#arrowmetas

Felicity: starts off the season kicking ass as Overwatch, creatingher company, and making her own decisions about what she wants out of life.Then she’s forced out as Overwatch, her company storyline is hijacked by Curtisbefore being ignored completely, and she’s left to pick up the pieces ofOliver’s awful decision without any input. Her agency was obliterated, and it’sutterly unacceptable.

Thea: completely sidelined for almost two seasons and unable to fightas Speedy. For some reason, everyone else can still fight after the traumathey’ve faced but Thea is too “messed up” or “fragile” to continue wearing hermask. She’s made to uncharacteristically defend Oliver’s choice to lie toFelicity about William and defend newbies’ actions when her character has neverbeen okay with lying. When she does leave the show, she’s guilt-tripped intothinking it’s her responsibility to right Malcolm’s sins after he lied andmanipulated her for years. So, basically, she played into his hands again.

Dig: has no job outside of Team Arrow and no family backstory.Suddenly, being Spartan isn’t enough for him and he wants to be Green Arrow(even though he’s never expressed interest before and archery isn’t his skillset). He also gets mad at Oliver when he finally does show growth and maturity,and throws it all back in his face. It’s totally unfair considering that Digwas the one lying about taking drugs early on in the season and was willing togo out into the field without telling everyone he was injured and compromised.

Lance: behaves totally illogically and puts the city and his team indanger all to redeem a murderous doppelganger who isn’t his real daughter. It’sactually an insult to the real LL, who shouldn’t be so easily replaced by aclone in her father’s eyes. Also, he dies at the hands of a D-list villain bysacrificing himself for that undeserving dodo bird.

The newbies:  I never liked them to begin with. I barelytolerated them, because they seemed like entitled liabilities who never earnedtheir place or viewers’ respect. Rene betrays Oliver and creates this entiremess, and somehow Oliver and OTA are all to blame. They completely turn onOliver and bash him every chance they get, without any regard for their ownfaults. They also physically attack OTA and almost kill them. If you want toread a more detailed breakdown of why they can never be redeemed in my eyes,check out this prior post: “3Reasons Why the Newbies Will NEVER Be My Team Arrow.”

Star City: I used to admire Oliver’s mission to protect his home andits citizens. Yet, whether as GA or mayor, Oliver is constantly vilified andhunted down. He’s never acknowledged for the good he’s done or the sacrificeshe’s made. Star City is an ungrateful, undeserving burden around his neck atthis point. Viewers no longer have sympathy for the city or why Oliver should riskso much to save it. The writers completely destroyed the intent and audience’scompassion for Oliver’s mission. Many fans don’t care if it burns to the groundnow.

The list goes on (Diaz was an awful villain that had no clearmotivation or set of skills that would allow him to believably wreak so muchhavoc), but I’ll leave it here. Season 5 was awful, and I never thought Season6 could sink just as low. These writers failed this story, their characters,and the viewers. The new writers have a lot to fix, and I won’t give them thebenefit of the doubt. I have hope they will do a better job, but this show isat a breaking point. It’s do or die now, because too many mistakes have beenmade for too long. There needs to be a drastic change in how these charactersare portrayed and what message the writers want to send to viewers. The showneeds to rediscover its roots and show their characters and the audience therespect they deserve. No more plot over character, or else they’ll havesucceeded in completely destroying a once great show.

Where this storyline got even more ridiculous was that Barry, Thea, andfreaking Malcolm Merlyn all knew about William before Felicity! Samanthatold Oliver not to tell anyone but if the cat is out of the bag withsomeone as dangerous as Merlyn, then it completely obliterates the need to lieto Felicity. It was actually dangerous that she didn’t know, because Felicityhad the skills to help Oliver protect William. So, that’s where I think it gotscrewed up on Oliver’s end.

Felicity was not wrong to walk away. Oliver lied to her and shook the veryfoundation of trust they’d established in their relationship. Without thattrust, she did not feel comfortable moving forward with him. Not only did herfather abandon her at a young age, but her mother also recently confessed thatshe lied about why her father actually left. Felicity internalized thoseinsecurities, and Oliver lying brought all that pain back in full force. Themistake Felicity (and the writers) made was not to talk out her issues withOliver.

She just left and even after the fake wedding ceremony, the two stilldid not get into why they were both so hurt. As a viewer, I don’t need to seeOlicity being “polite” to each other. Not yelling doesn’t automatically make aconversation “adult.” I would’ve preferred a knock-down, drag-out fight full ofemotion. Let them get it all out! But we had to wait until 5x20 for it to beaddressed, and even then I think the writers did a piss poor job of explainingit.

I still can’t stand the flashback or present-day conversations at the end of5x20 (if you want to read my thoughts on that mess, check out thispost). I felt like the apology in regard to William was totally one-sidedand that Felicity was once again positioned as the bad guy in all of this.

Shewas forced to understand Oliver’s side, which is fine and necessary, but he wasn’t held accountable for howhis actions played into her own issues. He only really apologized for how hehandled Helix, and we needed/deserved to see more than that. 

Also, I think the “I don’t trust myself” explanation was weak and onlyhalf the problem. I believe the root of Oliver’s trauma and darkness stems froma deep fear of loss. We saw him dealing with the emotional effects of hisfather’s suicide in the finale, and it only got worse for Oliver those fivesyears on the island from that point. He’s seen so many people he loves die,which is why he’s Green Arrow.

He’s a “monster” (in his own mind), because hebelieves in doing whatever it takes to keep his loved ones safe.  As hetold Barry once before, what he does takes conviction and the willingness to dowhat is ugly. That’s why he doesn’t trust himself. There is no limit to what hewill sacrifice to protect his loved ones, including the pieces of his own soul.I don’t think the writers communicated that effectively.

The reason Oliver shields Felicity, for better or for worse, is because her loss would utterly destroy him. As we’ve seen in the last couple of episodes, Oliver can’t focus when he knows Felicity is in danger. Her safety is always a priority.

The newest conflict I’ve seen, especially on Twitter, is some fansfeeling resentful of William and the entire situation. It’s not necessarilydirected at him, because he’s just a kid. The problem is that the storyline washandled so poorly that it’s difficult to feel emotionally invested in himwithout remembering all the crap we had to wade through to get to thatemotional father-son moment in the finale. I’ll repeat a little of what I saidon Twitter here, which is that the writers keep hammering away at this dynamic: choosing William vs. choosing Felicity/everyone else. Byforcing Oliver to choose, it’s also making fans feel torn or uncomfortableabout prioritizing their faves over a child they don’t really know.

Should Oliver have prioritized his son? Yes! William is an innocent, and it’snot difficult to understand Oliver taking on that protective role as a parent. The real inconsistency would be him not feeling anything. 

But the writing, in my opinion, has told us that and not shown us as viewers.We’ve barely seen Oliver interact with William, and he was only mentionedtoward the latter part of the season. The love interests were a waste on somany levels (they were nothing more than plot points with no positive payoff),but I think the finale with William being taken would’ve had more of a punch for viewers ifthe focus this season was on Olicity communicating/working on their issues allalong and having William introduced sooner. Once again, the timing and pacingof plots on Arrow is all over the place. Too little too late.

I really enjoyed the finale. It wasn’t perfect, but it was solid and veryemotional with some outstanding moments. Although, I actually think it would’ve beenbetter if Prometheus held both Felicity and William hostage together. We haveyet to see the two interact or see how Felicity will feel about being a mom. Itwould’ve been a great way to break the tension and also raised the stakes onthe boat. We need to see that connection and the ability for them to coexist toput the sour taste in our mouths from this storyline behind us. Way too many ofmy OTPs on various shows have faced BMD, and it’s just annoying and overdone atthis point. I hope next season the writers let go of this “one or the other”crap. It’s not a competition, and everyone Oliver loves has a place in hislife.

I believe the trigger was the word “wife.” No, Oliver isn’t married. But any villain that does his homework, and Prometheus definitely has, knows that Felicity Smoak is the love of Oliver’s life. Despite their broken engagement, and Prometheus’s years of creepy/stalker-ish research on him, his suspicions had to be confirmed that Felicity was still Oliver’s ultimate priority when he gave Oliver a choice in 5x10. Either Oliver could go after him or he could stop Black Siren from killing Felicity. I’m sure Prometheus already knew Oliver would go to Felicity without a moment’s hesitation, which probably fueled his twisted plan for revenge and resolve to target her (looking suspiciously at you Helix).

Knowing Felicity is both Oliver’s greatest strength and weakness is why I think Chase focused so much on her while torturing Oliver. Hence, Chase singling out The Count. That was yet another situation in which Oliver made a choice. He broke his vow in honor of Tommy to stop killing to save Felicity’s life.

Although Oliver may have felt remorse for breaking the vow, to this day I don’t think he will ever regret killing The Count to save Felicity. When it comes to her, there is no choice to make. Oliver says this to Chase, though in a very understated way. This is the difference between Oliver and Prometheus. Prometheus would sacrifice his wife for his own selfish gains. Oliver, however, would rather take the pain on himself than ever hurt Felicity or let her suffer for his own sins. Because of this, Oliver naturally downplays Felicity’s significance in this incident and doesn’t mention her by name. Instead, he calls her “a friend.” It’s not technically a lie. Felicity was just a friend at the time, but Oliver’s guttural and brutal reaction in using three arrows was a result of him already subconsciously being in love with her.  The circumstances may be different now, but Oliver is still trying to downplay the depth of his feelings. He doesn’t want to give Chase any more ammunition against him or paint a larger target on Felicity’s back.

Chase, of course, will not let such an opportunity pass. He lets Oliver know that he’s aware it was Felicity that he saved from The Count, and then proceeds to shoot Oliver with the same number of arrows.

Why do the same to Oliver? Perhaps it was a way to taint the satisfaction Oliver may have felt in putting down The Count, so he now associates it with his own pain. Prometheus is savage like that.

Felicity’s Glasses

After shooting Oliver, Chase takes his torture a step further. He switches from inflicting physical pain on Oliver to mental/emotional pain. Chase reiterates Oliver’s declaration that his friends are his strength and seeks to show him that it’s, in fact, the opposite. They are Oliver’s weakness, and Chase has no qualms about exploiting that. Mentioning Felicity was just a warm-up.

He ups his game by taunting Oliver with a direct threat to her safety.

Chase pulls out Felicity’s glasses and states that he was in Felicity’s apartment. It’s creepy on so many levels. Assuming those glasses aren’t a replica or one of her spares, there are probably only two times Chase could’ve gotten away with swiping them. Either Felicity was asleep or she was in the shower. In both instances, she was at her most vulnerable and Oliver wasn’t there to protect her. Oliver can’t hide his reaction this time.

Fear and rage overwhelm him as he struggles against his restraints. He’d snap Chase’s neck in a second if he could get his hands on him. Oliver’s reaction to Felicity’s glasses, I’d like to point out, was way more emotional than the one he had to a tape of a certain snake who shall not be named when she was kidnapped. Oliver starts to make a threat of his own until Chase, once again, reminds him of his weakness.

Oliver is a prisoner and is trapped. He has no way of getting to Felicity even if Chase did make a move against her. Being unable to protect the woman he loves is the ultimate hell for Oliver.    

Everyone you love is at play

Sensing that he’s broken Oliver a little bit more, Chase reminds him that all the pain can stop once he confesses his secret. The comment that follows is what really hit home for me that Felicity is Prometheus’s endgame. He tells Oliver “everyone that you love is at play.” Chase just assumes that Oliver is still in love with Felicity and rightly so. It’s a subtle transition that leads into the mention William, but it’s important. It’s everything.

Chase mentions Felicity twice more in the time that he’s tormenting Oliver. Both times he’s trying to convince Oliver that he’s been hiding his true, darkest self from the people he loves and that their lives are worse because of his influence.

