I, Ava

"This is the second worst attack of the clones I've seen."

—Ray Palmer

"I, Ava"
Information
Season 3 » Episode 16
Episode number	49 of 110
Original airdate	March 26, 2018
Written by	Ray Utarnachitt Daphne Miles
Directed by	Dean Choe
Chronology
Preceded by	"Necromancing the Stone"
Followed by	"Guest Starring John Noble"

"I, Ava" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and the forty-ninth episode overall. It aired on March 26, 2018.

Synopsis

When Ava disappears, Sara and Ray set out to find her after some prodding from Time Bureau agent Gary and learn a disturbing truth about Ava. Amaya tasks Zari with helping train Rory in controlling his own Totem power. Meanwhile, Nate and Wally set out on a mission that goes awry when they pair with an unlikely person to try to get a Totem.[src]

Cast

Starring

• Brandon Routh as Dr. Ray Palmer
• Caity Lotz as Captain Sara Lance
• Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Captain Amaya Jiwe/Vixen
• Amy Louise Pemberton as Gideon (voice)
• Tala Ashe as Zari Tomaz
• Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West/Kid Flash
• Nick Zano as Dr. Nate Heywood
• Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory

Special appearance by

• Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk

Guest starring

• Courtney Ford as Nora Darhk and Mallus
• Jes Macallan as Director Ava Sharpe
• Tracy Ifeachor as Kuasa
• John Noble as Mallus (voice)
• Adam Tsekhman as Agent Gary Green

Co-starring

• Eli Gabay as Chuck McCabe
• Iris Quinn as Pam Sharpe
• Jan Bos as Randy Sharpe
• Alia Asaria as Agent
• Kathryn Stewart as Nurse

Plot

Following her experience with the death totem and her breakup with Ava, Sara is leaving the Waverider to try to have some time to herself to clear her head. In her absence she puts Amaya in charge as acting captain.

In the kitchen Mick is using his newly acquired abilities from the fire totem to cook food – without an oven. Amaya approaches him to offer to train him to control his powers properly, but Nate calls her to the library, so she suggests Zari, as another totem bearer, trains Mick instead. In the library Nate and Wally tell Amaya that her granddaughter Mari has been injured in a fire in 2018 whilst fighting as the vigilante Vixen. Amaya is concerned that as she's lost her spirit totem, it didn't get passed to Mari, and so she doesn't have the powers she would normally have, and that is why she got hurt. Amaya decides she is going to go and talk to her, and Nate points out that such an action could cause unforeseen problems with the timeline. Amaya overrules him, pointing out that she is acting captain. Nate suggests that he and Wally should go and talk to Mari instead, whilst Amaya stays on the ship.

Sara is still trying to leave the ship to start her personal time. Ray is tells her that he understands that it wasn't the real her that attacked him when she was bearing the death totem, but Sara says that that it was – and that's the problem. Just then Agent Green portals on to the ship – with his eyes covered. Sara asks him what he's doing there – and why he's hiding his eyes. Gary says it was in case he ended up in Sara's bedroom, so he wouldn't see her and Ava together. Sara tells him that that isn't an issue as she and Ava are no longer together. Both Ray and Gary are surprised at this news as they didn't know. Sara suggests that if he wants to see Ava that he go to her office, but Gary tells her that she's not been to work for a few days and he's secretly been covering for her. Sara tells Gary not to worry because they are going to find her. They go to the Time Bureau and Ray hacks their computers, to find that Ava's personnel file has been erased, and that it was done remotely from the Waverider.

In Detroit in 2018, Wally and Nate are talking to Mari's adoptive father in the hospital when they see Kuasa come in. They manage to intercept her with the intent of stopping her hurting Mari, but Kuasa tells them she is there to protect her rather than harm her.

Sara, Ray, and Gary travel to the home of Ava's parents in Fresno. They tell the three that they haven't spoken to Ava in months but invite them in. Sara becomes suspicious that their home seems too perfect, and that some of the photos of Ava don't correspond to things that Ava told Sara – such as a picture of her 15th birthday party that supposedly was a sleepover with friends, but for which Ava told Sara they went paintballing. Sara demands to know who they really are, and the "parents" reveal that they're actually actors who were hired 4 years ago to pretend to be Ava's parents in case she ever visited. They have no idea who has been paying them to do it. They head back to the Time Bureau, and run into Ava, who asks why they are there. They tell her that Gary was worried. Ava tells them that she had been to visit her parents and tells them to leave. Knowing that she's lying to them, Sara steals her time courier to retrace her movements.

In Detroit, Kuasa takes Nate and Wally to Mari's vigilante headquarters, telling them that ever since Amaya lost her totem she's been keeping an eye on her sister. Nate wonders why, as he thought that she hated Mari. Kuasa tells him that even though she resented her sister for inheriting the spirit totem rather than her, she'd rather Mari had it than Nora Darhk. Nate suggests that they work together to retrieve the spirit totem. Kuasa agrees.

