#i will never shut up about eric's arc in season 4

[lunaxart]

"i made you this bright, so others could see in the darkness"

[my-shields-are-down]

You’re allowed to feel however you feel, and watch or not watch. Everything is valid.

But what Melissa said Eric was pushing for and what Eric himself has been open about wanting since before the season started, was for Chenford’s relationship to be messy. He didn’t want it to be smooth sailing and he wanted them to face struggles like a real couple. Melissa said they were surprised the writers took it that far.

But no one has ever said that Eric specifically wanted a break up. Nor has there been any implication that it’s what his wife wanted. You’re putting words in real people’s mouths.

There’s also no implication that Chenford won’t work their way back together. All Eric said is that he and Melissa still have fun scenes together and that there isn’t a ‘guarantee of anything, but it leaves it in a place where there’s stuff to talk about’ in the finale. That in no way sounds like the door is shut on Chenford. Obviously I don’t think they’re going to get back together by the end of the season, because there’s only 4 more episodes and they have a lot of work to do. But assuming the show is renewed for season 7, I can pretty much guarantee Chenford isn’t done.

Side note— If Eric or Roselyn truly did have a problem with Chenford and brought it forward to the show, The Rookie instagram page wouldn’t still have ‘#Chenford stan account’ in its bio.

++++++++++

Hello Anon - thank you for the message.

This is the first tv show that I’ve ever actively participated in the online fandom side of things. I never knew all of this existed until I stumbled upon a critique of an Arrow episode on Twitter that led me here to tumblr.

I grew up before streaming existed. I’m older than Google and MTV and cell phones 🤭. I took a typewriter to college. 80s new wave music speaks to my soul - Top Gun came out my senior year in high school, not long after the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded. I also have an MBA in Marketing so I get how tv shows and cast members market the shows to get people in the seats.

Why do I mention this? Because my perspective is different than yours.

Oh my god, between here and Twitter, IG, tiktok, etc. I’m exhausted. I rage posted for almost 48 hours straight because of a fictional couple on a tv show. I have never been so intensely angry in my life - ever.

The show and Chenford have taken over my life and not in a good way.

At this point, I am unfollowing the fandom in Twitter, I’ve unfollowed the cast on TikTok and IG. I unsubscribed from podcasts that don’t get me to a better me.

I don’t want to see any bts, read any more interviews, see any more cameos. It’s all noise to me and I need to focus on me and get back to being excited about the show. Going in blind with no expectations, excited to see new stories (well, not Nolan being a dad again 🤢).

Back to your post - I read the same interviews you did. The cast comments about Chenford were all past tense. I didn’t see any sorrow or regret about the demise of the couple by either Mel or Eric. They both prefer angsty scenes. I didn’t see ANY hope expressed by either that their individual stories would lead them back to each other. Alexi has been silent - and I have never trusted him to do right by Chenford.

Eric has repeatedly said this was never planned for - meaning in the whole overall arc of the show this fan based couple threw a major wrench into the original story arcs for both characters. With Tim reverting back to tough guy Tim from the early seasons, I take that to be like a do over to redo the show the way Alexi intended WITHOUT Tim and Lucy as a couple.

So no, I don’t think they will get back together. Definitely not by the end of the season. I don’t believe Alexi - who was very vocal during the early seasons about never putting these two characters together - has any intention to bring them back to each other. Hopefully, he won’t treat Chenford like Dallas treated the whole Bobby Ewing death thing (making a whole season a dream).

Maybe I’m wrong, I’ll find that out by watching the show.

- Andrea

[hellsbellschime]

i follow you cuz of GOT but i always see you talking about klaus mikaelson who is that?

Ohhh boy, little Klausy boo boo. Let me tell you a story about a fairy tale that turned into a nightmare. 

So once upon a time I was a wee young lass who loved The Vampire Diaries quite a bit. But then this fellow named Klaus Mikaelson was introduced at the end of season 2 and I was a smitten kitten. He was a vampire, he was a werewolf, he was a maniac, he was everything a girl could ever want from a psycho villain. As his character arc continued to blaze across the sky like a shooting star leaving a trail of blood and champagne in his wake, my obsession only grew. I knew that I couldn’t contain my love for Klaus within my own frail body, my thoughts and passion were so great that I needed to find a brethren to share it with. And after searching the highest mountains and deepest valleys, I finally found a fandom on tumblr where I could shriek and cry and act the fool like the rabid fangirl I was. 

Klaus was on the show from season 2 to season 4, and he was a goddamn masterpiece. He was so great that by the time his arc had concluded in season 4, it was because he was getting his own whole ass spinoff show, along with the rest of his siblings, who made up the Original vampires (that’s right, he wasn’t just a werewolf and vampire, he was one of the first vampires ever created). I felt that I had already ascended to fangirl heaven just by virtue of discovering Klaus in the first place, but now the knowledge that I was going to get an hour of my favorite character every single week basically shot me straight into hyperspace. I could not fathom what kind of Gandhi ass motherfucker I had been in a past life to deserve such a gift in this one. Oh, but wait, shocking twist!

Towards the end of season 4, Klaus randomly had sex with an irrelevant guest character who was going to be on the spinoff series. It was confusing, it was weird, but what could possibly go wrong. Well anon, a fucking lot. 

