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Is ‘Legends of Tomorrow”s Lighter Tone Dividing Fans?

Legends of Tomorrow has come a long way from the early days of Rip Hunter and his unlikely crew, but the latest episode – Séance and Sensibility – has left fans more divided than ever before.

I’ve seen a lot of hate online about both the episode and the tone of the season in general. I personally enjoyed the episode and thought the Bollywood side piece was beautiful. I know I’m not alone in this, our weekly recapper loved the episode and there are tons of fans online equally praising the episode, but I can understand other fans frustrations.

 

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Had this episode been a season opener, or a mid season filler, it might have been fine, but we are up to episode 11 of season 4 in what is already a shortened season to most other Arrowverse shows (16 compared to the usual 22+). I’ve always preferred the light heartedness of Legends as opposed to the brooding dark tones in Arrow, but at it’s core it began as a superhero show, with an unlikely gang out to save the world. With multiple cast changes over the 4 years, the concept of the show has also changed, bringing it to more of an ‘adventure of the week’ structure as opposed to building a gripping arc. The show writers are developing interesting storylines and new twists every week, but the pay offs are minute, and often the story development lasts only an episode or two.

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This season started off with promise – more inner workings of the time bureau, a look at magical creatures, more Nora Darkh who was a highlight of the previous season, Constantine’s battle with his inner demons and a potential curse and a conspiracy within the time bureau itself, with a core members father linked to it. However within just 11 episodes, Nora became a shell of last year’s character, locked in a jail cell waiting for meet cutes with Ray. I love their relationship, Ray only sees the good in people and Nora has found the one person who sees more than what her father made her, but even the pay off of that in this weeks episode felt rushed and casual rather than the dramatic Ray choosing her over his team that it should have been.

The entire storyline with Hank Haywood was wasted, at no point did we see further investigation in to what other dark goings on are happening in the bureau, we didn’t get to see Sara question Ava and the entire Bureau itself and have to trust her heart over her head – which would have been major character development for her. Instead we see Sara and Ava broken up because of poor communication and after a road trip episode on honesty and love, Hank is quickly killed off, for it to be revealed all his dark and mysterious dealings were to build… a theme park?

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It’s hard to say that a show that gave us a giant demonic furbie saving the day last year (All Hail Beebo) has got too light, but many watchers are starting to turn away from the story of the week format season 4 has taken, and lose sight of what a wonderful show this is, with a unique and dynamic cast. What other shows on the air have a core cast of multiple ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations – none of which are their main storyline in the show?

Is 'Legends of Tomorrow''s Lighter Tone Dividing Fans?
Legends of Tomorrow/The CW

With only 5 episodes left, there’s still hope that the threads in this season can be pulled together for a big pay off, but will it be too late for some of the original fans?

Let us know what you think in the comments section, and what storylines you’d love to see in the last 5 episodes.

 

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