S07.E12: Emerald Archer

[way2interested]

16 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Still even if they are her adoptive parents she's still living like a street rat which makes them terrible adoptive parents! 

We've only seen two days of her life meanwhile Oliver's out of the picture, Felicity's been missing for about two weeks, and this girl's clearly got some unresolved anger issues (stopping the documentary right when Oliver was looking into the camera and quoting Diggle's earlier speech of "Learn from your mistakes. Be better"), there's clearly a lot more to the story

27 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

So you mean she's adopted already?

Yeah, the implications being that whatever went down that ruined the city and separated the team happened at least a few years ago when she was a teen, which was when Mia in the comics was introduced. But that's just a random theory

[apinknightmare]

9 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I've been trying to look at this objectively after the initial rage of watching a 150th Ep WITHOUT an Olicity scene and I've come to the conclusion that the show is fine for anyone who doesn't care about OTA.

OTA doesn't really exist anymore, hasn't in a while, and probably won't again in the way that we knew it. They've stopped taking the time to show these people being friends, and never took the time to rebuild the relationships after the damage that was done to them last season, instead choosing to gaslight people over what actually went down to get their moments. I do appreciate them kind of trying to do something with it, I guess, but it just seems to me like lip service for people who keep asking for it. There are just too many people to tend to and they don't seem to be willing to put the effort or time into it anymore.

Edited February 5, 2019 by apinknightmare

[KenyaJ]

I can't believe I went to the effort of breaking away from a meeting for an hour to watch this. But had I not done that and read the comments online first, I probably wouldn't have bothered watching at all. And maybe that would have been the better option. 🤷🏾

I liked the documentary parts before the episode turned into the average S7 "Here's a bunch of characters you don't care about doing things you don't care about . . . and a fight scene" episode.

I don't even care enough to rant about the things I didn't like. I'm slowly starting to make peace with the fact that the show I once loved is gone, replaced with that a show that looks like the old show but has none of the qualities that made me once love it. If nothing else, credit to the writers for making Fauxrel a meta commentary about the show.

[tv echo]

This was so NOT a love letter to the fans - or any fans that I know. It was more of a self-indulgence by the Arrow producers and crew (look at how artistic and risk-taking we are!)...

Still, I kinda enjoyed parts of it. It was fun to see cameos by Quentin, Thea, Sara, Rory, Sin, etc. And I loved the Barry Allen interview - that was hilarious: 

(Flashtime)

I also mostly enjoyed the Felicity/William scenes, despite William's teenage brattiness. However, I found that William's shoving his laptop at Felicity was way too violent. Felicity was incredibly patient with William. Also, I guess William inherited the lying genes from both of his biological parents.

Unfortunately, there were too many things about this episode that I didn't like.

What is arguably the core, heart and soul of Arrow? What has created the most show buzz over 150 episodes? What made the show really start to click in S2? It was OTA and Olicity (imo). Yet there was zero of either in this episode.

Also, the most acclaimed Arrow villains have been Malcolm Merlyn, Slade Wilson's Deathstroke and Adrian Chase's Prometheus. Yet we get Ricardo Diaz - Ricardo Diaz!- in the 150th episode.

As others have said, there was too much of Dinah, Rene and Curtis. So Team Arrow is going to do the same thing they did before, but now as deputized members of the SCPD? That makes no sense. Does Mayor Pollard have a soft spot for Dinah? If so, why?

As usual, in the big fight scene, they had to weaken Oliver's fighting ability in order to justify the presence of the rest of Team Arrow. I mean, Chimera is not Thanos. Oliver should've been able to take him out on his own.

The writers are really trying to get someone to ship Emiko and Rene, aren't they? I don't think it's working. Do they even have a ship name yet? #Remiko?

Emiko: "Robert was out of the picture long before. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to risk changing things."
Rene: "Changing what things?"
Emiko: "You and me... working together."
Rene: "Why would it? Oliver's got his thing and we got our thing. Right?"
Emiko: "Yeah, we do."

I wanted to throw something at the TV when Diggle told Oliver that, even when Oliver was in prison, the rest of Team Arrow was still a team and had each other's backs. Revisionist history:

Oliver: "There is no Team Arrow anymore."
Diggle: "But there is. Oliver there is. It's just changed. We may not have been Team Arrow when you were in Slabside, but we had each other's backs."

I'm not sure how I feel about the flashforward scene with Mia/Blackstar and Connor:

Connor: "Where did you get that?"
Blackstar: "I stole it."
Connor: "Yeah, Mia, that much I figured, but wasn't this documentary banned? I thought every copy was destroyed years ago."

(olicity source)

ETA: This episode is getting mixed reviews from the media. For example, A.V. Club hated it, while EW loved it (see Starling City Times thread for other reviews).

Edited February 5, 2019 by tv echo

[apinknightmare]

12 minutes ago, tv echo said:

This was so NOT a love letter to the fans - or any fans that I know. It was more of a self-indulgence by the Arrow producers and crew (look at how artistic and risk-taking we are!)...

I think they started off on the right foot - the documentary premise and all the cameos, people praising Oliver. It was really nice! It would've been even better if that had been a bigger part of the show! But instead it felt like a love letter tacked on to a regular (and subpar) episode of Arrow. Like someone dropped said letter on the ground and then walked around with it stuck to their shoe. 

[Mellowyellow]

One thing I'm curious about is why they baited OTA fans with the cake etc and then went for this episode.

Should have just shut it all down. Or are they still clinging onto the few hopeful stragglers for online tweets etc

[Chaser]

I think the majority of online traffic is generated by Olicity fans who tend to be OTA fans. They were playing to that audience. Fans were back to organizing trends and talking about the episode. 

[Primal Slayer]

I found should've known better but from the early reviews I was expecting an old interview with Laurel to contrast with E2 Laurel and bring up how funny it is that Oliver's ex girlfriend ended up joining his vigilante crusade.

[doesntworkonwood]

They should have had this be a plot-lite episode and had it entirely in documentary format with just the reveal at the end. Mixing the documentary bits with the 'normal Arrow' bits was a bit jarring. It went from fun to boring and back again. 

[catrox14]

I think this was telling us that Arrow is eventually going to become Justice League adjacent. I think it was saying Thanks fans that stuck around for OTA, but now it's over. I really do.

[CabotCove]

12 hours ago, jay741982 said:

And people really wont give a fuck If she was Black Siren child. Would be a waste. Cause shes reportedly a central new role. People would care if shes Olicity Baby. 

I would care if she was Black Siren's kid, i find it to be a fascinating idea, and being [arguably] the most unlikely and unexpected idea makes it more interesting to me. Being Oliver/Felicity's kid is interesting in its own way too or a third option. Different strokes...

Edited February 5, 2019 by WonderArtist

[tv echo]

Cutie-pie...

[CabotCove]

5 hours ago, way2interested said:

To be fair, in the narrative currently going on, it would be random for her to be their kid, and since Mia in the comics trains with Connor Hawke (not a coincidence that they were together in the episode, I would guess) and then basically gets adopted by Oliver, I'd either guess they go with that or go it Arrow-style and cut out extra details to heighten the drama. Either way, she ends up their kid, albeit maybe adopted.

Interesting speculation. Possibly the most sound theory so far👍.

[RobertDeSneero]

15 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I'm guessing next move is SHIELD/JL/X-Factor with them working for the Federal Government. Honestly putting them under Argus makes way more sense. Don't know why they bothered with another Suicide Squad.

It would make sense if it sets up a later season with Team Arrow becoming the new Suicide Squad with bombs in their necks as part of the road towards a dystopian future.  Oliver being forced to do things he doesn't want to do, possibly having to team up with enemies of the past?

[Mellowyellow]

1 hour ago, catrox14 said:

I think this was telling us that Arrow is eventually going to become Justice League adjacent. I think it was saying Thanks fans that stuck around for OTA, but now it's over. I really do.

Haha so a break up letter in other words?

I'm still scratching my head at the complete abandonment of Felicity and zero acknowledgement of Olicity which is the ship for their show. Although not desirable, even if they are promoting the Noobs why leave out such an obvious thing like an Olicity scene which a HUGE part of the fanbase is expecting?

