apinknightmare

OMG the flash forwards are multiplying, noooooooooo

I think it will be at least slightly more bearable if you binge through it and don't have a week (or sometimes longer!) to focus on how awful they are.

I think "fans deserve" talk is fine on a broad level, like when you're talking about another problem that Arrow writers suffer from that affects the show as a whole, like their unfortunate problem with gaslighting because they're too lazy to put in the work to fix what they broke. But yeah, as it pertains to fan service and what you want to see, it's better to leave that out of professional reviews unless - like he wrote - it's an issue where the characterization suffers and an individual/relationship isn't being honored. Because he was right - the characters we've been watching for 150 episodes do deserve more than what they were given in that episode.

I'm still so mad that Oliver and Felicity left William at school over Christmas. What even is the point of that? Even if the writers needed a delayed confrontation so that they could have their drama onscreen instead of during hiatus, why not just have William ask to stay at school over the break? That would make more sense! O/F would allow it because they feel guilty about his life's upheaval, and he went to great lengths to hide the fact that he'd been expelled! He could've just...wanted to stay because of that. It's so disappointing that these people are so plot-focused that they can't even take a second to be even a little bit NOT lazy and fix the slightest thing that could be changed in two simple sentences and doesn't make people look like assholes!

And the window guy is interviewed from a lounge chair on the beach because BUSINESS IS A-BOOMIN'

I don't know about any show runners retweeting bad reviews, but LoT did incorporate something that was written in a negative review about the show on the AV Club into one of their episodes this season.

I'm not sure what they were going for there. The reveal of JJ going by a different name having any impact whatsoever depends on the viewer having watched the 2046 LoT episode, which...I'm guessing a lot of people didn't.

ETA: Disregard

Yes, probably, because Oliver has always withdrawn physically when he's stressed and hurting and Felicity has always offered him more affection during those times. And, sadly for us, he's stressed and hurting more often than not because Arrow is Arrow.

How deliberate can it be when they're putting in moments for Oliver and Felicity in other episodes? It's not like they're actively avoiding giving them moments together - they've been getting a lot! I'm not saying don't be disappointed, but I do think that jumping to there being some kind of BTS issue or order from on high is unfounded.

It's not like Olicity is completely non-existent. They've written a moment or two into every episode since Oliver got out of prison (and technically there was a scene last night, it just involved William).

I think they started off on the right foot - the documentary premise and all the cameos, people praising Oliver. It was really nice! It would've been even better if that had been a bigger part of the show! But instead it felt like a love letter tacked on to a regular (and subpar) episode of Arrow. Like someone dropped said letter on the ground and then walked around with it stuck to their shoe.

OTA doesn't really exist anymore, hasn't in a while, and probably won't again in the way that we knew it. They've stopped taking the time to show these people being friends, and never took the time to rebuild the relationships after the damage that was done to them last season, instead choosing to gaslight people over what actually went down to get their moments. I do appreciate them kind of trying to do something with it, I guess, but it just seems to me like lip service for people who keep asking for it. There are just too many people to tend to and they don't seem to be willing to put the effort or time into it anymore.

He was an executive twenty years ago. He doesn't seem to be anymore. I think the most likely reason for her overwhelming presence is that she's cheap, she's willing to work a lot, and despite people complaining about her being around all the time, there's no evidence that it's hurting the ratings even a little bit.

Even then all three of them weren't on screen together - they had to use CGI to make that happen, LOL.

Considering there hasn't been any OTA this season - at all - they're not wrong.

I guess she technically doesn't need to be deputized since she's probably not committing vigilantism in the show's definition of it. It's of course possible that they leave her out of things, but I don't think her lack of a badge means anything at all.

At least Oliver will be there for some of it this time. What an absolute shit dad he is sometimes, LOL.

It looks like it! I'm not sure it is though since Roy and William seemed to be seeing her scar for the first time in the future, and they would've known about it if she got her sonic blaster ripped out by a serial killer at this point.

This. This is what I hate the most about this whole episode. They took the plot twist I hated the most this season and quadrupled it! Please, sweet baby vigilante Jesus, let this be a plot to legitimize vigilantes and not a permanent thing. I weep.

Yes - it's still trending.

If it's true can't wait for no explanation at all for why she's been referring to them by their first names, haha

Oh I forgot to express my pure disappointment that the whole team is now deputized. I hate Oliver being a cop, and I don't really care for any of the others when they aren't cops, so I'm sure I won't like them badged up either.

I really, really loved the documentary parts of this. I wish they'd shown more of that and chopped about 3/4ths of NTA's storyline out. As usual, a solid start with a crap ending. I wonder why William got expelled and what on earth has he been doing ever since that happened? I do like that he faked his school website, LMAO.

If Dinah's dumb ass is the one who changes this woman's mind about vigilantes, no thanks