Arrow - The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak - Review
9 Nov 2014
Arrow LM ReviewsArrow, “The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak,” was written by the team of Ben Sokolowski and Brian Ford Sullivan and directed by Michael Schultz. While Sokolowski and Schultz should be familiar names, this is the only entry on Sullivan’s IMDb page! Great start, dude! This is really the first Felicity-centric episode of the show and Emily Bett Rickards steps up in a big way. She also did double duty last week appearing on The Flash. It was great to have more of her backstory filled in. And who knew Felicity would be so hot as a Goth!
I loved the opening montage of this episode. We see Oliver (Stephen Amell) sparring with Roy (Colton Haynes), Laurel (Katie Cassidy) sparring with Grant (JR Ramirez), Thea (Willa Holland) sparring with Malcolm (John Barrowman), and Felicity struggling through 10 sit ups. Felicity answers Thea’s question about how “normal” people start their day. Of course, we know that Felicity isn’t really “normal” either! But appearances can be deceiving, and one thing that this episode shows us is that even Felicity can be a chameleon and has a past.
The theme of the episode is articulated by Thea, who tells Oliver that “family is pretty precious, and love in spite of everything is what makes it precious.” It was nice to see Oliver and Thea come back together. I like the new loft set – though part of me will always miss the mansion. Oliver warns Thea not to take Malcolm’s “blood money” but she firmly tells him he’s her brother but he doesn’t get to make those kinds of decisions for her. I love this new Thea – strong and forceful, but she doesn’t lose her temper. She invites Oliver to move in with her after he brings her popcorn as a peace offering – meeting her halfway. She promises to give away Malcolm’s money once the club starts turning a profit. I wonder if she actually means this though. Regardless, we see Malcolm watching the two in the apartment, and he does not seem happy at all. Malcolm is Thea’s family now too, and I’m betting she is going to try to make each accept the other.
The preciousness of family is also at the heart of Laurel’s journey. She is angry over Sara’s death and unable to talk to Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) because she’s still trying to protect him. Laurel makes a huge mistake as acting DA by sending in the riot squad – but really? It was a riot – what else should she have done to protect the bank? A quick aside for some love for the Roy/Oliver side by side shooting. Regardless, Quentin does chew her out, and then tells her to talk to someone, pointing out that secrets can hurt more than the truth – and do we need more proof of how angry he’s going to be with her when he does eventually find out about Sara? Regardless, Laurel does confide in Grant, who then sensibly tells her to train for herself. I’m not totally sold on Ramirez yet, but this is a good start for the character.
The episode centers on an incident from Felicity’s past that comes back to haunt her in the present. We also get to meet her Mom, Donna, played by the ever wonderful Charlotte Ross. We’ve heard Felicity speak really highly of how her mother sacrificed for her when she was growing up, so I was a little taken aback by how upset Felicity was when Donna just showed up on her doorstep. I also felt like the characterization was a bit inconsistent. Is Donna selfish and un-thinking or is she generous and hard working? Is she simply trashy and a bit stupid? I really felt like they made a caricature of her by how they dressed her – just a bit over the top for me.
However, much like Oliver’s own flashbacks, this one shows Felicity’s first attempt to become a hero. I loved the flashback scenes with her boyfriend Cooper (Nolan Funk). The scene in the prison when he tells her he’s going to take the blame and that he loves her is terrific and both give terrific performances. Felicity is sure that Brother Eye can’t be Cooper, and it’s heartbreaking when she tells Oliver that he hung himself before sentencing.
It was nice to see some context in Felicity’s development. We see her wearing the “mask” of a Goth as a hacktivist in her past. As an aside, anyone also watching Scorpion? I thought it interesting that both shows focused on hacktivists this week… After that attempt at being a hero fails, she changes to the preppy-nerdy look we saw in the first season. She’s hiding as a corporate lapdog – much as Myron (Matthew McLellan) – the roommate – is now. Can we draw a parallel to Oliver’s new look in the flashbacks in which he’s now part of the ARGUS system? Maybe.
