Sara Lance: The Canary Rises In White

[Sakura12]

The biggest issue is will KC be able to play Laurel without a huge grin on her face the entire time. Everything I've seen so far just shows how happy she is Sara's dead and she gets to be the hero.

 

Laurel magically knew how to us a bow, so I could see her magically being better than Sara in a fight in first go around. Then by mid-season she'll put on the costume and pretend she's honoring her dead sister's memory while actually being so happy she's dead so she can be the hero everyone looks to. 

 

Killing off a character to advance another character's story is such a lazy writing. Way too many shows depend on that instead of writing an actual story. 

Edited October 12, 2014 by Sakura12

[Xantar]

I agree. If Laurel has to be the Black Canary, there are so many better ways to develop that arc for her instead of killing off Sara. In fact, I'll come up with one right now off the top of my head.

 

Laurel has come to terms with who Sara is at the end of last season. And she's been pretty amazed by what she's seen Sara do. She decides she'd like to learn how to take care of herself, so she asks Ollie for some lessons. Ollie is reluctant at first (and the fans are probably going to think she's being entitled), but he comes around to thinking that in her position as a DA and as the sister of the Black Canary, she might be put in danger and it will be good for her to learn how to fight.

 

In her work as DA, Laurel sees some injustice that the system doesn't handle well. In her previous life, she was a public defender, so she has a strong sense of justice. So she takes Sara's jacket, puts on a mask, and takes to the streets. 

 

And there you have it. This Black Canary is a protector, not an avenger. She comes from a place of idealism which would make her a contrast to the Arrow. And if people are that worried about having multiple Black Canaries, then they can just have Sara decide that because of her bloodstained past, she can't be a hero and symbol of hope and therefore passes the mantle to her sister (and then maybe Sara becomes Lady Shiva or something). 

 

I'm not sure Katie Cassidy can necessarily sell this arc, but I'd say it's just as good as what the writers actually did come up with.

 

By the way, are we just going to forget about how Sara made a promise to Sin's dying father that she would look after her?

Edited October 12, 2014 by Xantar

[KirkB]

By the way, are we just going to forget about how Sara made a promise to Sin's dying father that she would look after her?

 

 

Considering that the show seems to have forgotten about Sin herself, I'd say yes.

[Sakura12]

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

[slayer2]

Dear Sara,

I miss you, the show isn't the same without you, it's lacking heart and badassery. Please come home. :(

[SleepDeprived]

I liked Sara. A lot. And, sadly, I never really realized how much she meant to me until they killed her. I think I loved her presence on the show because, to me, having her around meant that the writers were willing to let the characters take the story to where it was leading them. That the writers were really interested in writing toward what or who worked for/with the show rather than making their pre-conceived ideas contort the narrative because comics.

 

But here we are, racing through the writers' checklist of plot points, trudging through OOC/relationship development jumps/WTF-ness that don't serve or give time for emotional character beats. And here I am, not caring about Sara's murder mystery arc (and I want to care because I liked her character, damnit!) that is supposed to be the underlying engine moving the story along this season which should profoundly affect the other characters' development yet, instead, the whole arc still feels more like contrived justification so that someone can get a costume because comics.

 

Ah, well. Sara Lance will always be my tv-Black Canary.

[slayer2]

I didn't realise how much I'd miss her dimples.

And of course, "No woman should suffer at the hands of a man." my heart hurts. :(

[statsgirl]

And of course, "No woman should suffer at the hands of a man."

This is why Sara will always be a better Black Canary for me.

Edited November 30, 2014 by statsgirl

[tessaray]

 

Ah, well. Sara Lance will always be my tv-Black Canary.

 

Same here... 

[Morrigan2575]

I love Sara, she won me over in 204 when Sara/Sin had that little heart to heart. Giving me a character to love spending 21 episodes building a back story and giving her relationships with other characters, fitting her into a team and showing it work (yeah I know there were Super Sara complaints in S2). Doing all that and the just ripping her away so cruelly and for no other purpose the to prop up a failing character just makes me resentful, which is why I no longer watch.

