The Starling City Times: News and Media about Arrow

[EmilyBettFan]

Some of these reviews are ridiculous. They try to say Felicity's story revolves around Oliver but in the last final moments Laurel declares Oliver the love of her life. Instead of talking about her own journey that should have been about her sister. They're just trying to throw some negative heat towards the other girls on the show now.

[tv echo]

TV REVIEW: ARROW - SEASON 4 EPISODE 18 "ELEVEN-FIFTY-NINE"
15 hours ago  by: Alex Maidy
http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/tv-review-arrow---season-4-episode-18-eleven-fifty-nine-167

The emotional finale of this episode was palpable and it will clearly drive Oliver to the darkest place he has been since the first season. But, I am note entirely convinced that Laurel is dead. Arrow has set a precedent for characters we believe to be gone to come back (Sara, Slade, Malcolm, Thea, etc). If Laurel is truly dead, it is a ballsy move for the series of which she has been an integral part since the first episode. I have enjoyed her transformation from civilian to hero but the team was getting too big and the focus was shifting away from Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow. Hopefully we will find out more very quickly when Arrow returns in a few weeks.

Edited April 7, 2016 by tv echo

[NumberCruncher]

I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised that most of the critic (i.e. non-blogger) reviews have been pretty pragmatic in how they view the episode/death. It provides a nice perspective from people who tend to fall in the I-watch-the-show-but-I-don't-live-and-breathe-it category and serves as a bit of a reality check, I think.

Edited April 7, 2016 by NumberCruncher

[lemotomato]

TV REVIEW: ARROW - SEASON 4 EPISODE 18 "ELEVEN-FIFTY-NINE"

15 hours ago  by: Alex Maidy

http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/tv-review-arrow---season-4-episode-18-eleven-fifty-nine-167

The emotional finale of this episode was palpable and it will clearly drive Oliver to the darkest place he has been since the first season. But, I am note entirely convinced that Laurel is dead. Arrow has set a precedent for characters we believe to be gone to come back (Sara, Slade, Malcolm, Thea, etc). If Laurel is truly dead, it is a ballsy move for the series of which she has been an integral part since the first episode. I have enjoyed her transformation from civilian to hero but the team was getting too big and the focus was shifting away from Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow. Hopefully we will find out more very quickly when Arrow returns in a few weeks.

[Sakura12]

she has been an integral part since the first episode

 

Well to be fair, she has been an integral part of the background scenery since the first episode.

[EmilyBettFan]

Sometimes I wonder if some of these writers are writing things based on their own ways of how they think the show has gone, instead of writing based on what the show has told us. Either way it's just an opinion piece at the end of the day.

[bijoux]

From Jbuffyangel's long review. 

 

Umm...Sara? 

 

Maybe she meant on this show? I don't know, I don't read her stuff. She's too tl;dr for me.

[AyChihuahua]

Maybe she meant on this show? I don't know, I don't read her stuff. She's too tl;dr for me.

TL:DR and really reading in some stuff with basically no support. Like "Oliver looked to the left when he said that, and the left is sinister, so Oliver's secretly looking at an invisible Sinestro, who will be the main villain in S6! It's soooo obvious I don't know how anyone has missed it!" 

 

She seems fairly nice, but yeah, kooky. Hey, at least maybe she'll admit that her theory that Sara was the love of Laurel's life was wrong wrongety-wrongenstein. Bc from what was actually portrayed on the show, Laurel mostly didn't give two shits about Sara. And now we know she's been pining for Oliver this whole time, which...yuck. Casts such a different light on their S4 interactions.

Edited April 7, 2016 by AyChihuahua

[apinknightmare]

Sadly, she doubled-down on the Sara is the love of Laurel's life theory. 

[bijoux]

How does she explain Laurel's final words then?

[AyChihuahua]

Sadly, she doubled-down on the Sara is the love of Laurel's life theory. 

Seriously? Laurel, not KC but LAUREL, literally said Oliver is the love of her life. Ignoring huge pieces of evidence because they don't fit a theory makes my brain itch. Change the theory, bc you can't change the evidence!

[apinknightmare]

She just said that she didn't agree with Laurel's choice, that she thinks Sara was the love of Laurel's life and she hopes that gets addressed during the funeral or over on Legends.

[AyChihuahua]

Sepinwall is okay with the death.

 

Alan Seinwall ‏@sepinwall  1h1 hour ago
Alan Sepinwall Retweeted Guyinthecorner
Fair enough. In that case, effective pruning of the cast, and removal of a character who never really worked.

