We find out that the super-soldier serum Ray altered may have done a colossal change to Heywood’s DNA (hey, I’m not the only one with Marvel references, Steel On), allowing him the ability to turn his entire body into an alloy a hundred times harder than steel. And with that, Legends, Citizen Steel is born! And for the first time in the show’s history someone is more excited about being a superhero than Ray.
While Sara attempts to form a truce with Amaya (taking on the daunting task of proving Mick isn’t all that bad), Ray is set with training Heywood how to use his powers. Guess that’s what you get for developing them. Though I’m not really sure anyone else could handle that much enthusiasm.
It takes about 2.5 seconds before all of that goes wrong, with Heywood knocking out the cargo door, falling through it almost immediately in his attempts to fix his error, and Ray, ever the good guy and unstoppable hero (even if he doesn’t see it), ducking out of the door without a second thought in an attempt to rescue him.
Both guys end up falling through the time stream and landing, miraculously, in the same time and place. 1641, Feudal Japan.
Heywood lands outside of a tiny village where a beautiful girl and her medically inclined father come to his rescue. Ray is captured by a group of Samurai soldiers that work for the Shogun (shocker. He has the worst luck.) And also usual, Ray’s future tech falls into the wrong hands (we seriously need to put a passcode on that or something).
This is where this week’s deep thoughts with the Legends begin. Our two heroes most excited to be superheroes (one with biological metal powers, the other a metal suit), have landed in the same place but in opposite situations. Ray has lost his powers because his suit has been stolen. Heywood has mysteriously lost the powers he’s only just acquired (which is really detrimental to his ability to take on the Shogun’s #2). Both must find a way to regain their powers if they are going to save themselves (and in Heywood’s case the family that has chosen to protect him).
While Heywood and Ray work on their powers, something else we’ve been waiting a long time to see grow begins to blossom. Camaraderie. Actual caring without arguing happens! Sara, Mick, and Amaya come to save the day by tracking the suit. When Amaya doesn’t understand why a guy like Mick would want to help, he explains that he does it for them because they would do it for him (he does care, awww).
Unfortunately when they find the suit, the Shogun is wearing it and learned how to use it thanks to Ray’s idiot-proofing its operation. With Ray in tow, they all flee, meeting up with Heywood and the family in the village.
While Sara wants to leave both Ray and Heywood refuse to go. Heywood wants to stay because he knows that his rescuer is betrothed to the Shogun, a man known historically for brutally killing his wives. Ray argues that the suit cannot be left with the Shogun, though only he knows that the only way to get it back is to destroy it. They begin to prep for a showdown which brings us back to the two guys training once again.
Heart and Steel.
Ray believes that once his suit is destroyed there won’t be anything left of him, that his being a hero is wrapped up entirely in the powers the suit contains. While Heywood believes he has fully lost the powers he had never been foolish enough to believe he would gain. The two argue out their feelings a bit, leading Ray to one of the most important lessons he has ever gotten, “an armor is nothing but iron, leather, and silk,” it is the man who wears it that fuels it. While Heywood is taught there is no try, only do (as the great Sensei Master Yoda said).
Both men have to come to terms with the fact that it isn’t their suit or their powers that make them, but the person they are. Ray has always fought for what he thought was right because that’s what his heart has told him to do. Heywood stands firms in his beliefs, strong and unmovable as steel. It is when the two truly believe this that they are able to be victorious. Which is handy because the Shogun and his men are on their way to the village.
As great as it is to the see the boys overcome themselves and fight the way they were meant to, nothing beats watching Sara take on a squad of Samurai on her own. Add in Vixen and the duo becomes unstoppable. In her fight with the Shogun’s No. 2 we finally get to see Sara take on someone who should be on her level, but of course, Sara makes quick work of him too (who runs the world? Sara).
Ray and Heywood (with a little help from the fierce female whose been carrying for him) take out the Shogun (and they do it all with the Yamashiro family sword… KATANA!!! *fangirl feels*). They also learn that it isn’t what they make that defines them, but what they are made of. Strength and honor. Heart and Steel.
But it isn’t all good things we learn this week. Back on the Waverider, Jefferson and Stein learned there is a secret room filled with weapons and a communication device they’ve never seen before containing a message from Barry Allen in 2056. A message he didn’t want Rip to share with the team. Whatever it is, we know it’s bad. But for some reason, Stein and Jefferson decide to keep it to themselves. What could be going on in the future now?
We’ll have to wait to find that out. Sara and the team have told Amaya they will help find Rex’s killer and the team is still on a mission to save Rip, so whatever’s going on in the future will have to wait. There’s a lot of ground to cover and even more time to travel, and since the Legends are finally working as a team who knows where their journey will take them.
Written by Shannon Brewer, LoT Beat Writer -- Click to read Shannon's posts
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