Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 7 review: Back To The Finale Part II

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 6 nears the halfway point with a high-stakes finale-esque episode, but did it manage to succeed with all that momentum?

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is a rare breed. It’s a show that can have you holding your abdomen because you just can’t take the laughing anymore, it’s a show that can captivate you with its futuristic fantasy sequences and it’s a show that can seamlessly switch between the two in a way that no other television series in the history of television series could ever pull off.

But sometimes, when it’s at its absolute best, it’s a show that has the ability to break through all the noise, scatter all the hilarity and get you right in the heart. That’s what “Back To The Finale Part II” accomplishes; a feat so rare that even Legends – a show known for parodying its own flaws – barely attempts it. But in daring to try, it produced something even rarer: A perfect episode of television.

What earns this episode such praise? Let’s delve into what happened in season 6, episode 7 and discuss one of Legends of Tomorrow‘s finest hours.

Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 7 – A finale disguised as another finale

“Back To The Finale Part II” stayed true to its title, taking the Legends back in time to the season 5 finale. The purpose was to save their captain, Sara Lance, who they had just discovered was dead at the hands of a bizarre Amelia Earhart/alien hybrid. What they didn’t know, however, was that Sara lived on through a cloned body that had her real consciousness implanted into it.

This set the stage for a war that was fought on two fronts: Sara, in the present and on Bishop’s mysterious pink planet, was fighting desperately to prevent him from his evil plan of recreating the human race as a bunch of Sara and Bishop alien hybrid clones, while the Legends were busy attempting to prevent Sara from ever being abducted by Kayla during the season 5 finale but also trying to find a way to ensure that the timeline remained unchanged.

The latter proved to be impossible so the heartbroken team toasted to their fallen captain. The former, however, was not as Sara continuously overpowered Bishop and showed him that no amount of tweaking or cloning would change the hero that she was. And with a little help from Mick, Gary, Kayla and the Ava clones, she managed to destroy his complex, bring down his safety forcefield and destroy his now-digital consciousness, before escaping and returning to the arms of Ava.

Stakes? I do. Adventure? I do. Avalance? I do.

In our review of the previous episode, yours truly praised Legends for delivering such a high-intensity and stakes-filled encounter so early into the season. There was a sense of adventure about it that reinvigorated the show and truly made the case for season 6 being the show’s best since its acclaimed third season. This episode, however, exceeded it in every way imaginable.

Not only did it double down on the atmospheric delights of the previous installment, bringing back the planet’s destructive weather conditions and its murderous alien population, it increased the stakes tenfold, making Sara’s escape seem impossible many times throughout – something that was deliciously reinforced by the parallel narrative that confirmed the White Canary’s rescue was just that. And that goes a long way in making an inevitable conclusion feel that much less inevitable, raising the stakes immensely – not-to-mention the emotional fallout for when Sara does overcome the odds.

Speaking of that emotional fallout, let’s talk about the episode’s greatest attribute: The Avalance proposal. A moment that fans of the pair had been anticipating for a long time – and one they were promised in the season’s opening act – this wonderful moment was also impacted by the exquisitely high stakes because Ava’s grief over Sara’s apparent demise added yet another layer to a moment we already knew was going to break us. So when it did come, you can bet there wasn’t a dry eye in the house (or above the keyboard I’m typing this on right now).

Sara and Ava have long been one of the Arrowverse‘s greatest and healthiest couples. Their love for each other has, quite literally, withstood the test of time (as well as ancient time demons, giant plush dolls and a Crisis on Infinite Earths) and now even death couldn’t keep these two apart. As for the proposal itself? Well, it was heartfelt, silly, memorable and absolutely worth the wait.

Legends delivered on all fronts this week. It really did.

Legendary Leftovers

• Caity Lotz and Jes Macallan absolutely nailed the two emotional scenes between Sara and Ava. They know and react to each other so well and that really comes across on-screen. Their chemistry is amazing and their performances here were nothing short of stunning. Fireworks indeed.
• So now Sara will have to explain to Ava that she’s now part alien. That’s going to be fun. Whatever happens, I do hope she can return to her former self at the end of the season. As fun as invulnerable Sara might be, the reason that the White Canary was always invulnerable was the fact that she didn’t need super powers (or super healing) to defeat her enemies.
• Have we seen the last of Bishop? Yes, there are still aliens in the timeline to clean up but the season does need a Big Bad. What are the chances the eerie cheery villain resurfaces before the season’s out?
• Sara and Mick’s friendship is so wholesome. Heat Wave doesn’t care about a lot of people but the fact that he felt connected to Sara has been really well-portrayed in recent episodes. I hope that friendship remains in focus for the rest of Dominic Purcell’s final season as a series regular.
• What happened to Kayla? She really came through for them and I’m not sure what actually happened to her? Bring her back!
• Alternate timeline Nate’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it rant in Constantine’s coat was, uh, interesting?
• So now Zari knows that John has no magic. It’s a good thing that is out of the way because we need to focus on getting Mr. Constantine his magic back.
• I can’t fully put into words how much I loved this episode. I certainly tried, and I hope that came across, but “Back To The Future Part II” really made me feel things and it’s been a long time since Legends of Tomorrow has done that.

What did you think of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 7? Have you been enjoying Legends of Tomorrow season 6? Let us know in the comments below!