Observations in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, “Fail-Safe”

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

LGN105b_0136b_57c2387b_56c65c6a94c6c7.42328503The fifth episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is all on Professor Stein. In “Fail-Safe,” he holds the key to unlocking project Firestorm, past and present. If Vandal Savage gets to unlock the secrets, the future is certainly doomed. Perhaps Stein will be involved in finding a way leading to this villain’s ultimate defeat, but until then, the ride is still thrilling. The series is doing great by showing it is not relying on the Chay-Ara / Khufu story-arc to carry the series. Until Hawkman rises again, perhaps in “Night of the Hawk” (due to broadcast March 10th), the adventures look at other ways to thwart this mad dictator.

In part two of the team’s time jaunt into the 80’s, a few details are known: the team has a space of 150 years to best alter the time-stream and Savage’s victory in the future depends on these super soldiers he’s trying to create.

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DC’s Legends of Tomorrow goes “White Knight” or is that Knights? A Commentary

dcs-legends-of-tomorrow-photos-from-white-knightsBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller) is stealing the show in the fourth episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Although he never claims to be a “White Knight” he’s certainly a man of sophisticated colours; from deviously sweeping one lady off her feet, only to swipe her ID card to winning another’s heart in Moscow, Russia. Perhaps he can become the next James Bond. Miller relishes being a man with his own sense of justice and sadly, every one else is beginning to pale in comparison. Technically, the movie is titled “White Knights,” but this film is really emphasizing one future hero instead of a group.

Rip, the person who should be in charge, is really paling. He could be leading the charge ala King Arthur, but he has problems back in a future Camelot (that’s fallen to ruin). He has troubles of his own when the Time Masters catch up with him and say he can not continue on his vigilante mission. I’m wondering if they will put him on full trial, force him to regenerate and send him to remain trapped in one particular era on Earth when the season ends.

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DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Revels in “Blood Ties” and Cults

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

legends-of-tomorrow-poster

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow gets better with age, and in the third episode, “Blood ties,” more character building exercises are taking place. This time, the complexities of what makes Leonard Snart cold-hearted is explored, the insecurities of Palmer gets confronted and the demons Lance faces come to head. The sub-plots developing these characters will no doubt continue, and hopefully Rory / Heat Wave will get the justice he deserves. He’s still being handled as a throwaway character, described as thick, and all he does is follow along to anything Snart orders him to do. While he gets some great Arnold Schwarzenegger style lines, hopefully he can get some decent development in future episodes.

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Staying “In Time” with DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Altering time is tricky in Legends of Tomorrow, and oddly enough, nothing is said about residues or whether or not branches to alternate time-lines will happen Back to the Future style.

Legends of Tomorrow Title CardSpoiler Alert

Part two of the pilot to CW’s Legends of Tomorrow is a far more productive launch to this series than last week’s episode. Instead of a recap and recruitment heavy story to begin the show, this week gets the team figuring out who they are and if the story can move beyond the essential three figures — Kendra Saunders, Carter Hall and Vandal Savage — who drives this series. This second episode places emphasis on Professor Martin Stein (Victor Garber) past and present self. He starts to comprehend who he is, warts and all. To understand where his arrogance comes from is welcomed.

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Hopes and Dreams for where DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Should Go

In regards to where season one of Legends of Tomorrow is going, the writers are building upon what Savage is doing throughout time in his attempts to destroy the Earth.

Legends of Tomorrow TItle CardThe episodes building up to DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on the CW are far more entertaining than the pilot premiere — to which only part one aired. The network should have paired the episodes from Arrow and The Flash along with the two episodes comprising the pilot together in a four-hour extravaganza instead of having parts one and two spread a week apart.

Sadly, as with any new program, a part of the show needs to be dedicated to getting newcomers up to speed about the heroes gathered by time-traveller Rip Hunter. Arthur Darvill is certainly having fun playing a serious but over zealous officer of a police force guarding the time stream. He argues to the Time Master Council (they have a rule of non-interference in the natural course of events in the galaxy) must intercede to prevent despots like Caesar taken out earlier in life instead of later. Vandal Savage has completely taken over Earth and is killing innocents as he firms his rule. Anyone coming into this series without watching the other two super-hero shows will still get to see that he is worse than Hitler.

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What’s Next for The Flash? Nearly 9 Episodes in Retrospect

The FlashCW Network’s The Flash is perhaps the best adaptation of a comic book hero for television. The series has a heart because it delves into a narrative style more reminiscent of a Marvel Comics character. That is, audiences are witnessing a hero in the making; Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) takes after Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) more so than any other character, brooding or not. Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne sometimes come from the same mold, and fortunately one is far more optimistic about how to save his city from corruption. Angst has yet to plague the young Wayne in Fox TV’s Gotham. There’s hope for one man, and it’s shared when The Flash goes to meet Arrow in the pilot episode. Oliver (Green Arrow) simply states to Barry that, “you can inspire people in a way that I never could … watching your city like a guardian angel, making a difference, saving people.”

The series is just as invigorating in how the writers define Allen’s coming of age tale. Viewers will find that this kid has a heart of gold. He already has a strength created not by a super serum but with the feelings of hope he has for people in need. For his superheroic origin moment, he did crash into a rack of chemicals after being struck by lightning formed from a particle accelerator explosion. This scene is wonderfully constructed because it brings a bit of Frankenstein’s mad science into Allen’s metamorphosis. His rebirth is not without issues, especially when part of his character development involves rediscovering himself.

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