Mind Your Surroundings: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Other Superhero Universes

[manbearpig]

Arrow's pretty frustrating at the minute, but no show should be taking lessons from Gotham. Unless it's gotten better since it came back from hiatus, but...most of the reactions I've seen indicate that it's been more of the same, really. Still haven't gotten over Oswald killing someone for their shoes.

[Chaser]

I was iffy on Gotham at first, but I'm really enjoying it now. A fan of Gordan and Lee for sure. Was disappinted to see Barbara back. Though I do like her as an entitled spoiled brat. Just don't know how that part fits.

I thought they casted KidJoker well, he has the laugh down. Normally I really hate kids in the show, but I'm loving Bat and Cat.

I don't know how invested I am in the Penguin and Fish stories. I enjoy the police station and the manor more.

[BkWurm1]

Arrow's pretty frustrating at the minute, but no show should be taking lessons from Gotham. Unless it's gotten better since it came back from hiatus, but...most of the reactions I've seen indicate that it's been more of the same, really. Still haven't gotten over Oswald killing someone for their shoes.

I'm loving Gotham.  It has (for me) the right mix of grit and humor.  Oswald and Fish at times are over the top but they are also genuinely creepy and oddly human.  Barbara is back, but barely and is not with Gordon and she's very tolerable that way. 

[MarkHB]

In a recent interview with MTV, Marc Guggenheim, after making plain that John Diggle will not become John Stewart, drops this:

 

So there you have it… at least for now. But as for Ramsey’s assertion that anything can happen regarding new superheroes and/or vigilantes, that remains 100 percent true. In fact, Guggenheim said that there are current members of the “Arrow” roster that might later become DC Comics heroes.

 

“There are two characters who would probably fall into that category,” he said. “Were we to do it, they would be characters from the comics that you already know.”

[apinknightmare]

 

“There are two characters who would probably fall into that category,” he said. “Were we to do it, they would be characters from the comics that you already know.”

 

Two out of the, like, four people on this show who don't already have superhero alter egos? Jeez.

Edited February 17, 2015 by apinknightmare

[Morrigan2575]

Ruling out Diggle, that leaves Felicity, Thea, Lance and Tatsu...guess we know which 2 are getting masks next.  I'm assuming "Arrow" roster includes recurring characters, not series regulars.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[Sakura12]

Gotham isn't a quality show by any means. But it has gotten much more entertaining lately. The addition of Morena Baccarin has brought some fresh air into the show because she's so strange and it's great. 

[tv echo]

I love Morena Baccarin on Gotham.  Unfortunately, she's still listed as a guest star while Erin Richards is listed as a regular cast member.

[jay741982]

Ruling out Diggle, that leaves Felicity, Thea, Lance and Tatsu...guess we know which 2 are getting masks next. I'm assuming "Arrow" roster includes recurring characters, not series regulars.

I'm holding out hope for Felicity becoming Stargirl LOL

[tv echo]

Speculative (though unlikely) predictions...

 

The Future of Arrow: Felicity, Thea, Artemis & Cheshire!
by Joey M Isnain ⋅ Posted on February 17th, 2015 at 3:20am
http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/02/17/the-future-of-arrow-felicity-thea-artemis-cheshire-2702854?lt_source=external,manual

[jay741982]

Ooh Felicity looks like Artemis!! After reading that article I wouldn't mind her being Artemis and Thea being Cheshire! I love Felicity the way she is though

Edited February 17, 2015 by jay741982

[MarkHB]

The minute I heard her name, and with Flash teasing the Crisis on Infinite Earths I started thinking Lyla was going to be Harbinger.  The downsides to that idea are that a) the Crisis is being depicted as far in the future, b) it's such an inherently convoluted geekfest that bringing it to TV would be an expensive and probably offputting proposition, and c) Geoff Johns has gone to great pains to undo it so he could remake the DCU in his own image.

[KirkB]

Big chunks of the Crisis involved time travel. Didn't Flash technically create himself? They could set the seeds for Lyla being Harbinger in the future, even if nothing actually happens on the show.

