Arrow 509 Review: What We Leave Behind

              I don't know about you, but I have mixed emotions about this episode.  There were moments that I loved, and moments that left me feeling disconnected.  I had so many questions, frankly, that I had trouble sleeping.  This might be a very long blog, or a perhaps in two parts. Argh.

Christmas again on Arrow.  I like the fact that Arrow isn't afraid to bring in Christmas, or as Felicity would call it, "holiday".  I don't know about you, but did the Christmas party bring back the memories of last year?  It did for me.  There was Susan in a red dress and not Felicity, and frankly that was annoying, but done on purpose by the writers.  Felicity was in a bland dress, pretty but bland, yet her hair reminded me of her hair at last season's party.  This planned move on the writers part forces us draw the parallels. I loved when Felicity and Susan both complimented Oliver on his speech, but Felicity got there first.  Susan seemed annoyed and put out.  All of this indicated to me that Olicity is still in play.

Then Felicity had a difficult time introducing Billy. She could barely get the words boyfriend out. It was awkward for her, because she loves Oliver.  I know that it would be awkward under any circumstance, but you can just see it on Felicity's face that she loves Oliver. Then  she asked, "Do you want go on a double date?"  I thought that a hilarious moment, and Oliver's facial expression was priceless. He looked at her like, "What the heck are you talking about?"

When Curtis is attacked, Oliver knows that Prometheus knows who they all are. So they figure out  that Justin Clayborne is somehow behind Prometheus or might be him.  Then enters Billy who tells Felcity that he is going to stop Prometheus.  He wanted to be the one to find him and stop him.  I thought he wanted to do that because down deep he knows that Felicity loves Oliver still, and he thought somehow he could show her that he could be like Oliver.  The line he tells her, for me, seems to underscore the episode, "I want to be true to myself."  He speaks this to Felicity, and I wonder if she thought that she were true to herself and whom she truly loves?

When they are all back in the lair, and Felicity tells that Billy is going after Prometheus, she is upset and asks, "Why doesn't anybody listen to me?  Earlier Oliver went into the building to get Prometheus, and Felicity told him not to but to wait for more backup,  she said, " Five years and he still doesn't listen."  Later Oliver says, "We don't listen because we're stubborn."

Oliver:  This episode showed Oliver's struggle.  As he says to everyone at his party, he wanted to recommit to making "our home" better.  He wants to do that both as Oliver Queen, mayor, and as the Green Arrow, but Prometheus is making this harder than ever to do.  When Oliver meets Prometheus, and and is confronted with the fact that Oliver/Arrow has a way of hurting those he loves, it brought my back to Seasons one and Two.  Isn't that the excuse he used for reasons why he couldn't be with the woman he loved, because in the end he would ultimately hurt her?  Then to find that the the person he trusted, Evelyn, betrayed that trust and used an arrow to spirit away Prometheus, it brought Oliver to a low place.  Worse still, however, was going after Prometheus, whom we think is Clayborne's son now 30 years old, and finding out that the man whom he thought was Prometheus was a bound, Billy Malone, was gut wrenching for Oliver.  We could feel his pain.  When he came back and told everyone what he had done, had to be the most difficult thing he had ever done in his life.  He had to tell the one he loved, that he had killed the one he thought she loved. He blames himself.  He can't even look at Felicity.  Everyone rushes to comfort him, and it is Thea that put her arms around Felicity to comfort her.    He is so sorry and his guilt overwhelms him that unfortuately, he turns to Susan.  He can't comfort Felicity  He doesn't think he deserves to comfort her after all the hurt he has caused.  That seems so old Oliver to me.  Yet,  it is understandable that he can't face her yet.  He needs to give her time.

Did you notice that when he went to Susan, the camera focused in on the bottle of Russian vodka?  At least I think that's what it was. I am a non-drinker, so I could be wrong about the drink, but it was Russian.  I think they are cluing us in on a connection that Susan may have to Russia.  Is Susan another Isabelle Rochev?  I can only hope so.  For Oliver it was easy to go to Susan, because he doesn't love her.  He's seeking comfort but not love.  Don't mistake the moment with Susan as love.  His love is still Felicity.  Why do I think that? Look at the flashback that Oliver had, it was with Felicity and the red pen. Let's not get all uptight over Susan.  Oliver loves Felicity and they will be back together.

Felicity:  Felicity is caring person.  She thought she  could never be with Oliver, because Oliver would never fully trust her enough to let her in  She rebounded to Billy Malone. A guy that was an nice enough.  The writers didn't give us a chance to really know Billy Malone.  He and Felicity had what 5 scenes together?  The viewer was invested in Billy and Felicity.  We never fully trusted him, and he seemed a phony to me. Especially when he found out Felicity worked for the Green Arrow.  It just didnt seem plausible to me.  So, when he died, we really were not sorry, so that when Felicity grieves, it becomes difficult for the viewer to feel her grief and to understand. However, I think this will be one of the things in her life that will help her to understand Oliver.  She will blame herself because she told him, and he put himself out there.  She will understand why Oliver did some of things he did.  The old saying that you can't understand a man until you have walked in his shoes, will be a catalyst for Felicity to understand Oliver's holding back part of himself from her.  From Twitter, I understand that people were angry that everyone comforted Oliver, but there was no one to comfort Felicity. Perhaps this is the place she has to be for a while.  Perhaps this will make a way for her to reconnect to Oliver.  Maybe she didn't want anyone in.

Thea:  It was good to see Thea back as Speedy.  I also thought that comforting Thea was sweet of her, and shows how much to loves Felicity too.  Thea didn't seem too impressed with Susan.

Diggle:  We had a cliff hanger with Diggle, didn't we?  Don't worry this will work out okay.  It certainly made Oliver's aloneness all the more real.  I loved the scene with Christmas in the bunker with baby John.  I admit, I do miss baby Sarah.  I also enjoyed Rene's interaction with Diggle. I know there are some who don't like Rene, I am not one of them.  If Diggle likes him, so do I, at least for now.  Do you think Rene has a child?  I think he lost a child.  Nothing will replace OTA, but I enjoy Rory and Rene.

Curtis:  I felt sorry for Curtis, and I enjoy this interactions with Felicity, but I never got interested in his story with Paul.  I just felt sorry for him.


    IOlicity: I loved the Flashbacks for two reasons.  First they were old/new at th same time.  They also connected the the past with the present in very unique ways. They showed the importance of Olicity.  The chemistry cannot be denied.  The scene with the red pen was so sweet.  When Oliver said, "I believe in magic," the viewer had to know the magic was between Oliver and Felicity.  They make the magic happen on screen in each and every scene. Marc Guggenheim promised an Olicity flashback and he delivered in spades.  I will have to confess that I am hopeful. I am by nature a positive person, but I had so hoped for much more, and I felt just slightly let down.  Am I worried?  Not yet.  Am I concerned, a little.  Season 5A is over, and I must await 5B.  It will be along wait.  In the meantime, I have to hope, because that's just who I am.  I always hope until it is positively proven to me that what I hoped for isn't going to happen.

Was this a good episode. I will say yes, there was lots that happened that made for a good story, and as I have said, I always love a good story even when I don't happen to like the way it ended.

Laurel:   There are more thought that I have, but I don't have time to write them now.  Life moves on, and I have a class of 7th and 8th graders coming.  Laurel will have to wait. Tune in....there will be more coming.  For now, have hope and let me know your thoughts.