Never mind the Buzzcocks, here’s the Dragon Girl!
“The Ex-Factor,” co-written by longtime Legends writers Grainne Godfree and Tyron Carter, isn’t the wildest episode of this series we’ve ever seen, nor the most moving, but it nestles comfortably alongside episodes like “Wet Hot American Bummer,” “Slay Anything,” and yes, “Séance and Sensibility” in the category of thoughtful character studies done Legends-style. Perhaps it’s because one Sara Lance has always been in the mix, but this show has always done an admirable job of giving its female characters a prickly complexity without ever tipping over into dour, bewildering, or blandly tragic, even back in the season-one days. (No small feat in the Arrowverse, it must be said—sorry, Laurel and company.) These character explorations aren’t always stumble-free*, but the stumbles don’t matter all that much when the core is so solid.
Here the core is Zari Tarazi, who we Legends stalwarts tend to think of as an entity wholly different from Zari Tomaz. But as “The Ex-Factor” expertly reminds us, they’re the same person, albeit with very different histories. John Constantine and Nate Heywood may have little in common***, but they draw something similar out of the woman/women they both love, and “The Ex-Factor” serves as a sort of mirror universe companion to “Séance and Sensibility.” Think of them as “The Ones Where Zari Sings And Has Feelings, Begrudgingly.”
How! Can! You! Not! Love! That!
So let’s start with the quibbles, then. The divide in the show between Sara and Gary’s adventures in Amelia Earheart Poison and the happenings aboard the Waverider continues to be a bit of a stumbling block; while everything that happens on Planet Ava Clone is pretty damn compelling, it’s hard not to sense some dragging feet, and consequently hard not to wish that Legends had just let Sara and Gary crash-land and vanish for a few episodes before giving us all these events in one go. Imagine getting bitey Amelia and the Ava clones revelation in one episode! Here, it’s still a big, big story, but with subplot energy. Sara has to take out an Ava clone, we meet the season’s big bad, and Gary gathers some nice traumatic memories, and while that’s all pretty great, it’s also as if each is an afterthought.
That split affects the A-story, as well, but again, it’s difficult to be too grumpy about it when the end result is such a delight. (Nor are the two totally divorced from each other; “Ava is my other side” echoes throughout the episode, particularly in that jubilant cover song.) The conceit here is the best kind of stupid, like an episode of Black Mirror injected with sitcom energy (which, now I come to think of it, is also the vibe of much of Doctor Who, which gave us a very Lord Knox-esque villain in Tzim-Sha.) Zari’s terrible assistant Les-Lay calls to tell her that her ex, DJ S’More Money, has been brutally killed on live TV by a terrifying space invader, and it turns out that the mecha-suited guy in question mistakenly believes that the marshmallow-headed guy is the king of the planet because he’s sitting on da throne of “Da Throne,” a visually overwhelming singing competition in the style of The Masked Singer, sort of. (Legends, folks!) Ava rallies the team to stop him with a pretty ingenious plan, but it falls apart when Lord Knox is revealed to have a) superior tech and b) surprisingly flexible views on what kinds of battles for control of the planet are acceptable.
And just like that, Zari has to sing her way to saving the earth and her brand—but actually winds up singing her way to a b-o-y-f-r-i-e-n-d. Admirably, Carter and Godfree manage to resist the urge to make this episode entirely about Zari’s journey, making room for Constantine’s considerable baggage as well. She’s forced to slip back into a life she forged for herself but which didn’t make her happy, and John finds the return of Zari the mega-influencer pretty off-putting. But it’s not Zari stunting in her Cartier**** that rocks the boat, but a conversation between Zari and her mother Nasreen that he happens to overhear, in which Nasreen expresses dismay that her daughter is dating a “street magician” and Zari attempts to reassure her by saying it will never last. But John only hears that remark, and doesn’t see the hollow, weary look on her face as she says it.
So they have a blow-out, and this particular ship seems to be on the verge of sinking, and all before Gary can get inappropriately emotionally invested in their love. But then it’s revealed that DJ S’More Money has set Zari up to fail (and, inadvertently, the planet up for annihilation). It’s a turn that forces both John and Zari to confront their own feelings, and Z takes to the stage to sing a punk anthem John loves, just before he joins her on guitar. It’s a goddamn delight.