[Starfish35]

Lyla is already being called Harbinger. It's her ARGUS code name.

[Tangerine]

Shouldn't Thea just be Speedy? If they make her Cheshire I'm going to rage about this show white-washing yet ANOTHER character.

[jay741982]

Shouldn't Thea just be Speedy? If they make her Cheshire I'm going to rage about this show white-washing yet ANOTHER character.

Yes she should Hell she has the nickname already just make her Speedy. If they wanted to they could make Felicity Artemis. Her outfit is similar to Green Arrow and she puts her hair in a ponytail like a certain Beauty who graduated from M.I.T

[Danny Franks]

So Artemis is a different character in this cartoon then? Because the Artemis I'm picturing is this one:

 

 

She's an Amazon and pal of Wonder Woman.

[Morrigan2575]

Yeah, the Artemis they're talking about is Cheshire's sister, she's in Young Justice.

[jay741982]

So Artemis is a different character in this cartoon then? Because the Artemis I'm picturing is this one:

 

 

She's an Amazon and pal of Wonder Woman.

Wowza! I think in the Article about suggesting Felicity could be Artemis it says she was a daughter of Huntress.

[Morrigan2575]

http://youngjustice.wikia.com/wiki/Tigress

[jay741982]

Call me crazy but Felicity would look good in that Artemis outfit

[dtissagirl]

Wowza! I think in the Article about suggesting Felicity could be Artemis it says she was a daughter of Huntress.

Not the same Helena Bertinelli Huntress, this was a villain named Huntress in the '40s. She married another villain, Sportsmaster, and had a kid named Artemis. Who also used to be a villain named Tigress way back. Young Justice was the first property that turned Artemis into a hero.

If Felicity ends up being Artemis, it's also white-washing. Which Arrow should really stop doing ANYTIME NOW.

Edited February 18, 2015 by dancingnancy

[jay741982]

Not the same Helena Bertinelli Huntress, this was a villain named Huntress in the '40s. She married another villain, Sportsmaster, and had a kid named Artemis. Who also used to be a villain named Tigress way back. Young Justice was the first property that turned Artemis into a hero.

If Felicity ends up being Artemis, it's also white-washing. Which Arrow should really stop doing ANYTIME NOW.

Thanks for clearing that up about Huntress. If Felicity did become Artemis I'd hope it would be the Hero version. That sounds dumb but what is White-Washing is it changing the history of a character?

[apinknightmare]

Thanks for clearing that up about Huntress. If Felicity did become Artemis I'd hope it would be the Hero version. That sounds dumb but what is White-Washing is it changing the history of a character?

 

White-washing is taking a character who is a person of color and having a white person play them. 

[jay741982]

White-washing is taking a character who is a person of color and having a white person play them.

Oh ok thanks!

[Chaser]

If Agent Carter does not return after this season, I might just cry.

[jay741982]

If Agent Carter does not return after this season, I might just cry.

It's a really good show. Havent watched tonight's episode yet

[BkWurm1]

If Felicity ends up being Artemis, it's also white-washing. Which Arrow should really stop doing ANYTIME NOW

 

The steps to getting Felicity to be Artemis seem impossible, but then I think of Laurel and well, anything is possible. 

 

I was so confused when I was watching Young Justice.  It was obvious that her mother and sister were Asian, but with the blond hair I kept thinking she was adopted or something.

[Sakura12]

Nightcrawler is going to be in X-Men Apocalypse. 

 

http://www.superherohype.com/news/330495-kodi-smit-mcphee-is-nightcrawler-in-x-men-apocalypse

 

I don't remember him from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Sakura12

[SonofaBiscuit]

The Flash is going on a break until March 17th (when it will return with episode 15), so in order for episode 18 of both shows to line up, Arrow would be on a break until March 25th (hope I figured that correctly).  After episode 15 of Arrow on February 25th, that means a month until new episodes.

Edited February 18, 2015 by SonofaBiscuit

[Morrigan2575]

The Flash is going on a break until March 17th (when it will return with episode 15), so in order for episode 18 of both shows to line up, Arrow would be on a break until March 25th (hope I figured that correctly).  After episode 15 of Arrow on February 25th, that means a month until new episodes.

