn’t know really pisses me off because TOMMY MERLYN IS EVERYTHING.

Tommy knowing Oliver’s identity is obviously going to impact his relationship with L*urel; particularly since I’m sure he will remember discussing with Oliver her obsession with the Hood. AWKWARD. Oliver being a friggin superhero is also going to hit Tommy right in the gonads.

Tommy and L*urel are on a collision course with Oliver now that two thirds of this love triangle has the full truth between them. This collision was probably always going to happen. L*urel deserves the truth from Oliver too and if she finds out it will open a very big can of worms with Tommy.

But why should it? Oliver being a vigilante should not be the driving force for L*urel wanting to be with him. It does not change the fact that Oliver SLEPT WITH HER SISTER. I’m sorry, but there are just relationship deal breakers and that’s one of them. She can forgive him, but that doesn’t mean she has to BE with him.

Stray Thoughts

Felicity has adorable workout clothes. This is not a surprise. I also love that Diggle feels protecting Felicity means teaching her to protect herself. I love this friendship.

“I’m more of a runner.”  Stephen Amell pretending to be in terrible shape is hilarious.

Robert Queen was a pilot. So that’s how Oliver learned to fly.

Sara had a pet black canary. This show has the subtly of a jack hammer.

“Code breaker is my middle name. Actually it’s Meghan.” We were spoon-fed Felicity tidbits like this for a solid three seasons and each one left us craving for more.

Oliver fixed a radio in the flashbacks. It was riveting.

Listen to the @watchover-podcast reaction to 1x16!!!

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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.

[hq-screencaps]

Arrow Season 1 ↳ BluRay 1080p screencaps

Arrow Season 1 Deleted Scenes ↳ BluRay 1080p screencaps

[bloop-18]

1 and 1/2 eps in and my opinions are

• dialogue is dogshit

• characters are dogshit (except dig<3)

• character relationships are dogshit

• oliver’s fine but everyone around him is treating him like actual shit like?! man has been stranded on an island for years?! and you’re expecting him to just come back to normal?!

• gonna be honest not 100% sure what the actual story is but it’s interesting enough for me to keep watching

• green arrow is pretty cool tho

ik it’s a early 2010s show with a shit ton of filler to justify the length of of seasons but it drags

[justletmeramble1701]

I've never realized how much Twilight influenced the early Oliver and Laurel relationship.

[rewriting-thearrowverse]

I seriously cannot believe this chapter took me over a month to finish.

Post date: July 6, 2024

𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝟏 𝑬𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒅𝒆 𝟔: 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 (𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝟏)

A group of masked assailants broke open the doors of a bank. Their masks were designed to be like that of a playing card deck. The leading man, shot an automatic at the ceiling to scare them. And it worked as people began to scream. The Ace.

They began ducking to the floor.

"Get down! Everybody get down!" He announced as they screamed.

The civilians were against the floor, waiting in fear. 

"Nobody lift their head, Nobody gets hurt."

The workers were forced to the front by the King.

A man looked up to the Ace and spoke, "You can't Jackhammer into the safe, it's too thick."

He punched him down, "Shut up!"

"We're through!" King called out to him

"3 Minutes."

Ace checked the time on his watch.

In the back, Jack was loading money into a bag as King joined him.

There was a man reaching for a weapon concealed by his calf, and the woman next to him looked over.

((Note: The woman in this scene always pissed me off.))

"Are you trying to get us killed?" She whispered

"Don't worry, I'm a cop." He said as he turned his jacket over to show his police badge.

The men continued to load the money in the other room as quickly as they could.

"Please don't do anything, I don't wanna die." The woman said nervously

"Please!" She said loudly enough that Ace heard the commotion, came over and shot the man.

Screaming covered it after, causing King to come rushing back out, "What the hell's going on?"

Ace flipped the man over and grabbed his police badge.

"He was a freakin' cop." He said as he shoved the badge to King.

King looked back at him and said, "Enough throwing shots."

On the outside there were sirens and police cars pulling up.

"You hear that?!"

"Somebody triggered the alarm!" Ace yelled

Jack stopped in the back.

Ace held his weapon up, ready to shoot. King put it down.

"Don't."

"That's it. Let's go." He said

From outside, the cop, Lucas was using a bullhorn to speak. "Starling City Police Department."

"Lay down your weapons and come out with you hands up."

It focused back on the Royal Flush Gang,

"Repeat, Lay down your weapons and come out with your hands up."

Ace walked over to the woman with a strong stance and a look across his face. It was an intimidation tactic.

The door opened.

"Hold your fire."

Suddenly all of the hostages were wearing the masks and were running out in a panic. They screamed as they ran out and Lucas slowly lowered his weapon.

"These are hostages." he said

Some of them began lifting their masks and put their hands up.

"Mills, contain the hostages."

"All other units, move in! Move in!" He called out as he began to rush towards the inside of the building.

On the inside it was empty, except for the body of the cop who had been shot. A different officer leaned down to check on him.

Everyone else was scoping out the place, checking everywhere. Lucas noticed a hole in the floor.

--------

On the other side, The Royal Flush Gang was climbing out of the hole.

The oldest man already had his mask off when he said, "Come here. you shot a cop."

"This is not how we do things."

The other two were already in the vehicle.

The younger one ripped off the mask, "Me getting killed isn't how we do things either, is it?"

He was testing him, and it wasn't the time. He grabbed Ace and pulled him over, "Get in the Van!"

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Oliver and Diggle were sparring with Metal Escrimas in the hideout location. Oliver leaned back to miss a strike.

Diggle did a walk around, as he said, "Anchor the rear hand Diggle."

"Okay." He said

Then they went in for another try, this time ending in Diggle getting a strike against him. He grunted in pain.

"Variable acceleration, most fighters work at the same pace." Oliver said

"You switch it up, you throw your opponent off his game."

Diggle was holding the side of his face. As he circled around he moved his hand back down.

"Ah, that was nice. Where did you learn that?" Diggle asked

"He give you those scars?" He asked

"One of them."

"And the others?" He asked as he was gearing up to prepare for another round.

"you know, one of these days you're gonna be straight with me about what really happened on that island."

"Absolutely." He responded as they began striking in combat again.

This strain lasted a few seconds longer, as Oliver won with a turn and backwards strike.

Diggle fell down to a knee, and as Oliver walked over to his sorry monitor set up he said, "But not today!"

Diggle got up, "Still some pretty sweet moves."

"Yep."

