“Turncoat” is episode eleven of season two of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
In the previous episode, “The Legion of Doom”, the LOD recovered Rip’s memories from where he had left them in a safe deposit box. Before giving them back to Rip, Thawne decided to address Rip’s shortcomings first. Which resulted in Rip shooting General George Washington.
This episode’s intro is narrated by Mick, who asks at the end of it who writes this crap. Next, New Jersey 1776, Christmas Day. Rip is telling a group of redcoats that General Washington is dead, and they’d like nothing more than to return home from the godforsaken colonies. But the rebellion isn’t quashed and the fight isn’t finished. That doesn’t mean they have to fight fair though. And gives them a crate full of assault rifles for Christmas.
Thawne tells Rip that he killed Washington. Rip says that he knows and that should get his former teammates’ attention. He will be ready and waiting for them. And kill them all and collect the fragment of the Spear. After Thawne leaves, Rip comments about who knew time travel would be so much fun.
On the Waverider, Jax is asking Sara how long it will be before the interface that Lily setup finds another piece of the Spear. There’s a lot of data, and Gideon suggests shutting down life support and transferring the power to her. She isn’t joking either.
Ray is telling Mick that his slovenly eating habits have resulted in a rat being on the Waverider. Nate and Amaya are talking and, when things start getting close, decide to go. Then the ship gets a massive shake and Amaya is thrown into Nate’s arms. It’s a timequake from a monster aberration. Gideon tells them the date. Which was when, according to Nate, Washington was supposed to lead the Continental Army across the Delaware. It’s actually the date he was murdered.
Sara knows it’s a trap. They all do. Mick doesn’t have a high opinion of Washington. He’s not cool; he’s only on the $1 bill. Franklin is on the $100 bill. Now, he’s cool. Nate agrees that yes, Franklin is cool. But he didn’t lead the troops across the Delaware in a sneak attack. If the offensive fails, the revolution fails and the U.S. ceases to exist. It’s a trap, but they have to save Washington. They know where he was the night before. So, they are going to break into someone’s house on Christmas Eve. Just like Santa, according to Jax.
Sara tells Mick he is now a private in the U.S. Army (surely that should be the Continental Army?), Nate and Amaya are wealthy newlyweds donating for the cause and Jax and Professor Stein will remain on the ship. Ray will use the Atom suit for reconnaissance.
They arrive at a house in Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve, 1776, a miniaturised Ray riding in on Mick’s hat. When Nate introduces Amaya as his wife to someone, they reply that they really do things differently in Boston. Sara is offered a glass of eggnog, which she downs, and the man offering tells her it’s his wife, Martha’s, recipe. And she realises she’s just been offered a glass of eggnog by George Washington. Stein contacts her and says she has to get Washington out of there, and she starts when a bunch of redcoats with automatic weapons storm the place. Sara insists – with a gun – that Washington leave. He considers her a most unusual woman. Outside, Rip detonates something which causes the power to fail in Ray’s suit, Mick’s gun to fail and the power, and the cloak, of the Waverider to fail. Some type of EMP it looks like
When Sara comes outside with others, Rip greets them, shoots her in the stomach then leaves with Washington and Mick. To extract the bullet on the ship, they need Gideon. Jax suggests he and the professor merge and use Firestorm to repower the ship. Only the EMP fried their quantum splicer as well. Sara puts Jax in charge, then passes out. Ray and Jax are going to restore the power whilst Nate and Amaya find Washington. And Mick. Which is implied. For the second time. And save Rip as well. Who they don’t know has been turned.
Mick is already planning to take out half the redcoats, and wants Washington to take out the other half. The general thinks this is an unsound plan. Also, if they were going to be killed, they would have been. The British will treat them, honourably. Now Mick knows why Franklin is on the $100 bill and bets Washington one hundred hims he’s wrong.
Nate and Amaya are following – not using powers but Micks’ trail of trash. When Nate makes a comment about not being in Kansas anymore, Amaya, who is rather out of time for the pop culture references of the others, recognises the movie. Nate didn’t like the flying monkeys. Amaya didn’t get to see the end of it. Not because of flying monkeys, but because Hitler invaded Poland. Hitler ruins everything according to Nate.
Rip is trying to break into the Waverider and Jax tells the professor he needs to remove the bullet from Sara without Gideon. Stein, in a reverse of Dr. McCoy’s lines from Star Trek, says he is a physicist, not a doctor. Nate explains modern dating to Amaya – two hours is a big time commitment and there’s an app for dating. And people date for fun, not marriage. Mick explains the American Way in combat to General Washington. Jax winds up playing hide and seek with Rip on a candle-lit Waverider. And, well, Ray mentioned a rat earlier. Ray is now tiny.