If this season of Legends of Tomorrow has done anything, it’s give us week after week of incredibly enjoyable stories with layers of really solid writing! It’s more tightly woven than Season 1 and each and every character has found their niche and the days of ‘suffering through’ a character are done. And this MidSeason Finale was no exception as it gave fans precisely what they wanted and nothing more.

Unlike the MidSeason Finales of The Flash and Arrow which left fans with tremendous anxiety inducing questions, Legends introduced several anxious moments and then quickly resolved them within the confines of the episode, while also raising the stakes for when Season 2 returns.

So let’s dive a bit deeper and take a Closer Look at Legends Of Tomorrow “The Chicago Way”.

How Far They’ve Come – Comparing The Season 2 Team To Season 1:

Season 1 of Legends was enjoyable at times, but more often than not the plot was predictable and it seemed like we were only watching for Sara Lance and Captain Cold. Since Captain Cold sacrificed himself at the end of Season 1, we knew things had to be reevaluated – especially since we lost Rip Hunter, the crux of the series. And things certainly did improve as every gripe with Season 1 seems to have been erased. For starters, Mick has continued his character growth and whereas he still walks the line between hero and criminal, he’s no longer just a lap dog. This episode in particular saw him rise to more of a leadership role and seize the day. His relationship with Amaya has also been a joy to watch as they both embody the idea of controlling the beast within (which we learned in “Outlaw Country”).

Stein and Jax have gained character weight as Jax has had some seriously powerful moments (such as in “Abominations”) while Stein now has emotional depth with the discovery of his daughter. Though the biggest improvement has to be Ray Palmer, who last season seemed to embody the phrase “goody goody”. He seemed annoying and the source of most problems, which is a shame because Brandon Routh is an amazing actor. This season though, Ray Palmer has been given depth while still remaining a good man, which can best be seen in “Justice Society Of America” and “Shogun”.

Though the real focus has to come with the new additions of Amaya/ Vixen and Nate/ Citizen Steel. Hawkman and Hawkgirl largely occupied the role of “newcomer” in Season 1, and whereas they were fun heroes, they characters were incredibly 1D. Hawkman was dead most of the season and Hawgirl constantly struggled with her identity, which while believable, were never dealt with well enough to be poignant. Instead they came across as a broken record. Seriously, how many times did she mention her being a barista? This season on the other hand gave us Nate/ Citizen Steel, who despite at first seemingly like the new Ray – too nice a guy – he quickly gained character depth with the revelation that he was related to Commander Steel. Beyond that, he’s developed an awesome sibling rivalry/ friendship with Ray Palmer that is just a joy to watch.

As for Amaya, she is a leading lady who not only proved her worth within her first episode, but has actually gone on to rival Sara Lance in terms of badassery. She’s confident and yet conflicted at times. Though despite these moments, she adapts incredibly wells and shows to have just as much control over every situation as she does her animal spirits. Whereas I am sad we never got to see Mari McCabe in Legends, the writers have given us yet another incarnation of Vixen who rocks every scene whether alone or with the whole team. Juggling such a diverse cast of talent and characters is no easy feat, but the Legends of Tomorrow writers make it look easy as they’ve clearly learned from Season 1 and the ever growing number of Arrow-verse crossovers.

Reverse Flash’s Timeline Evidence (Part 3) – DNA Splicer & Changing Destiny:

We’ve been trying to track The Reverse Flash’s timeline since he first appeared in “Out Of Time”. Was this the Reverse Flash from the future (who had yet to travel back in time to kill Barry’s Mom) OR was this the Reverse Flash who last left Barry at the end of “Flashpoint”? Well tonight gave us the piece(s) of evidence we needed to solve that problem in not only how he imitated Stein but also in what he seeks to do.

The device he used to imitate Stein was the same device we saw him use in Season 1 of The Flash to assume the role of Harrison Wells. Though this time it was modified so that it wouldn’t kill the target, which also explains why he didn’t have all Stein’s memories as well as could change back. Now on one hand, this confirms a later Reverse Flash as he knows to change the device to not kill; but at the same time it’s not perfect proof since even a Pre Season 1 Reverse Flash wouldn’t have used the device yet on Harrison Wells. So where’s the proof?

The best evidence we have for this being the post Flashpoint Reverse Flash is tied to his interest in The Spear Of Destiny. After all, why would a Speedster want to an item to change the timeline when he could just run and change it himself? The answer is that somethings even a Speedster can’t outrun, especially one who knows about messing with time. This isn’t a brash Reverse Flash from the future who’s just starting out, but one who has experience. As I’ve shown in my past timelines, in order for this to be a later Reverse Flash, he would HAVE to return to that moment after killing Barry’s mom and assume the identity of Wells if he wants the timeline to not crumble. He is locked into that history. BUT what if he had a magical item that could change Destiny and allow him to control every aspect.

For Reverse Flash to cause havoc with the timeline and recruit a Legion of Doom he must want something big, something with time changing powers bigger than his own. As we’ve learned in Legends of Tomorrow, messing with time causing infinite unintended consequences; but the Spear Of Destiny could hold the potential to control every aspect and direct how and what happens. This is a man who NEEDS to change his destiny and soon. He already knows The Flash beats him as well as that he’s erased from the timeline. It’s all or nothing…. literally. As for why Darhk and Malcolm Merlyn want in, they’re in the same boat. Darhk has already learned how his tale ends and it’s not pretty. Merlyn has lost both his son, the League of Assassins and now has been cast out by his daughter Thea. None of these villains have a happy ending – or even a mediocre one. So if there’s a way to manipulate destiny in their favor, they’ll take it and turn their “fake dreams” into reality.

Legends Of The Episode – Easter Eggs, Quotes & Other Notables:

• Favorite Quotes:
  • “Eh, its more like Christmas”/ “Heh, I like that. That’s very good” – Thawne/ Darhk
  • *sigh* “You or me” – Darhk
  • “That means no drinking, that’s not good” – Rory
  • “Grab your fedoras, we’re going to the 1920s” – Sara
  • “Did you or did you not see The Untouchables” – Nate
  • “I was never meant for those things, and I knoe that now” – Sara
  • “Hey Malcolm, I’ll take a nightmare that’s real over a dream that’s a lie” – Sara
  • “Uh guys, we’re standing right here” – Ray
• You’ve got to love Sara smacking some sense into Ray and Nate since last time they sparred they LITERALLY broke the ship
• It’s great how Stein and Sara really do already have a father daughter relationship sometimes; but I fear the revelation that Stein has a daughter to Reverse Flash could be used against the Legends in the future.
• It’s hard to know what will become of Mick’s Cold visions, but it seems like he does like being the hero. Hopefully he keeps this up or the real Cold returns, because I’m sure the real Captain Cold wouldn’t be talking Mick out of his heroing.
• I’m sorry, but does anyone else get a real Zoom vibe from Reverse Flash’s black leather jacket? It’s nice though. He should keep it! #EvilFashionTips
• It’s unclear whether Rip Hunter is playing dumb or if he’s actually lost his memory. Perhaps the blast from the Season Premier threw him into the timeline and gave him a concussion. That could explain how he still has faint memories – and just sees them as creative ideas.

What does the Legion have planned for Rip? What will Rip’s return to the team mean for the dynamics now that they’ve found their groove? I guess we’ll have to find out when Legends returns late January – now on its new night, Tuesdays after The Flash. I’m not sure yet how I’ll handle that writing wise, but I will be covering it. So enjoy your Holiday Season everyone and I’ll see you in January!