apinknightmare

Since SA (or someone, I can't remember) said that this season is about how much of his humanity he wants to get back, I'd say that after whatever brings him to the conclusion that he can't be Oliver Queen as long as he's the Arrow, he won't want much of his humanity. He'll probably throw himself into Arrowing full-time (unless he has an actual job, I guess), and like you said, he'll slowly begin to see that he can have a son/relationship/etc. throughout the season. I think the target for 3x02 is QC too.

I really hope TPTB surprise us and the son's mother is in a committed relationship with a man (or woman) who is a loving parent to the kid. That could provide an interesting dilemma for Oliver with regards to getting involved, but it's too bland for the CW because we can't have a well-adjusted child within 15 feet of this show, I guess. Maybe the mom will be dying or...eh, just anything please so that the dreaded hookup doesn't happen.

@SleepDeprived @HighHopes Thank you! It seems that was a weekend of writing well spent. :)

I'm assuming he actually asks her on the date since the synopsis outright reads that way instead of, "Oliver decides to ask Felicity on a date." I know better than to assume where this show is concerned, though.

Is there a way it wouldn't hurt for Felicity? If he asks her out and then tells her for whatever reason he can't do it, I mean...is any of that preferable? Unless maybe she's the one who breaks it off. Maybe he starts with his "because of the life that I lead" BS again and she cuts him off? I don't know. It's a delicate thing, that's why I thought maybe a built-in reasoning for it being (kinda) out of his control might be somewhat better.

This is why I think the new Count's "willpower drug" will play into the date thing. I think Oliver might legit ask her out, but either then be dosed with it or pretend to have been dosed with it to explain away his actions and to let Felicity go after whatever new Count does (hurts Felicity in her capacity as Oliver's date instead of Arrow's partner? IDK) that convinces him that maybe dating isn't such a good idea. It borders on trickery, but I think that's one of a very few ways they can do the 'date' thing and break it off without it really damaging their working relationship in the process. That would also give Felicity motivation to get out there and find someone, to not let Oliver unintentionally stomp on her heart. They'd pretty much have to keep him free of love interests for it to work though (which I would be more than okay with, Oliver desperately needs to work on Oliver).

Eh, I dabble in writing fanfic. It's nice to play in other people's sandboxes sometimes. I write professionally, so it's a good palate cleanser between projects on occasion. To bring this back on topic, EBR and CH have been posting instagrams, and they're both at QC HQ. Yesterday EBR was wearing a Felicity-esque outfit. Seems like maybe she's still an EA, or she's really dressing up for IT work. Hopefully she is doing IT and got some kind of promotion? I know that's probably wishful thinking. Can't figure out why Roy and his hoodie are present though.

Personally, I think KC seems like a nice enough person. I don't like some of the comments she's made about Arrow at cons, but when she's not talking about the show she's very engaging and fun to watch. I just think Laurel's a terrible character and that her acting strengths are not a good fit for what Laurel is supposed to be. She was a little better/more tolerable to me in S1, but it seems like the more they try to "fix" her, the more I want her gone.

This is what I'm thinking too.

BECAUSE THEY ARE EVIL AND THIS IS A TRICK

Then that jacket truly is magic.

They just spoiled the two biggest "cliffhangers" from last season in their synopsis, so now I'm going to spend the next three months wondering what level of trickery is afoot.

Thank you! Taking it with a grain of salt, I guess it's okay speculate? Because I just remembered that the big bad for this ep is supposed to be the new Count, whose description is: A well-educated criminal with grand ambitions and a knack for chemistry, this potentially recurring character gains power over his enemies by exposing them to a drug that drains their willpower. So yeah, that probably plays into it.

Sorry, I misunderstood.

Well, I guess it's legit: https://twitter.com/JarettSays/status/487080581247692802 I just realized this doesn't link to the tweet where the reporter wrote that he confirmed it with the CW (and I can't figure out how to link that tweet, but it's there).

My shippery heart wants to believe...I mean, SA did say we'd find out relatively soon whether Oliver meant the "i love you." Not such a fan of how the date apparently turns out though, haha. The synopsis seems so bait-y. I need a MIB-style neuralizer, stat.

She likes red wine, but I don't know how much of a connoisseur she is.

I don't think he'd be an effective hero without Felicity OR Diggle. He'd probably still be out murdering people if they hadn't come along. (Felicity in particular, since she was the one who held him to his no-kill vow).

She was at the cast dinner, so maybe she shows up sooner? IDK

The EPs did say a character would be absent for the first few eps-it's (hopefully) probably Sara. I refuse to give up, I know it's futile.

Probably. Are they being figurative or is there a DC villain that has a big-ass weather machine?

Marc Guggenheim just tweeted out the first page of the 3x01 script. The episode is "The Calm." Written by Berlanti & Kreisberg. https://twitter.com/mguggenheim/status/486631000563150850

IDK, I can't get too down about it, because we haven't even seen Brandon Routh in character yet. We don't know how Ray and Felicity are going to meet. Maybe Oliver might even like the guy? It's not like Oliver lost QC to him, Oliver lost QC because he was a horrible businessman and he took off after the Undertaking. If he's interested in getting QC back, maybe Ray could teach him a thing or two? I think S3 is going to be a string of learning experiences and maturation for Oliver. Learning experiences don't have to be filled with angst and jealousy. Yeah, the writers might choose to go that route, but there's no sense in worrying about it until they do. Things might turn out a-okay. Maybe we'll all be surprised.

As far as Felicity's job is concerned, I'd much rather see her as a self-employed consultant hired on by Palmer for her knowledge of QC before the takeover. Of course, that would rely on Palmer knowing she has capabilities beyond EA, but I'm sure that could be worked out somehow in-story.

Since the TV Line article mentioned that his plans for QC's Applied Sciences Division are shrouded in mystery, I'm wondering if Felicity's going to get closer to him to investigate, since the last person who had an interest in Applied Sciences tried to create an army of super soldiers. She finds out his identity as The Atom, then faces a conundrum where Oliver is concerned maybe? I think she'll always be loyal to him though, so I'm not so worried about that part of the equation.