Team GATV Midseason Roundtable Part 2: Looking Ahead

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Is there hope for “Olicity?”

STEPHANIE: I’d say there is, especially with Diggle not only being somewhat of an Olicity shipper himself, but also being an example of someone having a happy relationship in their line of work. Even though Diggle and Lyla’s situation is not the same, it can still give Oliver a spark of hope that it’s a possibility for him too.

There used to be such a fear that putting two characters together would reduce the amount of drama between them and the enjoyment of their interactions. With Oliver and Felicity, having them navigate a relationship amidst the threats in their everyday lives only adds to the drama. Other good news for this couple is that shows nowadays are starting to realize the so-called “Moonlighting Curse” isn’t the deterrent it once was. Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards have phenomenal chemistry, and I don’t see the writers missing out on an opportunity to explore that in a different way.

CRAIG: Yes, but I don’t think it will work in the long term as quickly as some might hope. Part of why I haven’t gotten “rah-rah Felicity,” beyond not feeling like we really saw the growth of it (my opinion, no need to attack me, commenters) is that if a couple is together at the start of Season 3, we can’t really expect that couple to stay together and happy for three or four more seasons. TV doesn’t work that way, and there’s not drama like that. So, if Olicity is “endgame,” I’d think it’d be something introduced somewhere in the final season, if at all.

And, like I said before, this whole “I’m worried about people getting hurt” thing is lame. Felicity can hold her own, and if Oliver wants it, just go for it already. But I know there’s no drama in that.

DEREK: No matter what happens, as long as the two characters are on the show together, that’s always going to be a factor. Smallville would still throw out little nuggets about a Clark and Chloe romance right up until the last season, even though they settled on being platonic rather early. So, especially with a pairing that’s played such a major role in the storyline recently, it’s not like we’re ever going to reach a point where it’s like, “Okay, Olicity is over now guys, move along.” Well, short of Felicity being written off, which I doubt will happen anytime soon.

That said, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how things have played out this season; I still think “The Calm” was a bit clunky in rushing through the date and “break-up” to set the stage, but I like where Felicity has gone since then. If they do decide to try out a relationship for real, we’re already seeing that they’ll be different people from who they were at the beginning of the season, and that’s more interesting to me than where they were beforehand.

MATT: Cue the air raid siren.

Personally, I don’t think so. Though, I give the showrunners and writers credit that they explore all of the characters as normal, flawed human beings. And human beings have ways of making unexpected choices and retracing their steps many times throughout their lives. I think they move on from Olicity after Season 3, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they wouldn’t revisit it in some fashion later on in the series.

I do commend them for recognizing that they needed to address it on the series. I’m not a fan of them as a romantic couple because their connection has always felt to me close and very important but not in that way. I also think it convolutes things too much for them in what they’re doing with their lives, and that seems to be more toxic than conducive to a relationship.

I feel Felicity deserves someone outside of the lifestyle for the balance.

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