The Starling City Times: News and Media about Arrow

[Delphi]

It's not so much as them being money makers, so much as it about them protecting their brand. A good example would be the Mortal Kombat vs the DC universe game that came out years ago. DC let the characters be used but are highly protective about how their used. So while say Catwoman was allowed to snap Scorpian's neck a whip as her finishing move DC refused to let the characters be defeated in any way that suggested that they had actually been killed and not just lost a match.

[Guest]

It's time to kill off a superhero

Superhero shows are way overdue to pull the trigger

BY JAMES HIBBERD, NATALIE ABRAMS

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/22/superheroes-death?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

 

 

COME ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

BTW the comment section for that article is delicious. 

 

LMAO it's like a meltdown in those comments. 

 

Also, that article is all well and good in theory but practice is another matter. Believe it when I see it. 

[BunsenBurner]

‘Arrow’s’ Emily Bett Rickards: Being shot has changed Felicity forever

What if TPTB have decided that they don't want Oliver and Felicity get back together again? 

[kismet]

What if TPTB have decided that they don't want Oliver and Felicity get back together again? 

I think if that happens, they are going to need to find new casting directors because the last few love interests they have set up for both OQ & FS have failed miserably.

 

It's really hard to match the natural chemistry & ease EBR/SA have with each other. I can't really see them going back to platonic, without some seriously super-chemistry charged LIs on the side for both of them to distract the audience.

[Guest]

What if TPTB have decided that they don't want Oliver and Felicity get back together again? 

 

Eh. I can see why that might worry some, but they've literally just teased the crap out of

O/F's fake dream/hallucination wedding

. I'm not sure they would do that if this is legit the end of Olicity tbh. It might not go the way some are expecting and they might not be together this season but I don't think this is the end end.

[looptab]

Maybe he'll yell in a different key. 

Except we won't know because he'll have the voice modulator. Pointless, haha.

[SonofaBiscuit]

KC's TalkNerdyWithUs interview: http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/02/24/exclusive-interview-with-arrows-katie-cassidy/

 

WTF?!

Her sister is her reason for everything. Sara motivates Laurel. Sara is the reason she was able to take on being the Black Canary. She’s empowered by Sara. It wouldn’t surprise me (and this is not a spoiler! This is just what I think) if we found out they were twins. They have this connection that isn’t just what sisters have, but more like what twins have. They are very close and can feel each others presence, even when they are not around each other.

 

 

And don't think I didn't notice that she dodged the question about what's coming up.  Are you in the grave, KC???

Edited February 24, 2016 by SonofaBiscuit

[kismet]

I'm almost positive it is canon that SL is younger than LL and was in a different grade. Most twins that I have known (& I have known about 10 pairs) have never referred to one as their younger sister. Yes, they make jokes but generally they just call each other "sister" or my "twin". But at this point KC should just keep her own personal head canon going, it's quite amusing to hear what she thinks.

 

It is interesting how she dodges what is coming up for her. That being said besides resurrecting SL and standing in the background there hasn't been a lot for her to talk about as her present storyline - so she might not be dodging anything there just might be nothing to talk about even if she lives.

[dtissagirl]

The "female women" thing is my favorite thing. MAKE IT HAPPEN, KC.

[Guest]

It wouldn’t surprise me (and this is not a spoiler! This is just what I think) if we found out they were twins. They have this connection that isn’t just what sisters have, but more like what twins have. They are very close and can feel each others presence, even when they are not around each other.

 

 

I'm...so...confused.

 

They probably should have shown more of this connection before Sara died though because I don't really buy it. She threw a glass at her head. LOL. Sara/Laurel's relationship is probably one of the biggest failings of this show tbh.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Guest

[calliope1975]

It wouldn’t surprise me (and this is not a spoiler! This is just what I think) if we found out they were twins.

 

 

Hahahahhahahahhhhhhhhhh! What is even happening here?????

[AyChihuahua]

Hahahahhahahahhhhhhhhhh! What is even happening here?????

Well, Sara/Caity Lotz are getting rave reviews on LoT. Pretty much every reviewer, even the ones who think the show's a fail, singled her out for praise. Sooooooooo........?

[lemotomato]

I like that she felt the need to clarify that it wasn't a spoiler. 

Edited February 24, 2016 by lemotomato

[Primal Slayer]

She is equating Sara/Laurels bond to those that twins often talk about, I have seen it talked about many times about twins having that special bond and even joking around about which one is older. But the interview was a snooze fest, nothing new that we haven't heard before.

[Chaser]

That was weird.

[lemotomato]

I'd like to thank KC for giving me the only show-related thing this week that was entertaining.

[tv echo]

Robert Dougherty's blistering pre-emptive analysis of the BMD set to unfold tonight (I don't think he sees episodes in advance, so his article is based on what he expects to happen)...

 

'Arrow' And The Superhero Genre Needlessly Cling To Secrets And Lies
By Robert Dougherty Feb 24, 2016 11:00 AM
http://www.themovienetwork.com/article/arrow-and-superhero-genre-needlessly-cling-secrets-and-lies

Arrow pulls the trigger this week on an event feared since early December. For the purpose of restoring the show to its regular angst quota, and to punish us for the show runners' paranoid suspicions that we will not keep watching a show with a healthy couple, Oliver and Felicity must break up because Oliver's long loathed and long lacking in logic lie about his secret son is coming out through his kidnapping.
*  *  *
Many genres are built on deception, lies and secrets, but they are engrained into the superhero genre in particular. At the least, they are a built in feature in tales about costumed heroes, who always need to lie about their secret identities to the outsiders closest to them. No matter how much it pushes away those people and dooms the heroes to a life of angst and solitude, they have to do it for their 'own good' -- but mainly so the storytellers have easy plots to recycle for years on end.
*  *  *
Now that all the major main characters know about Oliver's double life, that should lift the burden to write plots about keeping people in the dark. On a smarter show, that would inspire writers to come up with something better, and fully commit to living in the light like Oliver vowed at the beginning of Season Four.
*  *  *
Instead, we got the introduction of William Clayton and the return of her mother -- and Oliver's ex-one night stand -- Samantha. Which wasn't ominous on its own, until Samantha demanded Oliver could never tell anyone he knew about William -- and even after getting a second chance via a new timeline, Oliver obeyed.
 

