The Legends do Film Noir as they go back to the 1940s to stop a resurrected Bugsy Siegel (Jonathan Sadowski) from taking over Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Nate accompanies Behrad to his dad's birthday party, and meets the new timeline's version of Zari.
Tropes
- Alpha Bitch: The new Zari is a somewhat bratty social media personality.
- And This Is for...: John obliterates Bugsy, claiming "this one's for Jeannie" after she was killed as a result of his antics.
- Artistic License – History: The real Virginia Hill was a powerful mobster in her own right, regardless of her relationship with Siegel. She would've had no need to go out of her way to gain more power. Also, she was in Paris when Siegel was assassinated, not a witness to it.
- Bad Guy Bar:
- The Blue Iguana is a high class example, catering to mobsters as well as the politicians and Hollywood elite who want in with them.
- Astra has her own version of this in Hell.
- Bait-and-Switch: Nate vaguely recognizes Zari from her holographic message, and when he asks she agrees to finding him familiar as well. Turns out what she recognized him from was the culturally significant video of his resurrection at Heyworld, at the same age, 24 years ago with her brother clearly present.
- Big "NO!": John lets one out to Jeannie in a failed attempt to warn her about the bomb in her car.
- Blackmail: How Bugsy got so much power in Los Angeles. His stash of hidden blackmail material becomes the episode's MacGuffin.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Sullivan seems like the only honest cop, turns out to be just as corrupt as the rest (even though he wants to dispose of Bugsy, not support him, he's in league with other gangsters).
- Bookends: The beginning of the episode picks up where the previous one left off, with Constantine travelling to hell to confront Astra. His part in the episode ends with another confrontation with Astra in the exact same bar in Hell.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: Ava gets very drunk very quickly.
- Car Bomb: How Jeannie meets her end.
- Cassandra Truth: Obviously, both Zari and Behrad have a hard time believing Nate.
- Coffin Contraband: Played with. The MacGuffin is actually hidden in a grave marker.
- Darker and Edgier: Though not without its humorous moments, this episode is significantly darker than the series has been for quite a while.
- Daydream Surprise: Turns out Ava's gorgeous performance of Bel Biv DeVoe's "Poison" was mostly in her head. Her actual performance was a lot more off-key.
- Death Is Cheap: Astra tells John that killing her would be pretty much pointless since her soul would be sent back to hell again.
- Dirty Commies: Bugsy suspects the Legends to be communists when he is apprehended by them.
- Dirty Cop: It's 1940s LA in a Noir Episode; of course all the cops are dirty. Ray impersonating a cop is such a goody two-shoes straight arrow, the other cops immediately peg him as the expendable fall guy.
- Dreadful Musician: Ava's alcohol-induced song number is so terrible, it drives out the entire club in disgust.
- Drowning My Sorrows:
- John follows every encounter with Astra by proclaiming, "I need a drink."
- Ava grieves the loss of her job and her general purpose in life by getting absolutely bombed while on mission.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Bugsy calls Astra a monster that John created.
- Evil Feels Good: Astra tells John that she enjoys being evil and in control now, torturing poor Masher as she goes.
- Femme Fatale: Jeannie Hill is a textbook example. It's a Film Noir spoof, so even folks unfamiliar with her Real Life counterpart should know that Jeannie Hill
is more than the Damsel in Distress she makes herself out to be. - Going by the Matchbook: Bugsy killed the private eye who was looking into him, but not before the PI found out where Bugsy's cache of blackmail photos was. This being a Film Noir pastiche, he of course wrote the location down on a matchbook from the Bad Guy Bar, which John finds at the crime scene as he's looking for a light.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Sullivan is willing to use criminal methods to fight Bugsy, even blowing up Jeannie in the process.
- He Knows Too Much: Webb was killed by Bugsy for getting too close to him.
- Historical Domain Character: Legendary gangster Bugsy Siegel, and his girlfriend Jeannie Hill (who actually died of a drug overdose in 1966, with lingering suspicions that she was forced to take them).
- Historical In-Joke: One of the bar patrons was present at the Hindenburg disaster and proclaimed that Ava's singing was worse.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: John obliterates Bugsy with the same gun Bugsy had stolen from Hell and used to kill people.
- Honey Trap: Bugsy forced Jeannie to be this so he could get blackmail on LA's most powerful people. Sara references the trope by name, and turns it back around on Bugsy, playing the seductive moll to lure him into a trap.
