SleepDeprived

I low-key want Vigilante to be E2 Felicity Smoak. Because wtf at Arrow wasting EBR's amazing athleticism. Same, girl. And his further reasoning that he thought of Felicity's paralysis as being due to the villain's villainy and not related to gun violence further proved to me that he had absolutely no intention of actually seriously tackling the issue and just wanted to be seen as a socially conscious/relevant show. He didn't want Felicity's POV because it was unnecessary for his own purposes and he couldn't be arsed to delve into what happened to Felicity as what should've been one of the primary points of that PSA episode. I hope someone with a better head on their shoulders (come on and try to be useful, Wendy! Beth! Berlanti! Heck, even the Crafts and Services people!) is able to stop Guggenheim from going through with this BLM episode. But with his tendency to be defensive and double down on his terrible ideas, especially when he constantly gets criticism over it on social media, I'm guessing he's already starting the outline for this episode with talking points, counterarguments, and a checklist of nonsensical toeing-the-line bs that leads to nothing and lacks any sort of nuance or sensitivity that a complex issue such as BLM ought to be treated with. *sigh*

Dear Mother of God... Take that back!!! No! Je refuse! I was so appalled to read Guggenheim seemingly shrugging off concerns and stating (and on such a public forum as Twitter) that they'll just bring in a token POC so they can do this PSA episode. Like??! If he doesn't see the awful optics and implications of that, then he/the Arrow writers room is absolutely not equipped to do this storyline. Honestly, based on Guggie's old tweets about powder keg real-life issues, he is absolutely going to make one of the characters (probably someone beloved) his mouthpiece and it will be OOC and everything's going to be terrible. Yikes x2!

Why do they keep doing episodes/storylines that no one wants/are way out of their capabilities as writers? I wonder if Guggie secretly wants to tank the show or something. I have no hope for Diggle coming out of this very spechul episode unscathed but I hope Felicity won't be used as the writers' mouthpiece, in any way. Yikes!

I have no idea who this actor is so I googled him and this dude really is the best they could find to portray Richard Grayson? For serious?

My wisdom teeth are all gone. Dentist took all 4 out, 2 at a time, when I was a teen before he put my braces in. He said that my teeth were too big and my gums too small for all of them to fit in there. Definitely bite down on the gauze to reduce the bleeding, though. It was kinda weird and only very slightly painful (thanks to the local anesthesia), but not enough that I had to take any painkillers. Then again, I've been told I have a very high tolerance for pain. I just ate lots of ice cream to numb my gums after.

I didn't like the Man in Black, either, and, as talented as Ed Harris is, I just couldn't care less about his character. I felt so vindicated that he turned out to be because that other character's storyline was also tiresome. I got attached to Delores and Maeve pretty early on then Teddy and Bernard, and the whole concept/philosophy about the hosts after I let it marinate in my head. I binged the whole show in 2 nights, though, knowing absolutely zero spoilers so I feel like that made my experience watching it much better than having to wait for episodes weekly and having a longer time to get tempted by spoilers on the web.

^ That's pretty cool. I forgot that SDCC is still happening today since Sundays are usually pretty low-key and not as eventful as the Friday/Saturday panels. I just saw the teaser that HBO released for Westworld and, man, I can't wait for that show to come back! Why does 2018 have to be so far away? I know I shouldn't compare because HBO's productions are far better than anything CW could ever aspire to but Westworld was able to cobble together a pretty cool teaser with just 6-7 short scenes (after only a week or so of filming, from what I've read), while Arrow really served us that lukewarm S6 trailer with an episode and a half of filming already done because Guggie and company are so determined to pretend that everyone died in the island explosion or whatever the h*ck. Hmph.

Not gonna mince words, that was kinda pretty sucktastic for the S6 hype trailer. It was just so... Meh? And, dear Lord, they're really gonna subject us to scenes where the William actor tries to act out a plot line of someone who's been severely traumatized?

I'd like to know who I need to bribe to trade DCTV's Barry Allen for this one, too. He's super cute and adorable. And Ezra Miller's jawline is amazing. I'm betting that the person Alfred is talking to at the end is Superman, back from the dead. Either that or it's the T-rex from Jurassic Park.

Still trying to keep my expectations low because as much as I love the Wonder Woman movie, Patty Jenkins had a lot to do with that, but... This looks pretty epic! I'm kinda hyped!

Lol, Kim Clijsters! She's always been pretty easygoing and fun. When I used to watch tennis all the time, she was one of my faves, along with Justine Henin, and Serena Williams. On a different topic, I finally got around to watching The Handmaid's Tale and OMG, that series absolutely wrecked me. While I highly recommend watching the series, I absolutely do not recommend bingeing it. It just weighs so heavily on you. My heart broke so many times at so many points in the series. With all the terrible stuff happening in real life, it's terrifying to think that such a dystopian society might not be so far-fetched, after all. Also, I have never been impressed with Alexis Bledel's acting before. She sure proved me wrong as Ofglen, though. She was amazingly brilliant in her scenes and had me bawling so much. I would not be at all surprised if she wins the Emmy for Guest Actress in a Drama. She deserves it! Way to go, Rory Gilmore.

