"No Country For Old Dads" Slowly Restores Ray Palmer's Intelligence!

The Good: Good direction, Fine performances, Good special effects, Moments of character
The Bad: No truly big performance moments, Some irksome character moments
The Basics: "No Country For Old Dads" puts the focus on Damien and Nora Darhk and slowly makes the point of the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow clear.


Legends Of Tomorrow has become a mess in its third season. While the show frequently remains high on charm - the current plotline involving Captain Lance and Ava Sharpe is just adorable! - the characters have become muddied for the sake of humor, the plots have become repetitive and the show is currently struggling to find a truly compelling mix of characters who could endure beyond the current crisis to define the Waverider crew in the wake of the death of Dr. Martin Stein. The sense that the show has become somewhat listless is hard to deny at the climax of "The Curse Of The Earth Totem" and how the consequences of that end affect "No Country For Old Dads."

"No Country For Old Dads" follows on "The Curse Of The Earth Totem" (reviewed here!) and where that episode ends is impossible to address in discussing the new episode. Dr. Ray Palmer has been a lawful good character throughout his tenure in the DC Television Universe. He's a pretty white bread character, but the two defining characteristics of the character have been that he is lawful good and he is one of the leading geniuses in the DC Television Universe (indeed, one of the most interesting series of scenes in the show was when Palmer and Eobard Thawne were forced to team up to survive in outer space. So, "The Curse Of The Earth Totem" contains a truly compelling moment, when Dr. Palmer steps over the line; to save one of his teammates, he infects Nora Darhk with nanobots, essentially using lethal force on the young woman. His sense of guilt immediately compels him to do what he can to save Nora Darhk's life and that is cool and within character. Unfortunately, in doing that, the characterization of Dr. Palmer as a smart person is utterly sacrificed. In one of the most predictable betrayals of all-time, the healed Nora Darhk turns on Palmer and he is captured by the mortal enemies of the Legends. Palmer

The Waverider is contacted by the Time Bureau, who inform them that Ray Palmer has been captured. Shortly thereafter, Rip Hunter and Kid Flash arrive on the Waverider. Damien and Nora want Palmer to fix the Fire Totem. After returning to 2018 to use the Upswipz lab, Palmer figures out that the way to fix the totem is to use cold fusion. Damien Darhk reveals that he killed the inventor of cold fusion in 1962. Nora and Ray Palmer return to 1962 to save Dr. Vogal from the younger version of Damien Darhk. Palmer and Darhk are barely able to convince Vogal to join them before Damien arrives to kill the scientist.

While Tomaz and Jiwe meditate to try to find the fire totem in history, Palmer and Darhk forge documents to cross the border from East to West Berlin. Their attempt to complete their mission is complicated by Damien Darhk returning to 1962. When the younger Darhk captures Nora, Damien and Palmer must work together to survive a prisoner exchange. In the ethereal plane, Tomaz and Jiwe find the setting altered and dark. There, they are met by a tribal elder who informs them about Mallus's plan and how the Darhks are corrupting the totems and influencing the destruction of time itself. With the help of Wally and his suit, Ray Palmer manages to engineer his escape.

"No Country For Old Dads" is all right, but the episode feels better while watching it than it ends up being under even the most casual of scrutiny. Ray Palmer's ability to use voice commands on his suit makes the viewer wonder why he didn't use that skill earlier in the episode when he was being tortured ad nauseum by the Darhks (for example). Similarly, as Damien Darhk fights himself, using magic to jerk Nora around is fun to watch, but not particularly clever. Damien has only to move Nora two feet forward at any point or allow her to fall and simply stop her inches from the ground, but he instead continues to put his daughter in mortal peril.

Ray Palmer is not tortured in any ways that are particularly graphic or seem to leave any real psychological effects, which makes his breaking so fast seem like unfortunately weak plot and character work.

"No Country For Old Dads" is well-directed, especially for the surreal sequences with Tomaz and Jiwe and the pivotal scene involving Wally West. But, the look and feel of the episode cannot balance out against the lack of big character or performance moments. The Legends meander through trying to find their best hope to solve most problems now that their other resident genius (Dr. Stein) is no longer around.

On the plus side, the plot of the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow becomes much clearer in "No Country For Old Dads." The villains' plots become explicit, but they do so through a strangely unremarkable series of scenes with Rip Hunter and a thoroughly gratuitous Grodd cameo.

4.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"The Curse Of The Earth Totem" Makes For Decidedly Mediocre Legends Of Tomorrow

The Good: Moments of character, Decent performances
The Bad: Simple and obvious plot, Unfortunately lame special effects
The Basics: Legends Of Tomorrow creates a pretty basic episode in the form of "The Curse Of The Earth Totem," as three plots don't quite come together in a satisfying way.


It is hard not to acknowledge - even for fans - that Legends Of Tomorrow is meandering in its third season. The season is shuffling around cast members, has not satisfactorily focused on a villain and is struggling to find new characters who resonate in interesting ways. So, after a season high, it is hard to come back to Legends Of Tomorrow with hope that its latest attempt to incorporate a character it had trouble integrating with another cast will yield a decent episode.

"The Curse Of The Earth Totem" was preceded by "Here I Go Again" (reviewed here!) and that episode climaxed with the appearance of Wally West. Wally West encounters Rip Hunter, a character who has been ill-defined and pretty much off the team since the climax of the first season when he lost his defining character arc (which was to stop Vandal Savage and restore his killed family to the timeline). West is a speedster who is a perfectly adequate and wonderful Flash who essentially got booted from The Flash when the executive producers found it impossible to write around any scenario that could be solved by having two Flashes in play at the same time (or they got tired of being forced to artificially knock one Flash out of play to keep only one in the hero position at a time). So, Legends Of Tomorrow might be a good venue for Wally West, as the team could benefit from a Speedster.

Opening in 1717 in the Bahamas, Blackbeard the pirate bestows a gift upon his pirate queen. The emerald he gives her is a totem and it almost instantly causes vines to erupt from the earth to kill her. While Ray Palmer briefs the Legends on the search for the sixth, previously unknown, totem, Captain Lance visits Star City for a date with Ava Sharpe. Horrified that the fire totem has fallen into the hands of Damien Darhk, the Waverider crew (less the Captain) visit the Bahamas to recover the Earth totem. Rip Hunter asks Wally West for help and West denies him aid, as he is eager to no longer engage his Speedster powers. In Nassau, Jiwe actually turns to Rory for advice in what to do with her desires to change the futures for her daughter and granddaughter. Rory starts talking up the Dread Pirate Jiwe, so she can get the attention of Blackbeard and that gambit works.

