The Legends travel to Punk Rock London to stop the Queen from rocking out.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Per John's description, his father was emotionally abusive after John's mother died giving birth to him, calling him "Killer". John also takes a few punches to the face from his father in this episode, but the trope is downplayed here, as the man isn't John's father yet and has no idea who he's actually punching.
- Always Chaotic Evil: Constantine believes this to be true of shapeshifters, but Charlie ultimately proves otherwise.
- Ambiguously Evil: After Constantine learns they're dealing with a shapeshifter, he assures Ray that Charlie's supposed kindness is all an act and that she's actually a sociopathic agent of destruction, but Ray doesn't buy it. The ending ultimately suggests Ray was right.
- Anti-Villain: Charlie isn't actually malevolent, just rebellious. She had no idea that her actions posed any threat to the timeline and only attacks the Legends when she's cornered and has no reason to believe that they're interested in hearing her side of the story. Even worse, she's horrified to hear that they intend to send her to Hell; she initially assumed that only intended to put her back in a mystical prison. One gets the impression that the whole thing could have been solved with a simple conversation if the Legends (apart from Ray) hadn't immediately assumed that Charlie was an evil monster.
- Bait-and-Switch: At first, it seems like Ray is turning against his team to protect Charlie when he starts blasting them with the ATOM suit. In reality, Charlie knocked Ray out and took on his appearance and the ATOM suit.
- Bar Brawl: Once again, it's impossible for the team to enter a club without causing this.
- Became Their Own Antithesis: The Legends are a group of rebellious "heroes" with little regard for rules or conventional standards of morality, many of them reformed villains of some sort. Except they didn't consider whether Charlie did anything wrong before trying to send her to Hell, and refuse to believe that Nora Darhk can ever be redeemed. Lampshaded by Mick when he acknowledges that he almost ended up acting like the police when it came to dealing with Charlie.
- Becoming the Mask: Mick initially assumes that Ray takes Charlie's side because he's gone too deep undercover. The sight of Ray's new corgi tattoo doesn't help this impression.
- Black Comedy: The scene of Constantine trying and failing to kick his dad in the nuts is effectively Constantine trying and failing to commit suicide.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Ray argues that Charlie's not dangerous, which is true; the Legends have no solid proof that she's hurt anyone or had any intention of damaging history. Sara replies that every other fugitive they've encountered so far has seemed benevolent, but been violent or downright psychopathic; that she's not willing to give Charlie the benefit of the doubt is hardly surprising. The episode ultimately comes down in favor of Ray's side of the argument, but Sara's point isn't entirely unreasonable.
- Bromance: Nate and Gary develop a downplayed, tongue-in-cheek one. It really comes across like Gary becoming really attached to Nate as his new office friend. Sara even jokingly reacts to the news that they're "Time Bros" as if they both found new love.
- Call-Back:
- Ray's cover is blown when the Smell uncovers a newspaper detailing the Legends' disco efforts.
- To Constantine's pilot episode when he revealed that his father blamed and abused him for his mother's death.
- Character Check: Ever since John began appearing in the Arrowverse, post-cancellation of his own show, he hasn't done any of the morally questionable or outright dick things he's known for in the comics. Here he does something very questionable and extremely dickish — he effectively lobotomizes Charlie by using a spell to take away her shapeshifting powers permanently, completely unrepentant simply because he hates shapeshifters.
- Continuity Nod: Ray calls Charlie's shapeshifting "astonishing" in an impression of Martin Stein's voice.
- Crazy-Prepared: Ray has modified his suit to shut down and disassemble at his vocal command. Clearly, he learned from the incident two years ago when the ATOM suit was stolen by a feudal Japanese warlord.
- Cross-Referenced Titles: To "Here I Go Again", as both are references to ABBA songsnote . ABBA played a small but important role in that episode, and this episode directly references the events of that.
- Death by Childbirth: As it happens, Constatine's mom died giving birth to him, and his dad never let him forget that, hence his attempt at going after his dad.
- Dramatic Irony: As she is kicking him out of the pub, Constantine's mom makes a point of saying she doesn't want to see his face ever again.Constantine: You won't.
- Easily Forgiven: Ray is quick to forgive Charlie for knocking him out and stealing his suit, knowing how desperate she is to avoid being returned to prison.
- Exact Words:
- Don't worry, ma'am. You won't see Constantine's face ever again...
- When explaining how he's gotten over Amaya leaving, Nate states to Sara "Amaya is no longer on the Waverider." Sara chooses to put off revealing that a shapeshifter stuck in her form is currently holed up on it.
- Fake Irish: In-Universe, the Irishman member of the Smell isn't actually Irish — he's just faking it to be more "street".
- Fantastic Racism: Constantine doesn't even consider the possibility that Charlie might not be evil, and has no qualms or remorse about stripping her of her powers.
- Foreshadowing:
- The Irish band member is quick to recognize the rice leprechaun trick, foreshadowing Charlie's powers.
- Part of Ray's cover story when hanging out with the Smell is that he left the United States due to being fed up with disco. A few days later, the Smell catch sight of a newspaper article concerning ABBA...
- After Nate and Gary's apparently failed mission in the Pleistocene period, the magical time aberration...just up and disappeared on its own. Also, Gary had collected a nice plant souvenir from that period for Nate...
- Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: The "mild" part is buried beneath her punk attitude, but deep down, the oddly dressed Charlie proves to be a good person who only seeks to improve society, albeit in her own unique way.
- Grandfather Paradox: Or, in this case, the "ball kick paradox": since kicking his dad in the balls will prevent him from being born, Constantine is prevented by reality from doing so. However there's nothing stopping his dad from hitting him.
- Groin Attack: Constantine tracks down the pub his mom worked at in 1977 to try and prevent his own birth by giving his dad a "back-alley vasectomy". But reality itself refuses to let him make contact, something Zari explains is called the "ball kick paradox".
- Half-Truth: While dishing out who the other members of Smell were before they formed, Charlie brings up how she "did a stint in the lock-up". She didn't clarify what "lock-up".
- Headbutting Heroes: John and Mick, again. They even get into a brawl.
- History Repeats: Ray's character arc with Charlie is not unlike his previous character arc with Nora Darhk last season note , something that does not go unnoticed by the characters.
- Hobbes Was Right: Apparently, Charlie's antics caused the queen to get institutionalized, causing the monarchy to collapse...which throws England into chaos.
- I Choose to Stay: Nate once again makes it clear he is in no hurry to leave the Time Bureau. However, he admits to Sara that the real reason why is because he's avoiding it due to still needing to deal with his lingering emotional baggage from Amaya leaving. Sara, knowing that a shapeshifter stuck in her form is currently being held aboard the Waverider, states that she doesn't mind Nate staying longer, as this is letting him grow as a person.
- Internal Reveal:
- The others learn that Ray helped Nora Darhk escape.
- Subverted, when John nearly tells Zari about the demon out for his blood, but doesn't.
- Ironic Nickname: Ray, on the spot, comes up with the name "Rayge" to fit in with the Smell. The band quickly notices Ray's absolute lack of anything resembling rage.
- Irony: The Time Bureau, an organization devoted to time travel, apparently discourages working overtime.
- Jerkass Ball:
- The team grabs it by ignoring Ray's pleas to show Charlie mercy and not send her to Hell; it takes Charlie shapeshifting into Amaya for them to come to their senses.
- Constantine grabs it when he decides to cast a spell to take away Charlie's powers simply because he hates shapeshifers.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Charlie steals Ray's suit and attacks the Legends, but as Ray acknowledges, Charlie was cornered by people determined to send her to Hell; it's really no surprise that she'd rather fight than negotiate.
- Kick the Dog: Constantine forcing Charlie to remain in a single form, crippling her abilities. Even worse, this was his plan B; Plan A was sending a pleading Charlie to Hell, and he has no remorse for either option.
- Killed Offscreen: The magical plant that Gary brings to the present as a gift for Nate starts rampaging through Nate's new office. When next seen, the plant is dead, and the office, to say nothing of Nate and Gary themselves, is covered with Ludicrous Gibs of green goop.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Of a sort. When Nate questions Gary on why the Bureau has Taco Mondays instead of Taco Tuesdays, Gary responds "we dare to defy", referencing one of The CW's slogans.
- Literal-Minded: When Ray tells Charlie that he is called just Ray and not Rayge, she starts calling him exactly that ("Just Ray").
- Loyal Phlebotinum: Once Ray wakes up, he solves the problem of his stolen suit by commanding it to disassemble, causing it to fall off Charlie.
- Malicious Misnaming: Constantine got the nickname "Killer" from his dad due to him indirectly killing his mom.
- Mistaken for Racist: Ray gets accused of this when he tries to leprechaun rice trick on Declan, the redheaded Irish member of the Smell. Later subverted when it turns out that Declan isn't actually Irish.
- Nice Girl: She's rebellious and proudly punk, but Charlie is quickly established as a sweet-natured person. She's actually nicer to Ray than his own teammates are in this episode.
- Obligatory Joke: The opening scene shows the Queen partaking at a punk concert. Three guesses as to the song that is played over it
. - Oblivious Guilt Slinging: Downplayed; while she's absolutely trying to guilt trip the Legends, Charlie inadvertently presses several of their actual buttons as she shifts through their forms: when Charlie says she's showing them what a monster really looks like, she has Sara's appearance (Sara's been struggling with her morality ever since season 2 of Arrow); she has Mick's appearance when she accuses them of doing what's easy, not what's right (Mick, our resident Nominal Hero, has been having these issues throughout his time on the show); and when she accuses them of trying to send an innocent person to Hell, she has Constantine's appearance (John inadvertently condemning young Astra to hell and damning himself in the process has haunted him ever since his own series). It doesn't have much effect on Constantine, but Sara orders him to stand down and Mick later expresses sympathy for Charlie.
- Odd Friendship: Straight-laced, mild-mannered Nice Guy Ray actually manages to get along quite well with the uber-rebellious Charlie.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Gary and Nate defeat a magical monster plant off-screen.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Zari initially thinks that Constantine is hitting on the bartender in Liverpool. Turns out that she's John's mother. Zari then asks if Constantine and his mother were close; John tells her that she actually died giving birth to him.Zari: Two for two.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: In addition to his aforementioned Fantastic Racism, Constantine immediately assumes that the Irish member of the Smell is a leprechaun. When Zari asks if this is a serious theory or just racism, Constantine admits that it's both.
- Post-Modern Magik: After its gold frame melted last episode, Ray houses the Air Totem in a smart watch for Zari.
- Retgone: Constantine tries this on himself by way of giving his father a Groin Attack to avert his own birth. He doesn't manage it; nature, as it happens, abhors a Grandfather Paradox.
- Ripple Effect Indicator: Charlie posing as the Queen attending a punk rock club with the real Queen then denying it ever happened is shown in newspaper headlines at the Time Bureau. According to Ray, if it isn't fixed, then the Queen is put into a mental hospital, the monarchy fails and England descends into chaos.
- Seen It All: Charlie is quite surprised about Ray not even flinching when she shapeshifts.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Constantine intentionally made his way to the pub where his mom worked at so that he could give his dad a "back-alley vasectomy", thus insuring he was never born. Because this is a Grandfather Paradox waiting to happen, he is unable to do so.
- Shapeshifter Guilt Trip: Charlie shapeshifts into each of the Legends while giving them a "The Reason You Suck" Speech about how they're the real monsters for sending an innocent to Hell. She finishes by changing into Amaya and asking them if they can send her to Hell looking like that. This snaps them out of their irrational anger towards her.
- Shapeshifter Mode Lock: Instead of banishing Charlie to Hell, Constantine "lobotomizes" her so that her sshapeshifting gets disabled. Funny thing is, the form she was in prior to this was Amaya's.
- Status Quo Is God: Averted, if not outright defied. Nate remains in the present with the Time Bureau instead of rejoining the team, and Sara pushes/encourages this situation due to the awkwardness that would result from Charlie now being stuck with looking exactly like Amaya.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: Gary and Mona both see the benefit in time zones that make time move sideways.
- Suicide as Comedy: Constantine attempts to erase his own existence by tracking down his abusive father before he was born to give him a "back-alley vasectomy". However, he is physically unable to do so due to the Grandfather Paradox involved.
- Timey-Wimey Ball: Apparently, it is now "Time Travel Rule 101" that one is unable to mess with his own past... despite this already having happened in the show several times. It's more the fact that you can't create a Grandfather Paradox by erasing your own existence yourself. Every other case has either been another party creating the Retgone or Professor Stein altering his own past in a way that wouldn't kill him or prevent him from becoming part of Firestorm and joining the Legends.
- You're Insane!: Mick thinks that Ray has "finally lost it" when he sees his friend's tattoo of a corgi with a Mohawk.
