The Starling City Times: News and Media about Arrow

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

In addition to the Arrow stuff quoted below, MG talked about LoT (quoted on page 507 of Mind Your Surroundings thread)...

DF Interview: Marc Guggenheim talks The CW’s Arrowverse, more
By Byron Brewer   March 22, 2018
https://www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/interviews.html?showinterview=IN03221822614

Quote

DF: Take us waaay back and tell us how you, along with Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, if memory serves, put up the foundation and first walls of what has become known as the Arrowverse.
Marc Guggenheim: I suppose it started with Green Lantern. Greg, Michael Green and I wrote the initial drafts of the movie before we, quite frankly, lost control of it -- as universally happens to screenwriters. After the movie premiered -- I use that term loosely here -- Peter Roth, the head of Warner Bros. Television, approached Greg about Greg’s idea for how to adapt Green Arrow for television. Greg asked me if I wanted to be involved, but both of us were extremely gun-shy after the Green Lantern experience. This was long before our current golden age of live action superhero television and the prospect of adapting any character for TV was incredibly daunting. We were particularly wary of the prospect of being associated with another failed comic book adaption.

At the end of the day, we asked ourselves what type of situation we needed to create in order to position the project for success and protect it and us from the pitfalls that befell us on Lantern. We went in and pitched the show to Warner Bros. and The CW with the understanding that if they responded to the pitch, the next time they heard from us would be with a finished script. No story area. No outline. No typical development process.

By that point, it looked as if another pilot I was writing for Greg -- a legal drama called Guilty -- was going to move forward, so we brought in Andrew Kreisberg to help me write the Arrow teleplay.

I should note that none of this -- none -- was done with an eye towards doing anything more ambitious than producing a pilot that would spare us the embarrassment we suffered through with Green Lantern. We didn’t have any loftier ambitions than that.

DF: Sticking with Oliver & Company for a moment, reflect a little on how the dynamic of Arrow has evolved over its years as well as the relationship of the characters to each other. (For example, Oliver’s got a son and new members of Team Arrow have come and seemingly gone from trust issues …)
Marc Guggenheim: I could write pages on this. Six seasons of 23 episodes a piece requires a metric ton of character development and evolution. We try to craft “character journeys” for Oliver and the supporting characters for every episode. That’s a lot of story arcs and changes in relationships. The evolution is basically built into the DNA of the show. The trick is to keep it feeling like Arrow despite the constant change. Reasonable minds will differ on how well we’ve pulled that off.

DF: Did you ever think Arrow would be on the air long enough for the original course of Ollie flashbacks to run out?
Marc Guggenheim: Not at all. In our wildest dreams, we hoped the show might go for five years so that we could finish the flashbacks. We never thought the show would run more than five years. At the start, I don’t even think we thought it would last five years. As I said, our biggest ambition was to make a pilot episode that didn’t suck.

Edited March 23, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

'Arrow’: Is It Time For Thea To Go?
By Alamin Yohannes on March 22, 2018
https://www.inverse.com/article/42693-arrow-thea-queen-exit-arrowverse-speedy

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Currently, Thea’s story is stagnant, but she had an incredible character arc over the course of the series. Starting out the seemingly vain teenager sister of Oliver Queen, Thea became a lethal fighter and mature adult who is often seen taking care of her brother. It may have been her evil-adjacent father who got her into the world of fighting and death, but it thrust the character into new territory on the show. She was able to get involved in the high-action sequences Arrow is known for and closer to the core of the story on a weekly basis, but when she gave up crimefighting, things started to change.
*  *  *
While Thea’s choice to leave Team Arrow made sense, it took her further away from the center of the series. Thea’s bloodlust, courtesy of the Lazarus Pit, made it difficult to fight crime without losing control. It’s understandable, but when a hero gives up crime fighting for good you lose one of the ways the character is useful storytelling-wise. She didn’t join Felicity at the bunker, she became part of Oliver’s staff at the Mayor’s office. Add in Dinah, Curtis, Oliver’s son, and a group of villains and it becomes hard to fit Thea into Arrow Season 6. Part of that may stem from Willa Holland’s decreased commitment for the season, but for the viewing audience, it just means Thea’s storylines are not as good as they once were.

