loved it, we knew Oli was going to lose but he obviosuly will be saved by someone and nursed back to health.
Oh you Oliciters must be happy with that Olicity scene shoehorned in into his final moments
I don't like Matt Nable, his entire appearance is pretty unthreatening, his charisma is not there and he really doesen't live up to his predecesors.
In fact: Malcolm felt more like "the" villain tonight. He's the most despicable creature there is and that despite only having had a SINGLE scene tonight.
I know, I KNOW, he's not actually dead, but how the HELL am I supposed to be patient and wait until January 21st???? My mind is blown, my head is hurting, and I need some comfort food PRONTO.
OMG! I CAN'T MY FEELINGS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE! What an episode!!! My heart was pounding every minute!! I was either screaming, OMG OMG OMG! Or OH NO OLIVER! POOR POOR OLIVER!! That was heavy shit!!!
Omg! Oliver finding about ALL things Thea! I wasn't even expecting that!! His face when he saw her get off the plane was heartbreaking, then again when he interrogated her..HOLY SHIT!!! That was AWESOME! And I definitely wasn't considering that as a scene!! DID YOU SEE HIS FACE?!?! He was shocked!!!! And she just JUMPED off the roof!! Which was sooo badass!! But shittt, that hurt my heart. Then Malcolm F**king Merlyn with his diabolical plan..WHAT AN ASSHOLE!! I truly love to hate him!!! I gotta say though, that's brilliant. But ouch!!! Like Watching Oliver climb that mountain wasn't hurtful enough. Poor Oliver. God!! I love him sooo much! Poor bastard! Him challenging Ra's was soooo scary!! I was soo nervous. Ra's: "It's been 67 years since someone challenged me. You welcome death that much?" Oliver: "Do you accept?" "Ra's: "I do." OMG OMG OMG OMG!! Was my reaction!!
Laurel- Some nerve she has asking her MOTHER to keep her daughter's death a secret from her Ex-husband!!! Ughhh that pissed me off, and any "sweet" moment after that, just left a real bitter taste in my mouth. Along with Thea!! "Don't make me choose between my brother and my father." UGH!! What was that??? Thea is pissing me off. Me don't likey!!
OLICITY!!!! OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!! HE SAID IT!!!!!!!! GODDDDDDD MY FEELSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! THAT WAS SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! AND THAT FOREHEAD KISS WAS SO LONGGGGGG AND EMOTIONAL!!!!!! AND I TOTALLY WANTED TO CRY BUT I COULDN'T B/C I WAS SOOO NERVOUS WHEN IT WENT TO COMMERCIAL!!!! GOD THAT MUSIC!!!! JUST MADE ME MORE DEEP!!!!
I'm on the floor!!!! What a epic episode!! Malcon's plan was genius and so horrible! And thea..i really didn't not expected..Imagine when Laurel discover..omg, the fight!! What a epic fight! I don't have words right now, because i'm shaking! Arrow did AMAZING again! And i can't wait for january!
I wouldn't say the Olicity scene was shoehorned at all. It came off quite natural for me and didn't have the forced feeling some of their scenes have (like the entire season premiere).
Agree with you on Malcolm. Just one scene and he almost stole the show for me.
Have to disagree on Matt Nable. Though he's not who I pictured for Ra's, I kind of like his quiet menace.
yeah i think so, but i think the lazarus pit will be involved. When oliver challenged ras to the trial by combat, he said its been 67 years since some one challenged him. That would mean ras is like over 100 years old
So... is Nyssa going to revive him with the Lazarus Pit? If they follow the Comics, she IS in possession of one. And I doubt she bought that he killed Sara.
Yeah I thought they said that, but with all the talk lately after the success of the Flash crossover and about how meta humans may come to Starling, I figure if they ever even thought about doing it, now would be the time. I would prefer he was nursed back to health myself, it's more fitting.
I don't think it's him, it's the expectations I put into the character.
Of course you can't expect a portrayal like Liam Neeson but Nable obviously is keeping it close to the Nolan trilogy instead of the bathsh*t insane Ra's we know and love
I'll just have to see more of him, he only had 1 episode and 20 seconds to prove himself.
Thea killing Sara, even in those circumstances, I'm just... seriously. What the hell. I'm disappointed with this season and I really hate the way they have dealt with Sara's death.
Thea "dont make me choose between my father and brother" I mean wtf how are the two even comparable when she knows who malcolm is. How does him being her father change anything
I did see that coming either i mean it blew my mind. I so can't stand waiting til 21st of January i want it to come quick. We got to wait 42 days UGH hate they are making us wait 42 days
True. Neeson is kind of what I was judging him against in the back of my mind. I do like the reserved style he puts into the character though, so I think we will all come to respect his portrayal in the end, just a hunch I have. But your right, we need more screen time indeed before any final verdict.
I hate to be the typical girl, but can Oliver and Felicity just be together already? I mean, seriously! I can't believe we have to wait over a month to find out what happens. Ahh!
I knew the second Oliver started to swing wildly at Ra's that he would lose. Oliver let his emotions overtake him during the fight unlike Ra's who is a emotionless, calculating killer. I wish Felicity would've told Oliver that she loved him too before he left. Seems like that would've been the time to say it.
"Felicity, I love yo....." "No, no Mr. Queen" *stabs Oliver "You're making Mac really unhappy with focusing so much on banging that one nerdy chick every superhero wants to be in for some unexplainable reason"
I just don't want to belive that they'd kill such a prominent character like Katana like that.
But for some reason she was used less than the writers said they would, also Stephen was really holding back on telling us how working with Rila was....maybe there was some BTS trouble?
I'm not really an expert but as far as I know you throw a dead or aging person into that pit and restore that persons health. Kinda like anti-aging paste, only that it works.
I doubt that they'll use that though, they said they weren't going to use it and given Stephen not having been on set for a few weeks I would argue that someone finds him, nurses him back to health slowly and trains him
Maybe BTS trouble. Or maybe they are saving her for a second half arc and just didn't want to come out and say it as that would be a pretty big spoiler for the back half of the season. I have a feeling they will use her as Katana is pretty important in the DCU, as shes affiliated with the Justice League, not to mention a member of Birds of Prey in New 52 continuity.
That spear was going through some pretty serious organs!! I don't know...didn't Ra's say that it was 67 years since someone challenged him to a combat. Wouldn't that support yours/the comic books definition of how the Pit works???
Meh. Thea killing Sara while brainwashed is such a copout. I thought Malcolm somewhat cared about Thea but obviously he doesn't. They totally retconned Ra's Al Guhl. H didn't give a crap about Sara. Diggle, Laurel and Roy were completely underused this episode.
yeah it would but at this point I think they're just alluding to its existance instead of showing it. I'd be up for the pit though. The more chances we get to keep my favourites around the better.
Indeed. Imagine a BoP episode with the New 52 line up of Black Canary, Katana, and Poison Ivy. If only the Batman villain roster could cross over, just for one episode.
... but then with his possible last gasping breath, Oliver vows to return because the man who has something to fight for has something to live for. For the protector who has become my best friend. For the man that has been forged in fire much like myself and who has become my brother. For the sister who I would die to protect. For the woman I love who is the light that keeps the darkness from consuming me.
Then Mac can't help but be moved to the point where he becomes an Olicity fan. :)
Marc Guggenheim @mguggenheim · 17m17 minutes ago I probably should mention that the title of Arrow Ep. 3x14 -- "The Return" -- does NOT refer to Oliver. Or Slade Wilson. #speculate
I was trying to pitch a webseries (kinda like Play it Again, Dick) to theCWseed but they rejected the idea due to all being in the hands of the Arrow producers (obviously).
But it would have been awesome to see Canary, Katana and Huntress fight their way through hordes of DC villains
Stephen Amell did seem to make a point of how old Ra's might be!! He jumps into the pit to knock a few years off every so often!! What's to stop Oliver from being placed into the pit and brought back to life!!
Indeed. It's a possibility, I just think they may be reluctant to go that route. Introducing the Lazarus Pit is kinda like building in a Deus ex Machina into the series. Would go against the 'keep it grounded' mantra. Would be cool though!
I'm sure that they already got my email blacklisted :P
It was actually a pretty solid idea, only using a three point lighting set-up (paired with cheap and quick DSLR cameras) assuring quick and effective shooting and merely using a 5 person cast while the entire project would be shot as a 80 minute feature divided into a 8 episode long season. Would've been a blast but hey...the little guy isn't going to get his ideas made ^^
Now I'm stuck with trying to produce a crackle pilot
Damn it! They got me! *unmasks himself and reveals Olivers face* "I love her alright! I just can't admit it! Also FYI that threesome with Felicity and Laurel is SOOOO on"*runs away*
From Wikipedia: Deus ex Machina or "God from the Machine" is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object. Depending on how it is done, it can be intended to move the story forward when the writer has "painted himself into a corner" and sees no other way out, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending, or as a comedic device.
Sorry to copy paste, but that saves me a lengthy paragraph and is phrased better than I could :)
Arrow has lost its shine for me. Great action, Olicity goodness, and the scale that Arrow manages so well were all there but the rest is severely lacking.
Their was talk of the BOP actually being spun off into a digital comic (with Huntress as the main POV character). Apparently plans fell through due to Jessica De Gouw in some way though (perhaps her contract for Dracula stopped her from doing anything with The CW?).
a sinister and downright sickening plan involving a father turning his daughter into a mindless slave that does his bidding isn't quality enough for ya? I guess we'll need to give that plot to GoT to be aknowledged
I just don't buy that. It felt so contrived. People were speculating all season that Thea did it and the general consensus was that it was too ridiculous. And yet..here we are.
The pit restores someone to life/health, but comes with the disastrous side effect upon reemergence of temporary insanity coupled with increased strength.
That comment pissed me off too, because there really should have been no competition given everything Malcolm had done. I'm tired of Thea making stupid decisions without thinking of how it affects others. She may have been under the influence of drugs when she killed Sarah, but she wasn't under any kind of influence when she was speaking to Oliver. That comment was typical Thea.
I don't believe it was a motion comic. It was meant to be similar to Arrow 2.5 and The Flash 0.5
Supposedly it was going to be broken into 2 halves. The first half covering what Huntress was doing in the year between her appearances (I assume she meets other female superheroes on the way) then the second half covering what she did after the Birds of Prey episode.
Yeah but I get that DC would probably not be too hot on one of their properties being produced so cheap (that might be why they didn't even consider the thought).
Straight forward run against the time flick, while a former president seeks refuge in a middle european country he puts the entire place at risk through his presence as one of his past controversial decisions that cost the lives of thousands of innocent bystanders spawned a terror cell with only one goal: to end this guys life. Now five dirty bombs threaten the country unless the local goverment doesen't hand the man over. While a loyal and patriotic US agent attempts to stop the men behind the curtains the question wether to hand the ex-president over rises among the foreign politicians that hide him.
kind of in the vein of 24. Currently trying to find a crew and cast to shoot it like a small budgeted feature (wich will then be split into 6 episodes each spanning from 15-20 minutes). After that is done the plan is to sell it to Sony if the quality matches their expectations for a crackle exclusive.
