'Legends of Tomorrow' finale recap: 'The Good, the Bad and the Cuddly'

In the season three finale of Legends of Tomorrow, the team gets help from some old friends and discovers the way to defeat Mallus.

“The Good, the Bad and the Cuddly” begins immediately following the previous episode of Legends of Tomorrow when Mallus finally broke free. Mallus informs the group they’ve been mispronouncing his name all season and demands they give him the totems. The group activities their totems but quickly realize they don’t stand a chance against the demon without a plan. Sara tells Rip to come pick them up and he replies he has an idea. The team and Damien rush to the ship while Wally tries to distract Mallus.

Rip removes the Waverider’s time drive. Gideon tells him the odds of survival are infinitesimal, and the two say goodbye. Rip walks towards Mallus, reminiscing over his time with the Legends. Gideon tells the Legends Rip’s plan and Wally runs Zari to get the time drive from the jump ship so they can escape. Sara contacts Rip. He says he cannot destroy Mallus, but will buy them time. He and Sara say their goodbyes as Zari finishes hooking up the drive. The Legends flee as the time drive explodes, taking Rip’s life and incapacitating Mallus.

The Legends pass around alcohol and talk about what to do now. Sara decides they should go back to Salvation since it’s a hidden spot in time. She goes to see Damien and says she won’t kill him because he deserves to suffer. Ray comes in and she tells him not to do anything stupid. When she leaves, Ray tells Damien he has a plan to save Nora.

They Waverider lands in 1874 Salvation. Sara, Wally, Zari, and Rory walk into the town and go to the bar. Sara wonders if the totems didn’t work because they aren’t the right totem bearers. Jonah Hex arrives and Sara introduces him to Wally and Zari. Jonah is the sheriff now and asks if they brought trouble, then they hear yells. The group goes outside to see Freydis Eiriksdottir, Julius Caesar, and Blackbeard arrive on horses. Mallus sent the three to demand the Legends hand over the totems or face their army. The enemies discover the Legends don’t have all the totems on them and say they have until high noon to deliver the totems.

Back on the Waverider, Nate sees Ray and Damien in the jump ship. He says Gideon told him the time drive was put back on the jump ship. Ray punches Nate and takes the jump ship back right before Mallus broke free and Nora died.

Nate goes to the library and finds Amaya on a vision quest. She explains she’s going back to meet with the first totem bearers to find out how they defeated Mallus. Amaya tells Nate not to join her on the quest, but he insists on coming too and drinks too much of the drugged drink. The two hold hands and begin the vision guest. The two are surrounded by the Zambesi ancestors and see them holding hands and defeating Mallus together.

Zari is working on a computer program to search for totem bearers in her room when Jonah stops by. They two chat and lightly flirt. Nate calls the team to the bridge and Amaya tells the others about the vision. She declares they are the right bearers, they just used the totems incorrectly. They need to join together and create something of pure light to destroy Mallus. “Like Voltron,” a still high Nate adds helpfully. Sara still thinks they’re the wrong totem bearers, but Amaya disagrees. She mentions Rory meeting his dad in Vietnam and Zari’s totem reaching out to her own. She convinces Sara to try again.

Back in Salvation, Amaya assembles the Legends and explains how to use their totems to help create the being of light. She helps Sara accept her role as the Death Totem bearer and the group holds hands. Their minds connect and they hear each other's thoughts. Amaya tells them to focus but in the end, they bring a deformed creature into existence. Rory kills it with his heat gun. Amaya wants to try again but Sara refuses, saying they need to find people who are worthy of the totems. Ava received the Legend’s message and arrives with Kuasa, Helen of Troy, and Jax.

Back in 1992 Zambesi, Ray and Damien find Nora just before Mallus takes over. Damien shoots Nora with the nanite gun and Mallus leaves her body and starts possessing Damien instead. He tells Ray to save Nora before being overcome by Mallus. Ray gets Nora aboard the Waverider and gives her the antidote. She breaks down when she discovers her father traded his life for her own.

