Star City 2046 should have been Legends‘ strongest episode yet. Sadly it was a misfire, right down to the production design (oh look, another burning car).
How could an episode with so much potential end up being so disastrous? Well, they focused on all the wrong things. First there was that atrocious subplot with Jax and Ray vying for Kendra’s affections. Really show? With all the post-apocalyptic mayhem going on in Star City, you decide that a romcom subplot is what the show needs? Not only was it a bizarre and jarring tonal shift, it came completely out of nowhere. Was there ever any hint in previous episodes that Jax was even interested in Kendra in the slightest? Shouldn’t we be spending our time developing Kendra as a character instead of linking her to yet ANOTHER guy? Here’s hoping her rebuttal of all romantic advances at the end means the writers will start paying attention to her personality for once.
And then there’s Oliver Queen. I was immensely excited for his appearance, but it was far from satisfying. Not only did that beard look super cheap, but there wasn’t nearly enough time spent on Ollie senior’s backstory. The whole Star City adventure probably should have been a two-parter (instead of the Russia arc), so that we could get genuinely invested in the arc. And the less said about Deathstroke junior the better, because I truly couldn’t take that actor (or his backstory) seriously.
Although I appreciate the fact that the writers are trying to cause a rift between Snart and Mick, I feel like Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell aren’t strong enough to carry the material. Both performers always feel like they’re overacting, and the material is already tremendously heavy-handed (Mick put on that fur-coat and immediately assumed gang ownership in the span of 3 seconds?). I’ll try to reserve judgment until I see where the writers take this next, but I’m not particularly optimistic.
Bits of Tomorrow
– I found the teaser a bit ridiculous with all these so called “Legends” running away from a guy shooting a bunch of badly-targeted arrows.
– In the comics, Ollie’s son is called Connor Hawke. Here, he’s Diggle’s son but has the same name. Weird choice if you ask me. Why not just give him a brand new name?
– Great character moment for Stein as he tells Rip that they shouldn’t be immoral like Savage. Sadly I’m really starting to detest Rip as a character. He’s exceptionally irritating.
– Is anyone else getting bored of the team coming to someone’s rescue at the end of every episode? And that final action set-piece was very underwhelming.
– Ollie’s robo-arm was admittedly nifty.
– I kind of loved the moment when Sara hugged old Ollie; I bought their cumulative history in that moment. Or maybe it’s just that Caity Lotz can do anything.
Legendary Lines
Sara: Go to hell.
Rip: Most likely.
Olliver: His name is Grant Wilson. Once upon a time, his father, Slade, tried to ruin my life.
Ray: That’s not a nice family.
Sara: Just… just be careful, all right?
Oliver: Well, you should know better than most I rarely ever am.
Conclusion
This should have been the show’s defining hour thus far, but it was disappointing on almost every level.
Nad Rating
C