White Knights

"Don't trouble yourself. I'm not a damsel in distress.
Good, because I'm not a white knight."

—Valentina Vostok and Leonard Snart

"White Knights"
Information
Season 1 » Episode 4
Episode number	4 of 110
Original airdate	February 7, 2016(Canada) February 11, 2016(US)
Written by	Sarah Nicole Jones Phil Klemmer
Directed by	Antonio Negret
Guest stars
Stephanie Corneliussen as Valentina Vostok Voytek Skrzeta as Mikhail Arkadin Martin Donovan as Zaman Druce
Chronology
Preceded by	"Blood Ties"
Followed by	"Fail-Safe"

"White Knights" is the fourth episode of the first season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and the fourth episode overall. It aired on February 7, 2016. It aired early in Canada on February 7, 2016, and later aired in the United States on February 11, 2016.

Synopsis

When Vandal Savage retreats behind the Iron Curtain in the early 1980s, a string of nuclear scientists begins to mysteriously disappear. The team follows Vandal's trail straight into the heart of the Soviet Union in an attempt to find his next target. Ray tries to bond with a beautiful Soviet scientist, Valentina Vostok, in the hopes of finding out Vandal's next move. When Valentina rejects him, it's Snart to the rescue. Stein pushes Jax to be better, which frustrates Jax and ultimately threatens the Firestorm matrix. Rip asks Sara to train Kendra.

Plot

The episode starts with the team going to D.C. in 1986, where they break into the pentagon for records that in the future are heavily redacted. When the mission in the pentagon isn't as easily pulled off, it causes Stein and Jax to fight about their ideals. The files direct them to the U.S.S.R. and to a scientist named Valentina. As they arrive in the USSR, they are chased after Chronos again. After tricking the Russian's into shooting him down, the team splits up. Rip and Mick go after Chronos when Rip spots a time aberation. They learn that it is Zaman Druce who is following him to stop him.

Sara approaches Rip and asks him how to help Kendra who had gone crazy on a guy outside of the pentagon. It results in Rip telling Sara to train Kendra herself.

After learning that Zaman was going to have Chronos kill him, Rip is saved by his team but an explosion causes Jax and Stein to be split.

Meanwhile, Ray tries to impress a russian scientist but she doesn't give him the time of day so Snart intervenes and swipes the woman's id badge and wallet.

Due to Stein and Jax arguing, Stein goes off to the science building alone. However Ray and Snart follow him. As Ray deprograms down the nuclear, Stein touches it and absorbs it. Ray however is knocked out and Mick is captured along with Stein and Ray.

Production

Preparation ran from October 6 until October 15, 2015. Shooting ran from October 16 until October 28, 2015.

Gallery

Promos

DC's Legends of Tomorrow 1x04 Promo "White Knights" (HD)

DC's Legends of Tomorrow 1x04 Extended Promo "White Knights" (HD)

DC's Legends of Tomorrow White Knights Scene The CW

DC's Legends of Tomorrow Inside White Knights The CW

Trivia

• This episode marks the first time that a main cast member was not present for the episode. The cast member not present was Falk Hentschel (Carter Hall). This leaves only nine cast members to appear in every episode: Caity Lotz (Sara Lance), Brandon Routh (Ray Palmer), Dominic Purcell (Mick Rory), Arthur Darvill (Rip Hunter), Amy Pemberton (Gideon), Wentworth Miller (Leonard Snart), Victor Garber (Martin Stein), Franz Drameh (Jefferson Jackson) and Ciara Renée (Kendra Saunders).
• This episode introduces the character Valentina Vostok. In the comics, Vostok was also a member of the intelligence community, but she is mostly known for her role as the superhero Negative Woman in the Doom Patrol.
• Time Master Druce mentions bringing Rip to “Vanishing Point". In the comics, Vanishing Point is the home of the Time Masters lead by Rip Hunter. It is the last moment at the end of the universe.
• The characters reference a deity called Svarog while talking about the possibility of a Soviet Firestorm. In the comics, there was a Soviet Firestorm, and his name was Mikhail Arkadin.
• Mick Rory threatens a Soviet by saying he will “get all Rocky 4 on your ass". This is a reference to the movie “Rocky IV” where American boxing champion Rocky Balboa defeats Russian boxing champion, Ivan Drago.
• Ray claims that he "always wanted to be a spy". This is possibly a reference to Brandon Routh's former role as the CIA agent-turned Ring agent, Daniel Shaw in the TV series, Chuck.
• When Firestorm escapes the Pentagon, Rip demands that they pick up "the winged avenger". He means Kendra, aka Hawkgirl, however, the term Avenger could also be a reference to the Marvel Universe, namely The Avengers, which has Hawkeye (reference by name) and/or Falcon (Reference by suit, since Falcon has wings).
• Ray exclaims when he sees fighter jet, quoting the 1986 film Top Gun, which Snart takes note of.
• Jax refers to Chronos again as Boba Fett, an intergalactic bounty hunter from the Star Wars saga, a nickname that was used by Leonard Snart in the pilot.