Thus, the first half of the season concludes. I wasn't sure how well the mid-season finales were going to work, coming right on the heels of the big mega-crossover event, but it actually ended up working well for all of the shows. It's probably better to let them end on something more specific to their own respective plots, and we do get to see some of the fallout from the dominators' efforts.
I think this show actually did the most with what happened before. It's ironic, as you'd think that the team of time travellers would have the easiest time of just shrugging it off and moving on. Instead, though, we get quite a bit of emotional resonance as Stein deals with the ramifications of having a new daughter (and developing a bond as a result of newly developed memories) and Malcolm's offer to Sara is oddly fitting given what she went through in the dream world. You have to wonder if his offer to go back and rewrite her life story would have been accepted two weeks ago.
Even with that, it managed to advance the show's own arc, as the team was confronted with the "Legion of Doom". They knew Damien was up to something and that a speedster was involved, but this is the first time they see said speedster face to face and try to take him down.
As effective a villain as Darhk can be, I think this episode was really a standout moment for him. The episode really played him up as a sort of chessmaster, manipulating the team the entire episode and using their own logic and usual strategies against them. It was really fun to watch and it's a shame that it's taken this long for that aspect of his personality to come to the forefront.
The Reverse-Flash also got a strong showing. He reaffirmed his status as a heavy hitter, single-handedly besting the team with little effort, Letscher got to show off some menace, and we even got to see him use the same (or a similar) instrument that he used to steal Wells' body way back in the Flash's first season, making for a nice continuity nod.
Speaking of, Stein still hasn't put the pieces together, though to be fair, this is, for all intents and purposes, a different person than the one that he helped take down with Barry and Oliver. Oddly, Thawne, seems to remember, which shouldn't be the case as this was a Thawne before that Thawne...as Thawne himself says, it's complicated.
This episode also marks the first time that a Flash rogue has met an evil speedster face to face. The franchise has made a point to keep them compartmentalized for some strange reason. Granted, the rogues don't usually work with the evil speedsters, be it Thawne or Solomon, because they're too insane, but it would be nice to see that dynamic show itself here.
Still, the villains are developing a fun dynamic of their own. Heck, even the interplay between the supervillains and the gangsters was pretty fun to see. Luckily for Capone, these villains play much nicer than the supervillains that aligned themselves with gangsters in the Nolanverse. Granted, they needed Capone for things to play out the way they did, but still.
The dynamics of the team itself are a mixed bag. The scenes between Sara and Stein were very effective and seeing Nate and Ray goof off and try to one up each other was fun. I'm not entirely sold on the idea that the team is a family just yet.
Nate and Ray's buddy dynamic being compared to sibling rivalry is one thing, but Sara disciplining the two like a mother was oddly out of place. It was kind of funny, and you could rationalize it by saying that she is ship's captain and the last time the two did this, it ripped a hole in the ship that caused them to go off on a detour, but it still felt off.
It's trying to lay the groundwork to justify Sara using the family defense as a way to keep Stein's daughter around, but it doesn't help as much as the writers probably would have liked.
As is to be expected by this point, the action was top notch. The Sara/Malcolm duel was entertaining, especially as both held their own rather well. The final fight was also fun to see as the team had to employ a multitude of strategies to hold their own with Thawne. It's a shame that Vixen didn't get a chance to showcase her skillset too much, but I'm not sure what she could have done.
The episode also delivered on humor, injecting a sense of fun that was able to balance out some of the darker elements. The 20's made for a great setting. You had gangsters, tommy guns, people in snazzy suits. I'm surprised that Mick didn't go out and party, even Vixen expresses shock, though he seems to be going through some stuff.
Speaking of, props to the episode for subverting expectations with Snart. We all know he's coming back to join the Legion, and a mid-season finale seems like as good a place as any to make that big reveal. Even the ads for the episode play up the idea; but even though Miller reprises the role, Snart doesn't technically make his big appearance yet.
Another character does, though. This I don't want to spoil, but it was good to see him again, even if the circumstances we find him in raise some big questions.
I don't know if this has the same amount of kick as Flash's or Arrow's mid season finales, but this was still a pretty strong outing. It set things up for the second half of the season and showed us what this particular team of supervillains can do when they work together.
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