Legends of Tomorrow – Compromised

By: Michelle Lopez

We open with Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) completing a drug deal with the cartel. In exchange for a trunk full of drugs, Darhk receives a ceremonial axe carried by the bodyguard of Emperor Nero, a fasces. The DEA shows up and a firefight between the cartel and police ensues. As quickly as it begins, it’s over as the Speedster (Matt Letscher) takes out all the police and cartel. The Speedster advises Darhk to abandon his current plans for his ark and join up with him to reshape history. Darhk prefers to work alone and declines the offer.

On the Waverider, Jax (Franz Drameh) and Stein (Victor Garber) have a heated debate on whether or not the team should be correcting history. After his experience with slavery during the Civil War, Jax is not ok with allowing the atrocities humans have committed throughout history to stand. Stein points out that the slightest change in history can trigger a temporal domino effect and end up making massive and potentially disastrous changes. They ask for Sara (Caity Lotz) to chime in and she agrees with Jax’s sentiment, but their team was tasked with protecting history – not fixing it. Jax storms off complaining that they are nothing more than time janitors. In the Waverider’s training room, Mick (Dominic Purcell) is trying to teach Ray (Brandon Routh) to use Snart’s cold gun without much success. Ray would like to modify the gun, but Mick insists that he’ll master it if he acts like Snart.

In the library, Amaya (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) interrupts Nate’s (Nick Zano) tinkering to ask what he’s up to. Nate’s been working on finishing up a Time Seismograph so the team can identify the epicenter of the time aberrations to know where to go to stop them. Nate asks Amaya to tell him about his grandfather, but she refuses. The Time Seismograph goes off and they call the team to meet on the bridge. Nate informs the team that the latest time aberration is sending them to the White House on December 7th, 1987. This happens to be the day before Reagan and Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty which reduced both nations nuclear arsenal and effectively ended the Cold War. The team decides to infiltrate the White House to try and find out what’s causing the time aberration while Amaya and Nate go the JSA training facility in DC to get intel.

In costume and on route to the JSA training facility, Amaya complains about women’s clothing having shoulder pads. Nate tells her they were used to make women look more imposing. Amaya is rightfully outraged at this and had hoped that by the 80s women and men would be considered equals and women wouldn’t need to use fashion to compensate for their status. Upon arrival at the JSA training facility they discover it’s been long abandoned. Amaya blames herself for the JSA’s downfall, but Nate disagrees pointing out they can’t know what caused it. They begin to sift through papers as a figure watches from the rafters. Amaya is shocked to find that fighting the Nazis didn’t unite the USA and Soviet Union. Before Nate can explain the essence of the Cold War, black fog surrounds them and a figure in black drops down from the rafters. Amaya realizes it Obsidian (Lance Henrikson) from the JSA and, unfortunately, Nate does not and knocks him out with a whack to the head. Amaya tells Nate that was Obsidian and Nate worries he killed him. Luckily, Obsidian wakes up and explains what happened to the JSA. The JSA, sans Obsidian, were sent on a mission on Leipzig in 1956, but the team never made it back. Nate asks why Obsidian wasn’t on the mission, but neither him or Amaya are willing to answer.

Sara, Mick, Ray, Jax and Stein infiltrate the White House by tour group. As soon as they make it inside, they break off from the tour to search for the aberration. Jax and Stein spot young Stein (Graeme McComb) in the White House, which surprises Stein since he was in meetings the entire day in his timeline. Mick and Ray spot Darhk discussing the INF Treaty with some aids and report back to the team. Hearing that her sister’s murderer is on site, Sara heads off to try and kill him. Sara locates Darhk and pulls out a blade she had hidden up her sleeve when a secret service agent pops up behind her prepared to arrest her. Mick and Ray show up to take out the agent and a fight ensues. Mick and Ray have some issues when Ray insists on handling the fight like Snart would and the streams from the heat and cold guns cross, knocking them back and out of the fight. Jax and Stein, as Firestorm, show up to hold off the secret service while Sara, Mick and Ray escape through a window.

Back on the Waverider, the team watches the news report on the fight in the White House. Stein and Jax scold Sara for her irresponsible need for vengeance. The team pieces together why Darhk became a White House adviser right before the INF Treaty was to be signed. Stein concludes he’s working with their time traveling nemesis who killed Hourman. They lament on how Amaya will take the news, giving Stein another opportunity to scold Sara for her selfish pursuit of revenge. Sara wants to save Laurel, the same way Laurel did when she risked everything to bring Sara back from the dead. Stein reminds her that their mission is to preserve history, not change it. After doing some research they determine that the INF Treaty is just a cover for whatever Darhk’s plan is. Gideon finds out that Darhk has a meeting in Georgetown Park that evening and Sara sends Mick and Ray out to investigate.

Staking out Georgetown Park, Ray continues to try and act like Snart, but Mick has finally had enough. He tells Ray just to be himself. His constant imitation is bringing up too many feelings about Snart for Mick to deal with. Darhk shows up with a KGB operative. The operative assures Darhk they’ve procured “the package” for him and they agree to complete the exchange during the State Dinner celebrating the signing of the treaty. As they’re wrapping up their meeting, Young Stein walks up and asks Darhk to propose one of his projects to the President. Quickly, young Stein realizes Darhk is meeting off the record with a Soviet delegate and tries for a hasty escape. Before young Stein can get away, Darhk stabs him and consequently our Stein. Mick and Ray rush over to get young Stein and bring him back to the Waverider.

In the med bay Stein, Sara and Jax are waiting as Mick and Ray bring in young Stein. Gideon begins work on healing young Stein while he gets scolded by Stein for blowing off their wife, Clarissa (Emily Tennant). Jax offers to go find her and let her know young Stein is stuck at work. In the library Nate, Amaya and Gideon (Amy Pemberton) plan a way to get into the State Dinner to stop Darhk’s deal. Amaya and Nate ask Obsidian to help them get the team into the White House for the State Dinner, but he’s refuses. Obsidian offers to let the FBI know of the threat because he believes Amaya won’t be professional about the mission. Nate is confused since Amaya is always professional until he pieces together that she and Rex were involved and would want revenge for his death much like Sara with Darhk. Nate assures Obsidian that the team will be there to keep Amaya in check and he relents.

In the med bay, Stein tells Ray that he doesn’t recognize young Stein. He can’t remember ever being so foolish. Ray says that everyone would feel that way when meeting their younger self. Ray then explains that Mick wants Ray to be himself, but he isn’t sure who that is anymore since the things he used to define himself are gone. Stein assures Ray that everyone goes through phases of questioning who they are, but all anyone can do is keep living and hope that through experience you discover who you truly are. Sara interrupts their conversation to let them know they have a way into the State Dinner.

Sara leads the team into the dinner and they begin their search for Darhk. After a while, Nate spots Darhk enter the dinner. Sara sends Mick and Ray to guard the doors while they follow Darhk to the meeting. In the basement of the White House, Darhk and the KGB operative begin their exchange. Darhk is handing over a CD-ROM with the US’s nuclear codes and the KGB is providing a small box. They are interrupted when the Legends burst in. Darhk tries to distract them by explaining he planted a bomb up in the part that will go off in a few minutes. Ray and Mick hear this over comms and go to look for the bomb. Ray and Mick clear out the dinner and discover a bomb under a table. Back in the basement, Darhk shoots the KGB operative and takes off as a fight between his US agents, the KGB and the Legends begins. Obsidian, Amaya and Sara take off after Darhk while Nate finishes the fight. Obsidian and Amaya reach Darhk first and when he takes a shot at Amaya, Obsidian jumps in front of her to take the bullet. Darhk makes to leave when Sara shows up disarming him with a throwing star. She checks in with Ray and Mick to see where their status is on disarming the bomb. Ray has to disassemble the cold gun, but manages to stop it. Having disarmed the bomb, Sara takes on Darhk. She explains to him that she won’t sacrifice her soul killing him. Instead, she will spare him in order to prolong his suffering. She tells Darhk what his future holds. As his dark plans come to fruition his wife will be murdered and in his grief he will try to kill his daughter causing a city to rise against him and he ends up dying alone. As Sara finishes her monologue the Speedster runs through taking Darhk with him, but not before Sara pickpocketed the KGB box from Darhk.

Back on the Waverider, Stein is walking young Stein out. He reminds young Stein of the consequences if he speaks of time travel to others and scolds him for neglecting Clarissa. He tells young Stein that none of the awards or accolades mean anything without her. Young Stein promises to make sure Clarissa knows he loves her and not be so neglectful. In the med bay, Amaya asks a now healed Obsidian if he’d join the team to search for Rex’s killer. He declines because after years of loneliness he’s found happiness in a man who’s at home waiting for him. Amaya accepts this and says her goodbyes. After he leaves, Amaya decides to finally tell Nate about his grandfather.

In a warehouse, Darhk and Speedster argue about going back to get the item Sara stole. Speedster explains the Legends are long gone. Darhk tells the Speedster that Sara told him of his future and he’s ready to change his course to avoid it. Speedster extends the partnership invitation to Darhk again and his time he accepts. Darhk climbs into a pod and heads to another place in time through a portal the Speedster opened.