By the end, after Oliver has finally confessed his “secret,” he’s physically and emotionally drained. He’s been beaten down to his lowest point. When he finally returns to the lair, he can barely look anyone in the eye--least of all Felicity.

It’s a gut-wrenching moment to see him stagger up onto the platform. I think we were all Felicity in that scene, surveying the damage while wanting so badly to go to Oliver and comfort him. Felicity, however, holds back. Aside from the fact that a hug would probably cause him more pain, I think she could sense that Oliver was skittish, in shock, and might not want to be touched.

We didn’t get to see Oliver being treated for his wounds, but I’d like to think that Felicity eventually eased him into letting her help him. It would’ve been an extremely emotional and intimate moment, and Felicity patching Oliver up when he’s hurt is something that has been sorely missed and lacking this season.

This isn’t the end of Prometheus’s big plan. Unfortunately, it’s only the beginning. We don’t know much about what’s to come, but three conclusions stand out to me:

1. Oliver and the team’s situation is only going to get darker, because Chase loves his mind games and is always ten steps ahead.

2. Oliver is no saint, but he’s nowhere near the monster that Prometheus is. He may have a dark side, but he’s never lost his heart.

3. Prometheus is coming for the king through the queen. Seriously, who the hell controls Helix?!

The newbies constantly point fingers and deflect responsibility for their actions without taking any of the blame. Original Team Arrow is not perfect. Oliver, Dig, and Felicity all have flaws that they’ve worked through over the years together and individually. Did they make some mistakes this season, too? Yes. And they owned that last night. The newbies, however, couldn’t do the same.

No one begrudges Rene wanting to get back his daughter. That’s understandable (although let’s not forget that Oliver and Lance gave Rene a job in City Hall and were actively trying to help him get his daughter back. Rene didn’t want her at first and missed the custody hearings on purpose). What isn’t reasonable is his self-righteous attitude that somehow his betrayal should be overlooked and OTA should cut him a break.

Um, no, sorry! Oliver is a father. Dig is a father. Felicity is now a stepmother. They have to think about their families, too, and Rene just sold them out. Now their families are in danger of being torn apart.

If you’re a part of the team—who you also consider your friends—then you turn to the team first and let them know what’s going on. You exhaust every possible resource you can to figure a way out of the problem. Rene didn’t do that. From what was described onscreen, Agent Watson threatened Wild Dog with conjecture (the audio recording Cayden sent the FBI still wasn’t actual smoking-gun evidence) that he was a vigilante and he barked. She had no actual confirmation until he confessed. He made the case for her to prosecute Oliver and go after his fellow team members—which, by the way, includes Dinah and Curtis. He put them in danger of exposure, too, which they’ve seemed to have completely overlooked.

When Oliver apologized last night—which I thought showed major growth on his part even though I’m not entirely sure the newbies deserved it—Rene threw it back in his face.

He made it seem like Oliver—who was handcuffed in front of his own son (who is still dealing with the loss of one parent)—betrayed him by throwing him off the team. If it were up to me, I would’ve never even given Rene a second or third chance. He’d be out forever. Rene screwed up, and he should at least have the decency to own up to it.

For most of Season 6, Dinah criticized Dig for keeping secrets. Now she’s upset that Dig didn’t have her back when she was keeping a secret about Vigilante—a man who has tried to kill them all at one time or another. Dig learned his lesson and apologized for hiding his tremor. But when Dinah is caught in a lie, she’s upset that her “privacy was violated.” You don’t get to cherry pick when you’re right and you’re wrong. In this case, for all her talk about honesty, Dinah is wrong.

I also didn’t appreciate her lashing out at Felicity, who felt compelled to warn her about Vince’s evil ties to Cayden James. Dinah was upset a whole “twenty-four hours” passed before she was informed. As a cop, she should know that confirming the intel is correct can take a lot longer than that. Twenty-four hours is a fast turnaround time, and OTA wasn’t needlessly holding on to that info out of spite.

As for Curtis, he must’ve hit his head in the field too many times. Because he’s suddenly forgotten how he put tracking nanites in Felicity’s pancakes last season without her knowledge or permission. He then followed her straight to Helix. That was an invasion of her privacy, too.

2. The mistrust

Let me be frank, I don’t care that OTA put the newbies under surveillance. It comes down to this: OTA started this mission. They decide who joins it and direct the team. And if they believe someone is compromised, they have every damn right to investigate who betrayed them and come up with a plan to deal with it to protect themselves and their families. Remember when Lance thought there was a leak in the SCPD in Season 2 and started pulling phone records to search for suspicious activity? It’s the same procedure. Remember when Evelyn already sold them out to Prometheus and they almost ended up dying on fireball island? Of course OTA is going to be even more cautious this time around!

Felicity wasn’t keeping tabs on them 24/7 before this. She doesn’t care what they do in their private lives. But you can bet your ass she cares when someone has been revealed as compromised and puts them all in danger. Being on the team means you put yourself on the line and sacrifice part of your privacy if it’s a matter of life and death. If the newbies have a problem with it, then they’re in the wrong business.

I dismissed Rene giving up Oliver’s name to Church in Season 5, because he was under duress. When Diggle was having issues on the team, Rene didn’t confront him. He went and tattled to Oliver behind Dig’s back. Now Agent Watson has put pressure on him, and he sang like the big-mouthed canaries we can’t seem to shake on this show. The fact that he could actually make a speech at Oliver and Felicity’s wedding reception and call them his friends when he knew he was going to rip their entire world apart just makes his behavior that much more despicable.

Three strikes and you’re out, buddy!

Rene has proven that when the going gets tough, he can’t be trusted. He’s a snitch at his core. Also, he has a history of being a hot head and a loose cannon. He’s frequently disobeyed orders in the field and gotten people hurt or almost killed. Again, that erodes trust.

As I mentioned in the last section, Dinah lied about Vince and Curtis tracked Felicity. They’re not innocent either. I’d also like to mention that Curtis’s comment to Rene basically patting him on the back for betraying OTA—who he’s known and been friends with for longer than Rene— because he “had no choice” really painted him in a bad light for me now. I suspect Curtis is still bitter that he lost his marriage and blames the team.

