DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow gets its own Baby Yoda, and that’s not even the second-biggest surprise
Beneath several flashy surprises lies an episode of tremendous subtlety, if you're not too busy watching the adorable infant alien
TV Reviews Yoda
I feel I owe Legends Of Tomorrow an apology. That apology is not for telling people to skip season one. It’s not because I occasionally still dunk on season one. It’s not even because I’ve been pining for Beebo merch even though capitalism is a scourge. No, it’s because I’ve been watching (and reviewing) Legends for years, and yet I still assumed we were headed for a Kayla pregnancy. On another show? Sure. On this one? The show that made an ongoing, serious-business storyline out of Gary’s nipple being consumed by a malevolent, hallucinogen-spewing unicorn*? How dare I sell Legends so short?
So Mick’s pregnant with a brood in the form of an egg-sac placed in his head by one of Kayla’s many tentacles—an image conjured vividly via Adam Tsekhman’s bendy arms—and that’s just one of the hugely significant things that happens in this rich episode. Credited writer Tyron B. Carter (a reliable Legends heavy-hitter) fits in a lot of plot, but amazingly, this is an hour defined by its character beats, not its storyline. Somehow, the Mick-is-brain-pregnant episode is also a thoughtful origin story for Behrad, a moving look at the relationship between the Tarazi siblings (including the one in the totem), and an argument for the importance of representation both onscreen and behind the camera. It is very good at being all of those things.
But it’s also a loving tribute to the shows you watch over and over again at 2 a.m. when you can’t sleep! And it’s got Baby Yoda with a little touch of Alf! And it’s the episode where Zari 1.0 comes back! And Lita is also pregnant! And it also serves as meta-commentary on Beebo, Baby Yoda, the role of merchandising and mass appeal in the creation of art! The list! Goes! On!
You’d think such an episode would be seriously overstuffed, but instead, Carter gives us some of the best character work of the season so far while also embracing that “classic Legends romp” energy. It’s a hell of a balancing act, and it would be all too easy, with so many plates are spinning, to allow one or two of them to go a little cock-eyed, or to go for the obvious answer. But Carter and the rest of the Legends writers keep all those plates going. Even Spooner and Sara, the two non-Constantine players largely sidelined for this episode, impact the plot in a way directly linked to who they are and where they’ve been. Who sends the pod rocketing through the Vancouver sky and into the soundstage for Bud-Stuy? Spooner, when she uses her souped-up gun to try to keep the alien as far away from the inside of her head as possible. And Sara a) takes the threat to Behrad and the timeline seriously because she, too, remembers “Raiders Of The Lost Art,” and b) is the one to figure out that Mick’s gonna set poor Niko on fire because, well, assassin.
But this episode is really about two very different family dynamics: the Tarazis and their close personal totem-boning friend Nate Heywood (with bonus Astra); and Lita, Mick, and Auntie Ava. The latter story leads us to that big reveal at the end, but takes up the least amount of the episode’s emotional oxygen, in part because Legends continues to do something it rarely does: rather than drawing the audience into the Mick/Kayla relationship, it simply keeps telling us it was significant. Dominic Purcell is great in this episode, justifying all of Mick’s outsize emotional reactions by showing us Mick’s confusion about the strength of said reactions. But it’s as if somewhere along the way, we skipped a whole episode of Mick and Kayla traveling the galaxy. With Mick and Lita and even Lita and Ava, the show can get away with including only a handful of scenes and still arrive at a place of emotional resonance, because’s there’s history. Not so with Kayla—not yet anyway.
Behrad, Nate, Astra, and the Zaris suffer from no such deficiency, because those relationships are either plenty complex already, or they’re just getting started. (Behstra lives!) Carter takes all the twisty little threads that bind these characters again and weaves them together in a new way. He links Behrad’s birthday to Zari 2.0's complex feelings about Zari 1.0, among them guilt, inadequacy, and a lot of confusion. He ties Zari’s ascension as Dragon Girlboss to the spectre of Behrad 2.0, who makes “money moves.) He even finds a way for the arrival of Behrad 2.0 to push the Behrad-Astra ’ship a little further down the river, as his general suckitude makes it clear that she actually wouldn’t much care for him if he were more “driven” and into synergy and stuff. It is, in some ways, very simply—but the more you watch, the more whole the episode feels. It all belongs together.
