NumberCruncher

I definitely think some of those plot points were the writers/producers just trying to find things for Laurel to do after they altered their original conception of her character progression. I would assume the original plan was to have her learn the Arrow's secret and become part of "Team Arrow" earlier (even if she wasn't yet some iteration of the Canary) but that got shelved when other characters ended up working better. That left her flailing around random storylines and didn't do the character any favors. In a way I can see why the show brought her sister into the mix--it at least gave Laurel a way to be tied somehow into the Team Arrow dynamic without actually being one of them.

Because it still leaves the door open for that title to be given to the "rightful" owner from the comics (i.e. Dinah Laurel Lance). Comic book Oliver Queen IS the Green Arrow. Comic book Dinah Drake/Dinah Lance IS the Black Canary. Sara Lance doesn't exist in that world. I'm not saying it's the right approach for the show, but that's the impression I get from the various soundbites and print interviews by the EPs. The EPs/writers have to find a way to appease the die-hard comic fans too (especially now that they're already deviating in a big way by pursuing Olicity as opposed to Lauriver from a romantic angle).

But as far as the comic world is concerned, BC is a "lead" superhero too. As far as the show is concerned, Katie is (at least on paper) the lead actress. I'm not saying it's 100% going to happen that way--I hope it doesn't because I really like Sara--but just looking at it from a plot perspective, it's consistent with Oliver's journey. But I do agree with you that it's not the smartest way to get people to like Laurel more. Then again, maybe they're hedging their bets that something will happen in Laurel's story this season which will redeem her in the eyes of the fans so by the time they fridge Sara it won't matter as much.

Probably because they wanted to balance the transition with the longevity of the show. It took them well into S2 before Oliver was even referred to as the Arrow and now going into S3 he still has yet to become the Green Arrow, so why take so much time for that if you're going to immediately turn Laurel into the Black Canary at the end of S1. I think the Sara introduction was planned for the purpose of starting Laurel's transition over time--hence only calling Sara the Canary and not Black Canary. That's probably why they've never given Caity Lotz regular status...because it was never meant to be Sara's story--it's Laurel's. That being said, I don't believe the EPs had any idea that the audience would end up preferring Sara over Laurel as eventual BC.

Well that's basically Oliver's story though. Didn't Robert Queen tell Oliver to survive so he could "right his wrongs" and then sacrifice himself in order to ensure Oliver lived? Also, that's a bit like what happened with Tommy. Oliver needed to be better than just a "murderer" and Tommy's death was a way to do that--a way to "honor his memory". In fact, Moira essentially sacrificed herself to Slade for Oliver (and Thea) too. This show is not above using death as a driver for vengeance/crime-fighting/redemption. That's why I don't think it would be different in Laurel's case.

My theory is Sara will sacrifice her life for Laurel's in order to protect her and Laurel will feel indebted and that will be the catalyst for her transition into BC. At the end of the day I don't see how Sara and Laurel can both be the Canary--it's too crowded.

Yeah it's interesting that now 2 of the 3 EPs have emphatically stated it wasn't fan response that made Felicity Smoak (and Olicity) such a prominent part of the show--which makes complete sense given that they already had so many episodes filmed and in the can before the audience even saw that much of her. I don't even worry about people using the fan pandering term anymore--I'm just glad the producers saw a good thing and went with it. One of the things I liked about Andrew Kreisberg's interview was that he kept repeating how plans change when you're creating a show which is an attitude that I really appreciate. There's nothing more frustrating to a viewer than when the creators don't change along with the dynamics of what's happening on screen. Obviously they shouldn't let fans dictate storylines, but if their tunnel vision causes the quality of the show to suffer and you end up with HIMYM levels of pissed-off viewers then what's the point? I understand artistic vision and all, but at the end of the day these shows are businesses providing products to consumers. I think GB, MG, and AK are savvy enough to understand that regardless of those who constantly shove the fan pandering accusation in their faces. They saw something interesting in EBR's portrayal and thought the audience would too (and it certainly did). I love those moments of serendipity.

Because they assumed that a popular, multiple CW TV show actress would handle the role without issue. I would even go so far to suggest that the network thought KC's popularity would be what brought in the ratings since SA was still an unknown actor at the time. I can't blame their logic but you're right that it was a huge mistake not to at least make sure there was sufficient chemistry between the lead actors.

Agreed. I thought the scene when Sara tells Laurel that her LOA name means "canary" was very well done by both Caity and Katie. Unfortunately that was trampled on by the awkward I'm-grinning-like-a-hyena-even-though-you-sold-your-freedom-back-to-cold-blooded-killers jacket scene in the finale. People already know my feelings about how much more engaging Laurel was around Tommy so I won't repeat myself. I don't think KC is a bad actress and I don't even hate Laurel (it's more of an indifference) but she just seems miscast for the type of character she was hired to play. The writers haven't given her great material but a lot of her acting choices came off as odd--especially during the alcoholism storyline.

