DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow goes outlaw in a reliably daffy season premiere
The Legends are stranded in 1925 and the antics, they are wacky.
TV Reviews Legends of Tomorrow
To put it plainly, the evolution of DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow has been a wild one. What began as a high-energy, Guardians Of The Galaxy-style spin-off of The Flash and Arrow slowly transmogrified into a high-camp goof that stripped itself of its DC Comics regalia and charted a strange new course towards a series that somewhat resembled a mix of Doctor Who, a vaguely (ir)reverential nod to the Giffen, DeMatteis & Maguire run on Justice League International, and maybe (at least in terms of its sugar-addled energy) Malcolm In The Middle. Fluffy, inoffensive, time-traveling TV with rapid-fire gags—sure, why not?
As Legends has gone on, its DC qualifier has felt more and more superfluous. Among its original ranks were the likes of Firestorm, The Atom, Captain Cold, Heatwave, Rip Hunter, Hawkman & Hawkwoman, plus an original character, White Canary, who wound up becoming the captain of The Waverider. (Itself a fun riff on a time-traveling DC character.)
Sara Lance, perhaps more than she ever did on Arrow, stood out a mile and set a precedent for new misfit characters who would later strut onto the Arrowverse without any DC bonafides. (These various new characters’ comic book tie-in series, however, have yet to materialize.) Nobody was pretending that Legends had any ambitions to push past its “time-hop of the week” and “seasonal calamities” formulae. But then the show began to peel away at its own roster.
Season six bid farewell to Dominic Purcell, at least as a regular cast member of the series, under strange, profanity-laden circumstances. Though Purcell, one of the last founding Legends members, will be back as a semi-regular (there’s a Heatwave/Captain Cold-slash-Prison Break reunion happening with Wentworth Miller, which rules), it’s clear that Mick Rory won’t be cruising space and time with his drinkin’ pal Sara like in the good ol’ days.
Then there’s the odd jettisoning of series darling/bitchin’ warlock John Constantine: Matt Ryan remains on the series as an entirely new character (more on him in a bit). But without Constantine, Legends is now completely bereft of any marquee DC heroes, possibly because this new character Legends has cooked up will be cooler and more exciting than Constantine ever was (which, I have my doubts), or The CW did, in fact, lose their Constantine to HBO Max. (Nobody is saying this is the case, it should be noted.) So if the series continues to shed its original Legends as it goes along while simultaneously grafting on newer, less DC-originated Legends to replace them, like some wacky ship of Theseus, is Legends Of Tomorrow still… well, DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow? Does it even matter at this point?
This brings us to the premiere of Legends’ seventh season, titled “The Bullet Blondes,”
a mad scramble for Sara Lance and her Legends to find some way out of their latest quagmire: finding a way to escape Odessa, Texas, in 1925. The Zaguron invasion is over. The Waverider is a smoking ruin. What new trials await this latest Legends paradigm?
I’ll say this for Sara’s oddball band: they’re consistent in drawing attention to themselves. The Zaguron kerfuffle, fended off by the Legends during the season six finale, has stirred the citizenry of Odessa; naturally our sordid melodrama begins with the sheriff ‘round these parts taking complaints from Odessans concerning a “dinosaur-creatures,” glowing lights above the treetops, and giant orbs falling from the sky. (To all this, the sheriff dryly replies: “You don’t say.”)
Of course, this rumpus brings us back to the Legends, who found themselves stranded in time at the end of last season on account of The Waverider getting blasted to smithereens by another, presumably angrier, Waverider. (Our season-long mystery begins in earnest.) This being a goofy show about time-traveling goofs, the Legends take their forced exile in stride; after all there’s always a backdoor escape (like the one they employ later when the Feds come breathing down their necks, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves), some trick or spell that will fix everything and make life momentarily sane for this group. Like Sara tells her lovely new bride, Ava, “life… is gonna start going our way.” Of course, that was before the Waverider went kablooey.
Things aren’t going to come easy for the Legends this season. Even though Sara Lance and her plucky brigade are as fast with the quips and loaded for bear as they’ve ever been (shotguns! sledgehammers! hatchets?!), they’re minus two crewmembers (Mick and John have taken their respective powders—for now), and Nate Heywood’s time courier has run out of juice.
Luckily for the show, an answer generally arrives when the Legends start talking plot at each other, so here comes Gary Green, bespectacled Time Bureau agent/actual alien, who inadvertently has a flash of genius and brings Ava to the conclusion that a Bureau failsafe box must be amongst the Waverider wreckage. As far as plans go, splitting up and putzing around a forest looking for their only hope whilst quipping about the stakes of the next couple episodes seems like a thing to do. Legends!