The choice to include Nasreem Tarazi in the proceedings proves an ingenious one, offering more insight into this Zari’s hangups and sore spots while also anchoring the absurdity of “Da Throne” in something more immediate and human. (Don’t worry, it’s still plenty absurd.) So is the subplot which sees Spooner pushing Ava to stop making excuses for Mick, a turn that allows Legends to draw on the strength of the Mick/Ava friendship and the history the former has with Sara and the show. Everyone’s got baggage, everyone has wounds. It’s what you do to heal them, to keep going, that counts, and how you can help others to do the same.
“The Ex-Factor” isn’t a flawless outing, but it’s a deeply human one. And deeply human stories are one the things this dumb, wonderful show does best.
* – Except “Here We Go Again,” which is basically perfect. Put it on the shelf next to “Teddy Perkins”, “Do Mail Robots Dream Of Electric Sheep?”** and “Dance Dance Resolution” where it belongs.
** — Okay, pretty much any episode of The Americans.
*** – both hot, tho
**** — Song of the summer?
Stray observations
- First, two new weekly check-ins: Does Nate use his extremely helpful superpower in this episode? The answer, this week, is yes! It’s usually not!
- Dark Gideon watch: she loves eviscerations, folks. I am worried.
- Uh, “Fruit” is a banger, and I’d like the whole single, please.
- Tyron Carter shared a whole bunch of info about the episode—inspirations, cut scenes, easter eggs, etc.—on his Twitter feed.
- EW’s Chancellor Agard has a great interview with Tala Ashe about tonight’s episode; he also asked about dark Gideon, Zari 1.0's totem life, and more. Well worth a read.
- Loved Nate as S’More, and loved Nate and Behrad as Johnny C’s glam team even more. So fun.
- Confirmed: Legends exists within the Young Rock cinematic universe.
- Episode MVP: Matt Ryan was great, but anytime the powers that be let Tala Ashe have feelings and sing/play an instrument, she’s the automatic MVP.
- Why the fuck not?: Mick steps on Lord Knoxicrillion. Just steps right on the little guy. (Very Men In Black.)
- Line-reading of the week: “NOOOOO! WHY DID YOU TASTE SO GOOD?!”
- Gideon, what’s the most meta moment?: “…Or the fact that network TV still exists.”
- Episode title ranking: 1. Meat: The Legends. 2. Ground Control To Sara Lance. 3. The Ex-Factor.
- Our weekly aftershow will be back next week!
90 Comments
Space Cabbie shout-out! I will now spend the rest of the season foolishly hoping it was foreshadowing and not just an Easter egg, then deem the entire series a failure when my personal hopes don’t come into play on-screen! (I read the WandaVision discourse. This is how it works now.)
My hopes for Mick starting to feel more like a core member of the team again, on the other hand, are NOT high given the recent Dominic Purcell drama. But it was nice to see the show at least acknowledge how disconnected he’s been from the others — not just since Sara disappeared, but for a few years — and try to fix it.
Yes, the Space Cabbie shout-out was great. Probably best kept as an Easter Egg though. My knowledge of him mostly comes from his appearance in James Robinson’s Starman, which I don’t recall liking very much.
Space Cabbie also appeared in Justice League Action, and…man, a flying cab in space may be too over -the-top for even Legends. Though Supergirl had J’onn’s flying Chevy…
When did the Martian Manhunter have a flying car? I know Phil Coulson has one, and her name’s Lola.
Season 2/3? They use it to visit Mars a few times.
Yeah the switching between A and B plots was the weakest part of this episode even though both, on their own, were great. Just the mismatch in feel and tone throws off the flow. Otherwise an amazing episode.
-“Personal phone. Business phone. Phone for all the Persian guys my mom tries to set me up with…emergency phone.”Dark Gideon watch: she loves eviscerations, folks. I am worried.I’m glad we’re getting Gideon consistently but definitely share your concern about how dark she’s been. If he hadn’t been gone so long I’d blame Rip for activating another secret protocol.-“Aves? Do you trust me?” “Always, Z.” More of this odd friendship, please.-“Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you have to settle.” OMG Maman Torazi.-“You think I don’t know my own Ava?” *swoons*-Did they just give us a sideways musical episode? *sees Zari/John performance* They totally snuck us a musical episode! And it’s not even directly a demonalien’s fault.-Baby Yoda stole Ray-Ray’s suit?[preview spoilers]omg the Legends + nukes???
I can’t tell at this point if Dark Gideon is foreshadowing another glitch in the system or her A.I. personality is now fully totemed from her time with the Legends.
“-Baby Yoda stole Ray-Ray’s suit?”I almost lost my coffee when I read that. It totally works and is hilarious.
This is a nice example of how Legends has evolved since season 1. The Chronos suit looked Power Rangers-esque laughable in season 1 when they were still trying to go for a semi-serious drama. The suit isn’t any more realistic now, but it fits much better within the lighter tone of the series.
I still want to see them do real Chronos & embrace his ostentatious costume.
I thought the suit looked familiar. When Mick first saw Knox on the show he even gave him a bit of a stare.
I did like that Mick had apparently discovered some of the secret protocols though. I’m blanking on the name of the one he brought up! Help!
Another solid episode. The B-plot was meh, but the main story worked really well. Zari 2.0 continues to grow on me.
Somewhere deep in hell, Damien Darhk is very happy about Johnny C, the London street magician.If USAVision is indeed going to become a thing, it should take some notes from Da Throne, the only Beeboverse spin-off I’ll allow for at this point. Mick’s concern about a) Sara being abducted, b) him being the only OG left on ship and c) Lita being a college kid is very sweet in a very Mick way. I wish he didn’t step on the adorably evil tiny alien.
This is super minor, but took me forever to realize the second footnote was attached to the first, and wasn’t part of the body of the review. Also, it was much more of a Voice pastiche than the Masked Singer wasn’t it? I mean, aside from DJ S’More Money (that asshole! sidenote, I deeply respect the show’s commitment to never showing him without the S’More head on) and Lord Knoxicrillion nobody was really hiding their identity were they?In any event that was a damn fun episode with all the sort of weirdo energy we love from the Legends
I actually ran a search on the page for “**” to figure out where that second footnote was. And that meant I had to go through every occurrence of more than one asterisk next to each other, even when they are in the same string. But damnit,
I did the same thing.
As soon as I saw DJ S’more Money, I thought “Oy, THIS douche nozzle.” Then, “I could go for a s’more now, but I have to sneak around my health-nut brother and his anti-sugar-dairy-and-grain crusade.”
s’mores are only good when made over a campfire.
Thank You
For anyone else who cares, did you catch the SPACE CABBIE mention?!
It’s roughly 12:30 into the episode when they’ve “captured” Lord Knoxicrillion. MAKE SPACE CABBIE ON LEGENDS HAPPEN PLEASE.
GIVE US SPACE CABBIE, YOU COWARDS.
Yes absolutely. Mildly concerned it’s the only DC space thing we’ll get for the rest of the season, but still appreciated.
Continuing to love that Gary’s An Alien turn, and particularly how he keeps holding his arms up in their ‘natural’ state even when he’s got his disguise on.
Also after legit eating 6 (?) clones, he was still terrified of Sara, it’s beautiful.
An episode set in Zari’s time (and not just in the Tarazi household).Speaking of, how is Les-lay able to reach Zari?I’m surprised that people would think that Zari was in rehab, given that she’s an observant Muslim.I love how they’re showing Zari being a competant business woman.“Aves, do you trust me?” “Always, Z.”Zari speaking Farsi.John ripping on Criss Angel.I’m confused by when Sara is. She was kidnapped in 1977, but Gary is there. They also land on a planet with Ava clones, but they’re from 2213.What is the deal with Les-lay? It seems like they’re setting her up to be a supernatural creature for John to deal with.I feel Zari and John a lot more than I felt Zari and Nate. This one they set up right.My big hope in them bringing in this Zari was that she’d be a hero in a non-combat way. A hero of a different sort. I’m so glad that they’re managing to do that.
I’m going to start with the rehab question. The fact that Zari is an observant Muslim makes it even more scandalous. And isn’t it always about making the rumors as big as possible (see – Cap is on the Moon).As for pretty much the rest, it’s freaking Legends! They just won a battle against an alien bent on taking over and destroying the Earth with a cover of what is for them, a 67-year-old song and you want your time travel to make sense?!?!?
