'Legends of Tomorrow' recap: 'Phone Home'

On the newest episode of Legends of Tomorrow, the Legends travel back in time to 1988 to save a young Ray Palmer.

The last episode of Legends of Tomorrow introduced the audience to the newest member of the Legends, Zari Tomaz. The episode concluded with a young Ray hiding from bullies and introducing himself to a creature.

“Phone Home” begins in 1988 with a young Ray running away from people in suits. He tries to open a door and is confronted by more men in suits. One of the men shoots him as he tries once more to open the door with stolen keys.

In the present, Ray talks to the Legends about team building exercises. He wants the team to get to know each other better, especially because they have a new member. Zari says she knows them well enough, and her observations lead to arguments. Ray declares they need to do trust falls, but he disappears when Rory falls.

The team immediately asks Gideon what happened, and the ship answers Ray died in 1988. Ray disappeared on Halloween when he was eight years old. The team decides to go back to the day before his disappearance and jumps to Oct. 30, 1988. They arrive and Ray materializes and takes the news of his childhood death well. The Legends look through '80s attire and Zari questions how Ray is so positive, even facing his own death.

In 1988, Ray and Zari watch the school until young Ray appears. The rest of the team follow little Ray around and see him at a newsstand. Jax and Rory watch as little Ray starts shoplifting candy bars, much to the dismay of older Ray.

Nate watches little Ray’s neighborhood. Little Ray is being bullied and older Ray now realizes he was bullied as a kid. Sara and Amaya arrive and share their report of finding nothing unusual. Ray decides to go look in his bedroom window to see what his younger self is doing. He sees little Ray dump his stolen candy on the floor and a small, strange arm reach out from under the bed. The creature who little Ray calls Gumball is a baby Dominator, an alien race the Legends have met before.

On the Waverider, the group fills Zari in on the Dominators. Gideon says the younger Dominators are as strong as the parents and can mind control people easily. The Dominator is an anachronism and Ray believes they can wait until the next morning to sneak in and take the alien.

Later, Jax questions Stein and claims he is hiding something. Jax thinks Zari was right and Stein does not want to be on the Waverider. Rory hears their conversation and says he can help.

In the morning, Ray and Zari walk through the house and discover their childhoods were very different. Ray hears Gumball and finds it in the closet, but then they hear young Ray. Ray is worried that his younger self is turning into Rory because he skipped school. Zari hides under the bed and Ray shrinks. Gumball picks up the shrunken Ray and shakes him, but little Ray saves him and puts him on the dresser. Little Ray puts on Singin’ in the Rain and eats popcorn with Gumball.

Mrs. Palmer comes home early and is angry Ray is not at school. Nate and Amaya come to the rescue. Nate attempts to flirt with her as the two pose as animal control. Ray’s mom shares her frustrations about Ray, which both little and older Ray hear.

After hearing his mom talk about him and thinking animal control knows about Gumball, little Ray decides to leave. He puts it in his backpack along with shrunken Ray so the alien will have a toy to play with and climbs out the window. Zari follows, saying she should have stayed in 2042. She catches up with him, but he does not believe her when she says Gumball will cause him harm. He runs and she loses him in the woods.

Amaya and Nate walk in the woods and again talk about their relationship. They hear someone and see two men in suits who talk about Gumball.

Meanwhile, Gideon alerts the team to another ship and Sara goes to investigate. Sara radios in and tells the team she cannot find the ship. Just as she starts to leave, a Dominator attacks.

On the Waverider, Rory talks to Jax and shares his findings. He believes Stein is sharing information on the Legends to the Time Bureau because someone has been deleting the travel log. Rory takes Jax to a room Stein has been spending time in and Jax finds equations that have to do with communicating through time.

Back in the woods, Zari finds young Ray in a fort named Camelot. Ray comes out dressed as Sir. Galahad. Ray reminds her to act like a kid, so Zari plays along. Unfortunately for them, the people in suits find them and little Ray believe Zari is part of their organization. They are sedated and taken.