So he got his bone on with this random werewolf lass, and then the backdoor pilot came. And lo and behold, this literal dead man had gotten said werewolf lass pregnant. Which was weird. Even weirder than the sex part. It was extremely weird. I wish I could take you back in time to see tumblr liveblogs of this so you could understand just quite how weird it was. 

But was I disheartened like many of my other fandom compatriots?! NAY. Because despite this very abrupt fishtail into crazytown, the creator of my favorite character’s spinoff would not shut the fuck up about the fact that this spinoff was going to be like a vampire version of Game of Thrones. Which, EVEN BETTER. IT’S MY FAVORITE CHARACTER AND MY FAVORITE SHOW COMBINED INTO ONE. 

So the show began and I fully prepared myself to freebase fangirl heroin every single week, because instead of having to sit around during every TVD episode waiting for Klaus to show up, he’d be in nearly every goddamn scene. But... impending fatherhood had changed him. Changed him quite drastically. To be honest, my badass, maniacal, charming, downright fucking evil beauty of a beast sort of transformed into a weepy, weak willed simp the minute the pregnancy test turned blue. The pregnancy was really the focal point of the show, and Klaus was the person who sat there and cried over it every single episode. 

BUT DID I GIVE UP HOPE?! ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT. BECAUSE IT’S VAMPIRE GAME OF THRONES. IT’S KLAUS’ SHOW. IT’S THE DREAM OF DREAMS AND IT ONLY DIES IF YOU LET IT. 

So, because I’m a Game of Thrones super fan and a Klaus super fan I just know that this is all some insane ruse and everything is going to come crashing down sooner or later, and Klaus is going to come back and be bigger and badder than ever. So I spend a whole season watching the show, being the butt of the joke of my fandom because the show is fucking god awful and Klaus has completely and utterly transformed into the kind of character that you’d see on The Eric Andre Show if he was trying to do a parody of Twilight. 

And while I’m expecting this weird pregnancy plot to come to it’s conclusion soon enough, it does not. It actually lasts the entire season. Including the backdoor pilot, it lasts more than a year of real time. BUT DID I LOSE MY FAITH. NO. 

So I kept pressing on in a show that was a shitshow and in a fandom that devolved into a war zone over this nonsense, because I knew this was vampire Game of Thrones. Shit was about to get real any minute now. And do you want to know what happened dear anon? Shit did not get real. 

Klaus’ werewolf lass had his baby and he cried like a baby and he named that baby Hope, and in that moment my friend, something broke in me that could never be repaired. It was the moment that I realized that daddy did not just go out for cigarettes. Old Yeller did not go out and live out the rest of his days on a beautiful farm. That single word, hope, so ironically knocked the wind out of the last card holding up the fragile house of cards that was my psyche. Klaus Mikaelson was never, ever coming back, and I, the fool, the simp, the most ferocious devotee, was a mere fangirl phantom, a revenant devotee to a god that had been slaughtered ages ago and I was the lone clown left worshiping it. 

The destruction of Klaus was so great, so heartbreaking, so incomprehensible in it’s Eldritch horror beauty and terror, that even narrative collapses of GoT season 8 proportions were like the soft ripples after being hit by a tsunami. To look upon the flawlessness and hideousness of Klaus Mikaelson is to look into the void and see only your own face staring back at you. To love Klaus Mikaelson is to know that god exists, and know that he has not chosen you. That is who Klaus Mikaelson is, my dear anon.

[jacquelineshyde]

how and who do you think was jackie's first kiss?

I want to believe it wasn’t so bad but let’s be honest, life is not that nice to any of us. I don’t think her first kiss was Kelso, especially when I love to ignore the bullshit of season 4′s Class Picture.

All girls were talking about how much they have kissed when Jackie is around 12 or 13, even if half of them were lying, and Jackie couldn’t get behind. 

She tries her best to stay neutral, but slowly gets to talk to her first crush and suddenly, out of nowhere, the boy kisses her and she is all wide eyes, red cheeks and empty stomatch.

It wasn’t an actual kiss-kiss, but a smooch. Wet, short, teeth brushing her lips. She didn’t like it as much as she said to everyone else that she did. 

Then, her first open mouthed kiss comes from a more experienced, probably older, boy and it isn’t so bad, but again– she may not like the cigarrette flavour, the wetness of it, teeth against teeth.

But with time it becomes better, and she finds herself enjoying kissing. And her first kiss with Michael is a mess, is probably disgusting, and she almost stops dating him right away, but he charms his way into her heart as we know, and–. 

Fez is next. Her best kiss at the time. It’s so sad for her to think how Fez is a better kisser than Michael, even when his kiss was never asked for and older she will realize how many times she had been kissed and touched against her will, she will look at Steven laying at her side and think of how much she doesn’t want him to know, even if deep down she knows he does.

Comes Steven, who she wanted to kiss for a very long time. whose kiss is so intense and so warm, perfect, she is numb by the end of it. Her heart is beating so fast, it seems like if it’s not moving at all, and she lies for the intensity of it. To this day, she still regrets laying as much as he does, too.

Now, Todd is another story. 

She doesn’t think much of it but the fact that she felt good when it happened, then bad when she realized it was wrong, even worse when months after she finally accepts she has been kissed against her will once more and all because of her constant vulnerability thanks to the same idiot. How she took him back over and over again, it’s beyond her by now.

But enters Steven again. His beard tickles in a weird way, it’s new and all too welcomed. He is by far the best kisser she has ever had, and it’s just one soft touch of lips against lips, then another one because this needed to happen. If they hadn’t kiss that afternoon in the basement, they would have every other day, but it was going to happen.

