#and yet diggle. does not wear a mask

[jbuffyangel]

Shame: Arrow 2x04 Review (Crucible)

The bomb of bombs is dropped....

SPOILERS!!!

SARA LANCE IS ALIVE! The many lies of Oliver Queen begin to unravel and even Diggle and Felicity have difficulty understanding his motivations behind this whopper.  

Let’s dig in...

Olicity (and Diggle)

Oliver, per usual, is running late for a Queen Consolidated party due to a previous engagement with some gang members. Felicity makes excuses for him to Isabel Rochev as she listens on comms to the melodic sounds of gunfire and Oliver kicking ass.

The best part however is when he shows up at the party in a tux (SWOON) and Isobel notices he has blood on his face.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

Felicity wipes the blood off his face, which is SOOOO MARRIED and why are they so perfect? This is classic "in a relationship" behavior before they're actually in a relationship.

Laurel is attending the party with Blood because… I honestly don’t know why. The party is to attract investors so why the district attorney and ADA is there beats me. Oliver, per usual, asks Laurel if she’s okay as she tosses back a glass a champagne like it’s water. In Oliver’s defense, she was kidnapped by the Dollmaker last episode so there is some cause for concern.

Why am I slotting this scene in the Olicity section? There is a shot of Felicity watching Oliver and Laurel and her expression is one of curiosity, concern… maybe jealousy?

Source: emilybettrickardslove:

It’s difficult to read, which is unusual since Felicity always wears her heart on her sleeve. Perhaps she is simply wondering the same thing the audience – where do Oliver and Laurel stand? Is he just a concerned friend? (Yes). Is there anything romantic in Oliver’s concern? (Nope).

Felicity interrupts them due to urgent Arrow business.

Source: @smoakmonster

It’s rare that Laurel and Felicity’s paths cross and there is an undercurrent of competitiveness between the two characters. I don’t know if that’s written intentionally but it’s certainly not warm between them. What I love is that Felicity asserts herself more than she did their first meeting in Season 1 and holds her ground and patiently waits for Laurel to leave.

The icy stare from Laurel Lance could freeze molten lava. I don’t know why Katie Cassidy chose to play the scene like this, but this is not the first time she’s looked at Felicity Smoak like an insect to be crushed, so forgive me if I don’t see these two going shopping together any time soon. Maybe it’s an actor’s choice or maybe she was instructed by the director to play the scene this way, but regardless if you are cold and unwelcoming to the universally liked character on the show, it does nothing to endear you to the audience.

It turns out my reasons above are not necessarily why Felicity was staring at Oliver and Laurel. Not the primary reason that is. She was staring at Laurel because Felicity finally pieced a mystery together.

Felicity: What if our masked friend that keeps showing up everywhere you go, you know her? What if we’ve been going about this the wrong way? We thought she was obsessed with you. I mean, she showed up in the DA’s office when you were there.  And in the chemical plant the Dollmaker was holed up in. But who else was at both those places? What if our masked friend isn’t following you?

Oliver: She’s following Laurel.

Oliver heeds Felicity’s advice and stakeouts Laurel’s apartment. The Lady in Black shows up as Felicity predicted and Oliver is able to capture her in some pretty nifty trick arrows. Felicity has also developed some tech to counteract the sonic thing.

Oliver: Why are you following Laurel Lance?

Lady in Black: I could ask the same thing of you. But I guess some things never change. You and her, always and forever.

This is an oddly personal remark from someone who is supposed to be a complete stranger. But she’s not a stranger.

The Lady in Black is Sara Lance. 

In all seriousness, this was one of Arrow’s bigger bombs dropped, but I honestly can’t remember if I was shocked to discover Sara was alive when I watched it live. The Arrow writers used Caity Lotz’s recast to their advantage. She looks completely different from the actress in the pilot. Now that her identity is revealed, they reshot the pilot scene of Oliver and Sara on The Gambit.

I do remember my heart sank when I found out Sara was alive. Why? I always felt the biggest obstacle between Laurel and Oliver reuniting romantically was A) he cheated on Laurel with her sister and B) Sara died because of that betrayal. Bringing Sara back felt like the writers were trying to fix the past to clear the way for Oliver and Laurel to be together. Particularly because they discussed in the premiere how much they wished they could go back.  

Yeah guys, I’m gonna be straight with you. I was wrong a lot in Season 2 when I watched it live. The writers did a number on me this season – they twisted me every direction possible.

Oliver has to tell Felicity and Diggle that Sara is alive, which means he’s been lying about how she died all along.

Felicity: Sara Lance? Laurel’s sister? The detective’s other daughter, the one that you took on the Gambit with you even though you were dating Laurel, which we never talked about – I’m sorry, it’s just isn’t she dead? You told everyone that she died with The Gambit went down. That she drowned.

Source: Paige

Oliver Queen has many secrets, so many things he does not talk about, and to a certain extent Diggle and Felicity have accepted he needs to reveal those traumas in his own time. But this lie? This lie is a gut punch. This lie is not only difficult to accept it is difficult to understand. Felicity and Diggle's anger is palpable.

It puts a lot of other things that are never discussed on the table for Felicity. Her rambling feelings tumble out as she processes the truth, which is quite similar to what the audience was experiencing and feeling. I know it was for me. She brings up Oliver and Sara cheating on Laurel – another topic in a long list of things Oliver will not discuss.  It’s a glimpse into Felicity’s frustration with Oliver – there’s so many questions, so many things he doesn’t say, so many things she wants to understand. As close as Oliver is to Felicity (and Diggle) there is still an almost impenetrable wall.  This lie is not only a betrayal to the Lance family; it is a betrayal to Diggle and Felicity who have put so much trust in Oliver. Felicity is angry and rightfully so.

Sara’s arrival in Starling City forces the confession from Oliver, whether he likes it or not.

Oliver: When The Gambit capsized, Sara was pulled under. It was so dark and cold. And I thought she drowned.  About a year later, I saw her.

Diggle: You saw her where, on the island? She drifted to the Island too?

Oliver: Not exactly.

Felicity: Why didn’t you tell the Lances that she didn’t die in that boat? Laurel and Mr. Lance, they blame you.

Oliver: It was my fault. What happened was my fault.

Felicity clearly cares about Oliver and cannot understand why he would allow himself to be blamed for Sara’s death when in fact she did not die in the way everyone thought. Even in her anger and confusion, Felicity is protective of Oliver.

The answer for why Oliver never discusses the cheating, how Sara really “died” or why he’s allowed himself to be hated by the Lance family is so very simple. Oliver is ashamed.  Shame is powerful. It can make a person hate themselves. It can make a person lie to the people they trust and love most. It can be more difficult to confess our sins to those we love because we want them to see us as a good person. We want to be worthy in their eyes, even though shame makes us feel anything but worthy.

Diggle: Where has she been all these years Oliver?

Oliver:  I don’t know! Diggle, I swear to God. I was sure she was dead.

Source: bratvaolicity

Felicity’s anger is fading more quickly than Diggle’s. She’s truly not trying to make light of the situation. This question is deep with genuine empathy. The more Felicity learns about Oliver’s past the worse it gets. It’s not terribly difficult to understand why he does not want to talk about it. Despite her anger and frustration, Felicity can see that Oliver is a traumatized man in pain.

Diggle: Alright, so just to make sure I understand this correctly, after not drowning when The Gambit went down Sara didn’t exactly make it to the island with you where you would see her die yet again. Feel free to fill in the blanks.

Oliver: Not right now.

Diggle: You mean not ever.  Don’t you Oliver?

Felicity: Don’t you think her family had a right to know she made it to the island too?

Felicity and Diggle rarely push Oliver to speak about his years on the island, but they are pushing hard now because they feel they are owed answers. They feel the Lance family is owed answers. They are right. They do deserve the truth and Oliver feels their fair and understandable questions pushing up against his secret shame.  But it won’t make the wall come down. At the end of the day, Oliver is a traumatized man and when experiencing trauma the body has one of two reactions – fight or flight. For Oliver Queen, it’s always fight and he pushes right back.

Felicity gets the answer to her question. No, Oliver Queen does not have any happy stories. He bore witness to horrors and whatever hate or recrimination he must bear is preferable to truth. 

Oliver: And they were better off not knowing.

Angel: Some lies are necessary...

Buffy Summers: For what?

Angel: Sometimes the truth is worse. You live long enough, you find that out.

Source: @andjustforthismoment

We see Felicity’s forgiveness in this moment. There is nothing but empathy in her eyes.  She may not understand why Oliver lied. She may be angry and frustrated with his lack of trust in her and Diggle. But Felicity clearly understands Oliver is a man who has suffered greatly and at the end of the day she has nothing but unconditional love for him. 

Unfortunately, Oliver does not understand the only way out is through. The only way to heal from trauma is to share it with those we trust. We have to accept help. Human beings are not built to bear suffering alone. We need to share out pain with each other.

But Oliver is not ready to do that. In order to accept unconditional love, he must understand he is deserving of it first. But shame and guilt is all Oliver can feel right now.

This revelation does not stop Team Arrow from fighting crime. A local gang lord who calls himself the Mayor has military grade weapons that he is selling in Starling City. Every gun crate has a GPS, but the Mayor deactivated it. After Lyla provides Diggle with a similar GPS, Felicity is able to track down where it’s made – none other than Queen Consolidated.

Well she's certainly not too mad to flirt with him!

Source: @andjustforthismoment

Felicity determines how to turn the beacon back on and delivers the location of the guns.

Felicity: I believe you ordered a crate of stolen milatary weapons, Mr. Queen

Felicity calls Oliver “Mr. Queen" and he likes it. A lot. COMMENCE ALL THE EYE SEX.  The chemistry is INSANE.

Felicity and Diggle don’t push the Sara issue anymore. Their silent resignation is their acceptance that Oliver is not ready yet. But it doesn’t mean they aren’t getting through to him. We will see their impact with Oliver’s interactions with Sara.

Sara and Laurel Lance

If it’s possible, I would say Sara is even more traumatized than Oliver. We may not know everything that happened to Oliver the five years away, but he did make the choice to return home. He told his family he was alive. Sara may be in Starling City, but she has not come home.

She is equally as vague with Oliver as to her whereabouts the last five years. Other than a disquieting remark about Slade, she is fairly mum on the details of her past as well. What we do know is this:

A year ago Sara heard about a man in the green hood and knew it was Oliver. She previously thought he was dead.

Sara learned to fight AFTER the island.

She came back to Starling City after the earthquake to make sure her family was safe.

Sara’s primary reason for not wanting her family to know that she’s alive is because she is changed. She is not the Sara they will remember. But as Oliver points out, Sara hasn’t left Starling City yet. In fact, she’s come up with vigilante persona of her own.

This is how she met Sin – she saved her from being attacked by a group of men. These are not the actions of someone who’s ready to leave town. Instead she’s been living in the shadows and watching her family through windows. Clearly, she wants to come home but she doesn’t know how.

The other Lance daughter is not doing much better. I’m sure Detective Lance never thought he’d be asking Oliver Queen for help with Laurel, but after she is pulled over for a DUI he’s ready to ask anyone who can get through to her. Lance is convinced Laurel has inherited more than his sense of justice. She’s also inherited his drinking problem.

In the immortal words of Cordelia Chase, Laurel is “campaigning for bitch of the year” and lashes out at Oliver as soon as he broaches the subject of her drinking. She fills him in on all the dirty details of Detective Lance’s alcoholism and insists it’s his problem and not hers. But by episode end, Laurel has added pills to diet of booze and we’re officially in a full blown addiction storyline.

Oddly enough, it’s Blood who gives Oliver some insight into the Lance women.

Blood: Sooner or later we all go through a crucible. I’m guessing yours was that island. Most believe there are two types of people who go into a crucible. The ones who grow stronger from the experience and survive it and the ones who die. But there’s a third type. The ones who learn to love the fire. They choose to stay in their crucible because it’s easier to embrace the pain when it’s all you know anymore.

Clearly, Sara is the third type. We can reserve judgment on Laurel’s crucible for now since it’s just getting started. Oliver straddles the line between surviving the fire and remaining in it. The key in pushing Oliver over that line is his ability to open up to those he loves and share his pain. He has Diggle and Felicity begging him this episode to do exactly that.

Sara: We’re both ghosts. We died on that island.

Oliver: No we didn’t. We both lived.

It’s interesting Oliver used the term “lived.” Typically he uses “survive.” Seeing his own shame and pain reflected in Sara brings about some self realization. Oliver doesn’t have to stay in the fire anymore than Sara does. There are so many sins Oliver cannot fix. There are so many losses he can never get back. He knows the Lance family will hate him for lying about how Sara died, but what he wants more than anything is to bring Sara home. It’s not just for her benefit. It’s for Oliver’s as well. This is one wrong he can make right. He all but begs Sara and finally she relents. They take a step out of the fire together and walk towards the living.

But Laurel is consumed by her shame and continues to burn.

Stray Thoughts

Does Oliver shower between the hood and tux change?

 Diggle makes sure Lyla knows he’s single. It’s so slutty and I love it.

Oliver’s cash for guns reveals a cash flow problem, but I think Isobel is cheap and he’s more multi millionaire versus billionaire these days, which doesn’t feel like a real problem.

The DA was totally hitting on Laurel and she rejects him. GOOD. We aren’t moving on from Tommy any time soon. IT’S WHAT HE DESERVES.

So glad they are not going the love triangle route with Roy, Thea and Sin. Rather enjoy this little trio.

“Living is not for the week.” Anatoly is here! HURRAH!

Sara is wearing a Starling City baseball cap, so her mother was right about that photo.

Do I need to care more about the bones the island bad guys are looking for? I feel like I should care more about the bones.

Hey there Sara is on the freighter!

Blood is a villain. Not surprising. Anyone standing on that much moral superiority has to be evil.

The serum Blood use on the mayor ultimately fails and kills him. So, we have wacky evil science on top of the deeply disturbing hood.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 2x04!!!

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

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

[arodrwho]

john diggle is gonna be the goddamn death of me

[companionjones]

Visitor

Fandoms: DC, Arrowverse, Arrow

Pairing: Platonic!Oliver Queen x Witch!Reader

Summary: Oliver’s in prison, but you’re keeping things under control on the outside. You check in on Oliver, and catch him up on what’s going on.

Warnings: None!

*******

    “Hey, Oliver.”

    The voice made Oliver instinctively turn toward it. When he saw who the words were coming from, he practically dissolved in relief. “How in the world did you get in here?”

    “It’s just some astral-projection...well, kind of. No one else can see me, hear me talk, or hear you talk to me.”

    He nodded, “...I missed you.”

    “I missed you too, Oliver.”

    The Green Arrow was always a man to get right into business. “So, how is everything?”

    “William and Felicity miss you, but they’re alright. I make sure to see Will every night. This mayor stuff can be pretty hard, but the city’s doing fine.”

    Oliver smiled, “Of course.” He had full faith the official position was the job for you.

    “The club’s alright, too. DJing there would be a problem given the fact that I’m the Mayor, but I wear a mask, so that prevents things from getting out of hand with people ‘questioning my motives’ and stuff,” you said that last part in a sarcastic tone.

    It made Oliver chuckle.

    “Speaking of masks, my alter ego’s doing alright...especially considering no one knows about it, yet.”

    Oliver smiled softly, “You should let people find out, you know. With me in here, and Diggle working in ARGUS, this city deserves a hero.”

    “It does, but I think I can do my work easier in the shadows. Besides, I’m sort of trying my best not to follow you into here.”

    The Green Arrow laughed, “Well, I trust you completely. Good luck, Y/n...And tell Felicity and Will that I love them.”

    “I will. Goodbye, Oliver.” You offered him one last smile before disappearing.

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it! If you would like to read more, I have more fics over on my page. You should go check it out. Also, REQUESTS ARE OPEN. I take requests for one-shots, multi-chapters, headcannons, and preferences. No smut, please. I write for a variety of fandoms. If you’re wondering if I write for a specific fandom, please ask me. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you.<3

[babblingblondegenius]

Happy Mancrush Monday

And we’re back to our regularly scheduled Mancrush Monday Olicity Edition.  This week covers episodes 2x07 - 2x13.  Many thanks to @xspeedytrashx for suggesting an Olicity Mancrush Monday post for all the seasons.  Season 2 is my favorite so I’m breaking it up over three posts.  Hope you enjoy! :)

We pick up post-Russia and the ‘because of the life I lead...’ speech.  Oliver is in a business suit reiterating to Felicity about his choice not to kill.  Oliver was also making a choice at the time not to put his arrow in Felicity and he was reaaaalllly cranky about it.  

A little while later, even though he still has broody face, Oliver is more chill, at least with his attire.  Jacket and tie are gone, top buttons unbuttoned, and shirt sleeves rolled up.  This is one of my favorite season 2 Oliver looks and Felicity is a better woman than I for staying focused on saving the city.  #forearmporn

Back in a business suit, Oliver’s chill didn’t last long because while he was at his mother’s trial, the Count kidnaps Felicity.  He calls Oliver using Felicity’s phone and Oliver can hear a scared and tearful Felicity in the background.  Strike one.

I normally don’t include Oliver in the Arrow suit but this is one of the few times in the earlier seasons we saw him with the hood down.  Oliver never takes his eyes off of Felicity as the Count runs his fingers through her ponytail.  Simmering with barely controlled rage at this point, Oliver tries to divert the Count’s attention away from Felicity but the Count insists on using her as his pawn.  Strike two.

The Count’s failed Plan A to kill Oliver causes him to go to Plan B and threaten to inject Felicity in the neck with Vertigo. You can try to kill him but don’t you dare try to hurt his girl.  Barely controlled rage snapped hard and fast.  Strike three (arrows) and you’re out (the window).  

Oliver’s rage is replaced by relief as he assures Felicity she is safe by gently cupping her neck with his gloved hand.  She responds by noticing he was shot and touches the spot of the wound on his arm but he softly tells her ‘it’s nothing’ because the only thing that matters to him in that moment is her.

