There were times during this first season of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow where I wasn’t always a fan. Dealing with time travel is tricky business at best and admittedly, I was growing tired of its central villain, Vandal Savage (Casper Crump). Thursday night’s finale “Legendary” wrapped up many storylines and launched a new and potentially grander one in the final moments. Warning, spoilers ahead…
The end of Vandal Savage was finally within Rip’s (Arthur Darvill) grasp and despite a rocky run to the finish line; Legendsfound its voice and had its strongest episode of the season which is exactly what you want to happen. If there’s one compliant, it would be that Vandal’s death was a bit anti-climactic. After all, his presence all season and the stuff he did to Rip and his family let alone the centuries of torment he has brandish on Kendra (Ciara Renee) and Carter (Falk Hentschel), you hoped for something more poetic. His ending however was symbolic of how weak his character was overall.
What did play out well was using the concept of time to fight Vandal at different points in time and having each member of the team take a crack at him. The real triumph of the finale was not about defeating Vandal Savage but building up our heroes and giving them a greater dimension. This was particularly true for Sara (Caity Lotz) who upon returning to Star City learned of her sister Laurel’s deadly fate. There was so much good stuff between her and Rip including her plea to go back in time to save Laurel by reminding him of the sacrifices the team has made in an attempt to save his wife and son. Well played by all involved.
Then there was the continuing relationship between Stein (Victor Garber) and Jax (Franz Drameh). They have a father-son type of relationship as evident by their banter. A developing friendship with an “Odd Couple” feel to it is the pairing of Mick (Dominic Purcell) and Ray (Brandon Routh), which gives the show a comedic balance to its otherwise high octane action persona. The emotional reunion between Sara with her father, Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), was well done and showcased the continuity that the showrunners have gone out of their way to maintain throughout all of their CW shows.
It was good to see Rip finally shine. His brooding demeanor could only rival Batman but it was less effective. But his willingness to self-sacrifice for the greater good gave his character a dimension that was often at times missing. His greatest moment however came with finally coming to grips despite all his best efforts, with the loss of his wife and son. That moment, albeit a hallucination was actor Arthur Darvill’s finest moment of season one.
And then we have Mick. Mick’s been the biggest rogue on the team and that’s saying something given that Snark (Wentworth Miller) was on the team. In the closing moments of the finale, I thoroughly enjoyed his brief reunion with Snark in 2013. It showed a side of Mick that he didn’t let anyone see prior to losing his partner in crime. Even though I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Captain Cold/Snark, it doesn’t diminish the moment at all.
We did however have to say goodbye (most likely a temporary one) to both Kendra/Hawkgirl and Carter/Hawkman as they go off on their own. I like the characters but they work best as supporting players as oppose to being the central protagonists that season one was built around. A less than stellar villain and two less than stellar heroes is a reason why season one was so rocky with some good highs and some unfortunate lows. Their departure however does give way to a revolving door of potential heroes to join the team. That was certainly hinted at with the introduction of Rex Tyler/Hourman (Patrick Adams) in the final minute with a dire warning of the future.
The episode as a whole and the ending with Rex from the Justice Society of America was the perfect high to an otherwise rocky season at times. The action was first rate and continues to impress me with its big screen presence for the small screen. It took nearly the entire season of 16 episodes to develop its characters but in the end, they did just that and put into place a story arc that should make Legends live up to its name.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
