tv echo December 11, 2019 Share December 11, 2019 (edited) Keeping it in the Family: Arrow's Kat McNamara Talks "Crisis" and More Tim Beedle Dec. 9, 2019https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2019/12/09/keeping-it-in-the-family-arrows-kat-mcnamara-talks-crisis-and-more Quote When did you learn that you were going to be a part of “Crisis on Infinite Earths”? Did you know what a big deal this crossover was going to be? Well, I knew that “Crisis” was going to be epic pretty much from the time I was cast on the show just because all of this, basically from the introduction of my character, has been building up to this point. I didn't know whether or not I was going to be a part of it for a while, though. I think my first inclination was when I found out that they were building a suit. That, obviously, is a really long process that takes many months. I knew that was happening and that it was going to come up around the crossover, and then eventually we found out that Oliver was giving Mia the suit in the Supergirl episode. I was over the moon ecstatic because these comics are just so iconic. It's such a unique opportunity in television to get to have so many shows and so many people that exist in the same universe, and to explore those relationships on screen? I’m a kid in the candy store. It’s so much fun. * * *Were you excited to get the chance to act opposite Stephen Amell and the other present day cast members? Is there any one in particular you’ve had a lot of fun with? I was over the moon, especially to get to work with Stephen because he's been so lovely in welcoming me onto the show and guiding me in that way. He’s taken on the role of being the father to me off-screen that he is to Mia on-screen, which I appreciate very much. He created such a legacy, and I want to take that on as much as I can. * * *Were you surprised when you learned what sort of trajectory the “Crisis” writers had planned for Mia? Oh, definitely. I was just happy to get to be at the party. Spoiler The fact that Mia actually has a real arc in this crossover and gets to be a part of the team in a really pivotal way is amazing. It’s a huge honor. It's something that I was very excited to take on because it's such a special moment in television. To have all these worlds that can exist and can cross over in this way, I'm just happy to be a part of it as much as I can. Mia now has a new costume, does she have a new name? Will she call herself Green Arrow? I can tell you that the suit is really modeled to be the Oliver Queen suit 2.0. It was amazing to watch the designers that craft the suit and all the elements—from the bow to the quiver to everything—do what they do best down to even the fabric that they use. The designers commissioned this fabric especially for Mia’s suit to have these little tiny arrowheads imprinted in it, so it carries the arrow motif through it. It’s little details like that that really make each character so iconic and so special. I’ll admit, it took me a little time to warm up to your character, she likes to keep those angry defenses up, but now she’s quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Did you expect it might take fans a little time to warm up to Mia? I thought that was definitely a possibility, especially given that Olicity is so beloved by the fandom. Emily and Stephen put so much time and energy into crafting each character and their relationship together. You know, it’s something I've taken very seriously, and something I feel a huge responsibility for—carrying on that legacy that they've created. So, when I found out that Mia was their child, I went back and watched the entire series and tried to pull elements of their characters—their little nuances and mannerisms and things that maybe people notice or maybe they wouldn't. Maybe it's just something that exists in the back of my head, but it helps to carry that through and to make Mia the amalgamation of these characters that people love so much. * * * I had a feeling that people would have very strong opinions about Mia, and I was hoping that they would be positive ones. But I also knew that they've developed her in a really wonderful way to where no matter how you feel about her at first, you can't help but have some compassion for her because you really see the the pain, struggle and conflict that she's going through in trying to reconcile these emotions that she's had and defenses that she's had to put up to just survive. Now, the biggest vulnerability of her life is now standing right in front of her, one of her biggest moments of tragedy. Spoiler Then later on, he will be the catalyst for the next biggest tragedy in her life and the next big transformation and steps she has to take. It's just event after event and obstacle after obstacle, but that serves the legacy of what it is to be a Queen and what it is to be a hero. It really does prepare her to take on her father's legacy in a way. * * * Mia, in particular, is one of my favorite characters that I've ever taken on, given that she is such a dichotomy. She is so strong on the surface, and she has such a hard shell on the outside. And yet, at her core, she's just a little girl who wants a family. She’s someone who wants to be loved, belong, and to fill that gap in her life that has always existed. She's never known what it's like to have a father and that's the tragedy of Oliver and Mia’s relationship. There is such love and such conflict there in that they want to connect and they want to bond and reach out to each other, but because of who they are as people and how they handle emotion, it takes so much time for them to get there. And when they finally do, when they finally are on the same team and understand each other and they have this lovely, beautiful moment on Lian Yu, the sky turns red and “Crisis” crashes down on them. That's sort of the joy of it, finding those moments. It gives you something to play with because Mia’s constantly learning and constantly figuring out the world and what to do next. She's a strategist, like her mother. That's where the Felicity comes in. She's a strategist and a warrior and getting to blend the two of those things together has been such a joy. Edited December 11, 2019 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
Josh371982 December 11, 2019 Share December 11, 2019 3 hours ago, tv echo said: I know I was getting Verklempt! "Sniffle Sniffle" 2 Link to comment
tv echo December 13, 2019 Share December 13, 2019 (edited) EXCLUSIVE | 'Arrow' archery trainer Patricia Gonsalves reveals Stephen Amell's grueling training for Oliver Queen's role Remus Noronha Dec. 12, 2019https://meaww.com/arrow-oliver-queen-stephen-amell-patricia-gonsalves-archery-trainer-interview-exclusive Quote Before 'Arrow', Amell was an acclaimed actor but for his role on the show, he had to become someone else. He had to become something else. Lykopis Archery founder Patricia Gonsalves, who trained Amell in archery right from the beginning of the show, spoke to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) in an exclusive interview about the training that Amell went through for the role. "So before we filmed the pilot," Gonsalves said. "He did a month of training that was every Monday through Friday for a couple of hours. Him and I in a cold, very large warehouse. We started out with some basic archery and then we got moving." When preparing Amell for his role as the Green Arrow, Gonsalves faced a major challenge, getting his actions to seem authentic while also looking good on screen. The focus on authenticity was partly because of how archery was depicted in Marvel's 'The Avengers'. "Jeremy Renner's portrayal of Hawkeye in the Avengers movie, archery-wise, most archers were not happy with that," she explained. "And he admitted that though he had archery lessons, and what he learned didn't translate well on the screen and he's right." * * * "If it wasn't for the fancy camera, it's kind of boring to watch," she continued. "So when I started to train Stephen, we stood still and we shot, and then I was like, we got to get moving. We gotta get him to have this bow in his hand like it's not there. Like, it's like it's his cell phone. Like it's just an extension of his body. And we need to get that movement of shooting the arrow to be very dynamic and engaging." * * *So they trained, focusing on getting Amell's movements to be as realistic as possible without compromising on cinematic perfection. And for a whole month before the pilot and for the long years afterward, Amell continued to hone his skills. "Stephen went through the paces," Gonsalves said. "He pushed himself a lot. I had hay bales brought in and we set up hay bales here, obstacle course, and cardboard cutouts of dudes, and he was running and shooting real arrows, jumping. And then he put a lot of work into it to make sure that he looked authentic as well as like a superhero. So, yeah, he definitely progressed into his own style over eight seasons and I remember sort of the day where it turned over. I think it was around season three when I just realized I hadn't had to give him little pointers, with the elbow further or whatever. And those little pointers came few and far between. But Stephen was always willing to listen when I had learned a new technique and he's saying that if I thought it would translate on screen. He was always willing to listen and give it a try." Edited December 13, 2019 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo December 13, 2019 Share December 13, 2019 (edited) Arrow Characters Sorted Into Their Hogwarts Houses BY AMANDA BRUCE DEC 13, 2019https://screenrant.com/arrow-characters-hogwarts-houses-harry-potter-sorted/ Quote 4 Laurel Lance: Slytherin ... We’ve seen a few different versions of Laurel Lance on the series. They’ve all got elements of bravery, intelligence, and their own definitions of loyalty. They also all have some Slytherin traits in common. Laurel used her inquisitive mind to become a lawyer. While she wanted to help people, sometimes, winning was more important to Laurel than the actual cases she was working. Sometimes, her ambition got the better of her. That same ambitious nature caused Laurel to pursue life as a vigilante - or in the case of Black Siren, a villain. She’s good at manipulating people to get what she wants, and she’s also good at stretching the truth. * * *3 Felicity Smoak: Ravenclaw ... The introduction of Felicity Smoak in Arrow made it clear that the show was going to break more than a few comic book canon “rules.” Initially introduced as a kind of tech support for Oliver, Felicity grew to become one of the people he trusted most in the world and his eventual wife. Felicity has always been more than simply a love interest. Her technological intelligence and her knack for finding ways to work around the rules demonstrate what a creative mind she has. As a hacker, there’s a bit of duplicity in the nature of her work, but Felicity is more about finding solutions to problems than she is hacking solely for disruption. That’s why she’s a Ravenclaw. * * *2 Oliver Queen: Gryffindor ... If the sorting hat had been placed on Oliver Queen’s head as a child, it would have seen someone who was pretty shallow but had a whole lot of potential. It’s not until he’s an adult in that fateful boating incident that Oliver’s whole world is shaken and he changes his whole outlook on life. Perhaps the sorting hat wouldn’t have pegged Oliver as a Gryffindor as a child, but as an adult, he most certainly is. From his initial outings as the Arrow - full of rage and bent on vengeance - to his later ones - full of compassion and a sense of duty - Oliver embodies both ends of the Gryffindor spectrum. He allows his emotions to lead his decisions, but he also recognizes it when he does and attempts to course correct. At this point, Oliver has placed himself in harm’s way more times than fans can count, just to make sure sure that every person on the planet can be safe. His sacrifices have even saved billions of lives according to Crisis On Infinite Earths, so he has very much earned his Gryffindor place. * * *1 Mia Smoak: Gryffindor ... One of the newest characters introduced to the Arrowverse, the daughter of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak from a future timeline might get her very own spinoff series soon. She’s picking up her father’s mantle - and skill set - and she’s also got a lot in common with him. Mia is quick to let her emotions get the better of her, often forgetting to not let anger cloud her judgment. That being said, she’s not bitter, just a little judgmental. Mia is just as quick with her caustic remarks, however, as she is to save someone’s life, also like her father. She’s willing to put herself on the line in small conflicts or in universe-altering scenarios, even if she thinks she can’t live up to her father’s time as the Arrow. Mia couldn’t be anything other than a Gryffindor. 10 Thea Queen: Slytherin 9 Roy Harper: Gryffindor 8 Curtis Holt: Ravenclaw 7 Dinah Drake: Hufflepuff 6 Rene Ramirez: Gryffindor 5 John Diggle: Hufflepuff 4 Laurel Lance: Slytherin 3 Felicity Smoak: Ravenclaw 2 Oliver Queen: Gryffindor 1 Mia Smoak: Gryffindor Edited December 13, 2019 by tv echo 3 Link to comment
tv echo December 14, 2019 Share December 14, 2019 No spoilers (if you're up to date on aired Arrow and COIE episodes)... Katherine McNamara Talks CW Crossover Event and Netflix's "Spirit Riding Free: Spirit of Christmas" KTLA 5 Dec. 12, 2019 Link to comment
