With a crop of superhero shows popping up throughout the major networks, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow looked to forge its own unique path as it brought together heroes and villains for the ultimate super team-up. Legends relied heavily on its time travel aspect as these group of strangers-turned-friends sought to protect the world from an immortal psychopath named Vandal Savage.
Bringing together familiar faces from Arrow (Sara Lance, Ray Palmer), The Flash (Leonard Snart, Mick Rory, Martin Stein, Jax Jackson), introduced some new familiar faces from the crossover event that served as a backdoor pilot (Kendra Saunders, Carter Hall), and their new, flawed leader Rip Hunter, Legends created a compelling team dynamic that really worked. There was the overall group dynamic, and then there were the relationships within those that really showed the strength in this show.
While Legends of Tomorrow’s debut season saw its share of struggles as it attempted to find its identity, there was an element of fun not present in any other superhero show on television that really drew you in. Legends’ future appears to be as bright as ever following a season finale cliffhanger that looks to make this time travel stuff look like no big deal.
Overall Impression
Let’s be honest, Legends of Tomorrow, while entertaining and one hell of a good time, had its fair share of struggles in its first season. You can chalk part of that up to the show attempting to find its identity, which is something that all shows go through. Perhaps one of the show’s biggest downfalls was Vandal Savage as the big bad. Savage was meant to be this imposing force – feared by all – when in reality he looked like someone who was cosplaying as an immortal bastard. I never bought it, which was part of the problem. But there were areas in which Legends really thrived, including outstanding character dynamics that showcased the strength and heart of the show. Legends was also able to show the beauty with crossovers as it flashed forward 30 years to a ruptured Star City and an older, fractured Oliver Queen. But Legends also managed to tackle controversial issues, which showed just how great the reach of this show is. Legends had many faults, but it showed us the potential that it has to really solidify itself for seasons to come.
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What Worked
Team Dynamic
Legends of Tomorrow was the first DC show on The CW that has been an ensemble show consisting of a group of heroes and villains. That camaraderie was a huge strength for this show and made it so unique. This team dynamic was a storyline within itself. Here we had good guys and bad guys (and those that weren’t sure) that were forced together as a means to save the world from burning to the ground. This season was as much about evolving as a team as it was about saving the world; the two were connected. In order to become a unit strong enough to defeat an immortal threat like Vandal Savage this group needed to become a well-oiled, trusting team. Not just a team, a family.
One of the joys of this season was watching these people grow from strangers that could care less about one another to this strong group that very much became a family. It was especially satisfying to watch our “villains” – Snart and Rory – begin to care so much about this team that they proved it in their actions. They had no intentions of being heroes, but Snart very much became one before he sacrificed himself to save his team and the world. And something tells me Rory isn’t too far behind.
Captain Canary
When it comes to any show on television romance is a contributing factor to the emotional connection between show and audience. Love is a part of life, so obviously it’s essential to television. While Legends of Tomorrow decided to focus on the unbelievable romance between Ray and Kendra, there was another romance brewing in the background: Sara and Snart. They were a pair that you never would’ve guessed would be interested in each other in that way – or that us, the audience, would be. But it was Caity Lotz and Wentworth Miller’s natural rapport and sizzling chemistry that made Captain Canary what it was, which was something truly beautiful.
Sara and Snart were two of the most compelling characters, separately, this season as we got to see them grow into themselves. Both characters played a significant role in the other’s lives as they struggled with their inner demons and decided the kind of person they wanted to be and the legacy they chose. Captain Canary wasn’t about the physical aspect – although that first and last kiss was sizzling – it has always been about the emotional support they provide for one another. Snart helped inspire hope within Sara that she’s not the killer she resigned herself to be. And Sara helped convince Snart that redemption is possible within us all.
This was a relationship that was built from the pilot all the way through the penultimate episode when Snart sacrificed himself to save his team and the world. While we got a kiss between Sara and Snart in those final moments, it doesn’t change the fact that a relationship that truly resonated with the audience was taken much too soon. There was so much more they could’ve explored, but I guess we’ll never know. Well, unless Snart isn’t dead. Miller will be appearing throughout the DC universe as Snart, so perhaps we’ll get a Captain Canary reunion eventually.
