SleepDeprived

Oh, look! There's a big hole in the Glades again. And the city just keeps on having all these chaotic things happening to it, especially during May. Guess that renaming thing and dedicating it to Palmer to help change Starling City's image was for nothing. Way to go, City Council! You spent all those tax dollars getting new signs, banners, uniforms, badges, etc., and made all the businesses spend more money to change their brochures, flyers, calling cards, letterheads, stationaries, etc. and your City still ended up a focal point of some armageddon-type event. Granted, a crater in the middle of the city isn't as bad as the nuclear wasteland that Havenrock became but still. Man, I thought TPTB already learned from the stupid that was last year's Thea brainwashing plot to kill Sara. Lol at me, I guess! How else is Malcolm going to actually be relevant to Thea's life (and the show) other than through dumb plot-twisty nonsense? Ugh, Malcolm. The Kuttler/Smoaks featuring Curtis Holt were, by far, the best part of this episode. Great character moments and very entertaining to watch. I laughed quite a bit at the back and forth between Donna and Noah--and the notion that alcoholic beverages are a necessity when they're both in a room together. I hope Noah comes back even though Donna really doesn't want him around. I want him around, Donna. Tom Amandes is great! The fight scenes continue to be pretty tight these past few episodes. I love that the stunt dudes have finally remembered that Oliver should be the focal point of the fights again, which is awesome. And the hack-off between Cooper and the trio of Noah, Felicity, and Curtis was exciting to me. Okay, it was just some sparks and stuff but the furious typing and fast talking was legit making me feel tense during the explody power surges scene. (Cooper still sucks, though. I still think he's kinda bland as a villain.) Anarky actually making sense again and sort of, in his own revenge-y way, helping Team GA fight the big bad evils. Nice. Yeah, he's also creepy and evil himself, and he keeps calling Thea "Mommy" but I think I really like the dude. Count me in among those totally confused on whether or not I should be cheering Anarky on. Ah, Ruve. She was a shitty Mayor and absolutely evil but I did like the relationship between her and Damian. The Darhks may be evil but there's no denying that they're completely devoted to their family. Sure, Damian is even more determined to burn the world now that Ruve is dead and he can't bear living without her that everyone gets to live except for her, but I guess that's sorta sweet of him? Horrible for the entire rest of the world but I'm sure Ruve approves of his intentions in the afterlife.

This is me right now. I hope this move to the CW doesn't mean that we'll lose Cat Grant, the Martian Manhunter, and/or Alex because they won't be able to afford Calista, David Harewood, and Chyler Leigh. But I am really glad the show got renewed because Supergirl really managed to make me love it to the point that it's my second favorite after Arrow (while I'm barely watching Lot and Flash nowadays).

This Felicity and Friends show is so awesome. I was on the edge of my seat! Last week and then this week's episodes have been so great! I love it. Great fight scenes with actual fighting and no unnecessary posing. Oliver was actually Green Arrow-ing and not "supervising" on a rooftop or whatever. This episode is an automatic win because OTA CAPER at PT! With special participation of Noah Kuttler and Quentin Lance. Fantastic! Also, POTUS' implied approval of Team GA and sending in Lyla, badass sniping Director extraordinaire, and her people at A.R.G.U.S. was the best. But, damn, at the show actually nuking one town. Poor people of Havenstown. That's going to hit Felicity hard (no pun intended) and might be a plot point for S5. I'm glad Lyla tried to make Felicity feel better, though. Thea and Anarky is a pretty good pairing. I like their dynamic. Poor dumb Alex, though. Other than that, I didn't really care for the "Under the Dome" part of this episode. I, also, have no idea what the Quentin/Donna fight was about. It was just weird and also superfluous to the episode. Much like the flashbacks. I really, really love that Noah Kuttler is an actual gray character who is not purely evil but is only actually evil, occasionally. Unlike Malcolm, who I'm tired of. Noah can come back anytime. Because, Rubicon was a Waller Contingency Special. Remember Waller's Plan A was to nuke Starling City back during Deathstroke's seige in S2, too? Waller/Nukes = OTP

