S07.E01: Inmate 4587

[BunsenBurner]

NTA were bad as usual no other comment is necessary, please get rid of them and Diaz and all will be good. If anyone should be kept it should be Zoe as she is the best of all of them and has a great personality. 

 

EBR and SA are better together than apart. 

 

I had had very low expectations for the premier and it met my expectations.

 

BS being the DA doesn’t surprise me. I think anyone, with or without a law degree, who said they’d take the job would get it. The DA and mayoral jobs were not exactly a career boost for anyone unless they wanted to die. 

 

It was okay. There wasn’t enough blood in the fight scenes but could that be the hour it is on TV?

I was a bit weirded out by the whole directing of the show. Everything seemed off to me and at this moment I can’t explain why. 

[bethy]

Where is 20 years coming from for the time jump? I don't remember seeing it in the episode, but it's quite possible I missed it!

[apinknightmare]

26 minutes ago, bethy said:

Where is 20 years coming from for the time jump? I don't remember seeing it in the episode, but it's quite possible I missed it!

I don't remember it being in the episode (I think they were trying to surprise people with the time jump), but Beth Schwartz talks about it here. 

Quote

Arrow threw us all for a loop in its Season 7 premiere by proving that the flashback/forward formula isn't dead and gone after all — it's just getting a major overhaul!

The final shot of the premiere shed some light on who the mystery guy headed to Lian Yu was, and in a shocking twist, it actually turned out to be William — 20 years in the future! That's right, Arrow fans, forget flashbacks, this season is going to be all about flash forwards!

[bethy]

Thanks, @apinknightmare!

[tv echo]

Yeah, okay, the guy's in great shape...

[tv echo]

Looks like Roy (Colton Haynes) was wearing a red costume in the 701 flashforward scene with adult William (Ben Lewis)...

Edited October 16, 2018 by tv echo

[bijoux]

William looks a lot more grown up in here. The Kevlar over the Arsenal suit is new.

[SmallScreenDiva]

This shot made me desperately want a scene where Felicity sees Oliver's prison bod, because HOT DAMN! Boy is ripped! 

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

Looks like Roy (Colton Haynes) was wearing a red costume in the 701 flashforward scene with adult William (Ben Lewis)...

Oh, was that in question? I identified him as Roy before he took his hoodie down when I saw the Arsenal outfit.

[statsgirl]

You shouldn't have to go to an interview with the EP to figure out what happened in the episode (i.e. 20 year time jump). There were complaints about that with MG.

16 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Part of the reason why Diaz is so lame is he always seems to be able to pull stuff off without an even remotely reasonable explanation of how or why.  Everything about Diaz was like that.  At least MOST of what Chase pulled off was explained.  

THIS, 

How did he find Felicity and William when they were in witness protection?  How did he get from getting ready to shoot Felicity to escaping from ARGUS?

I was hoping that Beth would be better than MG and WM.  And while I like the Olicity scenes separate and together, she's no better with Mumbles than the last season's show runners.

[lemotomato]

I dunno... I prefer Diaz as a McGuffin boogeyman so he doesn’t take up more screentime. The last thing I want is more insight into the hows and whys of him. That’s how we ended up with 619 ?

[Primal Slayer]

They couldnt create a new costume for Roy instead of just taking his old one, ripping up some of the strings on the sleeve and put a kevlar vest over it?

[Mellowyellow]

14 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

I dunno... I prefer Diaz as a McGuffin boogeyman so he doesn’t take up more screentime. The last thing I want is more insight into the hows and whys of him. That’s how we ended up with 619 ?

And watch KA try to act "deep". Lord help us ?

[BkWurm1]

Did a rewatch of the episode (and was excited to do it-first time in a loooong time)  Some random observations.

 

I like how they emphasize the monotony and repetitiveness of his time in prison.  Arrow doesn’t do montages too often.  I usually like it when they do. 

Only just noticed the sound of a cell door closing being added to the opening titles.  Nice touch.

I’m constantly amused during the prison scenes to know they filmed in a school. 

Why was Bronze Tiger so pissed about the knife Oliver “planted” on him when he is the one that brought it to the fight in the first place? His buds even complained about it later.  

I think someone else asked during the live thread what the point was leaving the douchebag on the SCPD’s door if New Green Arrow (Or Not Green Arrow when Oliver comes back -to be known as NGA from here out in this post) doesn’t leave any incriminating evidence on him?  Just a way of saying hello?

