Fangirl Moment! Arrow Season 4 TRAILER

As you all know, the trailer for Arrow Season 4 has just been released online! For those who haven't seen or would like to relive the awesomeness again, simply click this video!

I will not be doing the typical breaking down, but I will express the things I am (and not) looking forward to, this season.

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First off, this would be my first time saying that I am excited for Ollicity this season! CW cleverly placed cute moments between the two at the very beginning of the trailer. Although I am questioning how they are able to afford a decent house in a decent neighborhood (which is the American Dream), but I am looking forward to what kind of physics--I mean, chemistry they are going to have together.

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Let's not forget Thea Queen, who's finally going to take the helm of Speedy! We get to see more of her in this trailer, compared to how much we've seen Roy Harper in the last three seasons. And yes, perhaps it has something to do with Thea being the major character. In my opinion, Thea has had the most complex yet the most interesting character development in this series by far. The difference between the old and new Thea is drastic. Also, I never forgotten what everyone in Arrow said about Lazarus pit. Nobody comes out the same. Shortly after Thea was revived, she returned to her usual state, only in a groggy form. I was kind of expecting for something twisted to happen for Thea for that season, but I slightly miscalculated that part. Now, I am excited to know what kind of struggle she is going to have for this season.

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I have to admit, but Ra Al Ghul was kind of a drag last season. But when I saw Damien Darhk make an appearance, I kinda got my hopes up. If Ra Al Ghul never left his little nest till the end of Season 3, Damien is quite the opposite. His character is so out there, and there are many contrasts you can make with his character and with Ra Al Ghul's. For one thing, he's not wearing dramatic robes to emphasize how serious of a character he is. Rather, he looks like your average, charismatic, smart businessman. Also, he's not wearing dramatic robes for a bit of flare. So I have a good feeling about this character. Or at least, I am going to like him more than Ra Al Ghul.

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Another thing I am looking forward to is the drama occurring in Nanda Parbat. First, we see the tension between Nyssa and Malcolm Merlyn, who is now the new Ra Al Ghul. I am so glad that Nyssa will be returning for season 4 because that means I get to see her finally reaching her breaking point as a character. In other words, I just want her to stand up for herself and fight for the title that was always meant to be hers to begin with! I mean come on, when we first met her, she kept rubbing it in to everybody that she is the heir to the demon. I think it is time for Nyssa to shine and become the ultimate badass. 

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With that aside, I think things between her and Malcolm will get even more messy when Sara Lance also gets revived from the Lazarus Pit. Thanks to the teasers of Legends of Tomorrow, the next DC TV masterpiece, we already know for sure that Sara will never be the same. But whatever, I am excited to see her return! She's my favorite character in the series, and I do not care if she becomes evil. She's just so awesome. Also, it would be interesting to see Caity Lotz take on an antagonistic role, since I am pretty much used to seeing her as an extra in couple of dance movies and random TV series. But I am still confused which Lazarus Pit she will appear in. The trailer looked like she was revived in Nanda Parbat, but Legends of Tomorrow showed a completely different version of it. So yeah, hopefully that will clear up.

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We also get a new set of heroes this season. And so far, we got to see  Mr. Terrific  and the almighty Constantine!  It's already a given who Constantine is, since he's the exact same one we all know from the recent DC TV series that got canceled. Well, I haven't seen the series yet, but hopefully this strategy will somehow make Arrow the Lazarus Pit for the Constantine Series (hehe). Yeah, basically I'm assuming they think that another DC crossover might help create more buzz for Constantine, and that a couple of demands for a reboot or revival shall follow. It's a good idea and I actually hope it works. Arrow is kinda the reason why The Flash is now on the top of its game, so it won't hurt to try again.

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For those who haven't the slightest idea who Mr. Terrific is, he's the new partner of Felicity Smoak. And he's also an old DC classic, and he's known to be quite the martial arts expert. Based on his history, there were two personas who took the title of Mr. Terrific, but season 4 shall be following the story of Curtis Holt (originally Michael Holt, in the comics). The mystery of who currently owns Palmer Tech, has still not yet been unraveled.