I just thought of something potentially squicky... Did Alex undress and redress Thea after he drugged her to whisk her away to some unknown location? I know that Alex is, likely, also under the Darhks' control since he took the yellow mind control pills but, still, that implication's just a little too unsettling. Not that the whole being trapped under the dome thing isn't already creepy. Actually, everything about Thea's current situation is freaky and unsettling. I hope she finds a way out and works from the inside to take down H.I.V.E.'s corn-powered (it's a biofuel!) Dome. Maybe Father of the Year, Malcolm Merlyn, had a hand (pun!) in Thea's transportation? After all, he's had plenty of practice in violating her consent and overriding her wishes all this time. Malcolm's the worst. Also, apparently, Alex is one of those people who gladly agree to take unknown medicines because it's "good for you" or it's a "vitamin supplement." Dude has to be the most gullible of persons. How is he working in politics again?

So Rubicon is the reason Felicity will ask for Noah's help, huh? From the spoiler pics, it looks like Lyla's supervising while the two best badasses, when it comes to hacking, try to stop Darhk/H.I.V.E. from launching all the nuclear missiles in the world and turning the Earth into a nuclear wasteland. Nice. I'm here for this daughter/grayishly-evil Daddy team-up. This sounds really exciting to me. Can't wait for next week!

I couldn't take Diggle getting tortured. I was so glad when he fought back and turned the tables on Andy (even though, it was part of Andy's plan). But let this be a lesson, Johnny. You repeatedly getting played by Andy/H.I.V.E. because you kept running off half-cocked... Always listen to Lyla Michaels, dude. That woman knows her stuff. Has Diggle ever done a motorcycle stunt before? Or was he always just driving the van when Laurel/Thea were riding the motorcycles? Because Diggle motorcycle stunting while Baby Sara was strapped to his back was all sorts of awesome. Not safe for Baby Sara in case of a crash or the H.I.V.E. dudes shooting at Digg's back but still. Awesome. Felicity winning everything at Black Jack was adorable and their "undercover" stint at the casino was really cute. Actually, everything Oliver and Felicity was fantastic and I need them to get back together, please. Felicity being Oliver's light to defeat the Darhk-ness was predicted by everyone ever but it still gave me feels and I just love them. Aww. Ms. Fortuna was cool. I like her. Would not be opposed to seeing her again. Good casting, good actress.

THIS, THOUGH!!! Any episode with Lyla in it automatically makes me 5x happier, especially if there's Diggle Family cuteness. Never leave us, Lyla! But I knew that keeping Lyla and Baby Sara in a moving truck seemed both a smart and dangerous move, though. But, damn, Lyla still being such a badass and facing down Darhk, even though she knew how powerful he is. I'm betting Thea was selected because of Malcolm's deal with Darhk. Thea gets to be on the Ark of Corn because Malcolm stayed loyal to Darhk. Alex, though, was probably just chosen by Ruve because he's an easily controllable dude with good genes for repopulation?

Hahahaha! So, Starling City IS on top of a Hellmouth! This is such fantastic confirmation! Guys! This episode was so freaking great! I was very entertained throughout. And on the edge of my seat! It's been so long since I've been anxiously excited about the events in an Arrow episode! Is this the new Arrow?! I love it! I'm so glad this episode focused on OGTA, with occasional Thea. Will definitely rewatch later.

So, I was bored and someone convinced me to install Plants vs Zombies on my phone and I, all of a sudden, lost 3 hours of my life... I think I should probably uninstall that game on my phone now because, holy crap, is it addicting. Heh. I, also, installed the Injustice: Gods Among Us app and it's pretty cool. I look like an idiot as I repeatedly hit my screen with my thumbs but I'm having fun with it. At least, with this game, the "health" of my characters slowly (or quickly if I'm fighting stronger characters) deplete so I'm forced to actually put it down to let the characters "recover."

I've missed, like, the last 3 episodes of The Flash and I don't really feel any urgency to keep up with it. I'm kinda content just reading the posts here. Meh. I'll catch-up, eventually. Has the HISHE for Batman v Superman been posted here yet? It's pretty hilarious. "Like a good butler, Alfred is there!"

Didn't the Larry King team try to get an SA and EBR joint interview for Arrow (due to popular demand) but they couldn't a while back? Was that due to scheduling issues or the CW/WB marketing failing at pushing and scheduling promotions for Arrow? Anyway, at least, the TMNT press tour got SA back to Larry King's show.

