What I’m Watching: Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 3, Episode 12 “The Curse of the Earth Totem” (B+)

I found myself writing a lot last year about how this show and “Timeless” would feature famous characters from literature and history, and with that show returning in less than two weeks, I’m finding myself more and more impressed with how this series manages to feature people like Helen of Troy and Blackbeard, committed more than anything to have fun. The timeline will either be corrected eventually or ruptured irreparably, and these characters just want to enjoy playing pirates and exploring life in other times more than being concerned about the fate of the world. Rip and Wally getting drunk, pantsing Gary, and singing karaoke in 1992 Tokyo instead of getting to work right away on combating Dahrk. There’s also a sense that the big bad guy himself is trying to prolong things, urging his resuscitated daughter not to kill Ray because he might prove valuable down the road. I’m sure Ray is going to catch lots of flak for saving Nora, but he did manage to get Amaya’s totem back, which is a big win for the team. I suspected that Amaya’s portrayer, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, must be British when they had her pretending to be a British pirate, something that shows love to do when circumstances permit. I liked that Blackbeard was a coward more than happy to let Captain Jewe take charge, and he didn’t even try to resist interrogation by Dahrk. Sara’s date with Ava was awkward and ended poorly, and naturally them making out passionately would result in pirates boarding the ship via a time portal. I’d love to see the team return to the Bermuda Triangle and experience more than just a ship system malfunction.