AES13

The craziest one I kept reading for far too long was this one: Still Waters and Quiet Men. The author stopped updating more than 2 years ago but she had written over 800,000 words before that. I probably gave up after 400,000 words but I regret waiting that long. There was a lot of clothes description in that one too. I can't imagine having read all of it only for the story to end with presumably no resolution.

Thanks again for all the researching, cutting, pasting and bolding that you do, @tv echo! I'm grateful to have the round up every week.

Have you tried London Drugs, @statsgirl? I've seen them there.

I honestly thought this was worse than last week. The "very special" episode was at least an attempt, no matter how ham-fisted, at addressing an actual issue. It was laughably bad but they sort of tried. This week was just dumb. They had this all female team up (one blond, one brunette, one redhead, of course) but don't give them a chance to really interact. The B team seemed pretty inept, except for Dinah's superpower, and Oliver seemed to not have a clue as to how he was coming across, to Prometheus' mother, to Susan, or to the head of the ACU. He basically outed himself to the guy and made it apparent that the mayor's office was rife with corruption. I enjoyed seeing Thea (although I wish they'd stop crimping her hair) but they really dumbed Felicity down in order for the blame to fall squarely on Thea's shoulders. Thea approaches Felicity and has to specifically ask her to hack into Susan's computer? When confronted by Oliver, she has no idea what exactly Thea had her plant? I don't buy it. I'm hanging on with the eventual hope of Olicity coming back, but they are making it harder and harder.

I didn't mind the episode and I'm willing to give our new BC a chance (although I did laugh out loud when we found out her name). My biggest problem is that we now find out that Talia is the one who created the Green Arrow. She produced the outfit and literally told Oliver to go back to Starling and start hunting the people on the list. IMO, that really takes a lot away from Oliver's character because it erases his internal motivation and responsibility for becoming a vigilante.

I'm grateful for whatever you share with us, tv echo, so just post the ones you want to (preferably the ones you like and the ones you think are so loathsome you need to vent)! :)

Thanks for those two clips, VCRTracking; they were really neat! It really is remarkable how much of the movie is "movie magic". Sort of apropos, I watched The Bourne Legacy's extras on the weekend and I was really surprised that they actually had Jeremy Renner get into an icy stream in Calgary in the winter and walk out again in order to get the shot. They mentioned that they had consulted with hypothermia experts and had an ambulance standing by, and I really wondered if their need for verisimilitude was worth the risk.

Thanks, VCRTracking, that was great. I'm very sad that this is true since I really enjoy scores and soundtracks. Even when the Marvel composers come up with a semi-decent theme (Bucky's or the fight at the airport), it's pretty much a snippet and not echoed later on.

I'm certain there is a lot of love for his best friend, his brother, and the last remnant of his lost world; I just don't think it is necessarily romantic love, nor do I think that only romantic love could provide enough motivation for Steve to do what he has done for Bucky. I honestly don't have a dog in either hunt; I just wish that Marvel would not give us these very token nods to romantic relationships, which is with one exception (Tony and Pepper), what they've done. Either give us a romantic relationship or don't but don't give us these half-assed attempts to cater to the female population (at least that's what I think they think they're doing). As I've said previously, it's boring for those not interested in romance and annoying for those who do.

Did anyone else giggle when Oliver was taking the oath of office to uphold the laws of Star City? I did. I think everything else I would note has been mentioned already. I'm a little bummed that this show has reached Supernatural levels of interest from me, cheesy fun but not exactly gripping. But hey, at least Arrow's finale was better than the Flash's! PS Given the show's inability to write a coherent plot, entertaining dialogue, cast properly, create consistently good stunts, and properly edit it all together, they should be thanking their stars for Emily Bett Rickards and Stephen Amell. I would have dumped this show faster than Blindspot if their performances and chemistry hadn't kept me here.

I agree with you for the most part, @STOPSHOUTING, but I thought they did a great job with Pepper and Tony, showing the development of their relationship in a mostly realistic and enjoyable way. No question, the Thor/Jane relationship was a snore-fest, I think primarily due to the fact they fell in love at first sight and that was it. It doesn't help that they generally forego rounding out their female characters so I have no real impression of Jane beyond absent minded scientist. Ultimately, I think if they're going to make a romantic relationship part of the plot, they need to devote the time and character development to make it plausible and entertaining. Otherwise, why bother? Poorly done romances irritate the ones who like romance, and just annoy those who don't.

I thought the episode was fun but I had 2 major problems: Malcolm wasn't killed by Thea immediately and the tone felt completely off to me following on the heels of a town being nuked. The witty banter was cute but felt out of place considering the stakes at hand.

If I could vote for "the poster I'm most grateful for", @tv echo, it would be you. I appreciate all the time and energy you put in to keeping us updated on the media. Thank you!

The worst part of the episode was not being able to come here and see all your responses, since I knew the flashbacks would generate a pretty strong (and most likely hilarious!) reaction. I wanted to like Laurel and Katie Cassidy, but pretty much couldn't after the first episode. Despite my dislike of her and intense relief that she's gone, I feel bad for her fans with the way they've sent her off. Like her or not, she was the (at least titular) leading lady of the show with the highest visibility when she was hired and Black Canary was a big part of the Green Arrow comics saga. For the show that was supposed to be mourning both to be so dull and uninvolving, and as a goodbye to a regular, it was incredibly unsatisfying. The retconning nature of the flashbacks was the cherry on top; I definitely got the feeling that either the writers couldn't stand her or they're completely tone deaf as to the implications of the retcons. Lastly, this season seems to have lost it's drive; the hiatus sure didn't help but am I supposed to fear what Darhk's going to do next? I don't know if he even remembers what he was doing with the corn. Not to mention, they all know they just have to break the idol to make him completely powerless so Team Arrow's despairing attitude doesn't really fit.

