http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Analysis/ArrowVerse

Disclaimers:

Things that this will not do:

Bash characters. I don't care whether you like them or not - I'm not going to try to convince you to like anyone, and I'm not going to try to make you hate anyone, either.

Advertisement: Decide which character is 'best' for another according to subjective opinion e.g. 'X is good for Y because I think they have more chemistry'. This is going to be about what the narrative of each show presents, and analyse shipping reasons for shipping. Ship what you want for whatever reason you want, this is just going to analyse it.

Argue about character development and which character had the most. The arguments about character development in the Arrowverse - especially the women - could have their own pages on this site, and it's perfectly possible to find long essays arguing about one character is the most developed on one show while finding another seconds later saying that they're completely useless and static. If something is clearly development I'll point it out, but again, I want to keep subjective opinion to a minimum.

the women - could have their own pages on this site, and it's perfectly possible to find long essays arguing about one character is the most developed on one show while finding another seconds later saying that they're completely useless and static. If something is clearly development I'll point it out, but again, I want to keep subjective opinion to a minimum. Advertisement: Bash ships. I will point out why they are problematic or have Unfortunate Implications, but at the end of the day, people like what they like for a multitude of reasons.

Things that this will do:

Talk about the patterns that happens in people who ship what they ship.

Discuss whether there are deeper implications behind the ships themselves.

Admittedly, since I stopped watching Arrow a while ago, this will be more Flash-heavy.

Talk about Olicity and Snowbarry as "alternatives" to Westallen and Lauriver; as such, the traits and fan behaviour of the former two will be discussed more than that of the latter two.

Tentatively completed as of 6/16/17, but still a work in progress.

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Introduction - The Arrowverse and Shipping

Shipping is always a major facet of fandom, especially in genre TV (superheroes, vampires, witches etc.), and the DCTV universe  AKA The Arrowverse  is no exception. Superhero shows in particular often have large shipping fandoms, usually revolving around the titular hero and his or her love interest. There is also an added layer of interest since most comic book heroes often have one enduring love interest even though they date others in the interim (such as Clark Kent dating Lana Lang but always ending up with Lois Lane, or Barry Allen recently dating Patty Spivot in the New 52, but the writers stating that she was simply a placeholder for his longtime love interest and later wife, Iris West). As such, the creators and writers of the show are often beholden to one love interest and tasked with making it believable and interesting for the audience. Adaptations such as Smallville (which will be talked about in this analysis) are an example of both adherence to and deviation from canon, where Clark Kent did indeed marry Lois Lane, but Oliver Queen was implied to have started a relationship with Chloe Sullivan, a completely original character. The Arrowverse is no exception, with varying results. Arrow tells the story of Oliver Queen, a billionaire playboy who returns to his home city after five years stranded on an island, intent on saving the city he loves from corruption and ruin. The Flash tells the story of Barry Allen, a CSI who is struck by lightning and wakes up from a nine-month coma with super speed, who works to protect his city from the metahumans and criminals running it. Olivers love interest is Laurel Lance, a woman with whom he was in a relationship before he was killed, and who he is still stated to be in love with when he returns. Barrys love interest is Iris West, his best friend since childhood, the daughter of his former legal guardian, Joe West, and the woman that he has loved since before I even knew what the word love meant. From the outset, the creators of both shows stated that these were the endgame couples, and that viewers could look forward to them getting together and staying together. Years on from their creation, however, this is not completely the case. While Barry and Iris have been successful (as of Duet, they are re-engaged, and have been living together since the end of The Present), Laurel Lances romantic relationship with Oliver Queen ended between seasons 1 and 2, and she was killed off during season 4. Both have had their rival ships, and though Barry and Iris indeed found their way to each other, Westallen had their fair share of ship wars. The strength of shipping even forced the creators of Arrow to deviate from their original plan. The two rival ships in question are Snowbarry (Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow) and Olicity (Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak). Unlike Laurel and Iris, Felicity and Caitlin have no bearing on either the Green Arrow or Flash legacy. Felicity Smoak is the name of Ronnie Raymonds stepmother and a minor villain (making her an In Name Only character, as Ronnie Raymond appeared on The Flash as one half of Firestorm during its first season, and never met Felicity before he died), while Caitlin Snow is the third incarnation of the Firestorm villain Killer Frost, and his love interest. Their irrelevance to the legacy of both heroes as a whole, and the lack of groundwork in earlier seasons to establish them as romantic partners (and in Barrys specific case, outright ignoring not only his lack of romantic interest in Caitlin, her interest in men over the seasons who are not Barry, and numerous times where he and other characters stating that Barry will never love anyone the way he loves Iris) did not stop people in fandom from shipping these opposing couples. That isnt to say that theres anything wrong with this, or shipping in general. Shipping can be a fun way to engage with the material and other fans, and have discussions that arent just to do with the plot. It can also spawn different types of fanworks, like fanfiction, fan art, and mixes and videos. And there isnt anything wrong with wanting to see deviation from the source material, especially if it offers the characters in questions more development and interesting avenues or, in some cases, if it is healthier for both characters (which many think is the case for Oliver and Laurel). This is analysis is not going to demonise shipping or declare which ship is better than the other  that is a purely subjective thing. This is going to talk about the reasons why some people ship these ships, and the patterns that I've noticed in people who ship them. Mostly, this analysis will explore the difference reasons why people ship the alternative relationships to the established canon ones, whether Snowbarry and Olicity have any similarities  to each other and other couples on different shows or mediums  and finally, whether there is a deeper reason for shipping these particular couples, one that has implications wider than the confines of comic books, fandom, and television as a whole. Specifically, which tropes and situations have led to these couples becoming popular, and how much we can look at tropes for the basis for shipping when there are other possible reasons available.

