Laurel Lance: Black Canary, Black Siren.

[Oscirus]

It's weird when I first started marathon watching, I was expecting Laurel to be some kind of Ogre but once I watched, all I could think was: why do they keep putting her in unwinnable situations?

 

Boyfriend cheats on her with her sister and then they're both presumed dead for five years. Later on she find out from her grieving mother that not only did the mother know what her sister was going to do, but she also supported it. How do you react to something like that. Either way, Laurel was going to lose.  She was either going to be a female dog  for going off on her poor tortured ex or she was going to be seen as a gold digging pushover for allowing this kind of behavior. Somehow, the writers managed to provide evidence for both sides of the argument.

 

Second season, she has to deal with being kept in the dark about her sister being alive and once she is alive, the fact that her sister, starts rubbing a relationship with Oliver in her face by doing things like  needlessly bringing him to a family dinner and I once again wonder: how is she supposed to react to this?

 

She's also not helped by some of the other writing decisions. The big sister blow up that should've happened winds up being resolved by Oliver for some reason.  The Tommy relationship started off fine but then somehow devolved into a weird love triangle where everybody lost.  And to make it worse the situation was never resolved.  I also don't get why the writers work so hard to separate her from the rest of the main cast.  Three seasons in and she barely talks to Diggle or Felicity unless she needs something.

 

Finally, while she does admittedly do some really stupid stuff, I do think her heroic moments get overshadowed. If not for her persistence in going after brother blood, Slade would've probably have won, and in spite of her issues with her sister, she was the one who convinced Oliver to commit to Sara and she did manage to not only get her father out of trouble but also get him his job back.

 

I think that basically she's harmless, more a product of lazy writing then anything else.

 

 

[KirkB]

Second season, she has to deal with being kept in the dark about her sister being alive and once she is alive, the fact that her sister, starts rubbing a relationship with Oliver in her face by doing things like  needlessly bringing him to a family dinner and I once again wonder: how is she supposed to react to this?

 

 

Oh, I agree. Whatever momentum Laurel might have had to grow or become a better/more interesting character in season two was pretty well assassinated by the writers and/or the EP's. My apathy toward the character was set by season one because they had already not bothered to do much of anything with her, and during the second season they seemed to be determined to take what a lot of people didn't like about her and make it worse, to the point I began to suspect they were doing it on purpose for some reason. The family dinner scene, where Oliver had absolutely no business being present, was just about the only time in the series where I was one hundred percent on Laurel's side. She had every right and reason to react the way she did. But that was basically Laurel's shining moment for me because I went back to not caring or paying much attention to her after that.

[tv echo]

This article expresses similar sentiments about how Season 1 Laurel showed a lot of potential, but then the characterization and writing failed her (WARNING!  It references spoilers for Laurel

becoming the Black Canary

)...

 

Why Laurel Lance is ‘Arrow’s’ weakest link (opinion)
Danielle Zimmerman 11:00 am, November 19, 2014
http://www.hypable.com/2014/11/19/laurel-lance-arrows-weakest-link-opinion/

Edited January 5, 2015 by tv echo

[Morrigan2575]

link doesn't seem to work

[statsgirl]

It worked for me on my desktop.

 

 

She fought for social justice as much as she can within the confines of the justice system. Laurel worked as a legal aid attorney at CNRI (City Necessary Resources Initiative), a law firm that was dedicated to helping people in need. From the looks of it, she took quite a few pro-bono cases and fought as hard as she could to achieve justice. She was a character I could really root for. I was ready to pencil her name onto my list of fictional media females that kick ass.

[snip]

Laurel Lance, more than any other character on the show, is what I like to refer to as a “reactive character.” Instead of being proactive (like she was in season 1 when she was kicking some justice system butt), in seasons 2 and 3 of Arrow, Laurel’s character seemed like she existed only to tie past events into the future. To react to things that have happened to her and do nothing else. Laurel’s characterization has been slowly collapsing in on itself because she doesn’t seem to be the protagonist of her own story.

 

I agree with some of what she says but I think that she overstates the good Laurel of season 1, which would make her disillusionment of season 2 and 3 greater.  And I disagree that Laurel is a reactive character --  in s2 she was active in her addictions and her rejection of Dinah and Sara.

[Sakura12]

I remember being bored by Laurel in S1 and saw nothing that would lead me to believe she'd be Black Canary one day. I didn't find her relationship with Tommy fun or interesting. In fact she made him boring. I'd much rather have seen Tommy hanging out with Oliver than being stuck with Laurel who looked like she didn't care about him. That relationship started to turn me off of Laurel over just being bored by her.

 

I also remember thinking how rude it was for her to turn off the TV at her workplace that everyone else was watching. Then she did it again in the S2 flashback with Sara. Both times she was making that all about herself. I can't see Laurel as being anything other than an entitled, selfish, attention seeker. Even her reasons for wanting to be a vigilante are marred by her wanting the attention to be on her rather than her murdered sister. 

[AnalyzeAndCritique]

I remember being bored by Laurel in S1 and saw nothing that would lead me to believe she'd be Black Canary one day. I didn't find her relationship with Tommy fun or interesting. In fact she made him boring. I'd much rather have seen Tommy hanging out with Oliver than being stuck with Laurel who looked like she didn't care about him. That relationship started to turn me off of Laurel over just being bored by her.

 

 

i wonder how much of the lack of affection for Tommy was Cassidy's biding time until she was part of the OTP. I cant' imagine Colin not bringing the fun and those around him being swallowed up in it.

[SonofaBiscuit]

IIRC, didn't KC mention that Tommy was taking advantage of Laurel, or something like that?  Thoughts like that just feed into one of my issues with Laurel.  She's always a victim.  Tommy was taking advantage of her, everyone leaves her (by DYING!), and she's constantly kidnapped or in need of rescue due to either being kidnapped or making really dumb life choices.  It's fine, you know, people like this exist in real life, but I can't say that I have the desire to associate with any of them or be pulled into their drama-filled lives. 

 

ETA:  Here's the interview where KC mentions Tommy taking advantage of Laurel:

http://collider.com/comic-con-stephen-amell-and-katie-cassidy-talk-arrow-playing-a-superhero-and-the-possibility-of-black-canary/

Edited January 5, 2015 by SonofaBiscuit

[calliope1975]

IIRC, didn't KC mention that Tommy was taking advantage of Laurel, or something like that?  Thoughts like that just feed into one of my issues with Laurel.  

 

That's one of the reasons I can't even look back on her relationship with Tommy fondly, though I kinda liked them together at the time. She had so little respect for him and her bemoaning his death and making it about her taints whatever good feelings I had about them as a couple.

[Sakura12]

everyone leaves her (by DYING!), 

 

If people are getting themselves stabbed with buildings and arrows and tossing themselves at garbage dumpsters to get away from you. Maybe it's time to take a look at yourself.

[chaos is welcome]

Oh man even back then she was all like "SOULMATES!" Bahahahaha.

[TanyaKay]

Laurel's true soul mate was that bottle of red wine ... Sadly, she has broken up with that for good.

Tommy was far too nice and should never have been shackled with her or in a romance triangle.

[Oscirus]

It sounds like she was referring to the relationship prior to Oliver's return.

 

However I don't know what's more eye opening about that interview. Whether it's the fact that she clearly didn't know her character's history or if it's that she thinks that Laurel is "pure and honest in the pilot."  when it's doubtful that's what the director was going for. Did they just give her a script and call action without making sure that she understood her character?

[tv echo]

link doesn't seem to work

The link should work but maybe there's a system incompatibility - I don't know.  Alternatively, you could Google the headline ("why laurel lance is arrow’s weakest link") and get to the article that way.

[journalismjunkie]

Sorry for jumping into the thread without doing a thorough reading of it, but as a first post here I wanted to declare my love and support of Laurel Lance. I find her to be one of the more interesting, dynamic, and layered characters, and I love watching her be broken down to be rebuilt as part of the show's overall theme of second chances, redemption, and transformation. I can't wait to see how she continues to evolve into a stronger version of herself, especially her development into Black Canary. I'm aware that hating her character is the trend, but it's impossible for me to follow suit. She's just too fascinating and inspiring to me, and Katie Cassidy does a wonderful job in her preparation and performance.