But now we have Felicity dressing much more boldly – not showing quite as much cleavage as her mother, but her wardrobe has been criticized by some fans as becoming too sexy. Is this her embracing that strength she says she gets from her mother? I would say yes. She’s stronger and more settled in who she really is. Felicity is a hero now, along with the rest of the team. She apologizes to Oliver and says he was right to press about Cooper, but she’d been so sure he was dead. Oliver quietly tells her that he has some experience with the dead coming back to life – LOL! Malcolm? Slade? Yep. But more importantly, he accepts her past, mistakes and all, because those are the experiences that have made her what she is today.
In the end, Donna does have some redeeming qualities. She comes to find Felicity, angry that she’s being ignored, but really, she is simply terrified that she is losing her daughter – that she’s leaving her. She does, after all, try to defend Felicity against Cooper – who is not dead, but had been recruited by the NSA to become a hacker for cyber-espionage. That was my favorite Charlotte Ross moment, when she tells him that she worked 60 hours a week in 6 inch heels to support her daughter! I want fierce Charlotte Ross!
So, as much as I am a fan of Felicity, and I loved this glimpse into her past, and I think there were some great performances in the episode, I have a lot of things that really bothered me about this episode. First and foremost is disappearing baby Sara. I loved the scene in which Felicity has to introduce her mom to Oliver and Diggle and then Oliver admits he just doesn’t want a baby in the Lair. However, why would Felicity bring her mother or Diggle bring Sara to the Foundry in the first place. I loved Donna cooing over Sara, but they left the two of them in the Foundry? Really? There’s nothing even to sit on there. Then they’ve magically disappeared before Thea arrives. And as owner of a building, you’d just accept that there’s a door you can’t go through? Then Donna comes to Felicity at work without the baby, but it’s not until Felicity gets home that she asks where the baby is. That’s also the point where Donna finally reveals she won a free flight? That wouldn’t have been the first thing she said when she surprised Felicity?
I though Brother Eye was a little on the nose – or at least not exceptionally original. Of course, the fact that it’s basically the image and voice effect of the eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings is perfect for the kind of gaming nerd that we know Cooper to be. (fyi that isn’t meant to be a derogatory stereotype, either from myself or on the part of the writers – I think we recognize it because we live it – ie I’d put myself in the same category). And if we also consider that Cooper is meant to be as clever as Felicity, this actually fits pretty well into what he’d be likely to come up with. I also thought it smacked an awful lot like Eyes Only from Dark Angel – also shot in Vancouver…
When they are trapped by Cooper, Donna’s alarm goes off – as it does every hour – but the time on the watch is 8:43! Oliver is trapped in the laser sites of several machine guns – which almost never miss – yet none of them hit him? Maybe if he’d moved immediately… Although a couple of quick positives for the final confrontation. Colton Haynes shoots his bow perfectly! Diggle is finally at least wearing a balaclava!
In the end, Felicity saves herself and her Mom by disarming and pistol whipping Cooper. That scene totally started out as damsel in distress, so thank you very much writers for not taking it to its logical conclusion!
My final complaint is that Felicity is a terrible employee and Ray (Brandon Routh) is the best boss ever – though coming to your home before work hours to start work is a bit intrusive. In the end, that may be the only way he gets any work out of Felicity!
We also see the cause of Roy’s tiredness. He’s having nightmares that he killed Sara (Caity Lotz). I can’t imagine he actually did, and I’m really, really hoping that this is going to be some ridiculous side effect of the mirakuru or how his guilt from what he did do under the mirakuru is manifesting.
While I do seem to have a lot of complaints about this episode, I did very much enjoy it because who doesn't love Felicity? It was great to have more of her story and Emily Bett Rickards certainly stepped up to the plate, proving she can carry an episode. What did you think of the episode? Did any of my tiny complaints bug you too? Did you love Felicity’s backstory? What did you think of Donna? Do you think Malcolm is going to be really angry at Thea’s choice of roommate? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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I did not like this episode. From the moment I saw the promo pictures I knew it was going to be cliche and predictable. And it was.
