DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 6 Episode 1 Review: Ground Control to Sara Lance
Sarah Little
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Who would have predicted that the biggest surprise of the night would come from Gary Green?
Gary, Sara, and the rest of the Legends went right to work after the captain of the Waverider got abducted by aliens on DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 6 Episode 1.
It was a fantastically fun hour with the introduction of a new team member, a proposal, seriously cool aliens, and character moments for just about everyone. But no one really expected anything different from this show, did they?
DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 6 promised to be jam-packed with aliens, and they definitely did not disappoint us.
The aliens that took Sara are gross, fierce, and everything you would expect from an extraterrestrial creature. And, shockingly, one of them was Gary.
The geeky agent from the Time Bureau had us fooled all along. He was originally sent to Earth to find the quintessential human and bring her back to his boss's -- AKA his fiance's -- spaceship. And that human is Sara Lance.
Nate: See, my girlfriend's from another time.
David Bowie: Oh, like the future?
Nate: No. Well, technically, yes. But she's from the future with a different timeline entirely. Now she lives in a totem. And I'm forced to be at peace with it.
David Bowie: What's her name?
Nate: Zari. Her name is Zari. And I'm afraid I'll never see her again.
But Gary isn't the bad guy here. Once he got to know the Legends, he fell in love with them and refused to kidnap Sara. But it was only a matter of time before Kayla found them.
Gary being an alien came out of left field. On any other show, this revelation probably wouldn't work or make any sense, but this is DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Of course, Gary would be an alien.
Unfortunately, Sara Lance has not been reunited with the rest of the Legends. But this could be a good thing, for the time being.
Her dynamic with Gary has always been fun since she's the cool badass and he's her awkward admirer. You can just imagine the hilarious scenes we're about to get from watching them work together to return to Earth.
And this separation between Sara and her team -- especially Ava -- creates the kind of tension and angst that we all love. The more time they spend apart, the sweeter their reunion will be.
It's not gonna work. This whole thing's not gonna work. Nothing works without Sara.
Mick
While Sara and Gary handle the alien situation in space, the rest of the team has to deal with the release of aliens into the timeline. It's a good thing they now have an alien expert on the Waverider.
"Ground Control to Sara Lance" perfectly set up the rest of the season when Sara and Gary opened a wormhole in the timeline to save themselves. But, instead of them entering it, they sent a considerable amount of aliens through it.
Now, the Legends, lead by Ava, must fix their mistake while also trying to save Sara.
But this means that we are going to get more one-off episodes of the Legends traveling through time and finding themselves in outlandish situations. Based on the trailer alone, their adventures are going to be crazier than ever.
And now they have a new team member with an expansive knowledge of aliens.
Esperanza "Spooner" Cruz is unlike any character who has stepped on board the Waverider. She is daring, crafty, paranoid, and all the things you would expect of someone who has been abducted by little green creatures in the past.
There's no doubt that Spooner will fit in nicely with the other Legends, especially since her first encounter with them was her knocking Behrad and Mick out and tying them up.
She's a misfit looking for a place to belong, which is the basic definition of anyone on the show.
Zari: I'm glad you're in a good mood, though.
Constantine: Well, why shouldn't I be? You see, my soul finally belongs to me, Astra is redeemed, and I get to wake up next to you, you Lovely creature.
They're going to need Spooner if they want to restore the timeline and defeat the aliens.
She's the only one who knows anything about the villains this season, and they are all going to be looking to her for guidance. The only problem is if they are all willing to trust one another.
Picking up from DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 5, Zari and Constantine have finally given in to their attraction to one another.
But in staying true to their characters, they refuse to confront their obvious feelings.
And just like that, the writers found a way to keep their growing dynamic interesting.
Zari and Constantine are two people who have been notoriously bad at relationships. That's why this pairing is so intriguing, but it's also why there needs to be a slow buildup to a commitment between the two of them.
We all know that they are being dumb right now by claiming that it's just a physical attraction they share. But their chemistry goes deeper than that, and it's going to be fun to watch them gradually realize that.
There is a couple who knows exactly what they feel for one another, and that's Sara and Ava.
We found out from a video shot by David Bowie that Sara was going to propose to Ava the night they celebrated their win over the Fates.
Sara: Ava? Wait, how are you...how are you here?
Ava: Hey. Hey, hey, hey, stay with me. Look at me. Yes.
Sara: Yes what?
Ava: When you get home, I'll marry you. So, you better get home, okay? I love you.
It's cruel that Sara was robbed of the chance to do so because of some aliens. But, at the very least, it was sweet that Ava was able to give Sara her answer telepathically.
Their love story has been a roller coaster, and this separation is just another uphill battle they need to overcome. If Ava's binders were any indication, she will stop at nothing to save her fiance, though.
And the angst will all be worth it when they are reunited and share a big damn kiss.
It's truly amazing that the show can touch base with all the characters on the premiere episode, given how many of them there are.
All of them had character moments, whether big or small, that either set up their journey for the rest of the season or gave us a bit more insight into who they are.
Behrad: Maybe she's with Nate. He was headed back to the club.
Mick: Back? Why?
Behrad: You missed Starman at the after-after. He said he had to prep for his show there tonight.
Ava: What the hell is a Starman?
Behrad: Major T? Ziggy Stardust?
Constantine: Bowie! He's talking about David Bowie.
It's difficult to have every character take up space on a show that has as many as DC's Legends of Tomorrow does, but they can do so efficiently and effectively.
They balance the serious moments with the wonderfully crazy ones, and this episode was no exception. It looks as if we are in for another great season.
What did you think, DC's Legends of Tomorrow Fanatics?
Were you surprised by Gary being an alien? How great was Ava's reaction to finding Zari and Constantine in bed? Were you happy that they mentioned Alex Danvers and the DEO?
How long will it be until Astra accepts her destiny as a Legend? And did you love David Bowie's song about Sara?
Let me know in the comments, and do not forget that you can watch DC's Legends of Tomorrow online right here via TV Fanatic!
DC's Legends of Tomorrow airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.
Sarah Little was a staff writer for TV Fanatic.She retired in September 2021.
