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'Arrow' Brings Back Emily Kinney's Bug-Eyed Bandit in Buzz-Worthy Filler Episode "Beacon of Hope" shows maybe 'Arrow' isn't that far gone after all. Eric Francisco March 31, 2016 https://www.inverse.com/article/13573-arrow-brings-back-emily-kinney-s-bug-eyed-bandit-in-buzz-worthy-filler-episode

Two Examiner critics' reviews of 417... 'Arrow' 4x17 'Beacon of Hope' Review: Return of the bees (4/5 stars) Allison Nichols March 30, 2016 8:18 PM MST http://www.examiner.com/review/arrow-4x17-beacon-of-hope-review-return-of-the-bees 'Arrow' recap: Bee-ing hopeful Meredith Jacobs March 30, 2016 9:38 PM MST http://www.examiner.com/article/arrow-recap-bee-ing-hopeful

Comparisons to The Flash made... Arrow recap: 'Beacon of Hope' BY JONATHON DORNBUSH Posted March 30 2016 http://www.ew.com/recap/arrow-season-4-episode-17

If Curtis were to replace Felicity on the team permanently, and if the show were to head toward an O/L reunion, then I'd stop watching Arrow (why is it so hard for people to accept Felicity as more than just a quirky one-liner character?!)... You won’t BEE-lieve how fun tonight’s Arrow is Because it’s *never* too early for bee puns By Alasdair Wilkins Mar 30, 2016 9:40 PM http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/you-wont-bee-lieve-how-fun-tonights-arrow-234589

If I shipped Oliver and Laurel, then this episode (417) would be a cruel raising of my hopes - to be crushed next week, assuming Laurel is the big death. As for Laurel dying, I'll still believe it when I actually see it. I think HIVE is going to be based in Monument Point.

Honestly, I"m not sure how I feel about this episode. I should love it - but I think I'm still feeling residual bitterness over the BMD/breakup contrivance and the writers' throwing Felicity under the bus. On the one hand, it bothers me that Curtis is apparently also a computer hacker (in addition to his many other skills) and can so easily slot into Felicity's place on the team. On the other hand, having Curtis available to help makes it less likely that Felicity will be blamed for endangering the team members by quitting it. In any event, even with Curtis, the team just isn't the same without Felicity. There's a certain cohesion that's missing. I don't necessarily think that Paul is marked for death, but maybe their marriage is marked for death. Curtis has started lying to him about what he's doing. Maybe Felicity will have a talk with Curtis about the costs and risks of lying to your spouse, but Curtis gets so excited about helping out the team that he doesn't listen and his marriage suffers as a result. The use of the episode name was really heavy-handed. Do Laurel and Thea have the same phrase-of-the-day desk calendar? How likely is it that they would both use the same phrase "beacon of hope" on the same day (to inspire Oliver and Felicity)? If I shipped Oliver and Laurel, then this episode would be a beacon of hope for me that the show is headed toward their reunion in the future. (See, I can do it too.) Man oh man, it was made so clear that Laurel still has feelings for Oliver, with her little touches and her "I'm here for you" speech. So who's taking advantage now?* (* I know that the O/L scenes could also be interpreted as Laurel just being a supportive friend. But Laurel is not a real touchy-feely person, so those caressing face and arm touches seemed extra special - and also inappropriate for someone who is supposed to be Felicity's friend as well. Also, we didn't see an "I'm here for you speech" from Laurel to Felicity, so again it seemed like she was just cozying up to Oliver.) Incidentally, when Laurel urged Oliver to save some hope for himself, I don't think she was referring to his relationship with Felicity. I think she was referring to his expressed fear that he would have to go dark again in order to defeat the darkness. So Oliver is now blaming Felicity for dragging him away from his happy life in Ivy Town and bringing him back to fighting in Star City. Step up, Oliver, and take responsibility for your own actions! He blames himself when he shouldn't, but he doesn't blame himself when he should. When Felicity was threatened by the Beeman and Brie said something like, "I guess the Green Arrow didn't forget you," I wonder if Oliver's "Never" was a SA ad lib? I did like that Felicity broke the lamp and used the open electrical end like a bug zapper to take down the Beeman. I don't think that Felicity knows that Thea encouraged Oliver to continue lying to her. My head canon says that Thea's feeling a little guilty about it and that's why she tried to convince Felicity to rejoin the team. I wonder if Donna's line about wearing flats from now on because of all the running was some snark at Jurassic World (where Bryce Dallas Howard ran around in heels)? So Andy Diggle really is evil and has been playing John Diggle? Looks like he'll be the cause of another fight between Oliver and Diggle. Oh, how I miss the days of Original Team Arrow working together to fight crime! With the way the Palmer Tech board members always diss Felicity, while she keeps saving their lives, I hope the season ends with the board voting to rename the company Smoak Technologies. P.S. The flashback clothes are really unflattering to both SA and ER.