The time they are allowed to speak to visitors is exceedingly short. Not even five minutes?  I wonder if that’s at all realistic. 

That’s a fast leak in the punching bag.  It’s going to be empty by the time Rene is done jabbering.

I was bored by Brick when he showed up before but I confess I like him here.  It's probably the accent.  

Ok, my dislike for Rene is not going anywhere but you can tell they are trying to write him in a manner that would most appeal to the audience.  He’s the only one left in the city of the noobs that wants to carry on the show’s legacy.  (Apart for NGA)

Grr.  Dinah is so flippant about Diaz being gone.  Like she really has soo moved on.  Pity other people didn’t have the same luxury.  It’s funny how much they are trying to turn Dinah into Lance in his early years.  Vigilantes are bad!  Follow the rule of law!  Her stance with not even being willing to consider if the New GA has good motives is odd given last time she was so anti another vigilante, she in the end decided Vince was a good guy.  Early in the episode her stance makes more sense but it gets harder to swallow as the episode goes on. 

I’m confused with whom Lyla has to report to since I thought she was the head or ARGUS and thus ran HQ. 

I think there is some cut dialogue between Oliver and his new little buddy (I need to relearn his name) since it goes right from Oliver saying “you can’t sit here, I don’t know how to be any clearer” to “Ok, just because I’ve decided to let you sit here” and the little guy making small talk. 

It is confusing who is in charge of Slabside when the guards just randomly choose when to look the other way.  Why break up the Oliver/Brick/Tiger/Cody fight but not the Brick/Cody/little dude fight?  If we are going to be stuck with Oliver in prison, I’d like to understand the rules of the game. 

I miss the days of Dimah snarking in the background on Curtis and Rene.  I miss them standing in the background.

William habit of going to bed super early continues or Felicity works at the only midnight coffeehouse in suburbia I know of. 

I wonder what kind of heinous murder crime little dude was accused of to land in a maximum security prison rather than with all the regular killers in Iron Heights.

It also amuses me that when he mentions that he was wrongfully accused of murder, he says “that is what the city is like now.  No justice.”  Let’s all remember who is now in charge of serving justice out there in Star City.  Yup.  Great job you are doing Captain Drake.  Way to arrest the innocent.  And DA “Laurel Lance” for putting them away.   

I suppose TPTB see all this time spent with Dinah and Rene as serving the NGA’s story. 

It kills me more than a little that Oliver has the same nightmare every night.  But I do like the use of his dreams connecting him back to his family. It’s probably too much to hope they will keep showing his dreams while he is in prison. 

I like they have the same picture by their beds, Oliver and Felicity. You know it has to be there on her bed stand as her connection to her husband since she knows he has it and would not be allowed to display any pics of Oliver in her home. 

So I watched the parallel fight a LOT.  I also froze on Felicity’s kitchen scene.  Between her waking up and going into the bathroom and coming out or maybe even before her alarm went off (she was just lying there on top of the covers) I think she must have gotten up and gone into the kitchen since on the counter is the start of a salad (For breakfast?? Or something she’d bring to work for lunch?) and some toast in the toaster.  The coffee pot could have been preprogrammed and ready though. 

Side note, I didn’t see a real fireplace in the apartment, maybe an electronic one on the wall, so the fire poker would have really just been for protection. 

In some places, there is a debate over if Felicity was sending William to a boarding school in or out of the Witness protection program.  I assumed in but I think the dialogue also confirms it.  Oliver says that he needs them to tell Diggle to “set them up” with new id’s in the program. Felicity counters by saying she had William “set up” at the boarding school. 

At first I thought Felicity just didn’t give herself enough credit about protecting Will.  She tells Oliver she couldn’t protect William but of course, she did just that, giving him time to escape to safety and I assume probably send ARGUS back to save her.  But Diaz is still out there.

So I have to think what she meant by wanting to protect William was stopping Diaz permanently when he came at her and with how she was wailing on him, I’d say she was good if permanently meant dead.  But that’s what she failed to do and she needed ARGUS to then save her during.  That’s what she’s so upset about.  She saved William temporarily but couldn't protect him long term because she couldn't stop Diaz when he was right there in front of her.  She demands so much from herself. 

