Legends of Tomorrow, Episode 9 “Left Behind” Broadcast on March 31, 2016
Written by Beth Schwartz & Grainne Godfree
Directed by John F. Showalter
“Previously on Legends of Tomorrow,” Mick turns traitor, Ray and Kendra go undercover as a couple in 1958, Sara’s bloodlust returns, and she’s thinks she’s a monster.
Chronos is able to enter Waverunner, zapping Rip. The heroes fall back to exit in the jumpship, just as Gideon tells them that the villain has overridden the A.I.’s programming with superior Time Master technology. The bounty hunter makes the ship take off, stranding Ray, Kendra, and Sara in 1958. Rip orders Stein and Jackson to to abandon ship in the jumpship, while he and Leonard return to the the bridge to take out Chronos. Hearing the sounds of battle, Martin stops Jackson. “We’re not leaving our team.” The two become Firestorm and blast onto the bridge, only to discover that Rip is unconscious and the bounty hunter and Snart are gone. They can’t pursue the pair as Waverunner has been sabotaged: they’re freefalling though time. Cue opening title sequence.
Back in 1958, ten minutes later, the trio believes their allies may not be coming back. Sara convinces the other two to leave Harmony Falls since Vandal Savage knows about them. She hot wires a car so they can leave. Ten days later in a Hub City apartment, Sara and Kendra enter to find Ray on the floor building a time beacon to signal their friends. Ten weeks later, they’re still stuck and the ladies are going stir crazy, while Ray’s been consumed with his beacon, which promptly blows up when he activates it. Sara tells him he’s wasting his time since the others aren’t coming back. Ray doesn’t want to give up. This causes Sara to grab a prepacked bag and leave. “I can’t stay here. I need to find someplace I belong.” Two years later, Ray is teaching a college science class, with one of his students being the father of a famous individual. At the end of the class, Kendra arrives and the two head to a park for lunch, where he has something to ask her. Before he can do so, the Waverunner arrives. Cue first commercial break.
This was an okay episode. I liked how Ray had issues about being back with his allies, while Kendra seems to have none. This could have gone on for longer, since it’s an interesting concept, and Brandon Routh was selling the heck out of his scenes, but it’s not given the time it deserves with the other two plot lines. The first concerns Snart’s capture by Chronos and who he is under the helmet. This character’s reveal wasn’t shocking; just expected at this point in the series. The dialogue between the two characters is good, with Wentworth Miller killing every line he utters. In fact, the high point of the episode is when he has a difficult physical problem to solve and he does so quite graphically. Miller continues to be the high point of this series. The story involving Sara was very predictable. The actors and stuntmen did fine, but it was completely flat. Even when the heroes united, it was empty of energy. There’s an appearance of a major Arrow villain in this episode, but his character has always been a disappointing incarnation of this iconic individual. The effects were okay, with Firestorm looking the best, followed closely by Hawkgirl’s wings, which look the best they’ve ever looked. But special effects can’t save an average superhero outing.
The good: Wentworth Miller and Brandon Routh. The effects were also fine.
Fun lines: “Sorry we’re late,” “You deserve nothing,” “Kill her in front of you again, and again, and again,” “Well, that ain’t good,” “There is no God,” “He’s a lost cause!”, and “Wow. That was — Was that rehearsed?”
The bad: Rip is able to sneak that deep into that location? Nope. Rip is no ninja. He should have been caught instantly. I expected a Big Trouble In Little China moment when he opened the door; there should have been a horde of villains. Instead, he was able to walk in unimpeded. Just not buying this. A ho-hum story with predictable results.
The final line: Not good, nor bad. An average superhero outing, without any surprises. Because of this, it’s somewhat boring. Overall grade: C-
Share this:
