‘Legends of Tomorrow’ finale review: Who is Rex Tyler, and was Vandal defeated?

Tonight, the first season of “Legends of Tomorrow” came to a close, and with that, presumably so did the story of one Rip Hunter (or so we thought for a few minutes). The former Time Master and Vandal Savage fighter extraordinaire did what he could to thwart the villain, but in the process realized that there would need to be some sort of significant sacrifice.

In case you couldn’t figure out where we are going here, we’re basically saying that he was willing to end his own life. Lucky for us, that did not actually happen. He managed to find away around it, as most of the team has throughout the season (convenient, but did you really want to lose him from the show?). Vandal was eventually thwarted in three separate timelines, and Rip’s actions jettisoned parts of a meteorite directly into the sun. Victory!

Following that, the team of course got a chance to go back and “enjoy” new life. It’s too bad that for Sara Lance, that meant having to deal with the fact that her sister Laurel was gone. Meanwhile, for Martin Stein it meant getting a lecture from both his wife and also Jax when it comes to his future. Also, Leonard Snart is alive … at least in 2013. It’s nice to have Captain Cold back, but he and Mick Rory may have a different relationship because of what Mick knows about the future, and isn’t saying. The only original team members to not give it a go again were Kendra and Carter, who were going to give a normal life ago. Single Ray again! Also, we didn’t really think there was any more for Hawkman / Hawkgirl to do.

Now, we turn to the cliffhanger and the arrival of Rex Tyler, a character otherwise known as Hourman in the comics. This is a character who has powers that can be granted for him for a specific amount of time, and it’ll be interesting to see what his warning means to the Legends long-term (Rory told Rex to come find him, and tell him to not get aboard the Waverider).

In the end, we do think that the season 1 finale delivered all sorts of entertainment, even if we have no clue of the rules of this show. Luckily, at least this finale was lighter on the romance (a weakness this season), and it set up season 2. Episode Grade: B.

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