The Starling City Times: News and Media about Arrow

[tv echo]

I really liked the following analysis from the TV Overmind 3x20 review (posted above):

In this week’s episode of Arrow, Oliver is in a place he’s never been before. He is no longer the Arrow, and he is about to become a person that he does not know or recognize in order to save his sister. For this short period of time, he is only Oliver Queen, and it is at this point, when Oliver has no titles to live up to or expectations to meet, that we see the true version of him, the man we got a glimpse of in the Season 3 premiere, before the threat posed to his loved ones caused him to hide underneath the Arrow hood for many of the episodes that followed.

 

Without the burden of being the Arrow (and it is a burden, despite how noble a venture it is) and the inevitability of becoming Al Sah-Him hanging over him, Oliver finally exists in a place where he does not have to be anyone but himself. He is able to express who he truly is in “The Fallen” and take action in many ways that he believed he couldn’t before. As the Arrow, Oliver thought he had to hold in his feelings, both positive and negative, that he, in many ways, had to be solely a weapon for justice instead of an actual living, breathing human being, and it created an emotional separation between him and his family. However, when faced with the idea of becoming a member of the League, and thus being physically separated from those he loves, of never being able to see any of them again, Oliver breaks through his emotional barriers and opens up.

 

And in those moments that he does express his feelings, Oliver is not just speaking to Felicity. While their scenes together are a crucial to the episode (because Oliver and Felicity’s connection, whether platonic or romantic, is the most important relationship on Arrow—there’s no arguing that), Oliver also shares heartfelt goodbyes with Thea and Diggle. Notice how different these exchanges are than his farewells to them in “The Climb,” an episode where Oliver knows he is most likely going to die while fighting Ra’s al Ghul. In “The Climb,” Oliver is still the Arrow, still carrying that form of his identity and letting it control his actions, but in “The Fallen,” as he calls Diggle his brother and kisses Felicity one last time, there is nothing blocking those he loved from the man he truly is. In these quiet, emotional scenes, Oliver is simply himself, and nothing more.
*  *  *
So who exactly is Oliver Queen? Simply put, he’s a person. He’s a person who values family, whether they’re blood (Thea) or not (Diggle). He’s a person who has honor, which is why keeps his agreement with Ra’s. He’s a person who, despite the protests of some fans, loves Felicity Smoak, and has grown because of their relationship. When it really comes down to it, Oliver Queen is just a person like anyone else, desperate for connection and protective of those he loves, and it is that love that will ultimately separate him from the Arrow or Al Sah-Him—it’s what will pull him out from underneath an even darker hood so that he can finally embrace who he is meant to be.

Edited April 25, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

3x20 review by the two USA Today romance authors...

 

Romance authors on latest 'Arrow': Can't wait!
Allison Brennan and Lavinia Kent, Special for USA TODAY 12:20 a.m. EDT April 25, 2015
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2015/04/25/allison-brennan-lavinia-kent-arrow-the-fallen/26350573/

[tv echo]

'Arrow' Promotes 'The Fallen' Co-Writer Wendy Mericle To Co-Show Runner
By Robert Dougherty Apr 24, 2015 12:15 PM
http://www.themovienetwork.com/article/arrow-promotes-fallen-co-writer-wendy-mericle-co-show-runner

Mericle has far more experience on the show than just helping to write long awaited sex scenes, however. While she has never written an Arrow episode on her own, she has co-written 13 episodes over the show's three year run. She was the co-writer with Guggenheim in the recent Public Enemy episode that exposed Oliver to Quentin Lance and Starling City, and also co-wrote Moira Queen's death in last year's Seeing Red. She also co-wrote Felicity and Ray Palmer's first kiss in the episode Draw Back Your Bow, but most Olicity fans have likely let her off the hook for that now.

 

Either way, Guggenheim has probably chosen the right time to get some help running Arrow, given how the CW's superhero franchise as a whole is stretching thin with Arrow, The Flash and an upcoming spinoff. Guggenheim himself helped contribute to that by bringing Ray onboard in the first place, for the sole purposes of stretching out Olicity angst -- in very questionable ways -- and positioning him and Brandon Routh to helm the new Legends of Tomorrow with other Flash and Arrow characters.

 

Losing some of his creative team to The Flash put the burden mostly on Guggenheim in this Arrow season, which made him an easy target for the often oppressive angst, romantic misery and repetitive storytelling that has often marred the season -- something not even Olicity sex can completely remove.
 

As such, having a new voice in charge to balance him out, moving on to what will hopefully be more hopeful and less overstuffed plotlines, and not setting up characters just for more unnecessary spinoffs and love triangles, could be a more lasting shot in the arm to Arrow next season than overdue sex scenes.

Edited April 25, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

SoundOnSight's review (Randy really hates the LOA storyline and how Felicity's agency has been removed this season)...

 

Arrow, Ep. 3.20: “The Fallen” crumbles under the weight of its own absurdities
Posted on April 23, 2015  By Randy Dankievitch
http://www.soundonsight.org/arrow-season-3-episode-20-the-fallen/

... The trouble really begins before the episode can even get to Oliver and his roller coaster of emotions – the first sign things are in trouble are when Ray tells Felicity he knows she still loves Oliver, and she dumps him as a thank-you for pointing it out (but not after asking for his jet). Once again, Felicity’s less acting on her own agency than she’s following around what other characters determine for her – which makes the moment where she tells Ollie she loves him (and then has sex with him) even less poignant than it already was, shoved into the episode after Ra’s basically convinces her to go sleep with him, since she’ll never be able to see him again.

 

Putting aside how ridiculously intricate the plan to seduce Oliver has been from the start, using Felicity as a weapon to motivate Oliver is an interesting idea this season has ignored, instead pushing her towards Ray Palmer in an attempt to make the audience give a crap about the entitled, not-Iron Man headed towards a spin-off next season – a story that comes to a dull ending, taking no more than 45 seconds before Ray’s explained to Felicity how she feels and she leaves. So in “The Fallen”, Arrow has nothing to do but give the audience the moment they’ve patiently waited for: except coming mere hours after she dumped Ray (and only a week after she spent an hour tripping over sentences around Barry again), it’s not quite as meaningful and convincing as “The Fallen” wants us to think it is.
*  *  *
So Oliver takes the job, Thea heads back to Starling a little “different”, and Felicity’s love is finally requited – though once again, they can’t be together because of frickin’ Nanda Parbat, where assassins learn to be people, then break their own codes when they go secretly knock up people elsewhere (lest we forget, HE HAS A DAUGHTER. Where did she come from? How did she get into the Leauge? Did he murder her sister and was like “Daddy’s not bringing her back unless you kill people, motherfucker!!!!”)....
*  *  *
I wish I could buy into this whole League of Assassins story more – but what it’s done to Felicity as a character, and how it’s handcuffed Oliver and his team every step along the way is frustrating. None of it feels as epic or meaningful as what happened last season with Deathstroke – though back then, we did live in a world of Arrow where once you died, you actually stayed dead....

Edited April 25, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

And then they end with two candles. Subtle writers. Hanging a neon sign that says “TWIN FLAMES” might be simpler. But hey…dealer’s choice. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term, twin flames or “twin souls” dates back centuries to the time of Plato. The moment a soul is created it splits into two halves, the masculine and the feminine. A perfect representation of the duality in the human soul (HELLO IDENTITY THEME). A twin flame is essentially the other half of your soul. We spend our life yearning to be reunited with our other half. When you are with your twin flame you feel complete, because they are a true mirror of yourself. The relationship can be challenging and fraught with difficulties, but it is cemented in unconditional love. A twin flame is like the ultimate soul mate. Without them you are incomplete.

While I don't think jbuffyangel's twin flames/twin souls interpretation is accurate, I do think she's not completely off the mark that the two candles meant something.  I doubt that the EPs/director were thinking Plato or soulmates.  However, I do think the camera panning to the two lit candles was deliberate and that the two lights were intended to represent Oliver and Felicity.  (Just like the way the camera deliberately panned to place the background torch light directly centered behind Oliver and Felicity during their good-bye kiss.)

 

Light symbolism has been repeatedly used throughout this series, both in visuals (like when Oliver & Felicity are hugging or kissing) and in words (like "you need someone who can harness the light in you").   I think they use light to represent humanity - usually (but not always) Oliver's humanity.  So I think the two lighted candles were meant to represent Oliver and Felicity's humanity, glowing bright during their most human and intimate connection.

 

The question is whether you equate one's humanity with one's soul - whether Oliver's struggle to retain his humanity is a struggle to save his soul.

Edited April 26, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Laura Hurley's "deleted scenes" from her 3x20 review...

 

Deleted Scenes From “Arrow S03E20: What worked, what didn’t, and what needs to happen next”
http://laurawritesabout.tumblr.com/post/117371256541/deleted-scenes-from-arrow-s03e20-what-worked

…There was such an intimacy in the love scene that watching them come together almost felt intrusive. What saved the sequence from veering out of vicariousness and into voyeurism for all of the fans who have been replaying a certain two minutes over and over again since Wednesday was the balance between heat and heart. As much as Oliver was gripping her and flipping her and ravishing her, he was also gazing into her eyes and letting her touch his scars and pulling up the sheets for privacy to keep the moment theirs. This was no Ollie seeking gratification or the Arrow seeking release; this was Oliver making love.

 

Which is why it’s totally okay to rewatch until the end of time.
*  *  *
…Felicity’s father needs to come into play. While it’s unlikely that the parallel between Ra’s al Ghul’s story about being coerced into abandoning his family and the desertion of Felicity’s father was meant to foreshadow that Mr. Smoak had also faced an ultimatum from the League of Assassins, Felicity’s lack of sympathy for what were clearly extreme circumstances is just another in a long line of clues as of late that her dad will be playing a part in future episodes.

Edited April 26, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Ryan McGee (TV critic for HitFix and ScreenCrush) is no longer writing Arrow episode reviews, but here are some of his tweets about the latest episode (3x20)...

Ryan McGee @TVMcGee  ·  Apr 24
This will all be undone in two weeks but that was still pretty fun all the same. #Arrow

Ryan McGee @TVMcGee  ·  Apr 24
Hey it's the Felicity I've been waiting for all year! #Arrow

Ryan McGee @TVMcGee  ·  Apr 24
On tap: burritos and sigh-watching this week's #Arrow.

Edited April 26, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Yes, I know, Emertainment Monthly is a college entertainment magazine, but I still like some of this writer's episode analyses (despite her tendency to praise everything)...

 

‘Arrow’ Review/Recap: “The Fallen”
Posted on April 26, 2015  By Nora Dominick ‘17
http://emertainmentmonthly.com/2015/04/26/arrow-reviewrecap-the-fallen/

If television producers could bottle the sexual chemistry between Emily Bett Rickards and Stephen Amell they would. The duo has been breaking hearts together since season 1 of Arrow and this week may have been their most intimate, surprising and overall sexy performances to date. In a scene that fans have been waiting three season for, Oliver and Felicity are both finally honest about their feelings. This entire season, fans have been anxiously awaiting Felicity to reciprocate her feelings and this episode delivered. In a scene that will forever define their characters, Felicity tells Oliver, “I wish that I could change your mind about staying here. I know how leaving you here is going to destroy me. I don’t regret a single moment and you shouldn’t either…You have changed so many lives for the better including mine…. You opened up my heart in a way I didn’t even know was possible. I love you.” That’s right, Felicity Smoak finally utters those three special words to Oliver. What ensues is an intimate, long-awaited sex scene between the two characters. Amell and Rickards exude sexual chemistry and this scene further proves that no two characters have ever been so right for each other.

Edited April 26, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

‘Arrow’ season 3, episode 20: Felicity’s top moments
Caitlin Kelly 11:00 am, April 26, 2015
http://www.hypable.com/arrow-3x20-felicity-top-moments/

[BkWurm1]

So Oliver takes the job, Thea heads back to Starling a little “different”, and Felicity’s love is finally requited –

 

From the SoundOnSight's review Arrow, Ep. 3.20: “The Fallen” crumbles under the weight of its own absurdities

 

If the reviewer thinks that this is the episode where the love Felicity has for Oliver is finally requited, then he really hasn't been paying attention.  If anything this was the episode were Oliver's love for Felicity was requited.  I understand this reviewers complaints but he gives Felicity even less agency and credit than the show does. 

[tv echo]

‘Olicity’ and ‘Merder’ lead the TV Ships of the Week
Laura Byrne-Cristiano 2:15 pm, April 26, 2015
http://www.hypable.com/ship-olcity-merder/

‘Arrow’ – All Aboard Olicity

 

Passengers: Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak

 

Sunset Cruise: After breaking up with Ray Palmer, Felicity accompanies Oliver to Nanda Parbat, where he will stay to become heir to Ra’s al Ghul. Believing they will never see each other again, Felicity and Oliver finally sleep together after affirming their love for each other. It’s steamy, sensual, and a bit sad all at the same time.

 

Ship Status: So this isn’t the happy, fun time cruise we were hoping for. The official launching is more like two vessels going “WTF are we supposed to do now?”

Edited April 27, 2015 by tv echo

[quarks]

My favorite part of that Hypable article is the bit on Sansa and Littlefinger:  "We are on the vessel squick."  Heh.

[FurryFury]

I'm not sure there's any man on Game of Thrones with whom Sansa has non-squicky scenes. It's ridiculous at this point.

[Lokiberry]

I'm not sure there's any man on Game of Thrones with whom Sansa has non-squicky scenes. It's ridiculous at this point.

I mean, really. Isn't there one decent guy in all of Westeros? Non-related, that is. The Starks aren't the Lannisters. Although, one of them might be a . . . never mind.

[Trini]

Black Canary's Fight Club poster.

[Kordi]

Robert Dougherty´s Tuesday Arrow analysis: 'Arrow' Still Utterly Devoted To Romance Movie Formula

http://www.themovienetwork.com/article/arrow-still-utterly-devoted-romance-movie-formula

"Arrow had its chance to finally transcend the worst of the romance formula a week ago, yet all the sex and kisses they got didn’t quite do it, at least to me – and now it is hard to see what could. To change that, it would have only taken one little moment of Oliver having any bit of faith, reconsideration, desire for the full life he denied himself and Felicity all year, and realization that he should try to have it before succumbing to Al Sah-Him. Instead, he did it without a second thought or a willingness to fight back in any way, and screwed up any chance of the only pro-Felicity/pro-Oliver choice he will make all season not coming out of utterly nowhere on May 13 – unless they’re pulling another fast one on us."

[wonderwall]

 

Instead, he did it without a second thought or a willingness to fight back in any way

 

Sometimes I find Robert Dougherty has tunnel vision when it comes to Oliver's decisions and views things in black and white. Yeah I wasn't a fan of the movie romance formula stuff this season, but I think what worked in the last episode was that Oliver knew he couldn't fight back which just added to the sadness of Oliver being ripped away from the ones he loves. He wanted to bring Thea back to life, so he paid the price for it. There is no fighting back when you're in Nanda Parbat. And Oliver knows that if he resists Ra's, that will give Ra's the power to kill everyone Oliver loves. Anyone who thinks our Oliver would ever take the chance doesn't really know him at all. The issue here is that Dougherty is reducing Oliver succumbing to the league as a romantic trope of keeping O/F apart. I mean, it's not just that, it's either a part of a grander plan Oliver/TA have or... It's about taking away everything Oliver was, the Arrow was, and hopefully by taking it all away, when Oliver gains some lucidity, he'll probably realize that he can never not be Oliver Queen because that's a part of who he is. Like a whole "you don't know what you have until you lose it" sort of situation. 

[apinknightmare]

Not to mention the fact that Oliver by nature is easily defeated emotionally, and his first instinct is to always give up to save other people pain. It's something that I find endearing at times but wish he would grow out of. There wasn't a shot in hell of Oliver ever choosing to fight at first - that just isn't who he is (although I hope that soon he will be, because...dude). He would've given up even if he wasn't in love with Felicity. So, this show has fell into some contrived storytelling to keep Oliver and Felicity apart, but this ain't it.

[Kordi]

Sometimes I find Robert Dougherty has tunnel vision when it comes to Oliver's decisions and views things in black and white. [...]

Thank you, @wonderwall, for sharing your thoughts. I'm going to comment on this in the relationship thread.

[Sakura12]

Ranking the best super hero tv show out of the 6 on the air right now.

 

Arrow comes right after Gotham at #5,

 https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/heres-definitive-ranking-best-superhero-130400549.html

 

A year ago, Arrow likely would have taken the lead spot on this list, but the battle for Oliver Queen's humanity that has consumed Season 3 is a step down from the wild ride the series presented in Season 2, thanks to the commanding presence of Manu Bennett's Slade Wilson. Ra's al Ghul has failed to live up to the hype in a storyline that's supported by the flimsiest of foundations, while characters like Felicity have been dragged through the mud to service Oliver's ongoing struggle with identity. The lone highlight to this underwhelming season is Oliver's bond with Thea, but that can't carry a series that doesn't seem to care about everything that once made it great.

 

I have to agree with them on that. Last year Arrow would've been on top of my list as well.

 

My list is. 

#1: Agent Carer

#2: Daredevil

#3: Agents of Shield

#4: The Flash

#5: Arrow

#6: Gotham

Edited April 29, 2015 by Sakura12

[blixie]

I can not agree with any list that does not put Gotham at #105 out of  6. And I still think Agents of Shield is super meh (but still better than S3 of Arrow). My list would be of all the comic book related shows

 

#1. Agent Carter

#2  iZombie

#3 The Flash

#4 Daredevil

#5 Agents of Shield

#6 Arrow

#105 Gotham

[Chaser]

For Stephen, David and Emily alone it should be above Gotham, but the criticism is certainly valid. Amazing how much a poor villain arc can hurt the season. If they wrote Ra's like he should have written, Oliver's 'struggle with identity' wouldn't have seemed so redundant. 

[Sakura12]

Gotham should be much lower, but it's in last place where it belongs. 

 

I forgot about iZombie, although technically not a super hero show. For comic book shows it would definitely be right under Agent Carter. While Agents of Shield is not the best, I'm still watching it and gave up on Arrow, that's why it's higher on my list. I also think the Marvel shows are on the top of my list because of their better treatment of female characters compared to DC (besides iZombie that has the advantage of show runner that knows how to writer female characters).  

[Starfish35]

My list would be

#1 Agent Carter

#2 The Flash

#3 Agents of SHIELD

#4 Arrow

I don't watch Gotham, and I've only watched the first episode of Daredevil. I'll give it another shot this summer when I've caught up on my backlog of currently airing shows.

I agree with what they're saying about SHIELD for the most part. I couldn't care less about Ward, but they're right IMO that the pace of this second half has been slowed down by the other SHIELD and the Inhumans. And I'm not thrilled about this spinoff idea. Why pull out two of your best characters (IMO) for a new show, when your current show isn't even getting that great of ratings?

[Danny Franks]

I gave up on Gotham completely, by about episode ten. It just doesn't grip me at all, and there's too much of the kid who can't act, Jada Smith chomping through every piece of scenery and too much fucking atrocious writing for female characters.

 

Agents of SHIELD is probably even worse, because their main character is human valium. Not even Adrianne Palicki makes me want to watch.

 

As I've said before, I quit Arrow before this season started, because I did not like any of the spoiler 'teasers' that came out over the summer. And The Flash is vacuous nonsense that serves no other purpose than background noise while I do something else.

 

If, five years ago, someone had told me that there would be multiple TV shows on that were about comic book characters, I'd flip my lid in excitement. I'd certainly never believe that most of them would be crap.

 

So this leaves me with Agent Carter and Daredevil. Both of which are excellent and actually feel worthy of the source material. It's just a shame that the first may not get a second season, and the second won't air its second season until next year.

[Sakura12]

Coulson only occasionally does anything on AoS, so I don't have an issue with him. I still wish Cobie Smoulders would come back to tv and take over TV Shield. However I'm enjoying watching all the women saving the day, Skye, May, Simmons, Bobbi and even Raina's helping before she probably takes advantage of her new gift. 

 

Gotham is just terrible. 

 

Arrow had a great 2 seasons, then fell apart by trying to do much without thinking everything through. The show lost it's own identity by trying to their identity theme which is apparently "Am I Green Arrow, or am I Batman?"

Edited April 29, 2015 by Sakura12

[Danny Franks]

Coulson only occasionally does anything on AoS, so I don't have an issue with him. I still wish Cobie Smoulders would come back to tv and take over TV Shield. However I'm enjoying watching all the women saving the day, Skye, May, Simmons, Bobbi and even Raina's helping before she probably takes advantage of her new gift. 

 

If they killed Coulson off and brought Maria Hill back in to be the new boss, I would actually give it another go (although there are still plenty of elements to it that I disliked. Special Skyflake and Arrogeek Fitz, being just two). Because Cobie Smulders is pretty great, and her few minutes of action in the Marvel movies so far have already made her more of a no-nonsense, badass leader than Coulson could ever hope to be. Seriously, her 'kick back in my chair and shoot a bad guy in the face while I'm watching security monitors' moment from Cap 2 was fantastic.

[Velocity23]

Katrina Laws interview with IGN!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/29/arrow-katrina-law-on-nyssa-as-a-target-of-the-league-of-assassins-and-how-laurel-has-changed-her?page=2

[tv echo]

Ranking the best super hero tv show out of the 6 on the air right now.

 

Arrow comes right after Gotham at #5,

 https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/heres-definitive-ranking-best-superhero-130400549.html

I don't agree with the rankings (I'd move Arrow up the list and put Agent Carter at #1), but I agree with the description of Arrow's problems this season.  I also don't like it when anyone claims to have the "definitive ranking" of anything.

Edited April 29, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

'Those Who Stand Apart From Humanity' - Recapping Arrow 3.20: "The Fallen"
By Rich Epstein  April 28, 2015
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/04/28/those-who-stand-apart-from-humanity-recapping-arrow-3-20-the-fallen/

There are only three episodes left, and it seems like there is a lot to do. Oliver will have to undergo his training, his “transformation”, before realizing who he is. It seems like that has been his major issue this season, beginning with his failed attempt at a relationship with Felicity and him losing Queen Consolidated. Slowly, everything that was Oliver Queen has been taken away. At some point, he is going to have to learn that Oliver Queen is the Arrow, the one who fights for those who can’t.

Edited April 29, 2015 by tv echo

[Velocity23]

Arrow review on Vulture.

http://www.vulture.com/2015/04/arrow-recap-season-3-episode-21.html?mid=twitter_vulture

 

Edited April 30, 2015 by Velocity23

[tv echo]

EW's review/recap of 3x21...

 

'Al Sah-Him'  Arrow Ep. 21
BY CHANCELLOR AGARD
Posted April 30 2015 — 12:32 AM EDT
http://www.ew.com/recap/arrow-season-3-episode-21

... He’s become his own worst nightmare. It’s very reminiscent of Harvey Dent’s line (delivered by Aaron Eckhart) in The Dark Knight: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”
*  *  *
... Outnumbered, Oliver flees by jumping off the side of the roof (#theatricality). (Another indication of Oliver’s transformation: He primarily uses a sword throughout this whole episode.)
*  *  *
Meanwhile, a tied up Lyla tries and fails to get through to Oliver by explaining how Diggle joining Oliver’s crusade three years ago gave him hope and purpose again, things he lost in the wake of his brother’s death. This conversation helps us to understand why Diggle, and not Felicity, seems to be taking Al Sah-Him the hardest. Diggle and Oliver’s friendship is one of Arrow’s core relationships. Diggle, not Felicity, definitely feels like the person Oliver connected with first upon returning. One of the joys of the past few episodes has been the multiple instances in which the show has shone a spotlight on this relationship because for most of the season it has remained in darkness while Olicity received all the attention.
*  *  *
... Ra’s’ conversation with Felicity last week introduced us to Hitch al Ghul. Well, tonight, Hitch al Ghul goes one step further and decrees that Nyssa will wed Al Sah-Him, therefore becoming Bride of the Demon. If you thought Nyssa was scared before, you should see her face right now. (ASIDE: In an alternate reality, Ra’s al Ghul is the host of a reboot of the old CW show Beauty and the Geek called Beauty & The Heir to the Demon. END ASIDE).
*  *  *

• Felicity suggests that they need to design Diggle some sort of costume/identity concealer if he insists on continuing to go out in the field—which reminded me of my wildest theory/hope: Diggle will eventually become Steel on the show.
• Shoutout to Stephen Amell’s performance tonight. Somehow he managed to make Al Sah-Him even stiffer (in a good way) than Oliver Queen. Also, his eyes looked frighteningly dead throughout.

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Enjoyed reading the Vulture review as usual - esp. liked these bits:

The episode kicks off with a training-torture montage showing Oliver’s initiation into the Cult of No Personality. (Stephen Amell in a wet T-shirt somehow makes water torture seem less morally culpable.)...
*  *  *
... (I would very much like to watch a Travel Channel series that features Nyssa traveling across the country, dubiously exploring American pastimes.) ...
*  *  *
...It’s the first time these two characters [Felicity and Thea] — the most important people in Oliver’s life — have shared a scene alone in three years. It is playful and heartfelt and immediately makes me wish we had seen more of this all season....
*  *  *
... What follows is a scene at Nyssa’s hideout, where Dig demands that Nyssa turn herself in. Laurel fiercely protects Nyssa and tells Dig he can’t trade Nyssa for Lyla. The nerve on that girl, I swear. Laurel’s been training with her for only a few weeks. Maybe she was mad about not being invited to the Team Arrow dinner party? Yes, yes, I understand her larger point about finding another way and not wanting Dig to bear the burden of that choice, but I’m also like, pfffffffftttt. While Laurel had some decent scenes this episode (with Dig in the van, with Nyssa at dinner), this was not one of them.
*  *  *
... When Maseo reaches Felicity, she spits out, “Don’t you dare touch me.” An unsure Maseo gets the go-ahead from Al Sah-him to leave Felicity be. (Maybe there’s a little bit of Oliver in there yet?) Bad move, Al Sah-him....
*  *  *
Oh, and Ra’s has one other minor, little, bitty request: Al Sah-him must marry Nyssa. When this is announced, there’s a very pronounced twitch of horror in Al Sah-him’s face.

 

Oh, yes, I do believe there is some Oliver in there yet!

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

JustAboutWrite's lengthy and interesting analysis of 3x21...

 

Arrow 3x21 "Al Sah-Him" (Why Are You?)
7:14 PM
http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2015/04/arrow-3x21-al-sah-him-why-are-you.html

What happens when a person you love becomes a person you don't know anymore? ... In Arrow, the theme of identity permeates nearly every crevice of every single episode. It's a series that, this year particularly, asks the question: "Who are you?" and then follows it up with: "Why are you?"
*  *  *
... The question of identity isn't just contained to the "who," but extends to the "why." Knowing WHY someone is the way that they are is more important than understanding who they are. Because, in fact, you'll understand far more about the "who" once you understand the "why."
*  *  *
Oliver's greatest fear was himself, yes. But his greatest fear has always really been The Arrow and -- specifically -- what being The Arrow meant. And now, we see why: as Oliver, the man, he has a soul. As The Arrow... that soul is darkened and tainted and prone to anger. The Arrow's instinct is to err toward the side of vengeance, not justice. Oliver Queen's instinct is to protect the people he loves. The Arrow's instinct is to kill, lest you be killed. The Arrow and Oliver have dueled all season and Oliver has repeatedly chosen the suit over everything: love, happiness, a family, a home. (Literally, he lived in the Arrow cave for a very long time.) So it makes sense, doesn't it, that eventually The Arrow would kill him?
*  *  *
Can someone remind me why a) Ra's spared Nyssa and b) required her to marry Al Sah-Him in the first place? That part was a bit... muddled, logic-wise. Then again, Arrow logic is making less and less sense these days.
*  *  *
"Don't you DARE TOUCH ME." If I could marry a character right now, it would be Felicity Meghan Smoak for standing up to every single character and giving them a piece of her mind.

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

For comics fans (the first article was retweeted by Jamie Bamford)...

 

Arrow: Easter Eggs and DC Comics References In "Al Sah-him"
By Russ Burlingame  04/30/2015
http://comicbook.com/2015/04/30/arrow-easter-eggs-and-dc-comics-references-in-al-sah-him/

 

Arrow Season 3, Episode 21 Watch: DCU Connections And Easter Eggs
BY JESSE CARP  7 HOURS AGO
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Arrow-Season-3-Episode-21-Watch-DCU-Connections-Easter-Eggs-71614.html

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

From Eonline...

 

Arrow's About to Host the Worst Wedding Ever
by SYDNEY BUCKSBAUM Wed., Apr. 29, 2015 6:34 PM PDT
http://www.eonline.com/news/651882/arrow-s-about-to-host-the-worst-wedding-ever

This was a jaw-dropper, all right. After spending the entire hour hunting Nyssa down, even almost killing Diggle (David Ramsey) in the process and alienating all his friends and loved ones, Oliver captured Nyssa and brought her back to Nanda Parbat. Just when he was about to kill Nyssa on Ra's' orders, Ra's stopped him and realized a better way to ensure the League's future would be for Oliver to marry Nyssa.

 

This is wrong on so many levels. For one: Nyssa is gay! Another: she was in love in Sara (Caity Lotz), and seeing as how Sara and Oliver are exes, that's just...weird. And awkward as hell. The panic on both Oliver and Nyssa's faces showed that much.

 

But the biggest issue we have with this wedding: Olicity. Ouch, our hearts! Felicity is not going to take this news so well. And can you blame the poor girl?!
 

Will next week's League of Assassins wedding on Arrow be the worst wedding that's ever been on TV?...

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

IBT quotes some twitter reactions and thinks wedding is a ruse (yeah, you keep thinking that)...

 

Why Oliver-Nyssa Wedding is Merely a Ruse; Twitter Reactions to 'Arrow' Episode 'Al Sah-him' [VIDEO]
By Mangala Dilip April 30, 2015 15:01 IST
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/why-oliver-nyssa-wedding-merely-ruse-twitter-reactions-arrow-episode-al-sah-him-video-630884

@gomxzftdobreva: "WHAT THE HELL OLIVER AND NYSSA CANT GET MARRIED THAT CANT HAPPEN #ARROW"

 

@CwZp8: "@ARROWwriters Jaw is NOT OK!! Still on the floor! Absolutely gutted  You sure you love your fans?  #Arrow #AlSahHim"

 

@dgct2: "I swear if Nyssa and Oliver get married that will be the biggest load of BS. Don't go that route Marc. This better be a bait and switch."

 

@wittyfelicity: "@timetravelmagic Oliver was about to kill Nyssa and Ra's was like "buddy stop I've got an idea let's get u 2 married " and they were like "

 

@OlicityLuv: "Nyssa=Sara Oliver=Felicity Let's keep it that way."

 

@smolderftw: "Poor Nyssa has been subjugated, Oliver is heir to the league, and Malcolm is helping the good guys. What a twisted world it is now #arrow"

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[Chaser]

Based off of the positive reactions to Laurel and Nyssa, they would be smart to add KL as a recurring character if not a regular. She is bad ass and she works better with KC than everyone else (IMO).

[SonofaBiscuit]

Based off of the positive reactions to Laurel and Nyssa, they would be smart to add KL as a recurring character if not a regular. She is bad ass and she works better with KC than everyone else (IMO).

 

This probably means that she (Nyssa) is next in line to die :(

[tv echo]

Review of 3x21 by Erik Kain, Forbes contributor (he thinks Oliver is playing a long con, and also offers an alternative S3B version)...

 

'Arrow' Season 3, Episode 21 Review: Bride Of The Demon
Erik Kain   APR 30, 2015 @ 3:28 PM
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2015/04/30/arrow-season-3-episode-21-review-bride-of-the-demon/

I don’t believe, as his oddly fairweather team does, that “he’s gone.” For one thing, Oliver spent years on the island and in Hong Kong getting tortured and brainwashed and beat up and tossed around in a sea of events outside his control, and through all of that he became a deadly warrior, trained in body and in mind.

 

There’s no way a few weeks in Nanda Parbat does what years and years of brutality couldn’t: Kill his spirit and change him into something else. He has knowledge of Ra’s al Ghul, his methods, his abilities, and very likely his intentions—to unleash the army’s super-virus from Hong Kong onto Starling City.
*  *  *
Felicity as love-interest to Oliver is a real drag. There’s a whole movement, apparently, calling itself (or being referred to as?) Ollicity, that’s plushing hard to make this romance happen, but it’s just a huge drag in my opinion. Felicity is funny. She’s a smart, attractive nerd, and when she’s at her best she’s slipping up and making funny double entendres, or hacking computers with her Product Placement Windows 8.1 tablet.
*  *  *
Lovelorn Felicity, down-Diggle, and always-uptight Laurel is not a fun super hero team. At least Nyssa faces her challenge head-on.

 

Oh, and what’s with it being okay for the rest of Oliver’s team to kill people but not Oliver himself? There’s blood all over their hands by the end of their confrontation with the League.

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Robert Dougherty's review of 3x21 (gives it a score of 8/10)...

 

Arrow S3: E21 -- 'Al Sah-Him'
By Robert Dougherty April 30, 2015 12:45PM EDT
http://www.themovienetwork.com/review/arrow-s3-e21-al-sah-him

In any case, Al Sah-Him does deliver on its hopeless promise as expected. Yet it actually provides real hope for a lot of other things, before the misery and woe breaks everyone on and off screen.
*  *  *
Once Oliver eventually snaps out of it, then we can argue if it is truly enough to make up for everything and excuse everything – in both him and the show. Hopefully, there is much more to it than just a magical wearing off of Ra’s herb from a kiss, memory or catch phrase – and that somehow, someway, Oliver was intending to stay as himself this whole time. However, Al Sah-Him makes that theory more and more remote than last week did, leaving even more doubt of whether a light at the end of this tunnel is even plausible.

 

For the second straight week – and certainly not the only week this season – I am left with that kind of ugly long term taste in my mouth in spite of all the excellence of the previous 35-40 minutes. And once again, I have to remind readers that there is a lot of excellence to be had first, despite how it feels more like ash in the final minutes. Between the new Team Arrow, Thea’s latest post-resurrection steps, Thea and Felicity, Laurel and Nyssa, Amell’s Al Sah-Him growl, and the hints of an even greater and hopefully more balanced battle ahead starting in October, there is reason to be hopeful for the show for most of this hour.

 

Perhaps if the show wasn’t so determined to wipe out anything resembling hope by the end, it would be easier to focus on that.

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

WeMinoredInFilm's "frustrated review" of 3x21 (rushed Oliver brainwashing, rushed Nyssa/Laurel friendship)...

 

ARROW’S “AL SAH-HIM” (S3,EP21): DID THEY SKIP AN EPISODE?
Posted on April 30, 2015  by Kelly Konda
http://weminoredinfilm.com/2015/04/30/arrows-al-sah-him-s3ep21-did-they-skip-an-episode/

... Nyssa is openly gay, yet she’s being forced into an arranged marriage to a man. She’s only ever loved Sara Lance, who is actually a former lover of the man she is to marry. Oliver now loves Felicity.  Plus, what’s with the two-episode-in-a-row trend of Ra’s sparing a disgraced League member’s life out of nowhere?
*  *  *
It is simply far too jarring to see Oliver so easily broken down by the League, haphazardly communicated to us through a short montage which seems to completely lack the courage of its own convictions....
*  *  *
There’s no freakin’ journey with Oliver in-between “The Fallen” and “Al Sah-him.” There is simply a writing staff rushing forward because they probably really wanted to see how crazy Twitter would go when Oliver appeared to kill Diggle before the opening credits. They are lazily trying to connect the dots from Oliver’s season-long identity crisis to his new status as heartless killer, returning him to his default setting from the pilot.  This is just bad storytelling, and it didn’t have to be. There so easily could have been an amazing episode in which Team Arrow fights a standard villain-of-the week while back in Nanda Parbat Oliver struggles to resists the League of Assassins conditioning and ultimately fails. There should be a sense of loss here, not a mere “gotcha!” moment before the title card....
*  *  *
It is a testament to this show that I like these characters enough that I want to go on an emotional journey with them.  It is to the show’s detriment when that journey is skipped over in favor of “too much, too soon” syndrome....
*  *  *
3. The Canary Cry? Still a work in progress.

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrow: 3×21 Review – Al Sah-him
By: Alisha Bjorklund 3 hours ago
http://www.threeifbyspace.net/2015/04/arrow-3x21-review-al-sah/

Welcome to the “everything hurts and nothing is okay” Arrow hour part two! For part one, go here....
*  *  *
After three weeks of intense, ritualistic training, Oliver is no longer himself. He has now fully embraced his new identity. Or has he? They were subtle, but there were a couple indications that Oliver may not be entirely lost yet. The biggest one was when Sarab was searching for concealed weapons and Felicity snapped at him to not touch her. And Oliver allowed her to go unchecked...  That impressive fight was another indication that Oliver might still be himself. He put on a good show, but he did leave without seriously harming anyone....
*  *  *
And as far as heart-wrenching, soul crushing scenes is concerned, I’d say that scene of Felicity crying in the wrecked Foundry was a top contender. She stayed strong for everyone until the end, and then finally let the grief consume her. Another top contender was when Diggle pleaded with Al Sah-him that there has to be some shred of Oliver left in him. And while we’re at it, let’s throw in the scene of Laurel alone and miserably eating shake-dipped fries, too.
*  *  *
At first I was outraged at the idea of forcing Nyssa, an empowered (and the only lesbian) character, into the worst kind of marriage with a man who has made her life miserable, both directly and indirectly. But I’m almost positive that the show won’t actually follow through on this union. Why? Because eventually Team Arrow will snap Oliver out of his brainwashing, probably with some elaborate plan, and the wedding will get called off or changed somehow. Besides, did it not look like Oliver and Nyssa had matching “oh shit” faces when Ra’s told them they had to marry?

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

'Arrow' Recap: 10 Ridiculously Awesome Moments From 'Al Sah-Him'
Adam Bellotto   April 30th, 2015 12:12pm EDT
http://www.starpulse.com/news/Adam_Bellotto/2015/04/30/arrow-recap-10-ridiculously-awesome-mo

6. Wow, that Canary Cry was... Really Awful, Huh?

We were very excited when Cisco gave Laurel's Canary Cry an overhaul. At least, until we saw it. Now, we need Laurel to kindly put that thing away, or set it on fire, or whatever she has to do so that never happens again on "Arrow."

 

What the hell was that? A lot of glass broke, we heard a warbling electronic drone, and Katie Cassidy opened her mouth and very obviously pretended to scream without actually screaming. Maybe the Canary Cry is just too comic book funky to truly be realized onscreen.

 

Either way, that was a disaster.

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

io9's interesting analysis of 3x21...

 

On Arrow, The New Hero Is Nyssa And The Villain Is Heteronormativity
Esther Inglis-Arkell   4/30/15 8:40am
http://io9.com/on-arrow-the-new-hero-is-nyssa-and-the-villain-is-hete-1701160268

The main plot of “Al Sah-him” confused me. I was baffled as to why Ollie’s friends were convinced that he was “gone,” or “dead,” or had “lost his soul,” because he committed the heinous crime of killing precisely no one. I found it particularly confusing because the Arrow team killed at least three of Ollie’s men. Why hadn’t they lost their souls?
*  *  *
But the person this season is really about is Nyssa. It’s her story because she was ousted as heir, leaving Ra’s to cast around for alternatives. It’s her story because she stole the vial, knowing that Ra’s was going to make Oliver use it on Star City. And it’s her story because of the consequences of that theft. Ra’s stops Nyssa’s execution, and says that Ollie and Nyssa’s “blood” will “unite” their two families. Nyssa is going to be “bride of the demon.”
*  *  *
Nyssa and Ra’s have had a weird vibe since the beginning. We first really picked up on it when Merlyn implied that Ra’s had killed “the degenerate who stole his daughter’s heart.” Degenerate is an old code word for gay, and is still used on websites I’m absolutely not going to link to. While Merlyn was lying, he supported his lie with reasoning that would ring true to Nyssa. It was outright stated that when Nyssa chose Sara as her beloved, she did it knowing that it would put her out of the running for heir. Every conversation between Ra’s and Nyssa about Sara has contained phrases like, “You’re punishing my love for her. At least do me the courtesy of admitting it.” It stayed ambiguous until now. Now, not only is Nyssa expected to “unite” bloodlines, she has to marry the guy she does it with.
*  *  *
Nyssa, though in the background, has had a clear arc. She was part of a rigid organization. She fell in love with a woman, against the wishes of her father and leader. That love, and the way her father rejected her for it, caused her bit by bit to rethink and even rebel against the things she had grown up believing. She finally broke free of her society. She discovered her own morality, made her own friends, trained her own champions, and lived her own life. Now her past is catching up to her.

 

And it’s super patriarchal.

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Arrow s3, episode 21 recap: "My name was Oliver Queen…"
By Morgan Jeffery  Thursday, Apr 30 2015, 4:00pm EDT
http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s206/arrow/recaps/a645028/arrow-s3-episode-21-recap-my-name-was-oliver-queen.html#~pbnkusJ1RJ4VmO

'Al Sa-Him' hinges on one big question - is Oliver's transformation mere ruse or is he not as infallible as Felicity, Dig and the rest would like to believe? Is he faking or are his 'family' in for a rude awakening?
*  *  *
But a good deal of this episode's intended emotional heft is contingent on how attached the viewer is to Nyssa al Ghul, a rather standoffish heroine who it's never been particularly easy to warm to.

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[fantique]

 

 

Felicity as love-interest to Oliver is a real drag. There’s a whole movement, apparently, calling itself (or being referred to as?) Ollicity, that’s plushing hard to make this romance happen, but it’s just a huge drag in my opinion. Felicity is funny. She’s a smart, attractive nerd, and when she’s at her best she’s slipping up and making funny double entendres, or hacking computers with her Product Placement Windows 8.1 tablet.

Lovelorn Felicity, down-Diggle, and always-uptight Laurel is not a fun super hero team. At least Nyssa faces her challenge head-on.

If this person had done their research right, they would've realised that the number 1 reason why people wanted Olicity was because of the no drama possibility. No creepy sister swapping, no overtly tragic past for Felicity that was caused by Oliver, just two people who get each other and all the drama would come from the understandably difficult situation of being part of a vigilante team. Obviously one of those oh so insightful people who still see Felicity as comic relief, nerdy crushing on the hero type. There are many reasons to not like Olicity, it being a drag because she's meant to crush in the corner without being noticed is NOT one of them. Let's be real, Felicity (and by association, Olicity) was sacrificed at the altar of Ray Palmer this season.

[tv echo]

'Arrow': 15 Signs Oliver is Lost, But Not Entirely Gone from 'Al Sah-Him'

By Carla Day on Thursday, April 30, 2015

http://www.buddytv.com/slideshows/arrow/arrow-signs-oliver-is-lost-but-not-gone-from-al-sahhim-10580.aspx

Edited April 30, 2015 by tv echo

[statsgirl]

..

 

Arrow S3: E21 -- 'Al Sah-Him'

By Robert Dougherty April 30, 2015 12:45PM EDT

http://www.themovienetwork.com/review/arrow-s3-e21-al-sah-him

 

 

Still, Season 4 and a reunited and growing Team Arrow look even further away at this point, especially as the last act officially makes everyone give up hope – as disappointing and perhaps as out of character as some might see it in a few cases – confirms one or two of the worst Season 3 finale theories and becomes a long advertisement for Prozac.

 

[AyChihuahua]

Negative review, vast majority of negative comments.

 

  http://www.tv.com/shows/arrow/community/post/arrow-season-3-episode-21-al-sahhim-review-143017013695/