Felicity Smoak: Bitch With Wifi

[DrSpaceman10]

I hadn't really thought about that. Felicity is connecting with more people in one episode of The Flash (pretty much the whole regular cast + Captain Cold) than she has in 40+ episodes of Arrow (she's never even shared a real scene with Thea). That's very odd...

[olicityfan25]

The Flash know how to utilize a great character when they see one. EBR looks amazing! She is such a gorgeous young lady.

[TanyaKay]

It is funny how this character can generate so much excitement.

She came in Arrow 1x03 and changed that show for good. Let's see what she does for The Flash in 1x04.

 

The Flash combines Barry's family and love interest into Iris, while Oliver has Thea and Laurel. Those are separate for both shows, at least in s1 and s2 in Arrow.

 

The Flash has Caitlin on the team so Felicity can interact with her.  And Barry introduces Felicity to Iris socially, which Oliver never really did with Felicity and the three women in his Oliver Queen life.

 

So while there are fewer women on The Flash than on Arrow, Felicity is able to connect with both women on The Flash whereas Sara was the first one with whom she really could on Arrow.

 

Now that you have mentioned it, Oliver really treated Felicity like Mr. Rochester's crazy wife, who was hidden in the attic and Felicity in Verdant's basement. That was really awful Oliver.

[JenMD]

I can't put that on Oliver, I put that squarely on the writers.  She was not only part of Team Arrow, but was by his side all day long in S2 as his EA.  We saw her interact at least once with Moira, I refuse to believe there weren't more moments we simply didn't see, just in the normal course of the business day.  Same with Thea.  I don't mean to suggest they're buddies, but just simply as his EA, they would have interacted on occasion.  At the very least, she was at their home on two different occasions (the investor party he was late for and Moira's Got Out of Jail party).  There's so much they skip by running through stuff too fast and I put that squarely on the writers. 

 

 

[Velocity23]

 

I love Felicity in the crossover :)

[Angel12d]

She looks so beautiful. I mean, I appreciate the ponytail look from a practical viewpoint. When she's working at a computer it's easier not to have her hair in her face constantly. But it's nice to see it down from time to time. I'd love them to shake up her wardrobe a bit too. I'd love to see her in jeans and flats again. A cute sweater. Maybe barefoot around her apartment/house or wherever she lives. 

Edited October 22, 2014 by Angel12d

[wingster55]

I hadn't really thought about that. Felicity is connecting with more people in one episode of The Flash (pretty much the whole regular cast + Captain Cold) than she has in 40+ episodes of Arrow (she's never even shared a real scene with Thea). That's very odd...

 

The whole secret thing...really kept certain characters apart which was really unfortunate (basically Diggle and Felicity from the others..it was rare to see either with another Queen or Laurel. Felicity and Lance have interacted often..but Lance never really did so with Dig) 

[KenyaJ]

@KenyaJ, I would like to propose marriage to you and this post.

 

I challenge you to a duel for that honour. En garde!

 

*blushes* You ladies flatter me so much, LOL. 

 

I was so excited to see the promo for next week's episode of The Flash. Felicity looks gorgeous, and I really liked her interaction with Caitlin and Cisco (and Barry) last year, so I'm really excited to see her working with them next week.

[statsgirl]

There was not even a hint of Felicity in the Canadian promo. Interesting, how different it is what the two countries promote.

[DrSpaceman10]

There was not even a hint of Felicity in the Canadian promo. Interesting, how different it is what the two countries promote.

 

Why is Felicity never in their promos? EBR is Canadian, eh.

[statsgirl]

CTV seems to push the action sequences in their promos rather than the characters.

[Carrie Ann]

She looks so beautiful. I mean, I appreciate the ponytail look from a practical viewpoint. When she's working at a computer it's easier not to have her hair in her face constantly. But it's nice to see it down from time to time. I'd love them to shake up her wardrobe a bit too. I'd love to see her in jeans and flats again. A cute sweater. Maybe barefoot around her apartment/house or wherever she lives. 

