S04.E15: Taken

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oliver realizes he needs help battling Darhk so he calls in an old friend – Vixen. Using her magical ability to summon animal powers, Vixen gets a lock on Darhk's location and the team goes to war. Meanwhile, Thea has a heart-to-heart talk with Malcolm.

 

Promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxPY40aFqgc
 

[dtissagirl]

THAT WAS HORRIBLE!

But maybe props for getting Felicity walking just so she could walk out on Oliver? Idk, it was all so horrible I stopped caring.

Edited February 25, 2016 by dtissagirl

[kismet]

Oh my goodness..... whoever called her being able to walk right at the moment she needed to storm out of the loft gets a MILLION GOLD STARS!!

 

That was the perfect ending to this shit show of an episode.

[calliope1975]

So. Well. That was an episode. Of television. That I watched in my hotel room.

 

Honestly, I don’t know if I should be happy I didn’t go into a rage spiral or mad that this episode was just that bad that I stopped at embarrassed and couldn’t even get near anger.

 

The twisting of characters to sell this lame lie. The terribly blocked fights. The acting – gah, some of the acting was just bad. Let’s never have DD hold people frozen again. Please. I beg of you.

 

In proving it is opposite day – *I LIKED LAUREL. I mean, only in that scene with her father, but that’s progress, people. I thought she had a right to be mad, and I even liked KC’s acting. (*She’s totally dying.)

 

Also good – DR in that black t-shirt. Thumbs up there, Digg! Thumbs down on you supporting Oliver in his delusions of rightness, but I can’t have everything.

 

NM was also excellent as DD. I don’t even want him to lose or be defeated at this point. At least, he’s got some personality and seems driven in his goals. He makes a move and sticks to it. I can appreciate this.

 

However, I’m okay with Vixen going back to the animated world. The CGI is not good enough (though the animal part was serviceable) and that flying was…something. It was something not good. The actress was okay in parts but not so much in others.

 

Has anyone on the writing staff met a 10 year old kid recently? Whatever. Begone, Spawn!

 

I don’t know what happened in the flashbacks because I don’t care and zzzzzzzzzz. I think we’re spelunking now?

 

I think I was supposed to feel bad for Oliver at the end there, but since we’ve had .2 minutes of interaction with that child actor (who wasn’t that great in that .2 minutes) – FAIL.

 

You go, Felicity. I adore you. My baby girl – you walk right out of there. Also, I totally called that. Gotta love the tropes!

 

Let’s never speak of this episode again.

[apinknightmare]

I am actually laughing myself into tears, OMG. I didn't expect the breakup to actually be unintentionally hilarious? It's okay. I'm fine.

[Soulfire]

SHE IS LITERALLY WALKED OUT ON HIM I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING

[Angel12d]

That was their break-up? LMAO. That was so meh. But phew! Felicity was calm and collected and there was no 408 reaction in sight. All I asked for.

[EmilyBettFan]

Ahahah I called it the final scene. So did someone else!

[InsertWordHere]

I like angst. I live for angst. Angst is one of my favorite things to watch.

 

That embarrassingly awkward mess of an episode wasn't angsty. It was just embarrassingly awkward with a side of random hilarity at the end.

[dtissagirl]

I also really liked how everyone was able to have full reactions with no reservations about the stupid lie. Except Felicity.

And by liked I mean SARCASM.

[bettername2come]

"You would be dead ten times over if not for me!"

Don't you dare quote John Diggle, Merlyn! You have no right!

 

The timeline is bugging me. Seriously.Dammit, Barry, you are the worst at secrets even when you aren't on screen.

 

Cute boots, Felicity. Yes, I believe they were made for walking.

[SleepDeprived]

So, as good ol'e Damien Darhk said, "That happened." Why is Arrow so intent on making me lose brain cells? So much dumb. Oy vey. Whatever.

 

But, boy, howdy, did I clap so hard and laughed so much when Felicity, SO VERY SUDDENLY, was able to walk at the end during the breakup speech. Then she walked out on Oliver without another glance. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Laughing forever. This episode was terrible but soooo LOL-worthy!

[wonderwall]

I got this gif ready for everyone to use :p I'm actually not going to bother watching the episode lmao

 

[kismet]

Laughter is the best medicine... and I have been laughing for about an hour now. I don't think hysterical laughter was the emotional tone they were going for.

 

I did well up at the monologue, but that's all SA. Poor kid, I hope BM keeps their new hometown a secret from the writers as well.

[catrox14]

This was the literal worst episode of this show ever. 

 

The only good things were the Malcolm twist which I am taking all credit for calling, the Thea/Malcolm scene and

Oliver's monologue.

[Carrie Ann]

The fact that the monologue was the "letter" to William that I wanted--complete with him and his mother going far, far away--should really redeem everything about this episode, and yet, it didn't. I can't complete thoughts right now, but this was, in AV Club terms, an episode that gets the A/F Grade. A few highs--mostly for extra-textual reasons--but man, the lowest of lows. And unfortunately, a lot of those lows were just in lackluster performance, storytelling, action scenes, and utter failure in producing an emotional response. Yikes, Arrow, bad show.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Carrie Ann

[cambridgeguy]

Oliver - oh my god, Darkh knows William's my son.  Who could have told him?

 

Barry -nah, he's a hero, doesn't know Darkh, and only has trouble keeping his own secret identity a secret.

Thea - no way, she's my sister and she just found out anyway.

Malcom - nope, why on earth would he squeal?  All I did was chop his hand off and depose him. 

 

Oliver's conclusion - this must be one of those unsolvable mysteries.  Maybe one day if I meet the world's greatest detective I'll get him to solve this puzzle.

[Jediknight]

Freaking finally, after all this time it's finally happened.  It's about damn time Thea tore into Malcolm.  Malcolm didn't raise her, Robert did.  Robert wouldn't have brainwashed her to kill someone, and you killed him.  It's about time Thea called him out on that, and for the dickcheese that he is.

 

Felicity walking again is great.  That's why Curtis is up there with Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne in intelligence.  Less great was her breaking off her engagement with Oliver.

 

I'd like to think that the reason we don't know what city William and Samantha are going to is because they're hoping to get clearance for a big city.  Maybe they move to Metropolis, or they get clearance to have Coast City for more than 5 seconds.

[Angel12d]

Literally every person close to Oliver got a reaction about William and Felicity got a 1 minute speech at the end. SO NICE. THANKS SO MUCH. 

 

Seriously, this just proves they don't really like Felicity much at all. She was barely present. It was all such a mess.

 

And I'm mad they had basically everyone support and justify Oliver's dumb lie. What a joke. 

Edited February 25, 2016 by Angel12d

[foreverevolving]

All I thought of when Felicity stood up was: someone has been rewatching season 2 of Downton Abbey before or while writing this episode.

I liked SA emotions during the final scene.

Yay for Thea for telling Malcolm to F himself....

 

I can't really remember much else from the episode.. i'm on 12 hours of sleep in the past 3 days, so...

 

Oh yea the fight scene was terrible!

I thought Vixen was okay, but I am also sleep deprived so what do I know.

[jay741982]

I'm laughing hearing Felicity choose to use that moment to dump his ass by walking out on him LOL no sympathy Oliver

[apinknightmare]

Well, Felicity's walking again and William's gone for the foreseeable future, so...score I guess?

[InsertWordHere]

The timeline is bugging me. Seriously.Dammit, Barry, you are the worst at secrets even when you aren't on screen.

Most people on Flarrow are. I noticed that, once again, someone on Arrow mentioned Barry's first name in reference to the Flash in front of someone who did not know his secret identity. Someone from Central City who frequents the same coffee shop as Barry, no less. Not that it matters now because she's supposed to get lost. 

[hogwash]

All this was just to break them up and that's the best they could do? That breakup freaking sucked!

[statsgirl]

It was godawful.

 

Did they really think having Diggle support Oliver meant that I'm going to buy the idiocy of it all?

 

And why is Oliver listening to everyone but Felicity. I'm glad she walked out on his sorry ass.

 

Also, this is why I don't like Keto Shimuzi's episodes. She loves Laurel so much that it's like a completely different character.

[Primal Slayer]

I enjoyed it, maybe more so then the last 2 episodes. As usual it just sucks that these damn flashbacks have to be around instead of allowing us to stay on the main story at hand, could've given us more Vixen who was great and I need MORE of! More I tell you! The animal effects were good, though I was kind of disappointed how she wasn't much of a match for DD, but still, she was great, I want a live action show....and I need to know how she and Laurel know one another...Maybe it'll come up in S2 of Vixen but way to not expand on that writers!

 

I was soooooo glad that they gave Laurel a PoV on Olivers cheating instead of just skipping over it like I had expected them to. She was clearly in love with him and thus turned a blind eye and took him back however many times but she just burned at every turn so of course it just burns even more finding out that he has a love child from when they were together. If we don't get a Laurel/Felicity scene talking about how Oliver is a bad boyfriend, ill be disappointed. 

 

Felicity was also great in this episode with her having to find this all out and not even being able to really speak her mind on baby-gate due to the circumstances but I enjoyed her speech to Oliver at the end. Though it was kind of funny how she was suddenly able to walk at the end of it and just walks out.

 

Thea and Malcolm's last scene together was great, Malcolm has always been delusional but now he seems to have just gone full on cray cray.

[Angel12d]

And I stand by my sentiment that Samantha is the worst. She waited 48 hours before telling Oliver that William was missing. Has she not heard of a telephone? Awful. Just BAD.

[statsgirl]

Well, Felicity's walking again and William's gone for the foreseeable future, so...score I guess?

But Oliver is an even bigger idiot and now he's dragged Diggle down with him.

[BkWurm1]

That was incredibly unsatisfying.

[dtissagirl]

You know, I really do wonder if Felicity repressing everything is a direct response to the fact that audiences didn't like when she cried last season. So cool and collected and polite hurt is all she's allowed now.

[kismet]

Well lets talk about the good-

 

-NM is killing it as DD. Snappy lines & menacing presence. Shame his Gorilla got destroyed, at least it wasn't a shark.

 

-Thea remembered Robert!!! Maybe in another 2 seasons she'll remember Walter. :)

 

-FS can walk just at the perfect moment to walk out on OQ, so are we supposed to give him credit for being so much of an idiot that he inspired enough motivation for her to be able to walk. I did know it was going to be Curtis & OQ that were responsible for her miraculous recovery.

 

-MM is back to being snarky liar. And does anybody else really just want JB to break out into "I Will Always Love You" during one of his heart to hearts w/ TQ?

 

-Um does LL not annoying me count as a good thing?

[Coop33]

The stupid was strong with this one.  

 

Felicity literally walking out on Oliver at the end was hilarious. The break-up was fine. Nothing too damaging was said, so I'm sure they'll be back together by season's end.

 

Thea/Malcolm was good.  Glad that Thea's finally realized her father is horrible, no good, very bad person. I think they are definitely setting Malcom up to be the "him" in the flash forwards, as well as next season's big bad.

 

I liked Vixen quite a bit, but why did Oliver go all the way to Detroit and back to get her? And how does Laurel know her? 

 

I am actually feeling pretty zen about everything now that the BMD is over. I hope Mandyville has a nice welcome parade for BM and William. Let's never visit them.

[HighHopes]

While I have been waiting for a break up since 3x23 aired (and have actually been hoping for it), that was not the break up I wanted. Felicity should be allowed to be angry, she deserves it, and she deserved to yell. Instead we get an understanding Felicity? In 30 seconds right before a month long hiatus? Really? 