ReplyDeleteIt had some great moments though. Diggle trying to bring Sara into the Quiver. Roy's shock at actually hitting his target was a funny nod for us fans who criticize how fast he learned to use the bow. Ray Palmer being intentionally oblivious. Felicity's scene with her mother at QC. All good stuff.
Unfortunately the good was outweighed by the bad. I'll be skipping this one on re-watches.
Hi Lisa, ha I totally agree with you - actually for me it was one of the worst episodes (plot wise) but I still enjoyed and loved this episode.
ReplyDeleteThe opening montage has become one of my favorite "scenes" I have seen on Arrow so far. You can only make this after a few seasons and bringing a little bit of day to day routine into this secret life - pure delight. And I loved the faces of everybody meeting Mom(a) Smoak. Having the core trio back together was also a sweet touch.
But Donna for me was acting like a normal mom, there was no reason for the be redeemt at it was more of a lesson for Felicity. Interesting also that Oliver is still hinting about his feeling towards her, while Felicity has never talked about her feelings for Oliver to him directly.
As you I have the same complains. The machine gun stunt was one of the worst things I have seen on Arrow. Great seeing not only Stephen Amell grow as an actor but also EBR. Her argument with ther mom and the last pep talk to Oliver in the S2 Finale "you are not done fighting" have been her strongest performance for me and hope that her performances become more constant (the too much crying does not do it for me). What has been distracting me most though (and I am annoyed at myself noticing this) she walks weird in high heels.
mhhm same opinion, just enjoyed the good things to much ;) Ok I am bias.
ReplyDeleteThis was in no way a perfect episode. And if you are someone who don't love the character of Felicity you will dislike this one immensely. Fortunately I love Felicity and it felt good to see her more established as a hero and with a back story. Did this episode add anything new to her character. Not really. It just established how she became the way she became. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteI liked Cooper in the flashback but in present he was a joke as a villain. Such a predictable cliche. During that whole machine gun stunt which was stupid he just stood there with a gun on Felicity. He had ample time to shoot her. I hope the virus and brother eye will make a return again in the course of the series.
I loved Donna Smoak. She was fabulous. Her relationship with Felicity was the highlight of this episode. I think Donna is a loving and hard working mother who is a bit stupid and trashy. She is unable to connect with her daughter because of their IQ difference and their difference in priorities. Did you hear her say in that last scene while walking away from Ray "You need to do something about this one" and Felicity is pulling her away LOL. She puts importance to matters like boyfriends and appearance while Felicity do not. Charlotte Ross was amazing.
Thea is frustrating me. When she said to Oliver "you do not get to play that card" I was like WTF? What else a loving brother should say "please go ahead and cohort with a known terrorist. I will be happy for your decisions"?!! She on one hand loves Oliver a lot and on other is completely irrational.
This episode made me realize the character of Ray is a tamer version of Tony Stark without all the womanizing. Guy's a dork.. he gets ideas and he needs to share it immediately propriety be damned. I think the leniency he shows Felicity is because he considers her as a quick like minded person. When he talked about cogeneration Felicity immediately picked up on it and understood him. He is also a bit absent minded. The last scene where Felicity and Donna walks away he immediately forgot about them as soon as he looked in the tablet. I love him. I changed my mind. He is not a stalker:)
The title montage was one of the best beginning scenes Arrow ever had. Donna's introduction to Oliver and Diggle was so funny. The fight between Donna and Felicity at QC was powerful.
PS: You referenced Dark Angel. I love you:)
Lovely, detailed Review Lisa.
ReplyDeleteI think you got Donna wrong and Felicity's reaction to her.
Donna is a girly girl type, a bit naive but open hearted. She just wanted her daughter to have what she doesn't had abstable man by her side so Fel doesn't struggle like Donna did. The billioner remark was a nice touch.
Fel on the other hand is so opposite from her mother that she doesn't handle it well. She learned how to handle live without a strong man to be there for her and she doesn't need the pressure Donna puts on her. I liked how their story resloved.
Like most people I have issues for this ep cause I wanted some more mzsterz and comic connection to Fel past. But I hope that in the next Fel ep will be space for that.
