The Starling City Times: News and Media about Arrow

[Midnight Lullaby]

LOL, that's absolutely possible. I just don't feel comfortable blaming someone when we can't know how it went. Regardless it's a pity the double interview didn't happen and I have zero interest in SA's solo interview, but I'm sure others will appreciate it :)

[AyChihuahua]

Just now, Midnight Lullaby said:

LOL, that's absolutely possible. I just don't feel comfortable blaming someone when we can't know how it went. Regardless it's a pity the double interview didn't happen and I have zero interest in SA's solo interview, but I'm sure others will appreciate it :)

It's not just a solo interview, it's a solo interview for the primary purpose of promoting Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...TWO.

I'd rather put up shelves.

[Midnight Lullaby]

2 minutes ago, AyChihuahua said:

It's not just a solo interview, it's a solo interview for the primary purpose of promoting Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...TWO.

I'd rather put up shelves.

I think he'll talk about Arrow as well..but I wouldn't willing listen to a word about that movie either, hahaha

[AyChihuahua]

2 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

I think he'll talk about Arrow as well..but I wouldn't willing listen to a word about that movie either, hahaha

Yeah, he'll talk about Arrow, and his family, and maybe the silly book he's for some reason being paid to write, but the main purpose is TMNT2 promo. Which, yuck.

[tarotx]

How David Ramsey Manages Double Duty on Arrow and Blue Bloods

http://www.tvinsider.com/article/88018/how-david-ramsey-manages-double-duty-on-arrow-and-blue-bloods/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=TVGM

I'm not sure if it's posted already?

[kismet]

Does anyone still watch Larry King? Who is the demo for that show? Grandparents that are looking for a summer flick to take their grandkids to? What does the Venn Diagram look like for the crossover of audience that watches LK & is planning on seeing TMNT2?

I'll probably just catch highlights on Youtube, so I could care less about the interview whether it was double or just solo. But the whole reason for the interview is TMNT2 related, so there is a possibility that no one actively tried to book a joint interview. I know Larry King has a special place in the Olicity fandom, but really there is no sense for the a duo interview when the couple isn't even currently together - maybe they can bring them both in for an interview to promote 100th episode which will most likely be their wedding.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Supergirl Renewal Drama: Talks on Possible Jump to The CW, Budget Cuts

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The network would like the show to come back, sources close to the series say, but there’s a problem. The roughly $3 million per-episode price tag CBS pays to broadcast “Supergirl” – one of the highest license fees ever for a freshman show – isn’t quite justified by the ratings. Thirteen million total viewers tuned in to the heavily promoted premiere back in October, but about half the audience bailed over the season, according to Nielsen.

[BkWurm1]

If there is to be another female led comic book show produced in the next twenty years, they really need to at least get Supergirl to a season two.

I really don't think they could do the show though at CW budgets. Although at least the fancy sets are already paid for. 

[lemotomato]

The article says it's the licensing fees that are making CBS unhappy. I don't see how that would be any different if it moved to the CW, which is even less capable of paying those fees.

[BkWurm1]

22 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

The article says it's the licensing fees that are making CBS unhappy. I don't see how that would be any different if it moved to the CW, which is even less capable of paying those fees.

Maybe a renegotiation? 

[looptab]

Noel Kirkpatrick's review at Tv.com. He also makes an intersting observation on the episode not showing Oliver's "happy thoughts".

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[...]Between Darhk being in jail, Oliver and Felicity being on the outs, and Laurel's death, I forgot that the Darhk stuff was Arrowembracing a good type of ridiculousness. "Genesis" wasn't "Beacons of Hope" ridiculous—there was too much at stake/other things to set up in this episode for that—but it was still an episode that involved Oliver fighting magic by simply almost dying and Thea running smack into a hologram-camouflaged wall of H.I.V.E's The Truman Show:Apocalypse dome bunker. 

However, the issue Arrow faces when leaning in on the campy pulp—and which was especially true in this episode—is that it's sometimes hard to reconcile things like the aforementioned reveal of the Genesis dome and the big emotional moment of Diggle killing Andy. There's a show in which the two impulses for dark superhero ridiculousness and just dark superhero can coexist and feel complementary to one another, but Arrow isn't really that series, at least not yet (if it wants to be that series at all).

Until it decides on how to do that—and until Oliver actually accepting himself and coming to terms with his trauma (and sticking with it) is pretty much the first step in making that happen—I'll take Team Arrow dealing with immortal shamans who like blackjack and wise-cracking evil bastards with magic-based telekinesis. 

[...] Oliver and Felicity's little trip to Magic Exposition Land (a.k.a. Warner Bros. TV Was Serious About Constantine Being A One Time Deal Town) was silly and fun in an acceptably dumb way. Gabriella Wright as Esrin Fortuna delivered the right amount of politely smug condescension an immortal master of magic would likely have when dealing with any mortals, let alone two semi-impatient ones. As I alluded to above, Fortuna exists in a world that Arrow only occasionally visits, but it offers some new tones and dynamics for the show to explore. Oliver's journey inside his soul as he fought off his past foes and past failures was a nice visual representation of something Oliver consistently struggles with, but that it triggered some sort of actual acceptance in Oliver, I do not care about. It's not the episode's fault. Oliver accepts this dark part of himself like every other episode and then still gets really pensive about it in unproductive and uninteresting ways, so I just short of shrugged.

But I did not shrug at Oliver going all yellow-eyed (no, not that yellow-eyed) as Darhk almost completely drained the life force out of him, though. I barked out a laugh at the silliness of it all (barely one session of defense against the dark arts and he's got it!), but then grumbled about it a bit since it ended up backing up my thoughts about the show never really wanting Oliver to find some peace with himself. We're granted a look into the darkness in Oliver, all the turmoil and anxiety and feelings of failure. But when he's about to die, when he's calling upon the light inside his soul, there were no flashes of the good things in his life, the things that have driven him to become the Green Arrow. We were told about it, but we weren't shown it. That was deeply frustrating, and felt all too telling that the show just isn't ready to commit to the idea that Oliver can be comfortable embracing the light except at the last possible moment (and that it just wanted a quick "OMGZ" moment when the yellow eyes happened).

[...]Based on Diggle's actions last week and his killing of Andy this week, it's possible that Arrow is setting up a descent into darkness for Diggle that Oliver alone will understand and work to pull his friend out of. In doing that, Oliver could realize the value of the light in the soul and fully commit to the concept. If the show will let him. (See the above paragraphs.) I suggest this not only because of plot symmetry, since it was Diggle who initially offered Oliver a way out of his own darkness, but because Oliver was actually shaken up about seeing a dead Andy. Oliver doesn't do a lot of stammering, especially when he's geared up in the Green Arrow outfit, but he was tripping over words and unsure of what to say or do.

This does, once again, prize Oliver's response and reaction to something over anyone else's—which doesn't discount David Ramsey still bringing it again this week; man is loving having actual beats to play in an episode—but there's at least the hope that the show is going that direction, and that it'll stick. I mean, it'll take magic, for sure, but, luckily, all we need is half a lesson and some happy thoughts.

[BkWurm1]

Quote

 

a show in which the two impulses for dark superhero ridiculousness and just dark superhero can coexist and feel complementary to one another, but Arrow isn't really that series, at least not yet (if it wants to be that series at all).

Until it decides on how to do that—and until Oliver actually accepting himself and coming to terms with his trauma (and sticking with it) is pretty much the first step in making that happen—I'll take Team Arrow dealing with immortal shamans who like blackjack and wise-cracking evil bastards with magic-based telekinesis. 

 

I understood the part where he's basically saying he'll take what the show gave him for now but I honestly don't understand what he's trying to say he thinks the show needs to do. 

[looptab]

I didn't really get that part either. Maybe he thinks the show should have a better balance between camp and dark? Because it's rare these days that Arrow embraces the silliness as silliness, often taking itself way too seriously. Well at least that's what I think, haha.

