Legends Of Tomorrow Season 4, Episode 14: Nip/Stuck

I'm playing catch up this month, so please excuse this dreadfully late review. I'm determined to finish the season even if it kills me.

This week on Legends Of Tomorrow we get an actual decent episode, something that hasn't happened a lot in the back half of the season. Thing is, if this episode had aired during the heyday of Seasons 2 and 3, it'd be considered average at best. As part of the very uneven Season 4 though, it feels like freakin' Shakespeare.

I'm convinced part of the problem is the sudden importance of Gary Green and Mona Wu. Unlike many fans out there who actively loathe them, I actually kind of like Gary and Mona. That said, I feel they work best in (very) small doses, as supporting characters. I'm at a loss to understand their sudden meteoric rise to prominence, as they literally shove the regular cast aside.

If I had to identify the theme of this episode, I suppose I'd say redemption. Heat Wave makes a rash decision that almost kills the Legends, but makes up for it in the end. Nora's given a chance at a new life with the Time Bureau. And Constantine rises above his dark nature and sacrifices himself to save Atom.

And then there's the pointless Gary subplot that trashes my little analysis.

There's also a not-so-subtle jab at trump and his stance on immigration that I found grating and annoying. Not because it disrespected the embarrassment-in-chief mind you, but because it was so painfully obvious.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
Atom, who's been possessed by Neron, brings Constantine to the Donner Pass in the Ice Age. He orders him to open up a doorway to Hell, so the mysterious Tabitha (first mentioned in The Eggplant, The Witch & The Wardrobe) can come through. Constantine refuses, and asks what happened to Gary Green. Neron says he's taking care of things at the Time Bureau.

At the Bureau, Nora Darhk starts her first day as an agent. Unfortunately, rather than sending her out to rescue Atom, Director Sharpe gives her a stack of paperwork to fill out. When Nora balks, Sharpe reminds her she was an evil witch, so she needs to be a team player and prove herself. Nora admits she's right.

Sharpe enters her office and finds Gary sitting in her chair. When she asks what the hell, he tells her to shut the door and says they need to talk.

On the Waverider, Steel and the others want to race off to find Atom and Constantine. White Canary says they have no idea where or when they are, and until they do they'll have to sit tight. She has Gideon search the timeline for magical signatures.

Meanwhile, Neron taunts Constantine by telling him Atom is completely gone and impossible to save. To prove it he starts to slice Atom's throat with a knife (wait, wouldn't that destroy his vessel?). Constantine turns the knife into a feather (I think).

Back at the Bureau, Sharpe exits her meeting with Gary, acting oddly. She gathers the staff and announces they're all to report to Gary's office for performance reviews. Mona asks if this is really the best time for such a thing, and if Gary's the right person for the job. Sharpe mechanically says "Gary Green is all the man we need."

On the Waverider, Steel's playing music for the dragon egg and seeing that no harm comes to it. Zari worries that he's going overboard, but Steel says he has to hatch the dragon so Atom can see it. Gideon detects Constantine's magical signature in the Ice Age, and the Legends take off to rescue him.

The ship arrives at the Donner Pass, and Neron contacts the Legends and tells them Atom's dead. Constantine tells Canary to open fire and kill them both while she has the chance. Steel says if they destroy Atom's body, they'll never get him back. Canary hesitates, so Heat Wave steps in and hits the fire button. Neron teleports away with Constantine, and the blasters cause a massive avalanche. The Waverider's then buried under tons of ice and snow.

Gideon reports that the ship's hopelessly trapped (?) and main power's almost gone (???). She says the ice will melt off the ship in eleven thousand years or so. Canary tries contacting the Bureau, but Sharpe ignores her. The Legends blame Heat Wave for trapping them, but he says when a team mate goes dark you have to end them.

Neron takes Constantine to a Celtic village near Stonehenge in 55 BC. Constantine reminds Neron that even if he did help him, the portals he generates are one way— they lead into Hell, but nothing can come through one. Neron says that's why he brought him to Stonehenge— so Constantine can learn more powerful magic from the locals. 

Just then they see King Konstentyn arrive with his men. Constantine's surprised to see the King looks exactly like him, and Neron says he's a distant ancestor. Konstentyn's carrying a cage containing a "dangerous" magical creature he captured.

Back at the Bureau, Mona's suspicious of Gary and asks Nora to help her figure out what's going on. Nora doesn't want to rock the boat on her first day, until a fellow Agent enters and blankly states, "Gary Green Is All The Man We Need." Nora agrees to help Mona.

On the Waverider, Canary, Heat Wave & Charlie open the cargo door and try to hack their way through the ice (?). Canary says this wouldn't have happened if Heat Wave & Charlie hadn't been off scamming Romanti-Con. Heat Wave reminds Canary that she was having fun with her girlfriend instead of captaining the ship as she should have been. The two stalk off in opposite directions.

At Stonehenge, Konstentyn gathers his people, as Constantine and Neron look on. Konstentyn tells the crowd their lives are being threatened by magical creatures. He reveals a Puca (some kind of little troll-like thing) in a cage, and says it's a bloodthirsty beast that should be condemned to Hell. Constantine's puzzled, as he says Pucas are harmless. Neron tells him that Konstentyn is fanning the flames of fear, and using them to bolster his own magical powers.

