DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Invasion!
Carissa Pavlica
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It's all Barry and Cisco's fault.
The entire reason the Dominators were on earth in 2016 was revealed on DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Episode 7, and it came down to the timey wimey twists of messing with things you shouldn't, even when you have the best intentions.
At least Cisco and Barry repaired their friendship. While there were some good moments, whether the end of an epic event or judged solely as a regular Legends episode, this one wasn't a favorite.
There was a decent representation of the casts involved in this final "Invasion!"
From Arrow, we had Oliver, Diggle and Felicity. The OTA, as people like to call them. They're indicative of the show from the beginning, so perfectly represent what Arrow is all about, even if their relationships have changed quite a bit over the course of five seasons.
Felicity was paired up with her Flash half, Cisco, as tech support and played a big role in this Legends episode. Of course, they shine around tech, so getting a chance to play on the Waverider was right up their alley.
Felicity: This ship is...
Cisco: ...automatic
Felicity: ...hypnotic
Cisco: ...supersonic
Felicity/Cisco: Funky fresh!
Stein, Jax and Mick all came from The Flash so a good portion of those upon the Waverider have already had interactions with Cisco. But Jax was barely seen, mostly off with Diggle doing...something.
Stein, unfortunately, was prominent, as he hypocritically decided to get to know his daughter who he caused by creating an aberration in 1987. It did reunite him with Caitlin but was ill-timed in conjunction with the crossover as a whole.
Not to mention, Stein wants to keep yet another secret from the team. This is getting to be a habit and not a welcome one.
For those of you who watch The Flash, you got wind of one of his other secrets at the beginning of that hour when he revealed Barry had sent a message to Rip Hunter from the future which he and Jax intercepted and kept from their team. Good mates, them.
Strangely, I still can't figure out how that future Barry message figures into any of this. Why would Barry send a message saying not to trust him? Wouldn't he have known the conclusion of all of this from the future?
To me, that means he's still up to no good to come, and trusting him as they did by not turning him over to the Dominators was as much of a mistake as Cisco letting the 1951 Dominator free to eventually return to earth in 2016 to attack earth.
Unless the writers completely lost track of that message and its meaning, and it really means absolutely nothing at all. Which wouldn't surprise me, to be honest.
But my gut says at some point they'll regret not turning him over to the Dominators. OK. Maybe not that bad, but trusting him may have ramifications. And I'm still angry that on The Flash Season 3 Episode 8 Stein and Jax pulled in Barry and Oliver to hear the message but not Sara, the captain who should have heard it in the first place.
Nate took the lead on behalf of the Legends on the ground, which shows just how well he has fit into the team and how well casting scored with Nick Zano in the role of Citizen Steel. Had this been DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 and one of the Hawks had taken the lead, I would have been livid.
Even starting out on the premiere of the series, they never fit in. Nate and Amaya have fit since their first interactions with the team during DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 2. They've enhanced the team, added more life and humor to stories.
It's been Mick's job to act as the class clown, and he does it well. He knows what the others think of him, and he figures it's easier to allow them to think what they want, as it keeps him free of responsibility; then he can always surprise them when he rises to the challenges (of which he always surpasses).
I laughed out loud when he said he was just waiting for a weak alien to stray from the herd before he caught one. And again when Nate was talking to the Dominator calling him "Mr. Alien Guy." They're cute and fun all the time.
So we learned Barry triggered the return to earth because of Flashpoint, but Cisco's kindhearted gesture of allowing MAG to go free in the first place was what gave them the impression they could return and take over earth at all. Apparently, they wanted a blood (red) sacrifice. Seemed too simple to me, but whatevs.
Oliver: Barry, I'm not letting you leave.
Barry: No offense, Oliver, but you and what army?
Kara: This one.
Mick: Listen, Red, I don't like you. But when you got a crew, you don't take a hit for the rest.
Barry: That was actually pretty inspiring. I mean, up until the point Mick compared us to a bunch of criminals.
Amaya: According to the Dominators? We might as well be.
Nate: And maybe they're right. Maybe we do more harm than good, but this is our chance to find out.
Cisco: We're not letting you sacrifice yourself. There's no way. I don't care if that what it means to be a hero. You're not a hero to me. You're my friend.
It all worked out in the end. Aliens are bad, when they're angry and evil.
Aliens are good, however, when they're here to help. A lesson Oliver had to learn the hard way, much like jackwagon Rene. Oliver gave a weird speech to Kara and asked her to sit out all the excitement with the aliens because he was craving normalcy and he might lash out at her. Or something.
When he was falling ass backwards off the roof and Supergirl swooped in to save him, he realized she was quite the gal to have around after all.
I'm not really sure how Arrow Season 5 Episode 8 was to equate to Oliver's Flashpoint if by the next day he was already taking back most of what he had decided (He wanted some normalcy, but wants the heroics and a full life...I have no idea what it means. You can't be normal and have a full life?), but apparently Oliver learned a lesson while in the pod.
And like I said in my review for that hour, the Dominators really gave those captured a gift. They got to see what their lives would be like if they never got on the boat. They were rejoined with family, they got some closure on relationships the rest of us can never imagine.
Sara: It's weird to think all of this started out with the two of us. You ever think about what it would have been like if we had never gotten on that boat?
Oliver: I don't know if I have to think about it. I mean, maybe the Dominators showed us what our lives would have been like.
Sara: I know it was a prison, but in a way...
Oliver: In a way, it was a gift.
There weren't nearly as many fun moments in this hour as we had on Arrow, for instance, which was surprising. Don't let the switcharoo fool you. Legends is a very good time.
But just like the Arrow writers found a moment to acknowledge Tommy Merlyn was working in Chicago as a doctor these days (Colin Donnell on Chicago Med), so did the Legends writers acknowledge their own Superman:
Felicity [about Kara]: It's like looking into a mirror.
Ray: You know, she really looks like my cousin.
So, yeah. It's fun when these big groups get together. I can appreciate the overall relationships between the shows and the characters.
Kara is a doll, and bringing her into this universe was a great idea. The OTA trio should be around for the long haul considering Legends will be dealing with two of their past bad guys as a part of the Legion of Doom, and the same goes for The Flash.
I stick with my preference for a united big bad flowing across the DC Universe so that there isn't a need for one big crossover event and mini crossovers become more of a norm, allowing for an easier flow of characters and storylines.
The Legion of Doom fits the bill because even Lex Luthor was a member. If Supergirl can have an inter-dimensional broach, no reason a time ship can't be skipping in and out to terrorize, as well.
So, you're up. What did you think? How do you want to see crossovers handled in the future? Jump into the comments.
If you've not been watching and find yourself intrigued, watch DC's Legends of Tomorrow online to catch up with Season 2!
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.
