Is sweeps month over yet? I love all of the action, but the death and destruction get a bit intense by the end of the month. Thank goodness we have Supergirl and Legends to lighten things up a bit. Remember, I said a bit. Supergirl was the designated hitter for humor this week. Legends is still coping with an evil ex Time Master.
It’s the year 3000, and we’re in Detroit. The local economy has improved in the last thousand years, if the skyline is anything to go by. I now have a Jonas Brothers song stuck in my head. Soon the Legends will be going to the Year 3000, as well, because Rip is already there, creating mischief. Rip approaches Dr Mid-Nite in his future lab. He wants the fragment of the Spear of Destiny that he left with Dr Mid-Nite, explaining to Mid-Nite that he’s taking it to the Vanishing Point. Mid-Nite points out that Rip said the Time Masters couldn’t be trusted. Boy, that turned out to be even more true than Rip knew. Rip shoots Mid-Nite and decides to retrieve the spear fragment the hard way. He assumes that means removing it from inside Mid-Nite’s body, since the doctor was researching cybernetic implants. Rip is also interested in Mid-Nite’s biomorphic mind control technology.
Gideon informs the Legends that she’s found the time and location of a spear fragment in the future. Nate hates going to the future, because Damn it, Jim, he’s a historian, not a futurist! Nate and Amaya snipe at each other for a minute over whether he should stay on the ship or not during this mission. Captain Kirk Sara tells Spock Amaya and Bones Nate to STFU so that they can get on with the mission.
Gideon tells the team that the spear is gone, but they decide go investigate its last known location, and find Dr Mid-Nite’s body. He wrote Rip’s name on the floor in blood before he died. Amaya is pissed because Sara wouldn’t let Jax kill Rip in 1776 and now a JSA member is dead.
Lili’s algorithm identifies another piece of the spear, this time in Britain in 507 AD, otherwise known as Camelot. Ray is delighted, because he was obsessed with Arthurian lore as a kid. Nate tries to point out that the legends of King Arthur aren’t true history, but it falls flat with Ray and the team. They dress like modern versions of medieval characters, while he is historically accurate.
They are walking through the forest toward Camelot when they are suddenly accosted by the Knights Who Say Ni a band of King Arthur’s knights, led by Guinevere. She agrees to bring them to Camelot to speak to Arthur. At Camelot, King Arthur passes the buck decision to Merlyn, who turns out to be JSA member Stargirl. Nate is apoplectic at all of the historical inaccuracies, starting with the existence of Camelot at all. Ray actually squeaks out loud when he hears the name Merlyn, because he is 12.
The Legends bring Stargirl to the Waverider to talk privately. She tells them that in 1956 Rip Hunter took the JSA on a mission to Leipzig recover the Spear of Destiny. In order to keep it safe, he broke the spear into four parts. Rip gave himself and the three others each a part, then sent each of them to a different time period to hide with their spear fragment. She built up Camelot according to Arthurian legend to help her protect the spear.
That night, Sara and Guinevere sit next to each other at dinner. Sparks fly between them. She and Arthur appear to have a political marriage, since she refers to him as a true friend and ally. Guinevere was a warrior before she was queen, and she preferred that to politics, but she believes in Arthur’s vision.
Arthur is out hunting boar, except he’s actually fighting the Black Knight, who’s actually Damien Darhk. Y’all knew the Legion of Doom had to show up sooner or later. Damien beats Arthur, then Rip shows up to take over. Is it sad that Rip is scarier than Damien these days? I think it is. Kudos to Arthur Darvill, though.
Meanwhile, Ray is living out his boyhood dream of being part of the Knights of the Round Table. He spots Sir Galahad and races over to meet the most noble and pure of Arthur’s knights. Then promptly makes a fart joke.
Damien and Rip crash the party, with Arthur as a mind controlled hostage. Rip found a use for Dr Mid-Nite’s technology after all. Whatever Rip thinks, Arthur will do. Arthur holds a knife to Stargirl’s throat while Rip and Damien make the required threats and insults as they demand that they be given the spear fragment. Sara waits for her moment, then starts a sword fight. Arthur ends up killing Galahad at Rip’s command, then holding the knife to his own throat. Everyone is stunned. Damien gives them until dawn to give him the spear , or he’ll come back with a mind-controlled army.
Stein stole a piece of the same mind control technology from Dr Mid-Nite’s lab, so Jax, Stein and Mick try to figure out how it works. They assume that Stein should be in charge of controlling Mick, but that doesn’t work.
Guinevere isn’t sure she can lead Arthur’s army into battle, but Sara believes in her abilities, and talks her into it. Ray decides he needs to fight in the battle, because this is his big chance to run toward death as a pure hero, the way he’s wanted for as long as he’s been in the Arrowverse.
Sara and Amaya figure out where the spear fragment is hidden in plain sight: it’s part of the sword in the stone. Amaya calls on her magic and easily pulls it out. She’s rightful queen of all England now, yes??
The Legends try to gather up the team and get the spear out of the 6th century, but Ray can’t give up on his boyhood fantasy that easily. He won’t leave the 6th century knights to fight their losing battle alone. This is the hill he’s going to die on, literally and metaphorically, according to Nate’s book of Arthurian legends, and it’s fine with him if the whole team dies because of him, too.
I keep hoping Nate will turn to steel, knock Ray out, and carry him to the Waverider, but it doesn’t happen. Instead, Mick convinces everyone to leave no man behind. Amaya has been all about the mission instead of the team up until now, but she’s lost all of her original team, so she decides maybe protecting teammates isn’t such a bad idea after all. She still manages to snipe at Sara and Nate over it, because Amaya is just having a really bad day this mission, okay? And she’s sick of being polite all of the time. She’s learning how to fit in with the Legends!
Meanwhile, back in the Waverider lab, Jax, Stein and Mick keep trying to get the stolen future tech to work. Jax decides to have Mick be the controller and Stein be the receiver. Bingo! To absolutely no one’s surprise, it’s all about the strength of the intention, and Mick is an extremely strong-willed SOB.
Down on the battlefield, it’s all medieval melee, along with Ray’s light sabre, Stargirl’s Cosmic Staff, and Nate turning to steel. Amaya’s an excellent sword fighter without using her magic. Once Jax activates Mick’s side of the controller tech, he overloads the soldiers and knocks out Rip’s control. Arthur attacks Rip and leaves him injured on the ground. Damien abandons Rip and rides toward the nearby woods, while Sara calls for one of the Waverider’s drones to capture Rip and return him to the ship.
Ray takes off after Damien, in an action that finally makes sense. Damien held an Atom-sized Ray captive in a glass box for months, while everyone thought he was dead, back when Ray was on Arrow. They duel, and Ray gets Damien down on the ground, but then lets his guard down. Damien pulls out an energy weapon, shoots Ray, and walks away. Nate finds Ray, who reveals he’s wearing modern protective gear under his armor.
Everyone says goodbye back at Camelot. Stargirl is in love with King Arthur, so she’s going to stay on at his court. She tells Amaya that being with the Legends suits her. Sara and Guinevere are having a moment in Guinevere’s tent when Ray interrupts to say his own goodbye. Sara stays behind after he leaves to give Guinevere a hot kiss goodbye.
Rip is being held in the Waverider’s standard Berlantiverse glass cell that in no way accommodates the needs of a prisoner. But he doesn’t mind, because, despite Jax stopping by to read him his rights and give him the meal and toilet schedule plus maybe a book to inform Rip that he is no longer Captain, Rip knows who really makes that decision. Rip calls softly to Gideon, and she answers, “I’m here, Captain.” “You always are,” he responds.
The Waverider and Gideon are the only constants in Rip Hunter’s life. They are his magic power as a Time Master, besides the knowledge in his head. Even when he thought he was disappearing forever, he couldn’t bring himself to break that link and hand over permanent control to someone else. Even if he had, Gideon herself may have had some deep programming that she could use to justify reverting back to him when he came back. They each think of the other as their true partner. Gideon is the only one he can trust to stay with him and to stay loyal to him, no matter what. The question now is, how will Gideon interpret loyalty when Rip is going against everything he’s ever wanted or been before?
Is it me, or did it seem like Nate was drunk for the entire episode? Cynical, drunk Nate who picks constant fights with Amaya is a vast improvement over original flavor Nate. And Amaya went out of her way to be snipey with Nate. Also a vast improvement. I’m willing to keep these two if their characters stay this way, just add more humor. It’s been way too verbally dull without Len and Rip slinking around being acid tongued and cynical.
I will never, ever get tired of hearing evil assassin Damien Darhk joyfully call, “Oh, hey guys!” with a big smile on his face, whenever he sees the Legends. Never.
I can’t even complain that Ray’s foray into knighthood and medieval battle is out of character, because he’s been drifting off into these self-centered suicidal hero fantasies since his days on Arrow. It’s a defining trait for his character, like Stein’s egotistical arrogance, or Mick’s kleptomania and anger issues. He loses sight of the reality of the situation, and who he might take down with him, and only thinks about the romance of self-sacrifice for a noble cause.
Why was it green and lush all around Camelot, except for the very snowy spot where Ray and Damien dueled? Time warp?
Guinevere’s breast cups in her armor were ridiculous. Complete male fantasy. A shelf bra is the obvious way to go in armor.
Sara Lance as Captain Kirk, swashbuckling and romancing her way through time with a laid back sense of humor, is A-ok with me. I will probably never stop repeating this.
Nate: I am a time travel professional. If you need me to visit the future, I can visit the future. Amaya: And I’m just saying, it’s entirely up to you. Sara: And I’m just saying, “Shut up.” Nate, you’ll stay here.
Knight: It’s like a sabre, made of light. Ray: Yeah, just don’t call it a light sabre. Major trademark issues, right?
Jax: We’ll let you know when it’s time to take control of the evil army. Mick: Finally, I get to fulfill my destiny. [Best. Line. Of. The. Night.] [Why wasn’t Len in one piece to hear it?]
Metawitches 
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