Unfortuntely it doesen't look too good right now as crackle made developement deals with Bryan Cranston and other big guns. So we might not find a distributer after all.
blip.tv is still an option though. Otherwise the project might get the axe
ha jokes on you! I was.......not expecting that at all tbh...but I rarely expect anything. I just let sh*t happen until it piles on me so I can crawl out from beneath
That sounds pretty fantastic to me. I'd watch that and I'm not a big fan of the 24 run and gun plot setup. Wish you luck man. Keep plugging away. Talent finds a way and you seem to have it.
lol the project was actually concieved because of the lack of 24-esque shows on TV at the moment. Thanks, I'll try. But I'm used to projects failing anyway, I've worked in theatre, TV and movies for a year now and only one production made it far enough so I actually had some visual material....and that was a recording of the theatre project :P
Never give up man. Every thing you do, even a recording of the theatre project, is just one more entry on the resume. Pad that resume and make us all some quality TV. Hurry up man. The networks development slate gets crappier by the day!
I think it's not that he suddenly gives a crap about Sara, its about the Image of the League and how no one can mess with them. He can't let Sara slide, even if he didn't care if she lived or died. Its all about "mess with the LoA and Die" image he has to maintain.
Oliver - he could not have possibly believed he would beat Ra's Al Ghul. He was completely unprepared for that fight. It was difficult to watch only because of that fact alone.
Laurel: Oliver was not the highlight of the show for me, despite me thinking it was going to be. Surprisingly it was Laurel. This was definitely the turning point for me with her character. She is so much stronger after Sara's second death. The first death, she used a crutch, this time around it is obvious that she is slowly turning into the Canary. I thought she was amazing tonight. I greatly anticipate her fighting alongside the Arrow.
Thea: I didn't think I could hate a character as much as I hated Lori from the Walking Dead but Thea has definitely topped that. I cannot stand her. Just let Ra's kill' her and be done with this.
The Fight Against Ra's Al Ghul: Everyone has Barry's cell phone number ;P just a few taps on the phone keyboard an bam! fight is over. (I realize that's ridiculous and "Oliver has to find his own way" but come on you can't merge a powerless hero with a super-powered one and not think to use him, obviously this cannot happen, this was just me having some fun with the idea, because picture it...
*Snowy mountaintop* *Oliver and Ra's Al Ghul take their "I'm gonna kill you"stance* *Barry swings by and throws Ra's Al Ghul over the ledge* *Barry runs back home, never revealing himself* *Oliver-"well I guess that makes me the new Ra's Al Ghul"* *Everyone standing still wondering what just happened* This has gone on too long, anyway...
Detective Lance: Somebody needs to tell him his daughter is dead. This is just cruel. It would take me awhile to forgive the person who lies on such a huge scale. He can't grieve for her if he doesn't know she is gone. It's desperately sad.
Overall... the Flash mid-season finale was considerably better. All this is just my biased personal opinion because I much prefer the Flash over the Arrow. But Laurel was the only one with the satisfying storyline. Plus, her Canary costume is very hott.
Yep, i told you the other day this director was sort of good xD
The photography was incredible! I really want to visit Vancouver... I was gonna go on 2015, but it's too hard to get a visiting visa so... well, i'm going to Ireland/England instead.
I can see that I guess. For me on that show, its Bonnie and Elena that just do nothing for me. Elena is so average to my eyes that the obsession the Salvatore's have with her is mind boggling. Different strokes and all I guess.
I don't know if the director wanted to split the climbing shots up from the very beginning but it was a great choice narrative wise. Gorgeous cinematography. The only shot I didn`t like was the bird view on Ra's and Ollie fighting because you could see the set extention in the back while looking totally fake (but I blame the CGI artist for that one).
Well, I'd say Ireland is a better looking country anyway.
Vancouver is just great for the film industry thanks to the availability of sets, crews and actors. If i could, I'd shoot anything there simply due to the sheer ammount of possibilities.
Elena turned un-sexy to me the minute she started her "I'm not sure, I can't right now" game. It's a immediate turn off for me in real life and apparently also for TV characters.
Frankly the only TVD character I consider to be hot as fudge is Rebekah (who just lost her body :/ )
I'm Canadian and have been to Vancouver several times. Truly breathtaking scenery, and that's coming from a Newfoundlander, a place which has some of the best scenery in the world!
It's so sad, so awful to do this to Thea, that they actually made her a killer. That Malcolm brainwashed her is something she will never fogive him for, but now who knows when and how she'll find out a way she will believe it? I knew from the start this thing with Malcolm was going to ruin her, and they definitely made sure people hate her now. I still want to have hope for her, like REALLY but when she's still defending Malcolm so much and blind to the evil of him is so disgusting and I don't know how they plan on ever letting her recover anyway. And people actually believed that Malcolm gave a crap about her...
wow..... hell of a misdseason send off glad we got to see the reveal of who killed Sara (not really that big of a shock I suppose that it was something masterminded by Merlyn.... but loved the tidbits planted: Palmer and his A.T.O.M. suit which I think he mentioned was based on the O.M.A.C. design which plays very prominently in DC lore as I recall.... but excellent ending and I can't wait to see where things go from here
Merlin made the perfect plan! Ypu got to love that guy. He always finds a way to screw Oliver. Damn how in hell do you survive something like that?.. Can that A.T.O.M suit fly and Ray helped him while falling? lol I dunno but I was expecting Ra's to be more "evil"? i found it quite calm i like it but there is like something was off.
Sorry. I hated that episode. It was so badly written. The Thea/Malcolm plot still makes no logical sense. Nor does Ra's coming to Starling to kill people. Oliver should have killed Malcolm and dropped him at Ra's feet and said the video was doctored so that Oliver would protect Malcolm from the league. And he should have told Thea the truth. She deserves to know how much her decisions have hurt her family. She should rot with it.
Thea as a character is dead to me at this point. There no coming back from how disastrous her pouting, childish, dumb, witchy little choices have been. Not only have they been frustrating to watch, but got they Ollie killed. Don't make me choose between a brother who will die for me and a psychopath who you believe terrorized you mother, killed your father, destroyed a city, killed his son (and then left her holding the bag). Please. I am tired of her. I've been tired of her since season 1. I put up with her when she didn't actually affect the story. She's done now. Just kill her.
The only thing that was okay was the little bit of backstory on Ray, Felicity saying "why does this keep happening to me," and super sad life flashing before Ollie's eyes as he died. That's it. I won't be watching this episode again. And I'm currently not interested in coming back in January to watch Laurel and Thea be horrible characters. I'll maybe check in when Oliver comes back, but not if they do some dumb identity reset story on him. I'm annoyed enough at the breaking the realistic grounded story rules.
What did you think of Arrow - The Climb? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know which mid-season finale I liked more between The Flash and Arrow.
Freaking brutal of an ending right there.
There are so many possibilities….
- Oliver returns from the Lazarus Pit and act just like Jason Todd, becoming completely crazy
- Oliver returns from the Lazarus Pit and becomes more of a wisecracker while hiding that pain deep inside until it finally explodes in the season finale, or has some mental battle when being infected with vertigo
- Oliver returns from the Lazarus Pit and while retaining his skill, loses all of his memory while slowly regaining them
As you can see…I just don't see any other way of Ollie returning without the LP's help, lol.
I will say this, Oliver's "I love you" to Felicity felt kinda cheap. Not because he doesn't love her, he does, and she loves him still, but, after a season where their relationship is actively pushed to the side to preserve the status quo, such a declaration is clearly meant to just fake depth, that I'm positively sure it won't be actually addressed for a while.
And the worst is, it's tells, but doesn't show. Olicity deserves more than this half-assed writing we keep getting, typical CW trite cliche's. It's like they can be bothered to write in a good romance.
The only thing I didn't like is that it exhonerates Thea from any faults, pretty much what happened with Roy and the mirakuru and killing the cops.
If there is branwashing, there is no accountability, and that cheapens the whole thing, like having your cake and eating it too.
Now, if the twist is that Thea wasn't actually bainwashed, and that the root thingy was a missderection, it could be cool. Ollie never confronted her about lying regarding her trip to Starling.
In that case, a Laurel/Thea showdown would be incredible, and it could be a great opportunity to test Laurel's character, put her against Oliver, and shake Oliver and Thea's relationship.
I would suggest another thing: Oliver gets over it rather quickly and healthly, but his time out leaves him out of touch with his vigilantism, and with Black Canary and Atom now in Starling, he considers that having a normal live might be a possibility.
Just ended an hour ago on the West Coast, and I'm still smiling. With joy. For two reasons.
First off, I was right about Thea being the archer who killed Sara. Picking her was a Sherlock Holmes exercise: eliminate all the other possibilities, and what is left must be the answer. Plus, the hints from the producers about how knowing the Killer will make us sad. And Roy having the dreams that HE killed Sara--my guess is he may have seen or figured out it was Thea, but his mind didn't want to believe it. So tonight, when Felicity said the DNA matched Oliver, I knew I was right, since siblings have common DNA.
Beyond solving the Who Killed Sara mystery tonight set up Oliver for the next phase of his "life's adventure". As a member of the League. Obviously, Oliver will not stay dead and will either be "healed" by Ra's, Nyssa, or Oliver's former friend from Hong Kong, possibly using the Lazarus pit. Whatever the case, Ra's has ended Oliver's previous life--and the price for his resurrection is that Oliver must join the League. Which will pit Oliver & the League against Malcolm--and Thea.
Don't forget the story Ra's told Oliver before they fought, how Ra's first kill was to protect his loved ones. So, Ra's seems to be telling Oliver that he knows why Oliver is fighting him. Plus, Ra's was probably told that Oliver didn't kill Sara by Nyssa--who instinctively doubted that Oliver could kill the woman he had loved.
Bottom line: the two Main threads for the rest of this season will be Oliver & the LOA attempting to take down Malcolm; and secondly, how will Team Arrow (first) survive without it's Leader (Diggle?) and then how will they find out Oliver is alive.
Lots of storylines. So, I don't see much room for further development of Laurel as the New Canary. That's probably on the back burner now.
Saw this mentioned somewhere else but this episode also made Malcolm look stupid. He is better than Oliver. They've shown that several times.
But his Master Plan was to get Oliver, the one keeping the League at bay, to take out a Ra's? The guy Malcolm wouldn't be able to beat on his best day? How does that make sense?
And I like how people are casually accepting that Sara would have a calm reaction to seeing Thea on a rooftop with a bow and arrows dressed in, essentially, League gear.
None of that makes sense. Why would he think Oliver could be Ra's?
Then, he was scared of the league so he makes them madder? What? Plus, Ollie was already protecting him for Thea's sake. Him using Thea is actually a reason for Oliver to STOP protecting him from the league. Who presumably still want him dead for the undertaking.
Laurel genuinely mourning her sister was the first good character beat she's had in a long time. If she'd just told her dad instead of the "he can't take it" and the Mom's intuition crap. it would have been a highlight for me. But Lance deserves to know, and Thea just immediately going "sure I won't tell my brother his girlfriend is dead" no problem was absurd, so it ruined the moment. But at least I was perfectly happy to watch Laurel for the first few minutes. Then I wish they'd devoted the time to the fight scene, too much with mama Lance.
I'm just so frustrated with this show anymore. There are still things about it I like, or I wouldn't keep watching, but this stuff makes me want to pull my hair out.
DID THEY SERIOUSLY JUST KILL OLIVER QUEEN NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, i mean i know he has to come back but HOW THE HELL CAN HE?!!! are they going full comic book and putting him in the Lazarus Pit?, i hate that they made Thea the killer even though it wasn't of her own volition and MY GOD I NEED TO SEE PALMER WEAR THAT ATOM SUIT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!, i didn't expect to see Maseo in the present day
It was a great episode. I loved it a lot. But I had issues with certain things too.
What I liked
- Ra's Al Ghul - I had issues with casting. But man he was terrifying and had such a presence - The fight ... Freaking Awesome.. Oliver got in some hits... and the final blow and fall. - Oliver/Felicity good bye and I love you scene.. - All Oliver/Thea scenes.. Poor Oliver.. Poor Thea.. Whatever Felicity might say Oliver is the reason they are in this situation. If he had come clean to Thea once Slade targeted her she would never have left with Malcolm - Malcolm Merlyn - That SoB... You manipulative bastard.. You are definitely back on my shit list.. - Laurel/Dinah grave site scene.. At least Laurel got some one who really understands her motivations
What I disliked
- Ray Palmer scenes.. All the QC and Ray scenes felt out of place in this episode. I wish they had used that time for more league or Thea, Malcolm, Roy anyone... Ray scenes could have been put in episode 10.. - Laurel's two confessions to Thea and Dinah about Sara's death.. It was so underwhelming. Both Thea's and Dinah's reactions were luke warm at best. - Detective Lance still at dark... Really unnecessary..
All in all a great episode. Even without seeing any sneak peaks it felt I knew what was coming next. I wish they would put out less spoilers as I don't have the strength in me to avoid them once it is out on the internet... Be kind to me.. From the promo it looks like some one will nurse Oliver back to health. I think it will be Tatsu/Katana. The hiatus is going to be long...
Kind of glad to discover Malcolm hadn't been a "changed man" after all. Didn't really expect that fight to end that way...especially not after Felicity's plea for him to kill him. Would have, IMHO, been wiser of the network not to show that promo. Too quick to dampen the emotional reaction of the viewers. Favorite bit...that conversation between Oliver and Thea. "I'm not going to make you choose."
I think may be because my expectations were so less from this actor I was impressed. He was reserved and exuded physical power. Where as Neeson was quiet strength. I think I will like this guy more in the coming episodes.
See i told you Malcolm is going back to the shit list after this one... I liked it this way. At least now we know she didn't consciously chose to kill some one for Daddy dearest. She is an immature brat who is blinded by some attention from a father figure. That I can take. What I find interesting is Team Arrow now knows Thea was manipulated by Malcolm. Now with Oliver's absence I want to know how they will protect Thea from Malcolm. This could lead to some good scenes between Thea/Roy, Thea/Diggle and Thea/Felicity.
Awesome episode...enough to make me scream WTF at the TV! Have to wait now bit at least it's only a short wait:) would have been angry if I had to go all summer!
Here's the thing. We know he isn't dead. So instead of it being a cliffhanger or anything plot or character related, we'll just sit around discussing what convenient plot device they are going to use to reverse it. So, it means nothing except the shock of losing Oliver and the sad potential that he is going to come back changed/damaged. It isn't honest. It was all played for effect.
I see you have finally given up on Thea. I get it. But I still think she can come back from this madness. She is on the high of getting attention from a father figure. All Oliver needs to do is tell her the whole truth which he should have done once Slade targeted Thea.
By making Thea the one who killed Sara they kind of took away any exciting thing from Laurel's journey. Her whole path is revenge and we all know she will never punish Thea... Meh...
Well, they succeeded in moving Thea above Laurel on my list of intolerable characters.
Knowing Oliver is the Arrow has nothing to do with any of the decisions she made. When she was whinging about her mom dying and people lying to her, she laid the blame at Oliver's feet for not telling them he knew Slade. The guy KIDNAPPED her. If that wasn't enough for her to realize he as bad there's no logic on the planet that will get through her brain. Malcolm killed her dad, stranded her brother in hell, terrorized her mother, destroyed part of the city killing over 500 people. None of that was enough for her to acknowledge that he was evil. Well, she just got her brother killed. Hopefully, there's a truth she can really revel in.
Oliver died to protect her. She's out of protection from her own stupidity.
I liked Laurel's graveyard scene! FINALLY we saw something other than rage... But then Dinah 'set that fire' in Laurel again and she went right back to being angry and vengeful :/ It couldn't have lasted that long unfortunately. Also I'm not buying the 'it would kill him' crap. He's the friggin chief of police, he's stressed out ALL THE TIME. SMH
Other than that, I really liked this episode. Some things I disliked was that the Ray Palmer scene would've been more appropriate in a different episode. I also hated how he pinged Felicity's cellphone again. Just, NO on that. Ra's al ghul didn't really care about Sara in episode 4, why does he care now?
Some things I really liked was that I thought the Oliver/Felicity scenes were simple yet powerful. I'm glad they didn't kiss, I'm glad it wasn't passionate. It was just a heartbreakingly loving scene between two people. Some goodbyes aren't passionate, but that doesn't make them any less. And I know some people are a bit salty about how Digg/Roy/Laurel weren't in that flashback montage, but I think that Oliver really only thought about the people he most cares about (mainly his family). And like it or not, Felicity's one of them because he's in love with her and one of the keys to his humanity.
I LOVED Ra's. I was really skeptical about how they would make him work, but he's silent but deadly. He's not outwardly crazy like Malcolm or Slade. And I think that's what makes him the perfect villain of the season. He provides balance and variety in terms of personality.
Overall I thought it was great! Predictable (because honestly, they spoil the show too much), but great.
I am so against you on this one. Unlike episode 1 and that scene where Oliver sees Felicity kissing Ray (barf) in episode 7 which were all on the nose, this scene was subtle and well done imo. Oliver's actions after he realizes Thea killed Sara was acceptance. Acceptance on his part he needs to fight and maybe die for her. There was a calmness to the way he was packing and leaving the Arrow cave. So I understood and liked the good bye as he was not expecting to come back to be honest.
This is the best written romantic moment for Oliver and Felicity imo.
I agree no logic in the world can excuse Thea for leaving with Malcolm and being his lap dog and lying to Oliver. That is why during the season break between season 2 and season 3 I hoped Thea was manipulating Malcolm and using him. Now I am going with she was messed up in her head. That is the only way I can like this character whom I had high hopes for.
Initially I wanted Oliver to reveal his identity as Arrow to Thea and bring her back from Merlyn. Now that Arrow is presumed dead I want either Felicity or Diggle to reveal Oliver's secret identity and the cause of his death to Thea and bring her in on the secret. I want her to plot and take revenge on Malcolm Merlyn.
By making Thea a puppet in killing Sara.. they kind of took away any interesting part in Laurel's transformation and revenge saga. We know for sure Laurel will never kill (make her SUFFER) Thea, Oliver's sister and her friend. So that thrill of confrontation between Laurel and Sara's killer is already lost because we know she will be noble and let Thea go.
Two confessions from Laurel in one episode regarding Sara's death and both were badly done. Especially the graveyard scene between Thea and Laurel. Immediately I thought oh Thea is the killer. Funny thing is it was not Laurel who annoyed me it was Thea and Dinah's reaction of accepting Laurel keeping Sara's death a secret which irked me. Where is the logic here?
I loved the good bye scenes. Roy/Oliver hug, Diggle/Oliver handshake and that lovely scene between Oliver/Felicity. Beautifully done and subtle.
Also did you feel off about Roy's easy acceptance of Thea being a killer. I thought he would react more violently than Oliver.
With most incarnations of Ra's, he has given a noble aristocatic tone to him, but with Nable its more of an angry warlord feel. Borrowmans Malcolm feels more Ra's than Nable Ra's maybe thats why they have gone that way.
Who Laurel has no chance taking on, but that's beside the point. I would hope that Laurel is written even slightly more rational at this point than Ra's was. I mean I know they both just want to kill someone for Sara's death, but really, listening to the truth and then getting the guy actually behind it would be a better idea.
I think Ra's was just simply trying to prove a point. His beef was with Malcolm. Ra's and Nyssa truly believed Malcolm killed Sara. While Nyssa wanted justice for Sara, Ra's simply wanted to bring Malcolm in and punish him. So they gave Oliver 48 hours to turn Sara's killer expecting Oliver will bring in Malcolm. Instead Oliver went there and challenged Ra's into a duel. Once that happened there is no way someone powerful like Ra's not accept it and kill Oliver. I don't think anyone in League actually believed Oliver killed Sara.
Regarding Laurel till now she has been kill the suspect before seeing any evidence mode. If that continues Thea might have to kill Laurel too. But if all this boxing has given her some discipline then maybe she will listen to reason and understand Thea is not the culprit. Then what? She can't even touch Malcolm... This is the problem with making her motivation in being BC all about Sara's killer. They really should have made her journey all about justice for downtrodden in Glades and Sara.
I didn't even think of it that way. Out of everyone on this show though, I honestly don't know who deserves to destroy him the most: Thea or Laurel? I'd go for Thea because he used the hell out of her and made her into his puppet.
Also, I thought the Laurel scenes were ridiculously badly acted. IDK why, I just don't buy what KC sells in terms of sad and emotional scenes. I think that's what made her scenes less touching? I however don't buy that Dinah would keep something like this from Quentin. NOPE. Thea, sure I can believe that. But not Dinah. And her telling Laurel to make the person who killed Sara suffer? That was a big WTF moment for me. NO MOTHER WOULD LET HER CHILD DO THAT NO MATTER WHAT. That was just so unbelievable and stupid. Waste of Alex Kingston's talent. And she needs to lose the accent. *sigh*.
Roy's reaction was more questionable than bad? On the one hand I'm glad he didn't make a big deal out of it because IDK if Colton Haynes could emote properly, but on the other hand, how was he not more shocked? Maybe he really understands that Thea has gone off the deep end? I'm not sure.
