writersblock51

I didn't know that about SH but I understand why it happened and am seeing the results now. I am back to enjoying the show more than I was in October, that's for sure. Interesting!!! I'm bitter because the showrunners, the network and DC know what the most popular pieces of the Arrow puzzle are and how they fit together best. There was plenty of hype and focus coming out of SDCC about that. The introduction of Ra's generated a great deal of excitement and anticipation. But in the quest to be - I don't even really know what the goal is - different? edgy? epic? game changing? The show took those pieces and broke them away from each other, forcing them with other pieces (that don't fit) or leaving them on their own............. the entire puzzle is now a mess, IMO. Few pieces are working. It's a big puzzle, too. Criticism is deflected by MG, often in a childish and unprofessional manner. Yes, he's running the show under the vision that he and the other EPs (and network and DC) have in mind. But are they all collectively so out of touch that they look solely at the demo and other rating metrics without understanding the sentiments being expressed across social media? Is anyone is paying attention to the criticism (much of it is reasonable and constructive, too)? If so, who? Do they have enough influence to step in if necessary? I keep thinking Greg Berlanti or Geoff Johns will but so far, GB is busy with the Oscars and I have no idea when Geoff John sleeps. He's everywhere but on Arrow. That leaves the show in the hands of a writer who doesn't see the boundaries of stalking, finds joy in making the hero-titled character as miserable as possible (why does Oliver even bother returning to Starling City, anyway?), and would rather try to WOW us with superheroes who aren't named Oliver Queen or Arrow. A writer who says he loves Diggle, Felicity and Thea but clearly prefers those characters who have a pre-2012 comic book counterpart. A writer who has also admitted to LOVING riling fans up and ticking them off. Who the hell wants to risk fans? I get that the show is getting a 4th season and syndication. But how about a 5th? How about a strong legacy? How about a show the steadily goes UP in ratings? For all of my appreciation of comic books over most of my life, I've seen enough of Arrow to know that I do NOT want 'just a comic book version.' MG (and the other EPs) have stated publicly that they are not bound by the comics. But actions speak much louder than words and so yes, they have bound themselves by the comics. Every time a new person (hero or villain) shows up on Arrow with metahuman powers, Oliver becomes less relevant. I wish the show would remember that this has been established as Oliver's story, first and foremost.

I can't even begin to speculate what's going to happen around the 18th and 19th episodes (with the Flash's 18th thrown in). However, based on how things overall look to be going, I think the following are more likely than not to happen: - Quentin's rage over the loss of his daughter, the betrayal of his other daughter and ex-wife, will be further fueled once he finds out about Thea being the killer, Malcolm being alive and pulling all the strings, and Arrow protecting both master-mind and puppet - Quentin may or may not have more serious heart problems brewing. I don't think he'll fall off the wagon but his health will start failing - Laurel tries to prove to Quentin that she can handle being Black Canary but he rebuffs her at every angle. His rage grows - Quentin finally comes to terms with Oliver being the Arrow - confirming everything he felt about the S1 vigilante; Arrow is a serial killer who needs to be in prison, or worse - Quentin, at season's end, will die a hero's death, in the arms of Laurel, who he will forgive. She's now motivated to be the hero Quentin told her she was - Laurel returns in S4 but goes off to train. She gives up her ADA job because she really wasn't good at it after all and had stopped showing up at the office anyway - Felicity and Ray date, he's smitten, she's charmed but she's lying to herself. She really loves Oliver but she just can't with him - Ray flies, he's awesome and he realizes that he doesn't have Felicity's full attention so he suggests they move to Central City - Ray becomes the new benefactor of STAR Labs and renames it to Palmer Labs - Ray pops the question to Felicity in the season finale and she says yes while realizing that it's a mistake but she ignores that voice inside her head - she's uber practical! - Diggle becomes a stay at home dad because the writers stil can't figure out how to write for him - Lyla is still in ARGUS - Diggle is in the consultant role, wants to get back invovled but then Lyla is killed so he can't take any risks - Diggle returns in S4 as the tech person because... - everyone, including Ray, thinks Felicity is on her way to join him in CC but she's actually been kidnapped by Slade, who escaped his brief stint with ARGUS and got Felicity to remove the implanted bomb from his body - Felicity only agrees to help him with that because he threatens to kill Oliver if she doesn't - we don't know if Felicity will be on Arrow, the Flash or the Atom come Season 4 - maybe she'll be on ALL OF THEM - Thea and Roy step in where Diggle had stepped out while he switches to comm duty And Oliver... - Oliver remains miserable because the show cannot let him be happy for more then 7 minutes at a time. Or in an episode - He gets money from Walter (unseen, of course) to get QC back from Palmer, who sells at rock bottom, because he's so happy he got the girl, the suit and is ready to be the big fish in another pond - He thinks Felicity is happy with Ray so he resolves to be Arrow/OQ without her; he's convinced Felicity never loved him because she never said the words (MG will insist she does in a series of snarky Tumblr Q&As) - Laurel is now his right hand ally (before she goes off to train in the summer) - final scene is of Oliver in the lair, alone, miserable. He sees one of the computer screens flicker and there's an image of Felicity, laying still (asleep? dead? unconscious?) on a bed at an unknown location; he gets a call from a modulated voice that says "She's mine now" - it's NOT an Australian accent, though - We get a final look at Oliver's angry, brooding face with clenched jaw Credits