Dig was walking over to see what he pulled up on the screen.

"And tonight I'm gonna use them on him."

Diggle looked from behind him as he pulled up a profile on another person from the list.

"Scott Morgan runs water and power in the glades."

He began to put on a long sleeved button up, "Jacks up the prices when people can't pay. Shuts them down, even in the dead of winter."

"Which is at least a month away." Diggle came over to the table and set down the sticks.

"Look at this."

"These guys started in Keystone 3 years ago. And then began moving west, hitting banks along the way." Diggle said as he pulled up an article on the Royal Flush gang.

"This morning, they hit Starling City Trust," he looked at Oliver

"Shot an off duty Cop."

"He's in a coma and the doctors are saying it's a coin toss whether he'll make it."

"If he's a cop, SCPD will be all over it."

It definitely felt like he was coming up with an excuse.

"Overwhelmed? Underfunded?"

Diggle walked around to make his way to Oliver as he continued to talk, "Listen, these guys don't hit one time."

"They hit two or three banks per city, which means right now they're planning their next job."

Oliver was sort of staring him down, "I

think you have the wrong impression about what it is I do."

"You take out bad guys with a bow and arrow." Dig stated

"I don't fight street crime."

Oliver turned around and opened his book, "That's a symptom of what's wrong with this city. I'm trying to cure the disease."

"CEOs and crooked entrepreneurs. I get it."

Diggle took a seat on a table behind them,

"Listen, Oliver, I'm just saying, maybe you can make a difference if you think beyond the scope of those pages. I'm sure your father wouldn't mind."

"No, you don't get it." Oliver turned around, there was a slight irritation in his voice.

He was almost confrontational, "My father d*ed so that I could live."

"Live and make a difference by fixing the city that he and the people in this book ruined."

"Every name that I cross off this list honors that sacrifice." He held the book up as he spoke.

"There's more than one way to save this city." Diggle said, standing up too

"Not for me." His tone was unchanging

"Crime happens in this city every day. What do you want me to do, stop all of it?" He asked in a calmer and more level headed voice tone.

"It sounds like you have a narrow definition of being a hero." Diggle said before walking off

"I'm not a hero."

➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳

Flashback

Oliver is laying in front of a dimly lit fire. It's flickering as he lay barely awake. He ripped a page out of the small book he pulled off of his father's body.

Suddenly, he was grabbed by the shoulder.

He gasped and quickly made it to his feet, scrambling to the other side of the cave.

"Dad?" He asked as he looked on in confusion

Laurel grabs a file out of a cabinet at CNRI and walks with Johanna.

"Please tell me this is a nightmare and I'm about to wake up."

"How can Stagg Industries up and pull out completely?"

"They're our largest donor." She said as they turned the corner.

"It's like they say... It's the economy, stupid." Johanna replied

"More like the stupid economy." Laurel said

"And without Stagg, how long can CARE keep the doors open?"

"It depends." Johanna said

"What time you got?"

Tommy interjected from behind them, and said, "I have fiesta time."

His sudden announcement of his presence, caused them to turn around to face him.

"Or is it siesta time?" He looked between the two in confusion.

"Which one means a party and which one means a nap?"

Johanna walked off, leaving him to Laurel's clutches...

"Tommy, as much as I would 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 to relive intro to Spanish with you.. Today is not a good day."

She walked off with her file, Tommy following behind her.

"Of course not. Working in this tiny brick office is intolerable." He said

"Now, you know where a spectacular place to spend the day is?"

"Coast City. Here's what I'm thinking. Sunset flight on my private plane, dinner at Broome's.. I'll have you home by midnight."

He looked back to her, "Or maybe in the morning."

"What is this?" She asked as she walked back over towards her desk area.

He followed her, "This is what we talked about. This is you getting to know the real me."

She turned around to face him as she stood at her desk, "Tommy. CNRI just lost its largest single donor."

He looked down in surprise.

"Which means all the hard work I have done to help this legal clinic survive... It may have been for nothing."

She sighed as she took a seat at her desk and began typing away on her desktop.

"Maybe another time, yeah?" He walked off backwards.

She looked up as he left, her expression briefly showed guilt.

✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠

At the Queen Mansion, Oliver and Thea were talking as they made their way down the stairs.

"I mean, haven't you noticed she's been acting a little down lately?" Thea asked him

Then she let out a light chuckle, "What am I saying, of course you haven't."

"Well, who are you to judge? Since when do you pay attention to how mom's feeling?" He asked

"Since our stepfather suddenly decided to take a business trip, halfway around the world." She said

"I think when someone of Walter's pay grade takes a business trip, it's always sudden Thea."

"I wouldn't worry." He said

Their mother came walking around the hallway near the stairs, carrying a vase with white flowers in it as she spoke up, "Guess who I just got off the phone with." She said

Oliver made the 'I don't know' gesture as he and Thea reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Janice Bowen. Carter's mother."

She set the case down on the table.

"Ohh"

"Carter Bowen. The perfect son." Oliver said with a chuckle.

"Is he perfect?" She asked as she looked to him

"According to you."

He made a mock up- Moira voice. "Carter Bowen just won the national chess championship."

He turned to Thea, "Carter Bowen is anchoring the debate team."

"I'm sure I didn't make that big of a fuss." Moira responded

Thea joined in, "Oliver, Carter just got accepted into 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘯."

"Well, that's because he got a perfect score on his SATs." Oliver turned with a slight smirk.

"Now how 𝘥𝘪𝘥 he manage to study and cure cancer?" Thea responded

Moira cut in, "All right, All right. I get it, I get it."

"Well, they're coming for brunch tomorrow, and I expect you to be there."

"I have plans." Oliver quickly responded

"That's fine. Brunch is tomorrow." Moira said

Thea turned as she let out a laugh, "Ha. Inches from a clean getaway."

"Well, you too Thea." Moira said

Oliver pointed at Thea, "Snap!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Nobody says that anymore."

"What?"

"Mom."

"Hm." She turned in response

"I can't actually go." He said

She walked closer to them, "I haven't seen the Bowens in years."

"So whatever it is that you have planned, I'm sure the two of you can make the sacrifice just this once." She said

"We'll be there." He said after taking a small breath in.

Thea looked irritated and Moira walked away after smiling at them.

"I hate you." Thea said

"Mhm." Oliver responded.

Suddenly, Oliver's phone started ringing, and he answered it.

"Yeah?"

"You know your friend Scott Morgan from your father's list?" Diggle said on the other line

"He tried to kill himself."

"Maybe he was afraid of getting a visit from you.."

"How fast can you make it to Starling General?"

"On my way." Oliver said before hanging up the phone

Tommy walked through the door as he was leaving.

"Hey, just thean I wanted to see." Tommy said

"I just picked up a new sports car, and I'm thinking we can open her up, pick up a few speeding tickets-"

Oliver cut him off, "That sounds great, but something's come up. I gotta jet."

Oliver tapped him on the shoulder as he walked out.

"Uh- okay."

Tommy stared after him, disappointed.

"Nice talk. Thanks."

From the background, Thea walked up as she spoke up, "He moves fast, doesn't he?"

"It's ironic, really. Since you're the one we call Speedy." He said as he turned around to face her.

"Called. Please. For the love of God." She let out a light laugh as she tilted her head back in slight embarrassment.

"But if you need somebody to talk to, I'm here." She offered

He considered it for a second as he looked back over to her, "You know, maybe you could help."

"There's this girl I'm interested in.."

"And I'm not really sure how to pursue it."

There was a smirk on her face. "Have you tried using your usual lines? Hi, my name is Tommy Merlyn and I'm a billionaire, but I don't look like Warren Buffet."

Yeah.. She's aware of that. And she doesn't care." He responded with a sigh

"You know? Money isn't really a big deal to her."

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" Thea asked

"Well.. I've known her for a long time. And I'm not sure the direct approach is the right way to go." He said

"Maybe you just have to figure out what's a big deal to her and make it a big deal to you."

He smiled, "Thea. You are amazing."

He kissed her on the cheek and turned to walk off out the door.

As he left, he said "Love you."

And she smiled behind him.

Oliver got off his motorcycle as he arrived at the front of the hospital. Then he walked up to Diggle.

"You sure? Scott Morgan doesn't seem like the type who would try to kill himself." Oliver said as they walked together.

"True, but it's the best lie I could come up with on short notice." Diggle said as the police officer who was shot earlier was wheeled out of an ambulance.

Oliver shot a certain glance at him.

A woman walked over to them, "Mr. Diggle,"

They shook hands, "I can't thank you enough for arranging to move my husband from County Ward to Starling General. Now I know he's getting the best care available."

"You really should be thanking this man, Oliver Queen." Diggle gestured to Oliver, "He's paying the bill."

"Jana's husband, Stan is a police officer, who happened to be making a deposit at Starling Trust Bank." Diggle said to Oliver

"The bank that was robbed." Oliver said in realization.

He turned to look at Jana, "I was so sorry to hear about your husband. Is he going to be okay?"

"The doctors say the next 24 hours are crucial.." She said

"He should've just kept his head down, you know." she sighed

"I've known a few police officers in my day,"" Diggle said

"Always willing to help others, even if that means putting themselves at risk."

"Thank you." Jana said to Oliver

He looked to her and said, "You're welcome." before she walked away.

He turned to face Diggle, "You lied to me."

"You asked me to work with you, not for you." He responded

"And when you did, you said it was because you understand what kind of man I am."

"Well Oliver, I'm the kind of man who doesn't walk away when there's a chance to make a difference. And neither does Stan Washington."

Oliver moved past him to walk back to his bike.

"Oliver- I'm not finished talking." Diggle said

"Where are you going?"

"To make a difference." He responded as he made his way over to his bike

"Let's catch some bank robbers."

➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳

At the hideout, Diggle and Oliver are looking through the surveillance footage

"You see that guy right there? He's got a temper." Diggle said

"And he shot Officer Washington." Oliver said

"That's right."

Oliver zoomed in and froze the frame, "College ring."

"Or high school, more likely." Diggle said

"That ring will get us an I.D." Oliver said

Diggle clicked on it a few times, zooming in on the ring. "Yeah, but even with photo enhancement, you're gonna have a problem getting a clear shot of that ring."

Oliver nodded his head in agreement.

"No, but it left an impression the police will have photographed."

he stood up from his chair.

"It'll be in evidence lockup."

Oliver went around back and grabbed the hood.

"Please tell me you're not going where I think you're going." He said with a slight sigh.

"Diggle, why do you even ask?" he said as he walked off.

➴◈◉◈➶◈◉◈➴◈◉◈➶◈◉◈➴◈◉◈➶◈◉◈➴◈◉◈➶

The Hood snuck through the window of the police station and quietly snuck through to the next doorway. Creeping around, quietly.

He tucked his bow behind his back as he silently walked through.

On the other side, Detective Hilton is speaking, "Are you kidding me?!"

"I don't want to hear this. Don't tell me about red tape!"

"One of our own has been shot."

As they rounded the corner, the Hood pinned himself up against the ceiling with an arrow.

"Tell them to find themselves a pair of scissors."

As an officer put on his hat and walked out of another door, the hood plugged a flash drive into a computer on the precinct and began downloading the evidence. he took it and moved out.

Laurel walked through the doors of CNRI, where she noticed Tommy and Johanna talking at a desk.

"So, where are you going to take me today? Monte Carlo?" she asked

"Actually, I was just telling Jo here that the Merlyn Global Group is looking to expand its local philanthropy, and I thought that we could start by sponsoring a benefit for CNRI." He said

"Thank you Tommy," she wasn't buying it.

"But, I think we can manage without your family's finances."

Jo cast a look in Laurel's direction, all while Tommy looked downcast briefly.

"Laurel, A word?"

"Come on."

Laurel followed Johanna away from Tommy.

"What are you doing?" Jo asked, bewildered.

"Come on. He's not actually interested in throwing us a fundraiser."

"What he wants to have is the first annual attempt to get back into my pants gala."

"Who cares why he's doing it?" Jo asked

"We need the money."

"Not like that, we don't."

"We really do. So you're gonna listen to your best friend's advice."

"You're gonna go over there and say, Thank you Tommy. We'd be honored if you'd throw us a fundraiser."

Jo gave her another look, causing Laurel to tilt her head back before following Johanna back to Tommy.

The unwillingness was written all over her face. And in her tone as she spoke up.

"Thank you Tommy."

"We'd be honored if you'd throw us a fundraiser."

✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠

Back at the Hideout in the Glades Oliver was searching through the crime scene photos.

He stopped on a photo, showing the ring impression the bank manager's cheekbone.

"The bank manager Ace punched, his ring left a mark."

Oliver clicked on it, and zoomed in on it. It was shaped like an L.

"Larchmont High." He said as it scanned the imprint.

He looked to Diggle, who had been right, "High School."

Diggle smirked and nodded his head.

"I cross referenced his height and relative age with a list of students and alumni." Oliver said as he looked at the screen

"Still, that's a pretty long list." Diggle pointed out.

"It was. I dug a little deeper and found Kyle Reston." Oliver said as he pulled up his profile.

"Right before Kyle's senior year, not only did he drop out, he dropped off the grid."

Diggle scrunched his eyebrows and made his way over.

"Along with his family,"

He pulled up a family photo of the Reston's, "Father, mother, younger brother."

"There are two other guys involved in this robbery." Diggle said as he looked at the photo.

"And a woman." Oliver said

As Oliver looked to a photo of the people exiting the bank, he said, "Aside from Stan Washington, there were 22 customers and employees that came out of the bank."

"9 men, 13 women."

"Inside the bank, 9 men, 14 women."

"They put a ringer in." Diggle said.

"The mom. The police are looking for a crew, we're gonna look for a family."

"Speaking of which-" he stood up, "I'm incredibly late for mine."

➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳

In the dining room, Moira was standing next to Janice Bowen, next to the table where they were both drinking champagne.

"Well, I'm sorry Walter couldn't join us." Janice said

They walked to the rest of the group as Moira spoke, "Oh yes, well, the Australian trip came up suddenly."

"He sends his apologies."

"Where's Oliver?" Carter asked

"He's not out of town too, is he?"

"Oh, I'm sure he's just-"

Oliver cut her off as he made his way into the room, "Stuck in traffic."

"One of the things I didn't miss on the island- Sunday drivers."

He went over to hug Moira, "Sorry I'm late."

"Mhm." She said as she returned the hug

He went over to hug Thea and she whispered in his ear, "Thank god you're here."

"It is so good to see you." Janice said as she hugged Oliver.

She kissed his cheek as she let him go, "We all though you were-"

Moira interrupted, "Oh, well, we're just happy he's home."

"Hm, and returning a celebrity, too." Carter says as he shakes Oliver's hand. 

"How do you mean?" Oliver asked

"Billionaire scion," They all moved to the table to take their seats

"Castaway for five years."

"You know, there's a bidding war for the rights to your story." He said as they took their seats

"At least, that's what my agent says."

"Agent? I thought you were a neurosurgeon, Carter." Oliver said

"I know,"

He gave off such a snobby vibe.

"It's crazy right?"

"One minute I'm publishing this book on how long-tern potentiation initiates the creation of a slow moving protein synthesis," Oliver and Thea exchanged very specific looks.

"And the next, there's an agent trying to make me the next Dr. Oz."

"Why would he want you to be a wizard?" Oliver asked

He was absolutely playing dumb on purpose, but I can't prove it.

Everyone there started laughing.

"Oh, Oliver." his mother laughed out loud.

"For all of our sakes, start reading Us Weekly." Thea said

He looked at her and nodded his head.

"Well, the truth is, I just feel it's our duty as Starling City's more fortunate to help those most in need."

"Oh, of course." Moira agreed

"Wouldn't you agree, Oliver." Carter had singled him out, likely baiting him. But he didn't take it.

"You're the hero, Carter."

*Flashback*

"I can't believe you did this! You officially ruined your life before it began."

"I know mom! I made a mistake! I believed what I was told." She appeared to be early to mid twenties.

"I was angry, destructive, and bitter. They knew they could reach me." Laurel sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"You couldn't know them that well in under 3 years. Which means you've at least been affiliated longer." her mother said

"This lie is a dangerous one. Don't you realize your life doesn't end under your own jurisdiction any more."

"You'll always be under theirs."

"I was still in high school when I met for the first time. They knew who you were, and they knew who I was. They offered to train me even better."

"I took her up on the offer.. This was the same time frame as when you went out with your other friends.. and you lost badly, so badly that you had to lie to dad about a business trip while you recuperated." Laurel said

"And so. I believed her."

"Who?"

"I can't tell you her name." Laurel said

"And you can't help me. This is my mistake, my problem."

Laurel turned around, but Dinah grabbed her arm.

"No! I will not lose my last living child. We're gonna fight this together."

✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠♫✧𖣠

The Reston's had their Royal Flush masks at the top of their heads, waiting outside of Starling Trust bank.

Derek loaded the clip into his gun, "Quick and clean. And try not to shoot anybody."

He looked to Kyle, who did little to hide his irritation.

They all flipped their masks down and exited the back of a van.

Back in the dining room, Raisa brings another drink in as Janice speaks to Oliver, "So, now that you're back, what are your plans?"

"Will you be taking a job at Queen Consolidated?"

"I'm Opening a night club." He said completely straight faced as Thea let out a laugh.

Moira looked over at her.

And Diggle walked into the room as he said, "Sir, your liquor distributer's on the line."

Moira already looked pissed.

He whispered into his ear, "First Bank of Starling was hit two minutes ago."

As Oliver quickly stood up, he said, "Sorry, business."

Moira was upset, and Thea had a look that read, 'seriously'

He walked with Diggle as he spoke, "If the Reston's M.O. holds, they'll make their escape underground."

"First Bank of Starling is located right above the water treatment tunnels."

He turns to face Oliver, as he pulls out a phone with GPS tracking.

"The entrance is located here.

Moira walks out to them, "Oliver. Where are you going?"

They turned to look at her.

"Something's come up, I'm really sorry." He said before he and Diggle left.

➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳

A siren was wailing as a cop car pulled to the front of the bank. Cops ran out of their cars to the bank. There was SWAT as well as regular cops in bulletproof vests involved.

On the inside of the bank, the younger brother was finishing filling a bag with money.

Ace slid down a ladder, "I've got it, Let's go."

They followed off behind him.

They ran through a steel room.

As they ran, they were cut off when the SCPD rounded the corner.

"SCPD! Don't move!" Hilton called out as the cops had their weapons trained on them.

Ace threw the first shot.

King grabbed him, and pulled him aside as the cops shot back, "Enough! What are you doing?"

His father kept trying to stop him from firing more shots as they moved back.

The Hood slid in, and fired an arrow, securing the bank bag to the ground, as a net shot around it.

Ace began firing shots at the hood as he moved around.

The hood jumped over a beam, then fired another, knocking the gun out of his hand. Then he flipped over as he tried to chase him on foot.

"Let's get out of here!" King called out to the boys.

He shot another arrow, securing the other bag to the ground.

