S06.E18: Fundamentals

[Chaser]

23 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

It's kinda weird he didn't hallucinate Dig!

The mum in me freaked out when he accidentally knocked that cabbage thinking how on earth were they going to fix it! I told myself they'd just get a new glass case and sweep up the dirt and dust off the cabbage. 

Nice touch with the "William wont leave his room" in the hallucination. Was a good reference to how William was at the beginning of the season. Kid has come a long way. They did a great job with him as parents. He's pretty well adjusted. 

Sadly he didn't need to hallucinate Dig. Real Dig was bad enough.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Soulfire said:

 

From here.

HIS FACE. He loves being her man. ?

[Mellowyellow]

That is SUCH an "Oliver thinks Felicity is the cutest cupcake" moment.

[Chaser]

He is so relieved she didn't leave him.

[Mellowyellow]

Hehe the episodes that keep @Soulfire busy are the best eps! I've missed you during the run of crap that we got! 

[bethy]

1 hour ago, insomniadreams88 said:

LOVE this so much. Look at Oliver!

That scene with Oliver giving Felicity big ol’ heart eyes was the best!

[Soulfire]

4 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Hehe the episodes that keep @Soulfire busy are the best eps! I've missed you during the run of crap that we got! 

Heeee. You're sweet! This is one kind of busy I don't mind. :) 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

First, I'm glad I didn't believe that promo when they showed Felicity telling Oliver that they "needed space." I'm all too familiar with the games these promo monkeys play. That said, though that scene did actually happen, it wasn't REAL. Still. I wasn't happy that Felicity told Oliver him yelling/getting angry was "over the line." I came away with the thought: What? Now every time Oliver is frustrated or angry and reacts, he's not a good person? And in this instance, Oliver is dosed, he's trying to talk to Felicity, and you've got WIlliam "Dad, come on!" "Dad...we're going to be late," Daddadadadadadadadadaddadadadad.  Never mind the fact Oliver asked William to give him a minute, and it wasn't 30 seconds before he started whining.

That scene was a hallucination. She never said it.

In fact, I'm not even sure she told him to get out in that first scene seeing as Felicity later denied saying it. 

[Chaser]

On the whole 'get out' thing, I think the writers messed up. IIRC Oliver didn't even tell Quentin that Felicity told him to get out after the fight, just that Felicity wanted a separation. Quentin should have relayed that not the other part.

[KillahBee007]

I can’t remeber the last time SA live tweeted and you could tell by episode how much fun he had.  Diaz is still lame but like I said before seeing Josh makes me realize how superior Prommy was. In a show where they can bring back BS? They can certainly find a way to bring Adrian Chase back. 

Edited April 13, 2018 by KillahBee007
Typo! I want Adrian Chase back

[BkWurm1]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

First, I'm glad I didn't believe that promo when they showed Felicity telling Oliver that they "needed space." I'm all too familiar with the games these promo monkeys play. That said, though that scene did actually happen, it wasn't REAL. Still. I wasn't happy that Felicity told Oliver him yelling/getting angry was "over the line." I came away with the thought: What? Now every time Oliver is frustrated or angry and reacts, he's not a good person? And in this instance, Oliver is dosed, he's trying to talk to Felicity, and you've got WIlliam "Dad, come on!" "Dad...we're going to be late," Daddadadadadadadadadaddadadadad.  Never mind the fact Oliver asked William to give him a minute, and it wasn't 30 seconds before he started whining.

But the rest of the episode? I enjoyed for the most part. I wanted to punch Diggle. I'm so tired, but whatever it was that Diggle said that had Oliver saying in response that he'd been listening to Diggle's advice for six years, and by now he [Oliver} believes he has a right to a reprieve. Which I took to mean, Oliver didn't have to listen to what Diggle has to say now, since he quit.

The one thing I didn't like about Phantom!Chase was how he made Oliver think he had to be alone, and everyone kept leaving him. Because we had that same kind of psychological AND Physical torture played out last season. And yeah, yeah, I thought that Oliver had come to believe that it wasn't true. Then I had to remind myself he was dosed up on Vertigo.

I knew that councilman was dirty from the moment he opened his mouth: he oozed sleaze and slime. So him just staying they are going to impeach means Oliver is already impeached? There is no impeachment process or hearings? Alrighty then.

And I know I sound like a broken record, but WHAT THE FUCK? So the ENTIRE police department thinks working for a murderous drug dealer is waaaaay better than being a cop? I'm sure when they joined the Academy, that wasn't their intent. And these FUCKTOIDS knew cops didn't get paid as well or as much as the criminals they swore to arrest. That one twat, with her "PROTECT DIAZ!!!!" made me see red. He's only been in the City for however many months has passed this season. Like that mushmarble mouthed who mumbles so much one can barely understand what he's saying, was able to take control over the whole city so easily? And why does he want to "break" Oliver? What has the Green Arrow or Oliver done to him? He was and is a two bit drug dealer. He's NO Anatoly; no Chase; No Wilson; No Cayden James; No Merlyn.

But I loved to see the return of Quentin. And was smiling as he trash talked/TRUTH spoke about the NOOBS. And sorry to admit, John. And then when Felicity is FINALLY been apprised of what's happened, how she took action.

When she said "my man," it immediately took me back to season one when she pretended to be a delivery girl of Big Burger and stalker of Tommy, and saying "But he's my Maaaaaaan" as she was taken away. And the arrow to the Moon!

Oh, and even if they were hallucinations, this cannot be said enough: SHUTUP/FUCKOFF Stutterbarker, Pouty Lips and Wild Dong!!!! 

And AGAIN with how Oliver is stretched too thin to be a good hero. BOLLOCKS. So is Superman stretched too thin? SuperGirl? Black Lightning? Just stop with this bullshit, SHOW. I"m more than happy that Oliver doesn't have a team--he just needs Felicity. And

  Reveal hidden contents

since we know Colton is coming back next season, Roy/Arsenal is all he needs while John pouts and sells his soul to the Devil that is ARGUS because he's all butthurt he can't wear the Arrow costume and be him.

  And he had a point--though he would come up with the most ridiculous lies to get Felicity, the IT Girl to get information he needed, she wasn't his eyes and ears until toward the end of the season. And how much time passed in season one in show, before Diggle officially joined?

I kind of felt bad for William.  I know Oliver asked him to give them a minute but it’s not like Oliver didn’t know when the Science fair was scheduled or how important it was and he’d agreed to take him and they all were going together so it had to be very frustrating for the kid when Oliver rolls up when they already were late and makes them later chatting about stuff that I’m sure in William’s mind could be accomplished in the car on the way or after they dropped him off and clearly the secret whispers weren’t keeping things secret since he knew all about Diaz but at the same time they were keeping him in the dark about what was at stake now so William had no reason to know he should cut him some slack.   

But Oliver in his hallucination about Felicity asking for a separation obviously was doing the big overreaction.   But it was Oliver’s overreaction and what he is most afraid of, not even so much that William and Felicity will leave but they will leave because they will figure out that who he really is, flaws and all, makes him unworthy of staying, as if he’d just fooled them into loving him before.   

I do think that Oliver losing his temper to THAT degree with William and being out of control enough not to mind his surroundings (not to mention saying instantly stupid things to his wife) were out of character for him now.  The situation didn’t warrant it, he isn’t that explosive.  Even with Chase he didn’t go off the handle.  Even when the noobs were slapping him practically in the face he was cool. He does get upset but that’s not HOW he gets upset.  

Before he realized he’d been dosed he probably felt like he was unraveling and since he couldn’t explain it, he probably scared himself too.  But once he realized he was dosed, even when he thought his actions had warranted Felicity leaving, he still believed once they talked they’d all be fine.  It was a small but much appreciated moment, when he brushed off Chase mocking him about Felicity and William and Oliver truly believing they’d be fine.  So I think non-vertigo dosed Oliver knows his family will forgive him when he makes mistakes.   If William hadn’t already known, I don’t know that Oliver would have even used the drugs as an excuse.   

Edited April 13, 2018 by BkWurm1

[catrox14]

1 hour ago, Angel12d said:

HIS FACE. He loves being her man. ?

I loved that moment. It was perfect. At this point of the show, I can't understand why anyone thinks Oliver and Felicity aren't madly in love with each other and think he'd leave her for any version of Black Canary. LOL

I am also 100% convinced that Oliver and Felicity totally knocked boots with him wearing  the OG Hood. You know they did. LOL

[catrox14]

4 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

Now some posters have said.. Its because she lives close by and I can buy that maybe she just stopped thinking and took off... 