Hans Zimmer retiring from scoring superhero films after Batman v Superman BY ANDREA TOWERS Posted March 30 2016 — 3:11 PM EDT http://www.ew.com/article/2016/03/30/hans-zimmer-retiring-superhero-films

Bad news - Sam Heughan beat SA to win Alpha Male Madness 2016 (with 57%)... Alpha Male Madness 2016 Has a Winner: Who Is TV's Most Beloved Actor? by LAUREN PIESTER Wed, Mar 30, 2016 3:00 PM http://www.eonline.com/news/752242/alpha-male-madness-2016-has-a-winner-who-is-tv-s-most-beloved-actor

Grant Gustin, Nick Robinson Starring in William H. Macy’s ‘Krystal’ Dave McNary MARCH 29, 2016 | 12:55PM PT http://variety.com/2016/film/news/grant-gustin-william-h-macy-directing-krystal-1201740671/

'Arrow' S04E16: What needs to happen next after 'Broken Hearts' Laura Hurley March 30, 2016 9:48 AM MST http://www.examiner.com/article/arrow-s04e16-what-needs-to-happen-next-after-broken-hearts

GB is getting another award... Greg Berlanti, Ilene Chaiken to Be Honored by Alliance of Women Directors Dave McNary MARCH 30, 2016 | 08:00AM PT http://variety.com/2016/film/news/greg-berlanti-ilene-chaiken-alliance-of-women-directors-1201741662/

Here's what bothered me about that MTV clip... Oliver seems to be completely over the breakup already. Laurel is talking to Felicity off-screen and tip-toeing around Oliver's feelings like Oliver is some sensitive soul that's been injured. Thea is going to tell her boyfriend to hit up Felicity for a job after Thea was the one to encourage Oliver to continue lying to Felicity. And Diggle seems completely indifferent because apparently Oliver should just wait until Felicity "comes around" (like she's the one in the wrong). Not to mention, I thought the Voldemort/Harry Potter jokes were totally lame.

I really hate how the rest of Team Green Arrow continues to be all Team Oliver. And that MTV clip makes it sound like Felicity continues to be the 'villain' in the breakup. I wouldn't blame her for never going back.

This is interesting - Cammien Ray interviewed a 51-year-old male martial arts instructor who loves Arrow and Olicity (I've quoted portions but recommend reading the entire interview)... The toughest Olicity fan: 10 questions with Barron Shepherd March 29, 2016 http://smoakandarrow.tumblr.com/post/141914588119/the-toughest-olicity-fan-10-questions-with-barron (larger print) or http://cammienray.tumblr.com/post/141913899078/the-toughest-olicity-fan-10-questions-with-barron (original source)

The 13 Hottest Ships Giving Us Life On TV Right Now By Amie Marie Bohannon ⋅ Posted on March 29th, 2016 at 7:43pm http://moviepilot.com/posts/3824850

'Arrow' S04E16: What didn't work in 'Broken Hearts' Laura Hurley March 30, 2016 7:01 AM MST http://www.examiner.com/article/arrow-s04e16-what-didn-t-work-broken-hearts

I don't believe this article was posted previously... Of Internalized Misogyny, Felicity Smoak, and the Importance of "Real" Fictional Female Characters JustAboutWrite (Jenn) March 28, 2016 http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2016/03/of-internalized-misogyny-felicity-smoak.html

With the way this season's been going, Poppy will probably be in 420, 421, 422 and 423!

