inconstancy

Oliver is such a wiener. ... Annnnnd I guess that's all I have to say about this episode. See you all next month!

My head says there is no way Felicity would be killed off, but everything else is crying. I teared up at the proposal. The music in that scene was really beautiful (I think it was a gentler version of the Oliver/Felicity theme?) and Thea's huge, scrunched-up grin was so cute. I'm still mad about last week's episode, but maybe I can convince myself for a while that the crossover never happened. Speaking of cute, there was a lot of it in this episode. Donna's blue hat! Felicity sliding on the floor when she ran back to see why Donna was screaming! Mini!Felicity! Oliver's expression when Felicity was babbling! I usually don't notice Laurel's angry, folded arms stance, which gets pointed out every week in these episode threads, but it was all I could see in the scene with her and Oliver at the lair. It was so odd, especially paired with how indifferent she seemed about the fact that three of her supposed friends had been taken by DD. But otherwise, she was okay this episode. Please, please, do not let DD be motivated in his evilness because of something to do with his family. I like him being evil just because. I accidentally watched the beginning of the first flashback and completely blanked on who the woman with Oliver was and what was going on. Then I remembered I haven't watched any flashbacks in ages and went back to skipping them. Why are they still a thing? Loved this episode! Let's never let MG write an episode again and just stick with WM and BS.

Oh, greaaat, Oliver goes back to being an idiot. There's nothing I love more than a character never learning from their mistakes! That Oliver/Felicity fight in the deleted timeline... At first, I thought Oliver made a good point about needing a moment to process it all, but then he told her he didn't know when he would have told her about the kid? I took that to mean "never", or at least, "not until the obligatory contrived storyline where my kid develops some life-threatening condition and needs my blood or an organ or some shit". There was pretty much no logic about Samantha and her conditions at all. As already pointed out, most of what she said made little sense unless she suspects/knows he's the Green Arrow. And making a crack about him impregnating young girls? And not allowing him to tell his partner, even though that's the sort of thing that could destroy a relationship? Or at least showing sympathy about it? Not a nice person. If it didn't mean that William would probably end up going to Oliver by default, I'd hope she was the one in the grave. I felt nothing for the Hawks storyline and the flashbacks were embarrassing. Kendra was boring and Carter seemed like he was back with her out of obligation. Seriously, I kept waiting for a hint of longing or wistfulness or pain regarding her apparently not remembering him for the 205th (206th?) time, and there was nothing. But maybe it's because the actor just sucks. Was Vandal Savage's grudge against the Hawks because of unrequited love? Lame. I hope DD stays being evil just because, and not because of some lost love or something. I'm sick of people being motivated by love or loss or both. How about being motivated by ambition or your own wish to be self-fulfilled? Does Barry's ominous warning about time travel mean Felicity will somehow get hurt/die because of Oliver not telling her about his kid? Hooray, more things for Oliver to feel guilty about. I feel like if it wasn't for the fact that this is the literally the only show I watch (although I keep meaning to go back to Sleepy Hollow now that The Worst Part of the First Two Seasons is dead), I'd be dropping it right now. That's how disappointed and annoyed I am by this Oliver/Felicity storyline. I don't even care if it gets fixed in the next episode or two; the fact that it's even come up bugs me a lot. Thanks, writers. I hope you all get coal in your stockings this year.

I really enjoyed this episode. I was pleased not to find anything particularly nonsensical or rage-worthy (in the present day stuff, anyway; I skipped the flashbacks), especially after the last couple of weeks. I didn't have much of a problem with Felicity's behaviour because I could sympathise with her extreme guilt over Ray. I honestly feel sick just thinking about being away while someone I cared about was desperately calling for help for weeks on end and eventually being trapped and held hostage (in a glass box, no less!). I'd feel guilty if I'd been away working with orphans and blind puppies, let alone off happily travelling the world. Felicity's reaction was to lash out, which is okay with me, especially since it doesn't even last longer than an episode. I also think I didn't find her particularly mean because there's one piece of dialogue that I've never been able to stop thinking of as the most cruel and awful thing anyone has ever said on the show: Laurel telling Oliver, 'I'd hoped you'd rot in hell a lot longer than five years'. I know that doesn't mean no one else can ever say things deemed to be "mean", but I always find myself comparing "mean" comments to that, and thinking, 'Well, you didn't tell someone they should have rotted in hell for longer than five years! I forgive you!'. Although Digg telling Oliver a few episodes back that he doesn't have a heart came really close to unforgiveable territory for me. To the good things! I LOVED Donna and her bubbly personality and that she gave Felicity hot milk with a side of great advice. I loved Digg being wise and reasonable and saying vodka is for wimps. I loved Oliver being supportive and willing to cook dinner for the Smoaks, despite Felicity being snippy at him. I liked Felicity's little squeal and Curtis' delighted "woo!" when they jumped. So cute. DD's comment to his minion that "just because I understand science doesn't mean I'm not bored by it" made me laugh. I would have liked more of Sara interacting with the team, though. Mostly I want more Sara, but not on a different show.

This episode was really boring. I laughed and laughed at the first Lance Family basement scene. Good grief, how deluded can Laurel get? I also like that she spent basically a whole season worrying about her dad's poor, fragile heart, but decided it would be fine now to spring his formerly-dead, now-feral, actually-growling daughter on him in a dark basement. Are we sure she isn't secretly trying to kill him? Quentin. Ugh. "LOLOL, you want me to endorse you for mayor? You're even more deluded than my daughter! Oh, by the way, I don't have the resources to deal with the evidence for this really important case I'm working on, so handle that for me. Okay, you can get out now." Let me just Google the steps to making a voodoo doll for a fictional character... Hey, corrupt cops, you don't want to be criminals? Here's an idea! Since you're not bound by the premise of the show to be stuck forever trying to "save" this hellhole of a city, why not move somewhere else to feed your families? Bonus: you don't have to work under Quentin Lance! I liked Thea pretending to be her old, drug-using self, and organising Oliver's mayor staff/campaign. I liked Oliver's earnestness in his campaign speech, even if I think wanting to be mayor is one of the dumbest ideas he's ever had. I liked Diggle's approving smile at the end. And Felicity! If there was ever an episode that proved to me that I will watch anything with Felicity Smoak in it, it was this one. There are very few characters who make me smile as much as she does, or for whom I'm willing to sit through total snooze fests. <3

Original Team Arrow! <3 I thought the Oliver and Diggle conflict was pretty weak, so I'm glad they're already starting to resolve it. I was worried it was going to be dragged out for a while longer yet. Felicity is equal parts adorable and badass. She and Curtis make for really fun scenes. I love them. Gosh, J.R. Bourne is really good-looking. Ugh, flashbacks. I really wish they'd give up on those. They are SO BORING. In present day, there's a dude throwing around playing cards he peels from his skin! There's a girl who's compelled to kill people because she was brought back to life in a magical hot tub! There's some other guy with a nefarious plan! There's Felicity and Diggle! And we have to keep leaving them for... some people growing drugs. Hooray...? I have accepted that nothing Laurel does will ever make sense to me. Instead, I will take pleasure in things like Nyssa essentially telling her she's being a selfish idiot. (But seriously, why was Laurel outraged by Nyssa destroying the LP? Who else did she want to resurrect? Did she plan on starting up a side business digging up corpses and flying them to NP for a little face-lift?)

Shut the hell up, Quentin. I'm sick of your shit. Laurel, you are the worst. You are the AT&T of people. You are the peanut butter on the roof of the world's mouth. You are the opposite of Batman. (And you probably don't even know what that means!) I was probably dipped in the Lazarus Pit at some point in my life, because I must be crazy to keep watching a show that so regularly infuriates me. Oliver/Felicity and Felicity and Curtis were the only things I liked in this episode. More, please.

No wonder Oliver didn't want to go back. Who wants to leave peace and happiness to go back to a hole of a city to get shot at, beaten up, and insulted at every turn? I've probably been hanging around too many kids lately, because all I was thinking after that pile-on-Oliver scene at the train station was, 'To hell with all of you! I hope DD blows up your stupid city and takes all of you out with it.' Everyone except Oliver, Felicity, and Laurel aggravated me a lot this episode. I love Digg, but he's being an idiot. Not only is he holding a grudge over something that happened six (?) months ago, but his wife, the woman who was actually kidnapped and came out of it unharmed, has already forgiven Oliver. But Digg can't. Because Oliver is dark inside and can't love anyone and kicks puppies in his spare time. Maybe the writers drew a name out of a hat, and it's Digg's turn to be overdramatic and stupid. But I hope it gets resolved soon, because it feels wrong to hate on Digg. Oliver/Felicity were adorable, Laurel was pretty, Thea was okay, DD was appropriately menacing (if really wordy), and yay for Lyla and Baby Sara. Spaced out as I usually do during flashbacks. The graveyard scene seemed to me to hint at Felicity being dead (mostly because of the cut from the happy scene before), but it'll be easy for me to stop watching if she does die, so I won't get upset over that (yet). Not a bad episode, despite my rage at the train station scene. Hope it improves next week!

All I really have to say about this episode is that I don't care about anything other than the fact that Oliver is happy. It's pretty much all I want for all the characters, except for Malcolm, who can go die in a fire.