'Legends of Tomorrow': Crisis on Infinite Earths Hour Five

 

Well, it took some time, but I did finally get "caught up" with the other Arrowverse shows and was able to finally dive into the "Crisis".  Thus, I can dive back into this show after a lengthy hiatus.

Much like "Crisis on Earth X", this episode doesn't really showcase much of the Legends.  Instead, the focus is on establishing the new status quo and giving the heroes their final confrontation with the Anti-Monitor.  It is a better final showdown than the one that came before it, but it is a little tacked on in some respects.

The differences are intriguing, but I don't know if the shows are going to do anything with it.  Even though Barry forms a superhero team, I know that they never reunite.  It will be interesting to see how things move forward for both Supergirl and Black Lightning, as they have the biggest shakeups to their home turf. A part of me thinks that their arcs are going to resume, but at the same time, I don't see how they can do that.

Still, the spirit of the show is very present, as this is definitely the lightest and silliest of the crossover episodes.  The confrontation with the giant Beebo was actually a highlight of the episode.  It was a nice breather after seeing the multiverse fall, and having team Arrow be there to remark on how freaking weird it is definitely added something, though even Barry and Diggle (who are at least a little more acclimated to weird occurrences) are still thrown by the bizarre nature of what's actually happening.  

Unlike before, the absence of the team goes beyond structure and becomes a factor in universe.  For reasons I don't know, Sara promised that the team wouldn't partake in anymore "crossovers".  Them rejecting the call made sense before as they were "out of character" at the time, but shrugging and saying no when existence itself is in danger seems like a weird move.  You have to wonder if there's going to be any sort of aftermath on that element.

Sara does reflect on how without Oliver around anymore, she doesn't really have any ties to her old life anymore.  She hadn't really popped back all that much anyway and she says that the Legends are her family now.  Couple this with the fact that this was the last of the Arrowverse crossover events, we might not see Sara interacting with any of the present day characters anymore.  I could be wrong, but we'll have to see.  

It'll be good to dive back into this.  Now I can move into the fifth season proper.

'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 16: "Hey, World!'

 

It's been a bit since I dived into this one.  You might think that this was just another instance of epic schedule slip (see Attack on Titan for an example).  However, there actually was a somewhat valid reason to keep this one on the back burner.  The episode after this is the finale of "Crisis on Infinite Earths".  As I still have quite a bit of other things to watch to build up to that, I figured I'd wait until I got closer.  There's still more to watch, but I think it's time to finally knock this off the to do list. 

All in all, I found it a little underwhelming.  Part of it is the gap, but as a finale, it was pretty lackluster.  It has its moments, but I don't know if I'd mark this as a highlight of either the show or even the season as a whole. 

It turns out that Neron's real plan isn't to rule Hell, but to use people's fear of monsters and magical creatures to open a portal to it.  Or, as he so originally and subtly puts it, "Make Earth Hell Again".  

To counter this, the Legends decide to revive Nate's dad's idea for a creature theme park as a way to show people that the creatures aren't to be feared, only be better understood.  It leads to more than a few cornball moments and speeches.  Some work OK, others, not so much.  The stage show they put on is cringe, but that fact is mitigated by the fact that the in-universe viewing audience boos and is just about to walk out before the big dragon shows up.

This is an element that has been foreshadowed quite a bit via the egg.  It finally hatches and we finally get to see it.  Interestingly, it starts off rather cute and cuddly.  Young Zari and her classmates all take a liking to it and a video of that goes viral.  

This actually marks one of the few instances where the Legends' time travel has lasting consequences for both the present and the future.  As a result of both the video and the amusement park, Zari has a better childhood and her family is saved from future calamity.  This means that she never joins the Legends, who are instead joined by her brother.

Sara had earlier vowed that they weren't going to lose another Legend, but Nate seems to be the only one aware of any change to the timeline, which just adds salt to the wound.

Speaking of Nate, he comes close to biting the bullet, sacrificing himself as a way to get Neron to break his contract and get sent back to Hell.  The moment worked well and the cast all did a good job of showing the necessary grief and shock. 

This leads to one of the aforementioned cornball moments as the spirit of Nate's dad uses music to trigger the power of love, which can be channeled into magic to revive him.  Ray's point about love being channeled the same way that Neron was fear gives it at least some legitimacy, but there's a part of me that wishes that the death had stuck.  It was a noble hero death.  It's good to see he and Ray reunite, but still backpedals like that are a mixed bag.

Did anybody else find it odd how they sidestepped the whole Heaven thing?  You've established Hell, the existence of souls, and the divinity of Christ (through the Spear of Longinus in season 2) in this universe, I think you can just say "Heaven".  

I did like the Monitor cameo.  He doesn't actually do anything and considering the next episode is the crisis, it's not that surprising.  It was cleverly done.  It was a way of teasing what's to come without outright saying it.

The Vandal Savage appearance was also a curveball of sorts.  I don't know if it was an intentional nod to an episode of "Justice League" where Vandal turns over a new leaf, but I did get a similar vibe.  It's another instance of Ray's positivity being infectious.  Had they known, the Legends could have used that to stop his evil plans back in season 1, but hindsight is still 20/20, even when you have a time machine.

As noted, I've still got some watching to do before "Crisis", so there will likely be another gap, but I can at least move forward on those shows and check this season off the to-do list.

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 15: 'Terms of Service'

 

The season reaches its penultimate episode and Neron begins to make his power play.  Interestingly, it isn't Earth so much that he's interested in.  No, he plans to take over hell.  Admittedly, he does this by taking human souls, so its splitting hairs, but still.

He intends to do so by revealing the existence of magical creatures to create fear and prompt people to download an app where surrendering their soul is included in the fine print of the terms of service. I do have to wonder how effective this would be in the Arrowverse.  First of all, the skepticism seemed arbitrary given what this world has already seen, and wouldn't the array of heroes be a factor in keeping people safe? 

Also, the plan loses points for being the same one Morgaine LeFaye used on "Runaways".  Heck, even the "no one reads the terms of service" joke was already done elsewhere. 

To the episode's credit though, that does become something of a theme as characters end up taking bargains that end up biting them due to technicalities.

John Constantine, of all people, falls victim to this when he makes a deal with the lords of Hell to retrieve Ray's soul.  They manage to turn the tables on him not once, but twice.  It does help make up for the fact that, as much was made about how so many demons would be gunning for John's head, we only see a couple make any sort of attempt to exact revenge.  Hell (ba dum tish,) one of the demons actually seems to be on friendly terms with John.

More impressive, though, is the fairy godmother's manipulation of Nora.  While Tabitha does still swear loyalty to Neron, she does go out of her way to help Nora on several occasions.  She says it is because she feels a kinship.  The two do have some similarities in background.  It appeared to give the godmother a bit more layers.  You'd think that the reveal that the whole thing was a con would be a disappointing step backwards, but it was brilliantly done.

Gary was an interesting wild card.  He is in better spirits, but he still longs to be accepted by the group.  Thus, he uses the fairy godmother to cast wishes that would help enable that goal.  Tabitha, of course, wants him to be more vengeful, but that just isn't Gary.  He even lets the heroes know this outright. He does still repeatedly screw things up for the team, but in his defense, there's no way he could have known about certain goings on so a lot of it comes off as more accidental.   In some instances, he even legitimately means well.  Him sending Nora to hell is met with her calling him a dick, but he did explicitly say that his intent was for her to help John retrieve Ray.  

While the Legends' initial attempts to placate him come off as forced, they do seem to make the effort to be nicer to him.  I did find it odd that nobody tried to play the inspirational hero speech card during the whole ordeal, though.  Sara kinda does it late in the episode, but I'd think that trying to play that sooner might have gotten some results.  It might not have, but you'd think they would have tried.

Overall, this episode was OK.  It had some good gags and there was decent character progression on more than a few fronts as well as a few twists here and there.  It should make for an interesting season finale.

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 14: 'Nip/Stuck'

 

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.  

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'Legends of Tomorrow': Season 4, Episode 13: 'Egg MacGuffin

 

Some "Legends" episodes try to juggle multiple plotlines.  The results are mixed.  Sometimes the episode is able to provide just the right balance to each, while others feel too crowded.  This one is much more the prior.

This episode not only manages to juggle them, though. They seem to intersect in almost "Seinfeld" like fashion.  It makes it hard to break down, but utterly fascinating and compelling to watch.

The brunt of the episode's focus is on the newly possessed Ray.  The good news is that the possession is much more limited than the last episode's teaser suggested.  Neron can exert some influence, such as taking control of one of Ray's hands or by conversing with him "Green Goblin" style through a reflective surface; however, Ray is still himself.  It is this limitation that Neron hopes to eliminate via using Ray to murder somebody he loves.  

Speaking of, this is another episode that puts a lot of emphasis on love.  The two other sub-plots incorporate it in some fashion.  You have Sara and Ava trying to play matchmaker with Nate and Zari via use of a mission to retrieve the titular macguffin, as well as Charlie convincing Mick to let her pose as Mick's author persona to collect a big check.  Sara and Ava also try to be part of a Waverider book club.

It sounds all over the place, but the writers managed to fit it all together surprisingly well.  Like the best "Legends" episodes, this one manages to also bring a balance of off the wall comedy and pop culture shout outs while also delivering compelling character drama.  

Ray is an obvious example, as he has to battle Neron's urges to murder those close to him (namely Nora and Nate), but Gary actually gets a surprisingly compelling go here.  Not only does he immediately step up to offer to help Ray when Constantine isn't available, but his butt monkey status gets deconstructed and leads to the hapless assistant agreeing to join the demon after realizing that he's sick of it.

Ray himself concedes to Neron's influence when it looks like Nate is about to be killed by Ray's own hand.  Constantine makes an effort to vanquish the demon but is unable to do so.  With a willing host and a new follower, the episode does end with Neron coming away the victor.  It makes sense, as it ramps up the tension leading to the season finale.

Overall, this was a very strong episode.  The plot moved well ahead, the jokes worked, the character interactions were on point, and it leaves you wanting to find out what happens next.  This comes highly recommended. 

