Monday, August 30, 2021

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 6, Episode 14 - There Will Be Brood

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.


Plot

When Spooner and Bishop steal the Waverider, Astra and Spooner find themselves as stowaways on a trip to 1920's Texas, leading to a revelation regarding Spooner's past that she was not expecting. Meanwhile, with the rest of the Legends stranded in 2021, a plan is enacted that requires using Mick Rory as bait.


Influences

There Will Be Blood
(title parody, but also subplot involving oil rights in early 20th Century America.) 


Performances

Matt Ryan plays John Constantine as the full-on bastard he is in the comics for the first time in a long while and it is perfect. If this is truly his final turn as the "nasty piece of work," it's a high note to go out on and a suitably tragic end for the blue-collar magus. 

Olivia Swann and Lisseth Chavez really bring the weird friendship between Spooner and Astra to the forefront with this episode. The two characters have little in common apart from their mutual nature as outsiders who don't trust anyone and have little reason to trust the Legends. The show has been subtle about building the connection between the two and this episode sees some surprisingly deep moments as Astra sympathizes with Spooner's desire to save her mother but holds to the Legends' line about not altering your past given her own bad experiences with tempting fate.


Artistry

The direction by Maisie Richardson-Sellers is solid throughout and you would never know this was the work of a first-time director.


Trivia Of Tomorrow

This episode was the television directorial debut of Maisie Richardson-Sellers, who played Amaya Jiwe in seasons 2 and 3 of Legends of Tomorrow and Charlie in seasons 4 and 5. She previously directed a short film, Sunday's Child, which was released in 2021.


Technobabble/Arcana

John astral projects himself into this house to stall the other Legends while Bishop hot-wires the Waverider.

Bishop reroutes Gideon's directory protocols, which short circuits all her communication and navigation functions.

Astra uses the Permuto spell from 605 to temporarily change herself and Spooner into a snow-globe and a fork in order to hide in plain sight while spying on Bishop and Constantine. 

John works a spell that reveals sub-layers of alien text hidden within the map to the Fountain of Imperium. 

John uses a tracking spell to locate the Fountain of Imperium in 1925.

According to Bishop, Earthlings eventually discover that all mushrooms are alien species, noting that mushrooms are not like any other organism on Earth.

Bishop claims he can use the mushrooms to synthesize a temporary serum that will ensure the Fountain finds Constantine worthy if he tries to bond with it again, causing every cell in his body to mimic that of an angelic, selfless child.

John knows a spell that creates a small collection of firefly-like lights. 

John somehow gleans that young Esparanza is Spooner after touching her hand.

An IGCOM is an intergalactic communication device, similar to a smart phone, but much more powerful, in that it can communicate across light years. (It does, however, get spotty reception on Earth, according to Gary.)

Galixiposts is an alien social networking site, comparable to Instagram, where people share pictures of themselves and can tag their friends.

John uses a sleep spell to knock out Gloria, Astra and Esperanza so he can speak to Spooner in private.

John can use his magic to share visions of what he saw with other people.

Astra is also able to astral project, as she remotely talks to John and tries to convince him that Bishop is going to double-cross him.

Bishop speculates that Spooner's blood triggers a chemical reaction which induces a bioluminescent response in the mushrooms around the Fountain of Imperium site.

John knocks Astra out with a spell where he speaks in Tagalog. He says "Suntok ng Demonyo" which translates to "Punch of the Devil."


Dialogue Triumphs

Constantine: Oh, let's be honest. I was never one of you, now, really, was I? A Legend. Nah, I'm a nasty piece of work, and I walk my path alone. 

(Zari attempts to slap Constantine. Her hand passes through him.)
Mick: Ahh! A ghost!

Doc: If I don't buy your land, someone else will. And they may not offer as much as me or be as polite.
Gloria: I have already told you my land is not for sale.
(Doc opens his coat to reveal the pistol he's hiding.)
Doc: Maybe you ought reconsider.
(Spooner opens her coat to reveal the bigger pistol she's hiding.)
Spooner: She said no. 

Bishop: Right, right, right. Okay, you don't know this yet. Earthlings eventually discover that mushrooms are actually an ancient alien species. 
Constantine: So you're telling me I've had aliens in my mushroom masala this whole time?

Astra: What the hell did John do in there?
Spooner: He showed me the truth about my past. The oil men come back and kill Gloria for her land while kid-me escapes and is saved by the Fountain of Imperium. So I'm staying here and protecting them both to make sure that never happens.
Astra: Look, whenever John is involved, things tend to go south.
Spooner: This is my only chance to make sure my younger self has a life with my mom. I can finally get her back. That's all I've ever wanted. I thought you, of all people, would understand that.
Astra: Of course I understand that, Spooner, but...
(Astra suddenly notices the bandage on Spooner's hand.)
Astra: But you just gave your blood to John to open the Fountain, which is the one thing we are trying to stop.
Spooner: You can go after him if you want, but I'm staying here.

Mick: (To Kayla) Ever since that night on the planet, I've never stopped thinking about you. The eggs might be fake, but my feelings for you are... real.

Bishop: (To Constantine) Don't you worry, I got the science covered, emo boy. You just make sure your hocus is pocused.

Astra: John, do you really think Bishop is just gonna let you use the Fountain?
Constantine: Oh, don't be daft. I know he wants to use the powers for himself, but old John Constantine always has a plan. So do me a favor. Stay out of my way. 
Astra: No. Let me bring you back to the team before it's too late.
Constantine: (mockingly) "Oh, let me bring you back to the team before it's too late, John". Don't bloody kid yourself. Come on. You, of all people, understand what I'm doing, don't you? You know what it feels like to be powerless. To desperately need magic.
Astra: You've always had this selfish streak in you, and my mom knew it was dangerous.
Constantine: Now, what would your mum think about you now, eh? Her very own daughter dabbling in the very dark arts that she ran away from. I think she'd be turning in her grave. 

Astra: Spooner. Remember - if Esperanza doesn't go to the Fountain, then you never come back to save Gloria.
Spooner: I'd rather protect her now so I can become the person my mom always hoped I'd be.
Gloria: If she does that, then my little girl and I, - we can stay together, yes?
Astra: Yeah, you'll stay together, but history will be completely changed. And you'll never meet the Legends or help us save Sarah. You'll never become you, Spooner. Which means that... which means we never become friends. And I really don't wanna lose my friend.
Spooner: I can't let that innocent girl go through what I went through.
Gloria: If Esperanza does go, she will grow up without me, but she becomes you, and history will be preserved, yeah? 
(Spooner nods.)
Gloria: Then Astra is right, and we have no choice. Esperanzita has to go.
Spooner: Losing you was the worst moment of my life, Mom. I spent every day trying not to think about what happened to you, and it only made me angry and bitter. I didn't become the kind of person you wanted me to be. Not even close.
Gloria: Yes, you did. You did. You became that person. You are brave. You have a big heart. You are a time traveler. Whether it's aliens or the universe at play, you being here now is not a coincidence. We were meant to find each other again. Whatever powers took you away also brought you back to me. 

(John is writhing in pain as the poison takes effect.)
Bishop: Oh, look, I'm sorry, John. It's nothing personal. You're just collateral damage. Now that you're linked, killing you means I destroy the Fountain.
Constantine: Why? 
Bishop: To destroy the planet, of course. You see, once upon a time, benevolent aliens gifted the Fountain to Earth so it would act as an invisible shield to protect the planet from invasive alien species.
(John moans as Bishop pauses.)
Bishop: I forgot to mention that, didn't I? Once it dies, it's open season on Earth, baby. I've tried saving the planet twice, and humans just keep getting in the way. Now I'm fast-forwarding to the inevitable end so I can finally start anew.

Constantine:
Oh, I'm so... I'm so bloody sorry.
Astra: Just tell me what to do. There's gotta be a spell that can help you.
Constantine: Not this time.
Astra: No, you are John Constantine! You always have a plan! You have a trick up your sleeve!
Constantine: As luck would have it, I'm all out of tricks this time. You were my greatest failure... And my biggest accomplishment. God, you look like your mum. She would be so proud of you, so proud...
(John begins to drift as mushroom vines begin to overtake his body.)

Continuity

Zari discovers broken glass and blood in John's house and figures out that something is wrong.

The Demon Constantine tries to bluff his way around the Legends, but nobody believes it.

Zari figures out John is stalling for time and figures out he isn't really there after trying to slap John.

Astra and Spooner are on the Waverider when John and Bishop steal it.

Bishop knows of the legend of the Fountain of Imperium and agrees to help John find it at another point in time in exchange for freeing him from the Legends' brig. 

Bishop knows dozen of alien languages and is able to translate the text John reveals hidden on the map to the Fountain of Imperium.

Neither Astra nor Spooner can pilot the Waverider or a jump ship without Gideon acting as the auto-pilot.

Astra does not have a driver's license.

Spooner and Astra travel to the closest settlement, which is an oil field in Texas in the year 1925.

Astra and Spooner see an injured man named Henry being treated by a local woman, whom Spooner recognizes as her mother. 

Henry is ordered back to work by Doc, the cruel owner of the local oil fields, who owns all the land in the area except for the homestead owned by the healer.

Doc offers to buy the healer's land but she refuses. He reveals a gun as a threat but Spooner scares him off by revealing her own pistol.

The healer reveals her name to be Gloria, who invites Spooner and Astra to her home for a hot meal to thank them for helping during her confrontation with Doc.

Spooner reveals that Odessa, Texas is her hometown.

Spooner speculates that the aliens who kidnapped her and her mother erased their memories and sent her back in time. This would explain why she could never find her mother in the early 21st century.

Bishop theorizes that the mushrooms around the Fountain site John discovers are the tip of the iceberg, and that they are connected to the Fountain of Imperium, which is itself an alien being.

John says that would explain why all the legends of the Fountain had it connected to caves and grottos - i.e. ideal places for growing mushrooms. He speculates that the Fountain can, like a mushroom, grow up out of the ground in certain key places.

As Bishop is taking samples of the mushrooms, John overhears a young girl singing in the forest nearby. Her name is Esperanza. He figures out the girl is a young Spooner after she gives him a flower and he feels some kind of connection while touching her hand.

Gloria says that she moved to Texas from Los Arenales, El Salvador, to start a new life after the death of her husband, Celso. She built the house by herself.

Gloria's mother was also a healer and she's passing the art down to her daughter, who is revealed to be Esperanza.

Based on what Gloria says, Spooner now thinks the aliens abducted her, erased her memories, and took her to the future.

Esperanza takes John to her mother's house, where he is stunned to see Astra and Spooner.

Sara comes up with a plan to get Kayla to give them a ride to where the Waverider is.

Gary comes up with a plan to get Kayla's attention by taking a picture of Mick with fake alien eggs and tagging her in the social media post. This is needed since Kayla won't take Gary's calls, but will respond to the idea of her children being endangered.

Esperanza and Gloria read The War Of The Worlds together every night. Young Esperanza is excited by the idea of aliens and drams of exploring other worlds. 

John tells Spooner that he saw a glimpse of her past and future when he touched the hand of her younger self. He shares the vision with her and Spooner sees Gloria being gunned down by Doc and his men as Esperanza runs into the forest, hurts her hand, bleeds on the mushrooms in the field and some sort of glow envelopes her. 

John says that Spooner can save her mother's life and ensure she grows up with her. All he asks in exchange for the knowledge is a sample of her blood. She agrees to give it to him.

Kayla shows up, furious, but reluctantly agrees to help the Legends after learning her babies are still on the Waverider.

Mick confesses his love for Kayla. She does not care.

Bishop shows John the serum he's made that will make him seem innocent. He says he'll hold on to it for safekeeping. 

Astra attempts to reason with John, saying that Bishop will double-cross him. John dismisses her, saying he plans to double-cross Bishop first. 

Gloria has a gun, but she has never used it. It belonged to her husband.

Spooner tells Gloria that she is her daughter from the future and that she somehow came back in time to this point, and that they somehow became separated on this night. Gloria believes her.

Astra points out the paradox that will be caused if Gloria is saved and Spooner gets to grow up with her mother. Gloria says that she will confront Doc's men, saying that she has faith things will work out, having seen the young woman her daughter will grow into. 

John successfully summons the Fountain of Imperium, which manifests as a giant glowing mushroom.

As the Fountain manifests, Spooner's hands glow with a strange orange energy.

Astra agrees to take Esperanza to the Fountain, while Spooner stays behind to fight Doc and his men.

Spooner taps the power of the Fountain and uses it to make Doc and his men feel the pain their greed caused others rather than killing them. This sends them running and saves Gloria's life.

The Fountain of Imperium draws the young Spooner into it and she disappears, as Astra distracts John, but is knocked out.

Spooner can feel her younger self disappearing from Gloria's house.

Nate still has the clicker for the Waverider that shuts off its stealth mode.

Zari pulls Nate aside as the other Legends run for the ship, pointing out the weird glow from the woods and saying that is where John will be.

John pick-pocketed Bishop's serum and takes it before Bishop can use it himself. This allows John to bond with the Fountain of Imperium, but also poisons John as Bishop saw this coming and put a deadly poison in the serum.

Mick, Kayla, Sara, Ava and Gary discover that Bishop rigged a bomb on the incubator holding Mick and Kayla's eggs and set it so they only had a limited time to gather all the eggs before the bomb went off.

Mick is caught in the explosion trying to save the last loose egg.

Bishop explains that his plan was to kill the Fountain of Imperium, since, by poisoning John once he was connected to the Fountain, it would also poison the Fountain. 

Bishop says he's given up on saving the Earth and elected to destroy it instead, having become sick of humanity getting in the way of his plans to save the Earth. By destroying the Fountain, he hopes to make a fresh start. 

Bishop says that the Fountain of Imperium was a gift from a benevolent alien species who wanted to protect Earth from invasive aliens who might conquer or destroy it. 

At the same time The Fountain of Imperium dies, Spooner senses something is wrong and passes out.

Astra wakes up and finds John as he is dying.

John accepts his death and tells Astra she was both his biggest mistake and his greatest triumph.

John says he can hear the Fountain screaming in his head. 

Zari and Nate arrive just in time for John's body to be enveloped in vines before fading into the earth.

Location

Northumberland County, UK - 2021
Odessa, Texas, USA - 1925


The Crisis Factor

None of the Legends trapped in 2021 brought a Time Courier with them, just in case, and Nate openly wonders why they don't carry them all the time.


The Bottom Line

An excellent episode that gives some much-needed development to the two least-developed Legends and brings the many storylines of Season 6 together in an organic way. It's also a fitting end for John Constantine, assuming the blue-collar magus doesn't have one trick left up the sleeve of his trenchcoat. 

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