And yes, Sara is my Black Canary.

Edited November 30, 2014 by Morrigan2575

[slayer2]

There were Super Sara complaints? Nuts, I love this woman. My gym game went up by a mile since I discovered Sara Lance. Sad to say, now it is not as fierce. :(

Just realized I'm ending every single post in here with a sad face. Gawd I miss Sara.

Edited November 30, 2014 by slayer2

[Danny Franks]

I didn't realise how much I'd miss her dimples.

And of course, "No woman should suffer at the hands of a man." my heart hurts. :(

 

Sadly ironic when you consider she's probably dead on the orders of a man, isn't it?

 

Caity Lotz is still made of awesome, and needs to be in something new that I can watch, right now. The Machine wasn't great, but she looked great in it. And hell, my gym game went up by a mile because of her. She even makes guys envious of that body.

 

There was a sadness and melancholy to her that Katie Cassidy's Laurel has never, ever come close to conveying. Even with all the 'islands' and 'gauntlets' Laurel goes through, she still seems as shallow as a baking tray, and all Cassidy's amateurish raging and chin wobbling doesn't invest her with an ounce of the gravitas that Sara had. Dumb fucking producers. I just made myself angry again.

[slayer2]

I'm still ragey over this. Dumbest decision this show has ever made. There is a hollow core left in Sara Lance/Caity Lotz place where the show should be. I thought that Felicity was the heart but I'm rethinking it. Because trying to watch this season without Caity has been some of the saddest most miserable least exciting just banal crap I have seen. Not to mention the downward spiral of the stunt team, all my excitement seemed to die with Sara Lance. :(

[KirkB]

Look at Sara's story. She and Oliver both survive a shipwreck, but while he is rescued by a highly trained and protective soldier, a martial artist and archer, and his martial artist/archer daughter, and starts learning to fight, she is found by a psychotic scientist and taken aboard a boat full of men who do a lot of implied terrible stuff to her. Then she and Oliver are reunited, only to have Sara sucked back out to sea in yet another shipwreck, where she is found by the assassin daughter of one of the scariest men in the world, taken to their secret city and made into an assassin, before she eventually feels the need to get away so desperately she is willing to kill herself. After all that she goes back to them to save her family, only to be shot in the stomach and knocked off a building, apparently by the daughter of the man she was there to find in the first place.

Edited December 12, 2014 by KirkB

[Sakura12]

Oliver's story is depressing while Sara's story is devastating, being that she only died so her sister can suddenly decide to be a hero, be another mad man's sick game and for Oliver manpain. 

[BkWurm1]

The only thing that keeps running through our minds, especially after Arrow's midseason killer reveal, is "Why did Sara have to die?" We loved seeing her kick major butt on our screens each week and we loved getting to know her character intimately. We miss her more than we can say.

 

The list of deaths was interesting (Moira was on it too).  Most interesting I found was that Sara was the only death where the question was asked, "Why did she have to die?"

[TanyaKay]

Honestly, Sara's death served the story for next few episodes, no matter how convoluted but it did (I think it was crap but at least they tried) and we all knew that she was a temporary character. The death that rankled me most was Moira Queen. Her death did not serve any purpose for either plot or character motivation. Malcolm is just a sadistic old bastard without Moira Queen to counter him, we lost the HBIC and all the amazing potential that would've arisen out of the battle of wills between Felicity and Moira over Oliver's soul.

I am okay with Sara's death (even though I do not understand the reason behind it) but I will NEVER be okay with Moira's death. She was the leading lady of the show in season 1, a very important character in season 2, and she had still a lot of story left in her.

Edited December 20, 2014 by TanyaKay

[Sakura12]

I don't think Sara's death served a purpose. They barely mention it. All it's been used for, is some half assed mystery that's not even interesting. Sara died so the least interesting and least liked character could have reason to exist on this show. Moira and Sara's deaths were pointless, they both had more story to tell. 

