Two Moments of Goodness from Arrow “Time of Death” 

Slade and Oliver come face to face. Finally! I loved the ending this week, but I’m going to save my thoughts on these two for next week, when they really go head to head and I will no doubt have much to discuss.

Instead, today I’m focusing on two Moments of Goodness, one about stepping up, the other about walking away. Since I feel like Oliver was speaking directly to my last article in this scene, I’m going to start with Oliver walking away from Laurel. This deserves yet another “FINALLY!” Its about time someone spoke up and set Laurel straight. I’ve never been shy in expressing my feelings about Laurel, especially recently when she seems to be eager to blame everyone else for her problems. That’s why I was nearly cheering when Oliver stopped tip-toeing around her and finally said what needed to be said.

Laurel: You are unbelievable! You lecture me about how I need to repair my relationship with Sara when you’re the one who messed it up in the first place by screwing her. And now you’re doing it again.

Oliver: You’re right, this is all my fault.

Laurel: Yeah, yes it is.

Oliver: And is you losing your job, doing drugs, being a drunk, is that my fault? Is it your family’s fault? Or are you going to blame Tommy for dying?

Laurel: Screw you, Oliver.

Oliver: I’ve stood by you through everything. The DUI. Losing your job. Laurel, I was concerned about your well-being while you were trying to get my mother the death penalty.

Laurel: And you’ve been a real stand up kind of guy.

Oliver: Laurel, do you think you’re the only one that is having a hard time? Do you think you’re the only one with family issues? You’ve no idea what is going on with my family right now, but I am still standing here and you are still blaming everybody but yourself.

Laurel: Are you done?

Oliver: Yeah yeah, I’m done. I’m done taking the blame. And I’m done caring. Why don’t you go have a drink? Get wasted. I’ll pay for it. I have loved you for half of my life, but I’m done running after you.

No joke, I feel like he was reading my thoughts. Well, except the love part. As I said before, Laurel blames and blames and blames everyone for everything without thinking of what anyone else may be going through. I’ve wanted repeatedly to shake her so I’m glad that Oliver finally put it all out there. And even though he essentially “gave up on her” after, I think that was the best thing he could’ve done. He wasn’t leaving her to fend for herself, he was forcing her to step up and take responsibility for her own actions, which is something she couldn’t do when everyone was carrying her burden all the time. And as we witnessed later, it worked. Granted, I’m not sure I completely understand Laurel’s apology to Sara, but at this point, if it means no more angry, bitter Laurel, I’ll take it. Honestly, they have enough to battle in this city, they don’t need to be battling one another as well.

Now for my moment of stepping up. It’s hard not to love Felicity, she’s like a ray of (sometimes awkward) sunshine on a cloudy day. Not to mention she has the biggest heart of all of them and often plays the moral compass and voice of reason in trying situations. But that being said, when a girl with scars and combat skills and a leather jacket comes along, it’s hard not to feel displaced. I know that Felicity’s feelings may have been unsubstantiated, but you can’t blame her for feeling that way. We’ve all been there. The newer, shinier, more exciting thing comes along and you feel cast aside. Which was only made worse when Felicity’s computer console went kaboom and took the last bit of confidence she had with it. But rather than lamenting her losses, Felicity stepped up and set out to prove her worth. Granted, it may not have been the smartest idea, but Felicity knows computers and technology and ultimately, this was her battle to fight more than anyone’s. It may have bounced between a technological showdown and a physical one, but in the end, it was a computer whiz vs computer whiz and Felicity reigned supreme. Being that I’m no Felicity, I can’t begin to comprehend what she did to turn the cell phone into an explosive, but regardless, she delivered the final blow. And managed to get her very first battle scar in the process.

Sara: I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t been so brave, thank you.

Felicity: It was nothing. I’ve always wanted to say I’ve taken a bullet for someone and now I can. So really, I should be thanking you.

Sara: All done, not bad, but you’re still gonna have a scar.

Felicity: My own scar, yay!

Oliver: You alright? Diggle had mentioned maybe you were feeling a little left out.

Felicity: What? No. I’m just used to being your girl…I mean, not your girl girl, your girl. I know it sounds like the same word but it means something different in my head.

Oliver: You’ll always be my girl, Felicity.

I love when Felicity gets her moment in the spotlight. It feels like lately for her and Diggle, those have been few and far between. It’s also nice to see Felicity get the recognition she deserves, especially at a time like this when she needs it most.

I’m not quite sure what to expect next week, mostly because we have yet to see how things ended between Oliver and Slade on the island. But according to Sara, Slade is out to kill Oliver and his whole family and from what we’ve seen so far, I have no doubt he’ll go to great lengths to do just that.

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on the CW.