There was nothing for her to think about? She had a plan to go save Oliver. She changed into proper shoes, and ran to the nearby police station. What is the issue here?

[KenyaJ]

2 hours ago, ladylaw99 said:

I don't give SA alot of credit, but he did a great job this episode.  It broke my heart when he realized Felicity wasn't wearing her ring.  It's the little moments that he shines.

The moment when he realized Felicity was real and his face flooded with relief and joy was equally great. I'm a big fan of SA's acting on this show, but there are still moments when he manages to surprise me with how much he nails it. That was one of them.

[BkWurm1]

Quote

 Oliver: "John had a point. I have spread myself pretty thin. I'm not giving up on you, not giving up on William. And if by some miracle, I'm not impeached, I will keep being the mayor. I believe deeply in the good that I can do as the Green Arrow. But I need to bring the mission back to basics. I need to bring it back to where it started."
Felicity: "You mean alone."
Oliver: "Alone."

Looking at this dialogue I just don’t understand how he can just say he is stretched too thin but decide to ADD to his responsibilities by kicking Felicity off his mission.  

[insomniadreams88]

Just now, BkWurm1 said:

Looking at this dialogue I just don’t understand how he can just say he is stretched too thin but decide to ADD to his responsibilities by kicking Felicity off his mission.  

Yeah, maybe that suit didn't fit as well as he (and Felicity) thought. It was so tight, it squeezed logic out of him. 

[Mellowyellow]

Could it be that he just wants to go out and do whatever he wants, mull over his own tactics without needing to consult anyone or have anyone warn him and then come back to his wife and child and NOT discuss GA business with his wife all the time.

Maybe he's sick of living in this cloud where his phone or Felicity's phone keeps going off about this or that so he's going to prowl rooftops by himself and go home to kiss the wife when he's done.

[apinknightmare]

12 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Looking at this dialogue I just don’t understand how he can just say he is stretched too thin but decide to ADD to his responsibilities by kicking Felicity off his mission.  

Yeah - seems to me like having someone watching your back who has the ability to warn you when you're walking into something bad would be a good thing, but guess not!

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Looking at this dialogue I just don’t understand how he can just say he is stretched too thin but decide to ADD to his responsibilities by kicking Felicity off his mission.  

It's the only part of the episode which made no sense. The conclusion of it is sloppy tbh.

[Mellowyellow]

Maybe they'll explain next week as per trailer! Got to keep us from skipping 619 entirely!

[Guest]

I don't think they'll ever explain. The writers wanted to isolate Oliver for whatever reason and have done it in the most ham-fisted way possible. It really doesn't make any sense, especially as Oliver wasn't even on his own for long in S1. How many episodes was it before Diggle joined his crusade? And he went to Felicity for help from 103 onwards so not needing Overwatch is just...ridiculous. I just find the whole reasoning nonsense tbh. 

[JamieLynn832002]

Yeah, Oliver's thought process here definitely needed some explanation 'the drug-induced hallucinations' advice almost got me killed and Felicity saved me...clearly I should follow the hallucinations' advice and work alone.' Something is missing there.

Edited April 13, 2018 by JamieLynn832002

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, Angel12d said:

I don't think they'll ever explain. The writers wanted to isolate Oliver for whatever reason and have done it in the most ham-fisted way possible. It really doesn't make any sense, especially as Oliver wasn't even on his own for long in S1. How many episodes was it before Diggle joined his crusade? And he went to Felicity for help from 103 onwards so not needing Overwatch is just...ridiculous. I just find the whole reasoning nonsense tbh. 

I should know this. Maybe after the fourth episode? But I don't remember when John actually started to work with Oliver in the field. As for Felicity? She didn't really start being his eyes and ears until after "The Odyssey" which was late in season one. I think when Oliver says "alone," he means him, by himself in the field, and no longer having eyes and ears. Because as I stated above, when she would do research for him on Merlyn's arrow, Deadshot's bullet ridden laptop, etc., it was just research and she wasn't really involved, if that makes sense.  And me saying all this is NOT me endorsing that Oliver made sense at the end. It certainly does not. And it's just STOOPID. Even Batman had Alfred before Dick/Robin.

[Chaser]

Felicity literally saved Oliver and he comes to the conclusion that he can't work with anyone.

