With Sara recovering from last week’s attack, the Legends move on to their next adventure in the jungles of Vietnam.
Heading into the height of the war in 1967, the team is still recovering from their battle with Damien Darhk and his daughter. Sara’s in a coma, Martin and Jax are still working to separate Firestorm, and Amaya is shocked and furious that Kuasa is her granddaughter. To keep themselves busy, they pick the Vietnam anachronism at random, interviewing a GI who survived an ambush by none other than Gorilla Grodd.
While it seems like Grodd is ending the fighting, having U.S. soldiers and Vietcong troops work together, the anachronism will result in World War III between the U.S. and Russia if he’s not stopped. How? Well, the arrival of President Johnson likely has something to do with it. Grodd is targeting him for assassination. To make matters more complicated, Mick Rory runs into his dad, a Green Beret fighting in the war. You know, the same dad that he let burn to death. You could say he has some issues!
This episode gives us an excellent showcase for Dominic Purcell by having him interact with his father and work through his own issues. At first, he wants nothing to do with his dad, named Dick Rory. But after Dick saves his life, Mick sees a different side to his father, who’s battle-scarred but still has a conscience. Purcell does a great job bringing out Rory’s emotions through the smallest changes in his stone-faced expression.
Back in Grodd’s camp, Amaya almost negotiates a truce offering to take him to a time before humans to live out his life in peace. But just then, the squad of soldiers led by Dick attacks. He threatens to execute all the prisoners of war, but Mick tells him that if he does so, it will haunt him for the rest of his life. Another great moment.
Meanwhile, Jax wants to prove his value to the team in the field beyond Firestorm, given the struggles he and Martin are going through to separate. He gets his chance when President Johnson triggers a land mine. Thanks to Jax’s quick thinking, he survives the minefield.
Grodd tries to steal the Waverider, even possessing the unconscious Sara to try and take over the ship. She’s knocked out by Isaac Newton (don’t ask) and Grodd seems to fall to his doom. Their reward for all their efforts? LBJ gives Jax the secret pecan pie recipe of his wife, Lady Bird Johnson. Preventing World War III and getting some awesome pie? Not a bad Thanksgiving for the Legends!
Show Notes
- This episode may seem like filler before the upcoming crossover, but it does have some ramifications. While Grodd appears to die in Napalm flames, he’s actually transported to the present day by Damien Darhk.
- After learning that Mick met his dad, Zari and Ray become suspicious of all these run-ins lately. In recent travels, Martin met his ancestor and Ray ran into his younger self. The odds of all these meetings happening is astronomically high.
- So why is Isaac Newton on the Waverider? Martin’s struggling to solve the Firestorm separation equation, so he calls him some help. That assistance comes in the form of Newton, Galileo and Marie Curie!
- Amaya, after Nate and Ray ask her how’s she doing regarding Kuasa: “When did [men] start talking about their feelings?” Ray: “Uhhh, early 90s?”
The Super Cinco
- – Mick Rory / Heat Wave – Mick works through some personal issues with his father, stopping him from executing some prisoners after the attack on Grodd’s base. By doing so, he saves Ray, Zari and Amaya as well. (Last Week’s Ranking – Unranked)
- – Jefferson “Jax” Jackson – While Jax is angry that Martin doesn’t know how to separate Firestorm yet without removing their powers, he proves that he doesn’t need them to save the day. Due to his actions, President Johnson walks a minefield and lives another day. (Last Week’s Ranking – 5)
- – Amaya Jiwe / Vixen – She finds her way into Grodd’s camp, trying to use Ray’s shrink ray on him to solve the anachronism. When that doesn’t work, she aims to negotiate a truce, using her totem and connection to the animal kingdom. It fails, but through no fault of her own. (Last Week’s Ranking – 4)
- – Zari Tomaz – Not only does she discover Grodd’s plan to assassinate President Johnson, but she also convinces a Vietnamese woman that violence is not the answer. Having similarly lost her family in a horrible conflict, she shows a better way forward. (Last Week’s Ranking – 2)
- – Nate Heywood / Steel – He integrates himself into Dick Rory’s squad by claiming to be from the CIA. It helps him work out the mystery of what Grodd is doing, and helps Mick through his dad issues as well. But his CIA ploy does end with him getting knocked out. (Last Week’s Ranking – Unranked)