"Our cash!" Ace said as he tried to grab it.

"Forget it!" said King

"Let's go!" They started running off.

"All right, let's move!" Hilton said to the other officers.

As they chased out the door, the saw him, and a cop called out, "It's the vigilante!"

The Hood fired an arrow at a fuse box, causing it to spark. The Royal Flush Gang, had gotten away. As the sparks killed the power, he made his getaway.

𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕥ𖤓ꕤ𖤓ꕤ𖤓

The Reston's were all together outside by their van, as they talked, elsewhere in the city.

"Who the hell was that guy?" Asked the Jack.

"The local vigilante, usually goes after rich guys." Derek shrugged.

"Well, clearly he's branching out." Kyle said, raising his arms in irritation.

"Dealing with that guy in Blüdhaven was bad enough, but this one doesn't mind the blood?!" The younger brother freaked a bit.

"Things have gone sideways for us lately." Said the mother,

"That hood guy showing up. Kyle shooting a cop."

"You were the one that warned me he was a cop!" Kyle yelled back defensively

King used his hands, cutting them both off, "Your mother has a point, maybe this is a sign we need to hang it up."

"Head for Mexico, retire."

The brothers looked concerned.

"We don't have enough." Said the younger brother

"We always said we wouldn't quit until we had enough to set ourselves up."

"The kid's right. We need to hit another." Kyle agreed.

The mother turned to Derek, "We can make do with what we've got."

"We'll be okay. " he agreed as he turned back to the boys.

The younger brother shook his head and turned away.

"I didn't spend 5 years risking my life and freedom to just be okay!" Kyle exclaimed

"No. Set for life."

He walked closer to his father and was in his face.

"That was our deal."

He stared him down and he nodded his head, "Okay."

Derek agreed and his wife looked away.

"One more. And then we're out." He said assertively. 

At Queen Consolidated, Felicity was researching on her laptop for Oliver,

"I should add, 'Personal Internet researcher for Oliver Queen' to my job title."

He just looked at her, and she looked back with a look, almost like a deer caught in headlights,

"Happily, I mean."

Diggle looked at her and let out a silent chuckle.

"His name is Derek Reston. We were close, before I... went away."

Felicity pulled up the browser on her laptop

"And I want to get back in touch."

"I guess you didn't have Facebook on that island." She said

"Nope. Not even a My Space account." Diggle joked

Oliver gave him a dirty look, which was returned with a smirk.

"It was a very dark time."

She was scrolling through the page, "Well, there's not much here that's recent."

"No credit activity..."

She continued to read through the page, "No utility bills."

Suddenly, his employee ID from the factory popped up. A look of surprise crossed her face.

"Well, I guess you guys must have met at the factory." She said as she looked back at him

He just looked confused as he spoke up, "Wait.. What factory?"

"The Queen Steel Factory."

"Derek Reston worked there for 15 years until it shut down in '07." She said

She could very well see that he didn't know as his expression darted to the side.

"Derek Reston worked for my father?" He asked 

"You weren't really close friends, huh?" she asked sarcastically

She clicked on her keyboard as she continued to read the information on file.

"It looks like Derek was the factory foreman, until your dad outsourced production to China. About 1,500 employees got laid off."

Oliver and Diggle exchanged a knowing expression. Everything always came back to the list, and the filthy rich.

"Looks like the finance guys even found a loophole in the union contract, so they didn't have to pay severance packages and pensions to their employees."

"they all pretty much lost their homes."

She looked back at Oliver, "Including your friend."

➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳

*Flashback*

Oliver was in the cave, in front of him was his father... His dead father.

He looked on in hurt and confusion, "You died."

In a stern, angered tone, Robert spoke up, "I asked you. I begged you to survive!"

"But, if you don't think you can," he pulled a gun from his back pocket, showing it to Oliver.

"There's still one bullet left."

Oliver reached for it.

Robert somewhat grabbed for it, "But Oliver.."

"My death is made meaningless by yours."

Robert let go of the gun. Oliver took it and held it at his side.

"I'm starving."

"I'm gonna die anyway, and I just want it to be quick." He said in somber desperation.

"I just want it to be quick, like yours was."

"You can survive this." Robert said

"No, I can't. I'm not as strong as you think I am."

He pointed the gun at his head

"And I'm sorry."

He fired the gun.

[feelingtheaster99]

I’m rewatching Young Justice again and in “Independence Day” I am just STRUCK by how well they introduce all four of the “sidekicks” and their respective mentors.

Like Robin is so at home fighting against villains. He cackles and he almost seems bored because he’s rather dismissive of Mr. Freeze and of the fight. He’s also fairly at ease with Batman, because I imagine not many other people, can tell Batman, “yeah, yeah” in that tone.

Speedy, on the other hand, is very serious. He’s the only one of the four who questions the villains’ motives and he is the one getting annoyed with Green Arrow for joking around.

Aqualad is also serious but in a much calm and less aggressive way. He absolutely oozes respect for Aquaman, even when his mentor teases him about being excited for the day ahead.

And Kid Flash? He’s going full-on impatient, excited puppy mode. He’s so impatient to get there that he allows himself to get slightly frozen in order to stop the fight as soon as possible. And his wide, excited grin is so telling of his generally positive personality

[indra-istari]

guy who has been stranded on an island: I’m traumatized and don’t wanna talk about it rn

his whole family for some reason: You suck dickhead bastard freeloader you owe us an explanation

me vs stupid tv shows (CW found at the scene if the crime)

[laurelsource]

Cisco, I know Barry's The Flash and Oliver's the Arrow. How do you know that?! Because... I'm the Black Canary

[leclerc-s]

still not over rossi leaving mclaren and pato

[jbuffyangel]

Always Laurel: Arrow 1x20 Review (Home Invasion)

The love triangle pendulum swings violently in the other direction as Oliver makes a decision that breaks Tommy’s heart and destroys Diggle’s trust in him.

Source: @htbthomas

Does Oliver always choose Laurel? If yes, then is that a good thing?

Let’s dig in…

Merlance and Lauriver

At this point in the first season, you have probably formed an opinion on this love triangle.  You are either Merlance, Lauriver, a plague on both their houses, or just don’t give a crap. All choices are valid. Everyone knows where I stand.

What I think we can agree on is this love triangle is toxic. Toxicity, I feel, that is being driven largely by Oliver Queen. But we’ll get to that in a minute.  First, we need to discuss the choice Oliver makes.