 

I love her hair down too. I think EBR pushed for the ponytail in S2, because she felt like it was a part of Felicity's "uniform," at least as far as her Team Arrow activities are concerned, so I wouldn't be surprised if the hair/makeup/wardrobe people are making some conscious decisions as far as changing things up this season.

[Password]

I've said it once, I'll say it again. This is the season of Felicity Smoak. Girl is coming out! She looks gorgeous with her hair down and flat shoes. I wonder if that has to do with Caitlyn and Cisco being similar in height. She wears heels with Barry in that outside shot they gave us months ago.

 

I totally blame the EPs and writers for no interaction between Felicity and other characters. But I think if Oliver was allowed, he'd put Felicity in bubble wrap and never let her out of the Arrow cave. I really wish she interacted with Moira more *pouts*

[TanyaKay]

I totally blame the EPs and writers for no interaction between Felicity and other characters. But I think if Oliver was allowed, he'd put Felicity in bubble wrap and never let her out of the Arrow cave. I really wish she interacted with Moira more *pouts*

 

Forever bitter that we did not get more Felicity/Moira scenes.

 

That Oliver dude really needs to get his act together as far as Felicity is concerned.

[wonderwall]

JFC THAT DRESS. 

 

[olicityfan25]

Absolutely gorgeous!

[Password]

Whoa. Daaaaaaaaaaang! I don't even know what to say.

[SleepDeprived]

Daammmn, Felicity! Smo(a)king hot, intelligent as all get-out, witty, funny, loyal, trustworthy, and all-around adorable person.

 

Oliver, dude. Look at your life! Look at your choices!

[Danny Franks]

Daammmn, Felicity! Smo(a)king hot, intelligent as all get-out, witty, funny, loyal, trustworthy, and all-around adorable person.

 

Oliver, dude. Look at your life! Look at your choices!

 

But Oliver apparently knows how great she is. He's just too invested in his manpain and 'ugh, I can't be happy because reasons' angst to let himself be with her.

 

Still, they're not selling The Flash to me by showing me how great Felicity is. Didn't work last time, when they were pimping her out to Barry Allen in interviews, and it won't change the fact that the 'hero' on The Flash has all the charisma and strength of a piece of wet lettuce. Season 1 Chuck had more backbone and charm than this dweeb,

[Advance35]

Well interesting if brief interludes with Felicity in the most recent episode.

 

I never had a problem with Felicity working as an EA.   It honestly wouldn't have bothered me if she had the same position working for Ray Palmer but you could tell she was thrilled that it wasn't what he had in mind, though I got the impression  she was prepared to bite the bullet and take an EA job to get out of "Buy More".   Her, "I draw the line at getting coffee" made me laugh and was a nice callback to the last time she was installed as an Executive Assistant.   Giggled at her reaction to getting her own assistant AND Oliver/Walter's old office.   Moira Queen must be rolling in her grave.

 

The much discussed phone call between Laurel and Felicity, I didn't think Felicity was out of line asking Laurel if they were "Favor friends or even friends".  They aren't.   They work for a common cause at times BUT Laurel wasn't even calling about Arrow business.   I don't think Felicity has anything AGAINST Laurel but I don't think she has anything for her either.  

 

And it was pointed out that their might be less ire if Roy had been the one calling and demanding info and I think to an extent that's true but I also think Roy and Felicity are friends.   Roy feels comfortable enough with Felicity to tease her, confide in her (Thea's letter), and hold her when she's sad.   Felicity is very forward with him, threatening him if he was using her tech to tweet.   I think Felicity would voluntarily go out of her way for Roy.   And I have know doubt she would for Oliver and Digg as well.

 

Excited  to see her head to Central City.   And glad that Ray Palmer is going to be more than a potential source of romance angst for Felicity,  he clearly has plans of his own for Starling City.

