Social Media and Behind the Scenes: AKA Everything Else Not "News and Media"

[tv echo]

Update on 2018 HVFFs (more guests will probably be added as the events draw nearer)...

A Heroes & Villains and Walker Stalker Joint Event: 
Heroes & Villains FanFest-Chicago, April 7-8, 2018 (Rosemont, IL)
Stephen Amell, Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, Katie Cassidy, Josh Segarra and John Barrowman
http://heroesfanfest.com/chicago/guests/

A Heroes & Villains and Walker Stalker Joint Event: 
Heroes & Villains FanFest-Nashville, May 12-13, 2018 (Nashville, TN)
Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Juliana Harkavy, Katie Cassidy, Josh Segarra and John Barrowman
http://heroesfanfest.com/nashville/guests/

Heroes & Villains FanFest-London, May 26-27, 2018 (Olympia London, UK)
Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Josh Segarra and John Barrowman (also Caity Lotz, Danielle Panabaker, Mehcad Brooks and Tyler Hoechlin)
http://heroesfanfest.com/london/guests/

Heroes & Villains FanFest-Germany, June 2-3, 2018 (Dortmund, Germany)
Stephen Amell and Josh Segarra
https://heroesfanfest.de/index.php?view=artists

Heroes & Villains FanFest-New Jersey, September 8-9, 2018 (Edison, NJ)
Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Juliana Harkavy, Katie Cassidy and Josh Segarra (also Italia Ricci and Robbie Amell)
http://heroesfanfest.com/newjersey/guests/

Heroes & Villains FanFest-San Jose, December 1-2, 2018 (San Jose, CA)
Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Katie Cassidy and Josh Segarra
http://heroesfanfest.com/sanjose/guests/

Edited February 3, 2018 by tv echo

[Mary0360]

I went on Ricks instagram, and ignoring the Insta video where he seemed a little drunk, all I took away was that a photo of Emily was his most liked instagram post by a huge margin. That's the tea. 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Mary0360

[SmallScreenDiva]

This is the first time the newbies have gotten this kind of attention ... it may not be positive but people are actually talking about them these days. Could this be the plan? People are angry, not apathetic. Could this be considered a good thing for them? Personally, I don't think so. I'm less likely to seek out any project or merch relating to Mister Terrific, Wild Dog or Black Canary after this. But I'm not a TV, network or studio exec. 

[leopardprint]

18 minutes ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

This is the first time the newbies have gotten this kind of attention ... it may not be positive but people are actually talking about them these days. Could this be the plan? People are angry, not apathetic. Could this be considered a good thing for them? Personally, I don't think so. I'm less likely to seek out any project or merch relating to Mister Terrific, Wild Dog or Black Canary after this. But I'm not a TV, network or studio exec. 

Like any attention is good attention? I guess they could be tracking social media impressions or whatever but I’m not really in a hurry to catch up on these last episodes or the next one either. 

NoTA is like the new Susan Williams except without the promise that she was going to go away at some point. 

[BkWurm1]

Anyone superstitious?  I swear I'm not but I still noticed what page we are on, lol.  

[Morrigan2575]

I noticed it earlier was waiting for the thread to go to hell ?

Edited February 3, 2018 by Morrigan2575

[SmallScreenDiva]

Signs of the times? The Dow ended at about 666 yesterday, too!

[Featherhat]

Lucifer crossover? In all seriousness if Matt Ryan could find the time for it, that would be great.

[BkWurm1]

Quote

I noticed it earlier was waiting for the thread to go to hell ?

Well, SA also quit Twitter yesterday for like 40 minutes. Maybe we'll get an even bigger social media meltdown from someone.  

Edited February 3, 2018 by BkWurm1

[Mellowyellow]

1 minute ago, BkWurm1 said:

Well, SA also quit Twitter yesterday for like 40 minutes. Maybe we'll get an even bigger social media meltdown from someone.  

Is he back already?

[BkWurm1]

Just now, Mellowyellow said:

Is he back already?

That's my understanding.  

[BkWurm1]

Saw this on Twitter today.  Don't know when this was from but it amused me.  

[insomniadreams88]

Sadly, I’m not surprised by the clip choice. 

[TwistedandBored]

3 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Anyone superstitious?  I swear I'm not but I still noticed what page we are on, lol.  

[TwistedandBored]

^Oh, dear god. Watch my team lose @jaye.elle. 

[Mellowyellow]

Aww she's so pretty. Where is she? At a party?

[TwistedandBored]

1 minute ago, jaye.elle said:

I have no idea how the superbowl works - all I know is that justin flashed janet's boob like ... 14 years ago? and they have a pupper bowl which sounds adorable!

But sending you good vibes @TwistedandBored! Think positive! :) My favourite sporting team are playing in their own finals tonight and I would be very surprised if they win. So Ross is me! haha

That is pretty much all you need to know about this game. lol

Anyways, I hope your team wins too.

[apinknightmare]

Living that frat party life!

[NoNameBrand]

10 minutes ago, jaye.elle said:

At Stephen's (I believe). There's a picture of her and Cassandra doing shots - looks like it's a promo thing again. Not sure of the source yet 

It's from Carina MacKenzie's Instagram stories. 

In regards to fans not sending hate to the actors, I remember that Juliana Harkavy was was involved in some kind of back and forth with an Arrow fan a while back. Not sure if this was a part of what Amell was talking about since it's like 6 months old, but fans are sending and tagging hate. 

 

[apinknightmare]

Yeah, we discussed this back in September when she posted it - I thought he was talking about something more recent regarding the "Civil War" storyline. 

[TwistedandBored]

I just think it is not hating for the sake of hating if you honestly believe Not Team Arrow are useless, untrustworthy, and completely not needed on this show and you have valid reasons for why you feel that way. If new actors can't take it then they should stop going to the tags. 

On the other hand, I am not okay with people tagging actors. Like if you hate their characters-use the arrow tag and leave them alone. 

[NoNameBrand]

3 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

Yeah, we discussed this back in September when she posted it - I thought he was talking about something more recent regarding the "Civil War" storyline. 

Which is why I mentioned that it was old, and not sure if it was part of what Amell was talking about. I brought it up because I saw someone say that they haven't seen any hate directed towards the Newbies that tagged or mentioned them. I really never understood the point of @'ing the person you are hating on, seems like you want to start a fight that way. Stick to hating on the characters since they are pointless, actors are just doing a job. 

[apinknightmare]

1 minute ago, NoNameBrand said:

I brought it up because I saw someone say that they haven't seen any hate directed towards the Newbies that tagged or mentioned them.

That was me! I was speaking specifically about the Civil War storyline - I haven't seen anyone personally attacking the actors over it, although I have seen people being nasty about Dinah, Curtis and Rene and @ing the actors for whatever reason. That doesn't seem like a huge offense to me, though. If I do come across someone getting personally nasty, I'll report it. 

[WindofChange]

1 hour ago, NoNameBrand said:

In regards to fans not sending hate to the actors, I remember that Juliana Harkavy was was involved in some kind of back and forth with an Arrow fan a while back. Not sure if this was a part of what Amell was talking about since it's like 6 months old, but fans are sending and tagging hate. 

Meh I kinda doubt it was just this (but maybe a part of it)... I think it was just everything building up and leading to this point where he 'quits' (lol let's be real he'll be back). Stephen himself gets a lot of hat, he knows Emily gets tons of hate from dumbass comic/ll stans, he saw Rick get called out for calling women "special creatures" and defended him even though Rick deserved to be called out, he probably saw Juliana respond to this woman but it's hard to say definitively because he didn't react to it online...

IMO it's impossible to tell what moment(s) he was thinking of when he said that, so it's safer not to assume and point fingers.

[NoNameBrand]

1 hour ago, apinknightmare said:

That was me! I was speaking specifically about the Civil War storyline - I haven't seen anyone personally attacking the actors over it, although I have seen people being nasty about Dinah, Curtis and Rene and @ing the actors for whatever reason. That doesn't seem like a huge offense to me, though. If I do come across someone getting personally nasty, I'll report it. 

I didn't know it was you, sorry about that. I have seen some attacks aimed towards actors, and this particular one stood out to me. That's why I brought it over, as I remember there was a post saying they hadn't seen a lot of hate that specifically mentioned the actors. I didn't remember that this one was that old, but I did remember it. 

22 minutes ago, WindofChange said:

Meh I kinda doubt it was just this (but maybe a part of it)... I think it was just everything building up and leading to this point where he 'quits' (lol let's be real he'll be back). Stephen himself gets a lot of hat, he knows Emily gets tons of hate from dumbass comic/ll stans, he saw Rick get called out for calling women "special creatures" and defended him even though Rick deserved to be called out, he probably saw Juliana respond to this woman but it's hard to say definitively because he didn't react to it online...

IMO it's impossible to tell what moment(s) he was thinking of when he said that, so it's safer not to assume and point fingers.

I didn't mean to imply that this was the only one or the sole reason, as I said in my post. Just that there had been personal attacks towards the Newbie actors, I am not sure how you took my initial post and assumed that I only meant this one instance. I have seen a lot of hate that is aimed towards every actor involved in Arrow, though the women appear to get the worst of it. (KC, EBR JH, etc.). I am not saying that actors shouldn't be called out, when they say things that are problematic, they definitely should. But the hate aimed towards the actors because someone doesn't like their character is what I don't think is appropriate, but you are free to disagree. 

I didn't assume or point fingers at anyone, and I am sorry if it came across that way. I just wanted to show that that actors get personal hate, and you could probably find an example for every actor from every subsection of the fandom. I am new to this board so I don't know what was said months ago, and had no idea that this particular tweet of JH's had already been discussed as @apinknightmare pointed out to me.

[WindofChange]

1 minute ago, NoNameBrand said:

But the hate aimed towards the actors because someone doesn't like their character is what I don't think is appropriate, but you are free to disagree. 

Yeah I respectfully disagree. As long as it's not a personal attack I don't really see the issue. This is the nature of being an actor and I think they all knew what they were signing up for - not everyone will like your character. And Imo if an actor can't handle people not liking/hating their characters then they should just steer clear of their mentions in general. It's the same with the writers too. 

8 minutes ago, NoNameBrand said:

I am new to this board so I don't know what was said months ago, and had no idea that this particular tweet of JH's had already been discussed as @apinknightmare pointed out to me.

No worries!

[EmilyBettFan]

I don't agree with @ing the person. But, JH isn't right either in that answer she gave to that question. She essentially said or she said if the writers were to write out Felicity so that her BC can be with Oliver. How stupid? Erase years of a relationship we saw built before our eyes, to it changing Oliver as a person and a hero. She says women should be advocates for each other, but here she is being happy for her character to maybe get a shot at being a love interest and trying to eclipse another female actors job. Don't get me started on the comics non sense. These girls who play BC never have read the comics. The show is not the comics and the producers have screamed it many times.

[Mellowyellow]

Every bird wants to be the love interest but SA's face will have none of it! 

[BkWurm1]

3 hours ago, NoNameBrand said:

I didn't know it was you, sorry about that. I have seen some attacks aimed towards actors, and this particular one stood out to me. That's why I brought it over, as I remember there was a post saying they hadn't seen a lot of hate that specifically mentioned the actors. I didn't remember that this one was that old, but I did remember it. 

I didn't mean to imply that this was the only one or the sole reason, as I said in my post. Just that there had been personal attacks towards the Newbie actors, I am not sure how you took my initial post and assumed that I only meant this one instance. I have seen a lot of hate that is aimed towards every actor involved in Arrow, though the women appear to get the worst of it. (KC, EBR JH, etc.). I am not saying that actors shouldn't be called out, when they say things that are problematic, they definitely should. But the hate aimed towards the actors because someone doesn't like their character is what I don't think is appropriate, but you are free to disagree. 

I didn't assume or point fingers at anyone, and I am sorry if it came across that way. I just wanted to show that that actors get personal hate, and you could probably find an example for every actor from every subsection of the fandom. I am new to this board so I don't know what was said months ago, and had no idea that this particular tweet of JH's had already been discussed as @apinknightmare pointed out to me.

2

Welcome to the board @NoNameBrand !  ?

Don't worry.  I don't think anything you said came across as pointing fingers.  We just have a habit of keeping track of what was said when.  Thanks though for bringing that over.  I'd seen the JH response and knew why she'd upset people but hadn't recalled what she was actually responding to.  

I agree not cool to do personal attacks on actors but I guess I also agree it's not so terrible to send respectful criticism of their characters.  Now the line probably is not so clear to some and just swearing at an actor probably doesn't really get the specific point across, lol.  I mean, if you want to vent, I don't have a problem with people venting into the void, but don't see the point in directly tagging an actor if it's not going to be anything constructive.     

Again, welcome.  Hope to see you around lots more.  :D

Edited February 4, 2018 by BkWurm1

[Mary0360]

I agree that tagging an actor with reasons why you hate or dislike their character is not sending or tagging an actor with hate. To me hate is personal attacks of their appearance or personality, offensive or threatening language or personal insults. 

So I agree with @NoNameBrand that the tweet Juliana responded to could constitute as tagging hate as she was tweeting in an offensive manner. However, if the person tweeted instead: @JulianaHarkavy I think the idea of Black Canary and Green Arrow is preposterous, offensive and the dumbest idea for a romance ever I hope it never happens etc etc 

I don't really feel like that equals sending hate. I feel like that is fair game. 

So for instance a couple weeks back when people were tweeting Rick with reasons why Rene doesn't deserve sympathy that's kosher. He can chose to respond or ignore and live his life.

I think it's a distinction that fandoms struggle with too. 

[Midnight Lullaby]

That tweet to Juliana definitely qualifies as hate to me and I remember saying how classy I thought she was to answer like that. Women on the internet always get it worse and while I’m sure if we go looking we will find other tweets that get personal about her (or Emily or KC) I have my doubts about Rick for example. Juliana and Rick have a small group of fans that is very vocal on twitter and if someone tagged them in hate the whole universe would know. I also don’t think it’s fair to say fans “are sending hate” towards the newbies like it’s an ongoing situation.

SA would have spoken up at the time if he was thinking about that episode so I’m more inclined to think someone got offended because fans were hating on the characters and complained or he went looking in the Arrow tag on his own and saw people hating on the newbies.

If it’s the first option my money are on Rick that got most of the cast to come online and defend his honor against a female fan (loved the irony of the situation by the way) questioning his poorly worded answer about the treatment of women, got offended when to his tweets about his character when he was live tweeting fans disagreed with him and then was, with Echo, in that video talking about fans hating on the newbies. All really mature, lol

[BkWurm1]

9 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

Echo, in that video talking about fans hating on the newbies. All really mature, lol

I do really wonder if the NTA hate came as a surprise.  I know Echo seemed in his interviews really sure of the newbs position but that could have just been him trying to put a positive spin on a very IMO clearly negative situation.  

[Midnight Lullaby]

6 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

I do really wonder if the NTA hate came as a surprise.  I know Echo seemed in his interviews really sure of the newbs position but that could have just been him trying to put a positive spin on a very IMO clearly negative situation.  

When I read the interview I thought he was giving it a positive spin because I thought he had to at least know that whatever happened they put all the popular characters on one side and them on the other but maybe they didn’t expect such a negative reaction. I don’t even know how it’s possible when it’s their attitude that is so incredibly annoying. Even if they were in the right, and they don’t even have that, you get no sympathy being petty and arrogant.

[kes0704]

5 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

I do really wonder if the NTA hate came as a surprise.  I know Echo seemed in his interviews really sure of the newbs position but that could have just been him trying to put a positive spin on a very IMO clearly negative situation.  

I’m more convinced than ever that the NTA hate was not intended.  In some of Echo’s pre-611 interviews he talked about how he thought fans would be torn between the two teams and that hasn’t happened at all. How did he arrive at this idea with the way they are being written? 

It fascinates me how frequently they end up with such a disconnect between perceived audience response and actual audience response to characters and storylines. At this point, I’d love to hear what Marc and Wendy think about the largely negative response NTA has received. 

[Morrigan2575]

11 minutes ago, kes0704 said:

At this point, I’d love to hear what Marc and Wendy think about the largely negative response NTA has received. 

My guess. "Huh"

?

[Mary0360]

Im going to guess the fact it's not just fans who are siding against NTA but also media who are tweeting they wish Rene would leave or stop talking, probably also eats at Rick. 

[apinknightmare]

8 hours ago, NoNameBrand said:

I didn't know it was you, sorry about that. I have seen some attacks aimed towards actors, and this particular one stood out to me. That's why I brought it over, as I remember there was a post saying they hadn't seen a lot of hate that specifically mentioned the actors. I didn't remember that this one was that old, but I did remember it. 

No need to apologize, I was just owning up to what I wrote and trying to clarify since it was a pretty general statement. :) Welcome!

[apinknightmare]

3 hours ago, jaye.elle said:

I thought the same thing. I think the cast / crew were expecting 5x10 to go over better - after 5x09 I think most people (at least myself) were intrigued about where they could go with the so-called 'civil war' but it just fizzled.

I think they were expecting it to go over better as well, or for the audience to at least see both sides. But so far it's been written like NotTA has a point (all the one-sided jabs on their part, with Felicity making one good-natured joke about turning their room into a gym), and all Echo's interviews indicate that NotTA is supposed to have a point, so I would be willing to bet that the negativity is probably surprising to them since they were likely not prepared for it.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Just like they were surprised at how vehemently the fans rejected Susan last year. The problem is they don't want to recognize that fans are rejecting the characters because of the writing. It seems like in their heads it's usually because of shipping, like with Ray or Susan, not because they introduced Ray as if he were a stalker and Susan as legit shady. I don't know what reasoning Marc and Wendy will have, probably that people will always side with OTA. There's that, of course. But it's also that they've made the noobs absolutely petty and hypocritical. 

[tv echo]

STEPHEN AMELL AND EMILY BETT RICKARDS DRINK AND FUN IG STORIES
Published on Feb 4, 2018, by Prince MojoTM

[tv echo]

I finished reading Arrow Season 5.5: Fatal Legacies by James R. Tuck and Marc Guggenheim - here are the 'ABC's of my review (although I used spoiler tags for the really spoilery details in Part B, you should be warned that Part C is also spoilery)...

Part A: General Comments
Part B: Detailed Plot Synopsis 
Part C: Notable Felicity/Olicity Moments

PART A: GENERAL COMMENTS

1. The Good

This book is an overall good read. There's a beginning, middle and end to a specific villain arc. The main characters are all true to their TV characters, and they have recognizable personalities. Unlike the TV show, we get points of view (POVs) from different characters and a lot of their internal thoughts and feelings. There are some great Felicity and Olicity scenes (see Part C below).

2.  The Bad

This book is not as well-written or as cohesive as the two-parter, The Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen and Arrow: A Generation of Vipers, by Susan & Clay Griffith (2017), and tends to ramble at times. Also, there are way too many fight scenes and those scenes often read like a novelization of a television episode script. The worst part is that the villain plot is too familiar to what we're seeing in Season 6 of Arrow, as is the second vigilante story (see Part B below).

3.  The Missing

The biggest disappointment for me is what is not covered in the book. We don't get any scenes showing exactly how everyone survived on the island or any scenes of them waiting out the multiple explosions. We don't get any scenes of Oliver finding all of the survivors or any reunion scenes. We don't get any scenes of them getting off Lian Yu. Most significantly, we don't get any scenes or even any mentions of Nyssa, Talia or Evelyn, so we still don't know if or how they survived.*

Spoiler

(* We know Nyssa survives because she's slated to return to Arrow in 616. So maybe we'll find out the fates of Talia and Evelyn in that episode.)

(Continued...)

Edited February 4, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

PART B: DETAILED PLOT SYNOPSIS 

1. June 2017

Spoiler

In a warehouse where drugs are being distributed, Oliver Queen (as Green Arrow) is fighting a bunch of goons wearing blue and red masks. Sara Lance (as White Canary) unexpectedly shows up and helps him chase after the departing vehicles on her motorcycle. We alternate between Oliver's POV and Sara's POV.

Mayor Queen is meeting with Walter Tatum, Director of Parks and Recreation, Deputy Mayor Quentin Lance and Rene Ramirez, to discuss plans for Star City's Blues Festival in July. But Oliver is distracted by an envelope that he had found hidden on his desk the first day he got back to the office after the island. This envelope is marked with two symbols, a green triangle with a red X over it, and a simple series of three lines that meet in three points (a "primitive representation of fire"). We learn that Oliver likes blues music and is quite knowledgeable about it. The meeting is cut short. Sara enters and has a reunion with her father.

Oliver visits his sister Thea in the hospital where she's in a coma. He talks to Dr. Schwartz. 

Alex Faust shows up at Dearden Tower dressed as a repair man and carrying paint cans.

Felicity is working on the computer in the Arrow Bunker when Oliver enters. They discuss Thea, the skull-masked criminals (who Oliver calls the "Skulls"), and Sara showing up. She starts to broach the subject of their relationship, but Oliver tells her that things are "complicated" for him right now. The computer sounds an alarm and the monitor shows smoke billowing from Dearden Tower. Oliver tells Felicity to call the team and Sara.

Team Arrow and Sara go to Dearden Tower, while Felicity mans the comms, to help rescue people from the burning building. They split into pairs: Black Canary and White Canary, Green Arrow and Mr. Terrific, Spartan and Wild Dog. Oliver sees those two symbols  (x-ed out green triangle, fire symbol) painted on a door in the building. He tells the team the fire was a deliberate attack.

Oliver finally opens the marked envelope in his office. Inside is a USB drive containing a single video file of Adrian Chase. In this recording, Chase tells him that he guesses he's dead and taunts Oliver by wondering if Felicity and Thea are dead - "the women [Oliver] loves the most." Also, Chase has left a "gift" for Oliver - he's set someone on Oliver's trail and given this person enough money to "perform his particular brand of art." He wants Oliver to remember Lian Yu.

In the Arrow Bunker, Oliver plays this video for his team and Sara. Felicity works her computer magic to identify Alex Faust as the culprit, (She used clues from Chase's speech and did a records search for convicts with explosives backgrounds. After finding three suspects, she narrowed it down to Faust.) At this point, we get Sara's POV on Oliver & Felicity's chemistry together, her current feelings for Oliver, and her opinion that Felicity is "smoking" hot. Also, Oliver presents Dinah with a brand new tactical suit and mask. We get Dinah's POV on being the new Black Canary and inheriting Laurel's legacy. Oliver has to leave to go check on William, but he tells Felicity that he also wants to finish the conversation that they started earlier.

William is being babysat by a woman named Shondra, who Oliver hired from an agency. She finds William too difficult to handle and quits. Oliver tries unsuccessfully to talk to William.

Some masked criminals who call themselves the "X Gang," because they have a red X on their masks, rob a night club. One criminal runs away and runs right into a hooded man who starts beating him.

Quentin tells Oliver that they need to hire someone to take Thea's place because there's too much work for him to do alone. Oliver suggests moving Rene up. He gets a text from Felicity that she has "unlocked" Faust's location.

Team Arrow and Sara go to a freighter at the docks where a lot of thugs with guns are moving about. They are outnumbered 10 to 1. There are several lengthy fight scenes. They finally corner Faust in a below-decks cabin, but he has surrounded himself with stacks of plastic explosive bricks (doctored Semtex). While the team fights more goons in the cabin, Faust leaves. Several hand-to-hand fight scenes ensue, since the team can't use guns around the Semtex. Felicity via comms tells Oliver that the boat is headed toward Cape Dixon, a beach where 300 girls (Rangerettes) are currently camping. Oliver tells Felicity and Curtis to disarm the device, but they are unable to do it. Dinah and Diggle are pursuing Faust. More fight scenes. Diggle corners Faust on the deck, but his arm tremors prevent him from shooting well. Faust escapes in a lifeboat. Dinah runs up and Diggle tells her that Faust got away. Oliver orders everyone (including the downed henchmen) off the boat, except him and Curtis. Oliver shoots an arrow to detonate the device, and he and Curtis jump off the ship into the water. The ship explodes.

2. July 2017

Spoiler

Oliver and Felicity are working late in the Arrow Bunker. They are alone. Felicity is eating sushi with chopsticks. We learn that Oliver taught her how to use chopsticks to take someone out if she's attacked. They banter back and forth, with lots of laughter. He then tells her she's "stunning." Then his phone chimes and breaks the moment. He has to go because Shondra has quit again, this time for good. Oliver again tries talking to William.

Diggle goes to see Oliver and tells him to turn on the TV to Channel 52. Anchorwoman Bethany Snow is talking about the vigilante problem in Star City and shows "exclusive" video of the "Green Arrow crossing the line." The video shows a hooded figure using a gun to brutally beat a young man into unconsciousness. It's not Oliver, so Diggle thinks it's a copycat vigilante. Diggle suggests finding this copycat and maybe recruiting him to join Team Arrow. He says that they lost Ragman and Artemis, and suggests replacing them. But Oliver thinks the team is fine as it is.

Lt. Dinah Drake goes to the hospital to interview the beating victim. He's being guarded by a SCPD police officer. The beating victim gives up to Dinah the name of the Skulls leader, Manny Cross.

Diggle goes to see Dr. Schwartz about the nerve damage in his arm. She suggests getting help from ARGUS, but he refuses. She prescribes some treatment regimen but is not hopeful.

Felicity has been coming into the Arrow Bunker early to work on trying to locate Faust. She finds out that Oliver is also coming in early in the mornings to work out. We get her POV on watching Oliver work out on the salmon ladder. Oliver notices her and stops. He talks to her about his problems with William, how William is just like him as a child, mentions Raisa, and wonders if Raisa would be willing to come help with William. 

Sara joins Dinah as she's walking to City Hall. There they meet up with Quentin and Rene. Dinah goes to the mayor's office to report to Oliver on her interview with the beating victim. She also tells him that everyone thinks the Green Arrow did it, but that the police rank-and-file mostly support Team Arrow, although they view the vigilantes as a "necessary evil." She says that Manny Cross is a major drug dealer.

We then see Faust hiring around 30 paramilitary mercenaries.

Sara meets her father at Jitters. She asks him if he has someone in his life outside of work. Quentin says that he's still "hung up on Donna." He also says that his life is too dangerous right now to have people close to him. She suggest that he could quit and walk away, but he says he can't. Sara then asks Quentin if he's okay with Dinah becoming the Black Canary. Quentin also tells Sara about Black Siren, Laurel's evil doppelganger from Earth-2. Sara says that maybe this bad "twin" can be redeemed and that people can change. Quentin then breaks down and tells her that he shot Black Siren and left her to burn on Lian Yu.

Oliver welcomes Raisa into his home and she immediately starts getting along with William.

Felicity meets Diggle and Lyla at Big Belly Burger. Oliver arrives late to join them. After some light conversation, they discuss the copycat vigilante. Lyla considers recruiting him for ARGUS. But Oliver doesn't think this copycat should be asked to join either Team Arrow or ARGUS.

Faust and his mercenaries take hostages during the Papa Legbone music concert at the Blues Festival. Team Arrow arrives. More fight scenes. ARGUS agents are also helping to capture the mercs and guide the civilians to safety. More fight scenes. Oliver pursues Faust, but they're both confronted by the copycat vigilante who throws down an explosive device. Other Team Arrow members arrive to find Oliver unconscious on the ground, but both the copycat and Faust got away.

3. August 2017

Spoiler

Oliver sees that William is reading a Flash comic book. William asks him what it's like to shoot an arrow. Oliver says that it's satisfying knowing he can make a difficult shot under pressure. William asks if he gets hurt, and Oliver says "yes."

Felicity and Curtis are in the Arrow Bunker trying to locate the copycat vigilante by running his fingerprints through 143 criminal databases, but there are no hits. Dinah suggests that he might not be a criminal. So Felicity runs a new search and finds a fingerprint match for an Arthur Hallsey, who's an IT tech and father of two.

Diggle undergoes painful needle injection treatments from Dr. Schwartz.

Dinah brings in Arthur Hallsey for questioning, while Oliver watches through the one-way glass into the police interrogation room. Oliver enters and asks to talk to the suspect. Oliver tells Hallsey that he's in touch with the Green Arrow. Hallsey thinks the Green Arrow has gone soft on crime "this year" and that he was more inspired by him when he gave criminals 'the justice they deserved." Since Hallsey can't be charged, he's cut loose.

Felicity, via comms, guides Team Arrow members into place at three locations, giving each sub-team a nickname: "Team Wild Terrific" (Wild Dog, Mr. Terrific) go to Wo Fat's Chicken and Waffles; "Team SBC" (Spartan, Black Canary) to to Lifters Gym; and "Team Sourpuss (Green Arrow, White Canary) - because Oliver rejected being called either Team White Arrow or Team Green Canary - go to the warehouse containing the drug lab.  Fight scenes ensue at all three locations. Team Arrow takes down the bad guys and secures the locations. Oliver blows up the drug lab with a red projectile arrow.

In the Arrow Bunker, Felicity tells Oliver that she's tracked Manny Cross to his yacht. Diggle needs to babysit JJ and Dinah has SCPD duty. So Oliver decides that he and Sara can handle it by themselves.

Oliver and Sara go to Cross' yacht, but see the copycat vigilante also approaching the yacht in a small rubber raft. Oliver shoots an arrow into the raft, deflating it, and forcing Hallsey into the water. Oliver and Sara disable the yacht, subdue the minions on board, and find Cross with two young girls. When they fight his bodyguards, Cross escapes through a hidden door. Oliver pursues him and corners Cross. But Hallsey arrives and shoots and kills Cross with a gun. Hallsey then throws down a smoke device and gets away.

4. September 2017

Spoiler

Somebody blows up part of Star City Bridge, resulting in multiple injuries but no deaths. A messenger delivers an envelope to Mayor Queen. Inside is a flash drive with the crude fire symbol imprinted on the side.  Oliver, Quentin and Dinah watch video of Faust as he tells Mayor Queen that he was the one who set the bridge on fire. He demands that Oliver wire 2,300 bitcoins to a certain account or else he will blow up a "significant landmark" in Star City with a ballistic missile. Oliver says that 2,300 bitcoins equals roughly $10 million. (He knows this because Russian crime bosses loved bitcoins.) Quentin says that $10M "isn't that much, not for a city budget." Oliver wants to consult Felicity, who Quentin describes as "the brainy part of the team." Dinah suggests that Oliver talk to Diggle about island stuff that might be bothering him.

Donna Smoak visits Felicity and asks about Oliver. Felicity tells her that things are "complicated" because he has a 12-year-old son living with him. She says that she worries about Oliver and William, that she sometimes doesn't sleep very well, and that her severance pay from Palmer Tech is almost over.

Oliver visits Diggle and asks if he is quitting the team because of JJ. He says that, if he quits, he'll suppport that decision. But if he isn't quitting, he needs him because he can't do it alone (something Diggle taught him). Diggle says that he isn't quitting.

Oliver talks to Rene to ask about how he's doing in his new position at the mayor's office. He also tells Rene that Quentin is proud of him. He also expresses concern about Rene's daughter and mentions that he has problems with his own son. Oliver reminds Rene that he isn't alone and has the team, as well as Oliver, even acknowledging that he can be distant at times, but he's trying. Then Hallsey enters the office, interrupting them and asking to speak to Mayor Queen alone. Hallsey tells Oliver to convey a message to the Green Arrow that Hallsey is going to continue to stop criminals from hurting innocent people and that Green Arrow should stay out of his way.

Felicity and Curtis research the ballistic missile that Faust is threatening to use on the city. Oliver calls to ask Felicity to track Hallsey, who's just left City Hall.She tells Oliver that Hallsey is chasing a car belonging to a member of a group of paramilitary mercs for hire. Curtis notes that those mercs were with Faust at the Blues Festival. Oliver follows Hallsey and the mercs to a junkyard. A fight ensues between Hallsey and the mercs. There's a big explosion. Oliver is knocked off his bike and injured by metal shrapnel in his foot. Hallsey is on the ground, injured and dying. Hallsey dies.

Mayor Queen visits Hallsey's widow and offers her daughters the Queen Foundation scholarship to help with school tuition. He learns that one of the daughters was saved by the Green Arrow (then just Arrow) when Slade Wilson's men (under the direction of Sebastian Blood) attacked the city. That was when Hallsey became the biggest supporter and biggest fan of the vigilantes, especially the Green Arrow. However, Hallsey felt betrayed and became angry when the vigilantes changed their tactics and became "soft" on criminals. Mrs. Hallsey gives Oliver an external hard drive belonging to her husband that contains all of his notes and files.

In the Arrow Bunker, Felicity is going through Hallsey's hard drive, Rene is working out, and Sara is about to give Rene a lesson on stick fighting. Oliver enters and tells them that he has new equipement coming from Lodai, including a new jersey for Rene. He then says goodbye to Sara, who's returning to the Legends. Sara tells Oliver not to wait with Felicity.

5. October 2017 (Epilogue)

Spoiler

At the dock next to the water, Oliver shoots arrows to disable several mercs, but there's no sign of Faust.

Diggle takes down some mercs at a warehouse, but no Faust. He's almost shot by another merc, but saved by Rene.

Oliver fights more mercs and is put in a chokehold by a big merc. Faust appears and launches the ballistic missile at Star City because no payment was made. Oliver throws off the big merc and downs him. He then shoots two arrows, pinning Faust to the wall.* Curtis uses a T-Sphere to intercept the ballistic missile and "spoof" its guidance system. The missile is directed into the water, where it explodes.

(* You may remember that Alex Faust later shows up in 601. When the explosion at the SCPD occurs, he escapes police custody and joins up with Black Siren's group.)

Oliver finally puts Lian Yu in the past. "It was time to put everything right again."

(Continued...)

Edited February 4, 2018 by tv echo

[NoNameBrand]

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

I think I should have been more clear maybe. Mentioning a person when you have a critique, like "what you said was problematic and here's why" is okay. But sending "@________ I hate you and you suck and f*** you you should die" is not. There's a difference, and sometimes I think people cross the line when they are passionate about something. I know I have been guilty of it before, and it isn't just contained to social media IMO. 

Amell has a really thin skin, and whenever there is criticism directed towards anything he's involved in he throws a hissy fit. He quits social media and then comes back and talks about how negative it all is, not realizing that social media is a huge part of why he is so successful with his cons and his wine, and the show in general. He talks a big talk on Facebook about how people shouldn't get offended by things and/or be so sensitive because "it's just a tv show", but then he's the most sensitive to criticism and attacks. 

[KenyaJ]

2 hours ago, apinknightmare said:

I think they were expecting it to go over better as well, or for the audience to at least see both sides. But so far it's been written like NotTA has a point (all the one-sided jabs on their part, with Felicity making one good-natured joke about turning their room into a gym), and all Echo's interviews indicate that NotTA is supposed to have a point, so I would be willing to bet that the negativity is probably surprising to them since they were likely not prepared for it.

I really need one of the writers to explain what that point is supposed to be. That Oliver needs to be more trusting of the team, even when one member betrays his trust in the most detrimental way possible? That Team Arrow is supposed to be a democracy where they take a vote before they decide whether they're going to save the city or not? (I still can't believe the way NoTA had to reach silent agreement among themselves when Oliver asked if they could join forces to go disable the bomb!) Is the point to prepare Oliver for raising a teenager by having NoTA act like petulant 12 year-olds? Right now, I buy that explanation over any other.

[Primal Slayer]

I dont know why MG refuses to let Sara crossover on screen, having that scene in 6x01 or as a flashback makes a lot of sense.

[tv echo]

Warning: this could also be considered spoilery (fyi, not every conversation is included)...

PART C: NOTABLE FELICITY/OLICITY MOMENTS

1. June 2017

Quote

Processing information and acting on it immediately. View. Process. File. No hesitation, hesitation was for the weak. And in the realm of the cyber, Felicity Smoak had deleted all such weakness, long ago. When she worked like this her hyperactive mind, the mind that constantly ran from side to side, considering everything, from every angle, became streamlined and seamless. Wherever her focus landed, it was laser thin.
“What are you working on?”
Felicity jumped, startled, breaking the rhythm of her work.
“Jeez, you're like a cat," she exclaimed. "Like a ninja cat. With a cloak of invisibility."
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Yeah, well, mister, I’m going to put a bell on you when you aren’t in costume.”
*  *  *
This was Oliver.
Her Oliver.
Not my Oliver, she mused. Not for a long while now...
*  *  *
"I'm sure you'll track it down. No one can hide from the Ghost Fox Goddess."
"No, they can't," she said. "Wait, are you making fun of me?"
"Lightly teasing, perhaps. I'd never make fun of you." The way he stood, looking at her, made her feel very, well, paid-attention-to. She glanced over at the monitor, determined to keep it professional. She wouldn't talk about it. Not it.
*  *  *
"One of the things I enjoy most in this world, Felicity Smoak, is watching you think out loud."
Her face warmed from her collar to her hairline. As much as she liked the way her brain worked, there was always the small, niggling fear tugging at the frayed edge in the back that her fast talking secretly bothered those around her. That they simply tolerated it at best. To have Oliver word his compliment the way he had... well, it did things to her.
*  *  *
“Since we got back and got settled, as settled as we ever get around here, I wanted to talk about us and I know, I know, ‘us’ isn’t an us but it’s still a thing to talk about.” She took a gulp of air. “I’m not crazy, there is a thing here, there’s always a thing here, and I want to talk about that thing that is here, but with all the stuff from Chase, and Thea in the hospital, and William, and you off on solo patrols and all the rest, it just doesn’t seem right that I’m worried about the ‘us’ that isn’t an us.” She paused, then kept going.
“It seems petty of me and I hate being petty and so I wait and I wait and I wait for the time to be right, for there to be a break or a lull or some moment where I won’t be a selfish person for wanting to talk about a relationship that I ended. But the time never comes, the moment is never right, there’s always a reminder or a new crisis or a thing that gets in the way, and I wonder, always wonder if I need to keep waiting, has it been long enough?
“How far out from what we went through should I wait? I mean, what would Emily Post say is the proper waiting persio after someone’s sister has been brutally injured, and his baby-mama has been killed?” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh God, baby-mama sounds dismissive, I didn’t’ mean it to be that way.”
Oliver said nothing, but the smile was gone from his mouth.
“See?” Wrong time.” Felicity looked down at the floor.
Oliver sighed. "Things are... complicated for me right now."
*  *  *
"Maybe it was someone you can’t live without,” Chase continued. “As you’re watching though, are Thea or Felicity gone? Why is it you brought them into your murder spree, Oliver? The women you love the most. Do you really hate them? Are you so broken that your love and your hate are one and the same? Is it them in particular? You killed my wife. Your mother is dead because of you. Now, have you killed Felicity? Is Thea dead because of you?”
*  *  *
Sara smiled and shared a nod with Curtis. She'd forgotten the energy of being the room with Felicity and Oliver. The rest of the team added to it, but she could watch those two and their chemistry all day. Her time with Oliver left her with a love for him that would always be inside her, a strange sisterly affection with a hum of romance underneath. She'd never had anything like it with anyone else, but then again, she'd never had the history she had with Oliver. The wild affair when he dated her sister Laurel, which both thrilled and guilted her, especially since Laurel was gone. The time spent together in this vigilante life, his hand in her resurrection - it was the fabric of a connection unlike any other.
Even with that, the chemistry between Felicity and Oliver could light up a building.
And Felicity was smoking - Smoaking? - hot, especially when she was in her mile-a-minute-I'm-giving-you-all-the-information mode.
*  *  *
Oliver reached out and put his hand on Felicity’s arm, fingers landing gently on her wrist. “I have to go check on William. Keep tabs on everyone.”
“Will do.” She looked down at Oliver’s hand, staying on her wrist. It was a casual touch but felt more… intimate than that.
He leaned in close, voice low.
“I want to finish our conversation, as well.”

2. July 2017

Quote

She glanced up, and then back down at her plate. "I'm always uncomfortable with chopsticks. I mean, I know how to use them." Her mouth quirked and her eyes went sideways as a thought occurred to her. "Actually, I know how to use them to take someone out if we were attacked."
"I know."He almost smiled. "I taught you that."
*  *  *
The laugh burst out of her, taking her whole face.
"You truly are stunning," he said.
The seriousness of his tone stopped her short. The mood between them shifted, going from light and cheer-filled to something, not exactly darker, but weighted with potential. Her hands touched her dress, fluttering under the intensity of his gaze.
"It's new."
"Not the dress," he said flatly. "It is lovely, but I meant what I said. You are stunning."
Her cheeks grew warm but she held his gaze, unable to turn from it, unwilling to break that connection.
"You clean up pretty good yourself."
The Bunker fell away, leaving nothing but the two of them and their history together. The tangled and complicated story of them that tied the two together and kept them apart, things that had been done, things that had been said, things that had been forgiven, and things that didn't need to be. Tonight they were something neither of them had experienced before.
They say the words "once in a lifetime" so easily, he thought.
"Oliver," she murmured, her voice filled with affection.
"Felicity."
The sharp chime of his phone split the moment like an ax through bone. The magic siphoned away as he reached for it, leaving them both awkward and emotionally raw. Unable to resist, he read the text.
*  *  *
If only he'd brought Felicity with him. She was awkward with people sometimes, but her good-heartedness would've shown through, would have set William at ease.
*  *  *
He pulled back and began drying off, and she pulled herself back together. She watched him, paying attention. She loved his body, but it was Oliver's face that captured her every time. It was a strong face, one made for scowling - which intensified his eyes, but generally it held more than a trace she thought of a lost little boy.
*  *  *
"Felicity Smoak -" Oliver leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "- you are too good to me."
He turned away.
"I am, you know," Felicity said quietly, her voice light and dreamy as she watched Oliver walk away.

3. August 2017

Quote

"Team -"
"We are not Team White Arrow, or Team Green Canary." The archer cut her off. He shifted position in the rafters of the warehouse.
"God, please not Green Canary," Sara groaned. "We have enough canaries out and about tonight."
"Fine, fine," Felicity said. "Team Sourpuss, it's all you now."

4. September 2017

Quote

”What is going on in your love life?” [Donna] asked. “Are you seeing someone special, or have you and Oliver stopped being dumb?”
“Getting right to it – well, okay,” Felicity replied, grimacing and smiling at the same time. “No, no one special. Things with me and Oliver are… complicated.”
*  *  *
”He’s chasing a car,” Felicity said. “The tag is a dead end, probably a cutter.”
“Cutter?” Curtis asked.
“Chop shop trick,” she explained. “Take two license plates, cut them both in half with a torch, then weld two unmatched halves together and you have an untraceable plate for your car.”
“That really works?”
Felicity nodded.
“How did you know that?”
“I don’t just know how to hack computers.”
*  *  *
"Tell Ray and the others I said hello.”
“I will.” She reached up and drew him into a hug. They embraced, feeling the closeness only they could feel – former lovers, fellow warriors, and closest friends. They shared the same losses and triumphs and it bonded the two of them as family. As they pulled apart, she grabbed his head and put her mouth by his ear.
“Don’t wait with Felicity,” she whispered.
Before he could say anything she fired up the bike and rode away.

5. October 2017 (Epilogue)

Quote

It was time to put everything right again.

Edited February 4, 2018 by tv echo

[SmallScreenDiva]

Thanks, @tv echo! The writing is cringe-worthy. And yeah, there's not enough Olicity in there for me to buy it so thank you very much for sharing those scenes. I do want to see Felicity use her skils, though. Can we have Oliver and Felicity trying to have sushi dinner (fine, William can come along) and be attacked sometime this season, please? 

[statsgirl]

5 hours ago, kes0704 said:

I’m more convinced than ever that the NTA hate was not intended.  In some of Echo’s pre-611 interviews he talked about how he thought fans would be torn between the two teams and that hasn’t happened at all. How did he arrive at this idea with the way they are being written? 

It fascinates me how frequently they end up with such a disconnect between perceived audience response and actual audience response to characters and storylines.

This.

I'm pretty sure that they thought people wanted to see OTA together again  (true) but were completely blind- sided by the anti-n00b feelings not just by fans,  which they could handwave away as fanatics,  but from the press and larger fansites like the AV  club.

With Laurel and Speedy gone, the Team needs more members . I'd be very surprised if AM and MG thought or wanted NTA to be as disliked as they are.

[leopardprint]

6 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

This.

I'm pretty sure that they thought people wanted to see OTA together again  (true) but were completely blind- sided by the anti-n00b feelings not just by fans,  which they could handwave away as fanatics,  but from the press and larger fansites like the AV  club.

With Laurel and Speedy gone, the Team needs more members . I'd be very surprised if AM and MG thought or wanted NTA to be as disliked as they are.

They are reaping what they have sown by the hamfisted way Rene, Dinah and to a lesser extent Curtis were brought on the team. They were basically like temps who were brought in and now they aren’t really needed anymore but are still there except temps provide necessary if of short duration work and I don’t l know that I can say anything about Rene is necessary. 

[calliope1975]

My hatred of NTA is all due to the writing. If TPTB really think they are creating two teams where both sides are equal with reasonable reactions to the situation, they are worse writers than I realized. And I already thought they were hacks. 

You can't have one side be mature and apologetic (even when it's completely unnecessary) and the other side be petty, verbally spiteful and rude, and also have them be incompetent and be shocked and surprised when reaction to those two teams is lopsided. 

If this will lead to NTA taking a hard fall, learning a valuable lesson, and groveling back to OTA, I may change my mind of the overall plot, but I feel the damage is too great to have me ever want them to join back with OTA. If this ends with no harm, no foul for all and they're a happy family at the end, I want the WGA to start revoking memberships.