I completely buy this logic. I have always gotten the impression that post-island Oliver wanted nothing more than to make things right relationship-wise, whether it be romantic or not. What was the first thing he wanted to do when he got home (after seeing his family)? He went to see Laurel to apologize. What did he spend the first couple of episodes doing? Trying to steer Thea away from going down the same drug/party/casual sex road he did. The island/Hong Kong trials clearly matured him because they forced him to realize how frivolous he was as Ollie, but just as others have mentioned, post-island Oliver hasn't had enough experience with real, solid relationships so he's making a ton of mistakes along the way. That's why I can see Felicity being the opportunity for things to finally click for Oliver because they already have established a deep, meaningful friendship prior to bringing in the added complications of a sexual one.

Agreed, @JayKay. I think the fun/goofy aspect is Marvel's edge. Parents know that their movies are generally safe for kids with perhaps a few exceptions and any time you can make a movie kid-friendly, your box office take only benefits. There's nothing wrong with dark and gritty (obviously), but if you're a parent, you would rather your 12 year-old watch a snarky raccoon or Iron Man poking fun at a demi-god than watch Harvey Dent get half of his face blown off.

Dave Bautista was the biggest surprise for me in GOTG. I was one of those naysayers when he took the role but he was fantastic. You're right that no studio is perfect but Marvel is making all the right moves and it's paying off at the box office. I think a lot of the success of GOTG is due to the reputation that Marvel has built, despite being based on a somewhat no-name comic. People know that when they see a Marvel movie, they'll enjoy it and won't be let down. I don't think DC has quite hit that same stride with their cinematic offerings--I didn't particularly enjoy MoS and therefore couldn't be more disinterested in Batman vs. Superman. On the other hand, where Marvel trumps DC in the movie world, DC has a solid lock on the small screen. I didn't last beyond 3 episodes of AoS, despite being a huge MCU fan. I happened upon Arrow while browsing Netflix, decided to give it a go and the rest is history. I have high hopes that Agent Carter will hold my interest and I can't wait for The Flash. Absolutely. Robert Downey Jr. did a special screening of Cap 2 for a group of kids for his birthday and Tom Hiddleston did the same type of screening that Chris Pratt did when Thor 2 came out. Awesome actors only makes me want to see Marvel movies more.

Eh, it doesn't really make me nervous, especially after watching that AK interview. I don't think all the producers and actors would be selling Oliver and Felicity so hard after 2 seasons of building them up just to change direction at the last minute. Plus, even though EBR can make wallpaper seem interesting, she still has the monumental task of trying to make Brandon Routh not seem bland as hell which might be her biggest challenge yet as an actor.

Or it could just mean that whoever the staff person is who runs the Arrow Tumblr account has a 'ship bias. This actually isn't the first time that account has shown blatant preference for an Oliver/Felicity pairing, but I personally wouldn't go so far as to say it's the EPs and/or the higher-ups at WB driving it. I do think it crossed the line a bit--especially given that the blog isn't just meant for Olicity fans (and I say that as one). I think it's one thing to post pro-Olicity gifsets, but this was a rather in-your-face, anti-Lauriver entry. Given that emotions are running high within the fandom, it doesn't seem like a wise move.

I wondered about that!!! It was REALLY noticeable in 2x06--her hair was down for virtually the entire episode but even more obvious was the absence of her glasses in that episode. After that we rarely saw her without them and aside from Moira's out-of-prison party, Felicity's hair was back in the ponytail. Interesting that it was EBR's choice but I can totally see where she's coming from.

Probably a good rule. Stephen never seems to oversell anything regarding storylines which I appreciate so much and I'm more apt to listen to Berlanti regarding the direction of romantic relationships since he has a proven track record at changing them according to what's working on screen between the actors (e.g. Dawson's Creek). That being said, the person that has surprised me most with his pro-Olicity comments is Kreisberg since he's generally known to be the biggest Oliver/Laurel supporter and comic book canon-clinger of all the EPs.

I don't think the obsession has as much to do with the character as it does with the actor playing him. Hiddleston is basically a Tumblr fangirl's dream because he engaged the fans and media so thoroughly. Because of that, I think the love of him manifested into the current obsession with Loki the character. I'll throw my rankings of the Marvel movies in while I'm at it: 1. The Avengers 2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 3. Guardians of the Galaxy 4. Iron Man 5. Thor: The Dark World 6. Thor 7. Iron Man 3 8. Captain America 9. Iron Man 2 Haven't seen any of the Hulk movies as I had little interest in the character or any of the actors portraying Bruce Banner (except Ruffalo--if he ends up with a solo movie I'll reconsider).

I'm really excited to watch the dynamic between Felicity and her mama. I have a feeling it will be rather quirky and humorous and I say any time a lighter tone can be brought to this show, the better.

Sally = Oliver's salmon ladder

Honestly, were it not for Tommy, I wouldn't have liked her at all--he made her more enjoyable to me, and unlike her toxic relationship with Oliver, I thought they brought out the better in each other. She made him want to stop his man-whoring and he gave her character a lightness and humor that was sorely needed. I rooted for the pairing because of that (plus I saw chemistry between KC and CO that she didn't didn't have with SA). It wasn't until the show killed off Tommy and she reverted back to her moody self that I started to tune her scenes out. I get that without Tommy dying Oliver would have lost his whole S2 motivation, but it really killed Laurel's character in the process.