Check out Violet’s recap of Season 4 Episode 8 of Arrow, titled Legends of Yesterday, which is actually the second part of a two episode crossover with The Flash, but this time the teams relocate from Star City to Central City to continue their pursuit of Vandal Savage! Following the recap, both Josh and Violet share their thoughts about the episode.
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Episode Recap of Arrow, Season 4 Episode 8: Legends of Yesterday
In a flashback to Ancient Egypt, The Middle Kingdom, we see Carter and Kendra in their past lives as Prince Khufu and Priestess Chay-Ara. Vandal Savage enters and addresses the Pharoah, Khufu’s father. Later Vandal sees Kendra and Carter kissing.
Back in the present, Kendra claims she can’t remember anything.
The Arrow and Flash Teams decide to go to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, near Central City, to plot what to do about Vandal Savage. Diggle says he’ll check to see what ARGUS has on him, while Thea and Laurel check police reports. Oliver tells Kendra they need to develop her abilities. Oliver goes off on his own, but won’t tell Felicity what it’s about.
Kendra tells Cisco they should talk, but he doesn’t really want to, saying he doesn’t want to distract her. Carter brings out a box and speaks to Kendra privately. Inside is her Hawkgirl suit. She says she isn’t ready, but he says she always says that, and that everything will come back to her as she continues to emerge.
We then see where Oliver went — to see his baby mama, Samantha. He tells her that he’s done the math, but she assures him that her son William isn’t his, and that she lost their baby. However, William’s hat falls on the ground, and Oliver gets a hair from it when he picks it up for her. Just then, he gets a phone call from Malcolm, who says he’s set up a meeting with Vandal Savage.
The Flash meets up with Green Arrow and Malcolm in a warehouse, and Vandal Savage shows up. Vandal Savage explains that he’s only immortal as long as he keeps killing Kendra and Carter. Green Arrow shoots him, but he says he was taught to not feel pain. Then he demands that they turn over Kendra and Carter in 24 hours, or else he’ll kill their loved ones and lay waste to Central City. Savage leaves. Oliver declares that he’s not giving up Kendra and Carter.
Oliver returns to the farmhouse and reports on Savage’s demands. Later, Barry tells Cisco that the thinks he ghosted last night — that he time traveled. Cisco warns him not to talk about it because he might change things.
Kendra asks Carter if they ever killed themselves to prevent Savage from killing them and gaining immortality from it. Kendra insists she’s not letting anyone die for her. Carter tells her to be the warrior she’s always been meant to be and always has been. He tells her to come after him. At first, Carter is able to easily fend off her attacks, but then she gets angry, and her wings pop out as the goes after him.
Diggle has gotten a betamax tape from Lyla, which has footage from 1975 of a man talking about how to kill Vandal Savage. Kendra thinks that the staff belonged to Savage in ancient Egypt, and that’s the key to killing Savage.
Barry runs a DNA test for Oliver, and it’s a match. Oliver tells him not to tell anyone. After Oliver leaves, Felicity comes in and wonders what’s going on. Felicity talks Barry into showing her the results, and she figures out what it’s about.
Meanwhile, Oliver goes to see Samantha, and tells her he knows William is his son. She explains that his mother gave her $1 million to tell him that she miscarried. He doesn’t believe her, so she invites him inside and shows him his mother’s check, which she never cashed. Samantha doesn’t want William or anyone else to know that Oliver is his father. She’ll let him have a relationship with his son if he doesn’t tell anyone about this — including Felicity.
Oliver returns to the farmhouse that night, and Felicity confronts him about the DNA test. She knows he had Barry run a paternity test. He says it’s complicated. She is upset that he lied to her. He doesn’t know when he was planning on telling her. Barry walks outside and overhears their argument, as Felicity questions how she can be with someone who doesn’t trust her. She walks away, and Barry tries to see if everything is okay.
They go back inside, and Oliver lays out his plan — to use Kendra to surprise Savage since he doesn’t know that she has abilities. The Flash and Green Arrow bring Kendra and Carter dressed in their Hawkgirl and Hawkman suits and meet up with Savage, pretending to turn them over. Just as Savage is about to stab Kendra, Oliver stops him. A fight breaks out, and Carter tells Kendra to use her abilities. However, she is unable to. Savage stabs Carter, killing him, then kills Kendra as well. The Flash and Arrow get hold of Savage’s staff, and try to use it against Savage, but are unable to hold it. Savage gets his staff back and uses it, causing an explosion that takes out Oliver, all of Central City, and even the farmhouse and everyone in it. Meanwhile, Barry has run away, and ghosts, time traveling back to the past — back to when he arrived at his meeting with Green Arrow, Malcolm, and Vandal Savage.
When they return to the farmhouse, Barry tells Oliver that their plan doesn’t work, and that he knows because he time traveled. Oliver says they need to change the plan, and Barry reluctantly agrees. Barry says that when they go up against Savage, Oliver’s head isn’t in the game, and Barry explains about the paternity test. Oliver says this time they’ll do things differently.
The next day, Oliver goes to Cisco and tells him to retest the gloves they’re supposed to use on Savage’s staff. He also tells Cisco to talk to Kendra, because whatever Carter is doing isn’t working with accessing her powers. Cisco goes outside and interrupts Kendra and Carter talking. Cisco tells Kendra to focus on the priestess instead of the warrior. He thinks that Kendra is resisting what Carter’s trying to teach her. She admits that she has been remembering her life in ancient Egypt, but she doesn’t want this. However, Cisco talks her into letting herself remember.