Unfortunately, the Darhks - Damien and Nora - arrive and Damien takes Jiwe's totem from her. Hunter and West get drunk together, which allows Hunter to convince West to use his powers to steal equipment from the Time Bureau. Escaping Darhk's cannonballs, Lance's date is broken up by Ava fleeing when Gary shows up and Lance sees the Waverider crash nearby. Trapped in 1717, Jiwe and Rory manipulate Blackbeard into getting them to Grace Island to recover the Earth Totem.

"The Curse Of The Earth Totem" starts as a pretty basic Legends Of Tomorrow episode. This is a pirate episode of Legends Of Tomorrow. As a Legends Of Tomorrow episode, there is a pretty obvious progression of screw-ups, reversals and antagonists who are unique to the setting and part of the larger arc. As such, this is an episode that is mostly about the setting and it blends the pirate tale poorly with the Hunter and Lance plots. For sure, Rip Hunter's tale is a story that begins with piracy, but it gels poorly with the rest of the plot.

Part of what makes "The Curse Of The Earth Totem" so mediocre is the reversal surrounding Blackbeard. Blackbeard is a coward, who gives up information to law enforcement easily and is nowhere near as fierce as the legends about him. So, the episode becomes an easy opportunity for Jiwe to rise to the occasion of the rumors that Rory and the other Legends start.

That said, the reversal near the end that puts a zombified Annie (Blackbeard's pirate queen) back in play is well-executed. As well, Amaya Jiwe is a compelling protagonist for the episode. Jiwe is a pragmatist in many ways and "The Curse Of The Earth Totem" gives the show a chance to play with her character a bit in a decent way. Maisie Richardson-Sellers has the talent and magnitude to carry an episode and she pairs surprisingly well with Dominic Purcell for most of "The Curse Of The Earth Totem."

Ray Palmer's big moment at the episode's climax promises major character conflict for him in the next episode . . . assuming the writers make a decent exploration of it. The hints of Palmer's slip from the lawful good that comes in "The Curse Of The Earth Totem" leads to a climax that follows his character (save his supposed intelligence) well. The progression of Lance and Sharpe is fun in "The Curse Of The Earth Totem," but the return of Rip Hunter and Wally West to the DC Television Universe is unfortunately mediocre.

The concept for the vine and zombie creature that is the affected Annie is an interesting one, but the special effects for the sequence are poorly rendered compared to most of the other effects, undermining the menace. Ultimately, "The Curse Of The Earth Totem" is a very average episode; every aspect of what it does well is offset by something is head-smackingly bad.

5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Here I Go Again" Moves Beyond References Into Something Wonderful!

The Good: Wonderful performances, Interesting character explorations, Good direction, Decent plot twist near the end, Good balance of humor and heart
The Bad: Somewhat derivative plot
The Basics: "Here I Go Again" plays the time loop conceit on Legends Of Tomorrow . . . surprisingly well!


Legends Of Tomorrow is having a third season that is made more weird than by its air schedule. The show has had two essential characters depart, a new character added, the brief return of an alternate-universe version of Leonard Snart, and the return of one of the most familiar villains in the franchise as support for the season's primary villain. "Daddy Darhkest" found Sara Lance starting to explore feelings for Ava Sharpe, despite having a fling with John Constantine. Throughout this season, the show has not had a lot of time to explore and grow the new character of Zari Tomaz. The attempt to rectify that is made in "Here I Go Again."

"Here I Go Again" follows on "Daddy Darhkest" (reviewed here!), which had Mallus tormenting Damien Darhk's daughter. "Here I Go Again" also begins with the Legends Of Tomorrow now having a quest of their own; Mallus appears vulnerable to the totems used by Amaya Jiwe, Zari Tomaz and Kuasa.

Zari Tomaz is attempting to alter Gideon's programming when the rest of the Legends return to the Waverider. While checking the results of the mission, Gideon crashes and Sara Lance gets furious with Tomaz. Zari indicates she is trying to hack time to alter the flow of history to prevent her Earth from becoming a dystopia and when she tries to fix the Waverider, it blows up. Time reboots and Tomaz is frustrated and confused by returning to a conversation in which Lance gives her a dressing down. Within an hour from the conversation, the Waverider explodes and Tomaz is thrown back in time.

As one of the loops progresses, Dr. Heywood tells Tomaz about Groundhog Day and the next time through, Tomaz hunts down Heywood and enlists his aid. Together the two try to figure out who might have blown up the Waverider and why.

Despite the allusions to Groundhog Day, "Here I Go Again" plays much like the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Cause And Effect" (reviewed here!) on the plot front. "Here I Go Again" is fun and there is a lot of joy in the moment when Ray Palmer actually references the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode.

More than simply being a plot conceit, "Here I Go Again" uses the repeating time loop to explore the characters of Legends Of Tomorrow and Tomaz especially. Zari Tomaz came from a dark and miserable place and has not truly integrated with the crew. So, putting her at the core of the conflict where she has to try to win the trust of her teammates and save the day is interesting.

Tala Ashe has a chance to truly shine in "Here I Go Again" and she runs with the opportunity. While it is hard not to see Tala Ashe when she is used as windowdressing, to fill a niche to make viewers think of Morena Baccarin, "Here I Go Again" allows her to step out with an incredibly diverse performance. Ashe gets to play heavily dramatic, incredibly funny and wonderfully earnest at various points in "Here I Go Again" and she rises to the occasion each and every time. Ashe's performance is matched by Dominic Purcell's wonderful deadpan and the best on-screen sexual chemistry between Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Nick Zano.

More than simply a rehashing of Groundhog Day or "Cause And Effect," "Here I Go Again" races to a surprising, clever and original climax. Director Ben Hernandez Bray makes "Here I Go Again" feel fresh and original and some of the editing telegraphs the end, but that only makes the episode feel smarter and better-constructed than it originally does.

The result is one of the best episodes of Legends Of Tomorrow.

9/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Legends Of Tomorrow Returns With The Horror That Is "Daddy Darhkest!"

The Good: Fun plot, Competent performances, Hints of character
The Bad: No exeptional plot, character or acting moments.
The Basics: Legends Of Tomorrow resumes with "Daddy Darhkest" . . . and an appearance by John Constantine!


Well before the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow began, it was well-teased that John Constantine would be making an appearance. As the show picks up for its midseason premiere, that appearance happens. Having not watched Constantine, I was intrigued to see if it would be possible to appreciate the new direction and character. Fortunately, "Daddy Darhkest" begins with a pretty basic primer on Constantine to help viewers ignorant of his show catch right up.