The first hurdle of the episode turns out to be pretty funny: scoring their failsafe box from the local sheriff without raising suspicions and further compromising the timeline. The solution? What else: make-pretend like this rag-tag group of immaculately coiffed dreambots are putting on a circus. (There’s a bit later on where an Odessan questions why a Legends’ teeth are so immaculate. It’s great.) Failing that, there’s always “Steel” Heywood and his most obvious superpower, at least in the year 1925: his whiteness, which can open many doors in this era, up to and including the Sheriff’s office where the box is being held and, with a little luck, that little door that leads to the Sheriff’s good nature.
So what are Nate’s options? Does he walk in with the ol’ hayseed routine? Or does he power his way in cosplaying as an actual historical figure, which will definitely put the Legends in serious danger of being found out—of course it’s the second one; Nate’s disguise, such as it is, turns out to be “John Edgar Hoover” of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (Why does J. Edgar look different than he does in the papers? “I’ve been cocktailing my hair products.”) With a bit of sly double-speak Nate and Ava secure the box, but—wouldn’t you know it?—Mick ran off with the time courier for a beer run some time ago. (At least he had the decency to leave a note.) And if that weren’t enough, Gary went and told an adorable Odessan that their gonzo circus is set for later this evening! Legends!
At least “The Bullet Blondes,” directed by Kevin Mock and written by James Eagan and Ray Utarnachitt, finds a way to toss some dramatic stakes into this on-purpose three-ring circus: bringing the town to Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz’s home for an impromptu performance will make life harder for her mother, who has only known persecution and mistrust in 1925 Texas. (It’s a chance for us to get better acquainted with Spooner as played by semi-newcomer Lisseth Chavez, who is terrific and I hope there is more for her to do this season.) This team may be a pack of goons, but they’re at least supportive and understanding, so they change tactics just as—surprise, surprise—the actual J. Edgar Hoover rolls into town to investigate Nate’s chicanery.
What follows is your typical Legends Of Tomorrow comedy of errors: Sara suggests that they go on a bank robbing tear across the country as “The Bullet Blondes” (the “Midland Gang” was taken), and Nate accidentally causes a ricochet that kills Hoover (which means Gary gets to flex his Necrian mandibles and make a tasty lunch out of the FBI director). It’s a shame, because the indefatigable Hoover had the potential to become a suitable foil for Sara, Ava, Nate, Gary, and the rest of the team for season seven. (“J. Edgar Hoover… In Space”? Ah, what could have been!) The show has never been shy about lifting from other sci-fi works, and the way the score shifts into weirdo Fifties alien movie territory (a diegetic stretch, considering the era this episode is set in, but whatever) suggested, however briefly, that Hoover and his FBI cohorts might have functioned in a squirrelly Men In Black capacity. Oh, well.
And there’s the matter of Matt Ryan’s new character, Dr. Gwyn Davies, who just so happens to be a brilliant scientist and, according to Ava’s Time Bureau manual, lives in New York City. (Sara can dress as a flapper!) So it seems Dr. Davies will serve as Legends’ very own time-displaced Doc Brown, who jury-rigged Marty McFly’s return to the present using a locomotive in Back To The Future, Part III. (I’m guessing; this show is notorious for turning on a dime.) While Sara and Ava take the majority of the team to the big city, that leaves Spooner and Astra alone to figure out the Waverider mess left in Odessa. (They’ve become fast friends, which may be turn out to be integral for Astra, who’s having problems figuring out how to master those iffy magial powers on her own.)
Which brings us to the most glaring issue Legends Of Tomorrow has in front of it at the moment: it’s playing on an incredibly crowded stage, and with Mick Rory and Lenny Snart coming (then, I presume, rapidly going) and newcomer Spooner filling out the ranks, Legends is on track to be busier than ever. Also, let’s not forget about the arrival of Gideon (Amy Louise Pemberton), fleshed out in her own brand-new humanoid form. (Her nude entrance gets glossed over by some expertly-placed J.J. Abrams-style lens flares.) What wacky hijinks await us in New York City? All of them, of course—though, hopefully, the mission ahead will require a lot more “divide and conquer” in order for every member of this madcap ensemble to properly shine. Otherwise, what’s the point of stacking the deck?
Stray observations
- Hello! I am the new Legends Of Tomorrow recapper for The A.V. Club, taking over for Allison Shoemaker, whose LOT recaps made catching up with this series a heck of a lot of fun. First there was Oliver Sava, then Allison—I have big LOT-recapping shoes to fill. Hope I’m up to the task.
- Where does Zari’s funky old key go? Since it’s a gift from John Constantine, it goes directly to his manor, located in a pocket dimension tucked away in Hell. Nice.
- The foley effects during the circus makeover sequence were pretty sharp! I was listening to the show with headphones on and everything popped.
- “The Guggenheim Circus”. Now why would Sara land on that name, unless the Legends are psychically tapping into our humdrum real lives? Of course, it’s a reference to Legends co-creator, Marc Guggenheim, but how would she know that?? Legends!
- Ava: “Hey, do I look like a grandma?” Nate: “Yeah.” Ava: “SIGH.”
- Will Sara keep her pinkie-promise with Ava to fix all the timeline shenanigans her “bank robbin’ across America” plan will most certainly cause? Maybe! Gary was definitely keeping track of all their misdeeds.
- Behrad: “Ava keeps shooting the ceilings!” Nate: “She hates ceilings.”
- How did Hoover hear about the Bullet Blondes’ name so quickly? It’s not like there’s radio, or—oh, I don’t care.
- So, what did you make of this premiere, group? Wasn’t the entire town of Odessa supposed to show up to Spooner’s house and enjoy a circus? Is Astra technically Gideon’s mom, now? Are you ready for Matt Ryan’s new beard? Sound off in the comments below.
98 Comments
I swear, if they spend this season figuring out some convoluted way to save J. Edgar Hoover after specifically NOT saving Sara last season, I am going to be so pissed. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it will turn out that was the real Sara piloting the other Waverider.I am excited about the prospect of permanently human Gideon, though.
This season would be worth it just for live action Gideon joining the team
If Astra’s magic can conjure up a human body for an AI, is it too much to hope she could also bring back Sara? Maybe she could just conjure up a new body to put Sara’s soul into. I would even accept two Sara(h)s if it meant we got the real one back.
This is the real one, though. The show has been very clear on that.
No, she’s a clone. And the show has been very clear that clones are distinct individuals; it was a major part of Ava’s character arc.They made a point of saying that she wasn’t a monster or “less human” just because she had some alien DNA spliced in, but they never said she was the original Sara Lance.
It was more Legends, therefore it was good. Honestly all the kvetching about the show’s lack of connection to the DC canon always felt like a false complaint to me. Are the characters fun? Yes. Are the stories fun? Yes. So enjoy the thing. The bank heist was a delight, killing Hoover I thought was pretty funny. I guessed Astra casting a spell of human resurrection on the ship would turn Gideon into a real girl. Let’s see how the Legends get out of this pickle.Oh, and ew published a story today about all the former cast coming back for the 100th episode(which is what. Wentworth Miller is showing up for), I’m pretty sure at least one will surprise people.Lastly, I will be one of a horde of people to point out that the review mentions Greg a couple times when it clearly should be Gary
It’s a real complaint, at least on my part. I do still watch and enjoy the show, but I really miss the weekly DC superhero team-up we were promised back in the day. Not that I’m calling for Vandal Savage and/or the Hawkpersons to return, just that we started out with Atom, Firestorm, Captain Cold, Heat Wave and Rip Hunter, and now we’re down to Steel and a copy of a character sorta based on Isis. I was telling my wife this evening about the time Gorilla Grodd attempted to kill young Barry Obama, and it got me wondering, when was the last time we saw a DC supervillain on the show?So, yeah, it does bug me that a series with DC in the title barely bothers with anything remotely tied to the other Arrowverse shows, much less the comics.Just throw me a frickin’ bone, is what I’m saying. They don’t even have to be C-list superheroes. Give me the Inferior 5, Prez, Angel and the Ape. I’d settle for Sugar & Spike.
when was the last time we saw a DC supervillain on the show?Season 4 had Neron, though mostly in-name only, and season 5 had The Fates, which qualify in the sense that they are public domain mythological characters that DC also happens to use.
I had forgotten about Neron! And I suppose Astra technically counts. It’s just annoying because DC has such a deep roster of characters. No matter what time period they visit, there’s likely to be someone who could pop in for a guest appearance. It was especially frustrating that last year’s alien focus didn’t involve a single example of DC’s many established space-based characters. (Space Cabbie was RIGHT THERE.)
It did debut Neron after borrowing Grodd. (Your mileage may vary on whether Enchantress counts.) This series definitely needs more canon DC characters though.
Most people who watch the CW shows are well aware of the struggles they encounter with WB regarding use of the DC characters. Constantine is no longer on the show because WB wants is creating a Constantine show for HBO Max. Other arrowverse shows have run into the same issues. 7 seasons in, they’ve just decided it’s easier to create their own characters and not use anymore DC characters. I think it’s great. This means they can exist in their own universe and tell their own stories without WB interference. The only reason why the Flash is still on TV is because Grant Gustin is the most popular version. After a couple of Flash movies, the TV show will probably be canceled as well.
