Let me get personal with you for a minute, and how it relates to the end of this episode of Legends. A while back, my dad died of a heart attack. I was there when it happened. Tried CPR, praying, everything but it was too late. I blamed myself… in a way, I still blame in a myself. But the worst part for me afterwards would be all the memories that surrounded me of him. His favorite chair, his table, just everything that was him. But I was grieving, so instead of being happy, being around those things made me sad.
So, in retrospect, I should have seen Jax leaving the team coming a mile away. He had just lost his father figure, and the hurt just doesn’t go away. Especially when you run into a younger version of Professor Stein on your next mission! (Back to this in a sec). Jax tried to handle his grief and even cheat it via some Back to The Future methods. But, in the end, you can only take time away to heal. So, after a Christmas dinner with his family of Legends, Jax makes the decision to leave the team to grieve. A sad move, but in the context of his character the right one.
Its so strange, because the majority of this episode was humorous as hell. The funniest Legends had been in a long time. But the show is also getting good at switching it around, and really nailing those emotional moments too. This is the show I want to see moving forward, that can nail all those emotions in the vacuum it is given. So if we can, let’s move to “Beebo, the Good of War” and see how one little toy can cause trouble for some Vikings
So we go back to the 90s first, where Martin Stein (not played by Victor Garber, lol) is buying a toy for his young daughter Lily. As 5 year olds are apt to do, she wants the most popular toy – a Cuddle Me Beebo. Think Tickle Me Elmo, but cuter and bluer. Martin is able to get the toy thanks to some good archery. However, thanks to those pesky anachronisms, Martin and Beebo are transported to 1000 AD and smack dab into some Vikings.
Meanwhile, the Legends are still trying to grieve Stein’s death. Citizen Cold is still with them from the crossover and thank god for that! Wentworth Miller was a breath of fresh air and he stole so many scenes, like he did in season 1. This Leo is a kinder, gentler person than his regular version is so he tries to help the team. The ways he helps is so damn hilarious – from the puppet version of Stein he has team members talk to all the way to ”helping” Mick try to be less of a drunk. Cold being back felt great… so it’s going to suck when he leaves in a few episodes to go back to his love The Ray.
So, the Legends (with Agent Sharpe helping) go to rescue the doll and succeed for the most part until two things happen
– Nate squeezes the toy, which I won’t get upset about. Those things are sensitive as heck! This leads to some hot potato which leads to Mick burning the toy. Sucks but all’s well that ends well, right? Well this leads to the second thing…
– Suddenly Odinson shows up! Except it’s not Odin but Damien Darhk with some nifty lightning tricks, and his darling daughter in tow.
So this is when the Time Bureau would come help right? Right? Well no, because the group is in shambles ever since they threw Rip into prison. No, the plan Sara comes up with is to fight Darhk and kill him before he can kill her.
Yikes. This does highlight how much being leader is affecting Sara though. She tired of losing team members. Through different ways, she’s lost Rip, Martin and I think she even blames herself for Cold back in season 1, however misguided that is. She’s tired of death taking the people she cares about and she doesn’t want to lose anymore family.
Good thing about family is they don’t let you stand alone and so they come up with a better one together. Thanks to a new Beebo, the Vikings are sent back home. New Valhalla is no more. Leo and Mick are able to take out Darhk’s daughter which saves Sara from another beat down by Damien.
Damien decides to retreat but Sara gets a ride along with them. Sara doesn’t go to where they go as instead she is transported to Mallus’s realm. Just imagine a vast wasteland, but with the lights turned off except for the blue light hotels use to check for stains in the bedrooms. So pretty damn scary. Agent Sharpe makes a return to save her and chock a win up for the Legends. Not much else happened really…..
OH, EXCEPT JOHN CONSTANTINE SHOWS UP AT THE END.
Now, fans of Arrow may remember him as the guy who helped rescue Sara’s soul with the help of Oliver and Laurel (aka the people Sara cares about the most in the world – 3rd being Nyssa). Johnny Boy is creeping around the hanger after Sara says goodbye to Jax. Seems Constantine needs help with a demon-possessed little girl. A demon who seems to know Sara by name.
So, it seems we are going to return from break with some mystical and magical adventures for the Legends to join in on. Constantine adds a little spice to things as it will be interesting to see how far they push his very adult character. Overall, Legends of Tomorrow rebounded from some mistakes in the early episodes and is starting to get back on a roll to the show I know and love. I just wish we weren’t losing so many characters to get there.
QUICK THOUGHTS
- Agent Sharpe is going to be Sara’s new love interest/girlfriend. They couldn’t have made it any obvious in this episode if they had put a big sign on Agent Sharpe saying “THIS IS SARA LANCE’S NEW LOVE INTEREST.”
- I want a Beebo.
- “Go a couple days without drinking Mick.” “42 hours….” “48 Hours.”
- Rip’s in jail? I hope he bust out soon.
- Not sure if Jax is gone for good but Franz Drameh has given the two best performances on the show these last two episodes. His moment of seeing young Stein was heartwrenching and his futile effort to change the future broke my heart. May you grieve Jefferson and come back if you can.
Legends of Tomorrow returns to a new time (MONDAYS) in February on the CW.
