One of the things I loved about the old Buffy and Angel series is the unexpected turn when it came to characters you started to care about. Who they were and what their back story was? Such was the case with Thursday night’s part two of the pilot episode. Warning, spoilers ahead…
Part one put all the pieces and players in place but it was part two that put its stamp on where this series could be headed and the consequences and repercussions of messing with the time line could cause. Makes me wonder if there will be any residual effects for the other series on the CW? One would think there should be. This would make for an epic 3-parter involving The Flash, Arrow and Legends.
There are two standouts in this episode, the first being Captain Cold and Heat Wave. I’ve always felt that the character of Cold worked better as part of a group than just as a solo act. He teeters between being a decent person and a crook. Heat Wave is the brawn and the comic relief. And you know what, it works and they work very well together. There is a sense of balance between them as the “bad guys” and the rest of the “good guys”. I can see how each will influence the others. This was especially nice with Cold and Heat Wave paired off with ultra-optimist, Ray Palmer. The world as we can see in this universe isn’t all black and white. There are many shades of grey that our heroes and anti-heroes must maneuver.
The other standout revolved around Hawkgirl and Hawkman. Ever since Kendra discovered her past lives that extend nearly 4000 years, she has had a hard time coping and understanding it. Carter has been there every step of the way to help guide her through this. But last week she lost the son she doesn’t remember and here just as she started to recall memories she has shared with Carter, she loses him. During the episodes climax, a fight between Hawkman and Vandal ends with Vandal stabbing Carter killing him. This was something I didn’t see coming so soon. Easy choice, sure given the characters propensity to reincarnate who knew episode two would be that time. The real question now is how Kendra will react now that Carter is gone? His departure should create quite a character dynamic for her and for the others.
As crazy as it may sound the weak link right now is the character of Vandal Savage. We are supposed to believe that the great love of his life is Kendra. But I’m still not convinced of that they’re soul mates, whereas with Carter I can see that special connection through the use of flashbacks even though Kendra fights it. I like the actor, Casper Crump when he first appeared on The Flash. And his character in the DC universe has always been a thorn in side of the Justice League. But after seeing Damien Darhk appear in this episode and watching his exchange with the Legends, you realize just how much this version of Vandal needs to up his evil side.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
