Originally published March 15, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
Jessie Robertson reviews the fourteenth episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 2…
“Houston, It took way longer for them to utter this line of dialogue than I would’ve thought.”
Tonight’s mission was to find the final piece of the Spear and keep it out of the Legion’s hands. We are re-introduced to the final member of the JSA, Commander Steel, Nate’s long last grand-dad. He’s a stoic, moral and a bit stiff dude but is a welcome presence as most of the JSA was this season, but unfortunately were only used in rations. He’s hidden his piece of the spear in a quite ingenious place: the surface of the moon. Bad news is Eobard Thawne already discovered its location and was able to board the flight crew of 13 in disguise to retrieve it. I have to say, a lot of what goes on between Ray Palmer and Eobard Thawne didn’t make much sense to me. Ray, whose main ability is to shrink, does a fine job of sneaking into the Command Module but as soon as Sara tells him not to be seen, he’s seen. I mean really? Then, a fight breaks out. But, Thawne doesn’t have his super speed in a place with no gravity, yet Ray still has trouble dealing with him while HE’S IN SUPER SUIT!! It’s like you love Ray, but damn he can be a real joke of a character. We’re supposed to “fanboy” through Ray, who becomes a large man-child in many situations where he’s living out the fantasies of his life, which is all well and good and gives the viewer perspective, but sometimes it just doesn’t work. Sidenote: His video archive ala The Martian, was totally working!
Who knew the quality of the Heywood line of men would take precedence here but it certainly does. Commander Heywood is still rightfully upset with Rip for leaving him stranded in a different time when his wife and son were living without him (so much so he decks him in a very funny scene.) He brings up the notion that since they are on a time ship , he can just be dropped off back when he left like nothing happened. Nate warms up to this idea thinking if his father had his father around, perhaps he’d be a better father to me. Amaya points out the aberrations that could occur from such a change in the past; Now, we all know the issues this show has with changing the past and how hypocritical it can be. Take this week’s’ episode for example; even though the end result of the Apollo 13 mission was a failure here, nothing about it was the same! When our 2 other astronauts wake up (Lovell and Haise) wake up they’re going to reveal Swigert put them to sleep with a long needle. Mission Control is going to realize that The Command Module did actually land on the moon and re-orbited afterwards. And least we not forget, a British Space Program employee broke out in song during one of NASA’s biggest crises in surely Martin Stein’s (and perhaps the show’s) most random and unforgettable moments ever. Needless to say, the Heywoods will remain as insecure and messed up as they were before but as Amaya again points out, that’s not a bad thing since Nate turned out to be a pretty good person. Then, slapping her own advice across the face, she finds out the future of her bloodline. Double standards people!
The show does what it does best and recreates events in history as the Waverider itself became depowered and had to sort of make an Apollo 13 type landing back towards Earth but those later moments in tonight’s episode didn’t feel particularly exciting or with any large stakes up for grabs when there was still 20 minutes left of runtime.
7.5/10- despite the most non-exciting team up in history of Palmer and Thawne, the charm of Legends prevails mostly in an episode where the good guys actually win one
Jessie Robertson
