Green Arrow (CW)

[Lighthammer]

My only problem was the creation of a new company name that was going to create the device to destroy the Glades. DC didnt have any large evil corporation names they could use?

Though not directly related to the bomb, Moira did mention Robert was investing a lot of time in Kord Industries. I wonder if that's a throw away line for next season.

I still have no idea why they called it Starling City

I've thought that weird too. The first few times I heard the name, I thought I heard it wrong.

My guess is TPTB probably wanted the city name to resonate in a way that sounded more like a real city name. They may have been some sort of weird copyright issue. For instance, Star City Games is a very well known establishment; though oddly enough they'd probably want the PR that would come with the show.

 

[Vendikarr]

Felicity had loads of lines that made me laugh. I liked the brief scene between Laurel and Tommy, and the romantic in me got a bit too excited at the last scene between Oliver and Laurel.

Her reaction was like all the air had just been sucked out of the room. She couldn't breathe from his announcement. It was very well played.

 

[Ayelbourne]

I find Felicity far more attractive with the glasses on then when she gets all dressed up.
Very solid episode here, great flashbacks to fill things in about how they plan to destroy the glades.
My only problem was the creation of a new company name that was going to create the device to destroy the Glades. DC didnt have any large evil corporation names they could use?

I still have noe idea why they called it Starling City

And then there was this "Ted Kord Fundraiser" in the flashbacks.
They're quite selective with the DC continuity.

Meh, I wish they weren't sponsored by Microsoft so much. All that Windows 8 product placement really takes me out of the narrative, especially when Felicity uses it at work. She's an IT expert! Why would she use Windows 8 for work??

 

[Marc]

I find Felicity far more attractive with the glasses on then when she gets all dressed up.
Very solid episode here, great flashbacks to fill things in about how they plan to destroy the glades.
My only problem was the creation of a new company name that was going to create the device to destroy the Glades. DC didnt have any large evil corporation names they could use?

I still have noe idea why they called it Starling City

And then there was this "Ted Kord Fundraiser" in the flashbacks.
They're quite selective with the DC continuity.

And Walter was held in Bludhaeven.

Early on people did think the Moira was involved with the sinking of the Queens Gambit - well I guess we know now she wasn't.

almost felt sorry for Malcom Merlyn at one point.

 

[Lighthammer]

And Walter was held in Bludhaeven.

Early on people did think the Moira was involved with the sinking of the Queens Gambit - well I guess we know now she wasn't.

almost felt sorry for Malcom Merlyn at one point.

I honestly have to admit --- when Bludhaven was mentioned, I expected Nightwing to cameo.

The odd thing is, this kind of messes with the tradition locations of several major cities muchly.

Star City is traditionally a West Coast town while Bludhaven is usually considered to be the outskirts of NYC/Gotham or somewhere in New Jersey.

So either Ollie went to the other side of the continent (which it didn't seem like) or the cities locations have been tweaked.

Starlet City being on the West Coast to date has made a lot of sense because it easily explained a seemingly oriental named island and may other facets of the 5 year gap. Though no one has stated where Starlet City is to date, this whole Bludhaven pickup muchly feels like the writers forced the city name in there =(.

 

[SG-17]

Well Ollie did take a plane to Bludhaven. We don't know how long the interval was between Ollie finding out about Walter and arriving at Bludhaven.

 

[DarKush]

I read a while back that the show's creators went with Starling City because they felt Star City didn't sound realistic enough. Doesn't make sense since when they namedrop places like Coast City (or was that Central City?).

Anyway, I thought this week's episode was great. I really liked the flashbacks, and this is the first time that I really liked Malcolm as a villain, and not been into him just because I liked Barrowman on Torchwood. The look on Oliver's face before the turned to face Malcolm was priceless. He wanted to snap his neck right then. I'm guessing he'll get his chance soon.

 

[Jax]

I really wish he was hide his face better when dressed as Arrow because I don't buy he's not been I.D since hes world famous billionaire survived on an island face all over the TV and papers in his 9-5 part of the day.

 

[Mach5]

The makeup artist did a great job of making Ollie look "baby-faced" in the non-island flashbacks. He actually looked kinda "rich kid" pudgy.

He looked like a tranny.

No offense to actual trannies.

 

[kirk55555]

This was a good episode. I liked the flashbacks being of the events leading up to the island, instead of more island stuff. Its interesting to see Walter back, although I wonder what Merlyn is going to do about it. He was holding Walter for a reason.

I liked the Ted Kord reference, and the mention of Markov. I'm guessing merlyn's way of making a disaster will be with a device that causes earthquakes, or something similar. I can't wait to see what happens in the last two episodes of the season.

 

[Caliburn24]

The three week travel time and the last shot of the Queen's Gambit selling into the sunset(west) with no land in sight certainly suggests that Starling City is on the west coast.

I like that they're laying out Malcolm's motivations, but jumping from avenging the death of his wife to killing thousands of people seems a little farfetched, even for this show. Also, his master plan seems a lot like Batman Begins. Not entirely a bad thing, but it does seem a tad familiar.

 

[Icemizer]

I think that we will probably find out that Malcolm had his wife killed because she had figured out what he was planning to do to the Glades. Although why if he had the money he just wouldnt buy up all the land is beyond me. I sense a deeper plan at work, but thats probably to complex for tv to handle.

 

[Morpheus 02]

I am mentioning now - Thea, Felicity having hot lesbian sex. Think that will happen too/

I think that we will probably find out that Malcolm had his wife killed because she had figured out what he was planning to do to the Glades. Although why if he had the money he just wouldnt buy up all the land is beyond me. I sense a deeper plan at work, but thats probably to complex for tv to handle.

I don't think he had the money just yet...or at least not able to get all the resources to pull it off right away...hence Queen & Chen plotting to buy the land as well.

Malcolm seemed to dismiss of the hope his wife had for Glade residents (when he talked about her death in an earlier episode)...so i think there's something much deeper. He was using the "save our neighborhood from crime" as a cover. His millionaire friends aren't so evil as to take over or kill without a "good" reason, even beyond money.

There's definitely more to the plot..interested to see where it goes!

 

[stj]

Buying up all the land sort of points a finger at the owner of a large property suddenly available for massive money-making, even if it's held by a corporation called Sagittarius. That name is awfully close to openly taking responsbility.

 

[Morpheus 02]

On a different topic...if Oliver applied a false yellow/deep blonde beard & mustache to his "disguise"...would that be plausible in any way (i.e. more so than Clark Kent's glasses)?

 

[Guy Gardener]

So there was this Key party in mid 1980, and why wouldn't there be... Robert and Malcolm raised each others kids.

Where is Alison Mack?

 

[Jax]

Anyone else getting League of Shadows/Assassins vibes with the "Plan" do you think they will show up in the show?

 

[Icemizer]

The league might be tied to the Bat and so not usable but ya never know. I would love to see it.

 

[Lighthammer]

So holy monkey --- if Tommy doesn't become a villain after that --- whoa

I'm seriously, way to make legit business with semi-X best friend to gain legit access to enemy territory only to back peddle and make said semi-X best friend feel like a fool. This is some serious 90210 story telling going on >.<

Before getting past the shock value of that one, does anyone else feel like this episode and last episode almost felt like two different episodes stitched together. I mean each "episode" was good in its own right, but it just felt like I was watching two 30 minute episodes back to back rather than 1 60 minute episode. The only reason its remotely a complaint is it feels like the episode is wrapping up then *BOOM* --- more is going on. Contrasting to earlier episodes when the story was winding down for the end of the episode, you knew the episode was ending. The last two, I felt "tricked" most of the way through each of those episodes.

In other "plotness":

- Moira is really in a bind now but hopefully its coming to an end; I just hope this isn't a sign of something reckless coming up. It is noteworthy that Walter Steele runs Queen Consolidated on Olies behalf in several comic versions. It makes me think we could be seeing the tidings of a situation where Moira will end up dying; either through saving Olie or other. I kind of hope it doesn't come to that, but it will make for a dramatic ending. As the viewer, we know if she rides it out, there will be a happy ending (most likely), but for her, right now, it probably looks like the end of her road and if her proverbial life is end, she's probably thinking it may as well be a honorable death.

- Roy Harper --- man did they miss a really potentially awesome line with him. When he said (paraphrasing) "Someone close to me died before and they aren't coming back --- I can't let someone else I care about die too" they could have made that more profoundly impacting by saying "Someone close to me died before and they aren't coming back --- I can't let someone else I care about like you die too". I think they missed a really great line there. I think at this point its pretty obvious Roy is gonna be in the mix of saving Ollie, but how. I hope it's not a lame attempt to shove him in >.<

- That seems like an interesting throw away line for Felicity. I wonder where that's going. I have a hard time believing its going to play a critical role now. She's not a very well established character in DC and its really hard to see where TPTB is going with her character. I mean in theory, after they stop Merlin, she's done with crime fighting and it seems that Ollie seems to feel like he is too. The end obviously isn't going to be that easy. I think the question is --- is something next week going to cause them to stay in the biz or is something between seasons or at the beginning of next season going to cause it. Given the need for a "Speedy training montage", something is going to have to happen to keep the hero biz going at the season conclusion so there's a reason for Roy to take on the mantle of Speedy / Red Arrow / Arsenal / Whatever-else-he-ends-up-being.

- Diggle --- Man this character still drives me nuts. I just don't know where they are going with this character. Unlike Felicity though, he doesn't serve a "behind the scenes" role --- he's practically a straight up crime fighter. It would be one thing if he evolved as "Ops Manager" if say Ollie, Roy, Laurel and Thea all emerge as heroes early next season. I keep wondering if TPTB have plans to use him as another lesser known character too or simply kill him off for the finale.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

Diggle is kind of the group's true concience. Ollie and Felicity are there for personal reasons. Diggle has always been there out of a sense of right and wrong. Even when he is in a personal vendetta against Deadshot, we have the sense that he sees the need take this guy down for the greater good. As you say, Felicity and Ollie have no need to keep going once this arc winds up. Diggle sees there is a continuing need. He is giving Ollie this final training to be a hero and not just a vigilante.

The have been playing up Felicity's Freudian slips about Ollie, but it can't go anywhere. It makes her the nerd, even though she is hot, blonde, smart, fun, capable, etc. As long as she has an unrequitted nerd fantasy about Ollie, then she isn't involved with anyone else, and she can be the unrequitted nerd fantasy of all of us.

There is only one episode left, and Roy has very little to go in terms of tracking down his hero. He does know that Merlyn is involved, he does know about the "copycat" archer. He has a good bit of legwork to do. I do think he will be the one to pull Ollie's ass out this.

Moira is on a path to destruction now. Ollie knows, so she can never live this down. Walter knows that something was up, enough to know she wasn't what she presented. Enough to divorce her. Moira has no path to redemption that involves her survival. Possible exception is if she sacrifices herself, people see this, and she gets saved at the last minute. But this show has been too dark and gritty to give her a happy ending.

Laurel has always been somewhat attractive, but tonight seeing her at home in her shorts and socks jumping Ollie somehow made her sexier than anyone. I'm still wondering if she will become Black Canary.

Tommy absolutely has to hate Ollie now. I still have a hard time seeing him as credible physical threat. He doesn't have the killer instinct, or he wouldn't be so freaked that Ollie is a "serial killer." So far he has be the counterpoint to Ollie, he is what Ollie would have been if there was no island. For him to be a credible threat, he needs more than motive, he needs mad skills. What he has going for him, Ollie will never bring himself to take Tommy down.

Merlyn, something I just realized from the previous episode, Ollie's father said something about "We know one man can't do it" referring to the Glades. Now combine that with Merlyn's over-the-top skills, abilities, and equipement. What we end up with is a kind of Batman, one that was willing to go in with the League of Shadows. It looks to me like Merlyn would have gone the route of being a vigilante in the past. Have Ollie and Co. looked into this previously? Any going through old news stories, etc.?

I predict that Ollie will get out of this alive, but this has been a great setup and the show continues to impress me.

I'm sad that Lao Fe got killed.