DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Review: Shogun (Season 2 Episode 3)
On DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Episode 3, “Shogun,” the team lands in feudal Japan. Unfortunately, samurai swords fights aren’t enough to save us from the dreaded filler episode.
Nate wakes up imbued with his fancy new superpowers. Ray altered the formula so his skin was as hard as his suit. So, now Nate can turn into steel.
Having someone impervious to harm on the team will come in handy. Ostensibly, Nate can protect the majority of the team from significant injury, if necessary, without DC’s Legends of Tomorrow resorting to the Lazarus Pit or constantly messing with the timeline.
Ray tries to teach Nate how to use his new powers, because apparently Ray is experienced enough to train someone. When did that happen? They end up putting a hole in the ship, and Nate falls out, so perhaps that’s indicative of Ray’s skill level.
Both Ray and Nate land in feudal Japan. A young woman brings an injured Nate to her father for care. He learns that she’s engaged to a brutal historical figure, the Shogun. So, Nate decides to intervene because… why not?
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow plays fasts and loose with the consequences of messing with the timeline frequently, much like The Flash.
However, “Shogun” felt faster and looser than usual. There was no discussion about what Nate’s interference could do. I’m not in favor of Masako marrying the Shogun anymore than Nate is, but we could at least brainstorm a couple of ramifications.
18th century Japan boils down to a lot of samurai sword fighting, which basically means Sara gets to look super cool. Honestly, we could have an episode just of Caity Lotz twirling swords and looking fierce. That’s filler fine by me.
Ray loses his suit to the Shogun. Ray warns that using the suit is very dangerous and built only for his body. Once the Shogun is firing away with ease, Ray explains he built the suit so an idiot could use it.
So which is it DC’s Legends of Tomorrow? Can anyone with a monkey level IQ wear this thing? Or is it configured to Ray’s body only? The flip-flopping explanations to suit (Ha! Pun intended) the contrived plot leave a lot to be desired.
Eh. I can’t even care that much because Ray teaches New Guy (I really like Mick’s nickname for Nate) how to destroy the suit. I wonder if Ray’s suit has to go because of budget restrictions. There’s only so much special effects money to go around and Citizen Steel might use up a chunk.
Otherwise, I can’t think of a reasonable purpose to this storyline for Ray. Honestly, what on earth is he going to do now? Maybe he can squeeze in some League of Assassin training with Sara while he builds a new one.
I found Vixen’s presence more irritating than helpful.
She is hunting for Rex’s killer. Rex said it was a time traveler, so Vixen assumes it’s one of the Legends. Since Rory is the only criminal she zeroes in on him.
Nancy Drew she is not. Sara points out that Mick was long gone with the team when Rex was killed. However, Vixen continues to admonish Mick’s criminal past while Sara defends him.
It’s not insane for Vixen to suspect Mick. He is a criminal and isn’t motivated by heroism or “doing the right thing.” His currency is loyalty. Mick has the team’s back because he knows they have his and that’s enough for him.
Except, we know all of this about him. So, it just felt like unnecessary arguing and exposition. I wanted to tell Vixen to watch Season 1 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
The only spark of interest is when Jackson and Professor Stein find a hidden compartment aboard the Wave Rider. Apparently, there’s a message from Barry Allen forty years in the future. Barry gave Rip strict instructions not to tell the team.
Of course, Jackson and Professor Stein listen to the message. Then, immediately wish they hadn’t and decide to keep whatever is said a secret from the team. Oh, and the audience too. Come on! I wanna know!
That’s as juicy as it gets in “Shogun.” Even in a 13 episode season, there’s bound to be a few filler eps. Sadly, Samurai Sara ins’t enough to keep me invested in this snoozer of an episode.
Stray Thoughts:
- MVP for “Shogun” is Mick Rory! His one liners were the only things keeping me from falling asleep.
- “League of Assassins. Class of ’09.” Sara, you are my forever cupcake. Never change.
- Is the third episode always a filler in the DC universe? Is that a thing?
What did you think of this episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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DC’s Legends of Tomorrow airs Thursday at 8/7c on The CW.
Jennifer Knutson
Wife, mother and TV enthusiast. She has a degree in Communications, a minor in English, a background in marketing, and a deep love for all story telling mediums. The TV obsession probably started from birth, but hit saturation level with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and hasn't dissipated since. She has a weakness for dark & twisty heroes and selfless love stories. When she's not working, raising her little human, or spending time with her spouse, she's writing, analyzing, tweeting, and obsessing about all things Arrow. You can check out her blog here: http://jbuffyangel.tumblr.com/ You can also follow Jennifer on Twitter: @jbuffyangel