[BkWurm1]

I get that Beeacon of Hope was silly, silly but Genesis I thought worked even though magic in itself is kind of a weak silly concept on this show.  They weren't treating it silly.  Oliver's worries were portrayed as heavy and real.  Felicity treated his fears and the danger of his lessons with appropriate gravity.  The set up IMO allowed for moments of levity but I didn't think it detracted from the seriousness or intensity of the other storylines.  I thought Arrow managed well to accept both the gritty part of Diggle vs Diggle and also keep what this writer is calling "campier aspects" from feeling out of place.  

[looptab]

No you're right, it didn't treat it as silly. I started from responding to your quote and then went sideways with my point, haha. I honestly can't tell what he might have meant or what he is suggesting the show should do, aside from maybe a better balance.

[tv echo]

A.V. Club's positive review of 420 ("a solid episode, propelling us nicely toward the endgame while dropping the flashbacks entirely")...

Arrow begins its endgame by pondering a hero’s morality
By Alasdair Wilkins  May 5, 2016  12:50 AM
http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/arrow-begins-its-endgame-pondering-heros-morality-236301

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I’ve talked in past reviews about how Arrow examines tried-and-true superhero storytelling elements, things like secret identities and no-kill rules. The show mostly doesn’t bother with the former for reasons best left for another discussion, but navigating the latter is trickier, particularly when Oliver spent most of the first season killing every bad guy in sight. Whether the members of Team Arrow are justified in killing comes down in part to which analogy we use to understand them. If Oliver and company are vigilantes in the sense of being a costumed, unofficial extension of the police, then it’s damn hard to argue they have any busy killing, because that stretches the notion of taking the law into their own hands past its breaking point. If, on the other hand, we look at Team Arrow’s fight as something more akin to the war, then we enter a moral gray zone where killing the enemy can be justifiable.

It matters then that Andy explicitly called this a war, and he points out his and John’s most obvious frame of reference for what they do remains Afghanistan. He points out it’s damn hard to understand why John would kill enemy combatant to protect strangers in a foreign land but he wouldn’t kill far more nefarious forces who have sworn to murder his wife and child. In that moment, this isn’t about a hero killing a villain. It isn’t even really about a man killing his brother, given Andy rejects that relationship so completely. It’s maybe even a stretch to say this is about a soldier killing the enemy, because the threat is just too personal to view through even that layer of abstraction. As John phrases it, he had to put Andy down. Agonizing over the morality of killing can feel awfully high-minded when faced with a decision such as John’s.

But what’s interesting about “Genesis” is that it also reminds us of why such lofty ideals can still have value. Oliver abandoned his initial Hood persona and became the Arrow, later picking up the Green modifier, because he believed he had to honor Tommy’s memory and make his fight actually stand for something. Now, three years later, his interactions with the immortal Esrin Fortuna drive home the danger in losing sight of those ideals. Yes, Oliver has faced terrible, implacable adversaries like Damien Dahrk and Ra’s al Ghul and Slade Wilson and always always Malcolm Merlyn, and those battles have cost the lives of people Oliver loves. But because he has always reached the conclusion that the only way to defeat these foes was to fight on their own deadly terms, he has repeatedly let the darkness in. He won each of those past battles, but this may well be at the cost of winning the greater war, because there’s no way to really cogently define what it is Oliver fights for when he’s so often lost. The only way for Oliver to become all the Green Arrow can be is to find some way to leave the Island and all it represents behind him, yet damn near every choice he’s made has allowed his experiences there to continue defining him.

... The show is now multiple weeks into having a character call Oliver out for moping yet again, and once again Oliver makes a semi-plausible argument that his latest round of self-evisceration is deserved, which if nothing else speaks to how overused that character beat has been before now. What’s promising, though, is that Oliver does eventually find the inner strength to repel Dahrk’s magic. I’m guessing a decent-sized sector of Arrow fans won’t be thrilled that Oliver so directly connects that strength to thoughts of Felicity, but then he does say she’s just one of many voices of loved ones he called upon to stand up to Dahrk. That too is a nice note for the show to play, giving Oliver a solo victory over Dahrk while still making it clear he only prevailed because of the strength he draws from his loved ones. It’s still early days for this particular direction, but there’s a sense here the show has zeroed in on a legitimate way to build up a purposefully lighter version of the Green Arrow, even if this still all leads to Oliver killing Dahrk. Which, fair enough, really.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Laura Hurley's CinemanBlend review of 420 ("a solid episode")...

Arrow Just Revealed Damien Darhk's Master Plan, And It's Ginormous
BY LAURA HURLEY  9 HOURS AGO 
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Arrow-Just-Revealed-Damien-Darhk-Master-Plan-It-Ginormous-135947.html

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All in all, “Genesis” was not a great episode for Team Arrow and Co. Digg had to kill his brother to protect Lyla and their daughter, Lyla had the subdermal implant containing Rubicon magically ripped out of her arm, Thea was drugged and held captive within Darhk’s dome, Oliver had to sit through a greatest hits montage of his worst memories, and Felicity wore a dress that she absolutely could not have run in. Even though Oliver finally latched onto his lightness enough to repel Darhk’s darkness, “Genesis” should be counted as a loss for the good guys.

That said, “Genesis” was indeed a solid episode. Damien Darhk has been a great villain for most of the season, but his evil plan really needed to be kicked into gear. The only reason that he hasn’t destroyed Team Arrow is because Arrow had to delay the big showdown until the finale arc, so Darhk was going to lose his credibility as the worst of the worst if he didn’t pull out all the stops as the end of Season 4 approached. I’d say that obtaining the plans to nuke the world after secretly building a bomb shelter bubble in which he and his allies could survive the nuclear apocalypse certainly helps his bad guy cred. His master plan has ginormous potential for destruction, and it’s exactly what Arrow needed to raise the stakes for the last few episodes of Season 4.
*  *  *
Hopefully, Oliver’s crash course in magic and the resolution of Diggle’s plot with his brother means that the final episodes of Season 4 will be focused solely on taking down Damien Darhk before his master plan to destroy the world comes to fruition. We’ll have to wait and see. I’m guessing that it won’t be too long now before Felicity starts wearing pants and thus signals that the end is nigh for another season of Arrow.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

TV Fanatic's review of 420...

Arrow Season 4 Episode 20 Review: Genesis
Lisa Babick at May 5, 2016 2:21 am.  Updated at May 5, 2016 2:40 am.
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2016/05/arrow-season-4-episode-20-review-genesis/

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I might be stepping onto a mine field here, but maybe Laurel's murder wasn't pointless after all. Maybe, in order to defeat the bad guys, one of the good guys had to go.
*  *  *
Sure, it's unfortunate she was the one, and we can talk for hours about how she was an underused character, how it wasn't fair, and blah, blah, blah into eternity. But, what if the reason she died was so she could serve a greater purpose? 

Maybe Laurel's legacy wasn't to inspire a fake Black Canary. Maybe her legacy, if Team Arrow is successful, will be that she saved the world. Because, if you think about it, Team Arrow wouldn't be at the point they were this hour if Laurel hadn't died in the first place.
*  *  *
Oliver was going to go alone, but Felicity being Felicity, just sort of pushed her way in. What else was she going to do? 

As it turns out, Felicity played an important part in Oliver's magical mojo. Had she not been with him, he never would have been able to find the light and hope inside him. 

It was a little disappointing that Esrin Fortuna was quick to give up on Oliver. This was the first time he had ever done anything like this, so how could she expect he would perfect it the first time around?

But Oliver is a quick study and the magic must be natural, because he was able to delve deep and repel Darhk in the mobile safe house just as it seemed like it was the end for the Green Arrow. I liked how his eyes shone bright when he connected with the good within.

Felicity didn't seem surprised when Oliver told her what happened. I don't think she had any doubts Oliver would find a way. 
*  *  *
-Diggle: "Andy told me that Genesis is coming." Felicity: "Don't think so. Phil Collins said they'd never tour again." Nice way to infuse humor into a dire situation.
-Does Felicity have an off button? 24/7 positoovity can get annoying.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Collider review of 420 (rated it 3 stars Good)...

‘Arrow’ Recap: “Genesis” – Things Get Magical Under the Dome
BY DAVE TRUMBORE      10 HOURS AGO
http://collider.com/arrow-recap-genesis/

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... Look, I’m fine with playing up Oliver’s light side to counter that of Darhk’s … darkness, but spontaneously introducing a random immortal shaman named Esrin Fortuna (Gabriella Wright) who likes to hang out in an upscale casino in Hub City (the home of Victor Sage, a.k.a. The Question) ain’t the way to do it. And since her time with Oliver is so short, rather than waste her time actually training him, she explains the super-basic concept of light vs dark magic and then almost instantly gives up on him. Oliver might want to have a talk with Constantine about the quality of his referrals. Really the only interesting thing of note to come out of this scene was that both Lian Yu and Star City apparently act as a nexus of various planes of existence. (I’m still waiting for boom tubes to pop up in one of these nexuses.) The long and short of it is this: If Oliver’s darkness outweighs his Luz del Alma, or light of the soul, then it will fuel Darhk rather than defeat him. I’m really not a fan of slapping some magical abilities on the Green Arrow, but I feel like they’ve kind of written themselves into a corner here. Ollie is able to repel Darhk’s magic briefly as his eyes flash yellow, just like Taiana’s eyes did when presumably battling Baron Reiter in this episode’s very brief flashback sequence.

...  This was actually the most enjoyable plot of the episode for me as it resolved the season-long conflict between the Diggle brothers, and did so with a high-stakes payoff and heartfelt resolution. When Andy provokes his brother for a final time, John himself is surprised to see that he’s pulled the trigger and killed his little brother. This is the first death in a while that’s felt earned, warranted, and emotionally resonant. I hope it brings Diggle and his family some peace even if John will never, ever forget the way things went down between them. Good stuff from David Ramsey, Eugene Byrd, and Audrey Marie Anderson.
*  *  *
 ... It’s revealed that Alex’s “vitamins” are actually the yellow pills that Darhk’s Ghosts take in order to become more susceptible to manipulation, pills given to him by Mayor Ruvé Adams. What followed was a Twilight Zone-like resolution that finds Thea trapped under a dome in an artificial environment that’s presumably intended to hold the rich folk who will ride out Genesis’ nuclear destruction on the surface world above. This was out of left field, but it’s clearly setting up a rescue sequence in the upcoming episode as Team Arrow attempts to save their own, shut down Genesis, and put a stop to Darhk for good.
*  *  *
... Instead, Oliver’s “light of the soul” is going to have to be enough to take on the death-powered Darhk and his rich-and-powerful allies. I hope Ollie’s got enough positive voices in his head to help him pull it off, but something tells me he’s going to need all the external help he can get.

[tv echo]

IGN review of 420...

ARROW: "GENESIS" REVIEW
BY JESSE SCHEEDEN   4 MAY 2016
http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/05/arrow-genesis-review

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Not that Diggle has been a lackluster character this season, but the death of Laurel really gave him a shot in the arm in terms of his emotional journey and actor David Ramsey’s performance. That was true last week in the immediate aftermath of her death, and it was equally true this week. Diggle is now motivated by a combination of fear for the lives of his wife and child and rage at the brother who betrayed his trust so fundamentally and deeply. Ramsey was very much the MVP of this episode as he portrayed a character on the edge and taking foolish risks in his quest for vengeance.

The prolonged Diggle v Diggle battle was the source of a lot of solid action scenes this week. There was a certain direct brutality to the action this week that comes from stripping away the costumed vigilantes and the fancy weapons and just focusing on hardened soldiers waging war on one another. Diggle showed just how deadly efficient he can be by turning the tables on his captors and disarming his brother (even if it turned out he was playing into Darhk’s hands). The ensuing shootout over the ARGUS truck was even more thrilling. Even Lyla got the chance to mow down a few HIVE goons.

I can honestly say this isn’t how I pictured the John/Andy storyline turning out. For a while it seemed as though Diggle really had gotten through to his brother and broken through Darhk’s programming. Things were looking up for the Diggle clan right up until Andy turned heel again in in “Eleven-Fifty-Nine.” Now, instead of Diggle redeeming his brother and proving to Ollie that you have to keep faith in your loved ones, he literally has Andy’s blood on his hands. It was a surprisingly ambiguous and downbeat way to wrap up that particular conflict. Technically, Diggle murdered his brother. If he wasn’t feeling the guilt of that act he wouldn’t have lied to Lyla about how it happened.
*  *  *
This morally ambiguous conflict was also a fitting counterpoint to Ollie’s storyline, which was all about the struggle to maintain his inner goodness in a world of crushing darkness. The Ollie and Felicity material wasn’t necessarily lighthearted, but it was certainly a change of pace from recent episodes and the depressing funeral sequence from last week. It was good to see Felicity back to her old self, more or less, as she partook in a little blackjack while a bemused Ollie tried to make sense of his latest quest.
*  *  *
Regardless, Ollie’s training ordeal was interesting, if disappointingly brief. What kind of mentor gives up teaching after two practical exercises? But Fortuna’s training led to a very cool dream sequence where Ollie was haunted by the villains of his past (including Deathstroke!) and the many loved ones he failed to protect. This field trip spoke to Ollie’s fundamental conflict this season - the struggle to escape the demons of his past and prove that he can still be the happy, well-adjusted man he became during his brief time in Ivy Town. Now he’s in a situation where the only way to defeat Darhk is to become that man again. Sure, the whole thing is a little on the nose, but it speaks to the sort of hero Ollie needs to be if he’s going to save his city.
*  *  *
This episode made it abundantly clear what challenge our heroes are facing in the final few episodes of the season. And even as Ollie found new reason to be hopeful in his fight against Darhk, Diggle plunged deeper into darkness. This duality emphasized the core struggle for Ollie to rise above the demons of his past and be the hero that Star City needs him to be. He has his chance now, assuming he's up to the challenge.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Yahoo! TV's review of 420...

'Arrow' Recap: Another Death in the Family
Robert Chan  May 5, 2016
https://www.yahoo.com/tv/39-arrow-39-recap-another-death-in-1422204250300470.html

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Is there anybody watching who blames Diggle for killing Andy? Even after months of deprogramming and rehabilitation, he was still 100 percent under the sway of Damien Darhk. Part of it must have been the knowledge that he was going to be part of the new world after Genesis destroyed everything else. But through his words and actions, it’s clear that the grudge he bears John would never be settled until one or the other was dead.
*  *  *
Esrin Fortuna isn’t a character from the comics, which is a shame, because Zatanna is a perfect fit for this scenario. A stage magician turned superhero would be very comfortable in a casino. Nevertheless, she is able to impart a little magical knowhow to Oliver. It’s essentially the Patronus charm from Harry Potter: Think positive thoughts to fight the darkness. So, naturally, he thinks of Felicity, which gives him the glowy eyes. It’s sweet, but it won’t be full blown romantic until he uses that engagement ring to blow Darhk to kingdom come in the season finale.
*  *  *
At first, it seemed like Thea and Alex were in Oliver and Felicity’s old place in Ivy Town. Then it got creepier — more so because Alex doesn’t even seem to realize anything’s wrong — and it turns out they’re deep underground in H.I.V.E.’s self-sustaining bunker. They know Thea’s the sister of the Green Arrow, right? Do they not run credit checks before handing out home loans down there?
*  *  *
This is, what, the 400th hijacked truck on Arrow? Trucks are the least safe place to keep anything in Star City, so why does A.R.G.U.S. think it’ll be any different for them?

Diggle zooming away on a motorcycle with tiny Sara in a backpack (is that an Arrowpoose? A DiggleBjorn?) is the most adorable thing you’ll see on TV this week.
*  *  *
Line of the Night: “It’s not gambling when I play.” Holy hell, Felicity is a boss at blackjack!

Bean Counter Line of the Night: “I’ve been in a chamber like this before on an island named Lian Yu.” “Yes. Lian Yu is a place of nexus.” That line probably saved Arrow tens of thousands of dollars by re-using an old set. And that’s how you produce a weekly superhero show on a CW budget.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Just About Write's review of 420...

Arrow 4x20 Review: "Genesis" (In the Beginning)
Just About Write  6:59 PM
http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2016/05/arrow-4x20-review-genesis-in-beginning.html

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Look, I'm going to be totally honest here: Harry Potter did this storyline better. As if on meta cue, the show dropped a reference to the magical series early on in the episode and then framed its central conflict (darkness vs. light) as well as its special effects (the darkness literally reaching out to grab Oliver and Oliver using light to block it) rooted in Harry Potter. For those of you who have never read the books or watched the films, here's something you should know about Harry — love saved him in the end. Love and lightness was the thing that filled Harry's soul. It was the reason he was able to defeat Voldemort. It was the reason that he was able to conjure up a Patronus — a gleaming charm of magical light (in the shape of an animal) that defeated Dementors. The reason he was able to do all of that was because he held tightly onto the memories of his parents. Harry was a survivor, in some of the same ways that Oliver Queen is. Both experienced immense pain, both had the option to flee into the darkness, and both can only be successful when they harness the light.

Felicity Smoak is the light to Oliver in a lot of ways, but now that they're broken up (more on that, probably), Oliver has had to rely on other sources of light. I absolutely love that Felicity is this beautiful beacon and symbol of hope for the people around her. But it's a lot of pressure and responsibility when you're someone's everything — their light-bearer. Just like Harry needed so many things and so many people to carry him through his crusade (when he conjures Patronuses, they may take the symbolic shape of his father, but Harry relies on the love of his friends and mentors and romantic relationships in order to provide that light for him), so does Oliver need many sources of light. I say this as someone who shipped Oliver/Felicity (and still do, though to a far lesser extent this season).

Oliver doesn't just need a light. One light — one candle or flashlight — will allow you to see some things clearly if you're in darkened woods. But three or four or five sources of light will guide you out. Felicity cannot be the only person Oliver relies on. And, in fact, I think Arrow is setting us up for Oliver to learn the same lesson Harry did — you have to become your own light, in the end. That is the only way Harry was able to defeat Voldemort, after all. When the dust settled and the fighting ceased, it was Harry and Harry alone who went to battle. He carried the love he had for his friends and family with him, no doubt. But Hermione could not fight Harry's battle for him. Nor could Ron or Ginny or Dumbledore or his parents.

Harry had to learn to embrace the light so that he could become the light himself.

And that's exactly what Oliver has to do. He took a pretty good step in the episode — noting that it wasn't just Felicity's voice in his head — and managed to fend off Darhk's magic long enough to save the others who needed saving. And while I still believe that Arrow is one of those shows that plays the "too little, too late" game every single season (just when I've become fed up with the show and on the verge of quitting, they manage to pull something semi-decent off), I think that this kind of growth looks healthy on Oliver and natural, given all he's been experiencing.
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Are we SURE Darhk's master plan isn't to enact the 76th annual Hunger Games? Because it seems like it might be.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Geeks of Doom's positive review of 420...

TV Review: Arrow 4.20 “Genesis”
Olympus Athens   Wednesday, May 4th, 2016 at 10:23 pm
http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2016/05/04/tv-review-arrow-4-20-genesis

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This was one of the most suspenseful episodes I’ve seen in a long time – so much action with so many surprises. Every movement, drop of dialogue, action, motivation, everything was just so perfect. I was satisfied with every character, and forgot that Lance wasn’t in it, and he is one of my faves. That I forgot him is a testament to how great this episode was. When it ended, I felt like I just did 42 minutes of cardio.

[tv echo]

JoBlo's positive review of 420 (gave it 8 out of 10 arrows)...

TV REVIEW: ARROW - SEASON 4 EPISODE 20 "GENESIS"
7 hours ago  by: Alex Maidy
http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/tv-review-arrow---season-4-episode-20-genesis-230

Quote

... The last two episodes of Arrow have felt reinvigorated and fresher than anything this season to date and I realized what it was tonight: no flashbacks. With the Lian Yu plot seemingly wrapped up for the season, the contemporary narrative has been able to focus on Damien Darhk's master plan and how Team Arrow plans to combat it. Tonight's episode in particular could have felt like a throwaway episode had it been weighed down with flashback sequences but instead, the three concurrent storylines work to establish a sense of tension that has been lacking for the past eighteen hours. Hopefully the showrunners take a hint and keep the show formatted this way and save the flashbacks for standalone episodes or eliminate them completely.
*  *  *
... At first, Oliver is able to repel the magic but the next wave overcomes him. Fortuna says his darkness is too great and he cannot stop Darhk. Dejected, Oliver and Felicity almost give up hope. At this point, I almost expected Felicity to be the one who would gain powers but that would put her in too much danger.
*  *  *
This was a very enjoyable episode of Arrow that had very little costumed action but still managed to wrap up the lingering Diggle storyline while advancing the Genesis endgame quite a bit. I am still not entirely sure how things will wrap up for everyone, but the fact that Oliver is being given magical powers means this series is reaching a point of no return. Once Oliver battles Damien Darhk using magic, the grounded in reality concept that Arrow started with four years ago will be completely out the window. While that is not a bad thing, it could swing next season in the opposite direction and give us something too closely in line with what they are already doing on The Flash. Either way, I like that this hour finally gave us a solid, multi-focused story that had zero flashbacks. Hopefully the final three episodes can do the same thing and somewhat redeem this lackluster season.

[tv echo]

Heroesdirect's positive review of 420 (rated it "8.6 Awesome")...

Arrow: “Genesis”
by EAMMON JACOBS on MAY 5, 2016 
http://heroes.direct/tv/arrow-s4e20/

Quote

After the disappointment of Episode 19, Arrow comes back with a vengeance. It’s an episode that reminds us what worked so well about Arrow in the first place. It’s actually void of the eponymous Green Arrow for the majority of the episode, with the hero only coming out to play in the last ten minutes of the episode. The plot mainly features around Oliver and Diggle struggling to come to terms with the difficulties that they’re both facing. Mentally, spiritually, and personally.

Oliver is pointed to an ‘immortal shaman’ by John Constantine (we’re praying he makes another appearance soon), and heads to Hub City with Felicity to learn how to repel Damien Darhk’s magic. We get to see the dynamic between Ollie and Felicity lighten up a bit, which is a breath of fresh air considering most conversations between them of late has been very break-up heavy. So it was great to see those two characters interact in a way that isn’t particularly hostile.
*  *  *
Whilst Darhk’s plan isn’t entirely original, it’s a large scale threat that we haven’t seen on Arrow before, so it’ll be interesting to see where it takes our heroes. What’re we betting that the final showdown takes base in the artificial bunker?

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[Carrie Ann]

6 hours ago, looptab said:

6 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

I understood the part where he's basically saying he'll take what the show gave him for now but I honestly don't understand what he's trying to say he thinks the show needs to do. 

I honestly can't tell what he might have meant or what he is suggesting the show should do, aside from maybe a better balance.

I think what he was saying is that if what we're working toward here is Oliver embracing the light and the good things in his life and becoming a more positive character, then we need to keep seeing that change happen in-show. I mean, we skipped over it in the summer hiatus; he just came back to SC this smiley, high-voiced, emotive guy. And then he/the show came back down, especially post-midseason finale. So in this episode, we had Oliver suggest that maybe he doesn't really have a soul anymore, that he has no light in him and was ruined by the island; we saw the flashes of Oliver's Bad Times in his lesson with the shaman, but then didn't see the flashes of Oliver's Good Times in his showdown with Darkh. We didn't see the moment of change, we just saw the glowy eyes and heard about the key moment after the fact. So it ends up feeling like the show is talking about a balance and character growth but doesn't really want to show that yet.

I suspect that...uh, yeah, they don't really want to show that yet. :) A couple of other reviews alluded to what they expect to see in the final showdown with DD, and I think that maybe they're just saving up the squishy good feels for that moment. And also, they're saving the full-blown changed man for S5, which I think was the EPs' intent from the conception of the show.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Carrie Ann

[tv echo]

Den of Geek's mixed review of 420...

