If anything, Legends of Tomorrow continues to prove that it knows how to take a story in an entirely different direction than we expect it. And it’s not afraid to make shocking moves on behalf of the cast of characters that populate the Waverider.
While Legends of Tomorrow might be built upon stopping Vandal Savage from destroying the world, this show has proven that not every mission rests in directly confronting Savage. But this week’s episode actually focused on something it hadn’t yet before: surviving this world and each other.
In “Marooned,” the Legends came across a group of time pirates who threatened to ruin their mission and steal their ride. This found our team divided into two groups with Sara, Snart, Ray, and Kendra on the Waverider and Rip, Stein, Jax, and Rory on the neighboring ship battling these pirates.
This was another huge character episode all around with a heavy focus on Rip Hunter’s past – how he met his wife and a focus on the love that drives him on this mission – and Snart and Rory’s strained relationship that took a turn for the worse and ended with a cliffhanger that left my jaw on the ground.
At this point I cannot help but wonder if there’s a pattern when it comes to losing Legends. Not that we know for sure that Rory bit the dust, but it looked pretty convincing when Snart aimed and shot the cold gun in his longtime friend, newfound enemy. I knew it had to be done, but I still didn’t believe it. That’s what makes Legends so intriguing is that it appears as if it can bring on characters as some go. Only when they “go” I didn’t assume that meant “die.”
But this episode also focused a couple of developing romances, with a more direct romance with Ray and Kendra (who I still don’t really buy into, to be honest) and that organic, slow-build romance with Sara and Snart (who are everything I didn’t know I needed but couldn’t imagine this show without at this point).
For an episode where Savage’s name was mentioned all but a couple of times, this was one of those high-stakes episodes that has changed things moving forward.
A Pair Divided
When it comes to Leonard Snart and Mick Rory, they’ve always been considered a packaged deal. Whether it was back on The Flash or on Legends of Tomorrow, where one went the other would follow. For a while I’ve been wondering why? Why is it that Snart and Rory are tethered to each other? Why is it that they’d risk seemingly everything for the other? We finally learned about the pair’s past when Snart confided in Sara his relationship with Rory. When Snart was a young 14-year old boy in juvenile detention, he was the small boy that the others wanted to make sure that he knew where he stood. When the young Snart fought back, these other boys pulled a shiv on him before Rory stepped in and those boys never messed with him again. From that day forward, Rory has been standing up for Snart.
When you consider their past it makes perfect sense why this relationship has developed as it has, particularly for Snart. Snart was a young boy who was turned corrupt by his father and sentenced to a fate of crime. But Snart found his family in Rory. Rory did what a family member should do: stand next to, protect, and care. So is it any wonder that these two are as close as we know them to be?
But what has been particularly interesting about this pair’s dynamic in the past couple of episodes is that we’ve seen how they’ve adapted in this environment and on this mission. While Snart has changed, Rory has not. We’ve seen Rory show signs of redemption, but it’s all for naught if you don’t want to be redeemed. That’s where Snart and Rory differ. Snart has shown those signs of wanting to become someone better, to change this fate that he’s subjected to himself because of the experiences he’s had in life.
But Rory hasn’t changed at all. He’s still the villain willing to betray his team of so-called friends in order to get himself and Snart home safe. But what about them? For Rory, it’s screw them, which is a damn shame.
Snart, on the other hand, has been someone who from early on in this series has shown signs of wanting to change his fate. He said as much in this episode, when he brought Rory out in the middle of nowhere where he eventually killed(?) him with his cold gun because there was no other choice. After Rory had betrayed the team in order to bargain his and Snart’s safe return home to 2016 Central City, Snart finally chose his side. And he sided with his team; his friends. Because he’s changed. For the better.
Obviously the big cliffhanger of this episode rested with Snart seemingly killing Rory with his cold gun. But seeing as we got not real shot of Rory being blasted with the gun who’s to know for sure if he’s actually dead? But even if he wasn’t dead, he confirmed his stance when he told Snart that only one of them was making it out of this alive.
Perhaps I was wrong about Rory’s slow redemption story. I’ve always known about Snart’s redemption story, but after we got a little glimpse of how Rory could care for someone other than Snart when Ray saved him in that Russian gulag, I thought for sure that was the slow beginning. But perhaps Rory’s downfall was a way to guide Snart’s redemption?
Welcome Aboard, Captain Canary
When it comes to ships on television I wouldn’t consider myself one that actively seeks out romantic pairings to please myself with no regards to plot. But with that said, I’m someone who immediately looks for those characters that interact well together and have the potential to develop a bond and strengthen each other as individuals with the possibility of eventually getting to the romance part. Basically I just really enjoy watching characters interact especially when it’s organic and brimming with chemistry.
Welcome aboard the Captain Canary ship. Heading into Legends I never even really considered the pairing of Sara and Snart in terms of how they could help better each other as individuals. But looking back on these first seven episodes and how they’ve already grown as individuals I can’t imagine the show taking a different route. These are two people that while different in terms of background and how they grew up and the lives they’ve lived are two people that are similar in the fact that they want to become better versions of themselves.
When it comes to effective romances, one of the most important things is to just let it grow. Don’t force it; just let it evolve on its own through the actions of the characters and the chemistry of the actors. There’s no need to rush things because then it ends up feeling forced, a la Ray and Kendra.
One of the things that I really enjoyed with this episode was how both Sara and Snart opened up about their past to one another. When the two were stuck in a freezing cold chamber – waiting to die – Sara opened up to Snart about what it felt like to die. About how it felt lonely when she thought about how far away she was from the people that she loved. Because she died alone. But even though she doesn’t like Snart (LIAR), she was glad she wouldn’t have to die alone again.
On the flip side, Snart later opened up to Sara about his past and relationship with Rory. Turns out this goes back years to when he was in juevenile detention at 14-years old and Rory basically saved his life and has been doing so ever since. There is a real bond there. There’s a real dedication there. They were both two really good moments of vulnerability that not only gave the audience a glimpse into these characters but also gave each other a glimpse into the people that they are. It was simplistic yet moving.
The Power of Love
Rip Hunter is a character that remains somewhat a mystery on this show despite his direct involvement with instigating this mission and leading the team. We know the driving motivation behind his mission to bring an end to Vandal Savage: to save his wife and son. But if we learned anything in this episode it’s that there’s nothing Rip won’t do for love.
This episode was intriguing because we got some real flashbacks in Rip’s story, where we found him before he was the Rip Hunter we know today. It was during his time with the Time Masters as he was an up-and-coming Time Master, and where he also happened to meet his wife, Miranda. With the Time Masters, love is something that is forbidden and something that is seen as a problem and not a solution, which explains the Time Masters’ displeasure at Rip wanting to rewrite history to save his family. It’s breaking all kinds of their rules.
But Rip was a man on a mission in this episode as he saw the threat of this mission being ripped away from him become very real. While in the past Rip was all about abiding by the rules, we saw him completely break free in the present. This mission isn’t just about saving the world it’s also about saving his family, which is something that will continue to be a driving force for him.
What’s Up with Ray and Kendra?
While Captain Canary is a romance that I can get behind (with a banner expressing my love for the ship), one romance that does not hold me that same way is the forced romance between Ray and Kendra. When they delivered us this pairing last week I honestly thought it was a joke. I thought Ray’s “feelings” was actually him playing with Jax and proving that he would win her affections instead of him. But I guess I was wrong, although that doesn’t change my feelings towards Ray and Kendra. To be honest, I buy into Jax and Kendra more than Ray and Kendra. That itself feels more natural than this forced stuff. It’s okay not to have romance on the show right away. There’s a nice slow-burn in the process that is worth the wait (I’m looking at you Sara and Snart).
Here’s the thing, I believe Ray when I see that he cares about Kendra. But what I don’t understand is Kendra. Her actions make no sense considering that she has just lost Carter not some five episodes ago. Not to mention she has those memories of Carter being her true love. The whole thing to me just did not make sense from her end.
One of the things that really, really bugged me in this episode was that when Ray and Kendra kissed a light appeared behind the two. While for most that might not seem significant, in the Arrow fandom that is a symbol of true love at its finest. Not Ray and Kendra. They did not deserve the Olicity beacon of light during that kiss.
Come on, man!