What I’m Watching: Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 3, Episode 4 “Phone Home” (B+)

I’m glad to see that Ray meeting someone he really wasn’t supposed to meet didn’t end up being too problematic, and he only disappeared briefly from the timeline, albeit inconveniently during a trust fall meant to show how the legends could function as a team. This show loves its pop culture references, and this one contained even more nods to the 1980s than an hour of “Stranger Things.” My favorite was “Step away from her, you bitch,” one that wasn’t even intentional since I can’t imagine that Amaya has had time to watch “Aliens.” The E.T. one was outright acknowledged, and Nate waxing his DeLorean was pretty great. This is the definition of a strong Halloween episode, one that uses that backdrop for a truly fun story. Having all the legends go trick-or-treating with a young Ray dressed as the Atom to scare the bullies off was superb, and I love that Mick took their candy. The dominator forcing the bad guys to sing and dance to “Singin’ in the Rain” was a particularly odd but entertaining scene. Nate thinking that Ray’s mom was hot and then kissing the dominator pretending to be her was funny, and I really do think that the new additions to this show, Amaya and Zari included, have enhanced it a lot. It’s a good thing that Stein only took the communicator so that he could monitor the impending birth of his grandchild, and Jax working with Ray to figure out a way to break up Firestorm is a clever and fitting way to write out Victor Garber since he has to leave for his Broadway run this winter.