Also, I don't think Laurel would ever kill Thea. But I do think that she'd never want to see her ever again after learning the truth. Seriously, the Queen family essentially ruined the Lance family. I honestly don't see why/how Laurel still sticks around these people. Oliver cheated on Laurel with her sister and killed her the first time, continued to screw with her emotions all throughout season 1, then Thea killed her the last time. I'd almost feel bad for Laurel if I didn't like her so much.
Overall I liked the scene, I just wish someone cof Guggenheim cof would stop overselling every Olicity scene as the greatest one yet. He does that everytime and I always feel underwhelmed. Everybody knows at this point that Oliver loves Felicity, he said that three times already, so even if it was a beautiful scene, nothing new happened for me to jump at joy. I think the flash of their kiss when he was dying was a lot more meaningful than the goodbye scene.
I didn't give it awesome because lets be honest. It was a hokey trick at the end. Is the CW so mentally challenged they think that people watching are actually going to believe you killed off the shows namesake? Castle played that trick last year and no one bought it either. It was a cool fight, and I was fine with the ending...but don't leave the mid-season cliff hanger on something everyone already KNOWS the outcome of. Obviously Oliver survives. They should have went with a different angle/plot line for the final scenes... or at least shown him still alive on the ground or something.
I agree with you in pretty much everything except for Thea. I'm not really sympathetic towards her, I mean, Oliver is not going to make her choose, but why on earth would she choose Malcolm Merlyn over Oliver? I just wish she would be altogether devious and next season she could have a plot about redemption or something like that. I don't like that she's a badass one minute and completely clueless the other. Do you think Laurel is gonna go after Thea for killing Sara? Or Malcolm? I hope is Malcolm because Laurel blaming the wrong person it's getting old. Her whole plot is filled with unnecessary drama already! I think Oliver is going to be saved by either Maseo or Malcolm. Zombie Tommy is going to come back in episode 14!
I get that they are trying to forget the fact that Laurel and Oliver were ever a couple but considering the fact that according to the island flashback and season 1 the memory of Laurel was one of the things that drove Oliver during that time it seems stupid to leave those scenes out of Oliver's final moments to remember. She was a big part of his life and even though they are not a couple its doubtful that history is forgotten. Meanwhile Oliver knows Felicity for a small amount of time in comparison.
I totally agree with Mac. Olicity felt shoehorned just because they forgot other important people in Oliver's life in favor of that scene. Sara, Tommy and Laurel for example. Maybe a flashback of those people continuously instead of cutting back to Ra and Oliver's reaction shots would have been better. They could have had Ra's voice like a voiceover.
Over the years, Laurel and Oliver made each other miserable whereas that wasn't the case for Felicity. Felicity always believed in Oliver, she pushed him to be better, she supported him and his no kill rule, and she understands him now unlike Laurel.
Oliver and Laurel, while I feel like they're on better footing now and will always love each other, the drifted apart and they're not the most important people in each other's lives anymore. And that picture, I always felt like the idea of Laurel, the idea of home drove him. Not Laurel herself.
That scene with the flashback montages mirrored the two things Oliver knew for sure. That he would protect his family, Thea at all costs, and that he loved Felicity.
It didn't really bothered me, because if we use that logic he would have to remember Diggle and Sara too. What bothers me about the whole Laurel/Oliver thing is that in the flashbacks he was supposed to be in love with her, but after season one we didn't see any indications of such. But I'm just nitpicking.
I'm not okay at all. That's why I didn't write a long comment yesterday in the Flash thread or today here, I feel like someone just punched me in the heart.
I agree with the flash being way more impactful than the I love you. It was touching, with all the faces of who Oliver loved. With the I love you, I didn't like the pacing of making Felicity ask for the second thing after he'd basically said goodbye with the forehead kiss. It was hamfisted to me. But the flashes when he was dying was super sad. It even made me not hate Thea for like a fraction of a second.
i just imagined that when we were watching his dying face he was thinking of other things too that we just didn't see. Like his whole life flashed before his eyes and they just showed us the people he loved.
Yeah, I wish I could care what happens to her. But usually I try to ignore her unless the show makes it impossible to do so. They made it really impossible at this point. Unless, her finding out is coupled with her committing suicide in her grief and guilt or someone angrily beaten the crap out of her followed by her retiring to a nunnery where she never speaks again, I'm probably not too interested in another character reversal. Oh, she could turn villain, that might work for me.
I never liked Moira, never really engaged with Robert and I really really hate Thea this season and those flashs slayed me. I was sobbing and yelling at the tv WHYYYYYY WHYYYYY, hahaha, not my best moment.
Arrow has spoiled me on amazing fight sequences, so much so that I judge every show by their standard, so I was looking for a little more with Ra's and Oliver. It was good, I'm just spoiled for spectacular. I'll definitely watch it again. I love Ra's. How old is he supposed to be? He said the last man who challenged him was 67 years ago? Did I hear that right? He killed his first man at 11?
NOTE: Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.
DEAR GOD !! that was epic ...
ReplyDeletedid not see that coming !!
Omggggggggg
ReplyDeleteWow! I don't have much more to say than that!
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOD!! He told Felicity he loved her and then Ra's killed him!!
ReplyDeleteLazarus Pit anyone? :)
ReplyDeleteloved it, we knew Oli was going to lose but he obviosuly will be saved by someone and nursed back to health.
ReplyDeleteOh you Oliciters must be happy with that Olicity scene shoehorned in into his final moments
I don't like Matt Nable, his entire appearance is pretty unthreatening, his charisma is not there and he really doesen't live up to his predecesors.
In fact: Malcolm felt more like "the" villain tonight. He's the most despicable creature there is and that despite only having had a SINGLE scene tonight.
Well, looking forward to the next half
I know, I KNOW, he's not actually dead, but how the HELL am I supposed to be patient and wait until January 21st???? My mind is blown, my head is hurting, and I need some comfort food PRONTO.
ReplyDeleteI like it but saw Oliver losing the fight mile away to me it wasn't epic episode I was hoping for
ReplyDeleteSomeone tell me what the seven f**ks happened in the last five minutes because i couldn't watch it! My stream went down!
ReplyDeleteOMG! I CAN'T MY FEELINGS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE! What an episode!!! My heart was pounding every minute!! I was either screaming, OMG OMG OMG! Or OH NO OLIVER! POOR POOR OLIVER!! That was heavy shit!!!
ReplyDeleteOmg! Oliver finding about ALL things Thea! I wasn't even expecting that!! His face when he saw her get off the plane was heartbreaking, then again when he interrogated her..HOLY SHIT!!! That was AWESOME! And I definitely wasn't considering that as a scene!! DID YOU SEE HIS FACE?!?! He was shocked!!!! And she just JUMPED off the roof!! Which was sooo badass!! But shittt, that hurt my heart. Then Malcolm F**king Merlyn with his diabolical plan..WHAT AN ASSHOLE!! I truly love to hate him!!! I gotta say though, that's brilliant. But ouch!!! Like Watching Oliver climb that mountain wasn't hurtful enough. Poor Oliver. God!! I love him sooo much! Poor bastard! Him challenging Ra's was soooo scary!! I was soo nervous. Ra's: "It's been 67 years since someone challenged me. You welcome death that much?" Oliver: "Do you accept?" "Ra's: "I do." OMG OMG OMG OMG!! Was my reaction!!
Laurel- Some nerve she has asking her MOTHER to keep her daughter's death a secret from her Ex-husband!!! Ughhh that pissed me off, and any "sweet" moment after that, just left a real bitter taste in my mouth. Along with Thea!! "Don't make me choose between my brother and my father." UGH!! What was that??? Thea is pissing me off. Me don't likey!!
OLICITY!!!! OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!! HE SAID IT!!!!!!!! GODDDDDDD MY FEELSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! THAT WAS SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! AND THAT FOREHEAD KISS WAS SO LONGGGGGG AND EMOTIONAL!!!!!! AND I TOTALLY WANTED TO CRY BUT I COULDN'T B/C I WAS SOOO NERVOUS WHEN IT WENT TO COMMERCIAL!!!! GOD THAT MUSIC!!!! JUST MADE ME MORE DEEP!!!!
OMGGGGGG OLIVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!! OLIVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! I'm CRYINGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!
Now THAT'S how you do a winter finale. My guess is it's Lazarus Pit time!
ReplyDeletenah, the promo suggests that someone finds him and nurses him back to health. Didn't they say they weren't going to use Lazarus Pits?
ReplyDeleteI was expecting but it was painfull to watch. It's gonna take a while to get over this.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the floor!!!! What a epic episode!! Malcon's plan was genius and so horrible! And thea..i really didn't not expected..Imagine when Laurel discover..omg, the fight!! What a epic fight! I don't have words right now, because i'm shaking! Arrow did AMAZING again! And i can't wait for january!
ReplyDeleteOllie lost the fight, was stabbed and thrown off the mountain. He'll survive though.
ReplyDeleteOH and he remembered Felicity as part of his significant memory....OH the romance
Jajaja It went down pretty much as we tought...
ReplyDeleteSo what do you think? Maseo will help him recover?
Noooooooo! That Sucks! Still left In shock!!!! Oliver cant die!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say the Olicity scene was shoehorned at all. It came off quite natural for me and didn't have the forced feeling some of their scenes have (like the entire season premiere).
ReplyDeleteAgree with you on Malcolm. Just one scene and he almost stole the show for me.
Have to disagree on Matt Nable. Though he's not who I pictured for Ra's, I kind of like his quiet menace.
Don't like Nable either... He just doesn't give you that vibe... i don't know how to explain it.
ReplyDeleteEither Maseo, Katana or someone new.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't see Katana biting the dust, so...no body -> no crime.
Maybe she survived China White, fell into a coma and saw what Maseo had become after her apparent "death". Now she uses Ollie to get him back
Malcolm is an ass! He's a great villain!
ReplyDeleteyeah i think so, but i think the lazarus pit will be involved. When oliver challenged ras to the trial by combat, he said its been 67 years since some one challenged him. That would mean ras is like over 100 years old
ReplyDeleteSo... is Nyssa going to revive him with the Lazarus Pit? If they follow the Comics, she IS in possession of one. And I doubt she bought that he killed Sara.
ReplyDeleteYeah I thought they said that, but with all the talk lately after the success of the Flash crossover and about how meta humans may come to Starling, I figure if they ever even thought about doing it, now would be the time. I would prefer he was nursed back to health myself, it's more fitting.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's him, it's the expectations I put into the character.
