DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow chooses chaos in a totally for-real reality show episode
The House Of Mysteries turns into a hellacious love shack in one of Legends’ funniest episodes.
TV Reviews Legends of Tomorrow
The midseason premiere of DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow ripped us away from its regularly-scheduled programming to introduce the heavies of season seven, Mean-Gideon and her small army of Robo-Legends. It was tense, it was surprising, it was terrific—but it sure was tough to go yet another week without the lively exploits of our original-recipe Legends. This week’s episode, “Lowest Common Demoninator”, rights the Waverider (metaphorically speaking) by placing the plucky crew front and center in an irreverent and legitimately hilarious hour that—seemingly for the sheer Hell of it—transmogrifies the much-beloved Arrowverse series into a yes-for-really-real reality show.
While the hijinks of “Lowest Common Demoninator” are fittingly broad it is an incredibly well-produced and even more well-balanced episode, with each Legend getting a chance to reassert where they are at this crucial point in the season. Some Legends have more screen time than others (for Spooner that may have been a blessing in disguise, no kink-shaming) but this Midseason Premiere 2.0 is all business when it comes to getting its ducks in a row before that rogue Waverider comes crashing down on the Legends’ heads all over again.
That’s important, because the Legends’ last brush with Mean-Gideon’s Waverider has left them quite shaken. They do find themselves safe and sound within the confines of John Constantine’s mansion, another accidental pit-stop on behalf of Gideon, who may or may not have been distracted by Gary’s “sweet little bottom” when she charted the course for “home” back in November. But Bishop, once their sworn enemy and now a fallen ally, is still very, very dead and it appears he won’t be saved from his violent end in the near future. “We have to go back,” Dr. Gwyn Davies insists, not content to leave another fellow soldier behind. But the portal that could lead the crew back to Earth is currently shut. For right now, the Legends have to sit tight.
Which isn’t too much of a problem, considering how much bopping around this show has done over the last eight episodes. Since they lost their Waverider it’s been one crisis after the next and the opportunity to chill out in the House Of Mystery proves appealing to most everybody, even though this mansion’s current address is a place none of them would prefer to be. “Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?” Gary asks Gideon, just before they go and knock some more boots. It is, in fact, getting quite hot; the mansion is located somewhere near the tenth level of Hell and wouldn’t you know it? Somebody has gone and left the door open.
That means: Demons. Or, at least, demonic subordinates. “Lowest Common Demoninator” is a ghost story of sorts, a possession narrative that methodically ropes in every member of the Legends and turns them, one by one, into the trill cast members of a hellacious reality tv show. And authenticity is what these damned houseguests are looking for; it’s the one thing that will set them free from their obligations to the demon known as Harris Ledes (Giles Panton), who operates as a Hell-bound tv producer for the LCD network and commands the spirits known as the Cursed Crew. The Crew, who film every single moment that transpires inside the mansion no matter how intimate or embarassing, twists the Legends up to amplify the raw, unfocused emotions one commonly finds in reality tv. Zari puts it more succinctly: They love drama.
This effectively turns the House Of Mystery into a bonafide love shack. Whether they’re guided by voices or they feel like they know what their hearts actually want, the Legends mix it up romantically to mixed results. Questions about the whole Nate-Zari-Zari thing are addressed (wouldn’t Nate technically be attracted to Fancy Zari since she looks just like Flannel Zari?), while the Legends cope poorly with a burgeoning romance between Gary and Gideon, which sends the newly-human into a demon-spiral towards her latest iteration: Shady-Gideon. And with a few days without edibles under his belt Behrad finally has the clarity of mind to ask Astra out. “Don’t make it weird,” Nate suggests. Considering that Astra’s working overtime to trounce Harris’ schemes, Behrad’s puppy dog crush ends up making things totally weird.
