The Starling City Times: News and Media about Arrow

[tv echo]

Arrow 4x19 Review: "Canary Cry" (Someday I'll Fly Away)
Just About Write  April 27, 2016
http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2016/04/arrow-4x19-review-canary-cry-someday.html

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Before I get into the plot of the episode, why is it so important to me that everyone understand the fact that Arrow did not — as I have seen many angry fanboys (and girls) claim — "kill Black Canary"? Because in inappropriately placing their blame on the showrunners and inappropriately equating Laurel with Black Canary, they're actually devaluing the character they're claiming to love and support. Look, it's no surprise that Laurel Lance was a divisive character. You can argue all day with people who love her and with those who do not like her at all.

But Laurel was important in the framework of the relationships Arrow has created. Her storylines may have vanished and she may — toward the end of her character arc — not really had much impact on the stories Arrow was telling (it kind of sucks that the show found literally nothing they could do with her character so she merely existed in the background — wasted character potential annoys me) so killing Laurel off was the most logical thing to do in that regard. It made sense. She had no trajectory left, and no possible progression. But don't for a moment think Laurel was unimportant to the characters of the show. I think that sometimes we project our opinions onto our characters. If we didn't like Laurel, she must not be of importance to anyone else in the show, either. If you don't like Felicity, you probably think she's pointless, too. We tend to believe that whatever we feel toward a character is also felt by the fictional characters in the show.

That's not the case. Laurel Lance died as a hero, and she died as a woman that everyone cared about. I might not have loved her, but that doesn't mean Team Arrow felt the same way. Laurel is, if you think about it, the last person who tethered Oliver to the life he once knew and the person he once was. Though we know Sara is alive and thriving on Legends of Tomorrow, Laurel is — in a way — the only family Oliver and Thea had left. And now, with their father and mother both gone, Oliver and Thea only have one another as blood relatives, and their bond will always be the most important one in the show to me (sorry, Oliver/Felicity).

And in spite of their absolutely rocky and sometimes destructive relationship, Laurel cared for Oliver and he cared about her. She reminded him of who he used to be and how far he has come.

This all circles back around to why I'm frustrated with people saying that Arrow killed off Black Canary. No, they did not. Arrow did not do away with a comic book legend — they did away with Laurel Lance. And to make the two inseparable is to reduce Laurel to nothing more than a costume. Laurel was a dynamic character, and her death is about much more than the loss of a black costume and a mask. In not understanding this, in claiming that Arrow has done the unthinkable, has rejected canon (which, FYI, you should all totally read this piece in which the author explains how canon only exists in our heads; it's BRILLIANT), you're saying that Laurel only had value to you because of the costume she wore.

The character of the Arrow on this show has been many people — it's been Ra's, Diggle, and Roy for starters. And yet the death of the Arrow would not be the death of the show. Because there's a fluidity in terms of comic book characters. Your version of Black Canary might have died, but that is YOUR version of her. Perhaps someone reading the Green Arrow comics believes that version to be canon — not Stephen Amell. And perhaps you read those same comics and your version of Black Canary is the written one, not the one on this show. And that's totally and completely fine.
*  *  *
So what happens when you say that the show killed Black Canary is that you project your personal canon and demand that everyone embrace it. Black Canary, to some people, will be Laurel Lance. To some people, it will be the comic book character only. But you cannot equate the two. You cannot say that everyone's canon needs to be a single epitomization of a character. And the problem these days with Arrow is that people demand that. People demand that the writers do things exactly like they're done in the comics, with Green Arrow and Black Canary getting married. Hey, if you ship those two in the comics, more power to you.

But understand that there is no one true canon and there never will be. In projecting comic "canon" onto Arrow, you're completely missing the point of a show that's an adaptation of the characters from those comics. So no, Arrow did not kill Black Canary. They killed the character who embodied their version of the comic book hero.
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This is the first week in a long time we haven't seen Lian Yu flashbacks. PRAISE THE LORD! NO MORE BLAND FLASHBACK CHICK! Instead, we got (pretty retconned) flashbacks with Oliver and Laurel. They made very little sense since they all took place post-Tommy's death and apparently Oliver and Laurel still had feelings for one another then? I honestly have no idea what the writers were thinking about, but sure, I'll totally believe that Oliver was in love with Laurel before he went away for a few months to the island. Whatever you say, show. I've stopped questioning most things at this point anyway.

Edited April 28, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

JoBlo's generally positive review of 419 (rated it 8/10 arrows)...

TV REVIEW: ARROW - SEASON 2 EPISODE 19 "CANARY CRY"
Alex Maidy  April 27, 2016
http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/tv-review-arrow---season-2-episode-19-canary-cry-217-02

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... During the prior episode, I was convinced that Arrow's showrunners were going to pull yet another switcheroo, but by the end of this new episode I am sure that Laurel Lance is dead and not coming back. That being said, this is a very melancholic hour that serves as a memoriam for the fallen Black Canary without progressing the season long narrative at all. With no appearances by Damien Darhk, this feels like a wasted opportunity to drive home the final act of the season but instead serves as an extended lamentation on loss.
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When all is said and done, the weak plot is resolved in fairly formulaic fashion and the episode wraps with Laurel's funeral. Dinah Lance returns, as does Barry Allen, to bid farewell to the fallen Laurel and Oliver delivers a profoundly stirring eulogy for his fallen love. While Laurel may not have been his true love, she was a significant person in his lives, both past and present, as evidenced by the flashbacks. Instead of heading to Lian Yu, the flashbacks this week took us to the events following the first season finale as Oliver deals with the death of his best friend, Tommy Merlyn. They serve to show the growth and difference between the Oliver of two years ago and today and may be the most relevant flashbacks this series has ever had.
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This is a very deep and sad hour of Arrow. I am glad that Laurel Lance's death is not being used as a cheap ploy to develop the narrative and is instead being used to drive our characters in new and darker directions. But, for an episode as moving as this, with outstanding performances from David Ramsey and Paul Blackthorne, they really should have thought up a better plot element than a fake Black Canary who doesn't make any sense at all. How did she do the things she did which took both Laurel and Sara Lance months and years respectively to learn. I know I shouldn't be looking for logic or sense on a comic book show, but this is too glaring an issue to ignore.

Edited April 28, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Another negative review by Randy Dankievitch (really, why does he bother?)...