Assuming Arrow airs it's 15th episode next week.  SPN, Originals and Flash are all on breaks after this week.  Originals comes back 3/9, SPN and Flash come back on 3/17.   Maybe The CW is pulling a schedule change

[Carrie Ann]

I don't think The Flash's episode 18 is going to line up with Arrow's. AK talked about having to do some rewrites to make TF 118 make sense in the timeline, and I think it's because of this. So my guess is that Arrow is coming back the same week as The Flash, but will be a week ahead, episode-wise at least for awhile. I don't get it.

[KirkB]

It seems like they just came back from a break. Why are they going on break again?

[quarks]

It seems like they just came back from a break. Why are they going on break again?

 

If they don't go on a break, these shows will be out of episodes by April, and the CW needs to air all new shows during May.  March is the best month for the next break - they want to air a few new episodes in April to keep viewers tuning in.

 

ETA:  Which is to say, the sooner networks and ad agencies can break free of this sweeps stuff, the better for everyone involved.

Edited February 18, 2015 by quarks

[Vera]

You know, a lot of people have been saying that they'd rather have Agent Carter and aren't looking forward to the return of AoS. But I like AoS, the show has kept steadily improving since last season. It's not perfect but it's enjoyable.

 

If there was anyway to replace Arrow with Agent Carter though, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[Danny Franks]

So Agent Carter was awesome again last night. Quelle surprise. That's how any television should be done, but particularly comic book television. Great characters, tight writing, awesome women (whether good or evil), drama and wit combining seamlessly and final scenes that leave me aching for the next episode.

[Carrie Ann]

You know, a lot of people have been saying that they'd rather have Agent Carter and aren't looking forward to the return of AoS. But I like AoS, the show has kept steadily improving since last season. It's not perfect but it's enjoyable.

 

Well, I definitely prefer AC to AoS (and still prefer Arrow to AoS), but I will say that (casting spoiler?)

signing Adrienne Palicki to regular status

makes me feel a lot more positively about the show. I do think they did a pretty good job of identifying weaknesses and trying to mitigate them between S1 and 2. It's just that I basically find none of the regular characters compelling or particularly appealing. There's just no hook yet, for me. But my husband watches, so I'm still along for the ride when I'm in the room--the blessing/curse of living in a one-TV household.

[Sakura12]

I like AoS too, it has gotten way better as evidenced that I'm still liking and enjoying it and gave up on Arrow and have no desire to go back to it.

 

However Agent Carter is miles better then both of those shows.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Sakura12

[tv echo]

Agent Carter is currently my favorite show on television.  Hayley Atwell is an awesome actress.  Last night's episode had it all - action, suspense, psychological drama, humor, heartbreak, etc.  Peggy's usually stoic persona broke open in two significant scenes.

[Danny Franks]

As long as Clark Gregg is a regular on AoS, I'm never going to bother with it. He is walking valium, he really is. I watched about sixteen episodes of that show, and never did I see him change his expression from that vaguely satisfied smirk, or hear him change the pitch and tone of his voice. Compare him to Hayley Atwell's performances, and you'll see one person who is born to be a star, and one who isn't even able to fake it.

 

I liked Simmons, I thought Ward was okay, and I liked Skye before she became a super special (alien?) snowflake. But that was about it. Not even Tyra Collette is going to induce me to watch.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Danny Franks

[Sakura12]

I like AoS because the women are treated as characters not just as love interests for the male heroes. In fact none of them are anyone's love interest. The addition of Mockingbird was huge improvement as well. (I can get my baton twirling badass fix since Arrow horribly killed theirs). With all the other characters, Coulson is not as prominent, so I can ignore him. 

 

I like Skye and am interested in her new storyline. Her dad is great and batshit crazy. which they have also made Ward, another marked improvement. 

[Chasity]

I feel like the only person who actually thinks that season 1 of AoS is better than season 2. I hate all the new characters that were added and the storylines just don't hold my interest. I was really looking forward to the Ward storyline with his brother, but they barely devoted any time to it and then it was over in a blink. The only reason I'm still watching the show is because of Ward and he barely gets anything to do really.

