NumberCruncher

It is a false argument, @wonderwall. It's not Stephen's fault--he's merely playing Oliver Queen as a broken individual who went through a hellish nightmare for 5 years. There's nothing to celebrate there. I would expect Oliver to be rather pensive and aloof. That's part of the reason why Oliver and Laurel as characters didn't have chemistry because she was constantly piling on him and he was acting numb to it rather than allowing himself to feel anything. On the other hand, Oliver and Felicity do work together as characters--her humor lightens/softens him up a bit.

Lazarus and Fire

I don't get that either, @tv echo. Not only are all of those men different, but they don't describe SA and they REALLY don't describe BR. I do like that they are bringing in more humor/sarcasm to make TV Arrow more like the Green Arrow of the comics. The gloom and doom feel was making the show too much of a Batman knockoff.

I can buy Tyreese staying big because he just naturally looks like a big (not hefty) dude, but Eugene has a two-fold problem: he's still chubby and perfectly mulleted.

Ghost in the Machine, Miracle Man, Roland

Now The Flash writers AND The 100 writers are all involved. Seriously funny stuff.

The season 2.5 comics are specifically tied into the CW show, but the new 52 comics are the mainline DC Green Arrow comic books, different characters/stories than from the TV show.

She wielded the shotgun at the dude trying to kill the orphan boy she was protecting back in S1, and if I remember correctly, she saved Oliver in S2 when she shot the guy impersonating Brother Blood. I guess an argument could be made that she sort of saved Oliver in the S2 penultimate episode even though he had to guide her through shooting the exploding arrow. I'm sure there are others, but as I said, I don't actively look for them in her case like I tend to do while watching Felicity (whom I find so fascinating).ETA: I totally agree that Felicity intentionally being used as bait shouldn't count as a DiD situation any more than Diggle offering himself up to the dangers of the Russian gulag to save Lyla.

Everyone on the show has been a "DiD" situation at one point or another (and yes, that even includes the men--Walter, Roy, Diggle, etc.). Oliver hasn't been immune to it either considering the many times Diggle and Felicity have had to save his ass. Hey, it's just that type of show, so it doesn't bother me in the least since that's what I signed up for by watching Arrow in the first place. As with every other criticism of the show and its characters, people tend to see fault in that which they dislike and ignore the same in that which they love. I think everyone does it to a certain extent (including myself). In Felicity's case, sure she has had plenty of DiD distress moments, but I like that they have been balanced pretty well by the times when she has kept others out of danger (e.g. saving Oliver when he was shot, hacking computers to destroy evidence, taking a bullet for Sara, injecting Slade, tracing phone calls to save Walter, running over Isabel with the van to save Dig, blah, blah, blah...). Laurel has had her moments of heroism too--I just don't tend to focus on them as much because I don't find her character all that interesting. I'm sure that's the case for those who don't find Felicity all that engaging either. I think the big criticism of Felicity's predicament is in large part due to her strength not being physical in nature. Most audiences tend to define "kickass" women as those who can fight hand-to-hand rather than fight with their minds like Felicity does. Just because she can't defend herself against a villain twice her size doesn't mean she's any less kickass because what she lacks in physical strength she more than makes up for it by being the competent "Bitch with wi-fi".

She's who Jimmy worked for before he came to Downton. She was mentioned a few times over the past couple of seasons. She's Anna Chancellor's character.

I think it will likely be Jimmy caught in Lady Anstruther's bed chamber.

Space, The Jersey Devil, and Ghost in the Machine.

Heh. I thought the same thing about Vin Diesel playing Groot basically having to repeat "I am Groot" over and over, but he ended up being one of my favorite parts of GOTG.

I don't know...if the writing for Laurel ends up being fantastic and Katie really sells it, I can envision a scenario where that could happen. I just don't have enough faith that the writers can pull that off. I think Oliver is the heart and core of the show, TBH. I would call Felicity the moral voice of the show. I don't think they have really defined what Laurel is yet though it seems like they're setting her up this season to represent justice.

I appreciate that about her too, @wonderwall. She is cool about the 'shipping talk and jokes around with fans about it, but she makes it clear that she doesn't want Felicity only defined by her relationship with Oliver. I still love that she fought so hard to keep her glasses and to wear her hair in a ponytail because that's, in part, what makes Felicity who she is.

I think she was already not likely to be relegated to the caregiver role on the show because she's a former cop. I don't think her sexuality would have had anything to do with it. The one thing it does do, however, is ensure that she's not defined as a character by her relationships with the male "heroes" (unlike Lori).

I can see that happening too, @KirkB. I say "Bring it". My favorite "villains" are those who are morally ambiguous. It's that constant unpredictability that sparks my interest. It helps that both Willa and Barrowman are strong enough actors to play these type of roles. The Thea/Malcolm dynamic (and the inevitable Thea/Oliver confrontation) might actually be what I'm most anticipating for S3.

I'm so glad you brought up that particular scene because that moment always been one of my absolute favorite Oliver/Felicity moments. The natural reaction Stephen always has to Emily (i.e. those "breaks in character") really pops the scene. She clearly makes him laugh and I've said it before but that lightness has helped get me though the dark overtones of the show since I've never been a huge fan of the brooding characters of the DC universe of manpain. The fact that Felicity (and Emily) can make Oliver Queen seem a little lighter and happier is a huge plus for me.

For me it was a very gradual process. I always found their S1 interactions immensely enjoyable--especially when Felicity would blurt out her unintentional innuendos--but I didn't think that was the direction the writers/producers were going to go given the whole comic book canon thing so I didn't give a serious relationship that much thought. When S2 rolled around I definitely noticed things were progressing but it wasn't until episode 6 that it hit me just how much I was shipping them. It took me off guard because I wasn't actively looking for Oliver to have a relationship with anyone, TBH. I think it was also the "because of the life that I lead" moment when I realized what the two of them meant to one another (i.e. it went beyond just physical lusting on her part and her being just a good friend on his part). That being said, I never thought the show would really go there--especially due to the EPs' comments re: Oliver/Laurel/canon and the on-screen Oliver/Sara hook-up.

I don't think it's going anywhere either. It makes no sense from a plot perspective...spend 2 seasons slowly building up Oliver and Felicity, have them go on a date, and then change course in 14 episodes of S3 so that the most popular female character ends up with the supporting player who isn't the title superhero who is meanwhile pining for her rather than going back to his usual parade of female sexual partners. I don't think the die-hard shippers have anything to worry about.

They already admitted during the WB SDCC panel that they're using Felicity to link the two shows together. That, along with MG's "we're giving you Felicity in this episode because we love you" tweet answers the question as to whether she's being used to help prop up episodes/characters/shows. Showing more Laurel/Felicity interaction in the hopes the Arrow audience responds positively isn't much different than using a Barry/Felicity date to generate viewership for The Flash and to help Barry realize he loves Iris, IMO. I get why they're using her that way, but crossing my fingers they don't go overboard pushing things so they end up seeming artificial (i.e. no to Felicity and Laurel as best buddies).

It kind of sounds like the douchey guy was talking loud enough that A LOT of patrons could hear their conversation so their privacy went out the window before Colton even started tweeting about it.

I think that's why they're getting her involved with Ray Palmer because that keeps her very close to Oliver since Ray will be running Queen Consolidated. The producers mentioned that Ray goes looking for the IT girl--presumably because he means to employ her--so even if she's not as involved in Team Arrow that puts Felicity smack dab in the middle of the big business/personal "rivalry" between Ray and Oliver.

Wasn't there some comment made by one of the producers that said Oliver tells Felicity that it was time for her to visit Central City? I seem to recall it was in reference to them deciding they can't be together. Maybe she goes there because Oliver encourages her to move on with Barry (who he knows has a crush on Felicity) and she tries it but they realize it won't work because Barry realizes he's in love with Iris and Felicity is still in love with Oliver. That would agree with what Grant Gustin said in an interview. ETA: We don't know exact what kind of kiss it is. For all we know, it could be their goodbye kiss. Just saying.

This. Felicity has always been really nice to/about Laurel..."Gorgeous Laurel", "You can have him back in a minute", "How are you?", "That's a good thing, Oliver [responding to him telling her that Laurel saved him]", etc. It's actually one of the things I've liked about Felicity and how they've written her. Felicity knows their history, but still treats Laurel with respect and kindness. With that said, I don't need to see them as buddies, especially if things progress romantically between Oliver and Felicity. Oliver's penis doesn't need to be the underlying common bond (yuck). They can keep their interaction the same as it has always been--cordial, but not chummy...a working relationship.