Daddy Darhkest

"I broke into the looney bin to perform an exorcism. And while I was at it, that demon called your name. Said you'd soon be slipping into the dark. And I figured if Emily's demon knows you on a first name basis, you might know something that can help me save you both."

—John Constantine to Sara Lance

"Daddy Darhkest" is the tenth and midseason premiere episode of the third season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and the forty-third episode overall. It aired on February 12, 2018.

Synopsis[]

After Sara's encounter with Mallus, the Legends are paid a visit by John Constantine, a demonologist detective. The Legends agree to accompany him to a present-day psychiatric hospital and they are surprised to discover who Constantine is trying to help. During the exorcism, Sara, Leo and Constantine go missing, leaving Ray and Zari to try to take care of Constantine's client. Meanwhile, Amaya and Nate once again come face to face with Kuasa.[src]

Cast[]

Starring[]

• Brandon Routh as Dr. Ray Palmer
• Caity Lotz as Captain Sara Lance
• Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Amaya Jiwe
• Amy Louise Pemberton as Gideon (voice)
• Tala Ashe as Zari Tomaz
• Nick Zano as Dr. Nate Heywood/Steel
• Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory

Special appearance by[]

• Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk
• Wentworth Miller as Leo Snart

Special guest star[]

• Matt Ryan as John Constantine

Guest starring[]

• John Noble as Mallus (voice)
• Jes Macallan as Agent Ava Sharpe
• Tracy Ifeachor as Kuasa
• Madeleine Arthur as Young Nora Darhk and Mallus
• Annabel Marshall-Roth as Young Ellen Moore
• Marilyn Norry as Dr. Ellen Moore

Co-starring[]

• Kelly Metzger as Doctor
• Craig Fraser as Attendant

Plot[]

Star City, 2017: John Constantine is sneaking into the Sumner Asylum. When he's stopped by a nurse he casts a spell on her to make her forget him, and think that everything is perfectly normal. Constantine is there to see a young girl he calls Emily, who he has been trying to help. He starts an exorcism ritual, trying to drive the demon that is possessing her out, but the demon takes over. The demon tells him he's failed, just as he failed Astra. He tells Constantine that the girl's soul is slipping into the dark, and will soon be being joined by another's: Sara Lance. Dr. Ellen Moore, wearing a pearl necklace comes in and orders him to leave.

On the Waverider, Sara takes John to the bridge and introduces him to some of the Legends (although Mick initially thinks that John is Rip Hunter, as they're both skinny Brits wearing trenchcoats). He recognises Amaya's spirit totem. Nate explains that the necklace currently belongs to her granddaughter, and that Amaya is from 1942. He also tries to chat up Leo, but Snart says he's spoken for. In the lab Zari and Ray are working on an anti-magic gun to try and beat Damien Darhk. Ray recalls that the last explosion in the lab cause Jax and Stein to switch bodies. Zari admits she misses them too. On the bridge, Constantine is explaining about the exorcism and the demon calling Sara's name, and thinks that if the demon is on first name terms with Sara then perhaps she knows something that will help him save Emily. Sara refuses, saying she is done fighting demons. Nate wonders if this is anything to do with the demon the Legends are fighting. Sara tells Constantine that she recently visited the spirit realm and tells John that the demon's name is Mallus. John tries to leave, but Sara stops him telling him that they've been fighting Mallus since before John knew his name, and that she wants to come along. Constantine refuses but Sara won't take no for an answer. John reluctantly agrees. The Waverider receives a transmission from Agent Sharpe. She tells Sara that no-one at the Time Bureau believes Rip about Mallus but she'll keep trying. As she hangs up Leo points out to Sara that Ava was flirting with her.