There are thousands of DC characters, and the Arrowverse shows have not been shy about utilizing some that have little-to-no connection to the heroes in question. (For example, in the comics Felicity Smoak was part of Firestorm’s supporting cast.) Maybe they can’t use Blue Beetle or Booster Gold, but surely there are plenty of fourth-string heroes and villains unlikely to appear in a future WB project.
Honestly all the kvetching about the show’s lack of connection to the DC canon always felt like a false complaint to me. Are the characters fun? Yes. Are the stories fun? Yes. So enjoy the thing.I do enjoy the show, it’s by far my favourite of the CW lineup. I don’t think it’s unfair though to expect a little DC content in a show called DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The Flash, for all its flaws, still makes the effort to continue the shared universe by hosting the crossover this year. Superman & Lois and Supergirl continue to pull from their respective lores, and Batwoman is constantly grabbing the rights to every Batman character that hasn’t been snatched up by the movie division. Legends could try a little harder; If the rights are tricky that’s unfortunate, if it’s solely the writers thinking they don’t need to bother with it, that’s annoying.All that said, at 7 seasons in the show is likely nearing the end of its run, so I’m willing to give it a pass and let Stargirl and future DC shows pick up the slack.
Oh, and ew published a story today about all the former cast coming back for the 100th episode(which is what. Wentworth Miller is showing up for), I’m pretty sure at least one will surprise people.If you’re talking about the one I’m thinking of(leftmost in the second EW cast photo), I’m pretty happy about it. I’m a huge fan of the character and the actor wasn’t doing a bad job, and really wish they would invite them back on a regular basis.
I get the complaint if you’re a die hard DC fan, although at this point you should realize that’s Legends isn’t that, but I have never minded new characters as long as they are interesting and fun. So no complaints from me about totally new characters. Although as I said in another comment section, if Cindy ever wants to transfer over from Star Girl, that could be a lot of fun.
– Wandering in the woods so not cool for a honeymoon…
– Hey, babe, let’s just rob some banks…
– Mmh, ‘kay, babe…
Remind me to never get married. Lol.Don’t care much about DC canon, honestly, not all that familiar with it anyway.For me, LoT always gets tons of bonus points for being just so entertaining – actually quite rare in the entertainment sector IYAM.
I kind of marveled that Legends gained steam as it shed its super characters each season. Fresh characters and arcs that actually come to an end on the Waverider are what has helped keep the show moving forward. Zari and Spooner fit in amongst the more colorful supers, but as the show cleaned house of SFX-heavy Firestorms and Atoms, it leaned a little too hard on Constantine to fill the void last season.
I feel like Legends is on the other side of its own peak. Behrad, New Zari, and Astra would be fine on their own, but together aren’t as compelling as their predecessors. Not because they aren’t DC superheroes but because their stories feel a little forced onto the Waverider. They were able to adapt Isis as Zari and it worked great. I’m not sure why they can’t do that again because it is a little less fun watching a show based on DC characters that has essentially purged all of its DC characters.
Since season 2 and 3, it’s been tough for Legends to top itself, but last season was a bit of a dip. It felt like the show was trying a little too hard to maintain its own zaniness and find reasons for its more pedestrian characters to stick around.
The show feels like it’s back. Last season didn’t click for me. My guess was a combination of COVID protocols, budgetary issues and Dominic Purcell’s whatever was going on took a toll on the show. This felt more like the old Legends. It was fun, funny and delightful.
I’m not sure if Dominic Purcell is returning for the 100th episode. He hasn’t been listed one way or the other, but since he is still a recurring character, maybe the didn’t think that was necessary.
– Everybody is weaponing up, and Zari gets an iron.
– Spooner and Astra, two women of color in strange outfits, are running around in a town in 1925 Texas and nobody is questioning it?
– I’m dying to see the various acts of this circus.
– I see Astra as a fortune teller.
– Nate, why didn’t you just report the safe as stolen?
– That’s the Legends for you. Screwing things up for the….better?
– And Astra fell into Spooner’s…tiny…arms. No subtext there.
– A resurrection spell for a ship. This couldn’t possibly result in Gideon becoming a person.
– Lesbian pinky swear.
– Wait, did they also leave Zari behind?
– That nosy woman seems very familiar.
– Why are those people cheering them on? The crowds cheering bank robbers didn’t happen until during the Great Depression. The banks, which often defaulted on small land owners, were seen as villains, and the robbers as sort of Robin Hood type characters.
