Draft:Wet Hot American Bummer

Not to be confused with Wet Hot American Summer.

"Wet Hot American Bummer"
Legends of Tomorrow episode
Episode no.	Episode 4
Directed by	David Geddes
Written by	Ray Utarnachitt Tyron B. Carter
Production code	T13.21054
Original air date	December 11, 2018 (2018-12-11)

"Wet Hot American Bummer" is the fourth episode of the fourth season and fifty-fifth episode overall of the American science fiction series Legends of Tomorrow. The episode was written by Ray Utarnachitt and Tyron B. Carter and directed by David Geddes.

The episode sees the Legends visit a summer camp and capture a monster that is killing children.

Plot

Ava briefly joins the team to help with an investigation into kids disappearing at a summer camp in 1995. The team poses as camp counselors while they track down a swamp creature that has been kidnapping the kids. Ava and Sara take a potion that turns them into children in an attempt to lure out the creature. Charlie attempts to escape the Waverider, but is stopped and comforted by Mick. The team is able to locate the monster, known as a Shtriga, and its victims.

John Constantine uses a spell to banish the Shtriga, but one of the kids remains unresponsive. John uses another spell to give some of his own life force to the child, heaing and reviving the child but leaving himself close to death. Ray and John are subsequently rescued by the campers. Charlie agrees to help the Legends, officially joining the team, on the condition that they do not lock her up again. Gideon cannot save John, but Ray claims to know someone who might. Nora Darhk is revealed to be working at a Renaissance fair.

Production

Filming

The episode was directed by David Geddes and entered prep on July 31, 2018, and concluded on August 9. Filming began the following day and finished on August 22.

Writing

"Wet Hot American Bummer" was written by Ray Utarnachitt and Tyron B. Carter. The final version of the draft was finished the day before filming began. The episode's title is a reference to the 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer. The line "the production design is as lazy as the action staging" was taken from review by Oliver Sava for The A.V. Club about the season one episode "Last Refuge" (2016).

Casting

The episode stars Caity Lotz, Jes Macallan, Matt Ryan, Brandon Routh, Courtney Ford, Dominic Purcell, Tala Ashe, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Sara Lance / White Canary, Ava Sharpe, John Constantine, Ray Palmer / The Atom, Nora Dahrk, Mick Rory / Heatwave, Zari Tomaz, and Charlie. Series regular Nick Zano does not appear in the episode. Zano explained that his absence was due to the birth of his daughter.

Release

"Wet Hot American Bummer" was aired on The CW

Critical reception

The A.V. Club's Sam Barsanti named the episode one of the series best. He praised the mention of the "Last Refuge" review noting that the line would have read as "April 29, 2021" on a worse show.