Here I Go Again (Legends of Tomorrow)
Zari Tomaz relives the same day until she finds her place.
"Here I Go Again" is the 11th episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Legends of Tomorrow, part of the Arrowverse. The episode centers on Zari Tomaz, who becomes trapped in a time loop and uses the experience to discover secrets about her teammates and find her place among them. It was met with positive reception from critics, who praised Tala Ashe's performance and often listed it among the season's best.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Legends of Tomorrow
- Director
- Ben Bray
- Writer
- Ray Utarnachitt; Morgan Faust
- Air date
- 19 February 2018
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Zari Tomaz accidentally breaks Gideon while trying to override her servers, and the Waverider explodes. Zari then relives the same events repeatedly, each time the ship exploding again. She enlists Nate Haywood to investigate the cause, and through successive loops learns secrets such as Mick Rory's erotic sci-fi novel, Nate and Amaya Jiwe's relationship, and Sara Lance's feelings toward Ava Sharpe. Feeling trapped, Zari attempts suicide but is talked down by Sara. The team discovers that Gary Green, trapped in the cargo bay, had a device causing the loops. Mick destroys the device, but Gary reveals it was not the bomb. When the ship is about to explode again, Zari seals herself with the bomb and uses her powers to contain the blast. She then reappears in an empty Waverider, where Gideon's human form explains that Zari's consciousness was placed in a simulation; the loops were not real. Gideon says the simulation was necessary to keep Zari from leaving the Legends, so she could later save 2042. Zari admits to Sara she was researching historical loopholes to save her brother, and Sara reassures her it might be possible. The episode ends with Rip Hunter tracking down Wally West in Yunnan Province, China.
Production
The episode was written by Ray Utarnachitt and Morgan Faust and directed by Ben Bray. Its title references the ABBA song "Mamma Mia". The story draws inspiration from time loop narratives such as Groundhog Day and the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Cause and Effect", both directly name-dropped in the episode. It is a bottle episode set entirely on the Waverider and centers solely on Zari, with no b-story. Tala Ashe shot for 14–16 hours a day during production. In a 2017 interview, Ashe described the episode as a "gift" from the writers that allowed her to explore her character more deeply. The episode introduces a running gag of Mick Rory secretly being a romance novelist. The cast includes Tala Ashe, Nick Zano, Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, Dominic Purcell, and Amy Pemberton, who physically appears as Gideon for the second time, interacting only with Zari. Keiynan Lonsdale reprises his role as Wally West, credited as a guest but later joining the main cast. Adam Tsekhman and Jes Macallan guest star as Gary Green and Ava Sharpe, and Arthur Darvill appears as Rip Hunter in the closing moments.
Release
"Here I Go Again" aired on The CW on February 19, 2018, drawing 1.4 million live viewers with a 0.4/2 share among adults 18–49. It finished last in its time slot behind Celebrity Big Brother, The Bachelor, the 2018 Winter Olympics, and a rerun of Lucifer, and placed tenth out of twelve for the night. Viewership decreased by about 100,000 from the previous episode, "Daddy Darhkest", while the following episode, "The Curse of the Earth Totem", saw an increase of about 100,000. The episode was the seventh lowest viewed of the season. Critics responded positively: Adam Virgona of Collider named it the best of season three, and Jennifer Ann of Tell-Tale TV praised the writing. Jim Dandeneau of Den of Geek rated it 4.5/5, and IGN's Jesse Schedeen gave it a 7.8/10. Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club awarded an "A", and William Hughes of the same outlet listed it among the series' best. Russ Burlingame of ComicBook.com commended the writing and acting for integrating Zari into the Legends.
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