Maybe Poppy dies in the same episode as Laurel (assuming Laurel is the big death)? We know ER was on the set on Feb. 23, which was the last shooting day for 418.

This part of that open letter told me all I needed to know about the writer's preferences (none of which included Felicity):

Here's the song lyrics to Springsteen's "Lost In the Flood"... The ragamuffin gunner is returnin' home like a hungry runaway He walks through town all alone--"He must be from the fort," he hears the high school girls say His countryside's burnin' with wolfman fairies dressed in drag for homicide The hit-and-run plead sanctuary, 'neath a holy stone they hide They're breakin' beams and crosses with a s******'s reelin' perfection Nuns run bald through Vatican halls, pregnant, pleadin' immaculate conception And everybody's wrecked on Main Street from drinking unholy blood Sticker smiles sweet as Gunner breathes deep, his ankles caked in mud And I said, "Hey, gunner man, that's qucksand, that's quicksand, that ain't mud Have you thrown your senses to the war, or did you lose them in the flood?" That pure American brother, dull-eyed and empty-faced Races Sundays in Jersey in a Chevy stock super eight He rides 'er low on the hip, on the side he's got "Bound for Glory" in red, white and blue flash paint He leans on the hood telling racing stories, the kids call him Jimmy the Saint Well, that blaze-and-noise boy, he's gunnin' that bitch loaded to blastin' point He rides head first into a hurricane and disappears into a point And there's nothin' left but some blood where the body fell, that is, nothin' left that you could sell Just junk all across the horizon, a real highwayman's farewell And I said, "Hey kid, you think that's oil? Man, that ain't oil, that's blood" I wonder what he was thinking when he hit that storm, or was he just lost in the flood? Eighth Avenue sailors in satin shirts whisper in the air Some storefront incarnation of Maria, she's puttin' on me the stare And Bronx's best apostle stands with his hand on his own hardware Everything stops, you hear five quick shots, the cops come up for air And now the whiz-bang gang from uptown, they're shootin' up the street And that cat from the Bronx starts lettin' loose, but he gets blown right off his feet And some kid comes blastin' 'round the corner, but a cop puts him right away He lays on the street holding his leg, screaming something in Spanish, still breathing when I walked away And somebody said, "Hey man, did you see that? His body hit the street with such a beautiful thud" I wonder what the dude was sayin', or was he just lost in the flood? Hey man, did you see that, those poor cats are sure messed up I wonder what they were gettin' into, or were they just lost in the flood? http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brucespringsteen/lostintheflood.html I am puzzled as to what these lyrics mean - and it seems I'm not the only one. Here's what Rolling Stone Magazine wrote in 2014: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-bruce-springsteen-songs-of-all-time-20140116/lost-in-the-flood-19691231

Correction: it was said by SA during a 2014 Nerd HQ panel (see last 3 minutes of video)... -- In response to fan asking about his reaction to Oliver's "questionable choices", SA responded that he went to the producers and asked if Oliver could not bed every single female he's not related to on the show. SA then said: "I'm all for making questionable choices because, in truth, I don't care if people love Oliver Queen or hate him. I just don't want them to be indifferent. And as long as they're not indifferent, I'm fine with whatever's happening... The opposite of love is not hate, Zach. It’s apathy." A Conversation with Stephen Amell live from #NerdHQ 2014 Streamed live on Jul 27, 2014, by The Nerd Machine BTW, it's not the first time that SA has used that quote. Back in 2012, he used it in two different interviews (Collider, TV Guide)... http://collider.com/comic-con-stephen-amell-and-katie-cassidy-talk-arrow-playing-a-superhero-and-the-possibility-of-black-canary/ http://www.tvguide.com/news/arrow-stephen-amell-1054453/

In response to a Merlance question posted somewhere above, here's the 2012 interview where KC talked about Tommy taking advantage... Comic-Con: Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy Talk ARROW, Playing a Superhero, and the Possibility of Black Canary BY CARISSA PAVLICA JULY 15, 2012 http://collider.com/comic-con-stephen-amell-and-katie-cassidy-talk-arrow-playing-a-superhero-and-the-possibility-of-black-canary/

Also during the LoT panel at WonderCon, MG said that you'll likely see the Justice League in the movies before you see them on TV.