Edited March 23, 2018 by tv echo

[statsgirl]

6 hours ago, tv echo said:

We never thought the show would run more than five years. At the start, I don’t even think we thought it would last five years. As I said, our biggest ambition was to make a pilot episode that didn’t suck.

Sometimes it pays to aim low.

[tv echo]

Doppelganger - Arrow Music Notes 6x15
Austencello   March 23, 2018
https://austencello.tumblr.com/post/172186322814/doppelganger-arrow-music-notes-6x15

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When I started writing about the Arrow music soundtrack, I began with characters and their themes: Oliver, Diggle, and a lot on Felicity.  I had intended to continue with Thea and Roy as well as the Lance sisters but then decided to write about each episode as they aired beginning with 4x01.  Sadly, I never got around to writing about those two (although I did write recently about Roy for @jorahandal and his latest suite on YouTube).  This episode gave me a perfect opportunity to write about Thea and Roy, especially since their primary theme did not appear in 4x12.

Unlike Oliver and Felicity, whose theme occurred with “I love you” before they got together, or Oliver and Laurel, whose theme was about the past and regrets, Roy and Thea were in the middle of their relationship when their theme appeared.  In Season 2, they were happy and Roy was Thea’s lifeline in the middle of her family drama until he was injected with mirakuru.  That event affected their relationship from that time onward and their theme “Stay away from her” (2x17) reflected how this put a wedge between them.  It is a theme of separation: Roy pulling away in Season 2 and Thea pulling away in Season 3, both dealing with dark forces in their lives.  This theme involves 3 different parts: the harp repeating a descending third pattern, the hammered dulcimer (Oliver’s instrument as the Arrow and part of Roy’s journey/decision to stay away from Thea) and there often piano chords with strings underneath.
*  *  *
The theme first appeared in 2x11 after Roy put a guy in the hospital and Thea tried to help him.  Oliver tried to help Roy as the Arrow in training and controlling the mirakuru: “Can Teach You” (2x11), “Roy Spiraling” (2x12).  However, Oliver is concerned about Thea’s safety (2x13) and asks Roy to stay away for her protection and Roy agrees. Thea knows that Roy is lying about the reasons behind their break-up “Tell the Truth” (2x17) and turns to Oliver asking why everyone is lying to her.  While Roy’s pulling away is due to the mirakuru, it is his lies that push Thea away both here and then again in 2x23 after they almost run away together for her to discover that he was helping the Arrow even though he had denied it: “Never Coming Back/Secret Destiny.” 

These lies push Thea toward Malcolm as her father, journeying on her own dark path.  Roy believes it is his fault that she left (3x02) as he shows Oliver the note she left him and then the theme plays as they meet up again in 3x03.  Like the Olicity theme, it was never a question of whether they loved each other. It was a matter of whether they could be together.  In a similar fashion, the theme of angst and separation was used as they started to come back together in 3x16 only for Roy to once again choose Oliver first (for saving his life back in Season 1 and penance for the lives he took while under the Mirakuru influence), pretending to be the Arrow and then thrown in prison.  Their theme is present in 3x19 as Thea visits him where he promises he will be fine and that he will never lie to her again.  The last time this theme was heard was in their reunion in 3x22 before Roy sent Thea back with his red Arsenal hood.  He didn’t want a life on the run for Thea.
*  *  *
As Oliver, Diggle, and Thea arrive to the casino to rescue Roy, Roy’s Arsenal Theme plays in the horn followed by the harp part of “Stay away from her”, the first time it is used in a non-dialogue scene, showing again why Thea is out in the field again. The episode ends as Thea and Roy are back together and kissing as the piano part of their theme returns one last time.
*  *  *
- The Russian Bratva styled music returns with low strings and hints of the cimbalom (Hungarian version of the hammered dulcimer) both times Anatoly speaks with Laurel about joining forces with Diaz. (Bratva Brothers/Anatoly Becomes Pahkan are examples of this style in Season 5).  

Edited March 24, 2018 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Most of her Arrow comments are nonspoilery, and I've used spoiler tags for the only spoilery portion...

Katrina Law talks about new role on The Oath plus [REDACTED]
Amy Woolsey   March 23, 2018
https://culturess.com/2018/03/23/katrina-law-talks-new-role-the-oath-plus-return-to-arrow/

Quote

Let’s talk about your role on Arrow. How did you first approach the character of Nyssa? It’s a pretty different show from The Oath because it has a fantastical element.
That’s the biggest challenge that I had with Nyssa. I was so fortunate to have a great scene partner in Caity Lotz and a great director in that episode [“Heir to the Demon”], Wendey Stanzler. [The challenge] was trying to make Nyssa grounded and make her a real person. It would have been so easy to make her a two-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain. And I don’t think that would’ve been as fun.

I think the reason why people really like her is because she has so much heart and such a soft spot for Sara Lance. And she’s basically unstoppable when it comes to fighting. So, I think just the difference between the two made her well-rounded. Wendey really helped me out in shaping Nyssa in that episode. I don’t know if Nyssa would’ve been the same character without Wendey and her help.

Since you’re a recurring actor, how do you get into a rhythm with the other actors? They spend a lot more time with each other than you do with them. So, when you come back to set, how do you get back into the groove?
At this point, I’ve been together with that group off-and-on for five years. We do conventions together. So, I feel very much a part of the Arrow family. Yeah, I’m not a series regular; I’m not there all the time. But it’s such a wonderful cast, from Stephen Amell down to David Ramsey and Emily Bett Rickards and [Colton Haynes] and John Barrowman, when he was there, and Katie Cassidy. Everybody is just fantastic.

So, as soon as I walk on the set, even the crew, it’s high fives and hugs and “How are you?” It’s a beautiful set. It’s a great cast. Even Vancouver, I love going up there. Every time I go to shoot another episode of Arrow, it’s just fantastic all around.

Were you ever hoping that Nyssa would become a regular character? Or do you just like having a recurring role and doing other projects?
I really love the way things have turned out. Nyssa is a great character. But I think one of the reasons she is such a great character is you only get her in little bits. I think if you were to have too much of her, she might not be as fun. Because the great thing about the way the writers write her is that she kind of comes in, wreaks havoc, kicks a little bit of ass, and then disappears for a while.

Did you think of a backstory for her? Or do you just go off the scripts?
The writers have done a pretty great job of giving her a backstory, between her father and the way she was raised… So, it’s pretty easy to go off what’s been written on the page. But I think everybody is kind of hoping that Sara Lance and Nyssa get a backstory someday. We already know what the backstory is, but I think people want to see it. Caity Lotz and I would love to be able to have an episode where we just go, this is how we met on the shores of Lian Yu and how Nyssa taught Sara Lance how to fight and how they fell in love and all that.

You wouldn’t be able to say if there’s talk about it…
To be honest, I have no idea what’s going to happen on the show, so I can’t even lie to you.

Spoiler

So, you’re coming back for the episode on March 29. Is there anything you can say about Nyssa’s storyline in that episode?
I think it’s going to be a really fun episode for people. You’re going to have Nyssa back, and you’re going to have Roy Harper back. So, it’s kind of taking Arrow old-school. And it’s going to be a really interesting storyline. I think by the end of the episode, people are going to be like, “Oh my god.”

 

Edited March 24, 2018 by tv echo

[WindofChange]

LOL Apparently The Mary Sue published this. What I love so much is for a site that likes to support strong women they tend to reduce Felicity and all of her qualities because they hate the fact that she apparently "pushed out Laurel Lance" from the series.

So you don't have to click on it here's what's said:

Quote

As the video explains, the problem is when the couple affects characterization and plot. That is when it gets frustrating. We’ve seen this in both Arrow and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. With Arrow and Olicity, my main problem with the couple was how Felicity (and to a degree Sarah) was created in a way to push Laurel out and make her that crazy ol’ ex and Felicity slowly became Oliver’s cheerleader and anytime she stood up to him would be followed up by an apology sometime later. Felicity, even after four seasons, never felt like a real person just a collection of badass lady tropes with glasses on which would be fine if it wasn’t so transparent.

 

Edited March 25, 2018 by WindofChange

[Starfish35]

*sigh* I know I'm repeating myself, but I never run into something like this without thinking about how they could have avoided all of this if they'd just gotten rid of Laurel early on.  It was keeping her around and trying to make her work in some sort of capacity that has led to the endless comparisons and insistance that Felicity pushed Laurel out, rather than just acknowledging that she got pushed out because the character didn't work.  

[statsgirl]

If anyone was a collection of badass tropes, it was Laurel. Crusading lawyer,  fighter because her cop father made her take self-defense lessons, love/hate relationship with Oliver, pumps a dozen bullets into a bad guy but looks down on The Arrow because he kills, needs to be rescued by the hero repeatedly.*

* in a professional capacity.

Edited March 25, 2018 by statsgirl

[WindofChange]

First of all, I'd really like the author to give me examples of when Felicity apologized to Oliver for standing her ground because I certainly don't recall her ever apologizing to him other than in 520. 

Second of all, Felicity pushed Laurel out of the role as love interest, nothing else. If Laurel worked as an independent character then she would've fared just fine, but saying Felicity pushed Laurel out of the series is like saying Laurel was only good as a love interest... Which makes me wonder how the author is a fan of Laurel if they only reduce her to that.

Thirdly, has this person ever watched this show without their Felicity hate goggles on? Because it really doesn't seem like they have considering their characterization of Felicity is completely off...

[kes0704]

We’re six years into the shows run, why can’t they just accept that Laurel didn’t work as a character for this iteration of Green Arrow and Katie and Stephen don’t spark when they’re on screen together. Their scenes have always come across as more antagonistic than romantic to me.  

Those two things, combined with the awful backstory, doomed it from the pilot. It has nothing to do with the arrival of Felicity (or Sara for that matter). It’s a mistake that they didn’t write Laurel off at the end of S1, because there really wasn’t a reason for Laurel to have remained in Oliver’s orbit once the relationship story had been wrapped up.  But because she was comic book “Black Canary” they kept throwing things at her in an attempt to find a reason for her to continue to be there .

The hoops they jumped through with Laurel is one of the reasons why I’m so anti-Canary now and don’t want any more variations of the character on the show anymore. 

[calliope1975]

14 minutes ago, WindofChange said:

I'd really like the author to give me examples of when Felicity apologized to Oliver for standing her ground because I certainly don't recall her ever apologizing to him other than in 520. 

I only read what you excerpted, but I assumed they meant Oliver would apologize to Felicity. Hah! Cuz that's what typically happened. 

[Angel12d]

Quote

was created in a way to push Laurel out and make her that crazy ol’ ex 

All I got from this is they actually do see Laurel as that crazy ex. ?

[WindofChange]

4 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

I only read what you excerpted, but I assumed they meant Oliver would apologize to Felicity. Hah! Cuz that's what typically happened. 

Oh I didn't read it that way... But then if they did mean it this way how the heck is it a bad thing??? 

[Mary0360]

1 hour ago, WindofChange said:

First of all, I'd really like the author to give me examples of when Felicity apologized to Oliver for standing her ground because I certainly don't recall her ever apologizing to him other than in 520. 

Second of all, Felicity pushed Laurel out of the role as love interest, nothing else. If Laurel worked as an independent character then she would've fared just fine, but saying Felicity pushed Laurel out of the series is like saying Laurel was only good as a love interest... Which makes me wonder how the author is a fan of Laurel if they only reduce her to that.

Thirdly, has this person ever watched this show without their Felicity hate goggles on? Because it really doesn't seem like they have considering their characterization of Felicity is completely off...

I'm calling that that article probably wasn't written by someone who actually watches Arrow. But bases their opinion on others opinions of Arrow or takes extreme offence to Olicity on behalf of another fictional couple and fandom. 

With these articles when you trace the writers origins that typically seems to be the case. 

[tv echo]

Unsurprisingly, the writer of the above Mary Sue article also wrote this article back in 2016 (I have no idea where she got her Oliver loved Laurel "since they were seven" statement from)...

Arrow’s Laurel Lance Deserved Much More Than She Got
Princess Weekes   May 31, 2016
https://www.themarysue.com/arrows-laurel-lance-deserved-much-more-than-she-got/

Quote

... As we see weekly on The Flash, some people don’t like it when the female character is not readily available for the main character’s emotional needs. Laurel was despised by some fans because she had complex feelings about the man she loved coming back from the dead.
*  *  *
Then, the writers, trying to make Laurel “sympathetic,” turned her into an alcoholic, because that’s what they thought character development was. They brought back her sister, Sara, and made her The Black Canary and brought Felicity more to the forefront, effectively replacing Laurel as the female lead in terms of storyline. This would have been fine—I mean, the more female characters the better—if it hadn’t started the beginning of kicking Laurel when she was down that would continue all the way to her grave.

During her trials through addiction, no one was on her side. No. One. Not Oliver, who has supposedly loved her since they were seven (remember, they have known each other forever). Not Sara, the sister who came back and almost instantly started up her relationship with Oliver. Nor her father, who also dealt with alcoholism after Sara’s “death.” No, Laurel was the terrible person who, despite being lied to, cheated on, manipulated, and having lost someone important to her in a conga line of pure suck, was told to get over it.

Many fans saw Laurel as entitled, and it didn’t matter what her emotional reasons were; she was a flawed female character, and apparently nobody has time for those. Never mind she never knew the full details of anything until much later.
*  *  *
Laurel became the Black Canary in the tenth episode of season three; she died on the eighteenth episode of season four. We had less than a season’s worth total of Laurel as the Black Canary.

Half of that was spent her getting her butt kicked, being told she couldn’t sit with Team Arrow, and the second half her screen time was cut because she had no storyline at all—until the episode before she died.
*  *  *
That is what the writers forgot about Laurel and are steadily forgetting with Felicity: These women are more than their relationships. Laurel’s value as a character shouldn’t have been measured in “do people want to see her with Oliver?” It should have been measured by what her potential was to be a hero.

The same writer also wrote this recent article (note how she mentions EBR but not SA - or DP or TC or CV (who actually are CP's co-workers on The Flash)...

Candice Patton Handles Racist Trolls With More Class Than They Deserve
by Princess Weekes | 9:33 am, March 23rd, 2018 
https://www.themarysue.com/candice-patton-racist-trolls/

Quote

Comments like these are so common. The subtle ways in which racist white fans communicate their dislike of black women onscreen. I’ve seen it with Bonnie on The Vampire Diaries, Abbie on Sleepy Hollow, and Gwen on Merlin, to name a few. While yes, these people are the scum of the earth and should be ignored, what I find frustrating is that, when people do speak out about these things, it’s mostly the black actors and black fans, along with a few allies.

Now, I’m not saying that Grant Gustin or Emily Bett Rickards need to start Twitter fights, but they can’t be oblivious to the racism that is being flung at their coworker. Throwing some Twitter shade is not hard, and it isn’t gonna lose fans who just want to enjoy the series.

Edited March 25, 2018 by tv echo

[Mary0360]

I wouldn't call Emily a coworker of Candice.  And let's ignore all the positive stuff Emily has done because she didn't defend someone who wasn't asking to be defended- sure thing. 

 

Like I said trace the writers origins on these articles and the bias becomes clear. I like how this writers also assume that because they view the  characters a certain way that that's how everyone views the characters and is the only way the characters should be viewed or interpretated. 

[bijoux]

14 minutes ago, tv echo said:

Unsurprisingly, the writer of the above Mary Sue article also wrote this article back in 2016 (I have no idea where she got her Oliver loved Laurel "since they were seven" statement from)...

I’m guessing from S2 when Oliver washed his hands of Laurel. I don’t remember if there was a specific number mentioned or something more vague like all my life/half my life. 

As for calling out EBR, wouldn’t it make more sense to focus on her actual co-stars? Not that I think anyone should be called to task here.

[insomniadreams88]

I don’t get mentioning two people who rarely go on Twitter, especially compared to other actors in the Arrow-verse?

[tv echo]

7 minutes ago, bijoux said:

I’m guessing from S2 when Oliver washed his hands of Laurel. I don’t remember if there was a specific number mentioned or something more vague like all my life/half my life. 

From 214:

Oliver (to Laurel): "Yeah. Yeah, I'm done. I'm done taking the blame. And I'm done caring. Why don't you go have a drink? Get wasted, go - go to Verdant. I'll pay for it. I have loved you for half my life. But I'm done running after you."

Unless Oliver was 14 years old in S2, he can't have loved her since they were 7.

Edited March 25, 2018 by tv echo

[Mary0360]

The writer also wrote an article criticising the Hollywood Reporters 50 favourite female characters for the lack of POC and LGBT characters on the list. Fair call.

 

But guess who's spot she took most offence to and had picked out as the one and only character not deserving to be on the list: 

[statsgirl]

1 hour ago, WindofChange said:

Oh I didn't read it that way... But then if they did mean it this way how the heck is it a bad thing??? 

It shows how whipped Oliver is in that abusive relationship.  <eyeroll>

Why do people like that get decent forums?

[SmallScreenDiva]

The Mary Sue, another formerly decent outfit that's gone to trash. 

[Mellowyellow]

OMFG you have got to be kidding me on that article about EBR not defending Candice! Why on earth is it EBR's responsibility to defend anyone about anything!?

Frigging nutjob! How does sh@t like that even get published? How would you even write an article like that and not feel like maybe you were a bit of a moron!?

[Mary0360]

13 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

OMFG you have got to be kidding me on that article about EBR not defending Candice! Why on earth is it EBR's responsibility to defend anyone about anything!?

Frigging nutjob! How does sh@t like that even get published? How would you even write an article like that and not feel like maybe you were a bit of a moron!?

The whole article is an oxymoron. It's highlighting how well Candice is able to stand up against racist remarks on twitter in a graceful way but at the same time victimises her as someone needing her white costar and a white actress on another show to come to her rescue and protect her from internet trolls. 

 

I also like that it MUST be Emily  that should defend her. What about Katie Cassidy? Juliana? Danielle? Caity? Willa? Is Maisie Sellars a bad person then for not defending her fellow poc "co worker"? 

 

Why is Stephen not called out? Carlos? Rick? Echo? Brandon? 

[tennisgurl]

I swear, I feel like sometimes I am watching a totally different show than the Anti-Felicity crowd. Since when is Felicity just Oliver's cheerleader? Did they forget that she dumped him when he lied to her and they stayed apart until he apologized and learned the error of his ways several times? How are they "forced" or unhealthy? Since when is she a badly written cliche? And why does it all come back to freaking Laurel? I agree, the show did not use Laurel very well, and her death sucked. But, she and Oliver had basically anti-chemistry, and she worked a million times better as just a character instead of a love interest. Isn't that what places like The Mary Sue want? Female characters who do more than just be the Love Interest of a male main character? Or is it just YOUR favorite character gets held to different standards? And why is Black Canary such a holy cow in this show anyway? Comic adaptations change crap all of the time, including the heroes OTP, so why is this so different? 

I used to like The Mary Sue as a place to get geek news from a feminist perspective, but its gone down hill, knocking female characters down to build up the writers favorites. I guess Laurel "isnt like the other girls" and Felicity should just go jump in a lake? Oh, how very #woke you are. I just dont get it! I guess the hard core anti Olicity people and the hard core Laurel fans will just keep watching the alternate universe show that they love so much. 

[lemotomato]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I swear, I feel like sometimes I am watching a totally different show than the Anti-Felicity crowd.

I find it interesting how anti-Felicity writers always have to make stuff up that never happened on the show or twist the things that did happen to justify their hatred of her character. Meanwhile, those same writers come up with endless excuses ("She had a shitty year, ok? Don't be so hard on her!") to absolve Laurel, who actually did objectively bad things like steal her father's pain medication, extort her boss to get her job back, and throw a glass at her newly resurrected sister. 

[SmallScreenDiva]

Felicity, who with her father's help, saved pretty much the entire planet but was forced to make a horrible decision regarding a runaway nuke is a murderess, but Black Siren, who killed numerous people, blew up a police station, etc. is worthy of redemption. I mean ... LOL!

[EmilyBettFan]

7 hours ago, Mary0360 said:

The writer also wrote an article criticising the Hollywood Reporters 50 favourite female characters for the lack of POC and LGBT characters on the list. Fair call.

 

But guess who's spot she took most offence to and had picked out as the one and only character not deserving to be on the list: 

LOL that "writer" is just a KC/LL Stan and can't stand that Felicity/EBR is still on the show. Not only did she eclipse the original pairing but, she is also a huge part of OTA which I think just kills some people cause they wish it was LL instead.

[Mellowyellow]

EBR's adorable inability to wink makes me squee! It's a dreadful attempt at winking but oh so cute!!!!!!! 

[SmallScreenDiva]

5 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

EBR's adorable inability to wink makes me squee! It's a dreadful attempt at winking but oh so cute!!!!!!! 

   

It's more of a blink than a wink. A blink-wink, if you will :P

[tv echo]

Look who made the cover of Wingman Magazine (Spring 2018 issue)...

Quote

One subject that isn’t talked about much is Latinos in Hollywood. Well we took that topic by the horns and made it not only a topic, but our cover topic!! You don’t see Latino superheroes often… well we put one on our cover. Rick Gonzalez who plays Wild Dog on Arrow stands tall and does a lot for the Puerto Rican community. Add in Jon Huertas who is a hero in real life in the form of a military Veteran and is also on the SAG Award winning This is Us. Mix in the new beautiful and talented star of Altered Carbon Martha Higareda and you have one of the best looking covers of all time.

Edited March 29, 2018 by tv echo

[KenyaJ]

From BuzzFeed: Here Are 29 Female TV Characters That Have Inspired Generations Of Women

[tv echo]

Long and interesting interview with JB (I only quoted a few portions)...

Super Geek: John Barrowman arrives at Awesome Con with a new cosplay and love for the sci-fi and fantasy genre
By André Hereford on March 29, 2018
https://www.metroweekly.com/2018/03/super-geek-john-barrowman-arrives-at-awesome-con-with-a-new-cosplay-and-love-for-the-sci-fi-and-fantasy-genre/

Quote

MW: You’re also going to be with your sister in the co-author panel representing the “Hollow Earth” book series.

BARROWMAN: Correct. And also Malcolm Merlyn, because she and I wrote the backstory for Malcolm Merlyn for DC, and a graphic novel that we [created]. We’re also working at the moment with Erika Lewis, who is also one of our co-authors, who will be there. We’re writing a whole new graphic novel and series for Webtoon and Legendary Comics, who are behind such films as Godzilla and Pacific Rim. Hopefully it’ll go on to bigger things. We’re going to be there representing the writing team.
*  *  *
MW: Let’s wrap things up on Arrow and the Arrowverse, where no one ever is definitively dead. Will you return as Malcolm Merlyn?

BARROWMAN: All I’ll tell you is when they told me I was dying, they said I would not be coming back, and I was very upset and very hurt about that. They told me the night before I was going to go start shooting it, and I was very angry and I basically told them where they could shove it.

Then, a couple of weeks later, Marc Guggenheim went on an interview, because I think I maybe probably upset them, I don’t know, but he went on an interview saying that the ball was in my court if I wanted to come back, and that was not what I was told. My fans know that I speak the truth when I talk about this kind of stuff. Rather than being arsey about it, I just said, “Well, write me an awesome storyline and episode and I will be happy to come back,” but I’m sitting here in my living room, not filming, so there we go.

Listen, if they asked me, I would come back. I know that Merlyn was very popular with the fans, and I think the reason they did that, you know, the blowing up and no body being found, was so they wouldn’t have a bit of a backlash from the fans, because they had a backlash when Katie Cassidy was killed. That’s partially why I was upset, because they did it that way, but they told me I wasn’t coming back. They told me I was done.

Edited March 29, 2018 by tv echo

[Belinea]

While I think that Malcom definitely overstayed his welcome, this interview makes me feel bad for JB. Because I do believe that this is exactly how it went down and while I assume you have to have thick skin in their business, I do think the way they went about it was very hurtful for him after all this time. 

[Primal Slayer]

What is it with this show and pissing off their former actors? And JB been with them since the first season, give the guy a little more then a days notice. Hell Joss told SMG a whole year that he'd be killing her off lol.

[Morrigan2575]

They should have given him more notice but, JFC the character sucked, and way overstayed his welcome. I get that he liked the character and the people but, dude they were right to kill Merlyn off.

[Primal Slayer]

10 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

They should have given him more notice but, JFC the character sucked, and way overstayed his welcome. I get that he liked the character and the people but, dude they were right to kill Merlyn off.

I think if they had given him more of a notice and a better death he would've been cool with it. 

[KenyaJ]

Just Jared picked up on the tweets about Emily's couch, with even more tweets than the ones Stephen tweeted. So funny!

Stephen Amell Got The Best Reactions From Fans After Sharing Emily Bett Rickards' 'Chair' on 'Arrow' Set

[Morrigan2575]

3 minutes ago, KenyaJ said:

Just Jared picked up on the tweets about Emily's couch, with even more tweets than the ones Stephen tweeted. So funny!

Stephen Amell Got The Best Reactions From Fans After Sharing Emily Bett Rickards' 'Chair' on 'Arrow' Set

Wow, I read that as Jared Padelecki....need a nap.

[bethy]

I thought this was interesting - 

Spoiler

http://ew.com/tv/2018/03/29/arrow-willa-holland-thea-exit/?utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&__twitter_impression=true&__twitter_impression=true&__twitter_impression=true

(Spoiler tagged since it's right after the episode.) It's interesting to me that MG says the same thing that he said about Barrowman - "It's up to him" - which Barrowman seems to dispute. And the same thing here, I think, since as I understand it

Spoiler

Willa has indicated it wasn't her choice at cons.

Am I right on that?

[Primal Slayer]

7 minutes ago, bethy said:

I thought this was interesting - 

  Hide contents

http://ew.com/tv/2018/03/29/arrow-willa-holland-thea-exit/?utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&__twitter_impression=true&__twitter_impression=true&__twitter_impression=true

(Spoiler tagged since it's right after the episode.) It's interesting to me that MG says the same thing that he said about Barrowman - "It's up to him" - which Barrowman seems to dispute. And the same thing here, I think, since as I understand it

  Hide contents

Willa has indicated it wasn't her choice at cons.

Am I right on that?

It'll be interesting to see what WIlla says at cons since actors tend to have a different interpretations of events then MG does.

[KenyaJ]

Arrow Boss Opens Up About Original Cast Member's Long-Planned Exit, Including the 'Most Painful' Part of It

[apinknightmare]

I believe that John Barrowman desperately wanted to stay. I also think that despite what Willa said, she did want to go. She's seemed over it for a while now, but maybe not. 

[Trisha]

I don’t think JJ does much original reporting, just mostly aggregates and since I haven’t seen this reported elsewhere I’m not sure how much stock I put into this but:

Quote

Arrow is expected to continue for a seventh season and the cast is reportedly banding together for contract renegotiations.

http://www.justjared.com/2018/03/29/arrow-says-goodbye-to-an-original-star-spoilers/

[SmallScreenDiva]

Stephen, Emily and David should band together. Everybody else can leave.

[Primal Slayer]

Can EBR even do anything? Is her contract up?

I'm sad that we probably wont be getting any exit interviews from Willa.

[Velocity23]

11 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

Can EBR even do anything? Is her contract up?

I'm sad that we probably wont be getting any exit interviews from Willa.

That is a really weird question. But they have been renegotiating her contract throughout the years. And the core cast can get together to get a raise like actors on other shows have done also.

[Primal Slayer]

Just now, Velocity23 said:

That is a really weird question. But they have been renegotiating her contract throughout the years. And the core cast can get together to get a raise like actors on other shows have done also.

How is it weird? She was signed on S2. SA/PB/DR have been on the show since the beginning. It would be totally normal and plausible that her contract wouldn't coincide with theirs.

[KenyaJ]

Are they renegotiating for beyond S7? Because Stephen posted this a couple of years ago.