[Sakura12]

Yes, Sara is the love Laurel's life. She loves her so much she gives her former assassin sister a need to kill people to feel better. That should really help her fight in the light. Good thinking, Laurel. 

 

How many scenes have they actually had where they were not talking about Oliver, two? I failed to see any kind of sisterly bond that show wants me to buy into. You can't say they are sisters, they have to act like it. They barely talked in season 2 and in season 3 Sara was dead, then she was in season 4 but left right after she got her mind back. 

Edited April 8, 2016 by Sakura12

[Ann Mack]

This is guy is talking out of both sides of his computer:

 

'Arrow' Love Triangle With Black Canary and Felicity Outrages Fans
Examining the divisive "Olicity" and the fandom's war on Reddit and Twitter.
Eric Francisco

April 7, 2016

 

https://www.inverse.com/article/13940-arrow-love-triangle-with-black-canary-and-felicity-outrages-fans

[catrox14]

This is guy is talking out of both sides of his computer:

 

'Arrow' Love Triangle With Black Canary and Felicity Outrages Fans

Examining the divisive "Olicity" and the fandom's war on Reddit and Twitter.

Eric Francisco

April 7, 2016

 

https://www.inverse.com/article/13940-arrow-love-triangle-with-black-canary-and-felicity-outrages-fans

 

Wait there was a love triangle???

[Password]

Most one sided triangle EVER.

More like a straight line connecting two points.

[BkWurm1]

I have to say, BuffyAngel’s review is the first thing I’ve read that has made sense of Laurel’s final words.  I really would recommend reading it. 

 

Yes she forgot about Sara and Quentin having known Ollie but IMO both Sara and Quentin have been quicker to let go of Ollie.  For Sara it’s just a name and Quentin this year has finally let go of punishing Oliver for having been Ollie. Laurel and Thea on the other hand still have a relationship with Ollie.  Thea because he will always be her big brother first and Laurel because apparently in the end, she idealized that time between them before the island.

 

 

That’s where her review got interesting to me and really started making sense.

bijoux, on 07 Apr 2016 - 4:55 PM, said:

How does she explain Laurel's final words then?

 

 

Let me quote her:

 

In order to keep that photo she’s let go of all the pain and rage. When she looks at that photo now all Laurel remembers is love.

 

Laurel tells Oliver it reminds her of simpler times. It reminds her of the way they use to be. When Oliver was her home and she was his. It reminds Laurel of the future she thought she was going to have.

 

They’d be married now. Maybe even have a couple of kids. Oliver is the new CEO of Queen Consolidated. Laurel is district attorney. Sara doesn’t live far away. She comes over every Friday night for “movie night.” Oliver & Laurel keep trying to fix her up with Tommy. The only thing Quentin & Dinah argue with Moira & Robert about is who gets to babysit the grandchildren. They visit Thea up at college every chance they get. The two families celebrate Christmas together every year.

 

 

It’s a dream of a life she can never have. It’s a life that was never real, but it’s the picture Laurel carries in her mind of simpler times. It’s not just the memory of Oliver… it’s the memory of who she use to be. It’s the memory of what Laurel dreamed they could have.

 

The truth is, Laurel Lance died when Oliver Queen stepped on that boat. Oliver killed the person Laurel was and he killed the person she was going to be. For the last four years she tried to resurrect herself. First with Tommy and then with Sara.  Every time it was stripped away and Laurel died all over again.

 

Team Arrow was the one thing that finally sustained her. It kept her going and gave Laurel purpose. Team Arrow became her family. So, as much as Oliver destroyed the life she dreamed of in a simpler time;

 

he gave Laurel her new one too.

 

There is no going back to Laurel Lance. She’s gone. She died a long time ago. Laurel died when the boat went down. She died when Tommy died. She died when Sara died. Whatever life she had before is gone. Laurel is forever changed by these moments,  and the truth is, she wouldn’t have it any other way. Every choice, every event, led her here. And here… is good. Here is with her family, Team Arrow, and there’s no place she’d rather be.

 

 

 

She just said that she didn't agree with Laurel's choice, that she thinks Sara was the love of Laurel's life and she hopes that gets addressed during the funeral or over on Legends.

  (FYI, I just quoted the above post to give a general idea about what I'm quoting below which is about Laurel love of her life and how to reconcile it being Oliver.) Yup, here comes some more quotes, lol.