Second reveal that Ava’s also actually an alien and that’s her home planet, Earth just acquired some in the future somehow. Either that, the big bad is trolling, or someone’s done some cleanup (Rip? Time Bureau?) to pretend like that whole affair never happened on Earth.
“Second reveal that Ava’s also actually an alien and that’s her home planet, Earth just acquired some in the future somehow.”Please don’t send Ava back to her home planet like Poochie!
They don’t say rehab for what. In the future they may have rehab for thing we don’t.
Speaking of, how is Les-lay able to reach Zari?
Seeing as Behrad brings her a separate phone, I’m guessing that maybe she has that special phone that maybe Gideon tampered with to keep her up to speed on current events in her time. A sort of “the clock in San Dimas is always running” of 2045. Except time isn’t quite concrete yet since the Legends do go back to stop S’more Money’s death after Les-lay tells Zari.
Speaking of speed, is Les-lay a meta? She got around fast!
Legends is best when I put aside expectations for the type of comic book/connected universe show I want and just enjoy what’s actually delivered. When I first saw the title “Ex-Factor” awhile back I thought it was a hint at a Nyssa guest role. And as pointed out elsewhere, the whole “kidnap warriors and take them to a planet” could’ve easily been Warworld and Mongul. Obviously neither of these are true, but what we got was still highly entertaining. Kudos again to the production design team this week for all the Idol-style graphic overlays and the subtle future stuff, like the edible cups.It’s a little weird to see Constantine get sucked into the relationship drama stuff. I know he’s had meaningful relationships in both the series and the source comics, but the “upset due to overhearing something out of context” bit was a little melodramatic. I guess it’s better to see a new side of Constantine than just the guy who spouts incantations.Don’t think the first dance number surpassed the Bollywood sequence from season 4, but still appreciate Tala Ashe and team for putting 2(!) musical numbers together on a weekly TV show schedule. […] not to wish that Legends had just let Sara and Gary crash-land and vanish for a few episodes before giving us all these events in one go.Agreed. The Sara/Gary stuff felt just a little insignificant this episode, and the villain reveal was underwhelming. Again if it was a big A-list DC villain I could see ending on that, but hard to care about Mr. Normal Hipster guy at the moment.
They really do think all the fans are obsessed with Zari and Constantine, don’t they? And it honestly wouldn’t be that annoying if they hadn’t done all that shameless queerbaiting with Zari and Charlie, which is especially surprising to say about this show.
They even filmed a kiss between Charlie and Zarlie, but left it on the cutting room floor.
Actually, the queerbaiting bothered me more with the sudden Nate/Zari romance. Zari 2.0 didn’t have the same chemistry with Charlie as OG Zari, IMHO.
Zari singing, yes, always. This was a fun romp overall but her and Jon’s duet was just so sweet.
The VFX were really top notch during the episode.
Also Dwayne Johnson would be in his 70s in 2045. Wished they cut to a really old out of shape man to play him.
It felt quite jarring to go from this ep to Batwoman’s REALLY deep and dark episode.
It didn’t help that Batwoman’s episode was so poorly done. I’d say it “dark”, but calling it “deep” is giving it credit it doesn’t deserve.
I agree it definitely could have used more subtlety but i did NOT expect that ending.
tbh, i was really hoping Batwoman was going to be a bottle episode with Luke, Ryan and Sophie stuck in the holding cell hashing out their differences.
That was what I thought we were going to get, and I was equally unenthusiastic about that prospect. So when they only made it a portion of the episode, I was relieved…until the end.
I dunno; given how ham-handed they were with the stuff in the jail cell (which was important but about as subtle as a jackhammer outside of my window), the ending was visible down Gotham Blvd. On the other hand, maybe they thought they needed to be that obvious to get through to white folks.
I thought it was better than that … the only thing I didn’t like was the zombie aspect. Seriously, Zombie actors need a union.