My pet peeves are those using "myself" when they should be using "me", and salutations that aren't punctuated properly, like "Hi Laura!". What really irritates me though is the excuse that "that's how everyone does it these days so it's not wrong". :( Could someone also explain to me how "on accident" came about? The expression had always been "by accident" but I'm seeing "on" more and more frequently. Last but certainly not least, spelling errors that are made by those clearly not doing even a cursory spell check. I don't mind the homonyms that are actual words but the typos that are plain gibberish irritate me.

I agree completely. The only question I have is when did I become such a DC fan. I never thought I was but given the rage I feel towards this movie, you'd think I'd been utterly betrayed by a trusted friend. I had to consciously relax my arms from time to time as I kept tensing up from sheer anger at what was being done to the characters. The only moment that I and most of the theatre cheered was when Wonder Woman showed up in her uniform. Actually, another question I have is how do you take such time, money, and effort from so many people (ostensibly trying their best) and end up with this crapfest? It's mind boggling. :(

I enjoyed it, even as I groaned over how bullheaded Oliver was about not killing Merlyn. The biggest problem with that for me is, like the poster above, it forces me to think of the real world reasons why they keep John Barrowman around and thus takes me right out of the show. Then I start thinking of all the ways they could have kept him around that would have worked better. :( This BS of him being Thea's blood relative is just not enough of a reasonto keep my suspension of disbelief alive. I legitimately laughed every time Nyssa referred to Oliver as her husband and to Thea as her sister-in-law. I enjoy her as a bad ass and was sorry to see her treated as if she were merely being a headstrong, rebellious teen. If they tranqued her, why couldn't Oliver tranq Merlyn and take the ring off? Lastly, I truly wish they had switched the time proportions around on the 2 main plots. Felicity's family drama was far more interesting and dramatic than the usual posturing by the League folk. It was also far more believable and had more layers to be explored. Instead, we got Dramatics! Fights to the Death! Threats to loved ones! The trading of one McGuffin for another! It was exhausting and uninspiring for me.

I completely agree and believe this points to a bigger problem. It's not just the shippery moments that get short shrift; it's many of the emotional beats that we are missing. It's like they cut the scene off 5 seconds too early all the time, the most egregious example being directly after Oliver pulled a wounded Felicity out of the car. This is their big cliff hanger and they don't even let us see Oliver's reaction completely. It's really a shame because I think I come to understand and like characters due to their emotional reactions to events so when we don't get them it's hard to care. What I'm bitter about is that I used to love this show and rush here to see everyone's reaction and read lots of fanfic and anticipated what was going to happen next and dread the hiatus but then season 3 happened and although season 4 is a big improvement, the bloom is off the rose. I still enjoy the show (most of the time and not counting the flashbacks) but it's certainly no longer a passion of mine. :(

It's a shame that they don't throw in a line, here or there, about Walter, about Laurel's training, various other things, something to indicate that while they can't fit a scene in, they at least acknowledge the issue. I could at least credit them with being on the ball if not able to actualize the scene due to budget, timing or actor availability shortfalls.

I worry that the Arrow writers/show runners like John Barrowman so much, they'll do the same thing, long past the point of absurdity. The logic contortions they used in season 3 to keep him relevant were exhausting; I hope he's written (killed) off soon! It's always a bad thing when when plotting is overcome by out-of-show reasons and you end up with such inconsistent characterization.

Very late to the party but wanted to add my 2 cents. I didn't mind the 8th season; the only thing that drove me absolutely nuts was that Hannah made zero attempt to disguise her appearance and no one suggested even once to Harrison that he shouldn't mention her. I know it was done for drama purposes but it made them all seem painfully stupid. I thought the ending was not satisfying and it reduces the chance of me doing a re-watch of the series down to zero, due primarily to Deb being killed. I would have been okay with an ending that exposed Dexter (as long as Debra wasn't implicated) as I would have enjoyed seeing the reaction of all of his colleagues. My dream ending would have been Saxon killing Hannah and Dexter taking him out in time to save Harrison but getting mortally injured. Deb would end up with Harrison who is now as traumatised as little Dex was and the cycle could commence again.

It was very illuminating and depressing at the same time. Women have come a long way in the last 100 years, but we seem to have stalled out about 30 years ago. The fact that some women consider the word "feminist" a pejorative speaks for itself. :(

It was the one line I didn't care for and took me right out but the rest of the movie is hilarious enough that it was worth it. Just roll your eyes and move on, is the best strategy I think.

I need relationships, all types of relationships, to enjoy a show. Non-stop action would be a pretty empty experience for me. I still watch Supernatural but it's despite the total lack of relationships on the show, not because of it. I feel like the show became this never ending hamster wheel when they stopped having the characters grow and to me, that is what makes people grow, their relationship to other people, romantic or otherwise. I enjoyed Arrow's finale primarily because I was relieved it wasn't as terrible as the rest of the season and it was good enough that I will definitely be watching at least the beginning of season 4. Considering that the vast majority of reviews I've read singled out how much better the finale was than the rest of the season (i.e. the season was bad), I have hope that despite the ratings, the writers will recognize that they just can't coast along with the occasional intro of a canon hero or villain to make things interesting. I've been apathetic pretty much since TSOOFS (I can't even get interested in reading fanfic any more!), so for me, either it improves quickly or I will move on. There is a plethora of genre shows on or coming next season so I don't feel like I'll be missing out.

Thank you, tv echo, for doing all the work of finding all these reviews and posting/linking them. I really appreciate being able to find a round up so easily. :)