Arrow: Genesis Review
Review Kayti Burt  5/4/2016 at 9:53PM
http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/arrow/255110/arrow-genesis-review

Quote

Remember when Arrow had some system of internal narrative logic? Sure, it was a ridiculous internal logic predicated on the belief that Oliver's hood would stay up without the use of either bobby pins or some kind of adhesive, but the show committed and stayed consistent in its ridiculousness.

Four seasons later, that internal narrative logic has been eviscerated. It didn't happen over night, and it wasn't entirely Arrow's fault. This is what happens when a show is burdened with launching not one, but two spin-off shows — shows that have their own systems of internal narrative logic that directly clash with the gritty (albeit ab-focused) realism that made Arrow so watchable in its first and second seasons.
*  *  *
Diggle's cold-blooded murder of his little brother should have been a heartbreaking, tragic moment — and David Ramsey did a great job selling it — but no degree of excellent acting could make up for the fact that we never really got to know Andy's character. Before killing him, Diggle mentions Andy's wife and son, but we haven't seen them for seasons. Why was Andy so evil? Did he want Diggle to kill him? If Arrow had defined Andy's character in any way, perhaps this tragic end would have meant a bit more.
*  *  *
The shaman is only kind of helpful. She throws some dark magic at Oliver to see if he has enough goodness in him to fight it off versus fuel it... and he fails. Rather than taking the obvious route — i.e. teaching Felicity Smoak, Beacon of Light, how to wield this magic (I guess she needs her own magic tattoo to do this?) — Oliver and Felicity just head back to Star City.

Oliver arrives just in time to save Lyla from Darhk's evil clutches, and Oliver manages to somehow repel Darhk's magic (his eyeballs light up and everything) by thinking all of his friends and the goodness they represent. So, I guess Oliver knows magic now? It's all pretty easy and it's unclear why Oliver was able to do this when, five minutes ago, he could not — other than the fact that Felicity gave him a pep talk. And, sure, it was a great peptalk (she gives great pep talks), but I like my character growth a little more hard-won.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[looptab]

6 minutes ago, Carrie Ann said:

I think what he was saying is that if what we're working toward here is Oliver embracing the light and the good things in his life and becoming a more positive character, then we need to keep seeing that change happen in-show. 

ITA with your post, but I think the confusion was on this point? 

Quote

a show in which the two impulses for dark superhero ridiculousness and just dark superhero can coexist and feel complementary to one another, but Arrow isn't really that series, at least not yet (if it wants to be that series at all).

Until it decides on how to do that—and until Oliver actually accepting himself and coming to terms with his trauma (and sticking with it) is pretty much the first step in making that happen

At least that's where it is for me :) (this is the portion of the review @BkWurm1 initially quoted).

[tv echo]

Vulture review of 420...

Arrow Recap: Mother Trucker
By Jenny Raftery May 5, 2016
http://www.vulture.com/2016/05/arrow-recap-season-4-episode-20.html

Quote

This week’s Arrow is all about magic and sleight of hand. If you’re not paying close-enough attention, someone might slip a tracker on you, or, worse, try to steal your life force. In “Genesis,” the show works its own sort of sorcery by transforming what starts as a slightly dull, exposition-heavy episode into a tense ride filled with strong performances and playful plot twists.
*  *  *
Fortuna escorts Oliver and Felicity through a back door at the casino and into another dimension that looks like the Lian Yu cave from the flashbacks. Here, Fortuna puts Oliver through a series of tests to see if he has enough light within him to repel dark magic. She cautions that, if Oliver’s inner darkness outweighs his light, then the dark magic will only grow stronger if Oliver tries to repel it. At a macro level, the ideas explored in these scenes — the balance of light and dark within Oliver — are appealing, and serve as an important connective thread to the season and series as a whole, but I found the dialogue clunky and underwhelming.
*  *  *
... While still at their Scare B&B rental, she discovers that, at Ruvé’s suggestions, Alex has been taking multivitamins. Only those vitamins are actually H.I.V.E.’s mind-control pills, and Thea bolts. (Oof, can you imagine the beautiful, but absolutely dumb, babies Thea and Alex would have?)
*  *  *
... But, after a few moments, Oliver is suddenly able to repel the magic. A stunned Damien disappears into thin air. Later, Oliver reveals to Felicity that he was able to find the light within by thinking of her voice, as well as those other people on the team and stuff … but also Felicity’s voice! Buckle your seatbelts, we are headed to the bone zone.
*  *  *
- David Ramsey’s nuanced performances in the last scenes of this episode were excellent. He nailed the mix of shock, confusion, and grief of Dig’s decision to shoot Andy.
*  *  *
- Lyla Michaels is the most badass working-mom on television.
*  *  *
- Is veiny gray Oliver still hot?  A question for the ages.
- I guess Tatiana the flashback lady is going to go dark?

[tv echo]

BuddyTV's review of 420...

'Arrow' Recap: Damien Darhk's Plans are Unveiled 
Wednesday, May 04, 2016  Derek Stauffer
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/arrow/arrow-recap-damien-darhks-plan-59856.aspx

Quote

Oliver and Felicity head to Hub City, in case you needed a reminder that all the cities in this world have ridiculous names. Diggle, meanwhile, stays in Star City. He goes on a one-man mission to put a bullet in his garbage betrayer of a brother. Lastly, Thea is going on vacation with her bland boyfriend, Alex. One of these things is so not like the others.
*  *  *
In Hub City, Oliver and Felicity put on formal wear and go to a secret casino. Inside the secret casino, they meet a femme fatale immortal enchantress, Esrin Fortuna. This shaman -- her words not mine -- agrees to help them. It's like a James Bond movie except with lots of magic, way less misogyny and more superheroes. Okay, so it's nothing like James Bond.

Esrin tells Oliver that Darhk uses, well, dark magic. The only way to defeat Darhk is to fight him with some equally strong light magic. She explains this with a lot of hand waving and talking with a sexy accent, but that's the basic gist. Esrin tries to give Oliver this light magic power, but (and this will come as no surprise to anyone who has watched Arrow before) Oliver has too much darkness within him. Esrin writes off Oliver as a lost cause and says that he can't possibly defeat Darhk with so much angst.
*   *  *
Dig shoots his brother in the heart and acts all shocked and saddened by it. Exactly no one is blaming him or mourning Andy. I don't care if Dig was related to him; Andy was insufferable.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Robert Dougherty's critical review of 420 (scored it 7 out of 10)...

Arrow S4: E20 – 'Genesis'
By Robert Dougherty May 05, 2016 09:02AM EDT
http://www.themovienetwork.com/review/arrow-s4-e20-genesis

Quote

Since the rest of the season really should start having Oliver finally confronting those 'go it alone' impulses once and forever, instead of magically solving his main problem this year only in the last 10 minutes like last season, this start is both promising and troubling. In contrast, when Diggle goes to visit a protected Lyla, it at least sounds like they're in a better place despite Lyla also bristling under being kept in the dark, and not just because they are married and still together.
*  *  *
The exact test seems to combine Harry Potter style magic smoke with a remake of Oliver's death-induced clip show at the end of The Climb. Tumblr users have surely already made gif sets combining Oliver's flashbacks before 'dying' and his dark flashes in this montage, especially since both montages end with a sad memory of Felicity.
*  *  *
We have seen this exact formula from Oliver and Felicity a million times, and this exact issue of Oliver lamenting that he'll always be dark a million times more. Not only is Arrow just retreading the same ground, this isn't even the issue they should be focusing on.