tv echo December 16, 2019 Share December 16, 2019 (edited) Praise for SA... The CW’s Crisis On Infinite Earths Part 1 Review EDWARD LAUDER on 16th December 2019https://www.small-screen.co.uk/the-cw-crisis-on-infinite-earths-part-1-review-supergirl-melissa-benoist-stephen-amell/ Quote Thank God for some standout moments involving Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, who puts in a fine performance in this episode. He’s the episode’s saving grace because without him, there’s really not much to write home about, and that pains me to say. Edited December 16, 2019 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo December 18, 2019 Share December 18, 2019 (edited) Stephen Amell on ‘Code 8’ and His One Requirement for Being in the Sci-Fi Drama BY CHRISTINA RADISH DECEMBER 18, 2019https://collider.com/stephen-amell-interview-code-8/ Quote Now that you’ve finished your run on Arrow, how did your first day on that show compare to your last day on that show? AMELL: I can’t tell you anything about my last day on Arrow without spoiling things. But one of the coolest things about the first day versus the last day is the number of people that were there, on the first day, that were also there, on the last day, speaking specifically about crew. I’m not ready to talk about Arrow. It was this past Wednesday (this interview was conducted on November 21st), and like I said on Twitter, after I wrapped, as I was sitting in my trailer, before I took off my wardrobe for the last time, it was the greatest eight years of my life. I’m in the process of getting over it. I’m not totally there yet. At the same time, is it cool to see the legacy that it carries on, with all of the shows that now exist because of it, and the spin-offs that are still to come? AMELL: Yeah. I was lucky, in the sense that I was the first. I do take pride in the fact that we contributed to other shows being spun off. I’m just happy for people like Grant [Gustin], Melissa [Benoist], Ruby [Rose], Caity [Lotz], Kat [McNamara] and Cress [Williams]. I just want them to keep doing their thing, and doing a good job. You also recently posted on social media about shooting a short with a bunch of the Arrow crew and that your wife (Cassandra Jean Amell) was directing. What was that experience like, and how did she do, as a director? AMELL: First of all, it was great. It was a real treat to share a scene with Aisha Tyler ‘cause we’re best friends, but also I look up to her, as an actor, a lot. My wife has been shadowing on a couple of episodes of Arrow for Season 8, and is working on Roswell right now and also looking to shadow an episode there. This was a short that we thought was a really cool idea that our buddy, Kamen, wrote, and we did it because Cass wants to get into the Warner Bros. program because she’s interested in directing, but also because we thought it was a really cool project. So, we had a bunch of the Arrow crew come out on their weekends, during the finale, and they did so happily. A lot of the people who came out were some of my closest friends on the crew, and it was really fun to do a comedic thing on the Arrow set, when I had one day left to film. It was cathartic. And they nailed it. Edited December 18, 2019 by tv echo Link to comment
apinknightmare December 19, 2019 Share December 19, 2019 3 hours ago, tv echo said: This was a short that we thought was a really cool idea that our buddy, Kamen, wrote, and we did it because Cass wants to get into the Warner Bros. program because she’s interested in directing, As a person with absolutely no connections whatsoever, I'm sure she'll be admitted on her own merit! 3 hours ago, tv echo said: AMELL: I can’t tell you anything about my last day on Arrow without spoiling things. ::whispers:: spoil thiiiiiiings 2 Link to comment
tv echo December 20, 2019 Share December 20, 2019 (edited) Katherine McNamara Dishes About How Shadowhunters Fans Made The Show Much More Than Just Magical Creatures December 19, 2019http://www.justjaredjr.com/2019/12/19/katherine-mcnamara-dishes-about-how-shadowhunters-fans-made-the-show-much-more-than-just-magical-creatures/ Quote Katherine McNamara is lit up in bright blue in this amazing shot from her A Book Of feature. The 24-year-old actress opened up in the glossy about her role on Arrow, and how Shadowhunters fans are still close to her heart. Check it: On booking the role of Mia Smoak: “It has been a huge gift and it was a big responsibility. When I first started filming, I didn’t know that Mia was Oliver Queen’s kid. In fact she wasn’t even named Mia at that time. And when I found out who her character was, I knew immediately that I have my work cut out for me. Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards have spent so many years doing it.” On her character Mia Smoak: “The people that I love are people that I keep very closely. And like Mia, I will do anything for the people that I consider family; the people that are close to me.” Edited December 20, 2019 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo December 21, 2019 Share December 21, 2019 (edited) Kathleen Gati Previews 'General Hospital's 'A Christmas Carol' Episode Michael Maloney December 20, 2019https://www.tvinsider.com/843309/general-hospital-christmas-carol-episode-kathleen-gati-dr-obrecht/ Quote Arrow’s coming to an end this season. What was your experience like playing Raisa on that show? Do you find that super-hero fans and soap fans are similar? I loved every second working on Arrow. From the pilot, till my last episode a year ago. I am always so much in awe of the power and passion of fans! The truth is that soap fans are practically family, as they have us in their living rooms five days a week, meet us at special events and conventions, and are very interactive on social media. This type of fan love and appreciation and support I have never experienced before in my entire career. But not to take away from the Arrow fans, as they are also quite extraordinary and certainly gave me a lot of love, which I always appreciate tremendously! Edited December 21, 2019 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo December 21, 2019 Share December 21, 2019 (edited) I wasn't sure whether to post these reviews here or in the COIE thread, but I'm focusing solely on Oliver's story in these comments... Crisis on Infinite Earths – Episode 1 Dec 9, 2019 | Posted by Craig McKenzie https://kneelbeforeblog.co.uk/tv/crisis-on-infinite-earths-episode-1/ Quote Oliver’s death is the very definition of heroic sacrifice. The Monitor writes off Earth-38 and starts evacuating the heroes against their will. The exception is Oliver who has a trick arrow up his sleeve that stops The Monitor from taking him away. His reason for doing that is simple; Earth-38 hasn’t been fully evacuated and he refuses to leave until it is. Unfortunately for him he runs out of arrows right at that moment and faces an army of Shadow Demons -more on them later- with his bare hands which proves to be too much for him to handle. It’d be easy to say that Oliver acted wrongly in that moment and his sacrifice made no real difference but The Monitor points out that a billion people were saved thanks to Oliver’s sacrifice. His actions made a difference to that many people which makes it very meaningful. Even The Monitor seems humbled by it as well as more than a little afraid that things are playing out differently to what he has seen of the future. The last words Oliver speaks are powerful and emotionally raw. He tells Barry that he gave up his life for him and Kara before encouraging him not to waste that opportunity. He calls Barry his friend and “the best of us” which tells us everything we need to know about his motivation behind the sacrifice. It’s up to Barry and Kara to use their considerable powers to save the multiverse and he has made that possible through the decisions he made. He also tells Mia to find Felicity and William to tell them how much he loves them followed by his very last words asking Mia to keep him in her heart. As death scenes go it’s really brutal and having everyone crowded around him to witness the end highlights how much of an impact Oliver has made on all of their lives. As much as I think this will be undone somehow I hope that it isn’t because it’d be a shame to diminish the poignancy of this moment. Crisis on Infinite Earths – Episode 2 Dec 10, 2019 | Posted by Craig McKenziehttps://kneelbeforeblog.co.uk/tv/crisis-on-infinite-earths-episode-2/ Quote Mia’s reason for wanting to resurrect Oliver is obvious; she wants her father back and isn’t ready to be THE Green Arrow. Sara tries to warn her about what she’s about to do which results in Mia biting back at her as if she knows everything she needs to know and understands the risk. Sara becomes defensive when Mia mentions knowing everything about her because there’s no way that she could. It’s that kind of warning that only Sara can give where it looks as if failure to heed it could be lethal. She’s clearly only willing to let Mia push her so far and makes her very aware of where that boundary lies. Ultimately they end up bonding over their similarities rather than being driven apart by them. Once Sara sees that Mia understands the risks involved with resurrecting someone with a Lazarus Pit they become more at ease with one another and they bond over their fighting prowess when an alternate Jonah Hex shows up to stop them. Their scenes together are brief but memorable though more could have been made of their different perceptions of Nyssa and there should have been a bit more from Sara regarding the use of a Lazarus Pit given her previous experience with them. Crisis on Infinite Earths – Episode 3 Dec 11, 2019 | Posted by Craig McKenziehttps://kneelbeforeblog.co.uk/tv/crisis-on-infinite-earths-episode-3/ Quote ... I never thought I’d see Tom Ellis’ Lucifer interact with any of the Arrowverse characters but if this crossover proves one thing it’s that there is apparently no limit to what is possible. Lucifer’s appearance is very brief and arguably unnecessary but very much welcomed as a fun aside. He behaves about the same as he does in his own show but talk of the multiverse and magic cards isn’t really in keeping with the style of it though there’s no reason things like that couldn’t be added considering how easily the world has been expanded over time. Diggle forms the emotional core of this plot. First he yells at Sara for the part she played in this situation before immediately beating himself up because he wasn’t there for Oliver. He most likely feels that his death could have been prevented had be been there to back him up. It still amuses me to see John Diggle, the man who is about as down to Earth as it gets fully accepting purgatory as a place that exists and somewhere he needs to go. In his mind his duty to his friend and brother is all that matters so he would literally go to Hell -or in this case purgatory- and back to make sure Oliver is safe. It’s a great showing for so little screen time. The trip to purgatory results in little more than a brief brawl before Oliver remembers who he is and his connection to everyone that has come for him. Ultimately the limitations of cramming so much into the running time of a single episode means that there’s very little room for moments like this to breathe. Oliver’s reunion with Diggle and Mia is well executed but it’s far too brief and could have easily taken up the bulk of an entire episode of Arrow. It can’t be easy for the production team to pick the moments that receive the most attention but my instinct would be to furnish Oliver with as much content as possible because his swan song is so close at hand. * * * Then again, Crisis isn’t over yet and there is a strong hint that Oliver has a role to play that will be instrumental in whatever happens next. Shortly after his reunion with Mia and Diggle he is approached by a man named Jim Corrigan (NAME) -not the one John Constantine knows- who tells Oliver that it’s his destiny to become a Spectre. Apparently it’s his responsibility to save everyone which suggests that Oliver will do something that restores the multiverse to its former glory but first he has to willingly accept that responsibility which he does without hesitation as expected. Once again the parting moments are brief but appropriately emotionally charged. Stephen Amell’s delivery of Oliver’s promise that “it’s going to be ok” is perfect and Katherine McNamara is great when portraying Mia falling to pieces. Diggle’s immediate acceptance with a simple nod is nicely played by David Ramsey. His facial expression shows that he’s deeply upset but he also recently accepted that there would come a time where Oliver would go somewhere he couldn’t follow and he knows that this is that time. The actors do so much with very little time here and should be commended for their efforts. My guess is that this isn’t the last interaction they’ll have but this was certainly a good one. Edited December 21, 2019 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo December 28, 2019 Share December 28, 2019 (edited) ‘Arrowverse’ Series Coming to Netflix in 2020 by Jacob Robinson December 24, 201https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/arrowverse-series-coming-to-netflix-in-2020/ Quote Arrow (Season 8 )Netflix Release Date: February 2020 (Potentially pushed back to May/June) ... After 8 turbulent seasons, the first of the Arrowverse franchise, Arrow, is coming to an end. To conclude the story of Green Arrow, the final season has received dramatically fewer episodes, with a total of ten. The final two episodes will air in January, meaning we could see Arrow arrive on Netflix far earlier than previous seasons. The deal arranged between Netflix and The CW would mean that Arrow should be arriving on Netflix two weeks after airing the finale, but thanks to the other Arrowverse series, this could be delayed. In the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, the Green Arrow has been pivotal to the story, and with each part split amongst the various Arrowverse shows, this could be why Arrow’s Netflix release date could be pushed back to May or June. Part 4 of the crossover belongs to Arrow, so you would need to watch episodes of Supergirl, Batwoman, and The Flash first, but seeing as two of the three aren’t available till the Summer and Batwoman isn’t on Netflix, it has become a little more complicated to follow if you only watch the Arrowverse on Netflix. Edited December 28, 2019 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo December 28, 2019 Share December 28, 2019 (edited) A Heartbreaking List of Favorite Shows Leaving Us in 2020 BY MEGAN DEC 28, 2019https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2019/12/28/a-heartbreaking-list-of-favorite-shows-leaving-us-in-2020/ Quote Arrow What started as another comic book show in 2012, Arrow started a whole TV universe on The CW, bringing in more stories and characters every year. Stephen Amell, who plays Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow, brought to life a well-known DC superhero, putting his own take on the millionaire playboy-turned-vigilante. After eight seasons and 170 episodes, Team Arrow will be saying goodbye at the end of the first month of the new decade. There is currently a spin-off in the works called Green Arrow and the Canaries, starring Katie Cassidy (Laurel Lance, Earth-2), Juliana Harkavy (Dinah Drake), and Katherine McNamara (Mia Smoak). With DC Universe’s Stargirl premiering in Spring 2020 on the network, the expanding universe on The CW will forever be known as the Arrowverse, even after Arrow takes its final bow. Edited December 28, 2019 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo December 28, 2019 Share December 28, 2019 (edited) Television watchdog blasts spike in 'toxic' content involving children By Christopher Vondracek December 26, 2019https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/26/television-watchdog-blasts-spike-toxic-content-inv/ Quote A television watchdog is decrying an increase in violent content involving children, pointing to graphic depictions and coarse language in a slew of shows. * * * “There are some really wonderful things to report over the last year,” said Tim Winter, president of the Parent Television Council. “But over the last year or two Hollywood seems to have made a dangerous turn toward marketing explicit content directly to children.” Mr. Winter said the biggest offenders are comic book-based shows, whose cartoon characters are given grisly, gritty treatment on the small screen. The CW’s “Arrow,” based on the DC Comics character The Green Arrow, began airing its eighth season in October, and has been called out for its slow-motion depictions of machine gun bullets ripping into victims and scenes of macabre stabbings. Another CW comic book spinoff — “Riverdale,” based on the Archie Comics — has featured a high schooler having sex on his car with his teacher. Edited December 28, 2019 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo December 28, 2019 Share December 28, 2019 (edited) Josh Segarra on Saying Goodbye to 'Arrow' & Working With RuPaul on 'AJ and the Queen' Scott Fishman December 24, 2019 https://www.tvinsider.com/842243/josh-segarra-arrow-final-season-aj-and-the-queen-the-moodys/ Quote Segarra finished 2019 strong as he brought Adrian Chase to Arrow one last time and appeared in the Fox yuletide offering The Moodys. * * *Speaking of fun characters to play, a lot of people were surprised to see you return to Arrow as this final season opened up. What was it like to step in the shoes of Adrian Chase one more time, only this time as Earth-2’s Hood? It was awesome. I got to do the salmon ladder. I loved preparing for that. I hit up some parkour gyms in Atlanta where I was working on a movie that is coming out next Christmas on Netflix with Dolly Parton called Christmas on the Square. When I got the call about Arrow, I started working on the salmon ladder and knocked that out with some respect on my name. I didn’t want them to do that edit. I wanted that s---. I did it, and it was awesome. When they first told me about using me in the premiere, I thought, “Cool, let’s rock.” They called me two weeks before and said, “You’re going to be the Hood.” I thought, “Let’s go. It’s game time.” The Arrow character is one of the best onscreen adaptations. Of course, our boy [Stephen] Amell has really brought it to life. He is the Green Arrow. So, to know they were going to have me play the Arrow in a different universe, I wanted to respect Steve. I wanted to respect the Hood, literally and figuratively. I didn't want to drop the ball. I wanted to start the season off with a bang. * * *In the past you talked about how much you bonded with Stephen. What will you remember from your time on the show? Is there a favorite scene that you will take with you? You really got to flesh out the Adrian Chase character from beginning to end. What I learned as an actor is probably what I will remember the most. I learned so much from Steve, Paul Blackthorne, David Ramsey. I got to watch a show that was five seasons in has to find their legs again, which you have to do every season with a whole new set of characters. The season I joined is the same season Rick Gonzalez joined, Juliana Harkavy, we had all this new energy there. Then we were going to create this whole new ship with the same lumber and a new design. The hand Stephen extended me. How kind he was to me and my family. He did us favors and bent over backwards for me. I will forever remember that and the bond we created will last forever. I got to craft this character through 22 episodes... It was crazy to be able to build a character, introduce him and chronologically speaking, we will be getting nuttier as we go because at some point we had to reveal this dude is the villain. That was a cool experience to have. I felt like I was in a way back machine at acting school and taking on a new challenge. I will forever remember the cast. That whole experience in Vancouver. We had our little man Gus out there with us. That was just a really good time in our lives. Have we seen the last of you on Arrow? Spoiler I think that’s going to be it for the life of Adrian Chase. I think that’s the end of that story. Edited December 28, 2019 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo December 28, 2019 Share December 28, 2019 (edited) Former Arrow star Adrian Holmes responds to show ending and if he'll watch series finale BY JESS LEE 26/12/2019https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a30222515/arrow-adrian-holmes-frank-pike-series-finale/ Quote Arrow is coming to an end after eight seasons, and one former star who plans to tune into the series finale to see how it all ends is Adrian Holmes. Holmes – who currently stars in Netflix vampire drama V Wars – played Frank Pike between 2013 and 2018. Frank sadly died during the sixth season. Speaking to Digital Spy, the actor said he "really enjoyed" playing Pike and thinks it was a "smart decision" for the show to come to an end while the quality of the writing and storylines remain high. * * * "It was really nice to get on that show," he said. "Everybody was very welcoming as well. "I really enjoyed the character Frank Pike. He started off as a lieutenant and then graduated to captain, so I climbed the ranks there. I really had a good time on that show, learned a lot as an actor, and I think that they are going out with a bang. "The thing about shows like that is, you can carry it on for years and years and years and do well, but sometimes you just want to kind of go out on top. You don't want to drag it out. Sometimes the storylines start to diminish. * * * "You don't want to be writing the show just for the sake of writing it when you really don't have a direction to go in, [so] I think that they're making a really smart decision and writing a very strong series – and ending it in a place where they feel it's going to leave the fans go, 'That was beautiful', and not go, 'Oh, the last few seasons were not that strong, we just want to keep getting paid'." Holmes added that he is excited to see how the series finale will end the show. "I think eight seasons is a good run, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do and how they conclude it. I know we won't be disappointed, and I'm sure it's going to be fantastic," he said. "I'm happy to say that I was a part of the franchise and that I contributed to it in some way. And the fans have been great. I'll definitely be watching." Edited December 28, 2019 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo January 6, 2020 Share January 6, 2020 (edited) 6 Times Arrow Improved Green Arrow Mythology (& 4 Times It Failed) Andrew Pollard January 6, 2020https://whatculture.com/comics/6-times-arrow-improved-green-arrow-mythology-4-times-it-failed Quote Improvements To Green Arrow Mythology... 6. Felicity Smoak ... Many casual comic book fans may think that Felicity Smoak was purely a creation of Arrow. While Emily Bett Rickards’ incarnation of Felicity is indeed rather different to her comic book counterpart, Felicity Smoak actually first appeared in the pages of DC Comics back in 1984. She may have been a supporting character who only appeared briefly, but Felicity’s 1984 funny book debut in The Fury of Firestorm #23 saw her positioned as the boss of a New York computer software company. Not only that, but she found herself butting heads with Firestorm… before marrying the father’s hero, Ed Raymond. What Arrow did so well, is that it took this comic book character and improved her one hundred times over. Sure, Emily Bett Rickards’ Felicity retained her computer smarts, yet Ms. Smoak was made into a pivotal part of the overall eight-season arc of Arrow. To the point that she managed to be one of the few people to calm the wild beast that is Oliver Queen. Arrow’s Felicity Smoak was far from 100% perfect, but it’s a tough task to write a character flawlessly for seven full seasons and a sprinkling of eighth season appearances. There have clearly been ups and downs in the depiction of the character, yet the job done with Felicity Smoak in Arrow is largely a fantastic one. At least in comparison to what fans had previously seen from the character in the comic books. * * *Failed To Improve... 4. Butchered Black Canary ... No one character is as important in the comics to Green Arrow as Black Canary. Not only do these two so often fight side-by-side, not only do they become romantically involved, but Oliver Queen and Dinah Laurel Lance actually become man and wife. Upon Katie Cassidy being confirmed to be playing Laurel Lance in Arrow, the seeds were already sown amongst longtime DC fans that we’d eventually be getting Black Canary. And we did! Well, kind of. The first Canary was actually Sara Lance, with Caity Lotz’s totally-not-dead Sara being a brilliant, badass Canary. That was until she was killed… and then resurrected again courtesy of a Lazarus Pit. Laurel Lance did indeed take up the moniker of Black Canary, of course. Yet the problem was, this Laurel just felt a little off. The way that the character was written, she was a complete and utter hindrance to Team Arrow as she began to suit up. And not just in a ‘learning the ropes’ kinda way, for Laurel became a drag on the entire show – to the point that when the character was killed off, nobody really cared. Thankfully, the Dinah Drake version of Black Canary proved to be a great addition to Arrow, and the show has even made amends in how it's handled the Earth-2 version of Laurel Lance. * * *1. It Reiterated That Green Arrow Is Batman-Lite * * * Of course, elements of those points have altered over the years – Ollie putting paid to his playboy lifestyle by marrying Felicity Smoak, his millions of dollars being lost, etc etc – yet the basic characteristics of the Master Bowman for so much of Arrow’s run has seen him being depicted as a Batman wannabe. Improvements To Green Arrow Mythology... 6. Felicity Smoak 5. It's Helped To Showcase Lesser Villains 4. The Show Doesn’t Shy Away From Oliver’s Killing Streak 3. The Brutal Effects Of The Lazarus Pit 2. Slade Wilson’s Descent Into Madness 1. It Got Fans More Invested In The Comics Failed To Improve... 4. Butchered Black Canary 3. Death Is Irrelevant 2. Too Reliant On Lian Yu 1. It Reiterated That Green Arrow Is Batman-Lite Edited January 6, 2020 by tv echo 4 Link to comment
JJ928 January 7, 2020 Share January 7, 2020 How they manage to make every poster uglier than the last is a talent. 4 Link to comment
tv echo January 8, 2020 Share January 8, 2020 (edited) Focusing solely on Oliver - this was a long article and I only quoted selected portions (you may wish to read the entire thing)... Crisis on Infinite Earths, Parts 1,2,3 - Arrow Music Notes Austencello (Ruth) January 7, 2020https://austencello.tumblr.com/post/190133667489/crisis-on-infinite-earths-parts-123-arrow Quote Oliver Queen and Sacrifice The whole of Season 8 has been leading up to Oliver Queen’s death. In fact, the biggest surprise to fans (including myself) was that it happened in the first episode. While many people had expectations for Crisis and the end of Arrow, one of mine was that the music “Sacrifice” would be used for Oliver’s death which we all knew would be a noble sacrifice to save many. I was quite pleased to hear that theme being used in that way. However, I was also correct in mu guess that his Arrow theme would be used as he died. But before we jump into that, I want to go through why “Sacrifice” was used for crucial moment but also in two other moments in Crisis. * * * “Sacrifice”/“Not Going to Make it” was first heard in 1x23 (in strings) as everything came to a head with the Undertaking. Quentin said goodbye to Laurel telling that he loved her, about to sacrifice himself to save the city in trying to stop the earthquake machine, Roy and Thea saved people in the bus, and Tommy saved Laurel only to die himself. Oliver’s mission was to save the city not expecting to live but he failed. Not only that but he lost his best friend who had hated him and his vigilante life. This was not the sacrifice Oliver expected to happen and it rocked him to the core, staying with him and influencing him to no longer kill, to do things a new way. * * * Part of the theme within “Sacrifice” is “Just Listen” (1x08) where he showed Sara’s grave to Helena, recognizing that he hadn’t been a good person and how that affected those around him, including Sara’s death. This bit is also used in “I who Failed” (1x09), “Salvation” (1x18, when he saves Roy: “Give him a second chance”), “Killing Count” (2x07 - rescuing Felicity but breaking his vow to kill after Tommy’s death), “Reveal to Roy” (2x12 - revealing his identity to Roy to break him out of the Mirakiru haze), “Taking a Hand” (4x13 - defeating Malcolm for good, bringing things full circle from his fight in 1x23), and in 6x13 when Oliver saved William and the city from a bomb attack by Cayden James. This part of the theme is a theme of both failures and second chances, saving those he loved and providing justice as well. It is the actions of a man becoming a hero, believing in others, providing protection and safety, getting up from failures and trying again. * * * The inner part of “Just Listen” and his guilt over Sara’s death spills over into the future, alternate earth Oliver. “Sacrifice” plays both in Legends 1x06 when Sara meets the angrier bitter version and in the first Crisis episode as she speaks to a shaken, older, emptier Oliver who feels a great deal of guilt for bringing her on the Gambit. She tells him that it was destiny and her decision but also that they both became the best versions of themselves. Her (and our) Oliver became a hero, a father, and a husband while she is loving adventures through time and space. She reminds him that he is a good man on every earth (we are going to ignore the Nazi version for now). * * * While Sara gives hope to these broken future Olivers, it was Felicity who helped our Oliver grow in his hero journey, giving hope when he had about given up: “Oliver Gives Up”/The Essence of Heroism.” The electronic background is different for this version of the “Sacrifice” theme and a little slower in the strings but it still reflects Oliver’s despair mixed with light and hope, redeeming the theme of loss. Oliver sees no way to beat Slade, having lost his mother, seeing the city over run with Mirakiru soldiers, seeing no way other than his own death to save those he loves by giving up and over to Slade. Felicity reminds him that he is not done fighting, he is not alone, and then tells him that she believes in him. Tommy had hated him for being a vigilante but Felicity tells him that he is a hero, giving him strength with her faith in him. This theme of faith in the darkness returns in “One hand tied” in 2x23, where once again Oliver feels stuck in a corner seeing only one way for things to end and Felicity suggests a different way of making Slade outthink him. It is through this suggestion and belief that they defeat Slade together. * * * These are the essences of being a hero and the core of who Oliver is and has become. The journey of loss and guilt turned his despairing guilt of sacrifice into selflessness, having courage to choose and put others first, having loyalty towards his friends like Barry and Kara, having compassion to save all earths. He had been confronted with the fact that his death could help save numerous earths including his wife and children. He knew that a sacrifice was necessary to help them survive, even more pressing now that he has his adult Mia in front of him. That is why Oliver didn’t hesitate to fight the time/space demons to help as many people survive the earth 38 evacuation. He had no idea that that was not the way the Monitor had foreseen his death. He took his future into his own hands, stoping the Monitor long enough to help a billion people survive even to his own demise. Which is why “Sacrifice” plays as Oliver fights even without arrows and facing them without a bow. It is the heart of a hero, fighting to give everything he has to protect others, sacrificing himself so that others might live. (Side note: this wasn’t my favorite musical version of this theme. I do realize the drum kit and electric bass gave it a cool badass aspect, harkening back to the pilot sound, but it didn’t carry the emotional weight that I would have liked. I did like that the melody was played in the heroic sound of the horns as well as the strings though. That was quite fitting). * * * Oliver’s actual death with Mia and the other heroes around him was a mixture of new and old music. A little bit of “Sacrifice” returns as the Monitor tells them that Oliver saved 1 billion people. A theme based on an upward scale in the violas and cellos played throughout. changing after the scale each time, matching his goodbyes to Barry and Kara versus goodbye to Mia. This natural minor scale (a minor scale that doesn’t change notes from the key signature) fits with the core sound and harmonic nature of Arrow since its inception. There are melodies throughout Arrow based on a scale in strings like “Honor Memory” (1x02) or “I forgot who I was” (1x05) and many of the repeating aspects of the fighting Arrow music include 4 notes of a scale since the pilot “Five Years”. So while using almost all of the scale is unusual, it still fits with the musical landscape especially as it is accompanied by horns (heroism) and toms * * * As tragic as this was, it turned out not to be the end of Oliver’s journey. Mia, Sara, Barry, Constantine, and Diggle all work on bringing back Oliver (more on that in a bit). After they find Oliver’s soul in purgatory and bring him back to himself, they meet the Spectre (Jim Corrigan) who tells Oliver that it is his destiny to become Spectre to save everyone. As this happens, the version of “Sacrifice”/“Never a Normal Life” plays as Oliver tells Diggle and Mia that it is ok. He chooses to sacrifice coming back with his closest friend/brother and his daughter to once again save them all. Mia begins to say “I love you” but is cut off as they disappear back to the ship, telling Sara that he chose to stay behind. Each time, it is a choice that Oliver has to make and he does so willingly because Oliver loves deeply and will do what is right to save others no matter the cost. * * * Oliver also has a brief moment with Mia, giving her own Green Arrow suit as a variation of Oliver’s hero horn theme (no 2 - the descending one) plays. Drum-kit and strings play, giving a sound of new beginnings (drum-kit was used in the pilot as we see Oliver in the suit for the first time) and then Mia’s Blackstar theme plays in electric guitar as she is left looking at the suit when Oliver leaves. Edited January 8, 2020 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo January 8, 2020 Share January 8, 2020 (edited) Felicity is mentioned in this article about The Flash... 6 Times The Flash Improved DC Mythology (& 4 Times It Failed) Andrew Pollard January 8, 2020http://whatculture.com/comics/6-times-the-flash-improved-dc-mythology-4-times-it-failed?page=5 Quote The recent spate of DC TV shows – particularly where the Arrowverse is concerned – have had a habit of making minor comic book characters feel like a major deal, or outright creating new characters straight from scratch. For instance, Arrow took a Felicity Smoak who had appeared in merely a handful of old Firestorm comics in the ‘80s and turned her into one of the most important characters in that show. Then there’s Supergirl, which created an Alex Danvers character who is likewise a pivotal cog in the grand scheme of that series. Edited January 8, 2020 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo January 9, 2020 Share January 9, 2020 (edited) Here Are 27 Returning TV Shows That Are Worth Watching This Winter Nora Dominick January 7, 2020https://www.buzzfeed.com/noradominick/returning-tv-shows-winter-2020-worth-watching Quote 16. Arrow ...Arrow will end its eight-season run this winter with just three more episodes. The first episode back with Part 4 of "Crisis on Infinite Earths," as our heroes continue the quest to stop the Anti-Monitor from destroying the multiverse. Spoiler After wrapping the crossover, we'll also get the backdoor pilot for the Green Arrow & The Canaries spinoff series and then the series finale. Also, with Oliver dead and being forced to become something else entirely, these last few episodes are sure to be one hell of a ride. When it returns: Jan. 14 on The CW. How to catch up: Seasons 1–7 on Netflix and select Season 8, Part 1 episodes on The CW. Edited January 9, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo January 10, 2020 Share January 10, 2020 (edited) Arrow of time: Juliana Harkavy on her last few outings on the show, and stealing souvenirs Joy S 10th January 2020 https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/tv/2020/jan/10/arrow-of-time-juliana-harkavy-on-her-last-few-outings-on-the-show-and-stealing-souvenirs-21346.html Quote If you could swap roles with anybody on the show, who would it be? That’s a really cool question. You know what? I don’t think I would swap roles with anybody. I wouldn’t. I mean, if I were to just answer the question, I would say Thea (Queen, played by Willa Holland) because I think, she is an amazing character. I love her dialogue. I love her energy. I love her arc. But I don’t think I’d want to play anyone else. I feel right in Dinah’s shoes, and I feel like I was given her for a reason. * * *Have you got your eyes on any mementos that you want to ‘borrow’ from the set? No, but I’ve already stolen three bo staffs. Maybe my badge? I’m not sure. Three bo staffs is honestly enough. Those are good to have. Three of them? Well, they are the training ones. But, yes. I took them all. * * *Is there anything you won’t miss about working on Arrow? To be honest with you, I won’t miss the age makeup that much. I won’t. I love doing the actual work in the makeup, but I don’t necessarily enjoy the three hours it takes to put it on and the hour it takes to take it off. As an actor, you spend a lot of time on your skincare – but then you find yourself brushing glue on your face, and putting all these things over your body. Why couldn’t we just FaceApp it? If we could do that, I’ll be old forever. Edited January 10, 2020 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo January 11, 2020 Share January 11, 2020 (edited) You may wish to read the entire MP interview in this article... Mark Pedowitz Extends CW Deal, Promoted to Network CEO JANUARY 10, 2020 1:00pm PT by Lesley Goldberghttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mark-pedowitz-extends-cw-deal-promoted-network-ceo-1268562 Quote The executive has signed a new contract extension and been promoted to chairman and CEO of the network he has called home since 2011. The new title will see Pedowitz continue to oversee all creative and business aspects of the network. All told, the new pact will see him add multiple years to his current contract and maintain his typical day-to-day responsibilities. It's unclear if Pedowitz, who continues to report to The CW board, which consists of executives from across parent companies WarnerMedia and CBS Corp. There are no current plans for Pedowitz to bring in a new executive to fill his now former role as president of the network. Sources say conversations for the new deal and promotion started a few months ago. Below, Pedowitz opens up about his promotion and his future goals for The CW. * * *Will The CW still have the same two corporate parents in five years? I think there's a good chance in five years that The CW could still be a joint venture. As long as it's doing what it's doing right now as a platform in the ecosystem, both parent companies are really happy with how The CW operates within their respective ecosystems. As long as we continue to be an important part for their programming to be platformed on, there's no