Previously on LEGENDS OF TOMORROW…
As much as the Legends of Tomorrow are struggling with their captain, Sara Lance, lost somewhere across the galaxy, I feel like the show is suffering a little bit by separating Caity Lotz from the rest of the cast. As one of the show’s few remaining original cast members, along with Dominic Purcell, Lotz has provided a through-line for the series and is clearly the glue that holds everything together.
That’s not to say that the current season has been bad, although I do think it’s been off to a slow start.
The third episode was an improvement on last week’s effort, putting a focus on the budding relationship between John Constantine and Zari Tarazi. Matt Ryan’s version of the Hellblazer has become pretty iconic since the failed NBC series, and I am partial to episodes of Legends that give a shine to the character. And Tala Ashe as Zari has become such an integral part of the series, despite all the timeline changes to the character. I was a little iffy on the Zari-Constantine relationship at the start, but the pair has really started to grow on me. The latest episode of Legends, “The Ex-Factor,” really cemented it for me.
As the Legends continue to search for the aliens that Sara released into the timeline in the SEASON PREMIERE, in the hopes of one of them leading the team back to their captain, a blip brings them to 2045 when they hear that an alien eviscerated Zari’s ex-boyfriend, the ridiculous DJ S’More Money, on the set of a singing competition show, “Da Throne.”
Zari uses the opportunity to perform on the show as a way of saving her brand in her home era and the Legends use her willingness to go on TV as a way to save S’More from Lord Knoxacrillion. The alien wants to take the throne as a precursor to an invasion of Earth. Knoxacrillion uses his alien technology to perfect Earth performances, but it’s not enough to overcome Zari’s popularity – especially when former punk rock guitarist Constantine joins her onstage to perform a version of the Buzzcocks’ “Ever Fallen In Love.”
As these years later, whenever I hear that song, I flash back to the first season episode of SCRUBS where JD finally hooks up with his on-again, off-again love interest, Dr. Elliot Reed. Man, that show was always on point with its music.
The performance at the end of the show is the final step Zari and John need to take before they can admit they’re actually in a relationship and not in a series of meaningless hook-ups. It’s a new reality for Constantine, who’s never been known for his success in relationships. Zari and John being open about their relationship could be the death knell for what makes their interactions interesting, but Matt Ryan and Tala Ashe have been so good on Legends that I hope they make it work.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, Sara is still marooned on an alien planet with Gary, and she’s suffering the ill effects of the poison that the fake Amelia Earhart hit her with last episode. Alien Gary helps her survive the night by transforming to her true form and eating some weird Ava clones as Sara makes her way into the compound of the man who hired Gary and his fiancée Kayla to bring him all the aliens Sara released.
Hopefully, the reveal of the villain (?) can help Legends start to move the plot forward a bit, at the very least to move us closer to Sara being reunited with her team. I especially want to see the Legends’ reaction to Gary having been an alien this whole time.