- Olicity
For the better part three seasons, fans (including myself) have rooted for a pairing between the characters of Felicity Smoak , the former IT Girl now in charge of her own corporation wonderfully played by Emily Bett Rickards and Oliver Queen , the hero known as The Green Arrow. When they finally became a couple at the end of season 3, the big question was heading into season 4 : How would the show, their chemistry and their characters change now that Olicity was officially canon?
Luckily whatever worries anyone had were quickly dispelled as from the opening scenes of the season premiere we got to see domestic Olicity and it was wonderful. From jokes about Felicity's lack of cooking ability to Oliver enjoying showing off his mother's ring and Felicity's future engagement ring to neighbors, it showed that Emily and Stephen's natural chemistry is even stronger than ever.
As they returned to Star City, we got to see even more aspects of the relationship. And this is what I have love this season is that we have got to see the little things that couple in love do whether it be just a simple holding of hands, a touch of the shoulder or leaning on one another. We have got to see a much healthier Oliver Queen for the better thanks to Felicity and we have got to see Felicity much happier this season thanks to no longer having "maybes" dangled in front of her and knowing that she can have and do what she wants with the support of her boyfriend Oliver.
Don't get me wrong though, I still love the big angst scenes like in "Lost Souls" where we got to see how the characters have changed each other. Such as when Felicity shows a little bit of a frustrated side while Oliver has learned when not to push and when to give room during a argument. Felicity and Oliver make up afterward by being honest with one another and letting the other know that even if they have these little fights, they will always love and care for one another.
I'm not sure what will be happening in the upcoming episodes (rumors has it being lots and lots of angst so bring it) but I do know that one of the best things this season so far has been Olicity and the unbelievably hot chemistry Emily and Stephen display every Wednesday night.
STRONG FEMALE HERO CHARACTERS
-This tv season we have got to see a wide amount of terrific female heroes in the ever-expanding tv landscape. Whether it be on broadcast, cable or Netflix , ongoing shows have started to put more of the spotlight on these characters and continued to expand with all-new shows. I am going to highlight some of these heroes that make me thankful they are on my television.
SUPERGIRL : In the new season we have gotten to meet a new hero from National City by the name of Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl played by Melissa Benoist. Supergirl is a great show to show kids especially young women if you want them to have a strong female role-model. Not only does she save the city weekly but also defends herself from attacks that she doesn't do enough or that she's not like her cousin, Superman. She proves that she can be a hero that makes mistakes and learns from them without having to mold herself to what others want her to be.
JESSICA JONES : On the other side of the comic universe, Jessica Jones debuted on Netflix and was met with universal cheer. In Krysten Ritter's performance, we saw a woman dealing with sexual trauma and PTSD after being under the control of Killgrave for months. Instead of shrinking away though she decides to fight on and try to take down Killgrave once and for all to save a girl named Hope from a murder rap. She made mistakes but never changed who she was and how she lived and I cheered at the end when (SPOILERS) she snapped Killgrave's neck ending his reign of evil.
(Also a quick nod to Trish Walker who I loved in the series. It was great to see her be a fighter, sister, friend and show that not having powers doesn't have to mean you can't be awesome)
AGENTS OF SHIELD : This show has always had kickass female badasses but we have got to see them in different roles. We got to see the emotions of the very sealed off Melinda May when it was found out that her estranged ex-husband Andrew was the inhuman murderer Lash. We got to see Bobbi Morse use her brains a few different times this season, whether working with Fitz in the lab or undercover with Hunter.
But the best of these was the episode "4,722 Hours" in which we got to see Jemma Simmons's saga of surviving on a distant planet without any weapons or modern technology except a cellphone (with a GREAT battery). In one of my favorite episodes of tv this year, Simmons used all of her knowledge to survive and hunt for food and shelter. Eventually she did find someone else on the planet but through it all we got to see Elizabeth Henstridge play the spectrum of emotions from hope to despair to resigned acceptance in just one 40 minute span.
