tv echo

I wonder if TR auditioned for the Nate Heywood character on LoT? Anyway, I wanted to stress that I don't try to post a representative sampling of episode reviews. I just post some reviews that I like, or that contain points I want to make, or that anger me for some specific reason. For example, here's a 507 review from a site that's been loving this new season of Arrow so far - and coincidentally, has been hostile to Olicity/Felicity in the past (you see the correlation? Hate Olicity = Love S5 for some reviewers)... ‘Arrow’ Returns to Peak Form by Matt Lozano November 18, 2016 http://hiddenremote.com/2016/11/18/arrow-returns-peak-form/

I don't know what happened to this Emertainment Monthly reviewer. She used to rave over everything and everybody in every Arrow episode review, but now she's actually being critical. Tbc, I think it's a good thing for a reviewer to actually critique a TV show (both the good and the bad), but I wonder what caused this sea change.. ‘Arrow’ Review: “Vigilante” Nora Dominick November 18, 2016 http://emertainmentmonthly.com/index.php/arrow-review-vigilante/

Allison Brennan and Lavinia Kent analyze ‘Arrow’ episode ‘Vigilante’: The feelings, they are mixed By: Allison Brennan and Lavinia Kent | November 18, 2016 4:53 pm http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2016/11/18/allison-brennan-lavinia-kent-arrow-recap-vigilante/

That was fast - here's a media recap already published of this morning's Arrow panel (DR, KC, WH, PB and CR) at HVFF-Atlanta - warning: some minor spoilers... Heroes & Villains Fan Fest: Arrow Cast Panel Recap Brandon Davis- 11/19/2016 http://comicbook.com/2016/11/19/heroes-villains-fan-fest-arrows-stephen-amell-panel-recap/

Nice interview with TR - I only quoted portions (no real spoilers, I don't think - but warning: vague spoilerish comments)... Exclusive Interview with Arrow’s Tyler Ritter by Brittany November 16, 2016, 4:27 pm http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/11/16/exclusive-interview-with-arrows-tyler-ritter/

Promo for this weekend's HVFF-Atlanta...

No comment...

I think Tina is in 512 as well as 511. Shooting for 511 was supposed to end on Nov. 14. JH was still training and talking to Bamford on Nov. 17.

IIRC, Ra's al Ghul was coming to Star(ling) City anyway because of Damien Darhk's reported presence in the city. So regardless of Oliver, Ra's would've come. My recollection of Darhk's motives is not as clear now, but he had to have been building that underground Ark for several years, so he still would've sought to destroy the world with nukes, regardless of Oliver.

Arrow “Vigilante” Review (Season 5, Episode 7) Jessica Breaux November 18, 2016 http://www.tvequals.com/2016/11/18/arrow-vigilante-review-season-5-episode-7/

If Chase is the Vigilante, then he doesn't know that Oliver is the Green Arrow. If he did know, then he'd wouldn't have said the following to Oliver... Vigilante: "Shut up! You're not getting the job done because you don't take it seriously enough. Maybe because you haven't lost anyone. You don't have a full understanding of what's out there." Green Arrow (Oliver): "Oh, I've lost people. Almost more than I can bear." Vigilante: "Then it hasn't been more than you can bear. Maybe you need a push!"

They need more writers who don't come from a comic book background (I think we discussed this before). All of these Berlanti superhero shows have a certain look & style that often comes across as a live-action version of a comic book - like this shot could double as a comic panel, or that piece of dialogue might as well be put in a balloon.

Interesting poll results... USD POLL : Should comic book TV shows follow comic canon more often? Posted by Raina at November 19, 2016 http://www.spoilertv.com/2016/11/usd-poll-should-comic-book-tv-shows.html

Based solely on the 508 synopsis and promo pics, the 100th episode looks less like a love letter and more like a F.U. to fans like me. You wanted an Olicity wedding for the 100th episode? Well, we'll give you Oliver and Laurel engaged and about to be married instead. You thought Ray Palmer was stalkerish and didn't like Raylicity? Well, we'll give you happy Ray and Felicity as a couple. The only thing missing is Samantha showing up with William. Ray with Felicity in this dream world is just a WTF. It makes no sense, no matter whose delusion/illusion it is - not Oliver, not Ray, not anybody. If Oliver had never gotten on The Queen's Gambit, the Undertaking would have succeeded and the Glades would've been destroyed. So most likely Roy (and Sin) would be dead. Then you'd have Robert & Moira complicit in this criminal undertaking with Malcolm, unknown to their children. Also, IIRC, Ra's al Ghul and Damien Darhk would still have come to Starling City to destroy it, right?

Here's the same sneak peek on youtube...

No - because there are also good reviews of this season by sites like A.V. Club (whose rave review of 506 was tweeted by Brian Ford Sullivan). Even We Minored In Film, which has posted really negative Arrow reviews in the past, is praising recent episodes.

Once again, it's like Laura Hurley read my mind.

From the DR/NM panel at Fan Expo Vancouver (video just posted in the Social Media thread)... -- On what they'd like to see happen for their characters, DR: "Well, I think Diggle should now have yet another baby that Flash - (audience laughs) I'm like, you know, Lyla could've just had another child. Um, I don't know, man... I kinda thought that they might squeeze in John Stewart someplace for John Diggle... Well, they've talked about that, but I don't think that's going to happen... I think you'll continue kinda seeing, um - ... Felicity and John Diggle, probably more so than any other characters, really facilitate the evolution of our hero, Oliver Queen. And, um - and I think the question of whether or not he's going to [burr?-unintelligible word]. I think that's going to come back under the table. I think you're going to see Oliver [I think he meant to say Diggle here] and Felicity in particular kind of, um, help our hero even become more of a hero, believe it or not. And I think they kinda facilitate that evolution. So, I think that's a big part of that. And I know that kinda takes away from their personal lives, but that's TV Land too. You have a hero and it's called Arrow for a reason. And it's about the evolution - and though you have these offshoots and these other relationships, it really is about Arrow - and these other characters kinda facilitate that. So I think that's a big part of it. And, I think the other part of is, I think you're going to flesh out what's happening between Lyla and Diggle because Lyla is now Amanda Waller. She commands, um, you know, a kinda shady, nefarious group of superheroes in the Suicide Squad. And, um, even though we aren't really talking about Suicide Squad, she's still part of that organization. So I think we'll kinda flesh that out. And maybe we'll see some type or another, what happens in the future in terms of JJ and how he becomes Connor Hawke and all this other stuff... There's a lot more story to tell with Diggle, but the big part of it is how he helps Oliver become [a more effective hero? - not sure of these words]." -- On whether Oliver and Diggle will continue to alternate being the voice of reason for each other, DR: "I think so. I think you'll see more of that... I think for the most part - and you'll see some of it this season - Stephen has a moment where Diggle is there once again to console, exhort, and, uh - because Oliver [gets/is?] going through something very traumatic. And, um, I think, even though you see that kind of see-saw in terms of who takes the lead role in kind of being the mentor, I think for the most part you'll see Diggle taking that [mantle?-not sure of word]." -- DR: "Even though we've kinda gotten away from it so far, it'll be going back to kinda that core three because we really do think that's kinda the core of the show [not sure of these exact words]... But we'll find out through these - this new blood in terms of who fits into that. And I think they're kind of trying to figure that out right now. I think there will be additions to the team. Right? We lost a major piece of it. There needs to be - I think there needs to be more - some more feminine energy. It's kind of male dominated. And, um, we'll see. We'll see what happens with that."

Here's video of most of the DR/NM panel at Fan Expo Vancouver on Nov. 12 - for some quotes, I've used spoiler tags just to be safe because it's not always clear if DR's comments are based on wishes/speculation or actual knowledge of future storylines... David Ramsay & Neal McDonough - Fan Expo Vancouver 2016 - Arrow Panel Published on Nov 16, 2016, by Angelika Diana -- Fan commented that Arrow never really deals with mental health issues, including PTSD, and asked if the show will deal with those issues in the future. DR responded that they did touch on it a little with Rene/Diggle and in the past with Oliver, but they probably don't do enough of it. He then said it was a producer question and the producers do respond to social media. -- DR said that Diggle's awkwardness in returning to the team was genuine because he also felt some awkwardness when he returned to filming and there were all these newbies there, but the awkwardness passed quickly. -- On what they'd like to see happen for their characters, DR: "Well, I think Diggle should now have yet another baby that Flash - (audience laughs) I'm like, you know, Lyla could've just had another child. Um, I don't know, man... I kinda thought that they might squeeze in John Stewart someplace for John Diggle... Well, they've talked about that, but I don't think that's going to happen... I think you'll continue kinda seeing, um - ... -- On whether Oliver and Diggle will continue to alternate being the voice of reason for each other, DR: "I think so. I think you'll see more of that... I think for the most part - and you'll see some of it this season - And, um, I think, even though you see that kind of see-saw in terms of who takes the lead role in kind of being the mentor, I think for the most part you'll see Diggle taking that [mantle?-not sure of word]." -- Since Diggle is the old Team Arrow member, with all the newbies, on whether he ever felt he had to add this nuance of Diggle asserting himself as being the #2 man to Oliver Queen and always will be, DR: "Challenge, right? ... No, not really... With all the actors who've come to the show... it's been great... I mean, everyone's been really cool... But no, no one's questioning the Diggle, my friend. No one's questioning #2." -- On how they incorporate the source material (comics) into their work, DR: "There was no John Diggle who existed in the comic book before this. Um, he was created because you guys fell in love with him and now he's in the DC universe and I really have you guys to thank for that... There's no canon. There's no existing [unintelligible word] for John Diggle. So he's being made up as we go along, which is great, because 20 years from now, someone else will play him and it'll be great to look back and think, 'wow, it started here.' So there's no canon for John, which is awesome." -- NM pointed out that there are only two characters who have been in all 100 episodes of Arrow: "Stephen is obviously one. The other is sitting right next to me."

‘Arrow’ Recap: A Traitor Revealed Robert Chan November 17, 2016 https://www.yahoo.com/tv/arrow-recap-a-traitor-revealed-120947819.html

Arrow Season 5 Episode 7 Review: “Vigilante” Chris King November 16, 2016 http://www.tvovermind.com/the-cw/arrow/arrow-season-5-episode-7-review-vigilante