Scribblings from the Mitchy Side

I feel kind of bad for Thea. Yes, she is whiny and guilt-trippy, I concede both of those things. But I was whiny and guilt-trippy when I was 17 too. And she’s also been to all intents and purposes an orphan since the age of 12. Her dad and her big brother died, and then her mom checked out of parenting her (grief? Guilt? Who knows? We still don’t know if Moira found out the yacht was sabotaged after the fact, or if she connived in the sabotage beforehand, thinking only her husband and the crew would be on board, not realizing Oliver and Sarah would be there).

Yeah, Walter’s around, and he seems nice, but she would’ve been, what 13 or 14 when he and Moira got married? Not a good age to accept a step-parent. And now her brother’s back, but he’s not the idealized big brother she’s been grieving, he’s a real person with flaws, not to mention a killer case of PTSD that he’s refusing to acknowledge. So she’s lashing out at him in a whiny fashion, because he’s not fixing all her problems (too broken to fix his OWN problems, let alone hers). Basically, the entire Queen/Steele family needs therapy by the bucketload, but they’re unlikely to get it.

I don’t read the comics, but someone who does says Oliver’s nickname for her, Speedy, may be significant. Apparently Green Arrow has a sidekick called Speedy in the comics. Which would suggest that Thea will eventually find out her brother’s secret identity, do something useful, and quit whining quite so much. But I totally agree that in the meantime she needs something to do besides juvenile delinquency and guilt-tripping.

I judge Moira more harshly when it comes to the guilt-tripping. She’s a grown-up, and in the pilot she was flat out warned by the doctor that the Oliver they rescued from the island was probably not going to be the same boy she’d known. But I could be judging Moira more harshly because I know she’s mixed up in the Big Conspiracy. But Susanna Thompson (great actress, so happy she’s working again! Especially at an age when it’s hard for actresses to find work) gives Moira some nuance so she’s not just Evil with a capital E.

Also, I’m so happy that Digg is challenging Oliver and not just going along with his revenge gig and “I am the white knight saving the huddled masses of the oppressed” gig. In the episode where Oliver broaches opening the nightclub and Digg is all, “Oh, you think this will actually HELP people living in this horrible neighbourhood?” I had to rewind that conversation twice. And then in the most recent episode where Oliver is all, “I’m not interested in street crime.”

And Digg basically opines that Oliver’s being a spoiled brat wanting to pick and choose who to help when people out there need help regardless of whether he’s interested in their boring crime or not. I was totally cheering Digg on, trying to clear Oliver’s tunnel vision. And I like that the show is ALLOWING their protagonist to come across as blinkered and choosy. He doesn’t magically pick up the bow and become a superhero with super-judgment.