[TanyaKay]

I don't think Sara's death served a purpose. They barely mention it. All it's been used for, is some half assed mystery that's not even interesting. Sara died so the least interesting and least liked character could have reason to exist on this show. Moira and Sara's deaths were pointless, they both had more story to tell. 

 

While I respect the fact that you liked Sara a lot but I do beg to differ as far as her importance in the story telling of Arrow is concerned.

 

Her role in Oliver's past ended with her second death on Amazo (after her first death on Gambit) and her role in the present also ended with the end of her romance with Oliver and her going off with the League. She would've been great as a recurring character that Arrow could call upon on times of crisis or as a person who would randomly drop in to share some pearls of wisdom when Oliver is being stubborn or something but beyond that (even with LoA being a clear and present danger in S3) I could not see a major role for Sara in story telling. Honestly, at times in season 2B, I thought she was thrust a little too much into the story at the cost of other characters. She was a bad ass fighter and everything but as far as the journey of Oliver Queen in becoming Green Arrow is concerned, her role was limited.

[Sakura12]

If we go with that. What exactly would Oliver's mother bring to the show? Moira was a badass in her own right and played by a great actress but Oliver doesn't need his mother around in the show to become Green Arrow either. She was a great foil for Malcolm and that also brings us back to the show is about Oliver, so Malcolm should be a foil for Oliver not his mother. Her role was limited too. 

Edited December 20, 2014 by Sakura12

[statsgirl]

 She would've been great as a recurring character that Arrow could call upon on times of crisis or as a person who would randomly drop in to share some pearls of wisdom when Oliver is being stubborn or something but beyond that (even with LoA being a clear and present danger in S3) I could not see a major role for Sara in story telling. Honestly, at times in season 2B, I thought she was thrust a little too much into the story at the cost of other characters. She was a bad ass fighter and everything but as far as the journey of Oliver Queen in becoming Green Arrow is concerned, her role was limited.

This show really has problems with balancing character time.

 

I agree that there was a lot of Sara in 2B, sometimes at the cost of other characters (e.g. Roy, Diggle)  but she would have made a great recurring character, sometimes as a strong fighter they call upon when Team Arrow is over-matched, sometimes to drop in and bring a different type of storyline.

 

Oliver's journey to being Green Arrow has to end in s5; they should have kept Sara alive to bring them new stories when the journey is done.

[BkWurm1]

Honestly, Sara's death served the story for next few episodes, no matter how convoluted but it did (I think it was crap but at least they tried) and we all knew that she was a temporary character.

 

I'll start with the last comment.  I think we all knew that Sara wasn't the lead of the show but she wasn't a slap dash character that served a tiny plot point and then faded into the background.  She never was written as temporary.  She wasn't a Blood or an Isabel or even a Shadow or a Slade.  She didn't come with a prescribed end point.  She wasn't isolated or tied to just one aspect of the show. Sara was woven into the whole story, past and present.  She had a connection to ever regular character on the show and held the door open for a slew of more characters we hadn't seen.   (Her death was not needed to include Ra's in the storyline)

 

And the ones we had already seen were a couple of the best.  Nyssa anyone?  And how about Sin?  I mean, Sara was so rich and solid of a character she brought in her own supporting cast!  And they then made their own connections within the show - Nyssa interacting with Oliver and Quentin and even briefly with Felicity (it's probably not fair to count the first Laurel meet cute)  Then we have Sin, she exist because of Sara but as little as we saw of her, she was a more rich and real character than any one of the throwaway villains or "new" characters written for season 2 (apart from Sara) and she made the show better with the creation of TeenArrow, something we couldn't have with just Thea and the guy she was dating. 

 

Sara's death drove the story only because the characters were required to react but the Felicity and Oliver divide came before Sara and with the intrinsic risks they take on every mission, Felicity not waiting around for Olive to die is a storyline that didn't need Sara's death to be told. 

 

Quentin knows nothing about his daughter's death so his story isn't driven by Sara's death.  Palmer is totally separate too.