And on top of all that, on top of the unexpected resurfacing of Zari 1.0 and the brain pregnancy and all the rest of it, it’s also an empassioned argument for the importance of diversity and representation in shows like the one we’re watching. It trumpters the massive impact a character like Behrad can have on those watching at home, especially those who fear or assume that some options aren’t availble to them, that such options might not even exist. And it’s a celebration of shows like Legends, the “too niche” oddballs that may not live long. They might not rack up the Emmys, but when they connect with someone, they really, really connect. Joy is, after all, a hell of a drug.
* — It’s a retcon, and this is a nitpick that matters not at all, but: since Gary’s human form is a shimmer, what did that unicorn bite off, exactly?
Stray observations
- Loved this interview my pal Chancellor Agard did with Shayan Sobhian. A must-read, for info on the Gus puppet (four puppeteers!) and how Sobhian approached Behrad 2.0.
- Does Nate use his extremely helpful superpower in this episode? Not unless you count being straight, white, and male as among his superpowers. (See above.)
- Episode MVP: The Tarazi siblings both triumphed (and both played multiple versions of themselves) but Tala Ashe has been the MVP like 900 times so let’s say Shayan Sobhian, who is very good as original recipe Behrad and as business bro Behrad. One is supremely lovable, the other is the worst, and Sobhian is great both ways.
- Why the fuck not?: Uh, all of it?
- Line-reading of the week: “They’re attached to their parents at the hip because that is where the teat is.” Pro tip: The more times you listen to Adam Tsekhman say “teat,” the funnier it becomes.
- Gideon, what’s the most meta moment?: I would say, “uh, all of it?” but I already used that so let’s say “Is this for The CW?” but also “This show is too niche, we need something to make it a mass hit” but also “Little tropey but I guess we’re doing a sitcom mission” but also the third largest metropolitan area in Canada but also the golf cart chase but Nick Hunter but “sounds like a season of backstory and mythology” but but but really it’s “If I was rebooting a show with a flop first season, he’d be my pick.”
- Episode title ranking: 1. Stressed Western. 2. This Is Gus. 3. Meat: The Legends. 4. Ground Control To Sara Lance. 5. Back To The Finale: Pt. ii. 6. Bishop’s Gambit 7. Bay Of Squids. 8. The Satanist’s Apprentice. 9. The Ex-Factor.
68 Comments
Is July 11 Behrad’s official birthday or was the episode set on another day?
I checked “Meet the Legends” from season 5 where Behrad goes back to when he was born, and at the very least there’s no contradiction there. If we’re following the TV airdates, the Legends had their Heyworld finale in May, which would be enough time for Legends mania to catch on and a documentary crew to start getting footage by July.
It could be?. The S5 premiere was set the day he was born so it at the very least those two episodes have to take place on the same day.
Then its January 21 airdate is another contender. Is Behrad an Aquarius or Cancer?
For that matter – what are all the Legends’ signs?
As a Cancer who really *feels* Behrad, I claim him with my pincers! Then bring him in for a big watery softshell birthday hug :3
The fact that Behrad did not seem to know it was his birthday makes it really weird that he thought other crew members should know of it.
This episode had a fantastic ending. Not only did we get the reveal that Mick is the one pregnant, but we now have a way to swap between Zari 1.0 and 2.0 as the plot necessitates. I was wondering why the writers kept revisiting Zari 1.0 throughout the season, and this is a great payoff. This may be the development I’m most excited for.This episode really does do characters right. It’s not quite as character-defining as “Here I Go Again” for Zari, but fleshing out Behrad through representation on TV was a nice take. Somehow the most action we get is the golf cart chase, which would be ridiculous to consider for any other Arrowverse show, but makes perfect sense of Legends.Still don’t like the retcon that Gary’s an alien, but it does give him a new angle to play as the team’s resident alien expert, and it’s a nice change to have the team rely on him for expertise like they go to Constantine for magic.Sidebar: Finally got a chance to watch the original NBC Constantine series, and was surprised to learn that the footage of young Astra being taken by the demon originated there. I knew the NBC series touched on John’s guilt over Astra but thought Legends had filmed that specific footage for season 4.
While watching, as an ex-Muslim, I kept thinking “this may be the first time I am watching Muslim men just being bros on prime tv”, it was a thing of beauty and I am glad they actually referred to it and made it a part of Behrad’s personality. I loved the original Constantine series even though it was a little wobbly at the beginning, so glad the perfect casting they found in Matt Ryan got to stay.
