tv echo

In case anyone's interested, Kim Basinger has been cast to play Elena Lincoln, Christian Grey's business partner and former lover, in the Fifty Shades sequel movie. Kim should be able to act circles around Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson... http://variety.com/2016/film/news/kim-basinger-fifty-shades-darker-1201689084/

Laura Hurley's explanation as to why she didn't write a review for 410... anonymous asks: hey laura! I just wanted to ask --- did I miss your review for 410 of Arrow? I can't find it anywhere. Thankss! Jan 27, 2016 7:21 pm http://laurawritesabout.tumblr.com/post/138181508566/hey-laura-i-just-wanted-to-ask-did-i-miss

Podcast by Craig Wack (Pajiba) and Tatiana Torres - discussion of Arrow 411 begins at the 1:48:35 mark (you can drag cursor forward)... Agents of GEEK Podcast Episode 13 Posted on 01/29/2016 http://agentsofgeekpodcast.com/wordpress/ -- They liked the Afghanistan flashbacks better than the island flashbacks because they at least seemed to serve some purpose to the main story. -- They were fine with Waller's death because they were afraid that Lyla was going to die. -- Craig liked the ramp joke because he was thinking they'd need to put some ramps in the lair. -- They liked the Oracle joke reference because it implied there was a Batman in the Arrow universe. Craig also liked it because it implied there could be a "rudimentary Birds of Prey" out there, which "would be a great way to get Laurel off the show." Tatiana added, "Ugh, thank God, that would be so great." -- Tatiana talked about how Felicity was too angry back in the day to help people, but now Felicity is back and strong, badass, and willing to help people. She also talked about how Felicity can be kinda goofy and nerdy at times, sometimes putting her foot in her mouth with unintentional inuendoes, but that Felicity is always "strong in the end" - and that it's possible for one character to be both strong and kinda goofy. Tatiana wished that they could do this on Supergirl, so that Kara could still be kinda awkward and nerdy at times, but still always be strong in the end. In this respect, Tatiana wished that Kara Danvers could be more like Felicity Smoak: "then I would be totally on board for Supergirl." -- Craig said that in S1, Felicity was the "avatar for the audience" and "her reaction was our reaction". He said that Felicity always called Oliver out "on his bullshit." -- Tatiana said that Felicity is always "uncompromisingly good". -- They were both glad that they didn't turn Felicity into a pill addict, but instead, she got through her self-doubts and "came out stronger on the other end". -- Craig liked that Diggle's daughter actually aged in real time. He also compared her to Rick's daughter on TWD, who seems to have aged only about 6 months in 3 years. Tatiana thought Baby Sara was so "adorable". -- They noted that, with Waller's death, Lyla could take over ARGUS. Tatiana loves Lyla and thinks she's so "kickass". She would watch a spinoff show with Lyla heading ARGUS. -- They wondered about the connection between Oliver's flashbacks and the Diggle flashbacks, which both showed Reiter. -- Craig liked that Felicity's story was about her for once, since her storyline for the past season and a half had been defined by her relationship with Oliver. -- Tatiana thought that Arrow did a better job than The Flash and LoT at serving its characters properly and not just putting them in each episode just to include them. She pointed out that Lance wasn't in the episode because he's part of Darhk's story and Darhk wasn't in this episode. -- Craig brought up the Laurel training with Oliver scene and asked Tatiana if there was a moment there when she was thinking, 'don't you dare try to match [those] two back together.' Tatiana responded: "I tell you, the pitchfork was in my hand... If they make it so this f**king fight with Felicity and Oliver leads to them trying to hook them back up, I will f**king riot!... Pitchfork in hand, flame in the other one, no, no, a thousand times, no... for f**king real." Tatiana said that if they put Oliver and Laurel back together, she would quit the show, "not because I'm a diehard Olicity shipper... but we were already on that ship - it has sailed, and it was bad, so don't do that again." Craig added, "And it sank, and it sent Ollie to the island." -- Craig noted that since the beginning of the show, the show has veered far away from comic canon ("it's their sandbox, and they're going to do whatever they want in it"), but that they seem to be taking comic canon more seriously lately, so that now "you're like, holy crap, are they really trying to - is there a secret plan afoot, despite fan devotion to the opposite - that they're going to try to put Laurel and Oliver back together?... and you're like, oh, man, if that ever happens, so many people are going to quit this show, it's not even funny." Tatiana added: "Get the f**k out of here, comic canon." They're still very concerned about the flash forward in the limo with Oliver and ringless Felicity, and what that "whole mystery" means. -- They talked more on the possibility that the show will try to put Laurel and Oliver back together:: Craig: "You have those moments, and they seem innocent enough... But, it's like, the wheels start turning a little bit, you know, just because you know they're trying to throw twists and turns on this... 'Are they trying this? They better not be trying this, I don't want this to happen'... I don't think anyone wants this to happen. I can't imagine, whoever brought the idea to the writers room didn't get immediately laughed out of the writers room." Tatiana: "Leave the comic canon to the movies. Okay? No one wants that... If anyone wants that, you are wrong!" Craig: "There are some Laurel lovers out there, so - they're all on tumblr, but yeah, they're out there." Tatiana: "Love Sara. Sara would be a different story. Laurel is the worst." Craig: "You just don't want bad things to happen to Felicity." Tatiana: "At all. She's so perfect. Plus, Emily Bett Rickards is the best." -- They also talked about Oliver's previous and future crossovers to LoT (spoiler alert).

Curtis introduced his husband as "Paul" in 409, so you're correct. I've put Quentin back on top of my "who's in the grave" list. Felicity's extreme anger could be due to other things, such as her mother and/or her team member(s) being critically injured in the same attack that kills Quentin. Barry's presence could just be to support his friends. The shocking game-changer could refer to the consequences of Quentin's death (for example, maybe someone bad takes over the SCPD, or maybe someone leaves Star City as a result). At this point, I'm on the anyone-but-Diggle train.

Emertainment Monthly's usual rave review of an Arrow episode (but, as above-posted media articles attest, she's not alone in calling EBR/Felicity the MVP of 411)... ‘Arrow’ Review: “A.W.O.L” January 29, 2016 Nora Dominick ‘17/ http://emertainmentmonthly.com/2016/01/29/arrow-review-a-w-o-l/

Spoiler Room: Scoop on Scandal, Vampire Diaries, Blindspot, and more BY NATALIE ABRAMS Posted January 29 2016 — 2:55 PM EST http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/29/spoiler-room-scandal-vampire-diaries-blindspot-spoilers

Early ratings for last night's LoT episode dropped from last week* to 1.1 and 2.84 (hopefully, it'll adjust up)... http://www.spoilertv.com/2016/01/ratings-news-29th-january-2016.html (* Final adjusted ratings for last week's LoT's premiere were 1.2 and 3.21.)

The CW execs must be loving this article (btw, the writer forgot about AoS; also, I don't agree that The Flash is TV's best superhero show)... 10 Years After Its Creation, the CW Is the Best Network for Risky, Exciting Programming By Kevin O'Keeffe January 26, 2016 http://mic.com/articles/133360/10-years-after-its-creation-the-cw-is-the-best-network-for-risky-exciting-programming#.BOAZUV0J2

Nothing spoilery (and we get confirmation on how to spell her character's name)... https://twitter.com/elysiarotaru/status/692770534308745216

Or everyone else who might've been there is injured and in the hospital because the previous episode ended in a cliffhanger with no one knowing who survived and who actually died.

