*This review contains some spoilers*
Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
“Legends of Tomorrow” season 4 doubles-down on what’s been working for the show: Wackiness and heart.
For the most part, this works. The humor is often very self-aware, and even breaks the fourth wall a bit. But, it’s the character interactions that offer up the most laughs. And while the team still tends to screw things up, it’s not as bad as last season, so they don’t come off so incompetent just for laughs.
The plot is a bit uneven. The magical creatures stuff is fun at first, but as the monsters start to get pushed to the background, they get zanier. Killer unicorns and ruthless fairy godmothers get replaced by stereotypes like mummies and ogres. And while the nefarious plot by Nate’s dad holds some promise to get dark, it ends up shockingly silly. On the flipside, the Neron threat starts off quite dark, but then shifts to a lighter tone.
The show adds a few characters to the main cast this season. Nora Darhk and John Constantine are added full-time, and add magic use to the team. Despite his other appearances nailing the character, Constantine is less compelling in the comedy setting. Nora is much more interesting, but it takes a while before she gets integrated into the show. We also get the Mona character. She’s pretty fun at first, but her love story with a werewolf like creature isn’t very interesting. And, even after she gets her own abilities, she’s doesn’t really add much to the narrative. While not truly a new character, revamping the modest Amaya character into the much edgier Charlie helps make Maisie Richardson-Sellers one of the most fun parts of the new season.
As far as the show’s new villain, Neron is scariest when he’s hiding in the shadows. When we do see him in the flesh, it works because of his connection to Constantine. However, once he takes hold of Ray, he loses his edge. Brandon Routh never quite comes off as menacing. The overall evil plan is fairly solid, but the resolution is kind of nonsensical.
“Legends” still shows a ton of heart. No matter how goofy things get, the love and friendship between these misfits is strong. Even when they fight with each other, it’s satisfying to see them make amends.
“Legends of Tomorrow” season 4 can still get too silly at times, but the humor lands more often than now, and the team isn’t the butt of the joke as often as last season. The family dynamic carries the show through a bit of a weak plot that fails to mesh all its oddball elements.
*** out of *****