[Danny Franks]

It's good that the women get treated as equals, but I have to actually like the people on the show, and I can't make time to watch just for Elizabeth Henstridge and Adrianne Palicki.

 

Just watched (well, skimmed) the latest episode of The Flash. Was the Grodd reveal supposed to render me hysterical with laughter? Don't try that shit unless you've got the budget to support it, guys (and even then, think at least three times before you ask a mainstream audience to buy a super-intelligent, psychic gorilla as a villain). They'd have been better off with a guy in a gorilla suit. Amell The Lesser still can't act his way out of a paper bag. Is he going to keep turning up?

 

Seeing these villains on The Flash really just reconfirms for me why I never liked the character or his world, in comic books. It's all just a bit too Golden/Silver Age silly.

[Sakura12]

I like all the women on the show, it's the guys that are bland, can't remember Bobbi's ex's name, Tripp was just there, Mac is replacing Tripp as the token black guy and Coulson is a robot. Ward only became interesting when they revealed him as crazypants. 

 

I wish Cobie Smoulders would rethink joining a tv show again. Coulson is not Director material. He's better as a subordinate. Maria Hill would whip his team into shape. Of course for me now the best parts are the Peggy Carter flashbacks and Simmons fangirling over her. 

[Morrigan2575]

It's good that the women get treated as equals, but I have to actually like the people on the show, and I can't make time to watch just for Elizabeth Henstridge and Adrianne Palicki.

 

Just watched (well, skimmed) the latest episode of The Flash. Was the Grodd reveal supposed to render me hysterical with laughter? Don't try that shit unless you've got the budget to support it, guys (and even then, think at least three times before you ask a mainstream audience to buy a super-intelligent, psychic gorilla as a villain). They'd have been better off with a guy in a gorilla suit. Amell The Lesser still can't act his way out of a paper bag. Is he going to keep turning up?

 

Seeing these villains on The Flash really just reconfirms for me why I never liked the character or his world, in comic books. It's all just a bit too Golden/Silver Age silly.

You should have seen the hint of Grodd in the previous episode, the CGI was really bad, it looked cheesy, this was actually an improvement.

[apinknightmare]

Personally, I liked Grodd - I don't care about the special effects and how terrible they are. I knew what I was signing up with when I started watching The Flash, which was a kind of sunny, ridiculous goofball superhero show that doesn't take itself too seriously. I think they've done a good job so far keeping it that way - they've made it easy to buy into all the "comic-y" things that it throws at you like the metahumans and gorillas and whatnot. 

[KirkB]

I agree the women on AoS are far more interesting than the men, and this coming from someone who actually likes Coulson. But even I thought he worked better as a subordinate. I want to watch an episode focused on May, Simmons and Bobbi (oh, and Skye can come along I guess). 

 

And of course Grodd is silly. He's supposed to be. That's the fun of shows like this. I mean, we have guy running at the speed of sound, people who turn into metal or poison gas, eat electricity, control the weather and make people made with their red eyes, how can you draw the line at a telepathic gorilla?

[Morrigan2575]

And of course Grodd is silly. He's supposed to be. That's the fun of shows like this. I mean, we have guy running at the speed of sound, people who turn into metal or poison gas, eat electricity, control the weather and make people made with their red eyes, how can you draw the line at a telepathic gorilla?

I disagree, everyone has their own line of where "willing suspension of disbelief" ends.  Personally, I find a telepathic villainous gorilla a little too corny for my tastes and I'm sorry, if you're going to do it, make sure you have the budget to make it look good, otherwise expect me to mock.  

Edited February 18, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[SonofaBiscuit]

Oh, the gorilla is supposed to be telepathic?  I didn't get that at all...I thought he was like part man part gorilla, and he was speaking, lol.

[MarkHB]

General Ealing said something about "that voice... in my head."  Essentially it gets around the gorilla not having vocal cords that can form human speech.  Or, alternatively, it gets around having to CGI a speaking mouth on a TV schedule and budget.