Five Things From: Legends of Tomorrow 7×13, Knocked Up Knocked Down

Hello everyone and welcome to a very special edition of Five Things From. After over 100 episodes and 7 crazy seasons, we have finally reached the final episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Knocked Up Knocked Down. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? For one final time, let’s take a closer look…

1. Mike

Mike was a random addition to this episode wasn’t he? Now his golf playing entrance was very striking and it was a very fun visual with him moving around the frozen warzone so casually. His reaction to him discovering that his job was actually pretty pointless as no time traveller would try to change the point that led to the invention of time travel was pretty amusing. For some reason he was reminding me of Sinbad’s performance in Jingle All The Way. Look up one of his rants from that film and you will agree. The Booster Gold reveal felt both rushed and forced with it also being ultimately pointless but that isn’t the show’s fault.

2. Doors

I can’t believe that it has taken me the entire season to compare the Legends changing doors to magic portals to what the monsters do with doors in Monsters Inc. It is so similar. Also, credit to Gary for inventing the first door ever while blowing the minds of those two poor cavemen.

3. Nate

I love Nate and was so happy to see him get to have a genuine hero moment here. There was no joking about and he put himself in genuine danger as his superpowers were literally corroded away. It gave him a reason to retire and be with his Zari. It was a good ending for a characters. Well done show!

4. Pregnancy

Sara being pregnant was another rushed element that came about by her being part alien. Surely I can’t be the only person who completely forgot that that was a thing? Would the baby be part alien too? And what is the kiss protection that Gary referred to?

5. Cliffhanger

As a cliffhanger in a vacuum, this was good. Being the final moment of a show before it ends forever made it really frustrating. Annoyingly, the show gambled on getting another season and it didn’t pay off.  I know they clearly didn’t know it was cancelled when they wrote or filmed it but did they know before it aired? If they did then I would have just scrapped this episode and slightly adapted the previous one because, for the most part, it would actually work as a better ending.

Five Things From: Legends of Tomorrow 7×12, Too Legit to Quit

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at season 7 episode 12 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Too Legit to Quit. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. Futures

This episode saw each of the Legends get a look into their potential futures if they were to retire from the Wave Rider. Some were more progressive and exciting than others with Astra seemingly running for President? Is that something she would want to do? I guess you could say that having ran Hell she at least has leadership experience. They made an effort to make Nate look older in his vision which I appreciated while you genuinely felt sorry for Zari as she felt that her vision meant that she would regress back into the more shallow personality we saw when we first met her. I have a question about Sara and Ava’s vision though…how are they adopting a baby with Sara’s criminal record…and various death records? There must be some sort of surrogacy situation going on there. It is a nice potential ending for them though.

2. Timing Issues

For a time travel show, there was a ridiculous timing issue that really bugged me. Are they really suggesting that all of the Legends went in and got their visions (and that they specifically planned to drag out for as long as possible) in the same amount of time it took for Spooner to crawl through those vents…really?

3. The final episode

This episode could have actually acted like a fitting ending to the entire show. It was a conclusive finish and a happy enough ending for most of the characters. Even those who didn’t get their ideal endings had a bit of happiness when they revealed that they could all meet up in the house with the magic keys. What concerns me is that with one episode left they will do something to undo all of this and set up the next season which they never got. I know that the show was cancelled after they finished this season and they didn’t know it so the finale could fall flat if they set up things that never get to happen.

4. Gary

Is Gary dead? It would be strangely fitting if he was tossed aside so mercilessly. If they had dedicated a bit more time to it though, they could have made this into a genuinely emotional moment.

5. Robots

Why did they have to make Alan’s death a fixed point? Why did they have to make Alan a robot who was discovered so quick? Why can’t they just let Gwyn be happy? Gwyn deserves his happy ending and thy have one more episode to give it to him!

