Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (August 11, 2022)
All good things come to an end, and that means Season Seven becomes the finale for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. This three-disc set includes 13 episodes, and the plot synopses come from IMDB.
The Bullet Blondes: “The Legends are trapped in 1925 when someone uses a future Waverider to blow up their Waverider.”
Season Six of Legends dragged some because it got away from the usual wacky tone that made the series fun. If we take “Bullet” as a hint, S7 looks like it may offer a return to form. It brings a light and lively adventure that launches the year well.
The Need For Speed: “As the Legends contemplate how to get to New York City, Behrad (Shayan Sobhian) discovers J. Edgar Hoover (Giacomo Baessato) has train tickets to DC and Sara (Caity Lotz) and Ava (Jes Macallan) come up with a plan. With the help of Gary (Adam Tsekhman), Nate (Nick Zano) will have to impersonate Hoover.”
At times, “Need” engages in a bit of cheap moralizing. Still, it comes with enough action and inventiveness to turn into an effective continuation of the season’s main plot.
wvrdr_error_100 not found: “Astra (Olivia Swann) and Spooner (Lisseth Chavez) enter the-now-human Gideon's (Amy Louise Pemberton) mind to save her from a virus, and meet some familiar faces.”
We get a reunion of old Legends characters here, as a bunch of old faces reappear. The show takes us on a journey through Gideon’s brain, and that opens up the visits from the prior castmembers. Expect a pretty solid show here.
Speakeasy Does It: “The Legends become enmeshed with Mob business during a stopover in 1925 Chicago and become moonshiners.”
After a whole episode focused on Gideon’s consciousness, “Does” takes us back to the 1920s. Traditionally the series jumped from era to era with alacrity, but it appears we’ll spend much of S7 in the 1920s.
I’d like some more variety, but so far, S7 has exploited this territory fairly well. “Does” lacks the sizzle of “found” but it nonetheless brings a good show.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Scientist: “While Sarah and her group prepare to use Davies' (Matt Ryan) time machine, Spooner, Astra, and Gideon rush to save them before it's too late.”
The use of Ryan as an alternate character seems curious. Perhaps this will pay off eventually, but right now, it feels like a weird gimmick.
Otherwise, “Mad” gives us another good adventure. We get some of the patented Legends weirdness as well as a solid progression of the overall narrative.
Deus Ex Latrina: “The Legends are stranded in a forest and pair off. Meanwhile, Behrad discovers where they are, while Bishop (Raffi Barsoumian) and the Gideon AI team up.”
We finally leave 1925 and enter a new setting that remains a mystery – for dramatic effect – until late in the episode. Though more expository than usual, “Latrina” allows S7 to move along in a positive manner.
A Woman's Place Is in the War Effort!: “The Legends crash land in 1940s Seattle in the middle of World War II and find themselves working in an airplane factory alongside ‘Rosies’. Behrad teaches Nate about Persian culture and etiquette.”
Like many episodes of Legends, “Place” comes with more than a little of its modern moralizing. It manages some effective plot points but seems a bit less engaging than usual.
Paranoid Android: “Sara starts to realize her team is making questionable choices when it comes to the timeline. Sara discovers some harsh truths.”
Throughout S7, an alternate team of Legends tracked our heroes, and “Android” focuses on them. Not only does this offer a clever twist, but also it pushes along the season narrative in a compelling manner.
Lowest Common Demoninator: “Gideon jumps the time machine into the Manor Dimension. The crew of a reality show causes havoc. Sara and Ava share their true feelings about their roles as co-captains. Behrad seeks advice about Astra from Nate and Zari (Tala Ashe).”
The reality show concept gives “Common” a fun tone that works surprisingly well. We’ve seen many parodies of that genre over the years, but “Common” gives the idea a twist and makes it fit the season arc as well.
The Fixed Point: “The Legends are tired of being chased by an evil AI and her robo-soldiers so Sara decides to create an aberration that will allow the team to take back the Evil Waverider.”
I like the idea so many people try to change the same historical moment that a club builds around it. That clever concept gives juice to a solid episode.
Rage Against the Machines: “The Legends break a fixed point, creating an aberration that will attract the evil Waverider. The Legends learn who has been hunting them. Sara tries to negotiate, which doesn't go as planned. Gwyn hatches a stealth plan.”
Without much time left in S7, “Rage” largely acts as an expository episode. I would’ve liked more about the ramifications of the aversion of WWI, but the show still moves things along reasonably well.
Too Legit to Quit: “Evil Gideon continues to try to destroy the Legends. Trying to help, Gideon negotiates a deal, but she breaks a major rule. The Legends come up with another plan that could potentially solve all of their problems.”
With only two episodes left in S7 – and the entire series – “Quit” pushes toward a major finale, albeit one with more of a character focus than a Big Slambang Action Spectacular. “Quit” manages to send us ahead in a positive manner.
Knocked Down, Knocked Up: “Gideon is horrified when AI Gideon tells her about Gary. The Legends realize that Gwyn has broken the treaty. Sara keeps an important secret from Ava because she doesn't know how she will react.”
Going into “Down”, I figured it would tie up the series with a nice little bow. Sara and Ava would settle down and have their baby, whilew we’d see Happily Ever Afters for the other Legends.
Nope. I assume the producers didn’t realize “Down” would act as the series’ finale because it concludes with a cliffhanger.
Granted, it’s possible they were aware “Down” would finish the series and wanted to go out without a strict conclusion. However, “Down” doesn’t feel like the kind of playful tease we’d expect in that case.
Instead, it gives us exactly the kind of season-ending show one expects from people who think they’ll be back for more. That makes it a wholly unsatisfying conclusion to the series.
That said, if the producers really didn’t know “Down” would become the series’ last episode, I can’t criticize the episode for its cliffhanger nature. It works well in all ways beyond its inability to actually conclude the series.
I remain disappointed that we won’t get an eighth season, as I like Legends and S7 shows it still enjoyed a lot of life. S6 offered a moderate disappointment, but S7 bounces back and finishes Legends a positive note.