Don't You Have Any Happy Stories : Your Favorite Things About Arrow

[Guest]

I liked 409 and I enjoyed parts of 411 or whatever episode it was where Felicity hallucinated her goth self. But yeah, I don't think I've enjoyed this show fully since before the baby mama crap. Yikes.

[Chaser]

Lol I really was being facetious with that comment.

Pre 4x08 was when I super happy with the show. My ship was sailing smoothly, I believed Laurel was in the grave, DD was still interesting. Lots of hopeful pluses. 

Objectively there were some great eps after that that made me happy. 4x09 and 4x11 spring to mind. I also really enjoyed 4x20 because I thought my show was back.

[Morrigan2575]

I thought 420 was a fantastic episode and would list it in a top 10.

I also liked 421 a lot but 422-423 were disappointing, especially coming off of 2 reall good/great episodes.

I also really enjoyed 501-502 which shocked me since they were BamBam episodes and his pacing usually sucks.

I liked the crossover and preferred 508 to 308 (Flash) but thought 207 (LoT) was the best of the crossover event.

I really liked about 90% of 509 and thought having Oliver accidentally kill Billy was a surprising turn of events. The only objections was the Felicity/Susan stuff at the party, the ending Oliver/Susan scene, the everyone loves Oliver scene (which made the O/Su even dumber) and Voldemort showing up as the cliffy.

[way2interested]

I guess I'm kind of unpopular opinion because I liked 416, 417, and 419 (along with 420-421, as others have said). Idk, after 415, I wanted some emotional fallout and I kind of got it in 416. 417 I thought was hilarious, and 419 (aside from the flashbacks) I thought had really good moments that carried the whole episode for me. As for s5, I thought 502, 504, 506 (with some parts of 505), and 508-509 were good.

My beef just comes from an overall lack of kind of emotional umphh in a way. The only times I felt were kind of really memorable moments were Oliver and Felicity's convo in 502, stuff from the 100th episode, and Oliver killing Billy. A lot of the times the episodes, even if they are enjoyable, don't feel they have as emotional resonance as stuff from previous episodes, but it might be just the mood, or my mood, around some of the plot choices of the show. I do think one of the problems comes from the lack of stakes, which they didn't really have since 421 barring 509 (which is why I now I am way more into the Prometheus plot, along with his cool scene in 506).  

[statsgirl]

Everything after 419 is just a blur for me but that may be as @way2interested said, I don't have any emotional stakes in what the characters are doing and at this point, I just blur over at  the fights scenes. (I've seen one, I've seen them all.  Except the ones it was too dark to see.  The only ones that stand out for me now is when there is something different, like Felicity shooting at Double Down.)

I don't have emotional stakes any because of scenes like

19 hours ago, insomniadreams88 said:

 the end of 408 when Felicity gave him the speech about being a teammate and he just cuddled up to her and I've come to accept that it's just not going to happen.

As long as they keep writing things like that, Felicity being honest and Oliver making the decision to lie to her and the writers say that's okay and then the whole fallout which again, Felicity was in the wrong for, , I can't afford to get invested any more.

[BkWurm1]

I randomly last night watched Felicity's first episode over on Flash last night.  (She's in it so much and it was the first clue we got to her feelings for Oliver post 3-01 that I feel like it should count as an Arrow episode).  It's just sooooooo good and cute.  And then their talk on the train makes it simply perfect.  I miss that Felicity, the way she was allowed to honestly open up.

 And on a shallow note, she looked great.  I do miss her long hair.

Edited January 18, 2017 by BkWurm1

[LeighAn]

I'm with you @way2interested I didn't like the BMD but that didn't stop me from enjoying thing that were happening in the show post 4x08. 

I loved pretty much all the Olicity scenes we got post 4x08 even though I understood that they would be breaking up and that it was what was needed to teach Oliver a lesson. I didn't mind the Diggle/Andy storyline because I appreciated Diggle being given something meaty after season 3 where he was very much side lined.

I didn't like victim Thea much or the fact that Damien Dahrk was a watered down villian who while charismatic wasn't actually threatening and I've chosen to pretend the Lauriver mess from 4x18-4x19 didn't happen.

But overall I enjoyed season 4 for the most part for what it was. It certainly won't go up there as my favourite but there was more good then bad for me.

I picked 4x20 as the last time I was truly in a happy place with the show not only because it was a great episode and gave every character respect and a good storyline in a balanced episode but because like @Chaser said I was left with the impression that the show would continue that way. I'm still waiting.

[BkWurm1]

2 hours ago, LeighAn said:

I picked 4x20 as the last time I was truly in a happy place with the show not only because it was a great episode and gave every character respect and a good storyline in a balanced episode but because like @Chaser said I was left with the impression that the show would continue that way. I'm still waiting.

I think if this season was going better I'd be there with you, but instead the current mess retroactively taints even what I had enjoyed, pushing my line back to a more pure place for Olicity aka 4-07

[bijoux]

Currently my favorite thing is the live posting thread. Even though I don't get to post it in because I'm sleeping while it's open, reading it was the most pleasurable part of experiencing this last episode.

[Mellowyellow]

Felicity's pink dress! That dress is EVERYTHING!!!! EVERYTHING!!!!!! And her arms were even extra nice in it if that is possible! 

ETA: Ok I'm totally obsessed with that dress! It's a Ted Baker and it has pockets!!!! Freaking pockets!!!!!

Edited March 3, 2017 by Mellowyellow

[kismet]

16 hours ago, bijoux said:

Currently my favorite thing is the live posting thread. Even though I don't get to post it in because I'm sleeping while it's open, reading it was the most pleasurable part of experiencing this last episode.

Sometimes it keeps me from sleeping during the episode :) It do love it, so much fun :)

[BkWurm1]

On 3/2/2017 at 9:26 PM, kismet said:

Sometimes it keeps me from sleeping during the episode :) It do love it, so much fun :)

It makes the commercial fly by since I'm rushing to add a comment and catch up on all the posts i didn't have time to read during the episode.    

[wonderwall]

What are your top 10 Arrow scenes? 

Mine unranked:

• You honor the dead by fighting -222
• Oliver's phone call with Moira - 523
• Thea finding out about Oliver
• I love you - 223
• There was no choice to make - 207
• It started with the 3 of us - 223
• Hey pumpkin - 510
• You've opened up my heart in a way I didn't even know was possible. I love you. - 320
• Just so you know, if you have asked me I would've said yes - 409
• It was red - 301

BONUS: Felicity Smoak? Hi I'm Oliver Queen - 103

Edited July 17, 2017 by wonderwall

[Mellowyellow]

In no particular order:

* Well let's not say goodbye 320

* He took the wrong woman. I love you 223

* Just in case 523

* Guys like us don't get the girl Flash 108. Because she is EVERYTHING to him. Friend, partner, confidante, dream girl. 

* You don't have carry that burden any longer 519

* How do I look?  Like a hero 209 

* Don't ask me to say that I don't love you 301

* When Felicity swoops in, in the ATOM Suit to save his ass and he has the biggest set of heart eyes ever imo 323

* Felicity's entire 320 speech before they have sex 

* Felicity I believe in magic 509

[way2interested]

Kind of going to be a strange bundle since I'm just going to pick some favs that aren't already stated (even though I would put a bunch already said up there), in no order:

• Slade coming back to rescue Oliver in 114 (thought it was badass and made think, "darn it, they're going to make me like Slade before the inevitable split and he becomes a villain")
• The Merlyn Global Heist in 122 (all of it, was funny, tense, showed the excellent OTA teamwork, and it convinced me that Olicity was going to happen)
• Thea saving Diggle (in 321 and 323, sharing a spot because essentially the same thing happened, but they were two separate moments that I liked equally in which Thea got to play a hero role and I really liked the idea of her sharing moments with Diggle)
• The Diggle family dinner in 321 (a nice character moment)
• Sara's intro in 201 (mostly on re-watch because the first time I watched I got irritated at the idea of "new character is just like main character only the opposite gender" trope, but then really got to like Sara)
• The proposal/entire ending in 409 (so obvious in the best way but so Arrow)
• Oliver and Felicity's talk at the end of 410 (Honestly I thought this was the most vulnerable conversation between the two of them because they were both revealing things they were feeling insecure about to each other before comforting each other, but then again 411 and 520 had pretty close conversations too...I'll still put this on my list though)
•  The fight scene in 508 (loved the on-the-nose symbolism of the villains they were fighting, plus the visual of Thea killing Malcolm and then shooting an arrow to Sara who then uses it to stab Darhk and then throws the bow to Oliver who shoots Slade in the eye)
• Since I can't put all of 411, I'll split two of my semi-unconventional picks into one bullet point (Felicity hallucinating Goth-Felicity and then yelling at Oliver because I thought it was hilarious and Diggle introducing his brother to his family because it was, at the time, a sweet moment)
• OTA human chain in 520

Other than that, I also have some of what I consider kind of "underappreciated/atypical" episodes that I actually really like or that I really like moments from that I've had to rewatch multiple times, including

• 314, with the flashbacks, the Oliver and Thea scenes, Diggle's and Felicity's cameos in the flashbacks, Tommy's reappearance, Slade's reappearance, Thea's mic drop moment at the end, etc. It was a fun episode that had the big problem of being connected to a messy main plot (Malcolm making Thea kill Sara and the annoying repercussions of that plot)
• 319, which I know many people did like but I'm only referencing because at this point I've actually watched this episode more times than 320. Idk, the combination of Oliver working with Ray, Roy making his sacrifice, and the Olicity of it all made it a fun episode to watch that didn't have as much of an emotional punch as 320 that made it easier to rewatch for me
• 322, just because I like the build-up of the episode and the big fight scene at the end balanced with Thea/Roy scenes and Felicity's sass towards Malcolm
• 417, because honestly I thought it was hilarious and was a good one-time comedic episode with a bunch of great one-liners (and that hilarious scene between Lance and Curtis) even though it really didn't fit into the main plot besides inspire Felicity to try to mass-produce the chip
• 423, not the greatest ending but with a bunch of scenes that I thought were great or interesting (Oliver's speech, Oliver becoming mayor, Curtis' pep talk, Felicity talking Cooper into helping but in turn asking him to commit suicide, Felicity and Curtis stopping the missiles, Oliver and Felicity's final scenes with each other, the visuals of everyone but Oliver and Felicity leaving the team), some nice tension-filled scenes, and one of my favorite underappreciated Felicity lines ("You'll kill my mom unless I help you destroy the world? Newsflash: My mom lives in the world!") 

[wonderwall]

These two scenes will be some of my happiest memories of the show and fandom... And looking at these two scenes side by side they're so different. The first one is more romantic, slow, momentous. The second one is more fun, sexy, desperate. I loved both scenes so much.

 

[BkWurm1]

You make such a good point and is a big reason why the scenes aren't gratuitous.  They speak to the emotion of the characters and what is going on with their whole lives.  It's not just a shoehorned scene designed to flash flesh and titillate.  It is a big part of telling the story. 

And if they flash some flesh and titillate -  BONUS!!

[wonderwall]

21 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

You make such a good point and is a big reason why the scenes aren't gratuitous.  They speak to the emotion of the characters and what is going on with their whole lives.  It's not just a shoehorned scene designed to flash flesh and titillate.  It is a big part of telling the story. 

And if they flash some flesh and titillate -  BONUS!!

Definitely.

The first scene was to seal away all of the uncertainty and show the audience they know they are it for each other. 

The second scene, not only did it show us why it was so awkward between Oliver and Felicity before 520 and why they were so distant, it showed us that they never stopped loving each other and craving each other and wanting to be with one another. 

They're both scenes that showed us where the characters emotionally were at that point in time. They weren't some quickies that meant nothing. These were moments that held meaning, pushed the story forward, and even explained some inconsistencies in the story they were telling. 

To me they were both necessary moments

Edited September 1, 2017 by wonderwall

[lemotomato]

If you could choose one favorite episode per season, which ones would you pick and why?

Mine would be:

1.15 (the first real OTA episode, Gaius Baltar as the Dodger!)
2.23 (the most well-done episode overall with some genuine OMG moments)
3.20 (loved the Indiana Jones-esque adventure and of course the Olicity first time
4.11 (Felicity and Diggle-centric episode, with Diggle flashbacks instead of the island
5.20 (good team newbie interactions with Diggle and Lyla in the present day, great Olicity interaction in present day and flashbacks)
6.04 (good team interactions and great Felicity and Olicity scenes, Good introduction of Cayden James)

[LeighAn]

This is very hard.

Season 1- 1x15 The Dodger Because I loved the OTA interaction and it was just a fun entertaining plot and villan

Honorable Mention: 1x08 Vendetta. 

 

Season 2- 2x01 City of heroes Again a fun entertaining and well paced episode 

Honorable Mention: 2x09 Three Ghosts

 

Season 3-This was hard as I'm one of the unpopular opinion people who loved this season

3x01 The Calm- Olicity goodnes, action goodness, Oliver character study goodness

Honorable Mention: tie between 3x09 the climb and 3x19 Broken Arrow

 

Season 4- 4x09 Dark Waters Imo one of the stronger mid season finales they've had 

Honorable Mention- 4x06 Lost Souls

 

Season 5- 5x20 Underneath good mix of drama, action, romance and big set pieces

Honorable Mention: tie between 5x08 Invasion and 5x19 Dangerous liaisons 

 

Season 6- 6x04 

Honorable mention: 6x03

[Mellowyellow]

Oooh this is a tough one!

S1: I chose this based on my favourite scene since I didn't watch all of S1. Only the Felicity eps.

103 Lone Gunmen - Just for the iconic meet cute and Oliver looking utterly charmed.

S2

209 Three Ghosts - Because Barry was kinda adorable in it and I can't get past:

O: How do I look?

F: Like a hero

Squeeeeeeeeeee

S3: ALL of it!!!!!! The perfect season! Lol okay I'll calm down and pick one!

319 Broken Arrow - A very good episode for a double shipper! So much Olicity goodness and cute Raylicity scenes too. Plus adorable Ray/Oliver interactions! That was an excellent episode in a very good season!

S4: My least favourite season! I have never rewatched it! Probably the ep where they rescue Ray whatever that is.

S5

520 Underneath - All the Olicity goodness, SOOO much Felicity and as a bonus Dig saved everyone with his mighty arms! Even Team B were cute in it! 

S6

604 Reversal - How could I pick anything else but this Felicity centric episode with so much humour, action and romance! 

Must mention that I LOVED this year's crossover which gave me everything I personally enjoyed! So much Olicity goodness, EBR getting to do something different, Felicity standing up to EvilOliver (who looked like he had the hots for her) to save Kara and my beloved Ray who made such a grand entrance, kicked ass and had delightfully funny scenes . 

[insomniadreams88]

1.15 - OTA, Felicity standing up to Oliver

2.10 - jealous Oliver. All the UST. Still remember watching it for the first time and being convinced they had to kiss at some point in it because it would be ridiculous if they didn’t. (Honorable mentions to 2.01, 2.08/209 because I loved Barry’s introduction and 2.23.)

3.20 - I didn’t hate S3, but there are only a few episodes I’ll rewatch. Loved Olicity’s first time, of course, and liked the escape attempt. 

4.03 - OTA working together/getting drinks, Oliver and Diggle talking. (Honorable mention to 4.09 since it managed to make me not think about Oliver lying to Felicity every scene like I did in 4.10-4.14.)

5.20 - All the Olicity and OTA moments. Didn’t even mind the newbies. 

6.04 - Olicity, plus finally seeing ME as Cayden James. Loved supportive Oliver. 

[ohjoy]

The closest I could get for most seasons was my top two --

S1: 1x16 Dead to Rights (Tommy finds out) / 1x22 Darkness on the Edge of Town (caper awesomeness)

S2: 2x07 State vs. Queen (three arrows) / 2x23 Unthinkable (heart eyes) ; Honorable Mention: 2x08, 2x09 (sweet Barry intro)

S3: 3x19 Broken Arrow (Ray comedy + Roy drama) ; Honorable Mention: Flash 1x08 (Team Flash + OTA)

S4: 4x01 Green Arrow / 4x09 Dark Waters (both for obvious reasons)

S5: 5x20 Underneath (OTA + Snarky OTP)

[Simba122504]

One of my favorite things about the show are the fight scenes. I watched SV for 10 seasons and it was never known for amazing fight scenes. SV has very few great fight scenes. Most times the villain threw Clark or he threw the villain. Very lame.

[KenyaJ]

On 12/30/2017 at 1:37 AM, lemotomato said:

If you could choose one favorite episode per season, which ones would you pick and why?

Season 1: Darkness on the Edge of Town (122). Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity's mission at Merlyn Global is one of my favorite things this show has ever done. To this day, I'm not sure anything has ever made me laugh as much as "But he's my man! I loooove him!" LOL. Good times.

Season 2: The Scientist (208). It's so hard for me to choose in S2, because there were so many great episodes. But I really loved Moira's sad little homecoming party, the introduction of Barry, his and Felicity's nerdy flirtations, Oliver's barely disguised jealousy, and the Oliver/Felicity sexual tension that resulted from it. So good!

Season 3: Broken Arrow (319). I just really loved all the Team Arrow feels in this one. Roy's sacrifice and the team's love for him was so touching. The Oliver/Felicity feels were also off the chart, and I was amused by Oliver and Diggle's interactions with Ray. And Oliver "fighting" for Ray will never not be cool (and sexy) to me.

Season 4: Broken Hearts (416). No, really, LOL. I don't consider myself an angst junkie, but the angst in this episode is just so good. I love Felicity's slide from mature optimism that she and Oliver can still work together on Team Arrow, into bitter resentment, into her realization that it's too painful to be around him. And poor, stupid, lovesick Oliver. He's so hopeful that she'll come around and as emotionally vulnerable as we've ever seen him. That last scene between him, when Felicity gives him the ring back (for good), is so painful because it's so obvious how much they still love each other. Realizing love isn't enough is brutal, for them and for me. Yet, I can watch it over and over again (and I have!).

Season 5: Underneath (520). All the Oliver/Felicity stuff is great, obviously, but this is also one of the only times I really felt like OTA and NoTA were a real team and where I enjoyed everyone's various interactions with each other. I really enjoyed Lyla being added to the mix, too.

Season 6: Reversal (604). This episode has everything. Oliver in supportive boyfriend mode, Olicity sexy times, Diggle/Felicity goodness. But it also has Felicity and Alena teaming up, and I loved all their scenes so much. They make a really great comedic duo and I hope we get to see a lot more of them together in the second half of the season.

[bijoux]

Excellent choices, @KenyaJ. I still haven't posted my list, because I feel like I have more than one favorite episode per season, but yours are definite and immediate highlights.

[lemotomato]

Bumping this up in case anyone feels nostalgic about the show. (And also because we probably forgot this thread existed)

[KenyaJ]

I'm just going to link to this thread, because I really can't sum it up any better.

[Mellowyellow]

If I am to post in this thread I must only post about S3.

S3 was perfect in every single way.

*Heart eyed Oliver

*Felicity allowed to be brilliant despite them introducing another genius character

*Ray as the competing love interest

*Felicity being chased by two hunks - hehe anyone remember that scene where she's leaning in Oliver's shoulder and he's all goo goo at her while Ray watches them and looks sad.  

*The very sweet but silly stall where Oliver decides he's going to sacrifice and pine for Felicity from afar.

*Felicity saving Oliver in the Atom Suit 

*Oliver in League PJs asking Felicity to run off with him in front of EVERYONE (ok I squirmed a bit for Ray but other than that it was perfect).

*Olicity driving off into the sunset.

S3 MADE the show for me. It was everything the Chinese series had with the added bonus if leads with perfect chemistry. Depending on how the show ends I may just watch S3 as a series on its own and pretend nothing else after exists.