[TanyaKay]

Yeah, I don't really get the comparison with Roy. They have been friends and have probably bonded in that basement over many things. They are obviously comfortable enough that Felicity sought comfort with him when she found out that her friend has died. Of course she would help him with a lot more enthusiasm.

[wonderwall]

I'm sort of hoping Felicity will start wearing power suits... But I don't think they will :/ Missed opportunity there

[Angel12d]

In response to one of EBR's interviews about Felicity, can I just say how much I love that Felicity doesn't know how to fight? She has no fight training but she's still incredibly strong and brave. I want more of that because as it stands right now Felicity will be the only person on the show who doesn't have fight training. When everyone else can throw a sword or shoot a gun or punch someone in the face it's kind of nice to have someone normal in the midst of all that. Thank heavens for Felicity Smoak!

[dtissagirl]

In response to one of EBR's interviews about Felicity, can I just say how much I love that Felicity doesn't know how to fight? She has no fight training but she's still incredibly strong and brave. I want more of that because as it stands right now Felicity will be the only person on the show who doesn't have fight training. When everyone else can throw a sword or shoot a gun or punch someone in the face it's kind of nice to have someone normal in the midst of all that. Thank heavens for Felicity Smoak!

 

All of this, YES. And I love how EBR says she wouldn't want to sacrifice character scenes for stunt scenes. As someone who kinda doesn't care that much about the stunt stuff [sorry], I really appreciate her saying that.

[Angel12d]

All of this, YES. And I love how EBR says she wouldn't want to sacrifice character scenes for stunt scenes. As someone who kinda doesn't care that much about the stunt stuff [sorry], I really appreciate her saying that.

 

Me too. I love all of the stunts, I think they're incredible, but I think it's important that not everyone on the show can fight. It's one of the reasons I loved Moira Queen too. She was ruthless and strong in her own way without ever lifting a finger. That to me is just as powerful as someone who throws a few punches. Plus when everyone can fight, it kind of loses its power.

 

I need at least one person who is a little more grounded in normality so I really hope this part of Felicity's character doesn't change. In fact I hope the show does take a stand there to show that mental/emotional strength is just as important.

[TwistedandBored]

Wow! Looking at those Flash pictures of Felicity are making me more excited for the episode then anything else. Can't wait. 

[wonderwall]

This has probably already been posted here, but I'd like to bring it back: 

 

http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2014/08/character-appreciation-post-felicity.html

[TwistedandBored]

Felicity is the perfect television example of a well-rounded and well-written “strong female character.” She’s vulnerable but determined; she cries and gets scared but also is fearless in moments of need. She’s – in a lot of ways – smarter than Diggle or Oliver. She’s from a broken family and still harbors pain but doesn’t let it cloud her optimism and bubbly attitude. She’s amazing!

 

 

 

I love that part. Perfectly describes Felicity as I see her.

[Ceylon5]

Because of the superhero nature of the show, Felicity's inability to beat people up is seen by some as a "lack", which results in others feeling the need to leap to her defence and cite the many ways in which she is strong.  Well, I just found this rather fascinating article entitled I Hate Strong Female Characters, by Sophia McDougall.  The underlying premise is that a character doesn't actually have to be strong (physically or otherwise) in order to be a good character (i.e. an interesting, complex, compelling character).  There are more relevant questions we should be asking.  Is Felicity interesting? Yes.  Does she have a definite purpose in the story?  Yes, several.  Is she flawed? Yes.  Is she able to change and grow without losing what makes her quintessentially her?  Yes.  She's also, among other things, funny and kind and courageous.  The fact that I do believe her to be strong in many ways is just a bonus.

 

A few highlights from the article:

No one ever asks if a male character is “strong”. Nor if he’s “feisty,” or “kick-ass” come to that.

 

The obvious thing to say here is that this is because he’s assumed to be “strong” by default. Part of the patronising promise of the Strong Female Character is that she’s anomalous. “Don’t worry!” that puff piece or interview is saying when it boasts the hero’s love interest is an SFC. “Of course, normal women are weak and boring and can’t do anything worthwhile. But this one is different. She is strong! See, she roundhouses people in the face.”

What happens when one tries to fit other iconic male heroes into an imaginary “Strong Male Character” box?  A few fit reasonably well, but many look cramped and bewildered in there. They’re not used to this kind of confinement, poor things. They’re used to being interesting across more than one axis and in more than two dimensions.

 

“Of course I’m strong, I’m an idealised power fantasy, but the most interesting thing about me is that, on the inside, I’m a dorky little artist,” says Captain America sadly, sucking his stomach in.

 

“Does it still count as strength if I’m basically a psychopath?” inquires James Bond idly, lounging against the box wall and checking his cuffs.

 

Batman’s insistence that he can, must, will get into the Strong Male Character box comes close to hysteria, but there’s no room in there for his bat ears and cape and he won’t take them off.

 

The Doctor, finding that this box is in fact even smaller on the inside, babbles something incomprehensible and runs away.

The Strong Female Character has something to prove. She’s on the defensive before she even starts. She’s George from The Famous Five all grown up and still bleating with the same desperate lack of conviction that she’s “Every Bit As Good as a Boy”.

What do I want instead of a Strong Female Character? I want a male:female character ratio of 1:1 instead of 3:1 on our screens. I want a wealth of complex female protagonists who can be either strong or weak or both or neither, because they are more than strength or weakness. Badass gunslingers and martial artists sure, but also interesting women who are shy and quiet and do, sometimes, put up with others’ shit because in real life there’s often no practical alternative. And besides heroines, I want to see women in as many and varied secondary and character roles as men: female sidekicks, mentors, comic relief, rivals, villains. I want not to be asked, when I try to sell a book about two girls, two boys and a genderless robot, if we couldn't change one of those girls to a boy.

[Morrigan2575]

Great article,  thanks.

[statsgirl]

Excellent argument.  (And a Famous Five reference!)

 

My despair that the film industry believes the world is more ready for a film featuring a superhero who is a raccoon than it is for a film led by a superhero who is a woman is long and loud. <snip>

I want a male:female character ratio of 1:1 instead of 3:1 on our screens.

This has been bugging me for years. It seems like on action/adventure shows, it's almost always a 3:1 ratio, with the female character usually in a minor role (Hawaii 50).  140 years ago, it was felt that women were only interested in romances of being swept away by a sheikh, and not at all in adventures (anything by Jules Verne,, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson or anyone else writing at that time).  It's sad to see things haven't changed much.

 

To be fair to Arrow, the show does have a number of women characters and with one exception, they're all strong in their own ways. Even Dinah rebuilt her life after her husband lost himself in a bottle and  her remaining daughter had left home.  Before Arrow, Bones and Castle were the only two shows I could think of that came near parity in male/female roles and strengths.

 

What I fear for Felicity is what I fear for Diggle -- as the only two main characters who aren't now and probably won't be superheroes, I'm afraid they will be considered lesser beings because they're just smart, loyal, grounded and complex characters.

[Danny Franks]

 

To be fair to Arrow, the show does have a number of women characters and with one exception, they're all strong in their own ways. Even Dinah rebuilt her life after her husband lost himself in a bottle and  her remaining daughter had left home.  Before Arrow, Bones and Castle were the only two shows I could think of that came near parity in male/female roles and strengths.

 

Farscape, Firefly, Buffy, E.R., Battlestar Galactica, Veep, Orphan Black, Sleepy Hollow are all shows that I would say at least come near to parity in male/female roles. I don't think it's that new in television to have genuinely strong women, and I think it's a bit of a cop out when people say, 'yeah, but Buffy had Giles telling her what to do'. Because ultimately, any character on any show has a support system, or it would be a very boring show (just like the first few episodes of Arrow were). Buffy still had her own mind and her own heart, and she made some mistakes along the way, but she owned everything she did (until the last couple of seasons, when the writing was just uber-shitty).

 

Farscape, in particular, had three women who were strong in completely different ways (though that never stopped them from growing stronger in some areas, softening in others, and generally developing into rounded people). You had Aeryn, who was the typical 'strong' woman. Tough, capable, takes no nonsense and will kick your arse. You had Zhaan, who had all the strength of spirit and heart, the motherly presence who could always be leaned upon for support and was an absolute rock for the rest of the crew. And then Chiana, the sly, resourceful survivor, who would think nothing of using her sexuality as well as her smarts, to achieve her aims.

 

I don't disagree with the article, however, because I do think that popular culture could always do with more strong women, of every type. But I'm not sure making it a competition with the male characters is the way to go. I feel like I watch plenty of shows with strong women (or did, before the producers ruined most of them), and it doesn't bother me if a man is more prominent, in some cases. Someone like Abbie Mills, from Sleepy Hollow, is the most awesome woman going, and I'd like to see all Abbie, all the time, but I like Ichabod as well, even if he can be a prissy know-it-all. It's all about give and take, which is where I think real strength comes from.

 

And it's where, to bring this back to Arrow, I think Felicity works well. She doesn't have a strength that's about lording it over the thicko men, or that's about beating up criminals, but nor is it purely emotional strength, for Oliver to rest his fevered brow against. She's a bit of everything, and yes, she does have moments of weakness. So she should, because other characters have to be given the opportunity to be strong too. Felicity was taken hostage by Count Vertigo? Yeah, I buy that. I don't think it made her weak that it happened, and that Oliver saved her. If all she did was get kidnapped, then she would be weak.

[fantique]

Because of the superhero nature of the show, Felicity's inability to beat people up is seen by some as a "lack", which results in others feeling the need to leap to her defence and cite the many ways in which she is strong.  Well, I just found this rather fascinating article entitled I Hate Strong Female Characters, by Sophia McDougall.  

Oh my god thank you for finding this article. This is basically someone writing, in a much better way, what I was babbling about some time earlier about the difference between a strongly written character that is female and a "strong woman". The former is well written and holds scrutiny and the latter is a moniker people feel obliged to attach to a character to make her interesting. I hate that expression so much because everyone uses it. Everyone! It literally holds zero significance to me when describing a character now.  Is Cersei Lannister "strong"? I never thought so. She is a clearly delusional, crazy bitch and I love the character. She keeps me interested in her story, consider the depth of maternal love/selfish love and I would feel remiss if she died long before the show is over. I also agree that there need to be more quality female presence in general. 

Edited October 26, 2014 by fantique

[statsgirl]

Farscape, Firefly, Buffy, E.R., Battlestar Galactica, Veep, Orphan Black, Sleepy Hollow are all shows that I would say at least come near to parity in male/female roles. I don't think it's that new in television to have genuinely strong women, 

I think there is a difference between the main network and cable shows.  In Canada, Farscape came on the kids channel (YTV) for its first season, and then disappeared from Canadian TV for the next 3 years.  (I was asking US friends to tape the show for me and send me the tapes.)  It eventually came back to the sci fi channel, as did Battlestar Galactica and Orphan Black.  Buffy and Firefly are the only two shows on your list that are action shows with female characters in equal numbers to the men, and they're both from Josh Whedon.

 

Sleepy Hollow came after Arrow.  E.R. and Veep are not action/adventure shows, which is where the main complaint is because there seems to be a perception that women aren't interested in action shows so it's not important to have well-written women in them (and even ER had a 5:2 ratio men to women for the main cast).  I haven't seen Veep because it's on a cable channel I have to pay extra for.

 

So I still think writing good female characters in equal numbers to the men is a problem on network action/adventure shows.  As others have pointed out, even with all the discrimination against African-Americans, a black man still becomes president before a white woman does.  And as the article says, the industry will make a superhero movie about a raccoon before it will make one about a woman.

Edited October 26, 2014 by statsgirl

[DrSpaceman10]

How old is Felicity? I've seen conflicting information on this. If she graduated MIT in '09 (assuming she graduated at 22) that would make her 26 or 27 right? I think I remember reading that she was born in 1988 (although I'm not sure where that came from). Maybe we'll find out in 3x05.

[HighHopes]

How old is Felicity? I've seen conflicting information on this. If she graduated MIT in '09 (assuming she graduated at 22) that would make her 26 or 27 right? I think I remember reading that she was born in 1988 (although I'm not sure where that came from). Maybe we'll find out in 3x05.

The Arrow Facebook put up character bio cards for season two and her's says that she was 25 then. So she's probably 26 (or possibly 27 as Thea's lists her age as 17 and she turned 18 in season one if I remember correctly).

 

Now I don't agree with the last sentence on that, as we never saw anything about how her "long standing crush on Oliver" threatening their relationship but I'd say the age is right?

Edited October 26, 2014 by HighHopes

[DrSpaceman10]

Now I don't agree with the last sentence on that, as we never saw anything about how her "long standing crush on Oliver" threatening their relationship but I'd say the age is right?

 

Thanks! Clearly they meant to write Oliver's long-standing crush on Felicity, it must have been a typo ;)

[TanyaKay]

The Arrow Facebook put up character bio cards for season two and her's says that she was 25 then. So she's probably 26 (or possibly 27 as Thea's lists her age as 17 and she turned 18 in season one if I remember correctly).

 

Now I don't agree with the last sentence on that, as we never saw anything about how her "long standing crush on Oliver" threatening their relationship but I'd say the age is right?

 

I think they just randomly came up with ages with no rhyme or reason.

Thea celebrated her 18th birthday in season 1 but she was mentioned as a 17 year old in season 2 profiles. I mean when it came out, I was kinda pissed because it made me a little disgusted with the whole Thea/Roy thing (she was supposed to be 17 - a minor - and he was mentioned as 22 - an adult) but then I remembered that Thea had already celebrated her 18th birthday so whosoever came up with these profiles had no idea about any of the characters' ages. In addition, even Colton has no idea how old Roy Harper is supposed to be because he has said it in multiple interviews that Roy is a teenager, the profile says he was 22 in season 2.

Diggle is mentioned as 35 but he has to be at least 38 at the beginning of season 2. In season 1 there was a dialogue where he sad that he left Starling City at the age of 27, stayed with the army for 5 years and then 5 years in private sector security which makes him 38 in season 2.

 

PS: The only evidence of Felicity's long standing crush is her innuendoes (she's had similar incidences with Walter Steele and she was so not crushing on him) and her staring at Oliver's shirtless workouts and what person - man or woman - would not look at Oliver when he is working out sans shirt. Apart from that, there is nothing that indicates a crush. Yes, she cares deeply for him but that is not as trivial as a crush. At least that's what I think.

[Genki]

 

I think they just randomly came up with ages with no rhyme or reason.

Thea celebrated her 18th birthday in season 1 but she was mentioned as a 17 year old in season 2 profiles. I mean when it came out, I was kinda pissed because it made me a little disgusted with the whole Thea/Roy thing (she was supposed to be 17 - a minor - and he was mentioned as 22 - an adult) but then I remembered that Thea had already celebrated her 18th birthday so whosoever came up with these profiles had no idea about any of the characters' ages. In addition, even Colton has no idea how old Roy Harper is supposed to be because he has said it in multiple interviews that Roy is a teenager, the profile says he was 22 in season 2.

Diggle is mentioned as 35 but he has to be at least 38 at the beginning of season 2. In season 1 there was a dialogue where he sad that he left Starling City at the age of 27, stayed with the army for 5 years and then 5 years in private sector security which makes him 38 in season 2.

 

PS: The only evidence of Felicity's long standing crush is her innuendoes (she's had similar incidences with Walter Steele and she was so not crushing on him) and her staring at Oliver's shirtless workouts and what person - man or woman - would not look at Oliver when he is working out sans shirt. Apart from that, there is nothing that indicates a crush. Yes, she cares deeply for him but that is not as trivial as a crush. At least that's what I think.

 

Roy has to be at least 21, wasn't he signing the Alcohol deliveries, because Thea was only 18/19 during season 2?

 

I guess the fact that everyone (Moira & Isabelle) call out Felicity about her feeling for Oliver is proof…but it is unfair because those deep meaningful feelings goes both ways.

[Ceylon5]

One of the people commenting on that article said:  

I do know that it seems easier for women to be strong in a fantasy/sci fi/supernatural setting, and I used to think that was really awesome until I realised that it's probably because people are more comfortable seeing a complex, balanced, strong and interesting woman alongside vampires, unicorns, and other creatures they don't really expect to have to face on a daily basis.

which made me giggle.  In this respect, though, Felicity's normality (in the sense of not suddenly transforming into a ninja) is refreshing.  I hope she stays a non-fighter because this story has more than enough of those, and has already killed or transformed most of the show's non-fighters.  Let's hope they don't do that to Felicity.

 

But here's part of the problem - someone did gifs showing their interpretation of the "identity" questions of our characters this season, and the difference between the men and the women really jumped out at me.  Under "Who Am I" for each character they wrote:

The Arrow or Oliver Queen? (Oliver);
a warrior or a dad? (Diggle);
Am I a hero? (Roy);
if I'm not a cop? (Lance);
without my sister? (Laurel);
without Oliver Queen? (Felicity). 

 

Now, of course, this is just fan art, but the underlying problems are immediately evident.  First, even if Thea (and Malcolm) had been included, the male:female ratio is uneven.  More importantly, the men's queries are all about who they are (i.e. choosing between actual, real identities); but Felicity and Laurel's imply that they had no identity outside of their relationship with someone else, and in the absence of that person will need to find a new way to define themselves.  And it is this exact perception that bugs me so much.  [side note: I think Laurel's question is actually "Am I a lawyer or a vigilante?" (i.e. "Do I believe in upholding the law or taking the law into my own hands?").]

 

Felicity's question, as given by the EPs, was "Am I Oliver’s crush object or do I have my own identity outside of that. Do I exist outside the lair?"  How can someone else’s feelings about you possibly be framed as a question of identity?  Would she cease to exist if he didn’t love her?  Or would her identity be different if his feelings were of a different nature?  It’s such an odd thing to say.  A person’s identity and character are what make other people have feelings (of any type) about them, not the other way around. 

 

Felicity is so much more than just an extension of Oliver Queen, and her question is actually exactly the same as both his and Diggle’s: "Do I have to choose between crime-fighting and having a full, rich normal life, or can I have both?".  They've started out by answering that same question differently - Oliver thinks he can't be both and has chosen the Arrow, Diggle and Felicity think they can have both, and are not prepared to give up either Team Arrow or life outside of Team Arrow.  So it’s really annoying that the overall perception of her is still basically that she's defined, and is also seen as defining herself, only in terms of Oliver (whereas Oliver is not seen as defining himself in terms of Felicity, despite being the other half the same relationship, and in many ways more dependant on her than she is on him).  A big deal is made of how Diggle is showing Oliver that you can have both, but no-one mentions that Felicity is making the exact same choice as Diggle!  Why is her choice not given the same weight as his?  Why is her decision made out to be all about Oliver, instead of being about herself and what she wants out of life, regardless of what Oliver chooses?

 

Ahem, sorry, didn’t realise that rant was lurking inside me!

[Password]

See it's funny because when I read the "Am I just OQ's crush? Who am I outside of him?" I was fairly annoyed by the notion that her story is so linked to his, but he has his own identity to figure out. But with the way things are going on the show, I'm less concerned that the story makes her seem so wrapped up in his story, and not hers. She actively persues this new life, not because Oliver rejects her, but because she WANTS more than staying in the foundry to die. In Oliver's strange round about way he did give her a choice to "stay" with him, but she rejected the notion that she's living to die.

But I do agree about that gif. Why aren't the women concerned about THEIR lives as opposed to how their lives fit with significant others. If anything I'd like Felicity's gif to say "Who am I outside of the foundry?" It's broader than LI and includes job, family, and life ambitions. Things I've hoped Felicity would consider since she told Barry Allen she spends most of her time with Oliver.

[apinknightmare]

For a heart stopping second I thought she meant Star Labs will help out with finding Sara's killer.

It's an odd choice for a coffee shop date. I wonder if she took it there (did she plan to go clubbing?) Or if she bought it there.

 

She said Felicity only planned to see Barry a couple of times, so she must've bought it there. Maybe it was a last-minute find and that'll be part of the joke?

[BkWurm1]

Getting on a train or getting to do a drive when you're thinking too much and a lot of drastic things have happened in your life [is] always important and I think that getting on the train to go to Central City was probably really, really good for her personally. ... And then, getting there, and getting to a place where you know people and people you like, I think she did need that.

 

I interpreted this as Felicity very much is noticing Oliver being an ass, Diggle wrapped up in his new baby daddy duties, Roy always in his head, and Laurel...well, Laurel.  Felicity I think is rather lonely right now. 

[wonderwall]

It's too bad Sara died. I think Felicity, Sara and Sin could've had a fun time hanging out.

And Nyssa. :)

[TanyaKay]

I have always believed that Felicity would be a double majors type. Now we learn that she actually has double masters in Cyber Securities and Computer Sciences. I know she is a fictional character but her accomplishments make me unreasonably happy.

You go girl.

[wonderwall]

This episode of Flash made me come to one conclusion: Felicity needs to have more screen time on Arrow. God she was glorious on The Flash. 

[apinknightmare]

This episode of Flash made me come to one conclusion: Felicity needs to have more screen time on Arrow. God she was glorious on The Flash. 

 

Yeah, she was precious. I like watching her and Barry together (although I feel like the two of them are best in small doses). And I also wish we'd gotten to see how she felt about ending things with Oliver instead of on another show, but I'll take what I can get.

[Tangerine]

She was awesome on The Flash and I just loved Dr. Wells remarking on how remarkable she was. Felicity Smoak, light of our lives. Her line on the train about dreaming about things that could never be and how lonely the life was totally broke my heart though.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Tangerine

[KenyaJ]

I've been liking The Flash a lot so far, but tonight's episode made me love it, which makes it kind of sad that Felicity can't be on it every week. She fit in so well with Team Flash. I loved watching her and Barry together last season, and I still think they're completely adorable together. I ship her with Oliver so hard, but I wouldn't have been mad at all if Barry and Felicity had dated for a while. I love them as really supportive friends, though.

 

“I’ve seen first hand what this life can do to people. It’s a lonely path. Don’t make it any lonelier than it has to be."

 

And jeez, that line just killed me, because you know she was thinking of Oliver. Sigh. My girl needs a hug.

 

Finally, it was great to see all the Felicity love in my TL on Twitter tonight. I think (tv critic) Ryan McGee's tweets were my favorite.

[apinknightmare]

Can we discuss my heartbreak at that train scene though? She doesn't think Oliver feels the same way about her as she does about him.

I mean, I'm not surprised, it was just...really sad to see her talk about it so wistfully. I'M AFFECTED

Edited October 29, 2014 by apinknightmare