Arrow, Ep. 4.19 “Canary Cry” offers limp attempts at closure
Randy Dankievitch  April 28, 2016
http://www.popoptiq.com/arrow-canary-cry-review/

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Given how ridiculously inconsistent the concept of “death” is on Arrow, it’s no surprise the entire hour of “Canary Cry” is spent affirming and re-affirming that yes, Laurel Lance is dead, and no, there is no trickery about the world to bring her back. Over and over again, “Canary Cry” forces the information down our throats – unfortunately, all that talking doesn’t cover how half-baked this story turn actually is, and how much air it’s sucked out of the season as a whole to this point.

On a pure conceptual level, “Canary Cry” is a hot mess, torn between three stories: continuing the Damien Darhk story, mourning Laurel Lance, and playing the classic Arrow Guilt Hot Potato Game, where we get to hear the phrase “If I hadn’t ____, she’d still be alive” from different characters throughout the hour. Because of this mix, it’s nigh impossible for “Canary Cry” to really hammer home the effect Laurel’s death has on the crew – in fact, most of the episode is spent with characters stressed out over her supposed “legacy”, which is apparently something that matters now (and if we’re being honest, is pretty muddled: she’s done plenty of murder-threatening and taking ass-beatings in two seasons as the Canary, not exactly establishing how effective and meaningful her dual positions as vigilante and Assistant District Attorney really were to Star City). And when it does slow down to reflect on the life of Laurel, it’s never really about Laurel: everyone is searching for answers by blaming themselves, with only Quentin truly giving a voice to the vacuum Laurel will leave in the lives of Team Arrow, now that’s definitively six feet underground.
*  *  *
... Laurel’s gone – but what does that actually mean? “Canary Cry” tries to find answers through a horribly-written (and thoroughly unresolved) story about a girl who stole the Canary screamer to get revenge on H.I.V.E., and a subplot where we see that she became a drugged-out alcoholic after kissing Ollie while mourning Tommy, then being completely disheveled after Oliver spurned her advances, and went back to Lian Yu to cry crocodile tears over his friend’s death (isn’t it odd how two of three Arrow finales have ended with him leaving Star City?). Thrilling, right?
*  *  *
In the end, Laurel’s death had about as much impact as any average viewer could’ve predicted, given the events of this season: plucking Laurel out of the weekly rotation doesn’t really change anything, placing the impetus on “Canary Cry” to reveal what actually will change without her presence. And “Canary Cry” literally has no answer for that, fumbling through a number of predictable, repetitive character beats and surrounding it with the thinnest attempts to both contextualize her death, and carry on the torch of the Darhk story, which is definitively limping into the final stretch of episodes, even considering how ‘important’ it’s because in the wake of Laurel’s death. Turns out our long-held hopes for Laurel’s death bringing her character (and the world of Arrow) some meaning over the years turned out to be an empty prayer: with her exit, “Canary Cry” basically affirms how useless her character has felt through the series, offering nothing more than a muddled, ineffective sendoff as a testament to her presence over three and a half seasons.

Edited April 28, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Los Angeles Times' positive review of 419...

Denial, anger, bargaining: Laurel's death sends 'Arrow' through the stages of grief in 'Canary Cry'
James Queally  April 28, 2016
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-arrow-canary-cry-20160427-story.html

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But if nothing else, the death of Laurel Lance gave the show a refocusing, highlighted by definitive grief stages each member of Team Arrow finds themselves suffering from in "Canary Cry." From Diggle's rage to Quentin's denial to Oliver's struggle to play anchor, the episode manages to block out the sonic boom of its myriad season-long arcs and deliver a narrow, neat chapter that both eulogizes the Black Canary and sets a few Star City residents off in interesting directions.
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John is never going to forgive himself for Laurel's death, and he's only going to approach anything resembling closure by killing Darhk or taking his brother off the board. Until that happens, we're looking at weeks of unhinged, emotional David Ramsey, and the actor is more than talented enough to carry that load. Very glad the writers didn't let Diggle go through the usual "I want to kill you but I'm a hero" routine, forcing Oliver to stop him from executing Ruve in public. 

Quentin's delusional pursuit of the Lazarus Pit is an equally painful, and inevitable, reaction to Laurel's death, one also buoyed by Paul Blackthorne's penchant for playing a character who is 3 centimeters from complete mental collapse at all times. If Diggle's guilt is painful to watch, then Quentin's refusal to accept his daughter's death hurts like all hell....
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If I had any problems with the episode, they had nothing to do with the writing or acting and everything to do with CW's infuriating "now you see me, now you don't" scheduling this season. "Arrow" goes on more breaks than a chain-smoking waiter who is only there for the paycheck, and the three-week layoff did take some of the shine off the fantastic previous episode.

The series needed an emotional downbeat like this, a chapter to take stock and let us sit in the grief of characters like Diggle and Quentin, but I occasionally found myself wanting the Genesis plot to advance only because the series' latest vacation left an already sluggish season-long arc in stasis for another month. I guess in the world of streaming and on-demand, CW's scheduling can be forgiven (I don't review "Flash," for instance, so I just waited and binge watched the last few episodes) but as a weekly "Arrow" consumer, the layoff definitely screwed up the pacing for me, and that's a shame.

Edited April 28, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

This reviewer was a Tommy fan and did not like the flashbacks...

LONG LIVE THE BLACK CANARY: TEAM ARROW SAYS GOODBYE TO LAUREL LANCE IN “CANARY CRY”
Verena Cote | April 28, 2016 
http://www.4ye.co.uk/2016/04/long-live-the-black-canary-team-arrow-says-goodbye-to-laurel-lance-in-canary-cry/

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...  This storyline could have been very exciting, if the impersonator wouldn’t have been a random girl with a vendetta against Damien Darhk. Also, the Canary Cry can be overused. What was a great device for Laurel just became incredibly annoying. In this writer’s opinion, this arc tainted Laurel’s memory as the Black Canary, rather than highlight it.
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As a dedicated member of the Tommy Merlyn Defense Squad, this week’s episode felt especially offensive to me. Where do I even begin? The first scene of the episode is a flashback to Tommy’s funeral. As if we needed yet another reminder… We’re not crying, it’s just allergies. We learn that Oliver was supposed to do Tommy’s eulogy, but failed to deliver, so Laurel took over. She seems heartbroken over the loss of her lover and friend. Understandably so.

