Jax takes a bold move that may alter history as the Legends travel to Viking times. Mick tries to get used to hanging out with a different version of Snart.
Tropes:
- Affectionate Parody: The opening sequence is one to Arrow, with 1992-Stein using a toy bow and arrow to knock a Beebo off its display being treated very dramatically and using the Green Arrow's theme.
- The Alcoholic: This episode shows Mick actually having withdrawal symptoms after Leo forcefully removes all the alcohol stash from the Waverider.
- All for Nothing: The short notice of Stein’s death only leaving time to sever Jax from him and never getting the full Matrix makes all the planning this, as it leaves Jax as lost as he said he would be two episodes prior.
- Amazon Chaser: In Crisis on Earth-X, Mick seemed to have the hots for Killer Frost. Here, he calls Freydis Eriksson hot.
- Another Dimension: Sara is briefly zapped to one while trying to hijack the Darhk's teleportation. It's a dark, mist-filled void, and is apparently where Mallus lives.
- Anvilicious: In-Universe, Ray uses Beebo to espouse Christianity, global warming and evolution to the Vikings.
- Arrow Catch: Damien catches the crossbow bolt Sara shoots at his throat.
- Artistic License – History: Nate claims that the reason the Vikings abandoned Vinland (the American settlement) was due to conversion to Christianity. The actual reason why is unclear, but it would have had more to do with conflict with Native Americans, who would have had far greater numbers compared to what later European settlements would encounter, and difficulty at the time maintaining an outpost so far away from the rest of the Viking settlements back in Europe.
- Bad Liar: 1992-Stein sees right through the Legends' claim that his future self wasn't on the ship due to spending the holidays with his family.
- Big Damn Heroes: Agent Sharpe comes to the team's rescue when help is most needed.
- Brick Joke: Ray suggests they disguise themselves as Norse gods to mingle with the Vikings, only they turned it down. Guess what Damien and Nora did.Ray: I told you the Norse gods disguise would work.
- Brought Down to Badass: Even without Firestorm, Jax is still able to kick some Viking ass.
- The Bus Came Back: John Constantine makes his long-awaited return to the Arrowverse, having not been seen since "Haunted" two years ago when he restored Sara's soul.
- But Now I Must Go: Jax decides to leave, now that Stein is dead and he is no longer Firestorm without him, but not without having a Christmas dinner with the other Legends.
- Cassandra Truth: The Bureau's refusal to take Rip's fears about Mallus seriously comes back to haunt them. Without him, Darhk is running rings around them and they are no longer the well-oiled machine they once were.
- Cargo Cult: Leif Erikson's sister proclaims Beebo the "Blue God" and interprets its claims of being hungry as being "hungry for battle", which drives the Vikings to conquer all of America and establish New Valhalla instead of heading back to Greenland. Oh, and Christmas is known as "Beebo Day" in the altered timeline.
- Changed My Mind, Kid: Ava comes back just in time to pull Sara out of Mallus' mindscape.
- Cool Toy: Beebo
- Contrived Coincidence: The Legends running into a time-displaced younger version of Stein right after the present day version died. Lampshaded by Jax and Nate, who add it to the list of too-coincidental encounters with younger versions of the team and/or their relatives that they've had recently.
- Crossing The Streams: Snart and Mick are unable to get past Nora's magic defenses on their own, so they have the beams touch a foot away from her in order to cause an explosion that ends up knocking her out.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Damien Darhk delivers this to the Legends, knocking them all out at once.
- Defiant to the End: According to Agent Sharpe, Rip was unapologetic about his actions in "Return of the Mack" at his tribunal.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Ava Sharpe begins warming up to the Legends from this point forward.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Nobody is especially thrilled about Leo's idea of therapy with a Stein puppet, especially Jax. And Mick hates puppets in general.
- Exactly What I Aimed At: After making a few calculations, 1992-Stein fires an arrow at the last Beebo...and misses. Turns out that he was actually causing a domino effect that would allow him to claim it.
- Expy: What "Beebo" actually is: an Bland-Name Product of Furby with elements of Tickle Me Elmo.
- Face Death with Dignity: 1992-Stein is quickly able to figure out that his older self is dead and accepts it, refusing to change his future in any way.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing:
- While being pulled back to the Waverider despite wanting to get the Beebo he had with him, 1992-Stein yells that the toy is going to change history. Cut to the Vikings worshiping Beebo as the God of War.
- Agent Sharpe referring to Christmas as Odin Day immediately after Beebo is destroyed makes it clear that the Legends still have a problem to sort out...immediately before Damien and Nora show up.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: While playing Mortal Kombat II, it seems that Jefferson "Jax" Jackson chose to play as...Jax.
- God Guise:
- After 1992-Stein and Beebo wind up in Viking times, the Vikings assume Beebo is the God of War. It takes Mick burning it to break the illusion, but during the climax of the episode, Ray reestablishes it by flying a repaired Beebo and voicing it as a distraction.
- Damien disguises himself as Odin, with Nora playing the part of a Valkyrie.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Turns out Leo Snart's extended vacation on Earth-1 is aboard the Waverider with the Legends. Agent Sharpe later joins the team for their mission as well.