Also when she asks if Oliver knows what if feels like not to be able to protect your family, I think here she switches meaning.  I don’t think she means helpless because of lack of skills to fight physically against Diaz anymore, I think she means not being ALLOWED to use her special set of skills to protect her family. 

Oliver has had many instances of not being able to beat a bad guy and thus harm coming to loved ones, she knows that of course, but it has to have been a rare time when harm came because he promised not to try to use his skills to save them.  Oliver is only sorta kinda in the same boat with prison because of course prison was his choice.  He used his agency to get what he thought he needed but in the process, Felicity had to agree to be hobbled by his plan.  To know that you could be doing more and are not doing anything while the threat continues would have to be soul crushing. 

I only harp on this because I heard some blowback about how dare Felicity ask that question of Oliver. 

Underrated moment of the Oliver/Felicity scene.  The look of utter despair on Felicity’s face when the guard interrupts and she realizes this is all she gets after five months apart and nearly dying.

A smiling Rene is even more unbearable right after the heartbreaking Olicity scene. 

I enjoyed how afraid the guards looked as they surrounded a kneeling Oliver in the prison yard.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts about the significance of the List coming back into play?  It looks like he/she has the whole tiny notebook and everything. 

 

17 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I'm hoping that the repeated scene and the establishment of Felicity fighting back in this episode will lead to her killing Diaz by the end of the season. 

I do wonder if they'll leave him for Oliver or let her kill him. It would be interesting to see Felicity kill someone point blank if they go there as she's never actively killed. 

If my interpretation is right, (the stuff about Felicity saying she couldn't protect William being more about not being able to permanently take Diaz down at that moment when he was there in their apartment) then yeah, I think it's very likely she's ready to kill.  Would Oliver try to stop her?  Would she let him or anyone else?  I'm very curious where it goes.  Does Felicity feel she needs redemption because she wasn't able to stop Diaz on her own?

5 hours ago, lemotomato said:

I dunno... I prefer Diaz as a McGuffin boogeyman so he doesn’t take up more screentime. The last thing I want is more insight into the hows and whys of him. That’s how we ended up with 619 ?

No need for more screen time.  (So say we all) Just let Felicity say Diaz blackmailed, tortured, extorted someone that gave them up.  Or that he traced a phone call.  Or a postcard from Will's grandparents or had some Argus agents followed.  Just a tiny bit more info on the subject.  

[way2interested]

21 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Does anyone have any thoughts about the significance of the List coming back into play?  It looks like he/she has the whole tiny notebook and everything. 

I partially wonder if Beth is creating a red herring out of NGA. Like, trying to make us think it's Roy (even doing the parkour thing and playing the transition game to the flash forward with Roy IIRC), when it's really someone completely different. Ultimately though, I think the list was for a pilot parallel XD, but clearly the person knew how Oliver worked/thought, but I'm wondering why now (other than because it was 701) come out in Star City.

27 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

I only harp on this because I heard some blowback about how dare Felicity ask that question of Oliver. 

The funny thing is I didn't even interpret it fully the way you said, but I saw it as Felicity being overwhelmed and feeling powerless and unable to share her thoughts about it with anyone (who's she going to admit this to? William? I'm pretty sure she'd rather die). So, she shared her feelings, here which included fear of what could have happened, disappointment with what almost happened, anger at Oliver and herself for creating the situation, anger at Diaz obvs, pain of loneliness, etc., with Oliver, who happens to feel the exact same way, cementing the parallel theme (which, until the fight scene, was being way more subtle about it) that was happening throughout the episode. 

33 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Underrated moment of the Oliver/Felicity scene.  The look of utter despair on Felicity’s face when the guard interrupts and she realizes this is all she gets after five months apart and nearly dying.

There were a TON of underrated moments. lol. At that moment she looked ready to beg the guard herself for more time. There was also Oliver's hands shaking in the beginning of their conversation and Felicity's face seeing Oliver the first time. I know people talked about how Oliver thought Felicity was dead and how his face was a reaction to seeing that she was still alive, but Felicity had kind of an interesting reaction too. Upon rewatch of the scene, I remembered that Diaz basically told Felicity that he had some guys jump Oliver in prison, basically leaving it up to her imagination as to what happened to him during all of this (not that he would have died, but I would think anything bad happening to Oliver would still be pretty bad for Felicity). So, she sees that Diaz was able to get to her and Oliver, and the first time she sees him he's as beat up as she probably could imagine, which is why she replies very quickly "are you?" after she tells him that William is alright.