ReplyDeleteOf course you can't expect a portrayal like Liam Neeson but Nable obviously is keeping it close to the Nolan trilogy instead of the bathsh*t insane Ra's we know and love
I'll just have to see more of him, he only had 1 episode and 20 seconds to prove himself.
yeah, I expected a Batman: Arkham City-ish Ra's not Neeson 2.0 (only portrayed by a not as good actor)
ReplyDeleteThea killing Sara, even in those circumstances, I'm just... seriously. What the hell. I'm disappointed with this season and I really hate the way they have dealt with Sara's death.
ReplyDeleteI think its going to be malcolm to get him. OR what if its Tommy?
ReplyDeleteThea "dont make me choose between my father and brother" I mean wtf how are the two even comparable when she knows who malcolm is. How does him being her father change anything
ReplyDeleteagreed, totally makes the show to me.
ReplyDeleteI mean...what he did to Thea is so damn low that I never expected theCW to go there
he obviously broke Theas mind. He made her kill Sara without her even knowing.
ReplyDeleteShe's not herself
I did see that coming either i mean it blew my mind. I so can't stand waiting til 21st of January i want it to come quick. We got to wait 42 days UGH hate they are making us wait 42 days
ReplyDeleteTrue. Neeson is kind of what I was judging him against in the back of my mind. I do like the reserved style he puts into the character though, so I think we will all come to respect his portrayal in the end, just a hunch I have. But your right, we need more screen time indeed before any final verdict.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be the typical girl, but can Oliver and Felicity just be together already? I mean, seriously! I can't believe we have to wait over a month to find out what happens. Ahh!
ReplyDeleteit's Ra's, if you look at the promo and the shoes of the person approaching Olivers corpse you'll see that the shoes are shaped like Ra's
ReplyDeleteI knew the second Oliver started to swing wildly at Ra's that he would lose. Oliver let his emotions overtake him during the fight unlike Ra's who is a emotionless, calculating killer. I wish Felicity would've told Oliver that she loved him too before he left. Seems like that would've been the time to say it.
ReplyDeleteI like that Katana theory. Never thought of that. My mind went to Maseo immediately. Good one.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with wanting them to get their shit together and wanting them to be together ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer a Felicity/Oliver/Ra's triangle
ReplyDelete"Felicity, I love yo....."
"No, no Mr. Queen" *stabs Oliver "You're making Mac really unhappy with focusing so much on banging that one nerdy chick every superhero wants to be in for some unexplainable reason"
I just don't want to belive that they'd kill such a prominent character like Katana like that.
ReplyDeleteBut for some reason she was used less than the writers said they would, also Stephen was really holding back on telling us how working with Rila was....maybe there was some BTS trouble?
You're the comic book expert so is there specific criteria for bringing someone back to life via the Pit?
ReplyDeleteTo answer "How Old?", you would have to spoil some stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really an expert but as far as I know you throw a dead or aging person into that pit and restore that persons health. Kinda like anti-aging paste, only that it works.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that they'll use that though, they said they weren't going to use it and given Stephen not having been on set for a few weeks I would argue that someone finds him, nurses him back to health slowly and trains him
Maybe BTS trouble. Or maybe they are saving her for a second half arc and just didn't want to come out and say it as that would be a pretty big spoiler for the back half of the season. I have a feeling they will use her as Katana is pretty important in the DCU, as shes affiliated with the Justice League, not to mention a member of Birds of Prey in New 52 continuity.
ReplyDeleteTrue...
ReplyDeleteYeah, Neeson is the only guy we can go on.
ReplyDeleteBut if I'm comparing Nable to Barrowman or Bennett I really have to place him down the list.
After having scored Peter Stormare as Count Vertigo I would've hoped that they would find someone as creepy
That spear was going through some pretty serious organs!! I don't know...didn't Ra's say that it was 67 years since someone challenged him to a combat. Wouldn't that support yours/the comic books definition of how the Pit works???
ReplyDeleteMeh. Thea killing Sara while brainwashed is such a copout. I thought Malcolm somewhat cared about Thea but obviously he doesn't. They totally retconned Ra's Al Guhl. H didn't give a crap about Sara. Diggle, Laurel and Roy were completely underused this episode.
ReplyDeleteKatana would've been perfect for another BoP episode...
ReplyDeleteyeah it would but at this point I think they're just alluding to its existance instead of showing it.
ReplyDeleteI'd be up for the pit though. The more chances we get to keep my favourites around the better.
But it would be a Deus Ex Machina
Yeah the Olicity scene was much better than some of the other way too heavy scenes that they have had earlier this season!!
ReplyDeleteAren't Diggle and Roy always underused as bystanders to watch Oliver, Felicity, Barry or [insert random fanfavourite]do the work?
ReplyDeleteDeus Ex Machina????
ReplyDeletehaha true
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Imagine a BoP episode with the New 52 line up of Black Canary, Katana, and Poison Ivy. If only the Batman villain roster could cross over, just for one episode.
ReplyDelete... but then with his possible last gasping breath, Oliver vows to return because the man who has something to fight for has something to live for. For the protector who has become my best friend. For the man that has been forged in fire much like myself and who has become my brother. For the sister who I would die to protect. For the woman I love who is the light that keeps the darkness from consuming me.
ReplyDeleteThen Mac can't help but be moved to the point where he becomes an Olicity fan. :)
Marc Guggenheim @mguggenheim · 17m17 minutes ago
ReplyDeleteI probably should mention that the title of Arrow Ep. 3x14 -- "The Return" -- does NOT refer to Oliver. Or Slade Wilson. #speculate
I was trying to pitch a webseries (kinda like Play it Again, Dick) to theCWseed but they rejected the idea due to all being in the hands of the Arrow producers (obviously).
ReplyDeleteBut it would have been awesome to see Canary, Katana and Huntress fight their way through hordes of DC villains
a plot device that solves all your problems ^^
ReplyDeleteDiscount Ra's just ruined it for me. Blah.
ReplyDeleteStephen Amell did seem to make a point of how old Ra's might be!! He jumps into the pit to knock a few years off every so often!! What's to stop Oliver from being placed into the pit and brought back to life!!
ReplyDeleteDamn man, too bad you got rejected. Keep pitching. Guggenheim can't have all the ideas. Your idea would be epic to say the least.
ReplyDeletenah, I'd probably turn into a Sloliver shipper.
ReplyDeleteSlade and Oliver are ment to be after all the lonely nights they spent together on the island <3
:P
Stephen Amell posted a Facebook photo of Collin Donnel(Tommy) while shooting episode 14. Tommy's back!
ReplyDeleteobviously refers to the McRib!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. It's a possibility, I just think they may be reluctant to go that route. Introducing the Lazarus Pit is kinda like building in a Deus ex Machina into the series. Would go against the 'keep it grounded' mantra. Would be cool though!
ReplyDeleteHe who protests too much....Deep down we all know you're their biggest shipper!!!!! lol
ReplyDeleteI know, right? What a jerk!
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to explain that term to me???? Deus ex Machina...might be easier if someone provided me with an Arrow dictionary??!!!
ReplyDeleteI think the side effects of the pit is more than enough to keep them from using it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that they already got my email blacklisted :P
ReplyDeleteIt was actually a pretty solid idea, only using a three point lighting set-up (paired with cheap and quick DSLR cameras) assuring quick and effective shooting and merely using a 5 person cast while the entire project would be shot as a 80 minute feature divided into a 8 episode long season.
Would've been a blast but hey...the little guy isn't going to get his ideas made ^^
Now I'm stuck with trying to produce a crackle pilot
Damn it! They got me! *unmasks himself and reveals Olivers face*
ReplyDelete"I love her alright! I just can't admit it! Also FYI that threesome with Felicity and Laurel is SOOOO on"*runs away*
From Wikipedia: Deus ex Machina or "God from the Machine" is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly
ReplyDeleteresolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event,
character, ability or object. Depending on how it is done, it can be
intended to move the story forward when the writer has "painted himself
into a corner" and sees no other way out, to surprise the audience, to
bring the tale to a happy ending, or as a comedic device.
Sorry to copy paste, but that saves me a lengthy paragraph and is phrased better than I could :)
Arrow has lost its shine for me. Great action, Olicity goodness, and the scale that Arrow manages so well were all there but the rest is severely lacking.
ReplyDeleteTheir was talk of the BOP actually being spun off into a digital comic (with Huntress as the main POV character). Apparently plans fell through due to Jessica De Gouw in some way though (perhaps her contract for Dracula stopped her from doing anything with The CW?).
ReplyDeleteYeah. Arrow going insane temporarily would not really fit the show, but sure would be fun to watch!
ReplyDeletea sinister and downright sickening plan involving a father turning his daughter into a mindless slave that does his bidding isn't quality enough for ya?
ReplyDeleteI guess we'll need to give that plot to GoT to be aknowledged
I could have done that too but I got lazy and Mac explained it too but thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, i mean... I wanted that to happen but i never could have believe theCW would agree to that xD
ReplyDeleteLol, no sweat. Mac is quicker typer than I am a copy paster! Damn Bro!
ReplyDeleteI just don't buy that. It felt so contrived. People were speculating all season that Thea did it and the general consensus was that it was too ridiculous. And yet..here we are.
ReplyDeletewell we are talking the network that supported Damon mind-raping Caroline
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a solid setup. Minimal cast works great for a web series. Helps to focus to character development with the limited time you have.
ReplyDeleteWhats your Crackle project about, if you don't mind me asking? (If you need to keep it under wraps, I understand)
a motion comic featuring their voices? They still could've done that with a sound-alike (like they did it for Buffy in their s8 motion comic).
ReplyDeleteYeah, but they were two hot people having sex... That makes that tots ok xD
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to imagine the logistics of that....hmmmmm...maybe but then again this is the CW so no...lol!!! Bet you weren't expecting that response!!!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a contract issue to me. Networks are notorious for exclusivity in the contracts preventing work for any other network.
ReplyDeleteyou can't obviously expect the writers to kill off the Arrow, the show is called the Arrow...
ReplyDeleteThe pit restores someone to life/health, but comes with the disastrous side effect upon reemergence of temporary insanity coupled with increased strength.
ReplyDeleteThat comment pissed me off too, because there really should have been no competition given everything Malcolm had done. I'm tired of Thea making stupid decisions without thinking of how it affects others. She may have been under the influence of drugs when she killed Sarah, but she wasn't under any kind of influence when she was speaking to Oliver. That comment was typical Thea.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe it was a motion comic. It was meant to be similar to Arrow 2.5 and The Flash 0.5
ReplyDeleteSupposedly it was going to be broken into 2 halves. The first half covering what Huntress was doing in the year between her appearances (I assume she meets other female superheroes on the way) then the second half covering what she did after the Birds of Prey episode.
Yeah but I get that DC would probably not be too hot on one of their properties being produced so cheap (that might be why they didn't even consider the thought).