At the Time Bureau, Sara, Ray, and Gary are analysing the records from Ava's time courier. They find a record relating to a mission in Vancouver in 2213 that has been locked. Gary tells them that the Time Bureau has designated the year 2213 a "no-fly zone", which means time couriers won't take them there, and the Waverider won't be able to fly there either. The only person who can override that order is the Time Bureau's director – Ava Sharpe. Sara wonders why Ava wouldn't want them to know who she really is, making Gary think she might be an anachronism. Ray suggests that they will have to go to 2213 to find out the truth. Gary tells them that the only way to get to 2213 would be to hijack the Time Bureau's Mothership. The three steal it and head off to the future.

In 2213 they begin to look around, to try to find out why time travellers have been banned from there. They think they see Ava, but when they greet her she walks straight past them without noticing. Then they see another woman who looks like Ava... and another... and another. In fact there are lots of women who look identical to Director Sharpe. Ray wants to know what kind of world would have lots of copies of Ava. "Paradise?" suggests Gary. But as she and Ava are ex-lovers, Sara suggests it is closer to Hell. Then they see an advertisement that gives them their answer. Ava is in fact a clone.

In Detroit, Wally and Nate are with Kuasa trying to work out how to steal the spirit totem from the Darhks. Wally suggests that he just speeds in and takes it as he did with the fire totem, but Kuasa tells them that now the Darhks know that the Legends have a speedster with them they have taken precautions. She suggests instead that they bring the Darhks to them, using one of the Legends as bait. At that moment Amaya contacts Nate, to ask how Mari is. Nate tells her that she is going to be okay, and that he and Wally are going to stick around for a bit, to try to talk Mari out of being a vigilante – at least until Amaya gets her totem back. Wally asks why he didn't tell Amaya what they are planning to do, and Kuasa points out that if she knew she would try to help, but without the spirit totem she would probably get herself killed, which would wipe both Kuasa and her sister from the timeline. Amaya signs off, telling Nate she loves him. Wally agrees to try to keep Amaya occupied whilst Nate and Kuasa work on retrieving the spirit totem from the Darhks.

In 2213 Sara, Ray, and Gary have broken into the AVA Corporation's building where they see clones being stored and made. Ray accidentally wakes one of them up. The clone tells them that they do not have clearance to be there and that they must be terminated. Sara and the Ava clone fight and Sara is able to knock her out.

In Detroit Kuasa has tied Nate up and given him a drug that will stop him from turning to steel. Damien and Nora Darhk teleport into the Vixen base using a time stone and congratulate Kuasa for capturing a Legend. Kuasa tells them that she wants something in return for Nate – her grandmother's totem. Nora agrees, as she is now possessed by Mallus she doesn't need the necklace any more. She hands the totem over to Kuasa. Nate whispers to Kuasa to untie him but she refuses, telling Nate he is a bigger threat to her family than losing the totem – if Amaya chooses to be with him, then she won't return to Zambesi, and her two granddaughters will never be born. Kuasa asks the Darhks to kill him - slowly.

In 2213 Gary has finished tying the clone up when Ava portals in. Gary cries "another one?" but Ava doesn't understand. It's clear that she doesn't know that she is a clone. She demands to know what they are doing there. Ray tells her that they are investigating an anachronism, but Sara tells her that the jig is up and they know she's a clone. Ava is shocked to see all of the copies of her and faints.

In Detroit Mallus/Nora tells Nate that he will get the other Legends to bring the rest of the totems to him, or he will dies. When Mallus leaves, Nate asks Damien about Nora. Damien says that the closer Mallus comes to being free, the worse it gets. When he goes to torture Nate he stops, saying that it torturing people doesn't bring him any joy since Nora was taken over. Nate tries to sympathise.

In 2213 Ava is coming round from fainting, not remembering that she had discovered she is a clone. Sara and Ray discuss whether they should tell her. At that point they hear a noise and discover that the clone they had tied up earlier has escaped.

On the Waverider Zari is trying to train Mick how to control the new powers he's gained from the fire totem. It's not going well. Amaya suggests that they should leave Detroit and get back to work fixing anachronisms, but Wally tells her that Nate is still down there trying to convince Mari to stop being a vigilante, but that she's stubborn. Behind them Kuasa, who has managed to get on the ship, wonders where Mari got that stubbornness from, and offers Amaya the spirit totem as a peace offering. Wally asks Kuasa where Nate is. She tells him that she handed him over to the Darhks in exchange for the necklace. Wally says that wasn't the plan. Amaya wants to know what they are talking about. Wally admits that he, Nate, and Kuasa had planned to steal the spirit totem without Amaya knowing. Kuasa tells Amaya that she betrayed Nate because their relationship is a threat to her and her sister's very existence. Kuasa asks why Amaya hasn't tried to protect her village and family from destruction. Amaya tells her she has been searching for ways to try to redeem Kuasa, and that being a totem bearer means protecting all people, not just just your own. She tells Kuasa that the reason the totem went to Mari, rather than her is because she is beyond redemption.

In 2213 Sara, Ava, Ray, and Gary are trying to leave the AVA factory. Ava confesses that she lied about visiting her parents, as she says they are strangers to her ("I wonder why" says Sara wryly), and that in reality she was visiting an ex in Las Vegas. A squad of armed Ava clones marches in to stop the four from leaving. Ava wants to know why they all look like her and Ray has to tell her she's a clone. Ava starts to question who she is. Sara tells her that she is different – but that she needs to pretend to be one of them so that they can escape.

In Detroit Damien Darhk is pretending to torture Nate when Mallus/Nora reappears and throws Damien across the room knocking him out as punishment for trying to trick him. Then he starts to drain Nate's life force when Wally and Amaya speed in. Wally starts to speed towards Mallus/Nora, but Mallus is able to drain Wally's speed force and turn it back against him. Amaya tries to summon an animal ashe so that she can fight Mallus/Nora, but doing so makes her collapse.

In 2213 Ava has dressed like one of the clones, and tells the others that she has apprehended Sara, Ray, and Gary, and that she will take them outside and terminate them. They have almost made it out when the clone they captured earlier steps out and reveals that Ava is not one of them. Ava knocks the clone out but the rest of the clones start to surround them. Sara, Ray, and Ava are able to take them out.

In Detroit, Mallus/Nora tells Amaya that her totem is still controlled by him, but Amaya is able to regain control of it and fights Mallus. As they do so, Kuasa returns and frees Nate, telling him that she is not here for him, but for her grandmother. Mallus/Nora manages to throw Amaya across the room but Nate catches her. He, Amaya, and Wally face off against Mallus. Mallus knocks them down, but as he prepares to finish them off Kuasa steps in front of them and blocks his magic. Mallus/Nora asks how she can betray him, when he offered her power, but Kuasa tells him that family is real power. She tries to talk to the possessed Nora, telling her that they both have family and they don't have to give in to their demons. But Nora tells Kuasa she likes her demons and summons the water totem which tears itself out of Kuasa's body killing her. Amaya wants to fight Mallus, but knowing that they cannot win, Wally speeds the three of them away.

Sara, Ava, Ray, and Gary have made it back to the Waverider. Ava threatens Gary not to tell anyone about what he saw in 2213 but Ray solves the problem in a more permanent way by wiping Gary's memory. Nate goes to see Amaya to talk about Kuasa. Amaya tells him that she regrets getting on to the ship; that if she'd stayed in 1942 then she would have died an old woman without ever knowing the hardships that would befall her family. Nate asks if that what she wants. Amaya tells him that she doesn't know, and walks away. In the kitchen Zari and Mick are talking about Kuasa. Both of them were able to sense the death of a fellow totem bearer. Zari is eating the iftar meal at the end of her fast for Ramadan. She tells Mick that as totem bearers they are connected to something larger, and that keeping Ramadan also helps her feel that she is still connected to her family. On the bridge Sara and Ava are talking. Ava suggests that Sara wipe her memory too, as she doesn't know how she'll be able to face the Time Bureau, knowing she's a clone. Sara tells her that with the fight that they're facing with Mallus means that neither of them can afford to run away from who they really are any more. Ava wonders why she doesn't remember anything about being a clone. Sara asks Ava who recruited her for the Bureau. Sharpe says it was Rip. Sara thinks that it must have been Rip who deleted her memories, wiped her file, and put 2213 off limits to time travellers. Ava asks why. Sara says she doesn't know – but they are going to find out.

Amaya goes to the jump ship and sets the co-ordinates for 1992. Gideon warns her against travelling to that period. Amaya tells her that she is going to go and save Kuasa, save her family – and that no-one is going to stop her.

Gallery

Videos

DC's Legends of Tomorrow 3x16 Sneak Peek "I, Ava" (HD) Season 3 Episode 16 Sneak Peek

Trivia

• The episode title is a reference to the 2004 film I, Robot, in which the world is filled with mass-produced robots utilized for everyday use, that are identical to each other and are considered to be "perfect".
• When Wally introduced himself to Kuasa, saying that he is the fastest man alive, Nate corrected him and said that he's the second fastest. This is a reference to how after gaining his speed, Wally was faster than Barry Allen, who is considered the fastest man alive, but after Barry spent six months in the Speed Force, he became significantly faster than Wally.
• Damien makes a reference to his attack on the Arrowcave when inside Mari's vigilante headquarters.
• Sara refers to Ava as a "fembot". This contraction of "feminine robot" was often used in the Austin Powers franchise.
• After Ava faints in 2213, Ray says, "well, maybe she's not a card-carrying member of the clone club after all". "Clone Club" is a term used by the clones in the show Orphan Black, and has since also been used in the fandom to refer to the group of clones in that show.
• While fighting Advanced Variant Automations, Ray quips that it's the "second worst attack of the clones" he's seen. This is a reference to the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the second entry in the typically-despised trilogy of Star Wars prequel films.
  • A similar quip would later be used later by Ralph Dibny in the Season 4 finale of The Flash, "We Are The Flash".
• This episodes marks the live-action debut of Chuck McCabe. He previously appeared in Vixen.
• This is the ninth episode in the Arrowverse and the second episode of DC's Legends of Tomorrow to be named after a character in a civilian sense, after "Sara", "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak", "Who is Harrison Wells?", "My Name Is Oliver Queen", "Alex", "Zari", "When Harry Met Harry...", and "Run, Iris, Run".