tv echo March 9, 2017 Share March 9, 2017 (edited) I disagree with putting Laurel at #2 (IMO, Felicity was/is more essential than Laurel on the team), but considering the source of this article, I'm not surprised at their rankings (there are author's comments included with each ranking, I just didn't bother quoting them)... Ranking the Team Arrow Members Jenna Anderson- 03/08/2017http://comicbook.com/dc/2017/03/09/ranking-the-team-arrow-members/ #12 - Dinah Drake #11 - Evelyn Sharp/Artemis #10 - Curtis Holt/Mr. Terrific #9 - Ray Palmer/The Atom #8 - Rory Regan/Ragman #7 - Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog #6 - Thea Queen/Speedy #5 - Roy Harper/Arsenal #4 - Sara Lance/The Canary #3 - Felicity Smoak/Overwatch #2 - Laurel Lance/Black Canary #1 - John Diggle/Spartan Edited March 9, 2017 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
lemotomato March 9, 2017 Share March 9, 2017 LL ranked higher than Felicity AND Sara? LOLOLOL 15 Link to comment
insomniadreams88 March 9, 2017 Share March 9, 2017 What has LL ever done to earn that #2 spot other than be BC? And how is it that Evelyn is ranked higher than Tinah when Evelyn betrayed the team? 2 Link to comment
lemotomato March 9, 2017 Share March 9, 2017 Because Tinah is a new and improved replacement for the author's beloved LL. 2 Link to comment
Starfish35 March 9, 2017 Share March 9, 2017 (edited) Hahahahahaha that's hilarious. We are definitely watching different shows. In the show I'm watching, Laurel was so essential that she was killed off and basically recast. "OK, we have to have a BC, but....not this one." Edited March 9, 2017 by Starfish35 9 Link to comment
tv echo March 9, 2017 Share March 9, 2017 Green Arrow, Green Lantern Join Injustice 2 Roster Darrin Wright March 9, 2017http://attackofthefanboy.com/news/green-arrow-green-lantern-join-injustice-2-roster/ Quote The roster for Injustice 2, the sequel to the well-received and popular Injustice: Gods Among Us, grew by two after developer Netherrealm Studios released their latest trailer for the game today. Green Lantern Hal Jordan and the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, are both returning from the first game, and both look like they’re quite fun to play as. * * * As for Green Arrow, that story is a little more complicated, as the version of Oliver Queen from the “evil” Superman’s world was dead when the first game took place, at Superman’s hands, so unless he was brought back from the dead (which happens a lot in comics) he, too, is from an alternate world. There’s no word yet on if Injustice 2 will repeat the Stephen Amell “Arrow” DLC from the first one. Link to comment
apinknightmare March 9, 2017 Share March 9, 2017 19 minutes ago, insomniadreams88 said: What has LL ever done to earn that #2 spot other than be BC? And how is it that Evelyn is ranked higher than Tinah when Evelyn betrayed the team? I won't make the #2 joke, I won't make the #2 joke, I won't make the #2 joke... 7 Link to comment
LeighAn March 9, 2017 Share March 9, 2017 Omg the write up for Laurel in the ranking thing is hilarious: http://comicbook.com/dc/2017/03/09/ranking-the-team-arrow-members/11 Its basically "Well Oliver only survived those five years away because he loved her sooooo much and shes the one that inspires the entire team y'all" Link to comment
Primal Slayer March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 3 hours ago, LeighAn said: http://comicbook.com/dc/2017/03/09/ranking-the-team-arrow-members/11 Link to comment
EmilyBettFan March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 (edited) 1) Felicity helped save Oliver's life (how many times?) 2) Felicity got Diggle out of Prison 3) Felicity helped take down the big bads of practically every season so far. 4) Felicity dismantling how many bombs? I can go on. There is nothing Laurel has done that can outweigh these. She died. This isn't even coming from me being a fan of Felicity and disliking Laurel. This is in show canon. Laurel had Cnri and I applaud her for doing work for the people who couldn't afford it. But the hood won her cases for her. Then her thinking she needed to go back in there for files, got Tommy killed. Sure he went in there to on his own but if she wasn't there he wouldn't have had to die. Countless people told her to get out. She used her scream to get the team out of the gas chamber. Other than that I can't think of big things she did on her own. Edited March 10, 2017 by EmilyBettFan 12 Link to comment
Mellowyellow March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 Meh Anyone can write whatever list they want to write to support their cause. I can write a list citing reasons why Ray is the bestest eva! *runs and hides from @LeighAn lest she beat me with a bow* 2 Link to comment
LeighAn March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 2 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said: Meh Anyone can write whatever list they want to write to support their cause. I can write a list citing reasons why Ray is the bestest eva! *runs and hides from @LeighAn lest she beat me with a bow* 7 Link to comment
Velocity23 March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 7 hours ago, Primal Slayer said: #AlternativeFacts! 11 Link to comment
theOAfc March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 I realise there's literally one Laurel fan in this board. Stay strong girl. lol 7 Link to comment
theOAfc March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 17 hours ago, tv echo said: #12 - Dinah Drake #11 - Evelyn Sharp/Artemis #10 - Curtis Holt/Mr. Terrific #9 - Ray Palmer/The Atom #8 - Rory Regan/Ragman #7 - Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog #6 - Thea Queen/Speedy #5 - Roy Harper/Arsenal #4 - Sara Lance/The Canary #3 - Felicity Smoak/Overwatch #2 - Laurel Lance/Black Canary #1 - John Diggle/Spartan Im gonna pretend that the reason Oliver is not in the list is because he is the worst of them all. lol 2 Link to comment
Sunshine March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 16 hours ago, LeighAn said: Omg the write up for Laurel in the ranking thing is hilarious: http://comicbook.com/dc/2017/03/09/ranking-the-team-arrow-members/11 Its basically "Well Oliver only survived those five years away because he loved her sooooo much and shes the one that inspires the entire team y'all" Well...I guess the author forgot that he was on the boat escaping Laurel and her pressure to take the relationship to another level. If not for her he might never have had the opportunity to become a killer. 4 Link to comment
Cleanqueen March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 The only time I could recall Laurel doing anything profound as BC was when her canary cry slightly shattered the glass and Oliver broke it with her baton and got everyone out of the chamber. And then she wanted recognition for it. Oh also when that little kid told her she was very strong and she winked at him. 7 Link to comment
Trisha March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 I've never listened to this Arrow podcast before but I stumbled on it in iTunes and these guys are hilarious! (I like the "crackpot theories" section, most of which have been discussed on these boards): https://www.theincomparable.com/teevee/228/ Link to comment
lemotomato March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 3 hours ago, Cleanqueen said: The only time I could recall Laurel doing anything profound as BC was when her canary cry slightly shattered the glass and Oliver broke it with her baton and got everyone out of the chamber. And then she wanted recognition for it. The whole team had to get captured in order to make her relevant. If that doesn't emphasize how insignificant her role on the show was, I don't know what else would. 10 Link to comment
insomniadreams88 March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 You know, I'd also rank Rory higher than Rene on that list because of the nuke. 4 Link to comment
Starfish35 March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 Oh yeah, my list would be very different. :/ Felicity Diggle Sara Roy Thea Rory Dinah Rene Ray Curtis Laurel Evelyn 1 Link to comment
Cleanqueen March 10, 2017 Share March 10, 2017 29 minutes ago, lemotomato said: The whole team had to get captured in order to make her relevant. If that doesn't emphasize how insignificant her role on the show was, I don't know what else would. and even then Malcolm dressed as the GA had to help her rescue the team. 2 Link to comment
Primal Slayer March 11, 2017 Share March 11, 2017 13 hours ago, theOAfc said: I realise there's literally one Laurel fan in this board. Stay strong girl. lol 1 Link to comment
EmilyBettFan March 11, 2017 Share March 11, 2017 Oh those gifs make it so easy to say something but I won't lol Link to comment
kismet March 11, 2017 Share March 11, 2017 On 3/10/2017 at 10:46 AM, Sunshine said: Well...I guess the author forgot that he was on the boat escaping Laurel and her pressure to take the relationship to another level. If not for her he might never have had the opportunity to become a killer. See it really is all because of LL that we have the GA!! :) I mean its for completely messed up reasons, but if LL had never been so undesirable for OQ to settle down with, we never may have gotten the GA because OQ never would have gotten on that boat. Also, while I will stay out of the fray for most of this conversation because I liked LL until they screwed up her character. I will say that the show has gone hard core this season in retrofitting LL and making her so much more critical to the team's success and inspiration than ever before. It's hard to swallow sometimes how much the LL worship this season has gone overboard, that I can see how segments of the audience would think that LL was critical to GA's development even with little in-show evidence over the last 5 years. The WWLD mantra & rallying cry has posthumously elevated LL's role on TA - even if it makes little to no sense when you break down the facts. 7 Link to comment
tv echo March 12, 2017 Share March 12, 2017 (edited) Kotobukiya Unveils Arrow ARTFX+ Statue Adam Barnhardt- 03/11/2017http://comicbook.com/dc/2017/03/12/arrow-kotobukiya-statue/ Quote Fan-favorite toy maker Kotobukiya keeps adding to its ever-growing ARTFX+ line and this time, Star City’s finest is finding himself as a 1/10 scale statue. Modeled after actor Stephen Amell, the actor behind Green Arrow on the superhero drama, the statue can be posed with either his bow on standby at his side or out front — as if he’s on the offensive against Prometheus. Edited March 12, 2017 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
EmilyBettFan March 13, 2017 Share March 13, 2017 Oh no honey that face is not Amell. 2 Link to comment
way2interested March 13, 2017 Share March 13, 2017 Yes, but at least the sleeves look less like turtle shells. Link to comment
BkWurm1 March 13, 2017 Share March 13, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, EmilyBettFan said: Oh no honey that face is not Amell. It's like a mix of Justin Hartley and Amell. Like the squareness of SA's head and his nose but also some of JH's facial features, only wider. Edited March 13, 2017 by BkWurm1 1 Link to comment
bethy March 13, 2017 Share March 13, 2017 I thought it was Neal McDonough at first glance. 3 Link to comment
tv echo March 13, 2017 Share March 13, 2017 (edited) Arrow: Quit Playing And Bring Oliver And Felicity Back Together March 13, 2017 Mark Wilson http://theinscribermag.com/arrow-quit-playing-and-bring-oliver-and-felicity-back-together/ Quote From the beginning of Arrow, you could sense the chemistry between Oliver and Felicity. It took a few seasons for Oliver to notice that Felicity was showing signs of interest and when he finally conceded it was well worth the wait. So why break that up? * * * Normally, if there is a big romance in a show and it doesn’t work out it can usually benefit the characters. However, when Oliver and Felicity parted ways, the show may have gotten worse. I still love the action but the characters don’t feel as close anymore as they once did. Felicity moved on to Detective Malone and Oliver met Susan. While neither relationship has worked out, due to Arrow killing Malone and Thea and Felicity sabotaging Susan’s laptop, they are both left single. The pair has been apart for too long. Time to make the team whole again. The reason why their pairing is important to the show is due to Oliver’s willingness to listen to Felicity. She can hit the nerves that John and Thea cannot. What’s worst is the writers trying to pull off the impossible with Felicity and Oliver still working together for what they call the betterment of the team. I understand that Oliver was tricked into killing Malone but Felicity showed no emotion towards Oliver for doing so. Normally, she would get mad if he looked at someone wrong and yet nothing for the death of her boyfriend? The vibe is weird between the two and as Oliver has dated a few of his team members and now a local reporter it’s clear that Felicity is the one for him. So, why the long wait? Does it have to be a life or death situation for them to make it happen? Their storyline is taking a bit too long to come to fruition and it’s getting rather tiresome. We know they belong together. It’s what’s best for them, the team, us and the show. Edited March 13, 2017 by tv echo 18 Link to comment
thegirlsleuth March 13, 2017 Share March 13, 2017 My favorite part of the "Quit Playing and Bring Oliver and Felicity Back Together" is that its written by a guy who's a pro sports reporter/commentator, with credits in Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, ESPN and Fox Sports. Nice find, @tv echo! 17 Link to comment
tv echo March 15, 2017 Share March 15, 2017 (edited) No spoilers... GAME CHANGER: Lexa Doig Talks Career, Her Latest Roles and Creative Evolution! Posted on14 March 2017. Jason Pricehttp://www.iconvsicon.com/2017/03/14/game-changer-lexa-doig-talks-career-her-latest-roles-and-creative-evolution/ Quote You’re also a part of another huge series with CW’s “Arrow”. You’ve been part of a lot of big sci-fi series in the past. How does a production like this differ from the ones you’ve experienced in the past? “Arrow” has a nice, healthy budget! [laughs] Some of the ones that I’ve done in the past I have not had nearly the budget that “Arrow” has! [laughs] It’s funny, I walked up on the set for one of the episodes that I was doing and saw the director of photography I had worked with for 5 years on “Andromeda.” I see a lot of the same faces I have worked with in the past and that is partially because we shoot in Vancouver and partially because of the genre. These shows are very comparable and are almost the same kind of thing but this one as a bigger budget. Everyone involved is so incredibly talented and it is so slick, especially the fight work on the show! It’s mind-boggling, especially when you consider the amount of time they have to do it in! With fight scenes, you have to understand, writers will write “And then they fight…” on the script page. That is literally half of a sentence and it takes a day to film. When a fight is described in half a page, it takes a day and a half to film that! They do it like it was a regular scene and that’s amazing to me how tight their stunt crew is at what they do. Stephen Amell is amazing at getting shit done when it comes to the fight scenes! This is an iconic character to many comic book fans. What type of research went into the part and what do you feel you might have brought to her that wasn’t on the written page? I did some of my research after I played her because I didn’t know I was going to be playing her when I got cast in the part. It was funny, my agent called me on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening and said, “Do you want to do a few episodes of “Arrow”?” I said, “Yeah, absolutely! Can I see a script or character breakdown or something before I agree to do this?” She said, “Yeah, sure.” The next day I got a character breakdown and a couple of pages for an audition for a character named Lindsay. I read them and said, “I would love to play this.” My agent said, “Great! I will work out the deal.” She went and worked out the deal and said, “Done!” So, Wednesday night, because the character was playing on Friday, I got a call from the costume designer asking me to come in the next day. I’ve worked with her before so know her quite well. Then I get the memo explaining where I am to park and at the top of the memo it says, “Wardrobe fitting for Talia al Ghul.” [laughs] I went, “Whaaaaaat?!!!” [laughs] I went running downstairs to my husband, who is equally as much a comic book geek as I am, which is not a huge comic book geek but enough to know who all the different characters are. He was in the basement and I went running down and said, “Dude! Duuuuude! I think I’m playing Talia al Ghul!” He said, “That’s so cool!” [laughs] So, I did know she was Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter and I knew that her sister Nyssa had already appeared on the show but the context of their relationship, as well as Nyssa’s backstory on “Arrow” and Nyssa Raatko’s backstory in the comics. I was trying to figure that out and I read up on Talia, her relationships, alliances, etcetera, etcetera. She honestly exists more in the Batman’s world then in Arrow’s world. In terms of what I brought to the character and what I saw in her, is that in the comics, she has the patience to play the long-game always! In fact, I think that is the preferred game that she likes to play! She is definitely someone with the attitude of “Why do for myself what I can get someone else to do for me? But, if you want it done right you have to do it for yourself!” [laughs] Edited March 15, 2017 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
BkWurm1 March 15, 2017 Share March 15, 2017 12 hours ago, tv echo said: Then I get the memo explaining where I am to park and at the top of the memo it says, “Wardrobe fitting for Talia al Ghul.” [laughs] I went, “Whaaaaaat?!!!” [laughs] I went running downstairs to my husband, who is equally as much a comic book geek as I am, which is not a huge comic book geek but enough to know who all the different characters are. He was in the basement and I went running down and said, “Dude! Duuuuude! I think I’m playing Talia al Ghul!” He said, “That’s so cool!” [laughs] I really love this bit. I love that they both geeked out just a little bit. And talk about keeping casting close to the vest. Lindsey? Lol. 3 Link to comment
GirlvsTV March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 In case y'all need a laugh: Quote Though Susan Williams started off the season on a rough note, she’s become invaluable to Oliver — which was proven during Wednesday’s episode of Arrow. After Susan (Carly Pope) was kidnapped by Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra), Oliver (Stephen Amell) was determined to get his girlfriend back. After all, they had just recently reached a great place where she even knew he was the Green Arrow and was willing to keep his secret. It’s certainly a change from the beginning of the season when Susan was all too willing to dupe Thea (Willa Holland) into providing her with information that she then used against Oliver as mayor. Plus, Susan spent a bulk of the season digging into Oliver’s ties to Russia, so for all he knew, Susan could’ve been working with Adrian. How has Oliver come to trust her so explicitly? “We’ve all seen the evil reporter,” Amell tells EW. “I thought that it was much more interesting that we see the evil reporter who takes advantage of someone and takes advantage of a mayor who she thinks, possibly rightly so, is unqualified, then gets to know him better, begins to appreciate his love for the city and has a change of heart. I always thought that that was way more interesting than just she’s out to get him, she’s keeping close proximity for the simple reason of eventually outing him and destroying his life.” More at Entertainment Weekly - > http://ew.com/tv/2017/03/15/arrow-stephen-amell-oliver-susan-williams/ 1 Link to comment
BkWurm1 March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 I love how Abrams manages to call her invaluable while in the episode Oliver hadn't even noticed she was gone, lol. 9 Link to comment
Mrs. de Winter March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 Wow - if SA thought this version of the reporter story was "much more interesting" I hate to think how off the charts boring their version with evil reporter would have been. Either way, nothing about the reporter has been interesting. I cannot believe this was about anything other than him being upset at the idea of Oliver looking stupid (again) for sleeping with a woman who is out to get him (again). 19 Link to comment
Morrigan2575 March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 4 minutes ago, Mrs. de Winter said: I cannot believe this was about anything other than him being upset at the idea of Oliver looking stupid (again) for sleeping with a woman who is out to get him (again). I'm sold. 2 Link to comment
Guest March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 Quote “I thought that it was much more interesting that we see the evil reporter who takes advantage of someone and takes advantage of a mayor who she thinks, possibly rightly so, is unqualified, then gets to know him better, begins to appreciate his love for the city and has a change of heart. This makes me LOL because she only had a change of heart once she'd gotten her job back. Selfish b---- I swear they say one thing and something else happens on screen. It's crazy. Link to comment
tangerine95 March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 I don't see why they thought that would be interesting because that pretty much is asking the audience to care about her opinion in order to care about her change of heart which is unlikely for a random character that they did everything to make unlikable. And then they don't even actually show the change of heart and she's shady the entire time and acts like an asshole until she gets what she wants. So I just don't get what the point of that is if she's just a character who is supposed to be so amazed at Oliver's goodness and heroism that she drops the narrative purpose they set out for her in the start and does nothing. Like did they really need to waste almost a whole season on that? 16 Link to comment
kismet March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 2 minutes ago, tangerine95 said: Like did they really need to waste almost a whole season on that? I think it had a lot to do with them being able to book Carly Pope, for I'm assuming was a good price. Had it been a no-name or more expensive actor, I think the trajectory would have been different. 3 Link to comment
Belinea March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 Badly written storyline is badly written... And to call it interesting is seriously reaching. 3 Link to comment
tv echo March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 (edited) ‘Arrow’ recap: 'Checkmate’ SARA NETZLEY MARCH 15, 2017 AT 11:42PM EDThttp://ew.com/recap/arrow-season-5-episode-16/ Quote ... To the surprise of Oliver and Oliver alone, Talia reveals that her last name is al Ghul, then basically tells him, “You killed my father, prepare to die.” * * * Almost immediately, Oliver changes costumes and, as Green Arrow, stops Chase in the parking garage and threatens to expose him as the Throwing Star Killer. That’s when Chase announces that he kidnapped Oliver’s girlfriend. “I’m 10 steps ahead of you, and you haven’t even figured out what game we’re playing yet,” he evil-laughs. Now that Chase is out of the serial murderer closet, he’s gotten all growly and monologuy, and I… don’t hate it. * * * When video of a bloody-faced Susan being menaced by Prometheus turns up, the team wastes no time in analyzing it, but they don’t find any clues to her whereabouts. Naturally, Oliver beats himself up for getting involved with her. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” Yeah, dude. Your viewers have been saying that ALL SEASON LONG. But he doesn’t mean it the way we do, instead blaming himself for putting her in danger because he’s a vigilante. Felicity comes racing in at this point to receive a tongue-lashing from Oliver (settle down, everyone; it’s metaphorical) for being MIA. Oliver says it’s fine, she doesn’t work for him, but he’s worried about her and the secrets she’s keeping. * * * Let’s flash back at this point, shall we? We left Anatoly, Oliver, and Oliver’s wig staring down Bratva guns, and tonight we watch them gain the upper hand in a vicious gun battle that at one point finds Oliver pumping a guy’s belly full of lead from like two inches away. Um, didn’t this show just have an episode devoted entirely to gun violence? Way to both have and eat your cake, guys. * * * “Why are you playing Robin Hood?” he marvels. When Oliver explains that it’s a way to give his dark side an identity separate from the rest of him, Anatoly scoffs that the woman who taught him that will one day “be the source of your greatest pain.” That… seems like quite a leap for Anatoly to make. But he redeems himself when he hears Oliver speak as the Hood and asks the world’s most important question: “What is this thing you’re doing with your voice?” * * * “We’re not targets, man,” John says. “We’re your teammates. We’re your strength.” Caring about people doesn’t make him vulnerable; it makes him human. But Oliver, the human sad trombone, replies, “Being human’s a luxury I might not get to have.” At this point, Felicity calls with Susan’s location (thanks, Helix!). Oliver sends John to fetch what makes Chase vulnerable, while the rest of the team heads out. Man, imagine how much more powerful this rescue would be if we cared at all about the kidnapped person. Imagine if it was Thea (incapacitated somehow, I guess) or John or… literally anybody else, really. * * * Felicity heads back to Helix to locate Oliver, despite Curtis’ pleas not to go. Kojo’s delighted at how often Felicity’s stupid friends get kidnapped because that means she’ll basically be working off her debt with them forever. * * * But Chase has big plans. Oliver helped him discover who he really is, so “that’s what I’m going to help you do, Oliver.” Um, he’s going to help Oliver discover that he’s a gifted archer whose hero complex is at war with his survivor’s guilt? I think Oliver already has a handle on that. Edited March 16, 2017 by tv echo 9 Link to comment
tv echo March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 (edited) Arrow reveals its main villains, and they are terrifying By Alasdair Wilkins Mar. 16, 2017http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/arrow-reveals-its-main-villains-and-they-are-terri-252178 Quote Let’s be honest about this: Crowbarring Talia into this season, and into the flashbacks no less, is some deeply convoluted storytelling. To keep Arrow self-consistent, we need to assume that Ra’s al Ghul and Nyssa never once let slip anything about another daughter of the demon, and that Oliver never once thought to make a connection between any of these slightly supernatural, definitely expert warriors. Indeed, if I’m remembering my wider DC history correctly, there’s a good chance Talia was only ever held back in favor of Nyssa because the character was still off-limits after her appearance in The Dark Knight Rises, so this season represents the tardy debut of the “real” al Ghul daughter. (Not to take away anything from Nyssa, who also has a comics background and is portrayed brilliantly by Katrina Law, but Talia is the iconic character.) It would be one thing to insert a character as big as Talia into Oliver’s present-day storyline, but it’s quite another to suggest the daughter of the man he spent the third season fighting was the woman who trained him a few years before. There are ways to justify all this, some more rigorous than others—I’m not averse to the argument “Well, it’s fun to see Talia, and Lexa Doig is fun in the role,” though that’s not exactly rigorous—but this is unquestionably the kind of byzantine storytelling that is straight out of the comics. And yet, tonight’s episode makes all this feel, if not exactly plausible, then at least hideously logical. For the third season to work, Talia has to be estranged from Ra’s al Ghul, but such separation doesn’t preclude her feeling fury and wrath toward her father’s killer, especially when she trained him. (Hopefully that’s a thread Arrow picks up on, as surely Talia must feel some guilt for her own role in her father’s demise.) And yes, one can very reasonably wonder why Oliver never suspected some relationship between his mentor in Russia and his adversary in Nanda Parbat, especially when Lexa Doig has so obviously modeled her performance to match Katrina Law’s. But hey, this is Oliver we’re talking about: His obliviousness to threats right in front of his face may be utterly irritating, and it’s probably a legitimate storytelling flaw that Arrow has to rely on it so often, but damn it, his idiocy is consistent. If anyone could fail to make that connection for as long as he did, it’s him. Once you grant that little bit of clumsiness, though, everything else falls into place.... * * * ... Josh Segarra has made barely contained rage and emotional instability hallmarks of his performance, even when it appeared Chase was one of the good guys (or at worst engaged in relatively benign extracurriculars as Vigilante), and he keeps those emotions simmering even as he shows no sign of exploding. There’s a kinetic energy to his performance that is distinct from the swagger of a Malcolm Merlyn or a Damien Dahrk or even the animalistic fury of a Slade Wilson. This is all a game to Adrian Chase, yet he’s keenly aware how deadly the stakes are. What makes Chase frightening is the grim rationality of his approach.... * * * That just leaves Felicity, who is getting drawn ever deeper into the world of Helix. It’s more or less guaranteed that things are going to end very, very badly with this plotline, and the only question is how bad things are going to get. At this point, I don’t think we can rule out the possibility that Helix will emerge as the true primary antagonists of this season—not necessarily betting on it, but their power and thus potential threat arguably outclasses even that of Prometheus and Talia. And, along the way, there’s the corruption of Felicity Smoak to consider. This story probably needs an entire Felicity-centric episode to come together properly, as I’m not sure Arrow can do this plotline justice when Felicity’s motivations and decisions remain narratively subordinate to Oliver’s. But for now, the show keeps ratcheting up the tension and making us wonder just how much trouble Felicity is in—and what she will have to do to extricate herself. As with everything else tonight, this is going to get worse before it gets better, and it’s all a hell of a lot of fun to watch unfold. Edited March 16, 2017 by tv echo 9 Link to comment
tv echo March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 ARROW: "CHECKMATE" REVIEW Jesse Scheeden Mar. 15, 2017http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/16/arrow-checkmate-review Quote But just as Chase doesn’t have to hide his true face from Oliver any longer, Segarra doesn’t have to play it subtle anymore. It was a real treat seeing Segarra throw caution to the wind and play the overt bad guy for a change. Chase is a charismatic bad guy, but more in the vein of someone like Slade Wilson than Damien Darhk. There’s a wounded quality beneath all the threats and gloats. At the end of the day, this is still a person trying to make Oliver Queen feel the same pain Ollie (however unwittingly) inflicted upon him. * * * On that note, it should be pointed out that the Susan angle didn’t work quite as well as the writers intended. This season hasn’t done enough to make me care about the Ollie/Susan relationship. For the majority of the time, it seemed like she was being set up as a threat to Ollie, not a legitimate, lasting love interest. It’s only been in these past few weeks when Susan temporarily lost her job and became collateral damage in Prometheus’ crusade that she’s emerged as an innocent victim. I can’t say I honestly felt much concern over whether she lived or died, to be honest. * * * ... The longer the flashbacks focus on one group of Russian gangsters shooting at another, the harder it is to maintain interest in anything going on. None of it feels particularly relevant any longer, and at this point it feels like the writers are simply stalling until it’s time to finally bring Konstantin Kovar back into the picture. About all that stood out this week was Anatoly’s bewildered reaction to seeing Ollie in costume for the first time. “What is thing you do with voice?” * * * There’s still the question of how, if at all, this Helix storyline is meant to tie into the Prometheus conflict. They could be unrelated. This could be something that doesn’t fully pay off until next season. Or it could be that Helix is one of Adrian’s secret pieces on the playing board. Maybe he isn’t just pulling Ollie’s strings, but manipulating Felicity into causing more damage to boot. With this villain, there’s always another shoe to drop. Link to comment
tv echo March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 (edited) Arrow 5.16 Review – ‘Checkmate’ March 15, 2017 | Posted by Michael Haigishttps://411mania.com/movies/arrow-5-16-review-checkmate/ Quote The thing about Arrow is – and longtime fans of the show would likely acknowledge this as readily as any newcomer – what things happen is more important than how things happen. The show never takes aim at the craft of storytelling, content instead to mechanically lay forth the story it tells each season. * * * Okay, so brevity is a tough ask when running through an Arrow episode. I didn’t even touch on the flashbacks, which isn’t an accident. The show suffers from a very specific storytelling malaise that can only be cured by either much more time or much less story. These episodes pack so much in, and much of what the show breezes through is underdeveloped enough (naturally, given the time) to be inessential. Talia doesn’t really need to be here – her motivation could have either been implied through flashback or delivered in some clunky exposition by Prometheus. The Pike stabbing didn’t really need to happen, and most likely won’t figure in the coming weeks. Furthermore – and this will be the last negative nitpick before looking at what “Checkmate” did well – is Chase that far ahead of Oliver, really? Oliver is dissuaded from killing Chase because Chase knows the location of Susan, and Susan will die… if no one feeds her or gives her water. That’s real. But Arrow Team is essentially undefeated in manhunts, and we can assume Chase – as much as he’s a great insurance policy – is actively manipulating the situation in real time. Even the most rash strategizing leaves only one clear option – kill Chase, then go find Susan. Or, because that would be unreasonable to expect from the show, how about this – after Oliver promises to kill chase the minute Susan is free, why doesn’t he just do it? Instead of parading Chase’s wife in to be a human pin cushion and allow Chase to escape, again. That’s the trap with this show, though, and the difficulty with thinking about it every week. Arrow gratifies instantly – it’s sole concern is excitement, shock, suspense, excitement, shock, suspense, and so on, repeating the cycle until each season’s finale. This makes it hard to spend any real time picking at the motivations of the show or the choices it makes, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “Checkmate” is the logical manifestation of that cycle, and it was flatly an enjoyable sixty minutes of television. * * *Instant gratification – as with this episode – can provide some thrilling highs. The problem, though, is that each of those highs precedes a pretty steep comedown. Tonight, Arrow took the top down and stepped on the gas, but the finish line is still too far away. It used it’s Fast and the Furious boosters too soon, which almost certainly means the show will veer into tedium before it’s final climax.... Edited March 16, 2017 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo March 16, 2017 Share March 16, 2017 (edited) Review: ‘Arrow’ Pivots Into Prometheus’ ‘Checkmate’ With a Ghul-ish Twist Kevin Fitzpatrick Mar. 15, 2017http://screencrush.com/arrow-checkmate-review/ Quote And because the Prometheus card has been overturned, it does bring Oliver more or less to the title sentiment of “Checkmate,” and a feeling of powerlessness (“impotence,” as Chase tellingly* puts it) at every turn. Hopeless angst is a natural setting for Stephen Amell to play, and especially poignant as Oliver’s conversation with Diggle recognizes that the show’s own meta-attempts to skew lighter and more optimistic have continually placed targets on his loved ones. How that colors Prometheus’ actual endgame remains a bit opaque, but in the immediate future, trading Oliver for Susan** as a hostage adds an interesting wrinkle, surely calling back to Season 1 as well. * * *** The rescue of Susan feels notably easy, too much so to look past that Russian foreshadowing earlier in the season. And unclear in that rescue, does she, or does she not actually know Oliver is the Green Arrow at this point? * * * Still a bit outlying in all of this is Felicity further involving herself in a rogue hacking collective; uncharacteristically embracing every shortcut in exchange for questinoable [sic] assistance. You’d think someone who inadvertently guided a nuclear strike would think twice about rerouting military drones, and Curtis rightly serves as a voice of reason in that regard. “Checkmate” also somewhat struggles with Felicity keeping her activities secret from Oliver, especially in light of his judgment-free offer to lift the always-damaging veil of secrecy. Id guess that we’re building toward Felicity either ending up in jail* for her crimes, or committing some sort of major sacrifice, especially given the hour’s heavy hinting that someone close to Oliver would have to die. *Considering how tangential to the main story “Helix” has been, one has to presume either Prometheus or Talia have some major hand in it. * * *Your occasional reminder that Oliver has a son the series never really knew what to do with. Edited March 16, 2017 by tv echo Link to comment
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