My fears about Legends jumping to various different timelines that didn’t touch on anything besides the usual Savage storyline was certainly put to rest during this episode. Different times throughout history should feel different than the present. This goes past the things like attire and technology, and more so about the social dynamics of that timeframe. No timeline can represent this idea more than the 1950s.
In this episode, the group has to track down Savage while keeping things on the down low… right. Trying to set up a black guy and a very forward thinking liberal in the 1950s leads to some fantastic interactions throughout.
Kendra is paired up with Ray, and they are playing the newlywed couple that just moved into the small quaint town of “Harmony Falls.†They are welcomed by a neighbor lady, and she asks if the help is going to be living with him. Ouch. However, Kendra takes it in stride . That’s something that perpetuates itself throughout the entire episode. Because of the time frame, they assume that Ray is her employer. Things get even more tense when they are at Savage’s (his alter ego of this timeline) soiree, and a woman asks Kendra for a drink, and Kendra wittily dismisses her.
As for Sara and Professor Stein, Stein takes on a relatively easy persona as a doctor at the hospital where they are trying to get a lead. Sara, however, is quite possibly the most forward thinking nurse ever, especially in 1958. She talks back to her male counterparts and explains to her fellow nurse that she should as well. She’s almost some sort of hero for this repressed woman in the 1950s. Sara even goes as far as getting romantically involved with her, which is much bigger a deal then than it is today. We learn that Sara hasn’t really felt any kind of emotional attachment since she’s been brought back from the Lazarus Pit.
One of the most interesting character arcs is definitely with Jefferson. If him being black in the 1950s wasn’t hard enough, Savage has been creating crazed Werehawk-creatures with the same meteorite substance that created Hawkman and Hawkgirl. But, these transformations are far more grotesque than Kendra and Carter.
When Jefferson is finally taken and infected, we get to see a great scene where Snart has to make the choice between saving Jefferson or killing him. He ultimately decides to save him, and we get to see exactly why he was the one that is part of the team and Mick is not. I loved the scene shortly thereafter where Jefferson apologizes for words he said previously about how Snart killed Mick and that what he did was actually heroic.
The main plotline was quite similar to the others. The group tries to kill Savage. By the twist of fate, Kendra goes solo, and of course, it doesn’t work. It’s perfectly safe to say that this show’s strengths are what happens around the Main plotline, versus the main plotline itself. Savage can be an interesting enough character, but it doesn’t even seem like the group is going to ever make headway with actually taking him down or even hindering his powers for that matter.
My favorite scene of this episode came at its closing. We get the usual reveal of Chronos, but something finally clicked. I am utterly convinced that Chronos is indeed Mick. Since they never actually showed Snart killing him, there’s a nice chance he would be not only alive but out for revenge. It would also explain why he is so hellbent on getting the crew of the Waverunner and know where in time they’ve been thus far. It’s not a perfect theory, but it appears to be a definite possibility.
