In which Arrow’s IT babe Felicity Smoak reboots our hard drives. Hey-o!
When I first met Arrow’s resident IT nerd Felicity Smoak in the season one episode “Lone Gunman”, it was lustful crushing at first sight. As played by Emily Bett Rickards, Felicity’s look was absolutely iconic: blonde hair, tightly pulled back in a ponytail; rectangular-framed glasses; tightly fitted shirt, unbuttoned dangerously low for office life; and a short, tightly fitted skirt (are we sensing a “tight” theme yet?); and sexy high heels. The minute Felicity appeared, the needle on my geek radar spiked, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. We all have types, and Felicity brings one of mine to life with absolute perfection. Basically, she’s the archetypal Geek Girl of nerdly fantasies and I’m utterly powerless against her. I know for a fact that many geeks worldwide felt the same way, and I strongly suspect the writers of Arrow did, too.
The CW’s Arrow (2012–2020) was a regular, weekly watch for me during its first five seasons. After that I fell off as things became increasingly convoluted, only dropping in occasionally. The same happened with other “Arrowverse” shows like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Blame it on superhero fatigue, or watching two-dozen episodes per season, or just the move away from cable TV schedules to streaming, or all of it. For those first bunch of seasons, though, I enjoyed Arrow, largely because I’ve been a fan of Green Arrow comic books since childhood and it was cool to see the character get some much-deserved love outside of comics. And even if the TV Oliver Queen wasn’t always strictly faithful to the comics, it still paid homage to them with regularity.
And then there was Felicity Smoak. Yes, let’s get back to her, please. Prepare to swoon:
A total smoak show!
(I had to say it!)
Nerdy computer wiz, pop culture loving geek, smoaking hot girl jn glasses. She was also very thirsty for Oliver in the early seasons, as evidenced by her amusing and endearing penchant for Freudian slips.
Damn, you just know she’s a freak in the sheets. Oh, did I say that out loud? Sorry, thought it was just in my head. Oops.
Every now and then I am tempted to go back and revisit Arrow, convoluted plot lines be damned. I’d be lying though if I didn’t cop to the primary reason for this temptation, the Smoak Show herself, Emily Bett Rickards. Thanks, Emily, you ruined many of us for geek girls in pop culture forever after. You were that good.
Special thanks to our Gal Friday Yvette for doing the dirty work (literally, crawling around in our cluttered, dusty vault) and retrieving this unfinished draft.
Yvette: Ze invoice for ze ripped nylon stockings is already on your desk, monsieur. As ze Lounge’s resident “smoke show,” as you say, I expect prompt remboursement. Dépêchez-vous! Allons y!
The Starfire Lounge 