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 12: 'The Eggplant, The Witch, and the Wardrobe'

 

With Heywood Sr. out of the way, Neron moves onto the next phase of his plan, which involves abducting Ava and possessing her so that he can have control of the Time Bureau and its resources (more specifically, all the captive monsters.)

Suffice it to say, Sara is not fond of this plan.  As such, she resolves to descend into Ava's own personal purgatory to get her soul back.  Constantine is not initially on board with the plan but does eventually decide to go along.  

Sara does acknowledge her own experience of coming back from the dead and retrieving her soul, but it turns out that this is a completely different kind of endeavor.  As this is Ava's own purgatory, it involves a lot more metaphors that represent her own doubts, fears, and anxieties.  It's a little on the nose at points, but it provides the necessary character insight and does allow the two characters to work past them to reforge their damaged relationship.  The whole shopping/megastore setting could have been cringe, but the episode actually made it work.

On the flip side, the Nate/Nora reunion isn't what it could have been.  After building up the idea that her presence has to be kept secret, the crew is made aware and doesn't really seem all that bothered by it.  Even Nate relents surprisingly quickly.  I guess he trusts Ray, but you'd think they'd want to maintain that tension for at least a little while.  He just kind of shrugs and goes back to what he was doing.

He does get some degree of closure, though.  While Nate initially wants to shut the theme park down, he decides to keep it going, coming to view it as something that made his dad a better man.  It does still seem like a pretty bad idea.  Nate himself even kinda/sorta makes the "Jurassic Park" comparison, but ultimately, the idea will live on.  What comes of it? It's hard to tell at this point.

The other main source of conflict comes from Neron himself, who is pretty easily captured by the remaining legends.  However, much like Madam Gao, this actually works to his advantage as he can wreak mental havoc on crew members, stirring up anger, creating tension, and escalating already existing ones.

Nate comes close to making things more difficult for the team.  It makes sense, as he is angry over the death of his father, but the team is able to talk him down.  Oddly enough, it's Ray who messes things up.  In his defense, he didn't know what was happening, but him walking in distracted people, which allowed Neron to escape  

While it wasn't initially clear what happened, the episode's closing wham moment lets us know just what happened to Neron after that big explosion.  It turns out that he had jumped into Ray's body.  The bit was well done, with a dog viciously attempting to attack Ray.  It's odd at first, but once he starts whistling, you know what's happening.

There's only four episodes left in the season.  Neron is still on the loose and the episode even hints at some sort of demonic partner named Tabitha.  What she has to do with the endgame isn't clear, but that's something to be uncovered later, as we move closer to the finale.    

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 11: 'Seance and Sensibility'

 

It's fitting that I finally get around to this episode so close to Valentine's Day, as there is a heavy romantic element. The thought occurred to me that this did air around Valentine's Day, but that did not turn out to be the case, so there went that theory.

In any event, a lot of emphasis is put on love.  It is only fitting, then, that the historical figure du jour is none other than Jane Austen. She's not put in any mortal danger like so many others, but the works of a mystical fugitive do cause her to forego her writing career, prompting the Legends to go back and set things right like they do.

Interestingly enough, said fugitive isn't malicious in nature.  He's a (sort of) manifestation of the Hindu god of love, who is using his abilities to allow people to pursue their passions regardless of inhibitions.  It does have negative consequences at times, but his intent is well meaning enough.  He also has enough charm to win Zari over. 

Given the hinting of a brewing relationship with Nate, you'd think that this would create a love triangle, but Nate has his own things going on, and Zari breaks things off with the god before things get too far.  Now, if she had gone through with the wedding, that could have made things more interesting long term, but the resolution works well enough.  

The influence of the god goes beyond that, as he is able to influence Ray and Nora and their growing romance.  

To Nora's credit, she actually tries to make her case by talking to Ray via magical spell and explaining that she didn't kill Hank.  Why she didn't do it when everything first went down is a mystery, but at least she's trying to communicate and clear things up.    It also puts her on the Waverider, as Ray agrees to hide her, and this is where things start to go down.  She's still in seclusion by episode's end, but it's only a matter of time before the rest of the team finds out.  

Nate's aforementioned things mostly revolve around his dad's funeral.  He struggles to come up with a fitting eulogy given what he had learned.  The fact that Hank's ghost is lingering around doesn't faze Nate as much as you'd think (same goes for Jane Austen who doesn't even flinch when an enraged and wolfed out Mona attacks her.)  While he has no interest in what Hank has to say, John goes and does it anyway.

This does allow John to learn that Neron is tied to what's been happening and gives more context to how their arrangement was meant to work.

It also gives a twist regarding Hank's motives.  Up until now, it seemed like Hank wanted the creatures to be used as weapons.  I, myself, thought this, assuming that he was trying to use them in a defensive capacity, given the growing threats in the Arrowverse.  It turns out that he wanted to tame them so he could feature them in an amusement park.