If they're really going to rebuild Oliver and Olicity in time for the finale and make it actually make sense, then they need to address, really delve into and fix Oliver's need to go it alone and never open up every single piece of himself. Since it is still such an obstacle to fully let Felicity in with every single thing about him, and to destroy the instincts that made him lie about William and go back to island mode, facing that exact issue of openness needed to start being Oliver's primary fight weeks ago. Otherwise, they'll magically fix it only in the last second like last year's issues, risk Felicity looking like a doormat for taking him back before he fully and convincingly changes, and just have the door open to do this cycle all over again next year, which is the hallmark of a toxic ship and character more than true love.
*  *  *
Until Genesis takes its eye off the ball like this, it does start off as an impressive episode. Until their plot line gets sidetracked, Oliver and Felicity almost feel like their old selves together for the first time post-breakup, one-liners and Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards heart eyes and all. As for Diggle and Andy, David Ramsey and Eugene Byrd bring the rage and betrayal to their climactic brotherly reunion, even if being exposed as Damien's lackey seems to have freed Andy to borrow Damien's rambling at times.
*  *  *
It seems even clearer than ever that Season Four’s endgame involves Oliver and Diggle reversing roles for the rest of the year. Between Oliver getting closer to Felicity and Diggle telling Lyla a lie that oh so surely won’t come back to haunt him, it certainly paints a different picture for both pairs from the start of the episode. Apparently, Oliver’s darkness and couple angst has to go somewhere instead of just dying from the show forever, and it seems Diggle has to be stuck as a receptacle for both in his place.
*  *  *
Whether these answers are worth it or not, at least the specifics couldn’t be guessed right away. In contrast, when Oliver reveals he started finding the strength to harness light magic through hearing Felicity’s voice, it is great to swoon over but is technically telling us nothing we don’t already know. Having Felicity's voice be the gateway to the rest of his light instead of Oliver's sole light is a kind of change, yet it isn't the change that Oliver really needs to work towards.
*  *  *
Canary Cry was perfect last week, as long as one completely ignored the flashbacks and how they undermined Laurel’s goodbye. Likewise, Genesis is almost perfect, as long as one ignores how it really isn’t as much of an original and actually needed progression for Oliver and Olicity as it sells itself to be. That kind of progression needs to come next week, or the Damien apocalypse will be the least of things to be worried about when it comes to Arrow.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

One Examiner review of 420...

'Arrow' recap: Wrestling with darkness, plus Genesis is revealed 
Meredith Jacobs    May 4, 2016
http://www.examiner.com/article/arrow-recap-wrestling-with-darkness-plus-genesis-is-revealed

Quote

After Constantine (unfortunately off-screen) directs Oliver to a casino in Hub City to meet someone for lessons that are "quite dangerous," Oliver admits to Felicity that he's seen the type of magic Darhk has turn good people dark, soulless, and because he knows he'll do anything to avenge Laurel's death, stop Darhk so he doesn't hurt anyone again, he's worried where that might lead him. Well, good thing for him that Felicity's going with him then. Things are still a bit awkward between them – he takes her hand as they go down steps – but as Felicity showed in season 1, she knows her way around a casino, and it's almost like seeing Oliver and Felicity working together before they were together. After Felicity offers chips to another woman playing at the blackjack table, the woman reveals she's the shaman they're looking for, Esrin Fortuna.
*  *  *
Felicity tries to be optimistic, suggesting that they'll find someone else to teach him, but Oliver argues that Fortuna only dealt with them because of her. She's the one who brings the light, and Fortuna just showed him who he is. She was right, he says, that he's always going to revert back to the man he became on the island. But Felicity disagrees; she was hurt when she said that and going through one of the most painful experiences of her life. No one's perfect, but they can all change. (Perhaps a sign that Oliver and Felicity will find their way back to each other sooner rather than later?)

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[Carrie Ann]

30 minutes ago, looptab said:

ITA with your post, but I think the confusion was on this point? 

At least that's where it is for me :) (this is the portion of the review @BkWurm1 initially quoted).

Hmmm, you're right. I think maybe HE doesn't know what he wants either, haha. Like I said, I do agree that they need to show Oliver's finding the light if they want to tell that story, but I guess he found the Hub City stuff too campy to match with the Dig/Andy stuff. And he thinks that if Oliver is going to embrace the light then the whole show will have to do that? I disagree, and I thought the Casino stuff was the right amount of cool/fun while remaining serious about the mission. These shows often have trouble controlling tone consistency--pls see all Ray/Felicity scenes in S3--but I didn't think that last night. And I don't want the show to turn into The Flash. I think it's very possible to have a self-actualized, positive Oliver in a dark world. I just want to see more of that process because I'm greedy for more happy Oliver and also if it involves smooches that would be okay.

[tv echo]

Blastr review of 420...

Oliver studies the Darhk arts as Diggle makes an impossible choice in the latest Arrow
Trent Moore  Thu, May 05, 2016 7:45am
http://www.blastr.com/2016-5-5/oliver-studies-darhk-arts-diggle-makes-impossible-choice-latest-arrow

Quote

The short version: After getting a bit of (off-screen) help from Constantine, Oliver and Felicity try to learn how to counter Darhk’s magic. Diggle confronts his brother in the wake of Laurel’s murder, and actually pulls the trigger. Oh! And Thea has apparently crossed over to the subterranean version of CBS’s defunct Under the Dome.
*  *  *
Having Felicity join Oliver on his sojourn to the shaman’s shady casino was an interesting choice, but it really worked for the most part. It’s still awkward to have them together, but not together, but this at least gave them a chance to show off some of that chemistry that launched Olicity in the first place (these two crazy kids have to get back together eventually, right?). Having Felicity nearby also helped with the magic mojo, since Oliver has always been adamant that she’s the darkness to his light. We’ve seen Oliver face his inner demons more than a few times before, but that magic-induced scene was a nice touch. Also, since he desperately needed to tip the scales to tap into the “good” magic, the writers did a good job of towing that line here.
*  *  *
We’ve spent most of the season wondering what, exactly, Damien Darhk is actually planning for his mysterious “Genesis” project — and now we know. HIVE has been building an insanely huge, underground dome to serve as a “ark” of sorts after he nukes the entire world. This is apparently so he can rebuild the world in his own image, maybe (After he waits a few centuries for the nuclear fallout, I guess?)? Yeah, this plan doesn’t exactly make a mountain of sense at this point.

Oh, and one other thing — if he needs the Rubicon chip out of Lyla’s arm, why drive her into maximum security hiding before trying to actually get it? Yes, the attack on the armored truck base was cool stuff, but he could’ve just popped by Diggle’s apartment and ripped it out with minimal fuss before he declared war on everyone’s families and sent them into hiding. A nitpick, sure, but a shoddy bit of planning on Darhk’s part. Just sayin’. 

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[looptab]

6 minutes ago, Carrie Ann said:

Hmmm, you're right. I think maybe HE doesn't know what he wants either, haha. Like I said, I do agree that they need to show Oliver's finding the light if they want to tell that story, but I guess he found the Hub City stuff too campy to match with the Dig/Andy stuff. And he thinks that if Oliver is going to embrace the light then the whole show will have to do that? I disagree, and I thought the Casino stuff was the right amount of cool/fun while remaining serious about the mission. These shows often have trouble controlling tone consistency--pls see all Ray/Felicity scenes in S3--but I didn't think that last night. And I don't want the show to turn into The Flash. I think it's very possible to have a self-actualized, positive Oliver in a dark world. I just want to see more of that process because I'm greedy for more happy Oliver and also if it involves smooches that would be okay.

Haha, it's possible he doesn't. He didn't really offer any solution to combine the dark superhero and the camp superhero stuff, so who knows what he meant.

 On the other point, I agree, I was expecting to hate the Casino stuff but found it very entertaining instead, and it didn't feel jarring when the show went from this plot to Diggle's. So yeah, it can be done, Arrow! Find the happy medium between S3 and The Flash, please!

[tv echo]

ScreenCrush's generally negative review of 420...

Review: ‘Arrow’ Gives a Sloppy ‘Genesis’ to Season 4’s Endgame
Kevin Fitzpatrick | 12 hours ago
http://screencrush.com/arrow-genesis-review/

Quote

As I’ve said one time or another, so much of Arrow Season 4 has been spent padding the grave mystery, it’s absurd to think that only two hours ahead of the finale does “Genesis” finally reveal its titular endgame, as well the outlying puzzle pieces teased as far back as December. There’s every chance that the renewed focus can drive Season 4 toward an effective end, but the corners “Genesis” cut to get us there felt ludicrous, if not outright repetitive.

... The resolution itself doesn’t feel particularly thought out, boiling down to an on-the-nose imposition for Oliver’s inner light to outweigh the dark, a test to repel Darhk’s magic he fails at first, but apparently manages to curb in another showdown with the man himself.

