<i>Legends of Tomorrow</i> Reaction: Season 2 ~ The Fangirl Initiative

Warning: Legends of Tomorrow is rated TV-14 for content unsuitable for children under the age of 14. Spoilers for the entire show included below!

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Legends of Tomorrow finished season two last week, and it's been one whirlwind of a season. From fighting the Legion of Doom to tracking down the Spear of Destiny to keeping the Legends together as a team, the show has done a lot in the past seventeen episodes. While there have been ups and downs, overall I think Legends of Tomorrow is a fun show full of time travel, kick-butt ~~heroes~~ legends, and lots of fandom references. Here's what I thought of season two.

What I Liked

The Characters
Basically, I watch this show for two reasons: the characters and time travel. The various personalities, backstories, and strengths and weaknesses of the Legends team make this show worth watching. They bring purpose to the show, and each character has their own reason for being there.

Sara Lance: She's come so far in the past season. She has a lot of anger and bitterness over Laurel's death bottled up inside of her, but she's learned to move past that for the good of the team and the world. She's become captain of the Legends and the Waverider in Rip's absence, and she even makes the right decisions at the end of the season, when she literally holds reality in her hands. She's come so far, and I'm looking forward to what she does next.
Rip Hunter: During the first half of the season, Rip was "lost" in time, and the Legends had to rescue him, only for him to be turned evil by the Legion of Doom. This showed a different side of Rip, which was interesting to see. (It also showed Arthur Darvill's fantastic acting ability.) I thought the writers did good with this twist and giving us something surprising and new. (Plus, that new hairstyle and beard combo is... nice. Real nice.)
Mick Rory: Of course, Mick will always be my favorite. His attitude, dialogue, and actions are just so different than the rest of the team that I can't help but root for him to come out on top as a hero. Yes, he makes mistakes throughout the season, but he also pulls through for the team time and time again, and he realizes there is more to him than being a criminal. Plus, he's hilarious.
Ray Palmer: Often, Ray was pushed to the back-burner during the episodes, but not for any particular reason. He was at the forefront a lot in season one, and he's good during a fight and helping with science-y stuff, but he wasn't the focus of any relationships this time around. Still, he makes loads of good references and is always adorkable.
Dr. Martin Stein: Like Ray, Dr. Stein was often in the background. However, the discovery that changing his past led to him having a daughter was a meaningful and moving point to his character arc. I think it really showed how all of the Legends have changed since they first started out. This twist in particular shows us a new side to Dr. Stein, which I think he benefited from. He's not just the old guy that knows science-y stuff; he has a heart and a family.
Jax Jackson: The biggest focus of Jax's character during this season was his finding his place in the team and earning respect both from Dr. Stein and the other Legends. He's grown a lot as a character, especially from where he started, but also as Firestorm. He's a mechanic, and he's come to learn the ins and outs of the Waverider, which is perfect for him. He's also learned to hold his own and learn what's best for the whole team and not just himself.
Amaya Jiwe: Amaya was a nice addition to the team this season. She was steadfast in her beliefs about being a hero, but she also allowed room for her perspectives and ideas to alter as they went about their mission. Her powers are cool, and I like that she's connected to the present through her future granddaughter, Vixen.
Nate Heywood: Nate's character was also a beneficial addition to the team. His historian background helped loads during missions, and his love for all things geek expanded the references made, which gave the show a fun, lighter tone at times. His shift from being Nate to Steel (which is definitely a lame name) was interesting and helpful too. I enjoyed his character, and I'm glad he's not leaving yet.

Legendary (source)

Time Travel
The time travel was so fun during this season, from going to the prehistoric ages to the future to different versions of 2017. The team also interacted with several famous figures, including George Lucas and J.R.R. Tolkien, which were both brilliant! The show opened up crazy opportunities and events, such as meeting a human version of Gideon, traveling into Rip's mind, meeting their past selves (which was hilarious), and more. The show is a good blend of Doctor Who and Back to the Future with super powers and tons of bad jokes. It's for the most part light-hearted and fun, which is a good break from the other CW superhero shows that all have turned more serious and darker this past year.

Looking fine in any time. (source)

Legion of Doom
The introduction of the Legion of Doom was... interesting. While the team members aren't all the same as in the comics, it was cool to see that group come to life on the screen. Plus, the return of John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn is always a plus. I like how they incorporated previous villains from both The Flash and Arrow and continued aspects from the shows also (such as Thawne running from the time wraith). The three of them together--and then later, the four of them--were formidable foes. Their goal of rewriting reality with the Spear of Destiny was a good arc (and much better than trying to defeat Savage last year). I like how it connected to time travel but also went in other directions as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Legion of Doom! (source)

What I Didn't Like

Plot
While the overall season arc was riveting, the individual episode plots were sometimes lame. I mean how many times can these characters make terrible decisions before they learn from them? Often, the characters are so dumb about stuff. They stand around and let the bad guys get away or get the spear without doing anything. Or they end up in the worst possible trouble and somehow magically save the day. Sometimes it's too easy, and it's frustrating to watch the plots fall apart because of poor writing. Legends of Tomorrow isn't a show where I worry over the characters or plot. Yes, the Legion of Doom gained possession of the Spear of Destiny and used it to rewrite reality, but I knew it wasn't going to end that way; the Legends would find a way to change the past. It's hard, sometimes, to watch superhero shows and movies because I know that it won't end on a "bad" note. Yeah, some characters might die, but most don't stay dead or the show moves on from them. But there's a difference between letting viewers realize that and writing in a way to keep viewers guessing.

All seventeen episodes in their glory. (source)

Inconsistencies
Often the episodes had inconsistencies with the characters, whether it's because the writers aren't following the events from the other CW shows and how the characters have changed or because they just like to cause dumb conflict by making certain characters revert back to their old selves (despite having an entire season of them learning to becoming heroic and legendary). Sometimes the inconsistencies were annoying. Can we move past the idea that Mick is always seen as a bad guy? Can we think of another internal conflict for Sara to fight other than she has all this "darkness" inside of her? (Seriously, between Sara and Oliver and now Barry... that trope is getting stale.) Just let the characters have good arcs and move on from them once they've gotten over parts of their past. Use your creative skills to come up with better conflict. And keep characters and time travel aspects and whatever else consistent.

At least their fandom references are consistent. (source)

Amaya and Nate
Just no. They had it perfectly set up for Amaya and Rory to have this thing--maybe not romance, which is fine, but something beyond teammates. And then for whatever reason, Nate and Amaya had a brief fling (because they were both naked and cold? What?) and now they desperately care about each other? Just. Please. Stop. It would have been great for the grumpy guy to get a little soft over the pretty new girl, and the last few episodes would have had a bigger impact on Rory's character arc if he did have a thing with Amaya, since she was the only one who trusted him. (Plus, his reaction when Snart froze her was killer. It could have been so much more.) Is it because Amaya and Nate look better together? Is it more believable? Did it need to be more sappy? Gosh. I don't get it.

*snort* Sometimes I do like this show. (source)

Thawne
Thawne is just a dumb bad guy outside of The Flash (and Tom Cavanagh playing the part). Within the Legion of Doom, he was fine because Merlyn and Darhk balance him out. But once he takes control and starts meddling with everything because he's a speedster, it just was annoying. But gosh, his end was good. I'm glad he's gone, and I like how Sara tricked him with the spear and the wraith. That was nice. Bye bye, Eobard Thawne.

The only thing I like about Thawne is his frustrations with Merlyn. (source)

Rip
Do not tell me that Rip Hunter is leaving for good. Bring him back right now. He doesn't have to go just because the team doesn't need him. I need him. Arthur Darvill, come back, please!

Look, Rip. We need you, still okay? Sara needs you. See? (source)

Overall

Legends of Tomorrow is a show that's worth watching for a fun adventure through time. If you enjoy the characters and the historical aspects, it can be interesting to watch. I wouldn't recommend it for people looking for an intricate, dedicated superhero show. But if you want an entertaining hour with lots of butt-kicking and perfectly timed dialogue, Legends of Tomorrow is good. And I think season two was so much better than season one. So here's hoping that season three will warp even higher.