In Kendra’s memory of Ancient Egypt, Savage walks in on Carter and Kendra in bed together, saying that the penalty of the clergy lying with royalty is death. Savage and Carter fight, and Savage stabs Carter, then Kendra. Just then, the “sky rocks” fall as Kendra and Carter die.
Kendra opens her eyes in the present, and tells Cisco she thinks she knows how to beat Vandal Savage.
Back inside, Kendra explains about the meteors. She thinks that the staff had the same glow as the meteors. Barry runs to the museum and retrieves a meteor that they need that will counteract Savage’s staff.
The Flash and Green Arrow again meet up with Savage and pretend to be turning over Kendra and Carter. This time, Kendra is able to use her power and knocks Savage over. The rest of the team shows up in a van and helps take down Savage. Barry is able to get the staff and uses it on Savage. Oliver comes over to help. The gloves work this time, and they kill Savage with the staff, reducing him to dust.
The next day, it seems like Carter and Kendra are going to try to help people — but are going to go off on their own. Kendra speaks privately with Cisco. She gives him a goodbye kiss.
Oliver and Barry have a conversation about Oliver’s son. Barry says he’s worried about temporal backlash and whether or not Oliver’s going to tell Felicity. Barry says that he thinks the best thing for William is to grow up with Oliver in his life. They exchange a goodbye hug, despite Oliver’s protests.
Oliver goes to see Samantha and has the same conversation with her. He agrees to her terms, and says he won’t tell anyone, not even Felicity. She lets Oliver go up to see William in his room, and instructs him that he’s to present himself as a friend of his mommy’s. He gets on William’s good side by telling him that he knows the Flash, then they play action figures together, and William agrees that Oliver can come by and say hello sometimes.
Back at home, Felicity asks Oliver what had him acting so strange when they left Central City. However, he says it doesn’t matter, that it’s over.
Meanwhile, in Central City, Malcolm Merlyn collects the ashes of Vandal Savage, saying that his life will carry into the next and the next, and that he owes him one.
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 4 Episode 8 of Arrow: Legends of Yesterday
This was a pretty cool conclusion to the Arrow/The Flash crossover! I especially liked the fact that they used time travel, with the re-apperance of Barry’s “ghosting” abilities. The time travel aspect was one of the reasons that really got me into liking The Flash, so it was pretty awesome to see that in action again. Although it kind of makes you wonder why he doesn’t do it more often to fix things! Though I’m pretty sure the answer would be something along the lines of not wanting to disrupt time and cause another black hole.
While the previous episode of this crossover event seemed to portray The Flash as the hero, and saving everyone with his awesome super speed powers, this episode seemed to focus more on Oliver’s personal problems and also to portray him as the leader of the two teams. I wonder if his son will only come up in crossover episodes, since he lives in Central City, while Oliver lives in Star City, or if he’ll start to come up more often in regular episodes. The other question is, of course, when will Felicity find out? Judging from her reaction when she found out in the timeline that got erased, in which he had only recently discovered this himself, her reaction when she eventually finds out even further down the line will be even more catastrophic for her and Oliver’s relationship.
Speaking of relationships, sorry Cisco. We knew it was coming that Kendra would make her exit from the show, which pretty much means the end of Cisco and Kendra. It would have been nice if it was a character he could still have a relationship with, despite her being on a different show, considering that the shows are in the same universe. But that whole soulmates for thousands of years thing she has going with Carter effectively eliminates any chance of that.
Overall, another fun crossover event, and looking forward to the next one! This one helped set things up for the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow spin-off show, with the introduction of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and left the door wide open for the eventual return of Vandal Savage with Merlyn gathering his ashes (though who knows what method of revival he will use). I’m guessing the next crossover episode we’ll see will involve the new Legends!
Josh’s Thoughts: Arrow, Season 4 Episode 8: Legends of Yesterday
I have to say, that I am a sucker for time travel TV episodes or movies. As soon as I saw Barry seeing his “ghost” I realized there was going to be some time travel to this episode, and I was very excited. It was pretty obvious when it was going to happen—right after Vandal Savage destroys the world—so it was very predictable. Regardless, it was still a great scene, seeing him try to outrun the staff’s effect, and winding up back in time. I wondered if Barry intentionally meant to go back in time, as it would be the only way to save everyone, but it seemed like he had no intention to.
I wasn’t a big fan of Hawkgirl and Hawkman, and I found their story a bit cheesy. Savage is a bit cheesy as well, but he does also come off as menacing, and pretty powerful at the same time. And based on the ending, Merlyn has some other plans for Savage. How and why are unclear, but I assume we will see in Legends of Tomorrow.
So far I really like all of these cross over episodes. I look forward to more of them, and hope to see more characters involved. I think they would actually work best as season finale episodes, which would up the stakes even more.
Scenes from Arrow, Season 4 Episode 9: Dark Waters
Here are scenes from the next Arrow episode, titled Dark Waters:
I started watching the flash without having seen Arrow. The first episode had a strange moment with Barry already knowing the Arrow. Now I have to watch Arrow to see all the crossovers. I’m hoping for some good stuff.
I really love these crossover episodes. I actually liked the Arrow one better than The Flas one this time. It’s always so great when Barry time travels.
You know an episode is about to get real when Barry sees his time travel ghost.