I agree so much with your complaints. If feel the people who feel this is the "best episode ever" are people who love Felicity's character enough to ignore the bad. I liked Felicity's scenes and interactions with her mom and I thought the opening montage was one of the best opening scenes in Arrow and the end was incredibly shocking (although I don't think Roy killed Sara) But besides that the story-line was super predictable and unoriginal the action sequences (the robotic gun thing for instance) was lacking, the villain was very cheesy. And so on. Also Thea is really starting to annoy me. She starting to become my least favorite character.
ReplyDeleteOh I really love Ray Palmer though. He is such a dork lmao.
This is the first time I'm actually vehemently disagreeing on 2 things :p But no worries, I believe I saw things differently than you.
ReplyDelete"I also felt like the characterization was a bit inconsistent. Is Donna selfish and un-thinking or is she generous and hard working? Is she simply trashy and a bit stupid? I really felt like they made a caricature of her by how they dressed her – just a bit over the top for me." -- A person can be selfish, generous, unthinking, and hardworking, these traits aren't mutually exclusive. However, I don't see where you found Donna to be selfish. She didn't really portray that characteristic at all during the episode. Also, some women like to dress like that? I don't see anything wrong with a woman wanting to show her assets, especially a woman who works as a cocktail waitress for a living. It's just who Donna is and I don't think it's right to penalize her for that. Would I be embarrassed by that? Sure. But it goes to show just how confident Donna is with her own body and looks. Kudos to her for that.
"My final complaint is that Felicity is a terrible employee and Ray (Brandon Routh) is the best boss ever" -- I don't think anyone wants to watch Felicity work on whatever tech thing she's working on that has nothing to do with the weeks mission. It's not interesting, it's not what Arrow is about. I think that's why the show skips to when Felicity is bailing on work to help team arrow or hang out with her mom who will be leaving soon which is why Felicity only SEEMS like an asset to the company. Felicity is an asset to the company. She literally did something (extract those files from the destroyed hard drive) that no one else could do which is why I think Ray is so understanding. She more than excels at work which is why she doesn't need to be there when she isn't truly needed. My main complaint about this is that we don't know Felicity's exact job description... What in the world does she do?
Also I feel like the baby issue was a bit nitpicky. I just assumed an ARGUS agent/sitter picked the baby up before Donna left.
I liked it - because I am huge fan of Arrow in general - but I am glad it is over. Felicity is my favorite character but I could have lived without knowing her mother. Too much family drama in this episode, Thea is annoying me to no end with her hypocrisy about lying, Diggle with the baby, really? ...hopefully we are back to normal Arrow next week.
ReplyDeleteWell to be fair Ted didn't know Sara.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the episode and that we got to see a little more of Felicity's back story. I think we all knew that Cooper was going to be the vilan so that part was very predictable and probably the weakest part of the episode. Its also way past time that Diggle got a suit...everyone else can hide their identity except him so that needs fixing. Love Charlotte Ross and the scene where she and Felicity argued in her office and how she was afraid that there was none of her in Felicity just her Dad (which I am very interested in finding out who he is). Couldn't quite tell if it was anger on Malcolm's face that Oliver and Thea are together...maybe it was unexpected but is there a part of Malcolm that see's Oliver as a surrogate son?? He is his daughters half brother after all and on some level - very deep down; he does want to be something of a father to her!! On the whole I did enjoy the episode. The promo from Friday looks very cool - I can't wait to see Cupid. Brandon Routh hinted on twitter that Cupid may have had something to do with the kiss between him and Felicity. Although if it helps a certain ex billionaire get his head out of his behind then bring it on. Looks like Ted Grant will up his training of Laurel which should be good for the character - strong and steady is my hope all the way forward for Laurel. In general, whether it is Laurel or Felicity can we all just agree that we've all had enough of the tears. Unless someone dies of course...but besides that no more crying...please!!!
ReplyDeleteYep. Have to agree - though I really liked that it didn't become damsel in distress at least...
