S04.E11: A.W.O.L.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Random observation: After Diggle got shot and they were all in the lair and getting ready to go their own ways, Thea said she was going to go back to the crime scene for any leftover evidence. Since when did Thea get CSI training?!?! I mean, I've heard her say this before but the last time she was with Digg and as former special forces, I figured he got a bit of training that includes searching for evidence. I doubt that was part of her training with Malcolm in Corto Maltese. With Roy, he was always hitting the streets, but since he was a street kid with actual connections, etc., that made sense. This for Thea is kinda dumb.

[apinknightmare]

 I doubt that was part of her training with Malcolm in Corto Maltese. With Roy, he was always hitting the streets, but since he was a street kid with actual connections, etc., that made sense. This for Thea is kinda dumb.

 

 

Along with blood lust, she acquired CSI skills in the pit.

 

[Chaser]

They should shorten OverWatch to,..wait for it....

 

Watcher..

No but I love that.

 

I get a mixture of Chloe and Giles. Now I'm sad.

[chaos is welcome]

I think chronologically this episode might have taken place prior to LoT so that Laurel understands that time travel is possible. And thus isn't blown away by the idea.

It's sad that I absolutely didn't make this connection until you said it. Probably right, but FAIL bc time lines and all I heard when laurel encouraged sara to go was "yisssssss, get off my show superior canary" lol

[dtissagirl]

Not gonna lie - a little anvil fell to the floor in my apartment during the O/L scene. I agree with the above review - the scene was going along nicely (I had no Laurel complaints!) but bringing up time travel seemed completely out of place. Especially since there are a hundred other reasons that Oliver could blame himself for DD's attack.

Yesterday's Flash was all about the timeline correcting itself, and there was a whole lot of talk about how you can't change DEATH with time travel. Now Arrow also randomly goes with time travel as motivation for Oliver blaming himself [LOLOLOLOLOL NEVER CHANGE, BUDDY].

Kreisberg mentioned in an interview after the crossover that because Barry cheated their deaths, the timeline would keep trying to rearrange itself, but I didn't think it would be this on the nose. So maybe they will have different people almost-dying on Arrow from now on, until the one death that sticks.

[wonderwall]

They should shorten OverWatch to,..wait for it....

 

Watcher..

That sounds creepy to me... Sort of stalkerish :p

[Carrie Ann]

Oliver revealing Barry's time travel to talk about his concern just felt bizarre. I would have expected his possible guilt to be this big emotional moment and it was tossed out so casually and then swept under the rug.

 

Honestly the time travel seems so disconnected from Arrow that I don't really consider it when I think of what's going on this season, so it was a good piece of character work to have Oliver say that he was feeling guilty/scared that this was how the timeline was righting itself. (Might have made more sense to include that last week, though, when his actions were way more baffling.) But at the same time, I was like, "Uh, Oliver, should you really be telling people about that???" So I don't know how they could get around it, because he'd basically have to call Barry to have that conversation without the iffy-ness. But maybe they could have just...made a really strong reference to it but had Oliver talk around it when actually talking to Laurel. Like, show it in the Previouslies and then have him start to say something about it, but then just generalize about cheating death or something. I don't know. I had no problem with that conversation being with Laurel though. (Except, yeah, she totally would blackmail Barry into doing that for her if the need arose in the future. J/K except not.)

[Primal Slayer]

Random observation: After Diggle got shot and they were all in the lair and getting ready to go their own ways, Thea said she was going to go back to the crime scene for any leftover evidence. Since when did Thea get CSI training?!?! I mean, I've heard her say this before but the last time she was with Digg and as former special forces, I figured he got a bit of training that includes searching for evidence. I doubt that was part of her training with Malcolm in Corto Maltese. With Roy, he was always hitting the streets, but since he was a street kid with actual connections, etc., that made sense. This for Thea is kinda dumb.

We have 5ish months unaccounted for. Diggle could've taught Thea a thing or two during it. 

[calliope1975]

Yesterday's Flash was all about the timeline correcting itself, and there was a whole lot of talk about how you can't change DEATH with time travel. Now Arrow also randomly goes with time travel as motivation for Oliver blaming himself [LOLOLOLOLOL NEVER CHANGE, BUDDY].

Kreisberg mentioned in an interview after the crossover that because Barry cheated their deaths, the timeline would keep trying to rearrange itself, but I didn't think it would be this on the nose. So maybe they will have different people almost-dying on Arrow from now on, until the one death that sticks.

 

1 - I didn't even know that topic was brought up on The Flash last night because that's how much I pay attention now when I watch. (What happened, Flash, you used to be fun?)

 

2 - They've got Tony Todd in the CW family now (even if it's just his voice). Let's go full on Final Destination! Bring on Devon Sawa for a cameo (CW Nikita connection.) Let's do this! 

[catrox14]

That sounds creepy to me... Sort of stalkerish :p

 

But she basically does stalk them LOL.  See also, Wesley Wyndham Price...:(

[AyChihuahua]

As a long-time sci fi watcher, I find this "The timeline wants to reassert itself" UNBELIEVABLY silly. Time is not sentient. It's not like "Hey, aholes, how dare you mess with my plan!" I mean, make it fate or something, but time ain't got time for that silliness.

 

Also, in that case they should all die, except Barry. So it either reasserts itself or it doesn't. 

[wonderwall]

But she basically does stalk them LOL.  See also, Wesley Wyndham Price...:(

Ohh! I totally failed to make that BtVS connection! 

[AyChihuahua]

1 - I didn't even know that topic was brought up on The Flash last night because that's how much I pay attention now when I watch. (What happened, Flash, you used to be fun?)

 

2 - They've got Tony Todd in the CW family now (even if it's just his voice). Let's go full on Final Destination! Bring on Devon Sawa for a cameo (CW Nikita connection.) Let's do this! 

Devon Sawa was weirdly AWESOME in Idle Hands. 

[Sunshine]

We can't even shorten Overwatch to OW because that just sounds painful. Stupid codename is stupid.

Oliver calls her OW all the time though. :)

[Chaser]

Honestly the time travel seems so disconnected from Arrow that I don't really consider it when I think of what's going on this season, so it was a good piece of character work to have Oliver say that he was feeling guilty/scared that this was how the timeline was righting itself. (Might have made more sense to include that last week, though, when his actions were way more baffling.) But at the same time, I was like, "Uh, Oliver, should you really be telling people about that???" So I don't know how they could get around it, because he'd basically have to call Barry to have that conversation without the iffy-ness. But maybe they could have just...made a really strong reference to it but had Oliver talk around it when actually talking to Laurel. Like, show it in the Previouslies and then have him start to say something about it, but then just generalize about cheating death or something. I don't know. I had no problem with that conversation being with Laurel though. (Except, yeah, she totally would blackmail Barry into doing that for her if the need arose in the future. J/K except not.)

I agree it would have been better to talk around it. I honestly don't know how you talk around time travel so that would have been interesting. What is Laurel supposed to do with this information anyway? Does she talk about or does she assume that every else already knows? It really didn't leave an opening for another conversation either so I was really at a loss watching the scene.

 

Also, crashing guilt over changing time that could have inadvertently lead to the permeant paralysis of the love of your life. Kind of a conversation that should carry some weight and it was just kind of…ok? 

[apinknightmare]

Kreisberg mentioned in an interview after the crossover that because Barry cheated their deaths, the timeline would keep trying to rearrange itself, but I didn't think it would be this on the nose. So maybe they will have different people almost-dying on Arrow from now on, until the one death that sticks.

 

Final Destination: Star City

[BkWurm1]

You know, I started to bitch about the code name but the more I thought about it the more I was okay with it. 

 

Anyways, this episode was really great. I enjoyed The Diggle's storyline as well as Felicity's storyline. DR and EBR killed it. It also helped their scene partners were also bringing it. 

Yeah, my biggest complaints were always that MG would be recycling and that it didn't really roll off the tongue but the basic idea behind the actual term has never been a problem for me. 

[wonderwall]

Oliver calls her OW all the time though. :)

[Guest]

If Curtis was the one who dropped Felicity off at the lair (which is at Oliver's campaign HQ) in the middle of the night, surely he'll figure out who the is Arrow now? He's supposed to be crazy smart!

 

Although saying that, he did say Oliver's jaw's not right and that jaw is so damn right it's not even funny! 

Edited January 28, 2016 by Guest

[TwistedandBored]

Yeah, my biggest complaints were always that MG would be recycling and that it didn't really roll off the tongue but the basic idea behind the actual term has never been a problem for me. 

 

I think most people are having problem with Overwatch because of it's association with MG. The term itself is fine. 

[catrox14]

Oooooh they  could morph to OW...L like NightOwl or something.

 

 

Although saying that, he did say Oliver's jaw's not right and that jaw is so damn right it's not even funny!

 

I think he knows and he's just lying about it.

Edited January 28, 2016 by catrox14

[dtissagirl]

2 - They've got Tony Todd in the CW family now (even if it's just his voice). Let's go full on Final Destination! Bring on Devon Sawa for a cameo (CW Nikita connection.) Let's do this!

Final Destination: Star City

Someone call Brendan Fehr, he can be the killer.

[Carrie Ann]

The other problem with Overwatch is that it was presented with no explanation and has no significance to the show/characters as a word. (I mean, I know someone said it once--in reference to Dig, right?) So Felicity's overjoyed reaction was a little confusing, because as far as we know, that word is no more "perfect" for her than any other. I preferred Hotwheels, myself, tbh. ;)

Edited January 28, 2016 by Carrie Ann

[Chaser]

Oliver should not be allowed to talk about personal fashion choices. There was a time when he shaved. The horrors. 

 

Felicity was super blonde and pink in the goth reveal scene with Oliver. I was amused.

[wonderwall]

Oliver should not be allowed to talk about personal fashion choices. There was a time when he shaved. The horrors. 

 

Felicity was super blonde and pink in the goth reveal scene with Oliver. I was amused.

 

Oliver is such a dork and Felicity is SO adorable

 

 

Bonus

 

[catrox14]

Oliver is such a dork and Felicity is SO adorable

 

 

Bonus

 

 

Methinks Oliver doth protest too much.  I think he didn't want to admit that he thought it was hot. LOL

[quarks]

Well, for an episode that could have gone really wrong on so many levels, it  mostly didn't!  

 

Good things:

 

1. Goth Felicity. EBR is frequently funny, but Goth Felicity's attitude towards Oliver had me cracking up more than I have at Arrow in a long time.  And Goth Felicity knocking away The Shining? Comic gold.

 

2. Loved the acknowledgement that since Team Arrow had never taken the time to think that one of them might be in a wheelchair, the new Arrow Cave isn't completely accessible - even with an elevator.  That's the exact sort of problem wheelchair users regularly encounter. Well done. I also liked the (rare) acknowledgement from Arrow that yes, injuries can require painkillers, that painkillers can be part of healing, and yes, those painkillers can later muddle your performance, looking right at you Oliver and your "I'll just stab myself in the leg with stuff and then go take down mirakurued people." I've long since given up any hope of realism from Arrow but these were nice touches.

 

3. Also loved the show acknowledging that the blonde hair and glasses have always been a mask for Felicity, along with everything else she's been doing, and that her current condition has brought all of her doubts to the surface again.

 

4. And - nice touch - those self-doubts meaning that she couldn't tell Oliver the truth about the hallucinations. 

 

5. Nice setup there for Felicity's inevitable cure, with Oliver's meta speech about speedsters, shrinking people and flying people. I'm not a big fan of magical disability cures, but Arrow's right: in the Arrowverse, it's not all that outrageous. 

 

6. Also loved how everyone was like, forget the wheelchair issue, we need her! And then demonstrating just why they needed her. Though it was great to know that Diggle has spent enough time listening to Felicity to be able to do things with TV sets.

 

7. Heh. It's not just certain Arrow fans. At least some Star City cops don't like Laurel either.

 

8. Everyone's favorite powercouple, Diggle and Lyla. And the little kid actor they got for Sara keeps getting more adorable with each appearance.