A simple white tee is the perfect attire for this simple sentiment.  Simple in the respect that Oliver will protect Felicity an any cost.  It’s ironic that Oliver thinks his feelings for Felicity are complicated, yet when it has always come to Felicity, there is no choice to make.

Back to business and back in a business suit, Oliver is none too happy that Felicity seems interested in BA.  All BA did was smile at her after she asked his name again and jelly Oliver jumped out.  

This gif has been in my gif folder forever so I don’t remember who to credit.  It’s just sad that Tumblr doesn’t have a larger one.  As far as what Oliver is wearing or barely wearing, I’ll just present without comment.  Fun fact:  this scene clip on You Tube (by Olicity Queen) has 1.9 million views.  Must be the riveting plot. ;)

Oliver is sad because he is fully dressed.  Oh wait, that’s why I’m sad lol.  Oliver is sad because he hurt Felicity by investigating BA and then gloatingly exposes BA’s lies in front of her.  BA admits the truth and breaks his date with Felicity.  Oliver tries to defend his decision but Felicity reminds him of the hypocrisy of pretending to be someone you’re not and walks out, leaving him very blue in his blue business suit and tie.  Even those baby blue puppy eyes couldn’t save him.

Not even Oliver looking this hot in his formal wear could thaw Felicity’s cold shoulder.  Time for a dance?  Not for 4 more years and a wedding, big guy. 

No, he’s not talking about BA this time lol.  He’s reassuring his worried wifey that he can win against a super-strength soldier with his intense stare and crisp shirt.

Jealous Oliver reached a fever peak after Felicity had to reveal Oliver’s secret identity to BA so he could save Oliver’s life.  Jacket undone and hood down, Oliver is hot under the collar and berating Felicity to the point that BA jumps in to defend her.  BA is intimidated by the big scary angry vigilante but Felicity isn’t and goes toe-to-toe with Oliver in one of their most epic arguments. 

Bonus gif:  he wasn’t kidding lol

Three’s a crowd in the Arrow cave when Oliver is looking for some alone time.  His disappointed face was an pretty strong indicator he wanted alone time with Felicity.  But since Oliver is still a big dumb pine tree at this point, she takes Barry upstairs and leaves Oliver alone to brood and play with his tennis balls. 

Hey buddy, her eyes are up here.  It seems to me like this lovestruck dork isn’t even looking at her breasts, he’s checking out her lips because he wants to kiss her so much.  Partly to reassure her and partly out of fear he won’t come back and have another chance to do it.  

Arrow suit, hood down.  He’s been traumatized by his hallucinations, but everything is better with a hug from bae.

Despite Oliver’s contentious behavior toward him, BA doesn’t hold a grudge and even leaves a gift for Oliver--a mask to help conceal his secret identity.  Felicity puts it on him for the first time and Oliver asks her how he looks.  ‘Like a hero.’ Ultimate compliment from proud future wifey makes him feel like he can conquer the world so he does this ultra macho heroic hood flip for her.  #endgame

Life is not a runway, Oliver.  Again, how did Felicity get any work done?!?!?  The bow. The arrows. The thigh quiver.....please feel free to keep adding to this list. ;)

Fitting that his suit is green because jealous Oliver makes a return in 2x10.  Felicity is visiting a comatose BA in Central City and Oliver is losing his shit.

Felicity finally comes home and Oliver does his level best to look cool, calm, and collected in his business suit while internally screaming how happy he is that she is back.  Our big dumb pine tree is a giant sap but he tries his best to hide it.

Felicity almost runs Oliver into a bus and he thinks it’s because she’s thinking about BA.  He’s still pissy that she was in CC and shows his ass (not in the good way lol).  The ass that Felicity tells him to get his head out of.  Jealousy, anger and hurt are a toxic combination and Oliver verbally strikes back at Felicity.

Sure, Oliver.  Maybe comatose BA has been dreaming about Felicity.  But based on the heart eyes, rosy cheeks, and dreamy smile, it sure looks like you’re the one who has been dreaming about her.  

Here, have an enlarged close-up of this man’s smitten face.  

CEO Oliver in his business suit trying to stay focused on business with Felicity in that grey dress.  I’ve often asked how Felicity got work done but how did Oliver?  Oh yeah, he made sure to have her by his side in their night AND day jobs. :)

Sweaty and shirtless Oliver, fresh off of the salmon ladder, figuring out the extent of Felicity’s hacking skills.  He never stops being amazed by her.

Felicity playing doctor with hubby.  (Diggle, as proxy for all of us, pacing at the glacial pace they are taking with acting on their feelings for each other).

Our OTP looking good in their coats and looking married years before they were actually married.  

Intelligence is sexy and Oliver stating facts while wearing that peacoat is the epitome of sexy.

Oliver gets very disconcerted when he is shirtless and sweaty from working out right in front of bae and he doesn’t have her full attention.  

Step up your game, Queen.  Maybe next time lose the pants.  See what happens.  Just a suggestion.

I’m not sure we have adequately appreciated the genius mind of Felicity Smoak.  Our Queen installed spotlights on the salmon ladder so she (and we) could see and admire Oliver in all his sweaty shirtless glory more clearly.  #istanalegend

Concerned hubby going after wifey.  I’ll never be over the way he says her name or reaches for her arm.  We finally learned a little about Felicity’s parents and that Oliver notices everything about her.  Never mind, we knew that last part. :)

A gorgeous black and white shot of Oliver trying to work out his anger over Moira’s deceit.  I loved the scenes like these and not just for the shirtlessness.  The raw power and show of strength and skill of Oliver training or working out always bolstered the stunt sequences.  Also, many times, Oliver was mentally and/or verbally processing his emotions so we had that aspect as well.  It was a beautiful symbiotic relationship between his toned body and tortured soul.

Huge thanks to all the talented gifmakers.   Your time and talent is very much appreciated! <3  2x08 gif credit to gfycat.com and 2x13 gif credit to PicsWe.com.

[temmie-loony]

Some Connor headcanons too please!

Ooohhhh hell yeah!

Connor Hawke Queen headcanons:

He’s the new Green Arrow. Dude tried so hard to be his own hero.

Cue flashbacks of him trying to break into the already crowded superhero-filled world with code names such as Hawkeye (because his middle name is Hawke) and Batman (because why not).

Eventually, Oliver retired from vigilantism and gave his son a rousing pep talk.

He came out of that pep talk with a green mask and a new alias.

He has a gym membership, but only because he likes showing off because he’s that kind of guy. 

He only goes to that gym once a week though. 

His actual real training takes place in Lian Yu (where he flies to and is able to use full strength of his powers) or ARGUS (with Uncle John and Uncle John’s son). 

Sometimes, Aunt Alex makes him train at the DEO all the way over in Earth-38 with green kryptonite. Dawn joins him occasionally but she likes to train with Dad [Barry] more (’cause he goes easy on her; Aunt Alex doesn’t).

He has a quick temper when he’s being himself as Connor. Once he wears the mask and grabs his bow though, his temper is slow but scary when you hit his limit.

He likes to tease Dawn a lot but genuinely cares about her ‘cause she’s his kid sister.

The one time she brought a boy home, he shot two arrows just inches away from either side of his head without even blinking.

The one time he heard some guys betting on who can get a kiss from her first, he knocked all of them out.

“They were being rude, talking about my sister like she’s some prize,” was his defense.

The principal pushed for an expulsion but the teachers all knew him and while he wasn’t their best student, he was a good kid so all he got was a week-long suspension.

He wasn’t really fond of school; he found school to be a waste of time. 

He’s already graduated from high school but doesn’t plan on getting a college degree.

He’s perfectly content being the new GA and being the new owner of Verdant.

He hates airplanes. They’re too slow compared to his own flight but he is forced to take the primitive means of transportation when his non-vigilante identity has to show up in Japan or something.

Actually, scratch that, planes are fine. It’s the trains that he absolutely despises.

When he’s out patrolling as the GA, he doesn’t make his Kryptonian powers known to carry on the legacy that GA is just human. He does this so when he faces an adversary that’s more powerful than he’d anticipated, he has the chance of one-upping the bad guy.

He used to wish he had the Speed Force in his system like his Dad and sister do.

He doesn’t anymore (he’s long accepted that what he’s got is who he is) but he’s still pretty jealous that Dawn’s way faster than him.

He constantly trains to gain strength, strategy and, most importantly, speed.

He always makes Dawn race him.

He always loses, but the time between him and Dawn is slowly closing in. It’s still a handful of seconds but it shows he’s improving.

Like his Pops (Oliver), he’s built a reputation of being the billionaire bad boy. 

Clubbing, girls, drinking…

Once asked by an interviewer how he feels about following his father’s former missteps, he answered, “I own a nightclub. What’d you people expect? Mass on Sundays?”

He can play the guitar, the piano and the violin. 

He picked up the guitar ‘cause people dig that.

He learned to play piano as a coping mechanism.

He learned to play the violin mostly because he wanted to.

He was supposed to move out a year ago but he still hasn’t gotten to the packing part.

His parents actually prefer it that way; with William already moved out, they don’t want another kid to move just yet.

On days when he just needs a break or Dawn’s done another over the top prank or he’s had another fight with his parents, he flies over to William’s place and stays there for a while.

He often visits/stays there so often that the guest room is unofficially his.

Out of his roster of different aunts and uncles, he’s closest to his Aunt Alex and Uncle John.

Nate’s up there too but he doesn’t call him ‘uncle’

He calls him ‘old geezer’ 

His best friend is John Diggle Jr., who is also the Green Arrow(?). 

They fought about it but they’re cool with it now. If there were a hell lot of Black Canaries, what’s wrong with more Green Arrows?

Just stop telling people your name is Connor wtf dude stop

[ruwithmeguys]

I regret saying I’d be asleep for this episode because, of course my body/brain decided to screw with me at 3am!

7.11

Okay. We have mixed messages here: on the positive side of things, David did very well with what he was given, and some of the script wasn't... great. I understand writing is hard and that there’s a process, a goal line. But there were some huge issues for me that this episode highlighted and maybe I’m very wrong about them too. 

Yet he made it run much more smoothly than the episode prior and there were some decent moments, so Kudos to him. Be my guess to direct again!

Felicity being the go-to girl never gets old, though the same cannot be said for when SHE’S the one who needs the help (yes, I’m side-eyeing almost the entire cast).

Forcing Siren to see that, yes: friendship doesn’t rely on favours and then encouraging her and actually being her friend was beautiful to see. NTA/Diggle take a crash course please.

Curtis making some sense for once feels like foreshadowing. It’s the kind of stuff they do before a character death and, CAN I DREAM? Yeah, I’m not sorry. He pushed well beyond the joke last year.

Oliver being so unbelievably patient with a city that does nothing but judge him, feels accurate and I’m genuinely proud of this character. That and you could FEEL his anger towards his father in this episode. His entire body radiated with a controlled, mature rage and injustice; highlighted by how he’s always blamed for his father’s sins. And Felicity was perfect: being the sensitive cupcake she is, sensed this immediately, stayed close enough to offer comfort yet far enough away to give him time to come to terms with himself, which he starts to do by the end of the episode and it’s exactly what he needed from her. I’ll enjoy when the time comes for him to do the same for her. 

Her PTSD is subtle too: the defence system, her focus on it and Oliver letting her reign supreme showcases the changes in their life together quite nicely.

I could only ever enjoy scenes with siren in it if Felicity is there and OH LOOK: the writers know that too!

And whilst I don’t enjoy Oliver working with a police force who have caused many of his nighttime activities to last weeks, it does feel fitting that he’s still the only one who really gets shit done.

Oliver being judged for his father’s actions feels redundant. The fact that an entire city is forgetting how much he’s done for them, feels spectacularly inappropriate and yet, sadly, accurate for his character. Worst still, Emiko wants nothing to do with... because of their atrocious father. It’s normal for hurt to come out like this, for people to push others away but, she’s honestly going to let what Robert ruined, stay ruined? Kay. I can buy that, because we know it’ll change eventually.

I can't buy her still wearing the hood. There is no reason now for why she’s wearing it, unless it’s to be juvenile. OR to copy her brother. I know imitation is flattery but it isn’t a good choice for a woman who faces criminals and, why does she do that again? She became a copycat vigilante... because her father was a dick? 50% of father’s are dicks but we don’t have half of Star City as caped crusaders. Her mother was murdered... you could argue that as a reason, definitely. But the fact that she hasn’t established her own identity feels like a let down for me because we know that, once she’s done getting what she needs, she’ll take it off and... then what? Will Oliver pay for her actions too?

Out of everything she could have done, WHY WEAR A MASK? Oliver did it as a way to channel his darker half created over years of horror, he did it to let the violence out but it created a mirror image of himself that only hurt him. So this needs an answer and what we’ve been given so far, feels lazy. Luckily we have many more episodes to see what’s going on here because... I’m not intrigued like I should be and that’s because the way she’s been written in, feels off. Maybe even disingenuous. And I feel like it’s going to backfire on Oliver and, more specifically, Rene. I want to care about this woman. We’ll wait and see.

It doesn’t help that she’s another character crapping on Oliver and Oliver has had enough of that to last ten lifetimes.

What are Diggle and Lyla trying to accomplish because I’m confused by their increasingly poor choices. They are two of the smartest characters on the show, so I’m flummoxed.

...Did the writers really tell us that the reason siren started on her road to badness was because she had a paddy over birthday cake? Don’t do this to me guyyyyyyyyyyys.

Her father’s death was never her fault, but her crimes/murders on E2 and then on E1 are, so... will she even try to redeem herself for them? It’s just another tell, not show. EXCEPT. 

This is soooo early in the game for her to be redeemed. She’s honouring Quentin’s sacrifice and is now seen as this redeemed woman. Already?

I sense a big-ass caveat on the horizon. That doesn’t mean she won’t be redeemed still, but it does mean something’s coming that will test her. At least, narratively speaking, but who knows. I think her morally is defo still up for grabs. She literally hasn’t redeemed herself at all. What she has done is make steps to try to be better, so it’s progress. But it isn’t redemption. So maybe a choice needs to be made later?

Siren excused for mass murder but Oliver being held accountable for everyone’s sins is... I don’t have a word for it.

Overall, I enjoyed Oliver’s role in this episode: he deserves so much more than what he received (no wonder star city falls), the Diggle’s aren't making sense, Felicity’s excitement was adorable, her tech development extraordinary and she showed how to be a good friend, and Siren appreciating that, earns her points. The reason behind how she started on the road to villainy lost those points - honestly, the way she spoke about it last year, I genuinely thought her family and loved ones died in a violent attack. That and, you really can fake being a lawyer. LET’S ALL DO IT! I hope there’s more to her backstory. I pray hard that Curtis’s time is coming to a close.

It wasn’t a bad episode. It wasn’t a good one. I enjoyed some of it whilst parts made me want to stop caring.

The next episode is one I’m particularly interested in I hope what happened in this one leads a little into 7.12.

These are just my thoughts!

[allimariexf]

alli’s 1x04 Arrow rewatch thoughts

On Laurel + Oliver: 

I find it really amusing that they’re clearly trying to create this titillating scenario where Laurel is both attracted to Oliver and to the vigilante, but - haha! - she doesn’t realize they’re one and the same, yet the exact opposite is what is actually compelling. And by that I mean Felicity. Not only does Felicity learn early on that Oliver and the Hood are the same person, but she even sees through Oliver’s mask when he’s ostensibly not wearing one (trusting him despite the obvious lies, knowing that “he’s a good person with a good heart.”) So on the one hand we have the writers trying to get the audience to invest in the romantic triangle caused by Laurel falling for two! different! men! (who are actually the same man), and this is made crystal clear by the fact that Laurel tells Oliver that he doesn’t care about anyone but himself, while she tells the Hood that the city needs people like him, who care people other than just themselves, but on the other hand the audience actually becomes invested in Felicity, who sees the real man behind the mask, regardless of whether or not he’s wearing one. Obviously the way Felicity sees Oliver is way more significant and meaningful and deep, and it’s what wins in the end, bwaahaahaa.

Meanwhile Oliver somehow thinks his winning Laurel over as the Hood will somehow help him win her over as Oliver?? That boy’s not right.

On Diggle:

“Oliver, you’re not a soldier! You’re a criminal. And a murderer.” Ohhh Dig. Always up front straight talk from the beginning.

“Second time tonight that a friend of mine has taken me to the woodshed. Kinda tires you out.” Aww poor baby Oliver called Dig his friend and was hurt by his harsh words. :(

I love their choice for Dig’s replacement: his lack of depth just highlights how deep Dig really is.

Oliver going to Big Belly to try to convince Dig to join him!! I love this. Oliver pulling out the notebook literally putting everything on the table. This is the first real conversation they’ve ever had. Oliver bringing Andy’s killer into this. This conversation is all about their families, how they’re doing this either for justice for or because of their families. Right from the start. Also: “oh, that boy’s long gone, man.” With that little hand motion. LOL

Dig is already on his way to being one of the best characters of the show. I love this: “Diggle, I’m not looking for anybody to save me.” “Maybe not. But you need someone just the same. You are fighting a war, Queen. But you have no idea what war does to a person. How it scrapes off little pieces of your soul. And you need someone to remind you of who you are, and not this thing you’re becoming.” If Arrow had a thesis statement, this would be it.   

On FELICITY!!

She is always such a refreshing presence.. And she is always so feisty! Look at her standing up for herself to the CEO (Walter)! Eeee she just lights everything up and I want mooooore. :)

FELICITY YOU ARE MY FAVORITE! She is the best character on the show already lolol.

Random: 

“I know it might not seem like it sometimes, but I’m not the same person I used to be.” Ughhh Oliver trying to connect with Thea is heartbreaking. My feels.

Ohhh god douchebag Island Oliver hair is getting worse.

@jules85 @blondeeoneexox @hope-for-olicity @memcjo

[aion-rsa]

How Stargirl Finally Brings the Green Lantern to the DC TV Universe

https://ift.tt/3xUz5K4

The following contains Stargirl spoilers.