You could tell they were both so exhausted from worrying about each other and from just going through the motions of their miserable summer.

[insomniadreams88]

6 minutes ago, way2interested said:

I saw it as Felicity being overwhelmed and feeling powerless and unable to share her thoughts about it with anyone (who's she going to admit this to? William? I'm pretty sure she'd rather die). So, she shared her feelings, here which included fear of what could have happened, disappointment with what almost happened, anger at Oliver and herself for creating the situation, anger at Diaz obvs, pain of loneliness, etc., with Oliver, who happens to feel the exact same way, cementing the parallel theme (which, until the fight scene, was being way more subtle about it) that was happening throughout the episode. 

The sad thing is I don't think Felicity really has anyone she can talk to except for Oliver. She's not going to share with NTA. Her and Diggle's friendship isn't what it used to be. (Plus, you know, it seems like we're only allowed one--if that--Felicity/Diggle exchange an episode. We got that very briefly at ARGUS.) 

[apinknightmare]

51 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Also when she asks if Oliver knows what if feels like not to be able to protect your family, I think here she switches meaning.  I don’t think she means helpless because of lack of skills to fight physically against Diaz anymore, I think she means not being ALLOWED to use her special set of skills to protect her family. 

Oliver has had many instances of not being able to beat a bad guy and thus harm coming to loved ones, she knows that of course, but it has to have been a rare time when harm came because he promised not to try to use his skills to save them.  Oliver is only sorta kinda in the same boat with prison because of course prison was his choice.  He used his agency to get what he thought he needed but in the process, Felicity had to agree to be hobbled by his plan.  To know that you could be doing more and are not doing anything while the threat continues would have to be soul crushing. 

I only harp on this because I heard some blowback about how dare Felicity ask that question of Oliver. 

Good ol' reddit!

I thought the word choice was kind of strange (also when Oliver says he was sorry he wasn't there and Felicity says, "How could you have been?" and then he gets defensive about the only reason he went to prison was to keep Felicity and William safe.) I like you're interpretation of that part of it.

[Mellowyellow]

52 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

It’s funny how much they are trying to turn Dinah into Lance in his early years.  Vigilantes are bad!  Follow the rule of law!  

Except Lance' s acting was a whole lot better. 

***

EBR's body language was spot on that scene where Felicity trudges into the shower. The slighlty slumped back. Really captured the monotony and hopelessness of it all. That was our Felicity beaten down. 

[way2interested]

2 minutes ago, insomniadreams88 said:

The sad thing is I don't think Felicity really has anyone she can talk to except for Oliver. She's not going to share with NTA. Her and Diggle's friendship isn't what it used to be.

I'll play devil's advocate (and going by EBR's interview answer about how Felicity was feeling lonely) and say that that it's not a friendship or closeness problem here but just literal inability to talk to them because of being in witness protection. As in, if she could talk to the newbies (like Curtis) or Diggle she would have but couldn't, which makes all of these feelings worse and then becomes a cycle. And once she got all of these feelings out with Oliver I don't think she was just going to immediately do the same with Diggle. 

[Chaser]

I think Roy is the red herring for NGA. I’m leaning towards NGA being a woman. The face cover really stood out to me.

[Mellowyellow]

4 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

Good ol' reddit!

I thought the word choice was kind of strange (also when Oliver says he was sorry he wasn't there and Felicity says, "How could you have been?" and then he gets defensive about the only reason he went to prison was to keep Felicity and William safe.) I like you're interpretation of that part of it.

I thought that was Felicity's gentle way of being pissed about his prison decision and rightly so. I liked that exchange.

There was a lot of love but still issues and he's seeing the crappy decision he made. 

But these things I interpret as "mild" will no doubt be seen by some others as "hostile Felicity"

I don't do doormat so I'm so for calling your partner out especially when they repeatedly make the same mistake. I love the doofus but gawd he's dumb.

[Angel12d]

Amazing. Felicity wasn't told about Oliver's decision, is forced into Witsec without any say in the matter, isolated from everyone and everything she knows, gets beaten to crap but manages to ensure William gets to safety, and yet someone (coughtredditcough) still finds ways to hate on Felicity for a perfectly valid question. She can't win, it seems! ??

