Review: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow 614: There Will Be Brood
Legends 614 is one of the most heartbreaking episodes of superhero TV. One Legend dies, and two are critically wounded.
John is a Piece of Work
Photo credit: The CW
I’m a nasty piece of work, and I walk my path alone.
Zari(Tala Ashe) returns with a tea from the ship for John(Matt Ryan), and finds him chipper and cleaned up. Right behind her, Sara(Caity Lotz), Ava(Jes Macallan), Mick(Dominic Purcell), Nate(Nick Zano), and Gary(Adam Tsekhman) arrive and want to know where Bishop(Raffi Barsoumian) is. They know that Bishop took Mick’s communicator, and that he wanted John.
John, now completely given in to his dark side, rebuffs the team. Zari tries to slap him, but her hand goes through. John was using astral projection, and is really with Bishop on the ship. Bishop disables Gideon(voiced by Amy Louise Pemberton), and the pair fly off to find the Fountain.
Stowaways
John and Bishop assume the ship is empty of Legends, but are wrong. Spooner(Lisseth Chavez) and Astra(Olivia Swann) are still onboard, and hear John and Bishop’s plan.
The fountain is in 1925 Texas, and Bishop charts a course.
In Texas, Spooner sees a woman that looks very familiar-her long lost mother. Spooner’s mother, Gloria(Alexandra Castillo), is the town doctor/healer. Spooner soon finds out that she is originally from 1925, but the aliens sent her to the future. Spooner is overjoyed to see her mother again.
In the Forest
Photo credit: The CW
John and Bishop locate where the Fountain should be, and find mushrooms. Together they surmise that the Fountain isn’t water, it is an alien. The mushrooms are part of the alien’s form. While Bishop takes samples, John meets a little girl gathering medicinal plants for her mother-it is a young Spooner(Dominique Lucky Martell). Taking a flower from her, he touches her hand and sees how Spooner was abducted.
Astra and John
John follows young Spooner Esperanza home, knowing that adult Spooner has the Fountain in her. That is why she could hear other aliens.
He did not expect to see Astra, and she tells him what he is doing is wrong. Like he did the rest of the Legends, he cruelly rebuffs her, putting everyone at Gloria’s house asleep with magic except for adult Spooner. He tells her what happened. The others awaken, and John is gone. Spooner gave him some of her blood to summon the 1925 Fountain. He told her that Gloria will be murdered that very night, and Spooner wants to stop the murder from happening.
Again, on the ship, Astra tries to dissuade John, but he magicks her away to Gloria’s with a wave of his hand.
The Eggs
Mick is away from his eggs, and the Legends have no way to get to the Waverider to protect them.
Gary says that’s not exactly true, Kayla(Aliyah O’brien) has a ship. He uses an alien internet social platform to contact her, and she gets to them quickly. The Legends now head to save the eggs.
On the ship, the eggs are booby trapped by Bishop. A countdown begins, and the Legends race against time to save the eggs before the incubator explodes. With seconds to spare, Gary notices one on the floor of the lab. Mick runs in to save it, but is caught in the explosion.
The Fountain Appears
Photo credit: The CW
Bishop and has synthesized a serum that will make John seem pure enough to accept the Fountain. John has Spooner’s blood to summon it.
Astra must get young Esperanza to the Fountain to protect her/keep the timeline. The Fountain appears, and whisks her away. The fountain is a giant, glowing mushroom. It is beautiful.
Photo credit: The CW
Spooner: Astra, take care of me.
Astra: Always.
John had pickpocketed the serum from Bishop, and injects it into himself. The serum indeed summons the Fountain, but Bishop also poisoned it.
Bishop’s Plan All Along-Bishop Takes Pawn
As John lies dying, Bishop reveals that the Fountain was protecting Earth. He knew John would steal the serum, and that the poison will kill both John and the Fountain now, leaving Earth vulnerable to invasion.
Photo credit: The CW
Drained of the Fountain in so horrible a manner, Spooner collapses at her mother’s feet, right after she saves her.
A Heartbreaking Death
Photo credit: The CW
You were my greatest failure, and my biggest accomplishment.
Astra cradles John in her lap, begging him to tell her what to do. He tells her that there is nothing to be done, that he is dying. He asks her
You hear that? The screaming? It’s the Fountain. I killed it, Astra. I killed-
John dies as the rest of the Legends appear. His body enveloped in roots and collapsing. Was it the Fountain, or was it hell he heard, opening up for him?
Thoughts on Legends 614
Legends 614: This was such a rollercoaster for me. I have been a Hellblazer fan for so long-since the early ’90s-and this hit hard. Matt was the best iteration on film, and is irreplaceable. His take on John will always be the paramount. God bless you, Matt. I hope you get to play him again-if you want.
I also love that the writers decided to let Astra be the one to be with him when he died. They could have gone full on, sappy soap opera tearful goodbye with Zari, but they didn’t. It had to be Astra, and it was. It was also fitting for John. John was never meant to be a classic comic hero. His death made sense for the bastard that John is.
It also seemed that there were a lot of Hellblazer comic panel poses this ep. That could be just me, though.
This looks very similar to a Hellblazer panel. I think. Photo credit: The CW
Astra and Spooner’s friendship is so organic and real. I love it. They really shone this episode.