Yours is awesome! As is everyone else's that I've seen, so far. This cover photo thing is really neat. I'm going to try it out tomorrow... Or sometime this weekend. Heh. I'm such a procrastinator. But this is super cool and kinda makes me feel a little better about the updates even though I'm still low-key grumbling about the changes. PTV is still the best place for discussions, though, so I'm gonna deal with it. Eventually.

I already knew how jerk-y Oliver and Laurel were in S1 so the flashbacks showing them being even more shitty only made me feel more sorry for poor, dead Tommy. But I see that the anti-chemistry blackhole is still in full force between SA and KC. Heh. Also, ever since it was pointed out that SA has trouble keeping eye contact with KC (and other actors?), it was all I could notice in their scenes. I mean, I know Oliver was grieving Tommy and all but it is kinda odd and hilarious. So, Evelyn must have a very keen eye for "fashion," huh? Her costume was really very similar to Laurel's. Aside from apparently being a wiz at tech that she was able to re-calibrate the Canary collar that Cisco made, that kid must, also, be an amazing seamstress. That or Starling City's Bondage 'R Us seems to be making copies of Laurel's costume and selling it for Halloween or something. But why was Baby Canary putting the blame solely on Team GA, though? Weren't the prisoners at Reddington (or whatever the name of that H.I.V.E. facility was) still alive when Oliver and everybody else left, and the SCPD got there? So, that means the cops did nothing, too, and left Baby Canary's parents and everybody else to die? Lol. Stay being the worst Starling City PD. Also, I found it funny that, during her press conference, Ruve was flanked by a blonde woman with glasses and a serious-looking, black man. Since the Darhk's know who Felicity and Diggle are, I choose to believe that Ruve was trolling Team Arrow a little bit with that. Here for more Felicity and Thea hugs (that .3-seconds-cuddle was cute!), as well as Felicity and Diggle talks. It sure is nice that they're finally able to interact more with each other. So, uh... Bye, Laurel. At least, you got a service, a legit coffin and a nice tombstone instead of a pine box in a hastily dug-up grave.

I'mma be shallow with you even though I did know who Green Arrow and Black Canary were. To be honest, the show being about GA/the comics/superheroes never really factored into my decision to watch but it actually did factor into my hesitance, at first, because I liked Justin Hartley's Ollie too much. But then I saw a hot dude doing amazing exercises in a promo and I was like "Self, at least, watch for the training montage." I, also, found out the show had Katie Cassidy and she actually got me kinda interested, too, 'cause I liked her in other projects she did. I was good with the idea of KC as Laurel/eventual BC until I saw the 'Pilot' and was so meh and iffy about her that it was hard to care about the comic canon of it all.

I'm okay with a Baywatch reboot because The Rock is in it. He's pretty and I'm shallow. Not going to watch in the theaters, though, but will wait for the rental. :) Really not sure about the Jumanji reboot because I can't think of anyone who can take over Robin Williams' role (and I don't want anyone to try). Maybe they'll make it as more of a sequel and the board is found by some other kid not related to Parrish? What I'm absolutely not here for is The Mummy remake with Tom Cruise. Because just no. Ugh.

Noah telling Oliver something that makes him super worried? I'm going to guess that Noah's going to tell Oliver stuff about trust and the breaking of it and how Felicity/the Smoak women cope/move on after that. Maybe he'll be giving advise that, if Oliver ever wants to get Felicity back, he really needs to do something monumental and soon otherwise, he'll definitely lose her like Noah did with Donna/Felicity. Sooo, what are the chances that we'll get Bible puns in the upcoming episodes? Does Felicity need her father's help because she'll need Noah to build an "Ark" for the coming Flood that might be part of the Genesis plans? Heh.

Lol. Nah. I'd rather suffer through another season of plot-driven Arrow than give Michael Bay any of my money. Sorry, Steve!