reason for it not to continue this way. * * *In this current streaming era, with HBO Max, the CW app and CWTV.com, what's the function of the linear network? We've always felt that it starts with the linear network. The linear network is the foundation of creating a great multiplatform vehicle. And therefore they all work together in a 360 [degree] environment. My belief is my linear network tremendously assists my digital, and my digital tremendously assists my linear and the social media component helps both of them. * * *You renewed 13 shows and are on track for no cancellations this year. How much of that was based on any concerns you may have of a writers' strike amid the upcoming WGA negotiating with the studios for a new deal? I don't think negotiations have started yet; they're still in the planning stage. The pickups are relatively consistent with what we've done in the past; this is not unusual. Remember, I ran a studio one-time (ABC Studios) so I'm a big believer in giving our producers a head start in mapping out story arcs and staffing up and giving their teams the best opportunity to find the best talent out there. Hopefully, we're all cognizant of the potential that there could be a strike; hopefully there's not. But that was not the driving motivation here. * * *How many more DC shows are you looking to add with Arrow ending and two Arrow-verse spinoffs in the works? As Arrow was aging and now ending this month, we put Batwoman on. We understand that there's age limitations to these shows. As they change, we go to the next cycle. As long as you have good tentpole product to go with, you're in good shape. Edited January 11, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo January 13, 2020 Share January 13, 2020 (edited) ‘Arrow’ Filming Locations Varun Patel January 13, 2020https://www.thecinemaholic.com/arrow-filming-locations/ Quote Before focusing on specific locations seen on the show, it ought to be noted that the skyline of Star City is shown using a combination of shots from various cities. These cities include Frankfurt, Center City, Baltimore, Boston and Tokyo. * * * When it comes to ‘Arrow,’ one of the frequently depicted places in the show is the Lian-Yu island in North China Sea as that is the place where Oliver Green gets stuck on following a shipwreck. In reality, scenes set in Lian-Yu were actually filmed at Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver. Check out the following tweets which aptly juxtapose the real place and its reel depiction on the show: * * * Moreover, the show filmed several scenes at the Vancouver Convention Centre as well. The picturesque building appeared on the first and second episode of the series. Moreover, the BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver served to be the backdrop for several scenes in the third and fifth season of the show. Furthermore, Vancouver Art Gallery has doubled up as multiple places for ‘Arrow.’ Some of the places that the gallery was passed off as include the Mayor’s Office and the Star City Superior Court. * * * Another crucial urban spot in the fictional Star City is the Star City Hall. The New Westminster City Hall is the actual place of filming for scenes set in the city hall, especially when Oliver becomes the mayor. Moreover, Burrard Dry Dock Pier is also seen on ‘Arrow.’ Most notably, the pier appeared in the fifth season when the statue of Black Canary is unveiled. Riverview Hospital is a former hospital in Vancouver which was shut down in 2012. Since then, a LARGE number of productions have been filmed at Riverview Hospital, especially its East Lawn Building, for example ‘Deadpool 2’ and ‘The Good Doctor.’ On ‘Arrow,’ Riverview Hospital is shown to depict the Slabside Maximum Security Prison and can be most visibly noticed in the eighteenth episode of the fourth season and the fourth episode of the fifth season of the superhero series. * * * Lastly, many of you might be wondering about the actual place where Oliver Green’s house in the first season was filmed. The large, ancient-looking mansion is actually the Hatley Castle in British Columbia. Edited January 13, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo January 15, 2020 Share January 15, 2020 (edited) A.V. Club review of Arrow 808 (Part 4 of the COIE crossover)... Crisis On Infinite Earths limps back from hiatus, more filler than fantastic Kate Kulzick January 14, 2020https://tv.avclub.com/crisis-on-infinite-earths-limps-back-from-hiatus-more-1841009460 Quote ... No reasons are given for the Anti-Monitor’s creation, no motivation for his urge to destroy our heroes’ universe, no clue as to how the Monitor (or Anti-Monitor) gained his god-like powers. Initially, this seems like an intriguing tease for what’s yet to come, but the episode fails to deliver on that promise. Instead, we cut back to the Vanishing Point, as the paragons and Lex struggle to grapple with their new existence. * * * Elsewhere in the Speed Force, the Anti-Monitor has attacked the rest of the paragons, causing them to be flung throughout the Speed Force. SpectreOllie is able to keep them from slipping out of the Speed Force by drawing them into constructs of some of Ollie’s most meaningful crossover- and paragon-related memories, but Barry has to go find them. This is a wonderful opportunity to relive and re-imagine high points from each of the Arrowverse shows’ histories. How will Barry, Sara, J’onn, and Kate react to Ollie’s happiest and worst memories? Unfortunately, it’s yet another missed opportunity, with the show clearly constrained by the shooting schedule gymnastics required to pull off these crossovers. Most of the moments feel arbitrary. Kate for some reason is held in Oliver’s memory of meeting Ray, while J’onn is held in Oliver’s prickly first meeting with Kara. Barry stops by the Elseworlds crossover to get some answers from Oliver—is now really the time, Barry?—but this helps him put the pieces together, and he goes to pick up Sara from apparently Laurel and Diggle’s memories of her death (I know I’m not supposed to be thinking too hard here, but shouldn’t Oliver be in each of his memories?), before scooping up the rest of the gang. Then it’s back to Maltus to get Kara, Ryan, and Lex, and the whole crew is deposited at the dawn of time. * * * Here is where the episode really starts to flounder. With each successive digression, the momentum lags, and while they have their moments of levity—shout-out to the team for keeping that delightful Ezra Miller cameo under wraps—that’s not enough to make up for just how much time is sunk into them. The reveal that the entire tangent on Maltus was also filler is incredibly frustrating. At least half of this episode could be cut without losing anything of interest. Perhaps then there would have been more time to show the paragons in action, doing more to embody their titles. Instead the Anti-Monitor raises his minions to fight the paragons while he takes on SpectreOllie, and a giant fight scene ensues. What we get is non-descript at best, and irritating at worst. How is Ryan fighting the Anti-Monitor’s ghost minions? What are they made of, and what can harm them? When this viewer is watching your big, climactic crossover boss battle and wondering about armor classes, subdual damage, and hit points, instead of oohing and ahhing over team-up moments and sweet fight choreography, you have a problem. There’s absolutely no specificity to the paragons. In the end, they literally stand in a line and think hard about their paragon title and that is enough, along with whatever SpectreOllie is doing while fighting the Anti-Monitor, to restart reality. One would think Lex Luthor defining truth at the rebirth of reality instead of Earth-96 Clark Kent would have an impact—perhaps that’s a shoe that’s yet to drop in part five. Regardless, the mental energy from the paragons, along with whatever special sauce Oliver got from becoming Spectre, is enough to defeat the Anti-Monitor and restart the universe. It’s an underwhelming conclusion, but with better setup and more a energetic and purposeful act one and two, it could have worked. Instead the entire episode feels like a waste, flitting from one retread to the next, even culminating in diminishing returns as the episode ends with Oliver’s second death scene of the crossover, a pale shadow of the raw and emotional end of part one. * * * - Why have several months passed when we pick up at the Vanishing Point? What have they been eating? Why has Ryan grown a beard, but no one’s hair has grown? Why is no one affected in any meaningful way by having been isolated for so long? Why open up this can of worms if you don’t care about any of these questions? Edited January 15, 2020 by tv echo 4 Link to comment
tv echo January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 (edited) ‘Arrow’ review 8×08: “Crisis On Infinite Earths: Part 4” Lynsey Neill Jan. 15, 2020https://www.purefandom.com/2020/01/15/coie-part-4-arrow/ Quote And I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I appreciate Oliver getting the big hero moments in this crossover. On the other, killing him twice to me conveys a lack of trust in your actors and in your storytelling. Trust that your actors can communicate everything that needs to be felt so the scene resonates. And trust that your writing will communicate the momentousness of this moment. Having two death scenes was like, “we didn’t know how to write Oliver’s death so we give you two options to choose from, and you get to decide which is your favorite.” For me, it comes off as lazy. They could of had Spectre enter his body by just saying “this is the key to saving the multiverse”, and Oliver would have done it. Because he’s Oliver and he’s a hero. His stint in Purgatory was not necessary. And also, Oliver Queen’s death in 3×09 remains superior. It respected Oliver’s legacy and loved ones, and it trusted Stephen Amell to convey everything you can imagine feeling as you die, and he delivered. P.S: Emily Bett Rickards AKA Felicity Smoak, was also not physically there during this death in 3×09. And yet, she is integral to the scene… Arrow writers wrote this death in 3×09… so don’t tell me you’re not capable of connecting back to his family even though you cannot get the actress. * * * Yes, cool comic book call backs are okay, but they shouldn’t overshadow earnest character moments, or well executed explanation of plot. And yes, bonding moments between the heroes is okay, it’s expected, and it’s the goal of crossovers. But when a character is dying, especially without their family by their side, goals need to be shifted. You can have the ultimate goal in mind without leaving the character behind. And as a result, COIE didn’t have heart. It had cool cameos, comic book tie-ins, but heart it was lacking. Edited January 16, 2020 by tv echo 4 Link to comment
tv echo January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 (edited) Arrow Review: Crisis On Infinite Earths: Part Four January 15, 2020 Brianna Martinezhttps://telltaletv.com/2020/01/arrow-review-crisis-on-infinite-earths-part-four/ Quote The hour continues its messy, and frenetic plot and pace without much of a coherent explanation for anything, hoping that saving themselves and the multiverse is enough of a foundation to keep things moving. Sure, there are brief moments when things make sense, clearing up the purpose for any of these character’s actions, but it still feels like too much. * * *The memories that Oliver/Spectre uses to keep everyone from falling into the anti-matter feels arbitrarily chosen, and not necessarily for any specific tie for most of the characters. * * * Given that Kate never really had any memories tied to Oliver (aside from the last crossover), and there aren’t many to choose from for Kara, J’onn, and Oliver, the tenuous connections and interactions add a challenge to adding a substantial foundation for these moments. Let’s not even mention the fact that Sara’s scene/memory never even actually happened that way on Arrow. * * * Something the hour does well, though, and what becomes a clarifying moment is setting Oliver Queen up as the ultimate hero, letting the others know exactly how much he has given up to save the entire multiverse, making the ultimate sacrifice, and what he’s leaving behind. * * * But, something about the fact that Oliver never felt the need to consider himself a hero to save all of humanity until the very end is both incredibly powerful and infuriating. That he never recognized it in himself feels a little disheartening, but seeing Barry and Sara reinforce the idea that he is the best of all of them is some consolation and important as Oliver’s legacy is solidified in the Arrowverse. * * * I’m just not sure how much I actually enjoyed watching the way the story feels disjointed at times, and Oliver Queen having to go through all of this only to die once more (having Oliver Queen die multiple times the span of 1 crossover will have that effect on an Arrow fan). * * * - Seeing the heroes merely look on as Oliver “defeats” the Anti-Monitor and create a new multiverse for all of humanity to thrive in gives off major Care Bear stare vibes, and is somewhat cringe-y. Edited January 17, 2020 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 (edited) ‘Arrow’ 8×08 Review: “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Four” BY: RAQUEL ON: JANUARY 15, 