DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Pilot, Part 2
Carissa Pavlica
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That death's not going to stick, right?
At the end of DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 2, after a lot of fun was had along the way, Carter Hall aka Hawkman met his end.
But Hawk people reincarnate and these folks are traveling through time, so in one way or another, he's coming back. Right?
Let's talk about everything else that happened and all the good times before we get down to all the timey wimey, dab your eyes and say goodbye stuff.
If there was any doubt this was meant to be a two hour pilot, this hour picked up right after DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 1 with the whole team heading off to Norway to see what's what with the nuclear bomb.
We also learn bits and bobs about how time will be treated along the way. Carter and Kendra initially wanted to go back and try to fix what happened with their son because who wouldn't? But he was destined to die at that moment, and stopping it would have an effect down the line, so there was no going back.
Also, you apparently cannot visit the same place twice via time travel, so you better get whatever you want to do right the first time around.
Of course, our team is just getting to know each other, so when they make their first attempt to get things right in Norway, well, things don't go so well and the rest of the hour is spent trying to fix it before the future is cemented. That's right time is like cement. It takes some time to become permanent. Whew!
Some little tweaks have been made here and there to the personalities of the characters who have joined Rip on this journey, such as the lighter White Canary and the goofier Mick Rory, but on the whole, the group just fits so well it's kind of crazy.
If you had looked at each character individually a year ago on their respective shows and tried to imagine them flying through space solving important issues together, would you have seen it working? Surely not this well. But these guys just mesh.
And each new grouping of characters feels as comfortable as the last.
They all take turns being in control, and nobody gets ruffled when that happens. There doesn't seem to be a struggle for power, as each works to their strengths. When they arrived at the nuke sale and Snart wasn't connecting with the door man (or whatever), Stein effortlessly stepped in and righted the ship.
As for the sale itself, well that was a whole lotta fun, wasn't it? Not only did the gang learn Vandal Savage was the seller of the nuke and not the buyer, but they ran into a younger Damien Dahrk trying to make himself into a nuclear power, as well.
I have to wonder...did Darhk ever give up on his quest to secure a nuke? Why doesn't he have one now? He's a pretty enterprising fellow. If he was in the market for nuclear weapons in the 70s, wouldn't he be a helluva lot more dangerous than he is today? What am I missing?
It also seemed like a peculiar way to place your bid for a nuke – shooting a weapon off. I mean, is that wise under the circumstances? Would all the bidders have done that or did Mick just do something off the cuff? Curious, that. Nonetheless, Savage realized at least four of these things were not like the others. Five, if he had seen what was in Stein's pocket.
The fight scene was so much fun. I hope the music suits all the time periods coming up as much as it has their trip into the 70s, because it's been amazing. Again, even though this team is new to each other, they were so in sync! When ATOM couldn't stop the bomb, Firestorm rushed it off and absorbed the blast. It was beautiful.
If only ATOM hadn't left a little piece of himself behind. Gideon shared with Rip Central City was ravaged in a future that was currently being created. Whoops.
Rip: While you were busy saving Norway from nuclear annihilation...
Mick: You're welcome, Norway.
Rip: Savage sent one of his cronies back to the site of the arms sale. Anyone care to guess what he found?
Ray [looks at his wrist]: Whoops.
While they were in the 70s, there were a few things they could do. Snart, Rory and Palmer went off to steal a relic that could put an end to Savage and Jax, Stein and Sara headed off to see young Stein, who was busily creating something that would allow them to track the ATOM remnant. Good times!
Jax, Stein and Sara being together was great. What I really loved about it was that it put Jax on equal footing with Stein for the first time. It's got to be hard to matched with an older man because their worlds are just so different. One is just starting in this world and the other is full of experience.
But now, Jax knows what Stein was like before he knew everything. Before he was uptight and wouldn't eat a bag of chips...or spark up a doobie. The only thing about the whole endeavor that kind of skeeved me out was the appreciation of Sara's assets. At one point it just got a little weird.
Other than that, I cannot wait to see what the past and future holds for the rest of our group. The possibilities are endless!
Raymond and Leonard (as they took to calling each other) got into a spot of trouble while stealing the relic, too. The two of them kind of bonded, which was no surprise given that all of these characters seem to have a lot more in common than not, even though they would never have taken the time to become acquainted if not for Rip Hunter.
I also love Snart's logic about stealing: You don't break into a candy store and steal one gumball. Actually, that's probably as badass as I ever got as a kid. Stealing one gumball. And the guilt? OMG.
We have to assume Savage's name wasn't on the deed of the house because surely they did enough research to get that much information before robbing the place, right?
Thankfully, while they were screwing around, Sara had retrieved the ATOM part and saved the day because she generally kicks ass.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl, who had been away from the group trying to ignite Kendra's memories of the past, caught up with everyone at Savage's house just about the time the guys realized that's where they were. They took the knife and hoped to kill Savage, but their streak of bad luck continued.
Just as Chayara had recalled being in love with Khufu for all of their 247 lives, he was killed in front of her by Vandal Savage. Her attempt to kill Savage was also thwarted, and she was gravely wounded, but saved.
Kendra is going to have a lot of feelings after this one. Can you imagine going through all the exercises to remember your lives and losing your epic love and your son in a matter of days? Thank God she's been through it so many times be
So the team will go on, for Carter.
Is that really what's going to happen? I'm glad the Hawks' origin story is finally over, because it took too long. They were separated from the group and with each other pretty much since we've met them. That wasn't working. But in a time travel story about reincarnation, Carter's death really can't work either, can it?
It seems one of two things should happen. The team should either pick Carter up sometime in the past and continue on or they should grab another version of him from another lifetime. The only problem with either of those scenarios is the possibility of never-ending origin stories.
With the whole TO CARTER! thing, it sounds permanent, but in this world, permanence is almost silly. Stein was just talking to his young self. How could they possibly not have another version of Carter? But how to get around another origin story?
The characters certainly deserve the opportunity to mesh in with the others, and they haven't been given that up to now.
This was a fantastic follow-up to the premiere and only makes the excitement for the rest of this series even greater. What did you think of this hour? Did you love seeing Young Stein? What team ups do you want to see next? Do you think Hawkman is gone for good?
Hit the comments, and don't forget you can watch DC's Legends of Tomorrow online anytime via TV Fanatic to catch up!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
