How amazing was Felicity’s mom in the latest episode of Arrow? So amazing that she turned one hater into a fan.
Mama Smoak, the unwelcome visitor
I’m not going to beat around the bush here, people. I have never liked Donna Smoak (Charlotte Ross). In fact, I think that I’d go so far as to say that I hated the woman. I know, I know: Her character is supposed to be somewhat annoying and it’s often done for comedy, but I didn’t love to hate her. I just plain hated her. As in, every time she came onscreen I would find other things to do (checking Facebook, taking a bathroom break and running to the kitchen for a snack were some of my top picks).
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All that changed in “Lost Souls” when Donna went from super annoying to simply amazing. It was tough seeing Felicity’s relationship strained after they found out Ray (Brandon Routh) was alive and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) threw herself into finding him — and fought with Oliver (Stephen Amell) every step of the way about how to go about that. Oliver revealed that he had been texting with Felicity’s mom, and while most of that revelation was hilarious (as was Felicity’s choice of punishment — giving Oliver the nickname “Chatty Cathy”), it still left them in a bad place.
Mama Smoak’s redemption
Then Donna showed up and suddenly she wasn’t nearly as bad as I remembered. Well, except maybe for that squeal she gave when she showed up, but I’m going to let that slide. It was clear that Mama Smoak cared a lot about her baby girl and was going to do anything she could to help her out. Oliver called her and said Felicity was struggling and she didn’t hesitate to run right over to see what she could do. I know Donna has done it before, but this time she struck the right chord.
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Felicity and Oliver had one very awkward moment when Felicity admitted that she didn’t like the way she was around him, and he wisely went off to let her clear her head. While Oliver commiserated with Diggle (David Ramsey) over a few drinks (how freaking awesome was that scene, by the way?), Felicity got the chance to open up to her mom about how she felt. That’s when Donna really shone. She handed out some sage advice: Oliver wasn’t Felicity’s father, and those strong feelings Felicity had were actually love.
Mama Smoak to the rescue
Things weren’t perfect immediately, but they were much better than before and the whole team (including Felicity herself, along with Curtis) went to rescue Ray. I had wondered if Ray coming back would break up Olicity, but, if anything, they were stronger than ever. Once the rescue mission was over, Oliver and Felicity had some quiet time to chat, followed by sizzling-hot makeup sex.
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Call me crazy, but I think we have Mama Smoak to thank for most, if not all, of that. But when it seemed like there couldn’t possibly be any more surprises, Donna met Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and there was a spark there that had the fans shipping a whole new couple. Laurel and Sara’s dad hooking up with Felicity’s mom? Stranger things have happened on this show.
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