‘Arrow’ star Stephen Amell weighs in on the bond between Oliver Queen and his ‘Girl Wednesday’-turned-wife, Felicity Smoak.
Welcome to Shipworthy, TV lovers!
Each week, ET’s resident small screen romance expert, Leanne Aguilera, will be traversing the high seas and investigating one of TV’s most swoonworthy ships. Sail along to relive the sweetest moments, hottest makeouts and more -- and then head over to Twitter to let us know what you loved and which ships you’d love to see more of!
This week’s ship: Olicity, aka Arrow’s very own Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards). Fans have watched this couple evolve from unlikely teammates to an unstoppable pair -- with a few ups and downs in between -- and have been riveted by their undeniable chemistry from the very first meeting.
"I don’t know what the secret sauce is, but any time you can elicit a passionate response from a group of people, you're clearly doing something right," Amell recently told ET. "So I'm just glad that we're doing something right."
Here's a look back at a few of the reasons Olicity makes such a "Shipworthy" pair:
1. They’ve gone from IT girl and wannabe vigilante to husband and wife -- but they’ve always made a great team.
The foundation of Oliver and Felicity's relationship has always been their shared mission -- to save the city. Ever since Oliver brought Felicity on board back in season one -- first as tech support, then as his "Girl Wednesday," then as a full-fledged member of the team -- they've proven that they're better together.
2. They owe everything to a red pen and a broken laptop.
The chemistry between these two was evident from their very first scene together in the show's third episode. When Oliver visited Queen Consolidated's IT department for some help with his laptop, and Felicity saw right through his "spilled coffee" excuse, a ship was born.
The pair even revisited that moment on their official first date two seasons later -- with a heart eyes-worthy callback.
3. Everyone knew it before they did -- especially Diggle.
There's a special place in every Olicity shipper's heart for the long-suffering third member of Original Team Arrow, John Diggle (David Ramsey), who, like most people in Oliver and Felicity's lives, saw the bond between the two before they ever admitted it to themselves.
So, of course, it was only right that he was ultimately the one to officiate their wedding.
4. They save each other.
Oliver may wear the skintight green leather pants in the relationship, but don’t underestimate his lady love’s ability to save the day. These two have had each other's back from the very beginning.
5. They’ve had their share of false starts -- but they always find their way to the finish line.
Seriously, this pairing has toyed with shippers' hearts for six whole seasons now. Their first "I love you" was to fool supervillain Slade. Their first date ended in an explosion, followed by their first real kiss, which came after Oliver pulled the plug on the fledgling relationship.
They even put a real proposal on hold to return to fight crime in Star City -- and had a fake wedding to fool a love-obsessed Cupid!
Thankfully, it was all worth it to watch them get the real deal.
"It probably means that they're soulmates, right?" Amell said of the couple's lasting bond. "Emily and I have always had a really nice chemistry, I think, and it's always been so easy to work with her."
6. They're, like, unfairly good at going undercover together.
From underground casinos to overseas expeditions, Felicity's proven herself to be an asset in the field numerous times. And it's always awesome when they get fancied up for an undercover mission.
7. They make the most of that crazy chemistry.
We're just going to leave these here. For science.
8. They literally rode off into the sunset together.
So much of Olicity's journey has been about letting themselves be happy together, despite the threats of their heroic lives. Watching them drive off into the sunset together in the season three finale, ready for a few months of blissful, Arrow-free togetherness, brought a smile to every shipper's face.
9. They’re a family.
The shocking reveal of Oliver's secret son, William, threw a wrench in the pair's relationship at first, but Arrow's sixth season showed the couple embracing their roles in William's life and growing together as a family.
For Amell, every part of the Olicity journey has been an engaging adventure. "I've enjoyed them as much in conflict as I've enjoyed them in being settled and domestic and happy," the actor admitted. "I've enjoyed them as sort of angsty, will-they-won't-they, and I've enjoyed them as parents to William."
10. They can face any challenge.
And they’ve been through quite a few. From Oliver’s dark turn as Al-Sahim, to Felicity’s paralysis, to the near-constant threats on the city they call home, the pair's relationship has been anything but an easy ride. But they've come through it all, together.
They'll need that resilience again in Arrow's upcoming seventh season, after Oliver made the decision to turn himself in to authorities in order to give the rest of the team immunity. Amell described the pair's scenes together in the season six finale as "incredible," and the moment where they had to say goodbye was a true heartbreaker that left shippers longing for the moment they see each other again.
No true ship is complete without a little angst, right?
See more on Olicity in the video below, and hit us up on Twitter for more swoon-inducing Shipworthy content -- and to tell us about your favorite pairs! Happy shipping!
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