Technically, this is a plot line ripped more from a soap opera, not the comic book genre. But this is a genre built on main characters keeping major secrets from those they love, being unable to trust that they will be safe and they will fully love them if they know everything, and on justifying that they were right to keep secrets all along. Once Arrow couldn't reuse those plots via Oliver's 'secret' identity anymore, it had to get its fix elsewhere.
 

In this case, the writers twisted themselves to make Oliver believe Felicity would leave him if she knew the truth, in ways that fall apart through any logical thinking. They then literally gave themselves amnesia and made Thea tell Oliver last week that those lies -- even lies to Felicity -- keep William safe, despite how her character was originally built to loathe such secrets for good reason.
*  *  *
The best theory is that they need an excuse to push the Oliver/Felicity wedding to the 100'th episode this December. But if they had any real guts, they would use all the other real issues surrounding them to do this, and they wouldn't have sped up the wedding timeline by making Oliver ready to propose in the premiere.
 

When it came time to kill time, they decided they needed needless secrets and lies, which has been their bread and butter. Inevitably, it is the bread and butter for most superhero stories with costumed heroes, so it made it all the easier to fall off the wagon. But even shows that normally do avoid such clichés don't have the will to close the door for good.
*  *  *
Many a show deludes themselves into thinking they need such lies to keep us watching. But in the superhero game, it is really easy for the laziest writers to use them instead of using their higher creative powers, if they have any.

[Chaser]

The "female women" thing is my favorite thing. MAKE IT HAPPEN, KC.

I totally didn't catch that at first.LOL

[tv echo]

The Definitive Ranking of Every CW Drama Ever
BY KAYTI BURT      4 HOURS AGO
http://collider.com/best-cw-shows-ranked/#cult

Would we be enjoying the current golden age of live action superhero TV if not for Arrow? Perhaps (after all, Marvel would still be a thing), but it would be a little less campy with far fewer salmon ladders. And I don’t want to live in that world, do you? Arrow burst onto the television scene in 2012, when viewers were hungry for a live action, serialized comic book story that wasn’t all grit and grumbles. And, sure, Oliver Queen is decidedly grumbly, but this show has a humor and ability to poke fun at itself and its characters that is missing from some comic book fare.
 

Add in some great action (especially on a CW budget), the wonder that is Felicity Smoak, and the kind of long-arc, character-driven storytelling (especially in Season 2) that should be the hallmark of any good comic serialized book translation, and you had yourself one of the best shows on TV in Season 2.
 

Arrow may have peaked in its second season (or not — I’m not ready to give up on this show’s ability to bounce back to its previous narrative heights). Either way, it launched an entire DC television universe and proved that television isn’t just a place where screen adaptations of comic book stories could be, but where they perhaps should be.

Edited February 24, 2016 by tv echo

[kismet]

The Definitive Ranking of Every CW Drama Ever

BY KAYTI BURT      4 HOURS AGO

http://collider.com/best-cw-shows-ranked/#cult

Congrats to ARROW 2nd to Vampire Diaries... here's hoping it did not peak in the second season. Part of me is questioning if that may be a possibility, but I will hold out faith.

 

I'm glad Nikita was so high up on the list, I feel like that show was really underrated. I'm surprised by how many of the shows have only had 1 season.

[tarotx]

I get that Sara and Laurel's Journey on the show has been linked but I don't think they have that connection that twins have. But Sara and Laurel show story have been connected like shows often do with twins stories. Actually I sometimes think of the Lance family as one character with the Sara head being my fav by a long mile. 

[EmilyBettFan]

Her interviews are so cringe worthy. They can't even ask her anything except about Sara and training. How sad.

[bijoux]

How Dare You Walk Away From Us Like That, Arrow? Emily Bett Rickards Sounds Off on Felicity's New Journey

by LAUREN PIESTER, EOnline

 

 

"I've been trying to be as protective as possible over what story we're going to tell with her being paralyzed, and that's hard, because that's not our show," Rickards tells E! News. "Our show is not really there to tell this story, unfortunately. We don't really have time. We sort of rushed through it as interesting and creatively as I think we possibly could, but the authenticity of it is that this would be all-encumbering. This changes your life completely. You have to regulate the temperature of your body. You don't have time to do anything else, because you're literally focusing on how to live this life. That is something that we couldn't show."

 

.....

 

"We couldn't show what it would be like for Felicity in reality. We could not show that, and I apologize for that. And since we couldn't, I do feel like it was good for us to get her standing, and it does create a new goal for her to work towards. It gives her this idea, a lightbulb moment, to reset what her driving force inside her is, and I think she checked into that and now she's going to go after what this new goal is."

 

[tv echo]

EW recap of 415 (yes, it's more recap than review, but I didn't watch this episode so I've quoted portions)...

 

Arrow recap: 'Taken'
BY JONATHON DORNBUSH February 24 2016 — 11:10 PM EST
http://www.ew.com/recap/arrow-season-4-episode-15

He’s had a chance to fill everyone in on the existence of his son, all of them taking the news with varying degrees of shock. Felicity isn’t hurt that Oliver has a son, though. She’s upset his first inclination here, and so often before, is to hide the truth from her. And Oliver practically sticks a knife into that emotional wound when Felicity finds out Thea, Barry, and even Malcolm Merlyn knew of William.
*  *  *
...  Megalyn Echikunwoke, makes her live-action debut as the heroine. The transition isn’t seamless, as the show has to saddle her with some overly explanatory dialogue to fill in those who might not have watched her animated series.
*  *  *
With politics momentarily out of his mind, Oliver has a little more headspace to deal with his personal travails, which is convenient as Felicity wheels into the office. Samantha had earlier pleaded with Felicity to remember that it was she who forced Oliver to choose between his son and the woman he loved, not Oliver himself. But before the two can reconcile any further, they receive an update from Mari.
*  *  *
It’s a choice Oliver finds difficult to make, but it’s one he makes alone, which is a problem for Felicity. She enters the apartment, taking off her engagement ring and saying she needs space. Oliver’s continued mode of operating alone ignores a key element of being in a relationship. Even when she can understand why he makes a decision like this, she’d at least like to be consulted, for Oliver to act like her thoughts and feelings count just as much as his.

