sentiment.
index message archive
b. twenty-three. intj. i'm obsessed with pretty people and shiny things.
about edits
about edits
b. twenty-three. intj. i'm obsessed with pretty people and shiny things.
amjsocysci: “ A Defense of Laurel Lance Ok, so I’m getting tired of the Laurel Lance debate and thought it was time to set the record straight. Let me start off by saying, I LOVE LAUREL and I LOVE KATIE CASSIDY. However, that doesn’t shade my opinion...

amjsocysci:

A Defense of Laurel Lance

Ok, so I’m getting tired of the Laurel Lance debate and thought it was time to set the record straight. Let me start off by saying, I LOVE LAUREL and I LOVE KATIE CASSIDY. However, that doesn’t shade my opinion of the character as a whole. Like every character in the show, she has flaws. However, Laurel doesn’t nearly deserve the hate she constantly gets. Let me explain why…

1) People say the writing is inconsistent. 

The first thing I want to say is, how is this Katie Cassidy’s fault? KC doesn’t write the show. She performs what is given to her by the writers. Yes, I will admit the writing for her character has been somewhat all over the place. It seems like the writers were trying to find what to do with her. The writers themselves (and Stephen Amell) have been quite honest and said that as well. They have said that since she wasn’t in on the secret, it was hard to find a storyline for her (as well as Thea). THAT ISN’T A CHARACTER FLAW, IT’S A FAULT OF THE WRITERS. The writers have been struggling to find her niche but that doesn’t mean that Laurel is a bad character. She’s struggling to find her way just as the writers were struggling to find her identity. They have also continuously said that season 3 is all about IDENTITY. Laurel is trying to find out who she is without her sister. As you can see, her trajectory this season is largely fueled by her rage but I can pretty much guarantee that we will see a different Laurel Lance by season end (maybe even after winter hiatus). The writers seem to be establishing a clear persona for Laurel now. Training with Ted Grant has definitely helped out. It also seems like the writers are creating a personality shift for Laurel. A determined, passionate, caring person is IN DEVELOPMENT. As with any character development, they stumble along the way. Laurel makes mistakes but so does every other character on the show. It makes her human. She will become an awesome Black Canary she just needs direction and time. 

2) Annoying?

How is she annoying? Is it because she stands up to Oliver? Let me tell you one thing…that is AWESOME. She is the ONLY character in the show (that isn’t a villain) that stands her ground in front of Oliver. EVERYONE else folds as soon as “almighty” Oliver says something. Diggle comes to mind because he will voice his opinion which is usually different from Oliver’s but ultimately he does whatever Oliver wants. Roy is Oliver’s protege so of course he obeys. Felicity does everything Oliver tells her to do whenever he tells her to do it. An argument can be made that Thea is coming into her own but I’ll reserve judgement on that front because she is evolving now and becoming independent. She also didn’t back down about the apartment. Though sometimes she may be wrong (drunk Laurel) let’s not forget that she is also right more often than not (Sebastian Blood, Ted Grant, etc.). A female figure that doesn’t back down from a man is something to be celebrated NOT ridiculed! Laurel displays a confidence that is ever present when she’s speaking to anyone. THAT DOESN’T MAKE HER A BITCH BECAUSE ANYTIME A MAN DOES IT, THEY’RE CONSIDERED BADASS (ex. anytime Malcolm, Oliver, or Diggle are on screen). Let’s also keep in mind that Laurel is extremely smart and pretty brave. She’s a lawyer that has persecuted criminals to make sure they get their due punishment. A lot of lawyers shy from criminal law due to fear of accompaniment with the persecution. As a feminist myself (also as a man… #HeforShe), it’s refreshing to see a woman coming into her own and becoming strong. 

3) She’s selfish?

How is she selfish? She has cared about Tommy, Oliver, Quentin, and Sara with undeniable love. She CAN be selfish, just like any other character on the show (or any human being) but she isn’t a selfish person. She loved Tommy and mourned his loss. She loved her sister and lost it when she died. Which explains her current vendetta now. I’d be reacting the same way if someone killed my sibling (honestly, who wouldn’t?). She used to be in love with Oliver (I personally think she’s over him but an argument can be made for the opposite) but still cares for him now. She’s shown love for her father since season 1, I really don’t think anyone will deny that. Her not telling her dad about Sara though is FOR HIS HEALTH. I don’t understand how people don’t see that. I will tell you first hand (I work in medicine) that when a person has a severe heart dysfunction, emotional stress CAN lead to additional heart trauma. Laurel knows this as well and has in turn decided to WAIT (not never) until the murderer is caught to tell her dad. Which makes perfect sense. It will definitely soften the blow for her dad. She also cares about people in general. Before her current job in the DA office, she worked at the City Necessary Resources Initiative (CNRI) which was a law firm dedicated to helping people in need (go back to season 1)! You can tell how dedicated she was to her clients because during the earthquake, she was risking her life trying to get her client’s files. She clearly cares about others and is an emotionally driven person.

4) Chemistry with Oliver/Bring out the worst in Oliver

Hmmm, let me say this…I personally don’t see Laurel and Oliver together BUT CHEMISTRY IS SUBJECTIVE. There’s really no point in arguing about who belongs with who. Some people think they’re perfect for each other, others don’t. Honestly, the romance is not a reason why I watch the show. I did read the comics and I know Laurel and Oliver are soulmates in the comics but they are also separated in the comics (I think Oliver cheated if I remember correctly - big surprise). Also, the writers have clearly strayed somewhat from the comics anyway (there was NO Sara Lance in the comics). So she could either be with him or not, personally I’m indifferent. I do see a connection brewing with Ted though. When it comes to bringing out the worst in each other, let me say this. Oliver/Laurel have their moments where they are fighting and when they are supporting each other. It’s obvious that they’re not 100% either way but no relationship should be. I think most people like to reference the scene where Laurel tells Oliver to kill Malcolm and he explains that he’s not a killer anymore. I want to draw focus to that moment because it was important. I can understand BOTH points of view (Oliver’s and Laurel’s). Oliver doesn’t want to kill anymore but Laurel thinks Sara was murdered by this man. Think about if you and a loved one that was murdered (I can relate) and the murderer was free. YOU WOULD WANT HIM DEAD. I understand the hero stuff and blah blah but THERE IS A POINT WHERE IT BECOMES IRRESPONSIBLE to let a certain type of person walk free. Malcolm has killed HUNDREDS of people and Oliver now wants to protect him? Even in reality, we have the death penalty for serious abusers of the law. I stand with Laurel in this regard but again, I can understand Oliver’s position in not wanting to kill him.

5) Felicity

Ok…let me preface this by saying I LIKE FELICITY. I LOVE EMILY BETT RICKARDS. However, my problem with this is that anytime someone says something about Laurel, Felicity has to come up. Why? Laurel’s trajectory this season and her past with Oliver have NOTHING to do with Felicity. I HATE that people keep comparing the two as if it’s a competition. IT IS NOT. I like Felicity and I love Laurel but I don’t see why people constantly berate Laurel when Felicity does something or vice versa. I think this might have something to do with society and how people view women. It’s always a competition with women. You don’t see comments like that when it comes to Oliver and Diggle or Malcolm and Slade (for a few examples). Also, the relationship between the two characters hasn’t really been established yet but I see no reason why they couldn’t be friends. Please don’t say Oliver. Laurel clearly is NOT pursuing Oliver (and really hasn’t been since season 1). I’m personally not a fan of Olicity but an Olicity shipper can still like Laurel. I think a comaradarie between the two women is upcoming (Birds of Prey anyone?!). I think it’s partially the writers fault in this regard. They haven’t really done anything to establish a relationship between the two. I mean no female currently on this show really interacts with another female if you think about it. That might lead to some of the comparative criticism that both characters endure. It’s honestly pretty trivial. I mean Katie Cassidy and Emily Bett Rickards are really good friends (look at their twitter/instagram accounts).