Oliver in S6 (I only know basic Paint. Sorry.): The cliffhanger was silly. Would anyone really believe that everyone Oliver loves was blown up? It's already been announced that nearly everyone that was on that island will be back for S6, (with some of those actors even doing CW promo shoots recently) so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, who exactly planted all those C4s on the island? Did Chase do them all himself? Or did Talia's league army help? If Talia and her people helped, did they know that Chase intended for Oliver to kill him so everyone would blow up on the island? Were they just absolutely cool with dying for the crazy person's vendetta? Or if they knew, did they have an escape plan in place? That boat was super small and Chase already sabotaged the plane, so there must've been something in that temple or close by that had an escape tunnel or something, noh? Why would Talia be cool with getting blown up? Evelyn, Harkness, and BS, I understand not knowing about the explosives and getting blown up since they're all pretty low on the villain totem pole, but Talia probably was looped into Chase's pyrotechnics display so she must've had an escape plan in mind (which, I hope Team Arrow, plus Slade and Samantha--who has to live because I refuse to be saddled with Myson--were able to figure out and use to save themselves). Also, who the hell financed such an endeavor as to blow up an entire freakin' island? Doesn't the Chinese government still own that land or whatever? Wouldn't someone notice/wonder/care what the frak is going on that an entire island in the South China Sea blew up? Like, damn, Chase, is Oliver Queen really worth the possible international crisis/incident/conflict you're going to incite? I enjoyed MOIRA, Oliver/Felicity, Felicity/Thea, Nyssa being awesome as ever, Nyssa/Malcolm, Slade/Oliver, Chase and his nutty self (your pretty will be missed JS) and the little bits of Diggle that managed to get some screentime. Rene and Dinah were alright, too. The action was great but too much was happening too fast and I agree with everyone that said this episode needed to breathe a little. They should've made this a 2-parter and got rid of one of the filler episodes of S5. I wouldn't count this as the best finale of Arrow ever, like the journalists kept hyping, though. Anyway, after reading through the board before watching tonight and because I figured I might get kinda bored, I decided that, for fun, I would try to count how many times "My Son" was going to be referenced. It wasn't fun keeping track of it, by the way. The more that kid was referenced as though he was someone other than a crayon-loving plot device, the more I felt a bit frustrated about this episode because I don't know William and I don't care for that child and I certainly don't have any sort of attachment to Oliver's non-existent relationship with him, the actor's inability to emote and make me feel something for him, notwithstanding. Oliver saying "My Son" = 13 Other people saying "Your Son" = 9 (with one of those being a "Your kid") Oliver saying "William" = 5 Other people saying "William" = 6 Oliver saying "Your son" to Slade, Slade saying "My son", Oliver saying "Our sons", Samantha saying "My Son", Moira saying "My son" = 1 each PSA, y'all: Do not engage in any type of drinking game when watching this episode. Myson is so not worth your poor livers.

Hypothetically speaking, if this happens and we're stuck with William (and this actor) then I'll unwillingly have to become a hypocrite and start stanning Barry's time traveling abilities. Imma need his selfish ass to travel back in time and make sure that Samantha lives so she can take the kid with her when they disappear into witness protection again. But, also, I'm absolutely holding you accountable for typing out this terrible idea into the universe. Shame!

Quentin to BS: "My Laurel wouldn't be that stupid." Oh. I would like to take back what I said in 5x10 about KC as BS. She's still not good, y'all, even as a villain. Like what was mentioned upthread, is it really too much to ask for her face to move a little and properly convey some emotions? That flashback Laurel (wig and all) was terrible. It's a good thing that William was in this episode so, at least, she wasn't totally the worst actor? Child, please don't take this as me being mean but, if this is your chosen profession, please go to acting school some time? Oliver's birthday party was the best part of the episode and was super fun. I love it whenever we get to see the Team relaxing a little. The Lord Mesa cake was a nice touch and a very sweet shout-out to such a nice dude. I loved how everyone is so supportive of Oliver and Felicity getting back together. They're just so cute. Their heart eyes and those smiles were just adorable. Although I'm going to need a lot more info about Oliver's thing with socks and Felicity's mentioning a night spent under the stars. I laughed at Oliver grabbing his chest after Felicity pointed the gun at him. Nice little bit by SA there. I call shenanigans, though, that Olicity didn't even lunge for a goodbye kiss before Digg and Felicity left the bunker. Also loved the Delicity scenes we got, even though I find it highly questionable that neither Digg nor Felicity noticed the big ramp behind Talia that catapulted them onto that huge cargo container box and totaled their car. I know Felicity wears glasses but Diggle should have good eyesight, noh? I did chuckle at the Isabel Rochev call-back so forgiven, I guess. All the villains know who the most important people are in Oliver's life. Is it odd that I kinda loved that Chase honed in on "Sis" and "Ms. Smoak" on the island? JS is just so good in this role. I'm pretty bummed that we'll probably lose Chase next week when he gets defeated. I will miss the pretty. Malcolm's back and, while I'll admit that he was pretty fun and useful in this episode, I really didn't miss him at all and would be fine with him disappearing again after this season. I always welcome Nyssa's presence but I have to agree with everyone that the "husband" thing has been overplayed. I'm excited to see her square off with Talia in the finale, though! Manu looked terrible but Slade actually teaming-up with Oliver again is kinda exciting, provided he doesn't backstab him next week.

