Legends of Tomorrow season 5, episode 1 review: Meet the Legends

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returned with a more outrageous premiere than ever before, but was it worth the six month wait?

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow ventured into even more ridiculous territory than ever before last season as the arrival of its ‘mythteries’ brought forth a ton of baffling adventures that often blurred the line between fantasy and reality in a way that really did beggar belief – even for Legends. But when it got the mix right, it was as on the money as ever – with its aptly over-the-top finale ending the season on a strong, enjoyable and poignant note.

The show had been off our screens for over six months as The CW decided to hold it back to midseason – presumably to make room for new arrival Batwoman on the schedule. However, the Legends showed up in the Arrowverse’s Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover before the show itself made a special return to conclude it last week.

Now, here we are: Ready to hop aboard the Waverider and embark on another ludicrous adventure with the Arrowverse’s most unpredictable heroes. And on a whole, “Meet The Legends” was everything that you expect from Legends of Tomorrow while also being as unpredictable as ever, but is that a good thing? Let’s find out

Meet The Legends

The episode’s primary focus revolved around the Legends of Tomorrow’s sudden rise to fame – the result of their hilariously heroic antics during HeyWorld’s debut in the finale. This kicked the season off on an admirably different note, as the Legends usually operated in anonymity while elements like time-travel and the multiverse were kept secret from the public. That came to an end here, as conventions and camera crews officially allowed the Arrowverse’s outcasts and misfits to introduce them to the world.

However, throughout their debut film adventure – which saw them tackle the resurrected Rasputin – tensions arose, and the use of the documentary format came in really handy for both conveying that tension and fueling it. Sara’s emotions over Oliver’s death in Crisis On Infinite Earths conflicted with the Legends’ fame-hungry antics – and this grounded the show’s most eccentric episode yet with some welcome realism.

This conflict of interests drove much of the episode forward, making up for its inherently in-your-face tone, as the characters learned from their actions and moved on. Ava figured out what her grieving girlfriend needed – and perhaps more importantly, what she didn’t need – while the Legends themselves figured out that fame isn’t everything.

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With that in mind, their self-destructive rant during a public appearance – in which they pretended the shot footage was all fake – was so unbelievably Legends that it felt like a right note to open the season on. Childish on the surface with a ton of meaning at its heart – and that is Legends in a nutshell.

Come Hell or high water

The episode’s secondary arc also made use of the documentary – albeit to a much lesser extent – as John Constantine and his new protege (Gary) found themselves in New York City as they tried their luck exorcising a demon from a young boy. Of course, this demon and the tenured demon hunter go way back and, as a result, they went out for a drink together – during which the demon revealed that Astra Logue was releasing the dead back into the world.

Dare we say it that Constantine thrives on his own better than he does with the Legends, and this was a somewhat exaggerated example of that. Elements of it felt like it had been ripped from the short-lived Constantine TV series while others were just… so… Legends.

As per usual, the mix worked but Constantine is one of the characters who could do with a slightly more serious arc – which is why his return to hell in order to confront Astra was both a pleasant and intriguing surprise. Whether he succeeds or not remains to be seen, but as Constantine’s brief return to the fiery underworld was one of the last season’s better arcs, this one promises to be edge-of-seat.

A deleted timeline

Nate’s accidental short-lived bromance with Rasputin resulted in the evil Encore (yes, that’s what we’re calling them now) successfully hypnotizing Citizen Steel in an attempt to make him remember the woman that his heart belonged to. As a result, he spent the rest of the episode trying to remember Zari and how she ended up escaping his memories.

Meanwhile, his bromance with Behrad strengthened, as the pair assisted each other with a number of things around the Waverider. And this made the episode’s final reveal all the more effective, as Nate has now realized (thanks to Gideon) that Behrad is essentially an aberration created by the change to the timeline at HeyWorld – which placed him there instead of his sister Zari.

Now that he knows a version of Zari exists at some point in time, what can he do to track her down? Maybe J’onn J’onzz and Cisco have one of those rings memory rings to make them both remember…

Legendary Leftovers

• Can we please give Caity Lotz a standing ovation?! Sara’s emotional breakdown was rather unexpected given how focused the character usually is and that made it all the more effective – and Lotz sold the heck out of it. Bravo!
• Behrad’s illustration of Sara, Laurel and Oliver was just too much. And by that, I mean that it was unbelievably touching and adorable.
• Mona’s departure was rather unforeseen, but as the character is relied on too often for comic relief, it kind of makes sense – and having her become Mick’s successor as a Rebecca Silver novelist is just too perfect. Nonetheless, the Waverider won’t be the same without Ramona Young’s enthusiastic performance.
• Mick not being a romance writer anymore?! I’m sorry I won’t stand for that.
• Sara’s movie-esque kiss with Ava was the perfect end to the doc.
• Anyone else get a little emotional from that Legends montage at the end?
• Nate chasing a lost love with a familiar face that time won’t allow him to love does feel a little derivative of his two-season story with Amaya – and Charli’s eventual arrival.
• Behrad is a really great addition to the show and has seamlessly slotted into the team – ironic considering that’s exactly what the timeline ensured would happen.
• All in all, “Meet The Legends” accentuated the over-the-top tone in the same in-your-face way that Season 4 did, but given how well it used the documentary format to progress the characters’ emotional journeys, it was a resounding success – setting DC’s Legends of Tomorrow up for yet another bonkers season.

Legends of Tomorrow will take a brief hiatus from The CW next week in order to allow Arrow to bow out with a special retrospective taking its slot instead. It returns on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 9:00 p.m. ET. Did you enjoy the season premiere? Let us know in the comments below!