tv echo

I actually don't have a problem with Nyssa and Laurel becoming friends. I have more of a problem with Nyssa training Laurel without permission from Ra's al Ghul. I can't believe that Ra's would allow any LOA member to train outsiders at will, not even his daughter. I would think the LOA would have special training techniques and tricks - wasn't that why Oliver asked Malcolm to train him? Malcolm agreed because he'd already gone rogue from the LOA and was facing death from Ra's. Nyssa might be becoming estranged from her father, but she doesn't have a death penalty over her head. If LOA members are allowed to freely train non-members, without acquiring any benefit for the LOA, then such training could hurt the LOA in the future by making it easier for outsiders to defeat LOA members.

There's already a new WGN America show called Outsiders (formerly called Titans), which is an upcoming TV drama about an Appalachian family: http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2015/01/30/New-WFN-America-series-Outsiders-to-film-in-Western-Pennsylvania/stories/201501300240 http://deadline.com/2014/11/thomas-m-wright-cast-outsiders-wgn-america-1201281929/ http://deadline.com/2015/02/gillian-alexy-star-outsiders-simon-merrells-dominion-1201375147/ So I doubt this spin-off is going to be called The Outsiders. Too confusing.

Sound familiar, Arrow fans? http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

Another Arrow-Flash comparison comment... Comic book spoilers, so I'm putting this whole comment in spoiler tags:

Here's some of it... Watch Jensen Ackles Sing the Hell Out of Some Classic Rock Songs (video is about 12 minutes long, group song followed by JA solo) http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Jensen-Ackles-Singing-Sister-Christian-Video-37094733 He's come a long way since Dark Angel 2...

This is a funny pic (unable to post here, so go to link - if someone else is able to post it here, go for it). I think KL and CH were just goofing around on set... https://instagram.com/p/0YJQl7Bs1S/

This is an Arrow-Flash comparison comment... So for Arrow, MG said that no mid-season 3 relationship is going to be permanent because he expects the show to last a long time and things will always change. But on The Flash, it's only mid-season 1 and Barry & Iris have already confessed their feelings for each other?

That TV Fanatic analysis is pretty good. However, it still doesn't address the issue of future challenges. Ra's should know that his successor is also liable to be challenged for the position. So does he really think that Oliver is capable of defeating all existing LOA members? Or is Ra's planning to hang around to back up Oliver until Oliver has attained more fighting experience (assuming Oliver accepts his offer)?

This news caught me by surprise... Maggie Q is engaged to Dylan McDermott (her Stalker co-star).

I loved the original Team Arrow, and I'm bitter that the EPs seem determined to destroy completely that group dynamic. Oliver, Diggle and Felicity perfectly complemented each other to form an effective crime-fighting team. They're what kept me watching Arrow through seasons 1 and 2. Now that team has basically been destroyed and replaced with the ridiculous-looking costumed trio of Arrow, Arsenal and Black Canary. When I see them running down the street together, the sight doesn't make me want to cheer - it makes me want to laugh. (I never read the comics, so I don't get any fanboy or fangirl thrill at seeing comic book characters coming to life on screen.) I never had a problem with costumed Arrow and Canary (Sara) fighting together because, one, their costumes made sense (cleavage aside), and two, they were both convincing fighters. But when it comes to Arsenal and BC - one, their costumes make no sense (red color, buckles galore) and, two, they both got their costumes before acquiring believable fighting skills so they come across as pretenders. With Diggle and Felicity, Oliver seemed more likeable and content (at least in seasons 1 and 2). WIth Roy and Laurel, Oliver just seems impatient and unhappy. I think this season's team changes and rushed superhero storylines have all been due to the EPs now writing for their shared tv-verse. With the success of The Flash and the go-ahead for Supergirl, they enlarged their vision and instead of writing just for Arrow, they write for Arrow as laying the groundwork for this larger universe - their mini tv empire, so to speak. So Arrow is just used to push the plot in the direction that they want it to go and to plant the seeds for future spin-offs, at the expense of characters and logic.

