#arrow 1x18

Olicity

This is one of Arrow’s more suspenseful episodes. Felicity goes toe to toe with the villain of the week and she more than meets her match. This results in one of Arrow's cooler action sequences and some iconic Olictiy moments.

But first, we must work out.

Of all the times Felicity watches Oliver working out, this is my favorite. Emily Bett Richard’s face is hilarious.

Her comic skills are so on point and she brings a much needed levity to the show. But do not deny this woman her dramatic work. She can bring her A game anytime - as we will soon see.

Oliver is off to threaten (or kill?) a dirty real estate developer named John Nichols, who doesn’t mind skipping code requirements if it means saving a buck. Oliver fed up with this guy killing people in the Glades and he’s on the List, so hasta la vista, baby. (Do not deny my my nineties cliché remarks. They bring me comfort and joy.)

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) someone else beats Oliver to it and kidnaps Nichols. Oliver is strangely displeased. I mean... what's the difference? Felicity and I share a brain sometimes, so she asks Oliver on my behalf.

Source: @andjustforthismoment

These two are in their own rom com and we’re just along for the ride. The way he growls “They don’t show my level of restraint,” at Felicity is a lot. Is it really necessary to stand that close to her Oliver? No it’s not. I SEE YOU SIR.

The man who kidnapped Nichols executes him on live television which was super creepy. He definitely has a Heath Ledger as the Joker vibe to him. (Nobody said the comparisons to the Dark Knight are unfair.)

Felicity is unable to crack his encryption code because he’s a former cyber crusader called “The Savior” and the NSA has been searching for him for years.  His real name is Joseph Falk and he erased his existence after his wife was murdered in the Glades.

When he failed to get justice for his wife's death, the Savior took matters into his own hands - not unlike our favorite vigilante. His cyber skills are no joke and give Felicity a real run for her money. She is unable to track him down before he kills Nichols, which leads to a hilarious if frustrated exchange between Felicity and Oliver.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

JUST GET MARRIED.

Things go from bad to worse for Felicity when Falk kidnaps the district attorney. His crime was not prosecuting the person who murdered Falk’s wife. If we were on the fence as to whether Nichols should live or die, then the district attorney snaps us out of the moral grey zone. Prosecutors choose not try cases all of the time for lack of evidence. It doesn’t mean they should die for it.

Source:  msr-olicity-love

Oliver's impatience only heightens Felicity's stress, but she finally gets a location. It’s the middle of the day which means Oliver can’t hood up. So he grabs the motorcycle and his super sexy brown jacket to hunt Falk down and save the DA.

This leads to one of my favorite Arrow action scenes. Falk is not at the location Felicity sends Oliver to, which means he has to sprint across town and leap between buildings to next location. Felicity is completely flummoxed because she doesn't understand how this guy is moving locations. Oliver screaming at her over comms is not particularly helpful either. 

Unfortunately, Team Arrow loses and Falk murders the DA on live television, which is completely traumatizing to Felicity who has never seen anyone die before. 

Oliver returns home to find Felicity alone in the dark, twirling one of his arrows in her hands. Oliver immediately wants to know where Diggle is because he’s probably wondering why John left Felicity all alone in the dark.

Felicity: I asked him to leave me alone in my loud voice.

Source: @westallenolicitygifs

Oliver isn’t going to do the same. He immediately reassures Felicity that it wasn’t her fault (because it isn’t). This is the price of the life they’ve chosen to live. It’s a very lonely one as Oliver knows all too well.

Source: @jamiedornaniseverything

Felicity is understandably feeling defeatist, so it’s one of the rare times she says it’s better to be alone. Oliver doesn’t have much to say in return, but notice how the scene is shot. The entire bunker is dark except for the brightly backlit desk lamp. Oliver and Felicity are the only thing we see in the darkness.

Felicity also mentions her relationship status, which feels like an oddly placed comment. Umm… ok? SHE’S SINGLE AND HETEROSEXUAL GUYS!

I love receiving pieces to the Felicity Smoak puzzle, but this comment felt very out of context. “Hey I’m sad, but I wouldn’t know how to talk to my boyfriend about fighting crime. Good thing I don’t have one.”

It is NOT the fans who create romantic undertones to Oliver and Felicity’s scenes. The writers make it romantic with conversations like this. It’s very easy to keep a scene like this strictly platonic, but nope! The writers decide it’s super important that Oliver knows *right now* that Felicity is single as she pours her heart out to him in her time of need.

The light is equally important, because this relationship (regardless of romantic or platonic) has to be a two way street. Felicity cannot always help Oliver find the light. He has to help her too.

