Title: Legends of Tomorrow: “Zari” Review
Release Date: October 24th, 2017
Network: The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
Legends of Tomorrow is easily the most consistently comical of all the Arrowverse shows, never failing to make me laugh. “Zari” accomplishes that throughout the entire episode, but its attempt at furthering the plot and character introductions falls a bit flat.
“Zari” begins set in the near future of Seattle circa-2042, as the legends respond (aka intercept) to a Time Bureau distress call by their favorite dweeb Gary. The Time Bureau members footage reveals that Kuasa, the women introduced at the end of the last episode, is after the titular character of the show, Zari.
It doesn’t take long for Mick Rory to steal the show, as he always does, not only getting some of the best lines in the show, but also featuring some of the best acting (“Prison Break? Sure why not”). His childlike temper tantrum of not being able to burn Argus agents because everyone else was doing so well fighting leads to a gratifying scene in the prison, much like his fight with the clown’s in “Freakshow.”
But Rory got the show stolen from him later on in the episode, as Nick Zano puts on a hilarious performance as a drug-induced Nate Heyward. In order to help Amaya control her totem powers, they both go on a vision quest, one which Nate handles a bit worse than Amaya. Throughout the entirety of the episode following taking the route, Nate produces some of the funniest content I’ve ever seen on Legends of Tomorrow. All the while the rest of the Legends are doing their best to track down Zari.
From what the Legends of Tomorrow have shown of her so far, Zari isn’t a bad fit for the group, but the execution of her introduction was considerably flawed. She is given a cliche, exposition laced backstory that misses its mark, her “totem” powers aren’t entirely defined, and on top of that, she is a “hacker,” something which the Arrowverse – and entertainment in general – have had a notoriously bad track record of making seem realistic and interesting.
On top of all that the dystopian setting of Seattle is boring and, quite literally, lifeless. Aside from a fun bar scene, the only people we see in the city are Zari and the Argus agents sent to arrest her. Sure the idea of a police state is for it to be kind of depression and vacant, but the majority of the episode is spent in about two or three areas of the same sets. Instead of giving off a Judge Dredd vibe, it just feels like a set piece to introduce Zari.
Zari’s introduction wasn’t the only one that faltered though, as Kuasa and her water powers just don’t seem interesting whatsoever. While her powers make for some water bending like moves and a death via drowning (“she tastes terrible”), the water state change simply means for more limited fight scenes, ones that can’t rival The Last Airbender’s use of the style.
Like it or not, she is going to have a big role in the plot as a main antagonist though, as the entire season’s main plot has (somewhat) focused on the power of the totem that Amaya holds, and “Zari” introduces another one which Kuasa is after. If you watched The CW Seed show centered around former Legend (and Amaya’s granddaughter) Vixen, Kuasa is revealed to be a descendant of Amaya, Vixen’s sister.
While Kuasa struggles to provide a menacing antagonist to the Legends, the Time Bureau is at least serving as an interesting one. Agent Sharpe’s constant interjection late in episodes, alongside Gary’s growing interactions with the team leads me to believe that there may be something fishy going on involving the Time Bureau and the hinted later season villain Mallus.
It certainly wasn’t a bad episode of Legend of Tomorrow by any means, as it continued its dominance as one of the funniest shows on tv, but its attempt at furthering the plot and introducing new characters didn’t go too well. Here is hoping we see Mallus introduced soon so the focus on the “totems,” Amaya, and Kuasa can fade a bit more to the background.
Verdict: “Zari” is another hilarious installment, but its attempt at telling a story fails. The regular cast of characters continues to fire on all cylinders, but some newcomers may have a bit to go before they fit in Legends of Tomorrow. Overall not a bad episode, not a great episode.
What did you think of the most recent episode of Legends of Tomorrow? What scene or scenes did you like the most? What are your predictions for the rest season three as things begin to unravel? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. Also be sure to check back next week for the third episode of the season, “Phone Home,” immediately after it airs on The CW next Tuesday 9 PM ET.
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