Five Things From: Legends of Tomorrow 7×11, Rage Against the Machines

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at season 7 episode 11 of Legends of Tomorrow, Rage Against the Machines. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. Nate

Until he turned back up onscreen, I had forgotten how much of a joy evil Nate was too watch. Whether it be him getting his voice-box knocked so he sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger or him viciously punching straight through that poor alien, it was hard to take your eyes off him whenever he appeared on screen. He was hamming it up and chewing the scenery like there was no tomorrow but that just made it all the more fun. You could tell the actor was really enjoying himself which made you just relax and enjoy it too. I do have to question real Nate’s decision at the end though. Could you really trust this guy to not wreck the fixed point. Even if he is programmed to stop time anomalies, I still wouldn’t have complete faith in him!

2. Best Worst Fight

Credit needs to go to whoever decided to put that ridiculously dramatic music over the top of robot Zari fighting real Zari. It made the whole thing so much funnier. The juxtaposition between the music and the hair pulling-bitch slapping extravaganza of a fight was brilliant. Of course that is how this Zari would fight!

3. Toilet Troubles

How unfortunate for the robots that they were programmed to suffer bodily functions! No matter how much you dislike a character or be against a villain, you have to sympathise with them when they can’t get to a toilet in time. Nobody should have to suffer that fate!

4. Gwyn

I have been waiting and waiting all season (and it might still happen) for some weird magic or time shenanigan to happen to cause him to become John Constantine again or be revealed as a relative. At this point though I don’t want it to happen as actor Matt Ryan has crafted a completely separate and wonderfully endearing character in Gwyn Davies. He is so sweet and good hearted and I think he deserves to remain a character in his own right.

5. Thawne

The one big down of this episode was the use of Thawne. You killed him off AGAIN that quickly!? He was so underutilised here. He ended up serving a functional role at best and we was well and truly wasted. If you are going to redeem him then make full use of that. At least let him sacrifice himself heroically rather than just being stabbed in such a mundane way minutes into the episode. A very poor decision.

Five Things From: Legends of Tomorrow 7×10, The Fixed Point

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at Legends of Tomorrow season 7 episode 10, The Fixed Point. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. The Rules

Somewhat surprisingly, the episode took some time right at the start to lay out some time travel rules in regard to what a fixed point is and how it needs to be treated. When they lean into the time travel elements, the show really does come alive and is able to spark drama. It set up the mission very well and made the episode feel more must-see.

2. The Pub

Building on the first point, the idea of a time-traveller pub where they all watch each other attempt to change time was a wonderful way to take the episode. It was so unexpected and completely subverted the expectations of what we were going to get. It was such a unique idea that really put emphasis on the wider “time-travel universe”. The sequence with Sarah keeping trying and failing was also giving me Doctor Who “Heaven Sent” vibes. If you know you know…and it is definitely a compliment.

3. The Duo

We all have that one person who at first thought, you consider a friend. You then realise that you are in fact just both members of the same large friendship group and don’t really speak to each other and have anything in common. That was Zari and Spooner here. They ended up bonding in a genuinely sweet moment for Spooner which was nice. I still find Spooner easily the least member of the team but I was happy that she got a nice bit of development here.

4. Irritating

This episode saw the appearance of one of the most awful types of characters that I truly hate in films or tv shows: that cocky, irritating little group of people who are solely there to make unfunny jokes at the expense of our protagonists and then laugh like idiots. I know you are supposed to dislike but I hate them so much. I think that is because we have all sadly experienced at least someone like this in our own lives. They tried to redeem them at the end by having them help the Legends which I was okay with, although I still don’t like them. I don’t forgive that easily!

5. Thawne!

Like he himself declared, having the original Thawne return to the show after five whole seasons was a big twist indeed. They found a way to bring him back from a seemingly permanent fate and as far as reasons go, I think they did quite a decent job. Having him become a servant of time is a fitting punishment for him and it is nice to see him become an uneasy ally to the team. They must have known that viewers would have been very happy to have him back so allowing us to side with him somewhat seems like a sensible decision.

Five Things From: Legends of Tomorrow 7×9: Lowest Common Denominator

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 7 episode 9, Lowest Common Denominator. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. Reality TV

The episode felt a tad slow to get going but once it did, things were very enjoyable and continued to ramp up to the crazy degrees that you would expect out of the show. The idea of a cursed production crew forced to work on a reality show broadcast in Hell sounds ridiculous yet Legends managed to make it work. They fitted in tropes from a number of different shows from the genre. They poked fun at reality TV in a playful way without outright ripping those who enjoy the genre to shreds.

2. Beeps

Gwyn ended up getting censored during his prayers whenever God was mentioned. Is religious talk or prayer not allowed on American reality TV or is it just a topic that they choose to avoid?

3. Steady Transformations

While different characters embodied different character stereotypes and tropes from various reality shows, there were two gradual changed that were very amusing. Sara became more and more like a Real Housewife looking to get away from the stresses of her oh-so-stressful life with a holiday. She became more and more “full-on” as things progressed and you could see Ava becoming irritated. Nate meanwhile ended up becoming a member of Jersey Shore and by the end he had developed quite the accent and quite the tan. Seriously, that tan just kept on getting darker and thicker.

4. Big Brother

They ended up having the actors all come to a room to sit on a chair and voice their opinions: this (especially the initial occurrence with Gideon talking to a faceless voice) was very reminiscent of Big Brother. As a Big Brother fan, the only thing to make it better would have them somehow weave nominations to potentially evict someone from the house into the episode in some way.

5. Behrad

Behrad got a nice bit of development hear. Not necessarily giving him a sob story, they did however give us some insight into how and why he has such a chilled persona. They skirted around a potential addiction plot which may have been wise as I’m not sure how well it would it would have been handled. They laced the story with comedy by revealing that Behrad was recast in a reality show about his home family but they did shine a light on how the “celebrity” label can be damaging. Having everything filmed and your life and struggles being broadcast and record can mess with your brain. I would say they conveyed that message pretty well.

Five Things From Legends of Tomorrow 7×8, Paranoid Android

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 7 episode 8, Paranoid Android. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. Villains

The episode made the decision to dedicate the entirety of the episode to the new, villainous team of robot Legends. This was a brave move but the cast managed to hook you in with their over-the-top villainous portrayals. The new opening sequence was fun where they introduced the new versions of the characters and the energy that these new versions of the Legends had about them carried through to the end of the episode. The majority were likeable, with the exception being Ava yet I believe she was written to be an antagonist within the antagonists if that makes sense.

2. Nate

While Behrad transforming into quite the violent and blood hungry individual had me grinning whenever he spoke, it was Nate’s super-jacked version of himself that really stole the show. The voice was brilliant and it grew stronger and stronger as the episode went on. The actor was clearly having the time of his life. The John Cena comparisons were pretty apt as he was giving off some serious Peace Maker vibes.

3. Bishop

I still miss Bishop! Killing him off seems like such a missed opportunity. I’m still holding out hope for him coming back in some way but that is starting to look rather unlikely.

4. Recognising

The whole concept of the group realising that they were androids and being manipulated by the evil Gideon was an interesting one. It added more depth to these characters and actually made them investible and sympathetic. They could have just had them be villainous and blindly follow orders but that would have became boring after a while. It also follows a similar theme to what they used previously with Ava: anyone can have a full and fulfilling life doing what they choose to do themselves.

5. Cement

Why did “Time is like cement” confuse people in this episode? Surely it meant like that you can only mould it for a limited amount of time before it sets.

Five Things From Legends of Tomorrow 7×7, A Woman’s Place is in the War Effort

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at season 7 episode 7 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, A Woman’s Place is in the War Effort. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. World War 2?

I have seen this happen before but I can’t remember if it was in this show or another show. If you are with someone in a time travel show who  had to live through World War 1, just casually dropping “World War 2” into conversation can really shock them. You could see how it effected Gwyn with him questioning how there could be another war after “the war to end all wars”. I wish they had dedicated a little more time to exploring how that made him feel but I was also glad that it wasn’t just glossed over completely or played for a quick laugh.

2. Change

I don’t think we ever learnt her name but I loved the short conversation Astra had with the apparent leader of the Cleaning Crew about making changes. Astra of course wanted to immediately stamp out the racism that she came across but the lady made a very understandable argument. She talked about how making real change takes time and how sometimes slow and steady progress can lead to more sustainable and secure changes. No matter who you agreed with, it was a really interesting conversation to witness.

3. Walkout

The moment where the message to integrate came through, I was saddened at how suddenly so many of the workers walked out, including the lady who was seemingly leading many of the workers. I also liked though how not the entirety of the workers walked out, with some white men and women remaining. It presented a more balanced range of views and opinions and didn’t present all white people as racist, but still made it clear that quite a few were.

4. Bishop

Once again Bishop was a joy to witness here. Just when you thought that he was being too selfish and annoying towards the Legends, he apologises and reveals that he has been building a machine to help them. Doing this through the most forgiving member of the team (Behrad) made the whole thing more believable. I hope his noble sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Even if we never see him again, I was glad that Sarah acknowledged his help at the end.

5. Clones

I called the evil Legends team being a thing! Is it an overused trope in the Arrowverse to have the villains just be evil versions of already existing characters played by the same actors? Definitely. It is a lazy way to give Gideon foot soldiers. Honestly, faceless robots would have been better because I don’t need to see the Legends portrayed as generic bad guys. The bodiless Gideon is much more imposing than this latest “twist”. Sigh.

Five Things From Legends of Tomorrow 7×6: Deus Ex Latrina

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at season 7 episode 6 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Deus Ex Latrina. Which five things stood put and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. Matt Ryan

Knowing now that scientist Gwyn Davies is played by none other than Matt Ryan, it is now ridiculously obvious to me. His mannerisms and cadence are so noticeable. This episode really made you love the troubled soul and understand how his past has damaged him but he has a good heart nonetheless. He built his time machine to help people and his conversations with Zari were very touching. It taking him a bit more time to open up due to him being from a time where men were men who didn’t talk about their feelings made sense too.

2. Squirrel

Not everything made sense though and this next point annoyed me way more than it should have. Gary mistakenly thought the gang had ended up in Prehistoric times and much of the group were believing this for the majority of the episode. Then how did a group of experienced time travellers, with one being the former leader of the time bureau and one being a damn historian, did none of them immediately question how a squirrel had ended up in the prehistoric times?

3. Gareon…there is no other way to merge those names!

I was beginning to feel that Gideon and Gary could couple up but then I found myself unsure if I liked their sudden “physical” development. I think it could have been developed much more with each of them struggling but learning to be a part of a real, human relationship. They can still do that but I feel they rushed things for a cheap gag.

4. Bishop

I love Bishop more and more every time he appears on screen. His parts were (for me) the most enjoyable parts of the episode. He is so over the top but plays it so well; if his dancing didn’t bring a smile to your face then you have a heart of stone! Him looking to redeem himself and not be villainous is something that I am all here for. Also, seeing how he played a part in the robots and events of what had happened in the season so far worked well. Seeing how everything came to happen and filling in blanks are always parts of a story that I enjoy.

5. Gideon

Evil AI Gideon is truly creepy. The extra harshness added to the voice differentiates her from the regular Gideon we love and she is a really interesting choice of villain. The way she got rid of Time Mistress Ava shows that she is prepared to do anything to achieve her mission. She has definitely got me invested in the second half of this season. It does make you wonder though, did she break down Rip Hunter all those years ago in a similar way to how she tried to do with Bishop?

Five Things From: Legends of Tomorrow 7×5 It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Scientist

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at season 7 episode 5 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Scientist. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. Talking Loudly

The Legends not caring that they were out in public in broad daylight, were openly discussing the future and time travel. I was shocked that this situation where some random guy heard them and then started to attack them hadn’t happened sooner. On top of this they were STILL wanted criminals and even if this wasn’t the case, you would still think that they would be less careless given how long they have been doing this.

