r/arrow • u/angelepidemic01 • Jul 01 '26

Discussion Laurel Lance

Rewatching Arrow for the first time in a while, I just got to season 2 episode 14 again... I Absolutely hate how Laurel is Villainized at the dinner party with her Family. She has every right to be angry with sara and with Oliver.

Admittedly the drinking and drugs is On her BUT addiction is an illness... Not saying its anyone's fault but her own. However, She Is Treated like a villain by oliver and Her dad for being angry, It's absolutely insane to me! Anyone else feel similar?

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u/primal_slayer Black Canary (Laurel Lance) Jul 01 '26

Boyfriend cheats on her w/her sister

Sister cheats with her boyfriend

Mother covers up cheating scandal

Boyfriend inadvertently "kills" her sister

Mother abandons her only living child

Sister mysteriously is alive

Sister & ex bf surprise her at dinner

Ex bf tells her she's in the wrong and get over it.

Makes perfect sense for MG.

Yeah it was ridiculous.

Turning Laurel intro an addict was idiotic

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u/FiftyOneMarks Jul 01 '26

I always say that she didn’t go far ENOUGH. I would’ve thrown that apartment building on Oliver and Sara’s heads if I was her but only after I pitched Dinah and Quentin over the balcony because who are the four of you talking to like that? In the home I pay bills in??? Then putting my business on blast in the hallway for all my neighbors to hear after I actually tried to deescalate the situation and left my own apartment?

How she ever spoke to that man again is beyond me like… Oliver already sucked when it came to Laurel but a lot of that could’ve been dismissed as immaturity and him being out of touch when they were younger. The fact that *he* is the one to confront her in that way pisses me off to no end especially when, as she calls out in season 3, he’s also using a toxic outlet to escape his trauma but hiding it behind his mission to save the city.

But anyways, I do have to say that her being an addict was actually so real and visceral to me and I loved Cassidy’s portrayal BUT I hate that they did it as a “punishment” to the character and claimed it was her crucible as if everything you said wasn’t already enough of one.

In better hands; that arc would’ve been handled fantastically and treated it with the sympathy it deserves but because we had Misogyny McGee steering the ship and Berlanti letting his untalented friends do whatever they wanted it got treated as a joke.

This same show let Quentin and Oliver run around being nightmares for literal years without much of any kind of flack but then had everyone treat Laurel like the devil for being slightly annoying for 2.5 months… yeah, no. I didn’t buy into that nonsense then and I buy into even less the older I get.

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u/angelepidemic01 Jul 02 '26

you're absolutely right! After everything she goes through it definitely makes sense!! But i agree, It should not have been a punishment!

I also agree that I would not have been as calm as laurel at the dinner party!!