Sunshine

Could be. As someone with no industry knowledge other than what I have read here, if she's not signed to a regular contract then she may not be available to pop up from time to time. It doesn't have to be for 23 episodes.

To me more a mislead than a lie.

I am aware of that. It's IMO a strange talking point if she's going bye bye at the end of the season.

Yeah, he's very similar to Roy/Arsenal who appears to be Green Arrow's main sidekick based on my limited knowledge. It's possible that they both become regulars but not necessarily 23 episode regulars. The same could apply to Mr. Terrific. Might depend on how many new superheroes have to be introduced.

I think it was from 5.13 but I don't remember any shots of Oliver sitting at the desk in front of a computer either. WH might have been taking a nap or maybe his daughter was on set while they were rehearsing.

As much as I might like to believe otherwise, TPTB are not repeating Geoff Johns' words "You can't have GA without BC" for fun. I expect her to be a regular in S6 even if it is not a 23 episode contract. I think bringing her in now was to tie into the video games being released with BC but I don't see them not signing her after giving her a comic background, finding her a place to live, and giving her a job. As maddening as WM's interviews are she hasn't ever lied that I can recall. In one interview she basically said BC is always going to be there. If they don't sign her as a regular on Arrow or across the universe (Flash being the only other one I could see her showing up in) she might become unavailable similar to what happened with Wildcat. We try for BC 5? She could (not saying she will) be announced as early as Paleyfest in mid-March. She will have appeared in 6 episodes by then, assuming she's in 5.15. If Adrian Chase is revealed as Vigilante and taken down by Diggle & friends in 5.15 it might free up a spot without raising any questions.

WM said Oliver and Thea have a really great scene coming up. It's one of her favorites. She also likened Thea being in a similar place to where Moira was at right before she died but for different reasons. Before they got in the limo in 2.20 is when Moira told Oliver she knew about him being the Arrow and that she was proud of him. She was also getting ready to tell them the truth about Malcolm being alive when the limo was rammed which led to the Slade and choice confrontation. I think the Oliver/Thea scene is probably going to be along the lines of him being a good mayor and that Moira would be proud. Thea could be getting ready to tell Oliver the truth about Susan when something happens to her. Or she could be confronting Susan when something happens. There are photos of a wrecked limo that started showing up around 5.15. In 5.15 Vigilante attacks Oliver as Mayor. I guess I'm wondering if Thea was in the limo. WM does say in her word salad that things get dicey for Thea. The whole thing could happen with Thea being shown getting into the limo in 5.14. In 5.15 Oliver finds out and anything about Thea is just exposition to others. Does Vigilante attack Oliver as mayor because of something Prometheus does? At the end of 5.14 (I think) we're supposed to see how Prometheus was putting pieces in play in 5A. When Chase shows up in 5.03 he has just taken over as District Attorney and he has a prior experience with Oliver Queen over a girl. Reporter shows up in 5.03 to get a big story on Oliver Queen. (It could be something as simple as someone suggesting there is a story there.) Thea shuts her down. Then she starts hitting on Oliver in 5.05 courtesy of Human Target. Maybe the DA and Reporter are both unwitting pawns in Prometheus' game? Prometheus doesn't want Oliver dead. He just wants his life ruined.

I think Thea was speaking for the audience regarding the reporter and Oliver was speaking for the EPs. Oliver was also speaking for Steve with his "So there." IIRC, Oliver also raised his voice slightly for emphasis. Thea then dismissed it. It's similar to the situation with Ray in season 3. The audience (at least social media) saw Ray's behavior as stalkerish. The EPs thought they were writing a rom-com with Ray and Felicity and that it was cute and funny. Susan's story is tied to Russia somehow. That is where all the emphasis seems to be. Maybe something is revealed in 5.17 that will shine some light on her purpose. Is she an unknown relative of Poppy? LOL! IIRC, Kovar's part of the story was supposed to have been wrapped up earlier in the season. They liked what they were seeing with Dolph Lundgren so they decided to bring him back. Maybe it also changed the plans for the reporter. Why I have no clue. Maybe it has something to do with Malcolm. He appears to be the rich American meeting with Kovar.

Wild idea could Human Target be Claybourne's son?

Thanks. I was just curious because the twitter that posted the spoilers later posted that people were twisting her spoilers.

The spoiler about the team knowing about Susan in 5.14. Does that mean the team knows Oliver is dating Susan or that Susan is investigating Oliver?