- Hollywood Old: The actor for college-age Stein is still playing him when Stein is 42.
- Hope Spot: Jax's attempt at trying to get Stein to save his life fails, as the man refuses to change his fate.
- Horny Vikings: While they still act like it, no Viking is actually seen wearing horny helmets.
- Imagine Spot: The Legends have two while plotting how to deal with the Darhks.
- Internal Reveal: The Legends learn that Grodd survived Vietnam and has been recruited to the Cult of Mallus.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: When Darhk and his daughter appear, Sara wisely orders her team to fall back and plan, instead of blindly assaulting.
- Loophole Abuse: Zari encourages Jax to give Stein one of these to avoid his death. Sadly, he refuses it.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The warmongering Freydís and the pacifistic Leif.
- Modern Mayincatec Empire: As he says goodbye to Sara, Jax jokes that he might see "some Aztecs in jetpacks attacking Central City".
- Mundane Made Awesome: The sequence of 1992-Stein using archery with a toy bow to knock the display Beebo doll into his hands is shot very dramatically and the music switches to the Green Arrow's theme.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Sara is shocked when she finds out that Rip is in prison, clearly regretting turning against her old friend and former captain in a fit of anger. Ava Sharpe looks upset as well at the end, when she hears proof from Sara's own lips that Mallus is about to break free just as Rip warned them.
- Neck Snap: Damien does it to Sara in the team's first Imagine Spot of her going after him alone. He tries to do it to Nate, but his Steel form blocks it, for which Nate ribs him.
- Nothing Is Scarier: We don't actually see Mallus beyond the image of a large black hand in Sara's eye, but what we hear of his voice is scary enough.
- Papa Wolf: Damien is furious when Nora is hurt.
- Put on a Bus: Jax decides to take a leave of absence from the Legends, not knowing what to do with himself now that Stein is dead and he's no longer Firestorm. The team bids him farewell with Christmas dinner.
- Replacement Goldfish: Leo tries to project his Earth's deceased version of Mick onto the Legends version. It doesn't quite work, as they are very different. Similarly, Mick considers Leo a far cry from his Leonard Snart.
- Running Gag: Mick getting denied of his beer, courtesy of Leo.
- Sadly Mythtaken: Despite the fact that Damien Darhk is passing himself off as Odin, he doesn't even bother to try to hide the fact that he has two eyes, something that would probably tip off most of the Vikings to the ruse.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!:
- Jax tries to do this by warning young Martin of his future, but Martin refuses to hear it and insists that Jax make peace with it.
- Sharpe coming back to help the Legends and rescue Sara from the void even after being recalled by the Bureau.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Mallus talks about soon being free, implying that he's currently this.
- Sequel Hook: John Constantine shows up at the end to ask Sara for her help. A little girl is being possessed by a demon that knows Sara's name.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: 1992-Stein eventually decides to go home without Beebo, and Rory burns it not long after. Then Jax comes back with a fixed Beebo to give 1992-Lily.
- Shout-Out:
- When you've got a character called Marty being thrust out of his time, you know Back to the Future nods are coming. However, young Stein's arc here is Doc Brown, not Marty McFly. First, when he suddenly finds himself in Viking times, he says "Great Scott!" Later, the letter that Jax tries to give him, with a warning not to open it until right before the events of Crisis on Earth-X, is a blatant nod to the film. Martin references it by name and isn't impressed by its depiction of time travel. (He also burns the letter upon finding himself tempted rather than reading it.)
- The Chinese painting depicting Grodd's attack on the Great Wall makes him look like King Kong. Justified, since it's probably a stylistic choice, and Grodd is bigger than an average gorilla (but not by much).
- The beginning scene with Martin trying to get a popular toy and having to fight a mob for it also brings to mind the movie Jingle All the Way.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: When the Legends are proposing methods of getting Beebo, Ray suggests impersonating Norse gods, but is ignored. Later, the Darhks use the exact same strategy.
- Stripperiffic: Nora's Valkyrie costume.
- Tempting Fate: 1992-Stein calling the people trying to steal Beebo from him barbarians. A second later, he is assaulted by actual barbarians.
- Third-Person Person: Beebo's voice bytes are all in the third-person, which is part of the reason why the Vikings assume he's a God.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Agent Sharpe sincerely offers the team her condolences for Martin Stein's death and even helps them out.
- Unexpected Character: While his appearance in this season was announced beforehand, John Constantine showing up in this particular episode wasn't. The revelation that he was coming back is especially surprising because last time we saw him, in Arrow, The Powers That Be said that rights issues meant we would definitely not be seeing him again no matter how much they wanted to use him.
- Wham Line:
- Rip is in prison for trying to go behind the Bureau's back.
- Agent Sharpe remarking to Sara that the Legends fixing a Level 12 Anachronism on their own would be a "Beebo Day miracle" tips both off to the severity of the anachronism.
- Likewise, after Rory destroys Beebo and it looks like the Vikings will leave America, Sharpe remarks that it's an Odin Day miracle.
- Wham Shot: At the end, after Jax has left, Sara walks back into the Waverider and sees John Constantine waiting for her.
