The return toLegends of Tomorrow’s second half of Season 7 last week,“Paranoid Android,”did not feature the “real” Legends. Instead, it showed their hardened, bloodthirsty robot copies, following the original programming of Evil Gideon. This week’s hysterical installment reunites viewers with the flesh-and-blood Legends, albeit following a different kind of “programming” that makes them realer-than-real. “Lowest Common Demoninator” sees the team be trapped withindemonic Reality TV.
After a rushed exit from Evil Gideon’s forces before the mid-season break, human Gideon (Amy Louise Pemberton) teleported the team intoJohn Constantine’sHouse of Mystery. Although since this pocket dimension is unmoored from reality, it now rests just outside of Hell. Luckily, being outside the time-stream gives the Legends a chance to relax and recuperate from Evil Gideon’s dogged pursuit. Unluckily, Gwyn Davies (Matt Ryan) already felt guilty about his abandonment of “Alan” inWorld War 1, which is compounded by Bishop sacrificing himself for the group to escape. This is why he opens the front doors to Hell and accidentally lets in the “Cursed Crew,” an invisible Reality TV team cursed to film groups and manipulate their emotions towards good on-screen drama.
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What ensues is one of the flat-out funniest episodes ofLegends of Tomorrow- which is high praise for a frequently funny show – as the cast succumb to the archetypes of Reality TV. Sara (Caity Lotz) tragically regressed back into a cold-blooded assassin last week, but Caity Lotz shows her range by going the opposite direction here as Sara is turned into aReal Housewivesdiva plotting her next vacation. Meanwhile, Spooner (Lisseth Chavez) takestheSurvivorapproachbut constantly suggesting alliances with all her housemates, as well as stripping completely naked to “throw them off.”
Perhaps the funniest transformation is with Nate (Nick Zano, often the comedic standout), who becomes a bronze spray-tanned, gold-chain wearingJersey Shorebro, constantly lifting weights and espousing his love for ziti. “Lowest Common Demoninator” also acknowledges the often un-commented oddness of his dynamic with Zari (Tala Ashe), who parallel timeline counterpart Nate is in love with. Shouldn’t there be some attraction between Nate and the time variant of his girlfriend? But instead of being dragged into a “friends-to-lovers” trope, Nate and Zari start bickering and shouting matches through their perceived rivalry around the totem-bound Zari.
The Legends cast do a fantastic job with these silly stereotypes, wonderfully playing off each other with both confusion and escalation. But what really elevates “Lowest Common Demoninator” is in its craft. The direction here is notably looser, allowing for whip-pans and hand-held camerawork that replicates the faux-documentary feel of Reality TV. The episode’s pacing keeps the jokes coming a mile a minute, so the growing absurdity of the episode becomes anon-stop rollercoaster. And since the Legends are trapped inside the House of Mystery, “Lowest Common Demoninator” is able to utilize each member without leaving any on the side-lines (even if some are more affected than others).
Even before the Cursed Crew are officially introduced, the episode exploits the fantastic chemistry the Legends have built on this closed set, such as when the entire team gathers around a post-coital Gideon and Gary (Adam Tsekhman) – after Spooner asks how long it’s been going on, Gideon begins to reply “well, including the foreplay approximately…”. The Reality TV spell affects these new lovebirds too, with Gideon dispensing her gooey human emotions to become a calculating ice-queen and Gary reduced to a blubbering mess. The household drama escalates until everyone is ready to tear each other apart, literally.
They aren’t the only ones afflicted with romantic drama. Astra (Olivia Swann), as a former Queen of Hell, takes it upon herself toventure into the underworldand release the Legends from this cruise. But Behrad (Shayan Sobhian), who has been harboring a crush on Astra since at least“Stressed Western,”follows behind her and accidentally ruins Astra’s bluff. The two get transported back into the haunted House of Mystery to confront their feelings, with the cursed cameramen recording them for all of Hell to see.
This is even more hellish for Behrad, who revealshis childhood was ruinedand plagued by the Reality Show “Keeping Up With the Tarazis.” While sister Zari learned to feed (and profit) off the attention, Behrad retreated to his bedroom and developed his chill, stoner “nice guy” persona who acts un-phased by the drama around him. Ironically, this is the kind of easy-going, shaggy stoner that Reality TV also incorporates, and Behrad is tempted back into this guise with a bowl of edible gummies. But Behrad instead delivers a heartfelt exposure of his buried inner-emotions (including the trauma of his death and resurrection) and his feelings for Astra. Behrad manages to lift the Cursed Crew through what Reality TV so rarely finds; authentic emotions.
“Lowest Common Demoninator” is an amazingLegends of Tomorrowepisode, being a hilarious parody of Reality TV that also comments on how it’s heightened emotions needlessly push groups apart and superficially cover up real emotions. It works as both a team effort episode, as the whole cast bring their A-game to the daffy comedic material, but also resonant character development for the often overlooked Behrad. Even his climactic speech – about acting cool for the world, but that around Astra, “I lose all my cool” – is romantically swooning beyond the standard CW fare. It is curious how both this and last week’s episodes lacked an external plot development, both being pit-stops removed from Evil Gideon’s larger machinations. But given the quality of these recent episodes, who needsLegends of Tomorrowto be tied to “reality,” anyway?
Legends of Tomorrowairs on Wednesdays on the CW.
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