Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Arrow 4x17 Review: "Beacon of Hope" (#LadiesSupportingLadies)


"Beacon of Hope"
Original Airdate: March 30, 2016

It might surprise you — or maybe it won't — but my favorite character on Arrow isn't Oliver Queen. My good friend (and amazingly articulate one, at that) Jen and I discussed this recently in a three-hour long video chat with our good friend, and Just About Write staff member, Maddie. No, my favorite character is Felicity Smoak. I say this now, because I want there to be no confusion throughout this review, especially in regards to the relationship between Oliver and Felicity as it currently stands. I love female characters, and I love female villains. In spite of the fact that Felicity is not my favorite female character of all time (television-wise, that honor belongs to Community's Annie Edison), she ranks among the best because of her resilience, strength, wittiness, and intelligence. But it's Felicity's pride in herself that has always impressed me. She isn't afraid to walk away when situations aren't helping her. It's why she walked away from Oliver during "Sara," and it's why she did the same thing again in "Uprising" and yet again in "Broken Hearts." People seem to forget that Felicity isn't afraid to stand up to Oliver. She doesn't hold back her feelings and she doesn't allow him to bulldoze her, whether that's by withholiding information or refusing to confront his feelings or treating her with kid gloves.

Felicity loves Oliver, but loves herself more.

And that's super important to convey in a female character on television, especially when so many writers are content to dismiss women as "love interests" and give them no real identity apart from that. Felicity was always more than just one half of "Olicity," and this week's episode titled "Beacon of Hope" proves that. She's come to identify herself primarily as a part of Team Arrow, but this episode reminds her — and us — that Felicity's dreams and goals aren't inherently tied to her vigilantism. She joined Team Arrow in order to make a tangible difference in the world. Meanwhile in the episode, Oliver gets some help in processing his emotions from Laurel, while Curtis fills in for Felicity to some hilarious results.

Let's dive in!

MORE LIKE BEE-CON OF HOPE, AMIRITE?


(That pun was way too obvious not to be made. I would apologize, but I'm really not sorry at this point... even with all of the horrible bee puns in this episode.)

Our favorite Felicity-esque foe, Brie Larvan, from The Flash's "All Star Team Up" last year returns. She's a bit more unhinged and providing 110% more bee puns, but she's come to seek out Felicity for one thing and one thing only — the technology that made her walk. There's only the small matter of the fact that this implant is currently attached to Felicity's spine. Apart from wanting some cool new tech, Brie's motives initially seem to be about revenge for Felicity putting her in jail (until we realized she didn't know it was Felicity who put her there). I thought that Brie's motive lacked prowess, and I'm glad that I was proven wrong. Initially, Brie was only after one thing: the tech within Felicity's spine. She reveals, in a rather somber moment, that she has a tumor on the base of her spine. The only way to remove the tumor is through a surgery that will render her paralyzed.

In that moment, Felicity's compassion is evident, and she tells Brie where she can find the schematics for the tech. Brie then departs, wordlessly, but seemingly grateful. In another episode of Arrow, this would be a moment where the two would have a heavy-handed conversation about how Felicity knows what it feels like to be paralyzed. But I'm glad the writers of the episode left those emotions swirling in the air. Brie knows what Felicity went through, and there's this part of Felicity that I think wants to tell her and be that beacon of hope to her in the moment. In the decision to not say anything, however, the writers let their audience do the inferring. And that worked much better.

Unfortunately, what didn't work was the fact that Brie — upon finding the schematics — recognized Felicity's code from the time she beat her in Central City and, you know, sent her to prison. Whoops! That discovery lends to Brie's vengeful side showing, but ultimately the young woman is taken down by Team Arrow (and her own bees).