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of what you say, and think maybe my expectations for Charlotte Ross were too high because I loved her character on NYPD Blues so much. She was tough and strong and kicked ass! Crying doesn't do a lot for me - unless the scene really calls for it - as the prison scene definitely did. I will defend how she walks in those heels though! As someone who has a real weakness for stilettos, I can tell you that those are about the tallest you can get and the front platforms can be very unstable - a lot of brands the front surface is actually rounded which makes them a lot less stable. On top of that, check out the floors they most often have her walking on - very, very slippery, which means if your pinprick heel goes down just a little off centre or it's plastic instead of rubber on the heel, your foot will slip right over on your ankle... see? I've thought about this a lot too! Check out Katie Cassidy in similar shoes on similar flooring. It's a nightmare for those girls, trust me!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree - I'm just not all that impressed by Ramirez. I'm waiting for them to give him something more to do though... yeah to the Wild Cat stuff! I did love that we got more Felicity, I just wish they'd written her a tighter episode.
ReplyDeletePS - love you too! (DA for ever!)
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that as a woman, I will always find that kind of characterization troubling. Donna has made it on her own, she doesn't need to shove rich boyfriends at Felicity who is more than capable of making it on her own. I wish that they'd built a more solid relationship between the two. I think it would be perfectly plausible for Donna to show up and want to know why Felicity has been so distant with her - Felicity has to keep a ton of secrets from her mom after all. I think they could have had them be different without making Donna as much of a caricature as she felt like to me. But that is my very subjective opinion. I'm also a huge fan of Charlotte Ross from NYPD Blues - and I loved her character there - polar opposite of this, so kudos to her for such a range - and that may also help explain my bias...
Thanks! I'm a huge Felicity fan, but I just couldn't ignore those plot problems.
ReplyDeleteI think it's always a risk when the "star" takes a back seat. I think one of the great thing about this show is that the fans are willing to let other characters take the spotlight for a little bit - at least Felicity! I am disappointed the writers didn't give her a stronger episode though,.
ReplyDeleteAll sound arguments!
ReplyDeleteI should explain further - I don't object to how Donna was dressed - she did look fabulous! But who dresses like that to fly first thing in the morning? I think they could have had the same effect without it being quite so over the top - and used the same dress in the later scenes - or even with the little jacket she had in the final scene. My assessment that she was selfish is based on a couple of scenes. First, just arriving unannounced and then showing up at Felicity's office demanding her attention. But again, that is my subjective opinion and I'm willing to concede I may have been a bit harsh. I had high expectations of Charlotte Ross because I loved her character on NYPD Blues - a totally different character...
My comment about Felicity being a terrible employee was mostly tongue-in-cheek - but considering two episodes ago she was juggling outside calls with the hard drive and then just took off for a week (and if you watched The Flash (it's a great episode - and Felicity dresses completely inappropriately for coffee house trivia in the afternoon!!! LOL), there was no reason for her to go other than she just wanted to see Barry)...
As for the baby, all they had to do was have Felicity ask about Sara when Donna showed up at the office - not when she got home. Really, these are plotting errors for me...
But... I'm glad that you enjoyed the episode! Overall, I really did too!
I love that Arrow fans are generous in this way!
ReplyDeleteWell, they're gonna milk her story as much as they can... We could have seen something about her father wich would have been more interesting. Yet they choose something pretty much generic.
ReplyDeleteThey gave us something without giving as anything Jajaja The fans embraced the show as an assemble cast when it's not. It has two leads(Amell and Cassidy), at least on paper(Reality is other thing xD).
I adore Charlotte Ross! And I totally agree that Diggle needs a kickass suit - not just a balaclava! But at least it's a step in the right direction. Digg is a lot bigger than they are so the leather might be to restrictive for him...
ReplyDeleteI agree about Malcolm - I think he is jealous of Oliver's relationship with Thea and therefore angry, but deep down, I think he wants them all to be one happy family - which is unlikely...
I definitely think that Cupid is going to be behind the kiss. And I can't wait to see Amy Gumenick as Cupid! She's a terrific actor - and she's got the moves!
And we've definitely had enough crying for a while. More ass kicking, please!
