Why An Olicity Marriage is Good For ‘Arrow’ (Even if You Don’t Like It)

Spoilers ahead for “Crisis on Earth-X,” this week’s DC crossover special on The CW.

During the final moments of “Crisis on Earth-X,” Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak did something that many fans have been hoping they would do for five years or more: they got married. And whether or not you are one of those fans, we are here to tell you that it’s a good thing.

To Olicity shippers, there is little reason to mourn: the marriage is official, Dig got to officiate, and while there will likely be some complaining that they did not get married on an actual episode of Arrow, they will still have a big get-together in Star City next week.

It is really for the fans who are anti-Olicity that we can offer some words about why this is a good thing.

(And, yes, there are a fair number of people who still ship Oliver with some other character, mainly one of the Black Canaries. That ship seems to have sailed a while back, so if that is your jam, we will not have much to offer.)

For those whose primary concern is not who Oliver should end up with, but some of the spotty characterization that has marred previous attempts to get the two together, it seems likely a marriage is just the thing to improve that situation.

Once together — like really, irrevocably together — much of the “will they or won’t they?” and the relationship uncertainty that created many of the moments fans have complained about in the past should be mitigated or eliminated. A vocal segment of fans on social media have said that they always liked Oliver and Felicity together in the beginning, but that as the series wore on, the relationship became less fun and took up more screen time.

For those people, a true and final marriage should be a blessing; it is unlikely that a divorce will ever be in the cards, and so any threats to pull the pair apart is going to ring hollow. The writers and producers will know this and will likely look for drama elsewhere. Felicity should become a bright spot in Oliver’s stressful and dreary existence as mayor, as suspect, and as Green Arrow.

The Felicity/Oliver dynamic has been one of the most consistently entertaining aspects of the Arrowverse, with brief breaks for where they were challenging and frustrating together. Those breaks, in this new status quo, should be fewer and farther between than ever before.

“Crisis on Earth-X” began last night at 8 p.m. ET/PT and runs for two hours beginning at 8 yesterday and today. Unless you have an easy way of getting caught up on your DVR, hang around and first thing in the morning you can buy digital copies on iTunes, Vudu, and other digital streaming services — or watch it for free with ads on The CW’s website or app.

The CW’s DC superhero series will return with their midseason finales next week, beginning with Supergirl at 8 p.m. ET/PT and continuing with The Flash (Tuesday at 8), DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (Tuesday at 9) and Arrow (Thursday at 9).