The team jumps ahead to the 80's, right in the middle of the Cold War. There is a lead on Savage, but unfortunately, to get the necessary information, they have to break into the Pentagon to steal a file that the government has on Savage. I guess it would make sense that they would be aware of him, but at the same time, considering he was supposed to be something of an urban legend, it raises some questions.
Oddly enough, Ray's Atom suit isn't put to use here. It seems like a much simpler way to go about it, but I get the desire to go for a cool, coordinated heist sequence. While things go haywire during their exit, the team actually has a pretty easy go of it for the most part. It would be a little concerning from a national security standpoint.
It does lead to some character development as Kendra is revealed to also have a blood lust of her own, courtesy of her mystical background. It's odd that it only decided to pop up now, but it is chalked up to Kendra's grief. As such, Rip tasks Sara with helping her cope. It makes sense, have the person coping with blood lust help the other person, but it doesn't really work that way. It does make for a decent subplot as the two learn that they have to help each other if they're going to deal with their respective demons.
Rip has his own issues to confront as he is tracked down by a fellow time-master, who offers to let him slide if he gives up the crusade. It's painted as a bad thing, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. It is noted that their attempts have resulted in a lot of damage being done to the timeline. On top of that, you can't help but wonder what's stopping the team from just going to confront Savage in the present.
In hindsight, it seems like it would have been the safer way to go. Not only does the timeline (up to this point) remain intact, but we see that their scuffles in the past have spurred Savage on to attempt upping his game.
It was a little odd when the episode tried to paint Savage being around during the Cold War as some urgent threat. There's potential there, arms race and all, but seeing as the world is just fine in 2016, it seems like Savage is doomed for failure at this stage. However, once you see what he's trying to accomplish, you can see the legitimate threat that he poses right now...or then. It also reminds you that they have changed things so the present as we see it isn't guaranteed.
Ray and Snart's subplot is a bit of a mixed bag. The two have a good dynamic, and there are some great exchanges, but the "love triangle" aspect fell flat. No one is really interested in anyone else, so it comes off as odd. Maybe it was an intentional subversion of the trope, but it was one of the weaker aspects of the episode.
While it seems like the action is a bit underwhelming, this is the first of a two-parter, so it makes sense that this is just building things up. There are a few small action beats here and there, but nothing jaw dropping. It was impressive, though, how both Firestorm and Heat Wave were able to let loose in a forest without a single tree catching fire.
There is a pretty solid cliffhanger as several members of the team are held captive and Stein is being strong-armed into helping Savage, lest his friends die.
Given Stein's issues this episode, he may take the threat more to heart, despite others saying that Stein is tougher than he looks. His deteriorating relationship with Jefferson is somewhat sad given that the two started off fairly strong, but it allows Stein to make a nice nod to what happened to Ronnie.
Ray also gets the chance to allude to the past. While he gets to show off his energetic, geeky side, his attempts at seduction are reminiscent of his early scenes with Felicity on "Arrow", where many chided him as coming off as more quasi-stalker than anything else.
The episode wasn't without its flaws, but it was a strong outing. The change in setting helped and the Soviets prove to be a worthy adversary. Having the story spread out over two episodes expands the scope, but also allows more time for the characters to come together. They still have a long way to go, but we do see that they are slowly getting there.
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