S03.E14: The Return

[Guest]

Laurel saying she was always headed for the mask was pretty much a wink nudge at her comic book history for her fans but it actually made her look delusional because at no point on this show did I ever see her as being destined for a mask. Ever. Sorry. It's laughable.

[jay741982]

You don't speak for all fans

No I don't I meant to edit

[benteen]

Of course he wasn't going to appear but where was Captain Boomerang at the ARGUS prison?  Slade wasn't the only prisoner there but all the guards were killed?

[Carrie Ann]

Laurel saying she was always headed for the mask was pretty much a wink nudge at her comic book history for her fans but it actually made her look delusional because at no point on this show did I ever see her as being destined for a mask. Ever. Sorry. It's laughable.

 

That was definitely an off-note for me in the episode. It is ridiculous to imply that the logical next step for a 30-year-old lawyer who took a few boxing lessons and has a general interest in "doing good" is to become a vigilante. I mean, my best friend fits that description. I wonder why she hasn't donned her mask and buckles yet? Oh, her sister probably needs to die first. That's the magic key.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Carrie Ann

[thuganomics85]

 

What demons did Thea and Oliver overcome on the Island? When Olive faced Ras , he lost and needed to face/defeat his biggest fears. Was the island a failed subplot?

I think near the end, Malcolm tried to say some kind of bullshit that this has helped Ollie and Thea learned to work together as a unit, but that really is some flimsy... well, bullshit.  Yep, it was just a waste.  Whole thing was dumb.  Honestly, Malcolm kind of sucks now.

 

Totally forgot about the Marc Singer appearance.  Normally, I would be all excited about The Beastmaster showing up on this show, but I'm sure they'll find a way to waste him, as well.

[La Dee Da]

I feel like Oliver losing Felicity has to go beyond her dating Ray because if she's still working with Oliver and still in his life, he's not really truly lost her. Now if there's a very serious threat to her life, I think that would make Oliver feel differently. They basically reaffirmed that Felicity is Oliver's link to his humanity so it must come into play later somehow.

 

I agree - I assume Malcolm is going to do something to Felicity in order to push Oliver over the edge into killerhood, given his Slade plan didn't work. 

[tennisgurl]

I totally think someone is going to try to hurt Felicity to get to Oliver in the near future. Maybe it will bring them together, but its just as likely they'll end up further apart...until the writers get sick of fan complaints and get them back together.

 

sniffle...Tommy...sniffle

[Lady Calypso]

You know, it's kind of funny but Slade seems to be the go-to guy when secrets need to be spilled. Malcolm probably shouldn't have pushed Thea and Oliver toward Slade, or else the secret would have stayed hidden. Maybe Slade can be sent to Central City for a night and have Iris kidnapped by him? Maybe then he'll spill the 'Barry is The Flash' to her. 

 

I actually liked the episode, despite it being a tad on the too many flashbacks side. I think more Slade vs Thea/Oliver would have been much better off, and if they got rid of the video scene, maybe a couple of other scenes too like the Felicity scene....no offense to Felicity, but I think I like it more with him not having seen her when he was still dead. I know it actually kind of makes sense, especially with that 'Oliver might have a crush' smile, but I like my other version better. Well, it's possible we know when Oliver started liking Felicity, even subconsciously. But yeah, I agree with people who said that it would have been better if Felicity was unimpressed. Oliver's hair was...not that great pre-series and in the flashbacks, and I actually don't know why women would have flocked to him, BESIDES his money. Sadly, not for his good looks. 

 

At least there was no Black Canary nonsense....ok, besides the grave scene. The stupid mask line, along with pouring the alcohol on Sara's grave definitely didn't work, but I'm glad Quentin's pissed at his daughter, and understandably so. 

 

TOMMY! Oh Tommy, how I miss you and wish you could come back. Maybe him and Sara can come back as members of the League of Assassins and Ra's had them 'alive' or resurrected and in training to kill Malcolm and Oliver this whole time. Now THAT I could deal with. I know it's not possible, but....I'm just gonna dream.

 

Thea/Oliver's relationship is officially the best part of this show. It's sad that I couldn't care less about Olicity, seeing as I've been a huge supporter of them from the start. The writing for them is getting too cliched and what I love about them is that their relationship is pretty uncliched and they've stood on equal grounds. Thea respects Oliver more than Felicity does right now; it makes sense as Thea's known Oliver her entire life and she's still kind of unaware of how much he's really changed, but she still loves him, believes him and sticks by his side no matter what lies he's told her. Now THAT is a beautiful sibling relationship, and I would imagine quite rare. It's interesting that they weren't all that close until Oliver came back from the island the first time, and they've only grown closer with these secrets being unraveled, rather than having them tear them apart. God, I can't praise this show enough for maintaining this relationship, at least. I guess this is the one rare thing they've gotten right.

 

I liked Malcolm in season 1. Now I wish he stayed dead, and far, far away from here. John Barrowman may be great, but Malcolm is annoying and I would not mind if Ra's kills him in the next episode. GO AWAY, MALCOLM. AND TAKE LAUREL 'THE BLACK CANARY' LANCE WITH YOU.

 

So, yeah, a waste of Slade for sure, but he was only there to be a prop to Thea/Oliver and the Sara secret, which I'm fine with. Also, LOL'd at the meta from Maseo about his hood. 

[jay741982]

I agree - I assume Malcolm is going to do something to Felicity in order to push Oliver over the edge into killerhood, given his Slade plan didn't work.

I've been saying since Oliver made it clear that Felicity and Thea mean the most to him that Malcolm or Ra's will target them. Malcolm has tainted Thea so to speak and I think he sees clearly that Felicity and Oliver love each other so I wouldn't be Surprised if Malcolm has targeted Felicity OR Ra's will find out Felicity is who Oliver loves and send LOA after Her as a message to Oliver.

[apinknightmare]

I totally think someone is going to try to hurt Felicity to get to Oliver in the near future. Maybe it will bring them together, but its just as likely they'll end up further apart...until the writers get sick of fan complaints and get them back together.

 

sniffle...Tommy...sniffle

 

If that happens, I imagine it would bring them together. His own near-death experience might not be enough to make him want to do things differently, but hers might. SA did say at a con appearance that Oliver might have to face the prospect of living without Felicity, but that it's always darkest before the dawn. He might've been talking about a figurative loss though - like to Ray or something. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

[calliope1975]

I liked the siblings training scene and would have enjoyed seeing more of that. And I see we're back to some inappropriate sibling chemistry. Yeah. (I am unable to take Flashback!Oliver's hat and hair seriously. It's so, so bad.)

 

Awww, Tommy, too bad you're dead. Please return as a zombie. 

 

I know Malcolm is The Magician and all, but his omnipotence and ability to be everywhere and do everything is beyond annoying. He lets Slade out, he cuts off cell service, etc. Stop. Just stop.

 

This season would be monumentally better if MB was the narrator a la Jane the Virgin. Such a great voice. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I like him snarking on everything. I can only imagine his comments on Buckles. Speaking of, I just skipped all of Laurel's scenes. It made me miss some PB and CD scenes, but it was better for my mood. I'm just going to pretend she doesn't exist. However, I am a bit bummed that Deathstroke is so neutered now. How come TIIC only use BecauseComics! for certain characters.

 

That pic of Oliver and his dad was creepy. Oliver was only hot if you're into the serial killer aesthetic. The Felicity and Digg nods were kind of pointless. I didn't mind them, but neither one of them is breaking my Internet (or is that a different episode?) 

 

I was okay with Oliver straight up killing that dude. He still has to get to the guy we saw in S1 who murdered his way through the city. Wait. So Oliver doesn't want to be a killer? Or he doesn't want Thea to be a killer but he's okay being one? Why is he working with Malcolm again? I'm confused. This is dumb.

 

I'd think Slade's line about Felicity could be foreshadowing, but I thought his corruption speech was going to go somewhere, and it didn't.  

 

Well. I watched it and I didn't hate it, so...yay? Progress? But if this is a love letter, I'd also don't want to be a woman they love. (Man, that line is still terrible.)

[BumpSetSpike]

Sharing my thoughts before I read everyone else's thoughts...

 

Disappointingly mediocre episode.  However, that being said, I'm proud to say that I did NOT fast forward once during this episode on first watch.  Something I have done it seems like every week now.

 

I was really looking forward to seeing Thea and Oliver interact, and it seems like most of the best parts of that discussion were in the previous and clips before the episode.  Willa and SA did pretty well, but I didn't feel that same connection that I did when Oliver told Thea he was the Arrow.

 

Slade.  Such a waste of Manu Bennett.  Hearing his voice and seeing him on the screen - wow, I just got so excited!  It was like going back to the much better Season 2B times where his presence was a true PRESENCE to be dealt with.  They reduced Slade to an afterthought it felt like because they could have had anyone on Lian Yu be the dangerous presence.  Had Oliver told Thea about his 'secret' about Shado, then that would have been difference.  Slade, you are so missed!

 

Laurel.  Flashback Laurel I actually tolerated.  She didn't bother me, she seemed more in character, and I enjoyed watching her and Tommy on the screen.  

 

Felicity.  What a joke.  She crushes on a picture of Oliver?  What the heck is she doing in that office at all hours of the night?  

 

The Oliver flashbacks.  Why?!  I still don't get why he didn't just say "Hey, I'm home!"   Yes I know, loved ones be killed, blah, blah, blah.  But really, out of all the places in the entire world, they had to go back to Starling City, to his family's business, to his dad's old desk?  Really?

 

That video of Robert Queen.  Yes, I get that it tied back to the S1 discussion that Oliver and Diggle had.  Got that.  But the video did nothing for me and told us absolutely nothing we didn't already know.  

 

As a matter of fact, all I kept thinking was "Wow, SA's fingernails and cuticles are really clean and manicured for someone who has not been able to get a haircut for 3+ years."   

 

But again, I didn't fast forward through this episode -- so there is that positive.

[apinknightmare]

I know Malcolm is The Magician and all, but his omnipotence and ability to be everywhere and do everything is beyond annoying. He lets Slade out, he cuts off cell service, etc. Stop. Just stop.

 

I almost had a rage when he hung up with Malcolm AND THEN BROKE THE PHONE. God, Oliver. Stop taking this dude at face value all the time. MAYBE ARGUS HAD WIFI INSTALLED ON THE ISLAND, YOU NEVER KNOW.

[Actionmage]

God, Oliver. Stop taking this dude at face value all the time.

 

^^^This! ^^^  ::sends virtual champagne--no calories, only gets you tipsy!::

 

 

Put it on and nobody recognizes him.

 

Welllll, that one drug dealer. Oliver: being "subtle" since 2009.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Actionmage

[KirkB]

Forget the flashbacks (Have I ever mentioned how much I don't like them?). I would rather the whole episode focus on Oliver and Thea dealing with Slade on the island, especially since this is probably going to be Manu's last episode for a while, if not ever.

 

Quentin actually called Laurel the Black Canary? Really? Damn, I must have missed it. Probably had something to do with her getting upset at Quentin being pissed about her hiding Sara's death from him for so long. That and the idiotic "heading toward the mask" comment. Stop it, show. You won already. She's got the damn costume on. Leave it alone.

 

Apparently, for Oliver a hood is the equivalent of Superman's glasses. Put it on and nobody recognizes him. I don't know what kind of security QC has but I would think a long-haired, rather dirty looking man in a hooded jacket who is going out of his way to hide his face and sneaking around the building would be the kind of thing that would raise a few red flags. And last time I checked, a machine explicitly designed to scan a unique thumbprint would tell someone at QC that either Oliver had scanned in or else someone had his thumb.

Edited February 19, 2015 by KirkB

[statsgirl]

I get the feeling that Oliver thinks he's already lost Felicity since she walked out on him when he got back.  Hence the stone face, because he didn't want Slade to know.

 

He's still fighting for Thea though, and winning since she told Malcolm Merlyn off at the end of the episode.  God forbid he actually try to fight for Felicity, though.

 

Finally, I just found out I'm going to be a mask-wearing superhero some day soon. I never knew that was my destiny until I heard Laurel's conversation with Quentin at Sara's grave.  Because I graduated from law school and I've even done public interest law, so clearly I was always meant to be on the superhero path. I'm pretty excited about it and I have already started thinking about my costume.  Granted, except for logging some hours on the treadmill and one karate class at the YMCA, I have no actual fighting skills but I think those are optional

I've had three self-defense classes, so I think I may be up on you. I haven't had any legal training, I think that might hinder my being a vigilante though, I don't want to be distracted by the idea of laws and courts and all that irrelevant stuff.

 

I really loved the epic GFYs from Quentin to Laurel and Thea to Malcolm. It made me realize how much Laurel and Malcolm have in common:
1. Self-centered and egomanical.
2. Inappropriate responses to grief. Malcolm trains as an assassin. Laurel decides to lie about her sister's death and become a vigilante.
3. The ability to rewrite history to suit their own delusional needs. Malcolm decides to drug Thea and have her kill Sara, which will some how protect her from Ra's despite the fact that it absolutely put Thea in Ra's crosshairs. And Laurel was some how always destined for the mask because of her years of experience working as an attorney.

Proof that in spite of fathering Tommy and Thea, Laurel is Malcolm's true heir.  (There should be a Harry Potter reference for that.)

Edited February 19, 2015 by statsgirl

[Carrie Ann]

I almost had a rage when he hung up with Malcolm AND THEN BROKE THE PHONE. God, Oliver. Stop taking this dude at face value all the time. MAYBE ARGUS HAD WIFI INSTALLED ON THE ISLAND, YOU NEVER KNOW.

 

ALSO why would you go to the goddamn island with only equipment provided by Malcolm Merlyn? You know, you have this person on your team? Who is pretty good with stuff like this? Granted, she hates this whole stupid ass plan of yours, but I bet she'd be okay with providing you with stuff that would help you stay alive.

[Chaser]

I understand the flashbacks to Thea and I'm hoping the virus/Waller flashbacks lead somewhere, but I didn't need the Laurel/Lance subplot. Nor the Laurel/Tommy scenes. I'm more forgiving of the random Diggle and Felicity scenes because I love the characters, but I would have preferred a present day bonding session about the Malcolm situation. It would have tied to the plot better.

 

Bottomline: I needed more Slade and less random flashback.

[Actionmage]

Granted, she hates this whole stupid ass plan of yours, but I bet she'd be okay with providing you with stuff that would help you stay alive.

 

Plus? It'd give her a chance to give a technical GFY to Merlyn, and you can't tell me my gal would not be down with that!

 

::waves at Carrie Ann; just missin' each other tonight *g*::

[TrueMyth]

Was it just my TV or was that some hideously bad green screening for the inside of the Queen mansion? I'm assuming they couldn't swing a one episode usage fee? Makes me a bit worried for future ATOM suit CGI. They don't seem to have these issues on The Flash. What gives?

I liked Oliver killing the drug dealer with the same move as the pilot's "Nobody can know my secret" scenes. One of the more subtle callbacks.

Would have preferred a different Felicity flashback, but was surprised by the lack of Laurel pinning. I just don't think the writers know how to purposefully write compelling romance.

I wish I could understand where Malcolm's head is. Besides crazyland. The mind which plotted the Undertaking shouldn't be this illogical.

[SonofaBiscuit]

The Felicity picture thing didn't bother me because I didn't get the impression that Oliver really got a good look at her.  He was pretty far away (although between this scene and the "spying on Tommy and Thea from behind some trees" scene, this dude has some super-powered hearing) and he was peeking around a corner.  In the present, I don't think he even connects the dots that it was her at QC (and maybe he doesn't even remember the incident, who knows).  One thing a lot of us seem to agree on, though, is that Oliver with facial hair is like a 10 and clean-shaven Oliver basically looks like a demented serial killer.  

[TrueMyth]

I'd have to go back and rewatch, but does Felicity actually say anything to make it clear that she is talking about Oliver and not Robert? They are both in that picture and both presumed dead, right?

I'll show myself out.

[looptab]

Very nice of Slade to give Thea back her gun after disarming her in their first encounter! >.<

I could have done without the Felicity scene, I don't know, it was weird. But let's take what crumbs we can. Love Maseo. Love Slade. And the Queen siblings bonding.:)

[Password]

I really loved that episode. I didn't realise how much I needed it until it happened.

Good things:

-Oliver and Thea. All day everyday with two servings on Sunday.

-Felicity and Diggle's introductions. I was on the "leave their first meet cute" alone page but the episode did a good job of not over doing it. Andy Diggle was perfect. Can't wait to see more of him in flashbacks throwing shade at Diggle for divorcing Lyla.

-The Hong Kong/Starling flashbacks were beautiful. This episode wasn't so dreary and awful. It had snark, action and made me love Oliver even more (until the final scene but more of that later. Finally we get to the point where Oliver chooses (I assume) not to return home, but ends up in Russia. Excited.

-Oliver watching his dads video was great. Made me emotional (but more in the bad things section)

-Quentin throwing shade at Laurel for selling out. I'd love to know why Laurel seemingly shut down her feelings about Sara's death. However I felt sorry for her when Quentin shut HIMSELF down and dwelled on Sara's death when Laurel was still around. Must have felt unimportant.

-Thea and Tommy. So wonderful really.

-Tommy and Laurel. Damn he really was her Felicity. I could bear her if he was still here and it made me so sad that he died after seeing their final scene.

-Lemme dwell on Felicity's scene please. It actually made me EMOTIONAL seeing her gaze at Oliver's picture and saying "you're cute". I miss her affectionate side toward Oliver so much that I'm taking that and remembering it even though things are rough right now, eventually it'll get better between then. Not to mention Oliver's smile after seeing her.

Bad things:

-Oliver used his finger to scan his way past security BUT NO ONE PICKED THAT UP. He breached their server at half past late, when no one was around and Felicity's department didn't pick it up? Argh.

-Laurel's final scene with Quentin. Ridiculous doesn't begin to explain it. He just randomly called her Black Canary??? What? And she went all " it was going to happen eventually" made me roll my eyes SO HARD like bitch what are you talking about? She never even THOUGHT of being a vigilante, or doing justice until her dad reminded her. Talk about ruining a beautiful episode.

-Oliver saying Sara's name in his sleep. It made me bitter that they killed that relationship by having them sleep together and never really talk. They had such unresolved emotions with the island and Laurel but nothing came of it.

-My biggest gripe. They are STILL working with Merlyn. Have mercy. OK this might get long.

Daddy Queen explicitly says "I worked with evil people because I thought I was doing right. I kept secrets from my family because reasons" and Oliver is STILL WORKING WITH MERLYN. I can't even handle the amount of stupid this boy is showing. At least Thea frikin said she's doing it because BROTHER SAYS IT'S RIGHT TO DEFEAT RA'S. But even she's being stupid in not questioning the dumbass-itude on display from Oliver. Can we find that damn memory stick to remind Oliver of what his dad wanted from him? Be a family man! A man of honour who does good and not align with evil for the greater good. Save Starling by being a good man and caring for its people. Dammit Oliver don't make me defend Ray Palmer in HIS stupidity but at least he's handling things in the city! I thought, I genuinely thought this episode would end their ties with Malcolm because of how it built up. Thea talking sense into Oliver about not keeping secrets but Laurel still doesn't know because reasons. Your secrets hurt people Oliver. Ah! How did this happen? Where did this storyline come from? Oliver was learning in the past about correcting his wrongs and for the first time I saw glimpses of The Hood. But he's just being stupid here. Robert TOLD YOU the greater good doesn't work. Have you forgotten? What is it going to take to make this man realise what he's doing is insanity? Slade actually HURTING Felicity? (Which BTW Slade baby hi.)

Ah I'm so bitter about the ending but I adored that episode. It still makes absolutely no sense to me. Malcolm is a monster and he doesn't even care. Oliver being all growly "I hate you so much...but I still have to work with you" is straight up pissing me off. I'm done with this storyline. Completely and utterly.

See you guys on episode 20. That's when things will pick up. Until then I'll be snarking my way through this forum and tumblr posts.

[lemotomato]

I'd have to go back and rewatch, but does Felicity actually say anything to make it clear that she is talking about Oliver and not Robert? They are both in that picture and both presumed dead, right?

I'll show myself out.

Heh. She doesn't say anything to clarify, but the camera does focus on just Oliver's side of the photo after she says "You're cute"

[SonofaBiscuit]

Ray looks ridiculous in the promo for next week's episode, and I'm not watching, but I'm so looking forward to maximum mockage on Wednesday.  Game changer people, epic game changer.

[Pothunter]

A snarky comment about Oliver's terrible hair would have made Felicity's scene funnier. Can't you just picture the expression on his face? Maybe it would have motivated him to get it cut.

 

I mean, surely he could have found a barber or two in Hong Kong!! Maseo would have given him directions.

 

I get that the show is trying to differentiate between past and present Oliver, but this is just one more stupidity added to a thousand others.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Pothunter

[Password]

At the time I didn't realise it, but they really did retcon Oliver and Laurel's relationship this episode. Going so far as to have an OLICITY moment rather than anything to do with Lauriver. I did like the "fix my mistakes" spiel from Oliver though because that's really what it felt like with Laurel and even Sara. I really think everyone explaining Oliver and Felicity's feelings for each other, without really allowing the actual characters to expound is making it seem like even they don't understand.

I just saw the picture of Oliver again and it really is unflattering. He looks crazy. Like the Joker from Gotham crazy. But I still enjoyed the moment.

Anyway we'll see what happens.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Limbo

[TanyaKay]

Oh, man. Next week's previews looked epic until that final shot. Ray looks ridiculous! RIDICULOUS! Like something Tony Stark threw out during his early Iron Man drafts. Grodd looks more believable and he's a fucking gorilla! WTF, show?!

Tony Stark made a better suit in a poorly lit cave in Afghanistan than what Ray Palmer came up with. What was that? I was actually neutral when I saw the photograph but it looks utterly ridiculous in the preview.

[Starfish35]

Since I didn't see many howls of outrage (unlike the last three episodes) I went ahead and watched it.

That was actually a decent episode. Not flawless...there was some stuff with Slade and the prison that made me go "but wait....but what.....ah just go with it." And of course everyone's already mentioned Laurel's headache-inducing line.

But I really enjoyed seeing Oliver and Thea working together, fighting together, and Thea finally learning the truth. And were Laurel and Tommy always that cute together? I actually didn't remember that.

I'm not so sure anymore that a Malcolm Merlyn redemption tour is on the table after all. I hesitate to give the writers any credit at all at this point, but they seemed to be pretty heavy handed tonight with the messages that working with Malcolm is a Bad Thing, both from Slade and from Oliver's father, who himself made the mistake of working with Malcolm. I'm not sure how to reconcile that viewpoint with what we know about next week's episode, but I guess that's a discussion for the Spoiler Thread.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Starfish35

[BkWurm1]

I just saw the picture of Oliver again and it really is unflattering. He looks crazy. Like the Joker from Gotham crazy. But I still enjoyed the moment.

 

I have to go on the assumption that Felicity knows what Oliver Queen looks like from more than just that one picture.  His face would have been plastered all over the place and when you catch the guy in a smile he most assuredly cute.  It makes me think that Felicity spent time thinking and wondering about Oliver while he was "dead" which makes sense while working at his family's company.

 

The flashback with her was fine because as someone else pointed out, he really wasn't getting a good look at her.  It was dim, he was hiding around a corner.  He mostly got a vague glance at her but her personality still made him smile and that's nice since FBOllie rarely has a reason to smile.  I don't think he would have recognized her before going to her for help but I can't help wonder if he eventually put two and two together and remembered her afterwards, given she once again prompted a similar reaction from him. 

 

The scene with Diggle felt more throwaway but with Andy being there probably was the more important scene of the two. 

 

I was very pleased that there wasn't even a hint of any Laurel longing from Oliver.  This would be the moment to  dig up that dead horse and they didn't and that is more reassuring to me than just about anything anyone can say.  It's a really big deal because if they were being true to their history, I would have expected Oliver to cast at least one look of longing and nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  And on top of that, Slade rightly mentioned the girl with the glasses and oh, that got Oliver's attention.  Very good moment. 

 

Which they may or may not do a thing about.

 

Something bad about the flashbacks is Oliver knowing that Thea was doing drugs doesn't really line up with Season one Oliver and his reaction.  Did he think cause he killed her drug dealer she would stop?  And I thought he'd looked surprised and disturbed by the headstones but apparently he'd been there, done that long ago. 

 

PB was excellent tonight in every scene.  AND he did the impossible and pulled off a wig on Arrow.  Amazing.  I take cruel delight in the fact that once again we find out that something that is supposed to be noble about Laurel wasn't even her idea.  (Still, if daddy hadn't shamed her into taking a job to help people, maybe she would still be in San Francisco)  It also explains why she so easily went to the DA's office once CNR fell apart.  It really wasn't her ambition to help the down trodden.

 

Didn't mind Quentin calling her Black Canary.  Sara was the Canary, Those not in the know called her the woman in black.  Mashing them together isn't crazy and bonus points for making it sound like he said a bad word.  Laurel's line about always being on the road to the mask or whatever was the dumbest thing yet to ever come out of any of the character's mouths.

 

How can she have always been on this road when wearing a mask is by the show's standards, something that has only started happening in the last few years so for Laurel to say to her dad you must have known or some such crap is insane. 

 

So I thank the show for giving me the insight into how Laurel thinks and it's good to know that she's rewritten reality to pretend she was on some kind of inevitable journey. 

 

The thing is, they could have written her this way -- always getting involved and unselfishly helping people and but in this very episode we find out the only reason she was even at a legal aid type place was because her father guilted her into it. And without that pressure, she dumped the small guy and went to work for the government. 

 

Now Roy was obviously on the path once he got inspired by the Arrow.  Sara was on the path because of all her training and her deep desire to protect women from harm.  Diggle was on the path because of his desire to serve and make a difference and his lack of satisfaction with what he was doing.  Oliver was tasked from the grave by his father.  Even Felicity showed early ambitions for this kind of life but Laurel?  She waffled in all directions about even working with the Arrow before settling on he was to blame for all the city's problems.  Then when she found out about his activity, she didn't pick up a mask, she just did her regular job.  She envied Sara being a hero and liked her jacket waaaay too much but on any other show this kind of twist or reveal is the kind of thing that telenovela's and soap operas wouldn't do because it would be too insulting to the audience's intelligence. 

 

Clearly Laurel has snapped and has remade her world to support her delusion. 

Edited February 19, 2015 by BkWurm1

[pootlus]

“You knew my life was always headed towards that mask.”
 

 

Yup.

[wonderwall]

If Sara never died, Laurel wouldn't even be thinking about putting that mask on... Hell, if Sara never returned, she would've NEVER put that mask on. 

 

Thanks writers, for still forcing Laurel down my throat even though I get it. Laurel was always going to become BC. smh

[SleepDeprived]

Well. So that was an episode. Definitely not terrible but also not quite engaging, either. I am, however, glad that my tepid expectations were slightly more than fully met. Yay for mediocrity, Arrow!

 

The Lian Yu mountains and sunken ship CGI was horrible. I thought I was watching a SyFy movie for a moment there. But I loved all of Oliver and Thea's scenes. The Queen siblings' relationship has always been one of my favorite aspects of this show and I will always be here for more of those. I'm glad Thea finally knows about her role in Sara's death. Actually, I pretty much just liked Thea in all of her scenes (past and present). Episodes like this remind me of how underused Willa Holland truly is on this show.

 

By the way, Oliver did not need to dislocate Thea's arm for her to reach that button to open the cell. All they had to do was remove one of their shoes and have Thea use it to smack that button since Thea's arm was only an inch or three short. But that would be logical and we can't have that on this show.

 

I see that Slade is still living up to his Gossip Girl persona. Manu Bennett's face and voice have been sorely missed, though, so I'm going to overlook his less than exciting return and just focus on that final exchange he had with Oliver. Maybe that parting shot about Oliver Queen losing everyone he cares for can finally get Oliver out of his browbeaten funk. Probably not, though, since we still have 9 episodes left. I do like how MB/Slade says Felicity's name. Just always with a hint of menace to rile Oliver's hackles up.

 

Although Oliver's flashback pseudo-encounters with Felicity and Diggle were cute, man, does this show know how to backburn those two fan-favorite characters or what? Between the two of them, they had, like, 2 minutes of screentime? Oy. At least, EBR and DR got paid in full for those less than 60 seconds or so they each had onscreen. Get money, guys!

 

I continue to love Maseo and Quentin Lance. Paul Blackthorne looked hot in the flashbacks. As did Tommy. Waller continues to be background noise to me, along with Laurel and China White.

 

Malcolm Merlyn and everything he chooses to be continues to make not a lick of sense. Oliver and Thea must face their fears on Lian Yu and find that killer instinct? So to defeat Ra's, an opponent that Oliver could not kill, Oliver must defeat Slade, an opponent he had previously defeated and did not kill. By his own admission, Malcolm had Thea kill her friend, Sara, to protect her from Ra's. An event that, as has been said many times, actually put Thea on Ra's' radar (and he even videotaped it so there's actual evidence of the crime). Why Oliver still thinks this dude can help him, in any way, I have no idea. The stupid hurtssss.

[Velocity23]

Someone posted tis pic from S1E2 on SpoilerTV. They could really claim he was looking for the blonde girl in a ponytail and glasses if they choose to.

 

[looptab]

That was proto-Felicity. :D

[TrueMyth]

Still thinking about how I would tweak the Felicity FB. First I would have had Maseo mention some technobabble about the hacking drive Oliver used erasing his footprint on the server after it extracted the info instead of just using the "eh, you're dead" excuse. Then, instead of Felicity, the new IT girl, for some reason coincidently running up a paper file to the CEO's desk in the middle of the night, have two security guards sweep the place (heighten tension of Oliver being found or having to kill) followed by Felicity. Guards snark about the empty room; Felicity snarks back about the system flag while diagnosing the problem and being all -huh? Oliver Queen? Trace no longer there? What? - Guards leave snickering. Felicity had motive to address a (hopefully more attractive) picture of Oliver, not only remarking on his cuteness, but also his cunning or mystery with some kind of vow to figure it out and final realization of talking to an 'empty' room.

See? Takes care of why Felicity is there and lampshades how Oliver gets into the system without sending up a permanent red flag. Highlights not only Felicity's interest in Oliver but also her tech prowess, snarky bossiness, and hating on mysteries.

If only Oliver didn't canonical hate swimming: Moira could have had a picture of him winning a swim trophy on her desk, and the lovely abs would clear up any douche-hair or psycho-smirk misgivings I have regarding Felicity's attraction to pre-island Oliver.

[Shanna]

I almost had a rage when he hung up with Malcolm AND THEN BROKE THE PHONE. God, Oliver. Stop taking this dude at face value all the time. MAYBE ARGUS HAD WIFI INSTALLED ON THE ISLAND, YOU NEVER KNOW.

Lol! Yes. He repaired a broken radio, why not a sat phone?

God knows I love john Barrowman but this Malcolm story is making everyone else stupid. Come off it, show!

Daddy Queen explicitly says "I worked with evil people because I thought I was doing right. I kept secrets from my family because reasons" and Oliver is STILL WORKING WITH MERLYN.

Ooh! Good point! Oliver seems to have to relearn the same lessons over and over again.

Totally forgot about the Marc Singer appearance. Normally, I would be all excited about The Beastmaster showing up on this show, but I'm sure they'll find a way to waste him, as well.

Is that who that was? I am going to have to look more closely next time he is onscreen! Edited February 19, 2015 by Shanna

[tv echo]

If you just want to watch the Felicity/Diggle flashbacks and the Slade scenes ("girl with the glasses" is last scene)...

 

Oliver & Felicity - 3x14 - You're cute.

 

John and Andy Diggle (Diggle Brothers) (Arrow 3x14)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIYLJvUxOUU

 

Arrow 3x14: Slade Wilson ALL SCENES(Welcome Home, KID!)

[Chaser]

Slade had like 4.5 mins of screentime. That's depressing.

[shrewd.buddha]

Oliver's complex system of lies and secrets makes no sense. It is as if he is mentally unbalanced - or has actually become as warped as Merlin already. Would Oliver (i.e. the writers) also find a way to justify keeping Merlin , and Slade , alive if Thea had been killed instead of Sara? Or their mom?

 

I'm sure the guard on the island would have voted that Slade had killed enough people to deserve death. Keeping all the murderers alive because they are main characters is becoming ridiculous. (Tho I know they are not going to get rid of a major comic book villain, they could at least attempt to end their murdering ways permanently.) 

 

Season 3 -- the season everyone gets stupid

 

I also noticed how odd it seemed that Oliver's mom did not show up in the flashbacks. Not even a photo.. Weird. 

Edited February 19, 2015 by shrewd.buddha

[Password]

Oliver's complex system of lies and secrets makes no sense. It is as if he is mentally unbalanced - or has actually become as warped as Merlin already.

See the fact that we can now start speculating as to Oliver's mental health concerning the lies he keeps, shows how far off this plan to work with Merlyn is. He's being stupid because he's being stupid. We need his stupidity to carry on this storyline. MG said as much.

It hurts.

[Primetimer]

The island is in the present and Starling City is in the flashback. Everything's all twisty-turny and upside-downy.

Read the story

[Chaser]

Oliver is passive in this whole Malcolm, Ra's thing. He put everything in Malcolm's hands.

How much more interesting would it have been if we saw Team Arrow work the problem? Get thru to Nyssa, Katana and Maseo to join them. Have Felicity track the Leagues movements. Tell Thea the truth and convince her to play double agent with Malcolm.

[icandigit]

 

Yeah, the writers are DEFINITELY lifting lines from the internet with respect to Laurel.  I am 100% certain that she has been referred to as a gold digger on here before (Quentin, while drunk, says something about her chasing after rich billionaires, and says that she's a gold digger).  They're just mocking us now, aren't they?

 

 

Yeah pretty much. I assume it's a natural response from petty talentless hacks. Better writers would be more interested in writing a good story than attacking the audience. Especially, an audience with valid criticism. And off to the bitterness thread I go.

[Password]

As much as people on this forum can come up with interesting storylines, the fact of the matter is Felicity and Diggle are not where the writers want to put their focus.

Team Arrow should have been a heavier presence this episode because they defeated Slade. But instead they're relegated to background shout outs, whereas Laurel is given daddy issues. I honestly don't think they care that Diggle and Felicity helped Oliver out of that dank pit. He needs to stay down, therefore they cannot be involved. He might be impassive, but Diggle and Felicity NOT shouting at him because of this stupidity just means they're not supposed to for the plot.

[blixie]

This episode proved to me that I prefer entertainingly or even enragingly bad to God awful boring.

[jay741982]

As much as people on this forum can come up with interesting storylines, the fact of the matter is Felicity and Diggle are not where the writers want to put their focus.

Team Arrow should have been a heavier presence this episode because they defeated Slade. But instead they're relegated to background shout outs, whereas Laurel is given daddy issues. I honestly don't think they care that Diggle and Felicity helped Oliver out of that dank pit. He needs to stay down, therefore they cannot be involved. He might be impassive, but Diggle and Felicity NOT shouting at him because of this stupidity just means they're not supposed to for the plot.

Yeah cause why make the Episode a real love letter to the fans by having Diggle and Felicity, arguably the two most Popular characters on the island with Oliver when Laurel must be shoved down our throat even more!

[looptab]

The scene where Thea asks Oliver why he didn't tell her about Sara dying:

 

"Laurel didn't want anyone to know"

"Why?"

"After Slade, Sara went back to the League of Assassins, she had her own secrets, blah blah blah"

 

...That's an answer! 

[apinknightmare]

The scene where Thea asks Oliver why he didn't tell her about Sara dying:

 

"Laurel didn't want anyone to know"

"Why?"

"After Slade, Sara went back to the League of Assassins, she had her own secrets, blah blah blah"

 

...That's an answer! 

 

Yeah, what in the actual hell? I don't understand why he didn't just tell her the "real" reason - that Laurel was afraid Quentin would have an "I'm coming, Elizabeth" style heart attack.