You can't kill me!

I love Laurel BB is the only reason I watch this show I like Roy, Diggle, Thea and Oliver (when he isn't being a big bag of dicks to my Laurel ) But Laurel is definitely my fave, a lot of that has to with my love for Katie though
Felicity and Sara hold no meaning to me whatsoever.. I don't hate them or love them.. they are simply just there for me

thecatbastet

I didn't know anything about the show, but I started before Christmas and honestly, my reaction to the Laurel/Oliver pairing was like...repulsion. Not like ew gross don't want to see that visual, but the idea of them as the ones I was supposed to like was just like nope nope nope. They were just wrong together. A stunning lack of chemistry. My husband was the same way. If I can't enjoy any romance I am not going to watch a show.

I blamed Amell because I knew KC from other shows and perceived her as very charismatic. I also blamed the setup. If I liked Laurel, there was simply no possible way I could get over the cheating with her sister thing. If it wasn't her sister, ok, eventually. But...I am this way with romance novels too - I hold grudges for heroines when they fail to properly hold grudges for me. I get angry for them when they aren't angry enough for themselves and don't make the hero fully articulate everything he did wrong and don't both express regret and work their manbuns off to make it up to her.

Basically I expect a Boyz II Men video from the hero. You know how each one of them tries to get you back in a different way? First guy is calm but plaintive in his approach and offers a stage one apology, and then the more emotional tenor breaks in because his FEELS cannot be contained and shows you some nice loss of control on his part, and then third guy can see he isn't convincing you so he's more plaintive and starts telling you exactly what he did wrong and telling you how it'll be if you just come back to him and then emotional tenor comes back in and eventually is just reduced to wordless vocalizing of desperate sounds, and then slow talker comes in and in his baritone restates the entire case from the top, and you can see he has clearly matured (I mean, he's progressed to a manly baritone, that proves it) and he has finally HEARD YOU and respects your wishes but will always be here for you baby.

So yeah, I expect a lot out of an apology. Yet I knew, just knew, that these two actors could never make me WANT that for them. I just wanted them to go away. Amell worked well with Diggle so I figured he was one of those guys like Pitt and Clooney who can do bromance but not romance.

So anyway, that was how I spent the first couple of eps, and told myself I would stick it out for three, so I did.

My objection to Laurel is really not as BC. I mean, I don't see how she becomes BC, but I don't get a visceral disgusted response at the thought. I really don't mind her as BC if she can pull it off, but I have no emotional investment in the Black Canary of comics. Oracle Babs, yes. I actually don't feel comfortable with the whole Felicity as Oracle thing and can only deal with my desired Nightwing scenario if Babs either is never in any way referenced so she doesn't exist in this continuity, or Dick and Felicity are not endgame for each other. If Babs exists I can't tolerate Dicklicity (LOVE!!) as endgame but if she doesn't and the chemistry is there I can be seduced by Dicklicity because I'm disloyal, inconstant, and seek novelty.

DarkStar

She sucked in S1, and she's gotten 10x worse in S2 (IMO). On top of which the show went out of it's way to give me a better character, one I like. I like the fact that Sara is both a tough cookie and a wounded bird. I like that she's crawled through a mile of **** and yet she can still smile, that for all the bad she's seen, done and has been done to her, she's compassionate and caring (Lance, Dinah, Sin, Felicity, etc).

For me Sara's journey is extremely compelling, there's a depth of storytelling available to them. I want to get more of her backstory, her time in the LoA. I'm actually wondering if Nyssa' s return is in Starling City or the Island? I wonder if when she comes back it's to show us the Island death/rescue and not to set up Sara's return to the LoA? Or perhaps it's double duty, where Sara gets rescued in the past and forced to return with Nyssa in the present? That could be some nice symmetry in the Island/Starling story.

I also want to see more of Sara/Sin, that's a great relationship; I want to see her struggle to become a hero. Of course it comes with a caveat, I don't want her on the show 23 eps/season because I think that can over shadow Oliver's journey.

killer93

It's funny, while i like sara just fine, i have no desire to see more of her backstory, i kind of think i know all there is to know about her and how she came to be BC.

Because if they do more with her, she will really overshadow others characters and even oliver, and considering a lot of people are already feeling she does, it's best not to push it.