At the Bureau, Mona notices more and more agents have been hypnotized. She pretends she's been zapped as well, in order to avoid suspicion. Suddenly Nora yanks her into an office and says something bad's definitely going on.

Meanwhile the temperature continues to drop on the Waverider. Steel and Zari try to keep the dragon egg warm, but end up heating up one another as they kiss. As Canary tries to figure a way out of their predicament, Gideon informs her there are only thirty four hours of power left. Charlie gets Canary and Heat Wave to make up, and they all agree that Atom would have a plan.

Nora tricks Mona into entering the a containment cell and locks her in. When Mona asks what's happening, Nora reveals she's been zapped as well, saying, "Gary Green Is All The Man We Need." Mona immediately freaks out, saying she's going to die alone in a government jail. Suddenly her hand morphs into Kuape form and scratches, "NOT ALONE" into the concrete wall. Mona realizes her Wolfie persona's with her (more on this nonsense below).

At Stonehenge, Constantine approaches Konstentyn and tries to convince him not to send the Puca to Hell. He says there's a real demon in their midst, and asks his ancestor to help banish him. Konstentyn sees a man with his own face, assumes Constantine's the demon in question and knocks him out.

On the Waverider, Heat Wave finds a book titled Ray Palmer's Survival Guide. They look up "What To Do If You're Caught In An Avalanche," but see they've already tried all his suggestions. His final piece of advice is to enjoy the time they have left with each other. Canary then orders Gideon to turn up the power full blast, saying if they're gonna die, they might as well do so in style.

Constantine wakes tied to a pillar, next to the Puca. Neron shows up and taunts him, asking if he knows what his former enemies will do to him in Hell. He says the only thing he fears is having to watch Atom and Astra suffer there. Neron asks Constantine once again to open the portal, but he still refuses. Constantine asks who Tabitha is, and why she's so important to Neron. He only replies that Constantine sent her to Hell once before (Hmmm...).

Just then Konstentyn's men arrive and bring Constantine and the Puca to an altar. Konstentyn whips the crowd into a frenzy again, and their hate and fear are absorbed into his magic (I guess?) sword. He points the sword at a stone slab, which generates a portal to Hell. Constantine and the Puca are pulled toward it.

On the ship, the Legends play Atom's Cards To Save The Timeline game while eating, drinking and generally living it up. Suddenly Gideon informs them that the heat generated by their wasteful use of power has melted the ice around the ship. The Legends take their seats on the bridge, and Canary guns the engines. The ship breaks free, and Gideon reports all systems are back online. The Legends blast off to save Constantine.

At the Bureau. Sharpe and Nora escort Mona into Gary's office. Inside, he accuses her of being disloyal and says he'll have to correct that. He opens his shirt and reveals his nipple, which is actually a bloodshot, hypnotizing eye. Mona shrieks and transforms into Wolfie.

At Stonehenge, Constantine and the Puca are about to be pulled into the portal. At the last second, Constantine uses a spell to siphon the villager's fear and use it to stabilize the portal. He tells the Puca to run, then grabs a sword and begins fighting Konstentyn. 

He tells the King he used his own magic against him, then chops off his ancestor's hand. Konstentyn vows he'll always choose his people over magical creatures, and is lead away by a villager.

Neron approaches and Constantine attacks him. Neron summons a sword of his own, and the two fight. Constantine manages to pin down Neron, and prepares to kill him. Just then the Waverider arrives, and Canary and Heat Wave see what's happening. They tell Constantine not to kill Neron, as they're not ready to give up on Atom.

Constantine's torn, but then makes a decision. He says he's going to save Atom and jumps into the portal, which now opens both ways. The second he disappears, the mysterious Tabitha comes through. As the sparks clear, we see she's actually the Fairy Godmother from Witch Hunt (!), who was banished to Hell by Constantine in that same episode.

Neron approaches Tabitha and welcomes her. She says it's great to finally be back, and she and Neron kiss. They teleport away.

At the Bureau, Gary runs from Wolfie, yelling for help. Sharpe and Nora respond and begin battling the were-woman. Wolfie grabs Sharpe and Nora by their collars and knocks their noggins together, Stooges style. They shake the cobwebs out of their heads and are themselves again. Wolfie tells them that Gary has a Hellspawn nipple that turned him evil, and bites it off.

Neron and Tabitha appear, and Gary asks them to save him. Tabitha waves her wand and instantly turns Wolfie back into Mona. The two then teleport away with her. Nora tells Sharpe to alert the Legends, while she goes after Mona.

Cut to Hell, which looks a lot like downtown Detroit. Constantine falls from the sky and lands in a dumpster. He looks around, lights a cigarette and walks off.

Thoughts: 
• Once again, the writers put more effort into this episode's title than they did the actual script. Nip/Stuck is obviously a nod to the FX series Nip/Tuck, and references both Gary's evil nipple and the fact that the Waverider spends most of the episode trapped under and avalanche.

• At the end of the previous episode, Neron (in Atom's body) grabs the unconscious Constantine and Gary and the three of them teleport off the Waverider. At the beginning of this episode, Neron & a fully conscious Constantine appear in the Donner Pass during the Ice Age. Constantine asks, "Where's the muppet?" referring to Gary. We then see Gary's in the Time Bureau, using his hell-spawned nipple to hypnotize the staff. 

Wait, what? How'd they all split up when the three of them teleported away together?

I suppose it's possible that Neron, Gary and dozing Constantine materialized in the Time Bureau. Neron then gave Gary his orders to entrance everyone there, and then he grabs Constantine and traveled back to the Ice Age— all while we weren't looking.

• The episode begins at the Donner Pass during the Ice Age. As Gideon so helpfully points out, the Pass was named after the Donner Party, named after a doomed group of settlers who attempted to go through the area in 1846. The group became trapped by ice and snow, and famously resorted to cannibalism in order to survive (although recent info suggests that didn't actually happen). 

I assume Neron brought Constantine to such an infamous local because he has a flair for the dramatic.

• The brutal weather of the Donner Pass causes Constantine to slowly freeze to death. For some reason though, Neron seems completely unaffected by the frigid temperatures. But why would that be? He's currently occupying a human body— one that isn't immune to the cold. Seems like Neron should be freezing as well.

Is this some case of mind over matter? Or is Neron using his formidable powers to protect his human host?

• At one point Neron tells Constantine that Atom's dead and can't be saved. To prove it, he starts slicing Atom's throat with a knife. Luckily Constantine stops him by transforming the knife into a feather.

What the hell? Neron spent two whole episodes trying to possess Atom. Why in the name of sanity would he try to destroy his body? He couldn't jump over into Constantine, because he needs a willing host. If he'd gone through with it and "killed" Atom, he'd have been screwed. 

I honestly don't get his motivation here. I guess maybe he knew Constantine would stop him?

• Heat Wave fires on Neron/Atom, saying "When a team member goes dark, you end them before they end you."

Looks like he conveniently forgot about all the times he went dark himself (as in Marooned, Left Behind and Fellowship Of The Spear) and the Legends didn't give up on him.

• Neron tricks the Legends into trapping themselves under an avalanche. This entire scene is a goldmine of lazy plotting and complete nonsense.

First of all, Gideon reports that the Waverider's trapped under 357 feet of ice and snow, which will melt in approximately 11,000 years.

Gosh, if only there was a member of the team whose sole "power" is wielding some sort of heat weapon. Something like a flame thrower, perhaps. If there were, maybe he could use it to help them melt their way out.

They do make a lame attempt at an explanation here, as Gideon says Heat Wave's flame gun would deplete their already low oxygen reserve. It's pretty weak sauce though. Why would it matter if their oxygen level was depleted if it meant they'd be freed a few seconds later?

Then Gideon says, "Plus, our primary temporal delineator has been rendered nonfunctional with the extreme weather."

So wait... their time machine can't work because it's cold outside? Is the Waverider a '59 Chevy?

Finally, in the third act the Legends say screw it, and decide if they're gonna die, they might as well go out in style. To that end, they order Gideon to activate full power and crank up the furnace. A bit later the Waverider begins shaking, and Gideon informs them, "Due to your reckless use of our rapidly depleting energy, internal temperature of the ship has melted the surrounding ice enough to shake the ship loose."

So... apparently this highly advanced artificial intelligence was unable to figure out that heating up the ship would melt the surrounding ice. Got it.

And by the way, are the walls of the ship paper thin? How else could you explain the fact that turning up the thermostat on the inside would heat up the outer hull?

• Poor Nora! Her Time Bureau security photo looks much like the ones I've had taken at every job I've ever worked.

• Legends Of Tomorrow apparently subscribes to the Back To The Future School Of Geneology— in which every one of your ancestors and descendants looks exactly like you.

Sadly, Matt Ryan's portrayal of King Konstentyn was uninspired and so-so at best. The main problem was that the King had the exact same voice as Constantine, with maybe a few "thees" and "thous" thrown in That seems unlikely. At the very least his provincial accent should have been quite different from Constantine's modern, urban one. 

Would it have killed him to have altered his voice a bit when playing the King? Maybe Ryan wasn't crazy about playing two characters or sitting in a makeup chair for an extra hour to become Konstentyn, who knows?

• You don't have to be a genius to see that King Konstentyn's attitude toward magical creatures mirrors that of a certain orange leader in the real world.

Konstentyn gives a rousing speech to his people, warning them that dangerous magical creatures are invading their land and threatening their safety and very way of life. He even tells them, "You are truly blessed that I am here, for I alone can save you from these monsters." 

He then whips the crowd into a frenzy of fear and hatred toward the creatures, as he used their xenophobia to increase his magical powers and make himself even stronger.

Gosh, a leader who encourages his people to hate immigrants as a way to bolster his own political power. Subtle!

Look, I loathe trump and everything about him just as much as the next guy, but that doesn't mean I want a thinly disguised version of him in my entertainment. I watch Legends for fun, not so I can hear lectures.

• For some reason, Neron consistently pronounces King Konstentyn's name with a "teen" sound on the end, rather than the usual "tyne."

• A nice touch— when the Legends are trapped under an avalanche and freezing to death, they find a cache of Captain Cold's fur-lined parkas and put 'em on! Why he felt the need to have so many extra jackets is a mystery though.

