DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Review: Wet Hot American Bummer (Season 4 Episode 4)
Legends of Tomorrow Season 4 Episode 4, “Wet Hot American Bummer,” goes on a monster hunt at a summer camp and shenanigans ensue.
It says a lot that an episode can have de-aged versions of two of its characters a solid chunk of the episode and have that be viewed as a fairly mundane outing overall. That’s the kind of conditioning that Legends of Tomorrow has put its audience through over the past couple of seasons.
Given that — in a series where the bonkers thing happens on a weekly basis — “Wet Hot American Bummer” feels rather trite in comparison to a lot of the other episodes that have preceded it.
That being said, the episode is still an absurd amount of fun in a way that falls perfectly in line for the show. It’s not one, per se, where the series is fully capitalizing on the time travel method in a profound way, but the vibe is Legends of Tomorrow through-and-through.
It’s not necessarily perfect; can you see the villain of the episode coming a mile away? Absolutely, but the amount that it detracts from the actual episode is rather minimal. In truth — and in typical Legends of Tomorrow fashion — the baddie-of-the-week amounts very little to the actual episode itself.
Instead, this is an episode that is much more interested in and adopting the tone that we’d recognize from the title’s namesake and other like-minded films set in summer camps. This is about fun buddy systems and wildly differing counselor strategies.
On paper, that doesn’t sound terribly intriguing but, thankfully, this is a series that has long since embraced its ensemble nature that works so well for, and executes it to a tee in this episode. Specifically in the way that it divides itself into having the best pairs working together in separate corners of the show.
Sara and Ava are, of course, the stand-out pairing and the dichotomy of their respective personalities and temperaments makes for an excellent coupling, especially within the prism of their overall relationship and romance.
It continues to be encouraging that this is a couple that the series seems actively interested in exploring and finding new grooves for the two of them to operate. Forcing the two to confront the fact that one loves camp and the other was technically never a kid is a rather brilliant way to go about that.
All in all, this isn’t one of the series’ most entertaining episodes, but it has more than enough fun to keep itself and the audience going.
Some Stray Thoughts:
- Mick and Charlie sharing a drink is rather nice. More of that, please.
- Not to complain, but being able to meet the actual would be cool, too.
- I’d accept a webisode series of Nora Darhk at a Ren Fair.
- Also could have done with way more Cool Camp Counselor Sara.
- Sara and Ava fighting the witch was very reminiscent of a certain vampire slayer, wouldn’t you say?
What did you think of this episode of Legends of Tomorrow? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Legends of Tomorrow airs Mondays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Drew Koenig
Drew has an ongoing, borderline unhealthy obsession with pop culture, but with television in particular. When he's not aggressively trying to get out of a perpetual state of catching up, he can be found passionately defending the ending of Lost. More of his online work can be found at The Lost Cause and he also co-hosts The Lost Cause Pod.