I get what they were trying to do, send him off in a more positive light and show that he was a flawed but loving father, but this really doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  You could have played up Hank's nobility and well intentions, but still remained consistent with what we had seen prior.  On top of that, did he not read or watch "Jurassic Park"?  C'mon man.

Now, from what I read, the original idea was to have him be straight up evil and willingly in league with Neron.  I don't think that would have worked either, to be honest. It's a little too one note. Playing him as a sort of anti-hero (something akin to Amanda Waller or Nick Fury, which is what I had envisioned at the start of the arc) probably would have been the way to go.  Show a shade of grey.  This is, of course, moot hindsight.  Still, every so often, you can't help but armchair quarterback.

Overall, I'd say this was an average episode.  There've been funnier episodes, ones with stronger character arcs, and bigger action.  I think the only two things that stand out here are Zari's threesome dream and the Bollywood number.  Even that will probably blend in, as the show has done zanier.  Also, the lampshade hanging was starting to get to be a bit much.  The dream did it, the dance number did it, and the forced inclusion of the Bechdel test did it.  Some self-awareness can work, and has worked for the show on several occasions, but when used repeatedly in a short time span, it loses some of its spark.

We're actually a lot closer to the end of the season than I thought.  There's only five episodes to go.  It should be interesting to see how things play out in the time that's left.

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 10: 'The Getaway'

The team travels to 1973 to try and figure out why Nixon is, all of a sudden, telling the truth.  This aspect of the plot becomes tertiary at best, as Hank's desire to stop the Legends from figuring out his plan becomes more of the focus.

On paper, this episode had potential.  You've got the team road tripping in an RV, you've got a mystical bug that forces people to tell the truth, you've got police chases.  The results, alas, aren't what they could have been.  It's not a bad episode, but it doesn't leave an impression the way other episodes have.

Part of this could be because the episode is much more grounded.  There's no big action sequences, nor is there the zaniness that previous episodes have delivered.  There's still good stuff to be seen, though. The truth bug, while a plot device, does bring a decent amount of comedy, character development, and even a dash of squick for good measure.  Sara and John have a nice scene where John gives a fake pep talk that somehow manages to still work.  Nate and Hank have some great moments as well.  

Alas, there's also quite a bit of filler.  It negatively affects the episode's pacing.

While Nixon takes a backseat to everything else, he was still a detriment.  A part of it is due to the actor never really selling us on the idea that he's actually the former President.  The jokes at his expense were also largely obvious and have been done to death.  Really, the only joke that landed on that one was John's "dick in a box" line.  His final speech about how he had become inspired to be a better person and leader was a nice moment that was amusingly subverted when the team had to "undo" it to preserve the status quo.  Other than that, though it was a bit of a dud humor wise.

As far as the over-arching plot, this episode does move the needle a bit.  Hank is dead, killed by Neron after trying to back out of the arrangement.  Nate also mistakenly believes that Nora is responsible, as she had broken out to try and help.  

The big reveal about Mona is also followed up on. To her credit, she does repeatedly try to tell Sara what her deal is, but keeps getting brushed off.  It comes to a head when she transforms again and Sara has to talk her down.

You can see what the episode was trying to do, and Lotz does what she can to bring the scene some emotional weight, but it's undercut by the creature makeup effects which are..not good.  It's odd as the show can, and has, done better, but this time around, it ended up taking me out of the scene.  The fact that she's supposed to be bawling in grief really didn't help matters.

Overall, the episode passes the time well enough.  It does have its strengths, but it doesn't pop as well as some of the show's earlier episodes had.  We'll see where things go, though.  As I noted, it does plant some seeds for things down the line, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 9: 'Lucha de Apuestas'

 The team is tasked to find the Kaupe, which had escaped Time Bureau custody.  In true "Legends" fashion, the plot manages to rope in a variety of disparate elements: Mexican wrestling, government conspiracies, romantic tensions; and throw them together in such a way that it all still works.

The Bureau's shadier dealings have been known (to the viewer anyway) but its presentation here is more akin to other science fiction plots.  Mona herself makes a direct comparison to "The X-Files".  If you watched Justice League Unlimited back in the day, you might think that this would have been a great opportunity to bring the Question to the Arrowverse.  Sadly, it doesn't happen.  

The episode does still bring a lot to the table.  It's entertaining as all get out.  Seeing John help coach a washed up wrestler so that he can reclaim his former glory against Konane was one of the episode's many highlights.  There's quite a bit of slapstick involved, as the team has to teach Konane to lose; but seeing the two join forces against the Bureau MiB's was a splendid thing.

While the show does get wacky, it still manages to bring a healthy dose of heart to the proceedings.  The Mona/Kaupe "romance" is still a little weird, but it isn't without its heartwarming and tragic moments. When Mona does decide to part ways and say goodbye, it actually is a moving scene, even though it should be ridiculous by any stretch.  

Even Mick gets to have a serious and sincere conversation.  It's a small scene, but it was well done and Purcell did a great job with it.

Speaking of romance, it seems as if the Sara/Ava ship has sailed. The episode puts the two at odds and creates a rift that even a conversation over a tango can't fix. It is sad.  The two were great together. On the other hand, this could just be a tension building thing. The wrestler even notes that stories involve falls so that the heroes can rise.  This could be one of those things.  We'll have to see.  I'm still rooting for them.

