Hero Report: Legends of Tomorrow has a solid return with the arrival of Constantine, while Black Lightning holds steady

While many shows are on hiatus, the Hero Report still gets two solid outings from The CW with Black Lightning and the return of Constantine on Legends of Tomorrow.

Legends of Tomorrow is officially back and taking the place of Supergirl with a strong midseason debut thanks to the return of Constantine. Black Lightning had a slightly off night, but only because the series has been so good up until now that the episode was a minor disappointment. Nevertheless, two strong episodes to cap off a good week for The CW.

Photo Credit: The CW

It’s no surprise that Legends of Tomorrow would move in a horror direction with guest star John Constantine because the series needs a good reason to include him. However, “Daddy Dahrkest” is still an excellent episode despite the difference in tone compared to the rest of the season. Mallus still isn’t fleshed out enough to serve as a good villain, but his shortcomings are forgiven considering how well the writers have established Kuasa.

Even though having Constantine on the show is a big draw for viewers, Amaya’s and Zari’s story continues to be the most enticing. The new introduction of six mystical totems (only half of them have been found), sets up a compelling arc for the rest of the season in the battle against Mallus.

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Ultimately, what doesn’t work in “Daddy Dahrkest,” is the end of Leonard Snart’s story on Legends of Tomorrow. Wentworth Miller seems to have said goodbye to the Arrowverse for now, which is a shame considering how much fun Captain Cold was since his introduction. He doesn’t exactly get a big exit like his character did in season one, which is probably why it feels a little a disappointing that he heads back to his Earth so quickly despite wanting to stick around after “Crisis On Earth-X”.

However, with both Captain Cold and Constantine supposed to head back to their respective animated series, it will be interesting to see if either will be tapped to return. The CW recently announced that the latter will be making more live-action appearances, and if fans continue to love his presence on the Wave Rider then the network might have to make him a permanent team member.

Hero Report Grade: A-

Photo Credit: The CW

“And Then The Devil Brought The Plague: The Book of Green Light,” is by no means a bad episode of Black Lightning but it’s noticeably weaker than the other outings. It suffers from what a lot of series have to go through in the first season: world-building.

This week tries to stuff too much into one episode, and it feels everything gets a little muddled. The biggest misstep is Jennifer’s storyline, where a cartoonish bully decides to make fun of Khalil leading the youngest Pierce to step up and break the girl’s wrist. While it makes sense for her parents to be upset over the violent altercation, they fail to acknowledge that the girl attacked Jennifer and if the latter didn’t defend herself then she would have ultimately ended up with a beating. However, the fight does set up the long-term payoff that Jennifer will eventually join her sister and father as a crime fighter, a destiny already set by the comics.

Anissa is quickly assimilating to the vigilante lifestyle, through costumes and investigations. Black Lightning did a fantastic job showing her trepidations about becoming a hero after realizing that hurting people, albeit criminals, weighed down on her conscious more than she thought it would. This week doesn’t handle her decision to become a superhero as well, giving her a few different costume changes and a dead grandfather she wants to avenge.

Again, there just isn’t enough time in “And Then The Devil Brought The Plague,” to fully explore every idea Black Lightning introduces. What works extremely well is the deeper dive into Tobias’ backstory. His father’s hatred towards his albinism is something that has motivated the gangster to become a cold-hearted criminal full of hatred and anger. While Jefferson is trying to teach kids there is a better path, Tobias is a victim of following in his parents’ footsteps of violence just like the members of the 100 gang.

Hero Report Grade: B-

The Arrowverse has always been very hit-or-miss, but it has always tried to please fans with fun cameos. Black Lightning is still in its first season, so any nods to DC Comics will come in tiny Easter Eggs, but Legends of Tomorrow is a culmination of what every Arrowverse fan wants to see.

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Legends of Tomorrow consistently proves that it listens to its viewers, whether it’s bringing back Constantine despite the NBC show getting canceled, or bringing back Sara’s bisexuality after it was overlooked for most of last year. While it’s unclear whether the show will be able to hold the same ratings Supergirl had in the time slot, it’s still a great addition to the Hero Report.

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