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Arrow “Invasion!” Review (Season 5, Episode 8) Jessica Breaux December 2, 2016 http://www.tvequals.com/2016/12/02/arrow-invasion-review-season-5-episode-8

Agents of GEEK Podcast Episode 52 Craig Wack & Tatiana Torres Dec. 3, 2016 http://agentsofgeekpodcast.com/wordpress/ -- Craig thought it was great to see some of these characters again like "Ma and Pa Queen". Tatiana: "You know who it wasn't great to see?" Craig: "Laurel." Tatiana: "Laurel." Tatiana thought it was great to see a "happy [Quentin] Lance who wasn't f*cked up for life." -- Tatiana thought that the saddest moment of the episode was when Oliver went to talk to Thea, and we find out that Thea already knew they were in a fake reality but didn't care, she still wanted to stay. -- Craig was reminded that "the first two seasons of Arrow were like Dynasty with superheroes," about a powerful family. Now it's not about the Queen family anymore, but it's a family that Oliver's putting together with Felicity and Diggle and Thea, and now with the newbies. -- Craig thought that in a lot of ways "Thea has become the soul of this show," in contrast to the first two years, when she "surpassed Laurel as the most hated character" on the show. -- Tatiana noted that every time Oliver had memory flashes of someone, he remembered "all facets of that person and his relationship," but when he remembered Felicity, "he only remembered being in love with her." However, Tatiana was "so bummed at that moment that Felicity didn't get sucked up because I'm, like, 'can Felicity remember this too, please?'" Craig said that Felicity "was not trapped in the Matrix too." -- Outside the Matrix, Craig noted that we got some "nerdy geek love with Curtis and Cisco, who's still being a bitch, and Felicity" dealing with alien tech. He thought the little fight with the "cybernetic woman" was cheesy. But he loved the chemistry and "tag in" with Supergirl making the "three-point superhero entrance." He thought that Kara/Supergirl "made everything better." Tatiana interjected that the moment she left, "everything got depressing." Craig said that both the character and the actress (MB) brought an "energy" that everyone reacted to. -- Craig and Tatiana both enjoyed this episode of Arrow. It reminded them of why they've watched 100 episodes. -- Tatiana said that in the preview for next week's midseason finale, when someone said "oh, I know who you love" and they showed the reporter, she "almost threw my control at the TV." Tatiana: "He doesn't love her! ... Shut the f**l up, Announcer Man!" Crossover Week: Arrow Marks 100th Episode With a Sentimental Journey BY CRAIG WACK · DECEMBER 1, 2016 http://oohlo.com/2016/12/01/crossover-week-arrow-marks-100th-episode-with-a-sentimental-journey/

I decided to parse out the New BC and Tina spoilers as follows... 1. Will There Be a New Black Canary? On her deathbed in the 501 flashback, Laurel made Oliver promise to "please don't let me be the last Canary.". MG said that, "as the season progresses, eventually it will turn Oliver’s attention towards the specificity of that promise of a new Black Canary, and we’ll have to see what happens." These two things alone could be interpreted loosely or metaphorically as just finding another female vigilante to take up the BC legacy and join their team, who will not necessarily be called 'Black Canary.' However, according to papp tweets, Oliver & Felicity will be searching for a New BC in 510. Also, Canadagraphs tweeted that there will be a New BC and that she won't be Laurel, Sara or Evelyn (but he did not specify which episode). Now, it's possible that the papps just saw someone filming who looked like BC and assumed the character would be called 'BC'. Also, there is still a fancy buckle costume sitting unused in a glass case in the Arrow Bunker. 2. Who Is the New BC? Assuming that there will be a New BC, who is she? There have only been two new female casting news. I think we can dismiss Talia al Ghul, since SA has indicated that she will be relevant to the flashbacks. That leaves two possibilities: Black Siren and Tina (unless there was super secret casting that we don't know about). It's possible that 510 is a redemption story for BS, who is inspired by Laurel's story/statue and returns to her own Earth where she changes her name to BC. Also, I do not know if BS' real name is also Laurel, but it may not matter. Canadagraphs tweeted that the New BC was not Laurel, but he may have meant Laurel of Earth 1, or he may not know BS's real name. However, BS becoming the New BC would cut against Laurel's deathbed statement: "That way, a part of me will always be out there with you." If BS returns to her own Earth, then she won't be with Oliver, and we've seen no sign of KC on set after 510. That leaves Tina as the New BC (if there is a New BC). 3. Who Is Tina Boland? The casting news of JH as Tina Boland, a detective formerly of Central City, describes her as "brash yet tactful, tough, speaks her mind, and is not the easiest person to impress" and that she also has a problem with vigilantes like Green Arrow and his new team of recruits: SA has said that "Tina is a character that the team tracks down, who is operating in another city." It's unknown why or how Tina ends up in Star City, or how she would go from being anti-vigilante to becoming a vigilante herself. It's unknown whether her being from Central City means that she could be a metahuman. At this point, she could or could not be the New BC or Manhunter or some other comics superhero. 4. Will Tina Join Team Arrow? We know that Tina will debut in 511. And social media posts show her hanging out with Team Arrow members. Also, a b-t-s "mannequin" video clip posted by EK included JH and was posted while 513 was filming, so it looks like Tina is around for at least three episodes. DR hinted at a comic con about "more feminine energy" joining the team. And, as mentioned, there is an unused buckle costume in the Arrow Bunker. JH does have a similar body type to KC, so it doesn't stretch credibility too much that her character could fit into Laurel's BC costume with some adjustment (certainly more believable than Thea wearing Roy's red costume). 5. Will Tina Be Someone's Love Interest? The only spoiler supporting Tina as a love interest are the "Tina" casting sides. Although MG said these sides are fake, it doesn't mean we can't learn anything from them. The dialogue and character names in the casting sides might have been fake, but they do indicate what TPTB were looking for in auditioning actresses for this role. The casting sides indicated that they were looking for an actress who could believably portray a character who was tough and a physical fighter. They were also looking for an actress who could create a sexually charged, somewhat combative atmosphere with another character on the show.* If Tina was not going to be someone's love interest, those casting sides would be an odd choice for an audition piece. (* One might argue that they were correcting the casting mistakes they made with KC, when they cast her as Laurel without first doing a chemistry test with SA or finding out whether she could believably portray a fighter.) So if Tina is going to be someone's love interest, the most likely possibilities are Oliver and Wild Dog. If Tina is the New BC, comic canon would support her being Oliver's love interest. But her name - unless she's using an alias - would not fit with any comics name for the BC. If height is a factor, her being 5'8" might also favor Oliver. On the other hand, it seems ridiculous that Oliver would end up banging three Black Canaries on the show (yes, I still consider Sara the first BC). At this point, we just don't know.

The DC/CW Crossover Was Fun as Hell, and It Redeemed the Flash, Too Rob Bricken Dec. 2, 2016 http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-dc-cw-crossover-was-fun-as-hell-and-it-redeemed-th-1789609355 The CW Superhero Crossover Was a Huge Success, So Brace Yourself for More Abraham Riesman Dec. 2, 2016 http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/cw-superhero-crossover-was-a-huge-success.html

INVASION! Part 2: Oliver Explores An Alternate Reality As Arrow Celebrates 100 Episodes Verena Cote Dec. 2, 2016 http://www.4ye.co.uk/2016/12/invasion-part-3-oliver-explores-an-alternate-reality-as-arrow-celebrates-100-episodes/

The EPs and a lot of media reviewers (and even Oliver in LoT 207) have treated the alien hallucination like a true "what if" scenario for Oliver. It's not. It's a false alternate reality construct that was created by the aliens and influenced by three things: it's a shared hallucination among five characters, the aliens manipulated it to create idealized versions to distract these characters, and there's elements of wish-fulfillment that wouldn't have otherwise happened. A true "what if" scenario would've been Oliver traveling to an alternate Earth (like Barry did) where he sees an alternate life where he never got on the Queen's Gambit, or Barry traveling back in time to prevent Oliver from getting on the Queen's Gambit. In that scenario, Oliver's current life would not have looked like the idealized one created by the aliens. At the time right before Oliver took that ill-fated boat trip, several things had already happened or were already in play, including the following: Oliver had already cheated on Laurel with several women. There was tension between the Lance sisters because Laurel didn't believe Sara's tales of Oliver cheating. Also remember that Laurel had arguably stolen Oliver from Sara in the first place.* Oliver and Sara were already planning to hook up behind Laurel's back. Moira had already paid a pregnant Samantha to tell Oliver she had a miscarriage and to leave Starling City. Thea was already Malcolm's biological daughter. Robert and Moira were already part of the Undertaking with Malcolm (hence, Robert had that book with the list of names). (* From 211 - Oliver: "No. But I never left one of Tommy's parties with my memory intact." Sara: "Well, I wasn't even supposed to go. But I snuck out of the house because I knew you were going to be there. And I had this - I had this embarrassing crush on you. And Laurel, she knew it. And that's why the party got broken up by the cops. She tipped off our dad. Then I was grounded for a month, and the next thing I knew, you and Laurel were together.”) The "what if" scenario constructed by the aliens was not realistic in several ways, including: Oliver and Sara never sleeping together was wish-fulfillment for those two characters. If they hadn't boarded the Queen's Gambit, the Ollie at the time and the Sara at the time would've just picked a different place for their hook-up. Laurel had just indicated to Ollie that she wanted them to move in together, and Ollie was panicked. Laurel would've inevitably found out about the Oliver/Sara hookup and, unless, she had no self-respect whatsoever, she would not have reconnected with Oliver no matter how much time had passed. She would've remained estranged from Sara for a long time, but because they're sisters, they probably would've reconciled at some point (esp. since Laurel's hands were not clean either - see parenthetical above). Even if Laurel had still married Oliver 10 years later, at some point the secret about Samantha and William would've come out and damaged their marriage. I doubt that Oliver would've matured into a completely different person without undergoing some major transformative experience. That was also wish-fulfillment. He was spoiled, he never had to take responsibility for anything, and his parents enabled him. Having never graduated from college, his father would've supported him financially and gotten him a job at QC (for which he was unqualified). His mother would've continued to cover up for his mistakes and solve his problems for him. If Diggle had never met Oliver, he wouldn't have become a vigilante. He was a soldier who saw things in terms of black-and-white. He was someone who believed in following the law. He was also at the time emotionally, mentally and morally well-adjusted. He wouldn't have felt the need to atone for anything. (That was the leaking in of present-day Diggle's guilt.) Most likely, he would be running his own security firm. Lyla would most likely be dead since she wouldn't have been saved by Oliver and Diggle from the Russian prison, or Diggle would've tried to save her by himself and died. Ray would be married to his fiance Anna, who never died because Slade Wilson never came to Starling City with his mirakuru army. It's unclear what would've happened to Thea if her parents both lived and Oliver was never presumed dead for five years. She was brought up in a rich, powerful family, and it's likely her parents would've spoiled her. At some point, the truth of Malcolm being her biological father would've come out. She would've reacted badly and rebelled against her family. It's possible, I suppose, that she might've straightened out and reconciled with them over 10 years. In short, Oliver's "what if" life would not have been the one created by the alien hallucination.

‘Arrow’ 100th Episode Review: “Invasion! Part 3” Nora Dominick Dec. 2, 2016 http://emertainmentmonthly.com/index.php/arrow-100th-episode-review-invasion-part-3/

Fan report on DR panel at CCXP-Sao Paolo Expo in Brazil (Dec. 3, 2016)... http://louiseblue1.tumblr.com/post/154004588782/can-we-just-focus-on-the-fact-that-david-said-1

Spoiler Room: Scoop on Once Upon a Time, Chicago Fire, Supergirl and more BY NATALIE ABRAMS • December 2, 2016 http://www.ew.com/article/2016/12/02/spoiler-room-once-upon-time-chicago-fire-supergirl?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

Humming... "I never did mind about the little things." (Point of No Return, 1993)

I never said I didn't enjoy the crossovers. I never said that they didn't work hard. I simply jotted down my reaction from listening to MG talk - which in this case, sounded like he was doing unpaid labor solely for the fans and for no other reason. I don't care if he said it for PR reasons or whatever. But everyone is entitled to watch that video and interpret it however they like.

Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Bates, Arrow, Grey's Anatomy, Chicago Fire, Legends, Last Man on Earth and More By Michael Ausiello / May 5 2016, 10:03 AM PST http://tvlinecom/2016/05/05/bates-motel-season-4-norma-vera-farmiga-norman-spoilers/

Yes, I'm sure they put in all this extra unpaid work just for the fans. Not for better ratings. Not to ensure the success of their DCTV shows. Not for the power that comes with having successful tv shows.

I enjoyed LoT 207 quite a lot. Some of my favorite moments... Felicity: "This ship is -" Cicso: "Automatic?" Felicity: "Supersonic." Cisco: "Hypnotic." Felicity and Cisco (simultaneously): "Funky fresh." Mick: "Ponytail, you're staying on the ship." Felicity: (speaking gibberish) Nate: "I'll take that as, 'Have fun storming the castle'." Cisco: "Oh, for real? You're gonna use 'Princess Bride' against me? Against me?" Felicity: "Hoo-yeah! Y'all call for tech support?" Mick: "Great. Saved by geeks." Felicity (over comms): "This looks like a job for Supergirl." Barry (over comms): "Thanks, Felicity. I'm not the least bit insulted." Felicity (over comms): "Ah, sorry. I meant Supergirl and Flash. This is totally a job for the both of you. That's what I meant. Supergirl and... Flash." Mick (to Kara): "Call me." Sara: "It's weird to think that all of this started with the two of us. You ever think what it would be like if we never got on that boat?" Oliver: "I don't know if I have to think about it. I mean, maybe the Dominators showed us what our lives would have been like." Sara: "I know it was a prison, but in a way -" Oliver: "In a way, it was a gift." (They hug) Sara: "Stay out of trouble." (Leaves) Barry: "Superspeed Arrow duels... Our lives aren't exactly normal." Oliver: "I told Kara that I was looking to reclaim some normal. Thinking on it now, I'm - I'm not so sure." Barry: "I know what you mean. We both got a look at what life would look like normal." Oliver: "It would've been happy." Barry: "But not full." Oliver: "No. No, nowhere close." Barry: "To things not being normal." Oliver: "To life being full."

WHAT IF: ARROW 5X08 REVIEW (INVASION!) jbuffyangel Dec. 1, 2016 http://jbuffyangel.tumblr.com/post/153915957578/what-if-arrow-5x08-review-invasion

This is really relevant to nothing and I wasn't sure where to post this - but since they're two Oliver love interests... I came across this pic of Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, who played Sara Lance in the pilot: (source) Now who does she look like? Oh, yeah, Carly Pope:

MG's facebook interview from yesterday (moderated by Tiffany Smith)... https://www.facebook.com/CWLegendsofTomorrow/videos/vb.1567187933555959/1796051830669567/?type=3&theater -- He mostly talked about the Invasion! crossovers. -- Oh, poor baby, he emphasized that they don't get paid extra for all the additional work they do on the crossovers, they just do it for the fans! (eye roll) -- He wants to do a Batman tv show. -- His fave villain? MG: "It's a photo finish between Damien Darhk and Slade Wilson." -- He said that "death does not mean goodbye" on these shows. -- He talked about how they do a lot of inhouse promotion and giving opportunities for their crew. -- The two fans who appeared with MG and Tiffany must have been picked for their ability to gush over everything and criticize nothing.

‘Invasion!’ Was Fun. Here’s How The Next DC TV Crossover Can Be Better Alan Sepinwall Dec. 1, 2016 http://uproxx.com/sepinwall/legends-of-tomorrow-invasion-review-flash-arrow-supergirl/

Was Anyone Else Concerned ‘Arrow’s’ 100th Episode Was The Last For This Character? JILL PANTOZZI Dec. 1, 2016 http://uproxx.com/hitfix/anyone-concerned-arrow-100th-episode-last-for-character/

After sleeping on it overnight, I wish to amend part of my previous post in this thread... I originally said that Oliver's comment to Laurel that she deserved better than him implied that he didn't think Felicity deserved better than him since he was willing to marry Felicity. I was wrong. During his fake wedding to Felicity in 416, he said to her, "you brought me into the light. You let me know that I deserved it. You were that light. And I don't know if I still deserve that trust, if I deserve you - I probably don't." Oliver wanted to marry Felicity so much that he wasn't willing to give her up. Part of Oliver's problem, I think, is that he never really feels like he deserves to be loved. After he had his one-night stand with Isabel in 206, Felicity told him, "Well, I think – I think you deserve better than her.” In 317, when Oliver found out that Felicity's then boyfriend, Ray Palmer, also wanted to be a vigilante, he told her, "No, I meant what I said [about wanting you to be happy], right up to the point where I found out that he is just like me. You deserve better." And when Oliver said goodbye to DreamLaurel in 508, he told her: "I'm sorry. The person you fell in love with - that's not me. And I never deserved that love. And you always deserved better." However, I still find it odd that, after having the Olicity memory flashes - as well as the Diggle memory flashes - in 508, Oliver went to see Laurel and asked her to elope with him, saying: "I - last night, somebody reminded me that I have everything. And I don't want to give it up. I'm afraid that I'm gonna give it up." It still sounds like his dream life included being married to Laurel, even though that meant giving up Felicity and Diggle. As I said before, this is inconsistent with what we've seen on the show over the past four years. The only way that I can reconcile that Oliver statement with show canon is to interpret it this way - the "everything" that Oliver didn't want to give up was the following: his parents alive, Laurel alive, Tommy alive, being a decent human being that even Quentin would approve, a bright career in the family business, no killing or violence, and a loving marriage. In other words, his dream of happiness included marrying a woman he loved and who loved him back (Laurel in the hallucination, Felicity in IvyTown).

Yes, it was during the shooting schedule for 510... On Oct. 28, 2016, JBam tweeted: "@EmilyBett Quite the right hook, eh?" And in response to fan who asked if he was going to let EBR do a stunt for once, JBam tweeted: "She's standing right in front of me....would you like me to pass on a message from you?" He also tweeted a pic of himself with EBR. And in response to fan who asked for three words to describe EBR's fights/stunts this season, JBam tweeted: "@EmilyBett Hmmmm....... Wicked Right Hook." In response to fan who asked if EBR will do stunts this season, JBam tweeted: "Yuppers." In response to fan who asked if she has a badass right hook, JBam tweeted: "Most def.." (JBam tweets, page 47 of Spoilers thread)

It's funny but I was reading a Flash review where the reviewer was praising the increased focus on Iris and her "West family drama." So it's not just about focusing on someone other than the main superhero. Once again, it's really a complaint about any significant time spent on Felicity.

Alien space battles, and Oliver gets his own Flashpoint in the latest Arrow Trent Moore Dec. 1, 2016 http://www.blastr.com/2016-11-30/alien-space-battles-and-oliver-gets-his-own-flashpoint-latest-arrow

What Could’ve Been and What Was Meant to Be ALYSSA BARBIERI Dec. 1, 2016 http://fangirlish.com/arrow-5x08-review-couldve-meant/

I don't recall if Oliver ever told Laurel that he loved her in S1, but he did say that he loved her in 4x19 (Canary Cry)... Present day eulogy at Laurel's funeral: Oliver: “Uh, I knew Laurel Lance for… almost her entire life. She was my friend, and I loved her. Before she died, I was - I was lucky enough to hear her tell me that she loved me, too. Laurel Lance became a lawyer to help people who may have appeared helpless. She wanted to give a voice to the silent, but just being a lawyer wasn't enough. She wanted to do more for those people and for this city because she loved this city so much. By now, everyone knows that Laurel was killed in the Iron Heights prison riot, and while it's true that she was an Assistant District Attorney, that's not what she was doing there that night. Before she died, Laurel told me the truth. Laurel Lance was the Black Canary. In the past few days, I have had to sit and listen to people try and paint the Black Canary as a criminal. She was not a criminal. She was a hero. She was a hero in every way that a person can be, and if Laurel were here, I know that she would expect all of us to live up to the example that she set. She'd want us to save our city.” Flashback scene of Laurel reading a letter that Oliver left behind for her (along with his old photo of her) before he left for Lian Yu: Oliver (voiceover): “Dear Laurel, I wrote this letter because I don't have the courage to see the disappointment on your face. I know you're gonna go on to do amazing things, to help people, and to raise this city up… because that's who you are, that's who you've always been, and that's why I have to go away. I would only hold you back. You're the hero, Laurel. Maybe I'll come back eventually, but for now, I have to spend some time alone. I hope someday you'll understand my decision. Never doubt my love for you. You've always seen the best in me because you've always been the best of me. All my love, Oliver.”