Legends Of Tomorrow Season 1, Episode 14 Recap And Review – “River Of Time”

By Steve Lam | May 8, 2016

This week on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Rip makes up his mind to hand Vandal Savage over to the Time Masters. Rip’s honesty also comes into question which prompts a few team members to think about leaving.

“River of Time”–the fourteenth episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow–sees the team attempting to deliver Vandal Savage to the Vanishing Point so that he can be judged by the Time Masters. I found this to be one of the weaker episodes of the season, as there were too many irrelevant flashbacks and characters that reacted in a manner that was way too predictable.

Legendary Recap: In ancient Egypt, Rip is held prisoner by Vandal Savage. Vandal knows that Rip is from the future and wants to know his secrets.

In the present, the team is mixed on whether or not to celebrate–Carter has been brainwashed and Vandal hasn’t been brought to justice. Analyzing the Leviathan’s tech, Martin realizes that it’s far beyond 2166. Proving that Vandal manipulated time, Rip plans to bring him in front of the Time Masters for judgement. He has Gideon plot a course to the Vanishing Point.

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Rip visits Vandal’s cell where our villain taunts him and states that he has a far deeper game at play. Yep, it’s that genius-villain line again. That’s so Skyfall.

Carter is tied up and Kendra is trying to get through to him, seeing if he’ll remember his past self.

Sara knows that the timeline is still stating that Rip’s family will die. She wants to know if that’s the driving force for Rip. The Waverider suddenly malfunctions. The time drive has failed, but Rip isn’t that worried. The jumpship has an auxiliary drive which will allow one jump back to 2016. Rip sends Jax to go fix it.

Savage continues his taunts. This time, it’s Sara. He gets into her head and asks if she still trusts Rip even though he’s lied to her many times.

Jax is able to fix the time drive. However, once it comes online, the drive releases a burst of energy, knocking Jax out. He has a flashback to his last time in 2016 where his mother gives him a watch so that he’ll be on time.

Jax finally wakes up and Gideon evaluates his condition to be pretty dire. His internal organs are aging at a rapid pace.

Leonard tells Mick that he has qualms about Rip’s plan to go to the Vanishing Point.

The time drive is now fixed, but needs a master reboot. Sara confronts Rip about him putting his family before his team. Rip admits that Savage’s assumptions about him are not wrong. In a badly timed reveal, Rip tells Sara about Jax’s current condition. Sara’s anger grows even more, knowing that he cares more about himself than his crew.

Kendra continues to try and get through to Carter. This time, she shows him a picture of their son, Aldous. When she gets close enough, Carter attacks and tries to kill her. Ray intervenes and saves Kendra. Angered, Ray tells her that he’s going to end this.

Ray goes to Vandal’s cell and demands to know how to free Carter’s mind. Vandal taunts Ray and tells him that he too fell in love with her over 4000 years ago, but she has no recollection. If Carter was able to take her away from him then he’ll also take her away from Ray.

Ray has a flashback about speaking with Felicity right before leaving 2016. She gives him hope that perhaps he’ll find his one true love on his new mission.

Ray, reinvigorated with optimism from his memory of his conversation with Felicity, goes to talk to Kendra. However, he walks in on her reciting a love poem to Carter. Disheartened, he storms out. Kendra goes after him and tries to explain that it was only to help trigger Carter’s memories. Ray is angered and wants to end things.

In the infirmary, Jax has aged to 63 years old. Seeing the results of trusting Rip, Leonard and Mick don’t want to stick around and find out what’s next. The two confront Rip. To their surprise, he tells them that the jumpship is available for their use if they want to leave now. Sara is also given that option, but she wants to stick around because she’s never run from a fight.

Sara has a flashback to her time in Nanda Parbat where she visits an imprisoned Nyssa. She promises to get her out.

Martin visits Savage to get a solution to Jax’s condition. Martin believes that Savage’s immortality is the key. Vandal, thinking he can taunt and manipulate Martin like the rest of the team, doesn’t realize that he gave away the solution just by speaking.

Martin brings Jax to the jumpship, believing that traveling back to 2016 will cure Jax of his current condition. Jax refuses, so Martin sedates him and launches the jumpship. Outside, Leonard and Mick arrive to discover that the jumpship is missing. Martin tells them that the only way now is to repair the Waverider and bring Vandal to the Vanishing Point.

Ray arrives at Vandal’s cell. After some goading, Ray is lured in where he beats Vandal. Ray initially gets an upper hand, but is finally overpowered by Vandal with a choke-hold. Vandal escapes by using Ray’s palm print.

Ray goes to the bridge to report that Vandal has escaped. Gideon notes that Vandal has also freed Carter. Suddenly, Gideon goes offline. Rip will have to get to the Vanishing Point the old-fashioned way. Martin will serve as the engineer and Sara as the navigator.

Ray (in his ATOM suit), Leonard, and Mick engage Vandal in a shootout. Carter quickly approaches them with his mace. Mick is shot and Ray is knocked unconscious.

Getting close to their destination, Rip has Sara take over as pilot while he leaves to help the team fighting Vandal and Carter.

Kendra fights Carter, but is quickly overpowered by him. Rip steps in just in time to save her. However, he ends up being shot by Vandal. As Carter hands Kendra over to Vandal, his memories return. Carter turns on Vandal, but is critically stabbed. Kendra takes over and battles Vandal, knocking him out.

Arriving at the Vanishing Point, a tractor beam pulls them. Rip escorts Vandal to the Time Masters. In the infirmary, an unconscious Carter recovers. Ray thanks Kendra for showing him that he could love again.

At the Time Council, Rip presents the evidence of Vandal’s time manipulation. To his surprise, the Time Masters free Vandal and has Rip arrested and imprisoned. On the Waverider, the Time Master’s guards board and arrest the team. All except for Leonard and Sara, who are implied to have escaped capture.

Vandal greets Rip at his cell and taunts him with the impending murder of his family.

Next: Catch up on Legends of Tomorrow with a recap of 'Leviathan'

Legendary Moment(s): Leonard Snart is always able to inject some levity into moments of death and despair. During their shootout, Vandal announces his name and title as “Vandal Savage … Destroyer of Empires!” Leonard replies in kind with “Leonard Snart … Robber of ATMs!” Total, classic Captain Cold.

Thoughts for Tomorrow: We obviously know that it’ll be up to Leonard and Sara to save the crew, seeing as how those two weren’t shown being arrested and taken into custody. I think it’ll be exciting to see the two most loved characters on the show work together and save the crew.

I think Ray played into Vandal’s game a little too easily. That has to be the most stupid, amateurish move anybody could make. And maybe Vandal was fully aware that Ray would be the easiest to manipulate temper-wise. I was with Mick on this one when he said, “If we live through this, you bumbling idiot … I might just kill you.”