Amaya chats with Kuasa, who is alive because her future changed when Amaya changed Zambesi’s fate. Kuasa and Mari share the Spirit Totem. Jax is now married and has a kid. Helen is a warrior and easily shoots at targets, surprising Jonah. Sara says they need to be taught how to use the totems, but Ava gives a speech saying the totems were meant to be wielded by the Legends. Ava asks Sara if she was telling the truth when she said I love you. Their conversation gets interrupted when Ray bursts in with Nora. He explains Nora is fine now and Damien is Mallus’s vessel. Amaya tells him about Mallus’s minions wanting the totems and the group hears noises outside.

The army led by Freydis, Caesar, Blackbeard waits outside. Sara gives the team a pep talk and then goes to meet the army alone. She uses the totems as bait and tells them to leave. The army charges and Ava appears riding on a horse. Sara jumps on and the two lead the army down another road where Nate, Amaya, and Kuasa are waiting. The Legends and friends fight with the army and take them down. Unfortunately for them, Mallus raises the army again. Helen tells the Legends to go prepare to take down Mallus and the rest of them will fight the army.

Helen, Ray, Nora, Ava, Jonah, Jax and Kuasa continue to fight. The army bows and they see Mallus in his true form appear. Inside, the Legends get ready to try again to make a being to defeat Mallus. They try to keep their thoughts pure and positive and in doing so, Nate thinks of something specific. Jax rushes in to tell them about Mallus and the ground begins shaking as a giant Beebo bursts through the building. The group stands transfixed as Beebo rushes at Mallus. The giant Beebo is the six totem bearers and they fight Mallus in what is a hilarious fight scene. In the end, Beebo basically destroys Mallus by squeezing him to death with cuddles.

The group rushes to the crater created by Beebo and find the Legends within, covered in bits of blue fur but celebrating their win. Rip comforts Nora about her father’s death. Much to his annoyance, the other Legends hug Rory and cheer.

Time Bureau Agents arrive to wipe the memories of the townspeople. Before she leaves, the group gives Kuasa the Water, Earth, Fire, and Death Totems to keep safe. Jax and Ava say their goodbyes to Sara before leaving. The two and Helen take Freydis, Caesar, Blackbeard back to be mind-wiped and returned to their times. Jonah gives Zari his hat to remember him by and she seems to find him oddly charming. Ray manages to get a minute with Nora before the Time Agents take her away to prison. He gives her Damien’s time stone and says not to ruin her second chance at life.

Sara and Amaya reminisce about their time together with the Legends, with Zari joining in the conversation. Amaya says she needs to return to her time in Zambesi. The Legends will always be her family, but she has another family that needs her as well. They then notice Jonah’s hat and tease Zari.

Amaya and Nate take the jump ship to 1942 Zambesi. She will miss a lot about the future, including Nate. He brings out the mind wipe gun, but she replies she wants to remember him and keep her memories. They part, with him forcing himself not to turn around and her tearing up as she watches him leave.

The Legends take a break in present-day Aruba. Rory complains that when he mentioned Aruba, he meant a private vacation. Sara mentions plans with Ava later on and says the Time Bureau are taking care of the lingering anachronisms. Gary appears, cosplaying as Constantine, and the group asks why he came. The real Constantine arrives seconds later with a dragon/demon head. He says Mallus is not the only thing that escaped.

This was a great season finale of Legends of Tomorrow. Rip’s death was quick, but still meaningful. I like that we got one more episode of high Nate this season and laughed at his mentions of Voltron: Legendary Defender. Beebo and Mallus’s fight scene was one of the best moments in this show. It’s hilarious, fun, and I can’t imagine it happening on any other show. I’m glad Constantine and Gary are spending time together and hope to see more of their dynamic next season. I was sad when Amaya returned to her village, but according to Entertainment Weekly, Maisie Richardson-Sellers will return next season.

On a final note, this was my favorite season so far and I’m looking forward to see what season four brings.