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There are also things I am very unsure about. Let's start off with the obvious; Laurel Lance.  I get it, I've been defending her in this blog for quite some time, but I'm getting worried. In the trailer, we see her taking initiative to go to Oliver and Felicity. So my guess is that she slowly becomes the second-in-command in Team Arrow. However, I still think it is too early for Laurel to jump into becoming a solid badass character. Up till now, I still have a hard time seeing her as the Black Canary. So I'm really hoping her character development will go smoothly. It will not be rushed nor be slowed.

For the first time, I'm dreading the next phase of Oliver's past. He took a ship to Coastal City from Hong Kong (which is near my country omg). So yeah, it is safe to say his next destination is the home of Hal Jordan, aka Green Lantern or another major DC character in the Justice League. Honestly, I kinda bought the idea that Oliver was able to survive in a remote island for five years because, for one simple reason. It's not an ordinary island. As seen in the past seasons, it has been set as the facility for random evil stuff. That alone gave Oliver enough exposure to what kind of shit has been happening. So if you ask me, I'm more on the "so-so" scale with him moving from one place to another for five years. I'm concerned that this subplot of him surviving will slowly deteriorate and it will become a chore to watch, even if his past will somehow have something to do with his future problems in season 4. 

I'm scared for all characters, basically. By the end of season 3, a lot of people already know who Oliver Queen is and Team Arrow gets bigger and bigger. And we get to see what kind of impact it gives to the characters. My concern is how the writers will handle such effects on the characters, because most of them have already reached their breaking points (Felicity, Laurel, and Thea, to name a few), and character development from there can be the most difficult part to mold. If its mishandled, the character's essence can slowly saturate and ultimately become overrated or boring. My fear grew when I saw Diggle in his new costume. I don't know what they have in mind for Diggle, but hopefully it won't be over the top. Because right now, he's seen as this guy who intended to carry on the hero work Oliver left, and that kinda doesn't make sense for me. The last time we all saw Diggle, he was slightly pissed at Oliver for not letting him on the plan he had all along. That alone was reasonable, because he has a family and he also cares about the other members in Team Arrow. Diggle getting on that elevator gave me the impression that he would lay low and not handle vigilante work for a while, because he kinda had enough. Then this trailer came and I got slightly confused.

Anyway, that is all I have to say for the trailer. Hopefully season 4 will pick up the pace and be much better than the third. Till the next post~

School Lessons As Told By Your Fandoms

Hi! Sorry if it's been a while. School is around the corner, so things are starting to get busy around here. Speaking of which, I'm sure most of you are starting high school or college for the first time, or you just dread the idea of school. Well, whether you like it or not, education is very important. In short, yes, we need to go to school because it will eventually produce some good benefits. And if you think about it closely, most fandoms contain very educated characters and most of these happen to be characters we love. So why not make them examples or icons of education? Here are five important school survival tips that I learned from five different fandoms.

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1.) Annabeth Chase/Hermione Granger- "Knowledge is power"
Although they come from two different book series, I think it's safe to put them on the same category. Hermione and Annabeth taught me you definitely get something if you spend a little more time with your homework. And they don't just learn things, they apply what they studied in every situation, The fact that they are eager to learn something new, already makes them the badass female characters. That's why Harry or Percy depend on them a lot, because let's face it; they aren't the most studious type. I'm not saying you have to be studious like them, but they taught me to embrace learning as much as I can because I'm definitely gonna need what I store in my brain.