 

Malcolm already had a beef with the LoA so we didn't need Sara's death for them to get upset about Oliver not letting them come into Staring City and trying to kill Malcolm and Malcolm could have still used Thea somehow to make Oliver face Ra's.  Better yet, they could have shown us Thea doing terrible things and only reveal later that she was responsible for her actions (or better yet, that he manipulated her into thinking she was doing something good)  Maybe instead of killing Sara we could have had Thea go after Nyssa (from afar obviously)  She wouldn't have to die, just be rushed back Daddy's side.  Ra's doesn't sound to me like a guy that needs much of a reason to start a war.  So that whole story line didn't need Sara to die.

 

Really there is only one character that has had their plot lines driven by Sara's death and honestly, I think Laurel would have been better served as a character to build up some good will before she went vigilante on everyone.  They could have started her up with the boxing and set up some kind of frustration with the legal system.  These would have been much more interesting stories to watch than the raging secret keeper who tells everyone and vows retribution but gave up trying to find her sister's killer.  Is any of this actually about Sara dying? 

 

I didn't want to see Moira die but at least with Moira, it made a certain sense to close her character down if they had decided not to continue telling her stories.  I think that was a poor choice, but at least with Sara she could easily be away until next time the story called for her to return.  They couldn't easily do that with Moira.  She's not the type to go off on a world cruise and leave her children to live their lives without her input.  Plus, the actress was contracted as a full time regular.  Contractually it was probably easier to end the contract in a character death than renegotiating it into a guest appearance type of thing. 

 

So yeah, I think Sara's death was pointless and something the producers are going to be kicking themselves over when they look back ten years from now.  If they are not, I'm sure plenty who watched the show would be happy to do it for them.

Edited December 20, 2014 by BkWurm1

[Sakura12]

Sara was never treated like a temporary character. She only was if you went with "Because comics" which shouldn't matter being that this is a tv show that should be making it's own path not copying something that's already been done. 

 

Sara was treated like a regular character, more so then that the other regular that missed 3 entire episodes and was barely missed. She not only was given more screentime she was given a better story with her own supporting cast like BkWurm1 said. I would've loved to see more of Nyssa and Sara (not anymore, because she's dead so anything they show now doesn't matter). I would've loved to see what kind of relationship Sara had with Ra's before and after she came back. She was dating his daughter and dating the boss's daughter is always risky even more when your dating the daughter of one the most dangerous and feared men in the DC verse. 

 

I don't even know why the show runners thought that tossing Sara at dumpster and taking Thea's agency away for a man was a good story to tell. They managed to ruin two liked characters in one swoop. For what? One for a one the most disliked characters on television and the other for a man that magically survived an arrow through the heart because he has a penis. 

 

Sara and Moira don't exist in the comics. Which means Thea is probably next on the chopping block. She doesn't have the right name and Oliver's entire family needs to be dead so they can match with the comics.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Sakura12

[SmallScreenDiva]

I agree Sara was treated more like a member of the main cast by the writers. She had a great back story, had her own storyline with the league, etc. Which is why I was actually bracing myself for the Arrow/Canary show in the third season. My thinking was they couldn't have built up this character so much in the second half of the season if they didn't have HUGE plans for her in the third. And because Team Arrow was marginalized during her time on the show, I really thought Arrow was moving away from that setup (except the finale trilogy brought Team Arrow back, which delighted me but confused me even more). So imagine my immense shock when they killed Sara. I guess my fears are still correct because right now it looks like they are moving toward an Arrow/Canary show, except with a different Canary. It continues to baffle me why all that time was invested in her last year when they were just going to kill her off. Which makes me think the original plan wasn't to kill her off and something happened behind-the-scenes (aside from the whole push Laurel to the forefront move, it's also entirely possible Caity Lotz just wasn't interested in getting pinned down to a maybe/possible recurring contract on TV. She could have gotten movie offers). I would have been perfectly fine with Sara on the show, if her appearances were limited to maybe 6 eps. She could have come in, even be part of an arc of eps, and then have gone away and done her own thing with Nyssa. The show gets its Black Canary but it doesn't into the Arrow/Black Canary hour.

[Happy Harpy]

I never thought, either, that Sara was a temporary character.

 

For me, she was proof that the writers understood they had written themselves into a corner with Laurel the attorney with only a couple of skills in self-defense, and brought in a character fit to be the Black Canary, highly proficient martial artist and at least Oliver's equal in combat training. She showed me that they were ready to keep their vision -by bringing the BC in- while bending it to what worked for the show as it played and evolved onscreen.

 

Sara's death meant the loss of a good character and the fridging of yet another female character. But is also meant, I think, that Laurel would be shoe-horned as the BC no matter what, and whatever the cost for the show in general.

[Oscirus]

Interesting. Early disclaimer, I pretty much just marathon watched this show in like a week so that might affect my view of certain things.

 

The way I see it, Moira had to die, season two was about redemption. So by not killing Slade after Slade killed his mother, Oliver redeemed his earlier mistake of "killing Slade." Not to mention that by the time she was killed, Moira was little more then a character for Oliver and Thea to be annoyed with. Let's be honest any number of people could fill that role.

 

Sara on the other hand, was somebody who I always saw as a season two character. I didn't see her as a main character since she was basically used in order to advance other storylines. She provided a bridge between team Arrow and the LOA, she forced Laurel to come to terms with her demons,she was a member of team arrow until she decided that she preferred being a killer. Hell, even her jungle story was more about Oliver. Once she leaves Oliver's sight, the rest of her story is told in exposition.

 

Yes, admittedly, Sara's death does help Laurel's transformation to the Black Canary. But I don't think that was the main reason for her death.  As the first member of Team Arrow to die, the writers finally got across the message that nobody's safe ( Moira and Tommy were main characters but they were civilians, hence, expendable) and it took away the level of comfort that the protagonists were enjoying at the beginning of this season.

[KirkB]

I'm not bothered by Sara's death in and of itself. On a show like this anybody can die. Even the star, apparently, though that obviously isn't going to last. Killing a main or important character is a perfectly valid way of furthering the story or developing another character. Sara's murder could have been very dramatic and crucial to the plot but they tacked it on to the end of the premiere, which all but ruined whatever good will it had built up and put a pallor on the season as the whole, and since then have done very little to further the story. They did an episode with everyone thinking Malcolm did it, only to have Oliver stand up for him (in order to progress the LoA story) and then reveal, rather nonsensically, in the mid season finale, that Malcolm actually was involved. Sara's death is also the motivation for Laurel to put on her own costume, especially since her mother all but told her to. When it would have made more sense to have Laurel the BC from the beginning and let poor Sara rest in peace in the first place.

[Starfish35]

Moved from Bitterness Thread:

I wish I knew when exactly they made the decision to have Sara be killed off in 3.01. I know they had made the decision by the time they filmed the finale, but...... Did they originally plan for her to die in the finale, but decided against it because everyone expected it? Or did they plan to keep her around longer, but then decided to accelerate Laurel's journey to BC in season three, and so Sara died right away?

The reason I wonder is that it just felt a bit like they changed course on Sara late in the season, so...I don't know. Maybe the backlash against her post-"lunge"? I don't know.

Am I imagining things, or did MG at one point before the premiere aired say that CL was signed for five episodes? If so, I wonder if that was mis-information, or will she be appearing again somehow after

"Canaries"?

[apinknightmare]

Am I imagining things, or did MG at one point before the premiere aired say that CL was signed for five episodes? If so, I wonder if that was mis-information, or will she be appearing again somehow after

"Canaries"?

 

IIRC, the number has changed. I think he initially said six, then it was changed to her being confirmed for, like...three maybe? I haven't read of anyone mentioning a particular number in a while.

[statsgirl]

I think he said she was signed for three but they were talking about more.

 

 

The reason I wonder is that it just felt a bit like they changed course on Sara late in the season, so...I don't know. Maybe the backlash against her post-"lunge"? I don't know.