[tv echo]

A.V. Club review of 415 (loved Vixen but still not happy with BMD)...

 

A guest-starring Vixen elevates a game-changing Arrow
By Alasdair Wilkins Feb 25, 2016  12:20 AM
http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/guest-starring-vixen-elevates-game-changing-arrow-232833

... The temptation when telling stories about suddenly reunited parents and their children is a certain degree of biological chauvinism, with the assumption being that the presence of a birth parent is always going to be a good thing, all other things being equal. Yes, Oliver’s life as Green Arrow (and as a mayoral candidate, given that’s still supposedly the only reason Darhk is targeting him) presents a real danger to William’s safety, but Diggle argues that it’s worth working through that and figuring out some way for Oliver to be there for his son. Mari, by contrast, argues some parents and the lives they lead are just too dangerous to their children, and if the only way to preserve the child’s innocence is to stay away, then that might well be a sacrifice worth making.
*  *  *
... Well, I’ll say the William story works better here than it did in last week’s misfiring episode. Or, more precisely, all the things that were handled poorly or nonsensically last week were pretty much the same tonight, but they took up way, way less of the episode. Felicity’s decision to walk out on Oliver is more or less justified—I mean, in real life, a person doesn’t require any justification to leave a relationship he or she no longer has trust in, but I mean narratively justified—but the issue here is that Arrow appears desperate to give Felicity a valid reason to walk out while trying hard to preserve Oliver as not a complete jackass. That, I’d guess, is the main reason behind the contrivance of Samantha swearing Oliver to secrecy, as it’s otherwise a plot move so nonsensical Felicity actually calls it out as such tonight!
*  *  *
Everything to do with Oliver, Felicity, and Samantha has pretty much the exact opposite problem. I won’t complain too much, because this broken setup produced one hell of an episode—a whole lot of credit to Vixen, I suspect—but I do wonder how much success the show is likely to have as it shifts its focus to what’s next for Oliver and Felicity.
*  *  *
So, seriously, how does Damien Darhk not know that Oliver Queen is Arrow? Did John Constantine put some magical protection on him, or something? Or is this just that one blind spot that even a genius like Darhk just has to have? Because no, it doesn’t feel at all plausible that Darhk would not have worked that out.

[dtissagirl]

How Dare You Walk Away From Us Like That, Arrow? Emily Bett Rickards Sounds Off on Felicity's New Journey

by LAUREN PIESTER, EOnline

 

I both admire and feel super sad for EBR being so painfully aware that the wheelchair storyline wasn't ever gonna be able to do any justice to this kind of narrative.

[tv echo]

ScreenCrush reviewer thought that 415 did a better job of incorporating Vixen into the episode than 405 did of incorporating Constantine into that episode (overall, I'd say this review was mixed)...

 

Review: ‘Arrow’ Gets ‘Taken’ With Live-Action Vixen, Walks Back Felicity Twist
Kevin Fitzpatrick | 9 hours ago

http://screencrush.com/arrow-taken-review-vixen/

It also helps that “Taken” doesn’t have quite the same dirty work to cover with Vixen’s appearance, but rather a narrative thread that, for good or ill, at least has a steady foundation over the last few seasons. No one would exactly point to Samantha and Oliver’s bizarre deception as a paragon of relatability, but kidnapping William was probably the best way to lay every card on the table, and I like that Arrow wasn’t afraid to overturn every side of that particular bombshell.
*  *  *
The bigger piece of the puzzle to fall into place tonight was Felicity literally walking* out on Oliver after all was said and done, itself also given due representation. There isn’t an indiscriminate bone in Felicity’s body, broken or otherwise, and it isn’t as if she made anything of the ordeal about her, or the impossible situation Samantha put him in to lie. She’s right, though, Oliver’s first instinct has been to resume a life of secrets (a line repeated from the earlier crossover timeline, even), and while a full breakup isn’t made explicitly clear, it needed consequence. It’s odd, “Taken” feels like the rare instance of emotional balance keeping more in check than the action itself.
 

*In earnest, it was always unlikely Arrow would keep Felicity’s paralysis permanent, but if we’re to accept Curtis’ implant magically clicking on in time for her to walk out (apparently, atrophy isn’t a thing in this universe), I’m a little comforted by Emily Bett Rickards acknowledging the brevity to TVLine:...
*  *  *
Arrow may not have given us any developments on the grave mystery to chew on until March 23, the way Flash unmasked Zoom, but “Taken” certainly could have accomplished less. That’s not ringing praise, granted, but Arrow bungles emotional beats more often than anything else these days, and I liked that almost everything fell neatly into the prism of fatherhood.

[lemotomato]

I both admire and feel super sad for EBR being so painfully aware that the wheelchair storyline wasn't ever gonna be able to do any justice to this kind of narrative.

I'm sad *she* has to do the media rounds apologizing for the abrupt end of the wheelchair storyline. Where the hell are the EPs that made the decision to disable Felicity and then magically "cure" her 5 episodes later? They should be the ones being held accountable, not EBR.

[tv echo]

Yahoo reviewer still notes the absurdity of Oliver's secret-keeping and calls Felicity walking out the door "a Beyoncé-level power move"...

 

'Arrow' Recap: Is There a Vixen in the House?
Robert Chan  February 25, 2016
https://www.yahoo.com/tv/arrow-recap-is-there-a-vixen-in-the-house-093206981.html

Well, Felicity finally knows about William like we knew she always would. And, as much as Oliver and Samantha try to explain that it was Samantha’s ultimatum that kept him from telling her, it got harder to believe as the list of people who also knew (Thea, Malcolm, Barry Allen, probably the gardener…) kept growing. The guy just can’t help keeping secrets and by now, he should know that if he’s keeping secrets to protect someone, they never, never, never end up actually protecting them.
*  *  *
Not that Ollie’s a bad guy, but is he a good mate for Felicity? Or anybody? Maybe if this were The Americans where everybody was a Russian spy. And it’s not even just the secrets. He doesn’t talk with Felicity about sending William away. That’s great for a girlfriend, but a fiancée? Maybe she needs to look up Barry’s number again.
*  *  *
At long last, Vixen — who’s had numerous animated appearances including her own CW Seed show — is live-action, played by the woman who voiced her on the web series, Megalyn Echikunwoke (or E.K., as she’s listed in tonight’s credits). In the comics, she has the power to turn into any animal that has ever existed on Earth. Why she isn’t just a T. Rex all of the time is the real mystery here.
*  *  *
* Move of the Night: Curtis Holt’s chip begins working and Felicity’s first steps… are right out the door. That is what you call a full-fledged, Beyoncé-level power move.

