Friday, October 26, 2018
Starman Plays Betrayal at Krondor - Part 42
In which we explore the mysteries of Abuk's Magic Box after I show you precisely how to break the bank using Nia's shop, our silver spider and the weapon store in Romney. After that, we fight our way to The Oracle Of Aal for a clue about the murders and attend another university lecture.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Black Lightning Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 3 - The Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowry
For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.
Plot
Anissa's efforts at playing Robin Hood send her after another criminal enterprise, with Gambi in tow. Meanwhile, Jennifer continues to struggle with her energy powers and begins seeing a most unusual therapist as Jefferson watches the new principal of Garfield High institute sweeping changes that threaten to undo everything Jefferson ever accomplished. Lynn must deal with a difficult colleague in her efforts to study The Green Light Babies as Tobias puts Painkiller to work, replacing Syonide as his right-hand.
Influences
The Black Lightning comics of Tony Isabella. The Batman and the Outsiders comics of Mike Barr.
Performances
Cress Williams does some fantastic non-verbal acting as Jefferson cleans out his office.
Artistry
The opening sequence in which Black Lightning steps in to deal with a young woman who is high on Green Light is a perfect balance of acting, cinematography, sound editing, music use and direction. If you want to show someone what Black Lightning is like, show them this scene.
Trivia
The free clinic run by the is named in honor of Rebecca Lee Crumpler - the first African American woman to become a medical doctor in the United States in 1864.
Dr. Helga Jace is based on a character from Batman and The Outsiders. She was the royal scientist of the Markovian royal family and conducted the experiments that transformed Brion Markov into the geokinetic superhero Geo-Force by awakening his metagene. She was an ally of The Outsiders until being exposed as an agent of The Manhunters during the Millennium storyline.
The Arrowverse version of Dr. Jace is a convicted killer whose experiments lead to the deaths of one subject and the crippling of ten people.
Technobabble
Gambi has been trying to develop an antidote based on Painkiller's toxin. He asks Jefferson to see about getting a hold of one of his darts, as the sample of the toxin he took from Jefferson's blood isn't pure after interacting with Jefferson's wonky body chemistry.
Dr. Helga Jace is the leading computational chemist in the USA and no one has her experience in protein synthesis simulations.
Dr. Jace had a theory on infrared spectroscopy and its use in the treatment of neuropathy.
The same anesthesia is used on all the Green Light Babies.
Dr. Jace has an implant that disables her if she attempts to leave certain areas of the Green Light Babies facility.
Dialogue Triumphs
(Jefferson and Gambi are discussing how they have nothing to get the cops involved in searching for Tobias.)
Jefferson: So it's still all on us? Nothing's changed.
Gambi: Well, not nothing. Tobias has got Painkiller. And he's got that ASA briefcase of Proctor's which, according to your Ms. Fowdy, contains hell.
Jefferson: You know, your pep talks need work.
(Jennifer sees a picture of Anissa and Zoe B on Instagram.)
Anissa: I can't believe you're following my dating life on social media.
Jennifer: Okay, first of all, ain't nobody following your dating life. Okay? It just popped up. And second, what else do you expect me to do when the only freedom I have is to walk around the block for exercise?
(Agent Odell refuses to put pressure on the doctors Lynn wants to recruit but suggests recruiting a convicted killer to work for her instead)
Lynn: It's hard not to see this as you trying to sabotage my efforts.
Agent Odell: If I was trying to do that, you'd have failed by now.
Jefferson: The metal detectors - is that really necessary?
Lowry: Obviously. Or you'd still have this job.
(Henderson tells Jefferson about his problems with going after a man he thinks is involved in cleaning up a cop killing.)
Jefferson: So, in my ah - role as former principal of Garfield, you want me to convince him to come clean?
Henderson: I think Black Lightning might be more persuasive. I've texted you his info and mug shot.
Jefferson: Wait... so... you're cool with the whole vigilante thing?
(There is a long pause as Henderson walks around the porch a bit before facing Jefferson again.)
Henderson: Former principal?
Jefferson: I lost my job. Black Lightning saved the school. Jefferson Pierce abandoned the school and the students, so...
(Henderson nods. There is another long pause.)
Henderson: Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Good night.
(Henderson starts to walk off. He stops as Jefferson speaks but does not turn around.)
Jefferson: Bill... at some point we need to talk this out, man.
Henderson; Yep. At some point.
(Henderson keeps walking.)
Continuity
A Green Light Baby with super-strength.
Gambi determines that all the security camera footage from Garfield High showing Tobias Whale has been destroyed.
Tobias puts Painkiller to work collecting protection money.
Rev. Holt's church runs the Rebecca Lee Crumpler Free Clinic
Vladislav Zlovac is a land developer who is trying to buy the free clinic, having bought all the land around it.
Anissa is still seeing singer Zoe B. Jennifer thinks she's all wrong for her sister.
Jennifer says that while she did tell Anissa to get back out on the dating market in 202, she meant she should find a real partner instead of just having sex.
Lynn is having trouble finding doctors to work with her on the Green Light Babies project.
Agent Odell suggests Dr. Helga Jace - a doctor who is serving time for manslaughter - as a recruit for Lynn's work on the Green Light Baby project
The new principal of Garfield High is an officious man named Lowry who insists as being addressed as Principal Lowry and refuses Jefferson's invitation to tour the school.
Principal Lowry installs metal detectors in Garfield High.
Perenna is a psychic counselor, whom Gambi knew of. Lynn and Jefferson hire her to help console Jennifer.
Deputy Chief Henderson discovers Officer Summers from 202. Tobias apparently arranged to have his car torched after shooting him.
Dr. Jace's experiments caused ten patients to lose their feet and one patient lost their life. Despite this, Lynn is authorized to offer her a chance at seeing her son again in exchange for her help on the Green Light Baby project.
Reverend Holt needs over $300,000 to save the free clinic.
Painkller tells Tobias about a man named Rion who he had to track down to get him to pay his protection. Tobias tells Painkiller to make an example of him.
Anissa goes to Grace's bar and asks her out after apologizing for not calling her for a while.
There are three people in Freeland capable of doing a torch job according to Henderson. Two of them are in jail and the third won't talk to the cops.
Deputy Chief Henderson asks Jefferson to go after the man who he thinks torched the car as Black Lightning.
Painkiller kills Rion by accident after Rion falls over a rail and cracks his skull after taking one of Painkiller's darts.
Perenna creates a psychic safe space for Jennifer to work through her powers. It looks like a beauty salon. She also helps Jennifer make a box of gold to hide her feelings in.
Gambi figures that Zlovac's real-estate deal is probably a money laundering scam.
Black Lightning discovers that Painkiller hired the man who fire-bombed Detective Summers car.
Black Lightning goes to Ms. Payne and tells her to call him and ask her son to meet with Black Lightning.
Black Lightning is able to catch one of Painkiller's darts.
Tobias Whale is arrested for the murder of Alvin Pierce at his family's mausoleum.
Gambi helps Anissa with the robbery to get the money to save the Free Clinic.
Gambi finds Kara Fowdy's body outside his apartment
Henderson tells Jefferson that Tobias Whale has been captured..
The Bottom Line
A solid episode and easily the high point of the season to date, with a number of surprises and mysteries pushing the plot forward. Strangely enough the title has almost nothing to do with the meat of the episode, with Jefferson's issues with the man who took his job being perhaps the smallest subplot of the whole episode.
Plot
Anissa's efforts at playing Robin Hood send her after another criminal enterprise, with Gambi in tow. Meanwhile, Jennifer continues to struggle with her energy powers and begins seeing a most unusual therapist as Jefferson watches the new principal of Garfield High institute sweeping changes that threaten to undo everything Jefferson ever accomplished. Lynn must deal with a difficult colleague in her efforts to study The Green Light Babies as Tobias puts Painkiller to work, replacing Syonide as his right-hand.
Influences
The Black Lightning comics of Tony Isabella. The Batman and the Outsiders comics of Mike Barr.
Performances
Cress Williams does some fantastic non-verbal acting as Jefferson cleans out his office.
Artistry
The opening sequence in which Black Lightning steps in to deal with a young woman who is high on Green Light is a perfect balance of acting, cinematography, sound editing, music use and direction. If you want to show someone what Black Lightning is like, show them this scene.
Trivia
The free clinic run by the is named in honor of Rebecca Lee Crumpler - the first African American woman to become a medical doctor in the United States in 1864.
Dr. Helga Jace is based on a character from Batman and The Outsiders. She was the royal scientist of the Markovian royal family and conducted the experiments that transformed Brion Markov into the geokinetic superhero Geo-Force by awakening his metagene. She was an ally of The Outsiders until being exposed as an agent of The Manhunters during the Millennium storyline.
The Arrowverse version of Dr. Jace is a convicted killer whose experiments lead to the deaths of one subject and the crippling of ten people.
Technobabble
Gambi has been trying to develop an antidote based on Painkiller's toxin. He asks Jefferson to see about getting a hold of one of his darts, as the sample of the toxin he took from Jefferson's blood isn't pure after interacting with Jefferson's wonky body chemistry.
Dr. Helga Jace is the leading computational chemist in the USA and no one has her experience in protein synthesis simulations.
Dr. Jace had a theory on infrared spectroscopy and its use in the treatment of neuropathy.
The same anesthesia is used on all the Green Light Babies.
Dr. Jace has an implant that disables her if she attempts to leave certain areas of the Green Light Babies facility.
Dialogue Triumphs
(Jefferson and Gambi are discussing how they have nothing to get the cops involved in searching for Tobias.)
Jefferson: So it's still all on us? Nothing's changed.
Gambi: Well, not nothing. Tobias has got Painkiller. And he's got that ASA briefcase of Proctor's which, according to your Ms. Fowdy, contains hell.
Jefferson: You know, your pep talks need work.
(Jennifer sees a picture of Anissa and Zoe B on Instagram.)
Anissa: I can't believe you're following my dating life on social media.
Jennifer: Okay, first of all, ain't nobody following your dating life. Okay? It just popped up. And second, what else do you expect me to do when the only freedom I have is to walk around the block for exercise?
(Agent Odell refuses to put pressure on the doctors Lynn wants to recruit but suggests recruiting a convicted killer to work for her instead)
Lynn: It's hard not to see this as you trying to sabotage my efforts.
Agent Odell: If I was trying to do that, you'd have failed by now.
Jefferson: The metal detectors - is that really necessary?
Lowry: Obviously. Or you'd still have this job.
(Henderson tells Jefferson about his problems with going after a man he thinks is involved in cleaning up a cop killing.)
Jefferson: So, in my ah - role as former principal of Garfield, you want me to convince him to come clean?
Henderson: I think Black Lightning might be more persuasive. I've texted you his info and mug shot.
Jefferson: Wait... so... you're cool with the whole vigilante thing?
(There is a long pause as Henderson walks around the porch a bit before facing Jefferson again.)
Henderson: Former principal?
Jefferson: I lost my job. Black Lightning saved the school. Jefferson Pierce abandoned the school and the students, so...
(Henderson nods. There is another long pause.)
Henderson: Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Good night.
(Henderson starts to walk off. He stops as Jefferson speaks but does not turn around.)
Jefferson: Bill... at some point we need to talk this out, man.
Henderson; Yep. At some point.
(Henderson keeps walking.)
Continuity
A Green Light Baby with super-strength.
Gambi determines that all the security camera footage from Garfield High showing Tobias Whale has been destroyed.
Tobias puts Painkiller to work collecting protection money.
Rev. Holt's church runs the Rebecca Lee Crumpler Free Clinic
Vladislav Zlovac is a land developer who is trying to buy the free clinic, having bought all the land around it.
Anissa is still seeing singer Zoe B. Jennifer thinks she's all wrong for her sister.
Jennifer says that while she did tell Anissa to get back out on the dating market in 202, she meant she should find a real partner instead of just having sex.
Lynn is having trouble finding doctors to work with her on the Green Light Babies project.
Agent Odell suggests Dr. Helga Jace - a doctor who is serving time for manslaughter - as a recruit for Lynn's work on the Green Light Baby project
The new principal of Garfield High is an officious man named Lowry who insists as being addressed as Principal Lowry and refuses Jefferson's invitation to tour the school.
Principal Lowry installs metal detectors in Garfield High.
Perenna is a psychic counselor, whom Gambi knew of. Lynn and Jefferson hire her to help console Jennifer.
Deputy Chief Henderson discovers Officer Summers from 202. Tobias apparently arranged to have his car torched after shooting him.
Dr. Jace's experiments caused ten patients to lose their feet and one patient lost their life. Despite this, Lynn is authorized to offer her a chance at seeing her son again in exchange for her help on the Green Light Baby project.
Reverend Holt needs over $300,000 to save the free clinic.
Painkller tells Tobias about a man named Rion who he had to track down to get him to pay his protection. Tobias tells Painkiller to make an example of him.
Anissa goes to Grace's bar and asks her out after apologizing for not calling her for a while.
There are three people in Freeland capable of doing a torch job according to Henderson. Two of them are in jail and the third won't talk to the cops.
Deputy Chief Henderson asks Jefferson to go after the man who he thinks torched the car as Black Lightning.
Painkiller kills Rion by accident after Rion falls over a rail and cracks his skull after taking one of Painkiller's darts.
Perenna creates a psychic safe space for Jennifer to work through her powers. It looks like a beauty salon. She also helps Jennifer make a box of gold to hide her feelings in.
Gambi figures that Zlovac's real-estate deal is probably a money laundering scam.
Black Lightning discovers that Painkiller hired the man who fire-bombed Detective Summers car.
Black Lightning goes to Ms. Payne and tells her to call him and ask her son to meet with Black Lightning.
Black Lightning is able to catch one of Painkiller's darts.
Tobias Whale is arrested for the murder of Alvin Pierce at his family's mausoleum.
Gambi helps Anissa with the robbery to get the money to save the Free Clinic.
Gambi finds Kara Fowdy's body outside his apartment
Henderson tells Jefferson that Tobias Whale has been captured..
The Bottom Line
A solid episode and easily the high point of the season to date, with a number of surprises and mysteries pushing the plot forward. Strangely enough the title has almost nothing to do with the meat of the episode, with Jefferson's issues with the man who took his job being perhaps the smallest subplot of the whole episode.
The Flash Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 3 - The Death Of Vibe
For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.
Plot
The good news is that Team Flash has given a name to their new enemy. The bad news is that name belongs to the one villain that XS says The Flash never managed to beat and everything she knows about that villain's history seems to have been changed by her trip to the past. Worse yet, Cicada is now stalking Cisco and intends to put an end to Vibe for all time!
Influences
The Flash comics of Geoff Johns (character of Cicada) and the BBC series Sherlock (character of Sherloque Wells, general humor of the episode and twists of the plot.)
Goofs
Caitlin says that there are 14 million people in Central City. This would give it a population larger than New York City and on-par with Istanbul, which seems unlikely even accounting for the suburbs.
How did Caitlin know that all of the people who shared the meme of Ralph stuck in his eggplant shape were from Central City?