Back at the asylum, Amaya, Sara, Nate, Leo, and John have snuck in to see Emily. Zari is unable to find any mention of her in the admission records. As they're going down a corridor they see see the girl being wheeled away. Sara initially tries to bluff the orderlies into handing over Emily, but decides to knock them out instead. As they're taking Emily somewhere where they can perform an exorcism, Kuasa appears. Amaya stays behind to delay her. Kuasa says she is there to protect the moment when Emily belongs to the demon. Zari contacts the team to tell them that she's found the girl in the records, but her name isn't Emily – it's Nora Darhk. After her father was killed by the Green Arrow she had her name changed and she was placed in Child Protective Services. Nora has been knocked out. Sara tells Nate and Leo to go to the pharmacy to get something to wake her up. They hear Amara and Kuasa fighting outside. Nate goes to help – Leo give him his cold gun to take with him. Out in the corridor Kuasa is getting the better of Amaya and has broken her arm. Nate manages to freeze Kuasa whilst she's in her water state, and suggests they get her back to the ship before she thaws out. Leo has found the medicine needed to wake Nora up. They've placed Nora in the middle of a mystical emblem that should be able to trap Mallus. They wake Nora up and start the exorcism ritual. Mallus takes over Nora's body again and tells Sara he's been expecting her. Mallus is able to exit the demon trap and throws Sara, Leo, and John across the room, then starts scribbling an incantation on the floor. There is a flash, and the three had vanished. Dr. Moore comes in and asks if she is okay.

The emblem has sent Sara, Leo, and John back in time to the asylum in 1969. They see the a younger version of Dr. Moore (recognisable by her pearl necklace) is working there. They don't have the right equipment to send a message to the Legends, but they notice that the hospital has the same paintings up that were hanging in 2017. They reason that if they write a message in 1969 on the back of a picture that fell of the wall in the future, that their team will see it and know where they are.

On the Waverider the rest of the team is trying to decide what to do about the missing Legends and about the still frozen Kuasa. Mick gets tired with them arguing (and interrupting the football game he's watching) and takes command, ordering Zari and Ray to find Sara, Leo, and John (or "Blondie, Fake Snart, and Trenchcoat" as he calls them), Amaya to the medical bay, and Nate to the library, and says that Kuasa stays in the freezer.

In 2017 Zari and Ray are in the asylum and see the aftermath of the failed exorcism. Zari takes a photo of the symbol that Nora/Mallus wrote on the floor and works out that their missing shipmates must have been sent through time. Nate and Gideon start researching where in history they might have been sent to. Meanwhile Zari and Ray go to talk to Nora, but she doesn't know where the missing three went, as it was the demon who cast the spell not her. Zari suggests that they take Nora away from the hospital, where she might have a better chance than there.

In 1969 Sara, Leo, and John are heading down to the room where they tried the exorcism in the future when they hear Mallus calling Sara. As they approach the room, John and Leo are frozen, and only Sara can go on. She hears Nora calling to her before a sinister figure tries to burst out of the walls. John catches up to her – Sara is hallucinating. Sara is frightened that Mallus is coming for her. Leo says he will go and put the message behind the painting whilst John stays with Sara. Snart is putting the message behind the picture when an orderly drugs him. Dr. Moore destroys the message and orders that Leo be taken to the operating theatre. Sara meanwhile is still seeing things, with Mallus trying to use her darkest emotions to make her susceptible to possession. John is able to cast a spell to drive Mallus away. As they're resting, Sara tells Constantine that she thought she was done with all the fighting for her soul. John tells her, as one who's damned his own soul to hell, that it's never done. He reminds Sara that she is tough enough to fight off even the strongest demon. The two make love.

On the Waverider Amaya thaws out Kuasa, who calls her "Nana Baa" (Grandmother). Amaya says it's strange to be called that, and says that time travel can be maddening. Kuasa agrees – especially if you have the means to change things but you don't. Amaya tells her that she cannot change the timeline. Kuasa calls her a coward, and tells her that men came to their village, murdered (an older) Amaya, and burnt it to the ground. Her mother was able to escape with her sister Mari, but Kuasa believes that her mother abandoned her. Amaya tells her that her mother thought she was dead. Kuasa tells her that she has made a deal with Damien Darhk to save her village – and her Grandmother.

Back in 1969 Dr. Moore is about to give Leo a lobotomy when Sara and John come in and rescue him. The doctor attacks them and is knocked out. Snart tells them that they found the note and that they'll have to find another way out of 1969. Sara suggest using the time travel spell that Nora used. Constantine says he isn't powerful enough to cast it. Sara suggests casting Mallus in to her, and using his power to create the spell. John asks what happens when she's possessed. Sara reminds him that he said she was strong enough to hold Mallus off. Constantine admits he only said that to try and seduce her.