ReplyDeleteStraight forward run against the time flick, while a former president seeks refuge in a middle european country he puts the entire place at risk through his presence as one of his past controversial decisions that cost the lives of thousands of innocent bystanders spawned a terror cell with only one goal: to end this guys life. Now five dirty bombs threaten the country unless the local goverment doesen't hand the man over. While a loyal and patriotic US agent attempts to stop the men behind the curtains the question wether to hand the ex-president over rises among the foreign politicians that hide him.
kind of in the vein of 24.
Currently trying to find a crew and cast to shoot it like a small budgeted feature (wich will then be split into 6 episodes each spanning from 15-20 minutes). After that is done the plan is to sell it to Sony if the quality matches their expectations for a crackle exclusive.
Unfortuntely it doesen't look too good right now as crackle made developement deals with Bryan Cranston and other big guns. So we might not find a distributer after all.
blip.tv is still an option though. Otherwise the project might get the axe
Yeah, much more subtle than the season premier by a mile.
ReplyDeleteha jokes on you! I was.......not expecting that at all tbh...but I rarely expect anything. I just let sh*t happen until it piles on me so I can crawl out from beneath
ReplyDeleteYeah...hot...I`m still saying that Candice looks plain to me and I'm usually into blondes
ReplyDeleteThat sounds pretty fantastic to me. I'd watch that and I'm not a big fan of the 24 run and gun plot setup. Wish you luck man. Keep plugging away. Talent finds a way and you seem to have it.
ReplyDeleteFelicity will replace him!
ReplyDeletelol the project was actually concieved because of the lack of 24-esque shows on TV at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'll try. But I'm used to projects failing anyway, I've worked in theatre, TV and movies for a year now and only one production made it far enough so I actually had some visual material....and that was a recording of the theatre project :P
Come on Mac. We all know you have an Olicity pic as your desktop background :P
ReplyDeleteAnd when Oliver returns felicity wiil probably be involved with Ray Palmer because she thinks Oliver died...
ReplyDeleteNever give up man. Every thing you do, even a recording of the theatre project, is just one more entry on the resume. Pad that resume and make us all some quality TV. Hurry up man. The networks development slate gets crappier by the day!
ReplyDeleteCandice? Plain? Have you lost your mind man? Snap out of it Mac!
ReplyDeleteWow!! Epic stuff happened. I am almost speechless.
ReplyDeleteI think it's not that he suddenly gives a crap about Sara, its about the Image of the League and how no one can mess with them. He can't let Sara slide, even if he didn't care if she lived or died. Its all about "mess with the LoA and Die" image he has to maintain.
ReplyDeleteOliver - he could not have possibly believed he would beat Ra's Al Ghul. He was completely unprepared for that fight. It was difficult to watch only because of that fact alone.
ReplyDeleteLaurel: Oliver was not the highlight of the show for me, despite me thinking it was going to be.
Surprisingly it was Laurel. This was definitely the turning point for me with her character. She is so much stronger after Sara's second death. The first death, she used a crutch, this time around it is obvious that she is slowly turning into the Canary. I thought she was amazing tonight. I greatly anticipate her fighting alongside the Arrow.
Thea: I didn't think I could hate a character as much as I hated Lori from the Walking Dead but Thea has definitely topped that. I cannot stand her. Just let Ra's kill' her and be done with this.
The Fight Against Ra's Al Ghul: Everyone has Barry's cell phone number ;P just a few taps on the phone keyboard an bam! fight is over.
(I realize that's ridiculous and "Oliver has to find his own way" but come on you can't merge a powerless hero with a super-powered one and not think to use him, obviously this cannot happen, this was just me having some fun with the idea, because picture it...
*Snowy mountaintop*
*Oliver and Ra's Al Ghul take their "I'm gonna kill you"stance*
*Barry swings by and throws Ra's Al Ghul over the ledge*
*Barry runs back home, never revealing himself*
*Oliver-"well I guess that makes me the new Ra's Al Ghul"*
*Everyone standing still wondering what just happened*
This has gone on too long, anyway...
Detective Lance: Somebody needs to tell him his daughter is dead. This is just cruel. It would take me awhile to forgive the person who lies on such a huge scale. He can't grieve for her if he doesn't know she is gone. It's desperately sad.
Overall... the Flash mid-season finale was considerably better. All this is just my biased personal opinion because I much prefer the Flash over the Arrow. But Laurel was the only one with the satisfying storyline. Plus, her Canary costume is very hott.
*hides his desktop* no...no...I don't..i...*reveals a Felicity butt shot*...just like butts
ReplyDeleteooooohhhh me likee, that's kinda hott
ReplyDeleteI can somewhat agree about Laurel. She was good in this episode. That's all I'll say about Laurel.
ReplyDeleteMy head is full of wonderfully crappy ideas :P
ReplyDeleteno really, her face just doesen't do it for me. She has a neat bod but that face is just so....homegirl-ish.
ReplyDeletetotally forgot to mention: visually the climbing scene was impressive for theCWs standards! Cinematic as hell!
ReplyDeletein all honesty: imagine Emily in tight green leather pants, shorter curly hair and a sleeveles tight leather jacket.
ReplyDeleteYour welcome for the thought :P
I'd watch that.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a change I could *cough* get behind ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://media.giphy.com/media/Dz62ImmWRzAkw/giphy.gif
ReplyDeleteYep, i told you the other day this director was sort of good xD
ReplyDeleteThe photography was incredible! I really want to visit Vancouver... I was gonna go on 2015, but it's too hard to get a visiting visa so... well, i'm going to Ireland/England instead.
I can see that I guess. For me on that show, its Bonnie and Elena that just do nothing for me. Elena is so average to my eyes that the obsession the Salvatore's have with her is mind boggling. Different strokes and all I guess.
ReplyDeleteWhat's "hot" is on the eye of the beholder... But i think you understand my point xD
ReplyDeleteI will put an "Aweful" on this episode... I mean, THERE WAS NO "DJ MORON"! How can they not give DJ Moron the screen time he deserves...
ReplyDeleteDamm writers! ¬¬
I don't know if the director wanted to split the climbing shots up from the very beginning but it was a great choice narrative wise.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cinematography. The only shot I didn`t like was the bird view on Ra's and Ollie fighting because you could see the set extention in the back while looking totally fake (but I blame the CGI artist for that one).
Well, I'd say Ireland is a better looking country anyway.
Vancouver is just great for the film industry thanks to the availability of sets, crews and actors.
If i could, I'd shoot anything there simply due to the sheer ammount of possibilities.
Elena turned un-sexy to me the minute she started her "I'm not sure, I can't right now" game. It's a immediate turn off for me in real life and apparently also for TV characters.
ReplyDeleteFrankly the only TVD character I consider to be hot as fudge is Rebekah (who just lost her body :/ )
I do, I do.
ReplyDeleteWell....it's a hot dad and a VEEEERRRYYY hot daughter...sooo:P
Totally agree about Elena's "I just don't know how I feel" crap. Total turn off.
ReplyDeleteRebekah all the way as well. Great minds man, great minds.
Yeah, right? They need to give him the exposure he deserves! Exposure to radioactive material that is!
ReplyDeleteStill annoyed that he got a shout out in the Arrow vs. Flash crossover while Malcolm wasn't even mentioned
luckily Austin Butler was cast in some other project, so we might get the joy to see him pull his last set (.....of arrows in his chest)
I wouldn't know about the fight... After the Olicity scene my internet went bananas!
ReplyDeleteAgree, the cinematography was beautiful. One, if not the best, episodes they did.
I see pictures of Vancouver and i see my two favourite places i traveled to: New York(The city) and the South of Argentina(the forest and mountains).
i know right?
ReplyDeleteflash and arrow r making cw look pretty good
I'm Canadian and have been to Vancouver several times. Truly breathtaking scenery, and that's coming from a Newfoundlander, a place which has some of the best scenery in the world!
ReplyDeletelol,
ReplyDeleteI think that's the dumbest theory i ever heard. It hurts me that the shippers are thinking that. Not i though, not i.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know what to think kept thinking he would turn it around and then bam stabbed in the chest.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad, so awful to do this to Thea, that they actually made her a killer. That Malcolm brainwashed her is something she will never fogive him for, but now who knows when and how she'll find out a way she will believe it? I knew from the start this thing with Malcolm was going to ruin her, and they definitely made sure people hate her now. I still want to have hope for her, like REALLY but when she's still defending Malcolm so much and blind to the evil of him is so disgusting and I don't know how they plan on ever letting her recover anyway. And people actually believed that Malcolm gave a crap about her...
ReplyDeleteSupposedly MTV doesn't pay very well so he might still guest star on Arrow (and other shows) for the money.
ReplyDeletewow..... hell of a misdseason send off glad we got to see the reveal of who killed Sara (not really that big of a shock I suppose that it was something masterminded by Merlyn.... but loved the tidbits planted: Palmer and his A.T.O.M. suit which I think he mentioned was based on the O.M.A.C. design which plays very prominently in DC lore as I recall.... but excellent ending and I can't wait to see where things go from here
ReplyDeleteMerlin made the perfect plan! Ypu got to love that guy. He always finds a way to screw Oliver.
ReplyDeleteDamn how in hell do you survive something like that?.. Can that A.T.O.M suit fly and Ray helped him while falling? lol
I dunno but I was expecting Ra's to be more "evil"? i found it quite calm i like it but there is like something was off.
I voted Awful because I dislike CLIFFHANGERS!
ReplyDeleteSorry. I hated that episode. It was so badly written. The Thea/Malcolm plot still makes no logical sense. Nor does Ra's coming to Starling to kill people. Oliver should have killed Malcolm and dropped him at Ra's feet and said the video was doctored so that Oliver would protect Malcolm from the league. And he should have told Thea the truth. She deserves to know how much her decisions have hurt her family. She should rot with it.
ReplyDeleteThea as a character is dead to me at this point. There no coming back from how disastrous her pouting, childish, dumb, witchy little choices have been. Not only have they been frustrating to watch, but got they Ollie killed. Don't make me choose between a brother who will die for me and a psychopath who you believe terrorized you mother, killed your father, destroyed a city, killed his son (and then left her holding the bag). Please. I am tired of her. I've been tired of her since season 1. I put up with her when she didn't actually affect the story. She's done now. Just kill her.
The only thing that was okay was the little bit of backstory on Ray, Felicity saying "why does this keep happening to me," and super sad life flashing before Ollie's eyes as he died. That's it. I won't be watching this episode again. And I'm currently not interested in coming back in January to watch Laurel and Thea be horrible characters. I'll maybe check in when Oliver comes back, but not if they do some dumb identity reset story on him. I'm annoyed enough at the breaking the realistic grounded story rules.
What did you think of Arrow - The Climb?
ReplyDeleteAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know which mid-season finale I liked more between The Flash and Arrow.
ReplyDeleteFreaking brutal of an ending right there.