Snart’s Redemption
Leonard Snart was one of the characters that I never expected to love heading into this show, but he quickly became a character that I became fiercely protective of and loved. Snart was someone who up until this show had been known for nothing other than his criminal ways, but this show allowed us to explore his character – his past and his motivations – and ultimately what kind of person he wanted to be, not the person he thought he should be.
Snart never intended to be a hero, but that’s exactly what he became. He’s someone who is fiercely protective of those that he cares about, and this team became his family. It was so beautiful to watch this character that believed he deserved the worst in life get to understand that he can forge his own path; that he enjoyed being a part of a team and helping save the world. It gave his life a meaning that hadn’t existed prior. While it was gut wrenching to watch Snart sacrifice himself and perish, it was satisfying knowing that it was the final piece in his redemption story; the story of how a no-good criminal became the ultimate hero.
Snart and Rory’s Dynamic
The dynamic duo of Snart and Rory was always one that I knew had a deep-rooted connection. But I never imagined that Legends would explore a different side to their relationship; a side where their very foundation was put in question. Snart and Rory have always been a team. But when they were thrust into this new team they were reluctant. Eventually Snart not only warmed up to it but embraced it, but Rory didn’t. That caused a rift between them that was as compelling as it was heartbreaking. Eventually the pair made amends, but what happened between them wasn’t something they could forget. It forged a new layer of their complex friendship and brotherhood. You could say it made them stronger.
But there was always an emotional connection there that resonated with the audience. It’s what made things like Rory’s confession to a past version of Snart (after his death) that he’s his hero so emotional and so significant. No one wants a character that’s perfect – that’s boring. Give me characters that are flawed, emotional, and working to better themselves. Those are the characters that really have an impact because they’re so much like ourselves. Snart and Rory, and Sara, as well, were all representations of that.
Insanity
The thing about Legends of Tomorrow is that it was never trying to be something that it wasn’t. It never tried to hide the fact that it lacks a solid logic and is all over the place at times. Legends was a show that was just insane in a way that worked and didn’t work at times. But in the end, Legends sort of found itself within that insanity.
What Didn’t Work
Vandal Savage as the Big Bad
For an immortal, time-traveling villain, Vandal Savage was the most underwhelming, non-threatening big bad I’ve ever seen. This was a big bad that was set up to an unstoppable force in the Arrow/Flash crossover that took heroes from both shows to eventually eliminate before he came back to annoy us on Legends. There was this impression that Savage was this unstoppable force that everyone feared. But his portrayal only inflicted laughter from me, whether it was that laughable accent, slicked-back hair, or the fact that I think I could take him in hand-to-hand combat. He wasn’t imposing in the slightest, but this show continued to advertise him as such. I didn’t buy it. It kind of took away from the show especially when they had to drag out his lasting until the season finale. Maybe I could’ve bought him as a one-episode villain, but not this big bad that everyone supposedly feared would end the world.
Ray and Kendra Romance
Romance is a significant part of entertainment because it’s a significant part of our own lives, which is why it’s often the component that really drives home that emotional connection to a show. So I didn’t really find it surprising that Legends would launch a romance. But I did find it shocking that they chose Ray and Kendra to do it. I get it: Ray has had trouble understanding that he can be with someone after his fiancée died (though he was with Felicity after); and Kendra wanted to show that she could control her own destiny. But this romance never made sense. Let’s not just throw these two characters together and try to make it something that it never was going to be.
Like I said, I could see where the show wanted to go with expanding upon Ray and Kendra’s individual storylines, but it wasn’t executed in the right way. When the two admitted they “liked” each other early on in the season I thought it was a joke messing with poor Jax. But then all of a sudden they were into each other. And the whole two years lost thing didn’t help matters. There was all of this development that we never got to see for a couple that never made sense in the first place. This relationship just seemed to bring out the worst in the characters when it should do the opposite. In the end, luckily, Ray called things off as Kendra decided she couldn’t fight fate – or perhaps she was falling for Carter all on her own. Regardless, this “AtomicHawk” romance is one storyline I want to forget.
