John Diggle: Brother In Arms

[Sakura12]

The EP's know how disliked Laurel is yet they seem to want to keep forcing her on us. So I don't really trust what they know. 

 

I just feel that Diggle will be sidelined even more so they can develop Laurel as the Black Canary. Since we wasted an entire season watching an established martial arts trained Canary, we'll need even more time to watch an untrained one and she'll need to be integrated into the team more since she needs the training. 

 

If that happens I hope they keep Diggle's dislike of her and have Felicity struggling to  be nice to her when Laurel dismisses her as nothing but the help. 

[Actionmage]

Well, BkWurm1, Oliver also doesn't seem to understand how to tell if a person is really and for true dead, as opposed to not dead, so maybe it won't be hard for Johnny to show Ollie he can have a happy private life as well. ::crosses fingers::

[statsgirl]

Diggle has a wonderful sense of which women are good for Oliver:  Thea, Sara, Felicity yes; Moira, Helena, Laurel no.  Please don't ever change.

 

I just feel that Diggle will be sidelined even more so they can develop Laurel as the Black Canary.

 Could be worse.... they could have Diggle be the one to train her.

[quarks]

Answering in the Laurel thread.

[Lisin]

I moved some posts from here into the speculation without spoilers thread because we were veering off topic. Thanks! 

[statsgirl]

When Felicity went to Diggle's apartment in The Undertaking to ask him to come back, there was a trumpet on a counter in the background. I'm trying to decide if this is adding nuance to Diggle's character, or stereotyping.  (Does David Ramsey play the trumpet in real life?)

[tv echo]

I really like Diggle and I hope the EPs give him more to do next season.  Maybe the new Lyla and baby storyline will give him more screen time.

 

Speaking of Lyla, does anyone else find her looks really similar to Thea's looks?  In the promo pictures leading up to the finale, there was a pic of her that I thought was Thea at first, and I was wondering what Thea was doing in the Arrowcave.

[icandigit]

I don't think this has spoilers.

Can you dig it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ultLJRDsIA#t=218

[statsgirl]

He looks like a man who enjoys his clothes, if that turned up collar is any indication.  I love what a fan of the show he is, how he feels that Oliver/Diggle is one of the bedrocks of the show, that he admires Diggle as a person, and how excited and positive he is about everything..

[icandigit]

 

I love these guys

[icandigit]

Fans are doing a Diggle appreciation week on tumblr. It just reminded me of one of my favorite scenes. When team arrow goes to Russia  and he tells them  how he can't leave without Lyla. My heart melted.

[doesntworkonwood]

Yeah, if you have the chance you should totally scroll down the John Diggle tag on tumblr. There are some amazing scenes that have been amazingly giffed, and a lot of really lovely memories that come with them :D

[Luckylyn]

Thanks for the info on Diggle Appreciation week.  I posted some of my favorite Diggle gifs in the fan art thread.

[VCRTracking]

Favorite moment will always be from Identity when Felicity is complaining to Ollie about her new cover as his secretary when that's not what she went to MIT for and Diggle just casually snarks(as he takes a bite of c) "Well it could be worse. My secret identity is his 'black driver'".

Edited July 13, 2014 by VCRTracking

[calliope1975]

Sassy Diggle who does not have time for Oliver Queen's shit and/or manpain is the best. But I also love Digg's quiet, solid support of Oliver and Felicity. More Felicity/Digg moments, please. I also saw the beginnings of that same support when he was watching Thea. I hope we can eventually revisit their relationship (such as it is) too.

Edited July 13, 2014 by calliope1975

[MsSchadenfreude]

I love snarky and sassy Diggle.  Who am I kidding?  I love Diggle no matter what he's doing.  Roy and Sara fighting with Oliver is fine, but Diggle can kick ass and he needs to be out fighting with Oliver too.

[wingster55]

^ Agreed to all of that. 

[icandigit]

I wish I were going to a con or something so I could ask this. I wonder do they put any thought, if any of when Diggle does and doesn't go out into the field. I guess I'll just stick with my fanwank that Oliver is irrationally overprotective.

[BkWurm1]

I also make the assumption that he stays home when that night's job involves scaling sides of buildings and jumping over alley ways.  Diggle is a world class fighter but I don't see him as being super at home doing the stealthy leaping and bounding. 

[JayKay]

Come on now, if Diggle headed out into the field every time, how would Oliver maintain the illusion of being the most badass? Diggle knows that it requires a lot of self-confidence to be seen in public wearing tight green leather pants. He lets Oliver have the rooftops, green face paint and last minute rescues to boost his morale.

[tv echo]

There's been a lot of talk on the Felicity thread about how Oliver's making her his EA when he was CEO of QC was a demotion for her.  But Diggle's cover as Oliver's "black driver" was a demotion and a sacrifice for him as well.  He was originally hired to be Oliver's bodyguard, but once he discovered that Oliver was the vigilante, it was clear that his bodyguarding skills were not needed.  Diggle became more of a crime-fighting partner.  But his day job was still to pose as Oliver Queen's bodyguard and driver.  He probably could've gotten a better job elsewhere. Now that Oliver is no longer head of QC, maybe Diggle will get a new day job that's more suitable for his skills and experience.

[Ceylon5]

I thought the "black driver" thing was just Diggle's dry wit.  He was hired as Oliver's bodyguard (a job he chose for himself) and that's still what he is paid to be and is seen as being.  The fact that he found out that Oliver doesn't need a bodyguard and that he (Diggle) can now do something much cooler and more interesting while still maintaining the cover of being just a bodyguard is a bonus, not a demotion, IMO.

[Morrigan2575]

Exactly, Diggle's profession is as Bodyguard/driver he was doing the same job in S2 that he was in S1.

[Velocity23]

Why do people point out this things! I cant unsee! And is David acting around scenes with Laurel on purpose?

 

 

Edited September 14, 2014 by Velocity23

[wingster55]

I don't see anything hostile there..I've never got the sense Diggle hates Laurel or anything.

[Velocity23]

Diggle might not hate Laurel but he isnt exactly fond of her either. 

[wingster55]

Well sure...he doesn't know her.

I'd say he has the same feelings toward Thea. 

[Velocity23]

I dont think he has the same feelings for Thea.At least we saw some scenes with Thea and it just didnt come off as such.

 

For me Diggle always felt Laurel was Olivers blind spot. And all the scenes Laurel had with either Felicity and Diggle would influence Diggles point of view of Laurel. And those imo weren't positive at all. 

[Password]

No I don't think Diggle has too many tender thoughts towards Laurel either. Especially after Oliver chose to go after Laurel and left Diggle out to dry.

[Chaser]

I lol'd at that screen cap. That one and the you can't sit with us expression from the Foundry scene were the best.

 

I don't think Diggle hates Laurel. But I do think he is wary of her and her influence on Oliver. Oliver left DIggle hanging because of Laurel, and Oliver tends to make some really dumb ass decisions when she is involved. And Diggle is very observant, he probably knows something about the Oliver/Laurel/Tommy thing.

 

Also, she was an ally who used that to try and capture him (all do to her own guilty apparently….to be fair though Diggle probably doesn't know the motivation).

Edited September 14, 2014 by 10Eleven12

[wingster55]

I think he isn't fond of the blind spot Oliver has/had..but he assigns that blame on Oliver imo.

 

When did Oliver leave Diggle hanging?

[Velocity23]

Regarding Deadshot in S1! 

[Chaser]

I think the majority of the blame does fall on Oliver, but Laurel has influence there. She becomes tainted by it, logical or not, 

[TanyaKay]

Don't forget how he teased Oliver in 2x02 when he came back injured and said that it stings more because it was Laurel who cam after him. Diggle really does not like Oliver and that is one consistent thing about Laurel's character in two seasons.

[statsgirl]

Diggle is opposed to anyone who makes Oliver stupid (Laurel, Helena, Moira).  He likes people who care about Oliver, try to do right by him, and puncture his self-importance (Sara, Felicity).  The wicked smile Diggle gives Oliver when Oliver tries to physically intimidate Felicity and she walks out on him at the beginning of The Dodger is priceless.

 

At the CW Arrow tumblir there's a good  bit of art for Team Arrow with Diggles' section " Ex-soldier; Bodyguard; Black driver; Suicide Squad; Hand-to-hand combat; Having none of your bullshit since '12.  Pretty much sums him up.

Edited September 14, 2014 by statsgirl

[BkWurm1]

Well sure...he doesn't know her.

I'd say he has the same feelings toward Thea.

 

I'd really have to disagree about that.  They had a great scene together when he was following her around and protecting her.  I'd say Diggle see Thea as a little sister type. 

[calliope1975]

Though their scenes were brief and there weren't very many of them, I really liked the dynamic Diggle had with Thea. Poor girl needs someone grounded in her life, and I hope they have further interaction in the future.

[wingster55]

Diggle doesn't like Moira because of the Glades. Not because she supposedly makes him stupid (which...I can't agree with)

 

They had a great scene together when he was following her around and protecting her.  I'd say Diggle see Thea as a little sister type.

 

Sure it was a good scene, I agree..but is that really enough to determine how that relationship is in either direction? Little sister is a stretch imo.

And if we're speaking of blind spots...I think Diggle would be frustrated if Thea's running around causing havoc with Malcolm while Oliver is in denial.

Edited September 14, 2014 by wingster55

[statsgirl]

Long before they knew of Moira's involvement in the Undertaking, Diggle didn't trust her and wanted Oliver to be wary around her. But Oliver kept insisting that she was innocent of any wrongdoing even after she shot him, so Diggle started looking into Moira on is own and Oliver got mad at him for it (which is what I mean by Oliver being stupid about her).

[wingster55]

I can't really call that "stupid"...not when family is involved. 

[statsgirl]

It's debatable but it seems to me that having a blind spot around someone, whether it's the woman you thought you were in love with, your mother, or the woman you think you can save from herself (Helena), and not seeing them for who they really are means being stupid around them.

 

If Thea comes back with Malcolm and tries to take Oliver down while Oliver keeps insisting that she's just his little sister and harmless, that would make him stupid around her too, and I'd expect Diggle to act accordingly although he might be softer given all Thea's been through.

[wingster55]

Now I'd actually like to see Diggle's reaction to Thea and Malcolm. 

[statsgirl]

I think there is a ton of stuff they could do with Diggle next season if they wanted to do psyche and not just action because he's a pretty deep person.

 

He's a soldier so once he signed on with Oliver, he was focused on the mission, not Oliver's neuroses or b.s. (something I really love about him), although he did try to help Oliver deal with it, soldier to soldier.   But now he's got Lyla and a baby on the way. How is he going to deal with Lyla working for ARGUS? And working with Deadshot?  Since 

he's going to have daughter of his own now,

how will he react to Thea and Malcolm?

 

David Ramsey said that Diggle is five years ahead of Oliver in terms of maturity and where he is in his life. I'd like to see Diggle navigate his own life for a while.

[wonderwall]

I hope to see John being more protective/open/softer with his team members now that he has a daughter. I've always thought of John seeing Oliver/Felicity as his younger siblings so it'd be cool to see John take more control in the team and be less in the background. I like his no-nonsense attitude so when Oliver/Felicity don't work out, I want John to kick Oliver's ass. He could be a real inspiration to Oliver, I hope Oliver looks at John that way at some point. 

 

It's weird saying John instead of Digg. But Digg seemed to informal considering I love him.

[BkWurm1]

Sure it was a good scene, I agree..but is that really enough to determine how that relationship is in either direction? Little sister is a stretch imo.

 

 

I don't think that they have to actually have a brother/sister relationship for Dig to treat Thea like a little sister.  It's just IMO a manner in which one would treat a person or who they would think of them and I do think that Thea connected with Diggle's sympathy enough that he'd treat her differently than just another 19 year old. 

 

And if we're speaking of blind spots...I think Diggle would be frustrated if Thea's running around causing havoc with Malcolm while Oliver is in denial

 

Unless Thea is also a blind spot for him and maybe the rest of the team?  Would any of them even think that Thea would throw her lot in with Malcolm?  Even when they find out it's true, I have to think all of them will be struggling for an explanation or reason. 

[statsgirl]

Diggle's been pretty protective of Felicity a couple of times, first when she was joining the team if she would be hurt, and later when Oliver was with Sara in front of their noses.  I don't want him to be too protective of her though -- if anyone is going to kick Oliver's ass over his treatment of Felicity, it should be Felicity herself,and Diggle can stand back and grin.

[wonderwall]

Ohhh yes. I feel like this should happen, but the fact that Felicity and Oliver will supposedly mutually agree to not pursue a romantic relationship, Felicity won't be the one kicking his ass :/ So I designate that job to John :p 

 

I don't want him to be too protective either, but I'd like to see John take over the role as the team Arrow guardian, considering he's probably the wisest and the one with the most experience in terms of life. I just want to see more of him :/ 

[Angel12d]

Why do people point out this things! I cant unsee! And is David acting around scenes with Laurel on purpose?

 

 

 

OMG that's hilarious. How do people find these things?! I never would have noticed that. I definitely don't think Digg hates Laurel though. I just think he questions Oliver's reaction to her, particularly when it makes him do questionable/stupid things. I think he's wary of her but I've never perceived an outright dislike. Not yet anyway.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Angel12d

[Chaser]

That scene in TOD when Diggle went to stand by Felicity, I got such a rush of affection for Diggle. It was a subtle sign of support. I really want to see more of that relationship. I want to know that they have inside jokes and roll their eyes at Oliver and Roy and Felicity babysits the Baby when she can. I firmly see them as a brother and sister relationship, which I love because Diggle lost his brother and she lost her father and doesn't seem close to her mother.

[wingster55]

Would any of them even think that Thea would throw her lot in with Malcolm?  Even when they find out it's true, I have to think all of them will be struggling for an explanation or reason.

 

Obviously not yet as they don't even know he's alive..but when they do and discover Thea's with him...that'll be interesting

I think Felicity would be the only not to have an emotional reaction.