His beard burns, she has a small injury near her lips and he finds it funny, says it’s a great war scar and she arcs an eyebrow before kissing him to shut him up. Jackie bites him, he responds by moaning and doesn’t mind if it bleeds a little, and also doesn’t mind only kissing for the longest time until she is ready to let him touch her in other places.

The first time they kiss in public, her heart is about to leave her chest, and she prays to all Gods or whatever out there that wants to hear her that this doesn’t turn into a disaster, into another heartbreak, into another sad story. 

And when they kiss with their friends in the same room, their disgusting sounds made her laugh and roll her eyes, he cuddles her more to him, sitting on his chair and smirks at their friends before saying they had to endure Donna and Eric, maybe this time they can learn something about actual kissing, so she turns and kisses him again.

His ego is as ridiculous as hers, and is a mask as much as hers, although the way she feels about them being a couple is real, so she keeps kissing him in the hopes he will understand that.

Steven kisses her different when they make love, it’s amazing. The right kind of loving and lustful, this is how she imagined an actual lover kisses you and is so wonderful, she cries a little and he seems to get the wrong message, thinking he may have done something bad, so she kisses him in return to make him understand no, no, this is all she ever wanted.

As the time goes by, to kiss Steven becomes part of her every day and she’s still amazed by how it never feels like something she has to do, it’s always because she wants to kiss him, she wants to be kissed by him. Jackie knows she will never get tired of him and his lips.

He kisses her sweet and tender on their wedding day, passionate and hard on their wedding night, and when their first kid is born, he kisses her like if his life depends on it, even if soft and calm, with their baby against her chest, between them.

Steven is still the most handsome men when they are 40 and 70, when their first grandchildren is born and when she calls them grandpa and grandma for the first time. 

They still kiss every morning and before going to sleep, they kiss the day he goes, she wishes she could kiss him the day she does, and they kiss when the light clears around her and he’s as young as their first summer together and she runs into his arms to kiss him again.

[jbuffyangel]

Rebuilt: Arrow 5x22 Review (Missing)

"Missing" was amazing! Emotional and action packed with zinging dialogue. 

What struck me most was how full circle it was. "Missing" sets up the heroes versus villains battle that will come to fruition in the finale, but it also kicks off the basic question Oliver must ask: What makes a hero? What makes a villain? Those concepts are not always rigid. In fact, the very essence of hero and villain is fluid.

Oh... and did I mention there's an Olicity reunion scene?

Let's dig in...

Olicity and OTA

The Throwing Star killer is in prison and Oliver Queen's approval ratings are in the 70th percentile. (That's how you know it's TV. If there's a politician in my lifetime with that high of an approval rating I'm just assuming it's the apocalypse.) Seeing both personas, Oliver and the Green Arrow, get the credit each deserves and Oliver being treated for the hero HE IS makes me want to run up mountains and sing songs.

The battle is won. Let’s party.

Quentin wishes Oliver a happy birthday because heart strings. 

Source:  olivergifs

Did y'all notice the size of that gift? Think about where these men began and where they are now.  What I love about Oliver and Quentin is how similar they are. Both men are hard shells, but once you crack it it's nothing but ooey gooey center. Oliver has earned Quentin's respect, trust and forgiveness. Quentin sees Oliver as the honorable man he is and put a motherf*****bow on it.  IT MAKES ME FEEL THINGS Y'ALL.

Thea and Oliver take a minute to recap her emotional trajectory.  They recall the last time Arrow celebrated a birthday - Thea's 18th birthday. Do you remember? It was a lifetime ago. Thea got a new car, did some Vertigo and crashed it. Good times.

But it led to THIS!!!!!

I miss Roy.

Anyways, Oliver talks about how far Thea has come because he reads my mind. Thea laments that she doesn't think she's come quite far enough. Oh... my sweet honey child. Let the pain go!

I am all ready to give Thea a pep talk, but Oliver "I Am 32 And Emotional Evolved" Queen steps up to the plate.

Source: olivergifs

Tear. 

Oliver Queen, you have been through some shit but you have seen the light my dear boy. This is hard earned character growth. Now go get your girl.

Thea wants to take Oliver out for his birthday. QUEEN SIBILINGS FOREVER. Oliver has plans. Oh? You don't say?

"Please say not Susan Williams."

Thea summed up Susan William's entire character arc for me in a single sentence. And did I almost see a shudder come from Oliver? Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but he at least gave a good awkward stammer.  In fact, no dear sister, dinner is with Felicity Smoak. You know, the human equivalent of a rainbow, forever light of Oliver Queen's life, future mother of his children and your nieces and nephews. That Felicity Smoak. 

As for Susan Williams, come Thea girl, pull up a chair because you have MISSED THINGS. Particularly the glorious break up in which Oliver dumps Susan's ass because, once again, he's not sure he can have a relationship and be the Green Arrow. Meanwhile, Felicity asks him over for dinner and homeboy falls over himself sprinting to the loft, but that's just details. I totally believed him about Susan. It was all concern about safety, balance, blah blah. Nothing to do with the urge to chew his arm off post coitus.

I'm sorry. The snark just flows. I can't stop it.

Thea wants to know if it's a date. 