Laurel is representing the Moore family and suing Edward Rasmus, an investment broker, for stealing their life savings. Rasmus hires Gunn from Angel (that’s what I’m calling him. I know his character has a name, but I don’t care) to kill the parents, but their son Taylor manages to escape. We don’t actually see how Taylor escaped. It looks he jumped out a twelve story window, but whatever.

Laurel volunteers to be the child’s temporary guardian, so Taylor stays at her apartment with Tommy. This leads to a beautiful Merlance moment and one of my all-time favorite Tommy scenes in the series. Little Taylor is grieving the loss of both his parents, so Tommy offers him some advice.  

Source: @bifelicitys

Colin Donnell’s delivery in this scene is just the right mix of sadness and loving comfort. We can see the kind of father Tommy would be and it’s a beautiful sight to behold. If Laurel Lance is not in love with Tommy Merlyn already then she certainly falls in love with him in this moment.

I wish we could just leave them here forever. Safe in the cocoon of their stable, loving, and supportive relationship.

But we can’t because of Oliver.

Tommy and Laurel have lost one crucial aspect of their relationship because of Oliver - honesty. They are both lying. Laurel has failed to tell Tommy that she’s been having “friendly” lunches with Oliver (re: see last episodes “I don’t want to be on an island anymore” speech).  And Tommy is keeping the biggest secret of all – he knows Oliver is the vigilante.

Source: @htbthomas

Gunn storms Laurel’s apartment to finish the job on Taylor. Tommy throws himself over Taylor’s body and I friggin swooned. Someone woman needs to give this man a baby! The daddy hotness is too much to take.

Laurel shows some impressive “daughter of a cop” moves when she breaks out the shot gun.

Unfortunately, she didn’t keep more than one bullet in the chamber. Why she didn’t check the gun the minute she got home I will never understand. I swear, this woman sometimes.

Of course, Oliver is there in the shadows as The Hood to rescue Laurel, Tommy and Taylor. Now that Tommy knows Laurel and Taylor are targets, he advises Quentin they should stay at the Queen mansion. They have wall to wall security and more importantly The Hood lives there.

Tommy: We both only want is best for Laurel. And right now that is to stay close to the Oliver. Trust me.

However, the first thing Oliver does when they arrive is leave to help Diggle track down Floyd Lawton, which infuriates Tommy.

Tommy: You are the reason why we’re here and trust me that wasn’t easy to admit.

Oliver assures Tommy the bodyguards at the Queen mansion will be more than sufficient to protect them, but when push comes to shove, he abandons his promise to Diggle to stop Rasmus. This didn’t stop Gunn from going after Taylor again at the Queen mansion. The bodyguards ended up being worthless and a hoodless Oliver Queen had to kill Gunn with a fire poker.

Was Oliver needed at the mansion to save everyone’s lives? YES. But that went down after the Lawton sting operation. Did stopping Rasmus in any way deter Gunn from going after Taylor again? No. Gunn kills anyone who has seen his face – including Rasmus. Oliver couldn’t have known that though. I’m not denying Oliver is juggling a lot of balls this episode. He has some tough choices to make, but the problem is he’s not being honest about the reasons behind those choices.

Felicity:  Couldn’t you be friends with someone less complicated than your ex-girlfriend who is your ex-best friend’s current girlfriend?

It’s a lightly made comment about Oliver’s relationships outside of the bunker, but Felicity’s gentle jab packs a big punch of truth. The more Oliver says Laurel is just a friend the less anyone believes him. It’s crap. Oliver clearly has more than friendly feelings towards Laurel and he does absolutely nothing to conceal them. In fact, he’s pretty damn brazen about it.

Let’s talk the lunches. It ultimately is canceled because of Laurel’s meetings with the Moores, so Oliver meets them when he arrives at CNRI. But he comes back to Laurel’s office after they are murdered to see if there’s anything he can do.

Initially, Tommy tells Oliver his help is not required and a phone call to check on Laurel would’ve been more than sufficient. He didn’t need to stop by in person. Tommy is being very territorial and rightfully so. The vibe ain’t vibing. Then Oliver casually not so casually tells Tommy about the lunches with Laurel – which she has failed to share with her boyfriend. 

Why is Laurel lying to Tommy? A lie of omission is still a lie. If she is truly “just friends” with Oliver then there’s no reason to hide the lunches from Tommy. Laurel has yet to truly articulate how she feels for Oliver, but this lie is not good. An emotional affair is just as hurtful and wrong as a physical one. Some even consider it worse, but make no mistake, an emotional affair is cheating.

As for Oliver, his feelings are plain as day. He has kept Laurel on an emotional hook for the entire season. He continually reinserts himself into her life, particularly at the moments when she’s trying her best to move on.

There was a respectful distance between the two and then Oliver decides Laurel is the person he wants to reconnect with. Why not Tommy? Their friendship could use a lot of damage control. What about Thea? Oliver can’t take her to Big Belly Burger or his mother or Diggle? There is an ample list of people Oliver can open up to if he so chooses. But instead he chooses Laurel – a choice that, as Felicity states, is complicated and wildly inappropriate.

Oliver also uses the vigilante shtick to emotionally manipulate Laurel. He can’t be honest about who he is or what he feels for her, so instead he uses The Hood to be her knight in shining armor.

Source: @htbthomas

When Laurel finds out it’s The Vigilante who saved them, Oliver notices the soft smile playing on her lips and he’s extremely pleased - almost smug. He’s used the hood to stay close to Laurel all season long. She’s hemmed and hawed about whether or not The Vigilante is a good guy, but it seems she’s solidly pro hood at the moment.

Oliver: He’s lucky to have you in his life. I know the feeling.

This conversation takes place about twenty feet from the bedroom Laurel is staying in with HER BOYFRIEND who is supposed to be Oliver’s best friend.  He gently touches her arm, they hug and Oliver presses Laurel’s head to his chest, all while Tommy is listening. The way Oliver speaks to Laurel, the way he touches her, is anything but ok.

Source: @htbthomas

One of the fatal flaws of Lauriver is the writers tell rather than show. I’m a little unclear what “change” Laurel is referring to in Oliver because we don’t get scenes of them discussing anything REAL. So, we’re just supposed to accept through the course of the season Laurel has seen change in Oliver Queen.

But she doesn’t qualify what that change is. Is he more selfless? Is Oliver more communicative? Is he more honest? I don’t know what that word means to Laurel. The last time we saw Oliver and Laurel interacting on a personal level was at least 1x09 or 1x10 and those scenes were really about Laurel finally moving on with Tommy.

