The CW’s loopiest heroes save history by destroying history.
Or just the “destroying” part, maybe.
The time-traveling lets-call-them-heroes ofDCs Legends of Tomorrowhave jumped back to gangland Los Angeles for a very important mission.
Colin Bentley/The CW
And that mission is…hmm, itll come to me.
Whatever the teams doing, it cant bethatimportant.
Theyre undercover in a Sunset Boulevard nightclub called the Blue Iguana.
But Avas lit past oversharing, and Micks drunk enough for Tuesday morning.
Im essentially homeless, Ava moans.
She used to trigger the Time Bureau, a massive government organization.
Im a vagrant, a vagabond, Ava says.
Everything I own is now stuffed inside a Time Bureau softball league duffel bag.
Mick points to the loneliest man in the bar.
You see that clown sitting over there?
The one riddled with responsibilities?
And hes welcome to it.
Too many superhero stories are miserable with responsibility.
Season 5 of The CWs superteam romp kicks off Tuesday with a mockumentary episode about killing Rasputin.
Next week, the gangs in Old Hollywood cosplaying noir seduction.
Then they go to Prom.
Some actors play different people than they used to play.
One baddie kills victims by partying super hard.
Main characters die, but dont stress!
Technically, youve died more than three times, Ava tells Sara.
Even her girlfriends lost count.
What isLegends of Tomorrow?
Better question: What isnt it?
The third offshoot from producer Greg BerlantisArrowbegan ten thousand years ago in 2016.
Cast members cycled out, and the tone veered stranger.
Not that any of the Berlanti comic book shows aim for, like, serious-faced realism.
Im a serial killers fairy godmother!
is a typical subplot-launching line of dialogue.
It helps thatLegendshas self-realized into the franchise far-outlier.
(like consultmy omniscient colleague Chancellor Agardfor coverage of all Infinite Earths.)
But Nates not complaining.
Actually, the cameras are a PR desperation move.
Ava wants the world to see how totally together this whole Legends of Tomorrow operation is.
The space-time continuum immediately collapses; the worst people in history rise from the dead.
This may seem like a problem, Ava flop-sweats, but lets turn it into a proble-tunity!
Everyone comes up with their own plan.
Every plan steps on another plans foot.
Nate gets mesmerized by Rasputins psychic act.
Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) attaches a selfie camera to his Atom costume, and goes someplace squishy.
The decadence of Imperial Russia is played, mostly, by one single large foyer in an alleged palace.
How does Rasputin speak English?
Why are the special effects so questionable?
The premieres playful conclusion skewers these questions.
A little self-awareness goes a long way, butLegendshas a charm thats more old-fashioned than meta.
Every adventure is a game of dress-up.
The scenerys not much but what chewing!
John Constantine (Matt Ryan) tries an American accent, why not.
And Tala Ashes Zari returns from a timeline reboot as a parody of a certain mega-celebrity.
Showrunners Phil Klemmer, Keto Shimizu, and Grainne Godfree always seem to be getting away with something.
Season 5 averages one musical number every two episodes.
An electric-chair execution cues up Belinda Carlisles Heaven is a Place on Earth on the soundtrack.
The tone can be ecstatically gay.
Message to certain Disney franchises safe enough for totalitarian censors: Nowthatshow you do an LGBTQ-friendly victory smooch!
Necessary deviation into sober critic-speak:Legendscan betooslapdash.
Must be pretty heavy if youre calling me on the blower!
Two central cast members will depart this year, butLegendsalready earned a season 6 renewal.
Thats a healthy run and it could go ever on.
Is that the long game, blending new characters from DC lore with rescued demi-icons of super-shows past?
Good lord, will someone fromGothamcommand theWaveriderby season 11?
OnLegends of Tomorrow, the proble-tunities are endless.B+
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