AnalyzeAndCritique

, I thought that would be bigger news and they were waiting for SDCC to announce that, but nope. It's bizarre because I figured that they would be promoting KC every chance they could get...but it seems that they are just letting Katie promote herself. Why aren't they talking this up more? If they are not excited about it or are afraid of fan backlash, well, that's probably a big clue that maybe this is a direction that you shouldn't be taking your story. I think intellectually they know they can't place their bets on KC/Laurel. The fanboy in them is causing them to write what they want to see. A catch-22?

Statsgirl for the win!One of the worst parts of Sara dying is losing CL and her interviews. Good on her for being honest about her feelings on the fan's reactions.

I will fight you for the cake. ;) can't resist a pice of cake with lots of frosting. Although to make it through ten years of SV I think you've earned the cake.

Laurel would turn his kid's kidnapping into her drama. "He cheated on me and fathered a kid. How is my life to go on? Where are my pills and booze? I'm a good person why does everyone hurt me!?!?" My phone autocorrected "person" to "ordinary" let's dwell in that for a moment.

I was hoping one of the plot lines they would forget was the kid. They forget all the ones I want to see and focus on what I have zero interest in.

How about you all only sit through this post once. It really wasn't that enlightening to be posted twice.

I saw two movies this weekend - Dracula and Gone Girl. I preferred Dracula much to my surprise. A friend picked Dracula which I had zero desire to see. Throwing my thoughts under a spoiler in case anyone is interested in seeing the movies. What does this have to do with Laurel you ask? I'm getting there before the mods blow a gasket. I've heard great things about Gone Girl. However, the writing left me cold as does the writing for Laurel. I couldn't sympathize with Affleck because he had too much dickish behavior to be a true victim. He married the wrong woman, but he wasn't blameless either. He didn't take responsibility for his actions or lack thereof. If the movie had gone an hour longer, I would have expected him to move beyond dickish and into bastard mode. As I sat watching I realized it was a grown up version of Laurel. A character who throws the blame on everyone else. Both characters make mistakes, but feel the catalyst is the responsibility of someone else. They excuse their behavior instead of owning it. Most of the responsibility is in the writing, but further analysis factors in continuing problems. I went back and rewatched the scene where Laurel is waiting with Sara's body in Verdant. As many have stated how did Laurel get the body down there? How long was she going to wait? Oliver, Felicity, and Roy were clearly not in a rush to answer an emergency summons. Only Felicity thought to call a hospital? I get there were three arrows in her, but no one checked for a pulse. If a woman can survive with a fence post in her neck and talk the EMTs through how to get her to the hospital without killing her, someone needs to check for a damn pulse. She's the nurse I want in the ER if anything ever happens to me. Why wouldn't Laurel call for an ambulance where Sara was shot? Sure she was in her Canary suit, but if you pull off the top and the shoes, she could have been a girl caught in a mugging. Leather pants aren't solely in the closet of vigilantes. On a wardrobe note. Laurel stood around for hours in the those heels waiting for them to come down? If she wore them all day and dragged Sara around in the them, there is no way girl wouldn't kick those puppies off first chance she had. At least Felicity dropped her purse to approach Sara. She didn't leave it hanging from her arm. We get through the major holes in writing and arrive at the acting choices. Laurel is standing awkwardly at Sara's head. She isn't really crying. She's standing looking perfectly calm. Like "here's a fern I bought you. Surprise." Laurel approaches Oliver and the tears attempt to come. Until then she's acted more unsure of herself like "I know you said you needed space, but I really wanted to see." "Ollie, it isn't fair. We just got her back." Maybe I'd believe you didn't think this was fair if you didn't grin like the fat kid who stole the birthday cake from the classroom at the end of last season. You happily shipped her off to a group of assassins so you could have the boy and the jacket. You didn't seem to upset to lose her months ago. Sara didn't have the best track record on objects which are meant to float. She boarded a ship. If her luck had held true, she would have been facing a maelstrom within days of leaving SC. It was odd watching Laurel reach for and then clutch Oliver. It flashed me back to the jacket scene. "Sara died and Oliver is hugging meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. He looks better with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Our grief will relaunch our loooooooooooooooooooove." You can't place any of them blame solely on one person. The writer's write (pass the jacket, "Oliver needs you."), the actor brings the scenes to life (*grin like a buffoon), and the director films the scene until it is right (why is the damn smile still in the scene since it is a KC smile and not a LL smile?). Really when it comes to Laurel the blame is a perfect trifecta - poor writing, poor acting choices, and poor direction. It just makes for an overwhelmingly weak spot in an otherwise solid show.

Random complaint. I hate how the direction of the show has created writer's block for so many of my favorite authors.

I can't speak for Fitz, but the character of Laurel on Arrow is bland. In the fandom she is a polarizing and divisive character. Most of the interest though comes from the WTFery of the shit TIIC peddle and what we see on screen. If it weren't for promotion, I think Laurel would be overlooked and easily forgotten.

