Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 8 review: A classic Legends romp

Legends of Tomorrow season 6 brought the show back to the old west. How did it fare with a supernatural shootout?

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow hit some unbelievable highs last week. Highs it hadn’t seen in quite some time, and that’s really saying something considering that season 6 has been one of its most consistent offerings.

With Sara Lance back in the fray, the Arrowverse royalty that is Avalance officially engaged and things returning to normality, it was time for what Nate and Ava referred to as “a classic Legends romp”.

Of course that brought the team back to the Old West – a place that has seen time-travellers face off against Jonah Hex, a war waged over ancient totems and, well, a showdown between a winged time-demon and a giant plush doll. Naturally, it was the fitting location for a shootout over control of an alien worm that sensed anger at a time when the Legends had plenty of it to offer.

Here’s the lowdown on “Stressed Western”.

Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 8 – A very Legends way of dealing with feelings

Normality was the running theme of “Stressed Western” as everybody craved it and yet nobody had it. The midway point of the season, the Legends were eager to return to normal now that they had Sara back in their lives and they thought the best way to do that was to return to familiar territory in the old west.

But Sara wasn’t ready to return to normal. “I’m an alien human hybrid clone!” she revealed to Ava in a sudden but welcome opening outburst, allowing the pair to avoid the predictable “you lied to me!” path that another show may have taken. And that set the tone for the rest of the episode as the rest of the team soon found out the truth as Sara survived a shootout with the corrupt sheriff, showcasing her new bulletproof skills in the process.

While this served as the perfect catalyst for the Legends to vent their anger at one another (without actually getting angry), it also allowed Spooner and Astra – who could not get on with each other – a chance to learn from each other as their off-road hunt for gold soon led them to the worm’s cave.

But anger has a way of bubbling to the surface, so when Nate found himself too stressed about having to curb the animosity between everyone, he told everyone how he was feeling, drawing the worm directly to him. While that does pose us with the interesting question as to whether an alien worm can successfully digest a man made out of steel, we don’t have to think too much about it because Spooner and Astra use their own abilities to destroy it.

Who needs normal in Legends of Tomorrow?

If “Stressed Western” taught us anything, it’s that the concept of normal should never apply to Legends of Tomorrow.

In fact, it’s pretty ironic that this episode revolves around Sara and Ava’s attempts to force normal because their very relationship is built upon the fact that normal was never their thing. “I don’t want you to be normal!” Ava told her future fiancée after their first date way back in season 3, making them both realize how perfect they were for each other, and it’s up to this episode to remind them of that.

Of course the old west served as the perfect backdrop for that adventure because, as Sara and Ava tried to find their new normal, John Constantine sought Gary’s help in reclaiming his magic, Behrad and Zari argued about the former’s tastes in women and Spooner and Astra taught each other lessons, viewers were treated to yet another fun shootout in what is probably Legends of Tomorrow‘s most consistent time-period.

And this one, while not quite “The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly” levels of brilliance, does take Legends back to its glory days with a nostalgic example of the show at its very best.

Legendary Leftovers

• David Ramsey did a fantastic job directing this episode. There were plenty of great shots and the whole thing really came to life in many visual ways. No doubt it would have been a challenging one to shoot but the Arrowverse legend pulled it off.
• It was also great to see Ramsey appear as Bass Reeves. The “Dig?!” and “Yes Ma’am, I do dig this!” exchange between Sara and him was brilliant. Is the Deputy Marshal related to Arrow‘s John Diggle?
• Nic Bishop appeared for the second time this season, playing a different character than before. Having previously appeared in “Bay of Squids” as General Kilgore, he played Levi Stapleton here.
• I know that the shootout was orchestrated to showcase that Sara is no longer human but that felt a little too convenient. A trained assassin like Sara would know never to turn her back on her opponent without expecting some kind of dirty deeds.
• I really do love the bond that has formed between Spooner and Astra and I hope that continues to flourish throughout the rest of the season.
• Having the singer narrate much of the episode in song was, of course, genius.
• If Nate gets to spend some time with Zari 1.0. in the totem, can they actually be together? Does this mean the original Zari will remain a recurring presence on the show?
• The CGI alien worm looked great. Not all of this season’s CGI has been the show’s best but the worm was by far one of its most impressive feats.
• This really felt like a good old-fashioned Legends adventure so it’s pretty fitting that it came midway through the season, providing us with a break from the space adventures before the second half kicks off.
• Legends of Tomorrow will go on a very brief hiatus now, returning on July 11.

What did you think of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 8? Have you been enjoying Legends of Tomorrow season 6? Let us know in the comments below!