The team arrives in the old west, and everyone is keen to look around and explore their inner cowboy. Rip tells them they’re in a temporal blind spot, a fragmentation in the timeline that the Time Masters can’t look in, but the purpose of their visit is to hide. He finally caves though and gets them all set up with period appropriate clothes and weapons. The team arrives in the dumpy, muddy town and in true fashion heads for the saloon. Kendra bumps into a woman and has a flashback, only for her to disappear. Rory and Sara have a heart-to-heart about his time as Chronos, which he surmises as “just another gig.” Meanwhile Dr. Stein takes up gambling, and soon finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun, the always thinking on his feet Snart helps out though and kills the man who was preparing to murder Stein. This results in a saloon brawl, which itself is ended by none other than Jonah Hex (a classic old west DC character raised by Apache Indians who fought in the Civil War and now works as a bounty hunter). Hex quickly figures out that the Legends aren’t from around these parts, and knows exactly who they’re traveling with, Rip Hunter.
Jonah joins the team back on the Waverider where the implied history between he and Rip becomes even more mysterious, and we learn Rip’s trademark coat was Jonah’s once. Hex goes on to explain that the team has angered the Stillwater gang, a group that’s been raiding the town for months. Ray, however, is prepared to fight for the town, they’re heroes after all and what better time to be a hero than the Old West. Kendra meanwhile prepares to head off to find the mystery woman she met, and Sara decides to join her. That evening, Ray and Jonah head to Salvation’s Sheriff to offer their services in apprehending the Stillwater Gang. The Sheriff hands Ray something and congratulates, he’s the new Sheriff in town.
Stein goes back to the saloon seeking information on Jeb Stillwater. While there he sees a crying woman, who he also ran into the day before, who reveals that her son is ill and there’s nothing to be done about it. Outside, the Stillwater gang rides in and are confronted by Ray. They talk of their arrangement: they take whatever they want, and don’t kill anyone in return. Stillwater takes out his gun with the intention of killing Ray, but Snart shoots it out of his hand from a perch. The gang retreats on Ray’s warning and the town cheers. Jonah Hex, however, does not cheer. When they get back to the Waverider, his trademark grumpiness comes out and he knows the team will leave Salvation like Rip left Calvert. What’s Calvert? Gideon says it was a town in 1868 Oklahoma. Was.
Sara and Kendra ride their horses, where Ms. Lance likes the simplicity of the Old West. Kendra reveals she’s been having more memory flashes than usual lately and feels drawn to this place they’re headed. Back on the Waverider, Gideon alerts Rip that Dr. Stein is taking 20th century medicine off the ship with the intention of using it on the sick boy. Stein argues that Rip should remember Calvert, and he certainly does. He reveals that the town was destroyed by Quentin Turnbull (a classic Jonah Hex villain!). Rip found himself in the Old West and experienced Time Drift like Ray, becoming accustomed to and liking the time he was in. He finally convinced himself to leave and the day afterward, Turnbull destroyed the town. Rip pleads with Stein, he doesn’t know what this child’s survival will do the timeline, but Stein says he couldn’t carry the look that Hunter has on his face for the rest of his life. Perhaps the sickest of burns from Firestorm. Hex enters and reveals he’s learned the Stillwater gang’s whereabouts, somehow.
Sara and Kendra find the spot they’re looking for, and the woman that Kendra bumped into. At first Kendra thought she was an old friend of hers in a past life, someone that could help her find Carter, but she was wrong… because it’s actually her. 1870s Kendra shows them a drawing of her and Carter (Called Hannibal Hawked in this era). In the image, Kendra sees a bracelet, which she learns she was wearing the first time they died. Kendra asks where it is, because objects present at the time of their death can be used to kill Savage. A good plan, but the bracelet was taken by bandits. This sends old west Kendra on a tirade about how much she loved Carter, and that she tried to find love in other men after Carter was gone but it always ended in heart break.
Dr. Stein goes to Stillwater and delivers the medicine to the young boy, who is better in moments. He makes the boy’s mother promise to burn all the remnants of the medicine when he’s taken it all (it won’t actually be discovered and used for ninety years). Afterward the team catches the gang by surprise, and captures Jeb Stillwater in a flurry of gunfire. As they leave, Jax is lassoed to the ground and left behind. The team argues about what to do, and comes up with their most harebrained idea ever. Have a shootout with their own prisoner in exchange for Jax. Sure, why not. Rip doesn’t agree with this plan, as per usual, and is confronted by Jonah about what happened at Calvert. Rip reveals he knew that Turnbull would sack the town. Hex appropriately punches him. The thing is Rip left because he couldn’t have been a Time Master anymore if he stayed, but he’s not one now anyway, which is why he’ll face Stillwater in the shoot out. Meanwhile, Sara and Kendra return and Sara tells Kendra not to listen to Old West Kendra, because she never met and fell in love with Ray Palmer, but Kendra did.
The team waits in Salvation and the Stillwater gang arrives. They set Jeb free and give him a gun, and the high noon shootout under overcast clouds is over as quick as it began, with Rip being the victor. The gang is apparently an honorable bunch, and set Jax free, just as the Time Hunters arrive to kill the team. Another grand and jarring battle erupts, mixing cowboy guns with laser pistols and Firestorm flying around. Rory fights one of the hunters himself who reveals under duress that “Omega Protocols,” The Pilgrim is coming for them.
Once the dust settles, Jonah saddles up and prepares to leave, but he and Rip share a moment. Maybe they’ll see each other again. Dr. Stein checks on Sara Neal and her son one more time before leaving, where she reveals the young boy’s name, Herbert George Wells. H.G. Wells, author of The Time Machine, answering Rip’s question of what would happen to the timeline by letting the boy live. Back on the ship, Ray asks Kendra about her walkabout and she tells him, but admits she doesn’t believe the cynicism of her old west self. The team assembles on the bridge and learn of the Omega Protocols, and The Pilgrim, the deadliest assassin of the Time Masters. Her trick, however, isn’t attacking them presently, but killing their younger selves. We flashback to Central Ctiy in 1990, where a young Mick Rory watches his house in flames. A mysterious woman stands behind him and points a gun at him, we cut to black and laser blast is heard firing.
You can check out the preview for the next episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, titled “Last Refuge,” in the player below.