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2.) Felicity Smoak- "Education can give you a future"
For those have seen her filler arc in Arrow Season 3, we all eventually understood why Felicity became who she is. Not only that, she made it clear that she thought she wouldn't amount to anything. One thing's for sure, though; she didn't want to end up like her mom. Although her aspirations made her have disagreements with her mom along the way, but one thing I've always admired about Felicity, is that she is able to make a goal for herself. And to make things even better, she made that goal happen. I guess she taught me that spending your afternoons understanding complicated math equations is definitely worth your time. In other words, education will definitely guarantee you a future. It doesn't matter if your course or your future career path is not technical as hers, but rest assured all your hard work in school will produce something great in the end. So try looking at that homework again and put your mind to it like she did.

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3.) Katniss Everdeen- "Learning is not a privilege, it's a necessity"
I know, I picked the most generic and possibly overrated YA character of all time. But even if the Hunger Games never had much info about the way they handle their education system, Katniss Everdeen still proved to everyone that she's smarter than you think. Unlike the other tributes, nobody in her district gave her tips on how to win the Hunger Games. Nobody taught her how to fight or even survive. She learned that all by herself. She didn't really need a school to teach her how to hunt down some meat. If you're one of those people who thinks school is not at all that important, try to think twice. School is kind of important, at least for me, because it has taught me many things that are not even academic-related.

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4.) Barry Allen- "Never stop pursuing"
Barry is one of those characters who would never give up or who would never stop believing in something. Barry has always believed in the impossible and he actually became the impossible. Basically, that very attribute is something that we're going to need in our daily lives, especially in school. No matter how stressful your week seems to be, believe that you can make it. If you think graduating is impossible, pursue it and it will hit you in a flash.

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5.) Mako- "Don't make school take over your life"
Yeah, she seems like a very unfitting choice, since she barely showed much promise in her schooling. But guess what, it doesn't really matter to her. She certainly does one thing that I honestly think every student should do, which is spending time with her family. In my high school days, joining family outings or even spending time with friends was a luxury for me because I had so much school work to do. Furthermore, I wanted to maintain really good grades and I am one of those students who seriously needed to drill their brains into studying. And it really frustrated me at the time, because I wanted to be one of those people who would just take a glance on their notes and understand things in an instant. But no, I'm not that kind of student and hard work is essential for me if I want to succeed. But during high school, I took my studies way too seriously to the point I would have moments where I snapped into a mad frenzy (and me being stressed is not a pretty sight, by the way!). Because of that, I wasn't able to spend that much time with family. As for my friends, I get to see them everyday, but there where many times I would miss outings with them too. And I learned that it's not healthy because I knew I wasn't going to be stuck in school until I die (and I do not intend to let that happen). So what I'm saying that it's okay to take a break. It's okay to set a time where you can just goof off with your loved ones, because that's important too. And yes, too much of school will most likely kill you. Trust me, I know.

And that's it! Hope you guys are going to look at school in a much more brighter perspective now (in spite of the bullies, perhaps). Work hard, relax, and don't forget to smile! Till the next post~

Let's Review! The Women of Arrow

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It's been a while since I did posts about Arrow. But I am extremely excited about the crossover event which will happen in less than a week! To express my excitement, I'd like to talk more about Arrow. In my last post regarding Bash Crime and Women Empowerment, I mentioned that one of the many things I love about this show are the female characters. They're not just purely badass, but they have so many qualities that we both love and hate. Also, Oliver Queen dated most of these women, so it will not be hard to tell what type of woman he's into. Let's remember some of these notable ladies, shall we?

Helena Bertinelli
Also known as: The Huntress
Portrayed by: Jessica De Gouw
She is my ultimate woman crush in the series. I mean, look at her. Aesthetically, she is gorgeous. Jessica De Gouw is extremely charming, which matches the character of Huntress very nicely. Have you listened to her American Accent (Jessica is Aussie, by the way)? It is divine! She made Huntress looked like the insane Succubus in sweet angel's clothing. She may not have completely nailed Helena, but she definitely portrayed her in a new and refreshing way. But at least she was able to maintain the main core of this character, which is her vengeful spirit. If you mess with the Huntress, then she will stop at nothing to kill you. Not even her good friends can stop her. At the same time, she can still her maintain her sultry-like charm.