 

9. The flashbacks! In the good column! I KNOW!  And not to get anyone's hopes up or anything, but for a second there, it almost looked as if the evil island stuff might get relevant or even connected to the present day storyline! I KNOW! 

 

10. Awww, Oliver gave Felicity the codename the fanbase immediately hated.  Nice callback to Felicity putting on his mask, though.

 

11. The fight scenes were a considerable improvement over some of the previous episodes. Plus, a truck stunt!  Also, since it's been awhile since I've been able to say something like this, nice effect and editing with the container scene and Green Arrow coming out of it.

 

12. The Diggle brothers were also pretty strong tonight, both in the flashbacks and the present day timeline.

 

13. I'd say, however, that for all of the focus on Felicity and Diggle, this was in many ways Lyla's episode: where she had to confront her past and current choices, and hear that Waller still considered her a trusted agent. I liked that she took a moment to go talk to Oliver, the other former ARGUS agent in the room.

 

14. And speaking of that, thank you, Felicity, for reminding the room that Amanda Waller totally sucks as a person.

 

15. "Oracle was already taken." Thanks for the obvious meta comment, show, but even more thanks for confirming that Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon do exist in a never-shall-be-seen part of the Arrowverse!

 

Questionable things:

 

1. Out of respect for one member of this forum, I shall not mention a certain code name used in this episode.
 

2. Yay, finally someone shot Amanda Waller! Nay! Arrow just killed off another woman and left the men alive!  I really can't tell whether I should be grateful to the upcoming Suicide Squad movie or not.  I will say that the strong stuff given to the other women of the show, and the fact that Amanda Waller died because she was doing her job, not to cause any manpain, were major mitigating factors in keeping me from getting too annoyed about another woman dying on this show.

 

3. If you don't want to be in denial about Felicity's permanent paralysis, Oliver, than just maybe you should get her into an apartment where you don't have to carry her down the stairs. Single floor condos exist!  Even in Star City!

 

Though I have to say, like the lack of ramps in the Arrow Cave, this was another realistic touch - many houses/apartments are not disabled accessible, and it can take time to either make homes disabled accessible, or to find a new living space.

 

4. Is Kord Industries ever going to realize that it's a chief target for pretty much every criminal and vigilante organization on this show? 

 

5. Since I can no longer assume that this is going to be explained, how exactly did Oliver spend that much time as a sorta trusted guard for a Shadowspire person on Evil Island and not recognize Shadowspire later? And are we to assume that Shadowspire and ARGUS were both fighting over who got to make Evil Island an even more miserable place except for the one year when Ivo showed up by coincidence and started making evil superpowered people?

 

6. Did anyone else think that Oliver really wanted to snatch away that picture of Goth Felicity and keep it for blackmail purposes? Or because he found it pretty intriguing? Just me then?

 

I also had to crack up at the revelation that Felicity had never shown Oliver this picture before.

 

7. Kudos to taking us to at least one new location, show, but even with the close camera work and some turbans, that was not exactly the most convincing representation of Afghanistan ever.  You did a better job in the first and second seasons with this, too, so I don't think it's Vancouver. It's you.

 

8. I got what Arrow was going for, but really, drug induced hallucinations are not exactly the sort of thing most people can shrug off just by regaining some self-confidence, and worse, that sort of contradicted other parts of the episode about needing to accept and work with her new limitations - which apparently included some side effects from the Vicodin or whatever it was.

 

9. I'm really amazed at just how much psychological insight all of the hallucinations on Arrow have, and how amazingly helpful they are. The one time I had hallucinations I just had nonsensical pianos dancing on the ceiling and soccer balls trying to eat me.  I'm kinda jealous, actually.

 

Bad things:

 

1. I kinda get why Felicity wouldn't tell Oliver about this, but if she was having hallucinations, why wouldn't she call either her own doctor or Caitlin about this? And reading something like The Shining while seeing hallucinations, Felicity? Ok, it was funny, but not exactly the soothing bedtime reading I might have suggested.

