Carrie Ann

Yeah, I think it's just ND, IS, and PW who are on every episode. Candice Accola has the fewest absences after that group, and then everyone else is absent for around a half dozen episodes each season. I'm sure it's a budgetary issue, but sometimes those absences are really awkward.

That's what I thought Grams and Bonnie reconciled about at the end--Grams disapproved of a lot of Bonnie's actions and choices. But in the end, she was proud of the person Bonnie was, and her choices were a part of that. She was willing to see grey areas and help those that witches typically scorned, simply because she thought for herself and made her own decisions. When you look at the witches in the rest of the TVD/TO universe, you can see how unique that is. Liv and Luke seemed utterly beholden to their coven, and I can't even get into the witches on TO or the rage will ruin my weekend.

I have no idea how contracts work when it comes to character development, but man, it would be really annoying if an actor's contract prevented the showrunners from making creative decisions about the direction of the show. I never knew the contracts extended to anything beyond pay, term of commitment (including sometimes the ability for the showrunners to end the contract early), regularity of appearance, and place in credits. It would really suck if they did decide they wanted her to be a villain, for example, and couldn't do that because the contract stated her character would become the BC. I've never heard of a contract clause to that effect. Anyone more knowledgeable know if that is common?

I totally hated Dawn, too, so I can understand your feelings on that one. But I came around on her in S7 a bit--probably because I didn't have enough hate in my heart to cover all the Potentials and Dawn. :)

No, I think the latter is right, but I still thought I would have heard about it because of the connection. In truth, I only figured it out because of the Maine setting and a few phrases the characters used in the first few episodes. Then I googled it and felt confused as to how I missed it. I have no real speculation about Season 5, but I do have concerns. Season 4 was not my favorite, for one primary reason: I missed Audrey. That's a character I loved for three seasons, and she was completely absent for five episodes (Duke figures out she's faking at the end of Ep 5, so I don't count that one), and in a state of either pretending to be or partially feeling like someone else for the rest of the season. Lexi was not a good replacement for Audrey, and Mara...no. My other areas of dissatisfaction with Season 5 had to do with how focused it was on Audrey/William/Mara and the whole Trouble Mythology. I liked the more procedural feel of the previous seasons. It was sort of a mix of X Files and Lost, a good balance of Trouble of the Week and the larger Who Is Audrey arc. Season 3 started veering more into the latter, and Season 4 felt like it was ONLY about that. So I'm concerned about how long we're going to be stuck with Mara, and do we have to go to this alien world/other dimension? Do we really have to have William back? I love Colin Ferguson, but we don't need another lead male on this show. Speaking of which, I loved Jennifer--she was the first female supporting character I really felt integrated well--and I'm afraid that she's gone too, like every other woman they've ever cast.

What I would kind of love is if Felicity's father was actually a good person who was taken from his family against his will by one of the bad guys. I don't relish the idea of her having her father return to her life, only to learn that he's some awful evil genius or whatever. I mean, that would be fine and I'm sure the show would handle it well too. But it would give her good motivation to defeat the bad guy if he still had her father somewhere, and then she could have a healthy relationship with him again, and--yeah, I just want her to be happy, that's all. What I would kind of love is if Felicity's father was actually a good person who was taken from his family against his will by a supervillain. I don't relish the idea of her having her father return to her life, only to learn that he's some evil genius or whatever. I mean, that would be fine and I'm sure the show would handle it well too. But it would give her good motivation to defeat the bad guy if he still had her father somewhere, and then she could have a healthy relationship with him again, and--yeah, I just want her to be happy, that's all.

I kind of think that whether you believe Oliver uses sex in an unhealthy way depends on the importance/meaning you attach to sex or your own personal morality. From my perspective, as I've said before, I see Oliver's sex life as practically chaste. He slept with two women this season! A one-night stand with Isabel, and a relationship with Sara. Last season, there were three--Laurel, plus McKenna and Helena whom he actually dated. Adults having sex when they have romantic feelings for each other is not indicative of a problem, in my opinion. Before the island, Oliver might have been using sex the same way he used alcohol or other substances. He was a bored rich kid, and he used constant diversion as a means to fill up his empty life. As for the island--why was his sleeping with Shado so terrible? They were together on an island and developed feelings for each other. He didn't seem to be aware of Slade's feelings for her (nor did Shado), and it seemed like they tried to keep it from him just because they didn't want it to be awkward. And why shouldn't he have slept with Sara this year? Because their relationship was complicated? Because of Laurel? Laurel has been frankly awful to Oliver for most of the time he's been back from the island, and even if she hadn't been, their relationship six years ago shouldn't preclude Oliver from being with Sara if that's what they both want. In hindsight, it would have been better to not make her aware of it right away when she was so messed up, but that has nothing to do with them actually sleeping together.

