If one being from Greek mythology can exist in modern-day, why can’t others? And if those beings need followers to have power, where would they get those followers? It’s kind of a fun question to ask. And so, in a quest to gain temporary power to operate the loom, the team comes across perhaps the most believable of these modern-day American Gods. Spoilers follow for The CW’s DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Season 6, Episode 12, “Freaks and Greeks.”
“Freaks and Greeks”
While Legends usually features the team traveling to other time periods, this season has them spending a fair amount of time in 2020. This week, they’re tracking down a cup that imbues those who drink from it with temporary godhood. They know they can get that power from a particular cup, and track it down to, of all places, a fraternity at the college Nate Heywood went to.
This episode doesn’t highlight any particular aspect of Legends and is, in fact, one of the more forgettable episodes this season. But that doesn’t mean it’s not still a blast.
The basic story has the team discovering that the magical cup they’re tracking down is in possession of Dionysus himself, who is the Greek god of–quoting Wikipedia here–wine, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. In other words, he’s the god of parties and booze. He’s going by Dion (dee-on) these days, and he’s the perpetual king of one of the fraternities on campus. The team has to out-party him.
Endless Party
When he finds out that they’re trying to reassemble the loom, though, he forbids them from his Chug Challenge; the loom’s destruction enabled him to start his endless party and sees the assembly of the loom as an extremely-not-chill move. The team has to come up with a new plan, which eventually has them creating their own sorority to try to outparty him. Meanwhile, Mick is worried that he’s not cool enough for his daughter as she applies to a fancy university (by pure chance, the same one the rest of the Legend are on-mission at).
It’s a hijinks-heavy episode to be sure, with moments like Mick going back in time to donate enough money to get a university wing named after himself or Nate turning only his butt to steel so that the fratboys can break the paddle on said buns of literal steel.
In a weird not-a-crossover crossover moment, Dionysus is played by Drew Ray Tanner. If you’re into Riverdale, you’ll recognize him as Fangs from the Southside Serpents. Unless Riverdale announces that one of the gang members is a literal Greek god–which, lets be honest, is completely within the show’s realm of possibility at this point–it’s not actually a crossover. But it’s fun to see a familiar face all the same.
Forgettable, but that’s okay
I don’t have much to say about this episode. I enjoyed watching it. It was very silly and will have very little impact on the season overall. You could edit it out of the season and have very little impact on the story.
But then you’d lose out on Shotgun Nate, the fratboy we always knew was there alongside the hardcore history nerd. Or the awkwardness of watching Mick Rory try to navigate a group of people who all have family heritage with the place they’re at. Watching Sara, Charlie, Astra, and Ava trying to inspire camaraderie among a bunch of college-aged girls. Or Ava simply asking Mick’s daughter Lita to tell her what stuff is cool in 2020.
Legends has brought together a cast of characters that I like so much that you can take two crucial members away and still have a genuinely lovable cast of funny, interesting characters. I don’t mind a silly throwaway episode or two.