Stargirl Season 2 Episode 2

Every fan of the DC TV universe has been waiting for what feels like forever to see some form of the Green Lantern pop up on our screens. Arrow’s John Diggle has felt like the most likely candidate, ever since he found a strangely glowing green box in that show’s series finale and then proceeded to bounce through almost every other superhero series on the network this year, dropping awkward hints about inexplicable headaches and destiny along the way. 

Well, sorry, Diggle, but it turns out that it’s actually Stargirl that has beaten its fellow CW series to the punch, introducing a new Green Lantern in “Summer School: Chapter Two” that’s basically nothing like anyone expected: A teenage girl. 

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Jennie-Lynn Hayden is the daughter of former Green Lantern Alan Scott – gifted with her father’s old ring as she ages out of the foster system she appears to have grown up in – she doesn’t know much yet about what it means to be a superhero or how her particular powers even work. (Or what happened to the long-lost brother she initially thought the ring was taking her to find.) And though her introduction in last week’s episode involved breaking into the Whitmore-Dugan residence and committing some petty theft, we quickly learn that she’s far from another Rick Tyler-esque delinquent. 

No, Jennie’s foster experience has molded her into an overachiever, the sort of aggressive people pleaser who acts like everything’s fine if only so that everyone around her won’t notice that she herself is most definitely not. Her uber helpful houseguest act, her overly performative pancake breakfast, her immediate fawning over Pat and his place in the original Justice Society of America, her super sweet persona comes off as an uncomfortable mix of awkwardly genuine and painfully try-hard, so friendly and saccharine that it almost feels like her behavior has to be a front in some way. 

And it is, to some extent, in the sense that it’s all part of a larger mask that Jennie has taught herself to wear.  “Don’t try so hard to be perfect. You don’t have to be for people to like you,” Mrs. Ordway, the woman who runs Jennie’s group home tells her early in “Summer School: Chapter Two”. But that’s clearly how this girl has learned to survive, by being so good, so helpful, and so relentlessly positive that no one will ever bother to look close enough to notice the pain and rage she carries inside. Pat does, of course, because he’s Pat. And because he’s seen a variation of this story before, in his own stepdaughter. 

Read more

TV

Stargirl Season 2 Episode 1 Review – Summer School: Chapter One

By Rosie Knight

TV

Stargirl Season 2 Villain: Who is the Shade?

By Rosie Knight

So much of Courtney’s arc last season was about making peace with the idea that she was worthy of wielding the Cosmic Staff even if she wasn’t Starman’s actual daughter, that she could still be a hero on her own terms. It’s natural that Jennie’s arrival – and the fact that she seems so close to what Courtney initially dreamed that she herself as, a legacy hero destined to lead the way the man she believed to be her father once was – upsets her carefully won emotional status quo. Courtney’s desperate jealousy feels honest in a way that shows like this don’t often manage and, more importantly, Stargirl doesn’t judge or shame her for those feelings, merely allows her to work through them on her own. (With the aforementioned insight from Pat, of course.)

Part of the reason Stargirl is so good is that it is a superhero series starring a teenage girl that realizes how important it is to actually tell stories about teenage girls, rather than simply transpose adult problems onto Blue Valley’s younger residents. Sure, these girls all act wise beyond their years in the way that CW heroines often do, but Stargirl never forgets that they actually aren’t. While they are all certainly capable of both doing great things and making difficult choices, these are also young women who are still in the process of figuring out who they are – and who they want to become. 

From impulsive Courtney to socially awkward Beth, furious Yolanda, and aggressively Type-A Jennie, this is a show that understands that the experience of teenage girls is vast and varied and the way they interact with one another should reflect that reality. Even badass supervillain Cindy Burman is, at heart, just a girl who is desperate to have someone in her life that actually cares about her for her own sake. And it’s precisely these human elements that ultimately make all these characters compelling – after all, Courtney may be able to wield the Cosmic Staff, but her true superpower is her ability to see everyone around her as their best selves.

In the world of Stargirl, it makes perfect sense that Jennie’s lantern is not only fueled by her emotions, but reveals them as well, a mirror that reflects the anxiety, frustration, and fear she works so hard to conceal from the world. It can literally explode if those feelings get too big and rain destruction on those closest to her – a metaphor for teenage emotions that is probably a bit on the nose, but one that we all probably remember from our own days in high school. But sometimes, when Jennie actually lets those feelings out, it turns out that she can fly. (Literally, of course, because this is a superhero show.)

The decision to have Jennie depart Blue Valley essentially immediately after gaining a modicum of control over her powers is annoying if only because it’s so clear that Stargirl has barely scratched the surface of her character and what her relationship to the new JSA will look like. It seems obvious, of course, that she’ll be back, and it’s not like this season doesn’t have enough going on right now, what with the arrival of Shade and Cindy’s struggles to control whatever body sharing arrangement she seems to have struck with Eclipso. But we wanted so long to see a Green Lantern on this canvas – surely we can all be forgiven for wanting to see more of her, as soon as possible.  

The post How Stargirl Finally Brings the Green Lantern to the DC TV Universe appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[jbuffyangel]

The Bermuda Triangle: Arrow 1x13 Review (Betrayal)

Time to deal with this love triangle and all the ways it is awful.

Let’s dig in...

L*uriver vs. Merlance

I frequently say to myself as I rewatch Season 1 that the triangle makes sense in theory. The writers have all the components, albeit clichéd, that should create a love triangle full of juicy drama.

Man wrongs woman in another life thereby destroying any future together

Woman falls for secret identity without realizing it is the same man who hurt her

Man “gives up” woman for her own good 

Man and best friend are in love with the same woman

Best friend changes his ways and becomes the perfect boyfriend

Woman no longer wants best friend and instead lusts for secret identity bad boy

And round and round we go. The problem is this doesn’t really tread any new ground. How many times have we seen this type of love triangle play out? MANY TIMES. Not saying a tried and true trope can’t be repeated, but if you’re going to use it then try to inject some new life into it. 

Arrow stays stubbornly in between the lines on this one, which means there are no real surprises. We know exactly where this is headed. Everyone is just waiting for L*urel to choose Oliver. Hell, even Tommy knows it is coming someday.

This brings us to our second problem. L*urel choosing Oliver is so inevitable it doesn’t require a lot of character growth for either of them. L*urel and Oliver have not dealt with ANY of the issues that caused their demise. Yes, Oliver cheated on L*urel, but there were reasons why he cheated. Those have yet to be discussed. 

We’re supposed to accept that since Oliver is wearing the hood and is out saving the streets as the vigilante then he is “worthy” of L*urel again. We’re supposed to be waiting with baited breath for L*urel to discover Oliver’s secret identity, realize he’s the man in the hood she’s been lusting after, and fall back into his arms where she belongs.

I think not. Don’t get me wrong. I love me a good triangle. I loved The Vampire Diaries. Two brothers in love with the same woman. Interesting. Woman looks exactly like the lost love that destroyed their bond a hundred years earlier? MORE INTERESTING. And kinky. 

I enjoy exploring the varying ways love is expressed in different relationships and what it can reveal about the characters. There isn’t always a right or wrong choice. There’s just a choice and it reflects the kind of love you need to live.

But I understand the complaints about love triangles. Oliver, L*urel and Tommy are the PERFECT validation of those complaints. It’s a tired way to insert some drama that has a completely predictable ending. The even bigger problem is there’s barely enough heat to melt an ice cube. L*uriver is frigid. Merlance is better, but they certainly aren’t an inferno.

“Betrayal” does an excellent job of highlighting all the love triangle problems which plague Season 1. We’re all waiting for L*urel to see that Oliver is a changed man. If only she knew he was The Hood! Her anger and hurt over Sara blinds her ability to see those changes. He needs to wear the mask, so L*urel can see who Oliver truly is. God that sounds good doesn’t it?

 IT’S NOT GOOD.

Sara was a symptom of much bigger problems between L*urel and Oliver. He did not want to be with L*urel, so he blew their relationship up in a fairly spectacular display of self sabotage.

Why doesn’t Oliver want to be with L*urel? Well... welcome to Oliver’s mind. He’s been asking himself that same question for the last five years. If he wanted to be with L*urel then he would have never left town. He would have never cheated on her with Sara. Then Sara would be alive. His father would be alive. EVERY ounce of guilt Oliver Queen carries is connected to that one single choice of leaving L*urel.

So, it’s fairly easy to understand why Oliver thinks being with L*urel will fix everything. If he can fix things with L*urel then he’s truly forgiven. It washes away the sins of the past. It’s like it never happened. At this point, this is what Oliver wants more than ANYTHING. He can’t bring Sara or Robert back. But he can resuscitate his dead relationship with his ex-girlfriend. Close enough. The man isn’t choosey after five years of misery.

Unfortunately, Oliver hasn’t changed at all when it comes to L*urel Lance. Oh I know BUT THE HOOD. Listen y’all, throwing on leather accessories and playing Robin Hood doesn’t equate to relationship therapy. Sorry writers. I need more than crime fighting to believe Oliver can be the perfect boyfriend now.

He continues to make all the same mistakes. OLIVER IS STILL LYING TO L*UREL. He lies to her every day.  He lies when he’s wearing the hood. He lies when he’s not wearing the hood. LIES LIES LIES LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIESS. Oliver continues to hide who he truly is from L*urel. Different outfit. Same problems.

This brings us to SO. MUCH. MISOGYN. Lance is using the phone The Hood gave L*urel to trap him. Whenever we are looking at betrayal and the Lance family it’s important to grade on a curve. It’s a dirty move on Quentin’s part, but far from the gold medal of betrayals this family achieves.

Source: @laurelsource

Everyone finds out that L*urel is working with the Hood and by everyone I mean Tommy. Quentin follows L*urel with a battalion of police officers to her meeting with The Hood. He’s gathered information on a newly released crime boss, Cyrus Vanch. When Oliver realizes they’ve been busted he holds L*urel by the throat as cover so he can jump off the roof. BuT tHeIr LoVe Is iS hEaLtHy.

Source: @dinahlaurellancesource

As L*urel rants to her current boyfriend (yes I use the word “current” on purpose), he pieces together that she’s been lying to him about working with The Hood.

Source: THEARROWGIFS:

L*urel: He's been lying to me for weeks.

Tommy: Yeah feels like crap doesn't it?

Are we surprised L*urel fails to see the hypocrisy in her little rant?

We are not. This is why Tommy was always the better man for L*urel. He actually had a pair and would call her on her BS. Oliver was incapable of doing until well into Season 2, but I digress.

So, Tommy goes to his best friend Oliver for relationship advice. I know this is a television show, but why in the ever living mother of Zeus do L*urel and Tommy think OLIVER is the best person to ask for relationship advice?

Oliver: Tommy, every time you want to talk to me about something, and that something is L*urel, you look like you’re about to tell me you have some terminal disease.

Me: He does have a terminal disease. It’s called L*URIVER.

Tommy: She’s been working with The Hood guy.

Oliver: What? You’re letting her work with that crazy person? She could get hurt Tommy.

Tommy: I’m not letting her do anything. I only just found out about it.

I know this episode aired in 2012, but talk about some patriarchal bullshit. The entire episode is filled with language like this. Quentin, Oliver, Tommy and The Hood all act like L*urel needs their permission to go to the bathroom. New flash fellas: If L*urel wants to engage in nightly rendezvous with a serial killer that’s her business.

L*urel says something to similar effect, but is summarily blown off by whatever male she’s speaking to. She meets up with The Hood after he and Lance save her from Cyrus Vanch.  

Source: BJ-HUNNICUTTS-BLOG 

It seems The Hood didn’t think through all the ways talking to L*urel on a phone and meeting her secretly on rooftops would put her in danger.

Source: BJ-HUNNICUTTS-BLOG

L*urel: I knew the risks.

The Hood: Now I know them and I’m not willing to take them with you.

L*urel: What does that mean?

It means he wants to bone you, L*urel. Get a clue. 

Holy hell, these conversations make her look stupid. L*urel, do you know a lot of six foot men with similar build and facial hair to Oliver Queen? 

Maybe she would take issue with his infantilizing if she stopped speaking like a three year old whenever The Hood is around. 

Source: LAURELSOURCE

She has this dazed expression too. I know L*urel is so overwhelmed with all the ATTRACTION and LUST that her eyes dilate and the bosom heaves, but I’m starting to think a taser gun is how they forced Katie do scenes with Stephen.

Source: @dinahlaurellancesource 

The point is nobody is all that interested in L*urel’s agency – INCLUDING L*UREL. I understand “secret identity” is a very common trope in hero’s stories, but it never makes any sense to me. Shouldn’t the “true love” be the first person to know who the hero is and not the last? Oliver keeps saying he can’t tell the people he loves who he truly is because it will put them in danger. So, he doesn’t care if Diggle gets killed? His logic makes no sense.  If this was truly about protecting people then why did he need a partner?

And no – you can’t use John can protect himself. We just watched L*urel throw down with that umbrella. She was lethal. 

Source: @dinahlaurellancesource 

Oliver is the king of compartmentalization. He does not know how to merge his two selves yet. He cannot fathom showing Thea, Moira, Tommy and L*urel his darkest self because that means being honest about what happened the five years he was away and what it did to him. That will be a hard pass from our leather clad hero.

My other issue with the love triangle (in addition to all the lying and misogyny) is Oliver comes off like an asshole. He manipulates Tommy with statements like, "L*urel is lying? That doesn't seem like her” and “ have an honest chat with her” like there is something in their relationship causing her to lie or that Tommy is responsible for L*urel’s behavior. He’s slowly pecking away at the Merlance walls until it crumbles. DIRTY POKER OLIVER QUEEN.

But then we arrive at this gross fest:

Tommy: There’s some sort of infatuation thing going on here. We both know that she has a pretty strong track record of being attracted to guys who are dangerous, who break the rules. Show me a more dangerous rule breaker than The Hood.

Oliver: I just think you need to have an honest chat with her. Find out the real reason she’s keep secrets.

Tommy: I just can’t believe that L*urel of all people would lie to my face. I guess that’s the way it is with the people you are closest to.

Oliver: I know, but talk to her anyway. And fix this before it becomes something that’s unfixable.

Did this conversation actually happen?

Does anyone else find it weird that Tommy and Oliver psychoanalyze L*urel’s dating preferences? 

And even weirder they are ACCURATE? 

Credit where credit is due. L*urel likes bad boys right up until they become good boys. Then she’s off to find the next asshole that will lie, cheat and disappoint her. (We could do an entire novel’s worth of L*urel Lance’s toxic dating choices).

Even worse, Tommy concludes she has the hots for The Hood like it’s nothing. Like it’s completely normal and okay behavior. 

Holy hell man! Tommy, maybe L*urel has beaten any self respect into the ground, but IT’S OK TO EXPECT YOUR GIRLFRIEND TO NOT BE INFATUATED WITH OTHER MEN.

What’s really gross is Oliver lies straight to Tommy’s face (no differently than L*urel did) while using the secret identity to engage in inappropriate flirting with his best friend’s girlfriend. He uses the hood to say things to L*urel that he would NEVER say as Oliver Queen. And L*urel never tells The Hood she has a boyfriend or to back off. In fact, she encourages the behavior. THIS. IS. CHEATING. Maybe not physical, but it sure is emotional.

Let’s also never forget L*urel started sleeping with Tommy as a way to stick it to Oliver. She wasn’t expecting to develop real feelings for Tommy, and I do believe she loves him, but that doesn’t erase the toxicity of this cycle that somebody needs to end.

There’s just no good here, my friends. 

Source: @dinahlaurellancesource 

The writers are relying on an empty “they are supposed to be together” promise without providing any evidence why. Neither L*urel nor Oliver has changed in a meaningful way to support giving their relationship another try. The problem between them wasn’t whether or not Oliver fought street crime. The problem was honesty. Between all the lying and just-on-the-line cheating, I’d argue they bring out the worst in each other. Nuclear winter has better chemistry. Need I go on?

Ok. I will.

The only one who has shown any growth is Tommy. This is change L*urel encouraged in Tommy, but then he became dependable and honest, so she started lusting after The Hood. Both Oliver and L*urel are lying to him about a variety of things. With friends like these who needs enemies? 

L*urel is treated like some prize, but is she a prize they really want to win? Neither man is given a reason to love L*urel beyond she’s who they are supposed to want.

Source: @dinahlaurellancesource 

Don’t get me wrong. I am a Merlance shipper, but it is hard to root for their ship at this point. If the writers just left them alone and let them be adorable then it would be fine.

Source: @dinahlaurellancesource 

BUT. THEY. KEEP. INSERTING. OLIVER.

And where is L*urel’s character? We’re thirteen episodes in and she’s too busy flip flopping personalities for me to nail her down to one specifically. For arguments sake, let’s say the hot and cold behavior IS one of her main traits. It only surfaces in relation to Oliver. L*urel flips on him which causes her to flop on Tommy. L*urel’s actions are simply a reaction to Oliver.  That’s not agency. That’s a prop.

Source: @dinahlaurellancesource 

It’s almost like the writers can’t be bothered with more. She’s a justice seeking, self sacrificing attorney who works pro bono. TA DA! Character is complete. Nothing more to see here! 

Well, if that’s the criteria then why isn’t Joanna in the running for hero’s true love? Throw Annie Ilonzeh in a room with Stephen Amell. Let’s see if the chemistry is any better.

The writers haven’t constructed L*urel’s character beyond a hockey puck for Tommy and Oliver to pass to each other until we reach the inevitable conclusion of L*urel “choosing” Oliver. It’s like watching a train speed toward a brick wall. I know the crash is coming, but I’m not apprehensive about it or grotesquely fascinated or even scared. I’m just want out of this Bermuda Triangle.

Quentin and L*urel

The only real interesting facet of L*urel’s character is her relationship with her father. I love the raw pain between them. It is always just under the surface. The writers throw those problems like grenades in their scenes together. Katie isn’t given much to work with, but her best material is always with Paul Blackthorne.

Source: LAURELSOURCE 

Quentin using his daughter as bait was brilliant, but shadey. Super shadey. It also had the unintended consequence of getting her kidnapped by a mob boss. Oops. I sort of love that Quentin had to eat crow and call The Hood for help once he figured out there was a dirty cop feeding Vance information.

