'Legends of Tomorrow' Recap: Would You Kill Baby Hitler?
Warning: This recap for the “Progeny” episode of Legends of Tomorrow contains spoilers.
In addition to a great future battle scene — reminiscent of the ones we saw in the original trailers for the show almost a year ago — we also got to see the team struggle with a classic moral question: Would you take an innocent life to prevent many more innocent deaths?
Related: Catch Up on ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ With Our Recaps
The Plot
The Legends go to 2147 — five years before a manufactured virus wipes out much of humanity, leading to Vandal Savage taking over the world. In this period, he tutors Per Degaton, the person who will eventually release the virus. The team debates the merits of killing Per before he becomes the 22nd century version of Hitler. They decide to kidnap him instead, but Rip takes off in a jumpship with the boy, determined to kill him. He eventually relents, hoping that some goodness survives in Per despite Vandal’s teachings. The boy views his compassion as weakness though, as well as his father’s decision to let the Legends go in exchange for Per’s life; he kills his father and Savage releases the virus years earlier than in the original timeline.
Kendra and Ray: Atomic Hawk or KendRay?
Ray and Kendra are having simultaneous family drama. Ray discovers he may have fathered a child — who went on to create something awful with his technology. Kendra is remembering her love for Carter and little Aldus in the 1920s. Although Ray’s problem amounts to nothing (Jewel Staite plays a scientist that turns out to be descended from his brother, Sidney, not Ray), the couple still has to contend with her millenia-long love with Carter. Hopefully, we see Carter’s return and the eventual settling of this matter by the end of the season — Ray’s stuck in a romantic limbo and it’s not really fair to any of them.
The Moral of the Story Is…
In this future, Ray learns that after he leaves 2016, his brother comes to work at his company and lets the military turn his tech into weapons. After kidnapping Per Degaton, Rip discovers that instead of releasing the virus in five years, it’s released days later. The lesson in both is that meddling only makes things worse. At the end of the series, will they eventually realize that what they should have done all along is stay where they were? It would be a finale that would put the Dallas “It was all a dream” season to shame in terms of unsatisfying finishes.
Hot vs. Cold: A Bromance Renewed
Snart, who has been avoiding Rory since he’s been locked in the brig, finally visits him and they have it out with their fists. Despite telling Rory that all he had to do to escape was to kill him, Rory finds he can’t. It’s as touchingly sweet a moment as you’ll find in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out MMA brawl and it’s pretty great that the team has guys who bond over punching as well as guys who bond over physics as well as women who bond over punching. But are we done with this back and forth yet? Surly Heat Wave is great, but traitor Heat Wave kind of sucks the fun out of the team.
Legendary Thoughts
* Never again will you be able to think of Ray Palmer or Dr. Stein without thinking “nerd twins.” Sorry.
* Exchange of the Night: Because the future isn’t half as weird as the present.
Ray: The only person I was…
Jax: …having sex with?
Ray: …ghosted me the week before we left.
Stein: Sh- she died?
Jax: No, no. Ghosting. It’s where you pretend to be dead by not answering someone’s texts.
Stein: What a strange age for dating.
* The Time Masters named their best team of bounty hunters… the Hunters? Oh where oh where is Cisco to help with the cool names when you need him?
* Please bring back Jewel Staite for more guest spots. Also the rest of the Firefly cast. Also, could you bring back Firefly?
Legends of Tomorrow airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