 

2. This is a Laurel thing, but putting it here because it's a continuity thing: Uh, Arrow, the pilot of Legends of Tomorrow was filmed well before you wrote this episode, and you had to know, going in, that the pilot would probably be broadcast before this episode of Arrow. Laurel found out about time travel over on Legends of Tomorrow last week. 

 

I'm one of the few people here who tends to love all of the crossovers, but really, a continuity person needs to be keeping track of this stuff.  I realize that you won't always know when episodes are going to be broadcast - exactly why Legends mostly tried to stay vague with the Oliver and Laurel cameos - but still.

 

3. Given that Oliver has had hallucinations on the show just a couple of years back, I was surprised that he didn't figure out that Felicity was hallucinating, especially in moments where she was speaking to Goth Felicity, with everything - glance, words - aimed at Goth Felicity.

 

4. This is the fourth time on the show that someone has broken into the ARGUS headquarters. And I'm expected to believe that this is a superpowerful very scary government agency?

 

And now, Laurel!

 

It's another little Arrow miracle, everyone! I'm shocked to be typing this, but Laurel managed to give - wait for it - genuinely good advice!  She was even supportive! Helpful!  And that blue blouse she had on was one of the best things Katie Cassidy has worn on this show in a long time - great color on her. She looked absolutely stunning tonight. And this time, her major vigilante fail wasn't her fault - she was following Oliver's orders. And I liked that she stood up for Felicity while also standing up for Oliver.  And while I can't quite say that she managed chemistry with Oliver, that scene felt a little less awkward than their usual interactions; it was one of the few times I thought that Oliver really had accepted Laurel onto the team.

 

And, finally, someone told Laurel something! I was shocked too. And laughing at how surprised Laurel was to be told about anything. And then immediately concerned that Laurel is going to start trying to learn how to run very very fast. Or become very very good friends with Barry.

 

Of course, this being Laurel, even in one of her best episodes in this season so far, she managed to fail:

 

Number of times Laurel failed as an attorney: 1. Worsening what already seems to be a very bad working relationship between the DA's office and the severely demoralized police forces of Star City, like, Laurel, those cops? Are the witnesses you will later need to work with as a prosecutor. Also, this is at least the fourth time you've criticized the Star City cops while you're out running around in a costume and a mask to go hit people which is not exactly the world's most law abiding activity. 2. Allowing Diggle in to examine the body like, hey, that's a crime scene, Laurel! 

 

Number of times Laurel failed as a vigilante: 1. Leaving the scene while Diggle and Oliver were still inside, leading to Diggle's capture and Oliver needing to blow people up, though, as said, I do have to give her a bit of a pass on this one since she was just following Oliver's orders, 2, contributing less to saving Lyla and stopping Shadowspire than two people with guns to their heads and a person hallucinating a hot Goth chick.

 

Still, the odd thing about Laurel tonight wasn't the failures - for once she was no worse than anyone else in the episode - but how, well, un-individual, for lack of a better term, her lines were. Apart from her scene with the Starling City cops, and her one line to Oliver about dating him before, pretty much every single one of her lines could have been spoken by someone else on the show, without a single change in character or beat. Change just that one line, and that boxing scene could have been done, word for word, by Thea; that particular character beat of asking Oliver what was going on and telling him not to blame himself too much for this is not just usually a Diggle or Felicity thing, but also could have been done by Lyla or Quentin.  And even the Starling City cops bit could have been done by Quentin, unless it's a setup for a later court scene where annoyed cops refuse to work with Laurel.

 

Which means that basically, the only thing that Laurel did in this episode that only Laurel could do was remind viewers that she dated Oliver before this, and then tell him that he's now in love with Felicity. Which, ok, nice of Arrow to show us that Laurel has moved on, but it does say something that Laurel's most likable episode so far this season is the one where she's spouting lines that any other character could say.

[KenyaJ]

Methinks Oliver doth protest too much.  I think he didn't want to admit that he thought it was hot. LOL

 

I'm pretty sure there's gonna be some Goth Felicity roleplay going on in their bedroom at one point or another.

[apinknightmare]

Methinks Oliver doth protest too much.  I think he didn't want to admit that he thought it was hot. LOL

"Please make bad personal style choices again soon. Like on my birthday maybe."