It's baffling and makes me start to wonder if there are bts reasons for this. 

[apinknightmare]

4 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

It's baffling and makes me start to wonder if there are bts reasons for this. 

It's not like Olicity is completely non-existent. They've written a moment or two into every episode since Oliver got out of prison (and technically there was a scene last night, it just involved William). 

[insomniadreams88]

The problem with this episode is that it was the 150th. I wouldn't have been as annoyed I am with a regular episode. (I mean, I still would have been, just with all the Dinah and Rene and Diggle's "we had each other's backs" comment, but still.) 

I get they probably needed to set up what's to come for future episodes (the team being deputized, William being expelled), but it just felt like they missed emotional beats and skipped a few things that they shouldn't have with a milestone episode. 

[Mellowyellow]

7 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

It's not like Olicity is completely non-existent. They've written a moment or two into every episode since Oliver got out of prison (and technically there was a scene last night, it just involved William). 

Nah last night was not an Olicity scene imo. They were in the same room interacting with other people.

I just find it bizarre there was zero acknowledgement of their relationship/love story. They could have had a scene plus all the mumbo jumbo. It feels weird and deliberate.

@insomniadreams88 you managed to say what I couldn't quite verbalise! If it was a normal ep I could file it as the Canary/Noob ep or whatever. But after all the ho hum about it being the 150th, the guest stars the shafting of Olicity really makes me wonder what is going on. 

Edited February 5, 2019 by Mellowyellow

[apinknightmare]

10 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I just find it bizarre there was zero acknowledgement of their relationship/love story. They could have had a scene plus all the mumbo jumbo. It feels weird and deliberate.

How deliberate can it be when they're putting in moments for Oliver and Felicity in other episodes? It's not like they're actively avoiding giving them moments together - they've been getting a lot! I'm not saying don't be disappointed, but I do think that jumping to there being some kind of BTS issue or order from on high is unfounded. 

[way2interested]

I just think it was a timing and plot thing. The episode was just about getting the team back together and getting Oliver and Diggle back together. It doesn't leave a big organic place to insert some big Olicity moment. That's not to say they shouldn't have or shouldn't just fix the plot to give there reason for a small one (like Oliver and Felicity talking about William or talking about the documentary or something) but narratively what they are doing now didn't call for one. Olicity doesn't need a reunion or some big reminder of their relationship, Diggle and Oliver do. Felicity doesn't need to be reunited with the team (they all worked together in 706), Oliver does.

[calliope1975]

I think I would have liked it more if the entire thing had been the documentary. Whatever Blackstar was watching in the future - that's what I wanted and thought we were going to see. Instead it started out really well then devolved into a regular Arrow episode. I wanted interviews with imprisoned villains, and no, DDDiaz, you don't count. Give me Cupid and China White and Slade telling the docu people to Fuck Off. Get that psychologist lady to give a minute talking head on how Oliver needs therapy. Bring in some people Oliver has saved over the years. Especially since how both the city and individuals feel about Oliver whiplashes from day to day. Arrggh, they could have done sooo much.

I'm not even mad anymore, just disappointed. 

[kickingnames]

1 hour ago, calliope1975 said:

I think I would have liked it more if the entire thing had been the documentary. Whatever Blackstar was watching in the future - that's what I wanted and thought we were going to see. Instead it started out really well then devolved into a regular Arrow episode. I wanted interviews with imprisoned villains, and no, DDDiaz, you don't count. Give me Cupid and China White and Slade telling the docu people to Fuck Off. Get that psychologist lady to give a minute talking head on how Oliver needs therapy. Bring in some people Oliver has saved over the years. Especially since how both the city and individuals feel about Oliver whiplashes from day to day. Arrggh, they could have done sooo much.

I'm not even mad anymore, just disappointed. 

This would have been so fun! Add in an interview from that doctor who always treats vigilantes, and maybe someone from the windowpane company whose entire business is afloat because of all the shattered windows...

I really enjoyed the beginning. Then we went back to a regularly scheduled season 7 ep of Arrow and I lost pretty much all interest. If I wanted to watch cops in costumes I would find a better way of doing it than this show. 

 

I will say, I don’t know that it was intended to be as amusing as I found it, but Oliver’s face here might be my favorite one facial expressions of the night:

15 hours ago, Soulfire said:

 

 

[calliope1975]

4 minutes ago, kickingnames said:

This would have been so fun! Add in an interview from that doctor who always treats vigilantes, and maybe someone from the windowpane company whose entire business is afloat because of all the shattered windows...

I can't believe I forgot Starling City's Windows and Doors guy! But yes, have past characters and people we care about interspersed with randos who have been affected (both good and bad) by the Green Arrow. I would have ended it on something more poignant with OTA and how found families are important and, hell, steal from the Spiderverse. Anyone can be a hero if they choose to step up. 

You could still end it in the FF with Blackstar, but I would have punched that scene up, too. It would have made a perfect Olicity kid reveal, but even if not, the energy was missing. (I've forgotten, are we not supposed to know that "Connor" is JJ? I know the LOT future apparently didn't happen, but were TPTB selling that Connor was some random guy Blackstar knew?)

We could have had it allllllllllllllllllll!

[apinknightmare]

5 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

(I've forgotten, are we not supposed to know that "Connor" is JJ? I know the LOT future apparently didn't happen, but were TPTB selling that Connor was some random guy Blackstar knew?)

I'm not sure what they were going for there. The reveal of JJ going by a different name having any impact whatsoever depends on the viewer having watched the 2046 LoT episode, which...I'm guessing a lot of people didn't. 

[way2interested]

I'd guess it would have been for the LoT/Arrowverse connection but also to hammer home that she's "Mia" for the comics easter egg like "oh I vaguely remember that those are names of Oliver's sidekicks," minus the lack of logic for these connections as presented

[KenyaJ]

37 minutes ago, kickingnames said:

This would have been so fun! Add in an interview from that doctor who always treats vigilantes, and maybe someone from the windowpane company whose entire business is afloat because of all the shattered windows...

On top of all the missed opportunities of this episode, I'm going to be perpetually sad that this didn't happen. It would've been so perfect and hilarious!

[apinknightmare]

48 minutes ago, kickingnames said:

This would have been so fun! Add in an interview from that doctor who always treats vigilantes, and maybe someone from the windowpane company whose entire business is afloat because of all the shattered windows...

And the window guy is interviewed from a lounge chair on the beach because BUSINESS IS A-BOOMIN'

[Quark]

The first few minutes was good with all the old characters, but then it rapidly got worse. Sort of like this series as a whole.

I echo those that say that Stephen Amell is bored. I think he's been bored for a while. He made some strange acting choices this episode too. In the scene where he told Dinah about his sister, he acted like a school kid admitting to his teacher that he had made a terrible mistake, not a grown-up.

Jack Moore also doesn't do angry very well.

I LOVED Barry's cameo.

I must say, the overall storyline for this season is moving at a snail's pace. I get that the writers are trying to generate mystery with the potential Big Bads and stuff (ARGUS, Diaz, Dante, Longbow Hunters - when did they last appear anyway?), but they are doing a terrible job of it. And then there are the flash forwards, which I care even less about.

The latter half of the season really needs to step up it's game.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Quark

[Mellowyellow]

Everytime I see those FFs they make me think of that CW show with the dirty people Hubs tried to watch. I remember @BkWurm1 telling me that Arrow for all its faults at least not have grubby looking people running around.

The FFs proved her wrong. The darker grey colours and oddly dressed people make it look grubby like that other show.

[BkWurm1]

2 hours ago, calliope1975 said:

I can't believe I forgot Starling City's Windows and Doors guy! But yes, have past characters and people we care about interspersed with randos who have been affected (both good and bad) by the Green Arrow. I would have ended it on something more poignant with OTA and how found families are important and, hell, steal from the Spiderverse. Anyone can be a hero if they choose to step up. 

You could still end it in the FF with Blackstar, but I would have punched that scene up, too. It would have made a perfect Olicity kid reveal, but even if not, the energy was missing. (I've forgotten, are we not supposed to know that "Connor" is JJ? I know the LOT future apparently didn't happen, but were TPTB selling that Connor was some random guy Blackstar knew?)

We could have had it allllllllllllllllllll!

Yeah, I held out hope til the last second that they were saving a big Olicity adjacent thing for the FF.  Or at least something big for Mia/Maya's character.  But nope,  It was really nothing.  Mia/Maya found the old lair.  I thought maybe she'd find someone important at the lair.  Nope.  Just the old lair. 

It being the big ending of a big episode made it seem like it was supposed to be important but it sure didn't FEEL important.  It was a huge let down of nothing.  Nothing to make up for no Olicity or acknowledgment of Felicity's heroic contributions to the team and nothing that felt momentous in advancing the FF storyline. Unless JJ/Connor showing up was supposed to be SUPER special on it's own?  Well, it wasn't.  Nothing happened.  It's not like they'd built up searching for the old lair or anything.  It was so super NOT momentous.  It was over and I said.  Is that it?  

22 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Everytime I see those FFs they make me think of that CW show with the dirty people Hubs tried to watch. I remember @BkWurm1 telling me that Arrow for all its faults at least not have grubby looking people running around.

The FFs proved her wrong. The darker grey colours and oddly dressed people make it look grubby like that other show.

The 100.  First season no one got to bathe, lol.  It's been hit or miss since then as well.  (My viewing of it has also been hit of miss)

Yeah, Arrow has fallen far if we don't even get our people all prettied up to look at.  

Edited February 5, 2019 by BkWurm1

[way2interested]

35 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

It was so super NOT momentous.  It was over and I said.  Is that it?  

They filmed it way after the fact and stuffed it into their schedule before breaking for the year, they were going for really simple it seems XD

[Richness]

Someone mentioned enema earlier... "This show needs an enema!" to paraphrase Jack Nicholson as the Joker. <cue Prince's Batdance> And the turds that need flushing out are NTA and Diaz. The only part I liked was seeing the interviews of all our old friends, Quentin, Thea, Sara, Rory, Sin, and Barry. I needed more Roy though. Though I admit I found the documentary style itself a bit confusing, especially at first.

[Trisha]

2 hours ago, Quark said:

I echo those that say that Stephen Amell is bored. I think he's been bored for a while. He made some strange acting choices this episode too.

Yes! There was a review (from AVC, maybe?) for the ep when Oliver found out about Emiko and they praised Amell’s performance as nailing someone who is exhausted by the constant river of crap raining down on him. And at that point I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and accept that he’s trying to portray a guy burdened by the weight of the world on his shoulders who never catches a break. But he still hasn’t snapped out of that mode. His stuff at SCPD has been especially stiff, with echos of acting-opposite-KC-in-S1. Even some of his scenes with Felicity have felt phoned in these last few eps. The only hint of a pulse in this week’s was the 2 seconds when William first walked in the door. 

[BkWurm1]

14 minutes ago, Trisha said:

The only hint of a pulse in this week’s was the 2 seconds when William first walked in the door. 

Before he ignored he had a son the rest of the episode.  Sigh.  

[JamieLynn832002]

I sort of feel like when William told Oliver he was okay with him being GA because even if something happened he'd still have Felicity, Oliver's mind somehow translated it to "Feel free to mostly peace out on parenting now, Felicity's got this." I fully believe Oliver loves William but he mostly seems to leave the heavy lifting to Felicity. And to a certain degree, it makes sense, whatever else you can say about Donna Smoak, she was clearly a good parent for the most part whereas the elder Queens have been dead for years and we're still discovering new ways in which they failed their children but Oliver eventually has to step up or he looks like a terrible person/parent.

[AudienceofOne]

7 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Before he ignored he had a son the rest of the episode.  Sigh.  

"Why did you lie, William?"

"To see if my so-called parents cared enough to notice"

[Primal Slayer]

I'm assuming this is the episode they wanted JB back for? Have S1 Malcolm comment on The Hood? 

But they really should've had majority of this just be full blown documentary footage from across the years. Give us some "unseen" footage of past iterations of the team and help give us first hand knowledge of how Star City has reacted to them throughout the years 

[Chaser]

Malcolm would have been hilarious. “Let me tell you about the time I named him ‘Green Arrow’”. 

They should have asked Laurel how she feels about another BC, since she’s now anti-vigilante.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Chaser

[Primal Slayer]

24 minutes ago, Chaser said:

Malcolm would have been hilarious. “Let me tell you about the time I named him ‘Green Arrow’”. 

They should have asked Laurel how she feels about another BC, since she’s now anti-vigilante.

The fact that it hasn't come up....doesn't surprise me but is something I've been waiting for them to do. But the public pretty much ignores "Laurels" past as a vigilante/BC. 

I think it should've been her that saved the Mayor instead of Dinah, but I also think the Mayor should've been a big thorn in her/TAs side the first half of the season and they failed at that. 

[tennisgurl]

Its really weird, because the actual documentary part of this episode really is just wonderful, and everything I wanted from an anniversary and celebration episode. The opener with the narration and the video footage of vigilantes throughout the years, and even the movie logo opening were all just what I wanted. It did seem like an interesting way to look at this universe, where vigilantes and meta humans and such exist in the world and are a hot button political issue, and is a great way to contextualize Oliver's time as the arrow, AND was a fun nostalgia trip and reward for the long time fans. Seeing so many past characters pop up again (or just get mentioned, like Tommy and Moira) was so cool, I got giddy every time someone new showed up!

But then, the second half of the episode just kind of gave up, and suddenly its just another Arrow episode from season seven, but with a film crew hanging around. In that way, seeing the old days made the current stuff more of a let down to return to. Its like "remember when we had people like Thea and Sin around? Well, now we have Newbies. We really traded down, huh?" And having Rory Reagan showing up again, already being more likable and heroic in just one scene than Newbies normally are in whole episodes, just rubs salt in the wound. The one Newbie that was really interesting and fun and unique just HAD to be written out off course, to give more screen time to the awful Newbies. It felt like, halfway through, the episode became less about celebrating Arrow, and more about pushing their new crappy storyline, and their new crappy characters. It just baffles me how hard this show continues to push the Newbies (and BS, to a lesser extent) and try to get us to love them and make them more and more the focus of the show, when the Newbies, from from I have seen, have never been popular with audiences or critics, and they truly write like we SHOULD hate them so often. Are we really expected to cheer for these people who spend half their time snarking at and and being general dicks to the main characters of this show, with no self awareness or character arc? And not even in a fun banter way, in a full on mean and petty way. They really just seem to think that if they increase their screen time, people will get on board, even if they haven't done much to make them actually more interesting or likable. 

So, for this big anniversary episode, we somehow end up with a second half where the main couple on the show get almost no screen time together, and no real celebration of their relationship, and very little of the main character really doing soul searching about his career as a hero and that journey, because we needed more time outside of the documentary stuff, and more time with Newbies, constantly trying to make them a Thing. They're the fetch of the Arrowverse.  

There were some great moments though, in the start. 

*Clip of Diggle in 2012 saying how NO WAY Oliver could be the Arrow.*

Current Diggle: "...Well that clip clearly does not age well."

[ladylaw99]

I also see no spark between Rene and Emiko, if that is where they are going.  In my opinion I see no connection at all.  I am already dreading it.

[BkWurm1]

On 2/7/2019 at 7:10 AM, ladylaw99 said:

I also see no spark between Rene and Emiko, if that is where they are going.  In my opinion I see no connection at all.  I am already dreading it.

I'm with you.  I am NOT shipping it.  I'm already anti shipping it.  

[statsgirl]

It would at least give Rene something to do other than interfere with Oliver and Felicity and it would create another relationship that could have the show's relationship drama and leave Olicity alone.

[Taryn74]

On 2/4/2019 at 9:09 PM, Writing Wrongs said:

I wish the documentary part had been more like the X-Files episode, "X-Cops".

Heh, my first thought was "Oh, this is kinda like X-Cops! Fun!"

My second thought was "Ehhhh.....maybe not so much."

[tv echo]

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – No Oliver Queen voiceover intro:
(In this episode, a documentary camera crew and a director named Ms. Pedowitz follow Oliver, Felicity and the rest of Team Arrow around as they film a documentary titled Emerald Archer: The Hood and the Rise of Vigilantism.)

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – Oliver is being interviewed by the documentary crew when Felicity and William return home:
Oliver: "It absolutely takes a toll. I have been doing this in Star City for a really long time, you know? Nearly - nearly seven years, but before that, I - I was running all around the world with a hood on, trying to make things right, and... now my life has - it's never been better. I'm - I'm - I don't have to wear a mask anymore. And that really makes all the difference. I'm - I'm doing what I think I'm supposed to be doing, in the light of day. And if I could've, I would've done it this way from the start."
Felicity (entering with William): "Surprise."
Oliver: "Hey. (To Ms. Pedowitz) One minute, please? Hey. Hey. Come here. (Hugs William) Hey, buddy. Hey. Kiddo, how are you?"
William: "I think I've grown out of 'kiddo.'"
Oliver: "Yeah, okay. Alright."
Felicity: "Well, who gave you permission to grow so tall? My God. You must be so excited to be done... midterms. You finally come home and relax, you know."
William: "What's this?"
Oliver: "Oh, right. Uh, Ms. Pedowitz is doing a documentary on vigilantes, and the S.C.P.D. and I thought it might be a way to, uh, improve public opinion on the work I'm doing."
Ms. Pedowitz: "I've been collecting interviews for years and, frankly, I couldn't get the funding I needed to finish it until your dad went public."
Felicity: "Well, the timing is perfect. I mean, what with you working with the S.C.P.D. and, you know, um, heh, full transparency. But this isn't going to be in the film, right? We can -"
Oliver: "We need all of this edited out. I don't want my son on camera."
Ms. Pedowitz: "Oh, uh, okay. Guys, cut, please."
Camera Guy: "Okay. Mark."

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – Felicity and Diggle are interviewed for the documentary: 
(Montage of shots of Felicity being prepped for her interview.)
Felicity: "You know, I kind of hate the word 'vigilante.' It just feels like such a disrespectful term. Call them what they are - heroes."
(Cut to Diggle sitting in a car, with screen subtitled "October 2012.")
Diggle (in old footage): "What? Oliver Queen? No, that's ridiculous. Look, first of all, Oliver Queen doesn't even know Adam Hunt. And even if he did, what do you think he did - slip out of his own welcome home party to become Robin Hood? ... Ha, ha! No, look, you don't become successful in my line of work without being really good at sizing people up. Trust me. Oliver Queen is no one's hero."
(Cut to present day Diggle.)
Diggle: "Obviously, this particular comment didn't age too well.”
(Montage of shots of Diggle being prepped for his interview.)
Diggle: “Truth is, Oliver is not the same man he was seven years ago. He's changed, grown, not just as a hero, but as a person."

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – Felicity deals with a disgruntled William: 
William: "Take it off."
Felicity: "What?"
William: "The worm or virus or trojan horse you put on my tablet. Take it off right now."
Felicity: "I didn't put anything on your -"
William: "I found a firewall breach with a Bluetooth incursion. It had to be you." (Shoves tablet at Felicity)
Felicity: "O-K! Whoa. I programmed a virus so that it would infect anything that tried to log on to our WiFi for security purposes. It wasn't personal."
William: "Take it off right now."
Felicity: "Okay. Whoa. What is going on with you? I haven't seen anybody this unhappy to be home since I had to go back to Vegas after my first year of M.I.T."
William: "I'm just pissed about my tablet."
Felicity: "You were pissed a long time before you found my virus, which is for your protection, by the way. Really good job on finding it. I mean... Do you want to talk?"
William: "No."
Felicity: "That wasn't so much a suggestion as it was more one of those 'mom' things where, if you don't talk now, you're grounded. So."
William: "Why didn't you let me come home for Christmas break?"
Felicity: "Oh, well... Trust me, things here were very complicated."
William: "I was the only kid left at school. And then when I come back here, Dad's in the middle of making some movie."
Felicity: "It's a documentary. It's - I'm sorry. I thought you'd be happy to be home. We're so happy that you're home. We missed you." (Tries to hug William, but he pushes away)
William: "Then you shouldn't have sent me away."
Felicity: "That is not fair."
William: "Yeah. Neither is getting shipped off to boarding school." (Leaves)

