And it definitely was.
In more ways than one. Mostly because there was more than one of everyone. Which really, really makes taking notes and writing about the episode increasingly difficult as the story unfolds. I felt like Bill and Ted trying to define all the “us”es.
After a quick stint in Doomland where the team has to find Ray’s suit and unmicromachine the Waverider the crew decides to go back to 1916 France to the place where they found the blood of Christ, beat their oldselves there, and hope they don’t dissolve time entirely.
But these are the Legends so you know that’s not happening.
Immediately upon Ray getting the Blood in his hands, Thawne shows up and not only breaks the vial of blood but kills Ray. Right in the heart…both ours and Ray’s. With the blood gone, and no one willing to make a third trip back in time (only Marty McFly is that crazy), the only other answer is to steal the Spear from themselves and use it before the Legion can.
Of course, seeing yourself is exactly how you cause time aberrations and the destruction of the universe, but this is fine (it’s never fine).
Rory takes the lead of the thieving team consisting of himself, Rip, and Nate. But once they make their way onto the old Waverider, they run into 1916 Sara, Stein, Jax, and (worst of all for Nate) Amaya. While Rory is able to get the Spear and Rip takes Gideon offline, Nate gets tied up in his feeling (feelings he didn’t realize were as deep as they were until he watched Amaya die). His delay leads to the 1916 Legends returning and them getting trapped on the ship.
Now, here’s the thing. Sara Lance is an expert strategist and all around amazing, but for some reason, she didn’t take into consideration that the Legends have comm links. So when she and Jax try to hold of 1916 Ray, Nate, Rip, and Rory she seems to forget that 1916 Sara can just tell them these people are imposters. A folly that leads to her getting a steel sucker punch to the face (which is really the only way to take her down. Seriously, why did 1916 Sara think Ray was going to be able to stop her. That’s just mean to Ray).
When they bring the crew aboard the Waverider they assume they are Thawne with face altering powers, but 1916 Rip quickly points out that they are real, and they take turns filling each other in.
The 1916 Sara takes the Spear to go and think, and Doomworld Sara follows her explaining that she couldn’t use the Spear to stop the Legion and save her team even knowing this would happen because there’s too much darkness in her and she would have used it for the wrong reasons. As she told herself, “The Spear is a weapon and you know what we do with weapons.” This incredibly epic line is obviously foreshadowing, but we’ll get to that later.
For as much as the Legends tell people, and themselves, all the time not to interfere with the past, they are the absolute worst at not doing it. Nate tells himself not to be an idiot and to admit to Amaya how he feels, explaining to him that he loves her and he won’t want to watch her die again without admitting that. It’s a beautiful moment that’s completely ruined by the arrival of the Legion of Doom (sans Thawne) and their attack on the Waverider.
The two teams try to make a jump, but a time storm is created by their crossing of the streams, and the crews crash back down a few feet away. The Doomworld Legends have accepted their fate as aberrations, and make a plan that the 1916 Legends have to get to the other Waverider and get the Spear out of the reach of the Legion. So, the epic battle begins.
In a George R.R. Martin style race for the other ship, Legends start dropping left and right. Jax dies to protect 1916 Stein from Merlyn (something he failed to do in Doomworld), Snart takes out Rory (which 1916, aka still alive Ray, tries to avenge), Nate is killed by Darhk turning the tables causing Amaya to watch him pass (the awesome reminder to his 1916 counterpart not to be a douche is a pretty sweet last line though). And just when you think the 1916 Legends and what’s left of the Doomworld squad are going to make it Thawne bursts in with his own army of Thawnes.
As he starts picking people off there is only one way to get the battle to end, only one way to destroy him, Sara has to use the Spear.
And, of course, the Spear’s a real jerk and it takes her to a scene where Laurel is alive and they are watching the Wizard of Oz (told ya guys we were building to this no place like home moment). BUT SARA DOESN’T CAVE.
In true Sara Lance fashion (and thanks to some sage advice from her deceased sister), Sara is able to figure out what she has to do. One of the best lines of the night actually goes to Laurel (something I never thought I’d say) when she told Sara, “It needs someone pure of heart, someone strong enough to do the right thing. It needs you.” Finally, Sara can be free of the past that haunts her, finally she can feel like the Legend she was meant to be.
When it fades back to reality they are still standing on the battlefield, Thawne swipes the Spear thinking he can use it, but Sara has rendered it useless. And worse than that, if you’re a displaced Speedster, the time wraith has found him. Thawne gets his heart ripped out, and he and all of his self-minions disappear.
So do the aberration Legends though.
The 1916 Legends crew are able to return the Legion members to their rightful spots (including Darhk, who will be on a path to kill Laurel, but Sara has finally accepted this fixed moment).
With everyone going home Amaya also begins packing her bags, but when Nate says he’s going with her, Amaya decides to delay her plans. For the record, she actually gets line of the night with: “I have to believe time is stronger than that, and that if I have a destiny it will wait for me.” Awwww.
And maybe it will. But with Rip leaving the team and passing the captain role onto Sara, officially, and the time storms knocking them into a reality where time is completely askew, Season 3 might just find the Legends all outside of their destiny.
And time may never be the same again. Now can we hop into the Waverider and fast forward to the fall premiere already?!
Written by Shannon Brewer, LoT Beat Writer -- Click to read Shannon's posts
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