Why does Victor Garber have to be leaving the series? Watching him get to play at being Franz Drameh was great, and really showed off just how good of an actor he is. Whilst we may be loosing Professor Stein soon, the show is determined to have us enjoy his final episodes.
One of the things that is becoming clearer with this season of Legends of Tomorrow is that the stand alone episodes are starting to build into the larger season long story arc. Whilst the Legends spend much of this episode trying to get a time displaced Helen of Troy (Bar Paly) back to her own place and time, the episode also manages to include appearances from Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), Kuasa (Tracy Ifeachor), and a now revealed Eleanor Darhk (Courtney Ford).
Whilst we did not learn a great deal more about Mallus (John Noble) or his plans, we actually got character development from our villains, something that is usually missing from the series.
Not only did the Legends and the audience learn that Courtney Ford is in fact the adult daughter of Damien Darhk, last seen in season four of Arrow as a little girl, but Amaya (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) learns that Kuasa is her granddaughter, and the older sister of the modern day Vixen (Megalyn Echikunwoke).
These moments with the bad guys are genuinely entertaining, with Damien Darhk continuing to prove that his return is a good thing for the show, with the moment that he realises that Jax and Stein have switched bodies being a stand out moment. It's interesting that the show has determined that they will be making him as wacky and fun as the regular cast, but it stands him in good contrast against the rest of the bad guys, especially the serious Kuasa.
The villains aside, the only members of the hero team that actually get a chance to develop much are Stein and Jax. Whilst this would normally be a bit of a let down for a show with such a large cast, the fact that we're getting to spend more time with the two of them before Stein leaves for goo is the right choice, and shaking up their dynamic by having them trade places is really fun.
Drameh isn't quite perfect as Stein, he comes across as playing old rather than feeling old, but Garber is superb at capturing his young partners energy. Whilst the developments in their personal relationship is great, getting to see Stein as the physical side of Firestorm is the highlight of the episode.
Stein has been around since as far back as episode twelve of The Flash, and has been a big part of the universe ever since, though often not in the spotlight, yet has never had the chance to participate in a superhero fight himself. The beauty of the body switch is that it's a good way to out him in the driving seat for a change and have him shooting nuclear fire from his hands.
The upcoming departure of Victor Garber is going to be a blow to the series, as this episode showcases, but it's great that the series is giving him these chances to shine before he bows out, whilst also developing their villains and add to the season long story arc. The bonus inclusion of Themyscira as part of Earth-1 is an incredibly exciting Easter-egg; we know that Superman and Batman exist on Earth-19, but the possibility that we many one day see Wonder Woman is hugely exciting.
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