As the show is wont to do, this episode juggles several subplots. It's a hit or miss approach, but it works here. While having episodes with a focus on one central plot is nice, I don't think any of the plots here really warrant a full episode.
The closest would probably be Constantine's plot. It probably gets the most focus, but I think it had just the right amount of time. I'm not sure what else you could have done to extend that if the goal was to create a more focused episode. It does give Constantine a clear arc, as he realizes that he's not quite the bloody bastard he always said he was.
His identical ancestor on the other hand...not so much. To be fair, you can't fault him for thinking that John had some nefarious intent. An identical stranger comes out of nowhere and invites you to combat an evil force, you can see where King Konstantyn might get the wrong idea. It isn't much of a redeeming factor, given how he operates, but it is something of a bone.
The attempted coup of the time bureau could have had potential to do more, but it is largely relegated to the backburner. It would have been harder to keep the reveal about the nature of Gary's new demeanor a secret.
Oddly enough, the reasoning is surprisingly superficial. Neron having the resources of the bureau at his disposal could have been a serious thing, but it's strongly implied that the maneuver was just a way to keep them from pulling the other Legends from their predicament.
To his credit, though, Neron does a great job of playing the team and getting them to do just what he wants in order to achieve his desired goal. To wit, he is able to retrieve Tabitha, who is revealed to be the fairy godmother from earlier in the season. We thought her refusal to help John was due to fear of confronting a much bigger fish, but it turns out that she and Neron are....quite close.
It's an unorthodox, but still interesting alliance. What their plans are now remains to be seen, though Gary still seems to be with them. Sure, his demonic nipple is removed, but it seems like he's still on board with team Neron given how things wrapped up.
The third and final sub-plot centers on the remaining Legends trapping themselves under ice after a botched attempt to take out Neron with the ship's weapons. Sara does start to pick up on the idea that something is amiss with their situation, but the impulsive Mick gives the order to fire; and thus, the team is trapped under hundreds of feet of ice with no apparent means of escape.
It's uneventful, but it does provide a healthy dose of character development to make up for it. Sara and Mick have a falling out that seems out of left field at first, but actually does make sense. Both are right in their criticisms of the other. The writers never directly depicted it before, but it does seem like these issues have been lurking under the surface for some time.
It does lead to some introspection, as well as reminiscing. It is weird to think that Mick and Sara are the last of the original legends. Similar thing happened on "Grey's Anatomy". It's a weird trend in longer running shows.
The events do reinforce the bond between the characters (both the pair and the team as a whole) and affirms their status as a family.
Overall, this was a pretty well-balanced episode. It had some humor, but it didn't go over the top. There were stakes, as well as character and plot progression, and it did set things up as we move closer to the end of the season.
Click here to open an E-Trade account
No comments:
Post a Comment