As for Fancy Zari, an expert on reality tv herself having been a former child star with her be-maned brother Behrad, she speculates that the Cursed Crew are foisting the “friends into lovers” trope on her and Nate. It’s one thing to be self-aware, but too much self-awareness might leave them open to magical persuasion… right? “We are too tv savvy for that… all we have to do is not sleep with each other,” she says. Surprisingly, that’s harder than it sounds, with Nate and Zari finding themselves at times in the midst of a proper hate-cute while at other times they find themselves topless. (Nick Zano, by the way, has not been skipping arm day.)
It’s all a hoot, but the way this episode slowly changes its superhero drama format into that of a reality tv show, shifting its use of cameras and employing snap-zooms and hand-held reaction shots, is uncannily brilliant. (Gary’s reactions put me on the floor.) It sets the episode on an axis, rotating towards whatever will maximize the ridiculous melodrama of any given moment. (Later, the Legends periodically fall into a fourth-wall-breaking confessional.) The production of this episode is, simply put, a marvel of buffoonery, expertly made.
The abject silliness of the plot also affords the cast a chance to flex their daffier comedic muscles with some members making more profound changes than others. Nick Zano turns into a full-on Jersey Bro, all spray-tan and tacky gold chains, while Caity Lotz’ onscreen transformation from gung-ho Waverider co-captain into a vapid tv housewife, replete with hand claps and tableside drama, rivals even the monster-morphs of Lon Chaney.
But what pushes “Lowest Common Demoninator” over the top is how it works in Behrad’s metamorphosis into a proper Legends leading man, a turn that’s been a long time coming for actor Shayan Sobhian, whose role has been affable but peripheral. There’s a moment further into the episode where Harris Ledes taunts Behrad in front of Astra. “Youre a nice guy? Here’s the thing about nice guys: they are all over the place down here in Hell. The nicer they are, the more secrets they got buried.” So what kind of secrets does Behrad keep? Turns out that’s complicated: Behrad is a nice, easy-going guy, sure, but he hurts too, and he’s been holding onto unspoken feelings about that one time when he died and how this whole reality tv experience dredges up raw feelings he’s had about being a child caught in the spotlight.
So Behrad takes a stand. That he smashes a bowl full of weed gummies (a ploy that’s meant to bend him to Harris’ will) just to get everyone’s attention at such a pitched moment is all we need to know that he’s finally arrived to a critical moment in his destiny. Behrad is who he is because he’s cool. But when it comes to Astra? “I lose all my cool.” Behrad gets real, and thus he saves the day.
Stray Observations
- Episode’s MVP: Behrad. This week Shayan Sobhian got the opportunity to take Behrad to a newer, stronger place, and he met the challenge head-on. Were those glycerin tears or the real deal? Doesn’t matter. Behrad’s off the dope and only has eyes for Astra.
- So it looks like Bishop is going to stay dead? Nah, couldn’t be.
- Gideon theorizes that Mean-Gideon wants to destroy the Legends because they are “an unpredictable and destructive force that needs to be eradicated.” I wonder how individualized these Gideon AIs actually are; if they’re systematically in sync but for their agendas, this might pose a problem should the two Gideons ever bump into each other. Mean-Gideon could prompt a villainous overwrite.
- I wonder how these last two terrific episodes would have worked out had they’d been switched around. Hmm.
- Gideon, to Gary: “The last thing the Legends need is for their time pilot to be obsessed with your sweet, little bottom.”
- Astra: “Behrad! Don’t sneak up on people in Hell!”
- Spooner: “How long has this been going on?” Gideon: “Well, including the foreplay and…”
- I imagine every demon in Hell walks around with a pocket torture kit.
- “Just when you think you can trust a woman, she turns around and reveals her true self. That’s why you can’t trust dames! You can only trust…” *FLEX* “Gains.”
- So how did you like “Lowest Common Demoninator”, group? Will the Legends actually change the history of the world next week? Was Gary’s superfluous third nipple placed where you thought it’d be? Is Spooner going to lean into her fascination with public nudity? Go nuts in the comments below.