I get your point, and I don't say they did a good job by portraying Donna the way she was, but at the end Donna was charming. I enjoyed her quirky attitude.
ReplyDeleteI think at this point we haven't enough on to make a real picture of Donna. Honestly we need a back story on her as well. We basically have no clue about her what made her the person she is. How much she struggled etc etc. That kind of behavior is often just compensating for other issues and building a wall around..
The writers introduced pretty big issues and a complicated daughter-mother relationship without digging enough into it. Probably the better option would've been to have a flashback episode of Fel's childhood/teenage years and make Donna appear after that.
Donna has to appear again at least in flashbacks to Felicity's previous life.
I agree - I think the writers stumbled hard with Laurel. She started out good in S1 and then when the show was a hit, I think they slowed her storyline down to drag it out which was a huge mistake. S2 was an utter disaster for Laurel's character. They've got a hard road ahead of them to get the fans to care about Laurel again. I'm really enjoying her this season, but I know a lot of people still aren't.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! And I definitely did love Donna by the end of the episode. I just really felt like the plotting was so off in this episode that the characterization became jumbled for me. Clearly we were supposed to see one thing when we first meet her and then come to realize who she really is. But as you say, we don't get enough backstory to really develop that...
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you in parts. The outfit was comical. But I think Donna is a woman who for a long time has played a part based on her assets. She is fluffy and flighty, and all bright colors and hair extensions. She works for tips. But there is more to her as well, she isn't the sharpest nail in the bunch, but she works hard and she understands people (if not tech-y things). She knows how to flirt and keep people happy. And if she is strong enough to look on the bright side, she does. I making her all one thing or the other would have been stereotyping her, and I think they did a good job of showing her being a complete character and showing the similarities with Felicity.
ReplyDeleteI was annoyed with the disappearing baby too (and riot squads causing riots and not having tear gas, and lots of other little things, but the plot holes in Arrow are large). Regarding the watch, it beeps on the hour and when they are about to be killed. The screen said software update, so I think they explained that one okay.
This is why I'm ridiculously peeved that Laurel told him before Quentin :( Poor guy is going to have a heart attack when he finds out. I really hope Laurel feels the repercussions of lying to Quentin. I hope he puts her through the wringer for this. Not because I don't like Laurel. But I feel as though everyone should feel the consequences of their actions.
ReplyDeleteThis episode, while not the best, I still loved it. So while I understand why people didn't like it... I mean let's be real, people generally watch the show for the action and the awesome villain and Oliver, but those three aspects were sort of missing this episode. While, yes, there was action, it wasn't that great, the villain was half baked and predictable. Yes, the plot was weak, but that doesn't really matter because the plot was just a means to get to know Felicity better. It wasn't meant to be the focal point.
ReplyDeleteSo to me, the villain of the week wasn't that important. Felicity was. I guess that was why it was easy for me to overlook that because Cooper wasn't important. But, to a certain extent, I agree. Felicity deserved a better episode. I feel like maybe if they didn't focus on the 'big reveal' and try to explicitly make it obvious on screen from the beginning that it was Cooper, it could've been a better episode.
Lol I hope I made some sense.
LOL I've seen a lot of women dress like that on planes! I guess that's who Donna Smoak is. Nothing wrong about that. @Isbloom explains it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteAnd my bad about your comment about Felicity is a terrible employee :P I read it wrong. Sometimes jokes don't translate well through text for me. Felicity has some leverage there because Ray did buy a 1.2 billion dollar company just to get her (Still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth about that but I've grown to understand him a bit more the past episode and he's become entertaining :p such a dork).
Didn't Donna say something along the lines of what kind of babysitters are named ARGUS? Or am I not remembering it correctly?
To be fair, I think this entire season has been filled with lazy plotholes and retcons and it's quite disappointing that the writing has been so sloppy :/
I guess in order to enjoy the episode, you shouldn't expect action but expect a lot of heart and character development. I think that's the key to enjoying it. I'm glad you enjoyed it too :)
This is what I loved about the episode. Felicity rocks!! Second to only the premiere, and it beat the premiere in the 18-49 Demo. Don't think i need to say anything else.
