I’ve had almost nothing but glowing things to say about Legends of Tomorrow ever since the show found its new footing during Season 2. It feels strange, then, to be so frustrated by what has been an exceedingly enjoyable show for the last few years. But right now, I’m just not having a great time with it. Spoilers follow for Legends of Tomorrow Season 6, Episode 13, “Silence of the Sonograms.”
“Silence of the Sonograms”
Things pick up right where we left off last week, with the majority of the Legends returning to the Waverider to find out that Bishop is back. With Bishop now in the Legends’ midst, most of the episode is about him in one way or another, either learning bits and pieces about him or watching him manipulate members of the crew.
The episode’s “B” story is all about John’s addiction to the blood he’s been drinking and how it’s affecting those around him, and it seems like this is where the real meat of the story is both in terms of character development and plot for the last couple episodes of the season.
Addiction is lonely
It feels like someone behind the scenes of Legends has dealt with addiction, because what John goes through in this episode is scary, brutal, and visceral in a way that Legends usually isn’t. When the game ended last week, Dark John snuck out along with John of the Legends, and here’s where they truly do battle.
Zari, Astra, and Spooner meet to talk about John and Spooner realizes she has gaps in her memory regarding her time in Spain with John. Zari pickpockets John’s flask and brings it back to Astra, who is much more confident in her skills than she was just a few weeks ago. She figures out that John’s drinking blood immediately, and it’s only a few seconds before John slams open the door screaming.
Matt Ryan is genuinely the star of this episode not just in that he’s prominently featured, but also in that he’s acting his ass off. Three women who have, respectively, wind powers, magic, and super-powered firearms are shaken by the man they see. John screams like he’s possessed (even though he isn’t–currently), but ultimately cools down and throws the flask in the garbage. John decides to isolate himself, and Zari wants to go with him.
While she’s gone, though, Dark John manifests. We haven’t seen a man kick his own ass like this since Fight Club. And boy does Johnny-Boy give himself a thrashing. Dark John lets John know in no uncertain terms that he’s sticking around. After beating John into submission, he takes over completely. John knows that he went too far, and he wants out, but the addiction is in control.
Every scene Matt Ryan is in this week is a great, memorable one for the show.
Who is Bishop, though?
Meanwhile, back on the Waverider, Bishop sows chaos among the crew and induces labor in Mick (still sounds weird). The special effects for this are creepy and strange; Bishop extracts the eggs–which are a bit bigger than a golf ball–through Mick’s nose. Each one bends his face, making his eyes bug out. It’s pretty gross.
It seems like the writers are holding back details of Bishop’s plan so that they can reveal it for a big twist, but the problem with this is that without having even an inkling of what he’s all about, other than seeming like a more malicious version of a 21st century tech guru, it’s hard to connect him to anything about this story.
After this episode though, it seems like John might be the true danger to the party, and I’m curious to see where the show takes him.