Iris is surprisingly blase about the fact that her daughter wants to frame an innocent man for a crime he didn't commit and imprison him illegally just so that it isn't her fault that a serial killer is on the loose - a fact that rightly bothers the law-and-order minded Barry, particularly since Nora is allegedly a CSI in the future!
Why didn't Cecile push the panic button before going downstairs to see what was happening to Joe? For that matter, why did she go downstairs at all if she was telepathically feeling his pain.
Performances
The chemistry between Danielle Panabaker and Hartley Sawyer makes the episode. I know they show's writers have already said they aren't giving Caitlin anymore romantic subplots and Ralph is meant to wind up with Sue Dearborn sooner or later... but watching the sweet moments between these two is sure to inspire a lot of shipping, even though we know it isn't going to happen.
Flash Facts
This episode offers us our first look at the interior of The Arrowverse version of The Flash Museum, which first appeared in the comics in The Flash #154 (August 1965). Financed entirely by donations from the people of Central City in honor of their hometown hero, The Flash Museum has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the years, as villains have attacked it as a symbol of disrespect for The Flash or to reclaim their weapons, which became displays in the museum.
The Hall of Villains contains several items and costumes from earlier episodes. These include the costumes of The Reverse Flash, Savitar, Dr. Light, Amunet Black, Zoom, the Axl Walker version of The Trickster and The Thinker. We also see the sonic gloves of Pied Piper, Captain Cold's cold gun, Heatwave's flamethrower, the wand Cisco created to block Weather Wizard's powers, one of Captain Boomerangs boomerangs, the swords of the Samuraoid, the helmet Jay Garrick was forced to wear as Zoom's prisoner, the mask General Eiling wore while being controlled by Gorilla Grodd and the gauntlets Barry used to safely handle Vandal Savage's staff.
Nora says that in her time, the first victim of Cicada was a metahuman named Floyd Belkin. In the comics, Floyd Belkin is the real name of Arm-Fall-Off-Boy - a prospective member of The Legion of Super Heroes who had the unlikely power of being able to detach his arms from his body. He is a perennial favorite on lists of the most useless superheroes ever and was the first person to be officially rejected from The Legion in the post-Crisis Legion comics.
Nora says that nobody, not even"the League" was able to stop Cicada. This is almost certainly a reference to the Justice League.
Tom Cavanagh plays another new version of Harrison Wells - Harrison Sherloque Wells. Clearly based on the character of Sherlock Holmes, he is repotedly the greatest detective in the Multiverse. He is French or at least speaks with a French accent.
Cisco calls Sherloque Wells "Cumberbatch" at one point. This is a nod to actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the role of Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock.
When seeing Sherloque Wells' fee, XS shouts out the word "Shrap". According to Urban Dictionary, shrap is a new slang term used by teenagers which combines the words "shit" and "crap" to create an exclamation that they can use safely without getting into trouble with adults.
Sherloque Wells determines that Cicada is a man named David Hersch. In the original comics, this was the name of the man who became Cicada. It appears that this is not the case in The Arrowverse, however.
When Ciacada demands that Joe West summon Vibe, Joe says it isn't like he has some kind of Vibe Phone to call him. In the 1966 Batman TV series, Commissioner Gordon used a special phone line to summon Batman.
Cicada talks to Joe West about the importance of cherishing family. In the original comics, Cicada went insane after murdering his wife and became obsessed with resurrecting her through the ritualistic murder of people saved by The Flash.
Kolins Woods - the woods Cisco accidentally teleported into - is a nod to Scott Kolins, an artist famous for his work on The Flash and co-creator of Cicada.
Technobabble
The robber uses a high-tech gun that is solar-powered with a zero-carbon footprint.
Sherloque claims to build a psychological profile of Cicada and determines who he is based on census data cross-referenced with the location of the attacks so far.
Forensic evidence later links Hersch to several anti-government bombings.
Nora says that Sherloque was vaporized into ash after a fusion cell in The Pipeline went critical after being improperly placed in its cradle.
Cisco determines that Sherloque faked his own death in The Pipeline based on the fact that the cells run in a redundant cascade circle - if one blew, the whole Pipeline would have exploded. He also tastes the "ashes" and determines that they are ground up tea leaves - darjeeling and oolong.
Sherloque determines that Cisco accidentally teleported to the Kolins woods based on his description of it having pine trees and ash tees along with the sound of field crickets.
Dialogue Triumphs
Cisco: This is a waste of time. Thank you very much for coming, Cumberbatch-
Sherloque: I'm sure you would like it if I took my leave, right? Could have more time to recover from your recent heartbreak.
Cisco: What are you talking about?
Sherloque: Subcutaneous under-eye bruising, which indicates you've been crying. Flaky skin, which indicates dehydration, probably from alcohol consumption. Alcohol plus crying can only mean one thing - you have been dumped.
Cisco: Wrong, detective! I haven't been dumped!
Sherloque: Oh no?
Cisco: It was a mutual decision, okay? Cynthia and I, we reached a decision together as a team!
Sherloque: (shrugging) Of course.
Cisco: Okay, and I haven't been sobbing. In fact, I can't remember the last time I cried about it. Excuse me.
(Cisco hurriedly leaves the room as Sherloque raises his hand as if to say "See?")
(Cicada is asking Joe to bring Vibe to him.)
Joe West: He's just a masked do-gooder who shows up at crime scenes.
Cicada: (drawing his dagger) This could be a crime scene.
(Ralph and Caitlin are in Ralph's car.)
Ralph: Listen, Caitlin, I'm sorry.
Caitlin: For what?
Ralph: For... all of this. Just I - I felt like a complete joke after that hostage thing and then... Sherloque shows up and everyone swoons over his so-called "master detective-ness." You were nice enough to invite me along and... I pushed you into that, and...I'm really sorry.
Caitlin: Ralph, this thing you pushed me into gave me something I never had before.
Ralph: Your first felony?
Caitlin: (smiles) No. Closure. It may not be pretty, but I finally know the truth. And that means everything. So for my buck? You're the best detective a girl could ask for.
Continuity
It is revealed that STAR Labs is the site of The Flash Museum in 2032.
XS says that Cicada never got defeated in her timeline and that nobody knew who he was, how he got his powers or where he came from.
XS says that Supergirl, Green Arrow, The Legends and even "The League" (presumably The Justice League) all tried fighting Cicada but none of them could manage to defeat him.
XS says Floyd Belkin was Cicada's first victim in the history of her future and that never killed Gridlock or Block.
This confirms that Block did wind up dying after being taken to the hospital in 502.
Ralph single-handedly stops a robber with a high tech gun by disguising himself as a giant eggplant.
Herr Harrison Wolfgang Wells (The Harrison Wells of Earth 12) was last seen in 421.
Herr Wells, who is usually rude to Ciscio, actually likes The Flash, XS and Iris.
Harrison Sherloque Wells is reportedly the greatest detective in the Multiverse. He is French or at least speaks with a French accent. We are not told what Earth he is from originally.
Cicada uses the Internet at the public library to research Vibe and sees him in several pictures with Joe West.
Sherloque Wells determines that Cisco suffered a heart-break based on evidence that he had been crying recently and was dehydrated from drinking too much.
Sherloque also determines that Barry is a speedster based on the wear and tear on his shoes. He notes that Barry favors his right heel when he stops and that Nora does the same thing. He also says that Nora mimics her mother's body language more and determines that Iris had a tattoo on her shoulder that she had removed - presumably the name of a former lover.