– “You’re like my best friend.” Yes, just gals being pals.
– Remember that Gideon’s codename is Harddrive.
– What I love about this episode, and the series in general, is character consistency. Ava is anal retentive. Gary is a worry wart. Nate is a pretty, but dumb, guy. Zari is a Type-A to her brother’s Type-B. Astra is easily frustrated and attempts to solve her problems with magic.
Astra going home to meet the parent is setting my shipper bells off again. I was also really concerned about Spooner’s modern pants when the priest and later J Edgar showed up at the homestead.
– What I love about this episode, and the series in general, is character consistency. Ava is anal retentive. Gary is a worry wart. Nate is a pretty, but dumb, guy. Zari is a Type-A to her brother’s Type-B. Astra is easily frustrated and attempts to solve her problems with magic.Such consistency could run into the danger of flanderizing their characters. I’ve said this before, but at times I was let down by how the series seem to ignore Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer’s previous personality from Arrow, where he could really be serious when he wanted to. As the series went on, Legends dumbed him down somewhat and it did a disservice to the character at certain points.They need to be careful with this, as I noticed Nate sometimes was running into the same problem in Season 5-6.
Even comparing Ray/Nate/Mick’s personalities to season 2/3 is a bummer. They all got dumber and shallower. I think Ray suffered the most, as the show kind of forgot that he had a whole hero’s journey thing happening and they just made him a labrador with a concussion instead.
yep- its wild that the show seems to have forgotten he’s got a Phd in History- he’s just a history bro.
>- And Astra fell into Spooner’s…tiny…arms. Seriously, is Lisseth Chavez tiny, Olivia Swann huge, or both? Spooner doesn’t even come up to her shoulder. She’s so sho— er, “space efficient”.Also, them wearing pants should have caused a stir.
Olivia Swann is quite tall, several inches taller than Jes Macallan, who is considerably taller than Caity Lotz
Going by google, chavez is 5’4, which would be average for the US, or actually an inch above average for the UK (two inches above average for Mexico). Swann is reportedly 5’10, so… not ‘huge’ exactly (Gwendoline Christie is 6’3), but distinctively above average. At least for humans – the average female actor is obviously much taller than the average human. I’d guess Swann would stand out from a crowd of humans, but among actors she’s only slightly tall – conversely, Chavez may be above average among humans but is noticeably the short one among actors. [completing the set: Macallan is supposedly 5’9, and Lotz, Ashe, Richardson-Sellars and Ford are all reportedly 5’6?]
Olivia Swann is 5’10” (or 1.78 m) while Lisseth Chavez is six inches (15 cm) shorter, which is average for a woman in the States.
And yeah I was wondering why their pants didn’t arouse suspicion among the locals.
Nate is anything but dumb. That would be inconsistent characterization. He may want to bro down, but is a historian.
I’ve known academically gifted people who seemed like complete idiots in conversation, or couldn’t function in day to day life. I call them functional airheads. The absent-minded professor is a cliché for a reason.
Astra and Spooner probably wouldn’t have stood out as WOC, but their outfits would definitely be strange. I kept wondering why they didn’t borrow some of Gloria’s clothes. Even ill fitting dresses would have stood out less.
There’s enough DC canon continuity stuff in Stargirl to keep me satisfied; I just watch this show for Sarah Lance, Zari, Ava, and the rest of the gang I’ve come to love over the years. Tonight was very solid; it’s setting up the season, and doing it well; I’m looking forward to human Gideon, and while I’ll miss Constantine, Matt Ryan is always worth watching. I’m all in.
Bless this show. Can you do a weekly wtfn moment of the week.The effects were REALLY good tonight.
This was, if not in the A range, a solid B+ for me. This was a fantastic way to kick off the new season, and along with today’s 100th episode grand reveal I’m in pretty good spirits about Legends right now. The gradual snowballing comedy of errors was well done, and I got a genuine laugh when they think Hoover is dead, only for him to not be, then for the ricochet to kill him anyway and lead Ava to a total meltdown. Bonus points for attempting to add Hoover to the I.O.U. list.I appreciate the attempts to explain why they can’t just time courier back, even if it’s kinda flimsy, and also bring back Spooner’s mom after she was shuffled off for safety. The Spooner/Astra scene at the end was nicely played; compared against yesterday’s Supergirl, Legends is just a little less saccharine about how it handles these moments.
I kinda wish Ava runs out of her notebook of IOUs and they forget to fix some small things and then the present time is a little bit warped.
God, I hope the IOU list becomes a running joke this season. It was such a simple yet efficient comedic gold.