Source: amanitacaplan

She was always with us fandom. Thea never lost faith.  Check her pocket. I half expected Thea to hand Oliver Moira's ring, slap him on the back and say, "Go get her big fella."  Also, somebody needs to fic this scenario.

Oliver plays it casual. Date? Pfft. What date? It's not a date.

Maybe it's a date.  Could it be a date? Dear God, let it be a date. Oliver is praying to the higher power like Are You There God? It's me, Margaret.

Thea doesn't believe him. Nobody believes you Oliver. You lack zero chill with Felicity. The heart eyes run deep my friend. Just embrace it. You can't change.

Of course, it's the surprise party which leads to Oliver putting Curtis on his back. This never gets old. A+ comedic reactions from everyone involved.

Source:  sharingmyworld

Oliver blows out the candles on his LORD MESA cake. 

Source:  legendsofcomics

The shout out to this man, who is an genius and absolute gift to this fandom, is so freaking earned. I cheered. @lordmesa-art​ brings us all a lot of joy with his artistry. He absolutely needs to be Arrow canon.  I love when Arrow goes meta. There's a Green Arrow with the #6 the arrows in the target - a celebration for their Season 6 renewal of course. Take that haters! Don't bitch at me about ratings. Seriously. Enough. The explanation for the 6 is Felicity ordered the cake for a six year old. She thought a Green Arrow cake for a grown man would raise alarm bells. That... makes a lot of sense actually. Our girl is so smart.

So why is Arrow celebrating Oliver Queen's birthday now after all these years? It's not simply because there's a lull in the action. This is about how far Oliver Queen has come, especially in these last few episodes. When Oliver came home he wanted to keep everyone he loved at arm's length. He shut down the very essence of who he is, his humanity, because Oliver  believed it was required to protect those he loves, save the city and honor his father. In the end, Oliver discovered the exact opposite was required to be the Green Arrow. 

He had to open himself up to family

friendship

and love 

to become someone else... something else. That's how he took the darkness used it for light. 

It hurt. A lot. Oliver has been to hell and back. He's faced the very worst parts of himself and came out the other side. 

Oliver has learned to honor truth over lies, team work over control, love over loneliness and forgiveness over self hatred. These past five years, Oliver has learned how to choose home over the island. He's not just surviving. Oliver Queen is living. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate that evolution than his 32nd birthday. Oliver has been reborn.

Source:  legendsofcomics

Everyone takes a moment to talk about what they are going to do with their summer vacations. Television shows are set up exactly like school. Where is the lie? Diggle wants to go fishing with JJ. Curtis wants to go to Florence. And Felicity... 

Source:  felicitys

The subtle look she shoots Oliver is not so subtle.

If you would like to see a man become a rainbow - this is what it looks like.

As for Oliver, he just wants some socks. 

Source:  bazingagubicorn

Source:  felicitys (I love this gif)

What’s to know people? He's gonna stop at Target, grab some socks and condoms, on the way to a night under the stars with Felicity Smoak.  He's a simple man. What else does Oliver need when he has his whole world looking back at him?

Picking up on the sexual tension/feels overload Team Arrow makes themselves scarce. Well, except for Curtis. He pulls up a chair and grabs a bowl of popcorn. This on top of his epic shipper spiral post party. 

Source:felicityssoliver

Curtis is me on a deeply spiritual level. Ship it hard my brother.

Diggle, Captain of the Olicity ship, actually wants to make this reunion to happen though so he physically removes Curtis.

Source:oliverdant

And we're here.  

Source:  legendsofcomics

When Arrow began Season 4 they had every intention of breaking Oliver and Felicity up. The moment Oliver lied about William to Felicity in 4x08 we knew that's where we were headed. However, I always believed Olicity would find their way back to one another. Arrow has been slowly and steadily rebuilding what they broke. It has been a long and hard road, but they are here. We are here.

Find My Way Back by Eric Arjes

One step closer

Closer to the light

No matter where we're going

I'll be by your side

And everything we used to know

Crashed into the great unknown

One step closer

We're gonna be alright

I love how simple this moment is. Love feels like an inertia out of our control, but the truth is, it is a choice. For those wondering how Olicity could ever get back together, it always boiled down to this: once Oliver and Felicity faced their issues, dug deep and dig the work, then all that remains is the simple choice to begin again. Love isn't always marked by a lot of fan fair. Most of the time, it's the quiet moments that define you. The moments when you look into the eyes of the person you love and say yes. Yes to trying again, to forgiveness, to rebuilding what was broken... one step at a time.

Source: amanitacaplan

Oliver came to the loft, dressed in a suit, hoping this was that moment but uncertain if it was. Felicity acknowledges the ruse and team's desire to give them alone time because of it.  All of Team Arrow just wants them to have all the babies.

I love how bold Oliver is in this moment. My boy gets his flirt on. He wasn't certain what the dinner meant, if it was about alone time for them, so he just... ASKS.  It's so freaking fantastic. There was a time when Oliver would have talked around something like this, or choose not to address it or simply let her go.  Not this time. Not ever again.

Oliver stumbles at the word date, his nerves getting the best of him, and I believe he didn't want to put too much pressure on Felicity. However, this is a man who isn't afraid.  This is open and honest communication. He doesn't hide what he was hoping dinner meant. Oliver is charging through that door Felicity opened in 5x20.

And Felicity, so sweetly and with a gentle little wink, confirms Oliver's hope because it's her hope too.  Felicity says yes  to trying again, but slowly. There's no rush to the altar here. She wants to be sure they are solid, so they never break up again. That means taking things slow. A walk under the stars, hand in hand, one step at a time, together.

This exquisite, beautiful, warm and loving light lives in Oliver Queen and Felicity always harnesses it. I often say Oliver Queen is the sun the other characters revolve around. With Felicity's answer, Oliver becomes pure sunshine.

And there it is. 

The moment David Ramsey promised at HVFF. The moment Marc confirmed we were building towards in July. A simple, quiet, open, honest, forgiving, and most of all loving, yes. This is how you repair what is broken. This is Olicity rebuilt.

I was so happy with 5x20. It was everything I ever wanted from Oliver and Felicity for the past five years. Whatever came after was always just going to be icing on the cake for me. What I love about this moment is how builds off of everything 5x20 established so perfectly. The moment Oliver celebrates his life with his family, he and Felicity decide to start their lives together again. If I'm being honest, it's satisfying AF. This moment is EARNED y'all.

Cause even underneath the waves

I'll be holding on to you

And even if you slip away

I'll be there to fall into the dark

To chase your heart

No distance could ever tear us apart

There's nothing that I wouldn't do

I'll find my way back to you

Felicity senses Oliver isn't quite at ease and questions him about it. 

Oliver immediately leaps to the conclusion that she's talking about them (because that's all he can process right now) and jokes about dating his ex-fiancé. 

THIS CUPCAKE. He's so scared to put an official label on it, but he wants to so desperately.

No Oliver, you love sick fool. It's not hypothetical. This is real. Embrace the joy my friend. She came back to you.

I expect the fandom to abuse this gif.

Source: gothsmoak

Oliver learning how to relax while being the Green Arrow is still a skill he has to master (*cough*fivemonthtimejump*cough*) 

and I love how Felicity encourages him to chillax - bad socks and all. 

So let's talk about the tie loosening. I refuse to see that as anything but Felicity beginning to undress Oliver right then and there. Coupled with night under the stars and eye sex, 

Source:  olicityloyalty

I feel it's pretty clear where Felicity thinks the next step should be.

Alright, it's pretty clear where I think the next step should be.

I'm not going to argue that Oliver doesn't frequently need his bottle uncorked, but he also has great instincts. These instincts kept him alive for the last ten years, they are almost other worldly. They also make him a pain in the ass too, but overall his instinces are helpful. Oliver knows something is up in his gut. It's no different than feeling a rocket a hair trigger before it explodes or someone sneaking up behind him. But he wanted to believe. Oliver wanted to war to be over, to be happy and just live so he let his guard down.  He ignored his gut.

The gun scene was as adorable as I hoped it was, 

but I wasn't anticipating yet another emotional reconnecting moment between Oliver and Felicity. Dinah and Curtis are gone and Felicity is rightly concerned about the League of Assassins. They be crazy. So, our girl is ready to hunker down and operate comms remotely. Oliver's response signals just how far he's come and how much he's grown.

Source:  oliverxfelicity

Felicity stays put. Right next to him. Exactly where he can see her. Didn't you love the part where Oliver reassures bae that Talia Al Ghul and her LOA flunkies can bring it? Oliver will handle business. Felicity doesn't need to be afraid. He won't let anything happen to her. 

Confidence is so sexy in a man.

Oliver knows he needs Felicity by his side if he has any chance of stopping Chase. He's not pushing her away. He's not trying to handle everything on his own. Oliver is admitting he needs Felicity's help. He needs HER.

It seems Oliver isn't the only one looking for a little firmer confirmation on status. Felicity wants to know if Oliver's motivations are simply tactical or is there a little more to it? Girl... you are his lobster. Come on now.

Source:  oliverxfelicity

Oliver immediately tells Felicity the truth which is OF COURSE it's not just tactical. Oliver ignored his gut and not only is his team in danger, but so is his son. 

Source:  klarolicityswan 

I love how William is just an open, honest and natural subject for Olicity now. Felicity tries to reassure him, but Oliver rightly corrects her out that while her assurances are appreciated there's no way either of them can know for certain if William is safe. And since Chase is crazy pants, Oliver feels it's highly unlikely that he is. (Gotta trust those parental instincts Oliver. They are seldom wrong.) Essentially, Oliver is telling Felicity that by allowing those he loves out of his sight made them vulnerable to Chase. He will not make that mistake with her. HE. WILL. NEVER. LET. HER. GO. AGAIN. Y'all I am emotional.

Except... then Quentin and Thea are taken. What follows is yet ANOTHER emotional scene not only with Oliver and Felicity, but with Diggle. Oliver finally realizes that Chase is taking away his strength, his team, to leverage his freedom. Oliver wants Diggle and Felicity to get out of town, which is meant with strong opposition particularly by Diggle. John will not abandon Oliver, but Oliver doesn't look at it that way.  Chase is slowly picking off Team Arrow one by one. Felicity and John are the only two left and they are the foundation of the team. Oliver operates on instinct, but he fears that instinct is what is putting Diggle and Felicity in danger.  Oliver depends on John and Felicity. If Chase threatens them, and he will, Oliver's instinct is to pull Diggle and Felicity close. His instinct was to send Thea, Quentin and William away. His instinct was to allow Curtis, Rene and Dinah to operate business as usual. Every choice, every instinct, Oliver has followed Chase has used against him. So, Oliver is mixing it up. He's going to directly opposite of what his heart tells him to do and send John and Felicity away.