Sherloque's fee is expensive enough that it requires Barry sell some of his STAR Labs stock to pay him. It is also high enough that Nora says it is a lot of money in her time.
Sherloque hears Ralph's footstep pattern and says that he is either a tall, sensitive man or a frightened baby giraffe. He calls Ralph "little baby giraffe" for the rest of the episode.
Ralph's most recent case involved tracking down a stolen Chevy Impala.
According to Caitlin, there's 14 million people in Central City. Apparently 500,000 of them have reposted the meme of Ralph getting stuck in his giant eggplant shape.
Caitlin's mother is seen for the first time since 305.
Ralph says that Caitlin's mom is a really good liar after she denies having anything to do with the forged birth certificate and demands Caitlin drop the matter and stop looking into the past, saying that obsessing over the past nearly ruined her father.
Sherloque Wells determines that Cicada is a man named David Hersch, who is living in a rural home with a booby-trapped workshop.
Cicada shows up at Joe West's house looking for Vibe.
Caitlin's father's name is revealed as Thomas Snow.
Caitlin used to play a game with her father where he taught her The Periodic Table but let her make up her own elements and compounds. This included an element called Nerdonium which made people smart.
Caitlin and her father used to catch bugs in the backyard and look at the constellations with a telescope they built together. She credits him with teaching her so much about science and life.
Caitlin and Ralph find a suicide note from her father among her mother's files about Thomas Snow.
David Hersch's boot size is three sizes smaller than that of Cicada. He also doesn't have a Dark Matter aura indicating he's a metahuman.
Sherloque Wells has accused 37 men named David Hersch on 37 different Earths of being Cicada. He did come up with a psychological profile for the first one but just "skipped to the end" when it came to the other 36 cases.
Sherloque has been married seven times. He has five ex-wives. His fourth and sixth wives are the same woman. He pays a lot of alimony and already spent Barry's fee on paying it.
Sherlocque blames Hersch not being Cicada on Nora's altering the timeline.
Cicada has the power to inflict extreme pain on a person through red lightning channeled through his dagger.
Cisco says that Sherloque smells vaguely of poutine.
Sherloque tries to escape by stealing one of Cisco's dimension-traveling devices, like the ones he built for Supergirl and Citizen Cold.
Sherloque says that escaping to another world was how he escaped his fourth/sixth ex-wife.
The security code on Caitlin's mother's file room is Caitlin's birthday.
Cecile's telepathy allows her to feel Joe's pain while she is asleep.
There's 14 million acres of forestland in the state Central City is in.
The closest forests to Central City are Black Forest and Roanoke Forest.
XS uses her powers to speed up her thought processes so she can think of a way to fight Cicada and save Barry. She winds up throwing lightning at Cicada and using a fusion cell from STAR Labs to create an explosion that makes it look like Vibe blew himself up. Cisco is able to escape the explosion by using his breach-making device.
Cicada also has the power to jump very far or fly.
As far as Cicada and the world are concerned, Vibe is dead.
Sherloque agrees to stay until he pays back the money he charged Barry and Iris and help to find Cicada. Mostly because Cisco's teleporters are all safely hidden away.
Barry and Iris move Nora into their loft.
Sherloque moves into STAR Labs.
Caitlin determines that her father's suicide note and work notes are a cipher to be used with her periodic table. The resulting message reads CAITLIN COME FIND ME.
Someone is watching Caitlin through STAR Labs security cameras.
Joe says he thinks Cicada is a father, based on the way he talked about cherishing family and not wanting to hurt a family man.
Cicada's real name is Orlin. He has a daughter in the hospital who is in a coma.
The doctor monitoring Cicada's daughter knows that he has a wound on his shoulder that is not healing. She tells him that he can't keep doing this and has to stop. He says he can't until he is finished.
Sherloque asks XS if it was her idea to act when Barry was punching the STAR Labs satellite or if someone asked her to do that. She seems confused by the question until he says that of course she did. She looks nervous and he does not look convinced.
Location
Flash Museum, Central City - 2032.
The Bottom Line
Not bad, overall, but not outstanding either. There are outstanding moments, however, which more than offset Barry giving another, younger speedster a hypocritical lecture about thinking things through and not jacking with the timeline.
Plot
The good news is that Team Flash has given a name to their new enemy. The bad news is that name belongs to the one villain that XS says The Flash never managed to beat and everything she knows about that villain's history seems to have been changed by her trip to the past. Worse yet, Cicada is now stalking Cisco and intends to put an end to Vibe for all time!
Influences
The Flash comics of Geoff Johns (character of Cicada) and the BBC series Sherlock (character of Sherloque Wells, general humor of the episode and twists of the plot.)
Goofs
Caitlin says that there are 14 million people in Central City. This would give it a population larger than New York City and on-par with Istanbul, which seems unlikely even accounting for the suburbs.
How did Caitlin know that all of the people who shared the meme of Ralph stuck in his eggplant shape were from Central City?
Iris is surprisingly blase about the fact that her daughter wants to frame an innocent man for a crime he didn't commit and imprison him illegally just so that it isn't her fault that a serial killer is on the loose - a fact that rightly bothers the law-and-order minded Barry, particularly since Nora is allegedly a CSI in the future!
Why didn't Cecile push the panic button before going downstairs to see what was happening to Joe? For that matter, why did she go downstairs at all if she was telepathically feeling his pain.
Performances
The chemistry between Danielle Panabaker and Hartley Sawyer makes the episode. I know they show's writers have already said they aren't giving Caitlin anymore romantic subplots and Ralph is meant to wind up with Sue Dearborn sooner or later... but watching the sweet moments between these two is sure to inspire a lot of shipping, even though we know it isn't going to happen.
Flash Facts
This episode offers us our first look at the interior of The Arrowverse version of The Flash Museum, which first appeared in the comics in The Flash #154 (August 1965). Financed entirely by donations from the people of Central City in honor of their hometown hero, The Flash Museum has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the years, as villains have attacked it as a symbol of disrespect for The Flash or to reclaim their weapons, which became displays in the museum.
The Hall of Villains contains several items and costumes from earlier episodes. These include the costumes of The Reverse Flash, Savitar, Dr. Light, Amunet Black, Zoom, the Axl Walker version of The Trickster and The Thinker. We also see the sonic gloves of Pied Piper, Captain Cold's cold gun, Heatwave's flamethrower, the wand Cisco created to block Weather Wizard's powers, one of Captain Boomerangs boomerangs, the swords of the Samuraoid, the helmet Jay Garrick was forced to wear as Zoom's prisoner, the mask General Eiling wore while being controlled by Gorilla Grodd and the gauntlets Barry used to safely handle Vandal Savage's staff.
Nora says that in her time, the first victim of Cicada was a metahuman named Floyd Belkin. In the comics, Floyd Belkin is the real name of Arm-Fall-Off-Boy - a prospective member of The Legion of Super Heroes who had the unlikely power of being able to detach his arms from his body. He is a perennial favorite on lists of the most useless superheroes ever and was the first person to be officially rejected from The Legion in the post-Crisis Legion comics.
Nora says that nobody, not even"the League" was able to stop Cicada. This is almost certainly a reference to the Justice League.
Tom Cavanagh plays another new version of Harrison Wells - Harrison Sherloque Wells. Clearly based on the character of Sherlock Holmes, he is repotedly the greatest detective in the Multiverse. He is French or at least speaks with a French accent.
Cisco calls Sherloque Wells "Cumberbatch" at one point. This is a nod to actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the role of Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock.
When seeing Sherloque Wells' fee, XS shouts out the word "Shrap". According to Urban Dictionary, shrap is a new slang term used by teenagers which combines the words "shit" and "crap" to create an exclamation that they can use safely without getting into trouble with adults.