In the lab, shrunken Ray hears the men in suits discussing how they are now able to stop Gumball’s mind control. The man in charge orders his subordinates to kill little Ray once they get the information they need. The men discuss what Gumball’s mother can do, and the show plans to Sara who trapped by the Queen Dominator. The alien reads her mind.

On the Waverider, Stein asks Jax for help leaving 1988, but he and Rory confront him about spying for the Time Bureau. Stein says the device he made is to talk to his daughter Lily, who calls. She is in labor, heading to the hospital. Stein tells them he went back to the future to give Lily the other communicator so he will not miss the birth. He did not want to make the team think he was abandoning them and deleted the logs. They decide to take the Waverider back to the future, since Rory damaged the jumpship.

Meanwhile, Ray is regular size again and finds Zari. They find little Ray in the same moment at the beginning of the episode, only this time, they are there to shoot the bad guys. Ray fights the extra people in suits while Zari stays with little Ray. Ray tells his younger self he has to grow up and realize the world is not always a great place, but Zari tells him they will save him and Gumball.

Sara wakes and manages to free herself from a sticky prison. She tells Ray about the Queen Dominator. She read Sara’s mind and is going to Ray’s house. Amaya and Nate say they will protect Mrs. Palmer. Nate goes into the house and is seduced by Ray’s mom. Outside Amaya hears noises and finds Ray’s mom in a cocoon. Nate is actually being seduced by the Dominator in disguise. Amaya comes in and tells Nate what is going on, then attacks the Dominator. The two escape the house and the Dominator chases after them, to the delight of the kids trick-or-treating. Sara tells the group she will be right there, then discovers the note Jax, Rory, and Stein left behind.

Back at the lab, the group reaches Gumball just as a group of people in suits appear. They threaten to shoot the group, but realize they cannot move. Ray tells little Ray they need to stop Gumball, but little Ray insists it will not hurt anyone. Gumball uses its power and makes the bad people sing and dance to Singin’ in the Rain. The group escapes on stolen bicycles and contacts the others, who are trying to lure the Queen to their location.

Zari uses her powers to lift little Ray’s and her bicycle in the air, creating an E.T. moment. They reach the clearing at the same time as the Queen and the other Legends. Little Ray says goodbye to Gumball and they all watch as the Queen and Gumball leave Earth.

Back in 2017, the others make it to Central City in time for Stein to welcome his grandson to the world. Jax apologizes for not trusting Stein, who in turn apologizes for keeping secrets. Rory brings congratulatory cigars for everyone.

At Ray’s house, Ray zaps his mom, erasing her memory. They tell her the mess in her house was caused by possums. Ray says she is doing a great job raising her son. Zari goes to say goodbye to little Ray and tells him she felt alone for a long time too, but made friends. She tells him to go trick-or-treating, and he mentions Gumball was going to go with him and eat some of the candy. The group gets dressed in their costumes and goes trick-or-treating with little Ray. They meet his bullies and Rory scares them both.

Back on the Waverider, Zari asks if all their missions go badly and Ray says they do tend to go wrong. Zari admits they should get to know each other and they play two truths and a lie. He tells her they are going to watch Singin’ in the Rain together. He is making popcorn in the kitchen when he sees Jax and asks him to come to movie night. Jax insteads asks for his help in breaking up Firestorm so Stein can go home and spend time with his daughter and grandson.

I enjoyed this episode of Legends of Tomorrow. The musical elements were fun and entertaining. It was nice to see a young Ray and learn a bit more about his life. I was surprised to learn the Waverider only has one bathroom, that is a definite design flaw. Nate flirting with Ray’s mom and the Dominator was ridiculous, and my least favorite part of the episode. The way Zari questioned Ray’s positivity at first was understandable, but I am glad she tried to make sure he continued being positive.

Catch new episodes of Legends of Tomorrow Tuesday nights at 9 p.m on The CW.

Check out the trailer for the next episode below.