[wonderwall]

Sorry for jumping into the thread without doing a thorough reading of it, but as a first post here I wanted to declare my love and support of Laurel Lance. I find her to be one of the more interesting, dynamic, and layered characters, and I love watching her be broken down to be rebuilt as part of the show's overall theme of second chances, redemption, and transformation. I can't wait to see how she continues to evolve into a stronger version of herself, especially her development into Black Canary. I'm aware that hating her character is the trend, but it's impossible for me to follow suit. She's just too fascinating and inspiring to me, and Katie Cassidy does a wonderful job in her preparation and performance.

 

I think that it's wonderful that you like KC and Laurel! I really envy you for seeing something in her that I'm failing to because looking back at the past two seasons, she's had more layers in season 1 and the back half of season 2 than she does now. It feels like they've reduced Laurel into a woman who is either angry or sad or just a coward (not telling Quentin is just cowardly, imo). What layers do you feel like she has this season that I'm missing? Because I'd really like to know and all I'm getting right now is the dynamic bit but not the layered one. 

 

To me, Laurel's always been defined by the stuff that's happened to her and I feel like that's just really bad storytelling. She's a 'reactive' character and has no distinct personality like Diggle, Felicity, Thea, and Oliver have. Not even Roy has a distinct personality, I feel. Which I think is the fault of the writers and KC with the way she chooses to portray her character. I think this is one of the few reasons why people fail to connect with her. 

 

I hope Laurel improves by becoming stronger emotionally and mentally, rather than physically. But I don't think that it will take 3 episodes to do so. And if it does take 3 episodes for her to grow emotionally then I'll call BS because even Oliver is still growing in that department after 3 years. She's not a strong person both physically, emotionally, and mentally which is why I think not a lot of people like her. But I don't think her becoming Black Canary should be the reason why and how she evolves into a competent and strong person. I think that she should grow as LAUREL first and then become BC, alas, it won't happen because we aren't getting the full story regarding her because this isn't her show. 

 

And I don't see how the show's theme of second chances and redemption has anything to do with Laurel. What does Laurel have to redeem herself from? She was an alcoholic in season 2 but apparently she redeemed herself on that front at the end of season two. Laurel didn't do anything heinous so second chances have nothing to do with her. Laurel's BC arc is based on retribution and anger and that 'fire inside of her that can't be put out' (which is a lame reason for wanting to be a vigilante.

 

But yeah, I've always wanted to have a discussion with a person who likes Laurel about why they like her and what they see in her that I don't. Unfortunately no one who watches Arrow in my life likes her, and the people here online usually become hostile in regards to her. Hopefully you could open my eyes a bit? 

Edited January 10, 2015 by wonderwall

[dtissagirl]

I truly don't understand a redemption arc for Laurel. Oliver has sins to atone. Sara had them too. Laurel's past doesn't need atonement, or redemption. The one thing she's done that I do think is shady is hiding Sara's death from Quentin. But even that is being framed by the narrative as something she's doing to protect him -- hence no other character saying she's wrong about it, especially her mother, who agreed to keep the secret as well.

It almost veers into victim-blaming, imo, that she has to redeem herself for having been lied to, cheated on, for having doubts about her relationships with Tommy, for sleeping with Oliver, for developing clinical depression, for her alcoholism and drug abuse... none of these are things need redemption.

It's one of the several reasons I get taken out of the story whenever Laurel's on screen. They give her themes and narrative arcs that for the life of me I cannot see how they fit her.

Edited January 11, 2015 by dancingnancy

[statsgirl]

One of the problems for me with Laurel has been her (at times overwhelming) self-absorption.  She assumes Oliver wants to marry her (denying evidence of his cheating), she takes her picture to the boat so he would have company, she thinks Oliver cheated with Sara because he wanted to break them up (maybe, but maybe he just liked having fun with Sara), she turns down Tommy's CNRI fundraiser because he only wants to get into her pants, she makes Sara's return all about herself, she only talks to Oliver, not Diggle or Felicity who she ignores unless she wants something from them, all the way up beating up guys because it makes her feel better and refusing to tell her father about Sara because she doesn't want to lose him.

 

If she developed a motivation of empathy, if like Oliver or Ray, she became, a crimefighter to save the city, or like Roy or Sara to protect those too weak to protect themselves, I could see that as a redemption arc. 

[slayer2]

What happened to KC's boxing muscles?

Katie Cassidy gets cheeky in a teeny polka dot bikini as she hits the beach in Miami with her best friends

By HELEN ZHAO PUBLISHED: 21:45 EST, 20 December 2014 | UPDATED: 03:45 EST, 21 December 2014

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2882230/Katie-Cassidy-gets-cheeky-teeny-polka-dot-bikini-hits-beach-Miami-best-friends.html

I don't know how anybody sees that as without muscle but I guess if you don't like her you don't like her. Her muscular physique is pretty obvious to me but tomay-to, tomah-to I suppose.

[apinknightmare]

I don't know how anybody sees that as without muscle but I guess if you don't like her you don't like her. Her muscular physique is pretty obvious to me but tomay-to, tomah-to I suppose.

 

She's toned, but she's not muscular. And she's also not flexing like she usually is in the pics she posts where she does look ripped - so that's probably the issue.

[slayer2]

She's toned, but she's not muscular. And she's also not flexing like she usually is in the pics she posts where she does look ripped - so that's probably the issue.

 

The abs and the arms look muscular to me but semantics.

[apinknightmare]

The abs and the arms look muscular to me but semantics.

 

The abs yeah, but since the OP was commenting on her boxing muscles, I assumed they were talking about her arms, since she's frequently posting pics of her biceps on Twitter and such. Whether or not anyone thinks that beach pic looks muscular, it's not even close to how her arms look when she posts workout pics - probably because she's not flexing.

[slayer2]

Why are people that don't like her following her on instagram and twitter? This truly baffles me.

[apinknightmare]

Why are people that don't like her following her on instagram and twitter? This truly baffles me.

 

They aren't necessarily - some of her pics get posted in the social media thread.

Edited January 11, 2015 by apinknightmare

[tv echo]

I don't know how anybody sees that as without muscle but I guess if you don't like her you don't like her. Her muscular physique is pretty obvious to me but tomay-to, tomah-to I suppose.

First, I said "boxing muscles" - I didn't say she had no muscles.  Second, I was making a simple observation.  At the end of the "Sara" episode, when Nyssa was leaving and came to see Laurel, Laurel was punching a bag and we could see her bulked up shoulders and arms.  I actually admired KC for putting on those muscles because it showed dedication to her character's boxing regimen.  But when I was Googling "arrow cw" and came across this news article with recent pics of KC in a bikini, that added bulk to her shoulders and upper arms seems to have disappeared.  I don't 'follow' anyone on instagram or twitter.

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2015 by stacey
Tone

[pivot]

I could buy season 1 KC more as BC than 2nd-3rd season KC. She is so underweight now that it looks like a strong wind would blow her away. Same reason that Angelina Jolie is such a laughable action star now.

[Luckylyn]

I feel that they are so focused on the endgame of Laurel as Black Canary that they aren't giving enough consideration on her development to get there.   It's been plot points and poorly thought out storylines from the beginning.  They should have focused on the idea that Laurel believes strongly in the justice system and then over time have her lose her idealism.  For example, instead of the stupid Laurel hates the Arrow for a couple of episodes plot of Season 2, Laurel's rage should have been directed to Moira.  I would have had Laural totally appalled that Moira was acquitted.  Then, Laurel's idealism would be further tested by the revelations about Blood and realizing the level of corruption in Starling law enforcement.   That's the road to vigilantism that would have worked for me.   Laurel deciding the system she believed in was too broken for her to trust it anymore is a story line I would have enjoyed watching.  They also missed opportunities to let Laurel develop friendships that would have allowed the character to be better integrated to the main story and be more well rounded.   There was the opportunity for Laurel to bond with Thea in Season 1 and again in Season 2 with Thea, Sin and Roy when investigating Blood.

 

They seem to alternate between Laurel being isolated from other key characters or have her behave in an alienating fashion with them.   Inviting Felicity and Diggle as well to the ceremony honoring Arrow in episode 3x01 would have been a good start to Laurel bonding with them but instead she only deals with them in an off-putting autocratic way when she needs something.   I don't understand why she's written this way.   I liked KC in Harper's Island and think with better writing Laurel could be rootable.   Because of the writing, I just resent Laurel because characters I like better like Sara are being sacrificed unnecessarily.

[KirkB]

That's the thing that really gets me. Putting aside Katie's acting, which is a major obstacle for a lot of people, the foundation for Laurel becoming a vigilante was there in the writing they just chose to ignore it until this season, where they are doing it all at once. There was plenty of setup for her taking that path in the earlier seasons. But to this day I say their single biggest mistake was bringing back Sara and making her the Canary first. Without such a perfect adaption of the character already so established Laurel would have nothing to live up to or compare to.

Edited January 11, 2015 by KirkB

[Sakura12]

What I don't get is. During Season 2, everyone else could see the finish line in the distance and Laurel barely passed the starting line. Now in season 3 Laurel somehow teleported to the finish line and gets her comic destiny before anyone else.  That looks like cheating to me. 

[chaos is welcome]

I could buy season 1 KC more as BC than 2nd-3rd season KC. She is so underweight now that it looks like a strong wind would blow her away. Same reason that Angelina Jolie is such a laughable action star now.

I do not, for the life of me, understand why they basically dumped everything about her that made her even semi-like able is s1. I liked that she had a mission and a purpose. They briefly brought back that purpose (helping people) in bop, but she has otherwise come off as selfish as crap. I am also endlessly frustrated that they didn't begin her training in s2 as a method of coping with her addiction. That would have been so much more believable than this. I can not equate what they gave me in s2 and so far in s3 with "becoming her sister". It's not something I can ignore, and I can't just ff and forget it because that's just not how I am.

Edited January 13, 2015 by chaos is welcome

[pivot]

I have to think something happened behind the scenes between season 1 and season 2. Laurel's entire purpose for being on the show was destroyed at the end of season 1 and they really had nothing for her to do in season 2. Plus, KC came back to the show about 20 lbs lighter and unhealthier than she did in season 1. I am not sure if the lack of chemistry or KC's poor acting caused the shift or if it was something more serious, but it sure has been weird. Her story hasn't made sense since the season 1 finale and she's been completely irrelevant since then as well.

[statsgirl]

It could be something as simple that everything they had planned for Laurel for the show's run fail and they didn't know what else to to with her so they started throwing spaghetti at the wall.

[KirkB]

I'm still of the opinion there never should have been a Sara Lance at all. Laurel should have been the one on the Gambit with Oliver, but instead of having recurring adventures with him on the island (which was narratively stupid in my opinion) get picked up by Nyssa off screen and join the LoA. Then she could have come back as the Black Canary in season 2 or even 3 and everything would have been fine. Well, maybe not fine, because I still don't think KC can pull it off. Okay, new plan. Cast Caity Lotz as Laurel in the first place.

Edited January 14, 2015 by KirkB

[statsgirl]

I think if Caity Lotz or Amy Gumerik had been cast as Laurel, we wouldn't have Felicity today.

[Morrigan2575]

First, I said "boxing muscles" - I didn't say she had no muscles. Second, I was making a simple observation. At the end of the "Sara" episode, when Nyssa was leaving and came to see Laurel, Laurel was punching a bag and we could see her bulked up shoulders and arms. I actually admired KC for putting on those muscles because it showed dedication to her character's boxing regimen. But when I was Googling "arrow cw" and came across this news article with recent pics of KC in a bikini, that added bulk to her shoulders and upper arms seems to have disappeared. I don't 'follow' anyone on instagram or twitter.

For the record, your observation was correct. KC gave an interview at TCA and she mentioned cutting back on her workout regime around November. I don't remember the specifics but it sounded like she was in maintain inatead of bulk mode. Although, judging by the Miami and GG pics it seems more going back to a healthy/normal body frame as opposed to her "boxing muscles".

Edited January 15, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[formerlyfreedom]

Let's remember the site's Golden Rule, people;
 

The Social Contract

My golden rule for forums is to pretend you are at someone else's party. Different opinions are welcomed and debate is encouraged but if you can't converse without name calling or flaming then you'll get The Size Nines out the door.

 

Posts have been deleted.

 

Nasty, rude, and uncivil remarks to other posters are not allowed. If you are concerned with how you think someone is addressing you OR another poster, the proper thing to do is to REPORT the post, NOT engage the poster. If it happens again, warnings and/or suspensions may be issued.

[KirkB]

I think if Caity Lotz or Amy Gumerik had been cast as Laurel, we wouldn't have Felicity today.

 

 

That isn't necessarily true. Even with that casting EBR still would have been in the initial scenes with Walter and Oliver. They just intended to use her a few times. But they would have been aware of her chemistry with Steven and keep her around, especially since in my version of the story Laurel/Dinah wouldn't have come back until season 2 or so when Felicity would have already been established.

[wonderwall]

I got a notification saying that @journalismjunkie responded to my last response and I can't find it. Is it just me? I'd really love to hear that person's response. 

[journalismjunkie]

I got a notification saying that @journalismjunkie responded to my last response and I can't find it. Is it just me? I'd really love to hear that person's response. 

 

I did respond, but forget about it. We should just agree to disagree, because nothing you said convinced me and I doubt anything I have to say would convince you. I stand by my assessment that Laurel is a fascinating character who, as a phoenix rising from the ashes of her pain and the betrayals of her past to become stronger, is fascinating and inspiring to me. I think she's a character that is just going to get better and better now that her primary crucible is over. If others don't see that, that's cool. I do hope they can keep an open mind as Laurel continues her journey, though. After Katie Cassidy's IGN interview today, I am even more excited for what's in store. All of this Black Canary stuff is new to me since I'm not a comic book reader (yet), and I'm looking forward to how Laurel begins to balance being both an agent of the law as an attorney and an agent of vigilante justice as Black Canary.

 

To others above, I feel I should clarify that I don't think Laurel has to be redeemed in the sense that she's committed loads of egregious sins. What I meant was more or less that Laurel is on a path where she has to remain strong and resilient in the face of new challenges, and every time she stands up to those challenges without drinking or falling back into some of her more unhealthy ways of coping from previous years, she is transcending her past. I just love how that fits into the show's motifs/theme about crucibles, what Laurel said to Sara about the things that break you, and what Oliver said to Laurel in 1x23 "Sacrifice" about how dark times don't necessarily "change" a person but they can "scrape away all the things" one isn't to reveal "the person" one always was (in Oliver's case, the person Laurel "always saw" him as).

 

I love characters who go through transformations. In fact, I just finished watching the movie Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon, and her character suffered losses. She subsequently went through a difficult period in her personal life involving drugs and other poor choices which then led her to facing the physical challenges of a long hike through California. Watching characters grow like that is such a great experience because it gives me a lot of hope in the capacity of individuals to change and to overcome.

[strikera0]

I just saw this on Guggenheim's Tumblr:

 

What are the chances of Laurel getting the Canary cry, or a Ted/Laurel romance?

Honestly, they were a heck of a lot better before the actor who plays Ted became a regular on another show…

 

So it looks like Ted was really originally meant to be a new love interest for Laurel but those plans had to be scrapped. I have to say that was poor planning on part of the producers because it was known that the actor was already involved with another show and there's always a risk that his role could end up being expanded. On the other hand, it might actually be for the best because KC and the actor playing Ted Grant have zero chemistry with each other, IMO. Guggenheim also mentioned that they are talking about a new love interest for Laurel. Hopefully, they'll do a better job with the casting next time.

[pivot]

Unless they are re-casting Laurel, it won't make a difference. KC hasn't had chemistry with anyone on the show yet nor on her other tv shows she has appeared on.

[journalismjunkie]

Katie Cassidy has done a fantastic job with her performance as Laurel so far. Since the show is so serious, she's mostly been given a lot of heavy stuff to do and had to mostly engage with people in scenes meant to be filled with pain and conflict. To me, she's done that well, and her chemistry with her co-stars has flowed from the nature of those scenes and her scene partners; they're full of friction and heat. With Tommy, there was an added element of fun and humor that worked nicely as well. From what I saw between Laurel and Ted, she and him had an enjoyable dynamic that, sadly, sounds like it won't be seen as often as would be desired because of the actor's concurrent commitments.

 

My hope is that as Laurel progresses out of the darkness of her past to gain a greater sense of peace and purpose--regaining the life she felt had drained from her following the Gambit incident--she'll be able to exhibit more of her previous sunny disposition mixed with a new steely strength. And, as a result, she'll have built on her already strong chemistry with her co-stars in ways that will make future scenes have that happier/fun, romantic quality (complemented by angst and tension) which can be so appealing.

[statsgirl]

I just saw this on Guggenheim's Tumblr:

 

 

So it looks like Ted was really originally meant to be a new love interest for Laurel but those plans had to be scrapped. I have to say that was poor planning on part of the producers because it was known that the actor was already involved with another show and there's always a risk that his role could end up being expanded.

Isn't his show one of the shorter season ones?

 

He could still be Laurel's love interest, appearing recurring like Lyla or getting mentioned in passing such as Laurel worried about him getting hurt, or training a new fighter.   The show is about Oliver Queen so anyone else's love interest doesn't need to be on fulltime, and the last thing this show needs is yet another superhero vigilante, we've already got the Arrow, Arsenal, Black Canary ATOM, and the Dark Archer, and soon to be Speedy I assume.  It's getting far too crowded in there.

 

 

That isn't necessarily true. Even with that casting EBR still would have been in the initial scenes with Walter and Oliver. They just intended to use her a few times. But they would have been aware of her chemistry with Steven and keep her around, especially since in my version of the story Laurel/Dinah wouldn't have come back until season 2 or so when Felicity would have already been established.

She could still have been on the show in a recurring role in small doses like she was before the joined the Team but if Laurel was going to remain Oliver's love interest, they would want to keep Felicity and her chemistry far away from him.

[NumberCruncher]

Unless they are re-casting Laurel, it won't make a difference. KC hasn't had chemistry with anyone on the show yet nor on her other tv shows she has appeared on.

I thought she had great chemistry with Colin Donnell, which is why I'm still to this day scratching my head as to why they had to kill off Tommy. Tommy/Laurel scenes were the last time I was engaged in watching her character because the two of them together clicked so well.

[Tangerine]

Do any of you guys watch Coronation Street? I can't help but draw parallels between Laurel's storyline and Carla Connor's alcohol addiction storyline. The thing is, Carla, despite being a complete bitch was always a popular character because the actress was so strong in making Carla feel like an actual person. She was one of the most interesting characters on the show because despite being written as a bitch, the actress gave her vulnerability and sympathy.

 

Carla's a great example of the fact that a character doesn't need to be all sunshine and sweetness to be liked. Laurel doesn't need to be that either. Sara certainly wasn't. I think what made them successful was that the shows were upfront and said that this is Sara, she did terrible things but she's on a journey to become a better person and Caity Lotz did a great job of portraying quiet desperation and earnestness. The writers and KC keeps telling us that she's strong and that she has a big heart, but both have failed in showing me any of that. Will that change now that she has a clear direction and path? One would hope, but for some it might be too late.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Tangerine

[journalismjunkie]

I haven't seen Coronation Street. I have seen Katie make Laurel vulnerable and sympathetic, though. YMMV.

[pivot]

I thought she had great chemistry with Colin Donnell, which is why I'm still to this day scratching my head as to why they had to kill off Tommy. Tommy/Laurel scenes were the last time I was engaged in watching her character because the two of them together clicked so well.

I thought Collin had great chemistry with Willa and Stephen and absolutely nothing with Katie but since no one else has managed chemistry with Katie, I don't blame him.

[KirkB]

I always thought the only person she really worked with in scenes was Quentin, but ever since Sara died that's not even true anymore.

[TanyaKay]

I thought Collin had great chemistry with Willa and Stephen and absolutely nothing with Katie but since no one else has managed chemistry with Katie, I don't blame him.

Tommy and Thea were my first OTP of the show. Forever bitter that they made him her brother....

[pivot]

I know. I think that really hurt the show. Had they killed off Laurel instead of Tommy and had Tommy and Thea set-up romantically I think that would have made more sense.