Tag: Felicity Smoak

Arrow ends the season with a bang

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After 22 episodes of Arrow, we finally got the fight between Oliver and Adrian Chase (a.k.a., Prometheus).

Adrian kidnapped Oliver’s team and his son and brought them all to Lian Yu. Oliver knows he can’t take on Adrian and his thugs alone so he recruits Nyssa and Malcolm Merlyn (actually, Malcolm volunteered himself). On the island, Oliver breaks Slade Wilson and Boomerang out of the A.R.G.U.S. prison. The Mirakuru wore off and Slade is sane again, though surprised Oliver would ask for his help.

Oliver and his new recruits meet up with Malcolm and Nyssa on the beach just in time for Adrian to blow up their plane with an RPG. Nyssa and Malcolm go off to check on where the RPG came from. Oliver, Boomerang, and Slade try to track where William’s call came from only to find part of his team and William’s mother locked up in cages.

They figure out that it’s a trap when they notice that there are no guards around and Evelyn appears in front of them. Boomerang pulls out a gun that Adrian had given him. Boomerang gives Slade the choice of changing sides and, at first, it appears Slade is joining Adrian’s side, but Slade then declines. A fight ensues, but Thalia and Boomerang disappear when Nyssa and Malcolm show up.

They get everyone out of the cages and Oliver and Felicity share a tender moment. He has Malcolm take everyone to Adrian’s plane so they can go back to the mainland. On the way to the plane, Thea steps on a landmine. Malcolm pushes her off to take her place and tells all of them to go just as Boomerang and Adrian’s thugs show up. There’s an explosion and we are supposed to assume that Malcolm died. I’m not convinced. He seems to appear out of nowhere so I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow survived.

Oliver, Slade, and Nyssa find the rest of the team at an old temple. Slade pretends to turn on Oliver and Oliver gets locked up with everyone. Oliver gives Dinah the contraption that Curtis made and it gives Dinah her voice back. She does her thing and frees everyone.

Adrian then shows up and Oliver tells him that he’ll never kill him. They fight, while Oliver’s team takes on Adrian’s thugs. Their fight ends with Oliver’s arms around Adrian’s neck. Adrian urges Oliver to kill him, but Oliver tells him that killing is in his past. It’s not who he is anymore. Oliver lets him go and Adrian escapes by using a smoke bomb.

Oliver tells his team to meet up with the others and he goes after Adrian. The team discovers that the plane can’t be flown and the entire island is rigged with explosives that will go off if Adrian dies. Oliver tells them to have Slade lead them to a supply ship on the other side of the island.

Oliver sees Adrian trying to escape the island on a boat. Oliver runs and leaps onto the boat. Again, they fight and Adrian pulls William out from inside the boat. Adrian basically tells Oliver there’s no way he can win. If he kills Adrian, the entire island will blow up. If Oliver allows Adrian to kill William, Oliver’s friends will live, but his son will be dead.

In the end, Oliver puts an arrow in Adrian’s leg and pulls William toward him. Of course, we couldn’t just have a happy ending though. Adrian pulls out a gun and shoots himself in the head. The finale ended with Lian Yu going up in flames.

I don’t care much for the flashbacks so all I’ll say is the flashbacks showed Oliver kill Kovar. They also showed how Oliver made himself look like he’d been on the island for years and ended up on the boat that took him home.

I’ll be curious in the fall to see which characters didn’t make it. After the kiss Felicity and Oliver shared, I think it’s safe to say Felicity will definitely be back and we might get some Olicity next season.

As far as villains go, Adrian/Promotheus was good this year, but I’m hoping for a bigger and badder villain. Adrian seemed more obsessed with Oliver and bringing him down than in doing destruction to Star City. It would be nice to see a villain that is a bigger threat to the city than Adrian was (e.g., Slade Wilson and his minions in Season 2).

What did you think of the finale? Any thoughts on Season 6?

