Legends Of Tomorrow S01E01 “Pilot, Part 1” REVIEW

Airing in the UK on: Sky1, Thursdays, 8PM
Writer: Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg & Phil Klemmer
Director: Glen Winter

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Essential Plot Points:

• London, year 2166, Vandal Savage has conquered the entire planet, forcing Rip Hunter to travel back in time to try to save the world from Savage. But he must do so against the wishes of the Time Council in charge of granting him formal permission to do so.
• Rip Hunter travels to 2016 to assemble a team of superheroes and super villains to stop Vandal Savage: Ray Palmer (Atom), Sara Lance (White Canary), Jefferson “Jax” Jackson and Dr. Martin Stein (Firestorm), Mick Rory (Heat Wave), Leonard Snart (Captain Cold), Carter Hall (Hawkman) and Kendra Saunders (Hawkgirl).
• Rip Hunter kidnaps all the team members and brings them to a rooftop to inform them of how they must all travel together through time to save the world from destruction.
• Though some of the Legends have their reservations, all eventually decide to join the team.
• They travel back to 1975 to meet Professor Boardman, an expert on Vandal Savage, in the hopes that he can help them track down Savage.
• For those who don’t remember, Savage is a petty, jealous villain obsessed with Kendra (in every reincarnation).
• Professor Boardman reveals that he is the son of Carter and Kendra in one of their past lives.
• Sara, Leonard, and Mick head out to a bar and get into a brawl with the locals and it seems to bond them.
• A bounty hunter named Chronos is also travelling through time and attacks Hunter’s ship, the Waverider. Professor Boardman is mortally wounded in the battle.
• When the team finally escapes, Hunter is forced to reveal that he went against the orders of the Time Council in seeking the Legends out and is not only hoping to re-write time to save the world but to also save his wife and son from being murdered by Savage.
• Though the team requires some time to mull things over, they all decide to embark on the journey with Rip Huner to stop Vandal Savage.
• Finally, criminals are shown in Norway in 1975 with a nuclear warhead.

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Review:

Here we begin our viewing journey of one of the most anticipated new comic-book series of late. Expectations have been high considering the success and popularity of its two parent shows, Arrow and The Flash, along with a multitude of carry-over appeal from the popular past works of many members of the leading cast. So does the show deliver what viewers hope for?

At the centre of it all, we find Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter and he lays a strong foundation. From his cheekier delivery in the lighter moments, to his grit and dramatic weight in the darker ones, it’s already clear that Darvill is highly capable of being the driving force for the team members and show overall as it finds its footing.

There’s a good blend of comedy and drama in the plot, making it not too trivial or heavy of an introduction to the show. The sets, costumes, and effects are all enhance the viewing experience. It seems to indicate a greater attention to detail, which bodes well for bringing authenticity to the more fantastic elements of the show. Given the fact that this is an ensemble show, it’s of little surprise that not every character was not able to shine as bright as the others, but already new character relationships are starting to form cohesion, in particular Sara Lance with Leonard Snart and Mick Rory, as well as Dr Stein and Jax.

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The Good:

• •The appearances of Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance were quite seamless in establishing the ties to the other shows connected to this universe without overpowering this show’s efforts to establish its own world.
• Dominic Purcell is brilliant at landing one-liners. “I love the ’70s!” “I like killing people.” Even when the line is seemingly simple, his timing and delivery packs quite the punch.
• Arthur Darvill takes to the role of rugged time-traveller like a duck to water. Then again, he’s had a master learn from.
• There are some truly strong visual effects used, such as the introduction of Roy Palmer when he is microscopic and flying through some technological equipment.
• The introduction of Sara Lance in the episode by having her save a “damsel-in-distress” from a man who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “no” was a nice example of gender-role reversal to revamp old tropes.
• The musical score was truly excellent and elevated the calibre of the most dramatic moments.

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The Bad:

• Mick Rory asking Dr Stein for whatever Stein “roofied” Jax with may be serving as a character low point to allow for growth throughout the series. But did they have to go so far as to imply him to be a possible rapist when he’s already a hot-tempered criminal?
• In a show full of pairs (Leonard and Mick, Jax and Dr Stein), Carter and Kendra’s chemistry is a little stale compared to the others, especially considering how much fun Kendra’s prior relationship with Cisco Ramon was in The Flash. But this may perhaps improve as the writing further intertwines the characters.
• Compared to the other lead characters, it felt like Roy Palmer didn’t get as much opportunity to stand out, save for one motivational micro-speech. Hopefully he’ll get some stronger character moments as the season progresses.

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And The Random:

• It’s a pity they didn’t have Sara Lance show off some more of her dance moves before she started fighting creeps in the bar, considering the fact that actress Caity Lotz is a trained dancer.
• Leonard Snart calling Chronos “Boba Fett” begs the question: has Snart set aside time to watch The Force Awakens in-between heists?
• Prison Break fans may be downright giddy to see Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell back together on-screen, as the two once played brothers Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows on the hit show.

Review by Jenevia Kagawa Darcy

Read reviews of the other Arrowverse shows