ReplyDeleteI believe the picture came through. Did it? lol
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the fact Ted didn't know Sara. We saw this character in 2 scenes till now. The way the both scenes are written the actor is not given any time to create an impression. First scene Laurel comes in and asks for a statement and immediately he understands she is angry and has a need for his self defense classes. Second scene she comes in an explains to him a traumatic experience she had just last week and he simply says with no expression now I know how to teach you. I don't blame the actor at all. It's just the abrupt way those scenes are written. May be if they had given two or three more scenes before Laurel started training *shrugs*. I am just excited and relieved he is a retired vigilante. I have heard good things about JRR :). For a second I was afraid they will go the Isobel Rochev way for him.
ReplyDeleteOnce the writers decided Laurel is not going to tell Quentin there was no other way to go. Laurel has to tell someone. She can't speak with anyone of Team Arrow because 1) they are not close to her except Oliver 2) they will not understand her anger and need for revenge. I do think Digg and Oliver will understand but they will prevent her from getting that revenge.
ReplyDeleteI for one don't want Quentin to be angry at Laurel for more than a span of one episode. Are you not tired of seeing Laurel being beaten down and piled upon with angst? I am. I am done with it. Once this revenge run is over I want this character to remain happy for a period of time.
I think we should give Diggle something like Slade's island suit with a good mask and a lot of different guns.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I love how grudgingly accepting you are :)
ReplyDeleteI had such a crush on both Jessica Alba and Miachel Weatherly when that show aired. That first season was so good :)
ReplyDeleteThe fans will start caring for Laurel once she start saving innocent people's lives. The problem with Laurel is from the get go we knew she is going to be BC an iconic super heroine. They at several instances tell us she has this need to help people. But in the span of 2 seasons they never gave her a chance to really be heroic. Yes she did some cases in season 1 and investigated Blood in season 2 but we never got a chance to see her physically save someone. Also every one of her good deeds were always mixed with either her family drama or romance drama. They could have easily shown some heroic moments from her during these 50 episodes.
ReplyDeleteOnce she puts on the mask and actually save people putting her personal drama on back burner people will start appreciating the character. Another thing they need to do is after this revenge span finishes they need to make this character happy and less confrontational for a time period. Best thing for Laurel to do concentrate on villains not on personal life.
I gotta say I liked Cooper as the villain of this episode because of what he meant to Felicity. He was probably her first serious boyfriend and without him, I don't know if she would've joined Oliver and Diggle to begin with.
ReplyDeleteAs for Felicity's mother, the impression I got was that Felicity was always ambivalent towards her mother. She appreciated all she did for her but she still really couldn't sympathize with her and the way she behaves (such as wearing that dress.) I thought her mother's characterization fitted everything she said about her mother before and I liked meeting her. I hope we get to meet Felicity's father too soon.
What I disliked about this episode was the ending flashback, the "this is me now" and Felicity coming out of her dorm room blond and dressed like today. I could've done without it and it felt like for the first time in Arrow's history, they didn't have enough material for the entire episode and hence they kept that scene.
Also, am I the only one that found Felicity prettier with black hair?
I guess with me, the problem is, is that I have trouble believing that Quentin WON'T be mad at Laurel for less than 1-2 episodes. Laurel needs to know that she shouldn't have done that. I would've felt the same if it was Diggle, Felicity, Oliver, and even Thea. Right now I don't really care that Laurel has been beaten down. She quite literally brought this issue upon herself regardless of what everyone else says (which reminds me of how everyone told her to stay away from the glades, yet she still didn't. It goes to show that Laurel NEEDS to learn how to listen to other people because she makes the stupidest decisions). I don't want the writers to just end this drama in 1 episode like the did with Laurel's addiction in season 2. If she's a character to be taken seriously, then I think that this is the correct course of action.
ReplyDeleteWell, it seems that lots of fans have enjoyed it and I can respect that. But I am secretly hoping Felicity would ditch her hideous dresses for leather pants, if she has to keep the high heels at all times. My favorite scene was when she knocked Cooper out, way to go girl! Just because Felicity is smart, does she have to be the damsel in distress all the time? The writers did a last second save with that one.