"Daddy Darkest" picks up in the aftermath of "Beebo The God Of War"(reviewed here!), which climaxed with John Constantine appearing on the Waverider. Given that Sara Lance had just encountered Mallus in the spirit world, the explosion of supernatural elements into Legends Of Tomorrow seems organic.

Opening in Star City, 2017, John Constantine enters a hospital where he attempts to perform an exorcism on a little girl. There, he finds out that something evil is hunting Sarah Lance. Constantine arrives on the Waverider where he informs Lance that something evil is coming for her. Lance and her crewmates are able to name the evil: Mallus, which helps Constantine plan his next attempt to exorcize the demon from Emily, who turns out to be a younger version of Nora Darhk. While the others work on the exorcism, Amaya Jiwe fights Kuasa, who comes to defend Emily. When the exorcism goes badly, Snart, Constantine and Lance find themselves teleported to 1969.

With Kuasa frozen and Mick Rory obsessed with watching a live football game, Dr. Heywood, Tomaz, and Palmer try to help Emily so she might not grow up to hate them. In 1969, Mallus reaches out to Lance, but Constantine is able to help her. Snart, however, is captured by the doctors at the asylum. While Lance and Constantine rescue Snart from a lobotomy, in 2017, Palmer and Tomaz take Emily out to coffee. While at Jitters, Mallus takes over the girl. To escape 1969, Constantine summons Mallus into Lance's body. In the spirit realm, Nora and Sara Lance work together to fight the influence of the demon.

John Constantine is surprisingly unobtrusive in the character mix of Legends Of Tomorrow, which is nice. With Jax gone and Dr. Stein dead, finding a new balance in the characters takes a back seat for an episode. Constantine hooks up with Lance, which is fun and the idea that Constantine has the ability to fight a demon like Mallus makes sense given how most of the crew of the Waverider is more scientifically-minded as opposed to guided by magic. The return of Snart to the crew - even in his Earth-X form - is enough of an adjustment for the regular crew.

Every scene that Wentworth Miller is in in "Daddy Darhkest" reminds viewers of how much his presence was missed in the prior season. Miller steals the show as Leo Snart continues to establish himself as a very different version of Snart.

Madeline Arthur is wonderful as the creepy young Nora Darhk/Emily. Her waifish appearance is augmented by a wide-eyed stare that is just plain creepy. At the key moment of "Daddy Darhkest," Arthur plays the part with a sadness that is palpable and it is impressive for such a young actress.

"Daddy Darhkest" allows John Constantine to help the Legends Of Tomorrow define the season's villain better and open up the show to how they might defeat it. Tomaz and Jiwe learn that the totems may be the key to stopping Mallus and there might be more than the five that Jiwe knows about in existence.

Ultimately, "Daddy Darhkest" is a horror episode of Legends Of Tomorrow and it is solid, but lacking in anything superlative. The episode had no great performances, no unstoppable character moments and a plot that is very familiar to anyone who has watched horror movies.

For other DC Television Universe midseason premieres, please visit my reviews of:
"Legion Of The Super-Heroes" - Supergirl
"The Trial Of The Flash" - The Flash
"Supergirl Lives" - Supergirl

5/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Mourning Martin, "Beebo The God Of War" Transitions Well!

The Good: Decent performances, Good plot transitions, Good use of humor, Special effects
The Bad: Feels very much like a bridge episode that meanders through ideas
The Basics: "Beebo The God Of War" visits Legends Of Tomorrow and acts as a generally good send-off for the Waverider's fallen comrade.


As the DC Television Universe shows reach their midseason finales, Legends Of Tomorrow hits an interesting period of reshuffling in its cast. The midseason finale for the least-defined DC Television Universe show is called "Beebo The God Of War" and it picks up the Legends Of Tomorrow narrative in the wake of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" (reviewed here!). "Beebo The God Of War" also redirects the Legends Of Tomorrow story back to the emerging conflicts with Damien Darhk and Mallus.

It is impossible to discuss "Beebo The God Of War" without referencing the big character change for Legends Of Tomorrow coming out of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4." After all, the prior episode of Legends Of Tomorrow saw the death of Professor Stein and the effective end of Firestorm. At the same time, Wentworth Miller returned to the DC Television Universe, this time as Leo Snart from Earth-X, a dramatically different iteration of Cold. "Beebo The God Of War" begins with a burden to appropriately reflect upon Professor Stein's death (a moment robbed in the prior episode by ending the episode with dual weddings instead of Stein's funeral), while integrating Citizen Cold to the team that is still adapting to the presence of Zari Tomaz.

In Central City, 1992, on the fifth night of Hanukkah, Marty Stein uses physics to land the last Beebo toy in a toy store. Running away from shoppers, Stein is teleported to the past. Aboard the Waverider, Leo Snart attempts to bond with his new crew by having the grieving crew talk to a Dr. Stein puppet he made. His therapy session with Jax is interrupted by a time quake. Gideon informs the crew that a Level 12 anachronism has occurred and Lance orders the crew to put their feelings aside so the Waverider can go back to the 11th Century to prevent Leif Erikson from forming a colony in the Americas. The Waverider goes back to New Valhalla (North America) and when Jax sees that the anachronism is Marty Stein, he frees the younger version of the Professor.

The Vikings have deified the Beebo toy and Stein insists the crew must recover the plush toy. Jackson advocates for the right to tell Stein about his older self's sacrifice, but Dr. Palmer rejects the idea. Snart, who is concerned about Rory's drinking, makes the Waverider a dry ship much to Rory's chagrin. When Sharpe contacts the Waverider and Lance figures out that time is setting fast in reaction to the anachronism, Lance accepts Sharpe's offer for help and brings her aboard for the mission. Lance, Sharpe and the rest of the Waverider crew work to usurp Freydis, Leif Erikson's sister who has adopted Beebo as the tribe's god, in order to restore the natural order of time. But, no sooner is Beebo thwarted than Damien Darhk appears under the guise of being Odin and the anachronism grows!

The puppet Dr. Stein is hilarious and if Legends Of Tomorrow was a lesser show, it would seem like an obvious merchandising ploy. Similarly, the Beebo toy is a cute little macguffin that fits the episode, as opposed to being a cheap spinoff toy.

"Beebo The God Of War" is reminiscent of the Star Trek episode "A Piece Of The Action" (reviewed here!) as it illustrates the consequences of a primitive civilization possessing any form of advanced technology. "Beebo The God Of War" plays out the comedic threads to the concept very well. The episode is pretty funny for the portions focused on the titular character. The moment Mick Rory sets the doll on fire, "Beebo The God Of War" makes an abrupt transition. The good thing about "Beebo The God Of War" is that when the moments of the episode that can use and sustain humor are done, the Legends Of Tomorrow episode does not try to force them back in.

