Tag: Oliver Queen

Diggle is the new Green Arrow?

1 Comment

I’m back to discussing television and this week I’m talking about Arrow, which after two episodes has left me annoyed.

As I suspected, everyone, except William’s mom, survived the massive explosion on the island. However, Thea is currently in a coma and Diggle has nerve damage.

Oliver now has full custody of his son, William, and is trying to figure out how to be a dad and Green Arrow. Yes, here we go again. Every season, it seems Oliver has some crisis in which he doubts himself and can’t figure out how to be Green Arrow and Oliver Queen. It’s getting tiresome.

After telling William that he would always come home, Oliver decided he couldn’t lie to his son and he had to come up with a way to keep his promise to William. His answer was to hand over the reins of Green Arrow to Diggle.

As in past seasons, I don’t expect it to take long for Oliver to realize he has to come back. After all, someone is still out to get him and we don’t know who that is. I highly doubt handing over the hood to Diggle is going to stop the person who wants it revealed that Oliver is the Green Arrow.

The best part of this season thus far has been the supporting cast. I’m glad the show still has Rene, Dinah, and Curtis. They are the reason I keep watching.

What are your thoughts on this season?

 

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest.

Arrow ends the season with a bang

Leave a comment

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?

 

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest.

Arrow: Felicity is dumped by Helix

Leave a comment

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?

 

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest.

Arrow: Will Oliver save Felicity from herself?

2 Comments

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?

 

 

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest.

Arrow gets a new team and new life

2 Comments

I was wondering what Arrow’s writers were thinking at the end of last season when they broke up the entire team. I thought it was temporary and everyone would return to the team this season, but I was wrong. Instead, the writers gave Oliver a new team and Arrow a new life. Some might argue Arrow has jumped the shark. But I think the writers were smart. A new team means new storylines to explore.

As we know from watching Arrow, Oliver doesn’t trust easily. Last week’s episode was about Oliver learning to trust his new team and Rene, aka Wild Dog, nearly blew it with Oliver.

After Oliver tells everyone to sit tight while he tracks down who is making a new drug called Stardust, Rene goes out with Evelyn, the new Black Canary, and finds Derek Sampson’s operation. A fight breaks out and Sampson falls into a vat and supposedly to his death. Oliver finds out what happened from the new district attorney who had hoped to track down the Stardust supplier through Sampson. Oliver tells Rene that he blew everything and ends up having a conversation with Felicity, which makes him realize that Rene wasn’t the only one who was wrong. Oliver should have trusted Rene’s instincts because they were correct.

Sampson didn’t die from the fall and whatever was in the vat gave him super strength and the inability to feel pain. Oliver takes his team with him to take on Sampson. After they defeat Sampson together, Oliver welcomes them to his lair. The new team had a look of awe on their faces as they looked at the costume cases.

Overall, it was good episode. I enjoyed watching the new team come together. I’m also glad Diggle is still part of the show. I’m hoping this means that he’ll be back on the team. I guess we’ll know more after this week’s episode when the team tries to break Diggle out of prison. So far, season 5 is shaping up to be a great season.

Do you like the new team?

 

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest

Arrow: Oliver is mayor [Spoiler Alert]

5 Comments

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?

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest

Arrow reveals who’s in the grave [Spolier Alert]

Leave a comment

I’m stunned. I never would have guessed it. For months, I’ve predicted that Thea would be in the grave on Arrow because I thought she was the most expendable, but I was wrong. If you haven’t watched the last episode of Arrow, don’t read any further because there are spoilers.

Andy Diggle feeds Oliver and company information about Darhk and Merlyn. Oliver figures out that something isn’t right about the info Andy is giving them and doesn’t trust him. John gets mad at Oliver for distrusting his brother and it comes back to bite him.

Oliver and company end up at Iron Heights after an uprising there. Darhk, of course, is trying to break out of prison. While at the prison, Andy turns on Oliver and company and gives Darhk the missing piece of the idol, which he needs to regain his powers.

At this point, I thought the writers were setting us up for John Diggle’s death, but nope. Diggle’s complete trust in Andy got someone else on the team killed.

If you remember, Darhk had told Captain Lance that he would kill Laurel if he were ever betrayed. Darhk made good on his promise and killed Laurel as soon as he got his powers back. That’s right, Laurel is in the grave.

I thought Black Canary was an integral part of the story, but apparently the writers disagreed with me. With the team down yet another member, I have to believe that another character will be introduced to take the Canary’s place. The next few episodes should be quite interesting.

Do you agree with the writers’ decision to kill off Laurel?

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest

Arrow: Will Felicity Live?

Leave a comment

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?

 

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest

Arrow: Oliver Queen is a super hero and super chef

Leave a comment

I’ve spent a lot of time this season trying to figure out who’s in the grave on Arrow. Wednesday’s episode dropped more hints that only made my list get longer —  Felicity (which has been hinted at more than once) and Felicity’s mother (because of her relationship with Lance). But it also showed us another side of Oliver Queen and I think that’s why I’ve been enjoying this season so much.

If last season was about Oliver trying to figure out how to be the Arrow and Oliver Queen, this season is about Oliver finally being comfortable with who he is. I was afraid that once Felicity and Oliver got together, the show would go down hill. After all, so many series in the past failed after the main characters ended up romantically involved. Luckily, the writers have kept Olicity fresh.

I love their banter and tiny arguments, especially during the missions. My favorite part of the last episode was the dinner scene with Felicity’s mother. Oliver cooked chicken cordon bleu. Yes, the man is a super chef. But he couldn’t enjoy the meal because Felicity was sulking.

Oliver looked so vulnerable and sad as he tried to figure out what he did wrong. I couldn’t understand Felicity’s problem. I loved that her mother said what we were all thinking. The man is gorgeous, cooks, and he loves her. Felicity lost sight of the fact that Oliver complements her. He’s never asked her to change. She can be herself with him. I’m glad she came to her senses by the end of the episode. I’m not ready for Olicity to end yet.

What do you think of Olicity this season?

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest

Arrow: The original Canary is back

Leave a comment

Sara, the original Black Canary, has returned to Arrow. Can I get a big hallelujah? I only wish she could become the Black Canary again.

How did Sara make her grand return? Laurel and Thea took Sara’s decaying body to Nanda Parbat to throw it in the Lazarus Pit and bring Sara back to life. Apparently, the fact that Thea is nuts since coming out of the Lazarus Pit means nothing to Laurel.

Malcolm, who has zero morals, even thought it was a bad idea. Of course, he finally agreed even though he knew Thea would be Sara’s target as soon as she came out of the pit. So I guess he stayed true to character.

Anyway, Sara is back, but crazy for now. It can’t last long because she has to be sane enough to be the White Canary on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. However, we know from Malcolm that the blood lust won’t leave until the one who killed her is dead, meaning Thea. Could this episode have been a hint as to who’s in the grave? Possibly.

I thought Darhk would be the one who would make Oliver kill again, but could Oliver have been talking about Malcolm because he allowed Sara to come back from the dead and kill Thea?

What do you think of Sara’s return?

 

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest