The CW's Legends of Tomorrow - Episode 4.02 "Witch Hunt"
When the magical Time Seismograph goes off, the team finds themselves headed to the Salem witch trials. Sara notices that Zari is taking this case personally when she promises to save a mom, who is being accused of being a witch. The team quickly learns that there is a magical creature in the town creating problems they hadn't been expecting. Nate and Ava work together to try to keep their Time Bureau funding by proving to them that magic exists.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of The CW's Legends of Tomorrow.
"Witch Hunt" was written by Keto Shimizu & Matthew Maala and directed by Kevin Mock
John Constantine officially joins the Legends. Of course, he wouldn't say that. He believes he is just acting as a magical consultant for the team that happened to save the world a couple of times. He believes he's the only person capable enough to send these magical fugitives back to Hell. But he mostly joins the team because he is running away from whatever threat is looming on the horizon. He knows that a dangerous creature has been set free. He fears it and so do the other creatures. The Fairy Godmother would sooner go back to Hell than assist Constantine in this fight. That establishes the stakes of this story right away even though this threat remains such a massive mystery. It means that Constantine boards the Waverider with secrets. That's never a good thing. The Legends are at their best when they are working together. Even then, things can go awry. Zari wants to continue making a good impact on the timeline. She wants to find a way to improve the lives of those hurt by disasters without leading to major repercussions. Sara has to balance how to be an effective captain of this team while also ensuring that they don't mess up the timeline any further. She is proud of the work they have done together. She doesn't want to see the Legends as a team of misfits and outcasts. She is really happy with the life she has right now. And yet, she is once again traveling through time hunting down creatures that don't belong before they can destroy everything. It's a familiar journey for her. But she is also more than understanding of what Zari is going through as well. Zari is filled with rage at her mother for making the ultimate sacrifice to protect her family. She is mad that she simply can't go back in time and undo that moment. She wants to reunite with her family. She can visit with them in the past. But there's no telling what kind of repercussions that would create. As such, these travelers may actually be stuck in a limbo where they are never able to completely get rid of this hate. The Fairy Godmother is fueled by the rage of others and wants to weaponize that to carry out these dangerous attacks. She wants Salem to burn for falsely accusing people of being witches. She wants to show just how powerful she can really be. She has actual abilities that would make any man tremble before her. She is very manipulative in that way. And yet, compassion wins out in the end. Zari is able to make that emotional appeal because it's the beliefs that people should elevate in this world. Man may never change over the course of history. They may always target and fear whatever they don't understand. But that doesn't mean we should become monsters just in order to make them suffer as well. Then, we are no better than they are. That's a powerful message. Elsewhere, it's fascinating to see Nate have such a personal story in the present day. He may not be time traveling as much as the rest of the Legends because he is forming this new relationship with his father. They don't have anything in common. They are both keeping secrets from each other. But now, they are showing the other who they truly are. Nate is a time-traveling superhero who is now facing off against magical creatures. His father has the power to keep the Time Bureau funded for the foreseeable future. Him being completely accepting right away after seeing proof may inspire hope. It may actually fuel a really interesting dynamic between Ava and Nate this season. That's an unexpected character pairing. And yet, it could be very beneficial to have someone else at the Time Bureau who is just as smart and capable as Ava is. Gary is a great and amusing character. But he's mostly used for comic relief - even though he is proud to show off his nipple that was bitten off by a unicorn.