Good episode. Strangely I missed missing the show if that makes sense. Had the same reaction when Lucifer came back for season 6. Used to waiting at least 3 or 4 months but this years turnaround in seasons was so quick.
Yes, it feels very weird for this season to start so soon after the last. Especially since I’m still watching last season’s Stargirl and Supergirl.
I’m ready to count last season and this as together one epic, long-ass season … in a good way, of course.
What began as a high-energy,I respect your commitment to ignoring season 1.-Rule 44 is great and Zari taking it as a Group Makeover is even better. -YEP. The Legends are hot in 20s gear.-Oooooooooooooooh John left them his magic house key to a pocket dimension to hell.-And they gave Jes Macallan a chance to do another accent.-LOL they killed J Edgar Hoover.-I love that Astra is sticking around with Spooner and Mama Spooner.-CORPOREAL GIDEON!!!!!!!!!!! Did she die and come back wrong like S6 Buffy?
I think it’s time to call the Constantine situation what it is, the character had just ran its course in this show. Even the EPs and Matt Ryan have said as much in the post-season interviews.I thought with Matt Ryan playing an original character this season, they’d change his billing to actual main cast member or maybe and “and Matt Ryan”, but it’s still credited as a special appearance. Wonder if it’s simply a contracts-related thing.This show has one of the most beautiful cast on TV and they know how to flaunt it. Every single one of the Legends are so damn hot. I know it’s CW, but even for CW standards these people are so beautiful it hurts.
I have always wondered why he has maintained a credit of special appearance. I agree it might be contractual but it still seems so weird since he is main cast. I believe Neil McDonough was also credited with “special appearance by”, but he wasn’t in every episode like Matt Ryan is. Why would an actor demand that credit long term? Lol these are the things I think about…
Seriously, the circus costumes are bound to make people look terrible/terrifying, but nope, Legends looked INCREDIBLE in them.
I mean, have you seen what they normally look like? It would take a lot to make them look less than incredible.
Matt Ryan’s credit is a contract issue. Being listed as a regular limits the outside work you can do. The producers & other powers that be have “first rights” to using you and can veto an actor’s ability to be cast and accept any other roles. Usually they try to work these things out but it’s not always so amicable. A famous example of this is Pierce Brosnan not being able to accept the job as James Bond when it was first offered to him (Timothy Dalton was cast instead before Brosnan was finally available) because he was under contract for Remington Steele.
Thanks, that explains the general reasoning. Though you’d figure he wouldn’t mind just being a regular cast member after all these years.
When I saw his character was named Gwyn Davies, I assumed they took it as an opportunity for Ryan to use his native Welsh accent.
Though Purcell, one of the last founding Legends members, will be back as a semi-regular (there’s a Heatwave/Captain Cold-slash-, which rules)According to the recent EW article, Purcell isn’t in the 100th episode, which is where Miller will be returning. Unless they keep Miller(which seems unlikely) for a few episodes, I don’t think there’s a reunion in the docket anytime soon…
That’s maddening. Considering they must’ve jumped right into season 7 production, Purcell would’ve been around right up until a few weeks before the 100th episode was scheduled to shoot. Not knowing whatever else may have gone down, the 100th episode would’ve been a great way to honour that supposed handshake agreement he had to return.
They still nibble off enough obscure corners of DC lore to keep me happy even if they have no marquee characters. I’m really hoping that, when they get back to the future, they find it inarguably better sans Hoover and have to really debate restoring the timeline.
Does anyone know what’s up with Netflix? I thought they were supposed to get the CW shows a week after the season finales but the last season of LoT still isn’t on there, at least when I checked a few days ago. I just want to watch it.
That’s weird. They have the latest season of Flash on there.
Yeah, it seems their release schedule is all over the place. Flash was up on time, LoT isn’t, and the last season of Black Lightning took a month.
I’ll have to check other CW shows on Netflix. It used to be 10 days from when the season ended so the latest season of Riverdale should be up shortly since that ended last week.
Flash was early because he’s the fastest man alive.
It should be on Netflix sometime today!https://tvline.com/2021/10/18/legends-of-tomorrow-season-6-streaming-on-netflix-legacies-season-3/
I’m just checking if Gary is still in the show.
Apparently he is, so nope, I’m still not coming back. I used to love this show, but he and Mona dragged it down to hell.
Gary isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but I definitely don’t have the love for him that others seem to. He was fine in small doses, but as a series regular he’s a bit much…even for this show.
