When the episodes for this show started to gather on the DVR, I was surprised to see that this wasn't the season finale. Really, it has all the makings of one. The heroes are in a desperate race against the clock and make one last ditch effort to stop the big bad once and for all. Also, as noted, they fight a giant robot, so the spectacle alone would have allowed the season to end with a bang. It seems there's still more story to tell, though, so we'll see how it plays out.
Said giant robot ends up living up to the hype. It's certainly a formidable adversary and the special effects were quite impressive given the TV budget. While I would have liked to see a sequence where Firestorm, Hawkgirl, and Atom zip around attacking it while Snart and Rory take potshots at it from the ground, the fights we do see are more than satisfactory. Considering how the Waverider's weapons fared, they certainly would have lost.
On the plus side, we do get to see Ray turn into a giant to fight said robot. You could nitpick and say that growing to giant size is more of an Ant-Man thing than an Atom thing, but it was still cool to see. The CGI got a little blatant at points and a part of me thinks that just using practical effects would have been smoother, but it does lead to slower movements that really sell how big these things are.
Of course, there's more to the episode than giant robot fight (though it was a definite highlight). I'm iffy on the whole bracelet subplot. Yeah, it makes Kendra's mace a more powerful weapon, but it seems unnecessary. First of all, didn't Kendra have a dagger that could kill Savage? I guess the price one pays for watching shows so sporadically is foggy memory, but I could have sworn that she still had it.
It does give the "ground level" heroes something to do as they have to steal it off a woman revealed to be Vandal's daughter. I figured it was Scandal as she's become rather popular, but they decide to name her Cassandra. Considering Savage's lifespan, it's incredibly likely that he has hundreds, if not thousands of children roaming around. Heck, his whole army could just be his kids; that would be a weird twist.
It does give the "ground level" heroes something to do as they have to steal it off a woman revealed to be Vandal's daughter. I figured it was Scandal as she's become rather popular, but they decide to name her Cassandra. Considering Savage's lifespan, it's incredibly likely that he has hundreds, if not thousands of children roaming around. Heck, his whole army could just be his kids; that would be a weird twist.
The actress playing Cassandra did a good job and she was given a solid arc as Snart shows her the truth about her father. I haven't been digging Miller as of late, but this episode gave him better material and even his line delivery seemed more subdued. His speech pattern is still there, but it wasn't as glaring, which was rather refreshing.
Seeing Savage's concern for his daughter was also a nice touch. He's a monster and he did manipulate his daughter to serve his agenda, but he did show genuine concern for her when she was taken captive and seemed hurt by her betrayal.
Speaking of kidnapping, why didn't the team just give Cassandra one of those memory wiping pills and drop her off somewhere? They make a point to talk about how having her puts a target on their backs and how they can't let her go, lest she tell her father what she knows, but this option never seems to occur to them.
Speaking of kidnapping, why didn't the team just give Cassandra one of those memory wiping pills and drop her off somewhere? They make a point to talk about how having her puts a target on their backs and how they can't let her go, lest she tell her father what she knows, but this option never seems to occur to them.
This was definitely Savage's strongest showing to date. We see him as the ruthless, power hungry conqueror that he is. It's odd that it took the show this long to properly display the threat that brought them together in the first place, but better late than never, I guess.
Rip also got a surprisingly strong showing. Not only does he shine in action sequences, but his status as woobie is reinforced even further when he reveals to Ray that he had made multiple attempts to save his family by relocating them before Savage could get to them, with each effort ending in failure.
I'm torn on how Kendra's arc played out. It was, doubtlessly, satisfying to see her smack Savage around the way she did. You'd think this would result in anti-climax, but considering he had always seemed to mysteriously win fights off screen, I wasn't bothered by it.
True to manipulative villain form, he does have a trump card as Savage reveals that he found another incarnation of Carter and had him brainwashed to act as another soldier.
You get the dilemma that they're trying to create, but it doesn't work that well. For one thing, Savage's claim that he's the only one who can "deprogram" Carter seems odd given that they were able to get Mick back. Others have noted that this isn't "her" Carter, even going so far as to suggest that she let him die, allowing another incarnation grow up in a world without Savage. I'll admit that it's a bit cold, but they're not wrong. You'd think that "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" would come into play, but she opts to just bring Savage back to the ship.
It's not the ideal, but if they are able to keep him on the ship (which the previews for the next episode suggest won't happen) time could "settle" without him, thus achieving some measure of victory and keeping Rip's family safe.
Speaking of time settling, almost no mention is made of the "past heroes" who, I assume, are still on the ship. When Stein was suddenly impaled for no apparent reason, I figured his past self had gotten hurt and that it was a call back to what happened to Ray, but nothing is said of it. It's also strange as they talk about how refugees that they had brought aboard are at such great risk being on the ship, but again, no mention. I wonder if, now that Savage is in custody, they will go and return themselves to their rightful times so that they don't lose the bonds with their loved ones.
If this were the season finale, I think it would have been a satisfying one. There's more than enough excitement to keep your eyes gripped to the screen. It acts as an effective climax, but still kept seeds for what could have been the show's second season story line. With 3 more episodes to go, it'll be interesting to see where the show goes. Admittedly, me roaming TvTropes has tipped me off to a few of the big developments, but I'm sure that it will still be a fun ride.
Rip also got a surprisingly strong showing. Not only does he shine in action sequences, but his status as woobie is reinforced even further when he reveals to Ray that he had made multiple attempts to save his family by relocating them before Savage could get to them, with each effort ending in failure.
I'm torn on how Kendra's arc played out. It was, doubtlessly, satisfying to see her smack Savage around the way she did. You'd think this would result in anti-climax, but considering he had always seemed to mysteriously win fights off screen, I wasn't bothered by it.
True to manipulative villain form, he does have a trump card as Savage reveals that he found another incarnation of Carter and had him brainwashed to act as another soldier.
You get the dilemma that they're trying to create, but it doesn't work that well. For one thing, Savage's claim that he's the only one who can "deprogram" Carter seems odd given that they were able to get Mick back. Others have noted that this isn't "her" Carter, even going so far as to suggest that she let him die, allowing another incarnation grow up in a world without Savage. I'll admit that it's a bit cold, but they're not wrong. You'd think that "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" would come into play, but she opts to just bring Savage back to the ship.
It's not the ideal, but if they are able to keep him on the ship (which the previews for the next episode suggest won't happen) time could "settle" without him, thus achieving some measure of victory and keeping Rip's family safe.
Speaking of time settling, almost no mention is made of the "past heroes" who, I assume, are still on the ship. When Stein was suddenly impaled for no apparent reason, I figured his past self had gotten hurt and that it was a call back to what happened to Ray, but nothing is said of it. It's also strange as they talk about how refugees that they had brought aboard are at such great risk being on the ship, but again, no mention. I wonder if, now that Savage is in custody, they will go and return themselves to their rightful times so that they don't lose the bonds with their loved ones.
If this were the season finale, I think it would have been a satisfying one. There's more than enough excitement to keep your eyes gripped to the screen. It acts as an effective climax, but still kept seeds for what could have been the show's second season story line. With 3 more episodes to go, it'll be interesting to see where the show goes. Admittedly, me roaming TvTropes has tipped me off to a few of the big developments, but I'm sure that it will still be a fun ride.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
No comments:
Post a Comment