DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 4 Review: White Knights
Carissa Pavlica
at
.
Updated at
.
Is the easiest way to bring a team together by ripping them apart?
It's starting to look like that might be the theme, if there is one other than the search for Vandal Savage. Every time it seems like there might be a peaceful moment among the players, all hell breaks loose again.
At least on DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 4 some pretty important points came to light between Professor Stein (Dr. Stein?) and Jax that needed airing.
For the moment, Stein is hanging in a Soviet gulag, where Ray and Rory are also caught. Maybe Stein will loosen up a little while he has some time to think because I still wasn't pleased with his efforts at appeasing Jax even after he held a raging nuclear thermal core in his hands.
Let's be honest, it would be absolutely maddening to be Jax, having every move you made monitored and narrated by Stein, who was literally in your head, telling you what to do. Granted, Stein's life is also at stake, but that partnership needs to be nurtured and grown so that they know and trust each other above all else.
There has been no indication they've ever done that.
Even worse, Stein's blatant disregard for Jax's life before he was a part of Stein's is awful.
Stein: It seems this... partnership of ours has become untenable.
Jax: Partnership? No, this is a dictatorship, one in which you get to call all the shots and I get to take all the shots.
Stein: Do you think I like seeing you hurt?
Jax: Don't act like you actually care about me, man. I'm just a life-support system. I didn't even want to come on this stupid trip. You kidnapped me.
Stein: Oh, this old tune.
Jax: Did you ever stop to think that I actually had a life back in 2016?
Stein: I almost forgot a promising career as an auto mechanic.
That conversation only went on to be even more demeaning to Jax, whose mother was a widow and about who Jax worries. At no point during that discussion did Stein admit he didn't give Jax a chance to tell his family he might be gone, to make plans, amends, whatever one might do under such circumstances.
For supposedly such a smart man, he's an all around jackass.
If telling Ray he was purposefully making Jax feel terrible because of what happened to Ronnie was supposed to make us more sympathetic towards him, ummm...it didn't work. His reasoning was that it would be up to him to tell Jax's mother the bad news and it would be all his fault. Uh, yeah, because you didn't give him a choice in the matter. Them's the breaks, bucco.
The whole thing was a disaster, and they really need to right Stein's ship because he went from being a cool character to being the half of Firestorm I wouldn't mind seeing killed off.
On the other hand, we have Snart and Rory, who never fight. They always have each other's backs. Why can't everyone be that easy?
Some of that seems to drip on over to the people with whom Snart works, because he's not even terribly rude to people like Raymond, when he really could be under the circumstances. After all, Valentina put out Ray's fire right quick, and quite literally.
Did anyone else notice a similarity between Valentina and Lisa Snart? That kind of bugged me a little bit. I wish she had looked a little less like a Snart family member, but those scenes were still fun.
Valentina: Are you sure you don't want your coat back? I can't believe how you're not freezing.
Snart: Oh, I love the cold.
Not as much fun were the Kendra and Sara training scenes. Why in the hell did Rip think Kendra would be able to help Sara with her humanity when Kendra only just got her memories back? It's not like she's been walking around for 25 years with four centuries worth of rebirthing memories at her disposal.
The idea was keen, the execution not so much. When he first started talking, I thought he was going to go in the direction of helping her with the bloodlust on account of the fact her Hawkgirl persona apparently does the same thing to her that Sara's bloodlust is doing. Did he miss that?
How can Kendra help Sara when she's flying over all devil eyed, claws drawn and attacking Sara? And then seeming insulted when Sara doesn't recognize her for doing in kind to her the next minute. I thought those scenes were kind of interesting, as I had no idea Kendra was suffering those kinds of effects.
Maybe the two girls are going to go all savage on Savage! That would scare the crap out of him. His precious Chayara clawing his face off while Sara ripped him limb from limb. Good times and Savage is a goner!
All in all, it was another fun week, and I don't even mind how all of the episodes are kind of like those from Doctor Who Season 9, and just stop in the middle of the story so we can catch up next time. They're lighthearted enough not to keep me up at night worrying.
And bonus points? No hint of Vandal Savage other than his name. I can dig that.
What do you think? Was this a good one? Any ideas how the story will end? Were you glad not to see Vandal Savage? Did you like the argument between Jax and Stein? Hit the comments, and don't forget, you can watch DC's Legends of Tomorrow online right here via TV Fanatic!
Want to see what lies ahead? Things get Red Hot on DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 5, "Fail-Safe." Watch the preview now!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