- Immortal Breaker: The pistol Bugsy brought back from Hell has bullets infused with Hellfire. In addition to incinerating people on contact and following Bizarre and Improbable Ballistics, they can also incinerate souls, killing the Encores permanently.
- I'm Mr. [Future Pop Culture Reference]: Ray, when posing as a cop, says that a new order came down from Deputy Chief Wiggum.
- Immune to Bullets: Bugsy, proven when Mickey Cohen's thugs riddle him with bullets and he kills them, barely fazed.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: John after returning from his first chat with Astra. He expresses the same sentiment after their second conversation, but Sara demands an explanation first.
- Internal Reveal: John tells the Legends what Astra has been on about, blaming himself for it.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Zari may be a bit of a brat in the new timeline, but she's absolutely right to suspect that Behrad stole the Air Totem.
- Karma Houdini: Sullivan and all the corrupt cops get away with everything.
- Living a Double Life: Behrad's parents don't know about him stealing the family's Air Totem or joining a team of time-traveling superheroes. They think he's at business school.
- Luxury Prison Suite: Doesn't go as far as prison, but when Bugsy Siegel is arrested and taken down to the police station, he treats it like his own little clubhouse. They even bring him a professionally catered steak dinner.
- MacGuffin: Bugsy's stash of blackmail photos. The "Hell gun" almost qualifies, except its unique properties are actually put to use in the ending.
- Never Be Hurt Again: Astra dismisses Constantine's pleas for her to stop sending souls back to Earth because their actions empower her in Hell and she enjoys being on top after untold years being helpless. Jeannie also betrays John in the climax with this same reasoning, arguing why she should leave and start over when all the power Bugsy's blackmail brings is free for the taking to ensure she'll never be powerless again.
- Noir Episode: About as Noirish as you can get without filming in black and white. 1940s gangsters, crooked cops, private eyes, MacGuffins, a Femme Fatale, the vital clue being a matchbook the killer left behind...
- Not Me This Time: The Legends are elated to discover that this season's trouble is not the result of them screwing up, the way it had been for almost the whole show.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Ray happily notices that John wasn't telling the truth and is trying to reform Astra, like he did with Nora.
- The Reveal:
- It's learned that when the Legends searched for the Totems required to defeat Mallus, the one in the future - the Wind Totem - was still in the possession of Zari's family. Only Behrad had stolen it before joining them rather than it being passed down to him.
- Due to going viral online as "dragon girl" in the present, Zari developed a career as a social media personality and thus has grown into a glamorous but haughty person in the future.
- Ripple Effect Indicator: When talking to Behrad, Nate sees Zari flashing in for a few seconds.
- Saying Too Much: Nate lets his knowledge of the Air Totem slip while talking to Zari and Behrad's parents. He manages to cover it by saying that Behrad told him about the Totem, but Zari is unconvinced.
- A Sinister Clue: Astra appears to be left-handed based on the way she holds her utensils while dining on the meat.
- Skyward Scream: The episode closes out on one, with Zari screaming for help after being shanghaied aboard the Waverider.
- Shout-Out: "Forget it, Ray. It's Burbank."
- Sibling Rivalry: Behrad and Zari aren't on very good terms.
- The Starscream: When Jeannie gets access to the stash of photos, she plans on taking it for herself to finally feel powerful so she'll Never Be Hurt Again. She doesn't get very far when she's ultimately killed in a car bomb planted by dirty cops.
- The Stoner: When Nate sees Zari when talking to Behrad, the latter thinks Nate was plundering his "stash" again.
- Title Drop: A POV-switched one when AVA sings Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison."
- Title Sequence: A brand-new one is introduced in this episode that features the characters in a punk-influenced design. The opening credits get a new matching font as well.
- Trapped in Villainy: Poor Jeannie is desperately looking for a way to get away from Bugsy. And when she finally has it, she gets blown sky high.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Bugsy Siegel, due to getting dirt on everybody.
- What You Are in the Dark: John has a perfectly good chance to end Astra's reign of terror in Hell by destroying her soul. He ultimately refuses, still wanting to save her from her fate whether she believes in him anymore or not.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Ray tells John as much when he reveals he didn't destroy Astra like he planned, mentioning that he wouldn't be going out with Nora if they did the same with her.
- You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Astra, when John has her at gunpoint, and she is right, he still wants to reform her. Bugsy doesn't have the same luck, though.