ReplyDeleteRanting usually doesn't help, but couldn't Felicity's mother have been an artist or an animal activist? Anything less predictable as what we got is fine with me...
ReplyDeleteI think Oliver is more of a dude in distress than Felicity is a damsel in distress. Last season she was kidnapped only once. That was by count Vertigo. Other two times the doll maker and Deathstroke she willingly went as bait. Am I forgetting anything. Thea last season was kidnapped twice, thrice if we count Moira's death scene. Let's not talk about poor Laurel. Roy got mirakuru'ed and then kidnapped by Slade. I think in this show every character apart from Diggle (because Diggle is awesome like that) is a dude or damsel in distress few times per season. Felicity is no exception. She just stands out because she is in the core of all the action but has no fighting skills. And I like that she is not a ninja like everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI am sure Quentin is going to be mad at Laurel for few episodes at least. I can feel the angst now itself. I hope Papa Lance don't harm himself in grief. I find the whole thing pointless. This arc is a cheap shot at creating drama. We know how much ever Lance is angry at Laurel he is going to forgive her at the end because that is what fathers do and Captain Lance is an exceptionally great father. I am tired of bad things happening to Laurel and her being grumpy, sad or angry. I want content Laurel who get out of her own issues and triy to make new friends. Is that too much to ask?
ReplyDeleteTHIS - Laurel needs to start listening to others. Hopefully, that is something Grant can teach her. We've already seen that Quentin can be mad at Laurel, so I think that may be a bit of foreshadowing. I think he already knows something's up - re the phone call he made to Sara, so I don't think he's going to be shocked into a heart attack. I think he'll be hurt more than angry...
ReplyDeletePerfect sense!
ReplyDeleteThe worry is that it will be too little too late. There is a lot of dislike for the character at this point.
ReplyDeleteYEAH! I'll always take great ratings!
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ReplyDeleteI loved that last scene! It really wasn't the Felicity of today but the Felicity we met in the first season - there was a lot of fan chatter about how her wardrobe changed between S1 and S2 and actually, the fact that she now dresses more like her Mom is a sign of her embracing that strength that she attributes to her mother. I think they tried to do way too much with her mother in this one episode. Hence my confusion with her characterization. And yes - Felicity as a Goth was gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteGood review of a mediocre episode. You hit on a lot of the problems with it (though I suspect I object a lot less to charlotte Ros being dressed like a porn star than you do). More of an ongoing thing for, me, though, is this whole Thea/Malcolm thing. Given what a . . . witch Thea was last couple of years over every "lie" told her--including the one about who her real dad was--her full-bore adoption of Malcolm--who was just as much lying to her on that front as anyone else, and far more so than Ollie was, since Ollie learned that truth about, what, a minute and a half before Thea did--just strikes me as plot-driven melodrama rather than plausibly character-motivated development.
ReplyDeleteI fly all the time, so yes, occasionally people dress like that, but usually only after noon - not when they are arriving first think in the morning! She could have had leopard tights and a low cut blouse or something.... ;)
ReplyDeleteDonna did mention the ARGUS babysitter but not until back at the apartment when Felicity remembered to ask....
I didn't miss the action so much as the usually tight writing - all it took was a timeline guys! I think we needed a couple of scenes with Felicity's mom in a previous episode - just a phone call or something - to give us a start to the characterization... I know, too expensive to get CR for multiple episodes... and I am glad the cast such a good actress!
Yup, I uploaded a picture of the post from the Arrow Writers. About the ratings. Well I'll just rewrite what they said...."The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak scored 1.1 in the target demo, and 2.73 Million Overall!!!! The power of Felicity Smoak : )
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was trying to upload. Guess it didn't go through.
I even have the DVDs and the books that finished the story, but it was not the same.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know it's stupid that I noticed but I did. Not that EBR is at fault or anything I just noticed it. I mean this episode was better, but I only notice when Felicity has to run after Oliver (3.01 down the stairs), don't know why they make her do that in those heels.
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