All in all, this was a solid episode.  It brought fun, the wrestling sequences were fun, and the character moments all worked out.   This episode did shake things up on several fronts so it'll be interesting to see how things play out.

 

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 8: 'Legends of To-Meow-Meow'

 While the last episode was fairly weak and the title is...well, stupid, this episode is a blast.  

Not surprisingly, the episode focuses on Charlie's and John's efforts to restore the timeline after John broke it.  Interestingly enough, neither of these two characters really want to restore the status quo. As such, rather than just undo what they did, they try to "patch things" to a point where the Legends are restored to the way they were.

It turns out that the timeline change turned the somewhat idealistic team into stone cold killers of magical creatures and it is this, more than anything else, that sets Charlie on the path to restore things.  Yeah, she was willing to leave Zari as a cat (though to be fair, that turned out to be a surprisingly easy fix all things considered.)

The task turns out to be more difficult than one would think, as the butterfly effect kicks in hard here.  It was interesting to see how things could have gone very differently for the team with a slight change of circumstance.  Team members die at the hands (or horns) of previous foes and Mick even partners up with the fairy godmother.  It also gives the episode a chance to revisit some scenes from earlier in the season.  Combine this with some bizarre, but not out of place, TV show parodies, and you have a pretty bonkers episode to say the least.

After having several episodes try to juggle several subplots, it was nice to have an episode focus on just one.  There's a lot of crazy stuff going on, but keeping the narrative on Charlie and John keeps you engaged and grounded...for the most part.

The humor was on point.  The episode goes off the wall and revels in the craziness that the plot allows it to.  There are times when I miss this being a more straight forward super-hero team show, but this shows you why the later tone is so loved and revered.    

The big cliffhanger reveal is a bit lackluster. It does tie John's Neron big bad with the whole Time Bureau gathering magical creatures sub-plot that has been on the back-burner lately, but it didn't really have the sort of kick that a mid-season finale ending should theoretically have.

Still, though, the episode is on such a constant high that one small con is really not that much of a hindrance.  It's good to see the show rebound and regain its footing. It'll be interesting to see how the second half of the season plays out.

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 7: 'Hell No, Dolly"

 This episode doesn't really have a central plot per se.  Instead, it juggles three story lines.  Other episodes have done this but this one doesn't do quite as good a job.  It results in an episode that feels more like wheel spinning and filler for a good majority of it.

The Constantine plot has the most going for it.  Not only does it have the biggest ramifications, but it was also the strongest just from a character perspective.  Ryan's fantastic, as usual, but we get to see John's past come back to haunt him and him respond by taking measures to undo it.    This also plants a potential seed as far as the season's big bad goes.  Neron is only mentioned, but he is a heavy hitter in the comics; it makes sense that he could be the one going after John.  We'll have to see how that plays out, though.

Another sub-plot has Sara trying to act as mediator after Ava and Mick have something of a falling out.  You can't really fault Ava for taking the magical diary.  Even if Mick was able to have it without any serious negative ramifications, the possibility of somebody else coming in and swiping it (whether they knew about its power or not) is too great a risk. I can kind of see why Mick was miffed, but he should have been smart enough to get her reasoning.  

The Mona plot was...strange.  I mean, Mona is odd enough where her falling in love with the Kaupe would make sense, but at the same time...it's odd.  Maybe they were trying to parody the trope, but at the same time, the episode plays a lot of those scenes perfectly straight. 

It does result in an amusing identity mix up when Nate goes to talk to Mona on Gary's behalf only to be met by ambiguous dialogue that Nate assumes is in reference to Gary.

Oddly enough, the plot that inspires the title is the most blase and is even an afterthought as far as the episode goes.  The killer doll thing has been done a lot, but you'd think that they could have done more.  It doesn't help that "Mike the Spike" is a pretty weaksauce villain.  There are one or two creepy moments, but he's pretty underwhelming and his dialogue isn't menacing in the slightest.

Overall, this was one of the weaker episodes for the show.  It has moments, but it never really gains momentum due to having too many things going on.  Some of the gags and jokes work, but some are fairly cringe inducing.

Really, the episode's big saving grace is the cliffhanger, where John's attempt to change the past has huge ramifications for the timeline.  It's not quite as bad as the team breaking time back in season 2, but about on par with Barry and the whole Flashpoint fiasco.  We don't get a full glimpse of the ramifications, but Zari is a cat, and an adorable one at that.

After a pretty strong string of episodes, this one was a let down.  I mean, nobody bats 1000, but it's still a shame to see.

'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 6: 'Tender is the Nate'

 The Legends travel to 1920's Paris to confront a Minotaur, which has been lurking in the catacombs under the city.  It seems like pretty standard "Legends" fare, except that Nate's dad decides to tag along to see where those hard earned tax payer dollars are going.

