The Legends of Tomorrow episode, “White Knight,†solidifies the point that the ragtag group of future-legends will embark different locales on a somewhat frequent basis. This idea is brilliant in the fact that the moment you’re tired of the groovy 70s, they time travel to the 80s. And thus, we begin what I assume our first couple episodes to be in the 80s. The 80s present an interesting time in American history; namely because it is the last quarter of the Cold war. But in this episode, USSR almost gets ahold of something far worse than any atomic bomb.
To start off the episode, the crew flies to DC to break into the Pentagon; you know, it’s only one of the most secure places around. They each play a part, and they eventually manage to steal the original document containing the only traces the Pentagon has on Vandal Savage. But, their escape is anything but smooth. In his hubris, as Stein would call it, Jefferson sounded the alarm by not following Stein’s advice. Sara and Kendra were stopped just short of the exit, and they handle the guards. But, Kendra channels Hawkgirl and completely lashes out, very Sara-like with her bloodlust. Â
This episode does a fantastic job of showcasing various conflicts conflating toward the surface for our heroes. Stein and Jefferson are clearly opposites, but we soon learn why. We get to see that the reason why Stein is so hard on Jefferson is because Stein can’t let him be vulnerable. Stein says that it is Jefferson who would die, and he would be the one that would have to go home and tell Jefferson’s mother. Ever since kidnapping Jefferson and putting him on the waverunner, Stein has this overbearing sense of fatherness for Jefferson.
On the other hand, we have Sara and Kendra. They are much more similar than they first appear. They both are fighting their inner demons and can actually help one another conquer said demons. The training between the two is awesome, and it’s a fantastic moment seeing the two ladies of the show proving their strength.
After their narrow escape, the legends make their way to Russia where they are quickly being tailed by someone even though they are cloaked. Of course, they are being followed by none other than Chronos and another member of the Time Masters, Zamar Druce. Once the other Time Master, Rip Hunter, is able to draw Druce out, he makes a proposition. Druce asks that they stop jumping through time to try to stop Savage and that the Time Masters will get the legends safely back to their timeline. For some reason, Rip believes this, but luckily Mick was eavesdropping and saw through the thinly-veiled threat. Firestorm and Heat Wave fend them off but not before Firestorm gets a fireball to the chest.
As for the main plot, the crew needs to get access to a laboratory, and Snart and Palmer try their hand at wooing the mesmerizing Valentina Vostok. Palmer tries it by catering to her intellect, since she’s a renowned scientist after all but gets shot down rather quickly. Snart, on the other hand, is able to woo Valentina enough to let him walk her back to her place, get a kiss and steal her key card. Being the criminal he is, Snart takes her wallet as well; he is a kleptomaniac afterall.
Then, Snart, Palmer, and Stein make their way to the lab when Stein gets pulled into looking at what they could possibly be researching. He finds out shortly thereafter that they are attempting to recreate an army of Firestorms! Stein wants to access the core to suck up its power, but he isn’t nearly as strong without Jefferson. While he does eventually contain the core, they are trapped. Rip refuses to send the others into their deaths as well. Rip does, however, explain that Sara and Kendra were preparing for a special mission. Interesting.
We find at the end of the episode that Mick, Palmer and Stein are locked in the Gulag. While they don’t have a working core any longer, they do have the next best thing in Stein.