L*urel is in a rage after being held hostage by The Hood. (He can use her as a human shield because he loves her. No problems here. Nope nope nope!) Quentin really hoped L*urel would appreciate his fine detective work, but she’s pretty pissed off about all the guns pointed at her. She feels her father has lost his perspective on this particular case.

L*urel: Are you gonna find another criminal? Someone else to blame for mom leaving, for Sara dying, for your drinking?

The gloves come off! Daaaaaamn. The booze? We’re going there? Meow.

I agree Quentin Lance has an addictive personality. He directs his rage and grief into an outlet he can control. Hmm… who else does that?

However, L*urel’s indignation is a little much. She is cavorting with a known criminal. The same criminal her father is investigating. L*urel does nothing to help the investigation and one could argue she impedes the investigation. This is called obstruction of justice, Counselor. L*urel actually commissioned the crime The Hood is perpetrating this week, so she could also be charged as an accessory after the fact. Maybe even aiding and abetting. So, her horror at the police pointing guns at her is somewhat ludicrous. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.

Source: LAURELSOURCE 

L*urel spends much of the episode fighting the rampant patriarchy and misogyny of the men around her by firmly accepting the danger of working with the vigilante.  She is prepared to take those risks. 

Source: LAURELSOURCE 

But then L*urel is appalled the second she’s put in any danger and holds all the men responsible for not keeping her safe.

She can be mad her dad lied to her, but stop clutching the pearls. If L*urel wants to play the vigilante game then she is going to be used as bait and occasionally get kidnapped. That’s what everyone means by danger, girl. You’re either in or you’re out. If you’re in then you don’t get to blame anyone else for danger knocking on your door. Own your choices honey. THY NAME IS AGENCY.

Oliver and Diggle

This is week 323 of Diggle arguing that Moira is guilty as sin and Oliver ignoring the massive pile of evidence supporting that belief. 

Ok, it hasn’t been that many weeks, but it feels like it. Thou Shall Not Question Diggle. He is always right, but Oliver digs his stubborn heels in. So, John offers to drive Moira around for a week and bugs her. As one does.

Oliver: You bugged my mother?

This is how OTA shows their love, Oliver.  Diggle knows Moira is a slippery snake and can wiggle out of any question Oliver asks her. She even burns the copy of the List Felicity gave him after Oliver confronts her with it.  

Moira insists she never associated with the people in Robert’s book and knew it only as a list of people who owed him favors. Oliver believes his mother is trying to protect her children from Walter’s fate.

So, John gets Moira ON TAPE discussing The Undertaking with Malcolm Merlyn and the sabotage of Robert Queen’s boat. 

We’re going to ignore that Moira’s voice is perfectly identifiable, but Merlyn’s is about ten octaves lower. The point is these are information diamonds Diggle unearths and Oliver FINALLY agrees to pay his mother a visit as The Hood.

Flashbacks

The best part of the flashbacks is meeting all the people who helped Oliver Queen become The Hood. 

Source: @olivergifs​

Hello Slade Wilson! He’s a massively important character in Arrow and it is fun to rewatch how he came into Oliver’s life.

Slade and his partner, the man who tortured Oliver, are Australian Intelligence who came to Lian Yu to free Yao Fei. Slade and Yao Fei have been monitoring an air field so they can escape the island, but he cannot take it alone. There is always a reason behind all of Yao Fei’s actions, but it takes Slade a minute to figure out why he sent Oliver.

Slade: You have no skill. No strength. No training. To say you fight like a girl would be a compliment.

I’m equally indignant and amused by that line. Slade doesn’t believe Oliver will be any help to him because well… he met him. If Oliver is ever captured again he could reveal Slade’s location.  So, he decides to behead Oliver. It’s the nice thing to do. It won’t hurt a bit. What can I say guys? It’s Lian Yu! These are how the memories are made.

Oliver dislocates his shoulder and punches Slade in a vain attempt to defend himself. Yao Fei may be a softer judge of character, but he’s not wrong about Oliver’s survival instinct. Slade sees the fight in Oliver’s eyes and finally understands why Yao Fei sent him. They need Oliver to survive as much as he needs them. He might not be much to look at now, but Slade Wilson is just the man to harness Oliver’s will and turn him into the fighter they all need him to become.

Stray Thoughts

David Anders is like my personal Kevin Bacon. He's in everything I watch. #Arrow #TVD #Alias #OUAT

I was never all that jazzed when L*urel was the damsel in distress and I love that crap. Another clue I didn't ship it. Source:  LAURELSOURCE

Do people on this show not realize you can’t touch evidence? JFC.

Twenty four arrows in the quiver. Good to know.

“It doesn’t mean I have to read the bastard his rights though.” IF YOU WANT THE CHARGES TO STICK YOU DO.

I am so confused on what type of law L*urel practices. Her firm works for a victim’s advocacy group, but she also prosecutes criminal cases. This feels like a radiologist performing heart surgery.

KC is just really bad at action scenes. It's always so awkward.

Musings of the Kiddo

Kiddo: Does he ever run out of arrows?

Me: He has extra in the car.

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

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

[iheartarrow]

Random Arrow thoughts

Ok, I'm freaking out a little bit... Someone, pinch me... IS THIS REAL?! This episode of Arrow came straight out of fanfiction. It is too good to be true... yet it is... true... I am overwhelmed and befuddled and feel like a lost puppy right now. Because in this season (especially in 6x03 and6x04), Arrow is apparently, granting wishes and many fantasies of mine have become canon.  No one has ever preparedme for this, this is why I'm freaking out, cuz what's next?!...

I know that the other shoe is gonna drop soon enough, and this bliss cannot last forever, that's just the way TVland works, and also, it's Arrow, our heroes can never be absolutely happy for too long, there has to be conflict to further the story along. And the formula is simple - the happier it is in the beginning, the worse it's gonna be later (before it gets better again). So I do know I have to prepare myself for the shit that's about to hit Olicity in a few episodes, probably after the crossover.

Anyhow, going back to 6x04, here are some of my thoughts during this episode..

- It should have been named "Let's get it on..." instead, LOL. How many times did they try to have desert and were interrupted?! Blue balls won't look good on Oliver, Arrow, have mercy!

- The episode opened with a "date", or more like a hookup, BS style. I gotta say, I liked the wig. Blonde Laurel looks like a bitch, brunette Laurel looks wickedly nefarious. I liked that, but why did she need a wig at all, this puzzled me? Or does she think, she looks more attractive to men with dark hair?! What was the purpose of that wig? Not to be recognized?! Well, then she kills people left and right with blond hair, so that's not it, right?!... Oh, I get it... KC wore the wig for the element of surprise, so the fanboys would guess her by her back and pee their pants happy that their beloved BS is back (or should I say, KC is back, cuz their fascination with her, that I will never understand, has become like a cult following). Anyways, this is done for one purpose alone. BS always likes to make a scene with her entrance (yes, she's a bit of an attention whore, didn't you know?!), this time they figured a wig will do the job for her as a "surprise" element. Whatever...

Arrow is already being redundant with BS, considering she's not even close to being the main villain, has no agency of her own and is just another mercenary for hire. As the guys from Slander Ent. pointed out, she's a glorified lackey. Arrow hyped KC's return to Arrow as a villain, so much, but the pay off doesn't match the hype so far. BS's storyline resembles that of LL already. Either give her some interesting storyline, or get rid of her like you did with Laurel. I liked BS at first, but the more I watch her (and as often as I watch her), the more she starts to suck, because there's no moving forward with her story, she becomes a stale character, just like LL had become, before they had to kill her off. Though, in this episode she didn't suck that much, and her fighting improved (though it was Katie's double who gets the credit, the fight scenes were so darkened out, so you cannot tell the double and the actual actor apart, but it was still too obvious Arrow, you cannot fool me). I feel like I have to make my peace with BS the way she is and not expect her to progress. She's here as an eye candy for the fanboys, a consolation prize anyways. But as she still is a  small part of Arrow's overall story, I would expect the show to have learnt their mistakes with Laurel (and KC) from the first time around, and not repeat them with BS.

- Oliver and Felicity's date... I think now I know why Felicity calls BS "evil Laurel", because of her timing.  Girl, couldn't you murder that poor sap some other time? William picked out the tie and wanted to go to dinner with Felicity, too... Awww, that's so adorable. And yep, the  mini-Oliver totally has a crush on his father's girl. I love the relationship Arrow is building between the three  of them! Oliver remembering that it's been three years since they had their first date... Squeee!!! "Don't jinx it!" LOL.

You know, I like that Oliver is still a bit nervous on their date. It's a good kind of nervous. He talks about not  having been ready for their relationship then, not like he is now. This tells me that he knows, and knew back then  too, that this is it, Felicity is "it" - the love of his life. So yeah, he is nervous in a "anticipating something  wonderful in your life"-kind of way. Plus, that gorgeous woman is in front of him being all adorable and super  sexy. But the status of their relationship is still unconfirmed. He looks at her for answer when the lady asks if  they are back together. And Felicity got "the hint", called herself the mayor's girlfriend. It's for us to hear and  for the Olicity haters. They are back together, so stop asking the stupid question, m'kay?! Get over it! There's also calmness to Oliver that I love. He's matured, more grounded. I cannot believe how much he's grown as a  person. Adrian Chase was one heck of a therapist, LOL.

That nice lady was us, for sure. While she was fangirling over Olicity, I thought it would be funny if the news  came out that Mayor Handsome and Miss Felicity Smoak are back together, with a poll attached to it, vote yes or no.  LOL Star City ships Olicity. Also, why isn't there a man patting Oliver's shoulder and whispering "Good job on  getting your girl back, son!"?!

- Oliver understanding how it was for Felicity when he had to bail on her and was "dangling maybies"... Now you  know Oliver. It sucked! And I think he felt kind of alone and bored and useless, while his woman was neck deep in  Arrow business and he just had to let her go, do her stuff. I think that is what got to Oliver the most - not being  able to be a part of the thing that brought them together in the first place. That's how they met, how they've  gotten closer and fell in love - because of Arrow business. And Oliver not only renounced that part of himself, he  also renounced the part that allowed them to connect and was the major part of their relationship, it's basis. In  S4 we saw how Felicity was struggling to live a "normal" life without Arrow business. She missed that part of her  life, that's why they returned to Star City and stayed. Now it's Oliver's turn to be sidelined. He liked living in  Ivy Town (on the surface), but after last year's crossover, Oliver realized that his life could be happy without  being the Green Arrow, but it will never be full. This season he had to give up the hood again. Except now it's not  because he wanted to, it was a sacrifice for the sake of his son. 6x04 showed how much Oliver actually misses being  the GA, the action and being usefull, already!

Now, putting a mask on and chasing Felicity in the club, or helping Slade-cockblocker-Wilson... how is it different  than being an active member of the team?! I don't get the logic of this. If you're out, you're out, Oliver. No  exceptions. He could as well get killed on the mission with Slade, then little William will be the one saying "told  you so!". Agrhhh...

- Those kisses... I love those smooches. Felicity, please kiss Oliver more like that! It's super adorable!

- I don't trust Alena. At all. Even after she was shot and was all cozy and friendly with Felicity, I still don't  trust the girl. Look, she is responsible for an Argus agent being horribly murdered. And her reaction to that death  was telling not nice things about the kind of person she is... Plus, she represents Felicity's past life, a rather  dark past. I don't want a constant reminder of that on the show, in small doses Alena is ok, but not as a permanent  fixture. Plus, this whole "breaking internet" thing was a set up by Cayden James, so it's obvious that either he  gave Alena that shiner and told her to get Felicity involved, or he knew that if Alena smells trouble, she'd go to  Felicity for help. And either way, she's a pawn in his game. I feel like if Alena isn't working for Cayden, and she  actually is clean, she's still a redundant character, because she doesn't bring to the show any new skill or  ability that isn't already an atribute of another character. So why keep her then?! "I thought you wanted to change the world, and look where you ended up..." I loved this burn! Why did Felicity  apologize for telling the truth?! Also, this line reminded me of when paralyzed Felicity was hallucinating Goth  Felicity. Goth Felicity said the exact same thing to her "you wanted to change the world, look where it got you..."  This Alena character reminds me of that Goth Felicity, but not in a good way. I really hope she won't drag Felicity  back to old hacktivist habits.

- Why doesn't KC wear her hair up in a ponytail more?! It actually looked nice, certainly nicer than her usual hair  down over one shoulder. She calls herself "Dinah", so why does the team insist on calling her "evil Laurel"?! Call  her evil Dinah then, she's here as a counterpart of the new BC anyhow, not of dead Laurel. This show has too many  Dinahs with same abilities, it's ridiculous, Arrow!

- Felicity spent more than half of the episode in that gorgeous red dress. She looked so out of place in it in that  club, and I loved it. It was very funny.

- Felicity should have asked for a backup while going to the club. Or at least telling her team where she's at. It  was irresponsible. And later at Helix, almost got herself and Alena killed. Granted, she couldn't have known that  it would be so dangerous, but still, she's going after someone who plans on killing hundreds of millions of ppl,  gotta think smarter, girl. I get why she would feel guilty. Not only she let out Cayden James, but after Havenrock,  if CJ manages to kill so many people, she would feel that it's on her, too.

- I loved Oliver's pep talk. Last episode it was with Diggle, now with Felicity. They both helped Oliver to become  the GA. And all that effort is now for nothing, eh Oliver?! Where the hell did Felicity get the idea that Oliver  was doing it all by himself?! He never did, well... he tried, but he never succeeded. He was killing ppl, until you  and John set him straight (and Tommy's death, too), he was a crappy brother most of the time, super crappy CEO,  failed as a boyfriend and a fiance, etc... So let's not pretend that Oliver wasn't a screw up just cuz he got his  act together this season, okay Arrow?!

- Helix Dynamics... Nope, not liking it. I got an immediate recall of Fringe's Massive Dynamics,tbh. Plus the name  Helix is rooted in Felicity's old life. Also, the name sounds rather ominous, like Kord Industries, where they make  all kinds of dangerous stuff that bad guys later steal. I hope Felicity will rename the company, it doesn't roll  off the tongue right.

- Michael freaking Emerson is amazing!!! I certainly got an evil Finch vibe from Cayden James. God, he's a cold  motherfucker. I do not believe that he "changed" because of Argus keeping him locked in a shipping container. Argus  locked him up for a reason, I wanna know what that reason is. He must have done something very very bad to earn  such treatment. Lyla isn't Amanda Waller. I would love for papa Smoak to come back and have a hack off paired with  Felicity vs CJ. It would be awesome. Also, I had an idea that Felicity will probably go to jail for hacking the  vault's firewall (and probably, other crimes too), and Noah might take the fall and go to jail instead of her. It's  the only way I see to redeem an absentee father like Noah.

Or Felicity will have to hide and lead a reclusive life until she figures out a way to clear her name with the FBI.  Or she's gonna be recruited by the FBI. Either way, it would be interesting storyline and I wonder how it will  affect her relationship with Oliver. I have a feeling Arrow might do something similar to what Smallville did with  Chloe's character - her leaving the team and just disappearing. Felicity might be forced to do the same. And it  won't be Arrow breaking Olicity up, just separating them for a while. Cuz it's Arrow and they can't let Olicity be  happy on the background all the time...

If we are correct, then Olicity is gonna get married in the LOT crossover episode. If so, then won't marital  privilege kick in then?! Oliver cannot testify against his wife, nor she against him...

- I really hate it when a side character is pointing out an obvious thing that all the fans have figured out long  ago, yet the main character haven't got a clue about... I'm talking about Alena pointing out that Felicity should  use her chip as an idea for helping people and get her company started. We've been cultivating this idea for 1.5  years, come on, Felicity...

- WTF is Arclight?! Damien's dome was called an Arc, right?! Maybe CJ was working for DD back then when the Arc was  being built, and that's why Argus locked him up?! "Arclight" does sound like a cult thing, LOL. And Darkh's zombie  population did look like cult followers...

- Loved all the grunting while Oliver dropped on the couch with hands full of Felicity!!! And the ass grabbing, and  her hand sliding to his front... This new time slot is paying off bit by bit. Slade cockblocking them was not cool,  Arrow!

- Did anyone else have a thought that Diggle's drugs might be provided by Cayden as well? He set up a trap for  Felicity in today's episode, Diggle will probably become addicted to that drug, and will be off the team as well.  Could be, Cayden will be picking all the team members one by one?

- The only thing, missing from this episode, was the repeat of the glorious line "It feels really good having you  inside me...". It was such a right episode with a perfectly set up circumstances to bring that line back. Arrow,  how could you miss this opportunity to remind us of such perfect comedic Olicity moment?

- Loved Oliver on the comms. He looked absolutely out of place behind Felicity's computers, but that was the point,  and I loved it. The learning curve and the funny Oliver, loved every second of that scene.

This was a very good, solid episode. The reversal worked perfectly. One of my favorites of all Arrow episodes!!  This season is gonna be so AWESOME!!!

@almondblossomme @hope-for-olicity @tdgal1 @taurusclh @geneshaven @eilowyn1 @felicitys @nalla-madness @coal000

[letstrysomefanfic]

Arrow 6x01 thoughts (spoilers)

Well shit.

- ok so some dialogue and stuff felt a little forced i guess idk some small bits just didn’t seem to flow as natural but that’s me just nitpicking

- THEA OMG i was so fuckin scared like bitch don’t touch my Thea nononono at least she’s alive she ain’t well but she’s alive thank fuck

- can we give Quentin Lance a break please he’s been through way too much he doesn’t need this constant beating on himself and feeling conflicted and shit please just let him live a happy life he’s been through hell he doesn’t need more of it

- WELL SHIT OK YEAH OLIVER WHAT WE GONNA DO THIS IS WHY YOU DON’T TAKE YOUR DAMN HOOD OFF IN PUBLIC OR WEAR A MASK UNDERNEATH DAMMIT

- ok yeah wait so did the T sphere have that pic on it and that’s why they needed it? did they take a pic with the T-sphere (not likely considering the brief period between when Evil Laurel & co. got the sphere and Oliver wasn’t even dressed as the Arrow after that) or maybe they got the pic from means unrelated to the T-sphere

- who the fuck came in the helicopter was it the Faust guy?

