“Land of The Lost†takes place in two very different places for the entirety of its episode. The episode is split between Amaya, Nate, and Ray “fighting†their way through the Cretaceous period in hopes of finding a vital piece of the ship, while Stein, Jackson, Sara and Mick attempt to turn Rip back into his former self. While the episode toned down the intense fighting we’ve seen previously, it does a pretty great job of pulling some important threads for all characters involved.
I wasn’t expecting all that much when the “Cretaceous crew†were off on their adventures, and it delivered about what I had expected. The CGI itself would have been astronomical for more than a simple T-Rex scene, but I was surprisingly fine with it; although, I do feel that this group is simply falling into rote roles that are quite generic. Ray is always kid-like excited about every adventure, Nate is the more stubborn one just looking to get the job done and Amaya is pretty much just simply there. Her role has seemed quite slim since she isn’t really a part of the team in the long run. That is one idea of which I did love in this episode.
Ray explains to Nate that he can’t let things keep progressing, or it would royally mess with the timeline. The Legends were chosen because their roles in the timeline were inconsequential, but Amaya plays a much larger role that could impact her family line as well as all the people in which they would have saved as super heroes. Finally, it appears that someone’s actions do impact the timeline in this show. It has been preached time and time again, but little has been shown in the way of their actions determining the future.
As for the crew that was back on the Waverider, it appears that Mick is both the brains and the brawn in their operation. Since the Time Masters went in Mick’s brain and did some tinkering, you could say, he brought that up as the best way to get through to Rip and turn him from mind-killing captain to their old friendly leader.
The idea that Jackson (along with Sara) is the one to go into Rip’s mind speaks much to his ability to manage his life without being tied to his other Firestorm half, Martin Stein. At first, it was clear that he was unsure of his ability to contribute to the team without being Firestorm, but he has really shown that he is a crucial part of the team, and one of the only people part of the Legends who can actually keep the Waverider in working order.
When they do make it to Rip, after dispatching their various doppelgangers which provided some sweet fight scenes, we learn that Rip is a shell of his former self. Eobard did such a number on him that he doesn’t have the will to even want to come out of his psychosis, but he did gain something in the interim. He has some sort of force power that flings people across the room. A useful new move, if and only if Sara could convince him that he must face the evil version of themselves, and since he has constructed all of this in his mind, he is the only one who can send them away. The help of a well-known but never seen character helps him achieve this.
I’ve always wondered about the woman behind Gideon’s voice, and now we sort of have an answer. While she isn’t “real†in the sense that no one else will be able to see her outside of Rip’s mind construct, she is indeed intelligent and has memories. There is a moment where Rip and Gideon kiss, (just before he saves the day and they exit his mind) and she actually remembers that when they are back in the real world. It was a neat little tid bit that added a little romanticism into the episode. It will be nice to have Rip back as captain, but it will be interesting to see where that leaves Sara.