There are so many possibilities….
- Oliver returns from the Lazarus Pit and act just like Jason Todd, becoming completely crazy
- Oliver returns from the Lazarus Pit and becomes more of a wisecracker while hiding that pain deep inside until it finally explodes in the season finale, or has some mental battle when being infected with vertigo
- Oliver returns from the Lazarus Pit and while retaining his skill, loses all of his memory while slowly regaining them
As you can see…I just don't see any other way of Ollie returning without the LP's help, lol.
I will say this, Oliver's "I love you" to Felicity felt kinda cheap. Not because he doesn't love her, he does, and she loves him still, but, after a season where their relationship is actively pushed to the side to preserve the status quo, such a declaration is clearly meant to just fake depth, that I'm positively sure it won't be actually addressed for a while.
ReplyDeleteAnd the worst is, it's tells, but doesn't show. Olicity deserves more than this half-assed writing we keep getting, typical CW trite cliche's. It's like they can be bothered to write in a good romance.
bless u
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I didn't like is that it exhonerates Thea from any faults, pretty much what happened with Roy and the mirakuru and killing the cops.
ReplyDeleteIf there is branwashing, there is no accountability, and that cheapens the whole thing, like having your cake and eating it too.
Now, if the twist is that Thea wasn't actually bainwashed, and that the root thingy was a missderection, it could be cool. Ollie never confronted her about lying regarding her trip to Starling.
In that case, a Laurel/Thea showdown would be incredible, and it could be a great opportunity to test Laurel's character, put her against Oliver, and shake Oliver and Thea's relationship.
I would suggest another thing: Oliver gets over it rather quickly and healthly, but his time out leaves him out of touch with his vigilantism, and with Black Canary and Atom now in Starling, he considers that having a normal live might be a possibility.
ReplyDeleteObviously something will go terribly wrong.
Just ended an hour ago on the West Coast, and I'm still smiling. With joy. For two reasons.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I was right about Thea being the archer who killed Sara. Picking her was a Sherlock Holmes exercise: eliminate all the other possibilities, and what is left must be the answer. Plus, the hints from the producers about how knowing the Killer will make us sad. And Roy having the dreams that HE killed Sara--my guess is he may have seen or figured out it was Thea, but his mind didn't want to believe it. So tonight, when Felicity said the DNA matched Oliver, I knew I was right, since siblings have common DNA.
Beyond solving the Who Killed Sara mystery tonight set up Oliver for the next phase of his "life's adventure". As a member of the League. Obviously, Oliver will not stay dead and will either be "healed" by Ra's, Nyssa, or Oliver's former friend from Hong Kong, possibly using the Lazarus pit. Whatever the case, Ra's has ended Oliver's previous life--and the price for his resurrection is that Oliver must join the League. Which will pit Oliver & the League against Malcolm--and Thea.
Don't forget the story Ra's told Oliver before they fought, how Ra's first kill was to protect his loved ones. So, Ra's seems to be telling Oliver that he knows why Oliver is fighting him. Plus, Ra's was probably told that Oliver didn't kill Sara by Nyssa--who instinctively doubted that Oliver could kill the woman he had loved.
Bottom line: the two Main threads for the rest of this season will be Oliver & the LOA attempting to take down Malcolm; and secondly, how will Team Arrow (first) survive without it's Leader (Diggle?) and then how will they find out Oliver is alive.
Lots of storylines. So, I don't see much room for further development of Laurel as the New Canary. That's probably on the back burner now.
Saw this mentioned somewhere else but this episode also made Malcolm look stupid. He is better than Oliver. They've shown that several times.
ReplyDeleteBut his Master Plan was to get Oliver, the one keeping the League at bay, to take out a Ra's? The guy Malcolm wouldn't be able to beat on his best day? How does that make sense?
And I like how people are casually accepting that Sara would have a calm reaction to seeing Thea on a rooftop with a bow and arrows dressed in, essentially, League gear.
None of that makes sense. Why would he think Oliver could be Ra's?
ReplyDeleteThen, he was scared of the league so he makes them madder? What? Plus, Ollie was already protecting him for Thea's sake. Him using Thea is actually a reason for Oliver to STOP protecting him from the league. Who presumably still want him dead for the undertaking.
It was bad writing. Worse pacing. And just all together unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteLaurel genuinely mourning her sister was the first good character beat she's had in a long time. If she'd just told her dad instead of the "he can't take it" and the Mom's intuition crap. it would have been a highlight for me. But Lance deserves to know, and Thea just immediately going "sure I won't tell my brother his girlfriend is dead" no problem was absurd, so it ruined the moment. But at least I was perfectly happy to watch Laurel for the first few minutes. Then I wish they'd devoted the time to the fight scene, too much with mama Lance.
ReplyDeleteI'm just so frustrated with this show anymore. There are still things about it I like, or I wouldn't keep watching, but this stuff makes me want to pull my hair out.
ReplyDeleteShe went off with him in the first place. It was pretty much in character. Which only says bad things about her character.
ReplyDeleteThey have to if the last person to challenge Ra's was 67 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree it is a deux ex machina. But personally I think it was a huge mistake.
ReplyDeleteDID THEY SERIOUSLY JUST KILL OLIVER QUEEN NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, i mean i know he has to come back but HOW THE HELL CAN HE?!!! are they going full comic book and putting him in the Lazarus Pit?, i hate that they made Thea the killer even though it wasn't of her own volition and MY GOD I NEED TO SEE PALMER WEAR THAT ATOM SUIT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!, i didn't expect to see Maseo in the present day
ReplyDeletelike brother like sister
ReplyDeleteyou think they're going full comic book with the Ra's Al Ghul storyline?
ReplyDeleteisn't it supposed to be other way with Maseo and Tatsu?
ReplyDeleteyep not even Merlyn can come back from that so they have to go full-on comic book right?
ReplyDeleteyeah i loved how it was all throughout the episode
ReplyDeletealso it is fairly well guarded and hidden. It isn't just like anyone can stumple into it lol
ReplyDeleteOMG !!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Climb!
ReplyDeleteI Love You!
The Fall!
That was pure Awesome!
Or their son. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteso it's not so clean-cut?
ReplyDeleteThat did not just happen. The whole episode did not just happen. Nope.
ReplyDeleteMatt Nable did awesome!
ReplyDeleteIt was a great episode. I loved it a lot. But I had issues with certain things too.
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked
- Ra's Al Ghul - I had issues with casting. But man he was terrifying and had such a presence
- The fight ... Freaking Awesome.. Oliver got in some hits... and the final blow and fall.
- Oliver/Felicity good bye and I love you scene..
- All Oliver/Thea scenes.. Poor Oliver.. Poor Thea.. Whatever Felicity might say Oliver is the reason they are in this situation. If he had come clean to Thea once Slade targeted her she would never have left with Malcolm
- Malcolm Merlyn - That SoB... You manipulative bastard.. You are definitely back on my shit list..
- Laurel/Dinah grave site scene.. At least Laurel got some one who really understands her motivations
What I disliked
- Ray Palmer scenes.. All the QC and Ray scenes felt out of place in this episode. I wish they had used that time for more league or Thea, Malcolm, Roy anyone... Ray scenes could have been put in episode 10..
- Laurel's two confessions to Thea and Dinah about Sara's death.. It was so underwhelming. Both Thea's and Dinah's reactions were luke warm at best.
- Detective Lance still at dark... Really unnecessary..
All in all a great episode. Even without seeing any sneak peaks it felt I knew what was coming next. I wish they would put out less spoilers as I don't have the strength in me to avoid them once it is out on the internet... Be kind to me.. From the promo it looks like some one will nurse Oliver back to health. I think it will be Tatsu/Katana. The hiatus is going to be long...
Kind of glad to discover Malcolm hadn't been a "changed man" after all. Didn't really expect that fight to end that way...especially not after Felicity's plea for him to kill him. Would have, IMHO, been wiser of the network not to show that promo. Too quick to dampen the emotional reaction of the viewers. Favorite bit...that conversation between Oliver and Thea. "I'm not going to make you choose."
ReplyDeleteI think may be because my expectations were so less from this actor I was impressed. He was reserved and exuded physical power. Where as Neeson was quiet strength. I think I will like this guy more in the coming episodes.
ReplyDeleteSee i told you Malcolm is going back to the shit list after this one... I liked it this way. At least now we know she didn't consciously chose to kill some one for Daddy dearest. She is an immature brat who is blinded by some attention from a father figure. That I can take. What I find interesting is Team Arrow now knows Thea was manipulated by Malcolm. Now with Oliver's absence I want to know how they will protect Thea from Malcolm. This could lead to some good scenes between Thea/Roy, Thea/Diggle and Thea/Felicity.
ReplyDeleteAwesome episode...enough to make me scream WTF at the TV! Have to wait now bit at least it's only a short wait:) would have been angry if I had to go all summer!
ReplyDeleteTbh i didn't like it,nor am i enjoying this season at all.
ReplyDeleteOliver can fight better than that, it's just that he didn't want to hit a senior citizen.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing. We know he isn't dead. So instead of it being a cliffhanger or anything plot or character related, we'll just sit around discussing what convenient plot device they are going to use to reverse it. So, it means nothing except the shock of losing Oliver and the sad potential that he is going to come back changed/damaged. It isn't honest. It was all played for effect.
ReplyDeleteUm...I vote for she made her bed she can lie in it.
ReplyDeleteI see you have finally given up on Thea. I get it. But I still think she can come back from this madness. She is on the high of getting attention from a father figure. All Oliver needs to do is tell her the whole truth which he should have done once Slade targeted Thea.
ReplyDeleteBy making Thea the one who killed Sara they kind of took away any exciting thing from Laurel's journey. Her whole path is revenge and we all know she will never punish Thea... Meh...
Well, they succeeded in moving Thea above Laurel on my list of intolerable characters.
ReplyDeleteKnowing Oliver is the Arrow has nothing to do with any of the decisions she made. When she was whinging about her mom dying and people lying to her, she laid the blame at Oliver's feet for not telling them he knew Slade. The guy KIDNAPPED her. If that wasn't enough for her to realize he as bad there's no logic on the planet that will get through her brain. Malcolm killed her dad, stranded her brother in hell, terrorized her mother, destroyed part of the city killing over 500 people. None of that was enough for her to acknowledge that he was evil. Well, she just got her brother killed. Hopefully, there's a truth she can really revel in.
Oliver died to protect her. She's out of protection from her own stupidity.
Awesome episode, interesting ending. But not surprise for Thea.