Felicity doesn't want to leave. She's worried about Oliver. So, now it's time for Oliver to reassure her. If he's not worried about her, then he can focus on Chase and finding the others. If Felicity leaves then he'll be safer. This argument proves how well Oliver knows Felicity. She won't put her safety above Oliver's, but she will listen to him if she believes this keeps him safe.

Source:  tinaday3w

But even then, neither of them wants to let go. They hold hands like they've done many times before, 

as circumstance forces them to separate, 

their eyes conveying everything they are feeling in the moment- 

that be apart is the last thing either of them wants.

Source:  gothsmoak

The problem is, Chase wants Oliver to doubt his instincts. He wants him to rethink everything that feels right. As Diggle and Felicity are driving away from the city, Felicity's instincts tell her they were wrong. They've over thought this. They should have never left him alone. SHE should never have left him.

Felicity's right. She's always right. A LOA flunkie shows up with two swords which leads to a hilarious Delicity moment as they recall their encounter with Isobel Rochev. 

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

Emily Bett Rickards and David Ramsey's comedic timing is always stellar. I need more. All the time more.

Unfortunately, car versus murderous woman doesn't go exactly like it did with Isobel Rochev. Diggle and Felicity's car crashes and then IT EXPLODES. Not gonna lie, I screamed many screams. 

DO NOT DO THAT TO ME MARC GUGGENHEIM. THOSE ARE MY CHILDREN. WE DO NOT BLOW UP DIGGLE AND FELICITY'S CAR. THERE ARE RULES ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING.

But they are totes fine, so I could breathe again. I mean... they aren't ever going to kill these two, but I'll never be okay with the threats of it. Unfortunately, Diggle up against several LOA members isn't a fair fight even with those bowling balls for arms. Diggle and Felicty are taken... and Oliver is left to fight Chase and save everyone he loves alone.

Source:  legends-of-today

OR IS HE ALONE?

Malcolm Merlyn

My hatred of Malcolm Merlyn runs deep. 

Primarily because Malcolm sees himself as the hero and not the villain. This began over love for Malcolm. He was once a good and loving husband and father. Losing Rebecca shattered the man Merlyn was and he forged himself into someone else... something else. Love beget grief. Grief beget revenge. Revenge beget a lust for power. At every turn, Merlyn has operated in his own self interest, but firmly believed they were righteous and for the greater good. Merlyn unleashes evil and believes it is love. That's the level of sociopath we are dealing with here.

Merlyn is the reason Robert Queen died. 

He's the reason Oliver ended up on that island. 

He killed Tommy. 

He used his OWN DAUGHTER 

as the weapon to kill Sara Lance. 

Merlyn sent Oliver into a death trap into Season 3 to save his own hide. 

He put Thea in Ra's Al Ghul's cross hairs, which is how she wound up on a ventilator. 

Merlyn served William up to Damien Darhk like cheese and crackers. 

He was an active participate in Laurel's death (I'm not really mad about that though, but let's just add it to the list).

All of these crimes have gone unanswered on Arrow. Essentially unpunished. Sorry folks, a hand doesn't cut it for me. Ha! Cut it. Get it? 

There's a reckoning coming Malcolm Merlyn and it is long past time.

We haven't seen much of Malcolm Merlyn this season and I think it was a wise choice. The character, in my mind, is the new LL and has run his course. If they are bringing him back then it needs to be for an intended purpose and Arrow made that purpose wildly clear.

Merlyn has been busy this year though - on Legends of Tomorrow as part of the Legion of Doom. He partnered with Damien Darhk and Eobard Thawne to alternate time and change the world to their liking. However, I was always struck by what that meant for Malcolm. Both Damien and Eobard were after power essentially, but not Merlyn. His altered reality meant Rebecca and Tommy were alive and Thea adored him. He's still Merlyn though - he got revenge on Nyssa Al Ghul by making her life a closeted life in Ohio. Malcolm admitted to Sara however what he was searching for: a clean slate. He wanted all his mistakes, the pain and the death that came with them, jus wiped away. He didn't care if it wasn't real. What Malcolm wanted is redemption without the sacrifice.

So, this redemption arc was kicked off but if you weren't watching Legends then you didn't see it. Except, what does redemption really mean for Malcolm Merlyn? Is it really achievable? Yes, I think redemption is possible for all characters, but the desire has to be there. The willingness to make a sacrifice is what counts. That's why Merlyn's arc on Legends ultimately failed. He wasn't willing to do what is necessary to really make amends.

What is necessary isn't erasing all that he's done. It's facing it. It's making a different choice. Essentially, that's the only difference separating a hero from a villain - choices. It's why it's such a fluid concept. A hero can become the villain as easily as the villain can become the hero. While I  doubt I will ever be able to call Malcolm Merlyn a hero, I do believe Arrow is setting him up to make a sacrifice. Which is the essence of heroism and what is required for redemption.

Source:  zorro-rita

But first we gots to hash out some issues. Oliver and Merlyn go toe to toe over a lot of things, but first up is William. Oliver is still pretty ticked over Merlyn handing his son over to Damien Darhk. Oliver used his angry voice talking about his son. It felt warm suddenly.

Merlyn's concern is Thea. Malcolm never loved Tommy the way he should have. Tommy was never more important than his revenge. He rejected Tommy in every way. However, Merlyn's arc on Legends finally showed a desire to go back and change that, which we never saw before. Merlyn is prepared to do what is necessary to save his daughter. Even if it means helping his enemy.

