S03.E13: Canaries

[BkWurm1]

It hit none of the emotional beats it needed to (fallout from the Felicity/Oliver confrontation, Oliver learning about Laurel)...everything just felt rushed to further along the plot.  I've tried to remain positive, but honestly this episode just sucked.  I rolled my eyes about every five minutes.

 

Oliver and Roy ran into Laurel in the field and when he got back to the lair, he complained that they ran into her again and then Diggle did some propping. 

 

It's funny, I knew they would do virtually nothing in regards to the Felicity/Oliver confrontation.  It should have been addressed, but at least right now the show is going to write around them, ignoring all the normal beats and moments and conversations in favor of hoping people stop caring.  I'm holding on to the tiniest sliver of hope that it's just the standard toss Felicity aside in the back half of the season kind of crap that happened last year too but it also is an effective way to dismantle relationships, just never let them interact like human beings. 

[Soulfire]

So... Did anything trend tonight on Twitter?

 

Amanda Waller also trended.

[apinknightmare]

Wait, is wildcat dead? I would like a definitive answer because I avoid spoilers for Arrow.

 

No, he's not dead. Just beaten up. 

Amanda Waller also trended.

 

I actually really liked her in this episode, she was delightfully fucked up and evil.

[foreverevolving]

I want to let the gif's do all the talking.. sadly I can't both for technical reasons and well i don't think there's enough side-eye FUCK you gif's out there to convey what i want.

So i'll just say: You know this episode was shit ass bad and nothing but a propping PR machine for Fakanary because I was yelling out loud to vertigo, during the two fights "to finish that fake liar off"... not sure that was the reaction they were aiming for.

I also did a physical side-eye and had to cover my face when Felicity got turned into a pod person mid-episode, I may also throw up in my mouth a bit, and I felt tears in my eyes- they were caused by sheer desperation for what they did.

Quentin being all A-Okay about Laurel not telling him about Sara? i missed hallucination Quentin... and see Bitchnary! he didn't keel over and died. dear godess.

Also you know it's bad when you felt bad for the death of DJ-assassin.

On a lighter note: I couldn't stop smiling during the reveal to Thea, and that she was okay about it. I missed the sibling dynamic, and telling Thea just made Oliver so much more lighter.. yea those will be the scenes i'll remember best from this episode: every single Thea and Oliver scene. It's like we got a glimpse and how Oliver will be someday.

I didn't so much minded Felicity telling Oliver to can it. They all had a point.

Sooo.. How did Malcolm know to come and save Thea? did Roy call him? i'm so confused.

I need to go wash my mouth, and my eyes. and if possible scrub my brain.

I keep on saying I will give the show by the end of the season, but after tonight my patience is running thin, and I officially feel like my intelligence is being mocked at... *sigh*

[Carrie Ann]

Oh god, Felicity telling Laurel that she has a light inside of her that Sara never had. I can’t with her right now. LAUREL HAS A LIGHT INSIDE OF HER? PLEASE STOP WITH THIS. Don’t demonize Sara for this shit. And a hug. Laurel/Felicity BFF train is I guess leaving the station?

 

And of course Oliver comes around in the space of an episode. And of course that’s probably the closest we’ll get to Lance actually expressing rage. AND OF COURSE THE GHOST OF SARA IS IN THE BACKGROUND SMILING, GIVING HER BLESSING. I guess that tweet about Laurel hitting all the spots on a superhero’s journey was actually not a sad joke. Wow. Can’t say I’m surprised, just really disappointed.

 

This went down in basically my worst case scenario way. Felicity had to tear Sara down in order to build Laurel up--the true mark of a shitty character. I actually left the room during that scene, and I won't ever watch it again. I heard the light thing, and that was that. As for Oliver and Ghost Sara, well. Once again, this is such a failure of a character, that they need to pull in everyone and their dead sister to give her a stamp of approval, just so they can tick all their boxes of viewer complaints. 

 

So is anybody ever going to tell Thea that she killed Sara or nah? 

 

Apparently, nah, which is absolutely INSANE to me. This is purely lying for the sake of plot at this point, because she already (currently, who knows about next week) hates Malcolm, knows everything else--why don't you just tell her the hard thing? So that she understands what the stakes truly are here? 

 

I love Caity Lotz, but I hope if Arrow ever asks her to come back she tells them to fuck off. Having her actually say the lines "Why did I have to die? I didn't have to die." is ridiculous. Especially when there's no good answer to the question. I hate that she had to come back and do that. This might have been the lowest moment of the show for me.

 

Agreed. Again, it was worse than I could have even imagined. I'm horrified by what this show did to Sara, what they forced Caity Lotz to do. I hope she follows Susannah Thompson's lead and tells them where they can shove their big plans for her flashbacks in the future.

 

I appreciate each and every one of you who gives their opinions as it helps me decide if I want to watch. I'm going to skip tonight - I'm sure I'll catch everything gif'd on Tumblr anyway.

 

I also get too invested in shows sometimes, and this one was it. I loved it so very much. It got me involved in fandom again. I wrote for the first time since 2009. It made me so happy, and now, not so much. And it's hard to be the loony person telling their friends how disappointed they are in a TV show because they can just stop watching if it isn't fun anymore. I wish it was that easy for me.

 

In previous weeks when people have debated whether to watch the episode, I've still come down on the side of watching it, because there are important moments, or something redeeming. And it's not that this one didn't have that--the stuff with Oliver, Thea, and Roy was actually good, and pretty satisfying. But everything else was so truly terrible, and heartbreaking on a Fan level, that I implore you to skip it if you haven't seen it yet. I totally feel you on your last statement--I haven't been this involved in a fandom since 2006. I don't know what it was exactly, but this show hit something for me.

 

And it's really hard, but I have that feeling I've had before when I fell out of love with a series. I think this one is done for me. As I've said before, the best I can hope for now is a better Season 4, but at this point, I'm not sure I'll be here for it at all. This episode clarified the show's priorities, and the shortcuts it's willing to take to get there, and I don't expect I'll enjoy it again until the very end of the season, if then, and I'm pretty positive I'll never love it like I once did. It's a bummer.

[lemotomato]

I just don't know what to say at this point.  Characters are just not making any sense, contradicting themselves from episode to episode, and almost everyone is acting like assholes.  Just, what exactly happened to this show?

"Everyone acting like assholes" would be how I'd sum up all the season 3B episodes so far. 

 

I'm done watching episodes live after tonight. Seeing Felicity put down Sara (her friend that she admired!) just to prop Laurel shows me that there's nothing TPTB won't do to push their asinine storylines. (Do they really think they can Jedi mind trick us into accepting Laurel as Black Canary by having everyone on the show say she's ok?) And given the self-congratulatory tone of the interviews that MG gave out before tonight's episode, it seems like the rest of the season is going to be more of this same crap. 

Edited February 12, 2015 by lemotomato

[AmeliaBedelia]

I honestly thought Oliver telling Thea was a dream. I knew it was supposed to happen, but Thea's quick acceptance and multiple thank yous were weird.

I thought Vertigo would have more focus. He got three short scenes (which was fine with me since he's over the top).

I liked a few of Laurel's scenes. She and Oliver have decent chemistry when fighting. The "light inside you" line ruined an otherwise very nice scene between Laurel and Felicity.

I am so glad Lance finally knows. That was the best part of the ep for me.

[pivot]

Canaries did.

That's too bad. This along with the good ratings pretty much mean that this is the new Arrow. The EPs have made this an ensemble show and the audience seems to like it. The only way I was going to be willing to come back to watching this show was if KC left after this season, but it looks like she's shoved EBR out of the lead actress role. It's a damn shame. I hate seeing less talented people get other people's screentime because they are the producer's pet.

[InsertWordHere]

It seems as if this show may have gained some new viewers during the Christmas break since ratings have increased.  This boggles my mind because I am not at all happy with the direction that the show is going in.  So I'm super curious, and if you don't mind sharing, I was wondering which plot developments you're most unhappy with?  I'm really wondering if new viewers are being turned off by the same things as long-time viewers. 

I'm not the person you're responding to, but the Flarrow crossover brought me in to this show and the Olicity goodbye in The Climb (especially the way SA softened his voice when he said "I love you") and Oliver's death sealed the deal. I've since gone back and watched the whole series. For me, I just can't take the contradictory characterization from week to week. The show is most definitely bending the characters to suit the plot is never a good thing. They also missed or barely skimmed over the repercussions of Oliver's death and return for nearly every character. I had also hoped Oliver would return a little lighter and his personal life wouldn't suck so much. With the exception of the Thea scenes tonight (and I hate that he only told her because Malcolm pressured him), this doesn't seem to be the case.

 

I don't hate the show by any means, but they can do better. 

 

Edited because I went to correct one misspelling and somehow lost half my post.

Edited February 12, 2015 by InsertWordHere

[Kymmi]

Bless you all for recapping this.  I'm going to take a pass.  

[statsgirl]

Oh, I agree the writing for Olicity has been as subtle as a sledgehammer this season. There's no denying that from me. All I'm saying is that both shipper groups were given reason to believe that Sara's speech refers to their pairing of choice. That's all.

Which is stupid and bad writing.  Write for one ship or the other, but don't write so that anyone can put a name in the blank.  Remember that little thing called continuity?  And characterization?

 

Two questions:  What exactly happened to the DJ?  And why do people think Roy is leaving/has left?

The DJ committed suicide with the cyanide he had intended for Thea  when Malcolm had him in his sights and was about to kill him.R

Roy's not going anywhere, Oliver left the city in their  hands (Diggle, Roy, Laurel ) because they can take such good care of it.  Shall I pass you the basin?  (Felicity was there too but I'm imagining she saw what a mess the show is and ran.)

 

It seemed like Caity didn't enjoy doing this episode at all. She was phoning it in more than Bobby Carlyle last season on Once Upon a Time.

Can you blame her?  Not only did she have to prop Laurel to the skies, Felicity trashed her character in favor of Laurel.

[wonderwall]

Laurel has a light inside her?   So does my refrigerator.  Doesn't mean I want to watch it fight crime each week.  

You might be my most favorite person right now 

[BkWurm1]

and I felt tears in my eyes- they were caused by sheer desperation for what they did.

 

This!  This happened to me a couple times.  I knew I wasn't tearing up because I was touched, it was because I was so disappointed in where the episode suddenly went.  It happened when Ghost Sara smiled down at Laurel, it happened when Oliver couldn't find Roy and I'm shouting at the screen, "Take Diggle, take Diggle!!!" and instead it's Arrrow and his SIDEKICK replacement BuckleCanary. 

 

Even at the end with Oliver and Thea on the island, it should be fun but it's not because to get there required such intense levels of WTF.  Oliver makes that dumb ass speech on top of the van about never going away again...and next episode he's gone.  It's for Thea, you know.  Don't say that, I want to keep liking Thea and if she's the real reason for all this crap, then I'm this close to boarding a hate train and I've ALWAYS liked Thea. 

 

Tonight I really feel like I hate this show but can I walk away?  Nope, not yet.  Not until they've beating all the hope out of me.  I look forward to being indifferent. 

[ban1o]

I'm 100% sure that the ratings increased because of the crossover, not because the show became SO GOOD 

[JenMD]

I am so glad to read that so many other people are confused about Thea hating Malcolm again.  Whiplash is the perfect description.  Poorly plotted and poorly scripted.  The whole ep was a mess for all the reasons stated.  It was illogical as the day is long in so many places. Hated all the propping.  Hated that Diggle stayed back while Oliver chose to take Laurel instead. If it's because he's a dad now they need to mention that because we've seen him go out in the field within the last few eps.  It's just now that Laurel's in the mix he's not going out and that is just ridiculous. There were a long line of WTFs tonight.  Oh.  And not telling Thea the whole truth, that Malcolm drugged her to kill Sara?  Also ridiculous.

 

Agree that the Arrow reveal to Thea was not quite the big moment I would have expected it to be. I kind of feel like they just continue to tick boxes of stuff they want to get accomplished.  It was certainly more low-key that I was expecting.  Maybe it's just that they keep giving stuff away so nothing's that big of a surprise anymore. 

 

But something I haven't seen mentioned that I have to comment on - for all that this show usually gets rightfully praised for its stunt team... the BC 2.0 fights are kind of terrible.  Whether the blame goes to KC, who just seems completely uncomfortable and uncoordinated, her stunt person, the director, the stunt coordinator or whatever combination of the above, I thought her fight scenes were pretty bad, especially for this show. 

Edited February 12, 2015 by JenMD

[thuganomics85]

I forgot all about the death of DJ Douchebag.  The show somehow made his death underwhelming.  He just drinks a bottle of poison, while the three of them just stood their watching like morons.  Come on, show!  Least you could do was give that jackass a epic death.  I vote for Thea throwing him off the balcony.

 

That said, how did Roy and Malcolm get their so quickly?  Was just suspicious of him, and got Malcolm, and followed?  Because I kind of thought it for a second that Roy went into stalker mode, and followed them, and was listening in on the sexy times.  That would have been kind hilarious actually.

[wonderwall]

To the people freaking out about the whole 'light' thing... 

 

I say this: 

 

"you’re an addict" "go to hell"

 

This is why this relationship will never work and overshadows any crap metaphor about light. 

[catrox14]

I am pretty fucking pissed off. All the propping of Laurel at Felicity's expense is sickening.  Sure Felicity is going to say fuck all about Sara's demons when she totally defended and befriended  Sara.  And Felicity knew all the suffering  that Sara experienced and you just bring her back to call Laurel a bitch. When we KNOW that Sara hated that word.  I am just...

 

I'm so disgusted with this show right now. It hurts my heart because this has been my literal favorite show since it began airing.  

 

I'll be back when I've had time to calm down.

Edited February 12, 2015 by catrox14

[SonofaBiscuit]

I feel kinda mislead by SA.  He gave that Access Hollywood interview where he said that he hadn't worked with Katie as Black Canary yet (the one where he talked about her looking wonderful in her costume, and how that was half the battle).  I guess that he was maintaining that he was dead at that point, but then from the way he talked in that interview that came out today, it sounded like he and Laurel would be at odds for a while.  But he's just accepted her by the end of the episode?  OK. 

[AyChihuahua]

 

This is why this relationship will never work and overshadows any crap metaphor about light.

What are the chances the producers remember this and/or expect the audience to remember this?

[La Dee Da]

They needed a longer time jump to have the "things are no longer the same, Oliver" arguments stick their landing, and for Thea to begin to doubt Malcolm.  However, maybe it's better getting this stuff  out of the way now, rather than taking up space in an already crowded narrative over the rest of season.  There are certainly good things that came to fruition - Thea knowing, Lance beginning to know (he still needs to process the implications). I liked Thea and Oliver's conversation about being able to talk about his day.   

 

I get why everyone is mad about Felicity giving a pep talk to Laurel but she was right that Laurel needs to stop trying to be Sarah and be herself which right now seems to be the person who walks in and distract the bad guys by getting her ass handed to her so the Ollie and Roy can come in and take everyone out with arrows. . 

 

I agree.  I didn't mind her giving a pep talk - that's an established Felicity role - and her urging Laurel to be herself.  But the light reference was clumsy.  I'm going to give it a shot!  "It's okay to be different than Sara.  You don't have to fight the same demons that she did to keep the light inside shining.  Also, your form was bad when you punched the corrections guy".  Ok, the last part probably isn't strictly necessary, but this way everyone can have light and take different paths (including a more arduous one for Sara) to become heroes.  

 

On Laurel running across the screen and punching the guy, I agree with Felicity in terms of it being the best part of the broadcast - I laughed and thought about how many memes would be launched from that in real life. 

 

I'm looking forward to next week's camping excursion!  I hope they packed s'mores! 

Edited February 12, 2015 by La Dee Da

[wonderwall]

I feel kinda mislead by SA.  He gave that Access Hollywood interview where he said that he hadn't worked with Katie as Black Canary yet (the one where he talked about her looking wonderful in her costume, and how that was half the battle).  I guess that he was maintaining that he was dead at that point, but then from the way he talked in that interview that came out today, it sounded like he and Laurel would be at odds for a while.  But he's just accepted her by the end of the episode?  OK. 

He probably really didn't want to talk about Laurel's arc as BC because he doesn't like it at all. 

[opus]

I can't complain about anything ghost Sara said or did, because it wasn't really her, it was Laurels hallucination/guilt of her.

[WaitandHope]

This episode was strange and off-putting. Yes, we got Thea and Lance finally being told the truth, which were thank-God moments for me, but both were done almost anti-climactically. How was there no anger with either?

It was simply a joyless episode after the Thea reveal, and it was strange and nonsensical.

So now Roy doesn't trust Merlyn and blames oliver for wanting to work with him...just last episode he was championing that boneheaded idea. Boy, was Diggle wrong about Thea. Being the Yoda of the group, that was a swing and a miss! And no one even remembers what they did and said last week. Last WEEK, Oliver said he'd never leave the city again. Now he's leaving because the former terrorist attacker of the city told him so. When Laurel is the character whose motivations make the most sense, then Houston we have a problem!

it's a super hero show, I can and do suspend disbelief, but I can't ignore lazy and wildly inconsistent writing and plotting. Right now, I feel like I did Buffy Season 4-- where the hell did my show go that I used to enjoy so much? (Buffy's Hush=Brave and the Bold=outlier).

I will stick with it. WaitAndHope isn't my name for nothing, but I desperately hope it gets better soon! And Buffy got better Season 5 - so maybe there's hope? Next week looks intriguing, at least.

[quarks]

And now all the bad things:

 

1. So, first, Thea decides to join forces with a mass murderer because at least he's an honest mass murderer and not lying to her. Then, she finds out that her brother has been lying to her, and her response to this is to be delighted and happy - and, turn on the mass murderer because he's been lying. Got it, Thea.

 

Also, why is no one telling Thea that she killed Sara while under hypnosis? She currently hates Malcolm anyway.

 

2. While we're at it, this has been yet another episode of Bad Clothing Choices for Thea. To the point of distracting.

 

3. Amanda Waller. "Hi, I'm Amanda Waller, director of an elite special forces group that's so amazing I was able to delete a message left on the cell phone of a billionaire. Now, however, instead of using those amazing special forces, I'm going to send two people with reason to hate my guts back to Starling City to get the Omega whatever crap."  Awesome plan, Amanda, and that's before the issue that Oliver Queen was a bit of a celebrity in Starling City so there's a good chance people might recognize him.  Minus several more points for threatening a teenager during all this. 

 

4. Sidelining Diggle: I know Diggle has a kid, but, to be callous, several military personnel leave kids behind on a regular basis. Most cops and firefighters have families. Parenthood doesn't end careers.

 

And now, Laurel:

 

Honestly, the main problem for me with Laurel this episode was that the most memorable parts of the episode, for good and bad reasons, all involved other characters: the DJ, Amanda Waller, Oliver, Roy, Thea, and Felicity.  In an episode named after her and Sara. That's...a problem.  

 

Number of times Laurel failed as a human being this episode, four:  1, allowing the doctor to leave before telling her father the full truth, even though the entire reason for not telling him was because he could have a heart attack at any time; 2, taking forever to tell her father the full truth; 3, making this entire vigilante thing about herself, not about the others involved, 4, having her response to her dead sister not be BIG HUGS but a big fight - yes, I know the dead sister was yelling at her and actually Vertigo attacking her, but, seriously, Laurel, you've spent the last several episodes vowing vengeance and honoring your dead sister and this is your response?  Bonus points here because as it turned out your dead sister was a lovely, friendly ghost once you just smiled at her. 

 

Number of times Laurel failed as a lawyer this episode, one: instead of handing over the evidence she discovered about the docks to the cops or a nice judge for a warrant, deciding to head out on her own, which, yay for due process there, Laurel. This will go well.

 

Number of times Laurel failed as a vigilante this episode, six: 1, refusing to be a team player, 2, not noticing that Oliver put a tracker on her, like, uh, villains can do that too, Laurel, 3, letting Vertigo get away from the courthouse, which is what caused all of her later problems; 4, despite knowing that her previous solo efforts have failed and that this is a villain Oliver and Roy working together struggled to defeat, deciding to head out on her own, requiring her to be rescued yet again. 5, letting Vertigo inject her with the drug, 6, beating up Vertigo well after he was unconscious - bonus points there since this is something that earlier made Laurel decide not to work with the Hood, way back in the first episode.

 

For the record, I agree with Felicity that Sara had a darkness inside her, part of why she used the mask. I disagree with Felicity that Laurel doesn't have a touch of that same darkness. Laurel shot someone in the back last season and got an alderman killed just two episodes ago.  That's why Laurel is doing this.

[Carrie Ann]

Also, wow, really looks like Laurel's gonna have hell to pay from her father for lying to him for months, huh?

Edited February 12, 2015 by Carrie Ann

[BkWurm1]

I can't complain about anything ghost Sara said or did, because it wasn't really her, it was Laurels hallucination/guilt of her.

There is just something cruel and vindictive about putting the fans voices into Sara's mouth.  They could have copied most of that stuff right from this forum's "The Calm" episode.  I feel like they were mocking me with the line that went something like "If you wanted to be me, you could’ve, you didn't have to kill me.” 

[catrox14]

Okay I love that Thea and Oliver are working together. I really really love their relationship. And I was cheering when he showed her the lair.  I was stupidly happy about that. 

 

I'm glad Lance finally knows. 

 

But I'm so sick of the Laurel propping.  Hearing Felicity say Laurel had a light in her that Sara didn't?

 

grrr...

[Angel12d]

I'm just gonna leave this here quietly:

 

http://mimozka.tumblr.com/post/110778321710/let-me-tell-you-something-about-sara-lance

[foreverevolving]

This is so hard you guys, I'm in a serious emotional roller coaster.

You see, I don't get attached to shows very quickly- I can literally count on one hand the number of shows for which I went into deep fandom level love: ER, The West Wing, Ugly Betty & Arrow.

I have never in my 15 years of fandom love experienced anything like this, my head is literally hurting because i have been grinding my teeth through most of the episode tonight.

You know what the funny thing is? I got so excited today that i will be able to go and pick up my laptop from the apple store this weekend (it's been out of commission for a couple of months now) and will be able to go back and watch the show live. And now? Now I'm just happy I'll be able to go back and do my homework on my computer again than on my Ipad.

Side note: one of my cats must have felt how horrified I was during the episode because he came and sat in my lap within five minutes after the episode started and remained there for the entire 45 minutes- purring the entire time! Bless his precious soul, he knew mama needed something to calm her boiling blood pressure.

[tennisgurl]

My #tellQuentindamnit Twitter campaign worked! At least, that's what I`m going with. This one...is gonna need some digesting. 

[Coop33]

There is just something cruel and vindictive about putting the fans voices into Sara's mouth.  They could have copied most of that stuff right from this forum's "The Calm" episode.  I feel like they were mocking me with the line that went something like "If you wanted to be me, you could’ve, you didn't have to kill me.” 

This is exactly why I loathed that scene so much. It's twisting the knife and they know it.

[catrox14]

Okay Arrowites?  I am getting more and more upset about the character assassination of both Sara and Felicity to prop Laurel's ascent to BC.  I am really angry here.

 

So in order for me to like Laurel (which I NEVER will) they attempt to garner my sympathy for Laurel  by having her sister who said "No woman should ever suffer at the hands of men " and who hates the word "bitch" beat up Laurel? And Laurel who supposedly loved her sister and thought the world of her, is going to hallucinate her face whilst Vertigo calls her names and guilt trips her?  Doesn't that say that Laurel really thinks her sister was an asshole and that she thought Sara hated her? My gods that was a terrible, cheap fucking way to do it. 

 

There is just so much wrong with this entire scenario....It's just horrible.  It doesn't help Laurel because she still has NOT earned a fucking thing.  :(

[strikera0]

I agree about Thea's 180 in regards to Malcolm. As it stands, it seems like she basically decided not to trust him anymore because he didn't tell her that Oliver's The Arrow. While I am glad that she isn't sticking up for Malcolm anymore (I found that disturbing to watch), I wish the writers would have given her a real reason for her change of heart, like I don't know, finding out that Malcolm used her as a human weapon and made her kill Sara in cold blood.

Edited February 12, 2015 by strikera0

[benteen]

I know Diggle is normally in support but choosing an injured and barely trained Laurel to go out into the field instead of Dig is just plain ridiculous.

[InsertWordHere]

That said, how did Roy and Malcolm get their so quickly?  Was just suspicious of him, and got Malcolm, and followed?  Because I kind of thought it for a second that Roy went into stalker mode, and followed them, and was listening in on the sexy times.  That would have been kind hilarious actually.

I liked Roy this episode, but I definitely think there was some stalking involved on his part. I think Malcolm was just being Malcolm. He was probably monitoring Thea because he knew she was mad at him. Their save kind of loses some points in my book because I think both were keeping tabs on her when neither had the right to do so. 

 

I also had to laugh at the trope of Thea having sex on her couch (they probably don't have a bedroom set) when she lives with her brother who could walk in at any moment, but I suppose it's better than throwing knives at intruders who could be her brother like she did a few episodes ago.

[BkWurm1]

Something else I hated in this episode, that Thea just had sex with a guy that tried to kill her.  I know it was her choice but it feels almost like one step away from a rape storyline and I remember the show runners promising upcoming "Sexy times" and I'm realizing this is what they meant and the level of ick is just so incredibly high.  Hell, even before we knew he was evil he was disgusting.  I HATE that they wrote Thea ok with sleeping with this greasy lowlife creep even if she did want something quick and uncomplicated.  Gross.

 

Speaking of quick, since it seems all Roy did was stop to change clothes before following Thea and DJDouche home, doesn't sound like he was even worth Thea's time.  The line about him not being able to wait for the rest of the tour was probably pretty indicative of what else he didn't manage to wait for. 

Edited February 12, 2015 by BkWurm1

[CabotCove]

I'm so done with the writers using Felicity to prop other characters up with ridiculous lines like “You have a light inside you that she didn’t have” which is blatantly not true and not something Felicity would ever say about Sara.

 

Its about time she gets the honors, everyone else does it. Sara did her time.

 

I loved the Thea/Oliver reveal and got verklempt, actually the whole episode did what I've been asking for all year: it breathed, people had actual conversations. If only the things they were saying made a fucking lick of sense.

 

Ditto to that.

And by the way, as a non-shipper, I find this fight over who Oliver's light is rather asinine. The light should be something that Oliver finds within himself and not something he latches onto via proxy (Felicity or Laurel).

 

I totally agree. I think Barry said something like that, Oliver being the light or something.

 

Except that not only was Felicity in the room, but they followed that scene up with several more which bathe Oliver in light when he's with Felicity - the clocktower scene, the beach scene, their first kiss, the discussion with Barry, and so on.  This hasn't been at all subtle.

 

I didnt realise only one character was capable of being the light of the whole world. Arrow of now full of heroes, costumed or otherwise, they are many good people with light inside them and capable of inspiring others.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Conell

[wonderwall]

What even was the point of that sex scene? I mean, I feel like that time should've been better allocated and given to Diggle...

[ban1o]

Speaking of quick, since it seems all Roy did was stop to change clothes before following Thea and DJDouche home, doesn't sound like he was even worth Thea's time.  The line about him not being able to wait for the rest of the tour was probably pretty indicative of what else he couldn't wait for. 

lmao this made me laugh. But I agree. MG said something about sexy-times but Thea and Chase is what he meant. 

What even was the point of that sex scene? I mean, I feel like that time should've been better allocated and given to Diggle...

what I don't understand is why the douche waited to have sex with her before trying to kill her. It made no sense. And is really creepy. 

[SonofaBiscuit]

I know Diggle is normally in support but choosing an injured and barely trained Laurel to go out into the field instead of Dig is just plain ridiculous.

 

I really hope that I stop hearing complaints about how Felicity takes Diggle's screentime because in episodes 11-13, Diggle has stayed behind while Laurel is in the field.  There is absolutely no logical reason for this to be happening.  

[BkWurm1]

Boy, was Diggle wrong about Thea. Being the Yoda of the group, that was a swing and a miss!

 

I think that was supposed to be Diggle urging Oliver to tell Thea rather than letting her learn from someone else that he'd been lying to her the whole time.  It was clunky and unclear, but since Oliver went from not wanting to tell Thea, to talking to Diggle, to telling Thea, I think Diggle was telling him to spill the news. 

 

I wish I had it in me to even remember how much I enjoyed Oliver and Thea's scenes but it's all overshadowed by the stupid and cruel. 

[HunterHunted]

If Laurel has a light, it's the reflected light from her head up her own ass. Sara did have a darkness, but it felt a lot like Oliver's darkness: a sadness and weariness about all they had endured and a desire to channel that pain and pathos into something good. I always felt that Sara felt a little more resigned to her darkness because of her association with the League. But to suddenly claim that Laurel is light is ludicrous. She has been a preposterously incompetent, selfish, self destructive character from the beginning and that hasn't changed one bit. It doesn't help that Laurel is portrayed by Katie Cassidy a very weak actress who has been a repeated undeserved beneficiary of CW casting welfare system.

Edited February 12, 2015 by HunterHunted

[InsertWordHere]

I think that was supposed to be Diggle urging Oliver to tell Thea rather than letting her learn from someone else that he'd been lying to her the whole time.  It was clunky and unclear, but since Oliver went from not wanting to tell Thea, to talking to Diggle, to telling Thea, I think Diggle was telling him to spill the news. 

This is how I took it as well. 

[Actionmage]

Oh, Daddy Lance!  No be cry!

 

Guess where my sympathies lay in that scene?  ::wants to hug PB because ::

 

since this is something that earlier made Laurel decide not to work with the Hood, way back in the first episode.

 

Just to clarify when, it was when Oliver was saving her and the innocent client  from the prison riot in season 1. (Episode 3?)

 

While I adored that smile SA gave Oliver as he hugged Thea to his chest, it didn't buy my not noticing that Thea had a right to be angry at his 'lying to protect' stance, regardless. Especially now that everyone is lying to her some more for 'her own good' or some such blather.

 

The writers are trolls and should be slapped for the shit they pulled with Illusion Sara and Illusion Quentin.  It was rude to the actors and to the audience. 

 

I am just glad there are folks here more eloquent in their anger than I am.   

[lion10]

Oliver's seriously pissing me off by not telling Thea how Malcolm Merlyn drugged her and made her kill Sara.  SHE NEEDS TO KNOW.   

[GirlvsTV]

What is even the point of Malcolm being Thea's protector when the only reason she is in danger is because he made her a target?! It isn't even like it was some unintended consequence. He came up with and executed a plan to brainwash his daughter in order to turn her into the League's enemy. Argh, where is that .gif of Oliver angrily swiping stuff off a table when you need it.

[BkWurm1]

Oliver's seriously pissing me off by not telling Thea how Malcolm Merlyn drugged her and made her kill Sara.  SHE NEEDS TO KNOW.   

OH, but then she'd feel bad! 

[AnalyzeAndCritique]

Oliver's seriously pissing me off by not telling Thea how Malcolm Merlyn drugged her and made her kill Sara. SHE NEEDS TO KNOW.

Look on the bright side it took 12 episodes to tell Lance his daughter was dead. You are a quarter of the way there.

[La Dee Da]

I forgot all about the death of DJ Douchebag.  The show somehow made his death underwhelming.  He just drinks a bottle of poison, while the three of them just stood their watching like morons.  Come on, show!  Least you could do was give that jackass a epic death.  I vote for Thea throwing him off the balcony.

 

Me too!  There was a lot of plot stuffed into this one.  His "I'm going where you cannot follow" probably didn't mean the big rave in the sky, so maybe he isn't dead?  Perhaps some heart slowing drug or portable lazarus pit water?  So the bottom line is always throw an LOA foot soldier over the balcony, just to make sure.