Felicity Smoak: Bitch With Wifi

[tv echo]

The EPs (esp. MG) and writers got so excited about showing off the Atom's fancy electrocuting hand feature that they failed to consider a lot of things (like consistent character behavior):

• Oliver's leaving Roy unconscious on the ground there.
• The hypocrisy of Ray trying to kill Roy and then condemning Oliver for killing people.
• How Felicity should feel about a man who tried to kill her friend.

Edited March 31, 2015 by tv echo

[lexicon]

I think partly what it was is that Felicity had a lot of sorrow and hardship in her life, far more than Laurel and maybe even more than Thea but she never let it weigh her down.  Even in Corto Maltese, shortly after she got blown up and Oliver dumped her, and then Sara died, she was still making jokes and acting light-hearted while Oliver grumped around the Arrow lair.

 

That's Felicity's superpower, that even with her childhood and her father leaving and what happened with Cooper, she picks herself up, dusts herself off and starts all over again while Oliver is angsting, Diggle if taciturn and Laurel is blaming the world for leaving her.

 

Season 3, she hasn't been able to do much of that, especially after the cross-over episodes  Oliver's had it rough but she's had it nearly as bad and I think she's cried more than every other character put together.

 

EBR has done her best to stay true to the character, both in sorrow and resilience but she hasn't been supported by the writers who have really isolated Felicity into a bubble with Ray and Laurel instead of giving her scenes where she can process things with a friend. Other than a brief moment with Diggle when Merlyn brought the sword to them (Diggle's big moment came with Laurel), the last time Felicity could really talk with a friend was a scene with Roy in 3x02's Sara.

 

I found myself nodding at so much of what you wrote. Although it feels like it was a long time ago now, up to and including "the climb" I was pretty happy with the way this season was going. There were issues yes, between Oliver x Felicity, Oliver x Diggle etc but it still felt like the same show, then it returned form winter hiatus and it suddenly seemed less about "the Arrow" and the characters and relationships that I enjoyed and instead became about the origin stories of the BC and the Atom.

 

Even worse than the amount of screen time dedicated to telling their story was the fact that the characters previously seen as the most popular and universally liked, were co-opted in order to make these newbie heroes more palatable to an audience. By far the worse offence has been what was done to Felicity Smoak's character in order to prop LL and RP during this part of the show, so that in addition to behaving in ways that seem OOC she has been isolated from the team as she has spent more and more time on prop duty. I've seen the breakdown of screen time for the main characters this season but what i'd be really interested in seeing is a breakdown of screen time by character interaction i.e how much has she been allowed to interact with Roy and Dig this year (I'll exclude Oliver here because of the forced angst this season) vs where she's been bent into a pretzel to incorporate LL and RP into the SL.

[CabotCove]

EBR has done her best to stay true to the character, both in sorrow and resilience but she hasn't been supported by the writers who have really isolated Felicity into a bubble with Ray and Laurel instead of giving her scenes where she can process things with a friend.

 

Ray and Laurel are friends of hers, what is true to the character is that those two are among her  group of friends, what Felicity thinks. Maybe they are not the ones you want for her but as far as show canon is concerned and saying is that they are growing intimate relationships with those characters, she cares about them they care about her.  On one occasion, I think felicity even called Ray "friend", but it is not just about what is said but what is done. 

 

I agree on the part that EBR has been brilliant as she usually is, I think there are plot reasons for her "isolation", yes some which actually help Felicity imo. Like her own character development, she has been tied to Oliver and Team Arrow business for two years before this. She can have a life of her own too, every other team member seems to. I think It is actually a semi isolation, as she has been in contact with the team and helping out on occasions, this season. 

 

I don't think choosing to be happy is dependent on other people at all at least it certainly isn't supposed to be.

