tv echo

I don't know who Donald Trump's kids are dating, but if they made headline news, I'd read or hear about it, and then I would know. So if Donald Trump and his son were killed on a boating trip, along with a woman who was identified as the sister of his son's girlfriend, also identified, then it would be headline news and, yes, I'd then know their names and relationship to the Trumps. If Trump's wife was put on trial for conspiracy and murder, and the prosecution team included their son's ex-girlfriend, then it would be big news and, yes, I'd also then know her name and relationship to the Trumps. Ted seems like someone who's involved with people and cares about the city. So I'd think that he would keep up with the news, what's going on around town, and what's happened to a prominent family like the Queens, esp. since Moira's trial involved the destruction of the Glades.

In the old DC comics,

Much has been made of Oliver's controlling personality - but Oliver wasn't always this way. Flashbacks show that pre-island Oliver was pretty lazy and weak. He had a strong, controlling mother, Moira, who took care of him and cleaned up his messes (like getting a girl pregnant). He had a girlfriend, Laurel, who turned a blind eye to his infidelity. Laurel is also a strong, controlling woman, who had their life together all planned out. Most likely, if he had not gone on that fateful trip, he would've married Laurel and passed from the control of his mother to the control of his wife. And if he ever resented that control, he would get back in passive-aggressive ways, like cheating on her with other women. Then during his five years away, he had no control over his life or himself. Things were done to him - on the island, on the freighter, in Hong Kong, etc. - that he couldn't control and that he could only react to. Things happened to people he cared about that he couldn't control - his father, Shado, Sara, even Slade. I suspect we'll find out that he returned to the island alone so that he wouldn't have to watch anyone else he cared about die. So Oliver in the present day understandably wants to control everything and everyone in his life, is reluctant to surrender control to anyone else, and is overprotective of those he loves - hence, his domineering attitude to Thea, Laurel, Diggle and Felicity. It makes his willingness to use Felicity as bait last season to stop Slade even more "unthinkable". And it makes the notion of Oliver and Laurel having any romantic compatibility now even more unbelievable because they are now both controlling personalities. However, I think Oliver is struggling with his tendency to control. By working with Diggle and Felicity, then Sara and Roy, he's learned to trust other people, to delegate some, and to give up a little bit of control. But it's a real struggle for him.

Regarding the "We used to date" statement (for which I blame the writers), I read somewhere a defense argument that Ted Grant would not have known the identity of Laurel's exes and would be too respectful of her to investigate her background. However, that argument would only work if Laurel's exes were all nobodies (as Shanna noted above). The Queens are or were the most prominent family in Starling City. The life, exploits and loves of Oliver Queen would've been all over the media, much like George Clooney or JFK Jr. (Even Felicity's mother knew that Oliver Queen was a millionaire.) Pics of him and his date - likely Laurel - at various events would've been posted in all the society pages. Even if Ted was not up on celebrity or society news, seven years ago the deaths of Robert and Oliver Queen would've been front page headlines in local, national and world news. The death of their passenger, Sara Lance, would also have been reported and, since she was a relative nobody, she would've been described by her relationship to the Queens - as the sister of Oliver Queen's girlfriend, Laurel Lance. People would've speculated as to why she was on that trip with the Queens. It would've been the talk of Starling City. In addition, two years ago, the trial of Moira Queen also would've been front page headlines. The prosecution team and defense lawyers would've been identified and I'm sure some intrepid reporter would've recognized that one of the prosecutors, Laurel Lance, was the ex-girlfriend of the defendant's son. So unless Ted was living under a rock all his life, he would know that one of Laurel's exes was Oliver Queen. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that he would immediately interpret Laurel's statement to refer to Oliver because she could have other exes. But if he wanted to, it wouldn't be that hard to identify all of Laurel's exes or to connect the dots to Oliver's return. Therefore, yes, it was a stupid statement for her to make. Though not as egregious a misstep as keeping Sara's death a secret for no reason, this statement by Laurel is another example of sloppy writing this season. The writers probably thought it was just a clever quip to throw into the dialogue. And clever quips, cool stunts and cute Easter eggs are enough to keep fans happy, right? Forget about story consistency or character development... Regarding Oliver's hypocrisy, I think it's a case of "do as I say and not as I do". He knows he has acted wrongly in the past. He thinks he's on a path that ends in death, so he doesn't want anyone else to take that same path. Picking up from bethy's comment above, I'm going to address Oliver's controlling personality in the Oliver thread.

Regarding Laurel's "am I me or am I my sister" journey, I think the EPs want to have their cake and eat it too. Laurel could have a crisis moment after she puts on the costume of wondering "am I just trying to be my sister?" Then Sara's ghost or hallucination or dream vision will appear to Laurel and tell her that putting on the costume is not being her (Sara), but that Laurel can be her own version of the Canary and still be herself - she can be the Black Canary. Then Laurel will stride forth as her own superhero. I will be shocked - SHOCKED, I tell you - if Laurel gives up her suit. They'd have to peel it off her cold, dead body. Thea could be the one who decides not to become a superhero. She could decide not to become like either Malcolm or Oliver, but remain a normal person with a normal life (a former vigilante like Ted Grant).

Regarding The Flash comparisons to Arrow and Smallville... How The Flash Is a Good Show Despite a Gaping Hole Where the Plot Should Be By Paul on Nov 13, 2014 http://www.tvovermind.com/the-flash/flash-good-show-despite-gaping-hole-plot-244612

So I guess they're going to show Laurel learning to use that weapon at some point? And that she'll become an expert at it in only a few months? I think I've finally figured out why there are so many buckles on Laurel's costume (esp. on her legs), when it would take so long to don the outfit and buckle up. KC has really skinny legs, so without the buckles, she'd look like a stiff wind could knock her over. Putting her in thick pants would impede her movement and look unflattering. By bulking up her legs with those buckles, she looks sturdier and still cool. Then the rest of the outfit has to have matching buckles or it would look too strange. Anyway, that's my theory.

Deleted in a fit of mercy.

Perhaps he's still feeling bitter that what he wrote was so heavily criticized - maybe his ego demands that he do it again but in a successful way, so that he can say 'told you so'? Who knows. I've given up trying to figure out the motivations of any of the Arrow EPs.

I find MG's answer (that they've known who Felicity's dad is for over two years) hard to believe... http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/12/arrow-producer-talks-wildcat-ras-al-ghul-the-flash-crossover-and-more?page=2

Alan Sepinwall had the exact same reaction to the new BC costume as I did - and I swear I posted my comment in the Spoilers thread before I read his article.

I could barely watch the entire episode and wanted to drop out halfway through. It's an especially bad episode for me when I don't even have the heart or inclination to write a decent review. Here's my reaction in a nutshell: Blech... Yawn... Nausea.

Regarding Sara and Tommy each returning in a way we don't expect - let me guess... Laurel gets her very own "Three Ghosts" holiday special, and two of her ghosts are Sara and Tommy. Sara gives her blessing for Laurel to assume her Canary identity. Tommy gives his blessing for Laurel to be with Oliver. Then in January, Laurel dons the BC costume with no regrets and no guilt (btw, what's with all the buckles?). Oh - and Laurel gets a costume after six months, but Diggle still doesn't have a costume after three and a half years. I'm not talking about a hooded archer costume, but something suited to his military background (more fitted than what he has been wearing on their field missions).

The term "star-crossed" seems to have evolved from its original strict definition of being doomed by the stars, destiny or fate into a looser definition of just being unlucky in love. Origins: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/star-crossed+lovers http://www.bardwords.org/famous-shakespeare-quotes/star-crossed-lovers.htm So I guess whether or not Oliver & Felicity are "star-crossed" depends on which definition you favor.

I'm glad that everyone has different rankings because I generally like all of these shows and the more people who like each of these shows the best, the more likely their chances of success. AVENGERS 2: AGE OF ULTRON - Official Extended Trailer #2 (2015) [HD] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk24PuBUUkQ

I'm increasingly disillusioned (I'm tired of saying "bitter"). After this week's episode, it seems like the EPs (esp. Andrew Kreisberg) are still circling around the idea of an Oliver-Laurel endgame. One reviewer even mentioned a possible love triangle among Oliver, Laurel and Ted after watching last night's episode. I'm convinced that AK never gave up that idea because he's fixated on Green Arrow-Black Canary equals Oliver-Laurel equals OTP. He may give us Oliver and Felicity this season and maybe part of next, but (as discussed before) I think Ray Palmer was introduced partly for his story arc and partly as a test of both a possible spin-off series and to see if fans would accept another love interest for Felicity. If Ray doesn't click with viewers, then most likely next season will see the introduction of someone with the initials E.R. If what I've read online is any indication, the 'redemption of Laurel' arc this season is actually working - albeit slowly - to make her more acceptable. Once she (or her stunt double) starts kicking ass as the Black Canary out in the field, I think we'll see even more acceptance of Laurel. Then AK will start slipping in romantic hints between her and Oliver (probably next season). For me, this show is circling down the drain faster than the Flash...

I'm in disbelief that SA and the EPs still think that the only problem with Laurel was that she was kept out of the loop on Arrow's identity and that now she knows the secret and is part of Team Arrow, the Laurel problem is fixed. Iris is out of the loop on The Flash, but she's not anywhere as irritating as Laurel (except for the disconcerting way CP sounds like KC).

I also watched Supernatural 200th and loved it. I had stopped watching that show for a while because it was getting pretty depressing and repetitive. But I ended up watching it live this week over Agents of SHIELD, its time-slot competitor. It turned out to be a good choice, given how Coulson-centric the AOS episode was this week.

Sorry for the Carol Kane mistake. I was thinking Princess Bride ("Have fun storming the castle!") and for some reason got the actress's name wrong. The problem with Barbara is that she's been given the "Barbara" name so they can't get rid of her as Gordon's love interest. Now Gotham has the same comic book canon "Laurel problem" that Arrow has been struggling with. Perhaps Barbara can just go away and, one or two seasons down the road, Gordon meets another woman named Barbara - and Bullock can make a joke about how Gordon has a weakness for women named Barbara.

My biggest problem with Hawley is that he reminds me of Spencer Pratt, that obnoxious reality tv 'star'. In order to save this show, they need to go back to what made it so enjoyable the first season - keeping the central focus on Ichabod and Abbie, their evolving partnership, and fighting evil. Much as I love Jenny, I'm fine with her sticking to a supporting role. Same for Hawley and Frank. Also, get rid of Jeremy, Abraham and Katrina - that will eliminate the family drama, the doomed love triangle, and the bodice-ripping love scenes. Have the Horsemen return as other people - this time people close to Abbie. Incidentally, I think the Horsemen deliberately show up as people close to the Witnesses in order to make it harder for the Witnesses to defeat them - as evidenced by the interminable debates over Jeremy.

Bruce Campbell returns as Ash... 'Evil Dead' TV show starring Bruce Campbell greenlit by Starz By James Hibberd on Nov 10, 2014 at 4:00PM @james_hibberd http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/11/10/evil-dead-tv-show/

Here's my ranking of current superhero TV shows that I like right now - I'm sure others will disagree ; ) 1. Arrow (but slipping downwards) 2. Gotham 3. The Flash 4. Agents of SHIELD I tried Constantine but couldn't get into it. I'm looking forward to Agent Carter, so I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Abraham has nothing to live for. His family is gone. His cause is gone. Rick has a lot to live for - Judith, Carl, and his new "family" group. Rick for the win.

BM as Jim Gordon was the standout of this episode. Like others here, I like that they showed the repercussions in the police precinct from last week when all of the other cops deserted Gordon. BM is very good at portraying seething anger and repressed violence. The climactic scene in the office 'fight club' where he defeats the three job applicants and then the boss was great. This show is doing a good job of showing a Gordon who eventually becomes so disillusioned by the system that he welcomes the idea of a vigilante superhero fighting criminals outside the law. Bullock was almost too supportive of Gordon, in an abrupt about-face from the beginning of this series. I kept waiting for a scene where it would be revealed that he was secretly working for one of the villains. But nope, it didn't happen. Every scene with Bruce and Alfred was good, as usual. Was Alfred's method of combatting schoolboy bullies the right one? Debatable, but insightful in rearing the child who will become Batman. The scene between Oswald and his mom was creepily enjoyable. Madeline Kane is always great. The Selina scenes seemed like throwaways just to get her in the episode. It's still disconcerting how she has a 30-year-old face on a 13-year-old body. When Fish Mooney was telling Liza the 'sob story' about her prostitute mother's death, I thought 'what a cliche back story'. So it was great when it turned out she made the whole thing up. I don't understand the Barbara character at all. When she was demanding reassurance from Gordon that he would protect her, I cringed. Was she suffering from PTSD because she was threatened with death last week? Why did she leave at the end? I can't help thinking that Gordon deserves someone stronger. The visual look of the show continues to impress.. And the acting on this show is really strong (with one exception), which elevates the material. (I think BM injured himself while filming the pilot episode - I believe you could see his head injury during that episode.)