In 2017 Zari and Ray have managed to break Nora out of the asylum and have take her to the SC Jitters coffee shop. Whilst there Nora sees a news report on the television of Oliver Queen's trial, during which they show footage of the death of her father. Mallus takes over Nora's body and wrecks the coffee shop.

On the Waverider Amaya has told Kuasa about her vision quest, and how her ancestor told her to protect the new totem bearer. She says that she thought it referred to Zari, but now thinks that it might refer to Kuasa. Nate comes into the cell to rescue Amaya but is knocked out by Kuasa.

In 1969 Sara and Constantine are preparing to summon Mallus. John performs the spell and Sara finds herself in Mallus's realm. She starts to draw the time travel sign on the ground of the demon realm, and in the real world it also appears on the floor. In the demon world Sara hears a child crying. She goes to see who it is and finds Nora's spirit.

In 2017 Mallus has managed to pin Nate against the wall. Zari tries to take Nora/Mallus's arm and it burns him. He says that she is one of the six and levitates broken glass, intending to kill Zari.

In Mallus's world, Sara tells Nora that she has a choice – give in to the darkness or fight it. Nora chooses to fight, and in 2017 Mallus is banished from Nora's body. Sara is able to finish the time travel emblem in the demon world, and in 1969, it glows. John and Leo grab Sara's body and they all travel back to the asylum in 2017.

On the Waverider Kuasa is drowning Nate. Amaya asks her to release him, saying he can help Amaya save Kuasa so that she can go home. Amaya lets Kuasa go.

In the coffee shop in 2017, Nora apologises for everything. Zari and Ray tell her that they know it wasn't her fault, and that they are going to find a home where she can be safe. Damien Darhk appears behind them. Nora is overjoyed to see him, and tells than that Zari and Ray have kept her safe, but Damien says that they were lying to her, and were afraid of who she is. He tells her that Mallus isn't a demon, he's her saviour, and that one day she will use Mallus's power to bring him back. He tells her that he's found her a home where they understand her power. The older Dr. Moore enters, and tells her that the Order of the Shrouded Compass will help her to bring Damien back for good, and they take Nora away.

On the Waverider, Zari tells the rest of the Legends about how Mallus seemed afraid of her totem. John thinks the totems might be the key to defeating Mallus, but Amaya says that she only knows of 5 totems – spirit, earth, air, fire, and water, and wonders if there could be more that they don't know about. Constantine says he will do some research and takes his leave. He asks Ray to help him with the cargo bay door. In the cargo bay he asks about the anti-magic gun he is working on. Ray was planning to put it into storage, by Constantine tells him to keep it nearby. He tells Ray that Sara has the demon's power inside her now, and they might need the anti-magic gun if, or more likely, when she succumbs to it.

On the bridge Leo says goodbye to Mick. He has decided to return to Earth-X and ask Ray (his Ray, not their Ray) to marry him. Sara calls Ava to ask her if she'd like to come to the ship. Agent Sharpe tells her that Rip Hunter has escaped from prison.

Videos[]

Production[]

Preparation ran from October 16 until October 24, 2017. Shooting ran from October 25 until November 6, 2017.^[1]

Trivia[]