Oh yeah most legends fans haven’t seen it I’m glad they threaded the needle on that particular front
The show that made an ongoing, serious-business storyline out of Gary’s nipple being consumed by a malevolent, hallucinogen-spewing unicorn*?Was kind of hoping/afraid this would come up when he mentioned the alien bonded to the “teat”.-The team pretending they remembered B’s birthday is all great-love that Sara is still a terrible liar despite all the secret identities and assassin business.-Please tell me they had actual Legends writers cameo for the Bud-Stuy writers’ room.-“I knew you had leading-man hair in you. All Taurazis have the gene.”-NATE’S PLAYING THE SCHNEIDER-Sara knows Mick so well she only has to overhear ~2 details to realize he’s gonna murder Lita’s boyfriend.-DOUBLE THE ZARI DOUBLE THE AWESOME I am seriously excited if we’re getting rotating Zaris from here on out.-Aww, at least Lita has Aunt Ava when Mick’s being a dick.
Please tell me they had actual Legends writers cameo for the Bud-Stuy writers’ room.I was looking for Keto Shimizu as the only one I would recognize, and was disappointed they didn’t sneak her in.DOUBLE THE ZARI DOUBLE THE AWESOME I am seriously excited if we’re getting rotating Zaris from here on out.It’s so weird thinking “Oh hey, they got an old cast member back!” and then remembering she never really left.
I was looking for Keto Shimizu as the only one I would recognize, and was disappointed they didn’t sneak her in.With the quarantine protocols for Canada where actors traveling from overseas needing to quarantine for 2 weeks, they couldn’t get her I presume for such a small cameo though I wish they could as well!
unfort the LoT writers are in California not Vancouver. COVID restrictions would have made it extremely difficult for them to fly over for a day of shooting.
They could’ve green screened something. I mean, Grey’s Anatomy did that to facilitate a Chyler Leigh cameo. But I suppose that the budget for Legends is dwarfed by that of Grey’s.
I love the Sara being a terrible liar gag, and I love that it’s something they’ve been consistent about since the first episode
Like Nate, Donut Zari is my first-love Zari, so any excuse to bring that version is A-OK for me, but I still want Dragon Zari around as well
Does Nate use his extremely helpful superpower in this episode?For all we know Nate could’ve used his powers in specific ways during his Totem Time.
Ava’s “Third largest metropolitan area in Canada!” pronouncement was great. God she’s such a magnificent nerd.Fun times all around, I like that there are opportunities for Zari 1.0 to come out and play, and Zari and Astra should team up more because they could conquer worlds. Also basing an entire episode around the value of unpopular art that just speaks to one small segment of people is pretty great.
Speaking of nerd stuff did no one notice that an Asgard from Stargate was in the props room?
Whelp, all the people who were predicting that Mick got Kayla pregnant had one thing correct.
Sad Meta Moment: Zari 2.0 realizing that she’s “Zari 2.0″ (at least in the hearts of some of the other crew members) after Sara slips and refers to Zari 1.0 as “Zari 1.0.” Props to Nate for identifying her sadness and working to alleviate it: “You’re my Zari too.”The show has been sprinkling this bittersweet side to Zari 2.0 throughout the last several episodes so her willingness to spend time in the totem feels natural. Last season’s Zari would never have done such a solid.Because Zari 2.0 seemed so wounded, I feel compelled to come up with some other identifier for the ladies other than 1.0 & 2.0. Suggestions?- Dragon Zari & Donut Zari?- Flannel Zari & Sparkle Zari?
I’ve been thinking of them as contralto-Zari and soprano-Zari.
Zari Prime and Zari Alpha.You JKSimmons fans know what I mean.
Zari-1 and Zari-A?
Grunge Zari and Glam Zari?
Glammy Z & Grungey Z – nice!
Tomaz and Tarazi.
I love how they handle Nate and Dragon Zari. A lesser show would have Nate pine for her just as hard (understandable, it IS Tala Ashe), but I like that he clearly discerns them as completely different people, yet lets Dragon Zari know that even if she’s not the Zari he loved, she’s still a teammate and friend all the same (I even love the little genuine “no offense” aside to her during his saloon rant in “Stressed Western” noting how no one seems to notice he’s still heartbroken about losing Donut Zari)
The funniest part about “Bud Stuy” is that even though most all the cast has Canadian accents, it’s presumably supposed to be set in a unrealistically large New York apartment, like all good sitcoms are.
– I was kinda hoping the Legends team would semi-crossover with another CW show, like when they stumbled on the set of Supernatural. Maybe dropping in on a filming of Kung Fu. Either that, or time travel back to the mid-00’s and drop in on them filming Stargate Atlantis since they borrowed their set for the spaceship.
– All the talk about the alien being “too lifelike” is hilarious for meta reasons.- I was very appreciative of all the Gainaxing that Ava was doing.
– OK, ya know what? I’ll take a cameo by the Asgard as my Stargate crossover.
– LOL at one of the TV posters literally being “Lorem Ipsum.”
– Does anyone know what the other posters say? I got Tornado, Space Arc, and Fast 2, but couldn’t read the others.- Were there any shout outs or meta jokes on the big white board?- The Space Arc poster. Was that the Galactica or the Daedalus/Odyssey?
I could not believe the Asgard cameo and that it wasn’t mentioned in the article. The space arc thing it didn’t look like either of them. If anything an Aurora class Ancient ship maybe, but it was too dark to tell. Nm I am actively watching it and just saw a better picture of the ship. I am not sure. It doesn’t look like anything Stargate
The Lorem Ipsum poster was great. Good job to the prop designer and whoever came up with that thriller/detective(?) spoof.
One poster I saw was “Five Roommates” with five brunette ladies. I wanna say it’s the white version of “Girlfriends” despite never watching that series?
I’m sure “Five Roomates” had the Friends logo font, so presumably it’s a generic Friends-a-like sitcom.
Don’t know why you stopped linking your crowdcasts so I will: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/lot-6-9?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=profile_web&utm_campaign=profile
They’re good stuff. Watch em!
Man, this episode was such a trippy good time. Also, it aired VERY close to my own birthday (Wednesday), so it made me doubly happy.We’re getting Flannel Zari back! YES!
Happy birthday!
Thank you!
Thank goodness gus isn’t going to last long based on next week’s ep.
How many eps are left in the season?
Six episodes left, fifteen total for the season.
“If I was rebooting a show with a flop first season, he’d be my pick”, much like the “Season 2 is when the show figures it out” line from earlier this season, was just fantastic. And, of course, Zari 1.0 coming back was just truly fantastic. Glad to see her hopefully sticking around for an episode or two.
I was genuinely blown away by this episode. It was so fun, had so much going on, and just had some incredibly satisfying twists. I’m so happy to see the rotating Zari’s; Tala Ashe is incredible and anything that lets us see her do more is a plus. I’ve been a little worried about Behrad all season, just cus he still kinda felt like an afterthought sometimes, so I was thrilled with that too. Just so much fun, all around.
I didn’t like the start of this season and don’t like the Sara change but holy shit did I love this episode!I’m not a fan of Behrad… well till this episode and him and Zari talking about their muslim hertiage (as someone whose family is muslim and I’ve had to deal with racism in the states since I was born here back in 73) and loved this show so much. Zari 1.0 has been my favorite for a long time and Zari 2.0 has grown on me but this was a coming out party for Behard. God I hope Mick being gone from his daughter’s life for a year doesn’t mean he dies but I think it does.
Or maybe he’s just pregnant for a year? Or away raising his brood on an alien planet?I think him being pregnant makes it much less likely now that he’ll be killed off – if they do that now, they’re either killing a pregnant person, or killing the parent of newborns, either of which just seems too dark for this show.
Depends if they go the “alien baby eats you alive from the inside” route, ala the movie Alien.
Also possible… but it seems too dark for Legends. Particularly for something that the characters would have to know in advance about for half a season yet be unable to stop?
I think it’s safe to say that this episode was more of a commentary on Grogumania. We all know that Beebo is above such petty human concerns as “vertical integrations.” Now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to speed-order my Beebo Bounce House so it gets here in time for my birthday.
I mean, my kid’s birthday. Yes, my totally real human child.
Gus is a pink Mogwai.Also when I click “pending” it won’t show me my pending replies, so how can I un-gray them?
Yeah as much as people called him a Baby Yoda clone, he was more of a fuzzy Gremlin to me.
Baby Yoda is a green mogwai.
So, remind me… does Zari 1.0 have the memories of what Zari 2.0’s life was like? Because if not, then she’s now in a weird situation where she’s learning all about a brother that for her never even existed.As you’ll all surely recall, the Legends massively fucked with the timeline roundabouts the siblings’ lives. They went from living in a hellish no-meta anti-everyone no-video-games dystopia to, well, something like the shiny cyberplastique dystopia we’re all in for ourselves, except maybe with more technology and less climate disaster.So, barring some weird timeline mind-meld shit, Zari 1.0 has no history with Behrad. Like, none. It’d be cool if the writers remembered that and made sure it got included in Zari 1.0 episodes for awhile.
Which presumably is why Zari 1.0 in the totem was grilling Nate for info about Behrad, because she really wanted to get to know her brother and had to do it through him
I loved Ava bonking on the send off line for the mission. She is never going to be as cool as Sara, that is just not her. Mick and Lita storylines always work for me, I love she is hot tempered and impulsive too. And her with “aunt Ava” is just adorable & I love that the show remembers that is a real thing & not just a throwaway joke. I like the slow burn with Behrad and Astra. I wonder if Zari 1.0 will approve of this more than new Zari does?
So, apparently, Bed-Stuy is the short form of a Brooklyn neighborhood, and Bud Stuy is a marijuana-related play on that. I’m assuming that the sitcom is set in NYC at least, and probably Bed-Stuy specifically.
Ah that’s good to know thanks! I was so confused by the fictional show’s title and thought it was a play on words with “pigsty”. It could be both but your explanation sounds better.
Imran on the show was saying he was quitting his family business in Bushwick, so yup, it’s in NYC though filmed in the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn has been a mostly African-American neighborhood for the past century at least. It’s featured in Do the Right Thing, Everybody Hates Chris, and where rappers such as Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. grew up.
I’m getting the sinking feeling Caity Lotz and her Sarah character are gradually preparing the audience for leaving the show.
Did
this plan begin last season? A couple of things happened. Ava was
labeled co-captain and Lotz missed a couple of shows to direct. This
isn’t in and of itself isn’t a determinant, but season 6 suggests even
more that this may be the case.
A co-captain assigned and in
charge for a number of episodes, extra characters, expanding of the
crew’s stories, diversions and surprises introduced, and Zari 1 is very
cool. Increasingly, Captain Lance is spending much less time on screen.
For the star of the show this seems odd.
I am appreciative she
became one of the few women leaders carrying a show in a genre dominated
by men. Hugely charismatic and believable, I just can’t see any of the
supporting crew filling that role.
Good for the actress if she is
developing her career outside of the show but hopefully she won’t
leave. She is the main reason I watch the show, and I would stop if she
left.Maybe I’m reading all of this wrong?
I know it goes without saying but as a (co-)captain she’s clearly a colossal improvement over Rip.
Aversion to Gus aside, I loved this episode. Behrad needed
his own storyline for a while now and Shayan Sobhian nailed it, including his greasy
alternate self. Behrad’s idol got some funny lines where he said Behrad “must really love being a PA, like a lot” and that Astra is “really pushy for labor relations”.Astra’s golf cart chase was wonderful. Likewise with Mick and Lita’s bonding time. And some feminist discussion and breaking down of toxic masculinity between him and Lita’s partner. That will come in handy since Mick’s expecting.
I cried a little when the Zaris were in the totem. Definitely great to see Zari 1.0 out and about. It’ll be interesting to see if and how the interchange between her and 2.0 will affect the rest of the season. Zari 2.0 spending time in the totem might also provide her spiritual enlightenment, if she can’t use her phone at all.
It’s so hard to see everyone so quickly move on from Ray Palmer’s (Brandon Routh) departure. The show hasn’t been the same since.
Best episode this season, possibly my favourite of the whole thing. Loved it so much.
So, there might be, uhm… side effects to sleeping with aliens… and since Mick isn’t the only one who does – what’s with Auntie Ava? Anything strange lately?
We don’t know whether there are any tentacles involved…
Missed Zari 1.0.
Nate+Zari not so much…
Constantine – noticed just now he wasn’t in this episode.
I used to like him, but nowadays I mostly don’t care for him – maybe it’s because of Zari 2.0 and all that relationship stuff. Too much for my liking.
AND: Where was the cowboy narrator? 🙂
Tentacles. Yes, tentacles. Not testicles.
(Rewatching some FARSCAPE, including the Undressed-Special-Bloopers where Claudia Black says testicles instead of tentacles…)
Ava forbade them taking him along.
Honestly how does this show just keep getting better? Sure it started out on a lower than low status but it just keeps going from strength to strength. The day this show gets cancelled or just ends will be a sad one.
I love that Gideon’s laugh sounds like a sitcom laugh track, especially since it means Rip Hunter probably programmed it himself.