(Spoiler Sprinkles) It’s been a while since Sundays have been this full of shows I had to watch.I thought about coming here to try and start a Batwoman mini thread. I like this show well enough. They have a particular voice within the larger CW. I’d argue it’s a better drama than Gotham – though obviously not the sometimes fun/guilty pleasure/nihilistic/murder-fest that Gotham was. I liked this episode. They carved out space for a scene where the three main black characters got to clearly express their differing viewpoints on law enforcement. It was almost like a theater scene. That’s not nothing. The shock ending said a bunch too with the white-guy crook (Eli?) being fully two-faced (sorry) and situational as it suits him – racially speaking, and the a-hole cop who shoots Luke. Unlike the night’s other shock main character death (over on another network), Luke will likely survive – he has his own potential super-suit to try on, after all. I’m invested in Batwoman (as the saying goes) and I’m hoping for at least a season 3. Even if it is in the ratings dumpster, and granting the realities of making money on TV, I’d like to hope that they could give the show one more season and just trust that it’ll hold its own on HBO Max in the future. CW Seed still seems like a graveyard – even though there are arguably gems in there. Ryan’s a good character, Sophie has stepped up, the show has finally gotten the new actress in for Kate… face revealed. I think they need to move-move-move to wrap up the Black Mask/Snakebite arc – AND FOR GOD’S SAKE, WB, loosen up the Batman rogues gallery. Its like they have all these golden toys on the shelf, but Batwoman doesn’t get to use them. Supergirl has full access to all of Superman’s rogues. I get it, but I don’t get it: Corporate philosophies and whatnot. Oka-a-y bring back Zsasz. He was good. Holly Robinson? Write in Cassie Cain. Alright, so Bruce is wandering Europe with Selina for a decade – that’s fine – have one of their tween kids show up in Gotham luring mom back to town to rescue them. Guest Catwoman for 3 episodes and pick an out-of-the box actress to play her: Jamie Pressly … SMG … Rihanna … Gabriel Union … Gretchen Mol … Margot Bingham … (Rihanna is still on the young side for a Catwoman in her 40’s but idk it’s plausible – its the CW!) … Ginnifer Goodwin … Paula Patton … Lynn Collins. No one yet has the lock on Mom-Catwoman. Sorry, that went long.
I think there is a whole stipulation that they can’t use Joker because of the 2019 movie and certain other characters because of their film rights. Guggenheim said as much during the crisis bts. (They got “Bruce” via Hush but that was a loophole)
I know, I get that aspect. And due to “The Batman” five of the top rogues are unavailable. I guess the whole overall philosophy is muddled – like there’s one VP at WB whose only job is to keep all these character rights to himself and parcel them out at his whim. Or – I know I know – its the movie division beefing with the TV division. Its a bit like if – over at Sony – they decided to give Hobgoblin his own series, and then Whoop, can’t have any Spider-Men in the series. You can show residual web and you can have Mary Jane guest once a season. Aunt May is off the table! Jameson’s nephew is fair game.
Yeah, to be fair Disney/Marvel is now doing the “every live action show is connected” angle and it’s working. That’s why I say i hope they do X-men as a streaming show and not movie franchise. It’s the only way to keep the storylines faithful, give the characters room to breathe and also not focus on just Wolverine.
Or like how the Marvel movies and Marvel TV shows (AoS, Agent Carter, the Netflix shows) almost never interacted because of beef between Kevin Feige and Ike Perlmutter.
That’s consistent for DC, though. Back in the Eighties there was one editor who owned Constantine and you couldn’t put him in your book without her say-so. Can’t recall her name and can’t be arsed to look it up. She turned down Morrison so he created Willoughby Chase to be as close as possible. Then some others did the same and at least one of them said there was a factory in England churning out trench-coated magicians. I imagine if she were still in charge we might not have him on Legends.
Good point about using more of Batman’s Rogues gallery. They name-drop the big guns in passing (i.e. they implied Batman killed The Joker), but use second-stringers (Zsasz, Black Mask) most non-comic-readers or game-players don’t know. Back in the Elseworld crossover, Flash, Green Arrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman dropped by Arkham Asylum, and that place basically announced EVERYONE’S locked up there (Penguin, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Scarecrow, Psycho Pirate (I don’t know who he usually fights, and he hasn’t been seen since)).
I still want to hear Zari’s version of the dragon empowerment song.Space Cabbie should be integral to rescuing Sara since he was off-handedly referenced.Lord Knoxicrillion looks & speaks like Lord Manga Khan, so why not adapt him directly? What project could he possibly be embargoed for?
