“The Magnificent Eight” is episode eleven of season one of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
The episode opens with the Waverider landing in Salvation, 1871. On arrival Rip comments that it has been a long time since he time jumped far enough to feel side-effects. Good memories. Probably ironically. The others look as if they certainly wouldn’t agree with the good part. Rip- tells them that they are now in Dakota Territory and Ray is excited to hear that they are in the Old West. He’s a fan. Rory tells Rio it isn’t going to work. In the previous episode, “Progeny”, Snart and Rory finally had the talk everyone felt they should have. Which was basically beating on each other. However, Rory found he couldn’t kill Snart. He told the others that, because he, Chronos, had failed to bring them in, the Time Masters would send another three, called the Hunters, to bring Rory in. And the Hunters would stop at nothing to see them all erased from history.
Rip says that it will buy them some time as perhaps the Hunters will search other fragments first, but Rory wonders what if the Hunters search this place first. Rip, at Kendra’s prompting, explains to the others just what they are talking about. That, as they know, time does not operate in the manner generally thought. It wants to happen and time takes ‘time’ to harden. This results in the timeline being unclear on occasion, constantly in flux. Which Professor Stein comments on this being the problem tracking down Savage. Rip continues. This leads to the interesting notion on the existence of fragmentations. Which are, according to Rory, temporal blind spots, specific places in time that the Time Masters can’t see. Salvation in 187 being one of them.
Snart suggests that this is hiding hoping that the bogeymen don’t find them. Rory corrects him; they are not bogeymen and they’d better hope the Hunters don’t find them. Ray is excited to be in the Old West as he watched a lot of Westerns as a kid. Rip wants them to all stay inside. Sara asks what harm is there in them just taking a look around. Does that question really need asking? Stein tells her that with this group, Sara clearly hasn’t been paying attention.
So, they get to go outside and play in the Old West. For the first time, the fabricator is seen creating period garments. It looks like a futuristic 3D printer. Which is likely what it is. Rip is going to provide them with appropriate protection as the era is a little rough. Revolvers. Rip feels he shouldn’t need to say it, but given the group he is going to anyway. Only use the weapons in cases of extreme emergencies. Rip is not coming with them, even though he is as big a fan of the time period as Ray is – Rip’s attire and gun, as the professor mentions, do look like they were influenced by the Old West and it seems they have. Rip feels that his time is better spent plotting out their next move. Sara says that they will stay out of trouble. Spinning her revolver on her finger as she does. Rip hopes and prays this will be true. He’s probably going to be disappointed.
They entire into an ‘old timey’ saloon and Stein reminds them that they are just here to get the lay of the land and want no trouble. Sara doesn’t appear to believe that will happen. She, Kendra and Rory head to the bar; Kendra is not impressed with the quality of the beverages served and leaves after the first. Bumping into a woman as she does, which gives her another vision of the past. Sara and Rory are still at the bar; she asks how long he was Chronos. He doesn’t know, he never counted. It was just another gig. Sara doesn’t believe so, as Rory is different. When asked whether for better or worse, Sara replies that she doesn’t know yet. Rory’s compliment on how Sara can hold her drink leads to a drinking contest.
Professor Stein is playing cards when Snart comes and sits at his table. The professor wins and Snart is impressed. Stein explains that his father was what some might call a degenerate gambler and others a criminal. Once Stein was old enough, his father used to pull him in on some schemes, and the professor picked up a thing or two. Then took a different path. Mentioning that sons do not have to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. One of the other players is clearly annoyed at loosing and abuses the woman who brought him a drink. Stein does not like this and Snart suggests they be reasonable. However, the man is not in a reasonable frame of mind and draws and shoots Stein. Well, draws his gun – Snart shot him before he could fire.
Turns out that a lot of the men in the bar were friends of the now-dead card player and it degenerates into a bar fight. Rory doesn’t join in, as it appears he lost the drinking contest to Sara. One man has been sitting in a darkened corner and he eventually draws his gun and shoots, telling everyone that playtime is over. Anyone who has a problem with that can answer to him. Looks like nobody wants to take him up on that offer. Outside the saloon, Stein thanks the man, who says his name is Jonah Hex. And that they are not from around here. Jonah wants the Legends to tell him where they are really from. When the reply is given that it probably isn’t his business, Jonah rephrases the question – when are they from. He has had previous experience with time travellers. One in particular, who Jonah wants to have words with. Rip Hunter.
On the Waverider, Jonah compliments Rip on his coat. Which used to be Jonah’s. Jonah explains that he was in town collecting a bounty when Rip’s friends got into trouble. Ray cheerfully says it was a bar fight. Rip is not surprised. Well, some sort of trouble could be seen coming. Jonah explains that they killed a member of the Stillwater Gang and Rip presumes that Rory started the fight. Ray corrects him; it was Snart. That was going to be Rip’s second guess. Jax explains that the man was going to kill Stein and Snart saved his life. According to Jonah, though, they have bought the town a whole lot of trouble. The Stillwater Gang has been raiding the town for the past three months; killing, stealing, robbing. Ray says that now the gang will have to go through them. Rip disagrees; they may already have caused problems with the timeline and attracted the Hunters. Ray believes that this is what they signed on for – not stopping Savage but a chance to be heroes. And saving a town from a gang of criminals? That’s what heroes do.
Kendra is heading out and Sara wants to know where she is going. Albano Canyon, according to Gideon; Kendra had to check. She tells Sara about the memory flash, and the woman who caused it; she may have known the woman in a past life and she may be able to help Kendra find Carter. No, Kendra wasn’t planning on just walking out there – she was planning on flying. Sara wants to know if Kendra wants a partner in crime. But she is not going to be carried. As to how they get there in that case? Well, they are in the Old West.
Ray heads with Jonah to the sheriff’s, introducing himself as John Wayne. Ray wants to know if the sheriff needs help with the Stillwater Gang. When asked if he has any experience with law enforcement, Ray replies he has experience fighting crime. The sheriff hands him a badge. No, he isn’t making Ray a deputy – he’s making him sheriff. The sheriff is done pushing his luck and is heading out of town. There’s a new sheriff in town now. Jonah may also have a warrant or two out on him.
Professor Stein heads back to the bar and tells the bartender his friends are looking for Jeb Stillwater. As they killed one of Jeb’s boys, the bartender does not think finding Jeb will be a problem. He will find them. The professor would rather find Stillwater first, and pays the bartender. Then gets distracted by a woman crying. Her son is ill and is going to die. He has consumption, aka tuberculosis. The son has been ill for a year and it was thought a tour out west might help. It hasn’t. The local doctor gives the boy a day, two if he’s lucky. The boy wants to ride a stage coach and Stein says that he needs to get better. And prove his mother wrong.
At this point Stein hears gunshots and looks out. A group of horsemen are riding into town firing guns into the air. Their leader is Jeb Stillwater and he informs the town that they are going to pay for the death of one of his. Ray is standing in the middle of the street, with his new badge, and disagrees. Stillwater explains there was an arrangement; the gang would ride into town and take whatever they want, in exchange for not killing anyone. Stillwater is informed that this arrangement is now over. He believes that Ray is all alone. He isn’t, and Stillwater and his boys leave.
Back on the Waverider, most believe they have saved the town. Jonah asks what about the future. For a day will come when they all leave and Stillwater will wind up like Calvert. Rip does not want to discuss Calvert and asks Jonah for a private word. Rory now definitely wants to know what Calvert is, and Stein asks Gideon. Calvert was a town in Oklahoma circa 1868. The key word here being ‘was.’
So, Ray wants to save the town by dealing with the Stillwater gang permanently. Both Kendra and Sara are enjoying their little jaunt into the countryside, but Kendra gets a bit of a shock when she finally meets the woman she believes she knew in a past life. Professor Stein wants to save the young boy, Bertie (the highly improbable boy; playing fast and loose with history again here). And, of course, the Hunters are still after them. And the Hunters are not the only people the Time Masters can send against the Legends. Is there a union for these people or what? Time-travelling Bounty Hunters ‘r’ Us? A very Western-themed episode.