I never thought I'd say this, but I'm beginning to think that its flashback structure is a huge boon to this show. I KNOW. I've whined so much about it!
It starts working much better at the end of S1, though. And it's working really well in S2. It helps that the flashbacks now have plot relevance as well as emotional relevance, and that we're getting flashbacks from multiple POVs. I mean, sure, it's mostly Oliver, but we also get Sara and Slade, and that episode with the flashbacks to just before the voyage, which is probably still my favorite. I'm looking forward to getting a Slade-focused flashback which differs radically from Oliver's POV; I'm hoping they do the breakup/Slade finding out about Oliver's "betrayal" from Slade's POV.
One of the heartbreaking things about the flashback structure: you know that Sara breaks free of Ivo only to end up in an even more abusive situation with the League of Assassins. Oh, Sara. :( (Another thing about the break with Ivo -- it's over his murder of another woman, which is another link to her focus on defending women in Starling.)
Poor Katie Cassidy! You know you are in trouble when your leading man has more questionable chemistry with the actress who plays his *sister* than the one who plays the designated love interest.
Although -- now I am thinking about Alexis Denisoff and Amy Acker. Wesley and Fred: anti-chemistry, please kill this storyline, show, you're hurting me. Wesley and Illyria: SMOKIN', PLEASE CONTINUE. Beatrice and Benedick: not great, but okay.
So maybe Cassidy and Amell would have chemistry if they were playing completely different characters. Which brings me back to: The writing for Laurel has been so bad.
It starts working much better at the end of S1, though. And it's working really well in S2. It helps that the flashbacks now have plot relevance as well as emotional relevance, and that we're getting flashbacks from multiple POVs. I mean, sure, it's mostly Oliver, but we also get Sara and Slade, and that episode with the flashbacks to just before the voyage, which is probably still my favorite. I'm looking forward to getting a Slade-focused flashback which differs radically from Oliver's POV; I'm hoping they do the breakup/Slade finding out about Oliver's "betrayal" from Slade's POV.
One of the heartbreaking things about the flashback structure: you know that Sara breaks free of Ivo only to end up in an even more abusive situation with the League of Assassins. Oh, Sara. :( (Another thing about the break with Ivo -- it's over his murder of another woman, which is another link to her focus on defending women in Starling.)
Poor Katie Cassidy! You know you are in trouble when your leading man has more questionable chemistry with the actress who plays his *sister* than the one who plays the designated love interest.
Although -- now I am thinking about Alexis Denisoff and Amy Acker. Wesley and Fred: anti-chemistry, please kill this storyline, show, you're hurting me. Wesley and Illyria: SMOKIN', PLEASE CONTINUE. Beatrice and Benedick: not great, but okay.
So maybe Cassidy and Amell would have chemistry if they were playing completely different characters. Which brings me back to: The writing for Laurel has been so bad.
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