Episode 13 – Leviathan:
Rip, having decided the team are running out of time, lands the group in London, 2166 – three days before his wife and son are murdered by Savage. Frustratingly, the series once again falls back into routine – different time, different place, same actions. The single point of interest is the introduction of Savage’s daughter, who Snart and Rory kidnap. Having realised the fate of his daughter, Savage sends the Leviathan – a huge, weaponized robot – after the Legends. It falls to Ray to reverse the polarity of his suit and supersize himself in order to take out the Leviathan – the solution seems unlikely but at the very least the graphics are good. When a complication prevents Kendra from killing Savage, the Legends incarcerate him on-board the Waverider. This episode feels as though it should have been the finale – the time and place was right, but the show runners seem insistent on needlessly drawing out the series.
Episode 14 – River of Time:
It has got to the point now where you are willing the episode to be a good one; it’s the sort of show that has such a vast potential to be really really interesting and original, yet drastically falls short. Knowing this, you’re willing the show to do well, hoping it can bring itself back from the brink. The episode is, however, painfully boring once again – it’s so easy to switch off whilst watching and then miss out on large chunks of the episode. Moments of emotion are spread far too thinly throughout, and the little action is poorly choreographed. Seeing as the Legends have Savage on the ship after his capture last episode, they are, at the very least, not looking for him the entire episode. However the ending of the episode is anticlimactic if anything, leaving a ‘bad taste in the mouth’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxZXDTlg8QE
Episode 15 – Destiny:
The 15th episode marks the penultimate episode of Legends of Tomorrow’s first season. The team are split up through space and time, with Sara and Snart left on the ship; it’s down to them to sort things out. We’re introduced to a few of the ‘Time Masters’, Hunter’s old bosses before he renounced them, but only very briefly, resulting in rather shoddy character development. The main love story in this show has been the triangle between Kendra, Parker and Ray, but this episode finally sheds some light on the not-quite-a-relationship between Sara and Snart. Such a development has been long awaited, and it’s a sweet (albeit cheesy) moment. A sudden death of one of the Legends rounds off the episode on a mournful note, but the remaining Legends are left strengthened in their resolve to apprehend Savage.
Episode 16 – Legendary:
The finale begins with Rip abandoning the surviving Legends; feeling that their mission has amounted to nothing useful, he leaves the group back in May 2016. This feels rather underwhelming, as they literally get dumped back home with very little explanation. As the Legends attempt to reintegrate into the present, things (predictably) don’t work out and they decide to call Hunter back. If there’s one thing that Legends can do well, it’s action – multiple fight scenes fitting for the finale really boost interest levels. The idea of the Legends battling different versions of Savage throughout time is also interesting, and allows for a very far-from-average fight sequence. The culmination of the story line is somehow satisfying, despite the poor form of most of the episodes. The episode ends with an introduction to season 2, and it is pretty intriguing to say the least.
All in all, I think it’s fair to say that season 1 of Legends of Tomorrow had the potential to be something really great, but unfortunately fell short by a long way. Hopefully the producers and writers can learn from their mistakes and make season 2 something to be proud of.
Words by Ruth Grove