Sarah and Ava as the Bullet Blondes were, well, oh my. Fabulous look. I loved the whole “circus” bit and Zari doing makeovers for everyone. A busy episode because it had to do a lot of plot stuff, and I’m not sure how long they’re going to be able to play out being stuck in the 1920s, but it’s fun for now. (The new timeslot is a bit inconvenient since AEW Dynamite is usually on Wednesdays but it’s luckily been pre-empted this and next week.)
Inconvenient for me, too. I don’t get home from work until about 20 minutes into it and have to catch up the next day. This week I watched in the morning so I could join in the comments. Not sure if I’ll keep that up.
>hopefully, the mission ahead will require a lot more “divide and conquer” in order for every member of this madcap ensemble to properly shine.*sigh* Yet another writer who has the meaning of “divide and conquer” backwards.
What’s the point without Mick? Basically Ava calling Sarah “babe” for 42 minutes.
Why is that bad
Just as a side note.
Texas. In 1925.
Clone-Clone-marriage – yes, I’m using that as a euphemism – certainly that wasn’t legal back then. Or there.
I mean, even nowadays Texas has some laws that … oh well, not here to argue over laws in other states… or rather, countries, from my perspective…So, just – yay, LoT is back!And – nice, avclub still recapping it.
“How’s your teeth so shiny?” “Fluoride”This is probably the first time since the show started that the Legends are back so soon after the season finale and I’m just happy that my favorite stupid show is back. Them being so happy not killing Hoover and then end up accidentally killing him was so hilarious.Astra and Spooner’s are now officially BFFs!!
But that woman who pointed out Nate’s teeth had a nice set of choppers herself. I would love to have TV and movies set in the past actually show how bad peoples teeth were years ago.
Yo, didn’t they finish last season like 2 weeks ago?
More like last month, but yeah. COVID delayed last season’s start date, so the break is really short this time.
I cheered when Jedgar offed himself! That’s definitely one thing the Legends should NOT fix. The timeline would be a much better one without him!
Yeah I’m not sure that erasing J Edgar Hoover from the timeline does not count as screwing things up for the better
But if he dies, then the movie Clue loses some great jokes.“Why is J. Edgar Hoover on your phone?”“He’s on everyone else’s; why shouldn’t he be on mine?”
I feel like the Clue writers were talented enough that they had plenty of other backup gags
I feel like the Clue writers were talented enough that they had plenty of other backup gags
Just saw an announcement that the 100th episode is going to feature a ton of the cast from past seasons coming back. Looking forward to that.I enjoyed last season but I do wish they’d get more actual DC characters here.
“I’m going to die now. Good-bye! Good-bye! Good-bye! Good-bye!” is an absolutely hilarious line reading.
For me it was “NOW IS MY TIME TO SHINE!” Really good stuff for Macallan this week.
“Line-reading of the week.”Though I prefer “… the first thing to do … is to eat this body.”
I love Spooner and Astra as BFFs! I don’t think I “ship” them though I am not against them getting together if that happens. But I more need them to fill the role on the team of adorable supportive ride-or-die best friends that Ray & Nate used to fill. And I don’t want them to compete with Sara & Ava, the best DC couple, as the show’s primary romantic relationship. But again I’m not against it in itself Also are Astra and Behrad ever going to hook up or did that just get dropped? I did think Zari being adamantly against that was interesting as an indication that she was overly controlling toward Behrad & maybe still skeptical of Astra, who otherwise the team seems fine with
I just kind of love that Astra/Spooner came out of the actresses actual bonding on set. And I wonder if the friend dynamic created by the two newest outsiders replaced some planned romantic pairing work for Astra.
It would make sense to me if they steered into what was working by pairing Astra and Spooner up more. Astra-Behrad was not bad but perhaps did not pop as much as they might have hoped, no knock against him, maybe he is just more fun with Zari or Nate
I love Spooner and Astra as BFFs! I don’t think I “ship” themI know I cut off your sentence, but this is 100% how I feel. I’m sure I’ve harped on before about how not everyone always needs to couple up (I was decidedly not team Nate/Zari OR John/Zari, but Sara & Ava are adorable, so I’ll allow it) and especially in this case, I kinda want them to be Nate/Ray style bros, where Spoons is the chill one and Astra is the high strung one. This friendship made me care about Astra, and that’s no small feat.
I’m calling it now. They blow/blew up the Waverider themselves because without their trip to NY to recruit Dr. Davies time travel won’t be invented. Don’t know how they fix J. Edgar Hoover, though.
I was thinking that they traveled back in time to cause the explosion in the first place. Good on on the why of it.
This deserves a higher grade. The team effortlessly shifts gears from impersonating the FBI, a circus,
& the Midland Gang before becoming The Bullet Blondes. Unlike their Beeboverse compatriots, The Leg-Ends screwing up is a feature not a bug! Maybe killing Hoover will be as inconsequential to the timeline as when they atomized Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu?