Inconsistency with Time Travel
Perhaps one of Legends of Tomorrow’s biggest struggles in its first season was the inconsistency that came with the rules of time travel, and how things always appeared to just work for whatever storyline was being addressed in a given week. I understand that time travel is a tricky thing – I’ve got the season-long migraine to prove it – but there needed to be more explanation prior rather than on the spot for it to come as genuine. This is a show about time travel where things shouldn’t make sense too often, but there needs to be a degree of sense that it does make. Take an episode and really take the time to explain these rules. But there are certain instances where you have to explain things on the spot. But a lot of these time travel rules could’ve been explained earlier than when they were thrown out there.
Snart’s Death
Look, I understand that this decision was more about a contract than an actual storyline, but I felt like Snart was taken from us much too soon. Snart was one of the characters that you never expected to grow so attached to that when he was taken from us it was something that really hurt. Granted he’ll be around in the DC universe on Legends, Arrow, Flash and perhaps Supergirl, but Legends is sure going to miss him as a full-time member.
What We Wanted to See More Of
Character Emotional Connection
The main draw of all of these superhero shows – what makes them work – is the deep emotional connection the audience forms with these characters. It’s what makes these heroes relatable; it’s what makes us give a damn when they go out there putting their lives on the line day in and day out; it’s what brings us to tears when we lose them. Legends showed that its strength is this diverse cast of characters that has really melded together to create something unlike anything in this Arrowverse.
But I wanted to see more of a focus on how these characters dealt with certain situations. More emphasis on the characters, less on the time travel hoo-ha. There were some instances where the show really capitalized upon it, including Sara and Ray’s connection to Oliver Queen in 2046, as well as Stein’s meeting his former self, and Snart confronting his past self as a young boy and getting to see a new layer to his character. That’s what these shows are about. They’re about these people that are super yet they’re so very much like us. Legends showed us that it is capable of doing this, I just wish it would do more of it moving forward.
Addressing Controversial Issues
One of the great things that this show is able to do is tackle controversial topics within time. A standout episode was when our team went back in time to the ‘50s where they had to tackle issues of racism, sexism, and sexuality. Getting to watch these characters – who haven’t dealt with this before – have to confront it in a significant way was quite compelling. Legends is able to travel throughout time where certain issues were the focus, which literally makes the possibilities endless. Even though we got a fair share of it throughout the season I’m hoping for even more as this show continues to expand upon its diverse cast of characters.
Focus on Kendra as an Individual
The most irritating thing about Legends of Tomorrow’s first season was how it diminished Kendra into nothing other than a love interest, whether it was for Ray, Carter, or Savage. There is a shortage of female badasses on television, and the potential of Kendra on this show was great. That was until Legends made her story all about romance. Kendra was a strong, independent, strong-willed woman who was thrown into this world and managed to thrive. She was working on discovering who she was with the weight of the world on her shoulders. And yet Legends consistently pushed that aside in favor of her romantic foils. It took away my interest for the character and ultimately made her one of my least favorite (right behind Savage). It’s a damn shame because Kendra deserved so much better, and now we’ll never know.
What We Wanted to See Less Of
Ray and Kendra Romance
As if Ray and Kendra’s romance wasn’t enough to make me roll my eyes the show practically shoved it down our throats. Now, if this was a romance that worked I’d have no problem. But there was an overt focus on Ray/Kendra that didn’t make sense most of the time. It was as if the writers thought the more we saw of them the more inclined we’d be to accept their romance. It accomplished the exact opposite, actually. While I was never a fan of this “Atomic Hawk” if the show had taken the time to explore their relationship instead of going from strangers to kissing friends to nearly engaged to angst then perhaps I would have been more inclined to bear it.
The Hawks
While I understand both Kendra and Carter were linked to the season’s not-so-big bad, Vandal Savage, the fact that this show drove these three down our throats was beyond annoying. Everything became about them with flashbacks that felt out of place most of the time. From the start I wasn’t really intrigued by the Hawks or Savage, and that disinterest turned into disdain as the season progressed. Yes, the Hawks were connected to the season’s big bad, but that didn’t mean that there had to an overwhelming, sometimes undeserved focus on them. But thankfully their story has been told, and Kendra and Carter have decided to move on.
