As the Legends respond to a distress call from another Time Master, Snart and Mick's friendship reaches the breaking point.
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Ending: We really don't know if Snart actually kills Mick since the episode ends before we can see the body.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Mick and the pirates board the Waverider it looks like for a split second he'll turn on the pirates and rejoin the Legends...but he doesn't.
- Big Brother Instinct: Snart can't bear to leave Mick alone, since without Snart's coolheaded guidance Mick is very dangerous and destructive.
- Breaking the Fellowship: Mick and Snart's friendship appears irrevocably broken in this episode.
- Celebrity Paradox:
- Star Trek was mentioned a lot in this episode. Several actors from the Arrowverse were part of the franchise at some point.
- Susanna Thompson (Moira Queen) was a franchise regular.
- Neal McDonough (Damien Darhk) was on Star Trek: First Contact.
- Jeri Ryan, one of the leads of Star Trek: Voyager, had recently guest-starred on Arrow (Season 4, Episode 2).
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Amanda Waller) and Nick Tarbay (Captain Boomerang) were both on Star Trek Into Darkness.
- Star Trek was mentioned a lot in this episode. Several actors from the Arrowverse were part of the franchise at some point.
- Chekhov's Classroom: The Thrown Out the Airlock trick that Miranda uses in a training simulation during the flashbacks comes in handy on defeating the Time Pirates.
- CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable: Downplayed as Kendra resuscitated Ray from cardiac arrest by slamming his chest. After Ray woke up, he lampshades how Hollywood movies make Kendra's method look like a good idea.Ray: (after being resuscitated) I'd wish you please stop punching me in my chest...Why do they always make it seem like it's a good thing to do in the movies?
- Decomposite Character: The character Eve Baxter is Bonnie Baxter from the comics, Rip's Love Interest. Of course we all know that his late wife is the love of his life here. The hair color that was flipping back-and-forth in the comics was even distributed to each note , though both still got to be a Time Master (well, was in Miranda's case) like their comic counterpart. This gets a nod in the final flashback where Miranda appears at the exact same spot Eve is standing.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Mick betraying The Team hits Snart the hardest.
- Event Title: The episode indeed shows several characters stuck somewhere. Doubles as Verbed Title.
- Forgot About His Powers: Despite the great asset Firestorm could be against the Time Pirates, Stein and Jax never merge in this episode. Possibly justified for the same reason Mick mentions; burning things on a spaceship is a really bad idea.
- Genre Deconstruction: Having a kickass pyromaniac as part of your team may sound good on paper. But when said pyromaniac only joined up to kill people (for fun) and get paid. Then you can expect it to go wrong down the line. Basically this was a deconstruction that why having a Token Evil Teammate who wants to watch people burn on a team of heroes is not a good idea.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: Mick officially betrays the team so he can go back to Central City. (Meanwhile, this episode establishes that Snart is, indeed, committed to the team and the greater good.)
- Idiot Ball: Despite the team suspecting that it might be a trap, Rip leaves Stein to stay behind on the jumpship but takes Jax with him, so they don't have Firestorm as backup.
- However, see above; Hunter is probably very aware that Firestorm would be too dangerous to invoke aboard a spaceship.
- In flashbacks, Rip and Miranda making out in the hallway where anyone can see them, despite knowing full well that they'll get kicked out of the Time Masters if they get caught.
- Manly Tears: Snart during his Shoot the Dog moment below.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Non-romantic. Mick makes a deal with the time pirates so he can go back in time and kill Rip before he can recruit Snart and him since he blames Rip for ruining his friendship with Snart.
- My Greatest Failure: The death of his wife and son still haunts Rip to this day, as he confines himself in his own room for a week while constantly replay the holographic message of his family. Rip even states to Captain Baxter that he doesn't care about being a failure as a Time Master, but for failing to save his wife and child from Vandal Savage.
- Mythology Gag:
- The code phrases Rip uses to give Gideon instructions are all references to other comics characters:
- The "Imperiex Onslaught" that Ray is supposed to have survived is a reference to the villain of the Our Worlds at War Crisis Crossover. For added bonus, said event was centered around Superman. Ray's actor has played Superman before.
- Kanjar Ro is a recurring supervillain who has crossed paths with most of DC's space-faring superheroes, one of which is Superman. Rip mentions that Ray once survived their encounter. Again, Brandon Routh was Superman.
- The comics that Stein loved reading as a child starred the Space Ranger, Rick Starr. He is a DC character which premiered in Showcase #15 in July of 1958.
- Acheron is a demon in the DC Universe.
- Kendra and Ray's conversation about his favorite color and Beatle is a Development Gag to how Ray was originally intended to be Ted Kord, a.k.a. Blue Beetle II.
- Jon Valor is a pirate in the comics, but the 16th century high seas Black Pirate from the Golden Age and also Starman.
