Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Legends of Tomorrow 3x12 Recap: "The Curse of the Earth Totem" (AAAARGH! Pirates!) [Contributor: Marilyn]


"The Curse of the Earth Totem"
Original Airdate: February 26, 2018

We open this week of Legends of Tomorrow in the Bahamas: 1717. It looks a bit like Canada, if you ask me, just with some palm plants placed strategically here and there. Pirates disembark from their boat, striding onto land. One of them is Blackbeard and the other is his girlfriend, Annie. They seem quite enamored with one another and he gives her a giant emerald which she puts around her neck. But there’s something that takes hold of her, and she’s soon bound by vines conjured by the necklace.

Meanwhile on the Waverider in the present-day, the Legends are tracking down the totems. They have two, Darhk has one, and that means there are two still out there — Fire and Earth. The Fire totem is in Detroit with Mari’s boyfriend. They should go try to get it from him but Amaya is nervous about running into her other granddaughter and screwing up her history.

While the others track down the totems, Sara is taking a little time off to go on a date — something she’s uneasy about. She and Ava meet at a restaurant in current-day Star City. Both of them are very nervous and clearly out of their element.

The Legends on the Waverider soon learn that Darhk got to the Fire totem before they did. The good news is that Nate learned where to find the Earth totem. It’s in 1717, in the possession of a man known as Blackbeard the pirate. Or at least it was. Chances are the pirate knows where to find it though. The Legends discuss calling Sara about this but they don’t want to interrupt her date. Nate suggests they leave without her.

So the team poses as pirates and go head into the past Nassau. They discover a pub and ask around about Blackbeard, wanting to join his crew. Amaya tells Mick what’s on her mind — how she wants to help Kuasa but she’s nervous about changing time. He tells her she should act like a pirate and live for the moment. So Mick spreads rumors about how fearsome the Dread Pirate Jiwe is, in order to give Amaya an excuse to let go. Blackbeard shows up right then and introductions are made. With Mick’s help, Amaya reveals to Blackbeard that she’s looking for the emerald necklace. British soldiers led by Darhk show up just then, looking for Blackbeard. He takes Amaya’s totem. Blackbeard offers to draw Darhk a map to the necklace, much to Mick and Amaya’s dismay.

On the date, Sara and Ava talk a bit about themselves. Sara learns Ava has read her file, and knows about her sister. Gideon calls Sara’s voicemail to tell her what the team has done. She tries to play it off to Ava as fine, but their decision’s clearly weighing on her. Still, she doesn’t want to leave the date — not when they’re finally warming up to one another.

On the Waverider, Gideon is freaking out because she’s parked in the Bermuda Triangle, which is messing with her — big time. Zari tells Ray and Nate they need to time jump or the Waverider might disappear. Or something like that. The threat was never super clear.

Rip, meanwhile, is talking to Wally — trying to convince him to help save the universe. He seems to give in easily, offering the speedster a drink. Rip and Wally end up getting drunk (he drinks rocket fuel... the only thing that does the trick). Wally admits that he misses his old friends. Rip spills his heart about his own troubles too; he wants to make it up to everyone he’s let down. So Wally helps him, stealing a time courier off Gary the Time Bureau agent. Wally also steals Rip his brown coat back.

Blackbeard swears the necklace is cursed. He, Amaya, and Mick are about to be executed but the pirates rise up and chaos and sword play ensues. Meanwhile, Darhk is firing canon balls at the Waverider. Yes, really. Nate pilots the Waverider out of there before they’re all destroyed.

In Star City, Ava is alerted by Gary that Rip tore off his time courier (and his coat) and they’re super nervous about what he might do with it. While that is going on, Sara witnesses the Waverider crash landing and leaves the restaurant. Guess the date is over! So what has Rip done with his own personal time travel device, you ask? Obviously bond with Wally. The pair ends up in Tokyo in 1992, singing "Careless Whisper" together at a karaoke club. I could not make this up if I tried.

Sara returns to the Waverider, and Nate and Ray fill her in on what’s going on. Sara is upset and frustrated, instructing Zari to fix the Waverider so they can go help Mick and Amaya. Speaking of the pair, they are frustrated with Blackbeard who’s suffering from some sort of self-consciousness. Mick declares him a coward so the two of them are on their own. They need a ship so they can get to Grace Island and stop Darhk from getting the Earth totem. So Mick and Amaya go back to the pub to hunt for a crew. Amaya does a good job at playing a ruthless pirate and the others are ready to join her... until Blackbeard shows up. He’s upset at the mutiny, but Amaya threatens him with a sword and then he sweetly offers to join up with her. 

On the Waverider, the team learns that Damien Darhk is threatening their friends, so they’re anxious to get going. But then Ava shows up and she’s not happy with Sara for ditching their date. Ava and Sara have it out about their issues. Sara tells Ava that she’ll never be normal; Ava doesn’t want Sara to be normal. They kiss. About time!

Blackbeard recounts the tale of what happened with the necklace and his "Annie." He ended up shooting her and buried her with the necklace, believing she would rise again when dug up. Which is exactly what she does when Nora and Darhk dig her up. She lays waste to everyone, basically, powered by the totem.

Blackbeard uses a portal to get on board the Waverider, wanting to claim it as his own. Ava and Sara have to break up their nice moment to fight the pirates, which they do quite easily. Blackbeard simpers when the two women get the upper hand and offers to let them join his crew.

Amaya, meanwhile, is trying to pep talk Annie about the totem. But before she can make much headway, Darhk breaks her neck, freeing Nora from the vines around her. Amaya fights the Darhks but they overpower her... at least until Nate and Ray show up and the tables are turned. Nora threatens to drain Amaya’s life force but Ray shoots Nora with his nanite gun and she’s hurt badly. Darhk is distracted by his daughter’s collapse so they escape. Ray is wracked with guilt over what he did.

Blackbeard is impressed with the Waverider, before Amaya sends him back to his own proper place and time. Now the Legends have the Earth totem, but Amaya lost hers and Nate apologizes to her for urging her to go on the mission in the first place. She says it’s okay — they’ll get it back and losing it has helped her feel free of responsibility for a change. She and Nate get a little pirate-y with each other and end up going at it like rabbits. Of course.

Sara and Ava have some rum floats in the galley (and the rum is now “Captain Jiwe Spiced Rum,” which Sara approves of). They decide neither of them wants to be normal or have normal dates. They’d rather be themselves, together. So Sara invites the other woman back to her bunk.

Elsewhere... in China, Wally and Rip wake up with hangovers and decide to return to the Waverider. Because they’re lonely, and the Legends are a family. They’ll fit right in, as outcasts.

Ray feels bad about Nora — his pistol is going to eventually kill her. He doesn’t want to kill, especially since he met Nora when she was a child. He wonders if she could have become a better person, like Mick did, if she had different experiences.

In 1717 Bahamas, Darhk is upset over his daughter and Ray shows up to offer a cure... in return for Amaya’s totem. Darhk readily gives it up so Ray cures Nora. She remembers him from when she was a child and it seems to be a fond memory... but then she grabs Ray and tries to drain him. Darhk stops her but they decide to keep Ray, since he may be of value to them both.

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