Legends of Tomorrow season 4, episode 13 review: Egg MacGuffin

Neron possessed Ray Palmer as The Legends suffered a shocking betrayal in this week’s episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. But was “Egg MacGuffin” any good?

This season has, in many ways, taken the Arrowverse’s collection of outcasts and misfits into uncharted territory. On one level, they’ve learned new things about themselves as they have navigated their own personal relationships while, on the other, they have battled mythical beasts the likes of which they thought only ever existed in fairytales.

One of those beasts is the demon known as Neron that was birthed in hell and has spent the better part of a year tormenting John Constantine. And after being forcibly removed from Constantine’s lover, Desmond, he possessed the body of the Legends’ own beloved Atom, Ray Palmer – which ended up becoming the narrative focus for this week’s episode. With that in mind, “Egg MacGuffin” risked slipping into recycled territory here, but the question was if it could make it feel fresh.

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The Demon Within

Ray’s attempts to free himself from Neron’s possession brought with it many moments of rich and juicy conflict as he, quite literally, wrestled with himself to protect his friends. I will admit that I did find myself getting frustrated early on at his decision to not enlighten his fellow Legends about his predicament and, I don’t know, ask for help, so I was relieved when the writers addressed that at a later point in the episode – who knew that a possession could literally prevent from you speaking about being possessed?

The scenario was also a kind of metaphor for Ray’s inner-strength because, no matter how many times Neron literally forced his hand, he managed to prevent the demonic monster from killing any of his best friends.

“I believe you, Raymond, are stronger than he is” Nate told his buddy as he fought to hold onto control of his own body and, in a sense, that’s what this episode was all about. Ray did prove that he was stronger than Neron because, in order to stand by his morals, he realised the only way to save his friends was to agree to the demon’s terms. Ray may have lost the battle by submitting to Neron, but it ensured that he could still win the war and, more importantly, that all of his loved ones would still be around to help him win it.

A compelling narrative, no doubt, but it was made all the stronger by Brandon Routh’s versatile performance as, much like he always does, he found the right balance between terror and levity to reinforce the drama while preventing the dark story from ever losing that whimsical approach that makes Legends what it is.

Switching Sides

Ray’s demon dilemma paved the way for interesting turns in the journeys of two other characters, as Nora Darhk woke from her coma to find a job offer waiting for her at the Time Bureau and, in a truly surprising twist, the underappreciated Gary joined forces with Neron because he was tired of being the Legends’ doormat… oh yeah, and he got his nipple back too, so there’s that.

While Nora’s new direction isn’t that unexpected (she was already well on the path to redemption), it was refreshing to see Ava really acknowledge her development by giving her a chance. Furthermore, it was equally as refreshing to see someone acknowledge just how much of an asset she could be to them in the fight against Neron.

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Whether or not she joins the Legends remains to be seen but, given that she’s destined to end up with Ray, it’s likely that the writers will add the pair’s relationship to the growing list of Legends/Time Bureau relationship crossovers (Sara/Ava, Nate/Zari) to keep the latter institution as a regular part of the show.

The more unexpected turn, however, has to go to Gary simply because he’s always been the archetypal comedic sidekick and it was rather jarring to see him make such a swift transition from good to evil. It definitely works because everything he was feeling was absolutely true – both the Legends and the Time Bureau have treated him poorly and have done nothing but use him since he turned up – so this was essentially a way of using his past to motivate his present. That said, it was almost a little too jarring because little to no groundwork had been laid leading up to this and, considering how happy-go-lucky and Ava-obsessed he was last week, this felt too sudden.

Then again, maybe that was the plan.

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The Silver Lining

Completing this week’s round-up of interesting emotional journeys is Heat Wave himself, Mick Rory. The Legends’ resident arsonist-turned-antihero has spent over a year as a secret erotic romance writer, writing under the pseudonym of Rebecca Silver and, when the author was invited to reveal her true identity for $20,000 at Romanti-Con 2019, he hatched a plan to have Charlie dress up as the perfect Rebecca Silver. “Why did he do that?” you ask? Well, it’s quite simple, really: He wanted to give his readers what they were expecting and, in a way, was nervous about the idea of disappointing them.

As problematic as Mona’s eventual interference was (doesn’t she know anything about being a Legend?), it did present Mick with the opportunity to reveal his true identity to the public and speak up about his desire to write, his passion for love and, most of all, his incredible character development.

While I do wish there was more of an aftermath to the public reveal (the episode’s reliance on four narratives rendered everything a little truncated), it was incredibly rewarding to see Mick finally open up about his writing career.

Legends‘ hidden gem is hidden no more.

Legendary Leftovers

• At the beginning of this review, I wondered if Legends managed to successfully spin a familiar story into a more unique one. The answer? Well, of course it did!
• Nate and Zari finally kissed this week and, you know, despite those who have an issue with the randomness of this pairing (it was admittedly very random), the writers have done a great job of progressing things at a natural pace (rather than rushing it) and the chemistry between Nick Zano and Tala Ashe has brought the random ship to life.
• Of the four narratives in the episode, Sara and Ava’s book club arc played the smallest role. A risky move on the surface, perhaps, but it was one that paid off because it allowed us to see them enjoy each other’s company (instead of arguing about their differing approaches). Nice Avalance moments are all-too rare and this highlighted how nice they truly have the potential of being.
• Now that the public knows Rebecca Silver is Mick Rory, shouldn’t the CCPD be issuing a warrant for the author’s arrest? You know, since he’s actually a wanted criminal?
• Despite its minor flaws, this episode was imperative in progressing the story and really set up the season’s final act. The pieces on Neron’s metaphorical board are in more interesting places than ever so, by the looks of things, we’re in for one heck of a finish.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns to The CW next Monday, May 6, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Did you enjoy this week’s episode? Let us know in the comments below!