Edited October 17, 2018 by Angel12d

[apinknightmare]

8 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I thought that was Felicity's gentle way of being pissed about his prison decision and rightly so. I liked that exchange.

I guess it was just the delivery then, because she didn't even seem pissed - it seemed to be a genuine, "How could you have been there? You're in here." I guess Oliver could've taken it as a dig because it's something he's sensitive about given his mistake of taking that plea deal, it just played strangely when I watched it.

[SmallScreenDiva]

I've been operating under the assumption that everybody pretty much got exposed as vigilantes. I mean, they were running around with the FBI without masks in the finale, right? So the SCPD knew Dinah was a vigilante and still made her captain? Apologies if this had been raised before. 

[BkWurm1]

5 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

Good ol' reddit!

I thought the word choice was kind of strange (also when Oliver says he was sorry he wasn't there and Felicity says, "How could you have been?" and then he gets defensive about the only reason he went to prison was to keep Felicity and William safe.) I like you're interpretation of that part of it.

Yes, it's so interesting that Oliver starts off apologizing for not being there but Felicity clearly doesn't hold it against him at all.  Her "How could you have been?" holds not even a note of blame.  It's another beautifully telling moment of love and acceptance between them. 

On watching the scene more than once, I want to say what came off as Oliver being defensive was more him both explaining again as he is gutted in the moment and him so confused over what was even the point of him not being there or following the deal if it's not keeping them safe.  And yet behind bars, the deal he was begging Felicity to again take up, was the only way he could help keep them safe....even though it was already proved flawed.  But anything else is out of his control. 

  Felicity obviously by the end is no longer following Oliver's plan but she's not blaming him. Only herself for not being able to be enough in that moment, so she chooses now to act, to fight back in the way that she can.  And their positions reverse and she asks him to trust her really even though it has to make him feel even more out of control.  

[Mellowyellow]

8 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

Amazing. Felicity wasn't told about Oliver's decision, is forced into Witsec without any say in the matter, isolated from everyone and everything she knows, gets beaten to crap but manages to ensure William gets to safety, and yet someone (coughtredditcough) still finds ways to hate on Felicity for a perfectly valid question. She can't win, it seems! ??

 

Actually sometimes it's not just Reddit. I find it more disturbing when it comes from "Felicity fans"

I think some people are inherently more doormatty and others more assertive so this clouds their judgement of what a character does. 

I know I always tend to think she should raise more hell but I step back and tell myself that's not Felicity, that's me. 

Edited October 17, 2018 by Mellowyellow

[apinknightmare]

2 minutes ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

I've been operating under the assumption that everybody pretty much got exposed as vigilantes. I mean, they were running around with the FBI without masks in the finale, right? So the SCPD knew Dinah was a vigilante and still made her captain? Apologies if this had been raised before. 

They're really wishy-washy about whose past transgressions matter. I mean the DA is someone who used to openly run around as the Black Canary. I think they don't much care if you did it as long as you don't do it anymore. Which is weird, but...whatever, Star City.

[Chaser]

Arrow doesn’t get hung up on details or logic or continuity...

[BkWurm1]

17 minutes ago, Chaser said:

I think Roy is the red herring for NGA. I’m leaning towards NGA being a woman. The face cover really stood out to me.

The body looks to me like a male stuntman but that doesn't mean anything in the long run.  I am also leaning toward it being a woman.  Maybe we'll still get a secret sister for Oliver.  I really wouldn't rule it out.  If she too had Robert Queen's list, would she also be back to right his wrongs?  Is Robert Queen's name shown on the island a hint about the future?

[tennisgurl]

1 hour ago, BkWurm1 said:

Underrated moment of the Oliver/Felicity scene.  The look of utter despair on Felicity’s face when the guard interrupts and she realizes this is all she gets after five months apart and nearly dying.

 

Oh, that freaking killed me. She looked that she was about to start crying, or start yelling at the guards and begging them to have another minute. I watched that scene again, and her body language just kills me. She keeps looking into the glass so hard like she wants to somehow break it apart and reach in for a hug. 

Speaking of, my Olicity reunion better be freaking epic. Like, doves flying everyone, slow motion, Celine Dion playing in the background kind of epic. 