And Oliver isn't exactly in a position to refuse his help. I know some may have issues with Oliver teaming up with his enemies like Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson, but I love it. It's incredibly full circle. Oliver has spent years building this family. It's pretty fantastic that to save his family he must work with all the villains who've tried to destroy it over the years.

Oliver and Malcolm have it out giving into Chase's demands. Merlyn is flabbergasted that Chase even needed to take Felicity and Diggle. He felt Thea was sufficient motivation.  He's prepared to do whatever is necessary to save his child - a concept Oliver should be more familiar with now that he has William. However, Oliver's concerns run deeper than Chase not holding up his end of the bargain (something Merlyn is an expert it).  Once again he worries that his personal connections are making him vulnerable. He has to become something else to protect them and he will never be free of it. Oliver will never be free of the darkness.  

And here we go again. 

This is an old tune from Oliver Queen. I won't harp on him too much. Chase did manage to take everyone he loves, so I'm not entirely shocked Oliver has a brief moment in which he reverts to form.

Source: dailydcheroes

This might be the single greatest line Merlyn has ever spoken and one of the truest things ever said about Oliver Queen. My precious big dumb oak tree.

Merlyn: Human connections are what keep us human. It is sad that it's a sociopath who is gonna have to point this out to you. You can't live on an island Oliver. You've already tried. You are always going to have people in your life, Oliver. They will always need you. For better or worse. Baggage and all. And if you can't accept that then your past is going to stay your anchor.

Round. Of. Applause. 

I hate the bastard, but when he's right he's right. It sounds completely out of character for Merlyn, but does make some sense given his arc on Legends. Merlyn pushed away human connection after Rebecca died and he has FINALLY learned the cost for those sins. If Oliver wants to beat Chase, and Merlyn's goal is to beat Chase in order to save Thea, then both of them have to do things differently - but especially Oliver. 

He's tried it the other way before. Oliver tried to go it alone. That "something else" never quite measured up into what was needed until he let people back into his heart. Until he allowed his humanity back in. There will never be a time where Oliver doesn't have people he cares about. He cannot shut off. He cannot isolate himself. He will lose. This much is fact. Nor can he allow the darkness to take the driver's seat. Oliver will lose the part of himself that makes him human - everything Diggle, Felicity, Thea and the team love about him. Then he'll be left alone again. It's a cycle. The only way to break it is to become SOMETHING ELSE. Be different. Embrace his humanity. Hold to those connections. That's how he wins.

And really, nobody knows this better than Malcolm Merlyn because doing the direct opposite is how he lost everything that mattered. Malcolm Merlyn is the one who sent Oliver to the island. So it's fitting that he is finally helping Oliver get off it. All it takes is a different choice and the villain can become a hero.

Even Malcolm Merlyn is rebuilding what he broke, which means... Malcolm Merlyn is going to die. I am absolute on this. They've set it up perfectly, what's more, I believe it needs to happen. Thea is still holding on to the fear that she's a monster - just like her father. What greater gift can Merlyn give Thea than by showing her the monster of her life can choose to do the right thing? Merlyn's death pays the price he's always avoided. It also may be the very thing Thea needs to be free from the past and find hope in herself again.

William

William plays an extremely integral role in "Missing" because, as Oliver explains:

Source: olivergifs

Arrow was never about one thing. It was never just about LL, L*uriver , Olicity or OTA. I think no matter which spectrum of fandom we're on, if we only focus one or two segments of the story then it leaves the potential to miss very important pieces that ultimately feed the segments we care about.

Arrow, at its core, is about family. This story began with a father and a son. We are here because of Robert Queen's sins and because of the love and faith he had in his son. For ten years, Oliver has been struggling with his father's legacy, what his dying wish truly meant and the guilt of Robert's death. Oliver shouldered the weight of Robert's sins while being weighed down by his own.

The next step in Oliver's evolution is to no longer just be the son. He must become the father. The point of the legacy theme is to rebuild what was broken so many years ago. Oliver's mission cannot be only focused on Robert Queen anymore. It has to grow beyond the past and look to the future.

William.

Oliver is right. William is the purest part of him. He retains the innocence Oliver lost all those years ago on the boat. More than anything, Oliver wants his son to keep that innocence. He wants him to be safe and untouched by the darkness both Oliver and Robert have battled. But no matter where William is, he will always be Oliver Queen's son.  He will always be Robert Queen's grandson. William will always be part of this family and part of this cycle. If Oliver wants to break it, if he wants to save William from paying for his sins (like Oliver paid for his father's sins), then he has to become someone else.... something else.

Source: olivergifs

This scene is heartbreaking. Stephen Amell makes me feel all the feels. 

All Oliver wanted was to keep his boy safe. To make sure William never became like him. Chase took that away. So, now William is the one on the boat. He's trapped in a world he doesn't understand and paying for sins that are not his fault. 

Robert tried to stop it. He tried to protect Oliver from his sins. He failed. All Robert could offer Oliver in the end was the chance to survive and to do it better.

This is the another chance to do it differently. To do it better. Maybe the most important chance. Oliver can no longer be mired down in the past. 

Source: olivergifs

Adrian Chase is the dark mirror to Oliver. He is what Oliver can become if he never lets the past go. Every step since 5x17 has been Oliver letting go of the pain, guilt, shame and anger. Every moment has prepared Oliver for this battle. For this choice.

