SPOILERS RIGHT BELOW – DO NOT READ IF YOU WANNA AVOID THEM OR, IF YOU AREN’T THAT BOTHERED THEN PLEASE, GO RIGHT AHEAD!!!
The usual start of a Legends episode – Yes, it’s a “Previously…” segment (I am really running out of ways to state these things every right up – John).
From this recap onwards, the paragraph titles will be song titles. I am really sure that you’ll all really enjoy that won’t you? Feel free to spam my Twitter account with artist names or, in true, Swap Shop fashion, answers on a postcard to the usual address.
SHE’S GONE
The episode begins and Nate gathers the team on the bridge of the Waverider. A jump ship has been stolen from the, erm, ship and they need to determine what happened. Well, it soon becomes obvious that Amaya, as she isn’t on the bridge as Nate observes and puts two and two together to get the correct answer, has stolen said jump ship and come to the conclusion that she’s off to Zambesi to help ensure the future of her people, including the recently deceased Kuasa.
THE CALL UP
As the team need to spring in to action and make their way to Zambesi to try to stop Amaya doing something she shouldn’t be doing, in true Legends fashion that was never going to be straight forward. And why not? Because they receive a video call from Rip Hunter who informs the team that the Dastardly Telepathic Gorilla, Grodd is on the loose back in time and trying to kill a young Barry. Barry who, you may ask. Well, that’s the name the young Barack Obama likes to be called, back in his youthful days.
GO ON YOUR WAY
Two events mean two teams going their way to ensure that history is restored. Anachronisms are being created to help enable Mallus be free from his prison so it’s Nate and Wally who make their way to Zambesi to track down and sort things at Amaya’s end, with the rest making their way to go save “Barry” from the threat that is Grodd.
GOING THROUGH CHANGES
In another part of the world, Nora seems to be transforming as her father, Damien, looks on. We don’t see the attempted transformation but we do see a shadow where we see wings grown. Damien tells Nora that Mallus is ready to take over her body, becoming physical, meaning that Nora will be no more. We also see Damien’s despair at the thought of losing his daughter and he wants to do something to help her takeover stopping.
MR PRESIDENT
The Legends, minus Nate and Wally, make their way back in time to try to save Barry Obama from the grip of Grodd, literally. Thankfully, Ray is able to do this by using his shrink gun after there is no effect from Mick’s heat gun. Barack, happy as Larry that he’s been saved, is then hit with a mind-wipe gun to ensure he forgets everything that has happened to him that day, it wouldn’t be ideal if the future President was aware now would it? After a good days work, the Legends are about to make their way back to the Waverider when, to their surprise, Damien Darhk makes an appearance asking for their help to save his daughter.
DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
Back on the Waverider, the team have returned with Damien in tow. Again, asking for their help, Damien has an offer for them in return, the Water Totem. He wants the Legends to trust him, hence the offer of the Totem. He explains that once Mallus is free, his daughter will be killed. Most of the Legends have little sympathy for him, due to his past occurrences and, thanks to a “spell” of John Constantine’s, the team have him shielded, with the help of Damien himself in order to gain their trust.
PASS IT ON DOWN
Off to Zambesi where Nate and Wally are looking for Amaya. They do find her, but it’s future, much older Amaya. A ritual is being held where the Anansi Totem is to be handed down to Amaya’s daughter, Esi. As Esi is to be presented with the Totem, a young Kuasa walks in and tells Amaya that Esi won’t be arriving for the ritual. Wally is convinced that Esi needs to take the Totem and tells young Amaya (who at first rejected help from the two Legends as she needs to stop the genocide of her people) and Nate that his is the way to restore history. However, Nate tells them “screw history” and they aim to change things for the better, meaning Esi will save Amaya’s people.
DEAL IS DONE
After an earlier disagreement with Ava for taking the side of Rip in their discussions about what to do with Darhk, Sara decides to go back in time to see the young Barack Obama. She explains everything that has happened and, while he does kinda believe what she is telling him, he does give her some wise words of advice, of encouragement. After wiping his memory again, Sara makes her way back to the Waverider and makes a deal with Damien. She will work alongside him on the condition that, when they are through, she kills him so history can be returned to how it should be. Damien, very quickly, agrees to the terms of the deal.
YES OR NO
Young Amaya manages to catch up with her daughter, Esi. She approaches Esi and talks to her about accepting the Anansi Totem. In another part of the settlement (?), Nate and Wally continue discussing whether Amaya should be allowed to mess with the past or not.
REWRITE
Back on the Waverider and Mick is doing what he does best – watching TV. He’s watching, as luck may have it, Lord of the Rings, which feature the guy who forms part of the title of this episode, John Noble. It is noticed that the character he plays sounds EXACTLY like the demon Mallus so a plan is put in place to try to trick Nora in to thinking that Mallus is talking to her, when quite clearly it won’t be. The plan is to find Noble on the set of the movie, record him saying some pretend “new lines”, written by Peter Jackson, to be featured in the Lord of the Rings and for Ray to shrink down to his atom size and play the recorded lines to an unknowing Nora.