In 5.13 Chase tells Oliver he needs to get his girlfriend to back off. Oliver said 2 things. 1. He didn't want to take advantage of his personal relationship and 2. He was uncomfortable covering up the circumstances of Billy's death. This lead me to my conclusion. I guess you could also say reporter's investigation causes it by default. Short answer: speculation.

Next subject ?... So Mayor Queen is dumb enough to think that the circumstances surrounding Billy's death will prevent the ACU/SCPD from thinking Green Arrow is a murderer?

It's the only thing that really makes sense. The main focus has been on her investigation not the romance. Of course, they could start highlighting that. We do have more sweeps episodes to get through.

Sigh. The TVGuide article ends with WM saying "Without giving too much away, that's what I would say about her and Helix." I'm starting to think this storyline is much ado about nothing, similar to the Felicity has a boyfriend storyline. Oliver gets serious with the reporter. <eye roll> "She's a good reporter. She's a good person." I can only see one reason for this heavy handed writing (other than it's how they write.) At the end of 5 years Oliver is outing himself (or has been outed by Prometheus) and she is writing the (flashback) story of how/why Oliver Queen became the Green Arrow. He's only telling that story to someone he trusts. They could pull a S2 ending again with Prometheus in Slade's role but that doesn't explain the investigation. It would however provide her with a reason to move on assuming same outcome. The only way the story makes sense is for us to look back on the season after 5.23 and go okay brilliant storytelling. rofl

The good news about this episode is that Oliver finally had a reason to "save his city." Since Tobias Church left there's been no real crime fighting. Oliver's just been after Prometheus, who has been on vacation since 5.11. He is trying to destroy Oliver, not the city. :-) The best way to save the city might be for Oliver to leave it.

Most of the ones I have seen think she IS going to expose him in spite of SA saying she's not Isabel 2.0. This just seems like more confirmation that she's not going to betray him. If she's involved in him being exposed I would think it would be in conjunction with him outing himself. I don't think it was a coincidence that Oliver was telling Thea "She's a good reporter. She's a good person."

If I had to guess, the long term hope/plan for S6 is probably for the show to revolve around GA/BC/Wild Dog (substituting for Arsenal since he's already been used to fulfill DC's comic canon. I don't know if that means they drop two more regulars (DR, WH, PB or EBR) or if they negotiate reduced appearances for their contracts. (I don't really know how all this works so I could be way off. If you are contracted for 23 appearances can the show actually write you in less but you have to be available for all?) I think Vigilante is gone in maybe 5.15/5.16. He's been acting as the police liaison so Tinah will probably take that role over. I'm not sure about EK. Curtis is just coming into his own so it seems strange they would get rid of him so soon. This season seems to be more about decisions by TPTB above the showrunners. If they are hoping to get 7 seasons out or Arrow the last is often what's remembered. Switching it to be more like the comics appears to be going on IMO. No idea at this point if it will be true of the romance or not. I'm usually wrong 99.99% of the time but I am concerned this time I might be right.

You're wrong. He can continue to lie and go it alone. She will be understanding but can't behave in the same manner.

I guess I'm not convinced it's specifically about the kid. I think it's more about justifying his behavior in general. I can't imagine what would be so personal in her involvement with Helix that could compare to the lie about the kid. If they hadn't been engaged but just friends the kid would have been none of her business. Unless they are drawing false parallels. Her shutting him out now has no personal bearing. The team having strong reactions/opinions should be something. <eyeroll>

It did manage to position both Rene and Tinah so that they can interact with Mayor Queen who seems more in play for the rest of the year. Meanwhile Diggle, Felicity & Curtis are in the bunker. The gun ordinance is probably a feel good measure. Look we did something. It just doesn't have any real teeth in it and we won't be enforcing it.

There is no doubt in my mind it is on purpose. I think the sole purpose of her upcoming story line is so she can apologize to Oliver for not being as understanding as she should have been with his need to lie and go it alone in the past. Where she/it goes from there I have no clue. I'm still interested in her arc just not sure where it's going.

In the TVGuide interview WM talks about Felicity having an island so she can better understand Oliver. Does this mean she gets a mask? LOL! Only people who go through islands get masks. JK. I don't seriously expect her to get one but I also don't understand why she has no POV regarding anything but she needs an island. On one hand, I'm excited for it. On the other, I don't trust the writers. I can't decide if her non-reaction to everything is intentional to placate certain fans or if it's part of her story line.

Sounds like Curtis has a lawyer friend to help him. How can he be a single parent and a vigilante? Seems a little irresponsible to me. I noticed both Tinah and Rene have new jobs tonight - SCPD and assistant to the Deputy Mayor.

Arrowwriters said there were some powerful performances in this episode. I think I missed them.