Aloha! This week’s resurrection on Legends of Tomorrow came in the form of Marie Antoinette in Versailles, 1793, who – for some reason – resembled Nora Darhk, and was killing the Revolution by serving peasants actual cake. Fortunately, with party girl Zari at her side, she was no trouble at all for acting captain Ava (the real problem turned out to be Zari herself). Meanwhile, Astra plotted to get rid of Constantine once and for all…
1. Parallels
There were some strong parallels between this episode and one of the original Zari’s earliest adventures, season 3’s “Helen Hunt.” There we saw Helen of Troy causing chaos in Golden Age Hollywood with her curse causing men to violently fight over her: here, the Legends discover Marie Antoinette returned from Hell with a perfume that caused everyone to stop fighting for liberté, égalité, fraternité in favor of a grande party. Once Zari lures Marie away from the palace with a false promise of an after-party on the Waverider, we get a moment to sympathize with the deposed queen, where she reminds us she was once a lonely Austrian girl who was married off to Prince Louis.
However, whereas Zari would’ve once taken the jumpship to deposit one of history’s most misunderstood women on Themiscyra, this new version becomes afraid of being canceled like Marie and decides to use her perfume to ensure she never suffers a backlash. (It turns out in 2045 that her perfume, Dragonesque, can permanently destroy your sense of smell, so all I can say, is be careful gang.) However, after the perfume gets spilled on her, Zari’s legion of adoring fans cause a riot, something Ava fixes by “hydrating” her into a fountain. Zari and Ave bond over this teachable moment, and Behrad offers his sister a doughnut to console her after this embarrassment, something that activates her memories as a foodie in her other life on the Waverider. (Alternate timelines, parallels, geddit?)
2. Heads Will Roll
Being undead, Marie Antoinette’s head isn’t quite attached to her body, and she accidentally loses it when running after Zari to the Waverider. There’s something inherently hilarious about seeing Courtney Ford as a furious disembodied head, on top of her outrageously bad French accent: I don’t know why, but I feel since childhood we’re inoculated against the idea of seeing decapitated people as being too graphic (anyone remember the Kenan and Kel movie with the Headless Knight? No I’m not making that up). This being Legends, where anything can go wrong will go wrong, the headless body starts wandering the ship’s corridors and gets ahold of Mick’s flamethrower, so things go from absurd to being so alarming that it goes back to being joyfully absurd again.
3. Speaking of Heads
This new Zari is dating the “internationally renowned DJ S’More Money,” who literally wears a giant s’more-shaped mask. Firstly, someone was really hungry in the writer’s room that day. Secondly, the more think I about it, it’s a really fun joke about how Zari’s suppression of her love for food caused itself to manifest itself in dating this loser. Lastly, I am so glad Nate punched him and Money calls off the relationship, because Money deserved it for looking that stupid, and not just because he was endangering Zari’s life along with everyone else on the red carpet.
4. Trip Down Memory Lane
Back at Constantine’s old home, Gary accidentally unleashes the ghost of Astra’s mother, Natalie, from the room she’s confined in after trying to help his master. As she disturbs the house, Constantine proceeds to explain how he got involved with Astra’s parents, which becomes genuinely fascinating when we learn he and Natalie were childhood sweethearts who were into the supernatural from a young age. John eventually deduces Charlie was drawn to his home by his interest in the Loom of Fate, and she confesses that she destroyed the relic a very long time ago (that’s how old she is).
Over in Hell, Astra convinces a demon to advance the clock on Constantine’s soul so his lung cancer will manifest a decade earlier. I’ve said before I’m not a “Hellblazer” expert, but I’m familiar with the idea of John not owning his own soul and his terminal diagnosis thanks to the movie, so it’s pretty cool seeing both ideas factoring into the show now. I also like the new addition of the history between him and Natalie, as it strengthens the bond between him and Astra: in another life, he could’ve been her mother.
Continued below5. Bird’s Away
Sara’s away on business in Star City this week. This may have been when she went to Oliver Queen’s funeral (as seen in the Arrow series finale), but like Charlie’s decision to squat in Constantine’s house, it might turn out to be something more complex and significant for this season. Likewise, Mick doesn’t get a lot of screentime this episode, spending all of it aboard the Waverider, seemingly trying to cope with the reemergence of his feelings for Allie after his fling with her last week (he responds to Ray’s suggestion he has a crush with, “Is that when you whiz and it hurts?”)
Bonus thoughts:
– The metaphor about the fox and the hedgehog Behrad mentions is a real thing by the way.
– Ava’s furious “why you little” hand gesture is adorable now.
– The actor playing Napoleon looked old and pudgy next to the real young Bonaparte (who as any Napoleonic expert knows, looked a lot like an anime hero).
– It’s never explained in-universe why Courtney Ford is pulling double duty this week beyond the suggestion they may be distant relation, but hey, Brandon Routh is Earth-96 Superman and Ray, so why not?
– Young Constantine’s mohawk in those ghostly flashbacks was amazing.
– Zari and Ray are both picky eaters, and New Zari doesn’t like flannel (or “lumberjack chic” as she calls it).
– Get up Constantine, we can’t rely on Gary to send Marie back to Hell!
See you all next week for the John Woo homage “Mortal Khanbat,” directed by none other than Caity Lotz! Make us proud Ms. Lance!
