Seth MacFarlane Makes Better Trek With The Orville Season 1 Than The Current Custodians Of That Franchise!

The Good: Good dialogue, Engaging plots, Decent characters and character development, Genuinely funny, Special effects
The Bad: Short season, Some moments of predictability/less-developed characters
The Basics: The Orville Season 1 is a love letter to what Star Trek used to be with fresh, realistic dialogue and characters, making it a must-watch show!


Seth MacFarlane is, no doubt, tired of hearing comparisons between his show, The Orville, and Star Trek. And yet, it is hard not to make those comparisons given that the writing for The Orville - at least on the plot and theme fronts - is such a clear homage to Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In some of its most clever moments, The Orville even makes allusions to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager; yes, all of the Star Trek franchise from when the franchise was growing, at its peak, and maintained a pretty consistent level of quality. Anyone who has listened to a commentary track or interview featuring Seth MacFarlane or have watched the episodes he wrote and developed of his other shows knows that Seth MacFarlane is a big fan of the Star Trek franchise. And while The Orville is not part of the Star Trek franchise, it has more of the thematic heart and soul of Star Trek than the hideous current Star Trek television series, Star Trek: Discovery.

But, to dispense with the comparative aspects, The Orville Season 1 is a twelve episode season of science fiction comedy that follows the adventures of the starship Orville, 400 years in the future. The adventures are, largely, recognizable to fans of the Star Trek franchise. There is an "everybody falls in love" style episode, an "alien culture with one key difference makes for an allegory to a contemporary social problem" style episode, aliens capture important crewmembers for a zoo or experimentation and the season finale is deft weaving together of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Meridian" (reviewed here!) and the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Blink Of An Eye" (reviewed here!). The Orville even cleverly rewrites and reworks the classic Star Trek episode "For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky" (reviewed here!). The plots of The Orville are not likely to surprise fans of the Star Trek franchise.

But those fans are likely to be entertained and excited by the twelve episodes of the first season of The Orville.

The Orville is a science fiction comedy and what sets it apart from the more straightlaced science fiction works like (most of) the Star Trek franchise is the dialogue and the characters. The characters in The Orville talk like real people, they interact like real people, they encounter their fantastic circumstances and alien influences like human beings, not over-the-top archetypes. The characters interact with a surprising sense of realism; the series opens with the would-be Captain being cheated on and he does not simply forgive his ex-wife, the helmsman and navigator joke with one another and develop a friendship but Lt. Malloy is a bad influence on Lt. LaMarr, and the ship's doctor is hit on relentlessly by a gelatinous being who she is not interested in. The alien characters, like Alara, have realistic conflicts - her boyfriend is intimidated by her physical strength, so she finds herself constantly loveless. The most prominent alien couple, Bortus and his partner Klyden, are strained when they have a child . . . and the robot character, Isaac, acts as a mirror that allows human nature to be explicitly explored.

Set hundreds of years in the future, when humans are the dominant population of the interstellar Union, Ed Mercer returns home to find his wife in bed with a blue-skinned alien. Pissed off, Mercer leaves Kelly and loathes her for her behavior. But, when the Orville is commissioned and prepared to leave spacedock, Kelly calls in a favor from Admiral Halsey, arranging for Mercer to get command of the new ship. Kelly is assigned as First Officer of the Orville, much to Mercer's disgust. But, Mercer assembles his command staff and the ship heads out into the galaxy.

On the outer reaches of explored space, the Orville comes under attack by the Krill, a vicious alien race that thrives on warfare. The ship encounters a massive colony ship where the people are ignorant of the fact that they are aboard a spaceship and they are oppressed by a fanatical religious order. One of the command crew gets trapped in a series of nightmares and the all-male race that is represented on the Orville by Bortus and Klyden experiences a schism when the pair has a daughter. Kelly accidentally influences a less-evolved alien race and Mercer and Malloy have to go undercover on a Krill ship to prevent a major attack on the Union.

