'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 1 Episode 2 'Pilot, Part 2' Review

Non Spoiler Review- A huge improvement over it's first episode that unleashes the fun potential of a time travel series. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Group action- One of the best things about superhero teams is the potential to create huge exciting action sequences that are visually gorgeous. I really enjoy these action scenes and the visual effects on the series and can't wait to see more.

2. Hawkman's death?- This episode shockingly killed off on of the series main characters. Vandal Savage killed Hawkman in the episode, however since both Hawkman and Hawkgirl reincarnate I don't believe him to be dead forever. I'm sure he will return in a future episodes somehow. 

3. The Legends infiltrates black market auction- I really enjoyed the episode's opening where the team infiltrates a black market auction in which Vandal Savage is selling nuclear warheads. I liked how the team went undercover and the action sequence which unfolded after their cover was exposed. I also liked how Ray accidentally dropped a piece of his suit that led to consequences on the future timeline which the team had to restore.

4. Team Rivalry- One aspect I liked in the episode was the rivalry between Captain Cold and Atom. I liked how the two quarreled throughout but came to respect each other's abilities and the conflict in their moral qualms. I hope to see this further explored in the season and also between multiple characters rather than just Snart and Palmer.

5. Martin Stein experiences consequences of timeline- Another part of the episode I liked was where the altering of the timeline affected a character's future. It takes a beat from 'Back To The Future' where one small change prevents a character from marrying. I liked how this centered on Martin Stein and so we see how much he values his future. I also really liked how Rip Hunter interfered to help keep Stein's future intact by setting up Martin to meet his future wife. 

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 1 Episode 1 'Pilot, Part 1' Review

Non Spoiler Review- 'Legends of Tomorrow' is a blast! The pilot was very exposition heavy but it needed to lay the groundwork for the series and find a way to bring in new viewers as well as appealing to fans of 'Arrow' and 'The Flash'. The pilot has a few problems but I think this series will find itself in the next few episodes. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. End fight- It was pretty cool to see the team fight together for the first time against Chronos and I can't wait to see more action sequences with the team collaborating.

2. Rip Hunter tells them the truth- One of the greatest story points of the episode was when Rip Hunter revealed to the team the real reason he selected all of them, why he defied the Time Masters,  and why he wanted to stop Vandal Savage. He told them all that he picked them because they weren't essential to the timeline and were expendable rather than actually being legends. He also tells them Chronos is after them because he was tasked by the Time Masters to stop him. It also reveals that the boy and mother killed at the beginning of the episode were his wife and child. I  liked this moment of truth as Hunter was finally being transparent with everyone and gave them the opportunity to bow out if they desired.

3. Captain Cold, Heatwave, and White Canary- I think one of the greatest things about teamups are the opportunity to explore character interactions and these three have such great chemistry and worked well together in the episode. I loved when they went off by themselves to that bar and started a bar fight. It was such an entertaining part of the episode and I hope to see  them paired together throughout the series.

4. Time Travel- I just love the idea that this series gets to explore time travel and will go to a different time period each episode and I think that will allow for some fantastic storytelling.

5. Albus Boardman's connection- The team goes to 1975 seeking Albus Boardman, as he's an expert on Vandal Savage, so it's their best bet at locating where Vandal Savage is at certain points of time. But when they visit him, we learn that Hawkman and Hawkgirl are his parents, since they can reincarnate. So they attempt to save him but he ends up dying from bleeding out. I liked how they managed to tie his character into the team in a way that was logical and effective for the story.

6. Rip Hunter assembles the team- I liked how Rip Hunter went around retrieving the various members and assembling them all together on the rooftop. It was also great to see these characters all together for the first time since most of them have been on 'The Flash' or 'Arrow' separately and some haven't interacted with the other characters. I can't wait to see how the interactions are developed and what kind of relationships are explored.