6) Sara

This one really upsets me. I understand it’s sad when a favorite character is killed off a show. However, that is not KC’s fault! I’ve seen some pretty rude responses towards KC about Sara’s demise. KC DOESN’T WRITE THE SHOW PEOPLE. Was Sara killed off for Laurel’s benefit? Yes, she was. Laurel has been set on a new course but guys come on, everyone knew she was going to be the true black canary. The writers couldn’t have been more clear about that. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise. You may say, “but they didn’t have to kill Sara off!” Listen to me carefully, WHO SAYS THAT THEY DID? We haven’t seen the end of the season! She could still come back (ever heard of Lazarus Pit?). Even if she doesn’t you would think that that type of anger would motivate someone to support Laurel’s storyline. She’s the only one in the show right now that seems to be solely focused on Sara’s murder. If you really loved Sara, why wouldn’t you love her sister? They loved each other and fought for each other. Of course Laurel wants revenge. I’m assuming you do too. Sara was loved and is missed at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we should discredit Laurel for her growth.  

7) Season 2

I didn’t like Laurel’s character in the beginning of season 2. I will be the first to say that. However, I’m not blind like it seems some fans are. I know she was written to be disliked in season 2. Guess what, you didn’t like her in this season either?…Then the writers did their job! They said they were going to take her to “an island” and they definitely did that. However, in my opinion I think they took it too far. They did more in that season to make the character unlikeable than likable. They tried to cover it up with an awesome monologue to get Oliver back in the game at the end of the season (which is also why I say they don’t bring out the worst in each other 100% of the time) but I thought it was a little too late. Anyway, the writers accomoplished their goal for her that season but lets move forward. 

8) Katie Cassidy

I LOVE KATIE! She is awesome. She has worked so hard for this. She’s an amazing actress. I see her putting up her boxing pics on instagram/twitter/FB almost every week. She really is starting to look the role! I mean did you guys see her in 3x06 -  Guilty? I thought she was going to rip through her shirt at one point!! She’s really showing dedication to the role. I commend her for it. I wish other people would see it too! I think the writers are finally starting to realize that KC looks best when playing a badass (remember Ruby from supernatural?). I really hope people can realize that KC isn’t at fault for any of the past storylines for her character. She played each role perfectly I look forward to seeing more

Random Thoughts/Theories

- I think Slade Wilson killed Sara Lance…come on theres no way he’s still in that prison. Plus Manu Bennett said he’s coming back. Also, Slade has a vendetta against Sara and Oliver. He did say he’s going to make good on his promise

- I think Laurel’s storyline in the crossover will have something to do with her getting the canary cry

- I think Ra’s and Oliver are going to have their “shirtless fight” in the midseason finale and Ra’s is going to “kill” Oliver. When we come back from the break (with a time skip) team arrow (with a newly suited up Laurel since they already announced it’s happening in episode 10) is going to be looking for Oliver since he’s been gone “x” amount of months

-The Lazarus Pit is going to be used for either Tommy Merlyn or Sara Lance

- When Laurel suits up, I don’t think she’s going to be out fighting alone similar to Oliver. I think she’s going to be a team with Ted Grant 

-I think the Birds of Prey will be happening soon now that we’ve got Black Canary, Oracle (Felicity), Katana (Tatsu - Rila Fukushima), and possibly the return of the Huntress

- I have feeling that Harley Quinn (Marc Guggenheim said Oliver will be seeing a therapist soon), Lady Shiva (possibly played by Devon Aoki if they can get her back), and Jade Nguyen/Cheshire are going to make an epic appearance soon

I welcome anyone to message me if they want to have a CONVERSATION about my addressed thoughts/ideas! Be safe friends! Be nice to each other!

  1. bibliophilcd reblogged this from bcsixteenfashion
  2. targaryeness reblogged this from piratequeennina
  3. violin-maestro-location-221b reblogged this from piratequeennina
  4. bieleanorshellstrop reblogged this from piratequeennina
  5. loveveronicas reblogged this from adriftinaseaofwonder
  6. bcsixteenfashion reblogged this from laurelwinchester