The Orville features characters who joke with one another, react in unprofessional ways - they get freaked out by horrible or dangerous things when they encounter them - and have realistic, often carnal, needs. The characters make mistakes, try to live up to higher ideals and do not always succeed and they hold grudges. As a result, The Orville Season 1 is remarkably accessible and entertaining. The characters are relatable and in most of the episodes, they are funny. The show is dominated by the hate-love relationship between Ed Mercer and Kelly Grayson, but most of the characters are surprisingly well-developed over the course of the first season.

In the first season of The Orville, the primary characters are:

Captain Ed Mercer - Promoted to Captain of the Orville, he is bitter about having to take Grayson on as his First Officer. He is good-natured and friendly and curious about the cultures of the different alien races of his crew and the planets the Orville visits. He is friends with Malloy and slowly comes to rely upon Grayson for her perspective. He is good at improvising when he has to and does his best to oversee the crew of the Orville, even though he does not know all their names,

Commander Kelly Grayson - Mercer's ex-wife, she had an affair with Darulio and is shocked when he turns up as an expert needed for one of the Orville's missions. She is patient with Mercer while he works through his feelings over her betrayal. She befriends Alara and quickly recognizes the potential in LaMarr and advocates on his behalf,

Dr. Claire Finn - A single mother of two boys, she sees to the wellbeing of the crew of the Orville. She is hit on by Yaphit - a gelatinous assistant chief engineer who is very smarmy - and is excellent at her job,

Lt. Commander Bortus - One of two Moclans (an all-male race) aboard the Orville, he is married to Klyden and he acts as the ship's Second Officer. He and Klyden are shocked when they have a girl, which forces them to return to Moclan to determine what to do about their gendered child. He is unfamiliar with human customs and is awkward in many of their social situations. He and Klyden become somewhat estranged after their daughter is born,

Lt. Alara Kitan - The security chief of the Orville, she is a young woman with super-strength because of her planet's higher-gravity. Mercer quickly comes to rely upon her for her strength when the ship encounters closed doors and violent aliens. When she freezes up during an emergency in Engineering, she becomes determined to excise herself of fear,

Lt. Gordon Malloy - A slacker helmsman, he loves practical jokes and is one of the few members of the Orville crew that Mercer knows coming in. He is sarcastic and pranks Isaac until the robot's turnabout turns out to be horrible for him. He is a bad influence on LaMarr, but he is so good at what he does that Mercer taps him to help infiltrate a Krill warship,

Lt. John LaMarr - The ship's navigator, he tries to fly under the radar by not living up to his potential. He is part of a mission where he humps a statue and becomes a criminal on a planet where criminals are judged by social media. He is put in the running for Chief Engineer when Newton decides to move on,

and Isaac - The ship's science officer and a robot, he is unfamiliar with many human mannerisms and asks the bridge crew about them. With a power supply that is designed to last for millions of years, he is chosen for a mission on a planet where time moves at a very different rate than in our universe. He tries his hand at pranks with Malloy and mutilates the other bridge officer!

The Orville might be derivative of Star Trek for its plots and sense of cultural advancement, but it has a strong, unique look and feel to it. The Orville is well-lit, the crew moves at a relaxed pace, the faster-than-light engine conceit is a fun light-up effect on the aft bows of the ship; the universe in which The Orville is set looks advanced and comfortable, while still populating that setting with relatable characters.

Seth MacFarlane wrote most of the episodes in the first season of The Orville and he stars as Captain Ed Mercer. MacFarlane and Adrienne Palicki have great on-screen chemistry to play the bickering couple, while maintaining a sense that the characters might well have had good years together prior to their split. Peter Macon and Halston Sage play the alien characters with a delightful, off-put quality that makes them feel like they are not quite used to working with the humans their characters are surrounded by. Penny Johnson Jerald leaps into the role of Chief Medical Officer with all the jargon her Star Trek Deep Space Nine character was never saddled with quite ably.

Ultimately, The Orville Season 1 is an entertaining, thematically-smart science fiction romp that manages to consistently find the right balance between humor and moralizing, realistic dialogue and science fiction action sequences, making for one of the 2017 television season's most delightful surprises!

For other works from the 2017 - 2018 television season, please check out my reviews of:
The Punisher - Season 1
"A Life Earned" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Inhumans - Season 1
Stranger Things - Season 2
Rick And Morty - Season 3
"Beebo The God Of War" - Legends Of Tomorrow
"Don't Run" - The Flash
"Reign" - Supergirl
"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" - Arrow
"Into The Forest I Go" - Star Trek: Discovery
Twin Peaks - Season 3 ("The Return")
Game Of Thrones - Season 7
The Defenders - Season 1
Friends From College - Season 1

7/10

For other television and movie reviews, please check out my Film 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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Human Infants Are Worthless! (A Dominator Infant Rocks In "Phone Home!")

The Good: Good use of humor, Decent performances, Good character development, Fun allusions
The Bad: B-plot is troublingly obvious, Tomaz evolves way too quickly to feel organic
The Basics: Legends Of Tomorrow continues to explore the consequences of breaking time in "Phone Home," which puts Ray Palmer in jeopardy.


Almost immediately in the third season of Legends Of Tomorrow, the magnificent consequences of the second season's final scene was undone. The idea that the Waverider, crashing into an amalgamation of buildings and creatures from different times would have broken time in a way that was serious and had major consequences seemed too much for the writers to stick with. So, Rip Hunter returned with a new, more efficient, agency for fixing time, and the newly-dubbed "anachronisms" are essentially the same type of temporal anomalies as in prior seasons, this time stemming out of Hunter's Time Bureau not being quite as efficient as they initially seemed.

"Phone Home" follows on the events of "Zari" (reviewed here!), which added a new character and a new totem to Legends Of Tomorrow. Perhaps to balance that, "Phone Home" puts Ray Palmer in mortal peril.

In Ivy Town, 1988, the child Ray Palmer is pursued by government agents. In the temporal zone on the Waverider, Ray Palmer is attempting trust-building exercises when he disappears . . . having been killed in 1988. Returning to 1988, Ray Palmer rematerializes and begins to participate in rescuing his younger self. In following the young Palmer, Ray witnesses his younger self feeding a baby Dominator.

While his younger self is supposed to be at school, Palmer and Tomaz try to extract the Dominator. Unfortunately, Ray is skipping school and the two from the Waverider get trapped in his bedroom. When little Ray decides to run away with the Dominator, Tomaz chases him down. While Tomaz is captured by the anti-alien Glasses, Sara Lance is captured by a Dominator Queen.

"Phone Home" allows Ray Palmer to be fleshed out from his usual optimistic self. Palmer is revealed to be unfortunately naive as a child, getting bullied even as he tries to help out the baby Dominator. "Phone Home" is a wake-up call for Ray Palmer, as he starts to accept he was lonely as a child and still lonely as an adult. The episode is also an opportunity to flesh-out Tomaz. Tomaz is a bit of a pessimist, who grew up in a dystopia, so she is pretty much the opposite of Ray Palmer and that plays out fairly well over the course of the episode.

Throughout "Phone Home," Dr. Stein quietly exhibits boredom with being on the Waverider. His apathy toward being on the Waverider leads Rory to spy upon him and he assumes Stein has corrupt motivations. In the course of "Phone Home" Stein's true motivation is revealed and it is presented with a weird sense of temporal urgency that makes no real sense. Rory and Jackson steal the Waverider for Stein, but given the nature of the errand they are on, the immediacy of it is ridiculous.

The humor in "Phone Home" hits far more than it misses, making for a very satisfying episode of Legends Of Tomorrow. "Phone Home" is an episode very much intended for a science fiction literate audience. The lines that are direct allusions to other works hit quite a well and the episode manages to find just the right balance between doing its own thing and making hilarious references to past works.

Tala Ashe does well in "Phone Home" at fleshing out Zari Tomaz, even if her character's arc is rushed over the course of this episode. In case no one else has said it, Ashe proves herself the logical successor to Morena Baccarin with her performance style in "Phone Home;" she has a similar sense of timing.

Ultimately, "Phone Home" manages to be clever and fun without mortgaging its own sense of importance.

For other works with Susie Abromeit, please visit my reviews of:
Jessica Jones - Season 1
Battle Los Angeles
Sex Drive

7.5/10

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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"Zari" Becomes The Latest Addition To Legends Of Tomorrow!

The Good: Decent use of humor, Adequate performances
The Bad: No real character development, No big moments that lead to stellar, Very simple plot
The Basics: "Zari" introduces a new mystical amulet to Legends Of Tomorrow in an otherwise lackluster episode.


As fans of Legends Of Tomorrow wait for the inevitable appearance of the much-alluded to villain that Rip Hunter believes the Legends might be able to thwart, the Waverider crew continues to grow. Every season, the Waverider picks up at least one new crewmember and for the third season, the new character appears to be Zari Adrianna Tomaz. She is introduced in the episode, appropriately titles, "Zari." Zari Tomaz is part of the Captain Marvel (Shazam!) corner of the DC Comics universe and, to be up front, that is a corner I have minimal familiarity with. As a result, my review of "Zari" is a pure review of the Legends Of Tomorrow episode without any influence from the source material.

"Zari" comes immediately after "Freakshow" (reviewed here!), which saw the return of Amaya Jiwe to the Waverider. Jiwe's powers have been acting erratically for her and she has inadvertently become a killer. As the Waverider moves on to its next mission, Jiwe's condition is being investigated by the crew. The final scene of "Freakshow" becomes instantly relevant as the waterbeing, Kuasa, plays an integral role right out of the gate.

Opening in Seattle, 2042, there is a police state that is transporting a prisoner. The transport is destroyed by Kuasa and the prisoner escapes, but the murder of the police is witnessed by Gary, the agent from the Time Bureau. Gary's distress call leads the Waverider crew to Seattle where A.R.G.U.S. is hunting metahumans. After Gary explains the threat represented by Kuasa, Lance, Rory, Palmer, and Heywood go to rescue Zari, Kuasa's target. Zari, however, is not at all interested in being found. While the bulk of the Waverider crew tries to protect Zari (inadvertently leading Kuasa to her), Dr. Stein attempts to analyze what is wrong with Jiwe.

To stop Kuasa, Lance enlists Zari who wants her brother freed from an A.R.G.U.S. prison. While Jiwe and Heywood take a Gideon-synthesized version of a Zambezi root, Zari's true motive is revealed when she steals an amulet from the prison. With Heywood and Jiwe attempting a vision quest, the Waverider crew desperately attempts to find Zari. Palmer manages to track and converse with Zari, who is in shock when she finds her rendezvous point compromised. In the process of rescuing Zari, Jiwe realizes that Zari's amulet is a super-powered totem, much like her own.

The time traveling bounty hunter is an interesting idea and the fact that she is essentially a watery shapeshifter makes her intriguing. It is, in fact, somewhat idiotic that Lance attempts to fight Kuasa with sticks. If ever there were a time when Captain Cold would be useful, fighting Kuasa seems like it would be it. The fact that Rory does not attempt to vaporize her seems suspect.

"Zari" is a very simple episode for introducing the new character. Tomaz is presented very simply as a damsel in distress who is able to fight Kuasa and evade A.R.G.U.S. only through the use of her amulet. Tala Ashe does fine as Tomaz with the material she is given, but her entrance into the DC Television universe is an unfortunately bland one. Tomaz is defined more by her prop than by anything else in her personality, but Ashe is able to rise to the occasion for one of the episode's funniest moments when she Tomaz reacts to Gary spilling the beans about the nature of the Waverider.

None of the main characters of Legends Of Tomorrow are given big moments to play in "Zari" and none of them truly grow or develop. Between that and the simplicity of the bounty hunter hunting a person who needs to be rescued by time-travelers, "Zari" is a bland, but funny outing for the Legends Of Tomorrow.

For other works with Victor Garber, please visit my reviews of:
Legends Of Tomorrow - Season 2
"Duet" - The Flash
"Invasion!" - The Flash
Legends Of Tomorrow - Season 1
The Flash - Season 2
Sicario
The Flash - Season 1
Argo
Milk
Alias
Legally Blonde
Titanic

2.5/10

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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"Freakshow" Is Fresh Legends Of Tomorrow!

