S05.E12: Bratva

[Hiveminder]

31 minutes ago, wonderwall said:

Definitely possible. I'm not sure what the whole story is. But my point still stands that the writers are great at writing steady/healthy relationships and suck at writing relationship drama.

There's an easy solution for that that, but they won't take it. 

[tennisgurl]

I really did think that was a good episode, even if it didn't advance the "plot" a whole lot. Not perfect*, but it was a really solid, enjoyable outing. Possibly because it had focus on Oliver, Felicity, and Dig, as it should be. We got action, some decent flashbacks, good character stuff, and some plot movement in the end.

Oh shit! Reporter lady is onto Oliver! Honestly, its amazing he's never been busted before, with all the crazy shit he's gotten up to on the last few years. Is she just sleeping with Oliver to get information? Because, lady, there are easier ways to see if a guy has tattoos. Especially when you are looking into picture evidence! Also, would people in Star City really be that surprised at this point? I mean, they're probably going to be like "So our mayor is a masked vigilante who shoots people with arrows, and is ALSO a semi-retried captain in the Russian mob? Big whoop. Call us when he turns out to be an alien ghost.".

Seriously, why does Rory have to go?! He was the only newbie I feel really connected to, has unique cool powers, and is totally likable. Granted, Rene and Curtis have gotten a lot better lately (I did enjoy Rene and Quentin this week), but I wouldn't really miss them if they went away. Roy is a really cool character, and I love his backstory and the contrast between his creepy superhero appearance, and his sweet, adorable personality. And I love how spiritual he is, and how the show and characters respect him for it. Even better is that his faith is Jewish, which you don't see as much of on TV. I mean, you see plenty of Jewish people on TV, but their actual faith is usually not gotten into very much, with it being more cultural than spiritual. It was interesting to see how much his tragedy and religious faith affected him. But I guess no one wanted to see that anymore...

Dark Felicity is HOT. I'm looking forward to seeing her get darker, as long as they do well with it, and don't have her go so bad she cant come back. And was it me, or does Digs voice get a kind of Christian Slater as Batman kind of quality when he gets angry? "WHERE ARE THEY?!?!". And Dinah/Tina was alright. She's not really blowing me away (heh), but she isn't really pissing me off this episode. They seemed to have toned down her "touch girl" talk from last week, so that's a plus. I still don't feel like we need her though. #bringbackrory17

Always good seeing Anatoli, even when he's not thrilled with Oliver. I enjoyed him telling Curtis how much his pronunciation sucked. The guy isn't really a good guy, but he has his own code of honor that he believes in strongly. Plus, he brings the snark and the good vodka, which are both always welcome.

[Starfish35]

I thought it was fine.  Wasn't wowed.  

As far as Dinah goes, I didn't see any kind of flirtatiousness from her.  I think so far they're doing a decent job of keeping her low-key.  Most of the focus was on Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle, and the connection they have, and Oliver needed an outsider (Dinah) to give him some perspective.  Beyond that one scene, she really didn't get much attention.  At least I thought so.  

I'm sad Rory is leaving, and I must be more on the Raglicity train than I thought, because I found myself expecting a kiss during their goodbye scene.  Lol - sorry, don't kill me.

Although honestly, I didn't really like him immediately ratting her out to Oliver.  I know it was necessary to set up Oliver's emotional crisis of the week, but I still didn't care for it.

The thing with Susan.....eh, sorry, I don't really care. Oliver is a complete idiot - that's totally established.  Beyond that, I really couldn't care less. 

Edited February 9, 2017 by Starfish35

[Lady Calypso]

I enjoyed the episode enough.

I liked the use of Dinah in this episode. At least I don't hate her outright. I don't love her, but I don't want her off the team like I did with Wild Dog for about ten episodes. She's mostly useful, and she provided an outsider's perspective to Oliver, much like how Felicity did when she first joined his team. Seeing as we need another female and they don't seem to want Thea on the team anymore, I guess Dinah's the next best thing. I'm just waiting for some Dinah/Felicity interactions, to see if they work better than Laurel/Felicity's "friendship". Plus, I enjoyed Dinah/Diggle's mini conversation. There's hope for her.

Hey, Wild Dog was ok for the second episode in a row! I don't love him, but he's moved up to the Tolerate column, so that's something. I wasn't really invested in the Rene/Quentin scenes, though. I didn't care all that much, even if they weren't awful. 

I'm going to miss Rory a lot. He was the introvert on the team, and he worked really well. I even got over his magic rags very early on because that's how good of a character he's been. It's too bad they put him on the sidelines since his earlier appearances in favour of Wild Dog and Mister Terrific. I would have loved to see more Raglicity scenes. Felicity needed a best friend who provided a balance to her personality, and Curtis is way too much like Felicity. At least they didn't kill him off, so there's a chance he can come back if they really want him to. It's too bad I think he'll make maybe one more appearance and that's it. I mean, he was going to be honest with Oliver about Felicity! So close! I wish he dropped that on him before he left the team.

Badass Dark Felicity is badass and dark. It's too bad she won't listen to Oliver's "light" speech, but I am so into Felicity's individual storyline. It's about damn time. Plus, I predict some great Diggle/Felicity moments coming from it. 

I've accepted that they want Oliver to regress back to his stupid self with Susan so whatever. I just ignore those scenes and I can pretend that she doesn't exist. Much like #Poppy, although I guess it'll be a lot harder this season to ignore. 

Anatoli's still awesome, and I really enjoyed the present day and flashback scenes. 

[statsgirl]

57 minutes ago, Starfish35 said:

I'm sad Rory is leaving, and I must be more on the Raglicity train than I thought, because I found myself expecting a kiss during their goodbye scene.  Lol - sorry, don't kill me.

I genuinely expected a hug because I thought Rory planned to text because it was too painful to say good bye, but nothing, nada, so long and thanks for all the fish.

[Sunshine]

1 hour ago, Starfish35 said:

I'm sad Rory is leaving, and I must be more on the Raglicity train than I thought, because I found myself expecting a kiss during their goodbye scene.  Lol - sorry, don't kill me.

 

Ha!  I just rewatched 5.12.  I remember thinking last night that they should have hugged. They've been through a lot together.  Rory said he'd be back.  I don't know if he will or he won't.   I did wonder if he comes back if he might be a love interest for her, especially if GA/BC happens. It might have been the actors and not the script but I thought they both looked like they wanted to kiss for a moment. LOL!   

[TwistedandBored]

All I know is that Felicity stole this. At first when I saw her, Rory, and Curtis, I thought it was going to be a comedy bit but as soon as Felicity told the Russian guy, "Don't make me ask you again." I just sat up straight and paid attention. I love how EBR's played that scene. She was Felicity but darker and more scarier complete with voice and facial change. EBR also played different emotional beats during her goodbye scene with Rory too. She was just amazing throughout the episode. 

 

Speaking of Rory...

Edited February 10, 2017 by TwistedandBored

[Mellowyellow]

5 minutes ago, TwistedandBored said:

All I know is that Felicity stole this. At first when I saw her, Rory, and Curtis, I thought it was going to be a comedy bit but as soon as Felicity told the Russian guy, "Don't make me ask you again." I just sat up straight and paid attention. I love how EBR's played that scene. She was Felicity but darker and more scarier complete with voice and facial change. EBR also played different emotional beats during her goodbye scene with Rory too. She was just amazing throughout the episode. 

I was worried that they were going to send Felicity off to do a cute/comic relief side escapade while Oliver and Dinah did the important mission. Don't get me wrong I love her being cute but I didn't want her shafted as the cute one all the time.

Instead I got Dinah getting the sh@ts with Oliver and Felicity being all round terrifying! Happy camper here!

[TwistedandBored]

3 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I was worried that they were going to send Felicity off to do a cute/comic relief side escapade while Oliver and Dinah did the important mission. Don't get me wrong I love her being cute but I didn't want her shafted as the cute one all the time.

Instead I got Dinah getting the sh@ts with Oliver and Felicity being all round terrifying! Happy camper here!

 

Me too. I really did not want them to forget last episode happen which tends to happen with these writers. I am glad they are showing us the many ways Felicity is changing instead of just telling us. 

[Hiveminder]

1 hour ago, Starfish35 said:

 

I'm sad Rory is leaving, and I must be more on the Raglicity train than I thought, because I found myself expecting a kiss during their goodbye scene.  Lol - sorry, don't kill me.

 

Just goes to show how subjective these things can be. I don't see one iota of sexual or romantic chemistry between them. Maybe because I just can't see Rory that way for some reason. In my head, he's asexual. 

[romantic idiot]

It wasn't so much romantic as intimacy / closeness. They felt really close, so the lack of a hug goodbye was glaring. 

Speaking of, with Tinah, when Olicity started out, there wasn't a lot of romantic chemistry either. They started out as friends who became close friends and then partners. So when i see heart to heart chats happening, I do worry at bit. 

[MaisyDaisy]

11 minutes ago, romantic idiot said:

It wasn't so much romantic as intimacy / closeness. They felt really close, so the lack of a hug goodbye was glaring. 

Speaking of, with Tinah, when Olicity started out, there wasn't a lot of romantic chemistry either. They started out as friends who became close friends and then partners. So when i see heart to heart chats happening, I do worry at bit. 

I felt that about welcoming Digg back, no pat on the back, no hug or should've squeeze. Especially when Felicity had just done him a solid in helping to get him out.

Perhaps they are wanting show that she's at a distance?

[jay741982]

On 2/8/2017 at 9:36 PM, wonderwall said:

Stephen looked like he wanted to die in that post sex scene with Susan I'm LAUGHING. STEPHEN'S NOTP FACE LIVES.

LOL I'm dead. Tears in my eyes from laughing 

[Mellowyellow]

25 minutes ago, romantic idiot said:

Speaking of, with Tinah, when Olicity started out, there wasn't a lot of romantic chemistry either. They started out as friends who became close friends and then partners. So when i see heart to heart chats happening, I do worry at bit. 

I freaked out over the dialogue only when the spoiler was given but Oliver seemed really irritated in that scene and Dinah seemed pissed and impatient at his manpain.

I honestly didn't think the scene would read like that. At the very worse I thought it would be some emotional bonding, at the best it would sound like a nice pep talk. They both looked really irritated and not in a sexual tension kind of way. Reminds me of when I am dealing with a twit in real life and gritting my teeth! 

I think if I compare that to the "You're not the only person who can reboot my system" that was VERY different. Or when he gaped at Felicity in the gold dress. I will be wary going forward but if they continue this trajectory for a few more episodes I will be more at ease. Praying for a Cisco/Caitlin or Barry/Caitlin dynamic here!!!!!!!!

[lemotomato]

27 minutes ago, romantic idiot said:

It wasn't so much romantic as intimacy / closeness. They felt really close, so the lack of a hug goodbye was glaring. 

Speaking of, with Tinah, when Olicity started out, there wasn't a lot of romantic chemistry either. They started out as friends who became close friends and then partners. So when i see heart to heart chats happening, I do worry at bit. 

When Olicity started out, Oliver actually made eye-contact with Felicity when they talked or he gazed at her with fondness.  During the Tinah and Oliver heart-to-heart chat, he spent half the conversation looking straight ahead and when he did look at her he seemed irritated. 

