Legends of Tomorrow sort of did a whole episode about whether or not you should go back in time and kill baby Hitler, because this is 2016.
1. Baby Mama (and past lives) drama
The show committed a few weeks back to the Kendra/Ray relationships, and there are a few quirks to that. The biggest one, obviously, is that Kendra is forever linked to Carter, and will always love him in a way that can’t be replicated or understood by Ray. The show attempted to up the ante by bringing in some drama with Ray by giving him descendants who continue his scientific work, eventually automatizing his Atom suit.
While I get why the show wants to ramp up the drama, but a time travel show where the sake of humanity is at stake is pretty dramatic to begin with, isn’t it? I mean, I know romance is a key component of CW shows, and there is some nice chemistry between the characters, but I would rather focus on the other sorts of drama on the show rather than this quasi-invented drama that, ultimately, they dismiss at the end of the show anyway.
2. Mick and Leonard
This drama is far more earned – but still a bit perplexing. Leonard Snart offers Mick Rory a deal: he’ll open the doors and allow Mick out, but they have to fight to the death. Rory has about one hundred pounds on Snart, and is clearly a more physical fighter, and yet Snart is the one who wants a fist fight.
Now, I believe we are supposed to think that Rory could never kill his pal, but that seems out of character to me. Does Snart sort of have a death wish? That, too, seems out of character. Maybe I was too busy gushing over “Young Animal” to really give it my full attention or something, but I didn’t really ‘get’ the scene.
3. Per Degaton
Per Degaton is an old school DC villain who was a nemesis of the Justice Society back in the 40s, and who has made sporadic post-Crisis appearances, and usually connected to the JSA or time travelers. He was a major player in “America Vs. the Justice Society,” which I recently read and reviewed, but other than that? I wasn’t all that familiar with him.
Luckily, the show lays out a nice path to supervillainy for him, and manages to make him both sympathetic and terrifying. If the show decides it needs a new villain for Season 2, Per Degaton is probably the one to go with. If they are really adding either a time traveler or a JSA member to the cast (rumors have been either Booster Gold or Alan Scott), Degaton makes even more sense.
4. Sydney Palmer
I love the idea that Ray has a flunky of a brother who would capitalize on his ideas and create wealth for himself. I want to see Brandon Routh play Sydney as a mouth-breathing party animal, replete in a “Female Body Inspector” t-shirt, a foam dome, and a pair of aviators. I want Ray’s nickname growing up to have been “Atom” because one time Sydney saw him in the shower and it was a dick joke. I want to see him become the best loser brother since G.O.B. Bluth.
5. Stopping Savage ain’t so easy
At first, the idea of an entire show built around one villain, conceptually, seemed a bit much to me. However, Vandal Savage has been shown to be a threat of the highest order. I was afraid the show would dumb him down, or ditch the immortality, but it hasn’t done that either (although it has given them a way to kill him, as difficult as that may be).
The show has decided that having a strong villain who seems unstoppable can be a cause of great television. If they get a temporary win, it feels huge. If they get beat, they are get incredibly defeated. The show will make their eventual victory feel even bigger than similar shows’ big moments. As Legends races towards its finale, the drama – both earned and silly – builds, and the show feels as epic as its title.
