Legends of Tomorrow 7×07 “A Woman’s Place is in the War Effort!” is once again a reminder that in the 1940s, it sucked if you were a woman (especially a woman of color.) The more things change, the more they remain the same sadly. Not only that but now the Legends have to deal with evil robotic versions of themselves trying to kill them. Important social commentary about the past with insane, off-the-wall theatrics mixed in? Yes, this is truly Legends of Tomorrow at its most Legends-y. So let’s dive into “A Woman’s Place is in the War Effort” by talking more about the MVP of the episode, Astra…
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
All season long Astra has dealt with the stark reality of trying to deal with the early 20th century as a modern 21st-century woman. All the different times of being prejudiced because she’s a woman, especially because she’s a woman of color, have been like a ticking time bomb for her. Being forced to be a janitor like all the women of color just added one more ingredient to Astra’s pressure cooker. So when the racist boss of the factory, Mr. Staples threatened to fire her when she tried to get the paperwork to help the Legends rebuild their time machine, she snapped and froze him in place. Much better than he deserved, honestly.
“A Woman’s Place is in the War Effort” is Astra’s episode. We get to see the leadership traits she had in hell but this time for the side of good. Her friendship with Spooner and a slowly growing one with Behrad get some much-earned love here too. Seeing her segregate the factory and all the pains that trying not to damage history but also make it better. All this showcases the growth of Astra’s character is earning through her time with the Legends. Is she still a smart-ass sometimes? Yes, but Astra is also a loyal teammate who’s grown to care about others instead of just herself. Those types of characters are ones that people can’t help but root for and right now we’re rooting for Astra just as much as any Legend.
LOOKS FAMILIAR
So now we have evil Legends clones chasing after our Legends thanks to Evil Gideon and the Waverider. That sentence sounds strange till you remember this show is Legends of Tomorrow and then it makes perfect sense.
We get our first glimpse of the evil Legends when they arrive to take out the Legends for changing the timeline once again – this time being Eleanor Roosevelt going to Congress to get all factories to segregate two years earlier thanks to Astra’s success at the airplane factory. This attempt is unsuccessful thanks to Bishop sacrificing himself for the team to escape.
Now the back half of season 7 looks like it’s going to be our Legends vs. Evil Robot Legends led by an evil Gideon. Never can say that Legends of Tomorrow is boring.
LEGENDARY THOUGHTS
- Astra and Spooner. That’s it.
- Before his passing, Bishop makes a helmet for Gideon to help control Gwyn’s time machine. It looks exactly how you think it looks.
- Sorry Bishop, but two good deeds don’t make up for the tons of crap you did before.
- Behrad and Zari 2.0 teach Nate how to smooch up to Zari’s ancestors so his move to the totem can go smoothly. Not a lot here but it is nice to see how happy everyone was for Nate and Zari 1.0’s big news.
- Ava’s mishaps with the washers on the assembly line was a lovely tribute to I Love Lucy.
- Gwyn’s reaction to finding out there was a second World War was a very subtle but heartbreaking moment.
- “If he doesn’t like you Nate, he could have you kicked out.” “Is that legal?” “I don’t know or understand the rules of the totem, so yeah.”
- Astra’s magic is confusing when you think about it. So she can change words on paper, freeze people, and bring Gideon to life…..yet couldn’t come up with the magic to make the pieces for Gwyn’s time machine? Just odd.
Legends of Tomorrow returns from mid-Winter break on January 12! See you all then!