 

Or maybe because of her popularity, who I think is still greater than Laurel's.

 

I have no idea what they were thinking but it makes sense not to kill her in the finale. They wanted everything to go happy, happy, at the start of season 3 and then everything falls apart and they couldn't do that if Sara had just been killed.  

[Starfish35]

I found it, or at least one source. Comicbook.com on Sept. 21.

Sara's back. Caity Lotz is in a recurring role. We've made a deal for three episodes but at current count, we're going to have her in for five, at least. Obviously with all of our recurring cast members, we always have to work around their schedules but we love Caity. We have really cool plans for her.

http://comicbook.com/2014/09/21/arrows-guggenheim-on-season-3-we-wanted-to-fuse-the-epic-quality/

So so bitter. :(

Edited January 11, 2015 by Starfish35

[Kordi]

I found it, or at least one source. Comicbook.com on Sept. 21.

http://comicbook.com/2014/09/21/arrows-guggenheim-on-season-3-we-wanted-to-fuse-the-epic-quality/

So so bitter. :(

 

OMG I entirely forgot about that interview, but now that I read it again I remember it. Either MG is an idiot, because he puts out promises without knowing if he will be able to fulfil them, or he is a damn liar, because he creates high hopes knowing that he's going to dash them... Either way, my impression of him get's worse and worse... :-(

[statsgirl]

It's hard to believe that he thinks seeing Sara in flashback is just as good as having her alive in present day, but maybe he does.

[Sakura12]

I for one am not interested in seeing flashbacks for a dead character. I find it pointless. It's like, look at this life Sara had, now that she no longer has one.

 

If I was still watching the show, I wouldn't even be excited for the next time she appears, because I know it will be all about Laurel.  

[loki567]

Jesus. Reminds me of another reason to be depressed about Caity Lotz gone, she was a chick who could fight. KC's comments throw things into pretty stark contrast about who was right for the role. The next three episodes are going to be so depressing and MG is probably going to hear whatever he wants to hear about the future direction of the show. 

Edited January 21, 2015 by loki567

[chaos is welcome]

I want Sara back. Its been three months.

Three.

This is so so so so stupid.

[tv echo]

It's hard to believe that he thinks seeing Sara in flashback is just as good as having her alive in present day, but maybe he does.

I think the EPs make the same mistake when they try to excuse Oliver's absence from present day in these next few eps by saying that Oliver will be in them in flashbacks.  The mistake?  They think fans are only interested in seeing the actors on the screen.  They underestimate the fans, who quite clearly distinguish between the actors and the TV characters they play.  So the EPs apparently think that as long as CL or SA appears in the episode, albeit as a hallucination or flashback or whatever, fans will be happy.  Fans are interested in the characters that they've invested time into watching - and the EPs killed off Sara and sidelined Oliver.

Edited January 22, 2015 by tv echo

[KirkB]

At least the Oliver flashbacks relate character growth to someone who is still alive and able to learn from them. Showing Sara being taught to fight or whatever it kind of pointless since she just ends up in a pine box. We already know regardless of how well she fights or what her flirtations with Nyssa were like in the beginning how it's going to end.

Edited January 22, 2015 by KirkB

[statsgirl]

Yeah.  As ,much as I would have loved those Sara flashbacks if she were still alive, now all I feel is "What's the point?"

 

I also have a feeling that any Nanda Parbat Sara flashbacks aren't going to do Laurel's Canary any favors.

[Duke Silver]

Yeah.  As ,much as I would have loved those Sara flashbacks if she were still alive, now all I feel is "What's the point?"

 

I also have a feeling that any Nanda Parbat Sara flashbacks aren't going to do Laurel's Canary any favors.

 

I dunno...EP's can be very sly w/ advancing agendas.  It's not beyond the realm of possibility they provide flashback portrayals as a means of minimizing the True Canary.  Yeah, I'm cynical.