Thank you - this is exactly what he does and I find it appalling while also understandable. There's more stuff shown of Original Team Arrow and Olicity, it seems, in the 2.5 comics than on the show. I wonder how he feels about Diggle and Felicity not being in the new run of the Green Arrow comics starting in June? Two of his cash cows, so to speak, not in the comics. Guess there will be an Arrow 3.5 comic run to keep fans happy? It's hard to shake the feeling that he views fans of Team Arrow and Olicity for their wallets only. I get that there's a bottom line and I'm fine with that. But it's the entertainment industry. Push fans too far, they stop buying and watching and reading and move onto another comic series, book or show/movie.

I think it's still early to know what's going to happen in terms of who will be coming back in Season 4 but I do think there are a lot of possibilities, as you've listed. What I do know is that the show is over crowded in the hero department - suits, masks or none of that identity hiding stuff. Something has to give. I also think that the show's love of Ray & the Atom is problematic because it's so close to Oliver's story (to fix the city & protect the one(s) he cares about) AND he has spiffy 'powers' that make archery more antiquated than ever. So I think the show, at the very least, has to deal with the Atom/Ray situation first and foremost. Everything depends on how the Atom fits into this show, this season, in the remaining episodes before figuring out where he may go to next - or if he stays. I think the Atom issue is more critical to the overall tone of the show than Roy, Thea and (gulp) Laurel. At least none of them are supernaturally strong or have powers anymore. For better or worse, they can still fit into the mostly grounded world of Starling City and Arrow. And Oliver's Green Arrow can be the main hero. I think having an expanded team is ok for certain crises such as when a Big Bad is causing immediate harm and from multiple angles. I think this is where HIVE andor ARGUS could present interesting challenges. Yet those kinds of battles cannot be sustained, IMO, over an entire season with every episode featuring those confiicts. There needs to be character development, build up and connections made with the audience so that we understand the conflict when it happens and care about who wins and why. But I think the Team Arrow dynamic of Oliver, Diggle and Felicity needs to remain at the core. If Thea becomes Speedy, Artemis or someone, then the show has the makings of a younger offshoot group that deals with specific problems. Maybe Sin (and perhaps Thea and Roy have other friends as well?) gets pulled in over time, too. All the bad guys seem enthralled by the Glades - let the young team tackle some of that. Team Arrow should move to another location since everyone knows the code to their current lair anyway... Maybe even get out of the Glades? it's become a running gag that they need to change the locks. The show continues to have the problem of being crushed under the weight of its cast. This happened last year, and I believe we're in the midst of it again. I absolutely understand the temptation to dip into the DC universe and play with some characters but I wish the show would pace itself. The rest of this season shouldn't see the introduction of a new hero that we haven't already had an allusion to this season. As for Nyssa and Laurel... I can't fathom the reason why the LoA would be remotely interested in Laurel. None. And has the show abandoned all pretense of Laurel working full time in the DA's office? I wish they would. Even a throwaway line from Laurel saying she's asked for and received approval for a personal leave of absence while she works through her sister's tragic death would help add some credibility.