58 Comments
Why wasn’t Zari helping Ava with her murderboard? That’s their thing.Gideon and Gary is kind of cute.No. NO. NO! to Zari and Nate.Liked the overhead shot of Sara and Ava going down the hallway.Astra and Spooner protecting their daughter.Kill him, Zari. Wait, no. Cut him down to size with a scathing remark.Are Gary and Gideon still going at it?Why does computer Gideon look like Caitlin Snow?GARY’S THIRD NIPPLE!*watches next segment*
I….I….I….*onto the next one*
And there’s Flannel Zari.Even in Hell, in the middle of a total dramatic breakdown, Z still compliments Avs.So was this Gideon’s plan all along?Behrad admits that he has a problem. That puts him ahead of Alex Danvers.Well, all’s well that ends well.
Did I miss something? That whole Behrad/Astra thing seemed to come out of nowhere..we were all gearing up for her and Spooner . How did we get that so wrong? I’m not sure I’m buying it.
It was disappointing how hostile Behrad and Astra were to Spooner being naked – not just for not going down that plot route, but mostly just because it’s weird how puritanical they are. Of all people, you’d have thought the chill stoner guy and the Queen of Hell wouldn’t get into a panic because their attractive friend didn’t have clothes on. But more generally, the Legends do seem to have a default mode of being weirdly conservative and judgmental about everything (c.f. horror and disgust toward gideon/gary).
I took it more that Astra didn’t want Behrad to look at naked Spooner because of the temptation of seeing her wee sexy friend naked
They’ve given small hints of it ever since the Fates’ TV show “Highcastle Abbey”
Yeah. Behrad/Astra has been teased off and on since late season 5. As much as people like the chemistry between Astra/Spooner, nothing on screen has indicated that they’re more than really good friends.
My favorite plot issue related to the slow-burn Behrad-Astra romance is that we found out in the most recent episode where they went to the Old West that Zari 2.0 does not approve & she thinks it is just Behrad having a thing for “bad girls” who are wrong for him. I wonder if she still think this
She’s his older sister. She’ll always think that.
And I kind of love that (even though I am pulling for Behrad & Astra)
i loved how Nate’s hair just gets taller and taller…
Spooner’s bellybutton is too hot for infernal TV!
Beeping out God never stopped being funny.
It took me a few seconds to realize that Gwyn wasn’t doing a dirty version of the Lord’s Prayer, but that in Hell most of it would certainly be bleeped out. That’s a nice little detail, and funny as hell.Mrs. Alps and I have never watched any of these “lock ten strangers in a house and see what happens, with encouragement from the side” shows, but we were able to notice the changes. Nate turning into a meathead, Gary’s hair getting taller, and Sara obsessing over island vacations (and was that… lip gloss?) had us rolling and identifying the stereotypes being skewered.
Also the big CENSOR block when he did the sign of the cross. (Bless this show. I do hope we get another season)
When I saw the cross get censored, I knew it would turn into a great running gag. God damn I love this show!
Took me a moment too and it is indeed a genius little touch.
Not just lip gloss, but it was amazing how casually Caity Lotz picked up the strategically placed over-sized hoop earings as she walked to the bar.
Agreed!! Came here to post that. Before the concept had been revealed she nonchalantly just put on these big earrings … did her nails get longer? So funny.
Praise Beebo for this show… and Caity Lotz.
This was delightful. It’s always great when every character leans into the comedic side for an entire episode like this. Couldn’t have been happier with this one.