This reviewer actually enjoyed 411, but criticized the lack of realism (only quoted parts relevant to Arrow) - um, these are superhero shows with metahumans... PLOT HOLES ARE RUINING ‘THE FLASH’ AND ‘ARROW’ BY JEN STAYROOK January 28, 2016 http://www.theworkprint.com/plot-holes-are-ruining-the-flash-arrow/123

Arrow bits from new CL interview... Legends of Tomorrow: Caity Lotz Interview Fred Topel 1/28/2016 at 7:59AM http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/caity-lotz/252129/legends-of-tomorrow-caity-lotz-interview

411 review by 4YourExcitement (a U.K.-based news site)... ARROW’S “A.W.O.L.” FINDS THE TEAM ADJUSTING TO THE NEW NORMAL Verena Cote | January 28, 2016 http://www.4ye.co.uk/2016/01/arrows-a-w-o-l-finds-the-team-adjusting-to-the-new-normal/

The usually very negative Randy Dankievitch thought that 411 was the best episode of the season (there must be something in the water this week because critics who usually dump on Arrow are being positive! and some vice versa) - I especially love the last line quoted below... Arrow, Ep. 4.11: “A.W.O.L.” gets back to the good stuff Randy Dankievitch January 28, 2016 http://www.popoptiq.com/arrow-awol-review/

411 reviews by jbuffyangel and JustAboutWrite... MOVE FORWARD: AWOL 4X11 REVIEW jbuffyangel JANUARY 28, 2016 @ 07:03 http://jbuffyangel.tumblr.com/post/138212842803/move-forward-awol-4x11-review Arrow 4x11 "A.W.O.L." (Without Intent to Desert) Just About Write 6:48 PM http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2016/01/arrow-4x11-awol-without-intent-to-desert.html

‘Arrow’ 4×11 Recap: ‘A.W.O.L.’ fangirlish JANUARY 28, 2016 http://fangirlish.com/arrow-4x11-recap-a-w-o-l/

Arrow Season 4: 12 Big Questions We’re Asking After ‘A.W.O.L.’ James Hunt 28 Jan 2016 http://whatculture.com/tv/arrow-season-4-12-big-questions-were-asking-after-a-w-o-l.php

Film School Rejects' positive review of 411... LAST NIGHT ON ARROW, FELICITY GOT HER GROOVE BACK By Neil Miller January 28, 2016 http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/last-night-on-tv-january-28.php

Three If By Space gave 411 a score of 9 out of 10... Arrow 411 Review – “A.W.O.L.” Takes A Deep Look At Identity By: Alisha Bjorklund January 28, 2016 http://www.threeifbyspace.net/2016/01/arrow-411-review-a-w-o-l-takes-a-deep-look-at-identity/#.VqtvQrIrLIU

It's hard to get past those flashbacks where we find out: (1) Sara had a crush on Ollie, Laurel called the cops to break up Tommy's party to prevent Sara from hooking up with Ollie, and then within a month Laurel started dating Ollie even though she knew her sister liked him; and (2) Ollie got a girl pregnant when he was cheating on Laurel, Ollie let his mother take care of his little BM problem, and then Ollie went cuddling up to Laurel for comfort.

Not only that, but Felicity will probably also find out that her mother lied (or omitted to tell her)* about things concerning her father. So that, coupled with Oliver lying or failing to tell her really crucial personal information, could really shake Felicity. It would make her start to think that she can't really trust anyone - not even the ones closest to her. I know I'd be shaken if both my mom and my fiance lied to me about important information that I needed to know. It would shake my trust and my judgment as well. I'd just want space away from both of them for awhile. (* In that ETonine interview, WM said: "One of the ways we were most intrigued by with that storyline was with respect to her mother. What does Felicity learn about herself through this flash from the past, so to speak. What does her mother know? What does that dynamic look like? She was very young when he left and she doesn’t really remember - she remembers the abandonment but she doesn’t know who he is aside from what her mother’s told her. There’s going to be a lot of emotional tension and some pretty big questions that she’s going to want to get answered.") Sometimes I wish that MG would tell his 10-year-old self to grow up.

I'd say it was more of an Ego Egg... Felicity’s Codename An Easter Egg… For Marc Guggenheim Posted January 28, 2016 by Dan Wickline http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/01/28/felicitys-codename-an-easter-egg-for-marc-guggenheim/

Regarding the video mentioned by looptab above... https://twitter.com/amellywood/status/692850321312186370

Converting skeptics to Olicity shippers... one critic at a time.

Every time I see a new blonde female character with glasses on a new TV show, I think they're copying Felicity. Example: SyFy's The Magicians...