2. Edison

This episode gave us an elderly Thomas Edison and he was not a friendly man. Similar to his appearance in Doctor Who a few years ago, he is portrayed as slightly antagonistic in an indirect way. I was surprised how immediately annoyed he was when he found out that work on time travel was continuing to take place. His death was unintentionally hilarious as he went straight through that table and he was then taken over by a robot.

3. Erwin George Baker

After a quick google, it turns out that the guy who picked up Ava, Gideon and Spooner was a real guy. He was charismatic with what he was given although it was all very much surface level material. He arrived as the apparent result of Ava’s “lucky rock”. I was questioning why this luck spell hadn’t been used before now so was rather pleased when it was revealed that she had actually made it up to give Spooner help. However, those cars appearing when they did and one being of a guy who needed to drive exactly where they needed to go pretty fast was still rather lucky.

4. Matt Ryan

It took me way too long to realise that the Professor was being played by Matt Ryan.  I’ve seen his name on the opening credits in previous episodes and thought it was a mistake or I’d miss him do a voiceover or something! It really doesn’t look like him at all! Also, that makes the references to him looking like previous Legends members make much more sense.

5. What’s Next?

I am intrigued to see what happens now the crew are out of the 1920s. I do hope that the villains aren’t just an evil version of the Legends…the current Legends at least. I’ll accept evil Rip and some OGs. Also, where is Bishop. I hope he’ still coming back!

Five Things From: Legends of Tomorrow 7×4, Speakeasy Does It

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Five Things From. This time we are looking back at Legends of Tomorrow season 7 episode 4, Speakeasy Does It. Which five things stood out and for what reasons? Let’s take a closer look…

1. Wigs

The episode started off in a wig shop of all places. After a bit of casual racism thrown around by the local businessman, the guy agreed to help the “Bullet Blondes” escape….for a fee of course. Thankfully the man actually followed through on his word: I thought he was going to take the money and then double-cross them straight away! Also, I don’t know if the guy was already suspicious but how stupid was Gary basically telling him who they were? I like Gary but there are clever ways to write stupid characters and, well…stupid ways! And this was definitely a stupid way to write stupid.

2. Eddie

Eddie was the manager of a local speakeasy and seemed like a genuinely nice man. I’m glad they didn’t kill him and he got time to develop a rather wholesome bond with Zari. She got to put her “Party Planning” expertise to good use while also looking to genuinely help someone. I still don’t think the decision to switch up Zari as a character has fully paid off (and am excited to see the original one return as teased at the end of the episode) but she has definitely become more well-rounded and likeable.

3. A song and Dance

It is a good job that all of these Legends can sing and dance or they would be absolutely screwed! Even Gideon got in on the action this time. We got full on numbers from her and Sara and Ava and they were very good but lack the humour and wackiness they once had when they started including musical elements. The Bollywood episode with Zari and the episode where Ray befriends a tiny alien are examples where I feel the musical elements are used to a more satisfying effect. Even the episode all the way back in season 2 where Professor Stein starts singing to distract the NASA officials still lives on in my memories. These were nice but rather forgettable.

4. Travelling Light

Having Gary travel on the train while the others remain in the pocket dimension was actually a very clever way to travel around without all being seen. It never actually crossed my mind and it is an ingenious way of remaining hidden while trying to accomplish their mission. However, the idea makes so much sense they will now need to think of a reason why they inevitably don’t do this and then run in to trouble as a result in a future episode.

5. Spiders

Spooner’s powers seem to alter every now and then. Could she always imprint images into the mind of another? Spooner went full Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania 33 (look it up non-wrestling fans: FULL MATCH — Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton – WWE Title Match: WrestleMania 33 – YouTube 2:48 and 4:52 are some examples of what I mean) to traumatise this man. He actually seemed genuinely scared, so much so that he didn’t get as angry with them as I had expected. I also liked how they got this info from Ava who had previously tortured this man while down in Hell. That is a fun way to use her past in a Timey-Wimey sort of way.