[tv echo]

TV.com reviewer thought Vixen was "a pretty solid addition to the Arrowverse" but still thought the BMD storyline was "dumb"...

 

Arrow "Taken" Review: Parent Traps
By Noel Kirkpatrick 9 hours ago
http://www.tv.com/shows/arrow/community/post/arrow-season-4-episode-15-taken-review-145618905538/

To Arrow's credit, it has truly resisted demolishing this relationship all season. The writers have routinely done all manner of things to thwart it in the past, and so to wait until Episode 15 to take a small wrecking ball to it is a bit remarkable. It has still been a very dumb storyline, but the immediate fallout from it wasn't as dumb. "Taken" gave Samantha the space to basically say to Felicity, "This was the thing I wanted from Oliver," as a way to remove some of the heat off of Oliver, even if she did it without really apologizing for being partially responsible for creating a major crack in Oliver and Felicity's relationship.
*  *  *
... The storyline was still as dumb as a bag of hammers (how hard would it have been for Samantha to see that Oliver was running for mayor and be like, "Oh, hey, he's changed, maybe I should try and see what his life is like now?"), but at least this part was handled about as well as things could've been. Plus, did you really want William to be a presence on the show all the time?
*  *  *
It would be easy to see this as Oliver running away from a responsibility/sending away someone he loved for their safety, a sure sign of his tendency toward secret-keeping in the name of protecting someone. The way "Taken" played it, and the way the storyline had set up Samantha, however, allowed the decision to make complete sense for Samantha and William to disappear. It helped that Samantha, unlike lots of other people, agreed to this plan. And the end result allowed it all to feel like a hefty sacrifice for Oliver since it removed the possibility of a relationship with William (for the time being) and broke his relationship with Felicity (for the time being; unless the show is going to pick up that ball of Laurel feeling a bit jilted, still, about Oliver cheating on her as Laurel still having feelings for Oliver, in which case, abandon ship, everyone).
*  *  *
– There was a good bit of "Oliver's the worst, am I right?" this week, and that's something I always appreciate. Even if this season has been okay—I'm leaning toward it being roughly on par with Season 1—the refusal of everyone to really tolerate Oliver's nonsense has been great.
*  *  *
– Speaking of Constantine, he is currently, apparently, actually in hell. I guess that's what we're calling Warner Bros./DC Entertainment's "Do Not Use" list now.

– I love that Curtis's bioimplant kicked in just in time for Felicity to literally get up and walk out on Oliver. I didn't care about how ridiculous the speed at which the implant worked was; it was worth it just for that wonderfully heavy-handed moment.

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

If Carissa keeps writing reviews like this one, I might have to rethink my opinion about her (she rated this episode a 2.75 out of 5.00 stars)..

 

Arrow Season 4 Episode 15 Review: Taken
Carissa Pavlica at February 24, 2016 9:59 pm.
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2016/02/arrow-season-4-episode-15-review-taken/

Felicity held up incredibly well throughout the entire ordeal. You have to imagine Oliver thought he had made it out scott free, right? Wiped some sweat off of his brow, realized how damn lucky he was to find a woman like Felicity, all the while not knowing the woman he was with AT ALL.
 

Everyone tried to glaze Oliver's decision, including Thea, Diggle and even Samantha. Yet if it was any one of them on the other side of a lie that humongous, you can guarantee they would not take it sitting down.
 

Unfortunately, that's the only way Felicity could take it. She just looked passive. She was, as we thought on the Arrow Round Table, biding her time and being a kind, compassionate woman until the William situation was over.
 

Thea didn't like being lied to by her father. What was any different about that? Other than that he does it ALL THE TIME, but people continue to buy into what he says because his lips move. But I digress...
*  *  *
Nope. He and Samantha made a decision about William and Oliver's future without even discussing it with her, as if she had no part in their future. After all of that, everything they went through, they still didn't understand the meaning of a family, or Oliver of marriage as she described it, as inclusion.
*  *  *
So, tell me the truth. Was I the only one bored throughout most of this episode? Anytime Oliver was on screen it was a total snoozefest. Same with Diggle. And the Flashbacks. The ladies truly ruled the night. Agree or disagree?

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrow Just Dealt With Oliver's Kid In The Best Way Possible
BY LAURA HURLEY  11 HOURS AGO
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Arrow-Just-Dealt-With-Oliver-Kid-Best-Way-Possible-120727.html

For the rest of us, the handling of this sub-narrative has been such a drag on the second half of Season 4 that something drastic needed to be done to try to rehab the story. William and Samantha being shipped off to a happily-ever-after somewhere off-screen was the best possible outcome. There had been potential for some great exploration of Oliver’s character as a father back when the plot was introduced, but William and Samantha were definitely due for a one-way ticket out of the Flarrow-verse.
*  *  *
Now, the Claytons simply being shipped off – to Fiji, perhaps? – doesn't mean that they could never come back at a later date, and neither mother nor child should be definitively crossed off the list of candidates for the grave. But killing William off to get rid of him in “Taken” would have been a misstep for Arrow. William hasn’t been enough of a presence for audiences to get so attached to him that we’d miss him, but Oliver would certainly need to mourn. Two big deaths to him in one season would be overkill. Besides, with William alive, none of us have to feel guilty if we get the urge to spontaneously shout “Ding dong, the kid is gone!” to the heavens.

[tv echo]

Vixen comes to town, and the battle with Darhk comes to a head (literally) in latest Arrow
Trent Moore  Thu, Feb 25, 2016 7:38am
http://www.blastr.com/2016-2-25/vixen-comes-town-and-battle-darhk-comes-head-literally-latest-arrow

Felicity is obviously hurt, but buries those emotions long enough to get through the rescue mission and save William (while taking Darhk down in the process). But, when the dust settles, she tells Oliver she can’t be with him if he can’t trust her with the biggest secrets in his life. Which, yeah, that’s a fair point. Having a kid isn’t the problem — it’s keeping it a secret all this time from his fiancee.
 