[LeighAn]

27 minutes ago, romantic idiot said:

It wasn't so much romantic as intimacy / closeness. They felt really close, so the lack of a hug goodbye was glaring. 

Speaking of, with Tinah, when Olicity started out, there wasn't a lot of romantic chemistry either. They started out as friends who became close friends and then partners. So when i see heart to heart chats happening, I do worry at bit. 

I don't really see that. 1x03 Felicity was flustered upon meeting Oliver in the tv version of "girl meets cool hot guy" Oliver plays the scene charmed

1x09 Oliver gazes at Felicity while she's not looking Felicity does her tech thing Oliver is amazed and tells her she's remarkable and it's played very these two people are charmed by each other then Oliver wishes her a happy Hanukkah in a very flirty flirt way.

1x10 1x11? Again Oliver goes to see Felicity and gives her a story about a scavenger hunt in a very I'm going to get my flirt on to get this girl to help me and Felicity seems aware that he's bullshitting her but enjoying the attention. There's promises of owing her a bottle of wine and getting behind her shoulder while she's on the computer. Then Felicitys slight disappointment of "no wine"

1x12 Felicity openly appreciates Olivers body to his amusement and slightly flustered. He meets her late at night at a cafe where she tells him she feels like she can trust him when he tries to pull an Ollie on her she looks sad and he finally becomes real with her and promises she can trust him.

1x14 he seeks out her car after he's shot Felicity stays by his side while he's unconscious and is shown to be clearly affected. Oliver gives her a heartfelt Thankyou for saving him and welcomes her on the team after saying he already considered her an honorary member.

1x15 There's the Oliver "intimidating" Felicity and the standing a breath apart from each other while they test each other barriers. Oliver openly admires her in checking her out way for the first time in a formal dress as the tv way of "Guy sees girl he hasn't thought about as a woman for the first time" cliche. There was also him showing off at Big Belly Burger about his usual methods of getting Intel. And the fact that he pursues the Dodger simply as an olive branch to prove to Felicity that he's not just a killer.

I don't think they were set up as endgame in season one but they were certainly set up as a meet cute opposites attract dynamic.

[romantic idiot]

Yeah, but I was really talking after she came on  the team. They didn't really know each other well in these episodes. After she came on it was about cheering him up and discussions etc. Anyway, as I said, not too worried. Just not not worried either.

[BkWurm1]

Quote

I want to see Oliver in real non Felicity romantic relationship, [I'm paraphrasing you here, removing the question of Felicity and Dinah's potential relationship.  Still, I think I got your feelings right.  If I'm wrong and am putting words in your mouth, let me know]

 

Quote

A real and thoughtfully written relationship with Dinah would give me something, it would give me information about him that he doesn't just hop from vagina to vagina but is capable of forming an adult with romantic relationship OTHER than the one I've already seen play out with Felicity,I want to know the kind of man he's capable of being WITHOUT her (the horror, the horror), and have it maybe not always be: dumbass who jumps in bed with the women he doesn't really love.

I guess for me, I'm not interested in that guy anymore.  I've seen him in relationships with Sara, Laurel, Helena, McKenna, Shado and now Susan.  He was supposed to have been in love with Laurel and at least had strong feelings for McKenna and Shado while seeing himself in Helena and Sara (with the added actually knew and loved Sara even if he was never IN love with her).   Once he stopped cheating, he's not that bad at relationships, but also it's not been anything special.  So I already know that he can have adult romantic relationships.  So what I really learn now when he is in a relationship, is what he is like in a relationship with that particular individual.  

But again, I'm not interested in seeing who he becomes with someone else.  Not since I've seen who he can be with Felicity.  

.  For me, the guy he is with Felicity was different from the other guys he was in all his other relationships and it was a difference that I liked an awful lot.  Oliver with Felicity was a man reawakening to the possibilities of life and that combined with trying to also be a superhero made for very compelling television.  

I'm not talking about the guy that was certain he couldn't have a real relationship, that guy was a chore to watch, but the guy before that who was opening up and wanting more without expecting any of it  and the guy he became once he got past his hang ups was a guy I was really interested in.  I was hooked as he grew and started thinking about his future and tried to come to turns with how to be both the man and the mask.  

He then faltered badly in hiding the kid and Olicity ended, but his journey to being that better man, that man he can be with Felicity, is one I still want to see. I want him to succeed and I can't consider it a win if he doesn't get back together with Felicity.  I'd feel like four years of story telling got scuttled if he instead has a serious love connection with someone else.   I'd feel like the story that was being told was never finished. That it was in fact made pointless.

That story of who he is with Felicity isn't over.  I was rooting for that guy.  I don't particularly like this current version of him and I am not interested in seeing who he would become with someone else.  That's not the story or I'm invested in.  

And by that, I don't mean Olicity  per say, but that the show continuing with Olicity feels like the only way to me that the story of Oliver becoming this better man can be told.  Sure, Felicity could vanish and he could just become the perfect balance of GA and OQ but it would be deeply unsatisfying for him to not succeed against the biggest adversary he's faced, himself.  Season four made too big of a deal out of Olicity for me to ever feel he can come out a winner if he ends up with anyone else.  You can't have a line like "you're my always" and then have him actually completely content and in love with someone else .  Maybe in a more realistic drama but not with the genre of superheroes.  Anything that would come next is tainted by the knowledge that it's a substitute for what he wants.  A substitute for what IMO made him the best version of Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow.  

Who Oliver Queen might be in a serious romantic relationship with Dinah Drake could turn out to be a perfectly serviceable hero, but that's not the guy I care about.  That's not the journey I've stuck around to see.  That's not the show I can watch.   

Edited February 11, 2017 by BkWurm1

[LeighAn]

Yeah I don't understand the argument that a character is only an "adult" of they dated/have relationships with a bazillion different people over having one deep committed relationship with one character that helps them grow as a person.

Not to mention having a romantic relationship with one character rubbed right in your ex fiancé face who you call the love of your life, and who he still loves and who loves him back on some level, because all three characters work together everyday, I hardly see making Oliver look more adult or mature. 

Thankfully I've yet to see one iota of a hint that the writers intend to write romance between Oliver and Tinah and since Stephen barely looks replacement Canary in the eye when she talks to him and hasn't so much as smiled at her yet and like he did with Katie does that thing where when she touches him he gets that look of "why is this bitch touching me?" even if the writers do decide to give it a shot it's pretty much already a fail in comparison to Stephen and Emily's chemistry. 

To be honest in terms of chemistry I don't see Juliana and Stephen much different from Katie and Stephen except that Juliana is a slightly better actress. 

[Mellowyellow]

Nah I will concede that he looks much less horrified at JH. Not saying there is heart eyes or romance but definitely not the horrified looks he used to give Laurel.

I didn't want him with Laurel ever but I wanted him to tone down the face a bit! It came off looking bizzare after a while!

What I find amusing is from the Facebook vid he did with EBR and the Twitter exchanges they seem so much like siblings. And then it's all heart eyes on screen. Even the painful 505 was full on heart eyes at the end. 

I feel like I can't relax yet though cuz these idiot writers could do anything one day. Making sense is not their forte. I'm on permanent canary watch for shifty behaviour!

[ComicFan777]

Question: How did Alena from Helix know about Felicity taking down Walker?

Can Helix somehow trace Felicity every time she uses the USB?  If so, then they would just know that Felicity looked in the data cache for info on Russian guys including Maxim Ostrovsky, but they wouldn't know she met up with him.  Using Ostrovsky's access to Detralink, Felicity was able to track Walker's burner phone - but Helix wouldn't know that Felicity was the one logging into Detralink instead of Ostrovsky.  Or did Helix access cameras to track Felicity's and all of Team Arrow's movements in Russia?...I think I'm missing something here.

Edited February 11, 2017 by ComicFan777

[way2interested]

9 minutes ago, ComicFan777 said:

Question: How did Alena from Helix know about Felicity taking down Walker?

They knew that she was after Walker in the first place, IIRC. That's why she gave Felicity the USB in the first place, because it had information from the NSA on Walker. Felicity was searching for the vanished info (that Helix had) on Walker and Helix found Felicitt searching for it. They probably just kept tabs on Walker and,  once they saw that Diggle was released and Walker was arrested, figured that Felicity used their info and she just messaged Felicity at that particular moment for **dramatic effect**. They might not even know she necessarily used the USB to blackmail Ostrovsky (since Alena's message was just about using Pandora to get Walker, but it could have been referring to Felicity's entire process), but I also wouldn't be surprised if they were keeping tabs on Pandora being used/opened in general and not necessarily tracking it or Felicity.

[immortalfrieza]

Welp, I just spent the last several weeks watching through the whole show to get caught up and finally got done. Arrow is a good show at the worst of times, I'd say this was an average episode overall, nothing important really happened, this was really more of a character development episode than anything else. As much as I dislike how the writers have started to turn back the show into darkness after wisely changing it up with season 4, I feel like this season and last season should have been switched character developmentwise at least with Oliver because his desire to move on and become a better person would have served well as a build up to the happier, much more optimistic person he was in season 4, instead of just 5 month timeskip and suddenly he's Mr. Sunshine.

I don't mind the fact that Oliver slept with Susan, one of Oliver's most consistent flaws is to see the best in people long after they've proven they don't deserve it which has blinded him to the obvious fact that he's being played many times over the course of this show, combined with his desire to move on from his past and likely Felicity in particular and I can easily see how he can avoid realizing that Susan is using him like she uses everyone and hope that he can help her be better over everybody else's objections. Oliver has tried to forgive and redeem quite a few characters on this show, Helena, Roy, (despite the Mirakuru warping his mind) Isabel, Evelyn, Black Siren, Dinah Drake (one of the very few that actually bore fruit) and now Susan, not all of which just because he was listening to his dick, a tendency which has backfired on him much more often than not. Of course Oliver would give Susan a pass pretty quickly when she stopped actively antagonizing him and his administration, but I agree that Oliver then proceeding to sleep with her not long after was pretty bad of the writers even if it was pretty obvious that's where they were going to go, they should've at least given it a few more episodes to give the two more of a chance to build up a rapport and kept the whole "she's just using Oliver" part out of it until then, it would have been more believable that way.

I figured that Rory would leave sooner or later. When I saw his powerset it wasn't a stretch to recognize that he was either going to lose his powers and leave or die at some point since he's basically invincible and could finish just about any fight that didn't involve a metahuman in less than a minute unless they either made him stand around doing nothing a lot (which is why his scenes were limited to him just talking to people and during fights doing little other than just roping one or two guys up and throwing them around before getting taken out or just not doing anything further) or got rid of him. Even though we all know he'll be back Rory's heroic not so sacrifice would be a good enough sendoff for the character if they decided not to bring him back.

That said, I echo the sentiments that Rene is a bad character and he would have been preferable to have him get written out over Rory, he's has largely just been an annoying reckless dick the whole season and scenes like his with Lance are going to have to become routine rather than the exception to turn that around. While I get that the writers are trying to build Rene up into a hero over the course of the season being a total dick should never be the STARTING POINT of a character ever unless they're a villain or it's supposed to be treated comically so someone is there to be kicked around. Besides, Most of the other characters on the show past and present didn't need character development to be good, they just were good to begin with and the character development they had ENHANCED the characters rather than were just there to fix hated flaws in the character, and even if they weren't good right out of the box they shaped up within two or 3 episodes rather than taking a whole season. The writing of the other characters just makes Rene's glaring flaws even more evident than they already are, and NEWSFLASH writers! People tend to hate total dicks, it's in the definition of the words so if you want people to like your characters making them a total dick is probably a terrible idea.

On 2/9/2017 at 4:46 AM, LeighAn said:

With Olivers storyline I appreciate from a thematic point that the way the Big Bad is fighting Oliver this year is not through blunt force or physical attacks but by manipulating and corrupting the people closes to Oliver and having him watch his friends destroy themselves or their moral lines. I think it's a smart and different move for a Big Bad on this show. 

I also see how this leads to Okiver growth because it's not how good he is at fighting or what trick bows he has that will win this fight, he'll win based on how good he is at inspiring and giving light and hope to his friends and believers Yada Yada.

It's not different at all, in fact Prometheus' whole character seems at this point at least to just be an amalgamation of Malcom Merlyn and Slade Wilson. Prometheus whole plan is really just Slade 2.0, the actual Slade did the whole "I'm going to destroy everything you love and make you hate and doubt yourself before I kill you" thing already, as well as trying to turn Oliver's friends and loved ones against him and each other. Even manipulating and corrupting the people close to Oliver has more to do with Diggle's General and even Evelyn betraying Team Arrow was just Oliver's mistakes coming back to bite him (because the writers turned his list into a kill list when it wasn't) which were both situations Prometheus took advantage of to make Oliver doubt himself than anything Prometheus actually set into motion himself.

Oliver will also win because he finally gets his head out of his ass, stops going in alone to take on Prometheus, and recognizes he can't take this guy alone (though after 5 years of hell and another 5 of experience and training culminating in him beating the head of an entire assassin order there's no reason he shouldn't be able to beat this guy down easily) just like when he finally beat every other Big Bad in every other season.

Edited February 14, 2017 by immortalfrieza

[tv echo]

Screenrant spotted this possible easter egg in the Talia/Oliver scene in 512...
http://screenrant.com/arrow-cw-green-lantern-easter-eggs/

Quote

The flashbacks continued, as Talia is training Ollie in Russia. His first mission: Kill low level Russian drug dealers. His second mission: Kill drug kingpin Hideo Yamane (King Lau) during an exchange with a Russian drug supplier. After that deed was done, the two vigilantes return to their hideout and hold a conversation about Ollie returning to Star City and exacting vengeance on those who have failed his city. While that conversation was enticing, it’s what’s sitting on the table between them that should have fans talking – is that Green Lantern’s Power Battery?
*  *  *
The Green Lantern Easter Eggs continue to pop up within the Arrowverse with perhaps the biggest, in-your-face teaser of them all appearing on Arrow this week – the Green Lantern Power Battery....

Edited February 14, 2017 by tv echo

[way2interested]

Someone alert Quarks.

[BkWurm1]

Leftover prop from the failed movie?

[Starfish35]

Oh my. :)

[tv echo]

512 (Bratva) - Oliver Queen’s voiceover intro:
Oliver (voiceover): "My name is Oliver Queen. After five years in hell, I returned home with only one goal - to save my city. Today I fight that war on two fronts: By day, I lead Star City as its mayor. But by night, I am someone else. I am something else. I am the Green Arrow."

512 (Bratva) – Felicity tracks General Walker to Russia:
Oliver (entering with Diggle): "What can you tell us?
Felicity: "Lots. But first, welcome back! Hugs, kisses, warm feelings."
Diggle: "Likewise."
Felicity: "I just got word from Lyla that A.R.G.U.S. discovered a batch of encrypted e-mails between Walker and a group of Markovian separatists."
Diggle: "He's looking to sell the nuke. We can't let that happen."
Oliver: "We've got the U.S. military and A.R.G.U.S. hunting Walker."
Felicity: "They can't go where it's going. The deal's in Russia."
Diggle: "This is personal. We have to take that murderous son-of-a-bitch off the grid - right now, whatever it takes!"
Oliver: "City Hall gives me access to a private plane."
Felicity: "I'm coming too."
Oliver: "Felicity -"
Felicity: "This is personal for me as well. I promised I'd never let another Havenrock happen again, as long as it was in my power, and I believe that this qualifies."
Diggle: "Walker will have his whole unit with him, maybe even some Markovians with him. We need the whole team for this."
Oliver: "Agreed. But Quentin just got out of rehab and, with Thea out of town, I - I need someone to keep an eye on him."
Felicity: "Who'd you have in mind?"

512 (Bratva) – Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, Curtis, Rory and Dinah arrive in Russia, and Oliver is greeted by Anatoly:
Rory: "Okay, this whole flying private thing is something I could get used to."
Oliver: "Being Mayor has its perks."
Felicity: "You're lucky Star City's sister city is in Russia."
Oliver: "As of 12 hours ago at least."
Diggle (to Dinah): "You ready for this?"
Dinah: "When I signed on, I didn't think I'd be stopping a nuclear arms deal in a foreign country."
Diggle: "When I signed on, I didn't think I'd be dealing with aliens."
Dinah: "Aliens?"
Diggle: "Yeah."
Rory: "John said you had friends in Russia?"
Oliver: "One friend. Reached out, didn't hear back."
Anatoly (approaching): "Oliver Queen." 
Oliver: "Anatoly."
(Anatoly punches Oliver.)
Anatoly: "You never should've come back to Russia."

512 (Bratva) – Team Arrow sets up shop in an empty Russian mansion:
Felicity: "Ugh. It feels like somebody died of tuberculosis in here."
Rory: "What's the Russian word for 'creepy'?"
Curtis: "Zhutko. I was studying on the plane. Where did you find this place?"
Diggle: "Lyla. This used to be an A.R.G.U.S. safe house. As you can tell from Amero-Russian relations, it hasn't been used much lately."
Dinah: "Yeah, no kidding."
Rory: "And why aren't we working with A.R.G.U.S.? I assume preventing black market nuclear deals would be pretty high on their to-do list."
Oliver: "John's right about Russia. A.R.G.U.S. can't operate here without causing a diplomatic crisis."
Felicity: "Oh yeah, speaking of diplomatic crises, why did your friend punch you?"
Oliver: "Three years ago, I used a Bratva contact when I was trying to track Slade Wilson. He asked me for something in exchange. I refused. Slade killed him. How long do you think until we're up and running?"
Felicity: "I'm not sure. I'm pretty much starting from scratch here, and I have to hack the Russian server to see if we can find any chatter on Walker. And that might take no time, or might take a lot of time."
Dinah: "What about your Bratva friend with the good right hook? You might try making nice."
Oliver: "It's not that simple."
Diggle: "Yeah, well, simple or not, Oliver. We have to use every asset we've got."

512 (Bratva) – Felicity has an idea for finding Walker's location:
(Dinah is practicing her sonic scream to shatter a vase, while Curtis monitors her frequency on a computer.)
Dinah: "Sorry, I don't really have much control beyond 'on' and 'off.'"
Curtis: "Yeah, probably because you just produced the sound of a thousand Beyoncés. I mean, polyphonics doesn't even begin to explain what you're doing."
Felicity: "Can you please keep it down? 'Kay, Walker has gone completely dark. There is no way of pinpointing his IP or his GPS from his phone, which is probably just a burner anyway."
Dinah: "That's good."
Rory: "How is that good?"
Dinah: "Military men tend to be creatures of habit. If Walker's using a burner, odds are, it's the same model he used in the States."
Felicity: "And the only ones making calls are the Markovians. (Works on computer) Walker's flip phone of choice is an old model. The only network here that supports it is DetraLink DSD."
Rory: "Can you hack it?"
Felicity: "I could, but it would take a lot of time. I know someone who could get us a shortcut."
Rory: "You have contacts in Russia too?"
Felicity: "Kind of. Uh, he might need a little bit of convincing. (To Rory and Curtis) Think you two could look like Bratva?"

512 (Bratva) – Looking very cool and glamorous, Felicity, Rory and Curtis pose as Bratva members to go to a Russian tea house in order to find a DetraLink DSD executive:
Curtis (bumping into man): "Sorry, I mean... prosti. (Takes off sunglasses) I can't see a thing in these."
Rory: “Tough guys don't say sorry, Curtis.”
Curtis: "Right, no ‘prosti.’ Err!"
Felicity: "Guys, focus."
Curtis: "Why isn't Dinah here with us? I'm secure enough in my manhood to admit she is way more intimidating than either one of us."
Felicity: "Yes. And a total unknown quantity. (Spots target) Look tough."
Man (eating dinner with his family): (Speaks Russian)
Felicity: "Maxim Ostrovsky. You speak English. I suggest you start using it."
Maxim: "Who are you? What do you want?"
Felicity: "To talk. In private."
(Curtis shows his gun.)
Felicity: "Don't make me ask you again." 
(Felicity and Maxim go into a private antechamber.)
Maxim: "Who are you?"
Felicity: "Someone who needs access to your system's credentials. You work for DetraLink."
Maxim: "Not for long I won't, if I gave you my sign-in materials.”
Felicity: "Honey, you didn't seem worried about losing your job when you ignored company policy to notify the Kremlin about certain suspicious and terrorist-like activity on your network last year."
Maxim: "How do you know about that?"
Felicity: "Better question is, who would I tell? Because I am sure that the Kremlin would love to hear about this."
Maxim: "You can't. My family. They'll kill them."Felicity: "Yes. So I suggest it's in your best interest to give me exactly what I want."
*  *  *
(Maxim walks by Rory. Felicity turns to Rory and Curtis.)
Felicity: "Time to go."
Curtis: “Prosti.”
Rory: "That guy was seriously shaken. What did you say?"
Felicity: "What he needed to hear. I've got what we need to get a location on Walker."

512 (Bratva) – Team Arrow attempts to capture Walker at a Russian church:
Rory (over comms): "Recon's in position. I count 10 civilians in the church. No sign of Walker or his men."
Dinah (over comms): "Backstop's in position. No activity here."
Oliver (over comms): "Are we sure this is the spot, Overwatch?"
Felicity (over comms): "Walker's phone just went active from that address."
Diggle: "There."
Oliver: "John, there are civilians here."
Diggle: "I don't care, Oliver. This may be our only shot."
Oliver (over comms): "We're moving on the target. Everyone stay sharp."
(They find only Walker's phone.)
Diggle: "Proximity alarm!"
Oliver: "Walker knew we were coming!"
(Gun battle ensues.)
Rory (over comms): "You guys hearing that?"
Curtis: "I guess those aren't fireworks."
Felicity (over comms): "Recon, get those civilians clear! Backstop -"
Dinah (over comms): "I'm coming in!"
Walker: "I don't know who you gentlemen are, but I want to thank you for being so damn eager to find me!"
(Dinah uses sonic scream to incapacitate Walker's minions, but Walker escapes.)
Dinah: "You guys alright?"
Oliver: "Yeah, we're good."
Diggle: "We lost Walker!"
Oliver (over comms): "Overwatch, do you have eyes on?"
Felicity (over comms): "Negative."
Oliver (over comms): "Alright, meet us out back."
Diggle: "We gotta find Walker."
Oliver: "We'll take this man. Lead us right to him."