THE LADIES OF ARROW : This season we have got to see some astonishing fight scenes involving Katie Cassidy's Black Canary with Caity Lotz's Canary against Damien Darhk's Ghosts and Thea Queen's blood rage unleashed in multiple episodes via Willa Holland's performance. It is always fun to see these ladies kick ass every week.
Also we have gotten to see Felicity Smoak not only continue her technical skills helping Team Arrow but we have also got to see her be in the field with the rest of the team when they rescued Ray Palmer. The best (non-Olicity) moment for Felicity this season though was when she saved Curtis Holt from Double Down when he invaded Palmer Industries and then the team's base. We got to see that Felicity Smoak has been a badass since always.
THE CW : This year The CW has become my favorite channel of all of television. Monday through Wednesday has something I watch and love. So I will go through each day and talk about the shows that have made the CW must-see tv.
Mondays- Starting with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Rachel Bloom has made a show about a flawed , slightly obsessed woman who decides to move to West Covina for a brand new start (It also happens to be where Josh, her ex-boyfriend lives but that's not why she's there!) The show which could have turned very bad , very fast instead has become one of the best unique comedies on tv. With a spectacular supporting cast and Fantastic songs week in and week out, Rachel has created a show about flawed individuals struggling to do their best one day at a time.
Jane the Virgin, in it's second season now, has become one of the most talked about shows on television. With it's lead, Gina Rodriguez as the lead character having now delivered her baby, we get to see her highs and lows of single-parenthood as she tries to become a writer while raising Mateo. Gina nails each scene she is in whether it be comedic or dramatic.
Also Jamie Cahil is still laugh out loud funny as Rogelio
Tuesdays- After a slow start for the season, The Flash has regained some of it's momentum from season 1. Grant Gustin is still fantastic as Barry Allen as he continues to deal with new threats and a major ass-kicking from Zoom. Every scene Grant has with Jesse L.Martin (as Joe West, Barry's adopted dad) is guaranteed to bring the emotions and feelings. Another reason for the boost back of season 2 is the return of Tom Cavanagh as Earth-2 Harrison Wells. His smarkiness has lead to some fun interactions with Cisco.
iZombie has become one of the better shows on television lead by lead actress Rose McIver as zombie Liv Moore. Each week Rose has to play not only Liv but has to give her a different personality thanks to whatever brain she eats whether it be a country music singer or a compulsive gambler and each time Rose delivers. Also helped by one of the best supporting cast from top to bottom on television, this show has the feel of being the heir apparent to Veronica Mars and the look of one that will be her for a long time.
Wednesdays - Arrow has rebounded from a uneven season 3 to deliver a tremendous season 4. This season we have a much better and charismatic villain in Damien Darhk and we have gotten to see the return of fan-favorite characters such as Sara Lance and Ray Palmer. Also there has been juicy stories for Diggle , Laurel , Thea and Felicity. And finally it is all held together by Stephen Amell's work as Oliver Queen who's character arc has progressed in 4 seasons from vigilante who trusted no one to a man who has surrounded himself with family and friends he will trust his life with.
And coming up next year we will get on Thursdays the return of The 100 for it's third season and the debut of Legends of Tomorrow. So The CW will be owning my television set for a very long time.
NOW TIME FOR QUICK THINGS I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR
- Jake and Amy on Brooklyn 99 - I have love seeing Jake and Amy be a couple this season. Whether sneaking for kisses in the file room or arguing about mattresses, Andy and Melissa have great chemistry with one another and I always feel a little happier when I see a Jake/Amy episode is coming up on Brooklyn 99
-Fargo avoiding the "True Detective" curse - Season 2 of Fargo is very close to the end and thankfully it is light years ahead of True Detective's second season. There has been wonderful performances from Patrick Wilson to Kristen Dunst all the way to Nick Offerman last week. I am anticipating how this season will end and what will be coming up.
-Captain Swan - One thing that Once Upon a Time has always done right is the Hook/Emma relationship. Jennifer Morrison and Colin O'Donoghue chemistry has always been a bright spot on the show even during lesser times on the show and the added twist of Dark Emma has made each interaction between the two more angst and emotionally draining but so so good.