[thuganomics85]

OK, I usually don't automatically go into conspiracy theories or make assumptions about what is going on behind the scenes too much. Because, baring a tell-all book, I doubt the truth will ever come out.  But after this recent episode, I truly think that either the producers or writers resent Caity Lotz on some level.  I could look past them killing her off even, because, fine: they are so desperate to stick to canon, to appease comic fans.  But, to bring the actress back, only to have a fan favorite compare her to her sister and basically say that she doesn't have the light that her sister has, have her in a situation that just happens to require Sara to be all "EVIL!" (a Vertigo hallucination), only for her sister to overcome her, and then her final shot is her smiling at Laurel all "Well done, young Padwan!"?

 

And, since it sounded like the cast really loved her (from the leads like Stephen and Emily, to even the recurring actors like Katrina Law), I really doubt it's because Caity is a diva or anything.  I really think that someone was pissed that she was popular as she was. I really think they had Sara as a placeholder, and assumed she would have some fans, but most would know the score.  Instead, a decent amount actually loved her, and even considered her The Canary.  And, now, they are pissed.  Because, while I wouldn't be surprised if they always attend for her to die to pass the torch to Laurel, but all this tonight really felt like they were spitting on Sara's grave.  Ugh.  Sorry for the long rant, but I'm just pissed.

 

My dream scenario now has move past Caity Lotz merely finding another gig.  I now want her to get cast on one of the rival Marvel shows, kick major ass, and then DC's main competition can reap the benefits of what this show squandered away.

Edited February 12, 2015 by thuganomics85

[calliope1975]

I would love for Marvel to pick up Caity. I don't have a particular character in mind, but I think she'd fit in well on the Netflix shows they're developing. The stuff Marvel's doing with Agent Carter makes me embarrassed for Arrow. Some of The Flash decisions aren't much better.  

Edited February 12, 2015 by calliope1975

[loki567]

If you're the showrunner of an action-adventure television show, there's no reason you shouldn't be calling Caity Lotz's agent right now. Sexy, charismatic, and actually has the physicality needed to look like she could handle herself in a fight. Somebody get this woman a show. 

[olicityfan25]

It's all about sucking up to the big heads of business. I mean look at all the sucking up KC does in that new interview. This is not hating on her. But, her thoughts on the show as being soul mates with Oliver and thinking there's actually a love triangle between her character with Oliver and Felicity is being deluded.

[Password]

I had a plethora of issues with season 2b, but Sara's characterisation and actions was definitely one of them. I was confused and dissatisfied when she ended things with Oliver because reasons (seemed like to me). She never seemed innately evil to me (unless we count the Lance dinner). So whilst I understood that she didn't feel SHE could harness Oliver's light, I never thought that's because she didn't have her own.

[Sakura12]

If she didn't have light, she would've been a villain.

 

Sara's still a real hero because she wasn't fighting crime to become one. She was just doing what was right. She wanted to help Sin and she wanted to help women being abused by men. There was no glory in it for her. She just did it. 

[Morrigan2575]

After this episode (at least what I've heard). I'm guessing that was why CL changed her tune about coming back for more Arrow.  They pretty much shat all over Sara in order to prop Laurel up.  What's more is that there wasn't a single thing that wasn't predicted because this episode was so obviously done with the intention of propping Laurel.  

 

We knew Hallucination Sara would be mean to Laurel.  

We knew Laurel would lose the first fight but triumph in the finale by beating Sara.  

We knew Oliver would accept Laurel as BC by end of episode

We knew Felicity/Diggle would be used to prop Laurel

We knew that by the end of 313 that whole Laurel being a bad fighter would go out the window.

 

The sheer lengths this show has gone to, to bend the story and characters around Laurel is astounding and utterly sad.  If having Sara go out like a punk and throwing her in the trash didn't bring out my tinfoil hat, this episode sure did.  I agree with @thuganomics85, I think the EPs resented Sara/CL and Sara fans and this was the final FU.

[Sakura12]

How did they think that showing Sara go through a similar hell that Oliver went through would go over? Did they think we would hate her for suffering the way she did and do horrible things to survive? That just showed me how strong she was to go from a partying college girl to a hardened warrior. 

I heard that Nyssa told Laurel that she was forged by fire because Sara died. WTF? Sara was forged by fire, Oliver was forged by fire, Laurel was forged by lipstick and buckles. Sara went through hell so Laurel can take over her hero status without any work. 

 

SA even said that this was Oliver's journey into becoming Green Arrow. (he said the same thing about Sara). So they are also making Oliver look a chump since he still hasn't earned his comic book name while Laurel just gets it handed to her. 

Edited February 12, 2015 by Sakura12

[Carrie Ann]

OK, I usually don't automatically go into conspiracy theories or make assumptions about what is going on behind the scenes too much. Because, baring a tell-all book, I doubt the truth will ever come out.  But after this recent episode, I truly think that either the producers or writers resent Caity Lotz on some level.  I could look past them killing her off even, because, fine: they are so desperate to stick to canon, to appease comic fans.  But, to bring the actress back, only to have a fan favorite compare her to her sister and basically say that she doesn't have the light that her sister has, have her in a situation that just happens to require Sara to be all "EVIL!" (a Vertigo hallucination), only for her sister to overcome her, and then her final shot is her smiling at Laurel all "Well done, young Padwan!"?

 

And, since it sounded like the cast really loved her (from the leads like Stephen and Emily, to even the recurring actors like Katrina Law), I really doubt it's because Caity is a diva or anything.  I really think that someone was pissed that she was popular as she was. I really think they had Sara as a placeholder, and assumed she would have some fans, but most would know the score.  Instead, a decent amount actually loved her, and even considered her The Canary.  And, now, they are pissed.  Because, while I wouldn't be surprised if they always attend for her to die to pass the torch to Laurel, but all this tonight really felt like they were spitting on Sara's grave.  Ugh.  Sorry for the long rant, but I'm just pissed.

 

My dream scenario now has move past Caity Lotz merely finding another gig.  I now want her to get cast on one of the rival Marvel shows, kick major ass, and then DC's main competition can reap the benefits of what this show squandered away.

 

Other than KC resenting her positioning as Canary last season--which she has admitted, if not in those words, so I'm not just being a hater here--I don't think there's anyone involved with Arrow who has a problem with Caity Lotz.

 

But yeah, I think that the EPs had no idea how much people would love Sara, or they misjudged how much people would love Sara INSTEAD of Laurel. That they would always compare the two, and that Laurel would come up wanting in every category. So I do kind of feel like there's an undercurrent of resentment at the character. (I get that feeling about OG Team Arrow too. That MG sort of resents how much people love the trio, and don't love his precious costumes.)

 

Anyway. This felt very similar in tone to what Joss Whedon wanted to do with Tara in Season 7. He wanted Amber Benson to come back to play an evil FakeGhost version of Tara, who would end up tormenting Willow. And Amber refused to do it, because she personally felt it would be wrong to exploit Tara in that way, and a cruel thing to do to the fans. She was right. Caity would have been right to refuse this bullshit too, and it's too late now, but I hope she refuses all offers going forward.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Carrie Ann

[KirkB]

I think the EP's misinterpreted...well, everything. I really think they expected Sara sneaking around with Oliver behind Laurel's back would look bad on Sara (somehow overlooking the fact Oliver was involved in the mess too) and make the audience feel sorry for Laurel, so that when Sara showed up as the Canary people would resent her and want Laurel to take over as the rightful Black Canary because of it and, of course, comics! But they completely underestimated the popularity of Caity Lotz, which translated to Sara popularity as well, while being annoyed with Oliver's man-whoreness and nearly every move Laurel Lance made. They had a problem since it was already their intent to kill Sara, for real this time, and replace her in the suit with Laurel. But since they were already convinced the lack of a mask was what made Laurel unpopular in the first place they went ahead. I think bringing Caity Lotz back, for this, and having her say almost word for word what a lot of us have been saying all along is sort of a not so subtle FU to anyone who doesn't like what they are doing.