Watching 6x04 and this one back to back would be mind boggling.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I should know this. Maybe after the fourth episode? But I don't remember when John actually started to work with Oliver in the field. As for Felicity? She didn't really start being his eyes and ears until after "The Odyssey" which was late in season one. I think when Oliver says "alone," he means him, by himself in the field, and no longer having eyes and ears. Because as I stated above, when she would do research for him on Merlyn's arrow, Deadshot's bullet ridden laptop, etc., it was just research and she wasn't really involved, if that makes sense.  And me saying all this is NOT me endorsing that Oliver made sense at the end. It certainly does not. And it's just STOOPID. Even Batman had Alfred before Dick/Robin.

Technically she was still helping him though, even before she was an official member of the team. And he really wasn't alone for long until Diggle came long. So I just don't buy what they're trying to sell. Haha.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, Angel12d said:

Technically she was still helping him though, even before she was an official member of the team. And he really wasn't alone for long until Diggle came long. So I just don't buy what they're trying to sell. Haha.

I think we're in agreement here! Just some semantics differences!

[BkWurm1]

19 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Could it be that he just wants to go out and do whatever he wants, mull over his own tactics without needing to consult anyone or have anyone warn him and then come back to his wife and child and NOT discuss GA business with his wife all the time.

Maybe he's sick of living in this cloud where his phone or Felicity's phone keeps going off about this or that so he's going to prowl rooftops by himself and go home to kiss the wife when he's done.

 I do think part of his thought process in going on his own is to not have anyone second guessing the risks he takes.  But  Felicity only steps in when he’s being monumentally stupid, she doesn’t stop him from being bold.   

 

The other thing and this one one annoys me more, he could be blaming the mixing of his professional and personal life on keeping him too distracted to take down Diaz.   If he hadn’t been relying on Felicity to clear him for the mayor thing he wouldn’t have been trying to discuss that when he was supposed to be taking his kid to the fair and thus wouldn’t have snapped.  And thus that wouldn’t have distracted him the rest of the day.   But yeah, that’s really stupid.  

So yeah, it’s a possibility.

[catrox14]

48 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Looking at this dialogue I just don’t understand how he can just say he is stretched too thin but decide to ADD to his responsibilities by kicking Felicity off his mission.  

I had a feeling that he knew he was going to get impeached and it would take that off his plate. So at this point, he could just resign rather go through the impeachment process. So if it's just him back to Arrow'ing alone it might be okay. Well, in his mind, it might be okay.

[Guest]

It just doesn't add up with the story they've been telling for the last 5 seasons. Diggle always told Oliver he needed someone and something to fight for and that he could have it all. Now Oliver is thriving in his personal life and has a job but he's somehow a terrible GA/leader?

We've also had seasons of Felicity and Diggle trying to get Oliver to accept more help from team members and rely on people and how that's a good thing. Now Oliver has decided to go it alone? I just don't get it at all.

I blame the newbies for this. ?

Edited April 13, 2018 by Guest

[SmallScreenDiva]

4 hours ago, apinknightmare said:

I’m not sure what actually happened in that scene after Oliver broke William’s science project. Because Felicity told him to get out but then she denied having kicked him out when she was talking to Quentin. So some of the last part of that convo was a hallucination, although I don’t know which part. 

I think it was just poor writing as usual, they wanted to be all dramatic that Felicity was kicking him out of the apartment so the audience would believe her asking for space later in the episode (even though that was a hallucination). I think the convo at the house including the "get out" was real — just part of the setup for the "separation" request later.

[BkWurm1]

In rewatching the scene when Oliver breaks William’s science project I realized something.  I don’t think William was nagging his dad about going or at least that wasn’t why he interrupted.   Look at his expression before he says something.  He isn’t worrying about himself or his project.   He’s trying to diffuse the fight so his dad stops yelling at Felicity.   ??

[DavidJSnyder]

1 hour ago, Angel12d said:

We've also had seasons of Felicity and Diggle trying to get Oliver to accept more help from team members and rely on people and how that's a good thing. Now Oliver has decided to go it alone? I just don't get it at all.

I blame the newbies for this. ?

 

I blame the Legends for messing with the timeline.

Edited April 13, 2018 by DavidJSnyder

[cambridgeguy]

2 hours ago, Angel12d said:

Now Oliver is thriving in his personal life and has a job but he's somehow a terrible GA/leader?

