The Legends of Tomorrow season 2 finale, “Aruba,” saw the Legends in their final showdown with the Legion of Doom as they fought to save reality.
Legends of Tomorrow wrapped up its surprisingly strong season 2 run with a downright excellent season finale that featured highlights like an army of Reverse Flashes, the Legends meeting themselves — and several watching themselves die — and a Laurel Lance cameo.
In the wake of Amaya’s death and the destruction of the Spear of Destiny, the team is quickly reunited with Rip, who escaped S.T.A.R. Labs in the miniaturized Waverider. Realizing the ship was shrunk via the technology of the Atom suit, the team breaks into S.T.A.R. Labs to recover the suit and unshrink the ship. There’s some great humor when the model-sized Waverider shoots its mini weapons at Damien Darhk while he — and the audience — laughs.
At this point, they travel back to 1916 in order to recover the Spear to keep it out of the hands of the Legion. However, they’re tempting fate because the number one rule of time travel is to not interact with versions of yourself from another time. The Legends, however, have really stopped caring about the rules this season (which is a big reason the show has become so fun) so of course they jump right in.
Of course, things rarely go as planned for the Legends, and this is no different. Eobard Thawne from Doomworld shows up and murders Ray when he pulls a Once Upon a Time out Ray’s heart. Ray, however, won’t be the future Legends’ only casualty. After all, this was always a one-way trip since stopping the Legion from gaining the Spear will wipe them from existence.
The remaining Doomworld Legends end up face to face with their past selves, creating a time quake. Mick, after confronting his other self and contemplating knocking his teeth out, reveals that Amaya is dead, Ray is dead and Stein might as well be dead. The two Saras contemplate what needs to be done but come to the conclusion that they still need to destroy the Spear rather than use it.
When the Legion, minus Eobard who is recruiting time remnants, attacks the Waverider, they try to time jump with both teams aboard. However, this creates a time storm because two sets of the same people are trying to time travel together. The ship crashes, not having jumped in time. At this point, it’s pretty clear time travel rules are being made up as we go (time storms?), and I’m totally okay with it because it’s just so much fun.
The two teams line up together to fight the Legion. Most of the Doomworld Legends are killed in the fight, which must be a disturbing image their past selves will take with them. Eventually, however, Snart, Darhk and Merlyn are taken out of commission. This just leaves the survivors facing off against Doomworld Thawne and his army of Reverse Flashes.
I completely geeked out at all the Reverse Flash time remnants showing up on the battlefield. What a good throwback to The Flash and Zoom. Not to mention, Thawne is so arrogant that of course he would fight the final battle with versions of himself. It’s quite brilliant.
Anyway, past Sara is the one holding the Spear. The others are trying to hold off the numerous Reverse Flashes while Sara activates the Spear. In a really lovely scene, Sara finds herself sitting with Laurel. Laurel — Laurel’s spirit? The embodiment of the Spear? — encourages Sara to use the Spear to set things to right with the Spear. Sara does not believe herself pure enough to use something so tempting, but Laurel believes in her. We get a lovely, tearful hug between the sisters before returning to 1916.
Thawne takes the Spear and believes he’s won. But when he tries to activate it, it does nothing. He realizes Sara made one change to reality: the Spear is powerless. But before he can attack Sara, Black Flash arrives and stabs Thawne in the chest with a vibrating hand. Finally, he gets a taste of his own medicine! Somewhere, Cisco is feeling a great sense of vindication.
Anyway, Thawne is removed from existence once more, and the Legends have thus cleaned up that part of Barry’s Flashpoint mess. Doomworld Sara fades from existence as reality has been saved.
To wrap things up, Malcolm is returned to his crappy apartment in 2016, Snart is returned to Central City 2014, moments before he’s recruited by Thawne and Darhk is returned to his life prior to his recruitment. The Legends pull a Men In Black when they wipe the villains’ memories, thus preserving the timeline.
Unfortunately, Arrow‘s fourth season has not been wiped away after all.
Amaya, though, decides to stay on the Waverider and return to her home in 1942 later after Nate offers to stay in the past with her. Rip also departs the ship, realizing he doesn’t really fit in with the team. Sara is the true captain and he clearly needs to figure out what to do with his life. Does this mean there will be no Rip in season 3, or will the team re-recruit him?
Finally, the episode closes with the team intending to head to Aruba — Mick’s desire — but they crash after another time storm in Los Angeles in 2017. The world, though, has gone crazy. The buildings are out of sorts and there are dinosaurs. Looks like the team will be trying to fix time, which they broke in the first place, in season 3.