apinknightmare

Generating more heat by just breathing than Oliver and Laurel could if they rubbed their tongues together for twenty minutes. Bless them.

What is this worry based on? We've had one ep where Oliver rightly comforted her, and where she was the focus because her sister just died. Is it because she's in the foundry in the promo pics that were released for episode 4, when Felicity is in Central City? Laurel becoming BC was always in the plan, and regardless of the status of the ship, Laurel was never going to become some nobody in Oliver's life - it's not surprising to me at all that they're going to be closer, be friends. Would it surprise me if Oliver and Laurel eventually got back together? Nah, not one bit. Do I think it's headed in that direction right now? Nah, not one bit.

Plus, not only could they not sell Lauriver the first time, but Oliver and Felicity was born out of the failure of that ship. Trying to resurrect it after they've already given the audience a taste of the popular ship, the one that generates TONS of buzz for the show? Good lord that would be INSANITY.

It's interesting that when we've seen her in the foundry she's had her ponytail. She seems to be wearing it down outside though (her meeting with Ray, her trip to Central City, her first day of work).

Wait, why would Laurel take Felicity's place just because she's going to work for Ray? The Arrow operates at night, and Felicity has a day job (as does Laurel), so why would her job compromise her place on the team?

Yeah, she wrote that Oliver couldn't love Felicity because he doesn't know anything about her (because we, the audience, don't know much about her), and that he was willing to sacrifice her in order to save his twu wuv and forever soulmate Laurel, lmao.

Yeah, he was panicked initially, I just would've liked to have seen him ask her how she was doing after since, you know, her nose kept bleeding while she was giving him pep talk #19059328058. Come on, dude. The brains of your operations' brains are literally being rattled about in her beautiful head. Check up a bit, will ya?

The "because of the life that I lead" thing is so funny to me because Oliver never specifically said anything about his reasoning for that being rooted in fear of the other person getting hurt (although I think SA might've expounded on it at a con? I can't remember). Granted, Oliver has expressed on many occasions that the people close to him do get hurt and that maybe it was better that he live a solitary life just to avoid the fallout, but I get the impression that the "because the life that I lead" thing had more to do with Oliver feeling that he couldn't be a fully committed partner more than fearing for Felicity's (or anyone else's) safety. That, to me, is why he felt comfortable starting something with Sara - living a similar life, she wasn't going to expect too much from him, and he knew he wasn't going to disappoint her by having his attentions mostly elsewhere (unless I'm completely forgetting something that was actually presented in the show, which is entirely possible). Same thing with the Oliver vs. Arrow bit - he doesn't think he can be Oliver Queen, because Oliver Queen wants that normal life, and that normal life and the relationships that come along with it distract him from his mission in dangerous ways. Yes, there's the worry about his loved ones getting hurt, but it seems to be more of a self-preservation/building up of walls to keep feelings at bay type of thing. Maybe this is just me projecting, since he hasn't seemed all that concerned either time Felicity's gotten hurt; he just handwaves traumatic brain injury like it ain't even a thing!

I'm not entirely sure the tracked cellphone is foreshadowing, but Sara's comment about the open comm transmission definitely was.

I won't be surprised if that comes up later, but I'd be really, really surprised if Felicity told Oliver that Ray tracked her cell phone. And I'd also be surprised if she didn't do something to keep Ray from being able to do that again, although I suppose that might be a future plot point, so I'll temper that surprise. If Oliver's jealous or has a problem with Felicity taking a job with Palmer, then I'll bet it's got to do with his own feelings of jealousy and/or hurt rather than his concern for her safety or well-being. In that scene outside of QC, Oliver had all but given up and admitted that Ray was better for the job. Now that he's decided he needs to be the Arrow, why would that change? I do expect it to change later in the season, but now? Not so much. Oliver knew Felicity was looking forward to getting her QC job back, so if he does love her, and if he does want what's best for her, he'll build a bridge and get over it. It does exist, but it's condemned at the moment.

I think it would be acceptable and in-character if his first reaction is annoyance or hurt feelings, as long as he comes around and apologizes to her by the end of the ep, and they have a talk about the "don't ask me to say I don't love you" I love you to set (or start to set) things between them right. That's up to him, IMO.

I think by and large, the writing, for all its failings, hasn't failed Oliver and Felicity yet. Their relationship has been so lovely to watch grow, and it's realistic and believable and it brings out the best in both of them. I keep trying to remember that this is the first falling out (for lack of a better phrase) they've had that's extended past one episode, and the reason for it is pretty big. I'm going to do my best to be a little patient here for the next few eps.

#thatssolaurel

Laurel would totally use those Cobalt-encrypted workstations to tweet.

She's gonna do the salmon ladder. With one arm!

Warriors gonna be warriors. They need underground dens from which to build their inner strength and stuff.

They need to talk it out this ep. I can understand them not doing it last ep because of everything that was going on with Sara in such a relatively short time (I guess, who can even tell what this timeline is), but it needs to happen immediately if not sooner.

Oh, I know he is. :) I hope they at least come to some kind of understanding about things - I need the real sequel to that talk in the hallway at the hospital. I need them back to rights professionally, at least. Maybe they do talk this ep - isn't Oliver the one who convinces her to go to Central City?

Yeah, I think so too. Fingers crossed that he's not too assy about it (a girl can dream).

I get the feeling they might've just had a tiff - hence her being kind of sarcastic and him having that furrowed brow grouchface.

Shame no one thought to do that before! LOL @ Diggle, "What is it with your family and islands?" Also, Oliver stop being a dickhead. Also also, Roy. You are precious.

Yeah, after surviving a shipwreck and working with an unstable scientist who did god knows what to her, surviving her LoA training and dealing with not only the emotional impact of being an assassin but also the aftermath of being one, trying to transition back into society and live a normal life before giving all of that up and returning to a life she hated - a life she tried to kill herself to leave - in order to protect her family and her city. God, Sara really was an emotional lightweight!

Well, to be fair Ray Palmer said he was familiar with her from her work at QC. What was her highest profile job at QC? Being Oliver's assistant. He was looking to hire someone with her expertise, which in her mind might've meant her experience as an EA. He might've been clear about the job he was REALLY offering her and she tossed it into spam with his messages. She obviously thinks she was hired as his EA since she's telling him she's not going to run any personal errands. It seems very Working Girl to me, like when Melanie Griffith thought she was being hired to be a secretary when her own secretary asks what's expected of her.

I think they also keep having Felicity mention that he's a stalker to say that yes, this is in-your-face and obnoxious and maybe this guy isn't to be trusted, so that when/if Felicity's opinion changes and she starts to trust him, (hopefully) we will too.

Thing is, she took a job working for him, she didn't agree to date him. She was working at a shitty, dead-end retail job that she hated and was offered a lot of money to get back into a field she loves. That has everything to do with Felicity and nothing to do with Ray. Our view of him is clouded because we know he's there as a potential love interest. He's a rich jackass who sees her skills as an asset that he wants/needs and he's going to use exhaustive measures to get them, especially since he sees her wasting away at a retail store. I don't think he bought the subsidiary that Tech Village fell under just so Felicity would work for him-those deals take forever to go through and he said he had long-term plans. If he'd shown even a hint of romantic interest in her or tied her professional status to their personal status, I'd feel differently. Maybe I've been around too many recruiters, IDK. I definitely think he's an a-hole for the lying and other reasons, but the writers on this show fail at subtlety, so I'm not surprised that they can't write a nuanced character with questionable intentions, so the in-your-faceness of it all is icky, granted.