After the effects heavy extravaganza, the show gives us what is referred to as a "bottle episode". That is to say that the whole episode (well, a vast majority of it anyway) takes place in one interior location. In this case, it's the Waverider itself as the team decides to transport Savage to the Vanishing Point so that he can be turned into the high council.
After some fairly weak buildup, Savage is starting to really shine as a villain. True, he may not have an empire at his disposal, but he does spend the episode screwing with the team members' heads and using their various issues to turn them against one another. Crump seems like he's having fun with it and it makes for some interesting scenes.
That being said, some of the characters do end up acting like idiots. A few note that they know exactly what sort of game Savage is playing, but go along anyway (Stein being the refreshingly sole exception.) Ray falls into this trap especially hard as Savage is able to goad him into opening the prison door so that the two could put up their dukes and throw down.
Ray does dish out a nice beatdown, but ultimately Savage wins and escapes. It's a bit surprising that Savage didn't just kill him then and there. I'm not sure what his reasoning is, but he instead goes for the sleeper hold. I guess we chalk it up to part of the "deeper game" that he says he's playing. I do love foreshadowing like that. It's not the most subtle approach, but it intrigues nonetheless.
It was nice to see Savage actually win the fight on screen. Up until now, it seems like a "tough" character would exit the scene and then comeback with Savage holding them hostage. Mick and Sara are the two most notable examples. This does a better job conveying the threat as we see what he's capable of.
The climax of the episode also shows us that he can effectively hold off a majority of the team single-handedly. Some of it was plot convenience, but I don't recall actively calling BS on any one particular event in that fight.
Oddly enough, this episode, puts a lot of focus on showing the characters before they left for the mission. They were good scenes, I'll grant you, but their placement in the overall narrative is bizarre. You probably could have put these in the second or third episode and it would have worked just as well.
I did like the Felicity and Nyssa cameos that came as a result of it. I wasn't paying attention to the credits scrawl on the bottom, so I missed when their names popped up. It made for a nice surprise when they did make their respective appearances, though, so that worked out.
I'm not sure about the reveal that Savage is a time traveler himself. Given his immortality, isn't it a bit redundant? At the very least, you'd think that he would use the tactic that he did in the Justice League cartoon, sending information and schematics back in time in order to acquire power. I guess it's moot, as that still constitutes "manipulation of the time stream", but I found it odd.
This episode had something of a major twist, as it is revealed that Savage is actually in league with the Time Masters. Given my propensity to roam TvTropes, this twist was spoiled (as was the reason why) but the scene was still effectively done. If you hadn't known it was coming, I could easily see a viewer doing the same double take that Rip did when the declaration was made. Then again, with 2 episodes left, you knew that it wouldn't resolve that cleanly, but that's a bit on the meta side.
Things are looking grim for the heroes, though, so the episode's end does make for some nice build up as we approach the end of the season. While this episode had flaws, it was still an entertaining watch. The pacing was solid, Crump was fun, and there was character development across the board.
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