The second half of "Beebo The God Of War" does a decent job of refocusing Legends Of Tomorrow on a more serious path. Jackson has the chance to try to speak frankly with the younger Stein, Snart has a heart to heart with Rory contrasting the two characters' pasts, and Sharpe abandons Lance. Jackson's mourning - and subsequent bad decisions from a temporal perspective - are played out as very real. Snart's concern for Rory is a good idea and his return effectively re-establishes that partnership. The hurdle Leo Snart and Mick Rory have is that they do not actually know one another and they are haunted by the memories of the people who wear their new comrades' faces. As such, Snart takes an aggressive anti-drinking stance that feels very invasive. Rory, for his part, growls through most of his interactions with his new Snart buddy.

Wentworth Miller continues to evolve the character of Leo Snart and watching him onscreen in "Beebo The God Of War" reminds viewers just how potent his absence has been for the episodes he has been gone from. Miller seems to delight in playing Snart with very open emotions, as opposed to having to deliver all of his lines with a leer. Miller is up to the challenge of redefining Snart and he steals his scenes in "Beebo The God Of War."

While "Beebo The God Of War" pushes Legends Of Tomorrow forward by presenting a proper on-screen introduction to Mallus and providing the long-promised, much awaited appearance of John Constantine, it is hard not to feel like Franz Drameh is just getting totally screwed by the franchise. Drameh plays Jefferson Jackson and he is the third character on Legends Of Tomorrow to lose his power or super-suit. When Ray Palmer lost his A.T.O.M. suit, he drifted for an episode and then miraculously had a new suit made before the big crossover event. Similarly, when Dr. Heywood has lost his ability to steel up, it comes back pretty fast. Drameh plays half of a super-powered entity and the loss of Martin Stein immediately called into question the usefulness of his character in Legends Of Tomorrow. Sadly, "Beebo The God Of War" seems to mortgage the character entirely, as if the writers could not figure out how to keep Jackson vital without his super-power. This is an unfortunate twist for the character as Jackson had been developed over the prior two season of Legends Of Tomorrow as the Waverider's Chief Engineer. It seems like inventive writers would have found a way to keep Jackson around even if he never again left the ship.

So, with two crewmembers gone, Lance learning that Rip Hunter is in prison and two new characters to the Waverider, Legends Of Tomorrow goes on hiatus feeling more of a plot urgency than a sense that the characters know where they are going and how to save their own series. But, at least, Dr. Stein remained dead through "Beebo The God Of War."

For other works with John Noble, please visit my reviews of:
"Return Of The Mack" - Legends Of Tomorrow
Fringe
The Last Airbender
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

7/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Legends Of Tomorrow Closes The Arc With "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4!"

The Good: Good character moments, Performances, Decent effects
The Bad: Predictable resolution, End robs the Legends Of Tomorrow of their big moment
The Basics: Legends Of Tomorrow gets the big moments of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4," but the biggest character moment for the team is robbed for a saccharine end to the crossover.


In some ways, it seems like the showrunners for Legends Of Tomorrow had a good idea that the massive crossover event for the DC Television Universe would be falling just as the third season of the show began to gain momentum. That seems like one of the best reasons that almost as soon as Damien Darhk pops up as one of the principle antagonists for the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow, there is an almost completely divergent episode that puts Grodd in the narrative. Just as "Welcome To The Jungle" (reviewed here!) had no real tie to the prior episode (save the very last scene), "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" has no real connection to "Welcome To The Jungle."

"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" comes right after the climactic events of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the final episode in the arc without some references as to where the show prior ended. After all, with Dr. Stein shot on Earth-X and a distress call from Felicity Smoak out to the Waverider crew, it seems like the Legends Of Tomorrow characters who have been noticeably missing from the prior three parts might actually become integral to the episode's resolution.

Almost instantly, it becomes clear that the reason most of the Waverider crew was absent from the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West was that the room being too full of super powered people would have defied the suspension of disbelief.

"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" opens with Dr. Stein shot, bleeding to death on the floor where he manages to open the breach to Earth-1. The Flash and The Ray manage to take out Red Tornado before managing to return Earth-1 with the rest of the heroes. When Eobard Thawne attempts to slice into Kara, The Atom appears and manages to save her. With the S.T.A.R. Labs team freed, Stein and Jax lay near death from Stein being shot repeatedly. Mr. Terrific figures out that the Earth-X Nazi Waverider and Earth-X Kara are bombs with the potential to destroy much of Earth.

Realizing that he is tethered to Jackson, Dr. Stein separates from the Firestorm matrix. While the heroes unite to protect Kara from the Earth-X Oliver and Eobard Thawne, Felicity, Ramon and Wells try to bring down the alternate Waverider. And the big battle ensues and it is cool and it gets resolved pretty much as anyone with a brain would have figured it would.

More than with last year's big crossover event, the Legends Of Tomorrow actually are integral to the resolution of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4." While there is a key moment where it seems like Cisco would have been able to open a breach to resolve a serious problem, much of the resolution to "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" feels organic and the big emotional moments are mostly related to the Legends Of Tomorrow. And then the very end of the episode craps on what should have been the big moments for The Flash and Arrow.

"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" finally rewards Franz Drameh with a part that plays up to his acting talents. Drameh plays Jefferson Jackson and while Victor Garber gives his usual masterful performance in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4," it is Drameh's acting and reacting to Garber's performance that makes the episode's emotional moment land. The episode's final scene gives Drameh a moment to stand on his own and it promises to keep Jefferson Jackson vital going forward.

Legends Of Tomorrow bears the brunt of the big, emotional, casualty in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" and the series creates a powerful moment that will remain so . . . unless it is undone. Leonard Snart made a powerful exit from Legends Of Tomorrow, but "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" restores the character by bringing the Earth-X doppelganger over in his place. Snart and Thawne being put back in play is interesting, but it diminishes the multiple sacrifices made that put their characters in the ground. "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" gives a big character a decent, heroic exit and it has the potential to rock the Waverider crew to its core . . . but it does not emotionally decimate the viewer because the follow-up to the loss is such a non-sequitor moment for Legends Of Tomorrow fans.

Ultimately, "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 4" does what it needs to in order to finish the crossover, but it falls more toward average than exceptional.

For other DC Television Universe Crossover episodes, please visit my reviews of:
"Crisis On Earth-X Part 1" - Supergirl
Crisis On Earth-X Part 2 - Arrow
"Invasion!" - Legends Of Tomorrow

6.5/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" Introduces More Heroes, More Villains, And Predictable Reversals!