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Mckenna Hall
Also known as: The Detective Woman who was actually assigned to arrest her own boyfriend
Portrayed by: Janina Gavankar
Yeah, we did not get to see much of her in season 1, which is such a shame. For one thing, I had no idea that women in the precinct could be this gorgeous. Also, it is quite interesting to know that she was a good friend of Oliver's, but she was also the one assigned to track him down. So what does Mr. Queen do? Date her of course! And in spite of her short appearances, it is a given that she is amazing at her job. Sadly, at the end of the arc, she seemed like a wrench in the works so people will continue to guess who the Arrow is supposed to end up with.

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Chien Na Wei
Also  known as: China White
Portrayed by: Kelly Hu
All we know is that she worked for the triad. That's it. She remains a mystery to us all (unless you read the comics). The question is, who is she and what's her deal? More importantly, will she come back and kick ass?

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Amanda Waller
Also known as: The Scary Woman in ARGUS
Portrayed by: Cynthia Addai Robinson
Okay, every woman can certainly throw a bitchfit. But if you ask me, this is one woman that I do not want to mess with. Heck, I do not even want to encounter this woman. For some reason, she has the power of an almighty pharaoh. She can take away everything you love and want with just one word. She reminds me of Kuvira, because her methods are beyond radical. When she has a goal, she puts her mind to it and she will make certain that it is achieved, even if it means taking away innocent lives. I am terrified and amazed by this woman.

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Isabel Rochev
Also known as: Ravager
Portrayed by: Summer Glau
Another woman to be terrified of. The only reason why she wanted to ruin Oliver's life is simply because his dad--who happened to be her ex-lover, by the way--chose Thea and his family over her. I guess the Queens have the knack of attracting psychopaths. And this girl is definitely a psychopath. She cleverly used all her cards just so she can get her hands on Queens Consolidated by acting as a passionate businesswoman that wants to prove to everyone that she can handle a huge and popular company. It worked perfectly, even I fell for it. And I thought it was just going to end there, but no. She had to get Mirakuru and turned into this insane killing machine. Plus, seeing her smile will give you chills on your spine and it is not the good kind. Sure, I've seen her smile and laugh during bloopers, but it still makes me feel uneasy.

Nyssa Al Ghul
Also known as: *says it in her voice* Daughter of Ra Al Ghul, Heir to the Demon
Portrayed by: Katrina Law
We all know who she is. She would never stop introducing herself as the daughter of the almighty leader of the League of Assassins. Not only that, it is revealed that she is not only a fighter but an intense lover. If any overly-attached girlfriend in the planet underwent the same training as her, then I pity the boyfriends and the girlfriends. Let's admit it, Nyssa can be quite clingy. She wouldn't kidnap Sara's mother for no reason. It's just her way of forcing her ex to come back to her.

Shado
Also known as: Shado
Portrayed by: Celina Jade
Shado is what you call an overachiever. She's a lawyer, a pre-med student, knows martial arts, bilingual (I think), excellent huntress, philosophical (in a way), and she has the looks that gave both Deathstroke and the Arrow the boners. And no, she does not have the slightest hint of arrogance in her system. She is actually a very humble person. It's been a while since I encountered a woman who can be a gentle nurse and a fighter. She's almost similar to Mckenna, only Shado had more depth. Her character in the comics was supposed to be the ruthless lover of Robert Queen--Oliver's father--but I am glad that the writers altered her personality into something like this.

Lyla Michaels
Also known as: Harbinger
Portrayed by: Audrey Marie Anderson
I am glad that Diggle has met someone like her. She is literally his other half. They're both into public service, for instance. They met during a war, for crying out loud. Although they have excellent chemistry, I am still wondering why they have this on-and-off relationship in the first place. Lyla is a very well-rounded woman and I think out of all the female characters, she is a person who can stand her ground. It is a given that they have different opinions on world peace or something and that being together while serving the military is not that easy. To make things more complicated, Amanda Waller picked them to be part of the Suicide Squad; but hey, that didn't stop them from having a baby.