 

Personally, I say Sara is the love of her life. Hopefully that gets addressed in the funeral episode or in Legends. If it doesn’t I’m not going to kick up a fuss. The writers are giving one to Team Lauriver because they are sinking their ship permanently. It’s sort of like tossing out a life raft with a hole in it. The intention is good, but it’s still pretty pointless.

 

However, there is truth in what Laurel is saying. The tragedy of Laurel is she’s almost frozen in time. The image of simpler times, of what could have been, of who she and Oliver were together (even if it wasn’t truly real) is what kept Laurel from moving on.

She couldn’t see Tommy was her future (WARNING… LAURIVER SEX GIF AHEAD. AVERT YOUR EYES)  because she was busy living in her past with Oliver.

 

The reason why Laurel can look at the man who destroyed her life and tell him, in no uncertain terms, that she will always love him, is because… Oliver is also the man who gave her new life. This mission? This family? This life? None of that happens without Oliver Queen.

 

All of the pain, the betrayal, the lies, the cheating, the loss, the fights, the death, the partnership, the acceptance, the forgiveness, the friendship and yes, the love, made Laurel who she is.

And Laurel doesn’t regret who she is.

 

It’s a stunning example of self acceptance and  truly brings Laurel Lance’s hero’s journey to a close. She understands the choices that shaped who she is. She doesn’t have any regrets. Laurel accepts who she is. What’s more, she doesn’t want to go back because the person Laurel has become is more than she ever dreamed.

 

Was Laurel telling Oliver she was still in love with him? No, I don’t think so. It directly conflicts with what she said last season and I believe this season rebuilt their friendship, but nothing romantic between them. Laurel loves Oliver, but she’s not in love with him. There’s a difference.

 

Laurel was simply telling Oliver she loved him without any expectations. Laurel just needed him to know. To know, just once, she told Oliver how much he meant to her. Oliver Queen understands that need better than anyone. And maybe that’s all "love of my life” truly means. It’s the person who most shapes your life. It’s fair to say Oliver Queen shaped Laurel Lance’s life. In ways she never expected.

 

Despite how much he hurt her, when Laurel looks at Oliver that’s what she sees. That’s the love she could never let go of. Yes, it kept her from happiness with Tommy but it also led to happiness with Sara and Team Arrow. In the sum total of her life that balances for Laurel Lance. If she finds some solace in it then I do not begrudge her that.

 

Some may think that’s a weakness. Perhaps you’re right. The Lauriver love story has always been flawed. So to end on a flawed note seems fitting. I don’t know if Laurel’s romantic choice is right or wrong, but the choice is HERS to make.

 

Believe it or not, this is a short snippet of the whole and I'd really recommend reading it. .  It managed to get me to the right place to get those feels that that the episode lacked and all the GIFs are very entertaining. 

 

She also touches on something that I completely agree with, that Laurel’s death and her acceptance of who she was now rather than regret over who she is no longer going to be is what will push Oliver to a place where he can stop his self destructive behavior.  It was my first thought even before the episode was done.

Edited April 8, 2016 by BkWurm1

[bijoux]

I love you, but not in love with you would have worked for me. I still don't think that's what we got.

 

Was Laurel telling Oliver she was still in love with him? No, I don’t think so. It directly conflicts with what she said last season and I believe this season rebuilt their friendship, but nothing romantic between them. Laurel loves Oliver, but she’s not in love with him. There’s a difference.

What did she say last season?

[BkWurm1]

Last season was the line about not being able to remember why she ever was in love with him.

[bijoux]

Thanks. I still can't remember when she said and what brought it on. Really shows the impact last season made.

[looptab]

I think it was in 315, after Thea told her she had killed Sara, she went to confront Oliver - who lied to her face again about finding Sara's killer.

Edited April 8, 2016 by looptab

[apinknightmare]

Continue the quotes:

 

Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but it seems like you're chastising me for misrepresenting something in her review by not pasting the whole quote, and the reason I didn't is because there's nothing in there supporting her belief that Sara is the love of Laurel's life, which is what we were talking about. 

[Midnight Lullaby]

I think jbuffy is grasping at straws because she doesn't want to give her theory up, just like with the famous wedding train that somehow despite being wrong it's still right.

Judging from what I saw on screen in S1 Tommy was in love with Laurel while she wanted Oliver back, despite telling him she hated him. It was made painfully clear during that double date with Oliver and Helena. When Tommy died she obviously felt guilty because a man who loved her died to save her but I don't believe it was because she was in love with him. She jumped on the chance to be with Oliver the second he told her he wanted her without a second thought and you don't do that if you love someone else.

