But it still served a lot of purpose in second season and informed who Oliver and Laurel were moving forward (and Merlyn to a lesser extent). It's not quite the same as effectively retconning Reverse Flash back into existence (thereby negating the entire reason Eddie killed himself).

What did they do that wiped it away?

Oh definitely. Karen needs to be taken down a few pegs.

Maybe Prometheus did it for her. It's the Arrowverse equivalent of a goatee.

Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew

I would actually take Karen over Felicity. For all that she drives me crazy, Karen has a lot of agency, isn't solely defined by her potential romantic relationship with Matt, and tends to get into trouble through her very own (very in-character) actions.

I can definitely understand this. Felicity is still my least-liked character and I worry that the writers have catered overly hard to her fandom.

Tommy's death at least served purpose. While Flash has effectively wiped away the need for Eddie's death in the last season and a half.

And if Tommy hadn't died, I'm pretty sure he would've become a villain.

Exactly! Or the DS9 of Star Trek. The darker show that complements the others.

This was one of my issues with fourth season. It felt like everyone was turning into a superhero and the show was getting cluttered with 90% of the cast sharing the same emotional space. Fifth season has done well in course-correcting that.

I heart all of Arrowverse, but Arrow has - at its best - often boasted a maturity the others lack. It's a big reason why it's my fave.

Right? He's the person that can talk everyone up in support when they need it (while dropping a few taunting remarks along the way).

I'm actually cautiously optimistic that serving as a bridge for Laurel-2's redemption is what the new Black Canary character will ultimately provide.

I was honestly concerned for a minute there they were going to have Felicity become Black Canary, what with her working out this episode.

I'm hoping this team-up with Diggle will result in one or both of them learning who the other really is.

It's like they managed to create an Arrow specific version of the Cisco/Winn character.

Season 2 is the gold standard of comic book tv for me - but I'll second your assertions about this season. To have a quality season this far into the run of a successful series is often hit more than miss - to have it after the struggle of the last two years is nothing short of miraculous.

Also, how much do I love that Oliver's newfound optimism is coming wrapped up in a contest with a villain determined to show him how much of a monster he is. It makes for a much better tonal balance, with letting Oliver have genuine growth as a character, without veering too far outside of the grim tone that's so…

I am so glad they didn't draw out the reveal on Black Siren. And I love how much Katie Cassidy clearly loves playing her. I'm all on board with her being a recurring presence.