Spoiler Discussion Thread

[Chaser]

43 minutes ago, tv echo said:

Here's why SA's 'friend-zoning' comments about Olicity make me uncomfortable... IIRC, similar comments were made about Oliver's relationship with Laurel in advance of S4 and we know what happened there.  It's like the first step in distancing Felicity from Oliver's journey and then off the show.

He was also playing the who? What? in S2 when Oliver and Sara became a thing. It's the story right now. 

[dtissagirl]

36 minutes ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

Unless Emily Bett Rickards is trying to get out of Arrow, I don't think Felicity or Olicity is going away. And yeah, I'm a bit more worried about EBR not sticking around after her contract ends than I am with SA.

Agreed. I think the only thing that would put the kibosh on O/F still being used as the main romantic arc within Oliver's hero's journey is EBR wanting to leave the show.

Also, the single bit of actual spoiler we have is O/F don't start the season together. And then there's the boyfriend info, which might be real or not, but imo it sufficiently answers the question "why didn't O/F start the season together after spending 5 months alone together in the Arrow bunker": because boyfriend.

Also also: I think it's relevant that the pro coverage of the con all bait-used O/F in their headlines to bring in the clicks. I'm sure the showrunners and all Berlanti Prod. employers and the network and the studio get their Arrow google alerts and are seeing this. It's still one of the show's most bankable pieces.

Edited July 4, 2016 by dtissagirl

[kismet]

1 hour ago, bijoux said:

Going through the tweets @tv echo posted in Spoilers Only, a few things caught my attention.

I've seen 'the season will start differently' a few times over the weekend, and while I'm not especially attached to it, I almost can't imagine them not opening with Oliver running. Maybe they'll open with him running after or from someone in the flashbacks and not in the present day? Or it's simply him running away from someone/something? He's been running after or towards something all four seasons so far. I don't even know why I'm giving this so much thought. It's probably because I don't want this to correlate to him bringing up flash forwards. I hope that one is just him speculating, not something really happening.

My guess is it will still open with running only in the flashbacks. I also would put my money on the opening sequence being BamBam's super-duper longest EVA one shot he was bragging about. So from what SA implies it's going to be mean and raw, but hopefully shirtless ;)

If I was writing for laughs I would have him open up running on a tread mill while multitasking some mayoral stuff.

Sidebar - Now I totally want a Russian Bathhouse scene, I believe those are mandatory when interacting with the Russian mob on a TV show. I will be greatly disappointed if they do not have at least one bathhouse scene.

Edited July 4, 2016 by kismet

[bijoux]

2 hours ago, looptab said:

BTW, now that I've actually read the spoiler tweets, I think maybe he was just referring to the "My name is Oliver Queen.." thing. Maybe there will be a prayer to Saint Laurel in there. :p

Oh, and, @tv echo, I don't think the Russian bathouse thing is an actual spoiler :)

Do season premieres have the opening monologue?

[looptab]

14 minutes ago, bijoux said:

Do season premieres have the opening monologue?

Right! No, I don't think so. Ignore my previous post :)

[AyChihuahua]

Quote

Maybe we see or hear about a boyfriend, Felicity tried to move on, but I’m confident it’s not a major story and is over quickly because the point of this is to show that she CANT. They ARE building back to Olicity. Just maybe more slowly than we would like.

So she's confident the boyfriend, if he exists, is not serious...because she's confident he's not serious? 

[Midnight Lullaby]

13 minutes ago, AyChihuahua said:

So she's confident the boyfriend, if he exists, is not serious...because she's confident he's not serious? 

There's also to consider what boyfriend will mean in concrete if he exists. Because if I'm seeing someone casually for example for my mother is a boyfriend, for me really really not.

It could also end up with Felicity dating some guy during the summer then stopping to see him and never being in a relationship. Or he could be a real boyfriend. 

Edited July 4, 2016 by Midnight Lullaby

[AyChihuahua]

10 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

There's also to consider what boyfriend will mean in concrete if he exists. Because if I'm seeing someone casually for example for my mother is a boyfriend, for me really really not.

