When the Rapture occurs, the Legends of Tomorrow must battle demons…

Actually, this week’s episode deals with the fallout from the previous week, with three characters abandoned in the mid-twentieth century and the rest under attack.

Chronos is unmasked, and Ra’s al Ghul makes an appearance.

Title: “Left Behind”

Director: John F. Showalter
Writers: Beth Schwartz and Grainne Godfree

Victor Garber as Dr. Martin Stein
Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer / The Atom
Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter
Caity Lotz as Sara Lance / White Canary
Franz Drameh as Jefferson ‘Jax’ Jackson / Firestorm
Ciara Renée as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl
Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory / Chronos
Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart / Captain Cold
Matthew Nable as Ra’s al Ghul
Milli Wilkinson as Talia al Ghul
Amy Pemberton as Gideon
Nicolas Cage as Rayford Steele

Premise

The timeship comes under attack and Chronos captures Captain Cold. Rip and the crew attempt to find three missing members of the crew who have been stranded in the mid-twentieth century.

High Point

The episode features an excellent premise. Sarah rejoins the League of Assassins, and she would naturally have conflicting loyalties. She may also see the opportunity to change the League’s direction. Routh and Renée naturally want to return, but they’ve also created a life together. Kronos, identity revealed, also presents an interesting source of conflict.

Low Point

The episode shortchanges these, however. Some sort of time-effect gets the blame for Sarah’s decision, so the conflict fails to be genuine or meaningful. Routh and Renée still lack chemistry, so it becomes difficult to believe in their relationship, so we’re not invested much in their life.

The group also makes questionable choices in order to force the other, physical conflict that the writers apparently wanted to showcase. Wouldn’t they test the Atom suit before wondering into Nanda Parbat? And why use stealth? They have Firestorm! Do they seriously think the League would fare well in a battle against Firestorm? If you’re going to combine characters of such varying power levels, you have to find a way to make their conflicts work.

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6 This episode plays a little differently than its predecessors. I enjoyed seeing Ra’s again, who remains a problematic character, and not a villain in the same sense as Savage.

It appears that next week takes us back to the search for the central villain.

Effects: 5/6

Acting: 4/6 The acting is not bad; Miller continues to combine camp and credible effectively. Routh and Renée lack chemistry, and the fact becomes even more apparent when they’re supposed to have lived together as a couple for two years. I believe the actors are doing well, but they’re battling a script that shortchanges the characters and the opportunities to develop them.

Emotional Response: 4/6 The opening shows potential. Chronos unmasked is a memorable scene, though many of us had already predicted his identity.

Story: 4/6

Production: 5/6

Overall: 5/6 In the end, we have an ambitious episode that feels different from its predecessors. The show may fall short of its potential, but any episode that features the League of Assassins and unmasks a key villain will still be memorable.

In total, “Left Behind” receives 30/42