Unlike the next show, I don’t have any major gripes. Batwoman was still better than usual though. (Bring back recaps, AV Club!)
https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com/2021/10/14/thats-a-lot-of-batwoman/
Seriously? Given what I thought was a downward trend last season, I thought this one was especially good — especially in comparison with Batwoman, which has become Batwomanier than ever, with writing and acting that makes even the inept Supergirl look like Ingmar Bergman. Ye gods, is that show awful.
I was highly amused that Batwoman took the longest route possible to thwart the newbie foe.
I used to think that I wanted Zatanna to join the team. But I think I now realize that what I really wanted was for Caity Lotz to dress up like Zatanna
It was so wrong, but I laughed so hard at the bullet ricocheting off Nate and into Hoover. I want a flash forward to see what a Hooverless world would look like. I hope they don’t keep the team split up for too long, but I have a sneaky suspicion they will.
There are a lot of DC shows on right now! The CW has Stargirl, Supergirl, Legends and Batwoman. HBO Max has Titans, Doom Patrol and the animated Aquaman. Next week is the season finale of Titans so it’s a little better, but that still a lot of shows to keep up with.
They’re back! Very excited, this is one of my favorite shows on air. I’d say this episode was a solid B+ for me. Jarrod, welcome to reviewing Legends! From your recap, it sounds like you’re playing catch-up with the show — since you mentioned that they’re now “completely bereft of any marquee DC heroes”, I recommend watching Season 4, Episode 16, where the Legends decide to open up a magical theme park and imitate Supergirl, The Flash, and Green Arrow for a commercial to convince families to come. As you say, the show is built on a “time-hop of the week” and “seasonal calamities” formula, but it usually does this in such a clever, feminist way with so much earnest belief in the power of community that it often attains something special you wouldn’t find in your average Saturday morning cartoon. Plus, I think there’s better female and LGBT representation on this show than most other superhero movies or shows currently around. That said, if you go into it looking for proper superhero drama and comic book tie-ins, it unfortunately might fall short of your expectations.Really hope you can embrace Legends for all that it is, since reading Allison’s thoughtful responses over the last few seasons has been like having a smart friend to talk to each week about what worked and didn’t amongst all the wacky antics. As Allison wrote, “it’s the smartest dopey show on TV”.
I’ll echo what everyone else is thinking and say it is so weird to have this show back within weeks of the previous finale. But I’m certainly not against it – it’s good to have the Waverider crew back and in the most dire of circumstances.
I can’t imagine picking an MVP in this episode. Maybe Ava for being her usual list-obsessed, by-the-book self and then panicking and more willing to destroy history after Hoover’s death. I mean, ordering Gary to eat the FBI director’s corpse? Ava’s gonna get s0 murdery this season.
Never knew Posh Zari was so good with a sewing machine. And Sara in a ringmaster outfit is just cool. Also Gideon as her corporeal self, how fantastic! I forget if Astra ever saw her in the flesh ; Spooner for sure has not.
I sure hope DC has some plan somewhere for a Legends comic. That would be tremendous fun & I think DC has room for another fun comic in its lineup (especially since there’s no current Doom Patrol comic that I know of).
I’m gray. This will never be seen or read. But I am the greatest Legends stan this side of Hell’s inter dimensional pocket mansion and I declare:Astra’s bed acting to be supreme.And this show is pure A++ joy, the cure for all my pandemic and post (and pre) pandemic blues, and the wokest (a compliment) and coolest show in the multiverse.So there.Gray I go, I go, I go–
Astra’s bed acting to be supreme.Her tiny “Hey,” to JEHoover and her resigned “wtf” look when the others came out of the tiny closet were great.
Anyone else just freaking love Behrad at this point? He doesn’t get a lot to do, but everything he does is golden. He’s just the supportive stoner bro with immaculate hair (who looks great in clown makeup… nobody looks great in clown makeup) who’s there to help you out with gummies and pep talks.When he was first introduced I rolled my eyes. Now I wanna move in with him.
I wouldn’t just want to move in with Behrad – I’d try to make a move on him too.
As of midnight tonight, — NOW — season 6 is now on Netflix US!!!!News straight from the Writers’ Room. 🙂
“What about ‘The Legends of Tomorrow’?”
“Too wordy.”
“Yeah.”
I loved Ava saying they were only stealing $93.67 (?) because that’s all they needed to get to New York. And the teller saying that he had that amount there and didn’t need to go to the vault to get it. So many great little moments like this.