This week in Sara Is The Best: spotting and then taking down the Imposter Ava despite being half dead from alien poison.Also, special shout-out to Zari’s singing outfits, because *daaaaaaaaaaamn*.
I for one am thrilled, THRILLED, that this season’s Legends is keeping up with the “I’m gonna puke” physical gag gag. We’ve had Ava and Sara so far and it never fails to work on me.
Weird that Astra hasn’t been seen for two episodes in a row.I see you, AV Club, trying to retroactively sneak this review into yesterday in “Latest” view when it wasn’t posted until this morning!
“Ever Fallen In Love” is one of my favorite songs and when I heard it at the beginning of the episode, I prayed it was going to be Chekhov’s Song. Damn I was so glad they did. I’m so hoping that they filmed a complete version of it. And remember, for Da Throne’s audience, it’s a quaint cover of a 67 year old song, which means it would be from 1953 for us.
Terrible, cringe inducing episode. Looks like The CW is actively sinking it’s own shows
It’s so dumb, but I laugh so hard whenever DJ S’More Money shows up. It’s the gold dollar signs for eyes that puts it over the top for me.
Zari’s assistant and her appearing around John was MVP.
Les-lay and her frankly astonishing cleavage were *suspiciously* good at sneaking up on people.
Im one that actually likes John and Zari but i thought Les-lay had awesome chemistry with John.
They even gave her appearances that whoosh-vampire sound effect.
Mick’s notion that they should use their spaceship to look for Sara in space sounds like a better plan that hoping one of the aliens scattered throughout Earth’s timestream has a lead.
Why only Earth’s timeline, and not ones for other planets?
Other planets cost extra.
In the season premiere, Sara mentioned that they were opening a wormhole to “Earth’s Temporal Zone”, so that’s where all the aliens blasted out of the ship fell.
This episode had very Buffy ‘Fear, Itself’ Gachnar vibes with the little alien being stepped on by Mick.
“I am the Dark Lord of nightmares, the bringer of terror… Tremble before me! Fear me!”
*Actual size*
Who is going to be the hero that goes frame-by-frame to transcribe all the vocalists that Lord Knoxicrillion synthesized?
I was absolutely losing my mind at all the Buzzcocks stuff! As a punk rocker, record collector, and comic book nerd, it was a pure joy. I do love it when they lean into Constantine’s punk roots, and given that the song in question is an anthem of heartache written by a bisexual punk rocker, it makes perfect sense that it would be a favorite of his. “Ever Fallen in Love” being one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands, I would have been excited merely to hear it on the show’s soundtrack, let alone having Zari and John discuss its significance in the dialogue. Then having it pay off as central to the plot/arc of the episode with a cover version? Simply brilliant! I love the punk attitude of Legends, somebody (or somebodies) on the show clearly knows their stuff! Hearing Zari start the song unaccompanied is a great reminder at how perfectly the song works with female vocalists and wildly different arrangements, which the existing covers by the likes of Thea Gilmore, Nouvelle Vague, and Le Butcherettes have already proven. RIP to the brilliant Pete Shelley and the enduring legacy of his music.
Wildly impressive that Zari can sing an entire song from memory that she has heard once and never rehearsed, unless of course she made a serious study of it off-camera between the first scene and the climax. Either she’s got one hell of an eidetic memory, or this is a bit of TV magic. Either way, great stuff.
PS it’s good to see Allison and everyone in the comments again. I’ve missed the AV Club coverage of Legends and the great discussions of this community almost as much as I’ve missed Legends itself!
Who is going to be the hero that goes frame-by-frame to transcribe all the vocalists that Lord Knoxicrillion synthesized?
I saw Prince, Jeff Buckley, and Elvis Costello, but I forget the rest.
I did some freeze frames on it, and I think the list loops two or three times. Budget cuts!
It’s a long list! There’s Adele, Dolly Parton, Ella Fitzgerald, Beyonce, Jeff Buckley… I’m sure there are screenshots out there (I almost killed my TV trying to pause and play every second).
I did! The names start repeating, but this is everyone. Nat King ColeSam CookeMarvin GayeLittle RichardPrinceDavid BowieAmy WinehouseOtis ReddingLeontyne PriceStevie NicksJoe Crocker (I think they meant Joe Cocker?)MorrisseyDolly PartonJames Taylor David RuffinMavis StaplesBonnie RaittChuck BerryCurtis MayfieldBruce SpringsteenEllie Fitzgerald (Ella?)Jackie WilsonEtta JamesBob MarleyJohnny CashMick JaggerRay CharlesFrank SinatraGladys KnightGeorge MichaelAndrea BocelliAdeleJosh GrobanPatti LuponeColm WilkinsonBen PlattLea SalongaAudra McDonaldIdina MenzelAretha FranklinMariah CareyWhitney HoustonEsme SalzmanDonny HathawayPatsy ClineJeff BuckleyJulie AndrewsBarbara StreisandStevie WonderLuther VandrossLauryn HillLuciano PavarottiJazmine SullivanFreddie MercuryNina SimoneCallie DayThe Clark SistersBeyonceAvery Wilson
You deserve a medal for this! Perhaps some of the ones with slight variations ie “Ellie Fitzgerald” were altered for repeated passes? I definitely freezeframed on Bruce Springsteen as “Bruce Springfield” at one point…
Z takes to the stage to sing a punk anthem John loves, just before he joins her on guitar. It’s a goddamn delight.Bloody well better have Johnny on the guitar! Can’t bring up his past playing guitar with Mucous Membrane on a music-show episode and not use it. His band even has its own DC Fandom page.https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Mucous_MembraneOTHER META MOMENT: Nate casually name-dropping THOR: RAGNAROK in a show produced by their Distinguished Competition.
I am meh on Zari & John, but good for him for stepping up and taking a risk. I liked Ava and Mick one again butting heads but figuring out how to get on the same page to help Sara. They are one of the show’s best pairingsI miss Lita too, Mick
If all that aired on primetime in the future were reality and competition series, I would not be surprised that network television still existed. Yay! I knew we’d get into Ava’s backstory this season! Alas the B-plot sadly fell to the wayside this episode. And we have the horrible images of Gary ingesting multiple Ava clones.Constantine was looking good in all black leather and gelled-up hair. A good episode for him and Zari as they took a long, hard song-and-dance through evaluating their relationship.
“Fruit” lost da throne but will win in trending as the “WAP” of 2045.
With all the alien stuff undoubtedly stretching Legends’ always thin budget even thinner, I would imagine that we honestly might have seen the last of Nate’s incredibly useful powers he never uses for the season.
When I saw who was really inside the suit and saw him getting out my first thought was “Mick is just going to squish him, probably not even knowing it” and damned if I wasn’t right.
Never mind the Buzzcockshehe panelshows 😀
I think the next single character-centric episode needs to be about Behrad. Right now, he’s just an adorable set of quirks (and maybe a low-key existential crisis?) with a great head of hair, a (presumably) extensive drug collection, and wind powers. We don’t even know how he joined up with the Legends! Zari 1.0’s entry was so specific to her timeline, it can’t just be some version of that, right?
I love them staying committed to the bit of DJ S’more Money’s headpiece staying on. Like of course he had a fresh one for Nate to wear (or did he have a messed up one made to put on in the event he got beaten up?)
Pretty sure the headpiece DJ S’more Money was wearing when he came out when Nate was impersonating him was the one that John had set on fire earlier in the episode. You can see that it is not as white and clean as the one Nate is wearing.
I know some of it’s been ‘real life writes the plot’, but the Sara is exiled plot is pretty exhausting after seeing Flash, Batwoman, and Supergirl all do ‘female lead is exiled somewhere’ in the past year.
The Tyrone Carter tweets say that when brainstorming for the episode they considered Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps” and an Amy Winehouse song before settling on the Buzzcocks. Those are good songs too, but they sure made the right decision. And saved me from having to confront whether Constantine is of the right age to like songs from the 00s that I consider to be very recent, even though they’re now almost 20 years old.
It still feels kind of weird anytime these DC shows reference the MCU. –Not a complaint just an observation.
I still don’t like this Zari as much as the Zari that is gone right now and after episode 1 and 2 I started to feel like this season wouldn’t be for me but this was a fun episode. I still think Eva is too bland for me as the leader while Sara is gone.
Lmao only legends