This made my day. And then I wanted to curl into a ball and cry. This has been just one of the GAPING holes that seems to be completely glossed over by the show when it comes to Malcolm. I love JB but the show is not doing him, the character he plays so well, the credibility of the show or why we should care about him any favors but letting these gaps happen. At some point, Malcolm needs to be held accountable. And the LoA needs to be presented as an omniscent, dangerous organization worthy of his *and our* fear. It feels like the show is relying on the Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, Ra's/League of Assassins reputation that is inherently known to comic book fans. Not everyone who watches the show is familar with him and them. The show has to do a much better job of showing the scope of their influence, brand of justice and codes.

Wigs are a good idea in terms of helping to mask an identity but long hair (loose, in a pony tail or braid, or a wig) is a HORRIBLE choice in fighting. Look at the female boxers and fighters - their hair is tightly scraped back and twisted into a bun or braid - and then seems matted down. There's little to grab onto. Felicity's pony tail is problematic. Thea, Lyla and Waller know what they're doing. But Arrow's villains are the same long risk - Cupid, China White and Huntress. Black Widow's shortened hair in the Avengers & Captain America 2 made far more sense than her flowing locks in Iron Man 2. SImilar to Peggy Carter's functionable yet stylish and flattering style. But long, flowing hair has long been a staple in comics, movies and tv. It flows, looks feminine to some, and is still extremely impractical. But as long as the looks matter more than functionality, the long hair is here to stay for most female characters. I don't know if Sara needed the wig to change her attitude as much as the outfit. I don't recall if CL ever talked about the wig separately. I know KC did and it was all about aesthetics. *eyeroll* I was not happy with Digg's comments to Oliver that basically cut Oliver's experiences down while propping Laurel's up. It was completely unbelievable to me and seemed rather OOC. Digg has connected to Oliver numerous times in the past because of their similar fighting and violent experiences; Oliver has never once diminshed Digg's experience. I'd really love to know what DR thinks about Digg's about face regarding Laurel on the team and out on the field.

Who are her targets and why? My take is that she could have a plan that all of this is leading to but I have no idea what it is and how Oliver fits into it. So in the meantime, her thugs and Oliver/Maseo do her bidding. They do it because she threatens them but what is it that she's ultimately after? and why should I, as a viewer, care? I know that Oliver makes it back to Starling City eventually, his mother and sister and best friend were NOT killed off while Waller was constantly threatening him. So I know, as a viewer, that her threats don't come to fruition. Maybe 'agency' isn't the best word. Perhaps 'purpose' is better?

