TV Show Review

TV Review: LEGENDS OF TOMORROW: Season 3, Episode 6: Helen Hunt [The CW]

Caity Lotz Courtney Ford Neal McDonough Legends Of Tomorrow

Legends Of Tomorrow Helen Hunt Review

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 3, Episode 6: Helen Hunt isn’t a great episode but it has some great laughs as well as judicious use of one of the show’s most tired villains.

Between the main plot about the Legends trying to apprehend Helen of Troy (Bar Paly) in 1930’s Hollywood and the subplot about Jax (Franz Drameh) and Stein (Victor Garber) switching bodies, there is plenty to laugh at here. Compounding the humor in both situations is the degree of self-awareness that the characters exhibit, with Freaky Friday being name-dropped when Jax and Stein’s condition is revealed. What makes it even more remarkable is that such self-awareness in TV shows and movies is usually irritating, but somehow Legends makes it work and the result is an episode chockfull of laugh-out loud moments.

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Given the lighter tone of the program, it makes sense that Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), that most impish of antagonists, would make an appearance. As I’ve noted in my review of last week’s episode, I find the character to be played out at this point, but I have to admit that he actually fit in quite nicely this time around. Perhaps not being the big bad helped out, as it deprived him of the necessary screen time for him to indulge his murderous mean streak as well as his penchant for corny humor.

Returning to our body-switched heroes, both Drameh and Garber are fantastic as each other. I mean, it’s obvious that each actor is trying to speak like the other, but that’s because that’s exactly what the characters are doing, trying to recreate their normal speech patterns with the other’s vocal equipment so to speak. They could have taken the easy way out and just dubbed Drameh and Garber’s lines over each other, but instead they went the extra mile and gave us one of the highlights of the program.

On the subject of impressive performances, Paly is very effective as the titular Helen. She not only looks the part but radiates an unassuming grace that makes the viewers understand why every man she comes across finds himself ready to fight for her. But she’s not just another historical figure of the week however: in contrast to the little girl lost vibe she gives in the first half of the show, Helen expresses her distress at the thought of being returned to a time when women were viewed as mere objects for men once the Legends find her. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to see more well-written guest star roles like her on future installments of Legends of Tomorrow.

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Reggie Peralta

**** We hired Reggie, fulfilled our obligations to him, and he quit in the middle of covering two TV series w/ no notice and no explanation. He then ignored our emails asking him to complete his coverage (we had no one else to cover those TV shows). He didn't care. We regret hiring him and we regret putting our trust in him. **** An aspiring writer, longtime film junkie, and former UCLARadio.com disc jockey (where I graduated with a BA in Political Science), I've made the jump from penning book reviews and current events editorials for HonorSociety.org to writing movie and TV news and reviews. When I'm not working towards my certificate in Radio and Television/Video Production at Fullerton College, I enjoy reading (horror, science fiction, and historical/political nonfiction are particular favorites), participating in my school's TV and theatre clubs, attending movie screenings, plays, concerts, and other events, and trying to come up with pithy things to say on social media. Believe it or not, there are occasions where I find time to write for my own leisure.
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