Well, Legends fans, the time is nearly upon us. This week represented the penultimate episode of this season and, man oh man, things are really, really not looking good.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent some time going over hypotheticals for the stories you like—anything from “what would have happened if a different character was the hero?” to, one of my favorites, “what would happen if the bad guys won?”

That last one’s pretty important here, as you can probably imagine, because, well...that question isn’t really a hypothetical for us anymore, is it? The villains have officially won this round.

Welcome to Doomworld.

Now, okay, full disclosure: For all my internal hypothetical debating, I can’t say I ever really settled on a real answer for what it would be like if the Legion did win, so I can’t tell you what I expected. But I can say it probably wasn’t this. We’ve got all of the Legends basically remixed into new roles, everything from Amaya and Sara working as hero hunting muscle to Ray being a S.T.A.R. Labs janitor.

Not to mention the fact that Rip has apparently taken up cake decorating (do you think they have The Great British Bake Off in Doomworld?) in lieu of putting forth any effort to save the team and Nate’s now a basement dwelling science hobbyist.

...It’s a lot to take in.

And it’s all pretty bleak.

I debated a couple weeks ago if Thawne was a redeemable character (you know, after he was being all funny and almost human with Ray when they were trapped on the moon?) and I think this week answered that question with a resounding “no.”

Sure, he may have done some good in the broadest of strokes when he remade reality with the Legion, but at the end of the day, if “Doomworld” proves anything, it’s that Eobard Thawne (and, of course, the rest of the Legion) are...well, not all that great at winning. He’s never satisfied; none of them are ever satisfied. And I think, maybe, that’s what keeps them from ever being redeemable—it’s impossible to be altruistic when the most important next step is always the one that benefits you the most.

Meanwhile, we have Mick Rory, who, for all intents and purposes is not trying to fool anyone about his complete and total lack of interest in altruism, and yet is somehow—almost without fail—the person who steps in and does the selfless thing. Whether or not he’s actually consciously making those choices or if they’re just byproducts of his frustration with never being trusted is up for debate I guess, but really, I’d make a case for Mick Rory being the unsung hero of this whole season.

...Or at least he would be, if only his crewmates and friends would start to trust him for once. I mean, come on, you guys.

This season has posited a lot of complicated questions regarding things like morality, so I’m curious where you stand on this: Has Heat Wave been a hero this season, despite it all? Does it still count as being a hero if you’re doing it by accident? Let’s talk about it in the comments below because there most certainly isn’t a correct answer.

Of course, we can’t talk about this episode without talking about the tragedy it brought with it. Here's where you should stop reading if you're reading this before watching the episode, which is NOT the way you should be doing it. But if you are, consider yourself SPOILER ALERTED.

Amaya is dead, and the Spear of Destiny is destroyed.

I honestly don’t know what I can say to put a positive spin on that. I really don’t. If the Spear were still in tact, I’d make the argument that the team could “fix” everything—including bringing Amaya back—pretty easily, but that’s no longer an option, is it?

So unless Rip has some pretty intense tricks up his sleeve—and I don’t know if I have any faith in that, considering his time has been spent playing with fondant and icing rather than the mechanics of time travel—I’d say things aren’t looking all that great for the timeline. Without Amaya, the Vixen legacy won’t have an heir; without the Spear, Doomworld cannot be undone.

There’s only one episode of this season left and the stakes have never been higher.

…

Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you hanging for a weak on such a down note. There was a #DCTV Secret in this week’s episode you may have missed—and it’s a good one! If you’re not keeping up with the comic book side of the DC Universe, you may not be familiar with DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1—a mega event that kicked off last year that has been all about “healing” a universe that’s been tampered with by forces that wished to do it harm.

Sound a little familiar? The story of “Doomworld” echoes many of the same sentiments that “Rebirth” has put forth: A world that’s been broken, a feeling of unease, and above all, the hope that it can be fixed even when things are looking darker than ever.

So have heart, Legends fans, this ain’t over yet.
 

Meg Downey covers DC's Legends of Tomorrow as a part of the #DCTV Couch Club. Look for Meg on Twitter at @rustypolished. DC's Legends of Tomorrow airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. CST) on The CW.