tv echo

Lengthy and very interesting interview with Lexi Alexander, who directed episodes of Arrow and Supergirl... Interview: Director Lexi Alexander on Supergirl (and Lots More) by Lesley Coffin ( ) Sunday, February 21st 2016 at 11:00 am http://www.themarysue.com/interview-director-lexi-alexander-supergirl-and-lots-more/

For your reading enjoyment... ‘Arrow’: 4 Reasons We Hope Laurel Lance Aka Black Canary Doesn’t Die In Season 4 [POLL] Fashion & Style Feb. 20, 2016 http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/80711/20160220/arrow-4-reasons-we-hope-laurel-lance-aka-black-canary-die-season-4-poll.htm

Unsure whether this qualifies as a spoiler, so I'm posting here just to be safe (Scott Gimple confirms that the Richonne hook-up is not a one-night stand)... The Walking Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple explains that huge Rick–Michonne shocker BY DALTON ROSS February 21 2016 — 10:01 PM EST http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/21/walking-dead-rick-michonne-showrunner-scott-m-gimple

Let's compare Quentin's lie to Oliver's lie (since the EPs have drawn that parallel in this episode)... One reviewer pointed out that the primary impetus for Quentin's lie was not a lack of trust or even protecting Donna (though that was part of it), but shame: "Lance is still very much ashamed of the fact that he was working for Darhk and HIVE, and then with HIVE being responsible for Felicity’s injury, he didn’t want to have to admit his connect[ion] to HIVE to Donna." In other words, he didn't want to lose Donna's respect or their relationship. Quentin was protecting himself. Using this rationale, the parallel to Oliver's lie might make sense. Then the primary impetus for Oliver's deception of Felicity is not a lack of trust or even protecting William, but shame - shame that he used to be this shallow, womanizing rich boy who cheated on his girlfriend and got one of these other women pregnant. He doesn't want to lose Felicity or her respect, so he is protecting himself. His motive is essentially selfish. His thinking is still wrong, though. Felicity knows who he used to be and believes that he isn't that person any more, so she would understand. The problem - and where the show's logic fails - is that the EPs, using Oliver and now Thea as their mouthpieces, keep justifying Oliver's secret-keeping and lying to Felicity as based on the more noble motives of Oliver wanting a relationship with his son and protecting his son. That is where the rationale makes no sense, because as many of us have pointed out in this forum, telling Felicity would not jeopardize either Oliver's ability to see his son or jeopardize his son's safety. If anything, Felicity would be a great help in keeping William safe. So by relying so heavily on this supposed noble rationale, there is no parallel with Quentin's lie to Donna.

Moved to 414 episode thread.

Jessica Breaux's usual, insightful review of 414 (she thought it was "okay, but ... felt mostly like a set-up for the big reveal about Oliver’s son")... Arrow “Code of Silence” Review (Season 4, Episode 14) Jessica Breaux February 21, 2016 http://www.tvequals.com/2016/02/21/arrow-code-of-silence-review-season-4-episode-14/

Comedy Bang Bang is a weekly comedy audio podcast (originally a radio show). Here is the website link, so we can keep checking for when EBR's podcast is posted... http://www.earwolf.com/show/comedy-bang-bang/

I agree. If you're going to base that argument on a superhero show like Arrow, then you might as well complain about how people in real life can't bring their loved ones back from the dead or save them from normally fatal injuries. Within the established context of the Flarrowverse, it would be more unrealistic if Felicity's paralysis couldn't be cured.

I've been reading a few reviews of last night's episode of The Walking Dead and I think it's funny that no one seems to be complaining about the latest hook-up between two main characters on that show who have been close friends and staunch allies for a few years. It was a ship that was popular with fans. Even a review that said the hook-up came out of nowhere still loved it. (Also, the guy hooked up with a different character in the original comics.)

I think Echo Kellum is a pretty busy guy. If they can lock him down to a show, I think it would be Arrow.

And these former LOA members are now free to sell their services (and knowledge) to the highest bidder - which further illustrates the short-sightedness of Nyssa's decision. ITA with what Laura Hurley said in response to a fan's comments about the promotional pics for 415: http://laurawritesabout.tumblr.com/post/139745295346/did-you-see-those-4x15-stills-good-lord-baby

I just hope they don't make it Felicity's call to bring BM into the Arrowcave! You know, shifting the blame off of Oliver. I think there's zero chance that BM will turn out to be bad. IIRC, in the flashback when Ollie told his mother that he got a girl pregnant, he also said that this girl was a good person. Then in 408, they made a point of saying that BM didn't cash the $1M check (likely forgetting about the second $1M check). If anything, 415 will probably double down on saying or showing that BM's a good person and a great mother. (Ugh) I think it's interesting that they chose to add Vixen to this particular episode - perhaps to draw in more viewers to counteract any loss of viewers due to the BMD? Whatever the reason, it does the Vixen character a disservice, because her appearance is going to be overshadowed by the BMD. I wish they had made her live-action debut in an episode more like the Constantine one. But, yes, I haven't seen 415 yet, so maybe I'll be wrong and Vixen will be all anyone talks about come Thursday.

I think the original Arrow EPs (Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim) are all spread too thin over multiple projects, and it's dividing their attention. Also, as the first show, Arrow is probably getting the least amount of attention from Berlanti. And Guggenheim is probably spending more time on LoT, as well as his various other projects (like his Marvel's AoS comics).

There was also Darhk's holding Laurel over Quentin to keep him in line, which meant Darhk had to be tracking Laurel somehow but never discovered that she's the BC.