[Guest]

That scene where Felicity shows Oliver the picture of goth Felicity is high up in my favorite moments of theirs. I don't know why. It just felt so domestic and easy and natural? Like I could picture them hanging out like that every single night. I loved it. 

 

Ugh, I have the feels.

[bijoux]

Oh, man. This was so good. There wasn't one wasted minute in the episode.

 

Great bookends with the Diggles though I'm not sure about the wisdom of bringing Andy into their home even if it's obvious it's not permanent and he's being guarded. Lyla killed me at the beginning. She's not an active agent and out on a date with her husband but she still has a sidearm on her. Awesome. AMA was honestly great this episod. I particularly liked her sccene of seeing Andy for the first time in years in such different circumstances. It was so great to see Lyla in charge at ARGUS as I have claimed she should be since at least last season. I will say that this is the best I liked Waller in all her appearances. Great scene to commemorate her and then Felicity to bring some reality into the situation.

 

I really liked Andy in the flashbacks as well, little brat that he was. 

 

Oliver and Laurel's scene is really the best they've had over the past three and a half seasons. I never would have gone for Laurel as the person who Oliver revealed the crossover time travel to first. Does this mean that he's questioning his decision to keep his secret from Felicity. Please, make it so. I even have to admit that Laurel didn't come off as abrasive when she stepped onto that crime scene.

 

I agree with Laura Hurley. EBR really is the MVP of the episode and that's saying something since it really was a strong performance episode. There was great stuff from ADA as I already said and SA brought it as well - the teary scene in the lair was excellent -, but she kicked ass both with two Felicitys and how the present Felicity was dealing with the situation. And the humor was top notch. She cracked me up reading the side effects on her prescription. 

 

I love that Felicity went for the heels, but I do wonder how she managed to find that length of skirt in her closet. 

 

Also, Oliver totally admitted he would have hit on Goth Felicity after the credits. No way will I be convinced of anything else.

[BkWurm1]

I'm so grateful for that small Diggle and Felicity scene, but I need more guys. A lot more. I was hoping for some Lyla and Felicity too.

 

The moment when Diggle and Felicity were actually allowed to talk to each other, it felt like something off had just clicked back into place.  I missed them even more than I realized.  They have a natural, easy feel between them.

[Chaser]

@Quarks - You have a gift. I appreciate your gift.

[Actionmage]

We need more Diggle episodes. He was so awesome.

 

And yet, we don't. It's not that the Diggle is used sparingly, it's that he's barely used well in the first place this season. In my opinion.

 

I love that Lyla packs heat, even on a romantic stroll with the hubby! I hope that Lyla either ends up taking over, post-Amanda (R.I.P.) or that she joins Team Arrow. Audrey Marie Anderson is awesome and gets Lyla right. She seems to have an easy rapport with the other ladies of the Arrow lair, and gets along just fine with Oliver. Yet, I can see how not only a paycheck, but getting a chance to see how hard the tightrope walking will be in Waller's chair could be an intriguing through story for Our Ms. Michaels and John  for the future.

 

I was not thrilled with how the TV side cast "Amanda Waller", but I always appreciated Cynthia Addai-Robinspon's performances. She was gven a most unlikable character and gave you the impression she could kill you with a pink eraser and a bowl of al dente pasta. I was actually surprised and whispered "nooo!" when Dr. Dave did the deed. I hope that Ms. Addai-Robinson gets a wonderful role next and that she gets to lead, as she should. I was interested in what her Waller was up to, so I would've enjoyed a Suicide Squad weekly show with her.  Good luck in the future! ( Hey, maybe she can show up over on LoT? Time Travel!!)

 

Add me to the group not fully convinced that Andy has decided to listen to Big Brother John. He had better not let anything happen to Lyla or ,especially, Sara. A large amount of the known TV DC heroes would be glad to find anyone who hurt her. I like that Andy doesn't have a same-iness with John; that he was dirty isn't great, but that he can help save his sister-in-law is nice. (I was glad that John didn't dismiss the guard. He had him just not all up in the apartment. John does forgive, just not quickly.) 