Oliver does come through Felicity by the end of the episode. Not at first because he is equally struggling with the loneliness of the life he’s chosen. He can’t really advise Felicity against being alone because that’s the choice he’s made for himself. So much so, that Diggle takes him out for a burger and a little therapy session. After the disaster zone his past relationships have left in their wake, Oliver is tapping out. He doesn’t require a life, or entanglements, or feelings.

Diggle: You’ve been home for eight months Oliver, I don’t think you’ve left that island yet.

Diggle, per usual, disagrees. He wants Oliver entangled. He wants Oliver as entangled as he can get. It makes you wonder if he has someone specific in mind.

The Savior puts a big mirror up to Oliver’s face. He is man grieving the loss of his wife and chose to channel that rage and sadness into exacting his brand of justice.  Oliver can see himself in Falk and he doesn’t like what he sees.

Being alone leads to exactly that. While Oliver may say he doesn’t want the complexity of relationships and the difficulties they can bring, the reality of living life alone can lead to some pretty terrible results. Falk cut himself off from his humanity. This lead to selecting victims who didn’t deserve to die. If Oliver wants to maintain a moral high ground, make difficult but ultimately right choices, then he needs his humanity fully intact. Humanity requires human contact.

Oliver reaches out to someone first, but it’s not Felicity. It’s L*urel. He wants to have dinner or coffee or whatever because he no longer wants to be on an island.  It’s a nice line. It would have more meaning if we saw that dinner or conversation, but we don't.

Instead we see Oliver return home to the bunker, to Felicity and Diggle, and they debrief their latest Team Arrow victory.  It would be easy to leave this scene at Felicity’s funny remark about Roy and Thea.

Diggle: You ok?

Oliver: Getting there.

Instead, Oliver acknowledges, more to himself, that he’s feeling better because John was right. Then we actually see this rigid man move and in the cutest way possible - with a little "Psst." It is a small yet definitive step towards his second chance.

Oliver approaches Felicity in the now brightly lit bunker and tells her she is not alone. He is there for her always. Felicity may not have a “boyfriend” to talk to, but she has Oliver.

Then he gently touches her shoulder and lets his hand linger there just long enough to even make Felicity wonder if maybe, just maybe, he means more.

Actions speak louder than words.  Oliver may talk about not being on an island anymore with L*urel, but he leaves that island for Felicity.

Roy Harper

What are we doing with Roy Harper? Thus far it’s been a lot of Roy and Thea having the same “make better choices” argument and debate their wildly different economic lots in life. This is all well and good but we eventually need movement on this character and “Unfinished Business” give it to us BIG TIME.

Thea is understandably frustrated when Roy admits he plans to hold up a liquor store because he “owes” people in the Glades and that’s how this town works.

Thea: I got you a job at my brother’s club. You have choices. You don’t have to be a criminal.

Somehow this decision puts Roy in the Savior’s cross hairs. According to Falk, Roy Harper is a gang banger.

Roy has a criminal record and holding up a liquor store with an empty gun is not great, but a freaking death sentence? Calm down crazy. The Savior can’t find bigger fish to fry?

Roy doesn’t make excuses or ask for forgiveness when Falk challenges him to defend himself against his “crimes.” He doesn’t care if he lives or dies (just like someone else we know).

Roy: No one’s gonna miss me. I’m just a waste.

Gut punch. This kid wrecks me. Now Thea is crying in Tommy’s big brotherly-like arms. WE MUST SAVE THE PARKOUR PRINCE!!!

Felicity and Diggle determine Falk is on the old abandoned subway system in Star City, which is why he was moving locations. The Hood finds Roy before Falk can pull the trigger and they engage in a morality debate, which thankfully isn’t broadcasted across the whole city after the feed is cut off. Or maybe the city should have heard Oliver’s arguments.

Oliver: I understand being alone, but it doesn’t give you the right to kill people in cold blood.

The Savior challenges Oliver on the difference between them and, once again, he doesn’t have a lot to say. There's minimal morality wiggle room for Oliver. The only difference between the Savior and the Hood is the people they are choosing. Oliver wasn’t wrong at the beginning of the episode. He has more restraint. He also has a better list of names. The Savior should ask for a couple.

Killing the District Attorney and kidnapping Roy Harper show that Falk is very bad at being judge, jury and executioner. Arrow is putting other vigilantes up against Oliver to show that he is better. There is a good heart under that hood – a potential superhero’s heart. Oliver’s morals and how he measures the sins of others are more just, but that doesn’t make him right. These distinctions we are drawing between Oliver and people like Falk and Helena are merely shades of grey. He is balancing on a very razor thin edge.