In a lot of ways, "Beacon of Hope" is a set-up — a tamer, more zinger (or stinger, if you will)-filled episode before next week's big death takes place. So it makes a certain level of sense that this week would be more shenanigan-driven, with laughter and some character development before our heroes face the death of someone close to them. In spite of the fact that this episode felt like filler, it was the kind of filler I could enjoy. The show's energy and pacing seemed to be similar to that of season two, where Team Arrow had to constantly band together in order to take down a Villain of the Week™. For the first time in a long time, Arrow was not dredged down beneath the weight of angsty Oliver or relationship drama. The layers were in perfect balance, like a souffle. (Oliver/Felicity reference intended.)

I think one of the primary reasons this episode worked was because the show remembered what made it so special in the first place. Arrow isn't The Flash — it doesn't welcome the silliness of Curtis Holt with open arms. It fights it a little; there's friction and darkness there. But there's also growth. And this week saw a nice resetting of characterization for Oliver (I'm still mad at him and I likely will always be), as well as some great story for Felicity. This is a woman who is strong enough to know what she deserves, but also gentle. She doesn't walk away from Oliver or Thea or from her life of fighting crime because she's being vindictive. She's not doing it to cause Oliver heartache.

She's doing it because she deserves a better life than Oliver can provide for her right now, and she's doing it because — by walking away — she's going to be able to provide better lives to people who use Palmer Technologies. She's going to become her very own beacon of hope.


OH HONEY, HONEY


... But admittedly, I like seeing a pricklier side of Felicity Smoak every now and then. It proves to us all that she's not just a pretty face  not meant to sit behind a computer screen and spew out innuendos or give little smiles and waves to the team in the field. I think that a lot of people would reduce Felicity to the "pretty blonde hacker," and are content to see her rather than hear her. (I'm just spitballing here, based on some comments I see from the Internet.) But what I really enjoy is seeing how Felicity's emotions generally lead her to become more productive, not less so. While Oliver, unfortunately, lets his emotions run rampant.

What I find to be so interesting is that Donna Smoak makes a valid point: sometimes Felicity has difficulty opening up to others, and it's like cracking an exterior shell to get to the heart of her issues. Felicity may be more emotionally mature than Oliver in some ways, but she's also not in a lot more. Sure, she is able to walk away from her life on Team Arrow, but her refusal to talk to her mother is two-fold: 1) she's her MOTHER (come on, how many of you really enjoy talking about your boy issues with your mom? Anyone? Bueller?), and 2) Felicity doesn't like processing things before she has answers to problems. Felicity Smoak enjoys having blueprints and roadmaps, and if she doesn't have an easy answer, she'd rather not give it. She's not emotionally repressed, but sometimes she's emotionally distant. And that's one of her faults that we saw this season.

In spite of the fact that Oliver and Felicity are still on the rocks, they love one another. Also loving one another? The ladies in this episode. (And no, not like that.) I really enjoyed seeing so many women interact. It was refreshing to have a story with the overeager, shrieky Donna Smoak and the hilarious, drippingly sarcastic Thea Queen. Those two haven't interacted much  or at all, correct me if I'm wrong  and to see the stark contrast between them with Felicity playing middleman was so great.

But what was just as great was the conversation between Thea and Felicity at the end of the episode. The two women have a natural ease of talking to one another, in spite of the fact that they haven't shared many scenes together before this season. Thea is the kind of person who is persistent — she doesn't easily let things go — and so she continues to press Felicity about joining the team. For Thea, a life of crime-fighting is like a drug: she feels a rush of energy, and the high of saving lives. That fills her with happiness and purpose.

Not for Felicity, though. And it's something we've known to be true of her but haven't really heard her vocalize much. Team Arrow wasn't a place where Felicity could stop bad guys and feel that rush of energy. Sure, she loved putting villains in jail, but the true rush was whenever Felicity helped make an actual difference. She wants to make the world better, and she's doing to do that on her own. How refreshing is it to see two female characters talk about making the world better in their own ways? And how great is it that neither is presented as "right" or "wrong"?

LAUREL LANCE: UNLIKELY VOICE OF REASON*


Speaking of ladies, this review is just going to be a continuous love letter to them, because now I'm going to be talking about Laurel Lance.

I know Laurel is a divisive character in fandom, and a lot of people who love the Oliver/Felicity relationship hate Laurel. Conversely, a lot of staunch Laurel Lance fans hate Felicity and people who ship Oliver/Felicity. Honestly, I try not to get involved in these arguments, mostly because they're exhausting and I would rather spend my free time binge-watching Daredevil than getting into Internet spats with people who are utterly convinced I'm wrong, and vice versa.

I loved Laurel in season one, when she was being a kick-butt lawyer who didn't take any of Oliver's crap. And I loved her with Tommy. I've talked before about how Arrow turned Laurel's character into a fiery trainwreck, so I won't rehash my problems with her addiction storyline or her rush to Black Canary status. I won't even talk about the fact that this season has found me flip-flopping on Laurel's characterization every other episode (one moment: utter defiance and naivete; the next, profound wisdom... what is up with this, Arrow writers?). No, instead, I'm going to talk about  how Oliver Queen desperately needed a smackdown, and I'm glad Laurel was the one to deliver it.

Laurel confronts Oliver near the beginning of the episode, intent on making sure he knows that she's there for him, should his emotions get the best of him. Oliver, of course, appears affronted and confused at Laurel  his ex-girlfriend — trying to give him relationship advice or a shoulder to lean on. He wonders aloud whether she's the best person to be doing this, given their history. Her argument? Of course she is, because she knows he loves hard and when he hits the ground after a relationship ends, he hits REALLY hard. Oliver seems to appease her, but the response is lacking in emotion.

So when Curtis temporarily joins the team in order to help stop Brie's bees (say that ten times fast), and they manage to stop them, Curtis celebrates in the adorably nerdy way only he can. This doesn't amuse Oliver. In fact, it downright angers him, and the Oliver we've come to know and (not) love rears its ugly head. The Green Arrow snaps and barks and Laurel, being the brave soul she is, decides to talk some sense into Oliver.

And this is the part of the episode in which I loved Laurel so hard, because she's said what I've desperately wanted someone  ANYONE  to say to Oliver for half a season: his lies are his fault. They're not the fault of his hero lifestyle. It wasn't the Green Arrow who lied to Felicity. It was OLIVER who did that. Felicity didn't wreck their relationship  he did. He lied, and now he has to own up to those consequences. It was his fault. And after weeks of Diggle telling Oliver he had no choice and Thea justifying Oliver's behavior, and what's-her-face Baby Mama taking the blame, I wanted to wrap my arms around Laurel's severely-buckled waist and thank her for being the only sane on in the lair.

Because she's right. Oliver's lies are his own fault. He can't shift the blame and he can't pretend that his emotions don't affect his actions. Laurel freakin' Lance is the first person to call out Oliver on his crap, and I am eternally grateful she did. The truth is that Laurel has nothing to gain now from lying to Oliver or sugarcoating things. He messed up and she is unafraid to tell him that. 

Laurel vocalized an important theme of this episode: emotional crutches aren't meant to be leaned on. And sometimes it takes a dramatic change of circumstances or an honest heart-to-heart in order to set you back on the right path again.