 

 

IMO other people and relationships (platonic/romance) can be a part of one's happiness, but they are not the whole story, they are other things too that can  help one to attain full happiness. I think it also depends on the person, some people may attest that relationship/s in their lives make them completely happy and fulfilled, for some its may be a bunch of things... career, travelling,food etc. I think happiness is personal, now back to Felicity, she strikes me as a character who considers relationships to be part of her happiness, and she is also fulfied with other things like her career, helping people etc. But  characters can change over seasons, so who knows, what her "happily ever after" will be like.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Conell

[statsgirl]

I was hoping that Felicity would finally have a change to talk to her mother about her feelings about Oliver and Ray in Public Enemy, but it looks like it was once again Donna saying that Felicity loves Oliver, but we still don't get to hear Felicity say what she feels.

 

 

Ray and Laurel are friends of hers, what is true to the character is that those two among her are group of friends, what Felicity thinks. Maybe they are not the ones you want for her but as far as show canon is concerned and saying is that they are growing intimate relationships with those characters. On one occasion, I think felicity even called Ray "friend", but it is not just about what is said but what is done. 

 

I can buy Ray as Felicity's friend because he's helped her -- he's given her time off when she needed it or when her mother was visiting, and he's been willing to listen when she was sad.

 

Laurel is a harder sell because for two seasons, Laurel treated Felicity like part of the under staff. Even in season 3 in Corto Maltese, she was giving Felicity orders rather than requests.  The one brief moment that Laurel was kind to Felicity was when she told her that Oliver has come back from the dead before.  Other than that, it's been Felicity helping Laurel, Felicity telling Laurel she's brave&strong and has a light Sara didn't and go back out there and fight.

 

The show may tell me that Laurel is Felicity's friend but they haven't shown it.  They haven't shown me that she's the kind of friend Felicity can break down with and have a real conversation about her feelings.  Caitlin and Barry, even in their brief scenes, have been that, but not Laurel.

[CabotCove]

Laurel is a harder sell because for two seasons, Laurel treated Felicity like part of the under staff. Even in season 3 in Corto Maltese, she was giving Felicity orders rather than requests.  The one brief moment that Laurel was kind to Felicity was when she told her that Oliver has come back from the dead before.  Other than that, it's been Felicity helping Laurel, Felicity telling Laurel she's brave&strong and has a light Sara didn't and go back out there and fight.

The show may tell me that Laurel is Felicity's friend but they haven't shown it.  They haven't shown me that she's the kind of friend Felicity can break down with and have a real conversation about her feelings.

 

 

Im not saying they have reached BFF stage or anything, I just see that there it is a growing friendship. Whatever happened in the first 2 seasons, things have changed. Laurel and Felicity are better acquainted this season and they are now teammates. I don't know about Felicity airing her love life to Laurel, but I really dont see her talking to Diggle or Roy about that either (Roy/Felicity is also fairly new and underdeveloped) I would think she would be more likely to talk to another woman about that, ( yeah there was a little talk with Donna tonight). Her relationship with Caitlin seems way too professional to me, I doubt they would talk about boys (yet). Since this involves Oliver, there could be  a tiny chance of a talk with Laurel, maybe not.  Anyway her talk with Donna might be all she will get and regardless I think its something Felicity will have to figure out on her own, and Imo the best people she would need to talk to about this would be Ray/Oliver. 

 

The show may tell me that Laurel is Felicity's friend but they haven't shown it. They haven't shown me that she's the kind of friend Felicity can break down with and have a real conversation about her feelings.

 

That  is fair enough, I have no problem with that personal interpretation and view.  I just think that when it comes to what "true to the character" or story, then whats canon takes precedence, than what you or I think or want. I would think that the writers/show vision and opinion is the " official factual guide" of the story, it is their story. Of course you dont have to agree on all of it, I have some parts I dont agree with too, that being said their take still remains as The Canon of the story.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Conell

[looptab]

The references to Felicity's dad were weird. From previous episodes, I thought he just left his family, and they resented him for it. In Secret Origin, I got this impression from Donna's speech. Now she was referring to him as someone who should be taken as example, maybe inspiring and brave in a way, even though he wasn't exactly irreprehensible.

Wonder where they're going to go with this.

Edited April 2, 2015 by looptab

[tv echo]

zomparellina73 asked:

Marc always me:) that I want to ask two adjectives to define the mood of Felicity in 3x19..I can I hope you answe

r?

Conflicted and confused.

http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com

Edited April 2, 2015 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Regarding all the crying - Maybe this season is Felicity's "island"?  Having to spend so much time with Ray, propping him up and sleeping with him and apologizing to him, has to be almost as painful as what Oliver went through on the island.  ; )

[AyChihuahua]

Sleeping with Ray has to be equal to at least Deathstroke #1 torturing Oliver, plus getting choked out by Yao Fei.

[doesntworkonwood]

Regarding all the crying - Maybe this season is Felicity's "island"?  Having to spend so much time with Ray, propping him up and sleeping with him and apologizing to him, has to be almost as painful as what Oliver went through on the island.  ; )

Having to watch her do that has been my Island. 

[kismet]

Regarding all the crying - Maybe this season is Felicity's "island"?  Having to spend so much time with Ray, propping him up and sleeping with him and apologizing to him, has to be almost as painful as what Oliver went through on the island.  ; )

One of the reviews even said that she was "marooned on Palmer Island" which I thought was hysterical and accurate. Most of her scenes have seemed completely disconnected from the mainland. I'm not sure this relationship with Ray warrants a crucible or torture that OQ's or SL's island did. I would even say the 5 years of grief that QL & LL have experienced are more attributable to an "island" from an emotional stand point. What I will say is her relationship with RP and the isolation of it I think gave her an opportunity for introspection & realization of the life she wants. Not all islands have to emotional torture or trauma. Islands are places where there is less outside influence and more self-reliance required. Also people who spend a lot of time on actual islands say they run on Island time and I think to some degree that is true. Islands provide ample time & space for people to learn what they are made of. So yeah, maybe this is her "island", but it is far from the experiences the other characters suffered on their "islands".

[lemotomato]

But does Felicity need an "island" or crucible? I thought that was only required for the characters that get masks?

[statsgirl]

That's what David Ramsey said, that you need a crucible during the time of the show to get your mask. Diggle's was in Afghanistan and that's over and done so he doesn't get a mask.

 

It feels like on this show, everyone gets a crucible whether they get a mask or not.  Even Moira had her association with Malcolm Merlyn.  And don't forget, Felicity had five years of thinking she was responsible for Cooper's suicide.

Edited April 3, 2015 by statsgirl

[tv echo]

I hope you guys know that I was kidding (probably unconsciously sparked by that "Palmer Island" reviewer comment)...  

 

Seriously, I don't think anything Quentin, Laurel or Thea went through is comparable to what Oliver and Sara experienced.

 

EDITED TO ADD:  It was Laura Hurley (of course) who said "Team Arrow did not get to spend a whole lot of time together in “Public Enemy.” With Oliver on the run and Felicity marooned over on Palmer Island, the episode only featured a few scenes of the group together."

Edited April 3, 2015 by tv echo

[CabotCove]

But does Felicity need an "island" or But does Felicity need an "island" or crucible? I thought that was only required for the characters that get masks?crucible? I thought that was only required for the characters that get masks?

 

I dont think its necessarily  a strict requirement for every character (even for some masks) but it could be an interesting arc for Felicity.

I  could use "crucible"  in terms of meaning "growth" for e.g, and that is something she will need to have regardless. Yeah I do quite agree with statsgirl about "everyone gets a crucible whether they get a mask or not". It seems to me, thats how the show wants to go about it, at least so far.

 

With Oliver on the run and Felicity marooned over on Palmer Island, the episode only featured a few scenes of the group together."

 

Wait there is such a thing, well I hope it literally exist. Ray is gonna need somewhere to recuperate when Felicity break his heart. Preferably it has got lots and lots of beautiful Palm trees and Rays of sunshine.

 

What I will say is her relationship with RP and the isolation of it I think gave her an opportunity for introspection & realization of the life she wants. Not all islands have to emotional torture or trauma. Islands are places where there is less outside influence and more self-reliance required. Also people who spend a lot of time on actual islands say they run on Island time and I think to some degree that is true. Islands provide ample time & space for people to learn what they are made of. So yeah, maybe this is her "island", but it is far from the experiences the other characters suffered on their "islands".

 

Interesting perspective and  symbolism kismet. I definitely can  testify of some benefits of doing island time.

I guess the Palmer Island wasnt that bad after all, if it had such BENEFITS for Felicity. 

Edited April 5, 2015 by Conell

[statsgirl]

The problem with Palmer Island as a retreat for Felicity is episode 3x17, because the way he treated her, going back to him to apologize is a fail imo.  Instead of having the time to think about what she really wants, he pushed her to be the person he wants her to be.  Oliver's never been Best Boyfriend material, but Ray turned into The Guy You Tell Your Friends To Avoid Getting Involved With.

 

I know people here have argued the reasons she did it, but it's still very disappointing to see the strong Felicity of previous seasons become that person.

 

Wait there is such a thing, well I hope it literally exist. Ray is gonna need somewhere to recuperate when Felicity break his heart. Preferably it has got lots and lots of beautiful Palm trees and Rays of sunshine.
 

He'll need to earn it in the next set of episodes.  He did okay in Public Enemy though.

[Ang]

I'm spending some time in my happy place, ignoring spoilers and disheartening MG tumblr answers, enjoying the show and characters as I see them [pessimism]while I still can[/pessimism]. I thought I'd share some of my newish, not-revolutionary headcanon. I think the first I got from a snippet of fanfic I read, and the second was inspired by the discussion of Felicity's interests here.

Felicity's double entendres are a result of her growing up with her brassy, openly sexy Vegas-cocktail-waitress of a mom, who constantly embarrassed her geeky little daughter with frank sex talk and reading implications into anything and everything. Can't you just see it? Like, she'd jump all over anything Felicity said that could remotely be tied to relationship, sex, hook-ups, whatever. Plus I'm guessing she didn't shy from innuendo herself, meaning it would have slipped into Felicity's vocabulary however unintentionally. Hence the tendency to both say mildly inappropriate things and innocent things that could be taken the wrong way, plus the impulse to backtrack or clarify, even if (as with Walter in S1) it's not really necessary.

Second, there was some discussion of how she obviously shops as a hobby, given her wardrobe and accessories. That immediately combined with her love of computers and the slightly annoying tendency for the wardrobe people on the show to not quite get her size right, so that we have: Felicity, online shopper extraordinaire.

[kismet]

I'm spending some time in my happy place, ignoring spoilers and disheartening MG tumblr answers, enjoying the show and characters as I see them [pessimism]while I still can[/pessimism]. I thought I'd share some of my newish, not-revolutionary headcanon. I think the first I got from a snippet of fanfic I read, and the second was inspired by the discussion of Felicity's interests here.

Felicity's double entendres are a result of her growing up with her brassy, openly sexy Vegas-cocktail-waitress of a mom, who constantly embarrassed her geeky little daughter with frank sex talk and reading implications into anything and everything. Can't you just see it? Like, she'd jump all over anything Felicity said that could remotely be tied to relationship, sex, hook-ups, whatever. Plus I'm guessing she didn't shy from innuendo herself, meaning it would have slipped into Felicity's vocabulary however unintentionally. Hence the tendency to both say mildly inappropriate things and innocent things that could be taken the wrong way, plus the impulse to backtrack or clarify, even if (as with Walter in S1) it's not really necessary.

Second, there was some discussion of how she obviously shops as a hobby, given her wardrobe and accessories. That immediately combined with her love of computers and the slightly annoying tendency for the wardrobe people on the show to not quite get her size right, so that we have: Felicity, online shopper extraordinaire.

Love the MamaSmoak influencing her vocabulary! Right on the $$

 

I must admit, I can appreciate FS as an online shopper extraordinaire. Her accessories are killer. But I have really questioned some of the wardrobe choices this season (not just for Felicity). They have made her outfits almost too sexy for the workplace at times and then they duplicated similar silhouettes. How many back cutout dresses & crop tops can a person own? I missed some of her style from s2 which was sexy but not flashy. I sorta hope they find a better balance between the 2 in s4. But the fit on some of the outfits have been downright  disappointing considering they get paid to fit the actress. I can especially remember the pink one she wore when she told OQ "that doesn't mean we can go back". I wanted to tell her its ok, Felicity you can go back and return that dress its a thing now, Im sure you can find the return policy online. no one needs to be squeezed into shiny pale pink.

 

[Ang]

But I have really questioned some of the wardrobe choices this season (not just for Felicity). They have made her outfits almost too sexy for the workplace at times and then they duplicated similar silhouettes. How many back cutout dresses & crop tops can a person own? I missed some of her style from s2 which was sexy but not flashy. I sorta hope they find a better balance between the 2 in s4. But the fit on some of the outfits have been downright disappointing considering they get paid to fit the actress. I can especially remember the pink one she wore when she told OQ "that doesn't mean we can go back". I wanted to tell her its ok, Felicity you can go back and return that dress its a thing now, Im sure you can find the return policy online. no one needs to be squeezed into shiny pale pink.

Exactly! It's really exasperating. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to sit down and have a serious talk with whoever does the wardrobe for the women on the show. KC's pantsuits in S2 make me want to hit things, and EBR's dresses make no sense, either for her character's activities or for their fit. That cheap-a$$ "couture" dress had me seeing red. Factor in the S1 dress recycled from TVD and the repeated outfits this season (without relevance to situation, theme, or plot) and you can see them pinching pennies.

That's why I like my headcanon! I can pretend Felicity doesn't try on her dresses before she buys them and doesn't bother mailing them back if they don't fit perfectly. (Girl's got more important things to worry about, afterall.) And hey, maybe the crop tops and open backs are indicative of her mom's sensibities creeping in as she finds herself actually interested in a specific guy.

[statsgirl]

One day I was looking at an ad for summer fashions and wondering why Felicity doesn't wear dresses and then I realized that yes, she does wear dresses but it's always the same kind of dress, tight, short, color-block, often with a geometric piece cut out.   Occasionally a top and skirt, but in pretty much the same style, with heels so high on her shoes that they make her feet look kind of funny in still shots. The last time she wore the kind of clothes I think of as flirty, it was the blue and white dress in The Calm.  It struck me again when I was reading fanfic when often Felicity goes home and gets into jammies or sweats to be comfortable as she does her hacking or watches Dr. Who while eating ice cream, so maybe I'm not the only one who feels like this..  Between the tight dresses (sometimes in too small a size) and the shoes, her body seems as constrained as her babbling is not.

 

Mostly I don't like that she always wears the same kind of clothes, sometimes the same dress in two or more different colors along with really high heels. I wish they would mix it up more, and loosen it up when she's not in the QC or PT offices.  And heed the advice of Louisa May Alcott who wrote in Eight Cousins, you should wear clothes and shoes that you can run away in if someone is chasing you.

[Delphi]

I liked the Beckham dress she was wearing earlier this season, mind you Felicity didn't pick that out herself. But I absolutely loved the bcbg dress she wore in The Dodger, I don't watch the vampire diaries I just love the brand so I can't say anything about it being recycled, I thought she looked especially stunning in that.

Eta: I don't think putting Emily in that dress was actually to "pinch pennies". Felicity actually wears a lot of Bcbg items. Her dress for the date in The Calm, her black cut out dress in the Flash episode, her grey top in Midnight City, her dress in the Scientist and one of tops from City of Blood and Tremors. The list goes on, I think they just like the style of their clothes on Emily.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Delphi

[wonderwall]

I think my favorite was the grey one she wore in The Climb. IDK why, it was professional but sexy. I just really liked it :p

[TanyaKay]

 

This dress that she wore in 2x06 is my favorite Felicity dress of all three seasons. It was professional, the right fit and showed her assets - her amazing legs - without being too flashy or work inappropriate.

I still think that boob cut out dress was the worst thing ever and we had to see it twice in two very important episodes, The Scientist and The Calm.

[Chaser]

I really liked the blue one she wore in 2x01- when they go swinging out the window. It has a cut out, but its a higher back one. 

[statsgirl]

That's a good look for her character.  It's professional and comfortable.  I don't see why they have to dress her all the time like Donna's daughter.

 

I agree about the boob dress.  No wonder everyone thought she was sleeping with the boss if that's what she wears to work.

[Carrie Ann]

My favorite whole look of hers was from Blast Radius. I love this dress, her hair, her lips, her necklace. Plus, she was wearing a sweet purple coat over it earlier in the episode. A++++++ 

 

 

This isn't the best shot, but it's important to see the full-body shot because: boots + butt.

 

[Password]

Yep, adored it.

[CabotCove]

This dress that she wore in 2x06 is my favorite Felicity dress of all three seasons. It was professional, the right fit and showed her assets - her amazing legs - without being too flashy or work inappropriate.

 

Dress? Completely fooled me, I thought she was wearing a skirt and a red top lol.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Conell

[Pothunter]

Does the word 'outfit' work better?

[Delphi]

Dress works fine, because it's a dress. It's just patterned so the bottom is a different colour than the top.

[Chaser]

My favorite whole look of hers was from Blast Radius. I love this dress, her hair, her lips, her necklace. Plus, she was wearing a sweet purple coat over it earlier in the episode. A++++++ 

 

 

This isn't the best shot, but it's important to see the full-body shot because: boots + butt.

 

The more I look at this outfit, the more I love. The boots, the pearls, the ponytail.

 

What's funny about looking at this outfits/dresses is none of them have low necklines like the boob dress. 

[tarotx]

It reminds me of what early seasons Buffy wore a lot :)

The more I look at this outfit, the more I love. The boots, the pearls, the ponytail.

What's funny about looking at this outfits/dresses is none of them have low necklines like the boob dress.

[SmallScreenDiva]

I loved the outfits she wore on 3X03, "Corto Maltese." All of them were work appropriate, fit her well and were pretty:

 

The blue dress when she went to Ray and babbled about coffee, the coral (?) dress when her team called for her help (I can't be sure but I think that was the same dress she wore later to The Flash in 1X08 and in "Nanda Parbat"), the mutlicolor block top AND, (this one I want them to use again), the black/white polka dot dress

 

[Delphi]

It is the same dress from the Flash and Nanda Parbot. I like that the reuse her clothes a lot actually. It's more realistic than a number of other things in the show.

I loved her burgundy dress from State versus Queen. I thought that was very attractive but still professional looking.

[Morena]

Arrow: Felicity Smoak's Best Quotes

https://tvline.com/gallery/felicity-smoak-best-quotes-arrow-photos/

[TanyaKay]

Dress? Completely fooled me, I thought she was wearing a skirt and a red top lol.

 

it was a dress, a color blocked dress, but a dress nonetheless.

[Advance35]

Very good episode for Felicity.  For the most part.   I'm on record as saying I don't like Ray Palmer, I'm not overly fond o fthe character or actor, I feel there is zilch in way of romantic chemistry between he and Felicity and I think the pairing was ill-concieved.   Since Batman is going older aka Ben Affleck, I wish they had used the Dick Grayson character.  Never the less, minus the Ray of it all, it was good to see Felicity back in her element, that being Team Arrow.

 

I had a big "Wow" expression on my face and then a smile when we learned that Felicity, Diggle and Roy had all been conspiring FOR Oliver.   And I genuinely loved the moments between Oliver and Felicity that we got.   It's interesting to me that Oliver is the open one and Felicity is the more hesitant in terms of admitting feelings.  I don't doubt she loves him but he HAS said it to her a few times and that's not a threshold Felicity has crossed.   When  she said "Your the man that I......" the look on Oliver's face.

 

And for all her denial or lack of acknowledgment of love, it's pretty clear that Felicity is VERY drawn to Oliver.   And it's become very clear to Ray Palmer as well.

 

And the outfits, both on Arrow and Flash have been AWESOME.

[statsgirl]

Good to finally find the purple dress EBR wore in the FB clip with SA when she made up a word.

 

In Broken Arrow, she had what I think of as "Ray Palmer hair", out and flowing, as opposed to her usual "Oliver Queen ponytails".  I wonder if this is a meta statement about Felicity herself, that during this season she's grown and spread her wings, and I wonder if she'll ever go back to the ponytail or if this is the new Felicity.

[SonofaBiscuit]

I really don't like what has happened to EBR's hair this season.  It's almost like it is too layered or thinned out at the bottom, or something?  And I didn't watch her on The Flash this week, but I saw gifs, and the styling was terrible.  I can't believe that they didn't ask the hair crew (sorry, I don't know the technical name for those folks) to fix that!!  

[Password]

I don't think the ponytail will disappear. It's just too practical. I do however think her hair and glasses distinguish between her "work". It's a seemingly more mature look that I think is also reflected in her clothes. I've liked Felicity's hair for the most part. Still think she looked absolutely radiant for her date in the premiere.

So...good choice I think.

[AES13]

I really don't like what has happened to EBR's hair this season.  It's almost like it is too layered or thinned out at the bottom, or something?  And I didn't watch her on The Flash this week, but I saw gifs, and the styling was terrible.  I can't believe that they didn't ask the hair crew (sorry, I don't know the technical name for those folks) to fix that!!  

I hope it's deliberate in the sense that Felicity is not being herself while she's dating Ray.  I'm worried that it's the CW sexifying her since people who are warm and genuine aren't nearly as attractive as someone who's "sexy", at least from their point of view it seems.

[kismet]

Just figured out we never got a reason for that weird nude undershirt/jacket/sleeve thing ERB was wearing in the FB video. Oh well, I guess it was just for warmth on set. Still perplexed as to why she wore it under the dress. That purple dress was just ugly though. That was the weirdest neckline I've seen on a dress that was not designed to be worn in figure skating or ballet performance. And those heels, no wonder she couldn't run away from the meta ~ I'm surprised she could even walk in them! Glad wardrobe is allowing her to wear something more sensible in NP. Another plus for FS return from Palmer Island, is maybe her wardrobe/heels & hair/make-up will start to be more like her & less like whatever they thought the dress code was on Palmer Island.

[Genki]

Glad wardrobe is allowing her to wear something more sensible in NP. Another plus for FS return from Palmer Island, is maybe her wardrobe/heels & hair/make-up will start to be more like her & less like whatever they thought the dress code was on Palmer Island.

 

 

I hope so...

Also we know shit is getting real when Felicity wears pants

[Advance35]

I thought tonights episode was another great Felicity episode.  It's sooooo good to have her back with Team Arrow where she belongs and not sequestered on Palmer Island.

 

"Magic Hot Tub?!?!?!?!"  Tell me what other television character would say such a thing. lol.

 

I wasn't remotely interested in Ray and I was very glad that he and Felicity are now officially done but it was a nice scene, know denials from Felicity, just a "can I use your jet?"

 

Her scene with Ra's Al Ghul?  Well the actor lacks some of the gravitas I associate with the Ra's Al Ghul character but if he looked like that and towered over me speaking in that voice........I would definitely join his league.   

 

All of the Oliver/Felicity interaction was aces.   SA has really become a strong actor and EBR seems to ALWAYS rise to the occasion when she's opposite him.   The sex scene was hot and I really liked how Felicity acknowledged that Oliver changed her life for the better both externally and internally.   But how much did I double take when Felicity drugged him.   Leave it to her to cook up an 11th hour plot twist.   She sneakily stole some of the sedative that ceremony woman used and turned it against the league.   She didn't have a complete plan, making it up as you go happens sometimes. lol.

 

And I like that Oliver wasn't mad, he looked like he was wondering when he's going to stop underestimating her.  lol.

 

Great Episode.

[tv echo]

I know fans disagree about EBR's acting on Arrow, but for me, she always sells what Felicity's feeling at any point in time in the series...

 

[tarotx]

I think EBR handles the nonverbal emotion Well. It's just when she has to talk and get emotional. But she's learning. She's great with the funny, sweet and power anger or motivational. She's very good with the non verbal. It's just her enunciation and voice gets all ugly. Which is actually realistic but not very audience friendly. She'll learn and has gotten better with all the practice she has had this season.

[steeledwithakiss]

I thought emotional scenes were EBR weak point up until 3x12, I think. But really who could blame her? Felicity is her first big role and probably the first time she had to cry on screen. She's getting better and better and her breaking down in 3x21 was very well done. Just like SA is improving so much as an actor the same is true for EBR.

