DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 Episode 3 Review: Slay Anything
Sarah Little
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Not only are the Legends dealing with a different Encore every episode, but the series also seems to be exploring different film themes, as well.
The Legends traveled back in time to stop a serial killer on DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 Episode 3 so, of course, the theme was horror. And it was played out just enough to be quite humorous and entertaining without being tacky and cringeworthy.
There were hilarious one-liners, surprising twists, and heartfelt character moments that reminded us why DC's Legends of Tomorrow is one of the best superheroes shows currently on television.
The Encore was the Prom Night Slasher, who everyone believed to be Freddy Meyer, a student at Central City High School.
But there was something off about him when part of the team traveled back to 1989, as he did not seem to be the ruthless killer he was made out to be in 2004.
Freddy came across as a nerdy teenager with a heart of gold as he bonded with Nora, which was a welcome surprise.
Given Freddy's behavior and the fact that the killer always wore a mask when they were on screen, the signs seemed to be pointing towards a wrongful conviction.
As it turns out, Freddy's mother, Kathy, was the Prom Night Slasher.
It was a twist that all television shows try to pull off, yet fall short of most of the time. Kathy being the killer was shocking, yet still made sense since we saw how emotional she was at Freddy's execution in 2004.
She wanted to have Freddy all to herself, which naturally meant that she had to kill all of his new friends.
Telekinesis, it makes perfect sense. Killers often act out of feeling powerless and now he has the ultimate power. I need to adjust my rankings.
Ava
Kathy killed because of love -- a stereotypical motive for serial killers that played in very nicely to the overarching theme of the episode.
Freddy's mother was a psychopathic killer, something that Nora could relate to.
It's a shame that the writers did not utilize Nora on the first couple episodes of DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 given her fanastic character development on the past seasons.
She returned with full force on the prom episode though as her role as a Fairy Godmother acted as a catalyst for the connection between her and Freddy.
Nora was able to get through to Freddy and connect with him emotionally because she knew just what it was like to be him.
Freddy: What do I do?
Nora: Survive. Freddy, my upbringing was only dysfunction. But dysfunction doesn't get to choose who you are, you do.
They both had evil parents, and they both made bad decisions in service of their parents, even though Freddy taking the fall for his mother was erased from the timeline.
Nora had been down that road before, but she learned from it and was able to pass her wisdom and experiences down on Freddy.
At the end of it all, Nora saved the day, with some help from the other Legends, and it was inspiring to see how far she has come. Nora is no longer Damien Darhk's daughter, she is just Nora the Fairy Godmother.
For the second episode in a row, Ava has been one of the highlights of the hour. It was quite evident early on that while some people fangirl over television shows, the thing that gets Ava's fangirl heart going is serial killers.
And in this day and age, of course, she has a podcast -- aptly named "Stab Cast" -- to document and rank all her favorite murderers.
Ava: Picture a dark hallway, feels like the killer's there with you. Shafts of moonlight cloud the floor.
Sara: Shh.
Ava: A glowing exit sign you may never reach.
It was one of the funniest parts of a hilarious episode, and the scene where Ava was documenting her and Sara in the hallway as they searched for the killer had me in tears.
Ava is quickly becoming one of the most joyous characters to watch, and that might be the biggest surprise of the season yet.
It looks like Zari will be staying on the Waverider, and not as a prisoner, for the foreseeable future. She has gotten a taste of what it is like to be a Legend and was even able to remember a tiny part of her hacker past, even though it got brushed off like it was nothing.
All of these mentions of her past life are alluding to Zari regaining her memories sometime soon.
Having the old Zari back will be great, seeing as she was a fantastic addition to the show. But the new Zari is surprisingly becoming more likable, given her somewhat annoying tendencies on DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 Episode 2.
Hey, what's with the wi-fi? I need to clap back at Blue Ivy on Cat Chat.
Zari
Zari may come off as being self-obsessed, which has led to a few pretty great one-liners, but this episode showed that her emotions run deeper than that. She is a lot more complex than Behrad gives her credit for, and he realizes that as well.
Maybe once Zari gets her memories back, she will be a combination of who she used to be and who she currently is. If the new Zari has taught us anything, it is that Tala Ashe is an incredible actress and would be able to pull off anything.
The only part of the episode that was lacking in substance was the storyline between Constantine and Charlie, and I hesitate in even calling it a storyline since it was such a small component.
For some reason, Charlie had been squatting at Constantine's home. He only caught her because the spirit of Astra's dead mother is being kept behind a secret door there and he wanted to speak with her.
Sara: Gideon, take us to 2004!
Nate: And order one of these mattresses using promo code "Laceration."
That was the only information we got, so hopefully, there will be more explanation on DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 Episode 4.
On the bright side, Constantine and Charlie's scenes were so minimal that the Encore storyline outshined them and greatly made up for those moments.
What did you think DC's Legends of Tomorrow Fanatics?
Did you enjoy their take on horror? Was anyone else surprised there were no Taylor Swift references given the year they traveled back to? And how did no one react to Zari's smartphone in 1989?
Let me know in the comments and do not forget that you can watch DC's Legends of Tomorrow online right here on TV Fanatic!
DC's Legends of Tomorrow airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.
Sarah Little was a staff writer for TV Fanatic.She retired in September 2021.
