Board Thread:DC Universe Discussion/@comment-34954086-20121013054202/@comment-1635895-20130626005258

LoveWaffle wrote: Don't forget a lot of hypocrisy. Like distancing himself from Helena...

Sure, I'll give you that, but remember that most of these developments were fairly contained within the episode itself, and we didn't really see this move into the following episodes at all. I think the biggest problem with Laurel is that the show really wants to push her and Oliver as an item, and no one else is interested.

Completely agreed. Oliver has screwed her over way too many times for this to be a romance I can invest in, which again in comparison to Young Justice, is a real shame. I would have really loved to see these two characters either A) move further apart in their own relationships before coming together, or B) a natural growth towards one another throughout the season. The fact that Oliver has been sleeping around with Laurel's sister, Catwoman Huntress, and whoever else (there was someone else, wasn't there?) really doesn't add any credibility to his claim of still loving her. Especially when you then add a one night stand into the mix, which now that I'm thinking about, really didn't do much did it? When Tommy saw that I was half expecting him to become Merlyn, a la the Green Goblin in Spider-Man 3. Minor Characters You Didn't Mention LIGHTNING ROUND

Yes, thanks for bringing those characters up. I wasn't in the mood to talk about all of them last night, so let's have a go now!
 * Detective Lance - Starling City mustn't have that much crime if he turns up at every single case! That REALLY urked me this season. I understand why, but still... I was half expecting him to become a supporter of the Hood, and maybe if the Hood was helping out in the Glades with disarming the device or helping stranded civilians we could have seen this. Also, did he get his job back, or...
 * McKenna - I really liked McKenna. I was disappointed when she left, mainly because it was really pointless that her and Oliver were parting. There were way too many ways around that.
 * Helena - I felt like the writers were trying to make Helena to Oliver as Selina Kyle is to Bruce Wayne, but the acting was pretty terrible, as well as the costume, so whatever. Their loss. She could have been awesome.
 * China White - Her fight scenes are choreographed more than a Beyoncé music video.
 * The Count - I was soooooo disappointed with their use of this character for a couple of reasons. 1) He was supposed to be Arrow ' s version of Count Vertigo, wasn't he... 2) The writers tried to turn him into a blend of Nolan's Scarecrow and Joker, and I just didn't buy the terrible acting and dialogue. What a waste of a character that really could have been a major player, even as a big bad for next season. Vertigo has such political intrigue, and utilising the character's origins would have worked really well to the tone of the show.
 * Deadshot - Thank god they brought him back from the dead. Deadshot is really a perfect villain for this iteration of Green Arrow, and I too hope Diggle has some more solo adventures.
 * Moira - She grew on me, a little. I like how she was really the victim here. Quite tragic, really. And I was wrong about her dying! Oh dear, the Arrow writers pulled a fast one on me.

Some more thoughts about the finale quickly; I hated that abrupt ending. It was just so jarring, and it left no resolution at all. I really needed to see some of the characters in the aftermath. What happened to Thea and Roy Hottie? Did Quentin get his job back? Are Oliver and Laurel now a couple? Did Daddy Merlyn actually die? How come Oliver could stab himself through the chest and still continue to fight? The series finale didn't give much closure at all, and that disappointed me. This first season of Arrow burned through so many narrative plotlines that I actually worry about the show's longevity.

Agreed. I wonder whether this is just the excitement of the writers, or just plain old fan service. Either way, we are burning through these villains in the current format of the show. Maybe the writers should look at telling one story over a few episodes, and make the show a little more serialized. That way you get a more coherent story flow, and you're using less villains. Just a thought...