This episode was fun and quite intense. I was pretty entertained but I'm gonna need a moment to properly think about everything that happened. Also, Oliver and Felicity are so cute. That party was super adorable. And they're "taking it one step at a time" dating! Pass it on!

No! This isn't a thing that will happen, okay?! I won't allow it! It hurt me so much that Diggle was sleeping on the couch and Lyla was so sad and hurt at him being such a Judgy McJudgerson. I really hated that they were fighting. So, no to any Diggle/Dinah happening in the future ever, okay?! We kinda had something similar in the present when Oliver used his actions instead of words and proved that he wouldn't go anywhere/would never let Felicity go when they were in the elevator shaft, even though a) she asked him to because she was willing to sacrifice herself so her boys could survive, b) he was suffering from blood loss and was in so much pain at the effort it took to one-handedly lift her back up, and c) Diggle's massive arms about ripped out of its sockets trying to keep his OTP on the ladder/rope. ;) Thank you to the kind soul that uploaded the 'no bg music' clip. If anyone needs me, I'll be spending the night watching science on the YouTubes!

OMG, I feel so bad for you right now @apinknightmare. But have fun in Europe! The episode will be waiting for you when you get back. :) Thank you for reminding me about this moment. *cackles* This makes my petty self laugh so much.

YES! All those smiles and heart eyes during the kissing. So adorable and intimate. And Oliver flipping Felicity around was such an ace move. Also, I really loved that the flashback scene was so well-lit! So bright! As much as I loved 3x20, we didn't have to rely on the plethora of Pier One candles of Nanda Parbat. Hee. I really love the flashback this episode. Also, the salmon ladder... You the MVP.

Hello, LifeAlert? I need help. I've fallen and I can't get up. "I told you so!" Hahahahaha... This episode has added 15 years to my life! Maybe, later, I'll be thinking much clearer and more objectively tallk about it all but I kinda love everything right now. We even had such beautiful OTA and Diggle/Lyla moments!! The Olicity flashbacks were lit af! "You know what he can't change? The way he looks at you." I AM FINE! Also, I stopped functioning after the sex, but okay! Also, post-coital cuddling!!! And Oliver apologized to Felicity! They talked to each other, guys! They talked! And he's never, ever letting her go! I AM LIVING!!! Just gonna ignore parts of that last speech by Felicity because, whatever show, I see you still tryin' to justify the dumb BMD (I'm convinced that apology must've been a Guggie edit to this fantastic script, I swear) and the end part with li'l Willie 'cause I seriously DGAF about that kid. *Dear Dodgers: I hate y'all for preventing me from re-watching this episode over and over again. And making me wait until Saturday for KTLA to finally air this episode so that I can record this on my DVR. Suck it, Dodgers!

What??! EBR is finally going to an HVFF and it's the one in London?! Awesome. brb, packing my bags right now! Isn't DR going, too? Man, I'm so jealous of those who'll get to go. You'll get Olicity and OTA panels and photo ops!!

Diggle and Lyla aren't breaking up, okay?! Je refuse! Go sit in a corner and think about what you've just said! I haven't seen the episode yet but everything I'm reading, so far, sure has me excited. I'm glad this episode sounds like it was a great one.

Okay, I don't know how I'll function but i gotta go to work. Lol

@wonderwall, That's possible. But wasn't there a bts pic with the noobs seemingly going down/around an elevator shaft? I could be mixing my bts pics (tbh, all the spoilers have blurred together in my mind) but that pic kinda made me think the noobs were in that elevator shaft to try to get down to Oliver and Felicity and get them out/restart the bunker systems.

I know, girl! I do love KC's hallway scenes. They're gold. ;) Maybe it's a simple malfunction? Or, I think someone here theorized that an EMP-like device could be set off or something that affects the chip? Which could also explain why they get trapped in the bunker with all its systems going on lockdown. ETA: Jinx, @leopardprint!

Nah. It's KC, guys. It will rival her other "Emmy-worthy" performance that she had with SA in S2.