TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Legends Of Tomorrow Season 02 Episode 17: Aruba

Legends of Tomorrow had a pretty big task ahead of itself tonight, to deliver a satisfying finale, give a good sendoff to the Legion of Doom, setup Season 03, and not gloss over any of the events that were about to happy. Thankfully, they did all that, and set up a very satisfying twist.

The worst part about “Aruba” was that…well…they didn’t go to Aruba! I mean come on, can’t Mick get one thing he wants?

Being more serious, “Aruba” did a great job of showing the consequences of actions. When the “Doomworld” Legends were forced to go back to WWI and try help their past selves fix time, there was a lot of risk, you’re not supposed to interact with your past selves, and yet, they couldn’t help it by the middle of the episode. It was good that their interactions led to immediate ramifications via the Time Quakes, and via Eobard doing some very dark things.

I really appreciated that they didn’t hold back on the deaths, because if both teams of Legends survived, what would’ve been the point? But to see future Ray, Jax, Mick and Nate all die was really cool, and chilling (no pun intended). Especially when Eobard ripped out Ray’s heart and Snart put a shard of ice through Mick, that was…yes….cold.

Moving on, the final battle with the Legion was pretty epic, with everyone getting some good shots in…and seemingly winning…until an army of Eobard’s showed up! That was cool, very, very, cool. After all, if they break the rules, not why the villain?

Which of course leads us to Sara using the Spear of Destiny to save the world…and seeing Laurel again!!! To be fair, this is was WAY more fair than what happened in Arrow…TWICE!!! Because this time, Sara got to say a well and true goodbye to her sister, and accept that her life hasn’t been all pain, it’s made her good, and for her to use the Spear to depower the Spear was pretty clever. Speaking of which, for the Black Racer to finish off Thawne? Totally worth it. As was that “warning” it gave to Sara.

With the timeline saved, the future Legends dissolved (seriously? The Goonies?), and time seemingly back on track, there were loose ends to be tied up. The Legion was sent back to when Eobard picked them up, minus their memories of course. The best scene of the bunch was Mick admitted to Snart that his death proved he was the better man, and that it made him a better man. I’m sad to see Snart go again, but you never know…he could come back.

As for Rip, I am sad to see him go to, but as many fans have noted, Rip’s storyline kind of ended here. He killed Savage, stopped the time masters, and truly put together a team of Legends, it’s time for him to go on his own path now.

I will however note that Amaya staying on wasn’t as good. Yes, her and Nate are a couple, but it honestly would’ve made sense for him to go back to 1942 with her. I mean, what’s the harm? Seriously? But no, she stayed, which means modern day Vixen may not be see in live-action for awhile sadly.

As for the ending…yeah, they broke time. That’s pretty epic. And I have no idea how this is going to turn out. Now, admittedly, it’s not as cool as Hourman showing up and proclaiming the JSA were in the DCTV universe, but this ending showed that the actions of the episode had big consequences.

In the end, “Aruba” delivered a very satisfying conclusion to a great season. Flash and Arrow have big shoes to fill heading into the final episodes of their season. Because Legends of Tomorrow Season 02 showed just how epic shows can be when you mix great characters with great storytelling.