[Cthulhudrew]

They should bring back Christopher Chance and have him impersonate Felicity for the next time Diaz tracks her down. 

(Diaz looks at "Felicity" skeptically) "You been working out? Don't matter, I'm still gonna..."

(Chance, in typically bad Arrow-style wig, knees Diaz in the nuts) "Didn't you learn anything about monologuing after last time?" he asks, in falsetto.

:)

On another note, is anyone else besides me hoping that the prison guard will turn out to be on Oliver's side by the time he gets out of prison? I just don't want him to be a one-dimensional "corrupt or jaded prison cop" character. Plus, I think I recognize that actor from somewhere.

[Chaser]

When I look up gifs of the scene, I find a new moment that breaks my heart. 

[bettername2come]

I missed the episode yesterday because I completely forget about the time slot change. Bad fan. But overall I liked it.

I grow to like William more and more with each appearance, as they let the actor act his age. Loved Felicity calling him Will and love how protective she was, especially in Oliver's dream. Also, loved that Oliver dreamed of William running in the green hood on Lian Yu. That was a nice touch. 

23 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

So, we get flashforwards now. Like This Is Us, I don't care because, unless we're time traveling into the future, it doesn't matter since we'll never see the pay-off to whatever they're leading to. 

I am so glad you posted this because until you did, I assumed we had another time traveling child on our hands and was ready for Barry and Oliver to start a support group.

9 hours ago, catrox14 said:

And the inmate that Oliver finally protected ws Max from "nightmare' 

Always happy to see that kid from Goosebumps "Werewolf of Fever Swamp" is still working. 

Also, I was way too happy about the naked Oliver prison fight. I mean, I knew Oliver looked great shirtless, but can we talk about his legs for a second. 'Cause, damn. And in other damn news, Oliver hit that prisoner with what a 50 pound weight in the head? Dude, seriously. That's screwed up even by season 1 Oliver standards. 

Didn't hate Dinah and Rene. They seemed believable enough. Wouldn't absolutely hate if those two got together (who are you to judge me!). So they've pulled a Winn on Curtis and shoved him into a corner at ARGUS. I mean, it makes sense, but felt like a ripoff. 

So does nobody remember Laurel being a vigilante? No one's gonna call out the DA on her hypocrisy? Okay then. 

[Cthulhudrew]

Just looked up the credits on IMDB- now I know why I recognized the prison guard. He's played by Ryan Jefferson Booth, who played Dino on iZombie! I liked that guy (and was sorry they offed him last season...)

[SmallScreenDiva]

13 minutes ago, Chaser said:

When I look up gifs of the scene, I find a new moment that breaks my heart. 

Same. Just now I saw this. Felicity tries to smile, to reassure Oliver but she doesn't quite make it there. She can't. Not with all the emotions she was probably feeling at that moment. 

And I love that one of the first things Oliver Queen says upon seeing his wife is this. I don't need convincing. I know this (in my bones). But I love that the show consistently reminds viewers that Oliver Queen loves Felicity Smoak very, very much. 

[apinknightmare]

11 minutes ago, bettername2come said:

'Cause, damn. And in other damn news, Oliver hit that prisoner with what a 50 pound weight in the head? Dude, seriously. That's screwed up even by season 1 Oliver standards. 

I loved that fight. I thought it was the best, most satisfying fight I've watched in the show. 

Oliver striding out into the prison yard with purpose, holding his little book, slamming Brick in the windpipe with it and knocking him out. I loved the stupid smirk that big oaf had when the guard told Oliver not to be a hero, I loved Oliver knocking him the fuck out, I loved the "You should have killed me," and Oliver just calmly putting his hands behind his head. 

It was excellent. This prison Oliver I can deal with for some more episodes. 

[calliope1975]

Before this ep, my favorite fight was when Oliver rescued Walter and took out all those dudes. This is on par with that for me. I love having confident, deadly Oliver back. 

[apinknightmare]

6 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

Before this ep, my favorite fight was when Oliver rescued Walter and took out all those dudes. This is on par with that for me. I love having confident, deadly Oliver back. 

It was just SO SATISFYING. After seeing him laying low all episode, then deciding to fight back after seeing Felicity, looking at her pic with William and just angrily wiping away his chalk calendar. That he got the people who had harassed him about her...UNF. I got the tingles. 