2020https://fangirlish.com/2020/01/15/8x08-arrow-crossover-review/ Quote We‘re back! After the Christmas break, the crossover is back on Arrow 8×08 with “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Four.” The episode has been one of the worst of this entire crossover. A boring and chaotic episode, where only the last minutes are worth it … to piss us off. Do you want to know why I say this? * * * And we reached the peak of the episode. The final fight and the second death of Oliver. The first thing I have to say is, what are those things they fight against? They look like the Harry Potter Dementors. So I will baptize them with that name #sorrynotsorry. * * * The second is that it makes no sense to kill Oliver again, when we had already suffered his death. For what? Since they were going to kill him again, they could have corrected the mistakes of the first death. That is, Diggle should have been by his side this time, just like Mia, William and Felicity (although the latter’s non-appearance is more understandable for reasons beyond their control, but not for the others). But they have killed him again for the same reason, and with the same mistakes. And on top of that, neither of those two characters, his brother and daughter (not to mention William, Felicity and the rest of the team) are in the final tribute they make to Oliver. Nonsense. Disrespectful. They don’t respect Oliver or Arrow or even in his “death.” How the hell do they dare? * * * I have loved and been broken in equal parts by the fact that Oliver regretted not being able to see his family again. It has made me furious that the producers have not even done him justice with this. They haven’t even let him have them by his side. Oliver is dying, he knows it’s the end but it doesn’t matter … nothing matters, he just wants to see them again. Make the last thing his eyes see and his heart feels be his family by his side. All of his family. For which he is sacrificing everything. * * * As some last loose notes, seeing Oliver disappear has hurt. A lot. Very much. It’s like tearing our hearts again. It has been cruel and unnecessary. * * *In conclusion, being as frank as ever, the episode has been boring. The last minutes have been the only good thing (and they made us mad). Didn’t those echoes and the sudden scene / Earth changes make you crazy? They drove me crazy. And a lot. I didn’t get used to a scene when, suddenly, we were already in another and listening to the characters talk to those echoes. It has been disconcerting and I’ve gotten quite dizzy. Like a noise of scenes without any sort of order, in which basically the same thing was said, repeated until satiety. * * * I think I‘m not mistaken if I say that we are facing the worst crossover of all those they have done, and one of the worst episodes of Arrow too. They have wanted to do so much … that they have forgotten that the main thing is a story that engages, has continuity and connects with the public. And this story, with the only audience with which has connected has been with comic books fans, that are not even a tenth of the audience that watches the shows of this universe. Edited January 16, 2020 by tv echo 4 Link to comment
tv echo January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 (edited) 'Crisis on Infinite Earths': Felicity Smoak's fate on 'Arrow' remains unknown even after the crossover By Remus Noronha Jan 15, 2020https://meaww.com/crisis-on-infinite-earths-felicity-smoak-arrow-emily-bett-rickards-absence Quote In Season 7, the version of Felicity from the year 2040 leaves with the Monitor / Mar Novu (LaMonica Garrett) to meet her lost husband Oliver Queen / Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) and that was the last we saw of her. It was believed that the cosmic being would bring her to Oliver on his deathbed so as to ease his passing but that's not what happened. During 'Crisis', Oliver actually died twice, the first time in Part 1 and the second time in Part 4. We didn't get to see him reunite with Felicity either time and at this point, her absence is more confusing than it is sad. If anybody deserved to be around for Oliver's last goodbye, it was the love of his life and Season 7 had left us hoping that we'd get a really nice scene with the two in the same vein as the death of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in 'Avengers: Endgame'. Perhaps the showrunners may have decided to forgo that moment specifically because of the inevitable comparison to 'Endgame' but that doesn't make it any less of a disappointment. Edited January 16, 2020 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 (edited) Jen and Calli discussed Oliver's fate in the crossover and what it means (Jen is more optimistic than I am)... Watchover Ep 65 - Crossover Blues January 15, 2020https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/watchover-with-jen-and-calli/e/66601214 Edited January 16, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 (edited) As Arrow Ends, Reflecting on the Many Deaths of Oliver Queen By RUSS BURLINGAME - January 16, 2020 12:46 am ESThttps://comicbook.com/dc/2020/01/16/as-arrow-ends-reflecting-on-the-many-deaths-of-oliver-queen/ Quote More seriously, though, we were already thinking of taking a look at what Oliver's survival track record looked like, when Batwoman actor Camrus Johnson joked about it on Twitter. We promised him we would come through with an accounting, and so here we are. All the times (we can remember) that Oliver Queen died or was presumed dead by the world or the audience. SLIDE 1 OF 7 PILOT SLIDE 2 OF 7 "HEROES JOIN FORCES" SLIDE 3 OF 7 "THE CLIMB" SLIDE 4 OF 7 "CRISIS ON EARTH-X" SLIDE 5 OF 7 HONORABLE MENTION: SEASON 7 SLIDE 6 OF 7 "CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, PART ONE" SLIDE 7 OF 7 "CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS PART FOUR" Edited January 16, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
lemotomato January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 They should also make a list of all the times Oliver was going to give up his life to save everyone else, since Beth and MG seem to think this was brand new character development that happened just for this crossover. 6 Link to comment
tv echo January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 (edited) Arrow season 8: Oliver Queen’s journey shouldn’t end like this by Lissete Lanuza January 15, 2020https://netflixlife.com/2020/01/15/arrow-season-8-oliver-queen-journey-end/ Quote But perhaps, even more importantly, who really thinks, after an eight-season journey, the thing viewers want is to see the character whose fate they’ve followed all these years dead and buried? Sure, legacy is important, and hey, it’s cool that everyone is finally giving Oliver his due, but did he really have to die to get some respect in the Arrowverse that is literally named after him? * * * All of this makes us think that there’s no way Oliver is actually staying dead. Would they really bring back Felicity just to have her attend her husband’s funeral? Will Arrow really take us on an 80-plus minutes journey of pain during the last two episodes? * * * Conventional wisdom says no. But then again, conventional wisdom said Tony Stark was going to make it out of Avengers: Endgame, and Game of Thrones was going to have at least some happy endings, so forgive me for not trusting conventional wisdom anymore. In many cases, showrunners and movie writers alike seem convinced that what viewers want – especially in superhero movies/shows – is reality. That we’re following these super-powered vigilantes who literally dress up in leather and hide their identity because we want realistic storytelling. What?! Yes, shows and movies need to be somewhat grounded in reality for us to relate. Yes, there are basic storytelling rules to follow. But that doesn’t mean that we watch TV or go to the movies to consume misery after misery after misery, especially when it feels like the misery has no real reason other than to, well, make us feel something. We’d rather feel happy, okay? * * * Again, maybe they’re taking it all back. Maybe Oliver will somehow get the happy-ish ending he deserves with the family he fought so much to preserve. Maybe Mia and William will get to truly know their father, and maybe Felicity will get to grow old with her husband. For now, we’re not inclined to believe it. TPTB are singing a different tune, and we’ve already been burned before. As far as endings go, this is the worst possible one. I’d rather invest in shows that aren’t going to break my heart. Edited January 16, 2020 by tv echo 6 Link to comment
tv echo January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 (edited) DC characters that were mysteriously missing in Crisis on Infinite Earths BY CHRIS SIMS JANUARY 15, 2020https://www.looper.com/183600/dc-characters-that-were-mysteriously-missing-in-crisis-on-infinite-earths/ Quote Felicity Smoak ... Felicity Smoak wasn't supposed to be a major player in the Arrowverse. Emily Bett Rickards' character was originally conceived as a one-off guest appearance, designed to pop up in a single episode and nothing more. History had other plans. Rickards' winning performance, as well as her undeniable chemistry with Arrow star Stephen Amell, quickly convinced Arrow's producers to bring Felicity back for more. It took less than a season for Felicity to become part of Arrow's regular cast. By season two, she was Arrow's heart and soul — and ultimately ended up as both Oliver Queen's wife and the mother (step- and biological) of his children. That's why it's so weird that Felicity sat out Crisis entirely. Sure, Rickards left Arrow after season seven, but she's returning for the series finale (which follows the end of Crisis by mere weeks). She couldn't pop by for a quick cameo in the big crossover event, too? The Crisis wasn't just the biggest threat the Arrowverse has ever faced, it was also an epic sendoff for Oliver Queen. As such, it just felt strange that Felicity wasn't there to say goodbye. Edited January 16, 2020 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
shantown January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 Yeah if MG was gonna pay $5,000 out of pocket for someone I would have rather had 90 seconds of Felicity than a cameo from Ezra Miller. 13 Link to comment
Trisha January 16, 2020 Share January 16, 2020 On 1/15/2020 at 10:37 AM, tv echo said: A.V. Club review of Arrow 808 (Part 4 of the COIE crossover)... Crisis On Infinite Earths limps back from hiatus, more filler than fantastic Kate Kulzick January 14, 2020https://tv.avclub.com/crisis-on-infinite-earths-limps-back-from-hiatus-more-1841009460 I love Kate's analysis. She also has a podcast called The Televerse so I'm guessing she'll dig deeper into it when it drops (on the weekends, usually). 1 Link to comment
tv echo January 17, 2020 Share January 17, 2020 (edited) Includes comics spoiler... The Clock Tower: ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ is Over, So Let’s Talk About It Posted on Thursday, January 16th, 2020 by Amelia Emberwinghttps://www.slashfilm.com/crisis-on-infinite-earths-review/ Quote For Oliver The last half of Crisis on Infinite Earths fell into a “show, don’t tell” kind of trap. As in, they gave us The Spectre, they told us he had insane powers, but did very little to actually illustrate that. He bops The Flash on the forehead and says he’s unlocked his potential. Ok? Then he has a sixty-second fight with the Anti-Monitor and everything explodes. Though there were some struggles surrounding this new character, but I get the sense that we’re not done with him just yet. You shouldn’t rely on your viewership reading the comics, you should be explaining those kind of things in your narratives. But hey, that’s what columns like The Clock Tower are for. Spoiler The long and short of it is that The Spectre is immortal. He can also warp reality and has limitless matter control. We also know that the Monitor came to collect Felicity Smoak in 2040 to take her to her husband. What I’m trying to say here is that we mourned Oliver Queen dying twice but the dude isn’t dead. He’s just a little different than he was before, and likely occupying a fun little pocket universe carved out just for him and Felicity. ... I feel like we have to take the time to acknowledge the sheer devastation of Team Arrow when they found out that they weren’t able to be there for him either time he died. Particularly John Diggle, whose narrative purpose has always been to keep his idiot brother alive. I suspect David Paul Ramsey, Rick Gonzalez and Juliana Harkavy didn’t have to act too hard here. The casts of all of these shows have always been so close, and it’s still rough to think that we’re saying goodbye to Arrow soon. Edited January 17, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo January 17, 2020 Share January 17, 2020 (edited) At a minimum, MG should remember that Dinah Lance is still alive... Arrow: 10 Supporting Characters Who Deserved More Screen Time BY GEORGE CHRYSOSTOMOU JAN 16, 2020https://screenrant.com/arrow-supporting-characters-deserved-more-screen-time-dc-arrowverse-cw/ Quote 2 DINAH LANCE ...The mother of Sara and Laurel and the divorced wife of Quentin seemed to be living quite an interesting life. She has been around for a few pivotal moments of the family, but she has not been featured past that. We can't help but think that there's more to Dinah that we never really got to explore. For instance, did she have a little bit of a vigilante past herself, and it actually runs in the family? Plus, how has she reacted to all the trauma that has gone on in her life? 10 BEN TURNER 9 CURTIS HOLT 8 TALIA AL GHUL 7 WILLIAM CLAYTON 6 ZOE RAMIREZ 5 ANATOLY KNYAZEV 4 HELENA BERTINELLI 3 WALTER STEELE 2 DINAH LANCE 1 EMIKO QUEEN Edited January 17, 2020 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