But guess what? No one told him to lie to his husband and choose the vigilante life over Paul—especially considering he’s not a great fighter in the field anyway. That’s on Curtis, and he needs to stop sulking and face the consequences of his choice.

3. The entitlement

From the first day the newbies joined the team, their complete lack of respect for OTA and sense of entitlement has angered me more than anything. Oliver, Dig, and Felicity all faced challenges related to their skills and spent another five years on Team Arrow honing them and making sacrifices while battling the big bads. Just because Rene, Dinah, and Curtis were asked to join up does not mean they are automatically on OTA’s level.

 How many of us could walk into a new job and act like we know everything and mouth off to our boss? You think your superiors in the military or on the police force, who do deal with life and death situations every day, would put up with that? No, they wouldn’t! You’d be either reprimanded or fired. There is a rank and order to Team Arrow, and the newbies are just that—they’re new. They were barely even amateurs when OTA recruited them, and they’re not going to be automatic heroes. There absolutely was a grace period where OTA had to assess how everyone worked together and if they were effective in the field.

OTA aren’t perfect leaders, and I’m in no way saying that the newbies can’t question the chain of command. All of the past team members (Roy, Thea, Sara, and Laurel) have at one time or another. Personalities clash all the time; it’s normal. The difference is even though they didn’t always agree with Oliver or OTA, there was at least a level of respect. And last night I saw the exact opposite from Rene, Dinah, and Curtis when OTA tried to make amends with them. I was particularly upset with the way Rene talked to Felicity (and it’s not the first time). He needs to check his damn attitude and his tone before Felicity breaks her beautifully heeled foot off in his ass!

The disrespect has been happening for a while now. Someone on my Twitter last night compared the constant drama with the newbies to middle school, and she was totally right. I don’t see a cohesive unit when I look at OTA and the newbies. It’s one fight after another with battling egos and finger pointing, and I’m frankly sick of it.

Another argument I keep seeing is “but look at what the newbies have done and sacrificed for OTA.” And you know what I say: so what? Everyone who has been a part of Team Arrow has sacrificed something along the way.

It’s the job! The newbies are not victims. They. Are. Grown. Adults. They made a choice to join the team. Nobody put a gun to their heads and said they had to do it. Oliver isn’t keeping them in the bunker against their will. Somehow the newbies think they’re special or more at risk than OTA. They’re not. If anything, considering how long OTA has been operating, the risk of exposure is even higher for them legally and with their long list of enemies. So can the newbies stop blaming Oliver, Dig, and Felicity for their issues and take some grown-up responsibility for their actions? The immaturity, ungratefulness, and lack of self-awareness are astounding.

Conclusion

I wish this civil war was a dramatic way of getting rid of the newbies, but we all know the writers probably plan to bring them back. My hope is that instead of having OTA’s skills be watered down to prop them up, the newbies will get a taste of what it’s really like to be out in the field without “Daddy, Mommy, and Uncle Diggle’s” protection. They need a giant serving of humble pie!

Personally, I don’t think every character should or needs to be redeemed. Sometimes people disappoint you or betray you, and the healthy solution is to let those toxic people go. Unfortunately, the best way I can describe “New Team Arrow” is destructively dysfunctional. I don’t see an organic or positive chemistry between them and OTA. 

The reason why Original Team Arrow is so amazing is because they’re first and foremost a family. Their ability to work together is based on deep love, trust, and respect. Roy and Thea absolutely fit into that mold. Even Sara and Laurel—yes, I can’t believe I’m saying this either—had my trust as a viewer. I might’ve been willing to give Curtis some leeway before (I liked him in Season 4), but last night his attitude really torpedoed his character for me.

As a viewer, I’ve reached my limit and my mind is made up. The rushed storylines to give the newbies “hero status” and the characters’ inconsistencies and lack of humility have completely turned me off. And that’s a fail on the writers’ part, not the actors. The newbies are not and never will be my Team Arrow no matter how hard the writers try to redeem them.

OTA, forever and always!

Bonus OTA 2.0:

Well, 5A to me has been nothing more than a failed experiment to see how much they can scale Felicity back and use her to prop up male characters whenever it’s convenient.  She’s been relegated to comic relief and when she does get her own storyline, it lasts only a couple of minutes and the focus isn’t even strictly about her emotions. Let’s review:

Felicity’s PTSD over Havenrock was almost non-existent. If she did have it and it wasn’t just extreme guilt, we really didn’t get to see it aside from a moment of panic at the comms in 5x01. And despite what some may say, it manifesting in her getting a boyfriend is both inaccurate and insulting to her character and the condition itself. I’ve personally seen people (non-military members) experience some form of this. It can be so debilitating, especially when the trauma is fairly recent. Anxiety, fear, triggers from mundane tasks/situations, pulling away from anyone who isn’t in your inner circle (and sometimes even them), insomnia, nightmares, decreased appetite, and flashbacks are common symptoms.  Did Felicity experience any of these symptoms? I don’t know, because we weren’t shown most of these things nor were they referenced.

When Havenrock was finally addressed with the arrival of Rory, we saw Felicity acting anxious and avoiding him.  I thought finally this storyline was going to be delved into deeper.  Finally, Felicity was going to have her moment to break down and talk about it.  That talk never happened with either Oliver or Dig, both who have suffered losses and PTSD related to that.  Curtis was the one who advised her, and instead we got brief conversations between Felicity and Rory.  The arc primarily became about Rory’s pain and losses, and then suddenly the two were BFFs drinking coffee together and all was right in the world.

The other “major” storyline she had this season was her boyfriend.  The woman who never likes to bring anyone coffee was suddenly getting this guy two Americanos a day. Granted, it was to butter DTH up for information but we saw Felicity having to lie about her secret life to a significant other.  This was yet another opportunity for Felicity to reach out to someone (Oliver!) and talk about the struggle between trust and duty in a relationship. Instead we see Felicity go ahead and decide to tell this guy that she’s not even sure she has a future with about that secret life. What if they had a bad breakup?  What if Malone got too curious and decided to follow her? What if he had an ulterior motive (practically everyone in Star City does)? She could’ve put the team and their mission in jeopardy, which is something I adamantly believe Felicity wouldn’t do.