ReplyDeleteI liked Laurel's graveyard scene! FINALLY we saw something other than rage... But then Dinah 'set that fire' in Laurel again and she went right back to being angry and vengeful :/ It couldn't have lasted that long unfortunately. Also I'm not buying the 'it would kill him' crap. He's the friggin chief of police, he's stressed out ALL THE TIME. SMH
ReplyDeleteOther than that, I really liked this episode. Some things I disliked was that the Ray Palmer scene would've been more appropriate in a different episode. I also hated how he pinged Felicity's cellphone again. Just, NO on that. Ra's al ghul didn't really care about Sara in episode 4, why does he care now?
Some things I really liked was that I thought the Oliver/Felicity scenes were simple yet powerful. I'm glad they didn't kiss, I'm glad it wasn't passionate. It was just a heartbreakingly loving scene between two people. Some goodbyes aren't passionate, but that doesn't make them any less. And I know some people are a bit salty about how Digg/Roy/Laurel weren't in that flashback montage, but I think that Oliver really only thought about the people he most cares about (mainly his family). And like it or not, Felicity's one of them because he's in love with her and one of the keys to his humanity.
I LOVED Ra's. I was really skeptical about how they would make him work, but he's silent but deadly. He's not outwardly crazy like Malcolm or Slade. And I think that's what makes him the perfect villain of the season. He provides balance and variety in terms of personality.
Overall I thought it was great! Predictable (because honestly, they spoil the show too much), but great.
I am so against you on this one. Unlike episode 1 and that scene where Oliver sees Felicity kissing Ray (barf) in episode 7 which were all on the nose, this scene was subtle and well done imo. Oliver's actions after he realizes Thea killed Sara was acceptance. Acceptance on his part he needs to fight and maybe die for her. There was a calmness to the way he was packing and leaving the Arrow cave. So I understood and liked the good bye as he was not expecting to come back to be honest.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best written romantic moment for Oliver and Felicity imo.
I agree no logic in the world can excuse Thea for leaving with Malcolm and being his lap dog and lying to Oliver. That is why during the season break between season 2 and season 3 I hoped Thea was manipulating Malcolm and using him. Now I am going with she was messed up in her head. That is the only way I can like this character whom I had high hopes for.
ReplyDeleteInitially I wanted Oliver to reveal his identity as Arrow to Thea and bring her back from Merlyn. Now that Arrow is presumed dead I want either Felicity or Diggle to reveal Oliver's secret identity and the cause of his death to Thea and bring her in on the secret. I want her to plot and take revenge on Malcolm Merlyn.
By making Thea a puppet in killing Sara.. they kind of took away any interesting part in Laurel's transformation and revenge saga. We know for sure Laurel will never kill (make her SUFFER) Thea, Oliver's sister and her friend. So that thrill of confrontation between Laurel and Sara's killer is already lost because we know she will be noble and let Thea go.
ReplyDeleteTwo confessions from Laurel in one episode regarding Sara's death and both were badly done. Especially the graveyard scene between Thea and Laurel. Immediately I thought oh Thea is the killer. Funny thing is it was not Laurel who annoyed me it was Thea and Dinah's reaction of accepting Laurel keeping Sara's death a secret which irked me. Where is the logic here?
I loved the good bye scenes. Roy/Oliver hug, Diggle/Oliver handshake and that lovely scene between Oliver/Felicity. Beautifully done and subtle.
Also did you feel off about Roy's easy acceptance of Thea being a killer. I thought he would react more violently than Oliver.
With most incarnations of Ra's, he has given a noble aristocatic tone to him, but with Nable its more of an angry warlord feel. Borrowmans Malcolm feels more Ra's than Nable Ra's maybe thats why they have gone that way.
ReplyDeleteWell, really Thea's killer is Malcolm.
ReplyDeleteWho Laurel has no chance taking on, but that's beside the point. I would hope that Laurel is written even slightly more rational at this point than Ra's was. I mean I know they both just want to kill someone for Sara's death, but really, listening to the truth and then getting the guy actually behind it would be a better idea.
I think Ra's was just simply trying to prove a point. His beef was with Malcolm. Ra's and Nyssa truly believed Malcolm killed Sara. While Nyssa wanted justice for Sara, Ra's simply wanted to bring Malcolm in and punish him. So they gave Oliver 48 hours to turn Sara's killer expecting Oliver will bring in Malcolm. Instead Oliver went there and challenged Ra's into a duel. Once that happened there is no way someone powerful like Ra's not accept it and kill Oliver. I don't think anyone in League actually believed Oliver killed Sara.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Laurel till now she has been kill the suspect before seeing any evidence mode. If that continues Thea might have to kill Laurel too. But if all this boxing has given her some discipline then maybe she will listen to reason and understand Thea is not the culprit. Then what? She can't even touch Malcolm... This is the problem with making her motivation in being BC all about Sara's killer. They really should have made her journey all about justice for downtrodden in Glades and Sara.
I didn't even think of it that way. Out of everyone on this show though, I honestly don't know who deserves to destroy him the most: Thea or Laurel? I'd go for Thea because he used the hell out of her and made her into his puppet.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I thought the Laurel scenes were ridiculously badly acted. IDK why, I just don't buy what KC sells in terms of sad and emotional scenes. I think that's what made her scenes less touching? I however don't buy that Dinah would keep something like this from Quentin. NOPE. Thea, sure I can believe that. But not Dinah. And her telling Laurel to make the person who killed Sara suffer? That was a big WTF moment for me. NO MOTHER WOULD LET HER CHILD DO THAT NO MATTER WHAT. That was just so unbelievable and stupid. Waste of Alex Kingston's talent. And she needs to lose the accent. *sigh*.
Roy's reaction was more questionable than bad? On the one hand I'm glad he didn't make a big deal out of it because IDK if Colton Haynes could emote properly, but on the other hand, how was he not more shocked? Maybe he really understands that Thea has gone off the deep end? I'm not sure.
Also, I don't think Laurel would ever kill Thea. But I do think that she'd never want to see her ever again after learning the truth. Seriously, the Queen family essentially ruined the Lance family. I honestly don't see why/how Laurel still sticks around these people. Oliver cheated on Laurel with her sister and killed her the first time, continued to screw with her emotions all throughout season 1, then Thea killed her the last time. I'd almost feel bad for Laurel if I didn't like her so much.
Her butt is magnificent. So I wouldn't really judge you :p
ReplyDeleteOverall I liked the scene, I just wish someone cof Guggenheim cof would stop overselling every Olicity scene as the greatest one yet. He does that everytime and I always feel underwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteEverybody knows at this point that Oliver loves Felicity, he said that three times already, so even if it was a beautiful scene, nothing new happened for me to jump at joy.
I think the flash of their kiss when he was dying was a lot more meaningful than the goodbye scene.
I didn't give it awesome because lets be honest. It was a hokey trick at the end.
ReplyDeleteIs the CW so mentally challenged they think that people watching are actually going to believe you killed off the shows namesake?
Castle played that trick last year and no one bought it either.
It was a cool fight, and I was fine with the ending...but don't leave the mid-season cliff hanger on something everyone already KNOWS the outcome of. Obviously Oliver survives. They should have went with a different angle/plot line for the final scenes... or at least shown him still alive on the ground or something.
I agree with you in pretty much everything except for Thea. I'm not really sympathetic towards her, I mean, Oliver is not going to make her choose, but why on earth would she choose Malcolm Merlyn over Oliver? I just wish she would be altogether devious and next season she could have a plot about redemption or something like that. I don't like that she's a badass one minute and completely clueless the other.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Laurel is gonna go after Thea for killing Sara? Or Malcolm? I hope is Malcolm because Laurel blaming the wrong person it's getting old. Her whole plot is filled with unnecessary drama already!
I think Oliver is going to be saved by either Maseo or Malcolm. Zombie Tommy is going to come back in episode 14!
I get that they are trying to forget the fact that Laurel and Oliver were ever a couple but considering the fact that according to the island flashback and season 1 the memory of Laurel was one of the things that drove Oliver during that time it seems stupid to leave those scenes out of Oliver's final moments to remember. She was a big part of his life and even though they are not a couple its doubtful that history is forgotten. Meanwhile Oliver knows Felicity for a small amount of time in comparison.
ReplyDeleteBetween this and The Flash yesterday I think I'm gonna need this hiatus to recover.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Mac. Olicity felt shoehorned just because they forgot other important people in Oliver's life in favor of that scene. Sara, Tommy and Laurel for example. Maybe a flashback of those people continuously instead of cutting back to Ra and Oliver's reaction shots would have been better. They could have had Ra's voice like a voiceover.
ReplyDeleteQuality over quantity, my friend.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, Laurel and Oliver made each other miserable whereas that wasn't the case for Felicity. Felicity always believed in Oliver, she pushed him to be better, she supported him and his no kill rule, and she understands him now unlike Laurel.
Oliver and Laurel, while I feel like they're on better footing now and will always love each other, the drifted apart and they're not the most important people in each other's lives anymore. And that picture, I always felt like the idea of Laurel, the idea of home drove him. Not Laurel herself.
That scene with the flashback montages mirrored the two things Oliver knew for sure. That he would protect his family, Thea at all costs, and that he loved Felicity.
It didn't really bothered me, because if we use that logic he would have to remember Diggle and Sara too. What bothers me about the whole Laurel/Oliver thing is that in the flashbacks he was supposed to be in love with her, but after season one we didn't see any indications of such. But I'm just nitpicking.
ReplyDeleteI'm not okay at all. That's why I didn't write a long comment yesterday in the Flash thread or today here, I feel like someone just punched me in the heart.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the flash being way more impactful than the I love you. It was touching, with all the faces of who Oliver loved. With the I love you, I didn't like the pacing of making Felicity ask for the second thing after he'd basically said goodbye with the forehead kiss. It was hamfisted to me. But the flashes when he was dying was super sad. It even made me not hate Thea for like a fraction of a second.
ReplyDeletei just imagined that when we were watching his dying face he was thinking of other things too that we just didn't see. Like his whole life flashed before his eyes and they just showed us the people he loved.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I wish I could care what happens to her. But usually I try to ignore her unless the show makes it impossible to do so. They made it really impossible at this point. Unless, her finding out is coupled with her committing suicide in her grief and guilt or someone angrily beaten the crap out of her followed by her retiring to a nunnery where she never speaks again, I'm probably not too interested in another character reversal. Oh, she could turn villain, that might work for me.
ReplyDeleteI never liked Moira, never really engaged with Robert and I really really hate Thea this season and those flashs slayed me. I was sobbing and yelling at the tv WHYYYYYY WHYYYYY, hahaha, not my best moment.
ReplyDeleteTell me about it... I'm a mess. =(
ReplyDeleteArrow has spoiled me on amazing fight sequences, so much so that I judge every show by their standard, so I was looking for a little more with Ra's and Oliver. It was good, I'm just spoiled for spectacular.
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely watch it again. I love Ra's. How old is he supposed to be? He said the last man who challenged him was 67 years ago? Did I hear that right? He killed his first man at 11?