tv echo

‘Arrow’ recap: 'Bratva’ SARA NETZLEY FEBRUARY 8, 2017 http://ew.com/recap/arrow-season-5-episode-12/

That's lower than last week in terms of total viewers.

I seem to recall a KC interview once (although I can't find it now) where she said something about how SA was almost at producer level, in terms of his input on the show.

From CBR interview with DR (posted in Spoilers thread) - sounds like a hint about Adrian Chase's story...

Still there: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5607510/?ref_=ttep_ep16

Iron Fist gives us Arrow flashbacks with new trailer By Gabrielle Bondi on February 7, 2017 http://theyoungfolks.com/television/iron-fist-gives-us-arrow-flashbacks-with-new-trailer/96813

5 Ways Felicity Smoak Is The Best Character on TV Right Now WED, 08 FEBRUARY 2017 AT 4:33 PM http://www.justjaredjr.com/2017/02/08/5-ways-felicity-smoak-is-the-best-character-on-tv-right-now/

From Mashable interview with DR (posted in Spoilers thread)...

SA's facebook q&a on Feb. 7... https://www.facebook.com/stephenamell/posts/1293104440774820

Richard Hatch has passed away :( ... http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/7/14542640/richard-hatch-battlestar-galactica-apollo-obituary

How to Destroy a Popular Ship in 3 Easy Steps: Develop the relationship between the hero and another character slowly over the course of four years, evolving from strangers to engaged couple. Break up the couple in the most contrived, non-organic, stupid way possible, while simultaneously making the hero look like a giant asshole. Write the next season as if their relationship never changed/happened during the previous four seasons.

Today is the last scheduled shooting date for 517 (Kapot).

I don't believe that Oliver told Tinah about Prometheus in 511 (there's no mention of him in their on-screen dialogue). However, they've had an entire week to talk and become BFFs. I'm sure he's introduced her to the Arrow Bunker, exposed the real identities of all his teammates, told her all their secrets and problems, and brought her up to date on the past four years' worth of news. Someone upthread asked about WM's "all in" quote...

I thought this was an interesting article - I'm not going to quote or comment because it touches on politics, but I'm just posting it here for your interest (also includes a MG quote)... Less Politics, More Superhero Stories for Marvel Comics in 2017 By Ian Miles Cheong 8:49 am, February 7, 2017 https://heatst.com/culture-wars/less-politics-more-superhero-stories-for-marvel-comics-in-2017/

Can't wait to see the Season 6 poster! (sarcasm)

Only if you're prepared for SA to say, "You can't always get what you want," and then have the audience laugh at you.

Rick Gonzalez (Wild Dog).

Back in October, @SmoaknArrow wrote this great post, "Does Arrow Want Me to Watch?"... http://forums.previously.tv/topic/7318-target-practice-poisoned-arrow-the-bitterness-thread/?page=89#comment-2668096 With every batch of new spoilers that come out, I become more convinced that the answer - sadly - is "No" for Felicity/Olicity/OTA fans like me. Perhaps an example of the disheartening nature of this season - I posted this morning in the Golden Arrow thread that Eonline is taking nominations for "TV's Top Couple 2017". Based on their rules, Olicity is still eligible. The nomination deadline is 5pm today, but I have yet to see any mention of it in the few Olicity fan twitter accounts that I've checked.

Well, 515 does have this spoiler...

Oh no - the "crossed arms" stance is spreading... Iron Fist - Promo, Promotional and Cast Photos + Key Art *Updated 7th February* Posted by SpoilerTV at February 07, 2017 http://www.spoilertv.com/2016/12/iron-fist-first-look-promotional-photos.html

That last pic of Tinah and Oliver reminded me a little of Aeryn and Crichton on Farscape, in terms of similar facial/body types. The HUGE difference, of course, is that Crichton and Aeryn had tons of on-screen chemistry, which I don't see with Oliver and Tinah.

SUMMARY OF 512 SPOILERS: S5, Episode 12: Bratva -- Production code: 512. Shoot Dates: November 15-28, 2016. Director: Ben Bray. Writers: Oscar Balderrama & Emilio Ortega Alrich. Airdate: February 8, 2017. (Nov. 22, 2016 MG tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread) -- 512 synopsis: "OLIVER RETURNS TO RUSSIA — A mission takes Oliver (Stephen Amell), Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and team to Russia where they meet up with Oliver’s old friend, Anatoly (guest star David Nykl). Meanwhile, fresh out of rehab, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) returns to the mayor’s office ready to get back to work. However, when Susan (guest star Carly Pope) asks for an interview with Lance to discuss his addiction, he balks and it’s up to Rene (guest star Rick Gonzalez) to help keep things on track. Ben Bray directed the episode written by Oscar Balderrama & Emilio Ortega Aldrich (#512). Original airdate 2/8/2017." (Jan. 20, 2017 SpoilerTV article, page 51 of Spoilers thread) -- 512 promo and extended promo posted. (512 promo and extended promo videos, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- 512 producer's preview posted. (512 producer's preview video in CW_Arrow tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- 512 promo pics posted. (TVLine article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- 512 Oliver/Felicity dialogue spoiler: "Where were you? Did you take Dinah somewhere? Yeah. Not like that. It's okay. What happens in Russia stays in Russia, remember?" (YonkouProdutiona post, page 1340 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- 512 Oliver/Dinah dialogue spoiler: "Dinah, I'm trying to move forward, but I'm back here, I'm in Russia, in the Bratva, and it just proves to me that I can't seem to do that. Prometheus got in your head. What was it, some crap about infecting the peopl closest to you? Yeah, and tonight, I watched John torture a man, And there's something going on with Felicity. There's... You affect the people in your life, Oliver. That's hardly a revelatory observation. In fact, I think it's, uh... It's called living. Prometheus has you so fixated on what's wrong with you, that you've completely stopped seeing what's right. You know John and Felicity, they'll listen to you Because you have more to offer than just this. Your past is a part of you. There is nothing you can do about that. You can't change it. It doesn't mean it has to be your anchor." (Feb. 7, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread, and YonkouProdutiona post, page 1341 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- 512 Rene/Quentin dialogue spoiler:"You crouched down, looked me in the eye, and told me...I could be more than just some rip-and-run thug." (Feb. 7, 2017 YonKouProd tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- 512 dialogue spoiler: "IF OLIVER QUEEN IS THE GREEN ARROW." (YonkouProd tweet, page 52 of Spoilers thread and page 1343 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- 512 Reddit post: "Dumbass Oliver forgets that if he goes to Russia then there's no Green Arrow back home which leaves your identity exposed...not to mention protecting your identity in Russia doesn't go far if they call you Luchnik (The Archer)." (Feb. 7, 2017 Reddit post by Yonkou Productions, page 1343 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- YonkouProductions tweeted: "In this weeks Arrow Oliver forgets about plausible deniability." (Feb. 7, 2017 YonkouProd tweet, page 1341 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- YonkouProductions tweeted: "Since people keep asking about Arrow ships...Susan is called 'Oliver's girlfriend' in 5x12." and "Twice." On whether Oliver bangs Susan on-screen, Yonkou Productions tweeted: "No." (YonkouProd tweets, page 52 of Spoilers thread, and YonkouProdutiona post, page 1341 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- DC All Access' Hector: "A mission brings Oliver, Felicity and the team to Russia, where they meet up with Ollie's old friend, Anatoly. And Curtis, Felicity and Rory have to pretend to be Bratva, which means 'brotherhood' in Russian, which also refers to the Russian mafia. Plus, Quentin Lance is out of rehab and he's ready to get back to work, except - uh uh, not so fast - except he has to do an interview first. And he is not ready for this. So he's going to need the help of Rene to prep for this interview. And I'm going to be real with you guys, this is my favorite part of this episode - these two characters are fantastic." (Feb. 6, 2017 DC All Access video, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- On Diggle being framed by his corrupt military commander in 502 and facing court martial, MG: “This is the start of a storyline that’s actually going to carry us through episode 512... There’s going to be a long tail storyline that we’re doing with Dig this year.” (Oct. 18, 2016 Entertainment Weekly article, page 47 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "Coming into the second half of the season, we felt a very strong impulse to basically bring the whole General Walker storyline from the beginning of the year to a conclusion. There’s a reason why we returned Diggle to prison and it’s all to set up what will be a climactic episode. We’ve dedicated basically a whole episode to resolving the General Walker storyline. What’s nice about that episode, that’s episode 12, is that it ties into Oliver’s Russia storyline, it ties into Felicity’s storyline, and it even echoes back to the Diggle storyline with his brother last season. So a lot of threads get tied together and some threads get tied up in that 12th episode." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread) -- MG: "In episode 12, both Diggle and Felicity, for different reasons, are flirting with some darkness in their lives. Oliver basically, in this really great moment, tells both Felicity and Diggle, 'Look, I’m basically a dark dude, I do bad things, but the ship has sailed with me. The whole reason I am aligned with you guys is because you guys are fundamentally just better people, you guys are more moral than I am.' Part of the fun of that episode is seeing how that advice to both Diggle and Felicity operates on them. It’s not necessarily going to operate on them the same way." (Jan. 24, 2017 Entertainment Weekly article, page 51 of Spoilers thread) -- On Havenrock, MG: "By the way, we haven't seen the end of that story... I mean, obviously, we've gotten the secret out and Rory and Felicity have aired their feelings about it, but we're actually going to revisit it in episode 12. Episode 12 draws together a lot of threads from the first 11 episodes of the season and it ties off some of them, and it just connects different things that weren't previously connected. But one of those threads is going to be this Havenrock situation and, I think, hopefully, if we've done our job correctly, just the fact that we're revisiting Havenrock and then the way we do it, with respect to Felicity and Rory, will be surprising." (Jan. 25, 2017 ComicBook article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- WM: "Then with Ragman, there's a really cool story coming up for him in episode 512 that we're really excited about that will set him on a slightly different path, but ultimately he'll still be kind of working with the team." (Jan. 25, 2017 Mashable article, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- When asked if we'll see more of Rory's abilities (like in the comics), JD: "Yeah, well, I think - what's kinda cool about the show - what's cool for me anyways - is we're kinda - because that is, let's say, a pretty out there concept, right? ... And because Arrow is of the - I guess, of the four shows - the most grounded in reality, we're sorta finding out what of that stuff works in this world and what doesn't. Um, the other thing that's sorta cool... Rory is sorta discovering these powers as he goes. You know, the rags were put on him in a - at a great inflection point when his parents were - you know, when everyone he knew was wiped off the face of the earth. So no one was really around to let him know the ins and outs of these powers. Uh, you will definitely see him stretch - I will say, you will definitely see him stretch the boundaries of those powers, um, as far as he can go. I won't say anymore about that. But you will definitely see him really go to the - to the far reaches of those powers and see what they can do. So I will say that - that's one of my favorite episodes coming." (Jan. 30, 2017 We Have a Hulk podcast interview with Joe Dinicol, page 52 of Spoilers thread) -- Unspecified Episode (512?): Per Beth Schwartz, she had to make a recording of a Hebrew prayer for one of the actors to learn. Even the name of the prayer or the particular character couldn’t be revealed. (Jan. 24, 2017 The Detroit Jewish News article, page 522 of Social Media thread) -- In response to fan who wanted Felicity to have a real arc like other characters and not something that's brushed aside after two episodes or magically resolved, Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "I hear ya. FWIW: Dig & Felicity each start their "own" stories in 502 that are still paying dividends through 512 (breaking now)." (Sep. 21, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 44 of Spoilers thread and page 1192 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- Brian Ford Sullivan tweeted: "Malone's death uncorks what Felicity bottled up (re: Havenrock). Events in 510-512 force her to re-examine her life (or lack of) as of late." This was in reply to fan who asked what they introduced in 502 that's still paying dividends in 512 for Felicity. (Dec. 12, 2016 briforsul tweet, page 50 of Spoilers thread) -- SA:"We have an episode coming up called Bratva, where the team goes back to Russia. The whole team." DR: "Whoa, whoa." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread) -- SA: "I am so excited about this season of Arrow. And, uh, I -" RA: "Me too. Steve just gave us some spoilers." SA: "Big time spoilers. John Wick-style stuff." RA: "And angry Arrow [unintelligible word]." SA: "Really, really angry. Um, I just read episode 512, and I was so fired up after I read it. It was really good. Really good." (Nov. 5, 2016 SA and RA facebook video, page 500 of Social Media thread) -- SA: "I've got a great John Wick-inspired scene coming up on the show, like in, uh - I want to say episode 11, 12...ish, with me and... Talia." (Wizard World New Orleans, Jan. 8, 2017: NolaNerdCouple audio of SA/DR panel, page 520 of Social Media thread) -- SA: "I think we've done a good job of creating new dynamics. Uh, I read a scene in an upcoming episode between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne - which is a pairing that I thought I'd never see... It is a forward-moving train and you gotta really work to find new characters, find new dynamics, cause, you know, the 12th episode, the favorite stuff that I read was between Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne. And that stuff's important." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and Video clip in kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 17, 2016, SA posted pic of himself with JHarkavy, EBR, JD, EK and DR, all wearing characters' casual business attire and standing outside in front of a building. (SA facebook post, page 1221 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Nov. 17, 2016, JH posted pic of herself training at T3 Athletics and exchanged comments with JBamford. (JH tweet & instagram post, page 1226 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Nov. 20, 2016, SA: "I have a shirtless scene tomorrow, I think, actually... It's not a workout scene though." (HVFF-Atlanta, Nov. 20, 2016: Video of full SA panel in BeautifulBallad article, periscope livestream link of full SA panel in smoaksqueen tweet and kalichica12 tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 21, 2016, JH posted pic of RG and JD with comment: "These two gents!" (JH instagram post, page 1230 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Nov. 22, 2016, in response to fan asking how work and everything is going, JH tweeted: "Work is amazing! Absolutely love the cast, crew, and production team on @CW_Arrow. Such a kind, dedicated, & talented group of people." (JH tweet, page -- On Nov. 22, 2016, papp tweeted: "#Arrow filming in a church somewhere near Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park. Sounds interesting but couldn't find set." (yvrshoots tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 28, 2016, JH tweeted a series of emojis, indicating that she's flying from the U.S. to Canada to film Arrow. (JH tweet, page 49 of Spoilers thread) -- On Nov. 30, 2016, EK posted a "mannequin challenge" that included SA, DR, EBR, EK, JD, JH and Bratva guys, and also posted b-t-s pics and video clip from the set of a Russian bar, showing SA, EBR, DR, WH, EK, PB and RG (DC Comics instagram posts, pages 508 and 509 of Social Media thread) -- On Feb. 2, 207, fan(?) tweeted: "Sadly 5x12 is probably Ragman's last episode. ??." (LuLuLemonLime83 tweet, page 1336 of Spoiler Discussion thread) -- On Feb. 6, 2017, fan tweeted: "there's a nod to 'what happens in russia, stays in russia' on this weeks episode." and "something will happen with AC, he'll be at starling general on 513." (alwaysbett tweets, page 1340 of Spoiler Discussion thread)

I have to disagree that Tinah looks much younger than Oliver. I think Tinah looks around the same age as Oliver. I also think she looks older than Felicity. Not that it matters. (FYI, Juliana Harkavy is 32 years old.)