It turns out that, along with the Bureau now being government funded, so too are the endeavors of the titular team.  On the one hand, he does raise some good points, on the other, it was established that Gideon made the food and costumes, so why would taxes be needed for that?   Of course, one could also make the point that the federal government never takes this much of an interest in fiscal accountability.  Monsters, clones, and time travel are one thing, but let's keep it realistic, am I right?  Besides, the numbers Hank cites are "small" enough where I could see many arguing that cutting it wouldn't make a difference, so we should just increase it.  

It's a pretense to get Nate and his dad on the ship and the payoff is worth it.  Not only is it nice to have Nate back as part of the crew, but seeing said crew try to keep his dad happy does make for some pretty funny bits throughout the episode.

You can understand why Hank would be skeptical of the "put the beast to sleep with lute music" plan.  Given common sense and what they had seen of the creature previously, his skepticism was justified.  I'm a bit surprised that nobody invoked the "bard" concept.  I mean, there are a few mentions of D&D, it seems like it would have fit in quite naturally.  

Still, props to him for nailing it in the end.  Even Constantine and Sara are flabbergasted at the Heywood patriarch's musical skills.  I imagine many a viewer was as well, I know I was.  

The episode also features a sub-plot where Ava, Nora, and Mona get stuck in a cell together.  It's a simple premise, but it worked really well.  The three characters play well off each other and the bond formed seems genuine.  It's really quite cute. The fact that all three have a sort of arc of their own is also impressive.

Mona could have fallen in to the "trying too hard" trap.  I know that Gary can sometimes be grating, but the episode managed to still make her work, especially playing off the other two.  You can see how she is able to soften the other two up, even if she does seem way too eager at points.  Not sure if the three will be spending more time together on a regular basis, but it was still a strong aspect of the episode.

This was a fun one and done episode.  There was just enough humor, the Minotaur proved to be a formidable adversary, and several characters got moments to shine and grow.  I'm surprised there was no mention of "Project Hades", but that could come up later.  The season seems to be going pretty well so far, hopefully the momentum can continue.

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 4: 'Wet Hot American Bummer'

 A horror movie date night inadvertently prompts the team to travel to 1990's Maine where reports say several kids died at the hands of a monster while attending summer camp.

Naturally, this leads to several members of the team posing as counselors.  You'd think that the episode would draw humor by putting characters least suited for the job in the role.  Instead, some of the highlights come from watching the two characters who take to it the most, Sara and Ray.  The latter would obviously love it, but seeing Sara brighten up at the idea of going back to camp was a real treat.

John does accompany the group, and his magic does prove integral, but the episode doesn't really do much with him as counselor.  He just sticks to himself.  To his credit though, when he does interact with the kids, he's more impressive than his surly personality would suggest. 

Ava as counselor is an interesting case  Yeah, her "drill sergeant" persona isn't an act, but fraternities and sororities do similar schticks. On the other hand, her getting pranked was to be expected. You'll probably see that twist coming, but it was pretty funny and it did allow for a nice nod to the "Friday the 13th" movies.

This episode was actually not all that reliant on pop culture references.  It's surprising, as given the premise, you'd think that it would be chock full of them.  Instead, it puts more focus on character.  That being said, "Swamp Thaaaang" is a pretty brlliant movie title.  That joke alone would have been enough, but it prompts John to allude to the character actually existing in the Arrowverse proper. 

The biggest beneficiaries from this are Sara and Ava.  Their relationship has always been adorable, but it really shines here.  Even when the two turn into kids, the chemistry remains.  Props to the two child actors, as they did a great job capturing the characters' essences.

Charlie, the shapeshifter from the previous episode, also got some progression, as she is brought into the team.  It was a little rushed, but theydid go through the trouble of bringing Sellers back.  How long could they keep her in the cell throwing tantrums and screaming?  

The fact that she knew specifically which shtriga the team is facing is a little convenient and might be a possible red flag, but they needed something to prompt her being brought into the fold. Even having her as the team's resident "Hannibal Lecter" might have gotten repetitive after a while.

The bigger disappointment is Zari who doesn't really do much besides fall for the most obvious prisoner trick in the book.  

Even Mick gets more to work with.  Not only does he quickly undo Zari's epic screw up, but he manages to forge a solid bond with the shape shifter in a pretty short amount of time.  It's impressive, as it still feels completely natural despite only having a couple of minutes to be showcased.

All in all, this was a solid showing.  The humor was there, but it wasn't too out there.  The characters mostly had highlights and growth.  There are even some plot threads for the next episode, as John is still on death's door, forcing the team to seek the aid of Nora Darhk.  It did occur to me, that with all this magic, this could be a prime opportunity for Zatanna to be brought in.  Might happen, might not.  It would be cool though, as I'm a fan of the character.  In any event, it'll be interesting to see how things play out as we move further into the season.

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 3: 'Dancing Queen'

 After reading reports that the Queen of England has been indulging in something of a punk rock phase,the team travels to 1970's England to investigate. More specifically, they intend to get close to a punk band called "The Smell", a band that Constantine has never heard of.

John is, of course, right in his element here, which is why the plot passes the ball to Ray, who unintentionally ends up becoming their getaway driver and later friend to the band.  While his persona clashes with the other members, it's the team's best shot at figuring out who is behind the mayhem.