I watched the show in full snark mode but off the DVR so that I could gauge what to expect. In no particular order... Oliver and Thea - I think Malcolm's reasoning was a bit off BUT whatever gets Thea into the loop about Oliver, fine. It's not like logic applies anyway. I enjoyed the reveal to Thea, with less words at first, relying instead on the lights coming on bit by bit. The whole scene was well done and massive kudos to SA and WH for using facial expressions and body language to express so much. Oliver's patent relief at her reaction nearly broke my heart. But here's the thing... the final look on Thea's face during their hug - we see it, Oliver doesn't - unnerved me a bit. So much so that I rewound to watch it again. I think she already knew his I'm the Arrow secret. In fact, I think she's playing a con on him with MM's blessing. To what end, I don't know, but that one look? Suspicious, IMO. Moving on... Roy - I appreciate that he has more confidence. I think it's been some time in coming. I'd hope for more training but this show rushes in, so fine. But his confidence also rings hollow because he's flipping on his stance on Malcolm just like his parkour-tranq pattern. His view on Malcolm seems to mirror Thea's - normal, to a point. but not admirable and certainly not worth a vote in terms of what the team ought to do. Felicity - had a couple of shade lines ("You're leaving again" in that voice) but otherwise... I was not happy with the writing. I think EBR did a fine job but I think it was a rough episode for her character. I think her smack down of Oliver was 99.99% about their relationship as a couple and hardly about the team dynamics. I wish someone had reminded her (and Diggle and Roy) that the team may have tried their best while he was gone but things had gone to hell in the Glades nonetheless. Brick inexplicably took control after a week, I think. The mayor gave up shortly there after and never bothered to ask for help (like the National Guard). Laurel's Canary was still WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY over her head. So, no, team. I don't think Oliver deserved to be smacked down. By any of them. Diggle - I love Diggle but why wasn't he in the field. There is no valid reason for him staying in the lair during the fighting. None. Oh wait, I know - it's because this was all about.... Laurel - there is no way I will like her, root for her or respect her. She should be training non stop, give up her day job as an ADA and go somewhere to do the training. Because she stinks. She has to be rescued twice. After insisting that she doesn't need help. KC's stunt double did a very good job. I personally found the Canary vs Canary fights confusing, though. I ended up focusing on the buckles on the pants to know who was who. Lovely.... Quentin - Paul Blackthorne did a great job. He always nails the heartbroken stuff to the point that I need tissues. I hope we get more of his reaction next episode. Such as how will he feel when he finds out how long Sara's been dead, how she died, how and where she is buried and who knew. I hope Laurel and Dinah get the brunt of his anger. I also hope Laurel takes the full responsibility of being the one who decided to keep the truth for him THIS WHOLE TIME and telling everyone to lie to Quentin at her request. And that Dinah encouraged her to find the killer outside of legal channels. How proud he'll be... Hong Kong - I like Maseo, a lot. But this flashbacks this episode were either blah or extremely disturbing (waterboarding - wish they'd left it out). What did we learn that we didn't already know that would be helpful to know? NOTHING. But possibly this: Thea had substance abuse problems at that time, pre Vertigo of S1. If Thea becomes Speedy, could this drug use be the nod to Speedy's drug addiction in the comics? Otherwise, Waller remains evil for the sake of being evil but still has no agency. Why on earth is Oliver so critical to her plans? Will this ever be explained? and how will it play into current day? I miss Moira. I really wish the show hadn't killed her off. I think Moira and Malcolm's battle over Thea would have made for good storytelling on the show and further all three character's development in the process. Sara - I'm still bitter about her death and this episode merely ramped up the feelings I had. I don't understand this show. I really don't. After all the screen time of Season 2, the investment in writing her past and present (with implications of so much that we could understand how it ALL determined who she'd become).... to just piss it all away is baffling and upsetting. The 'light' talk is equally baffing. How much does Felicity really know Laurel? Didn't Felicity ask her, not that long ago, if they were favor friends? Where did the closeness begin with these 2? Didn't Laurel herself acknowledge the darkness inside her that wouldn't ever leave? Hallucination Sara was entertaining to a fault (I always enjoy CL in a stunt scene) but then she called Laurel a 'bitch' and I was DONE. I was furious, in fact. Either the show forgot Sara's very strong contempt for that specific word OR Laurel's subconscious exposed how little she knew Sara after all. I don't suppose we'll ever know which but it took me completely out of the scene in a very angry way. The only stunt that I actually enjoyed was when Oliver and Roy jumped out of the exploding buidling. It was after that scene that I realized that the stunts have been a lot less impressive and frequent from last year. Or at least it feels that way to me. Why didn't Laurel's face show how badly she'd been beaten? She should have been a horrible, mishapen mess for the rest of the episode. I found Count Vertigo very underwhelming this epsiode, which can be added to the list of tragedies that is this episode. I don't understand Malcolm's reasoning of going to Lian Yu. Why do they need to go there? Oh right, to see Slade. *eye roll* Ra's still seems so distant and not scary that I'm changing my mind about who is the Big Bad of the season. I had thought Malcolm but then I figured it was Ra's. I mean, it's Ra's Al Ghul. Of course he'd be the Big Bad. But there's a distinct lack of urgent threat from him (so far) that contrasts greatly from Deathstroke's plan this time last year. If a viewer of the show isn't a Batman fan, would Ra's seem scary? I don't think so. At this point, my money is on Waller/ARGUS and possibly even HIVE. Who knows? Maybe it's China White. Waller certainly can't wait to kill her. One last thought - is there any chance that the episodes since 3.10 are really one big dream/nightmare of Oliver's? I think I'd prefer that.