While seeing the cast in the parkas was fun, it also served to point out how much Cold is sorely missed.

• When the Waverider's trapped, Canary and Heat Wave reminisce about old times. Heat Wave points out that with Atom gone, they're the last of the original team. Canary then picks up a photo of the team in Old West gear and stares wistfully at it. A couple things here:

First of all, the photo comes from the Season 1 episode The Magnificent Eight. Secondly... who the f*ck took this photo? And why? They're not even posing for it, it's a still from the episode that's been Photoshopped to look like a Daguerreotype.

• For some reason there are quite a few Star Wars references in this episode. 

— When Neron tricks the Legends into burying the Waverider under an avalanche, Canary shouts out, "It's a trap!" This is likely a reference to Admiral Ackbar's famous line from The Return Of The Jedi.

— When the Legends are playing Cards To Save The Timeline, one of the questions is "You and your team are stuck in a trash compactor in an impromptu and possibly fatal homage to Star Wars. What do you do?" That one's pretty self evident.

— When the ice begins to melt, Canary tells Gideon to fire up the engines and free them. Gideon replies, "We're running on very low reserve power. The odds of us successfully pushing through the avalanche above us are 3,720 to 1." Canary replies, "Never tell me the odds, Gideon."

Gideon's calculation of odds and Canary's go-for-it reply are virtually identical to the exchange between 3PO and Han Solo in the asteroid scene in The Empire Strikes Back.

The shot of the Waverider breaking free of the avalanche and flying into the sky mimics a similar scene of the Millennium Falcon taking off in A New Hope.

— Constantine fights his forefather and chops off his hand with a sword, much like Vader did to Luke in The Empire Strikes Back.

— Finally, just to shake things up, there's an ALIENS reference in the third act. When the hypnotized Sharpe sees Wolfie threatening Gary, she yells, "Get away from him, you beast!" This is no doubt a riff on everyone's favorite Ripley quote.

• By the way, Atom's Cards To Save The Timeline game. The game made its first appearance back in Lucha de Apuestas.

• When Mona's locked in a Time Bureau containment cell, she whines that she'll probably die alone there. Her hand then transforms, as Wolfie scratches "NOT ALONE" on the wall.

Wait, what? I thought "Wolfie" was just Mona's nickname for her superpowerd Kuape form. As if her enhanced form was simply Mona with a reeeeally strong adrenaline rush.

But now we're suddenly expected to believe that Wolfie's a completely separate entity that lives in Mona's mind, and manifests herself in times of stress. What the hell? When the f*ck did that happen?

• Sigh... this show is positively obsessed with Gary and his goddamned nipple. Although I have to admit the sight of his man-teat turning into a bloodshot eye was pretty disturbing and effective.

I love the part at the end when Gary witnesses the full fury of Wolfie, and modestly covers his offending nipple.

• So what exactly was the point of the entire "Gary Green Is All The Man We Need" subplot? The rest of the storylines had a purpose— the Legends are faced with death and their familial bonds are strengthened through adversity. Constantine discovers he comes from a long line of assholes, and decides to act against type by sacrificing himself to save Atom. Even the lame Steel/Zari scenes served to further their relationship.

But the Gary plot? Bupkis! It went nowhere and accomplished absolutely nothing. In fact it's not even clear why Gary hypnotized the Time Bureau staff in the first place. 

At one point Sharpe says, "His nipple? (she gasps) Neron gave you back your nipple which became bad in Hell, which is now poisoning your mind and making you evil, and that's why you came back to the Time Bureau So that you could nip-notize everyone and Neron could take over!"

If that really was the intent, then it was sorely understated and needed to be clarified.

As is, the only apparent function of the Gary scenes was to eat up twenty minutes of airtime. 

• Apparently Wolfie's a fan of the Three Stooges. When the hypnotized Nora and Sharpe burst in, she grabs 'em both by the collar and bonks their heads together, breaking the spell! It's a move that'd make Moe Howard proud.

• In this episode we finally find out that the mysterious Tabitha is actually the Fairy Godmother, who first appeared earlier this season in Witch Hunt. I have to say I wasn't expecting that particular revelation, as I was convinced Tabitha would turn out to be a dragon for some reason.

Eh, whatever. It ties the whole season together nicely, I suppose.

By the way, I'm assuming Tabitha was named after the Stephenses daughter on Bewitched.

• At the end of the episode, Constantine sacrifices himself by entering the portal to Hell in order to rescue Atom. In the Constantine comic, he visited or was damned to Hell several times during its run.

• At the end of the episode, Constantine lands in Hell. Oddly enough, rather than the typical red stalactites and lakes of fire, this particular version of Hell looks much like a green-tinted downtown Detroit! Take that, Michaganders!

Constantine: (to Neron) "And what in that demented demon brain of yours makes you think that I'm going to open a vortex for you, eh? Unlike Gary, I've still got both my nipples, so you don't have much to bargain with."

Mona: "That's your ID picture?"

Nora: "They wouldn't let me retake it."

Sharpe: "Oh, it can't be that bad. Let me see."

(She looks at the monitor.)

Sharpe: "Uh, maybe we'll just use your photo from the wanted poster."

(Sharpe enters her office.)

Gary: "Director Sharpe. I've been waiting for you."

Sharpe: "Gary, I told you, no playing with my chair until after hours."

(Gary addresses the Time Bureau staff.)

Gary: "Thanks, doll. How are my babies doing? Let's rap for a sec."

Mona: "Is Gary cool now?"

Agent: "That's impossible."

Gary: "Now, I know performance reviews can be quite a drag, but this year's gonna be different 'cause you've got super agent Gary Green in your corner. So no need to stress unless your infraction is looking too good in that suit. Agent Reyes knows what I'm talking about!
(Agent Reyes giggles.)

Mona: "Oh, my God. I think she just swooned."

Agent: "This is a nightmare."

Gary: "So I'll be meeting with agents one-on-one, and, uh, wait till I call your name. Looking forward to some good face time."

Gideon: (reporting on Constantine's location) "He's in the part of North America that would come to be known as the Donner Pass, named after a doomed group of settlers in the 1800s who resorted to cannibalism after their food supplies ran out."

Canary: "There is such thing as too much exposition, Gideon."

Legends Of Tomorrow Season 4, Episode 13: Egg MacGuffin

I'm playing catch up this month, so please excuse this dreadfully late review. I'm determined to finish the season even if it kills me.

This week on Legends Of Tomorrow we get another mildly decent episode. Wow, that makes two in a row, sort of. Seriously, what the hell happened to this show?

But just because I didn't hate this episode, that doesn't make it good by any means. This thing is absolutely riddled with plot holes, to the point where little or nothing makes any sense. 

Case in point: A good portion of the episode deals with Heat Wave & Charlie trying to scam a book convention out of $20,000. It's been established over and over that the Waverider contains a Star Trek-like replicator, that can conjure up literally anything— clothing, weapons, medicine and even money. What the hell, writers? Does anyone on the staff actually read the things you write before filming?

This episode also devotes an inordinate amount of time to the ongoing Steel/Zari romance, as the writers believe their relationship is much more interesting than it actually is. I can't speak for anyone else, but I have absolutely zero interest in whether or not these two ever get together. I like them as characters, but their romance woes leave me cold. 

On the plus side though, Nora Darhk officially becomes a member of the Time Bureau this week, which means we'll be seeing a lot more of her. I've always been a sucker for "villain redemption" stories, so my interest has been piqued. Plus I like the fun chemistry between real life couple Brandon Routh (aka Atom) and Courtney Ford (aka Nora), so any excuse to keep her on the show is OK in my book.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
We open in the Arctic in 1933, where archaeologist Gordon Gilchrist is on some kind of dig. His assistant Vincent enters with a large golden egg he found. Gilchrist immediately grabs the egg and claims credit for it, saying it'll be his greatest discovery.

In the present, White Canary and Zari are at the Time Bureau, where they run into Steel. Canary asks Zari why she acts so awkward around him. Zari says she doesn't know what the next move is, and Canary says she should jump Steel's bones already and get it over with.

Meanwhile, Mona's reading to Nora Darhk, who's lying unconscious in a cell after her ordeal last week. Atom enters with flowers for Nora and offers to sit with her, so Mona leaves. After a beat he suddenly puts his hands around Nora's neck and tries to strangle her. He pulls back his hands, and sees magical black energy swirling around them.

Atom runs to the restroom, where he sees Neron in the mirror. The demon tells him if he doesn't let him fully possess his body, he'll force him to kill someone he loves and then own his very soul.

Elsewhere on the Waverider, Charlie discovers a letter meant for author "Rebecca Silver," aka Heat Wave. Seems she/he's been invited to appear as a guest at Romanti-Con for a cool $20,000. Charlie talks Heat Wave into going so they can split the dough. Why either of these time travelers would possibly need money is left to our imaginations. Heat Wave doesn't want his fans to know Rebecca Silver's a man, so Charlie offers to impersonate her (more on that below).

Gideon reports a disturbance in 1933 at the Adventurer's Club in New York. As an historian, Steel knows all about the place, so Canary sends him and Zari to deal with the matter. Steel stops by the Waverider's lab to invite Atom along on the mission as well. Atom nervously tries to warn Steel about Neron, but the demon stops him. Neron then forces Atom to try and kill Steel while he's not looking, but he manages to stop himself in time.

Steel and Zari arrive at the Adventurer's Club, and both realize Canary sent them on the mission hoping it'd turn into a date. Zari's mortified, but Steel says they should see how things work out. They meet Gilchrist, who reveals the egg to everyone. Once again he takes credit for finding it, much to Vincent's irritation.

Heat Wave & Charlie/Rebecca arrive at Romanti-Con in Seattle. Charlie claims Heat Wave's her bodyguard, and asks the Con's organizer when they get their money. She tells Charlie she'll be paid after participating in a Q&A panel. Charlie worries that she doesn't know anything about Heat Wave's books, so he coaches her.

In the lab, Atom injects himself with a compound to rid himself of Neron. It doesn't work, and Neron forces Atom to disable Gideon. Gary arrives on the ship and enters the lab, just as Atom's hand turns black again.

At the Club, Gilcrest finishes his speech. Steel and Zari then attempt to find the egg and steal it. Unfortunately it's surrounded by an intricate set of trip wires. Steel slithers through the wires, grabs the egg and tosses it to Zari. She discovers it's actually paper mache, and assumes Canary set up the whole thing. Suddenly two Nazis enter the room and demand to know where the real egg is.

Meanwhile, Canary agrees to participate in Sharpe's book club in an effort to share her interests. She meets the other in the still-comatose Nora's cell, where Sharpe and Mona are drinking wine and discussing the book. Mona discovers that Rebecca Silver's appearing at Romanti-Con and rushes off to see her.

On the Waverider, Atom tells Gary something bad's happening to him. Neron forces him to pick up a knife, but instead of stabbing Gary with it, Atom plunges it into himself. Gary somehow realizes Neron's inside Atom, and runs and hides in the brig. Neron decides Gary would be a more susceptible host, so he appears on a monitor and says no one loves or appreciates him. He tells Gary he can "make him whole again."

In 1939, the Nazis tie up Steel and Zari and again demand they tell them where the egg is. The two finally figure out the Nazis are real, and use their powers to easily defeat thems. Just as Steel and Zari start to kiss, Canary and Sharpe arrive and interrupt them. Steel returns to the Waverider to check on Atom, who's been acting strangely. Zari and the others search for the real egg.

At Romanti-Con, Charlie appears at the Q&A and does her best to bluff her way through the audience's questions. Suddenly Mona appears and recognizes Charlie through her cunning disguise. She accuses her of being a fraud and demands to see the real Rebecca. Just as the audience is about to riot, Heat Wave steps up on stage and reveals he's Rebecca Silver. The crowd's outraged at first to see their favorite author is a man. Heat Wave gives them an uncharacteristically emotional speech, saying he pours his heart into his work. He manages to win over the audience and they applaud him.

Constantine returns and enters Nora's cell, where he casts a spell to revive her. She wakes and immediately tells him that Neron's trying to possess Atom.

Steel arrives on the Waverider, looking for Atom. He goes to the lab, where Atom tries to warn him to stay away. Neron muzzles Atom and forces him to attack Steel. He punches Steel repeatedly, knocking him out. Atom pleads with Neron, saying he'll give in to him if he promises not to kill his best friend. Neron agrees and completely takes over Atom's body.

At the Club, Zari and the others discover that Vincent stole the real egg for himself, because he felt he should get full credit for discovering it. Just then more Nazis arrive. There's a short battle as Canary and Sharpe dispatch the Nazis, and Zari catches the real egg before it hits the ground.

Constantine appears on the Waverider and hurls a few magic fireballs at Atom/Neron. He actually manages to immobilize him, and begins to separate him from Atom. Just then Gary walks in, and Neron sees his chance. He tells Gary that Constantine's always used him, and never given him anything in return.

Neron then summons a jar and tells Gary to open it. Constantine tells Gary not to look inside, but of course he does anyway. Inside Gary sees... his missing nipple. Yep, they went there. Gary then thinks back to all the times the Legends mistreated and downright abused him, and takes the nipple and sticks it to his chest.

For some reason this causes Neron to break free, and he knocks out Constantine. Neron/Atom touches Gary and the unconscious Constantine, and they all disappear. Gideon instantly comes back online.

Canary, Sharpe and Zari arrive on the ship with the egg. Gideon informs them that Atom/Neron took Gary and vanished, even though she was deactivated during the whole incident and couldn't possibly know that.

At the Time Bureau, Sharpe meets with Nora and says she needs her and her powers to find Atom and defeat Neron. She offers to make Nora a full-fledged Time Bureau agent. Touched by the gesture, Nora happily accepts.

On the Waverider, Steel tells Zari he's going off to search for his best pal Atom. Suddenly the recovered egg begins quivering and making an odd sound. Gideon analyzes it and says it's a dragon egg.

Thoughts:
• Neron tells Atom that he'll force him to kill the person he loves most unless he lets him possess him. To demonstrate that he's serious, he forces Atom to pick up knives and scalpels numerous times and brandish them against his friends.

If Neron can do all that by only partially possessing Atom, why's he need full control over him?

• Credit where it's due: I really like the design of the Mummy that Zari and Canary bring into the Time Bureau. He looks just like a live action version of a mummy you'd see on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You.

There's also a fun, subtle little bit with the Mummy during the scene between Steel and Zari. As the two of them make horribly awkward small talk to one another, the Mummy actually shakes its head and looks away, as if he's embarrassed for them.

• Charlie finds out that Rebecca Silver's been invited to Romanti-Con for a $20,000 speaking fee. She then concocts an elaborate plan to impersonate the nonexistent Silver so she and Heat Wave can split the dough.

This all makes perfect sense, because a demon and an ex-con who both have access to a time ship and a device that can replicate literally anything— including piles of cash— would definitely need $10,000 each.

As if that wasn't enough, Charlie— who you'll recall is a shapeshifting demon— actually puts on a funny wig and glasses to transform herself into Rebecca. So why didn't she just use her goddamned powers to change into her?

There's actually a half-assed answer for this. The writers needed Mona to see Rebecca Silver and recognize her as Charlie. She wouldn't have been able to do that if Charlie had magically shapeshifted her face into someone else's. That's still a pretty poor reason for not having her use her powers though.

Sometimes I think the writers have absolutely no understanding of their own show. Or they just don't give a sh*t.

• For some reason there are a crap ton of Indiana Jones references in this episode. I like a good classic movie reference as much as the next person, but after a while the sheer number of them became grating. Most were reasonably clever, but a few of them (like the I.D. card and the inevitable whip) were downright eye rolling.

References are a tricky thing. Done right, they can be a fun little surprise for the audience. When botched, they remind the viewer of a much better piece of entertainment they could be watching.

Here are all the Indy references I caught:

— The mission's set in 1933, the decade in which all three Indiana Jones movies are set (yeah, I said three).

— As the Waverider flies to the Adventurer's Club in 1933, we see it superimposed on a map of the world as a red line indicates its path. Just like we saw in Raiders Of The Lost Ark (and the other movies as well).

— Once they're at the Adventurer's Club, Steel checks his fake credentials (provided by Canary), and discovers his mission code name is Dr. Henry Jones. Zari says her code name is Marion Ravenwood.

Since when do the Legends use code names on their missions to the past? Has that ever happened before, or did it pop up here just for the sake of the joke?

— When Zari removes her coat, we see her dress virtually identical to the one Marion wore in the third act of Raiders.

— One of the Nazis is a doctor, and threatens to torture Zari, much like Toht did to Marion in Raiders.

— During the fight scene, Zari hits one of the Nazis in the head with a frying pan, similar to what Marion did in Raiders.

— Also during the fight, Sharpe grabs a whip and uses it against the Nazis, just like Indy in all three films.

— Lastly, at the end of the episode Zari comforts Steel in the Med Bay, and they have the following conversation:

Zari: (pointing to his head) "Does this hurt?"
Steel: Yes, Zari. It all hurts."
Zari: Well, where doesn't it hurt, Nate? Here?"

Note that this scene is almost identical to one between Indy and Marion in Raiders.

• Speaking of references, is Gordon Gilchrist supposed to be a Harry Potter shout out? Gilchrist is an archaeologist and adventurer who's actually a pompous fraud. He takes full credit for discovering the egg, much to the irritation of his assistant Vincent (who really found it). 

In Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, Gilderoy Lockhart was a wizard and adventurer who was actually a pompous fraud. He became a celebrity in the Wizarding World after convincing everyone he'd survived deadly encounters with dozens of magical creatures, but actually made it all up.

There's another Potter reference at the end of the episode, when Constantine returns to the comatose Nora's bedside and says, "I would've come sooner, Nora, but have you any idea how hard it is to acquire a phoenix's tail feather? I didn't."

Phoenixes and their feathers play a prominent role in the entire Harry Potter saga.

• The novel Canary reads for Book Club is titled The Girl Who Got Murdered Too Much. Is that a possible dig at the Millennium Trilogy of books? You know, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest?

Here are a few beautifully written passages from The Girl Who Got Murdered Too Much:

"I showed him my locket, explaining, I keep the ones I love in here, close to my heart.
Gustavo replied, 'I keep the ones I love in my freezer, close to my microwave.' He had a devilish sense of humor that I found irresistible."

"They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. But what if in that moment, you finally see everything life's been trying to show you? That's how I discovered that a killer was amongst me."

"I should've known something was amiss that night. I was returning from hot yoga to my sensational cliff side home, matcha green tea smoothie in hand, when I noticed my door was slightly ajar. I entered wondering if my dog walker or cat sitter or personal shopper or astrologer had failed to close it. That's when I heard him say, 'There's something I've been meaning to kill you."

• Romanti-Con 2019 is held at a massive, unnamed convention center in Seattle.

Wow, whatever that place is, it sure bears a striking resemblance to McCormick Place in Chicago! It's like the buildings could be twins! Heck, it looks like they even used the exact same angle I found online!

C'mon, guys! You didn't even try to disguise it! McCormick Place is one of the most famous landmarks in all of Chicago! Why didn't they just set the scene there and be done with it?

• Why does Charlie, who's pretending to be Rebecca Silver, prep for the Q & A by MEMORIZING the lines Heat Wave writes for her? As we've seen in numerous episodes (and even a bit later in this one), the Legends all wear tiny, discreet earpieces that they use to communicate with one another (even across time!). Heat Wave could've simply stood off to the side and fed Charlie her lines through her earpiece! Whoops!

• One of Rebecca Silver's novels is titled Heatwaves. That's mildly amusing, as Rebecca Silver is of course the pen name of Mick Rory, aka Heat Wave. It's been so long since his code name's been used on the show that I bet most viewers forgot about it, and the joke flew right over their heads.

The cover blurb of Heatwaves is "In space, no one can hear you moan," which is an ALIEN reference.

Also, if you look closely at the left of this shot, you can see another oversized prop version of one of Rebecca Silver's novels, this one titled Rawhides.

If you zoom in, you'll see that's Caity Lotz (aka Canary) and what appears to be a very young Dominic Purcell (aka Heat Wave) in a steamy pose on the cover of Rawhides! Someone in the prop department had fun this week!

By the way, the cover blurb says, "The only thing he loved more than her... was his horse."

• Legends Of Tomorrow prides itself (see what I did there?) on its equality, diversity, inclusivity and wokeness. You'd never know it from watching this episode's "trip wire" scene though.

Steel and Zari discover the golden egg inside the Adventurer's Club in 1933. Unfortunately the egg's protected by a series of trip wires. Steel then drops to the floor and slithers through the wires, arching his back and thrusting his ass at the camera as he does so. Zari plants her hands on her hips and takes a long, hard stare at his impromptu floor show. Wow, Legends. Hypocritical much?

What do you think the reaction to this scene would have been if the roles were reversed, and Zari was the one kittenishly presented her rear while Steel leered at her? There'd have been a great disturbance in the Woke, as millions of blue-haired voices cried out in anger, and were suddenly outraged.

Additionally, Steel's seductive slithering is possibly a reference to Entrapment, in which Catherine Zeta-Jones' character performed a similar act while negotiating her way through a laser security system.

• Whenever Neron begins exerting his control over Atom, we see smokey tendrils slithering around his hands and binding them. Is this one of those deals where Atom and the audience are the only ones who can see this? Late in the episode, the tendrils appear around Atom's hands and force him to punch Steel in the face. Steel looks right at Atom and says, "You've been acting so weird lately."

There's no way in hell he could have missed the tendrils, unless they're something only Atom (and we) can see.

By the way, when Atom first notices Neron's tendrils circling his hand, he mutters, "Not groovy at all." This is obviously an Evil Dead II reference. In that film, Ash Williams' hand becomes possessed by a demon and begins attacking him, before he cuts it off with a chainsaw. Luckily Atom doesn't go that far here

• Neron prevents Atom from telling anyone else he's been possessed. At one point though, Atom tries to warn Steel and manages to growl out, "Nerrrrrr" before the demon shuts him up. Hmm. What if he said, "Ner" and then started a new sentence and said, "On?" Would that work?

• Atom/Neron knocks down Steel and then begins punching him repeatedly in the face. Steel "steels up," which should protect him from any punishment an ordinary human like Atom could dish out. But then for no good reason, a second later Steel reverts to normal and Atom continues pummeling him, eventually knocking him out.

Is Neron increasing Atom's strength? He has to be, as that's the only way this scene makes any possible sense.

• Hoping to get him on his side, Neron tells Gary that the Legends don't respect him and treat him like a doormat. Gary then begins flashing back to all the times they snubbed and verbally abused him.

Among these flashbacks is one in which Heat Wave yanks Gary out of the Waverider's trash compactor and yelsl at him.

Hold it a minute... that scene comes from Season 3's Here I Go Again. In that episode, Zari experiences the same day over and over, Groundhog Day style. Eventually we find out the whole thing was a simulation, created by Gideon to show Zari she was a valuable member of the team.

That means the scene of Heat Wave pulling Gary out of the trash never actually happened. And there's no way Gary could possibly know about or remember the incident. Whoops again!

• Annnnnnd then we come to the most infamous scene in the episode, in which Neron tempts Gary by promising to "make him whole again." He presents Gary with a small box, and tells him to open it. Constantine tells him not to do it, but of course Gary does it anyway.

Inside the box we see... Gary's missing nipple. That's right folks! Gary sells out the Legends not for riches or power, but for his goddamned tit.

Never in a million years did I ever think I'd see a network TV show that featured a man's disembodied nipple crawling across a floor like a caterpillar, but... that's apparently where we are now.

• This Week's Best Lines:

Steel: (as he and Zari act weirdly around one another) "Whoa, smells like somebody hasn't showered since birds were letters. That's a hieroglyphics joke."

Zari: "Ha, nice."
(The mummy snarls)
Steel: "Whoa, buddy, don't talk with your mouth full, am I right? Mummy's are the biggest dummies. 'Hey, you big dummy, mummy, got your containment cell all set up, and we upgraded you to a king-size sarcophagus!"
Zari: "Oh, and would you like a wake-up call from the front desk in, I don't know, about a thousand years?"
Steel: "Nice."
Zari: "All right, cool."
Steel: "Bye."
Zari: "Bye."
(They leave.)
Sharpe: "I mean, what the hell was that?"
Canary: "On it."

Gary: (exiting a Time Bureau bathroom stall) "Ray. Oh, wow, this place is a mess. Uh, hey, um, Containment Level bathroom is sort of my crying spot..."
Atom: "Not now, Gary!"

Romanti-Con Organizer: "Does Rebecca Silver belong in Sci-fi Erotica or Cyber Erotica?"

Sharpe: "I didn't read the book."
Canary: "What?"
Sharpe: "Sorry."
Canary: "Seriously?"
Sharpe: "Honestly, I usually just drink rosé and let Mona go on and on and use it as a mini-vacay for my brain.

Nazi #1: (to Steel and Zari) "My friend here is a surgeon."
Steel: "Oh, nice."

Nazi #1: "He will kill you until you tell me where the real egg is."

Atom: "You can't help me. I need Constantine."
Gary: "Well, I may not be a master of the dark arts, but I am an intern of the dark arts."