We begin in yesteryear when a certain time demon faced off against a certain blue stuff toy. Really we begin a few hours after the fight, with Gary circa 2018 as he cleans up Beebo fluff. His timeline clean-up is interrupted by a figure in a dark overcoat and familiar silhouette.
Flash forward to 2020 where Constantine’s giving a crash course in loom history and why they should want it. With the loom of fate, they can change history without the worry of time anomalies. Sara gets a look like she knows where this path could lead. (It’s because she does. The loom of fate’s power is strikingly similar to the spear of destiny.) The power to change fate without consequence is too much for anyone to have so she backs Charlie’s plan to leave it be.
Their cosmic power debate is solidly ended by a new encore appearing in Salvation. Sara’s almost through her usual send-off before she realizes most of the team isn’t there to hear it. The time bros plus Gary are borrowing Constantine’s place to stage Ray’s engagement. He’s planned a candlelit dinner, down to hiding the ring in the mousse. Even with Nora still fairy-sitting it doesn’t seem like anything can ruin this night.
Back on the ship, Constantine’s searching for any leads on the loom. Nate conveniently had a professor who knew of and was searching for the loom, mentioning to Nate a theory of it being in the South Pole. All gung ho Constantine gets ready to tackle the Antarctic. The convenient professor was really a red herring trail from Charlie who borrowed Nate’s face. Meanwhile, all cowboyed up Sara’s trying to get the remainder of her team ready for the mission. But Mick’s going be M.I.A too. He has his own problem with a troll trashing Rebecca Silver books (An online troll, not a literal troll which is a distinction that must be made on this show). Sara assigns Zari to help, the Wild West turning into a two-woman mission.
Sara and Ava find Gary tied to train tracks, untying him just before he can become part of a trolley problem. When he calls Ava ‘Director Sharpe’ they realize this isn’t 2020 Gary. Also, his time courier got stolen again. By who else but Damien Darhk. He uses it to find Nora in the present. She realizes he’s an Encore. Blindsided by him being back she lies about Constantine’s magic mansion being hers. She doesn’t want Sara to use her new hell sword just yet, asking Ray to leave and to take her kid, Pippa with him.
Meanwhile, Zari’s amused someone put so much thought into their Rebecca Silver insults. She suggests Mick send a signed copy to this person to appease their fan hate. This backfires when the person uploads a video of burning the book. Zari takes it up a step, hacking their account for an address so they can confront them in person.
Nate and Behrad are ready to plan a bachelor party but Ray’s more worried about his captain killing his future father-in-law. With good reason, Sara is already on the hunt for Darhk. Gideon tracked him to Constantine’s place. She also took call from Wild Dog for Sara while she was out. Sara brushes off the call, taking only Ava with her to deal with Damien. Nora sees them, stopping them before they can get the drop on him. She begs for one night with her dad. Sara’s seething with barely contained rage, but she more than anyone can understand what it means to get more time with your dad.
Nora introduces Sara and Ava as her henchpeople but they’re already doubting this plan. He may be Nora’s dad but he’s also an evil warlock who’s tried to kill them all multiple times. As they get dinner ready Nora comes up with a new plan. Her dad can’t hurt anyone if he’s powerless and she knowns just the potion to do it. Gary bursts out of the closet, volunteering to make it. Ava and Sara both think it’s too risky, but Nora calls down the power of book club.
While this has been happening Sara’s been ignoring calls from Wild Dog all night. When she leaves to serve hors d’oeuvres Ava answers the phone. The night gets even more complicated when Constantine, realizing Charlie sent him on a wild goose chase comes home. He and Damien come to magical blows, that is until Nora pretends she and Constantine are together.
On the Waverider Ray’s been keeping the kid occupied with Mr. Parker’s Cal-De-Sac. Even Pippa can see Nora’s hiding Ray, which Nora doesn’t deny when summoned. Keeping the charade she has going is better than her dad killing everyone. That doesn’t make Ray feel better though. And speaking of relationship drama, Zari and Mick tracked down the troll. It’s a teenage girl. Mick starts reading a prepared speech until Ali comes to the door. The same Ali that Mick hooked up with a couple of episodes ago. She reveals this kid is Mick’s daughter.
Ali never told him because Mick was in jail when she found out she was pregnant, but now that he knows she’s open to them getting to know each other. Lita, his daughter isn’t thrilled to have an ex-con smutty romance writer for a dad. Mick mind wipes them both and would have done the same to Zari if she didn’t stop him.
Back at Constantine’s he’s making the most of being Nora’s pretend boyfriend. He tries fishing for information on the loom, but Damien doesn’t know where it is. Sara shuts down his questions, but Ava lets it slip she knows why Sara was off in Star City. She was looking at a permanent job which she didn’t mention to Ava. While Damien offers relationship advice, Nora anxiously calls for the next course. The next course being the most crucial one. With the depowering potion complete, Gary hides a dose in Damien’s chocolate mousse.
It’s around this time Ray is commiserating with his boys. It’s also around this time he remembers he hid the ring the mousse. Rushing to the house he silently tries to stop dessert, but Nora’s the only who notices, everyone else too occupied watching Damien as he goes in for a bite. Before he can Ava starts choking on the ring. Damien rightly thinks the ring is for Nora. He just doesn’t know who it’s really from.
Constantine gives a half heart proposal to keep the lie up, but Nora can’t lie anymore. She comes clean about everything, including who she’s really dating. It goes from bad to worse when Damien’s mousse starts frothing and he realizes it’s poisoned. Damien takes this all well and by well I mean he starts choking everyone. Sara tries to sword him, but he stops her before she gets the chance.
Back on the Waverider Nate and Behrad have been watching Mr. Parker’s with Pippa. Charlie’s the one to notice the alarm going off. They jump into action, but Pippa wishes to come along too, magically sending all of them right into the fray. Nora defends Ray and her friends, but Damien just thinks she’s been poisoned against him. Behrad and Nate encourage Pippa to make a wish to end this. She wishes them all onto Mr. Parker’s Cul-De-Sac.
Ray, now Mr. Parker sits down for a therapy session with Damien and Nora. When they get nowhere he sends us to the next segment via Gary-Train transition. Charlie and Constantine are together, joined by puppet Sara and puppet Ava. The puppets work out their issue through communication. Sara was looking for a permanent job because she thought Ava wanted to settle down. Ava did want that, but for right now she’s enjoying her time on the Waverider.
Constantine points out that if Charlie can sense the loom so can her sisters. If they get to it first it would be bad news for everyone. He offers to help destroy the loom permanently after changing Astra’s fate. Charlie agrees and the puppets cheer.
Ray brings out the ‘safe space sombrero’. Nora and Damien clear the air, Nora getting her grievances off her chest and Damien admitting his faults as a father. See how messed up the Legends are Pippa decides her own family isn’t that bad, releasing Nora and allowing everyone to leave.
Nora says yes to Ray, both deciding to get married that night. The Legends put on their best clothes and whip up the finest decorations Gideon can fabricate. Sara officiates. Nate’s best man and walks his best buddy down the aisle. Nora gets to walk down the aisle with her dad. It’s small, off the cuff and perfectly Legends.
Afterwards, Damien genuinely thanks Ray and asks him to support Nora. Properly support her, in the way one can’t do when living a place of limbo, like a time ship. Mick, meanwhile is eating his feelings. Zari seeks him out. Mick’s sure his daughter would be better off with him, but Zari doesn’t agree, giving him something to think on. Damien and Nora share a father-daughter dance. He’s going to give up his evil ways, inspired by his daughter and although Damien promises to be around, the way he holds Nora is just a little too tight for someone saying ‘goodbye for now’.
Sara catches him as he’s leaving. Their conversation is anything but friendly, but there’s an understanding between them. It doesn’t mean forgiveness and likely never will. But Sara allows Damien to leave. That is until she notices the sword is missing. She rushes out in time to see Damien stab himself returning himself to hell.
Review
The best episodes of Legends always have the best character work and does Mr. Parker’s Cal-de-Sac ever have it. Funny, charming and witty it juggles multiple threads flawlessly. The ‘my parent doesn’t know what I really do/who I’m really dating’ is a trope that’s been done to death, but Legends puts that classic Legends twist on it. The parent happens to be a villain and arch-nemesis to the Captain of the team. The kid is a fairy godmother who used to be an evil witch and she’s dating a guy who’s so un-evil he once befriended a hyper dangerous alien from a conquerer race. Oh and that doesn’t even mention the Mister Roger’s Neighbourhood homage the episode gets its name from.
This was Nora’s episode and she owned every moment of it, from the comedy to the sincere moments. Damien has always been a delight on Legends. We saw his redemption and saw him make the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter but the narrative doesn’t completely exonerate him of wrongdoings. Sara allowing him to live for Nora’s sake wasn’t forgiveness. It’s clear he understands he doesn’t deserve it either, but in spite of that, he’s still trying to be better. For his daughter.
On the peripheries of this episode, we also had Sara and Mick’s storylines. These were story beats that could have been thrown away moments. Mick hooked up with an old crush. It was fun the episode and could have stayed just that. But here we are, expanding on it and developing Mick and his motivations.
Sara and Ava’s miscommunication too rose out of a thread the writers didn’t have to pull at. Sara going to Star City was code for Caity Lotz is prepping to direct. A line about helping her dad or Felicity or any of the people she knows in Star City could have been the end of it. On another show that would have been the end it. But Legends fleshes it out for Sara and Ava’s relationship. Sara was looking for a stable job so she and Ava could settle down, something Ava’s talked about in the past. Ava wanted that once and might still in the future but she’s in a different place now and she just wants to enjoy this wild adventure with her girlfriend. They hit a miscommunication, they talk about in a healthy way and come to an agreement, together. Okay, sure they happened to be puppets for that conversation and that’s just the Legends bonus.
This episode was obviously gearing up for Ray and Nora’s send-off which is a whole thing I’m not ready for, especially now that’s an episode away. Ready or not it’s coming and a beautiful wedding was the perfect way to start their happily ever after.
Only Legends Could
- It was short-lived but we went to the Wild West with all the Wild West costume goodness.
- Sara and Ava having an argument while Damien Darhk, Sara’s ultimate nemesis, gave relationship advice is peak Legends.
- A small understated moment was Ava and Sara’s silent conversation when Ava found the ring. Ava questioning with confusion but no expectations or pressure. Sara who at one point would have freaked at the prospect of commitment, answering with a simple head shake.
- “Dad, I’m not a child you can’t just kill my friends anymore.” That’s a whole line to unpack.
- So much wholesome time bro content this episode, most of all Nate walking Ray down the aisle.
- Gary got to live his flower boy dreams!
- It truly was the perfect wedding. But the best part was no nazis.