At the very least, cementing Felicity as the source of Oliver’s happy thoughts helped flesh out her insistence on accompanying him to Hub City*, and there’s certainly something to be said for their relationship renewal going forward. If nothing else, the casino scenes themselves were reasonably cute, calling back to Felicity’s gambling prowess from the first season, and the kind of push-pull dynamic the two have long-enjoyed.
*  *  *
... That conflict came to a fairly surprising end tonight, Diggle opting to put his brother down in cold blood, rather than endure any further threats on his daughter’s life, but Season 4 still hasn’t established any particular ground rules for Darhk’s unending sway* over his men. ...

*As far as the influence of Darhk’s pills go, it is ludicrous that Oliver would okay Thea taking a vacation with Alex, someone now knowingly in Ruvé and Damien Darhk’s employ. The particular twist of Alex’s possession justified an otherwise uninteresting c-story designed to establish Darhk’s “Ark” (heh), as well the bargain Malcolm made for his daughter’s life, but makes little sense against the team’s current alert level.
*  *  *
I don’t doubt that the final three episodes of the season can wring some solid set pieces out of Darhk’s destructive efforts, but even after Laurel’s demise, it feels harder and harder to identify any personal stakes to this final showdown.
*  *  *
H.I.V.E. couldn’t spring for a nature sounds tape lasting longer than ten seconds?

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tarotx]

I guess I can just follow the dots because I knew the Genesis end game before winter break. This season has really fit the early pieces together nicely as it leads to the final episodes. Even 4.8 and its mostly Hawk&Savage setup had Oliver needing to think of another way than the darkness and Negativity that he often allows to consume him and uses as the basis to make bad decisions. Only the Olicity break up doesn't fit. But I guess it needed to happen for drama so Oliver's uncertainty in being able to keep out the dark was in question.

I do agree that knowing Andy better would make Diggle kill him more powerful but I care about Diggle enough to ache for the loss of having to take out his rapid dog of a brother but also in Diggle trying to not be so black and white forced back into it when it just kills him to have to put down his brother. I loved the call back to Lance thinking he had to put down Sara. I believe with all my heart that his season will be much more of a payoff for those who binge watch.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tarotx

[tv echo]

11 minutes ago, tarotx said:

Only the Olicity break up doesn't fit. But I guess it needed to happen for drama so Oliver's uncertainty in being able to keep out the dark was in question.

Honestly, when I saw that Oliver's last dark thought (before failing the test) was Felicity giving him back the ring, I thought, 'oh great, something else that Felicity will be blamed for.'

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[way2interested]

2 minutes ago, tv echo said:

Honestly, when I saw that Oliver's last dark thought (before failing the test) was Felicity giving him back the ring, I just thought, 'oh great, something else that Felicity will be blamed for.'

Sadly, that is a game that I have been playing by myself for basically every episode of 4b. 

On a happier note, thanks once again for all of the review links! Glad to know that people generally enjoyed this episode as did this board!

Edited May 5, 2016 by way2interested

[Starfish35]

Quote

since Oliver has always been adamant that she’s the darkness to his light. 

From the Blastr review.  Lol.  

[wonderwall]

You know... I used to enjoy Kayti Burt's reviews from denofgeek even though I didn't agree with her a lot... But now, I'm finding it hard to enjoy her reviews because she's just being overly harsh for no reason. Maybe it's because of Laurel's death (considering she thought LL was the best part of the show since season 3)?

Because things like this:

Quote

Four seasons later, that internal narrative logic has been eviscerated

Like this is just too dramatic for my taste. And I don't really understand the point she's trying to make. What internal narrative logic? And what does that have to do with this episode? 

While I agree with a lot of what she's saying... Again, I think she's just being too harsh.

[NumberCruncher]

Oliver's narrative logic that Kayti is referring to hasn't changed at all.  In fact, it's frustratingly consistent since Oliver keeps making the same stupid mistakes over and over again with villains, relationships, etc.  I'm not sure why she's seeing it differently since they keep recycling the same damn storylines and character traits!

[looptab]

Wasn't Kayti Burt the same chick who used to do all the Olicity love articles on MTV?

I don't remember her ever saying that Laurel was the best part of the show since s3 - not even on DenofGeek - but then again I haven't been reading each and everyone of her reviews so maybe I missed that :)

Edited May 5, 2016 by looptab

[tv echo]

Yes.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

One WhatCulture review of 420...

Arrow Season 4: 11 Big Questions We're Asking After 'Genesis'
James Hunt    May 5, 2016
http://whatculture.com/tv/arrow-season-4-11-big-questions-were-asking-after-genesis

Quote

Arrow has flirted with fully embracing the ridiculous side of its nature before, and indeed did so a couple of weeks ago with Beacon of Hope. With Genesis, the show is once again erring close to full-on craziness, except the difference here is that it also tries to stick true to what Arrow was: a dark superhero show.

It's a difficult balance to strike, and one Arrow doesn't always pull off, but it does a solid job of it here....
*  *  *
We didn't really see enough of Fortuna to pass too much judgement on her as a character, but what little she had to do was fine. Could we see her again, either as Oliver goes back for more training, or as someone to join in the fight against Darhk? (Or, perhaps, Darhk kills her after discovering she helped Oliver?)
*  *  *

Does this mean that, in the flashbacks, it's Taiana who channels this magic and ultimately defeats Reiter, allowing Oliver to escape? Is there maybe more to Taiana than we've seen? The assumption is that she'll die, but it might just be she goes down a hero.
*  *  *
I can imagine the sighs of everyone who hates the idea of Oliver and Felicity being together (or at least what their coupling turns the show into) when he says that he heard her voice when he found the light, and the cheers of every Olicity shipper.

Although the pair are still separated, the idea of them as a couple has never properly gone away, and it hangs over the scenes between the pair. At this point, especially with Laurel dead, it's really difficult to see the show heading in a direction whereby they have both characters on Team Arrow but not together.

Perhaps a better question is can the show find a way of having them together, without it dominating everything, changing both characters in ways that aren't true to who they are, and making the show far more of a soap-opera than it needs to be? I'd like to think so, if they are committed to it anyway, but the show's yet to prove it.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

We Minored In Film's review of 420...

ARROW’S “GENESIS” (S4:E20): CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
Posted on May 5, 2016  by Kelly Konda    
https://weminoredinfilm.com/2016/05/05/arrows-genesis-s4e20-choose-your-own-adventure/

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This was the Choose Your Own Adventure episode of Arrow. In the mood for a night of gambling, mysticism and a guest actress employing a vaguely exotic accent? Follow Oliver and Felicity over to Hop City (seriously, that’s where they went). Feel a bit more like a bout of Death Wish revenge-seeking culminating in a motorcycle chase with a baby strapped to your back (again, seriously, that’s what happened)? Check out Diggle’s continually ill-advised hunt for Andy. Just want a good “all is not as it seems” twist? Why not check out the impossibly well-furnished, but underpopulated vacation destination Thea doesn’t actually remember entering into with her gorgeous boyfriend.

Regardless of whichever adventure you would have personally picked, it was always going to lead to the same destination, i.e., the inevitable point where all three of the so-called adventures come together. Diggle’s recklessness drew Damien Darhk and HIVE right to his wife and daughter, but Oliver’s newfound control of light-side magic (if that’s an accurate description) saved Lyla. Felicity’s well-timed van helped Diggle defeat and ultimately kill his crazy brother. However, they all screwed up enough that Darhk left with, essentially, the world’s nuclear launch codes, and once he scorches the Earth the chosen survivors will live in underground biodomes, which is where Thea is now trapped.
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“Genesis” felt like something new, though, at least for Arrow. There were three distinctively different versions of Arrow running concurrent to one another in “Genesis.” ...

I’m unaccustomed to saying this, but I came away from the episode marveling at Arrow‘s newfound narrative ambition. ... Now, “Genesis” divided the team into their own distinct adventures, and tied it all together in a final (sorta) mind-fuck moment. Good on you, Arrow writers.

