The team takes on a slasher story with a killer twist in the latest Legends of Tomorrow

Few shows can thrive while jumping from gimmick to gimmick, but there’s just something in the DNA of Legends of Tomorrow that lets it meld genres like fruits in a blender. This week it’s the slasher movie and '80's teen drama, and it was a ton of fun.

Spoilers ahead for “Slay Anything,” the latest episode of The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow, which aired Tuesday, February 11, 2020.

The “encores” are still causing trouble across the time stream, and the latest psycho killer to get released from Hell is the legendary Prom Night Slasher, who killed several young women during their high school prom back in the late 1980s and was executed in the early 2000s. It just so happens the high school is having its reunion that weekend, so the team heads back to high school to try and stop the killer from pulling a, well, encore. This being the Legends, though, they’re too late to stop the first few murders — and when it becomes clear they’re losing touch of the situation decide to send a team further back in the time stream to try and stop this killer before he becomes a killer.

Enter Nora, sporting her shiny new Fairy Godmother powers. Back in the late 1980’s she appears to the teenage would-be serial killer and grants him a spiffy suit to wear to prom, after his longtime crush has invited him. Anyone who has seen Carrie can figure out where this is heading, though, and it turns out this was all an elaborate prank to dump garbage on Freddy during prom. But wait! his date Tiffany actually develops feelings for him and tries to abort, to no avail. Thankfully Nora is still there to talk him off the ledge and grant him one more wish. Which is awesome in the most Legends way possible. Freddy’s wish is an epic dance off that turns him into the kind of the school, because yes, this episode is playing on all your favorite 1980’s movie cliches.

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But just when it looks like they’ve stopped the masked killer and saved the day, it’s time for the classic horror movie twist: Freddy wasn’t the killer after all. It was his deranged mother, who died of a heart attack the same night Freddy was executed, and was brought back to life as an “encore,” not Freddy. 

That reveal comes in the past, as well, as Freddy’s mother tries to knife the young women leaving prom and headed to the limo with her son. Thankfully B pops up just in time to knock her out and save the day. With past and future killings averted, the day is officially saved.

Though the gimmick is the engine that keeps this one running, and running well, it’s Nora who actually steals the show this week. She’s clearly struggling with her newfound gig as a fairy godmother, spending her days gifting kids with dozens upon dozens of ponies. But the Freddy case was an opportunity for her to really make a difference in someone’s life, and it also shows just how much she’s grown since her days doing her evil father’s bidding. She gets all the good day-saving speeches, and even manages to look cool while rocking that fairy godmother gear.

Assorted musings

Zari is still on board, and has a flashback to her old life while trying to break out of the room where B had locked her in. She decides to stick around with the crew, so hopefully we’re one step closer to getting the old Zari back.

Ava is apparently a huge serial killer nerd (just check out her podcast!), and seeing her nerd out on this mission was a nice evolution from the buttoned down version we've known up to this point. Ava is discovering her true, messy self — and it's hilarious and endearing to watch. Also, she finally got to be a Final Girl. Good for her.

Constantine and Gary go off on their own adventure this week, as Constantine returns to his ancestral home to talk to a witch he thinks can help with the Astra situation. The only problem? That witch is Astra’s mother. They run into Charlie while they’re there, as well, as she’s been spending her days wearing John’s face and partying it up in his old pad.

Despite all the murder, Mick got a happy ending this week, in more ways than one, finally hooking up with his old high school girlfriend.

Next week: The gang heads back a few hundred years to meet Marie Antoinette. And there look to be plenty of beheadings.