[Warning: Spoilers ahead]
Director: Antonio Negret
Writer: Anderson Mackenzie
Starring: Victor Garber, Arthur Darvill, Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz, Franz Drameh, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Nick Zano, and Dominic Purcell
Guest Starring: Neal McDonough
Summary
Rip Hunter, that time traveling villain that he is, travels to Detroit in the year 3000 to find a piece of the spear. It turns out, Dr. Midnight is alive and well in the year 3000. He has been sent there by good Rip to protect a shard. Rip, now evil, enacts evil. It is a bloody mess. Then, in 500 AD, the team finds Stargirl, posing as Merlin in a souped up version of Camelot. Stargirl, also sent by good Rip into time, is protecting another piece of the spear. Nate and Ray argue about “facts.” Sara and Guinevere exchanges some smoldering glances. Amaya is in a bad, bad mood.
Positives
Ray Palmer, or as he is known in this issue, Sir Raymond of the Palms, gets some front line action. It is about time. Brandon Routh has been underused this season. He is perfect as the absent minded professor character. I get that the creative team wanted us to get used to Nick Zano and Maisie Richardson-Sellers so some of the established characters needed to take a backseat, but Ray Palmer is the Atom. He made Citizen Steel. He is awesome. Yes, he and Nate bonded over George Lucas in the winter premiere, but in this episode, he finally lets his nerd flag fly and it is so much fun.
It has been smart to use the special effects sparingly. I can not remember the last time Firestorm actually showed up, but Jax and Martin get a lot of screen time using their people skills (not interpersonal skills, but skills as regular people). Mick has kept his gun holstered as well. There was a bit of Vixen using all her powers and Nate turned to Steel, but they were quick and we did not focus on it. The reason it is smart to keep the effects at a minimum is that sometimes, when there is too much of that, it seems a bit hokey and cheesy and that is the last thing this show needs, is unintentional cheese. The actual cheese and campiness is perfect.
Negatives
Reverse Flash is supposed to be in this show right? Isn’t he the center of the Legion of Doom? Hmmm. One would not know that. He has been used a bit sparingly of late and he is not even in this episode. That is pretty disappointing.
Having Vixen have a bit of a hissy fit did not work this week either. Sure she has her moments of being stiff, but this was totally out of character and it just made no sense. If this was someone’s first episode of this show, one would think she is pretty awful and would root for her exit from the team.
Verdict
The good guys finally get a win. It is about time. Ray Palmer gets a win (and might eventually become King of Camelot) that is even cooler. That last scene with Rip in the glass prison talking to Giedion is an excellent tease for the next episode. They are taking a week off so that they can do a final push of five episodes in March and into the April 4th finale. I am both looking forward to that finale, but I am also sad at thinking this little engine that could will take a break. We can only assume we will see these characters show up on the rest of the Arrowverse in April and May.
Easter Eggs
Neal McDonough once took a turn as a good guy in SyFy’s retelling of The Wizard of Oz. He played the Tin Man in the movie called, appropriately enough, Tin Man. At one point Darhk says, “Rip, tell your tin men it’s time for battle.”
Ray uses his Atom suit to make to make a “Sabre made of light.”
“Don’t call it a light sabre (spelling is mine as per the follow up joke), ” Ray quips, “there could be some copyright issues.”
In the Arthurian legends, Guinevere has an illicit affair with Sir Lancelot. Of course, in this version, it is not illicit, but it is with Lara Lance (a lot).
When Amaya, Nate and Sara are about to run into battle, Sara channels Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction. She does not swear, but she asks the team if they want to “get medieval.”
What Easter Eggs did we miss? Comment below.
