'Arrow' Is Putting Olicity On The Back-Burner

Arrow portrays the superhero world as a dark one, filled with death, destruction and difficult choices. The tone of the show has always been heavy, as even the Green Arrow himself is not fully good. It often raises questions about the grey area of morality and how far one should go in order to stop evil. That's a big part of why the romance between Oliver and Felicity on Arrow, in many ways, became the heart of the show. They tried to navigate that grey area together, not always agreeing on the right path, and their relationship brought moments of levity to an otherwise bleak world. Unfortunately, Oliver and Felicity broke up in Arrow Season 4 and so far, this season has been more about them dealing with their own demons, re-establishing their friendship, and building a strong working relationship than delving into another romance. And I think the pair will continue to prioritize friendship, work, and growth before their relationship this season.

Felicity is battling demons regarding her choices from the end of Season 4, when she rerouted a missile so that it would hit Havenrock, a smaller town than the city it was already aiming for, but still killed thousands of people. Oliver, who is always battling demons of some kind, is especially tormented by the death of Laurel Lance. Additionally, Felicity has been dating someone else in Season 5, Detective Malone, and while we don't know too much about their relationship, it will surely delay any possible Olicity reunion.

That's far from the only change happening on Arrow right now. We've already seen the creation of a whole new vigilante team, following Laurel's death, Diggle leaving for the military, and Thea hanging up her Speedy outfit. Oliver has been focusing on assembling and training his new team, and Felicity has been helping him what that while dealing with her own trauma. In an interview with TVLine, executive producer Wendy Mericle revealed how their current arcs will effect their potential future together:

"They’re both in crisis mode. Oliver’s got two really big jobs, and [Felicity] is spinning out about Havenrock ... Until they’ve gotten some clarity for themselves, there’s not much room for the relationship side of things."

This sentiment is mirrored in the way the actors discuss the show. Stephen Amell told TVLine about the growing working relationship between Oliver and Felicity, "We speak to each other as equals, as team members. It’s pretty clear that Oliver loves Felicity, but I don’t know if they’re going to be together." Despite that love, they clearly have some good reasons to put their relationship on the back-burner.

The importance of Felicity and Oliver's working relationship is really the reason why I'm OK with them not being together right now. A fully functioning team of good guys is necessary for Team Arrow to fight the massive evil in Star City, and Felicity is the brains behind the whole operation. Yes, there are exciting new faces joining the ranks, but Felicity makes the Green Arrow a better leader and provides so much of the intel, tech prowess, resources, and more that makes their missions successful. At this point, another Olicity romance would just complicate their very necessary working partnership.

There are definite pros and cons to Oliver and Felicity being nothing more than friends and teammates. At the end of the day, the potential for romance will always exist; there is a magnetic energy between them that can't be ignored. But for now, it seems that other aspects of their relationship will take priority. I hope that eventually, Oliver and Felicity will rid the world of evil and live happily ever after. But as Arrow Season 5 has proven, they have a lot of work to do first.

Images: Bettina Strauss (2), Diyah Pera/The CW