 

My biggest quibble? That knowing Dead Agent had lost his eyeball and no ARGUS Technicians were tasked to delete any entry codes of the man- including bioscans!!

 

This episode gave me a lot of positive feels! Yay!! 

[wonderwall]

[Edited by mod:  Please don't talk about other fan's views.]

 

NOTE: THEY WERE TERRIBLE PEOPLE. 

 

It's like saying you can't disrespect Hitler... Except not as extreme. Smh

Edited January 28, 2016 by MuuMuuChainsmoker

[bijoux]

And yet, we don't. It's not that the Diggle is used sparingly, it's that he's barely used well in the first place this season. In my opinion.

 

Agreed. I used to look forward to Dig's episodes, but then grew wary of them as they kept misfiring. Until this one. This was terrific. And the flashback was helped so much by the fact that it was allowed to tell its story and not drawing it out like some others. 

 

My biggest quibble? That knowing Dead Agent had lost his eyeball and no ARGUS Technicians were tasked to delete any entry codes of the man- including bioscans!!

 

 

That and the shots of Oliver with Thea and Laurel jumping in the fight from the same place are my only quibbles in this episode. Okay, and Overwatch. Which is extremely self-congratulatory and expected. And oh. My. God. wonderwall, couldn't you have used your powers for good?! Also, I did not like the Oracle line. It felt petty and insensitive. Oh, yeah. I thought about that but another woman in a wheelchair took it. :/ Awesome. However, I am willing to let all of these go since it was truly a great, well-paced, well-acted episode all around.

[Delphi]

I couldn't put Moira in the same category as Amanda. Different levels.

[Cthulhudrew]

They really don't want to have the Suicide Squad anywhere near the tv show anymore, huh?

 

(Not a big loss, I suppose. I've always found that actress to be horrible.)

[BkWurm1]

That scene where Felicity shows Oliver the picture of goth Felicity is high up in my favorite moments of theirs. I don't know why. It just felt so domestic and easy and natural? Like I could picture them hanging out like that every single night. I loved it. 

 

Ugh, I have the feels.

I got ridiculously happy when I saw his bare feet.  Like I squeed and giggled out loud. 

[xaxat]

I got an inordinate amount of pleasure watching Layla punch that guy in the face. .  repeatedly. 

Edited January 28, 2016 by xaxat

[statsgirl]

I'm going to miss Amanda Waller.  You never quite knew where you were with her.  Why does this show kill all the grey females and keep the men?  And how stupid do they think we are that we can't keep the two actors separate.  Good thing they can't kill Barry because they just might to have only the one in the movies.

 

Since Amanda Waller was the one to drop Oliver on the island in the flashbacks, will she never appear to get him back?

 

 

My biggest quibble? That knowing Dead Agent had lost his eyeball and no ARGUS Technicians were tasked to delete any entry codes of the man- including bioscans!!

This is the real reason she had to die -- incompetence.

SO I have a confession to make that will probably make you guys hate me...

So a while ago (around episode 2ish?), I tweeted MG and tagged him about how if Felicity were to have a codename it would be Overwatch as a joke not thinking he'd see it and he responded with "That would be so cool".......... I think this whole codename thing is my fault and I regret it every single day and will forever regret it. T_T

Let that be a lesson to you to never feed the narcissists, it just gives them permission to do what they've wanted to do all along but were held back by society.

 

*Whispers*death anvil*whispers*

It's like they have a checklist they've been ticking off the past two seasons.

Edited January 28, 2016 by statsgirl

[Guest]

I got ridiculously happy when I saw his bare feet.  Like I squeed and giggled out loud. 

 

Haha. I know. What is it about a man with bare feet? I don't understand. 

 

I just liked the ease of that whole scene. 

[Athena5217]

I'm a bit pissed that DC is so shortsighted in their usage of characters. What a waste of Amanda Waller. Audiences are not idiots, DC. We can understand that the movies have one Amanda Waller and TV has another! I'll take a bit of comfort in Lyla being ARGUS' badass new leader.