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Sara Lance
Also known as: The Canary
Portrayed by: Caity Lotz
Talking about Sara Lance would be a challenge. Why? Because it will take me forever. I would dedicate an entire novel about how amazing she is in season 2. Furthermore, Caity Lotz did most of her own stunts in the series (and she is an excellent dancer. She used to be a back-up dancer in a notable cheerleading film called, "Bring it on: All or Nothing"). Basically, she was my favorite character in the entire series and she was actually the only girl that I totally shipped with Oliver. Only she died a very painful death and up till now, I am deeply upset about it. I was kinda hoping that she would be the Black Canary, but no. Writers have to play with my feels for a little while.

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Thea Queen
Also known as: Speedy
Portrayed by: Willa Holland
She's the character that I wanted to hate, but couldn't. In the first season, she's been acting like Lindsay Lohan mostly because she just wanted some attention from her family. She tries to build up in season two but she didn't like the idea of people lying to her, which is understandable. I gotta say, she had a very interesting character development. Like I can see her change in every season. Now she suddenly became more interesting in the third season, not because she gained some fighting skills but because she is finally becoming a stronger individual. And by that, I mean she is starting to have clearer goals and she is more level-headed than before. She learned to work hard, she decided that she did not want to feel sorry for herself anymore so she decided to do something about it. Even though this lead to her having some father-daughter bonding time with the crazy Malcolm Merlyn, we can still see how much Thea changes as a person.

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Moira Queen
Also known as: Oliver Queen and Thea Queen's diabolical mother
Portrayed by: Susanna Thompson
Like I said before, she displayed a mother's love in a very twisted way. Let's just say she would do anything for her kids, even if it means being a colossal bitch to Felicity Smoak. Unfortunately she was a victim herself. She just got caught in a crossfire between her husband and the people of the Undertaking. When her husband died, she had no choice but to clean up the mess he had made. Fear is evident in her expressions, but she had to swallow it down and do it. All for the sake of her kids. What even surprised me was that she knew what her son was up to for the past two years! I guess mothers do know best.

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Laurel Lance
Also known as: Black Canary
Portrayed by: Katie Cassidy
Yes, I can hear you groaning. But let's cut her some slack, she's been doing really well in season three so far. And I'm going to say this one more time: she is not a terrible character. Yes, she is complicated, but that's what makes her fascinating. She can be irritating, intimidating, loving, and sorrowful to watch all at the same time. Plus her story so far has been interesting. It's complicated, which is exactly like her and that's how it should be. Now it has been established that she is not just going to be your typical lawyer, it makes me wonder how she's going to rekindle the fire between her and Oliver...since they are the canon after all. Sorry Olicity fans.

Felicity Smoak
Also known as: Bitch with Wifi
Portrayed by: Emily Bett Rickards
EVERYONE'S FAVORITE GAL!!! I don't blame you guys, Felicity Smoak is fabulous and she deserves a standing ovation. Although I was not completely impressed with her origin story, I still love her character development. She showed us that she's more than just an awkward I.T. girl. She can threaten bad guys with her tablet and she can give serious pep talks to Oliver Queen. She hesitates, she takes stands, and she can surprise you with her amazing party clothes. Basically she's not just the typical awkward and shy girl that everyone in Arrow thinks. And above all, she has almost every awkward girl's dream: to be wooed and surrounded by very attractive, strong, and intelligent young men. She's got more game than any slut I know.

The Newbies (Just first impressions)

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Carrie Cutter
Also Known As: Cupid
Portrayed by: Amy Gumenick
I never expected Arrow to have a villain who is a mixture of Harley Quinn and Catwoman. But here she is. Believe it or not, her only motive is to make senpai--in this case, it's Oliver--to notice her. I wish I can see her again, because she has definitely sparked my interests. But seriously, what can she do for ARGUS?