- wow. actually respecting Slade a bit more. never thought I’d say that

- Rene’s sass continues on as does Dinah’s (“takes one to know one” that made me laugh out loud she said that so coyly it was great)

- i’m interested to see the support/dynamic between Dinah and Diggle

- of the 3 out of 4 DC shows on the CW i’ve watched so far, this is the series i’m most excited for yet! (gonna watch the flash next, but my expectations for that i’m sad to say are low)

- i’m SOOOOO happy katie cassidy is still around even tho they killed off OUR laurel lance (RIP still not over it) i’m so excited to see her take on the evil laurel lance again

[diannaphantomfiction]

Day Two: Memory Loss

Day 2 of 7

Fandom(s): The Arrow, The Flash, DCTVU

Summery: Large amounts of Vertigo seem so have unforeseen effects on Speedsters.

Date Uploaded: July 11th 2017 

On AO3: Here

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Notes: Still a Day behind, will continue to be behind all week. 

Oliver stood in the center of the cortex, shoulders tighter than usual, arms crossed, jaw tense, and his mask hanging around his neck. There wasn’t much he could do as he watched Caitlin work frantically on Barry’s unconscious form. This wasn’t supposed to go down like this. It was never supposed to go down like this, yet more often than not, their team-ups always seemed to end right here; Barry lying in that hospital bed that he almost spent more time in than his own bed and Oliver unable to help. 

“He’ll be alright.” Cisco said softly, his attempt to comfort Oliver being ineffective considering he didn’t seem so sure of it himself. 

“He better be,” Oliver growled, “Or I’m going to put an arrow through the Count’s eye like I should have the first time I met him.” 

“I didn’t hear you say that…” Joe muttered, rubbing his forehead. 

Diggle and Felicity were standing stubbornly between Oliver and his bow, daring him to try to pick it up before Barry was stabilized. The rational part of Oliver’s mind knew that this was a good idea. He needed to be thinking straight before he went after the Count again or he’d just end up on a cot next to Barry. The part of his brain that recognized that his boyfriend was lying in a hospital bed unconscious from a massive Vertigo overdose and could have permanent brain damage didn’t see it that way, though. That part of his brain was figuring out the best way to disable Diggle, get his bow, and jump out the window before anyone could stop him. 

It was fifteen more minutes before Caitlin came out of the little area set aside for medical care. Sweat had caused her eyeliner to run a little and she had licked the lipstick off her lips.

“He’s still on the mend, but he’s stable now,” She said, glancing around the roomful gathered people before settling her gaze on Oliver, “We won’t be sure about any brain damage until he wakes up.” 

“That much pure Vertigo causes brain damage,” Felicity whispered, eyes wide and shining with damp, unshed tears. 

“It’s possible his body will heal itself completely before he wakes up. We’ve also never seen anything that Barry hasn’t been able to heal from. Even if he does have brain damage, the chances of him healing from it are high.” 

“If that was supposed to make me feel better, it doesn’t.” Oliver pushed past the doctor, grabbed Cisco’s regular chair, and took up vigil beside Barry’s sleeping form. 

Sleeping wasn’t quiet the right word. He was still sweating, cheeks pale, the withdraw fever already having set in. His bottom lip was shaking, his eyebrows pinched together tensely, and his eyes clenched closed instead of resting softly. Oliver had actually dozed off into a micro sleep when he heard a soft groan from Barry’s bed. The archer opened his eyes and jumped up to Barry side as the speedster shifted and slowly pried his eyes open. 

“Wha…?” Barry blinked slowly a few times, “Who? Where?” 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re safe.” 

Barry looked up at him eyes clouded and pupils blown too wide seeing as he was under harsh fluorescent lights. “What?” 

“Barry, you were injected with five times the standard dose of pure Vertigo.” 

“Vertigo?” 

“Yeah, Barry. Vertigo.” 

Caitlin rushed in and Barry looked at her with as much confusion and fear as he had looked at Oliver with just a few seconds ago. “What’s going on?” 

“I just need to check on a few things, Barry,” Caitlin said in a gentle, calming voice, “Is that okay?” 

Barry nodded slowly and Caitlin got to work, checking his pupil dilation, temperature, heartbeat, and a few other things Oliver couldn’t place from just watching. 

“What’s going on? Who are you guys?” 

Caitlin froze, slowly taking her stethoscope out of her ears and stared her friend. Oliver’s heart skipped a full three beats. 

“Barry?” Caitlin inched just a little closer, “Can I ask you some questions?” 

Oliver listened with dread, resisting the urge to grab his boyfriend’s hand every time he answered one of Caitlin’s questions. He did well on the general questions, he knew the date, who the president was, things about technology, but as soon as the questions got more and more personal, Barry grew more distressed. He didn’t know his birthday, where he lived, the names of his family members, where he went to college, where he worked. The list went on until Barry realized he didn’t know his full name and the only reason he knew his name was Barry was because that was what Caitlin and Oliver had called him. 

Caitlin called it retrograde amnesia. 

“Uh, sorry, but, who are you?” Barry asked Oliver as Caitlin as she went outside to inform everyone else. 

“I’m Oliver.” 

“And we’re…?” 

“Partners,” Oliver answered quickly with their preferred term before he realized that might confuse Barry more, “Boyfriends. We’re boyfriends.” 

Barry’s face fell even more (a true feat), “I’m sorry. I don’t…” 

“I know. It’s okay, you can’t help it.” 

The first thing Caitlin did was reintroduce Barry to everyone waiting outside. Joe gave Barry a little pause when he was introduced as Barry’s father and Barry even checked his hand to see his skin color, which would have been funny if he hadn’t looked so concerned. He took everything in stride, though, all things considered. 

Oliver pulled Caitlin aside as Eddie, Cisco, and Felicity tried to explain some things to Barry, but only seemed to be seceding in confusing him more. “How long before he gets his memory back?”

Caitlin sighed, “It’s not that simple, Oliver… With his healing powers, likely within a few days, but there’s no guarantee.” 

Oliver huffed and pulled a hand down his face, “Can I at least take him home?”  

Caitlin peered around Oliver to where Diggle was ushering Cisco and Felicity away from and overwhelmed Barry and a confused Eddie. 

“That might actually be for the best.”

Barry followed Oliver into the small apartment the two shared whenever Oliver was in Central and started looking around curiously. He’d calmed down significantly during the drive back. 

“Who’s this?” 

Oliver glanced at the picture Barry was looking at. There weren’t many around just a few Felicity, Iris, and Thea had insisted on hanging up, a couple of the Allens and Oliver with his mother, and some of their respective family-teams.    

“That’s my sister, Thea. She lives in Starling.” 

“Oh,” Barry looked at the pictures for a couple more seconds before turning back to Oliver. “So, what exactly were you wearing earlier?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“That all green leather outfit? I’m pretty sure I didn’t imagine that.” 

Oliver took a deep breath, “That’s… difficult to explain.”

“What are you a serial killer?” Barry’s face fell and he actually looked scared, “You’re not a serial killer are you?” 

Oliver chuckled, “No, Barry. I’m not a serial killer. Like I said it’s difficult to explain. Why don’t we get some food in you and get some rest? I promise I’ll explain everything tomorrow.” 

Barry nodded, “Alright. I am pretty hungry…” 

Oliver kissed Barry’s cheek without thinking and went over to the fridge to pull out the leftover casserole Joe always seemed to be throwing at them. Oliver put it in the oven and turned back to find Barry sitting at the island, brushing his fingers where Oliver had kissed him. 

Oliver took a deep breath. He could do this.

[batmenplayingpoker]

Let’s talk about: Arrow 5.19

In which I’m forced to defend Felicity.

After a month’s hiatus, Arrow has returned. Adrian Chase has been exposed as Prometheus, but he’s escaped, and the entire episode revolves around Felicity’s acts of desperation conflicting with the higher moral ground that Oliver has decided to occupy this week.

First off, shout out to Dinah Drake, who didn’t have a whole lot to do but worked what she got.

So anyway, as I mentioned, the dramatic tension of this episode revolves around Oliver v. Felicity (or Oliver and Diggle v. Felicity) with a little bit of Diggle v. Lyla thrown in there at the end. I should say that my feelings about Felicity throughout the course of the series has been conflicted at best. When she was basically a vehicle for “witty” one-liners and double entendres, I mostly rolled my eyes and ignored her. When she was elevated to romantic lead and Supreme Goddess, I hated her. And yet for most of season 5 I’ve ping-ponged back and forth between ambivalence to maybe, sorta, almost liking her in spite of myself?

And yet throughout the series, regardless of my feelings for the character, I have loathed the paternalism levied on her, levied on every prominent female character, in fact, with perhaps the exception of Sara (I would have to go rewatch S2 to be sure). The entire conversation between Oliver and Diggle had me practically seeing red, as they bemoan Felicity’s descent into that moral gray zone that only they are supposed to enter.

The face I was making, it was kind of like this:

Consider this line of dialogue:

“We knew she was involved, and we let her get in deeper.”

The entire conversation is framed in this way, as their failure to exercise control over Felicity’s actions. To be clear: it’s perfectly fine to express concern when you think someone is making poor choices, but they did that. Both Diggle and Oliver on separate occasions expressed their concerns to Felicity, and she took note of those concerns and decided to continue on the path she was going down, because she’s a grown ass woman who can make her own mistakes. It doesn’t mean she’s justified in what she does, she can be wrong! But at the end of the day she is the one responsible for her actions.

To make matters worse, it’s clear this conversation between Oliver and Diggle is not about Diggle taking Oliver to task for failing to exercise control over a team member as the leader of Team Arrow, but for failing to exercise control over her as her ex-fiance! 

Felicity did look pretty amazing in her heist gear, I must say. It was completely inappropriate for the occasion, and I’m not sure why you need 3″ wedge heel boots and smoky eyeshadow for a caper, but whatever, she was wearing something other than those glasses and those ugly designer dresses and she looked amazing! That works for you, Felicity. You should go on capers more often. 

But back to my rant: Sometimes Felicity’s bad choices are just Felicity’s bad choices, and she should be allowed to make them and live with the consequences of making them without being immediately absolved. But the show writers have consistently shown a wariness or inability to give Felicity any kind of moral complexity. She is routinely deified as “the best of us,” “the strongest of us,” “our moral voice,” and her questionable choices are always narratively justified or nullified. Her complicity in Susan’s firing earlier in S5 was waved away with a weak “I didn’t know what Thea was going to do!” (she asked you to plant leading evidence on Susan’s computer and you didn’t know what she was going to do with it? I thought Felicity was supposed to be some sort of genius!) It makes for a character who, when you get down to brass tacks, is pretty boring, who isn’t allowed anything by way of character growth. The scrapes and bumps she must heal from are always inflicted from the outside; her problems are never hers, she’s a victim of the mistakes of others.

For whatever reason, the writers can’t stop themselves from tripping over themselves to elevate her, even with awkward throwaway lines like the one from Diggle in this episode:

“Felicity Smoak is one of the best people I’ve ever known.”

It’s weird, the way other characters talk about her. I have some very close friends who I love with all my heart, but I don’t think I have or would ever appraise them in quite that way, surely not in a pseudo-argument with my spouse (especially since Diggle was basically saying “If even Supreme Goddess Felicity could go darksided, then oh god you, my wife, it could definitely happen to you.”) And this is far from the first time that other characters have talked about Felicity in a way that is entirely unique, that is not found in the way characters talk about any other character. It’s like an edict from on high; every now and then the Powers That Be must possess someone and use them as a mouthpiece to remind the audience that this is a good character and we love her, OK? 

This was also true about Oliver and Felicity’s relationship when it was getting off the ground and/or in full force, by the way. Diggle’s descent into the king of Olicity shippers was just weird, but even that pales in comparison to Laurel shipping Olicity on her deathbed. Why do we need everyone to love and endorse this relationship, this character? It suggests a lingering, uncomfortable insecurity in the writer’s room, a fear that they can’t adequately convey how good and right this relationship or that character is without having it explicitly reinforced by anyone and everyone. 

And let’s talk about Lyla for a second. Unpopular opinion: I hate Lyla.

I know, Digg. But hear me out. In a meta sense I have never warmed to Lyla. She was introduced as a replacement for Diggle’s S1 love interest, who we never saw or heard from again, and she eventually became Amanda Waller’s ARGUS replacement. That’s two black women that Lyla’s stepped in the shoes of, taking their place in the narrative. I’m not trying to draw anything from two data points, I’m just saying it’s enough to give me pause.

Amanda Waller was not a good person. Her decisions as the head of ARGUS weren’t even morally questionable, they were often morally wrong, yet in spite of that, Team Arrow worked with ARGUS on a number of occasions for their own ends (and, again, going back to Felicity, I can’t blame her being frustrated for being told she can’t follow the team’s general “ends justify the means” ethos because she’s been placed on a pedestal as the team’s moral beacon). In this episode Diggle expresses dismay about Lyla becoming “like” Amanda Waller, but what? Excuse me? Wasn’t she always complicit, if not outright involved in some of Waller’s questionable leadership decisions? Lyla wasn’t some powerless lackey, she was fairly high up in ARGUS even before Waller’s death. She chose to be there, she chose to act in concert with Waller, and Team Arrow often benefited from those choices. They’re all hypocrites.

This episode maybe (for me, hopefully) has sewn the seeds of the dissolution of Diggle and Lyla’s marriage. At the very least, it’s a problem that will doubtless linger. Early in the episode when Lyla takes a piece of evidence for ARGUS, the camera lingers on Dinah’s disapproving expression. This suggests to me that there is some merit that perhaps they’re going to explore Diggle and Dinah’s relationship to some extent. How do I feel about this? I don’t know. I’m happy to have Diggle do something other than act as Oliver and Felicity’s cheerleader, I’m happy for him to finally take a stance against his wife’s dubious actions, so I’m certainly interested to see where this is going. But I fear for Dinah if she devolves into Diggle’s arm candy.

The B-plot is Quentin “Hoss” Lance ignoring Rene’s boundary-setting by taking it upon himself to summon Rene’s daughter for an impromptu, surprise meeting, which ends with Rene’s renewed commitment to getting his daughter back. 

I get that this plot is supposed to be heartwarming, but Quentin bowls through Rene’s concerns due to his fresh grief over losing his daughter. To Quentin’s credit, he’s doing remarkably well for someone who’s managed to lose his two daughters THREE times, but sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is recognize that you’re not good for them, and if Rene truly feels that he isn’t good for his daughter, then it’s a good thing that she’s in a more stable environment. Let’s not forget this is a guy who runs around in a hockey mask and carries a gun; he may not be passing out drunk, but I still have some serious concerns about his ability to provide a stable environment. And for Quentin, it’s not even about Rene--not really. It’s about Quentin vicariously living through Rene, because he misses Laurel.

And finally, there were at least three references to Curtis’s “lawyer friend.” This is a strange turn of phrase to be repeated multiple times throughout the episode. Not “Curtis’s friend, who’s a lawyer,” not “a lawyer I’ve been put in touch with, thanks to Curtis,” but Curtis’s Lawyer Friend. Curtis’s Lawyer Friend. Curtis’s Lawyer Friend. Is this alluding to something (someone)? Or is is just strange dialogue? The writing on Arrow is so uneven that it’s difficult to distinguish when they’re attempting to signal something and when they’re just writing sloppy dialogue. Is “Curtis’s Lawyer Friend” supposed to ping something? I honestly can’t recall if we’ve got any relevant lawyer characters waiting in the wings; personally, I’d love for “Curtis’s Lawyer Friend” to be Damon Matthews, but again, maybe they weren’t attempting to signal a new, incoming character. Maybe Rene’s lawyer will, forevermore, simply be known as “Curtis’s Lawyer Friend.” Maybe that’s his actual name. I don’t know. ‘Til next week, which looks like a bottle episode.

[just-arrowolicity]

A Superhero Learns to fly Chapter 8

A/N:  I'm back!!! hope you like it it really turns out better that I thought... A big thank to my beta  you are amazing!!!!

Read it on AO3 or FF

Summary:  The team found out about that Oliver was the man who saved Felicity from Slade, so they decided to bring him back!

“Tell me, why shouldn’t I kill you right now?” Oliver growled, his sword at Malcom’s neck.

“Don’t be such a baby Oliver, we had deal, stick with it.” Malcom said pushing the sword away.

“FORGET about the deal Malcom! You put my team in danger, you put HER life in danger!!!!”

“That’s exactly my point Oliver, you still have attachments to these people, while Al Sah-him has nothing in his life, just darkness. Don’t forget about that.”

“They are off limits Malcom, when I accepted your help to destroy Ra’s, that was my only condition. You do not get close to my team.”

“Oliver…” Malcom said.

Oliver was done with this situation with Malcom. Yet he also knew Malcom was right, he had shown weakness by saving Felicity, at the same time putting this mission in danger.

“I mean it Al Sah-him, it’s time to focus, forget about them. She is alright, she will be released soon”.

Malcom had just disappeared again, leaving him alone in the roof of the building in front of the hospital wishing he was with Felicity in this moment, making sure that she feels save and promising her that everything will be all right.

He was caught in his own thoughts, when he heard Maseo approaching him from behind.

“What are you doing here Al Sah-him?”

“Just meditating, this city is boring, she’s not here! We should go!” Al Sah-him said.

“You know your mission, you need to bring her back” Maseo said.

“Let’s do it quickly then, I’m bored”

If Maseo had heard something about what happened in palmer tech, he didn’t say anything, even the police didn’t talk about the “dark archer that saved the Co-CEO”.

“Let’s go” Maseo said, and both men left the roof.

She should be in bed, but she was tired of lying in the hospital bed all day, so here she was, watching Starling City at night. She felt so tired, she had spent the entire afternoon looking for footage from Palmer tech until she found want she was looking for, him, he was Oliver and she was going to bring him back 

"You shouldn't be standing" Diggle told her.

