The fourth season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow seems to forget that the show is, at its core, about time travel and the effects of time manipulation and not a spinoff of other CW shows like Supernatural.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray that we reviewed in this post. The opinions we share are our own.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is back with its fourth season. Returning cast members Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, Dominic Purcell, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Nick Zano, Tala Ashe, and Amy Louise Pemberton are joined by newest cast member Ramona Young. Season four sees Matt Ryan, Jes Macallan, and Courtney Ford advanced to principal cast members and features Jane Carr, Adam Tsekhman, Christian Keyes, Oliva Swann, Paul Reubens, and Tom Wilson as recurring guest stars.
Here’s the season’s official description: “After defeating the demon Mallus by cuddling him to death with a giant stuffed animal, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow join Ava Sharpe’s Time Bureau to help clean up the last few anachronisms. Simple enough . . . until John Constantine informs them that solving one major problem has created another much larger one. The barrier between worlds has softened, and history is now infected with Fugitives: magical creatures from myths, fairy tales and legends. Having been expelled throughout time, the Fugitives are returning in droves and making a real mess of things. Sara Lance and Constantine are joined by compassionate inventor Ray Palmer, hotheaded ex-con Mick Rory, rebellious totem-bearer Zari and historian-turned-hero Nate Heywood as they set out to save the world – and their legacy – in 16 Super Hero-charged episodes filled with magic, mayhem and madness!”
The fourth season of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow attempts to put a fresh spin on a concept viewers already know; however, the introduction of supernatural elements does not mesh well with the show’s essential time-travel basis. The season seems to forget that Legends of Tomorrow is, at its core, a show about time travel and the effects of time manipulation and not a spinoff of other CW shows like Supernatural. Season four also relies heavily on the character of John Constantine, but he, much like the mystical-take, never quite seems to belong on the show that was established by the first three seasons.
When viewers last saw the Legends of Tomorrow team, they had just defeated the demon Mallus using a giant Beebo (quite a long story). Amaya had just returned to Zambesi, and Ray had secretly helped Nora Darhk escape from the Time Bureau. The remaining Legends decided to relax in Aruba, thinking their defeat of Mallus deserved a celebration. Season three ended with the reveal that other demons had escaped due to the actions of the Legends.
Season four gets off to a rough start with the Legends arriving at Woodstock. Sara has decided to take the next step in her relationship with Ava, but she is secretly worried about Constantine’s warning of impending darkness. The team encounters a beautiful unicorn complete with accompanying rainbows, but their awe turns to horror as they watch the unicorn impale a woman with its horn and then “musk” them with its acid-like glitter.
That darkness Constantine mentioned? Turns out it takes the shape of fairytale creatures and supernatural elements this season – kinda outta nowhere. Ray refers to these creatures as myth-teries (get it?). The Legends must work with Constantine to find these creatures (including a delightful turn by Jane Carr as a singing and sinister fairy godmother) and send them back to Hell.
The introduction of the supernatural feels out of place for a show that is grounded in time travel and the effects of altering the timeline. It almost feels as if the CW is pulling in non-Arrowverse shows in an attempt to breathe new life into a concept they think may be getting stale. At one point, Ray says, “Maybe the Bureau will up our ratings. People do love the supernatural,” and he may as well wink at the camera. Of all the shows Legends of Tomorrow could be considered a “spinoff” of, Supernatural isn’t one of them. After three seasons of time travel and consequences, the use of magic as a driving force of the plot feels out of place.
These supernatural elements are heralded by John Constantine (Matt Ryan), a guest in season three and now a main character. Constantine, after starring in his own show that was cancelled, was added to the Arrowverse by appearing on Arrow’s fourth season. He was then moved to Legends of Tomorrow. Constantine, driven by his guilt over a failed exorcism and running from a mysterious creature that haunts him, is an interesting character; however, it feels like the CW doesn’t know what to do with him and instead shuffles him between shows to foster in new plotlines.
Legends of Tomorrow, since its pilot episode, revolves around a group of heroes with a variety of skills and special abilities. Constantine is almost always presented as a loner with few connections. Unfortunately, the show tries to force Constantine to fit into the Legends’ group setting, and it doesn’t quite work. Instead of gradually allowing him to make connections to the team, he shares the central spotlight with characters like Sara and is not given time to develop.
A nice sub-plot of the season sees Constantine try to change his own past, a storyline almost every character in the Arrowverse has experienced at one point or another. As can be expected, Constantine’s actions are met with disastrous results. But unlike every other character who has tried to alter time, Constantine doesn’t seem to grow or change from his actions. Time is restored, and the effects are glossed over.
The heavy emphasis on Constantine means that characters like Mick are given very little storyline this year, but the season still maintains the show’s exploration of romantic and familial relationships. This season the focus is placed on the on-again-off-again romance between Sara and Ava, the dangerous feelings Ray has for Nora Darhk, and a possible connection between Ray and Zari. Ray is also given a nice storyline that sees him attempting to rebuild his relationship with his father, played by actor Tom Wilson (yes, that is Biff from Back to the Future!). It’s also nice to see Brandon Routh get to act opposite his real-life wife, Courtney Ford.
Constantine and the introduction of the supernatural also call into question the show’s use of special effects and cgi. Though the first half of the season suffers from weak cgi including creatures who appear to be drawn and cartoonish rather than present and realistic, the quality does improve as the season progresses.
Overall, the season suffers from storylines that are hard to take seriously. For example, an ongoing plot point revolves around a character having one of his nipples bitten off. There is also a plot point that sees some of the main characters turned into singing puppets. While the show has always incorporated some degree of light-hearted humor, this season’s humor feels “hokey” and in stark contrast with the dark storyline and feel led by Constantine. Much like the supernatural and time travel elements and the relationship between Constantine and the Legends, the self-aware humor and the dark foreboding tone don’t quite work together and make the season feel disjointed.
Season four does end on a cliffhanger that implies the following season may revisit the show’s time travel origins to track down some of Hell’s most famous residents.
Episodes and Special Features
Disc 1:
- 1. “The Virgin Gary”*
- 2. “Witch Hunt”*
- 3. “Dancing Queen”
- 4. “Wet Hot American Bummer”*
- 5. “Tagumo Attacks!!!”*
- 6. “Tender is the Nate”*
- 7. “Hell No, Dolly!”*
- 8. “Legends of To-Meow-Meow”
- Special Feature: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 4 Post Production Theater (5:06)
- Special Feature: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Legendary Storytelling (3:16)
Disc 2:
- 9. “Lucha de Apuestas”*
- 10. “The Getaway”*
- 11. “Séance and Sensibility”*
- 12. “The Eggplant, the Witch & the Wardrobe”*
- 13. “Egg MacGuffin”
- 14. “Nip/Stuck”
- 15. “Terms of Service”
- 16. “Hey, World!”*
- Special Feature: Gag Reel (9:35)
*Unaired Scenes included
Special Feature Review
There are relatively few special features in this combo – far below the standard of most DC series releases; however, what is presented is unique and memorable. “Legendary Storytelling” sees EP Phil Klemmer talk about the process of choosing the right stories, time periods, and themes for each character and for the season as a whole. “Post Production Theater” is unlike any other special feature. Viewers get to see the crew act as stand-ins and place holders for scenes that need reshoots or additional effects. Scenes go from the look viewers know to cheap home remakes in an instant! It’s a one-of-a-kind look at post-production work.
Takeaway
The fourth season of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow attempts to put a fresh spin on a concept viewers already know by requiring the Legends to track down supernatural and mystical creatures who have escaped from Hell. Though it is the Legends’ fault these myth-teries have escaped, the “magical” elements of the season feel out of place when compared with the past three seasons. The heavy emphasis on the character of John Constantine also feels incongruous with the rest of the show and keeps long-time characters like Mick from having prominent storylines. Overall, the season seems to forget that Legends of Tomorrow is, at its heart, a show about time travel and the effects of time manipulation and not a spinoff of other CW shows like Supernatural.
