In Episode 8 – Night of the Hawk – we are back to hunting Vandal Savage who is trying to build an army of Hawk-like creatures, and we experience the small mindedness and prejudices of the 1950’s.
The Waverider lands in Harmony Falls, Oregon in 1958, where a hot rod race is taking place on a deserted road. One of the rods blows a tire and crashes, leaving the driver’s girlfriend semi conscious. The driver of the crashed rod and the pair from the other car see a mysteriously glowing rock a few yards a way from the crash and examine it, wondering if it is some kind of comet. Vandal Savage appears from the undergrowth, and tells them it is actually a meteorite that he too was drawn to. He says that he was not expecting to find them, but that he considers finding them to be destiny.
On the Waverider, everyone is shaking off the effects of time travel, which apparently increase with the length of each jaunt. Gideon produces the information that Harmony Falls has been the scene of some grisly murders while other people have gone missing.
They quickly set plans to find Savage. Kendra and Ray are to pose as married, Martin will be a Doctor filling a vacancy at the Asylum created by the untimely death of Dr. Miller, Sara will be a nurse and assistant to Martin. Leonard and Rip will be federal agents, and Jax will be the new kid in town.
Problem is Kendra and Ray are an interracial couple, Jax is black, and Sara is gay, none of which, is ideal for Small Town, let alone anywhere in the 1950’s. This becomes apparent when Kendra and Ray are talking to the real estate agent about a house, and she offers to find them a place in a more forward thinking town. While Martin and Sara are being welcomed to their new positions, the Head of the Asylum, Dr. Hannah (Ben Wilkinson) leers at Sara. Snart and Rip introduce themselves to Sheriff Ellison ( Darryl Shuttleworth) to examine police files relating to the case. Sheriff Ellison insists that there is no serial killer, just some unexplained accidents. Snart tough talks him into giving them the files.
Sara, Martin and Jax meet at the local soda shop where Martin waxes nostalgic about the idyllic scene they find themselves in. Jax points out that it is only idyllic if you are white, and Sara adds “and straight, and a man”. Martin gets the point. They notice that the girl from the crash, Betty Seaver (Melissa Roxborough), is sitting by herself in a melancholy state at the counter. Jax introduces himself, causing shock from other girls sitting at the counter. Betty apologizes for them, saying that they had never seen…., and Jax interrupts with “a guy dipping his french fries in his milkshake?”. Betty laughs and they chat until some jocks try to intimidate Jax by telling Betty that she doesn’t hang around with losers. Jax offers to fight, and they back down, telling Jax that it isn’t over as the soda shop owner shakes his head at them. Betty invites Jax to hang out.
Back at the Asylum, while Sara is tracking down files of violent patients for Martin, she sees Dr Hannah sexually harassing Nurse Carlisle (Ali Liebert). She bumps into him causing his coffee to spill on him. Sara asks Nurse Carlisle for a tour, during which Sara sees a wing that Nurse Carlisle is not taking her to and asks about it. This mysterious wing is Hall H, and is where Dr. Knox works with the most violent of the inmates.
At Kendra and Ray’s house, a neighbor has come by with a tuna casserole and an invite to their house party. The neighbour introduces herself as Mrs. Knox, and her husband as Dr. Knox. As Dr. Knox comes into view, Kendra is shocked to see that he is Vandal Savage, but manages to cover up. Ray comes to the door to see who Kendra is talking to, and is also shocked, but covers up in a stumbling tongue-tied way. They accept the invite.
The team meets at the Waverider to analyze the police files. Snart observes that Savage is very good at making people disappear. Jax snarks “something you have in common”. Jax is forced to admit his concern that if Leonard had no problem making his best friend disappear what would he do to the rest of them? They decide that since Savage will be busy with the party, it will be a good opportunity for Sara to search his office. Kendra and Ray are tasked with finding out whatever they can at the house party.
Nurse Carlisle catches Sara searching Knox’s office, and wrongly assumes that she is looking for booze. They go to the cafeteria together, where Sara lets her know that she is gay too. Alarm bells start going off in the Asylum in Hall H.
Kendra and Ray enter the house party, where Kendra is mistaken for a waitress by one of the guests. Ray and Kendra split up, with Kendra keeping Savage busy, while Ray checks the rest of the house. He finds a locked room. Savage puts moves on Kendra until he is called back to the Asylum, but promises her that they will talk more.
It seems that Tommy Fuller (Levi Meaden) has been a very bad transformed monster. He has killed an orderly. Savage is not pleased.
The next day, Carlisle works up the nerve to kiss Sara, but Sara pulls away and rushes out. She later confesses to Martin that it terrified her, because it opened up previously dead feelings.
Kendra stands guard while Ray breaks into Savage’s locked room. The search produces Kendra’s dagger.
Jax and Betty hang out on Lover’s Lane, in her Dad’s car. Jax wants to talk about the disappearances and what happened to Tommy the night of the crash, but Betty wants to make out with him. The jocks from the soda shop show up, wanting to fight. Suddenly Tommy appears and knocks the stuffing out of the jocks, destroys the roof of the car and slashes Betty’s neck with a talon.
Jax jumps back into the drivers seat and tries to get Betty to medical attention at the ship, leaving the wounded jocks behind. He is pulled over by Sheriff Ellison for speeding, who pays no attention to the wounded Betty, or to Jax’s story about the attack and other victims needing help, focusing instead on Jax being on Lovers Lane with a white girl. He knocks Jax out and drags him to the cruiser, leaving Betty to bleed out in the car. Luckily, Snart and Rip have been tracking Jax through his bio signature and find Betty in time get her to the medical bay on the ship.
Betty tells them what happened the night of the crash. Gideon finds silicate materials in her bloodstream which brings them to the conclusion that the meteorite Savage found is the same type of meteorite that transformed Kendra and Carter, and that Savage is trying to create an army of mutated versions of Hawkgirl. Gideon and Martin build a serum that will hopefully cure anyone transformed by this particular meteorite.
Kendra meets with Savage at the asylum, in hope of getting close enough to him to use the dagger. However, Savage turns the tables on her, and reclaims the dagger. Savage doesn’t buy that she is there alone, and pushes a button to release his army. Kendra and Savage battle for the dagger. Meanwhile, the rest of the team have infiltrated the Asylum. Rip and Ray are caught snooping by Sheriff Ellison who works with Savage, and Martin and Snart are checking out Hall H when the test subjects are released.
Sara has been making amends to Carlisle when they are interrupted by one of the nasties. Sara gets medieval on its ass, Ray and Rip get away from the Sheriff, and Ray rescues Kendra from Savage, who disappears. A transformed Jax appears in Hall H, where Snart is busily stopping the other nasties with his cold gun. He fires at an overhanging pipe to disorient Jax, and Sara arrives in time to knock Jax out.
Back at the ship, the serum is administered to Jax, curing him. The team returns the others to normal. Sara goes back to the Asylum to say goodbye to Carlisle, Jax gives Betty a new car, and Kendra and Ray pack up the house. Back at the Waverider Jax apologizes to Leonard. Chronos attacks and gains entry to the Waverider, and episode ends as the ship pulls away, leaving Sara, Kendra and Ray standing in the field.
My Favorite Moments:
Martin’s realization that back in the day really wasn’t the ideal that he remembered
Sara spilling coffee on Dr. Hannah, stopping the harassment of Nurse Carlisle
Jax dunking his french fries as a way out of a potentially awkward line of conversation
Jax’s apology to Leonard, and his acceptance of Leonard as a team member
Martin praising Leonard for his restraint and quick thinking
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