In S2 she was extremely upset that Sara and Oliver were hooking up and again my feeling was that it was because she still felt Oliver was hers and Sara was "stealing" him again.

In S3 she was obviously upset her sister died but what was "I took her mask to honor her memory" quickly became "it's my mission too" and with time she even gave up on the idea of getting revenge on MM.

Now with her own admission I must read all her previous interactions with Oliver this season not as a "supportive friend" like I was but as trying to get close to him again.

It would give more credit to her judgment and self respect to believe the most important person in her life, the "love of her life" was either Sara or Tommy but she has been all for Oliver since day one, she said it, showed it and that's what KC has tried to get across with her acting.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Midnight Lullaby

[BkWurm1]

Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but it seems like you're chastising me for misrepresenting something in her review by not pasting the whole quote, and the reason I didn't is because there's nothing in there supporting her belief that Sara is the love of Laurel's life, which is what we were talking about. 

Lol, there was zero chastisement intended. Less than zero.  I just quoted what you said to reference what I was going to be posting on.     The line about "continue the quotes" was just me letting the reader know that yup, here come a bunch more quotes in italics.  Sorry for the confusion. 

 

Edited it to make sure no one else would think that either.  All I saw when I quoted you was that you were referencing Laurel talking about the love of her life.  Although the quote was just about Sara, in my head I lumped the general topic together with the specifics of Sara. 

 

I honestly don't feel tired but I did stay up all night.  That might have had some impact.   

Edited April 8, 2016 by BkWurm1

[apinknightmare]

Lol, there was zero chastisement intended. Less than zero.  I just quoted what you said to reference what I was going to be posting on.     The line about "continue the quotes" was just me letting the reader know that yup, here come a bunch more quotes in italics.  Sorry for the confusion. 

 

Edited it to make sure no one else would think that either. 

 

Haha, it's okay! :) I just initially interpreted it as a comment to me - no worries!

Edited April 8, 2016 by apinknightmare

[theacostov]

It would give more credit to her judgment and self respect to believe the most important person in her life, the "love of her life" was either Sara or Tommy but she has been all for Oliver since day one, she said it, showed it and that's what KC has tried to get across with her acting.

Yup, all those notp faces from KC around Olicity or when talking about Olicity was actually not bad acting. Girl was in love. It also explains why she wasn't at the engagement party and her touchy feelyness in episode 4x17 when she might have thought this was her chance! Sorry jbuffyangel but Laurel has always been in love with Oliver. It's totally tragic but eh.

Edited April 8, 2016 by theacostov

[looptab]

So she really was kinda pissed in that episode where Felicity brought up how she and Oliver met and she stormed off, haha.

[Midnight Lullaby]

And Oliver politely pushing her to accept the new job and stop being the BC suddenly makes a lot of sense, haha

[looptab]

I understand him, the poor guy. I mean, he was telegraphing "I'm a sad panda and I'm going to die alone" all over the place, what with the endless training, growling at Curtis. The one thing missing would be him wearing one of Felicity crop tops. I bet he ate omelettes at the computer station. And she still. wouldn't. get. it.

Edited April 8, 2016 by looptab

[Guest]

LOL. Her deathbed confession really didnt put their previous interactions in a good light. Now I'm even more embarrassed for her thinking that she was subtly trying to make a move on him this whole time. Felicity's side of the bed wasn't cold, Laurel. Haha.

[tv echo]

Whaddya know, someone else at Forbes also covers Arrow - while I don't think this guy likes Olicity either, at least he's isn't throwing a tantrum like a child and relying on reddit...

 

Is 'Arrow' Crying Wolf About Yet Another Major Character Death?
Paul Tassi  APR 7, 2016 @ 10:23 AM
http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2016/04/07/is-arrow-crying-wolf-about-yet-another-major-character-death/#6a99ab156d82

Last night, Arrow attempted to shock fans with another major character death, and yet, these days it’s hard to know when exactly to take the show seriously, and when to sit around and wait for a resurrection.
*  *  *
Combining all three of these things, in addition to considering how many times Arrow has faked/negated deaths in the past, has led me to believe we have not seen the last of Laurel...
 

Obviously, it’s tough to trust Arrow here, as the show has misled us so many times at this point by pretend a character was dead, or almost dead, only to bring them back. After initially having a good run of killing major characters permanently (Tommy Merlyn, Moira Queen), once the League of Assassins showed up, everything kind of went off the rails.
*  *  *
If she is really dead, that’s a different kind of issue. Most shows will kill off characters after they’re given significant arcs, but Laurel has hadn’t one in…ages. Probably not since the brief window of time that they were resurrecting Sarah, and dealing with her newfound bloodlust. And her biggest arc ever on the show was probably the short period of training time after Sarah’s (second) death where she became the new Black Canary.
*  *  *
The show has just never really known what to do with Laurel for so, so long now. Killing her now would almost seem to be out of boredom, rather than any purposeful arc for her character. Yes, she shows up in fights and screams and hits people with sticks, and is there for supportive advice from time to time, but the show rarely ever gives her the time of day. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the one vaguely Laurel-focused episode in ages had Felicity almost entirely absent from the evening. When people say that the Olicity relationship has consumed the show, Laurel has certainly been one of the causalities. I mean, her freaking last words were about how she wishes Oliver and Felicity would get back together. Just…awful.
*  *  *
I know we’re in comic book territory here and these things happen all the time in that world, but Arrow has played this card so often, we now have to actively root for a beloved character to be permanently killed, just because it would be so out of the ordinary for the show.
 

So while in a way I do hope Laurel is dead which would force the show to stick to its guns for once, though I kind of doubt that’s the case, given the circumstances and history. But if they do bring her back, I hope they figure out how to make her a valuable member of the team rather than a persistent afterthought like she’s been for so long now.

Edited April 8, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Man, this guy continues to hate Arrow and Oliver (I still wonder why he's bothering to watch or review) - he called 418 "an awful hour of television" and "the biggest piece of trash Arrow's arguably ever delivered"...

 

Arrow Ep. 4.18 “Eleven-Fifty-Nine” swings and misses at the Big Twist
Randy Dankievitch  April 7, 2016
http://www.popoptiq.com/arrow-eleven-fifty-nine-review/

Now, I’ve always been the biggest critic of Laurel’s character in Arrow circles; after wasting her character in season one and backgrounding her with a pill addiction in season two, the third season of Arrow provided a wealth of opportunity for her character by transforming her into the Black Canary. Except it was obvious the show never really wanted her as Black Canary: Sara’s absence always weighed heavier than Laurel’s massive transformation as a character, and the show never really convinced us that she embodied Black Canary the way Sara did. Her ineptness during fights, her inability to provide anything but clarity on Oliver’s relationship with Felicity during team meetings, the show’s unwillingness to explore her character as an attorney past season one… all of these things lessened Laurel’s character, even if her reduced appearance post-season one made her glaring flaws as a character much less obvious (it helps that Tommy died, clearing up the show’s laughable love triangle early on).
 

Knowing they were going to send her off, the writers of Arrow owed it to themselves, Katie Cassidy, and the audience to deliver a powerful final episode for Laurel; but as I noted back when I raged about the show’s decision to kill someone before knowing who it was, it was an easy opportunity for the writers to turn a meaningful choice (killing off a character) into an exploitative, disappointing one. And boy, do they deliver on the latter: not only is her death utterly meaningless to the larger narrative, but Arrow goes to great lengths to suck all the air out of her character before finally killing her off, ensuring that she is a completely useless, wasted entity before sending her off into the sunset.
*  *  *
How do they do that? It begins when Oliver suggests she give up being Black Canary since Team Arrow is falling apart. First of all, f*ck Oliver and his whining – I’m so sick of his sad, brooding face every time Andrew Diggle double-crosses them or he thinks about Felicity… it’s getting to the point that he can’t even do his job, and instead of pulling his team together, he pushes them apart by attempting to torture Andrew behind his back – and more important to this conversation, by telling Laurel to stop doing the very thing she says makes her feel alive. Again, women can’t have it all: Arrow tried to replace Laurel’s romantic presence with an ass-kicking one, and then failed her in that story, so let’s just make her nothing but the next city D.A. (under a widely corrupt mayor, to boot) in Central City, because she just can’t take all the stress of everything.

Edited April 8, 2016 by tv echo

[Guest]

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the one vaguely Laurel-focused episode in ages had Felicity almost entirely absent from the evening.

 

 

While I totally understand why they had less Felicity in this episode in particular, this isn't the first time they've had remove someone important from the show to give Laurel some relevance.

 

These writers just can't write characters with any sort of balance at all.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Guest

[looptab]

 

Most shows will kill off characters after they’re given significant arcs, but Laurel has hadn’t one in…ages.

I remember when we were speculating on the death we discussed this; some thought that Quentin getting a love interest and an arc was a sign he was the one dying, others the opposite. Now, to the people who thought getting an arc meant safety, can you remind me your reasons? :)

 

ETA: This is an honest question, BTW.:)

Edited April 8, 2016 by looptab

[bijoux]

Man, this guy continues to hate Arrow and Oliver (I still wonder why he's bothering to watch or review) 

 

Do reviewers get to chose the shows they write about or are they handed assignements.

[tv echo]

Here's a less ranty review of 418 from ThreeIfBySpace (rated it a 7.5 out of 10)...

 

Arrow 418 Review: “Eleven-Fifty-Nine” Packed with Intense Emotions and Screw-Ups
By: Alisha Bjorklund April 7, 2016
http://www.threeifbyspace.net/2016/04/arrow-418-review-eleven-fifty-nine-packed-intense-emotions-screw-ups/#.VwenXfkrLIU

Laurel has been a controversial character on this show for a long time, and a lot of that has to do with Arrow’s treatment of her. Let’s face it, Laurel has been crapped on many times before and has often been portrayed in a way that makes her unlikeable. I’m one of the people who has expressed anti-Laurel opinions in past reviews. But I, like many others, believe she deserved better. Her death, plain and simple, was for shock value. We’ve seen plenty of other severe wounds, on-the-brink-of-death traumas, and the characters who received them made a full (if sometimes unbelievable) recoveries.
*  *  *
While the decision to make it look like Laurel was going to be fine and then suddenly go into cardiac arrest was very dramatic, it was also very gimmicky. Allowing Laurel to sort of say goodbye to her team was touching, but it was ridiculous that Laurel seemed to know she was about to die. Also ridiculous was her professing her love for Oliver yet saying she hoped he could make it work with Felicity. However, it is possible something important happened between her and Oliver in that moment, but off screen. Perhaps that something makes the gimmicky feel of her death justified. I’ll try to remain open-minded. But I would have loved to see the Lances share a moving farewell scene instead of Captain Lance collapsing in the hallway upon hearing the news.
 

A lot of people are likely upset that this show killed off such an iconic comic book character, and while that is a justified complaint, it’s not one that I completely share. Arrow is based on the comics, but is still an independent story-telling machine. It has no obligation to stay true to comic lore. However, as I said before, Laurel deserved better than being killed off for shock value. I thought the actors all did phenomenal jobs, though, considering the material they were given.

Edited April 8, 2016 by tv echo

[looptab]

While I totally understand why they had less Felicity in this episode in particular, this isn't the first time they've had remove someone important from the show to give Laurel some relevance.

 

These writers just can't write characters with any sort of balance at all.

It's all about perspective. He thinks, Felicity is sucking away screentime they could devote to Laurel. I think, they had to remove Felicity for her to have something to do beside crossing her arms.

[tv echo]

Here's a neutral-to-positive review by Craig Wack...

 

Arrow Recap: Black Canary Singing in the Dead of Night
BY CRAIG WACK · APRIL 7, 2016
http://oohlo.com/2016/04/07/arrow-recap-black-canary-singing-in-the-dead-of-night/

Ding dong Laurel Lance is dead or so they want you to believe. Just two days  from retirement a promotion to District Attorney, Laurel decides to put her mask and bondage gear on one more time to thwart Darhk’s breakout attempt under the cover of a prison riot. ... Ollie refuses to leave Laurel’s bedside and they have a heart-to-heat alone in her room where she professes her undying true love for Oliver and asks him for a promise. This is where the door cracks open for it to be some kind of elaborate ruse. The camera pans outside the room to show Ollie and Laurel talking, then cuts to Team Arrow down the hall collecting their emotions and figuring out their next step. All hell breaks loose when the doctors rush the crash cart into Laurel’s room because she’s inexplicably flat-lined with only Ollie in the room. The rest of the team comes in to see the unsuccessful attempt to revive Laurel. She is pronounced dead and the team falls apart.
*  *  *
* So is Laurel really dead? Her sister, Sara was also really dead for the better part of a season before a bath in the Lazarus Pit corrected that situation. Right now everyone involved is saying the right things. Both Katie Cassidy and Arrow showrunner Marc Guggenheim told TVLine.com about how the decision to kill the character off was agonizing and how Cassidy’s final scene was difficult on her. Both are talking with the kind of finality that leads one to believe that Cassidy’s days on the show are over. However, Black Canaries have been proven to be difficult to kill on this show and thanks to The Flash, time and dimensional travel are on the table. However, not hearing the favor Laurel asked, leaves the possibility of skullduggery with Oliver open. Ollie generally likes to have an ace up his sleeve at crunch time and Laurel might be it this time around.
*  *   *
* There were Island flashbacks again. Laurel even remarked about how much Oliver likes to talk about the place. It’s a shame he can only remember the place about 90 seconds at a time or he might have found a way to keep Laurel from getting skewered. But there was some progress in at least setting up what next season’s flashbacks are going to be, so there’s that.
*  *  *
At least we know who the bad guy killed, unlike some other shows we could mention. This episode needed the Laurel plot twist to push it out of mediocrity. Arrow has been setting up Darhk’s apocalyptic endgame for what seems like an eternity and made stretches of this episode drag. The games with Merlyn and Andrew were interesting but not completely compelling. The fight scenes were solid as usual which helped. The stuff with Laurel at the end gave the show the narrative jolt it needs to power its final five episodes of the season to the finish.

Edited April 8, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Speculation about Laurel's death due to a big screen BC movie...

 

Is DC telegraphing a character's film debut with 'Arrow' death?
Brian Thomer  April 7, 2016 6:58 PM MS
http://www.examiner.com/article/is-dc-telegraphing-a-character-s-film-debut-with-arrow-death

However, earlier this season, in an "Arrow" episode titled "A.W.O.L.," the Amanda Waller character was abruptly killed off. Amanda Waller will be a featured character in the upcoming DC Films "Suicide Squad" movie in theaters August 5. It has been speculated that Waller was killed off of "Arrow" in order to avoid confusion with the version of the character soon to appear on the silver screen. If that reasoning is true, could the same be the case for Black Canary? The Black Canary character has not been announced as appearing in any of DC's currently scheduled films, with the next one after "Suicide Squad" being "Wonder Woman" on June 2, 2017.
 

Does Warner Bros. have such little faith in its audience's ability to distinguish between multiple versions of the same character that it would risk exposing the surprise appearance of a major DC Comics character in an upcoming movie? After all, in the post-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" DC Universe, Black Canary was a founding member of the Justice League of America. An appearance in "Suicide Squad" or "Wonder Woman" could be building up to possible inclusion in the "Justice League" movie, out November 17, 2017. Could a "Black Canary" movie be one of the unnamed DC movie projects added to the Warner Bros. schedule yesterday?

[wonderwall]

Lol the other guy who writes for Forbes is currently throwing the biggest tantrum about how Arrow is dead and how olicity killed it. Its hilarious :p

Unfortunately that article out of the many written that didn't bash her ex fellow Co workers work was the one KC commented on and thanked the writer for.

[Sakura12]

I actually kind of thought that the writers were purposely turning people against Felicity so they can bring Laurel and Oliver back together, because I've seen it working. Then they killed Laurel. 

 

My conclusion is they just suck at writing romance and it's safer to not ship on anyone on the Flarrowverse shows. 

[tv echo]

This reviewer agreed with MG that Laurel's story had hit a plateau...

 

How Arrow's Showrunner Is Defending That Shocking Death
BY ADRIENNE JONES  21 HOURS AGO
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/How-Arrow-Showrunner-Defending-Shocking-Death-129597.html

... And, showrunner Marc Guggenheim wants the fans to know that Laurel’s death was the right thing for the show.
"Long story short, we were looking ahead toward Season 5 and we were like, ‘It kind of feels like Laurel’s story has come to a very organic… if not ‘conclusion,’ certainly a ‘plateau.’ Look, you’re going to publish this and the people who love Laurel and love Katie are going to say we didn’t try hard enough, that we have failed this character. And I fully respect their point of view — they’re very vocal and very passionate. Katie and the show are lucky to have them. But at the end of the day, we have to tell the story we’re telling, and we did it in spite of what we imagine will be a rather loud response from a very vocal minority."

Marc Guggenheim revealed to TVLine his thoughts on why Laurel was the right character to bite the dust on Arrow. And, I have to say, the man isn’t wrong. Laurel and Oliver have been over for a long time and the idea of bringing in a new love interest for her would have seemed unnecessary. Her work as a lawyer, now that she was deep into her nighttime gig as Black Canary, was less and less relevant to the show as a whole. When Guggenheim uses the word “plateau” to describe Laurel, it certainly feels fitting.
*  *  *
Laurel started off in Season 1 as a legal aid attorney who was Oliver’s ex-girlfriend before his shipwreck five years prior. She was angry with him for cheating on her with her sister, Sara, and had taken up with his best friend, Tommy, during Oliver’s time on the island. After Tommy dies saving her from an attack on the city, though, she goes through a radical change that leads to an alcohol and drug addiction, her briefly losing her new job as an assistant district attorney and her eventual growth into the Black Canary after her sister is killed in front of her. Once she became the Black Canary, though, her growth mostly stopped. It was pretty obvious that there was nothing cool left to do with her.

[tv echo]

This 24 Hours Toronto reviewer doesn't want another fake death...

 

TV CHEAT SHEET: Arrow hits its mark
Denette Wilford  Thursday, April 7, 2016 10:24:05 EDT PM
http://www.toronto24hours.ca/2016/04/07/tv-cheat-sheet-arrow-hits-its-mark

I’ve never really liked Laurel (I found it ridiculous that despite the little amount of training we saw her undergo, she was able to beat League of Assassin-trained killers) but as time went on, the character turned herself around. So it was a relief when Ollie got her to the hospital in time and everything seemed like it was going to be OK. Seemed.

But then she was left alone with Oliver, they had that heartbreaking conversation (Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy were fantastic in their last scene), she told him something (unheard to viewers), and Laurel began to convulse. Is it possible Oliver killed her, or she asked him to kill her? All I know is it better NOT BE another fake death. They’ve done that with Sara, they did it with Roy, and if they do it with Laurel, it’s just overkill. Heh. I’m punny.
 

But it wasn’t just a heartbreaking episode for Ollie but poor Quentin, losing another daughter. It was awful he didn’t make it to the hospital to say goodbye, and we wouldn’t blame him if he went down a shame spiral of rage. Oh, and let’s not forget Diggle, who was the only one in shock that his dirtbag brother had been double-crossing him the entire time.
 

Now, the remaining Team Arrow members better get back to business. The killing business. I need Oliver, John and Quentin to go on a murder spree like no one’s ever seen. It needs to be a bloodbath. Just one episode (fine, two or five) where Darkh, his wife, Andy and Merlyn all die slow, painful deaths. Is that so wrong?

[SonofaBiscuit]

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the one vaguely Laurel-focused episode in ages had Felicity almost entirely absent from the evening.

 

Personally, I think it was the right move to keep Felicity out of 3.18.  I'm sure that the writers realized that there would be a scapegoat in this episode (cause poor, victim Laurel was never going to get blamed for her own death, even though she was ultimately killed as a result of the life she willingly took up), so I'm glad they took precautions to ensure it wasn't Felicity.     

[apinknightmare]

Personally, I think it was the right move to keep Felicity out of 3.18.  I'm sure that the writers realized that there would be a scapegoat in this episode (cause poor, victim Laurel was never going to get blamed for her own death, even though she was ultimately killed as a result of the life she willingly took up), so I'm glad they took precautions to ensure it wasn't Felicity.     

 

The reviewer is saying, though, that Felicity is hogging show time, and that's why Laurel got the spotlight - because she was gone. 

[lemotomato]

Lol the other guy who writes for Forbes is currently throwing the biggest tantrum about how Arrow is dead and how olicity killed it. Its hilarious :p

Unfortunately that article out of the many written that didn't bash her ex fellow Co workers work was the one KC commented on and thanked the writer for.

Seriously? KC thanked the author that basically said the show was dead without her and was ruined by her friend that she still posts pictures of?

Lol the other guy who writes for Forbes is currently throwing the biggest tantrum about how Arrow is dead and how olicity killed it. Its hilarious :p

Unfortunately that article out of the many written that didn't bash her ex fellow Co workers work was the one KC commented on and thanked the writer for.

Seriously? KC thanked the author that basically said the show was dead without her and was ruined by her friend that she still posts pictures of?

[tarotx]

Has this been posted?

 

Why We Don’t Need Black Canary: Arrow’s Reality vs Comic Book Mythos

http://blackgirlnerds.com/mainstreaming-green-arrow-arrows-reality-vs-comic-book-mythos/

[Midnight Lullaby]

Seriously? KC thanked the author that basically said the show was dead without her and was ruined by her friend that she still posts pictures?

And she started following him.

[lemotomato]

And she started following him.

Wow. That's not too surprising, actually, since she followed another account that heavily bashed Felicity, EBR, and Olicity. Keep it classy, KC!