Of course, admiration doesn’t automatically transfer over into enjoyment. It’s cool that they had everyone in their own adventure, but were any of those adventures worth watching? Frankly, I could have done without Oliver and Felicity’s entire journey since by this point I am beyond bored with the latest retreat of Oliver’s fight against his inner-darkness and Felicity’s position as the light in his life, and Thea’s part was fun but also one-note.
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... Still, Diggle killing his own brother, and crying on his wife’s shoulder afterward is one of the stronger moments of the entire season, even if the actual shooting of his brother felt oddly censored.
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2. Nitpick: It was all in service to establishing tone and playing with our expectations, but Thea’s horror-movie moment of nervously exploring the house in her negilgee would have been greatly improved by her quickly grabbing a weapon and slipping into Speedy mode, reminding us that if there really was a home invader she’d whoop their ass....
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4. There, I Said It: Darhk’s plan is so stupid.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The Voice in My Head: Arrow 4x20 Olicity Heart-to-Heart
MARILYN PORTER  MAY 5 2016 12:00PM
http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2016/05/the-voice-in-my-head-arrow-4x20-olicity-heart-to-heart

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Fortuna leads Oliver and Felicity through a door and to… another place. It looks like the cave on Lian Yu and she refers to it as a nexus, explaining that they’re located all over the world, including Star City. Fortuna explains that Darhk’s power doesn’t come from the idol, it only channels it. He gets the power from fear and death. The opposite is light and hope and she tells Oliver that if he can channel those things, he can repel Darhk’s magic. She tests Oliver and he fails at repelling the dark when shown glimpses of his more darker moments. Fortuna warns that if he fails to channel light and hope, he will only fuel Darhk’s power. She leaves them and Oliver is discouraged. He points out that Fortuna only helped him because of Felicity, that she’s the best part of him and always has been. Felicity tries to assure him that when she said that he couldn’t change, it was because she was hurt. He’s not perfect, and neither is she, but he can change. And he can harness the light. She believes in that.
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... I feel encouraged by what we saw between Oliver and Felicity in this episode. First off, Felicity was concerned about Oliver doing something dangerous alone and insisted on going along with him. Then there was all the casual touches and flirty looks while wearing that gorgeous formal-wear. They had several heart to hearts, the most important being Felicity telling Oliver that she said some things to him before because she was hurt. But that he’s a good man with a good heart and he can change. And if he can change, then there is hope for them yet. It showed Oliver that she was open to that hope. Plus, he thought of her while repelling Darhk’s magic. That’s got to count for something, right? 

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrow: 7 Things You Might Have Missed In "Genesis"
Russ Burlingame- 05/04/2016
http://comicbook.com/2016/05/04/arrow-things-you-might-have-missed-in-genesis/

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MILO ARMITAGE

Armitage, a H.I.V.E. operative who's been around (intermittently) since Season Two, has a long history with Team Arrow. 

He tried to steal the Markov device from Malcolm Merlyn (along with Bronze Tiger), tried to buy classified data from A.R.G.U.S. Agent Mark Shaw (Manhunter in the comics), and has been around in some of the H.I.V.E.-centric episodes this season, too.

In the comics, Milo Armitage is the former stepfather of Connor Hawke, Oliver's illegitimate son.
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FORTUNA
...
Besides the connection to The Question (such as it is), it's worth noting that Fortuna is one of the names used by the Three Witches, per the DC Wiki.

This almost feels like they wanted to use someonel like Enchantress and then decided not to for some reason and opted instead to create an original character.
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UNDER THE DOME
...
No, here, we wanted to point out that between the domed city (especially one representing an "ark" from a doomed world) and the hexagonal pattern on the field that is holding the inhabitants in, this sequence in the final moments of tonight's episode really reminds me of Convergence.
...
The 2015 crossover event that brought together various incarnations of DC superheroes from throughout the multiverse and comics history did so by revealing that in the last instants of time before dying realities were swept away into antimatter or whatever, Brainiac would "rescue" a city and place it on an alien world called Telos. Eventually, with Brainiac defeated by Superman and the world becoming too crowded, a being who had been left in charge of the world (also named Telos, since he was ostensibly constructed from the world itself) elected to drop the domes and force the various timelines to battle to see which of them would survive and get to "keep" the planet.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

411mania's negative review of 420 (graded it Average)...

Arrow 4.20 Review – ‘Genesis’
May 4, 2016 | Posted by Anthony Falco
http://411mania.com/movies/arrow-4-20-review-genesis/

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So we finally get to see what Genesis is, but it is buried underneath a convoluted plot with a frantic tone. This episode simply jumps around too much, trying to set up a whole lot of story for the season finale: as a result, tonight feels overloaded with information and action, to the point that it is confusing.
*  *  *
At the same time, thanks to Felicity and her generosity, Oliver is able to meet Esrin Fortuna: the supposed magic teacher. She tells him that in order to beat Darhk, he is going to have to use “light and hope.” Not only does this sound extremely goofy – especially with how serious Arrow takes itself – the overall set piece feels mostly slapped together. I like how they use the flashbacks, showing Oliver’s deepest and darkest moments. But for Esrin to just give up on Queen is a little ridiculous: especially with how he just accepts it and leaves. Even when he somehow learns the power, there is no buildup to the payoff: he fails at one moment, yet learns it the next. The character does not earn the right to get the magic, making the overall sequence feels pointless.
*  *  *
... However, when he attempts to finally kill the protagonist, Oliver magically gains new powers. As previously said, this is supposed to be a payoff, yet it does not work because the character in no way earns it. Even with how he explains it – he heard Felicity’s voice, which he describes earlier as a source of hope – it feels cheap.
*  *  *
This is a very rushed episode: from beginning to end, it tries to mix character development while forcing in too much plot to prepare the viewer for the finale. In the end, it is just a garbled mess: it has some good aspects – the stuff between John and Andy – but is mainly a disappointment.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

fangirlish's positive review of 420...

‘Arrow’ 4×20 Review: ‘Genesis’ [Channeling the Light]
5 HOURS AGO by ALYSSA BARBIERI
http://fangirlish.com/arrow-4x20-review-genesis-channeling-the-light/

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Following a somewhat disappointing episode last week (“Canary Cry”), “Genesis” was the episode that Arrow has needed to cement itself as one of DC television’s best shows.
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From sensational performances and character dynamics to a high stakes that hasn’t been felt on this show since the closing act of season two, “Genesis” put Arrow on an entirely different level as it presented us with the potential to top even the high-ranking season two in terms of overall end of the season.
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This episode presented Oliver with his first real breakthrough with how to defeat a mystical madman like Damien Darhk. ...

... Oliver needs to channel that light that lives within him in order to overcome that darkness and ultimately Darhk. He needs to use those good experiences in his life to get there. Instead of focusing on everything he’s lost, he needs to focus on everything he has.

After the experiment subsequently failed, Oliver believed that it showed him who he really is: a man encompassed with darkness. He wasn’t going to the light to snuff Darhk’s darkness. Oliver believes Felicity has always been his light, and in a way he’s not wrong. But what he’s not admitting is that he hasn’t tried to be that light on his own. For so long he’s relied on Felicity to provide it for him. But he needs to try to [be] his own light.

... And Oliver can get to that place of light on his own. That’s not to say that he can’t rely on the light from the good experiences in his life – because he can. Those experiences are what have made him the Oliver we know and love today. But he needs to learn how to channel those and focus on those instead of in times of crisis reverting to the painful memories that he’s let define him for so long.
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Later, Oliver opened up to Felicity about facing Darhk’s magic and overcoming it. He explained that it was because of her and Diggle, Thea, and Laurel that he was able to overcome that darkness. He heard Felicity’s voice in his head reminding him of all the good things he has in his life. He heard Diggle, Thea, and Laurel reminding him to keep fighting, to not give up, and to have hope. He was able to channel the love of the people who love him in order to fend off Darhk. That’s the key to defeating Damien Darhk. And Oliver has finally found a way to find the light inside of him. Bring it, Darhk.

Edited May 5, 2016 by tv echo