512 (Bratva) – Rory has a heart-to-heart talk with Felicity:
Rory (entering van): "It's just me. You know you have a work station inside, right?"
Felicity: "Yeah. I wasn't having any luck locating Walker. So I decided to work out my frustrations in private. (Rory looks at her) What?"
Rory: "The guy back at the tea house. Didn't look like someone who owed you a favor. He was terrified, Felicity. What's really going on?"
Felicity: "The NSA file exonerating John - it was part of a cache of information given to me by a hacker group, and that cache contains intel that I used to pressure the DetraLink exec."
Rory: "You mean, you blackmailed him."
Felicity: "Well -"
Rory: "For this data cache to have exactly what you needed for this particular guy, it has to be huge."
Felicity: "I think the term is 'beyond massive.' (Rory sighs) What?"
Rory: "One of the last things my dad said to me when he gave me the rags was that they hold a power that most people could never even imagine and that I needed to respect and guard that power... not abuse it."
Felicity: "The people in this data cache - they're not good people. I'm trying to believe that my purpose on this earth is to stop people like them - like Walker, no matter what the cost. Sometimes you got to fight fire with fire."
Rory: "I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about you."
Oliver (opening van door): "I thought you were working on locating Walker."
Felicity: "Yeah."
Oliver: "Is everything okay?"
Rory: "This may be none of my business, but I think she crossed a line to find Walker."
Felicity: "Rory -"
Oliver: "Wh - what line? (Hears sounds) Stay here!" (Leaves)
(Cut to Diggle punching Walker's tied-up minion.)
Diggle: "Where's the buy happening? Where's the buy happening?"
Oliver: "Hey! John! That's enough! That's enough! I thought we were doing this my way."
Diggle: "Your way wasn't fast enough, Oliver! I'm not letting Walker get away!"
Oliver: "Neither am I."
Felicity (entering): "What's happening? What happened?"
Oliver: "John got a little carried away."
Felicity: "Did he say anything?"
Oliver (looking baffled, turns to Diggle): "Get yourself cleaned up. I'll be back."
Diggle: "Where are you going?"
Oliver: "I'm going to handle this."

512 (Bratva) – Dinah has a heart-to-heart talk with Oliver:
Oliver: "Thanks."
Dinah: "Coming as backup or not telling anyone."
Oliver: "Both."
*  *  *
(They're sitting in the van.)
Dinah: "This isn't the first time you've done something like this, is it? I don't mean as the Green Arrow."
Oliver: "You mean as a thug, right? No. It's a part of my life that I thought I had moved past. But - here we are.
Dinah: "Right. You know, the other guys said that when you get in one of your moods, I should just let you be, but, to be honest, brooding really kinda gets on my nerves."
Oliver: "They told you about me. They tell you about Prometheus?"
Dinah: "Yeah, they did. Why? Is this mood because you got pulled back into some kind of Bratva drama?"
Oliver: "No, it - Dinah, I'm trying to move forward. But I'm back here, in Russia, in the Bratva, and it just proves to me that I can't seem to do that."
Dinah: "Prometheus got in your head. What was it, some crap about infecting the people closest to you?"
Oliver: "Yeah, and tonight, I watched John torture a man, And there's something going on with Felicity. There's -" 
Dinah: "You affect the people in your life, Oliver. That's hardly a revelatory observation. In fact, I think it's, uh - it's called living. Prometheus has you so fixated on what's wrong with you, that you've completely stopped seeing what's right. You know John and Felicity, they'll listen to you. Because you have more to offer... (Grabs Oliver's wrist to hold up his hand) ... than just this. Your past is a part of you. There is nothing you can do about that. You can't change it. It doesn't mean it has to be your anchor."

512 (Bratva) – Oliver tells Felicity and Diggle that he needs them to be better than him:
Felicity: "Where were you? Did you take Dinah somewhere?"
Oliver: "Yeah. Not like that."
Felicity: "It's okay. What happens in Russia stays in Russia, remember?"
Oliver: "Where's Walker's man?"
Felicity: "Curtis and Rory are keeping eyes on him."
Diggle (entering): "I think she means protecting him from me. Oliver, I still think it's a mistake not pushing this scumbag for the location of the sell."
Oliver: We don't have to. We're going to have it within the hour."
Felicity: "What? How?"
Oliver: "Bratva."
Diggle: "Anatoly wasn't playing ball unless you did the Bratva's dirty work... Which is where you took Dinah. Oliver, I thought you didn't want anything to do with the Bratva."
Oliver: "I don't. But if it's a choice between me crossing the line and the two of you crossing one, that is a very easy choice."
Diggle (to Felicity): "What'd you do?"
Oliver: "Doesn't matter. Here's what does. I am who I am. Now I'm trying to work past that. Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. But I cannot and will not have the two of you make the same mistakes."
Felicity: "Oliver, you were the one who taught us that sometimes you have to get in the muck to make things right."
Oliver: "Then Prometheus wins. Because he'll be right. I need the two of you to prove to him - and quite frankly, to prove to me - that he's not. I need the two of you to be better than me. Because you are. That's why we work together."