I'm not saying he has soured on the show. However, when he is given a script in which a capable and accepted Canary is killed to make way for a character who is ignored by most, it must take some wind out of his sails. As someone pointed out he wants the entire show to click. Laurel hasn't clicked a love interest, lawyer, friend, sister, or addict. The pasta they are throwing at the wall isn't sticking. I also don't think he's the only cast member who has thoughts on killing Sara. On a personal level they were friends with her, but these things happen on TV. On a professional level (especially from a storytelling standpoint) the show literally jumped off a cliff without a parachute. They threw a lot of faith and trust in a character who has already driven away viewers. Laurel is also the character who receives the most negative critical comments. I don't know, but given the answers in interviews there are some subtle signs. The cast can't be ignorant of the thoughts from the fans and critics who shake their head at the decisions made on account of Laurel. They won't fix her by giving her a title of Black Canary. The only ones who seem ignorant are the writers. The house is on fire so let's get a life preserver.

:) I see what you are saying. I respectfully ask at what point the writers realized the toxicity of Oliver and Laurel. There is a reason Katie is giving interviews and using the words "soul" and "mates" together. These same writers thought throwing Sara in a dumpster and then storing her in a freezer was a good idea. Why does Felicity have to have a choice? She wouldn't love Oliver if Ray didn't show up so she could choose Oliver? I can't buy that. With the trend of Oliver being self-sacrificing, he'll lock his feelings down and encourage Felicity to be happy with Ray. Where is Felicity's choice? Felicity's choice was taken from her when Oliver shut it down. If Oliver isn't going to fight for her. why would Felicity think she has a choice? A choice is when I want to order dessert. If I'm being offered chocolate cake and raspberry cheesecake, it is only a choice if I choose one and it is available. If I chose the chocolate cake and was told it wasn't available, I can either take the cheesecake or nothing at all. Also I don't believe these writers are talented enough to develop any characters. They won't choose to develop Felicity when they are fast forwarding through Laurel's journey to Black Canary. They needed a roadblock to Oliver and Felicity. Their opinion of putting a couple "together and pulling them apart" to create drama is why Ray has appeared. It is why Laurel and Tommy were together in Season 1. Oliver couldn't come back to an emotionally available Laurel. He came back to a woman in a relationship who hated him. Miraculously the hate and the boyfriend were gone so they could hit the sheets. Oliver and Felicity can't be together therefore Ray and a RPG blew them apart. If the writers had a good track record, I'd be more confident and blindly follow along. However, they don't so I can't.

I really want to have your hope. I do. Everything about S3E1 was a billboard which screamed "Oliver loves Felicity, but he's a bonehead." If they'd maybe given us three or four episodes of them building to the date, I might have more hope. First episode they do their flirty-flirt. Second episode Oliver asks her on the date. Third is the date. Fourth is the repercussions. They'd have invested more time which I would expect a payout on. I feel like they threw the Olicity fans a bone and hoped they'd chew on it quietly in the corner while Laurel transforms. ETA: I don't think Sara's story was over either. These writers aren't equipped for storytelling. They want to see moments and how we get from A to Z doesn't need to be logical. A, D, P, W, C, E, J, C.... until we reach Z. They need Laurel in fishnets so Sara must die. A to P to Z.

I think the bolded part is exactly why we might not return to Oliver and Felicity. If they can push Felicity into Ray's arms, they can return to their original game plan. Given how they are bumrushing ahead with Laurel becoming the BC despite fan response, I have no reason to believe we've seen the one and only attempt at Oliver and Felicity. TIIC can say "we tried and the story took us somewhere else."

I wish at least one of the TPTB/TIIC had the balls to make the necessary changes to increase enjoyment of Arrow. I wish a woman was sitting in the room who would disagree with the comic fanboy's ridiculous decisions and show them the error of their ways. I wish a woman associated with the show would ask for more respect for the female characters. As they annihilate Team Arrow and shove Laurel into the role of Black Canary, everything good about the show is changing and not for the better. Oliver is still dickish in his behavior and some of these lessons he should have learned. Instead he's the same idiot who jumped out of a moving car (S1) to be the lone wolf. What Oliver had with Felicity (outside of Olicity) and Diggle made him human and gave him a likeability which the vacuum known as Laurel sucked right out of the room. He should be beyond this. While I understand his conundrum regarding Diggle and fatherhood, Felicity has been around for two plus years. His "life I lead" speech is yesterday's headline. His world isn't becoming narrower. It's expanding to allow Roy and Laurel to fit. The entire things is BS. Forcing Laurel into the role of BC isn't improving the other characters or the show. A pair of fishnets won't improve Laurel unless she's going to be a hooker as a distraction.Laurel needs more than a mask and a leather jacket. Fight training and a weapon won't make her believable. Laurel could have benefited from death. You can't revamp her again. She's been rebooted and reset too many times.

Olicity developed as if watching a house being built. We saw them dig the hole for the foundation and lay it. It set and instead of the walls slowly going up, the house was finished in a blink. The push to finish the house left us with an empty structure which might not be a shelter from the storm. I not only feel robbed of seeing the progression, but I have zero belief they will come back to Oliver and Felicity again. They are pushing Ray and Felicity too hard despite the sketchiness of pursuit of her. It's borderline creepy mostly because we know he doesn't just want her for her brains. If there was zero chance he'd be romantically pursuing her, I might be able to swallow it. It'd be great for Oliver to see how Felicity is appreciated outside Team Arrow and Barry already provided the competition in the romance department.

