DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 Episode 1 Review: Aruba Con
Jay Ruymann
at
.
Updated at
.
Where's Amaya?
DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 Episode 1 starts off what could be a strong season with the disbanding and immediate rejoining of the Legends' group... but with slight changes.
Time has passed, so the group has gone on to new adventures after Rip tore apart their team, but none of them are really happy with where they are, except for Stein.
He has a new daughter, who is pregnant, and a family life he never had before, but he always wanted. Unlike in the beginning, Jax is the one dragging Stein along for the adventure because he's the one who feels drawn to save the day.
Nate, meanwhile, has gone on to become the vigilante Steel; however, he's still not having the superhero experience he always wanted.
Nate: Dammit, Wally, what'd I say?
Wally: I was supposed to save some of the bad guys for you.
While single-handed crime fighting works for some, Nate seems to prefer having a team behind him, and he was always the most excited about the Legends' work on the Waverider.
And Ray...he's just really not that important. Where would the Legends be without Ray? Probably in the same spot.
He's shown little development character-wise since his introduction on Arrow Season 3, and especially on Legends. Losing his suit last season was supposed to be a turning point for his character, and it was for about two episodes.
He then got his suit back and went right back to exactly the man he was before.
Sara was the star of the episode, per usual. She's really grown into being Captain Lance, and she's so much lighter than she ever was on Arrow. It's refreshing to watch Sara be the comic relief because she was always the one with the shadows around her.
As for her being Captain Lance, her experience shows. She brought the team back together. She believed in all of the team when Rip didn't.
Even vigilantes have to pay their bills.
Sara
Rip still doesn't believe in the team, so for those holding out for the return of Captain Rip: don't. This team works much better without his presence as we saw on Legends of Tomorrow Season 2.
Rip drags the team down, and yes, he is just concerned about the impact their actions have on time, he really brings down the show. That's what made Season 2 much more successful than Legends of Tomorrow Season 1. He wasn't around all of the time to drag down the team and make them doubt their abilities.
Using your team to fix anything is like doing brain surgery with a chainsaw.
Rip
Going forward, it'll be interesting to see what his role will be. He's down to a recurring cast member this season, so his influence won't be as prevalent on the Legends, but he's still running the Time Bureau, and he's still going to criticize their every move.
Sure, they deserve it for the mess they created, but his judgment and disbelief started before they ever went back in time and interfered with their past selves.
And if you're still having a hard time accepting Sara as Captain of the Waverider, it's time to come to terms with it. Even Rory is calling her "boss." When that happens, it's official.
The most surprising piece of the premiere is Amaya's absence. It wasn't expected she'd go back to 1942, especially after the plans she made with Nate, but she did, as we saw at the end of the episode.
How long before she's part of the team again? We all know she's going to be rejoining soon, so it's just a matter of time. Will the Legends need her help, or will she need theirs?
Ray: Where's Amaya?
Nate: We kinda broke up.
Also, does Amaya have new powers somehow?
Before, she could channel the energy of animals and use that power for herself, but in the final moments of the episode, she did something else.
It's almost like she conjured four different beasts to attack those men and she was just watching as these animals killed them. (Not to mention the fact she immediately killed them. It just seemed really off for her.)
Amaya's character just seemed strange in those final moments, so I'm wondering what's changed between her leaving and now. Is Amaya the same character we knew last season? Or has her future changed with her return to her home?
One of the best things about Legends of Tomorrow is that it's so much lighter than the other DCTV shows.
Arrow, The Flash, and even Supergirl are always so dark (or they have been in the past) that it's tough to watch all of them and not see much or any hope, light, or fun. Superheroes can be fun, too, and that's what Legends gets right all of the time.
Totally rather get shot than look like a Sears model.
Nate
Amid the mess they created, these misfits were joking about it and poking fun at themselves, and that's missing far too often on shows like this.
Even if Legends doesn't always have the best team or the best plot, they have that going for them.
With a storm looming on the horizon that Rip told Ava he may need the Legends to defeat, it'll be interesting to see if this season can keep the lighter tone it had in this episode.
What did you think of the episode? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Don't forget, you can watch DC's Legends of Tomorrow online right here at TV Fanatic!
Legends of Tomorrow airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW. Stay tuned to TV Fanatic for news, updates, and more reviews going forward! Looking forward to sharing this season with y'all!
Jay Ruymann was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in January 2018.
