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When The CW announced they would be releasing a show with a combination of characters from both Arrow and The Flash time traveling and trying to save all of time and space, fans were skeptical to say the least. A group of supporting characters with a knack steal scenes but never given the chance to shine on their own thrust into the spotlight with little to no interaction between them in the past is a risky move. And with the budget required to depict breathtaking scenes with film-level CGI and special effects, all involved parties were forced to knock every episode out of the park to justify the risk. Season 2 of that Arrowverse experiment, Legends of Tomorrow, did just that.
From the very beginning of season 2, fans knew they were in for a story laced with more emotion than previously seen from these superheroes. The loss of Leonard Snart and the Time Masters community as a whole left viewers wondering just where the ragtag group of ‘heroes’ would wind up in the grand scheme of time.
Turns out, due to the threat of a new MacGuffin, the Spear of Destiny, they were all left to fend for themselves in a bevy of different times. The inclusion of villains from Arrow (Malcolm Merlyn and Damien Darhk) and The Flash (Reverse Flash and pre-Legends Captain Cold) and the introduction of The Justice Society of America promised fans the ensemble cast of DC characters to satisfy any desire to see some next-level comic book adaptation. The strength for Legends of Tomorrow is the chemistry of the main team. Ray Palmer, Professor Stein, Jax, and the newly introduced Nathan Heywood and Amara (Captain Steel and Vixen) allowed for some fun moments laced with humor and sarcasm as well as some time-travel composition and science mumbo jumbo.
The true stars of season two were Sara Lance and Heatwave.
Sara’s constant struggle with the darkness that lies dormant inside of her from the Lazarus Pit and the loss of her sister during the events of season 4 of Arrow is one of the most intriguing pieces of character work in recent memory. Far gone are the days of Sara simply being Oliver Queen’s side chick and within the matter of a few hour-long episodes, she goes from team member to team leader. Her strength to follow the mission first despite her own personal feelings and her ability to inspire and lead by example for her comrades makes her one of the most powerful characters (male or female) in the Arrowverse. The way she is able smile in the face of danger and keep her head on straight despite the heartaches and sorrow coming along with fighting a nonstop war throughout all of time is one of her most endearing qualities and really helps provide legs for the entire show to stand on.
Heatwave began his career in the Arrowverse as the fire-gun wielding psychopath sidekick of Captain Cold with ZERO redeeming qualities. Even following the events of season one of Legends of Tomorrow where he was kidnapped by the Time Masters and brainwashed into doing their bidding for centuries, he still focused more on thieving and looking out for number 1. Following the death of Leonard Snart, a sacrifice made to save Heatwave and the rest of The Legends, Mick began to turn a new leaf. One could say he even began to care about the well-being of his team. His character development, even up to the last few episodes where his allegiances were questioned and tested constantly, he proved to be one of the most loyal and caring members of the team. His devil-may-care attitude lends itself to a few moments of humor and light-heartedness, while at the same time, providing the show with a much-need edge and toughness.
While season one is criticized for the fact that the team were unable to put Vandal Savage down time after time after time, season two should be remembered for the series of episodes found its heart and solidified itself as a creative force within the Arrowverse. While some corny one-liners and questionable meaningless episodes don’t help the shows case for being engaging to a casual audience, die hard fans can’t help but marvel at the crazy special effects and the constant sense of danger and the looming threat of the Legion of Doom.
Also, the addition of Black Flash as a Speed Force bounty hunter chasing after the Reverse Flash was really frickin’ cool.
Geek Motivation Rating: 4 – A good ensemble show with a few hiccups along the way but overall an enjoyable viewing experience with some epic fight scenes and emotional moments.
Legends of Tomorrow season 2 will be on Netflix THIS MONTH!
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