^ I agree. I mean, regardless of her character's death, KC still is a regular for S4 of Arrow so her name should still be there. Especially, since, technically, her last episode will be next week. But, someone on AT&T very hastily removed it, I guess? I dunno. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not sure if this goes here but I don't know where else it could go so... I was looking through the scheduled shows on our DVR and noticed that Katie Cassidy's name has already been removed from the Cast list for Arrow. Does the CW/WB have any say on when the providers update those blurb/synopsis things? 'Cause, otherwise, someone on AT&T is pretty updated on the show (a fan?) and changed that cast list really fast. I looked through the other shows we have scheduled on there and there are some whose cast members have long since been gone/their characters killed off and yet the actors'/actress' names (dude that played Finn on 'The 100', the one that played that King on 'Reign', Evelyne Brochu from 'Orphan Black') are still on the Cast list for AT&T's summary thing. Now that I think about it, I seem to remember it took a while before Colton's name was removed by AT&T in S3... Anyway, I thought that's kinda interesting.

I rewatched the episode (I'm lying, I wasn't paying much attention the 2nd time around, tbh) and the flashbacks are hilarious. #Poppy continues to be terrible, no surprise. But when she shot that guard, it looked like she aimed for his shoulder but the squib effect went off on the dude's chest. Lol. Also, SA seemed to be struggling with carrying KC. I think its his stupid turtle suit being so constricting that he can't lift her properly. Please change the GA suit next year, Show! And because it cannot be said enough, PB is such a good actor. His face at the precinct while he begged to be let out for a little while after he heard about the BC being hospitalized was so very nuanced, not to mention his collapse at the end. So very good.

Ah. Good. That's good. Thanks for easing my mind. :)

It doesn't look like Diggle actually hits Ruve, though. Just makes an arching, threatening motion close enough to her face to make her flinch. Also, Diggle bangs his helmet against a car. I guess he's the one who breaks his own face mask, which is why Cisco will be designing a new, improved one for him? There's either a journal or a photo album near Laurel and Oliver's feet when they kiss in the promo. It kinda makes me think that this is post-S1/pre-S2 Lian Yu and they were reminiscing about Tommy right after he died. Then, I guess they got caught up in feelings and kiss? Poor dead Tommy. I think the magical Chinese character tattoo has already served its purpose when it made ghost!Conklin think that Oliver was "worthy" to pass and gain access to the totem. Much like the shark bite, it was kind of an underwhelming explanation of Oliver's scars/tattoos. I don't remember the magical tattoo glowing at any other time other than since. ETA: Is it for sure that the line SA teased (the "I thought of you") was about Felicity? I know that SA usually teases Oliver/Felicity moments but what if it turns out that it's Oliver to Laurel when he's telling her in the flashbacks that her picture on the island was what he kept looking at to think of home? They've already brought up that picture countless times this episode, why not bring it back up one more time in Laurel's In Memoriam episode?

I think it's probably going to be a male next year. A guy going by the name of Paul Holt (does he have the same last name as Curtis? I can't recall). He's obviously the next in line as the catalyst for the next terrific hero's journey.

You know who I feel bad for right now? Our beloved mod, @MuuMuuChainsmoker, for all the work she's putting in (and will continue to have to put in) editing posts because of this episode. All your hard work is certainly appreciated for keeping this place so much less vitriolic about fandom wank than most places! I think the show should, maybe, think about changing its name from "Arrow" to "Anvils!" Also, was that the Arrow writers throwing subtle shade at Trump with the villain making speeches about "making the city great again"? Niicccee. Oh, Team GA (minus Felicity). Y'all are dumbasses for reassembling that mask totem. Then enclosing it in a glass case as though it's some prized possession. At least, install some security measures like infrared or pressure-sensitive booby traps that'll trap anyone who tries to get it. Good on ya, Diggle, for trying to keep one piece out, though. But super terrible that you told Andy. Merlyn's "magician" tricks are getting super old. Eh. I did enjoy his little tete-a-tete with Darhk. I'm still really enjoying NM as Darhk. Dude's such a good villain.

I mean, it was kind of a boring episode. And Darhk just shanking Laurel was quite a bit of a letdown. I sort of wanted Laurel to, at least, have more agency in her death than being forced to stand frozen like a statue while the baddie did his thing. At least, the hospital goodbye scenes were well-acted? Anyway, shout-out to the Underworld for all the hard work that you do!