Enough has been said in early reviews of why Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is great. It plays the race card right. No clear winners are defined because part of the narrative is about freedom from oppression. This detail is internalized in the conflicts between man vs man. Missing is the spiritual discourse which made me interested in this hero played by Chadwick Boseman when he was introduced in Captain America: Civil War.
After one massive binge watch of the last few episodes of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, “Aruba” is a satisfying end to the season. I was more interested in Rory’s story than Sara’s. The former rogue offered more to like because he slowly started to care for his teammates and learned to think for himself; that’s a tale to enjoy. Sara’s story is just as important, but most of her saga would be lost if fans did not see how she developed as a character in CW’s Arrow. Although her problems were recapped in Legends, to understand it did not feel the same as seeing Rory and Snart thrust into roles they initially did not like.
I am disappointed in the fact the Legion of Doom is a small group. Instead of a large organization and handing out parts of the world to fellow criminals (Black Mantis can own the sea and Grodd own the jungle), I did have to wonder why other time sensitive individuals did not show up to fix this aberration. The Legends can not be completely alone in this massive universe. Although the heroes who could do something were killed after the alteration by Eobard Thawne, surely someone from out of time can help. Even the villain Epoch, Lord of Time, should have taken notice and say, “You can’t do that!” as he wanted to rule all of reality.
There are times DC’s Legends of Tommorrow is simply coasting on a riptide of fun bits for geeks to take interest in. Tried as I might, to see if there was anything great about the last two episodes “Land of the Lost” and “Moonshot,” there was not much to truly write about as special. All it did was show how the team still needs to figure themselves out, spotlight Victor Garber’s musical talent in more than one episode and retrieve parts of a mystical weapon. The latest had something which spoke to me since I am a King Arthur enthusiast and I wondered who would play J.R.R. Tolkien. Jack Turner (Stitchers) does a great job at bringing to life an interpretation of this author whom I’ve admired since reading Lord of the Rings in high school.
Like the seminal books, some series require a Deux et Machina to give a saga a particular focus. After a slow start, the season unveiled an item to focus on. In the aptly titled, “Fellowship of the Spear,” the team is still divided like the fragmentary weapon and there’s more development in seeing what Rory (Heat Wave) is going through. I love his backstory and the obvious parallels he has with Gollum/Sméagol is a huge easter egg I’m sure many have picked up on. The way it is being handled suggests he has it in control in one episode and others, there’s not enough to see he is still struggling with it. Is his hallucination real? Apparently so, and I’m wondering at which point in history did the Legion of Doom take Snart from? My guess is that it was sometime in the past, before he and Rory joined the Legends. He’s all snark, pardoning the pun.
Also, the pieces of how each episode ties in (aside from searching for the spear) as a whole looks better when seen in sequence than left to viewers to wait week after week. I’m looking forward to seeing how the final two episodes are going to play out in the next two weeks. “Doomworld” will obviously look at a remade world but is “Aruba” in reference to a particular island in the Caribbean or something else?
In this late commentary, I thought last week’s DC’s Legends of Tomorrow episode “Camelot/3000” was disappointing. After three more viewings, there were tiny moments to enjoy, but the overall revisionist concept just did not jive well with the established Arthurian lore I adored when I studied it multiple times in my scholastic life. There are many alternatives, ranging from T.H. White’s The Once and Future King and The Book of Merlin to BBC One’s Merlin. Most of them stay faithful to what’s established, and some even have feminists take. All of which I liked, but there were times this Legends version forgot what it should focus on. Only one character knew.
I read the graphic novel to which I thought the story might take inspiration from. The 12-issue comic book series saw Arthur awakening far too soon. Although he saw to rebuilding Camelot, soon both he and his knights get called to action when his country needs him to fight against an invading alien threat. Ray explained the heart of the episode best, “Camelot is not about history, or a dusty old book that got a lonely kid through childhood (to which I can relate, as The Legends of King Arthur and his Knights compiled and arranged by Sir James Knowles K.C.V.O. was given to me in Elementary school to enjoy). It’s about one noble idea.”
The premise of the latest episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, “Turncoat,” has the potential to be a commentary on the “problems” with the state of troublesome affairs going on in the States. What’s said would have been spectacularly great when considering how influential Rory was the first president. I’m sure some people are wondering what’s going behind a certain new president’s head, and who shaped his philosophies … but instead, this latest story creates a diversion, a trap, for the Legends team who are out to save history yet again. The Legion of Doom wants them out-of-the-way so they can reshape the world.
At the same time, this late entry is also the Christmas episode. To see this episode nearly a month later after the day feels odd. We can blame the broadcasters than the show creators, but this is a holiday episode. Sara Lance said we’re supposed to be at our best during the yuletide season and I liked this moment of clarity. Jax wanted to go postal, but thankfully he’s not the type to commit cold-blooded murder.
By Ed Sum
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)