Whee! Nicely done Dana!

Number 3?

Ooh, still has the new thread smell.

Thought on Oliver Queen's incredibly shitty decision making and leadership skills. (TV only): I think this can be explained entirely from canon.

1) Both parents were members of a terrorist organization. Both parents cheated on each other. While young Oliver may have missed many specific lies, he undoubtedly picked up on the general atmosphere of dishonesty along with the whiff of self-righteous "everything I do wrong is for the greater good/deserved by the victim". Kids are sensitive to this stuff. There were strong hints that he and young Merlin both chose irresponsibility as an alternative to a version of adulthood they saw as worse than being useless. Father's dying words confirmed that he had spent most of his life doing wrong, and even when he started doing right deceived Oliver right up a minute before death.

2) His first mentor, later to become a Super-Villian Deathstroke was already Black Ops, very pro-deceit (by the "good guys") and very ends-justify-the-means oriented. He also got training from his doomed love; her death reinforced both that he was incapable of protecting those he love and that the virtuous are doomed.

3) Enslaved by Argus, run by "The Wall" - again, deceit, torture, murder "for greater good"

4) Trained by the Bratva, Russian Mob in leadership and dealing with "team".

5) During infiltration of league of assassins, personally trained by Raj Al-Ghul

He knows this is not the way to be. But a large part of him associated lying, deceit, and end-justified-the-means behavior of adulthood and effectiveness. Openess, honesty , trust are for losers. Another part hates that part of him. Sp when he tries to be honest,, to treat people well, to set limits on what he is willing to do to reach goals, the part that thinks all that stuff is for children and the irresponsible sabotages him. When he tries to go dark, the par that knows that is wrong sabotages him. So whichever way he chooses, he will always sabotage himself. :Cause the ruthless half will always sabotage the part that wants to be a boy scout, and the boy scout will always sabotage the part that wants to be Amanda Waller.

This post sponsered by two hours on hold at Social Security and still waiting.

Steph, speaking of Hamilton and Arrow, did you ever see this?

And I love how they toss in this character who is apparently Wolverine-lite without any explanation (unless more explanation is forthcoming in this episode).

Where's Captain Exposition when you need him?

That was weird for me, too, along with the Boba Fett clone. I looked him up assuming he was a recent addition to the DC canon, but he's been around for a long time, going back to Action Comics in the 70's. I used to read Action every freakin' month in the 70's, and I don't remember him at all. There's also been not one, but two television adaptations, one starring Rick Springfield that I also don't remember, and another that lasted for two shortened seasons on Fox just a few years ago that I vaguely remember but didn't watch (and wouldn't have guessed that it was based on a comic).

I do wonder how many people thought the same thing about Constantine's guest turn.

8? Ha ha!

Top 10?

I don't even go here!

JUST missed top ten!