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Tatsu Yamashiro 
Also Known As: Katana
Portrayed by: Rila Fukushima
She's a tough cookie with a moist heart. I am dying to know how she became Katana, but I get the feeling that I am going to regret it pretty soon.

8 Moments that Defined Arrow Season 2

WARNING: The following posts contains spoilers

The premiere of season three is upon us and I am very excited. The ending of season two has definitely brought me to the edge of my seat and ever since I watched the ultimate ending, tons of theories and predictions for the show came exploding in my mind.

Now that the third season is three days away, all of my favorite scenes in the last season have come flooding back in my mind and I would like to share these certain moments right here in my blog. Personally, these scenes totally defined Arrow and perhaps DC. These scenes are the reason why this show (and DC) is truly epic and awesome. I know there were a lot great scenes in that show, but the scenes I am going to talk about still linger in my mind. In other words, they created a huge impact to me. And yes, this is my way to keep everyone excited and very well anticipated for the brand new season!

For the nth time, stop asking if she's okay (source)

1.) Laurel's antagonistic moves

Her character pissed most of the viewers off. She tried to be her father and attempted to capture Oliver because she was blaming him for the death of Tommy. Then she thought Tommy's death was her fault and started drinking and acting like a total jerk. But let's focus on how she tried to put The Arrow in jail, shall we? Like I said several posts ago, she's not a completely bad character. She can be a badass anytime she wants, irregardless of how right or wrong the situation is. I guess this was not her season, and just like any other human, she turned to a very dark path for a little while. It happens. Hopefully, Laurel will be back on her feet in season 3. But her antagonistic tendencies proves that she's not to be taken too lightly. 

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2.) Dr. Ivo making Oliver choose between Shado and Sara and Slade Wilson repeat of the same dilemma

I had no choice but to merge these two scenes into one because they are not only related to each other, but they are very intense. I'm sure no one wants to go through what Oliver has experienced, especially this one. I guess these scenes show that humans cannot love everyone equally, which is a cold truth. You can divide your love among people, but deciding who gets the bigger piece is a tough choice. 

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3.) Deathstroke randomly killing Sebastian Blood's henchmen

He did not just kill them for any plausible reason. He killed them because he's pissed. And he had to wear his Deathstroke outfit. That's how much of a dangerous badass he is.

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4.) Roy Harper's bipolar attitude towards Oliver 

Like Laurel, the second season was not Roy's season. He had random fights with Thea, he got punched and arrested a few times, he had the Mirakuru in his system and went on a rampage for a few episodes, then he had to leave Thea but Thea eventually left him...yeah. However, all the things he had to go through had to happen, if he has to be in Team Arrow. But his impatient attitude is so Roy Harper, which I adore. So I give kudos to the writers for making his character spot on! 

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5.) The Canary vs. The Huntress

I am so glad that this episode finally happened! The fight between the Birds of Prey was not only sexy, but it was awesome! It was even accurate because Black Canary and Huntress always had a rocky relationship. I wish it was not their last episode together and hopefully next time, the Birds of Prey will finally be complete.

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6.) Moira Queen's death

Never underestimate a mother's love. Never.

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7.) Team Arrow and League of Assassins

Come on. It was so cool. Words cannot describe the emotions I had whilst watching this very scene. Nothing beats seeing two (maybe three, including the Suicide Squad, somehow) epic organizations work together.

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8.) Felicity's pep talks

This is probably the first time I've seen a comic superhero who does not need a kiss from a very pretty girl to feel energized and encouraged. All it takes for Oliver to move on is Felicity saying that she still believes in him. Heck, that's all he ever needs to hear because almost everyone was looking down on him at this point. So it is good to know that we have the "Bitch with Wifi" who not only threatens and interrogates people using her computer, but also knows what are the right words to say to a man she really cares about. Rejoice, Olicity fans, rejoice!

So what were your favorite scenes in the second season of Arrow?

Related:

Fangirl Moment: Arrow Season 3: High Speed Chase Trailer
What to Expect this October!