Sherloque Wells determines that Cicada is a man named David Hersch. In the original comics, this was the name of the man who became Cicada. It appears that this is not the case in The Arrowverse, however.
When Ciacada demands that Joe West summon Vibe, Joe says it isn't like he has some kind of Vibe Phone to call him. In the 1966 Batman TV series, Commissioner Gordon used a special phone line to summon Batman.
Cicada talks to Joe West about the importance of cherishing family. In the original comics, Cicada went insane after murdering his wife and became obsessed with resurrecting her through the ritualistic murder of people saved by The Flash.
Kolins Woods - the woods Cisco accidentally teleported into - is a nod to Scott Kolins, an artist famous for his work on The Flash and co-creator of Cicada.
Technobabble
The robber uses a high-tech gun that is solar-powered with a zero-carbon footprint.
Sherloque claims to build a psychological profile of Cicada and determines who he is based on census data cross-referenced with the location of the attacks so far.
Forensic evidence later links Hersch to several anti-government bombings.
Nora says that Sherloque was vaporized into ash after a fusion cell in The Pipeline went critical after being improperly placed in its cradle.
Cisco determines that Sherloque faked his own death in The Pipeline based on the fact that the cells run in a redundant cascade circle - if one blew, the whole Pipeline would have exploded. He also tastes the "ashes" and determines that they are ground up tea leaves - darjeeling and oolong.
Sherloque determines that Cisco accidentally teleported to the Kolins woods based on his description of it having pine trees and ash tees along with the sound of field crickets.
Dialogue Triumphs
Cisco: This is a waste of time. Thank you very much for coming, Cumberbatch-
Sherloque: I'm sure you would like it if I took my leave, right? Could have more time to recover from your recent heartbreak.
Cisco: What are you talking about?
Sherloque: Subcutaneous under-eye bruising, which indicates you've been crying. Flaky skin, which indicates dehydration, probably from alcohol consumption. Alcohol plus crying can only mean one thing - you have been dumped.
Cisco: Wrong, detective! I haven't been dumped!
Sherloque: Oh no?
Cisco: It was a mutual decision, okay? Cynthia and I, we reached a decision together as a team!
Sherloque: (shrugging) Of course.
Cisco: Okay, and I haven't been sobbing. In fact, I can't remember the last time I cried about it. Excuse me.
(Cisco hurriedly leaves the room as Sherloque raises his hand as if to say "See?")
(Cicada is asking Joe to bring Vibe to him.)
Joe West: He's just a masked do-gooder who shows up at crime scenes.
Cicada: (drawing his dagger) This could be a crime scene.
(Ralph and Caitlin are in Ralph's car.)
Ralph: Listen, Caitlin, I'm sorry.
Caitlin: For what?
Ralph: For... all of this. Just I - I felt like a complete joke after that hostage thing and then... Sherloque shows up and everyone swoons over his so-called "master detective-ness." You were nice enough to invite me along and... I pushed you into that, and...I'm really sorry.
Caitlin: Ralph, this thing you pushed me into gave me something I never had before.
Ralph: Your first felony?
Caitlin: (smiles) No. Closure. It may not be pretty, but I finally know the truth. And that means everything. So for my buck? You're the best detective a girl could ask for.
Continuity
It is revealed that STAR Labs is the site of The Flash Museum in 2032.
XS says that Cicada never got defeated in her timeline and that nobody knew who he was, how he got his powers or where he came from.
XS says that Supergirl, Green Arrow, The Legends and even "The League" (presumably The Justice League) all tried fighting Cicada but none of them could manage to defeat him.
XS says Floyd Belkin was Cicada's first victim in the history of her future and that never killed Gridlock or Block.
This confirms that Block did wind up dying after being taken to the hospital in 502.
Ralph single-handedly stops a robber with a high tech gun by disguising himself as a giant eggplant.
Herr Harrison Wolfgang Wells (The Harrison Wells of Earth 12) was last seen in 421.
Herr Wells, who is usually rude to Ciscio, actually likes The Flash, XS and Iris.
Harrison Sherloque Wells is reportedly the greatest detective in the Multiverse. He is French or at least speaks with a French accent. We are not told what Earth he is from originally.
Cicada uses the Internet at the public library to research Vibe and sees him in several pictures with Joe West.
Sherloque Wells determines that Cisco suffered a heart-break based on evidence that he had been crying recently and was dehydrated from drinking too much.
Sherloque also determines that Barry is a speedster based on the wear and tear on his shoes. He notes that Barry favors his right heel when he stops and that Nora does the same thing. He also says that Nora mimics her mother's body language more and determines that Iris had a tattoo on her shoulder that she had removed - presumably the name of a former lover.
Sherloque's fee is expensive enough that it requires Barry sell some of his STAR Labs stock to pay him. It is also high enough that Nora says it is a lot of money in her time.
Sherloque hears Ralph's footstep pattern and says that he is either a tall, sensitive man or a frightened baby giraffe. He calls Ralph "little baby giraffe" for the rest of the episode.
Ralph's most recent case involved tracking down a stolen Chevy Impala.
According to Caitlin, there's 14 million people in Central City. Apparently 500,000 of them have reposted the meme of Ralph getting stuck in his giant eggplant shape.
Caitlin's mother is seen for the first time since 305.
Ralph says that Caitlin's mom is a really good liar after she denies having anything to do with the forged birth certificate and demands Caitlin drop the matter and stop looking into the past, saying that obsessing over the past nearly ruined her father.
Sherloque Wells determines that Cicada is a man named David Hersch, who is living in a rural home with a booby-trapped workshop.
Cicada shows up at Joe West's house looking for Vibe.
Caitlin's father's name is revealed as Thomas Snow.
Caitlin used to play a game with her father where he taught her The Periodic Table but let her make up her own elements and compounds. This included an element called Nerdonium which made people smart.
Caitlin and her father used to catch bugs in the backyard and look at the constellations with a telescope they built together. She credits him with teaching her so much about science and life.
Caitlin and Ralph find a suicide note from her father among her mother's files about Thomas Snow.
David Hersch's boot size is three sizes smaller than that of Cicada. He also doesn't have a Dark Matter aura indicating he's a metahuman.
Sherloque Wells has accused 37 men named David Hersch on 37 different Earths of being Cicada. He did come up with a psychological profile for the first one but just "skipped to the end" when it came to the other 36 cases.
Sherloque has been married seven times. He has five ex-wives. His fourth and sixth wives are the same woman. He pays a lot of alimony and already spent Barry's fee on paying it.
Sherlocque blames Hersch not being Cicada on Nora's altering the timeline.
Cicada has the power to inflict extreme pain on a person through red lightning channeled through his dagger.
Cisco says that Sherloque smells vaguely of poutine.
Sherloque tries to escape by stealing one of Cisco's dimension-traveling devices, like the ones he built for Supergirl and Citizen Cold.
Sherloque says that escaping to another world was how he escaped his fourth/sixth ex-wife.
The security code on Caitlin's mother's file room is Caitlin's birthday.
Cecile's telepathy allows her to feel Joe's pain while she is asleep.
There's 14 million acres of forestland in the state Central City is in.
The closest forests to Central City are Black Forest and Roanoke Forest.
XS uses her powers to speed up her thought processes so she can think of a way to fight Cicada and save Barry. She winds up throwing lightning at Cicada and using a fusion cell from STAR Labs to create an explosion that makes it look like Vibe blew himself up. Cisco is able to escape the explosion by using his breach-making device.
Cicada also has the power to jump very far or fly.