[Mellowyellow]

I love that she reassures him she's always going to wait for him. Cuz she knows he's insecure about deserving her love and he might just brain himself on a bad day if he decides she's going to leave him. 

Might go watch 618 too and cry.

[statsgirl]

19 hours ago, Check Sanity said:

Also, I've seen complaints of Diaz as a villain. Just from a storytelling standpoint, does anyone think Diaz is going to survive past this season, again? I don't.

I was hoping he wouldn't survive till the end of last season.

18 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Can I take just a horrible moment to revisit that Oliver has a reoccurring nightmare every night that Felicity is killed protecting William?  Ack my heart ♥️

 

Maybe I'm a terrible person but I think of it as natural consequences.

17 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I do wonder if they'll leave him for Oliver or let her kill him. It would be interesting to see Felicity kill someone point blank if they go there as she's never actively killed. 

I'd love it but I don't think they would let a non-mask be the one to take him down. The best we can hope for is that she is the one who finds him.

13 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Just checked IMDb, I knew that Inmate (the one Oliver beat with the weight at the end) was the Golem from Supernatural.  

Did he find a Go'auld voice modulator?

12 hours ago, tv echo said:

So Curtis sabotaged Diggle's chip and hurt Diggle last season, but Diggle gets Curtis a job at ARGUS this season?

 

Consistency -- OTA is always more gracious and forgiving even when they shouldn't necessarily be.;

Edited October 17, 2018 by statsgirl

[TwistedandBored]

I thought for a premiere episode, this was not as bad as I thought it would be. I hope they get rid of Diaz in the next episode though. 

Anyways, I really loved how EBR looked. Felicity with the hair and piercings looked so beautiful. I also loved William and Felicity scenes and Olicity scenes. These scenes for me saved the episode. 

[BkWurm1]

5 hours ago, apinknightmare said:

It was just SO SATISFYING. After seeing him laying low all episode, then deciding to fight back after seeing Felicity, looking at her pic with William and just angrily wiping away his chalk calendar. That he got the people who had harassed him about her...UNF. I got the tingles. 

Oliver laying low so he could get back to his family as soon as possible was a complicated thing, I am all for him getting back to his family ASAP and as impossibly hard as it was for him not to stick his neck out to help Stanley, I could understand and not hold it against Oliver when that happened.  But it wasn't really who he is. Felicity's visit in part gave him permission to be true to himself even if it came with the risk of being away from his loved ones possibly longer.  It was like Felicity freed him from one of the layers in his prison.  

[way2interested]

5 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Oliver laying low so he could get back to his family as soon as possible was a complicated thing, I am all for him getting back to his family ASAP and as impossibly hard as it was for him not to stick his neck out to help Stanley, I could understand and not hold it against Oliver when that happened

This is also something I actually give Beth and the writers credit for. Even though not helping Stanley was hilariously far from something that I think anyone would actually be angry at Oliver for, there was/is this sense of an impossible situation that Oliver is in, instead of just the usual "impossible" situations Arrow creates which usually involves the obvious solution that the writers are just pretending doesn't exist (Besides the choice of not going to prison in the first place, obviously). Even though this is a tv show and Oliver will be out eventually, there was this block where I can see/understand/agree that there wasn't much else he could do. It made his choice to fight back even bolder since he's now going down the arguably harder path, and I think they did a good job setting that up.

[BunsenBurner]

Did anyone notice that when Oliver was talking to Felicity that he was slurring his words almost like he had something in his mouth? It seemed like he was doing it like his jaw was hurt. 

[Sake614]

On 10/15/2018 at 10:08 PM, Trisha said:

I forgot how bad the sound mixing is on this show. The dialogue was so garbled

Thank you for this. All this time I thought it was my sound bar that was the problem. I can never watch this show without closed captioning!

[tv echo]

I don't think it's the same list of names that Oliver was using in S1. Per Wiki, Oliver's list of names did not include Jason Stent, which was the name crossed of the list by the new GA copycat.

Edited October 17, 2018 by tv echo

[GHScorpiosRule]

Nothing I can add that everyone else hasn’t already stated. Except: more shirtless Oliver wouldn’t be amiss; more of Oliver working out (I’ve really missed that), and I love how much Stephen and Emily commit to their performances. Have to remind myself they’re acting.