The remaining flashbacks of the episode, however, speak another truth. One flashback shows Laurel and Oliver reconciling after Tommy’s death, a mere days after his funeral. Laurel claims to be “excited for the future” as she leans over to kiss Oliver, where just days before she was guilt-stricken. These two people keep claiming that they have loved their friend, but their immediate actions speak louder than words. For someone who believed that Laurel and Tommy would surely find their way back to each other in the afterlife, these flashbacks are nothing but cruel. And also unnecessary. There was no need to bring Tommy up at all. They could have easily paralleled Laurel’s funeral with one of Sara’s. There was no need to crap all over the younger Merlyn, and his relationship with Laurel. Now what this show really needs is to bring Tommy back as the big bad of season five (or six, we’re a patient bunch) who will mess up everyone and everything.

Edited April 28, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Craig Wack's critical review of 419...

Arrow Review: Team Takes Time to Mourn Fallen Member
BY CRAIG WACK · APRIL 28, 2016
http://oohlo.com/2016/04/28/arrow-review-team-takes-time-to-mourn-fallen-member/

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Ollie and Co. come back from its hiatus with an episode that expects you to feel more than follow along. The plot is a tossed salad of inconsistencies dressed with dread. Paul Blackthorne does his best to save the episode from itself with a heart-breaking portrayal of a grieving father, but one performance does not a good episode make.
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The action part of the episode centered on the discovery of a Black Canary still operating in Star City despite Laurel being dead. The Canary is clumsier than Laurel (which I didn’t realize was possible) but was able to modify the Canary Cry tech despite it being keyed to Laurel exclusively. With this Canary’s activities and Diggle’s attack on the new mayor (who also happens to be Darhk’s wife), masked vigilantes are being hunted again. This newbie Canary has the outfit, equipment and bad blonde wig of her predecessors. She even knows Ollie’s trigger phrase (“You failed this city”). We’re given just enough information about this new character to make her possible, just not enough to make her plausible. Felicity discovers this new masked avenger is Evelyn Sharp, a 16-year old scholar and gymnast whose parents died during Christmas in a Hive experiment. At the time, Team Arrow had the chance to save those “volunteers” but didn’t. That’s the extent of what we learn about her, leaving enormous plot holes in her wake. The ER doctor recalled her as a girl who is frequently in the ER. That’s fine, wouldn’t someone notify the authorities once they notice an underage girl hanging out or being treated in an ER enough to be recognized? When did she steal Laurel’s sonic device? At no point in the previous episode or this episode was Laurel left alone in the hospital. Also, this girl has the tools and the genius to modify a Star Labs piece of tech? It’s all too convenient, even for a comic book show.
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*One of the troublesome retcons was Oliver and Laurel getting back together for a brief stint following Tommy Merlyn’s death. The whole thing felt wrong considering Laurel was in deep mourning and started a downward cycle of addiction over Tommy during Season 2.

[tv echo]

fangirlish's mixed review of 419 (weak plot, great acting)...

‘Arrow’ 4×19 Review: ‘Canary Cry’ (aka Honoring the Dead)
16 HOURS AGO by ALYSSA BARBIERI
http://fangirlish.com/arrow-4x19-review-canary-cry-aka-honoring-dead/

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While this episode was far from spectacular on the plot side of things, it was incredible when it came to performances – most notably David Ramsey and Paul Blackthorne – as well as the emotional, thoughtful scenes between characters. But that should really be no surprise as that’s always been one of the show’s biggest strengths.

When I think about this episode the thing that stands out to me are those performances and those emotional scenes between characters. Everyone from Oliver and Diggle to Oliver and Quentin to Quentin and Nyssa to Diggle and Felicity to Oliver and Felicity, these were scenes that emphasized the heart of this show: the heroes that occupy it.
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It can never be said enough that when we talk about the heroes on Arrow or any other superhero show for that matter, we’re not talking about the costume or the persona, we’re talking about the people that wear them. The characters always have and always will take precedence and have our hearts. Because the moment we stop caring about the heroes underneath is the moment the show loses its superpower, its heart.
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Throughout the episode we saw Oliver take on a new role. While he’s someone that’s often needed a source of light to guide him from the darkness, in this episode he proved to be that source of light to those he cares about as they put this guilt on themselves – something that we’ve seen Oliver do often. But as Oliver said, there was a time when he would’ve believed Laurel’s death was his fault. But now he knows it’s not; that it’s his responsibility to bring justice to her death, but also to honor her in death. It’s evidence that people can change – and that Oliver can change, has changed.
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But more than anything it was the inconsistency of the thing that was frustrating. How was this girl able to use Laurel’s sonic device? It was clearly created to work only for Laurel and yet this Faux Canary was able to not only use it but get more power for her punch, if you know what I mean. No one is supposed to be able to use the device except Laurel – they repeated that several times for significance – and yet we never learned how she was able to use it and amplify it.
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Heading into this episode I was excited for the flashbacks, as I knew they would center around Laurel with this being her funeral episode. But I also assumed that we’d get a focus on Laurel and her family – whether it was her father or her sister. But the flashbacks that would’ve been great were scratched and replaced for flashbacks that screamed a word that doesn’t technically exist but comic purists like to throw around – “fan service,” which apparently means catering to a certain audience even when it makes no sense. This was the literal definition if there ever were one, as we got flashbacks focused around Laurel and…Oliver, post season one around Tommy’s funeral.

On the one hand the flashbacks, which focused on Oliver and Laurel post-season one after Tommy’s funeral, served as a more clear sense of closure that the writers went for in the previous episode. But somehow these flashbacks reminded me why I’ve never really been a fan of Laurel. Here we had Laurel declaring her love for Tommy – and Oliver talking his deceased friend up to Laurel – and Laurel practically was throwing herself at Oliver. Right after they put Tommy in the ground. The way it was executed felt disrespectful to Tommy and this love that he had for Laurel. While it was great to parallel Tommy’s death with Laurel’s, the one thing that I got out of those flashbacks was how much I miss Tommy (seriously why couldn’t we use the Lazarus Pit on him?)
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If there’s one thing to be hopeful about coming out of this episode it’s that Oliver and Felicity are headed in the right direction when it comes to mending their relationship. This episode showed us what we’ve always known to be true: no matter the circumstances these two will always be there for each other as a source of support and encouragement during the times they need it most. They might not be together anymore (well, right now), but that isn’t going to stop Felicity from delivering a signature inspiration speech to Oliver about how one of the reasons she fell in love with him is because he always finds a way no matter the circumstances. And she instilled that belief within him that he is going to find a way to kill Damien Darhk and get justice for their friend.

... The two significant scenes between the two showed that they are on the right track toward finding their way back to each other. Felicity got to see a new side to Oliver in this episode, and Oliver was reminded just how much clarity Felicity brings to his life....

Edited April 28, 2016 by tv echo

[Password]

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If there’s one thing to be hopeful about coming out of this episode it’s that Oliver and Felicity are headed in the right direction when it comes to mending their relationship. This episode showed us what we’ve always known to be true: no matter the circumstances these two will always be there for each other as a source of support and encouragement during the times they need it most. They might not be together anymore (well, right now), but that isn’t going to stop Felicity from delivering a signature inspiration speech to Oliver about how one of the reasons she fell in love with him is because he always finds a way no matter the circumstances. And she instilled that belief within him that he is going to find a way to kill Damien Darhk and get justice for their friend.

... The two significant scenes between the two showed that they are on the right track toward finding their way back to each other. Felicity got to see a new side to Oliver in this episode, and Oliver was reminded just how much clarity Felicity brings to his life....

I'm not crying, you're crying.

[TwistedandBored]

2 hours ago, lemotomato said:

I wonder if this means Carissa's going to follow through with her promise that she's not going to watch the show anymore if they killed of LL

 

Let's hope she does. 

[wonderwall]

IDK if anyone has posted these here yet. But the cast and crew talk about Laurel's death:

 

ETA: THANKS VELOCITY FOR POSTING IT

Edited April 29, 2016 by wonderwall

[Velocity23]

[Starfish35]

Who is Laura? 

No, I know, but they repeated it seven times. :(

[wonderwall]

1 minute ago, Starfish35 said:

Who is Laura? 

No, I know, but they repeated it seven times. :(

Honestly some are just.... *sigh* I didn't even notice that.

SKY1 proves to be 10000000000000000X better than CW Arrow though haha

Except for the fact that this guy hates Donna -_-

[Guest]

I'm lazy and can't be bothered to watch but I still want to know what was said. LOL. Anything interesting? 

[wonderwall]

1 minute ago, Angel12d said:

I'm lazy and can't be bothered to watch but I still want to know what was said. LOL. Anything interesting? 

Wendy: She talked about all the candidates, but mostly how if Thea died, Oliver would never be able to recover from that
Andrew: Talked about how the death should have meaning and they didn't want anyone to be apathetic about the death
Neal: Talked about how when he heard he was going to kill Laurel, he was 'gut-punched' because KC is cool and they've become friends
Emily: Talked about how they didn't find out until 2 episodes before 418 it was difficult for both herself and her character because Laurel/Felicity have become friends the past 2 years and how they needed each other and how they wanted to collaborate and stay strong together etc.
Stephen: Talked about how sad it was because of his relationship with Katie and how she was the first cast member he met

The second video is more fun... JB walks around the set explaining everything

[Guest]

Thank you! That is very true about Oliver losing Thea. He wouldn't recover because she's his last remaining relative ( secret son aside).

The rest? Meh.

[wonderwall]

8 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

Thank you! That is very true about Oliver losing Thea. He wouldn't recover because she's his last remaining relative ( secret son aside).

The rest? Meh.

SA/EBR did look pretty though :p

[looptab]

I love hearing Wendy's reasoning on why they killed her and all they could gain from it, and while I find it true on some level - as some have said here, LL can be more useful in death than she ever was in life - I also find myself giggling when I think about how that is really some well-spun BS, given that she was pretty much off the show already and it was really the safest option. Nothing much will change. (Not that I'm complaining!).

AK, please shut up. Now they have the motivation to go after Darhk? Now? 

Lastly, I know some posters here made pretty compelling arguments on why KC shall never return on the show - and I believe that - but I think we're doomed to at least some fb appearance - they basically set it up with that stupid promise she asked of Oliver that we didn't see. Plus, dinner with Kreisberg tells me they didn't completely burn the bridge. 

P.S. What was going on in the loft that JB wouldn't want to show? :D

[bijoux]

I thought Kreisberg wasn't really involved with Arrow anymore. Why was he interviewed? 

[tv echo]

AK and GB are still listed as EPs on Arrow.

[tv echo]

Arrow Season 4: 12 Questions We're Asking After 'Canary Cry'
James Hunt  April 28, 2016
http://whatculture.com/tv/arrow-season-4-12-questions-were-asking-after-canary-cry

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This throws up a few questions, not least how a 16-year-old gymnast was able to easily acquire the tech, modify it to match her vocal chords, hold her own against the Green Arrow, acquire a gun, and waltz into the building that was supposedly on high alert for her presence.
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Man, was Paul Blackthorne great in this episode. I mean, he's consistently excellent, but he really nailed it this week, especially the moment when he finally accepted Laurel was gone, and totally broke down in front of Oliver. He totally had me at that point.
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And then there's the possibility of Sara returning. The original Black Canary, she's now fighting over on Legends, but could she be tempted to return to Star City in the wake of her sister's death? Here's (blindly) hoping...
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Alongside Paul Blackthorne, David Ramsey was the standout performer of the episode. In fact, it was some of the meatiest work he's ever had to do on the show, as he took the blame for Laurel's death, and his rageful grief was greatly portrayed, and made for an interesting counterpoint to the agony Quentin was in.

Edited April 29, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Another Den of Geek review of 419 (different writer from one posted above)...

Arrow season 4 episode 19 review: Canary Cry
Caroline Preece 29 Apr 2016 - 07:20
http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/arrow/40318/arrow-season-4-episode-19-review-canary-cry

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Despite the flip flopping that Arrow does on a weekly basis these days, however, Laurel has reverted back to her season one self aka the one everyone hated.

Not only is she constantly crying and reassuring Oliver when he's being a self-indulgent ass, but we're also subjected to romantic scenes between the pair despite there being no precedent for such a bond at this point in the timeline. This damages both the memory of Laurel and Tommy's relationship, but also Laurel's character in general. It draws a direct link between Laurel and her relationship with Oliver, which misses the point entirely.

