statsgirl

When the Queen's Gambit sank, Oliver, Tommy and Laurel were 22, Sara was 20. My head canon is that the three met in their prep school in grade 9, which is usually an entrance year for private schools. The party where Sara first met Oliver could have been a few years later, but that would mean that Oliver wasn't hanging out at Laurel's house in the meantime, which also makes sense to me.

Has anyone seen X Company? It's a new short (6 episode) show from people who brought you Flashpoint and Orphan Black, about five Allied spies during WWII, with Evelyne Brochu (Delphine) Jack Laskey (Endeavor) and Warren Brown (Luthor). Laskey's character is based on a real life synesthete (all his five senses were connected). There's lots of cool stuff at the show's site, such as this was actually called HYDRA and the base, called The Farm (where the CIA took the name from ) trained more than 500 Allied agents, including from the FBI and Office of Strategic Services, as well as British agents like Ian Fleming (passed on his swimming abilities to James Bond), Noel Coward and David Ogilvie (advertising master). I thought the show was very well done but too emotionally violent for me.

KC's interview canon is always Oliver/Laurel and that Tommy was the interloper. No one else has said that, and it makes no sense given young Tommy and young Oliver scenes in Uprising. Quentin as a young cop and Dinah starting an academic career couldn't have afforded that fancy schmancy prep school, and the Queens and Merlyns were friends from way back, and there's no way the Lance's would have fit into that social group. Also, the impression from the island flashback about Sara being grounded so Laurel could get Oliver that I got is that Sara didn't meet Oliver until she was old enough to want to go to parties and be with cute guys. If Oliver and Laurel had been friends from childhood, Sara would have met him much earlier. So again, KC's interviews don't match up with what's on the show. Re Tommy taking advantage of Laurel -- way to take away Laurel's agency, KC.

I think if there were an Atom spin-off, Brandon Routh would be tweeting it. Sadly, nothing, just a lot of pictures from the episode. I wonder if 118 or 319 are back-door spin-offs. I think it's unlikely to get picked up next season since the CW has renewed just about every show they have, although they might try a mini-series like Galavant or Agent Carter. If that happens, I can see Felicity starting it off as Ray's girl Friday. I told Oliver he should trade MM for Thea's safety. But does he ever listen to me? Nooooooo.

It looks like when MG said he wanted to extend beyond the Oliver/Diggle/Felicity Team Arrow, what he really meant was "you will never again see the Team you watch this show for" Why is Felicity stuck with stupid Ray Palmer when everyone else gets to have fun with the A plot? Grrrr, I hate Ray Palmer and Laurel for keeping Team Arrow apart. Ahem.... At least Diggle is finally let out in the field. It makes no sense that Oliver would go to Nanda Parbat to save MM, but nothing he's done this season has made sense.

They ramped up the Tommy scenes just before he died, and this time last season was all about Slade and Sara. Yeah, I'm delusional but I'm hoping that's why the big emphasis on Laurel now. If it's to make her co-lead of the show, count me out. If in the season finale Felicity leaves for CC with Ray, count me out of season 4 altogether. Remember Moira contacted Ra's to tell him Malcolm was still alive and she's Moira's daughter. Maybe Moira's address book was in storage and Thea got Ra's that way. Or maybe she followed Moira's steps. I agree with everyone else, killing Quentin is not a game changer because he's barely there. Well maybe in the sense that it frees up Laurel to go full on Blackmail Canary and they would have to get someone else in the police department to help them (How is Mysteries of Laura doing? Is Janina Gavrakis free?) but other than that, nothing different. The Flash is already too busy, and Caitlyn's there for basically provide Felicity's role. I think there's already an anti-Felicity feeling among the Flash's audience because they want more Iris, and I think it will get worse after 118. Ray prop duty. Remember, Oliver told him that guys like them don't get the girl, and Barry has already moved on himself.

Very true, millennium. It was when it became a group endeavor in season 1 that Arrow really hit its stride. Now Oliver has to fight for space alongside Laurel, Malcolm and Ray, and it took until ep 14 for Thea to finally get a showcase. I think the Arrow cave gets too crowded at more than four people. Now that Thea knows and Malcolm is always dropping in, there's seven, and if Ray joins it will be eight. The show is beginning to look like Grey's Anatomy.

This same week a year ago was a repeat. Is that what they're comparing this to? The next new episode was Time of Death, one of the most disliked episodes of season 2 on February 26th.

I hope not. I've always disliked how Criminal Minds minimized Garcia for the traditionally pretty female characters. Not to mention, to push Felicity aside in favor of Laurel as lead female would be a show-killer IMO. If Laurel had been popular enough to take the lead female position, there wouldn't have been a need to make Felicity more than recurring. Marc Guggenheim got a lot of hate tweets for that scene.

We're still in February sweeps for this episode. I think maybe the next one too. Other than Sara, the worst-rated episodes were those about Laurel/without Felicity (although Draw Back Your Bow doesn't do well). Huge bump with the cross-over though, I can see why they're keep to have Cisco come to visit. After the cross-over, the demo stays fairly high, but you can see the number of viewers slip slidin' away, especially after Laurel - focused episodes. Do they still rely only on the demo, or is overall viewers also taken into account now?

Glad you're okay. There are people out in the Maritimes who have been without power for 4 days now and huge snowdrifts. I don't know how they do it. I know you're supposed to keep an emergency supply of food and water and medicine, but I'm ashamed to say I don't. I did get a lot of candles though after the ice storm last year.

I get the feeling that Oliver thinks he's already lost Felicity since she walked out on him when he got back. Hence the stone face, because he didn't want Slade to know. He's still fighting for Thea though, and winning since she told Malcolm Merlyn off at the end of the episode. God forbid he actually try to fight for Felicity, though. I've had three self-defense classes, so I think I may be up on you. I haven't had any legal training, I think that might hinder my being a vigilante though, I don't want to be distracted by the idea of laws and courts and all that irrelevant stuff. Proof that in spite of fathering Tommy and Thea, Laurel is Malcolm's true heir. (There should be a Harry Potter reference for that.)

Let us know when you get it back on, and stay warm.

First he wanted to save the city because of his dead fiance/wife (whatever, Brandon). Then when he saw Felicity in danger, he realized he wanted to save her. (Anyone with a kidney basin?) So now Felicity is going to be his inspiration rather than Anna. And Felicity is going to try to keep him from going overboard like Oliver does. And meanwhile Oliver, having left the city yet again, and I guess he's still there a month later for The Offer on March 18th. So much for his crusade to save the city. Then Diggle gets married, with Ray going as Felicity's +1, and then Felicity is off to Central City with Ray, where presumably she gets hurt. How can I not love this season? ETA: I just saw the promo for the next episode. Lots of Malcolm, Ra's Oliver, Thea, plus Diggle and Laurel and of course Ray in his new suit. There is one shot of Felicity, a group shot with Oliver, Diggle and Roy in the front, Laurel just behind them and Felicity waaaay in the back. Is that Oliver hanging from the ropes being tortured. I can't wait. [/sarcasm]

Good luck, SonofaBiscuit. Stay warm, leaving the taps dripping a bit. I found out last year that a few tealights in a glass jar can provide a fair bit of heat. Apparently, this is the coldest winter since 1934.

I can't see her being pitted because she doesn't have a costume so she's not important enough to waste the Pit on. I have a very low opinion of MG's show-running but I can't see the CW letting him kill off Felicity.

I still don't understand how Robert thought to tell Oliver to correct his mistakes and save the city for him, when he thought they were just going out on a safe trip on the seas. Because if he knew the boat was going to go down, there's no way he would have taken Oliver. It really takes away the punch of the life raft scene to know Robert had it all planned out just in case.

Season 3 -- the season everyone gets stupid.

No. I think you're right. He looked very uncomfortable on the ArrowAfterShow even while he was saying "trust the writers. "

It's a good example of when a show runner's head gets too big. (Are you following, MG?) I tried with SGU but I just couldn't last past a few episodes. I think the producers wanted to take the Stargate franchise in an edgier, younger direction (gloriously mocked in 200) and the fans wanted more of what they loved. I thought Sanctuary was more the child of SG1 than SGU.

I think he does see the problems, given how uncomfortable he gets at times when asked about parts of the show and his tells when talking about KC/Laurel. But what's the guy to do? He can't pan it, he can't even say what parts he doesn't like. All he can do it build up what he does like, which seems to be mostly the stunts these days.

Robert Dougherty, on Arrow's Season 3 Big Bad problem:

David Ramsey said at that con that thank goodness they brought Felicity into the cave because until then it was just Oliver and Diggle growling at each other. This season, Felicity's been added to that growling. I've always been very against the idea of Felicity actually dating Ray much less sleeping with him. But right now, I almost think I'd enjoy it, just to get Felicity to have a bit of happy times. That's what this show had done to me.

I dunno, I thought the hospital corridor kiss did the job, which was to sell me on the love. I don't need to see sexy times, I'm good with it playing out in my mind or in fanfic. (Honestly, the stuff with Cooper was cringe-worthy) I didn't like the kiss with Ray because Felicity was in love with Oliver at the time and it made her look needy to be kissing Ray because she couldn't get Oliver (To me, anyway)

When you think of it, Caitlyn with her medical training would be more use in the lair than Laurel. I understand that they need to move the show beyond just O/D/F so it doesn't get stale (although it never hurt NCIS). But if you lessen the good, you need something as good to make up for what you've lost. Oliver, Diggle and Felicity functioned perfectly. Even now, with the conflict over Malcolm Merlyn, I feel like it could have been resolved if it were only the three of them dealing with it.