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LTTP: Arrow (Season 2) - For the love of God Thea, shut up

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Sephzilla

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Just got around to finishing the second season of Arrow on Netflix. I was a huge fan of the show after the first season and most people told me that season two is a noticeable improvement. I have to agree that the second season is better. From start to finish the season was consistently entertaining (the middle of season one was a bit of a drag). I also really enjoyed how the show managed to integrate "comic book-y" type stuff into Arrow's more grounded universe without crushing suspension of disbelief. It feels like the writers watched the Nolan Batman movies and basically improved on the formula all around.

I lightly kept tabs on ArrowGAF during season two's airing and it seemed like most people agreed that Laurel was an insufferable character during the second season. I kind of agree and yet still disagree. She was annoying to have on screen in the first half of the season because she was a crying stuck-up mess, but second half of the season Laurel is much more bearable so I didn't think she was too bad. The character I couldn't stand, especially in the second half of the season, was Thea. She becomes a whining pest that won't shut up and tries to make everything about her and then pretty much shoves people away the moment they actually try to help her out. Then she complains that nobody tells her
the truth about who her father is
but then complains that
she's the daughter of a psychopath
and she pretty much justifies the reason people lied to her in the first place.
I really hope her getting into Malcom's limo at the end of the season while telling Roy "I'm never coming back" was them writing Thea out of the show, but I'm probably naive to believe she'll be gone.

Deathstroke was awesome, I don't think much more needs to be said about that. Slade's actor has a massively strong presence when he's on screen and really nails it as a delusional villain. Was a pretty big fan of the Deathstroke costume as well, although I prefer the mask he wears on the island more than the one he uses in Starling.

Now for some more spoiler-y stuff.

I was actually kind of surprised that we didn't get an Oliver & Malcom Merlyn team-up at the end of the season to fight Deathstroke . I kind of figured Deathstroke kidnapping Thea and murdering Moira would put Malcom on a direct collision course with Deathstroke and end up making Malcom and Oliver allies due to a mutual enemy. So the League of Assassins showing up at the end was a nice twist I wasn't really looking for.

I'm not a huge fan of any of the Argus stuff, even if we did get a Harley Quinn tease through it. I'm not a fan of seemingly everyone knowing about Oliver's nightly activities. And Argus trying to level Starling City during Slade's siege felt like it was really borrowing from The Avengers' ending a bit.

The motivation behind Summer Glau's character was admittedly weak. She decides to agree to a plan that will destroy the Queen family and Starling City all because Oliver's dad decided to stop sleeping with her? This is probably one of the big weak points I found in the season. But hey, at least Summer Glaus' kiss of death effect she tends to have on shows didn't bleed into the rest of the show
.

Now I really want to watch season 3.
 
S

Sibersk Esto

Banned
the best argument for why DC's film and TV should stay separated is so the Justice League doesn't put up with Laurel and Felicity shit.
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
Sibersk Esto said:
the best argument for why DC's film and TV should stay separated is so the Justice League doesn't put up with Laurel and Felicity shit.
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I want them to stay separate so Arrowverse doesn't have to put up with any of the crap that's going to rise after the Snyderverse gets going.
 
I

Ignatz Mouse

Banned
Veelk said:
What's really odd is how people complain about Laurel and Thea being whiny pests when every scene with slade was spent whimpering about how Shado didn't love him back.
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My chief complaint with Slade was this. The comics version is stone cold, but show-'stroke is all emo whenever he isn't being badass.

Good thing he's badass most of the time.
 
V

Veelk

Banned
Sephzilla said:
Because Slade actually contributes something besides whining.
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He was the antagonist, yeah, but the core of his character is rooted in being emo.
When he's ruining Ollie' company, he's actually bitching about shado. When he's killing his mother, he's bitching about shado.
Everything he does is out of bitchiness.And I don't mean he's verbally complaining while he does those things, I mean every action he takes is bitchiness manifested in physical form.

It's just funny because the most badass character in the show is the epitome of what people complain about Thea and Laurel.
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
Veelk said:
He was the antagonist, yeah, but the core of his character is rooted in being emoing. When he's ruining Ollie' company, he's actually bitching about shado. When he's killing his mother, he's bitching about shado. Everything he does is out of bitchiness.

It's just funny because the most badass character in the show is the epitome of what people complain about Thea and Laurel.
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Like I said, because he's actually contributing beyond just being whiny. Laurel did nothing but eat up minutes of the show that could have been used for better things.

Island Slade is more emo than Starling Slade is, by a mile. Island Slade is on the brink of tears pretty much any time he screams at Oliver. Starling Slade is a guy who's let that initial pain warp him into an evil person.
 
V

Veelk

Banned
Sephzilla said:
Like I said, because he's actually contributing beyond just being whiny. Laurel did nothing but eat up minutes of the show that could have been used for better things.
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Care to specify what that is? Besides being an antagonist. Don't get me wrong, Laurel and Thea are awful too. I just don't see how they're any better in terms of how they're all pathetic and whiny.

BronsonLee said:
PS Veelk god fucking damnit, not again
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Oh, let me have my fun. I got class in half an hour anyway, and it's not like I'm doing huge write ups. My potshots here are pretty tame.
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
Veelk said:
Care to specify what that is? Besides being an antagonist. Don't get me wrong, Laurel and Thea are awful too. I just don't see how they're any better in terms of how they're all pathetic and whiny.
Click to expand...

Slade ends up strengthening #TeamArrow and ends up pushing Oliver into becoming a smarter and tougher crime fighter. Slade's actions end up finally forcing the Starling police to acknowledge that the Arrow is on their side. He, effectively, introduces metahumans into the Arrowverse. If you want to hand wave those aside as "he's the antagonist" then fine, but the stuff he does ends up contributing in a pretty big way.

Laurel and Thea contributes nothing except making everyone else roll their eyes and constantly have to point out who stupid Laurel and Thea are acting.
 
V

Veelk

Banned
Sephzilla said:
Slade ends up strengthening #TeamArrow and ends up pushing Oliver into becoming a smarter and tougher crime fighter. Slade's actions end up finally forcing the Starling police to acknowledge that the Arrow is on their side. He, effectively, introduces metahumans into the Arrowverse.

Laurel and Thea contributes nothing except making everyone else roll their eyes and constantly have to point out who stupid Laurel and Thea are acting.
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Actually, that's Ivo who does that. Slade just happens to be the subject. I already admitted that he fulfills his role as antagonist well, so that's good, but on the other hand, Thea and Laurel are awfully good at looking pretty and emotional drama, which is their intended purpose.

It just seems to me that both fulfill their role exceedingly well at what they're intended to do while being whiny bitches.
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
Veelk said:
Actually, that's Ivo who does that. Slade just happens to be the subject. I already admitted that he fulfills his role as antagonist well, so that's good, but on the other hand, Thea and Laurel are awfully good at looking pretty and emotional drama, which is their intended purpose.

It just seems to me that both fulfill their role exceedingly well at what they're intended to do while being whiny bitches.
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Technically WW2 Japanese introduce it, but whatever. Ivo never really gets his hands on the stuff. Slade initially gets it, but loses it all after the Amazo goes down. Slade shows up in Starling and finally is able to produce super soldiers. So in terms of actually making it a recurring thing in the Arrowverse, Slade is really the guy who introduces it. Everyone before is more like a "failed attempt".
 
V

Veelk

Banned
Sephzilla said:
Technically WW2 Japanese introduce it, but whatever. Ivo never really gets his hands on the stuff. Slade initially gets it, but loses it all after the Amazo goes down. Slade shows up in Starling and finally is able to produce super soldiers. So in terms of actually making it a recurring thing in the Arrowverse, Slade is really the guy who introduces it.
Click to expand...

No, it's Ivo, as he is the one who made the audience aware of it's existance and formed the plot around it, so in terms of narrative, it really is Ivo. What Slade did was carry it into the narrative for the present storyline. Semantics, I know, but I wanted to clarify. Still, the fact that they're rooted in his bitchiness does take away from the badass aspect of it.
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
Veelk said:
No, it's Ivo, as he is the one who made the audience aware of it's existance and formed the plot around it, so in terms of narrative, it really is Ivo. What Slade did was carry it into the narrative for the present storyline. Semantics, I know, but I wanted to clarify. Still, the fact that they're rooted in his bitchiness does take away from the badass aspect of it.
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I see where you're coming from /brofist
 
A

Akahige

Member
The actress that plays Sarah is truly a terrible actress, the point I'm at in season 2 seems to show she'll be sticking around for a little while.
Dude should have shot her instead of Shadow

Also I got a crush on Manu Bennett.
 
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