As far as Cicada and the world are concerned, Vibe is dead.
Sherloque agrees to stay until he pays back the money he charged Barry and Iris and help to find Cicada. Mostly because Cisco's teleporters are all safely hidden away.
Barry and Iris move Nora into their loft.
Sherloque moves into STAR Labs.
Caitlin determines that her father's suicide note and work notes are a cipher to be used with her periodic table. The resulting message reads CAITLIN COME FIND ME.
Someone is watching Caitlin through STAR Labs security cameras.
Joe says he thinks Cicada is a father, based on the way he talked about cherishing family and not wanting to hurt a family man.
Cicada's real name is Orlin. He has a daughter in the hospital who is in a coma.
The doctor monitoring Cicada's daughter knows that he has a wound on his shoulder that is not healing. She tells him that he can't keep doing this and has to stop. He says he can't until he is finished.
Sherloque asks XS if it was her idea to act when Barry was punching the STAR Labs satellite or if someone asked her to do that. She seems confused by the question until he says that of course she did. She looks nervous and he does not look convinced.
Location
Flash Museum, Central City - 2032.
The Bottom Line
Not bad, overall, but not outstanding either. There are outstanding moments, however, which more than offset Barry giving another, younger speedster a hypocritical lecture about thinking things through and not jacking with the timeline.
Your enjoyment may be limited to how amused you are by watching Tom Cavanagh riff on his Harrison Wells character with yet another wacky-accented variation. The Barry/Nora/Iris triangle is getting increasingly tired but the introduction of Sherloque throws an interesting wrinkle into the proceedings. Strangely enough, there doesn't seem to be much of Cisco in this episode despite the main plot largely being devoted to him. Yet somehow, Caitlin and Ralph researching her drama proves to be the most compelling part of the episode, though that may largely be due to the performances.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Starman Plays Betrayal at Krondor - Part 41
In which I demonstrate how you can use the sudden rise in prices around Romney and your new spider artifact to make yourself a fair bit richer before indulging in a bit of honest thievery as Squire James becomes Jimmy The Hand once again.
Legends of Tomorrow: Season 4, Episode 1 - The Virgin Gary
For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.
Plot
The Time Demon Mallus is defeated but he wasn't the only thing unleashed when his prison in time was broken. Now all manner of magical beasts are running wild around the time-stream. John Constantine thinks he knows how to defeat the new threat, but he will need the help of The Legends and their special brand of chaos and kleptomania to help him set things straight.
The problem is that with The Time Bureau finally off their backs about The Anachronisms they caused when they broke time over a year ago, The Legends aren't convinced that anything is really wrong five months after John's doom-saying in Aruba. Still, circumstances will see various members of The Legends traveling to Woodstock to investigate a disturbance in the time-stream on the down-low to make sure things really are okay. Meanwhile, Nate and Rory go on an adventure of their own, leaving Nate facing someone from his past he's been avoiding since joining The Legends.
Influences
The NBC Constantine series (music, general tone of the John and Sara scenes, John's technobable regarding his spells and the artifacts he has.) and Woodstock: The Movie (split-screen sequence, music used)
Performances
Dominic Purcell's comic timing cannot be praised enough. There are many great lines here that are great precisely because of how he says them.
The interplay between Caity Lotz and Matt Ryan is amazing. Honestly, I could just watch a Canary & Constantine series forever.
Artistry
The effects for the unicorn are nice. Not at all realistic, but perfect for what they are meant to convey.
Trivia Of Tomorrow
The Legends of Tomorrow title card for this episode includes a magical seal similar to the one from the title card of the Constantine series.
When John first appears in the shadows, his musical sting from the Constantine series plays.
When John first approaches Sara in this episode, he says something about how The Darkness is Rising. The great evil that John was fighting in his short-lived solo series was The Rising Darkness.
Tom Wilson, who plays the role of Hank Haywood, is most famous for his affiliation with another famous time-travel comedy franchise. He played the various members of The Tannen Family in the Back To The Future films.
The split-screen editing used when Sara, Zari, Nate and Ray are talking to each other is a visual reference to Woodstock: The Movie.
There's a bit of a nod to John's famous battle during The Newcastle Incident here, with John attempting to save an innocent from being dragged into Hell. This time, however, he is successful.
Technobabble/Arcana
The knuckle bones of a martyred saint can act as a divining rod and be used to detect the presence of beings not of the material world.
Unicorns are vicious predators whose beautiful appearance enraptures the unwary. They impale people on their horns and eat their hearts. They are immune to fire.They also spray a glittery musk that has psychotropic effects.
John Constantine has King Solomon's original grimoire - the oldest magical textbook in existence.
The spell to banish a magical creature from the mortal realm requires a number of rare ingredients - the saliva of a nine-fingered man, the protection stone of a powerful shaman and a lock of hair from a doomed woman. In the case of a unicorn, it also requires a virgin as bait.
Dialogue Triumphs
Mick: Never met an Englishman I haven't wanted to punch in the face.
Nate: Relax, Mick. If it wasn't for The British Invasion, there'd be no Rolling Stones. No Led Zep. (pauses) No Black Sabbath.
Mick: (suddenly quiet) Black Sabbath?
Nate: Nope.
Mick: (stammering) Well then, we-we've got to protect these mop-heads from whatever is screwing up history!
Nate: Look, all I know is Constantine promised us new, mysterious monsters. So... where all they are hiding?
Sara: I'm confused. We are all happy that there was only one dragon, right?! We don't want to be fighting werewolves at The Alamo!
Nate: (shrugs) Eh.
Ray: Well, it would be good for our ratings.
(Everyone just stares at Ray.)
Sara: What ratings?
Ray: Oh, you don't know? The Time Bureau rates all of their employees. But don't worry. We have a few dedicated fans.
Zari: Yeah, Gary doesn't count.
(John has just left Ava's apartment.)
Ava: Should I be worried about your ex-lover breaking into my apartment, or...?
Sara: (smiling) Well, I thought that... this was our apartment?
Ava: (sighs) You. Are. Smooth.
(Mick revs the engine on his stolen car.)
Mick: You ready to steal something, Pretty?
Nate: Yeah. I could do some light theft.
Mick: What is this? Spring Break? I'm talking about a felony.
Dorothy: Mr. Rory, do you like, ah- sandwiches?
Mick: You bet your ass I do, ma'am!
The entire sequence of everyone starring at the majesty of the unicorn enraptured as it approaches the hippie woman holding a flower... only to impale her through the chest, throw her to the ground and start eating her heart.
John: You know, for someone with a time-traveling machine, you seem to be in an awful hurry-
Sara: John, the unicorn has already gored two hippies!
John: Oh-ho! A unicorn?
Sara: Yeah.
John: Well, alright, I'm in. But first I need to know - was any of your team get... musked by the beast?
Sara: If that's what you're calling its sparkle sauce, then yeah. Why?
John: (grins) Oh, they're in... for one hell of a ride.
John: I'm just trying to look after you, love. You and I are both similar. We're both survivors but our survival comes at a terrible cost. Look - You can take it from a man whose brought nothing but misery to everyone he's ever loved. Trust me. End it with Ava before its too late.
Sara: You ever think that you cause misery, not because of some romantic "I was born to walk alone" crap but because you're an ass who doesn't know how to trust people?
John: You know, I trust... that people around me get hurt, killed, or far, far worse.
Sara: You think that I'm not scared? That I don't know grief?
(John shrugs.)
Sara: I'm not willing to turn my back on life. Because that is exactly what you are doing, John! Our friends and family, they don't make us weaker. They make us stronger. (pauses and smiles) You know what you need? YOU need to be a part of a team.
(John snorts at this and starts to turn around to walk off. He stops and makes a face.)
(Cut to: John's POV as we see Ray kissing a tree, Zari rolling around on the grass and Nate and Mick playing wheelbarrow. Sara turns to look at what John is looking at and sighs.)
John: You were saying?
(John is searching through King Solomon's grimoire looking for a spell to fight a unicorn)
Sara: Well, not to pressure you, but the entire fate of the sexual revolution is in the balance here.
John: That IS my favorite revolution.
Continuity
Five months have passed since John Constantine met The Legends in Aruba in 318.
Paul Revere shows up in the midst of The Beatles arrival at JFK on Februrary 7, 1964.
Returning Paul Revere to his proper place in time is the final anachronism The Legends needed to fix.
Wally West is said to have left The Legends to travel the world and find himself, as per his discussion with Joe West in F501.
Zari, Ray and Nate each told Ava about John Constantine's slaying a dragon and his warning that more monsters were coming.
Sara and Ava are still dating.
Zari has figured out that Ray helped Nora Darhk escape in 318. She says he's a good guy for doing it, however.
Ava asks Sara to move in with her. Sara accepts.
The Legends are given medals for their work. Unfortunately, Gary confiscates them as the existence of The Time Bureau is top-secret.
Nate's parents live in Washington DC.
Henry "Hank" Haywood just took a new job with the Pentagon. He disapproves of his son's career and resents his not joining the military, despite Nate being a hemophiliac.
Sara gets Gary to scan the timeline for anomalies. He finds one in Woodstock in 1969. Sara steals his Time Courier to go there.
Ray has Gideon monitoring the Time Bureau for unusual activity. He detects Sara's noticing the anomaly in Woodstock and takes The Waverider's jump-ship to go there. Zari comes with him. Ray thinks Nora is the cause of the anomaly.
Zari doesn't know what a hippie is.
Ray still carries his Eagle Scout compass.
Zari and Ray discover a dad body in a tree that had its heart ripped out.
Nate has barely called his parents in the last two years.
Nate figures out that history has changed after his father says he has nothing but pity for the Hippies after what happened at The Woodstock Massacre.
The Woodstock Massacre ended the Hippie movement before it started in the new reality. Reports from the survivors are sketchy but it's agreed that there were a series of murders that ultimately led to the stampede of a panicking crowd of 400,000 people trying to escape at once.
Nate and Ray are both Bronies.
John is about to have a threesome with two contortionists when Sara finds him.
Mick's father beat him, burned him and dressed like a clown to scare him when he was a child.
Nate's father was emotionally distant and cold toward him when he was a kid.
Nate sees Mick as his father.
Mick sees Nate as his dead rate, Axl.
Zari begins seeing love as a light around her. While she's high on the unicorn musk, she realizes Ray has fallen in live with Nora Darhk.
Roy hallucinates that a tree is Nora Darhk and starts kissing it.
The spell to banish a magical creature from the mortal realm requires a number of rare ingredients - the saliva of a nine-fingered man, the protection stone of a powerful shaman and a lock of hair from a doomed woman. Nate gets the saliva of a nine-fingered man by stealing a joint from Jerry Garcia, who lost most of one finger in a wood-chopping accident. Mick steals a necklace from Jimi Hendricks. A shrunken Ray steals a lock of hair from Janis Joplin.
Something happened between Gary Green and John Constantine, but John insists that it doesn't count as sex and that Gary is still a virgin. Technically.
The effects of the banishment spell opens a portal to Hell that draws the magical creature into it.
The unicorn bites off Gary's left nipple.
John offers to take Gary to go get a drink and maybe do something about the "virgin" situation.
Nate goes to visit his dad with a six-pack of beer so they can talk.
Ray claims to have felt a spark when he touched Nora Darhk's hand when he gave her the time stone.
Zari and her mother lived in Washington D.C in 2018.
Zari says she knows she can't change her family's past without screwing up the timeline and dooming all the people she saved as a Legend but she still feels guilty.
Ava puts The Legends medals in a frame on the wall of her kitchen.
Gary finally told Ava about the monsters being unleashed into the time stream.
Sara decides to not move in with Ava just yet.
John is attacked in his hotel room by some presence that says it is coming for him, writing a message in blood on his mirror.
Location
JFK Airport, New York City - February 7, 1964.
Time Bureau HQ, Washington DC - 2018
Ava Sharpe's Brownstone, Washington DC - 2018.
The Haywood Home, Washington DC - 2018
Woodstock, New York - 1969
John Constantine's Hotel Room, Washington DC - 2018
Untelevised Adventures
Something happened to John within the past five months that has made him more miserable than usual.
The Bottom Line
Words cannot express how much I missed this show and how much I loved this episode. It's goofy fun and Constantine only makes it better, with the whole episode feeling like some lost Garth Ennis story. Practically perfect in every way.
Plot
The Time Demon Mallus is defeated but he wasn't the only thing unleashed when his prison in time was broken. Now all manner of magical beasts are running wild around the time-stream. John Constantine thinks he knows how to defeat the new threat, but he will need the help of The Legends and their special brand of chaos and kleptomania to help him set things straight.
The problem is that with The Time Bureau finally off their backs about The Anachronisms they caused when they broke time over a year ago, The Legends aren't convinced that anything is really wrong five months after John's doom-saying in Aruba. Still, circumstances will see various members of The Legends traveling to Woodstock to investigate a disturbance in the time-stream on the down-low to make sure things really are okay. Meanwhile, Nate and Rory go on an adventure of their own, leaving Nate facing someone from his past he's been avoiding since joining The Legends.
Influences
The NBC Constantine series (music, general tone of the John and Sara scenes, John's technobable regarding his spells and the artifacts he has.) and Woodstock: The Movie (split-screen sequence, music used)
Performances
Dominic Purcell's comic timing cannot be praised enough. There are many great lines here that are great precisely because of how he says them.
The interplay between Caity Lotz and Matt Ryan is amazing. Honestly, I could just watch a Canary & Constantine series forever.
Artistry
The effects for the unicorn are nice. Not at all realistic, but perfect for what they are meant to convey.
Trivia Of Tomorrow
The Legends of Tomorrow title card for this episode includes a magical seal similar to the one from the title card of the Constantine series.
When John first appears in the shadows, his musical sting from the Constantine series plays.
When John first approaches Sara in this episode, he says something about how The Darkness is Rising. The great evil that John was fighting in his short-lived solo series was The Rising Darkness.
Tom Wilson, who plays the role of Hank Haywood, is most famous for his affiliation with another famous time-travel comedy franchise. He played the various members of The Tannen Family in the Back To The Future films.
The split-screen editing used when Sara, Zari, Nate and Ray are talking to each other is a visual reference to Woodstock: The Movie.
There's a bit of a nod to John's famous battle during The Newcastle Incident here, with John attempting to save an innocent from being dragged into Hell. This time, however, he is successful.
Technobabble/Arcana
The knuckle bones of a martyred saint can act as a divining rod and be used to detect the presence of beings not of the material world.
Unicorns are vicious predators whose beautiful appearance enraptures the unwary. They impale people on their horns and eat their hearts. They are immune to fire.They also spray a glittery musk that has psychotropic effects.
John Constantine has King Solomon's original grimoire - the oldest magical textbook in existence.
The spell to banish a magical creature from the mortal realm requires a number of rare ingredients - the saliva of a nine-fingered man, the protection stone of a powerful shaman and a lock of hair from a doomed woman. In the case of a unicorn, it also requires a virgin as bait.
Dialogue Triumphs
Mick: Never met an Englishman I haven't wanted to punch in the face.
Nate: Relax, Mick. If it wasn't for The British Invasion, there'd be no Rolling Stones. No Led Zep. (pauses) No Black Sabbath.
Mick: (suddenly quiet) Black Sabbath?
Nate: Nope.
Mick: (stammering) Well then, we-we've got to protect these mop-heads from whatever is screwing up history!
Nate: Look, all I know is Constantine promised us new, mysterious monsters. So... where all they are hiding?
Sara: I'm confused. We are all happy that there was only one dragon, right?! We don't want to be fighting werewolves at The Alamo!
Nate: (shrugs) Eh.
Ray: Well, it would be good for our ratings.
(Everyone just stares at Ray.)
Sara: What ratings?
Ray: Oh, you don't know? The Time Bureau rates all of their employees. But don't worry. We have a few dedicated fans.
Zari: Yeah, Gary doesn't count.
(John has just left Ava's apartment.)
Ava: Should I be worried about your ex-lover breaking into my apartment, or...?
Sara: (smiling) Well, I thought that... this was our apartment?
Ava: (sighs) You. Are. Smooth.
(Mick revs the engine on his stolen car.)
Mick: You ready to steal something, Pretty?
Nate: Yeah. I could do some light theft.
Mick: What is this? Spring Break? I'm talking about a felony.
Dorothy: Mr. Rory, do you like, ah- sandwiches?
Mick: You bet your ass I do, ma'am!
The entire sequence of everyone starring at the majesty of the unicorn enraptured as it approaches the hippie woman holding a flower... only to impale her through the chest, throw her to the ground and start eating her heart.
John: You know, for someone with a time-traveling machine, you seem to be in an awful hurry-
Sara: John, the unicorn has already gored two hippies!
John: Oh-ho! A unicorn?
Sara: Yeah.
John: Well, alright, I'm in. But first I need to know - was any of your team get... musked by the beast?
Sara: If that's what you're calling its sparkle sauce, then yeah. Why?
John: (grins) Oh, they're in... for one hell of a ride.
John: I'm just trying to look after you, love. You and I are both similar. We're both survivors but our survival comes at a terrible cost. Look - You can take it from a man whose brought nothing but misery to everyone he's ever loved. Trust me. End it with Ava before its too late.
Sara: You ever think that you cause misery, not because of some romantic "I was born to walk alone" crap but because you're an ass who doesn't know how to trust people?
John: You know, I trust... that people around me get hurt, killed, or far, far worse.
Sara: You think that I'm not scared? That I don't know grief?
(John shrugs.)
Sara: I'm not willing to turn my back on life. Because that is exactly what you are doing, John! Our friends and family, they don't make us weaker. They make us stronger. (pauses and smiles) You know what you need? YOU need to be a part of a team.
(John snorts at this and starts to turn around to walk off. He stops and makes a face.)
(Cut to: John's POV as we see Ray kissing a tree, Zari rolling around on the grass and Nate and Mick playing wheelbarrow. Sara turns to look at what John is looking at and sighs.)
John: You were saying?
(John is searching through King Solomon's grimoire looking for a spell to fight a unicorn)
Sara: Well, not to pressure you, but the entire fate of the sexual revolution is in the balance here.
John: That IS my favorite revolution.
Continuity
Five months have passed since John Constantine met The Legends in Aruba in 318.
Paul Revere shows up in the midst of The Beatles arrival at JFK on Februrary 7, 1964.
Returning Paul Revere to his proper place in time is the final anachronism The Legends needed to fix.
Wally West is said to have left The Legends to travel the world and find himself, as per his discussion with Joe West in F501.
Zari, Ray and Nate each told Ava about John Constantine's slaying a dragon and his warning that more monsters were coming.
Sara and Ava are still dating.
Zari has figured out that Ray helped Nora Darhk escape in 318. She says he's a good guy for doing it, however.
Ava asks Sara to move in with her. Sara accepts.
The Legends are given medals for their work. Unfortunately, Gary confiscates them as the existence of The Time Bureau is top-secret.
Nate's parents live in Washington DC.
Henry "Hank" Haywood just took a new job with the Pentagon. He disapproves of his son's career and resents his not joining the military, despite Nate being a hemophiliac.
Sara gets Gary to scan the timeline for anomalies. He finds one in Woodstock in 1969. Sara steals his Time Courier to go there.
Ray has Gideon monitoring the Time Bureau for unusual activity. He detects Sara's noticing the anomaly in Woodstock and takes The Waverider's jump-ship to go there. Zari comes with him. Ray thinks Nora is the cause of the anomaly.
Zari doesn't know what a hippie is.
Ray still carries his Eagle Scout compass.
Zari and Ray discover a dad body in a tree that had its heart ripped out.
Nate has barely called his parents in the last two years.
Nate figures out that history has changed after his father says he has nothing but pity for the Hippies after what happened at The Woodstock Massacre.
The Woodstock Massacre ended the Hippie movement before it started in the new reality. Reports from the survivors are sketchy but it's agreed that there were a series of murders that ultimately led to the stampede of a panicking crowd of 400,000 people trying to escape at once.
Nate and Ray are both Bronies.
John is about to have a threesome with two contortionists when Sara finds him.
Mick's father beat him, burned him and dressed like a clown to scare him when he was a child.
Nate's father was emotionally distant and cold toward him when he was a kid.
Nate sees Mick as his father.
Mick sees Nate as his dead rate, Axl.
Zari begins seeing love as a light around her. While she's high on the unicorn musk, she realizes Ray has fallen in live with Nora Darhk.
Roy hallucinates that a tree is Nora Darhk and starts kissing it.
The spell to banish a magical creature from the mortal realm requires a number of rare ingredients - the saliva of a nine-fingered man, the protection stone of a powerful shaman and a lock of hair from a doomed woman. Nate gets the saliva of a nine-fingered man by stealing a joint from Jerry Garcia, who lost most of one finger in a wood-chopping accident. Mick steals a necklace from Jimi Hendricks. A shrunken Ray steals a lock of hair from Janis Joplin.
Something happened between Gary Green and John Constantine, but John insists that it doesn't count as sex and that Gary is still a virgin. Technically.
The effects of the banishment spell opens a portal to Hell that draws the magical creature into it.
The unicorn bites off Gary's left nipple.
John offers to take Gary to go get a drink and maybe do something about the "virgin" situation.
Nate goes to visit his dad with a six-pack of beer so they can talk.
Ray claims to have felt a spark when he touched Nora Darhk's hand when he gave her the time stone.
Zari and her mother lived in Washington D.C in 2018.
Zari says she knows she can't change her family's past without screwing up the timeline and dooming all the people she saved as a Legend but she still feels guilty.
Ava puts The Legends medals in a frame on the wall of her kitchen.
Gary finally told Ava about the monsters being unleashed into the time stream.
Sara decides to not move in with Ava just yet.
John is attacked in his hotel room by some presence that says it is coming for him, writing a message in blood on his mirror.
Location
JFK Airport, New York City - February 7, 1964.
Time Bureau HQ, Washington DC - 2018
Ava Sharpe's Brownstone, Washington DC - 2018.
The Haywood Home, Washington DC - 2018
Woodstock, New York - 1969
John Constantine's Hotel Room, Washington DC - 2018
Untelevised Adventures
Something happened to John within the past five months that has made him more miserable than usual.
The Bottom Line
Words cannot express how much I missed this show and how much I loved this episode. It's goofy fun and Constantine only makes it better, with the whole episode feeling like some lost Garth Ennis story. Practically perfect in every way.
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