 

Also Oliver, maybe you should know where your kid is considering how easy it was for everyone else to figure out you had a kid. What happens the next tim the bad guy of the year wants to hurt you? He obviously is going to figure out you have a kid. 

 

Now more than ever I hope the season ends with Felicity and Oliver apart, and Felicity finally spending her summer doing something for her. 

 

(No amount of heart eyes or teary eyes is going to work on me Oliver. I have no sympathy for you at all).

[Scribbles]

They had to make Oliver mess it up one more time by not including Felicity in the decision of what to do next.  I wondered for a while why just the info we had was enough for a break up, and as soon as I saw him recording that message I literally said "And there ya have it!"

 

I watched with a very casual watcher and she liked the episode.  She liked Vixen, the bit about the kid changing to GA as his new fav and the way they had GA whale on a depowered DD.  This watcher doesn't follow the relationship stuff at all, but she walked out saying "they will get back together, she wanted a reason to stay".  My casual watcher did not care for the insta-walk thing, called it "too contrived".

 

More thoughts to follow but wanna process a bit without my guest watcher.

[Angel12d]

LOL I'm not over how unsatisfying that break-up was. It was just so meh. Not gut-wrenching or anything. Oliver just sat there like he was waiting for someone to bring him breakfast. Haha. 

 

And I'm glad Felicity got to walk away but the fact that she did it so easily when 2 days before she was struggling to take a step is RIDICULOUS. She'd have to rebuild the muscle and OMG I'm trying to logic this crap. I cannot!

[nksarmi]

Ok things I liked - Vixen! Hello angel who gives Oliver damn good advice!

 

Laurel did get to react to finding out Oliver fathered a child while he was dating her.  Quentin got to comment that he's surprised there aren't more out there! Perfect father/daughter scene.

 

Felicity got to know that yes - even Malcolm knew before she did.  And even though BM actually tried to take the blame, Felicity still knows it was Oliver's stupid ass choice!

 

Felicity got to break up with him not just for what he did this time, but for the fact that he still doesn't treat her like a partner - not even at the end when he decided to send the boy away.

 

Thea got to rip Malcolm and she remembered Robert Queen - her real dad!

 

Otherwise, it was kind of bad, but at least it's over.

[hogwash]

Since when do Oliver and Thea know the difference between a biological father and a father? I'm shocked. Can't wait for them to murder him later this season.

[Carrie Ann]

All this was just to break them up and that's the best they could do? That breakup freaking sucked!

 

I like angst. I live for angst. Angst is one of my favorite things to watch.

 

That embarrassingly awkward mess of an episode wasn't angsty. It was just embarrassingly awkward with a side of random hilarity at the end.

 

That was incredibly unsatisfying.

 

This is the biggest bummer to me. If we had to put up with the Lie of Plot Contrivance, I desperately wanted a great breakup and lots of angst. This was...not that at all. They just sucked all the drama out before Felicity was allowed to respond, and when she did, it just felt rushed and unemotional, and not in a "trying to restrain myself" way. In a very anticlimactic way--not a knock on EBR, because SA gave nothing the whole episode outside of that video, so he wasn't helping either. I think it was just lackluster writing, plus plotting that kind of left everything feeling inevitable and not interesting.

 

And then she got up on her superlegs and that was just kind of the capper on the ridiculous shit sandwich that was this episode.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Carrie Ann

[apinknightmare]

And I'm glad Felicity got to walk away but the fact that she did it so easily when 2 days before she was struggling to take a step is RIDICULOUS. She'd have to rebuild the muscle and OMG I'm trying to logic this crap. I cannot!

 

Would you expect anything but expedited perfection and high performance from an implantable bio stimulant (not microchip) built by Curtis Holt?!

[MsSchadenfreude]

Okay I'll be the opposite, I didn't think the episode was that bad at all.  

 

Felicity got her say about how Oliver doesnt know how to be partners and always hides things instead of including her. Then she got to walk out on Oliver.  Yay, Felicity!

 

Thea finally got to tell off Malcolm. Yay Thea!

 

Laurel and Quentin had a good scene.

 

Vixen (and the actress playing her) were fine. 

 

Samantha and William are now in Arrow's version of witness protection. They're gone and no one knows where they're going, so no kid on the show.

 

Damien was his snarky self.

 

Diggle and nuBabySara were adorable!

 

Oliver is suffering the consequences of being lying liar who lies. No Felicity, not part of his son's life. I'm good with that.

[catrox14]

The one thing I always relied on with Malcolm was that he was, and always will be BSC.  I feel vindicated in my loyalty to that crazy m'fer.

[Angel12d]

Would you expect anything but expedited perfection and high performance from an implantable bio stimulant (not microchip) built by Curtis Holt?!

 

No, you're right. I forgot Gary Stu made it. My mistake.

[Jediknight]

Would you expect anything but expedited perfection and high performance from an implantable bio stimulant (not microchip) built by Curtis Holt?!

 

 

No, you're right. I forgot Gary Stu made it. My mistake.

Well the guy is smarter than Ray, and up there with Lex Luthor and Batman, so it makes sense he'd be able to do it.

[statsgirl]

I'm ragey that Oliver will listen to every damn person except for Felicity.  And then he makes peace with William and Samantha before he thinks to talk to Felicity?

 

If I had to suffer through this mess, at least Oliver should have been able to keep seeing William. I hate that Vixen, who Oliver barely knows, has more input into his decision than Felicity.

 

And just when did Laurel and Vixen get to be best buds?

 

Maybe Ray is available for dating now that she's free of Oliver?

[Angel12d]

I didn't like Laurel comforting her old friend Samantha. It made me super uncomfortable, even though I predicted that exact thing would happen. It gives me shades of s1 when they tried to make her out to be this saint who does nothing wrong.

 

However, I did like her scene with her dad when she said that it still stung finding out Oliver cheated. That was real to me. So well done for that. She did deserve that reaction. I actually hoped for more anger tbh. It's deserved at this point.

 

I'm so confused by Thea and her relationship with Malcolm and how she views parents. She calls Robert, the man who raised her, by his first name now, even though he was in her life for what - 14 years? And Malcolm has only been in her life for 2 years and he's done the worst things imaginable and she calls him dad? WTF. 

 

And let's not forget the irony of her preaching about not being able to stand MM coming over to her apartment and spewing lies when she was advocating Oliver's lies last week. I can't with this nonsense. 

Edited February 25, 2016 by Angel12d

[Velocity23]

So Samantha was Laurels friend?

[madhacker]

First off I just couldn't figure out why Oliver just called in Vixen for back up. If I were him I'd of also called Roy, Barry Cisco (hey he could've "vibed" where William was) and the entire Legends team (I'm pretty sure Cisco still has Kendra's cell number for emergencies). I'd love to see Damien's face seeing all of those guys coming at him (yep I'm including Cold and Heatwave. Those two might be only be out for themselves, but even they'd draw the line at endangering an innocent boy). Darke would've lasted maybe 10 seconds against all of that power.

 

I also want a Vixen series or last least have her join up with the Legends team if nothing else to watch Mari slam Heatwave against a wall with her elephant strength when he make the inevitable crude remark about her.

[AyChihuahua]

So Felicity pretty definitely dumped him, right? I hear it was way too short, but as long as she dumped him I can deal.

[Sunshine]

And I stand by my sentiment that Samantha is the worst. She waited 48 hours before telling Oliver that William was missing. Has she not heard of a telephone? Awful. Just BAD.

Well, she only told him because Barry Allen, CSI told her to.

[kismet]

No, you're right. I forgot Gary Stu made it. My mistake.

It did have a delayed response and it required just the right amount of contrived situation to work... so perhaps Gary Stu was a little off his game. Or he can predict the future and knew to delay the working of the chip until these boots are made for walking moment.

 

Now that I think about it, I think he can predict the future - so perfect engineering. My mistake.