Constantine's initial theory that it was a leprechaun is almost immediately proven wrong, but given the fact that prior adversaries this season were a unicorn and a fairy godmother, a leprechaun wouldn't have been that far out of left field. 

The reveal was pretty funny, though. Apparently, Ray wasn't the first person to give the Irish band member the grain test.  Ray, at least, had some precedence and context for doing it.  I guess people were just trolling him or he just knew enough about mythology to pick up on it. Either way, it got a laugh.

As the episode progresses, Ray does actually get close to the group.  He has some help from Sara in one instance, but overall, his charm wins them over.  Even when his square nature is revealed, the group's lead singer sticks up for him.  It's mostly a clue that she's the "mythtery", but it was still a sweet moment.

Said sweetness actually results in one of the more interesting aspects of the episode.  Unlike the unicorn or the fairy godmother, this creature doesn't come off as particularly malevolent.  Because of this, Ray wants to change course and call an audible.

You can't fault Sara and John for being skeptical.  The prior notes that the previous creatures had nice facades but were very real threats.  John himself also has more experience dealing with these kinds of things, but Ray can't help but follow his gut, which appears to put him into conflict with his team.

It was kind of weird to see Mick lament Ray's apparent descent.  You'd think that he'd be happy to see Ray start to loosen up, even going so far as to get a tattoo; then again, you could argue that Mick has developed a respect for that trait and doesn't want to see it lost.

Rather than follow the formula and have the team send the creature to hell, they choose instead to keep it captive on the ship, though John does make a point to cast a spell that robs her of her magical abilities.  It's seen as a dick move on his end, but at the same time, it's a logical move to make given the circumstances.  By the episode's end, the team still has no idea what they're going to do with her. It was kind of surprising, to be honest, but we'll see where the plot takes it.

The subplots worked well.  John is given some time to brood over his past.  It seems that whatever's after him has him so spooked that he tries to commit suicide by self erasure. It was a peculiar bit, but it does answer how the Arrowverse addresses the grandfather paradox.  Then again, how many times has Thawne been erased, now? 

On other fronts, Nate and Gary seem to be bonding.  He clicked with Ava so it as nice to see him do the same with Gary. Admittedly, Gary's overly excited enthusiasm is starting to get a little grating, but Nate doesn't seem to mind and the two actually bond over their own losses (John for Gary and Amaya for Nate.)  

The thing with the plant was largely just comedic filler, but it would have been nice to see Nate "armor up". either that or when they faced off against the saber-toothed tiger. Ray suited up, you'd think that they'd want to put Nate's abilities to use.  Oh well.

All in all, a strong episode.  It was more character driven and wasn't quite as overtly goofy as the two prior episodes, which was a bit of fresh air.  There was still comedy to be had, but it was more downplayed and I think the episode benefited from that.  We'll see where things go from here.

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5 Characters Who Should Appear on 'Legends of Tomorrow'

Over the years, I have written a series of articles detailing different DC characters who I wanted to see appear on the "Supergirl" TV series (you can read said articles here, here, and here.)  Rather than do a fourth edition, I thought I'd change things up by switching to "Legends of Tomorrow".  It's in the same wheelhouse, still being DC and Arrowverse related, but it should still change things up to bring at least some degree of freshness to the table.

Now, this one differs from the others in that I'm not currently up to speed on the series. At the time of this writing, I've only gotten to the second episode of the fourth season.  As such, it is possible, though not likely, that these characters have appeared.  From what I've read, I've seen nothing to indicate that they do.  As such, I'm operating on the assumption that they haven't, but I could be proven wrong.  In any event, let's get on with the list, shall we?


1. Legion of Super-Heroes

This team has made its way into the Arrowverse via Supergirl, but to my knowledge, the Legends have not come across them. Rather than have the Legion come to the past, it would be no small thing for the time traveling band to venture to the 30th century and cross paths with them there.  It would allow Legion members who haven't been featured yet to be introduced and it would give the Legends a chance to visit a future that wasn't dark and dystopian.

Where the JSA was brooding and moody, this team can be bright and hopeful.  They'll likely mesh with the Legends better, but it would also show how the Legends aren't complete paragons either.


2. Booster Gold

One of DC's most prominent time traveling heroes seems like a logical pick for the show.  He's also one of the more light-hearted DC heroes, meaning that he'd fit right in with the goofy band of misfits.  Sadly, he doesn't have Ted Kord to bounce off of, but I'm sure the writers could make do.  If I recall correctly, he's Rip Hunter's son, so the show could also use that as a nice nod to the now departed character.



3.  Terry McGuinness

With Batman becoming a more prominent fixture in the Arrowverse, why not include the second iteration of the character?  Even now, the "Batman Beyond" franchise still has its fans and it still has appeal.  It's another recognizable DC Comics time period for the team to visit.  While the future is a bit darker, it isn't completely dystopian.  The Legends could even meet up with some members of that period's Justice League for added measure.