Oliver begs Falk to give Roy a second chance, but is forced to put an arrow in him when he refuses. “Salvation” is asking an important question. Who is worthy of a second chance? And who decides who is worthy?

Killing not only ends someone’s life it removes the possibility for change. There is a clear distinction between a man like Nichols and Roy Harper. There should be consequences to sinful actions, but what sins warrant death and what sins warrant forgiveness? Who decides? It’s a question we grapple with constantly in our imperfect legal system and it’s one Oliver Queen must answer as the city’s self appointed protector.

Roy is an easy call to make. He made mistakes, but he is deserving of a second chance. However, the question of whether he is worthy of it can only be answered by Roy Harper.  As he pulls the small arrow that saved his life out from his pocket, Roy is illuminated by a bright red light – a not so subtle nod to the Red Arrow. 

And thus a hero’s journey begins with a second chance.

The Lance Family

This week on Loving the Lances… Dinah returns home with hopes of resurrecting their dead daughter but family secrets were unearthed instead. Dun dun dunnnnn!!!!

L*urel is on her own show, so I thought I’d give it a proper soap opera name. She never intersects with Oliver’s storyline except when she randomly pops up at the club looking for Tommy, but I digress. In all seriousness, this episode is pretty damn good because some scalding hot tea was spilled!

Dinah is CONVINCED that Sara is alive because she had the exact same baseball cap as the woman in the photo. This is such a weird detail to hang all her hopes on. Does Dinah think Sara was holding the rockets hat in her hand while she was swept out to sea? What’s with the hat? I HAVE QUESTIONS.

Long story short, Sara is truly dead. L*urel finds the woman in the photo. She’s American, spent some time in China and owns a Starling City Rocket’s hat. We’re going to pretend the Chinese Embassy can find some rando in a photo and deliver her name to L*urel in five seconds flat. Also, Oliver confirms once again Sara is dead and he never lies so we’re all good.

But now we can get to the really interesting part of this little Lance drama unfolding before us. L*urel has the same questions about the hat as I do! I am wildly uncomfortable being this much in agreement with her, but here we are.

Dinah came home while Sara was packing for her little get away with Oliver. She watched Sara pack the hat. Dinah told her not to go, but Sara said she was in love and following her heart even though others may not think it is right. Just like Dinah did with Quentin (side note – what’s the story on those two?)

Dinah: So I let her go. I killed my daughter.

HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP! MOMMY KNEW ABOUT THE CHEATING AND NOT ONLY DID SHE NOT SAYING ANYTHING TO L*UREL SHE LET SARA GO ON THE DAMN BOAT!!

This family is so jacked up. They make the Queens look halfway normal. Y’all I don’t even know what to do with this information. HOT. MESS. EXPRESS.

Clearly Dinah is riddled with guilt and is desperate to find Sara alive to erase the terrible decision she made, but she can’t erase it. Just like Oliver can’t.

Somehow this betrayal almost feels worse than what Oliver and Sara did. Alright, maybe that’s too harsh, but it feels just as bad. It feels like Dinah was taking sides and she chose Sara. 

I really need a therapy session with these women to unpack all that, but this is Arrow and L*urel doesn’t get that much screen time. The best we’ll get is an awkward hug and L*urel asking her mother to call her sometime.

What L*urel is offering is a generous second chance. Perhaps she’s realized that forgiveness is less painful than holding onto all the anger and hurt. Perhaps Oliver coming home and her mother’s time away made her realize she wants Dinah in her life than not at all. It’s really only a decision L*urel can make, but it’s a chance Dinah needs to jump on. She didn’t stop being a mother when Sara died. L*urel needs her too.

Stray Thoughts

L*urel advises Thea to run from the bad boys. Snort. So it’s a “do what I say, not what I do” type of advice day.

Moira serves Frank up on a platter to Malcolm Merlyn as the person who hired Deadshot. Moira’s hands are getting pretty damn bloody.

It has to be hard on L*urel to see that the only time her parents can be in a room together, affectionately touching, and being on the same team, is when they are searching for Sara. I really felt bad for her this episode. Ugh.

Slade and Oliver ransom the chips for a boat. It goes disastrously. Now Yao Fei is captured again.

Hey! Shado speaks English and can kick ass. Neat!

 “Keeps my ears warm.” He jokes!

“I’ll be home in a flash.” Dinah lives in Central City. Season 1 Jen didn’t get that reference, but I am a seasoned professional in the art of comic book references and I totally picked up on it the second time.

“Stay” by Rihanna was playing during Oliver & L*urel’s scene at the end of the episode. This was my song of pain in 2013. The Vampire Diaries used it in a particularly agonizing Stefan and Elena scene as well that year.  It's like white hot pokers in my heart.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x18!!!

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