Comic Iconic - Laurel Lance, Iris West, and The Women That Love Superheroes

Tech Support - Felicity Smoak and Caitlin Snow

Felicity Smoak is an interesting character, being that she is not a character that any producer or writer on the show expected to stay for longer than her episodes (evidenced in the fact that Felicity herself only got sporadic and vague mentions of a backstory until a season 3 episode) . She is introduced in the third episode as an IT woman to whom Oliver takes a laptop thats riddled with bullets. While she later admits that she suspected him from the beginning, she agrees to help him anyway. Over the course of the season, Felicity  along with Diggle  becomes a trusted member of Olivers team, and one of his closest confidants. She also seems to harbour unrequited feelings for Oliver (though not in the same way that Barry felt about Iris), though they are decidedly one-sided and only commented upon once Sara Lance returns and Diggle notices her jealousy. Felicity is presented as capable, though perhaps not as confident as Laurel, and prone to rambling when nervous, which most people agree is charming. She is extremely scientifically-minded , specifically in the IT fields (this is important), and is usually their go-to expert in these situations. Felicity, understandably, gets nervous during Olivers more dubious escapades, and would much prefer being behind the scenes in rather than in the middle of the action . Nonetheless, she is a valuable part of Olivers team during the earlier seasons, and their developing feelings over the course of the season lead them to have a romantic relationship in the later ones. Though Felicity has been shown to get physical when the need calls for it, she is more comfortable behind the scenes. Felicity offers a calming and positive outlook to the Arrow adventures, something that characters, fans, and critics comment on, and during some of the darkest moments of the show, was said to provide a counterweight. She also has a strong relationship with Diggle and supports him during most of their missions. Caitlin Snow is also introduced on Arrow during its second season, where she and Cisco saved by Felicity and Diggle when theyre both attacked by Deathstroke in a S.T.A.R. Labs facility (interesting enough, they end up talking about how Iris is always visiting him, and Cisco references their relationship). Her character is more fully developed on The Flash, where its revealed that her fiancé, Ronnie Raymond, was killed in the Particle Accelerator explosion. Caitlin is more reserved, not easily excitable, though she does have her moments, and at first opens up to only Cisco and Dr. Wells, she warms up over the course of the season, and is especially overjoyed when Ronnie returns from the dead (when he leaves again, she is so devastated that she leaves the team for six months). Caitlin warms to Barry over the season, supporting him in his superhero life in the same way that Felicity does. However, unlike Felicity, barring a few Ship Tease moments, she does not harbour any romantic feelings for Barry the way she does Oliver, given that she spends half a season pining for Ronnie (after a year In Universe), and then marries him at the end of the season. Like Felicity, Caitlin did not know Barry until his beginnings as a superhero, and was largely defined in terms of her job as his doctor. As a bio-engineer, she is responsible for diagnosing the teams medical conditions, helping them recover, and coming up with ideas to defeat the metahumans with Cisco and Dr. Wells. She is also somewhat socially awkward, extremely scientifically-minded (again, important), and is more of an Action Survivor than an Action Girl. Caitlin is probably widely considered to be Ciscos best friend rather than Barrys, or something more, but they have a friendship that is not really rocked until Barry causes Flashpoint, which turns her into Killer Frost. Nonetheless, Caitlin is a valued member of the team, being extremely supportive of Cisco in particular. It is important to recap the personalities and traits of the women in the ships that go against the canon ones. Apart from showing that the Arrowverse shows sans Legends tend to have the same setup, they also use archetypal characters (confident, smart and savvy Action Girl vs Endearingly Dorky, science-minded Action Survivor). It also shows that neither Caitlin nor Felicity had history with Barry or Oliver prior to the beginnings of the show, and that at the time, neither was intended to be a love interest for either character. Not much can be said about them in terms of comic lore, either. Caitlin Snow, at least, bears similarities to her comic-counterpart, being that her love interest is a Firestorm incarnation and she is a bio-engineer. However, prior to this series, she has never interacted with the Flash on a substantial level, is a fairly recent Killer Frost (first introduced in 2013), and has no bearing on the Flash mythos. Felicity Smoaks ties are even shakier, given that she actually seems like a cross between the wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon and Chloe Sullivan from Smallville (Harsher in Hindsight for the former, and Hilarious in Hindsight given who Chloe ended up with on Smallville). However, both of these women are important supporting characters on their respective shows, especially because the heroes often need a team to support them, and the need for a support team in superhero fiction is well-documented. Far from being throwaway characters, the women in supporting roles are valued for heart as well as intelligence (even though it may not be to the same degree as the canonical Love Interest). Once again, it's important to see different types of women in different roles, especially for younger viewers.

Two Different Types of Women

Canon  Its Not For Everyone

Anyone who reads a book, comic book, play, or other piece of literature knows that the television or film adaptation must adhere somewhat to the source material, because canon is important. While some changes can be made for practical purposes example, the fact that Harrys eyes in the films were blue instead of green because Daniel Radcliffe was allergic to the green contact lenses that they have him , film and television makers largely try to stick to the canon material as closely as possible. This is not only because they are usually fans themselves and want to make a faithful adaptation, but because the story flows better. It simply would not have worked, for example, to have Harry and Hermione end up together instead of Harry with Ginny and Hermione with Ron, despite the wishes of many fans of both the books and movies, without changing the very nature of the books, or to have Neville be the one to open the Chamber of Secrets instead of Ginny, or for Ron to be the one petrified instead of Hermione. Changes made in adaptations need to make sense within the narrative. It is much the same for comic book adaptations. Often times, the events and relationships that make up the story are often intrinsically tied to the narrative in a way that would make its removal problematic at best and extremely damaging to the source material at best. One example of this is the death of Uncle in the early life of SpiderMan, after a newly-turned Peter refuses to stop a criminal on the grounds that it is not his job but is then horrified to learn that this same criminal was responsible for the death of his uncle. With this development, Peter learned Spidermans most enduring credence  with great power comes great responsibility. This is but one example of how an event in comic canon is important, since it helps to construct the fabric of the character. However, there are always those who wish that the canon be changed when an adaptation happens, because they think it would better fit the story as a whole, the original was extremely unpopular, or they simply dont like what happened in the original, especially when it comes to pairings. One such example is the Harmione shippers, who thought that Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffes chemistry in the movies, as well as Harry and Hermiones baity moments, made a case for them ending up together over Ron and Hermione. There is also a kind of fatigue with knowing exactly where the characters will end up and who theyre going to end up with, so the audience can get bored with the story if the writers dont make it interesting enough. This was the case with the Clana vs. Chlark ship war, and then the Clois vs. Chlark one  the audience members knew in both cases that Lana and Lois were the two women who dominated Clark Kents romantic life during his whole comic run, and so knew that those were the women the writers would invest in and develop as romantic partners for him. Chlark shippers, however, often argued that it would be fresher and more interesting if he ended up with someone not in canon, and someone with whom he could have different dynamic. The same arguments were made when it came to Olicity and Snowbarry vs. Lauriver and Westallen. Both women were said to offer a newer dynamic for both heroes, and that the romances between their comic book love interests were cliché and boring (especially in the case of Westallen, who are quickly becoming one of TVs most recognisable Childhood Friend Romance examples). Since both Felicity and Caitlin have no bearing on the original Green Arrow or Flash mythos, these shippers often disregard the importance of canon when it comes to relationships (e.g. some Snowbarry shippers downplaying the importance of Bart Allen, historically the grandson of Barry and Iris, who comes back from the future to accidentally inform his grandfather that Iris is pregnant). In addition to this, there is the reappearance of who deserves the hero more. Unlike in comic book adaptations, which usually have the character having their powers and be at a point in their development where they can handle threats for themselves (i.e. there is no need for a Team Arrow, a Team Flash, or for Clark to have a large group of people helping him that is not the Justice League), television adaptations often have people supporting hero. In the comics, Oliver works with Laurel as the Black Canary and/or the various characters who don the Speedy moniker. Barry works with Wally West, Jay Garrick or Hal Jordan. Both heroes also work with the Justice League as members. On the television series, they each have teams (as described in the dynamic pattern above), so there are new relationships to explore. And as mentioned, shippers often place importance on who assists the hero in their heroism, and so conclude that because in this adaptation of the canon material, since Felicity and Caitlin help Oliver and Barry in their heroic activities, they deserve to be with them more. This of course ignores the help that Laurel and Iris gave when they were not in the loop and the help they continue to give (until the point of Laurels death) when they were allowed in on the secret. Essentially, because relationships exist on the show that dont exist within the original canon, shippers use this as fodder to say that one character deserves the affections of the hero. Another reason for people disregarding canon is escapism. The worlds built by comic books are vast and exciting, with a range of characters to root for. However, that doesnt mean that everyone will find a character they automatically relate to. As such, characters who arent in the original mythos, such as Cisco, Caitlin, Diggle or Felicity, become escapist characters that audience members can use to insert themselves in the story and feel involved. This is a positive change since its always good to see oneself in television, especially since comic books have been moving towards being more diverse (which is why the West family is African-American in the Arrowverse). It is certainly a positive change for people to be able to see Action Girls like Iris and Laurel, but also more science-minded women such as Caitlin and Felicity, and have the show emphasise that there are different kinds of intelligence and heroism (Laurels position as a lawyer fighting for justice, Felicity using her skills as a hacker to help the team, Caitlin talking Julian through her own surgery, and Iris going after stories and getting herself out of dangerous situations). When it comes to shipping, they can use these characters to tie themselves more closely to the mythos  after all, both shows are fairly popular, and they will be able to take comfort in the fact that, in one popular adaptation of their favourite comic book, the creators disregarded canon and put their favourite character with the hero or realised their preferred ship. However, the other side of this gives another reason to disregard canon. When people try to write themselves closely into the narrative through escapist characters, it does come from a desire to see someone with your own personality as important, but for a lot of shippers it also highlights resentment that their favourite isnt already significant. Looking at the mythos of the Green Arrow, all iterations of the character have a significant relationship with Dinah Lance (or Laurel Lance, as our case is), almost always romantic. The same can be said for Mia Dearden (Thea Queen), Roy Harper, and Connor Hawke (John Diggle, Jr.), even though they have their names changed in this adaptation. The same can be said for Barry Allen, whose relationship with Iris West is second only to the one between Clark and Lois, and whose relationship with Wally West the only one that supersedes the one between Batman and Robin. The characters also have significant relationships with their parental figures on the show, especially Joe West. There are also Jesse Quick and Jay Garrick, two characters intrinsic to the Flash legacy. Characters like Tommy Merlyn and Eddie Thawne, while not specific characters in the comics, share last names with important characters so they are still important to the narrative. Because of this, as the characters grow and evolve until theyre closer to their comic book versions, the characters closer to their legacies become more and more invaluable to the narrative. Essentially, the closer you are to the main character and especially to their legacy, the safer you are. Other characters, such as Diggle, Felicity, Walter Steele, most of the newer members of Team Arrow, Caitlin, Cisco, whichever version of Harrison Wells happens to be around, and Tracy Brand, do not have a meaningful link to either characters legacy, and so can be written out or killed off without hindering the story in a major way (in theory  in practice, and after many years being on air, killing certain characters could have a negative effect on the show - Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy). However, most shippers realise that in a comic book adaptation, showrunners are going to concentrate on those who are going to be in the story from beginning to end. So shipping becomes a way to write their favourite character into the narrative in such a way that means they wont be killed off. Because of this, they often have an interesting relationship with canon  they tout it when it supports their ship, but disregard it when it gives evidence that their ship could sink. For example, Olicity shippers usually point to the fact that Oliver and Dinah are divorced in some continuities as a reason that they should not be together in this one, ignoring the fact that most characters (specifically, Wally West, for example), then point out that they should be together. Similarly, Snowbarry shippers point to the fact that Barry is in a serious relationship with Patty Spivot in the New 52 (the comic book continuity that precedes DC: Rebirth, which is the current one, and the character herself was introduced on the show in 2015. Yet they ignore the fact that Barry and Iris very obviously have feelings for each other while this is happening (feelings that Patty notices), that the comic book writers intended the character as a placeholder for Iris and to show her importance to his story, and that Barry on the show started off their relationship by informing Joe that the reason he hasnt been pursuing Patty is because she isnt Iris. In essence, some shippers of couples that arent the comic canon one know how important canon is, which is why they campaign so hard for their favourite to become so important to the narrative (i.e. be in a relationship to the main character) that removing that character and not pursuing that relationship would be bad for the characters overall legacy. However, they also feel resentment towards it because it is so hard to overcome. As it currently stands, Caitlin Snow can for example, theoretically, be written off without a large effect on the show because her primary relationships have always been with supporting characters (Ronnie, Cisco, Julian, and H.R.). Of course, the characters would mourn her and there would be time spent feeling her absence, but it would not fundamentally alter the course of Barry Allen or the legacy of the Flash. This is in contrast to Iris, who in addition to being the lead female of the show, has primary relationships with the lead and the other supporting character intrinsic to the Flash legacy (Barry, Wally), is part of the main family of the show (Barry, Iris, Joe and Wally), and is a canon character herself. This is in addition to the fact that Season 3 has essentially been a study in Iris' important to the team and the narrative of the Flash. Felicity and Laurel are more complicated, since the Arrow showrunners have made it clear that they are more lenient with comic canon. That they killed off Laurel Lance in 2016 and incurred severe fan and critic backlash could mean that this theory applies to them as well, but it is also very clear that at this point, Felicity is a very important part of this Oliver Queen's narrative and legacy, so even though she was not in that position at the outset, she is certainly there now. This explains what happened in the Smallville fandom when Lois Lane entered the show and the Clois vs. Chlark ship war started. Instead of simply saying that Chloe should be with Clark, they posited that Chloe was the real Lois Lane and that Erica Durances character was an impostor or a placeholder. They cite evidence that Chloe was a reporter and so closer to the iconic Lois Lane character when she was introduced, an episode where she cited a paper-thin disguise that meant she was disguising herself as Chloe Sullivan and was really Lois Lane, and the episode in Lexs fever dream after he got shot and she appeared to be with Clark; because she did not say her name, people used this to think that she had changed her name to Lois Lane, especially because Lois wasnt there. All of this ignores very strong evidence that Erica Durances Lois is the real Lois (such as Chloe moving away from journalism and Lois moving into it, Lois having General Lane as a father and Lucy Lane as a sister, and that Erica Durance contractually could not be in all the episodes). There are also these ◊ graphics , which proves that Caitlin Snow is the real Iris West, which hangs on the following reasons: They both often check their watches

They both have brown hair

They both wear high heels

They both have been carried by the Flash

They both have said ring/rang a bell?

They both have blue coats

Among others These reasons are not only extremely insignificant, they do are not traits that are specific to and symbolic of Iris West  such as her reporting job, her relationship with Wally West, and her status as Barry Allens lightning rod and the matriarch of the Flash family. Finally, there is also the wish for Felicity Smoak to become the Black Canary, although this admittedly isnt as big as the other two because of the status of Felicitys character in later seasons. Instead, there are campaigns to get her more focus and make her an invaluable part of Oliver's life. It should be pointed out that Felicity is an important part of Oliver's life. Since early Season 2 (depending on when you think the writers decided to put Oliver and Felicity together), there have been hints that they are going to get together (explored more in the Subtext section). Similar to Lauriver in the beginning and Westallen throughout the show, the Arrow showrunners have taken steps to show that Felicity is important to his growth as a hero, whether as a teammate or a lover. This, as well as how important Felicity has become to Arrow's canon, indicates that even though Olicity and Snowbarry have being the alternative non-canon ship in common, they may have more differences than similarities. What we have to consider, however, is how important these love interests are to the stories. Anyone reading The Flash comics, especially those to do with Barry Allen and Wally West, know how important their love interests are to them. Because powers of both speedsters are drawn from the Speed Force, and an "anchor" of sorts is needed to both keep them out of the Speed Force an activate their powers, no medium ever downplays their connection. In terms of the Green Arrow, while Dinah Drake is integral to the story of Oliver Queen, she is not integral to his status as a hero, since he has no supernatural powers or entity such as the Speed Force. As such, it is hard to compare the stories of Barry Allen and Oliver Queen. The Flash has made no qualms about the fact that it is sticking to the aspect of canon that says that Iris West is integral to Barry Allen's story. To further the point made above, changing this aspect of the story would alter the show past the point of making sense. In the case of Oliver Queen on Arrow, the writers have done the opposite, closing the chapter (apparently permanently) on the Lauriver romance, as they have made it less of a necessity than the romance between Barry and Iris. In effect, some shippers of non-canon ships often have one of two relationships with canon material when they dont like the rival love interest  they disregard canon and say that this is a new iteration that can offer a fresh take on the original story, or they strive to have their favourite replace the canonical love interest in the story, either by removing her from the narrative (i.e. killing her off or otherwise removing her from her position as the love interest), or insisting that she is the true canon love interest. However, while we can say that Olicity shippers are similar to Snowbarry shippers in wanting canon to be changed, the fact that the showrunners have created their own canon in which Felicity Smoak is important to the character of Oliver Queen distances them from Snowbarry, since they have canonical moments where their ship is happening onscreen. The Flash showrunners have done no such thing with the character of Caitlin Snow.

The Importance of Seeing Subtext

Subtext is an important part of literary fiction and is so standard that we often do not see it when its happening. It is literally what is underneath the text. It is what writers mean for us to take away from a situation without spelling it out about a topic that is present in the context. The example from Annie Hall is a good one, especially because it pays off  the two characters enter into a relationship. Because of this, it is often used to justify shipping  they can use interactions between characters as proof that theyve always had these feelings. So they ship because theres evidence of these feelings always having been there. This usually happens with a Crack Pairing. If were looking at The Flash, for example, the Crack Pairing of Barry and Eddie has plenty of Subtext, since they spend a lot of time together, have both put themselves in danger for one another, and had a scene where Barry was practicing on a punching bag that Eddie was holding while he growled Harder!. However, it remains a Crack Pairing because they do no enter into a relationship with each other, and the subtext doesnt really exist. Most of the time, writers put subtext there on purpose, and that is most definitely the case with the relationships the characters are pursuing in the Arrowverse. Since The Flash is more of a straight example, we will start with that one. During the first season, Iris declares that she has cancelled a date to go and see the Particle Accelerator turn on even though its clear she has no interest in it, she tells Eddie that her life had always been full with Barry, her father and school/work, and when talking to Barry while hes in his coma, she says that she does dumb things when hes not around  and her specific example is that she accepted when Eddie asked her on a date. This is subtext because we see that Iris does have feelings for Barry  it is confirmed in 1x15, and then confirmed again in 1x21 after Barry changed the timeline. So the subtext looks like this: Besides, I cancelled a date for this.  she doesnt care that she cancelled a date, because shes hanging out with Barry.

My life has always been full.  she didnt have room to date anyone until Barry was in a coma.

I do dumb things like that when youre not around.  because Barry takes up the place of a boyfriend in her life, without him around, she didnt have anyone else to consider. All of these suggest that Iris is Oblivious to Love when it comes to her own feelings. With Laurel and Oliver it is less obvious because their relationship is more complicated, but the subtext does not have to be as present because they were in a relationship before the show started. Their complicated feelings, Olivers continued love for Laurel, and everyones insistence that they can see that Laurel still loves Oliver as well as her inability to write him off completely show that she is still in love with him. This is realised when they kiss and have sex later in the season. So, again, the subtext has follow through. With Felicity and Oliver, one can see when the writers changed course so that they became the main couple. Felicitys feelings for Oliver were never in doubt, so a lot of the subtext fell to Oliver. Lines like him calling her his best girl, promising that he can always tell her about his day, breaking his Thou Shalt Not Kill rule when she was kidnapped despite an important event in his own life, and him calling her his partner serve as subtext that is proven when they get together in the next season. Oliver and Felicity consistently support each other throughout Season 2, alongside Diggle, and constantly build each other up. The writers have even paralleled them with Barry and Iris by having Oliver forlornly proclaim that guys like them don't get the girl when talking to Barry about Iris (who, again, was the producers' plans from the outset as Barry's long-term love interest interest). They confide in each other and support each other as friends so that they make more sense as lovers - which is what fans and critics alike have said about Barry and Iris. So there is Sub Text with Olicity because the writers carefully constructed moments that could be used later on as evidence that they had feelings for one another. And finally, we should talk about the fact that while all of this Subtext was happening to justify the Olicity relationship, the one between Oliver and Laurel was deteriorating, as she was spiralling into addiction and lashing out at everyone, and Oliver largely cut ties with her during this period. He also entered into a relationship with Sara, straining their relationship further, but which also served to highlight Felicity's jealous - which is more Subtext. Snowbarry, however, do not have subtext. Or, in any case, they have Ship Tease moments that could serve as subtext but do not because Barry and Caitlin do not show any romantic interest in one another and do not end up together. For example, Cisco says early in the season that the only person that could make Caitlin as angry as she had been at Barry was her fiancée  suggesting that she had feelings for him, she offers to let him take a peek at her breasts, and she revealed she would not leave S.T.A.R. Labs because she would have had to leave Wells, Cisco and Barry. However, Caitlin has just as many, if not more, moments of Ship Tease with Cisco. Both refer to the other one as their best friend, Cisco is the one she opens up to regarding Ronnies death and her kidnap by Zoom, and when Cisco kisses Lisa Snart, Caitlin reacts with anger and disgust. In fact, Cisco and Caitlin would make much more sense than Barry and Caitlin, since they are best friends like Barry and Iris are, constantly confide in and support each other, and have saved each others lives on occasion. Snowbarry shippers do not consider this subtext. Moreover, as stated, Barry and Caitlin do not have any feelings for each other. Their Ship Tease moments took place in season 1 and some early episodes of season 2, but as Barry moved on to Patty and Caitlin moved on to Jay, their Ship Tease moments lessened, and so did the possibility for subtext. In fact, of all the relationships that have continued as the seasons wore on, the one between Barry and Caitlin has deteriorated the most, as Barry caused her to turn into Killer Frost and she subsequently sided with Savitar in his quest to kill Iris. Despite this, Snowbarry shippers will insist that Barry and Caitlins relationship is based almost entirely in subtext, especially as they have less conversations with each other as the writers build Barrys relationships with his family (Iris, Wally and Joe) instead of Caitlin and Cisco, with some of the following examples: They both wear watches

They both wear dark colours on occasion

They both stand with their hands on their hips

They both look in the same direction at the same time on occasion

Among others Subtext is a tricky subject because it is subjective, like chemistry, but unlike chemistry, we can prove something was subtext by having it confirmed in canon later on. If not, it is just Ship Tease, either accidental because of little cues from the actors or on purpose because shows operate on Rule of Drama. Lauriver had subtext based on their previous relationship, Olicity had subtext because of Olivers feelings, and Westallen had subtext because of Iris. These are all reasons to ship the couple  that there are feelings underneath the surface that the characters are not acknowledging. However, because of the way storytelling works, if they are never acknowledged in canon, then we can assume that the characters never had feelings for each other. This is why Snowbarrys subtext is more Ship Tease for viewers that subsided as they moved on to different love interests. However, as stated, Snowbarry continues to be a large ship even as Barry and Iris get together, move in together, and get engaged. The full reason for this, including other reasons why people dislike Lauriver, will be explored in the last section. Subtext is a reason for shipping because, as we stated, it shows that characters have feelings underneath the surface that have not been explored; however, if they are not explored or acknowledged, they are Ship Tease at best, or projection from viewers to see Subtext where there isn't any.

An Ugly Truth (I Just Dont Like Her)

Conclusion - Endgame or Nah?