tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) jbuffyangel's review of "The Offer" (parts of this review are hilarious, esp. some of the animated gifs)... A GLIMPSE OF SUNSHINE: THE OFFER ARROW 3X16 REVIEWMARCH 19, 2015 @ 06:49http://jbuffyangel.tumblr.com/post/114039138883/a-glimpse-of-sunshine-the-offer-arrow-3x16 Edited March 19, 2015 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
blixie March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 Maseo’s like, hahahaha, yeah, you don’t really have a choice. Ha, yes the look on Karl Yune's face was great, like can you really be this THICK Oliver? Oh god, you are. Link to comment
tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 ComicBookResources' review of "The Offer" (I had a similar thought to what's quoted below)... ‘Arrow’ Recap: Oliver Queen Questions His Mission in ‘The Offer’Thursday, March 19th, 2015 at 4:18am PST - by Marc Buxtonhttp://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2015/03/19/arrow-recap-oliver-queen-questions-his-mission-in-the-offer/ Speaking of classic, we finally receive confirmation of the Lazarus Pit as Ra’s shows Oliver its healing properties. The pit was teased in two of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films and has also been hinted at a few times on “Arrow,” but this week, the healing water of Lazarus finally made its live-action debut. Ah, but there’s intrigue surrounding the water, as Ra’s tells Oliver he’s growing immune to its healing properties. Yet, when Ra’s cut his hand after telling Nyssa he’d be giving the League of Assassins to Oliver, he dipped his hand into the Lazarus Pit, and it returned as good as new. Is Ra’s playing a game to test his daughter’s will? 2 Link to comment
tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) EW review of "The Offer"... 'The Offer' Arrow Ep. 16 | Aired Mar 18BY CHANCELLOR AGARD Posted March 18 2015 — 9:16 PM EDThttp://www.ew.com/recap/arrow-season-3-episode-16 In this time of struggle, Oliver turns to the two people who have been there since the beginning, Diggle and Felicity....No surprise here, it’s Oliver’s conversation with everyone’s favorite hero whisperer that manages to break through slightly. In their first civil, and meta, interaction since Oliver returned, Felicity tells Oliver that he needs to go through what they went through weeks ago: He needs to decide what he fights for....* * *Who else died laughing when Oliver deepened his voice to speak to Ray after walking in on him and Felicity being all cute together in the lab/office? Edited March 19, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) Another Pointed Commentary by Matt D. Wilson on "The Offer"... ‘Arrow’ Season 3 Recap, Episode 16: ‘The Offer’by Matt D. Wilson March 19, 2015 10:00 AMhttp://comicsalliance.com/arrow-season-3-recap-episode-16-the-offer/ This week: Ollie sincerely considers last week’s job proposal, fathers get mad at daughters, and a villain of the week so inconsequential they literally sewed his mouth shut.* * *Later, Ra's shows Ollie his Lazarus pit, which looks pretty much just like a big jacuzzi. It's totally surrounded by candles. I was waiting for Ra's to break out mai tais and start blastin' "Beautiful Girls" by Van Halen. And maybe for the the two of them to make out a little. Edited March 19, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) No 3x16 review posted by Laura Hurley yet, but this tweet... Laura Hurley @lah9891 · 12h 12 hours agoThat was...really good. Whoa. #Arrow https://twitter.com/lah9891 Edited March 19, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) This is an interesting analysis... Arrow: Easter Eggs and DC Comics References in "The Offer" By Russ Burlingame 03/18/2015http://comicbook.com/2015/03/19/arrow-easter-eggs-and-dc-comics-references-in-the-offer/ Self-fulfilling prophecyThe whole "you will be scorned and hunted" thing is a little less credible when we've seen strong evidence that it won't happen naturally but as a result of manipulation by the League. * * * "We are justice" Both Ra's and Nyssa talk a bit about justice in this episode, which jives with producer Marc Guggenheim's oft-repeated comments that the League lives by a code of conduct. It's interesting to see the themes of justice and identity repeated throughout various characters and groups of characters this season, and how everyone has it slightly different. One wonders how much of that will pay off and how much will just be to get fans thinking/talking. Edited March 19, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
Morena March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 ARROW Oliver Queen knows how to use a bow. The man underneath the hood has saved his city countless times in awesomely badass fashion, but unfortunately, there were some losses along the road to becoming Starling City's hero. The infographic below shows a few bits of information revolved around the actions of The Hood/Vigilante/Arrow, and how he's fared in the first two seasons. http://www.visu.info/arrow-profile-visu 1 Link to comment
dcinmb March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 ‘Fifty Shades Darker’: Five Celebs who are not Fans of E.L James’ Bestseller 3. Stephen Amell "Arrow" actor, Stephen Amell has also shot down rumors that he would consider playing Mr. Grey. Amell, who is widely known as Oliver Queen on the hit CW superhero TV series, stated that Mr. Grey's character is not interesting enough. "I didn't find his character to be totally redeeming. And I actually didn't find him to be that interesting. This is not a criticism on this particular piece of literature. This is simply, you know, I like to play roles that I find interesting. Nothing about Christian Grey really spoke to me," Amell, 33, said. I prefer SA's answer at Fan Expo Canada in 2013 (starts at 7:48): 1 Link to comment
wonderwall March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) So the author of the Women's History Month wrote a rebuttal regarding why s/he chose to include Felicity in the comment section, and it's GLORIOUS: As for Felicity, the reason I chose to talk about ARROW's Felicity was in large part because not only do I love her truly, madly, deeply, but because the comic book version is not nearly as interesting. Olicity is most certainly canon in ARROW, so I'm not sure what your complaint is there. The thing is, Oliver does fall apart. Just take last night's ep. It's Felicity who sets him on the right path. Everyone tells him not to become Ra's Al Ghul, but it's Felicity who he listens to. She keeps him human. Without her, he's a killer. Without him, she gets by. Before her, Oliver isn't dealing with any of his issues - again, they've made that explicitly clear in many eps, including last night's - and she forces him to confront himself and decide what kind of man he wants to be. She triggers that. In the flashbacks, Oliver reacts to his environment. He takes up the green hood because other people told him to (remember