DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - SEASON 5.7

REVIEW:  DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - SEASON 5.7:  "Romeo V. Juliet - Dawn of Justness"


Our Misfits of Time haven't lost a beat this season.  We've seen reanimated conqueorors, gangsters, entitled rulers, and the return of Damien Dhark to name a few, as Astra has sent the Encores from Hell to make the Legends' life miserable---especially that of John Constantine.  He is on a quest, however, to retrieve the broken Loom of Fate, so that he can save her, along with her mother, and bring that family back together again.  And they need to do it quickly, before Charlie's fellow Fates---namely her sisters---find the pieces first, and wreak havoc.  We saw that Mick has to deal with the fallout of having a kid, Ray and Nora tied the knot, and what more will Zari remember about her previous life aboard ship?  Plus---what new threat do we have this week?  Let's just jump in, get our feet wet, and see what happens....


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As Dylan once sang, "The times are 'a' changin'", and nothing could be more proof of that than with our Mirthful Group of Timecops aboard the Waverider.  This week's episode dealt primarily with change.  Things aboard the Waverider have always seemed SOMEWHAT in flux, but there was always the core of the team:  Sara, Ray, and Mick.  Well, this week, we said goodbye to Ray Palmer and his new lovely bride, Nora Dhark Palmer.  As Ray had promised her father Damien last week, that Nora's work as a Fairy Godmother is better suited being on Earth, and not hopping around time, trying to make sure it doesn't get screwed up, or is in dire need of repair.  So, Ray realized that the time had come for he and Nora to start their lives together....but it needed to be at home.  So, Ray spent the better part of this episode bidding farewell to his teammates.  However...as you may have guessed...NOTHING ever goes right when it comes to the Legends.  It's ALWAYS gotta be done the hard way.  And while it was hard enough for Ray to tell Sara he was leaving, Mick spilled the beans to most of the group, except one:  Nate.  Of all the relationships that have occurred aboard the ship, Ray and Nate's friendship has always provided the comical spark, as well as it's heart.  They've always stuck by each other's side, and their antics have always made the show more enjoyable.  However, this time around, we got to see Ray struggle with leaving.  As hard as it was going to be for the team to be without him...it's hard on Ray as well.

Of course, we can't have a PROPER send off for Ray without throwing in some typical Legends trouble.  This time, Shakespeare was our historical figure of focus, as he had gotten ahold of a ring---which turned out to be one of the pieces of the Loom of Fate that Charlie had scattered across the cosmos---reshaped because normal people couldn't handle the sight of it.  Either way, Shakespeare had it, and sold it to a man, in order to open up his theater, and produce his plays.  The boys end up travelling to the past on one final mission with Ray, to retrieve the piece, along with Charlie...and while Nate is concoting some great plant to get it, Charlie goes to the man, and steals it back.  With the mission being pretty much OVER, they SHOULD'VE went back to the ship, and got the heck outta Dodge...but we know better.  Nate decides that THIS would be a good time to throw Ray that bachelor party they didn't get to have.  Meanwhile, aboard the ship, Zari stumbles upon the other laides (including the returning Mona for a visit), and they invite her to join Book Club.  Which, as it turns out, is just "ladies time" for them, and they don't really talk about books.  Zari finds it cute, and describes it like a cult, which they quickly correct her, letting her know that it's not that, and because that's how Nora grew up.  So, what ends up happening...since they all know Nora is leaving with Ray---THEY decide to throw a party of their own!  A bachelorette party.  So, both Nate AND Sara lie to each other, and both parties get underway.

Naturally, trouble ensues when the party gets out of hand, and a fight breaks out, and the team puts their abilities to use---although they ARE intoxicated.  They end up bolting, but not before screwing things up...as usual.  The ladies, however, weren't anymore well behaved, because they had a fireman stripper, and they were just as sloshed.  So, as Sara lectures them, she's also doing so drunk.  But the BIG problem is:  with Shakespeare having witnessed the Legends in action, he completely scraps Romeo & Juliet, to be more about the team!  Now, they have to go fix their mistake, by convincing Shakespeare to write the play he was originally intending to do.  It takes Ray to eventually sit him down, and talk to him, telling him that his characters deserve a better ending than the one he's got now.  Ray goes on to say that saying goodbye is always hard to do, but it's necessary sometimes, and that change will always happen.  Nate actually overhears this convo, and eventually, he and Ray have a spat over the fact that Ray didn't just come out and tell him, PLUS...he was the LAST to know.  Of course, Ray tells him he was GOING to (but how many hints did the team DROP to get him to fess up to Nate?), but it was hard for him.  And, to make matters worse, everything Ray told Shakespeare apparently didn't stick, because history wasn't altered.  Instead, he scraps the play completely.  He lost funding for his theater, and now he's quitting.  Ray still feels that he and Nate still have one last mission, but Nate's butt-sore, and thus doesn't want Ray to participate.  