This leads Felicity to give back the ring (which, as keen-eyed fans will note, she is not wearing in the flash forward) and call off the engagement. Oliver is obviously between a rock and a hard place, and you can really understand why he made the decision he did — and also why it still hurt Felicity enough to do this. Unlike most of the show’s typical manufactured controversy, this one really hits home in a real way. Kudos.
*  *  *
It’s also worth noting: This exact thing happened in the alt-future that Barry prevented in the crossover a while back, and he even warned Oliver it would happen. As we’ve seen before, the universe wants to get back to the status quo — and it seems a massive fight over Oliver’s secret child is essentially destined to (at least temporarily) break these two up. Seriously, Oliver. You literally got another chance to do this, and you made the exact same mistake. Ugh. Some superheroes will never learn.
*  *  *
The action: Was it just me, or did the action scenes seem a bit clunky this week? Something with the choreography felt sloppy, which is rare, since this show typically brings the A-game. Maybe they blew the budget on Vixen’s effects?

[tv echo]

There's an online poll at the end of this 415 review asking how long you think O&F will be broken up...

 

'Arrow' Recap: Vixen Arrives to Help Save Oliver's Son
Derek Stauffer   Wednesday, February 24, 2016
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/arrow/arrow-recap-vixen-comes-to-sta-59010.aspx

Since Samantha and William were introduced on Arrow, the fan reception has not been positive. Some were outraged that Arrow "whitewashed" Oliver's illegitimate biracial son, Connor Hawek, from the comics. Other were disappointment that the series was unnecessarily complicating the Felicity/Oliver relationship. There was another contingent who felt that Samantha and William could have been interesting, but were completely mishandled. In other words, none of the reception was good.
*  *  *
Everyone regroups at the Arrow cave and Felicity discovers the ridiculous amount of people who knew Oliver's big secret and none of them are her. Samantha arrives in Star City having been led there by Barry Allen. Oliver lets Samantha in on his secret, the other one that she doesn't know, he's the Green Arrow.
*  *  *
In the Arrow Cave, Samantha waits with Felicity. She tries to tell Felicity that Oliver lying to her is all her fault and blah, blah, I don't care. (Samantha, you're the worst and no one likes you.) However, Felicity is effected by the speech, in a way that I am not, however.

[tv echo]

Vulture review of 415...

 

Arrow Recap: Gone Boy
By Jenny Raftery  February 25, 2016  9:35 a.m.
http://www.vulture.com/2016/02/arrow-recap-season-4-episode-15.html

The secret-love-child plot is a divisive one. On the one hand, Oliver’s decision to hide the news from Felicity strained logic and credulity. (Why do Thea and Malcolm know, but not Felicity?) On the other hand, that choice, as contrived as it felt, led to some great scenes tonight — Emily Bett Rickards in particular turned out a fantastic performance — and I’m cautiously optimistic about how the show will handle the fallout from this point on.
*  *  *
So, let’s go over that one more time. Immediately after Felicity finds out that she won’t be able to walk again, she’s confronted by the man who ordered her killed, and learns her fiancé has a secret kid. There is a lot happening in Felicity Smoak’s life right now. To top it all off, she puts aside her devastation and heartbreak to help Oliver find his son.
 

It would be tempting for any actress to overplay even one of those dramatic developments. Thankfully, Rickards opts for a more subtle approach, especially when it comes to dealing with Oliver’s betrayal. She purses her lips ever so slightly. Her eyes narrow just so. There’s no need for grand speeches throughout the episode to get across her disappointment in Oliver or to create tension. This is a couple, after all, built on subtext (season two’s “Unthinkable”) and repression (almost all of season three), so it makes sense that their disintegration would follow the same unspoken path.
*   *  *
The performances and direction in the final scene really won this episode over for me. The scene begins with Oliver alone, talking to a computer screen. You can’t see the screen, but it becomes clear soon enough that he’s talking to William. Oliver reveals that he’s both William’s father and the Green Arrow. As he talks about the dangers of being the Green Arrow, the conversation begins to feel more weighty and emotional. Turns out, William and Samantha have already moved to an unknown town, and Oliver didn’t want to know where, as a way to protect them. So it’s not a live Skype or FaceTime conversation, but a video message for William to play when he turns 18. Stephen Amell’s performance confuses me, in that I am starting to well up during Oliver’s speech, even though I am super happy that the show is abandoning this subplot. What kind of sorcery, Amell?
*  *  *
I didn’t think it was possible to love Felicity Smoak more. I was wrong.
*  *  *
I wish there had been maybe 30 more seconds of Oliver and Felicity’s final confrontation scene.
*  *  *
I don’t buy that Dig would be okay with Oliver’s choice to lie, and I also don’t believe that Dig would not even acknowledge the effect or hurt that choice had on Felicity. It’s a “tough spot” for Oliver to be in, but what about the spot that puts Felicity in? My Delicity feels are at an all-time low.

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

WeMinoredInFilm compares 415 to Captain America: Civil War(!)  - I disagree with her that Oliver had no choice and was in an impossible situation (I'm surprised that this reviewer is drinking MG's koolaid)...

 

ARROW’S “TAKEN” (S4,EP15): OLICITY & CIVIL WAR
Posted on February 25, 2016 by Kelly Konda
http://weminoredinfilm.com/2016/02/25/arrows-taken-s4ep15-olicity-civil-war/

For as much as Oliver is admirably trying to be a more open person, he still doesn’t know how to lean on his partner when things get complicated. Felicity’s fully aware that William’s mother put Oliver into an impossible situation. However, honesty means everything to her, no doubt tied to her issues with her lying, conman of a father... Regardless of the circumstances, Oliver broke that trust, and then she discovers him again making a huge life decision (i.e., cutting William out of his life to protect him) without even talking to her about it.
 

The specifics of this, of course, are completely insane. It’s hard for an audience to really relate to a couple fighting over the truly convoluted soap opera which played out here. However, it is easy to relate to the underlying concept of a couple fighting over trust and honesty. Oliver has progressed so much as a character this season, but after all of this it’s like Felicity felt that she could only trust him maybe 90% of the time, which wasn’t good enough for the man she’s supposed to marry.
*  *  *
Yet, at the same time, what the hell else was Oliver supposed to do? What more could Felicity have realistically expected from him? Samantha more or less forced him to choose between his girlfriend and his son, and he picked his son.
 