Oliver has to hold onto the lessons he's learned, what he knows to be right and allow his humanity to make the calls. Oliver needs William as much as he needs Felicity. As much as he needs Diggle and Thea. This is the love that pushes Oliver past the dark into the light. This is the love that makes Oliver fight for the future.  Oliver's love for William makes him a better man and a better hero. A man and hero worthy of Felicity Smoak.

Source:  sharingmyworld 

It's why Oliver is willing to work with Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson. The past no longer matters. All that matters is his future and he's willing to whatever it takes to protect it. Oliver also knows to win, to truly save his son and everyone he loves, he has to do it differently this time.

Source:  olivergifs

I think this flashback actually foreshadows Prometheus' demise. Oliver won't kill him, but I don't think Chase will have the stones to face justice. He'll do what Oliver refused to do. Chase will kill himself.

Bl*ck Sir*n and Quentin Lance

Okaaaay she's back. Truthfully? Pretty minimal scenes. She kidnapped Quentin and Thea. The end. 

Although, I do enjoy KC as Bl*ck Sir*n. She plays a good villain. And Paul Blackthorne's reaction to seeing "Laurel" was out of this world. Break me into a thousand pieces sir!

There's certainly an effort to add some layers. BS owes Chase and wants to protect Quentin, so... she kidnaps him? 

The promise is Chase won't hurt Lance. Had me a nice chuckle when Lance called her stupid. BS gets to express some "she's not all villain" emotion. BS says it's equally hard on her to see Quentin as it is for Quentin to see her. So... this probably means Quentin is dead on Earth 2. Okie dokie.

Are we headed for a redemption arc? Eh. I don't know. Honestly, the reason Arrow says they brought KC back was because they enjoyed her performance as BS. I know the LL fandom wants Arrow to turn Laurel 2.0 back into Laurel 1.0 but the reason Laurel 1.0 died is because the character ran her course. So, there's no need to retread that old ground. Also, Laurel 2.0 is not Laurel 1.0 so can we just accept reality? 

The best thing Arrow has going for them with BS is that she is a villain. This plays to Katie's acting strengths and gives Arrow new ground to explore. I truly don't think they are in any rush to evaporate these positives.

Flashbacks

YAO FEI!!!!! Oh Yao Fei how I missed you. I don't even care that you were a manifestation of Oliver's guilt and urged him to commit suicide. I will take some Yao Fei anyway I can get it.

Imaginary torture. Well, that is one way to go Kovar. I'll give the guy credit. He did have Oliver's number. Emotional pain is far more torturous to Oliver than physical pain. This results in a series of flashbacks to remind us all that the past five years were of the suck for Oliver. Yeah, I didn't really forget that.

I like that Kovar gave Oliver a gun to commit suicide. Oliver killing himself is ultimate defeat and that's what Kovar wants. It's also a very nice callback to Oliver's first few days on the island. This isn't the first time he's considered suicide.

But then Oliver hallucinates Laurel. Well look at that. Flashback Ollie actually remembers Laurel! 

Better late than never I guess. They have to connect it with the pilot. Oliver has to give a crap about Laurel again, so Arrow took a break from all the Felicity foreshadowing in the flashbacks.  It's fine. We all know where their "love story" goes.

Oliver envisioning Laurel as his hope and salvation, begging him to come home when in reality he gets this when he does come home 

basically sums up this hot mess of a television relationship for me. 

Those were dark days my friends. Glad they are behind us. Huh. Snark is full on. KC being back might be fun after all.

Stray Thoughts

Lyla has a sister. Huh. Cool. Diggle's reassurance to Oliver (aka US) that Dyla is okay is appreciated.

Kovar nailed the Catholic belief on Purgatory.  Wave to me from heaven y'all because that's where I'll be for awhile.

Oliver's attractiveness in his attractive brown leather jacket is very important to me.

Only Josh Segarra can look threatening in that color of yellow.

Quentin Lance trying to process how messed up it is that LL has a doppelganger is so me.

Malcolm hand jokes never get old.

"Not yet but soon." Josh Segarra added another level to the Chase creepy factor - this sounded exactly like John Doe from Seven Deadly Sins. I still have nightmares about that movie.

Source: kendrasaunders

I've missed this goddess.

Call back to Legends of Tomorrow! Ra's told Nyssa where to find Sara because Sara told Ra's to tell Nyssa where to find her. Let that little time loop simmer on ya for a minute. Although, I'm confused. I thought in S2 Nyssa found Sara in a market place starving. I need a Sara Lance/Nyssa Al Ghul flashback episode like yesterday.

Source: sharingmyworld 

They all arrived by plane. Interesting. Methinks that Chase is planning on eliminating those means on escape. Perhaps, he expects to leave with Oliver after he destroys everything that matters? I also thought it was a little hint to Oliver of where his loved ones were. Things that make you go hmmmm.

"I'll cover you. Really." CLASSIC

I feel like Curtis should never go anywhere without backup. That should be a team rule.

"I thought you would have tagged your pets by now." Malcolm never stops being a supreme dick. It's one of the few things I enjoy about him.

Didn't you love all the preview clips promoting Bl*ck Si*n's return?

Maybe because there were only two scenes they couldn’t release any clips. Hehehe. I jest.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 5x22 episode gifs credited.