I hope one day there is a tell-all which will allow SA to give us insight into how he feels about the decisions and direction of the show. Poor guy puts everything into it, but he has to be disheartened. I bet he meets with AK and MG and they tell him one thing. Pre-season "Oliver loves Felicity and while they won't be together immediately (because we are non-creative bastards who believe drama is keeping a couple apart), we will get there. We agree Oliver needs to stop fucking every female. It was our intention all along for Oliver and Felicity to make strides towards a healthy relationship." SA: "Excellent. I think Oliver will get there and it starts with him committing to Felicity even if they aren't in a relationship. Thanks, guys. Glad we had this meeting. Can you rethink killing Sara?" Mid-season SA: "Remember the conversation we had a few months ago about Oliver and Felicity? What the heck is going on? Ray just proposed and Felicity said yes. Also why is Laurel attached to my hip in every scene? She had to move into my place for what reason?" "Trust us. We've been planning this for months. Arrow and Canary belong together. Felicity is happy with Ray. Oliver and Laurel were meant to be from their teen years." SA: "What?" "Here is your script. Go deliver an Emmy worthy performance with Katie." SA leaves the room scratching his head. End of Season 3 SA: "You killed Sara at the beginning of the season to make room for Laurel to be the Black Canary. You are killing Felicity at the end of the season?" "Oliver will always have remnants of feelings for Felicity and the fans will always want them together. We need to kill Felicity so we can marry Oliver and Laurel next season. There may be a pregnancy scare and it will force Oliver to commit. It might not just be a scare, but we haven't decided yet." SA leaves the room to down a bottle or two of Knocking Point before he goes on a press tour and is forced to talk up Arrow S4 and most likely S5 because of syndication.

I imagine he is just hoping people tune in. Olicity is the carrot you dangle in front of the rabbit to get it to run in circles. The EPs are asking us (the rabbits) to run through volcanoes, mud, and other icky stuff in the hopes we will at some point get to taste the carrot.

There is nothing which irks me more than someone who has a desire/goal and doesn't have the perseverance/work ethic/motivation to change or pursue. "It is what it is" is nothing more than a piss poor excuse to give up without even trying. Get off your ass, Oliver Queen! If you don't want to die down there then march your pathetic ass on out of there.

I'm bitter because I really want to enjoy Arrow. I enjoy so much but I feel like SARA just became S3's TOD. I OD'd on OOC. It might not be as bad as TOD, but if it is happening this early what is going to happen later?

If that is love, I dont' want any part of it. Alex, I'll take indifference for $200.

From the IGN interview. IGN: So with that arc, her growing stronger and Sara’s death, do you think that will have an effect on Laurel’s relationship with Oliver? Cassidy: Yeah, absolutely. I’ve always said that I think the two of them, from when we shot the pilot, are soulmates. Even though romantically they may not be together at the moment, or at this time in their lives, I think Laurel knows Oliver better than he knows himself. I think that she out of anyone isn’t afraid to stand up to him or call him out or get in his face. She’s very strong, very secure and mentally I do think that she is a warrior inside and a survivor and it takes somebody who’s that strong and that driven, given everything that we’ve seen her go through since Season 1. You have to be a very strong person to deal with all of this. I think that he, at first, will probably not be supportive because he doesn’t want to put her in danger but I think ultimately he will see that she has the mentality and that she’s dedicated and she’s willing to start from the bottom and learn the basics and do the training and she actually has what it takes. I think, hopefully, eventually he will end up respecting that and accepting it. Who knows? Maybe they’ll move forward together as a team. Partner in crime? I don’t know but it definitely would be cool.

WTF?! I was going to quote the ridiculousness but I can't copy and paste the whole thing with my phone.

If KC doesn't read her scripts and mutter "WTF" when she is forced to say lines such as "I know you 'superlative'" then here is a sign of a much larger problem. If someone who knows me better than anyone else knew so little about me, I'd be suffering from depression. I wish Oliver would react with "STFU you know nothing about me." The showing doesn't match the telling.

I can understand KC being confused about the direction the writers are giving her. They are lost at sea without a compass. They ride the waves instead of navigating the oceans. HOWEVER She should at least be familiar with what her character has already portrayed even if she has no idea where she is going. She is a revisionist. Oliver and Laurel are barely acquaintances these days. They know a bit more about each other (thanks, Slade!) but they are hardly friends let alone do they know each other. They knew each other once upon a time. I have friends I used to know really well. Then we graduated and scattered to the wind. Now I am Facebook friends with them. There is a difference between the friends you are aware of and the friends you know.

In TVland you aren't in love until you've hit the sheets. So Felicity can't love Oliver and Oliver can't love Felicity. It doesn't matter that everything between them is founded on trust, friendship, respect, loyalty, acceptance, support. It can't be love. At least it isn't love on The CW. In the real world it is a great foundation, but on the CW the only requirement for love between two people is how good they look together naked.