# The Arrow: Season 3 Episode 19 Broken Arrow
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 16, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796 "2015-04-16T00:49:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796/21 "2015-04-17T02:28:14Z")
> [@OldGuy](#):
>
> With Netflix, Hulu, Tivos, etc. not everyone sees each episode immediately when it comes out. In fact with time zone differences, not everyone sees the first broadcast at the same time. I think spoilers are only common courtesy. This is obviously more so true of movies.
> [@Simplicio](#):
>
> IIRC, the general rule has been for Episode specific threads on TV shows to have open spoilers once the episode has been broadcast. Since the point of such threads are to discuss the episode, one would end up having to spoiler-box a sizable proportion of the total text of a lot of such threads if the rule were otherwise.
>
> If you plan on watching the episode later (and care about spoilers), presumably the solution is to wait until then to read the thread. Or atleast limit your reading to posts that predate the episode airing.
> [@MaxTheVool](#):
>
> Agreed. I’m generally a bit of a spoiler nazi, but one of the times when it is absolutely NOT necessary to add spoiler boxes is when discussing a TV episode in a thread clearly marked as being the thread for that specific episode.
I live on the other side of the world from the US. Episodes for this show and many others are broadcast here on a 12-hour delay. Other shows are broadcast days, weeks, or even years after they’re shown on the US. If I’m concerned about spoilers, I know enough not to wander into these episode discussions before I’ve seen the episode in question.
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### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796/22 "2015-04-17T03:07:38Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#):
>
> If they are going to go the Lazarus Pit (and I think they are at some point), why not earlier use it on Oliver, when it made a hell of a lot more sense? At this point, it would make more sense to kill Ra’s (or is it Ras?) and bring him back as a surprise.
>
> _sigh_ I should be plotting this stuff (but don’t many of us feel the same?) _sigh_
It doesn’t work that way - the person to replace Ra’s had to survive Ra’s blade - so, it was Oliver’s survival of being mostly dead that placed him as Ra’s successor.
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### Author:  [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796/23 "2015-04-17T03:26:37Z")
I’m really not seeing Oliver’s dilemma. The Big Guy himself told Oliver that once he (Ollie) becomes Ra’s he’s free to do with LoL whatever he pleases. Ra’s minions have to do whatever Ra’s says they do, so why doesn’t Ollie just accept the inevitable and turn the assassins into a league of (ahem) justice?
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796/24 "2015-04-17T14:46:29Z")
> [@simster](#):
>
> It doesn’t work that way - the person to replace Ra’s had to survive Ra’s blade - so, it was Oliver’s survival of being mostly dead that placed him as Ra’s successor.
Well, if I was scripting, we toss that out and work something different.
> [@Terminus\_Est](#):
>
> I’m really not seeing Oliver’s dilemma. The Big Guy himself told Oliver that once he (Ollie) becomes Ra’s he’s free to do with **LoL** whatever he pleases. Ra’s minions have to do whatever Ra’s says they do, so why doesn’t Ollie just accept the inevitable and turn the assassins into a league of (ahem) justice?
emphasis added
League of Legends? 🆒
Didn’t Daredevil try to do that with the Hand (not sure as I didn’t read those)? I know the whole takeover thing didn’t quite work out well for him overall.
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### Author:  [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796/25 "2015-04-17T15:23:05Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#):
>
> I dislike Thea, the character as scripted. I also think the actress is the worst on the show, and the worst of just about any other show I watch regularly. The actor portraying Roy is also pretty bad, but at least his story has been a bit better. The actresses portraying Laurel and her sister also aren’t good. Felicity’s actress is the only one doing a good job with the role she’s given. But Thea’s actress is the worst, bad enough to often take me out of the story.
>
> I’ve also been an avid comic reader, but I’ve never had a problem dropping a comic because of bad writing or bad art (with the exception of The Legion of Super Heroes).
I’m curious why you think the actress playing Thea isn’t doing a good job? I kind of like her and her character. It’s a slow arc she was given but I thought she played it well. Felicity’s character is doing a good job but a lot of that is a function of the character she’s playing. Hot and quirky are a lot easier than hot and whiney.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796/26 "2015-04-17T15:32:49Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#):
>
> Didn’t Daredevil try to do that with the Hand (not sure as I didn’t read those)? I know the whole takeover thing didn’t quite work out well for him overall.
For what it’s worth, they did a comic where Bruce Wayne takes over for Ra’s al-Ghul; some of al-Ghul’s men get tasked with running Legitimate Business front companies, so the rest can hide behind that while playing smuggler and et cetera. I mean, sure, _you’re_ innocuously moving medicine across the border, but that’s just a diversion so your teammates can slip in to perform some dirty work, see? And, like, need-to-know basis and all that, so nobody gets ratted out – but it’s not like _all_ of us are working at front companies; that’s just crazy talk.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796/27 "2015-04-17T16:36:52Z")
> [@Bone](#):
>
> I’m curious why you think the actress playing Thea isn’t doing a good job? I kind of like her and her character. It’s a slow arc she was given but I thought she played it well. Felicity’s character is doing a good job but a lot of that is a function of the character she’s playing. Hot and quirky are a lot easier than hot and whiney.
I’m a man who 99% of the time will prefer the brunette over the subjectively-hotter blonde, so take that into account when I say this - **I** don’t find Thea (or Laurel) hot. I’m also significantly older than the character/actress and that may affect my opinion. Felicity, on the other hand, is smoking. Thea’s flat and unbelievable. She can’t only not overcome the crappy role (and it is a crappy role), but she doesn’t make me believe the crappy role. That they saddled her for many scenes with Roy, who is also pretty flat, though he does have a better role, didn’t help.
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### Author:  [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-arrow-season-3-episode-19-broken-arrow/717796/28 "2015-04-17T17:24:57Z")
Roy is not good. I think that’s because I just can’t accept him in his role as Arsenal. It’s not believable. Thea though - she’s just struggling to deal with her circumstances. I find her characterization fine for a person her age. I wish she had more to do but in her role there’s not much.
At first Felicity was awesome but I think the show has really damaged her character making her bounce between Oliver and Roy. That whole angle is just stupid. She would be awesome without a love interest. Consider that Thea dressing in mid-riff revealing outfits is in character, but Felicity wearing cocktail dresses to work is really not. I think the show has gone the wrong direction with Felicity.
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