MG's response made me roll my eyes. EBR's response ("The League of Assassin costumes are really cool! They should make onesies out of the costumes.") just seems so reflective of her humorous personality.

From the ET article in the Spoilers thread: This seems to support the dialogue tease being Thea to Roy. (fingers still crossed)

I'm also watching The Walking Dead and I have to say that Norman Reedus' rise on that show has been like EBR's on Arrow. NR's character, Daryl Dixon, first appeared in season 1 as part of the group and he could easily have been killed off that season. NR's name first appeared in the string of second tier cast credits in the opening title sequence. But NR added nuances and his own back story to his portrayal of Daryl. That character is now one of the most popular on TWD and NR's name is now second in the opening credits (following Andrew Lincoln).

Did anyone else feel some dread when Chris announced at the end of this week's TTD that Norman Reedus was going to be his guest on the show following the season finale ep?

If it's Oliver and Felicity, with Ray emerging from her bedroom, I'm also going to throw something at my TV. Remember this MG tumblr response? So maybe the dialogue tease is Thea/Roy. (fingers crossed)

Or Thea to Roy.

Maybe there are two deaths before this season ends - someone in 3x19 and someone in 3x23. I dunno - I got nothin'.

Maybe Malcolm doesn't die until 3x23. I'm just speculating - and assuming that someone dies before this season ends. The EPs can make their version of the LP do whatever they want it to do (to serve the plot). I think that they're going in the magic direction, to level the playing field with all the superpowers on the other shows (as others have mentioned). If they follow comics, my understanding is that the powers and limitations of the LP have varied over time. Maybe Oliver survives the LP through magic and his wandering the hospital halls is part of some vision quest.

So Roy's not the one dying (unless CH is lying to us) - so here's my current speculation on the death watch... Ray is injured but recovers. Malcolm dies saving Thea. Oliver is not injured nor killed, but uses the LP to acquire enhanced abilities. No one else dies. Sara does not appear this season but sometime during the first half of season 4 (SA said that the spin-off would launch mid-season next year).

The video montage that includes the Cisco/Laurel scene follows the "This season on The Flash" title. So why would they include an Arrow scene in the Flash montage? People who only watch The Flash and not Arrow will be expecting to see that scene in The Flash.

I just watched The Flash's PaleyFest trailer (posted in the Spoilers thread) and it looks like Laurel & Quentin also cross over to that show, along with Ray & Felicity. In fact, their trailer includes the scene where Laurel tells Cisco she's the BC and he tells her ILY. So it looks like that scene does take place in Central City... which revives the speculation as to why Laurel & Quentin would go out of their jurisdiction to Central City.

Remember that Vixen is also part of this shared universe (albeit in animated form) and that MG is in charge of Vixen. "Vixen will have a 'big magic component'; something not previously explored on either Arrow or Flash." (source) Remember also that MG had said that Oliver will find out that Felicity kissed Barry in the Vixen series. So I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to drive viewers to watch Vixen on the CW Seed by including a significant Arrow-related scene in that animated series. SA also said at Planet Comicon that he's already done about 8 minutes' worth of voice work for Vixen.

So we might really be talking Angel - when Angel's group joined the evil Wolfram & Hart in order to change it from the inside?

Exactly. Becoming Ra's is one thing. Staying Ra's is another. The new Ra's will have to be able to defeat all challengers. I'm betting that Oliver does take the offer. (In the Arrow universe, IQ apparently stands for Idiot Queen.)

MG saying that Ray is seriously if not mortally wounded was a misleading clue because it insinuated that Ray could die. From the Spoilers: This also makes me think that Oliver is the one who is LPed. Ra's uses the LP on a regular basis, not just to heal wounds. Ra's could tell Oliver about the LP as being a benefit of becoming Ra's, and Oliver would be tempted by the idea that using the LP would make it harder for anyone to beat him in the future. I can imagine the EPs sitting around talking about their plans for the shared universe of multiple superhero shows and how the Arrow is going to fit in when all these other superheroes and villains have more than physical training, archery skills and trick arrows. That "long distance relationships" comment by MG could also be a misleading comment to throw people off of thinking that Ray & Felicity will break up this season. I don't really know.