Oh, Arrow, I really, really, REALLY love you.
So this will be all over the place, but it's the best I can do. I think the best way to do it, is by character, and since all the women on this show are so interesting and flawed and REAL, I'm gonna start with them.
Helena. I love her. I loved her from the first moment I clapped eyes on her, and I love how emotionally resonant her return episode was. She got what she wanted. But it wasn't really what she wanted. And I loved Ollie telling her he was just trying to do better; I want it to give her hope. And I want her to come back somehow, but I suppose there's no way for her not to spend the rest of her life in jail. WAH.
Sara. I really love her. And I get her and Ollie; it's this place of safety for both of them, they fully accept each other. I don't get the feeling that it's any kind of epic love, but I do get why they're together, and it doesn't bother me. I'm just afraid Sara will die, guest star status and all that.
Laurel. We've had our ups and downs, but by this episode she's not looking so painfully thin anymore. I think she must have done it for the character, or perhaps Katie Cassidy was just going through a really hard time at the same time Laurel Lance was? At any rate, I loved the episode when Laurel found out Sara was alive and when apeshit on all of them. But I really loved the confession scene, when she came and told Sara that she had been jealous to see Sara all beautiful and wonderfully alive when basically Laurel was dead on the inside and it showed so plainly on her visage. I love that they can whole-heartedly love each other and hate each other, too. Family relationships are so complicated, and this one even more so because of Oliver. I really love that.
Thea. Poor Thea. She thinks Ollie's being honest with her. And that is going to come around and bite him hard in the ass, I can just tell. I'm worried for her on a lot of levels.
Felicity. FELICITY MEGAN SMOAK. So, yeah, when she told Ollie about Moira's secret--I was like HOLY SHIT. On the one hand, I totally get it. After everything she's watched him go through, particularly with his mother, it was a no-brainer. And after Moira tried to emotionally blackmail her, I really loved that Felicity wasn't worried about that at all, that somehow it would impact her relationship with Oliver negatively, and it probably made her that much more determined to tell him (that's what it would have made me do). And I love that Felicity is that bold; she is young and can be kinda stupid sometimes (her jealousy of Sara was adorable, not because Oliver's fucking Sara, but because she's the computer geek, she's the information place, and she doesn't want to lose her position on Team Arrow--which, TEAM ARROW, THE BEST). But at the same time, I was like WHOA FELICITY. Because that's just...not something to you do, wielding other people's secrets. And telling Oliver at the moment she did? I get it was for dramatic storytelling effect, but OY. Not good. She could have given Moira a deadline or something. But I get it, Moira pissed her off, and she's been angry ever since she learned that it was Moira's fault that Walter went missing, but it seems like Walter has forgiven Moira, so Felicity should probably get over it. I, just. It was a big fucking deal, and I'd sort of like to see more about it, but I guess that moment has passed and it's not really gonna be addressed again.
Moira. She is a manipulative bitch, end of story. Yeah, I get that she loves her kids, but it's also her escape route, her loophole for everything she does. She has no integrity, whatsoever, and that's the difference between her and Felicity and why I can forgive Felicity for her overstepping her rights, but with Moira, like Oliver, I'm just done.
As for Oliver himself...I love him very much, despite his anger issues, and his guilt issues, and man-whore issues. He is a sincere creature, and that makes up for all his flaws. I enjoy his character so thoroughly, and in such a different way than many of my other favorite anti-heroes. I actually think Oliver is heroic, but he's also walking a path, or rather carving out a path that is difficult and treacherous. I like that he makes mistakes, and that he messes up other people's lives (ROY!) and that he keeps trying, but that so often his own agenda trumps his common sense. It's why he needs Team Arrow, to keep him from spending too much time with his head up his own ass, seriously.
2x16 was a Diggle-centric episode that I thought would be kinda boring, only it wasn't, it was AWESOME. And I love how Deadshot and Diggle are frenemies now, and I really like the actor who plays Deadshot. This show has a lot of great actors, and the guest actors are no different. Thoroughly enjoyable.
And I haven't mentioned this before, but the stuntwork on this show is incredible. Really, really well done fight scenes, and the episode where Ollie, Sara, and the Russian guy are trying to escape the ship and Slade grabs Ollie by his ankle and flips him back on to the boat was an amazing visual that caused me to GASP OUT LOUD. I really loved that.
Also, I don't know how Quentin and Laurel don't know that Ollie's the Arrow. For reals.
Okay, that's all my thoughts for now, I think. I shall return soon, I'm sure!