Observations & favorite moments:
  • * I will never waste an opportunity to make a reference to The Soup.
  • This is the first time in quite some time that I've had very little criticism for an Arrow episode. It's unsettling. In a good way!
  • MVP for the episode is without a doubt, Echo Kellum. Between Lucy Punch's guest stint on last night's New Girl and the return of Echo on tonight's Arrow, I'm swarmed with a bunch of Ben and Kate nostalgia. Echo is such a perfect addition to this show (even if I did think of how great it would be if he could cross over to The Flash), and his comedic timing was never more on-point than it was in tonight's episode. Everything he did was golden, from his rapid-fire delivery to his hilarious physical comedy. I'm glad Curtis Holt was integrated into Team Arrow briefly, and I would welcome a return to the Arrow cave in the future.
  • Grave Predictions: With all her lovely speeches and logic, Laurel is likely going to be in that grave. Logic doesn't have a lot of place on this show, and Laurel's been wrapping up loose ends lately like it's her job. Sorry, birdie, but if you're gone... at least you went out with solid life advice to Oliver's dumb self.
  • Harry Potter references in tonight's episode? Aces! Not aces: all the horrible bee puns.
  • I still don't know what's happening in the flashbacks since I mute them. From what I gathered, Boring Love Interest shot Less-Annoying Army Dude, who is somehow invincible or hard to kill because curses? And then she fell down somewhere and Dumb Island Oliver was worried about her. Sound correct?
  • There was a minor sub-plot about Malcolm Merlyn taunting Damien Darhk in jail, and Damien forming some alliance with that creepy dude Murmur from last season's "The Offer."
  • "So can ANYBODY just walk in here?"
  • "And you're...? I'm sorry, I know we've met before but I can't place your name right now." Curtis not knowing who Diggle was? HILARIOUS.
  • "Too soon for bee puns?" "Let's assume that it is." #meta
  • "I have to force your feelings out of you sometimes, like a... like a pistachio!" Charlotte Ross' delivery of that line was EVERYTHING. She sounded so hysterical and so concerned.
  • "Any puppies you wanna kick while you're at it? Bags of kittens you want to send down the river?" God bless Laurel Lance is all I have to say.
  • "I know you're probably asking yourself: 'Self, what the hell just happened?!'" Neal McDonough is so perfect with his deliveries that sometimes I forget I'm not supposed to find him adorable as the season's Big Bad.
  • Okay criticism: the bee puns and the "beacon of hope" stuff was laid on pretty thick.
  • "LAY DOWN, BEE-OTCH." That is a pun I can accept.
  • When Andy Diggle appeared, I literally said: "Ahhh, craaaaaaap." 
What did you all think of this week's episode? Who is in the grave?

11 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed the new configurations that this episode provided. It's sad to see characters in pain but I really enjoy how that shake up provided for Felicity/Thea (such a good sister vibe starting there, cute!), Oliver/Laurel, Lance/Curtis etc. It made for some refreshing and entertaining conversations.

    Hurrah for Laurel laying the truth tea on Oliver. She was right on point and I loved the puppies and kittens line!

    Lance/Curtis are a great pairing! I enjoyed seeing Lance in the lair. Now that he's suspended we get to see him hanging around the Arrow cave and it's nice. Probably wouldn't last for too long because he needs a purpose of his own but I can see him joining the team for awhile as his only option to serve the city.

    I was so proud to see Felicity take up that lamp and think fast when both Thea and Oliver were down. It was fascinating to hear her talk about her desire to make the world a better place in her own way. When she met Oliver and Diggle she was not in a position to effect real change so working with them gave her the opportunity to do some real good in the world which has always been a driving motivation for her. With a little bit of space from the team she is realising that she has the power of Palmer tech to use to help people and fulfil that desire without the violence. She always fit so easily into Team Arrow and I would hate for her apart from the Team for too long but doing good in the light is a good place for her to put her energies too. And we know that the character death or other traumas are going to pull them all back into the fight. Perhaps it can all fit together in the end. On the one hand it is necessary to stop the villians from doing harm and that is Green Arrow's work. However, while crime fighting can help in its way it cannot provide jobs, or education or help injured or sick people or get at the root causes of poverty, a big driver of crime. Palmer Tech and other groups can which is also important for making the world better. I think both need to work together which would be a nice parallel for Oliver's journey to do good both behind the mask and in the light of day. You gotta have trauma surgeons for the emergencies and you need GPs and nurses etc to help people get and stay healthy.

    While we did have a Villain of the Week it didn't feel totally like a filler episode since we got to see a bit of Darhk in prison and his manoeuvrings there, including whatever convoluted scheme Malcolm is running. We also understood a bit more about HIVE. They are a collective and Darhk is not the boss of them and they are totally ready to cut him loose if it serves their purpose. Fascinating dynamics there.