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – Curtis is surprised that Oliver knows about A.R.G.U.S.’ Black Watch satellites: 
Curtis: "You rang, boss?"
Diggle: "I did. Oliver needs access to the Black Watch satellites."
Curtis: "Is he supposed to know about those? You know about those?"
Oliver: "You've met my wife, right, Curtis?"
Curtis: "Great point."

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – Barry Allen is interviewed for the documentary: 
Barry: "Oliver is an interesting guy. Um. Unbelievably damaged. I hope he won't mind me saying that. I don't mean - well, all I meant by that was just that he's lived through a lot of darkness. And all he really cares about is trying to make sure nobody else has to go through what he's gone through. ... No, no, no. I didn't know he was the Green Arrow until he turned himself in. I mean - (Imitates explosion) - you know. Whoa, obviously. Big surprise. I mean, you think you know a guy."

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – Felicity is back as Overwatch when Team Arrow protects Mayor Pollard's meeting on vigilantism against an attack by the Chimera (the anti-vigilante vigilante): 
Felicity (over comms): "All right, buckle up, kiddies, because Overwatch is back in the house. Well, not actually in the house. I mean, I'm working at A.R.G.U.S. remotely, but I'm on the comms, you know."
Diggle (over comms): "We know what you mean, Overwatch."
Felicity (over comms): "Cool, cool, cool. So I am tapped into the venue's CCTV, and I am very proud of this one, the documentary crew's WiFi. So everything they see, I see."
Diggle (over comms): "Copy that. Standing by."
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): "Okay, I'm analyzing the armor. It's Wayne Enterprises, military grade. I'm just figuring out how to disable it."
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): "Okay, good news, bad news time, guys. The suit is powered by an exolithium cell. He can't move without it. The only problem is... "
Curtis (over comms): "It's electromagnetic shielded, which means you can't disable it remotely."
*  *  *
(Oliver shoots arrow directly into center power cell of Chimera's breastplate, disabling his armor.)
Felicity (over comms): "Whoo!"

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – William tells Felicity that he was expelled from boarding school:
Felicity: "Hey, kiddo, what's up?"
William: "I saw what happened on the news. Where's Dad?"
Felicity: "Oh, he just came across an unexpected - completely expected setback. But he will be fine. It's actually you I'm worried about."
William: "I told you -"
Felicity: "That you've been lying to me. I went to go check your midterm results on line. And I came across a very convincing, very fake version of your school's website."
William: "Felicity."
Felicity: "I didn't come across any test results because you didn't take the exams. Why?"
William: "Because I got expelled."

712 (Emerald Archer) [150th Episode] – In a flashforward scene, Mia AKA Blackstar is watching this documentary footage of Oliver:
Connor: "Where did you get that?"
Mia: "I stole it."
Connor: "Yeah, Mia, that much I figured. But wasn't this documentary banned? I thought every copy was destroyed years ago."
Mia: "Not this one. It's total pro-vigilante garbage. But even garbage can be useful." (Starts putting stuff in her backpack)
Connor: "Useful for what? A break-in? No, you know what? The less I know about that, the better."
Mia: "Trust me, Connor, you are gonna want to come with."
(Cut to them entering an old, abandoned, dilapidated Arrow lair.)
Connor: "So you found this place by watching that documentary?
Mia (coughing): "Oliver told them not to reveal the location, but there's always clues. God, it's dusty down here."
Connor: "Yeah, well, that's what happens when a place sits empty for awhile. Whoa. Okay, this is actually pretty amazing. It almost feels haunted."
Mia: "It probably is. Vigilantes were the death of Star City. And they got exactly what they deserved."

Edited March 27, 2020 by tv echo