The thing is that there's a valid point buried in there.  The Green Arrow can't be out there saving people if Oliver Queen is being mayor, having a date night, going to his son's science fair, etc.  If they had done a better job of showing that all of these Oliver Queen jobs were preventing him from being the GA and/or making him a crappier one since he didn't have time to maintain his edge, etc. then yeah, I could see the argument.  However, Oliver still seems to have a lot of free time even though he's the mayor of a major city which is constantly in crisis. 

[Velocity23]

They really should stop putting KC in flashbacks ... when they put her in the same clothes as s1 ... its even more drastic. They already had to use CGI last season on her.

   

[SmallScreenDiva]

35 minutes ago, DavidJSnyder said:

I blame the Legends for messing with the timeline.

I blame Barry. 

Barry is to blame for everything :P

[Chaser]

I think Emily is the only one who can pull off flashbacks at this point. Other than getting in beast mode shape, she really looks the same.

KC looked creepy in the flashback. She was all weird and tilted.

[ladylaw99]

Do we know how Oliver got the original suit?

Now that he has it can he keep it, please.  I hate the ones he has had since.

[statsgirl]

I think Talia got him the original suit when she made him The Hod in Russia.

9 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

Ok.. I can buy that she goes in.. Partly cuz anyone else he bugs out... But its still a bunch of trigger happy cops.. Even if she talks him down it coulda been a bloodbath if Diaz is proactive..  She has no recourse if the bullets start flying...

Tbh, neither do Diggle or Rene because even though they have guns, they would be pretty helpless against a dozen cops all with guns of their own.  Dinah's scream might have helped, and if Curtis had a ball that put up a smoke screen that Oliver could get away in.

Fortunately, the only kind of fighting ability that was required was to fight for Oliver's mid, and no one was better placed to do that than Felicity.

2 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

In rewatching the scene when Oliver breaks William’s science project I realized something.  I don’t think William was nagging his dad about going or at least that wasn’t why he interrupted.   Look at his expression before he says something.  He isn’t worrying about himself or his project.   He’s trying to diffuse the fight so his dad stops yelling at Felicity.   ??

Poor William  Dad is fighting with the person who is William's primary support. If he lost Felicity, he'd be stuck with that weird relationship he had with Oliver at the start of the season.

5 hours ago, catrox14 said:

I am also 100% convinced that Oliver and Felicity totally knocked boots with him wearing  the OG Hood. You know they did. LOL

I'm pretty sure that was a fantasy of Felicity's that finally came true.

5 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Could it be that he just wants to go out and do whatever he wants, mull over his own tactics without needing to consult anyone or have anyone warn him and then come back to his wife and child and NOT discuss GA business with his wife all the time.

At the least, I bet he's sick of being ragged on for every decisions by the people who are supposed to be his loyal team. Or tired of being stabbed in the back by those he though he could count on.   Even Felicity spent the first part of season 5 telling him to get a new team.

Sure he needs back up and  he probably knows it but sometimes it's just too much.

[calliope1975]

Awwww, I just saw this again and it made me think of all the other times Felicity has walked out on Oliver (for whatever reason) and he was afraid that they were done (red coat, broke engagement, etc.) ??This poor boy and his self-esteem issues. 

 

And now I just saw this and remembered Felicity's abandonment issues and they are so perfect for each other and I love my OTP and I'm not even drunk. 

Edited April 13, 2018 by calliope1975

[AES13]

I'm just glad that for the first time in a long time, I feel optimistic and enthusiastic about watching the next episode.  It's been ages since I didn't feel like I was wasting my time with this show.  It does make me wonder if this was the writers' and show runners' first opportunity to course correct.  I'm somewhat hopeful now that the rest of the season might be okay.

[TwistedandBored]

I freaking enjoyed this episode more than I thought I would. This season has really made me like Oliver Queen more than it has ever before and I loved Felicity rescuing Oliver/GA. 

 

Also, this is a man who knows his wife is feeling him right now.

[SmallScreenDiva]

13 hours ago, TwistedandBored said:

Also, this is a man who knows his wife is feeling him right now.

This scene, this look right here plus the scene in the precinct with him smiling, relieved that his wife didn't really leave him made me want to wrap Oliver in a blanket and feed him hot cocoa.

[DeadZeus]

While i did enjoy the episode, it was pretty entertaining to watch. There were some things that irk me that i don't understand.

- Oliver can take out an entire Argus base just to talk to Amanda Waller (S2) but going up against a group of corrupt cops is "suicide?" OK...

