'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 5 Episode 14: The pros and cons of having two Zaris on one Waverider
Spoilers for 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' Season 5 Episode 14 'The One Where We're Trapped on TV'
The original Zari Tarazi (Tala Ashe) has returned, and fans everywhere are ecstatic about it. The newer Zari Tarazi has ALSO returned, to an equal amount of delight for fans. Both versions of the character exist simultaneously now, thanks to a literal twist of Fate, but as we go into the season finale we have to ask: Can this state of affairs be maintained? More importantly — should it?
The Cons
For time-travelers who are meant to protect the timeline, the Legends have been playing fast and loose with causality. Having two versions of the same person on board might just be too much for even the Waveride to handle, however. We've already seen what happens when two versions of a character exist, on 'Batwoman' — one must live, while the other must die. The Waverider may be able to mitigate that effect, but the effects it would have on an already messy timestream are very unpredictable.
This also means that the Totem that gives the Tarazi family their powers is further diluted. It was already going to be a pain for it to have to pass between Behrad Tarazi (Shayan Sobhian) and Zari — introducing a third Tarazi to the mix just adds to the inconvenience. Sooner or later, one of the Tarazis is going to feel redundant, especially as Zari 1.0 and Behrad essentially have the same function on the ship.
Most importantly, there are a lot of practical difficulties in this move. While Tala Ashe is a fantastic actor who has done admirable work in separating both personalities, having to do double duty every episode will stretch even her capabilities to their limits — not to mention the show's budget for every scene they're in together. It would be wonderful to have both Zaris on the show — but it may be logistically impossible.
The Pros
Zari 2.0 almost seems to have been written as a caricature, a one-note joke to reflect the new timeline's zany changes before Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) could find a way to bring the original back. However, Tala Ashe's performance and the show's writing did an incredible job of not only giving Zari's character depth but also, in giving her an important role on the Legends team, quickly making her just as popular as Zari 1.0.
There's been too much great work done on Zari 2.0 to erase her from existence - and the same is honestly true of Zari 1.0. Behrad is an important part of this equation. While he is obviously closer to the sister of the timeline he actually survived in, it would be tragic for Zari 2.0 to never get to know her brother despite all she sacrificed to save him. It would be equally tragic for Behrad to have his sister erased and replaced with a relative stranger (no pun intended).
Then we have the romance angle. John Constantine (Matthew Ryan) and Zari 2.0's romance has been a highlight of the season. Nate's own romance with Zari 1.0 was well-developed as well and his journey to find his way back to her has been heart-wrenching. Neither man deserves to get his heart broken and it's a rare moment where Zari isn't trapped in a love triangle — there are two different people for two different romances. They should both stay and culminate the romances the show has been building for so long.
Lastly, it would just be fun. It's a unique opportunity for both new kinds of time traveling anomalies to be explored as well as the simple interactions between the two characters. Seeing how different people on the ship interacting with Zari 2.0 has been a recurring joy this season, and now we have a chance to see the team readjust to the old Zari returning.
In conclusion
Zari — both versions of her — is one of the show's best new additions. She has made her mark not once, but twice, on the show and audiences have grown to love both of them equally. While it may be a practical challenge to keep them both on the show, we hope that 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' makes the effort to do so. 'The Flash' may have introduced the idea of doppelgangers into the Arrowverse but 'Legends of Tomorrow' have made the best use of it.
The next episode of 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' airs on June 2 on The CW.