 

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Arrow: Felicity is dumped by Helix

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Arrow decided to pause the action to focus more on the characters and their relationships.

Felicity worked with Helix to free Cayden James, the Helix founder, from an A.R.G.U.S. black site. The discovery of the black site caused issues for Lyla and John who was afraid Lyla has gone down the Amanda Waller road.

Oliver tried to talk Felicity out of going on the retrieval mission, but Felicity didn’t listen to him. She told Oliver that she fell in love with him because he was always willing to do whatever it took to get justice.

Apparently, Cayden has developed a biometric tool that will allow them to track Adrian Chase. Felicity is willing to do anything to get her hands on that tool so she can  avenge Billy’s death.

She helped Helix free Cayden, but when she returned to Helix’s headquarters, she was surprised that it was cleaned out. Alena, by video, explained that Felicity’s association with the Green Arrow was a liability so Helix decided to shut her out. As payment for her help, they left her the code to find Chase.

Felicity runs the code back at Team Arrow’s lair. The program tracks Chase to their location. Felicity no sooner announces that Chase is inside the lair when an EMP goes off.

I thought the drama was nice. The tension between Lyla and John and Felicity and Oliver kept the episode moving along. But I feel the writers took the easy way out with Helix. I thought Oliver should be the one to pull Felicity back from the edge. Instead of using their relationship, the writers chose to have Helix abandon Felicity, taking the choice for her to leave out of her hands.

The writers could have used Oliver and Felicity’s shared past and Oliver’s experiences to have Felicity choose to leave Helix and to bring Oliver and Felicity back together. It would have made the Helix storyline stronger. Right now, I’m left wondering what the point of the Helix storyline was. It feels like it was filler.

I’m also left disturbed because the writers showed a Felicity who was so far gone that even though Alena killed someone, Felicity still wanted to be part of the group. Felicity used to be the voice of reason. I can’t help but think the writers went completely over the top. It seemed out of character for Felicity. Yes, she was a hacker in the past, but she’s never condoned murder. She was the one who showed Oliver that there was a better way. If Felicity was going to become this dark, Oliver would be the perfect person to pull her out of it.

From what I saw in the preview, it appears the writers are going to rely on a common trope to bring Oliver and Felicity together. They are trapping them together in the lair with Psycho Chase. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this trope. Writers use it all the time. I just think the writers missed out on an opportunity for a stronger Olicity relationship.

Are you happy with how Felicity was separated from Helix?

 

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Arrow: Will Oliver save Felicity from herself?

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This season of Arrow has definitely been one of the better ones and part of that might be because we’re starting to see different sides of Oliver and Felicity.

I knew Oliver had a dark side. When he first became the Arrow, he killed the bad guys. I thought he did it to rid the world of the dregs of society. But the episode in which Prometheus kidnapped Oliver and tortured him showed that Oliver killed because he liked it. He killed even when it wasn’t necessary.

When Felicity joined Team Arrow, she was the light to Oliver’s darkness. She showed him there was a better way and made him a better man. Diggle seems to have picked up that torch. In the last episode, he brought Oliver back from the edge and showed Oliver that what he and the team do is important.

Diggle also has been worried about Felicity and with good reason. Since Billy’s death, Felicity has sought out her own darkness. She’s back to hacking and is working with a large group of hackers. She has shown that she is willing to do anything it takes to bring down Prometheus.

The direction of the storyline makes me wonder if now Oliver will take the torch from Diggle and become the light to Felcity’s darkness. Will the roles reverse and will Oliver save Felicity from herself and, if he does, will we have another chance at Olicity? I would prefer Olicity over the current Oliver/Susan relationship.

Do you think Oliver will be the one to save Felicity?

 

 

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Arrow: Oliver is mayor [Spoiler Alert]

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If you haven’t watched Arrow’s season finale yet, be warned that this post has spoilers.

Most of the finale dealt with Oliver figuring out how to defeat Darhk. When Star City starts to go crazy with looting and fighting, Oliver calms everyone by giving a speech that instills hope. Darhk later takes on Oliver and a crowd gathers, telling Darhk to leave their city. The hope of the people helps Oliver to activate his power to fight off Darhk’s magic.

Without his magic, Darhk can’t do anything but fight Oliver and he loses. He doesn’t believe Oliver will kill him because he’s a hero, but Oliver proves him wrong.

Once Darhk was taken care of, I was waiting for the big hook for next season and was left confused. Team Arrow broke up. Only Oliver and Felicity are left. I’m hoping this is temporary because I really liked the team.

Oliver’s speech in the middle of the chaos was enough for him to be named interim mayor. The finale ended with him getting sworn in.

Where is the story going for Season 5? I have no idea. Even though I’m a bit disappointed with how Arrow ended, I still like the show and will be watching next season.

What did you think of the finale?

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Arrow: Will Felicity Live?

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At the end of Arrow’s mid-season finale, Felicity was shot by Darhk’s thugs, leaving many to wonder if Felicity is in the grave. Of course, she’s not.

Besides the fact that killing Felicity would be show suicide, the preview for the mid-season premiere clearly shows doctors scrambling to save Felicity’s life. It later flashes to Oliver by the grave. The writers obviously want us to link both scenes together — doctors fail to save Felicity and she dies.

But why spend so much time showing the hospital scenes if she’s not going to live? Why wouldn’t the writers cut right to the funeral when the show returns? The only plausible reason is Felicity will live. Arrow fans can rest assured that Olicity will live on.

I’m excited for the second half of the season because we’ll figure out who is in the grave, which has been a huge mystery since the beginning of the season. I’ll be stunned if it’s not Thea, Captain Lance, or Felicity’s mother. They are the most expendable characters. I still believe Thea is the likely candidate, but I guess we’ll see how it all pans out over the coming weeks.

Do you agree? Do you think Felicity will live?

 

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Arrow: Who’s in the grave? [Spoiler Alert]

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If you haven’t watched the first episode of Arrow this season, do not read this post.

The season premiere of Arrow introduced this season’s bad guy, Damien Darhk. I thought metahumans were coming to Star City, but the writers opted to make Darhk something that is not of this world. How he got his powers – he can kill people just by touching them – I assume will be part of this season’s story line.

While Darhk is wreaking havoc on Star City, Oliver Queen and Felicity are living the good life. Oliver cooks and is friends with the neighbors. He’s so happy living in domestic bliss that he buys an engagement ring and plans a proposal. Much to my dismay, the proposal never happens.

Thea and Laurel ruin the proposal by dragging Oliver back to Star City to deal with Darhk. Oliver decides to move back to Star City after he discovers that Diggle and company really do need his help and that Felicity has been bored out of her mind living in the burbs with Oliver.

He dons a new outfit and finally becomes the Green Arrow. I say finally because that’s how he’s known in the comic books and it took four years for him to adopt that name.

I could have predicted most of the premiere, but then the last couple of minutes came along with a six-month jump in time. Oliver is standing at a grave and Barry shows up. Barry asks Oliver what he’s going to do and Oliver says he’s going to kill him (i.e., Darkh, I presume) and that was the end. I was left yelling, “Who’s in the grave?” and admit I was a bit freaked when I realized it could be Felicity. Her death would certainly make Oliver kill again, but would the writers do that to all of the Olicity fans. I’d like to think they wouldn’t be insane enough to do that.

I also don’t believe it’s Laurel. I can’t see them killing off the Black Canary again.

Thea would be a huge loss for Oliver, but one viewers would survive. Thea appears to be out of control since the Lazarus Pit. If Thea continues to go down the crazy path, I won’t be surprised to see her in the grave.

Who do you think is in the grave?

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Arrow: The Felicity Smoak Dilemma

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Since Felicity Smoak joined Oliver Queen on Arrow last season, I’ve been fascinated with the idea of them as a couple. I realize in the comic books Oliver ends up with Laurel, but on screen Stephen Amell doesn’t have the chemistry with Katie Cassidy that he has with Emily Bett Rickards. Together Amell and Rickards make a great duo.

This may be the romance writer coming out in me, but Oliver is a great romance hero. He’s troubled by his past and that of his family. Yet, he’s determined to overcome that and make amends. In Season 1, that meant killing a lot of people who had done Starling City wrong. At the end of the season, after Tommy died, Oliver decided he couldn’t be the Hood anymore because he couldn’t live with killing people.

As Felicity did during much of Season 1, she brought Oliver back from the brink. She told him that Starling City needed him and he would have to find another way. That means, while Oliver still brings the bad guys down, he no longer kills them.

Felicity and Oliver, like many romance couples, share a common goal and work together to accomplish it. Oliver wouldn’t be able to continue his mission without Felicity, and she would still be the nerdy, IT-girl without Oliver.

Which brings me to why Felicity is a great romance heroine. Felicity is smart, independent, and she doesn’t cower from Oliver. When he is upset about something or mad at her, she is able to dish it right back. She’s very good at telling Oliver when he’s wrong or too absorbed with himself.

Like any good romance couple, they have the banter down. It’s one of my favorite things about Arrow. Felicity often lets it slip exactly what she thinks of Oliver physically. What I love about those moments is that she’s saying exactly what every woman watching the show is thinking. Oliver’s face is priceless as he graciously chooses to ignore her comments. The writers also work little innuendos into their dialogue, which makes watching Oliver and Felicity on screen more interesting.

But their relationship is about more than the common goal and physical attraction. Oliver and Felicity admire each other. Oliver can only be himself with Felicity and, while he always sees himself as the playboy who has to redeem himself for his past sins, Felicity sees a good man.

To Oliver, Felicity is more than the nerdy, IT-girl. She is his center and his heart. She is the one that makes him see reason. Of all the women on the show, Oliver knows Felicity will always have his back.

I don’t know if the writers will follow the comic books and force a relationship between Oliver and Laurel, but they have quite the dilemma on their hands because I think most fans would prefer a Felicity and Oliver romance. At this point, I don’t think anyone can see Oliver with Laurel who he has nothing in common with.

Should Oliver end up with Felicity or Laurel? Or do you think now that Laurel’s sister, Sara, is on the scene they will end up together?

Felicity Smoak: The Heart of Oliver Queen’s Operation

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From the moment Felicity Smoak joins Oliver Queen’s mission on Arrow, it becomes apparent that he needs more than her intelligence. He needs her compassion. She becomes the heart of his operation.

She doesn’t want to see innocent people get hurt. Oliver can be quite intimidating, but Felicity doesn’t cower from him. She stands up to him and voices her opinion when she thinks Oliver is wrong. Besides being vocal, she takes action. She once attempted to keep Oliver from going on a mission when she discovered that his target was the widowed father of a ten-year old boy. Oliver went on his mission anyway, but she got her point across and told him that he could do some real good beyond recovering people’s money.

When Diggle walked out after Oliver failed to show up to help him take out Deadshot, Felicity told Oliver that he was wrong and needed to apologize to Diggle. While Oliver didn’t apologize right away, she planted the seed and, by the end of that episode, Oliver visited Diggle and apologized.

Felicty manages to take their relationship beyond the initial business arrangement in which she helped Oliver with tasks that he couldn’t do on his own. She gets Oliver to trust her and, despite their differences in opinion, they eventually bond and forge a friendship.

Felicty Smoak is the most important woman in Oliver’s life. Oliver struggles with his past and with who he has become post-island. Felicity is the only woman who knows the true Oliver and accepts all of him. Perhaps, it will be through this relationship that Oliver will finally be able to accept himself and see what Felicity sees — that he is a hero.

I can’t wait to see what the writers do with Felicity Smoak’s character next season.