The Good: Good performances, Decent direction, Moments of character
The Bad: Introduces/returns new characters to the mix in an already-crowded pageant, Somewhat simple plot, Whatever happened to Mick Rory?!
The Basics: The Flash is given the crossover installment "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3," which allows characters from other shows in the DC Television Universe the chance to shine.


One of the real tragedies of the crossover event that began with Supergirl last night is that by the time The Flash episode in the series comes up, the narrative momentum on The Flash has been utterly killed. Coming off the series high of "Therefore I Am" (reviewed here!), "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" seems entirely like a non-sequitor. Indeed, time has passed and The Flash and other heroes of the DC Television Universe have popped up for a completely different adventure that has absolutely nothing to do with The Thinker (Clifford DeVoe).

"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" picks up right after "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without some references as to what came before. After all, Barry Allen and Iris West's wedding was broken up by interlopers from Earth-X and most of the heroes of the four DC Television Universe shows ended up on Earth-X in a concentration camp. As well, the point of the whole invasion - and the theft of a technical device nicknamed the Prism - was finally made clear: the Earth-X Supergirl needs a new heart, so the villains intend to drain Supergirl of her powers, then perform surgery on her to steal her heart. And fans of The Flash are likely to be most thrilled (or bewildered, if they've missed the prior installments) of the return of Eobard Thawne - this time as a temporal remnant still wearing the face of Harrison Wells.

The inherent weakness of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" is that the crossover hinges on so many of the characters teaming up . . . but there have been so many who have no surfaced (both from the regular shows or the Earth-X doppelgangers). So, the viewer goes into "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" with a pretty good sense that Wally West, most of the Waverider crew, and several other heroes have simply not popped up yet and are likely to be integral to the resolution of the story. Sadly, "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" does not keep viewers waiting very long as Sarah and Dinah Lance's father appears very quickly on Earth-X, as does another familiar face.

On Earth-X, the heroes of Earth-1 (and Alex), find themselves trapped without their powers and outfitted with collars that might well kill them. Cisco Ramon awakens in one of his own cells, near Dr. Snow, Harry Wells, and the Black Siren. Kara is prepped for surgery under a light of a red sun. On Earth-X, Sarah Lance's father arrives as the commandant of the concentration camp and he has the Earth-1 heroes, and another detainee, out for execution. The group is rescued by Leo Snart, who frees the Earth-X native, The Ray. Getting back to Star City, The Ray reveals that he is from Earth-1 also.

While Felicity sends a distress signal to the Waverider, on Earth-X General Schott orders his freedom fighters to destroy the facility that contains the breach that will send the heroes back to Earth-1. Alex attempts to reason with Winn Schott, while Dr. Stein reaches out to Jefferson Jackson to apologize to him for wanting to retire. While the medical procedure on Kara begins, Felicity manages to knock the power at S.T.A.R. Labs out. On Earth-X, Oliver Queen impersonates the Fuhrer. There, he sends the alternate-Waverider to Earth-1.

Melissa Benoist continues to rock in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3." Benoist continues to play both Kara and Earth-X Kara and there are long scenes where Benoist is tasked with acting opposite only herself. Benoist manages to take on an entirely different body language as the evil Kara. More than simply hair and make-up changes, it is Melissa Benoist's performance that truly lands the major scenes in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3."

The other performance winner in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" is Jeremy Jordan. Jordan plays the alternate version of Winn Schott and the authoritative stance and voice he approaches the role with is pretty incredible.

It's hard not to be absolutely thrilled by the appearance of Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart. Miller has had a rough couple of years, but any opportunity to see him in action is truly a thrill. The moment Miller appears on "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" the viewer is likely to get completely giddy and simply thrilled by every frame he is on screen.

The relationship moments in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" work much better than in the prior two installments. Seeing Dr. Stein finally acknowledge the essential truth between him and Jefferson Jackson is delightful. It's good writing to finally have a smart character like Stein also be emotionally smart.

Like most of the prior installments, "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" is hardly an episode of The Flash; the surprise adversary is a throwback to the first season of Supergirl and Eobard Thawne's scenes are all upstaged by the emotionally-open, plan-oriented version of Leonard Snart. It is the characters from Legends Of Tomorrow and Supergirl who actually have the most to do in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3," while The Flash characters are stuck playing second fiddle on their own program.

Ultimately, "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 3" might not be much of an episode that relates to the rest of The Flash, but it is a solid penultimate act to the crossover event!

For other crossover episodes on The Flash, please visit my reviews of:
"Flash Vs. Arrow"
"Legends Of Today"
"Invasion!"
"Duet" - The Flash

7/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Character Torment Keeps "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" From Progressing Organically.

The Good: Decent performances, Moments of character, Special effects, Bits of plot progression
The Bad: Nothing - character or plot - is actually resolved, Erratic pacing, Lack of focus in the direction for the battle sequences
The Basics: Arrow continues the 2017 crossover event with "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2," which kills the plot progression to pair off characters to talk about their feelings before the villains' agenda is made clear.


When it comes to crossover episodes, one of the clear purposes of a massive crossover story is to cross-promote other shows that fans might be interested in. From where I sit, the big crossover events right around Fall Sweeps is The CW's annual attempt to force me to watch Arrow. And this year, my annual episode of Arrow is "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2."

"Part 2," obviously, picks up where "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the Arrow component of the crossover event without some references as to where the prior installment went. After all, the Supergirl portion of "Crisis On Earth-X" established the conceit that would bring together the heroes of the four CW DC Television Universe shows: the wedding of Barry Allen to Iris West. The wedding was broken up by the arrival of Nazis from another Earth and while they were repelled, most escaped. One, an archer, was captured and brought to S.T.A.R. Labs.

Opening in Central City, the captured archer from Earth-X is revealed to be Tommy Merlyn, which shakes Oliver Queen. The S.T.A.R. Labs team and its visiting heroes regroup and Harry Wells reveals that there is a 53rd Earth in the multiverse: Earth-X, an Earth where the Nazis developed (and used) the atomic bomb before the U.S. Queen tries to appeal to Tommy Merlyn, but Merlyn kills himself before he can be of use to Oliver. The three remaining villains - Earth-X Kara Danvers, Eobard Thawne (still with Harrison Wells' face), and Oliver Queen - regroup.

