Ground control to Major Palmer.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
No Arrow-verse show manages to simultaneously tickle the funny bone and tug at the heartstrings like Legends of Tomorrow. This week's episode offered another rollicking good time as the Legends found themselves smack dab in the middle of the Apollo 13 mission. But even as Ray had a blast playing astronaut and Professor Stein belted out a tune, this episode ventured into some pretty dramatic territory. It's not hard to tell that the end of Season 2 is fast approaching.
All the missing pieces of the Spear of Destiny are now accounted for, as the Legends headed back to 1970 to reconnect with Commander Steel (again played by iZombie's Matthew McCaull), who by this pointed has traded his colorful tights for a career in NASA. So far this season, we've seen the team's travels take them from the time of the dinosaurs to the distant future. At some point, the only way to keep shaking things up is to take the team off-world. And having Reverse-Flash infiltrate the Apollo 13 mission is certainly one way of doing that. I especially enjoyed the clever touch of having Thawne disguise himself as Jack Swigert, who in real life only joined the Apollo 13 mission after his predecessor contracted German measles. Perhaps that was no accident after all?
The show has been great all season long about tossing a handful of characters into a strange new setting and simply letting them run wild for a while. That was very much the case with Ray as he savored the opportunity to stomp around the moon and live out yet another childhood fantasy. Then there was the unlikely and very entertaining alliance between Ray and Thawne. I quite enjoyed the homage to The Martian, with Ray recording a video message "for posterity," only for Thawne to interrupt him and demand to know what he was up to. The two characters shared a great dynamic throughout their desperate fight for survival.
By the end, Ray clearly gained a much better understanding of what his foe is trying to accomplish. Thawne is unique among all the major villains in the Arrow-verse in that his end goal isn't world domination or the destruction of a hated rival. He wants nothing more or less than the power to survive. There's a vulnerability and a relatability there that makes him all the more compelling. In the end, Ray couldn't bring himself to subdue Thawne. It calls into question whether the season will culminate in a final battle between the Legends and the Legion of Doom, or if they'll be forced into another reluctant alliance to save Thawne from the Black Flash.
As far as entertainment value goes, though, nothing could quite measure up to Stein, Jax and Mick masquerading as British scientists in NASA's control room. Being British, Franz Drameh had no issue letting the American accent slip for a few minutes, though Victor Garber's accent was delightfully over-the-top. And though Mick took the silent route, simply seeing Dominic Purcell in a tweed suit and horn-rimmed glasses carries an appeal all its own. And at least Mick stopped being silent long enough to join in on the big musical number. Seeing Stein and Mick belt out an a capella rendition of Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat Song" is easily the most sublimely weird moment in the series' history. Next week's Flash/Supergirl musical crossover has a pretty high bar to meet all of a sudden.
But again, there was ample drama to balance out the goofy humor. On one hand, Sara and Rip had their inevitable clash over control of the Waverider. It was nice to see the writers acknowledge how much the team has grown in Rip's absence, with even Rip himself coming to terms with the fact that the team is better off with Sara in charge. At the same time, his final exchange with Sara served as a strong reminder that a man as lonely and aimless as Rip most certainly has a home among this odd group of misfits.
Much of the dramatic weight fell on the shoulders of Nate and his grandfather, however. This season has had a fairly spotty track record with the JSA characters so far with some feeling wasted (Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite) and others suffering from some pretty sub-par acting (Stargirl). Henry Heywood suffered from neither problem. If anything, McCaull left a much strong impression out of costume than he ever did as Commander Steel. The script hit a lot of strong emotional notes as it explored Henry's guilt and anger over being separated from his family, and McCaull channeled those intense emotions nicely. That all culminated in a beautiful scene as Henry sacrificed himself to save the Legends and said one last goodbye to his grandson.
It was also a memorable week for Amaya, as she wrestled with her own problems as a woman out of time. Last week's episode raised the dilemma surrounding Nate and Amaya's doomed romance, and now it's clear that problem will be at the forefront of these final couple episodes. Will she consign herself to returning to her own time, knowing full well the horrors that await her? Or will she find some way of cheating fate? There's no guarantee Amaya and Nate will remain on the show after this season, so there's really no telling where their romance will take them in the final two episodes. That level of unpredictability is rarely a bad thing.
The Verdict
Let's face it, Legends of Tomorrow basically won television for the night solely because of its hilarious musical number. But that was just the tip of what "Moonshot" had to offer. The series continues to thrive by delivering a trademark blend of wacky superhero antics and strong character drama. Both of those elements are feeding into what promises to be a very memorable conclusion to Season 2.
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