What I’m Watching: Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 3, Episode 7 “Welcome to the Jungle” (B+)

I’ve never been all that fond of Grodd as a character, but I think he worked very well in the context of this episode, which sent the legends to Vietnam for some unexpected encounters. It does appear that Grodd is going to continue to be involved with the show thanks to the all-powerful Dahrk saving him from certain death at the last moment, and now he’ll have a purpose even more nefarious than starting World War III. The most enjoyable part of this episode was Mick running into his dad, who sounded just like him and turned out to be far nicer and purer than Mick had ever thought. I’m very impressed with what this show has done with that character, who started out as the lesser member of a duo and has turned into a hilarious source of comic relief. Ray, Amaya, and Zari did a great job posing as reporters straight out of “Apocalypse Now,” and the two totem-wielders were able to relate in an important way to their foes in the jungle. Jax managed to prove that he didn’t need Firestorm to be a hero, talking an entertaining portrayal of LBJ through walking a minefield safely. I love that Stein brought the likes of Isaac Newton and Marie Curie aboard the ship to help him work on separating Firestorm, and Newton in particular came through by knocking Sara out when Grodd took control of her mind. Fortunately, Sara’s back and ready to go, and Dahrk recruiting Grodd means that they have a big battle ahead of them.