• This is the first episode of the series not to feature Franz Drameh (Jefferson Jackson).
  • This is also the first episode of the series not to feature Martin Stein.
  • This leaves only two cast members to appear in every episode: Caity Lotz (Sara Lance) and Brandon Routh (Ray Palmer).
  • This also leaves only three characters to appear in every episode: Sara Lance, Ray Palmer and Mick Rory.
• The title of the episode is a play on the phrase "daddy dearest", but naming the title after the Darhk family.
• The title card of the episode is similar to the one that's used in the next season of the series. This is likely due to the fact that this episode could be viewed as a crossover with Constantine, even though the series had been cancelled long before this episode took place. Furthermore, in the next season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, John Constantine appears much more frequently, even "unofficially" joining the Legends.
• Starting with this episode, new episodes of DC's Legends of Tomorrow now air on Mondays at 8pm (eastern time) instead of the old time slot of Tuesdays at 9pm (eastern time) that it aired on as of "Raiders of the Lost Art".
• This episode's setting and theme is likely a tribute to the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
• The insane asylum was also used in the filming of the 2003 film Freddy vs. Jason.
  • The set used for the hospital scene in 1969 is also the same set used in another CW show, Supernatural in season 1's "Asylum" and season 2's "In My Time of Dying".
    • Interestingly, the exorcism that Constantine uses is the same as Supernatural.
• "Emily", Nora Darhk's alias, is a subtle reference to The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
• This is one of the only episodes of DC's Legends of Tomorrow not to feature any time travel through the use of the Waverider.
• The tarot card Constantine shows Sara in the asylum in 1969 is a shoutout to her transition from The Canary to White Canary.
• It's revealed by Kuasa that Zambesi Village was destroyed in 1992 after Amaya was murdered by Benatu Eshu.
  • The year Amaya is mentioned to be murdered in is the year that her actress, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, was born.
• Ray says the last time an explosion happened in the Waverider, it caused a "freaky Friday Firestorm" referring to the events of "Helen Hunt" where Jefferson Jackson and Martin Stein switched bodies.
• The part of this episode taking place in 2017 is set between the Season 6 Arrow episodes "Fallout" and "Tribute" because there is a mention of Oliver Queen being suspected of being the Green Arrow.
• When he meets Leo Snart, Constantine makes an oblique romantic pass at him, and later on, has a sexual tryst with Sara. This is the first time Constantine's bisexuality, which was established in the Hellblazer comics, has been alluded to; it was never touched upon during the run of Constantine
• Mentions are made of Constantine's failure to save a girl named Astra. The failed exorcism is first mentioned in "Non Est Asylum", the series premiere of Constantine, and it being his biggest failure in his exorcism career is a recurring theme throughout the series.
  • This is the first time in the Arrowverse that a direct reference to Constantine is mentioned outside of the series.
• The character of Dr. Ellen Moore is possibly a reference to Alan Moore, one of the writers who originally characterized John Constantine in the comics.
• The empty room in the asylum that Nora is taken to is room 237, a reference to the hotel room from The Shining.
• Constantine says, "Allons-y Alonso", a reference to a line said by the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who to Alonso Frame, played by Russell Tovey.
• The American Football game Mick is watching is between the Bay City Goldminers (BCG), which appeared in the Green Lantern comics, and Blue Valley Soldiers (BVS), which appeared in the Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. comics.
• Regarding Ava Sharpe and Sara, Leo comments, "You're both super hot. Gay, not blind." This is reminiscent of John Trujillo's quote about Jacob in "Episode Three" of Freedom Fighters: The Ray: "He's cute. I may not be gay, but I have eyes."
• The "ice pick" or "transorbital lobotomy" procedure that was going to be inflicted on Leo by Moore was a common treatment for mental illness in the mid-20th century.
• When Sara asks Nora what voices she heard in her head from Mallus, Nora replies, "the number 6", which Constantine points out is the number of the Biblical Beast from the Christian Bible's Book of Revelation.
  • It could stem from Mallus' fear of the six totems of Zambesi, since he also called Zari Tomaz "one of the Six."

Goofs[]

• The newspaper Constantine picks up in 1969 is dated Friday, January 16, 1969. January 16, 1969 was a Thursday.
  • Also, the headline was "Man Walks on Moon" with a picture of Neil Armstrong on the moon. The moon landing was July 20, 1969 at 20:17 UTC. The whole mission was July 16-24, 1969 - with launch on July 16, 1969 at 08:32 est.

References[]

DC's Legends of Tomorrow season 3
"Aruba-Con" • "Freakshow" • "Zari" • "Phone Home" • "Return of the Mack" • "Helen Hunt" • "Welcome to the Jungle" • "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 4" • "Beebo the God of War" • "Daddy Darhkest" • "Here I Go Again" • "The Curse of the Earth Totem" • "No Country for Old Dads" • "Amazing Grace" • "Necromancing the Stone" • "I, Ava" • "Guest Starring John Noble" • "The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly"