The Starling City Times: News and Media about Arrow

[quarks]

Twitter gives a sense of live viewer reaction, and proves that people really are watching in real time, which also means that they are watching the ads. So it can be one useful tool, though I doubt any network is relying exclusively on Twitter.

 

With other online fans, though, is that the assumption is that if you are invested in a show/movie enough to talk about it online, you are probably invested in it enough to spend money on it - DVDs/Blu-rays, maybe even merchandise if the show has it. I don't know if that's true, but ABC and CBS seem to believe it.

[calliope1975]

I was listening to an X-Files podcast the other day and they were talking about how back in the day, one written fan letter = something like either 10,000 or 100,000 actual fans. They were discussing how with the intro of the internet, creators were able to get real time responses to what they put on TV. I'm wondering if there's some formula studios use now for net talk. 1 comment on a message board = x amount of chatter. I'm sure it's a double edged sword for TPTB - you can get real time reactions but if you mess up, you're already so far into the season it's hard to course correct versus reading a bunch of letters towards the end of a season. 

[Morrigan2575]

I'll try and find it but MG just did an interview talking about online fans and how the EPs treat them like a large/continuous focus group.

Back to the previous discussion. People like us, are a minority, I'm sure. However, I have a problem with the idea that if you're "us" you know everything about a show and if you're "not us" you know nothing.

The idea that general fans ("not us") don't know what an episode is about and just tune in each week is ridiculous (to me). I'd also wager it's ridiculous to the EPs, network and studio as well. If only the small minority of online viewers will ever read the articles why do they even bother? If doing press doesn't help ratings why do the EPs do Q&As, episode screenings, an actors do interviews to support episodes?

BTW I think a lot of this depends on the show and network. I remember reading an interview with an EP for some show (on CBS or TNT) she's talked about the effect of online fans. She talked about how she didn't pay attention to online reaction because her audience were mostly older viewers so twitter/tumblr/Facebook feedback wasn't that important.

However, the CW (whose main demo is 18-34) is not only aware of social media they actively support it and use it to promote shows. They force their actors and producers to get and use twitter accounts to interact with fans, they apparently have analysts which track tumblr and Twitter, etc.

That's my opinion anyway.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Morrigan2575

[Velocity23]

Corto maltese review

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/arrow/arrow-recap-oliver-brings-thea-54926.aspx

Another Arrow review.

http://film-book.com/tv-review-arrow-season-3-episode-3-corto-maltese-cw/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+film-book%2FdAVg+%28Film-Book.com

 

 

Oh, Laurel, Laurel. There is no rehabilitation for this woman. Every upturn has been a setup for a crash, and I think that has been a part of the character design: Laurel as an emotional plot device – a counterweight to Oliver’s stoicism. If the death of Tommy Merlyn set her on the path to being a vigilante hunter, then Sara’s death has set her on the path to vigilantism. Simple enough, but does the setup have to be so ham-fisted? Much like ‘roid rage Roy, Laurel has been little more than a bundle of emo, looking for an outlet, going back & forth from hurting herself, to hurting others. The thing is, Roy had Thea to keep him grounded (however unhealthy that relationship was), before becoming a team player. It seems Laurel’s emo plot device role has been too important for effective grounding; but that might be subject to change. Enter Ted Grant (J.R. Ramirez), trainer/ boxing coach to troubled youth, and bookend to Laurel’s return to the dark side. He was introduced as just another interview subject, in her pursuit of a lead, but that was before she decided to take matters into her own unskilled hands. Given his occupation, and discretion, she will likely see him in a different light, after her first foray into street justice made Bruce Wayne’s look like a hole-in-one.

I understand that Laurel is meant to be following the path Oliver took, filling a hole blown into her life with meaningful violence. The problem is that Oliver had personal drive, and an actual survivalist scenario, behind The Arrow; Laurel just seems to be trading one addiction for another – drowning her pain in violence, rather than controlled substances. Another problem would be her likely relationship with Grant. She’s going to be the next Canary – that seems pretty clear, at this point; but the source character of Ted Grant, aka Wildcat, was more than just the Black Canary’s trainer, he was also a mentor & surrogate father to her. In Arrow‘s case, it looks like bad boy abs won out, over the source dynamic. Eye candy addicts can send their thanks to either central casting, or the network.
 

[Orion]

I saw this on Tumblr and I thought it was really interesting.

"Corto Maltese"

"Sara"

"The Calm"

http://smoakandarrow.tumblr.com/post/100795953599/the-nielsen-tv-twitter-ratings-for-10-22-14

 

It's the twitter Nielsen TV ratings. That person's blog does a good job of explaining what each of the columns means if anyone is interested in learning more about it.

 

The rankings each week really aren't important because where each show ends up in the rankings really depends on what else is going on during that week on TV (example would be that even though "The Calm" had a lot more unique tweeters it was 3rd that week vs "Sara" that was 2nd with less activity). But what I did find interesting is the amount of unique tweeters and the amount of impressions (again, those terms are explained on that person's blog) decreased by a significant amount, over 50%, since "The Calm". 

 

I don't think this speaks to just an effect that one character is causing, if that was the case the numbers should still be there and we would need more data to see during which scenes the tweets are dropping but I do think it speaks to an overall unhappiness with the new season of Arrow. A lot of people in other threads on this board are talking about plot holes, storylines they aren't connecting to, rushing plots, and of course an arc that included killing off a major character and I think this might be an effect of all of that. I personally noticed a drop off in all around activity (comments on review sites, tumblr and twitter talk) after the last episode.

 

With twitter activity now impacting ratings and networks focusing more on online communities creating buzz and excitement about shows these numbers are important and a drop off of this amount isn't something that can just be thrown aside. For me I need to see more of a pattern to start drawing any hypothesis but if I was involved with marking for the CW I would be starting to have a few concerns.

 

I'll be interested to watch these numbers going forward to see if a pattern continues or if it bounces back.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Orion

[TwistedandBored]

Yeah. Twitter activity for Arrow has decrease since "The Calm". I remember during that episode most of the trending topic in the US has been about Arrow. Since then Arrow is lucky if it gets more than #Arrow trending. I am not counting those organized #Olicity trends thought those did happen since 3x01.

[olicityfan25]

It kind of sucks because there episodes are already filmed and they can't do anything about their decreased viewership right now. Unless they cut scenes of those characters who aren't working and grab the ones they did cut and put them back in. They seem to be unnecessarily cutting scenes from characters who do work in favour of furthering someone else's "journey" (barfing right now because what a load of crap this is.)

 

They seemed to cut out Felicity's gun shots scene in favour of something else. If I'm right about that, I don't know exactly. 

 

It will be real interesting to see the Twitter numbers for 3x05.

[Axel]

wow, not so fast...They won't change majorly their stories just because some bad reviews or a few ratings glitches. It would take major drops they don't recover from. They won't give in to the fanbases and online comments until the ratings are lows enough to reach the point where hardcore fans are all they have left watching. Then they'll start to play only what's popular and drop the rest

[statsgirl]

They may not even then.  They've known for a least a year that the Laurel character isn't popular and all they do is write her more.  (On House, ratings started dropping when the original group of fellows was pushed aside for newbies and they never brought the originals back, not even as ratings continue to fall for the next 4 seasons.)

 

The scripts for the next set of episodes (10 - 16) are already written or in the process of writing.  If there is any change, it won't be until episode 17 that we see a change.

[Morrigan2575]

15-16 won't be written until Christmas break, the writer was working on 15 in December of last year. Right now, they are probably writing episode 13.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Morrigan2575

[ban1o]

I don't think twitter activity decreasing for one episode means that much. Episode 3 didn't have many Olicity moments which is what increases twitter activity a lot.  

Edited October 25, 2014 by ban1o

[Velocity23]

https://twitter.com/EricIGN/status/526775986420207617

 

Eric Ghostman from IGN is gonna talk with Emily today.

[Chaser]

And Daniel Radcliffe. I'm a huge HP fan and his name and Emily's name is the same sentence makes me really happy. 

 

I hope we get some good soundbites. 

[ban1o]

http://www.myfanbase.de/arrow/interviews/?pid=20166#.VEy4EH9yjhQ.twitter

 

Katrina Law interview! 

Sara is the love of Nyssa's life and Nyssa would do anything for her.

I think at first Nyssa is very curious about the man who once held Sara's heart. She’s a bit dismissive towards Oliver but as they interact more and more Nyssa begins to gain a warriors respect for the man.

One of my favorite acting scenes will be coming up in Season 3 between Katie Cassidy’s Laurel and Nyssa. It’s a fun short scene and I can't wait for everyone to see it!

Edited October 27, 2014 by ban1o

[statsgirl]

it's a good interview.  I like how she thinks

 

It wasn’t until after I booked the part and then TV Guide announced the casting that I knew what role I was to be playing. It was a fun way to find out. After the TV Guide announcement came the preparation. I did research on Nyssa Al Ghul and the Al Ghuls. It was a fun process and I love the complexity of my new family.

 

 

It is an absolute honor and joy to be able to play Nyssa Al Ghul and bring her to life.

Being how she is a fairly unestablished character, (only appearing in 19 comic book issues) the writers and I have been able to work outside the box on how to bring this character to life. I think Nyssa is "old school" in her mentality and otherworldly in her upbringing, and struggles with the conflict between living within the guidelines of The League of Assassins and the true calling of her heart.

She's says she will be in s3, but I wonder if this is it or if she'll be back.

[ban1o]

 

She's says she will be in s3, but I wonder if this is it or if she'll be back.

I'm sure she'll be back I think either Guggenheim or Kreisberg said she'll play an important tole this season and she is RA's Al Gul's daughter after all. 

[Velocity23]

Well they did say the same for Sara .... doesnt mean much.

[Velocity23]

I am not expecting much from Arrow ratings for this Wednesday. I am expecting something similar to last year. It is funny that they saved the Felicity episode for November sweeps.

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/10/31/tv-ratings-wednesday-world-series-wins-big-super-fun-night-nashville-arrow-criminal-minds-fall-revolution-flat/212562/

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/10/31/wednesday-final-ratings-arrow-super-fun-night-csi-adjusted-down-final-world-series-numbers/212682/

[foreverevolving]

I love how, even though she's a minor character, with hardly any comic books background to work with she has such a good grasp on who her character is.

[Danny Franks]

I'm sure she'll be back I think either Guggenheim or Kreisberg said she'll play an important tole this season and she is RA's Al Gul's daughter after all. 

 

'Death as plot device' counts as an important role, to these writers. I wouldn't get too excited. What better way to get Ra's Al Ghul to go to Starling City than to find out who killed his daughter? It's not like Nyssa is an important character in DC canon, so these guys probably wouldn't be too fussed about killing her.

[statsgirl]

I am not expecting much from Arrow ratings for this Wednesday. I am expecting something similar to last year. It is funny that they saved the Felicity episode for November sweeps.

It's understandable though because she's a popular character and people have been waiting for 2 seasons to find out more about her.

I'm kind of surprised the EPs realize that though.

[Chaser]

Is November Sweeps the whole month of November or just a week? 

[wonderwall]

Is November Sweeps the whole month of November or just a week? 

The whole month :)

[Velocity23]

October 30th - November 26th this year.

[Chaser]

Thanks for the clarification guys :-) 

[Orion]

Interview with EBR about the Flash crossover and the Origins of Felicity Smoak episode.

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10/28/emily-bett-rickards-on-appearing-on-the-flash-and-whats-next-for-felicity-on-arrow

 

She calls Felicity her best friend. I adore her answers.

 

Although her answers about Felicity and Oliver's relationship are not putting my fears to rest. 

[writersblock51]

You beat me to it, Orion! I just finished the article and came here to post the link.

 

I love the whole interview - she seems to understand Felicity so well and how she fits into the Arrow world.  Not reassured by her answers about Oliver either, though. I'm guessing there's not much interaction between them through Ep 10.  Maybe the back half of the season?

 

Given the lack of interest in Olicity from the podcasters (from what was listed in the other thread), maybe the relationship isn't as much a focus as I thought?

[statsgirl]

She's always been good at talking  about who Felicity is and what her fear and hopes and internal motivations are.  She also only talks exactly where they are at the moment in terms of the episodes of the show, rather than 6 episodes down the line where she's read the scripts for.

 

 

Rickards: I think Sara was such a huge part of forced reality, of "Anyone you care about could be ripped away from you." That's a thing they’ve faced a few times, with Moira and Tommy as well. Everyone’s dying! But I think that Oliver's dynamic in comparison to Ray's… I feel like Oliver's ability to cut off a limb to a certain extent is something that Felicity, you know, she can't really do it that well, but she knows that he can and, therefore, we're not going to talk about it. "This is our experience as friends." She doesn't really know what they are or who they were or where they stand now. I don't know, I've been there. I'm still confused. [Laughs] I don't know how she's going to figure it out. Felicity and I have no hope!

 

And she never, ever talks about how Oliver and Felicity are made for each other.

 

ETA:  

 

Given the lack of interest in Olicity from the podcasters (from what was listed in the other thread), maybe the relationship isn't as much a focus as I thought?

Hee. After listening to their podcast of The Calm, I think they're funny but I get a distinct "girls are icky and they have germs" vibe.  Sara is okay because she's a great fighter and wears a push-up bra with lots of cleavage.  (Seriously, they talked about her outfit and the cleavage.)

 

I think Olicity still matters, but it's not a main part of the show this session.  Although MG did tweet that

Oliver would get jealous of Felicity's relationship with Ray.

Edited October 28, 2014 by statsgirl

[Orion]

Sorry Writersblock51 we'll share finders fees. ;D

 

I think the podcasters represent the male demo pretty well. Love Felicity but are afraid of having her in a romantic relationship with Oliver. And with how well these writers have done romance in the past... can't blame them.  But the CW has a large female demo so romance will be an element of it and I have a feeling once they start working on that relationship, if they do it well, it will bring the doubters one board. I saw a LOT of that after Unthinkable, people who thought Oliver and Felicity shouldn't be together or had a brother sister relationship were all of sudden believers and sad it turned into a ruse.

 

But, UGH, not 7 more episodes of them barely talking. I'm not going to make that.

[Password]

Ray is pretty much turning out like I assumed character wise in relation to Felicity. Swear these writers read fan fiction. I did notice the "they're very honest" thing though. Same quality she has with Oliver but it's ironic because she has a secret life. Wonder when Ray J figures out about Team Arrow.

She was very coy about Olicity to be fair. I'm not so much worried because she just didn't have a lot to say about their dynamic. I'm biting my tongue and grimacing for the foreseeable future.

[wonderwall]

EBR, and the EPs keep talking about how Ray is great for Felicity and I think they're playing up a possible romance... Is it just me or does anyone else not see it? I mean he started out creepy (still is. I mean, when a woman says 'no', you should stop pestering her), and I guess I still don't see the insane amount of witty banter yet or them challenging each other... Hopefully we'll see more of this in order for me to even think about considering a possible romance. But right now it's a huge NO. 

[Password]

The thing is Felicity is meant to eventually make a choice between Ray J and Oliver. So they really have to make him seem like an excellent alternative. It's almost glaringly boring and "darn I've seen this before". I'm far more interested in how Oliver will throw his hat back in the basket when he has competition with perfect Ray. If Ray is giving her everything she needs and wants, why choose Oliver? *grimacing hard*

I honestly wish they would've left Ray buying her company out of the narrative. It just leaves a massively sour taste in my mouth and makes me mad when I think about it too much. Would've made that scene more enjoyable for me.

[Chaser]

I'm excited and nervous for her backstory now. Excited to meet her mom and see that relationship and a little nervous because I didn't want Felicity to have this dark past, a slight brush with it to make it interesting but nothing over the top dramatic. 

 

The more I hear about Ray and Felicity, the more I'm confidant they aren't going to be a real romance. I just don't get that vibe from BR or this interview from EBR. I get possible interest in the future from BR's take, but I get more friendly shoulder to lean on from EBR. 

 

EBR is always a bit vague when it comes to details about the Oliver and Felicity relationship (which is smart in my opinion). I wonder if the writers are going to go with the whole saying a lot without saying much or nothing at all (The Life I Lead and Beach Scene). They may be holding the big conversations until the back half of the fall season and she doesn't what to spoil it so she is talking about where they are at the moment for the audience. 

 

All I take away from those podcasts is that they love Felicity and I would rather people be a fan of her character then the pairing. 

[wonderwall]

I'm actually happy to see Felicity having a dark past because it just goes to show just how strong she is by being so optimistic and good. I will cry foul to everyone who who says Felicity is a flat character especially after this episode airs. I'm quite nervous to see if the writers actually pull this episode off considering it'll be a bottle episode (and Arrow tends to not do well with these). However, what keeps me optimistic is that it seems as though the writers knew what they were going to do with Felicity's past for over a year so they've had time to perfect the episode and what she's been through. 

 

I feel like with the podcasts, a lot of them don't like Oliver/felicity because they think the writers are going to mess it up, thus ruining the dynamics of the team. Some of them genuinely can't see the chemistry, some of them didn't understand why they loved each other until the first episode of season 3. While it was sort of sad to listen to them talk about Olicity, I really enjoyed the podcasts because it's clear all of them want the best for the characters, except maybe Laurel...  :p So thanks @Orion! 

[quarks]

EBR and most of the others have also been very clear that they don't get told much in advance - they only know about the scripts they've seen thus far. I think that's the main reason she and the others usually stay as vague as possible - even if there's a big scene, they don't necessarily know what said big scene will lead to.

[Password]

I'm not surprised by the slightly dark past. I've always thought Felicity had to have been tried in the fire in some form to be the remarkable woman she is today. So I'm glad my suspicions (I hope) will be validated.

I am however surprised by Felicity's mum meaning well. Or maybe not. When she told Oliver about her mum it came across as "my mum is overbearing". I'm just stoked I'll be able to see and know more about this beloved character. Finally!

[Chaser]

I've always thought Felicity had a slightly darker past. She was an experienced Hacker when we meet her, that is not typically associated with rainbows and puppies. However, I want to be able to see how she got from who she was to who she is without having to fill in the blanks. I'm just a little afraid that they are going for Shock Value.

 

I love family relationships so I can't wait to see Mama Smoak and Felicity interact. I get the impression that mother and daughter love each other, but maybe aren't on the same page. What I really what to see though is that Felicity got her smarts from her mother. I just think it would be fun and surprising.

[Morrigan2575]

So people are totally freaking out because of that one paragraph? I just read the whole article thinking there must be something else in the article that set people off but there isn't.

What exactly is it about that paragraph that's got people freaking out because I don't see it.

[Guest]

Yeah, I just read the IGN article expecting something terrible but was pleasantly surprised. I didn't get any romance vibes between Felicity and Ray. I actually thought she was overselling Ray tbh, in the same manor the EP's are overselling R/F's amazing chemistry and banter. Yet to see it.

 

I think it's interesting that she says there's honesty between Ray and Felicity when really there isn't. He knows nothing about her double life.

 

The only thing that kind of bugged me was the part about Felicity not knowing where she stands with Oliver and how Felicity has no hope. It only concerns me in that I don't want to watch the next how many episodes with Oliver behaving the way he did towards Felicity in 303. I understand their distance but they could play the distance another way without seeming so cold and indifferent to each other.

 

Other than that, great interview. EBR has such a great grasp on her character. I'm really intrigued to learn about her dark past and very happy that Mama Smoak is not a bad person. I didn't think she was, based on how wonderful Felicity is, but fandom has painted her as less than favorable before. Can't wait for 305. 

[Morrigan2575]

I don't think she meant no hope as in no hope. I took her comment to refer to figuring the relationship ship out. It sounds like she was mixing in herself and Felicity. I basically took her comment to mean one of those very confusing relationships that we've all been through.

Maybe I'm missing something but even on rereading it sounded like a joke, Felicity and I are hopeless at relationships...

[BkWurm1]

I feel like Oliver's ability to cut off a limb to a certain extent is something that Felicity, you know, she can't really do it that well, but she knows that he can and, therefore, we're not going to talk about it. "This is our experience as friends." She doesn't really know what they are or who they were or where they stand now. I don't know, I've been there. I'm still confused. [Laughs] I don't know how she's going to figure it out. Felicity and I have no hope!

 

 

The no hope thing I think was played for laughs but I think it does tie back to Felicity not really knowing where she and Oliver stand.  She would be refusing to let herself hope because she refuses to play that kind of mind game but that wouldn't mean that she doesn't want things to change in a positive way. 

 

I didn't take anything  bad from the interview except that part that pretty much to me confirms the distance between Oliver and Felicity is not going to be resolved anytime soon.  I think I already knew that but it's not what I was hoping for. 

 

Well, STAR Labs has something that we in the Arrow world don't. They have these other sort of tech abilities that -- I mean, Felicity can only provide so much. So I think that's really exciting for her, at least for her intellect addiction. I think that her and Caitlin are really great together because there's not a lot of women of that caliber in on the secret. Where we are with Starling and Central City, she doesn't get to work with a whole lot of women, especially women she can talk to in a certain "IQ" sort of way. Obviously that's a little sad,

 

I'm making my own jokes at a certain character's expense.  I'm positive that wasn't EBR's intension, but I'm going to happily pretend Felicity in her free time is complaining to Caitlin about a certain someone's very sad IQ . 

[Guest]

Yeah, I think the no hope comment was more EBR than Felicity. It did come across as jokey and also as a way of deflecting the answer maybe? It seemed like she didn't really want to give much away and I applaud that. Really, aside from confirming that O/F will probably be distant for the foreseeable (not something I wanted tbh) I really didn't see anything to worry about with that interview. 

[apinknightmare]

I think the "I have no hope" thing is just an awkwardly phrased version of something along the lines of, "I'm hopeless when it comes to figuring out complicated relationships."

[Velocity23]

For me and i based my opinion on previous EBR interviews. Emily never gives very spoilerly interviews. I think she described Felicitys thinking/emotions upto episode 3x03/3x04 when she returns from Central City.

[NumberCruncher]

I think the "I have no hope" thing is just an awkwardly phrased version of something along the lines of, "I'm hopeless when it comes to figuring out complicated relationships."

Agreed that it's just an awkward phrasing and a typical EBR thing, to be honest. This isn't the first time I haven't caught her exact meaning in an interview. She has an interesting way of saying things sometimes so I'm taking a wait-and-see approach.

[Morrigan2575]

I think the "I have no hope" thing is just an awkwardly phrased version of something along the lines of, "I'm hopeless when it comes to figuring out complicated relationships."

That's how i took it.

 

Also, Emily is usually very insightful on Felicity, she knows who Felicity is and what she (EBR) wants for Felicity but she tends to be very vague on Olicity.  I know at one point she talked about being worried that Felicity would get lost in Olicity so she might down play Olicity in her interviews. 

 

Also, as Velocity said, EBR pretty much tends to only answer questions up to the episode they're promoting, not filming.  With the exception of a minor mistake at SDCC 2013 (which I blame on blabber mouth CH who was interviewed with her) she tends to give some of the least spoiler-y interviews.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Morrigan2575

[Velocity23]

http://www.accesshollywood.com/lsquothe-flashrsquo-qanda-emily-bett-rickards-on-how-visiting-barry-and-central-city-helps-felicity_article_100093

 

EBR interview with AccessHollywood

[apinknightmare]

http://www.accesshollywood.com/lsquothe-flashrsquo-qanda-emily-bett-rickards-on-how-visiting-barry-and-central-city-helps-felicity_article_100093

 

EBR interview with AccessHollywood

 

Felicity's a little awkward and very much overdressed

 

Aw, I'm glad that's going to be addressed, haha. I can't wait to watch this - I think her and Barry are precious.

[Password]

For a heart stopping second I thought she meant Star Labs will help out with finding Sara's killer.

It's an odd choice for a coffee shop date. I wonder if she took it there (did she plan to go clubbing?) Or if she bought it there.

[Velocity23]

Alan Sepinwall Flash recap but also talks Felicity!

http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-flash-going-rogue-felicity-comes-to-town

 

 

And third to the good — but also starting towards the bad — we have Felicity Smoak. I wondered how she would fit in on this show, because so much of what makes her interesting on "Arrow" is that she injects lightness and joy into what's so often a dark and angst-ridden series. "Flash" already has pieces of the energy that Emily Bett Rickards brings — even if we don't know Caitlin and Cisco and the others remotely as well yet — and I thought she might seem a bit redundant. But she worked very well here, whether being awed to realize Harrison knew her resume or being embarrassed when she hurt herself cracking her knuckles trying to seem badass.

On the other hand, we have the Iris problem — which is starting to be a big one. After last week's episode, I had a lot of people telling me they thought Barry had much more chemistry with Caitlin than with Iris, and his lack of connection with his supposed soulmate was even more glaring once Felicity came to town.

This is a problem "Smallville" ran into as well in its early days with Lana (the comics-mandated love interest who didn't spark as much with the hero) and Chloe (the show's creation whom the fans preferred), and one that's popped up on other shows over the years(*). I don't know that it's a thing Candice Patton is or isn't doing so much as a writing issue — starting with the fact that Iris understandably views Barry as a sibling, given their history — but I rolled my eyes every time Barry ignored the way Felicity was throwing herself at him because he was too busy moping over Iris and Eddie kissing. There's obviously the larger issue that Felicity is on another show, and that Team "Arrow" still has plans for Felicity and Oliver, but I watched that train scene at the end and thought, "These two are young, attractive, single and temperamentally suited for each other. Even if they think somebody else is their soulmate, why can't they have some fun together?"

(*) Anybody remember when the main source of romantic tension on "The West Wing" was supposed to be between Josh and Mandy? Aaron Sorkin is really hoping you don't.

It's not about 'shipping another couple, but about a concern that the creative team is too married to an idea that doesn't seem to be working, and that makes their hero look like a sap when in fact they want it to make him seem noble and simply unlucky. Of course, many of these people also worked on "Arrow," a show that was able to pivot away from Oliver and Laurel once it became clear the audience much preferred the young lady with the glasses, so it may be that Berlanti, Kreisberg and Johns may recognize in time that their versions of Barry and Iris don't need to couple up simply because the comic book characters with the same names did.

But I was very pleased to realize that Felicity would be coming to town in the same episode that introduced Captain Cold, and instead that part of the episode mainly made me want to smack our hero upside the head.