7. Conflict before the journey- I also really liked each respective member in conflict of whether or not they should join Rip Hunter in his crusade. I liked seeing Ray turn to Oliver which lead to a great joke. I really liked seeing Laurel give Sarah her White Canary suit and name. I really liked the conflict between the two parts of Firestorm as Jackson didn't want to go so Stein roofed him, which lead to an interesting subplot between them. I liked how Cold and Heatwave developed a plan to steal throughout history, etc.  I also enjoyed the conflict between Hawkman and Hawkgirl, so I can't wait to see if this continues through the series.

8. Atom's mission- I really enjoyed the little teamup with Atom and Oliver, who was advising him over an earpiece. I thought it lead to some great action with Atom showing off his size changing abilities.

9. Chronos- Chronos is a bounty hunter who works for the Time Masters tasked with getting Rip  Hunter. I'm not really a fan of his look as the mask looks a little silly but hopefully that may be improved in future episodes. Above you can see a picture of him from the episode as well as the character he is based on from the comics.

10. Wave Rider- Rip Hunter's ship is named Wave Rider, which is an easter egg. Wave Rider is based off a comic character shown above who could travel through time. I think it's cool as an effective little easter egg that is small yet contains a lot of depth. 

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'The Flash' Season 1 Episode 16 'Rogue Time' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This week's episode wasn't able to live up to last weeks given that that was the best episode of the series so far but this episode is very enjoyable nonetheless. Another great episode of 'The Flash' which seems to be one of the series I watch that remains consistently great every week. I'm looking forward to next week's episode which will introduce Mark Hamill as the Trickster.

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Barry grows suspicious of Wells- At the end of the episode Reverse Flash kills Mason Bridge and as Barry is about to ask Wells about Simon Stagg a news report appears stating Mason Bridge is now missing. Barry is taken aback from this and goes to his pirate lab and calls Joe. When Joe arrives Barry tells him that he thinks Joe may have been right about Wells. It seems that Barry will soon learn about Well's true identity and may not confront him because he is aware the Reverse flash is faster than him.

2. Changes the Timeline- This episode picks up directly where last week's episode ends with Flash running so fast that he goes back in time a day or so. Barry is very confused and throughout the episodes changes the timeline to help prevent Marion from unleashing a tsunami, and a few other things.

- Mark Mardon captured- I thought it was hilarious how once Barry was aware of what was going on just runs to Mardon's hideout and Mark Mardon is laying down relaxed and Barry just takes him to the metahuman prison. It was so funny how easily he was captured due to Barry's knowledge of the future. I also like Mardon's comment that he will unleash a tsunami on Central City given that is what happened last episode.
- Cisco lives- Another welcome change was that Barry interrupting Iris and Mason's conversation in the long run prevented Cisco from investigating which led to his death. In the scene where Wells took him down to the containment area I was worries that Cisco would die but fortunately Wells gave the same speech excluding the details about his identity saying Cisco is like a son to him. This also allowed us to meet Cisco's family since he didn't have a reason to not attend his brother's birthday celebration.

- Barry tries to get Iris to reveal her true feelings- Given what happened last episode, Barry tries to get Iris to admit that she has feelings for Barry and tell him what she told him before the tsunami hit but she reacts very differently and freaks out saying she loves Eddie. It turns out that the threat of the tsunami and impeding danger Mark Mardon brought was what was required for her to admit how she actually feels. I liked how this spiraled out of control and caused Eddie to punch Barry.  I also liked Caitlyn's excuse that Barry has Lightning Psychosis which is a cover for why he is always at Star Labs and makes him have "mood changes". I thought it was funny that Eddie seemed to be very sympathetic after hearing this and even told Barry he doesn't know what came over him, etc.

- Snart learns the Flash's identity- I'm unsure if the changes in the timeline affected the rogue's return to Central City with a new member, Lisa Snart. But the ripple did eventually lead to Cisco being captured, forced to make them different weapons and reveal the Flash's identity. I thought it was very interesting that Cold now know who the Flash is and can use this against Barry if he chooses.

- Reverse Flash kills Mason Bridge- Since this time Barry made it further in the timeline I do not know if Wells would have killed Mason Bridge in the other timeline but nevertheless this time we saw Bridges working on his article when some of the power goes out and Reverse Flash appears and assaults Bridges and kills him. I think this will lead to Barry discovering Well's identity and I can't wait to see his reaction to the truth.

 

3. Barry makes a deal with Cold- Due to Cold learning his identity, Barry interrupts one of the Rogue's attacks on the crime family and takes him far away so they can speak alone. I thought it was interesting that they were able to make a deal. Barry says that if Cold and his Rogues can't kill innocent civilians, harm Barry's loved ones and must keep his identity a secret he won't necessarily stop them or at least won't put them in the metahuman prison. I think this is interesting and alludes to the Rogue's rules in the comics that they can't kill innocent civilians.

4. Rogues return- It was nice to see Heatwave and Captain Cold return along with Lisa Snart, Cold's sister who will become the Golden Glider. I hope to see the team return in more episodes because they are interesting villains, and the actors have a great chemistry and I think they each give great performances.

5.  Barry names the Rogues gallery- During Barry's conversation with Snart he outright calls the group the "Rogue's Gallery" which is their name in the comics so I was very excited to see this easter egg as well as see the group officially named.

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'The Flash' Season 1 Episode 10 'Revenge of the Rogues' Review

Non Spoiler Review-  Another great episode of 'The Flash' that focuses on character development for a few characters, has some great performances, and a great fight scene between Flash and Captain Cold and Heatwave. Not quite the best but one of the better episodes this season. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. "They need to cross beams"- I really liked this 'Ghostbusters' Easter egg and I thought the end fight scene was pretty cool and liked that Flash had to go even slower to win as opposed to trying to go faster which is what he has been training for. 

2. Barry tries to get faster- I liked the training scene in the beginning and the changed voiceover where Barry says he is no longer the fastest man alive. It was very cool when Flash caught the missile and threw it at the drone. I'm not sure if the Flash costume was changed prior to this episode but I liked how the gold detailing on the suit popped in the daytime scenes.  

3. Captain Cold and Heatwave- I really enjoyed the interaction between these two and can't wait for more Rogues to get together to take on the Flash in future episodes. Both actors gave great performances and portrayed menacing villains who have a plan.

4. Escape- I really liked the end scene where Cold and Heatwave are rescued by Snart's sister who is the Golden Glider in the comics. I can't wait to see her in an upcoming episode and what her costume will look like, etc.

5. Cisco makes shields for the CCPD- I liked the subplot where Cisco earned the CCPD's trust by making these shields to help them fight Snart. I hope Cisco continues to make more gadgets for the police force as the show progresses. 

6. Barry moves in with Joe- I liked how Barry decided to move in with Joe providing another heartfelt father son moment in. The episode. 

7. Kaitlin Snow investigates Firestorm- I liked this subplot and hope that Snow continues to dig for more information regarding Firestorm and hope there will be a Firestorm episode or arc of episodes soon. 

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'The Flash' Season 1 Episode 4 'Going Rogue' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode brought about a change to the Flash formula where there's no freak of the week. nIt brings about a much stronger interesting, ruthless villain and there is an Arrow Flash crossover where Felicity visits Central City. Overall the best episode so far.

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Captain Cold- It was nice to see a new villain who is much stronger than the weak villains they have had the previous two episodes. He is much more interesting and I can't wait to see the classic Flash villain return in a future episode. 

2. Cisco tricks Captain Cold- I liked this scene and thought it was hilarious Cisco was holding a vacuum not a weapon. I also liked that Captain. Cold really liked Cisco's nickname. So I assume Captain Cold might go about calling himself that now. 

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3. Flash mastering speed force- We got to see Barry stretch the limits of his ability this week where he saves several people in a train in mere seconds. I love the visual effects they use for the Flash and can't wait to see more.

4. Barry Felicity Romance- This was an interesting aspect of the show were the two seemed to play off of each others intelligence week. And I wonder what Oliver Queen would do if he found out. I'm all for more arrow Flash crossovers and can't wait for the next one. 

5. Felicity easily hacks into system- I thought it was funny that Team Flash saw hacking into a system seemed so difficult and Felicity did it in under a minute like it was nothing. I like moments like these on the show and enjoy the humor. 

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