We also saw them in the loft together, a space that many of us loved and associated with happier Olicity times. As if that wasn’t bad enough (seriously, can we burn it now?), then came the comment that she slept with DTH to make up for canceling on a date.  It was meant as a joke but came off as if she owed it to him.  The fandom really saw red with that one, too.  And what did Felicity really get out of this relationship while the guy was alive other than a distraction and some SCPD info that Oliver also has access to as mayor? I didn’t see any real growth for Felicity or her “finding herself.”  Aside from an excuse to have Oliver run off with the reporter without looking like a jackass, I’m drawing a blank.

So now that Malone is dead, we launch into Felicity mourning him in 5B. This will be her fourth boyfriend that has been “killed,” and this time it will actually stick.  The writers have promised something for her independently in the back half of the season, although I take it with a grain of salt after all of the other broken promises this season.  Will it be centered on just his loss or open Pandora’s box for everything to hit Felicity at once? I’d say I’m hoping for the latter, but I’m fresh out of rose-colored glasses.

Another instance worth mentioning, and the one that bothered me the most, is how present Felicity was written in the Arrow 100th episode crossover.  Her loved ones (especially Oliver) were abducted by aliens that were about to take over the earth, and she seemed totally fine. In fact, Felicity was cracking jokes, smiling, and even had a couple of ditzy moments where, apparently, she couldn’t finish a damn sentence. Is this invasion of the body snatchers, because I’d like to know where my favorite character who got worried over something as simple as Oliver not answering her on comms right away has gone?  

 Speaking of comms and technology, we’ve also seen Curtis frequently infringing on her job/space in the lair. I nearly had a coronary when Curtis was in her chair in 5x06 explaining about how to track down Prometheus while Felicity stood off to the side silent. It was an algorithm she created, like she’s always done, but then she suddenly needed Curtis to help.  Felicity was also sidelined when building the device in 5x08 that was meant to hack the alien’s tech.  Last I checked, computers and hacking were Felicity’s domain, not Curtis’s.The writers made up for it in the final night of the crossover on Legends of Tomorrow when she helped rebuild an alien ship and execute the weapon, but it doesn’t negate the pattern that’s been forming in the majority of 5A.

Finally, the cherry on top was seeing how everyone reacted to Oliver accidentally killing Malone in 5x09. Aside from Thea, the rest of the team went straight to Oliver to comfort him. I get that Oliver was upset, too, but why couldn’t Felicity have been pulled forward in the group hug?  She was also left to cry alone in the loft.  Maybe she needed some space, but it couldn’t have hurt to have Thea be with her for support. Thea, after all, knows what it’s like to lose a boyfriend in the collateral damage when the Big Bad comes to town.

The Fix: Felicity Smoak is a strong, intelligent, kind, compassionate, and independent woman.  She is the other half of the OTP, which is why her own growth as an individual is so important going forward. The way to fix her in 5B is to actually let her be a person instead of a plot device.  Let her have emotional arcs that focus on her feelings and last longer than a few minutes. Let her be able to talk to Oliver or Diggle, who she’s closest to and know her the best, and have them support her through the hard times.  Let her have friends outside of them (a female especially). Let her start a new company instead of wasting her talents in the lair with nothing to call her own. Let her speak for herself when she has something to say.  Let her be able to feel sad and concerned when the situation calls for it instead of just cracking jokes. Felicity Smoak is an amazing character that has resonated with so many millions of Arrow fans, myself included.  She brought the light to a very dark show.  Honor the remarkable character you created, Arrow writers, and finally let this woman shine without apology.  

2. Give Oliver Queen character growth that sticks

Up until episode 5x04, I really loved what I was seeing from Oliver’s character. He wasn’t perfect, but he was starting to listen to the people around him and open up more.  The Olicity scene in 5x02 in which he talks to Felicity about his fear of letting the new recruits get close to him and his time in Russia is my favorite scene of 5A. It was both intimate and poignant, and it gave me hope that we’d get more growth like this.

Unfortunately, Oliver has regressed a lot in 5A.  

 One of Oliver’s lowest moments (and the beginning of the 5A downward spiral) for me was when he didn’t tell Felicity about his plan with Lyla to bust Diggle out of prison. There was a slip in continuity, I think, because he told Lyla he’d planned on having her help out but then tried to hide it when Felicity found out.  And then when Felicity was against it, he cut her out of the plan completely again.  I loved Felicity calling Oliver out on his lie of omission and saying that at least he’s consistent. This felt a lot like 4B Oliver. I would also like to point out that Felicity was right that breaking Diggle out of prison was going to have consequences. Diggle has been really struggling with his new life as a fugitive, and we’ve seen now in the mid-season finale that he’s been caught. Poor Dig is probably in even worse trouble now, and it’s the direct result of Oliver making a decision for him.

Recruiting Rory to the team and not thinking twice about how it may affect Felicity in regards to Havenrock was another misstep. Before Olicity were ever romantic, they were partners and friends. We’ve seen Oliver casually notice that something may be bothering Felicity, but he never actually sat down and talked to her. Felicity said they don’t have that relationship anymore to Curtis, but that’s not true since Oliver was talking to her about issues he was having. What was so sad about that comment was that Felicity truly believed she couldn’t talk to him. It seemed so OOC for Oliver not to at least as a friend approach Felicity and check on her.   The ideal moment was when Rory was quitting the team because of Felicity and Havenrock. Felicity was visibly upset when Oliver did finally ask her about it, but then Lyla interrupted.  The conversation was never picked up again, and that was a huge mistake.  It made Oliver look like he either didn’t care or their partnership/friendship is no longer a priority. 