And also, most of us are talking about the Thea we know from two full seasons (46 episodes), while slayer2, you're talking about one you know from the end of S2 and however many episodes you're through at the beginning of S1. You may never change your opinion of her, especially given the order of your viewing of the series (which sort of highlights Thea at her most challenging), who knows? But my feelings about her did change toward the end of S1, and especially the beginning of S2. Oliver always had my full sympathy, even as I found it frustrating that he wouldn't open up to anyone about what happened to him, and he continued to wear the pre-island Ollie facade. I think that's part of Thea's frustration with him. On the outside, he's pretending that he's still the same dudebro he was five years ago, but she can tell that something is wrong. So she has to deal with this fake Oliver, when she wants the real thing. She's actually only 15 (I think?) when the series starts, or maybe just turned 16, so her reactions are going to be immature. She is a very immature character, but that's what character growth is for. And she does exhibit that. It's can be annoying to watch sometimes, and I don't always like her choices, but I don't see any reason to write off a teenage character as though she has no capacity to change and grow. She's not a fully-formed person yet. The fact that she did grow up in the transition between seasons is what makes her pulling away from Moira and Oliver at the end of S2 more heart-wrenching. She had really grown up, she had good relationships with her family and Roy, and then their keeping secrets from her ruined her trust in them again.

Right, she should be putting herself on a path to run the city as mayor someday. She should be the best ADA she can be, then DA, then take other public office, then it's Mayor Laurel Lance. That's the kind of path that makes sense for her character. I'd be fine with that! But Black Canary? No.

They've acknowledged the importance of the core Team Arrow, and have promised they're getting back to that next season, referencing a "more intimate" feel when it comes to the team (in direct response to a question about all the people in the lair this season). So I don't have concerns about Diggle being further backgrounded. But I do think it's possible they're trying to figure out a different, more defined role for him on the team. Perhaps one that takes him out of the line of fire, more like directing the missions. I don't relish that idea either. But that's because I hate and fear change. ;) But actually, that seemed more likely to me when Roy was still superpowered and Sara was around. It was like, Oliver with his incredible skill and strength, plus a superpowered dude, plus an elite assassin, plus a strong and highly-trained military guy. Of the four, Diggle was the least exceptional in the field. It started to feel like, why would you bring Diggle if you had Sara and/or Roy? But now, is Roy just back to being a normal dude who has some archery skill?

Actually, if that had been the series finale, I'd have been pretty satisfied. Not that it was a great episode, just that there were actual stakes, and things ended in a way that would have satisfied me in terms of imagining the future of these characters. But going forward, I don't know. It'll be interesting to see how it goes. Bonnie couldn't have been much more of a plot device this season and especially this episode--I mean, she was basically a literal door between worlds--but KG elevates it. I'm glad she was the hero of the episode (that's how I see it, anyway), and I like to believe that Grams hooked her up in the afterlife. Whether she and Damon are actually in an afterlife, or some limbo until they make it back to this Earth, it's still not as devastating an ending for her if I think of it that way.

I haven't watched in weeks, but I've been keeping up with the developments here. I think if Ellie/Spinelli get full, permanent custody of Georgie, I'm out for the time being. I know Maxie's done terrible things, but I have a soft spot for her. She wanted the baby and she deserves a chance to be her mother. Anyone know if there are spoilers about this either way?

He does stay over sometimes, and she thinks he has a separate place and that he also travels for work. She knows he can't stay with her regularly due to the secrecy about their relationship.

I think Bonnie's selflessness is one of the only consistent pieces of characterization this show has left, and it's actually kind of gross? Like why does she have to be the only one who thinks her life is worth less than her friends'? Elena used to feel that way, but the show has removed that trait to the point of complete selfishness. Why is Bonnie always marginalized and always sacrificed? I have some theories, but it's barely worth thinking about because the writers will never change the situation so it's a lost cause.

I have so many post-finale thoughts about Paige's S1/S2 storyline, and her path going forward. My husband's just starting to watch S1, so maybe I'll be able to catch more details again because right now things are very jumbled in my mind. Here are some things that look different now that we know the Centre's plans. -That random hitchhiking creepster: could he have been an agent trying to evaluate Paige's tendencies, personality, capacity to handle herself? -The church people: certainly Pastor Curly is Centre, right? I always felt like the girl she met on the bus was too convenient, so I think she was Centre too. I basically think the church is how the Centre has already gotten to Paige behind P & E's backs. They have her questioning the US government, to the point of protesting at their military bases.* They have her praising people who resist and question and put themselves on the line for others. Plus that pastor handled Philip with aplomb when he threatened him. Plus, the church camp? Three months of unfettered access to Paige to continue grooming her. (*This is one major flaw in my theory, because the CIA and NSA have ways of knowing when their candidates have participated in protests, and it is a sticking point in getting a job there. Not sure about the FBI.) Going forward, I'm a little concerned about this direction. I hope that P & E are successful in shutting it down, because I don't actually think the actress has it in her. They don't have another Keri Russell or Claire Danes on their hands. I just haven't seen much nuance from her, and I'm not interested in spending even more of next season focused on Paige. I like the story in theory, but in practice, I'm not sure it will play very well.

I thought KC's character's name was Dinah Laurel Lance--I thought she introduced herself that way in court once. Not that it matters to me in the slightest in terms of making her the BC.

Yeah, I would kinda love a scene of Team Arrow hanging out in the lair, and Dig saying something like, "Felicity, you deserve to have a social life. When's the last time you went out on a date?" And for Felicity to be all confused like, "Um, last week? I don't tell you every detail of my life, but yeah, when I have time, I've been known to take advantage." And then Diggle and Oliver sit in stunned silence. I don't need to see every random person Oliver and Felicity date, but I don't mind either of them having other relationships while the good ship Olicity continues to sail its slow course to endgame.

I've made the carnitas several times, and the reducing step does take longer than they call for, but I don't think it's taken 30-40 minutes for me. I think they say something like 8-10 minutes and it's taken me about 15. I really love that recipe. The meat is like candy when it's done.

I used to work at the U of M, and I loved all those little touches. There was a flier for Leekie's lecture in S1 that they must have run by the U's Mar/Comm team because the branding was right on.

Right, that's the confusion though. The writing clearly shows that the relationship was and is a mess, but in interviews, at cons, wherever, the writers act as though it's just a known fact that Laurel and Oliver have a miraculous love. They're still holding on to that notion, despite what they actually put on paper. I don't understand it.

But I still buy that he believes that, for whatever silly reason. No matter where he was, or who else he was with, thinking about getting back home, maybe having an opportunity to right some wrongs, that's what got him through. And she was just the personification of that goal. I mean, Tom Hanks had a volleyball, right? Same depth of relationship, basically. Whatever it takes to get through it. What's annoying now is having to deal with his Island hangover, while he and the writers continue to pretend their relationship was something amazing when it was really a mess.

It looked like DYAD bought off at least one of the cops. One leaves with the Morgue guy, and the other goes out into the hall when Paul gives him the nod. But both of the cops seem to recognize the Morgue guy, so I do think they're actual police officers.

The pre-Island Oliver/Laurel relationship is one of my biggest WTFs when it comes to the writers' intentions compared to what they actually write. Completely putting aside the lack of chemistry or KC's weird choices: this was not a great love. It was a relationship that began under sketchy circumstances, with one of the partners constantly unfaithful, and the other trying to fast-track them down the aisle despite their obvious problems. The continued insistence that they "know" each other in some deep, meaningful way, and that they share the Love Of A Lifetime is so opposed to everything we've seen of them that it comes across like dramatic irony. Like they really believe they know each other, when they don't know the first thing. Like they remember having this great love, when they actually had a sad sham of a relationship. If Laurel DID know Oliver before the island, why on Earth would she want to be with him? Pre-island Oliver is an absolutely terrible person. Almost 100% unsympathetic (I'll give him maybe 2% for at least seeming semi-human when he learned of his side-piece's miscarriage). Not even one of those guys who is really good, but can't help sabotaging because they don't feel deserving of happiness or whatever. He's just smarmy, opportunistic, shallow, selfish, thoughtless, with no interest in improving, until he actually goes through some shit and has to get real. So pre-island Laurel appears either totally delusional or willfully ignorant when it comes to Oliver and their relationship. We don't understand why she wanted to be with him, but we do know that she knowingly sniped Oliver after her sister expressed her interest first. Why give us that information? It just points to something unsavory about her character, but again, the writers seem to believe this was a pure, special love. They say that, but then they show the opposite. I truly don't get it. The one part of their "relationship" that I actually buy is Island Oliver obsessing over Laurel. She represented home, and more importantly, his own sins and weaknesses. His self-loathing was maybe the primary thing that kept him going out there. He hated himself so much that he had to live so he could make up for how horrible he was. Had he dated Sara and cheated with Laurel, Sara would have been the one he obsessed over instead. From that perspective, as he gets past his self-loathing, I would expect his idealization of Laurel and their relationship to end as well. But that's where I differ with the writers, I guess.

That was a nice scene. I think my favorite of his was when Oliver revealed himself in order to calm Roy down and get him to focus so they could shut down that prototype Earthquake device. Afterward, Roy just thanks him, and it was such a genuine moment. More of that, less wide-eyed confusion and anger would be great. I think CH has made good strides this season.

I'm not surprised at the types of things he's doing; just that it appears he's back to being 100% about himself, after showing concern for Sarah in the past, even at risk to himself. It took them most of last season to get him to that point, and it feels as though it's been rather abruptly undone. And its undoing happened off-screen, which makes it even more suspect to me. So like I said, I'm guessing there's more to his motivations than there appears, but maybe the writers just changed their plans for him.