512 (Bratva) – Team Arrow takes down Walker, Felicity tries to disarm the nuke, but Rory saves the day with his magic rags:
Curtis (over comms): "Green Arrow, Tango headed your way. (To Felicity) I love saying the word 'tango'."
Felicity: "So do I."
*  *  *
Oliver (over comms): "The bomb's not here."
Felicity: "Walker's headed for the hangar. I'll drive. That's where the nuke is."
Curtis: "Felicity!"
*  *  *
Felicity (entering hangar): "Rory!"
Rory: "Curtis told me you needed some help."
Felicity: "He was probably worried I'd do something stupid."
Rory: "Those were his exact words, actually."
Felicity: "Okay, you need to get out of here."
Rory: "He said those would be your exact words."
Felicity: "The bomb is in countdown mode."
Rory: "What?!"
Felicity: "It's wired with a fail-safe. We must've triggered it when we entered the hangar."
Rory: "Can you disarm it?"
Felicity: "If I can't, the yield of this thing will spread over 50 miles."
*  *  *
Oliver (over comms): "Terrific, Overwatch, any luck locating the nuke?"
Curtis (over comms): "Overwatch is off comms and in the hangar. I think she's trying to disable the nuke herself."
Oliver (over comms): "I'm on my way."
*  *  *
Felicity: "No, no, no, no, no."
Rory: "Wh -what happened?"
Felicity: "Trap door code. I walked right into it."
Rory: "What does that mean?"
Felicity: "Any attempt to disarm the nuke will exponentially pace up the countdown clock."
Rory: "Wh- wh- what do you think?"
Felicity: "Hoping I can figure out how to fly a plane!"
Rory: "What!"
Felicity: "I can't disarm the nuke, but hopefully I can get it to a less populated area."
Rory: "Less populated! What, like Havenrock!"
Felicity: "This isn't the time to revisit that."
Rory: "No, this is exactly the time. The rags survived Havenrock. They can survive this too. I can use them to contain the blast and the radiation!"
Felicity: "No, you don't know that!"
Rory: "Well, I don't need to know. I have faith."
Felicity: "Okay, it should be me, not you."
Rory: "I don't have time to take these rags off, so - go, just in case, you know, this doesn't work! Felicity, go!"
*  *  *
(Felicity runs outside the hangar and stops. Rory wraps the nuke in his magic rags and says a Jewish prayer. Oliver and Dinah arrive in the jeep.)
Oliver: "What's happening?"
(Felicity hugs him and he wraps his arms around her just as the blast occurs inside the hangar. They run inside to find Rory laying on the ground.)
Oliver: "Rory!"
Felicity: "Oh my God!"
Rory (groaning): "Why does He always get the credit?"
Oliver: "Are you okay?"
Rory: "This means I get a promotion, right?"

512 (Bratva) – Diggle tells Oliver that OTA makes each other better:
Curtis (toasting): "To Rory - and his amazing nuke-stopping rags, which hopefully won't give us all radiation poisoning."
(They all drink, and Felicity, Curtis and Rory all gasp and choke, while Oliver, Diggle, Anatoly and Dinah are fine.)
Diggle: "Wimps."
Dinah: "Can't you hold your vodka?"
Anatoly: "Now you my favorite American."
Oliver: "Did you hear from Lyla?"
Diggle: "Walker's being escorted under military guard as we speak."
Oliver: "Congratulations."
Diggle: "You know, Oliver, Walker threatened JJ and Lyla just like Andy did. First I wondered why I didn't shoot him like I did Andy. Then I remembered what you said to me and Felicity."
Oliver: "I'm just glad that it took."
Diggle: "You know, Oliver, you were wrong. Me and Felicity, we're no better than you. You, me, Felicity. We make each other better."
Oliver: "I'll drink to that."
Diggle: "You're my brother, Oliver."
(They clink glasses and drink.)

512 (Bratva) – Rory says good-bye to Felicity and the team:
Felicity (entering): "Hey."
Rory: "Hey. Uh, what are you doing here?"
Felicity: "Huh. Just making sure you're not radioactive. (Sees his bag) Are you going somewhere?"
Rory: "Yeah, I'm sorry. I was going to call. Well, I was probably going to whip out a text."
Felicity: "What's going on?"
Rory (touching his rags): "The blast did something to them. They don't work anymore. I don't have any control. They don't offer any protection."
Felicity: "I'm sure it's just temporary."
Rory: "I'm not. I have a bond with them, Felicity. I can feel it. Let's be honest, without the rags, I'm a liability - and one the team can't risk, not with Prometheus out there."
Felicity: "Okay, but that doesn't mean you have to leave."
Rory: "Don't worry. I'll be back. You'll, uh - you'll let the team know?"
Felicity: "Yeah. I'll probably just whip out a text."
(They smile at each other and Felicity leaves. Her phone beeps. She gets a text message from 'Alena': "Don't stop with Walker. Pandora is much bigger." Felicity then reply texts back: "Don't plan to.")

Edited March 8, 2020 by tv echo

[Featherhat]

I know Rory's rags were expensive but why? We got stuck with NoTeamArrow and we lost the only one of them that had a unique, more spiritual POV on the team/show. Sigh. He and Felicity had a good, if very truncated storyline about Havenrock and how she felt about it this episode and how she was willing to sacrifice herself over it and it continued her darker and also more proactive approach in the back half of S5. 

Oh and the days when Diggle's demons were actually noticed and used in the plot by the writers and not used to further plot but never fully resolved like in S6&7.

I'll never understand what was going on with Susan. There had to have been a ditches storyline there somewhere that didn't happen when WH suddenly needed time off or whatever actually happened. You don't have a character have sex and then go and meet with a PI with photos if she was always supposed to be a "good person". And that's if you ignore the previous plot with Thea and accept that the writers didn't see a reporter sleeping with the man she's covering as massively unethical and problematic on all fronts in the first place. 

Whilst it was more personal than usual, Dinah got the exposition-y, move the plot along stuff with Oliver that she often got in S7.