- The code phrases Rip uses to give Gideon instructions are all references to other comics characters:
- Married to the Job: Averted for Miranda as she states she'd rather resign and be free to love Rip than stay away from romantic relationship as a Time Master.
- Multi-Character Title: The Legends and Eve Baxter are the titular stranded characters, which totals to nine people.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Although the seeds were sowed last episode, Rip's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Mick is what ultimately pushes him to betray the team.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Despite hailing from London and growing up with English parents, Jonas sports his actor's Canadian accent.
- Pet the Dog:
- When Snart first went to juvie, he was about to be shanked for being new meat, until Mick took pity on him and rescued him.
- Captain Baxter doesn't turn Rip in and gives him what he needs to find Savage, even though she still thinks his plan is bonkers.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
- Rip gives a vicious one to Mick, telling him the only reason he recruited a Dumb Muscle pyromaniac like him was because he and Cold were a "package deal".
- Mick gives one to Snart at the end telling him that he's not a hero and that deep down he's just a punk that Mick took pity on back in juvie.
- The Reveal:
- "Rip Hunter" is an alias. All Time Masters change their name to protect their family lineage from enemies. note
- Miranda was also a Time Master. Because she and Rip were caught making out, she resigned from the organization so Rip could keep his job and they could still be together.
- Revenge by Proxy: The reason why they can't just drop Mick back in 2016. Snart is certain he would go after their loved ones—even Lisa Snart—as revenge.
- Secret Relationship: The main dilemma of the flashbacks is Rip and Miranda being discovered as lovers by their celibacy-implemented organization.
- Ship Tease:
- Sara and Snart spend a lot of time bonding.
- Sparks also fly between Ray and Kendra resulting in The Big Damn Kiss near the end.
- Shoot the Dog: Snart literally does this to Mick in the end, or at least implied to.
- Shout-Out: The episode is full to the brims of references to famous Sci-Fi franchises:
- The above-mentioned argument about the merits of the most famous Star Trek captains.
- Jax quotes (in his own words) "Every Star Wars movie ever" when he says "I have a bad feeling about this"; while Ray compares himself to Han Solo.
- And Gideon gives Roy's odds of survival as "less than 3720 to 1", a direct reference to the original Never Tell Me the Odds! quote.
- Spear Counterpart: Turns out Gideon has a male counterpart called Gilbert, and he's found on the ships of female Time Masters.
- Space Pirates: The Time Pirates.
- Stock Scream: Poor Wilhelm's career as a pirate is cut short when the airlock is opened.
- Teens Are Monsters:
- Snart recaps back when he was sent to juvenile detention at the age of 14, other detainees decided to give him a welcome by nearly shanking him with a shiv. Somewhat justified in that this is juvie, after all.
- Surprisingly averted by Mick as a teenager, as he stepped in and saved Snart's life.
- Thrown Out the Airlock: One of Rip's flashbacks shows him and Miranda in a simulation at the Time Masters academy with their ship overrun by time pirates. Miranda has the ship's AI vent all compartments into space, while she and Rip hold on. Rip thinks she's reckless. Later on, he re-uses her method to clear the Akeron of pirates.
- Trap Is the Only Option: The team is aware that the distress signal might be a trap but Rip elects to go anyway since the trail on Vandal Savage has run cold for a week now, with most of the team (especially Mick) getting bored and antsy.
- Underestimating Badassery: Both Justified and Zig-Zagged. In the end, Snart worries that sending Mick back to 2016 may be dangerous as Mick might target The Team's relatives. On one hand, Snart seems to have forgotten that his and Sara's sisters are Action Girls and the latter's is also an ADA, not to mention her and Laurel's father is the current police captain (and the fact that the Lances are part of/allied to the resident Badass Crew of the Arrowverse). On the other, the rest of The Team's relatives are Muggles. In Snart's defense, his sister considers Mick an ally and would have no reason to expect an attack from him, making her vulnerable. And if the do, Mick is not a person you want to underestimate in close quarters combat, as Sara can attest.
- Visual Pun:
- The Ship Tease is very prominent in this episode. It just so happens that ships are also featured heavily.
- Jon Valor, a.k.a. the Black Pirate from the comics, isn't called that, but he is wearing black and a pirate.
- We Used to Be Friends: Mick and Snart.Mick: You and I were a team. What happened to you?
- Wham Episode: Mick betrays the team and Cold (possibly) kills him, since if they send him back to 2016 he'll probably go after their relatives.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Rip constantly replays a holographic message made by his wife and son; the fact that they say they miss Rip implies that his job as a Time Master didn't give Rip much quality time to spend with his family.
- Whole-Plot Reference: Snart and Mick's Story Arc this episode is basically Old Yeller, complete with a Shoot the Dog scene.
