tv echo

Laurel didn't turn in mass murderer Malcolm Merlyn, or reveal that he's alive & back in Starling City, even though she's an ADA. The inconsistencies in Laurel's character are why I can see the EPs spinning it either way as to whether or not she knew about Roy's plan.

Killing off Felicity would be incredibly stupid given how popular her character still is (despite how they've undermined her character this season). Having her marry Oliver just to break them up next season would also make no sense. Even if the plan is to have them back to being platonic friends in seasons 5 plus, SA and EBR still have that natural chemistry between them. How are they going to shut that off? Or will they just continue to flirt with each other while engaging in multiple romances with other people? And if the EPs are really going to go the Oliver & Laurel route again, how are they going to address the lack of chemistry between SA and KC? Unless it's one of those things where the EPs see one thing and fans like myself see something else (like MG thinking Ray is charming and not stalkerish at all). I give up. I can't figure it out.

Oliver has been treating Oliver Queen and the Arrow as two different personas with two different lives, which inherently conflict with each other. This season he's divested himself of all the trappings of the life of "Oliver Queen". Now Ra's has taken away all the trappings of the life of "the Arrow". But as Felicity said in 3x19, it doesn't matter if Oliver is wearing a suit as Oliver Queen or the green hood as the Arrow, she just sees the same man underneath : "I know who you are. Whether you're in a suit or under a hood, you're the man that I-- you're the man that I believe in.". To quote Shakespeare: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." If Oliver renamed himself 'Joe Smith', he'd still be the same man - a man who has a certain set of skills (to borrow from Taken) and a certain character now (protective, controlling, loving, doesn't want to kill but kills if necessary, heroic). Oliver himself alluded to the fact that his outward appearance as the Arrow doesn't make him the Arrow, when he said to Ray, "When I'm out in the field, my bow, my arrows - those are just tools. I'm the weapon." Reminds me of the Iron Man scene when Tony is perplexed because Iron Man is recommended for the Avengers Initiative but Tony Stark is not - "but I am Iron Man , Iron Man is me - so how can you recommend me but not recommend me" (or something to that effect). Oliver Queen is the Arrow, and the Arrow is Oliver Queen. That's not to say Oliver can't take a break. He can then decide to resume vigilante activities or find another way to help people. Or - assuming the show stays in Starling City, Quentin (who knows Oliver is the Arrow) can be the one who asks him for help against a new bad guy who attacks the city. Maybe 6 months will be enough time for Quentin to calm down and think more rationally.

Well, MG did say that they're working on a big fern-related announcement and that he'll have some news soon.

Another stupid thing - the police forcibly breaking down the door to the foundry basement. Quentin had a warrant. He should've asked Oliver or Thea to unlock the code to the basement door first, rather than engaging in unnecessary destruction of private property.

I really like this pic of the Original Team Arrow... (source)

https://twitter.com/DCComics

SoundOnSight's very critical review of 3x19 (excerpt quoted, but recommend reading entire article)... Arrow Ep. 3.19 “Broken Arrow” sees off a series regular in another overstuffed hour Posted on April 16, 2015By Randy Dankievitch http://www.soundonsight.org/arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/

Arrow Review: “Broken Arrow” (Episode 3.19) By Mark Rozeman April 16, 2015 | 5:29pm http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/04/arrow-review-broken-arrow.html

Robert Dougherty's review of 3x19 (good read, as usual)... Arrow S3: E19 -- 'Broken Arrow' By Robert Dougherty April 16, 2015 06:47PM EDT http://www.themovienetwork.com/review/arrow-s3-e19-broken-arrow

Arrow: 3×19 Review – Broken Arrow By: Alisha Bjorklund 13 hours ago http://www.threeifbyspace.net/2015/04/arrow-3x19-review-broken-arrow/

http://www.nielsensocial.com/nielsentwittertvratings/daily/

Maybe when Oliver undergoes his "transformation" in 3x21, he has to take hallucinatory herbs or goes into the LP or just uses his imagination, so he imagines what his life might've been like, married to Felicity.

