Title: Legends of Tomorrow: “Return of the Mack” Review
Release Date: October 7th, 2017
Network: The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
Coming off arguably the best episode of the Arrowverse this season, and possibly of all time for the show, can Legends of Tomorrow keep up its campy, fun momentum? “Return of the Mack” answers with a resounding yes, as the Legends head back to jolly old 19th century England to hunt down a supposed Vampire.
While last week’s episode had its own Halloween flair, “Return of the Mack” has darhk and spooky theme. None of those scare Mick though (they aren’t Clowns after all) who lights up like a kid on Christmas at the notion of possibly killing a vampire. Not only does it not take long for Rory to start putting his steak to good use, we also see the return of a happy face, Rip Hunter.
The Legends and Time Bearue founder has found himself on the sidelines for most of the current season and has also been less of his happy go lucky self and more along the lines of blaming the team for their shortcomings. “Return of the Mack” was an exception to both of those points – and hopefully a turning point for the rest of the season – as Rip did his best Sherlock impression throughout the episode.
It was interesting to see him interact with the team again, especially with Sara. While the two butted heads, it looked like Rip was going to give into the current captain’s wishes, citing a lack of perspective. In reality though, his betrayal resulted in not only a hilarious scene where the legends literally have to shoot their own ship to escape, but also see repercussions for Hunters actions.
The entire situation is executed flawlessly, as each side has valid points and reasoning for their actions, despite negative repercussions on each end. No one ends up being right or wrong, even if Rips actions were selfish, he still warns Sara of the danger Mallus possesses at the end.
Speaking of Mallus, this episode saw the first real, acknowledgment of his existence in person, albeit through a conduit. While I have loved the other episodes for the comedy and light-hearted tone Legends of Tomorrow have seemingly perfected, “Return of the Mack” does a great job of maintaining that while also moving the plot forward.
Things got a bit heavy-handed near the middle of the episode though, as it introduced around five different antagonists in the episode. While two of them were one-off villains, three of them will play a key role in the rest of the season, so it seems odd to introduce almost all three of them in one episode.
With that being said, I am thrilled to see the return of Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk. After he was misused on Arrow, I didn’t think I’d ever want to see him again, but Legends of Tomorrow breathed new life into the character last season with their use of him. Well they, quite literally, have done that again this season, as his character already has one of the best scenes in the series set to the song “Return of the Mack.”
Darhk will be working alongside Mallus and his acolytes as a means of furthering Mallus’ plan. It should be interesting to see what that plan revolves around, but it’s definitely going to have something to do with Amaya and Zari.
Since her introduction in “Zari,” Zari has done a pretty seamless job of fitting into the Legends cast, but “Return of the Mack” showed signs of her somewhat necessary growing pains for her character. While I understand the need to have her get emotional because of the Acolytes tricks, the way she give up her amulet so quickly as a result of those emotions seems a bit out of character.
In the end, the situation looks to have strengthened her relationship with Amaya though, as well as showing off what her totem can do just a bit more, so it could have been worse.
Verdict: “Return of the Mack” continues Legend of Tomorrow’s dominant run as the best CW show of the Arrowverse this season. Not only does this episode have the fun the show is known for, it moves along the main plot significantly simultaneously, introducing Mallus (voice only) and returning the mack himself, Damien Darhk.
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, “Helen Hunt,” immediately after it airs on The CW next Tuesday 9 PM ET.
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