 "Sorry, I got bored... And I needed to know that my legs still worked" Felicity said.

Diggle got into the room and he gave her a look that he always does when he doesn’t understand what she was saying.

"I am not leaving the hospital in a wheelchair" Felicity added.

 Diggle laughs "Felicity, who said… Well, never mind... Lyla helped me to put everything together so I am ready when you are ready" Diggle told her while he gives her a bag. 

"Thank you, just give me a few minutes" 

"Felicity, about last night..."

"Diggle. You don't need to say anything" Felicity added while she was getting out of the bathroom.

"But..." he insisted

"You trust me right?" Felicity looked at Diggle directly in his eyes 

"You know I do" Diggle answered quickly.

"So, let's go! The team is waiting for us" Felicity added.

Felicity had asked Diggle to gather the team at the lair because she has something to show them. 

“You have been too quiet, that’s not normal. If you don’t feel good, I can take you home” Diggle said to Felicity.

“No, I am sorry… I just… Diggle. I need to talk to the team” Felicity said.

“Ok, let’s go”.

When Diggle and Felicity arrived at the lair, Laurel and Roy were already there.

“Look who’s back!” Roy said, pulling Felicity into a hug.

“Hey, too tight it hurts” Felicity said.

“Sorry… I’m just happy to see you.” Roy said to her while releasing her from his hug.

“Good to have you back Felicity” Laurel added.

“Thanks, I’m glad to be back again” Felicity smiled at Laurel.

“Diggle said that you want to talk to us” Laurel said to her.

“Yes” Felicity answered while she went to her computers, took a seat and plugged in a USB. The entire team was waiting for her to continue, so she took a big breath and started to explain herself.

“I got Palmer Tech’s footage from the night of Slade’s attack, to show you something.” Felicity said, then she just pressed play.

Diggle, Roy and Laurel watched the screen, they see a video of one of the stairs atPalmer Tech, when a man - that you can say was a member of the League of assassins from what he was wearing - appeared. Felicity paused the video.

“Are you telling me that the League had something to do with this?” Laurel asked.

“No, this was 30 minutes or so after I figured out that Slade was looking for me. I know that I told Detective Lance that I don’t remember who saved me, but the man you saw there saved my life, he was the one who killed Slade”.  

“But why?” Roy asked confused.

“Because he knows us, and we know him,” Felicity said, and before Diggle could asked how, she pushed play, and the video started to roll again, but this time from a different angle and you can see the man going up the stairs, he stopped halfway to put a mask on, and then the video stopped again, and the team saw him, it was Oliver.

“It can’t be,” Laurel declared.

“I thought so too, but he took off his mask in front on me and I SAW him, I didn’t know if it was true, I thought I was hallucinating, until I saw this” Felicity was still sitting on her chair.

“And now what do we do?” Roy asked, still watching the screen.

“The obvious, we’ll bring him back,” Felicity said.

“Felicity” Diggle started “This is too much. If he is here, why didn’t he reached out to us? If he is here with the League , I don’t even want to think about it.”

“I don’t know what is happening to him, but I am not going to lose him again. We will bring him back, Diggle you won’t let him go down the dark path that is the League right?” Felicity got up and now she was in front of the three of them.

“We owe him! He have done a lot of good not just for this city, but for us too”. Felicity continued.

“Ok… But how are we supposed to bring him back? We don’t know anything about the League, it could be a suicide mission” Diggle said.

“I know someone who may be able to help us” Laurel said, suddenly the team remembered that she was there too.

“What do you mean?” Diggle asked.

“Trust me. I’ll be back in a few hours with help,” Laurel turned away from the team and left the lair.

Diggle looked at Felicity, she really looked tired. “You are going home to get some rest” Diggle said pointing at her.

“But I need to…” Felicity trying to disagree, but Diggle took her bag and give her a look that said this time she was going to do what he said.

“Don’t worry, I will run the facial recognition program on the footage that we have and I will call you when Laurel comes back” Diggle said.

“Ok” Felicity said resigned.

“Let’s see what we have” Felicity said while she was entering the lair.

“You guys know Nyssa right?” Laurel asked.

Before Felicity could speak, Nyssa was already next to Laurel dressed in normal clothes. Felicity barely recognized her.

“Don’t get me wrong, but how can the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul help us free Oliver?” Felicity asked.

“That’s the same question that I had, but both of them haven’t said a word since they arrived” Diggle added pointing towards Nyssa and Laurel.

“We were waiting for Felicity” Laurel said annoyed.

“Ok, I am here. Let’s hear how you can help us” Felicity said.

“His name is not Oliver, they call him Al Sah-him, he is the new heir to the Demon” Nyssa said.

“What does that mean?” Roy asked.

Nyssa continued as if Roy hadn’t spoken but she answers his question. “It means that he will be the next Ra’s Al Ghul”

“I thought that job was yours” Diggle said clearly confused.

“It’s mine, but my father has other plans for me, he wants me to marry Al Sah-him and that’s why I decided to leave the League. I am a traitor to the League, so his principal mission here is to bring me back to Nanda Parbat. It’s not safe for you to be with me” The last sentence was clearly meant for Laurel as Nyssa was looking directly at her.

“But you can help us to free Oliver, so that you can be free from your Father too, to start another life” Laurel said to Nyssa.

“That’s what all this is really about, you agree to help us and in exchange you are reinstated as Ra’s Al Ghul heir, right?” Diggle said.

“Yes, I can help you, but I cannot do what you asked, I will help you to get close to him. However let me warn you the methods that the League use to subdue their recruits are beyond what you can imagine. He may not be the Oliver that you all know anymore” Nyssa said looking at Felicity.

Felicity takes her eyes off Nyssa, this woman was telling them that their Oliver, her Oliver is already gone, but she refused to believe that.

“I understand, all you have to do is help us get close to him.” Felicity finally said.

“Felicity… You have to… we have to consider that he might not be Oliver anymore” Diggle said with a sad look in his eyes.

“I refuse to believe that, if that was true, I will already be dead, he saved me! He is still there, so we will use Nyssa’s help” Felicity said and the team nodded in agreement.

“Tell us, what do you want us to do?” Diggle said to Nyssa.

He saw the purple smoke rising in the horizon from some warehouse in the city, he knew that was Nyssa.

“It’s her, we must go” Maseo said to him.

“Yes, we will, but don’t do anything until I give my order” Al Sah-him said.

Al Sah- him and the League went to an old factory, a place that he knew the League used for their business.

Nyssa was standing in the center of the roof, the members of the League surrounded her, but they didn’t show any sign of hostility to her.

“What do you want?” Al Sah-him asked.

“A duel” Nyssa demanded.

“You are not in the position to demand anything.” Al Sah-him said simply.

Nyssa smiled, “I know, but both of us also know that this task of yours is taking a lot of time, and I can easily make it longer by disappearing, thus making it harder for you”

Nyssa was right, this thing about the marriage was taking a lot of time, time that he didn’t have.

“Ok, how will this work?” he asked.

“If you win  I will return to Nanda Parbat and be your wife, but if I win you die and I am free” Nyssa said.

“You know that if you kill me the League will always be after you, right?” he questioned matter of factly.

“You will be dead, so don’t worry about it” Nyssa said.

Something is wrong, there was nothing in it for Nyssa, but right now this seems the best option he had.

“Agreed” Al Sah-him said and pulled out his sword.

Both of them went into their fighting position, when suddenly they hear a cry, the League members covered their ears. Suddenly black smoke covered the whole space, but he could see Diggle, Roy and another archer fighting with some members of the League. Nyssa takes Al Sah-him by his hand, and said “You are coming with me.”

 He decided to fight back, but Nyssa injects him with some fluid. He got dizzy, then all went black.

His head hurts, he opened his eyes slowly. He noticed two things he was in a cell and he wasn’t in the usual lair, but he still knows this place, it’s the lair 2.0, at least that’s what Felicity calls it, after Slade the idea of having a backup lair doesn’t sound so bad, she actually made some improvements in here just in case she needs to work from here.

He got up and there he was, his old friend watching him.

“Good morning” Diggle said.

“Set me free” Oliver said.

“Not until you tell us what you are doing.” Diggle bargained, getting close to the cell.

“I am Al Sah-him heir to the Demon, you should release me before you have all the League here” Oliver said.

“STOP THE CRAP OLIVER” Diggle yelled.

Diggle tried to calm himself, take some deep breaths, in and out. Before he continues “Oliver, we are here to help you, let us!”

“You can’t, now tell your team to stops this crap and let me go” Oliver demanded.

Hours passed before she appeared. Oliver didn’t know if she will appear here to talk with him, he had no idea what he should tell her or what she would tell him.

“Thank you for saving me” Felicity said while she passed him a glass of water.

He didn’t say anything, so she continued speaking, “You know Nyssa told us funny things about you being Al Sah-him, and how you haven’t killed Malcom yet.”

He looked at her, he wanted to know where she was going.

She smiled at him and said “I got your attention it seems�� So I was looking for any sign of Malcom here in Starling City, borrowing satellites from Argus, and this is what I found” She gave him a picture of him and Malcom on the roof, the picture was from the night she got release from the hospital.

“Oliver, we are your team. We trust you, so please, trust us. Tell us what you are doing and how can we help you?” she begged.

“You can’t. I’m doing this for Thea, so I asked Malcom to train me, to give me everything I need to kill Ra’s and set Thea free. That is what I’m doing. Now you know, set me free NOW!” Oliver told her in a cold tone.

“I don’t believe what I’m hearing, you are working with the man that made your sister a murderer. A man who also killed a woman that you once loved. How can you?” Felicity asked.

“I am doing whatever I HAVE to do” Oliver said

“There is always another way Oliver, please” She took his hand and continued “Let’s us find it, this mission the way you are doing it, will only end with your death” He freed his hand and said nothing to her.

“You don’t want to listen to me, fine. But your team is here Oliver, ready to stand by your side” She left him alone.

He was worried a lot of time had passed, the League must be closed, and every member of his team was in danger. He needed to get out of here.

“Ollie?” Thea asked.

“Thea, what are you doing here?” he asked

“I’m here to bring my brother back with me, I know everything Ollie” Thea said.

“I’m sorry, but I’m doing this for you!” Oliver said

“I don’t want you to do this for me, not if it means that I will lose you again!” Thea started to cry.

 “I am sorry, Thea” Oliver said, he really wanted to comfort his sister, but now isn’t the time.

Thea got close to the cell and then took his hand. “Do you remember what you told me in Corto Maltese, that our father sacrificed himself so we both can live! You also told me that even if I don’t need you, YOU need me in your life? And Ollie I am here, to tell you I will fight against Ra’s by your side, because I will always need my brother in my life”

She let him go and then started to walk out, when he called out “Call Nyssa, I need to speak to her”

[jbuffyangel]

Truth and Lies: Arrow 6x18 Review (Fundamentals)

I love Vertigo. We get the best Olicity episodes out of this drug and "Fundamentals" did NOT disappoint. Angsty Arrow driven mad by his own internal demons and the love of his life fighting through the darkness to reach the light within him? 

If you are wondering why this review is delayed it's because I've been watching "Fundamentals” on a loop. And binging Westworld, but that's not my fault. @callistawolf​ told me to watch it. But really also watching "Fundamentals" on a loop. There’s so much to unpack that this took me three days to write and another full day to gif.   

I am prepared to say 6x18 might be my favorite episode of the season. I think I liked it better than the wedding AND the wedding RECEPTION. I know I know. That's crazy talk, but that's what Vertigo does man. EMBRACE THE INSANITY BECAUSE IT IS AWESOME.

Let's dig in...

Olicity

I'm not really sure how to divide this review into sections primarily because it's just a mass of Oliver losing his shiznit, punctuated with extremely excellent scenes with Felicity. So we're rolling fast and loose on the headings. Cool? Cool.

I like angst. No, that's not right. I LOVE ANGST. You really can't survive seven years of watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer live, in your formative teenage years, and not come out with the ability to embrace the pain. But I don't enjoy angst that's just angst for angst's sake. (Yeah that's a sentence. I think.) I want angst with purpose. I want it to move the characters somewhere or at the very least reveal truths. Maybe they are truths we already know and simply need confirmed once and awhile. Maybe they are truths we didn't even know existed. Regardless, if angst has a point then I'm in.

Some may disagree with me regarding the angst in "Fundamentals." It may feel like ground we've already covered, and I can certainly understand why some may have that opinion. I have a differing one, however. I feel 6x18 unearthed some new truths regarding Oliver Queen and his journey this season that I have not previously considered.

Source: @olivergifs​

The opening is familiar, but new. The Arrow is back! It's been so long since we've seen Oliver as the Arrow that the action felt fresh. Immediately there was a different vibe compared to all the other action scenes we've seen over the past three years. It is dark, brutally violent and fast. And extremely hot.

The Arrow moves like a shadow and creates a visceral reaction of fear. That piece is familiar. The skill set of the Arrow and the Green Arrow remain the same, but their tactics are not. The Green Arrow works within a team. He is quick, but deliberate. Strategic, but adaptable. He is threatening, but instills a sense of calm. The Green Arrow doesn't shy from the light the same way the Arrow does. Both masks serve justice, but one instills hope while the other instills fear. We are supposed to notice a difference between these two personas, which is why "Fundamentals" opens fast and hard with the violence of the Arrow. It's to remind us of Oliver Queen's evolution and how far he's come. What drives and fuels the Arrow is something the Green Arrow does not have:

Rage.

Oliver has opened up his heart over the last six years. He rediscovered brotherhood and friendship. Oliver fell in love and became a father. The anger created by the injustice all around him and his five years of trauma is no longer burning him up inside. Oliver faced the worst parts of himself, and by doing so, the anger gave way to something else. Something more hopeful. The Green Arrow fights injustice just like the Arrow, but the tactic is not merely to beat it down. The Green Arrow wants to build upon the ashes of injustice. Oliver also recognizes the mask is not the only avenue in which he can be of service to Star City. He finally realized the man behind the mask can also have an impact.

Or at least... that's what Oliver tried to do. As usual our hero fails as much as he succeeds, but real change does not come without failure. The problem is Oliver does not understand where he went wrong. Team Arrow has fallen apart. Rene and Dinah betrayed him. Curtis turned his back on Oliver. And John Diggle, his brother, left him.  

"You've become a better man, but a worse leader."

John's words are haunting Oliver because he doesn't understand them. How can he be a better man, the man John always asked him to be, and a worse leader?

Listen, I am 100% on Team Oliver with this one. That's straight up bonkers and Diggle doesn't have Vertigo as an excuse. We're also supposed to wonder what in the blazing hell happened to Oliver that he's wearing the Arrow suit, going full rage-a-thon, and walking into what is obviously a suicide mission (even for him).

*Drugs, drugs, druggidy, drugs* Oh sorry. We're supposed to be pretending we don't know why Oliver is cuckoo for cocoa puffs right now. My bad.

Source:  felicityssoliver

So, we're flashing back to ten hours earlier. Now it's really important to remember we are supposed to be confused with the timeline. Both the police captain and the DA have accused Oliver of firing them to impede the Green Arrow investigation . Unfortunately, Oliver just fired them because they admitted to being Diaz's lackeys and not because he has actual proof. I think. Last week's episode was so many levels of screwy I kind of stopped paying attention to some of the details. Anywho, Oliver begs his genius wife to get some rock solid evidence against them so he can hold onto his day job. Also, avoiding prison would be neat.

The SCPD security monitors go white noise at exactly 10:13 every night, so Felicity rapidly deduces Diaz is monitoring his lackeys at that time. Oliver agrees and wouldn't you know that's prime Green Arrow time! Felicity immediately tells Oliver he can't go in there alone because suicide, but he's too jazzed about ending all his Diaz problems to listen.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Felicity, bless her heart, decides to play marriage counselor one more time and parent traps Oliver and Diggle into meeting into the bunker. Yes, she actually uses the words "parent trap" and it's awesome. I love one cupcake. Also, the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills will always be the superior version. Come fight me.

It's a disaster. Both Oliver and Diggle are still extremely pissed off at each other, which is fair. This was one horrid fight. Diggle informs Oliver he's considering taking a job at A.R.G.U.S. and Oliver offers a solid burn in return:

“Last time you needed something from A.R.G.U.S., you had to steal it.”

I, once again, am on Team Oliver on this one. I don't mind the snippiness and think it's fairly warranted. If John is looking to find a purpose beyond Oliver Queen and live outside his shadow (and he is - even if he can't admit it yet), then I fail to see how A.R.G.U.S. is any different. Diggle needs a purpose of his own. As much as I will love seeing a Dyla team up, I don't think it really solves John's problem all that much. A.R.G.U.S. is Lyla's purpose. It always has been. I'm not saying John can't find purpose with his wife and her employer. He certainly can, but a lot of John's argument against Oliver was about striking out on his OWN. This isn't exactly an independent venture. So, I understand why Oliver may see some hypocrisy on the wall.

Diggle: Oliver, you keep up that attitude man you are gonna end up all alone.

Oliver: I've listened to your advice for the last six years. I think I've earned a reprieve.

Oliver has taken, what I feel, is a lot of unnecessary shit from everyone and quite frankly it's way more entertaining to see him swinging back than simply taking it. Felicity is disappointed her little make up session didn't end with bromance hugs and kisses, but Diggle is not surprised. He essentially tells Felicity Oliver is stubborn, alienates people with his attitude, and likes to be alone - and nobody knows that better than her.

It's an irritating comment and not a fair one. If that was all true than Oliver would have never married Felicity in the first place. Diggle keeps throwing ALL of Oliver's past mistakes in his face (and now Felicity's) to continue making his argument as to why Oliver is a crappy leader. Again, Diggle's beef and his snarky comments would have made so much more sense in SEASON THREE. 

The real goal of the comment is to make Felicity worry Oliver will ice her out next, which is as about as mean as John Diggle gets. However, it's primarily intended to make us worry about the status of their marriage. I RAISED YOU BETTER THOUGH.

Oliver has a meeting with Councilmen Kullens who tells him he can't fire the very people who are investigating him. That looks really bad. Oliver insists the two are working for Diaz.