SO. WHY. DOESN’T. OLIVER. LET. HER. MOVE. ON????????????!!!!

Oliver is desperate for Laurel’s forgiveness. He’s so desperate for it that he uses The Hood as a way to prove he’s a different person now and to develop a relationship with Laurel he cannot otherwise have as Oliver Queen. As The Hood, there is no Sara. As The Hood, there is no betrayal. As The Hood, he can rebuild trust and find a way to stay in Laurel’s life. As The Hood, he can be the hero. If Oliver can fix things with Laurel it’s like the last five years never happened. Oliver may have a mission to save the city, but what he’s really chasing is absolution.

I’m going to harp on this until I am blue in the face and I’m nowhere near done discussing it in these final three episodes. Nothing has truly changed between Laurel and Oliver. He was lying to her five years ago and he’s lying to her now. Love based on deception isn’t love. There can be no absolution without honest confession.

Tommy: You still love her, don’t you?

Source: mymarsrevolution

This is a popular line used in Olicity fanvids, but it’s not about Felicity. It’s about Laurel. This discussion about Laurel between Oliver and Tommy is so patronizing. It’s like Laurel is a toy they are arguing over.  The men get to decide who gets to “keep” her. The men decide what information she needs and who she really belongs with. This choice is neither Oliver nor Tommy’s to make. Laurel deserves the full truth and to decide for herself if she wants to be with either of them.

Source: @bj-hunnicutts

But what Oliver says is so toxically self serving it makes my blood boil. He’s inserted himself as The Hood in Laurel’s life as a sexy, leather clad, dangerous, bow & arrow wielding, romance novel, shadow figure who heroically saves her life again and again (because women hate guys like that). Oliver develops an emotional attachment between Laurel and The Hood to keep his hooks in her just enough to muddy the waters with Tommy.

Now he’s reinserting himself into her life as Oliver Queen, but just as a “friend” while carrying on an emotional affair with her. He has ZERO intention of ever being honest or having a real relationship with her. Oliver dresses it up as heroic selflessness, but if he was really being selfless – he would leave her alone completely. Oliver doesn’t want to be with Laurel, but he doesn’t want her to move on from him either. It’s selfish.

Oliver isn’t the only one lying to Laurel. Tommy is too, but we know why. Oliver’s secret is not his to tell, but there’s another reason he finally admits to in “Home Invasion.”

Source: @htbthomas

Is Tommy right about Laurel choosing Oliver? Yeah, probably. I believed that when I first watched Season 1 and I still believe it now. If she was fully committed to Tommy then The Hood couldn’t have any effect on her. If Laurel was fully committed to Tommy, then Oliver would truly be just a friend. She would tell Tommy about the lunches. Or she would say it’s not appropriate and she cannot be the shoulder Oliver cries on.

Instead, Laurel tethers herself to both The Hood and Oliver in a way that grazes the line between friends and more than friends. Those lines should always be clear if you are in a committed relationship. She is being unfair to Tommy.

But again, Laurel isn’t dealing with all the information. So, there’s only so much I fault her at this point. What Oliver is doing is very manipulative and it shows, quite frankly, that when it comes to Laurel – he hasn’t changed much. It doesn’t endear Laurel to me that she can’t see Tommy is the perfect man for her, but at this point in the season I am laying the blame for this toxic cycle more at Oliver’s feet than hers.

Unfortunately, Tommy makes the biggest mistake of his life and breaks up with Laurel. I understand why. Tommy has some self respect and knows there’s something going on between Laurel and Oliver. Tommy knows he’s competing with a mythic romance novel like persona and he feels he doesn’t measure up in comparison, which is the real reason he leaves. He’s wrong in every way possible. You don’t need to dress up in a hood and save the city to be a good man.

Tommy: I guess I haven’t changed as much as we all thought then.

He can barely get the words out as he ends their relationship. Laurel is understandably shocked and confused. This seems to be a 180 degree turn from where they were just a day ago. To say this breakup was abrupt would be an understatement.

The saddest part is Tommy truly has changed. He should stay and fight for Laurel because what they have is real and worth saving. They’ve made their own history, one that doesn’t have anything to do with Oliver Queen. (Are you feeling the Joey & Pacey versus Dawson parallel?)

But Tommy is right about something. Laurel and Oliver need to deal with their baggage, so she can find always with the right man - the man who wants a future with her and not the man trying to erase the past.

Oliver and Diggle

If Arrow is pushing us to root for a Laurel and Oliver reunion, they are doing a spectacularly bad job at it. Oliver has promised Diggle he will help kill Floyd Lawton, but in the end he abandons John and Deadshot gets away. Diggle feels betrayed primarily because well… Oliver betrayed him. 

Diggle: I needed you there, man.

The choice between Lawton and Rasmus was a simple one. Deadshot was the bigger threat and the harder target to capture. Oliver can be pretty mechanical when it comes to making these types of choices, so it was surprising when he chose the corrupt investment broker over the assassin.

Four ARGUS agents died trying to capture Lawton. It really didn’t need to be a choice for Oliver. Why couldn’t Felicity call in a tip to Detective Lance and let Starling PD arrest Rasmus?

Source: bj-hunnicutts-blog

Because then The Hood couldn’t be the hero for Laurel. Oliver got to strut into the mansion and announce Rasmus was arrested, there was no longer a threat to the boy or Laurel, and The Hood was the man who saved the day. The pleased little smile on Laurel’s face, this latest rescue more proof that The Hood was a good man who cared for her, was Oliver’s reward. He scored points with Laurel. Oliver may not be cashing them in, but he’s collecting points all the same.

This does not make his actions completely altruistic, which is why Diggle is angry. John knows Oliver was trying to look good in front of Laurel and he put that desire before his friendship with John. Proving to Laurel that he’s a changed man is just as much a part of Oliver’s mission as The List. He broke his promise to John.  Oliver didn’t help Diggle complete his mission to avenge his brother. Instead, Oliver continued to pursue his own.

 Source: bj-hunnicutts-blog

If Oliver choosing Laurel is a good thing then why is there all this collateral damage around him?  Tommy, Diggle, Lyla, ARGUS agents, even Felicity, have been hurt by this choice.

Oliver: Something to say, Felicity? Felicity: Nothing you want to hear.