Oh, and Oliver’s BEATDOWN was oh so so so soooooooo SATISFYING and had me ??????‍♀️??????????????‍♀️???

But That beard has GOT TO GO! He looked too much like a serial killer.??

[Kuu-uurija]

Felicity doesn't wear glasses, like not at all. I guess it's a part of her camouflage. She looks absolutely gorgeous though.

I liked young Will's actor a lot, he was very good at conveying resentment, love, loss and confusion at the same time. He has come a long way. I am sorry to see him go.

I don't trust Oliver's new little friend, at least not yet. He was way too surprised that Oliver didn't defend him - almost like he didn't expect to get beaten up. It would be logical to assume that fraternizing with Oliver would cost him as Oliver was clearly an outcast there. Honestly, it seemed that the guard that woke Oliver up was more sincere than he was. He didn't seem to be purposefully cruel in the end. And he broke up the first fight. I am hoping he will be an ally.

Can somebody tell me what Oliver said to Felicity when she said she tried but couldn't protect William and what it feels like not being able to protect your family. When he said he had lived with this feeling every second he stepped in prison.  Felicity, don't doubt that? Because it sounded like "don't tempt that" (English is not my first language, sorry, and I have no CC.)

[JamieLynn832002]

9 minutes ago, Kuu-uurija said:

Can somebody tell me what Oliver said to Felicity when she said she tried but couldn't protect William and what it feels like not being able to protect your family. When he said he had lived with this feeling every second he stepped in prison.  Felicity, don't doubt that? Because it sounded like "don't tempt that" (English is not my first language, sorry, and I have no CC.)

It was "Don't tempt that" which doesn't completely make sense to me either (and English is my first language.) I'm assuming he meant don't tempt fate/make him worry more by being unprotected but I'm not sure.

[Check Sanity]

On 10/16/2018 at 10:57 AM, SmallScreenDiva said:

That's where I've seen him. He looked really familiar. (I also thought maybe he was one of the cast of the Hugh Jackman circus movie.)

He was Lurch in The New Addams Family (another show filmed in Canada way back when). 

57 minutes ago, Kuu-uurija said:

I liked young Will's actor a lot, he was very good at conveying resentment, love, loss and confusion at the same time. He has come a long way. I am sorry to see him go.

I don't trust Oliver's new little friend, at least not yet. He was way too surprised that Oliver didn't defend him - almost like he didn't expect to get beaten up. It would be logical to assume that fraternizing with Oliver would cost him as Oliver was clearly an outcast there. Honestly, it seemed that the guard that woke Oliver up was more sincere than he was. He didn't seem to be purposefully cruel in the end. And he broke up the first fight. I am hoping he will be an ally.

Can somebody tell me what Oliver said to Felicity when she said she tried but couldn't protect William and what it feels like not being able to protect your family. When he said he had lived with this feeling every second he stepped in prison.  Felicity, don't doubt that? Because it sounded like "don't tempt that" (English is not my first language, sorry, and I have no CC.)

2

I don't think William is going to be gone for long, the Diaz situation is only temporary. 

Oliver's new prison friend's name is Stanley. The surprise that Oliver didn't defend him is because he's a Green Arrow fanboy who didn't think his hero would turn his back on someone who needed help. Consider how crushed he was to think his hero was a coward and there might be no hope/justice. Oliver was an outcast because he put a lot of those people in there. The only ones that decided to pick a fight with him only did it as a group and once reminded of how lethal he is tried to "persuade" him to join them. 

The guard seems to be too ambiguous right now to me. However, I think he'll have a purpose, he was onscreen too much not to. I wonder whether he'll gain Oliver's trust to either help him, die, or betray him. I mean the guard warned him not to be a hero, but I can't tell yet if that was for Oliver's own good or to keep the status quo because he's involved with whatever racketeering is going on in the prison.  

Oliver was asking her not to tempt his efforts in keeping a low profile to shorten his stay in prison. Like other's have said, her fighting back riled him up to not go against his nature and to take a stand and fight back too. 

Edited October 17, 2018 by Check Sanity

[lemotomato]

My read of the “Please... don’t tempt that.” line was that Oliver was referring to his nightmare of her getting killed, because he followed up with “I’m begging you to go back to witness protection.” It was a kind of an awkward line, since Felicity doesn’t know that he’s been having that nightmare every night and that he was told Diaz killed her.