The Good: Good character development, Fun casting
The Bad: Very lame tiger effects, Very basic plot and villains
The Basics: Legends Of Tomorrow returns to fun while actually making its characters deeper in "Freakshow."


Legends Of Tomorrow comes with a surprisingly strong flexibility to it. As an ensemble piece with a cast that can be changed out and pull both established characters from the Berlanti-DC Television Universe or adapting characters to it, Legends Of Tomorrow can be pretty much anything it wants to be. So, when the show makes an attempt to do something smart or deep, it is well within the show's range to do so. "Freakshow" has the show's familiar use of humor that it blends with a decent level of adult conflict and serious moments.

Following on the events of "Aruba-Con" (reviewed here!), which saw most of the Waverider crew coming back together in the wake of Rip Hunter forming the Time Bureau to fix the damage the crew did to time itself, "Freakshow" puts the focus on Dr. Nate Heywood and an anomaly of the week. The anomaly is a sabretooth tiger, which affords Legends Of Tomorrow the chance to insert P.T. Barnum into the narrative.

Six months ago in Central City, Amaya Jiwe and Dr. Heywood are living together. While Heywood runs out for doughnuts, Jiwe sees a television report on Vixen and she freaks out and abandons the doctor. In the present, Dr. Palmer perfects his shrink ray and the Waverider crew attempts to evaluate the anachronism files from Rip Hunter's Temporal Bureau. The Waverider crew heads to Wisconsin, 1870, to P.T. Barnum's circus. There, they discover the anachronism is a sabretooth tiger and they unwittingly make it large and it gets loose. Sara Lance heads back to 1942 to enlist Jiwe in the mission. When Jiwe joins the Waverider crew on the mission, the distance between her and Heywood leads Heywood to go out drinking.

In the process, Palmer and Jackson are captured by P.T. Barnum, who adds them to his freakshow. While looking for the pair, Lance notices her crew is being surveilled by a member of Rip's Time Bureau. Lance captures Gary and in the process draws the attention of Agent Sharpe, who boards the Waverider. Dr. Stein and Rory manage to rescue their teammates and when the crisis abates, Jiwe confesses to her friends what has been going on with her since she left the team.

"Freakshow" has a very familiar plot to several other episodes of Legends Of Tomorrow and the novelty of P.T. Barnum being played by Billy Zane does not wear thin over the course of the episode. The impressive aspect of "Freakshow" is that the relationship between Heywood and Jiwe is adequately explored in a compelling and adult way. Abandonment is a huge issue for adults in romantic relationships and Heywood's sense of loss is realistically portrayed in "Freakshow." Beyond that, Nick Zano and Maisie Richardson-Sellers manage to portray their characters with an exceptional sense of on-screen chemistry, making the depth of Heywood's loss seem plausible.

The plot of "Freakshow" is yet another simple "rescue the crew from a historic problem" episode, but most of the episode feels fresh. Sure, Billy Zane plays another villain and Brandon Routh plays Palmer as more dippy and humorous than smart and professional, but Caity Lotz finds the right balance of kicking ass and humor in "Freakshow." And Victor Garber comes through with his usual coolness. Dominic Purcell has yet another moment where he is given a joke that is seriously telegraphed, but he pulls off.

"Freakshow" manages to continue developing Sara Lance as a true hero and reasonable timeship captain. Lance wants to know what is in store for the Waverider crew the moment Agent Sharpe slips up. Lance is starting to see the big picture on the Waverider's mandate and it is refreshing to see her developing as a leader. Lance starts to trust her crew and use their talents by the end of "Freakshow" and that is real development for both the character and Legends Of Tomorrow.

Ultimately, "Freakshow" manages to take the familiar plot of Legends Of Tomorrow and infuse it with enough character development to make it feel fresh again.

For other works with Paul Lazenby, please visit my reviews of:
Star Trek: Beyond
Deadpool
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

6/10

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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