YES. We understand that CBS has one Sherlock and PBS has another Sherlock, that John Wesley Shipp played The Flash on one TV show but now plays The Flash's dad on another TV show, and that Superman will not be texting Kara in the Batman vs. Superman movie. However, these are the people responsible for the Green Lantern movie, so they cannot be trusted to think logically.

I loved both of Felicity's speeches at the end of the episode, and Oliver's reaction was SQUEE! They are such a believable couple.

[wonderwall]

@mods... *sigh* my bad :p Sometimes I can't help myself! But I swear I've been doing better! :p

[Guest]

Aw. The actor who plays Andy said the ending where Sara says his name wasn't planned and he choked up because of it. MY HEART!

[MuuMuuChainsmoker]

@mods... *sigh* my bad :p Sometimes I can't help myself! But I swear I've been doing better! :p

Appreciate the effort.  Instead of this:

 

 

You can get this: 

 

[BkWurm1]

My DVR must have been feeling my worry during the Oliver/Laurel scene (it seemed like it was going fine but I was waiting for the other shoe to drop) because right as he was telling Laurel his worry about time travel, it skip ahead.  So anyone that can tell me what he said after her brought up Barry time traveling would be most appreciated.  (He was just starting to say what he was afraid might be happening but glitched before he said what he was afraid of).

 

 

Really strong episode.  Goth Felicity probably made Donna's life very challenging, lol. 

 

The regular flashbacks are such a non entity that I was almost done with the episode before I realized there was no Poppy this week.  

 

One thing that I had to laugh about was how tiny Andy looked next to John.  Like he was his kid or something.  Oh and they said Sara had their mother's eyes, awwww!  That kid is so cute. 

 

Still, Andy may have not wanted Diggle's wife to die but yeah, I'm not trusting him.  

 

So I get that Curtis was her driver, but how did Felicity get upstairs to change her clothes?  I suppose she might have still been flying on the third pain pill.  ;)

Edited January 28, 2016 by BkWurm1

[popgoesculture]

I can't get over how ridiculous Digg's mask is, particularly tonight. It's like the costume designer thought, "y'know who's cool? Welders. And Magneto. What if Magneto and a welder had a baby? And it was Digg's helmet?? Welder by day, vigilante by night! It'll be my homage to Flashdance AND X-men." 

[bijoux]

Andy became much more interesting in this ep. Now I can't wait for him to double-cross his brother, LOL! Him meeting his niece in the end was cute. But now I'm wondering, where is his family? Did Carly and AJ leave Star City?

 

They left in the summer of 2013. It was addressed in 2x02.

 

EBR did indeed kill it tonight and I liked how strong Felicity turned out in this episode.  I admit I laughed when Oliver turned his head to see who Felicity was yelling at and Goth Felicity was smiling at him.

 

Major kudos to him for not reacting to that. Though one can't help but wonder how many takes it took for him to get through it.

 

5. Since I can no longer assume that this is going to be explained, how exactly did Oliver spend that much time as a sorta trusted guard for a Shadowspire person on Evil Island and not recognize Shadowspire later? And are we to assume that Shadowspire and ARGUS were both fighting over who got to make Evil Island an even more miserable place except for the one year when Ivo showed up by coincidence and started making evil superpowered people?

 

He did mention having seen their logo before. And I want it to be noted on record that I'm operating on the theory that Oliver's five years of physical and psychological torture resulted in severe issues with his memory. So all the times he didn't share relevant information from his lost years isn't only because he didn't want to but because he couldn't piece the information together.

 

I got an inordinate amount of pleasure watching Layla punch that guy in the face. .  repeatedly. 

I really didn't that much since he was wearing a helmet so I imagined she was doing more harm to herself than him.

Do you guys really think Andy is staying over at the Diggles' after this episode? That's not what I got at all. He came through at ARGUS so he gets a home cooked meal and to meet his niece. Then the guard outside escorts him to his cell.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Oliver should not be allowed to talk about personal fashion choices. There was a time when he shaved. The horrors. 

 

Felicity was super blonde and pink in the goth reveal scene with Oliver. I was amused.

 

People who've worn their hair like this shouldn't be allowed to be critical of others' fashion choices :P