For every glowing, over the top review there's a review that comes in at the other end of the scale of negativity, it seems. And then there are the reviews that make me wonder if they watched the same episode that I did. 2 details that the review by Death TARDIS overlooks - or assumes - for whatever reasons: - Laurel is known on the show as Laurel Lance. She's not Dinah. She's never been Dinah. Her mother's name is DInah and she's not BC either - Oliver isn't being called Green Arrow yet, though I don't know why. So no, Dinah Lance and Green Arrow aren't fighting alongside each other because neither exist on the show These are nitty gritty details, to be sure. But I think the reviewer is overlooking them out of bias and/or enthusiasm. And it's affects my takeaway from the review itself.

I thought the casting dept did a very good job getting a young actress to play Nyssa who looked ilke it could be her. That was a good scene with Malcolm, too. I think the Stephen trend was a long time coming, to be honest. The most recent scheduled trends have been about EBR/Felicity and even some DR/Diggle. There are going to be trends, that's a thing now (and I think the show pays attention to a point). It's free publicity, too. Stephen/Oliver seems to be less of a focus so this one was nice for him.

Her recent con-cancellations have the feeling of being better dealed. Meaning she was signed up to attend until a better deal came up. She has every right to do that but I also think that pattern is problematic for many reasons. If nothing else, cons may reconsider inviting her in the future.

BR is a class act for all of the crap he gets from his Superman stint and again on "Chuck." I appreciate that he handles it all with so much grace and humor. I still wish Ray was being played as less creepy but I think BR is doing what's expected for the role. Having read the comments by MG on how Ray is being written, I think BR is doing a fine job with the material he's been given. SA's deleting sprees are hysterical. I'm with him - the posting of clips of the Danish archer is unrelenting. It's absolutely not that archer's fault. It's purely a matter of people either trolling to be idiots OR people posting without seeing that the clips have already been posted MULTIPLE times already. SA's tone is sarcastic and prone to include cursing if he's ticked or overly excited. I don't always agree with his approach but he's been consistent that way.

I agree - but miscommunication is a big part of how this show makes sure drama and angst are stretched out. I don't know if Oliver will even get into the nitty gritty details of how he escaped death and was without access to a phone, we'll see. If he doesn't explain that yet the other team members are angry at him, then it's another time that the writing has made a situation out of a scenario that should have been smooth and reasonable. Another example of how miscommunication (or lack of any comunication) can make for unnecessary angst and drama - if Oliver doesn't get the chance or the inclination to tell Felicity that she was the last person he thought of as he was dying - or that she was who he dreamt of while he was recovering - then Felicity is missing out on some key details that the viewers have. These kinds of gaps are frustrating, in my opinion. I think they are thrown in there to create or worse problems. This is all on the writers, too. But it's often the actors and characters who get the blame.

I generally like Ben Sokolowski's work. Not a fan of Wendy Mericle or Beth Schwartz. And MG's work on the show AND paper consistently underwhelms me. So while I'm surprised Ben S was working on this episode, I'm not ready to proactively eye roll every future episode he's working on. But Wendy M, Beth S and MG? Yes. The GJ tweet seemed so incredibly random that it rattled me. I like him a lot - in the comics and for the various shows. I don't remember seeing him give that kind of declaration to any other cast members, either. So does it actually mean - "contract renewal" or was he showing support in the event that the reviews of the episode, and her performance, were harsh? or are they having an affair (which would explain quite a bit and would confirm my husband's long time theory of how she remains on the show)? I do think the cast and crew have shown KC a lot of social media love around specific episodes but it seems to be a one way street.

I wonder if Diggle, Felicity, Roy and now Laurel will be happy to see Oliver but kinda ticked that he didn't get in touch with ANY OF THEM before just showing up as the Arrow. If that's the case, then yes, I think they will be a little mutinous towards him because they're not sure what to make of him now. It's not like he was easy to work with before. Heaven knows how they're all going to feel about working with someone who came back from the dead (and not just 'presumed dead') and has dealt with Ra's.

Limbo, I think I'd rather talk about Donna here than the rest of the show. Pretty telling, I'd say. I love Donna but she's a perky drop in a big bucket.

IF Donna is the one in the hospital and Felicity visits her, alone, then I have one other theory about why such a scene would matter. Donna THINKS she's going to die (hopefully she doesn't) and she tells Felicity news about her father. Turns out she knows where he is or something. Felicity doesn't let anyone know about the news or him because she wants to do her own special brand of research on him first. that's just a small enough nugget to carry into Season 4 and potentially have some kind of perilous impact on Felicity and Oliver, even if they aren't a couple.

Exept when she was - by DC, the EPs, as an action figure and a Lego game character. I think curiosity about how Laurel's version would play out was a factor in viewership, whether to entice people to watch or to turn them away. Caity Lotz was also listed as a guest star for the episode. But only her voice was used. I doubt it affected ratings but the tease seemed to indicate that she'd be seen, not just heard.

How did the ratings hold up at the half hour mark? I can't see that figure in the link. If the show lost some viewers for the 2nd half, that could indicate that once Oliver was known to be alive and walking/talking that interest waned a tad. if it held steady, then people wanted to see the rest of the episode with all that it brought. I don't give any credence to the opinions of the commenters on IMDB.

I think the 3rd party to be the latest wedge between Oliver and Felicity is Malcolm. And the wedding sounds like layers of awkward, angst and catastrophe if the Suicide Squad shows up too.

Actually, I think once Quentin finds out the truth - and the extent to which Laurel, Dinah (family he trusts) and Team Arrow (<--- strangers he's learned to trust and care about) lied and actively deceived him - he will have a massive heart attack. On his dying breath, he'll forgive Laurel, see Ghostly Sara and go off to the light with his favorite daughter. No comment on the Felicity/Ray/Oliver stuff. I didn't watch last night except for specific clips online later. The promos and MGs answers don't inspire any confidence that I'll enjoy what's coming up.

This. I agree with all of this. Strongly. This show seems to have forgotten that it owes the character of Laurel NOTHING. And, unless there is specific language in Katie Cassidy's contract, it owes her NOTHING more than some screen time and a paycheck. I did not watch 3.11 and I'm likely going to see only specific clips of it online. It's not on my DVR. Reading the comments about the episode and some Twitter comments from the few fans that I follow who watched it (though most of them seemed to have watched in Full Snark Mode) have convinced me that the sum of Laurel's story do not make her better than her parts. I would have thought there'd be some Felicity/Diggle scenes but it doesn't seem to be. And I am digusted at her role in the ruse against Quentin. This is on the writers - who continue to think nothing of writing Felicity as someone who would stand up to Moira and risk losing Oliver but now bows to enabling Laurel to further, cruelly and recklessly, lie to Quentin. Why wasn't Diggle or Roy the one to talk Felicity back to the team's mission? Why Laurel? Why is Laurel even in a position to best someone like Brick on a show that's still showing that Oliver is learning how to fight, be a leader, be a hero? He's on Year 7, she's on month 4. Just f&cking unbelievable. And I just can't even deal with Ray. I think the Maseo, Tatsu and Oliver scenes sound worth watching. And maybe some Thea stuff. And one disturbing kiss - the one that will send a part of the fanbase into Tumblr ecstacy but still didn't come off with a clear message after all.

I get that MG is having fun and can't go into TOO much detail because he doesn't want to divulge too much AND he's trying to get everyone to tune in... but I was instantly concerned about his interest in bringing Jason Todd/Red Hood onto the show. Just no. HELL no. And that made me wonder - if he thinks Arrow is a good place for that character to show up on, then it doesn't bode well (IMO) for the show overall.

What a lovely post by Glen Winter!! And thanks, Kymmi, for sharing it here. I don't follow Glen Winter's career but I think it could be that he's going to be busy directing other shows and knows this is it for him, for this season, on Arrow. Hopefully he'll be back for a few episodes in Season 4. The Diggle/Roy fight scene in the warehouse was very well done, I think. One of the highlights of the episode for me.

It will be interesting how the ratings will fare in the next few Oliver-lite episodes. I don't think the demos will change in terms of relative percentages among one ot the other. MG was on Tumblr, again, and discussed, among other things, a few things coming up that involve present day Oliver. I can't help but think that those little tidbits are to assure viewers that Oliver will be on screen during the upcoming arc, even if not as much as usual. This is a subtle change in emphasis. I strongly suspect that he's putting those tidbits out because they too are concerned about a dip in ratings. Maybe they aren't so confident in Laurel as BC and Brick as a bad guy being enough to sustain ratings? I did see some tweets that people who had planned to not watch the next 2 episodes were now willing to give it a shot, solely because of the chance to see present day Oliver again.