 

As for Felicity in that episode I think it was interesting because it kind felt of how she would react, the whole team really, after Oliver's death. I thought we'd see the team taking care of Thea, bonding with her. Felicity and Diggle in denial about Oliver's death. Felicity talking about barely being able to get up in the morning, her breaking down alone in the Foundry. I think a lot of people were not able to connect with her post Oliver's death because they didn't let or show the character grieve Oliver. It was all the surface, like my headcanon was that Felicity was in denial/robot mode but when she was home alone she'd grieve. I think it was a mistake of the writers not to show this. Those reactions we saw would have worked better in 3x10/11. Here I'd rather see the team fight to get Oliver back. He was brainwashed ok, but it only  took 3 weeks (supposedly because I think Oliver is totally faking it) he could as easily be deprogrammed. The only think making me accept that is Ra's is a threat to everyone's lives (theirs and the people in SC) he could kill lil Sara next time.

 

Anyways my point is even though Felicity's reaction could have worked better after Oliver's death, her being heartbroken and hopeless after seeing Oliver soulless is totally understable. It would also add to the theory that Felicity never accepted Oliver's death and always thought he would come back.

 

I think it's been shown through 3 seasons that Felicity is very strong but she's also not scared to show her emotions. It's one of the only characters we've seen show fear. She's not brave because she's not scared but because she's very scared but still tries to fight back. She's openly vulnerable to people she cares about ("the thought of losing someone that important to me"), she's warm and affectionate (she's probably the most affectionate person on the show). Her being so shaken after seeing Oliver act so cold and to Diggle of all people, his brother, was to be expected. Actually I would have been disappointed if she hadn't. She always has Diggle's back. For her the Oliver she knew is lost because he would never endanger Diggle's family.

 

I loved 3x21 because it showed Felicity out of the lair, out of PT and actually at Diggle's. Except from 3x05 we never see Felicity just having normal interactions in a normal setting (as normal as the show can get). I hope we'll see more of that in s4.

[NumberCruncher]

I think EBR handles the nonverbal emotion Well. It's just when she has to talk and get emotional. But she's learning. She's great with the funny, sweet and power anger or motivational. She's very good with the non verbal. It's just her enunciation and voice gets all ugly. Which is actually realistic but not very audience friendly. She'll learn and has gotten better with all the practice she has had this season.

 

I think this assessment is fair.  EBR (whom you have accurately pointed out hasn't been acting all that long) has struggled in certain scenes, but does as admirable job as I think she can do under the circumstances.  I said it over on the episodes thread too but these weepy, melodramatic scenes are hard for any actor to do to begin with and poor EBR has been given such an incredibly high amount of them this season, so I can only imagine they've been challenging for her, just as I'm sure they were for KC throughout last season and WH in the first season.  For some unknown reason this show loves to give its female characters long stretches of episodes with repetitive emotional scenes and then wonders when the audience starts to complain.  I grant that some of the criticism is driven by pure sexism but as a female viewer even I'm over them because there are just so damn many of them with little in terms of resolution or payoff.

[kismet]

Its weird, and I don't really know how to describe the hows or the whys - but EBR's portrayal of FS this episode just felt younger than any of her other episodes. It was the first time she felt like she was not in her middle 20s, but perhaps closer to her teens. WH/TQ seemed older to me in the episodes than she did. Maybe it was the stark contrast to DarthOliver who seemed older with his new attire.

 

Her crying has never really bothered me in other episodes, but for some reason it did in 321. Maybe I've just reached my limit or maybe it just seemed like she would be less defeatist this time around. After last week, I want to see a little bit of fire to get Oliver back, esp after DarthOQ showed up. Im not saying she shouldn't have cried. It was perfectly realistic that she did. But somehow, I just imagined her having a little more chutzpah at some point in the episode. Then again almost everyone failed to bring their acting game this episode so perhaps it was just a result of that.

[millennium]

I think Felicity's a fail as a leading lady (that is, the romantic interest of the lead character).   I just don't feel it.   She seems to me more like Oliver's sister than even Thea does.   And I've never seen any female character do so much boo-hooing, well, at least not since this:

 

 

For me, Felicity's downgrade from "Bitch with WiFi" to "the woman left behind" is another reason why this season isn't working.

Edited May 2, 2015 by millennium