'Legends of Tomorrow' recap: 'Guest Starring John Noble'

In the season three penultimate Legends of Tomorrow episode, Amaya tries to save her village, and the group partners with a foe to take down Mallus.

Previously on Legends of Tomorrow, Ava discovered her memories were erased and she’s actually a clone. Kusasa died after betraying Mallus and Amaya stole the jump ship to go back to Zambesi.

“Guest Starring John Noble” begins with Nate calling the other Legends to the bridge. He says someone stole the jump ship and they all notice Amaya is missing. Zari looks at the jump ship log and sees the ship is in 1992 Zambesi, directly before the attack on Amaya’s village. Time seems to be splintering even more, and the crew gets ready to go stop Amaya. Before Sara can give the command, Rip calls. The Time Bureau needs some help as Gorilla Grodd is going after Barack Obama in 1979. The scene changes to Obama’s dorm at Occidental College. Grodd bursts through the door, saying he is going to kill Obama.

Sara tells Nate and Wally to try and convince Amaya not to change the past. Zari offers to use the simulation she made and search for a way to save Amaya’s village. Sara agrees and says everyone else is charged with saving Obama.

Back in 1979, Obama runs outside and Grodd follows. Grodd says he must complete his mission and Obama tries to reason with the gorilla. Grodd then picks him up by his neck. The Legends arrive and attack Grodd. They tell Obama to run and continue fighting Grodd. Ray shrinks Grodd and puts him in a jar.

Meanwhile, Nora says Mallus will break free soon and Damien is worried. Nora starts screaming and then her form changes momentarily. She returns to her normal body and they realize Grodd’s mission failed. Damien finally realizes what Mallus’s arrival means for his daughter. He says he will go figure out what happened to Grodd and then says goodbye to Nora.

Sara and Rip speak briefly to Obama and then mind wipe the future president. When they start to leave, Damien appears asking for their help. They take Damien back to the Waverider and place him inside a magic barrier. Ray and Rory try to do the spell, but have some trouble. Damien says he knew the Legends would have trouble trusting him, so he gives them the Water Totem. He fixes the magic symbol Rory and Ray messed up and can no longer use his magic against the team.

Damien appeals to the team, saying he was unaware bringing Mallus into the world would cost Nora’s life. Sara stares him down and says no, they will not join forces. She tells Rory to kill him, but Ray stops them and the others say to think through their options. Rory asks Sara what she wants, and she orders him to stand down.

Nate and Wally get to Zambesi and find Amaya. She says she will stop the warlords who destroy her village the next day no matter what. Later, Nate and Wally go into one of the buildings and see the older Amaya. Nate is sad when he realizes that means in the future, Amaya leaves him and goes back to Zambesi. Older Amaya tells the crowd today her daughter Esi will take over as protector of the village. A tiny Kuasa comes in holding baby Mari and says her mother is not coming. Amaya then leaves with her granddaughters.

Wally and Nate follow their Amaya who was hiding in the crowd. Amaya says the reason the warlords are able to destroy the village must be because Esi failed to bond with the Spirit Totem. She thinks she can talk Esi into becoming a totem bearer. Wally tells her about Barry Allen’s experience with trying to change his mother’s death and how trying to change the past doesn’t work. He looks to Nate to agree with him, but Nate instead sides with Amaya and tells her to go talk to her daughter. Nate decides to go speak to older Amaya.

Back on the Waverider, Sara talks to Ava about how hard it is not to kill Damien. When Ava mentions Rip, Sara asks why she hasn't confronted him about implanting memories and hiring actors to play her parents. Ava says she’s putting the mission above herself, but Sara disagrees saying she’s scared of what she will find out about the past. She thinks Ava needs and deserves to know what happened. Rip walks in and asks if they can take Darhk back to headquarters. Sara says no and that she needs to go talk to someone who is sane.

Sara goes back and talks to Obama. He gives her advice and helps her gain some perspective before she uses the memory device on him again. Sara returns to the ship and goes to talk to Darhk. She says she will work with him, as long as she gets to kill him when the mission is over. He agrees and they shake hands.

The team and Damien discuss how to get through to Nora. Damien says Nora no longer listens to him, only Mallus. Ray says he could shrink down, fly in her ear, and pretend to be Mallus. Then they all hear John Hurt’s voice coming from the tv where Rory is still watching Lord of the Rings. The group realizes Hurt sounds very similar to Mallus and form a plan.

Ray goes to 1999 New Zealand where Lord of the Rings is filming and knocks on Hurt’s trailer door. He gives the actor some new lines and says he is supposed to go over them with him right away. Hurt is a bit confused by various lines but Ray gets the audio he needs.

Back in Zambesi, Amaya finds her daughter Esi and claims to be a distant cousin. Esi talks about her uncertainty and her mother. Amaya talks her into coming back to the village keeping it protected. Inside the village, Wally disagrees with the plan and tells Nate not to go too far. Nate goes into older Amaya’s home and tries to steal the totem. She wakes, attacks him and claims to not know him until he shows her pictures of them together. They talk and he tells her to make Esi understand that she will support her no matter what.

Meanwhile, Damien returns to Nora’s side, telling her the Legends captured Grodd and they should wait for Mallus to tell them what to do next. Ray flies into Nora’s ear and plays Hurt’s voice demanding she go to the Waverider. Nora believes Mallus is talking to her and telling her to go take the totems. She tells Damien to take them to the ship.

The Darhk’s and tiny Ray beam aboard the Waverider. Ray flies out and becomes normal-sized while Damien seals Nora in a magic barrier. Nora/Mallus is enraged and tries to break the barrier. Damien talks about how horrible of a father he is and tries to get Nora to fight back against Mallus. Mallus says Nora is gone and gave herself willingly. Later, Damien and Sara talk about their families and he claims he would take back killing Laurel if he could. He says now he knows what it’s like to love someone and encourages Sara to continue to love others.

Elsewhere on the ship, Ava tells Rip she found out about being a clone. She asks why he picked her and erased her memories. He fumbles through his answers, claiming adjusting would be easier without memories. She realizes she’s not the first clone and he admits she’s the twelfth clone.

Back in Zambesi, Esi accepts the Spirit Totem from her mother. Amaya and Nate watch and talk about staying and making sure the warlords are defeated. Nate tells her about older Amaya not remembering him and asks why. She assumes the only way she can ever really return is to erase her own memory. If not, she would forever be torn between her village and her life with Nate and the Legends.

Meanwhile, Wally tells the others on the Waverider what happened. Sara asks Zari if her simulation has any solutions, but Zari says no and the village must be destroyed or Mallus will break free. Sara says they either fight Amaya or Mallus. They have all the totems and she believes this time, the Death Totem will not betray the group. Damien says he should be its wielder; he wants Mallus to pay for taking Nora. Ava disagrees, but Sara tosses him the totem. Rip sides with the Legends, and Ava says she sees his act as a resignation from the Time Bureau.

Sara follows Ava as she goes to leave and tells her to trust herself. Ava says the rules are all she has now that she knows she’s a clone. Sara disagrees, kisses her and says I love you. Ava says “there is no me to love” and leaves.

Amaya and Nate wait for the warlords to arrive. Ray and Wally show up instead and start telling them about the plan to stop Mallus. They go back to the ship and go over the plan. Nate takes possession of the Earth Totem and Ray the Water Totem. Later, Damien holds the totem and looks at a picture of him and Nora together. He hears Nora’s voice and her spirit appears. She says she’s still holding on, but Mallus grows stronger. She says she’s scared and made a mistake. Sara comes in and the spirit disappears.

The team takes Mallus/Nora to Zambesi and waits for Mallus to appear in his true form. They hear Esi fighting off the warlords outside. They wonder why Mallus is not appearing and contact Rip on the Waverider. He says the record still says Zambesi’s destroyed, only by a gorilla, not the warlords. Damien let Grodd loose, saying history has to run its course to save Nora.

Outside the villages run away and Esi faces Grodd. Amaya tries to run outside to help but Damien attacks her, so Nate goes instead. Sara tells Damien doing this will not save Nora. Damien attacks Wally and then the rest of the Legends. Esi fights Grodd and older Amaya tries to help. Nate comes and knocks Grodd back with the Earth Totem’s power. Older Amaya recognizes him when he goes to revive the older woman. Damien releases Nora/Mallus and attacks Ray. Sara stabs Damien in the back and Ray grabs the Death Totem. Sara tells him Nora is gone as outside Mallus rips Nora’s body apart as he transforms. The group rushes outside and sees the giant demon rise in the air.

Overall I think this was a good setup for the season three finale of Legends of Tomorrow. The Obama storyline was a bit silly, but the actor did a fine job. Getting John Hurt on the show as himself instead of just doing the voice of Mallus was neat. I also love the fact Legends of Tomorrow fully embraces how fun the show is and entitled the episode “Guest Starring John Noble.” I cannot wait to have more of an Ava storyline later on and am still rooting for Avalance. The next episode is the finale and a handful of past characters are returning to help the Legends defeat Mallus.

Legends of Tomorrow airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on The CW. Check out the trailer for the season finale below.