“Aruba-Con”
Original Airdate: October 10, 2017
When last we left our intrepid Legends, they were trying to head to Aruba to celebrate saving the world at the end of season two. Instead, they ended up in a version of Los Angeles that included Big Ben and... dinosaurs. Clearly, the great lengths they went to to save the day caused a few wrinkles in time, but they’re more than willing to fix their mistakes. However before they get a chance to do that, a portal opens up and Rip Hunter steps out.
He reveals that while it’s been only minutes since they last saw him, for him, it’s been years. He has created an agency called the Time Bureau and their job is to fix all the anachronisms that the Legends have left behind as a result of their heroics. In fact, Agents are already working hard, putting dinosaurs back where they belong and making everything normal again. He tells them that the Legends aren’t needed anymore and disbands them, taking the Waverider and sending them back to their lives.
Their lives pretty much suck. Amaya has broken up with Nate and returned to 1942 and her village in Zambezi. Sara is working at a big box store and has a douchebag for a boss. Ray has to suck up to an entitled Silicon Valley billionaire who thinks his dating app is revolutionizing technology. Nate is trying to fight crime in Central City but keeps getting shown up by Wally West. Jax is trying to study engineering in school but is finding that he likes to practice it on board the Waverider, not study it in a classroom. Martin is at home, enjoying his family and looking forward to being a grandfather. Mick, meanwhile, is in Aruba.
He’s relaxing on the beach when who should show up, blocking his sun, but Julius Caesar himself. He’s there to conquer the world — of course — and Mick rightfully sees that as a red flag. So he calls up Sara who agrees that it’s not a great sign. Mick ties up Caesar and waits for the team while Sara gathers everyone. She tells them that this is their chance to get the Waverider back and recapture the meaning in their lives that they lost when Rip disbanded their team. Nate, Sara, and Ray all go to the Time Bureau to appeal to Rip to let them have the Waverider back. But it’s not going to be that easy. He’s proud of the Bureau and the precision with which they deal with anomalies in time. They don’t need the Legends clomping around and mucking things up. Sara says they can’t be doing that great of a job if they missed Julius Caesar romping around Aruba. She offers to go get the wayward historical figure and bring him back for the Bureau.
That’s when they learn the Bureau is using the Waverider as a training simulator for new Agents. That could be a wrinkle. Meanwhile, in Aruba, Caesar breaks Mick’s nose and escapes to the beach. He encounters a crowd of partying college kids and recruits them into his new army. Mick tries to chase after him but gets the real Caesar confused with a kid who is dressed up like him. When Rip opens a portal from the Bureau to bring in Mick and Caesar, that is who is taken into custody. The Legends realize they need to take the Waverider and go get the real Caesar. This might help reinstate their status with Rip and the Bureau. So they pick up Jax and Stein and head to Aruba.
Once there, the team realizes they need a plan to get Caesar away from the mob of drunken frat boys. Ray uses the dating app to distract the kids while Sara fights Caesar, delivering a quick and brutal beatdown right there in the sand. They take him on board the Waverider and discuss what to do next. Some of the team wants to take him back to Ancient Rome, fixing their problem themselves and showing Rip they can do it. Sara thinks it might be better to just take him back to the Bureau and let the professionals handle it. Rip shows up via a hologram, warning them to turn over the Waverider and Caesar. That, of course, leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouths. Meanwhile, Jax tries to appeal to Stein about staying on board the Waverider. This is what he wants to do with his life, but he can’t do it without his partner.
Sara talks to Caesar while he’s in lock-up. He tries to tempt her to join him in conquering Rome but what he does is convince her that she needs to be bolder and take risks for her team. She decides to go with what everyone else wants and they take Caesar back to Ancient Rome. Sara uses a stolen gadget from the Bureau to wipe Caesar’s memory and they leave him there, satisfied that the job is done.
However, back on board the Waverider, the team discovers that not everything is great. Caesar stole one of Nate’s history books about the Roman Empire. Caesar used that knowledge to change the whole world, including the United States (which is no longer called the United States). The team now needs to fix this latest glitch. But before they can, Rip and his fellow Agents show up via a portal and take over. Three Agents go into Caesar’s mysteriously-deserted camp and into his tent to steal the book back. It’s a trap, of course, and the army is waiting outside to apprehend them. Two of the Agents get away through portals to the ship but one is left behind when her portal device is taken by Caesar.
It’s time for the Legends to save the day! Sara convinces Rip to let them help, and he relents. This is where superheroics make a difference. The battle ensues and the Agent is freed (though she’s rather ungrateful about her rescue, I felt). Everything is restored, the Romans minds are wiped and all is well. The team insist that they intend to keep “swashbuckling through history.” Rip will allow it... at least for now, because he can recognize their worth. The Agent whom the Legends saved tries to warn Rip about trusting the Legends, but he assures her that they might need their help to fight a threat he calls “Mollus” one of these days.
Stein lets Jax know that he plans to stay on board the Waverider. He wants to see his grandchild be born but he also has family on board that ship and this is where he wants to be. Meanwhile, Nate moons over Amaya’s files and consoles himself with the belief that she’s happy where she belongs. But we flash to Zambezi in 1942 and see that maybe that’s not the case. Amaya seems to have gone a little dark, as she ruthlessly confronts a group of poachers, relishing in their slaughter. Uhh, that can’t be a great thing, can it? On the other hand, you go, Amaya! It’s nice to see her kicking some butt.
Legends of Tomorrow is a great show if you don’t try to take it too seriously. And you shouldn’t. It doesn’t even take itself all that seriously. There’s some fun chemistry between the characters and with that, coupled with entertaining situations and great battle sequences, there’s plenty to enjoy here if you’re looking for some lighthearted entertainment. “Aruba-Con” both reminded me what I love about this show the most and got me excited about what’s to come in season three. Can’t wait to see what comes next!
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