DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 6 returns to The CW but is the episode worth the wait?
Within the first act of this week’s installment of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, I found myself wondering if an episode that feels very much like filler, in which all three of its narrative threads are played for comic relief, was really worth your time. By the time the episode reached its halfway point, I knew that it was.
That’s the beauty of Legends of Tomorrow because only on that show could a ridiculous game of cosmic bowling turn into a fight for the survival of the human race. And, bafflingly, it works because, like always, Legends makes it work.
That said, it wasn’t the show’s finest example of that and there were some issues along the way. On that note, let’s get into the nitty gritty of “The Final Frame”.
Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 11 – For the Earth
“The Final Frame” was simple in concept, or at least it was for a moment. The Legends encountered an alien device that transported them to a cosmic bowling alley so that they could compete in a bowling match against the undefeated champs the Pin Killers. Unfortunately for them, only Spooner was an experienced bowler on the team, leaving Sara, Astra and Mick to figure out the rest.
Sara, relying on her skills as an assassin (and, y’know, the captain of a time-travelling timeship), was able to prove her worth pretty quickly while Astra refused to play and Mick wouldn’t remove his gloves and clashed with Spooner as a result. It all set up a pretty entertaining but highly predictable dynamic, with it growing increasingly obvious that they were going make the same mistakes that they’ve made countless times before but ultimately learn their lesson before it’s too late.
The interesting part, however, came when it was revealed that they were actually bowling for the survival of their own species. Turning up the stakes a little allowed the Legends’ predictable character arcs to feel a little less predictable and it at least made the bowling alley concept seem justified (almost).
Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 11 review: Entertaining fun that almost makes you forget about the show’s current lack of direction
One might say that the Legends’ latest excursion was a little mindless and they’d be right. Mindless fun is one of the things that Legends of Tomorrow does best (and Legends of Tomorrow season 6 has indeed been doing it well so far). However, to say that and only that would miss the secret complexity that the show has thrived on for years. And that’s where imbuing the arc with the survival of the human race comes in, because, again, that went a long way in justifying an episode that seems very basic on the surface.
While all this was going on, Ava was trying on wedding dresses, John Constantine was using his dangerously dark magic, Nate and Zari were trying to spend the latter’s last day outside of the totem together and the earth disappeared from the cosmos because it now existed inside a blue bowling ball. Tying all of that into the main storyline worked surprisingly well because, for an episode overflowing with too much comedy, it managed to come through with some real stakes.
Of them all, it was Nate and Zari’s arc that wielded the most glimpses of greatness because, underneath all the unnecessary noise that the Jeff and Jamie characters provided us with, there was a semblance of a real story. Of course, it didn’t fully get explored, but Zari’s realization that she and Nate may not be meant for each other because she would have to return to the totem, actually broke through the OTT-ness of the episode. And their decision to save the world so that they could save their relationship felt very Legends in the right kind of way.
Taking all of that into account, “The Final Frame” was another solid, entertaining hour from Legends of Tomorrow season 6. However, what separates this one from the entertaining offerings in the first half of the season, is that it is yet another episode in a recent line-up of standalone offerings.
Yes, John Constantine’s dark turn played a part here and there were still references to aliens and space but, on a whole, the show has seemingly abandoned any sense of direction since that wonderful midseason finale closed the chapter on Bishop’s involvement in the story, leaving the show without a Big Bad to battle. And that could hurt what was shaping up to be one of Legends‘ finest seasons.
Legendary Leftovers
- Let’s hear it for the wonderful Jes Macallan – who did a sensational job directing this episode. They don’t call her Director Sharpe for nothing!
- The montage between Ava and Gary as they tried on wedding dresses was really quite lovely. Their unique friendship can sometimes produce material of real sentimental value and this is one of the best examples of that.
- “Is it just me or does that cloud look like Mick?” This is the kind of insane rubbish that only Legends of Tomorrow can get away with.
- Extra points to anyone who recognised Alvin Sanders (Riverdale‘s Pop Tate) as the bowling alley owner.
- I’m glad this episode made better use of OG Zari after the previous installment failed to capitalize on her return.
- As much as I love Legends‘ meta over-the-top tone, am I wrong to still want a little more seriousness? That’s one of the reasons why the more equally balanced seasons 2 and 3 remain the show’s greatest adventures and will likely never be beaten.
What did you think of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 6, episode 11? Have you been enjoying Legends of Tomorrow season 6 so far? Let us know in the comments below!