OMG I loved this episode! Everything was so hilarious! I loved the homages to Jersey Shore (Nate), Keeping Up With the Kardashians (Gideon), The Real Housewives (Sara), Survivor (Spooner), and Big Brother (whole episode). Was Zari supposed to be a parody of America’s Next Top Model or Project Runway or something? I couldn’t exactly tell. Oh well, it was still very fun. I got a real chuckle out of how increasingly dumb everyone got as the episode continued (shout out to Nick Zano’s spray tan and Tala Ashe brushing her hair with a fork). I enjoyed the subtle details, too, of Sara gradually amassing more makeup and jewelry throughout the episode and that wonderfully self aware line about Behrad being recast (remember, back in season 3, Behrad was played by another actor in Zari’s photograph). Oh, and speaking of self awareness, “I don’t like the idea of a bunch of invisible people watching us for their entertainment.” Wow. Mayhaps we were the cursed ones all along. For anyone who hasn’t seen the episode, just know that by the last ten minutes everyone is either screaming, crying, trying to kill Gary, or all three. And I would be remiss not to mention Behrad’s speech – it was everything. Romantic, and yet so very authentically Behrad. Astra and Behrad’s moments were very cute, I loved when he kissed her on the hand. Just goes to show that, take away the fog of weed, and Behrad is more than just a surface-level guy. He’s got the foundation to be quite the old school romantic!
“I enjoyed the subtle details, too, of Sara gradually amassing more makeup and jewelry throughout the episode and that wonderfully self aware line about Behrad being recast (remember, back in season 3, Behrad was played by another actor in Zari’s photograph).”
Oh my god. That’s brilliant.
Ehhh, this wasn’t for me. I can appreciate the reality show parodies worked from an acting and technical level, but halfway into the episode I started to wonder what the point was. I guess they needed a bottle episode concept so why not, but between this and last week’s “what are the bad guys up to” we’ve sort of lost the momentum the first half the season built so well.
So, who else is worried this show will get canceled without a proper finale?
None of the CW shows have been renewed yet so I don’t think it is time to be worried about Legends having a next season yet. Also I could see them getting picked up by a streaming service if the CW did pass on a season 8
BTW tomorrow is the 6th! anniversary of this show. Boy how far we;ve all come.
In honor of the 6th anniversary of Legends of Tomorrow, my all-time dream team lineup:SaraAvaNateZari 1.0RayMickSpoonerSnart
I was just thinking how much I miss Ray when I was watching this ep.
Ray had great chemistry with everyone too, a definite glue guy
Don’t make me sad like that. Though I am curious to see what reality TV archetype he would have ended up as.
My first thought was hipster douchebro with bad facial hair but I’m not sure how much of a reality show archetype that is. Nate was pulling from Jersey Shore wasn’t he? Maybe Ray could be the Bachelor and start handing out roses.
Mine:SaraAvaRay
Zari 1.0
NateCharlie (pre-Clotho reveal)Martin SteinLeo Snart
I might be the only person who liked Amaya more than Charlie. It was fun having one non-rule-breaking member on the team
Can see where you’re comin from…
So, you don’t count Ava as a non-rule breaking teammate?
Ava I guess is a successor to Amaya with that
Yeah. Though Ava is only slightly more successful…
[So much for Sara’s wedding vow… about willing to listening to Ava and all that…]
Man, I really miss IMDB boards to talk about stuff…
You forgot Gideon.
I only allowed myself eight team member slots! Hard choices had to be made.
I’d sub Constantine for Spooner.
I know Constantine is more of a fan favorite, but he was never my favorite. I’d prefer Nora Darkh to him if the team had to have a magic user
It would have to be Netflix. They have the streaming rights to LoT for until five years after it ends. I don’t know if they would pick it up. My guess is that next season will be the last for both LoT and Flash. LoT only has four episodes left this season so filming ended a while ago. I don’t think CW would cancel any of their DC shows without giving them a proper ending.
Current CW ownership wouldn’t, but God (beep) knows what new owners and the current WB leadership will do
HBO Max with 100% more swear words!
At least like a limited series….please that would be killer.
I loved how subtle the changes were before quickly diving into full chaos – like from the start, the filming is from different angles so you slowly get the sense that they’re being watched and it hits the “a-ha” moment when Nate points that out, and then it becomes a full-fledged, confessional mode-on reality tv filming. I kinda want Sara to keep the nails and the makeup. Gwyn constantly getting bleeped out for saying God was so funny.My ship has been slowly floating in the background for years, it’s finally sailing officially!
I am sorry but Gideon & Gary hooking up is still cringe-inducing to me, even though they made a strong case at the end of the episode for tolerance for their weird thing given how everyone else on the team has their own weird thing.Weirdly touched at original Zari being moved by Zari 2.0 sticking up for her. Tala Ashe even has great chemistry with herself. I am pulling for Behrad and Astra even though I am a bit amazed that their already slow-burn thing is now even more being taken slowHas Spooner replaced Mick as the team’s wild card?
I wish I was feeling the same love for this episode Jarrod was, but it was hard for me to see it as more than yet another bottle episode filling out the run and saving money for CGI stuff elsewhere in the season. I love that the Legends have feelings, but I like them to unfold during moments of crisis rather than as the centerpiece to an episode. Similarly, we’ve done all kinds of different “Legends reimagined as another genre” episodes already — puppets, period drama, Bollywood, cartoons just last season, and the list goes on — and as a hater of reality TV, this one felt like the least inspired genre-bend yet.And even from a character perspective, I have complaints. I feel that they were starting to do some of the work to bring Spooner closer to the rest of the team, and reasserting her as a weird loner by having her wander around naked and plot ways to “win” the show felt like a step backward. I won’t disagree with anyone who found this to be a delightful romp, but for me it carried a strong whiff of “we’re low on ideas and can’t spend much money, so this is what we’ve got.”
Yeah, I’m shocked this episode got such a glowing response here. For me, this is one of the weakest episodes Legends has done since season one. Now I’m wondering if I just let my dislike of reality TV affect my enjoyment of it.
I’m with you. I really disliked this episode. There were some good jokes, especially the “censorship” of Gwyn’s prayers and such, but seeing the Legends act like idiots for an hour is not my idea of fun. (Even before the demons started affecting them—I mean, who opens a door, finds that it literally leads to hellfire, and leaves it open?)I really didn’t like the implication that Spooner being naked was bad because she’s not super-skinny. Especially since we’re now at the point where out of 10 main characters, 8 are in relationships with other main characters (counting Zari being with Nate in one of her two incarnations), leaving only the one who’s mourning the love he recently lost and the slightly chubby girl (who by any standards other than “CW” is beautiful) un-paired-up. I understand that when your job is time travel, it’s a little hard to date outside of the workplace, but it’s still a big stretch.
I think it was pleasantly goofy with no huge lol’s. My only beef is Nate doing two douche-bros two weeks in a row. Spooner, yeah, it was like “She’s naked – joke’s over.” They should have pushed it further: Naked Yoga Spooner … or Naked Spooner builds an inside tree-fort and sets boobie traps. (No pun intended … but the show def could have had pun-intended.)
I loved lots of things about this episode, but the whole scene with Flannel Zari joining the party and immediately being like “Yeah, that tracks” about being in a demonic reality show was the best. Fancy Zari’s indignant “How could I?!” after getting a drink thrown at her by her own variant had me laughing so hard that I had to replay it a couple times. XD
I can’t belive I didn’t catch the “How Could I?”! I love this God damn show so much!!!
I’ve never seen Survivor so my takeaway from this episode is that everyone on that show is naked all the time.
… Also, just as an aside, can anyone recommend where to watch previous seasons of Survivor? Asking for a friend.
You’re better off just watching Naked and Afraid instead.
It took me a long time to get it, but I most loved the fact that the hell crew was “beeping” out any references to God or heaven. That was truly the most perfect joke I’ve seen in ages.
I hated this episode at first but by the time all the plates were spinning and everything was going nuts at the end I relented and just let myself enjoy it. I would have liked more plot development but hey, bottle eps serve a purpose.
Anyone else get pre-assassin Sara Lance vibes here? When she started talking about yachts, islands and private chefs I just thought of the girl who followed her sister’s boyfriend on to the Queen’s Gambit. Nice little call back there!