If any DC series is deserving of a “most improved” award, it’s most certainly Legends of Tomorrow. Sure, there were some definite highlights to fondly remember from the first two years such as “Star City 2046,” but I often kept watching just for the sake of keeping current on all things Arrowverse. Now, however, I look forward to tuning in on a weekly basis.
Though it’s hard to credit one person alone for the turnaround because everyone making up the cast and crew deserve a round of applause, I hope that others will agree with me in saying that season 3 was when this show really found its footing. In short, the time traveling adventures were finally enjoyable, and the appropriate injection of comedy was delivered.
Admittedly, I’m one to lean toward the more serious stuff and prefer darker material offered up by the likes of Arrow, Gotham and Black Lightning, but that doesn’t necessarily work for everything. Furthermore, Legends can pull off silliness better than The Flash, a sister series that has shown it can’t tip the scales too far in the direction of either drama or comedy, lest the fanbase express consternation.
What I’m getting at is how this landscape created thrives by allowing for each show to establish its own flavor, and although it took this baby a while to get there, it can certainly go places that others can’t – and I’m not just talking about historical periods. I mean, where else could you see a man express his love for a hallucination of his dead pet rat and not be taken out of the story?
Speaking of which, the producers allowing for Legends to feel more like its own thing by worrying less about continuity with other Arrowverse shows has also provided a big boost. It’s kind of like how you know Batman and Booster Gold exist within the same comic book universe but they’re best left to their own devices.
As for what’s actually going on this season, we pick up with the Waverider crew rounding up the final anachronism, thereby fixing history. Surprisingly, this forces the suits at the Time Bureau to recognize them as heroes – but the celebration is short-lived.
You see, what had been previously hinted at during the closing moments of last spring’s finale comes home to roost. To put it simply, the defeat of Mallus has opened the floodgates for numerous other monsters to go hog wild on the timestream. So, naturally, it’s up to the people who created the mess to clean it up.
Interestingly enough, the first threat for this season comes in the form of a unicorn, so I implore you not to trust one should you ever encounter their kind in the wild. And as it turns out, this fabled equine is dealing sparkly death at Woodstock (1969, so you don’t have to worry about hearing anything from Limp Bizkit), with the team coming back together from opposite directions.
It may otherwise seem like a no-brainer to enlist the help of John Constantine (Matt Ryan) in situations such as these, so I’m glad the character’s once again in play for showrunner Phil Klemmer to utilize. Make no mistake, it’s seemingly going to take Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) some time to convince the demonologist to fully join her cause, but I’m glad nothing’s being rushed in a storytelling sense.
To be clear, I’m dancing around major spoilers as I often try to do, but I’ll just say that John may soon find incentive to reconsider. At the present time, it remains unclear who or what this season’s big bad is, though it appears they have history with the enigmatic exorcist.
If you were to ask me, what’ll follow in the coming months should serve as a fantastic consolation prize for NBC cancelling Constantine a few years back, as I sense we’re going to be receiving the best of both worlds when it comes to satisfying Hellblazer fans and those who already adore Legends of Tomorrow. Actually, the show’s new title card teases just that.
Before I get out of here, I do want to assure you that the premiere episode isn’t all laughs and wacky magical time traveling shenanigans, for we get generous glimpses into the personal lives of both Ms. Lance and Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) in two threads that I imagine being explored further as the saga unfolds. Also along for the ride with the latter is that of Mick Rory AKA Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell), who effortlessly continues stealing whichever scene he’s in.
By now, you’re probably getting the impression that Legends of Tomorrow‘s fourth season has carried over the momentum established by its previous effort, which it absolutely does. Still, you shouldn’t expect for a rehash in the slightest bit because all signs point toward new territory being charted between now and next spring. Hey, if we’ve already dealt with a unicorn, then what else lurks around the corner? I, for one, can’t wait to find out.
Published: Oct 14, 2018 01:43 pm