The various character pairs - Oliver and Felicity, Dr. Stein and Jackson, Alex and Sara - take time ot talk about their feelings . . . until the Earth-X nazis attack Dayton Optical for a prism. Kara, Queen, and Allen face off against their doppelgangers (and Thawne in Allen's place). When a battle ensues, the Earth-X Supergirl attacks a nearby building. That allows the villains to escape with the Prism, which they can use to develop into a neutron bomb. When most of the team goes to a factory where the villains have the prism, Mick Rory and Dr. Snow stay with Smoak and West at S.T.A.R. Labs to protect against the Earth-X Oliver Queen. When the Earth-X Metallo appears at the factory, the tide turns in favor of the Earth-X invaders.

The choice of villains for "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" are good. Without the Earth-X Supergirl, Supergirl alone would be able to repel the invasion and the inclusion of a Speedster enemy distracts Barry from simply taking out alternate Kara. Easily the smartest moment of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" comes when Queen came to the meeting with the doppelgangers with a Kryptonite arrow. Sensibly, Cisco Ramon remains out of action for "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2," which makes sense because Ramon would easily be able to track any of the invaders from an alternate Earth.

Felicity and Oliver take time to mull over their relationship, in the wake of Smoak telling Queen in the prior episode she did not want to marry him. Smoak's reasoning is fairly solid; the last time she got engaged, she was shot. Smoak is good at explaining just what is important to her and why, while Queen seems blindly determined to marry her.

The relationship between Stein and Jackson is well-explored (albeit briefly) in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2." Jackson finally is able to tell Stein how important his other half is to him in the face of Stein's impending retirement. It's nice to see Jackson finally open up and it is unfortunate that Stein, who latched so completely onto his temporally-anomalous daughter, would be so thick in regard to how Jackson feels.

The relationship portion of the episode slows the momentum of the story that was left at the climax of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2." While it is enjoyable to see something other than a bland action-adventure crossover, the "everybody gets a chance to try to resolve their emotional turmoil" scenes quickly start to feel like the same type of trope. The characters on the four CW DC Television Universe shows are all dealing with big emotional conflicts . . . it is this moment when ALL of them manage to start having an honest dialogue about what is going on between them?! This is equally frustrating because most of the conversations remain unresolved, so the conversations feel more melodramatic than real.

The dramatic suit-up scene is painful to watch for its sense of melodrama after all of the relationship discussions. There is something entirely ridiculous about the dramatic shirt opening to reveal Supergirl when she is in a lab surrounded by people who know who she is. In other words, there is no reason for her to assume a Kara Danvers persona at S.T.A.R. Labs where everybody knows she is Supergirl.

The big battle sequences all seem to underplay the power of Firestorm, especially in contrast to people like Oliver Queen. In fact, as Firestorm pointlessly zips around taking out footsoldiers, it's hard not to ask "why doesn't Firestorm transmute Earth-X Kara's outfit into Kryptonite?" Certainly, that would both incapacitate her and contain her. Firestorm simply zipping around like a half-assed flaming Superman reduces his power and Professor Stein's intelligence.

The actors in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" all do fine with the parts they are given, but outside Melissa Benoist and Stephen Amell, none are charged with doing anything that truly challenges them. Benoist, especially, has to play an alternate, dark version of her character and the best that can be said about the Earth-X Supergirl is that Benoist manages to not play her with even a hint of how she played Bizarro.

Ultimately, "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" manages to finally get around to explaining what the point (in-universe) of the crossover is. The idea of why the Earth-X invaders have come is an interesting one, though it seems like a somewhat troublesome conceit. If the Earth-X Supergirl needs Kara's heart, it seems like she and her team might have had a much easier time of getting it if they had attacked Kara on her native Earth. "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" leaves the viewer desperate to understand how someone as smart as Eobard Thawne could make such an obvious mistake.

The net result of the various contradictions and plot holes is that "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" develops into a very average hour of television.

For other DC Television Universe Crossover episodes, please visit my reviews of:
"Invasion!" - Arrow
"Pilot, Part I" - Legends Of Tomorrow
"Medusa" - Supergirl

5/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Blase Beginning: "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" Is A Crowded, Divergent, Start To The Next Big Crossover Event!

The Good: Performances are fine, Good direction
The Bad: Continuity (kills the momentum of Supergirl), Final reveal is more dull than revelatory, No real character development, Formulaic plot
The Basics: Supergirl starts the "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" and it has so much to do to tie together the four DC Television Universe shows that it does remarkably little of its own.


One of the more unfortunate aspects of the DC Television Universe is the crossover episode. The trope is a problematic one, especially when Supergirl is forced to incorporate with the rest of the DC Television Universe and protagonist Kara Zor-El has to make a trip between universes just to include her. So, there's usually a contrived threat, then a contrived coming together, then a forced conflict between the characters - who range now from metahumans to vigilantes to time travelers to extraterrestrials - before a massive conflict that results in a solution that only works out because all of the various teams contributed. For the latest crossover, "Crisis On Earth-X," the binding initiating incident is the wedding of Barry Allen.

And that begins the issues with both "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" and the crossover in general. In Supergirl, the story has been going along just fine, building its own thing and the narrative momentum - shaken up just last week with "Wake Up" (reviewed here!) - makes a pretty abrupt stop to divert for the wedding of Barry Allen and Iris West. Starting the wedding on Supergirl is a conceit that comes from the days of the week the DC Television Universe shows air on instead of a sensible storytelling order. As a result, the first appearance of Supergirl in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" has Kara fighting a Dominator (out of nowhere!) with the only real purpose being to make a joke that alludes to last year's big sweeps crossover event.

Opening on Earth-X, which is a world where the United States is under Nazi rule, an archer takes out an entire scientific team. The archer kills Guardian, who is still James Olsen in that reality. In Central City, The Flash prepares for his wedding day by taking on King Shark and in Star City, Felicity bugs Oliver to get him to commit to going to Iris and Barry's wedding. In 1183 England, the Waverider crew cuts their mission short to go prepare for the wedding and Kara, mourning the return of Mon-El (who is now married) talks with Alex about her feelings . . . and Barry Allen's wedding. While the four groups come together, on Earth-X, the scientists prepare to test their new super weapon, with a one-day deadline.

At the rehearsal dinner, Felicity tells Oliver she does not want to marry him. The next morning, Alex wakes up with Sara and freaks out. The wedding begins fairly normally, until the officiant is killed by the Earth-X version of Supergirl and Earth-X Nazis invade the church. In the ensuing fight, The Flash rescues his civilian guests and the bulk of the invaders are put down by the others. When the battle turns against the invaders, the interlopers retreat. While the heroes from Earth-1 manage to capture an archer from the invaders, Prometheus, the three main invaders manage to escape.

"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" has a number of major events spread throughout the DC Television Universe on Supergirl, which is an awkward and somewhat ridiculous conceit. National City and the universe of Supergirl is entirely divorced from the other three shows. So, Dr. Stein and Jefferson Jackson's quest to separate Firestorm, Oliver and Felicity's on-again, off-again relationship, and even the wedding of Barry Allen is not even peripherally related to Supergirl.

The first half of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" has everyone coming to our Earth (Earth-1). Barry and Iris suggest to Oliver and Felicity that they get married, the S.T.A.R. Labs team miraculously develops the cure Stein has been looking for in order to separate from Jackson. The only truly organic aspect of the many people coming together is that Kara brings Alex as her "plus one" and she gets super drunk and ends up in bed with Sara Lance. For a generally fluffy episode, "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" continues the realistic portrayal of a heartbroken woman (Alex) turning to alcohol and uncharacteristic decisions.

Unfortunately, most of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" is forced and contrived. Barry Allen invites Kara to sing at the wedding, which is a particularly lazy way to get Melissa Benoist singing on-screen again (Grant Gustin and Benoist were both on Glee prior to being cast as super heroes) and it feels almost as forced as the Waverider crew talking about going to the wedding mid-battle. Ironically, most of the best lines in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" are delivered by Mick Rory. Dominic Purcell might not have a huge role in "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1," but he makes the most of it.

"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" is not actually a Supergirl episode; it is barely a television episode. Most of "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1," despite being very stylishly directed, feels like a trailer to an action movie or a commercial. The fast-pace, lack of depth, the obvious plotting (Stein's moral dilemma quickly turns into an incident that proves to him the value of Firestorm), and the lack of genuine surprises or character development make "Crisis On Earth-X, Part 1" a very disappointing start to the crossover event.

For other DC Television Universe Crossover episodes, please visit my reviews of:
"Flash Vs. Arrow" - The Flash
"Invasion!" - Arrow
"Invasion!" - Legends Of Tomorrow
"Duet" - The Flash

3.5/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Father Issues And Grodd Preoccupy "Welcome To The Jungle"

The Good: Moments of character, Special effects
The Bad: Poor use of humor, Very simplistic plot
The Basics: Legends Of Tomorrow brings Grodd back to the DC Television Universe in "Welcome To The Jungle," which is an erratic episode.


With an entire universe of villains, it is always interesting to see in what direction Legends Of Tomorrow goes. For the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow, a new Big Bad has been insinuated by Rip Hunter, but by "Welcome To The Jungle" the show is fairly preoccupied with Damien Darhk as the adversary. "Welcome To The Jungle" picks up after an attack by Darhk, his daughter, and Amaya Jiwe's evil grand-daughter. So, instead of suffering yet another episode where Darhk is the primary adversary, it is refreshing to see a different DC Universe villain come back into play.

"Welcome To The Jungle" picks up after "Helen Hunt" (reviewed here!) and the consequences of the prior episode resonate throughout it. After all, Damien Darhk nearly killed Sara Lance and she remains in a coma in "Welcome To The Jungle" and Dr. Stein wanted to alter the Firestorm matrix to free Jefferson Jackson.

In December 1967, Alpha Team in Vietnam is attacked and only one American soldier manages to escape the threat found there. With Captain Lance out of commission, the Waverider crew decides to randomly pick an anachronism to fix. The crew picks a Level 8 Anachronism in December of 1967 in Vietnam to fix. At the height of the Vietnam War, the Waverider crew finds things surprisingly peaceful as most of the populace in the area has been subdued . . . by Grodd.

While Mick Rory and Dr. Heywood encounter Rory's father in the jungle, Jiwe, Tomaz and Palmer go looking for the anachronism. The trio finds Grodd while posing as journalists and shortly thereafter, the anachronism escalates from an 8 to a 10 and Gideon informs the team that a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia is imminent. Grodd plans to bring peace to humanity by killing President Johnson and letting humanity wipe much of itself out.

"Welcome To The Jungle" finally has characters within Legends Of Tomorrow questioning their own relationship to the anachronisms and that is refreshing to see. It's no longer treated as random that Stein ran into his ancestor, Palmer's younger self was part of an anachronism, and now Rory has encountered his own father. Mick Rory finally sees a different side of his father, which is almost enough to make up for the truly lame joke that introduces Dick Rory to the narrative. Rory has been a pleasant surprise for Legends Of Tomorrow by playing him with more depth and complexity than he previously was revealed as having. "Welcome To The Jungle" manages to deepen the character without completely undoing his flaws.

Zari Tomaz runs into a decent moral dilemma in "Welcome To The Jungle" when Palmer reveals that Grodd used to be in an A.R.G.U.S. prison. Given that Tomaz comes from a time where A.R.G.U.S. is a villain, the idea of capturing Grodd and sending him back to A.R.G.U.S. makes her uneasy.

That Grodd would use the chaos of the Vietnam War to try to alter human history is an intriguing one, but like most Grodd stories, "Welcome To The Jungle" has a somewhat simple problem/simple solution to it.

Outside the Grodd storyline, "Welcome To The Jungle" is preoccupied with Mick Rory and the strength of the episode will truly only be revealed by how Rory acts in subsequent episodes. Resolving issues with Rory's father makes for an interesting character journey and Dominic Purcell performs the slow transition in his character well. The other decent performance in the episode undermines Dr. Stein as Caity Lotz portrays Lance as clearly under Grodd's influence.

Ultimately, "Welcome To The Jungle" is a pretty average hour of television: nothing truly stands out and develops, but very little is truly horrible in it either.

5/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Helen Hunt" Is Fun, Well-Performed Legends Of Tomorrow!

The Good: Amazing acting by Franz Drameh and Victor Garber, Good plot progression, Moments of character
The Bad: Simple plot, Crowded character palate (dilutes the impact of some big moments)
The Basics: "Helen Hunt" is generally decent Legends Of Tomorrow that has a few too many characters, but a pair of absolutely amazing performance that elevate the episode.


One of the intriguing character aspects of the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow is how the Waverider crew has parted ways with Rip Hunter. The concept of Legends Of Tomorrow was begun when Rip Hunter assembled the disparate DC Comics and DC Television Universe characters into a crew to attempt to defeat Vandal Savage. So, the idea that the Waverider crew would continue on its own without Rip Hunter and, in fact, in direct opposition to their former Captain is an intriguing one. "Helen Hunt" is the first full episode where the Waverider crew is working entirely in opposition to Rip Hunter's goals.

"Helen Hunt" follows on "Return Of The Mack" (reviewed here!), which has retasked the Legends with once again finding Damien Darhk and his daughter, Eleanor Darhk. "Helen Hunt" is a surprisingly strong, often funny, ensemble piece that plays the usual Anachronism Of The Week concept out in a fresh-feeling way.

Opening in Hollywood, 1937, Helen Of Troy wanders onto a soundstage. The Waverider is in the Temporal Zone, where Dr. Heywood is searching for clues for where Damien Darhk and Ray Palmer is trying to devise a way to separate Dr. Stein and Jefferson Jackson from one another. In the process, Stein and Jax switch bodies. Heywood finds the anachronism; Helen Of Troy and the Waverider heads to avert a war between major movie studios that was not supposed to happen.

When the Waverider crew, less Jackson in Stein's body, infiltrates a Hollywood party where Helen Of Troy makes her appearance, Lance encounters Damien Darhk. Darhk is working as Helen Of Troy's agent and at a parlay with him, Darhk offers Lance a deal. Despite Darhk's warnings, Lance, Jiwe and Tomaz infiltrate a Hollywood party and abduct Helen Of Troy. With the Waverider disappearing piece by piece, Stein goes to get Hedy Lamarr back on historical track to restore the technology upon which the timeship is based.

"Helen Hunt" is a lot of fun. While the plot may be a pretty standard Legends Of Tomorrow episode, the performances in the episode truly raise the bar. Victor Garber and Franz Drameh rule "Helen Hunt." Garber and Drameh spend the bulk of "Helen Hunt" doing impersonations of each other playing Stein and Jackson. One has to imagine the two sitting around honing their impressions of one another to sell the idea that they could pull off the body-switch for their characters and they two actors nail it perfectly. Drameh expertly gets the cadences of Victor Garber. Garber manages to get most of Drameh's tone and cadences down pat as well.

As "Helen Hunt" moves towards its conclusion, the episode begins to feel a bit crowded. As Sara Lance and Damien Darhk begin their inevitable duel, it is broken up by a fight between Amaya Jiwe and Kuasa. Kuasa as a totem-bearer is the natural adversary for Jiwe, but lacking the years of backstory and build-up between the two, it guts the potential emotional resonance of the fight between Lance and Darhk.

"Helen Hunt" continues to slowly develop Zari Tomaz and her plotline in the episode illustrates the weakness of Legends Of Tomorrow as an ensemble piece. Tomaz has a compelling arc that is almost entirely glossed over in "Helen Hunt." Tomaz is new to the Waverider crew and there has not yet been a chance to give her a full episode that truly fleshes her out. As a result, she is being characterized on the fly and the important moments she has in the episode feel more like forced exposure for the character than anything organic.

The episode's final moment is somewhat insulting to fans of the DC Comics Universe, but the bulk of "Helen Hunt" is smart, fun and incredibly well-performed.

For other works with Bar Paly, please visit my reviews of:
Non-Stop
Pain & Gain

6/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Return Of The Mack" Restores Damien Darhk To Legends Of Tomorrow!

The Good: Good performances, Decent special effects, Moments of character.
The Bad: Simplistic plot, Repetitive character elements for the villain and Tomaz.
The Basics: "Return Of The Mack" causes tension within the Legends Of Tomorrow as Rip Hunter returns on a one-man quest to stop the new Big Bad.


One of the cool things about Legends Of Tomorrow is that the show can be pretty much anything it wants within the DC Television Universe. The freedom to go anywhere in time and introduce any adversary the producers want makes for an enjoyable concept for the show. With "Return Of The Mack," the writers and producers decided to introduce a vampire into the Legends Of Tomorrow narrative. Given that immortals, speedsters and aliens have already appeared on Legends Of Tomorrow, it might seem unsurprising that a vampire is the new enemy for an episode. Fortunately, the episode treads toward rational with a less-supernatural villain than traditional vampires.

"Phone Home" (reviewed here!) led into "Return Of The Mack" with Dr. Stein stealing the Waverider in order to attend the birth of his first grandchild and Zari beginning to bond with Ray Palmer. Jefferson Jackson wants to split up Firestorm in order to give Dr. Stein his freedom to spend time with his family. "Return Of The Mack" quickly diverges from the prior episode by reuniting Rip Hunter with the Waverider crew.

In London, 1895, Rip Hunter follows a woman who is afraid of him, but leads him to a corpse who appears to have been killed by a vampire. Ray Palmer severs the psychic link between Jax and Stein right before Dr. Heywood reveals he has discovered the pattern to the time anachronisms created by the Legends breaking time. There are, however, two outliers in his map: the Seattle incident where Zari was hunted by a bounty hunter and 1895 London. The Waverider crew goes to London where they discover the local coroner has a PalmerTech watch from the future, which he stole off the corpse of a "vampire."

Rip Hunter offers the Legends a deal; he will call off the Time Bureau in exchange for the Legends helping him stop the vampires and draw out their master, Malus. Using Dr. Heywood as bait, the Legends learn that one of Stein's ancestors is part of the secret society that is obsessed with the occult. When Damien Darhk pops up in London, Rip Hunter becomes convinced that he is integral to Malus's sinister plan. When Hunter turns on the Waverider crew, Tomaz is the only member of the crew off the ship and it falls to her to stop Malus's attempt to resurrect Damien Darhk.

"Return Of The Mack" has the comparatively joyless return of Rip Hunter and he annoyingly plays Sherlock Holmes throughout much of his time in old London. Peppered more conservatively throughout "Return Of The Mack" is Zari Tomaz's story. Tomaz wants to return to a year before she was rescued by the Waverider crew to save the life of her brother. Tomaz presents a rational argument, but it is familiar to fans of Legends Of Tomorrow is Captain Lance went through the same thing with her sister.

Rip Hunter finally makes the purpose of the third season explicit in "Return Of The Mack." Hunter describes Malus, an ancient evil, who appears to be altering time through outlier incidents that will allow him to build an army. Malus, apparently, is much like Eobard Thawne, traveling through time to recruit his team. The fact that Damien Darhk comes back into play in Legends Of Tomorrow makes the insinuated villain feel very derivative.

Victor Garber is given the fun chance to perform dual roles in "Return Of The Mack" and it is almost a shame that the character of Henry Stein is not fleshed out more. Despite that, it is fun to see him play a tangential role to his more familiar Dr. Stein.

The totems that Jiwe and Tomaz are given more powers in "Return Of The Mack," but their nature continues to defy a scientific explanation. Similarly, Captain Lance's wonderful new low-cut costume seems to defy the conventions of protecting one's body (it's not exactly sensible armor, no matter how wonderful it is to see Caity Lotz!). Despite that, "Return Of The Mack" does a good job of finally introducing the main villain of the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow, albeit in a fairly simple way.

For other works with Courtney Ford, please visit my reviews of:
True Blood
Parenthood - Season 3

5/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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