In the year 2166, Vandal Savage has successfully conquered the entire planet. In an effort to save humanity, time master Rip Hunter travels back to the year 2016 to assemble a group of superheroes and supervillains to team-up and stop Savage's rise to power: Ray Palmer, Sara Lance, Jefferson "Jax" Jackson and Dr. Martin Stein, Mick Rory, Leonard Snart, Carter Hall, and Kendra Saunders.
The show is taking a huge leap considering it focuses on a team, whereas its sisters’ shows are centered around one main superhero. Both Flash and Arrow have large ensembles that feature other heroes, but the title characters are the top priority. Which is why Legends of Tomorrow will be all the more interesting to watch. Sure some fans can’t contain an attention span that can grasps all that goes on between each character and may even say that the show is doing too much, but after all this is an episodic show, not a movie. There will always be a time for an episode to focus solely on one character’s development, unlike a movie where there is only two hours. What’s so wrong with having a cameo of this character or a two minute explanation about another character? More development will come. In this day and age, with Marvel gaining the upper hand, it’s about time DC had a show about a whole team of superheroes.
Most of the first half of this episode focuses on assembling the team, which is to be expected in the series premier. The only character who needs introduction is Rip Hunter, a time master from the future. Maybe each character should have had a longer intro scene, but their backgrounds have already been established on other shows so to present that information would just be redundant.
With the team assembled, Hunter takes them to 1975 to talk to Professor Boardman, a leading expert on Vandal Savage, to get assistance in locating Savage. While providing information on Savage, Boardman also reveals that he is the son of Kendra and Carter from one of their past lives. Oddly Kendra is quick at forming a bond with her son from a past life. What is so odd about this is how quick Kendra is to bonding with her son but not with her husband.
Another bond formed in 1975 is that between Sara and the thief twins. The trio hit up a bar in town and just let loose, something that Sara has been in need of for quite some time. Of course if there is one thing that these three aren’t it’s mellow. Not before long the moment is ruined a bar fight breaks out.
Meanwhile, a time-traveling bounty hunter named Chronos attacks Hunter's ship, the Waverider. The team is able to regroup and escape, but not before Professor Boardman is wounded and dies. The attack forces Hunter to reveal that Chronos is after him for stealing the time-ship and going on the mission against the wishes of the Time Council and that part of his quest is based on his desire for revenge on Savage for murdering his wife and child in his time.
At the end of the episode everyone is sitting around reflecting on what’s happened and what is still to come. Sara brings up the concept “If we have the power to change the world, don’t you think we have the power to change our own fate?” That’s when the realization is made that they’re not only fighting to stop Savage, but to find fulfillment in their lives. They might be legends in the end but they’ll be more satisfied with who they are, legends or not.