The moment she was distanced from Oliver's development and became her own character, Laurel came into her own. She was there to tell him when he was slipping into old habits or being unreasonable with other people on the team, but was otherwise a hero in her own right. To have this episode effectively erase that is unforgivable.

It also highlights an issue I've had with how Arrow's producers have handled the backlash. They perceive the anger as coming from shippers, and some of it has. But most of the upset is because of Laurel, and not a small faction of viewers who were still hoping for a romantic reconciliation. They probably thought this would be a last little treat for all those people complaining, because too much of the conversation around this show is about relationships.
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The Felicity stuff really kind of felt like an excuse to have her speak with both Oliver and Diggle without sounding completely condescending, and I really don't want her to come back to the team this quickly. If the show wants to explore the good she might do when she's not behind a desk helping others to fight crime, then they should do that. Let this not be another disappearing character motivation just to suit Oliver's storyline.
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... I would have much preferred Canary Cry to be a quiet episode of reflection, much like the one following Sara's death in season three, and seeing someone run around in Laurel's old garb didn't help things.

Edited April 29, 2016 by tv echo

[looptab]

Wow, everyone was super bothered by the fact that this girl could modify Cisco's tech. I didn't care that much, honestly. It's Arrow. 

[tv echo]

We Minored In Film's surprisingly positive review of 419...

ARROW’S “CANARY CRY” (S4:E19): A GENUINELY GOOD EPISODE OF ARROW? THAT’S STILL POSSIBLE?
April 28, 2016 by Kelly Konda    
https://weminoredinfilm.com/2016/04/28/arrows-canary-cry-s4e19-a-genuinely-good-episode-of-arrow-thats-still-possible/

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As “Canary Cry” progressed through its motions of mourning the late Laurel Lance, I couldn’t shake an increasingly unfamiliar thought: Hold on, is this actually a pretty good episode of Arrow? In fact, the thought occurred to me within the first minute of the episode when they pulled off an effective bit of misdirection, making us believe we were opening at Laurel’s funeral when in fact it was a flashback to Tommy’s funeral in-between seasons 1 and 2. That was actually clever, in a way Arrow almost never is, and genuinely caught me by surprise.
*  *  *
This was Arrow‘s do-over, their chance to improve upon the “team reacts to the death of one of their own” concept they tried out with limited effectiveness last season after Sara died. There were some obvious similarities, particularly Oliver having to talk down the member of the team (last year, it was Laurel; this time, it’s Diggle) who goes hardcore vigilante in their search for the killer. However, the show’s approach this time around was ultimately different.

After Sara died, everyone was inspired to make life-changing decisions. Get busy living, or get busy dying…and all that. With Laurel’s departure, though, the focus was on protecting her legacy and behaving in a way that would have made her proud. It actually kind of worked.
*  *  *
Still, this is the mystery the episode runs with. This emergence of a new Black Canary does create one of the hour’s strongest moments when Quentin’s “Clearly, Laurel faked her death” hopes are crushed when her still very dead body turns out to be exactly where they left it in the morgue. The eventual reveal of the new Black Canary’s true identity was perhaps over-reliant on us having actually been paying close attention to this season’s go-nowhere HIVE plot, but it was an effective embodiment of the turmoil the entire team felt in the wake of Laurel’s death. They just failed their friend; now here’s an emotionally scarred young woman they happened to have failed months ago without realizing it. It’s too late to save Laurel, but they can save her imitator and the reputation of the Black Canary in the process. Damien Darhk killed Laurel; his wife can’t be allowed to kill her legacy, try as she might through clever manipulation of the media.
*  *  *
Maybe the difference is ultimately that Arrow is now at its best when its character actually talk to each other instead of merely chasing leads and fighting bad guys....
*  *  *
3. Barry’s Powers: Nitpick #2 – Oliver and Quentin didn’t actually exhaust every option to bring Laurel back. They never once referenced the possibility of Barry Allen traveling back in time to change history to save her. Of course, we know that currently on The Flash Barry has no powers and wouldn’t be able to help them, but that’s not so much the case in “Canary Cry.” If they’d better managed their timelines they could have actually used Barry’s current powerlessness on The Flash as a plot point on Arrow, i.e., an explanation for why not even time travel could save Laurel. I know it’s a bitch to maintain dramatic tension when you have such a deux ex machina character like Barry around, but in this case they actually had a built-in out clause they failed to exercise due to poor planning.

Edited April 29, 2016 by tv echo

[dtissagirl]

18 minutes ago, looptab said:

Wow, everyone was super bothered by the fact that this girl could modify Cisco's tech. I didn't care that much, honestly. It's Arrow. 

HOW DARE a 16 year old pretty girl be smarter than Cisco, amirite.
 

[JJ928]

20 hours ago, lemotomato said:

I wonder if this means Carissa's going to follow through with her promise that she's not going to watch the show anymore if they killed of LL

Yep. She said on twitter she's done with the show, she's not even finishing the season. Apparently, she was only watching because of her job and Laurel becoming BC.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, JJ928 said:

Yep. She said on twitter she's done with the show, she's not even finishing the season. Apparently, she was only watching because of her job and Laurel becoming BC.

LOL. I saw her commenting as a fan on a TV Line article after Laurel died. But sure, she watched for her job. Haha.

I hope she doesn't watch anymore though. I want people to start following through with their threats to quit.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Guest

[tv echo]

Jessica Breaux's negative review of 419...

Arrow “Canary Cry” Review (Season 4, Episode 19)
Jessica Breaux  April 28, 2016
http://www.tvequals.com/2016/04/28/arrow-canary-cry-review-season-4-episode-19/

Quote

Arrow returned from a several week hiatus to allow everyone to deal with Laurel’s death. I wish I could say the show did a good job with it, but this was kind of a muddled story that, for the most part, missed the mark on the emotional front. There was quite a bit of revisionist history when dealing with Laurel and Oliver’s past and an attempt to introduce a vigilante-in-training to pick up where Laurel left off.
*  *  *
The rest of the episode was kind of a jumbled mess of emotions that felt forced at best. That is no doubt due in large part to the fact that the show has been so inconsistent with Laurel’s character over the last couple of seasons for any of the characters to really be able to convincingly say anything about her. The powers that be couldn’t seem to figure out whether they wanted Laurel to be a strong, relatively likeable, interesting character or a whiney, flat, damsel in distress. Her transition into Black Canary wasn’t handled very well, and she was pretty much next to useless in the story for quite a long time. They tried to rectify that situation in the last handful of episodes, but it was really too late to rehab that character before she died. That’s especially true in the way the show handled the flashbacks of Oliver and Laurel’s relationship. It makes sense that Oliver is broken up about Laurel. She was his friend and his partner in crimefighting. Not to mention they’ve been a part of each others’ lives almost their whole lives, so it makes sense he was hurting about her death. But the flashbacks don’t jive with what I remember of their relationship since Oliver returned from the island. It was volatile and became even moreso after Laurel discovered that Oliver was The Arrow. Therefore, the show’s decision to focus on the romantic aspect of Laurel and Oliver’s past relationship instead of the friendship they’ve developed over the last few years was an odd choice. Especially given the fact that Oliver hasn’t been in love with Felicity for a long time.

ETA: I think Jessica meant to say "Laurel" in that last line above. 

Edited April 29, 2016 by tv echo

[looptab]

6 minutes ago, dtissagirl said:

HOW DARE a 16 year old pretty girl be smarter than Cisco, amirite.
 

Exactly. I didn't see these people complaining when Malcolm was able to put a hidden camera or whatever that was on Felicity's screen. Weird..-.-

Quote

"She was there to tell him when he was slipping into old habits or being unreasonable with other people on the team, but was otherwise a hero in her own right. To have this episode effectively erase that is unforgivable.

She did that just in episode 17, dear.

Quote

t also highlights an issue I've had with how Arrow's producers have handled the backlash. They perceive the anger as coming from shippers, and some of it has. But most of the upset is because of Laurel, and not a small faction of viewers who were still hoping for a romantic reconciliation. They probably thought this would be a last little treat for all those people complaining, because too much of the conversation around this show is about relationships.

Is she for real? This is not them handling the backlash, this was shot months ago. It was a treat for Lauriver fans, but not as a consequence of the backlash!

[Chaser]

8 minutes ago, JJ928 said:

Yep. She said on twitter she's done with the show, she's not even finishing the season. Apparently, she was only watching because of her job and Laurel becoming BC.

If she was watching the show because it was her job and now she isn't finishing the season, does that mean it isn't her job any more? 

[bijoux]

i don't really get this either. I can understand reviewers having to watch shows they don't like for work. Everyone has to do an equivalent of that at some point. But how is it suddenly not a part of her job?

[tv echo]

Three If By Space's overall positive review of 419 (scored it 9/10, only complained about the fake BC)...

Arrow 419 Review: “Canary Cry” Insists Laurel is Perma-Dead
By: Alisha Bjorklund    April 28, 2016
http://www.threeifbyspace.net/2016/04/arrow-canary-cry-laurel-perma-dead/#.VyNMFUwrLIU

Quote

... While painful, it did provide some interesting parallels between past and present grieving. Oliver was unable to show up to Tommy’s funeral and deliver his speech, but he did for Laurel’s. Oliver ran away to the island after Tommy’s death, but he stayed and faced the pain after Laurel’s. That served to highlight Oliver’s personal growth, as did his actions while dealing with the Fake Canary. We never saw Tommy, but it felt (at least a little bit) like he was there, and it made the depth of loss feel deeper, especially for Oliver.
*  *  *
I thought this was the episode’s one problem. Instead of someone we know stealing the suit and riding out their grief in a violent way, we got someone crazy girl who wasn’t so much a threat as a needle of emotional aggravation. Personally, I would’ve loved to see the thief revealed as Thea or Nyssa or Sara (although it would have been hard to coordinate Sara’s appearance because of Legends of Tomorrow). Instead, we see an unfamiliar face who is just a nuisance to get everyone riled up about protecting Laurel’s memory. While a good way to tie in events from earlier in the season, it wasn’t nearly as compelling an idea as someone we know being the imposter.

[JJ928]

21 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

LOL. I saw her commenting as a fan on a TV Line article after Laurel died. But sure, she watched for her job. Haha.

I hope she doesn't watch anymore though. I want people to start following through with their threats to quit.

She never watched for her job. Back when I used to follow her, she admitted that she only started Arrow because she was a KC fan. Not surprising, especially after her comments to EBR at SDCC last year.

[Belinea]

47 minutes ago, tv echo said:

I would have much preferred Canary Cry to be a quiet episode of reflection, much like the one following Sara's death in season three, and seeing someone run around in Laurel's old garb didn't help things.

I have to admit, I would have preferred that as well. The only time I felt emotional was during Lance's scenes. Other than that there was just too much going on for my taste. It was not only about Laurel but about themselves and their guilt. With Sara it felt as though it was about her and her death. Maybe the episode isn't that fresh in my mind but I remember feeling sad and completely baffled for the next few episodes and I wasn't even a big Sara fan. 

 

49 minutes ago, tv echo said:

Not only is she constantly crying and reassuring Oliver when he's being a self-indulgent ass, but we're also subjected to romantic scenes between the pair despite there being no precedent for such a bond at this point in the timeline. This damages both the memory of Laurel and Tommy's relationship, but also Laurel's character in general. It draws a direct link between Laurel and her relationship with Oliver, which misses the point entirely.

I know it isn't nice to say but I felt as though those flashbacks were there to soften the blow for the people who loved L/O. One last time of seeing them as a couple and one last time Oliver can treat her the way he always did. 

[tv echo]

Arrow Season 4 Episode 19 Review W/ Jimmy Akingbola | AfterBuzz TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfo5D561A_g

Edited April 29, 2016 by tv echo

[Belinea]

2 minutes ago, JJ928 said:

especially after her comments to EBR at SDCC last year.

That happens when you forget you talk to an actual person and forget you have manners. It was not very professional.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, JJ928 said:

She never watched for her job. Back when I used to follow her, she admitted that she only started Arrow because she was a KC fan. Not surprising, especially after her comments to EBR at SDCC last year.

And there it is. Knew it!

I mean, it's totally understandable if she wants to quit now that her fave is dead. If that's all I was watching for, I'd quit too tbh. 

[Belinea]

At 19.12... I had to laugh out loud...

[Guest]

LMAO. They were very distracted by Felicity's jeans. Let's face it. Who wasn't? Hehe.

[TrueMyth]

13 hours ago, dtissagirl said:

HOW DARE a 16 year old pretty girl be smarter than Cisco, amirite.
 

For me, the lampshading by the writers, repeatedly being reminded that Cisco had keyed it specifically for Laurel was what really strained credibility, since we never got an explanation of how she did it beyond "good grades" and it apparently took her less than a night to finish the modifications.  Honestly, if they hadn't reminded me THREE TIMES that the device was keyed to Laurels DNA or whatever, I wouldn't have cared at all.

[BkWurm1]

1 hour ago, TrueMyth said:

For me, the lampshading by the writers, repeatedly being reminded that Cisco had keyed it specifically for Laurel was what really strained credibility, since we never got an explanation of how she did it beyond "good grades" and it apparently took her less than a night to finish the modifications.  Honestly, if they hadn't reminded me THREE TIMES that the device was keyed to Laurels DNA or whatever, I wouldn't have cared at all.

Didn't help this was the first time we had heard it was only keyed to Laurel. 

[TrueMyth]

Exactly!  So why did they say it?  I honestly would have little issue with a smart girl tweaking the collar to a different frequency, especially since she whipped up a whole costume in a few hours.

[looptab]

Paul Blackthorne was one of the honorable mentions in Tvline's Performer of the Week:

Quote

 Arrow’s Quentin Lance mourned his daughter Sara twice only to lose her a third time when she left town. And in his experiences with Team Arrow, he has witnessed the impossible, often. So in the wake of Laurel’s tragic death, Paul Blackthorne alternately illustrated the despair and desperation of a father who doesn’t know which way is up anymore. (Just look at his face searching for any alternative when Nyssa nixes the Lazarus Pit notion.) It was a painfully sobering exchange with Oliver, though, where Blackthorne made the surreal too real, as Quentin explained, “When I became a drunk, when no one else believed me, she did. She’s been my rock.” He then corrected himself, “She was my rock,” before crumpling to the pavement in sorrowful acceptance, us alongside him.

http://tvline.com/2016/04/30/leah-pipes-the-originals-season-3-episode-19-performance/

They also had this to say in their Tv Qs section:

Quote

On Arrow, was the timing of Oliver and Laurel’s flashback kiss/dreamily planning for their future inappropriate considering Tommy had died only a week prior?And wasn’t it a bit confusing to see Laurel so hopeful about saving the world considering her state of mind during early Season 2?

Edited April 30, 2016 by looptab

[jay741982]

On 4/29/2016 at 11:03 AM, Angel12d said:

LMAO. They were very distracted by Felicity's jeans. Let's face it. Who wasn't? Hehe.

Her jeans must've looked Tight and accunated her Butt 

[tv echo]

Craig Wack and Tatiana Torres discuss this week's Arrow (419-Canary Cry) beginning at around the 37.20 mark - in a nutshell, they didn't like this episode...

Agents of GEEK Podcast Episode 26
Posted on 04/29/2016
http://agentsofgeekpodcast.com/wordpress/

-- Craig said that Arrow returned after "what seemed like three months off."  (LOL)
-- Craig thought there was a lot of "verbiage" in this episode around Laurel's funeral and was not impressed.  Tatiana did not like this episode "at all".  She liked PB's performance, which was "really, really great," but thought the rest of the episode was "garbage."
-- Craig noted that PB answered a lot of the audience's questions about whether or not Laurel was really dead in this universe where so many people came back from the dead.  It was "gut-wrenching" to see PB just "crumble" when Oliver tells him that there's nothing they can do to bring her back.  So "kudos to him." 
-- Craig: "Unfortunately, the rest of it was garbage."  Regarding the Laurel flashbacks, they ret-conned "so much of it."  Craig noted that so much of Season 2 was Laurel being mad at Oliver, as well as the Arrow, and mourning Tommy for a long time - "and it's Tommy's death that's the whole impetus for her slide into ... drug use and popping pills. ... Tommy's death was kinda the last straw that sent her down that path. ... And then we come back and have that scene to justify her having that picture.... In a three or four day period when she's still allegedly mourning Tommy, she and Oliver get back together - which made no sense... especially given what happens in season 2.... So what, you mourned him until something better came along? ... Then when [Oliver] went to island..., I guess I have to mourn him again?"  
-- Craig: "Then you have unexplained Junior Canary."  Tatiana: "This is the worst stuff." Craig noted that at least with Laurel, you saw her stumble in the training.  But now you have "a regular 16-year-old girl, gymnast in high school-er, at Christmas when her parents were killed by HIVE ... [who then in March has since become] enough of a badass... with her own mask, bad wig and bondage outfit." 
-- Craig also questioned why no one at the hospital called the authorities about this girl who's known at the hospital, and how this girl was able to modify the canary cry device not only to make it work but to make it work better.
-- Craig is still not convinced that Laurel is gone for good.  He pointed out that when they had her on the slab, she didn't have a Y-incision from an autopsy, and they would've performed an autopsy for someone who died from a homicide.  "There's Earth-2, there's time travel, there's magic, there's all kinds of bullcrap out there that can bring her back." He also noted that usually when someone dies on a show, that's it, they don't bring the actor back again but "just cut old stuff together" to use as "fond memories".  Here, they brought KC back to shoot new scenes as flashbacks. So Craig is still "Team Laurel Isn't Dead Yet."
-- Tatiana doesn't think Laurel is dead either because it just "doesn't seem like something they would do."  
-- Tatiana said that "if we don't find out about [deleted expletive] corn soon, I quit."  
-- Craig also wondered if they're going to do anything with Junior Canary, now that they've set up this girl as a "kickass, supertech genius."
-- Craig and Tatiana also noted that they still have to turn Curtis into Mr. Terrific.
-- Tatiana: "There's so many other things that are happening, that I don't understand how they're going to fit it all in.  And I really just feel like this episode wasn't needed."
-- Craig and Tatiana found it frustrating to have to wait so long to have progress on the Genesis story.  Craig said that it's been a waste of a "cool guest star" like Neal McDonough, who's a "great character actor" and "good in just about everything he does... they've frittered him away" on Arrow.
-- Craig fears that things are going to be so rushed just to get it all in by the end of the season that they'll end up leaving some storylines hanging or abruptly ended ("tied up sloppily").
-- Craig and Tatiana both noted the out-of-sync timelines with Arrow and Flash, where Barry has no powers the night before but manages to flash in and out of Arrow.  Tatiana responded to the EPs' response that the schedules didn't match up and that they couldn't do anything about it, saying: "No, you're the producers. That's exactly your job.... Your job is to make everything line up because now, if it's supposed to be after, then that takes the climax out of the Zoom thing.  And if it's supposed to be before, then why didn't he, you know, mention...." Craig: "Why is there no mention of it, yeah." Tatiana noted that Cisco and Caitlin both knew Laurel, and they all worked on missions together. So Barry would've mentioned Laurel's death to them.  Tatiana said that they can't just brush this off: "So they better frickin' explain themselves at some point."

Edited April 30, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

USA Today's positive review of 419...

Allison Brennan and Lavinia Kent on ‘Arrow’ episode ‘Canary Cry’: Lots of powerful emotion
By: Allison Brennan and Lavinia Kent   April 29, 2016 6:00 pm
http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2016/04/29/allison-brennan-lavinia-kent-arrow-canary-cry/

Quote

LK: I knew this episode was going to be powerful. I knew I would be close to crying. I might have had somewhat mixed feelings about Laurel over the years, but watching grief can be harder than watching the actual tragedy, and this episode certainly proved that true. ... I actually thought this might be the best episode of Arrow so far this year, and there have been some good ones. The emotions were high and the plot was both tight and action packed. Allison?

AB: I agree that Canary Cry was a powerful episode in many ways, particularly how each of the characters deals with their grief. There was a lot of inner contemplation, and the actors really did an amazing job at showing us their pain, frustration, grief and anger. I don’t know if I would say this is one of the best of the year … maybe because I expect more action. But in terms of the emotion and the acting, the episode was extremely powerful.
*  *  *
I have to admit to being a little confused this week by the flashbacks; which I believe are supposed to have occurred right after the end of season one. It took me a while to understand how they fit into the timeline and even then I wasn’t always convinced that the emotions felt right. I remember Laurel being mad at Oliver at that time and furious over Tommy’s death, blaming herself and the Arrow. And I remember the Arrow still being on a vengeance path. I thought he didn’t change until slightly later. I certainly don’t remember a time when they would have had these touching moments, but maybe my memory is wrong. It has been a few years since I’ve watched those episodes. I may have to do a real marathon once Arrow ends for this year.

I did like that they explained how Laurel got the picture of herself back, even if it didn’t feel quite right to me.
*  *  *
LK: It was great to finally have everything resolved, to know both who is in the grave and that it’s Darhk that Oliver wants to kill. And yet, as always, the writers have left us with a whole new question — or at least an almost new question. How is Oliver going to defeat Darhk and his magic? I think this is the first time I’ve felt that Oliver realizes just how impossible a task it is — and there’s Felicity again being the light and hope, telling him that he “always finds a way.” I just can’t imagine what that way will be — unless we get a great episode with Vixen and Constantine. Ahh, wishful thinking. Otherwise, I can’t even begin to guess — and I like that.
*  *  *
AB: Felicity kind of annoyed me this week. She rarely annoys me … but remember for the last two seasons she was all, “You can’t kill, that’s not you anymore, yada yada,” and now she’s all out for vengeance. I get that — Laurel is dead. We WANT vengeance. We NEED justice. But the pressure she just placed on Oliver — that he will always find a way — is huge. That puts everything on his shoulders. He’s always put the world on his shoulders, but Felicity and Diggle and Laurel were always telling him, “We’re a Team, we’re in this together.” Now, Felicity is telling him that HE will find a way. Not WE will find a way.
*  *  *
LK: I have a little more hope than you. I think that most things will be resolved, but I do think that something even bigger and badder is coming. I understand your feelings about Felicity and wonder if they are preparing for a move to evil Felicity. That may, again, be my own wishful thinking. I hate and LOVE seasons when good characters go bad.

Edited April 30, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Emertainment Monthly's super-positive review of 419 (yet she grades it a B+)...

‘Arrow’ Review: “Canary Cry”
April 30, 2016 Nora Dominick ‘17
http://emertainmentmonthly.com/2016/04/30/arrow-review-canary-cry/

Quote

Overall, the flashbacks in season four have been the lowest points in each episode. They often feel out of place and drag viewers into a storyline they often don’t care about and the pay off for them doesn’t seem to be in sight. This week, Arrow broke away from the Lian Yu flashbacks to give fans a beautiful tribute to Tommy (Colin Donnell) and Laurel. The flashbacks featured Tommy’s funeral and the events that led to Oliver traveling back to Lian Yu between seasons one and two. It was a nice change and allowed fans to see Katie Cassidy play Laurel one last time (for now). The flashbacks also allowed fans to truly see how far Cassidy has come. The Laurel in the flashbacks is a 180 degree change from the Laurel in season four. It is a nice juxtaposition and it’s great for long time fans to fill in the gaps between seasons. Of course any mention of Tommy is always a positive (we miss you Tommy/Colin).

ETA: The Laurel in the flashbacks is also a 180 degree change from the Laurel in season 1.

Edited April 30, 2016 by tv echo

[BkWurm1]

Quote

Craig is still not convinced that Laurel is gone for good.  He pointed out that when they had her on the slab, she didn't have a Y-incision from an autopsy, and they would've performed an autopsy for someone who died from a homicide.

Would they even technical consider her death from a homicide since they operated and she then died from a complication of the operation, not the stab wound.  Or maybe they hadn't gotten around to an autopsy yet. It was less than a day later. 

[Morrigan2575]

11 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Would they even technical consider her death from a homicide since they operated and she then died from a complication of the operation, not the stab wound.  Or maybe they hadn't gotten around to an autopsy yet. It was less than a day later. 

I don't think so, not unless someone specifically asked for it. I imagine they would consider it an unforseen result of the injury or sugery.

The way they wrote the scene reminded me of ER when Kellie Martin's character was killed off. She was stabbed by a crazy patient, rushed to the OR, they operate and it seemed like she was fine than bam, she has an embolism and dies while in her room. 

I think that's the feel Arrow was going for. Unfortunately, Arrow is a show with people faking deaths or coming back to life so the result seems to be less, how sad/shocking and more "it's obviously not for realz dead). What's really amusing is that the show spent the enitre post death episode explaining just how dead she is for realz! Even the final scene between Dinah/Lance was an out of story scene. More like the EPs trying to convince the fans that were still in denial, that, no she is really, truly, most sincerely dead and never, ever coming back.  

[AyChihuahua]

The video with the BlindWave guys discussing Felicity's jeans is frigging hilarious.