Golly this was a packed episode of Legends of Tomorrow, with Mallus one change to the timeline away from being freed. Let’s jump in:
1. Barry Obama
So the episode starts with a bang, with the Cult of Mallus sending Grodd to kill a young Barack Obama to bring about Mallus’s arrival. (By the way, how conflicted would the Legends have been if the big gorilla had tried to kill George W. Bush, or the other guy?) It was the fun, largely tangential opening sequence that we hadn’t seen for a while, and I imagine that the time period that Obama attended college went a long way towards that, as it helped keep the budget down.
Lovell Adams-Gray had the voice down pat, but the way Barry (as he preferred to be known then) was written came across like a caricature of the calm, considered older man we recognize. The writers were probably thinking too much of the “no drama Obama” from modern media scripting his overly diplomatic confrontation with Grodd, instead of realizing he’d probably be yelling at his fellow students to run and get to safety.
Still, Sara asking for his advice was hilarious.
2. Zambesi, 1992
So from one end of the African diaspora to another, Nate and Wally tried to stop Amaya from preventing the attack that kills her and orphans her granddaughters. This subplot felt a bit rushed, and as spry as old Amaya is (or was), I wished they slowed down the pacing in these moments between her and the still young Nate, which were this close to becoming quite touching. Maisie Richardson-Sellers was fine as old Amaya, although her old age make-up looked a lot less convincing in sunlight.
A few comments for this storyline: wasn’t seeing her with baby Mari adorable? And yes, we finally did see Mari on this show. And didn’t that scene with young Amaya and her daughter Esi feel rather Lord of the Rings, especially with Amaya’s Galadriel-like robes? Speaking of…
3. New Zealand, 1999
When I expressed hope John Noble would appear in-person on this show, I was not expecting the Legends team to go the whole hog with their LOTR fandom by having Ray time travel to visit Noble on the set of the films. They could’ve just visited Noble on the set of any film, but clearly they wanted to complete the Ring cycle (ahem) after using Tolkien last season.
Noble obviously had fun wearing a knock-off of his wig and costume, and with putting on a very exaggerated Aussie accent (probably best they didn’t ask Brandon Routh to put on a Kiwi one.) And his appearance means I have so many questions now, like does Routh exist in the Arrowverse? Does he play Ant-Man? Who starred on their version of Prison Break? And is Caity Lotz still a dancer for Lady Gaga?
By the way, the caption should’ve read “New Zealand, 2000,” as Noble wouldn’t have shot his scenes in 1999. I should know, as I spent my youth watching all the DVD Appendices, and I remember that they didn’t shoot anything from the latter two films until then.
4. Love will tear us apart
Like all the best villains who survive long enough, Damien Darhk became a good guy this week. I legitimately became invested in his redemption, and found his speech to Sara about how much he loved his daughter quite moving (really, really have to give it up to Neal McDonough there). His betrayal was therefore heartbreaking, although thankfully it was more reasons that made emotional sense for the character, instead of undoing his growth as a character.
I wondered for a moment if Esi would lose control of her powers and be the one to destroy the village, which would’ve been quite the twist, but it’s clear the finale is going to have to be about Darhk undoing his own mistake, not Amaya’s.
5. Mallus Unleashed
Wow. OK, so who broke the timeline? And did Nora’s head just fall off? That was disturbing. Anyway, Mallus, revealed at last. Yeah, he kind of looks a typical modern vampire bat (Skyrim etc.), but he looked really impressive, and suitably Satanic, for a TV show. So what now? Only one way to find out…
Continued belowBonus thoughts:
– The “inside of her” line was dreadful even by this show’s standards.
– Zari drew the short straw this week, getting holed up in the library in almost the whole episode.
– Assuming Ava Sharpe returns next season, will she sail on the Ship of Theseus?
– Did Grodd’s role remind anyone else of how Surtur was used in Thor: Ragnarok?
Next week: well, here we are, at the end of all things (at least until season 4).
