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Legends of Tomorrow: The Magnificent Eight

"Why can't a gang ever be a bunch of good guys?"

This episode was a lot of fun. Five minutes in the old West town of Salvation, and Sara had drunk Mick under the table, Leonard had outgunned a bad guy during a poker game, our guys started a barroom brawl, and then they started a war with the Stillwater gang. And people died. Which could change the timeline.

Come on. This "let's go hide in a time fragmentation" is ridiculous. We keep being told that the Legends are not supposed to screw with the timeline, but that's what they do, and Rip keeps letting them do it. And that's because there would be no point to this series without meddling in the timeline. Frankly, Legends of Tomorrow needs to be like Quantum Leap, "putting right what once went wrong."

And maybe that's where the series is going. Because Martin Stein just saved a boy's life, and that boy clearly was supposed to live, become H.G. Wells, and write famous science fiction novels, including a masterpiece about time travel. I'm going to just ignore the fact that H.G. Wells lived on another continent, and that the lung damage from tuberculosis that advanced couldn't be reversed in a day.

This was Ray's episode, and Brandon Routh kept making me laugh out loud. This time he got to be John Wayne, the new sheriff, and he saved the town from the bad guys. Or at least he did it with the help of the other Legends as well as the mysterious Jonah Hex, whom I'm told has an interesting comic book background. Whatever. Jonah had, like, the best costume ever. My favorite moment was Jonah crossing himself when he saw Martin and Jax turn into Firestorm. In fact, that whole fight scene with the superheroes, the Hunters and their ray guns was terrific. Too funny.

Even though I haven't been all that interested in Rip (so far, anyway), his previous relationship with Jonah Hex made me want to know more. Did they meet in Calvert, Oklahoma in 1868, or did they know each other before? How did Jonah learn about time travel? Why did he give Rip his duster? Did Rip name his son Jonas after Jonah? Rip hated leaving Calvert to its fate because he feels the pull of heroism. Another clue that this series has to change in order to work.

Speaking of change, Mick has become fascinating, hasn't he? He's gone from angry and somewhat moronic comic relief to the second most experienced time traveler in the cast, with untold years spent at the Vanishing Point and apparently, a new interest in being a "good boy." Mick knows who the Hunters are, and he's familiar with the Pilgrim, the Time Master's most deadly assassin, who will be pulling a Terminator and going after their younger selves. Clearly, starting with Mick in Central City, 1990. Which makes me want to watch next week's episode right the heck now.

Maybe the point of this series is to just have time travel fun. Because note which episodes are the most fun. I'll give you a hint: the ones that don't feature Vandal Savage. Plus, as much as I like the friendship between Sara and Kendra, the only two women in the Legends crew, the story always slows down when we get to the Hawks. It's too bad, because Kendra interacting with an earlier version of herself could have been fascinating. Instead, it was again all about yeah, yeah, yeah, Carter is the only man for Kendra, her relationship with Ray is doomed to heartbreak and tragedy. Isn't Kendra's relationship with Carter essentially tragic, too? I'm tired of this love triangle already, even with one of its participants dead and buried. You can just feel that Carter is on his way back.

I also kept thinking that Sara was so happy and enjoying herself in the old West, but, and I'm going to put this particular spoiler in white in case you haven't seen the Arrow episode "Eleven-Fifty-Nine" (highlight to read) she would feel quite differently if she knew that her sister Laurel just died.

Everybody remember where we parked:

-- This week: the town of Salvation in the Dakota Territory, 1871. Kendra's earlier self met Hannibal Hawkes (Carter) in 1830. And we learned that any object present at the Hawk's first death can be used to kill Savage, even a bracelet. It would be cool if Kendra took out Vandal Savage with a bracelet.

-- Martin Stein revealed that his father was a criminal and a gambler. I liked the way he told Snart that "like father, like son isn't inevitable."

-- I loved all the costumes in this episode, not just Jonah Hex's. Brandon Routh rocked his western attire. Leonard Snart looked terrific all in black; it went well with his fading facial bruises. Sara looked great dressed as a guy, too.

-- I also loved Ray mentioning to Jonah that they could fix his face on the ship. Lol.

-- This week while watching Supergirl, I started wondering what they'd do if they have to cast her cousin and it occurred to me that they have Brandon Routh working in the very same DC universe. He not only looks the part, he's played the part. Am I nuts? Too obvious?

Quotes:

Kendra: "That tastes like gasoline."
Mick: "Pretty much. Hit me again."

Martin: "You killed him."
Leonard: "You're welcome."

Rip: "What is it about you people that whenever we go to a new timeline, you feel the need to pick up strays?"

Jonah: "Those boys you were trading hands with in the saloon, they all members of the Stillwater Gang."
Ray: "Why can't a gang ever be a bunch of good guys?"

Ray: "Look, this town is being terrorized by the Stillwater Gang. And I aim to do something about it."
Mick: "You 'aim to'? You getting all native on us, haircut."

Jonah: "For a bunch of time travelers, you don't seem to understand the future much."
You can say that again.

Three out of four glowing six-guns,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

5 comments:

  1. Once they have wrapped up the Vandal Savage storyline, I think it would be great if they morphed to a Quantum Leap philosophy. It would give the show a continuing concept that works and would help give all their meddling purpose. Have stopping Vandal Savage have consequences in the time line that they need to clean up for their world to exist. And ditch the Hawk people, because they aren't working for me either.

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  2. I really liked this. I just wish we could spend more time on Kendra and Sara being badass and less on Kendra's romantic woes.
    Ray shone here, I really like his optimism. Miller looked fab as ever. So glad Mick is back on the team.

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  3. I cant wait til Ray meets Kara, or even superman if they manage to squeeze him into the crossover

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  4. I think the best thing about this episode was that Vandall Savage wasn't in it. Also Jonah Hex is always amazing.

    Time travel seems to work the opposite on this show as it does on The Flash. Case in point, H. G. Wells needed to be saved. My brain hurts.

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  5. I got very annoyed at younger Kendra saying that any romantic relationship with anyone other than Carter was doomed to heartbreak or tragedy. I literally yelled at my screen "It ends in death with Carter!" Ugh. If you're going to put Ray and Kendra together, then just let them be freaking happy for once without the specter of Carter looming over them.

    I liked how Snart immediately said that they couldn't leave Jax behind.

    Whelp, those Hunters weren't really much of a threat. I hope that Pilgrim is a bigger one.

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