- Was Oliver doubting himself against the noob hallucinations? In that scene he seemed pretty sure of himself. He really did give Rene an option to back off. Rene chose not to. So was this scene implying Oliver does not feel guilty about this or does he? He definitely shouldnt IMO

- Mayor Oliver is a wuss, like... unreal. Ever since he became mayir he lets multiple ppl just walk over him. He is NEVER a badass when he is a mayor, literally NEVER. I mean... He lets someone like Kullens walk ALL over him. I would love to see Badass Mayor Oliver Queen but he doesn't exist.

 

Freaking Diggle blaming Oliver "That's just who he is". As if Diggle was a saint... wow...

Edited April 14, 2018 by DeadZeus

[way2interested]

1 hour ago, DeadZeus said:

Oliver can take out an entire Argus base just to talk to Amanda Waller (S2) but going up against a group of corrupt cops is "suicide?" OK...

Going against a wall of like 20 cops all pointing guns at him like a shooting squad that he'd be running directly towards in just leather and no Kevlar is suicide. Oliver took down the rest of the precinct down no problem

1 hour ago, DeadZeus said:

Was Oliver doubting himself against the noob hallucinations? In that scene he seemed pretty sure of himself.

Yeah, I kind of thought he was pretty sure of it too. I kind of saw it as Oliver's typical characteristic of feeling guilty that things happened whether they are his fault or not.

1 hour ago, DeadZeus said:

He is NEVER a badass when he is a mayor, literally NEVER. I mean... He lets someone like Kullens walk ALL over him. I would love to see Badass Mayor Oliver Queen but he doesn't exist

I kind of thought threatening the Police Captain and the DA and firing them on the spot literally a week earlier was an example of him pretty badass and not letting them walk all over him. He only didn't fight back at Kullen because it got him in the spot in the first place and anything other than evidence would have gotten him impeached (as he did get anyway because like Felicity said they questioned how he got it).

Edited April 15, 2018 by way2interested

[Primal Slayer]

On 4/13/2018 at 4:22 PM, Velocity23 said:

They really should stop putting KC in flashbacks ... when they put her in the same clothes as s1 ... its even more drastic. They already had to use CGI last season on her.

   

Where was it ever stated they had to use CGI on her? I just wish they stlyed her hair better in the scene like they did last year.

And I guess they arent going to bother releasing the rest of the episodes promo pics now that its aired.

[apinknightmare]

21 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

Where was it ever stated they had to use CGI on her?

It was used on her hair:

 

Edited April 15, 2018 by apinknightmare

[JamieLynn832002]

One thing I didn't understand (other than how anything that happened led Oliver to believe he should work alone, that I'll never get) was Diaz saying he didn't just kill Oliver because he's more dangerous as a martyr. So I guess that was a hail of non-lethal bullets his flunky cops were unleashing as Oliver and Felicity escaped? If I'm expected to buy this mumbly jackass as the big bad, then at least make him make sense on the rare occasions I can understand what he's saying.

[SmallScreenDiva]

1 hour ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

One thing I didn't understand (other than how anything that happened led Oliver to believe he should work alone, that I'll never get) was Diaz saying he didn't just kill Oliver because he's more dangerous as a martyr. So I guess that was a hail of non-lethal bullets his flunky cops were unleashing as Oliver and Felicity escaped?

I'm still not quite sure what Diaz's end game is for the city or Oliver. Like with this Vertigo thing ... did he just want Oliver to come across as high and incompetent? Was the whole plan to get him impeached that's why he got Kullen to dose him? Does he just want to be the top crime lord? Should I even try to care?

[calliope1975]

45 minutes ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

I'm still not quite sure what Diaz's end game is for the city or Oliver.

Seems that, much like Digg, Diaz's motivations don't make any sense either. TPTB are doing a bang up job this year. 

[BkWurm1]

2 hours ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

One thing I didn't understand (other than how anything that happened led Oliver to believe he should work alone, that I'll never get) was Diaz saying he didn't just kill Oliver because he's more dangerous as a martyr. So I guess that was a hail of non-lethal bullets his flunky cops were unleashing as Oliver and Felicity escaped? If I'm expected to buy this mumbly jackass as the big bad, then at least make him make sense on the rare occasions I can understand what he's saying.

Maybe if he died during an attack on police headquarters it would have discredited him but just shooting Oliver as Oliver would leave him a martyr?