This is not an accident on the writers’ part. They could’ve easily shown the scenario I posed about (re: Felicity tipping off Quentin) or Diggle understanding and supporting Oliver choosing Laurel. It didn’t have to play out like this. Remember they are the ones crafting the story here. It’s their choice.

They are doing this for a REASON. Oliver did not make the right decision in “Home Invasion.” The writers are not saying Oliver and Laurel should be together and the rest of the world be damned. Quite the opposite.

Relationships cannot exist in a bubble. Just because you love someone doesn’t give you the right to hurt people in the name of that love. We can become blind to other people's feelings and consumed by our emotions for one singular person, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Spike: Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy. Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes.

Buffy: Until there's nothing left. Love like that doesn't last.

Not a BTVS fan? Let’s try The Vampire Diaries:

Damon: I thought you broke my heart so I ripped open Aaron’s neck that is how much control you have over me.

Elena: And I'm still here, that's how much control you have over me.

Damon: Listen to us. This is toxic. We are in a toxic relationship, Elena.

Oliver isn’t consumed by love for Laurel, but he is consumed by regret. Guilt can be just as powerful emotion as love. We know Oliver hasn’t always chosen Laurel – hell we saw it in the freaking flashback this episode.

Oliver kisses Shado as she tries to teach him to be an archer. He’s been away from Laurel (AND SARA) for few weeks (months?) and he’s already kissing someone else. These are not the actions of a man deeply in love.

Oliver: There’s someone. And it’s a mile past complicated, but I can’t.

Shado: Does she know how much you love her?

Oliver: I suspect right now she doesn’t. But as soon as I’m home, she will.

The Arrow writers either have a very wacked perspective on what love, fidelity and devotion mean or they are trying to make a point. Oliver didn’t choose Laurel in the past and it led to some disastrous consequences.

But Oliver choosing Laurel in the present has also led to some disastrous consequences. So maybe, just maybe, Oliver and Laurel isn’t a good thing. True love wouldn’t leave this much human wreckage in its wake. Maybe this isn’t the “always” Oliver should be pursuing. 

Diggle: The only thing that will stop me from going out that door is an arrow.

And they are using John Diggle, the man guiding Oliver on his path to righteousness, to make that point.

Stray Thoughts

HE LOOKS. You cannot beat the Stemily chemistry. These scenes are gold.

YASSS Diggle shirtless. There needs to be more Diggle shirtless.

Lyla is pissed John didn’t tell her Deadshot killed his brother. She’s going to arrest him if he continues to get in the way. Hmm… handcuffs. Has potential. *evil cackle*

Tommy also lied to Laurel about Oliver being cool with him leaving the club for a job with his dad. It’s like watching these two swirl down a toilet bowl honestly.

Oliver in a towel is always welcomed no matter how ticked off I am at him.

“I can’t explain it but it feels like my life is connected to his.” Roy and Thea are united in the hunt for The Hood. Finally these two get a storyline I care about.

The badge was a fake. This is actually a really good safety tip. Should I know what a valid badge number looks like? Feel like I should know that.

“I’m feeling like it might be time for you to move.” Preach.  Does Laurel have insurance? Who pays to fix her apartment all the time? I think she’s needed a new couch like three times already.

Lyla’s code name is Harbringer. Hello comics!

Lawton doesn’t kill Diggle because he hasn’t been paid to? That is convenient, isn’t it? Come on show. Do better with valid reasons for getting characters out of jams when Oliver isn’t available.

Are we going to talk about WHY a world class assassin was hired to kill John’s brother? I feel like there’s major backstory there.

Where is Shado getting all the arrows?

“I liked who my son was when he was around you.” If Moira Queen is pro Lauriver then that’s all the proof I need to swear off that relationship. The evil spirits are coming to get me. No thanks.

Oliver has killed 26 people (that the cops know about) since returning home. Yeesh. That’s a lot.

Can you really break off a doorknob to keep someone from entering the room?

“No, Ollie is still out there!” Oh honestly Tommy, just let her go. Maybe a bullet will snap some sense into her.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x20!!!

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[hayacinthandlilies]

My desperate need for a season that just fill in the last 5 years after young justice season 1. Cause why would you do a time skip like that to me. I was attached!

[helpmyinterestsareverywhere]

WHY IS UK NETFLIX SOOOOO SHIIIIIIIIT ARRARGHRRAHAGHAHAHGAGAG

-Girl who is being COCKBLOCKED from (re)watching the new Ninjago episodes on Netflix

[shadowsndaisies]

codename: nightingale - the before masterlist

a collection of blurbs and head cannons and ficlets that take place before season 1!

pre season 1 blurbs/hcs:

robin catching feels (02/21/23) - a look into the birdboy's brain

birdy has a crush (03/20/23) - well duh, we been knew

that time where everyone met birdy (06/22/23) - there's a reason everyone loves her, and it's been like that from the start

intro to grapples (06/24/24) - looking more at oliver and birdy, and how she learned how to grapple

main masterlist  codename: nightingale master post  season one masterlist

[justletmeramble1701]

I'm rewatching Arrow (might turn into an Arrowverse rewatch depending on how much I hate myself) and, man, season one Oliver's story is really tragic from the perspective of the housekeeper (Raisa) or, really, just from the perspective of an onlooker.

This man spent 5 years in hell and his support system doesn't care! They are too caught up in themselves to notice that he's struggling (again, this is from the perspective of someone who doesn't know the secret). They literally give up on him after a week or two.

Everyone is expecting him to both be the spoiled rich kid that he was before he left and the perfect mature adult that they've created in their heads. This causes him to hide in the bratty persona to try to find some comfort (angering those around him), while anytime he tries to be mature, no one takes him seriously (leading to more anger at the "hypocrisy"). It is almost painful to see.

To be more specific: his mother is already trying to shove him into taking over the family business, a police detective who desperately wants to prove he's a monster so he can punish him, and an ex who wants to hate him while also being obsessed with him. The only one who is understandable is Thea, his little sister, who is on a downward spiral because she never got the help she needed after she lost her father and brother. It's understandable that the troubled 17 year old would be behaving like thus.

All this drives him into the arms of a mob boss's daughter, which also becomes a toxic relationship, because she is one of the few people who will empathize with him. If it wasn't for Tommy and his new body guard, he would have no support system.

This idea makes me want to see a fanfiction that is either from the perspective of an Oliver who is not the Hood (the Hood still exists, their just a different person) or from the perspective of an OC watching the Queen family drama during season 1. I would write it myself, but I don't think I could write in Oliver's head or know enough about mental health.