I'm posting my episode spoilers summary early this week because I just want the BMD over and done with (I'll update as necessary) - and, yes, apparently The CW's own PR people can't spell Lyla's name right... SUMMARY OF SPOILERS FOR 415 (AND FLASH/LOT CROSSOVERS): Flash Crossover Episode with Diggle (King Shark) -- Airdate: Feb. 23, 2016. (ComicBookResources article, page 30 of Spoilers thread) -- Synopsis for Flash episode ("King Shark") with Diggle crossover: “'ARROW’S' DIGGLE (DAVID RAMSEY) AND LILA (AUDREY MARIE ANDERSON) CROSS OVER TO “THE FLASH” TO TAKE ON KING SHARK – When King Shark escapes from an A.R.G.U.S. holding tank, Lila (guest star Audrey Marie Anderson) and Diggle (David Ramsey) travel to Central City to warn The Flash (Grant Gustin). King Shark shows up at the West house and attacks Joe (Jesse L. Martin), Iris (Candice Patton), Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) and Barry. Hanelle Culpepper directed the episode written by Benjamin Raab & Deric A. Hughes (#215). Original airdate 2/23/16." (ComicBookResources article, page 30 of Spoilers thread) -- See Diggle & Lyla in The Flash/Zoom's Coming extended trailer posted. (The Flash/Zoom's Coming extended trailer video, page 31 of Spoilers thread) S4, Episode 15: Taken -- Production code: 415. Director: Gregory Smith. Airdate: Feb. 24, 2016. (MG tweet, page 28 of Spoilers thread, and page 809 of the Spoiler Discussion thread) -- 415 synopsis: "VIXEN JOINS TEAM ARROW – Oliver (Stephen Amell) realizes he needs help battling Darhk (guest star Neal McDonough) so he calls in an old friend – Vixen (guest star Megalyn E.K.). Using her magical ability to summon animal powers, Vixen gets a lock on Darhk’s location and the team goes to war. Meanwhile, Thea (Willa Holland) has a heart-to-heart talk with Malcolm (John Barrowman). Gregory Smith directed the episode with story by Marc Guggenheim and teleplay by Keto Shimizu & Brian Ford Sullivan (#415). Original airdate 2/24/16." (ComicBookResources article, page 30 of Spoilers thread) -- MG's Billy Joel song picks for 415 are "And So It Goes", "Honesty" and "You're Only Human." (MG tumblr post, page 31 of Spoilers thread) -- See 415 promotional pics posted. (TVLine article, page 32 of Spoilers thread) -- See 415 promo posted. (415 promo video, page 1 of 4x15 thread) -- See 415 extended promo posted. (415 extended promo video, page 31 of Spoilers thread) -- See 415 Philippines promo posted. (415 Philippines promo video, page 32 of Spoilers thread) -- 415 comic preview posted. (WM tweet, page 32 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to fan asking for one word descriptions of the next couple of upcoming episodes (after 412), SA: "Duel. Fallout. Ring." (SA facebook Q&A post, page 856 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- SA posted pic of himself in GA costume inside a "log cabin" which has yellow crime scene tape. (SA tweet, page 295 of Social Media thread) -- Pic showing Samantha Clayton (AH) in police station with Oliver posted. (KC facebook post, page 29 of Spoilers thread) -- Pic and video of Felicity with Oliver and Paul (therapist) trying to walk again. (TVInsider article, page 32 of Spoilers thread, and page 895 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Mari McCabe, a/k/a Vixen (played by Megalyn Echikunwoke), will make her live-action debut in this episode. (TVInsider article, page 28 of Spoilers thread) -- Megalyn E.K. is the new preferred credit for Megalyn Echikunwoke. (ComicBookResources article, page 298 of Social Media thread) -- Pic of MEK as Vixen posted. (TVLine article, page 29 of Spoilers thread) -- Vixen storyboard panel posted. (MG tweet, page 31 of Spoilers thread) -- Per WM, Vixen will appear in an Oliver-centric episode. WM: "She'll play a big part in kinda helping Oliver with a really emotionally wrenching storyline that we're gonna be exploring episode 415." (Video in ComicBookResources article, page 29 of Spoilers thread) -- On Vixen episode, WM: "It will be a standalone, yes. We really needed someone to come in and give Oliver some help with magic. One of the things we’ve been exploring this season is 'How does Oliver deal with magic, specifically with Damien?,' and she comes in for a very high-stakes, amazing episode. She’s done a great job [voicing] the cartoon on CW Seed and she’s a tremendous actor in her own right. We’re really excited." (TVLine article, page 29 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to Dallas ComicCon fan asking who and when they'll add a new member of Team Arrow, SA said: "We get a honorary member of Team Arrow with superpowers in episode 15." (SA panel at Dallas ComicCon 2016, page 318 off Social Media thread) -- Per MG, fans can expect to be surprised by a twist coming up with the season's Big Bad. MG: "The back half of the season, we're pretty much following the same structure that we have in seasons past where obviously the Big Bad gears up. That said, we're going to throw a hard six in episode 15 that I think will surprise people... We're going to do something that's never been done before on Arrow with the Big Bad. 15 is a real game-changer episode for us." Also, per MG, this big twist "doesn't involve a character death. It's a move that we've never made with one of our Big Bads." (IGN article, page 28 of Spoilers thread, and page 804 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- In response to fan asking about Felicity's feelings/POV about the BM lie, MG: " I suspect we'll learn all about 'em once Felicity discovers Oliver's been lying to her." (MG tweet, page 31 of Spoilers thread) -- In response to Olicity fan who asked, "on a scale of 1 bottle - 10 bottles how many should I have stock piled for future episodes (4x15)?", MG responded: "For 415? By a vineyard." (MG tumblr post, page 31 of Spoilers thread) -- SA: "You were fishing for spoilers earlier... talking about things like they had happened, trying to get me to slip up. You won't catch me, Sabrina. (Audience laughs) ... [Fan asks if there is anything he can say to give them hope] ... I will give you some hope, okay? Obviously, at some point this year, the chickens are going to come home to roost for Oliver, and Felicity will likely find out I have, like, a 10-year-old kid. (sighs) Oliver... (shakes head in exasperation) ... and I'm sure - but I will tell you, if that happens, I promise, they will handle it like adults." (SA panel at Dallas ComicCon 2016, page 317 of Social Media thread) -- Per SA, the most emotional scene was end of 415 and Olicity fans will not like it. (Lana@olicityalamode tweet, page 29 of Spoilers thread) -- SA said that there's a scene at the end of 415 that's like 3-1/2 to 4 minutes long and that, except for cuts away for certain montage-type things, the camera never cuts off Oliver. (SA panel at Dallas ComicCon 2016, page 318 off Social Media thread) -- Per MG, there will be another Laurel bike-fight scene in 415. (MG tweet, page 31 of Spoilers thread) -- Nyssa might appear in 415? (KL tweet, page 866 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Flashbacks with Taiana and Reiter might be more prominent in this episode? (ER and JA tweets, page 809 of Spoiler Discussion thread) LoT Crossover Episode with Old Oliver (Star City 2046) -- Airdate: Feb. 25, 2016. (ComicBookResources article, page 30 of Spoilers thread) -- Synopsis of LoT episode ("Star City 2046") with Old Oliver crossover: "THE TEAM ENCOUNTERS A VERY DIFFERENT OLIVER QUEEN – When a malfunction sends the Waverider crashing into 2046 Star City, our heroes face a startling version of their own future where they never stop Savage (guest star Casper Crump) and never return home. The city is in ruins and overrun by criminals, which thrills Rory (Dominic Purcell). Sara (Caity Lotz) is despondent over the destruction of her home and stunned when she learns what happened to her old friend, Oliver Queen (guest star Stephen Amell). Steve Shill directed the episode written by Marc Guggenheim & Ray Utarnachitt (#106). Original airdate 2/25/16." (ComicBookResources article, page 30 of Spoilers thread) -- Promo and extended promo for "Star City 2046" posted. (LoT promo videos, page 32 of Spoilers thread) -- See "DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Visits Star City in 2046" video posted. (DCTV video, page 41 of Spoilers & Speculation thread in LoT forum) -- See pics from "Star City 2046" episode of LoT posted. (CBR article, page 32 of Spoilers thread) -- Pics of old Oliver in "Star City 2046" episode of LoT posted. (CBR article, page 31 of Spoilers thread, and page 101 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Pics of Connor Hawke in "Star City 2046 episode of LoT posted. (kalicha12 tumblr post, page 101 of Mind Your Surroundings thread) -- Pic of burning Smoak Technologies building posted. (MG tweet, page 31 of Spoilers thread, and page 864 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- In "Star City 2046" (LoT episode), SA said that he got to do things he never thought he'd get to do and also they introduce an "absolutely critical character" in the Arrow timeline that they wouldn't have been able to introduce on Arrow. He also said that future Oliver has the "classic goatee" and a view into Oliver's possible future and Star City, "and we get a familiar nemesis, not in the sense that we've seen him before but in a familial sense". (SA panel at Dallas ComicCon 2016, page 318 off Social Media thread) -- Jamie Andrew Cutler is playing Grant Wilson, Slade Wilson's son (the new Deathstroke). (Den of Geek article, page 32 of Spoilers thread)

http://screenrant.com/arrow-season-4-promo-vixen-megalyn-echikunwoke/ http://screenrant.com/vixen-tv-series-season-2-poster-live-action/

Summer Glau is going to be on Castle... http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/19/spoiler-room-how-get-away-murder-elementary-svu-spoilers?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter (Warning: article includes spoilers for other shows)

Spoiler Room: Scoop on Murder, Elementary, SVU and more BY NATALIE ABRAMS February 19 2016 — 1:23 PM EST http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/19/spoiler-room-how-get-away-murder-elementary-svu-spoilers?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

She's the #1 New Release and #1 Best Seller in Action & Toy Figure Accessories at Amazon.com... https://twitter.com/brattyb2/status/701324803333029888 http://www.amazon.com/Funko-Pop-TV-Arrow-Felicity-Action/dp/B017NQWEZM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1456060284&sr=8-2&keywords=felicity+smoak+funko+pop ETA: This was accurate as of Feb. 21, 2016.

Did you notice that they gave Felicity the "in your bones" line? I really wish the writers would just drop that phrase. It sounds stupid, no matter who says it. Donna: "You don't lie to each other... ever, and he's gonna be the best daddy in the whole world when that time comes." Felicity: "(chuckles softly)" Donna: "You know that, don't you?" Felicity: "In my bones." Donna: "And when I see something that beautiful and that rare and that romantic, it also reminds me that, you know, I'm never gonna find a love like that." Felicity: "Yes, you will."

At this point, I hope that Felicity's surgeon is a hot young doctor played by... Colin Donnell, in a special crossover with Chicago Med.

I guess it wouldn't bother me so much if they were truly past entanglements. Laurel bothers me because KC has said that she feels that Oliver is her soul mate, so it's like she's hanging around waiting for her opportunity. BM bothers me because Oliver's been prioritizing her wishes over Felicity and now, with a shared son, she'll always be a part of his life. Still, it has to be somewhat uncomfortable to be around other women who've also had sex with your fiance. Oliver only had to work with Ray for a short time - it's not like he joined Team Arrow.

Short video clips of JB at Wizard World's Portland Comic Con this weekend...

This photo alone makes me not want to watch 415 - three women that Oliver's had sex with, all together in the Arrowcave. All we need is for Sara or Helena to guest star and for Shado to make a ghostly appearance. Poor Felicity - it's bad enough that she has to work night after night with Oliver's ex-girlfriend, now she has to spend time with the woman that Oliver's been honest with while simultaneously being dishonest with her.

ITA with everything that Laura Hurley wrote about 414, especially the illogic and stupidity of Oliver's continued secret-keeping and Thea's WTF speech. On the positive side, I also liked this part of her What Worked article: