S05.E04: A Head Of Her Time

[scarynikki12]

Quote

When Sara is called away on business, she leaves Ava in charge and Ava tries to impress the team as they try to take on their latest Encore, Marie Antionette.

 

 

[scarynikki12]

“Spray, delay, walk away.” Words cannot express how much I love Zari. And Tala’s talent should never be understated because Zari 2.0 could easily go wrong and yet she’s as amazing as the first version. Her reenacting Love Potion No 9 was fun too. 

Bravo casting department for getting actors who have great chemistry with Matt. I totally buy Con’s history with both Nat and Des. 

Of course the headless corpse of Marie Antoinette got loose on the Waverider and ended up with Mick’s gun. 

Hee a donut brings back more of Zari’s old timeline memories. Donuts do have magical powers so it checks out. 

End stage lung cancer. Ouch, sorry Con. 

I was concerned this would be an All Ava episode but it was nicely balanced between Zari and Con so I enjoyed it a lot. 

[Jediknight]

Zari was going to marry a dude who wore a giant s'more on his head.  This episode also had the decapitated head of Marie Antoinette talking, while the headless body ran around, and at one point said body got Mick's gun.

Just another day in the life of the Legends.

Doughnuts, there is nothing they can't do.

[UNOSEZ]

That was fun... That accent made me want to run into a volcano... Zari is always awesome.. Nate was tolerable... So was Ava... Con and Charlie had some good beats.. Interested in how that develops... Big ups to the CW on letting Astra have two black parents... Don't normally see that cept on their "black" shows... Ready for the next epi

[Lantern7]

Another fun-filled week in time travel, offset by forces killing John by literally turning a screw. And one would think having Gary as a sidekick would be enough of a punishment for his sins.

I get why some people might not like Ava as a character, but she does show more dimensions than one might think. She's slowly adapting to the Legends' style of doing good, even as it involves rapidly sinking in quicksand. Sure, Zardashian was more or less the MVP, but Ava is learning. Of course, Sara left her in command because . . . what other option did she have? Aside from Ray "DC Comics' Dudley Do-Right" Palmer, the candidate pool doesn't even rise to ankle-level . . . and that's before Charlie flew off on her own.

Nice that the writers remembered Charlie is a mythical creature. You think we'll be reminded that Mick was Chronos for an untold amount of years? Yeah, me neither. Even though John basically neutered violated "fixed" her ability last season, having her and John together on the same plot makes sense.

A-plot caper involving Marie Antoinette negating the French Revolution and Ava and Zardashian run things while the guys dick around? Peak Legends. Of course Marie's headless body would wind up grabbing Mick's heat gun and reign havoc on the Waverider. And, of course, Zardashian learns a hard lesson after getting drenched in the magic perfume, and the only deterrent was her own brand perfume, which kills the sense of smell. Basically, you become Dewey Cox without macheting your brother in two. And Nate punches a dude with a S'More helmet. Why the fuck not?!?

Seriously, is it distressing that social media is still a huge thing in the 2040's?

[Jediknight]

2 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Why the fuck not?!?

Seems to be the motto of the show.

[Alice Mudgarden]

The visual of the headless body repeatedly bumping into the wall was probably my favorite part of the episode.

That, or Marie Antoinette's head saying from under the sheet *in pseudo French accent* "STAY AWAY FROM ME OR I WILL BITE YOUR FINGER!"

In the spirit of this week's ep, I shall word my appreciation for my bonkers little show as such:

❤️ Je t'aime bouquets, légendes ❤️

[tarotx]

That Ava/Zari scene was too similar to the ones between Sara/Zari in s3. I just wish I liked Ava better. I like both versions of Maisie and Tala and I like Constintine and Behrad so this isn't I hate the new people. 

I did like the episode more than I thought but that was because Ava wasn't in it as much as I feared. Nate is stil annoying when he's too much.

I do love that Ray finally has someone who loves him. DarhkAtom is adoreable and I will miss Ray. 

[UNOSEZ]

13 minutes ago, tarotx said:

Nate is stil annoying when he's too much.

I don't think Ill ever be confused for a Nate fan.. But when he rolled up on the DJ and asked if he was the boyfriend then bopped him.. I was dying. . 

[Jediknight]

57 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

I don't think Ill ever be confused for a Nate fan.. But when he rolled up on the DJ and asked if he was the boyfriend then bopped him.. I was dying. . 

Not sure if Nate punched him because he was Zari's boyfriend, or because that guy was wearing a giant s'more on his head, and being Zari's boyfriend gave him another reason to not like him.

[thuganomics85]

So, I'm guessing this all took place during Oliver's funeral, which is why Sara/Caity Lotz was gone for almost all of it.

While I'm glad that Zari is continuing to regain her memories each episode (of course the donut would be a trigger point!  Hell, Zari always had more chemistry with food then she did with Nate), I'm really loving Zari 2.0., and how she plays off everyone else.  I really do think Tala Ashe is one of the best performers out of the entire Arrowverse, because this easily could have been a misfire, but she is pretty much nailing all aspects of the character.  Can't wait to see where all of this goes.

The Ava/Zari pair was fun, but I really think it's time for the show to at least take a break on the whole "Ava questions and doubts herself" storylines.  I get it, show.

Everything involving Marie Antoinette was pure insanity in the best way possible.  I do agree with some of the arguments I read elsewhere that Marie really isn't anywhere near as bad as the other encores (granted, my history on that subject is lacking), but I am more than willing to handwave all of that, due to them randomly having Courtney Ford play her, and her hilariously campy performance.  The entire thing was Legends at its best!

Bummed over the lack of Mick, but him actually developing "feelings" for someone is hilarious.  And, of course, Ray would be over the moon to hear about it!

Hmm, I wondering if Astra succeeded with killing Constantine (for now?), or if Charlie and Gary are going to find a way to reverse it.  Either way, I doubt the character or Matt Ryan are going to be gone for good, but I wonder if this is going to be a way to have him off screen for a bit.

Still hoping Behrad finds a place here, even if they do end up bringing back Original Zari. 

[darkestboy]

This was both a lot of ridiculous fun and got serious and dark in places too.

The Marie Antoinette and Zari storylines nicely dovetailing one another. Some obvious moments but they worked a treat.

Ava made for an okay interim captain but here's hoping Sara isn't away too long. I did like her scenes with Zari, who slowly seems to be getting her memories back.

Headless Marie after Ray and Mick was pretty funny though. 

Nate and Behrad do seem to have a good dynamic but how has the latter not cottoned on to hoe odd his friend is being around his sister at times?

Constantine's life expectancy getting sped up really does show how pissed Astra truly has become with him.

Nice flashbacks with Constantine and Natalie, nice that Charlie's getting more of a storyline too and eh, Gary, you really should brush up on your skills a bit more, 8/10

[UNOSEZ]

I wonder how old Charlie is... And she knew about the multiverse... Ans at least has a feeling that crisis happened... Interesting 

[Writing Wrongs]

So there was no explanation why Marie Antoinette looked like Nora?

[UNOSEZ]

1 hour ago, Writing Wrongs said:

So there was no explanation why Marie Antoinette looked like Nora?

Ray told her they need to do some DNA testing.. So maybe she's a descendant

[cryyhavoc]

It was OK, way too much Ava, she is just not an interesting character at all.  The choice for Captain may be lacking, but the new kid on the block should not be it.  It reeks of Sarah playing the girlfriend card and I wish another character had spoken up about it.  They are all seasoned veterans, do we really need anyone to be in charge in Sarah's absence, they all know the job and what to do.

[blackwing]

I really enjoyed this episode.  Loved the hilariously over the top Marie Antoinette.  I most like the episodes where they go farther back in time than the 20th century.  I’m still hoping one day they get to Ancient Rome or Greece.  
 

Are we going to get to see more of the people on those evil coins?  We already saw Rasputin. I’d love to see Caligula and Mary Tudor.

I don’t mind Ava that much, as long as she is in small doses.  The one I really despise is Gary.  He’s all around useless.  I guess they are now trying to turn him into a sorcerer, just to give him more to do.  I wish they would have him go away like how we got rid of Mona.

[shantown]

2 hours ago, cryyhavoc said:

do we really need anyone to be in charge in Sarah's absence

I would worry what Ray, Nate, and Behrad would manage to do if left up to their own devices. A more slacker version of the Custodians of the Chronology maybe? I think there's gotta be a captain and I have yet to see anyone really have the leadership qualities the way Sara stood out in S1. Amaya and Zari 1.0 were as close as we've gotten.

Edited February 19, 2020 by shantown
spelled Zari wrong and I won't disrespect Tala Ashe like that

[Starfish35]

Yes, as much as I am deeply unhappy about Ava taking on the captain role 😡, I have to grudgingly admit that from an in-show perspective Ava was the best choice.  In the absence of Jax, Amaya, and Zari 1.0, unfortunately Ava is the best qualified. 

[scarynikki12]

They only said Sara went to Star City so are we to assume she was going to Oliver's funeral? Because she seemed a bit too cheerful for such an event. If it was supposed to be his funeral I can pretend that she was maybe happy that Quentin was back from the dead and, if it wasn't, I will hope that we find out what she was doing.

[UNOSEZ]

1 hour ago, Starfish35 said:

In the absence of Jax, Amaya, and Zari 1.0, unfortunately Ava is the best qualified. 

Waverider went from a trendy downtown bar in NYC to a frat house in Iowa... Shame... 

[ketose]

2 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

They only said Sara went to Star City so are we to assume she was going to Oliver's funeral? Because she seemed a bit too cheerful for such an event. If it was supposed to be his funeral I can pretend that she was maybe happy that Quentin was back from the dead and, if it wasn't, I will hope that we find out what she was doing.

Didn't Sara go to Star City 2040 as well?

[Sakura12]

I just watched this one. Still hate that they are giving Ava storylines that should've been Sara's. We haven't seen Sara bond with the team since S3 and Ava gets a whole episode for that. 

As for Zari I'm hoping these memory flashes start to matter to her. So far she doesn't seem to react to them. 

I was more interested in the Constantine and Charlie storyline and wish we spent more time with them. Whatever is going with them is more interesting then seeing Ava now being praised by everyone. Are we going to have another bringing back to life story. I really hope it's Sara that saves John to repay him for saving her. But that require Sara to matter to these writers. 

I hope Sara was with her new Super friends team and helping them set up the Hall of Justice. So I can imagine she's important somewhere in the Universe. 

[StaceyNotStacie]

This episode was okay. I enjoyed the Marie Antoinette stuff and I liked that they used the Nora actress instead of a random guest star. Knowing that Brandon is leaving, it was nice seeing a scene with Ray and Mick. I’ve always enjoyed their bromance more than Ray and Nate. I like both Zari and her brother, so I’m hoping that they’ll both remain once/if Zari permanently gets her memories back. 
 

I have never been a fan of Constantine, so I’m kind of meh on his story. His final scene makes me curious as to what happens next, but I feel like I’m watching an entirely different show when he is on, one that I probably wouldn’t watch if it wasn’t a part of Legends. 

[bettername2come]

The donuts brought back memories. Nate did not. I am deeply amused by that. I've really underestimated Tala. She's so perfect as Zari 2.0, but I was really excited to see her in our Zari's flannel. I hope she and her brother get to stay on the ship. I enjoy sibling superhero dynamics. But what, are they gonna take turns with the totem? And I think Behrad uses it better. Or at least more frequently...

I like the little friendship forming between Zari and Ava. 

Nora and Ray are so cute. With him accidentally telling her he loved her, and the exact right amount of awkwardness.

Headless Marie Antoinette grabbing the heat gun may be the greatest cracked out moment of the series. Well, that or giant Beebo busting out the kung fu.

[teenj12]

5 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

They only said Sara went to Star City so are we to assume she was going to Oliver's funeral? Because she seemed a bit too cheerful for such an event. If it was supposed to be his funeral I can pretend that she was maybe happy that Quentin was back from the dead and, if it wasn't, I will hope that we find out what she was doing.

I'm fanwanking that maybe Sara didn't wanna tell the others/Ava about going to the funeral, so she tried to look upbeat.

2 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

 

I have never been a fan of Constantine, so I’m kind of meh on his story. His final scene makes me curious as to what happens next, but I feel like I’m watching an entirely different show when he is on, one that I probably wouldn’t watch if it wasn’t a part of Legends. 

God, I'm not the only one! 

Look, I like Constantine, but this story he has going with Astra and everything is just NOT interesting to me, and it feels like the Legends are too adjacent from it on their own show.

[owenthurman]

Constantine was created to be a supporting character; Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman both understood that, but a hundred less insightful writers have tried to force stories to center on him. He should be off-screen every moment he isn't actively advancing the story.

Agree with those who miss Sara and don't love Ava. Sara's a better character with more interesting history and a more magnetic performer, it stinks that she gets pushed into the background in order for stories to center on the whiny.

[Primal Slayer]

What did they do to Ava? She is so unsure of herself compared to when we first met her. She used to be in charge of plenty of people. Though them not allowing Ray to "mature" back to the point where he could be a leader in Sara's absence is a downfall of the character.

Zari/John definitely help keep the episode up in Saras absence.

[shantown]

10 hours ago, teenj12 said:

I'm fanwanking that maybe Sara didn't wanna tell the others/Ava about going to the funeral, so she tried to look upbeat.

I'm going with this, because it also fits my headcanon that TPTB are idiots and there should have been more heroes (that knew him personally, had fought beside him, etc) at the funeral.

[Sakura12]

10 hours ago, teenj12 said:

I'm fanwanking that maybe Sara didn't wanna tell the others/Ava about going to the funeral, so she tried to look upbeat.

If that's the case, how sad is it that Sara can't tell her girlfriend she's going to a good friends funeral because of her childish jealousy. Why am I supposed to want Sara with this woman? 

[Bruinsfan]

I'm a fan of Constantine and love Matt Ryan's portrayal, but it really does feel like his narrative has hijacked the show. We're now a third season in to the Legends being all about fighting Hell and assorted mystical creatures rather than the sci-fi time travel premise it started with.

[shantown]

3 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

I'm a fan of Constantine and love Matt Ryan's portrayal, but it really does feel like his narrative has hijacked the show. We're now a third season in to the Legends being all about fighting Hell and assorted mystical creatures rather than the sci-fi time travel premise it started with.

Yeah, I'm pretty over the hell/souls/magic themes and wish they'd get back to the original premise. 

[raven]

6 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

I'm a fan of Constantine and love Matt Ryan's portrayal, but it really does feel like his narrative has hijacked the show.

ITA.  I enjoyed Constantine when he had his own show; on this one the tonal shifts are too jarring for me.   He was fun as the PI but should have been left as a character who pops up occasionally.   It doesn't quite work for me to go from headless corpse bumping into things to demons and hell.  And Gary is extraneous; the Charlie/Constantine dynamic is a good one, we don't need anyone else.

I've been underwhelmed since the premiere.  I feel like this show is doing what the Walking Dead did - adding so many characters that no one gets a proper story.  Though from where everyone's standing, Ava was the logical choice to stand in for Sara, how much fun would it have been to have Mick?  Or Mick and Ray co-captain or anyone else, really.   Mick really doesn't get anything to do; a brief love scene doesn't count.  They even had him stop being an author! 

Something's just not feeling quite right to me.

[Spaceman Spiff]

10 hours ago, raven said:

I've been underwhelmed since the premiere.

Me as well. I thought the premiere was terrible and worse than anything season 1 had to offer, and then this episode happened. This show fell off the rails during the second half of last season and it hasn't recovered yet.

Turning my favorite character into a *gag* "social media influencer", and continuing the badly set up Nate/Zari supposed love. I'm also getting tire of hearing Sara/Ava calling each other "babe" all the time.

The only thing I have been enjoying this season is Ray/Nora and yet they decided to get rid of those two characters. It's a shame that LoT was considered the redheaded step child of the CW/DC superhero shows when it started and quickly became my favorite, but I seriously am starting the hate watch this show.

[lurker22]

I agree with Constantine hijacking the show. I felt like I was watching 2 different shows this episode. I like Constantine, I watched his show on NBC, but don't like it enough to watch a S2 if there was one. I find him to be good in small doses, but now half of Legends is being used on a magical/demon theme that is so far away from the sci-fi time travel show I initially signed up for.

This, plus how Sara is consistently being pushed into the only role of Ava's happy supportive girlfriend, is greatly reducing my interest in a show that I'm already frustrated with since S3.

[tennisgurl]

I really like the story with Costantine, but this season it feels like he is on his own show away from the rest of the cast. Like I am watching LoT, as well as Constantine, two shows that somehow exist within the same block of television. I am also interested in getting some backstory on Charlie, who is old enough to have messed with the Loom of Fate! 

I really missed Sara, but I think Caity is directing next week so maybe she was getting ready for that, and maybe Sara was at Oliver's funeral (hence her not telling Ava, who would certainly go into a jealous rage and accuse Oliver's corpse of flirting with Sara) or dealing with other post Oliver stuff, so I missed having Sara around as captain. So how many episodes are we going to have with Ava doubting herself while Sara and the legends are her cheerleaders? I did like her stuff with Zari alright, and Ava does have a plenty of good moments, but this show has increasingly struggled with giving tons of importance to some characters, while basically ignoring others, and Ava seems to be the new favorite. 

The story itself was pretty fun, even though I have to defend Marie a bit, especially next to the other time baddies we have seen so far. As she even said, she was really just a noble girl who was married off into a position she wasnt really ready for, in a time and place where it was very bad to be a queen, and her worst crime was being a bored teenager with tons of free time and money who wanted to be liked by the royal court, and being very sheltered from what the poor were going through at the time. Having Courtney Ford playing her, complete with absolutely ridiculous fake french accent, was quite funny, especially Ray telling Nora to take a 23 and Me to see if she might be related! While we only saw a little bit of Nora, I loved Ray adorably telling her that he loved her, and then getting all awkward, and then she said it back. I love Nora and Ray, its so great to see Ray finally as someones first choice and not a women he loves consolation prize or place holder, he deserves love, as does Nora. 

The headless body with the flame gun was some classic shenanigans. 

Not cool stealing magic perfume new Zari! Not cool! But damn it I cant stay mad at you Zari, no matter what timeline you come from. So now Zari has found one of her old shirts, and got a flash of her memories from her true love...donuts!

[MarkHB]

It was a lot of fun seeing nuZari turning her skillset - influencer and socialite - into "here's how you worm your way into the French Court."  Also, Zari knew exactly how many days it had been since she had last eaten a donut, almost like a recovering addict.

[Quark]

I thought this episode was absolutely hysterical.

[legaleagle53]

I must admit to being a little confused as to exactly how Marie's victims "partied" themselves to death. Her demonic perfume only ramped up their desire to obey her every command by making them all fall in love with her, but it doesn't explain why they suddenly started dropping dead after gorging themselves on cake. Did they simply die from sheer physical exhaustion?

[benteen]

Not as good as last week but still a fun episode.  This new version of Zari is a blast and working out better than I thought.  Enjoyed Ava and Zari.  It's interesting how much the membership of the team has changed over the years and this is an excellent example of that.  I disagreed with the use of Marie Antoinette as an encore for a variety of reasons.

[legaleagle53]

On 3/12/2020 at 5:30 AM, benteen said:

I disagreed with the use of Marie Antoinette as an encore for a variety of reasons.

Agreed. The real Marie Antoinette may have been a lot of things, but evil was never one of them. Vapid, shallow, clueless, and self-absorbed, yes, but not evil!

[Bruinsfan]

It probably depends on what sort of philosophy the show takes toward the metaphysics of the afterlife. In Constantine's narrative, a LOT of people end up in Hell, some of them despite being completely innocent like Astra was.