When Ava gets to the door of the bowling alley, she can’t get in because she didn’t come by invitation, but she can talk to her fiancée.
Ava explains how Constantine magicked the Waverider to go to Earth and before long they realize that the stakes on this game aren’t just their own lives, but for the fate of their planet, since the ball Mike is playing with is the globe itself.
Still on that Earth, however, are Flannel Zari and Nate, who can feel the quake and rumble whenever Mike the Strike manhandles his ball.
When Sara goes to talk to Buddy, he confirms that Mike is basically a Worldkiller but not as cute as Reign or Purity. Buddy says he just wanted to build a fun little getaway but Mike ruined it with all his bad vibes and bullying.
And speaking of bad vibes, Sara realizes her team is falling apart with Mick and Spooner’s bickering and Astra’s refusal to participate, so she calls a time out to reevaluate and start being a proper captain for this impromptu bowling team.
Things are getting shakier on Earth, both literally with the earthquakes and metaphorically with Zari trying to end her relationship with Nate. The ONLY reason I oppose this move is because it means we likely wouldn’t see Flannel Zari anymore, so I found myself surprised to be relieved when Nate said their time apart is hard but it makes him appreciate their time together and Zari decides not to break up with him after all.
With that sorted, Zari takes advantage of having Spooner’s bag and takes out a big ol’ alien blaster, sets it to “Middle Finger,” and is ready to rock and roll.
Trying to clear her head and figure out what to do next, Sara goes back to talk to Buddy, possibly the sweetest man in the universe. He tells her that you can’t beat bad vibes with more bad vibes and helps Sara realizes she’s been going about this wrong. She asks Buddy to help him good up the vibes, starting with two immediate mood boosters: nachos and music.
Also there is another wee side reference to Sara’s newfound love for cherries when Buddy brings the Legends a round of beer but gives Sara a cherry cola.
Sara gives a rousing captain’s speech, with clutch Jersey Shore references and rousing rally cries like, “Are we losers or are we legends?!” and it’s so effective that even Astra agrees to participate.
Spooner even has an idea for how to get Mick to bowl better without him having to take his gloves off. (Spoiler alert, the answer is modified gloves.)
Astra gets a gutterball at first but does get a few pins down eventually and everyone amps her up. Mick burps while the other team is playing and distracts them enough to throw them off. The game is tight and Ava is watching from the Waverider, more stressed than North American soccer gays watching the Olympics.
Next time Mike the Strike goes to bowl, Zari and Nate get spooked by the finger-pad-on-the-ozone situation, so Zari points Spooner’s blaster at the sky and zaps Mike just in time to make him blow his roll.
The game is down to the last frame and the Legends are up, and they could technically win but they would need a strike. The only problem is…Astra is up next. Sara gives her a pep talk and tells her to roll between her legs and the other team starts to laugh at her until the ball starts to curve right to the center of the lane and Astra manages to ekk out the strike they needed to win.
Their celebration is very cute and very needed after the last episode.
Sara gets Earth back from Mike and bowls it out into the universe, back to its spot as the third rock from the sun.
Buddy is so thrilled by this turn of events. Mike no longer has the hold on the alley, and Sara and the Legends have enough on their plate and have no interest in being overlords of a bowling alley. So Buddy swings open the doors and reunites Avalance and offers the Legends more nachos.
Mick and Spooner make up, Sara is honest about Ava’s Gary-inspired wedding dress being very not-Ava-like, and all seems right in the world. Buddy gets them in for a team photo and it’s very, very adorable.
All feels right in the world…at least, for now. I think this was the last unaccounted for alien pod, but we all know that the hijinx never end for our time-traveling nincompoops.
In fact, next time? It seems like they might get sucked into a haunted murder mystery TTRPG, which honestly feels like a love letter specifically for me. See you then!