It could also end up with Felicity dating some guy during the summer then stopping to see him and never being in a relationship. Or he could be a real boyfriend. 

Sure, although it was SA who called the guy her boyfriend, not Donna.

I was more fundamentally saying that logic doesn't work like that. It's not Conclusion, bc Conclusion.

[Chaser]

Rip the bandaid off. Put them both in relationships in the premiere. She breaks up with bf in episode one.  He can date the reporter off screen in the first couple episodes and then break up with her in her first appearance in the third. 

There. They both tried to move on. 

[Midnight Lullaby]

5 minutes ago, AyChihuahua said:

Sure, although it was SA who called the guy her boyfriend, not Donna.

I was more fundamentally saying that logic doesn't work like that. It's not Conclusion, bc Conclusion.

I made the example with my mother to show a difference in mentality, nothing to do with Donna.

Yes, but logic based on unclear informations that were already interpreted can lead to a fallacious conclusion. Maybe you are right, but without more informations no one can know for sure.

[AyChihuahua]

13 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

Yes, but logic based on unclear informations that were already interpreted can lead to a fallacious conclusion. Maybe you are right, but without more informations no one can know for sure.

We may be missing each other's point. I'm focusing only on the writeup, in which the writer states that she's confident the boyfriend isn't serious, bc she's confident the boyfriend isn't serious (the plan is for them to work their way back, etc.). That's not evidence/logic. That doesn't mean Felicity does have a serious boyfriend, it simply means that the stated reasoning/evidence, which isn't actually evidence, in no way supports the conclusion.

[Midnight Lullaby]

Just now, AyChihuahua said:

We may be missing each other's point. I'm focusing only on the writeup, in which the writer states that she's confident the boyfriend isn't serious, bc she's confident the boyfriend isn't serious (the plan is for them to work their way back, etc.). That's not evidence/logic. That doesn't mean Felicity does have a serious boyfriend, it simply means that the stated reasoning/evidence, which isn't actually evidence, in no way supports the conclusion.

Yes on that I agree. But from your posts I got the feeling you were not only saying she had no real evidence to support her idea but that because of that she was wrong and the other person, since she reported a statement she said she got from SA, is right and we can't know that. We can't know either way.

Personally I trust only myself on things actors say in private and I wasn't there.

[AyChihuahua]

18 minutes ago, Chaser said:

Rip the bandaid off. Put them both in relationships in the premiere. She breaks up with bf in episode one.  He can date the reporter off screen in the first couple episodes and then break up with her in her first appearance in the third. 

There. They both tried to move on. 

Why is it necessary to the story that they try to move on?

I really think putting either/both in relationships with other people is a big mistake. The writers already did a lot of damage to them as the OTP, and this is just more. I get the Dawson's Creek thing (or for me, Veronica Mars), but the difference is the story being told. VM wasn't a hero's journey in which Veronica was guided by the love of The Man. It was never set up like that. Same with DC, which was just a teenage soap opera at heart. This is an entirely different kind of story, and they're messing with the foundation of that story...AGAIN. I think it's a big mistake.

[AyChihuahua]

5 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

Yes on that I agree. But from your posts I got the feeling you were not only saying she had no real evidence to support her idea but that because of that she was wrong and the other person, since she reported a statement she said she got from SA, is right and we can't know that. We can't know either way.

Personally I trust only myself on things actors say in private and I wasn't there.

Yeah, I was talking only about the writeup. On the general issue, though, I don't believe that one person's interpretation of a lack of denial contradicts a direct statement. Person A reports me as having said "I'm married." Person B reports me as having responded to "You're married?" with a coy expression and/or talking around the question. The most logical way to reconcile those two reports is to conclude that I did indeed say that I'm married.

TBC, I think having her or him in other relationships is a mistake. I don't want it. I figured they'd do it, although maybe not actual relationships, but overall I think it's a mistake at this point in the story. In S2 I would have LOVED for Felicity to have a boyfriend. In S3 I would have LOVED for Felicity to have a boyfriend who wasn't a Cane Toad. But this late in the game, especially combined with all the friendzoning comments from SA, I think the writers may be permanently breaking something they'll later learn they can't rebuild. And it's something that really matters to the show.

Edited July 4, 2016 by AyChihuahua

[Midnight Lullaby]

1 minute ago, AyChihuahua said:

Yeah, I was talking only about the writeup. On the general issue, though, I don't believe that one person's interpretation of a lack of denial contradicts a direct statement. Person A reports me as having said "I'm married." Person B reports me as having responded to "You're married?" with a coy expression and/or talking around the question. The most logical explanation of those two reports is that I did indeed say that I'm married.

But we should know what the exact statement was before judging. Since none of us was there we must rely on reports from another person and I'm not that confident in doing that.

Also even if he said "Felicity has a boyfriend" can you exclude what could happen is Felicity casually dating a guy and dumping him for example during the premiere? For me boyfriend means being in a committed relationship but the term can also be used to describe different situations.

[kes0704]

For me, if Oliver and Felicity can move on so quickly to other boyfriends/girlfriends after spouting lines like "we found ourselves in each other", "I love you with everything in me" and every heart-eyed line from 4x09 at each other then I'm going to find hard to believe that it is supposed to be some epic romance.  The writers moved them too far along in the relationship for me to believe that they could simply drop all that and go back to "just friends" with new love interests so quickly.  

I really enjoy the action and drama of Arrow but I also need TV shows to have heart and, for me, that lies in seeing Oliver and Felicity building their relationship and finding happiness together and not with some other random characters that I have no investment in.  

[AyChihuahua]

11 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

But we should know what the exact statement was before judging. Since none of us was there we must rely on reports from another person and I'm not that confident in doing that.

Also even if he said "Felicity has a boyfriend" can you exclude what could happen is Felicity casually dating a guy and dumping him for example during the premiere? For me boyfriend means being in a committed relationship but the term can also be used to describe different situations.

I personally have never called a guy a boyfriend who wasn't actually a boyfriend. Either my own or others. The levels of commitment may differ, but generally, for adults, it means a monogamous romantic/sexual relationship, but one that can be ended relatively easily. 

I really feel like we're overthinking all of this. I think Felicity has a boyfriend. Like a real actual boyfriend we will see on screen. How long it will last I don't know, but I do not believe that the point is just to explain why they're not back together, because there are approximately 12,000 less messy ways to do that. I do not believe she will dump him in the premiere, no. I think it's quite likely the young cop, who's going to recur. I have NO IDEA why they're doing this, other than a bizarre compulsion to refilm S3 over and over and over again. I think it's a mistake, I don't want it, but I almost never get what I want with this show.

I also think Oliver is going to date, too, which will also be a mistake. But hey, at least not a redo of S3?

Re none of us having been there to hear it, that's just life. None of us are there for the vast majority of things that happen or have ever happened in the world. The person who reported that he said, pretty directly, that Felicity has a boyfriend, is not a known liar. She has in the past accurately reported his statements, she simply personally misinterpreted at least one of those statements. "Felicity has a boyfriend" is just not a complicated statement that requires interpretation. 

But I guess SA could have been trolling. I don't think so, because it goes along with all the friendzone comments we're also hearing. All of this information is consistent, which raises the likelihood that it's accurate.

Edited July 4, 2016 by AyChihuahua

[tarotx]

What was the question asked to Stephen to make him say Felicity has a boyfriend? "Felicity has a boyfriend" could be said as a question and not just a statement. 

I still think Oliver and Felicity will have a 2a kind of relationship but it's Felicity that is holding back. Maybe she will be seeing someone but I don't think it's going to something to angst over. Felicity will be trying to move on because she feels like she should move on but Oliver is here being this caring sharing version of himself that she loves. But she'll be afraid that once they start dating secrets will come again. 

[Midnight Lullaby]

3 minutes ago, AyChihuahua said:

I personally have never called a guy a boyfriend who wasn't actually a boyfriend. Either my own or others. The levels of commitment may differ, but generally, for adults, it means a monogamous romantic/sexual relationship, but one that can be ended relatively easily. 

I really feel like we're overthinking all of this. I think Felicity has a boyfriend. Like a real actual boyfriend we will see on screen. How long it will last I don't know, but I do not believe that the point is just to explain why they're not back together, because there are approximately 12,000 less messy ways to do that. I do not believe she will dump him in the premiere, no. I think it's quite likely the young cop, who's going to recur. I have NO IDEA why they're doing this, other than a bizarre compulsion to refilm S3 over and over and over again. I think it's a mistake, I don't want it, but I almost never get what I want with this show.

I also think Oliver going to date, too, which will also be a mistake. But hey, at least not a redo of S3?

Because you haven't it doesn't mean it's an absolute truth, LOL. We are going in circles so I'm stopping it here. The only thing I said is that I wouldn't take a fan's report, any fan's, as truth because you don't know exact words, tone and context. Then it might be true, sure, but hearsay isn't evidence, no matter how likely you believe it to be.

[AyChihuahua]

2 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

Because you haven't it doesn't mean it's an absolute truth, LOL. We are going in circles so I'm stopping it here. The only thing I said is that I wouldn't take a fan's report, any fan's, as truth because you don't know exact words, tone and context. Then it might be true, sure, but hearsay isn't evidence, no matter how likely you believe it to be.

Hearsay actually is evidence. In many cases, it's even admissible evidence. There are a LOT of exceptions to the hearsay rule.

[Midnight Lullaby]

4 minutes ago, AyChihuahua said:

Hearsay actually is evidence. In many cases, it's even admissible evidence. There are a LOT of exceptions to the hearsay rule.

This isn't a trail. Here you are saying you believe this person got exactly right what SA said and meant and you also interpret his words in the way you choose and from that you drawn your own conclusions. What I'm saying is to get that result you are assuming a lot. I don't feel comfortable assuming until we know more.

[Guest]

I think the only thing we know for certain, 100%, is that O/F are not together romantically when s5 returns. They're friends. I do think the 'Felicity has a boyfriend' thing is true, too, but how serious it is, IDK.

I'm guessing it could go a number of ways. Either Felicity's boyfriend is one of the recurring male characters and we'll see her attempt to move on properly. It's highly likely this means that Oliver will have a new love interest too. OR Felicity's boyfriend lasts a couple of episodes at most and it kickstarts O/F finding their way back to each other. That kind of seems pointless, IMO. What does that achieve exactly?

Personally I think it's going to be a combination of both but O/F won't be back together until the end of the season. They're gonna drag this crap out. Absolute worst case scenario, for me, would be they only make steps towards each other for a reconciliation in s6.

Meh. I don't like any of the scenarios tbh but it is what it is at this point. I'm gonna see how they deal with it in the first couple of episodes before I decide whether to stick this out or not.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Guest

[AyChihuahua]

3 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

What I'm saying is to get that result you are assuming a lot. 

What am I assuming?

[Midnight Lullaby]

Just now, AyChihuahua said:

What am I assuming?

That the report is accurate and that by boyfriend SA meant Felicity being in a committed relationship.

[Velocity23]

I swear to God if this was just trolling i will hand out hats. And where is that thread for hat eating.

[wonderwall]

1 minute ago, Velocity23 said:

I swear to God if this was just trolling i will hand out hats. And where is that thread for hat eating.

Seriously. @ mods can we make a thread just for all the bets being placed on this board? :p The "Why don't you put your hat where your mouth is?" thread?

[Guest]

I did actually have another scenario for why Felicity has a boyfriend and why O/F aren't together but that involves flashpoint and I didn't want anyone to hit me for even saying it. LMAO.

So I know, I know. Flashpoint won't affect Arrow. But it did, briefly, cross my mind when I heard that Felicity has a boyfriend because it just didn't make any sense to me. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited July 4, 2016 by Guest

[AyChihuahua]

11 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

I did actually have another scenario for why Felicity has a boyfriend and why O/F aren't together but that involves flashpoint and I didn't want anyone to hit me for even saying it. LMAO.

So I know, I know. Flashpoint won't affect Arrow. But it did, briefly, cross my mind when I heard that Felicity has a boyfriend because it just didn't make any sense to me. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I had the exact same thought when someone here posted an article that had SA saying of course it would affect Arrow. At that point it seems like all bets are off. Felicity could be dating King Shark while Oliver is in a committed relationship with Amanda Waller.

Edited July 4, 2016 by AyChihuahua

[apinknightmare]

Quote

Felicity could be dating King Shark while Oliver is in a committed relationship with Amanda Waller.

Hot!

[Chaser]

I would laugh so hard if the only thing Flashpoint did to Arrow is get Felicity a boyfriend. 

#Felicity&Friends

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Chaser said:

I would laugh so hard if the only thing Flashpoint did to Arrow is get Felicity a boyfriend. 

#Felicity&Friends

LOL. Obviously it would be more than that. It would just be one of the things that's different. Haha.

[DrSpaceman10]

I'd almost prefer that Flashpoint be the reason they're dating other people. It makes more sense than them going from "you're my always"/"I love you with everything in me"/almost married to dating other people within a few months. 

They could even fix it during the fall crossover. Although, I highly doubt they'd let Flashpoint affect Arrow that much.  

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, DrSpaceman10 said:

I'd almost prefer that Flashpoint be the reason they're dating other people. It makes more sense than them going from "you're my always"/"I love you with everything in me"/almost married to dating other people within a few months. 

They could even fix it during the fall crossover. Although, I highly doubt they'd let Flashpoint affect Arrow that much.  

Haha, same. 

I don't think flashpoint will even affect The Flash beyond one or two episodes tbh so if they did have it affect Arrow too (not saying they will, this is all just silly spec), it would only be for the same amount of time.

[AyChihuahua]

I think my problem is that while them dating others makes sense from a character perspective, it doesn't make sense from a story perspective. Character-wise I have no major problems with either of them dating others. Felicity deserves to get a guy who routinely treats her well, and Oliver seemingly truly believes it's over, so I don't expect him to remain celibate forever while she dates others. All fine.

But from a story perspective, it's batcrap crazy. I mean, imagine Robin Hood and Maid Marian breaking up, and Marian's all, "Hey, that Merry Man over there is pretty cute!" while Robin checks out the local ladies of the court. Or Perseus dumping Andromeda and dating random dryads. It's just frigging weird.

[kismet]

1 hour ago, kes0704 said:

For me, if Oliver and Felicity can move on so quickly to other boyfriends/girlfriends after spouting lines like "we found ourselves in each other", "I love you with everything in me" and every heart-eyed line from 4x09 at each other then I'm going to find hard to believe that it is supposed to be some epic romance.  The writers moved them too far along in the relationship for me to believe that they could simply drop all that and go back to "just friends" with new love interests so quickly.  

I really enjoy the action and drama of Arrow but I also need TV shows to have heart and, for me, that lies in seeing Oliver and Felicity building their relationship and finding happiness together and not with some other random characters that I have no investment in.  

Agree. I also feel like if the show wanted to double down on action and drama, then why bother having LI or dating at all? I don't think the show wants to get ditch romance and get back to the show basics. I believe for whatever reasons, the writers feel they are telling the most organic story for O/F by having them broken up and doing whatever dumb things they do in s5 to avoid being in a relationship for plot purposes. IMO, I think them being apart for plot purposes it detrimental to the heart of the show & completely inorganic to the Heroes Journey premise they built the show around. But MG & co have made it clear that he does not care about other people's opinions.

1 hour ago, Angel12d said:

I did actually have another scenario for why Felicity has a boyfriend and why O/F aren't together but that involves flashpoint and I didn't want anyone to hit me for even saying it. LMAO.

So I know, I know. Flashpoint won't affect Arrow. But it did, briefly, cross my mind when I heard that Felicity has a boyfriend because it just didn't make any sense to me. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've seen that theory floated other places. I support that theory and find it plausible. I also support that FS has an actual BF because the showrunners just want her to have one for whatever "organic" reason they decide.

[tangerine95]

Yeah i can find character motivation for it even tho it's imo damaging to olicity but i don't see why they would go with even having either of them consider dating let alone a relationship with other people. You don't go as far as they did with olicity in season 4 and then still be able to sell dating other people. I think if they do it the only reason will be stalling and fear that olicity being stable in a relationship won't be interesting. 

[kismet]

12 minutes ago, AyChihuahua said:

I think my problem is that while them dating others makes sense from a character perspective, it doesn't make sense from a story perspective. Character-wise I have no major problems with either of them dating others. Felicity deserves to get a guy who routinely treats her well, and Oliver seemingly truly believes it's over, so I don't expect him to remain celibate forever while she dates others. All fine.

But from a story perspective, it's batcrap crazy. I mean, imagine Robin Hood and Maid Marian breaking up, and Marian's all, "Hey, that Merry Man over there is pretty cute!" while Robin checks out the local ladies of the court. Or Perseus dumping Andromeda and dating random dryads. It's just frigging weird.

That being said, I could never imagine Superman without Lois Lane - but it's been done before (which is partially why I never watched Smallville) and it's being done again in the comics (perhaps) even the movies per report.

I agree it makes sense from character perspective and no sense from a story perspective. Then again, these are the writers that took a thematically juicy & character layering opportunity like surprise kid and not only gave us BMD, but thought it was a good story. SO characters meet bus, storyline meet nuke and OTP meet fridge. Expectations moving fwd for me have met sub-terrain levels.

[tangerine95]

I think they want it both ways. They want the epic love story that guides the hero journey but they also want the will they won't they stuff and contrived drama because they think it keeps things interesting. 

[Thundercatmary]

4 minutes ago, tangerine95 said:

I think they want it both ways. They want the epic love story that guides the hero journey but they also want the will they won't they stuff and contrived drama because they think it keeps things interesting. 

I think your right exactly, just hope they don't take things to far and ruin Olicity for me.

[AyChihuahua]

11 minutes ago, tangerine95 said:

I think they want it both ways. They want the epic love story that guides the hero journey but they also want the will they won't they stuff and contrived drama because they think it keeps things interesting. 

Yeah, and those two are kind of opposing ideas. It's just bizarre.

[kismet]

It is not only bizarre. It is hard to execute considering that FS is an original TA & essential TA member. Without her in the lair, TA would fail. And the writers love writing her too much that they will never remove her entirely from the lair. But keeping her around the lair being his defacto hero whisperer becomes awkward if either of them are in a committed relationship with other people. Because really shouldn't his gf be helping him and wouldn't her bf be upset about all the intimate pep talks? Nevermind, the complications that would ensue if said partners are also somehow involved in the TA mission (which they will be cuz its a show).

I'm sorta floating this idea that perhaps FS's bf is either fake or imaginary to help make the lair not awkward over the summer. Otherwise why not just have lair sex while we save the city together alone in a place with so many flat surfaces? I've created a fake BF to keep people at bay. Plus a fake BF is a trope Arrow has yet to do. Perhaps OQ will figure it out in first few eps. Or when Dig returns he'll below the cover off that little bombshell that FS is making it up.

Or is said BF is actually real - he will never make an appearance, because then he can be the perfect BF to FS, cockblock Olicity and the writers will never have to figure out why FS's BF is TOTALLY cool with her spending so much time at night alone with her ex-fiance. If it is one of the new guys, then it is just going to be weird when all the exs & currents are hanging out fighting crime. It might be just a little to incestual - then again not uncommon on TV shows.

[bijoux]

1 hour ago, AyChihuahua said:

I had the exact same thought when someone here posted an article that had SA saying of course it would affect Arrow. At that point it seems like all bets are off. Felicity could be dating King Shark while Oliver is in a committed relationship with Amanda Waller.

If Flashpoint were ever to affect Arrow and this being one of the consequences, I cannot imagine they'd pass on having Felicity dating  a guy named Ed.

[kismet]

And Ed probably has a kid, too.

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, tangerine95 said:

I think they want it both ways. They want the epic love story that guides the hero journey but they also want the will they won't they stuff and contrived drama because they think it keeps things interesting. 

I would agree and I also wonder if there's a bit of fear involved? They talking about that stupid Moonlighting curse often enough.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[tangerine95]

12 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I would agree and I also wonder if there's a bit of geared involved? They talking about that stupid Moonlighting curse often enough.

I do think part of it is they're afraid of the moonlighting curse tbh.They rely a lot on romance to keep the show going as much as they would like to think they don't so I can see them thinking the audience would eventually get  bored with olicity if there's no drama.

[Morrigan2575]

The irony being that 401-409 (excluding 408) had an Olicity relationship that mostly everyone enjoyed. There were media/reviewers who grudgingly came around to liking/enjoying  or at the very least not hating the relationship in early S4.  ?

[dtissagirl]

3 hours ago, Angel12d said:

I did actually have another scenario for why Felicity has a boyfriend and why O/F aren't together but that involves flashpoint and I didn't want anyone to hit me for even saying it. LMAO.

So I know, I know. Flashpoint won't affect Arrow. But it did, briefly, cross my mind when I heard that Felicity has a boyfriend because it just didn't make any sense to me. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'll actively want Flashpoint to affect [not effect, Steve] Arrow if Felicity's boyfriend is named a combination of the names Richard and Grayson. Maybe Dick for short?
 

2 hours ago, AyChihuahua said:

But from a story perspective, it's batcrap crazy. I mean, imagine Robin Hood and Maid Marian breaking up, and Marian's all, "Hey, that Merry Man over there is pretty cute!" while Robin checks out the local ladies of the court.

You don't watch Once Upon a Time, do you? They kinda did that.

[dtissagirl]

This set of writers truly really forever believe will they/won't they is the pillar of serialized romance. They take the Joss approach rather than the procedural cop staple of just delaying the getting together part for 5+ seasons, though. So they do getting the pairing together, then ruining it, then rebuilding again, then ruining it again, ad infinitum.

S2 built for 13 episodes minus the last 2 minutes of 213. Then ruined it, then rebuilt it again in 220-223. S3 ruined it after 40 minutes of 301, let it be ruined for 20 episodes, then rebuilt it again from 320 to 323. S4 let it build from 401 to 414 [minus 408], then ruined it in 415, ruined it again in 416, left it in shambles until 420, then started rebuilding it, but apparently the money on construction ran out and the rebuilding sorta stalled there from 421 to 423.

I'm expecting that we're currently on a rebuilding phase come S5, slow cook version.

It actually makes sense to be the last rebuild, because the flashbacks ending means the hero's journey structure they set out for Oliver is coming to an end once this season ends, so the love of the woman guiding him through the process should also end. Which in normal competent people's shows means the couple gets together and have a true partnership. On Arrow, nobody ever knows because this show is weird as fuck.

Edited July 4, 2016 by dtissagirl

[AyChihuahua]

19 minutes ago, dtissagirl said:

I'll actively want Flashpoint to affect [not effect, Steve] Arrow if Felicity's boyfriend is named a combination of the names Richard and Grayson. Maybe Dick for short?
 

You don't watch Once Upon a Time, do you? They kinda did that.

And Superman and Lois aren't/weren't together. And Captain America is now part of Hydra. I mean, writers can/will do whatever...that doesn't mean it makes any sense.

(And H to the no on watching that show.)

If they full-on killed O/F as an ever-happening romance, I wonder how that would affect ratings? 

Edited July 5, 2016 by AyChihuahua

[Morrigan2575]

^^^ nah they already reversed that last one in the comics.  Marvel loves their shock value.