Life in Star City gets worse.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Other than the brief glimpse of Rip Hunter’s world in the pilot, Legends of Tomorrow has spent the vast majority of its time exploring the past. “Star City 2046” finally reversed that trend as it jumped forward several decades to show that, yes, life in Star City actually can get quite a bit worse than it currently is. The post-apocalyptic setting offered a nice change of pace for the show, even if this episode didn’t quite do enough to flesh out that setting.
The big news this week is that Green Arrow successor Connor Hawke made his debut (played by Joseph David-Jones). This version of the character shares basically nothing with the comic book version beyond the idea of him taking up the mantle, but this revamp works well in the context of the Arrow universe. The reveal that Connor is actually John Diggle, Jr. was a nice touch. It told viewers everything they really needed to know about who Connor is and why he fights his losing battle. The only alternative might have been to introduce an older version of Ollie’s son William, which would have tied back nicely to what’s currently going on in Arrow. But the Diggle family connection works just as well, and maybe it’s a sign that another baby is in store for John and Lyla in Arrow Season 5.
David-Jones was perfectly solid in the role. The episode didn’t give him too many opportunities to shine outside of his first encounter with the team. His big moments were mostly action-driven rather than dramatic. I would have liked to see his relationship with Ollie explored in more depth, but that’s going to be sort of a running theme with this review.
This episode also introduced a much older and more world-weary version of Oliver Queen. This Ollie was basically an homage to the one seen in The Dark Knight Returns - old, bitter and missing an arm. The makeup used to transform Stephen Amell into a senior citizen version of himself wasn’t necessarily that great (particularly the beard), but Amell effectively portrayed his character as an old man burdened by hardship and defeat.
The third piece of the trinity this week came in the form of the new Deathstroke, Grant Wilson (played by Jaime Andrew Cutler). Whether there’s any truth to the rumors that Deathstroke is now off limits to the Arrow crew, the villain’s presence is definitely missed. Bringing in his son as a replacement is a nice consolation prize. Cutler made for a great villain this week, full of snarling menace and anger. Maybe he didn’t look quite old enough to be the costumed tyrant who has ruled Star City for 15 years, but he definitely channeled some of Manu Bennett’s charisma.
Again, it just would have been nice to get more insight into the relationship between Grant and his father and how that fueled Grant’s vendetta against Team Arrow. Deathstroke is far and away the strongest villain to appear on Arrow precisely because of that close, personal tie to Oliver Queen. We only saw hints of that personal rivalry at play here. With as much as this episode pulled from Arrow’s playbook, it’s enough to wish the writers had gone that extra step and included flashbacks to the fall of Star City. That would have lent a real weight and sense of gravitas to the conflict.
We asked for Ollie's beard, and we got it.
These missed opportunities stand out because of what the writers chose to focus on instead - the inane romantic triangle between Kendra, Jax and Ray. Romantic drama is a big element on both Arrow and Flash, and maybe the thinking was that Legends has to get in on some of that action, too. The thing, though, is that the romantic drama only works when it’s a natural extension of the characters and their relationships. What works for Barry Allen doesn’t automatically carry over here. Prior to tonight, there was never any sense that Jax or Ray felt a particular attraction towards Kendra. Until recently she’s been fairly isolated from the rest of the team. Plus, the idea that either character would think of flirting with her so soon after Carter’s death seems a bit tasteless. So this entire subplot wound up feeling awkward and forced. Only Professor Stein’s bumbling attempts to help Jax helped to salvage this story. The psychic bond between Stein and Jax was used to amusing effect.
Honestly, the worst part about the romantic triangle is that it paved the way for Kendra to deliver yet another variation on her “Three months ago I was a barista…” shtick. She seems almost pathologically unable to accept the reality of her situation. It’s no wonder Heat Wave is so ready to ditch these losers and go live in the Disney World of crime.
Speaking of which, Captain Cold and Heat Wave starred in a far more engaging subplot as the show explored the fraying bond between the two lifelong partners. As much as he’d like to pretend otherwise, Snart has already been profoundly changed by his time as a Legend. The idea of being a hero appeals to him, and he doesn’t want to squander his shot stealing fur coats and ordering around the cast of The Warriors. Rory doesn’t share that ambition, and that disconnect is driving a wedge between the two. It speaks to how well this show has been able to flesh out the two characters that their rift is so painful to watch. And luckily, it appears that the Captain Cold/Heat Wave feud will be front and center in the next episode.
Both Rip and Sara also had some strong moments this week. For obvious reasons, Sara was the most personally affected by seeing Star City transformed into a hellhole. This episode highlighted a major conundrum for the team - do they use their abilities to defend a timeline that isn’t necessarily even “real,” or do they remain focused on the mission at hand. Luckily, Sara’s argument won out. If this team of misfits are truly going to become legends, they have to be willing to fight evil whenever and wherever it strikes. This culminated in a memorable showdown as the entire team turned out to help Ollie and Connor take down Deathstroke.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the excellent set design and world-building in this episode. Star City had a very Escape From New York vibe to it, which really enhanced the general atmosphere. Seeing familiar locations like Team Arrow headquarters reduced to ruins had a very chilling effect. With the open-ended way Ollie and Connor’s story ended, there’s definite potential for the show to revisit this setting down the line.
The Verdict
As the first Legends of Tomorrow installment to focus on the future rather than the past, this wasn't a bad hour of television. The hellish setting was certainly memorable, as was the new take on the age-old rivalry between the Green Arrow and Deathstroke. Sadly, this episode missed some opportunity to delve deeper into that rivalry as it focused instead on a pointless romance subplot. Assuming the show ever returns to the Star City of 2046, hopefully it can atone for that mistake.
Editors' Choice
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