This week on Legends of Tomorrow, Neron got the Waverider snowed in by an avalanche during the Ice Age, and took his hostage Constantine to his ancestors at Stonehenge, in the hopes of persuading him to open the portal to Hell and reunite him with his lover Tabitha. Meanwhile, Gary and his demon-coated nipple took over the Time Bureau (another thing I thought I’d never type until this wonderfully wacky show).
1. “Nipnotize”
(Thanks for that phrase Ava, I’m just waiting on the inevitable Notorious B.I.G. parody now.) So thanks to his deal with the devil last week, Gary has received a glow-up, and his reattached demon-saturated nipple doubles as a third eye that he uses to hypnotise the Time Bureau into becoming his thralls. (“‘Gary Green is all the man you need.'”) I thought the storyline was a great use of Mona, who ceases to be a childishly dependent character and uses her Wolfy persona to knock Ava and Nora out of Gary’s spell – it was also fantastic seeing the Wolfy side of her take over her arm to scratch a message of encouragement on the wall. Likewise, I had the exact same reaction of terror as she did when Gary unveiled his cursed appendage. More of this Mona please.
2. Last Legends Standing
Neron keeps causing conflict between our heroes, convincing Mick Ray’s truly gone and goading him into firing on him, which is what causes the avalanche. Sara’s naturally angry at Mick, leading them to criticize each other for having off-ship adventures last week, which was weird, given everyone believed Neron had been vanquished. This being Legends, it doesn’t last long, and the two have a poignant realization while searching for a solution in Ray’s room – that they’re the last two remaining members of the original team.
Adding to this, there was a great callback to Snart with Charlie putting on one of his coats, and observing its sandalwood scent. All in all, I can’t help but feel this is foreshadowing Mick’s departure from the team: given the terms of Ray’s bargain with Neron, it will probably require a life to bring him back. Hopefully Constantine will ensure it doesn’t have to come to that.
3. Matt Ryan Gets his Witcher On
Speaking of whom, Constantine is taken by his kidnapper to meet his ancestor, the Celtic king Constantine at Stonehenge in 55 BCE. (So, sadly not his Roman namesake.) We learn King Constantine drove the rift between human and magical creatures, as human fear empowered his magic, forcing Constantine to reconsider whether it was right to send Neron’s kind to Hell in the first place. Like his descendant, King Constantine is also played by Matt Ryan, who gets to wear a long gray wig that’s oddly reminiscent of Geralt from The Witcher franchise. (I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a tongue-in-cheek nod to Andrzej Sapkowski’s monster slayer.)
The notion of magic powered by fear was fascinating to hear, as it could be an indirect reference to the Sinestro Corps, the major group of DC villains who channel fear into their power rings. I was more interested though in whether or not Celts would send their enemies to Hell (that word is Germanic in origin after all), given how little is known about their Otherworld (which, incidentally, has been featured in DC Comics). Apparently, the Gauls believed in a Hell/Tartarus equivalent called Dubnos, so I guess the show may not have been pushing the suspension of disbelief all that much there.
4. I Feel A Song Coming On
Things got pretty bleak this week: the Waverider crew almost froze to death, Mona was locked up, and Constantine’s ancestor chained him up after mistaking him for a shapeshifter. But after reading “Ray Palmer’s Survival Guide – With Foreword by Ray Palmer,” (yes, really), the Legends realize the best way to melt the ice is to stop conserving energy and carry on as normal, which played like a lovely metaphor for distracting yourself with hobbies and friends to combat depression. I honestly felt between the Legends playing Ray’s card game, and Mona’s Wolfy side writing a message to herself, that it would’ve made sense to have a Magnolia-style musical number.
Continued below5. The Fairy Godmother?!
King Constantine opens a portal to drag his descendant to Hell, but our plucky demonologist turns the tables and makes it a neutral doorway instead. I don’t get why he couldn’t have just shut it off entirely, but in any case, he decides to dive in after all to save Ray. More importantly, Neron’s consort Tabitha comes through and it turns out she’s none other than the Fairy Godmother! She’s such a fun character, so to know we’re getting more from her is such a joy. And I gotta say, I don’t think any of us ever expected Brandon Routh an onscreen partner as venerable as Jane Carr – you go ma’am!
Bonus thoughts:
– The Donner Pass is a real place but I still think it’s a cool nod to Superman director Richard Donner.
– Neron blackmailing Constantine by harming Ray’s body was pretty disturbing: the sight of his blade against Ray’s body and his talk of doing it was quite graphic.
– The main antagonist was an avalanche – ‘cos Mick hates Ava/Lance. Get it?
– Zari and Nate did it y’all – congratulations to the happy couple.
– Constantine getting mistaken for a shapeshifter feels pretty karmic, given he took away Charlie’s powers at the start of the season.
Join me next week as we update our “Terms of Service.”