Kullens: From what I understand, Ricardo Diaz is a second rate drug dealer who was released from prison on a technicality.

He got the second rate part right. Kullens cannot fathom how a two bit hood like Diaz could possibly coerce city officials like the DA and police captain and oh my god it's even more stupid when I type it. Can we put an arrow in this guy? He bugs me. Kullens informs Oliver impeachment proceedings begin that afternoon and he'll have a chance to please his case then, which means Oliver is on the clock and needs to get some evidence FAST.

Oliver races home to check in with Felicity and take William to his science fair. The kid cloned cabbage. Yes, CLONED. 

This is one character we never want to have a dark spiral on Arrow. Use your powers for good William. That's all I'm saying son.

On top of being a child genius, William is also extremely OCD about time. So, when Oliver comes in late his son is extra anxious to get going. This is my child in TV form. She puts her winter coat and snow pants on 20 minutes before she leaves for the bus, stands in the kitchen watching TV, so she's in direct eye line to clock because GOD FORBID she's a micro second late.

Unfortunately, the evidence Felicity compiles against Diaz is only something a police department to get their hands on or... the Green Arrow.

Oliver drops to that lower octave which increases the hot by several levels.

Felicity tries to joke her way out of it by telling Oliver to inform the council he's married to a super hacker and HUBBY IS NOT AMUSED. It's one thing for him to get imprisoned, but he cannot joke about it happening to Felicity. Ugh. I love him.

Unfortunately, Oliver's adorableness is short lived. He rapidly spirals into an asshole. Felicity tries to explain that she tried to set up a believable trail for the evidence but that she ran out of time.

Oliver: You ran out of time because you're focusing on making John and I reconcile instead of doing your job!

HIT THE DECKS. HUBBY IS ABOUT TO BLOW! I think my husband values his life to much to ever say something like to me, but he's been at this a little bit longer than Oliver. Give him a decade. He'll learn.

Felicity is WTF and rightfully so. They segue into arguing about whether or not Felicity is on Oliver's side.

(She is you big, angry tree trunk).

William chooses this exact moment to interrupt their argument by reminding his father that they are running late. When my parent's fought I found the nearest exit.  Read the room kid.

Oliver blows. Big time. He yells at William while simultaneously destroying the science fair project. Ah man, that was cloned cabbage dude. That would have made an interesting salad.

Cue awkward silence and horrified looks from Felicity and William. I am so uncomfortable. This feels voyeuristic. *She says while having zero issues watching Olicity sex scenes on a loop.*

Source: @olivergifs

Oliver tries to apologize to William, who storms out, and explain to Felicity it was an accident but she tells him to get the fuck out. I added the fuck because that was the tone and if we were on cable it would have absolutely been there. 

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

MAMA BEAR MODE ACTIVATED.

Nobody messes with the cub. Not even Dad. Honestly, the addition of William was one of my big worries for Season 6 because I questioned how Arrow would integrate the child into the story lines. But William has become one of my favorite parts of the season, particularly when it comes to his relationship with Felicity. Felicity becoming the world's best step mother is not remotely surprising, but it doesn't lessen the joy watching it develop on screen. William has come to depend on her just as much as Oliver. Maybe even more because they bond frequently over their genius level IQs.

Sometimes you need to tell your child "Not right now" in a stern voice. Sometimes raising your voice is required. Sometimes you blow a fuse as a parent. We are, after all, only human and humans are imperfect. Parents make mistakes. Oliver raising his voice to William didn't bother me too much. Although, I think he could have directed a little more tough love when his son wandered off from the bunker into the field and almost got himself blown up. Screaming over being late to the science fair was a gross overreaction. A stern "take a number buddy" would have sufficed just fine. And yeah, sometimes you have to tell a kid twice because he’s a kid.

What bothered me was the violence of Oliver's reaction. The way he whirled around at William, breaking the science fair project as he did, wasn't simply frustration. It was rage. We haven't seen this level of rage from Oliver in an extremely long time. Even in his fight with Diggle, he tempered his anger and fought defensively during the brawl.

Oliver has a temper. It's a fact of his personality. Nearly every person in Oliver's life has been on the receiving end of it at one point or another - including Felicity. However, Oliver has directed a violent reaction to those who can physically take him on - Diggle, Roy, Rene and Dinah.

Oliver has always been calculated, even to a certain extent controlled, as to who he responds physically to in anger. He has NEVER reacted violently against those he views as physically defenseless against him. 

His physical altercation with Thea was defensive even though Thea can kick his ass. He never took Laurel on even after she became BC and I know there were times he just wanted to lay her flat on her ass. The only real exception was when he confronted Moira as the Green Arrow, but she shot him so we see how that went.

There is only one time I can recall Oliver using his body in a physically threatening way against Felicity. Although, there was so much sexual tension I often wonder if he just used the moment to get up in her bubble and enjoy a little physical proximity. Regardless, there's a reason the first time Oliver Queen got in Felicity's Smoak's face was the last time. SHE was the one who put HIM down hard. Strength doesn't have to equate to the physical kind. Felicity Smoak is Oliver's match in every way. She puts his alpha male ass in its place every time he's ever tried to pull this nonsense with her, which is why it only happened once. Any time after was often in defense of others. Felicity always makes Oliver back down.

But this moment is different. The hair trigger rage we often saw in the early seasons of Arrow has returned and Oliver directed it at his son, a defenseless child. There's no excuse for it. Yet, Felicity's reaction is no different than the one we saw in 1x15. 

She steps from behind the counter and defensively approaches Oliver with so much speed and protectiveness over William he is the one who immediately backs away. 

Source:  mingrose

The movement immediately forces Oliver to turn his attention away from William and direct it to Felicity. It's essentially Felicity putting her body between William and Oliver. That said, she always uses her anger and strength to deescalate the situation. Felicity essentially puts Oliver in a time out by kicking him out of the apartment and rightfully so.

So, obviously we are supposed to be asking what the hell is wrong with Oliver? Diggle's words are supposed to haunt us. Perhaps Oliver hasn't changed after all.

Oliver descends to his bunker of solitude. He's obsessively watching the video feed of white noise on a loop, so he's in a super healthy space.

The scrambling of the video and the white noise in between is symbolic for what's happening in Oliver's mind. He's on a loop of white noise that he can't figure his way out of.

There's a knock at the bunker door and this should have immediately tipped everyone off to something being amiss. Why would Felicity knock? When Oliver turns around she just appears. Out of nowhere she's standing behind him. He's startled and Felicity wonders why. Oliver tries to explain what he heard, but can't. The knock had a pounding, distant, echoing sound to it. Like someone trying to open a tightly shut door closed long ago. It's the sound of Oliver's past beating it's way open. He just doesn't know it yet.

Felicity has her arms tightly crossed and keeps her distance from Oliver. He immediately tries to explain what happened, but again he can't because Oliver doesn't understand it himself. He doesn't know why he lost it on William other than things are beginning to pile up.

That's as far as he gets. Felicity coldly and resolutely tells Oliver they should take some space. Oliver is heartbreakingly confused until he looks down at Felicity's crossed arms and realizes she took her ring off. 

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

The devastation rapidly begins to overtake his confusion, but even then this has to be a joke right? 

Oliver almost laughs until he realizes it’s not. Then he becomes helpless as his world begins to crumble.

Source: @olivergifs​

Felicity tells Oliver he crossed a line with William. A line he should never cross.

Felicity asking Oliver for a separation sounds like a protective measure for William, but it still doesn't make sense. It's a 180 degree turn. It's too fast. Too abrupt. If you are still harboring PTSD from the Olicity break up in Season 4, and particularly if you read cast interviews previewing the episode, it's understandable why this scene would be extremely alarming. For some, I am sure it was confirmation of a deeply rooted fear Arrow is going to divorce Olicity soon after they married them. This is just another stop in the never ending "will they/won't they" ride.

But there is something in Felicity's speech to Oliver that should have tipped you off something else was going on.

No matter how disappointed or angry Felicity is with Oliver this is simply not something she would ever say under any circumstance. Felicity never believed, not even for a second, that Oliver was the violent, rage filled, monster he tried to portray himself as and believed himself to be. And that's the key right there. This is something OLIVER would say. 

William discovering the monster within is a deep rooted fear of Oliver's - not Felicity’s. She never believed the monster existed. 

When Felicity looks at Oliver all she has ever seen is a man with a deeply good heart. Felicity always saw the light within Oliver, even when he could not see it himself. Especially when Oliver couldn't see it. 

Felicity has admitted she fell in love with Oliver the first moment she met him because of what she saw. Her love is rooted in that belief.

That's not to say Felicity's belief in Oliver's goodness has not been challenged over the years. Particularly when Oliver was doing everything he could to make Felicity believe the monster was real and he was beyond change. Yet, time and again she saw through the facade of darkness to the truth - the light within.

Oliver has "killed" Felicity via LOA gas and shattered their life together with a lie that seemed almost impossible to forgive. I'm not saying yelling at William and shattering cloned cabbage wasn't bad, but I wouldn't rank it in the top ten worst things Oliver Queen has ever done. Let's remember she fell in love with him when he had a penchant for breaking necks. All I'm saying is, Felicity has a high threshold for Oliver Queen darkness.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

So, surgically cutting the cord on their marriage like this feels offs. Extremely off. It is Oliver who fears William will learn of his father's darker side. Not Felicity. Felicity confirming Oliver's worst fear, that he is truly a monster, doesn't sound like her voice. It sounds like Oliver's voice.

Now would be a real good time to remember Diaz and BS maniacally laughing over their last vile of Vertigo at the end of last week's episode. Although, I will give Arrow kudos. They did their level best to fool everyone with the way they cut this episode together.

Source: @olivergifs​

The knocking returns after a heart to heart with Lance. This time it is louder and more insistent. Oliver cannot ignore it. Instinctively he picks up a gun, walks to the elevator doors as they open 

Source: leraswift13

and there stands Adrian Chase. 

Prommy is back to play mind games! TIME FOR SOME CRAZY!!!!

Oliver doesn't understand how Adrian can still be alive because, ya know, bullet to the brain. Adrian's response is basically, "It's Arrow man.. Didn't you fall off a mountain once? Nobody ever really dies."

Now, I know Oliver is trippin on the light fantastic, but that's some solid logic under Vertigo. I give him credit. Prometheus still scares the ever loving crap out of me and the ensuing battle with Oliver is more exciting than all the villains combined this season. I miss you Josh Seggara. Please come back.

Oliver holds Adrian in the same neck hold in 5x23. He dares Oliver to do it and once again we see the moral struggle tearing Oliver apart. He fights the urge once more, but then Adrian reminds him that his mercy cost the mother of his child her life. Oliver snaps when Adrian threatens William and Felicity once again. He snaps his neck. 

Source: @olivergifs​

Sparing Adrian's life was a moment of triumph for Oliver in Season 5. It was proof to Oliver that he was not the man Adrian Chase accused him of being. He knew the threat Adrian posed, but taking his life would simply be confirmation Oliver was a monster. Killing Adrian Chase would be proving him right.

If Oliver killed Adrian the island would have exploded and everyone, including Oliver, would have died. His mercy didn't stop Adrian from killing himself and ultimately killing Samantha, but that choice was Adrian's. Not Oliver's. There was no avenue Oliver could choose that would not result in the spilling of innocent blood. It is why Adrian Chase is so diabolically evil. Yet, Oliver still harbors guilt over Samantha. Particularly since Diggle used her death as a knife to twist in his back. He still believes there's a way he could have saved everyone, which is the curse of being a hero. The God Complex is often more crippling than any villain.

If you didn't figure out Oliver is hallucinating by the time Adrian pops up alive again, then I can't help you my friend. But if it helps Oliver figures it out and tells everybody what's going on.

Source: @olivergifs​

Hallucinating Adrian Chase is the pitch perfect choice to show the manifestation of Oliver's fears. Refresher course - this is what Vertigo does. It really makes you wonder why anyone willing takes this drug if all you get from the high is seeing your deepest fears become real. Can't say that's a party favor I'd be interested in partaking in.

Oliver Queen essentially created Prometheus, so therefore Adrian Chase represented Oliver's darker half. Prometheus is what Oliver could have become if he never met John Diggle and Felicity Smoak. He was Arrow's most effective villain because he was a living confirmation of everything Oliver feared he was.

I give you The Adrian Chase As Oliver Queen's Inner Voice highlights:

Adrian: I always was the one person who saw you for the murderer you are. What are you doing? Oh you are running a blood test. you think you've been dosed with something. You know there is another explanation. A more likely one in my considered opinion. You're finally going crazy. It's completely understandable, Ollie. You've lost everything, even the people I couldn't manage to take from you. I really like this Ricardo Diaz. If he didn't exist I'd have to think of him myself. He's going about this exactly right. Don't hurt the people that you love. Just get them all to abandon you. It's actually the easiest thing in the world. I told you this Ollie. I told you this man! Everything you touch dies. What you're going through right now, losing your team, your wife, the impeachment, all of it is happening just like I told you it would. And nothing in that blood test is gonna change that.

Adrian: It's tough to say you're in a good place when your oldest friend leaves you high and dry.

Oliver: John made his choice.

Adrian: And deep down you know he's right. You've changed Oliver. Sure, maybe you are a better Oliver Queen. A happier Oliver Queen. But it has sure made you a worse hero. You have a wife, son, you're the mayor - all of which yes may be going away, but still it's a fair assumption. You are stretched too thin buddy. Maybe you've gotten so good at being Oliver Queen that the Green Arrow's mission is suffering. You may be happier, but the people that you love - they're not.

Yes, I typed that all out because every line is gold.

Source: dctvgifs

It's very difficult to watch Oliver's brain beat the shit out of him so effectively. Stay strong my son!

In a nice reverse from 3x01, Oliver and the Arrow come face to face once again. Only it's not Oliver Queen who is the villain. It's the Arrow. 

For those wondering haven't we déjà'd this vu already, the answer is yes. But the point is to show the flip. Oliver isn't afraid of being Oliver Queen anymore. His fear has shifted into something else entirely. Oliver is afraid being Oliver Queen isn't enough.

He's become everything John and Felicity believed he could be. Oliver has embraced his humanity and in doing so has become a better friend, lover and father. He is actively trying to save the city during the day and in the night. Oliver is trying to be everything to everyone all the time. And yet everything is falling apart. Oliver is still losing everyone he loves. He is still all alone.

It's one thing to be afraid of embracing his humanity. It's another for Oliver to realize even when he does he still falls short. The city is still in shambles, people he loves still die, his team betrayed him, his best friend, wife and son left him and Star City is intent on taking not only his job, but his freedom. And it all happened when Oliver was being the very best version of himself.  

Oliver compartmentalized himself because he feared if he merged the two personas then all that would remain is a monster. 

It took a very long time, 

and facing the absolute worst in himself, to realize there is a good man 

under the mask. 

However, now Oliver has combined those two personas and yet nothing is getting better. Trying to be everything to everyone and yet still not feeling like enough is crushing.

It's almost more comforting to believe he hasn't changed at all - that Oliver can understand. If Oliver Queen "the hero" is simply a facade, and the monster who fails and alienates everyone while leaving a trail of bodies in his wake still remains, then this all makes sense. As much as it terrifies Oliver, he can understand why everyone has finally left him.

Oliver chose to stop hiding from love. 

It is the bond that tethers him to his humanity and what allows the light to break through all the pain, loss and trauma. He has chosen to love with everything he has, and to his horror, it's not enough. His love for his city is not enough. 

Source: @olivergifs​

His love for his team is not enough. 

His love for his brother is not enough. 

His love for his son is not enough. 

His love for his wife is not enough.

Source:  feilcityqueen

This is a different ballgame. It's not a repeat of Season 4. Oliver tried being his best self and FAILED. 

Season 6 he succeeded, but it did not create any different result. 

It's a confirmation of his worst fear. Any version of Oliver Queen is alienating. Any version of Oliver Queen is a failure.  

Oliver always had the mask to blame. He always had the monster to hide behind as the reason why everything he touches he destroys. 

But that's gone now. 

He conquered his demons. 

So, all he's left with is Oliver Queen, but he is incapable of building anything. 

He will never be the man he wants to be, the man Oliver promised his father he would be, because that man still falls spectacularly short. That's almost a fate worse than death for Oliver. We've asked Oliver to try for six years. He did. He failed. So now what?

Source: @olivergifs

The only conclusion Oliver can come to is... he was right all along. The monster and the man are one in the same. Oliver will never escape the darkness because he is darkness. Whatever light he has is ultimately powerless to overshadow it.

So, suffice it to say Oliver is spiraling down the insanity hole. The drug is taking a stronger hold on him. He can no longer distinguish the lies from the truth. If he was right all along then the only option is to shut Oliver Queen down again. He lost sight of the mission and losing everything even as Oliver Queen proves to him that the mission is all that matters. He has become the mask and only the mask. The only way he can truly serve it is the way he originally intended. Alone and as the Arrow - the conduit for the darkness within.

If you think Oliver is off his rocker then you'd be right. HE'S ON VERTIGO. He's supposed to be off his rocker. None of this is right. Our boy is so many levels of wrong it'd take me another six years to explain all of them.

Oliver decides this is still a really excellent time to make decisions that will absolutely impact his ability to live as a free man. 

Oliver hands over the evidence because it's the only card he has to play to stop the impeachment.

AND QUENTIN LET’S HIM! For the love of God man don't hand Oliver the bullet and help him load the gun! Tackle him. HE IS HIGH AS A KITE. This is not the time we allow Oliver to make decisions. This is the time we tie him to a chair!

Then, Adrian/Oliver convinces himself to go after Diaz.

Adrian: The only way to prove you are the hero you say that you are and keep being mayor is to take down Diaz tonight.

The way Chase uses his finger as a gun to Oliver's head when he says, "I'm in here" sends chills down my spine. It's a striking parallel to the last image we saw of Prometheus. 

Adrian always believed Oliver would be the hand causing his own destruction and we are alarmingly close to him being right. Even closer than we were in Season 5.

Source:  oliverxfelicity

Felicity and William return from the science fair and her purse starts beeping. Felicity has a GPS on Oliver's bow because that's the smart thing to do when he's fighting crime every night. So the newbies can pass me with their royal indignation. Don't want to get dead? Then get okay with trackers dipshits!

Enough of this hallucination bullshit. Let's get down to what is REAL and TRUE. 

Felicity calls Quentin after Oliver doesn't pick up his cell and he fills her in on what's really going on.

Quentin: He said you kicked him out.

Felicity: No, I didn't. I would never!

For all those worried Arrow will eventually take another Season 4 route with Olicity, it’s time to let it go.

Arrow is not interested in will they/won't they with Olicity anymore. Admittedly, they drove that arc into the ground, but THIS episode is about the shift not only in Oliver and Felicity's relationship, but in the way Arrow views it.

Yes, they are going to have angst. Yes, they are going to face problems. Yes, they are going to fight. But none of this will break them apart. Their love is Arrow's anchor. It is what holds this show steady. 

The pattern is the same Every. Single. Year. We get snip its of Olicity scenes punctuated by big episodes. 6x18 is a big episode with a big purpose. Arrow played on the audience's fears and insecurities with the promo and cast interviews, because they are Oliver's fears and insecurities too. The show is giving Oliver and the audience one last scare (because it's a television show and that's what television shows do), but now it's time to get down to business. Now it's time to deal in truth.

Oliver and Felicity are married. There are no more break ups. This is forever. PERIOD. Oliver will never leave Felicity and Felicity will never leave Oliver.

FUNDAMENTAL DEFINITION:

adjective

1. serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying: fundamental principles; the fundamental structure.

2. of, relating to, or affecting the foundation or basis: a fundamental revision.

3. being an original or primary source: a fundamental idea.

noun

5. a basic principle, rule, law, or the like, that serves as the ground work of a system; essential part: to master the fundamentals of a trade.

There is a double meaning to the episode title. Yes, Oliver is returning to what he believes were the core “fundamentals” of the mission. However, Arrow is outright stating that the solidity of Olicity’s relationship is also a fundamental of the show. 

Still don't believe it? Well, then buckle up because Arrow is going to show you how true it is with what can only be called FANFICTION COME TO LIFE.

William, bless his pure soul, eavesdrops on Felicity's call and is all in on mission "Save Dad." 

Source:  dctvgifs 

He hands Felicity a pair of running shoes and holy mother of freaking crap I've never seen the show make this much sense! Felicity is wearing practical shoes in the field y'all!!!!!!!!! 

Quentin does his best to stop the beast, but he's no match for Oliver on a regular day. Oliver high on Vertigo and reverting back to the Arrow? Umm... no chance Quentin. Oliver knocks him out cold. A for effort though bud.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Felicity channeling her inner B*rry All*n to save her batcrap crazy husband is a big mood. 

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Felicity saying she's going to save her husband is an even bigger mood. And Felicity saying the word husband is hotter than Oliver saying wife. I don't know why. 

This is not the first time Arrow has used Felicity to break through Oliver's delusion, 

but is the first time they've used such a direct approach. What follows is probably one of my all time favorite Olicity scenes - and that's saying something after being on the air for six years.

Source: feilcityqueen

Everything swimming in Oliver's mind is lies, so Felicity has to use the truth to break through. At first she tries using William because he used to be a hindrance to Oliver's willingness to sacrifice himself. However, even in the haze of crazy Oliver knows if he dies then William still has Felicity. He will never be alone. Typically, this should be a comforting line, and while it remains a beautiful commentary on the bond Felicity and William have formed, it is utterly terrifying to hear Oliver so willfully discard his own necessity in his son's life. And that's because of the lies in his mind. His love for his son is not enough. He is a monster. He is a failure. William will be better off.

So, Felicity uses another truth. It's the one she finally confessed to Oliver the day she asked him to marry her. The day all Oliver's dreams came true. Losing Oliver is Felicity's worst fear realized. Would he willingly do that to her? Will Oliver abandon her again?

Oliver believes he can't abandon what he doesn't have. Felicity left him first. Another hallucination Felicity can only combat with what is real.

Felicity calls Oliver baby. It's canon. 

I really wish I could sew worth a damn because I'd embroider "I'm glue, baby" on a pillow. Also, be prepared for me to abuse that gif in asks. Fair warning.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver hears her voice and the truth in her words. He desperately wants to believe she is real, but he is so terribly lost. Oliver cannot see what is real with his mind. So, Felicity tells him to feel with his heart instead.

From the moment Felicity Smoak entered Oliver's life she found a way to not only touch his heart, 

but to break it wide open. 

Felicity has found Oliver every moment he's been lost.  

Vertigo is not a challenge for Felicity Smoak. 

She found her way through Oliver's darkness and showed him the light within. 

He hears her words, feels the certainty of her love against his chest, 

and Oliver knows who he is again. 

Felicity's truth is the very beat of Oliver's heart.

Oliver reaches for Felicity's hand, holds her close, and lets the light guide him through the dark. Just like they've done before. 

Just like they will always do. 

Light can travel without end. It is infinite and so are Oliver and Felicity.

The relief Oliver feels is overwhelming and he smiles.  Just like that the Arrow fades and Oliver Queen returns.

Diaz gets impatient and decides to attack,  

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

which means we get an old school Olicity stunt.

I am super chill about it.

Felicity offers Oliver a Vertigo cure all based off of her hard core partying days of the past. 

My kingdom to see Goth Felicity Smoak at a rave... high.

Quentin commends the bad assness that is Felicity Smoak while he recovers from his absolute trouncing.

All it takes is Felicity calling Oliver her man and he becomes a friggin rainbow. He is putty in her hands. 

Source: @oliverfelicitygifs​

I cannot even believe we are getting these lines.

There is so much eye sex in their trip down memory lane that I am convinced they took the Arrow suit home for their own special kind of spin. 

Source: @oliverfelicitygifs

You know Felicity has fantasized, so I think it's high time they make it a reality.

Oliver's high on crazy has given way to clarity. 

This is worrying given everything we've heard his brain say over the last hour. He's not completely throwing the baby out with the bath water. He remains committed to being a husband and father. He’d like to remain mayor, but finds out he's going to be impeached. Still, Oliver believes in the good he can do as the Green Arrow. However, he is reverting back to doing things alone.

Source:  dctvgifs

Felicity stresses what a colossally bad idea this is back at the apartment, but Oliver is determined to separate his worlds again.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Lord, boy. It took us five bloody years to get you to this spot, one fight with Diggle and some bad crack, and we're right back to Compartmentalization Oliver.

Oliver regresses in some way every single season. It's always a mistake and it always reveals some greater lesson Oliver has to learn. Comparatively speaking, this is fairly late in the season for Oliver to be regressing which in and of itself shows some character growth. It probably means we'll be dealing with the consequences of this choice into the beginning of Season 7.

So, where do I think this road leading? The fundamental and inescapable truth is compartmentalization does not work. Oliver was on the right track merging his two selves. Quentin is right. Oliver is a better man, but everyone's reaction to it (fueled by their own issues) is throwing him off.  He will fail even as Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow, but that doesn't mean the path is wrong.

This road Oliver is about to travel alone is only going to lead to more problems. The season trajectory is pretty clearly moving from Oliver united with those he loves to Oliver separated from those he loves. My guess is prison. But I don't believe Oliver is the character who needs to change the most. My hope is watching Oliver travel this road alone, and still fighting to be the hero he is, will trigger change in the supporting characters. A fallen hero could stop all their childish nonsense and make everyone realize they have to stop blaming Oliver for everything and take responsibility for their own lives. I include Oliver in this as well. For better or worse, Oliver holds himself responsible for EVERYONE. And that's what he has to learn. Oliver is enough, but he cannot be everything.

Source: olivergifs

Quentin and Oliver

Quentin Lance is firmly wearing his Team Oliver hat this episode and it's a welcomed reprieve from his usual crazy pants talk.  I guess since Oliver is going insane Quentin had to sober up - mentally speaking.

The scenes between Oliver and Lance are some of their best all year if not the duration of the show. 

Source: @olivergifs

Oliver is still a young man trying to make his way through the world. The fact that he's also an orphan seems magnified now that Thea and Diggle have left him. Captain Lance, bless his soul, steps up into the father figure role Oliver desperately needs right now.

Oliver tells Lance Diggle quit the team and blames Oliver for its disintegration. Lance is quick to defend Oliver, who to his credit, does remind Quentin he's not there to witness Oliver's leadership style.

Source: @olivergifs

STANDING. FUCKING. OVATION. 

A supporting character is talking sense y'all! 

And it's LANCE. Did not see that coming given his trajectory this season. He's spot on. What Oliver has wanted more than anything from Quentin Lance is his respect and he has it. Oliver earned it with six years of hard work and NOBODY gets to take that away from him. Not even John Diggle.

Oliver calls Lance to give him the evidence that clears him of impeachment but incriminates him as the Green Arrow. Quentin asks what Oliver is going to do and he answers helplessly, "I don't know." He tearfully tells Lance that Felicity wants a separation and that he lost his temper with William. Oliver is as lost, alone and heartbroken as we've ever seen him. Quentin accurately points out that losing his shiznit on William is more of a night on the couch punishment and a separation is extreme. Ummm.... YEAH. 

But Oliver simply believes Felicity has left him like everyone else. UGH.

Source: @olivergifs

This might be one of the most heartbreaking lines Oliver Queen has ever spoken

and again shows how much he's grown. The old Oliver would simply shut down and solider on. The fact that he's allowing himself to feel this pain and question where everything went wrong shows Oliver embracing his humanity rather than hide from it.

Quentin has probably the best answer and gives the most insight into what is going on with all the people in Oliver's life - particularly John Diggle.

Source:  clevercloudpoetry

Can I get an amen? 

This is as close as Arrow has come to confirming my suspicions about John Diggle. Oliver becoming a better man means he doesn't need John in the same way. That's incredibly painful for Diggle and would certainly cause him to question his life and purpose.

I am the youngest of three girls. My parents sold my childhood home when I graduated from high school and moved away to college. My father was anxious to move out of our increasingly violent area, but my mother had other motivations. She told me the house made her sad. Every where she looked was another memory of raising her babies and now we were all moved out. We didn't need her in the same way anymore and it hurt. My mother needed a fresh start - a new purpose. The new house was really good for her and allowed her to shift into the new phase of life with my father more easily.

Oliver has grown up and moved away to college for lack of a better word. Everywhere John Diggle looks on Team Arrow is another memory and a stark reminder that he's no longer needed in the same way he once was.  He's looking for a fresh start and a new purpose. John needs something beyond raising Oliver Queen the same way my mother needed something beyond raising her children. Unfortunately, Diggle hasn't dug deep into any of this yet. Instead of some self reflection, John has relied on an old standby to explain his rudderless direction - it is all Oliver Queen's fault.  John believes this is a stagnancy in Oliver's growth, and not his own, when in fact the direct opposite is true.

What has not changed is the power of Diggle's words and the impact they have on Oliver. He acknowledges what Quentin says might be true, but also fears Diggle may be right - that he hasn't changed at all. Quentin delivers another humdinger of a line:

"Come on. I don't buy that. From what you've told me about John and Curtis and all those guys - they've got their own issues alright? They're just putting them on you."

Hello Quentin Lance. I have missed you.

Source: @oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver's voice breaks when he asks Quentin about Felicity, but Lance is unwavering. He adamantly reassures Oliver that Felicity loves him and this will all blow over eventually. He just needs to stay the course and Quentin will be by his side. Robert and Moira Queen could not have done any better and I have never loved Quentin Lance more than in this moment.

While this speech gives me all the feels it also fills me with dreaded certainty. Lance is reminiscing about the past. He's admiring how far Oliver has come and is basically the perfect father figure. These signs tend to point to full character evolution. We are on episode 18. This means one thing:

Quentin Lance is going to die.

Just mentally prepare okay? His character arc has circled the drain all season with this "BS is my daughter" crazy. Now he's done a 180 by embracing sanity and offering wise and sage advice for Oliver. You know who else offered sage advice to Oliver just before their deaths?

Sara.

L*urel.

Sageyness is one of the seven signs of impending death on Arrow. Particularly when it comes to Lances. Prepare your souls.

Oliver and L*urel

Speaking of L*urel, we are paid a visit from Oliver's departed ex when he hallucinates his way back into the Queen Mansion (I miss the mansion y'all). There is L*urel, 

Source:  supercanaries

wearing her Red Coat of Pain.

Since Oliver's deepest fears often equate to his deepest guilt then seeing L*urel at her most innocent, before she knew about Oliver's cheating and the consequences for all parties involved that it unleashed, is not surprising. 

Source:  katie-mcgraths

In some ways, Oliver kept L*urel frozen in this time even when she was alive. The image of who Oliver saw L*urel as, eternally innocent and broken by his deceit, never quite matched up to the woman we saw on screen. Particularly when Arrow went above and beyond to show L*urel was anything but innocent.

Sara: Do you remember when you spilled that beer on me at Tommy’s party? Well, I wasn’t even supposed to go. But I snuck out out of the house because I knew you were gonna be there. And I had this embarassing crush on you. And, Laurel she knew it. And that’s why the party got broken up by the cops. She tipped off our dad. Then I was grounded for a month and the next thing I knew... you and Laurel were together.

Oliver: You think she did all of that on purpose?

Sara: Not everybody is what they seem.

L*urel was not broken by Oliver's deceit, but by her own anger.

What's important to remember is this isn't Adrian's voice we're hearing. This is Oliver. So everything Adrian is saying is what OLIVER believes. 

How he really feels about L*urel becoming the BC is not a pretty picture.

Adrian: My question is why did you let her become the Bl*ck C*n*ry in the first place? She's a lawyer. What, after a couple self defense classes and a few sparring sessions you think she's ready to go handle thugs and killers?

I mean... he's not wrong. 

It's refreshing to actually HEAR Arrow admit to the unbelievability of L*urel's training. Yeah yeah, I know she trained with a boxer/vigilante for a couple episodes. Somehow that's supposed to equate to the years Oliver spent training with martial arts experts, an ASIS agent, a highly skilled and lethal Russian mob organization, and an elite member of the League of Assassins. Or the years Sara trained with the League of Assassins. At least they gave Thea six months of intensive training with Malcolm Merlyn, who was also trained by the LOA. 

Oh that's right. She trained with Nyssa too. For three episodes (that we saw). L*urel was barely able to stop a knife attack in 3x21 (after supposedly training with Nyssa for several weeks) and then suddenly she's taking several armed LOA members down in 3x22. But you bet, totally believable arc. Made total sense.

Oliver harbors serious guilt over L*urel's death and this hallucination is simply a manifestation of that. There are truths, but also a hefty dose of lies. 

Source:  supercanaries

The primarily lie being Oliver believing he could have stopped L*urel from becoming BC, or is responsible for the life she chose, or her death in any way. The truth is Oliver wasn't supportive of LL becoming BC and he did everything he could to stop her. 

In fact he told L*urel, to her face, he thought she was a liability, a loose cannon in the field, and was going to get herself killed one day.

And he was fucking right.

Oliver begrudgingly accepted her decision, but that was primarily because Diggle and Felicity illogically had L*urel’s back. 

JOHN DIGGLE IS A SPECIAL FORCES SOLIDER AND HE SIGNED OFF ON LL IN THE FIELD WITH NO TRAINING AT ALL. AGAIN, MAKES TOTAL SENSE SHOW.

Quite frankly, Oliver had bigger fish to fry in Season 3 and he had to move on. 

 After L*urel resurrected Sara in Season 4, who then tried to kill Thea and put her in the hospital, she threw another "it's all about me" bitch fit 

and Oliver folded. 

He helped get Sara's soul back and all of their issues were swept under the rug. 

Then Arrow killed L*urel.

So, listen buddy.  Sure, L*urel eventually worked her way to capable, but to be frank you had very little to do with it and THAT'S where the guilt comes from. The sparring sessions you speak of only took place a few episodes before she died. This is Oliver's God Complex rearing his ugly head again. Maybe if he trained L*urel more (or at all), maybe if he protected her better in the field, maybe if he found a way to keep her out of the field entirely - then she would be still be alive.

Nope. Sorry fella. None of that would have worked, because L*urel was L*urel and she was gonna do what she damn well pleased. Never mind the fact that Damien Darhk magically froze the team and they were all essentially defenseless when he killed her, but that's just details. Oliver thinking he is somehow responsible for her death in any way takes away from the legitimate heroism L*urel earned. 

He understood that in Season 4, but he's pretty high right now. So, I'll give him a pass this time.

Legit question though. If you are a LL fan - why are you still watching Arrow? 

I am curious, because I have never seen a show so willingly shade their own creation at every turn like Arrow does with LL.  They flat out called her BC arc a bunch of illogical nonsense. 

I appreciate the brutal honesty from the show, but it's a zing that packs some punch. After six years of this aren't y'all tired? A few interspersed scenes of Bl*ck S*ren should as hell wouldn't keep me around.

Straight Thoughts

I've never felt so spiritually connected to Felicity Smoak in all my life. Source: felicitysmoakgifs

I appreciated that Arrow used a flashback during Oliver's hallucination with Rene to show his injury was not remotely Oliver's fault. I like when my show talks sense.

Oliver's hallucination of the newbies was the most accurate. They are petty babies in real life too.

Adrian's scar on his temple from the bullet wound is unnerving.

Don't ever kill Raisa again, show. My heart can't take it. Not even when it's fake.

"I always wondered why nobody just does that. Kill you straight." Diaz needs to watch Season 3. See how that option goes.  Source: dctvgifs

"Not a great track record when it comes to hiring DA's though." Of all of Adrian Chases' lines are fab, but this is my fave.

This evil cupcake.  Source:  olivergifs

"He's buying us expensive gifts if he knows what's good for him." Felicity wifes like I wife.

I love this kid. Source:  olivergifs

Arrow wisely previewed an Olicity kiss for the all villain ep this week. 

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 6x18 gifs credited.