4. The Big Hand

No, we're not crossing over with the Defenders here.  This is a being that has appeared in the comics (notably in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" mini-series) as well as in an episode of "Justice League Unlimited".  Whenever a character has made an attempt to witness the beginning of time (a fundamental law of existence dictates that this can't be done,) said character would see a giant hand opening up with a galaxy inside it.

Seeing as the Arrowverse has already had its "Crisis On Infinite Earths", this is the character that (oddly enough) has the biggest possibility of already appearing.  As noted above, I've read nothing to indicate that it's appeared, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility.

Does it have a whole lot of depth or complexity? No, but it would be a cool moment for the team to come across it.  The series could even mirror JLU and have the team racing to stop a villain from going back to claim reality as their own.




5.  The Thanagarians


Hey, remember how the time masters said that Earth is eventually invaded and conquered by the winged alien species?  Yeah, the team should probably do something about that.  Dangling plot threads are bothersome and it would be nice to see this acknowledged after all this time.



So, there you have it.  It covers a lot of ground, giving the team various established DC periods to visit and heroes to encounter while also bringing some fan favorites into the fold.  I'm not sure I can get two more lists from this show like I did with Supergirl, but this one turned out pretty well in my opinion.  We'll have to see how well things fare as far as success rate goes. 

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 2: 'Witch Hunt'

It turns out that John's encounter at the end of the last episode convinces him to have a change of heart and join the Legends in their quest to cleanse the timeline of magical creatures.Sure, he tries to paint it like he's doing them a favor, but viewers know the deal.

Most everybody's happy to have him aboard, though he and Mick do butt heads.  I was kind of surprised by it.  You'd think that the two snarky loners would bond over booze and sports.  The way it plays out, you can see the logic, but it was still surprising to me.

It's not quite as surprising as the Legends's adversary-du-jour.  Where the team faced a unicorn before, now they face off against a fairy godmother.  As was the case before, the episode juxtaposes the bright cheerful imagery normally associated with the figure with grim violence.  Admittedly, she's not quite as gruesome as the unicorn, but she does express a desire to rain down hellfire and brimstone.  At the same time, though, she lambastes previous hosts for being self serving (making a blatant and yet nonsensical reference to Cinderella in the process) and actually seems to like that Prudence, a young girl who's mother has been accused of witchcraft, cares about other people's well being.

Oddly enough, she's not really the villain.  I mean, she's not a hero by any stretch, but the real villain here is man.

It makes sense given the setting and, sadly, the lingo still resonates.  Still, the writing here was solid.  Zari chastises the townsfolk, but she also spends a lot of time appealing to the tenets of their faith, rather than lambaste them for it.  It doesn't work, but it was still a strong and sincere effort that is well sold by Ashe. 

Even when Zari lets her anger get the better of her, it still comes off as a genuine character moment.  Her subsequent realization that she was turning into what she hated and what the people feared made for a poignant moment in the episode.

Zari gets quite a lot of character here.  This episode follows up on the scene where she laments her inability to save her mom by putting her in a similar situation here.  It turns out that Prudence's mother is set to die and there's nothing the team can do if they want to keep the timeline intact.  It was a logical way to draw some conflict between the team and Prudence.

The episode doesn't really address this by the end.  Zari just tells Jane and Prudence that they need a change of scenery.  I thought Zari was going to send them both to Themyscira, but it isn't really explained how they managed to skirt that particular issue.

There's also a sub-plot where Nate tries to reconnect with his dad.  It seems like the progress made in the premiere is undone as the two can't really click.  The fact that both do work that requires secrecy doesn't help matters.

It's made worse when it's revealed that Ava has to go to him to ask for funding for the Time Bureau.  It's a bit of a contrived coincidence, but having Nate point out that he just had told his dad that he doesn't need his money before they go in validated it.

I never thought of the Time Bureau as a government thing.  It just seemed like one of those things that just exist in the show.  Actually, now that I think about it, didn't Rip put it together in the future?  I guess the Legends have changed the timeline enough that it now exists in the present as a government operation. Interesting note: the Time Bureau's budget is less than the Stargate program's.  It's a little strange, but there you go.

In any event, Nate's dad is skeptical.  It's played for laughs, but given that this is the Arrowverse and the agency has been approved funding before, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  It never even occurs to Nate to go into "Steel" mode until the last second and even then it seemed like it was done on accident after pig-Ray turned back into a (nude) human. What? It makes sense in context.

I'm getting the impression that Nate is leaving the show in the near future.  He opts to stay in the present and continue building his relationship with his dad.  True, his newfound position as a member of the time bureau (which is paid, unlike being a Legend) would allow him to continue to help, albeit in a different capacity, but it's just the vibe I'm getting.  It's a shame too, as his bond with Ray gets to shine here and he also clicks pretty well with Ava.

Overall, this was a solid episode that managed to balance humor, drama, and character rather effectively.  I am starting to worry that the show is getting a little too goofy, but it's still pretty entertaining overall.  I have to admit, I did get a kick out of Nate's inexplicable ability to communicate with Ray when he was still a pig.  So far, though, the fourth season is turning out pretty well.  We'll see how things play out going forward.

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