Primal Slayer January 18, 2020 Share January 18, 2020 Like Laurel, Dinah had so much potential. But the Dinah curse hit all 3 of them. Link to comment
tv echo January 20, 2020 Share January 20, 2020 (edited) Just About Write (Jenn) interviewed jbuffyangel (Jen) - this was a very long article and, believe it or not, I didn't quote a lot of it, so you may wish to read the entire interview - it's all about Arrow... An Interview With Your Favorite Arrow Guru and Fan: Jen! [Contributor: Jenn] January 19, 2020http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2020/01/an-interview-with-your-favorite-arrow.html Quote How did you first get into Arrow? And what made you want to start reviewing it? Jen: I saw the promo the CW aired — the one with all of Stephen’s abs on the salmon ladder. I wish my reasoning for checking it out had more depth, but it was pretty much ABS. My husband gave me a crash course in the Green Arrow comics when I told him I was going to watch the pilot. He said Oliver Queen was like Batman, but he killed people. I am a massive Batman fan, so that also was a key selling factor. See, I found one more thing! (It was still mostly the abs though.) Then I watched the pilot and it was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Oliver’s traumatic backstory with his father was incredible, I loved the idea of the flashbacks, and the action scenes were insane. I insisted my husband watch it and he was blown away. Slowly, it became our favorite show. The most frustrating aspect of Arrow in season one is the romance with Laurel and Oliver. I could never get past Oliver cheating on Laurel with her sister. In shows, I try to get on board with the couple the pilot foreshadows as endgame (I call them the Plan A couples). My husband told me it was Green Arrow and Black Canary in the comics. I loved the idea of these two characters coming together romantically as they evolved as superheroes via an origin story, but the execution was just YUCKY. Plus Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy had no chemistry. Then the wonderful Felicity Smoak was introduced in episode three. Stephen Amell’s iconic smile during that scene made me think, “Oh, there you are Oliver.” Oliver was kind of a robotic jerk the first couple episodes. I knew he was a good person who suffered a lot and was emotionally shut down because of it, but I couldn’t really see “superhero.” Felicity bringing out his smile connected the dots for me emotionally. * * *Arrow has put Oliver through the wringer over the years; sometimes he’s been lovable, sometimes downright frustrating. Tell me a little bit about what makes Oliver Queen so important to you as a character. You mean Oliver Queen, a.k.a. The Biggest Oak Tree To Ever Live! Loving Oliver can be exhausting at times because he makes the same mistakes over and over again. But that’s also what I love about him. He’s imperfect. His flaws are laid bare for all to see, but that never stops him from trying to do and be better. His redemptive arc is truly one of the best ever written on television. Oliver has gone from sinner to superhero, and while the circumstances of his world are fantasy, the message of his story is real. We are all imperfect sinners. We make the same mistakes over and over, but we can become someone or something else. We are deserving of love. We are worth saving. * * *Is there a storyline in the series that sticks out to you as a favorite? Alternatively, what are some storylines that have frustrated you? THE GOOD: ... What I enjoyed the most in season one was watching Oliver and Diggle’s bromance evolve. The relationship between Oliver and Diggle anchors the season emotionally as Oliver flits from love interest to love interest and engages in a toxic love triangle. Felicity is included slowly, but the majority of the season is Diggle trying to reign in Oliver’s darker tendencies. John Diggle will always be the Yoda of Arrow. Seasons two and three are my favorite seasons. I was on the edge of my seat in the season two finale wondering if Felicity was the woman Oliver loved BECAUSE SHE HAD TO BE OTHERWISE NOTHING ON THIS SHOW MADE SENSE. I audibly screamed when Oliver said, “So he took the wrong woman.” Such a great night as an audience member. They went all in on OTA in season two too. Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle are the show, but they were brand spanking new in season two, so the writers focused on the team dynamic a lot. It’s also tough to beat Slade Wilson as the villain. * * * I think season three is the best in terms of cohesive structure and Oliver’s development. From start to finish there is a very strong connective thread. I had a clear idea of where they were going with Oliver and his character and it all made sense. It has my favorite premiere, Felicity Smoak is fleshed out more as a character, Oliver kind of dies, Thea’s arc is fabulous, Diggle and Lyla get married and have a baby, Sara actually dies (I ugly cried), and Olicity is finally front and center as the show’s main romance (3x20!). Season three is the perfect amount of angst and happiness. It also foreshadowed Olicity’s marriage. I had so much fun with the fandom and the “Olicity Wedding Theory.” * * *Season six had the best crossover (a.k.a. the Olicity movie). Oliver and Felicity get married and then the very next episode we had the perfect reception which checked off everything on my wedding wish. It was a full season of stability and happiness for Oliver and Felicity, which was a looooong time coming. Felicity’s relationship with William was wonderful to watch evolve too. The scene in 6x11 where she explains to William how to love his dad while coping with the fear of losing him because he’s the Green Arrow was probably one of the best in the entire series. It’s essentially the mission statement of the show. There are no stakes in a superhero show if love is not central to the story. Season seven was a surprisingly strong season. Oliver’s prison arc was great and Felicity stepped up as the primary storyline focus. Her fight to save Oliver and beat Riccardo Diaz without losing her soul was truly one of my favorite Felicity Smoak storylines. Smoak Tech finally launched and the flash forwards were introduced. They were terribly bleak, but I’m always down for meeting future children of my favorite characters. Oliver becomes the superhero version of Jesus in Crisis on Infinite Earths. I was mostly joking about that metaphor, but the writers decided to go literal with this whole Spectre thing. All the other characters finally had to recognize Oliver is the best of them and bend the knee to the king of the Arrowverse. * * * THE BAD (in no particular order): Arrow is an imperfect show. I’m either loving it or it’s driving me crazy. Let us never speak of the Olicity break-up. It still makes no sense why Oliver lied to Felicity about William’s existence when literally every other character found out about him. We eventually got some good character development out of it, but it lasted waaaaay too long. It was just an excuse to delay their marriage and it showed. Oliver marrying Nyssa Al Ghul, the only lesbian on the show, was a real low point. I am pretty sure I got drunk watching 3x22 (Jenn's note: I FORGOT THAT WAS A PLOT. WOW.) Then there was the never-ending sidelining of John Diggle, and too. many. canaries. (Also Tommy died because Laurel had to get some files for some reason. It will never be okay. I will never forgive her.) There was not enough Felicity Smoak in the beginning of season five. Yes, I get it. They were broken up, but it’s always a mistake to back off the heart of the show. Oliver sleeping with Sara again in season two made me physically throw things at the television. * * * Remember when Laurel and Oliver slept together and Tommy watched from the street while “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons played? That sums up Lauriver for me. I try to forget it ever happened. * * *Whatshername in season four was the year I prayed for the flashbacks to end. No, I still haven’t learned the character’s name. (Jenn's note: I never bothered and just wrote her into my reviews as Flashback Chick. I muted most of the flashbacks that season.) * * *New Team Arrow gave us three more problematic characters that were never as good as Roy, Thea, and Sara. But I still miss Rory. * * * Oh, and two words: Susan Williams. I also disliked pretty much everything in season six that wasn’t related to Oliver, Felicity, and William. The writers are unable to construct a believable, engaging and consistent story arc for Laurel Lance was so frustrating as a viewer that it drove me to apathy for her character. I couldn't care more than the writers did, so I just gave up waiting for her storylines to make any sense. Also, Laurel always being the worst made it difficult to find her endearing. * * *I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Olicity! I know you’re a huge fan of this ship. What, in your opinion, makes the pairing so compelling and epic? I think foremost is the circumstances that surround Olicity’s evolution. I cannot recall many shows where the one time guest star became the female lead and one half of the central romance. Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards’ chemistry is electric. It’s lightning in a bottle, but the miracle is the EPs/studio executive/writers knew it. They admitted the Laurel and Oliver romance was a mess and painstakingly rebuilt Arrow’s entire love story around Oliver and Felicity. It’s really quite something. Oliver and Felicity are a bit yin and yang. They have the whole opposites attract thing going on, but that’s just on the surface. When you drill down to the core of each character, they are remarkably similar. They are both very intelligent, loyal, compassionate, selfless, and deeply loving. Those aspects of their personality just manifest in different ways, which makes their dynamic really interesting to watch. * * * That’s why I love them. Their individual strengths and weaknesses work in an almost perfect cohesion. Oliver and Felicity make each other better, and that’s the way love should be. Your partner should be your best friend who harnesses your light and inspires your best self. Edited January 20, 2020 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo January 20, 2020 Share January 20, 2020 (edited) KL's comment below about soulmates not necessarily ending up together is very similar to what KC said in a 2015 interview when referring to Oliver and Laurel (KC: "[A]t the end of the day, I do think that [Laurel and Oliver] are soulmates. I always will think that even if Oliver is involved with Felicity or not. Needless to say, just because it’s your soulmate, that doesn’t mean you end up with them. Sometimes soulmates just remain best friends."). Of course, both SA and EBR have said in interviews that Oliver & Felicity are soulmates, and it's also now Arrow canon that Felicity is the love of Oliver's life. Katrina Law Wants Batwoman To Meet Nyssa Al Ghul By Nicole Massabrook 01/19/20 https://www.ibtimes.com/katrina-law-wants-batwoman-meet-nyssa-al-ghul-2905365 Quote The actress, who is currently starring on CBS’ “Hawaii Five-O,” says she still believes Nyssa’s soulmate is Caity Lotz’s Sara Lance/White Canary. “Ava’s kind of putting a wrench in the whole plan, but whatever. She's cute. I get it,” Law laughed. “Just because you are soulmates doesn't mean you end up together romantically or in a relationship. I feel like there are different definitions and different incarnations of it... so, yeah, I do feel like Sara and Nyssa are soulmates, and Nyssa will forever hold Sara dear to her heart and will always go above and beyond for her and place her above all others.” Edited January 20, 2020 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
Mellowyellow January 20, 2020 Share January 20, 2020 I agree that soulmates don't necessarily end up together but it needs to be a mutual thing where your feelings are reciprocated. You can't go around declaring people who don't return your feelings to be your soulmate! It's rather creepy actually and I'd feel harassed if some ex declared I was his soulmate when I didn't want a bar of him. 7 Link to comment
tv echo January 20, 2020 Share January 20, 2020 (edited) I'm not sure why this writer made Sara and White Canary two different categories, but whatever - I don't agree with these rankings anyway... Arrow: The 7 Black Canary Characters, Ranked BY MEAGAN CAHUASQUI JAN 13, 2020https://screenrant.com/arrow-black-canary-characters-ranked/ Quote Black Canary isn't a singular person but a role that is played by whoever takes on the mantle as part of Team Arrow. But not all Canaries are created equal. Some handle the responsibility better than others. Here are the seven Black Canary characters, ranked. * * *6 Black Siren ... On Earth-2, Laurel Lance was a metahuman with the Canary cry superpower. But instead of becoming a hero like her Earth-1 counterpart, she turned to a life of crime as Black Siren. She worked for Zoom to defeat the Flash but was captured and held prisoner in the S.T.A.R. Labs pipeline. But Adrian Chase released her and she started working for him. She survived the explosion on Lian Yu and returned to Star City disguised as her Earth-1 counterpart to protect herself and Quentin Lance. She joined Ricardo Diaz to act as his mole for Team Arrow, but she defected and remained loyal to Oliver and the team. Her loyalties were questioned as she struggled with her criminal past, but Felicity Smoak had faith in her. * * *1 Dinah Drake ... Dinah Drake was the Black Canary that closely resembled the original character from the DC Comics. She worked undercover for the Central City Police Department when the particle accelerator exploded and gave her the iconic sonic voice power. Oliver found her and recruited her for Team Arrow, bringing her to Star City, where after a time she joined the SCPD. The combination of her combat and police detective skills with the Canary cry made Dinah Drak the ultimate Black Canary. When Oliver was arrested and Quentin killed, Dinah left the life of vigilantism behind. But it didn't stick, as she realized that sometimes justice could only be served outside the law. Like Laurel before her, Dinah knew the Black Canary symbolized justice above all. 7 Evelyn Sharp 6 Black Siren 5 White Canary 4 Zoe Ramirez 3 Sara Lance 2 Laurel Lance 1 Dinah Drake Edited January 20, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo January 20, 2020 Share January 20, 2020 (edited) Here's my Black Canary rankings (although I could've switched the two Laurel rankings)... 6 Evelyn Sharp 5 Earth-2 Laurel Lance 4 Earth-1 Laurel Lance 3 Dinah Drake 2 Zoe Ramirez 1 Sara Lance Edited January 20, 2020 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo January 21, 2020 Share January 21, 2020 (edited) Only quoted Sara Diggle paragraph... What to take away from Crisis On Infinite Earths’ biggest Easter eggs Sam Barsanti Jan. 21, 2020https://tv.avclub.com/what-to-take-away-from-crisis-on-infinite-earths-bigge-1841097672 Quote Relatively early on in Arrow’s run, lovable sidekick John Diggle and his wife, Lyla “Harbinger” Michaels, had a daughter. They named her Sara, after future Legends captain Sara Lance, who had recently been killed (she got better). Shortly after that, Barry tried to change history on The Flash, creating the bad Flashpoint reality and then causing more changes when he went back again and tried to fix that. One of those changes was that baby Sara Diggle was erased from reality and replaced with a boy, John Diggle Jr., who grew up to be a bad guy in Arrow’s future timeline. After the universe was rebooted, Crisis made a point to show us that John, Lyla, John Jr., and Sara now all existed as one happy family—a change that should have big implications for Arrow’s future timeline and its upcoming future-set spin-off. Edited January 21, 2020 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo January 21, 2020 Share January 21, 2020 (edited) Only quoted Arrow portion of this interview... Legends of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Ray Palmer Mike Cecchini Jan 21, 2020https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/285453/legends-of-tomorrow-brandon-routh-ray-palmer-evolution Quote Den of Geek: Can you take us back to the very beginning and talk about how Ray was originally pitched to you and how you found the character from those early days of Arrow to the wilder days of Legends of Tomorrow? Brandon Routh: I think Ray as originally conceived was more of a Tony Stark type and if you watch my first couple of episodes of Arrow, the dialogue, I am doing that. That's what the writers and producers had set forth, and I was fine with that for the most part, but I wanted him to have a softer edge than Tony Stark. He could have a little bit of an ego and be excited about his products and business and all that stuff, but have a softer side, which in the first two, three episodes starts to shift. And then thankfully the writers followed and we were all working together to make that happen...He was the CEO of Palmer Tech, which made a big difference because he was the leader. He had to be the boss, he had to be the idea man. And he also had to lead his team of employees. Edited January 21, 2020 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo January 22, 2020 Share January 22, 2020 (edited) A.V. Club gave 809 a grade of B+... The Arrowverse opens the door for Green Arrow & The Canaries Allison Shoemaker January 21, 2020https://tv.avclub.com/the-arrowverse-opens-the-door-for-green-arrow-the-can-1841144015 Quote There are two ways of looking at “Green Arrow & The Canaries.” It’s first and foremost a backdoor pilot for a potential new corner of the Arrowverse (and based on what we see here, I’d say it’s pretty likely we’ll see more of that corner next fall). It’s also the penultimate episode of Arrow—the primogenitor of all such corners. Does “Green Arrow & The Canaries” work as an argument for the existence of Green Arrow & The Canaries, the future series? Yes. Does it work as one of the final chapters of Arrow? Also yes, though somewhat less successfully. In the end, though—and this is pretty much the end, it’s all over but the crying—the second question matters a lot less than the first. “Green Arrow & The Canaries” is about what the survivors do with Oliver’s legacy, and how they choose to keep it alive. Green Arrow & The Canaries is, at a metatextual level, much the same. * * * Credit where it’s due: Katherine McNamara, the episode’s four credited writers, and director Tara Miele make it abundantly clear that this person is fundamentally different from the Mia we knew pre-Crisis. The same is true of the Mia we meet after Laurel zaps her with that J’onzz-ring—we see some of the old Mia, and some of the socialite Mia, but mostly it’s someone new. (Opening titles voice: “She’ll have to become someone else. She’ll have to become something else.”) Each is distinct; that first Mia even moves differently. She’s also engaged to JJ (Charlie Barnett, whose entrance made me yelp with delight), not a fan of Connor (Joseph David-Jones), who seems to be in and out of rehab, totally pleased to see the not-dead Zoe (Andrea Sixtos, another welcome return), and seems to also be missing her mother (she uses the past tense when discussing the family ring, although maybe that’s just referring to the fact that Oliver is long-dead). She’s also adrift—not in an Oliver pre-Gambit way, but adrift all the same. Then she gets zapped with that ring by a super-judgmental Laurel and everything changes instantly. * * * - This week’s Arrow as a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend song. This one is perfect. I’m afraid I already used it, but I refuse to check because it’s too, too good. For the record, Mia = head of censorship and mind control; Dinah = puts drugs in the water supply; Not-Laurel = czar of torture. Edited January 22, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo January 22, 2020 Share January 22, 2020 (edited) "Green Arrow & the Canaries" Looks Towards the Future By Tim Beedle Tuesday, January 21st, 202https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2020/01/21/green-arrow-the-canaries-looks-towards-the-future Quote Perhaps the most astonishing thing of all is that journey is just beginning. Tonight’s penultimate episode of Arrow, “Green Arrow & the Canaries,” is a Mia Smoak-centered hour that reveals what her life is like after the hard reset that took place at the end of “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” * * * “What Mia brings with her—at least, the old Mia—is a very cutting sense of being a survivor,” McNamara explains. “She’s had to go through so much and survive so much that she’s never had the same compassion that Oliver has for a lot of what she does. But now that we have this new version of Mia, she does have that compassion. She has these social skills and social graces that really do inform her character in a new way. It’s a very interesting interplay in the way that things are done.” * * * “Given that she got to witness firsthand how her father was a hero, she’s doing everything she can to honor that, follow in his footsteps and do him proud,” says McNamara. “At this point, she doesn’t feel prepared, ready or even worthy to take on his mantle. Despite all the past conflict with her father, she really does respect the hero that he became and the legacy that he built. She views him as a hero.” Harkavy certainly thinks Mia is ready. “Mia is a direct connection to Oliver, to the Green Arrow, to the legacy,” she explains. “She’s the root. It wouldn’t make sense for anybody else because in a way it’s the same character, but it’s also completely different. I believe Mia is the perfect hero for this story.” * * *“I learned about this episode at some point during season 8 of Arrow,” shares McNamara. “I was told that one of the episodes would be a pilot, but they didn’t really have the concept down yet. It went through many different iterations, but it was a really lovely collaborative process with Marc (Guggenheim), Beth (Schwartz) and the whole Arrow team. Given that we had to shoot this between the crossover and the series finale of Arrow, I give so much credit to the entire Arrow team—the creatives, the writers, our crew, who are impeccable.” Edited January 22, 2020 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo January 22, 2020 Share January 22, 2020 (edited) Arrow Review: Green Arrow and The Canaries (Season 8 Episode 9) January 22, 2020 Brianna Martinezhttps://telltaletv.com/2020/01/arrow-review-green-arrow-and-the-canaries-season-8-episode-9/ Quote I get that it’s a backdoor pilot, and there probably won’t be many answers since the whole point of it is to entice viewers to be invested, the lack of solutions and building out a world feels so misplaced and at times, inorganic. * * *The crux of Laurel’s reason for giving Mia back her memories falls flat and doesn’t feel strong enough to sustain the premise. Coming back to save Bianca Bertinelli, while a smart way to drop some information about Helena’s life since she left, feels flimsy at best. By the end of the hour, it’s not even clear if the whole reason for bringing her into this saves Star City or Mia, introducing yet another cursed newspaper headline into the Arrowverse. It almost feels like they set her up to fail, which paired with her nasty attitude towards the Queen who just had her entire existence turned about doesn’t exactly endear anyone to Laurel. * * * There’s also the matter of this proposed team-up. Something doesn’t gel between the trio, and it goes beyond what we saw in the initial stages of OTA forming. Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity had their disagreements and trust issues early on, but there was always something there that felt right. Chemistry beyond the adversarial. That doesn’t come through in the hour. * * * Seeing JJ not as Deathstroke, but as a seemingly regular man, engaged to Mia is another strange moment and not a relationship I get used to by the end of the hour. It’s clear, though, that there is a foundation for a love triangle between the Diggle siblings and Mia. * * *It just feels like something is missing. The one ingredient to sell me on the show. Is it the lack of the Future Team Arrow we’ve grown to know – Mia, William, Connor, and Zoe? Or is it something else? * * *- Is it essential to bring up Oliver’s romantic past with his adult daughter? What is the point of that? - There is not enough Mia and William interacting in the hour, which is a crime. What we do get, though, is extremely sweet, especially their moment with the hozen. Edited January 22, 2020 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo January 22, 2020 Share January 22, 2020 (edited) We Made You A Spotify Playlist Featuring All of Arrow's Bruce Springsteen Songs By RUSS BURLINGAME - January 21, 2020https://comicbook.com/2020/01/22/dc-cw-bruce-springsteen-spotify-playlist-green-arrow/ Quote Season seven, episode 21 of Arrow was probably the closest thing to an on-the-nose title there was. Called "Living Proof," the episode was named after a song on Springsteen's Lucky Town album, one of two "twin" albums released together in March 1992. "Living Proof" is a dense song that covers a lot of territory, but given that Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) was just about ready to give birth in the show, fans obviously zeroed in on the song's first verse. It goes, "Well now, on a summer night, oh in a dusky room/Come a little piece of the Lord's undying light/Crying like he swallowed the fiery moon/In his mother's arms it was all the beauty I could take/Like the missing words to some prayer that I could never make/Oh, in a world so hard and dirty, so fouled and confused/Searching for a little bit of God's mercy/I found living proof." That verse is pretty unambiguously about the joy that the narrator (likely Springsteen himself, since at least one popular live performance of the song is dedicated to his son Evan) felt about the birth of his child. Edited January 22, 2020 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
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