when his dad told him to save the city?) Waller, Slade, and Ivo push him into dark personal territory and Oliver reacts with violence. Felicity is active. She chooses to use her tech skills for good. She chooses to join Oliver's team. She chooses to help Ray. People ask her to do all kinds of things, but she never compromises her sense of self to do it. Oliver siding with Merlyn is precisely why Felicity left. When Oliver is presumed dead, Felicity stays strong (mourning him isn't the same as falling apart and becoming less human). She's the one that keeps the mission going, and she only gives up after Diggle and Roy do and she has no support base. Felicity makes Oliver a better man, but that's all from Oliver's perspective. Felicity just is who she is. It's Oliver who is reacting to her. Her character exists beyond just a plot device for him because her character development isn't reliant on him like his is (mostly) on her. However, you bring up an intriguing though tangential point about fandom. Canon and shipping aren't codependent states. Shipping often inspires fans to check out the source material - a good chunk of my pop culture consumption comes from stumbling upon ships on Tumblr and wanting to know what inspired the fics and fanart. No one watching ARROW is diving into the Green Arrow comics expecting Olicity, and no one coming from the comics should expect the same content on television. Shippers understand that not all ships are canon...we just don't care. I can watch KINGSMEN and think it a fine but lazy movie then spend the next two weeks indulging in nothing but Hartwin fix-it fics. I've never played DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION, but I love me some Iron Dorian. Dean is so much more complex when he's half of an AU Destiel than when he's straight. I think Cartinelli is the best thing to come out of the MCU, with Peggy x Steve x Bucky D/s a close second. Not all ships are slash, and not all fics contain ships.There are much bigger issues at play with shipping and fandom than can be dealt with in a comment section on a not-related post, so I'm going to wrap this up here. Yes, there is a minority of hardcore fans who are way too invested in their ships, but the same can be said about sports fans and comic book geeks. (Critics don't like to make those comparisons, however, because shipping tends to be a primarily female activity.) Sterek and Destiel are problematic ships not because the fandom is fighting over whether or not they are canon or fanon (only a fraction are at war over it, not that there's anything wrong with being passionate about the thing you love, but the rest of us are all), but because the shows queerbait the subjects of those ships. Source Edited March 19, 2015 by wonderwall 5 Link to comment
tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) Here is Robert Dougherty's review of "The Offer" (good read, as usual)... Arrow S3: E16 -- 'The Offer'By Robert Dougherty March 19, 2015 01:58PM EDThttp://www.themovienetwork.com/review/arrow-s3-e16-offer Seeing Felicity effortlessly help Oliver get his head on straight, seeing Oliver lighten up and realize who he is again as a result, and seeing them both light up again like they rarely have all year afterwards, only further exposes the folly of ever getting away from that dynamic, and how much nonsense they had to use to do it. In fact, it further exposes the holes, plot and character errors and leaps of logic that got them so far away from it to begin with. And it further proves my point that if they’d been permitted to work things out exactly like this in episodes 312 and 313, like they should have, all of this would be solved and put towards much more exciting directions and angles in five minutes flat – and that the writers were too scared of having so much time left to fill afterwards to even consider it. Sticking to the path no matter what of putting Oliver on the brink of being the new Ra’s, of putting Olicity through the clichéd romantic notions, and creating a new hero for spinoff purposes more than anything else, has cost Arrow dearly. But when they step back and let Oliver and Felicity be who they’re really supposed to be for each other, everything else be damned, that is where their real power and the power of the show itself comes from.* * *Yet with one phone call from Ray right after their final exchange, we are reminded that this is only temporary – just like the last several brief bursts of light and relief. Even when he isn’t on screen, Ray and his shadow manage to drag things down. Even now, some might still interpret this as Felicity being the one to dangle hooks and stick Oliver in the friend zone this time, further showing there are some mistakes just two scenes can’t solve. And now that jealous Oliver is sure to factor in soon – putting him on the same problematic level as Iris in recent Flash episodes – we will surely come around to the ‘two steps back’ level of the formula shortly. Edited March 19, 2015 by tv echo 8 Link to comment
tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) HeroesandHeartbreakers' review of "The Offer" (don't totally agree with her analysis, but still some interesting points)... Arrow 3x16 Olicity Heart-to-Heart: Three Little Words—“You Were Right”MARILYN_PORTER THU MAR 19 2015 10:45AMhttp://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2015/03/arrow-season-3-episode-16-olicity-heart-to-heart-three-little-wordsqyou-were-rightq Another thing to notice: this scene in the foundry, the space behind Felicity is flooded with light. Bright, cheerful…not adjectives one usually associates with the dank, dreary foundry. In fact, there’s only two other times this season that I can recall this particular visual effect: One was at the end of 3x05, when Oliver told her “You know how I feel about her.” The other was in the very beginning of 3x01 when Felicity had given him the fern and promised to coach him on how to be the corporate master of the universe. Edited March 19, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 (edited) A more critical review of "The Offer" by Mark Rozeman of Paste Magazine... Arrow Review: “The Offer”(Episode 3.16)By Mark Rozeman March 19, 2015 | 4:22pmhttp://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/03/arrow-review-the-offer.html Ultimately, Oliver settles on sticking with the status quo, which mercifully caps off this internal debate in the same episode. It’s not hard to envision that, in a series more starved for story, this arc would be stretched out for a few episodes. And while its brevity is appreciated, the episode does end up feeling a bit too insular, and lacking in spark as a result.* * *In addition to a good schooling by Felicity, Oliver is eventually turned around after saving the police precinct from a surprise assault by the criminals. Afterwards, he thanks Felicity for her advice and explains that saving the cops’ lives and, in turn, protecting their families has reminded him of why he does what he does. The explanation can’t help but feel a bit half-baked and clunky but, again, I’m glad the writers decided against throwing another wrench into the Team Arrow dynamic, given how often that has occurred this season.* * *“The Offer” proves to be a decent episode of Arrow, albeit maybe not the most exciting entry to return to after a three week hiatus. If anything, the episode does effectively establish how much Stephen Amell has grown into his role. The entire hour is anchored by his ability to seem legitimately torn between his current life and the lure of Ra’s’ offer, and Amell really sells the conflict. Yet, even if this week proved to be a bit too low-key for my tastes, the plotlines set up in this entry should hopefully prove to yield some bombastic showdowns further down the road. Edited March 19, 2015 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
wonderwall March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 @TVecho, I can't thank you enough for scouring through the interwebz to find these articles :') THANK YOU SO MUCH. 12 Link to comment
dcinmb March 19, 2015 Share March 19, 2015 An Unofficial List Of The 5 Nicest Guys In Television (UPROXX) 3. Stephen Amell — It doesn’t matter if you watch, or even like his show, Arrow, but you should follow this guy on Facebook because his niceness might actually make you a better person. He is incredibly generous with his time, he uses his celebrity to support charities, and he’s a very big reason this fantastic Warrior Princess has raised more than $60,000 (so far) to battle her brain cancer. He picks people in need, and he rallies his fans around him. He’s also a huge supporter of F*ck Cancer! The man has only kind, generous things to say about the cast and crew of Arrow and other related shows. Even for a Canadian, he’s incredibly nice. Plus, you gotta love a man who tries to invent a new word (Sinceriously) in order to support great causes. 3 Link to comment
BkWurm1 March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 jbuffyangel's review of "The Offer" (parts of this review are hilarious, esp. some of the animated gifs)... A GLIMPSE OF SUNSHINE: THE OFFER ARROW 3X16 REVIEW MARCH 19, 2015 @ 06:49 http://jbuffyangel.tumblr.com/post/114039138883/a-glimpse-of-sunshine-the-offer-arrow-3x16 This review was a dose of sunshine and roses and just so squee worthy all throughout. A pleasure to read. Funny and true and packed with gifs from the episode. So f you like Olicity, take my advice and read it. 3 Link to comment
tv echo March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 @TVecho, I can't thank you enough for scouring through the interwebz to find these articles :') THANK YOU SO MUCH. You're welcome! Actually, I'm not doing that much scouring anymore. By now, I have a pretty good idea of which critics/websites that I like to read for Arrow reviews and which ones I don't like. I only post the ones that I like or that I think make new points. Then if I have time, I'll peruse Google News for other reviews. 5 Link to comment
tv echo March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) Arrow: 3×16 Review – The Offer By: Alisha Bjorklund 11 hours agohttp://www.threeifbyspace.net/2015/03/arrow-3x16-review-offer/ But that’s when Team Arrow steps in to set things right. Diggle and Felicity lead the charge, adamantly telling Oliver that becoming Ra’s al Ghul is not the way to go. Both of them play a huge factor in Oliver’s ultimate decision, but it’s Felicity being the voice of reason that made the biggest impact. She and Oliver share not one, but several touching scenes together in which they discuss Oliver’s decision and his mission as the Arrow (not to mention their relationship). One of the best scenes was Felicity telling Oliver that when Team Arrow thought he was dead, they all had to do some intense soul searching; they had to figure out why they were fighting and what it was worth to them. She goes on to emphasize that now it’s his turn.And indeed it is his turn. After that heart-wrenching scene where Lance basically says, “Go screw yourself” to the Arrow for not telling him about Sara’s death, Oliver jumps back into the fray to save Lance and a bunch of policemen from Murmur—the newest baddie on the block. It’s in this moment that Oliver finds his motivation; the reason he is the Arrow. It’s his duty to protect the police and make sure they all get home safe to their families; it’s his duty to do that for all the people of Starling. Oliver doesn’t fight crime and stop murderers so that he can hear people say thank you. He does it because that is a noble enough reason on its own. Part of what made this episode so great was the acting by the entire cast, but most especially Stephen Amell. He strong yet subtle struggle to figure out what he should do, what choice he should make, was exceptional. Not only that, but his meaningful (not to mention incredibly flirty) scenes with Felicity were such a delight to watch. Also worth noting, having Oliver and Felicity be open with each other was so well done. Considering their history, it would be easy to have them shut down whenever they’re together or have one lash out at the other for all the crap they’ve gone through. But they don’t. They’re honest and agree to be friends, if nothing else, because that is what matters. Edited March 20, 2015 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
SmallScreenDiva March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 Here is Robert Dougherty's review of "The Offer" (good read, as usual)... Arrow S3: E16 -- 'The Offer' By Robert Dougherty March 19, 2015 01:58PM EDT http://www.themovienetwork.com/review/arrow-s3-e16-offer I can't seem to link to this review or the site itself. Does anyone know if it has been taken down? Link to comment
tv echo March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) The entire TheMovieNetwork.com website appears to be temporarily offline: http://www.themovienetwork.com/ I'd try again later... Edited March 20, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) This is an interesting analysis of "The Offer," outlining some characters' "special gifts" and how this episode used them (however, Felicity is reduced to a one-liner, and Diggle, Roy and Laurel are omitted altogether)... Arrow Showcases Every Character's Hidden TalentEsther Inglis-Arkell Yesterday 10:30amhttp://io9.com/arrow-showcases-every-characters-hidden-talent-1692319798# Oliver Queen: Being A Terrible, Likable, Terrible Person* * *Anyway, exactly how Stephen Amell manages to make Ollie likable, or even tolerable at times like these, is a mystery. It's not his face. I mean, he's handsome and all, but he looks like he should be murdering sorority girls on his yacht. And who knows. We've got two more years of flashbacks. That could still happen. Thea Queen: Crazying Up The Place* * *Felicity Smoak: One-Liners* * *Malcolm Merlyn: Saying Impossible Words* * *Quentin Lance: Emotional Honesty* * *Nyssa al Ghul: Being a Human Woman* * *The Arrow Writers: Raising the Dead* * * Edited March 20, 2015 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) Arrow Ep. 3.16 “The Offer” holds itself back as it pushes forwardPosted on March 20, 2015 By Randy Dankievitchhttp://www.soundonsight.org/arrow-the-offer-review/ Thematically, “The Offer” is the most consistent episode of Arrow we’ve had in awhile. With a lot of truth out in the open, and motivations coming to light, there’s some room for Arrow to wiggle out of the crawl spaces it wrote itself in during the first half of the season, and begin to work out what this clusterfuck of a season actually means. Does that lead to any interesting moments of discovery? It certainly does, as Oliver considers the offer from the Head of the Demon to take his place, and other characters like Laurel and Malcolm try to make things right with their family: but again, Arrow‘s tendencies to throw an extraneous layer of superficial dramatics on top of everything clouds the strong material. The most frustrating of this all continues to center on Oliver – ... In “The Offer”, Oliver begins to wonder what his true mission is as the Arrow, and whether he’s been affected by this all… for about fifteen minutes, before it moves onto the next stage, where Ra’s adopts the identity of Arrow in order to force Oliver to adopt the identity of the League. There’s some talk about what Oliver does and why he does it – and in those moments, Arrow‘s as strong as its been this season, returning to the moral conflicts of season two without the convoluted dramatics around it to cloud the character exploration. Unfortunately, that gets ruined by Oliver’s “conflict” over Felicity, which has become the second-most tired plot of the season (first place goes to Laurel being told she sucks as Canary, and third place to Thea’s loyalties regarding her father). Oliver just can’t let Felicity be happy with anyone else, which turns half of the episode’s central conversation into a petty jealousy tactics, all while Felicity pours her heart out and tells Oliver that yes, she would be with him if he would’ve let her, but he didn’t, so it’s time for him to move on. The thing is, it does this in service of making a Felicity a device for both Oliver and Ray, bouncing back and forth between the two without a ton of informative scenes into the mindset of the character herself, only her reactions to the love-sick men in her life. This is not so interesting, stories that are less about Felicity than having a pretty woman next to our heroes for the sake of a swelling score and some teary-eyed moments before big action sequences – and that’s never been Arrow‘s strong suit, nor will it ever be.* * * Edited March 20, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) I enjoyed reading this entire review by Kelly Konda of WeMinoredInFilm (but could only quote portions below)... ARROW’S “THE OFFER” (S3,EP16) & THAT’S MORE LIKE ITPosted on March 19, 2015 by Kelly Kondahttp://weminoredinfilm.com/2015/03/19/arrows-the-offer-s3ep16-thats-more-like-it/ ... Come on, this isn’t Joss Whedon’s Angel which completely changed formats in-between seasons 4 and 5, taking its heroic title character from an avenging detective helping the helpless to being the head of an evil corporation which he meant to change from the inside. It’s a little early in the season for Arrow to truly do something like that.... ... All superheroes eventually reach the “We are not so different, you and I” stage of their relationship with a villain, and Ra’s accurately predicting exactly what was going to become of Oliver upon his return home vaguely reminded me of the moment the Willem DeFoe Green Goblin offers to team up with the Tobe Maguire Spider-Man, warning that the city will turn on him because what the world likes even more than a hero is seeing a hero fall.... While not exactly the same thing, “The Offer” was kind of like an episode-long version of that rather familiar segment of the superhero story, with Arrow’s template being “The Demon’s Quest” story where Ra’s al Ghul offered to make Batman his heir....* * *Yes, thank you, Arrow. That is the type of stuff I love to watch from you. Incrementally push the season-long plot forward while giving us a fun or at least visually intriguing villain. At some point, have Oliver turn his back to other members of Team Arrow while he’s delivering a dramatic speech in the Arrow Cave (because then we get to make jokes about how often Oliver fails to actually look at the people he’s talking to), and if it makes sense for the story throw in a touching moment between Oliver and Felicity. In “The Offer,” Oliver did the now-familiar dramatic walk through the Arrow Cave while talking to Diggle, and for a change Felicity stopped short of outright hostility or yelling and had a genuine heart-to-heart with Oliver. I was as relieved as Felicity to see Oliver actually smile and say “thank you” at the end. Granted, that scene ultimately turned out to be in a service to furthering the Oliver, Ray, Felicity love triangle, but doesn’t it seem like it’s been too long since we’ve seen people actually be nice to each other and share a smile together on this show?* * *... Plus, I am a sucker for fish out of water humor, and I love the prospects of Nyssa being Thor to Laurel’s Jane Foster minus the romance.* * *4. The passive-aggressive way Stephen Amell said “Palmer” when referring to Ray while talking to Diggle was hilarious.5. The Arrow can now apparently fly for how else do you explain him vanishing into the sky while his zipline is not visibly attached to anything.* * * Edited March 20, 2015 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 I can't seem to link to this review or the site itself. Does anyone know if it has been taken down? The link to Dougherty's review now appears to be working: http://www.themovienetwork.com/review/arrow-s3-e16-offer 1 Link to comment
icandigit March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 Arrow Ep. 3.16 “The Offer” holds itself back as it pushes forward Posted on March 20, 2015 By Randy Dankievitch http://www.soundonsight.org/arrow-the-offer-review/ The thing is, it does this in service of making a Felicity a device for both Oliver and Ray, bouncing back and forth between the two without a ton of informative scenes into the mindset of the character herself, only her reactions to the love-sick men in her life. This is not so interesting, stories that are less about Felicity than having a pretty woman next to our heroes for the sake of a swelling score and some teary-eyed moments before big action sequences – and that’s never been Arrow‘s strong suit, nor will it ever be. I thought this was supposed to be her arc this season right. Something about "Am I just a crush object?". Totally fits in their plan. Now if its a good plan that's a different question. Link to comment
Danny Franks March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) I thought this was supposed to be her arc this season right. Something about "Am I just a crush object?". Totally fits in their plan. Now if its a good plan that's a different question. By the sounds of it, the writing is suggesting that is all she is. She's either dancing around Oliver or Ray, and as far as I can tell, has no life outside those two men. This is not the way to write a well rounded, real character. I guess if she seems like one, it's only due to Emily Bett Rickards injecting far more life into the character than the writers seem to be doing. Now they could be taking yet another leaf out of the Castle book and just leaving all real character development until the last couple of episodes of the season, but that would just beg the question of why you guys bothered with the first twenty episodes. Edited March 20, 2015 by Danny Franks 2 Link to comment
apinknightmare March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) I thought this was supposed to be her arc this season right. Something about "Am I just a crush object?". Totally fits in their plan. Now if its a good plan that's a different question. Her crisis was whether or not she was more than just "Oliver Queen's crush object." The answer is yes! She's also Ray's too. I guess if you stretch you can say she has found an identity outside of working for the Arrow and being around Oliver all the time, but that identity is also clouded in Ray's feelings for/about her, so it's crap. Edited March 20, 2015 by apinknightmare 10 Link to comment
NumberCruncher March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) By the sounds of it, the writing is suggesting that is all she is. She's either dancing around Oliver or Ray, and as far as I can tell, has no life outside those two men. This is not the way to write a well rounded, real character. I guess if she seems like one, it's only due to Emily Bett Rickards injecting far more life into the character than the writers seem to be doing. Yep, this has been my main complaint. I kept (and keep) hearing that Felicity has become empowered as a character yet I do feel we got sold a false bill of goods in that regard because at the end of the day, she still ended up mainly being the object of male affection rather than getting a storyline of her own--she just shifted from Oliver to Ray. I like that she gets to be in a relationship with Oliver because I think they make each other better, but that doesn't mean that's all I want for her. She's a kickass character in her own right so why can't that be just a minor part of her character arc? Edited March 20, 2015 by NumberCruncher 9 Link to comment
looptab March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 I remember the happy times when we were all speculating that Felicity would accept the job with Ray because she didn't trust him and wanted to keep an eye on him. Imagine the possibilities, him maybe investigating the Arrow or something, and her trying to cover their tracks. I don't even dislike Ray as many of you do, but it's another wasted storyline opportunity, one of many, sadly. 8 Link to comment
CabotCove March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 Oh I agree--the showrunners have certainly given the audience plenty of reasons to believe Felicity would leave the show (Barry relationship, Ray relationship, not a comic canon character). She is. Link to comment
pigs-in-space March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 She is. I thought she was only added to the comics after she became popular on the TV show, though. And the newest incarnation of the Green Arrow comics might not have her at all. But someone else confirm if I'm right/wrong - I don't keep super up-to-date on comic news. 1 Link to comment
apinknightmare March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 She was a character in Firestorm comics. Link to comment
Morrigan2575 March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 I thought she was only added to the comics after she became popular on the TV show, though. And the newest incarnation of the Green Arrow comics might not have her at all. But someone else confirm if I'm right/wrong - I don't keep super up-to-date on comic news.Felicity Smoak was a tirtiary DC character and part of the Firestorm mythology (Firestorm's one time minor nemesis turned Ronnie Raymond's step mother). Arrow wrote a one off character and gave her a minor DC Character name as an Easter Egg. Since then Arrow's Felicity Smoak became a fan favorite character and DC reintroduced the character into the New 52 (Green Arrow title) based off the TV Version. 1 Link to comment
pigs-in-space March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 Ah, thanks to you both for the clarification! So I had heard she wasn't in the Green Arrow comics and assumed she wasn't in DC comics at all, which is obviously not correct. Link to comment
kismet March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 Its just so confusing, because her name is a comic book character, but she herself is not that particular character. And now it that the DC comics are restructuring, who knows where her character will land when all the dust settles. I thought I read that she might not be part of the GA world when they picked the series back up. One of these days I would love to hear the truth about how Felicity's character name came to be. According to some of the interviews from s1, the idea of having an IT person that OQ could go to was already suggested from the network after the pilot, since they didn't find it believable that OQ could master all the IT stuff while stuck on an island. Then when you hear SA give interviews it seemed like he was smitten with her acting abilities and the chemistry was just natural between them and brought that to the producers attention. It was pretty obvious that their energies clicked on the screen, so Im sure the EPs would have noticed it at some point. So perhaps the stars aligned and all of it came to the showrunners attention around the same time. But they have gone on record to say that EBR was cast in her role & being worked into scripts before her first episode aired, so the positive fan response was not part of the decision making process to keep her on or make her a regular in s2. But it makes me wonder, if they were going to write an IT character into the story on a more permanent basis, why did they give her an actual DC comic name? Easter Eggs are supposed to be small things that are usually one & done. If the idea to have an IT person was already circulating, why not just give her a non-comic name? Why not put more thought into a name, so that it does not cause confusion? Its just odd to me that they chose to call her something from the comics that is not strongly linked to the GA story. Or when they did decide to keep her around they didn't do something to fix the confusion. I mean I guess they gave her a middle name (Meaghan), but if I was the writers I would have said that her first name was really Meaghan and she just chooses to go by her middle name Felicity. Similar to how they've hinted with Diggle & even Laurel's name, that their names might be links to possible comic adventures down the road. Of course, there is always the possibility that her last name might not be Smoak (complete speculation on my part), maybe that will all come out in the father drama they promise in future seasons. I think it just sets the show up for criticism and unnecessary questions. That all being said, I love the name Felicity and think it works beautifully for her character and the role she plays on the show. And honestly, I couldn't imagine her having another name. Link to comment
dtissagirl March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 It's not just Felicity, though. Here, take a quick look at who Lyla Michaels is in the comics: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbinger_(DC_Comics) Lyla's ARGUS codename is "Harbinger" on the show, but the similarities end there. 3 Link to comment
Morrigan2575 March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 Shado too...in the comics she's a Japanese Yakuza Assassin. She's not the daughter of Yao-Fei or a civil rights attorney. Thea fills in for Mia but she's got nothing in common with DC Mia Dearden, maybe the drugs. 1 Link to comment
Danny Franks March 20, 2015 Share March 20, 2015 (edited) Felicity Smoak, the Firestorm comic book character, is not Felicity Smoak the Arrow character. They share a name and an interest in computers, and that's it. The name was given to what was originally intended to be a one-off character as an easter egg for hardened DC fans. They've done it with other characters too. Kate Spencer and Jean Loring to name but two. Neither of them were the same as their comic book counterparts, other than in name and profession. Or how about James Callis's Dodger? In the comics he was an ally of Oliver Queen and a love interest for Mia Dearden (as well as being a shameless Gambit rip-off). They went in a different direction here, huh? I think people get way too hung up on who is who in the comics, when it honestly doesn't matter because this show cannot adhere to comic book canon without tying itself in about a thousand knots. Even a lot of the villains (Vertigo, Blood, the Royal Flush gang etc) are very different from their comic book roots. Edited March 20, 2015 by Danny Franks 2 Link to comment
wonderwall March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 (edited) Arrow S03E16: What worked, what didn't, and what needs to happen next by Laura Hurley http://www.examiner.com/article/arrow-s03e16-what-worked-what-didn-t-and-what-needs-to-happen-next Even better than the handling of Ra's' offer was the way in which the writing honored the characters that audiences had grown to know and love over the first two seasons of the show. The foundry was not without tension, but a level of intimacy pervaded the made it feel like these characters truly do care about each other as family rather than just as business partners to be tolerated. Original Team Arrow was back as a cohesive unit for the first time in far too long as Felicity made more than a crossover appearance from her plot with Ray Palmer and Diggle was treated as more like an equal than a sage counselor for Oliver to brush off. Felicity's admission that Digg had tattled on Oliver about the offer from Ra's indicates that their unique friendship is still going strong (if sadly offscreen), and it's always fun to imagine these two normal people gabbing over coffee about Oliver's ridiculousness so that they can tag team him into behaving himself. "The Offer" proved that the writers are capable of honoring the gorgeous dynamic between the original trio even while incorporating peripheral allies into the mix. ... Now, the restored lightness between them runs the risk of rankling in light of Felicity's new "something" with Ray. Oliver and Felicity scrape by under scrutiny, however, due to the sense that they're not deliberately flirting. Instead, each of their scenes together progresses as though Oliver missed her too much to be cold any longer and Felicity is so thrilled that Oliver is being a real boy around her again that she'll say anything - no matter how silly - to keep him open with her. She didn't call him handsome to string him along; she was just excited to be friends again. In "The Offer," Oliver and Felicity manage to regain a level of emotional intimacy not seen since before their failed date without cheapening the fundamental integrity of their dynamic or cuckolding Ray. In fact, without Ray's new role, the stiffness between the hero and his hacker might have continued indefinitely. He's a buffer between them, cutting through all of those dangled maybes and returning them to the walls of a safe zone of permissible affection. Their relationship may well be saved by romance being taken from the equation for the moment, and viewers can sit back and enjoy the renewed friendliness...until such a time as Oliver snaps and decides to test the integrity of those walls by throwing Felicity up against one to have his way with her. Edited March 21, 2015 by wonderwall 6 Link to comment
kismet March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 Arrow S03E16: What worked, what didn't, and what needs to happen next by Laura Hurley http://www.examiner.com/article/arrow-s03e16-what-worked-what-didn-t-and-what-needs-to-happen-next Fav line of the article - "Welcome back to playing a nuanced character on your own show, Mr. Amell. You were missed" 3 Link to comment
dcinmb March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 Where DC Is Going Wrong With TV (Paul Simpson, moviepilot.com) First off, Flash and Arrow are great! They are great shows, lots of twists and turns and great acting, no one can deny it. However DC is making a huge mistake by not letting any of their TV shows continue into their movies. Essentially this means that any characters, back stories and their progress will be lost in the movie continuity. That's right! Just erasing our characters for their movies. Personally I love the Arrow and Flash TV Show and I don't want to see anyone else in their roles and I don't want to pay $10 to sit through a 2 hour movie on their origins. I've already seen it, already fell in love with characters, I don't want someone else to fill their roles. Take example from someone who is doing it right! Marvel! They are doing it right and there is no denying it. Although some of their shows had a rocky start they are using television to help cut back on the expenses of making a stand alone movie to introduce a character. So what am I saying? Take a page out of the book with Marvel, we all know you want to be able to capitalize on having a movie and getting that extra money, but honestly we all love the characters you have set in place. I don't want 3 years of my life watching Arrow to be wasted and have the entire story line rebooted for the big screen. I want Stephen Amell! I wanna see him up there with Bats and Supes, not to mention SuperGirl is coming into the fray. You're gonna ruin your entire small screen fanbase because you're being greedy. So in closing. I absolutely love the TV series you have running, but seriously? Are you guys over at DC gonna sink so low as to not admit that Marvel is doing it right and that if you take a page out of their book, you could become bigger and better than Marvel is. In closing this is your one shot for our generation, don't blow it. Get you're sh** together DC. Link to comment
tv echo March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 (edited) DItto to entire Laura Hurley review. I also liked these parts: At this point in a depressing third season, Arrow badly needed an episode to remind audiences about why they'd fallen in love with the show.... Aborted romance aside, these [Oliver and Felicity] were two very close friends who have literally almost died for each other on multiple occasions, and they've always had a different brand of interaction than any others on the show. They were a source of light and warmth and fun on a grim program, and the absence of their unique dynamic had cost the series much of its enjoyability and the lead much of his likability in Season 3.* * *... "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Palmer," said Oliver's voice. "I could destroy you with my bare hands and not even feel bad about it, Mr. Palmer," said Oliver's eyes. Too true. Edited March 21, 2015 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
tv echo March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 (edited) Rich Epstein's review of "The Offer" at Bleeding Cool (not quite as snarky as his past reviews)... 'Seems Like It's Your Turn' - Recapping Arrow 3.16: 'The Offer'By Rich Epstein Posted March 20, 2015http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/03/20/seems-like-its-your-turn-recapping-arrow-3-16-the-offer/ ... Ra’s tells Oliver that his city will turn on him, his closest allies will hunt him, he will be killed, alone. Not the cheeriest sales pitch I have heard, but hey.* * * ... Nyssa beats the crap out of the kid vigilantes, but Roy manages to hit her with a tranquilizer dart. Thea lies and says that Nyssa escaped. Brat. * * * I just want to see Oliver do something with Merlyn. How many times does the guy have to try to ruin your life? He’s a mass murderer who got Oliver killed once and could have gotten Thea killed. Why is he on your couch? So, you don’t want Thea to become a murderer. Fine, she’s off the hook. At least put him in some kind of a prison. Like the one on the Island. Hey, put him in a cell with Slade. Then charge ten bucks a stream, and you’ve got your fortune back. Instead, Oliver wants to let Merlyn heal and leaves him alone with Thea. * * * Lance steps out, and asks Oliver if he is waiting for a thank you. Oliver says that isn’t why he does it and flies off. Literally. Like shoots an arrow into the air, and swings away. What is the arrow attached to? Anyway, looks like he figured things out for himself. * * * Yeah, the ending was a little telegraphed, but still good. I’m a little surprised Ra’s is doing his own dirty work, seeing as how he has this group larger than any army at his disposal and all. And, maybe, just maybe, killing a bunch of people that just shot up a police station is not the best way to start turning the city against Oliver. I have the feeling it will end up working though, as we know that Lance and Palmer will end up hunting him. Edited March 21, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 (edited) GeekDad is back with a review of "The Offer" (much praise for Nyssa, but good criticism for other stuff)... Same Geek Channel Review: ‘Arrow’ Episode 316 ‘The Offer’Posted on 20 March, 2015 by Mordechai Luchinshttp://geekdad.com/2015/03/arrow-episode-316/ [Katrina] Law’s expressive face perfectly conveys all of Nyssa’s complicated emotions. She does more with less, and most of it without dialogue, the hallmark of a great actor....* * *Season 3 has, supposedly, Ra’s Al Ghul as the overall villain. Except that’s muddied by the fact it’s Merlyn who’s the antagonist once again and sets all the plot pieces in motion by having Thea kill Sara. Abruptly, we’ve switched now to Ra’s as the overall antagonist, tempting Oliver with immortality. It makes this season less tight, less compelling, and forces the writers to move their chess pieces/characters sometimes into pretzels. That brings me back to Malcolm Merlyn. There’s all this talk about not letting Thea kill her father. But Robert Queen was her father who raised her and loved her. And Malcolm killed Robert Queen. So why is Malcolm sitting on the couch again? Why isn’t he dead or under arrest for the destruction of the Glades? Other than John Barrowman being popular with fans, I have no idea.* * *Oliver and Felicity reconcile somewhat, though she seems determined to keep him at arm’s length emotionally, which is a smart idea....* * *And am I the only one who thought the “prophecy” sounded more like a “rule”. “If you can’t kill him, he becomes the Dread Pirate Ra’s” kind of thing?* * *I think this episode still had issues, and you went into them better than I ever could, but for the first time this season, I’m looking forward to next week. Hopefully there will be a chance to gush about Ray at some point. Edited March 21, 2015 by tv echo 1 Link to comment
tv echo March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 (edited) This reviewer is rarely negative in her reviews and tends to praise everyone, but sometimes I agree with her... ‘Arrow’ Review/Recap: “The Offer”Posted on March 21, 2015 By Nora Dominick ‘17http://emertainmentmonthly.com/2015/03/21/arrow-reviewrecap-the-offer/ Stephen Amell delivers one of his best emotionally driven episodes of Arrow. This episode there weren’t too many huge stunt sequences like fans have seen in recent weeks. Arrow got back to its roots, which was refreshing... Amell does an impeccable job of showing the heartache, desperation and vulnerability that lays just under the surface of Oliver’s hardened exterior. Amell begun Arrow as a relatively new actor and has grown so much. He has always exceeded in the stunt aspects of Arrow but this episode showed his emotional growth.* * *Of course the most emotional and heart-pounding scenes were between Felicity and Oliver... When Oliver wanders into Palmer Technologies and sees Felicity and Ray, his facial expression instantaneously changes. Amell does an amazing job at playing a character who is achining on the inside but maintains a stable and stoic front. Rickards and Amell are the basic definition of “sexual tension” in this episode.Rickards has always delivered her lines with a layer of flirtation and heartache and this episode of Arrow may have been her best. There were three important Oliver and Felicity scenes this episode but the most passionate and emotional came towards the end of the episode after Oliver finally realizes what he’s fighting for. Felicity tells Oliver, “You’re always saying how you want me to be happy? Well the thing is, as long as you’re in my life I am.” Whoever writes Felicity Smoak’s dialogue should win an award because her ability to leave fans and Oliver Queen hanging on her every word is not only a testament to Rickards acting but also the writing. In an episode purely driven by dialogue and emotion, Rickards and Amell’s growth as actors took center stage. Edited March 22, 2015 by tv echo 3 Link to comment
tv echo March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 (edited) Those two romance authors' review of "The Offer" at USA Today (they make some new points - at least new to me)... Romance authors dissect 'The Offer,' latest ep of 'Arrow'Lavinia Kent and Allison Brennan 10:03 p.m. EDT March 20, 2015http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2015/03/20/arrow-the-offer-allison-brennan-lavinia-kent/25121745/ And you are right about it being Oliver's, or rather the Arrow's, story this week. One thing that I found very interesting about Oliver this week and in recent episodes is that we are actually seeing very little of "Oliver." It's almost all the Arrow. Even when he goes to ask Felicity for help and finds her flirting with Ray, he changes to his deeper Arrow voice. I think he is really finding his identity as the Arrow, but will still have a struggle with being Oliver again. I did love the scene with Felicity in the Arrow Cave where she once again shows she is the soul/conscience of Team Arrow and directs Oliver into who he is and who he must be. "I don't think you are the Arrow so that people will say thank you." (And I seem to be obsessed with the color choices for Felicity's clothes. I loved that her blue dress matched Ray's suit and tie, marking them a couple, but then it also matched the Arrow Cave exactly. I felt like they were really showing that she is Team Arrow's core.)* * *I actually wondered when Ra's sent Nyssa away if his purpose was for her to go and redeem herself. I thought she was going to come to Starling City obviously bent on vengeance. I liked her much more subtle approach. I was guessing that she'll die at the end of the season and then end up in the Lazarus Pit — becoming one more who survives Ra's blade.* * *When [Malcolm] mentioned the prophesy to Oliver — that the next Ra's al Ghul would survive in battle — also highlighted that maybe that's what he'd been planning all along when he drugged Thea, had her kill Sara and sent Oliver to Nanda Parbat. I see Merlyn as always thinking 10 steps ahead of everyone else, always having a contingency plan and never (or rarely) being surprised. Edited March 21, 2015 by tv echo Link to comment
tv echo March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 (edited) Arrow s3, episode 16 recap: Is Oliver the next Ra's al Ghul?By Morgan Jeffery Thursday, Mar 19 2015, 11:48am EDThttp://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s206/arrow/recaps/a636519/arrow-s3-episode-16-recap-is-oliver-the-next-ras-al-ghul.html#~p7zR4pO2znndGi Themes of identity and purpose pervade the latest episode of Arrow - 'The Offer' is not so much about making a choice, as it is about whether or not certain characters are doomed to their respective fates.* * *In particular, Oliver and Felicity seem to be growing more distant, as she simultaneously grows closer to Ray Palmer - her telling Ollie "you're one of my closest friends" is unintentionally cruel, but then so is his rejection of her subsequent attempts to comfort him.* * *But while Diggle remains Team Arrow's voice of reason - always the first person Oliver will burden with his concerns - it's Felicity who is the voice of compassion, and it's her renewed bond with Oliver which ultimately restores his faith and his confidence. He might be the one saves the city, but she saves him - time and again. So 'The Offer' leaves many of its characters on a surprisingly upbeat note, as Thea finds some solace in Roy and even Nyssa reaches out to Laurel for some comfort. Edited March 21, 2015 by tv echo 2 Link to comment
dcinmb March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 A very complimentary article by a digital/political consultant . . . "Arrow's" Stephen Amell Can Social Media Better Than You (brodigan.tv) I’m always looking to see how people from outside of politics use social media to see how can I apply different ideas to a campaign . . . One person I’ve been keeping an eye on lately is actor Stephen Amell. If you don’t know who that is, you obviously aren’t watching “Arrow” on The CW Wednesday nights, which makes me feel sad for you because it’s one of the best shows on television. I’m also sad that it probably means you also aren’t watching “The Flash” on Tuesday nights, which is the other best show on television, but that’s hardly the issue here. Amell plays the lead character, and when he’s not on the set firing arrows at bad guys and doing the Dawson/Joey thing with Felicity (if you need to stop reading and go watch the show, I’d understand), he’s in his trailer fooling around on social media. His is easily one of the funniest, most entertaining, most engaging Facebook pages I follow . . . . . . He Sinceriously Enjoys It – I’d say about 90-95% of celebrities and public figures, judging from what and how they post, only seem to do it because a publicist wants them to. Amell does it because he enjoys communicating with his fans and having fun with them . . . . . . Constant, personal updates – Usually about once a day, he posts a video even if it’s just to say hi. It’s never just posts promoting all the celebrity stuff he’s doing as a celebrity, which is the political equivalent of “Here’s a picture and a ten word talking point…LIKE and SHARE if You Agree!” He’ll let people know about the day on the set, what’s going on in the WWE, funny things fans have send him, etc. He also does something different where he’ll be the one who conducts interviews with other cast members . . . . . . Facebook – Everyone claims Facebook is old and busted and is chasing the hot new social media thing, mainly so people write think pieces saying how “Wow, politician is using the hot new thing. He can social media better than you!” Amell still sees the power of Facebook and how it’s still king when it comes to building and engaging with a community . . . . . . So, that’s how The Arrow likes to play and promote himself on social media. If you’re smart, you’ll steal some of his tricks. 2 Link to comment
Ang March 21, 2015 Share March 21, 2015 [D]oesn’t it seem like it’s been too long since we’ve seen people actually be nice to each other and share a smile together on this show? * * * ... Plus, I am a sucker for fish out of water humor, and I love the prospects of Nyssa being Thor to Laurel’s Jane Foster minus the romance. Yes! And oh please, let them not try for romance between Sara's sister and gf. Link to comment
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