Legends of Tomorrow has a unique place in the DCTV universe. Its connected, but its also not connected. And as this season has shown, they’re allowed to do things that Arrow, Flash, and Supergirl can’t. But, what separates LOT is that they can use a hilarious gimmick, but use it as a diversion to tell something much more interesting and powerful.
“Abominations” was a perfect blend of hilarity, horror, and humbleness, as the team responded to a distress call that landed them in the Civil War…and in the middle of a zombie outbreak. Yes…those zombies. Although, they made it clear that it wasn’t exactly the undead, but a virus that mimics the…oh who am I kidding. They’re zombies.
But, in a fun twist, their encounter with the zombies wasn’t the main threat. As in their attempt to save someone, a dispatch (a spy) was killed. And because of his death, plus the zombies, the team inadvertently rewrote the Civil War. Because of this, they had to not only stop the zombies, but get crucial information that would lead to the big turning point in the war.
This was a perfect example of all the team being used to great effect because they had something unique to do. Sara and Nathan had to warn Ulysses S. Grant of the zombie attack (Colonel Sanders…of course…), Ray and Stein had to cure Mick of his zombie infection, and Jax and Vixen had to get the troop movement plans from a plantation. All of these were key elements to the story, but they all had their own themes, so they could not be stepped over one another.
Ironically, the zombie storyline was the “least” important, as they just had to ensure Grant and his men stayed alive, and kill the zombies. It was nice, and it was fun to see Sara again take charge and prove that a woman can do anything a man can do. And it was clear Grant knew this.
As for Ray and Stein, it was hilarious seeing them deal with the zombie Mick. Especially since Stein has an “irrational fear” of zombies. Didn’t see that coming! Another great thing was seeing Ray struggle with the loss of his suit. He’s now the only truly powerless member of the squad, and he’s still not sure what to do. That is…until Mick gave him the Cold Gun. Didn’t see that coming! Cool!
But the real story here was with Jax. Who learned the harsh truth about our world. While nothing is perfect, there was a time where it was much, MUCH, worse. Seeing him and Vixen watch helpless as the woman was whipped was easily one of the hardest things to watch in my life, as the screams were very audible, and their expressions showed just how much pain they were in. Then, to see Jax among the other slaves, and hearing their horror stories about what the owners did to them, only to strength their resolve, was powerful television. And while it may not be “honorable” to say, I’m glad when that slave owner got eaten by the zombies, he deserved that and more.
Now the episode wasn’t perfect, there was some easy foreshadowing, and a key plot point I think got really lost. But, it was still one of the best episodes of Legends of Tomorrow, and a powerful lesson about how we must remember what happened before to appreciate what’s happening now.
Oh, and Barry Allen 2056 saying there’s “a war coming…”? Does he mean the Dominators? Crossover anyone!?
4.5 out of 5 nerds
Todd Black
Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!
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