    Because the idol is broken I don't feel the urgency of learning about its powers in the flashbacks. Unless it connects in some other way (please give me more connections and soon!) I tend to tune out of the flashbacks as well. The interpersonal dynamics are not compelling enough and the plot information isn't giving me a big reason to care either.

    - The way Felicity and Thea curled up on those chairs for a heart to heart at the end gave such a sisterly feeling to that scene. Love it!!
    - Mama Smoak's line about the pistachios was priceless. I love those things and getting the good stuff out takes some work. Cool little insight from a person who knows Felicity's character so well. Even though Felicity is pretty good about discussing her emotions when necessary she can shut them down too. She tends to intellectualize (Shh, I'm thinking) and overthink which is a nice comparison to Oliver's tendency to shutdown too. He just tends to funnel it into beating on things and she works a lot and gets very cerebral. They are different and yet similar in some ways.

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    1. BECCA! As always, thank you for your comments. :D

      Hurrah for Laurel laying the truth tea on Oliver. She was right on point and I loved the puppies and kittens line!

      God bless Laurel Lance, seriously.

      On the one hand it is necessary to stop the villians from doing harm and that is Green Arrow's work. However, while crime fighting can help in its way it cannot provide jobs, or education or help injured or sick people or get at the root causes of poverty, a big driver of crime. Palmer Tech and other groups can which is also important for making the world better. I think both need to work together which would be a nice parallel for Oliver's journey to do good both behind the mask and in the light of day.

      *standing ovation* How great is it to see that pull in Felicity to do good that doesn't involve putting bad guys in jail? In fact, the work she wants to do -- the changed lives she wants to kick-start -- would actually work in perfect tandem with Team Arrow's work. She would hopefully be providing the world with solutions before problems occur, rather than fixing problems retroactively, if that makes sense?

      While we did have a Villain of the Week it didn't feel totally like a filler episode since we got to see a bit of Darhk in prison and his manoeuvrings there, including whatever convoluted scheme Malcolm is running. We also understood a bit more about HIVE. They are a collective and Darhk is not the boss of them and they are totally ready to cut him loose if it serves their purpose. Fascinating dynamics there.

      I'll agree slightly, but the Darhk stuff could have been placed into another episode, maybe. In spite of the fact that most of this episode was mellow, and low-key we did learn more about Darhk.

      Even though Felicity is pretty good about discussing her emotions when necessary she can shut them down too.

      Agreed 100%. I loved seeing this parallelism, and the fact that Mama Smoak compared emotions to pistachios.

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  2. Flashbacks: Reiter got the powers from Idol ala Daimen Dhark in the Present. Now Oliver and Taiana are going to kill all the guards before they can kill the prisoners and give Reiter more power. Hmmm this kind of reminds me something from the Arrow Origins comics when Oliver fought drug trade on the island except with magic. If this show was a comic book these flashbacks would work better. Then the flashbacks could be a back issue.

    This episode was funny really funny, we had puns we had Curtis he even backfliped over the railing to get away from the Bee. Guess what no Olicty its gone and Felicity can stand on her own and help save the day. Ah I won't dwell on it but its so good they broke up and may they never get together agian.

    You know seeing Thea, Donna and Felicity in this episodes keeps making me think why doesn't Felicity get some combat training. I mean she could have gone full Die Hard step on some broken glass swear at the FBI. But I can agree with you that the Lances (both of them) were on point.

    Anyway this was a funny and good episode I enjoyed it we saw more of Curtis's husband who's name escape me its good we get to see more of the other characters. But I think its time to prepare for Diggle's death he's the one in the grave and the promo for next week does not help matters. John Diggle will be missed dearly.

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    1. Donavan, thanks for summarizing the flashbacks for me!

      Guess what no Olicty its gone and Felicity can stand on her own and help save the day. Ah I won't dwell on it but its so good they broke up and may they never get together agian.

      I mean, I love Olicity, don't get me wrong. But this episode was a nice break from that soapy dramatic mess Arrow writers have thrown at us recently. And if you're celebrating now, I would hold off on that -- my bet is that Oliver/Felicity will be back together by the end of the season. Do I like that it will be rushed? No, but my best guess is they'll be rekindling. The show won't keep them apart for long and they certainly won't keep them forever.

      You know seeing Thea, Donna and Felicity in this episodes keeps making me think why doesn't Felicity get some combat training. I mean she could have gone full Die Hard step on some broken glass swear at the FBI.

      I think your comment is echoed by a lot of people, but remember: Felicity is very VERY rarely ever in the field, let alone facing an enemy without back-up. She has no real reason to have combat training since most of her time on Team Arrow was fightin behind a desk. And now with her job at Palmer Tech being her priority, it would seem kind of pointless. I think the great thing about Felicity is that she's a hero because she doesn't wear a mask or fight like a vigilante. :)

      But I think its time to prepare for Diggle's death he's the one in the grave and the promo for next week does not help matters. John Diggle will be missed dearly.

      I STRONGLY disagree with you here, but I'll bite my tongue if I'm wrong. There's pretty much no way in heck they're killing Diggle. Say goodbye to Laurel Lance, because I am 99.5% sure that next week will be the last time we see her Black Canary on this show.

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    2. {Guess what no Olicty its gone and Felicity can stand on her own and help save the day.}

      Unfortunately Its not over, I dont hate Felicity, I think she can be good away from Oliver/Olicity mess and Arrow writers. They are never going to write her consistently organic anymore. Ever. It was good to see her take a breather from Oliver/Olicity, though it wont last long. Her new mission is an incredible idea. She can be good again but the arrow writer will never let her. The Olicity fandom will never let her.

      {But I think its time to prepare for Diggle's death he's the one in the grave and the promo for next week does not help matters. John Diggle will be missed dearly.}

      I wish. Its Laurel, she deserves so much better than these writers, so its not going to be so sad for me. Black Canary will live on beyond this mess.

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  3. I did like you mentioning how it fought the humor Curtis was trying to do. I don't mind humor on here but too much can make it really bad. So thank you for mentioning that.

    but have to ask about this line "She isn't afraid to walk away when situations aren't helping her."
    I won't say that's wrong but also doesn't that sound a bit selfish of Felicity? I mean that's fine if it is but I just think that sounds worded wrong to me maybe? It just reads like if something doesn't help Felicity out , she wants to walk.*

    *I figured you didn't mean it like that but that's just what it read like to me*


    "She's doing it because she deserves a better life than Oliver can provide for her right now, and she's doing it because — by walking away — she's going to be able to provide better lives to people who use Palmer Technologies."

    I agree with you here but also when will Oliver ever be able to provide a better life for her? He's never going to stop being the Arrow and Felicity going to be at Palmer Tech for a long time so how will they be able to reconnect? Because I really hope they do!!


    Overall I enjoyed your review (first time reading) and thank you for letting me share my thoughts.

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  4. Randall -- Thanks for reading and welcome to the site! I appreciate your comments and question. :)

    I won't say that's wrong but also doesn't that sound a bit selfish of Felicity? I mean that's fine if it is but I just think that sounds worded wrong to me maybe? It just reads like if something doesn't help Felicity out , she wants to walk.

    So I've heard this a lot around the Internet recently -- about how Felicity is selfish for walking away and she should apologize to Oliver. And I know your comment isn't antagonistic; it's just curious to know what I meant. So here's what I mean: I don't think Felicity is selfish for walking away. I think that's noble and it's a sign she can identify an unhealthy relationship.

    The thing is, Oliver can wax poetic all day about how much Felicity means to him and he can give her these beautiful vows. But unless he proves with actions that he actually means any of those things, it's pointless and useless. Because the truth is that when it boils down to it, Oliver doesn't treat Felicity as a partner yet. Heck, she is pretty much the last person to know that he has a child. It's a matter of trust at that point, because he trusts Barry and Thea with his secret, but not Felicity.

    So the times Felicity has walked away from Oliver? Those are times in which he has proven that he wants to do everything by himself and that he doesn't want to open up and let her in. She doesn't have to always be the reason he does things -- she doesn't want that either -- but she wants to be let into the conversation. And it'd be unhealthy of her to stay in a relationship where she knows her partner withholds things from her. It would be unhealthy for her to settle for just being the third or fourth person to know his secrets.

    Could you imagine that? Could you imagine your partner making a huge life decision and your sister-in-law or good friend know about it before YOU do?

    So that's what it boils down to -- is it healthy for Felicity to stay with someone who, right now, doesn't let her in in the ways that she needs to be let in? No.

    hen will Oliver ever be able to provide a better life for her? He's never going to stop being the Arrow and Felicity going to be at Palmer Tech for a long time so how will they be able to reconnect? Because I really hope they do!

    I hope so too! I think that the answer above answers this question a little: when Oliver finally decides to go to Felicity with his problems rather than solving them himself -- when he opens up enough to trust her with how he's feeling -- then their relationship will be better; then she will know that her life can be good and healthy with Oliver.

    Until then, Oliver can say all the nice vows he wants and swear he'll never lie to her again, but until he proves he's trustworthy and respects her, anything else is just talk.

    Thanks for your comment! :)

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  5. {I know Laurel is a divisive character in fandom, and a lot of people who love the Oliver/Felicity relationship hate Laurel.}

    Nice to see an insider's voice telling the truth for once.

    {Conversely, a lot of staunch Laurel Lance fans hate Felicity and people who ship Oliver/Felicity. }

    Well there is a good reason for that, they are the worst group of people on the planet. Well Im almost glad after next week Laurel/Black Canary and her fandom, will not have to deal with these kind of people anymore. Poor other character like Mr T and any female character who
    show Felicity up.

    (This is the first time in quite some time that I've had very little criticism for an Arrow episode. It's unsettling. In a good way!)

    Agree. Better episode than most, less Felicity/Olicity and more of other characters and relationships. Mr T killed it as as Green Arrow, Black Canary, Speeedy and Bee lover.

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    1. Well there is a good reason for that, they are the worst group of people on the planet.

      You... do realize that I ship Oliver/Felicity too, right? Thanks for thinking I'm the worst person on the planet!

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  6. I meant as a collective, they are always a very few exceptions. For a Felicity/Olicity fan, this article was pretty professionally objective and fair. I wouldn't have bothered reading and commenting on it otherwise. Good read too, its been a while since I cared to read Arrow reviews, the show had sucked that much.

    Sorry, sometimes you meet a million rotten eggs, to remember that they are some good and logical people hidden inside the cesspool. Dont take my Olicity fandom intolerant comments personally.

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    1. Thanks for the compliment; I'm surprised I spent a review NOT hating every single thing about the episode!

      As for the shipping stuff, I know sometimes it can be hurtful if someone (or multiple someones) in a certain sub-set of a fandom seem to ruin things for you. And apologies if someone in the Olicity fandom has hurt you personally and that's why you're quicker to arm yourself against them.

      But all I ask is you think about how it would be the other way around. I don't hate people who love Laurel or people who ship Oliver/Laurel. But I would be lying if I said I've never seen extremely harmful (even life-threatening, harassing) things even recently sent to my Olicity friends from people in that particular group. Horrifying things, really that no human -- regardless of whether you love Laurel, Felicity, Olicity, or Oliver/Laurel -- should say to another human.

      But I won't judge all LL fans and Oliver/Laurel shippers on that, and I'm glad at least you're willing to admit that we're not all bad too on the other side of the Olicity pond. ;)

      Just know that as a part of a group, it sucks when you get lumped in with the "rotten eggs," especially when I'm friends with some of the good ones.

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