On the previous page of this thread I gave my comments on this episode, including that I thought Laurel was not in on Roy's plan because otherwise she would've been present at the final good-bye scene with Oliver, Diggle and Felicity. Upon further reflection, I could see it either way: Laurel Didn't Know -- Laurel wasn't present in the flashback when Roy, Diggle and Felicity talked about the plan, nor was she present at the good-bye scene. That good-bye scene takes place at night, so Laurel would not have been tied up with her ADA job (which apparently ends by dinnertime since she always manages to go vigilanting at night as the BC). Laurel Knew -- In the good-bye scene, Roy asks Oliver to tell Thea he's alive. But he (and no one) says anything about telling Laurel that Roy's alive, even though Laurel/BC has been fighting alongside Roy for the past few weeks. So it's possible that she knew about the plan and had said her good-bye to Roy earlier (off-screen).

I can see Felicity being conflicted about telling Oliver she loves him right before they're going to be separated permanently (so they believe). Such a confession would be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, she'll give him the comfort of knowing that the woman he loves loves him in return. On the other hand, he'll be further tormented by the fact that his choice to become Heir to the Demon will break not just his heart, but the heart of the woman he loves (remember, he just wants her to be happy even if it's with another man). Regardless of what Ra's says to her, I'd like to think that ultimately it's her decision whether to confess her feelings to Oliver and that she does so because their relationship has always been based on truth. After reading the latest spoilers, I'm now concerned that the upcoming wedding is going to be between Oliver and Felicity* - and that (1) the EPs haven't decided yet whether their marriage will last into season 4 or if they'll break up over the hiatus, or (2) the wedding is not real but a dream or hallucination by O or F, complete with them driving off for their honeymoon in a Porsche, or (3) the wedding is real and, as they're driving down the highway, they are intercepted, rammed or run into some other problem, ending the season in a "kind of cliffhanger". (* I love Oliver and Felicity together, but a wedding at this point would be too soon and, I think, would indicate that the EPs don't consider them endgame.) Also, I really hope there isn't some significance to Felicity's having sex with Ray and then Oliver within a short span of time - like on The Walking Dead when Lori became pregnant and didn't know whether Shane or Rick was the father. I would hate that. IIRC, MG said that three weeks lapse between 3x20 and 3x21 (which is different from their usual real time lapsing between episodes), which means that Felicity would know if she was pregnant by 3x22. Then if Oliver returns and finds out, he would ask Felicity to marry him since they already love each other - kinda old-fashioned but consistent with current Oliver. (This would contrast nicely with pre-island Oliver getting a girl pregnant and leaving it to his mother to solve that problem for him.) Then they find out that the father of the baby could be either Oliver or Ray - leaving the possibility open to having them stay in the marriage or divorce over the hiatus. Again, I would hate such a story line with the force of a thousand suns.

http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

MG clarifications about this episode and deleted dialogue... http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

Some non-spoilery MG responses at http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

Batman v Superman's leaked trailer mocked for being too dark "The Dawn of Justice trailer, which appeared online shortly after Star Wars, has elicited a poor reaction from fans criticising dark visuals and being too bleak" By Kat Brown10:05AM BST 17 Apr 2015 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11544209/Batman-v-Supermans-leaked-trailer-mocked-for-being-too-dark.html

More non-spoilery tweets by SA at https://twitter.com/amellywood...

SA and CH survived to Round 2 in EOnline's poll for alpha male (this round of voting closes on Sunday, April 19 at 5 p.m. PT, with the Sweet 16 kicking off on Monday).... Alpha Male Madness 2015: Vote For Your Favorite Leading Man in Round 2 Now! by TIERNEY BRICKER Today 8:30 AM PDT http://www.eonline.com/news/646990/alpha-male-madness-2015-vote-for-your-favorite-leading-man-in-round-2-now

Final ratings for 3x19 "Broken Arrow" adjusted up only in total viewers -- 0.9 and 2.47... Final Adjusted TV Ratings for Wednesday 15th April 2015 Posted by DarkUFO at Thursday, April 16, 2015 http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/04/final-adjusted-tv-ratings-for-wednesday_16.html

Picturing MG with a smug grin on his face... https://twitter.com/mguggenheim

If Arrow going forward will now take place in another location (Nanda Parbat or ARGUS facility/airplane or wherever), then it's possible that the Spinoff could take place in Starling City, right? Ray doesn't have to move away. If Quentin dies, then Laurel will probably relocate to the new Arrow location as well. Of course, then at some point they'd have to address the question of Queen Inc. turning up in that future newspaper headline.