Sara sits the team down, and gives them her usual pep talk, and realizes how they can get Shakespeare on the right track:  perform the play.  So, the team gets down to it, and they start the play, and things are going well...until Nate can't do his part as Juliet.  Zari ends up fillling in, and we find out she's actually a drama major.  Charlie sits with Shakespeare as the play goes on, while Nate races back to the ship to catch Ray.  Ray himself, has felt he overstayed his welcome, and he and Nora are about to leave.  But, thankfully, Nate gets to the ship just in time to have a final, tearful goodbye with each other.  And while it's hard on both of them, Nate knows this is what's best for Ray and Nora.  The really touching part about this was when Ray was saying his final goodbye to Gideon, and she wondered if he'd be back.  He asked her to look after the team, and as he left--SHE cried!  I was so sad.  Either way, the mission DOES get accomplished, they set history right yet again, AND they have a piece of the Loom.  Sara, of course, tells Nate that she hates it that Ray is gone, but she'll be his shoulder to lean on--his best bud, in a way, should he need it.  So, it gives us a chance to have Sara become even closer to some of the crew.  But now, this just leaves Sara and Mick as the final two of the core of the team.  Of course, the team celebrates a final drink to Ray and Nora, as they try his green juice---which most of them outside of Zari think it's awful, and makes them sick.

Don't worry....I didn't forget about Astra, and the Coin Dealer.  Turns out, her and the Coin Dealer have been much closer than we realized.  The Dealer had taken Astra in, when she was a lost soul.  And Astra tells her about Constantine's plan to help restore her family, and the Dealer says that if that happens, she won't be able to see her anymore...and she's been the only family Astra's had in the dark realm.  So, they spy on the team, and John senses her spirit there.  He then attacks, and before he realizes it's her, he's knocked her out.  She awakes, and the Dealer asks her what she saw.  Astra talks about the Loom of Destiny, and she asks Astra whether or not SHE wants John to have that power, when she could have it for herself.  Now...while Astra ponders that, let's make it clear here:  We KNOW John's intentions are good with the Loom...but we ALSO know that ANYONE in Hell is NOT someone to be trusted, so I see the Dealer working Astra right now in order to get ahold of the Loom herself.  After all...I think the Council themselves would find that quite a wonderful little prize for themselves.  So...I think Astra is going to get played from here on out the rest of this season until John can save her.  

One last detail from this sentimental send off to Ray and Nora, was Mona's brief return, to talk to Mick about the slamming Rebecca Silver is getting online from ONE particular person.  Mick doesn't want to deal with it, and forbids Mona to do anything about it, but he DOES fess up to the rest of the team that he has a kid.  Mona DOES figure this out, and tells him to talk to her.  He refuses, because he feels he's protecting her.  When Mona asks why, he shows her the burn marks on his arm---telling her that his father was NOT a good man, and that he doesn't think he'd be a good parent.  But Mona says it's because of HIM that she's the person SHE is.  So, she hugs him, and it's another one of the very few times we witness some compassion in Mick Rory.  So...what this holds for him and his future as a parent to his daughter Lita remains to be seen...but it SHOULD be comical.  I will admit ONE thing that was missing from this episode:  Gary.  But then again, I was okay with that.  Gary is good in small doses.  He's the one character that I don't NEED a lot of---he can be too much at times.  Plus...with John's house, it's a perfect place for him to be until he's actually called upon.  It's a nice plot device if you ask me.

Once again, the Legends do what they do best:  Give us a story...wrap a TON of calamity around it, but somehow, someway, find some drama, and have a touch of heart into it.  This had all of that.  Plus...watching Mick having to do Shakespeare was funny.  It was a sweet and touching send off for Ray and Nora (and for Brandon Routh and his wife Courtney Ford who play Ray and Nora, a farewell to the series), and we got to see more of the Dealer and Astra, as I think there will be MORE brewing THERE as we are halfway through the season.  But the dynamics are shifting, and the team is a bit smaller now.  But, I've no doubt the writers will continue to find ways to keep us engaged, and most DEFINITELY keep us laughing.  That's what I love about this show---there are NO RULES.  It's just a good time.

Oh...and nice play on the title for the episode...a little tongue-and-cheek by the writers to play off of Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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Alright, kiddies, our funtime here is done.  Please make sure you subscribe, leave a comment, and whore this blog out to everyone you know!  I know I'D appreciate it.  I know this review wasn't a complete recap, and it was a tad late, but this whole Virus thing has things wonky...even for ME.  So, stay safe out there, and take care of yourselves and each other.  So, I'm thinking this is how they will be from here on out---gonna try it anyway, and hope you guys still like it.  That's why I require INPUT!!  

Until then...Time Is On Our Side