If there is an episode that perfectly encaptured the essence of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, it is “The Satanist’s Apprentice.”
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 6 Episode 5 had everything that you would ever expect or want to see in a Legends adventure. It had fighting (both physical and verbal), twisty storylines, and wonderfully weird animation.
If any other show ever turned their characters into cartoons for a quarter of an episode, it most likely wouldn’t work. But, of course, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow could do almost anything bizarre and it would get a standing ovation from its audience.
The spotlight shone on Astra for the majority of the hour, and it was marvelous.
There is so much that can be done with her character because she has a deeply complicated background and plays off the other characters so nicely — especially Constantine.
Look out, world. I have arrived.
Astra
We were quickly clued in on her struggles as she relentlessly tried to find her place in the human world. As one would expect, the transition from the underworld to Earth did not go very smoothly.
Astra hit the reset button on her life, and she did not expect it to be as difficult as it was to make her way in this world. The last known records of her put her at fifteen years old, so that didn’t exactly help in her job search, either.
Plus, with Constantine busy with the Legends and with Zari, Astra didn’t have his support.
You can’t one hundred percent blame Astra for the mistakes she made with Aleister because she, once again, felt neglected and hurt. She was tired of failing and was ready to climb her way back to the top.
And since Constantine wasn’t helping her, she had no other choice but to turn to Aleister.
Yes, the signs were all there that clued the audience in that Aleister was up to no good, but Astra had blinders on. Also, she was confident in her abilities to overpower him if she needed to.
Astra: You don’t know anything about me.
Robert: I know the kind of people who do live here, and you are not the type.
Astra: Oh, really? So what type am I, exactly? What about me doesn’t fit in with you upstanding residents? Is it because I’m tall? Or female? Or Black?
Robert: You stay back. I will not be threatened this way in my own neighborhood.
Astra: And I won’t be treated like a criminal in mine.
The only one we can sort of blame is Constantine. He wasn’t completely in the wrong, but there’s no doubt that he could have done more to help Astra.
Of course, she would struggle in the human world, and, surprisingly, that never occurred to Constantine until she told him such. But, in the end, he was there for her, and they will navigate this new world side-by-side.
Constantine knowingly giving up his powers to save Astra and the rest of the Legends shows us how much his character has developed since he first stepped foot onto the Waverider.
But what is he, and the rest of the team, going to do without his magic?
A weakened Constantine is definitely an interesting twist to throw into this crazy season, and it does force him to spend more time with Astra since she, too, will be relearning magic.
They have always had a complicated dynamic, almost reminiscent of a father-daughter relationship. So, we are looking forward to seeing them come together to accomplish a mutual goal.
It’s only a matter of time before Astra becomes a full-fledged Legend.
She has all of the qualities of a Legend, so it’s difficult to figure out what is stopping the writers from going there.
I miss my blood pool.
Astra
Astra is still learning, which was proven time and time again during “The Satanist’s Apprentice,” but she has come a long way. She wants to be good and do good, and all that matters is her intentions.
She truly is a lost soul, and there’s no doubt that she can find her purpose on the Waverider. And, as a bonus, she has marvelous chemistry with several Legends — notably Constantine, Ava, and Behrad.
Hopefully, with her new partnership with Constantine, Astra will find her way onto the Waverider more frequently.
Astra’s backstory alone makes her an interesting enough individual to get her own episode. But it can still be difficult to pull off such an episode with a newer character when DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 6 has been quite plot-heavy.
Thankfully, the overarching theme still coursed throughout the hour as it jumped back and forth between Astra’s struggle and Sara’s in space.
Sara officially met Bishop, who has been described by the writers as the main villain of the season. But, he is the complete opposite of a typical Big Bad.
Bishop is not menacing or dark. He is charismatic and bright, but he is calculating, and I have a feeling that we haven’t seen the full extent of his power yet.
Bishop’s plan is simple, but it smartly incorporates this season’s extraterrestrial component. And, interestingly, he is the one who created Ava and her clones because he is so obsessed with Sara.
So far, he makes for an intriguing villain that strays from the bad guy norm.
It’s so easy for Big Bads to feel repetitive on a superhero show, but the Legends seem to have perfectly escaped that trend with recent seasons.
Bishop: You found and fell in love with one of my greatest accomplishments. It’s as though the universe knew to bring us together.
Sara: You’re a sick son of a bitch.
There is so much more we have to learn about Bishop and his motivations before anyone can properly judge how well his character works in contrast to the heroes, but we are along for the ride.
And if that last scene is any indication, there is a lot more to Bishop than meets the eye. And by that, we mean there are a lot more Bishops than previously thought. Did anyone say clones?
What did you think, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Fanatics?
Do you want to see more of Astra? Was Constantine wrong for not knowing she needed help? How fantastic was the animated part of the episode? Personally, I died laughing when Ava shot papers out of her binder at Aleister.
Is Bishop a clone? And did any of you pick up on a more-than-friendly vibe between Astra and Behrad?
Let me know in the comments, and do not forget that you can watch DC’s Legends of Tomorrow online right here via TV Fanatic!
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.
Sarah Little is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.