No one’s supposed to be the bad guy here. As last week’s episode went to great lengths to remind us, the Oliver Samantha knew was a garbage human being, and then his mother tried to coldly buy her off. She’s naturally going to feel protective of her son and extra cautious of Oliver. However, that placed Oliver into a no-win scenario, and he made what he felt was the best choice available. He told Thea last week that he hated himself for it, and he told Felicity this week that his plan was to play by Samantha’s rules in the hopes that after a couple of months she’d recognize how much he’d changed as a person and relent on her restrictive conditions.
*  *  *
Felicity understands all of that. This episode even went as far as having Samantha directly telling her not to blame Oliver. However, she needs to know that given the insane lives they lead if she’s to marry Oliver she needs to be able to trust him completely no matter what. Now she doesn’t know if she can.
*  *  *
That’s still where I ultimately come down on all of this. William was but a plot device, one which was introduced rather poorly thus forcing this episode and last week’s to bend over backwards to better explain everything. Stephen Amell can try his best Grant Gustin with a heart-breaking speech at the end, but while the sacrifice is easy to understand it doesn’t mean as much as it could have since we only ever saw Oliver with his son that one time.
*  *  *
3. Nitpicks: Damien Darhk still hasn’t put it together that Green Arrow and Oliver Queen are the same person? Seriously? Also, once Thea and Malcolm both found out about William and the whole “keeping my son a secret” ship had clearly sailed, should Oliver have told Felicity?

[tv echo]

Collider's mixed review of 415 (rated it 3 stars Good)...

 

‘Arrow’ Recap: “Taken” – Vixen Has a Very Particular Set of Skills
BY DAVE TRUMBORE      13 HOURS AGO
http://collider.com/arrow-recap-taken-vixen/

The main plot of this episode, titled “Taken”, left much to be desired in the way of story as well. It’s bookended well with scenes of Oliver and Felicity that illustrate the current state of their relationship, and it ties up some loose ends that have been established throughout the season, but it lacked the punch of some of the series’ better episodes.
*  *  *
The bigger twist at the episode’s end is that Felicity has decided that she needs some space. After opening the episode in a scene in which Oliver supports Felicity while she tries to walk, we end with her giving Oliver back her engagement ring and then, lo and behold, she literally walks out on him! This hour was about as emotional a roller coaster ride as Stephen Amell has ever had to play on this show, and while he did a good job, the balance just felt off. The soap opera side was strong in this one, and the action elements were what we’ve come to expect from the veteran show, I was just hoping for a little more from this episode – though Vixen certainly helped – and wanted something interesting to chew on for the next four weeks....

[tv echo]

Warning: article itself contains reference to spoilery pic (posted in Spoilers thread)...

 

Will Oliver & Felicity Still Get Married On 'Arrow'? Don't Give Up Hope On An Olicity Wedding Just Yet
KELLY SCHREMPH  14 hours ago
http://www.bustle.com/articles/144090-will-oliver-felicity-still-get-married-on-arrow-dont-give-up-hope-on-an-olicity

Felicity made a good point, after all. Oliver has a nasty habit of not leaning on people for help, which is a big part of what marriage is all about. It's a partnership based on trust, honesty, and love. He may have the love part down, but the rest he still needs to work on. And that's the thing — she may just want him to work on it before they can pick things back up again. Felicity didn't say she wanted to break up. She said she needed space. There's a big difference there. So before you start throwing in the towel on Olicity, bear that in mind. These two are end game and I'm not about to give up on that dream just yet.

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Den of Geek reviewer thought that a "riveting final act saves Arrow from an episode otherwise defined by underdeveloped paternity drama"...

 

Arrow: Taken Review
Kayti Burt  2/24/2016 at 9:43PM
http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/arrow/253234/arrow-taken-review

... There was a lot working against Arrow in tonight's episode: "Taken." The big two? The half-baked inclusion of a new character in the form of Vixen whose relationship with Oliver was formed completely off-screen (well, technically, on-screen, but on animated web series Vixen). And the narrative logic (or lack thereof) of trying to make Oliver's decision to lie about his son to keep him safe seem at all valid.
 

That being said, the episode as a whole was saved by a killer final 10 minutes, which saw Thea finally severing ties with Malcolm, Oliver recording a heartbreaking message to William, and Felicity getting the use of her legs back just in time to walk away from Oliver. (Oh, the irony!) ...
*  *  *
... For me, it was frustrating to see Mari get more character-driven scenes with Oliver that, realistically, he probably would have been having with someone else. (I appreciate Mari's own insight about William given her own upbringing, but would Oliver really take it into account over his best friend's?) This felt like a missed opportunity to develop some of the dynamics Oliver has with the rest of the main cast.  And Vixen's confusing involvement here just made me wish she had been given an episode where she could have had more of a focus.
*  *  *
Hopefully, this is the last we've seen of the secret son drama. For a plot line that was introduced way back in season 2, you'd think Arrow would have had a better plan of execution for how William and Samantha would affect Oliver and Team Arrow. Nope. Instead, we're given episode upon episode reiterating Oliver's flawed logic about how keeping secrets someone keeps your loved ones safe. (It doesn't. Case in point: This episode. Or, you know, any Arrow episode.)
 

Samantha was undeveloped and uneven, coming off like a narrow-minded, irrational harpy one moment and a level-headed, empathetic BFF the next. (I don't think this was Anna Hopkins fault, but the writing.) ...
*  *  *
It's so damn heartbreaking to see these two split up after they've come so far — and since Oliver has learned so much about being in a committed, healthy relationship — but I am so proud of Felicity for trusting her gut on this one. In my eyes, she was 100 percent in the right here. Oliver lied to her for months about the existence of his son while they planned their wedding, while she put her faith and trust and hardship on Oliver in the period after her paralysis. Then, icing on the wedding cake (too soon?), Oliver makes another major decision about their lives without her in sending William away. Not cool, Oliver. Not cool at all.

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Even some reviewers who haven't been the biggest Felicity or Olicity fans in the past are on Team Felicity...

 

Same Geek Channel: ‘Arrow’ Episode 4.15 “Taken”
Posted on 25 February, 2016 by Joey L. Mills
http://geekdad.com/2016/02/sgc-arrow-4-15/

Felicity wheels in. She’s heard enough. She tells Ollie that a marriage is about trust, and that she doesn’t think that Ollie knows how to trust. She understands that Ollie was forced to keep silent about William, but understanding doesn’t make it right. Nor does Ollie deciding to push William away without talking to Felicity at all about the decision. Felicity’s done with the lies, and for now at least, she’s done with the liar. That’s when Curtis’ spinal stimulator starts to work. With her first steps, Felicity gets out of her wheelchair and walks out the door without a word or a single look back.
*  *  *
Finally! Can we get past the “lying to protect” motivation that our heroes on these CW/DC Comics series have? I can understand (but, like Felicity, understanding doesn’t make it right) that Malcolm still thinks this way. He’s the villain. Most likely, the villain… the guy who puts someone that the team cares about in the ground near the end of this season, the guy who Ollie and Felicity realize has to be killed in order to be stopped.
 

It’s time for the good guys to stop acting this way. Barry and Cisco seem to have moved past this, as they couldn’t keep what they saw on Earth-2 from Joe, Iris, and Caitlin, even though they were told that doing so could be disastrous. Keeping the secret “for their protection” has proven to be more disastrous so far. Now that Ollie has lost his son, his fiancé, and what respect the rest of his team (both his campaign team and his team of heroes) has for him, maybe he’ll learn this lesson as well and I won’t have to type “Ollie is lying to protect someone he cares about” ever again.

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[NumberCruncher]

From that TV.com review:

And the end result allowed it all to feel like a hefty sacrifice for Oliver since it removed the possibility of a relationship with William (for the time being) and broke his relationship with Felicity (for the time being; unless the show is going to pick up that ball of Laurel feeling a bit jilted, still, about Oliver cheating on her as Laurel still having feelings for Oliver, in which case, abandon ship, everyone).

*CACKLING*

Besides, with William alive, none of us have to feel guilty if we get the urge to spontaneously shout “Ding dong, the kid is gone!” to the heavens.

I love you, Laura Hurley.

[tv echo]

IGN's mixed review of 415 - warning: article itself contains spoilery pic (posted in Spoilers thread)...

 

ARROW: "TAKEN" REVIEW
BY JESSE SCHEDEEN  24 FEB 2016
http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/02/25/arrow-taken-review?abthid=56ce838951efeaf523000032

It’s hard to pin down exactly what went wrong this week, except to say that the drama wasn’t quite as intense as you’d expect given the circumstances. Ollie’s situation was as desperate as it’s been since the peak of his feud with Ra’s al Ghul last year, but that desperation never fully came across on screen. With a title like “Taken,” you expect the episode to be all about Ollie going nuclear on Star City’s criminal element, pounding skulls until he finally tracks down his missing child. At no point did Ollie unleash his inner Liam Neeson.
*  *  *
In that sense, maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to bring Vixen into the fold this week. Ollie’s decision to “fight magic with magic” was clever, and probably the first smart play he’s made re: Damien Darhk all season. But it definitely diminished the sense of danger and tension having a powerhouse like Vixen backing up Team Arrow. In a literal sense, she did all the heavy lifting this week. Bad for Team Arrow, good for her, I suppose.
*  *  *
And it seems “Olicity” has come to an end as well. The two might have broken up on better terms than they did during the Flash crossover, but the end result was more or less the same. Felicity simply couldn’t reconcile the thought of her husband-to-be keeping such a huge secret from her. And can you blame her? This episode reached a fittingly tragic conclusion when Felicity regained the use of her legs only to walk out on Ollie instead of walking down the aisle with him.

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

TheMovieNetwork's scathing review of 415 (rated it 4/10 - ouch!)...

 

Arrow S4: E15 -- 'Taken' Review
By Robert Dougherty February 25, 2016 09:00AM EST
http://www.themovienetwork.com/review/arrow-s4-e15-taken-review

Last week's episode took a tumble when it fell over itself to justify Oliver's secret keeping/lie. This week, the Arrow crew finishes the job of falling into the ditch -- although they are probably nowhere near finished yet. Once Damien Darhk breaks the world's least secure secret to Felicity and Oliver by showing a kidnapped William on the phone, half the plot is pretty much the "Oliver was right to lie all along" show.
 

Last week, Thea went spectacularly out of character to defend Oliver's choice on behalf of the writers, and this week it is Diggle's turn. Even when Samantha Clayton actually comes clean about her writer-induced ultimatum to Oliver later, it is really another way to get him off the hook. And since Felicity has to compartmentalize the whole thing in order to help find William, she has to hold her tongue after echoing her erased break up lines from episode 408 for much of the episode too.
*  *  *
For some reason, no one else has really gotten to be Felicity's rock or speak in defense of her on this issue -- at least not on the show. Of course, most of us fans have been screaming on her behalf for the last 2 1/2 months on this, which the writers are hopefully aware of. And yet the woman once in line to be her sister-in-law basically stated that she couldn't be trusted with the secret last week, the man who is basically her brother really didn't get to be there for her or speak for her either, and her almost future husband just confirmed he can never fully trust her.
 

In all this nonsense, the only two people who actually showed any willingness to think of Felicity's feelings in the right way these last two weeks are Donna and Curtis, and they are guest stars who have no idea what is fully going on. And because the writers had to make her be quiet for most of the episode, they robbed her of her voice through this earth-shattering ordeal most of the time too.
*  *  *
Unfortunately, sometimes there aren't two convincing sides to every story. And these aren't the writers to make the wrong side make any sense, as Taken kept proving the more it took Oliver's side -- either for his benefit or more likely for their own.
*  *  *
Then there's the break up scene we have all had to imagine and make predictions over for the last two-plus months. Even then, Felicity isn't allowed to really say a lot of the things that should be going through her mind, and the things that really should be focused on in this mess. However, what she does say is pretty much the same thing she said for a lot of Season Three, about Oliver's inability to make decisions with her and not for her. It needed to be said but it pretty much backs up our theory that this is character regression, not just Oliver screwing up like usual.
*  *  *
There is no greater proof of that than the final twist, which brings both the Olicity engagement and the plot about Felicity's paralysis to a screeching end. For weeks, I dreaded and warned the one single, solitary reason Felicity was ever paralyzed is that it would give Oliver one more excuse not to tell the truth -- a reason that had nothing to do with Felicity's actual journey and struggle through being paralyzed. Now, it turns out the one and only reason she was paralyzed is that she could be used as part of the most heavy handed 'walking out' metaphor imaginable, even by Arrow standards.
 

No Arrow scene has ever straddled the line so hard between being empowering and laughable. While it is a relief that Felicity has one thing going for her as she leaves Oliver, the way it is handled -- and what it says about the paralysis storyline as a whole -- is quite revealing in the worst way.
*  *  *
His only hope for fixing this is to utterly and thoroughly fight against the emotional and mental barriers he wouldn't let himself address for years, and without any half-measures at all. It cannot be crammed into a half-hour and it cannot be glossed over by driving away, and it cannot be held back by the fear of not being allowed to make Oliver screw up this much again. For that matter, it must be complete enough so that Felicity isn't a doormat for taking him back, like one could argue she was at the end of last year in hindsight.
 

Yet the problem may not be that Oliver is incapable of doing that, but that he has writers who are not capable of making him. They weren't capable in Taken and they haven't been capable for a good long time when it really counts.

[tv echo]

I'm not quoting from these two reviews only because there was too much that I wanted to quote - I highly recommend reading these articles...

 

‘Arrow’ 4×15 Review: ‘Taken’ [AKA Everything Hurts]
fangirlish   FEBRUARY 25, 2016
http://fangirlish.com/arrow-4x15-review-taken-aka-everything-hurts/

 

Arrow 4x15 Review: "Taken" (Heal What Has Been Hurt)
Just About Write  February 25, 2016
http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2016/02/arrow-4x15-review-taken-heal-what-has.html

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Warning: article itself references a spoilery pic...

 

‘Arrow’: Olicity shoe drops, kicks Oliver where it hurts
BY CHRIS E. HAYNER AT 07:02 PM ON FEB 24, 2016
http://zap2it.com/2016/02/arrow-felicity-breaks-engagement-with-oliver-olicity/

To be honest though, Oliver brought this on himself. His baby mama Samantha (Anna Hopkins) can try to take the blame all she wants, but Oliver made a conscious decision to keep this particular secret from the woman he loves. That’s a pretty major thing to have hanging over your head going into a wedding.
 

Of course, just because her relationship is coming to an end and she found out she was being lied to by several of those she trusts, doesn’t mean it’s all bad news for Felicity. As her dumping of Oliver came to an end, the chip Curtis (Echo Kellum) created to help her walk again kicked in and she was able to literally walk out on her former fiance.
 

Don’t count Oliver and Felicity out just yet, though. The couple may be on the outs for now but there’s no way it’s simply going to end there. Those crazy kids care about each other way too much to not at least try to mend their relationship.

[tv echo]

Even Forbes reviewer, Erik Kain (who's anti-Olicity), thinks Oliver was in the wrong (btw, you may find his reason for why he thinks Oliver should stay single amusing)...

 

'Arrow' Season 4, Episode 15 Review: Vixen Saves The Day
Erik Kain FEB 25, 2016 @ 01:06 PM
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2016/02/25/arrow-season-4-episode-15-review-vixen-saves-the-day/#6f72f55a52ed

... Then Barry altered the time-line and Oliver had a second chance to come clean the right way and didn’t. In that episode, there was pretty much no reason for this at all. Felicity actually interrupted him while he was coming clean and then it was just left hanging so that later, William’s mother Samantha, could make Oliver choose between telling the truth or seeing his son.

 

Even that is a pretty silly demand, and one that Oliver could have handled like normal people—in a court of law. Not only does Oliver have every right in the world to see his son, he has the financial resources to make that happen, to go to a judge and demand parental rights. That seems like a much better option than jeopardizing his relationship with Felicity by keeping a secret that he knows, from the alternate timeline, will ruin their relationship. By now, Oliver must know that no matter the secret and no matter how hard he tries to keep it, it’s going to come back to haunt him.
 

So in ‘Taken’ the moment Felicity can miraculously walk again thanks to Curtis Holt’s magical bio-gadget, is the same moment she breaks off the engagement and walks out on Oliver. Is it fair of her to do this? I’m not entirely sure. But fair has little to do with the affairs of the heart, and she (rightly) feels like she can’t trust Oliver anymore. His lie was not of the “little white” variety she was telling him while working with Diggle and Laurel behind his back. His lie was of the “massive and earth-shattering” variety. But Oliver learns all the wrong lessons over and over again.
 

He even followed Vixen’s advice rather than Diggle’s, to send William away and never see him again until he was grown up. This, once again, an act of love designed to protect his son, but still the wrong thing to do, just like it was wrong to keep William a secret from Oliver all these years, and wrong to keep William a secret from Felicity. All these secrets, in Arrow and in The Flash are always, time and time again, proven to be the wrong choice.
*  *  *
I wasn’t a fan of Olicity—the pairing of Oliver and Felicity. It never felt right to me. Oliver shouldn’t have to be in a relationship all the time in this show to begin with. He should be focused on the business of protecting his city. That’s his relationship, the one that will always get in the way of true romance. He’s like a priest in that regard, married to his “god.” And that’s fine. If this really is quits for him and Felicity (which I doubt) I hope he takes some time to just be single, figure things out, and be a super hero.

Edited February 25, 2016 by tv echo

[Midnight Lullaby]

"Oliver" and "priest" in the same sentence, LMAO

[Carrie Ann]

Oliver shouldn’t have to be in a relationship all the time in this show to begin with.

 

"all the time" / 20 total episodes out of four seasons, same diff.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Carrie Ann

[dtissagirl]

Duh, of course a dude having monogamous sex on the regular can't save anyone's lives. Those two things are mutually exclusive ALWAYS.

[tarotx]

Oliver was kind of in a relationship with Mckenna hall in season 1 and Kind of in a relationship with Sara in season 2. Season 3 was the only season he wasn't in a relationship and well that was the not a fun season at all. Oliver was in a relationship with Felicity in season 4 and except for the BMD it was nice. And I'm saying that being not an "Only Olicity" shipper. I like seeing Oliver happy and he has been pretty happy since Felicity agreed to travel with him at the end of last season.