The curse that is “William” continues in Season 5 with the arrival of the reporter, Susan Williams. This relationship is a train wreck waiting to happen. You know it’s going to be bad and bloody, and yet you can’t look away.  From the start, the reporter has proven to be a conniving two-face.  She reported something Thea said off the record and added it to her smear campaign against Oliver. Then when Thea confronted her, this woman didn’t even have the courage to fess up to it and continued to lie through her teeth.  There’s also the issue of it being unethical for her as a journalist to be dating the very man she’s supposed to be objectively reporting on.  A real class act, this one. Despite Thea and everyone else being wary of this woman and her less-than-noble intentions, Oliver has decided that this is the person he’s going to open up to from now on.  All I have to say is, ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? The two made a truce that she wouldn’t criticize him publicly for a month, but who’s to say she isn’t stockpiling the information and insecurities that he’s laying bare for her?  How does Oliver know she isn’t cozying up to him for the ultimate exposé? The point is he doesn’t, and he’s been in this game long enough to know that trusting anyone outside of his inner circle usually leads to disaster. Nothing is off the record with this manipulator.  

While we’re on the topic of the reporter, I need to mention the utter disgusting load of garbage that was the last few minutes of 5x09. Oliver told Felicity that he accidentally killed Billy.  He didn’t lie, for which I’m glad.  That’s at least something good that came out of it. Felicity also forgave him and said that Prometheus was to blame.  It was an incredibly compassionate and gracious moment for her, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t suffering. I know many are upset that Oliver didn’t comfort Felicity. In my opinion, I really don’t think that he could’ve right then. He was shaken himself and although she was forgiving, Felicity probably couldn’t handle Oliver near her.  What really bothered me was his actions afterward.  Oliver loves Felicity, and it must have gutted him to have caused her more pain. Oliver made a speech about how he ruins everything he touches and hurts the people closest to him.  He told everyone that they should stay away from him.  If that’s truly how he felt, then it would’ve actually made more sense for Oliver to revert into island mode and want to be alone afterward to wallow in his guilt.  Having him turn to another woman, especially someone as superficial and ingenuine as the reporter, while he’s worried about his dangerous influence and the love of his life suffering was in very poor taste.  That was something Ollie, not Oliver, would do. Stephen Amell recently said that Oliver doesn’t sleep with the reporter. It was just a kiss, but the damage to his character has been done.   Quite frankly, he looks like a selfish, insensitive jackass slipping back into his old ways.

Oliver killing this season is another regression.  In Season 4, we saw Oliver attempt to be a hero in the light.  He’s fallen off the wagon again in Season 5. Now I’m not of the mindset that Oliver can never kill, but I do think it should be a last resort. The criminals of Star City Oliver can easily take down without ending their lives. It’s homicidal madmen like Ra’s al Ghul and Damien Darhk that are too dangerous to be left alive, and Oliver was right to take them out. But last night, when Oliver shot Billy thinking it was Prometheus, we once again saw how killing can have unanticipated and dire consequences that cause a ripple effect. Oliver took the life of an innocent, destroyed his own self-growth/confidence, and hurt the woman he loved all in one shot.

After the 100th episode, Oliver learned what and who he values in life. He saw that while not getting on the Gambit may have led to him leading a happy life, it wouldn’t be full. Ignorance is bliss, and Oliver saw that the challenges he faced and people he let into his life over the last five years have truly helped shape him as a person and hero—or at least the hero he’s trying to become. I for one thought that we’d see Oliver experiencing solid growth from this experience, meaning he’d rededicate his life to the people he loves most and being a better man in his mission as Green Arrow.  We didn’t see that in 5x09.  As I mentioned above, he succumbed to the darkness and has managed to, once again, deeply hurt the people closest to him.

The Fix: I don’t love Oliver Queen because he’s perfect.  I love Oliver Queen because he’s extremely flawed and yet he keeps trying to reach for the light. We are five seasons into this show and while everyone has setbacks in life, we have reached a point in Arrow where Oliver’s regressions are crippling him as a character.  It’s time the writers stopped trying to revisit the same old issues and actually start building drama off of the lessons Oliver has already learned. Instead of tearing other characters down to make him look good, build him up and let him make the right choices every now and then.  Let him actually be a better man.  Let him actually be a hero in the light. 

This happens through Oliver’s interactions with other characters. Whenever I see fans ask for better storylines for Felicity, Diggle or Thea, many times they’re met with the argument that Arrow is about Oliver. Yes, Arrow is about Oliver and his journey.  But how Oliver supports and inspires those suffering around him is part of that narrative.  It’s how we see the integrity and humanity in the man that then influences the mask.  It’s everything.  It’s the whole show. Going forward, instead of shying away from these emotional beats and pumping the episodes full of action sequences, the writers need to start taking time to explore these vital moments between Oliver and his family/friends.  We need to see Oliver on a steady trajectory toward becoming a better man and hero presented in a way that is fresh, engaging, and, most importantly, evolved.

3. Respect the integrity of the Olicity journey (and the fans)

One of the aspects I love most about Olicity is that this couple grew from a strong foundation of friendship and partnership.  At the end of Season 4, I was glad Olicity hadn’t quickly been reunited because I felt they had a lot of issues to work through before that happened. Going into Season 5, I was so excited to watch the rebuild and see how Olicity started to work their way back to each other. I was most eager to see Oliver fight for Felicity.

Now, I know the term “fight” has been widely debated within the fandom. It means different things to different fans. I’ll simply explain what Oliver fighting for Felicity means to me. It does not involve Oliver making extremely grand romantic gestures nor trying to force her to give him a second chance when she isn’t ready.  To me, Oliver fighting for Felicity is as simple as him being a close confidante and source of support when she needs it. Not pushing too hard but also not completely retreating either.  Oliver lost Felicity’s trust by lying to her, and so having him try to be more open in 5A and growing through action was the best scenario to me.  In turn, I was hoping Felicity would notice this and gradually allow herself to be vulnerable again with him by talking about any one of her traumas such as her fear of abandonment, the shooting, her paralysis, being fired from Palmer Tech, or Havenrock. This is Arrow, so I honestly wasn’t expecting any lengthy emotional scenes. I was, however, hoping to see small segments of these emotional arcs dispersed (like we’ve seen in S1-S4A) in some way throughout each episode. That’s not even close to what we got.

Olicity has been separated emotionally for the majority of 5A.  Right off the bat, it was announced that Felicity had a new boyfriend. I won’t go into why I disliked that here, because I already wrote an entire meta (if you’d like to take a read) on why I thought this wasn’t the right direction for her.  We also got Oliver confiding in the reporter, which I’ve already gone into at length above.  I still don’t think the love interests to the degree they’ve been presented were necessary but putting that aside, there needed to at least be a counterbalance to make the rebuild believable and give fans hope.

As I stated, the scene in 5x02 of Olicity talking about the recruits has been my favorite.  It felt the most like the Olicity I know and love.  The next closest scenes we got were in 5x05, but even those talks weren’t very direct in addressing what went wrong and how they’re really feeling. Personally, I was very disappointed.  For the amount of contrived drama we had to go through, the payoff has not been there. The writers mentioned that Olicity had a conversation over hiatus about how they were going to work together. But since we didn’t get to see it on screen, it really means nothing. Olicity and us as viewers started Season 5 off in limbo, and I’m not sure either of us have ever really recovered from that.  The whole situation still seems very much disjointed, especially after the mid-season finale.

The 100th episode seemed to be laying the foundation for the actual rebuild with the Smoak Technologies building being the way home, Oliver’s flashes and recognition of Felicity, and then him realizing his current life is the one that brings him true fulfillment.  Last week I said that although these moments looked good for Olicity, they mean nothing if they don’t bring about a change in the current timeline. They’re nothing more than crumbs, a.k.a. ship bait. Despite Oliver being abducted and his seemingly big epiphany, going into 5x09 Felicity was still with DTH and Oliver decided to start “dating” the reporter.

The Olicity flashback in 5x09 was sweet, but that also yielded nothing more than a strong case of nostalgia.  I did not see the whole Oliver killing Billy twist coming and although I wanted DTH gone, I didn’t want it to be at the expense of my OTP.  The kill was accidental, but this is a huge wedge that has been put between Olicity. Add the disgusting scene with the reporter at the end, and it’s really not looking good. I’m not saying Olicity isn’t endgame, but I will say that the journey matters.  For me, the integrity of Olicity’s relationship has been compromised for shock value.  Since Olicity has been segregated for much of 5A, I also don’t know how the hell the writers can turn it around if they continue to “write away from the romance” and not even have them interact as friends anymore.  Olicity has truly reached its lowest point to date.

Even more worrisome than what I’ve seen on screen is what I’ve seen off screen from the EPs and writers. PR regarding Olicity has been bleak at best, and the interactions with fans (the ones not being rude for the hell of it and sending death threats) have been downright unprofessional and disrespectful at times.  I think the writers are trying to appeal to the comic stans, but there is a way to do that without insulting other parts of the fanbase. A tweet from the Arrow writers account about the red pen in 5x09 means zilch if they are also liking tweets from viewers who praise the episode while disparaging the Olicity fans. It’s disheartening that the showrunners aren’t even trying to be neutral about it, and I’m not sure what that means for us or our OTP going forward. My gut tells me they are experimenting right now and that the reporter is merely a gateway LI for the introduction of Tina, the possible new BC.

The Fix: So how do the writers fix it?  Can it even be fixed?  It can with really strong writing.   Whether the writers can rise to that challenge remains to be seen.  The only way in my mind is for the writers to legitimately go “back to basics” is re-establish the Olicity friendship and partnership as I mentioned before. They can’t not be talking and avoiding each other only to suddenly be reunited at the end of the season if that’s the intention.  It’s a disservice to the fans that are invested and just plain lazy writing.  I worry that Oliver may keep his distance from Felicity in 5B not just for her sake, but to punish himself for hurting her. His self-doubt and self-hatred are usually the source of his missteps. 

Somehow, these two characters need to grow as individuals while also being brought back into each other’s orbit. They need to have a serious talk or, at this point, a full knock-out, drag-down fight where they just let everything that’s been boiling under the surface out.  In fact, I would prefer the latter because it’s amazing when we get to see Olicity being honest and passionate.  Stephen and Emily have the amazing acting talent and chemistry to do a scene like that justice.  After five seasons, the will-they/won’t-they drama is a stale stall tactic.  It’s beneath Olicity and the beautiful relationship the writers originally created for them.  Oliver and Felicity are the best versions of themselves when they are together, and the show became more impactful and inspirational because of it.

4. Re-establish OTA as the heart of the show

As much as I love Olicity, they weren’t the only reason I got hooked on Arrow. It was the dynamic between Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity that initially kept me binging Seasons 1-2 on Netflix.  Original Team Arrow has been called the “secret sauce” of Arrow, because they make the show. They are the show. They are a family in every sense of the word, and we’ve been with them through the triumphs and setbacks that cemented this unbreakable bond and partnership.

I wasn’t originally against the addition of new team members, because sometimes you need fresh blood on a show to bring out different sides and situations of your favorite characters. At first, I loved seeing Oliver training and beating the crap out of the new recruits.  Felicity was also a mentor of sorts keeping everyone in line when Oliver was out in the field. The constant “Mom and Dad” references gave me life at the beginning of the season.  Diggle was also delivering words of wisdom to Wild Dog who needs a good kick in the ass almost every episode.  The honeymoon period, though, has now worn off. The lair is way too crowded, and so many characters vying for screen time means that OTA are often divided among them.  

The worst episode for me regarding the lack of OTA was 5x06.  Oliver was off dealing with the threat of Prometheus, the recruits being a bunch of whiny hypocrites regarding killing, and talking to the reporter instead of Felicity or Dig about his insecurities as mayor. 

Felicity was having trouble balancing her personal life with DTH and her mission as Overwatch in the lair. She didn’t talk to either Oliver or Dig about her decision to let someone else know about their mission.  If she did talk to anyone, it was almost always Curtis.

Finally, Diggle was having trouble adjusting to life as a fugitive and being separated from his family.  He shared his concerns with Curtis and Rene, and it was eventually Rene (not Felicity or Oliver) that called Lyla and had her bring JJ to the lair.

Even when OTA tries to handle business on their own together, we get complaints from the recruits being left out of the loop.  The constant sense of entitlement from the newbies is annoying and just plain disrespectful.  Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity started this mission.  They are the top chain of command, and it’s up to the recruits to earn their place. If OTA think the recruits are not ready for something—which most often they aren’t because they’re constantly screwing up, not listening, or being traitors—then that’s their call to make.

Another scene I had an issue with was in 5x09 when Oliver returns from facing Prometheus. There were too many people in that scene, especially for the emotional news that Oliver had to deliver to Felicity. I really think that the others should’ve been asked to leave while he broke the news to her privately.  Diggle and Thea probably could’ve been allowed to stay for emotional support, but that was a moment that did not need a large audience.  The over-crowdedness pulled the focus too much from the scene, which was made worse by almost everyone gravitating toward Oliver and then Felicity being left off to the side.    

The Fix: Basically, the Arrow writers introduced way too many new characters too quickly.  The best formula besides OTA by themselves is OTA with one other person, like Roy or Thea. Once there’s more than four, especially when the others are not that skilled, they become distractions and liabilities.  Since it seems like many of these new characters (plus a couple more) are here to stay, then the writers really should consider cutting back on their presence. These newbie subplots are getting out of control and taking away screen time and major arcs from the core characters that we as fans actually care about.  OTA is the heart of Arrow.  Try to cut that out and you’re DOA. 

5. Maintain continuity as much as possible

Another major criticism of 5A from numerous fans has been the lack of continuity on Arrow concerning character behavior, overarching plots, and even smaller details in general.  Paul Blackthorne recently said at HVFF in November that, “There’s a lot of things that you don’t see between the plot points on Arrow.”  He couldn’t be more right about this.  Too often we as the audience miss details that have been referenced as happening off screen or are later revealed in interviews by writers/cast.    

The most glaring example of this is the “reveal” of Prometheus in 5x09.  I for one was hoping it would be either someone we knew in Season 1 or someone from Season 5 that could’ve been tied back to it. Through the flashbacks, we learned that Oliver went after a man on his father’s list named Justin Claybourne. He owned a pharmaceutical company and intentionally caused a tuberculous outbreak in Starling City so he could jack up the price of the medicine to cure it. Oliver killed him as The Hood, and it was revealed that his son became Prometheus seeking revenge.  Prometheus apparently trained with a woman in Russia that Oliver had also trained with.  

Herein lies the problem with this reveal, it bears no emotional resonance or mental connection with the audience that has watched since Season 1.  We never knew about this case until 5x09.  We never saw this woman Oliver spoke of in the flashbacks to make the connection ourselves in the present. This was all told to us for the first time in this episode.  It was so disappointing, especially when so many have pointed out how awesome Tommy Merlyn would be as Prometheus.  Now that would’ve been a great twist!  Maybe that could still happen, because I’m slightly suspicious that we haven’t seen this guy’s face yet.  But so far we have to go with what we were told, and that’s that Prometheus is Claybourne’s son.  Sorry, writers, but that’s a fail from me.      

Flashpoint is another mess and the biggest excuse the writers can use for why something in the Arrow timeline doesn’t make sense. It’s essentially a “get out of jail free” card.  I’m still pissed that Baby Sara has been erased and replaced with John Jr.  It was just wrong and really upsetting on so many levels.

Besides Prometheus and Flashpoint, the plot holes don’t always have to be big. It’s usually the growing amount in the small details, or lack thereof, that are overlooked that grate on me while watching these days.  How did Evelyn become so good with a bow and arrow so fast (now that we know she wasn’t working with Prometheus from the start)? How was Curtis an Olympic athlete and yet he’s so weak and uncoordinated while training and in the field?  

Again, how the hell does it make sense for Oliver to be spilling his guts to the reporter who was out to get him? Why was Diggle okay staying at H.I.V.E. when it’s actually a constant reminder of the organization that poisoned his brother against him?  Why couldn’t Diggle talk to his own wife about seeing JJ? Why was seventeen-year-old Evelyn made to dress up like a prostitute to lure that drunk guy when Rory or Wild Dog easily could’ve marched up to him and roughed him up for answers? Why was Felicity working from the loft during the day in the crossover, and how did Barry/Thea know that’s where Oliver and Diggle should be?  Seriously, I could go on and on…

The Fix: Basically, the writers really need to learn to connect the dots more. I get that it’s a TV show, and not everything will make sense.  Life doesn’t always make sense either. Screw-ups happen.  Oliver being stabbed through the chest in 3x09 and then getting cured by magic snow and penicillin tea are one of many breaks in continuity I’ve overlooked. But when the writing also fails to resonate on various levels, you start to notice these other issues more and they don’t paint a pretty picture overall.  Aside from avoiding blatant retconning, I suggest the writers either hire a professional editor or start reading the scripts a few extra times to catch some of these issues before we do.  

Final Thoughts:

Am I going to watch Arrow 5B?  I honestly don’t know at this point, because my original plan was to wait until 5x23 to make a decision. I love the cast, but my distrust in the writers is so deep that I fear there’s no coming back from it to an extent.  I could decide to not watch live, stockpile episodes until the end of the season, or walk away completely. Maybe we get one kick-ass promo for 5B, and then I’ll be sucked back in.  It’s something I’m going to be thinking about over hiatus.

In addition to enjoying the holiday break, one thing I do know for sure is that I will be continuing to write my Olicity fanfics.  Those do continue to bring me joy, and I am 100% invested in my characters and their stories. I’m also very grateful for the friends I’ve made in this fandom, because they are awesome people that I’ve loved talking to.  Whatever my fellow fans are feeling about the show, I hope everyone has a great holiday and takes this time to regroup. 

TGIH! (Thank God it’s hiatus!)