Legends of Tomorrow is one of the more difficult superhero shows to pull off, if not solely for the fact that the cast of “mainâ€characters is so large, such that it is nearly impossible to give everyone ample time for solid character development. This season seemingly conflates that issue by adding in the Justice Society of America, and somehow, it all actually works pretty well.
In the second episode, “Justice Society of America,†we get to see the much teased about Justice Society of America and their brooding self righteousness. The comparison between the two superhero teams is quite staggering. On the one side, you have a group of criminals and assassins attempting to work together. Attempting being the key word, since they, more often than not, are fighting amongst themselves and attempting to keep a low profile. Of course, their attempts last a couple minutes until things go haywire. Contrasting that, the Justice Society of America are a team that’s flooded with teamwork and precision. They have such a unique dichotomy being in a Nazi ruled era.
At first, I was a bit down on the Justice Society of America. I felt they looked like a cheaper knock off of the more futuristic Legends. However, I feel that their appearance perfectly fits within the time in which they are living, the 1940s. Yes, they all have a bit of a campy appearance, especially Doctor Mid-nite and Stargirl, but the actors work extremely well together.
Since their are so many characters on screen all at one time, there’s always those moments where you wish you could see “x†character more. There’s definitely the want to see a backstory for each of the members of JSA, but since it took them so long to get that done for the Legends themselves, I highly doubt that is coming, unless they turn JSA into a show itself.
This episode revolves around the Nazis teaming up with Reverse Flash. RF wants the Askaran Amulet in exchange for a serum that can turn people into hulking super soldier types. Baron Kreiger is given a vial of the serum in good faith, and when he uses it, he hulks out and attains super strength and becomes quite the foe for the Legends and JSA. The visual effects for Kreiger were good, especially considering how much else is almost always going on during the show.
While the action sequences were fun and, at times, a bit comical, I especially loved the story bits between Commander Steel and the soon to be Citizen Steel (Nathaniel Heywood). They intricately tied the two together by a dog tag that he had from his grandfather (Commander Steel). Heywood continues to explain how he wishes that he could be a soldier and make a difference just like his grandfather, Henry Heywood. He gets to prove that he is able to take up the “Steel†moniker (Citizen Steel) when he saves them as the hulking Baron Kreiger is in tow.
Another related story was Vixen talking down to Ray because he “just has a suit.†There’s nearly a point where it appears that Ray is going to take the serum to get them free of the Nazis that kidnapped them. It’s an interesting look into how Ray feels amongst the group, especially the JSA.
Legends has been into killing characters off early in this season, and it continues here. Just when you start to think everything is fine, Reverse Flash zooms in and vibrates his hand through Rex Tyler, killing him and taking the amulet of which he was so desperate to find. It’s weird to see Reverse Flash running through time, when he warned Barry of the consequences that could come about. Who knows what he is going to use the amulet for, but it can’t be good. I could seeing it being the spark that ignites the huge crossover amongst all the DC shows on CW.