Rip Hunter Being a Selfish “Leader”
While Rip Hunter was the leader of this team make no mistake he was not a good leader by a long shot. At first it disguised itself as potential character growth, but then it just kept getting worse with no real resolution in sight. At first glance, Rip Hunter’s crusade to save his wife and son from a gruesome fate appeared noble. And it was noble. Only the way that Rip repeatedly went about it was dishonorable. Rip showed his biggest flaw: his selfishness, which put the lives of those on the Waverider at risk repeatedly. And it didn’t matter because the only people he cared about surviving this mess were him, his wife, and his son.
His so-called “team” were expendable, and he didn’t give a damn about them even though they gave a damn about him. Just when all hope seemed lost Rip managed a slice of redemption when he sacrificed himself to save his team – when he finally realized just how big of a selfish ass he was being and how his wife and son wouldn’t be proud of that. Rip ultimately survived, but his sacrifice showed that he’s willing to be a team player and put his life on the line for his team. Hoepfully it’s something we see more of in season two.
Favorite Episodes
“Legendary” (Episode 1×13) – While most of the season was rocky, the season finale was one of Legends’ finest hours. There was clear resolution in certain storylines, as well as an emotional presence that makes this show truly great. And that cliffhanger. Enough said.
“Star City 2046” (Episode 1×06) – This was the first episode where I really felt the epic scale of this show. How the team could travel 30 years in the future and see a familiar face in Oliver Queen and just how much he’d changed in a future where the Legends never saved the world. Getting to do crossovers like this is the stuff of legend.
“Fail-Safe” (Episode 1×05) – This was the first episode where I began to really see the team dynamic shift and saw the potential of these characters and their relationships. It was a morally challenging episode for Sara especially, but it proved that all of us are capable of redemption.
Least Favorite Episodes
“The Magnificent Eight” (Episode 1×11) – The most ridiculous hour of television I’ve witnessed all season long. Sure, Jonah Hex was awesome, but everything else was just ridiculous. The Kendra focus certainly didn’t help matters.
“Left Behind” (Episode 1×09) – The intrigue was there – with Sara, Ray and Kendra being left behind for two years – but this episode failed to deliver what it promised.
“Progeny” (Episode 1×10) – There was a good moral lesson in this episode, but it was one of the weaker episodes. And sorry there was too much Vandal Savage in this one.
Season Finale Impression
Legends of Tomorrow’s freshman season was certainly a roller coaster ride of emotion, as well as storylines. But its season finale, “Legendary,” was exactly what it needed to bring Legends back to the forefront of possibility. This finale captured what makes Legends a show with so much untapped promise, whether it was the large scale or the emotional turns or the final cliffhanger that set up what’s sure to be one hell of a sophomore season.
While the Legends were finally able to defeat Vandal Savage and rid the world of his horrendous accent and slicked back hair, his end also spelled the end of the line for a couple of members. Kendra and Carter elected to leave the team and live their lives free of Savage. But it was the final moments of the finale that really upped Legends potential as it introduced Hourman and the Justice Society of America, which should be a heavy influence in season two. Legends might’ve had its share of good and bad episodes, “Legendary” was an emotional, satisfying hour that left us excited for this show’s future.
Next Season Speculation
While we didn’t know what to expect heading into Legends of Tomorrow’s first season, the final cliffhanger left the door wide open to endless possibilities. With the introduction of Hourman and the Justice Society of America, it appears as if the JSA will have a significant impact on season two. With the introduction of Vixen and Dr, Nate Heywood to the team there will be new character dynamics to explore as our team sets off on a new mission. Of course the major question for the new season is the new big bad. How do you top a big bad that can travel through time? Are there more than one? How will this big bad pose an even greater threat than Savage (because you know the villains get bigger with each passing season)? The possibilities are literally endless for this new season, which is what makes it so exciting.