WHO ARE YOU?
Back in Zambesi and Nate (Wally is back on the Waverider) is trying to creep in to the older Amaya’s hut in order to steal the Totem that is due to be passed to Esi. Amaya awakes, puts up a good fight and wants to know who this person is, as she is unaware at this point of her history with him. Nate begins to talk about their relationship, showing her photographs on his phone and she then comes around and believes.
IN ONE EAR
Damien returns to Nora, with her demanding to know why Mallus has not been released and he has failed the mission he was away to finish. As she is berating him, Damien taps on his chest and a shrunken Ray flies across and directly in to Nora’s ear. While he is in there, Ray plays the lines recorded from John Noble, convincing her that she has to board the Waverider and speak to the Legends. They teleport to the Waverider and, as soon as they arrive, Nora realises that all is not as it should be and Damien places a spell on her, putting a force field around her, one that means she cannot use any of her powers.
ALL BY OURSELVES
On the Waverider, Ava and Rip find themselves alone together. Ava makes him aware that she knows that she is a clone and wants to know why she was the chosen one. Thanks to his facial actions, it soon becomes apparent to Ava that she is not the first one, and Rip informs her that she is the 12th.
TAKEOVER
On the ship, Damien is trying to speak to his daughter. It becomes clear that Mallus is taking control of Nora and he has great pleasure in telling Damien that she is dead.
I’LL SAVE YOU
In Zambesi, young Amaya has managed to convince Esi to become the Totem Bearer that she is destined to be, in the hope that she can be the one to save the village from certain death.
IMPOSSIBLE
Back to the Waverider and Sara is telling the team that Mallus, due to their inability to see him, is impossible to fight. Her suggestion is to free Mallus from the prison so they can give him the fight of their lives. Sara, therefore, gives Damien the Death Totem due to his skills/past etc. Ava is shocked at this and she departs the Waverider. Wally and Ray go to Zambesi to tell Nate and Amaya their plan about releasing Mallus and all of them return to the ship. When back at the ship, the team distribute the Totems between each other with Nate taking the Earth and Ray the Water Totems. The plan is to help Esi win her fight in the village, creating an anachronism, meaning mallus will be released from his prison. Rip, looking up the headlines to see if their plan works finds out that the village is still destroyed, not by the warlords as history suggests, but by a gorilla. They see that the shrunken Grodd has been released, something Damien admits to because of second thoughts about the release of Mallus. He’s had a vision of Nora saying that she hasn’t gone yet, so he doesn’t want to create the anachronism but wants nothing more than to save his daughter. The group start to fight with Damien, trying to retain the Death Totem that he is wearing and he tries to explain why he is doing what he’s doing.
THE BATTLE RAGES ON
Esi battles the Gorilla, Grodd and holding her own. Nate rushes to help her and, thankfully, manages to use the Earth Totem’s powers to send Grodd flying, knocking him out. Ray gets to his feet and confronts Damien, trying to compromise. However, from the back, Sara stabs Damien with a knife and they retake the Death Totem. This enables Norea to escape and run outside.
BAT OUT OF HELL
The Legends hear something going on in the village and rush to find out what the commotion is. Nora has been taken over by Mallus, meaning that he is able to take on his true from, looking like a huuuuuuuge bat. Nora is dead, Mallus is here…
I gotta say, I loved this episode. For me, one of the best episodes of the season. One thing that really impresses me here, is how the writers have managed to have so much going on, link it to the main story and all very seamlessly.
Great performances, subtle hints at humour and a couple of really great guest stars in young Barry and John Noble.
Performances from Jes Macallan, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and, dare I say it, Neal McDonough were outstanding. Jes Macallan does emotion so well, Maisie R-S as older Amaya was superb and McDonough as Damien the father (we’d all do anything for our kids) was so much more humanised this time out, great stuff from all.
Loved the reveal of Mallus and we can see that a lot of budget must have been saved for this episode.
Ava/Sara again heartbreaking but, Ava’s realisation on being a clone and what this means will hinder her attempt at being in a relationship. So sad but I do hope for a successful outcome.
This really was a cracker and the finale next week should be a belter. I have seen the title of the episode and I do have a theory on how Mallus may be dealt with. Personally, I hope I am wrong but I will let you all into it next week.
For me, a 9/10
As always, my thanks to you all for reading, I do hope that you enjoy these as much as I enjoy putting them together. Any comments you wish to make, please do so below or on our social media pages, or even comment @ my own Twitter account, @DC_ComicsGeek. Always look forward to hearing from readers.
Cheers, John