DarkStar

Yes, I love Sara but I've seen the complaints and I can understand them. I think the show went horribly wrong in the way it brought Sara into Team Arrow. They never should have made 3 episodes (214, 217, & 218) focus on how Team Arrow reacts to Sara's presence. It puts too much focus on her and not the team. When you compare it to the way they brought Roy in, his method was better (the initial scene at the end of 212).

I hate the fact that they brought Roy on, only to sideline him as part of his "dark" storyline and this feeds back into the team reacts to Sara part because we know 218 is going to partially be about Oliver forcing Roy to sit on the bench while Arrow/Canary go off on their own.

I have no idea what 217 will bring for Diggle in reaction to Sara but IMO, the worse thing they can do is constantly make me feel that characters I love (Diggle, Felicity, Team Arrow trio) are less important than Sara because that puts me in conflict...I love Sara but I love the others more. It bugs me that the writers decided this was a good story and it bugs me because the fan reaction, "where's Roy?", "too much Sara!" etc are apparently the reaction they're cultivating.

eragon194

I agree that Sara in small doses can work very well on the show. I'm OK with that too as I like the actress and she definitely has good chemistry with SA.

Laurel I can't stand in small doses either. lol!

Iluv2fly

Check this out! Spoiler Saturday!
Source:
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As for Sara, I think it would be cool to keep her recurring and have her come back for an arc here and there with BALANCED screentime. These arcs could tie into LoA and they could do some flashbacks to her time. But they just have to keep it balanced and limited.

iluvtorun

Cool, thanks!
at both "dicklicity" and "Oliver's big bag of dicks"

DarkStar

I'm still not sold on the Baby Daddy storyline, I hated that they pulled a Smallville brought Malcolm back from "the dead" and expect us to buy the A Wizard Did It Crap. I agree with John's partner, making Malcolm Oliver's daddy would have been way to Darth Vader.

So I guess they totally changed their mind on that whole 1 Big Bad per season model.

Iluv2fly

If Thea is in danger, I think this is where Oliver goes into they "gray area" and teams up with the Dark Archer to protect Thea. The LoA catches word he's on the map and in they come — Dark Archer AND Sara. So will this mean that Oliver will help DA against LoA? So he can keep his frenemy?

iluvtorun

Do we think LoA has any association with slade? If the answer is no, i think the loa may actually end up helping Oliver too, bc of Sara's connection to nyssa. Good question as to what becomes off Malcolm in that scenario, and what he might have to offer the loa in exchange?

And hmmm, that makes me wonder if this get so desperate that SARA bargains herself for Nyssa/LoA help with Slade. In my head I am thinking Sara does whatever that lets Oliver down, so she falls outside his circle of trust, then maybe trades her freedom for help against Slade....Maybe redeeming herself to Oliver, I dunno.

Also, I wonder what the ultimate play is going to be. Depends if 2x20 works out to be a whump ep or not lol!!

Hamburgo1001

I have been considering this possibility for quite a while. If Sara were to trade in her freedom to bring in LOA reinforcements against Slade, they could even parallel it with her second on-island death because Oliver would lose her again - albeit under different circumstances. Doesn't mean that it will go down this way, but it is a possibility.

BeautifulContradiction

Same from me but obviously with other characters.

Laurel holds absolutely no meaning or purpose whatever so ever. Like wallpaper. She's just there.

I love Diggle, Oliver, Felicity, Lance and Roy.

And really hope they give Roy something big! Any Roy spoilers? Is he going dark side?

Iluv2fly

I am hoping they have a falling out/he breaks it off BEFORE that very possible scenario happens.


Good question! I was wondering the same as I typed the previous. DO the come because Merlyn is in town? Are they summoned by Sara to help? Maybe they come for Merlyn and it is Merlyn and Sara both who bargains with them for their assistance?

iluvtorun if you watch BoP I expect a FULL report before I view for myself.



Apparently they are taking him the Arsenal route. And this is where I go all fuzzy. I looked up Roy Harper and holy cow I CONFUSED!!

So Roy Harper is Arsenal (bad guy) AND Red Arrow(good guy)?! So does he just go back and forth when it suits him? You mean he's a POLITICIAN!!! Really though, not familiar with this guy, what's up?

Poupa

If we assume that LOA & Merlyn joined Oliver to take down Slade, do we assume ALL of this number of people are needed against one person? True he is super strong and everything, but if they managed to find something to reverse the mirakuru or weaken it, Oliver, Roy and Sara can take him down by themselves.